Dow jumps 300 points | Stimulus negotiations gain steam | Buffett to Congress: Help small businesses

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy will meet on Tuesday to discuss government funding and coronavirus relief.

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE TUE, DEC 15, 2020 EVENING BRIEF AS OF TUE, DEC 15, 2020 • 04:30 ET DJIA 30199.31 +1.13% +337.76 S&P 500 3694.62 +1.29% +47.13 NASDAQ 12595.06 +1.25% +155.02   Most Active DOW NAME LAST CHG %CHG AAPL 127.88 +6.10 +5.01% MSFT 214.13 -0.07 -0.03% INTC 50.66 +0.20 +0.39% S&P 500 NAME LAST CHG %CHG AAPL 127.88 +6.10 +5.01% AIV 5.04 +0.70 +16.13% AAL 17.01 +0.31 +1.86% NASDAQ NAME LAST CHG %CHG AAPL 127.88 +6.10 +5.01% AMD 97.12 +2.34 +2.47% TSLA 633.25 -6.58 -1.03%   EDITOR'S NOTE Small businesses are hurting as the coronavirus pandemic forces cities and states to once again tighten social distancing measures and restrictions. Legendary investor Warren Buffett thinks Congress needs to step up and help those businesses out.   "It's an economic war," Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, told CNBC's Becky Quick on Tuesday. Specifically, he asked lawmakers to extend the Paycheck Protection Program. "I think the country owes it to the millions of small business people … just renew the PPP and get us to the end of the tunnel."   Congress has been in a stalemate for months in its negotiations on new government aid, putting pressure on businesses, particularly the smaller ones. Late Monday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers presented a fiscal stimulus package that includes about $300 billion to support small businesses.   The uncertainty around the pandemic and additional stimulus contributed to the NFIB's Small Business Optimism Index declining for the first time in three months in November.   Without additional aid for small businesses, Washington is "in the process of dashing the dreams of tens of thousands," Buffett said. "Congress should act."   Catch The News with Shepard Smith at 7 p.m. ET on CNBC. The nightly newscast provides deep, non-partisan coverage and perspective on the day's most important stories. Fred Imbert | CNBC Markets Reporter @foimbert TOP NEWS  Dow jumps more than 300 points on stimulus optimism, S&P 500 snaps 4-day losing streak Congressional leaders to meet on Covid relief and government funding as deadlines loom FDA staff endorses emergency use of Moderna's Covid vaccine in a critical step toward approval Covid relief bill pays extra $300 a week in jobless benefits, extends aid for 4 months EU announces sweeping new rules that could force breakups and hefty fines for Big Tech FDA staff recommends watching for Bell's palsy in Moderna and Pfizer vaccine recipients Covid live updates: NYE in Times Square closed to the public; FDA releases data on Moderna vaccine side effects Bank of America says sell stocks on the vaccine as overconfident investors dump cash for equities 'We are so close' — Cramer says stimulus needed to bridge gap to widely available Covid vaccines After weeks of delay, Senate GOP leader McConnell congratulates Joe Biden following Electoral College vote   TOP VIDEO U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Bradley: Very optimistic on Covid relief talks   CNBC PRO BlackRock's Rieder sees 10-year above 1% and a whiff of inflation next year   SPECIAL REPORTS Here's how much 5% invested in Tesla could have made for S&P 500 index fund investor Apple's seismic change to the mobile ad industry is drawing near, and it's rocking the ecosystem   Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2020 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS