3 Things To Know Today

1 Trump Kicks Back Covid Relief Bill...Sorta

And you thought at least $600 would be hitting your back account next week? Think again. As we told you yesterday, the House and Senate passed a 55-hundred page “Covid relief” package Monday night with the expectation that President Trump would sign it. He has not. Instead, Trump is demanding changes to the package passed by Congress. In an online video, Trump said Congress should increase the amount of direct payments folks get from 600-dollars to two-thousand bucks. He also slammed Congress for what he said was unnecessary funding for foreign countries that was included in the 900-billion-dollar measure (which will actually cost $2.3-trillion). House Democrats are ready to roll. Soon after Mr. Trump posted his video statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted back at him. “Democrats are ready to bring this to the Floor this week by unanimous consent,” she wrote. “Let’s do it!” Word is that they’re working to pass a measure as soon on Christmas Eve.

2 Trump Issues Slew Of Controversial Pardons

President Trump has issued a number of pardons, and while some may have been expected – such as giving a pass to former campaign aide George Papadopoulos – some definitely are not. Included in the list, Trump has pardoned the four military contractors who convicted in 2014 of killing 14 people in Iraq (and injuring 17 more) in 2007. Specifically, the former Blackwater guards Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty, and Dustin Heard opened fire in a Baghdad traffic circle with sniper fire, machine guns and grenade launchers against innocent men, women and children. Others included in the list of pardons or commutations also include: Former congressmen Duncan Hunter of California, and New York’s Chris Collins. Hunter misused campaign funds to hide an affair and reportedly flew his pet rabbit on a plane. Collins pleaded guilty last year to crimes related to tipping off his son about non-public information about a pharmaceutical company’s failed drug trial. Florida health-care facility owner Philip Esformes, who was sentenced in September 2019 to 20 years in prison for what prosecutors said was “the largest health care fraud ever charged by the Department of Justice.”

3 Officials Cheer News of FDA Approval of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says the U.S. is now on "offense against the virus" after the FDA authorized the Moderna coronavirus vaccine over the weekend. During an Operation Warp Speed briefing, Azar said he looks forward to taking the Moderna vaccine in the coming days. He added that it's part of their effort to demonstrate to Americans that the vaccines are safe and effective in preventing COVID-19. Dr. Moncef Slaoui [[MON-sef SLAH-wee]] says top officials at the FDA had an "overwhelmingly positive" response to the efficacy and safety of Modern's vaccine. Slaoui also said there are continuing conversations with Pfizer about their manufacturing requirements as part of Operation Warp Speed.


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