The post holiday spike in cases be . Its way too early for this. Good morning and welcome to way too early, the show that hopes that all of you are staying as healthy and safe as you can. I am kasie hunt on this monday, december 28th. Well start with the news. After nearly a week of uncertainty, the president ended a crisis that he started all by himself. Last night, donald trump signed the massive covid relief bill that not only provides money to those who need it but also avoids a Government Shutdown that was set to happen tonight. Remember, Congress Passed this bill late monday night on a bipartisan basis. It was pretty overwhelming. And sent it to the president to sign. But instead, he complained. He wanted to raise the stimulus checks to 2,000 a person. This is, of course, something that he could have advocated for months ago. Trump has been at his maralago golf course. The bill actually had to be flown down to him. And eventually, after no actual changes were made, trump finally signed it last night. He claimed congress would make changes to meet his demands, despite the bill already being signed into law. Spoiler it doesnt work that way. The president s decision to delay the legislation allowed Unemployment Benefits for roughly 14 million americans to expire. There will likely be a delay for those millions to get the money they so desperately need. It also delays the stimulus checks that were expected to begin going out this week. So, after all of this, today House Democrats are again going to try to increase Coronavirus Relief checks to 2,000. The house is expected to vote on a standalone bill that would provide those direct payments. And last night, House Speaker nancy pelosi released a statement saying President Trump must call on Congressional Republicans to end their obstruction and join him and the democrats in support of the 2,000 relief checks. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer tweeted that no democrats will object to giving americans 2,000 checks but asked, will Senate Republicans . And in a Statement Last night, President Trump said the senate would start the process for a vote that increases checks to 2,000, but a separate Statement Released by Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell made no mention of plans to consider the legislation. Its important to underscore here that what the president did from a political perspective is underscore that democrats indeed support the 2,000 checks and the people that have the problem with it are Senate Republicans who believe that were spending too much money. Thats how this has played out here. Joining us now, author of the Washington Posts earlymorning newsletter, power up, jacqueline alemany. Jackie, good morning it is always great to see you. Good morning. I have to say, last night as i was getting ready to be here with you this morning, i was watching along with the rest of the country to try and figure out what one person was going to do. And at the end of the day here, he did cave, he did what everyone in both parties, in both houses of congress was basically telling him was the right thing to do, which really underscores just how unnecessary all of this anxiety that was caused for these people who need help, just how unnecessary that was. And also, the reality is, the delay, itself, has consequences that are going to mean that a lot of people dont get the help as quickly as they could have. Thats exactly right. The president let, you know, Unemployment Benefits expire for 14 million americans over this weekend while he was in palm beach playing golf, and Vice President mike pence was in vail, colorado, on vacation as well. Not a good look for the, you know, the top leaders in the Republican Party. And on top of that, this was due to, as you underscored, infighting between the Republican Party the president , who had not made clear his desire for these 2,000 checks at any point during these negotiations until the 11th hour, and disagreement between Senate Republicans and Top Republican leaders in the party and the president over how much they wanted to spend. Its unclear right now. We have not quite figured out why the president has decided to suddenly change his mind after a week of chaos and angry tweets and threatening to veto this legislation and shut down the government over it. The white house has been very opaque about the process. They have not held a Briefing Since december 22nd. The president also hasnt held a briefing on this. We really only heard from him via twitter. Hes been on the golf course. So, its really unclear. But we do know that this president loves to watch cable tv. Its quite possible he was watching enough cable to change his mind, realize that he was throwing, you know, the potential georgia races into disarray, where republicans need to win those two races in order to maintain control of the senate majority, and this was, as senate Republican Leaders were advising the president , imperilling those wins, potentially. Right, well, i know thats the argument republicans were making to him behind the scenes dont take the senate down with you. I think one important question were all going to be exploring is, what exactly does outgoing President Trump have to fear from a Democratic Senate . We know hes also motivated by that in some ways. But jackie, youre right, and im glad you pointed out, that while there is a list of demands the president put along with this bill, there is no process or procedure or promise from congress to do any of it. Thats not how the system works. The one question i have he insisted that, okay, Congress Needs to look into these claims of voter fraud. Theres not even really time to hold a hearing, but there is the formal vote on the Electoral College, and Mitch Mcconnell has been urging republicans in the senate not to go along with a push in the house that would try and throw that into question because it would force them all to go on the record, likely against trump, in order to keep the election where it belongs, with joe biden. What do you think are the possible ramifications there . And do you read this as any sort of behindthescenes promise that there will be a senator who will stand up and try to throw the election from biden to trump . Thats something that we have consistently been polling republicans on. Procedurally, it is a tough process, and as you noted, senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell has been advising his members not to go along with this. So even if people in the house, republicans in the house did try to protest the results of the Electoral College in one of their states, they would need a corresponding senator to go along with that, which might be tricky. And at the end of the day, the person overseeing this all is Vice President mike pence, who has also quietly indicated that this is something that he is going to see in a way that is constitutional, you know, which the president has not been super thrilled about, but thats something that were watching closely. And while it seems farfetched, anything really is quite possible in terms of pushing the constitutional boundaries with this president. Well, thats been a theme of the last year, perhaps the last four years. The Washington Posts jacqueline alemany, thank you so much. Hopefully, by the time you and i see each other again, we will actually be in 2021, which i think all of us are very much looking forward to. Moving on, though, to this pretty tough story. The suspect in the Christmas Morning explosion that rocked downtown nashville has been identified. Fbi investigators reveal that the bomber, 63yearold Anthony Quinn warner, died in the blast. They made the connection after an Identification Number from the rv that blew up in front of the at t building was registered to warner. Officials declined to say what kind of explosives were used or identify a possible motive for the attack. They believe that the suspect worked alone. Six Nashville Police officers are being hailed as heroes after quickly evacuating the area before the bomb detonated. The blast injured three people and destroyed dozens of businesses nearby. Wsmv reporter carly gordon has more on the search for a possible motive here. She filed this report for us from nashville. Reporter good morning, kasie. This is where federal and local authorities held a press Conference Announcing the person responsible for the bombing is 63yearold Anthony Warner of antioch. They say he died in that explosion, he acted alone. Nashville, they say, is now safe. Investigators say they were able to tie dna evidence found at the crime scene to dna found in another car used by warner. Thats how they connected him to the crime. Were told investigators reviewed hours and hours of Surveillance Video and thats why they can confidently say they believe warner acted alone. Now, we know the fbi was pursuing tips that warner may have been paranoid about 5g, and we asked about that during the press conference. Authorities say they cant comment on that just yet, but at this point, the fbi is asking anyone who knew warner to call. They say those calls may help investigators determine a motive. If you knew warner and think you can help with the investigation, youre asked to call 1800callfbi. In the meantime, the area surrounding the explosion site is closed off until noon today. Back to you, kasie. All right, our thanks to wsmvs Carley Gordon for that report. Still ahead here, were going to take a look at how the 2020 nfl playoff picture is shaping up as we head into the final week of the season. Plus, despite containment efforts, a new variant of coronavirus is popping up across europe and several other countries. Well take a look at where its been documented so far. Well have those stories and so much more when we come right back. And so much more when we come right back nicorette knows, quitting smoking is freaking hard. You get advice like just stop. Get a hobby. You should meditate. Eat crunchy foods. Go for a run. Go for 10 runs run a marathon. Are you kidding me . instead, start small. With nicorette. Which can lead to something big. Start stopping with nicorette vo this new year, get the phones Everyone Wants on the 5g americas been waiting for. Verizon 5g is next level. Now get one of our best 5g phones on us when you buy one and get 500 when you switch. Plus, select unlimited plans include disney , hulu, and espn . 100 obsessed with the mandalorian. man i watch a lot of sports. woman it has all my favorite shows. And right now, the gaming the whole family will love is also on us. Its like a gift on top of another gift. Gifts keep coming at you. Everywhere. This is 5g from americas most reliable network. So let me just ask you . This aveeno® moisturizer goes beyond just soothing sensitive skin . Exactly jen calm restore oat gel was designed for sensitive skin. Uh its incredible we formulated it with a super nurturing ingredient. Prebiotic oat. It soothes skin and strengthens its moisture barrier, too. Uh i love it i love it aveeno® healthy. Its our nature. ™ oh. Wait wait sabrina theres a serum, too . Of course, there is. Of course, there is. I knew that. First down and a lot more, and all the way to the end zone goes a. J. Billing. Look at that. Time now for sports. The packers hosting the titans on a snowy sunday night football at lambeau field. That was rookie running back a. J. Dylan, padding the green bay lead in the Third Quarter with his first of two rushing scores. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers tossed four touchdown passes, including three caught by receiver davante adams, on the way to a 4014 victory over tennessee. Having already clinched the nfc north title, this is the packers fifth straight win. The titans are going to get another chance to wrap up the afc south, if they beat houston next week. While the packers can earn the number one seed in the nfc playoffs with a win over chicago or a seattle loss to san francisco. What a game. The nfls week 16 started on Christmas Day with an epic performance from the saints alvin kamara, who became just the second running back in League History to rush for six touchdowns in a game during new orleans nfc southclinching victory over the vikings. If kamara was on your fantasy team this week, you likely earned the championship. On saturday, buccaneers Quarterback Tom Brady only needed to play the first half against the lions, tossing four touchdowns in a 477 win that sends tampa bay to the playoffs for the First Time Since 2007. And yesterday, the steelers got back to their winning ways after three straight losses, scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half of a 2824 comeback victory over the colts that captures the nfc north title for pittsburgh. In atlanta, the chiefs held off the falcons, 1714, the fewest points in a win for kansas city with quarterback patrick mahomes, which earns the defending champs the afcs top seed in the playoffs. And in seattle, the seahawks are nfc west champions for the First Time Since 2016 after defeating the rams, 209. They still have a shot at the nfcs top seed. To jacksonville, where the bears move into the nfcs seventh side with the 4117 victory over the jaguars. Chicago can clinch that spot next week with a win against green bay or a loss by the cardinals to the rams. The jaguars loss coupled with the jets 2316 surprise win over the shorthanded backgrounds means jacksonville secures the top pick in next years draft. Cleveland, meanwhile, will need to beat the steelers next week in order to end the leagues longest playoff route. A lot going on there. Now, turning to the nba. In case you were wondering what the clippers would look like without injured star kawhi leonard, the mavericks set a League Record for the largest halftime lead, going ahead by 50 points at the break. Dallas led by as many as 57 on the way to the 12473 victory. Ouch. And finally, some lategame drama in chicago, as the warriors trailed the bulls by two in the final seconds of regulation. Watch this. Cant get to curry. Heres lee. Three for the lead oh good on the road there we go golden states damien lee drains the goahead threepointer with less than two seconds on the clock. The bulls remain winless as the warriors hang on to win, 129128. Got to love a game that ends like that. Still ahead here, President Trump announces plans for a rally in georgia ahead of the states Critical Senate runoff elections next week. The question is, we might be able to answer it right now, will he make it all about himself . Were back in just a moment. L a himself . Were back in just a moment. We are the thrivers. Women with metastatic breast cancer. Our time. For more time. Has come. Living longer is possible and proven in postmenopausal women taking kisqali plus fulvestrant. In a clinical trial, kisqali plus fulvestrant helped women live longer with hr , her2 metastatic breast cancer. And it significantly delayed disease progression. Kisqali can cause lung problems or an abnormal heartbeat, which can lead to death. It can cause serious skin reactions, liver problems, and low white blood cell counts that may result in severe infections. Tell your doctor right away if you have new or worsening symptoms, including breathing problems, cough, chest pain, a change in your heartbeat, dizziness, yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, tiredness, loss of appetite, abdomen pain, bleeding, bruising, fever, chills, or other symptoms of an infection, a severe or worsening rash, are or plan to become pregnant, or breastfeeding. Avoid grapefruit during treatment. Ask your doctor about living longer with kisqali. Always have been. Er. And always will be. Never letting anything get in my way. Not the doubts, distractions, or voice in my head. And certainly not arthritis. Voltaren provides powerful arthritis pain relief to help me keep moving. And it can help you too. Feel the joy of movement with voltaren. And mines unlisted. Try boost® high protein. With 20 grams of protein for Muscle Health versus only 16 grams in ensure® high protein. And now enjoy boost® high protein in cafe mocha flavor. Im lea. Steve. And we live in north pole, alaska. Im a retired school counselor. [lea] im a retired art teacher. [steve] we met online about 10 years ago. As i got older, my hearing was not so good so i got hearing aids. My vision was not as good as it used to be, got a change in prescription. But the this missing was my memory. I saw a prevagen commercial and i thought, that makes sense. I just didnt have to work so hard to remember things. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. Want to sell the best burger add an employee. Ode . Or ten. Then easily and automatically pay your team and file payroll taxes. That means. World domination