News Brief: Pfizer Vaccine Vote, COVID-19 Relief Package, Georgia Election Lawsuits An FDA advisory committee voted in favor of granting emergency use authorization of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. Talks for another relief package drag on. And, an update on Georgia's election lawsuits.
As Resorts Limit Numbers Amid Pandemic, Consumers Move To Backcountry In mountains across America, skiers and snowboarders are abandoning ski lifts and heading into the backcountry as resorts limit numbers due to COVID-19. But the backcountry boom comes with dangers. Greg Rosalsky
Jobless Claims Jump To More Than 850,000 A new sign of economic woes for Americans during the pandemic: Unemployment claims reported Thursday morning by the government jump just as many federal relief programs are set to expire.
Many Would Like Direct Payments Included In Next Relief Package As Congress argues over what should go in the next coronavirus relief aid, cash from the government is popular with many. But economists say it's not the best way to prop up a sagging economy. Scott Horsley
Return Of The Max: Boeing 737 Takes Off On First Commercial Flight in 20 Months Brazil's Gol Airlines brought the jetliner back into service Wednesday for the first time since it was grounded in 2019 after two deadly crashes. Bill Chappell
Investors Can Now Bet On The Future Of Water Prices In California Water is a precious resources in California — a state plagued by wildfires and drought. Water there is now a commodity and can now be traded like oil and gas. Jim Zarroli
Uber Sells Its Autonomous Vehicle Research Division Uber has sold its autonomous vehicle research division to a startup named Aurora. It's a major shift for a company that once saw self-driving technology as a core investment for its future. Camila Domonoske
U.S. Moves Closer To A Regulatory Approved COVID-19 Vaccine The Food and Drug Administration has released detailed information about the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. The material will be evaluated later this week by an independent committee of experts. Joe Palca
He Thought Day Trading Would Be A Thrill. He Ended Up Losing $127,000 With millions stuck at home, more and more people are trying day trading. Most will end up losing money, studies show, while troubling cases of addiction are also on the rise. Jim Zarroli
After Once Touting Self-Driving Cars, Uber Sells Unit To Refocus On Core Businesses The ride-hailing giant once believed it was crucial to develop autonomous driving technology in-house, and spent billions of dollars on the effort. Now it's letting another company lead the charge. Camila Domonoske