Zelenskyy goes to Washington; Donald Trump’s tax returns released; and severe weather heading your way. These stories and more highlight the morning rundown for Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022.
Zelenskyy to visit Biden in Washington
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be meeting with President Joe Biden and Congress today in his first foreign trip since Russia invaded in February.
The meeting comes as Congress is poised to pass $45 billion in additional military aid to Ukraine. If it passes, U.S. financial support would surpass $100 billion since the start of the war.
Zelenskyy will give a speech to Congress today and hold a joint press conference with President Biden.
Fate of Title 42 still in limbo
The Biden administration ultimately wants the Supreme Court to end Title 42. Just not yet.
The White House is asking for at least a one-week extension, citing more time is needed to prepare for the projected surge of migrants once the order lifts. The extension request comes as the White House announces President Biden will travel to Mexico next month for a meeting with North American leaders.
“I don’t want to get ahead of where we are with respect to Title 42, but I would just say generally Mexico and Canada, quite frankly, they’ve been great partners when it comes to migration. And I fully expect that at this summit, next month, that those that the three leaders will be talking about ways to strengthen that cooperation writ large,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.
Title 42 was supposed to be lifted today before the intervention of the Supreme Court this week. Now, it’s up to the justices to decide the fate of Title 42. Until they make a decision, Title 42 will remain in place.
Congress to release Trump taxes
The House committee investigating former President Donald Trump’s tax filings will now release Trump’s tax returns likely going back six years. The committee voted Tuesday night to release the records after making redactions over the next few days.
The committee released a summary of what the tax returns consist of. The report indicates Trump paid $1.1 million in taxes in his first three years as president. Then paid zero income tax after reporting a $4.8 million loss in 2020.
Critics of the tax release say it overturns decades of privacy protections. While supporters argue all presidents should be subject to mandatory tax audits.
Elon Musk searches for Twitter CEO
Elon Musk took to Twitter Tuesday night to say he will resign as Twitter’s CEO once he finds someone quote “foolish enough to take the job.” After that, Musk says he will run the software and servers team.
This is the first time Musk has responded to a poll conducted over the weekend asking Twitter users whether or not he should be CEO. The vote concluded with 57% of users saying he should step down.
Taliban bars women from colleges
Women in Afghanistan will no longer be able to pursue a higher education in the Taliban’s latest ruling against women’s rights.
The ruling government says, effective immediately, universities will need to be removed from classes and campuses.
The Taliban has also banned girls from middle and high school, banned most employment opportunities for women, and ordered them to wear head-to-toe clothing in public. The move drawing rebuke from the U.S.
“Afghanistan is already losing more than $1 billion per year in contributions that women could be making to the economy. Now, the Taliban have imposed these losses on the Afghan people for an indefinite future. Furthermore, the Taliban have permanently sentenced Afghan women to a darker and more barren future without opportunity,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
The Taliban rule was stopped for 20 years while the U.S. was over there. But the Taliban reclaimed leadership following America’s departure from Afghanistan last year.
Airlines adjust ahead of bad weather
We’re now on the eve of an arctic blast projected to bring temperatures that will feel deep into the negatives for much of the North and Midwest.
Snow, strong winds, blizzards, and freezing temps will rain down on much of the U.S. beginning this evening and lasting through at least Friday. More than 70 million people are under a winter weather alert.
Major airlines are already rebooking flights for travelers in anticipation of flight cancellations. Flight cancellation fees are being waived by most major airlines for those rethinking their holiday travel plans due to bad weather.
