Dangerous cold snaps; America's life expectancy drops; botched death penalties

Plus, can dogs smell time? [View this email online]( [NPR]( by Suzanne Nuyen You count on this newsletter to keep you well-informed and well-connected. We are asking for your help this month. You keep the facts flowing. You bring more stories to more ears. You make a real difference with a year-end contribution to independent, trustworthy media. [Donate today](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Good morning. Christmas wasn't able to escape the effects of inflation. A partridge, a pear tree, and all the other gifts in the "12 Days of Christmas" are [$45,523.27 more expensive this year]( according to the Christmas Price Index. Here's what we're following today: --------------------------------------------------------------- 🥇 First up [Travelers walk through the snow into Terminal 1 Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022 at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in Minneapolis.]( Alex Kormann/AP Dangerously cold conditions are hitting parts of the nation, sending the mercury plunging in just minutes and shattering records just in time for the holiday travel boom. Temps in Wyoming plummeted from 43 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit in just 30 minutes yesterday. In Colorado, [meteorologists reported record drops]( of 40.8°F in 30 minutes and 42.3°F in an hour in parts of the state. The average life expectancy for Americans has dropped again, to 76.4 years — the shortest it's been in nearly two decades. The pandemic played a large role in [pushing the number down]( as well as a mental health crisis in the nation and drug overdoses. 🎧 Listen to [whether the U.S. can bounce back](. Death penalty researchers found that mishandled incidents made up more than a third of the total number of execution attempts this year — a record high even as capital punishment in the U.S. remains near a 30-year low. Many of the difficulties this year were related to [difficulty inserting an IV line]( as people administering lethal injections often lack a medical background. Sam Bankman-Fried has been extradited to the U.S. from the Bahamas. Two former FTX employees turned on him, pleading guilty to fraud and [cooperating in the investigation](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- 📷 Picture show [Susan Elliott power washes her outdoor furniture at her home in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., where a powerful storm surge from Hurricane Ian ravaged the community.]( Octavio Jones for NPR With more than 35,000 homes damaged or destroyed in Lee County, Fla. during Hurricane Ian, residents are concerned about housing affordability — and changes to their communities — as developers become involved. Many residents can't afford to rebuild, and developers are flipping damaged single-family homes, [rendering them unaffordable]( for long-term residents. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🎧 Today’s listen Lynsey Weatherspoon for NPR JoAnne Bland was 11 when she marched in Selma on March 7, 1965, known today as "Bloody Sunday." Now, the "bossy grandmother who is totally awesome" holds tours that are a window into the violence of that day and her city's role in the fight for civil rights. 🎧 [Listen to her story,]( or [read it here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- It all comes down to you Your financial support is the NPR Network's greatest strength. You keep the facts flowing. You bring more stories to more ears. You make a real difference when you contribute to independent, trustworthy media. [Please donate today](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Before you go Laura Gao for NPR - Can dogs smell time? NPR reporter Michaeleen Doucleff is on the case as she figures out how her husband's dog [knew when the school bus would arrive]( every day. - A statue of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells were taken without her consent and became integral in several major medical breakthroughs, will [replace one of Robert E. Lee]( in Roanoke, Va. - Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris died Wednesday, just days before the 50th anniversary of the "[Immaculate Reception]( what many call one of the greatest plays in NFL history. - Germany has returned 22 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria as part of a larger effort by Western nations to [seek reparation of stolen artifacts]( from Africa. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. 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