Friday morning news: December 23, 2022

For World Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Weather » Something is blowing in from the arctic this weekend, and we’re not talking about reindeer.

Forecasters are calling it a once-in-a-generation winter front. President Biden said Thursday,

BIDEN: It’s not like a snow day, you know, when you’re a kid. This is serious stuff.

Temperatures plunged far and fast yesterday as a winter storm formed ahead of Christmas weekend … promising heavy snow, ice, flooding and powerful winds across much of the country.

The Great Lakes and portions of the Midwest will see blizzard-like conditions.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine:

DEWINE: We are facing a unique and dangerous situation for the next few days in Ohio.

And in the south, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp warned Thursday …

KEMP: Communities across the state are about to see temperatures that they haven’t experienced in a decade or more.

Temperatures are likely to drop to 11 degrees Fahrenheit in Georgia and even colder in some parts of the South.

Ukraine »

SOUND: [Kyiv "My Way" NATS]

Meantime in the streets of Kyiv …

SOUND: [Kyiv "My Way" NATS]

A band played Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” against a backdrop of darkened storefronts. Even without heat or power, Ukrainians continued Christmas preparations. … as Russian attacks on the power grid continue.

US Secretary of State Tony Blinken told reporters Thursday …

BLINKEN: Russia has shown no interest in meaningful diplomacy, in meaningfully engaging to bring this war to an end.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw on Thursday after visiting Washington the day before.

Funding bill » And there is more aid for Ukraine in a $1.7 trillion dollar spending bill the Senate passed yesterday.

SOUND: The yeas are 68. The nays are 29.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said it took a lot of hard work and compromise.

SCHUMER: But we have funded the government with an aggressive investment in American families, American workers, American national defense.

The bill will fund the government through September.

It contains nearly $800 billion dollars for domestic programs and more than $850 billion for defense. Critics say it’s also loaded with pork and wasteful spending.

Aside from the funding measures, the bill would restrict the Chinese-owned app TikTok on government devices.

The House is expected to pass the bill and send it to the president’s desk today.

AZ to remove shipping containers » Arizona will take down a makeshift wall on the US-Mexico border after the Biden administration sued to force its removal. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: Stacks of shipping containers topped with razor wire form a single file line a temporary wall along parts of the border.

Final details are still being worked out, but the Biden administration says it will fill gaps in the permanent wall soon. Arizona has agreed to remove the containers by January 4th.

A spokesman for Ducey said finally, now that the situation on the “border has turned into a full blown crisis, they’ve decided to act.”

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Unemployment » Slightly more Americans filed for jobless benefits last week than the week before.

The Labor Dept. says unemployment claims inched up only slightly--about 1% to a total 216,000.

The Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates for nearly a year to try and slow the economy in order to bring down prices that are gobbling up Americans’ paychecks.

So far, the labor market remains strong.

Netanyahu » Incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has successfully assembled all of the pieces of a ruling government. WORLD’s Mary Muncy has more.

MARY MUNCY, REPORTER: Netanyahu has reportedly informed Israel’s president that he has secured enough support in parliament outside of his own Likud party to begin governing.

The center-right Likud party won a plurality of seats in November’s election. And Netanyahu now has the support of religious factions.

That will make him Israeli prime minister for the third time. He is already Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.

For WORLD, I’m Mary Muncy.

I'm Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org.

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