BlackMask Breaking News

December 28, 2020 8:46 am

Investors Double Down on Stocks, Pushing Margin Debt to Record

Chasing bigger gains, some have exposed themselves to potentially devastating losses through riskier plays, such as concentrated positions and trading options

Some investors have been tempted to chase bigger gains—and have exposed themselves to potentially devastating losses—through riskier plays, such as concentrated positions, trading options and leveraged exchange-traded funds. Others are borrowing against their investment portfolios, pushing margin balances to the first record in more than two years, to buy even more stock.

The stock market is on the verge of closing out one of its frothiest runs in years. Some of the biggest fortune makers include Tesla, up 691% so far this year, and fuel-cell company Plug Power Inc., more than 1,000% higher. Zoom Video Communications Inc. has added 451%, while scores of biotech stocks have also soared, including Covid-19 vaccine maker Moderna Inc., up 532%.

“The stock market is euphoric right now,” said James Angel, a Georgetown University finance professor. “A lot of people are extrapolating from the recent past and going, ‘Wow, the market’s gone up a lot and I think it’ll go up more.’ We’ve seen this play out before, and it doesn’t end well.”

In the final week of 2020, investors will be watching for last-minute changes to a Covid-19 relief package after President Trump demanded higher payouts for Americans. The pandemic itself remains in focus as cases, hospitalizations and deaths soar across much of the country.

A strong indicator of stock-market euphoria flashed red last month. Investors borrowed a record $722.1 billion against their investment portfolios through November, according to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, topping the previous high of $668.9 billion from May 2018.

The milestone is an ominous one for the stock market—margin debt records tend to precede bouts of volatility, as seen in 2000 and 2008.

Investors using margin debt pledge their securities in exchange for loans from brokerage firms to make further investments. They can get into trouble if their collateral falls below a certain threshold, triggering a margin call. They then have the option of either putting up more money or selling the securities underlying the loans. Many investors also use their margin balances to trade options, contracts that give them the right to buy or sell shares at a specific price, later. Options trading exploded this year as individual investors flocked to the stock market. A record number of options contracts have traded this year. An average of 29 million changed hands each day this year, a 48% jump from 2019, according to data from Options Clearing Corp. Traders can tap options to hedge their portfolios from stock declines or make bets that major indexes and individual companies will go up or down in value. Using some of the riskier strategies, traders can also lose more than they put in. Of course, individual investors who overextend themselves have been burned before. Nick Note: If ever their was a market I want to short this is it.

December 28, 2020 4:52 am

Trump signs massive measure funding government, COVID relief

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump signed a $900 billion pandemic relief package Sunday, ending days of drama over his refusal to accept the bipartisan deal that will deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and avert a federal government shutdown. The massive bill includes $1.4 trillion to fund government agencies through September and contains other end-of-session priorities such as an increase in food stamp benefits. The signing, at his private club in Florida, came amid escalating criticism over his eleventh-hour demands for larger, $2,000 relief checks and scaled-back spending even though the bill had already passed the House and Senate by wide margins. The bill was passed with what lawmakers had thought was Trump’s blessing, and after months of negotiations with his administration. His foot-dragging resulted in a lapse in unemployment benefits for millions struggling to make ends meet and threatened a government shutdown in the midst of a pandemic.. But signing the bill into law prevents another crisis of Trump’s own creation and ends a standoff with his own party during the final days of his administration. It was unclear what, if anything, Trump accomplished with his delay, beyond angering all sides and empowering Democrats to continue their push for higher relief checks, which his own party opposes.

In his statement, Trump repeated his frustrations with the COVID-19 relief bill for providing only $600 checks to most Americans instead of the $2,000 that his fellow Republicans already rejected. He also complained about what he considered unnecessary spending by the government at large.

“I will sign the Omnibus and Covid package with a strong message that makes clear to Congress that wasteful items need to be removed,” Trump said in the statement. While the president insisted he would send Congress “a redlined version” with items to be removed under the rescission process, those are merely suggestions to Congress. The bill, as signed, would not necessarily be changed. Democrats, who have the majority in the House, immediately vowed to prevent any cuts. Democrats “will reject any rescissions” submitted by the president, said Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y. , in a statement. Lawmakers now have breathing room to continue debating whether the relief checks should be as large as the president has demanded. The Democratic-led House supports the larger checks and is set to vote on the issue Monday, but it’s expected to be ignored by the Republican-held Senate where spending faces opposition. For now, the administration can only begin work sending out the $600 payments. Republicans and Democrats swiftly welcomed Trump’s decision to sign the bill into law.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would offer Trump’s proposal for $2,000 checks for a vote in Senate — putting Republicans on the spot.

“The House will pass a bill to give Americans $2,000 checks. Then I will move to pass it in the Senate,” Schumer tweeted. “No Democrats will object. Will Senate Republicans?” Democrats are promising more aid to come once President-elect Joe Biden takes office, but Republicans are signaling a wait-and-see approach.

Congress will push ahead Monday, with the House expected to vote to override Trump’s veto of an annual must-pass Defense bill, confronting the president on another big issue in the final days of the session. The Senate is expected to follow on Tuesday.

In the face of growing economic hardship, spreading disease and a looming shutdown, lawmakers spent Sunday urging Trump to sign the legislation immediately, then have Congress follow up with additional aid. Aside from unemployment benefits and relief payments to families, money for vaccine distribution, businesses and more was on the line. Protections against evictions also hung in the balance. “What the president is doing right now is unbelievably cruel,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. “So many people are hurting. … It is really insane and this president has got to finally … do the right thing for the American people and stop worrying about his ego.” Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said he understood that Trump “wants to be remembered for advocating for big checks, but the danger is he’ll be remembered for chaos and misery and erratic behavior if he allows this to expire.” Toomey added: “So I think the best thing to do, as I said, sign this and then make the case for subsequent legislation.” Nick Note: Trump blinked first. He played a winning hand into a loser. These $600 stimulus checks Trump agreed to are too little, to too few people and to late. The money has already been spent little left for eLtoro to get a horn up their ass or Robin Hood with a arrow to the heart.. If Trump had stuck to his guns the $2000 check for every man women and child was a game changer. The Republicans have made and are about to make another colossal blunder. They will be fighting the Democrats this week. Voting against more money for the teaming masses. This will not play well in Georgia where i predict the Republicans could well lose the senate. After a couple day (shorting opportunity) stock market celebration the markets might get a wake up call when the Republicans lose big time in Georgia. But the really big “supprise” will be when nation wide lock downs are instituted sometime in January or February..

December 27, 2020 1:45 pm

Britain can take the lead in fintech as it shrugs off Brussels bureaucracy

https://youtu.be/F-IZou8U540

In recent years, our fintech sector has evolved at an incredible rate. Rather than going away as traditional banks would have hoped, younger financial players like Monzo, Starling, Revolut and TransferWise have matured into global brands in their own right, and formidable rivals for customers and their cash, putting pressure on the rest of the financial services sector to step outside its comfort zone, innovate rapidly and embrace a fail-fast culture. Nick Note: its our time for financial innovations and England is ready!

December 27, 2020 7:04 am

The drug that gives ‘instant immunity’ to coronavirus

UK trials new antibody therapy that can stop people who have been exposed to COVID becoming ill and it could save MILLIONS of lives across the globe

https://youtu.be/I86AkjZo1xI

Drug would offer immediate and long-term protection to patients when it would be too late to offer a vaccine
It could be given as an emergency treatment to hospital inpatients, care home residents and university students to help reduce the spread of the virus
Scientists from the University College London Hospitals NHS (UCLH) have injected ten people with the drug

A new antibody treatment with the potential to give people instant immunity after being exposed to Covid-19 and prevent illness is being trialled by scientists in the UK. The drug would offer immediate and long-term protection to patients when it would be too late to offer a vaccine, potentially saving thousands of lives. It could be given as an emergency treatment to hospital inpatients, care home residents and university students to help reduce the spread of the virus. People who live with someone has caught COVID or been exposed to them could be injected with the drug to stop them becoming infected, even if they have not had a coronavirus vaccine. British scientists from the University College London Hospitals NHS (UCLH) have already injected ten people with the drug as part of the new trial called Storm Chaser, with an aim to trial the new treatment on 1,125 people globally. The participants received two consecutive doses of the drug. They hope the treatment would provide protection from Covid-19 for between six months to a year. A new antibody treatment with the potential to give people instant immunity after being exposed to Covid-19 and prevent illness is being trialled by scientists in the UK. Pictured above a patient at a hospital in Houston, Texas Scientists from the UCLH have also begun a second clinical trial named Provent, to examine the use of the antibody for people who may not benefit from vaccines, such as patients with a compromised immune system, or those at increased risk of Covid-19 infection due to factors such as age and existing conditions. UCLH injected the ten people – including medical staff and university students – as part of the Storm Chaser trial at its new vaccine research centre after the study entered phase three trials on December 2. Key groups of the trial include healthcare workers, students who live in shared accommodation and patients who have been recently exposed to anyone with Covid-19, as well as those in long-term care, the military and industry staff such as factory workers. In the first trial, the antibody, known as AZD7442, has been developed by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, which has also created a vaccine with Oxford University that is awaiting approval for use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). UCLH virologist Dr Catherine Houlihan, who is leading the Storm Chaser trial, said: ‘We know that this antibody combination can neutralise the virus, so we hope to find that giving this treatment via injection can lead to immediate protection against the development of Covid-19 in people who have been exposed – when it would be too late to offer a vaccine.’ Dr Houlihan said the treatment would be an ‘exciting addition’ to the efforts being tested and developed to fight corovavirus, reports The Guardian. ‘If we can prove that this treatment works and prevent people who are exposed to the virus going on to develop Covid-19, it would be an exciting addition to the arsenal of weapons being developed to fight this dreadful virus,’ she said.

UCLH infectious diseases consultant Dr Nicky Longley, who is leading the university’s portion of Provent, said: ‘We want to reassure anyone for whom a vaccine may not work that we can offer an alternative which is just as protective.’

Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia and an expert in infectious diseases, said the new treatment in the Storm Chaser trial could save thousands of lives.

‘If you are dealing with outbreaks in settings such as care homes, or if you have got patients who are particularly at risk of getting severe Covid, such as the elderly, then this could well save a lot of lives. Providing it’s borne out in phase 3 trials, it could play a big role in keeping alive people who would otherwise die. So it should be a big thing,’ he said.

‘If you had an outbreak in a care home, you might want to use these sorts of cocktails of antibodies to bring the outbreak under control as soon as possible by giving the drug to everybody in the care home – residents and staff – who hasn’t been vaccinated. ‘Similarly, if you live with your elderly grandmother and you or someone else in the house gets infected, then you could give her this to protect her.’

The potential breakthrough in the instant immunity treatment is welcome news in the U.S. and across the globe as nearly 119,000 Americans spent Christmas Day in hospital with COVID-19 and 1,541 more deaths were recorded.

But according to the COVID Tracking Project, 20 states provided no update on their numbers on Friday, meaning the true number of deaths nationwide could be much higher. While overall hospitalizations dropped to 118,948 on Friday after setting a new record of 120,151 the previous day, the seven-day average climbed to a new high yet again on Christmas Day, reaching 117,029.

On Friday, there were 124,498 new cases reported yet the COVID Tracking Project warned that data had been affected by the holiday closures.

The seven-day average for hospitalizations climbed to a new high yet again on Christmas Day, reaching 117,029, as almost 1119,000 COVID-19 patients spent the holiday in hospital Nationwide, there have been more than 18.7million Americans infected with coronavirus and 330,246 deaths. Among the states that didn’t deliver any update on new cases and deaths on Friday was California, where the outbreak has already brought the healthcare system to breaking point, after reporting 300,000 new cases last week. Earlier this week, it became the first state to surpass two million cases as experts remain concerned about a potential further spike caused by Christmas and New Year travelers. Nick Note: I have spent a lifetime thinking outside the box without boarding the Crazy Train. I have pitted my brains and balls and bucks against the corrupt powers that be. And the result is i have achieved the life of my dreams, wealth and purpose. And we have avoided the coronavirus for over a year now. We are in a dream trade. The happy checks needed to feed the rally are not coming. Lets say they get their shit together and agree to shit the masses a golden egg. It will take 4 months to reprogram the computers and issue the checks. The vaccine has a deep dark secret. in the best case immunity appears to run out in a year. I am sorry they did not tell you. And odds are the 3 mutant strains, The South African, The London strain and the Central Africa strain are spreading like wild fire. My people tell me these highly infectious mutants are changing the spike protein. And in spite of big pharma insisting without supplying ANY data claims that the vaccine targets the entire spike protein….. it does not. Sub contractors that supply the RNA ingredients that is the heart of the vaccine whisper that they are only targeting 6 chromosomes on the spike. Verdict form my sources are this: If the mutations have not already rendered your golden shot useless that at the rate of mutation it will within six months. And as you saw by the above article the infections, hospitalizations and death rates are soaring world wide. Including places with strict mask wearing, social distancing and infection tracing. That means the common tools hyped in the medial are bogus clueless and dangerous. Conclusion: No happy checks, No end to lockdowns and a soon to be useless vaccine means anther economic death plunge will soon occur.

December 26, 2020 8:44 am

Human remains reportedly found near Nashville explosion site

December 26, 2020 2:01 amDecember 26, 2020 2:11 am

Major AT&T outage due to massive explosion in downtown Nashville

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – AT&T customers are currently without service following a massive explosion that happened in downtown Nashville early Christmas morning. The outage began around 12 p.m. on December 25.

Widespread 911 issues in the Nashville area were reported after AT&T wireless and internet service were disrupted on Friday hours following a massive explosion downtown. AT&T internet and phone service were disrupted in the area about 12 p.m. Friday. The outages continued into the evening. Users around the country reported disruptions in service, but there was a concentration in the Nashville area and Middle Tennessee, growing in reach from Kentucky to Alabama as more reports came in.

The company said in a public statement around 5 p.m. that they were bringing disaster recovery efforts into the Nashville area in response to the explosion, including regional resources and National Disaster Recovery teams. The statement indicates there was damage to the facility and access to power was an issue. “Power is essential to restoring wireless and wireline communications, and we are working with law enforcement to get access to our equipment and make needed repair,” the statement said. “There are serious logistical challenges to working in a disaster area and we will make measurable progress in the hours and days ahead.

See AT&T outage map below:

December 26, 2020 1:51 am

Must Read Story: Graham: Trump extremely determined to pass $2,000 checks

https://youtu.be/pQPgiBmJufo

President Donald Trump spent part of his Christmas with ally, Sen. Lindsey Graham, in Palm Beach, Florida, amid his awaited decision to sign the COVID-19 relief bill. Trump has previously expressed his support to provide Americans $2,000 in COVID relief funds, instead of the proposed $600 package. ‘After spending some…

President Donald Trump spent his Christmas golfing in Florida as a government shutdown looms and COVID-19 relief hangs in the balance. Earlier in the day, he renewed calls for $2,000 stimulus checks, instead of the $600 included in a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package passed in both houses of Congress and is awaiting Trump’s signature. In a Friday evening Tweet, Sen. Lindsey Graham doubled on Trump’s called for Americans $2,000 in aid.

“After spending some time with President @realDonaldTrump today, I am convinced he is more determined than ever to increase stimulus payments to $2000 per person and challenge Section 230 big tech liability protection,” Graham tweeted.

Section 230 is “a provision in a 1996 law that protects companies on the internet like Twitter and Facebook from being regulated as publishers of third-party content like tweets and Facebook posts.” It is part of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 and allows the aforementioned internet companies to govern content on their platforms. Trump has regularly railed against this provision and vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act due to the fact that it did not include changes to Section 230. Trump, at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach for the holidays, had no events on his public schedule after throwing the future of a massive COVID-19 relief and government funding bill into question. Failure to sign the bill, which arrived in Florida on Thursday night, could deny relief checks to millions of Americans on the brink and force a government shutdown in the midst of the pandemic. The White House declined to share details of the president’s schedule, though he was expected to golf Friday with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally. White House spokesman Judd Deere said Trump was briefed on the explosion in downtown Nashville early Friday that authorities said appeared to be intentional, but the president said nothing publicly about it in the hours after. Trump tweeted that he planned to make “a short speech to service members from all over the world” by video conference Friday to celebrate the holiday, but declared: “Fake News not invited!” Without giving details, the White House said only that Trump would work “tirelessly” during the holidays and has “many meetings and calls.” Trump’s vacation came as Washington was still reeling over his surprise, eleventh-hour demand that an end-of-year spending bill that congressional leaders spent months negotiating to give most Americans $2,000 COVID relief checks – far more than the $600 members of his own party had agreed to. The idea was swiftly rejected by House Republicans during a rare Christmas Eve session, leaving the proposal in limbo. The bipartisan compromise had been considered a done deal and had won sweeping approval in the House and Senate this week after the White House assured GOP leaders that Trump supported it. If he refuses to sign the deal, which is attached to a $1.4 trillion government funding bill, it will force a federal government shutdown, in addition to delaying aid checks and halting unemployment benefits and eviction protections in the most dire stretch of the pandemic. “Made many calls and had meetings at Trump International in Palm Beach, Florida. Why would politicians not want to give people $2000, rather than only $600?” he tweeted after leaving the golf course Friday afternoon. “It wasn’t their fault, it was China. Give our people the money!”

Trump’s decision to attack the bill has been seen, at least in part, as political punishment for what he considers insufficient backing by congressional Republicans of his campaign to overturn the results of the Nov. 3 election with unfounded claims of voter fraud.

“At a meeting in Florida today, everyone was asking why aren’t the Republicans up in arms & fighting over the fact that the Democrats stole the rigged presidential election?” Trump tweeted Thursday. “I will NEVER FORGET!” he later added. Trump for weeks now has refused to accept the results of the election and has been pushing new, increasingly outrageous schemes to try to overturn the results. He has been egged on by allies like his lawyer, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who accompanied the president to Florida aboard Air Force One. Meanwhile, the nation continues to reel as the coronavirus spreads, with record infections and hospitalizations and more than 327,000 now dead. And millions are now going through the holidays alone or struggling to make ends meet without adequate income, food, or shelter thanks to the pandemic’s economic toll. To mark the holiday, the president and first lady Melania Trump tweeted out a pre-recorded video message in which they wished Americans a Merry Christmas and thanked first responders and members of the military. “As you know, this Christmas is different than years past,” said Mrs. Trump, who focused on the acts of “kindness and courage” the pandemic had inspired. Trump hailed the vaccine doses now being delivered and thanked those responsible. “It is a truly a Christmas miracle,” he said. Meanwhile, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have been trying to salvage the year-end legislation to try to prevent a shutdown. Democrats will call House lawmakers back to Washington for a vote Monday on Trump’s $2,000 proposal, though it would probably die in the Republican-controlled Senate. They are also considering a vote Monday on a stop-gap measure at least to avert a federal shutdown and keep the government running until Democrat Joe Biden is inaugurated Jan. 20. In addition to the relief checks, the COVID bill that passed would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefit, provide a new round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses, restaurants and theaters and money for schools, and provide money for health care providers and to help with COVID vaccine distribution. Nick Note: This is fiendishly cleaver. He holds up a bill everyone want to get what he wants. $2000 happy checks, Liability protection from Covid19 law suits AND the big one rolling back protections under Section 230 for his enemy big internet social media companies. This is also payback because Republicans did not rally to his battle cry of election fraud. The strategy is brilliant as i mentioned earlier. If he vetoes the relief bill The House and Senate can easily override his veto. But if he does not sign it and it becomes what is known as a pocket veto. Normally a pocket veto expires in 15 days and the bill would automatically become law. EXCEPT for one little problem. THIS 116 session of congress expires and the 177 session begins on January 3rd. But the Constitution states if the president does not sign a bill within 10 days of receiving it (excluding Sundays) and Congress adjourns during that time, The bill is considered vetoed. Because Congress has already adjourned by that point, it does not have the ability to override this veto. In repeat they canot overide the veto. That is why Trump is sitting back doing nothing. He has got a rocket launcher to both the Republicans and democrats heads. All the masses wanted for Christmas was their happy checks. Trumps rides into town on a white horse demanding a more then tripling of the happy checks… oh yes and a few little extra things the masses could care less about. Their is not time to override his veto and this session of congress is expiring in a week. BRILLIANT BRILLIANT BRILLIANT he has got them by the balls. And i can tell you for a fact congress does not know what to do. Their only choice is to cave in to Trumps demands or deny the masses their happy check. And that will mean the public will lash out in the Georgia run off elections and the Republicans will lose the senate. This is game, set, match and check mate all rolled into one. I have a question for you. Why did not the talking heads and blogaspheer assholes tell you about this? Well they cannot tell you anything that they are not spoon fed because they are idiots. And the Senate on both side of the aisle does not want you to know how fucked the Republicans are…. And that is one of the reasons why you keep me around. Oh i almost FORGOT to mention the stock market will be devastated when they figure out their will be no happy check robin hood and el toro assholes coming to town with more buy everything in sight money. AND Wall Street will be devastated when they scratch their asses and figure out BIG JOE AND SWEET KAMALA HARRIS ARE COMING TO TOWN WITH Bernie’s WAY!. Meaning workers of the world unite against you slave trader capitalist pigs,,,,,

December 25, 2020 3:14 pm

Trump slams Senate for blocking $2,000 check proposal

he COVID-19 relief deal remains in limbo over Christmas after House Republicans rejected President Donald Trump’s demand for $2,000 stimulus checks on Thursday, while the president spent the day golfing in Florida. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi put forward a unanimous consent request to raise direct payments that was quickly blocked by Republicans in a rare Christmas Eve session of the House. The White House reportedly told congressional Republicans to vote for the $900 billion stimulus package, but Trump surprised lawmakers when he branded the bipartisan deal a “disgrace” on Tuesday—a day after it overwhelmingly passed through the House and Senate following months of stalemate. The president hinted that he wouldn’t sign the legislation unless it was amended to raise stimulus payments from $600 to $2,000, an idea that was quickly embraced by Democrats who had been pushing for higher payments. But he left Washington, D.C. for Florida on Wednesday without clarifying whether he does intend to veto the bill. “I don’t know what’s going to happen next. And that should be scary for the American people right now,” Democratic Rep. Andy Kim told CNN. “That we have a president who’s unhinged here and playing politics with our lives.” Without the president’s signature, desperately needed aid including unemployment benefits and eviction protections are at risk. Two expanded unemployment programs from the CARES Act expire on December 26 and without additional aid, millions of struggling Americans would be pushed into poverty next month. And because the coronavirus relief package was tied to a $1.4 trillion government spending bill, the federal government is heading for a shutdown next week unless an agreement is reached. Lawmakers will return to the House for a recorded vote on a standalone bill for $2,000 stimulus checks on Monday. In a statement after Thursday’s session, Pelosi said: “To vote against this bill is to deny the financial hardship that families face and to deny them the relief they need. Hopefully by then the President will have already signed the bipartisan and bicameral legislation to keep government open and to deliver coronavirus relief.” She accused House Republicans of “cruelly” depriving Americans of the $2,000 payments the president had agreed to support and urged Trump to get them on board. “If the President is serious about the $2,000 direct payments, he must call on House Republicans to end their obstruction,” she said. Trump, meanwhile, spent Thursday golfing and railing against Republicans including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for failing to back his efforts to subvert the results of the presidential election. McConnell has stayed largely silent since Trump threatened to upend the coronavirus relief package unless stimulus payments were increased, which the majority leader and Republicans had resisted during negotiations. In his first tweet since telling Americans on Monday they can “rest assured that more help is on the way, immediately” after the deal passed through Congress, McConnell shared a video Friday morning wishing Americans “a healthy and Merry Christmas.” Nick Note: This is called laying land minds. If you understand the man it makes perfect since. He fells the Republicans have betrayed him and wants pay back. Stay tune for even more Trump fun!

December 25, 2020 12:19 pm

Police: Explosion in Nashville believed to be ‘intentional’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An explosion shook the largely deserted streets of downtown Nashville early Christmas morning, shattering windows, damaging buildings and wounding three people. Authorities said they believed the blast was intentional. The FBI is leading the investigation. Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said police responded to a call of shots fired just before 6 a.m. but found no immediate signs of a shooting, although officers noticed a suspicious vehicle and called for a hazardous unit. While they waited, the vehicle exploded. Aaron said three people were taken to area hospitals for treatment, although none were in critical condition. He said some people were taken to the department’s central precinct for questioning but declined to give more details. The FBI will be taking the lead in the investigation, said spokesman Joel Siskovic. Federal investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also on the scene. The FBI is the primary law enforcement agency responsible for investigating federal crimes, such as explosives violations and acts of terrorism. Black smoke and flames were seen early Friday billowing from the area, which is packed with bars, restaurants and other retail establishments and is known as the heart of downtown Nashville’s tourist scene. Buildings shook in the immediate area and beyond after a loud boom was heard. Buck McCoy, who lives near the area, posted videos on Facebook that show water pouring down the ceiling of his home. Alarms blare in the background and cries of people in great distress ring in the background. A fire is visible in the street outside. McCoy says he says he heard gun fire 15 minutes before the explosion rocked his building. McCoy said the windows of his home were entirely blown out. “All my windows, every single one of them got blown into the next room. If I had been standing there it would have been horrible,” he said. “It felt like a bomb. It was that big,” he told The Associated Press. “There were about four cars on fire. I don’t know if it was so hot they just caught on fire, and the trees were all blown apart,” he said. President Donald Trump has been briefed, according to White House spokesperson Judd Deere, who said that Trump, who is spending the holidays in Florida, will continue to receive regular updates. The U.S. Justice Department said Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen was also briefed and directed all department resources be made available to help with the investigation. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said on Twitter that the state would provide the resources necessary “to determine what happened and who was responsible. Please join @MariaLeeTN and me in praying for those who were injured and we thank all of our first responders who acted so quickly this morning.” Nashville Mayor John Cooper said the city was lucky that the number of injuries was limited. Nick Note: Well i guess we are having a Christmas blast

December 24, 2020 4:34 pm

Coronavirus aid at risk as U.S. lawmakers block Trump’s changes

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers on Thursday blocked attempts to alter a $2.3 trillion coronavirus aid and government spending package, rejecting President Donald Trump’s demand for extensive changes and leaving benefits for millions of Americans at risk. Democrats in the House of

Representatives sought to increase direct payments to Americans included in the bill from $600 to $2,000 per person as part of a coronavirus economic relief initiative, acting on one of Trump’s requests. Trump’s fellow Republicans, who oppose the higher amount, blocked that effort.

Republicans sought to change the amount of foreign aid included in the package, seeking to address another one of Trump’s complaints. Democrats blocked that request. The House then adjourned for the day. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the chamber would hold a recorded vote on the stimulus-check increase on Monday. The flurry of activity on the House floor did nothing to break a standoff that threatens desperately needed assistance for millions of Americans and raises the prospect of a partial government shutdown at a time when officials are trying to distribute two coronavirus vaccines. Many Democrats say the $892 billion coronavirus aid package is not big enough to address a pandemic that has killed nearly 320,000 Americans, and they have welcomed Trump’s call for larger stimulus checks. “How ironic it would be to shut down the federal government at a time of pandemic crisis, the very time when government services are needed the most,” House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer said at a news conference.

Republicans opposed larger direct payments during negotiations as they sought to keep the overall price tag of the coronavirus aid below $1 trillion.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump was in Florida, where he was due to play golf on Thursday. The 5,500-page bill took months to negotiate and was supported by Trump’s administration. With the status quo unchanged, it was unclear whether Trump would sign the package into law or hold out for further action.

Without his signature, unemployment benefits for those thrown out of work by the pandemic are due to expire as soon as Saturday, and the U.S. government would be forced into a partial shutdown starting on Tuesday.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Thursday Democrats should be willing to address foreign aid and other elements of the bill that he has derided as wasteful spending. “House Democrats appear to be suffering from selective hearing,” he wrote in a letter to other House Republicans. Congress could keep operations running by passing a fourth stopgap funding bill before midnight on Monday. To successfully do that, lawmakers would need Trump’s cooperation at a time when he is still consumed by his November loss to Democrat Joe Biden, who is set to take office on Jan. 20. The stopgap bill would not include coronavirus aid, however. The House will also on Monday try to override Trump’s veto of an unrelated defense-policy bill.

Embittered by his defeat to Biden, Trump is pressing Congress to dramatically alter the coronavirus and government-spending package, which passed by wide, bipartisan margins on Monday.

Trump sparked a record 35-day government shutdown two years ago when he rejected a federal spending bill over what he said was insufficient funding for building a U.S.-Mexico border wall. Nick Note: Pelose and Trump are running a demolition derby.