This article is part of the Debatable newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The drugmakers Moderna and Pfizer buoyed hopes for an end to the coronavirus pandemic when they announced this month that their vaccines were 94.5 percent (Moderna) and 90 percent (Pfizer) effective at preventing Covid-19, based […]

People line up for unproven vaccines in China. By Melina Delkic Good morning. We’re covering Beijing’s campaign to inoculate widely with an unvetted vaccine, Trump’s request for options to strike Iran and “Harry Potter” escapism on TikTok. A scramble for unproven vaccines in China Though China’s vaccine candidates have not formally been proved safe or […]

‘Impressive’ results from Moderna’s vaccine trials. By Natasha Frost Good morning. We’re covering Moderna’s vaccine success, trouble for the European Union’s budget and monstrous robotic wolves on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. Moderna’s vaccine shows success in trials The drugmaker Moderna announced on Monday that its coronavirus vaccine was 94.5 percent effective, based on an […]

The 2020 election is over. And the big winners were the coronavirus and, quite possibly, catastrophic climate change. OK, democracy also won, at least for now. By defeating Donald Trump, Joe Biden pulled us back from the brink of authoritarian rule. But Trump paid less of a penalty than expected for his deadly failure to […]

American presidents traditionally have the most leeway in the realm of foreign policy. President-elect Joe Biden’s hand when it comes to China policy, however, will be constrained by both internal and external forces. Expect the Biden administration to take on a more confrontational approach with China than seen during the Barack Obama years when Mr […]

China and 14 other countries sign huge regional trade deal. By Carole Landry Good morning. We’re covering a new Asia-Pacific trade pact covering 2.2 billion people, a domestic abuse case in China that is prompting calls for action and the countdown to the SpaceX launch. New Asia-Pacific trade deal shows China’s clout China and 14 […]

China and 14 other countries sign huge regional trade deal. By Carole Landry Good morning. We’re covering a new Asia-Pacific trade pact covering 2.2 billion people, a domestic abuse case in China that is prompting calls for action and the countdown to the SpaceX launch. New Asia-Pacific trade deal shows China’s clout China and 14 […]

Ahhhhhh — you could almost feel the world collectively exhale a sigh of relief when Joe Biden was announced as president-elect last Saturday. Within seconds of the race being called, a crowd gathered outside the White House at Black Lives Matter Plaza and erupted into cheers. People were literally dancing in the streets, with champagne […]

College sports has a lot of hypocrisy. I believe it’s time for the N.C.A.A. to stop pretending that education is its top priority and pay college athletes. Universities are supposed to be educational institutions, but for too many of them their self-worth is tied to winning. When you win, you make more TV money. The […]

During the months that Joe Biden and President Trump were campaigning against each other, vast sections of the American West caught on fire. More than five million acres burned, and the air in California, Oregon and Washington was sometimes more harmful to breathe than in the pollution-clogged cities of India. In the Atlantic Ocean this […]