Pfizer says the third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine may protect against the omicron variant. Americans are still quitting jobs at a historical rate. And Tiger Woods will return to competition.
👋 It’s Julius, here with Wednesday’s news. 
But first, a flying giant. 😳 Researchers discovered how a prehistoric creature the size of a giraffe was able to fly.
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A third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine may protect against the omicron coronavirus variant. The companies said Wednesday that two doses of their vaccine may provide protection from severe disease but may not be sufficient to protect against infection with omicron, according to preliminary lab data. A third dose offers more robust protection, providing a level of neutralizing antibodies against omicron similar to the level observed after two doses against the original coronavirus and other variants. Scientists and health officials are still conducting studies to learn more about omicron, and early information indicates it could be more contagious, but perhaps less dangerous, than previous variants such as delta.
Job openings in the U.S. approached record levels in October while the number of people quitting eased off its record pace but remained historically high, the Labor Department said Wednesday. Employers posted 11 million job openings, up from 10.4 million the previous month and just below July’s record clip. Openings have topped 10 million for five straight months. The number of resignations fell from 4.4 million to 4.2 million, meaning 2.8% of workers voluntarily left their positions, typically to take another job. Before the pandemic, resignations hovered at about 3.5 million.
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Jurors were hearing opening statements Wednesday in the manslaughter trial of former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter, who shot Daunte Wright while yelling “Taser” in a Minneapolis suburb in April. Prosecutors say Potter was a veteran of Brooklyn Center Police who committed first- and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Wright, 20. “This case is about the defendant, Kim Potter, betraying her oath, betraying her badge, and betraying her trust,” prosecutor Erin Eldridge said in her opening statement. But in his opening statement, Potter’s defense attorney Paul Engh said Potter “made a mistake” and “she had to do what she had to do to prevent a death of a fellow officer.”
Leaders of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol said they would pursue a contempt citation for Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff for former President Donald Trump, and recommend possible criminal charges. Meadows, who defied a committee subpoena by refusing to testify Wednesday, became the third witness to tangle with the committee over subpoenas for documents and testimony. Political strategist Steve Bannon faces a trial on criminal contempt charges. The committee will meet again on Dec. 16 with former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark before deciding whether to pursue contempt charges against him.
Less than a year after a single-car accident almost required his leg to be amputated, Tiger Woods will tee it up alongside his son, Charlie, next week in the 2021 PNC Championship. The father-son event to be held at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, Dec. 16-19, has been holding a spot for Woods and his son, who stole the show at the 2020 event. The 15-time major champion has been teasing his return to the course for a few weeks now, most recently by rocking his Sunday red during a practice session during the final round of his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
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