First Thing: McConnell thwarts hopes of higher relief payments, as eyes turn to Georgia

Good morning.

Donald Trump’s calls for $2,000 relief checks for Americans were largely put to bed yesterday when the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, said the proposal had “no realistic path” forward. The initial stimulus payment in Congress’s coronavirus aid package was $600, but Trump threatened to reject the package if the sum was not more than tripled – despite the fact it had been capped by his own party. Unusually, Trump’s stance garnered widespread support from Democrats, who attempted to push through the higher figure, but McConnell said he would not be “bullied” by Democrats into approving the move.

In Georgia, the Senate run-off races are heating up, with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris due to travel to the state to campaign in the coming days. But Trump’s focus appears to be on Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp. The president has repeatedly pilloried Kemp for refusing to overturn the state’s election result when it flipped to Biden this year, and escalated his attacks yesterday when he called for Kemp to resign. Kemp had long been considered an ally of Trump.

One day left to give in 2020 …

… and the number of women or people of color who have ever been elected vice-president of the US. From racial inequality to broken healthcare, from rapacious corporations to a climate crisis, the Guardian will tackle America’s systemic challenges in 2021. The need for robust, fact-based reporting is as great as ever. As the new year approaches, we hope you’ll consider a year-end gift.

The world bids good riddance to 2020

As the world prepares for a muted New Year’s Eve, and the US cancels a wave of traditional events, it seems the year will end as it has passed – in the shadow of coronavirus. The US has now reported multiple cases of the new and more contagious variant of coronavirus that was first detected in UK, following its first confirmed case on Tuesday. The first individual confirmed to have the new variant was identified as a National Guardsman who had been helping out at a nursing home struggling with a coronavirus outbreak.

California announced its first case of the variant yesterday, as the state’s coronavirus pandemic reached new heights, with 432 people reported dead from coronavirus. The state’s new single-day record for deaths is equivalent to one death every three minutes, and hospitals have been overrun by the virus.

It is a year to the day since authorities in the Chinese city of Wuhan first reported the virus to the World Health Organization, and now life has largely returned to normal in the city. Michael Standaert speaks to residents, who discuss their reflections on the year, and the anger felt toward officials over their handling of the early pandemic.

• China has approved a Covid-19 vaccine for general use, although millions have already received the injection under emergency approval. The inoculation comes from Sinopharm, a state-owned company. Health officials said vulnerable groups would be prioritised over the rest of the population.

• When did the pandemic become unstoppable? Was the spread unpredictable, or were crucial opportunities to stop the spread missed? Scientists share their view.

The Nashville bomber’s girlfriend warned police that he was making bombs

Police were told more than a year before Anthony Warner detonated a bomb in Nashville on Christmas Day that he was building explosives in a trailer. When police attended the home of Pamela Perry, Warner’s girlfriend, they were warned that he had been building bombs but they could not make contact with Warner or search his trailer. Warner died in the bombing, which injured several people and damaged dozens of buildings. The motive for the attack is still unknown.

In other news …

• Police shot and killed a man in Minneapolis during an exchange of gunfire at a traffic stop last night, according to authorities. A police spokesperson declined to say whether police recovered a gun at the scene, while the police chief said witnesses had reported that the man fired on officers first. The chief promised to release video from the police body cameras today.

• At least 26 people have been killed in an attack on an airport in the Yemeni city of Aden, and a further 60 were injured. The attack, which included three loud explosions and gunfire, appears to have been targeted at a plane carrying members of the newly formed government.

• Becky Hammon has made history as the first woman to coach an NBA team. The assistant coach took over the San Antonio Spurs in the second quarter after the coach was ejected.

Don’t miss this: the new stars of the Trump era

Trump’s administration saw the rise of many new political figures who came from relative obscurity. Here, David Smith looks at 20 of them, from the political guru Steve Bannon to Christine Blasey Ford, who won admiration around the world for her bravery in coming forward to accuse the then supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault.

Stat of the day: a third of all physicians are immigrants

Immigrants in California have faced unprecedented challenges this year, as the pandemic has disproportionately affected them and wrecked industries that rely on migrant labour, after years of Trump’s anti-immigration policies. They are more likely to get work on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, with immigrants constituting a third of all physicians and half of all farmworkers. Around 75% of farmworkers in California are estimated to be undocumented immigrants.

Last Thing: woolly rhino is frozen in time

It might not be much to look at, but scientists have made a remarkable discovery in Russia’s extreme northern region: a well-preserved ice age woolly rhino. Many of the animals internal organs are still intact, preserved by the permafrost in the region, and it will be moved to a laboratory for further investigation when the ice roads clear. It is not yet known how old the body is, but recent discoveries in a similar region have been up to 50,000 years old.

That’s all from me for 2020, First Thing will be back on 4 January. Happy new year to you all – here’s hoping it’ll be a brighter one.

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