WASHINGTON —

Addressing a concerned nation and anxious world, President Joe Biden vowed in his first State of the Union address Tuesday night to check Russian aggression in Ukraine, tame soaring U.S. inflation and deal with the fading but still dangerous coronavirus.

Biden declared that he and all members of Congress, whatever their political differences, are joined “with an unwavering resolve that freedom will always triumph over tyranny.” He asked the lawmakers crowding the House chamber to stand and salute the Ukrainians as he began his speech. They stood and cheered.

It was a notable show of unity after a long year of bitter acrimony between Biden’s Democratic coalition and the Republican opposition.

Biden’s 62-minute speech, which was split between attention to war abroad and worries at home — reflected the same balancing act he now faces in his presidency. He must marshal allied resolve against Russia’s aggression while tending to inflation, COVID-19 fatigue and sagging approval ratings heading into the midterm elections.

Biden highlighted the bravery of Ukrainian defenders and the commitment of a newly reinvigorated Western alliance that has worked to rearm the Ukrainian military and cripple Russia’s economy through sanctions. He warned of costs to the American economy, as well, but warned ominously that without consequences, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression wouldn’t be contained to Ukraine.

“Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson – when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos,” Biden said. “They keep moving. And, the costs and threats to America and the world keep rising.”

As Biden spoke, Russian forces were escalating their attacks in Ukraine, having bombarded the central square of country’s second-biggest city and Kyiv’s main TV tower, killing at least five people. The Babi Yar Holocaust memorial was also damaged.

Biden announced that the U.S. is following Canada and the European Union in banning Russian planes from its airspace in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine. He also said the Justice Department was launching a task force to go after crimes of Russian oligarchs, whom he called “corrupt leaders who have bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime.”

“We are coming for your ill-begotten gains,” he said, pledging that the U.S. and European allies were coming after their yachts, luxury apartments and private jets.

“Putin may circle Kyiv with tanks, but he will never gain the hearts and souls of the Ukrainian people," Biden said. "He will never extinguish their love of freedom. He will never weaken the resolve of the free world.”

Even before the Russian invasion sent energy costs skyrocketing, prices for American families had been rising, and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hurt families and the country’s economy.

Biden outlined plans to address inflation by reinvesting in American manufacturing capacity, speeding supply chains and reducing the burden of childcare and eldercare on workers.

“Too many families are struggling to keep up with the bills,” Biden said. “Inflation is robbing them of the gains they might otherwise feel. I get it. That’s why my top priority is getting prices under control.”

Biden entered the House chamber without a mask, in a reflection of the declining coronavirus case counts and new federal guidance meant to nudge the public back to pre-pandemic activities. But the Capitol was newly fenced due to security concerns after last year’s insurrection.

Set against unease at home and danger abroad, the White House had conceived Tuesday night's speech as an opportunity to highlight the improving coronavirus outlook, rebrand Biden's domestic policy priorities and show a path to lower costs for families grappling with soaring inflation. But it took on new significance with last week's Russian invasion of Ukraine and nuclear saber-rattling by Putin.

As is customary, one Cabinet secretary, in this case Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, was kept in a secure location during the address, ready to take over the government in the event of a catastrophe.

In an interview with CNN and Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he urged Biden to deliver a strong and “useful” message about Russia’s invasion. In a show of unity, Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova joined First Lady Jill Biden in the gallery.

In a rare discordant moment, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado yelled out that Biden was to blame for the 13 service members who were killed during last August’s chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“You put them in. Thirteen of them,” Boebert yelled as Biden mentioned his late son Beau, a veteran who died from brain cancer and served near toxic military burn pits, used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan. Biden is pursuing legislation to help veterans suffering exposure and other injuries.

Rising energy prices as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine risk exacerbating inflation in the U.S., which is already at the highest level in 40 years, eating into people's earnings and threatening the economic recovery from the pandemic. And while the crisis in Eastern Europe may have helped to cool partisan tensions in Washington, it didn't erase the political and cultural discord that is casting doubt on Biden’s ability to deliver.

A February AP-NORC poll found that more people disapproved than approved of how Biden is handling his job, 55% to 44%. That's down from a 60% favorable rating last July.

Ahead of the speech, White House officials acknowledged the mood of the country was “sour,” citing the lingering pandemic and inflation. Biden, used his remarks to highlight the progress from a year ago — with the majority of the U.S. population now vaccinated and millions more people at work — but also acknowledged that the job is not yet done, a recognition of American discontent.

“I have come to report on the state of the union,” Biden said. “And my report is this: The state of the union is strong—because you, the American people, are strong. We are stronger today than we were a year ago. And we will be stronger a year from now than we are today.”

Before Biden spoke, House Republicans said the word “crisis” describes the state of the union under Biden and Democrats — from an energy policy that lets Russia sell oil abroad to challenges at home over jobs and immigration.

“We’re going to push the president to do the right thing,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

At least a half dozen lawmakers, including Reps. Jamie Raskin and Pete Aguilar, both members of the committee investigating last year’s Capitol riot, and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., had tested positive for COVID-19 and were not expected at the Capitol for the speech.

“Tonight, I can say we are moving forward safely, back to more normal routines,” Biden said, outlining his administration's plans to continue to combat COVID-19 and saying, “It’s time for Americans to get back to work and fill our great downtowns again.” He announced that people will be able to order another round of free tests from the government and that his administration was launching a “test to treat” initiative to provide free antiviral pills at pharmacies to those who test positive for the virus.

Where his speech to Congress last year saw the rollout of a massive social spending package, Biden this year largely repackaged past proposals in search of achievable measures he hopes can win bipartisan support in a bitterly divided Congress before the elections.

The president also highlighted investments in everything from internet broadband access to bridge construction from November’s $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law as an example of government reaching consensus and delivering change for the nation.

He also appealed to lawmakers to compromise on rival competitiveness bills that have passed the House and Senate, both meant to revitalize high-tech American manufacturing and supply chains in the face of growing geopolitical threats from China.

“Instead of relying on foreign supply chains – let’s make it in America,” Biden said.

As part of his pitch to voters, he also put a new emphasis on how proposals like extending the child tax credit and bringing down child care costs could bring relief to families as prices rise. He was said his climate change proposals would cut costs for lower- and middle-income families and create new jobs.

Biden called for lowering health care costs, pitching his plan to authorize Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, as well as an extension of more generous health insurance subsidies now temporarily available through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces where 14.5 million people get coverage.

He proposed initiatives on mental health that dovetail with growing bipartisan interest in Congress amid evidence that the pandemic has damaged the national psyche, and discussed new ways to improve access to health benefits for veterans sickened by exposure to the burning of waste during their service.

Biden also appealed for action on voting rights, which has failed to win GOP support. And as gun violence rises, he returned to calls to ban assault weapons, a blunt request he hadn’t made in months. He called to “fund the police with the resources and training they need to protect our communities.”

In addition, Biden led Congress in a bipartisan tribute to retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and pressed the Senate to confirm federal Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be the first Black woman on the high court to replace him. He nominated her last week.

___

Associated Press writers Darlene Superville, Fatima Hussein, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Lisa Mascaro in Washington and Jason Dearen in New York contributed to this report.

It has been almost three decades since the Queen memorably summed up 1992 by calling it her “annus horribilis.”

However, that famous phrase has enjoyed something of a revival for a full three years now as 2019, 2020 and 2021 all saw the monarch grapple with repeated setbacks, loss and controversy.

Related video above: Royal Astrologer Predicts Meghan Markle Has a Big Year Ahead

So much so that we now begin 2022 with the notion that significant, often bitter, family divisions and a disgraced Prince facing sex abuse allegations are now an established part of the British royal story.

At the same time, the 95-year-old sovereign, who has commanded so much respect for steadily steering the ship for decades, has lost her “strength and stay” and been forced to take her biggest step back so far from public life.

Yet, 2022 is gearing up to see the monarchy at the center of nationwide celebrations as Britain marks one of the most significant milestones in royal history.

The queen reaching 70 years on the throne–a landmark she will pass in the early hours of Feb. 6, 2022—makes her the first British monarch ever to have a Platinum Jubilee. The central celebrations, planned for an extended weekend in June, have been billed by organizers as a “reopening ceremony” for the U.K. following COVID-19.

However, just as the pandemic brings us repeated twists and turns that make large-scale gatherings an uncertainty, the monarchy also faces challenges that were not there when flags waved for the Diamond Jubilee a decade earlier.

Exactly how visible the queen will be during the events remains unknown after she canceled multiple appearances at the end of 2021 when doctors told her to rest. While there will undoubtedly be a huge desire from many to celebrate her regardless of how much she can be seen, if she is too unwell to take part it will mark another turning point.

But while everyone is hoping that the queen will make it onto the Buckingham Palace balcony in June, the same cannot be said for her third child, Prince Andrew. The final days of 2021 saw him make headlines once again as his friend Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty of five out of the six charges in her sex trafficking trial.

While the Duke of York was hardly mentioned in the trial and faces no criminal charges, the result undoubtedly turns up the heat on the pending civil case against him brought by Virginia Giuffre who has accused the Prince of sexual abuse. Andrew is expected to find out this month whether the case will be thrown out (as his legal team have requested) or proceed to trial in New York.

No one is more acutely aware of the challenges facing the royal family than the two future kings, Prince Charles and Prince William. With William and Kate enjoying significant popularity with the British public and Charles and Camilla having successfully established acceptance as a couple on the world stage, the senior working royals will continue to fly the flag in 2022.

A visit across the pond could also be a possibility for Prince Harry and Meghan next year for the central jubilee celebrations, although nothing has been confirmed or announced regarding attendance in June. However, regardless of whether they are able to be there or not, there is no getting away from the fact that much of the narrative around the events will refer to the fractured family dynamics that have played out so publicly in the past few years.

After three years of challenges, 2022 has the potential to be a turning point for the royal family. But the jury is out on which direction things will take.

PARIS —

Sorrow for the dead and dying, fear of more infections to come and hopes for an end to the coronavirus pandemic were — again — the bittersweet cocktail with which the world said good riddance to 2021 and ushered in 2022.

New Year's Eve, which used to be celebrated globally with a free-spirited wildness, felt instead like a case of deja vu, with the fast-spreading omicron variant again filing hospitals. In London, officials said as many as 1 in 15 people were infected with the virus in the week before Christmas, while hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients in the U.K. rose 44% in the last week.

At the La Timone hospital in the southern French city of Marseille, Dr. Fouad Bouzana could only sigh Friday when asked what 2022 might bring.

"Big question," he said. "It's starting to become exhausting, because the waves come one after another."

The pandemic game-changer of 2021 —- vaccinations — continued apace, with some people getting jabs while others stocked up on drinks and treats for subdued feasting. Pakistani announced that had it achieved its goal of fully vaccinating 70 million people by the year's end.

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin mourned the dead, praised Russians for their strength in difficult times and soberly warned that the pandemic "isn't retreating yet." Russia's virus task force has reported 308,860 COVID-19 deaths but its state statistics agency says the death toll has been more than double that.

"I would like to express words of sincere support to all those who lost their dear ones," Putin said in a televised address broadcast just before midnight in each of Russia's 11 time zones.

Elsewhere, the venue that many chose for New Year's celebrations was the same place they became overly familiarly with during lockdowns: their homes. Because of omicron's virulence, cities cancelled traditional New Year's Eve concerts and fireworks displays to avoid drawing large crowds. Pope Francis also cancelled his New Year's Eve tradition of visiting the life-sized manger set up in St. Peter's Square, again to avoid a crowd.

Face masks again became mandatory Friday on the streets of Paris, a rule widely ignored among afternoon crowds that thronged the sunbathed Champs-Elysees. With nearly 50% of Paris-region intensive care beds filled by COVID-19 patients, hospitals were ordered to postpone non-essential surgeries to make more room.

Australia went ahead with its celebrations despite an explosion in virus cases. Thousands of fireworks lit up the sky over Sydney's Harbor Bridge and Opera House at midnight.

Hours before the spectacular display, Australian health authorities reported a record 32,000 new virus cases, many of them in Sydney. Because of the surge, crowds were far smaller than in pre-pandemic years, when as many as 1 million revelers would crowd inner Sydney.

Neighboring New Zealand opted for a more low-key approach, replacing its fireworks show in Auckland with a lights display projected onto landmarks including the Sky Tower and Harbor Bridge.

In Japan, writer Naoki Matsuzawa said he would spend the next few days cooking and delivering food to the elderly because some stores would be closed. He said vaccinations had made people less anxious about the pandemic, despite the new variant.

"A numbness has set in, and we are no longer overly afraid," said Matsuzawa, who lives in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo. "Some of us are starting to take for granted that it won't happen to me."

People thronged temples and shrines, most of them wearing masks. Some shrugged off the virus, dining and drinking in downtown Tokyo and flocking to shops, celebrating not only the holidays but a sense of exhilaration over being freed from recent virus restrictions.

In South Korea's capital, Seoul, the annual New Year's Eve bell-ringing ceremony was canceled for the second straight year due to a surge in cases. Officials said a pre-recorded video of this year's bell-ringing ceremony would instead be broadcast online and on television.

South Korean authorities also planned to close many beaches and other tourist attractions along the east coast, which usually swarm with people hoping to catch the year's first sunrise. On Friday, South Korea said it will extend tough distancing rules for another two weeks.

In India, millions of people were planning to ring in the new year from their homes, with nighttime curfews and other restrictions taking the fizz out of celebrations in large cities including New Delhi and Mumbai. Authorities have imposed restrictions to keep revelers away from restaurants, hotels, beaches and bars amid a surge in cases fueled by omicron.

Many Indonesians were also forgoing their usual festivities for a quieter evening at home, after the government banned many New Year's Eve celebrations. In Jakarta, fireworks displays, parades and other large gatherings were prohibited, while restaurants and malls were allowed to remain open but with curfews.

In Hong Kong, about 3,000 people planned to attend a New Year's Eve concert featuring local celebrities including boy band Mirror. The concert will be the first big New Year's Eve event held since 2018, after events were canceled in 2019 due to political strife and last year because of the pandemic.

In mainland China, the Shanghai government canceled events including an annual light show along the Huangpu River in the city center that usually draws hundreds of thousands of spectators.

There were no plans for public festivities in Beijing, where popular temples have been closed or had limited access since mid-December. The government has called on people to avoid leaving the Chinese capital if possible and requires tests for travelers arriving from areas where there are infections.

Popular temples in the eastern Chinese cities of Nanjing, Hangzhou and other major cities canceled traditional New Year's Eve "lucky bell-ringing" ceremonies and asked the public to stay away.

But in Thailand, authorities were allowing New Year's Eve parties and fireworks displays to continue, albeit with strict safety measures. They were hoping to slow the spread of the omicron variant while also softening the blow to the country's battered tourism sector. New Year's Eve prayers, which are usually held in Buddhist temples around Thailand, will be held online instead.

In the Philippines, a powerful typhoon two weeks ago wiped out basic necessities for tens of thousands of people ahead of New Year's Eve. More than 400 were killed by Typhoon Rai and at least 82 remain missing. Half a million homes were damaged or destroyed.

Leahmer Singson, a 17-year-old mother, lost her home to a fire last month, and then the typhoon blew away her temporary wooden shack in Cebu city. She will welcome the new year with her husband, who works in a glass and aluminum factory, and her 1-year-old baby in a ramshackle tent in a coastal clearing where hundreds of other families erected small tents from debris, rice sacks and tarpaulins.

Asked what she wants for the new year, Singson had a simple wish: "I hope we won't get sick."

___

Associated Press reporters Daniel Cole in Marseille; Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow; Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo; Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea; Ashok Sharma in New Delhi; Niniek Karmini and Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia; Hau Dinh in Hanoi, Vietnam; Zen Soo in Hong Kong; Tassanee Vejpongsa in Bangkok; Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines; and AP researcher Chen Si in Shanghai contributed to this report.

NEW YORK —

New York City readied to embrace the new year — and bid good riddance to another pandemic-marred 12 months — as it prepared to revive its annual New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square.

It did so as an uneasy nation tries to muster optimism that the worst days of the pandemic are now behind it — even as public health officials cautioned Friday against unbridled celebrations amid surging COVID infections from the omicron variant.

The city said it would limit the number of people it lets into Times Square to witness a 6-ton ball, encrusted with nearly 2,700 Waterford crystals, descend above a crowd of about 15,000 in-person spectators — far fewer than the many tens of thousands of revelers who usually descend on the world-famous square to bask in the lights, hoopla and shower of confetti during the nation's marquee New Year's Eve event.

"We are very excited to welcome back visitors to Times Square this New Year's Eve," said Tom Harris, the president of the Times Square Alliance. "Our goal is to have a safe and responsible event for the world to see."

The annual ball drop takes place Friday, as the clock ticks into midnight and ushers in the new year, an occasion usually commemorated with Champagne, clinking pints, joyous embraces and hopes for better times ahead.

But 2022 begins just as the year prior began — with the pandemic clouding an already uncertain future.

Doubts swirled whether the city would have to cancel this year's bash, as the city posted record numbers of COVID cases in the days leading to it, even as some cities like Atlanta had decided to cancel their own celebrations.

Last year's ball drop was closed to the public because of the outbreak.

COVID-19 cases in the U.S. have soared to their highest levels on record at over 265,000 per day on average. New York City reported a record number of new, confirmed cases — more than 39,590 — on Tuesday, according to New York state figures.

But Mayor Bill de Blasio, who will relinquish oversight of the nation's most populous city at the stroke of midnight, said the festivities at Times Square would "show the world that New York City is fighting our way through this."

Officials said those attending the spectacle would have to wear masks and show proof of vaccination. Organizers had initially hoped that more than 50,000 revelers would be able to join in, but plans were dramatically scaled back because of widespread infections.

Rap artist and actor LL Cool J was supposed to be among the performers taking the stage in Times Square Friday night, but announced he would pull out of the event because he had tested positive for COVID-19.

New York City's incoming mayor, Eric Adams, is scheduled to take his oath in Times Square soon after the ball drop. He expressed hope Thursday that 2022 would be "a new beginning of our resiliency."

It was a sentiment shared by ordinary people.

College students and sisters Mary and Vanessa Anyakwo were guardedly optimistic, too, as they took in Times Square on an outing from their home in suburban Elmsford, New York.

"I feel a lot more hopeful than I was last year because I think we have a lot more facilities" to handle the pandemic, said Mary, 20.

Vanessa, 22, pointed to the crowds. "By this time last year," she said, "I didn't think it would be like this."

Paolo Brügger, a banker from Zurich, Switzerland, reflected on a world fed-up with having to endure wave after wave of the virus a year after 2021 dawned with hopes bottled up in vaccine vials.

His optimism was tempered by the world's new reality that the pandemic would linger into the new year.

"A lot of people are asking themselves now, 'Is this going to be like this every year — when we get into the cold season, we have a new variant, and we are back to square one?'" said Brügger, 55.

Still, he was "extremely optimistic" about 2022, partly because vaccines and new therapies against COVID-19 and partly, he said with a chuckle, "because it can't be worse than the last two years."

If you have a job, you're probably getting a bigger raise next year.

Base pay may increase by an average of 3.9% in 2022, the largest one-year projected hike since 2008, according to The Conference Board's latest wage survey of 240 companies, the majority of which each employ more than 10,000 people.

The employers were asked how much they projected their wage costs to increase in 2022 for their current workforce. So the 3.9% jump does not include any bonuses or other one-time payouts a company may offer.

Why the big increase? Nearly half (46%) of employers cited the need to offer higher wages in order to attract workers given the labor shortage.

As employers offer new hires bigger salaries, it leads to "pay compression," the Conference Board said. That means the gap in wages between new hires and tenured or higher ranking current employees is narrowed.

"When more experienced workers feel that their pay advantage is no longer significant, they may seek new jobs in the tight labor market, which leads to high labor turnover of more experienced workers," the Conference Board noted.

And 39% of employers cited high inflation as another factor. While normally inflation isn't employers' top reason to increase base pay, this year it's been too high to ignore, with companies worrying that some of their employees might jump ship if they don't get enough of a pay bump, said Gad Levanon, a vice president at The Conference Board whose research focuses on labor markets.

In fact, employers' thinking on wage growth has changed quickly over the past year. In April, when the labor shortage wasn't as pronounced and high inflation was not yet seen as persistent, they were asked the same questions about their projected 2022 wage cost increases. Back then they estimated those costs would go up just 3%.

You might see an even bigger pop in your base pay if you hunt around for a new job and come back to your company with a competing offer. Or you might just take the new offer.

"People switching jobs are getting much higher wage growth than people staying in the same jobs," Levanon said.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg predicted on Sunday that supply chain issues facing the U.S. will continue into 2022, but stressed that Congress potentially passing President Joe Biden's infrastructure proposal is the best way to help alleviate those problems.

"Certainly a lot of the challenges that we've been experiencing this year will continue into next year. But there are both short-term and long-term steps that we can take to do something about it," Buttigieg told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union."

"Look, part of what's happening isn't just the supply side, it's the demand side. Demand is off the charts," he added. "This is one more example of why we need to pass the infrastructure bill. There are $17 billion in the President's infrastructure plan for ports alone and we need to deal with these long-term issues that have made us vulnerable to these kinds of bottlenecks when there are demand fluctuations, shocks and disruptions like the ones that have been caused by the pandemic."

The comments from the secretary come as Biden's $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill makes its way through Congress, where it has already passed the Senate but is now stalled in the House. The legislation includes money for roads, bridges and public transportation, and would also provide funds to reduce congestion and emissions near ports and airports.

Asked by Tapper if he was frustrated that House progressives' demands to not vote on the physical infrastructure bill until the social infrastructure bill was also ready for a vote, Buttigieg said both pieces of legislation are needed to address the current issues stemming from the pandemic, including inflation.

"One thing that has not been talked about enough is (Moody's) finding about how the overall "Build Back Better" vision is designed to reduce inflationary pressures. So if you care about inflation, you ought to care about not just the supply chain issues, not just the infrastructure things I work on, but also the provisions in "Build Back Better" like paid family leave, like making it easier to afford childcare, like community college, that are going to give us a stronger labor force and help us deal with that major constraint on economic growth," he said.

When asked about the possibility of Biden lifting tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump against China -- something that could relieve some of the stress pandemic-related supply chain issues are putting on U.S. companies -- Buttigieg said that "every idea is being taken seriously," but would not elaborate further.

Buttigieg also stressed that the administration has to act to address the climate crisis after reports that the cornerstone climate policy in Democrats' massive social infrastructure package will likely be dropped from the final deal after Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia pushed back on it.

"The administration and the President are committed to bold climate action. Exactly what legislative form that takes is what's being negotiated right now. But the bottom line is we have to act on climate for the good of our children and, by way, for the good of our economy," he said.

The pause on federal student loan payments, interest, and collections has been extended until Jan. 31, 2022.

The Department of Education made the announcement Friday afternoon and said it will be the final extension.

Before the extension, the student loan payment moratorium that was put in place to help those struggling during the pandemic was set to expire on Sept. 30.

The department says it believes this additional time will allow borrowers to plan for the resumption of payments and reduce the risk of delinquency and defaults once payments resume.

The department says it will continue its work to transition borrowers smoothly back into repayment, including by improving student loan servicing.

“The payment pause has been a lifeline that allowed millions of Americans to focus on their families, health, and finances instead of student loans during the national emergency,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in a statement. “As our nation’s economy continues to recover from a deep hole, this final extension will give students and borrowers the time they need to plan for restart and ensure a smooth pathway back to repayment. It is the Department’s priority to support students and borrowers during this transition and ensure they have the resources they need to access affordable, high quality higher education.”

The department says it will begin notifying borrowers about this final extension in the coming days, and it will release resources and information about how to plan for payments to restart as the end of the pause approaches.

CNN —

"Arthur" is coming to an end after 25 years.

The iconic children's series is ending next year, screenwriter Kathy Waugh revealed during a recent interview on the "Finding DW" podcast.

Executive producer Carol Greenwald said reruns will continue to be available.

"Arthur is the longest-running kids animated series in history and is known for teaching kindness, empathy and inclusion through many groundbreaking moments to generations of viewers," Greenwald said in a statement.

"Arthur" is aimed at children ages 4 to 8. It stars 8-year-old aardvark Arthur and his family and friends, according to PBS Kids.

Waugh told the podcast: "Arthur is no longer in production. We had our wrap party two years ago. I think [PBS] made a mistake, and I think Arthur should come back and I know I'm not alone in thinking they made a mistake."

She continued: "I don't know if it was a ratings issue or if it felt like it needed to be retired. To me, it felt evergreen, like it was never going to end, but it did end."

Waugh developed the show based on the books by Marc Brown. The show is the longest-running children's animated series in the U.S. and has won four Daytime Emmys for outstanding children's animated program.

The show ends with Season 25, which is set to air in the winter of 2022. It was previously renewed for four seasons in 2018. It premiered in October 1996.

Video above: House passes President Biden's $1.9T Covid relief billSenate elections typically happen only every two years — except sometimes they're three years in a row.Democrats picked up two seats in November 2020.They won two more in Georgia runoffs in January 2021. And in 2022, they'll be fighting to keep control of the evenly divided chamber, where Vice President Kamala Harris is the tie-breaking vote.But the fight for control is already center stage, since Congress — and the 50-50 Senate, in particular — helps shape how successful President Joe Biden will be in enacting his agenda. Democrats are eager to grow their majority so they can pass legislation with a more comfortable margin, while Republicans want the Senate back so they can check the Biden White House.History is on Republicans' side. The party that loses the presidency usually gains seats in the midterm elections. By the numbers, at least, Republicans are more on defense heading into 2022: Of the 34 Senate seats up next year, Republicans are defending 20 to Democrats' 14. Not all of those are competitive, though: Only eight seats are currently rated as "battlegrounds" by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales.The seat most likely to flip partisan control next fall, according to CNN's inaugural ranking, is in Pennsylvania, currently held by GOP Sen. Pat Toomey, who's not running for reelection. The top 10 Senate seats most likely to flip are based on CNN's reporting, as well as historical data about how states and candidates have performed. As the cycle heats up, polling, fundraising and advertising spending data will also become factors.In this first edition, the top 10 slots happen to be evenly divided between GOP-held and Democratic-held seats. Three open seats are on the list, all currently held by Republicans who are retiring, making their seats more competitive than they otherwise would have been.Regardless of historical precedent, the map of seats at play is important to consider. In 2018, for example, Democrats won the House by capitalizing on anti-President Donald Trump energy in the suburbs two years after he had been elected. But the Senate was a different story: Republicans gained seats because Democratic senators were up for reelection in rural red states where Trump had won.This cycle, only one senator is running for reelection in a state carried by the opposite party's 2020 presidential candidate: GOP Sen. Ron Johnson. His Wisconsin seat is the third most likely to flip, but the two-term senator is the most vulnerable Republican incumbent.Some states on this list will feel familiar. It wasn't too long ago that Georgia was the epicenter of the political universe, helping to deliver the White House and the Senate to Democrats. Expect the Peach State to be a big player again in 2022, with Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock running for a full six-year term and control of the Senate on the line once more. Among the other states that were hotly contested in the 2020 cycle and again are on this list are Arizona, North Carolina and Colorado.But long before the "Magic Wall" is coded in shades of red and blue, intra-party battles will dominate much of the news in 2021, with next year's nominating contests going a long way toward determining how competitive some of these general elections will ultimately be. Senate primaries — the fields nascent as they may be — are emerging as early indicators of where each party's base is headed. That's especially true for Republicans, who are very publicly grappling with what the GOP looks like with Trump out of the White House.The former president may have left Washington — and in unorthodox fashion, as the first president to ever be impeached twice — but the control he has over the Republican Party was on display at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando this past weekend. It was all about him — gold statue and all. And even if his winning percentage in the unscientific straw poll wasn't commanding (55%), the rhetoric his acolytes and other 2024 prospects used was a nod to "Trumpism" — a noun that the former president delighted in defining onstage in his first public remarks since leaving the White House.Listing every Republican who voted to impeach him in the House or convict him in the Senate, Trump is targeting them for removal by challengers more loyal to him. He recently endorsed a former aide who's running against one of those House Republicans, and as he considers launching a super PAC, he's signaling he may be investing in additional races with more than just endorsements.The extent to which Trump will get involved and will back candidates at odds with Senate GOP leadership remains to be seen. But he could be a potent factor in open-seat Senate races, like those in Pennsylvania, Ohio and North Carolina, where GOP incumbents — two of whom voted to convict him — are not seeking reelection.Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is the only Republican senator who voted to convict Trump who's running for reelection next year, but he'd threatened her even before that vote. And the moderate Republican proved in 2010 that she can lose a primary (and GOP leadership's support) and still win the general election as a write-in candidate. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell pledged on Monday that national Republicans will stand by her. Also working in Murkowski's favor this cycle may be a new "top four" system in the state, where all candidates run together in a nonpartisan primary and the four top finishers advance to the general election, where voters rank their preferences. For all those reasons, Alaska doesn't come close to cracking this list of seats most likely to flip, despite Trump's threats to Murkowski.A few other GOP-held states could eventually earn honorable mentions. For now, the only chance that Iowa becomes competitive is if the 87-year-old Sen. Chuck Grassley retires. He hasn't said what he's doing yet. But even Joni Ernst, the state's junior GOP senator, who was in a top-targeted seat last year, won reelection by more than 6 points.Similarly, Missouri looks to have become more solidly red since GOP Sen. Roy Blunt defeated Democrat Jason Kander by less than 3 points in 2016, which was a presidential year. One of his first Democratic challengers launched his campaign this year by mostly criticizing the other Missouri senator (Josh Hawley, who objected to the certification of Biden's electoral win) and trying to tie Blunt to him.The 10 seats below are ranked in order of most to least likely to flip. But it's still early in the cycle, with candidate fields in flux, so be sure to check CNN's next ranking to see how things have changed.1. PennsylvaniaIncumbent: Republican Pat Toomey (retiring)Toomey's announcement that he won't seek reelection makes this state even more competitive than it otherwise would have been. Biden's win here was a shift from four years ago, when Trump narrowly carried the Keystone State in 2016. That same year, Toomey won reelection by less than 2 points, defeating a Democratic nominee who attracted big-time endorsements but wasn't the strongest campaigner. As with all open seats, the contours of this race will depend on who runs — and who wins each party's nomination. On the Democratic side, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who finished third in the 2016 Senate primary, is the biggest name. The tattooed former mayor of Braddock, a working-class town by Pittsburgh, sells himself as a progressive who can appeal to voters who saw something in Trump. Although his campaign is already touting big fundraising, he won't have the field to himself. State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, a Biden surrogate during the 2020 campaign, has announced his bid and others — including members of the congressional delegation — could soon follow. Kenyatta was the first member of color who identifies as gay in the state Legislature. Without Toomey in the race, the Republican side is wide open and may attract a range of candidates on the spectrum of Trump loyalty, including prominent Trump critics like moderate former Reps. Charlie Dent and Ryan Costello.2. GeorgiaIncumbent: Democrat Raphael WarnockIt's time to talk about Georgia — again! Warnock won this seat earlier this year, defeating appointed Sen. Kelly Loeffler in a special election runoff to fill out the term of former Sen. Johnny Isakson. Warnock made history in January, becoming the first Black senator from the Peach State, and — along with Sen. Jon Ossoff, who won the state's other Senate runoff — he flipped the chamber after Biden became the first Democrat in 28 years to carry the state. In 2022, Warnock is running for a full six-year term. There may not be as many resources poured into Georgia as there were when it was a presidential battleground or when it held simultaneous Senate runoffs, but the underlying factors that made the state competitive in 2020 aren't going away. The Atlanta suburbs are still changing, attracting diverse and well-educated voters who lean Democratic. And all eyes are on Stacey Abrams to run for governor again, which would energize the Black voters Democrats need to turn out as part of their winning coalition. On the Republican side, former Sen. David Perdue now says he's not running, but Loeffler — who recently launched a PAC aimed at conservative voter registration — is considering it, as is former Rep. Doug Collins, whose candidacy pushed Loeffler to the right last year when he failed to make it to the runoff. They all are coming off of losses, but Republicans feel better about their bench here than in some other offensive opportunities. As 2020 showed, Georgia is an evolving state, but it may not be as friendly to Democrats when it's not a presidential year, and Republicans think they still have some sway with suburban voters if Trump isn't on the ticket. It's yet to be seen what role the former president could play in this race, but Republicans are hoping he'll lay off attacking the state's election system, which may have depressed GOP turnout in the runoffs.3. WisconsinIncumbent: Republican Ron JohnsonJohnson hasn't said whether he's running for reelection, and it's not clear which decision would give Republicans better odds of retaining this seat. If he retires, this race could get more competitive for Democrats as an open-seat contest, although Republicans feel confident they have a strong bench here. And if Johnson stays, he's vulnerable, having ended 2020 with just over half a million dollars in the bank and barreling through 2021 with a penchant for saying conspiratorial things about the 2020 election and its aftermath (including questioning whether the attack on the U.S. Capitol was an armed insurrection). The two-term senator seems to see some political benefit to catering to the former president, but that may not be the most viable path to reelection in a state that Biden reclaimed from Trump last fall. In 2016, Johnson dashed former Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold's hopes of a comeback, beating him by about 3 points in a race that many observers had prematurely written off as a Democratic pickup. Whether Johnson stays or goes, Democrats have a decent chance to pick up the seat, although their field is still emerging. Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry is running, as is Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, a former lieutenant governor nominee who lost a House bid in 2016.4. North CarolinaIncumbent: Republican Richard Burr (retiring)Trump's win here last fall, coupled with the reelection of Sen. Thom Tillis, proved that there's still a lot of red in this purple state. But with Burr not running for reelection, Democrats have a stronger chance of flipping his seat. Again, a lot depends on who the candidates are, but likely GOP candidates are already tripping over each other trying to criticize Burr's surprise vote to convict Trump in his impeachment trial. Former Rep. Mark Walker, who declined to run for reelection in 2020 after his House district was redrawn, announced last fall that he's running for the GOP nomination, but plenty of others could jump in, including former Gov. Pat McCrory, state GOP party Chair Michael Whatley, current members of the congressional delegation and even the former president's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump. A Trump-style candidate could turn out his base but could also turn off voters in the growing suburban areas that have made this state competitive and allowed Democrats to win other statewide races. Democratic state Sen. Jeff Jackson is running, as is state Sen. Erica Smith, whom Republicans tried to prop up in the 2020 Senate primary because they believed she'd be a weak general election candidate. The Democratic field is likely to grow much larger.5. ArizonaIncumbent: Democrat Mark KellyKelly won in November, defeating Republican Martha McSally to fill the remainder of the late Sen. John McCain's term. And like Warnock in Georgia, Kelly now has to run for a six-year term in a state that Biden flipped blue. This race is lower on the list of seats most likely to flip than Georgia, though, because it's harder to see Republicans mounting an aggressive challenge to Kelly, who they admit ran a strong campaign and is an impressive fundraiser. McSally lost two successive Senate races, unable to perfect the delicate balance of appealing to Trump's base without alienating suburban women, and there isn't an obvious bench of viable candidates waiting in the wings. Arizona Republicans are deeply fractured, with those who have spoken out against Trump censured by the state party, which is now run by Trump loyalist and failed Senate candidate Kelli Ward. Those censured include GOP Gov. Doug Ducey, who has said he is not running for Senate. There's plenty of time for him to change his mind before the filing deadline, though, and if he does, this race could look more competitive for Republicans.6. NevadaIncumbent: Democrat Catherine Cortez MastoCortez Masto was elected to her first term in 2016, beating Republican Joe Heck by about 2 points and becoming the first Latina senator. She went on to chair the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which should arm her with the contacts and fundraising ability to run a strong defensive campaign. Although Democrats have done well here in recent years, with Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen unseating Republican Dean Heller in 2018, the Silver State is still competitive territory that Democrats shouldn't take for granted. Biden won the state only by a little more than 2 points.7. New HampshireIncumbent: Democrat Maggie HassanHassan, a former two-term governor, won her seat by the narrowest margins in 2016, defeating Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte while Hillary Clinton also carried the state by less than a point. Fast-forward four years, and Biden carried the state by 7 points, while Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen won a third term by nearly 16 points. All that makes New Hampshire look like a state that's trending more blue. But either Ayotte or Gov. Chris Sununu could make this race competitive if they decide to run — and if and when that happens, this will move up the list of seats able to be flipped. Sununu has said he'll "take a look" at the race but wants to get through the legislative session first (which ends in June). His ambivalence could keep other Republicans out of the race until he decides, which could ultimately be a good thing for Hassan. But his potential candidacy is a threat Democrats are taking seriously.8. OhioIncumbent: Republican Rob Portman (retiring)Trump's strength in Ohio (he carried the state by 8 points in 2016 and 2020) is a clear sign of its partisan lean. But with Portman announcing in January that he won't seek a third term, Democrats have a better shot at flipping the seat. (Portman last won reelection by more than 20 points, defeating former Gov. Ted Strickland, who was tarred as a DC liberal.) On the Democratic side, some of the bigger names to watch include Rep. Tim Ryan — who ran a short-lived 2020 presidential campaign and has long toyed with running statewide — and Amy Acton, the former state health director. But it's the GOP primary that's bringing the most drama so far, with the biggest names openly competing for a Trump endorsement while trying to tie one another to former GOP Gov. John Kasich, a noted Trump critic who endorsed Biden. Former state Treasurer Josh Mandel has adopted Trump's rhetoric about a stolen election and attacked Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, a member of the delegation who voted for impeachment. Mandel has twice tried to knock out the state's other senator, Democrat Sherrod Brown, but he lost in 2012 and dropped out in 2018, although he ended up with nearly $4 million left over for this race. Meanwhile, former state party Chair Jane Timken, who's part of a wealthy steel manufacturing family, launched her campaign with a video filled with photos of Trump and her. "I cleaned house of the Kasich establishment," she says. She's now piled on Gonzalez, calling this week for him to resign. She'd be the first female senator from Ohio, and some Republicans like the idea of a Harvard-educated woman with Trump credibility campaigning in the suburbs.9. FloridaIncumbent: Republican Marco RubioAs in Ohio, Trump's win here affirmed a lot of people's thinking that Florida is a tough state for Democrats, although Republicans' margins here are smaller. But unlike in the Buckeye State, the GOP incumbent is sticking around. Rubio last won reelection in 2016 (after dropping out of the presidential primary) by about 8 points, and since then, GOP Sen. Rick Scott — the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee this cycle — unseated Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. Any initial threat to Rubio from the Trump flank seems to have been dispelled with Ivanka Trump, the former president's daughter, saying she won't challenge him, but other challengers could emerge. Democrats to watch include Reps. Val Demings and Stephanie Murphy, both of whom have compelling personal stories and could help turn out diverse voters. Murphy, the co-chair of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition, launched a listening tour on issues last week — which is usually code for testing the waters of a campaign — but she's said she may also hold out for a 2024 Senate run.10. ColoradoIncumbent: Democrat Michael BennetAfter Biden's nearly 14-point victory here last fall and Democrat John Hickenlooper's defeat of GOP Sen. Cory Gardner, Colorado looks like a blue state. Gardner was one of the most vulnerable incumbents for all of the 2020 cycle, struggling to appeal to moderates and please the Trump base simultaneously. In an overt attempt to look bipartisan, one of his ads even flashed a picture of Bennet, who had endorsed his opponent. Now it's Bennet's turn to run for reelection. And despite those recent victories, Democrats aren't taking this race for granted in a state that still has plenty of conservative areas. Bennet is known as a cerebral legislator, but he earned national attention for a fiery Senate floor speech lambasting Texas' Sen. Ted Cruz that went viral in 2019. He briefly ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, but even though some of his more moderate votes distinguished him from other contenders he failed to stick out or gain traction. He was first appointed to this seat in 2009, then won a full term in 2010 by defeating Ken Buck, now a Republican congressman who has said he's not running for Senate this year. The Democrat didn't face much of a challenge in 2016, with observers writing off his race well before it was over. But in the end he won reelection only by about 6 points. And although Colorado has trended more blue in the last six years, Bennet's relatively close 2016 margin is a reason not to move this race off the list quite yet.