WTF Just Happened Today

Friday, December 18, 2020

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1/ Congress plans to try and pass a two-day government funding extension in order to avoid a government shutdown after midnight as lawmakers struggle to finalize a $900 billion coronavirus relief package. The relief proposal is expected to include $600 direct payments for American families and children – half the stimulus checks issued last spring – $325 billion for small businesses, and $300 in enhanced weekly unemployment benefits, along with billions of dollars for small businesses, vaccine distribution, and schools. White House aides intervened and talked Trump out of calling for “at least” $1,200 in stimulus payments per person. Instead, Trump said that “stimulus talks [are] looking very good.” Meanwhile, Democrats accused Republicans of trying to “sabotage” Biden’s ability to lead an economic recovery after he takes office by cutting off the Federal Reserve’s emergency lending powers created by the CARES Act to protect the economy. [Editor’s note: FYI this entire blurb could be old news by the time you read this.] (CNBC / NBC News / CNN / Washington Post / New York Times / Politico / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post)

• ???? Dept. of “We Have It Totally Under Control.”

• Global: Total confirmed cases: ~75,439,000; deaths: ~1,671,000

• U.S.: Total confirmed cases: ~17,376,000; deaths: ~313,000

• Source: Johns Hopkins University

• Live Blogs: New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / CNBC / The Guardian / ABC News / CNN / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg

2/ Biden’s team of medical advisers warned that getting the coronavirus vaccine to every American could take six months or longer. One physician close to the transition speculated that it might not be until late summer or early fall before the vaccine begins to be widely available to the general public. Trump administration officials, howeve...

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