ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

December 23, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Why Christmas Gifts Are Arriving on Time This Year (New York Times)
• Deadly tornadoes leave path of destruction across six states: ‘It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen’ (Washington Post)
• Biden backs exception to filibuster for voting rights bill (The Hill)
• Deadly Collapse at Amazon Warehouse Puts Spotlight on Phone Ban (Bloomberg)
• Operation Whistle Pig: Inside the secret CBP unit with no rules that investigates Americans  (Yahoo News)
• Unruly behavior on flights could result in revoked TSA Pre-check, the FAA says  (NPR)
• Biden says ground troops ‘not on the table’ but Putin would face ‘severe’ sanctions for Ukraine invasion (Washington Post)
• Biden resists shutdowns as Omicron threat rises (The Hill)
• Derek Chauvin pleads guilty to violating George Floyd's rights (Reuters)

WORLD

• Biden signs bill punishing China for Uyghur abuses  (The Hill)
• Mexican cartels turning to meth and fentanyl production  (NPR)
• Putin says Russia has 'nowhere to retreat' over Ukraine (Reuters)
• Taliban chief bans forced marriage of women in Afghanistan (10 News)
• Pro-Beijing candidates sweep Hong Kong elections  (NPR)
• 'Biblical' flooding in South Sudan displaces hundreds of thousands (CNN)
• Kidnapped missionaries escaped their captors in Haiti, aid group says  (NPR)
• One of suspected killers of Saudi journalist Khashoggi arrested in France - RTL (Reuters)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

U.S.

Why Christmas Gifts Are Arriving on Time This Year (New York Times)

Fears that a disrupted supply chain could wreak havoc on the logistics industry over the holiday turned out to be wrong as many Americans ordered early and shopped in stores…The UPS and the Postal Service delivered about 99 percent of their packages on time by that measure between Nov. 14 and Dec. 11, and FedEx was close behind at 97 percent, according to ShipMatrix.

Deadly tornadoes leave path of destruction across six states: ‘It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen’ (Washington Post)

A desperate search and rescue operation unfolded Saturday across six states mauled the previous evening by rare late-season tornadoes that may have left more than 70 people dead. More than 30 separate tornadoes moved with devastating power and speed through an area stretching from Mississippi in the south to Illinois in the north. As they swept through the region over several hours, the twisters killed dozens, including workers in a candle factory in a flattened Kentucky town, lakeside vacationers in Tennessee and a nursing home resident in Arkansas.

Biden backs exception to filibuster for voting rights bill (The Hill)

President Biden says he supports creating an exception to the legislative filibuster in the Senate in order to pass voting rights legislation over Republican opposition. 

Deadly Collapse at Amazon Warehouse Puts Spotlight on Phone Ban (Bloomberg)

An Amazon.com Inc. warehouse collapse on Friday night that killed at least six people has amplified concerns among its blue collar workforce about the return of the internet retailer’s mobile phone ban in work areas.

Operation Whistle Pig: Inside the secret CBP unit with no rules that investigates Americans  (Yahoo News)

…The division, which still operates today, had few rules and routinely used the country’s most sensitive databases to obtain the travel records and financial and personal information of journalists, government officials, congressional members and their staff, NGO workers and others.

Unruly behavior on flights could result in revoked TSA Pre-check, the FAA says  (NPR)

Acting out on a flight could result in getting TSA PreCheck privileges canceled, the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration announced Tuesday.

Biden says ground troops ‘not on the table’ but Putin would face ‘severe’ sanctions for Ukraine invasion (Washington Post)

President Biden said Wednesday that putting additional U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine is “not on the table” a day after warning Russian President Vladimir Putin in a video call that he would face severe economic sanctions if he mounts an invasion.,,Biden said an invasion would also lead to an increased U.S. presence in NATO countries in the region, but added that the United States would not unilaterally take military action against Russia in response…

Biden resists shutdowns as Omicron threat rises (The Hill)

President Biden is resisting school closures and other shutdown measures in the face of the highly transmissible omicron variant as the public grows increasingly weary about a seemingly never-ending pandemic and confusion over mixed messages from health officials.

Derek Chauvin pleads guilty to violating George Floyd's rights (Reuters)

The former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pleaded guilty on Wednesday in a federal court to charges he violated George Floyd's civil rights, likely extending his prison sentence after his earlier conviction for the Black man's murder.

WORLD

Biden signs bill punishing China for Uyghur abuses  (The Hill)

President Biden on Thursday signed into law a bill that aims to punish China for human rights abuses against ethnic and religious minorities in the Xinjiang region. The bipartisan legislation, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent last week, bans imports of goods from China’s Xinjiang region unless individuals or companies demonstrate that the materials were made without forced labor.

Mexican cartels turning to meth and fentanyl production  (NPR)

Mexican drug cartels are turning to bigger, more productive labs to churn out increasing quantities of synthetic drugs like meth and fentanyl, according to seizure figures issued Monday by the country's Defense Department.  The defense secretary, Gen. Luis Cresencio Sandoval, acknowledged there has been a huge shift by Mexican cartels away from naturally grown drugs like opium and marijuana, where seizures and crop eradication has fallen.

Putin says Russia has 'nowhere to retreat' over Ukraine (Reuters)

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia had no room to retreat in a standoff with the United States over Ukraine and would be forced into a tough response unless the West dropped its "aggressive line".

Taliban chief bans forced marriage of women in Afghanistan (10 News)

The Taliban have decreed they are banning forced marriage of women in Afghanistan, a move likely meant to address criteria the international community considers a precondition to recognizing their government and restoring aid.

Pro-Beijing candidates sweep Hong Kong elections  (NPR)

Candidates loyal to Beijing won a majority of the seats in Sunday's election after the laws were changed to ensure that only pro-Beijing "patriots" could run the city.

'Biblical' flooding in South Sudan displaces hundreds of thousands (CNN)

The climate crisis has triggered 'biblical' flooding in South Sudan displacing hundreds of thousands of residents.

Kidnapped missionaries escaped their captors in Haiti, aid group says  (NPR)

Captive missionaries in Haiti found freedom last week by making a daring overnight escape, eluding their kidnappers and walking for miles over difficult, moonlit terrain with an infant and other children in tow, according to the agency they work for, officials said Monday. 

One of suspected killers of Saudi journalist Khashoggi arrested in France - RTL (Reuters)

One of the suspected killers of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was arrested at the Roissy airport near Paris on Tuesday as he was about to board a flight to Riyadh, French RTL radio reported. RTL said the person arrested was a former Royal Guard of Saudi Arabia…