Astra Report | WNTN 1550 AM | Grecian Echoes

Listen to the Daily Global #News from Grecian Echoes and WNTN 1550 AM.  Vaccine advisers to the FDA meet today to discuss emergency authorization for the Moderna vaccine.  The $900 billion #stimulus bill on the table includes an additional $300 a week in jobless benefits and a possible new round of stimulus checks at $600 per person.  Ten states are suing Google, alleging the company has stifled competition and enjoys "monopolistic power” over digital ad marketplaces.  French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for Covid-19.  Can you guess the perfect snow day series to watch? (Hint: it's about a table game protégée)

Listen to the Daily Global #News from Grecian Echoes and WNTN 1550 AM.  US officials are still trying to make sense of a serious data breach that has affected multiple federal agencies, including the Departments of Homeland Security, Agriculture and Commerce.  Biden will nominate Pete Buttigieg to be his transportation secretary.

Listen to the Daily Global #News from Grecian Echoes and WNTN 1550 AM. With no surprises President-elect Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 election when the Electoral College voted yesterday.  Covid-19 vaccinations began across the US yesterday, the same day the nation hit 300,000 coronavirus deaths.  Congressional lawmakers today are set to unveil a $1.4 trillion spending bill to fund federal agencies until the end of September 2021.  The Trump administration will sanction Turkey for its purchase of a Russian surface-to-air missile system more than a year after the weapons were delivered. Lawmakers required the administration to carry out the sanctions as part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021.

Dr. Sakis Mantalaris co-leads alongside Dr. Nicki Panoskaltsis (Hematology, Emory) “Biomedical Systems Engineering Laboratory” (https://bsel.bme.gatech.edu), which focuses on providing integrated in vitro/in silico platforms for clinical translational biomedical applications.  He explains how scientific disagreements are healthy, and could lead to new cancer treatments, his thoughts about wanting to be a pilot after high school and the importance of mentors in his life.  2020 was a strange pandemic year in Georgia Tech, but he is optimistic about the future and believes in the quality of Greece's scientific brain power.

Listen to the Daily Global #News from Grecian Echoes and WNTN 1550 AM.  This weekend, 2.9 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech are set to travel by plane and guarded truck from Michigan.  The emergency use authorization of the Pfizer vaccine comes amid jaw-dropping coronavirus numbers: The U.S. is approaching 300,000 virus-related deaths.  Brexit deal deadline arrives, and Morocco establishes relations with Israel.

Listen to the Daily Global #News from Grecian Echoes and WNTN 1550 AM.  An FDA advisory committee has recommended that the agency grant a long-awaited emergency-use authorization for the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.  Another day down, and still no stimulus deal from Congress.  A Lebanese judge has charged the country’s caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three ex-ministers with criminal neglect over the catastrophic Beirut port explosion that killed more than 200 people in August.  EU leaders have sent a strict warning to Turkey over its drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Listen to the Daily Global #News from Grecian Echoes and WNTN 1550 AM.  About 20 million people in the US could be vaccinated against the coronavirus in the coming weeks.  All 50 states and the District of Columbia have now certified their presidential election results.  A bipartisan group of lawmakers is trying to finally close a deal on a new federal coronavirus relief package.  The Federal Trade Commission wants #Facebook to be broken up, and its biggest assets, like Instagram and WhatsApp, spun off.  Brexit talks still in a bind.  EE is discussing Turkey sanctions.

Listen to the Daily Global #News from Grecian Echoes and WNTN 1550 AM.  US officials want coronavirus vaccines to start being administered within 96 hours of an emergency use authorization from the FDA. Then, over the first 100 days of his presidency, President-elect Joe Biden wants to make sure 100 million Americans are vaccinated.  Dr. Rochelle Walensky, chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, will lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Champions League soccer humiliation of Barcelona by Juventus 0-3

Listen to the Daily Global #News from Grecian Echoes and WNTN 1550 AM.  The FDA said data from Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine trials was “consistent” with recommendations put forth by the agency for an emergency use authorization.  President-elect Joe Biden has selected retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, the former commander of US Central Command, to be his secretary of defense.  The UK has started administering the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, making it the first Western country to start vaccinating its citizens.  Bod Dylan sells his music rights for $300 million.