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☆ She fell in ‘love at first sight’ with an Italian stranger. Within days they were talking about marriage
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

“Italian Guy No. 2, so that I could have a friend to hang out with in Italy…”Ambika didn’t really expect Italian Guy No. Italian Guy No. And that’s how, a couple of weeks later, Ambika found herself cooking pasta at the Neapolitan home of Italian Guy No. And as Ambika fell slightly in love with Naples, she also fell all the more in love with Marco.

Persons: Ambika Mathur, Emily, Ambika, ”, Emily flit, Emily ”, she’d, “, Guy No, ” Ambika, Italian Guy No, Italy …, Ambika didn’t, hadn’t, Italian Guy, Guy, Marco Di Fiore —, ” Marco, Marco, Ambika Mathur's, Marco Di Fiore, “ Marco, Riva superyacht, Brigitte Bardot’s, ’ ”, Ambika Ambika, Conca dei Marini, Amalfi, ‘, Marco’s, ‘ Marco, —, Ambika’s, it’s, Michelangelo, Marco —, Ambika can’t, I’m, he’s, ” “, It’s Organizations: CNN, Netflix, CNN Travel, Italian, LAX, Porsche, Marco, ” Locations: Paris, California, Los Angeles, Milan, Italy, Amalfi Coast, Italian, Naples, Amalfi, Neapolitan, It’s, Borgo, Posillipo, Napoli, Conca, Salerno, Rome, United States, Malibu, Beverly Hills, Orange County, SoCal, LA, San Diego, ”, Southern California, Praiano, Amafi, Massa Lubrense, Sorrento, “, India

☆ Court blocks US rule requiring airlines to disclose all fees up front
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

However, the rule “likely exceeds DOT’s authority and will irreparably harm airlines,” a three-judge panel of the Fifth U.S. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue, Alaska Airlines were among the airlines, joined by trade group Airlines for America and the International Air Transport Association, which sued in May to block the rules. The industry said the rule would require airlines to “spend millions” to re-engineer their websites, diverting resources from other projects. Many large US airlines boosted fees this year for checked baggage. U.S. airlines collected $7.1 billion in baggage fees in 2023, up from $6.8 billion in 2022.

Persons: Biden, Pete Buttigieg, ” Organizations: Reuters, Transportation, Fifth U.S, Circuit, Appeals, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue, Alaska Airlines, Airlines for, International Air Transport Association, ”, Microsoft Locations: Airlines for America

☆ Horrible nightmares and ‘daymares’ linked to autoimmune disease
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Vivid, disturbing nightmares may be a sign of a newly developing autoimmune disorder or an upcoming flare of existing disease, experts say. Researchers found 3 in 5 lupus patients, and 1 in 3 patients with other rheumatology-related diseases, had increasingly vivid and distressing nightmares just before their hallucinations. Systemic autoimmune diseases often have a range of symptoms, called prodromes, that appear as signs of a sudden and possibly dangerous worsening of the condition. Connect the dots to autoimmune diseaseOn first glance, it would make sense that such neurological manifestations as nightmares would occur if the autoimmune disease impacts the brain, which lupus often does, Sloan said. “In some cases, reporting these symptoms earlier, even if they seem strange and unconnected, may lead to the doctor being able to ‘join the dot’s’ to diagnose an autoimmune disease.”

Persons: “, “ He’s, I’m, ”, Melanie Sloan, ” Sloan, Lupus, ” Jennifer Mundt, ” Mundt, “ I’m, Sloan, David D’Cruz, rheumatologist, that’s, Carlos Schenck, ” Schenck, shouldn’t Organizations: CNN, University of Cambridge, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Guy’s Hospital, Kings College London, Hennepin County Medical, University of Minnesota Locations: Canadian, United Kingdom, Chicago, Hennepin, Minneapolis

☆ Airlines sue DOT over new rules requiring disclosure of fees
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Pete Muntean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Major airlines have filed a lawsuit against the federal government over new rules that would require carriers to disclose all airline fees — including those for checked and carry-on bags as well as change and cancelation fees — up front. The suit was filed Friday in the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court by carriers Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue, and United along with industry lobby Airlines For America. It alleges the Department of Transportation exceeded its authority in announcing the new rule, calling it an “arbitrary, capricious” change. “The ancillary fee rule by the Department of Transportation will greatly confuse consumers who will be inundated with information that will only serve to complicate the buying process,” lobby Airlines For America said in a statement. “DOT’s attempt to regulate private business operations in a thriving marketplace is beyond its authority.”The A4A statement adds: “The DOT ancillary rule is a bad solution in search of a problem.”DOT did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Pete Buttigieg, “ Organizations: CNN, Fifth, JetBlue, Airlines, America, Department of Transportation, Transportation, Department Locations: U.S, Alaska, American, Delta, United

☆ Lessons for Baltimore: How Minneapolis recovered from its 1-35W bridge collapse 17 years ago
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Minneapolis CNN —The collapse of the the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday is unfortunately not the first deadly collapse of a major interstate bridge in the US. About 140,000 cars a day traversed the I-35W bridge that once stood more than 100 feet above the Mighty Mississippi. Steve Helber/APIt’s not a complete apples to apples comparison between the I-35W bridge and the Key Bridge. The Key Bridge had about 22% of the daily traffic of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge; however, the Minneapolis bridge was about 22% the length of the truss bridge in Baltimore. In the immediate aftermath of the Key Bridge collapse, Levinson told CNN that this event should hopefully bring attention to vulnerabilities of critical pieces of infrastructure.

Persons: Francis Scott Key, ” Christopher Phelan, Minneapolis , Minnesota Mandel Ngan, MnDOT, Nancy Daubenberger, George W, Bush, ” Phelan, Tim Walz, Steve Helber, ” Ryan Petersen, David Levinson, ”, Levinson, Feng Xie, Xie, ” Levinson Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, Twin, University of Minnesota, CNN, Getty, Minnesota Department of Transportation, NPR, US, Minnesota, Minnesota Gov, Coast Guard, Port, University of Sydney, Minneapolis Star, Transportation Planning, Technology Locations: Minneapolis, Baltimore, Mississippi, Twin Cities, Mighty Mississippi, Minnesota, Minneapolis , Minnesota, AFP, City, Lakes, Anthony Falls, Maryland, Baltimore , Maryland, Port of Baltimore, Australia

☆ Fact Check: Gal Gadot has not joined the army during the 2023 Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Israeli actor Gal Gadot has not joined the army amid the 2023 Israel-Hamas conflict, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson and a representative for the actor have said in response to an old photograph of Gadot circulating online. A post on X social media shared the dated image of Gadot with the caption: “BREAKING: Israeli actress Gal Gadot who played Wonder Woman in the Hollywood movie turns up at for army service.” The claim also surfaced on Facebook, garnering comments suggesting the image is current. Israel requires most of its citizens to compulsorily serve in the military from the age of 18. Gal Gadot has not joined Israeli armed forces following the outbreak of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, an IDF spokesperson and a representative for the actor have said. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

Persons: Gal Gadot, Gadot, Melissa Raubvogel, “ Gal, Shaul Golan, “, ”, Yediot Ahronot, Golan, Read Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, Hollywood, Facebook, Washington Post, IDF, Reuters, Army, Jewish News, Thomson Locations: Israel, Lebanon

As the hot-pink stretch Hummer winds through the streets of Laurel, Miss., the tour guide inside points out notable homes. “Ben built a swing out of whiskey barrels” for this house, he says. “Ben jumped into the swimming pool” at this house. And “this house is where they found the recipe for Miss Dot’s poundcake.”

Persons: “ Ben, Dot’s, ” Locations: Laurel , Miss

Persons: “ Ben, Dot’s, ” Locations: Laurel , Miss

☆ DOT proposes new car standards that would modestly raise fuel economy and push the sale of EVs
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Gregory Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Biden administration on Friday proposed modest increases to fuel efficiency standards for the vehicles most Americans drive. The proposal fits alongside the administration’s push for increasing the share of electric vehicles on the roads. A nearly 700-page document outlined the potential options, including the administration’s proposal for increasing car fuel efficiency standards annually by 2% for cars and 4% for light trucks. The Environmental Protection Agency, which calculates the fuel economy estimates shown on vehicle window stickers, uses different tests that result in more realistic estimates. Soon after taking office, the Trump administration re-wrote the more stringent Obama administration’s proposal.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, that’s, Chris Harto, John Bozzella, ”, Dan Becker, Harto, Pete Huffman, Trump Organizations: CNN, US Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, Consumer, EPA, Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Center for Biological, Natural Resources Defense Council, Democratic, Republican, Obama

☆ ‘Love the Philippines:’ Ad agency apologizes for using footage of other countries in tourism video
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A Filipino ad agency has come under fire for using footage of other countries in a promotional video for the country’s new tourism campaign, “Love the Philippines.”Days after the campaign launched on June 27, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said it was investigating allegations that the video contained several shots of countries other than the Philippines. On Sunday, DDB Philippines issued a statement “profusely” apologizing for the “highly inappropriate” use of foreign stock footage in the video, which has since been taken down. The use of foreign stock footage in a campaign promoting the Philippines is highly inappropriate, and contradictory to the DOT’s objectives,” DDB Philippines said, according to the CNN Philippines report. Last year, tourism represented 17% of the country’s GDP, the World Travel and Tourism Council reported in June, according to CNN Philippines. Otherwise, I have a duty to ask questions,” Salceda said, according to CNN Philippines.

Persons: “, ”, Ina Zara, Loyola, ” Zara, Christina Frasco, Frasco, it’s, Joey Salceda, ” Salceda Organizations: CNN, Department of Tourism, Philippines, DDB Philippines, CNN Philippines, Tourism Council Locations: Filipino, Philippines, CNN Philippines, Philippine

☆ Elizabeth Warren leads cavalry into deal battles
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It would be the third curious regulatory intervention in recent weeks, each encouraged by Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren. In a September letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Warren argued that the DOT should use its own tools, specifically in the Spirit situation. UnitedHealth (UNH.N) beat back a federal lawsuit against its plan to buy Change Healthcare; Facebook owner Meta Platforms (META.O) shrugged off an FTC attempt to stop its purchase of fitness app developer Within. JetBlue says it built time for a lawsuit into the Spirit merger agreement. As the senator charges up the competition cavalry, dealmakers may have to redraw their battle plans.

☆ Department of Transportation watchdog to investigate flight cancellations and delays
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Ross Levitt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The Department of Transportation’s internal watchdog said Tuesday it is launching a probe into the spike in flight cancellations and delays that have come in the wake of the pandemic. The Office of the Inspector General audit will focus on the federal agency’s role in these cancellations, rather than the airlines. The IG wants to find out both the causes of the delays and cancellations as well as the accuracy of the government’s data around flight disruptions. This will be first in a series of audits to understand and evaluate flight delays and cancellations as well as DOT’s actions to address them,” the memo stated. The IG also announced a separate audit of the FAA’s planned NextGen effort to upgrade the air traffic system, a multibillion-dollar infrastructure program.

☆ Italian Movie Star Claudia Cardinale Had a Thing for Brigitte Bardot’s Ponytail
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Marc Myers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Claudia Cardinale, 84, is an Italian actress who starred in more than 100 films, including “8½” and “The Pink Panther.” Twenty of her films will be screened by New York’s MoMA, with restorations by Italy’s Cinecittà, starting Feb. 3. She and her daughter, Claudia Squitieri, spoke with Marc Myers. I grew up in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. At the time, Tunisia was a French protectorate with a thriving economy. Sicily was only two hours away by boat, so over time a large Sicilian community had emigrated to Tunis for work.

Labor shortagesAs the pandemic swooped in, air travel was among the industries most affected, as more than 90% of flights were grounded. Today, labor shortages exist throughout the economy, but the problem drags on in the air travel sector, where more extensive employee training is usually required. Steven Senne / APOutdated technology and infrastructureThere is near-universal agreement that the infrastructure underpinning segments of America's air travel system is outdated and vulnerable. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Montana, said the incident highlighted "a huge vulnerability in our air transportation system." Air travel should be predictable and consistent, and you shouldn’t have to wonder if air traffic control is going to be working today as you head to the airport.

☆ U.S. Congress to investigate FAA computer outage that snarled flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The public needs a resilient air transportation system." House Transportation Committee Chair Sam Graves, a Republican, said the ground stop "highlights a huge vulnerability in our air transportation system." The administration needs to explain to Congress what happened, and Congress should enact reforms in this year’s FAA reauthorization legislation." Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said "the FAA needs to get to root causes so this doesn’t happen again." The FAA authorization is due to expire on Sept. 30 and the outage may put pressure on Congress to complete action.

☆ Southwest airlines flight delays and cancellations are only the tip of the iceberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( William J. Mcgee | William J. Mcgee Is The Senior Fellow For Aviation At American Economic Liberties Project | A Nonprofit Fighting Concentrated Economic Power | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

I can tell you without hesitation: Both the airlines and the Transportation Department are at fault. Only Congress and the Transportation Department oversee airlines, and the department and its subsidiary, the FAA, have long struggled with a dual mandate to both promote and regulate airlines. Obviously the airline industry also has become too big to care, despite the $54 billion taxpayer bailout during Covid. Since then, the U.S. airline industry has returned to profitability and, in some cases, notched record revenues. Domestic airlines are mistreating passengers with impunity and are clearly unafraid of backlash from consumers, the media or the Transportation Department.

☆ Flight canceled? Here are some expert tips.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Staying calm — and knowing your rights — can go a long way if your flight is canceled, experts say. Here’s some of their advice for dealing with a flight cancellation:My flight was canceled. Can I ask to be rebooked on another airline's flight? Airlines aren’t required to put you on another airline’s flight, but they can, and sometimes do, according to the DOT. Agents are typically under a lot of pressure when a flight is canceled, so giving them some options helps.

☆ How the Journal Analyzed Amazon’s Trucking Operations
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Christopher Weaver | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A Condor Riders truck, pictured in a New Jersey State Police photograph, which was involved in a fatal 2020 crash on the New Jersey Turnpike. To evaluate Amazon’s trucking network, The Wall Street Journal analyzed U.S. Transportation Department unsafe driving scores for trucking companies, which are based on traffic citations, such as speeding tickets, and other violations over the previous two years. The DOT is barred from publishing the monthly scores under a 2015 federal law, but the Journal recreated them using the DOT’s own methodology and publicly available data, including a database of truck inspections. DOT officials provided guidance on the analysis.

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