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| Good morning, Daily Briefing readers. The United States has passed yet another grim coronavirus milestone. It's Jane, with Thursday's news. |
| A vaccine for Americans could be signed off as soon as today, after the nation recorded a record 3,124 deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday — a single-day toll worse than 9/11. In other news, the long-awaited U.S. Women's Open finally tees off, six months after it was supposed to start. And, Hanukkah Sameach to all who are celebrating! |
| Here's today's news: |
FDA to consider emergency use authorization for COVID-19 vaccine; US exceeds 3,000 deaths in a day |
| A U.S. committee crucial for clearing a COVID-19 vaccine will hold an all-day meeting Thursday, and depending on how it votes, the nation's first doses could ship as early as Friday. The U.S. set a record for COVID-19 deaths reported in a day Wednesday — 3,124, a single-day toll worse than 9/11 . The committee will review data from Pfizer and German startup BioNTech on their vaccine, called BNT162b2, and by day's end will vote whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should authorize the country's first COVID-19 vaccine. The companies are requesting an "emergency use authorization," shy of a full approval. If the independent Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee recommends that authorization, the FDA is expected to sign off on the vaccine, possibly as soon as late Thursday. |
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Let it shine: Hanukkah begins joyous 8-day run |
| The evening of Thursday, Dec. 10, marks the start of Judaism's eight-night Festival of Lights, Hanukkah. During Hanukkah, Jews light candles on a menorah to celebrate the miracle of a one-day oil supply lasting eight days after the Maccabean Revolt in the second century B.C. For many, it's also a time for exchanging gifts, playing the game of dreidel and serving tasty treats, many of which are fried in oil. And no, you aren't crazy: "Hanukkah" can also be spelled "Chanukah" — and 22 other ways. |
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U.S. Women's Open tees off after long postponement |
| Following a six-month delay because of COVID-19, the last golf major of 2020 finally tees off Thursday. The 75th U.S. Women's Open, originally scheduled for June 4-7, is set to begin Thursday morning at Champions Golf Club in Houston with 156 golfers entered. The first tee time is 10:20 a.m. ET with TV coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET on Golf Channel. Top contender Lexi Thompson, who in 2007 at age 12 was the youngest to qualify to play in the U.S. Women's Open, will have a special guest caddie as she attempts to win her second major. Thompson, runner-up to Jeongeun Lee6 in last year's U.S. Women's Open, will have Bryson DeChambeau's caddie, Tim Tucker . DeChambeau won the men's U.S. Open earlier this year in dominant fashion. Could Thompson make it a rare (perhaps historic?) U.S. Open double for Tucker? |
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Federal prisoner Brandon Bernard slated for execution |
| A federal prisoner convicted for crimes related to a double murder and robbery is scheduled to be executed Thursday . Brandon Bernard, currently housed at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, was convicted for his involvement in a robbery that led to the brutal deaths of Todd and Stacie Bagley on the Fort Hood military base in Killeen, Texas, in 1999. Now 40, Bernard was 18 at the time, and his lawyers have argued he was not an architect of the robbery plan that led to the Bagleys' deaths. Several high-profile figures, including a prosecutor who argued for Bernard's death sentence and celebrity Kim Kardashian West, have called for Bernard's execution to be stayed. |
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More news you need to know: |
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Northern lights could be visible across the northern US |
| If you live across portions of the northern U.S., keep your eyes to the sky on Thursday and the next few nights: Barring pesky clouds, you might catch a peek of the northern lights, aka the aurora borealis . According to SpaceWeather.com, auroras could be sighted in northern-tier U.S. states from Maine to Montana to Washington this week. The colorful event is courtesy of a solar flare, which erupted out of a sunspot Monday. A coronal mass ejection — a burst of plasma from the sun — is also heading toward Earth. The electromagnetic storm is expected to grow to major status Thursday, extending the area where the northern lights are visible. So Thursday night might end up being the best night to see the display. |
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And finally: Florida Man didn't let 2020 slow him down. Here's everything he did this year |
| From alligator attacks to social media fame to fraudulent checks: "Florida Man" didn't slow down in 2020. Florida Man – the alias given to the many males involved in whacky news stories from the Sunshine State over the years – maintained his status as an internet favorite with another year of eye-popping appearances in news headlines. In a year that many might want to forget, Florida Man kept us entertained, like when he saved a puppy from the jaws of an alligator. And he brightened our spirits, when he helped an elderly woman having a medical episode in her driveway. Catch up with all that Florida Man has been up to this year. |
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