Friday morning news - December 31, 2021

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

COVID changes New Year’s plans » Revelers are preparing to ring in the new year tonight in New York City. But fewer people than normal will be packed into Times Square, thanks to the rapid rise in COVID infections.

Mayor Bill de Blasio banned crowds from the iconic celebration last year. But on Thursday he said the city’s high rate of vaccination made it possible to hold this year’s party more or less as usual. Vaccinations and masks are required.

Chicago and Boston are also moving ahead with New Year’s celebrations. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu urged people to have fun but stay safe.

WU: As we come together to celebrate community, our joy, and a fresh start in 2022, we must also recognize the moment that we still very much are in.

Other cities, including Atlanta, cancelled their celebrations.

The rising COVID case counts have also played havoc on college football, with at least five bowl games canceled outright. Others are moving forward with last-minute team changes.

And on Wednesday, the Westminster Kennel Club postponed its annual dog show until later in the year.

Severe New Year’s weather » Meanwhile, residents in several other parts of the country are likely to spend New Year’s Day cleaning up from severe weather.

A line of thunderstorms rolled across the South late Wednesday and early Thursday. Randy Price is the mayor of Winfield, Alabama, where strong winds reduced several downtown buildings to rubble.

PRICE: It is amazing that we had no injuries or fatalities. And it’s amazing, you know, how we was looked after that way.

More storms are expected across the South on Friday and Saturday as a strong cold front moves through the area.

And in the Pacific Northwest, heavy snow blanketed Seattle and Portland, Oregon, on Thursday. Officials closed about 80 miles of Interstate 90 over the Cascade Mountains due to “near zero visibility.”

The unseasonably frigid weather is expected to last through the weekend.

Colorado wildfires burn hundreds of homes » And in Colorado, a fast-moving wildfire forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate on Thursday.

The fire burned nearly 600 homes, a hotel, and a shopping center northwest of Denver.

Gov. Jared Polis called the 1,600-acre fire “absolutely devastating.”

POLIS: This area, for those who don’t know this area, of Boulder County, is right in and around suburban developments, stores. It’s like the neighborhood you live in. It’s like the neighborhood any of us live in.

Evacuation orders covered the cities of Louisville and Superior, about 20 miles northwest of Denver.

So far, officials have logged fewer than 10 reports of injuries. But the Boulder County sheriff warned that number could grow.

Biden asks Supreme Court to let it end the Remain in Mexico policy » The Biden administration has asked the Supreme Court to review its decision to end the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy. WORLD’s Leigh Jones has more.

LEIGH JONES, REPORTER: The policy requires non-Mexican immigrants to wait across the border until their asylum hearing.

President Biden put an end to the policy in February. But in August, a federal judge ordered the government to reinstate the policy because it didn’t follow the right process for ending it.

A federal appeals court upheld that ruling, and the administration reinstated the policy earlier this month.

But in its appeal to the Supreme Court, the administration said the policy exposes migrants to unacceptable risks and detracts from the Executive Branch’s foreign-relations efforts to manage regional migration.

The high court previously denied the administration’s request to keep the policy on hold during the appeals process.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Leigh Jones.

Biden-Putin phone call » 

President Biden and his Russian counterpart talked by phone for nearly an hour on Thursday.

Vladimir Putin requested the call to continue discussing issues the two leaders addressed during a video conference earlier this month. That conversation focused on the Russian troop buildup on Ukraine’s border and Moscow’s demand for security guarantees.

Neither the White House nor the Kremlin commented on Thursday’s call after it was over.

But before the call President Biden said he intended to emphasize diplomacy, even as Russia’s aggressive moves toward Ukraine alarm U.S. allies.

The two leaders will continue discussions next month at a meeting in Geneva.

Iran launches space rocket » AUDIO: [SOUND OF ROCKET]

Iranian officials say they have launched a rocket into space although the timing of the launch wasn’t immediately clear.

According to state-run television, the rocket held a satellite carrier bearing three devices. Officials have not described any of them or said whether they made it to Earth’s orbit.

But a Defense Ministry spokesman said the “Phoenix” rocket reached a height of 290 miles.

Neither the U.S. State Department nor the Pentagon had any immediate comment on the news.

The launch came amid a holiday pause in negotiations over the Iran nuclear agreement. Talks are set to resume in early January.

I’m Paul Butler. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org. 

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