The Full Belmonte, 12/28/2020, Blacksburg, VA
President Donald Trump finally signed the coronavirus relief bill on Sunday night. The massive $2.3 trillion bill, which includes a $900 billion relief package, averts the government shutdown that would have started Tuesday and extends important unemployment benefits. However, pandemic relief programs lapsed the day before Trump signed the bill, meaning the more than 12 million Americans who rely on them may experience a blip in aid. Unemployment compensations and federal enhancement payments will be shortened by a week as they are reinstated, and there may be a break in payments of several weeks while state agencies reprogram their computers. But luckily, the benefits are retroactive. As for stimulus checks, Trump said he only signed the bill after Senate leaders committed to $2,000 stimulus checks, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hasn’t acknowledged that commitment. [CNN]
The House still plans to vote today to send $2,000 stimulus checks to adults, one of Trump’s demands. Republican lawmakers have opposed bigger relief checks. [New York Times]
The European Union has launched a mass coronavirus vaccination program across its 27 member countries after approving the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine last week. That’s especially important given the new, possibly more contagious coronavirus variant identified in the UK -- which started vaccinations earlier in the month -- that officials say has caused a surge in cases. The new variant has also been detected in Japan, and the country has banned entry to foreign nationals through the end of January to contain it. In the US, 1 in 1,000 Americans have now died from Covid-19 since the nation's first reported infection last January. The US’ hospitalization rate for Covid-19 infections has been hovering above 100,000 for 26 consecutive days now. [CNN]
Canada, France, Japan, Norway, Spain and Sweden have reported small numbers of infections involving a new variant of the virus, most of them linked to travel from Britain. The strain appears to be more transmissible but not more deadly or resistant to vaccines. [New York Times]
Authorities have identified the bomber behind the Christmas Day explosion in Nashville that injured three people and damaged dozens of buildings. DNA found at the scene was matched to Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, who was already a person of interest in the case. Investigators are now looking at “any and all possible motives.” Quinn was killed in the explosion, and because authorities aren’t sure why he did it, they aren’t labeling the incident as domestic terrorism. The explosion occurred right outside an AT&T transmission building, causing widespread cell phone service outages and impacting other area communications for hours. [CNN]
A Chinese journalist who documented the initial coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan has been jailed for four years by a Shanghai court. Zhang Zhan, 37, was found guilty of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” according to one of her lawyers. The offense is commonly used by the Chinese government to target dissidents and human rights activists. Zhang shared images and accounts of packed hospitals and empty streets months before such scenes became commonplace worldwide. Her postings came to an abrupt stop in mid-May, and she was later revealed to have been detained by police and brought back to Shanghai. Prosecutors have accused her of “publishing large amounts of fake information,” but her lawyers say the prosecutors have not provided any concrete examples. [CNN]
-- “Highly Touted Monoclonal Antibody Therapies Sit Unused in Hospitals,”by WSJ’s Sarah Toy, Joseph Walker and Melanie Evans: “Doses of monoclonal antibodies—Covid-19 therapies authorized for emergency use last month—are sitting unused in hospital pharmacies, even as cases surge across the country.
“Hospitals say the rollout of the therapies has been stunted by a lukewarm response from infectious-disease specialists, who say they want more clinical trial data before using them on a regular basis. Medical centers are also grappling with a lack of awareness and interest from both the primary-care doctors who would normally prescribe the drug and patients who are offered it. And some places are dealing with a shortage of space and staff to administer the therapies.
“When monoclonal antibody therapies from Eli Lilly & Co. and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. were approved for emergency use in November, health agencies were worried there wouldn’t be enough supply to meet demand. Now, health-care providers are administering just 20% of the doses they receive each week, according to officials with Operation Warp Speed, the federal initiative to support development of new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for Covid-19.” [Wall Street Journal]
A NEW ‘FORCE’ IN THE HOUSE — “Meet the GOP freshmen taking on the squad,” by Melanie Zanona, Ally Mutnick and Sarah Ferris: “On the first day of Congress’ freshman orientation, four incoming GOP members realized they shared a special connection: All had first- or second-hand experience living in communist or socialist countries. The crew quipped that their family histories with brutal dictatorships and their aversion to Big Government basically made them the opposite of the liberal ‘Squad’ that has surged to political stardom in the House.
“Taking a page from their social media-savvy rivals, they took to Twitter to share the name of their own counterrevolution. And the Republican ‘Force’ was born. ‘It was a natural alliance that formed. … We understand what it’s like in other countries. We understand how truly special this nation is,’ Rep.-elect Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), whose mother was born in Cuba, recalled in an interview. ‘And we look forward to working together to push back on anyone who tries to bring a socialist agenda to America.’
“The quartet — which includes Malliotakis and Reps.-elect Carlos Gimenez and Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida, and Victoria Spartz of Indiana — is positioning itself as a conservative counterweight to the Squad. And they are recruiting others in their class to join them.
“Stuck in the House minority, the Force is unlikely to have much influence on next year’s legislative agenda. But their message is already proving politically potent. Democrats are still reeling from House losses in November, when lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say the anti-socialist attacks helped take down a dozen incumbents, including in South Florida.” POLITICO
An active-duty Special Forces soldier has been charged with murder after three people were killed and three wounded in a shooting Saturday at a bowling alley in Rockford, Illinois. The US Army confirmed that Duke Webb, the 27-year-old-shooter, is a sergeant first class currently assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group as an assistant operations and intelligence sergeant. He was on leave at the time of the shooting. Authorities believe the attack, which was largely captured on surveillance video, was random. The Army released a statement saying they were “shocked and saddened” by the event, and will continue to assist the Rockford Police Department as the investigation continues. [CNN]
One of Saudi Arabia's most prominent women’s rights activists was sentenced today to nearly six years in prison under a vague and broadly worded law aimed at combating terrorism, according to state-linked media. — AP
Lawmakers prepare for fights over House districts. Lawmakers, outside groups and attorneys are readying for a battle over redistricting that could change the control of the House majority in President-elect Joe Biden’s first term. [Wall Street Journal]
$145 billion — How much oil-and-gas companies in North America and Europe wrote down in the first three quarters of 2020, the most for that nine-month period since at least 2010. That total significantly surpassed write-downs taken over the same periods in 2015 and 2016, during the last oil bust, and is equivalent to roughly 10% of the companies’ collective market value. [Wall Street Journal]
In Memoriam
Phil Niekro, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher and Atlanta Braves legend, passed away at the age of 81 following a battle with cancer. Niekro was known for his mastery of the knuckleball, a notoriously difficult pitch. "We are heartbroken on the passing of our treasured friend, Phil Niekro," the Braves said in a statement. [CNN]
Reginald Foster was a former plumber’s apprentice from Wisconsin who swore like a sailor. That made him an unusual presence at the Vatican, where he served as the Catholic Church’s foremost expert in Latin. He died at 81. [New York Times]
Jon Huber, a pro wrestler known as Luke Harper and Brodie Lee, had a soft-spoken intensity in the ring. He battled other wrestling stars, using “aggressive offense and demented mind games,” World Wrestling Entertainment said. He died at 41. [New York Times]
The box office numbers are in, and Warner Bros. says "Wonder Woman 1984" is a hit.
The "Wonder Woman" sequel debuted at an estimated $16.7 million in the United States during the holiday weekend, Warner Bros. said on Sunday. The film has brought in $85 million worldwide at the box office so far.
By comparison, the first "Wonder Woman" movie in 2017 debuted to a $103 million domestic box office opening in its first weekend, and it ultimately grossed $822 million around the world. But that was a different time, before the virus, when people were unafraid to go to theaters. "Wonder Woman 1984" debuted in 2,100 theaters nationwide -- half of what the number that screened the first Wonder Woman movie during its opening weekend.
Although Warner Bros. said the "Wonder Woman 1984" opening was a record high for the pandemic, that's a difficult number to assess. Some theaters that were open earlier in the year are now closed, and likewise many that had been closed have since opened. [CNN]