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Pence receives COVID-19 vaccine, Walmart-TikTok partnership, 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom': 5 things to know Friday

Editors  |  Paste BN

Vice President Pence receives COVID-19 vaccine at White House

Vice President Mike Pence, the head of the White House's coronavirus task force, was vaccinated for COVID-19 on Friday morning.  The public vaccination at the White House was intended to build public confidence in the vaccine which was recently approved, according to the administration. "I look forward, in the days ahead, to receiving the vaccine myself and do so without hesitation," Pence said on Tuesday. Pence's wife, Karen, was also vaccinated as was Surgeon General Jerome Adams. The White House has not said when or whether President Donald Trump will be vaccinated. President-elect Joe Biden is expected to be vaccinated as soon as next week.

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Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller gets COVID-19 vaccine
Chris Miller, the acting Defense Secretary, got his COVID-19 vaccine at the Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
Paste BN, Storyful

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FDA poised to authorize Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine

Americans may soon have access to a second COVID-19 vaccine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to grant emergency authorization to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, a week after giving similar clearance to one made by Pfizer and its German collaborator, BioNTech. The independent Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee endorsed Moderna’s vaccine candidate Thursday, paving the way for a final decision by the FDA. If approved, doses could reach states as early as next week. The vaccine, according to a trial that included 30,000 volunteers, protected more than 94% of recipients from active disease, without causing major safety concerns. Unlike the Pfizer vaccine, the Moderna one will be approved for use only in adults.

Future of shopping? Walmart to begin selling on TikTok with livestream event

Walmart is betting TikTok isn't just for watching viral videos. Dubbed the "Holiday Shop-a-Long Spectacular," the retailer will have a first-of-its-kind "shoppable" livestream event on the popular app Friday (8 p.m. ET) with 10 popular TikTok creators. The social network, which is favored by young audiences and used by more than 100 million Americans, is in the process of reshuffling its U.S. operations. Earlier this month, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump's attempts to ban TikTok — both Walmart and Oracle would have a financial stake in the platform. "We want to reach our customers where they are and there are millions and millions of them on TikTok," William White, Walmart's U.S. chief marketing officer, told Paste BN. "We also want to shorten the distance between inspiration and purchase." 

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Walmart unveils new store design with self-checkout kiosks
Walmart says the new design will create a "seamless" omni shopping experience with more self-checkout kiosks and contactless payment options.
Paste BN

Chadwick Boseman’s final film, 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' out on Netflix

Streaming on Netflix Friday, period musical drama “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” is rollicking and heartbreaking in equal measure, from Viola Davis mightily singing the blues to a brilliant, shattering final performance from the late Chadwick Boseman. Tony Award-winning director George C. Wolfe’s cinematic adaptation of August Wilson’s 1982 play explores racial and sexual dynamics, though at its core it’s a struggle between a couple of very hard-nosed, yet talented musicians and all the others who get caught in their orbit. Boseman died in August after a private battle with colon cancer. He was 43. 

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Passages 2020: Remembering the stars we lost this year
Remembering the stars who passed in 2020, from lawmakers to scholars and entertainers.
Paste BN

Canelo-Golovkin 3? Road for possible trilogy starts Friday

Boxers Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin are forever linked. Two entertaining, world-class, highly controversial battles have made them the Sugar Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns of their era. A third battle, however appealing, is unlikely. But that hasn't stopped DAZN from doing the next best thing —  streaming their fights this weekend. On Friday, Golovkin will look for a record-breaking, 21st title defense when he takes on Kamil Szeremeta in a middleweight bout in Hollywood, Florida.Alvarez will fight Saturday, looking to begin unifying the super middleweight division when he takes on Callum Smith in San Antonio, Texas. Both fights will air on DAZN, which hopes to cash in with a $19.99 monthly subscription fee.

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