In the headlines:►Republicans blocked an effort Thursday to increase direct payments to Americans from $600 to $2,000 in the latest stimulus package. ►The federal government is close to delivering 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine during the month of December, as promised, but states are taking longer than expected to get those doses into people's arms. ►President Donald Trump has threatened to torpedo Congress’ massive COVID-19 relief package, demanding changes that fellow Republicans have opposed. ►California has become the first state to surpass 2 million cases, according to Johns Hopkins University data, a somber marker reached only by seven countries. Don't dismiss people's concerns: Reasonable skeptics are not going to trust the vaccine just because someone says they should.
