Today on America in the Morning

Lloyd Austin’s Hospital Stay Under Review The Defense Secretary’s recent illness and hospitalization has raised a host of questions about delegation and notification. Correspondent Linda Kenyon has the story from Washington. Trump Spends Tuesday In Court Donald Trump spent Tuesday in a Washington, D.C. court as a federal appeals panel of judges heard arguments for and against that the former president was immune from prosecution on charges he plotted to overturn the 2020 election. Correspondent Julie Walker reports. Blinken In Israel After meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is urging Israel to engage with the region on postwar plans as they continue their battle with Hamas. Ed Donahue reports. Budget Deal In Crisis There’s now a shutdown showdown on Capitol Hill, with just over a week before the government is set to shutter some agencies, and despite a deal made between Chuck Schumer in the Senate and Mike Johnson in the House, Senate Republicans now want to extend the current funding levels to renegotiate spending bills. Business News The SEC’s X/Twitter account had a post saying that the Securities and Exchange Commission had approved Bitcoin’s ETF for trading, but the problem was, the SEC didn’t post that news, and soon after, admitted their social media platform had been compromised. Here’s CNBC’s Jessica Ettinger with Wednesday business. Backlash Over Trump “Crash” Comments The Biden campaign is snapping back at former President Trump following comments he made about the economy crashing under President Biden's leadership. Correspondent Clayton Neville reports. Serious Blood Shortage The American Red Cross announced that it’s experiencing the lowest number of people donating in the last 20 years. The Red Cross says that the number of people giving blood has dropped by 40% over the last two decades. GOP Primary Update With the Iowa Caucus now just five days away, the GOP presidential field tries narrowing the gap with Donald Trump, who spent his Tuesday in the Nation's Capital. John Stolnis has more from Washington. Severe Weather Across The Nation 47 American states are under a variety of weather alerts, dealing with rain and flooding, tornadoes, a large number of power outages, and blizzard conditions. Correspondent Clayton Neville has the wide-ranging impacts. American Arrested In Russia Officials say an American citizen has been arrested on drug charges in Russia, a move that comes amid soaring Kremlin-U.S. tensions over Ukraine. Correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports. Melania Trump’s Mother Passes The mother of former First Lady Melania Trump has passed away. Amalija Knavs (pronounced AM-uh-LEE-jha navs) had been hospitalized recently, and was 78 years old. Teacher’s Affair With Student Also Gets Father Arrested A high school teacher has been arrested, charged with statutory rape for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old student, but she may not be the only one in trouble. Kamala Harris Flight Diverted A scare in the skies for Vice President Kamala Harris traveling in Air Force Two. Correspondent Norman Hall reports. Finally New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers denied he implied comedian Jimmy Kimmel was a pedophile, but stopped short of apologizing. Entertainment correspondent Margie Szaroleta has the latest on the Rogers-Kimmel feud. Star Wars is leaping off of Disney Plus and heading to the big screen. Kevin Carr has the story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices