Votes are coming in from the Georgia runoff elections, with the results generally looking positive for Democrats… but we’re still waiting on the final calls. Congress meets today to certify Joe Biden’s presidential victory, with about a dozen Republican senators and more House Republicans set to object and add hours of needless debate.

Yesterday, the Surgeon General said that the CDC guidelines for the order of vaccinations should not be used to allow doses to sit in freezers. This runs counter to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been doing in his state.

And in headlines: the police officer who shot Jacob Blake won’t face criminal charges, Trump’s EPA fights war on birds, and Amazon is disrupting shirts.

Today's Senate runoffs in Georgia will determine control of Congress, the future of economic relief, and the country’s response to existential threats like climate change. We spoke to Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey about the Georgia races, what Biden can do on his own on climate, and how to deal with Republicans who want to erase the will of voters.

And in headlines: the UK says Assange can’t be extradited to the US, hundreds of Google workers unionize, and Florida counties use EventBrite for vaccine scheduling.

Show Links:

If you are in Georgia and need more information on how to vote, please go to votesaveamerica.com/georgia

If you run into any issues voting or witness voter suppression or intimidation, call the voter protection hotline: 1-833-DEM-VOTE — 1-833-336-8683

In a leaked phone call from this weekend, Trump used every line he could to pressure Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger to overturn the state's election results. About a dozen GOP senators say they’re going to raise objections during the congressional vote to certify the presidential election this week, in a show of election theater that will lead nowhere.

A more-contagious coronavirus variant first discovered in the UK has been identified in California, Florida, and Colorado. Despite predictions from the federal government that 20 million Americans would receive their first vaccine dose by the end of December, the current number is about 4.2 million… we discuss why that is.

And in headlines: India approves two COVID vaccines, Pelosi reelected as Speaker, and Bitcoin does huge numbers on its 12th anniversary.

The future of our democracy hinges on the outcome of two Senate races in Georgia, a state that shocked the nation by flipping for the first time in nearly three decades. In this multi-part podcast, visit the frontlines with two of Atlanta’s own - journalists Rembert Browne and Jewel Wicker as they detail the struggles and triumphs that led to this moment, and hear from the organizers, strategists, and voters hoping to change the South forever. 

Our new podcast, “Gaining Ground: The New Georgia” is a co-production of Tenderfoot TV and Crooked Media. Subscribe and listen to the first 2 episodes now, wherever you listen to podcasts: gaininggroundpodcast.com

Congressional leaders are putting together the final pieces of an emerging deal on COVID relief, but the negotiations could continue into the weekend. We spoke to Congressman Ro Khanna about the relief bill, the Biden transition and what gives him hope for next year.

This year saw the largest-ever racial justice uprisings since the 1960s, following the racist killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many other Black Americans. We looked back at some of the conversations we’ve had with activists, journalists, and elected officials about the movement and what it means to them. 

For our final round of headlines, we focused on the issue of policing: the botched raid of Anjanette Young’s apartment in Chicago and the city’s attempt to keep it quiet, new studies that show giving police military gear doesn’t lower crime rates, and Tamika Palmer’s open letter to Joe Biden about her daughter, Breonna Taylor.

Show Announcement:

What A Day will be off for the rest of the year & back on Monday January 4th. Thank you for listening and we'll see you next year!

Congressional leaders think they could pass a roughly $900 billion stimulus bill by the end of the week, which might include direct payments, but won't include money for states and localities. A deal can’t come soon enough: eight million Americans have been pushed into poverty since this summer, while jobless claims (and COVID cases) are rising.

The Supreme Court announced it will hear a case on compensation of athletes in the NCAA. Players think the NCAA’s cap on student athlete compensation violates antitrust laws… not to mention, college sports bring in billions in revenue each year on the backs of majority Black athletes.

And in headlines: Bezos’s ex Mackenzie Scott gave away $6 billion in 2020, Jackass guys got broke off on day two of filming, and at long last Trump gets new shower-head rules on the books.

Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg was announced as Biden’s nominee for transportation secretary yesterday, and former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm is expected to be picked to lead the Energy Department. We discuss those picks, plus other recent Biden nominees, like Marcia Fudge, Tom Vilsack, and Denis McDonough. 

The Dolly Parton-backed Moderna vaccine has been reviewed by the FDA and found to have an efficacy rate of 94.1 percent. Zooming out, a New York Times report said it may take until 2024 for less affluent countries to fully immunize their population, since rich countries have bought up all the supply. 

And in headlines: Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for kidnapping 300 boys in Nigeria last Friday, European countries announce antitrust proposals for tech companies, and Prince Harry and Meghan are podcasters now.

The first coronavirus vaccines were administered in the US yesterday, and public education efforts also got underway with the HHS and CDC emphasizing the safety of the drug. 

Congress has one week left to agree on a relief bill before they go on recess. The latest proposal splits provisions into two parts, one that everyone can agree on, and one that contains more controversial elements. We explain, plus get into why Senator Bernie Sanders says he’ll vote against the bills. 

And in headlines: Bill Barr out as AG, PornHub deletes around 10 million videos after NYT op-ed, and powerful women rise up to defend Dr. Jill Biden against a WSJ hater.

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.

The FDA’s advisory panel voted to approve emergency authorization of the Pfizer-BionNTech coronavirus vaccine. Once it’s authorized, which could be any day now, an initial shipment of about 6.4 million doses is expected to be sent across the country. 

The state of the pandemic in the United States is extremely dire, with this week bringing a new record in single day fatalities, and a record number of people hospitalized across the country. One of the main sources of reliable data throughout the pandemic has been the Covid Tracking Project. We spoke to Alexis Madrigal, one of its co-founders, about the current numbers, how we measure where we’re at, and where we go from here.

Plus, we’re joined by writer and comedian Tien Tran for headlines: Amazon’s new invasive fitness tracker, MPD defunds the police, and a DMT study in England.

Show Links:

https://covidtracking.com/

https://www.theatlantic.com/author/alexis-madrigal/ 

Listen to Tien Tran on Hysteria and find her on Instagram:

https://crooked.com/podcast-series/hysteria/

https://www.instagram.com/hanktina/?hl=en