Ukraine President Zelenskyy to meet with Biden in D.C. as funding efforts flounder: The Morning Rundown, Dec. 11, 2023

WITH ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR UKRAINE IN LIMBO —  VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY PLANS TO MEET WITH LEADERS IN WASHINGTON D.C

AND — AMID BACKLASH FOLLOWING HER TESTIMONY ON ANTISEMITISM ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES — PENN’S PRESIDENT RESIGNS.

THE MORNING RUNDOWN STARTS NOW.

TODAY IS MONDAY, DECEMBER 11TH.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

I’M KARAH RUCKER.

UKRAINE PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY WILL BE VISITING WASHINGTON D.C. TUESDAY – WHERE HE WILL MEET WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN AND CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS – AS HE LOOKS FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO AID HIS COUNTRY’S ONGOING WAR WITH RUSSIA.

IN A STATEMENT – THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS THE TWO PRESIDENTS WILL DISCUSS UKRAINE’S “URGENT NEEDS” AND “THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF THE UNITED STATES’ CONTINUED SUPPORT” AS RUSSIA RAMPS UP ITS MISSILE AND DRONE STRIKES.

THE TRIP IS TAKING PLACE JUST DAYS AFTER SENATE REPUBLICANS BLOCKED A 110 BILLION DOLLAR PACKAGE – THAT INCLUDED AID FOR UKRAINE AND ISRAEL.

REPUBLICANS SAYING THE BILL MUST INCLUDE STRICTER BORDER SECURITY MEASURES FOR IT TO GAIN THEIR SUPPORT.

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER AND MINORITY LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL HAVE INVITED ZELENSKYY TO SPEAK AT AN ALL-SENATORS MEETING ON TUESDAY MORNING.

THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT IS ALSO SCHEDULED TO MEET WITH HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON.

ZELENSKKY HAD PLANNED TO ADDRESS SENATORS DURING A CLASSIFIED BRIEFING LAST WEEK in a VIDEO call BUT CANCELED AT THE LAST MOMENT.

SCHUMER SAID IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE THIRD TIME ZELENSKYY HAD ADDRESSED SENATORS SINCE RUSSIA’S INVASION OF UKRAINE.

IN AN UNEXPECTED ANNOUNCEMENT, FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SAID HE WILL NOT BE RE-TAKING THE STAND TODAY IN HIS OWN DEFENSE IN THE 250 MILLION DOLLAR CIVIL FRAUD TRIAL AGAINST HIM AND HIS COMPANY IN NEW YORK.

TRUMP HAD ALREADY TAKEN THE STAND LAST MONTH. BUT AS THE TRIAL NEARS ITS END, TRUMP WAS EXPECTED TO BE ONE OF THE LAST WITNESSES CALLED BY THE DEFENSE BEFORE IT RESTS ITS CASE.

but ACCORDING TO A POST ON THE FORMER PRESIDENT’S SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM TRUTH SOCIAL THAT IS NO LONGER THE CASE.

TRUMP WRITING QUOTE:

“I HAVE ALREADY TESTIFIED TO EVERYTHING AND HAVE NOTHING MORE TO SAY OTHER THAN THIS IS A COMPLETE AND TOTAL ELECTION INTERFERENCE WITCH HUNT…”

NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES ALLEGES TRUMP AND HIS COLLEAGUES COMMITTED FRAUD BY INFLATING THE ORGANIZATION’S VALUE AND FALSIFYING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.

TRUMP HAS DENIED ANY WRONGDOING. IN RESPONSE TO TRUMP’S LAST-MINUTE REVERSAL — THE ATTORNEY GENERAL says HER TEAM HAS ALREADY PROVEN THEIR CASE.

THE TRIAL WHICH WAS SET TO RESUME TODAY IS NOW SCHEDULED TO RESUME ON TUESDAY.

MORE FALLOUT THIS WEEKEND FOLLOWING THE TESTIMONY OF THREE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS ON CAPITOL HILL LAST WEEK OVER THE RISE OF ANTISEMITISM ON THEIR CAMPUSES AS THE WAR BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS SURPASSES TWO MONTHS.

ON SATURDAY, LIZ MAGILL (MAH-GILL) RESIGNED AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA.

MAGILL – ALONG WITH HARVARD PRESIDENT CLAUDINE (CLAW-DEEN) GAY AND M-I-T PRESIDENT SALLY KORNBLUTH (CORN– BLOOTH) WERE HEAVILY CRITICIZED BY A BIPARTISAN group OF POLITICIANS FOR THEIR ANSWERS.

MAGILL FACED BACKLASH FROM LOCAL LAWMAKERS, DONORS AND BUSINESS LEADERS FOR HER RESPONSE TO THE QUESTIONS BY THE HOUSE COMMITTEE On WHETHER CALLING FOR THE GENOCIDE OF JEWS VIOLATED PENN’S CODE OF CONDUCT.

MAGILL ANSWERED IT WAS A “CONTEXT-DEPENDENT DECISION.”

IN HER RESIGNATION ANNOUNCEMENT – MAGILL SAID IT HAS QUOTE “BEEN MY PRIVILEGE TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT OF THIS REMARKABLE INSTITUTION.”

SHE WILL REMAIN A FACULTY MEMBER AT PENN’S LAW SCHOOL.

SHORTLY AFTER MAGILL STEPPED DOWN  – SCOTT BOK (BAHK) – CHAIR OF PENN’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES – ALSO SUBMITTED HIS RESIGNATION.

SPEAKING AT AN INTERFAITH RALLY AT A PHILADELPHIA SYNAGOGUE SUNDAY – PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR JOSH SHAPIRO SAID THE “REAL WORK AT THE UNIVERSITY BEGINS NOW MAKING SURE THAT EVERY STUDENT FEELS SAFE ON CAMPUS.”

MEANWHILE – AT LEAST 570 FACULTY MEMBERS AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY HAVE SIGNED A PETITION ASKING SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS TO **NOT FIRE THEIR SCHOOL’S PRESIDENT CLAUDINE GAY DESPITE A LETTER FROM LAWMAKERS DEMANDING THE CHANGE.

A HARVARD PROFESSOR – AND CO-AUTHOR OF THE PETITION SAID – THEY DON’T WANT TO LOSE THEIR PRESIDENT BECAUSE OF QUOTE “A POLITICAL STUNT.”

AT LEAST SIX PEOPLE ARE DEAD AND DOZENS MORE ARE INJURED AS TORNADOES AND SEVERE STORMS TORE THROUGH Tennessee OVER THE WEEKEND.

POLICE IN NASHVILLE CONFIRMED A 31 YEAR-OLD MOTHER AND HER 2-YEAR-OLD SON WERE AMONG THE PEOPLE WHO DIED.

AT LEAST ONE OF THE OTHER VICTIMS WAS ALSO A CHILD ACCORDING TO OFFICIALS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

SIXTY TWO OTHERS IN THE COUNTY WERE INJURED.

WITH WINDS UP TO 150 MILES PER HOUR — THE STORMS PASSED THROUGH MULTIPLE CITIES IN TENNESSEE — DESTROYING HOMES AND BUSINESSES —  AND KNOCKING OUT POWER TO MORE THAN 56-THOUSAND CUSTOMERS.

GOVERNOR BILL LEE SAID HE AND HIS WIFE ARE PRAYING FOR ALL TENNESSEANS AFFECTED BY THE STORM AS RECOVERY EFFORTS BEGIN.

A NEW INVESTOR GROUP IS OFFERING TO BUY THE FAMED DEPARTMENT-STORE CHAIN MACY’S FOR FIVE POINT EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS – MORE THAN ONE BILLION DOLLARS OVER ITS CURRENT MARKET VALUE.

AS FIRST REPORTED BY THE WALL STREET JOURNAL – ARKHOUSE MANAGEMENT AND BRIGADE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT ARE LOOKING TO TAKE MACY’S PRIVATE – AS THE GROUP BELIEVES THE COMPANY IS BEING UNDERVALUED IN THE PUBLIC MARKETS.

YEAR OVER YEAR MACY’S HAS SEEN ITS SALES SLUMP BY SEVEN PERCENT –

DESPITE EFFORTS TO REVERSE COURSE INCLUDING ANNOUNCING THIRTY NEW STORES AT STRIP MALLS INSTEAD OF AT TRADITIONAL SHOPPING MALLS.

MACY’S CURRENTLY OPERATES NEARLY 500 STORES AS WELL AS DOZENS OF LOCATIONS FOR ITS UPSCALE CHAIN – BLOOMINGDALE’S.

MACY’S AND THE INVESTOR GROUP HAVE NOT COMMENTED ON THE REPORTS.

FINALLY THIS MORNING – A NEW OPTION IS EXPECTED TO JOIN THE CROWDED FIELD OF STREAMING SERVICES TODAY –

AS FORMER FOX NEWS HOST TUCKER CARLSON PLANS TO LAUNCH HIS OWN.

ACCORDING TO REPORTS – THE TUCKER CARLSON NETWORK IS SET TO GO LIVE **TODAY ON HIS WEBSITE.

THE SUBSCRIPTION STREAMING SERVICE WILL COST NINE DOLLARS A MONTH OR SEVENTY TWO DOLLARS A YEAR.

IT WILL FEATURE AT LEAST FIVE DIFFERENT SHOWS – WITH SOME OF THE CONTENT FREE FOR NON-SUBSCRIBERS.

SINCE BEING FIRED FROM FOX NEWS LAST SPRING –

CARLSON HAS HOSTED A SHOW ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA SITE X – WHICH INCLUDED AN INTERVIEW WITH FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP.

THOUGH – THOSE INTERESTED CAN SIGN UP NOW — CARLSON IS EXPECTED TO OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF HIS SERVICE DURING AN APPEARANCE ON THE MEGYN KELLY SHOW ON SIRIUS X-M TODAY.

THESE ARE YOUR TOP STORIES FOR THIS MONDAY.

YOU CAN NOW CONNECT WITH THE MORNING RUNDOWN IN A VARIETY OF WAYS — INCLUDING SUBSCRIBING TO OUR PODCAST OR SIGNING UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER.

JUST GO TO SAN DOT COM SLASH RUNDOWN FOR MORE DETAILS.

UNBIASED. STRAIGHT FACTS. THAT’S STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.

WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE TOMORROW.

UNTIL THEN I’M KARAH RUCKER. HAVE A GREAT DAY!