RUSSIAN PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin (Shutterstock).
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a rare press conference on Thursday and vowed the war in Ukraine won’t end until it his nation wins.
Putin, who is running for re-election again – he’s served almost 24 years so far – has demanded that the price for peace has been for Ukraine to vow never to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
He also referred to “an improvement in the position of” Russian troops. Ukraine launched a major counter-offensive this fall and its successes have been modest and no major breakthrough was achieved.
Defense bill passes the House
THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT is headquartered in The Pentagon (Wikipedia).
In a rare show of bipartisanship, the House of Representatives approved an $886 billion defense appropriations bill on Thursday. The vote was 310-118.
The bill passed despite opposition by “hard-line” Republicans who wanted to ban or limit access to abortion, as well as policies on racial diversity and “inclusion” policies.
It now goes to President Joe Biden for his signature.
Service members and civilian employees will get a 5.2 percent increase in pay, and funds regional military partnerships in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region.
It will also authorize sending weapons to Ukraine and Israel.
Sports: No life without Herbert
With starting quarterback Justin Herbert sidelined for the season with a broken finger, the Los Angeles Chargers suffered a one-sided loss Thursday night to the Las Vegas Raiders, 63-21.
The loss dropped the Bolts to 5-9 and probably ended the team’s chances for a playoff spot. The Raiders are now 6-8.
Weather: Clouds and then rain
There will be “real” weather in our West Orange County area this coming week. After partly and mostly cloudy conditions through the weekend, some will be moving in for the coming week. Friday’s forecast calls for a daytime high of 80 with an overnight low of 51. Saturday will be similar at 79 (50). Mostly cloud conditions develop on Sunday at 76 (55) and Monday at 71 (57). The rain is expected to start on Tuesday and continue through Friday (Dec. 22).