COVID-19 Vaccine Is One Step Away; Unpacking Trump’s Refusal To Concede; Is It Time To Say 'Bye' To The Term POC?

Plus, Taylor Swift drops her second album this year. by Korva Coleman and Jill Hudson First Up [President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris]( Andrew Harnik/Pool/Getty Images Here's what we're following today. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have been named Time's Person of the Year. The two made the cut after topping [the magazine's shortlist]( that included President Trump, the movement for racial justice, Dr. Anthony Fauci and medical workers on the front line of COVID-19. The Food and Drug Administration recommended authorization of Pfizer’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use on Thursday. [A quick decision is expected](. Front-line health care workers are likely first in line to get the vaccine. But what about the rest of us? [Here's what we know so far](. This week, the Federal Trade Commission and 48 attorneys general unveiled blockbuster lawsuits accusing Facebook of crushing competition and calling for the tech giant to be broken up. [Here are four takeaways]( from the case. Brandon Bernard, convicted for his involvement in the brutal murder of two youth ministers in 1999, was executed Thursday after failed eleventh-hour appeals from criminal justice advocates and celebrities to spare his life. Bernard is the ninth federal inmate to be executed this year and [the first in 130 years to be put to death during a lame-duck presidency](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Listens [From The Ninth Night of Hanukkah, by Erica S. Perl and Shahar Kober]( Shahar Kober/Sterling Children's Books In Erica Perl's new children's book, The Ninth Night of Hanukkah, a family's box of Hanukkah items is misplaced during a move. Their neighbors help them to make their holiday a success — so they add a ninth night to thank them. [Click here to listen]( or [read the story](. Contractors are pulverizing the wilderness in southern Arizona to construct as much of President Trump’s U.S. border wall as possible before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. Builders are even dynamiting mountains — infuriating landowners and conservationists — as they plow through sensitive nature areas without regard to the work’s effects on wildlife. [Listen here]( or [read the story here](. [President Trump, shown here in Miami on Nov. 2, is driven by a quest for power, White House correspondent Maggie Haberman says. "Almost everything about Donald Trump for 50 years at this point has been about power and dominance," she says.]( Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images With only a few weeks until President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, President Trump still won't admit defeat. Maggie Haberman, White House correspondent for The New York Times, who has reported on Trump over the past 20 years, spoke to Terry Gross about his refusal to concede. [Click here to listen]( or [read the story](. For many reasons, including climate change, coral reefs are dying around the world. But scientists say some crabs eat coral-choking seaweed and algae and may help with restoring coral reefs. [Listen here](. NPR Is it time to say goodbye to the term POC? Even terms that have been created with the best of intentions can morph in meaning. Code Switch co-host Shereen Marisol Meraji asked academics, writers and podcast listeners a few questions: What do we mean when we say "people of color"? Why do some of us identify with that term? Why does it annoy so many other people? [Watch the video here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- The Picture Show [Memories fade. Emotions change. Thoughts deceive. But the body remembers the pain and the sorrows.]( Rosem Morton A sixth of American women are victims of rape or attempted rape. Victims still face blame and disbelief, and few rapists are punished. The aftermath of her own rape left Rosem Morton traumatized and mostly silent. [She set out to find her voice once again]( through a project that combines reportage, portraiture, abstract and conceptual images, and prose and poetry. --------------------------------------------------------------- Before You Go [Taylor Swift]( Beth Garrabrant - Taylor Swift dropped her second surprise album of the year on Friday. Find out how to stream evermore [here](. - Denver's Tattered Cover is now the country's largest Black-owned independent bookstore. The beloved local chain, founded in 1971, [has had a rough year]( including severe revenue losses during the pandemic. Its new owners are led by two Denver natives and self-described high school rivals. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Daily News emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]