LOCAL

COVID-19 vaccinations will be at most hospitals and clinics next week. A VA nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center was one of the first nurses to get the vaccination. Many clinics and hospitals are receiving their first shipments of the vaccines to begin giving healthcare workers at greatest risk to exposure their first dose. Around 46,800 doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be delivered to Minneapolis hospitals and clinics this week.

(Source: The Star Tribune)

ReOpen Minnesota Coalition is a group that is supported by 160 statewide businesses that include bars, restaurants, and gyms. After Governor Tim Walz placed an executive order to close down businesses like these last month, the group plans to defy the governor’s order by encouraging businesses to open back up on Wednesday, the day in which the order either expires or Walz modifies or extends it. Many a part of the group says it’s more than the financial burden of keeping businesses closed, it’s also negatively affecting the larger community.

(Source: The Star Tribune)

NATIONAL

Over a month after the election, Republican Senator of Kentucky Mitch McConnell congratulates President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. McConnell is one of the most powerful Republicans in Congress. He believes that the Electoral  College has ensured Biden will be the next president of the United States. McConnell had allowed President Trump’s groundless claims of voter fraud in the election, but allies believed McConnell would honor the end results of the election.

(Source: The New York Times)

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the second COVID-19 vaccine on the market, is planned to be approved and authorized by Friday where millions of Americans will have access to it by next Monday. The vaccine is supposed to be highly protective and combat severe cases. The government has purchased another 100 million doses of the Moderna vaccine in addition to the 200 million already purchased that will cover over 150 million Americans.

(Source: The New York Times)

INTERNATIONAL

The European Union has created and announced new rules for online businesses that could cause great change in companies like Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and more. The new rules set in place would police the content from these Internet giants more aggressively and closely. The rules would be set in place for all companies and businesses on the Internet within the E.U. Many large American businesses would be included. These rules could ultimately break up businesses if the rules require an extreme measure to take place.

(Source: The Washington Post)