The U.S. is seeing record hospitalizations for COVID-19, and health experts fear more surges are on the way as people return home from Thanksgiving travel. Dr. Anthony Fauci warns that virus transmission will likely continue to rise as Americans "get into colder weather and an even larger holiday season."

 

by Korva Coleman and Jill Hudson First Up Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images Here's what we're following today. Biotech company Moderna has new data reinforcing that its COVID-19 inoculation is safe and effective. The company is submitting an application to the FDA on Monday requesting emergency use authorization. President-elect Joe Biden on Sunday named seven women to key communications roles in his incoming White House. His transition team says it's the first time in history that the positions will be filled entirely by women. The U.S. is seeing record hospitalizations for COVID-19, and health experts fear more surges are on the way as people return home from Thanksgiving travel. Dr. Anthony Fauci warns that virus transmission will likely continue to rise as Americans "get into colder weather and an even larger holiday season." Iran is vowing to retaliate for last week’s killing of a top nuclear scientist near Tehran. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was among several people killed in what Iranian leaders described as an ambush. They’re blaming Israel, which has been silent.  Newsletter continues after sponsor message Elections 2020 Marcus Marritt for NPR After a highly fraught but largely interference-free election, there are big questions for the future of election security. Here are some of the unresolved issues as the clock begins to tick toward Americans voting again in large numbers, including in important U.S. Senate runoff elections early next year in Georgia. A partial recount in Wisconsin concluded Sunday with President-elect Joe Biden's winning margin over President Trump increasing by 87 total votes. Another Republican effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election has been stopped, this time by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which on Saturday rejected a request that some 2.5 million mail-in ballots in the state be thrown out. Just 10 days after closing New York City's schools because of rising coronavirus cases, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday that the nation's largest school district will begin a phased reopening next week. Today's Listens J. Scott Applewhite/AP Even as the Trump administration is heading out the door, President Trump is trying to exclude undocumented immigrants from the decennial census. If he succeeds, it will be the first time unauthorized immigrants will not be counted for purposes of drawing new congressional districts. Click here to listen or read the story. It's been 75 years since the end of World War II. And in the Philippines, victims are still haunted by an atrocity — the sexual enslavement of women by Japanese forces occupying the country. Some 40 of those women are still alive, including one who still struggles to win recognition and reparations. Listen here.  Before You Go Thierry Zoccolan/AFP via Getty Images David Prowse, the British weightlifting champion and man behind the Darth Vader mask, has died. He was 85. Leopoldo Luque, the neurosurgeon of former soccer star Diego Maradona, is being investigated by Argentine prosecutors after questions over Maradona's death were raised. Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean struck a barrier during a race in Bahrain on Sunday. His car split in half and was engulfed in a fireball, but Grosjean emerged from the flames without life-threatening injuries. A new safety bar that surrounds the driver’s head, called a halo, may have helped save his life.  Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from Illinois Public Media - WILL (edit station). Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Music, Politics, Health and more!