Zelenskyy Addresses U.S. Congress, Says “Your Money Is Not Charity”

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy told cheering U.S. legislators during a defiant wartime visit to the nation’s capital on Wednesday that against all odds his country still stands, thanking Americans for helping to fund the war effort with money that is “not charity,” but an “investment” in global security and democracy. The visit was Zelenskyy’s first trip outside Ukraine since the beginning of the war, now approaching its second year. Zelenskyy’s visit was meant to reinvigorate support for his country in the U.S. and around the world, amid concerns that allies are growing weary of the costly war and its disruption to global food and energy supplies. Just before his arrival, the U.S. announced its largest single delivery of arms to Ukraine, including Patriot surface-to-air missiles, and Congress planned to vote on a spending package that includes about $45 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine. Today on AirTalk, we’re joined by Paul Kane, Senior congressional correspondent for the Washington Post.

With files from the Associated Press

Inside The New ‘Inside Safe’ Directive: Mayor Karen Bass’ Plan For The Unhoused in Los Angeles

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Wednesday issued her second executive directive to address the homelessness crisis, ordering her staff to “create a strategy of large-scale citywide coordination.” Bass's "Inside Safe Initiative" will determine “the highest need encampments across the city, especially focusing on encampments that are chronic and have a high demand for services.” “Today we take a great step forward,” Bass said, adding her plan is designed “to bring people inside from tents and encampments for good.” Bass has created a cabinet of department heads dealing with homelessness led by Chief of Housing and Homeless Solutions Mercedes Marquez and asked for a report back on how to move forward by Mar. 31, 2023.

Here to discuss the language of the new directive and what to expect from Mayor Bass’s time dealing with the unhoused crisis are Va Lecia Adams Kellum, President and CEO of Saint Joseph’s Center in Venice and Michael Arnold, President & CEO of The Midnight Mission, a shelter and human services organization in Downtown Los Angeles.

With files from LAist

Worst Gifts Ever: From The Inappropriate To The Well-Intentioned-But-Useless, To The Just Plain Head-Scratching

Look, we get it. Gift-giving is hard. We all want to give the perfect gift -- something thoughtful that shows we know and understand the person to whom we’re gifting. But we are, all of us, human, and sometimes we swing and miss with a gift that we think will be great but elicits the foreboding “Oh…wow…thank you?” from the person receiving it.

Today on AirTalk, we’re opening up our phones to hear the absolute worst gift you’ve ever received during the holidays -- or the worst gift you’ve ever given. Whether it was something the giver thought would be funny and absolutely fell flat, a kind gesture gone awry, or maybe just something you got that made you go “...uh, what?”

Spending Bill Makes Progress In The Senate With Agreed Amendments On Title 42

Senators in the Capitol building moved forward on a stalled omnibus spending bill this morning. Ensuring that the government will continue to run going into the winter holidays. The main issue at hand are amendments on Title 42, which allows the government to expel asylum-seekers of all nationalities, and predominantly affects a few countries in Latin America. The policy was scheduled to end this week but has been stayed temporarily by the Supreme Court.

One amendment was introduced by the independent senator from Arizona, Krysten Sinema and Democrat Jon Tester of Montana. Additionally, a dozen amendments are planned for a vote before the bill will be finalized, including billions in aid for Ukraine. The Sinema-Tester amendment attempts to compromise by extending Title 42 until a separate border management plan is put into place. It would also give $300 million for additional processing centers at the southern border, ICE facilities expansions, Border patrol pay raises, and $200 million to fill holes in the Trump era border wall. Here to talk about Title 42 and the fight in the Senate on the spending bill is Michelle Hackman, Wall Street Journal reporter covering immigration policy and the Department of Homeland Security.

Second Chance Couples: What Makes An Old Flame Reignite And More Importantly, What Makes It Stick?

It is not uncommon for people to get back together with an ex. Maybe circumstances have changed. Maybe each has matured and grown as individuals. Maybe the problems that caused the break-up in the first place are no longer problems. Or maybe the love between the two is too strong to ignore. Whatever the reason, studies show that about a third of cohabiting couples and a fifth of married couples have broken up at least once in their relationship. So why do some couples find themselves back together after time apart, and how can a failed relationship succeed anew?

Kale Monk, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at University of Missouri in the Department of Human Development and Family Science and State Specialist for Youth & Families Extension, joins AirTalk today to talk about cyclical relationships. .

TV-Talk: ‘Emily In Paris,’ ‘Alice In Borderland,’ ‘South Side’ And More

Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network tv and numerous streaming platforms. Each week, we’re going to try to break through the noise with TV watchers who can point us to the must-sees and steer us clear of the shows that maybe don’t live up to the hype. This week, Larry talks to Inkoo Kang, TV critic for the New Yorker, and Melanie McFarland, television critic at Salon and president of the Television Critics Association (TCA)