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Winter weather interrupts some weekend travel heading into the holidays

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Troublesome weather throughout the country could cause delays as forecasts show areas of rain and snowfall ahead of the holiday. 

Weekend travel itineraries were interrupted by lingering wintry conditions Saturday in the Northeast, while western states prepared for upcoming rounds of rainfall in less elevated places along with mountain snow. As of Sunday morning, forecasters anticipated inclement weather would affect a number of interstate highways in the Northeast and the Northwest, including I-95, I-90, I-84, I-80 and I-5. 

The weather downed power lines along Amtrak and New Jersey Transit railroad routes Sunday morning, suspending both companies’ train services in Philadelphia as well as parts of New Jersey and New York, CBS News Philadelphia reported. In an alert notice sent by Amtrak, the company said: “Due to downed overhead power wires blocking the tracks, service is temporarily suspended between Philadelphia and New York. Amtrak personnel are on the scene.” Amtrak estimated the tracks would reopen at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Looking ahead to the rest of the week, forecasts showed a mix of rain and snow moving into the Great Lakes and Northeast regions on Monday into Tuesday, which is Christmas Eve. Parts of the Mississippi Valley is forecast to receive heavy rainfall Tuesday, with a marginal risk of flash flooding already in projected weather outlooks for the area.

There were 1,683 delayed flights into or out of the United States today, and 55 cancellations into or out of the U.S. by late morning on Sunday, according to the tracking website FlightAware. Delays had tripled since 5 a.m. ET and cancellations had nearly doubled, the tracker showed. Of the U.S. airports affected, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport seemed to be bearing the brunt of the scheduling setbacks. Boston Logan and JFK in New York each reported some 80 delays among departing flights, while O’Hare reported more than 40.

This is shaping up to be the busiest end-of-year holiday travel season on record, according to the auto club AAA, which said more than 119 million people were expected to travel at least 50 miles from their homes between Saturday this weekend and New Year’s Day. That would top the previous record-high set during the holiday season in 2019. This year, the weekends before and after Christmas will likely see some of the most congestion on the roads and in airports.

As the U.S. House averted a government shutdown late Friday, the Transportation Security Administration also said it was preparing to screen almost 40 million people between Dec. 19 and January 2, a 6.2% jump from last year’s figures. The busiest days were expected to be Dec. 20, Dec. 27 and Dec. 30, according to TSA. But airlines are also preparing for large crowds Sunday, as well as Dec. 26 and Dec. 29., while they expect relatively slow flight traffic on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

The trade group Airlines for America predicted a similar record, saying it expected U.S. airlines to carry 54 million passengers between Dec. 18 and Jan. 6. That number would mark a 6% increase over holiday air travel figures from last year. 





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Rep. Kay Granger confirms she has “unforeseen health challenges” but denies report she is in Memory Care

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The congressional office of Republican Rep. Kay Granger of Texas denied she is in a memory care assisted living facility after a report in the right-wing news outlet Dallas Express said she has not been in Washington in months and that she had been found at Tradition-Clearfork in Fort Worth, which offers assisted living and memory care, in addition to independent living for seniors. 

Tradition-Clearfork on Sunday declined to comment, but Granger’s son confirmed to the Dallas Morning News that she was a resident. However, he said that she’s in the independent living wing, not the memory care wing of the facility.

He also acknowledged that his mother was “having some dementia issues late in the year.”

Granger, who has represented the 12th Congressional District since 1997, announced in late 2023 she would not run for reelection and abruptly stepped down from her post as chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee in late March. She cast her last vote in Congress in July.

She will be succeeded by Craig Goldman when the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3, 2025. 

U.S. House Prepares For House Omnibus Bill Vote
House Appropriations Committee Ranking member Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) listens during a House Rules Committee hearing on the Senate Amendment to the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 at the U.S. Capitol Building on December 22, 2022 in Washington, DC. 

Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images


On Sunday, her office released a statement saying, “Kay Granger is not in Memory Care,” and issued a statement from the congresswoman, who said, “As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year.”

She said that since early September, her “health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable.”

Granger, 81, acknowledged that she returned to Washington in November for some meetings, thanked her staff and oversaw the closure of her congressional office.  

At that time, the House Appropriations Committee honored her, unveiling her portrait in a ceremony on Nov. 19. However, although the House voted that day, she did not participate. 

Rep. Tony Gonzales, another Republican in the Texas delegation, told “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan on Sunday that he was not aware of Granger’s health status before the latest reports emerged from Dallas.

“I think there’s no doubt a lot of us knew that she was gaining an age, like a lot of members do. And sadly, you know, some of these members wait until things have gone too far,” said Gonzales. The congressman told Brennan he was not sure of the extent to which House leaders understood the situation.

“I’m not too sure what leadership knew on it or didn’t know on it,” he continued. “I think this goes…gets back to the root of it. Congress should do its job, and if you can’t do your job, maybe you shouldn’t be there.”



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Syria’s political future remains murky as the scope of Assad’s abuse comes more into focus

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Syria’s political future remains murky as the scope of Assad’s abuse comes more into focus – CBS News


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Two weeks after Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was overthrown, the scope of Assad’s decades-long abuse of human rights is coming into clearer focus. Imtiaz Tyab reports from Damascus.

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12/22: Face the Nation – CBS News

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12/22: Face the Nation – CBS News


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This week on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” a deal was finally reached to fund the government, but was last week’s Capitol Hill chaos preview of what’s to come in 2025? Reps. Tony Gonzales and French Hill join to discuss. Plus, exit interviews with Sen. Joe Manchin and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

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