KANSAS CITY(AP) — Tina Morton recently faced a choice: Pay bills — or buy a birthday gift for a child? Derrisa Green is falling further behind on rent. Sylvia Soliz has had her electricity cut off.

Unemployment has forced aching decisions on millions of Americans and their families in the face of a rampaging viral pandemic that has closed shops and restaurants, paralyzed travel and left millions jobless for months. Now, their predicaments stand to grow bleaker yet if Congress fails to extend two unemployment programs that are set to expire the day after Christmas.

If no agreement is reached in negotiations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/momentum-growing-covid-19-relief-392eb300276f9df7303c64cc4e45cf0e">taking place on Capitol Hill,</a>&nbsp;more than 9 million people will lose federal jobless aid that averages about $320 a week and that typically serves as their only source of income.

Green, 39, and her husband are among them. An end to their unemployment benefits would force them to keep missing rent payments on their home in Dyer, Indiana, near Chicago. The couple have eight children. Green's husband is a self-employed truck driver whose business disappeared when the pandemic erupted in the spring. Only in October did he start to pick up occasional work.

He now receives about $235 a week in unemployment aid. Even so, “all of our bills are late,” Green said. They’ve received several shutoff notices from utilities before managing to pay just before service was to be cut off.

“That’s really scary," Green said, "because what are we going to do when we lose the unemployment money?”

The end of jobless aid is approaching at an especially perilous time. Job growth&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-health-coronavirus-pandemic-economy-17b58d8673d61754b5a85da3e53d5a07">slowed sharply in November,&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-coronavirus-pandemic-nevada-2308b917aa4466845c1ad123fa34561f">the resurgence of viral cases&nbsp;</a>appears to be out of control across the country.

Even with the prospect of an effective vaccine being widely distributed in coming months, economists say the picture will worsen before it improves. Many foresee a net loss of jobs in December for the first time since April.

On Friday, President-elect Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-travel-health-coronavirus-pandemic-holiday-travel-51cac6ad45b2f7093984c7eae7c43529">called on Congress</a>&nbsp;to quickly approve&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-coronavirus-pandemic-local-governments-bills-mitch-mcconnell-197485a0ec4c80a18409c2cef99dd998">a bipartisan $908 billion package</a>&nbsp;that would establish a $300-a-week jobless benefit as well as send aid to states and localities, help schools and universities, revive subsidies for businesses and support transit systems and airlines. Details are still being worked out, but the outlines of a final bill could emerge soon.

More than 20 million people are now receiving unemployment benefits. More than half are beneficiaries of two programs that were part of rescue aid legislation Congress enacted in March. One program made self-employed and contract workers eligible for jobless aid for the first time and provided 39 weeks of support. The other program supplied 13 weeks of extended benefits to the 26 weeks that most states provide.

About 9.1 million who are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-jobless-claims-unemployment-coronavirus-pandemic-united-states-a9abee07cc3eb7246e7e3c8603430a49">receiving aid from those programs</a>&nbsp;will be cut off Dec. 26, according to a report from the Century Foundation. An additional 4.4 million are expected to exhaust all 39 weeks by year's end. If Congress agrees to provide more weeks of aid and to revive both programs, those beneficiaries could keep receiving aid next year.

That would be a life-saver for Sylvia Soliz who lives in Corpus Christi, Texas. Soliz, 36, who still owes part of her rent for November and December, has received an eviction notice. She's also just had her electricity cut off.

Back in March, Soliz was laid off from her job as a nurse's assistant at a senior living facility. She's now receiving $414 in jobless aid every two weeks. With four children, it doesn't go very far.

“The day I get it, it’s already gone because my kids need so many things,” Soliz said. “Of course, I have to pay a portion to whatever bill I have, so that way I can stretch it out. But every time another check comes in, it’s another bill.”

Soliz is applying for a new job, and she checks in with her old employer. So far, no luck. She also worries about contracting COVID-19. Soliz is hopeful that Congress will agree to provide more aid, but she feels “they are basically gambling with us."

A cutoff of jobless benefits now, with so many millions of Americans still receiving the aid, would be unusually early compared with previous recessions. In the aftermath of the Great Recession of 2008-2009, the government extended unemployment benefits to 99 weeks, and the additional aid lasted through 2013. When that program ended, about 1.3 million people lost benefits — a small fraction of the number who would lose jobless aid this time.

Other government protections will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-education-student-loans-e287c7fe6d44de94e08981899d973a91">also expire at the end of this year</a>, including a federal moratorium on evictions for renters. A suspension of payments on federal student loans will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/financial-markets-coronavirus-pandemic-student-loans-fdba50ad8d575b627284563a62aa6a5e">expire at the end of January.</a>

“I am very afraid of people facing homelessness — that’s our top concern," said Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation. “It’s a terrible unforced policy error to make. It will slow the recovery that we’re having by cutting off these benefits so early.”

About one in six renters in the United States are behind on their rent, according to a survey from the Census Bureau. And 12% of adults say their families didn't have enough to eat at some point in the past week, the survey found. That's up from just 3.7% in 2019, according to the left-leaning&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/tracking-the-covid-19-recessions-effects-on-food-housing-and">Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.</a>

A wrenching set of choices has confronted Keli Paaske, who lives in the Kansas City area. Since being furloughed in the spring from her sales job at a company that makes fire doors, Paaske, 56, has cut back her grocery budget. She thought she'd be called back once the virus waned. But when her boss phoned in August, it was with a different message: Her job had been eliminated.

Paaske had hesitated to spend $360 needed to euthanize her 15-year old dog, who had a brain tumor, before going through with it. Without unemployment aid, Paaske isn't sure how she would manage. She may seek financial help from her parents, who are in their 80s, something she has resisted doing. If she doesn't find a job by March, she said, she'll stop leasing her car.

Across the country, a cutoff of jobless aid would disproportionately affect Black Americans, according to data from the Century Foundation. About 18% of unemployment aid recipients are Black, the Foundation said, though Black Americans make up just 12% of the workforce. More than 57% of recipients are white. Nearly 13% are Latino. (There is no demographic data on about one-fifth of recipients.)

Tina Morton used to clean houses near where she lives in Winchester, Kentucky. But there’s been little work since the pandemic struck. Like many other single mothers, she has struggled with the need to find another job while simultaneously caring for children — a son and two nephews she has custody of — who are attending school online at home.

“Single parents cannot go out here and ... just find any job," said Morton, 39. “We’ve got our kids here that are stuck at home.”

Last week, Morton had to choose between paying a phone bill and buying one of her nephews a birthday present. (She got him a present). If her jobless aid ends, she expects to face painful decisions.

She's particularly worried about her two nephews.

“That’s what hurts me the most,” she said. “My job is to give them more — give them better than where they came from.”

KANSAS CITY(AP) — Tina Morton recently faced a choice: Pay bills — or buy a birthday gift for a child? Derrisa Green is falling further behind on rent. Sylvia Soliz has had her electricity cut off.Unemployment has forced aching decisions on millions of Americans and their families in the face of a rampaging viral pandemic that has closed shops and restaurants, paralyzed travel and left millions jobless for months. Now, their predicaments stand to grow bleaker yet if Congress fails to extend two unemployment programs that are set to expire the day after Christmas.If no agreement is reached in negotiations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/momentum-growing-covid-19-relief-392eb300276f9df7303c64cc4e45cf0e">taking place on Capitol Hill,</a>&nbsp;more than 9 million people will lose federal jobless aid that averages about $320 a week and that typically serves as their only source of income.Green, 39, and her husband are among them. An end to their unemployment benefits would force them to keep missing rent payments on their home in Dyer, Indiana, near Chicago. The couple have eight children. Green's husband is a self-employed truck driver whose business disappeared when the pandemic erupted in the spring. Only in October did he start to pick up occasional work.He now receives about $235 a week in unemployment aid. Even so, “all of our bills are late,” Green said. They’ve received several shutoff notices from utilities before managing to pay just before service was to be cut off.“That’s really scary," Green said, "because what are we going to do when we lose the unemployment money?”The end of jobless aid is approaching at an especially perilous time. Job growth&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-health-coronavirus-pandemic-economy-17b58d8673d61754b5a85da3e53d5a07">slowed sharply in November,&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-coronavirus-pandemic-nevada-2308b917aa4466845c1ad123fa34561f">the resurgence of viral cases&nbsp;</a>appears to be out of control across the country.Even with the prospect of an effective vaccine being widely distributed in coming months, economists say the picture will worsen before it improves. Many foresee a net loss of jobs in December for the first time since April.On Friday, President-elect Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-travel-health-coronavirus-pandemic-holiday-travel-51cac6ad45b2f7093984c7eae7c43529">called on Congress</a>&nbsp;to quickly approve&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-coronavirus-pandemic-local-governments-bills-mitch-mcconnell-197485a0ec4c80a18409c2cef99dd998">a bipartisan $908 billion package</a>&nbsp;that would establish a $300-a-week jobless benefit as well as send aid to states and localities, help schools and universities, revive subsidies for businesses and support transit systems and airlines. Details are still being worked out, but the outlines of a final bill could emerge soon.More than 20 million people are now receiving unemployment benefits. More than half are beneficiaries of two programs that were part of rescue aid legislation Congress enacted in March. One program made self-employed and contract workers eligible for jobless aid for the first time and provided 39 weeks of support. The other program supplied 13 weeks of extended benefits to the 26 weeks that most states provide.About 9.1 million who are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-jobless-claims-unemployment-coronavirus-pandemic-united-states-a9abee07cc3eb7246e7e3c8603430a49">receiving aid from those programs</a>&nbsp;will be cut off Dec. 26, according to a report from the Century Foundation. An additional 4.4 million are expected to exhaust all 39 weeks by year's end. If Congress agrees to provide more weeks of aid and to revive both programs, those beneficiaries could keep receiving aid next year.That would be a life-saver for Sylvia Soliz who lives in Corpus Christi, Texas. Soliz, 36, who still owes part of her rent for November and December, has received an eviction notice. She's also just had her electricity cut off.Back in March, Soliz was laid off from her job as a nurse's assistant at a senior living facility. She's now receiving $414 in jobless aid every two weeks. With four children, it doesn't go very far.“The day I get it, it’s already gone because my kids need so many things,” Soliz said. “Of course, I have to pay a portion to whatever bill I have, so that way I can stretch it out. But every time another check comes in, it’s another bill.”Soliz is applying for a new job, and she checks in with her old employer. So far, no luck. She also worries about contracting COVID-19. Soliz is hopeful that Congress will agree to provide more aid, but she feels “they are basically gambling with us."A cutoff of jobless benefits now, with so many millions of Americans still receiving the aid, would be unusually early compared with previous recessions. In the aftermath of the Great Recession of 2008-2009, the government extended unemployment benefits to 99 weeks, and the additional aid lasted through 2013. When that program ended, about 1.3 million people lost benefits — a small fraction of the number who would lose jobless aid this time.Other government protections will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-education-student-loans-e287c7fe6d44de94e08981899d973a91">also expire at the end of this year</a>, including a federal moratorium on evictions for renters. A suspension of payments on federal student loans will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/financial-markets-coronavirus-pandemic-student-loans-fdba50ad8d575b627284563a62aa6a5e">expire at the end of January.</a>“I am very afraid of people facing homelessness — that’s our top concern," said Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation. “It’s a terrible unforced policy error to make. It will slow the recovery that we’re having by cutting off these benefits so early.”About one in six renters in the United States are behind on their rent, according to a survey from the Census Bureau. And 12% of adults say their families didn't have enough to eat at some point in the past week, the survey found. That's up from just 3.7% in 2019, according to the left-leaning&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/tracking-the-covid-19-recessions-effects-on-food-housing-and">Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.</a>A wrenching set of choices has confronted Keli Paaske, who lives in the Kansas City area. Since being furloughed in the spring from her sales job at a company that makes fire doors, Paaske, 56, has cut back her grocery budget. She thought she'd be called back once the virus waned. But when her boss phoned in August, it was with a different message: Her job had been eliminated.Paaske had hesitated to spend $360 needed to euthanize her 15-year old dog, who had a brain tumor, before going through with it. Without unemployment aid, Paaske isn't sure how she would manage. She may seek financial help from her parents, who are in their 80s, something she has resisted doing. If she doesn't find a job by March, she said, she'll stop leasing her car.Across the country, a cutoff of jobless aid would disproportionately affect Black Americans, according to data from the Century Foundation. About 18% of unemployment aid recipients are Black, the Foundation said, though Black Americans make up just 12% of the workforce. More than 57% of recipients are white. Nearly 13% are Latino. (There is no demographic data on about one-fifth of recipients.)Tina Morton used to clean houses near where she lives in Winchester, Kentucky. But there’s been little work since the pandemic struck. Like many other single mothers, she has struggled with the need to find another job while simultaneously caring for children — a son and two nephews she has custody of — who are attending school online at home.“Single parents cannot go out here and ... just find any job," said Morton, 39. “We’ve got our kids here that are stuck at home.”Last week, Morton had to choose between paying a phone bill and buying one of her nephews a birthday present. (She got him a present). If her jobless aid ends, she expects to face painful decisions.She's particularly worried about her two nephews.“That’s what hurts me the most,” she said. “My job is to give them more — give them better than where they came from.”

A bleak outlook for millions facing cutoff of US jobless aid

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Fire officials say an explosion has leveled a home in a south-central Omaha neighborhood, damaging nearby homes and leading to at least one person being injured. 

The explosion happened just after 8 a.m. Tuesday near 51st and M streets.

 Local television news stations showed footage of splintered lumber and other debris strewn around the blast site, as well as firefighters using firehoses to douse the resulting flames. 

Witnesses said the blast was heard blocks away. 

The Omaha World-Herald says first responders have reported at least one casualty at the scene, but no other information on injuries was immediately available.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Fire officials say an explosion has leveled a home in a south-central Omaha neighborhood, damaging nearby homes and leading to at least one person being injured. The explosion happened just after 8 a.m. Tuesday near 51st and M streets. Local television news stations showed footage of splintered lumber and other debris strewn around the blast site, as well as firefighters using firehoses to douse the resulting flames. Witnesses said the blast was heard blocks away. The Omaha World-Herald says first responders have reported at least one casualty at the scene, but no other information on injuries was immediately available.

Explosion levels house in south-central Omaha

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Trump administration said Monday that it fully restored the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that shields hundreds of thousands of young people from deportation, complying with a federal judge’s order.

The Department of Homeland Security posted on its website that it is accepting new applications, petitions for two-year renewals and requests for permission to temporarily leave the U.S.

The department said it “may seek relief from the order,” signaling that its concession to the court order may be short-lived if its legal efforts succeed.

The announcement is still a major victory for young people who have been unable to apply since Trump ended DACA in September 2017. His administration has long argued that DACA is unconstitutional.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that Trump violated federal law in how he ended the program, Chad Wolf, the acting Homeland Security secretary, said the administration would study its options and, until then, wouldn’t accept new applications and would grant renewals for one year instead two. DACA shields about 650,000 people from deportation and makes them eligible for work permits.

Monday’s announcement came hours before a deadline set by District Judge Nicholas Garaufis in the Eastern District of New York for the administration to post public notice that it would accept applications under terms before Trump ended DACA in 2017. The judge ruled Friday that Wolf was unlawfully serving in his position.

DACA was started in 2012 during the Obama administration. It allows certain immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children to work and be exempt from deportation, though it does not confer legal status on recipients.

President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to reinstate DACA when he takes office in January but permanent legal status and a path to citizenship would require congressional approval.

DACA recipients and their supporters greeted the news with a mix of elation and awareness that their futures are precarious, even with Biden’s support.

Maria Garcia, 18, an aerospace engineering student at Arizona State University, said she will apply for the program as soon as she can. She and her parents and two brothers arrived in Phoenix in 2006 Mexico. Her older brother, now 23, is already a DACA recipient and has a job. Her younger brother, now 16, is in high school and plans to eventually seek DACA protection as well.

Garcia said the court’s decision last week “was wonderful news.”

“There are a lot of other students who are undocumented who don’t qualify for DACA. They have to find a permanent solution,” she said.

Michelle Celleri, an attorney at advocacy group Alliance San Diego, was preparing an application for a client who was putting the final touches on her petition when Trump canceled DACA in 2017.

“Her feeling is, ‘I’ll do anything. I’m sick of being in the dark and I want to move forward,’” Celleri said.

Celleiri said she is advising clients to submit applications before Dec. 22, when there is a key hearing in Texas in a lawsuit by several states challenging DACA’s legality.

“There’s just way too much happening right now,” she said. “I don’t want people caught in the crossfire.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592490581956.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Trump administration said Monday that it fully restored the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that shields hundreds of thousands of young people from deportation, complying with a federal judge’s order.The Department of Homeland Security posted on its website that it is accepting new applications, petitions for two-year renewals and requests for permission to temporarily leave the U.S.The department said it “may seek relief from the order,” signaling that its concession to the court order may be short-lived if its legal efforts succeed.The announcement is still a major victory for young people who have been unable to apply since Trump ended DACA in September 2017. His administration has long argued that DACA is unconstitutional.After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that Trump violated federal law in how he ended the program, Chad Wolf, the acting Homeland Security secretary, said the administration would study its options and, until then, wouldn’t accept new applications and would grant renewals for one year instead two. DACA shields about 650,000 people from deportation and makes them eligible for work permits.Monday’s announcement came hours before a deadline set by District Judge Nicholas Garaufis in the Eastern District of New York for the administration to post public notice that it would accept applications under terms before Trump ended DACA in 2017. The judge ruled Friday that Wolf was unlawfully serving in his position.DACA was started in 2012 during the Obama administration. It allows certain immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children to work and be exempt from deportation, though it does not confer legal status on recipients.President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to reinstate DACA when he takes office in January but permanent legal status and a path to citizenship would require congressional approval.DACA recipients and their supporters greeted the news with a mix of elation and awareness that their futures are precarious, even with Biden’s support.Maria Garcia, 18, an aerospace engineering student at Arizona State University, said she will apply for the program as soon as she can. She and her parents and two brothers arrived in Phoenix in 2006 Mexico. Her older brother, now 23, is already a DACA recipient and has a job. Her younger brother, now 16, is in high school and plans to eventually seek DACA protection as well.Garcia said the court’s decision last week “was wonderful news.”“There are a lot of other students who are undocumented who don’t qualify for DACA. They have to find a permanent solution,” she said.Michelle Celleri, an attorney at advocacy group Alliance San Diego, was preparing an application for a client who was putting the final touches on her petition when Trump canceled DACA in 2017.“Her feeling is, ‘I’ll do anything. I’m sick of being in the dark and I want to move forward,’” Celleri said.Celleiri said she is advising clients to submit applications before Dec. 22, when there is a key hearing in Texas in a lawsuit by several states challenging DACA’s legality.“There’s just way too much happening right now,” she said. “I don’t want people caught in the crossfire.”

US fully restores protections for young immigrants

World War II flying ace Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, has died at 97. His wife, Victoria Yeager, said on his Twitter account that Yeager died Monday. 

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine called the death “a tremendous loss to our nation.” 

The retired Air Force brigadier general became the fastest human in 1947 when he piloted the experimental X-1 rocket plane past 660 mph. It was the first time anyone had flown faster than the speed of sound. 

Yeager became a fighter pilot in World War II and shot down 13 German planes. He was shot down over German-held France but escaped with the help of French partisans.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607439470645.png" alt="Yeager / U.S. Air Force" />
 <figcaption>Yeager / U.S. Air Force</figcaption>
 </figure>Associated PressWorld War II flying ace Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, has died at 97. His wife, Victoria Yeager, said on his Twitter account that Yeager died Monday. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine called the death “a tremendous loss to our nation.” The retired Air Force brigadier general became the fastest human in 1947 when he piloted the experimental X-1 rocket plane past 660 mph. It was the first time anyone had flown faster than the speed of sound. Yeager became a fighter pilot in World War II and shot down 13 German planes. He was shot down over German-held France but escaped with the help of French partisans.

Chuck Yeager, first to break sound barrier, dies at 97

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration will hold a White House summit Tuesday as Pfizer’s vaccine is expected to be endorsed by a panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers as soon as this week, with delivery of 100 million doses — enough for 50 million Americans — expected in coming months.

The Pfizer vaccine is one of two on track for emergency FDA authorization this month, the other coming from drugmaker Moderna.

Seeking to tamp down public skepticism over the vaccine and secure a key component of Trump’s legacy, Tuesday’s summit will highlight the administration’s plans to distribute and administer the vaccine. But officials from President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team, which will oversee the bulk of the largest vaccination program in the nation’s history once he takes office Jan. 20, were not invited.

The “Operation Warp Speed” summit will feature Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and a host of government experts, state leaders and business executives, as the White House looks to explain that the vaccine is safe and lay out the administration’s plans to bring it to the American people.

Senior administration officials provided details on the summit on Monday. An official with the Biden transition confirmed no invitation was extended.

Officials from the pharmaceutical companies developing the vaccines also were not expected to attend, despite receiving invitations, according to people familiar with the matter. Some expressed concerns about the event contributing to the politicization of the vaccine development process and potentially further inhibiting public confidence in the drugs.

Trump is set to kick off the event with remarks aiming to “celebrate” vaccine development, according to an official who previewed the event. Trump also will sign an executive order to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-hunger-coronavirus-pandemic-4c7f1705c6d8ef5bac241e6cc8e331bb">prioritize Americans for coronavirus vaccines procured by the federal government</a>. A second official said the order would restrict the U.S. government from donating doses to other nations until there is excess supply to meet domestic demand. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans for the summit.

It was not immediately clear what, if any, impact the order would have on other nations’ abilities to access the vaccines. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday he expects his country to receive about 250,000 doses of a vaccine from Pfizer by the end of the year.

The Food and Drug Administration’s panel of outside vaccine experts is to meet Thursday to conduct a final review of the Pfizer drug, and it will meet later this month on a vaccine developed by Moderna. The FDA is not required to follow the panel’s advice, though it usually does. Agency decisions on the two drugs are expected within days of each meeting. Both have been determined to be 95% effective against the virus that causes COVID-19. Plans call for distributing and then administering about 40 million doses of the two companies’ vaccines by the end of the year — with the first doses shipping within hours of FDA clearance.

Biden said Friday that “there’s no detailed plan that we’ve seen” for how to get the vaccines out of containers, into syringes and then into people’s arms.

Trump administration officials insist that such plans have been developed, with the bulk of the work falling to states and municipal governments to ensure their most vulnerable populations are vaccinated first. The administration says it has leveraged partnerships with manufacturers, distributers and health care providers, so that outside of settings like veterans’ hospitals, “it is highly unlikely that a single federal employee will touch a dose of vaccine before it goes into your arm.”

In all, about 50,000 vaccination sites are enrolled in the government’s distribution system, the officials said.

Each of the forthcoming vaccines has unique logistical challenges related to distribution and administration. The Pfizer vaccine must be transported at super-cooled temperatures, and comes in batches of 975 doses. Each vial contains 5 doses, requiring careful plannning. The administration has prepared detailed videos for providers on how to safely prepare and administer doses, to be posted after the FDA issues its emergency use authorization.

One such plan is to be announced Tuesday: Pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens have stood up a “mobile vaccination service” ready to vaccinate people in every nursing home and long-term care facility in the country. The roughly 3 million residents of those facilities are among the most vulnerable for COVID-19 and have been placed at the front of the line to access the vaccine, along with more than 20 million healthcare workers. So far 80-85% of the facilities have signed on to the service, the officials said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600861747887.png" alt="Photo courtesy Johnson &amp; Johnson" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Johnson &amp; Johnson</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration will hold a White House summit Tuesday as Pfizer’s vaccine is expected to be endorsed by a panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers as soon as this week, with delivery of 100 million doses — enough for 50 million Americans — expected in coming months.The Pfizer vaccine is one of two on track for emergency FDA authorization this month, the other coming from drugmaker Moderna.Seeking to tamp down public skepticism over the vaccine and secure a key component of Trump’s legacy, Tuesday’s summit will highlight the administration’s plans to distribute and administer the vaccine. But officials from President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team, which will oversee the bulk of the largest vaccination program in the nation’s history once he takes office Jan. 20, were not invited.The “Operation Warp Speed” summit will feature Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and a host of government experts, state leaders and business executives, as the White House looks to explain that the vaccine is safe and lay out the administration’s plans to bring it to the American people.Senior administration officials provided details on the summit on Monday. An official with the Biden transition confirmed no invitation was extended.Officials from the pharmaceutical companies developing the vaccines also were not expected to attend, despite receiving invitations, according to people familiar with the matter. Some expressed concerns about the event contributing to the politicization of the vaccine development process and potentially further inhibiting public confidence in the drugs.Trump is set to kick off the event with remarks aiming to “celebrate” vaccine development, according to an official who previewed the event. Trump also will sign an executive order to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-hunger-coronavirus-pandemic-4c7f1705c6d8ef5bac241e6cc8e331bb">prioritize Americans for coronavirus vaccines procured by the federal government</a>. A second official said the order would restrict the U.S. government from donating doses to other nations until there is excess supply to meet domestic demand. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans for the summit.It was not immediately clear what, if any, impact the order would have on other nations’ abilities to access the vaccines. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday he expects his country to receive about 250,000 doses of a vaccine from Pfizer by the end of the year.The Food and Drug Administration’s panel of outside vaccine experts is to meet Thursday to conduct a final review of the Pfizer drug, and it will meet later this month on a vaccine developed by Moderna. The FDA is not required to follow the panel’s advice, though it usually does. Agency decisions on the two drugs are expected within days of each meeting. Both have been determined to be 95% effective against the virus that causes COVID-19. Plans call for distributing and then administering about 40 million doses of the two companies’ vaccines by the end of the year — with the first doses shipping within hours of FDA clearance.Biden said Friday that “there’s no detailed plan that we’ve seen” for how to get the vaccines out of containers, into syringes and then into people’s arms.Trump administration officials insist that such plans have been developed, with the bulk of the work falling to states and municipal governments to ensure their most vulnerable populations are vaccinated first. The administration says it has leveraged partnerships with manufacturers, distributers and health care providers, so that outside of settings like veterans’ hospitals, “it is highly unlikely that a single federal employee will touch a dose of vaccine before it goes into your arm.”In all, about 50,000 vaccination sites are enrolled in the government’s distribution system, the officials said.Each of the forthcoming vaccines has unique logistical challenges related to distribution and administration. The Pfizer vaccine must be transported at super-cooled temperatures, and comes in batches of 975 doses. Each vial contains 5 doses, requiring careful plannning. The administration has prepared detailed videos for providers on how to safely prepare and administer doses, to be posted after the FDA issues its emergency use authorization.One such plan is to be announced Tuesday: Pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens have stood up a “mobile vaccination service” ready to vaccinate people in every nursing home and long-term care facility in the country. The roughly 3 million residents of those facilities are among the most vulnerable for COVID-19 and have been placed at the front of the line to access the vaccine, along with more than 20 million healthcare workers. So far 80-85% of the facilities have signed on to the service, the officials said.___

White House Summit aims to boost faith in virus vaccine

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers are giving themselves more time to sort through their end-of-session business on government spending and COVID-19 relief, preparing a one-week stopgap spending bill that would prevent a shutdown this weekend.

House floor leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said on Twitter that the temporary government funding bill is slated for a vote on Wednesday, when it is sure to easily pass. The development comes as Capitol Hill is struggling to figure out how to deliver long-delayed pandemic relief, including additional help for businesses hard hit by the pandemic, further unemployment benefits, funding to distribute COVID-19 vaccines and funding demanded by Democrats for state and local governments.

Disagreements flared Monday over one key provision — a proposed liability shield from COVID-19-related lawsuits for businesses, schools and organizations that reopen.

Hoyer had previously told lawmakers that this week would probably be the last of the session, but talks are going more slowly than hoped on a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill under assembly by senior members of the powerful Appropriations committees. The stopgap measure would prevent a government shutdown through Dec. 18.

“I am disappointed that we have not yet reached agreement on government funding,” Hoyer said.

Three main items of legislation are at issue in the end-of-session agenda: a defense policy bill that President Donald Trump is threatening to veto; the $1.4 trillion government-wide spending bill; and perhaps $900 billion in long-sought COVID-19 relief.

There are two sets of talks on COVID-19 relief — on the leadership level and by a group of Senate moderates — occurring at the same time, and it’s unclear how the negotiators might sort themselves out, lending an air of confusion to the process.

The bipartisan Senate group was set to meet again Monday evening. But a long weekend of talks pushed senators apart on one difficult negotiation, the proposed liability protection that has been a priority of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

“We have seen some hopeful signs of engagement from our Democratic colleagues, but we have no reason to think the underlying disagreements about policy are going to evaporate overnight,” McConnell said Monday.

Republicans initially proposed a sweeping five-year liability shield, retroactive to December 2019, to protect companies and organizations from COVID-19-related lawsuits. Democrats, along with their allies in labor and civil rights groups, roundly dismissed that approach as a danger to workers.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said she wants to make sure “we’re not sacrificing the rights of people who have been made sick or killed by their employers with a pro-corporate liability release.”

Lawmakers heard from a coalition of 142 labor and civil rights groups urging them to resist granting companies liability for COVID claims.

“Any type of immunity would directly harm Black, Latino, and other workers of color who are overrepresented in ‘essential’ and in-person, reopened jobs,” the coalition wrote in a letter to Congress.

Negotiators suggested a scaled-back liability shield, but a six-month proposal was panned by Republicans and there is no agreement yet from Democrats. The powerful AFL-CIO said Monday it opposes even a short-term liability provision.

It’s clear that McConnell’s Republican majority is demanding the liability protection in exchange for the Democrats’ push for additional money for states and cities battling the COVID-19 crisis.

“The leader had made clear that state and local money is tied to liability protection, so there’s either going to be none for both of those or both of those are going to be provided for,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters. “My hope is we’ll do both.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-global-trade-media-5685903ea82ed6c8691376b27e2d7ce4">White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow</a>&nbsp;said Monday that Trump is comfortable with a deal along the lines of one being put together by the group of Senate moderates and pragmatists. That $900 billion plan does not include direct payments sought by Trump before the election.

Without another round of fresh aid, after the $1,200 checks sent to Americans in spring, lawmakers on the left and right said they would have trouble backing the package.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said last week he would need to direct payments for his support, and GOP Sen. Josh Hawley said Monday that he encouraged Trump to reject any package without them.

“I urged him to veto,” Hawley said he told the president during a recent phone call.

If an agreement isn’t possible on the omnibus bill, lawmakers might have no option but to pass another continuing resolution that would keep the government running on autopilot and permit them to punt the unfinished spending bills into next year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607426585699.png" alt="The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers are giving themselves more time to sort through their end-of-session business on government spending and COVID-19 relief, preparing a one-week stopgap spending bill that would prevent a shutdown this weekend.House floor leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said on Twitter that the temporary government funding bill is slated for a vote on Wednesday, when it is sure to easily pass. The development comes as Capitol Hill is struggling to figure out how to deliver long-delayed pandemic relief, including additional help for businesses hard hit by the pandemic, further unemployment benefits, funding to distribute COVID-19 vaccines and funding demanded by Democrats for state and local governments.Disagreements flared Monday over one key provision — a proposed liability shield from COVID-19-related lawsuits for businesses, schools and organizations that reopen.Hoyer had previously told lawmakers that this week would probably be the last of the session, but talks are going more slowly than hoped on a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill under assembly by senior members of the powerful Appropriations committees. The stopgap measure would prevent a government shutdown through Dec. 18.“I am disappointed that we have not yet reached agreement on government funding,” Hoyer said.Three main items of legislation are at issue in the end-of-session agenda: a defense policy bill that President Donald Trump is threatening to veto; the $1.4 trillion government-wide spending bill; and perhaps $900 billion in long-sought COVID-19 relief.There are two sets of talks on COVID-19 relief — on the leadership level and by a group of Senate moderates — occurring at the same time, and it’s unclear how the negotiators might sort themselves out, lending an air of confusion to the process.The bipartisan Senate group was set to meet again Monday evening. But a long weekend of talks pushed senators apart on one difficult negotiation, the proposed liability protection that has been a priority of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.“We have seen some hopeful signs of engagement from our Democratic colleagues, but we have no reason to think the underlying disagreements about policy are going to evaporate overnight,” McConnell said Monday.Republicans initially proposed a sweeping five-year liability shield, retroactive to December 2019, to protect companies and organizations from COVID-19-related lawsuits. Democrats, along with their allies in labor and civil rights groups, roundly dismissed that approach as a danger to workers.Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said she wants to make sure “we’re not sacrificing the rights of people who have been made sick or killed by their employers with a pro-corporate liability release.”Lawmakers heard from a coalition of 142 labor and civil rights groups urging them to resist granting companies liability for COVID claims.“Any type of immunity would directly harm Black, Latino, and other workers of color who are overrepresented in ‘essential’ and in-person, reopened jobs,” the coalition wrote in a letter to Congress.Negotiators suggested a scaled-back liability shield, but a six-month proposal was panned by Republicans and there is no agreement yet from Democrats. The powerful AFL-CIO said Monday it opposes even a short-term liability provision.It’s clear that McConnell’s Republican majority is demanding the liability protection in exchange for the Democrats’ push for additional money for states and cities battling the COVID-19 crisis.“The leader had made clear that state and local money is tied to liability protection, so there’s either going to be none for both of those or both of those are going to be provided for,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters. “My hope is we’ll do both.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-global-trade-media-5685903ea82ed6c8691376b27e2d7ce4">White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow</a>&nbsp;said Monday that Trump is comfortable with a deal along the lines of one being put together by the group of Senate moderates and pragmatists. That $900 billion plan does not include direct payments sought by Trump before the election.Without another round of fresh aid, after the $1,200 checks sent to Americans in spring, lawmakers on the left and right said they would have trouble backing the package.Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said last week he would need to direct payments for his support, and GOP Sen. Josh Hawley said Monday that he encouraged Trump to reject any package without them.“I urged him to veto,” Hawley said he told the president during a recent phone call.If an agreement isn’t possible on the omnibus bill, lawmakers might have no option but to pass another continuing resolution that would keep the government running on autopilot and permit them to punt the unfinished spending bills into next year.__

Virus relief talks drag; lawmakers fight over 1 key issue

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court declined Monday to take up an appeal from parents&nbsp; who want to prevent transgender students from using locker rooms and bathrooms of the gender with which they identify, rather than their sex assigned at birth.

The case came from a school district near Salem, Oregon’s capital city. The federal appeals court in San Francisco had upheld a Dallas, Oregon, school district policy that allows transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/af3b12ab5f654d0db98893c948ba9c91">Parents sued</a>&nbsp;over the policy in 2017, saying it caused embarrassment and stress.

A lower court refused to block the policy and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that ruling, writing that the school district did not violate students’ constitutional rights or a law that protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs.

Similar lawsuits have been dismissed by courts in other parts of the country.

About 15,000 people live in Dallas, a town in an agricultural area 15 miles&nbsp; west of Salem.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court declined Monday to take up an appeal from parents&nbsp; who want to prevent transgender students from using locker rooms and bathrooms of the gender with which they identify, rather than their sex assigned at birth.The case came from a school district near Salem, Oregon’s capital city. The federal appeals court in San Francisco had upheld a Dallas, Oregon, school district policy that allows transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/af3b12ab5f654d0db98893c948ba9c91">Parents sued</a>&nbsp;over the policy in 2017, saying it caused embarrassment and stress.A lower court refused to block the policy and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that ruling, writing that the school district did not violate students’ constitutional rights or a law that protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs.Similar lawsuits have been dismissed by courts in other parts of the country.About 15,000 people live in Dallas, a town in an agricultural area 15 miles&nbsp; west of Salem.

Court declines case against bathroom access for transgender students

PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — A 36-year-old Plattsmouth has been sentenced in a fatal crash that prosecutors say was caused by road rage. 

Michael Burch pleaded no contest in July to motor vehicle homicide and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. 

He was sentenced Monday to three years on each charge and his driver's license was suspended for 15 years. 

Deputy Sarpy County Attorney Michael Mills said road rage caused Burch to ram a motorcycle driven by 47-year-old Jody Emmert in August 2019, causing Emmert's death. 

Prosecutors say Emmert applied his brakes as Burch was following  him too closely, angering Burch, who hit the motorcycle on Highway 75 in Sarpy County.

PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — A 36-year-old Plattsmouth has been sentenced in a fatal crash that prosecutors say was caused by road rage. Michael Burch pleaded no contest in July to motor vehicle homicide and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. He was sentenced Monday to three years on each charge and his driver's license was suspended for 15 years. Deputy Sarpy County Attorney Michael Mills said road rage caused Burch to ram a motorcycle driven by 47-year-old Jody Emmert in August 2019, causing Emmert's death. Prosecutors say Emmert applied his brakes as Burch was following him too closely, angering Burch, who hit the motorcycle on Highway 75 in Sarpy County.

Plattsmouth man sentenced in road rage crash that killed 1

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Seven more people who work for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services have tested positive for COVID-19.

 The department announced the latest cases Sunday and said 366 staff members have now been infected with the coronavirus. Of that total, 257 people have recovered from their illnesses. 

The department said two of the new cases were reported at the Community Corrections Center-Lincoln, two were at the department’s central office, one case each was reported at the Omaha Correctional Center, the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women in York and the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Seven more people who work for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services have tested positive for COVID-19. The department announced the latest cases Sunday and said 366 staff members have now been infected with the coronavirus. Of that total, 257 people have recovered from their illnesses. The department said two of the new cases were reported at the Community Corrections Center-Lincoln, two were at the department’s central office, one case each was reported at the Omaha Correctional Center, the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women in York and the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln.

7 more Nebraska prisons workers test positive for virus

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a former police investigator whose work helped exonerate six people wrongly convicted of the 1985 rape and murder of a Beatrice woman has died following the crash of his pickup truck.

 Radio station KWBE reports that 54-year-old Mike Oliver died after being found unresponsive Friday afternoon in his truck after it had crossed the U.S. Highway 77 median and rolled into a field. 

Authorities say an autopsy Saturday showed Oliver had died of a medical episode, not from injuries in the crash. 

The longtime Beatrice Police Department veteran had headed the task force that re-examined the investigation regarding the so-called Beatrice Six case.

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a former police investigator whose work helped exonerate six people wrongly convicted of the 1985 rape and murder of a Beatrice woman has died following the crash of his pickup truck. Radio station KWBE reports that 54-year-old Mike Oliver died after being found unresponsive Friday afternoon in his truck after it had crossed the U.S. Highway 77 median and rolled into a field. Authorities say an autopsy Saturday showed Oliver had died of a medical episode, not from injuries in the crash. The longtime Beatrice Police Department veteran had headed the task force that re-examined the investigation regarding the so-called Beatrice Six case.

Lead investigator in Beatrice 6 exoneration dies after crash

(AP)-How could scientists race out COVID-19 vaccines so fast without cutting corners? A head start helped -- over a decade of behind-the-scenes research that had new vaccine technology poised for a challenge just as the coronavirus erupted.

“The speed is a reflection of years of work that went before,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, told The Associated Press. “That’s what the public has to understand.”

Creating vaccines and having results from rigorous studies less than a year after the world discovered a never-before-seen disease is incredible, cutting years off normal development. But the two U.S. frontrunners are made in a way that promises speedier development may become the norm -- especially if they prove to work long-term as well as early testing suggests.

“Abject giddiness,” is how Dr. C. Buddy Creech, a Vanderbilt University vaccine expert, described scientists’ reactions when separate studies showed the two candidates were about 95% effective.

“I think we enter into a golden age of vaccinology by having these types of new technologies,” Creech said at a briefing of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Both shots -- one made by Pfizer and BioNTech, the other by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health -- are so-called messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines, a brand-new technology. U.S. regulators are set to decide this month whether to allow emergency use, paving the way for rationed shots that will start with health workers and nursing home residents.

Billions in company and government funding certainly sped up vaccine development — and the unfortunately huge number of infections meant scientists didn’t have to wait long to learn the shots appeared to be working.

But long before COVID-19 was on the radar, the groundwork was laid in large part by two different streams of research, one at the NIH and the other at the University of Pennsylvania — and because scientists had learned a bit about other coronaviruses from prior SARS and MERS outbreaks.

“When the pandemic started, we were on a strong footing both in terms of the science” and experience handling mRNA, said Dr. Tal Zaks, chief medical officer of Massachusetts-based Moderna.

Traditionally, making vaccines required growing viruses or pieces of viruses — often in giant vats of cells or, like most flu shots, in chicken eggs — and then purifying them before next steps in brewing shots.

The mRNA approach is radically different. It starts with a snippet of genetic code that carries instructions for making proteins. Pick the right virus protein to target, and the body turns into a mini vaccine factory.

“Instead of growing up a virus in a 50,000-liter drum and inactivating it, we could deliver RNA and our bodies make the protein, which starts the immune response,” said Penn’s Dr. Drew Weissman.

Fifteen years ago, Weissman’s lab was trying to harness mRNA to make a variety of drugs and vaccines. But researchers found simply injecting the genetic code into animals caused harmful inflammation.

Weissman and a Penn colleague now at BioNTech, Katalin Kariko, figured out a tiny modification to a building block of lab-grown RNA that let it slip undetected past inflammation-triggering sentinels.

“They could essentially make a stealth RNA,” said Pfizer chief scientific officer Dr. Philip Dormitzer.

Other researchers added a fat coating, called lipid nanoparticles, that helped stealth RNA easily get inside cells and start production of the target protein.

Meanwhile at the NIH, Dr. Barney Graham’s team figured out the right target — how to use the aptly named “spike” protein that coats the coronavirus to properly prime the immune system.

The right design is critical. It turns out the surface proteins that let a variety of viruses latch onto human cells are shape-shifters — rearranging their form before and after they’ve fused into place. Brew a vaccine using the wrong shape and it won’t block infection.

“You could put the same molecule in one way and the same molecule in another way and get an entirely different response,” Fauci explained.

That was a discovery in 2013, when Graham, deputy director of NIH’s Vaccine Research Center, and colleague Jason McLellan were investigating a decades-old failed vaccine against RSV, a childhood respiratory illness.

They homed in on the right structure for an RSV protein and learned genetic tweaks that stabilized the protein in the correct shape for vaccine development. They went on to apply that lesson to other viruses, including researching a vaccine for MERS, a COVID-19 cousin, although it hadn’t gotten far when the pandemic began.

“That’s what put us in a position to do this rapidly,” Graham told the AP in February before the NIH’s vaccine was first tested in people. “Once you have that atomic-level detail, you can engineer the protein to be stable.”

Full Coverage:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/tag/Coronaviruspandemic">Coronavirus pandemic</a>

Likewise, Germany’s BioNTech in 2018 had partnered with New York-based Pfizer to develop a more modern mRNA-based flu vaccine, giving both companies some early knowledge about how to handle the technology.

“This was all brewing. This didn’t come out of nowhere,” said Pfizer’s Dormitzer.

Last January, shortly after the new coronavirus was reported in China, BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin switched gears and used the same method to create a COVID-19 vaccine.

Moderna also was using mRNA to develop vaccines against other germs including the mosquito-borne Zika virus -- research showing promise but that wasn’t moving rapidly since the Zika outbreak had fizzled.

Then at the NIH, Graham woke up on Saturday Jan. 11 to see Chinese scientists had shared the genetic map of the new coronavirus. His team got to work on the right-shaped spike protein. Days later, they sent Moderna that recipe -- and the vaccine race was on.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/9/1568903138747.png" alt="Photo: STEVEN DEPOLO / FLICKR--CC" />
 <figcaption>Photo: STEVEN DEPOLO / FLICKR--CC</figcaption>
 </figure> By LAURAN NEERGAARD&nbsp;&nbsp;(AP)-How could scientists race out COVID-19 vaccines so fast without cutting corners? A head start helped -- over a decade of behind-the-scenes research that had new vaccine technology poised for a challenge just as the coronavirus erupted.“The speed is a reflection of years of work that went before,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, told The Associated Press. “That’s what the public has to understand.”Creating vaccines and having results from rigorous studies less than a year after the world discovered a never-before-seen disease is incredible, cutting years off normal development. But the two U.S. frontrunners are made in a way that promises speedier development may become the norm -- especially if they prove to work long-term as well as early testing suggests.“Abject giddiness,” is how Dr. C. Buddy Creech, a Vanderbilt University vaccine expert, described scientists’ reactions when separate studies showed the two candidates were about 95% effective.“I think we enter into a golden age of vaccinology by having these types of new technologies,” Creech said at a briefing of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.Both shots -- one made by Pfizer and BioNTech, the other by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health -- are so-called messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines, a brand-new technology. U.S. regulators are set to decide this month whether to allow emergency use, paving the way for rationed shots that will start with health workers and nursing home residents.MORE COVID-19 NEWS:<ul>
 <li><a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-angela-merkel-germany-coronavirus-pandemic-219311abc09f9e05867cfc4be1f3c6da">–&nbsp;The Latest: Brazil state eyeing late January vaccinations</a></li><li><a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-united-nations-united-states-cf301cdf3a2f9d3394c1bae4805e7537">–&nbsp;WHO tries to bolster fragile funding with new foundation CEO</a></li><li><a href="https://apnews.com/article/will-us-national-virus-testing-strategy-ceeda0ed971631f47666882eaef89a8e">–&nbsp;Will the US ever have a national COVID-19 testing strategy?</a></li>
 </ul>Billions in company and government funding certainly sped up vaccine development — and the unfortunately huge number of infections meant scientists didn’t have to wait long to learn the shots appeared to be working.But long before COVID-19 was on the radar, the groundwork was laid in large part by two different streams of research, one at the NIH and the other at the University of Pennsylvania — and because scientists had learned a bit about other coronaviruses from prior SARS and MERS outbreaks.“When the pandemic started, we were on a strong footing both in terms of the science” and experience handling mRNA, said Dr. Tal Zaks, chief medical officer of Massachusetts-based Moderna.Traditionally, making vaccines required growing viruses or pieces of viruses — often in giant vats of cells or, like most flu shots, in chicken eggs — and then purifying them before next steps in brewing shots.The mRNA approach is radically different. It starts with a snippet of genetic code that carries instructions for making proteins. Pick the right virus protein to target, and the body turns into a mini vaccine factory.“Instead of growing up a virus in a 50,000-liter drum and inactivating it, we could deliver RNA and our bodies make the protein, which starts the immune response,” said Penn’s Dr. Drew Weissman.Fifteen years ago, Weissman’s lab was trying to harness mRNA to make a variety of drugs and vaccines. But researchers found simply injecting the genetic code into animals caused harmful inflammation.Weissman and a Penn colleague now at BioNTech, Katalin Kariko, figured out a tiny modification to a building block of lab-grown RNA that let it slip undetected past inflammation-triggering sentinels.“They could essentially make a stealth RNA,” said Pfizer chief scientific officer Dr. Philip Dormitzer.Other researchers added a fat coating, called lipid nanoparticles, that helped stealth RNA easily get inside cells and start production of the target protein.Meanwhile at the NIH, Dr. Barney Graham’s team figured out the right target — how to use the aptly named “spike” protein that coats the coronavirus to properly prime the immune system.The right design is critical. It turns out the surface proteins that let a variety of viruses latch onto human cells are shape-shifters — rearranging their form before and after they’ve fused into place. Brew a vaccine using the wrong shape and it won’t block infection.“You could put the same molecule in one way and the same molecule in another way and get an entirely different response,” Fauci explained.That was a discovery in 2013, when Graham, deputy director of NIH’s Vaccine Research Center, and colleague Jason McLellan were investigating a decades-old failed vaccine against RSV, a childhood respiratory illness.They homed in on the right structure for an RSV protein and learned genetic tweaks that stabilized the protein in the correct shape for vaccine development. They went on to apply that lesson to other viruses, including researching a vaccine for MERS, a COVID-19 cousin, although it hadn’t gotten far when the pandemic began.“That’s what put us in a position to do this rapidly,” Graham told the AP in February before the NIH’s vaccine was first tested in people. “Once you have that atomic-level detail, you can engineer the protein to be stable.”Full Coverage:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/tag/Coronaviruspandemic">Coronavirus pandemic</a>Likewise, Germany’s BioNTech in 2018 had partnered with New York-based Pfizer to develop a more modern mRNA-based flu vaccine, giving both companies some early knowledge about how to handle the technology.“This was all brewing. This didn’t come out of nowhere,” said Pfizer’s Dormitzer.Last January, shortly after the new coronavirus was reported in China, BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin switched gears and used the same method to create a COVID-19 vaccine.Moderna also was using mRNA to develop vaccines against other germs including the mosquito-borne Zika virus -- research showing promise but that wasn’t moving rapidly since the Zika outbreak had fizzled.Then at the NIH, Graham woke up on Saturday Jan. 11 to see Chinese scientists had shared the genetic map of the new coronavirus. His team got to work on the right-shaped spike protein. Days later, they sent Moderna that recipe -- and the vaccine race was on.

Years of research laid groundwork for speedy COVID-19 shots

NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) - A man was stabbed to death early Monday inside a Norfolk apartment in northeastern Nebraska, and a Niobrara woman has been arrested in the case, police said.

Officers were called to the apartment just after midnight and found Roger Saul, 41, dead inside with a stab wound to his neck, the Norfolk Police Department said in a news release. Witnesses told investigators that Saul and Latessa Thomas, 24, of Niobrara, had been arguing in the apartment when Thomas grabbed a kitchen knife, threatened Saul, then stabbed him, police said.

Police found Thomas a few blocks away and arrested her on suspicion of first-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony. Police Capt. Michael Bauer said in the news release that there are no other suspects in the case.

Thomas was being held Monday at the Madison County Jail.

NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) - A man was stabbed to death early Monday inside a Norfolk apartment in northeastern Nebraska, and a Niobrara woman has been arrested in the case, police said.Officers were called to the apartment just after midnight and found Roger Saul, 41, dead inside with a stab wound to his neck, the Norfolk Police Department said in a news release. Witnesses told investigators that Saul and Latessa Thomas, 24, of Niobrara, had been arguing in the apartment when Thomas grabbed a kitchen knife, threatened Saul, then stabbed him, police said.Police found Thomas a few blocks away and arrested her on suspicion of first-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony. Police Capt. Michael Bauer said in the news release that there are no other suspects in the case.Thomas was being held Monday at the Madison County Jail.

Police: Man stabbed to death in Norfolk; woman arrested

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A grand jury will be called to investigate the death of a 23-year-old man who was being held on charges at the Douglas County Jail in Omaha.

Daniel Walton, of Omaha, was found unresponsive in his cell late Saturday night and pronounced dead at an Omaha hospital, county authorities said.

Walton had been booked into the jail earlier Saturday after he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, assault by strangulation, possession of an unregistered firearm and carrying a concealed weapon.

State law requires a grand jury investigation anytime someone in jail or police custody dies. Authorities have not said what may have caused Walton's death.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607359119361.png" alt="Daniel Walton" />
 <figcaption>Daniel Walton</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A grand jury will be called to investigate the death of a 23-year-old man who was being held on charges at the Douglas County Jail in Omaha.Daniel Walton, of Omaha, was found unresponsive in his cell late Saturday night and pronounced dead at an Omaha hospital, county authorities said.Walton had been booked into the jail earlier Saturday after he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, assault by strangulation, possession of an unregistered firearm and carrying a concealed weapon.State law requires a grand jury investigation anytime someone in jail or police custody dies. Authorities have not said what may have caused Walton's death.

23-year-old Omaha man being held on charges dies in custody

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota health officials on Sunday reported 19 new deaths due to complications from COVID-19, lifting the total number of fatalities since the start of the pandemic to 1,110. 

The COVID Tracking Project reports that the state’s death count is the 38th highest in the country overall and the ninth highest per capita at about 124 deaths per 100,000 people. 

The state has reported 164 deaths in December. 

The deaths included six people in Pennington County, in southwestern South Dakota.

 There were two each in Aurora, Brookings, Davison and Hamlin counties.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota health officials on Sunday reported 19 new deaths due to complications from COVID-19, lifting the total number of fatalities since the start of the pandemic to 1,110. The COVID Tracking Project reports that the state’s death count is the 38th highest in the country overall and the ninth highest per capita at about 124 deaths per 100,000 people. The state has reported 164 deaths in December. The deaths included six people in Pennington County, in southwestern South Dakota. There were two each in Aurora, Brookings, Davison and Hamlin counties.

South Dakota reports 19 new deaths due to the coronavirus

LONDON (AP) — Shipments of the coronavirus vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech were delivered Sunday in the U.K. in super-cold containers, two days before it goes public in an immunization program that is being closely watched around the world.

Around 800,000 doses of the vaccine were expected to be in place for the start of the immunization program on Tuesday, a day that Health Secretary Matt Hancock has reportedly dubbed as “V-Day,” a nod to triumphs in World War II.

“To know that they are here, and we are amongst the first in the country to actually receive the vaccine and therefore the first in the world, is just amazing,” said Louise Coughlan, joint chief pharmacist at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, just south of London.

“I’m so proud,” she said after the trust, which runs Croydon University Hospital, took delivery of the vaccine.

Last week, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uk-authorizes-vaccine-emergency-use-ea0170c978eb281a905866e5bd78bbdf">U.K. became the first country to authorize the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine</a>&nbsp;for emergency use. In trials, the vaccine was shown to have around 95% efficacy. Vaccinations will be administered starting Tuesday at around 50 hospital hubs in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will also begin their vaccination rollouts the same day.

Governments and health agencies around the world will be monitoring the British vaccination program, which will take months, to note its successes and failures and adjust their own plans accordingly. The U.S. hopes to start vaccinations later this month. British regulatory authorities are also examining data on the vaccines from American biotechnology company Moderna and AstraZeneca-Oxford University.

Russia on Saturday began vaccinating thousands of doctors, teachers and others at dozens of centers in Moscow with its Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine, which was approved over the summer after being tested in only a few dozen people.

The excitement in Britain, which has Europe’s highest virus-related death toll at more than 61,000, was palpable.

“Despite the huge complexities, hospitals will kickstart the first phase of the largest scale vaccination campaign in our country’s history from Tuesday,” said Professor Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director.

Patients aged 80 and above who are already attending hospitals as outpatients and those being discharged after a stay in the hospital will be among the first to receive the jab. Hospitals will also start inviting over 80s in for a vaccine shot and will work with nursing homes to book staff into vaccination clinics. Any appointments not taken up will be offered to those health workers deemed to be at the highest risk of COVID-19. Everyone who is vaccinated will need a booster jab 21 days later.

Buckingham Palace refused to comment on speculation that Queen Elizabeth II, 94, and her 99-year-old husband, Prince Philip, will soon be vaccinated and then make it public, a move that could reassure anyone nervous about getting a vaccination.

“Our goal is totally to protect every member of the population, Her Majesty, of course, as well,” Dr. June Raine, chief executive of Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, which authorized the vaccine, told the BBC.

The U.K. has secured 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which can cover 20 million people. Since the British government will only immunize people over 16, around 55 million people in the U.K. will be eligible. In total, Britain has procured 357 million doses of seven vaccine candidates, including 100 million of the much cheaper Oxford vaccine, which has a lower efficacy rate than the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

Now that the first tranche of the vaccine has arrived from Pfizer’s manufacturing plant in Belgium, checks are being conducted by a specialist medical logistics company to ensure there was no damage in transit. This could take up to a day.

Each box containing the vaccines, which includes five packs of 975 doses, will need to be opened and unpacked manually at specially licensed sites. After that, the vaccines will then be made available to hospitals.

Delivering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is complicated because it needs to be stored at super-chilled temperatures: about minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit). Fortunately, the vaccine is stable at normal refrigerator temperatures, between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius (35.6 to 46.4 F), for a few days, meaning it can be stored locally. After defrosting the vaccine, which takes a few hours, additional time is required to prepare it to be given in a shot.

Public Health England has secured 58 special Twin Guard ultra-low temperature freezers that provide sufficient storage for approximately five million doses. The fridges, which are not portable, each hold around 86,000 doses.

The vaccine&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-germany-immunizations-coronavirus-pandemic-3ac7e19981b7937f0f08a29667ddf09e">won’t just be provided by hospitals</a>. Local doctors’ offices and other local health care centers are being put on standby to start delivering the vaccine, with a small number expected to do so the week of Dec. 14. More medical practices in more parts of the country will be phased in during December and in the coming months.

There are plans for vaccination centers treating large numbers of patients in sports areas and conference centers and for local pharmacies to be able to offer the jabs as they do with annual influenza shots.

Although nursing home residents top the prioritization list given to the British government by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, they won’t be getting the vaccinations straight away, as the vaccine packs of 975 doses cannot yet be divided, making it very difficult to deliver vaccines to individual care homes.

The NHS hopes authorities will soon approve a safe way of splitting up the dose packs so the shots can get to nursing homes during December.

During the first phase of the immunization program, Britain has created nine separate groups in its prioritization list down to those aged 50 and above. Overall, it hopes that up to 99% of people most at risk of dying from COVID 19 will have been immunized during the first phase.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600861747887.png" alt="Photo courtesy Johnson &amp; Johnson" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Johnson &amp; Johnson</figcaption>
 </figure>LONDON (AP) — Shipments of the coronavirus vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech were delivered Sunday in the U.K. in super-cold containers, two days before it goes public in an immunization program that is being closely watched around the world.Around 800,000 doses of the vaccine were expected to be in place for the start of the immunization program on Tuesday, a day that Health Secretary Matt Hancock has reportedly dubbed as “V-Day,” a nod to triumphs in World War II.“To know that they are here, and we are amongst the first in the country to actually receive the vaccine and therefore the first in the world, is just amazing,” said Louise Coughlan, joint chief pharmacist at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, just south of London.“I’m so proud,” she said after the trust, which runs Croydon University Hospital, took delivery of the vaccine.Last week, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uk-authorizes-vaccine-emergency-use-ea0170c978eb281a905866e5bd78bbdf">U.K. became the first country to authorize the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine</a>&nbsp;for emergency use. In trials, the vaccine was shown to have around 95% efficacy. Vaccinations will be administered starting Tuesday at around 50 hospital hubs in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will also begin their vaccination rollouts the same day.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605532171471.png" alt="Photo courtesy Moderna" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Moderna</figcaption>
 </figure>Governments and health agencies around the world will be monitoring the British vaccination program, which will take months, to note its successes and failures and adjust their own plans accordingly. The U.S. hopes to start vaccinations later this month. British regulatory authorities are also examining data on the vaccines from American biotechnology company Moderna and AstraZeneca-Oxford University.Russia on Saturday began vaccinating thousands of doctors, teachers and others at dozens of centers in Moscow with its Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine, which was approved over the summer after being tested in only a few dozen people.The excitement in Britain, which has Europe’s highest virus-related death toll at more than 61,000, was palpable.“Despite the huge complexities, hospitals will kickstart the first phase of the largest scale vaccination campaign in our country’s history from Tuesday,” said Professor Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director.Patients aged 80 and above who are already attending hospitals as outpatients and those being discharged after a stay in the hospital will be among the first to receive the jab. Hospitals will also start inviting over 80s in for a vaccine shot and will work with nursing homes to book staff into vaccination clinics. Any appointments not taken up will be offered to those health workers deemed to be at the highest risk of COVID-19. Everyone who is vaccinated will need a booster jab 21 days later.Buckingham Palace refused to comment on speculation that Queen Elizabeth II, 94, and her 99-year-old husband, Prince Philip, will soon be vaccinated and then make it public, a move that could reassure anyone nervous about getting a vaccination.“Our goal is totally to protect every member of the population, Her Majesty, of course, as well,” Dr. June Raine, chief executive of Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, which authorized the vaccine, told the BBC.The U.K. has secured 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which can cover 20 million people. Since the British government will only immunize people over 16, around 55 million people in the U.K. will be eligible. In total, Britain has procured 357 million doses of seven vaccine candidates, including 100 million of the much cheaper Oxford vaccine, which has a lower efficacy rate than the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.Now that the first tranche of the vaccine has arrived from Pfizer’s manufacturing plant in Belgium, checks are being conducted by a specialist medical logistics company to ensure there was no damage in transit. This could take up to a day.Each box containing the vaccines, which includes five packs of 975 doses, will need to be opened and unpacked manually at specially licensed sites. After that, the vaccines will then be made available to hospitals.Delivering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is complicated because it needs to be stored at super-chilled temperatures: about minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit). Fortunately, the vaccine is stable at normal refrigerator temperatures, between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius (35.6 to 46.4 F), for a few days, meaning it can be stored locally. After defrosting the vaccine, which takes a few hours, additional time is required to prepare it to be given in a shot.Public Health England has secured 58 special Twin Guard ultra-low temperature freezers that provide sufficient storage for approximately five million doses. The fridges, which are not portable, each hold around 86,000 doses.The vaccine&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-germany-immunizations-coronavirus-pandemic-3ac7e19981b7937f0f08a29667ddf09e">won’t just be provided by hospitals</a>. Local doctors’ offices and other local health care centers are being put on standby to start delivering the vaccine, with a small number expected to do so the week of Dec. 14. More medical practices in more parts of the country will be phased in during December and in the coming months.There are plans for vaccination centers treating large numbers of patients in sports areas and conference centers and for local pharmacies to be able to offer the jabs as they do with annual influenza shots.Although nursing home residents top the prioritization list given to the British government by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, they won’t be getting the vaccinations straight away, as the vaccine packs of 975 doses cannot yet be divided, making it very difficult to deliver vaccines to individual care homes.The NHS hopes authorities will soon approve a safe way of splitting up the dose packs so the shots can get to nursing homes during December.During the first phase of the immunization program, Britain has created nine separate groups in its prioritization list down to those aged 50 and above. Overall, it hopes that up to 99% of people most at risk of dying from COVID 19 will have been immunized during the first phase.

Huge coronavirus vaccine rollout set to begin

WASHINGTON (AP) — With time running out, lawmakers on Sunday closed in on a proposed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic">COVID-19</a>&nbsp;relief bill that would provide roughly $300 in extra federal weekly unemployment benefits but not another round of $1,200 in direct payments to most Americans, leaving that issue for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President-elect Joe Biden&nbsp;</a>to wrestle over with a new Congress next year.

The $908 billion aid package to be released Monday would be attached to a larger year-end spending bill needed to avert a government shutdown this coming weekend.

The cash payments were popular when they were first distributed after the pandemic hit, and Biden on Friday had expressed hope that a second wave might come after weekend negotiations.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607307035654.png" alt="House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a weekend news conference-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a weekend news conference-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — With time running out, lawmakers on Sunday closed in on a proposed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic">COVID-19</a>&nbsp;relief bill that would provide roughly $300 in extra federal weekly unemployment benefits but not another round of $1,200 in direct payments to most Americans, leaving that issue for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President-elect Joe Biden&nbsp;</a>to wrestle over with a new Congress next year.The $908 billion aid package to be released Monday would be attached to a larger year-end spending bill needed to avert a government shutdown this coming weekend.The cash payments were popular when they were first distributed after the pandemic hit, and Biden on Friday had expressed hope that a second wave might come after weekend negotiations.But senators involved in the talks said the checks won’t be included as part of the compromise, even as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and others said that could cause them to oppose the measure.Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Democrat, indicated that excluding the checks while assuring small-business aid and renters’ assistance was the only way to reach agreement with Republicans who are putting firm limits on the bill’s final price tag.“The $1,200 check, it cost we believe nationally $300 billion to give you an idea,” he said. “The Democrats have always wanted a larger number, but we were told we couldn’t get anything through the Republicans, except this $900 billion level.”The plan being worked on by a group of Republican and Democratic senators is less than half of the Democrats’ push of $2.2 trillion and nearly double the $500 billion “targeted” package proposed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., agreed that a new round of direct checks “may be a go” at some point. “This is not a stimulus bill, it’s a relief bill,” he said. “And it’s something for the next three to four months to help those in greatest need.”Both he and Durbin said that McConnell has shown interest in the bipartisan effort, and Cassidy said he was hopeful that President Donald Trump would embrace it as well.The proposal is expected to include about $300 per week in bonus federal unemployment payments, providing relief just as emergency aid payments at regular benefit levels are set to expire at year’s end. It would extend a freeze on evictions for people who cannot pay their rent and reauthorize the Paycheck Protection Program to give a second round of subsidies to businesses struggling through the pandemic.Still, potential sticking points remain.Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said last week they wouldn’t support the $908 billion proposal if it did not include checks for families, and were joined by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are also against shielding businesses from lawsuits claiming negligence for COVID-19 outbreaks, a provision pushed by Republicans.While favoring the $1,200 checks, Biden said the emerging compromise was “immediately needed” and that additional assistance could follow later.On Sunday, lawmakers involved in the negotiations said the direct payments would have to wait until after Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20. At that time, Biden will face a new Congress as vaccines are being distributed, with a narrowed Democratic majority in the House and a closely divided Senate potentially split 50-50 if Democrats are able to prevail in two runoff elections in Georgia on Jan. 5.Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said Sanders was not involved in the negotiations and “his characterization is just not accurate” about the potential liability protections for businesses. The direct payments, he said, will be a task for Biden.Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said the bipartisan group was focused on extending the most urgent aid for the next four months.“Every indication says more money is needed; we see that,” he said. “This gets us through basically the lifelines that people need and the small businesses that can survive and not go under.”Manchin said Biden’s team, when in power, “can put together a different proposal that takes us further down the road for more recovery.”Durbin spoke on ABC’s “This Week,” Cassidy appeared on “Fox News Sunday,” Warner was on CNN’s “State of the Union” and Manchin was interviewed on NBC’s “Meet the Press.