 |
| |
 | | | How do you even pronounce that? | | Why is Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine called Comirnaty? We've got answers. And Henri headed out to sea, leaving billions in damage. It's Tuesday's news. | | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| If you're confused about the brand name of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, you're not alone – but we can help. The United States has helped evacuate more than 70,000 people from Afghanistan. And New York's got a new governor. |
| 👋 Hey, hey! It's Laura, and Tuesday's news is ready to go! |
| But first, vegetarian no more? 🐢 This tortoise really woke up and chose violence. A giant tortoise was caught on video, eating a bird – the first recording of the vegetarian reptile going carnivorous. |
| The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here or text messages here. |
Why is Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine called Comirnaty? |
| How in the heck do you pronounce Comirnaty? That's the brand name for the newly FDA-approved Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration issued full authorization Monday for the COVID-19 vaccine, pronounced "co-MER-na-tee." It's a little easier to say than BNT162b2, the research name of the vaccine while it was first being studied, but not much. |
| Why Comirnaty? According to the company, it "represents a combination of the terms COVID-19, mRNA, community and immunity." Let's break that down: |
| • | co = COVID-19 (which in turn stands for COronaVIrus Disease 2019, the year it was discovered) | | • | mirna = mRNA, the snippets of genetic code that tell cells to build proteins. In this case, the proteins on the COVID-19 spike protein | | • | ty = some combination of community and immunity | |
| If you don't like Comirnaty, and BNT162b2 doesn't trip off your tongue, you can always try tozinameran. Yeah, I didn't think so. (But in case you want to, that one's pronounced "toe-zuh-NAH-mer-an." Say that 10 times fast.) |
| |
Biden's sticking to his deadline |
| President Joe Biden stands by his planned withdrawal deadline of Aug. 31 – but he's preparing contingency plans if the Taliban don't cooperate on evacuations. His remarks from the White House came the same day the Taliban said Afghans should not go to the airport in Kabul or otherwise attempt to leave the country and women should stay home to stay safe. The Taliban had pledged to uphold the rights of women despite a history of enforcing strict codes that allowed for violence against them. In the meantime, the evacuations continued, with more than 70,000 people removed from the country in the past 10 days. |
| |
 | | A U.S. Air Force crew assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron prepares to load evacuees aboard a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 21. | | Senior Airman Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force via AP | |
What everyone's talking about |
| |
Henri heads to sea |
| Nearly $12 billion in damage later, Henri is finally drifting out to sea. The lights were mostly back on Tuesday in Rhode Island and Connecticut, and floodwaters receded from New Jersey and New York after the storm lashed some areas with up to 10 inches of rain. Henri slammed ashore with 60 mph winds and gusts approaching 70 mph, leaving behind a wide swath of mud, debris and devastation. AccuWeather estimated the total damage and economic loss from Henri at $8 billion to $12 billion. |
| |
 | | Strong surf driven by Tropical Storm Henri breaks along the Cliff Walk in Newport, R.I., Aug. 22. | | David Goldman/AP | |
New York's new governor sworn in |
| Making history as the first woman to serve as New York's governor, Kathy Hochul was sworn in early Tuesday, replacing Andrew Cuomo, who resigned under the weight of a sexual harassment scandal that engulfed his administration and derailed his political future. Hochul, who was Cuomo's lieutenant governor, took part in a small ceremonial swearing-in at 10 a.m. Tuesday and delivered an inaugural address in the afternoon.State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, will take over some of the lieutenant governor's duties until Hochul can pick a successor for that position. Hochul, a Democrat from Buffalo, will be in office for the remainder of Cuomo's term, which runs through 2022. |
| |
 | | New York Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, left, swears in Kathy Hochul as the first woman to be New York's governor while her husband, Bill Hochul, holds the Bible for her during a ceremony at the state Capitol Aug. 24 in Albany, N.Y. | | Pool photo by Hans Pennink | |
Real quick |
| |
Let the Paralympic Games begin! |
| In a circus-like opening with acrobats, clowns, vibrant music and fireworks atop the stadium to mark the start of the long parade of athletes, the Paralympics kicked off in Tokyo on Tuesday. Like the Olympics, the Paralympics were postponed a year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The opening ceremony featured the national flags of the delegations represented, and a volunteer carried Afghanistan's flag because its delegation was unable to reach the games after the Taliban took control of the country. This year, more than 4,000 athletes representing at least 134 nations will pursue medals across 540 events, including 240 athletes who will represent the USA in Tokyo. |
| |
 | | The Paralympic flame is passed between torchbearers during the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on Aug. 24. | | Yasuyoshi Chiba, Getty Images | |
A break from the news |
| |
| This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here. |
| |
| MORE ARTICLES |
| |
| |
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment