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1. Stimulus
President-elect Joe Biden has unveiled a $ 1.9 trillion proposal to boost the US economy and help those fighting the pandemic. Called the US Rescue Plan, it includes enhanced stimulus controls, increased unemployment benefits, an evacuation moratorium and more assistance for small businesses, states and schools. The detailed plan will be one of the first tests of Biden’s power. Conservatives are likely to fall short of its cost, especially as Biden plans to unveil a subsequent recovery plan, which will include billions in spending. But Biden’s more progressive colleagues are likely to keep up the pressure on higher spending and large-scale aid.
2. Coronavirus
By the time Biden takes office as president next week, 400,000 people across the country could be dead from Covid-19, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some hospital systems are now completely overwhelmed, and health workers are struggling to find places to store remains and beg their communities to stay home to stop the influx of patients and the growing number of deaths. In the UK, hospitals are so packed that nearby hotels are turning floors into Covid-19 recovery wards. The United Kingdom has also banned arrivals from some Latin American and Portuguese countries following reports of a new variant of coronavirus in Brazil.
3. The Revolt of the Chapter
“FBI agents are coming to find you.” This is the message that FBI Director Chris Wray sent yesterday to the violent insurgents in the Capitol. The Justice Department announced about 10 new charges in connection with last week’s riot, including two people allegedly injuring police officers and a man who shocked many by carrying a Confederate flag inside the Chapter. Police officers at the scene of the violation of the Chapter shared terrible reports of violence. One of them said that the rebels took his weapon and shouted: “Kill him with your own weapon”. After that, some members of Congress said they had received threats and fear for their lives. At the Department of Defense, long-standing efforts to eliminate extremism among military members have taken on a new urgency after it became clear that veterans were involved in last week’s violence.
4. Federal execution
Another federal prisoner sentenced to death was executed yesterday after the Supreme Court rejected his legal team’s last effort to suspend execution. Lawyer Corey Johnson claimed that he has an intellectual disability and that his execution while recovering from Covid-19 would mean a cruel and unusual punishment. Johnson was sentenced to death after being convicted of killing seven people in 1992 as part of drug trafficking in Virginia. As Biden prepares to step down, dozens of members of Congress are pushing for the abolition of the death penalty in all jurisdictions. Biden himself has pledged to abolish the federal death penalty, which has been renewed in practice by the Trump administration. Another person, Dustin Higgs, is scheduled to be executed during Trump’s presidency. Higgs’ execution is set for today.
5. Belgium
Violent protests erupted yesterday in the Belgian capital Brussels, over the death of a man in police custody. The Brussels prosecutor’s office says it has opened an investigation into “involuntary manslaughter” after a 23-year-old man lost consciousness at a police station shortly after his arrest. He later died at a hospital. The cause of the man’s death is unclear. His family was told he had a “heart abnormality” but that the condition would not be the only cause of death. Toxicology reports also did not reveal anything to explain the death. Some protesters wore Black Lives Matter signs and shouted, “We want the truth.” About 100 people were arrested during the demonstrations.
ANSWER TO BREAKFAST
The Jacksonville Jaguars are hiring Urban Meyer as head coach
Further known as the Jacksonville Jaguars.
A Dolly Parton statue can be erected at the Tennessee Capitol
It would be a source of inspiration for all those moments when you encounter a glamorous problem and think, “What would Dolly do?”
Patrick Dempsey details the sequel to “Enchanted”
The details don’t matter, you just give them to us. Give it to us now!
Electric eels hunt in packets, research reveals
“Alexa adds, ‘Being chased by a pack of electric eels,’ on my list of irrational fears.”
The number of new skyscrapers has fallen as the pandemic slows
Too bad, because it seems to be wonderful social distance.
THIS ONLY IN …
North Korea has submarine missiles
Pyongyang during a military parade unveiled a new ballistic missile launched by the submarine. The North Korean news agency considered the missile “the most powerful weapon in the world.” Leader Kim Jong Un likes to show or discuss his country’s weapons – as a show of strength or as a threat.
TODAY’S NUMBER
9
This is the number of Chinese companies that the US Department of Defense has added to a list of companies that the agency claims are owned or controlled by the Chinese military. Listed companies are subject to severe restrictions, including a ban on US investment. This latest round of companies includes smartphone maker Xiaomi.
TODAY’S PRESENT
“I didn’t want to be the next George Floyd.”
Jacob Blake, the black man who was shot and seriously injured in August by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Blake was paralyzed from the waist down after the meeting, and the incident sparked widespread protests. Blake described the ordeal during his first shooting interview with “Good Morning America.”
TODAY’S WEATHER
Check the local forecast here >>>
AND FINALLY
Do you ever want to …
It `s Friday! It’s time for a well-deserved nap. (Click here to view.)