U.S. and world news for Jan. 18

Helicopter crash in Ukraine: Ukraine’s interior minister Denis Monastyrsky was among the people killed as the result of a helicopter crash today. Also reported killed in the crash were First Deputy Minister Yevheniy Yenin and State Secretary Yuriy Lubkovychis. The reported death toll from the crash has varied, with 16 and 17 being most often reported. Nine of the victims were on board the helicopter. It was not immediately determined whether the helicopter was shot down or crashed due to mechanical failure or poor weather conditions.

Santos accused of stealing: The New York Post reported this morning that Congressman George Santos stole $3,000 that people had contributed to help pay for surgery needed to save the life of a Navy veteran’s service dog. The report says that Santos, using the name Anthony Devolder, which is among the names Santos is known to have used, set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to pay for the dog’s surgery, and after $3,000 was raised closed the GoFundMe page and kept the money.

Disabled student case: The Supreme Court was scheduled to hear arguments today in a case that could make it more difficult for disabled students to obtain public school educations that are crafted to fit their particular needs. The case is Perez vs. the public schools in Sturgis, Michigan. Perez is deaf student who claimed he did not receiving a proper education. His family reached a settlement with the public school system, and then sued for damages.

Yellen meets Chinese official: Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen met in Switzerland today with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He to discuss possible cooperation on global finance issues and the transition to clean energy. Yellen said that while the two countries have differences, they should not allow a lack of communication to be a barrier to understanding and cooperation.

Pemex burns gas: The news agency Reuters reported this morning that Mexico’s state-owned oil company, Pemex, illegally destroyed more than $342 million worth of gas released from two oil wells over a three-year period ending last August. The process is known as flaring and Pemex has been under pressure to end the practice, which is environmentally harmful, and instead capture the gas for use rather than just burning it.

Was Musk invited?: The World Economic Forum in Davos is in its third day. Attracting a lot of attention is a claim made by Tesla and Twitter’s Elon Musk that he turned down an invitation to attend the forum. The forum organizers, on the other hand, say that Musk was never invited.