'Good' cholesterol's impact on dementia and the Tupac murder case: Morning Rundown

The Biden administration scrambles to keep aid flowing to Ukraine after Kevin McCarthy's ouster. A healthcare workers strike is forcing procedures to be canceled. And a previous deal with the suspect in Tupac's murder could complicate the case.

Here's what to know today.

Biden administration scrambles to keep aid flowing to Ukraine

The White House is looking at its options to keep U.S. weapons flowing to Ukraine after a historic vote to remove Kevin McCarthy as House speaker put future assistance to Kyiv in serious jeopardy.

The Biden administration is examining how to shift other funds to the war, and is possibly looking to allies to bridge any gaps. When talking to reporters yesterday, President Joe Biden suggested there may be other ways to ensure continued weapons deliveries but did not elaborate. He also said he would deliver a “major” speech about why it’s important to keep helping the country in its war with Russia. Today, top national security officials are due to brief Biden about Ukraine.

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“Everything is completely uncertain right now, and it’s just impossible to predict how this will play out,” a Republican congressional aide said.

Biden conceded that he’s also unsure of what happens next. “It does worry me,” he said of the effect the vote to oust McCarthy will have on aid. “But I know there are a majority of members of the House and Senate and both parties who have said that they support funding in Ukraine.”

Read the full story here.

Kaiser strike halts medical procedures

In Sacramento, an ear tube surgery for a 17-month-old boy who suffers from recurring infections was put on hold until December. In Modesto, California, a terminal pancreatic cancer patient got a call telling him his chemotherapy session had been canceled. These are among the operations, procedures and treatments deemed “non-urgent” that have been rescheduled or canceled as more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente employees across five states walked off the job this week.

Striking workers are demanding better working conditions and higher pay as the nonprofit health care system faces a short-staffing crisis. The strike, which kicked off yesterday and is expected to last two more days, is the largest stoppage of health care workers in U.S. history, according to the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.

The 14-year-old deal that could impact the Tupac murder case

Duane Keith Davis, the suspect in the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur, made his first court appearance in Las Vegas yesterday. The hearing ended with a judge granting Davis’ request for a two-week delay.

Davis’ arrest last week renews hopes for justice 27 years after the rap icon’s death, but a deal made with California officials could eventually lead to a courtroom battle, some experts predict. In 2009, Davis reached a deal with federal investigators in Los Angeles to speak openly about a number of topics, including his own knowledge of Shakur’s killing. While exact terms of the agreement are unclear, prosecutors presumably won’t be able to use those statements against him.

So what could that mean for the current murder case? Let’s break it down.

Why immigration debate is back on center stage

Immigration at the southern border was a hot topic at the second Republican presidential debate, and it has garnered more air time on Fox News in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Democratic leaders, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Illinois Gov. J.B. Prtizker, say their communities are struggling to handle the influx of migrants and have asked the Biden administration to take action. Even Elon Musk has added his thoughts to the discussion.

The ratcheting up of tensions from both sides of the aisle echoes a rise in illegal border crossings since last month. One expert points out that this rhetoric isn’t particularly new for the anti-immigration far right. But here’s why he said the “crisis” rhetoric from Democratic officials is troubling.

How Christian nationalists are seizing on anti-trans outrage to put the Bible back in schools

Political and religious leaders who have long fought to put God and prayer back in schools are seizing on a growing backlash against transgender people to advance their agenda.

The two-pronged fight to elevate Christianity and restrict trans rights in classrooms is the focus of “Grapevine,” a new six-part narrative podcast by NBC News Studios about the well-funded campaign to impose conservative, biblical morality in public schools and its impact on the lives of teachers, students and parents.

Listen to the podcast here.

Today’s Talker: ‘Good’ cholesterol levels beyond a certain range could increase…

… your risk of dementia, according to a study of over 184,000 people with an average age of 70. Having high or low levels of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol, correlates to a higher risk of dementia in older adults, the new research suggests, showing that so-called “good” HDL cholesterol may not be as healthy as experts once thought.

Politics in Brief

Menendez indictment: In 2018, Sen. Bob Menendez’s then-girlfriend, and now wife, struck and killed a pedestrian with her car. Four months later, the couple was given a new Mercedes as a gift, which prosecutors allege is part of a bribery conspiracy to cash in on Menendez’s power and influence.

Biden family dog: Commander, the Biden family’s 2-year-old German shepherd who has been involved in a number of biting incidents, is no longer at the White House.

Student loan debt: President Joe Biden announced $9 billion in student loan debt relief for about 125,000 Americans. Here’s who is covered in the latest round of relief.

Staff Pick

As a U.S. citizen abroad who struggles through two tax seasons a year, I couldn’t help but relate to these ordinary expats who faced a heavy financial burden as a side effect of a bill designed to go after those hiding millions overseas. This story highlights the struggle faced by Americans overseas, some of whom have launched a lawsuit to recoup the eye-watering sum they paid after making the difficult decision to give up their citizenship.

— Annie Hill, platforms editor

In Case You Missed It

• To own a car in Singapore, a buyer must bid for a certificate that now costs $106,000, equivalent to four Toyota Camry Hybrids in the U.S., as the cost of the city-state’s vehicle quota system soars to all-time highs.

• The man accused of kidnapping a 9-year-old girl from a New York state park was previously arrested and charged for choking someone in a domestic dispute.

• The Powerball jackpot grew to an estimated $1.4 billion after no one won last night’s drawing.

• A cocoa bean trader who lost $100,000 worth of crypto and cash in FTX’s crash was the prosecution’s first witness to testify in the trial against FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

• Drew Barrymore’s three co-head writers won’t return to the daytime talk show, even after the Hollywood writers strike ended.

• Transit police in Boston arrested a 16-year-old boy after a group of teens was recorded harassing an Asian American woman with racist language and trying to block her from leaving a train.

Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Though we usually associate acne with our teenage years, the issue is becoming more common in adults. Our Select team consulted board-certified dermatologists about the skin-care ingredients that can help clear up your skin and got their recommendations for the best products for acne-prone skin.

Sign up to The Selection newsletter for exclusive reviews and shopping content from NBC Select.

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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com