WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 21: The U.S. Capitol is shown on October 21, 2020 in Washington, DC. The White House is hoping to reach a deal on a COVID-19 stimulus package in the next two days, after Senate Democrats blocked a $500 billion bill Wednesday afternoon. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)
Deal reached on coronavirus relief package
02:23 - Source: CNN
CNN  — 

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    1. Police reform

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    Pelosi blames GOP for delays on stimulus deal
    01:07 - Source: CNN

    For months, lawmakers in Congress have been at a partisan stalemate over the latest round of pandemic relief. Over the weekend, top leaders finally reached a deal on a $900 billion stimulus package that provides much-needed aid for small businesses, schools and unemployed Americans. Congress is expected to vote today on the agreement. The deal includes $600 checks for certain individuals, but it could be some time before the money hits your bank account. It also allocates funds to bolster Covid-19 vaccine distribution, testing and contact tracing. Here’s more on what’s in the second stimulus package – and what isn’t. 

    MONDAY

    More countries are banning travelers from the UK in an effort to contain a mutated variant of Covid-19 that could spread even faster. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to chair an emergency meeting about the new variant today. Scientists in the US and UK still expect the vaccine to work against the variant, saying they should know more in a few days. In the US, the first doses of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine will likely be administered this morning – and these people are next in line. Despite the good news, cases and deaths are skyrocketing in much of the US, and things will get worse before they get better. 

    LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 20: Commuters are seen wearing face coverings at Waterloo train station on December 20, 2020 in London, England. London and large parts of southern England were moved into a newly created "Tier 4" lockdown, closing non-essential shops and limiting household mixing. The government also scrapped a plan to allow multi-household "bubbles" to form for over a 5-day period around Christmas. (Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images)
    Trucks turned away from ferry port as France shuts border with UK
    02:42 - Source: CNN

    3. Election 2020

    President Donald Trump is still trying to overturn the election result, despite there being only a month left until President-elect Joe Biden takes office. But the latest turn in the effort has alarmed even some White House staffers – people who are used to Trump’s inflammatory and anti-democratic rhetoric. A recent meeting in which Trump heard arguments about invoking martial law to stay in office had some officials sounding the alarm to the press. Trump dismissed reports about the talk of martial law, and it’s unclear whether he endorsed the idea. But even the mention of it could fan the flames among many supporters clinging to the belief the election result was fraudulent.

    RS A block 2 Rosie
    White House sources are sounding the alarm about Trump
    03:46 - Source: CNN

    4. Coronavirus

    5. Nigeria

    Rocket attacks on Sunday targeted Baghdad’s Green Zone, where the US embassy in Iraq and other foreign missions are located. Eight rockets were fired at the heavily fortified area, which frequently sees such attacks. The Iraqi military said most of the rockets hit the neighborhood near the US embassy, damaging several buildings and injuring at least one Iraqi soldier. Iraq’s president called the attack a “terrorist act,” and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed it on Iranian-backed militias. There had been concerns before – sources said earlier this month that the US was temporarily withdrawing staff from its embassy over fears of retaliation around the anniversary of the killing of a powerful Iranian military commander.

    The US Embassy in Baghdad is pictured on January 3, 2020.

    HAPPENING LATER

    The Bidens get vaccinated today

    President-elect Joe Biden and incoming first lady Jill Biden will receive the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine in Delaware, according to his transition team.

    BREAKFAST BROWSE

    Paul McCartney has a quarantine album out now

    And the first single is a jam.

    Ariana Grande appears to be engaged

    That rock is a stunner.

    Rohingya children will get to see themselves in the new Muppets from Sesame Workshop

    Meet Noor and Aziz, twin Muppets who live in a refugee camp in Bangladesh.

    A father who died years ago left his son $10 to buy his first beer when he turned 21

    Cheers to one dad’s thoughtful gesture.

    Pythons might become a new menu item in Florida if scientists can confirm they’re safe to eat

    Kevin Greene, NFL sack legend and Hall of Famer, has died

    TODAY’S NUMBER

    $5,600

    That’s how many days that Taiwan had been coronavirus free, with the exception of imported cases. The island recently recorded its first locally transmitted case of coronavirus since April.

    TODAY’S QUOTE

    “We want to hand these on to the next administration and make sure America never has to go through what we went through again.”

    Paul Mango, deputy chief of staff for policy at the Department of Health and Human Services, on plans to replenish and improve the federal supply stockpile.

    TODAY’S WEATHER

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    Foggy start for the East on this first day of winter
    02:36 - Source: CNN

    Check your local forecast here>>>

    AND FINALLY

    It’s sledding season!

    Racing down snowy hills is a blast – but sometimes we fall flat on our faces. Here are some particularly epic fails.

    Time for a deep clean