Daily Briefing July 13: The eagle lands; wonders of 4th COVID vaccine - and broccoli

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

United States correspondent Jacob Magid and health reporter Nathan Jeffay join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today’s episode.

US President Joe Biden is in Israel through Friday. Magid speaks to us about some last-minute housekeeping Israel has been doing to reduce potential friction.

One of the stops on Biden’s itinerary is a rare evening appearance at the opening ceremonies of the Maccabiah games. Some 10,000 Jewish athletes and support staff have arrived in the Holy Land to participate in a variety of sporting events over the next three weeks. What’s Biden’s role here?

Undoubtedly, the question on everyone’s mind is whether the trip will result in an expansion of the Abraham Accords to Saudi Arabia. Is this just media hype, or a realistic goal?

Jeffay updates us on a major study that shows that fourth COVID-19 vaccine shots have provided a 72 percent reduction in death rates among the most vulnerable Israelis.

In light of a successful vaccination campaign for polio boosters over the past few months, the Health Ministry said it would stop administering the vaccine to children over the age of six. Jeffay explains this change of policy.

Jeffay reports on Diindolylmethane (DIM), a chemical found in broccoli and cauliflower that could be used to speed up the healing of skin wounds.

And finally, in a promising super-preliminary study, scientists measure whether coma patients are processing relatives’ voices and other sounds around them.