A deadly shooting in Paris killed 3, inflation has slowed and thousands of flights have been canceled thanks to the historic winter storm. These stories and more highlight Straight Arrow News’ midday rundown for Friday, Dec. 23, 2022.
Shooting in Paris leaves three dead
A shooting inside a Kurdish cultural center in Paris is being investigated by authorities. The shooting happened midday on Friday at a Paris neighborhood restaurant and hair salon. A 69-year-old suspect was arrested and taken to the hospital for injuries.
While the motive is still unknown, officials said it could potentially be racially motivated. It’s also being investigated as a potential terrorist attack.
Commerce Department: Inflation slowing
While prices are still rising, new numbers from the Commerce Department are giving the strongest indication yet that inflation may finally be slowing down. Today, the department reported prices for the month of November rose 5.5% from last year. That’s the smallest year-to-year increase since last October. Core inflation last month was at 4.7% year-to-year, also the lowest since last October.
The Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark interest rate seven times since March with the goal of reducing inflation. More hikes are planned for early next year despite concerns from economists about the economy sliding into a recession.
Florida to investigate COVID-19 vaccines
Florida’s Supreme Court has given Gov. Ron DeSantis, R, the go-ahead on a state investigation into COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers. A statewide grand jury will investigate whether Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are as safe and effective as they have been advertised to be. The grand jury will also look into any side effects of the vaccines that DeSantis said have been downplayed by the manufacturers and the Biden administration. The investigation will last 12 months.
Weather cancels thousands of flights
Bomb cyclones, blizzards and dangerous wind chills continue to sweep across the U.S., wreaking havoc on holiday travel. More than 3,700 flights were canceled this morning, according to FlightAware, after nearly 2,700 were canceled yesterday.
According to FlightAware, airports in New York, Chicago, Detroit and Seattle were most affected. The Seattle airport is now closed due to ice storms. Travelers were told rebooking flights could take days.
The National Weather Service is calling this wave of life-threatening conditions a “historic winter storm”.
Movie trailer ruled as false advertising
If a movie trailer is deceiving to its audience, then it could be flagged as false advertisement. That’s what happened in court this week when two movie fans sued Universal Studios.
They wanted to watch the movie “Yesterday” because actress Ana de Armas was featured in the trailer, but she was not shown in the movie. The fans sued Universal and won.
Universal argued movie trailers are protected under the First Amendment as an “artistic” piece of work. The judge disagreed, ruling movie trailers as advertisements cannot mislead the audience.
