Comment on News: What We’re Reading

Donald Trump will soon return to the White House, raising the question of whether he will pardon the Jan. 6 rioters whom he has spent months defending. Calling Jan, 6 a “Day of Love” and labeling rioters “hostages” and “political prisoners,” Trump has likened his supporters to revolutionaries who were simply fighting for fair elections and to restore American democracy.

WASHINGTON — Congress certified President-elect Donald Trump as the winner of the 2024 election in proceedings that unfolded Monday without violence or mayhem, in stark contrast to the Jan. 6, 2021, violence as his mob of supporters stormed the Capitol. Lawmakers convened under heavy security and a snowstorm to meet the date required by law to certify the election, but the legacy of Jan.

The holidays came with a side of flu for many Americans, with 40 states reporting high or very high levels of illness last week, according to the latest government health data. “A lot of flu out there,” said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Carrie Reed. Of course, there are a number of bugs that cause fever, cough, sore throat, and other flu-like symptoms.

The way people with disabilities are treated is backsliding in the U. S., advocates say. Cruel names are slung around without a second thought; fingers are pointed; “jokes” are whispered just out of earshot of their target—or not. In other words, even now, decades after the disability rights movement began, people are mean. “So much of what we’re seeing is behavior that’s grounded in either fear, ignorance, or the normalization of incivility,” says Katy Neas, CEO of the Arc of the United States, a nonprofit that promotes and protects the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Winter weather often causes flight delays and cancellations. While airlines can’t control the weather, they are required in the U. S. to provide refunds to customers whose flights are canceled. Here’s what to know about your rights, and what to know when cancellations start piling up: Keep an eye on weather forecasts [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] When airlines expect bad weather to create problems for flights, they often give travelers a chance to postpone their trips by a few days without having to pay a fee.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is stepping down as the leader of the ruling Liberal Party, following months of pressure from partymates to resign amid increasingly poor public approval ratings. “I intend to resign as party leader as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide competitive process,” Trudeau said at a press conference Monday morning outside of his home in Ottawa.