Below is a summary of current US news briefs.
President Biden and the First Lady meet with patients at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited the National Children’s Hospital in Washington on Friday and met with pediatric patients, their families and hospital staff. “To all of you parents, stay strong. We spend a lot of time in children’s hospitals, also with patients. It’s going to be fine,” Biden told a group of patients gathered for a book reading.
The Capitol Riots Panel’s final report lays out the case for impeaching Trump
The congressional panel investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol released its final report late Thursday, outlining its case that former US President Donald Trump should face criminal charges for inciting the deadly riot. The House Select Committee also released the transcripts of several of its interviews and witness statements earlier Thursday and Wednesday.
fact box. Report 6 adds to Trump’s mounting legal problems
A congressional panel investigating the role of Donald Trump and his supporters in the attack on Congress on January 6, 2021, released its final report this week, calling on federal prosecutors to charge the former president with four crimes, including obstruction and sedition. Additionally, the US House Ways and Means Committee B said this week that some of Trump’s tax records showed his income and tax liability fluctuated dramatically in recent years, raising questions about the legitimacy of some of his deductions and the IRS’s presidential audit program.
‘Where else can I go?’: Migrants face freezing Christmas at US-Mexico border
Hundreds of migrants prepared to camp in the cold on Mexico’s northern border over Christmas, hoping for a quick reversal of US immigration restrictions as they bear the sting of the winter storm raging across the United States. After the US Supreme Court ruled this week that the restrictions, known as Title 42, can remain in place indefinitely Temporarily, many migrants face the Christmas weekend of what Mexico’s weather service called an “Arctic air mass.”
US deep freeze leaves more than 700,000 without power, thousands of flights canceled
An arctic blast that gripped much of the United States on Saturday left more than 700,000 without power, at least 16 dead in weather-related car crashes and thousands stranded by flight cancellations. Plunging temperatures are expected to bring the coldest Christmas Eve on record, and energy systems across the country have been strained by increased demand for heat and storm-related damage to transmission lines.
University of California academic workers end a weeks-long strike
University of California (UC) academic workers on Friday ended a nearly six-week strike, which unions described as the largest-ever work stoppage at a US institution of higher education. Thousands of academic workers went on strike at UC campuses across the country on November 14, forming picket lines and held loud demonstrations to demand better pay for teaching assistants and others.
Arizona judge rejects pro-choice denier Carrie Lake’s bid to overturn vote results
An Arizona judge on Saturday rejected defeated Republican candidate Carrie Lake’s efforts to overturn the results of her loss in the state’s gubernatorial race. Supreme Court Justice Peter Thompson’s order was handed down on Saturday.
Airlines are canceling thousands of flights in the US following a winter storm
Airlines have canceled nearly 2,700 flights in the United States as of Saturday afternoon, after a massive winter storm caused airport operations across the country, frustrating thousands of vacation travelers. There were delays in flights within the United States, in or out of the United States, totaling approximately 6,200 Saturday afternoon, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware, which showed the total number of flight cancellations in the US at around 2,700. The cancellations as of Saturday afternoon included more than 750 from Southwest Airlines and nearly 500 from Delta Air Lines Inc.
The US Congress has passed a $1.66 trillion funding bill, which Biden will sign
The Democratic-controlled US House of Representatives on Friday passed a $1.66 trillion government funding bill that provides record military funding and sends emergency aid to Ukraine, hours before a midnight deadline. The spending bill for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 was approved by a party-line majority vote of 225-201, following Senate approval the previous day.
NFL-Baby, it’s cold outside: Teams, fans adjust as deep freeze hits US
The National Football League (NFL) was hit by the cold that hit the United States on Saturday as fans gathered to watch late-season clashes in punishing conditions. Cities from Pennsylvania to Georgia were expected to experience their coldest Christmas Eve ever as an Arctic blast gripped much of the United States, shaking up travel plans during the busy holiday season.
(With inputs from agencies.)
