Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Monday, December 21, 2020:
WE HAVE A DEAL
Congressional leaders announced late Sunday that they have reached a deal on a new economic stimulus package that will deliver $900 billion in aid to unemployed Americans, struggling businesses, schools, hospitals and vaccine distribution. The bill includes a $300 boost to weekly unemployment benefits through mid-March and a one-time $600 check for adults and children. Small businesses will have access to a new pot of $300 billion. The particulars are still being finalized, and both the House and Senate could pass the bill into law as soon as today. POLITICO
COVID-19: LONDON LOCKED DOWN
Several countries are banning flights from the UK after a mutated version of COVID-19 was discovered to be rapidly moving through the population there. Officials say this new variant of the virus is up to 70 percent more transmissible, but they’re also urging calm and noting that mutations were always to be expected. Prime Minister Boris Johnson reversed course over the weekend and issued a full-scale lockdown of London and southeast England over Christmas. Videos on social media showed huge crowds of people at London train stations attempting to leave the city. Experts say it would take years for the virus to mutate enough to render the current vaccines impotent. NY TIMES
VACCINE ROLLOUT
VIPs: Members of Congress have started receiving their first vaccine doses, with many posting pictures of their rolled-up sleeves on social media to inspire trust in the public. President-elect Biden is set to get vaccinated today on TV. Some wealthy Americans have reportedly been looking for ways to skip the line, from hiring “concierge doctors” to offering donations to hospitals. LA TIMES
THE REST OF US: CVS and Walgreens will kick off a mass vaccination effort at nursing homes today. The CDC is recommending that people 75 and older and non-healthcare frontline workers should be next in line after this phase. Moderna’s vaccine was given emergency approval and the first doses were delivered over the weekend. STAT
MARTIAL LAW FLOATED AT WHITE HOUSE
Some White House staffers have reportedly become so alarmed by President Trump’s refusal to accept the election results that they’ve started anonymously leaking details of private Oval Office meetings to the press. That’s nothing new, but according to several reports, one of those recent meetings involved the president hearing arguments for invoking martial law and impounding voting machines as a way to stay in office. AXIOS
RUSSIAN HACK
Sec. of State Mike Pompeo became the first member of the administration to acknowledge the sprawling cyberhack of government computers, saying it was likely the work of Moscow. He was immediately contradicted by President Trump, who tweeted that it could have been China or part of a conspiracy to throw the election but also was being overblown. Here’s a deep dive into what we know and what we still don’t: WIRED
TESLA JOINS BIG LEAGUES
As of today, you may own a piece of Tesla and not even know it. Elon Musk’s electric-car company is joining the S&P 500 -- the most widely tracked stock index -- as of this morning. Tesla will become by far the biggest stock to ever get added to the S&P, which is tracked by many mutual and index funds that make up retirement portfolios. CNBC
FOOTBALL
JETS WIN: The New York Jets won their first game of the season, and Jets fans are furious. The Jets beat the 9-5 Rams in one of the bigger upsets of 2020, giving the team its first victory this calendar year. But in the process, the Jets may have just given up the first pick in the draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars. FTW
CFP: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Notre Dame are the four teams selected to play in this year’s College Football Playoff. Notre Dame will take on No. 1 Alabama despite getting blown out by Clemson this weekend, and Ohio State will play Clemson despite only having played five games all season. The Rose Bowl is being moved to Texas because of COVID restrictions in California. ESPN
SNL'S NEW BIDEN
Hours after Jim Carrey said he would be retiring his Joe Biden impression on SNL, the show debuted the latest person to play the president-elect. Castmember Alex Moffat debuted his Biden take in the last cold open of the year: WATCH
WEDDING BELLS...
...for Ariana Grande. The singer announced that she is engaged to her real-estate agent boyfriend, Dalton Gomez. Grande was previously engaged to Pete Davidson: SEE THE RING
LEFTOVERS: CHRISTMAS STAR
Jupiter and Saturn will be closer in the sky tonight than at any point in the last 400 years. The spectacle will be visible to the naked eye from virtually anywhere in the world, provided it isn't cloudy. The best bet is to find an unobstructed view to the southwest just after sunset. The “planetary conjunction” is being called a Christmas Star this year because it’s happening so close to the holiday: VIEWING INSTRUCTIONS
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