A political newsletter for normal people
WTF Just Happened Today? is a sane, once-a-day newsletter helping normal people make sense of the news. Curated daily by Matt Kiser and delivered to 200,000+ people every afternoon around 3 pm Pacific.
Day 241: "A catastrophic pathway."
Today in one sentence: An FDA advisory panel rejected a plan to offer Pfizer Covid-19 boosters shots for everyone 16 and older; the United Nations warned that the global average temperature is on track to rise 2.7 degrees Celsius by the end of the century; the Pentagon admitted that the Aug. 29 drone strike in Kabul, which killed 10 civilians, including 7 children, was "a tragic mistake"; and 44% of Americans approve of Biden’s job performance – the lowest level of his presidency.
1/ An FDA advisory panel rejected a plan to offer Pfizer Covid-19 boosters shots for everyone 16 and older. Members of the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted 16 to 2 against approving the booster shot after scrutinizing new data from Israel and questioning whether the data justified boosters for the general population when the current vaccines still offer robust protection against severe Covid-19 disease and hospitalization. The panel, however, recommended booster shots for older Americans and other high-risk groups. The votes are non-binding and the FDA is expected make a final decision on boosters by early next week. An outside advisory panel to the CDC, meanwhile, has scheduled a two-day meeting next week to discuss plans to distribute booster shots in the U.S. (New York Times / CNBC / Associated Press / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Politico / Wall Street Journal / ABC News / CNN)
2/ The United Nations warned that the global average temperature is on track to rise 2.7 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. “The world is on a catastrophic pathway,” U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said. Based on the most recent commitments to curb greenhouse gas emissions from 191 countries, if implemented, would result in a 16% increase by 2030 compared with 2010 levels. The latest scientific research suggests that greenhouse gas emissions need to decrease by at least 25% by 2030 to avert the worst impacts of global warming. Guterres warned “there is high risk of failure.” (New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal)
3/ The Pentagon admitted that the Aug. 29 drone strike in Kabul, which killed 10 civilians, including 7 children, was “a tragic mistake.” Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, apologized for the error, saying the decision was made in an “earnest belief that it would prevent an imminent threat to our forces and the evacuees at the airport.” The car was believed to have been carrying explosives in its trunk. “We now assess it is unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with ISIS-K,” McKenzie said. (Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / NBC News / CNBC / CNN / New York Times)
4/ The U.S. Capitol Police withdrew a request for 100 armed National Guard members to be on standby for a rally at the Capitol in support of the rioters charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection. Instead, Guard members will be armed with batons and accompanied by armed police in a support capacity. A fence, meanwhile, has been erected around the Capitol. The “Justice for J6” rally, organized by former Trump campaign strategist Matt Braynard, supposedly wants to “bring awareness and attention to the unjust and unethical treatment of nonviolent Jan. 6 political prisoners.” About 60 people have been denied bail and remain in pretrial custody out of the more than 600 charged in the deadly riot. (Washington Post / New York Times / Associated Press)
poll/ 59% of Americans blame white supremacist groups, Trump (56%), and conservative media that spread conspiracy theories and misinformation (55%) for the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. 34% of Americans agree that “Trump is a true patriot,” while 63% disagree, including 49% who completely disagree. (Public Religion Research Institute)
poll/ 44% of Americans approve of Biden’s job performance – the lowest level of his presidency. 50% disapproved, and the rest were not sure. (Reuters)
A political newsletter for normal people
WTF Just Happened Today? is a sane, once-a-day newsletter helping normal people make sense of the news. Curated daily by Matt Kiser and delivered to 200,000+ people every afternoon around 3 pm Pacific.
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