Biden wants you to get paid for flight delays

The White House proposes cash payments for major flight disruptions; at least 400 people were killed in Democratic Republic of Congo flooding and landslides.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

Biden proposes new airline passenger protections

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

• The Biden administration proposed new rules that would require airlines to provide passengers suffering from preventable flight delays and cancellations with cash payments. [Vox / Li Zhou]
• The proposal comes after Southwest Airlines canceled thousands of flights last winter, and the White House faces pressure to avoid further disruptions during the busy summer travel season. [Politico / Alex Daugherty]
• A government report found most delays and cancellations were caused by maintenance and staffing issues within the airline’s control. [USA Today / Maureen Groppe]
• However, virtually no airlines currently pay customers for cancellations and delays beyond refunds and amenities, according to the White House. [New York Times / Mark Walker]
• The European Union and Canada experienced fewer flight disruptions after adopting similar policies. [NPR / Juliana Kim]
• The Department of Transportation has also expanded its customer service dashboard tracking what airlines offer for significant delays and cancellations. [NBC News / Summer Concepcion and Rebecca Shabad]

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Vox’s Umair Irfan explains why most US car dealers didn’t have electric vehicles for sale in 2022. [Vox / Umair Irfan]

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s deadly floods

• Monday, relief workers and families in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo recovered and buried bodies after intense floods killed at least 400 people. [NYT / Emma Bubola]
• Thursday, extreme rainfall triggered floods that wiped away most of two villages; 3,000 families are now homeless. [BBC / Will Ross]
• The local government has relocated some people from vulnerable areas and sent a delegation to assist with ongoing relief efforts. [CNN / Nimi Princewill and Mitchell McCluskey]
• The UN has warned that climate change is making Africa’s rainfall more frequent and intense; flooding and landslides killed 130 people in neighboring Rwanda last week. [Reuters / Ange Kasongo and Sonia Rolley]

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Global methane emissions — the second-biggest contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide — jumped to a record high in 2021. [Washington Post / Steven Mufson]

• Monday, Iran executed two men who were convicted of blasphemy for belonging to a Telegram group critical of Islam. [CNN / Mostafa Salem]
• Closing arguments began Monday in writer E. Jean Caroll’s sexual assault and defamation civil suit against former President Donald Trump. [Associated Press / Larry Neumeister]
• Eight people were killed Saturday after a mass shooting at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas. [Vox / Ellen Ioanes]

“If I hadn’t gone to the market maybe I would have saved my children. There was no trace of the house when I got back.”

[Jolie Ambika Nathalie had left three of her children at home when Congo’s intense rains hit / Reuters]

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