Good morning from Augusta. There are three days until the federal government runs out of money. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “It’s great to get that racist, offensive and ugly Chief Wahoo off their logo, but as long as they have the name, it leaves the door open for people to partake in ugly behavior,” said Maulian Dana, an ambassador for the Penobscot Nation, on the Cleveland Indians’ decision to rename themselves, which was announced Monday. What we’re watching today As the first batch of coronavirus vaccines arrives in Maine, the virus outbreak is as bad as it has ever been here. Maine continues to break records for daily case counts and virus-related hospitalizations. December is already nearing the record for monthly case totals, the month only half over. Another 417 cases and six deaths were reported Tuesday morning. The rise in cases — which Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, recently characterized as “the surge on top of the surge” — is putting pressure on both large and small hospitals as the virus continues to spread across the state. Only 42 Maine ZIP codes have yet to record a case of the virus, down from more than 130 in September. Meanwhile, the vaccine distribution is about to begin. Health care workers in Bangor and Portland who work with coronavirus patients or may be exposed to it during their work are likely to get their first shots on Wednesday. Those vaccines go through the Maine CDC, but the majority of the first wave of doses will be routed to the pharmaceutical companies handling inoculation for long-term care facility residents and workers. The distribution of those doses is not expected to begin until next week — when a second wave of vaccines are expected if a Moderna vaccine is approved for emergency use this Thursday. That will kick the distribution into higher gear, sending doses to smaller hospitals around the state. Those who work in hospitals and care facilities, while critical to maintaining the state’s health care system, are a relatively small percent of the population — just 7.6 percent, according to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation. As of Monday, they represented 1,967 of the state’s then 16,349 total cases, according to Shah. The Maine politics top 3 — “2 ex-lawmakers likely to vie for vacant Maine Senate seat in Kennebec County,” Michael Shepherd, Bangor Daily News: “The swing seat provides a decent pick-up opportunity for Republicans who saw their Senate minority reduced by one to 13 seats in the November election and was left vacant when Sen. Shenna Bellows, D-Manchester, resigned in December just before the Legislature elected her as the next secretary of state, replacing the term-limited and outgoing Matt Dunlap.” The special election was formally announced Monday. Caucuses have until Jan. 8 to submit their candidates for the March 9 event. For Democrats, the choice is likely to be former state Rep. Craig Hickman, D-Winthrop, who ran for secretary of state just a few weeks ago. Republicans are getting behind former Sen. Earle McCormick, R-West Gardiner. Candidates will serve the full two years of the vacated term. — “Breakdown in police communication made Machiasport standoff more perilous, new panel find,” Callie Ferguson, BDN: “Law enforcement officers should have planned and communicated more effectively when they responded to an armed standoff in Machiasport in 2017, which ended when a marine patrol officer shot and wounded a gun-wielding man and a woman who was attempting to calm him down from a mental health crisis.” — “Oxford County representative leaves GOP, is 1st Libertarian to serve in Maine Legislature,” Caitlin Andrews, BDN: “Andrews, a second-term lawmaker who represents his hometown plus Hebron and Buckfield, confirmed he unenrolled Monday after he learned he would not be returning to the committee overseeing voting, gambling and liquor laws, which he served on during his first term. Andrews said the placement ‘just didn’t make sense’ and that he had enjoyed the work.” Updates from Washington Stimulus talks continue but uncertainty remains. A bipartisan group including Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King released the text for two bills associated with their $908 billion coronavirus relief plan Monday afternoon. One bill — a $748 billion proposal that seems to have a better shot — includes extended unemployment benefits, money for vaccine distribution and another round of Paycheck Protection Program loans for small businesses. The second deals with the more controversial issues of state and local aid and liability protections. It remains to be seen whether Senate leadership will tee up either bill for a vote this week before Congress heads home for the holidays. Maine’s junior senator also has a proposal for Netflix and other streaming companies. In a letter to the executives of five streaming companies Monday, King argued platforms should make content free to encourage Americans to stay at home over the holidays amid the coronavirus pandemic. King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats,suggested people might stay home more if they had access to entertainment on demand. “While your platforms would likely experience greater traffic as a consequence of extending service, we encourage you to provide temporary service at no cost to non-subscribers as a way to encourage people to make responsible choices and safely navigate this holiday season,” King wrote. Netflix did not respond to an inquiry Monday about King’s proposal. Here’s your soundtrack. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Caitlin Andrews and Jessica Piper. If you’re reading this on the BDN’s website or were forwarded it, you can sign up to have it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning here. To reach us, do not reply directly to this newsletter, but contact the political team at mshepherd@bangordailynews.com, candrews@bangordailynews.com or jpiper@bangordailynews.com. | 