5 things to know for Dec. 28: Immigration, Snowstorm, Southwest, Trump’s taxes, Gas

CNN
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In certain corners of the internet, some women are expressing nostalgia for an era they’ve never known. These millennials and zoomers are glamorizing the aesthetics of 1950s Americana – donning retro fit-and-flare dresses and posting vintage illustrations of aproned housewives who submit to their husbands.

Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

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A controversial Trump-era border restriction will remain in effect while legal challenges play out, the Supreme Court said Tuesday, a decision that ensures federal officials will continue to swiftly expel migrants at US borders at least for the next several months. Since March 2020, the measure – known as Title 42 – has allowed border agents to immediately turn away migrants who have crossed the southern border in the name of Covid-19 prevention. The order is a win for Republican-led states that urged the Supreme Court to step in and block a lower court opinion that ordered the termination of the authority. Immigration advocates have denounced the use of the public health authority, arguing it was a pretext to stop migrants from entering the US. In its order, the high court said it would hear arguments in the case in February. Meanwhile, the Texas National Guard installed two miles of border fencing in the El Paso, Texas, area as a surging number of migrants face uncertainty.

Days into the deadly winter storm that pummeled much of the country, the challenges are far from over in Buffalo, New York. At least 31 people died in New York’s Erie County, and the number continues to rise as authorities check on homes and cars for anyone who was stranded in the snow. “We’re, unfortunately, finding bodies on the street and in snow banks,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said. “There’s a lot of roads that are completely blocked right now, that have no access whatsoever.” Military police are helping enforce a driving ban in Buffalo as more than 7,000 utility workers navigate through broken trees and poles around the clock to restore power. In one heartwarming story, a Buffalo woman answered a stranger’s cry for help and rescued a man with severe frostbite stuck in a snowbank outside her house. Nationwide, another 25 people have been reported dead in the storm across 11 states. 

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CNN
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She heard cries for help during deadly winter storm. Her actions saved a life

Southwest Airlines’ operational meltdown has put the Dallas-based carrier under serious scrutiny – not only from stranded passengers and the media but from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as well. Buttigieg spoke directly to Southwest CEO Bob Jordan about the thousands of flights that have been canceled this week with no immediate indication of when passengers can rebook. “Their system really has completely melted down,” Buttigieg told CNN. “I made clear that our department will be holding them accountable for their responsibilities to customers, both to get them through this situation and to make sure that this can’t happen again.” Passengers who booked with Southwest have been hoping for some much-needed relief on cancellations and delays. But those hopes are so far being dashed. Of the more than 2,700 cancellations already made for flights today, nearly all of them are operated by Southwest.

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CNN
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‘Completely melted down’: Buttigieg reacts to Southwest Airlines chaos

Former President Donald Trump’s tax returns will be released Friday morning, a source told CNN. The returns will be placed into the congressional record that day during a House pro forma session. The highly anticipated release comes after the panel asserted last week that the IRS failed to properly audit Trump’s taxes while he was in office. The committee released a report that detailed six years’ worth of his tax returns, including his claims of massive annual losses that significantly reduced his tax burden. Chairman Richard Neal and fellow Democrats have said that the records they obtained showed that the presidential audit program failed to work as intended. Neal charged Trump’s returns were only subjected to the mandatory audit once, in 2019, after Democrats inquired.

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CNN
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What we know about Trump’s tax returns

Gas prices will likely be significantly cheaper next year – but the national average could still climb back above the $4-a-gallon threshold as soon as May, according to GasBuddy projections shared exclusively with CNN. The good news is that the price-tracking website doesn’t expect a repeat of this year’s wild swings that at one point sent gas prices above $5 a gallon for the first time. That spike set off recession alarm bells, worsened inflation and crushed consumer confidence. The national average for regular gas is expected to drop to $3.49 a gallon in 2023, down roughly 50 cents from the average this year, according to GasBuddy. 

Hugh Jackman’s frenemy dynamic with Ryan Reynolds is going big screen in ‘Deadpool 3’

They “hate” each other, and we love it.

Beef burger or plant-based meat substitutes? 

These labels encourage people to pick meals with a smaller climate footprint.

Vandals destroyed 22,000-year-old sacred cave art

An indigenous group is devastated and police are searching for the culprits.

A curious black bear in Connecticut got more than it bargained for

It wasn’t ready for an ambush by two pigs after it climbed into their pen.

Returning that ugly Christmas sweater could cost you 

Some chains are slapping on extra fees of up to $7 for online returns.

Pope Francis says Former Pope Benedict is ‘very sick’

Pope Francis said that his predecessor, Pope Benedict – the 95-year-old former pontiff who resigned from the post nine years ago – is “very sick.” “I want to ask you all for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict who sustains the Church in his silence,” Francis said during his general audience at the Vatican earlier today.

85%

That’s the percentage of rural land in California that’s at “high” or “very high” risk for wildfires, according to a new analysis.

“Fentanyl is so potent that teens, particularly teens who have never used an opioid before and have no tolerance to them, can die really quickly. We’re talking within seconds to minutes.”

– Dr. Scott Hadland, chief of adolescent and young adult medicine at Boston’s Mass General for Children Hospital.

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