American Airlines cancels 100s of flights due to maintenance issues and staffing shortages

American Airlines has canceled hundreds of flights scheduled for the weekend and Monday due to staffing shortages, including employees out sick, as well as maintenance issues.  The airline, the world’s largest, canceled 123 flights scheduled for Saturday, 178 for Sunday, and 97 for Monday, mostly involving Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft. American Airlines spokesperson …

Nine children and one adult killed in multi-vehicle crash in Alabama

Nine children and one adult were killed in a multi-vehicle pileup in Alabama. A father and his 9-month-old daughter were killed in one vehicle; Cody Fox, 29, and Ariana Fox were identified as the victims in a small SUV traveling from Marion County, Tenn. The eight other victims who died were in a bus carrying …

President Biden signs bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday

On Thursday, President Biden signed a bill establishing Juneteenth — the day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States — as a federal holiday, establishing June 19 officially as Juneteenth National Independence Day.  The US Office of Personnel Management announced that many federal workers will observe the holiday today, June 18th, since this …

House votes to repeal the 2002 Iraq war authorization

On Thursday, the House voted to repeal the 2002 war authorization of military force against Iraq. The vote passed by 268-161 in the House, with 49 Republicans and 219 Democrats voting in favor. The repeal was endorsed by the White House and Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks argued that the …

U.S. President Biden, Russian President Putin to resume diplomatic operations, agree to return ambassadors to posts

After their summit in Geneva on Wednesday, President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin said they have agreed to resume stalled nuclear talks and return their ambassadors to their foreign posts. Currently, Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, and Washington’s ambassador to Moscow, John Sullivan, are not stationed at their posts. Both men …

U.S. Education Department to protect students based on sexual orientation and gender identity

On Wednesday, the Education Department announced its plans to enforce elements of Title IX that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The move comes one year after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal civil rights law protects LGBTQ workers from being fired based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Education …

Biden administration unveils plan to fight against domestic terrorism

The Biden administration unveiled a new national strategy on Tuesday to help combat a rise in domestic terrorism, which includes adding prosecutors and other law enforcement officials across the government. The strategy seeks $100 million to add key personnel in the departments of justice and homeland security, and calls for monitoring federal employees who could …

2 dead, 2 injured in shooting at water distribution plant in Alabama

Police in Albertville, Alabama say an employee at a water distribution plant opened fire on co-workers early Tuesday, killing two and injuring two before taking his own life.  The shooting occurred at the Mueller Co. plant, which employs more than 400 people and makes water distribution and measurement products, giving the city of Albertville its …

FAA announces new fines for ‘unruly’ airline passengers who refuse to wear masks

Airline passengers who refuse to wear masks this year could face fines as high as $15,500, officials said on Monday.  The fines are part of an increased effort to crack down on what federal authorities described as “unruly and dangerous behavior” in the skies. The Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) made the announcement amid alcohol bans …

Authorities say that Illinois chemical plant fire could last for days, forcing 100s of home evacuations

Dozens of homes in northern Illinois were evacuated Monday after A massive fire destroyed a chemical plant in northern Illinois on Monday forcing dozens of evacuations and producing smoke so thick that it could be seen for miles. Fire officials in Rockton, Ill., issued a mandatory evacuation order affecting about 150 homes near a Lubrizol …