Good morning. It's Tuesday, Nov. 10, and a potential coronavirus vaccine may be on the horizon. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Vaccine Breakthrough

A vaccine developed by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German biotech startup BioNtech has been shown to be strongly effective in protecting against the coronavirus, the companies revealed yesterday. Preliminary data—the first from late-stage trials in the US—showed volunteers who received the two-shot regimen experienced 90% fewer cases than those receiving a placebo. The news was met with significant—but cautious—excitement; public health officials have previously warned a potential vaccine may only be 60%-70% effective. 

The treatment relies on mRNA technology (see 101), which prompts the body to replicate a protein similar to the virus's infamous spike protein. A resulting immune response then fights both the new protein and, if present, the coronavirus. It would mark the first use of mRNA vaccines for clinical use of any kind.

The companies have already committed to producing 100 million doses for the US, with up to 20 million possible by the end of the year, pending approval. An FDA request for emergency use authorization is expected this month. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said the timing was not related to the election.

Also yesterday, the FDA granted emergency authorization to Eli Lilly's antibody treatment, for use in cases at high risk of becoming severe.

The announcement comes as the US passed 10 million total reported COVID-19 cases. The country is averaging nearly 110,000 cases per day, and around 950 deaths. See rolling averages here and here.

In related news, Housing Secretary Ben Carson tested positive for COVID-19, while Utah issued a statewide mask mandate. 

Markets Jump

Two of three major US stock indices jumped yesterday on the news of Pfizer's promising vaccine data, with the Dow rising 835 points (3%) followed by the S&P 500 (1.2%). The tech-heavy Nasdaq went in the opposite direction, tumbling 1.5%. The split reflected investor outlook on what a potential vaccine would mean for the US economy—industries decimated by social distancing and other virus-related restrictions rose, while areas that have boomed under the shift to working from home dropped. 

Cruise lines, airlines, and entertainment stocks dominated the gains: Carnival Cruises rose 39%, United Airlines jumped 19%, and AMC Entertainment gained 51%. On the flip side, quarantine superstar Zoom fell 17%. The Russell 2000—which measures the country's smallest publicly traded companies—rose more than 4% to its highest level in two years. 

Defense Secretary Fired

President Trump fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper yesterday, elevating counterterrorism chief Christopher Miller to acting secretary. The move comes days after the presidential election and was anticipated by many, with Esper falling out of favor with the president over the summer. There appeared to be no singular incident, though observers have referenced Esper's promotion of impeachment witness Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, opposition to using active-duty troops to respond when summer protests turned violent, and disagreement over reducing US forces stationed in Germany. 

The departure of high-level officials following an election is not unusual, though Esper's removal follows other notable departures. Bonnie Glick, a top official at the US Agency for International Development, was let go Friday, while Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, resigned. CIA Director Gina Haspel and FBI Director Christopher Wray are also rumored to be on the way out.

Editor's note: Yesterday we incorrectly said the Georgia senate runoffs will be held Jan. 8. They are in fact scheduled for Jan. 5. 

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Brought to you by Yes Plz Coffee

> VF Corp., owner of Vans and The North Face, buys high-end fashion brand Supreme for $2.1B (More) | Never heard of Supreme? Here's all you need to know (More)

> Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Devin Williams wins NL Rookie of the Year (More) | AL Rookie of the Year goes to Seattle Mariners outfielder Kyle Lewis (More) | Gonzaga tops men's AP college basketball rankings for first time (More)

> CBS announces diversity goal of having at least 50% of unscripted show casts made up by people of color (More) | Universal slates Oscar-winning director Jordan Peele’s next horror film release for 2022 (More)

Whether you're a self-proclaimed coffee snob or just want to upgrade your morning, Yes Plz has the coffee for you. Every release is a unique mix of expertly sourced beans, roasted fresh, and delivered right to your door. 1440 readers: take $5 off your first order and free shipping to your door. #Ad

Science & Technology

> Machine learning algorithm isolates and decodes brain signals linked to specific behaviors; results can help identify neurological disorders and develop more precise brain-computer interfaces (More)

> X-ray scans of coprolites—or fossilized feces—from ancient marine animals allow scientists to reconstruct the food web from a 200-million-year-old lake in what is now the United Kingdom (More)

> Tim Berners-Lee, founder of the World Wide Web, releases privacy-focused development platform, allowing the creation of apps that let users control their own data (More)

Business & Markets

> McDonald’s launches new growth strategy including plant-based McPlant menu items (More) | Plant-based meat maker Beyond Meat sees surprising earnings loss as customers reduce stockpile of products, shares down more than 20% (More)

> Apple suspends new business with Taiwanese iPhone supplier Pegatron for violating labor code by working students (More)

> Oil prices surge near 10% on hopes vaccine will end pandemic-induced slowdown (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Supreme Court to hear challenge to Affordable Care Act today, the first health care case with new Justice Amy Coney Barrett (More) | Plaintiffs argue the individual mandate to purchase health insurance is unconstitutional, requiring the entire law to be struck down (More)

> Trump campaign files suit seeking to stop Pennsylvania from certifying election results (More) | Some experts skeptical, say challenge would have to demonstrate the outcome could be affected (More, $$, WSJ) | Justice Department authorized to probe voting irregularities (More) | See current tallies (More)

> Armenia and Azerbaijan agree to Russia-backed peace deal, ending six weeks of conflict that killed more than 1,000; Azerbaijan will retain area taken during the fighting (More)

IN-DEPTH

Death at the U

ESPN | Paula Lavigne, Elizabeth Merrill. In 2006, Bryan Pata—a 280-pound football standout at the University of Miami—was killed execution-style, with a single shot to the side of the head. More than a decade later, his family desperately seeks resolution in the case. (Read)

Wikipedia's Indian Culture War

WIRED UK | Omer Benjakob. Using editing as a weapon, the world's largest open-source encyclopedia has become a proxy battleground for India's increasingly violent culture wars. (Read)

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ETCETERA

America's top 100 universities, ranked by tuition​.

This shot of a red palm weevil tops the best bug photos of the year.

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is officially the busiest on record.

Not all heroes wear capes: Meet the world's first person with Down syndrome to finish an Ironman triathlon.

Amazing shots of the cosmos taken from an Arizona backyard.

"Scooby-Doo" cocreator Ken Spears passes away.

New Apple Watch app could cure PTSD-related nightmares.

German soldier's pigeon message recovered a century after being dispatched. 

Clickbait: The planet where it rains rocks into oceans of lava.

Historybook: Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther born (1483); US Marine Corps is founded (1775); Singer and actress Jane Froman born (1907); "Sesame Street" debuts (1969); Bill Gates introduces Windows 1.0 to public (1983).

"If you show people the problems and you show people the solutions they will be moved to act."

- Bill Gates

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