Southwest: Normal flight operations to resume Friday
Southwest Airlines expects to return to normal operations this week after slashing about two-thirds of its schedule in recent days. After canceling another 2,350 flights Thursday, the company said it expects to be back to regular scheduling by Friday. Southwest is struggling to recover after being overwhelmed by a winter storm that left hundreds of pilots and flight attendants stranded out of position to operate flights. It is likely that far more than 1 million passengers have been affected. Southwest has canceled more than 13,000 flights since its meltdown began on Dec. 22.
Democrats outpace Trump in seating federal judges, with 97 confirmed
Democrats fell just short of an ambitious goal of confirming 100 new federal judges as time ran out on the 117th Congress, but they are optimistic they can continue to reshape the courts over the final two years of President Joe Biden’s term. The Senate’s top two Democrats say their ability to outpace the concerted Republican judicial push of President Donald Trump’s first two years, with a total of 97 judges seated, was especially noteworthy considering they did it with a 50-50 Senate, an evenly divided Judiciary Committee and little cooperation from most Republicans. The nominees were historically diverse, including 92 women, 60 of whom were women of color.
Russian missile barrage staggers Ukraine’s air defenses
A swarm of drones and a volley of cruise missiles rocked towns and cities across Ukraine on Thursday, the biggest assault in weeks and the latest in a wave of ever more sophisticated aerial duels pitting Russia’s evolving tactics against Ukraine’s growing arsenal of air defense weapons. Russia, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said in a statement, had been “saving one of the most massive missile attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion for the last days of the year.” The Ukrainian air force said its defense forces had shot down 54 of 69 cruise missiles and had also knocked out drones.
Time of triumph for GOP turns into ‘distraction’ with Santos
Leaders of the incoming Republican-controlled House have tried for weeks to minimize the controversy surrounding Rep.-elect George Santos and the revelations that the New York Republican lied about various aspects of his resume. But he’ll become Congress’ problem on Tuesday, when he’s set to be sworn in with the new class of House members. It’s coming to a head only weeks after Santos won a district that helped Republicans secure their razor-thin House majority. The congress-man elect isn’t even in office yet but he’s already under local and federal investigation after revelations he lied about his heritage, education and professional pedigree as he campaigned for office.
China responds to US COVID testing rule with a collective shrug
Some Chinese were disappointed by the Biden administration’s new testing requirement for travelers coming from their country. Others radiated contempt, calling it the latest Western effort to contain China’s rise. But many were simply indifferent. For many Chinese, the U.S. rule that they must present negative COVID-19 tests to visit is a tangential development. “It’s just a COVID test before traveling,” said Li Kuan, 33, a software engineer at a technology startup in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. “We’ve been doing a bunch of tests like this for the past three years.”
Death toll climbs as blizzard-battered Buffalo area digs out
Roads have reopened in storm-besieged Buffalo as authorities continue searching for people who may have died or remain stranded after last week’s blizzard. Mayor Byron Brown announced that the driving ban in New York’s second-most-populous city was lifted just after midnight Thursday. He says significant progress has been made on snow removal, but he’s still asking residents not to drive if they don’t have to. Suburban roads, major highways and Buffalo Niagara International Airport had already reopened. At least 40 deaths have been reported in western New York from the blizzard that raged Friday and Saturday.
Probe: Alzheimer’s drug approval ‘rife with irregularities’
The Food and Drug Administration’s contentious approval of a questionable Alzheimer’s drug is taking another hit. Congressional investigators say the process FDA used to approve the drug Aduhelm was “rife with irregularities.” The FDA overruled its own scientific advisers in approving the drug, despite lack of proof that it met its promise of slowing patients’ decline. A high price tag and that lack of proof led Medicare to limit use of the drug. Thursday’s report says FDA and maker Biogen worked unusually closely together and urges steps to restore trust in the approval process. In response, the FDA and Biogen issued statements defending the approval process.
Sarajevo’s agony echoes as Ukraine braces for a dark winter
Russia’s repeated attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have left millions of civilians in the cold and the dark. Families who endured the siege of Sarajevo three decades ago know what that’s like. They survived without heat, electricity or running water by improvising. Ukrainians are displaying the same resolve and ingenuity. The Associated Press and the PBS series “Frontline” have independently documented more than 40 attacks by Russia on Ukraine’s electrical power, heat, water and telecommunications facilities since February. Families, neighbors and entire communities band together, brainstorm and resist — as those in Sarajevo did in the 1990s and those in Britain under Nazi Germany’s withering assault 80 years ago.
By wire sources
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