Psh, what does he care if the government shuts down?
Psh, what does he care if the government shuts down? Al Drago/Getty Images

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Trump might veto the relief bill: Trump's big issue with Congress' new $900 billion package is that individuals aren't getting enough stimulus money. Instead of a $600 check, Trump would like people to receive $2,000 checks. I mean, yeah, $2,000 would be way more useful than $600, but where was this energy the entire year, Donald? Also, the government will be boned because the relief package is tied to an overarching funding measure—aka if Trump successfully vetoes this the government will shut down. On top of that, small businesses wouldn't receive aid and there wouldn't be any funding included for vaccine distribution.

Pelosi is drafting the legislation for the $2,000 checks: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to Trump by tweeting: “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!” Supposedly, she'll have the legislation drafted by Thursday.

Just in case you forgot: Republicans have consistently been against providing more aid:

Pfizer and BioNTech make a new deal: The two companies will supply the U.S. with 100 million additional doses of the COVID-19 under a new $2 billion agreement. All doses will be delivered by July 31 of next year.

Is Seattle dying? A South Korean investment group is spending $669 million for a 95% stake in a high-rise at Second Avenue and University Street. Seems like they don't think the downtown core is rotting.

Get ready for a pleasant late-December day:

A diagnosis for the basketball player who collapsed mid-game earlier this month: University of Florida forward Keyontae Johnson passed out on the court at a game at Florida State University on Dec. 12. He was unresponsive and put in a medically-induced coma. Johnson was diagnosed with myocarditis, a symptom doctors believe is a result of a prior COVID-19 diagnosis. Johnson is 21 years old.

30% of L.A. residents are defying stay-at-home order: According to a recent University of Southern California Center for Social and Economic Research survey, Los Angeles residents are flouting the county's stay-home order. The survey finds that around 3,000,000 are ignoring orders to stop socializing outside of the household and to remain at home. L.A. County reported over 9,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths as of yesterday. This blurb is dedicated to my L.A.-based parents who better be complying with these rules. I know they're reading this.

Enjoy some Oregon beavers visiting some Oregon otters: The best thing about the pandemic is clearly that zoo animals got to explore outside of their exhibits a little bit.

VICE thinks the best part of working from home is: Being able to cry whenever. True.

Etsy's stock climbed like crazy this year: The site's stock rose 340% mostly because of face mask sales. Forbes says it will keep rising.

Doctors warn about South African variant: A new version of the coronavirus just dropped! The new strain is increasing transmission in South Africa. The strain is different from the new one in the United Kingdom but contains a similar mutation that makes it more transmissible.

British travel ban starts to ease up in some countries: "The Netherlands, Belgium, and Bulgaria relaxed travel restrictions on Britain on Wednesday, but dozens of other countries are continuing to bar travelers," the Associated Press reports.

COVID makes it to Antarctica: A Chile-operated permanently-staffed research base in Antarctica reported 36 COVID-19 infections.

French lawmakers just proposed a bill: That would ban French people who refuse to receive the COVID-19 vaccination from using public transportation.

Hospitalized children in Italy: Are able to hug their family members this holiday season, but only through some layers of plastic:

Antibody treatment isn't being used: Regulators approved two antibody treatments this fall. The treatments—one which Donald Trump used when he fell ill in October and heralded it as a cure—are meant to prevent COVID-19 cases from getting too severe. The treatment is supposed to be administered to people within 10 days of them showing symptoms. However, beleaguered and short-staffed hospitals haven't been administering the treatments as much as was anticipated for a number of reasons. Among the challenges was the fact that there is little to no coordination between testing sites and hospitals, so it's hard to tell who needs the treatment. On top of that, people aren't requesting it because they believe only people like Trump or Chris Christie will receive that kind of treatment.

Do you like to be negged, you sick fuck? Let an AI judge your music taste. It insulted me. And made me play Fuck, Marry, Kill between Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, and Lorde.

A fire in Edmonds: A blaze at the Firdale Village building in south Edmonds was reported at 4:42 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Firefighters put out the blaze in 30 minutes.

New from science: Octopuses are ocean thugs that punch fish.

Clearly I will be reading: This deep dive into the SoulCycle luxury workout cult.

A crossword for your Wednesday: Here.