British officials warned that a new strain of the coronavirus is “out of control” and suggested parts of England will be stuck under severe restrictions until vaccines become more available. European countries moved quickly to isolate Great Britain by suspending travel, as did nations in the Middle East. But in the U.S., where the coronavirus has been out of control for some time with thousands dying daily, the Trump administration said it would not follow Europe’s lead. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo pleaded with President Donald Trump to do so—darkly echoing the spring when travelers from Europe brought the virus to the Northeast, with cataclysmic results. Trump meanwhile has reportedly discussed the topic of martial law and issued an executive order declaring “beautiful” the federal government’s official architectural style. President-elect Joe Biden got a vaccine shot. Here is the latest on the pandemic. —David E. Rovella 

Bloomberg is tracking the progress of coronavirus vaccines while mapping the pandemic globally and across America. 

Here are today’s top stories 

After days of silence on the subject, Trump sought to blame the massive, ongoing hack of U.S. government agencies on China, despite near universal agreement in his government (including by his own secretary of state and attorney general) that it was perpetrated by Russia. The Austin, Texas, company through which the Kremlin allegedly began its attack was warned of its susceptibility a long time ago, a former adviser said: “From a security perspective, SolarWinds was an incredibly easy target to hack.” 

They work behind the scenes, making sure America’s overwhelmed hospitals keep running during the pandemic. But these essential workers contend their lives are increasingly being put at risk.

Fear of the more easily transmitted (but not necessarily more dangerous) strain of Covid-19 diluted any optimism Wall Street had about a second economic rescue package. U.S. markets dipped, but not nearly as much as in Europe, where the new threat tanked stocks. 

The dollar is heading into dangerous territory as the year comes to an end. There are more than a few signs that things could get ugly before 2021 arrives. Here’s why in five charts.

Rich Americans are rushing to make large transactions before the end of the month, trying to get ahead of any moves by the Biden administration and Congressional Democrats to raise taxes or close loopholes.  

These billionaire brothers have been gobbling up Manhattan property, ramping up a huge bet on a real estate market that’s been smacked around by the pandemic. They’ve spent almost $2.5 billion on U.S. acquisitions and financing deals this year alone.

Peloton agreed to buy fitness-equipment company Precor for $420 million. While sales soared this year as the pandemic shut gyms and forced people to work out from home, Peloton struggled to keep up with demand. 

What you’ll need to know tomorrow

• Boris Johnson throws fish into a last-ditch bid for a Brexit deal. 
• The second Covid-19 bailout has arrived just in time for Christmas.
• There are lots of goodies tucked into it, including one for Nascar.
• And you? This is when your check is coming, if you get one at all.
• Ontario’s premier attacks Trudeau over airport coronavirus testing.
• Christmas Eve in Los Angeles may be a very dark one.
• Costco is selling a Babe Ruth autographed baseball.

What you’ll want to read in Bloomberg Pursuits

Here Are the 15 Best Beers We Drank in 2020

Needless to say, 2020 was a challenging year for craft beer. Those early pandemic headlines of skyrocketing alcohol sales didn’t show the whole picture. While discount and grocery store sales are up, many small breweries reported cuts in production and sales, while seeing their most profitable revenue stream—bars—all but snuffed out. Most of us, it seems, enjoy drinking outside the house with friends. Nevertheless, we managed to drink a few here and there. Here are the 15 best beers of 2020.

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The Best of Bloomberg Podcasts: As 2020 finally comes to an end, use your holiday down time to catch up on the best podcasts you may have missed, including Blood River, a tale of murder, corruption and environmental activism (on Apple and Spotify), and Foundering, the story of the fall of WeWork (on Apple and Spotify).

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