Pfizer and BioNTech will provide the US with an additional 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccine by mid-summer. / The Guardian

The Chilean army reports 36 cases of the coronavirus at its research station on the Antarctic Peninsula. / BBC News

Why are Americans so numb to the coronavirus death toll? Blame unfathomable numbers, hidden suffering, feeling overwhelmed. / The Washington Post

There is an argument for vaccinating (and charging) the wealthy first: so we can use the proceeds to fund a broader effort to vaccinate everybody else. / STAT

President Trump wants Congress to approve $2,000 stimulus checks, suggesting he won’t sign the relief bill without changes. / The Washington Post

Trump begins his pre-departure pardons, rewarding friends, political allies, and war criminals. / The Week

“If you elect a corrupt man as President of the United States, you get corruption—and lots of it." / CBS News

A new study finds that the economic damage from the pandemic could have been much less severe if the public were exposed to less sensational, distorting media. / Brookings

Microplastic particles have been revealed in the placentas of unborn babies for the first time. / The Guardian

Stunning photographs from the 1920s of the sun rising and setting over Greenland. / Flashbak

See also: A 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 coupe with nero exterior over green leather. / Uncrate

A video explains how to construct a fashionable insulated bag to tote your yukidaruma (snowpal, in Japanese). / The Morning News

A short meditation for the Winter Solstice about faith, by John Horgan. / Scientific American

Unrelated: Thirteen minutes of “cringy influencers caught in the wild” around Los Angeles, and “Kim Kardashian and the Year of Unchecked Privilege-Checking.” / YouTube, The New Yorker

A spoofing mystery is roiling international publishing, with someone stealing unpublished literary fiction. / The New York Times

David Sedaris explains why he hates much of his early writing, including the work (“The Santaland Diaries”) that made him famous. / Open Culture

Twelve Christmas songs where the “soul” version is the superior version. / The Root

Headline of the week? "Santa Claus got run over by a power line in Sacramento." / The Los Angeles Times