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 | | | A historic wartime visit | | Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits President Joe Biden on a whirlwind wartime trip to the US. It's Wednesday's news. | | |
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| Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting the White House. It's the first day of winter – and Mother Nature is showing off with a blockbuster blizzard. And a report on Trump's taxes shows the IRS failed to conduct mandatory audits. |
| 👋 Hey y'all! Laura Davis here. It's officially winter! It's also the shortest day of the year, so I'll keep this quick: I'm taking tomorrow off, so my friend Abbey will be sending out the news instead. 😊 Hope you have a warm, safe and happy holiday weekend! |
| 🎄 But first, a sweet Christmas story: Kids surprise their mom with an awesome bedroom makeover. |
| The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here. |
Zelenskyy's in the (White) House |
| Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday and will deliver a prime-time speech before a joint session of Congress during a dramatic visit to Washington. In his first trip outside his home country since Russia's invasion began in February, Zelenskyy arrived at the White House a little after 2 p.m. and was warmly greeted by Biden and first lady Jill Biden. The visit comes as Biden and Congress reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine by sending billions in humanitarian and military aid to the war-ravaged country, but it hasn't come without pushback from the GOP. |
| 👉 Live coverage: Ukraine president to speak before Congress. |
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 | | President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) | | USA Today | |
👀 Jan. 6 report? |
| Pump the brakes. The House Jan. 6 committee postponed issuing its final report Wednesday, citing the last-minute visit to Washington of Zelenskyy and some other unspecified logistical complications. The report culminates an 18-month inquiry into what led to the attack on the Capitol and what happened that day. With Republicans – who labeled the panel partisan and illegitimate – taking control of the House in January, the report will be the committee's last opportunity to summarize its findings and make recommendations aimed at preventing another attack. Here's what we know so far. |
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 | | The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds its final meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Dec. 19, 2022. From left to right, Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., Vice Chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) | | USA Today | |
What everyone's talking about |
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Here comes the blizzard |
| Baby, it's cold outside. A blockbuster blizzard is set to bring weather hazards – and holiday travel chaos – across the central and eastern United States. Did I mention it's officially the first day of winter? To ring in the season, this strong arctic cold front begins diving into the central Plains on Wednesday and the southern Plains by early Friday. Forecasters warn temperatures could dip by 20 or more degrees within just a few hours. How cold will it get? The National Weather Service said wind-chill values could drop as low as minus 70 degrees across the central High Plains. "We can't tell people not to go outside, but your best bet is to stay indoors," AccuWeather meteorologist Tom Kines said. Stay safe and warm, y'all! |
| ❄️ What areas will see stormy weather? Everything you need to know. |
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 | | Crews deice a Southwest Airlines plane before takeoff on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022 in Omaha, Neb. An incoming winter storm threatens the Christmas travel rush. | | CHRIS MACHIAN, AP | |
What's in Trump's tax returns? |
| The IRS failed to audit former President Donald Trump's federal tax returns for his first two years in the White House, even though an agency program states the returns are "subject to mandatory review," a House committee report released late Tuesday disclosed. Trump filed tax returns in 2017 for the prior two tax years. But the IRS did not start audits on the filings until 2019. And the tax agency started its audit on the same day the House Ways and Means Committee sought Trump's tax returns and related audits, the report said. Designated agents from the panel discovered only one mandatory audit was started and none completed during Trump's four years in office. "Clearly, the mandatory audit program was dormant, at best, during the prior Administration," the report said. |
| • | Where did the information come from? The findings and other concerns emerged from the House Ways and Means Committee's review of six years of Trump's personal tax returns and some of his business returns, IRS audit records material and related material. | |
| 🔎 What else is in the report? See the highlights here. |
 | | House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., talks to the media after the House Ways & Means Committee voted on whether to publicly release years of former President Donald Trump's tax returns during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022. | | J. Scott Applewhite, AP | |
Real quick |
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They didn't grow up seeing a Black Santa Claus – so they became one |
| When you think of Santa Claus, what color skin does he have? Black Santas are growing in popularity amid a rise in diversity and representation among traditional holiday characters. Chris Kennedy, a Black Santa in Little Rock, Arkansas, who made headlines in 2020 after receiving a racist anonymous note about his yard's diverse Christmas decorations, didn't recall seeing Santas of color as a child. Kennedy wanted a different upbringing for his daughter. "We're trying to make sure kids and families are seeing the things we didn't grow up seeing so they can pass that on to their kids," he said. Keep reading. |
 | | Chris Kennedy, a Black Santa from Little Rock, Arkansas, said it was important to make sure his 6-year-old daughter, Emily, saw herself represented in all holiday celebrations, including Easter and Christmas. "We always wanted Black decorations and try to find Black Santas to make sure she knows people like her are a part of the actual world," Kennedy said. | | Courtesy of Chris Kennedy | |
A break from the news |
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| Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Send her an email at laura@usatoday.com or follow along with her adventures – and misadventures – on Twitter. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here. |
| This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Subscribe to the newsletter here. |
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