Thursday morning news: February 22, 2024

Zelenskyy / Ukraine aid » Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is renewing his appeal for more military aid from the West.

ZELENSKYY: We have to be more quick. That means to lose all the bureaucracy [that] we have. Otherwise, we will not have any chance.

Zelenskyy there in an interview set to air this evening on Fox News.

Ukrainian troops on the front lines have had to start rationing ammunition, and outgunned soldiers were forced to retreat last week from the eastern city of Advika, which Moscow now controls.

At the Pentagon, spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said if we don’t supply Ukraine with the arms it needs to hold off Russian invaders …

SINGH: We know that Putin will expand this war beyond Ukraine and potentially go into a NATO territory. And then by Article 5, we will be bound to also enter into a wider regional war.

A group of House lawmakers last week drew up a counter-proposal to a recent Senate bill, which would also fund military aid to Ukraine.

Some Republicans oppose any more Ukraine funding altogether, but most holdouts say they want effective U.S. border measures tied to any additional aid.

GANTZ : [Speaking Hebrew]

Israel hostage talks » Israel is now expressing guarded optimism about a potential new cease-fire arrangement with Hamas to secure the release of more hostages.

GANTZ: [Speaking Hebrew]

War cabinet minister Benny Gantz said, "There are signs that indicate the possibility of moving forward” on a new cease-fire deal. He added, “We won’t miss any opportunity to bring our girls and boys home."

U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller says America’s priority is a lasting peace:

MILLER: The first step in that is getting an agreement to get the hostages out while we work on this longer term plan for the region.

U.S. at international court » Meantime, it’s day-4 of testimony at the United Nations World Court discussing Israel’s decades-long presence on disputed land, which Palestinians claim is theirs.

State Department legal adviser Richard Visek told a 15-judge panel Wednesday:

Visek: Hamas' attacks, hostage-taking and other atrocities…reinforce the United States' resolve to urgently achieve a final peace that includes the full realization of Palestinian self-determination.

He argued that the only way to achieve a lasting peace is for both sides to negotiate and agree to a solution rather than force Israel out of disputed lands.

Testimony will continue through Monday with a ruling expected later this year.

Biden student loans » President Biden is campaigning on student loan relief, announcing the cancellation of student debt for about 150,000 borrowers.

BIDEN: If you qualify, you’ll be hearing from me shortly.

Biden heard there in suburban Los Angeles on Wednesday. The announcement comes after the Supreme Court last year struck down his initial plan to unilaterally cancel billions of dollars in debt.

BIDEN: The Supreme Court blocked it, but that didn’t stop me. I announced we were going to pursue alternative paths.

He said qualified borrowers enrolled in the SAVE student loan repayment plan will have thousands of dollars in debt canceled at a total price tag of more than a billion dollars.

Republicans criticized the move calling it an effort to buy votes with taxpayer money. And they say it forces taxpayers who do not have a college degree to help foot the bill for those who do.

Boeing » Boeing has ousted the leader of its 737 Max program amid ongoing quality issues. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Ed Clark is out the door in the executive shakeup. Clark had led the program for the past three years.

The blowout of a panel on an Alaska Airlines Max 9 jet last month has led to more scrutiny of Boeing.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said Boeing is not paying enough attention to safety as it tries to build fast enough to keep up with demand.

Replacing Clark will be Katie Ringel, the current vice president of 737 delivery operations.

Boeing also said it was creating a new position overseeing quality control.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

James Biden questioned » President Biden’s brother, James Biden, says the president has stayed out of family business dealings. He testified behind closed doors as the GOP led impeachment inquiry against the president moves forward in the House.

Republican Congressman Jim Jordan said committee members wanted to question the younger Biden on whether any of the president’s family members took money from a Chinese energy company.

JORDAN: Specifically relative to Jim Biden’s involvement – James Biden’s involvement – with CEFC.

James Biden said checks he wrote to his brother were to repay legitimate personal loans.

Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin says the inquiry is going nowhere.

RASKIN: It feels to me as if everyone knows the impeachment investigation is over.

Last week Alexander Smirnoff, the FBI informant who claimed the Biden family was involved in a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme, was charged with fabricating the story.

President Biden’s son Hunter is set to testify next week.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Separating truth from lies in videos online. Plus, holding carjackers accountable.

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