Tuesday morning news: December 27, 2022

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Weather » The Buffalo-area blizzard is one for the record books rivaled only in recent memory by the arctic blast more than four decades ago. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz:

POLONCARZ: The blizzard of ‘77 lasted longer, three days of terrible conditions. This was two days of terrible conditions. But the ferocity of the storm was worse than the blizzard of ‘77.

The death toll from a Buffalo-area blizzard rose to 27 on Monday. Nationwide, the winter storm has killed at least 49 people.

First responders in Upstate New York worked through Christmas and into Monday to rescue people from cars and some powerless homes buried under feet of snow. Governor Kathy Hochul:

HOCHUL: We have been through a lot of wars together, and this blizzard is the one for the ages. Certainly it is the blizzard of the century.

The dead around Buffalo were found in their cars, homes and in snowbanks.

SoKo drones » South Korea scrambled fighter jets immediately after North Korean drones violated its airspace.

The military also responded by firing warning shots and launching attack helicopters to shoot down the drones.

There were no immediate reports of civilian damage on the ground in South Korea. But tensions were high enough that authorities grounded flights at Seoul’s two airports for an hour.

It was the North’s first incursion into the South’s airspace in five years.

Ukraine » Ukraine wants the United Nations to moderate a peace summit within two months, around the 1-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday…

KULEBA: Every war ends as a result of the actions taken at the battlefield and at the negotiating table.

But he says how much they can accomplish at the table remains to be seen. And in fact, he doubts Russia would even take part in a UN-led summit.

Kuleba stressed that Ukraine won’t negotiate directly with the Kremlin until Russia faces a war-crimes tribunal.

China-Taiwan » China’s military sent 71 warplanes and seven ships toward Taiwan in a 24-hour show of force. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER, REPORTER: The aggressive display came after Beijing expressed anger at Taiwan-related provisions in a U.S. annual defense spending bill.

From Sunday into Monday morning China sent planes across the Taiwan Strait into Taiwanese airspace.

Beijing claims Taiwan is Chinese property, and it has stepped up its military harassment of the island in recent years.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

TikTok ban push » On Capitol Hill, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are increasingly sounding alarms about a popular Chinese-owned social media app.

Congress just passed legislation banning the TikTok from federal government devices. But GOP Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis said Monday…

MALIOTAKIS: The real discussion will be in the next Congress on whether we ban this platform overall in the United States. There are over 100 million American users of TikTok.

Intelligence officials say the Chinese government can access the personal information of users in the United States and conduct influence campaigns by controlling the content users see.

China COVID » Meantime, in China, the communist government is dropping another pandemic restriction. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: The Chinese government will no longer require passengers arriving from abroad to quarantine for more than a week after arriving in China.

That as China appears to be giving up on its zero-COVID policy and its draconian lockdowns, which have damaged its economy.

The government abruptly dropped many of its pandemic restrictions earlier this month, sparking widespread outbreaks that have swamped hospital emergency rooms and funeral homes.

Amid the lockdowns, many residents have not developed natural immunity. And experts question the effectiveness of Chinese COVID vaccines.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

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

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