Good morning. It's Friday, Jan. 8, and we're covering fallout from Wednesday's Capitol mob, a potential cure for a rare and deadly disease, and more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

The Day After

The fallout from the storming of the US Capitol by supporters of President Trump continued yesterday, as officials and leaders across the country and world condemned the riots. See our write-up on the day's events here.

A number of White House and administration officials tendered their resignations following the days events. The list includes Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, and others. Yesterday evening, the president condemned the riots and said he would focus his remaining time in office on the transition to the Biden administration. Watch the remarks here.

Before the comments, several Trump allies had denounced the president, including Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), former Attorney General Bill Barr, and more. At least one GOP lawmaker, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R, IL-16) called for the president's removal from office via the 25th Amendment, though the proposal appeared to gain little traction outside of the Democratic caucus. 

Facebook banned Trump from its platforms at least through the end of his term on Jan. 20 (see statement). The president regained access to his Twitter account last night after deleting three tweets containing disputed claims about election fraud the platform said violated its policies.

A number of public officials criticized US Capitol Police for lack of preparation, despite the rally being widely publicized for weeks. Chief Steven Sund, who tendered his resignation, said his force of roughly 2,000 officers was outnumbered and said some may have chosen to attempt de-escalation (see footage just before the breach). Some also criticized the disparity with the security crackdown seen in the city during summer protests. 

At least 68 people were arrested—the FBI is attempting to identify others—and more than 50 officers were injured, with several hospitalized. Overnight, one Capitol Police officer died from their injuries.

See a timeline with maps and videos of the attack here. ($$, WashPo)

Hope for Progeria

Scientists have achieved a potential breakthrough in the fight against progeria, demonstrating that gene editing can fix a key mutation, effectively doubling the life span of diseased mice. The rare and incurable disease, which affects about one in 20 million people, causes children to rapidly age, with most dying from an associated condition in their teens.

The approach relies on a technique similar to CRISPR known as base editing (see the difference), which can modify pieces of genetic code without breaking the DNA backbone. In progeria patients, a single error in the genetic code limits production of a key protein that normally helps shape the cell nucleus. By fixing the error, normal production of the protein—known as lamin A—resumed and many progeria symptoms were alleviated. The achievement, which must be tested in humans, is a key advancement for similar genetic conditions where full CRISPR editing is not feasible. 

Brush up on DNA and nucleotides here.

SoCal Surge

California broke its own record for the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in a 48-hour period, reporting 1,042 deaths between Wednesday and Thursday. The surge is driven largely by the southern half of the state, in particular Los Angeles County, where roughly one in five coronavirus tests is being returned positive. The majority of hospitals are above 90% capacity (see map).

Overseas, Japan declared a state of emergency, its second during the pandemic, as cases hit a new high. In China, officials announced a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac to be nearly 80% effective. It marks the second successful vaccine developed in China, which is separately pursuing a type of vaccine diplomacy—strengthening ties with developing countries by offering them the treatments. 

The US has administered more than 5.9 million vaccine doses, with almost 21.5 million doses delivered to states. A total of 365,317 deaths have been reported in the country, including 4,085 yesterday—the first time the daily death toll exceeded 4,000. See rolling averages for cases and deaths here and here.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Heisman Trophy-winning wide receiver DeVonta Smith is big winner at college football awards ceremony; see full list of winners (More) | NFL playoffs kick off this weekend with wild-card matchups (More)

> Cleveland Indians trade four-time All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor and pitcher Carlos Carrasco to New York Mets in blockbuster trade (More)

> Neil Sheehan, Pulitzer Prize-winning author who obtained Pentagon Papers, dies at 84 of Parkinson’s disease (More) | “Police Academy” actress Marion Ramsey dies at 73 (More)

Science & Technology

> Apple's electric car is planned to hit the market in five to seven years; will design a custom chip for the Apple Car manufactured in Taiwan (More)

> Extreme droughts and floods have significantly increased in annual frequency in the US and Canada, first-of-its-kind study finds; effect is pronounced in areas where snowmelt contributes to water flows (More)

> Archaeologists uncover a 2,500-year-old Temple of Aphrodite in Turkey; cults worshiping the Greek goddess of love flourished in the ancient Mediterranean (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets surge (S&P 500 +1.5%, Dow +0.7%, Nasdaq +2.6%) to fresh all-time highs (More) | Bitcoin crosses $40K for first time, has doubled in last month as institutional investors take positions (More) | Elon Musk passes Jeff Bezos as world’s richest person with $185B net worth (More)

> Boeing to pay $2.5B fine to settle criminal probe with Justice Department over concealing 737 MAX software information from regulators (More)

> Financial services giant SoFi to go public via a SPAC, valuing the company at $8.6B (More)

Cut through the business noise. The Daily Upside, written by a former investment banker, gives you a deeper dive into business news in an engaging and insightful style. Sign up for the free newsletter.

Politics & World Affairs

> President-elect Joe Biden to nominate Boston Mayor Marty Walsh (D) as labor secretary (More) | ... and current Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) as commerce secretary (More)

> Iran's top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei bans use of COVID-19 vaccines developed in the US and the United Kingdom in the country (More)

> India's economy projected to have shrunk 7.7% in 2020, the biggest drop since 1952; the country was the world's third largest economy and fifth fastest growing economy in 2019 (More)

IN-DEPTH

'Is This Really Happening?'

Politico | Staff. Firsthand accounts from Wednesday's unprecedented siege on the US Capitol, from those in the building as it unfolded. (Read)

The Other Mutation

STAT | Andrew Joseph. A fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus that emerged in the United Kingdom has gotten most of the press, but a different strain—one that may make antibodies less effective in neutralizing the virus—has caught scientists' attention. (Read)

The Science of Magic Mushrooms

Science Vs | Meryl Horn, Michelle Dang. (Podcast) Psychotropic substances are increasingly being looked at as treatments for PTSD and other conditions—but are they for real? (Listen)

Chatting With the Dead

MIT Press Reader | Davide Sisto. Artificial intelligence can't bring loved ones back from the dead, but in the future we may be able to talk to their digital avatars. (Read)

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ETCETERA

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