The U.S. Department of Transportation said it would require  airlines to automatically issue refunds instead of travel credits and clearly disclose so-called “surprise airline fees,” which some refer to as “junk fees,” at the point of sale. “These rules will significantly expand consumer protections in air travel, provide passengers an easier pathway to refunds when owed, and save consumers over half a billion dollars every year in hidden and surprise junk fees,” the DOT said in a statement. The new rules are part of federal and local actions that have been taken to lower costs for consum ..read more

A public space at the Grand Hyatt In New York City Hyatt Hotels, which in 2023 acquired Mr & Mrs Smith, a hotel booking platform, announced that 700 Mr & Mrs Smith hotels were now available through the World of Hyatt guest-loyalty program platform. Mr and Mrs Smith features what Hyatt termed a “carefully curated” group of 1,500 properties in 20 countries. The news comes on the heels of an announcement that Hilton Worldwide and Small Luxury Hotels of the World formed a new partnership added hundreds of hotels to the hotelier’s Hilton Honors guest-loyalty program platform. The addition ..read more

“Injecting, ingesting, snorting household cleaners is dangerous. It is not advised and can be deadly.” Good afternoon. This is Jonathan Spira, director of research at the Center for Long Covid Research, reporting. Here now the news of the pandemic from across the globe on its 1,506th day. In news we cover today, two million people in the United Kingdom have Long Covid, the WHO expanded its definition of an airborne pathogen, a second successful kidney xenotransplant took place, and four years ago today, public health officials in one state were urging the public not to inject or ingest house ..read more

The 2024 Outer Critics Circle award nominations were announced Tuesday, and for the first time ever, the event took place at the Museum of Broadway. The nominees were announced by the stars of the Stephen Sondheim musical, “Merrily We Roll Along,” Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez. “Stereophonic,” a new play that  follows a fictional 1970s rock band on the cusp of superstardom as they struggle through recording their new album, led in garnering the most nominations of any Broadway production including Outstanding New Broadway Play and Outstanding Featured Performer in a ..read more

The sails of the landmark red windmill atop the ironic Parisian dancehall and landmark the Moulin Rouge fell off overnight, but fortunately no passers-by were injured given the early morning hour the collapse took place. The falling sails damaged the façade of the building and tore off the first three letters – “MOU” – of the venue’s sign. By mid-Thursday morning local time, the letters had been replaced, local media reported. The Moulin Rouge, which translated means “Red Mill,” is a cabaret on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche in the XVIII ..read more

A Southwest Airlines 737 at LaGuardia’s Central Terminal Building Southwest Airlines announced financial results for first quarter of 2024. The report came on the heels of news Wednesday of a new contract with the carrier’s flight attendants. The airline posted a wider loss for the first quarter than the same period last year, reporting a loss of $231 million, versus $159 million in the same period in 2023 on what was record $6.33 billion in revenue, an 11% year-over-year increase. “While it is disappointing to incur a first quarter loss, we exited the quarter with healthy profits and margin ..read more

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month Good afternoon. This is Jonathan Spira, director of research at the Center for Long Covid Research, reporting. Here now the news of the pandemic from across the globe on its 1,505th day, plus a reminder that the month of April in the United States is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and it’s important to focus solely on driving when behind the wheel regardless of what month it is or what country you are in. In news we cover today, the world’s two largest developers of coronavirus vaccines are battling over intellectual property in a London court ..read more

John Steinbeck’s American realist novel “The Grapes of Wrath” – the story, as every high school student in the United States knows, of the Joads, a poor family of tenant farmers driven from their Oklahoma home by drought, bank foreclosures, and human suffering –  has fomented controversy since its publication on April 14, 1939 and little about that has changed. Sixty-eight years after its publication, the story of the Joads became the basis of an opera by Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Korie. Just as in the book, the Joads are poor folk of no particular note, made noble by both the desperat ..read more

Orange-tined extreme smoke haze from Canadian wildfires as visible in New York City in June 2023 Mother Nature seemed to be having a moment at the start of the week. On Monday, the National Weather Service issued wind advisories for seven states in the northern United States, warning motorists that the wind could be so severe that they may lose control of their vehicles. “Sudden wind gusts can cause drivers to lose control, especially in lightweight or high profile vehicles. Strong winds can cause blowing dust, reduced visibility, and flying debris,” the NWS said in a special weather stateme ..read more

A spray bottle of Lysol disinfectant Good afternoon. This is Jonathan Spira, director of research at the Center for Long Covid Research, reporting. Here now the news of the pandemic from across the globe on its 1,504th day as well as English Language Day. English Language Day celebrates the most spoken language in the world, with an estimated 1.456 billion speakers. In news we cover today, today marks the fourth anniversary of then President Trump’s infamous “bleach” moment, the U.S. FDA said it had found traces of H5N1 Avian Flu in milk in grocery stores, and a U.K. study shows that increas ..read more