News for this particular December 22nd in 1999 was more about "what if" than "what did". With terrorist warnings being issued by Washington, travel was going to be difficult at best with new stepped up airport security during the Christmas season. Travel was bad enough during this peak season - it was going to get a lot worse in the coming days.

In other news, the Southern California brush fires were getting out of hand, as they often do around this time of year. And like clockwork, they arrived hot on the heels of Santa Ana wind conditions - those hot, dry breezes that make for nervous nights in canyons and in hilly areas.

Bell Atlantic was the first of the "baby Bells" to get involved in the long distance market. Everyone waited to see who was going to be next.

Astronauts on board Shuttle Discovery were busy getting the Hubble Telescope in working shape. President Clinton volunteered at a Washington D.C. Soup kitchen to help feed the homeless. And the Chicago Sun-Times dropped the Simpsons cartoon strip, saying it was in bad taste.

And that's what went on in this haywire world of ours for December 22, 1999 as presented by The CBS World News Roundup.