What A Day - Better 538 Than Never

Episode Date: December 14, 2020

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was authorized by the FDA on Friday evening, and the first shipments went out on Sunday. Most state governments intend to follow CDC recommendations and give the first few batches to health care workers and nursing home residents and staff… members of the Trump White House might also get it early.Today is the official electoral college vote, after which Biden and Harris will officially become the President-elect and Vice President-elect. Some Republicans may try to raise final objections when Congress counts the electoral votes in January, but… the end is near.And in headlines: A judge orders the jail population in Orange County, California to be cut in half, pro-Trump protestors demonstrate and commit violence in D.C., and Russian hackers infiltrate the Treasury and Commerce Department.

It's Monday, December 14th. I'm Akilah Hughes. And I'm Gideon Resnick, and this is What The Day, where we are honoring the vaccine truck with the prestigious WAD Car of the Year Award. Yeah, in both power, reliability, and carrying precious drugs, the FedEx truck with vaccines in it was a cut above this year. Not a single other car was nominated or considered. Well, get some vaccines in your car. Maybe they will be.

On today's show, the Electoral College makes its official vote for president. Wonder who? Then some headlines. But first, the latest. Many in the U.S. continue to voice skepticism. Recent polling shows between one quarter and one third of Americans do not want to receive a shot. What kinds of problems do those numbers present? Martha, that is a significant problem. If you think about how we get out of this pandemic, we have to continue our mitigation efforts right

now. That is so important, mask wearing, et cetera. But the way we see light at the end of the tunnel, the way we get through this is to achieve herd immunity. And that means we need to vaccinate a significant number of people in this country, including those who are hesitant. All right. That was FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn talking yesterday on ABC about some of that skepticism that exists around the coronavirus vaccines and how to tackle it. He also pushed back on President Trump claiming that the agency had intentionally slowed down the approval process. Big old sigh. On that note, we have an authorized COVID vaccine in the U.S., woohoo, which is a huge milestone and one that we reached in less than a year.

So let's recap how we got here, beginning with what happened on Friday night. Yeah, so where we left off with listeners last week was anticipating that the FDA would issue this emergency use authorization for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine. And that is exactly what they did on Friday night slash early evening. Congrats to us. Behind the scenes, there was reporting that Han's job at the FDA was actually threatened by the White House if he didn't get the authorization done by Friday. But experts seem to think that the authorization was inevitable because of the advisory panel approving it on Thursday. So if anything, the pressure was seen as a negative for public trust in the process and nothing more. But what is new?

The United States is, according to The New York Times, the sixth country in the world to authorize this vaccine. Can't always be first. Every state has already sent lists to the federal government for locations where the vaccine should go. And in many cases, these are hospitals, and the actual number of doses that each state is getting is supposed to be based on population size. From there, though, it's basically going to be up to the individual states to determine how to actually do this. Yeah. Good luck to people in red states. I hope that they make good choices. Well, yesterday, we actually saw the first shipments of doses leaving Pfizer's facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan, making it all feel a little bit more real. So let's talk about what

the next few days look like. Yeah, so these initial shipments amount to about 2.9 million doses. And according to the chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed, they're arriving at sites today through Wednesday. They're apparently all traveling via these special Pfizer-designed containers that have trackers in them and dry ice to keep them cold for up to 10 days. FedEx and UPS are apparently handling

the bulk of the transportation. And I read that because of the extreme cold temperatures that they have to be kept at, the boxes that the vaccines are shipped in can't be opened more than twice a day. So everyone who is involved in this, I know that you are curious, but no peeking for now. Please. I would maybe open it.

As we said, with all the different state plans, we're going to have to see how things go from here. It could look a little bit patchwork. For instance, this weekend, governors of states like Washington and California said that independent reviews found the Pfizer vaccine to be safe, but there was less immediate information on when the first shots would be given. Then the Washington Post reported that Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said that they could actually start vaccinations as soon as today. And New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said the plan was to start Tuesday. Yeah, and then let's revisit who we're expecting to get these first, and then who might get it after.

Yeah, so it seems like the states are mostly going to go off of what the CDC recommended, which is that this first small batch and the next several batches are going to go to health care workers and nursing home residents and staff before they move on to everyone else. With one small exception, there's reporting that members of the Trump White House are also expected to get it soon. Come on. We don't know a ton about this for now, but apparently senior officials across government are going to receive it. So we'll keep an eye on that and then, you know, other potential examples of powerful people skipping the line here. And we're also expecting a likely authorization of the Moderna vaccine later this week. So the current HHS secretary said that if all goes according to plan, 20 million people could be vaccinated by the end of this year,

and 100 million by the end of February. Meanwhile, overall, the expectation is it's going to take about 70 to 80% of the population being vaccinated before there's anything like herd immunity and a true dent in the pandemic. And there's still optimism that that could happen by the summer. Oh, my gosh. Can you imagine summer 21? A dream. You'd be out of control. Right. But again, that's if everything goes right. So the obvious question is what all could go wrong?

Yeah, a lot of things. For one, manufacturing delays. We already saw that Pfizer revised down their number of available vaccines before the end of the year and said the U.S. is not going to be able to get more than the 100 million doses that we pre-ordered until next June. So some of these optimistic timelines are dependent on other things going well with the vaccines that are still in development that haven't been approved. We're waiting on quite a few more. They're talking about about four maybe being in circulation at this point next year during this timeline. And then the question of money. States say that they have major budget shortfalls, which could slow things down here. So a lot of reason to be very excited, but also a lot that

we're going to have to keep track of as this goes on. But in more immediate news, though, today is a big day on the election calendar. It is the official Electoral College vote. So let's talk about what we can expect here. Yeah, so the election happened over a month ago, and we know that Joe Biden is the winner. But today is a big step forward in formalizing that. Each state's electors are going to get together at Capitol buildings or gyms or virtually to cast their votes. And most states are going to live stream the event in case there isn't enough streaming

content for you these days. Now you can watch the Queen's Gambit and a bunch of people say that they're voting. Quick aside, though, on how all this works. So in most states, electors are legally bound to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state. In other states, electors aren't technically bound to do that, but they generally do. And that's because electors are chosen by the party who won the popular vote for president in the state. So for example, if Biden won a state like Michigan, the Democrats group of electors are the ones casting the votes. Wouldn't it be great if our votes could just speak for themselves? You know, we got to love these slavery era political relics like the electoral college. Yeah, that's what the United States is based on. Slavery era political

relics. America is a slavery-era political relic. It is very true. So we're not expecting any so-called defections or surprises here. So hypothetically, we could actually see some, but not to the extent that it changes the overall result for Biden. In the past, some electors have switched. In 2016, for example, five of the electors that were supposed to go to Clinton and two of the electors for Trump made protest votes for other people like Ron Paul or Bernie Sanders or even Colin Powell. That was

the most defections ever, according to the New York Times, but it didn't change the overall outcome for Trump. And then in terms of process, after the Electoral College votes today, Biden and Harris will officially become president-elect and vice president-elect. The next step from there is for Vice President Mike Pence and Congress to count the electoral votes in a session in January. It's just an endless civics lesson in this country. Every day, more stuff to know about. Yeah, I love all of the details.

And some Republicans like Alabama House Rep Mo Brooks are already talking about trying to raise objections at that point. Yeah, you know, they love treason and they hate America, so it just tracks. But like you said, there is an opportunity for House and Senate members to object at that session. But for it to matter, it would have to pass a vote in the House, which it won't because the House is controlled by Democrats. And then it also would have to go through the Senate. Nonetheless, Trump is still tweeting in all caps that he, quote, won the election in a landslide. He's telling Fox and friends that the election challenges are, quote, not over. And he's attacking the Supreme Court because they essentially said that the election challenges are, in fact, over when they dismissed the case brought

by Texas and 17 other Republican states to overturn the results of the election last Friday. The Washington Post has a great story from the weekend tallying up Trump's court battles. And all in all, Trump and his allies have won a single minor election lawsuit and lost more than 50 of their other cases. 86 judges have ruled against Trump to uphold the law and the election, including almost 40 Republican-appointed judges. So this isn't even a partisan thing.

Everyone's like, shut up. Yeah, we all escaped this time, but when they try again next time, whew, we'll see. So Akilah, final thoughts on all of this. You know when they try again next time, we'll see. So, Akilah, final thoughts on all of this. You know, I have so many thoughts. Barring any shenanigans today, this is officially the beginning of the end of Trump's truly shitty presidency. And I think we should just take a breath and let that sink in.

It has been a really long four years. 2020 alone has been 40 years long. You know, it's the end of the daily lying and gaslighting, cruelty and hatred and complete inaction on dire issues like climate change, human rights, the opioid crisis, and the virus overall. And before you say, well, he already lost and we're still talking about him. Yeah, sure. But he isn't going to be the most powerful person in the whole world anymore. He's just going to be a guy who is likely under a lot of federal and state investigations. So yeah, I think the title matters. And it's also the end of this massive voter fraud lie that Trump and conservatives have clinged to out of

desperation for the past six weeks. And these laughable lawsuits and wasting the Supreme Court's time is part of a pattern of Donald Trump's wherein he has no follow through. You know, I had the best economy. Yeah. Until you definitely didn't. And I had the best virus response, right? Yeah. Until you literally hid vital information from Americans and let 300,000 of us die by maliciously sowing distrust and politicizing mask wearing. I had the most votes on election night. Yeah. Until everyone's fucking vote was counted. This is a man who has failed at pretty much everything he has ever attempted because he didn't deserve to have those things in the first place. He's the American nightmare, a man who has never worked hard, born into wealth and opportunity, who's unjustly given everything and still squanders it to the

detriment of all of us. So good riddance, and I hope this is the beginning of the end of the modern Republican Party that has no consistent values beyond racism, homophobia, transphobia, anti-Semitism, misogyny, willful ignorance, and cruelty. And hopefully, the regular citizens who bought into this farce that equates winning with hurting their fellow Americans can come to see the light sooner rather than later. Donald Trump opened something really hideous in this country, and we still have to overcome it. So those are my many thoughts.

But thankfully, it is time to move on. And that's the latest. It's Monday WOD Squad. And for today's Tim Check, we're talking about more premium content. Disney made massive announcements last week at their 2020 Investor Day, involving at least 52 new projects set for the next few years. Those included 10 new Star Wars series on Disney+, like a series called Obi-Wan Kenobi that will reunite Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor, one called Star Wars Lando, plus two Mandalorian spinoffs. There's a Disney Plus series called Tiana based on The Princess and the Frog

and a Moana musical comedy series and also a Pixar movie called Lightyear starring Chris Evans about the guy the Buzz Lightyear toy was based on. It's truly so much stuff, Gideon. It's honestly hard to process at this point, but you know, Giddy, my question to you, what's your general reaction to the 52 new Disney projects?

I just kind of think that like theaters are over. And it's bumming me out. Like, I know the last time that we talked about the HBO Max stuff, I was clowning on Christopher Nolan. And you know, to Nolan Hive out there I sincerely apologize some other people have made good points about this but I think this sort of adds to the thing that's just like whether we are out of the pandemic by end of next year or not

I feel like all of these places are just slowly killing off the theaters like if we have 52 projects that we can choose from, even if you pick like 10 of them, you're going to be watching this shit for like six months. You're not going to the theater. But anyway, that's me being a sad boy.

What do you think about all the projects? I mean, honestly, I think they're great. The truth is, I think that, you know, I just want to reiterate, I do think that there will be an opportunity for theaters in the future. So like living in the pandemic, I have to be happy that things are coming to my house. Otherwise, I'm going to have to risk my life.

But I'm super into the idea of a Moana show. And honestly, I already told my agent that when they start casting for Tiana, which comes out in 2023, I'm going to be ready. Like that gives me plenty of time to figure it all out. Um, but yeah, I think it's going to be a lot of fun. And I think that like, you know, in this pandemic, my niece and nephew have been at home obviously, and they're little kids. And so most of the stuff that they can watch on other streamers is for like adults. So they'll have like stuff they can watch that's appropriate for them. That is also like so much more diverse than it was when we were kids. Like even like the fact that they would do a Moana series to me is amazing

and shocking. So I think it's a win for like consuming content, but from the like perspective of a family outing. Yeah. Okay. Guess it's not that great. Well, just like that,

we have checked our tips, stay safe, watch something on our temps. Stay safe. Watch something on TV and stay at home. And we'll be back after some ads. Let's wrap up with some headlines. Headlines. of the ACLU back in April, which sought to release medically vulnerable and disabled inmates due to COVID and for the sheriff to take the necessary measures to protect other inmates who remain in custody. The judge ruled that the sheriff did not do that and showed, quote, deliberate indifference to the health of those in jail. Since March, almost 700 inmates have tested positive for coronavirus in Orange County's jail system. And according to the COVID prison project,

over a quarter million people in jails and prisons have tested positive for COVID in the U.S. That's out of a total population of just over 2 million. Some states like Massachusetts want to prioritize this population for early access to vaccines, yet the CDC has not ranked them among the top tiers. Yeah, CDC, maybe pay attention. Elected Republicans might just be doing election denialism for laughs at this point, but their words are still being heard loud and clear by pro-Trump protesters who gathered in multiple American cities this weekend for demonstrations that in some cases ended in violence. In Washington, D.C., thousands of mostly white, mostly maskless people

protested Biden's win downtown and were cheered on by Trump via Twitter. They included members of the male chauvinist white nationalist group the Proud Boys, who at one point stole two Black Lives Matter banners from historic black churches and destroyed them. At night, during an encounter between protesters and counter-protesters, four unidentified people were stabbed near a bar where the Proud Boys were meeting up and needed to be hospitalized. In Washington state, there was a smaller gathering of about 50 to 80 militant pro-Trump protesters in Olympia who faced off against a group of leftist counter protesters. In this case, members of each group were armed and eventually shots were fired. A right-wing protester was later arrested on charges of first-degree assault on suspicion of shooting a left-wing protester. Yikes. When times are tough, we long for the familiar, so this next story might be comforting.

The Russian government has hacked us once again. The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, or SVR, has been hacking U.S. agencies for months, according to new reporting, and has compromised both the Treasury and Commerce Department. The attacks were serious enough to make the National Security Council hold an emergency meeting on Sunday, so Russian state hackers weren't just looking to get on someone's Hulu to watch Pen15 and see if it meets the hype. The SVR's campaign targeted a number of different countries. And unlike GRU, the military spy agency that leaked hacked DNC emails in 2016, SVR doesn't hack to sow discord. The aims of this program were probably information gathering so the Russian government can better understand its global political rivals. Now, of course, we all wish they could put their computer skills towards something more productive, like writing blogs or becoming influencers. Yes, become influencers and tell people how good Pen15 is.

Well, back to Disney, since we live in their world. A recent program added to the company's legacy of transformative animation. Staff at Disney World were asked to Photoshop masks onto pictures of people on rides so those photos could be sold. The program has been suspended as of last Friday after some of the obviously doctored photos circulated on social media. The idea was that a person's mask might somehow fly off mid-ride, and Disney doesn't want to sell photos that show their rules being violated so they could compromise by imagineering the face coverings and post. Again, if you clap three times and just believe some lady in a Minnie Mouse t-shirt

actually wasn't spraying her aerosols on everybody riding Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Disney World requires guests to wear masks at all times unless they're swimming or dining, but guests can avoid masks and take Disney's work a step further just by photoshopping themselves onto roller coasters from the safety of their homes. Been doing it for years. It rocks. It's amazing. Straight up. I'm on Splash Mountain right now hosting this podcast. And those are the headlines. One last thing before we go, the January 5th runoffs in Georgia that will determine control

of the Senate are right around the corner and early voting is taking place now. So if you've been waiting for the right moment to get involved, it is time. Yeah. Head over to votesaveamerica.com slash Georgia to find something you can do right now and sign up to Adopt Georgia, where they'll be sending new opportunities to donate and volunteer to support groups doing the work in Georgia between now and Election Day. That is all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, Photoshop yourself into your dream vacation and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just blogs from reformed Russian hackers like me,

What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Akilah Hughes. I'm Gideon Resnick. And be safe on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. It's fast. You don't have to go spinning the whole time. Just find a target and stay looking that way.

No aerosols, no upchuck allowed. A mask will protect both. Yes. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Charlotte Landis. Sonia Tan is our assistant producer. Our head writer is John Milsteiniard and Kshaka.