At Southwest Airlines, a day of calm after a week of chaos
Southwest Airlines is returning to a relatively normal flight schedule as the focus shifts to making things right with what could be well more than a million passengers who missed family connections or flights home during the holidays, and many of whom are still missing luggage. The Dallas carrier, which had canceled thousands of flights every day this week after a winter storm last weekend, reported 43 cancellations early Friday. While that is still more than United, American and Delta combined, it marks a step forward after one of the most chaotic weeks in aviation history for a single airline. Federal regulators have vowed a rigorous review of what happened at Southwest.
Idaho college killings suspect is criminology PhD student
Authorities in Pennsylvania have arrested a suspect in the stabbing deaths of four Idaho students. The chief of police in Moscow, Idaho, said Friday that 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger is a PhD student in the criminology department at Washington State University. The school is only a short drive from the University of Idaho. A law enforcement official says DNA played a key role in identifying Kohberger as a suspect. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation. Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said investigators believe Kohberger broke into the students’ home “with the intent to commit murder.”
Ginni Thomas says she regrets post-election texts to Meadows
Virginia Thomas says she regrets sending texts to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows after the 2020 election, telling the House Jan. 6 committee in a September interview that “I would take them all back if I could today.” Thomas is a longtime conservative activist and wife of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. In a transcript of the interview released by the panel on Friday, she told investigators she was “emotional” after the election when she sent several texts to Meadows urging him to stand firm with then-President Donald Trump as he falsely claimed that there was widespread fraud in the election.
Court: Abortion doctors can’t be charged under Arizona law
An Arizona court ruled abortion doctors can’t be prosecuted under a pre-statehood law that criminalizes nearly all abortions yet was barred from being enforced for decades. But the Arizona Court of Appeals declined to repeal the 1864 law, which carries a sentence of two to five years in prison for anyone who assists in an abortion. The law had been blocked from being enforced shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. But after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark decision in June, Attorney General Mark Brnovich asked a state judge to allow the law to be implemented.
S&P 500 closes out dismal year with worst loss since 2008
Stocks are closing out 2022 with more losses, giving the S&P 500 its worst year since 2008. The benchmark index fell 0.3% Friday, the last trading day of the year, leaving it down 19.4% for the year. The technology-heavy Nasdaq and the Dow also fell and ended the year in the red. The Fed’s battle against inflation will likely remain investors’ overarching concern in 2023, according to analysts. When Wall Street reopens after another long holiday weekend, investors will have several big updates on the employment market to digest in the first week of the new year.
Divisive social media star Andrew Tate detained in Romania
Romanian authorities say that divisive social media personality Andrew Tate has been arrested on charges of human trafficking and rape. A spokesperson for Romania’s anti-organized crime agency said Friday that Tate and his brother Tristan were detained late Thursday in the Ilfov area north of Romanian capital Bucharest. Romania’s anti-organized crime agency said two British citizens and two Romanians are accused of being part of an organized crime group, human trafficking and rape. The agency says the British citizens recruited women who were subjected to “acts of physical violence and mental coercion,” sexually exploited and forced to perform pornographic acts intended to reap “important financial benefits.”
UN seeks court opinion on ‘violation’ of Palestinian rights
The U.N. General Assembly has asked the U.N.’s highest judicial body to give its opinion on the legality of Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem. The Assembly vote Friday evening sends one of the world’s longest-running and thorniest disputes to the International Court of Justice. The measure was promoted by the Palestinians and opposed vehemently by Israel. The Assembly voted in favor, 87-26, with 53 abstentions. While the court’s rulings are not binding, they carry great weight in terms of international opinion.
Officials say Bolsonaro may have left Brazil for Florida
The office of Brazil’s vice president says he has become acting president, an indication that President Jair Bolsonaro has left the country. That apparently means Bolsonaro will break tradition by skipping the inauguration Sunday of his political nemesis, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The Friday edition of the official gazette says Bolsonaro is headed to Florida. Bolsonaro has remained mostly silent since losing the election Oct. 30. But a few hours before reports of his departure, he addressed the country as president on his social media. At times on the verge of tears, the far-right politician said he wasn’t able to find a legal alternative or enough support to prevent his departure from office.
Bill Gates made 2022’s biggest charitable donation
Bill Gates topped The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual list of the 10 largest charitable gifts announced by individuals or their foundations in 2022. This year’s list totaled nearly $9.3 billion. Gates gave $5 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to back the grantmaker’s work in global health, development, policy and advocacy, and U.S. education. Ann and John Doerr came in second with a $1.1 billion donation they’re giving through their Benificus Foundation to Stanford University to launch the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, an effort to tackle the world’s most urgent climate and sustainability challenges.
Mortgage rates’ rise has led to wide gap with US bond yields
Economists are baffled by a wider-than-usual divergence between long-term mortgage rates and the yield on the benchmark U.S. government bond that is driving a sharp rise in borrowing costs and helping to torpedo the U.S. housing market this year. This spread has historically averaged around 170 basis points a month, but between March and October it averaged about 240 basis points, according to Federal Reserve data. In October, the spread widened to 292 points, the biggest monthly gap since August 1986.
By wire sources
