Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits Washington
CBSN
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting Washington, D.C., for the second time since Russia launched an assault on his country more than 18 months ago.
The Ukrainian president is meeting with members of the House and Senate before heading to the White House for a sit down with President Biden. But Zelenskyy is encountering a slightly different environment on Capitol Hill than he did in December, when Democrats still controlled the House.
A number of Republicans in the GOP-controlled lower chamber are skeptical, if not vocally critical, of the United States' continued financial assistance of Ukraine, even as Mr. Biden and Republicans like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell emphasize how critical that assistance is. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Zelenskyy requested a joint session of Congress, but McCarthy claimed there wasn't time for that this week.
President Biden on Monday signed into law a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China's growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion despite his objections to language stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children in military families.
It's Christmas Eve, and Santa Claus is suiting up for his annual voyage from the North Pole to households around the world. In keeping with decades of tradition, the North American Aerospace Command, or NORAD, will once again track Santa's journey to deliver gifts to children before Christmas 2024, using an official map that's updated consistently to show where he is right now.
An anti-money laundering law called the Corporate Transparency Act, or CTA, appears to have been given new life after an appeals court on Monday determined its rules can be enforced as the case proceeds. The law requires small business owners to register with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, by Jan. 1, or potentially pay fines of up to $10,000.