A scare at the White House may be chalked up to a large flock of birds.
Thanksgiving is almost here. Calm weather and clear roadways are unfortunately not on the list of things most Americans can be thankful for this year.
And on a happier note, you have to see this uplifting story of a baby boy who finally found his voice after months of having to breathe out of a tube.
Here’s what you need to know in the daily roundup.
TOP STORY: The White House Lockdown Was Possibly Caused By a Flock of Birds
GettyA uniformed Secret Service officer patrols the grounds at the White House in Washington, DC, on November 26, 2019, during a lockdown following an air space violation.
A flock of birds could have been what triggered a security alert in Washington, D.C. Tuesday morning. The White House and the Capitol building were both placed on lockdown for about an hour after a “slow-moving blob” was spotted on radar flying south of the National Mall.
The initial reports warned that an aircraft had flown into “restrictive airspace.” The North American Aerospace Defense Command sent out a tweet that fighter jets were on scene and that the “Plane is not considered hostile at this time,” but that tweet has since been deleted. NORAD later clarified that Coast Guard helicopters were sent to figure out what was going on.
The pilots did not find any unidentified aircraft or anything else in the sky that could have posed as a threat. According to air traffic control audio obtained by CNN, one of the pilots reported that he had nearly hit a large flock of birds. Retired Air Force Col. Cedric Leighton explained to the network that it’s actually “common” for birds and small aircraft to look similar on a radar screen. “This happens sometimes with older radar systems.” It was also theorized that a drone or a weather balloon could have triggered the alert.
As for the reports of fighter jets in the sky, it turned out that they were not called up to investigate the “blob” on the radar screen. WTOP-TV reported that the nearby Andrews Air Force Base was conducting an exercising Tuesday morning that had nothing to do with the NORAD response.
WHAT’S BUZZING THAT HAS EVERYONE TALKING: Watch Out for Severe Weather, Traffic Jams & Online Scammers This Thanksgiving
An expansive winter storm in the West will slowly move toward the central and eastern states into Thanksgiving weekend: t.co/65wr3Hkl3y
As if navigating the terse political landscape and dealing with your in-laws wasn’t enough, this Thanksgiving has several other headaches coming your way. For starters, if you’re driving to your destination and haven’t left yet, then you can expect to be sitting in traffic for a very long time. AAA predicted that nearly 50 million Americans were driving more than 50 miles this year. Wednesday afternoon was projected to be the most congested on the highways, especially near our nation’s largest cities.
If you do manage to get a head-start on the traffic, the severe weather may cause your next problem. Or, you could end up staying at your relative’s house longer than you expected because multiple severe weather systems are forecasted to plague most of the nation through Saturday. Out west, parts of Oregon, California, Nevada, and Idaho are experiencing high winds and blizzard conditions that the National Weather Service is calling “historic” and “unprecedented.” Areas as far south as Arizona are expecting drifting snow conditions. Meanwhile, the Midwest and Northeastern portions of the country can also anticipate powerful gusting winds and snow.
Once you’ve gotten through all that and have enjoyed your Thanksgiving meal, don’t let your guard down if you plan to shop online on Black Friday. Scammers are going be out in full force just waiting to trick you by creating fake websites made to look exactly like sites for big companies such as Amazon and Walmart. Be sure to doublecheck the web address to make sure it’s the real site. Cybersecurity expert Steve Ginty told CBS that he recommends shoppers use services such as PayPal or Venmo to make purchases. He says this creates an extra layer of security “because you don’t have to enter the credit card information at time of checkout and therefore the actors can’t get access to that information because it’s a secure transaction.”
A HAPPY STORY: Baby Boy Receives the Gift of a Voice
After all of that negativity, here’s a story that will perk you back up! Meet Rio Farr, the baby boy who had to wait more than nine months before making his first sound.
Farr struggled to breath when he was born in May of 2018. Doctors performed an emergency tracheotomy and warned his parents that he might not make it. But Farr pulled through those first difficult days and was transferred to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
It was there that he was diagnosed with a rare condition called “congenital laryngeal web.” The baby’s vocal cords were almost completely sewn together, which was why he couldn’t breathe without a tube. There was only a tiny hole for air to get through. Farr was put back under the knife and doctors reconstructed Farr’s airway.
A few months later, doctors were able to remove the breathing tube. Farr was finally able to make noises at nine months old and his first word was “Dada.” Check out the video above to hear the little guy.
DAILY NEWS ROUNDUP
FacebookChristine Rollins, left.
- Healthcare worker Christine Rollins lost her life when she was attacked by feral hogs in Anahuac, Texas.
- Marine deserter Michael Alexander Brown was added to the FBI’s Most Wanted List after being accused of murder and has been arrested.
- At least three people were injured in an explosion at a petrochemical refinery in Texas this morning.
- Twitter plans to delete the accounts of those who have not signed in for more than six months.
- Click here for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade route and road closure information.
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