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Trump signs Covid bill, averts shutdown, will continue to push for $2G checks from Congress
Five days after calling the coronavirus bill a "disgrace," President Trump signed the massive $900 billion COVID-19 relief and $1.4 trillion government spending package Sunday night.
The president's decision to sign the package will avert a government shutdown, restore unemployment benefits, stop evictions, provide rental assistance, add additional funding to the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program and invest in vaccine distribution, among other items in the bills.
Trump has also sent a "redlined version" of the bill to Congress, which includes an item by item breakdown and formal rescission request insisting that any "wasteful items" be removed from the bill.
"As President, I have told Congress that I want far less wasteful spending and more money going to the American people in the form of $2,000 checks per adult and $600 per child," Trump said in a statement issued by White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere on Sunday. "Much more money is coming. I will never give up my fight for the American people!"
On Tuesday, Trump slammed the $900 billion relief bill as a "disgrace" and claimed it has "almost nothing to do with COVID."
"Congress found plenty of money for foreign countries, lobbyists and special interests while sending the bare minimum to the American people who need it," Trump said.
However, House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey, D-NY, said that she and her committee's Democratic majority plan to reject the president's request. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY.
In other developments:
- President Trump signs COVID relief, spending bill averting shutdown. So what happens now?
- Illinois restaurant owner says limited coronavirus stimulus will cause middle class to 'starve to death'
- Beverly Hills restaurant caught planning 'discreet' New Year's dinner amid dining ban
- Barstool's Dave Portnoy launches $500K fund to aid small businesses hit by pandemic
Nashville bombing suspect Anthony Quinn Warner died in explosion: police
The suspect behind the Christmas Day bombing in downtown Nashville has been identified as 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner, authorities confirmed during a press conference Sunday.
Police said Warner owned the RV that exploded in downtown Nashville early Friday, and that he died in the blast.
Human tissue was found amongst the debris left behind by the explosion, and DNA examinations of tissue samples by The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and FBI were found to be consistent with Warner. In addition, the Tennessee Highway Patrol uncovered a vehicle identification number from the remains of the RV, which revealed it was registered to Warner.
Authorities said that, while they are still following leads, there is "no indication" that any other people were involved.
Police added that a motive for the bombing remains unknown and that officials are looking to speak with anyone familiar with Warner’s ideologies. Police are interviewing individuals identified to have been known by Warner and are still processing evidence from the scene. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
In other developments:
- White box truck playing audio 'similar' to RV in Nashville explosion shuts down Tennessee highway
- LA entertainment exec linked to Nashville bombing suspect
- Tattoo shop ruined in Nashville explosion after year of braving coronavirus pandemic: ‘It’s gone,’ owner says
- Nashville family credits officers with helping them flee home moments before explosion
- Nashville cops detail lifesaving moments before explosion: 'Christmas will never be the same for us'
Fauci claims his earlier herd immunity numbers were 'guestimates,' settles on 75-80 percent
Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday dismissed accusations that he deliberately moved the goalposts on when the country would vaccinate enough people against COVID-19 to reach herd immunity, saying he was previously offering "guestimates."
Reported by some outlets as a "confession," Fauci told The New York Times: "When polls said only about half of all Americans would take a vaccine, I was saying herd immunity would take 70 to 75 percent …Then, when newer surveys said 60 percent or more would take it, I thought, ‘I can nudge this up a bit,’ so I went to 80,85."
In subsequent interviews, Fauci has focused on the other part of that Times report in which he compared COVID-19 to measles, saying at the time that "I'd bet my house that COVID isn't as contagious as measles."
Fauci appeared on Sunday morning’s "State of the Union," reiterating to CNN’s Dana Bash that he based his numbers on measles – not polling.
"Measles is about 98% effective vaccine; the COVID-19 vaccine is about 94%," Fauci said.
"When you get below 90% of the population vaccinated with measles, you start seeing a breakthrough against the herd immunity, people starting to get infected, like we saw in upper New York State and in New York City, with the Orthodox Jewish group, when we had the measles outbreak."
"So I made a calculation that COVID-19 is not as nearly as transmissible as measles," Fauci added, stressing that measles is "the most transmissible" virus. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
In other developments:
- Supermarket chain gives $200K in gift cards to struggling restaurants amid coronavirus pandemic
- Wars, instability pose coronavirus vaccine challenges in poor nations
- 'Believe in science': EU kicks off COVID-19 vaccine campaign
- Coronavirus restrictions killing the party rental industry
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TODAY'S MUST-READS:
- Texas woman on President Trump commuting her remaining term of supervised release from prison
- Chicago violence: 7 killed, 27 shot on Christmas weekend
- Long Island cops say they found burning human corpse in backyard, make arrest
- Ex-Israeli UN Ambassador Danon on what a Biden administration means for Middle East peace
- Rising Democratic star Bottoms takes heat as Atlanta homicides soar
- Padres to acquire Blake Snell, 2018 AL Cy Young winner, in shocking trade with Rays: reports
THE LATEST FROM FOX BUSINESS:
- UK urges businesses to prepare for Brexit as companies fear disruption: report
- China highly criticizes Ant Group, tells company to switch back to its mainstay payments business
- AT&T to waive data overage charges for customers impacted by outages due to Nashville bombing
- Could you live on the average Social Security benefit in 2021?
- ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ dominates Christmas pandemic box office opening weekend
#The Flashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on "This Day in History."
SOME PARTING WORDS
Steve Hilton discussed how the establishment refused to accept President Trump and his policies over the last four years on "The Next Revolution" Sunday night.
"For four years they plotted and schemed to get their power back," Hilton said. "The resistance, the Russia plot, the impeachment hoax, the endless attempts to block and stop the policies that you voted for. In spite of all this, President Trump did get it done."
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