US Domestic News Roundup: President Biden and first lady meet with patients at Children's National Hospital; Capitol riot panel's final report sets out case to try Trump and more

That followed nearly 2,700 canceled flights on Thursday, while just over 1,000 flights have already been canceled for Saturday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. U.S. deep freeze forecast to break Christmas Eve records An arctic blast that has gripped much of the United States this week, disrupting daily life and holiday travel for millions of Americans, was expected to produce the coldest Christmas Eve on record in several cities from Pennsylvania to Florida.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. awards defense contract of over $1 billion to Lockheed Martin

The U.S. awarded defense contracts to companies on Friday, including one of over a billion dollars to Lockheed Martin Corp, the Department of Defense said in a statement. "This contract procures long lead time materials, parts, components, and efforts necessary to maintain on-time production and delivery of 118 Lot 18 aircraft F-35 aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-U.S Department of Defense participants, and Foreign Military Sales customers," the department said on the $1.05 billion Lockheed contract.

Santa Claus undaunted by arctic blast, U.S. military says

U.S. military officials have assured anxious children the arctic blast and snowstorm that wreaked havoc on U.S. airline traffic this week will not prevent Santa Claus from making his annual Christmas Eve flight. "We have to deal with a polar vortex once in a while, but Santa lives year-round in one at the North Pole, so he's used to this weather," deadpanned U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Ben Wiseman, a spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, which tracks the yuletide flight.

President Biden and first lady meet with patients at Children's National Hospital

U.S President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited the Children's National Hospital in Washington on Friday and met with pediatric patients, their families and hospital staff. "For all you parents, be strong. We spend a lot of time in children's hospitals, with patients too. It's going to be okay," Biden told a group of patients gathered for a book reading.

Capitol riot panel's final report sets out case to try Trump

The congressional panel probing the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol released its final report late on Thursday, outlining its case that former U.S. President Donald Trump should face criminal charges of inciting the deadly riot. The House of Representatives Select Committee also made public the transcripts of a number of its interviews and witness testimonies earlier on Thursday and on Wednesday.

Factbox-Jan. 6 report adds to Trump's mounting legal problems

A congressional panel investigating Donald Trump and his supporters' role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Congress issued its final report this week, urging federal prosecutors to charge the former president with four crimes, including obstruction and insurrection. Additionally, the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee this week said some of Trump's tax records showed his income and tax liability fluctuated dramatically in recent years, raising questions about the legitimacy of some of his deductions and about the Internal Revenue Services' presidential audit program.

Arctic blast, blizzards disrupt U.S. travel ahead of holidays

Arctic cold extended its grip over much of the United States on Friday, combining with snow, ice and howling winds from a deadly winter storm roaring out of the Midwest to disrupt energy supplies and thwart travel for millions of Americans ahead of the holiday weekend. The extreme winter weather, which prompted city authorities across the country to open warming centers in libraries and police stations while scrambling to expand temporary shelter for the homeless, was blamed for at least five deaths on Friday.

Airlines cancel 5,700 U.S. flights amid fierce winter storms

Airline cancellations topped 5,700 U.S. flights on Friday as massive winter storms snarled airport operations around the United States and frustrated tens of thousands of holiday travelers. That followed nearly 2,700 canceled flights on Thursday, while just over 1,000 flights have already been canceled for Saturday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

U.S. deep freeze forecast to break Christmas Eve records

An arctic blast that has gripped much of the United States this week, disrupting daily life and holiday travel for millions of Americans, was expected to produce the coldest Christmas Eve on record in several cities from Pennsylvania to Florida. Temperatures were forecast to top out on Friday at just 8 degrees Fahrenheit (-13 Celsius) in Pittsburgh, the largest city in western Pennsylvania, surpassing its previous all-time coldest Christmas Eve high of 13 F, set in 1983, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

University of California academic workers end weeks-long strike

University of California (UC) academic workers ended a nearly six-week strike on Friday that unions described as the biggest work stoppage ever at a U.S. institution of higher education. Thousands of academic workers went on strike at UC campuses throughout the state on Nov. 14, forming picket lines and staging noisy protests to demand better wages for teaching assistants and others.

U.S. Congress passes $1.66 trillion funding bill, Biden to sign

The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed a $1.66 trillion government funding bill that provides record military funding and sends emergency aid to Ukraine, hours before a midnight deadline. The spending bill for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30 was approved on a largely party-line vote of 225-201, following Senate passage the previous day.

(With inputs from agencies.)