🌨Axios PM: Buffalo cracks down

Rare-bird frenzy | Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By BlackRock   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Dec 27, 2022 👋 Welcome to Axios editor Kate Nocera, who'll maestro PM each day, among her many hats. Smart Brevity™ count: 473 words ... 2 mins. Thanks to Kathie Bozanich for the copy edit.     🇨🇳 1 big thing: China's rush for the border Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai on Dec. 12. Photo: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images   People in China — who have endured heavy COVID travel restrictions — are rushing to book overseas trips before the country's borders reopen early next year, Axios' Herb Scribner writes. Chinese authorities said yesterday they would significantly loosen inbound quarantine requirements for international travel. ✈️ What's happening: Outbound flight bookings shot up 254% this morning compared to yesterday, according to Trip.com data cited by Reuters. The most commonly searched destinations included Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and South Korea. Passport applications for Chinese citizens who want to travel abroad will resume Jan. 8, according to state media — the same day the country will scrap its eight-day quarantine requirements for inbound travelers. Between the lines: The elimination of quarantines and testing for travelers means China could have even more trouble containing new outbreaks. Officials have stopped publishing daily COVID data. But cases and deaths are thought to be rising, with some projections estimating a million deaths next year. Japan and India will require people arriving from China to show negative tests. Share this story.     2. Buffalo's travel crackdown Residents shovel sidewalks in Buffalo, N.Y., today. Photo: Joed Viera/AFP via Getty Images   Military and state police were dispatched to Buffalo, New York, to enforce the city's driving ban and keep people off the snow-buried streets, AP reports. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted: "DO NOT try to drive." Police will be stationed at entrances to Buffalo and major intersections. At least 28 people are confirmed to have died in the devastating storm.     A message from BlackRock How BlackRock is helping Americans access retirement investing     According to AARP, over 57 million Americans don't have access to a workplace retirement savings plan. This access makes you 15 to 20 times more likely to save for retirement. Learn how BlackRock is expanding access to high-quality retirement options here.     3. Catch up quick Vladimir Putin talks with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko today at the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. Photo: Alexey Danichev/Sputnik via Getty Images 🇷🇺 Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov told the state news agency Tass: "We keep warning our adversaries in the West about the dangers of their course to escalate the Ukrainian crisis. ... [T]he risk that the situation could spin out of control remains high." (AP) Adam Fox, ringleader of the 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, was convicted to 16 years in prison. Go deeper. Defensive legend J.J. Watt, now with the Arizona Cardinals, announced he'll retire from the NFL. Go deeper.     4. 👀 Rare goose sighting Pink-footed goose male on the tundra, Svalbard, Norway. Photo: Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images   Bird-watchers from across the country flocked to central Kentucky to try to catch a glimpse of a pink-footed goose, a species typically found in Greenland and Iceland. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the goose was originally seen in November, but it made an appearance last week on a pond at Ramsey Farm in Nicholasville. A caravan of about 20 bird-watchers arrived on the farm to look for the bird — which has bright pink legs — but couldn't find it. The birders then learned the goose was in a nearby neighborhood and eventually found it in someone's yard. Ronan O'Carra, a Central Kentucky Audubon Society board member, told the Herald-Leader the bird was "one of the rarest" they've seen in the state. Share this story.     A message from BlackRock Invested in the future of communities     At BlackRock, we are serving the communities that help the country thrive. We are proud to invest in the projects that build our economy, with $20 billion in U.S. roads, bridges and transportation invested on behalf of our clients. Learn more.   Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: