Well the seem to be reconsidering the abandonment of LAX, which is probably a good thing.
As for the United/Aer Lingus tie-up for MAD - IAD, it seems like absolute nonsense. I just can't see any logic in it at all, to be honest. I'm not sure which part of their respective marbles they've lost - unless they are hedging their bets and hoping for a severe restriction of ownership rules in the future which would allow United gobble up EI and get a foothold in the EU. That's a wild bet to make though..