Midday Roundup: U.S. airlines cleared for takeoff to Cuba

Now boarding. The United States has reached an agreement with Cuba to restart commercial air service between the two countries. The announcement comes exactly a year after the two governments revealed they planned to normalize diplomatic relations. Air travel to the communist island still won’t be easy, and visits for most tourists remain off-limits. But starting next year, travelers will no longer have to go through the cumbersome charter system to book a flight. Earlier this month, the Obama administration announced a pilot program to restart regular mail deliveries to Cuba. And MasterCard launched the first U.S.-issued debit card that can be used on the island. But the decades-old economic embargo on Cuba remains, meaning most trade continues to be banned. Only Congress can lift that restriction.

Java hater? Frustrated coffee-loving Marines were ordered to stay away from the Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts locations at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina this morning after someone called in a bomb threat. Bomb-sniffing dogs checked out both sites and found nothing. Marine Corps officials gave the all-clear about an hour later. Capt. Dominic Pitrone, a U.S. Marine spokesman at the Pentagon, characterized the threats as “unsubstantiated.” Earlier this week, two other terror threats were sent to school district officials in New York and Los Angeles, where administrators opted to close all campuses for the day. Investigators quickly determined the threats were a hoax.

Much deserved. U.S. Navy officials announced late yesterday they would award Purple Hearts to four Marines and one sailor killed in a shooting in Chattanooga, Tenn., earlier this year. Muhammad Abdulazeez attacked a recruiting center and another military site in July, but officials have remained mum on his possible motive. On Wednesday, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said the FBI and NCIS investigation determined Abdulazeez was inspired by a foreign terror group. “This determination allows the Department of the Navy to move forward immediately with the award of the Purple Heart to the families of the five heroes who were victims of this terrorist attack, as well as to the surviving hero,” Mabus said. As part of the award, the victims’ families will receive additional benefits from the military, something supporters long said they deserved.

Test case. Iran may face another round of U.S. sanctions after a UN security panel confirmed Tehran test-fired a ballistic missile in October. The missile was capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, directly violating a UN Security Council Resolution adopted in 2010. In response, members of Congress are calling for more sanctions. The missile testing supposedly does not breach the nuclear deal reached earlier this year. Still, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters that if U.S. security officials demand further action against Iran, the president won’t stand in their way. “I would note, however, that this is something that we’ve been concerned about for awhile and we consider this to be a serious matter that undermines regional stability,” he said.

Mouse house safety. Five popular theme parks in Florida and California installed metal detectors at their entrances on Thursday, just in time for what is expected to be a busy holiday season. Universal Studios, Sea World, and Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., and Disneyland and Universal Studios in Hollywood, Calif., made the security changes the day after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin saying it was “especially concerned that terrorist-inspired individuals and homegrown violent extremists may be encouraged or inspired to target public events or places.” Disney World also announced bans on selling toy guns and allowing anyone older than 14 to wear a costume in the park. None of the venues have said whether the new measures will be permanent.

WORLD Radio’s Christina Darnell contributed to this report.