Good morning, NBC News readers.
The House votes to more than triple Covid relief payments, a Utah hiker survives a dramatic fall and stories from a lost year.
Here is what we're watching this Tuesday morning.
House votes to increase coronavirus stimulus checks to $2,000
The Democratic-controlled House narrowly passed a bill Monday evening to increase direct coronavirus relief payments to some people from $600 to $2,000. The measure faces an uphill battle in the Republican-run Senate despite support from President Donald Trump.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would try to pass the bill Tuesday.
This isn’t the only new Covid relief that Democrats are eying after Trump signed a fresh round of relief into law Sunday. Read more here.
The House also voted on Monday to override the president’s veto of the $740 billion defense authorization bill, the first vote to override one of Trump’s vetoes by a chamber of Congress.
Meanwhile, one of President-elect Joe Biden’s top Covid-19 advisers warned the pandemic is accelerating and the United States should brace itself for “one of the worst months in this nation’s history in January.”
The comments came as the number of Covid-19 infections rose to 19.3 million and the number of deaths from coronavirus topped 335,000, the latest NBC News data showed.
The lost year: How Covid-19 left many Americans ‘stuck in time’
The coronavirus pandemic forced millions of Americans to cancel major life events, from weddings and anniversary celebrations to graduation ceremonies and retirement parties.
But the outbreak also thwarted plans that cannot be easily rescheduled for the brighter months of 2021. In a way, Covid-19 behaved like a thief, stealing precious time that may be lost forever.
NBC News spoke to people across the United States for whom 2020 might be described as a lost year. The pandemic kept them from growing their families, starting careers, visiting elderly loved ones both here and back in the countries they came from. It deferred their dreams — and potentially reshaped the course of their lives.
Want to receive the Morning Rundown in your inbox? Sign up here.
Plus
- Nashville bomber was 'loner,' IT consultant, sources say.
- Biden accuses Trump political appointees of obstructing transition process.
- Hilaria Baldwin defends Spanish name amid questions over evolving accent, previous name of 'Hillary'.
- Ohio officer who fatally shot Andre Hill in Columbus is fired.
- Utah hiker slips, falls more than 100 feet — and survives.
THINK about it
Covid-19 disrupted education around the world. Here's how I survived when my studies were derailed, writes Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki in an opinion piece.
Live BETTER
What's the best diet for heart health? Dietitians weigh in.
Shopping
Here are the year's most popular pet products, from dog food to harnesses and toys.
One fun thing
Earlier this year, TikTok users created an entire show based on the 2007 Disney Pixar movie, "Ratatouille." Though it isn't technically a musical, the film about a rat who can cook inspired people on the social media app to write and perform original songs based on the story.
Now, the musical that TikTok collectively put together is actually happening with some very big names signed on to be part of it.
Remy the cooking rat will be played by Tituss Burgess of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” fame. Former “Dear Evan Hansen" star Andrew Barth Feldman will be portraying Alfredo Linguini, the human who Remy helps cook by tugging on his hair to control his movements from underneath his chef's hat. And “Emily in Paris” star Ashley Park as Linguini’s coworker-turned-friend-turned-love-interest, Celine.
The show is entirely online and will be streamed on Jan. 1 at 7 p.m. ET on TodayTix.com. All proceeds will go to the Actors Fund, which supports people working in film, television, theater and other arts. Tickets start at $5.
Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.
If you have any comments send me an email at: rachel.elbaum@nbcuni.com.
If you're a fan, please forward it to your family and friends. They can sign-up here.
Thanks, Rachel