Good morning. It's Wednesday, Dec. 9, and we're covering an anticipated vaccine approval, a potential breakthrough for electric vehicles, and more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Positive Signs for Pfizer

Scientists with the Food and Drug Administration endorsed the results of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech in documents released yesterday. The approval signals the agency is likely to green-light the treatment for distribution in the US as early as tomorrow, with the first shots administered within a week. The treatment—which, according to the review, has a 50% efficacy after one dose and 95% after two—is the same one that became available in the United Kingdom Tuesday. See a breakdown of the study here.

Editor's note: In late-breaking news, the United Kingdom's health service has raised concerns over administering the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to those with a history of significant allergic reactions.

A similar review for Moderna's vaccine is scheduled for next Thursday; large-scale trials showed a 94% efficacy. Separately, more data from AstraZeneca and Oxford University's vaccine confirmed it to be 70% effective on average—though a low dose followed by a high dose yields 90% efficacy, a result yet to be explained. Overall, US officials estimate enough doses for 20 million people will be delivered in December.

Overseas, Morocco is set to become the first country outside China to begin inoculating the general public using a Chinese-based vaccine; Indonesia appears ready to follow suit by the end of the month. The vaccine, developed by Sinopharm, has reportedly been administered to more than 1 million Chinese residents despite lacking finalized large-scale clinical data. 

In the US, the seven-day rolling average for new COVID-19 cases has passed 200,000 per day, while daily deaths have risen above 2,200 (see data). 

Battery Breakthrough

Bill Gates-backed startup QuantumScape released data yesterday suggesting it may have cracked a major challenge facing electric vehicle batteries. Among other features, prototypes can be charged to 80% capacity within 15 minutes, provide almost double the driving range of current electric vehicles, and boast a battery lifetime equivalent of 240,000 miles. If accurate, the technology would address the most significant hurdles that have thus far slowed electric vehicle adoption—recharging time, range, and cost.  

QuantumScape says its key breakthrough involves the use of a solid-state electrolyte and a proprietary ceramic separator that protects its lithium anode, allowing it to sidestep many of the limitations and safety concerns of lithium-ion batteries. Watch a great overview of the technology here.

Volkswagen, a major investor in the company, aims to have the batteries in cars by 2025, though one daunting challenge remains—scaling from a pilot line to multicell commercial manufacturing.

Chuck Yeager Dies

Aviation legend Chuck Yeager, the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound, died late Monday at age 97. The retired brigadier general broke the barrier in 1947, traveling 700 mph in an orange, rocket-propelled airplane (explore here) across the Mojave Desert. The physics of flying at such speeds was not well understood at the time—some scientists believed it to be physically impossible.

A West Virginia native, Yeager joined the Air Force at 18 where he rose to fame as a fighter pilot in World War II. He was credited with shooting down a dozen enemy aircraft, including five on a single mission. He was shot down in March 1944 but was able to evade capture with help from the French. After WWII, Yeager became a test pilot who broke numerous records for speed and altitude, and continued to fly for more than 60 years.

See Yeager's life in photos here.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Ohio State-Michigan college football game canceled this weekend due to COVID-19; first time the schools won’t face off in more than 100 years (More) | Iconic avant-garde composer Harold Budd dies of COVID-19 at 84 (More)

> Howard Stern signs five-year extension with SiriusXM to exclusive rights to broadcast his talk show; Stern’s previous contract was reportedly worth $100M per year (More)

> UEFA Champions League matchup between Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir postponed as both teams walk-off after alleged racial slur by an official (More)

Science & Technology

> Scientists demonstrate brain implant that restores rudimentary sight to blind monkeys; device uses a 1024-electrode array placed in the visual cortex (More)

> Specific trees and rocks play key roles in the social behavior of territorial male cheetahs, which spend more than half their time in the locations; understanding the patterns may help reverse dwindling cheetah populations in Africa (More)

> FireEye—one of the world's leading cybersecurity firms—says Russian hackers successfully accessed and stole its internal hacking tools; the company has a number of national security contracts (More)

Business & Markets

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> US stock markets up (S&P 500 +0.3%, Dow +0.4%, Nasdaq +0.5%) on vaccine news, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq reach fresh all-time highs (More)

> Tesla to raise up to $5B in share sale, its second offering in three months; company trades at approximately $600B valuation (More)

> Food delivery giant DoorDash prices IPO at $102 per share, representing a $38B valuation; will start trading today on NYSE (More)

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Politics & World Affairs

> US Army fires or suspends 14 leaders at Fort Hood over atmosphere of violence and harassment (More) | More than 80 soldiers have died in the past three years from suicide, homicide, or accidents, including the killing of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, at the military base (More)

> Indian farmers shut down major transportation routes as nationwide strike over agricultural policies grows; the sector employs 40% of the country's workforce, but many live in poverty (More)

> Supreme Court dismisses election challenge from Rep. Mike Kelly (R, PA-16) (More) | Texas sues to delay Electoral College; legal experts skeptical (More) | Wisconsin becomes only state to miss safe harbor deadline (More) | Rep. Marcia Fudge (OH, D-11), Tom Vilsack to lead Biden housing and agricultural departments (More) 

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ETCETERA

Baltic Sea divers discover a rare Nazi Enigma cipher machine.

The pandemic couldn't stop the world's most exciting new restaurants.

Ranking every US national park.

Nepal and China finally agree on the height of Mount Everest.

Apple unveils $549 headphones—the AirPods Max.

The 25 best news photos of 2020. ($$, Atlantic)

The most popular Christmas treat in every state.

Four Spanish lions test positive for COVID-19.

Clickbait: "Fast & Furious": PlayStation 5 heist edition.

Historybook: Actor Kirk Douglas born (1916); HBD actress Dame Judi Dench (1934); “A Charlie Brown Christmas” debuts (1965); RIP diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ralph Bunche (1971); Smallpox declared eradicated (1979).

"Hearts are the strongest when they beat in response to noble ideals."

- Ralph Bunche

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