Happy Wednesday! Just because the Senate might be working on New Year’s Day does not mean we will be! Quick reminder that tomorrow’s TMD will be the last of the week.

Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories

• Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked an attempt by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to unanimously approve a House-passed bill that would increase the direct payments in the latest coronavirus relief package from $600 per person to $2,000 per person. Instead, McConnell introduced legislation tying the $2,000 provision to a full repeal of Section 230 protections for social media companies and the creation of a bipartisan commission to study the integrity and administration of the 2020 election. The combined legislation—which would satisfy all of President Trump’s recent demands—is all but assured to fail if it is brought up for a vote.

• A Colorado man in his 20s with no recent travel history was discovered to have the United States’ first confirmed case of the seemingly more contagious coronavirus variant circulating in the United Kingdom, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said yesterday.

• Luke Letlow, who was elected to Congress in December and was set to be sworn in next month, died yesterday after announcing he was COVID-positive December 18. He was just 41 years old.