The 'betrayal' that could kill Britain's railway romance
CNN
After the government amputated a key part of its own controversial HS2 plan to upgrade Britain's railways, can the country's creaking 19th century network deliver on promises to passengers?
(CNN) — The romance of rail travel has seduced many travelers over the years. Sitting in a train as it slips quietly out of a city, along tunnels and viaducts, sneaking glimpses of people's backyards before rolling into open countryside is one of life's true pleasures.
It's a love affair that started in Britain, as pioneering steam trains offered speed and comfort while linking the country's great urban centers to its furthest corners, then quickly spread around the world.
Yet, while railway passions continue to burn strong in countries across Asia and Europe, with investment in high speed networks cementing their place as the future of sustainable transport, in the UK the relationship is looking less than healthy.
Senate Democrats have confirmed some of President Joe Biden’s picks for the federal bench this week in the face of President-elect Donald Trump’s calls for a total GOP blockade of judicial nominations – in part because several Republicans involved with the Trump transition process have been missing votes.
Donald Trump is considering a right-wing media personality and people who have served on his US Secret Service detail to run the agency that has been plagued by its failure to preempt two alleged assassination attempts on Trump this summer, sources familiar with the president-elect’s thinking tell CNN.