Good morning. It's Tuesday, Aug. 24, and we're covering New York's first female governor, the first full approval of a COVID-19 vaccine, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Hochul Takes the Reins

Former Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) became the first female governor in New York history early this morning, taking over for embattled former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D). Cuomo left amid sexual misconduct allegations from at least 11 women. Hochul was sworn in at 12:01 am ET this morning, two minutes after Cuomo formally resigned.  

The 62-year-old former congresswoman pledged to overhaul the culture in Albany, saying she would not keep several staff mentioned in a scathing probe (see full report) detailing Cuomo's alleged pattern of harassment. She began her political career focused on local issues, serving on the board of Hamburg, New York, from 1994 to 2007 before moving to statewide office. See Hochul's bio here.

Hochul will finish out Cuomo's term and has already announced plans to run for office in 2022. Cuomo, once considered a presidential contender, has not revealed what his post-public office move will be. 

Paralympics 2020

The 2020 Paralympics get underway today in Tokyo, with many anticipating records to be broken in the long jump, swimming, and powerlifting, among other events. Representing the US as this year's flagbearers are Chuck Aoki and Melissa Stockwell. Athletes will compete across almost two dozen events including badminton and taekwondo—the two new sports being featured this year.

The Games are expected to be the biggest ever in Paralympic history, with roughly 4,500 athletes from almost every country competing in events. Similar to this summer's Olympic Games, the stands will be mostly absent of spectators due to COVID-19 protocols. Track the medal count here.   

See the full schedule of events, and watch the opening ceremonies beginning at 7 am ET (NBCSN).

Pfizer Gains Full Approval

A COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Pfizer/BioNTech was granted full approval by the Food and Drug Administration yesterday for those 16 and older. The shots are currently authorized under emergency use authorization for ages 12 to 15, along with vaccines from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson for ages 12 and up. In principle, full approval may allow more employers to offer vaccines on-site, while giving Pfizer more certainty over the distribution of its shots. 

Surveys suggest up to one-third of unvaccinated adults were waiting for the FDA to issue full approval before taking the shot. See the difference between full approval and emergency authorization here. 

In related news, New York City said it would mandate vaccines for its nearly 148,000 school employees. The decision reverses an earlier option allowing employees to substitute weekly tests in lieu of a vaccine.

The rolling average of new COVID-19 cases currently sits just under 150,000 per day (see data), though the rise appears to be slowing down somewhat. Current hospitalizations are near 90,000—their highest since early February—but also appear to be leveling off, while average deaths in the US have escalated to near 1,000 per day. 

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In partnership with LMNT

STAY SALTY

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Mayim Bialik tapped as interim host of "Jeopardy!" while show searches for permanent replacement for Mike Richards; Bialik has already signed on to host the show's prime-time specials (More)

> Brian Travers, saxophonist and founding member of British reggae-pop band UB40, dies at 62 of cancer (More) | "Night of the Living Dead" producer and star Marilyn Eastman dies at 87 (More)

> Seattle Storm become first WNBA or NBA championship team to visit White House since 2016 (More)

Science & Technology

> Biologists identify set of genetic markers associated with same-sex preference; study points to evolutionary routes for genes that influence sexual orientation (More)

> Microsoft app vulnerability exposes an estimated 38 million personal records online, including COVID-19 contract tracing data (More, paywall, WIRED)

> Scientists use X-ray imaging to decipher the physics of how ant hills form; study suggests the insects have an intuitive sense of which grains of dirt are appropriate to remove, similar to a game of Jenga (More)

Business & Markets

Brought to you by The Ascent

> US stock markets up (S&P 500 +0.9%, Dow +0.6%, Nasdaq +1.6%) on full Pfizer vaccine FDA approval; S&P 500 and Nasdaq at fresh record highs (More) | US existing home sales increase in July; median home price of $359,900 is up 17.8% over last year but below the June 2021 record of $362,800 (More)

> Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit, which transports satellite payloads, to go public via special purpose acquisition company valuing the company at $3.2B from investors including Boeing (More)

> Visa purchases digital non-fungible-token (NFT) artwork (More) | Bitcoin price crosses $50K for the first time since May (More)

From our partners: 2% is the new 1.5%. Unlimited 2% cash rewards is here—this new card offers unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. Emphasis on unlimited. Pair that with a large signup bonus and you've got quite a card.

Politics & World Affairs

> Officials say thousands of Americans remain in Afghanistan as Taliban reject an extension of an Aug. 31 deadline to evacuate those remaining (More)

> House procedural vote on $3.5T budget proposal and $1T bipartisan infrastructure plan expected today (More)

> Capitol Police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the Jan. 6 storming of the US Capitol exonerated (More) 

IN-DEPTH

Owen Wilson is Doing Great

Esquire | Ryan D'Agostino. Now in his fourth decade of big-screen acting, the longtime star is finding his stride again, dipping his toe into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (Read)

... and catch up with fellow actor Jude Law here.

Knives Outback

Truly*Adventurous | Mitch Moxley. When a murder occurs in a town with only a dozen residents, everyone is a suspect. (Read)

THE TRUSTED WAY TO HYDRATE

In partnership with LMNT

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ETCETERA

China opens the world's largest astronomy museum.

The Afghan all-girls robotic team has been spoken for.

Landmark honesty study retracted over false data claims.

When you add a distortion pedal to a harp.

A Steve Jobs-signed Apple manual sells for near a million dollars.

The country's cheapest airports to park at. 

Corsica beaches close due to rampaging cows.

Pumpkin spice latte mania returns.

Clickbait: Congrats to the potato photographer of the year.

Historybook: Mount Vesuvius erupts, killing about 15,000 (79); Thomas Edison files patent for the Kinetoscope, an early motion-picture viewer (1891); Amelia Earhart is first woman to fly solo nonstop across the US (1932); HBD Dave Chappelle (1973); Windows 95 released (1995).

"Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration."

- Thomas Edison

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