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AM rundown: Flights grounded, Biden investigation underway


The House launches new investigations; California braces for more rain and flooding; and all flights have been grounded by order of the FAA. These stories and more highlight the morning rundown for Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023.

Flights grounded following FAA outage

The FAA is fixing a nationwide technical outage and grounded all domestic flights in the U.S.

The failure reportedly affects an alert system for pilots to inform them of airborne issues.

If you’re traveling today, double check your flight status. There are more than 1,000 flights delayed and hundreds already canceled.

Bipartisan support for China committee

In a 365-65 vote, House lawmakers have launched their first committee, focused on all-things China.

Strategic competition between the U.S. and China will be looked at, like how to bring hundreds of thousands of jobs back, and bring large supply chains back. The committee will also look into what threat China poses to the U.S. security. And how to protect intellectual property. 

This committee has one year to investigate.

House GOP begins Biden investigation

After a bipartisan vote for the committee on China, Republicans used the power of majority to launch an investigation into what they call the “weaponization of the federal government.”

It’s a broad investigation across many departments, including the White House, the Department of Justice, and the FBI.

Calls for an investigation ignited after the raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property.

Cardinal George Pell dies

Cardinal George Pell has died at the age of 81.

He was the most senior Catholic official to be convicted of child-sex-abuse. He served 13 months in prison before the ruling was overturned two years ago. Pell always denied the charges.

Because of the allegations against him, he was a controversial figure in the Catholic church.

But at one time, he held the third most senior position within the church as the Vatican Treasurer for Pope Francis.

Pell died from cardiac arrest.

California saturated, more rain in forecast

Californians have a brief break this morning, after storms and flooding caused wide-spread damage.

More rain in the north is expected later today before another powerful weather system hits the state on Friday.

Already more than half of the counties in California have declared disasters; 17 people have died in the storms. Gov. Gavin Newsom said that figure is likely to rise.

“We expect these storms to continue at least through the 18th of this month. We expect a minimum of three more of these atmospheric rivers and different shapes and forms depending on different parts of the state. The magnitude of this is not isolated to smaller communities. it is scaled across the largest state in our union,” Newsom said. 

Some parts of California have received rainfall totals 600% above average. And rain is still in the forecast over the next 10 days.

Golden Globe standouts

The Golden Globes returned to TV last night with some big time standouts.

“Abbott Elementary” and “The White Lotus” were some of TV’s biggest winners.

While in the film category, “The Banshees if Inisherin” and “The Fablemans” won the most awards in their categories.

“So, just shout out to our crew and our production and the kids. And we were at work today and we’re going to be at work tomorrow,” said “Abbott Elementary actor Quinta Brunson.

“I think in a way, I needed to find forgiveness. I needed to find, I think ‘The Fabelmans’ is an act of forgiveness. It is how I was able to forgive and I think how my parents were able to forgive each other,” said Steven Spielberg, director of “The Fabelmans:

“Elvis” actor Austin Butler won Best Actor in a Drama. Yellowstone’s Kevin Costner won Best Actor in a TV series. But Costner couldn’t make it to the ceremony because of the flooding in Southern California.

Hollywood’s 80th golden globes didn’t miss a beat after taking a hiatus last year.

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KARAH RUCKER: THE HOUSE…LAUNCHING NEW INVESTIGATIONS. ONE WITH BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FROM DEMOCRATS. AND CALIFORNIA…ALREADY SATURATED BY FLOODING, IS EXPECTING ANOTHER 5 TO 10 INCHES OF RAIN.

BUT FIRST…AN OUTAGE AT THE F-A-A GROUNDED ALL FLIGHTS WITHIN THE U.S.

THIS IS YOUR MORNING RUNDOWN WITH STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.

UNBIASED. STRAIGHT FACTS. BREAKING THIS MORNING…

FLIGHTS GROUNDED FOLLOWING FAA OUTAGE

THE FAA IS FIXING A NATIONWIDE-TECHNICAL OUTAGE AND HAS ORDERED ALL AIRLINES TO PAUSE DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

THE FAILURE REPORTEDLY EFFECTS AN ALERT SYSTEM FOR PILOTS TO INFORM THEM OF AIRBORNE ISSUES.

IF YOU’RE TRAVELING TODAY…DOUBLE CHECK YOUR FLIGHT STATUS.

THERE ARE MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND FLIGHTS DELAYED AND HUNDREDS ALREADY CANCELED.

BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR CHINA COMMITTEE

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise | (R) LOUISIANA: “You’re going to see us today set up the Select Subcommittee on China to finally confront the challenge that is one of the greatest threats to our nation, and that is what the Chinese Communist Party has been doing all around the globe, making challenges to our country and other countries around the world.”

IN A 365 TO 65 VOTE…HOUSE LAWMAKERS HAVE LAUNCHED THEIR FIRST COMMITTEE…FOCUSED ON ALL-THINGS CHINA.

STRATEGIC COMPETITION BETWEEN THE U.S. AND CHINA WILL BE LOOKED AT…

HOW TO BRING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS BACK, BRING LARGE SUPPLY CHAINS BACK.

THE COMMITTEE WILL LOOK INTO WHAT THREAT CHINA POSES TO U.S. SECURITY.

HOW TO PROTECT OUR OWN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. THIS COMMITTEE HAS ONE YEAR TO INVESTIGATE.

HOUSE GOP BEGINS BIDEN INVESTIGATION

AFTER A BI-PARTISAN VOTE FOR THE COMMITTEE ON CHINA…

REPUBLICANS USED THE POWER OF MAJORITY TO LAUNCH THEIR PROMISED-INVESTIGATION INTO WHAT THEY CALL THE “WEAPONIZATION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.”

IT’S A BROAD INVESTIGATION ACROSS MANY DEPARTMENTS…

INCLUDING THE WHITE HOUSE, THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND THE F-B-I.

CALLS FOR AN INVESTIGATION IGNITED AFTER THE RAID ON MAR-A-LAGO.

CARDINAL GEORGE PELL DIES

NAME SUPER: Anthony Fisher | Sydney Catholic Archbishop: “My friends, we were shocked to wake to the news this morning that Cardinal George Pell, the 8th Archbishop of Sydney, had died on Tuesday evening Rome time from complications following hip surgery.”

CARDINAL GEORGE PELL HAS DIED AT THE AGE OF 81.

HE WAS THE MOST SENIOR-CATHOLIC OFFICIAL TO BE CONVICTED OF CHILD-SEX-ABUSE…SERVING 13 MONTHS IN PRISON…BEFORE THE RULING WAS OVERTURNED TWO YEARS AGO.

PELL ALWAYS DENIED THE CHARGES.

BECAUSE OF THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HIM…HE WAS A CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

BUT AT ONE TIME SITTING AT THE THIRD-MOST SENIOR POSITION WITHIN THE CHURCH —AS THE VATICAN TREASURER FOR POPE FRANCIS.

PELL DIED FROM CARDIAC ARREST.

CALIFORNIA SATURATED, MORE RAIN IN FORECAST

CALIFORNIANS HAVE A BRIEF-MOMENT OF LET-UP THIS MORNING AFTER STORMS AND FLOODING CAUSED WIDE-SPREAD DAMAGE.

MORE RAIN IN THE NORTH IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY BEFORE ANOTHER POWERFUL WEATHER SYSTEM HITS THE STATE ON FRIDAY.

ALREADY MORE THAN HALF OF THE COUNTIES IN CALIFORNIA HAVE DECLARED DISASTERS.

17 PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN THE STORMS…WITH GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM SAYING THAT FIGURE IS LIKELY TO RISE.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM | (D) CALIFORNIA: “We expect these storms to continue at least through the 18th of this month. We expect a minimum of three more of these atmospheric rivers and different shapes and forms depending on different parts of the state. The magnitude of this is not isolated to smaller communities. It is scaled across the largest state in our union.”

SOME PARTS OF CALIFORNIA HAVE RECEIVED RAINFALL TOTALS 600 PERCENT ABOVE AVERAGE…RAIN IS STILL IN THE FORECAST OVER THE NEXT 10 DAYS.

GOLDEN GLOBE STANDOUTS

THE GOLDEN GLOBES RETURNED TO T-V LAST NIGHT…WITH SOME BIG TIME STANDOUTS.

“ABBOTT ELEMENTARY” AND “THE WHITE LOTUS” WERE SOME OF TV’S BIGGEST WINNERS.

WHILE IN FILM…”THE BANSHEES IF INISHERIN” AND “THE FABLEMANS” WON THE MOST AWARDS IN THEIR CATEGORIES.

Quinta Brunson| actor, “ABBOTT ELEMENTARY”: “So just shout out to our crew and our production and the kids. And we were at work today and we’re going to be at work tomorrow.”

Steven Spielberg | director, “THE FABELMANS: “I think in a way, I needed to find forgiveness. I needed to find–I think ‘The Fabelmans’ is an act of forgiveness. It is how I was able to forgive and I think how my parents were able to forgive each other.”

“ELVIS” ACTOR AUSTIN BUTLER WON BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA…

YELLOWSTONE’S KEVIN COSTNER WON BEST ACTOR IN A TV SERIES…BUT COULDN’T MAKE IT TO THE CEREMONY BECAUSE OF FLOODING.

HOLLYWOOD’S 80TH GOLDEN GLOBES DIDN’T MISS A BEAT AFTER TAKING A HIATUS LAST YEAR.

THESE ARE YOUR TOP HEADLINES ON THIS WEDNESDAY. THANKS FOR WATCHING THE MORNING RUNDOWN WITH STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS. YOUR PLACE FOR JOURNALISM WITHOUT AGENDA.