Vaccine mandate stalls defense bill, thousands flee volcano eruption

Thousands evacuate an erupting volcano in Indonesia; The Brussels terror attack trial begins; and Sesame Street is in mourning. These stories and more highlight the midday update for Monday, Dec. 5, 2022.

Vaccine mandate at center of defense bill passage

Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is vowing an end to the vaccine mandate for military members.

McCarthy says he told the president to repeal the mandate if he wants the national defense bill to pass. McCarthy is declaring this an early first victory for the newly GOP controlled House.

“We will secure lifting the vaccine mandate on our military, because what we’re finding is they’re kicking out men and women who have been serving. They’re not meeting recruitment. I had a conversation with the Secretary of Defense even last night. But come next week, you’ll see we’ve been able to. And that’s the first victory of having a Republican majority,” McCarthy said.

The national defense bill is expected to be released on Monday. A vote in the House is scheduled to take place this week.

Trial begins for Brussels 2016 terror attacks

After more than six years since the deadliest terror attack on Belgium soil, 10 men are now on trial for suicide bombings at the Brussels airport and a subway station.

The attack killed 32 people and injured more than 300 others. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Six of the ten men on trial for the Brussels bombings were also found guilty for having a role in the Paris terror attacks.

The trial is expected to last seven months with more than 300 witnesses available for the hearings.

REAL ID deadline for flights extended

If you’ve recently bought a plane ticket, it’s likely you saw the notification alerting you of a REAL ID requirement that was to take place next year. Travelers would need to show a valid government issued ID in order to board a flight.

But on Monday, it was announced the plan has been put on hold. Now travelers will have until May of 2025 to abide by the new ID requirements.

The implementation of REAL ID has been pushed back several times. This time, the 24 month extension is supposed to help give states enough time to make sure travelers can obtain the correct ID cards.

The law was passed in 2001 following 9/11 and was meant to go into effect in 2008.

Taylor Swift fans sue Ticketmaster

Taylor Swift fans are now suing Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation, after coming up empty handed in a pre-sale event debacle last month.

The lawsuit alleges Ticketmaster took part in deceptive practices and fraud after fans were unable to make their way from the queue to the ticket sale. The lawsuit also alleges the company violated antitrust laws, something lawmakers and the Justice Department are actively investigating.

Indonesia volcano erupts, thousands evacuate

Indonesia has evacuated thousands of residents after a volcano erupted on Java island over the weekend.

Clouds of ash covered the skies. Masks have been handed out to residents and they have been told to stay away from riversides because of the risk of lava flow. Indonesia is heavily populated with 270 million people, and it sits on the “ring of fire.”

The same volcano erupted last year, killing 50 people and displacing thousands.

Sesame Street mourns loss of Bob McGrath

A beloved member of the Sesame Street family for 50 years died over the weekend. Bob McGrath was one of the founding cast members of the show when it premiered in 1969.

He would perform all the way up to 2017, spending most of his life on Sesame Street. McGrath’s family posted over the weekend that he died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family.