Pandemic relief finally on the way as Congress passes $900B Covid aid bill

Tuesday, December 22, 2020 Good morning, NBC News readers.    After months of painstaking negotiations, Congress finally passed a substantial Covid-19 relief bill.    Here is what we're watching this Tuesday morning.  Congress passes $900 billion Covid relief bill, Trump expected to sign Congress overwhelmingly voted Monday to pass a massive Covid-19 relief package and government funding bill, its second effort this year to bring much-needed aid to Americans struggling during the pandemic.   The legislation easily passed in the House — 359 to 53 — before breezing through the Senate shortly before midnight in a 92-6 vote. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill in the coming days   The agreement includes stimulus checks of $600 per person for individuals earning up to $75,000 per year and married couples who earn up to $150,000, with $600 more for each dependent under 18 living in the same household.   It will also extend unemployment benefits to $300 a week, provide over $284 billion more in loans for businesses struggling to pay rent and workers, $69 billion for testing and vaccine distribution and $82 billion for colleges and schools.   Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC on Monday that some stimulus checks will go out "by the beginning of next week." Here's what you can expect.   After months of negotiations over the bill, here's what each side of the political aisle won and lost in the deal.  Video: Congress just passed a $900 billion Covid aid bill. Here's what's in it.  Biden aides weigh boosting vaccine supply with wartime production law   President-elect Joe Biden's coronavirus advisory team consulted scientists and supply chain experts about whether he should invoke a wartime production law to help produce and administer more Covid-19 vaccines, two advisers familiar with discussions said.   Trump has already invoked the Defense Production Act to speed the production of medical supplies and components to test for the coronavirus, and he has raised the possibility of using the law again for vaccines.     Biden's team has explored using it soon after he takes office next month to try to meet the goal of mass vaccination by summer, the advisers said.   The president-elect received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Monday in Wilmington, Delaware.    "I'm doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared, when it's available, to take the vaccine," Biden said seconds after he received the shot. "There's nothing to worry about."   He also praised Trump for his administration's efforts in helping accelerate the process of bringing Covid-19 vaccines to Americans.   "I think the administration deserves some credit getting this off the ground with Operation Warp Speed," Biden said. "This gives us great hope," he said.    But distributing the vaccine across the country has not been without its hiccups. Take an inside look at the chaotic first days of the Herculean effort to vaccinate America.    Follow our live blog for all the latest Covid-19 developments. Video: Hospitals are in need of a lifeline as Covid-19 infection rates continue to soar  2020: The Year in Pictures  The new decade brought the challenge of a century: A deadly and unflinching global pandemic that has radically upended our lives.   See images from the last twelve months that capture the pain, grief, rage, resilience, loneliness and hope that defined a watershed year. Bittersweet reunion: A woman hugs her grandmother through a plastic drop cloth in Wantagh, N.Y., on May 24. (Photo: Al Bello / Getty Images)  Want to receive the Morning Rundown in your inbox? Sign up here. Plus  Federal prosecutors have discussed making a legal request for Giuliani's electronic communications, two sources say. Warehouse workers are being pushed to their limit as holiday orders — and Covid-19 virus cases — surge. Biden called Trump "Putin's puppy." The president-elect may put Moscow on a tighter leash.  After a permit was approved for a whites-only church, one small Minnesota town insists it isn't racist. Dozens of West Point cadets have been accused of cheating on a math exam in a scandal that could be the biggest violation of the school's honor system in decades. THINK about it  The provocative new thriller "Promising Young Woman" wants you to squirm in recognition of who society protects, Jenni Miller writes in an opinion piece.  Live BETTER  14 eggscellent ideas for your holiday breakfast or brunch. Shopping New and Notable: Products from Burst, Bowflex, Echelon and more. One fun thing  Earthlings were treated to a once-in-lifetime illusion on Monday as the solar system's two biggest planets appeared to meet in a celestial alignment that astronomers call the "Great Conjunction."   The rare light spectacle resulted from a near convergence of the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn that happened to coincide with Monday's winter solstice, the shortest and darkest day of the year.   For those able to observe the alignment in clear skies, the two frozen-gas spheres appeared closer and more vibrant — almost as a single point of light — than at any time in 800 years.  Video: Celebrating a rare sight as Jupiter and Saturn shine together Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.    If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — send me an email at: petra@nbcuni.com   If you're a fan, please forward it to your family and friends. They can sign-up here.    Thanks, Petra Cahill Download the NBC News App Follow NBC News Privacy | Unsubscribe | More NBC Newsletters | Contact View in browser