Thursday morning news - December 24, 2020

Trump Vetoes Defense Bill » AUDIO: [Sound of helicopter]

The president and First Lady Melania Trump boarded Air Force One yesterday to leave for their Christmas vacation in Florida. 

But before taking off, President Trump vetoed the sweeping defense spending package Congress passed earlier this week. 

The president said the colossal $740 billion legislation did not include an important provision: a measure that would strip social media companies of liability protections. 

The bill also limited how much defense money President Trump can redirect to build the border wall. And it would require the military to rename bases named after Confederate leaders. 

In his veto message to Congress, President Trump said the bill fails to, quote, “respect our veterans and our military’s history.” He also called it a gift to China and Russia. 

Now members of the House will have to report back to work on Monday for a planned override of the president’s veto. Senate Republicans are also expected to defy the president’s veto next week, re-passing the bill.

The legislation will give troops a 3 percent pay raise and authorize billions in military programs and construction. 

President Grants More Allies Clemency » And President Trump continued to have a busy Wednesday. After touching down in Florida, he announced pardons for 26 people and commutations for three more. 

Charles Kushner was one pardon recipient. He’s the father of Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and top adviser. Fifteen years ago, Charles Kushner pleaded guilty to tax crimes and witness retaliation. He served 14 months in prison. 

President Trump also scrubbed felonies off the records of his former campaign manager Paul Manafort and his longtime ally, Roger Stone. Special counsel Robert Mueller indicted both Manafort and Stone during the Russia probe, and juries convicted them both of multiple crimes. 

The pardons come on the heels of 20 others President Trump granted earlier this week. That brings the total number of people he’s pardoned to 65.

Judge rules against California church again » A U.S. District Judge has ruled against California churches seeking to hold indoor worship services. WORLD’S Sarah Schweinsberg has more. 

SARAH SCHWEINSBERG, REPORTER: Judge Jesus Bernal said late Monday night the Supreme Court’s decision that restored freedom of worship to Brooklyn congregations does not apply to California congregations. 

That’s because the judge reasoned California’s COVID-19 restrictions don’t compare to New York’s rules. The difference? Judge Bernal said California allows church gatherings outdoors in unlimited numbers. 

Now, Harvest Rock Church, the congregation that filed the lawsuit, says it will appeal the decision to the Ninth Circuit court of Appeals. 

In the meantime, Harvest Rock and other congregations including Pastor John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church will continue to hold indoor worship services—disobeying state guidelines. 

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Sarah Schweinsberg. 

Pfizer Nears Covid-19 Vaccine Deal With U.S. to Boost Supply » More COVID-19 vaccine doses could soon be on the way. The Trump Administration is close to reaching a deal with Pfizer for an additional 100 million inoculations.

The vaccines are to be distributed between April and June. Moderna has also pledged to provide another 100 million doses for this spring.

But Pfizer announced last month that it’s having trouble ramping up vaccine production: partly because of supply shortages. So the pharmaceutical giant says to meet its quota it will need the federal government’s help. 

The deal calls for the Trump Administration to invoke the Defense Production Act in order to give the company better access to the specialized products it needs to make the vaccine.

Both Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines require patients to receive two doses. That means even with these additional vaccines secured, the government still needs to supply 65 million doses—or a quarter of the eligible American population. Not an easy task with every country competing for supply. 

More than half a million Americans have gotten the coronavirus vaccine so far. 

France relaxes Its U.K. Covid restrictions » After more than 40 nations banned flights from the United Kingdom, France and Great Britain have reached a new travel deal. 

The agreement allows British delivery drivers and European Union travelers to cross French borders, provided they show a negative virus test taken within the last 72 hours. 

EU nations are trying to prevent the spread of a new mutation of the coronavirus found in the UK. 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pushed hard for the deal as grounded flights and halted ferry services disrupted the flow of goods across the English Channel. 

JOHNSON: We fully understand the anxieties of our friends about COVID, but it’s also true that we believe the risks of transmission by a solitary driver, sitting alone in a cab are really very low. 

The United States was not among the countries that stopped flights from the U.K. Assistant Secretary for Health Administration Brett Giroir told ABC News there’s no evidence the virus variant is significantly more dangerous. 

GIROIR: And very importantly we haven’t seen a single mutation yet that would make it evade the vaccine. 

The European Commission is pressuring EU members to follow France’s lead and lift blanket travel bans while still restricting travel to tested passengers and essential services.

(Tolga Akmen/Pool via AP) Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a media briefing in Downing Street, London, Monday Dec. 21, 2020. 

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