Editor\'s note: 1440 staff will be off for the New Year\'s holiday tomorrow, but keep an eye out tomorrow for our end-of-the-year wrap-up. See you Monday! |
Brazilian soccer legend Pelé, considered one of the greatest players of all time, died yesterday in São Paulo from colon cancer complications at the age of 82. His health had been deteriorating since late November.
Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, the 5-foot-8-inch Pelé played 18 seasons with the São Paulo-based Santos FC where he started at age 15. Known for his clever footwork, he shot to fame as a member of Brazil\'s winning 1958 World Cup team, going on to win two more—the most by an individual player. He racked up over 1,000 official and exhibition goals over his career and was declared a national treasure by the Brazilian government to prevent him being traded to a European club. In the final two years of his career, he helped popularize soccer in the US by playing for the New York Cosmos. Post-soccer, he led a successful business career and served as Brazil\'s Extraordinary Minister for Sport.
In 2000, he was awarded FIFA\'s Player of the Century alongside Argentine player Diego Maradona. Get a sense of his footwork with this highlight video. |
Southwest Airlines preemptively canceled 39 flights for today, as opposed to 2,300 yesterday, as the airline shows signs of steadying after days of mass cancellations following a winter storm last week.
Details behind the logistical collapse have emerged in recent days. While most airlines operate off a hub-and-spoke model, where most aircraft and crew are based out of a few major hubs, Southwest operates on a point-to-point model, where flights can travel from city to city without needing to stop at a central hub. The storm created a snowball effect of cancellations that overwhelmed Southwest’s outdated internal scheduling system and resulted in planes and crew being stranded throughout the country while the airline attempted to manually reset operations.
Exacerbating issues, Southwest lacks agreements allowing passengers to rebook with other airlines during emergencies. The airline now faces an investigation from the Department of Transportation.
Meanwhile, thousands of unclaimed bags are piled up outside baggage claim carousels nationwide. See scenes from the airports here. |
Federal officials have opened a probe into the finances, including campaign financial disclosures, of Rep.-elect George Santos (R, NY-3). Santos won the redrawn, but traditionally Democratic, New York district in November but has faced allegations he fabricated or exaggerated many parts of his resume and personal history. Santos, also being investigated by county officials, unsuccessfully ran for the seat in 2020.
Initial reports accused Santos of false claims regarding his educational history, his employment with top Wall Street firms, being Jewish, and more. Santos has since admitted to allegations (watch here), referring to them as mistakes but saying he would not step down. Santos\' 2020 campaign disclosure forms listed no major assets, while his 2022 forms reported a net worth of up to $11.5M. Legal experts noted falsifying federal forms carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Barring new revelations or his resignation, Santos is expected to be sworn in to the new Congress Jan. 3. Any future expulsion would require approval by two-thirds of the House. |
|
|
|
|
