What A Day

The US is in an extremely dangerous period of the pandemic, with cases and hospitalizations at record highs, holidays fast approaching, and little in the way of a federal response. Our guest host for today —epidemiologist and former Detroit health commissioner Dr. Abdul El-Sayed — answers our questions about the current state of affairs, vaccine updates, Thanksgiving, and what gives him hope about a Biden administration. And in headlines: Hurricane Iota update in Central America, Apple faces privacy lawsuit in Europe, and Dolly helped get us the Moderna vaccine.Show Links:Listen to America Dissected crooked.com/americadissectedShop the Crooked Store store.crooked.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Pharmaceutical company Moderna announced yesterday that its vaccine is 94.5% effective, according to early data. This comes after Pfizer's announcement last week and raises the prospects that two vaccines could cleared for use on a limited basis by the end of the year.With two senate runoffs set for January, all eyes are on Georgia. We talk about the candidates, the issues, and the organizers animating the race.And in headlines: more than 92,000 people have filed abuse claims against the Boy Scouts, “Stop The Steal” lawsuits stopped in four states, and more on this weekend’s NASA-SpaceX launch.Show Links:Sign up to Adopt Georgia: votesaveamerica.com/georgiaDonate to Warnock & Ossoff: votesaveamerica.com/getmitchDonate to grassroots organizations in Georgia: votesave.us/everylastvote Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The federal government still hasn’t affirmed Biden's victory, blocking him from the White House access he needs to get a handle on the transition and the government's pandemic response.America has now surpassed 11 million COVID-19 cases, and the virus is still predominately affecting Black and Brown Americans. Some states are taking sweeping actions to slow rising case numbers, like New Mexico and Oregon, which have both reimposed lockdown measures.And in headlines: new NYPD data show the limits of independent oversight committees, leaders from 15 Asia-Pacific countries sign the world’s largest free trade deal, and Chad Wolf’s moves to limit DACA weren’t legal. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Joe Biden’s lead has only grown since major networks projected him to win the presidential election last weekend, and despite that, Trump has continued to baselessly claim that he is the true winner and delay Biden’s transition process. To better understand the nuances of Trump’s lawsuits and whether we have anything at all to worry about, we spoke to Risk Hasen, a law professor at UC Irvine who specializes in election law and campaign finance. And in headlines: over 700,000 people file for unemployment, wolves as a first line of defense against chronic wasting disease, and YouTube Rewind is cancelled for this year. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The US is still in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number of confirmed cases rising by 70 percent in the past two weeks. The CDC put out a new guidance that said face masks protect the person wearing the mask as well as the people around them—which is one more reason to keep wearing them. Republicans are still occupying an alternate reality where they largely refuse to acknowledge that Joe Biden has won the presidential election, even as Biden and his team of outside allies start preparing for the transition. Biden announced former White House ebola response coordinator Ron Klain as his Chief Of Staff, and we’re learning more about his plans to address the global climate crisis. And in headlines: a president’s ouster in Peru, TikTok asks for clarity on ban, and Ring recalls doorbells after they light on fire. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo made a bad “joke” yesterday that led many to believe Trump will continue to ignore the election results… which is making it harder for President-elect Joe Biden to begin the transition process.Trump’s lawsuits to challenge election results have been mostly unsuccessful and lacking in any evidence. We go through a few examples, as well as what comes next in the election certification process.And in headlines: Amazon faces antitrust charges in the EU, who’s making the McDonald’s McPlant, and a deep-dive into the story of Dean Browning’s alleged burner account. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Pfizer says an initial analysis of their vaccine found it was more than 90 percent effective in preventing COVID-19. President-elect Joe Biden announced his 13-member pandemic task force, which includes health experts that previously served in Republican and Democratic administrations.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell backed Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the election yesterday, while simultaneously welcoming new incoming Republican senators. In Georgia, current senators Perdue and Loeffler are demanding that the Republican secretary of state step down over the election, without providing evidence to support their vague claims of “failures.”And in headlines: Hurricane Eta made landfall in the Florida Keys, Blue Ivy Carter narrates an audiobook, and Trump ousts Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The presidential race was called this weekend for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, leading to spontaneous celebrations across the country. Biden and Harris gave their first speeches as President-elect and Vice President-elect on Saturday night, reiterating their message of unity and sketching out a mandate that includes rooting out systemic racism, working towards and economic fairness, and tackling climate change.The country recorded its 10 millionth COVID case over the weekend, which is higher than any other country on earth. Today Biden is set to announce a COVID task force, as part of a weeklong focus on the pandemic and healthcare.And in headlines: the latest on the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, Mexico to legalize marijuana, and a closer look at the saga of Four Seasons Total Landscaping. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A significant number of ballots were counted yesterday in states where races have been too close to call, leading to gains for Joe Biden in Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Georgia. At this point, Trump would need everything to break his way to win the election—and that doesn’t seem likely. Biden’s campaign continued to project confidence yesterday, while Trump did a press conference where he tried out every anti-Democratic lie he could think of. Looking at the Senate races: the Ossoff/Perdue race in Georgia got even tighter yesterday, meaning there will be a runoff election in January. This will take place alongside the Warnock/Loeffler runoff, and could allow the Democrats to tie up the Senate. And in headlines: rising tensions in Ethiopia lead to fears of civil war, Jared Kushner’s apartment company tries to evict hundreds during the pandemic, and another new lava planet we can move to.Show Links:votesaveamerica.com/protect Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Joe Biden now has the most votes of any presidential candidate in history, and he’s won two more key states in his path to 270 electoral votes: Michigan and Wisconsin. We’re still waiting on calls in five battleground states: Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. We discuss where things stand, and how the two campaigns are responding. Spoiler alert: one is being dignified and the other is trying to derail the democratic process.Meanwhile, things aren't looking so good for Democrats in the Senate. Susan Collins won re-election in Maine, making the chances of a Dem majority much slimmer.And in headlines: the US sees over 100,000 new COVID cases in a single day, passage of California’s Proposition 22 sends ride-share stocks soaring, and re-examining the gender roles of hunter-gatherers. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.