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Monday, December 19, 2022

Wake-Up Call: 'Mega Storm' Could Bring A White Christmas

SUV in Vermont

An Arctic air mass will descend upon the U.S. this week with plenty of precipitation and dangerously low temperatures, making for potentially nightmarish holiday travel conditions, forecasters say.  As last week’s mega storm wound down before the first day of Chanukah, the possibility of a white Christmas for the eastern half of the country loomed just in time for the winter solstice, which happens Wednesday.  “A frigid Arctic air mass will plunge southward throughout this week, bringing dangerously cold temps & wind chills across the Central & Eastern U.S.,” the National Weather Service said on Twitter. “As you finish your holiday shopping, take action to protect yourself from the cold.”

The air mass will envelop the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. in dangerously frigid temperatures — potentially “the coldest air of the season,” with temperatures 10 to 35 degrees lower than normal — and combine with a powerful storm by the end of the week, the NWS said.



The storm is expected to hit two different parts of the country with similar effects, Accuweather meteorologist Ryan Adamson told the Daily News. Some snow will push down through Montana, Wyoming and the Plains on Wednesday, he said, “but the real storm gets going on Thursday.”

That’s when it hits Kansas, northeastern Oklahoma and Missouri, swinging up to Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit and other parts of Michigan with a potential blizzard Friday, Adamson said. The East Coast, meanwhile, is expected to see rain in the Carolinas, Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey. That precipitation could start as snow or ice in central Pennsylvania and New York and change to rain.  For the I-95 corridor of Washington D.C., New York City and Boston, “it looks like a rain event,” Adamson said. However, winds will get much stronger, and temperatures will drop, rapidly freezing any residual water.



Temperatures will plummet by Thursday night, likely down to 13 degrees in Jackson, Miss. and 5 degrees in Nashville, Tenn., according to NWS predictions. The Northern High Plains will see temperatures 20 to 35 degrees below average, the NWS said. Even Florida was expected to drop into the low 20s on Christmas Eve, with a high of just 40 degrees.  Temperatures will likely remain below freezing pretty far south through Christmas Day, Adamson said.

➤THE TWITTER FILES: The FBI repeatedly grilled Twitter execs about censorship on the social media platform in the summer of 2020 — insisting that the company provide more information about removing “state propaganda” from the site, according to the latest Twitter Files release. The agency’s Foreign Influence Task Force — which deals with cyber threats — interrogated Twitter on its reporting about official state media actors’ use of the site, according to emails unearthed by independent journalist Matt Taibbi in what he dubbed the “Twitter Files Supplemental” Sunday night.

San Francisco FBI agent Elvis Chan pressured former Twitter Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth in July 2020 for more information about how they prevented bad actors from using the platform, according to screengrabs of email correspondences posted by Taibbi. Chan was not satisfied with Twitter’s indication that it “had not observed much recent activity from official propaganda actors on your platform,” the emails show.  Roth, in return, commented on the persistence of the agency, stating that he was “perplexed” by the probing inquiry.

➤POLL FINDS AMERICANS WARY OF THE NATION'S COURSE, IT'S LEADERS AND ITS FUTURE:  According to a new poll by USA TODAY/Suffolk University, two-thirds of respondents say the country has gotten off on the wrong track, and they express little confidence in either political party or any branch of government to effectively address the challenges they see ahead. Their priority for President Joe Biden and the new Congress in 2023 is clear: inflation and the economy, chosen as the No. 1 or No. 2 issue by 54% of those surveyed. That's double the number for any other issue. The survey of 1,000 registered voters, taken by landline and cellphone between Dec. 7-11, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

➤SBF MAY WAIVE EXTRADITION:  FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried is planning to consent to extradition to the U.S. to face criminal charges related to the cryptocurrency exchange’s collapse, people familiar with the matter said.  Bankman-Fried has been in custody in the Bahamas since he was arrested last Monday in connection with several U.S. criminal charges, which were unsealed a day later. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have charged Bankman-Fried with fraud and money-laundering offenses, alleging he defrauded customers, lenders and investors. They also alleged he violated campaign-finance rules by making illegal political contributions.  Bankman-Fried’s legal plans are still in flux and could change in the coming days depending on developments surrounding his case, one of the people familiar with the matter said. Bankman-Fried’s team is expecting that he will appear in a Nassau court for additional proceedings as soon as Monday, the person said.

➤BUMPY FLIGHT INJURES DOZENS: Dozens of people were injured when a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu hit severe turbulence Sunday, officials said. A total of 36 people needed medical attention and 11 were in serious condition after a wobbly flight rocked the cabin and left the plane’s interior visibly damaged, according to the Honolulu Emergency Medical Services director. Patients suffered cuts, bumps and bruises including head injuries, while some suffered nausea and vomiting due to the bumpy flight. At least one person lost consciousness, the medical director, Jim Ireland, said. Three flight attendants were among the injured taken to hospitals. There were 10 crew members onboard and a full cabin of 278 passengers. Hawaiian Airlines COO Jon Snook said the extreme turbulence was an isolated anomaly.

➤THAILAND WARSHIP CAPSIZES LEAVING 31 SAILORS MISSING: The Thai Navy says 31 sailors are missing after a warship carrying over 100 crew capsized and sank during a storm in the Gulf of Thailand. The HTMAS Sukhotai sank after water flooded its power controls on Sunday night. Authorities said on Monday they had rescued 75 crew but 31 were still missing in rough seas. The HTMS Sukothai was built for the Thai navy in the US in the mid-1980s.

➤FIVE DEAD AND SUSPECT KILLED IN TORONTO AREA CONDO SHOOTING: Five people were shot and killed in a condominium unit a Toronto suburb and the gunman was killed by police on Sunday. Chief James MacSween of York regional police said one of his officers shot and killed the suspect at a condo. He also said a seventh person shot by the suspect was in the hospital and is expected to survive.  Canadians are nervous about anything that might indicate they are moving closer to U.S. experiences with gun violence.


➤COUPLE SURVIVED AFTER THEIR CAR TUMBLED 300 FEET INTO A CALIFORNIA CANYON.  California couple were taking a scenic drive through the Angeles National Forest when their car went over the edge of the mountain and tumbled 300 feet before landing, upside down, in the canyon below. While the couple was driving up to Angels Crest, they were being closely followed and honked at by another vehicle trying to pass them. As they pulled over to give the driver some room to pass, the car lost its traction and continued toward the cliff edge before spinning off.  The couple were located thanks to Apple's new Emergency SOS via satellite feature, which has Crash Detection and Fall Detection software and uses satellites to contact emergency services when an iPhone is out of range.


🎥‘AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER’ FALLS SHORT OF PROJECTIONS AT THE DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: The highly anticipated sequel Avatar: The Way of Water finally hit theaters over the weekend, pulling in $134 million. According to CNN, this marked director James Cameron’s first opening that surpassed the $100 million mark. Despite this, the film didn’t reach its $150-$175 million projections, but Deadline reports that studio executives aren’t concerned. Disney’s Tony Chambers said, “We got the word of mouth, we’ve got a great movie, we have the screens and a clear run ahead throughout the holidays.”  Box Office Numbers from Friday (December 16th) through Sunday (December 18th):

1. Avatar: The Way of Water, $134 million
2. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, $5.4M
3. Violent Night, $5 million
4. Strange World, $2.2 million
5. The Menu, $1.7 million
6. Devotion, $825,000
7. The Fabelmans, $750,000
8. Black Adam, $500,000
9. I Heard the Bells, $309,000
10. Empire of Light, $235,000

⚽WORLD CUP:  Argentina 3 vs France 3 (Argentina win 4-2 on penalties)

⚽LIONEL MESSI SAYS HE WON'T RETIRE FROM ARGENTINA AFTER WORLD CUP TITLE WIN: Lionel Messi has said he will not retire from international football after scoring twice as Argentina lifted the 2022 World Cup in a thrilling penalty shootout victory over France on Sunday. "I won the Copa America and the World Cup in a short time," Messi said. "I love what I do, being in the national team, and I want to continue living a few more games being world champion.

🏈NFL SCORES:
  • Philadelphia Eagles 25 Chicago Bears 20
  • New Orlans Saints 21 Atlanta Falcons 18
  • Detroit Lions 20 vs New York Jets 17
  • Pittsburgh Steelers 24 vs Carolina Panthers 16
  • Jacksonville Jaguars 40  Dallas Cowboys 34
  • Kansas City Chiefs 30 vs Houston Texans 24
  • Denver Broncs 24 Arizona Cardinals 15
  • Las Vegas Raiders 30 New England Patriots 24
  • Los Angeles Charges 17 Tennessee Titans 14
  • Cincinnati Bengals 34 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23
  • New York Giants 20 Washington Commanders 12

 ⚾AARON JUDGE'S RECORD-BREAKING 62ND HR BALL SELLS FOR $1.5M: Aaron Judge's American League-record-breaking 62nd home run ball sold for $1.5 million over the weekend. The buyer has chosen to remain anonymous but said in a statement the he is, "lucky, blessed ... to own a piece of baseball and American history."

🏀ANTHONY DAVIS TO MISS MULTIPLE WEEKS WITH FOOT INJURY: Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis is expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks with a right foot injury. Davis underwent an MRI on Saturday after leaving Friday night's victory over the Denver Nuggets and was still undergoing more evaluation Sunday with a specialist.



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