Wednesday morning news: January 25, 2023

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Ukraine aid » In what would be a major reversal, the United States is set to send M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder:

RYDER: The M1 is a very capable battlefield platform. It’s also very complex. And so, like anything we’re providing to Ukraine, we want to make sure that they have the capability to maintain it.

That means it could be many months before Abrams tanks arrive on the actual battlefield in Ukraine.

The move has not been officially announced, but that could happen as early as today. The Pentagon is believed to coordinating with Germany, which is expected to approve Poland’s request to transfer German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy sacks officials » Several top Ukrainian officials resigned on Tuesday amid a renewed push to root out government corruption.

ZELENSKYY: [UKRAINIAN]

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was necessary to accept their resignations, both for national defense and for Ukraine’s standing within Europe.

ZELENSKYY: [UKRAINIAN]

A top Ukrainian adviser, four deputy ministers and five regional governors stepped down.

Andrii Borovyk is executive director for the anticorruption group Transparency International Ukraine.

BOROVYK: It’s positive because people always say the corruption is the number one issue which needs to be solved in Ukraine, so people care about this and people are ready to care as long as it’s needed. 

Ukraine has a history of political corruption.

The country is under pressure to demonstrate that international aid money isn’t falling into the wrong hands. 

CA shootings latest » More families are grieving in California today after another mass shooting.

A farm worker killed seven people in what San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus called a “workplace violence” incident.

CORPUS: Suspect Chunli Zhao, a 66-year-old male resident is a resident of Half Moon Bay. The semi-automatic handgun was legally purchased and owned.

Zhao allegedly opened fire at two separate mushroom farms. Police say he is in custody and cooperating.

The attacks came just days after a mass shooter killed 11 people at a dance hall near Los Angeles.

Pence documents » Classified documents have now been found at the home of former Vice President Mike Pence. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has that story.

JOSH SCHUMACHER, REPORTER: After investigators found classified documents at President Biden’s personal home, former Vice President Pence ordered a review of documents stored at his house.

That according to Pence’s lawyer Tuesday, who said he hired outside experts to review documents. The experts found a small collection of documents stamped as classified.

Back in August, Pence said he had not knowingly kept any classified documents from his time in office.

The letter claimed Pence immediately locked the sensitive documents in a safe on their discovery before handing them off to the FBI.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

Ticketmaster hearing » On Capitol Hill, senators grilled executives with Ticketmaster and its subsidiary Live Nation.

Some lawmakers are concerned that the event ticket sales giant has a stranglehold on the industry.

Senator Dick Durbin...

DURBIN: The Senate Judiciary Committee has the jurisdictional responsibility to look at the issue of antitrust and competition. This is an example of it, and I'm glad we're having this hearing today.

Ticketmaster came under fresh scrutiny after its site crashed last year as fans tried to buy tickets for Taylor Swift’s tour.

Some in Congress want the Justice Department to reconsider a decade-old decision to allow Live Nation to merge with Ticketmaster.

GA election probe to remain secret for now » A judge in Georgia says the final report of a special grand jury will remain secret for now.

The grand jury was tasked with investigating whether former President Trump and political allies tried to interfere with the results of the 2020 election in the state.

At a hearing Tuesday, a Fulton County judge heard arguments for and against publicly releasing the grand jury’s report. Prosecutor Donald Wakefield urged the court to keep it under wraps for the moment.

WAKEFORD: Records that are part of an ongoing criminal investigation are not subject to public scrutiny.

But Tom Clyde, who represents media outlets, countered…

CLYDE: What the state is pointing to is simply not the kind of information that justifies sealing.

The judge said that he will take some time before issuing his final decision. Until then, the document remains sealed.

Oscar noms » In Hollywood, the Academy has announced this year’s Oscar nominees.

Topping the list with 11 nods is “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” nominated for best picture and best director.

TRAILER: There’s a great evil spreading throughout the many-verses. And you may be our only chance of stopping it.

Blockbusters films like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” also earned best picture nominations.

The Academy will roll out the red carpet on March 12th in Los Angeles.

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

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