QUICK HITS

1 Pfizer, Biontech COVID-FLU shot shows ‘robust’ immune response:

A combination vaccine designed to fight influenza and COVID-19 developed by Pfizer Inc. and Biontech SE was effective against strains of both viruses in an earlystage study, the drugmakers said Thursday. The companies, which said the results showed “robust immune responses,” will start testing the MRNA shot in a Phase 3 trial in the coming months, bringing the vaccine one step closer to the market.

2 With map redrawn favoring GOP, North Carolina Democratic U.S. Rep. Jackson to run for attorney general:

Democratic U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson of North Carolina announced a 2024 bid for state attorney general on Thursday, one day after the Republicancontrolled legislature approved a new congressional map for the state that would now situate him in a heavily GOP district. Jackson, a former local prosecutor, had in 2022 won an open U.S. House seat in a district in and around Charlotte that favored a Democrat.

3 Meta will ignore ethics board’s advice on restricting drug posts:

Meta Platforms Inc., the owner of Facebook and Instagram, will ignore some of its ethics watchdog’s advice to tighten up its oversight of drug-related posts, in a decision with widespread ramifications for how people learn about psychedelic drugs. The Oversight Board’s guidance on drugs stems from a 2022 post tagged to a “paid partner” that described a ketamine treatment as a “medicine” and a “magical entry into another dimension.”

4 Driver of NYPD tow truck hits, kills boy:

A 7-year-old boy was killed in Brooklyn on Thursday morning when the driver of a New York Police Department tow truck hit him while he was crossing the street, police said. The collision occurred when the boy and his mother were in a crosswalk on Myrtle Avenue, police said.

5 Canada’s Supreme Court to be majority women for first time:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to make Canada’s nine-seat Supreme Court a majority of women for the first time in its history, going back nearly 150 years. Trudeau announced on Thursday that Mary Moreau, a judge based in the western province of Alberta, will join the court. Moreau’s appointment will give the court five female judges and four male judges.