BREW AND HEADLINES

 

December 24, 2020 View Online | Sign Up TOGETHER WITH Good morning. Several housekeeping notes as we head into Christmas and the New Year. We’re taking a break tomorrow because it would seem like a good day for a break. But after that, get ready for a run of special-edition newsletters tackling the biggest topics of 2020. Those special editions will continue through Jan. 4, when we’ll be back with our regularly scheduled programming.   Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Neal, Eliza, Jamie, Alex, and Toby  MARKETS NASDAQ 12,818.12 + 0.08% S&P 3,703.75 + 0.45% DOW 30,233.36 + 0.73% GOLD 1,875.80 + 0.29% 10-YR 0.957% + 3.70 bps OIL 47.95 + 1.98% *As of market close Economy: Two important data points to update you on. The first? U.S. consumer spending fell for the first time since the spring in November. The second: Jobless claims for the last week came in at a still-extremely-high 803,000. These numbers show the economic recovery has hit a plateau. Defense: President Trump is battling with Congress along multiple fronts. Yesterday, he vetoed the annual defense policy bill that authorizes $740+ billion for military projects. Considering the bill’s overwhelming support on Capitol Hill, Congress could potentially override his veto.  More pardons: President Trump issued 26 more pardons, including former campaign chair Paul Manafort, adviser and friend Roger Stone, and Jared Kushner's father Charles Kushner.  ECONOMY Second Stimulus Bill: 'The Irishman' of Legislation

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images Two hours in and we’re still watching De Niro contemplate his life and regrets. At 9am today, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will call a last-minute House session in which she will likely encourage Republicans to increase the direct payments in the economic stimulus bill passed Monday night from $600 to $2,000.  Quick refresher: Congress could learn a thing or two from Bobby D about offering things people can’t refuse. In a surprise video posted Tuesday night, President Trump declared his opposition to the stimulus package, demanding the payments be increased to $2,000 per person and that lawmakers remove the fluffier parts that don’t directly address the pandemic crisis.  Trump’s move effectively turned Congress upside down  Democrats have backed Trump’s position, putting Republicans in the hot seat.  As Business Insider puts it, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is in “a no-win situation.”  He’s reportedly worried that if the payments are too measly, they could cost his party the Georgia runoff election in a few weeks—and with it, control of the Senate.  Reality check: The original package passed with a veto-proof majority, but members of the Republican party may back off if Trump whips out the veto pen. And in order for a House vote to happen today, Pelosi needs unanimous consent, which is tougher to come by on the Hill than a person who didn’t go to Georgetown.  Trump isn’t the stimulus package’s only critic  Some members of Congress have questioned the bill’s offbeat elements, including… A provision making illegal streaming a felony  A tax break for racehorse owners A declaration that China must not interfere with the selection of the next Dalai Lama  Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including GOP Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, criticized the bill for being rushed through Congress. But proponents—and there were lots: the bill passed 92–6 in the Senate—say it’s a critical lifeline for suffering Americans and businesses who need emergency aid ASAP.  Bottom line: The second stimulus package didn’t just provide Covid relief, it also funded the government. If more funding isn’t offered before Dec. 28, we could see a government shutdown.

LOGISTICS Vaccine PEMDAS As of yesterday, more than 1 million people in the U.S. have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine (you can let out a “yippee” if you want). Hospital staff and nursing home workers—unquestionably “essential” in the fight against the virus—have been the initial recipients of the doses. But deciding which workers should receive the vaccines after healthcare staff is a lot more complicated. Who else is “essential?”  The definition gets murkier as workers in the delivery, manufacturing, agriculture, education, and services industries all jostle for the next wave of doses. And states that drafted their own distribution plans months ago are having trouble accommodating the CDC’s recent recommendations, which cover nearly 70% of the U.S. labor force. For instance, Florida is telling the CDC to talk to the hand, deciding to vaccinate seniors 65 or older before any other workers.  Looking ahead...while the order of vaccine operations remains ambiguous, one thing is clear: The U.S. wants a lot of doses. It just ordered an additional 100 million from Pfizer, pushing its total order of all vaccines to over 1 billion.

TAXES Live Free or Sue Massachusetts On Tuesday, New Jersey became the latest state to call on the Supreme Court to take up a case over income taxes—basically, deciding which state gets your $$$.  The backstory: Certain places, like NYC and Omaha, NE, have typically welcomed a large proportion of workers who commute from out of state. Seven states levied income taxes using the “convenience rule,” which means that a New Jersey resident who works in Manhattan pays New York income taxes, but gets a credit on their NJ bill to avoid double taxation.  Now, because of the pandemic, that NJ resident is probably working from home...leaving New Jersey to wonder why New York is getting all the tax revenue.  Cue this actual bridge in New Jersey’s state capital, Trenton.

Jag9889, Lower Trenton Bridge 20091103-jag9889, CC BY-SA 4.0 In October, New Hampshire filed a lawsuit against Massachusetts to try and stop it from taxing NH residents who work remotely for companies based in Massachusetts. Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, and now New Jersey have also sided with Team NH.  Bottom line: A lot of cash is at stake at a time when state coffers need it. New Jersey credits as much as $1.2 billion in revenue to residents who pay New York income taxes.

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INTERNATIONAL Is It Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas?

Francis Scialabba We wrote a version of this story for Passover. Then Easter. Then Ramadan. Then July 4th. Then Labor Day. Then Thanksgiving. And we’re going to do it again for Christmas. You know what sentence is coming next: The holiday is going to look a little different this year. The AP rounded up all the different Covid restrictions people around the globe are facing this holiday season, so here’s a roundup of that roundup:  The UK: People living in London and other areas in southeast England will be under the strictest “Tier 4” restrictions in order to slow the spread of a new virus variant. Tier 4 prohibits households from mixing. Itay: From today through Dec. 27, all shops will have to close except food stores, pharmacies, and hairdressers. Newspapers are publishing colorful graphics to help people remember the rules. Lebanon: The economically struggling Middle Eastern nation is actually encouraging people to travel back to the country and spend money—it even opened nightclubs last week (but without dancing).  The U.S.: There are no specific Christmas-related Covid restrictions, however travel is expected to drop 29% this year, per AAA.

SOCIAL MEDIA Clubhouse Influencers Right Now

Giphy The buzzy audio social media app Clubhouse, which lets users join virtual rooms to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations, just got even buzzier. According to the NYT, it’s been testing an invite-only private club called Everything in Moderation. You’re probably not invited: Only around 40 of the app’s most popular creators are on the list, as Clubhouse tries to keep its power users happy and navigate the age-old problem of monetization.  Clubhouse, No. 14 on the App Store’s free app list, is hoping to avoid becoming the next Vine (RIP), which shut down in 2016 after 20 of its top 50 creators left the app a year earlier. The reason? Vine balked at the $1.2 million individual price tag the creators requested to retain them.  History is repeating itself. During the first meeting between users and company leadership, one Clubhouse creator asked “Where’s the money at?” per the NYT. The Everything in Moderation influencer program is the beginning of Clubhouse’s answer. Zoom out: Clubhouse better figure it out quickly because the vultures are circling; Twitter has been testing out a similar voice chat room feature called Spaces.

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING Andrew Yang, tech entrepreneur and former Democratic presidential nominee, filed paperwork to explore a run for mayor of NYC. SEC Chair Jay Clayton officially stepped down from his position yesterday. Nikola, the electric truck startup that’s taken many licks this year, took another one yesterday, saying it canceled its garbage truck contract with Republic Services. California granted Nuro, a robotics company, approval to start commercial delivery service from its self-driving cars. Get smart on the new Covid-19 variant in the UK.

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GAMES Beats By Brew Here’s a fun game we invented last night. The backstory: Each song has a particular tempo, which can be measured in beats per minute, or BPM. Essentially, it’s how fast a song is. “Sandstorm” has a higher BPM than “Let’s Get It On.”  So the quiz is this: We’ll give you two songs, and you have to determine the song with the higher BPM (aka higher tempo).  “Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars or “Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel  “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” or “Bad Blood,” both by Taylor Swift   Disney category: “Under the Sea” or “Hakuna Matata” Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” or Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain”  “Levels” by Avicii or “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish (the first part)

SHARE THE BREW Chances are you have a friend who'd enjoy the Brew as much as you do. When you share your referral link and new readers sign up, you earn rewards like our classic coffee mug. Hit the button below to learn more and access your rewards hub. Click to Share Or copy & paste your referral link to others: morningbrew.com/daily/r/?kid=a17a7110

ANSWER

1. “Uptown Girl” is faster than “Uptown Funk” 
2. If this one was very difficult...it’s because it was a trick question. Both songs are roughly equal in tempo.
3. “Hakuna Matata” is faster than “Under the Sea” 
4. “Set Fire to the Rain” is faster than “Shape of You”
5. “Bad Guy” is a slightly faster than “Levels”

President Trump Addresses The Nation On National Emergency of Election Fraud

Pa. Republican state legislators push their congressional delegation to contest Biden win

Trump Issues Full Pardons to Two Former Border Patrol Agents

Trump Floats Idea of ‘Special Counsel’ to Investigate Election Fraud Allegations

“They Don’t Want Results to Get Out”: President Trump Unloads on Brian Kemp Over Signature Verification

December 24

FEATURED BIOGRAPHY John READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1814 Treaty of Ghent READ MORE

MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY

2008: English playwright Harold Pinter, who achieved international renown—and was awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize for Literature—as one of the most complex and challenging post-World War II dramatists, died at age 78. [ How well do you know famous authors?]

1997: Japanese actor Mifune Toshirō, known internationally for his energetic, flamboyant portrayals of samurai characters, especially in films directed by Kurosawa Akira, died near Tokyo. [Take our actors and acting quiz.]

1979: The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to aid the Afghan communist government in its conflict with anticommunist Muslim guerrillas during the Afghan War. [ Take our history of war quiz.]

1973: American writer Stephenie Meyer—author of the popular Twilight Saga, a series of vampire-themed novels for teenagers—was born. [ Test your knowledge of famous vampires.]

1951: Idris I, head of the Sanūsiyyah (a Sufi Muslim brotherhood), was proclaimed king of an independent United Kingdom of Libya. [ Take our quiz about African leaders.]

1943: General Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force during World War II. [Sort fact from fiction in our World War II quiz.]

SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY

Columnists Warrior Warriors, Not Social Justice Warriors Kurt Schlichter Our Upside-down Postelection World Victor Davis Hanson Merry Christmas Derek Hunter Is There a Vaccine Against Pandering? Ann Coulter News Director’s Open Letter to Fellow Journalists Manages to Explain Why They’re So Loathed by the Public Brad Slager Americans Should be Appalled By The Latest COVID Relief Bill Andrew Pollack Time for a Government Shutdown—Let Them Experience What Lockdowns Are Like for the Rest of Us Terry Paulson Omnibus/Coronavirus Relief Bill Was Congress Making Bad Sausage H. Sterling Burnett Vaccine Rollout Needs Better Healthcare Regulations Leah Vukmir ADVERTISEMENT Action and Faith Jackie Gingrich Cushman The Power of Christmas Cal Thomas President Trump Is Right to Ask for More Direct Aid to Families Steve Sherman THE REAL WAR ON WOMEN: Nearly 1 Million Women’s Jobs Lost Due to Liberal Lockdowns Jennifer Kerns President Trump Is Right to Veto the COVID “Relief Bill” Nicholas Waddy Is Church “High Risk, Low Reward”? Jerry Newcombe Video Gov. Evers: Saying Abortionists 'Execute Babies' Is 'Blasphemy' Trump blasts Schiff as 'political hack' Pelosi's condescension offers some laughs Pelosi open to border infrastructure INVESTING Income Equality Does Not Mean Economic Freedom How Z-Pak Could Slay COVID-19 Leftists Hijacking Vaccination Rollout Hillbilly Elegy Economics Lesson: Culture Matters LiveTrade To Acquire $5M USD Worth of Vemanti Group Stock | Personal Finance, Financial Advice, Mone What Was Charles Dickens Really Doing When He Wrote ‘A Christmas Carol’?

Tipsheet Identity Thief Claimed to Be Sen. Feinstein. Here's What Took Place. Beth Baumann Trump Campaign Drops New Ad About Alleged Voter Fraud in Swing States Beth Baumann These Two Ossoff and Warnock Volunteers Likely Did More Harm Than Good for the Candidates Bronson Stocking BREAKING: Trump Issues Another Round of Pardons Katie Pavlich How the NRA Is Working to Push Loeffler, Perdue to Victory Beth Baumann Guess Which Democratic Presidential Candidate Is Preparing to Run for NYC Mayor? Bronson Stocking 'Have You Been Hacked'? Ilhan Omar Actually Made a Decent Point About the COVID Relief Bill Matt Vespa Exclusive: Oregon Doctor Who Lost Medical License Over Face Masks Is Fighting Back Bronson Stocking House Democrats Added Provision to Omnibus Bill that Cuts Funding to ICE By $431 Million Julio Rosas BREAKING: Trump Vetoes the Defense Authorization Act Katie Pavlich ADVERTISEMENT Political Cartoons Bearing Arms BREAKING: ATF Doc Suspends Proposed Pistol Brace Guidance | Cam Edwards Man Shot And Killed In Defensive Gun Use At Gun Range | Cam Edwards Del. Kirk Cox On His Run For Governor And Dems' Gun Ban Plans | Cam Edwards OH Supreme Court Upholds Arrest Of Man Drunk With Gun At Home | Cam Edwards Anti-Gunners Blasts NRA Over Joke | Tom Knighton

 

A Special Blessing For You

Shalom, Grady, All of us here at The Fellowship want to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! Our unbreakable bond and unshakeable shared faith have kept us and will continue to keep us loving one another and caring for those in need… for the rest of 2020… and in the year ahead. A year ago, of course, we never could have imagined how much our world would have changed. But while so much has changed, our hope in God’s promises have remained the same. And because YOU have played such an important part in sharing in this hope, I’d like to share this special video I made for you from a biblical town where Jesus ministered to those in need, just as you do through your ongoing support and prayers. God has promised to show His everlasting kindness to those who bless the Jewish people. And that means you, Grady! The prophet Isaiah tells us,   “How beautiful on the mountains     are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace,     who bring good tidings,     who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion,     ‘Your God reigns!’” (52:7) I pray you will feel God’s blessings in your life this holiday season, as one of His holy messengers bringing peace to elderly and impoverished Jews, vulnerable families, and children here in Israel and all around our very different world. May God surround you with light and love during this blessed season of miracles.

With blessings from the Holy Land, Yael Eckstein President and CEO Watch Now

PS Know that we here in the Holy Land are wishing God’s eternal blessings on you. I hope you enjoy this video from this very special place!

	FOX Daily update ⋅ December 24, 2020
	NEWS
	Fox and Newsmax Fact-Check Those Election Conspiracies You Might've Seen on Fox and ... Vanity Fair Fox News, Fox Business, and new MAGA favorite Newsmax have recently run segments debunking allegations against Dominion Voting Systems and ... Flag as irrelevant
	Fox Host Maria Bartiromo 'Punked' By Activist Posing As Smithfield Foods CEO Forbes When asked for comment, a Fox News spokesperson pointed Forbes to Bartiromo's on-air correction. Crucial Quote. “It appears we have been punked,” ... What happened to Maria Bartiromo? - Washington Post Full Coverage Flag as irrelevant
	Fox, Newsmax shoot down their own aired claims on election WSPA 7News ... charges of widespread voter fraud in the presidential election are fighting back, prompting unusual public statements from Fox News and Newsmax. Flag as irrelevant
	Fox News management failures invited legal threat from Smartmatic Washington Post The letter runs 20 pages, fattened by all the examples in which Fox programs — not only Dobbs's, but also those of Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro — ... Flag as irrelevant
	Fox News, Rudy Giuliani & Newsmax Face “Imminent” Defamation Lawsuit Over Election Vote ... Deadline Fox News did not have a direct response to any potential defamation action. However, a spokesperson for the Rupert Murdoch-owned FNC did advise ... Flag as irrelevant
	Trump puts GOP on its heels with 11th-hour stimulus demands, throws wrench into Georgia Senate ... Fox News Potential Trump veto could put government at risk of shutdown yet again in chaotic last days of presidency. Tyler Olson. By Tyler Olson | Fox News. Flag as irrelevant
	Trump vetoes national defense bill Fox News Fox News' Bret Baier reacts to President Trump calling the coronavirus relief bill a 'disgrace.' **Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day ... Flag as irrelevant
	House Dems will try to pass $2000 stimulus checks this week after Trump signals support Fox Business A source told FOX Business that Democrats will attempt to pass a standalone bill for $2,000 direct payments on Thursday, although it's unclear ... Flag as irrelevant
	How Fox News, Newsmax vote-rigging coverage squares with defamation law PolitiFact Fox News and Newsmax are vulnerable to a threatened defamation lawsuit by the voting system company Smartmatic, experts say. The news ... Flag as irrelevant
	Trump heads to Mar-a-Lago for Christmas with government funding, coronavirus relief package in ... Fox News Fox News' Bret Baier reacts to President Trump calling the coronavirus relief bill a 'disgrace.' President Trump headed to Palm Beach, Fla., Wednesday ... Flag as irrelevant
	WEB
	Follow St. Nick's journey across the world as NORAD tracks Santa! Facebook Fox News is live now. 21 mins ·. Happening Now: Follow St. Nick's journey across the world as NORAD tracks Santa! (Courtesy: NORAD - Santa). Flag as irrelevant
	Biden to introduce nominee for education secretary Facebook Fox News was live. 42 mins ·. President-elect Joe Biden introduces his nominee for Secretary of Education, Dr. Miguel Cardona. 254K Views. Flag as irrelevant
	President Trump arrives in West Palm Beach Facebook President Donald J. Trump arrives in West Palm Beach, Florida. Flag as irrelevant
	President Trump boards AF1 Facebook President Donald J. Trump boards AF1 en route to West Palm Beach, Florida. Flag as irrelevant
	Fox 32 Chicago - Trump: Increase stimulus checks to $2000 Facebook Fox 32 Chicago is live now. 28 mins ·. CORONAVIRUS RELIEF BILL IS A "DISGRACE": President Trump is blasting Congress and threatening to veto ... Flag as irrelevant
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 December 24th, 2020

Pelosi And Schumer Agree To Trump's Demand For $2,000 Stimulus Checks Authored by Ivan Pentchoukov via The Epoch Times,House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) signaled that they are open to increasing the amount for the... Read More ›

[Exposed] Federal Loophole Grants You "Universal" Concealed Did you know that you can pick up a 'universal' concealed carry permit in under 5 minutes without ever going to a gun range? It's true as long as you live in one of THESE States. Read More ›

BREAKING: Newsom appoints Padilla to replace Harris in Senate The talking point from Gavin Newsom’s office will be Governor appoints first California Latino to US Senate. The subtext will be Newsom snubs blacks, women in replacing Kamala Harris. The New York... Read More ›

Detroit Suing BLM Leaders for 'Civil Conspiracy,' Asking Court to Award Damages In at least one city, the fighting in the streets over the summer has evolved into conflict in the courts.The city of Detroit has filed a... Read More ›

Nancy Pelosi Goes on CNN and Has a Meltdown Too Amazing to Miss It appears Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to move on from having her purely political motives for holding up a stimulus bill before the election scrutinized. Judging by the election returns, the voters... Read More ›

Jenna Ellis Slams Barr: ‘You Should Sit Down – You Did Enough Sitting Down’ Jenna Ellis, a top lawyer for the President’s campaign, slammed departing Attorney General Bill Barr, suggesting he should “sit down” when... Read More ›

Exposed: 1000s of seniors lost their savings to this online scam

Beware! Hackers have already snatched millions of dollars from unsuspecting Americans. Most victims are seniors and folks with little computer knowledge. This scam is spreading like wildfire all over the internet! Read More ›

Today's Top Headline These Foreign Aid Projects Could Be Scrapped to Fund Larger Stimulus Checks Did GOP Senators ‘Consistently’ Back Stimulus Similar to What Congress Passed? Sponsored [VOTE] Who REALLY Won The Fight For The Election? Trending Federal prosecutor overseeing Giuliani and Bannon investigations to stay on Apple closes California stores amid rising COVID-19 cases New COVID Strain in U.K. May Be Better at Infecting Children, Scientists Say Amazon closes NJ warehouse days before Christmas after rise in asymptomatic coronavirus cases