1) President Trump has signed the coronavirus relief bill which includes the $600 stimulus checks. The stimulus is $900 billion dollar relief bill, which was delayed by Trump’s reluctance to sign the bill into law as the coronavirus pandemic continues to range while millions of people have lost their jobs. The stimulus legislation was flown down to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida where the President spent his Christmas holiday. But on Sunday, Trump sign the mammoth, 5,593-page product of months of congressional negotiations.
2) With President Trump public statement that he wanted $2,000 stimulus checks spurred the Republicans and Democrats to pursue a new offering with a special bill. Trump has repeatedly criticized the $900 billion bipartisan stimulus bill calling it a disgrace for only including a “measly $600” in direct payments. He tweeted Saturday “I simply want to give our great people $2000”. The president opposed the bills, but backed down on Sunday and signed it narrowly avoiding a government shutdown. However, the Republicans have agreed to a new vote on $2,000 stimulus checks with a new bill to increase payments to individuals from $600 to $2,000.
3) Star Trek’s Scotty, the chief engineer on the fictional U.S.S. Enterprise, has finally beamed up to the International Space Station. The ashes of James Doohan, the actor who portrayed the original Star Trek character Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, have been interred for a dozen years on the International Space Station (ISS). The actor died in July 2005 at age 85, and portions of the actor’s ashes had previously been officially launched into space a couple of other times. Citizen astronaut and entrepreneur Richard Garriott, who was one of the first private citizens to fly to space, smuggled Doohan’s ashes during a 12-day mission in 2008 and were left hidden on board the station. Doohan’s ashes have now traveled 1.7 billion miles in space, orbiting Earth more than 70,000 times.
4) Stock market closings for – 28 DEC 20:
Dow 30,403.97 up by 204.10
Nasdaq 12,899.42 up by 94.69
S&P 500 3,735.36 up by 32.30
10 Year Yield: down at 0.93%
Oil: down at $47.69