Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.
Travel stocks fall as Omicron spurs mass flight cancellations for fourth day
Shares of U.S. airlines and other travel-related companies fell on Monday as rising Omicron cases and weather-related problems forced the cancellation of hundreds more flights, leaving travelers stranded across the country during the holidays. Over 1,000 flights were canceled within, into, or out of the United States on Monday, data from flight-tracking website FlightAware.com showed. Globally, more than 2,600 flights were scrapped.
Exclusive-California commission claims retailers violating plastic bag law
Big retailers are breaking California law and misleading consumers by selling plastic shopping bags bearing language and symbols that falsely suggest the bags can be recycled, a state-appointed commission alleged this month. The group has asked California to force retailers to strip these bags of the ubiquitous "chasing arrows" logo and the words "recycle" and "recyclable," Reuters has learned. If successful, that move could make the sacks ineligible for sale at checkout counters throughout America's most populous state. The commission also is taking aim at padded envelopes and packaging materials used for home delivery, and plastic films on some grocery items.
'We have more work to do,' Biden says, pledges more COVID tests
President Joe Biden on Monday pledged to ease a shortage of COVID-19 tests as the Omicron variant threatened to overwhelm hospitals and stifle travel plans as it spreads across the United States this holiday week. "Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do," Biden said as he joined a call with the administration's COVID-19 response team and state governors. "It's clearly not enough."
Jury to resume deliberations in Ghislaine Maxwell sex abuse trial
The jury in British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell's sex abuse trial was due to reconvene on Tuesday, following three full days of deliberations in which jurors have reviewed testimony from four women who said Maxwell set them up for abuse. Maxwell, 60, is accused of recruiting and grooming the four women to have sexual encounters with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein when they were teenagers. Over a three-week trial, jurors heard emotional and explicit testimony from the women, three of whom said Maxwell herself touched their nude bodies.
Fauci says U.S. should consider domestic flight vaccine mandate; more planes grounded
Rising COVID-19 cases, along with bad weather, caused airlines to cancel more than 1,000 flights on Monday, and the spread of the Omicron variant prompted the U.S. government's top infectious disease expert to suggest the government consider mandating vaccines for domestic flights. Monday's travel woes marked a fourth day of flight cancellations, capping a glum Christmas weekend for thousands of passengers who were left waiting in airport queues and on customer service phone lines to re-book flights.
Kentucky death toll from Dec 10 tornadoes climbs to 77
The official death toll in Kentucky from a swarm of devastating tornadoes that struck the state on Dec. 10 has climbed to 77, with an infant in hard-hit Graves County counted as the latest fatality, Governor Andy Beshear said on Monday. Reuters had previously reported at least 74 people perished, a dozen of them children, in Kentucky, and 14 were killed elsewhere in tornadoes that raked a five-state region, including one twister that plowed a 227-mile (365-km) path of destruction through western Kentucky.
Analysis-With key positions filling up, Biden's regulatory agenda to take shape in 2022
Next year will be a turning point for U.S. financial policy as Democratic President Joe Biden's new regulators ready a slew of rule changes that are set to create headaches for Wall Street and corporate America. A year into his administration, Biden's top financial regulatory team is finally taking shape. Over the next 12 months, his picks are set to reverse the former Trump administration's light touch, taking a tough stance on Wall Street and new players entering the financial sector.
Los Angeles police video shows chaos moments before fatal shooting of 14-year-old girl
Body-camera video released on Monday showed the chaotic, violent moments leading to the fatal Los Angeles police shooting of an assault suspect in a clothing store, and of a 14-year-old girl caught in the line of fire while hiding inside a dressing room. The stray bullet that pierced the fitting-room wall, killing the girl, is believed to have come from the gun of the police officer seen firing three rifle shots at the suspect, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said in posting the video.
Gunman kills four in Denver-area shooting spree before he is killed by police
A lone gunman shot four people to death and wounded three, including a police officer, on Monday in a Denver-area shooting spree that unfolded at several locations and ended with police killing the suspect, authorities said. Investigators have yet to determine a motive for the rampage, which began around 5 p.m. when the gunman shot and killed two women and wounded a man near downtown Denver, Police Chief Paul Pazen said a news briefing.
U.S. President Biden signs $770 billion defense bill
U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, for fiscal year 2022, which authorizes $770 billion in defense spending, the White House said on Monday. Earlier this month, the Senate and the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly for the defense bill with strong support from both Democrats and Republicans for the annual legislation setting policy for the Department of Defense.
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