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 | | | On the clock 🕗 | | Biden's deadline for businesses, Britain approves a pill to fight COVID-19, and Taco Bell is giving out free tacos. It's Thursday's news. | | |
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| Workers at large businesses who haven't gotten vaccinated face a federal deadline. A little-known truck driver scored an election upset. And Britain is the first nation to approve a pill to treat COVID-19. |
| It's Abbey and Julius here with Thursday's news! |
| But first, meet Doug! 🥔It's a beloved 17-pound ugly New Zealand potato that's possibly the world's biggest. |
| The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here or text messages here. |
Workers face Biden's Jan. 4 vaccine deadline |
| Workers at larger businesses will have to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4, 2022, or face regular testing under federal rules released Thursday. Workers who choose the testing option may have to bear the cost and will be required to wear a face mask on the job beginning Dec. 5. "COVID-19 continues to hold back our workforce and our economy – and it will continue to do so until more Americans are vaccinated," Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and Jeff Zients, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, wrote in an opinion piece for USA TODAY. The federal requirements also apply to state and local government workers in 26 states, including teachers and school staff. |
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 | | Labor Secretary Marty Walsh | | Michael Dwyer/AP | |
A truck driver defeated a top Senate power in NJ on $10,000. Here's how. |
| State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, one of New Jersey's most powerful Democrats, lost his reelection bid to a little-known trucker, according to a call of the race Thursday by The Associated Press. But the apparent winner, Edward Durr, declined to declare victory Thursday. Durr says he spent somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 on his victorious campaign. Sweeney and Durr ran neck and neck in portions of the district in Gloucester and Cumberland counties. Voters in Salem County appeared to push Durr into the lead. The Senate bid was the third campaign for Durr, a furniture company deliveryman who lost races for a Logan council seat last year and for a 3rd District Assembly seat in 2019. |
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 | | New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney. | | Mel Evans, AP | |
What everyone's talking about |
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A pill to fight COVID-19 💊 |
| Britain on Thursday became the first nation to approve a pill to treat COVID-19. The tablet, called molnupiravir, was developed by New Jersey-based Merck and will be given twice a day to patients diagnosed with the disease. British Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the drug, initially developed as a treatment for the flu, can cut the risk of hospitalization or death in half. "Today is a historic day for our country, as the U.K. is now the first country in the world to approve an antiviral that can be taken at home for COVID-19," Javi said. "This will be a game changer for the most vulnerable and the immunosuppressed, who will soon be able to receive the groundbreaking treatment." |
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 | | Pharmaceutical company Merck developed the antiviral drug molnupiravir. | | Merck via AFP via Getty Images | |
The clock clash |
| Before clocks turn back one hour this Sunday, the debate over daylight saving time is picking up again. "In the last four years, 19 states have enacted legislation or passed resolutions to provide for year-round daylight saving time, if Congress were to allow such a change, and in some cases, if surrounding states enact the same legislation," Jim Reed of the National Conference of State Legislatures told USA TODAY. The Department of Transportation, which is in charge of daylight saving time, says the practice saves energy, prevents traffic accidents and curbs crime, but sleep experts say the health effects of losing sleep eclipse the value. |
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 | | When and why we "fall back" for daylight saving time. | | GETTY | |
Real quick |
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🌮 Free taco alert! |
| You can thank the Atlanta Braves for this freebie. Taco Bell is giving away free Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos tacos today with its "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco" World Series promotion. After Braves' Ozzie Albies stole second base in the first inning of Game 1 of the World Series, the fast-food chain declared him this year's "Taco Hero" and announced details of the promotion. Taco Bell and the MLB will send the stolen base to Cooperstown, New York, where it will be on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. |
 | | The Braves' Ozzie Albies steals second base during the first inning of Game 1 of the World Series. | | Troy Taormina, USA TODAY Sports | |
A break from the news |
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| 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. |
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