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1. Coronavirus
Today, a year ago, the first cases of a mysterious virus that would come to be known as Covid-19 were reported in Wuhan, China. Since then, 1.8 million people worldwide have lost their lives in the ensuing pandemic. The United States set another daily death record for Covid-19 yesterday and, by some estimates, another 80,000 people could die in the next three weeks due to the consequences of travel and vacation dates. Other countries like Germany are also reporting record deaths, and Japan is considering a state of emergency to contain the rising number of cases. In the US, the vaccine’s launch is delayed compared to other countries, leading to frustration and confusion in places like Florida, where unclear policies have led to a dispute over limited doses.
2. Transition to the White House
Republican Senator Josh Hawley says he will formally object to the results of the 2020 presidential election when Congress meets early next week to count the votes of the Electoral College. He is the first senator to announce plans to oppose the results, along with Republican Representative Mo Brooks. Their combined efforts will force the House and Senate to formally debate the issue, providing a platform for President Trump’s baseless conspiracy theories, claiming that the election was stolen from him. To be clear, the debate and the subsequent vote will not change the outcome of the election. But this will delay the results and create an ugly scenario for Republicans who will have to decide how long to tacitly entertain Trump’s false allegations of electoral fraud.
3. Stimulus
After rejecting a measure that would increase coronavirus stimulus payments from $ 600 to $ 2,000, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell attacked the House approved bill and said “there is no realistic way to pass quickly in the Senate. ” As part of the political maneuver, Senator Bernie Sanders vowed to postpone a vote to overturn Trump’s veto of the military financing bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act until the issue of increased stimulus payments is addressed. It seems increasingly likely that this session of Congress will end without any movement in increasing payments. In the meantime, $ 600 stimulus checks are already underway for some Americans. Oh, and the Census Bureau will miss today’s deadline for producing its final population count for 2020. The agency said it will deliver the final results soon.
4. Brexit
Speaking of deadlines, British lawmakers got a vote to support the UK’s post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union just before the Brexit transition period. The agreement preserves Britain’s tariff and quota free access to EU consumers and allows the UK to narrowly avoid the economic disaster that would have occurred if it had left the transition period without an agreement. The UK may enjoy a brief economic boost with the newfound security, but leaving the EU will still be damaging, economists say. Although the new agreement covers trade in goods, it does not fully cover other sectors essential to the UK economy, such as finance.
5. Yemen
At least 22 people died when a series of explosions hit Aden airport in Yemen. The attack came when members of a new power-sharing government arrived from Saudi Arabia. It is not clear whether the explosions were caused by missiles, but Saudi Arabia blamed Iran-backed Houthi rebels. A spokesman for the Saudi coalition in Yemen said the coalition intercepted and dropped an explosive-laden Houthi drone that was targeting the explosives. presidential palace in the city of Aden. Yemen has been plagued by a civil war of years, and newcomers are part of a new cabinet formed to end a power struggle between a Yemeni separatist group and its current Saudi-backed government.
BREAKFAST RESEARCH
The fascinating story behind the launch of the ball in Times Square
Did you know? The design of the ball was based on a “ball of time”, a nautical device that helped sailors to synchronize their onboard instruments.
See Boston Dynamics robots dancing ‘Do You Love Me’
No, no, we can’t think of robots as cute and charming! This is part of their master plan!
Apple and TikTok remove application used to organize parties during Covid-19
Don’t party (in real life) !!!
Mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn leads Anderson Cooper in meditation
Let Anderson drive you peacefully into the new year.
2020 was the year of scary bugs and 2021 will be even worse
Say to me again, for the last time: NO MORE SCARY BUGS 2020!
TODAY’S NUMBER
$ 10 million
That’s how much Ticketmaster will have to pay in fines after the company admits illegal access to its competitor’s computers.
TODAY’S QUOTES
“We know that a life has been interrupted tonight and that trust between communities of color and law enforcement authorities is fragile. Rebuilding that trust will depend on complete transparency.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Freyaddressing a fatal police shot on Wednesday night. The city’s chief of police said images of the body camera will be released today. The shooting scene is about a kilometer from where George Floyd died at the hands of the Minneapolis police in late May. His death, which was captured on video, sparked national demonstrations calling for racial justice and police accountability.
TODAY’S CLIMATE
Check your local forecast here >>>
AND FINALLY
If an old acquaintance is forgotten
You know the music. But do you really know what that means? Have a happy and safe New Year’s holiday everyone! (Click here to view.)