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☆ Opinion: Mitch McConnell’s unconditional surrender
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Julian Zelizer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Mitch McConnell has bowed to political reality and announced that he is relinquishing his role as leader of Senate Republicans. (Chao served as transportation secretary under former President Donald Trump, before quitting the post following the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.) The anti-Trump coalition within the Republican Party is small and hanging on by a thread, and there is little chance of that changing in the short term. Now, one of Haley’s most generous benefactors, the conservative political action committee Americans for Prosperity, funded by the Koch network, has withdrawn its funds. And now, like other Trump opponents, Romney finds himself heading for the exit at the end of his current term.

Persons: Julian Zelizer, Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Elaine Chao, Chao, Donald Trump, ”, It’s, he’s, invectives, MAGA, Trump, Merrick Garland, Barack Obama’s, — McConnell, SCOTUS, Roe, Wade, Dobbs, Lindsey Graham, Sen, Dick Durbin, —, that’s, Gingrich’s, Nikki Haley, Haley, couldn’t, Koch, Mitt Romney, Romney, convicting Trump, Trump’s, Romney’s Organizations: CNN, Princeton University, The New York Times, America, Republicans, Julian Zelizer CNN, Trump, Ukraine, GOP, Republican Party, Republican, NATO, Tea Party, MAGA, UN, Prosperity, Old Party Locations: Washington, life’s, Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, Kentucky, South Carolina, Utah

☆ Concern rising among Biden officials that Israel is planning incursion into Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“We are operating in the assumption that an Israeli military operation is in the coming months,” one senior Biden administration official said. That deal would likely postpone an Israeli incursion, US officials believe. “Some Israeli officials suggest that it is more of an effort at creating a threat that they can utilize. A second senior Biden administration official said there are elements inside the Israeli government and military in favor of an incursion. Benjamin Netanyahu Ariel Tagar/USA Today“Once the war is over, his expiration date arrives,” the first senior administration official said.

Persons: Biden, ”, “, let’s, Let’s, ’, Israel, Herzi, Amos Hochstein, Amos Hochstein Michael Brochstein, Amos, Hochstein, Yoav Gallant, It’s, ” Gallant, Ziv, Jalaa Marey, Benjamin Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu Ariel Tagar Organizations: CNN, Biden, “, Israel, US, Getty, Lebanese Armed Forces, United Nations, UNIFIL, Bibi Locations: Israel, Lebanon, Israeli, Gaza, “, Washington, The State, Beirut, Baalbek, Israel's, Safed, AFP, ” Israel, Golan

☆ The Apple car is the latest casualty in the brutal EV market
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Hayley Peterson | Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewThe Apple car is dead (apparently). The scrapped plans would be a grim sign for the EV market in the US, which has suffered from flagging demand. As BI reported earlier this month, car companies are rethinking EV plans in response to softening demand for pure electric cars. Apple's "Project Titan" car was also supposed to be an autonomous, expensive technology that most car companies have already put on the back burner. Automakers shift EV plansLike Apple, US auto companies have been shifting plans to account for softer EV demand.

Persons: —, Apple's, BYD, We're, Stella Li, Li, Mary Barra, Elon Musk's Tesla, Musk, Harald Wilhelm, Mercedes Organizations: Service, EV, Apple, Bloomberg, Business, Yahoo Finance, General, Volvo, Polestar, Benz Locations: North America

☆ CNBC Changemakers: Fortune 500 CEOs, Naomi Osaka and Alex Cooper share a success secret
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Julia Boorstin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Leading the way are health care, with 22%; tech, with 14%; and consumer products and financial services, tied at 10%. Kate Ryder is closing major gaps in women's and family health care with Maven. Michelle Zatlyn, co-founder and chief operating officer at Cloudflare, is giving companies AI tools to bolster cybersecurity and lower costs for vulnerable, critical infrastructure providers, including schools and local election systems. The Changemakers serve as a reminder that success is a result of leading in ways that are authentic. In the book she explored the concept of "reformers" — women working to fix broken systems.

Persons: Anat Ashkenazi, Eli Lilly, Svanika Balasubramanian, Bobbie, Laura Modi, Baby2Baby, Norah Weinstein, Kelly Sawyer Patricof, Alex Cooper, Tracee Ellis Ross, Naomi Osaka, Balasubramanian, Jessica Chang, Maayan Cohen, Kate Ryder, Maven, Monique Rodriguez, Jessica Berman, Kathy Hannun, Clara Shih, Michelle Zatlyn, Kristin Peck, Julia Boorstin Organizations: CNBC, U.S, RePurpose Global, rePurpose, Women's Soccer League, Dandelion Energy, cybersecurity Locations: Changemakers, Cloudflare

☆ GOP House candidate JR Majewski refuses to drop out after disparaging Special Olympics athletes: 'I will not be threatened'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

JR Majewski, a controversial GOP House candidate in Ohio, is refusing to drop out of the race after referring to Special Olympics participants as "fucking retarded." As Business Insider first reported earlier this month, Majewski made the disparaging comments during an appearance on a conservative podcast. You know, no matter how hard you try, arguing on the Internet, it's like being in the Special Olympics," he said. On Sunday, the Lucas County GOP — the largest party organization in Ohio's 9th congressional district — voted to censure Majewski for his comments. AdvertisementThe Ohio Republican told POLITICO on Tuesday that he was considering dropping out of the race.

Persons: Majewski, @JRMajewski, ciLu3ckhXa, bGZfC6ZUem — bryan metzger, @metzgov, —, Lucas, J, … —, Marcy Kaptur, He's, Derrick Merrin, Craig Riedel, Donald Trump, Sen, JD Vance, Ohio Organizations: JR Majewski, GOP House, Washington Establishment Machine, Business, BI, Republicans, Lucas County GOP, Ohio Republican, POLITICO, Republican Party, Congressional, GOP, Trump, Democratic, National Republicans, Republican Locations: Ohio, Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio's, … — Lucas, Northwest Ohio, Afghanistan, Japan, Qatar, Washington, DC

☆ Why South Korea's Japan-style measures to boost its stock market may not work
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

An inflatable bull during a ceremony marking the first day of trading of the year at the Korea Exchange (KRX) headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesSouth Korea's Japan-style measures for improving corporate governance may not be enough to boost its undervalued stock markets and tackle the so-called "Korea discount." Asia's fourth-largest economy is striving to boost stock market valuations that are considered much lower compared to peers, with analysts referring to the phenomenon as the "Korea discount." The 'chaebol' problemSouth Korean markets are made up of corporations called "chaebols," which are large family-owned global conglomerates, typically controlled by the founder's family. "The behavior that leads to South Korea's low stock prices is motivated, and therefore seeking to coax South Korean controlling families into 'being nice' to minority stockholders is unlikely to be successful," Pines said.

Persons: SeongJoon Cho, James Lim, Jonathan Pines, Federated Hermes, Daniel Tan Organizations: Korea Exchange, Bloomberg, Getty Images Bloomberg, Getty, Financial, FSC, Samsung Electronics, LG, SK, Hyundai, Dalton Investments, Japan, Korean Stock Exchange, Federated, Grasshopper Asset Management, CNBC Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Japan, Korea, Tokyo, Asia, Singapore

☆ The Apple car's apparent death is another grim sign for EVs
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Hayley Peterson | Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Apple appears to be tapping out as car companies scramble to adjust EV plans. AdvertisementThe Apple car is dead (apparently). The scrapped plans would be a grim sign for the EV market in the US, which has suffered from flagging demand. As BI reported earlier this month, car companies are rethinking EV plans in response to softening demand for pure electric cars. Automakers shift EV plansLike Apple, US auto companies have been shifting plans to account for softer EV demand.

Persons: —, Apple's, BYD, We're, Stella Li, Li, Mary Barra, Elon Musk's Tesla, Musk, Harald Wilhelm, Mercedes Organizations: Apple, Service, EV, Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance, General, Volvo, Polestar, Benz Locations: North America

☆ Macy’s posts another quarter of falling sales as it unveils strategy to get back to growth
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Macy's on Tuesday said sales fell nearly 2% in the holiday quarter, as the 166-year-old department store operator unveiled its strategy to get back to growth. Macy's plans to close about 150 unproductive locations and to prioritize investing in about 350 other namesake locations. In the fiscal year that starts in early 2025, Macy's said it expects low-single digit comparable sales growth on an annual basis, including owned, licensed and marketplace sales. The namesake store's comparable sales on an owned-plus-licensed basis dropped by 4.7%, as the women's shoes and cold weather apparel and accessories categories struggled. At Bloomingdale's, comparable sales declined 1.6% on an owned-plus-licensed basis, as the men's and designer handbag businesses came in soft.

Persons: Spring, Tony Spring, Macy's, Arkhouse Organizations: Arkhouse Management, Brigade Capital Management, LSEG, Revenue Locations: New York City, Macy's

☆ A Biden Ally Wades Into the Divide Over Gaza and Emerges With a Warning
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Anjali Huynh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

In the run-up to Michigan’s presidential primary on Tuesday, President Biden has stayed out of the state, where he is facing a campaign from liberal activists frustrated with his enduring support for Israel in the war in Gaza. But another Democrat jumped into the contentious debate tearing at the seams of the party’s coalition. Representative Ro Khanna of California last week assumed the unofficial role as mediator between Democrats disaffected by Mr. Biden’s Middle East policies and Biden allies like himself. He met with students, Arab American leaders and progressive voters, many of whom said they were, at least for now, withholding their support from Mr. Biden. “We cannot win Michigan with status quo policy,” Mr. Khanna, who has pushed for a cease-fire, said in an interview, adding that a shift should come in “a matter of weeks, not months.”

Persons: Biden, Representative Ro Khanna, Mr, Khanna, ” Organizations: Israel, Representative Locations: Gaza, California, Biden’s, Michigan

☆ Kara Swisher Is Not Here to Make Friends in Her New Memoir
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Adrian Chen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

BURN BOOK: A Tech Love Story, by Kara SwisherPublic opinion has soured so thoroughly on Silicon Valley that it can be hard to comprehend the excitement that surrounded the industry in its early years. How did people miss the threat of concentrated wealth and power, the super-exploitation of gig workers, the commodification of daily life, the pollution of discourse by micro-targeted propaganda and whiny billionaires? A common story holds that we were dazzled by fast-talking entrepreneurs and entranced by the slick platforms and gadgets they served up, deluded into believing digital technology would solve all of our problems. But perhaps the emphasis on user irrationality is overstated. One of the insights to be gleaned from “Burn Book: A Tech Love Story,” a memoir by the veteran technology journalist Kara Swisher, is that those who embraced the internet early on may have been driven by a totally reasonable dissatisfaction with the status quo, as much as a naïve infatuation with the promise of digital utopia.

Persons: Kara Swisher, ”

☆ Pedro Pascal said he was ‘a little drunk’ while accepting SAG Award for ‘The Last of Us’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Alli Rosenbloom | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Pedro Pascal is not one to deliver a status quo award show acceptance speech, and we couldn’t be happier about it. “I’m going to have a panic attack and I’m going to leave,” Pascal said at the end of his speech with a smirk, as he walked off stage clutching his statuette. Backstage with Netflix’s SAG correspondant Tan France, Pascal admitted he really wasn’t sure how he felt about how his speech went. The two are actually friends in real life, Pascal told France, and they’ve known each other for years. “It’s been amazing to see him in that show,” Pascal said of Culkin’s turn in “Succession.”

Persons: Pedro Pascal, “, joyously, Pascal, Keiran Culkin, he’s, “ I’m, ” Pascal, correspondant Tan, ”, Culkin, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, HBO, Warner Bros ., France Locations: correspondant Tan France

☆ Mercedes Benz ditches plan to sell only EVs by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

In 2021, the German carmaker announced plans only to sell electric vehicles — "where market conditions allow" — by 2030. And, as of Thursday's release, it expects its overall EV sales to reach just 50% by the time 2030 rolls around. During a September interview at the Munich car show, Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius first hinted at a more narrow outlook for the EV market. AdvertisementMercedes expects its EV sales to account for about 19% to 21% of new car sales this year. Mercedes isn't the only automaker that is reevaluating its EV plans.

Persons: Mercedes, Ola Källenius, It's, Mercedes isn't, Harald Wilhelm Organizations: Benz, carmaker, EV, Mercedes, Reuters Locations: Munich

☆ China’s coast guard has triggered ‘panic’ in Taiwan. That’s only part of Beijing’s plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Nectar Gan | Wayne Chang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“It’s super scary,” a passenger told Taiwan’s United Daily News in a video upon returning to shore under the escort of a Taiwanese coast guard ship on Monday. “(The Chinese coast guard) chose a tourist vessel because it’s high profile – you would expect lots of people on the boat with cameras and phones,” he said. The stakes are high, as the increased presence and closer proximity of Chinese and Taiwanese coast guard vessels raise the specter of miscalculations that could potentially spiral into open conflict. Speaking to reporters about the inspection by the Chinese coast guard, Taiwan’s Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-kcheng highlighted such risks, saying the defense ministry is “very concerned” about potential miscalculations. Taiwan's coast guard inspects a vessel that capsized during a chase off the coast of Kinmen on February 14, 2024.

Persons: King Xia, ” Kuan, Taiwan’s, Ian Chong, Chong, ”, “ They’re, Chiu Kuo, Lai Ching, China’s, Nancy Pelosi’s, Tian Feilong, It’s, Tian, “, Lai Organizations: Taipei CNN, Taiwan’s United Daily News, Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council, Democratic Progressive Party, National University of Singapore, South China, Taiwan’s, Taiwan Coast Guard Administration Locations: Hong Kong, Taipei, Taiwanese, Kinmen, China’s, Beijing, Taiwan, Xiamen, China, East, South, Taiwan's, Nauru, Taiwan Strait

☆ How 5 trendsetters are transforming the art of data-driven customer experiences
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Twilio With | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Read on to find out how these trendsetters are transforming the art of data-driven customer experience. If you skip this essential step, it will lead to scalability problems when building out a customer engagement strategy. Day to day, he said that means a lot of brainstorming on new ways to approach customer experiences, managing and optimizing campaigns, developing and maintaining customer data, and managing a CRM. Corey recommends that leaders looking to implement data-driven customer engagement strategies invest resources early into building a cross-functional team focused on internal customer data. "When everyone is looking at customer experience through the same lens, it rapidly improves efficiency and collaboration," Corey said.

Persons: they've, Read, Alexandra Dimitriu Alexandra Dimitriu, Alexandra Dimitriu Alexandra, Alexandra, Brad Greene, Brad, Michaela Kron, Duolingo, Jordan Dietch Jordan Dietch, Jordan Dietch Jordan, he's, Jordan, Corey Egan Corey Egan, Corey Egan Orchard, Corey Organizations: Insider Studios Locations: MongoDB, Orchard

The two sides issued a joint communique, stating Japan's long-term support in helping Ukraine achieve economic stability. Japan hopes the conference will build momentum for international support for Ukraine as the war drags on and attention has diverted to the Gaza situation. The conference is largely about reconstruction and investment in Ukraine, but it’s also about Japan’s national security. Its support for Ukraine comes amid fear of China’s increasingly assertive military actions in the region. Japan, in cooperation with other Group of Seven members, hopes to link the Tokyo conference to a separate Ukraine reconstruction conference to be held in Germany in June.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Kishida, ” Kishida, “, Denys Shmyhal, ”, it’s, Yoko Kamikawa Organizations: TOKYO, “, Ukraine, of, Japan External Trade Organization, Russia, ”, Seven Locations: Japan, Ukrainian, Ukraine, “ Ukraine, Gaza, East Asia, States, Tokyo, Germany

☆ China's Wang Yi tells Blinken U.S. should lift sanctions on Chinese firms
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meet at the 60th Munich Security Conference on Feb. 16, 2024. Washington should lift sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals, and that attempts to de-couple from China would only hurt the United States, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The United States should lift the sanctions and not harm China's legitimate development rights, Wang told Blinken on Friday on the sidelines of a Munich security conference, according to a statement from China's foreign ministry. Washington has imposed sanctions on various Chinese companies that it accuses of working with China's military despite denials from the firms. The United States does, however, maintain unofficial relations with the democratically governed island and remains its most important backer and arms supplier.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Wang Yi, Wang, Blinken, Biden, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping Organizations: Foreign, China's, U.S, Economic Cooperation, Treasury Locations: Munich, Washington, China, United States, Xinjiang, U.S, de, Ukraine, Taiwan, Asia, Beijing

☆ 'Social' media is both the cause of — and solution to — our loneliness problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The report listed technology as a driver behind our isolation, fear of missing out, conflict, and reduced social interaction. Other drivers of loneliness included social policies, cultural norms, the political environment, and macroeconomic factors. In fact, most research demonstrates that loneliness increases with increased use of technology, especially social media sites." "The response is incredible," Kyle Rand, CEO and cofounder of Rendever, told BI. He added: "The trend to solve loneliness through more technology, when technology has not yet reduced the problem, seems to be going in the wrong direction."

Persons: disincentivized, Dr, Nicole Siegfried, bookending, Josh Greene, Sherita Harkness, Harkness, There's, Kyle Rand, Brooke, I've, Daniel Boscaljon, Siegfried Organizations: Service, Technology, Business, US, Tech, Meta, Behavior, Flow, National Institute, Aging, National Institutes of Health, Inc, Institute, Trauma Locations: Luka, Chicago, Inc

☆ I'm a baby name consultant. Here's what parents should think when picking a unique name for their child.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Kayla Naab | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The parents who want unique names are faced with a greater challenge, in a way. Unique names require less of a word search and more of a scavenger hunt. While the result is almost always a spiritual sort of epiphany when we find "the one," — unique names do require a little extra consideration. Before I send my clients home with a unique list of names or final unique name choices, we work through three sets of considerations or checks to ensure their final choice meets all criteria. There is a place in society for trendy names, unique names, and all those in between.

Persons: We'll, it's

☆ What Ozempic Taught Me About Shame — and Willpower
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Albert Fox Cahn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

It will mean fundamentally reevaluating our conception of free will and human agency — and reckoning with our tortured relationship with shame. Many health plans have refused to cover GLP-1s for weight loss , citing limited approval from the Food and Drug Administration. I don't know when I first became overweight, but I remember the moment I was taught to be ashamed of it. They can stop the vicious feedback loop where our food choices and weight drive the shame that drives our food choices and weight. But no matter how heavy that burden was, one thing made it easier to bear: I wasn't weighed down by my shame.

Persons: I'd, They're, —, dieters, I've, Wayne LaPierre, David Vades Joseph, Mounjaro, …, you'd, would've, Kit Kat, they've, untangling, Stephen Spielberg's Organizations: National Rifle Association, NRA, Food and Drug Administration, New York City Marathon, Harvard Law School, GLP, BI Locations: York, Greenwich Village, darting, GLP

CNN —Talks on a hostage and ceasefire deal for Gaza appear to be at an impasse. During the process, Israeli troops would gradually withdraw from Gaza, hostages would be released and Palestinian prisoners in Israel – including those serving life sentences – would be freed. The Israeli leader has repeatedly said that the war in Gaza will continue until Israel destroys Hamas’ leadership and rescues the hostages. Even as talks continue in Cairo, the Israeli military has been conducting operations in Gaza designed to hunt down top Hamas figures. The Israeli prime minister on Wednesday said that Hamas must change its negotiating position before talks can continue in Cairo.

Persons: CNN —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Bill Burns, David Barnea, Israel –, Said Khatib, ”, ’, –, Netanyahu, “, Matthew Miller, Ronen Zvulun, Shin Bet, Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu –, ” Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, “ We’re, we’re, Joe Biden, ” Miller Organizations: CNN, Hamas, CIA, Israeli, Getty, “, US State Department, ’, IDF, State Department, The Washington Post Locations: Gaza, Cairo, Israel, Rafah, Paris, AFP, Qatar, “ Qatar, Doha, Aqsa, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, “, Egypt, Albania, The Washington, Palestinian, United States

☆ The GOP could be about to cost Ukraine the war
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But House Republicans under Speaker Mike Johnson have no plans to take up the deal, effectively blocking the $60 billion in Ukraine aid it includes. AdvertisementThe war has reached a stalemate even with this support, and a sudden shortage as could come this year drastically weakens Ukraine’s war effort against Russia, analysts told Business Insider. Without US arms support, Ukraine will simply be outgunned and more of its troops will die, experts warn. Other aid will save Ukraine just for monthsA Ukrainian defeat would not be immediate, as Europe could step up its military aid, Herbst said. Losing Ukraine would come at a devastating cost for NATO and the USThese dynamics are perilous for Ukraine and its backers.

Persons: —, Mike Johnson, John Herbst, Herbst, Ukraine’s, Gustav Gressel, Stringer Mark Cancian, they'd, Cancian, Vladimir Putin, Johnson, Hakeem Jeffries Organizations: Service, Business, Patriot, Council’s Eurasia Center, Archer Artillery, Roman, Getty, American Enterprise Institute, Martens, European Council, Foreign Relations, REUTERS, US Marine Corps, Center for Strategic, International Studies, NATO, Russia, Democrats, House Republicans Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, Russia, Ukrainian, Iran, North Korea, Donetsk Oblast, Europe, Zaporizhzhia region, Russian, Soviet Union, Belarus, Africa, Balkans, America

☆ Billions in AI patents get new guidelines as regulators regroup
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But how will patent protections apply to inventions made with the help of AI tools, particularly generative AI? In connection with training an AI system, what level of planning will be required? “A natural person who only presents a problem to an AI system may not be a proper inventor” of something, the USPTO said. In that case, the USPTO had rejected the patent applications of an inventor who had given his AI system sole credit for the inventions. The inventorship guidelines will help everyone understand the boundaries of patent protections as AI is increasingly used in the inventive process.

Persons: ”, Jamie Nafziger, Dorsey, Whitney, Thaler, Vidal, Ryan McCarthy, Hall, It’s, Estill, John Bergmayer Organizations: CNN, Office, Biden, White, USPTO

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate early Tuesday passed a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, pushing ahead after months of difficult negotiations and amid growing political divisions in the Republican Party over the role of the United States abroad. But a bipartisan deal on border security struck by Republican Sen. James Lankford fell apart just days after its unveiling, a head-spinning development that left negotiators deeply frustrated. After the border bill collapsed, the two leaders abandoned the border provisions and pushed forward with passing the foreign aid package alone — as Democrats had originally intended. In an unusually raw back-and-forth, GOP senators who support the aid challenged some of the opponents directly on the floor. Turner posted on X, formerly Twitter, after the trip that “I reiterated America’s commitment to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia.”But Speaker Johnson is in a tough position.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, It’s, ”, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Jeff Merkley, Peter Welch of, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Mike Johnson, Joe Biden's, Schumer, McConnell, “, ” McConnell, Republican Sen, James Lankford, J.D, Vance, Russia's Putin, Putin, Kentucky Sen, Rand Paul, Carolina Sen, Thom Tillis, ” Tillis, ” Sen, Jerry Moran, Moran, Trump, Russia “, Mike Turner, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Turner, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, ” Johnson, Abigail Spanberger, Zelenskyy, ” Spanberger, Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Republican Party, Ukraine, Republican, Republicans, Sens, Ukraine —, GOP, U.S . Senate, Trump, Ohio Republican, Kentucky, NATO, House Republicans, House Intelligence, Russia, ”, Senate, Virginia Democrat, Associated Press Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, United States, U.S, Oregon, Peter Welch of Vermont, Russia, Kyiv, China, Gaza, Ohio, Carolina, Europe, America, Virginia

☆ Opinion: What Iran wants — and fears
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Opinion Hussein Ibish | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Iran has backed Hezbollah’s efforts to avoid an all-out war with Israel despite consistent Israeli escalation and threats. Hezbollah doesn’t want a war with Israel and Iran agrees. The potential for such US or Israeli airstrikes is among the most significant reasons Iran wants to avoid a broader conflict. Tehran has already restrained its Iraqi proxies, is working to help Hezbollah climb down and avoid a devastating Israeli attack. And Iran is probably urging the Houthis to take great care not to kill Americans or otherwise go too far.

Persons: Hussein Ibish, Read, Hussein Ibish It’s, Biden, Israel, Kataib, Saleh Al, Wissam, Amos Hochstein, Ebrahim Raisi, Shannon Stapleton, It’s Organizations: Gulf States Institute, Israel, CNN, Washington, Radwan Force, Iranian Locations: Washington, Iranian, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Saudi, That’s, Israel, Jordan, Hezbollah’s, Beirut, Tehran, Yemeni, Suez, Strait, Hormuz, Bab, Mandab

☆ These 3 Democratic senators voted against a $95.3 billion Ukraine and Israel aid bill — citing the war in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Three Democratic senators voted against a $95.3 billion bill to give aid to Israel and Ukraine. Other Democratic senators who have been critical of the war voted for the aid anyway. AdvertisementEarly on Tuesday morning, the Senate passed a $95.3 billion bill to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan by a 70-29 margin. Most of the votes against the bill came from Republicans, some of whom were opposed to providing $60 billion in Ukraine aid while others protested the lack of border security provisions. It requires any country receiving foreign aid, including Israel, to submit written assurances that they are complying with human rights laws.

Persons: —, Peter Welch of, Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders of, Sanders, Welch, Netanyahu, Israel, Joe Biden, Biden, Democratic Sen, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Mike Johnson, Johnson Organizations: Democratic, Service, Senate Democratic Conference, Senate Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Gaza, Taiwan, Peter Welch of Vermont, Oregon, Bernie Sanders of Vermont

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