Vaccines for all, canceling student debt, Egyptian pet cemetery

Good morning, Quartz readers!

Here’s what you need to know

Joe Biden promised vaccines for all US adults by May. The president also announced a collaboration between Johnson & Johnson and rival Merck to step up production of the vital shots.

A key Biden appointment failed. Neera Tanden’s nomination for director of the Office of Management and Budget was withdrawn following bipartisan opposition to her past views on social media.

Companies in Texas are enforcing their own mask rules. Though face coverings are no longer mandatory in the US state, firms including GM, Toyota, and Target still require staff and customers to wear them.

Security forces in Myanmar again opened fire on protesters. At least nine people were reportedly killed as anti-coup demonstrations continue.

India wants a Tesla factory. Transport minister Nitin Gadkari told Reuters he is prepared to offer incentives to tempt the US carmaker away from China.

Olympic organizers added 12 women to the board. It’s a belated attempt to address criticisms of sexism and unequal representation—the Games are scheduled for July.

What to watch for

The famous red box, which has carried the British chancellor’s annual budget speech since 1853, today contains details of the UK’s most important economic plans for a generation. (It’s not William Gladstone’s original box—a replica has been used since 2011.)

The UK heads into a fiscal period that will be defined by the dual economic shocks of Brexit and Covid-19. The government believes it has a solid plan to emerge from the expensive cycle of lockdowns, and has put together one of the most successful vaccination programs in the world.

💸 Will the UK government keep spending? Yes, and it won’t be alone.

📈 Will there be tax hikes? Very likely, but this is a Conservative government, and there’s already internal dissent.

💷 How much has Covid cost the UK? Nearly £400 billion ($550 billion)—the budget may have to somehow account for that.

To keep track of all major pandemic-related economic developments—from European economies to retail, China, and airlines—go to the Quartz coronavirus living briefing for regular updates and the essential information you need.

Charting AstraZeneca’s vaccine in the EU

For all the talk of Covid-19 vaccine supply issues in the European Union, official data show that close to 13 million doses distributed to member states have not even been administered. Most of those are from AstraZeneca, with many Europeans apparently unwilling to accept that particular shot.

The chart above doesn’t quite tell the full story, notes Annabelle Timsit, but it does make it clear that EU countries have administered a lower share of their available AstraZeneca doses. That may be because of public mistrust, but it also shows the pitfalls of “vaccine preference,” a problem that is becoming global.

What will canceling $10,000 of student loan debt really do?

On the campaign trail, US president Joe Biden pledged to clear $10,000 of federal student loan debt per borrower—a small dent in the more than $1.5 trillion of student loans issued or guaranteed by the government.

• It could help individuals. Forgiving $10,000 in debt would completely wipe out the student loan burden for one-third of America’s 43 million federal borrowers. But mostly, it would benefit the rich.
• It could shrink the race gap. A little, anyway. Disparities in home ownership and property values are bigger factors in the wealth gap than education is.
• Could it help the economy? Meh. It’s not the most effective way to get cash to households who will turn it around and put it into the economy.

Michelle Cheng sorts through the pros and cons, and asks how Americans got into so much student debt in the first place.

✦ If canceling student debt won’t fix capitalism, what will? We obsess over this very question. Read all our fixing capitalism coverage—and everything else on our site—with no paywalls for a week.

Surprising discoveries

Oh, the places these books won’t go! Dr. Seuss Enterprises said six of the author’s books will no longer be published due to racist or insensitive content.

A dental X-ray scanner helped researchers read a 300-year-old sealed letter. The intricately folded missive was a request for a death certificate.

Archaeologists found a 2,000-year-old Egyptian pet cemetery. And Stephen King found the plot of his next book.

Microdosing LSD isn’t the mind hack Silicon Valley thinks it is. Its purported boost to creativity and mental sharpness could just be the placebo effect.

Canada Post wants to make sure you stay in touch. The postal service is giving every Canadian a prepaid postcard to send to a loved one.

Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Canadian postcards, and microdoses, just in case, to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our iOS app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Tripti Lahiri, Mary Hui, Susan Howson, Hasit Shah, and Liz Webber.