The following is a summary of current US domestic news.
President Biden and First Lady meet with patients at Children’s National Hospital
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited the Children’s National Hospital in Washington on Friday and met with pediatric patients, their families and hospital staff. “To all you parents, be strong. We spend a lot of time in children’s hospitals, including with patients. It’s going to be okay,” Biden told a group of patients gathered for a book reading.
The Capitol insurgency panel’s final report lays out a case for trying Trump
The congressional panel investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the US capitol released its final report late Thursday, outlining its case for former US President Donald Trump to be charged with inciting the deadly riot. The House Select Committee also released the transcripts of a number of his interviews and testimony earlier Thursday and Wednesday.
Factbox-Jan. 6 report adds to Trump’s growing legal woes
A congressional panel investigating the role of Donald Trump and his supporters in the January 6, 2021 attack on Congress issued its final report this week, urging federal prosecutors to charge the former president with four felonies, including obstruction and sedition. In addition, the US House Ways and Means Committee said this week that some of Trump’s tax records showed that his income and tax liability have fluctuated dramatically in recent years, raising questions about the legitimacy of some of his deductions and about the Internal Revenue Service’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 migration restrictions as they endure the bite of a winter storm ravaging the US. After the US Supreme Court ruled this week that restrictions known as Title 42 could temporarily remain in place, many migrants face a Christmas weekend with what Mexico’s weather service called a “mass of arctic air”.
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 were expected to bring the coldest Christmas Eve on record, and power systems across the country were strained by rising demand for heat and storm-related damage to transmission lines.
University of California academic workers end weeks of strike
University of California (UC) academic workers ended a nearly six-week strike on Friday, which unions described as the largest walkout ever at a US institution of higher education. Thousands of academic workers went on strike at UC campuses across the state on Nov. 14, forming picket lines and staging noisy protests to demand better pay for teaching assistants and others.
Arizona judge rejects pro-choice activist Kari Lake’s bid to overturn vote results
An Arizona judge on Saturday rejected defeated Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake’s bid to overturn the results of her election loss in the state’s gubernatorial race. The ruling by Supreme Court Justice Peter Thompson was filed on Saturday.
Airlines are canceling thousands of US flights due to the winter storm
Airlines canceled nearly 2,700 U.S. flights as of Saturday afternoon after a massive winter storm snarled airport operations around the country and frustrated thousands of vacationers. There were flight delays within, into or out of the United States totaling about 6,200 as of Saturday afternoon, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, which showed total U.S. flight cancellations at about 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 passes a $1.66 trillion funding bill, which Biden must 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 ending Sept. 30 was approved by a mostly party-line vote of 225-201, following Senate passage the day before.
NFL-Baby, it’s cold outside: Teams, fans adjust as freezing temperatures hit US
The National Football League (NFL) was hit by the cold that hit the United States on Saturday as fans gathered to watch the postseason showdown in punishing conditions. Cities from Pennsylvania to Georgia were expected to experience their coldest Christmas Eve on record as an arctic blast gripped much of the US, disrupting travel plans during the busy holiday season.
(With input from agencies.)
