JUDY WOODRUFF: The U.S. is on the verge of rolling out a COVID-19 vaccine, as the number
of daily infections shattered records this week.
But, as the Food and Drug Administration prepares to approve Pfizer's inoculation for emergency
use, there are reports that the White House ordered the agency's head to authorize it
today, or to resign.
FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn later played that down, calling it an untrue representation
of a phone call he had with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
In other developments, New York Governor's Andrew Cuomo again suspended indoor dining
in New York City beginning on Monday.
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): In New York City, you put the CDC caution on indoor dining together
with the rate of transmission and the density and the crowding, that is a bad situation.
The hospitalizations have continued to increase in New York City. We said that we would watch
it if stabilization -- if the hospitalization didn't stabilize, we would close indoor dining.
It has not.
JUDY WOODRUFF: We will have more on the vaccination effort later in the program.
The U.S. Senate approved a sweeping defense funding bill today. It's worth $740 billion
and includes a 3 percent military pay raise. The bill received enough support to override
the president's veto threat over liability shields for social media companies.
Soon after, Senate lawmakers also passed a one-week extension of government funding in
order to avoid a shutdown. That will buy them more time to negotiate COVID-19 relief.
We will have more on this after the news summary.
President-elect Joe Biden introduced five more of his Cabinet picks today and emphasized
their diversity. In Wilmington, Delaware, Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge pledged to
curb racial inequity at the department of Housing and Urban Development. She would be
only the second Black woman to lead the agency.
REP. MARCIA FUDGE (D-OH), U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Nominee: The crisis
of injustice that has forced communities of color to make it in America with one dream
tied behind their back.
Each crisis chips away at their hope, at the promise our nation. But I believe that hope
is on the way.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Former Obama National Security Adviser Susan Rice pledged to expand opportunity,
as head of the president's Domestic Policy Council. She noted her own history being the
granddaughter of Jamaican immigrants and a descendant of enslaved people.
SUSAN RICE, Former U.S. National Security Adviser: For far too many, the American dream
has become an empty promise, a cruel mockery of lives held back by barriers, new and old.
That is not good enough for any American.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Meanwhile, President Trump held no public events today, but he continued
to dispute the election results on Twitter, without evidence.
The Trump administration today is set to carry out the second federal execution this week.
Louisiana truck driver Alfred Bourgeois will be put to death for abusing and killing his
2-year-old daughter in 2002. Three more federal executions are scheduled for January, before
president-elect Biden takes office.
European Union leaders agreed today to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by
the end of this decade. The European Commission president said that the deal will put them
on a path toward climate neutrality in 2050. She spoke at their summit in Brussels.
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, President, European Commission: Now that we have secured the funding,
we have the means for our actions. All E.U. countries should benefit from the transition
with economic growth, a cleaner environment and healthier citizens. The European green
deal will be our growth strategy.
JUDY WOODRUFF: However, some environmental groups like Greenpeace have warned that emissions
need to be cut by at least 65 percent in order to sufficiently tackle climate change.
Hong Kong media tycoon and democracy activist Jimmy Lai has been charged under the city's
national security law. Local media reported that Lai was charged on suspicion of colluding
with foreign forces and endangering national security. If convicted, Lai could face up
to life in prison.
And trading was light on Wall Street today. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 47
points to close at 30046. The Nasdaq fell 28 points, and the S&P 500 shed four.
Still to come on the "NewsHour": Congress struggles to pass a long-awaited pandemic
relief bill; COVID vaccines in the U.S. could begin as early as next week, amid ever-increasing
infections and deaths; Los Angeles county goes into lockdown as the pandemic surges;
plus, much more.