| Good morning. It's Thursday, Dec. 23, and we're off tomorrow to celebrate the holidays. We'll see you back here on Monday for the last week of 2021. Okay, on to today's briefing. |
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| The FDA authorized the first easy-to-take covid-19 pill. - What does it do? Pfizer's five-day treatment can reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% when given within three days of symptoms appearing.
- One complication: The pills are difficult and time-consuming to make, so there may not be enough supply to keep up with demand at first.
- Coming today: A similar treatment from Merck is also expected to be authorized.
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| South Africa's huge omicron wave appears to be easing. - In less than a month, the country's outbreak has gone from a near-vertical rise to a similar fall.
- Why? The quick peaking could be due to the population having a stronger antibody response: More than 70% of South Africans have been infected by previous variants.
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| Student loan payments will stay paused until May. - The suspension, which started in March 2020, was supposed to lift in a little over a month.
- Why was it extended? President Biden said it was necessary to help people economically impacted by the pandemic. He had been facing pressure from activists.
- The move will help 41 million borrowers save $5 billion per month.
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| Some colleges are planning to start January remote. - Why? The rapid spread of the omicron variant has students and faculty concerned about the upcoming term.
- Growing concern: Online petitions have popped up asking schools to provide more testing and a virtual option. But students sick of remote learning and isolation are pushing back.
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| House panel wants to talk to Rep. Jim Jordan about contact with Donald Trump. - Why? The Republican congressman from Ohio has given conflicting answers about his communications with the president during the Jan. 6 attack.
- Who else? The committee investigating the riot is seeking similar information from Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.).
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| In Mexico, fertilizer used by farmers is fueling climate change. - Farmers for years have over-fertilized their fields with nitrogen, which produces massive amounts of nitrous oxide, a dangerous greenhouse gas.
- The impact: The amount of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere is growing rapidly.
- The problem: Mexico's emissions may be double or even quadruple what the country reports.
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| NASA's new space telescope is finally set to launch. - The $10 billion project, meant to replace the Hubble, is so sensitive it can study the oldest light of the universe. It would orbit the sun roughly 1 million miles from Earth.
- When: It's set to take off Saturday — Christmas Day — at 7:20 a.m. Eastern time, from French Guiana in South America.
- What could go wrong? A lot. There are 344 potential "single-point failures," so NASA scientists are feeling hopeful but realistic about its chances.
You're all caught up. See you Monday. But before you go … everyone has the same Christmas songs on repeat each year: This explains why. Plus, this heartwarming story: A man strung Christmas lights to his neighbor's house to support her. The whole community followed. Want to catch up quickly with "The 7" every morning? Download The Post's app and turn on alert notifications for The 7 or sign up for the newsletter.  (Jordan Robertson for The Post) | Do you know someone who would like this newsletter? Share it with them. Prefer push notifications? Download The Post's app to get one when The 7 publishes. |
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