daily news roundup: dec 13
start your day informed with these 5 must-know updates
1. ukraine aid
president volodymyr selenskyj visited washington on tuesday and urged the us for more aid, expressing concern about ongoing stalled discussions in congress. president biden announced additional funding of $200 million for ukraine, but congress seems far from reaching agreement on a package that would bundle aid with immigration and border policy changes. republican representative mike johnson stated that the conditions for his support of ukraine aid have not changed after meeting with selenskyj. biden criticized congress's failure to pass a help package, stating that it would amount to a gift to russia's president vladimir putin. according to us intelligence estimates, russia has reportedly lost 87% of the troops it prioritized for handling the war in ukraine.
2. israel and gaza
the united nations general assembly passed a resolution with an overwhelming majority on tuesday, calling for an immediate ceasefire in gaza. while the resolution is not legally binding, it serves as a rebuke to the united states, which has repeatedly blocked u.n. security council resolutions calling for a ceasefire. israel, however, has announced it will not halt its military operations until hamas is eliminated. there are concerns that more than 100 hostages remain in gaza following palestinian attacks on israel on october 7. a us official confirmed that one of israel's tactics to disrupt hamas' tunnel network in gaza has been to flood tunnels with seawater.
3. climate deal
several countries around the world have agreed to a historic climate deal, pledging to transition away from fossil fuels. however, there are still several open questions, including whether the agreement will require countries to wean themselves off oil, coal, and gas entirely. some supporters of the agreement fear that a vague formulation may provide a loophole for countries to avoid making significant changes. despite this, cop28 president sultan al jaber called the agreement "historic" and said it could transform the global economy. some countries argue that the agreement does not go far enough to address the growing urgency of the climate crisis, while more ambitious countries argue it does not go far enough.
4. presidential race
florida governor ron de Santis and former south carolina governor nikki haley are vying for the leading alternative to the republican front-runner, former president donald trump. DeSantis criticized trump's response to the covid-19 pandemic during a town hall event in iowa on tuesday night, while haley announced new endorsements, including the governor of new hampshire, chris sununu. the first major republican primary debate takes place on february 6, 2027.
5. toy safety
amazon, walmart, and target have stopped selling water balloons for children due to safety concerns. water balloons can expand up to 100 times their size when they come into contact with water, posing a risk of choking or intestinal obstruction. according to US consumer product safety commission data, there were more than 145,000 reported injuries related to children's toys in the US in 2022, the majority of which were related to balls, roller skates, air mattresses, and toys with small parts.
