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Trump calls GOP Sen. Mitt Romney a "pompous ass"

Photos: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images and Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

President Trump referred to Mitt Romney as a "pompous ass" on Saturday in response to the Republican senator's criticism of Trump for his "brazen and unprecedented appeal to China and to Ukraine" to investigate the Bidens.

Why it matters: Romney, who criticized the Trump-Ukraine allegations after reading the whistleblower complaint, is one of the first Republican senators to denounce Trump's calls for China or Ukraine to investigate one of his top 2020 rivals.

Background: Trump told reporters this week that China should launch an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden, though he noted he hasn't yet asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to do so. Trump argued on Saturday that his previous statement "pertained to corruption, not politics."

  • Trump is currently facing a House impeachment inquiry following a whistleblower complaint that alleges the president used "the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 election."
  • Officials named in the whistleblower complaint drafted a statement in August committing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the Ukrainian energy company for which Hunter Biden previously served on the board.

Go deeper ... Senate's new maverick Republican: Mitt Romney and the whistleblower complaint

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Axios
13 mins ago - Health

Moderna to file for FDA emergency use authorization for COVID-19 vaccine

Photo illustration by STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Moderna announced that it plans to file with the FDA Monday for an emergency use authorization for its coronavirus vaccine, which the company said has an efficacy rate of 94.1%.

Why it matters: Moderna will become the second company to file for a vaccine EUA after Pfizer did the same earlier this month, potentially paving the way for the U.S. to have two COVID-19 vaccines in distribution by the end of the year. The company said its vaccine has a 100% efficacy rate against severe COVID cases.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Scott Rosenberg
2 hours ago - Technology

The social media addiction bubble

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

Right now, everyone from Senate leaders to the makers of Netflix's popular "Social Dilemma" is promoting the idea that Facebook is addictive.

Yes, but: Human beings have raised fears about the addictive nature of every new media technology since the 18th century brought us the novel, yet the species has always seemed to recover its balance once the initial infatuation wears off.

Go deeper (3 min. read)Arrow
Marisa Fernandez
2 hours ago - Health

Young people's next big COVID test

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Young, healthy people will be at the back of the line for coronavirus vaccines, and they'll have to maintain their sense of urgency as they wait their turn — otherwise, vaccinations won't be as effective in bringing the pandemic to a close.

The big picture: "It’s great young people are anticipating the vaccine," said Jewel Mullen, associate dean for health equity at the University of Texas. But the prospect of that enthusiasm waning is "a cause for concern," she said.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow