December 22, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 301 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Speaking before the U.S. Congress in Washington, DC, yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that U.S. military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine is not charity, but is an investment in global security and democracy. [watch Zelensky's speech] [more]
• Following the announcement of a new 1.8 billion dollar U.S. military aid package for Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said yesterday that increased supplies of Western weapons to Ukraine is "an aggravation of the conflict" and "does not bode well for Ukraine."  [more]

JANUARY 6 | The House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol released 34 transcripts of witness testimony yesterday. The committee’s full, 800-page final report is expected to be released today. [more]

U.S. MORTALITY | Revised data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today shows that 3.4 million Americans died in 2021 — up 80,000 from 2020. The leading causes of death in the U.S. in 2021 were: heart disease, cancer, COVID-19, and accidental deaths, which include drug overdoses. Average life expectancy in the U.S. fell during 2021 to 76.4 years, according to the data -- the lowest average life expectancy in 25 years.  [full report] [more]

U.S. HOME SALES | The National Association of Realtors reported yesterday that sales of existing homes fell for a 10th straight month in November to a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.09 million — down 7.7% from the previous month and down 35.4% from the year-ago period. The national median home sale price rose 3.5% in November to $370,700. [more]

FLU | Amidst increasing rates of influenza in the U.S., the Department of Health and Human Services announced yesterday that it is making doses of the prescription flu medication Tamiflu from the Strategic National Stockpile available to states. Recent CDC data shows that 9,300 deaths and more than 150,000 hospitalizations have been attributed to the flu so far this season. [more]

U.S. WEATHER | More than 100 million people in 37 U.S. states are reported to be under winter weather and wind chill alerts for the coming days as what the National Weather Service is calling a “once in a generation type event” moves across the country, causing record-breaking temperature drops and disrupting travel during the end-of-year holiday season. [more]

HAITI | Amidst continuing humanitarian and security crises in Haiti, U.N. deputy secretary-general Amina Mohammed called yesterday for all countries “with capacity” to consider the Haitian government's request for an international peacekeeping force on the island nation. [more]

ISRAEL | Just ahead of a midnight deadline, Israeli prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu announced late last night that he has successfully negotiated power-sharing agreements to form a new coalition government. A date for Netanyahu’s swearing-in as prime minister has not yet been announced. [more]

MYANMAR | In its first-ever resolution passed on Myanmar, the U.N. Security Council yesterday called for an end to violence in the Southeast Asian nation and urged its military government to release all "arbitrarily detained” prisoners and restore the country’s democratic institutions. [more]

JAPAN | In a reversal of its plan to phase out the use of nuclear energy by 2030 that followed the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant disaster, the Japanese government announced a new policy yesterday that promotes the use of nuclear power, saying that it provides stable output and serves an important role as a carbon-free energy source. [more]

FIJI | National police in Fiji say the Pacific nation’s military is being called in to assist in maintaining security amidst unrest following last week’s disputed national elections. [more]

SPAIN | Spain’s national weather service said yesterday that 2022 was the European country’s hottest-ever year, having recorded an average daily temperature above 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time since it began keeping records in 1961. [more]

NFL | The Philadelphia Eagles have a league-leading eight players selected for inclusion on the 2023 Pro Bowl rosters released yesterday by the National Football League. Other leading teams on the rosters include Kansas City and Dallas, each with seven players chosen, and San Francisco and Baltimore with six each. Two teams — Jacksonville and Chicago — were not represented on the Pro Bowl rosters. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1989, The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin was reopened, signifying the reunification of East and West Germany. [more history]