What to know today 🌅
New White House offer adds $600 checks to COVID-19 relief
The Trump administration dived back into Capitol Hill’s confusing COVID-19 negotiations, offering a $916 billion package to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans but eliminate a $300-per-week employment benefit favored by a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made the offer to Pelosi late Tuesday afternoon, he said in a statement. He offered few details, though House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy said it proposes the $600 direct payment for individuals and $1,200 for couples, which is half the payment delivered by the March pandemic relief bill.
F-16 crashes in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
A Wisconsin-based F-16 fighter jet crashed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula while on a training mission and searchers were looking Wednesday for the pilot, who was the only person aboard, authorities said. The plane assigned to the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing at Truax Field Air National Guard Base in Madison crashed about 8 p.m. Tuesday, the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs said in a statement. The cause of the crash, as well as the status of the pilot, weren’t immediately known, the statement said.
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☀️ 🌎 Northern Lights could be visible this week in Michigan: Here’s why and when
A geomagnetic storm watch has been issued across parts of North America, including right here in Michigan. A massive solar flare on the Sun erupted in the direction of Earth. That solar flare accelerated the normal stream of charged particles that comes from the Sun to the Earth. That charge forces the aurora ring at the North Pole farther south. It’s going to get close enough to lower Michigan where people in Metro Detroit might have a chance to see the aurora borealis (Northern Lights) later Wednesday night or Thursday evening -- it has to be dark to see it.
If this happens either Wednesday night or Thursday evening, people in southern Michigan may be able to see the green glow or even a red one. If you see green or read in the sky, then you know you’re looking at the Northern Lights. If this happens during the daylight hours, we won’t be able to see it. The key is going to be clear skies during dark hours.
🎅 What’s the best Christmas movie? Vote in Round 1 of our bracket challenge
There’s nothing like enjoying your favorite holiday movie while the snow is falling and the fireplace is crackling. But it’s time to decide -- which movie is the best?
With the holiday season upon us, we decided to have a little fun: We’ve launched a Christmas Movie Bracket, with five rounds of voting, to decide the best of the best.
We’ve selected 32 movies -- and we’re sure not everyone’s favorite is on the list -- but we hope we’ve covered most of the top picks. We’re including movies that are debated as Christmas movies, like “Die Hard,” “Lethal Weapon,” and “Trading Places,” because they are indeed Christmas movies.
We’re also including some classic animated shorts, like Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman and Charlie Brown. They’re just too iconic to leave out, even though they aren’t full length films.
Coronavirus in Michigan 🦠
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 410,295 as of Tuesday, including 10,138 deaths, state officials report.
Tuesday’s update includes 5,909 new cases and 191 additional deaths, one of the highest one-day death totals since the start of the pandemic.
New COVID-19 cases are slowing but deaths continue to rise in Michigan. Testing has remained steady, with more than 46,000 diagnostic tests reported per day, but the positive rate has increased to near 14% over the last week. Hospitalizations have slowed but remain high over the last five weeks, including upticks in critical care and ventilator use.
Michigan’s 7-day moving average for daily cases was 6,827 on Monday, slightly lower than one week ago. The 7-day death average was 108, the highest since April. The state’s fatality rate is 2.5%. The state also reports “active cases,” which were listed at 196,700 on Monday, near its highest mark on record. More than 197,000 have recovered in Michigan.
According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 5.7 million have recovered in the U.S., with more than 14.9 million cases reported across the country. More than 284,100 have died in the U.S.
Worldwide, more than 67.8 million people have been confirmed infected and more than 1.5 million have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. The true numbers are certainly much higher, because of limited testing, different ways nations count the dead and deliberate under-reporting by some governments.
Here’s a look at more of the data: