Some 4,700 domestic flights were canceled over New Year's weekend, with poor weather conditions contributing to delays already exacerbated by the Omicron variant.
The latest: A total of2,529 flights going within, into and out of the U.S. were canceled on Sunday as of 5 p.m, according to tracking service FlightAware. More than 6,000 were delayed.
A total of 45 journalists and media staffers were killed while doing their jobs in 2021, according to a new report by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
Why it matters: The figure is a significant decrease from 2020, when 65 journalists were killed, and in fact is among the lowest death tolls the IFJ said it has ever recorded.
Axios CEO Jim VandeHei unveiled a manifesto for Axios Local and vowed to “bring smart, modern, trustworthy local news to every community in America.”
Why it matters: Axios is solving a problem so many of you feel acutely — the decline for local journalism. For years, people were convinced there was no high-quality, economically viable solution. Now there is.
Gyms, fitness studios and other workout facilities have been slowly getting back into shape since the pandemic devastated their businesses, but the emergence of the Omicron variant threatens to reverse that momentum at the worst possible time.
The big picture: New Year's is typically a big boon to gym memberships, but Omicron threatens to undermine it if Americans decide to stick with now-ubiquitous at-home fitness options.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. chairperson Jelena McWilliams on Friday submitted her resignation, weeks after she described a dispute with Democrats leading the independent agency as a “hostile takeover” attempt.
Why it matters: President Biden will be able to select a replacement for the Trump-appointed McWilliams, whose term was not meant to end until June 2023. The agency provides deposit insurance for all U.S. banks and is one of three federal regulators overseeing the U.S. banking system.
Effective today, federal law bans many types of out-of-network medical bills and puts the onus on doctors and health insurance companies to resolve their payment disputes.
Why it matters: Consumers can breathe a sigh of relief because, in many scenarios, they should no longer face unexpected charges from doctors who are not in their insurance networks.
The pandemic that never seems to end will likely dominate our attention in 2022, along with President Biden's struggling agenda and Donald Trump's continuing hold over the GOP.
Here’s what else Axios’ newsletter authors and expert reporters will be watching — from interest rates to Big Tech scrutiny to whether last year's climate pledges will lead to meaningful action this year. (Sign up for their newsletters here.)
