Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Vaccine news: “The United Kingdom became the first country Wednesday to formally approve the Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, a huge symbolic milestone in the fight against the pandemic. The first inoculations are set to be rolled out next week, the government said, although the initial batch of 800,000 will cover a relatively small number of healthcare workers, care home staff and residents, and people over the age of 80.”
* What matters now is the period leading up to access to the vaccine: “The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Wednesday that the nation is facing a devastating winter, predicting that total deaths from Covid-19 could reach ‘close to 450,000’ by February unless a large percentage of Americans follow precautions like mask-wearing.”
* Speaking of the CDC: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is shortening the recommended quarantine period from 14 days after a person has been exposed to the coronavirus, offering two alternatives, the agency said Wednesday.”
* The CDC is also warning Americans not to travel over the holidays, which is obviously smart advice.
* The H-1B visa program: “A federal judge on Tuesday struck down two Trump administration rules designed to drastically curtail the number of visas issued each year to skilled foreign workers.”
* Dems clearly want to get something done: “Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, the top Democratic leaders in the House and Senate, will support using the pared-back $908 billion Covid-19 aid package that was crafted by a group of bipartisan lawmakers as the basis for an ultimate deal.”
* A story of under-appreciated significance: “Holdout Bank of America has officially joined other U.S. banking majors in refusing to finance oil and gas exploration in the pristine section of Alaska that President Trump last month opened to drilling for the first time ever.” * She’s not good at this: “White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday falsely attributed the genesis of the towering red ribbon displayed in front of the White House in honor of World AIDS Day to the Trump administration.” * Madness: “Pro-Trump attorney Lin Wood and the recently pardoned former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn have called for President Donald Trump to declare martial law and have the military oversee a ‘national re-vote.’” See you tomorrow.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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