Polar Express: From Pfizer’s Labs to You

Welcome to Skimm This. Here’s what we’re covering this week: 

• First up: The Electoral College is meeting Monday to finally put this whole election to bed. We’ll tell you what’s expected to go down. 

• Then: Congress is, once again, deadlocked over whether to pass another Coronavirus relief bill. We’ll explain the holdup.

• Quickly: Some major companies (think: Airbnb and Doordash) are going public. If that has you wondering WTF is an IPO… we’ll break it down in 60 seconds. 

• ICYMI: It’s been a historic week in the fight against COVID-19. But approving a vaccine and successfully “rolling one out” aren’t the same thing. We’ll tell you what challenges lie ahead. 

• Finally: We’ve got some advice on how to limit your COVID-19 exposure risk if you’re getting into an Uber or Lyft. Pro tip: roll down multiple windows. 

On this episode, you’ll hear from: 

• Elaine Kamarck, senior fellow in governance studies, Brookings Institution

• Wendy Zukerman, host, “Science Vs.” (a podcast from Gimlet, a Spotify Studio)

• Kenny Breuer, professor of engineering, Brown University

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Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Justine Davie, and Luke Vargas. With additional support from Peter Bonaventure and Ciara Long.