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☆ House Republican Majority Shrinks Again as Congress Faces Critical Issues
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With Democrat Tom Suozzi’s victory in a special House election in New York on Tuesday, the shrinking Republican majority in the House dwindled even further, leaving the G.O.P. able to afford only two defections from the party line on votes when all members are present. That gives them almost no cushion to deal with the inevitable absences caused by illness, travel delays, weddings, funerals and unforeseen events that could keep Republicans away from the House floor for votes. It also gives each individual House Republican even more leverage over Speaker Mike Johnson, who is already struggling to steer his unmanageable majority. “I would be constantly on defense, I would be trying to avoid defeats, and I would be very, very careful,” former Speaker Newt Gingrich said in an interview.

Persons: Tom Suozzi’s, Mike Johnson, Newt Gingrich Organizations: Republican Locations: New York, Ukraine, Israel

☆ Senators Work Into Weekend on Ukraine and Israel Bill as G.O.P. Slows Progress
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The long-stalled emergency national security package to send aid to Ukraine and Israel is back on track in the Senate and headed toward passage within days — but not before Republican senators try to take a few partisan shots at the legislation. The senators are slowing progress on the $95 billion measure as they seek votes on proposed revisions, particularly concerning border security — despite having voted this week to kill a version of the bill that included a bipartisan deal to crack down on immigration. The demands amount to an exercise in political face-saving. Republicans said for months that they would never approve funds to help Ukraine fight off a Russian invasion without simultaneously taking significant steps to secure the U.S. border with Mexico. But their decision to kill a proposal to do just that means the aid will move forward without immigration restrictions.

Persons: Donald J, Trump Organizations: Republican Locations: Ukraine, Israel, U.S, Mexico

☆ Ukraine and Israel Aid Bill Stalled in Senate as Divided G.O.P. Demands Changes
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senators raced on Thursday to revive a sweeping emergency national security aid bill for Ukraine and Israel that has stalled yet again on Capitol Hill amid Republican resistance. Republicans who voted to block the measure on Wednesday were again withholding their support for moving forward with the bill, which includes $60.1 billion for Ukraine, $14.1 billion for Israel and $10 billion in humanitarian aid. They demanded the chance to propose changes, including adding border restrictions — just one day after having blocked a version of the legislation that included a bipartisan package of border restrictions. Feuding over what modifications to seek, Republicans were huddling behind closed doors in the Capitol on Thursday morning to iron out their disputes. The bill would need 60 votes to advance, which would require the support of at least 10 Republicans.

Persons: Chuck Schumer Organizations: Republican, Republicans Locations: Ukraine, Israel, New York

☆ With Border Deal Doomed, Schumer Plans Test Vote on Ukraine and Israel Aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senate Democrats are planning to make a last-ditch effort on Wednesday to salvage an aid bill for Ukraine and Israel, with Republicans expected to kill a version of the package that includes stringent border security measures that they had demanded be included. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, has told his Democratic colleagues that after a critical test vote set for early Wednesday afternoon, in which Republicans are expected to block the border and Ukraine package, he plans to quickly force a vote on a stand-alone bill that would send tens of billions of dollars in funding to Kyiv and Israel. A bipartisan group of senators had spent months negotiating a compromise that paired a crackdown against migration into the United States with an emergency national security spending package that has been stalled for months. But with Republicans balking at the immigration deal, the outcome of that vote was clear: It did not have the 60 votes it needed to advance. Anticipating its failure, Mr. Schumer told the White House this week that he had a Plan B: If Republicans scuttled the bipartisan agreement, he would immediately seek to push through the foreign aid without the border deal, according to a Democratic aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the discussions.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, balking, Schumer Organizations: Democratic, Republicans Locations: Ukraine, Israel, New York, Kyiv, United States

☆ Biden Threatens Veto of U.S. House's Standalone Israel Aid Bill
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Patricia Zengerle(Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's admninistration said on Monday he would veto a standalone bill backed by House of Representatives Republicans that would provide aid to Israel, as it backs a broader bill providing assistance to Ukraine and Israel and providing new funds for border security. Officials from the Democratic president's administration have been working for months with Senate Democrats and Republicans on legislation unveiled on Sunday combining billions of dollars in emergency aid for Ukraine, Israel and partners in the Indo-Pacific region, with an overhaul of U.S. immigration policy. Republican House leaders said days before its release on Sunday night that they would reject the bipartisan Senate bill, and instead vote on a bill proiding aid only to Israel. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesThe Republican-majority House passed an Israel-only bill in November, but it was never taken up in the Democratic-led Senate, as members worked on Biden's request for Congress to approve the broader emergency security package. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; additional reporting by Eric Beech and Costas Pitas; Editing by Stephen Coates)

Persons: Patricia Zengerle, Joe Biden's admninistration, Eric Beech, Costas Pitas, Stephen Coates Organizations: Republicans, Emergency National Security, Management, Democratic, Democrats, Republican Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Gaza

They found themselves back in the same predicament they confronted in September, when Congress narrowly avoided a shutdown just hours before the deadline. With that temporary funding measure set to expire in days, Mr. Johnson appears set on avoiding a repeat of the circumstances that doomed his predecessor. That means he will need to corral nearly all Republicans to pass a government funding measure, a considerable feat given his party’s resistance to federal spending. “We certainly want to avoid a government shutdown,” Mr. Johnson said. At a closed-door meeting underneath the Capitol on Tuesday morning, Mr. Johnson presented a menu of spending strategies to his conference.

Persons: Biden, Mike Johnson, Drew Ferguson, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, “, Mr, ” Mr, McCarthy Organizations: Democratic, Republican, Capitol, Republicans Locations: Georgia, Israel, Ukraine

SEOUL/TOKYO, July 12 (Reuters) - North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) off its east coast on Wednesday, prompting U.S. condemnation, as well as from the leaders of South Korea and Japan who met on the sidelines of a NATO summit. The White House condemned the launch and said it would take all necessary measures to ensure its security and that of South Korea and Japan. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, in Lithuania for the NATO summit, convened an emergency national security council meeting and vowed to use the summit to call for strong international solidarity to confront such threats. [1/3]Passengers wait for their train in front of a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing a ballistic missile off its east coast, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiThe top military generals of the United States, Japan and South Korea gathered for a rare trilateral meeting in Hawaii just before the missile launch.

Persons: Hirokazu Matsuno, Adam Hodge, Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Kim Hong, Ji, Kim Dong, Yang, Leif, Eric Easley, Josh Smith, Soo, hyang Choi, Hyunsu Yim, Hyonhee, Rami Ayyub, David Brunnstrom, Elaine Lies, Tom Hogue, Lincoln, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: NATO, House, National Security, REUTERS, University of North Korean Studies, Analysts, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Asan Institute, Policy Studies, Ewha Womans University, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, TOKYO, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Korean, American, Pyongyang, Lithuania, Japanese, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Seoul, Hawaii, Japan's, U.S, Washington, Tokyo

CNN —North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday, just days after Pyongyang threatened to shoot down US military reconnaissance planes flying over nearby waters. Here’s what we know about the ICBMs in North Korea’s arsenal. Past tests have shown the possible range of North Korea’s missiles – the tests in March and April all traveled about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). Video Ad Feedback Here's how US missile defense could be fooled by an ICBM 03:44 - Source: CNNWhat’s next in North Korea’s missile program? The US and international observers began warning last year that an underground nuclear test could be imminent, after satellite imagery showed new activity at North Korea’s nuclear test site.

Persons: Kim Jong, It’s, CNN What’s, Kim, Yoon Suk Yeol, Fumio Kishida Organizations: CNN, North Korea’s, NATO, Security, South Korea’s, Chiefs of Staff, Japanese, North Locations: Korea, Pyongyang, –, Korea’s, North Korea, United States, Korean, North, Lithuania, South, Beijing

Seoul, South Korea CNN —The South Korean military said Wednesday North Korea launched the highest number of short-range missiles in a day as Seoul retaliated to Pyongyang’s latest barrage of weapons tests, further escalating tensions in the region. JCS said the South Korean Air Force targeted international waters north of the NLL at an equal distance to that which the North Korean missile had earlier landed south of the line. North Korea is “fully responsible” for the situation as they are the ones continuing to provoke despite warnings, JCS added. South Korea responded to North Korea's barrage of missiles on Wednesday by firing three air-to-surface missiles from F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets. Correction: This story has been updated to clarify that this is not the first time North and South Korea have fired missiles off their respective coasts, and to reflect that North Korea fired a number of missiles of various types and the distance in kilometers from the NLL.

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