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Foreign aid expense, U.S. spy, and 52 lessons from 2023.
Adam Rogers
December 05, 2023
Big Stories
White House warns money for Ukraine is running low
The White House announced Monday that it will run out of money to supply weapons to Ukraine unless Congress approves additional funding.
Where it stands: President Biden’s $105 billion proposed defense package for Israel and Ukraine has faced resistance from some in the GOP who are hesitant to provide continued financial support to Kiev. Republicans have also tried to mix new border security measures into the package, which has met resistance from Democrats.
In a letter to members of Congress Shalanda Young, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, wrote that cutting off U.S. support increases the chance of Russian victories. She also noted that the U.S. has benefitted domestically from Ukrainian Aid by improving its own military readiness since the DOD has been buying new equipment to replace the supplies sent to Ukraine. This, in turn, has created “good-paying jobs in dozens of states.”
Zoom out: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the Israel-Hamas war could overshadow Russia’s war against Ukraine. Already, some aid intended for Ukraine has been diverted to Israel.
House panel investigating FDA’s handling of decongestants
A Republican House oversight panel will investigate the FDA’s handling of a common decongestant ingredient that the agency recently found was ineffective.
Details: The investigation aims to find out why the FDA didn’t take earlier action against a variety of over-the-counter cough and cold drugs whose effectiveness has been in question for over a decade. The committee is specifically looking into the oral form of phenylephrine, a key ingredient in drugs like Sudafed PE and some types of Nyquil.
The House Oversight subcommittee on health and financial services has requested a briefing via letter with FDA commissioner Robert Califf. The letter claims that the FDA "relied upon outdated and insufficient evidence regarding phenylephrine's use as a decongestant for many years, despite numerous appeals by the scientific community.” The letter also says that Americans shouldn’t have to worry about whether they are wasting their money on ineffective drugs.
Catch up: The FDA previously reviewed oral phenylephrine about 15 years ago. Since then, several large studies confirmed oral formulations were ineffective, and in September, an FDA advisory panel finally agreed with those outside studies. However, the agency still hasn’t issued an order to remove products containing the ingredient from shelves.
Israel expected to increase aid to Gaza
Israel is set to approve a significant increase in humanitarian aid and fuel into Gaza.
Why it matters: The increase in aid would come as Israel expands its ground operation into southern Gaza. The U.S. is concerned that the campaign will worsen the humanitarian crisis in the region. Nearly 2 million Palestinians are now sheltering in Southern Gaza after being displaced by fighting in the north.
What’s happening: Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended Friday, the Biden administration has been pressing Israel to continue to allow the same level of aid into Gaza and even to increase it. The Israeli military stopped the entry of aid trucks and fuel from Egypt into Gaza when fighting began again on Friday. Israel eventually relented to U.S. pressure and allowed aid to flow again but at a reduced rate.
Bargaining power: Israel needs U.S. backing for the expansion of its military operation in the southern Gaza strip, which makes it difficult to deny U.S. requests, Israeli officials said. But allowing more fuel into Gaza will cost Israel a major bargaining chip for any future hostage release negotiations with Hamas.
U.S. News
The city of Detroit is on track to record its fewest yearly homicides since 1966. Officials are crediting a partnership between county and state officials that improves coordination among agencies and courts. (More)
President Biden condemned a pro-Palestinian rally that targeted a Jewish-owned kosher falafel shop in Philadelphia with chants of “genocide.” (More)
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has dropped his bid for the 2024 presidential nomination after failing to qualify for the third and fourth GOP debate. (More)
World
A former U.S. ambassador to Bolivia has been charged with spying for the Cuban government. Manuel Rocha allegedly fed U.S. secrets to Cuban intelligence for more than 40 years. (More)
A woman who was swimming with her daughter was killed by a shark in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico. The pair was swimming to a dock 75 yards from shore when they were attacked. (More)
ISIS has claimed responsibility for an explosion that killed at least four people during a Catholic mass service in the Philippines on Sunday. (More)
Business & Economy
U.S. stock markets closed lower on Monday (S&P -0.54%, Nasdaq -0.84%, Dow -0.11%). (More)
Spotify will lay off 17% of its staff to help cut costs. The company said it must “rightsize” after hiring too many people in 2020 and 2021. (More)
Swiss bank Banque Pictet paid a $123 million fine for helping U.S. taxpayers hide over $5.6 billion from the Internal Revenue Service. (More)
Sports & Entertainment
Olivia Rodrigo and The Rolling Stones top AP’s annual list of best new albums. (More)
Heisman Trophy finalists were announced on Monday night. Three quarterbacks made the list; LSU's Jayden Daniels, Oregon's Bo Nix and Washington's Michael Penix Jr., as well as Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (More)
The University of Connecticut dropped to 17th in the AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll, its worst ranking in 30 years. (More)
Science, Health, & Tech
Russian cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station manually docked a cargo ship with tons of supplies when its guidance system glitched. (More)
Google delayed the launch of its next-gen AI chatbot Gemini to next year because it is rumored that the AI didn’t reliably handle some non-English queries. (More)
Five patients who have moderate to severe brain injuries scored better on cognition tests after getting a brain implant, according to a new study. (More)
Extra Credit
Ranking the best and worst cell phone batteries by brand.
Capturing the beauty of the Northern Lights.
Fifty-two takeaways from 2023.
A leaning tower in Italy could collapse after 9 centuries.