Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Big Pfizer news from the FDA: “The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized the first Covid-19 antiviral pill in the United States to protect against severe disease.”
* Good move: “The Biden administration announced Wednesday that the moratorium on federal student loan payments would be extended through May 1, as the highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus poses a new threat to the economy.”
* Economic news: “The U.S. economy grew at a 2.3% rate in the third quarter, slightly better than previously thought, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. But prospects for a solid rebound going forward are being clouded by the rapid spread of the latest variant of the coronavirus.”
* That was quick: “A federal judge in Florida on Thursday denied Michael Flynn’s request for a temporary restraining order to block subpoenas from the Jan. 6 committee compelling him to testify and to produce scores of documents. The judge took action the day after Flynn filed his motion in federal court in Florida, which is where he lives.”
* More Jan. 6 fallout: “A Pennsylvania man whose involvement in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol was inadvertently uncovered through his wife’s Facebook posts was sentenced Monday to a year of probation. Gary Edwards, 68, of Southampton, pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement to demonstrating in the Capitol and was sentenced in federal court, online records show.” * Sounds promising: “Within weeks, scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research expect to announce that they have developed a vaccine that is effective against COVID-19 and all its variants, even Omicron, as well as previous SARS-origin viruses that have killed millions of people worldwide.” * This won’t generate big headlines, but it’s a worthwhile move: “President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a bill into law allowing the Capitol Police chief to directly ask the National Guard and federal law enforcement for help in emergencies, streamlining the previously clunky process that helped slow the response to the Jan. 6 riot.” 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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