Episode 46: January 29, 2021

The latest news, analysis, and opinions from Dan Benjamin.

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Links:

• Fauci warns COVID-19 situation 'potentially could get worse' given new variants | TheHill — Anthony Fauci warned Thursday that the coronavirus situation in the United States “potentially could get worse,” despite recent improvements, citing the threat from new, more contagious variants of the virus. 

  “I think it potentially could get worse,” Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” 

  He said that while “we certainly are seeing, thankfully, a plateauing in cases,” on the other hand, “the thing that’s troublesome now, that we really need to keep our eye on, are these variants.”

• Virus variant from South Africa detected in US for 1st time — The mutated version of the virus, first identified in South Africa, was found in two cases in South Carolina. Public health officials said it’s almost certain that there are more infections that have not been identified yet. They are also concerned that this version spreads more easily and that vaccines could be less effective against it.
• Covid vaccine: Single dose Covid vaccine 66% effective - BBC News
• Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine 66% effective in global trial, company says | Fox News
• Pandemic caused worst year for US economy since 1946 — The United States saw its sharpest contraction in growth since 1946 as the coronavirus pandemic hammered the economy last year, but while the country may be set for a recovery, it hasn't arrived yet.

  The world's largest economy shrunk by 3.5 percent in 2020, the Commerce Department reported on Thursday, after Covid-19 rearranged daily life and forced many businesses to shut down or change their operations while laying off workers in droves.

• Can You Take Tylenol, Ibuprofen After Having the COVID Vaccine?
• Robinhood app controversy grows, with likely motive revealed - 9to5Mac
• Robinhood restricts crypto trading as Dogecoin soars 300 percent - The Verge
• Robinhood to restore GameStop trading as it wins $1bn backing | Business | The Guardian
• Robinhood Says It Will Reopen GameStop Trading - The New York Times — Facebook is working on newsletter tools for journalists and writers, according to three people familiar with the company’s plans, a move toward offering more services to independent writers as the social network jumps into the fast-growing newsletter space.

  The product, which is still in its earliest stages, could be similar to those of other newsletter companies, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to do so publicly. That could include features to help writers build their followers on Facebook and curate their email lists, the people said, as well as paid subscription tools to help journalists make money from their newsletters.

• Speculative Frenzy Spills Into Crypto as Bitcoin Tops $38,000 - Bloomberg
• Coinbase officially announces bid to become public company via direct listing — Coinbase has made official its plan to go public by way of a direct listing, according to a blog post released Thursday by the U.S.-based crypto exchange.
• Suspected Russian Hack Extends Far Beyond SolarWinds Software, Investigators Say - WSJ
• Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke Spar as Democrat Mulls Texas Governor Bid
• Hyundai wrestles with the risks of embracing Apple | Reuters
• Second report says that Apple Car production would be in the US; Hyundai nervous - 9to5Mac
• Facebook Apple Feud Tim Cook Mark Zuckerberg | HYPEBEAST
• Signal Private Messenger Gains Chat Wallpapers, Animated Stickers, 'About' Profile Section, and More - MacRumors
• Subway's tuna doesn't actually have tuna in it: suit