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Since June, Europe has secured over 2 billion coronavirus vaccines. They are working together with 27 different nations to roll them out

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europe's covid-19 vaccine rollout: the eu is plagued with divisions. covid-19 vaccines are a golden chance to redeem the european project - cnn

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The EU is plagued with divisions. Covid-19 vaccines are a golden chance to redeem the European project

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The European Union is planning an ambitious and coordinated rollout of Covid-19 vaccines. It presents an ideal opportunity for the bloc to overcome its many divisions and truly deliver on its vision of unity.

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6 men were allegedly involved in the plot to kidnap a Michigan governor.

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TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- A federal grand jury has charged six men with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in what investigators say was a plot by anti-government extremists who were angry over her coronavirus policies.

The indictment released Thursday by U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge levied the conspiracy charge against Adam Dean Fox, Barry Gordon Croft Jr., Ty Gerard Garbin, Kaleb James Franks, Daniel Joseph Harris and Brandon Michael-Ray Caserta. They are all from Michigan except for Croft, who lives in Delaware.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, Birge said in a statement.

The six were arrested in early October following an FBI investigation into an alleged plot to kidnap the Democratic governor at her vacation home in northern Michigan.

Defense attorneys have said their clients were "big talkers" who didn't intend to follow through on the alleged plan.

The indictment repeats allegations made during an October hearing, where agent Richard Trask testified that the men were involved with paramilitary groups.

Fox and Croft attended a June meeting in Dublin, Ohio, at which the possible kidnapping of governors and other actions were discussed, the indictment states. During the hearing, Trask said Virginia's Democratic governor, Ralph Northam, was among those mentioned as potential targets.

It says Fox later met Garbin, a leader of a Michigan group called the "Wolverine Watchmen," at a rally outside of the Michigan Capitol in Lansing. At a meeting in Grand Rapids, the two men and other members of the Watchmen agreed to work together "toward their common goals," the document says.

It describes live-fire "field training exercises" and other preparations, including the surveillance of Whitmer's vacation house and the exchange of encrypted messages.

During one training event, "they practiced assaulting a building in teams, and discussed tactics for fighting the governor's security detail with improvised explosive devices, a projectile launcher, and other weapons," the indictment says.

They also discussed destroying a highway bridge near Whitmer's house to prevent law enforcement from responding, it states.

The indictment says that in an electronic message, Caserta wrote that if the men encountered police during a reconnaissance mission, "they should give the officers one opportunity to leave, and kill them if they did not comply."

They were arrested after four members scheduled an Oct. 7 meeting in Ypsilanti, west of Detroit, to meet an undercover FBI agent and buy explosives and other supplies, the indictment says.

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Follow John Flesher on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/johnflesher

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6 men indicted in alleged plot to kidnap Michigan governor

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TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- A federal grand jury has charged six men with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in what investigators say was a plot by anti-government extremists who were angry over her coronavirus policies. The indictment released Thursday by U.S.

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McConnell says pandemic relief deal with aid to individuals, businesses is 'close'

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​Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, speaking on the Senate floor Thursday, said he believes a "bipartisan, bicameral agreement appears to be close at hand" on a COVID-19 relief deal.

"I'm encouraged that our Democratic colleagues have now embraced this framework, that's been the right solution for our country all this time," he said.

Lawmakers are working furiously to announce a $900 billion deal ahead of a government funding deadline at midnight Friday, but McConnell warned senators that a short-term funding bill is expected and that it is "highly likely" senators will have to work through the weekend to finish both bills: one for COVID-19 relief and the other a massive $1.4 trillion spending bill.

While a COVID-19 relief deal still must be finalized, it's expected to include $300 billion for the small business loan program, money for vaccine distribution and testing, education funds, and up to $600 in one-time direct payments for Americans on a sliding scale depending on income levels.

The deal would extend the eviction moratorium and reinstate a federal unemployment insurance supplement, potentially at $300 per week.

The stakes are incredibly high for members of Congress to strike a deal ahead of the new year.

Twelve million people are set to lose benefits if pandemic-era provisions to expand unemployment eligibility expire. Millions across the country could face eviction if a federal moratorium expires at the end of the year.

All this comes as the rising number of COVID-19 cases are taking a toll on the economy: the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose again last week to 885,000 - the highest weekly total since September.

On Thursday morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters the top lawmakers are making headway.

"We made some progress this morning, we are waiting to hear back, but that's it," Pelosi said. Asked if a deal could be announced as soon as Thursday, she responded: "We'll let you know."

Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer held several calls with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin into Wednesday night, according Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill. He said they would speak again Thursday morning.

"All three emphasized the urgency to reaching an immediate agreement," he wrote in a tweet.

The new COVID-19 relief legislation would "repurpose" over $400 billion in unused funds from the CARES Act, which Congress passed back in March - which means this bill will be about $500 billion in new funding if the $900 billion top-line holds.

Democrats acknowledged defeat in getting $160 billion in aid for state and local governments in the deal due to Republican opposition.

"It's heartbreaking for us," Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Wednesday.

At the same time, McConnell has agreed to set aside liability protections for businesses, which he had said was a "red line" for Republicans.

There are still some unresolved issues as well, senators have said, including funding for nutritional assistance, or SNAP benefits.

"I think there's general, you know, disagreement on a temporary SNAP increase. So we just have to work out the details and there's other issues to make sure we're supporting food banks and other ways to get food to people," Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., told reporters Thursday.

Lawmakers are also still haggling over how much funding to include in the bill that would provide targeted support for the restaurant industry and independent live music venue operators, as thousands of businesses struggle to stay afloat after their doors were shuttered due to the raging pandemic.

The COVID-19 relief bill is expected to be attached to a larger omnibus spending deal. McConnell said negotiators are on the "one-yard line" in finalizing the spending bill.

"We are no strangers to December cliffhangers," McConnell said, adding that government funding "hangs in the balance."

"In the next few days, Congress will either succeed or fail at providing secure and stable funding," McConnell said.

He said he is open to passing a short-term funding bill to get the it done.

"We're going to stay right here, right here, until we're finished. Even if that means working through the weekend, which is highly likely," McConnell said.

McConnell closed his remarks with a subtle warning to negotiators, saying, "in my judgment, we're very close to a point that arises in every major negotiation. It's the point where each side faces a fork in the road," McConnell said.

"In short, we're near the point in this process where we decide if we're going to stay on the fast track or drift back toward business as usual," McConnell said. "I say the answer should be obvious."

On the Senate floor, Schumer signaled that agreement on a COVID-19 bill is close.

"We are putting the final touches on what would be the largest stimulus bill in the history of our country, with the exception of the CARES Act ... none of the remaining hurdles can not be overcome," he said.

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McConnell says pandemic relief deal with aid to individuals, businesses is 'close'

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​Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, speaking on the Senate floor Thursday, said he believes a "bipartisan, bicameral agreement appears to be close at hand" on a COVID-19 relief deal. "I'm encouraged that our Democratic colleagues have now embraced this framework, that's been the right solution for our country all this time," he said.

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They are getting approval of the covid vaccine. The vaccine is in urgent need as the disease is getting more out of control.

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A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended approval of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, clearing the way for the FDA to grant emergency authorization of the vaccine as early as Friday.

The approval-by a vote of 17-4 with one abstention after a daylong hearing-came as Covid-19 infections continued surging, claiming about 290,000 American lives.

The disease is now "essentially out of control," Kathrin Jansen, Pfizer's head of vaccine research and development, told the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. "Vaccine introduction is an urgent need."

In its vote to approve, the panel said the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks for people 16 years of age and older.

"The efficacy is overwhelming" for the vaccine, said Eric Rubin, a Harvard microbiologist, panel member and editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine. "It's very strong."

"When you have 2,000 to 3,000 people a day-a day-dying of coronavirus, to me this was a clear choice," said Ofer Levy, a panel member and director of the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children's Hospital, after the vote.

Archana Chatterjee, dean of the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Science and Medicine, said she dissented from the recommendation vote because there isn't enough data justifying including 16 and 17 year olds in an emergency authorization.

"They're not a high-risk group," she said in an interview. "My concern was that the data was very limited in the 16,17 year olds." She said she would have voted in favor otherwise, saying that for adults the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.

Oveta Fuller, a virologist at the University of Michigan Medical School, also dissented, saying in an interview that she would like to see at least two more months of data on trial participants that could help determine whether the vaccine reduces transmission.

That advisory committee's decision paves the way for the FDA to green-light distribution of the vaccine. That step is expected as early as Friday or this weekend, given the magnitude of the public-health crisis and scientific analysis that showed the vaccine is safe and 95% effective in combating Covid-19 among test subjects.

While the outside doctors-mostly infectious-disease physicians, pediatricians and vaccine specialists-overwhelmingly supported granting the emergency-use authorization, panelists raised some concerns over side effects and reactions.

At least two of the patients who received the vaccine this week in England had allergic reactions after getting the vaccine. Various panel members called on the FDA and Pfizer to do further study of the issue.

"This issue is not going to die until we have better data" about the extent and nature of the reactions, said panelist Paul Offit, a vaccine expert and pediatrics professor at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Dr. Jansen said Pfizer was studying whether the vaccine protects against asymptomatic Covid-19 and hopes to complete that analysis early next year.

Pfizer also said during the presentation Thursday it plans to file for full approval, through what is known as a biologics license application, by April 2021.

The Food and Drug Administration and other federal agencies will monitor the use of Covid-19 vaccines long after their release, including the question of how long vaccines will confer immunity, federal officials said at an FDA vaccine panel meeting Thursday.

Nancy Messonnier, a senior official at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention specializing in vaccines, said her agency, along with the FDA and the Department of Defense, will conduct "active surveillance" of health-care workers and residents of long-term-care facilities getting shots to gauge the effects of the immunization.

"We really need people to sign on to this system to provide us with the best data possible," she said.

Dr. Messonnier said that such longer-term study will focus on whether children under 16 can benefit from this or other vaccines. So far, the FDA has said, there isn't enough evidence to prove that a vaccine has a benefit for children. Answering that question could be crucial for reopening most school systems safely.

The vaccine has already been shown in clinical research to reduce the rate of symptomatic disease by 95%, and appears headed for FDA approval. The FDA isn't required to accept the decision of an advisory panel, but generally does so.

Doran Fink, deputy clinical director of the FDA's division of vaccines, said further evaluation of the vaccine after its release will be necessary to see if its benefits continue to outweigh its risk, and whether any labeling changes will be required.

Dr. Fink also addressed one major topic that has been in question-whether patients in the Pfizer trial who were randomly assigned to placebo should automatically be switched over and get the vaccine. FDA staffers told the committee they shouldn't.

On behalf of the FDA, he recommended "continuation of blinded, placebo-controlled follow-up in ongoing clinical trials for as long as is feasible."

Pfizer said it would make the vaccine available to placebo-group subjects as long as they meet the requirements of potential FDA terms and any CDC recommendations for prioritization, according to Bill Gruber, senior vice president of Pfizer's vaccine clinical research.

The subjects can be in so-called blinded status through the end of the trial should they choose, meaning that they wouldn't know whether they had received vaccine or placebo at different times during the study.

Steven Goodman, a Stanford University School of Medicine dean and epidemiologist, described that choice in testimony before the panel as an "ethical dilemma" in which both answers-getting vaccines to placebo patients and developing long-term safety and effectiveness-are right, and neither is unethical. In evaluating the question, Dr. Goodman suggested to the committee "not to use that word at all."

Marion Gruber, director of the FDA's office of vaccines (and no relation to Bill Gruber), said she is concerned that if there is an unblinding of patients, that might limit the ability of the study to gather enough data about the vaccine's safety.

In answer to questions from the committee, Dr. Fink said the FDA will insist on six months' follow-up data about safety and side effects when it considers any vaccine for a full approval. The current evaluation by the FDA involves two months of safety data for an FDA clearance-short of a full approval-called an emergency use authorization.

The results described in company and FDA analyses earlier this week showed the vaccine's effectiveness hovered around 95% in all ages and ethnic groups. Those data are especially important, since members of some ethnic groups have shown hesitancy about getting a vaccine.

The findings regarding vaccine effectiveness were also consistent among patients with underlying conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and chronic cardiopulmonary disease.

Serious side effects were extremely rare, though two patients in the U.K. who got the first doses this week had allergic reactions, which were quickly treated. British authorities cleared the vaccine for use last week, as did Canada on Wednesday.

Pfizer officials said during Thursday's presentation that there were no serious allergic reactions to the vaccine reported by trial subjects. The FDA said it was continuing to collect information about the U.K. information

The FDA said patients who got the vaccine during a company clinical study commonly had reactions such as injection-site irritation, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain and fever. The agency and companies reported on safety data for about 19,000 vaccinated patients in the companies' research, which included a total of 43,448 patients ages 16 and up.

The committee members, largely composed of doctors such as immunologists, vaccine experts, statisticians and infectious-disease physicians, are expected to focus on side effects as well as data by age, sex and ethnic group.

In the study, a confirmed Covid-19 case was defined as a positive diagnostic test, plus one or more symptoms, such as a new or increased cough or shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, diarrhea and vomiting.

Write to Thomas M. Burton at tom.burton@wsj.com and Jared S. Hopkins at jared.hopkins@wsj.com

Corrections & Amplifications A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel endorsed Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine. The headline on an earlier version of this article incorrectly said the panel had approved the vaccine. The panel doesn't have that authority.

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A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended approval of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, clearing the way for the FDA to grant emergency authorization of the vaccine as early as Friday. The approval-by a vote of 17-4 with one abstention after a daylong hearing-came as Covid-19 infections continued surging, claiming about 290,000 American lives.

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the food and drug administration plans to monitor the covid-19 vaccination even after it has been distributed.

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The Food and Drug Administration and other federal agencies will monitor the use of Covid-19 vaccines long after their release, including the question of how long vaccines will confer immunity, federal officials said at an FDA vaccine panel meeting Thursday.

Nancy Messonnier, a senior official at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention specializing in vaccines, said her agency, along with the FDA and the Department of Defense, will conduct "active surveillance" of health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities to gauge the effects of the immunization.

Researchers will make inquiries by text of such trial participants, and "we really need people to sign on to this system to provide us with the best data possible," she said.

Dr. Messonnier said that such longer-term study will focus on whether children under 16 can benefit from this or other vaccines. So far, the FDA has said, there isn't enough evidence to prove that a vaccine has a benefit for children. Answering that question could be crucial for reopening most school systems safely.

Her remarks came as a panel of outside advisers convened via videoconference to review the trial data of a Covid-19 vaccine Pfizer Inc. and German partner BioNTech SE. The committee is expected to recommend approval following the daylong hearing.

The committee's decision will be influential in the FDA decision, expected later this week, whether to authorize the broad use of the vaccine among the American public.

The vaccine has already been shown in clinical research to reduce the rate of symptomatic disease by 95%, and seems certain to get a thumbs-up from both the committee and the FDA. The FDA isn't required to accept the decision of an advisory panel, but generally does so.

Doran Fink, deputy clinical director of the FDA's division of vaccines, said further evaluation of the vaccine after its release will be necessary to see if its benefits continue to outweigh its risk, and whether any labeling changes will be required.

Dr. Fink also addressed one major topic that has been in question-whether patients in the Pfizer trial who were randomly assigned to placebo should automatically be switched over and get the vaccine. The FDA's recommendation to the committee is they shouldn't.

On behalf of the FDA, he recommended "continuation of blinded, placebo-controlled follow-up in ongoing clinical trials for as long as is feasible."

Steven Goodman, a Stanford University School of Medicine dean and epidemiologist, in testimony before the panel described that choice as an "ethical dilemma" in which both answers-getting vaccines to placebo patients and developing long-term safety and effectiveness-are right, and neither is unethical. In evaluating the question, Dr. Goodman suggested to the committee "not to use that word at all."

In answer to questions from the committee, Dr. Fink said the FDA will insist on six months' follow-up data about safety and side effects when it considers any vaccine for a full approval. The current evaluation by the FDA involves two months of safety data, for an FDA clearance-short of a full approval-called an emergency use authorization.

Arnold Monto, a University of Michigan health researcher who chairs the advisory committee, said the 23-member Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is likely to authorize use of the vaccine.

Dr. Monto said that assessment is based on data released Tuesday showing that the Pfizer vaccine is safe and 95% effective, with adverse reactions rare despite a range of modest side effects such as headaches and fatigue that occur soon after injections.

The panel's meeting is public and live-streamed. FDA officials hope the discussion will show the care with which the vaccine's safety has been reviewed-part of a broader effort to convince the public that the vaccine hasn't been rushed to market for political expediency.

Once the vaccine is approved, officials could face resistance from many Americans unwilling to take it.

Bruce Gellin, president of global immunization at Sabin Vaccine Institute, which promotes vaccine adoption and trains immunization professionals, said the FDA should get credit for being transparent for its review process, including making public its analysis, which other countries don't necessarily do.

"The FDA puts their cards on the table," Dr. Gellin said. "They've done the analysis and then they put it out there, what they've seen and things they're thinking about."

The results described in company and FDA analyses earlier this week showed the vaccine's effectiveness hovered around 95% in all ages and ethnic groups. Those data are especially important, since members of some ethnic groups have shown hesitancy about getting a vaccine.

The findings regarding vaccine effectiveness were also consistent among patients with underlying conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and chronic cardiopulmonary disease.

Serious side effects were extremely rare, though two patients in the U.K. who got the first doses this week had allergic reactions, which were quickly treated. British authorities cleared the vaccine for use last week, as did Canada on Wednesday.

The FDA said patients who got the vaccine during a company clinical study commonly had reactions such as injection-site irritation, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain and fever. The agency and companies reported on safety data for about 19,000 vaccinated patients in the companies' research, which included a total of 43,448 patients ages 16 and up.

The committee members, largely composed of doctors such as immunologists, vaccine experts, statisticians and infectious-disease physicians, are expected to focus on side effects as well as data by age, sex and ethnic group.

In the study, a confirmed Covid-19 case was defined as a positive diagnostic test, plus one or more symptoms such as a new or increased cough or shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, diarrhea and vomiting.

Write to Thomas M. Burton at tom.burton@wsj.com and Jared S. Hopkins at jared.hopkins@wsj.com

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FDA Advisory Panel Expected to Approve Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine

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The Food and Drug Administration and other federal agencies will monitor the use of Covid-19 vaccines long after their release, including the question of how long vaccines will confer immunity, federal officials said at an FDA vaccine panel meeting Thursday. Nancy Messonnier, a senior official at the U.S.

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In Minneapolis they cut the Police funding by 8 million. The money will now go to a program called "Safety for All".

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The Minneapolis City Council, the city where George Floyd earlier this year died while in the custody of its police department, passed a budget Thursday morning that will cut its police funding by $8 million and use the money for mental health and violence prevention programs.

The plan for the shifting of police funding, called "Safety for All," follows the city council's stalled attempt to completely dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department earlier this year. Minneapolis is where the widespread protests against racism and police brutality -- which often turned into riots -- started before spreading around the country.

"The City Council adopted a 2021 budget!!" Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender tweeted early Thursday. "All the #SafetyForAllBudget proposals passed for 2021. Mental health, violence prevention, oversight and more."
SIX MONTHS AFTER GEORGE FLOYD'S DEATH, MINNEAPOLIS REELING FROM RISE IN VIOLENCE
Added Steve Fletcher, who represents Ward 3 in Minneapolis: "In 2021, our city will implement mental health emergency response, support community safety programs, add violence prevention capacity and improve police accountability."

"Thanks and congratulations to everyone who advocated for these important investments to make our city safer and more just," Fletcher continued. "It's a big win and an important first step toward a transformed system of public safety."

The Minneapolis Police Department's overall budget is $179 million, which means the $8 million cuts represent only a fraction of the department's overall budget.

Fox News is awaiting a response from the Minneapolis Police Department after a request for comment.
DEFUND POLICE SUPPORTERS TELL BIDEN THEY'RE 'NOT GOING AWAY'
The council also made a last-minute change to the plan that avoided making any cuts to the number of officers in the city after Mayor Jacob Frey threatened to veto the budget. The current cap on the number of officers in the city will therefore remain at 888 rather than the 750 the council initially included.

The council earlier this year coalesced behind a plan to completely dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with unarmed professionals that would respond in circumstances that normally involve police, like mental health calls and domestic disputes.

The city's charter commission, however, opted not to put that issue to voters in a referendum, effectively pushing it off until at least 2021. Jeremiah Ellison, a Minneapolis City Council member and the son of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, at the time said that he was still committed to eventually dismantling the police department.

"This is NOT the last chance we will have to dramatically rethink public safety in our city," he said. "We will quickly be in 2021 budget discussions, we will continue to ramp up community engagement on the future of public safety, and we will revisit the charter change for the 2021 ballot."

BLACK LIVES MATTER CALLS OUT BIDEN FOR EXCLUDING THEM FROM MEETING
Meanwhile, Minneapolis is dealing with a drastic spike in violent crime.

According to police data, more than 500 people have been shot in Minneapolis this year - twice as many as 2019. Murders are up more than 50%. There have also been nearly 5,000 violent crimes, the highest level in the past five years.

And though the widespread riots may have subsided temporarily, there is the potential for more unrest in the new year. The four officers who are facing charges in Floyd's death will stand trial starting March 8.

The cuts to the Minneapolis Police Department come amid widespread debate over whether significant cuts to police funding are effective policy or politics for Democrats. President-elect Joe Biden was opposed to the police defunding movement within his own party during the presidential election.

Biden, in fact, has backed increased funding for community policing efforts.

"Let's get the facts straight, I not only don't want to defund the police. I want to add $300 million to their local budgets to deal with community policing to get police and communities back together again," Biden told KDKA in August.
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He did answer "yes, absolutely," to a question on whether the U.S. should "redirect" funding from police departments earlier in the year, but largely walked that answer back later in the presidential campaign.

Now, with Biden set to assume office in January, those who do support defunding the police are warning the broader Democratic Party that they are "not going away."

"What we've heard so far from the Democratic Party is what they're not going to do," defund advocate Andrea Ritchie told Mother Jones. "I don't expect they will be supportive of the main demand from the streets ... It's gonna be a fight. We're not going away."
Fox News' Hollie McKay, Evie Fordham, David Rutz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Minneapolis cuts police funding by $8M amid crime surge following summer riots

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The Minneapolis City Council, the city where George Floyd earlier this year died while in the custody of its police department, passed a budget Thursday morning which will cut its police funding by $8 million and use the money for mental health and other violence prevention programs.

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The EU's Covid documents were cyber attacked. The hackers "unlawfully accessed" the covid vaccine approval documents.

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The European Medicines Agency did not say what was targeted in the cyberattack or when it happened - although German firm BioNTech said the hackers "unlawfully accessed" vaccine approval documents.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has launched an investigation after being hit by a cyberattack, the agency said in a brief statement on Wednesday.

"EMA has been the subject of a cyberattack. The agency has swiftly launched a full investigation, in close cooperation with law enforcement and other relevant entities," the agency said.

The EMA added that it "cannot provide additional details whilst the investigation is ongoing," but said further information would be released "in due course."

The agency, which is the EU's regulator of medications, did not provide details about what was targeted or when the attack took place.

Just after the announcement, however, German pharmaceutical firm BioNTech and US pharma giant Pfizer said some documents on their jointly-developed vaccine were accessed during the cyberattack.

In the joint statement, the companies said the EMA told them that "some documents relating to the regulatory submission for Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine candidate [...] had been unlawfully accessed."

The companies added that the hackers did not breach BioNTech or Pfizer systems, and that there was no evidence at this time to indicate that the personal data of study participants had been accessed.

The cyberattack comes amid concerns about hackers targeting coronavirus research and other cybercrimes related to the pandemic.

The United Kingdom accused Russia-based hackers of targeting laboratories carrying out vaccine research in July. Other cybercriminals have attempted attacks on companies working to develop vaccines including AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Novavax and others.

Agency working to approve COVID vaccines

Currently, the Amsterdam-based regulator is rushing to analyze several coronavirus vaccine candidates.

A decision on the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine is set to be announced by December 29 at the latest. A ruling on Moderna's vaccine is due to follow by January 12.

The EMA is also reviewing the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine, although it's not yet known when that one could be approved.

The UK already issued emergency approval for the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine on December 2 and has started its vaccination program. Regulators in the European Union and the United States have not yet approved a vaccine.

On Wednesday, EMA director Emer Cooke voiced optimism about the bloc approving the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine soon.

"We are more and more convinced by the available test results," Cooke told Dutch news program "Nieuwsuur."

She added that experts were working around the clock to check the tests, but that "no concessions" would be made in terms of security.

rs/msh (AFP, Reuters, dpa)

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EU agency assessing COVID vaccines hit by cyberattack

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The European Medicines Agency did not say what was targeted in the cyberattack or when it happened - although German firm BioNTech said the hackers "unlawfully accessed" vaccine approval documents. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has launched an investigation after being hit by a cyberattack, the agency said in a brief statement on Wednesday.

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For the first time, more than 3,000 covid related deaths were recorded across the United States on Wednesday.

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For the first time, more than 3,000 Covid-related deaths were recorded across the country Wednesday, according to an NBC News tally, and more than a third of Americans live in areas where hospitals are running out of room to treat critically ill patients.

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U.S. records highest number of virus deaths and new cases

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For the first time, more than 3,000 Covid-related deaths were recorded across the country Wednesday, according to an NBC News tally, and more than a third of Americans live in areas where hospitals are running out of room to treat critically ill patients.

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Last Tuesday California recorded the new record for most Coronavirus deaths in a day. The number of deaths and cases have been steadily increasing. The record for all of the United States is now 3,000 in a single day.

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California on Tuesday recorded more COVID-19 deaths than any other day during the pandemic, according to a report.

At least 219 died from the virus on Tuesday, which eclipsed the previous single-day death toll of 214, recorded on July 31, according to data compiled by The Los Angeles Times.

"The latest figure may be a harbinger of higher death tolls," the paper reported. "Until this past week, California had topped 200 daily coronavirus-related deaths only four times. That number has been exceeded twice in the last five days."
GAVIN NEWSOM-LINKED COMPANIES RECEIVED NEARLY $3M IN FEDERAL PPP LOANS, REPORTS SAY

A month ago, the state was averaging about 44 daily deaths. In Los Angeles County, the nation's most populous county, 3,299 patients are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, with 23% of them in the ICU, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Wednesday.

Local health officials said the number of daily hospitalizations has increased by more than 400% from early November.

Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer Barbara Ferrer described "a devastating increase in deaths" in L.A. County, with the total hitting 8,075 on Wednesday.

"Over 8,000 people who were beloved members of their families are not coming back," Ferrer said, as she fought back tears. "And their deaths are an incalculable loss to their friends and their family, as well as our community."

She said one bright spot was how the COVID-19 mortality rate has improved over the course of the pandemic.

"Nonetheless, the link between cases, hospitalizations, and then people dying is still there," Ferrer said, according to the paper. "The more transmission you have, the more people are ending up in the hospital. And the more people that end up in the hospital, because those in the hospital are very sick, the more deaths we're going to witness."

California wasn't alone in reporting a record number of daily coronavirus deaths, which typically lag behind cases and hospitalizations.
POPULAR TRAVEL DESTINATION LAKE TAHOE CLOSING TO TOURISTS AMID COVID-19 SURGE
On Wednesday, the U.S. topped more than 3,000 deaths in what was a single-day record, according to the COVID Tracking Project. Those numbers surpassed the level seen in and around New York City, which was described as the U.S. epicenter of the virus during the early stages of the pandemic.

New daily cases in the states have increased to more than 200,000 on average. The number of patients hospitalized with the virus was nearly 105,000 on Tuesday, which was another all-time high.
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As of early Thursday, the U.S. has reported more than 15,391,699 total coronavirus cases and at least 289,431 deaths from the virus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. California has reported 1,454,124 infections -- the most in the states -- and 20,469 deaths.

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California records the most coronavirus deaths in a single day: report

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California on Tuesday recorded more COVID-19 deaths than any other day during the pandemic, according to a report. At least 219 died from the virus on Tuesday, which eclipsed the previous single-day death toll of 214, recorded on July 31, according to data compiled by The Los Angeles Times.

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The police system has been under fire ever since the BLM and ACAB movement. The police system had been called "over-funded" and there has been protests all over the United States to defund the police. Minneapolis has taken this into account. They have decided to cut police funding by $8M. The funding for the police system went from a whopping $179M to $171M. They have a plan for safety and to cut crime rate with their edited system.

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The Minneapolis City Council, the city where George Floyd earlier this year died while in the custody of its police department, passed a budget Thursday morning that will cut its police funding by $8 million and use the money for mental health and violence prevention programs.

The plan for the shifting of police funding, called "Safety for All," follows the city council's stalled attempt to completely dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department earlier this year. Minneapolis is where the widespread protests against racism and police brutality -- which often turned into riots -- started before spreading around the country.

"The City Council adopted a 2021 budget!!" Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender tweeted early Thursday. "All the #SafetyForAllBudget proposals passed for 2021. Mental health, violence prevention, oversight and more."
SIX MONTHS AFTER GEORGE FLOYD'S DEATH, MINNEAPOLIS REELING FROM RISE IN VIOLENCE
Added Steve Fletcher, who represents Ward 3 in Minneapolis: "In 2021, our city will implement mental health emergency response, support community safety programs, add violence prevention capacity and improve police accountability."

"Thanks and congratulations to everyone who advocated for these important investments to make our city safer and more just," Fletcher continued. "It's a big win and an important first step toward a transformed system of public safety."

The Minneapolis Police Department's overall budget is $179 million, which means the $8 million cuts represent only a fraction of the department's overall budget.

Fox News is awaiting a response from the Minneapolis Police Department after a request for comment.
DEFUND POLICE SUPPORTERS TELL BIDEN THEY'RE 'NOT GOING AWAY'
The council also made a last-minute change to the plan that avoided making any cuts to the number of officers in the city after Mayor Jacob Frey threatened to veto the budget. The current cap on the number of officers in the city will therefore remain at 888 rather than the 750 the council initially included.

The council earlier this year coalesced behind a plan to completely dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with unarmed professionals that would respond in circumstances that normally involve police, like mental health calls and domestic disputes.

The city's charter commission, however, opted not to put that issue to voters in a referendum, effectively pushing it off until at least 2021. Jeremiah Ellison, a Minneapolis City Council member and the son of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, at the time said that he was still committed to eventually dismantling the police department.

"This is NOT the last chance we will have to dramatically rethink public safety in our city," he said. "We will quickly be in 2021 budget discussions, we will continue to ramp up community engagement on the future of public safety, and we will revisit the charter change for the 2021 ballot."

BLACK LIVES MATTER CALLS OUT BIDEN FOR EXCLUDING THEM FROM MEETING
Meanwhile, Minneapolis is dealing with a drastic spike in violent crime.

According to police data, more than 500 people have been shot in Minneapolis this year - twice as many as 2019. Murders are up more than 50%. There have also been nearly 5,000 violent crimes, the highest level in the past five years.

And though the widespread riots may have subsided temporarily, there is the potential for more unrest in the new year. The four officers who are facing charges in Floyd's death will stand trial starting March 8.

The cuts to the Minneapolis Police Department come amid widespread debate over whether significant cuts to police funding are effective policy or politics for Democrats. President-elect Joe Biden was opposed to the police defunding movement within his own party during the presidential election.

Biden, in fact, has backed increased funding for community policing efforts.

"Let's get the facts straight, I not only don't want to defund the police. I want to add $300 million to their local budgets to deal with community policing to get police and communities back together again," Biden told KDKA in August.
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He did answer "yes, absolutely," to a question on whether the U.S. should "redirect" funding from police departments earlier in the year, but largely walked that answer back later in the presidential campaign.

Now, with Biden set to assume office in January, those who do support defunding the police are warning the broader Democratic Party that they are "not going away."

"What we've heard so far from the Democratic Party is what they're not going to do," defund advocate Andrea Ritchie told Mother Jones. "I don't expect they will be supportive of the main demand from the streets ... It's gonna be a fight. We're not going away."
Fox News' Hollie McKay, Evie Fordham, David Rutz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Minneapolis cuts police funding by $8M amid crime surge following summer riots

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The Minneapolis City Council, the city where George Floyd earlier this year died while in the custody of its police department, passed a budget Thursday morning which will cut its police funding by $8 million and use the money for mental health and other violence prevention programs.

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SpaceX's Starship test flight ends in a massive explosion. After skimming the stratosphere, the Starship returned to Earth's surface, exploding as it hit the ground.

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SpaceX launched its shiny, bullet-shaped, straight-out-of-science fiction Starship several miles into the air from a remote corner of Texas on Wednesday, but the 6 1/2-minute test flight ended in an explosive fireball at touchdown.

It was the highest and most elaborate flight yet for the rocketship that Elon Musk says could carry people to Mars in as little as six years.

This latest prototype - the first one equipped with a nose cone, body flaps and three engines - was shooting for an altitude of up to eight miles (12.5 kilometers). That's almost 100 times higher than previous hops and skimming the stratosphere.

Starship seemed to hit the mark or at least come close. There was no immediate word from SpaceX on how high it went.

The full-scale, stainless steel model - 160 feet (50 meters) tall and 30 feet (9 meters) in diameter - soared out over the Gulf of Mexico. After about five minutes, it flipped sideways as planned and descended in a free-fall back to the southeastern tip of Texas near the Mexican border. The Raptor engines reignited for braking and the rocket tilted back upright. Upon touching down, however, the rocketship became engulfed in flames and ruptured, parts scattering.

The entire flight - as dramatic and flashy as it gets, even by SpaceX standards - lasted just over six minutes and 40 minutes. SpaceX broadcast the sunset demo live on its website; repeated delays over the past week and a last-second engine abort Tuesday heightened the excitement among space fans.

"Awesome test. Congratulations Starship team!" read a scroll across the screen.
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Musk kept expectations low going into this first high-altitude attempt by Starship, cautioning earlier this week there was "probably" 1-in-3 chance of complete success.

Two lower, shorter test flights earlier this year from Boca Chica, Texas - a quiet coastal village before SpaceX moved in - used more rudimentary versions of Starship. Essentially cylindrical cans with cone tops and single Raptor engines, these early vehicles reached altitudes of 490 feet (150 meters). An even earlier model, the short and squat Starhopper, made a tiny tethered hop in 2019, followed by two increasingly higher climbs.

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SpaceX launches Starship on highest test flight, turns into massive fireball

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SpaceX launched its shiny, bullet-shaped, straight-out-of-science fiction Starship several miles into the air from a remote corner of Texas on Wednesday, but the 6 1/2-minute test flight ended in an explosive fireball at touchdown. It was the highest and most elaborate flight yet for the rocketship that Elon Musk says could carry people to Mars in as little as six years.