Southwest Airlines Operations Back to Normal; Canceled over 15,000 Flights in Just over a Week

Southwest Airlines resumed normal operations on Dec. 30 after canceling more than 15,000 flights in just over a week, according to Flight Aware, which tracks flight status in real time, the USA Today website reports. 

"We appreciate the dedicated work of the Southwest team to restore our schedule, and we anticipate minimal disruptions for the weekend," the airlines said in a statement Dec. 30.  

Southwest's mass flight cancellations forced many passengers to improvise. The cancellations also left thousands of bags lost and left in piles at airports.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

UMC's Ga. Conference Blocks Church Departures; Says Info on Disaffiliation Exceeds Civil Discourse

 A  regional body of the United Methodist Church (UMC) in Georgia will temporarily block member churches from leaving the denomination, citing the spread of "defamatory" misinformation about the United Methodist  Church and its disaffiliation procedure, the Religion News website reports today (Dec. 30, 2022). 

In an email sent Dec. 28, the North Georgia Conference of the UMC announced a "pause" on disaffiliations in the region until the UMC's global decision-making body, the General Conference, meets in 2024. 

The North Georgia Conference said in the email its leadership is committed to "the concept of the gracious exit" but claimed that "information presented to members of local churches about disaffiliation has been outside the bounds of normal and acceptable civil discourse." 

Ukraine Now Using Own Drones to Attack Russia; Finally Gives Russia a "Taste of Its Own Medicine"

 Ukrainian officials have made veiled references to using their own drones in attacks on Russian military bases recently, including a thwarted strike on Dec. 26 near the Engels air base, more than 370 miles from  the border with Ukraine, the USA Today website reports today (Dec. 29, 2022). 

The 1,400 UAVs Ukraine has purchased are meant mostly for surveillance and intelligence gathering, but the country is close to developing attacking drones that can fly suicide missions and hit targets, the country's chief technology minister said. 

"The next stage, now that we are more or less equipped with reconnaissance drones, is strike drones," Ukrainian digital transformation minister Mykhailo Fedorov said. "I can say already that the situation regarding drones will change drastically in February or March."

Health of Retired Pope Benedict XVI Worsens; Pope Francis Asks for Prayers, Visits Benedict

The health of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has worsened due to his age, and doctors are constantly monitoring the 95-year-old's condition, the Newsy website reports today (Dec.28, 2022). 

Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said Pope Francis went to visit his predecessor this morning in the monastery on Vatican grounds where the retired pontiff has lived since retiring in February 2013. 

"Regarding the health conditions of the emeritus pope, for whom Pope Francis asked for prayers at the end of his general audience this morning, I can confirm that in the last hours, a worsening due to advanced age has happened," Bruni said. 

Great News! Cure for Cancer Has Been Developed; New Technology Targets and Kills Cancer Cells

 For many years, one of the world's top scientists , synthetic organic chemist James Tour, has led a team developing next-generation technology to target and kill cancer cells with virtually no side effects, the WND website reports exclusively today (Dec. 27, 2022)

Tour, a professor of chemistry at Rice University in Houston, Tex., is using nanomachines -- the "motorized" organic molecules created in a lab that won three chemists a Nobel Prize in 2016 -- to target cancerous cells. 

After affixing themselves to the diseased cell, Tour's novel nanomachines  --  equipped with a rotor and a  stator -- are activated by ultraviolet light to drill through the cell membranes at a speed up to 3 million times per second. 

Russian Missiles Hit Ukraine Towns on Christmas; No Easing of Strikes Despite Putin's Peace Talk

The war in Ukraine did not pause for Christmas despite Russian President Vladimir Putin saying he was open to negotiations, with his forces launching more than  40 rocket attacks on Christmas day, the Euronews website reports today (Dec. 26, 2022).   

Ukraine's military said that Moscow forces had, in the previous 24 hours, shelled dozens of towns in Ukraine.  

In the Kherson region, Russia continues artillery shelling of populated areas, it added.                                                                                                                                                        

Poll:31% of Americans Go to Church Every Week; But 58% of Americans Seldom or Never Go

 A new survey shows that 31% of Americans go to church,  synagogue, or mosque every week or almost every week, the Worthy News website reports. 

However, the same poll shows that 58% seldom or never go to church. 

In the survey of 2,019 adults living in all 50 states and D.C. , Gallup asked , "How often do you usually attend church, synagogue, mosque or temple -- every week. almost every week, about once a month, seldom, or never?" In response, 22% said every week, 9% said almost every week, and 10% said about once a month.

Paris Gunman Kills 3,Wounds 3 at Muslim Ctr.; Clashes between Police, Protesters Break Out

 Clashes between protesters and police broke out in Paris yesterday, following a shooting that left three people dead and three others wounded, the Euronews website reports today (Dec. 24, 2022).

A gunman opened fire in the 10th arrondissement at a Kurdish cultural center.

The Paris prosecutor said the suspect had recently been released from prison for attacking migrants living in tents. 

Zelensky Visits Washington, D.C. for More Aid; Gets $2B in US Weapons, Patriot Missiles

 Volodymyr  Zelensky, president of Ukraine, yesterday got a ride in a U.S. government jet , a red-carpet welcome at the White House, and more than a dozen standing ovations from members of Congress  -- plus nearly $2 billion in new weapons -- including a Patriot air-defense system, which Ukraine's government hopes to use in defending its battered power grid from Russian missile barrages, the Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty website reports today (Dec. 23, 2022).

With Russia's invasion of Ukraine entering its 11th month, the question now is whether Zelensky got what he was seeking: a long-term U.S. commitment of aid and weaponry for a distant war in spite of persistent U.S. skepticism. 

"Zelensky is trying to solidify relations with his major supporter for what he now recognizes is going to be a long war," said Mark Cancian, a military analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.                                                                                                                                                       

Switzerland Rejects Idea of 3rd Gender Option; Would Require Many Changes to Swiss Const.

 The Swiss government yesterday rejected the idea of introducing a third-gender or no-gender option of official records , the Euronews website reports today (Dec.22, 2022).

"The social preconditions for the introduction of a third gender or for a general waiver of the gender entry in

 the civil registry currently are not there," the Federal Council said. 

It added that such options would require "numerous" changes to the Swiss Constitution and to laws both at the national level and in the country's 26 cantons. 

European Bishops Seek Xmas Peace in Ukraine; Rip Russian Aggression Causing Ukraine Sadness

In their annual Christmas message, European bishops lamentd the fact that many Ukrainians will not experience a joyful holiday with family, but rather will celebrate far from home or under the

 threat of bombs, the Crux website reports today (December 21, 2022).

Given the special message of love, hope, and peace associated with the season, Christmastime is important for many whether they adhere to the Christian faith or not, they said, lamenting that for some, "these are particularly trying times" when the seasonal spark of joy is harder to find.  

"We  think especially of the immense suffering of the people in Ukraine, and those who have been forced to flee from their homes to seek refuge from the brutal military invasion initiated more than nine months ago," they said.

Pope Orders Parthenon Marbles Go to Greece; Sign of Pope's Desire to Enhance Ecumenism

 In an effort to enhance religious unity between the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches, Pope Francis has decided to return to Greece three 2,500-year-old pieces of the Parthenon that have been in the papal collections of the Vatican Museums for two centuries, the Guardian website reports today (Dec.20, 2022).

The Vatican said that the pope was giving them to Archbishop Ieronymos II, head of the Greek Orthodox Church and Greece's spiritual leader, as a "donation"and "concrete sign of his sincere desire  to follow the ecumenical path of truth." 

The Parthenon, which is on the Acropolis in Athens, was completed in the fifth century BC as a temple to the goddess Athena.

Pope Signed Resigned Letter Pending Bad Health; Signed Letter in the Early Stages of His Papacy

Although he gave no indication he plans to retire soon, Pope Francis in a new interview said he has already signed a letter of resignation in case he is incapacitated and unable to perform his duties , the Crux website reports today (Dec. 19, 2022). 

Speaking to Spanish news site ABC, Pope Francis said "I have already signed my renunciation," indicating he penned the document in the early stages of his papacy, when  his Secretary of State was still Italian Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone who served in that capacity for the first seven months of Francis's papacy. 

In the interview, conducted yesterday, Francis said he gave Bertone his signed letter  of resignation, saying "If  I should become impaired for medical reasons or whatever, here is my renunciation. Here you have it." 

Jesus Taught Peace in Holy Land the Right Way; With Love and God, Not Wealth and Mil. Might

 While the earth is a holy creation of God, Bethlehem and the surrounding lands that Jesus walked upon, miraculously acted upon, suffered and died upon, and gloriously resurrected upon is uniquely holy, and thus deserving the title Holy Land, the Independent Catholic News website reports today (Dec. 18, 2022). 

In the Holy Land, the Prince of Peace taught humanity the way to true peace.

In word and deed, Jesus showed the world that love, especially to love as He loved to the full, with justice, merciful forgiveness, solidarity, compassion, special care for the poor and vulnerable, nonviolence and complete trust in God -- not trusting in material wealth and military might -- are the necessary steps we must take if we truly desire to walk the path of peace. 

New Zealand Passes Law Banning Youth Smoking; Forbids Smoking by Anyone Born in 2009 or Later

 The parliament of New Zealand has passed a law banning smoking by anyone born in 2009 or later, My Modern Met website reports today (Dec. 17, 20222).

"We want to make sure young people never start smoking, so we make it an offense to sell or supply tobacco products to new cohorts of youth," said Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall.

He added, "People aged 14 when the new law comes into effect will never be able to legally purchase tobacco."

Judge Hits Biden Bid to End "Remain in Mexico" Policy; Pres. Trump Began It to Make Asylum Seekers Stay in Mexico

 A federal judge on Dec. 15 temporarily blocked the Biden administration from ending a Trump-era policy requiring asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court, the Newsy website reports today (Dec. 16, 2022).

"It's a common sense policy to prevent people from entering our country illegally," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted after the ruling.

Under President Donald Trump, about 70,000 asylum seekers were forced to wait in Mexico for U.S. hearings. President Joe Biden suspended the policy  in January 2019, saying it "goes against everything we stand for as a nation of immigrants."

US Can Expect Various Viral Diseases in 2023; Will Be Hit by Surge in COVID -19, Influenza

 The U.S. is starting to see a surge of COVID-19 as winter nears, and that is packing emergency departments and filling hospital beds as millions of people prepare for holiday travel and get-togethers, the UPI website reports today (Dec. 15, 2022).

There are worrisome signs that widespread diseases will continue well into the first few months of 2023.

These threats include an  "alphabet soup," rather than a single coronavirus variant to confront, an early severe start to the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and a powerful influenza season that may produce more co-infection with COVID-19.

US Plans to Send Patriot Missiles to Ukraine; Could Block Russian Missile Hits, Strike Russia

 The CNN website announced on Dec. 13 that the administration of President Joe Biden is finalizing plans to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine, the RT website reports today (Dec.14, 2022).

Kiev has been requesting the American air defense systems for months, as Russia continues its strikes on Ukraine military and infrastructure targets. 

The plan is in its final stages and needs approval from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin before it can be sent to Biden's desk for his signature. The plan could be implemented as soon as this week.

Pope Seeks World Leaders' Prisoner Xmas Clemency; Says Prisoners Deserve Grace Coming from the Lord

Pope Francis has written a letter to all heads of state asking for a "gesture of clemency" for inmates in the run-up to Christmas, the Catholic News website reports today (Dec. 13, 2022). 

In a letter addressed to all heads of state,  he invites them to make a symbolic gesture "towards our brothers and sisters who are deprived of  their liberty and who are held eligible to benefit from such a provision." 

A statement issued yesterday by the Director  of the Vatican Press Office, Matteo Bruni, calling for clemency for inmates states: "So that this time marked by tensions , injustice, and conflicts may be opened to the grace that comes from the Lord."

Heart Deaths Tend to Occur on Cold or Hot Days; Based on Analysis of 32M Cardiovascular Deaths

 More people die of heart diseases on extreme temperatures , according to an analysis of millions of cardiovascular deaths, the Euronews website reports today (Dec. 12, 2022).

Research published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation found people with heart failure experienced the most additional deaths when temperatures were extreme. 

They analyzed health data for more than 32 million cardiovascular deaths that occurred across hundreds of cities in 27 countries around the world between 1979 and 2019.

Court Kills Biden's Mandate Forcing Doctors to Abort; Planned to Revoke Rule Protecting Med Workers from Aborting

 A federal appeals court has permanently blocked Joe Biden's controversial mandate attempting to force Christian doctors to kill babies in abortions, the Life News website reports today (Dec. 11, 2022).

Christian medical leaders raised the alarm about a new peo-abortion mandate from the Biden administration that could shut down Christian health care throughout the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials planned to revoke a Trump administration rule that protected pro-life medical workers from being forced to kill unborn babies in elective abortions. 

US Catholic Population Grows by 2M in 10 Yrs.; Most US Catholics Now Live in South of Nation

The Catholic population  in the U.S. has grown by about 2 million people in 10 years, the Catholic World Report website reports today (December 10, 2022). 

With  nearly 62 million people , Catholicism continues to constitute the largest religious body in 36 states, according to the latest religion-focused survey of  America's religious congregations. 

Although the northeast and midwest used to have the most Catholics, the South now has  more Catholics than any other U.S. region.

Biden Set to Sign Same-Sex Marriage Bill in Law; House, Senate Passed the Respect Marriage Act

President Biden now has on his desk a bill that would codify same-sex marriage in federal law and provide legal grounds to prosecute or remove privileges and rights from individuals and institutions that hold to marriage as a lifelong conjugal union between one man and one woman, the WND website reports today (Dec. 9, 2022). 

The U.S. House voted yesterday -- with 30 Republicans joining 219 Democrats -- to pass the Respect Marriage Act, and Biden has promised to sign it. 

The House passed a previous version of the bill in July, but had to vote again after the Senate added a religious liberty amendment. 

Scientists: Immune Systems Hit Viral Intruders; Finding May Help in Treating Common Colds

 Winter comes hand in hand with a spike in common colds and other respiratory infections, the Euro News website reports today (Dec. 8, 2022).

Scientists have now uncovered how  the immune system inside our noses attacks viral intruders and this finding could help develop future treatments against the common cold and other viral diseases such as COVID-19. 

Pope Unveils Vatican Christmas Tree for 2022; Urges Faithful to Stay Rooted in Jesus at Xmas

 As this year's Vatican Christmas tree and nativity scene were unveiled on Dec. 3, Pope Francis reminded the faithful to "stay rooted in Jesus Christ" during the holidays, the Religion News website reports today (Dec. 7, 2022).

"The tree teaches us about our roots; the nativity scene invites us to contemplation," he said. 

"The tree, with its lights, is a reminder that Jesus comes to lighten our darkness, our existence, which is often enclosed in the shadow of sin, of fear, of pain." Francis said during the afternoon audience. 

MI Priest Accused of Stealing $800K from Clergy; Lansing Diocese Calls Charges "Deeply Disturbing"

 A Catholic priest is accused of stealing more than $800,000 from three retired priests in the Lansing, Michigan diocese, the Crux website reports today (Dec. 6, 2022).

Father David Rosenberg was arraigned Dec. 1 on embezzlement charges and other crimes in Clinton County, north of Lansing. 

Diocese spokesman David Kerr said the allegations were "deeply disturbing." 

Cut in Pentagon Funds May End Ukraine Mil. Aid; Several Major Weapon Systems Would Be Ended

 A looming cut to Pentagon appropriations could throw a wrench in U.S. military aid to Ukraine, including artillery and ammunition, Politico magazine reported on Dec. 3, citing Department of Defense internal documents and officials familiar with the matter, the RT website reports today (Dec. 5, 2022). 

Michael McCord, the Pentagon's chief financial officer, was quoted as saying on Dec. 3 that the U.S. would have problems sending new munitions to Ukraine as the funds marked by Kiev would run out in spring. 

The slash in spending could also delay improvements in several major weapon systems , such as the M777 howitzer, which are being supplied by the U.S. to Ukrainian troops. 

 

US Hospitals Are Filling to the Brink this Fall; Surgeon General Warns of Surge in Viral Illnesses

Respirartory illnesses like COVID, RSV, and the flu are pushing U.S. hospitals to the brink this fall, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said yesterday, as he urged Americans to take precautions against all viruses, the Yahoo News website reports today (Dec. 4, 2022). 

This fall, pediatric hospitals are brimming with an unusually high number of patients who are sick from several different viruses -- predominantly RSV, flu, and COVID -- but also influenza-like viruses, such as rhinovirus and enterovirus.

As a result of this "tripledemic," many hosptals are at or near capacity. Some are far beyond it, having made room for patient overflow in offices, gift shops, play areas, and parking-lot tents. 

High Court to Hear Same-Sex Wedding Refusal; Col. Designer Declines Same-Sex Weddings

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Dec. 5 in a case involving a Colorado designer who wants to decline to create wedding websites for same-sex couples because those marriages  fly in the face of her religious beliefs, the  USA Today website reports Dec. 3, 2022.

The outcome could have profound implications for state anti-discrimination laws as well as the First Amendment. 

Colorado, like 24 other states,  prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation by businesses. 

High Court to Rule on Biden's College Debt Plan; Lower Courts Ruled Plan Was Unconstitutional

 The Supreme Court yesterday put President Biden's student loan relief program on ice for now, agreeing to hear arguments about the program in February, the NPR website reports today (Dec. 2. 2022). 

The case will be argued in the February 2023 argument session, the court said. 

The Biden administration had petitioned the court to allow the program to move forward, while various legal challenges were considered in the lower courts , including up to $20,000 in college loan relief for low- and middle-income borrowers. 

Alzheimer's Drug Can Slow Cognitive Decline; First Drug of Its Kind to Produce Such Results

Promising data shows an Alzheimer's drug can slow cognitive decline, the Yahoo News website reports today (Dec. 1, 2022). 

In a phase III clinical trial, with results published Nov. 29 in the New England Journal of Medicine, the drug, Lecanemab -- developed by Eisai and Biogen Inc. -- slowed the rate of cognitive decline by 27% in patients in the early stages of the disease, making it the first drug of its kind to produce such positive trial results. 

It is also the first drug of its kind to be FDA approved.