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The UK unveiled its National Cyber Force. The unit of offensive hackers has been operating since April, and targets hostile states by disrupting their online communications. Meanwhile, prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to make a decision on the results of an inquiry into allegations of misconduct by home secretary Priti Patel.
Brexit negotiators suspended face-to-face meetings. They were forced to do so after a member of the EU team tested positive for Covid-19, forcing Michel Barnier, who represents the bloc, to self-isolate. While talks will continue online, time is running out before Dec. 31, when the UK’s Brexit transition period ends.
Joe Biden was confirmed as the winner in Georgia. The president-elect’s victory there, which hasn’t gone blue since 1992, brings his total electoral votes to 306 against Donald Trump’s 232. As the president continues his fight to overturn the election results, Biden denounced him as “one of the most irresponsible presidents” in American history. Separately, the White House is expected to release new rules to lower drug costs.
Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping attend a virtual summit. The two, together with leaders from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, will discuss Covid-19 and global economic recovery. The last APEC summit failed to reach a joint communique in 2018, as China and the US disagreed on issues like trade.
Covid-19 or climate change relief?
Why not both? A good chunk of initial Covid-19 aid funding is being used to support healthcare systems, preserve livelihoods and stabilize employment, but much is slated for infrastructure and economies. Leaders like Biden and Johnson are speaking in terms of rebuilding toward a more sustainable future.
The global economic rebuild could include efforts to avoid the worst impacts of one of today’s looming mega-threats: climate change. Scientist David L. McCollum explores how coronavirus relief funds could stop the worst of climate change.
Charting Parler’s growth
Parler, a right-wing social media platform that bills itself as a place where conservatives can escape fact-checking and content moderation on Twitter and Facebook, has been downloaded more than 4 million times since the US presidential election on Nov. 3. Its explosive growth is the latest chapter in a 50-year story of growing partisanship in the US.
The rise of Parler would not be possible without plummeting trust in government and media, a dizzying array of partisan news outlets on TV and online, and a deluge of misinformation that has crescendoed during recent US elections. Whether or not the app catches on, the long-term trends that brought it to the fore will remain.
Honesty is a wonder
Wonder Woman 1984, the much anticipated sequel to 2017’s Wonder Woman, will premiere simultaneously in cinemas and HBO Max. WarnerMedia entered uncharted territory when it announced its reasoning behind the move—it simply wants to sell HBO Max subscriptions.
CEO Jason Kilar went ahead and told the truth in a blog post, underscoring WarnerMedia’s new strategy: HBO Max is its endgame.
In parallel, we will be paying close attention to the numbers of families and fans diving into HBO Max, as we certainly anticipate that a portion of fans will choose to enjoy Wonder Woman 1984 that way on opening day and beyond. To provide a comparable, a little over four million fans in the U.S. enjoyed the first Wonder Woman movie on its opening day in 2017. Is it possible for that to happen again this Christmas with Wonder Woman 1984 between theaters and HBO Max? We are so excited to find out, doing everything in our power to provide the power of choice to fans.
It’s a pivotal moment for streaming services—dive deeper in one of our recent field guides.
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You asked about vaccine safety
Is Pfizer’s vaccine a live virus? Or is it acceptable for immunocompromised patients?
Great question, Tom. Unlike many other available vaccines, this one isn’t a live virus that has been weakened, a virus that has been killed, nor a signature viral protein that can dupe cells into producing protective antibodies. Weakened live virus vaccines aren’t always safe for people with compromised immune systems: Because they have the most in common with actual pathogens, the mild reaction they provoke to get antibodies revved up for future infections can be too much.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, though, involves no virus at all. Instead, this vaccine relies on messenger RNA (mRNA for short), a type of genetic material that our cells can use as an instruction manual to kick off the process of building virus-busting antibodies. It provides the instructional code for the body to make non-infectious viral bits and bobs—in this case, the spike protein on the outside of SARS-CoV-2—that kicks off an antibody response. Moderna’s shot, another mRNA vaccine, works much the same way. So far, we don’t have data on the Pfizer/BioNTech’s candidates efficacy for those who are immunocompromised, but preliminary trial results suggest it’s safe with low side effects even in older trial participants—which is promising.
Surprising discoveries
Americans just want their government to “pass a damn stimulus.” People on the verge of losing their unemployment benefits are tweeting the desperate message at lawmakers.
Dog-sized lizards are invading the US. South American tegus, which can grow to 4 ft (1.2 m) long and eat almost anything, are on the loose in several states.
People are still creating awful passwords. A list of the 200 worst passwords include “123456,” “password,” and “pokemon.”
The Pope was up late scrollin’. The Vatican is demanding that Instagram explain why the Holy See’s official account liked a picture of a scantily clad model.
The first Batman comic went for $1.5 million. Dating from 1939, the copy of Detective Comics No. 27 is the most expensive comic featuring the Dark Knight ever sold.
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