| WHAT'S BREWING
ONE OF THE BIGGEST OBSTACLES TO A STIMULUS DEAL There’s a possible agreement coming together on another coronavirus stimulus. And the question isn’t whether congressional leaders and the president can seal the deal; it’s whether they can get out of the way. The question is particularly important for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who’s perhaps more resistant than anybody to an agreement. Unlike Democratic leaders, the Kentucky Republican has pointedly refused to endorse the bipartisan framework. [HuffPost]
WHITE HOUSE STAFF MUST TRANSFER WITH 'PROFESSIONALISM' The White House chief of staff and White House counsel reportedly asked staff via email to prioritize “preparations for a smooth transition” on Thursday and to remain professional ahead of Biden’s inauguration next month, despite President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to spread lies about his election loss. “Approach this project with the same professionalism and energy you have brought to all of your work in the past,” the email said. [HuffPost]
JEWISH AMERICANS GATHER ON ZOOM FOR HANUKKAH Jewish Americans from a variety of branches of the faith are celebrating Hanukkah with smaller-than-usual gatherings this year. Many Jewish Americans are already accustomed to more intimate celebrations, so the recent successful Supreme Court challenge to New York restrictions on in-person worship by some Orthodox groups won’t mean much as far as their Hanukkah plans. [AP]
AUSTRALIA ABANDONS VACCINE AFTER FALSE HIV POSITIVES Clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by the University of Queensland in Australia and biotech firm CSL have been scrapped after participants returned false-positive HIV test results in phase one of the trial. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday announced the government made the decision after receiving scientific advice and stressed that the government was prepared for some vaccine candidates to fail. [HuffPost]
ABOUT 30% OF ANIMAL SPECIES AT RISK OF EXTINCTION The Red List, an inventory of threatened species maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, was updated Thursday. It lists more than 35,700 species — representing almost 30% of all plant and animal species evaluated by the IUCN — as currently threatened by extinction. These include all of the world’s freshwater dolphins, almost one-third of all oak trees and 40% of all amphibians. [HuffPost] | 
