President Joe Biden told the United Nations General Assembly that Moscow believes the world will grow weary of the war in Ukraine, allowing it to brutalize its neighbor without consequence. Also in the news: The Federal Reserve is expected to hold still on interest rate hikes and rumblings about paying for X, formerly known as Twitter.
🙋🏼‍♀️ I’m Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. The first snow!
Here are Wednesday’s top stories.
Biden, Zelenskyy decry Russian aggression at UN
Presidents Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy took their case for supporting Ukraine to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, with Biden saying if Moscow is allowed to win in Ukraine, no country would be safe from “naked aggression.”
Biden spoke hours before Zelenskyy made his case, accusing Russia of not only using the threat of nuclear war to get their way but also weaponizing food, energy and the forced deportation of children.
Related: Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Joe Biden Wednesday in New York.
Attorney General Garland set to face his GOP critics
Attorney General Merrick Garland will strike a defiant tone Wednesday in defending the Justice Department as independent of the White House and Congress, while Republicans ratchet up criticism of high-profile investigations of Hunter Biden and Donald Trump. Garland’s testimony on Capitol Hill comes against a backdrop of multiple investigations that are politically fraught. But Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, will likely headline the hearing. Republicans argued Garland should have replaced U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware leading the investigation, but instead he was elevated to special counsel. Read more
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Federal Reserve is poised to leave interest rates unchanged
Since Federal Reserve officials last met in July, the economy has moved in the direction they hoped to see: Inflation continues to ease, if more slowly than most Americans would like, while growth remains solid and the job market cools. The Fed is set to meet again Wednesday and will likely decide they can afford to wait and see if the progress continues. As a result, they’re almost sure to leave their key interest rate unchanged when their meeting ends Wednesday. Read more
What to know about the search for Sergio Brown
Former NFL player Sergio Brown is missing after his mother was found dead near her Illinois home over the weekend. Brown’s mother was found in a creek near her home in Maywood, a village in suburban Chicago west of downtown, police shared with USA TODAY. Local authorities are investigating Myrtle Brown’s death, but have declined to say whether Sergio Brown is a person of interest or suspect in connection with his mother’s death. Maywood Police are currently investigating a video circulated on social media, seemingly of Brown, who was making incoherent claims about the FBI and police department. Read more
Would you pay for X?
Elon Musk is debating bringing another big change to X, formerly Twitter: Charging all users a monthly fee. In an interview Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Musk, the owner of X, said he was considering charging “a small monthly payment” to all users in what he said was an effort to “combat vast armies of bots” proliferating on the website. Musk said X will come out with a “lower-tier pricing” but did not specify an amount. Read more
Quick hits
Photo of the day:Â 50 years since The Battle of the Sexes
On Sept. 20, 1973, in their so-called “battle of the sexes,” tennis star Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, at the Houston Astrodome. The victory marked a major win for women in sports, bolstering efforts for their representation at every level of competition. Read more
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Associated Press contributed reporting.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UN, Russia, Ukraine, Biden, Hunter Biden, DOJ, interest rates, inflation, Sergio Brown, Rihanna, Taylor Swift: Daily Briefing