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Stimulus
President-elect Joe Biden has unveiled a $ 1.9 billion proposal to boost the US economy and help those struggling in the pandemic. Called the U.S. bailout plan, it includes tightened stimulus controls, improved unemployment assistance, an eviction 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 bear the cost, especially since Biden plans to launch a succession recovery plan that will include billions more in spending. But Biden’s more progressive colleagues are likely to keep up the pressure on more spending and wide-ranging assistance.
2. Coronavirus
By the next week that Biden is sworn in as president, 400,000 people across the country could be killed by Covid-19, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts. Some hospital systems are now completely overwhelmed and health care workers are scrambling to find places to store leftovers and begging their communities to stay home to stem the influx of patients and the rising death toll. In the UK, hospitals are so crowded that nearby hotels are changing floors in Covid-19 repair wards. The United Kingdom has also banned the arrival of some Latin American countries and Portugal following reports of a new coronavirus variant in Brazil.
3. Capitol riot
“FBI agents are coming to track you down.” This is the message that Chris Wray, director of the FBI, had yesterday for violent Capitol insurgents. The Justice Department announced about ten new charges in connection with the riot last week, including for two people who allegedly injured police officers and a man who was shocked by carrying a Confederate flag inside the Capitol. Police officers at the scene of the Capitol offense shared disturbing reports of the violence. One said rioters grabbed his weapon and shouted, “Kill him with his own gun.” In the aftermath, some members of Congress said they had received threats and fear for their lives. At the Department of Defense, years of efforts to eradicate 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 prison in the death row was executed yesterday after the Supreme Court denied the last attempt of his legal team to stop the execution. Attorneys for Corey Johnson argued that he had a mental disability and that the execution of him while recovering from Covid-19 would amount to cruel and unusual punishment. Johnson was sentenced to death after being convicted in 1992 of killing seven people as part of the Virginia drug trade. As Biden prepares to step in, dozens of members of Congress are urging the abolition of the death penalty in all jurisdictions. Biden himself undertook to abolish the federal death penalty, which in practice was renewed by the Trump administration. Another person, Dustin Higgs, is being executed during Trump’s presidency. Higgs’ execution is set for today.
5. Belgium
Violent protests erupted in the Belgian capital Brussels yesterday over the death of a man in police custody. The Brussels prosecutor’s office said it had launched an investigation into “involuntary manslaughter” after a 23-year-old black man at a police station lost consciousness shortly after his arrest. He later died in a hospital. The cause of the man is not clear. His family was told he had a ‘heart disorder’, but that the condition would not be the only cause of death. Toxicology reports also did not reveal anything that would explain the death. Some protesters wore Black Lives Matter signs and shouted, “We want the truth.” About 100 people were arrested during the protests.
BREAKFAST Browse
Jacksonville Jaguars Hire Urban Meyer as Head Coach
Henceforth known as THE Jacksonville Jaguars.
A Dolly Parton statue can be erected at the Tennessee Capitol
It would be an inspiration for all the times you encounter an impeccable problem and think, “What would Dolly do?”
Patrick Dempsey spills details on ‘Enchanted’ continued
The details do not matter, just give them to us. Give it to us now!
Electric eel hunting in packs, research finds
“Alexa, adds, ‘Being chased by a pack of electric eels,’ to my list of irrational fears.”
The number of new skyscrapers has decreased amid the slowdown in the pandemic
Sorry, because it looks like they’ll have a great social distance.
THIS IS NOT …
North Korea boasts underwater rocket
During a military parade, Pyongyang launched a new ballistic missile with the submarine. North Korea’s state-run news agency considered the missile the “world’s most powerful weapon”. Leader Kim Jong Un likes to show or discuss the country’s weapons – as a show of force or as a threat.
TODAY’S NUMBER
9
This is how many Chinese companies the US Department of Defense has added to a list of companies owned or controlled by China’s military, according to the agency. Companies on the list are subject to severe restrictions, including a ban on US investments. These latest round of ventures include smartphone maker Xiaomi.
TODAY’S QUOTE
“I did not want to be the next George Floyd.”
Jacob Blake, the Black man who was shot and seriously wounded by Kenosha, Wisconsin police in August. Blake was paralyzed from the lower body after the encounter, and the incident resulted in widespread protest marches. Blake described the ordeal during his first interview since the shooting incident with “Good Morning America.”
TODAY’S WEATHER
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AND FINALLY
You ever just want to …
It’s Friday! Time for a well-deserved afternoon nap. (Click here to see.)