Good afternoon! It’s Tuesday, and it really does feel like a new day as the U.K. becomes the first nation in the West to begin a massive vaccination campaign for the coronavirus. Here’s what else you need to know today.

1. The Trump administration took a pass when Pfizer offered to sell the U.S. more vaccine doses

The White House over the summer passed up a chance to lock down an additional 100 million doses for Americans in the second quarter of next year, reports The Associated Press. The revelation raises questions about whether the U.S. allowed other countries to take its place in line.

Trump today signed an executive order that proclaims other nations would not receive U.S. supplies of its vaccines until after Americans have been inoculated. But that order doesn’t appear to have any real teeth. [AP]

Moncef Slaoui, the top scientist for the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed, was dismissive about the executive order during an interview today on Good Morning America.

“Frankly, I don’t know, and frankly, I’m staying out of this. I can’t comment,” Slaoui said. “I literally don’t know.” [Politico]

Meanwhile, Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis has tested positive for the coronavirus after attending a Christmas party for senior staff members at the White House. [Axios]

2. COVID-19 deaths continue to rise in Illinois

State officials today reported another 145 deaths from COVID-19. Illinois is seeing a rolling, seven-day average of 155 deaths per day, up 35% from the average two weeks ago. So far, more than 13,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Illinois.

At the same time, the number of new cases is dropping. The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 7,910 new confirmed cases. The state is averaging 9,332 cases per day, a 14% decline from two weeks ago.

Today’s case count puts Illinois above 800,000 confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic. [WBEZ]

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Illinois has reported 1,231 fatalities in the last seven days, the second highest number among states. Texas, which is No. 1, has reported 1,248 deaths. [CDC]

Nationally, more than 2,200 deaths are being reported each day on average, matching the peak from last April. And health experts say they fear the situation could get worse after the holidays. [AP]

3. More than 447,000 Illinois residents will lose jobless benefits the day after Christmas

And 40,000 more jobless workers in Illinois could run out of aid by the end of next month, reports the Chicago Sun-Times, citing data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

Nationally, an estimated 12 million people will lose unemployment benefits the day after Christmas unless Congress and the White House can reach a deal on providing more federal relief.

“The government should be more supportive in helping people get back on their feet,” said April Ibanez, a single mother who receives a $260 unemployment check every two weeks. “They should understand people have bills to pay, children to look after and we just can’t do it right now.” [Sun-Times]

Meanwhile, negotiations over a new federal relief plan is hitting familiar roadblocks. Republicans and Democrats remain divided over providing liability protections for businesses, aid to states and local governments, and stimulus payments to Americans. [CNBC]

4. Biden plans to nominate Gen. Lloyd Austin as defense secretary

And if confirmed by the Senate, retired Gen. Lloyd Austin would be the first Black leader of the Pentagon. President-elect Joe Biden offered and Austin accepted the nomination on Sunday, reports The Associated Press.

Austin, 67, is known as a battlefield commander. A West Point graduate with 41 years in uniform, Austin became the first African-American to head Central Command in the Middle East in 2013.

Austin’s nomination, which has yet to be formally announced, could face some opposition in Congress from lawmakers who believe in civilian leadership of the Pentagon. Only two previous secretaries of defense, George C. Marshall and James Mattis, were career officers. [AP]

Meanwhile, Biden formally announced his health team today that includes California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the Health and Human Services Department. [NPR]

And today is “safe harbor” day, which is the deadline for states to certify their election results, thereby compelling Congress to accept those results. [NPR]

5. Breakdancing will become an Olympic sport

The 2024 Summer Games in Paris will include breakdancing, the International Olympic Committee’s executive board announced this week. And fans of the sport known as squash are not having it.

As The Guardian reports, squash has unsuccessfully lobbied for decades to become an Olympic sport.

“You just look at the whole thing and you just go ‘where’s the Olympics going?’ I know some people say breakdancing’s a sport but … I don’t understand,” said Michelle Martin, a three-time world squash champion.

The inclusion of breakdancing comes as the Olympics strives to become “more gender balanced, more youthful and more urban,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. The Paris games will also include sport climbing, skateboarding and surfing, which will debut as Olympic sports in Tokyo next year. [Guardian]

Here’s what else is happening

• Legendary pilot Chuck Yeager died at the age of 97. [NPR]
• Mount Everest grew taller today … at least on paper. [NPR]
• Apple unveiled a $549, noise-canceling headphone called AirPod. [Verge]
• Time is worth more money than previously thought. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

Warner Bros. faces mounting opposition to its plans to release its entire 2021 lineup simultaneously in theaters and on the streaming service HBO Max.

Critically acclaimed director Christopher Nolan called HBO Max the “worst streaming service” in a blistering statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

“Some of our industry’s biggest filmmakers and most important movie stars went to bed the night before thinking they were working for the greatest movie studio and woke up to find out they were working for the worst streaming service,” Nolan said. [Hollywood Reporter]

Warner Bros. said its plans would only be a one-year deal, but some industry experts say it might be hard to un-devil the egg if audiences, craving instant gratification, adjust to streaming new movies over heading to theaters.

Legendary, the production company behind the new Dune and Godzilla Vs. Kong, is reportedly considering a legal challenge to Warner Bros. [A.V. Club]

Tell me something good …

What songs did you listen to this year?

Steph Powers tweets:

“One of the things we’ve been listening to since the pandemic started is the YouTube video of the @Vulfpeck Madison Square Garden concert from last December. The talent of everyone they bring on stage is amazing. A night of feel-good funk.”

And Sarah J. tweets:

“Nothing too new, we’ve had on repeat a list we made for our 1.5yo son (“Alexa shuffle playlist Ozzy Baby”) I don’t like kids’ music so there’s Johnny Cash, Stevie Wonder, @therealmix, also @psy_oppa … he seems to like it.”

What songs did you listen to this year? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.

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