The countdown to the end of the year is on, and today is our last Thursday with Howie Klein in 2022 and in the 117th Congress. When we next convene, it'll be January 5. The 118th Congress will be the first in almost two decades without Nancy Pelosi leading the House Democrats. The torch will have been passed to Hakeem Jefferies, certainly ushering in a new era. But to make matters even worse, the Republicans will be in charge of the House, with a new Speaker, who may or may not be Kevin McCarthy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left Ukraine yesterday for the first time since the Russians invaded in February. He came to Washington DC for that Oval Office meeting he had long wanted, and to deliver an historical address to a joint meeting of Congress. And more transcripts are released from the House Select Committee investigating Jan 6... though as of midday on Thursday, we still haven't seen the full report. Perhaps it'll be delivered by a bearded man in a red suit late Saturday night?