POLITICS 🏛️

Biden to meet with Republican senators regarding Covid relief plan

• President Biden plans to meet with 10 Republican senators as he attempts to pass the coronavirus relief package
• The GOP lawmakers have presented a $618 billion aid package, which has smaller direct payments and unemployment benefits compared to Biden’s original plan
• Biden will have to decide whether to move forward with the $1.9 trillion proposal with only Democrat votes or attempt to negotiate with Republicans

WORLD 🌎

India cuts internet around capital in the midst of farmer protests

• Internet access remains blocked in various districts of the state bordering India’s capital following a weekend of violent clashes between police and farmers
• Online access is still suspended in at least 14 of 22 districts as of this writing, according to the Department of Information and Public Relations of Haryana
• The initial order was put in place a week ago Tuesday in three Haryana districts for 24 hours, but has been extended every day since

BUSINESS 💰

Robinhood CEO debates Elon Musk on his platform’s restricted trading last week

• Trading platform Robinhood restricted trading of certain stocks such as GameStop and AMC entertainment last Thursday
• Robinhood co-founder Vlad Tenev defended his company’s decision in a debate with Elon Musk
• Musk grilled Tenev putting him on the spot and asking if anything “shady” happened

TECH 📱

Facebook pushes back against Apple’s privacy change

• Facebook announces that it will help users enable tracking of their iPhones and iPads to provide personalized ads
• A notification will inform users that giving access to their activity will provide them with personalized ads and support businesses that depend on ads to reach customers
• The decision comes as Apple enables privacy changes to iOS14 that will require users to opt in to allow this type of tracking

US 🦅

Trump's PAC has more than $31 million heading into second impeachment trial

• Former President Donald Trump’s Save America political action committee raised $31.2 million by the end of last year
• The PAC was created Nov. 9 following the presidential election and has only spent $200,000 to date
• A report indicates that most of the money raised was through grassroots fundraising that called for overturning the 2020 election results

CORONAVIRUS 😷

Vaccine skepticism in town with documented history of medical racism

• Former Tuskegee mayor Lucenia Dunn spent the start of the pandemic encouraging people to wear masks and socially distance from each other in Tuskegee
• Tuskegee, Alabama, is a majority black city and is historically known for the government's use of unsuspecting black men as guinea pigs in a study of STDs
• The former mayor is cautious of getting the Covid-19 vaccine due to the city’s history

EXTRA BLING ✨

• Weather ⛄. Winter storm could drop 18 inches of snow on NYC
• Celebrity ⭐. Evan Rachel Wood says Marilyn Manson abused her for year
• Space 🌠. NASA astronauts conduct second spacewalk this year
• Uplifting 😊. Decriminalization of all drugs goes into effect in Oregon - addicts offered rehab instead of prison
• Interesting 🔎. Report: Social media damages teenagers' mental health

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