Good morning. It's Monday, Feb. 1, and we're covering a coup in Myanmar, a crackdown on protesters in Russia, and more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Breaking overnight: The military has reportedly taken control in Myanmar, detaining civilian leaders and declaring a yearlong state of emergency. More updates are expected throughout the day.

Russia Protests

More than 5,100 people were arrested across Russia over the weekend as waves of demonstrators protested the imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The anti-government protests are the country's largest in almost a decade. 

Navalny's saga has gripped the country since last summer (see timeline). The longtime critic of President Vladimir Putin was poisoned while boarding a flight from the city of Tomsk to Moscow. Evidence points to Russian intelligence services as the culprit—including the use of Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent—though the Kremlin denies the claim. After recuperating in Berlin (including emerging from a two-week coma), Navalny was promptly detained upon returning to Moscow. He is currently sentenced to 30 days in prison for violating probation. 

Some analysts say the 44-year-old Navalny transcends run-of-the-mill opposition, reflecting a generational divide between the 68-year-old Putin and younger Russians.

Success, but 'Not a Knockout Punch' 

Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson revealed preliminary data Friday showing its COVID-19 vaccine achieved a 72% efficacy in US trials. Though lower than currently available vaccines, the rate is higher than the 50% target set by health officials last summer. Most notably, clinical trials showed an 85% drop in severe disease, and zero deaths were reported in a group of more than 44,000 participants. 

The treatment showed wide variation in efficacy by location; the shots were 57% effective in trials in South Africa, where a recent mutated strain—dubbed B.1.351—was first detected. The average efficacy across the entire study was 66%. See an overview of prominent variants here.

The two currently available vaccines, from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, have efficacy rates near 95%. However, public health officials consider 72% efficacy a success, capable of blunting the spread of the coronavirus while preventing severe symptoms in many patients. The two available vaccines rely on messenger RNA (or mRNA), while Johnson & Johnson relies on an engineered adenovirus—see the differences here.

Additionally, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has advantages over currently available vaccines. Most notably, it only requires one shot and can be stored at standard refrigeration temperatures, significantly simplifying logistics. The drug still requires approval from regulators, though the company said it expects distribution to begin next month. 

The US has distributed 50 million vaccine doses as of this morning, with 31 million doses administered. The country has reported 441,324 total deaths, though new cases continue to fall, down roughly 40% from a peak in mid-January. 

Short Squeeze Continues

Shares of brick-and-mortar retailer GameStop spiked again Friday rising to $325, up 68% from close of trading Thursday. The surge came after the popular trading app Robinhood dropped certain restrictions on trading the stock put in place the previous day. The Securities and Exchange Commission said it was closely monitoring the volatility of the markets and certain stocks.

Driven by retail investors on social media engaged in an economic game of chicken with hedge funds betting against the company (see our previous write-up), the stock has risen more than 1,500% since mid-January. Some reports have suggested Robinhood halted trading of the stock Thursday to protect certain vulnerable hedge funds—subsequent reports suggest, among other issues, the company ran out of liquid capital to facilitate the boom in trading.

Robinhood, which charges users no fee but sells trading data to financial firms, raised an additional $1B to shore up finances. On Sunday, the company announced new restrictions on the trading of GameStop and seven other companies now referred to as “meme stocks.”    

Editor's note: On Friday, we incorrectly said a nitrogen leak at a Georgia poultry plant led to an explosion that killed six. In fact, it was a liquid nitrogen leak—the evaporated nitrogen displaced oxygen in the atmosphere, leading to asphyxiation. 

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LIKE TAKING 75 SUPPLEMENTS

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Brought to you by Onekind

> Detroit Lions trade quarterback Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles Rams for quarterback Jared Goff and three draft picks (More)

> Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival postponed again due to the pandemic; country music festival Stagecoach also postpones its April dates (More)

> John Chaney, basketball Hall of Famer and two-time Coach of the Year winner, dies at 89 (More) | Grammy-nominated Scottish artist Sophie dies at 34 after falling from apartment balcony (More)

From our partners: Ready to get up and glowing? This dynamic duo of anti-aging vitamin C serum and antioxidant-rich moisturizer from Onekind is designed to seriously hydrate and brighten while protecting against the damage of the day. It's luxury-level results, minus the price tag. Do your face a favor and take $20 off the set with code 1440.

Science & Technology

> Two new studies cast doubt on, but don't refute, earlier study suggesting microbiotic life on Venus; previous claim was based on observation of phosphine, ruling out all nonbiological sources (More)

> Engineers demonstrate surround sound audio from electronic flexible wallpaper (More)

> Naked mole rats develop unique vocalizations that reflect the sound of each colony's queen; new study is believed to be the first observation of cultural transmission of dialect in rodents (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets down (S&P 500 -1.9%, Dow -2.0%, Nasdaq -2.0%) Friday, wrapping up worst trading week since October (More)

> US consumer spending falls 0.2% in December, second straight monthly decline amid increased pandemic restrictions (More)

> Shares of boot brand Dr. Martens surge in first day trading on London Stock Exchange after IPO valuing the company at more than $5B (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Senate Republicans offer counterproposal to President Biden administration's $1.9T COVID-19 stimulus; package includes $1,000 direct payments and would total $600B (More)

> Indian security forces set barriers to prevent thousands of farmers from entering the capital to protest proposed agricultural reforms; massive demonstrations were planned to coincide with the annual budget presentation to parliament (More)

> Former President Trump parts ways with heads of impeachment legal team, including lead lawyer Butch Bowers; Senate trial set to begin in earnest Feb. 9 (More) | New team announced last night (More)

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ETCETERA

The 15 best places to learn about Black history in the US.

The post-mortem on the internet in 2020.

How to make the home a better workplace (according to science). ($$, Quartz)

New evidence shines light on the mysterious Dyatlov Pass incident.

Drone video of a washout of California's Highway 1.

Lawsuit says Subway's tuna subs are tuna-less.

Man leaves $2.4M to French village that hid his family from Nazis.

Scientists now know why wombats poop cubes.

Clickbait: Arrested protesting Putin? Here's how to pretend you're American.

Historybook: "Oxford English Dictionary" debuts (1884); Film legend Clark Gable born (1901); Harriet Tubman becomes first Black woman on US postage stamp (1978); HBD Harry Styles (1994); Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates on reentry, all seven astronauts killed (2003).

"Life is a magical thing."

- Laurel Clark, astronaut and medical doctor aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia

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