Day: December 23, 2020

Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar appeared to be breaking with the party leadership in rejecting Donald Trump’s demand for raising paychecks in the stimulus package to $2,000. She said lawmakers should overcome a possible veto.

President Trump threw a wrench into the passage of the stimulus measures by threatening to veto the omnibus spending bill, unless Congress amends it and raises “the ridiculously low $600” in direct payments to a $2,000 level. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she was all for it.

Republicans repeatedly refused to say what amount the President wanted for direct checks. At last, the President has agreed to $2,000 — Democrats are ready to bring this to the Floor this week by unanimous consent. Let’s do it! https://t.co/Th4sztrpLV

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) December 23, 2020

UK Health Minister Matt Hancock held a press conference to explain the current situation in the UK. "After all the efforts we've made to get the virus under control, we now have a new, more contagious variant. I understand most people understand what we need to do to get through this." That is why he announced stricter measures for several regions from December 26.

ANOTHER new mutant coronavirus is found in Britain as Matt Hancock plunges millions MORE into Tier 4 https://t.co/Lc7MpWbmwz pic.twitter.com/0ej33yAyBN

— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) December 23, 2020

President Trump authorized U.S. Attorney John Durham to present classified information to a grand jury as part of his investigation into the early stages of the FBI’s Russia-collusion probe.

In a memo signed Friday, but released this week, Mr. Trump conferred the power to access classified information to Attorney General William P. Barr, which transfers that power by extension to Mr. Durham.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/dec/23/trump-authorizes-john-durham-present-classified-in/?utm_source=onesignal&utm_campaign=pushnotify&utm_medium=push

France closed its borders with the UK on Sunday night following reports about the new strain of COVID detected in Great Britain. The ban has caused enormous queues near ports in Kent; the situation has been exacerbated by the Christmas season and uncertainty over the Brexit deal. 

Drivers left stuck outside the English port of Dover entered a confrontation with policemen on Wednesday, over demands to cross into France, which earlier banned all travellers and freight from the UK after a mutated strain of coronavirus was found in the country. 

https://sputniknews.com/uk/202012231081547111-truckers-stranded-outside-english-port-of-dover-reportedly-scuffle-with-police/

According to Johns Hopkins University, the global death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 1.715 million; over 77.9 million cases of the coronavirus infection have been detected. 

At least 40 countries have banned travel to and from the United Kingdom in recent days following the discovery of a new, potentially more transmissible strain of the coronavirus concentrated in capital city London and England’s southeast.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said a week ago that a new coronavirus strain, later identified as VUI-202012/01, had been detected in roughly 1,000 individuals in southeast England.

https://sputniknews.com/world/202012231081545631-live-updates-germanys-confirmed-covid-19-cases-rise-by-24740/

French citizens who decline to take the coronavirus vaccine will be barred from public transportation, among other places, under a controversial “Green Passport” plan set out in a draft law that’s now on its way to parliament.

Gaining the support of Prime Minister Jean Castex’s cabinet earlier this week, the bill proposes to deny “access to transport or to some locations, as well as certain activities” to those unable to prove that they received a “preventative treatment” for Covid-19, including a vaccine, or produce a negative virus screening.

https://www.rt.com/news/510491-france-law-vaccine-ban-public/

A World Health Organization Covid-19 expert has warned that the new strain of the virus, prevalent in Britain, appears to be easily transmitted among young people amid fears schools may be prevented from reopening in January.

Dr. David Nabarro, one of six special envoys from the World Health Organization’s effort to tackle Covid-19, told Sky News that people may need to be even more “cautious” as a new variant of the virus sweeps across the UK.

With all these issues, we have to work in terms of risk, and this new variant appears more easily transmissible in young people and children, 

https://www.rt.com/news/510529-covid19-strain-variant-young-children/

Pope Francis will step down before the end of the year, according to a source close to the Vatican, who said there was "no doubt" the Pontiff "will resign in 2020."https://t.co/Hy4aDmn9Qa

— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) December 22, 2020