Here are the 10 things you need to know to start your day from your friends at NBC10.
TODAY'S TOP STORY
Asali Family Sent Back to Syria Returns to US: After a grueling 16-hour trip that took them by land from Damascus to Beirut and then onto a flight bound for Abu Dhabi, the Asali family finally reunited with relatives at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York Monday morning. “I’m so excited to see my brother again,” said 17-year-old Matthew Asali after landing at JFK. “It was unhuman (sic) what happened to us.” The tearful reunion came after more than a week of legal wrangling between immigration officials following President Donald Trump’s executive order that restricted travel into the U.S. from majority-Muslim countries and immigration lawyers who said the Asalis were denied due process after being turned away from Philadelphia last week. Some family members hadn't seen each other in three years and wept as they embraced following the ordeal. It took about 13 years for the Asalis to obtain visas, passports and security clearances. The legal documentation was in place by December 2016, and the only thing left to do was board a flight bound for Pennsylvania. Extended family already living in a predominately Christian-Syrian part of Allentown anxiously awaited the Asali’s arrival. They purchased a home for the newcomers and prepared to welcome their relatives into a new life. But the Asalis in Syria decided to postpone their move until January because they wanted to spend the holidays with loved ones abroad. Unbeknownst to them, they booked a flight that would land just hours after Trump issued a travel ban on travelers from Syria and six other majority-Muslim countries.
YOUR FIRST ALERT FORECAST
Rain is expected for most of the day Tuesday but temperatures are expected to be in the 60s. Gusty winds are expected for Tuesday night. Wednesday will also see temperatures in the 60s. But temperatures will fall back to the 30s on Thursday and light snow is possible. Friday is also expected to be cold but Saturday could see temperatures in the 50s. High Temp: 63 degrees. Get your full NBC10 First Alert forecast here.
WHAT YOU MISSED YESTERDAY
Residents Stop Naked Man After He Drives Through Rittenhouse Square: Good Samaritans were caught on camera dragging a naked man out of a stolen taxi cab in Rittenhouse Square Monday afternoon. Police say the ordeal began around 3:30 p.m. at 2000 Locust Street when Michael Emanual, a cab driver, dropped a woman off. As the woman got out of the cab, an unidentified man began to attack her, according to investigators. When Emanual got out of his taxi to help the woman the suspect ran into the cab and drove off, police said. "Before jumping in the cab, you know, he just took off his clothes," Emanual said. Brandon Thompson told NBC10 he was walking through Rittenhouse Square with his friends when he saw the suspect drive the stolen cab through the park.
AROUND THE WORLD
Feds, States Square Off in Court Over Trump Travel Ban: State and federal lawyers will argue before a panel of federal appellate court judges Tuesday in the pitched fight over President Donald Trump's travel and refugee ban that could reach the Supreme Court. The legal dispute involves two divergent views of the role of the executive branch and the court system. The federal government maintains the president alone has the power to decide who can enter or stay in the United States, while states suing Trump say his executive order is unconstitutional. Seattle U.S. District Judge James Robart, who on Friday temporarily blocked Trump's order, has said a judge's job is to ensure that an action taken by the government "comports with our country's laws.” The Justice Department filed a new defense of Trump's ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations as a federal appeals court weighs whether to restore the administration's executive order. The lawyers said Monday the travel ban was a "lawful exercise" of the president's authority to protect national security and said Robart's order that put the policy on hold should be overruled.
Senate in Round-the-Clock Session to Confirm Trump Cabinet: Democrats announced plans Monday to hold the Senate floor around the clock to protest Republicans' push to confirm President Donald Trump's Cabinet picks. Democrats' effort got under way as the Senate headed toward a showdown vote Tuesday on Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos, a wealthy GOP donor who has advocated for alternatives to public education. DeVos' nomination has drawn particularly fierce opposition from teachers' unions and others. Two GOP senators have announced plans to oppose her, which could result in a 50-50 Senate vote Tuesday. That would leave Vice President Mike Pence in the role of tie-breaker, something that has never happened with a Cabinet nominee in the Senate's history, according to the Senate historian.
SPORTS SPOT
Sixers Lose to Detroit: The Sixers lost 96 to 113 against the Detroit Pistons. Get your full sports news at CSNPhilly.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
See more Top News Photos here.
THROUGH IGER'S EYES
@spotluck captured this delicious pasta dish in a photo.
Have an awesome Instagram photo you'd like to share? Tag it with #NBC10Buzz.
TODAY'S VIRAL VIDEO
Here is an understanding of the "mind body problem." Watch more here.
NJ Aquarium Announces Baby Blue Penguin's Name: A baby blue penguin -- the first born at a New Jersey aquarium -- now has a name. Officials with Adventure Aquarium in Camden announced Monday that the chick hatched in December will be known as Elanora. The aquarium let visitors pick the name of the chick with Elanora and Tuatahi winding up tied. The aquarium says the chick was born inside a nesting box on Dec. 3 under the watchful eye of staff members. The progeny of Sheila and Goose will be reintroduced to the colony in the coming weeks and will then make her official debut, said the aquarium. Native to Australia and New Zealand, blue penguins are the world's smallest penguin species. Read more.
That's what you need to know. We've got more stories worthy of your time in the Breakfast Buzz section. Click here to check them out.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.