News Wrap: Senate deal on Ukraine aid, border security not expected before holiday break

Geoff Bennett:

In the day's other headlines: Senate leaders say they don't expect a deal on financial aid for Ukraine and tougher border security until after the holiday break.

Negotiations continued, with the White House warning that current aid for Ukraine will run out at the year's end. But Republicans are pressing for border policy changes, and that remains the sticking point.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY):

No question, this package is extremely important. The most complicated part of it actually is the border. I think we haven't passed a significant immigration bill since Reagan's second term. And so this is not easy.

Sen. Chuck Sschumer (D-NY):

Both Democrats and Republicans understand that there's more work to do to pass legislation protecting America's security and the security of the Western world.

Geoff Bennett:

Meantime, in Kyiv, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy said he is confident the U.S. will not let his country down. He also said he's considering whether to mobilize half-a-million more troops, on top of the 800,000 already fighting.

In Northwestern China, an overnight earthquake shook rural Gansu province, killing at least 127 people. It was the country's deadliest quake in nearly a decade. State television showed crews searching the wreckage of destroyed homes. Landslides had buried some of them in several feet of mud. Thousands of people were left to shelter in tents in subfreezing conditions.

Bushfires in Australia made the air quality in Sydney among the worst in the world today, a rarity in the famed harbor city. Smoke drifted in from fires burning in a forest some 260 miles to the north. The burn was so large, it created its own thunderstorm, but firefighters said winds could help dispel the smog over Sydney this evening.

The U.S. Forest Service is calling for cuts in logging to conserve old-growth forests in the face of climate change. The proposal today would sharply limit harvesting older trees. The agency says they store large amounts of carbon and provide crucial habitat for wildlife. Timber interests say the change will increase fire dangers for communities near forests.

Family and friends of the late Sandra Day O'Connor paid final tributes today at her funeral at the Washington National Cathedral. Beneath the vaulted ceilings, President Biden eulogized the first woman on the Supreme Court as a pioneer in her own right.

Chief Justice John Roberts and one of O'Connor's sons paid tribute to her public and private legacies.

John Roberts, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court: Her leadership shaped the legal profession, making it obvious that judges are both women and men. The time when women were not on the bench seems so far away because Justice O'Connor was so good when she was on the bench.

Jay O'Connor, Son of Sandra Day O'Connor: Don't hit your brother was the first lesson in her own philosophy that she taught us over time, to not lash out at anyone, even your opponent, and to treat everyone with kindness and respect. This approach allowed her to navigate every situation with grace and goodwill.

Geoff Bennett:

O'Connor died on December 1 in Phoenix. She was 93 years old.

Google will pay $700 million to the states to settle allegations that it's android App Store stifles competition. Federal court documents say the deal was reached in September. Most of the money goes to compensate about 100 million customers. Just a week ago, Google lost a similar case that went to trial.

And on Wall Street, stocks advanced after Japan's Central Bank opted to keep interest rates low. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 252 points to close at 37578. The Nasdaq rose 98 points. The S&P 500 added 27.