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Problems at the nation's second busiest airport are just adding to holiday travel troubles today. A passenger jet slid off the runway as it was taxiing into takeoff position Wednesday night at Chicago O'Hare Airport. An FAA spokeswoman says the American Airlines plane hit an icy pat then it skidded¹ into the grass next to the taxi way. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

And the charred² wreckage³ of that plane that careened off the runway in Denver won't be moved until after Christmas. Investigators⁴ are still trying to figure out what caused the accident in the first place. So far, they have not found any problems with the plane's engines, brakes, or landing gear. All 115 passengers and crew members did manage to escape; 38 people, however, were hurt; 4 are still in a hospital.

And the winter weather is still causing a lot of problems , a lot of troubles for a lot of holiday travelers from coast to coast. In the Sierra Naveda region of California, drivers are dealing⁵ with blowing snow and treacherous⁶ roads, and then in Massachusetts, icy roads made for a dangerous driving commute⁷. State police shut down a section of Interstate 495 because of several accidents on those slick roads.

It is the eighth Christmas in Afghanistan for American troops. Troops at background airforce base are treated with a traditional Christmas feast. So far, it has been a peaceful Christmas while no major incidents to report. But it is a somber⁸ Christmas for British troops. A British marine⁹ was killed on Christmas Eve.

And Pope Benedict XVI says the world needs solidarity¹⁰ not selfishness during these tough economic times. The pope delivered his Christmas message to a crowd, a huge crowd as you can see, gathered outside St. Peter's Basilica. Earlier, following the pope's Christmas Eve message, a bystander actually jumped the barrier as he headed down the aisle¹¹. She was quickly tackled as you could see on the right hand side of the screen by security.

And those are the headlines at this hour on this Christmas day. For more on those stories and continuing coverage¹² of breaking news any day just log on to CNN. com , tune¹³ into CNN television , or use your cell phones when you're on the go, we've got you covered, thanks for watching.