Thursday, December 22 top stories
It is Thursday, December 22. Here are today’s top stories.
Zelenskyy thanks Americans for help during war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave an inspiring address before Congress last night in the Capitol to thank Americans for helping his country stand against all odds.
There was strong applause throughout the speech.
Zelenskyy said the money that the U.S. has given to Ukraine for the war is not charity but an investment in global security and in democracy. He predicted that the next year would be a turning point in the conflict.
He gave Congress a Ukrainian flag that was autographed by Ukrainian troops fighting in front-line regions in the eastern part of the country.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave him an American flag that had flown over the Capitol on that day.
Zelenskyy is already traveling back to Ukraine. He was in D.C. for less than 10 hours.
Sam Bankman-Fried extradited to U.S.
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was extradited to the U.S. last night to face criminal fraud charges for allegedly cheating cryptocurrency investors out of billions of dollars. He arrived in New York last night in handcuffs and was escorted by federal agents.
The federal prosecutor leading the case is Damian Williams. He said Sam would appear before a judge as soon as possible. Two of Sam’s colleagues, Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang, pleaded guilty to fraud and are cooperating with the investigation.
Sam is facing decades in prison on his fraud charges.
2,000+ flights cancelled due to winter storm
News reports said over 2,000 flights were canceled due to a massive winter storm that is currently impacting a wide swath of the U.S. Most of the flight cancellations are at Denver and Chicago airports.
The National Weather Service said an arctic front will bring dangerous cold, snow squalls, and flash freezing over the central and eastern U.S. this week.
In Cheyenne, Wyoming, temperatures plunged from 43 F to 3 F in only 30 minutes yesterday afternoon. The Wyoming Highway Patrol released footage showing poor visibility on roads due to heavy snow and winds. There were over 100 crashes in a 12-hour period.
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U.S. life expectancy declines
Life expectancy in the U.S. has declined from 77 in 2020 to 76.4 in 2021. The two leading causes of death in the U.S. in 2021 were heart disease and cancer. Government data also shows that Covid-19 and illegal drugs have killed hundreds of thousands of Americans and contributed to the drop in life expectancy.
Our life expectancy is about the same level as in 1996. An expert said it’s shocking because we have learned a lot about medicine and spent a lot on it in the years since.
In comparison, in Japan, the life expectancy is 84.5. Belgians are at 81.4 and Swedes are at 82.4.
Health officials are concerned that deaths from drug overdoses, suicide, and liver disease — caused by alcoholism — are increasing.
A CDC official said it’s not a good year for the data.
YouTube and NFL Sunday Ticket deal
The NFL announced that they have reached a deal with YouTube TV for its Sunday Ticket subscription package. The deal is worth about $2 billion a year and will run for seven years. It will begin next season.
The Sunday Ticket package provides NFL fans with an opportunity to view any game in the nation. The previous provider was DirectTV, which charged a $300 add-on fee on top of its regular subscription. It is not known how much YouTube TV will charge for the Sunday Ticket package.
Netflix news
Netflix announced it would build a new $900 million production facility at a former Army base in Jersey Shore, New Jersey. The site is 292 acres. Netflix purchased the land for $55 million and plans to build 12 huge sound stages that may be up to 40,000 square feet each.
Netflix said the studio would boost the local and state economy with thousands of new jobs.
In separate news, a news report said Netflix plans to crack down on password sharing in early 2023. Netflix plans to do this by asking those who share accounts with others outside of their household to pay a fee.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-biden-68c65b3274e552f36f16853f24fedbb9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm7e8f05IAs
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11565457/Disgraced-Sam-Bankman-Fried-face-music.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/winter-storm-flight-cancellations-holiday-travel-impacts/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/winter-storm-flight-cancellations-holiday-travel-impacts/
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/22/nfl-sunday-ticket-youtube-tv.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/12/22/us-life-expectancy-decline-2021-covid-fentanyl/