5 things to know for December 14: Covid-19, transition, economy, Brexit, Nigeria

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1. Coronavirus

Covid-19 vaccinations are set to start today in the US after the CDC gave the final nod to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine over the weekend. Over the next few days, the vaccine should reach all of the more than 600 administration sites nationwide, and frontline health care workers and those in long-term care facilities will be offered it first. But experts warn that the full rollout will be messy. The drug company can only provide up to 6.4 million doses by Saturday and 40 million doses by the end of the month — not even enough to cover all of the 24 million people eligible for the first round of inoculations (each vaccine requires two doses). The vaccine milestone comes as the US approaches a staggering 300,000 coronavirus deaths. Meanwhile, other countries are imposing more lockdown measures. Germany next week will go into a “hard” national lockdown until after Christmas.

2. White House transition

The Electoral College votes today. The process is usually a civics-class afterthought, but since President Donald Trump and dozens of high-profile GOP leaders and lawmakers have refused to acknowledge President-elect Joe Biden won the election, it’s going to garner more than a little attention. (A Texas lawsuit promoted by Trump that challenged voting results in four other states was thrown out Friday by the Supreme Court.) The only way today’s vote could theoretically change the confirmed Electoral College tallies is if “faithless electors” vote against the popular vote determined by their states. That’s exceedingly rare, and it would take a LOT of faithless electors to get anywhere near closing Biden’s margin of victory. Still, some Trump supporters think the President actually won the election. A weekend Stop the Steal protest roiled Washington DC, leading to violence and a few arrests.

3. Economy 

The bipartisan congressional group trying to get a $908 billion Covid-19 relief package over the line is planning to split the bill into two proposals. The larger proposal would cover small business loans, jobless benefits and vaccine distribution, among other things. The smaller, more polarizing one would cover state and local aid, as well as liability protection. Despite continued delays, all parties agree something must be done soon. This year, about 17% of the country’s restaurants — roughly 110,000 — have been permanently shuttered, and American retailers have announced 8,400 closures. Dozens of recognizable brands have declared bankruptcy, and states have been forced to create their own forms of economic relief as Congress wavers.

4. Brexit

The United Kingdom and the European Union have agreed to extend talks past yesterday’s self-imposed deadline, but they’re both warning a no-deal Brexit may become a reality. Leaders say the sides are still far apart on several issues, including fishing rights, the UK’s ability to diverge on EU standards, and the legal oversight of any deal. This stalemate could mean the UK is left without a solid trade framework when the Brexit transition period ends at midnight on December 31. Such an exit could be devastating for the UK, but it would hurt the EU, too. Both sides are thinking of a Plan B instead. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he had directed his Cabinet to prepare for talks to fail, and the EU has released plans aimed at keeping its borders open to commercial aircraft, trains and trucks.

5. Nigeria 

Hundreds of students are feared missing after gunmen attacked a school in Kankara, Nigeria, in the state of Katsina. Witnesses say attackers herded up students and loaded them into vehicles after shooting policemen protecting the school. A Katsina police spokesperson said 200 students were safely returned to the school over the weekend, but it’s “too early” to know how many students are still missing and whether they were kidnapped. By different tallies, there could have been 700 to 1,200 students at the school at the time of the attack, but some may have left following an exam period before the attack began. A top Katsina leader said the army is visiting the homes of students to determine how many are still missing.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Columbus Crew beats Seattle Sounders to win a second MLS championship

Alexa, play “We Are the Champions.”

Blue Ivy Carter gets a Grammy nomination for ‘Brown Skin Girl’

Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s daughter is already making the family business proud … and she’s only 8 years old!

Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller becomes the first woman to score in a Power Five college football game

The kick is good! The history is made! 

Undercover cops dressed as Santa and his elf fight crime at a California shopping center

How is this NOT the plot of a movie?! Oh wait, it kind of is. (See 2015’s “Undercover Santa.”)

It’s been a big year for online gaming, and the boom isn’t going away 

Long live Animal Crossing. 

TODAY’S NUMBER

$80,000

That’s about how much it would cost you to fill out all your phone, computer and entertainment needs with Apple’s most expensive, top-of-the-line products — including a $6,000 Mac Pro with 1.5 TB of memory.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“I think it’s time to move forward.”

Terry Francona, manager of the Cleveland baseball team, when asked in July about a potential team name change. The team has reportedly decided to drop the term “Indians” from its name, following in the footsteps of the Washington Football Team, which dropped “Redskins” from its name in July.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY

Wakey, wakey!

Don’t forget a good breakfast this morning! Perhaps you could get some inspiration from these morning routines around the world. (Click here to view.)