Monday, December 21st, 2020
$600 Stimulus Checks, Space Force ‘Guardians’ & Shortest Day of Year
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by BlueNile.com and Ritual.com/newsworthy
Story Summaries
All the news stories mentioned in today's episode are listed with links below, so you can spend as much -- or as little -- time as you want to review the latest happenings...
Moderna Vaccine Authorized
A second COVID-19 vaccine is rolling out to healthcare facilities all around the U.S. Already, more than half a million Americans have received the Pfizer version of the vaccine. Now, healthcare workers and seniors in long term care facilities will start getting the Moderna one too. The FDA granted it emergency use authorization Friday for Americans 18 and older. This vaccine was shown to be over 94% effective in preventing illness from COVID-19 as long as people get two shots about a month apart.
Read More: NBC News, NY Times, FDA
Next Americans Vaccinated
Vaccines might soon reach more Americans than just healthcare workers and nursing home residents. Over the weekend, a CDC panel started talking about who should be next in line. It said people 75 and older, as well as other essential workers like firefighters, police officers, teachers, postal service employees, and grocery workers, should get the next shots. However, these are just recommendations. It’s up to each state to decide who gets priority. Everyone who wants a shot should be able to get one by the middle of 2021.
Read More: AP, NPR, WSJ
Politicians Receive Shots
American politicians have already been getting their shots. Over the weekend, Sens. Bernie Sanders, Mitt Romney, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Schumer, and Mitch McConnell all received their first doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. That’s just to name a few. Some say they’re getting them to assure their communities the shots are safe. President-elect Joe Biden and incoming First Lady Jill Biden will receive their first doses today.
Read More: Axios, Politico, WaPo, AP
Congress Agrees on Relief Deal
Congress has sealed a deal on the next COVID-19 relief bill. This economic aid package is worth $900 billion. As part of it, most Americans will be getting a $600 direct payment. The same Americans who qualified for the $1200 payment in March will get this one too. This new bill also gives unemployed Americans an extra $300 a week in jobless benefits. Also, more money will be going to schools, healthcare providers, hard-hit businesses, and renters facing evictions. The House and Senate are expected to formalize the deal with a vote today.
Read More: AP, CNN, NY Times, WSJ
New COVID Strain/UK Lockdown
Health officials say a new COVID-19 strain has appeared in the U.K., Australia, and continental Europe. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke about it over the weekend after meeting with his country’s health experts. He said they found the new strain is even more contagious than the first one, but there’s no evidence to suggest it causes more severe illness. Still, more restrictions are going into effect. A lockdown is now in place for 16 million people in London and Southwest England and several countries banned travel from the U.K.
Read More: Bloomberg, BBC, AP, WaPo
Next East Coast Storm
A cold front is expected to move across the entire U.S. this week. By the time it reaches the east coast by the end of the week, it will have likely brought millions of Americans a white Christmas. The storm system will start taking shape tomorrow around Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. People there will see snow and heavy winds first. Wednesday, it will spread along the plains. People from Oklahoma to the Dakotas could see snow. By Christmas Eve, the same storm will approach the eastern U.S.
Read More: ABC News, Weather Channel, Accuweather
Space Force Guardians
Members of the U.S. Space Force will now officially be called “guardians.” Vice President Mike Pence revealed the name during a speech to celebrate the first anniversary of the newest branch of the military, Space Force. Some critics pointed out the new name is too similar to the Marvel franchise Guardians of the Galaxy. However, Pence said the name was picked because it has a long history in space operations. The original command motto of the Air Force Space Command was “Guardians of the High Frontier.”
Read More: NPR, CBS News, Space Force
U.S. Airport Traffic Rising
TSA screened more than two million travelers on Friday and Saturday combined. This is the first time since March that screenings have topped one million on consecutive days. Still, this is nothing compared to a pre-pandemic holiday season. Both days were down nearly 60% from this time last year. That’s likely because of the strong warnings from the CDC and other health experts. They’ve been telling Americans to stay home this holiday season due to COVID-19.
Read More: AP, NPR, USA Today, TSA
College Football National Championship Teams
After the regular college football season wrapped up on Saturday, the College Football Playoff Committee revealed the final four teams yesterday. They’ll all face off in bowl games on New Year's Day. First, No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Notre Dame will meet in The Rose Bowl Game, followed by No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. The winners of those games will go on to play for the championship title on January 11th.
Read More: CBS Sports, Fox News, ESPN
Winter Solstice
Today is the winter solstice. By some measurements, it’s considered the first day of winter. The date varies from year to year and falls anywhere from December 20-23. However, the 21st and 22nd are reportedly the most common dates. Because today is the day this year, in the northern hemisphere, today will be the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Most of the U.S. will see about 10 hours of daylight. However, in some states near the Canadian border, people will see the sun for less than nine hours.
Read More: WaPo, USA Today
The Great Conjunction
Tonight, Jupiter and Saturn will appear closer together in the night sky than they have in nearly 800 years. They might be so close that they look like one giant star, or they might look like they’re right next to each other. Either way, you won’t have too much time to see it. The show will reportedly last only about two hours after sunset. If you want to see for yourself, look to the west-southwest as it gets dark. If the sky is clear, you’ll see the planets shining.
Read More: WaPo, NY Times, NASA, Earth Sky
Money Monday: Unused FSA Funds
Many Americans have just a couple of weeks to spend the money left over in their Flexible Spending Accounts. The firm Health E-Commerce says Americans give up between 400 to 500 million dollars in unspent FSA funds each year. If you have funds leftover, there are a lot of ways you can spend the money. For example, if you’ve thought about buying one of those ancestry kits that tells you how your DNA could affect your health, that’s eligible. You could also stock up on first aid supplies, baby products, or sunscreen, just to name a few.
Read More: USA Today, CNBC, NBC News
Find Ways to Use FSA Funds: FSA Store, HealthProductsForYou, Amazon’s FSA Store