Good morning. It's Friday, Jan. 22, and we're covering the first full day of the Biden administration, unemployment, and a race to save trapped miners in China. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

National COVID-19 Roadmap

President Joe Biden's administration released its strategy to combat the coronavirus pandemic yesterday, a plan meant to facilitate a goal of reaching 100 million vaccinations by March. Much of the high-level document (read in full) is linked to a $1.9T economic stimulus package proposed by Biden that would require Congressional approval. Biden also signed 10 executive orders related to the pandemic, including requiring masks on public transportation, quarantine rules for international travelers, and a push toward real-time data collection for schools. 

The US has reported a total of 410,349 COVID-19 deaths as of this morning, with 3,955 reported yesterday. Almost 38 million vaccine doses have been distributed, with 17.5 million doses administered.

Elsewhere in the administration, defense secretary nominee Gen. Lloyd Austin cleared a Senate subcommittee panel, setting up a vote before the full chamber. Congress granted Austin—who retired from service four years ago—a waiver to serve in the position, which typically requires nominees be at least seven years removed from service. If confirmed, Austin would become the first Black secretary of defense. Separately, Biden said he would keep Christopher Wray as head of the FBI.

Biden will reportedly propose a five-year extension of the New START treaty, an agreement between the US and Russia limiting the number of strategic nuclear weapons each may possess. See background here.

Finally, the administration sent a wide-ranging immigration reform proposal to Congress. The centerpiece of the bill is an eight-year pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the country as of Jan. 1. It is unclear when the bill will be taken up by Congress. 

K-Shaped Recovery

More than 900,000 Americans filed initial unemployment claims last week, down by 26,000 from the previous week and 25,000 less than estimates. Despite the slight week-over-week increase, the figure has not dipped below its prepandemic record of 695,000, set in 1982, since late March. Claims fell as low as 711,000 in early November before a winter surge in COVID-19 cases across the nation forced many states to reimpose various social distancing measures. Data also revealed an estimated 3 million people fell off the unemployment cliff when pandemic-related benefits lapsed in December as an economic stimulus package stalled in Congress.

Separately, a poll revealed nearly one-third of small-business owners surveyed said they were unable to pay January rent. The trend is the lagging part of what analysts call a K-shaped recovery, which occurs when different parts of the economy rebound at different rates. Conversely, the stock markets, driven largely by tech giants, all closed at or near record highs yesterday.

China Races to Free Miners

Chinese officials said yesterday it will take at least 15 more days to reach workers trapped in the Hushan gold mine in the country's eastern Shandong province. The crew has already been trapped 1,300 feet below the surface for more than 12 days, after a Jan. 10 explosion caused 70 tons of debris to block the mineshaft. Of the 22 workers, one died in the initial explosion, 11 have been accounted for, and the remaining 10 have not been located. 

Historically, China's mining industry has been notoriously dangerous, averaging 5,000 deaths per year in the mid-2000s. The country launched an overhaul of its coal-mining procedures last year after two high-profile incidents near the city of Chongqing left almost 40 workers dead. 

Seven of the world's 10 deepest mines produce gold—go inside the world's deepest, South Africa's Mponeng gold mine (w/video).

Editor's note: Yesterday we referenced Vice President Kamala Harris as the first person of color to hold the office. We meant to say the first woman of color—Charles Curtis, who served under Herbert Hoover, was a member of the Kaw Nation.

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INVESTMENT'S WORST-KEPT SECRET

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Brought to you by Magic Spoon

> Buffalo Bills take on defending Super Bowl champs Kansas City Chiefs in AFC Championship (Sunday, 6:40pm ET, CBS) (More) | Tampa Bay Buccaneers head to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game (Sunday, 3:05pm ET, Fox) (More)

> The 2021 Cannes Film Festival likely to be postponed from May to July due to COVID-19; last year's festival was canceled because of the pandemic (More)

> FIFA says players participating in potential European Super League would be barred from playing in World Cup (More) | Mixed martial arts superstar Conor McGregor fights Dustin Poirier tomorrow night (6:30pm ET, ESPN/PPV) in UFC 257 (More)

Healthy, but make it delicious. Magic Spoon's tasty, fun, and shockingly nutritious cereals (11g of protein and zero sugar) will take you right back to your childhood. Be healthy this year and enjoy it while you're at it. Try Magic Spoon in the next 48 hours, and take an exclusive $5 off your order. #Ad

Science & Technology

> Eli Lilly reports its monoclonal antibody treatment prevented COVID-19 infections in clinical trials with elderly patients and nursing home staff; would be the first time such a drug is shown to prevent, not just treat, infection (More) | What's the difference between these treatments and vaccines? (More)

> Apple rumored to be developing a standalone virtual reality headset, ready for sale in 2022; would run on a chip more powerful than what is used in the MacBook Air (More)

> Stacking sheets of graphene—two-dimensional sheets of carbon atoms—in a specific orientation creates nanochannels that may be used as ultrafine water filters (More)

Business & Markets

> Alphabet (Google) to shutter internet balloon business Loon after failing to find a sustainable business model (More) | Elon Musk pledges to donate $100M to winner of the best carbon capture technology (More)

> IBM misses Wall Street expectations as customers reduce long-term software deals amid pandemic (More)

> Social media platform Parler loses legal battle as judge refuses to order Amazon to restore hosting services (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to push for a February start to Trump impeachment trial (More) | Disagreement over legislative filibuster prevents McConnell and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) from agreement on Senate rules (More)

> Ten people arrested as separate groups of far-left protesters riot in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle Wednesday evening; groups protested the inauguration of President Biden and vandalized buildings, including local Democratic headquarters (More)

> Twin suicide bombings in downtown Baghdad kill at least 32 and injure at least 110; attack is the first suicide bombing in the city in two years (More)

IN-DEPTH

Bridging the Urban-Rural Divide

The Conversation | Staff. The gap between urban and rural populations in the US is accelerating—both socially and economically. Here are five ways to reverse the trend. (Read)

Memory, the Mystery

Knowable | Adam Levy. Over the past 50 years, our understanding of how the brain remembers things has grown immensely—but it's still outweighed by what we don't know. (Read)

Have We Already Been Visited by Aliens?

New Yorker | Elizabeth Kolbert. Probably not, but at least one prominent astrophysicist is arguing in favor of the possibility. (Read, $$)

An Oral History of 'Donnie Darko'

The Ringer | Alan Siegel. Twenty years ago, a low-budget time-travel film with an anthropomorphic rabbit turned into a cult classic. (Read)

NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT

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ETCETERA

Virtually tour 10 of America's oldest bars.

Italy's Messina Strait has turned into a depressing ocean landfill (w/video).

Archaeologists uncover 13-foot-long "Book of the Dead."

Polish zoo sees birth of rare Indian rhinoceros.

Move to Tulsa, Oklahoma, earn a quick $10K.

More than 40% of people say they would start a company with lotto winnings. (via LinkedIn)

When the local wildlife finds themselves on your trampoline.

Maya Angelou added to Barbie's "Inspiring Women" line.

Clickbait: Explore the CIA's collection of UFO reports.

Historybook: English polymath Francis Bacon born (1561); HBD actress Diane Lane (1965); RIP President Lyndon B. Johnson (1973); Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision (1973); RIP Heath Ledger (2008).

"Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper."

- Francis Bacon

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