Today’s In Crisis headlines

(NEW YORK) — Here are today’s In Crisis headlines:

Trump signs COVID-19 relief/government funding bill
After days of opposition and barely 24 hours before the federal government would have shut down, President Trump on Sunday night signed the $900 billion coronavirus relief package, as well as the omnibus spending bill. The relief package includes $600 checks for Americans who earn less than $75,000 per year, which is half of the $1,200 relief checks that were mailed to Americans earlier this year, with additional payments based on marital and dependent status. The bill also provides $300 per week in enhanced federal unemployment benefits through March 14, 2021. Benefits passed in March under the CARES Act were scheduled to expire Saturday.

Congress passed the COVID-19 relief bill last week, following months of contentious stop-and-start negotiations, as part of the larger sending bill that funds the government for another year. The president had until midnight today to sign the bill into law and avert a federal government shutdown. After its congressional passage, Trump initially called for the bill to be revised to include $2,000 checks and said he wouldn’t sign it until his call was answered, though he didn’t officially threaten a veto.

The House returns today with votes expected on overriding the president’s veto last week of the Defense Authorization bill, and increasing coronavirus stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000. Many Republican lawmakers balked at the $600 relief amount, making approval of an increase a tremendous challenge.

Officials say suspect in Nashville Christmas Day bombing was killed in blast
Federal investigators say the suspect in the Christmas Day RV bombing in Nashville was killed in the explosion. According to FBI investigators, DNA evidence found at the scene matched Anthony Quinn Warner, who was earlier named as a person of interest. Human remains were discovered amid the blast debris, and investigators worked to determine if they belonged to the RV owner. Multiple law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation told ABC News the suspect was identified as Warner of Antioch, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. The FBI said investigators were able to quickly confirm Warner’s identity after they obtained DNA from his home. Authorities continue to search for a motive for the bombing. They believe the RV was parked in front of an AT&T transmission building at 1:22 a.m. on Friday, but it remains unclear if the building was the intended target. The Tennessee Highway Patrol confirmed the RV’s VIN was registered to Warner.

COVID-19 numbers
Here’s the latest data on COVID-19 coronavirus infections and deaths.

Latest reported numbers globally per Johns Hopkins University
Global diagnosed cases: 80,865,200
Global deaths: 1,766,643. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 333,140.
Number of countries/regions: at least 191
Total patients recovered globally: 45,778,354

Latest reported numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 19,136,758 reported cases in 50 states + the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. This is more than in any other country.
U.S. deaths: at least 333,140. New York State has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 37,411.
U.S. total people tested: 242,200,060

The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in California, with 2,158,641 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 39.51 million. This ranks first in the world. England is second, with 1,963,217 cases. Maharashtra, India, which has 1,919,550 cases, ranks third in the world, while Texas is fourth, with 1,690,986 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 29 million.

US passes 19 million COVID-19 cases, 333,000 deaths
The United States on Sunday surpassed 19 million reported COVID-19 cases, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. That number remains more than reported by any other country, and accounts for 23.6% of global infections. Since the beginning of the month, the U.S. has reported nearly 5.3 million COVID-19 cases — more than any month on record, and roughly equivalent to 141 Americans testing positive for the virus every minute. That makes December the worst month for COVID-19 cases in the U.S. The national also surpassed 333,000 reported COVID-19 deaths early Monday, with 333,140 reported, representing just under 19% of global fatalities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest forecast estimates the U.S. will see between 378,000 to 419,000 COVID-19 deaths by the week ending January 16.

News

By She 100.3 | December 28, 2020