Ernest Johnson was executed in Missouri, yesterday. Johnson had been on death row for over 25 years after being convicted of the 1994 murder of three people. However, pleas for clemency from his supporters, including Pope Francis, intensified recently, saying Johnson’s intellectual disabilities made the execution unconstitutional and immoral.

The FDA’s advisory committee will be considering more booster shots, next week, as well as Pfizer vaccines for young children. Also, the drug company Merck said that its pill to treat COVID-19 reduced the risk of hospitalization among high risk people by 50 percent in a clinical trial. 

And in headlines: a report found the French Catholic Church abused more than 200,000 minors over the last 70 years, Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen testified before the Senate, and a Russian film crew arrived at the International Space Station to make history.

Show Notes:

NY Times: “Missouri Executes Death Row Prisoner Despite Pleas From Pope and Others” – https://nyti.ms/3msq0nV

Bloomberg: “Everything You Need to Know About Merck’s Game-Changing Covid Pill” – https://bloom.bg/3mvGADg

NY Times: “Who Is the Bad Art Friend?” – https://nyti.ms/2WJQ6tM

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday