Tuesday, January 9, 2024

1/9 WAKE-UP CALL: Loose Bolts Discovered on Jets


United Airlines said it found loose bolts on some of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets in its fleet. Air-safety regulators on Saturday had prohibited airlines from flying the jets after a panel plugging an unused emergency exit blew out of an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Ore., on Friday and left a gaping hole in the side of the plane. The grounding snarled travel, resulting in hundreds of flight cancellations. United said the issues would be remedied by its maintenance staff to return the planes to service. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating why the plug tore away from the plane, which quickly returned to the airport and landed safely. 

A full audio recording from the cockpit was overwritten, according to the NTSB. Cockpit voice recorders can capture only two hours of data; nobody pulled a circuit breaker to stop the recorder. Boeing and some aviation stocks fell after a rough start to the year for air travel.

BLINKEN MEETS WITH GULF STATES LEADERS: Secretary of State Antony Blinken outlined a series of requirements for the future of the Gaza Strip after meetings with leaders of key Gulf Arab states.

He said any postwar arrangement must take into account peace and security in Israel, include a unified Palestinian government for the West Bank and Gaza, work toward future integration of Israel with the region and pave the way for an independent Palestinian state. Blinken’s diplomatic tour of the region is an effort to prevent a broader war. His fourth trip there since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel came as an Israeli strike killed a senior Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon. Blinken was due to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders tomorrow and then Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday.

AWOL AUSTIN: The elective medical procedure that led to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's secret stay in intensive care took place on Dec. 22, and complications set in more than a week later that required emergency medical personnel to take him to the hospital in an ambulance, Defense Department officials said. Austin began experiencing "severe pain" on Jan. 1 and was taken by ambulance to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit, Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement. Austin's immediate medical needs required a stay in the ICU, where he remained for four days “due to hospital space considerations and privacy,” Ryder said.

 On Jan. 2, Austin, due to his condition and on advice of doctors, transferred some of his authority to Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks. However, neither Hicks nor Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security advisor knew until Jan. 4 that Austin had been hospitalized in intensive care. The delay, Ryder said, was because Austin’s chief of staff was out sick with the flu.

➤BUYING INSURANCE BECOMING IMPOSSIBLE.  Huge losses from national disasters are prompting the industry to jack up prices and pull back from some markets. Climate change also has made it harder for insurers to measure their risks, pushing some to demand even higher premiums to cushion against future losses. Some consumers are straining household budgets to afford insurance or, if they’re allowed to, forgoing coverage. In certain places, the only options are bare bones coverage or none at all, which can make homes worth less and harder to sell, and cars less affordable.

➤EXPLOSION IN FORT WORTH: At least 21 people are injured after an explosion Monday rippled through the bottom floors of a hotel building in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, authorities said. One person was in critical condition and four others were seriously injured, MedStar spokesperson Matt Zavadsky said at a news briefing Monday. The rest had minor injuries. Craig Trojacek, a spokesperson for the Fort Worth Fire Department, said the first call of a fire at Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel was received at around 3:32 p.m. local time. Multiple calls about an explosion came in after. The smell of gas permeated through downtown Fort Worth.


📺CNN ANCHOR DISLOSES CANCER FIGHT: CNN news anchor Sara Sidner, 51, choked up on-air as she shared her stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis in a heartbreaking message. 'Just take a second to recall the names of eight women who you love and know in your life. Just count them on your fingers,' Sidner said on Monday. 'Statistically, one of them will get or have breast cancer. I am that one of eight in my friend group.' Sidner also mentioned how being diagnosed with breast cancer is not a 'death sentence' for a majority of women, but said she was 'shocked' when she came across a specific statistic related to the diagnosis.

➤FLORIDA REPUBLICAN PARTY OUSTS CHRISTIAN ZIEGLER AS CHAIRMAN AFTER RAPE ALLEGATION: On Monday, the Republican Party of Florida officially decided to oust chairman Christian Ziegler, who is currently under investigation for allegations of rape and video voyeurism. This decision was largely anticipated following recent reports that the Sarasota County Police Department was looking into accusations of Ziegler's involvement in the sexual assault of a woman with whom he and his wife, Bridget, had previously engaged in a sexual encounter. While Ziegler maintains his innocence and has not been formally charged at this point, the party's move to remove him comes amid the ongoing investigation.

➤GOV. NEWSOM ANNOUNCES DELAYED SPECIAL ELECTION FOR MCCARTHY SEAT: The special primary election to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will be held on March 19, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday, giving Republican hopefuls a longer-than-expected window to mount a campaign for the solidly-red seat. If necessary, a runoff will be on May 21.

➤APPLE BEGINS PAYOUT OVER CLAIMS IT DELIBERATELY SLOWED DOWN iPHONES: Apple has initiated payments totaling $500 million as part of a settlement in a six-year-old lawsuit in the United States. The lawsuit, which began in 2017, alleged that Apple intentionally slowed down iPhones over time. The tech giant agreed to the settlement in 2020, expressing concerns about the ongoing costs of litigation, despite denying any wrongdoing. Each claimant is set to receive around $92 as part of the settlement. Apple had previously confirmed in 2017 that certain iPhones were intentionally slowed down as they aged, citing the measure to extend device lifespan due to performance degradation with aging batteries.

➤BOTTLED WATER CONTAINS PLASTIC FRAGMENTS: A new study has found that the average bottle of water contains nearly a quarter million fragments of “nanoplastics” — plastic particles so small they can potentially gum up the machinery of human cells.  The findings published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences open a disturbing window into a largely unmapped corner of plastic pollution — a region marked by plastics the approximate size of viruses or vaccine particles. 



🏈CFP MICHIGAN 34 WASHINGTON 13: Jim Harbaugh raised the championship trophy as gold and white confetti sprayed over his team and “We Are the Champions” blared. Blake Corum ran for 134 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns as Harbaugh and the top-ranked Wolverines — undeterred by suspensions and a sign-stealing case that shadowed the program — completed a three-year surge to a national title by beating No. 2 Washington 34-13 Monday night in the College Football Playoff. The Wolverines (15-0) sealed their first national title since 1997 when Corum, who scored the winning touchdown in overtime against Alabama in the Rose Bowl semifinal, blasted in from the 1-yard line with 3:37 left to put Michigan up by 21 and set off another rousing rendition of “The Victors.”

🏈JAGUARS FIRE DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR MIKE CALDWELL, ASSISTANTS: Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson fired defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and multiple defensive assistants on Monday, the team announced. Pederson had said earlier Monday that he was still processing the disappointing end to the season and he was going to take some time before making staff changes -- but he apparently moved quickly.

🏈DOLPHINS LBS ANDREW VAN GINKEL, JEROME BAKER OUT FOR POSTSEASON: The Miami Dolphins will be without several defensive starters for Saturday's AFC wild-card game against the Kansas City Chiefs, coach Mike McDaniel announced Monday. Andrew Van Ginkel and Jerome Baker will not only miss Saturday's game but the remainder of the postseason, McDaniel said, after suffering foot and wrist injuries, respectively, in Sunday's loss to the Buffalo Bills

🏌TIGER WOODS, NIKE ANNOUNCE END OF 27-YEAR PARTNERSHIP: Tiger Woods announced Monday that his longtime partnership with Nike has ended after 27 years, closing one of the most iconic brand relationships in professional sports history. From the moment Woods turned pro in August 1996, he was decked in Nike swooshes from head to toe. The partnership included 15 major championship victories, 82 PGA Tour wins, and numerous comebacks from injuries and personal setbacks.



 

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