Axios PM: U.S. ahead of pace on vaccines

Plus: The TikTok effect | Thursday, March 04, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Amazon   Axios PM By Mike Allen ·Mar 04, 2021 Good afternoon: Today's PM — edited by Justin Green — is 387 words, a 1.5-minute read. ⚡️ Vice President Harris broke a Senate tie to proceed to debate on President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package, likely setting up a final vote this weekend. Go deeper.     1 big thing: U.S. ahead of pace on vaccines A health care worker administers a dose of the Moderna vaccine in Ruleville, Mississippi. Photo: Rory Doyle/Bloomberg via Getty Images   Closer to the goal: The U.S. is now vaccinating an average of 2 million people a day, up from 1.3 million in early February. Why it matters: That puts us on track to hit President Biden's goal of 100 million doses a month ahead of schedule. The big picture: "54 million people have received at least one dose," the N.Y. Times reports. Mega-sites and around-the-clock operations are kicking in: New York will open three mass vaccination sites tomorrow, and three more sites will go around-the-clock. Georgia is also preparing to open five sites in two weeks. FEMA has seven sites of its own in California, New York and Texas, the Times notes, with more on the way. What's next: Parents with children and younger teens are anxious to know when they can all get vaccinated — but the reality is that they may not be able to get their whole family protected for months, Axios managing editor David Nather tells me. Pfizer and Moderna both have completed enrollment for studies of children ages 12 and older, and they expect to release the data over the summer, the AP reports.     2. Chart du jour Data: EIA and FactSet; Chart: Axios Visuals Gas prices are hitting new post-pandemic highs across the country, but this isn't a story of America reopening. It's really just a function of the price of oil going up. Go deeper.     A message from Amazon How a $15/hr starting wage is benefiting Amazon employees     In 2018, Amazon raised their starting wage to $15/hr for all U.S. employees. That's made a huge difference for workers like Chatonn and their families – watch her story. Passing the Raise the Wage Act would help 32 million U.S. workers. It's the right thing to do.     3. Catch up quick West Virginia has no plans to lift its mask mandate, Gov. Jim Justice (R) told CNN. Square plans to acquire a majority stake in Tidal, the subscription music streaming service run by rap star Jay-Z. Go deeper. Scoop: Microsoft president Brad Smith will testify before a House antitrust subcommittee hearing next Friday about tech antitrust and the news media, Axios' Ashley Gold reports. Capitol Police asked the National Guard to stay for an extra 60 days due to ongoing security concerns and potential violence at the Capitol, AP notes.     4. 1 smile to go: The TikTok effect Photo: Axios alum Leigh Jarvey Oops: TikTok's feta pasta created so much demand that some cheese suppliers are running dry. Feta was the top search term on Instacart in mid-February, the N.Y. Times reports. Harris Teeter and Kroger were among the grocers hit by shortages. What's next: "[B]aked oat cake and do-it-yourself vegan chicken."     A message from Amazon Why Amazon supports a $15 minimum wage     The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25/hour since 2009. For millions of workers, that's 12 years without a wage increase. Amazon saw the need to do more—and established a $15/hour starting wage in 2018 for all their U.S. employees. That's why they support the Raise the Wage Act.     Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: