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Daily Briefing: Helicopter crash in Kyiv suburb kills at least 15

Nicole Fallert   | Paste BN

A helicopter crash near Kyiv Wednesday morning killed a number of people including Ukraine's interior minister, the most senior official to have died since the start of the war with Russia. Also in the news:  President Joe Biden's GOP foes are armed with gavels in key committees and Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the Australian Open

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. I can't wait to try Dolly Parton's brownie recipe.

Here are Wednesday's headlines.

Helicopter crash death toll in Kyiv includes three children

 A helicopter crash in a Kyiv suburb Wednesday killed at least 15 people, including Ukraine’s interior minister and three children, Ukrainian authorities said. Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi is the most senior Ukrainian official to have died since the start of the war with Russia almost 11 months ago. Nine of those killed were aboard the emergency services helicopter that crashed in Brovary, an eastern suburb of the Ukrainian capital, Ukrainian police said.There was no immediate word on whether the crash was an accident or a result of the war with Russia. Read more

Who are Biden's GOP antagonists?

Revelations about President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents handed two of his fiercest critics ammunition to investigate just as they became committee chairmen. 

Who are they: Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio now leads the Judiciary Committee and a special subcommittee created to investigate the Biden administration, and he can set the agenda. Rep. James Comer of Kentucky has won leadership of the Oversight and Accountability Committee.

  • With their gavels, Jordan and Comer are armed with subpoena power and the megaphone of committee hearings to antagonize Biden through the 2024 election. 
  • Jordan and Comer have subpoena power. “That means Congress is going to have more leverage to get what it wants when it’s trying to get information," one expert told Paste BN.
  • The revelations about the discovery of classified documents at Biden’s former office at a think tank in Washington and at his Wilmington home have added fuel to the fire of House Republicans eager to investigate the administration.

More news to know now

🌤 What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Wednesday winter weather forecast

Swaths of Colorado are facing winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories, and parts of the state could see more than a foot of snow.  But the storm will stretch over the Four Corners region and continue to impact Omaha, Nebraska; Des Moines, Iowa; Green Bay, Wisconsin and even cover parts of Michigan by Thursday, according to AccuWeather and the National Weather Service. Weather authorities in Denver said people should “Expect difficult overnight travel, with treacherous conditions continuing through Wednesday." Read more

Why it matters that China's birthrate declined 

China's birthrate has declined for the first time in decades, China's National Bureau of Statistics reported, marking a shift that experts say could influence the global economy. Researchers believe the lower population growth rate could mean higher labor costs in China because of a smaller pool of available workers. A shrinking labor force could make it harder for China's government to fund its public health and welfare costs, which would suppress China's economy. One reason for the decline: rising living costs are dissuading potential parents. Read more

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Top-seeded Rafael Nadal ousted in second round of Australian Open

What already was a poor start to 2023 following a year marred by all manner of health issues reached a low point at the Australian Open on Wednesday. The defending champion and No. 1 seed at Melbourne Park, a clearly hurting Rafael Nadal, lost his second-round match to Mackenzie McDonald 6-4, 6-4, 7-5, abruptly ending his bid for a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam trophy. He is currently ranked No. 2 but was the top seed at Melbourne Park because No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is sitting out the Australian Open with a bad leg. Read more

📷 Photo of the day: 2023 World Economic Forum meeting underway 📷

The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum is taking place in Davos, Switzerland, from Jan. 16 until Jan. 20, 2023. So far, top thinkers and world leaders have gathered to discuss plans for clean tech and approaches to mitigate the strain on the global food supply. Click here for photos from more of the key conversations in Davos.

One more thing

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to Paste BN here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

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