Today is Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. Let’s get caught up.
Here are today’s top stories, celebrity birthdays and a look back at this date in history.
MORNING LISTEN
TOP STORIES
A Polish broadcaster says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has crossed into Poland on his way to the United States. Zelenskyy is headed to Washington for a summit with President Joe Biden and to address Congress. Poland’s private broadcaster TVN24 says Zelenskyy entered Poland early Wednesday. The trip is Zelenskyy’s first known trip outside his country since Russia invaded in February. U.S. lawmakers are set to vote on a year-end spending package that includes about $45 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine and as the Pentagon prepares to send Patriot surface-to-air missiles to the country. Russia says the Patriot battery and any crews accompanying it would be a legitimate target for Moscow’s military.
Officials tell The Associated Press the U.S. will send $1.8 billion in military aid to Ukraine in a massive package that will for the first time include a Patriot missile battery and precision-guided bombs for their fighter jets. The package comes as the Biden administration prepares to welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Washington. The aid is expected to be announced Wednesday. It signals an expansion by the U.S. in the kinds of advanced weaponry it will send to Ukraine to bolster the country’s air defenses against an increasing barrage of Russian missile strikes. The package will include about $1 billion in weapons from Pentagon stocks.
A congressional panel says the IRS failed to pursue mandatory audits of Donald Trump on a timely basis during his presidency. The finding raises questions about statements by the former president and leading members of his administration who claimed he could not release…