Morning Wire XX
[0] With ongoing questions about the effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines over time, newly released data shed some new light on their longevity.
[1] We'll look at the studies and how they're shaping views about the use of the vaccines.
[2] I'm John Bickley with Georgia Howell.
[3] It's Friday, November 12th, and this is Morning Wire.
[4] The Great Resignation continues in America.
[5] With more than 5 million people still out of the labor force, an interesting trend has emerged.
[6] Older Americans are quitting their job.
[7] jobs and not claiming Social Security benefits.
[8] What's causing these seniors to leave the workforce, and how are they paying their bills?
[9] And the humanitarian crisis continues in Afghanistan, where Americans and American allies are still trapped in the country.
[10] With the onset of winter threatening to heighten the crisis, experts are warning about a looming catastrophe.
[11] The next six months are going to be catastrophic.
[12] It is going to be hell on earth.
[13] We'll look at the growing concerns over famine and starvation in the Taliban -controlled Afghanistan.
[14] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[15] Stay tuned.
[16] We have the news you need to know.
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[26] New data about the effectiveness of the COVID -19 vaccines has experts weighing the benefits of boosters, especially as other treatments become available around the world.
[27] Here with the latest studies about long -term vaccine effectiveness and what it could mean going forward is Daily Wire's Charlotte Pence Bond.
[28] So Charlotte, what's this new information we're seeing?
[29] Hi, Georgia.
[30] So first off, the good news for people who got the shots, both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines still appear to be extremely protective against the worst effects of COVID for most people, even over time.
[31] For example, they remain very effective at preventing hospitalization, at least as far as has been studied.
[32] However, recent data has revealed that both vaccines seem to drop in their ability to protect against mild or asymptomatic cases over time.
[33] So the vaccine appears to be very effective at preventing severe COVID cases and a little less effective at preventing less severe cases.
[34] at least kind of over time.
[35] Correct.
[36] So tell us about that new data.
[37] Sure.
[38] So a study from England looked at the vaccine's effectiveness against the Delta variant over time.
[39] According to the New York Times, that study showed the Pfizer vaccine is around 90 % effective at preventing symptomatic infection two weeks after the second dose, but then drops to 70 % effective after about five months.
[40] The study didn't measure beyond that point, so we don't know whether it's protections level out or continue to drop.
[41] Keep in mind, symptomatic infection is basically any infection that has symptoms, even if they're mild.
[42] The same study also showed that the Moderna vaccine's protectiveness goes down over time as well, but less dramatically.
[43] Studies in the U .S. and Canada also looked at the effectiveness of both vaccines and blocking severe infection from the Delta variant, and both studies showed that both Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines are very effective at preventing people from acquiring hospitalization, although the amount of protection did decline over time, though not as much.
[44] For example, studies from the U .K. and Canada showed Pfizer was still at least 90 % effective at preventing hospitalization at five months.
[45] There wasn't data for that same time range for Moderna.
[46] Lastly, studies from the U .S. and Canada show that both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines decreased in effectiveness against any degree of infection, including asymptomatic infection.
[47] Again, that's over time.
[48] A U .S. study showed the Pfizer vaccine was a little over 50 % effective at about five months, whereas a Canadian study show the Moderna vaccine remained about 75 % at about six months.
[49] So basically, vaccinated people may become significantly more susceptible to asymptomatic infection as time goes on, potentially more so with Pfizer than Moderna.
[50] Two of the studies I mentioned were not yet peer reviewed.
[51] Only one was published, but experts say the research shows consistent trends.
[52] Okay, so the vaccines appear to be pretty effective against hospitalizations and more of a mixed bag in terms of asymptomatic infection after around that five to six month mark.
[53] That's right.
[54] And what do these studies mean in terms of boosters and who is recommended to get one?
[55] According to experts at John Hopkins, a seniors over 65 and people with certain conditions are good candidates for a booster, partly because they're more likely to be hospitalized and because they were among the first to be vaccinated over six months ago.
[56] Right now, adults 65 and older who got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine are eligible to get a booster six months after their second dose, as well as high -risk adults.
[57] If an adult got the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, they can get a booster shot after two months.
[58] This week, Pfizer and Biointech actually requested that the FDA approved the boosters for all adults, but specialists are still split on that.
[59] Regardless, it will be interesting to watch as more longitudinal data emerges about these vaccines and how that information affects people's willingness to get a booster shot or look into other treatment options.
[60] And I think there's a lot of unvaccinated people who are also watching some of the long -term data too.
[61] And this might help some of them make a more confident decision.
[62] Charlotte, thanks for reporting.
[63] Thanks for having me. That's DailyWire's Charlotte Penn Spond.
[64] Coming up, the Great Resignation continues.
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[69] Since the onset of the COVID -19 pandemic, a growing number of senior citizens have retired without claiming social security.
[70] Why are older Americans joining the so -called Great Resignation and how are they making Inns meet?
[71] Here to answer these questions is Daily Wire reporter Ben Johnson.
[72] Welcome to the program, Ben.
[73] Thanks for having me, John.
[74] So Ben, more Americans are quitting their jobs and some older people are part of that trend, but can you accept it?
[75] explain why senior citizens are not claiming social security benefits?
[76] Well, it's a complicated picture.
[77] Government statistics show that roughly twice as many Americans retired in the last fiscal year than would have retired in a normal year.
[78] But when you break down the figures, something unusual emerges.
[79] The number of Americans who were at least 65 years old and who retired rose by about 5 % last year.
[80] But during the same time, the number of people in the same age bracket who claimed Social Security benefits fell by 5%.
[81] So it's pretty clear senior citizens are dropping out of the workforce without signing up for Social Security.
[82] Of course, it's in most people's financial interest to put off claiming Social Security for as long as possible.
[83] People qualify for their full monthly benefit anywhere from 65 to 67 years old, depending on when you were born.
[84] You can begin collecting Social Security at age 62, but you would only get 75 % of your benefit for the rest of your life.
[85] On the other hand, if you delay retiring until age 70, you can get up to 132 % of your full monthly.
[86] benefit.
[87] So the longer you can wait to file for Social Security, the larger the benefit you'll receive every month, even more than 100 % of benefits.
[88] Right.
[89] But how are retirees managing to survive without a job and without benefits?
[90] Almost all of the economic developments of the last year benefits senior citizens.
[91] The stock markets continue to rise, which has led to an historic increase in the value of retirement accounts.
[92] The number of 401k's worth a million dollars is nearly doubled since last year, and million -dollar IRAs increased by 60%.
[93] That means older Americans who invested the longest can draw on those funds earlier than they anticipated.
[94] Others are taking advantage of a booming real estate market.
[95] A company that measures market values called CoreLogic found that home prices have increased 18 % since last August.
[96] That's the largest jump the company has seen in 45 years.
[97] So some retirees are downsizing, selling off their houses, and living off the proceeds.
[98] and, of course, older Americans are more likely to be married, so some couples have found that they can live comfortably on one income.
[99] It makes sense.
[100] In the end, is it actually better to put off enrolling in Social Security?
[101] Well, every situation's unique and people should consult with qualified financial advisors before making any decision.
[102] But retirees can only maximize their Social Security check if the Social Security system is fully solvent, and there's bad news there.
[103] The agency's 2021 report projected that Social Security will, be insolvent in 233.
[104] That's a year earlier than previously expected.
[105] At that time, the program would only have enough cash on hand to pay 76 % of benefit claims.
[106] That means the average social security check would fall by almost $400 a month.
[107] 400 a month, they could be in for a rude awakening.
[108] Thanks, Ben.
[109] Anytime.
[110] That's Ben Johnson of the Daily Wire.
[111] With winter quickly approaching, experts are warning of a looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, all while the number of Green card holders stranded in the country remains unclear.
[112] Here to tell us more as DailyWire's Ian Howarth.
[113] Ian, what are the latest developments?
[114] Well, it's been a few months now since the disastrous U .S. withdrawal from Afghanistan handed power back to the Taliban after 20 years.
[115] While the Biden administration and the vast majority of the media have moved on, the consequences of this withdrawal continue to be real for people stuck in Afghanistan as each day goes on.
[116] First, it's being reported that there are as many as 14 ,000 legal permanent residents, still in Afghanistan, which plays into the change in strategy by the Biden administration during the withdrawal to stop talking about green card holders entirely.
[117] Republican Representative Chris Smith asked the Deputy Secretary of State for management resources about the number of people left behind, and the answer was basically, we don't really know.
[118] And then there's the situation Afghan citizens are in.
[119] Not only have we seen the predictable return of radical Islamic control over daily life and dire economic conditions, Afghans are now facing the prospect of an oncoming winter.
[120] Some areas are reporting drought, and if the winter is as bad as some experts are predicting, like David Beasley, who's head of the UN's World Food Program, it looks like we're on the edge of a massive humanitarian disaster, riddled with hunger and famine.
[121] It is as bad as you possibly can imagine.
[122] In fact, we're now looking at the worst humanitarian crisis on Earth.
[123] 95 % of the people don't have enough food, and now we're looking at 23 million people marching towards starvation.
[124] out of that, almost nine million are knocking on Thamman's door.
[125] The winter months are coming.
[126] We're coming out of a drought.
[127] The next six months are going to be catastrophic.
[128] It is going to be hell on earth.
[129] And we're also seeing more reports about sex slavery in Afghanistan, correct?
[130] Yeah, last week, CNN reported that there were multiple cases of young girls being sold into sex slavery.
[131] One case involved a nine -year -old girl who was sold to a 55 -year -old man. Her father said that they had to sell her to keep other family members alive, and another case involved a 10 -year -old girl who was sold to a 70 -year -old ban.
[132] Has the Biden administration proposed any solution to these crises?
[133] Given the complete military withdrawal, really the only option that remains is to send money, with the U .S. announcing that they would be sending more than $144 million in aid, and this brings the total U .S. aid in the region to nearly half a billion dollars in 2021 alone.
[134] But again, the Taliban controls the country, and so there are legitimate concerns that this money will just be intercepted.
[135] There are even reports that Taliban is doing as much as stopping female aid workers from reaching families who are desperately in need of their help.
[136] So with the weather getting worse, this seems like just the beginning for the people of Afghanistan and the green card holders who remain who have been left to the mercy of the Taliban.
[137] Yeah, clearly the situation in Afghanistan isn't getting better since the withdrawal.
[138] No, it's definitely not.
[139] Thanks for the reporting, Ian.
[140] Absolutely.
[141] That was Daily Wires, Ian Howarth.
[142] Other stories we're tracking this week.
[143] Don Lemon of CNN sent a legal letter to former NBC host Megan Kelly, accusing Kelly of allowing listeners to hear a, quote, lopsided and inaccurate account of events occurring between Lemon and a man named Dustin Heise.
[144] Heise, who has previously made sexual harassment allegations against Lemon, joined Kelly on her radio show, where he recounted his version of events relating to the incident.
[145] Lemon's lawyer is accusing Kelly of failing to push back on Heise's claims, due to, quote, a vendetta Kelly allegedly has against Lemon.
[146] And a group of Loudoun County parents have gathered the required number of signatures to file a petition for the removal of the Loudoun County School Board chairwoman and to begin legal challenges to remove three other members of the board.
[147] The group cites the, quote, complete breakdown in trust between the community and the school board and its failure to keep our children safe.
[148] The action against the school board follows exclusive Daily Wire reporting, which exposed a sexual assault case in a girl's school bathroom that prompted widespread criticism of the district's handling of the case.
[149] Parents have also protested radical ideological teaching in the district.
[150] If you like this episode and are interested in hearing more, subscribe to Morning Wire on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening, and give us a five -star review.
[151] That's all the time we've got this morning.
[152] Thanks for waking up with us.
[153] We'll be back tomorrow with the news you, need to know.
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