A historic wartime visit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting the White House. It's the first day of winter – and Mother Nature is showing off with a blockbuster blizzard. And a report on Trump's taxes shows the IRS failed to conduct mandatory audits.

👋 Hey y'all! Laura Davis here. It's officially winter! It's also the shortest day of the year, so I'll keep this quick: I'm taking tomorrow off, so my friend Abbey will be sending out the news instead. 😊 Hope you have a warm, safe and happy holiday weekend!

🎄 But first, a sweet Christmas story: Kids surprise their mom with an awesome bedroom makeover.

The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here.

Zelenskyy's in the (White) House

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday and will deliver a prime-time speech before a joint session of Congress during a dramatic visit to Washington. In his first trip outside his home country since Russia's invasion began in February, Zelenskyy arrived at the White House a little after 2 p.m. and was warmly greeted by Biden and first lady Jill Biden. The visit comes as Biden and Congress reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine by sending billions in humanitarian and military aid to the war-ravaged country, but it hasn't come without pushback from the GOP.

👉 Live coverage: Ukraine president to speak before Congress.

• Who is Volodymyr Zelenskyy? Ukrainian president's past, present and future.

👀 Jan. 6 report?

Pump the brakes. The House Jan. 6 committee postponed issuing its final report Wednesday, citing the last-minute visit to Washington of Zelenskyy and some other unspecified logistical complications. The report culminates an 18-month inquiry into what led to the attack on the Capitol and what happened that day. With Republicans – who labeled the panel partisan and illegitimate – taking control of the House in January, the report will be the committee’s last opportunity to summarize its findings and make recommendations aimed at preventing another attack. Here's what we know so far.

• Will Hope Hicks' complete Jan. 6 testimony be damning for Trump?

• Democracy rattled: Two years later, Jan. 6 panel votes a criminal referral for Trump.

What everyone's talking about

• Boop! Another sexy selfie on Instagram. Are they empowering or desperate?

• Kidney transplant reunites high school classmates 2,000 miles apart.

• How 4 Utah banks export 'predatory lending' with high-cost loans.

• Police officers are quitting in droves. It could be a chance for reform.

• Legendary Steelers running back Franco Harris dies at 72.

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Here comes the blizzard

Baby, it's cold outside. A blockbuster blizzard is set to bring weather hazards – and holiday travel chaos – across the central and eastern United States. Did I mention it's officially the first day of winter? To ring in the season, this strong arctic cold front begins diving into the central Plains on Wednesday and the southern Plains by early Friday.  Forecasters warn temperatures could dip by 20 or more degrees within just a few hours. How cold will it get? The National Weather Service said wind-chill values could drop as low as minus 70 degrees across the central High Plains. "We can’t tell people not to go outside, but your best bet is to stay indoors," AccuWeather meteorologist Tom Kines said. Stay safe and warm, y'all!

❄️ What areas will see stormy weather? Everything you need to know.

• Flight cancellations begin as winter weather moves in.

• Will you have a white Christmas? Here's where snow is in the forecast.

• Brr! Florida's annual Surfing Santas event could face wind chills in 20s.

• Winter Storm Elliott? Blizzard? Bomb cyclone? What happened to calling it 'weather'?

What's in Trump's tax returns?

The IRS failed to audit former President Donald Trump's federal tax returns for his first two years in the White House, even though an agency program states the returns are "subject to mandatory review," a House committee report released late Tuesday disclosed. Trump filed tax returns in 2017 for the prior two tax years. But the IRS did not start audits on the filings until 2019. And the tax agency started its audit on the same day the House Ways and Means Committee sought Trump's tax returns and related audits, the report said. Designated agents from the panel discovered only one mandatory audit was started and none completed during Trump's four years in office. "Clearly, the mandatory audit program was dormant, at best, during the prior Administration," the report said.

• Where did the information come from? The findings and other concerns emerged from the House Ways and Means Committee's review of six years of Trump's personal tax returns and some of his business returns, IRS audit records material and related material.

🔎 What else is in the report? See the highlights here.

Real quick

• Amazon's 'Alexa, Thank My Driver' program is back! Here's how to give a $5 tip.

• 18 students, 3 teachers injured in dog attack during school recess.

• In wild twist, Carlos Correa to Mets after deal with Giants collapses.

• Critically ill baby mountain lion rescued in California.

• 8 teen girls charged with murder in Toronto man's stabbing death.

They didn't grow up seeing a Black Santa Claus – so they became one

When you think of Santa Claus, what color skin does he have? Black Santas are growing in popularity amid a rise in diversity and representation among traditional holiday characters. Chris Kennedy, a Black Santa in Little Rock, Arkansas, who made headlines in 2020 after receiving a racist anonymous note about his yard’s diverse Christmas decorations, didn’t recall seeing Santas of color as a child. Kennedy wanted a different upbringing for his daughter. “We're trying to make sure kids and families are seeing the things we didn't grow up seeing so they can pass that on to their kids," he said. Keep reading.

A break from the news

• 🎁🎥 The 20 best Christmas movies of all time, ranked.

• 📱 Need a last-minute tech gift? All these devices cost less than $50.

• 🧳 10 things to keep in your carry-on in case of flight delays and cancellations.

• 🕎 Looking for family-friendly Hanukkah fun? Here are some activities.

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Send her an email at laura@usatoday.com or follow along with her adventures – and misadventures – on Twitter. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wednesday's news: Ukraine's Zelenskyy in US, Jan. 6 report, winter storm.