Alva Review-Courier -

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Unemployment benefits for millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet were set to lapse at midnight Saturday night unless President Donald Trump signed an end-of-year COVID relief and spending bill that had been considered a done deal before his sudden objections.

Trump's refusal to sign the bipartisan package as he demands larger COVID relief checks and complains about "pork" spending could also force a federal government shutdown when money runs out at 12:01 Tuesday in the middle of a pandemic.

"It's a chess game and we are pawns," said Lanetris Haines, a...