Philadelphia, PA

The Philly Four: FDA approves COVID pills, Shapiro dunks on Simmons in new ad

Sam Britt

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Sam Britt/ News Break

Welcome to The Philly Four, a daily recap of four of the top stories from the Philadelphia area, covering everything from local government to the Phillies bullpen. A one-stop shop for the most important news bites in the City of Brotherly Love.

FDA authorizing COVID-19 pills

  • The Food and Drug Administration authorized Merck and Pfizer's COVID-19 pills this week. Pfizer's pill was significantly more effective at stopping hospitalization and death in testing than Merck's and also had less severe side effects. Merck's pill will be used by adults who are in the early stages of COVID-19 and carry a high risk of hospitalization.

Group of suspects who carjacked U.S. Rep. arrested

  • Five people were arrested in connection to the carjacking of U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon on Wednesday. Her car was located 45 miles away in Newark, Delaware as well. Scanlon was held at gunpoint around 2 p.m. near FDR Park and was forced to hand over the keys to her car. Two armed men jumped in and drove off with a separate SUV following close behind.

Eagles head coach contracts COVID

  • Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni tested positive for COVID-19 and has entered the NFL's health and safety protocols. Sirianni is currently quarantining in a hotel and video conferencing into team meetings. He said he hopes to be cleared by Sunday's matchup with the New York Giants but if he is unable to passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo will take over.

Ben Simmons trolled in campaign ad

  • Former Philadelphia 76ers announcer Marc Zumoff teamed up with 2022 gubernatorial candidate current Attorney General Josh Shapiro to poke fun at disgruntled All-Star point guard Ben Simmons. Zumoff announces at the beginning of the ad that "We are hearing a lot of talk from the Sixers about trading for a new All-Star guard who can make free throws down the stretch. Josh Shapiro is at the top of their list." In the background, Shapiro shoots free throws in an empty gym.

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# COVID# Pfizer# Carjacking# Ben Simmons# Sirianni

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Journalist covering all Philadelphia area news, from last Sunday's Eagles game to the latest from City Hall. For weekly recaps of the news you missed please check out the Philly JAWN newsletter, available at https://newsletter.newsbreakapp.com/

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