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☆ Israel defense minister’s meeting with Lloyd Austin comes at a delicate moment in push for US weaponry
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Gallant will be told that the various cases of weapons sales are being worked on, a senior administration official told CNN. “There is scrutiny, but no policy decision to deny” the provision of additional weapons to Israel, the official told CNN. But the defense secretary’s position on providing weapons to Israel has not shifted much since the war began, officials said. “If there is one, that would be something we would want to hear,” said the senior administration official who added that consequences for ignoring US urgings are increasingly being considered. Austin also told Gallant last week that Israel needs “to consider alternatives to a major ground operation in Rafah,” according to a Pentagon readout of their call.

Persons: Yoav Gallant, Lloyd Austin, Gallant, —, Joe Biden’s, Austin, Jake Sullivan, Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, We’re, John Kirby, Israel, “, Patrick Ryder, ”, ” Gallant, Biden, Netanyahu, ” Kirby, Matthew Miller, ” Miller, ” CNN’s Oren Liebermann Organizations: US, Israel, Pentagon, UN, ” National Security, CNN, Austin, Israel Defense Forces, Foreign, State Department, Congress, Democratic Locations: Gaza, Israeli, Washington, Rafah, Israel, Lebanon, ”

☆ Netanyahu cancels Israeli delegation to U.S. over UN Gaza vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said he will not send a delegation as planned to Washington after the United States refrained from vetoing a U.N. Security Council proposal calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. "In light of the change in the American position, Prime Minister Netanyahu decided the delegation would not leave," his office said. The United States abstained from the vote. The high-level delegation was due to travel to Washington to discuss a planned Israeli military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are taking shelter. "It's shocking irresponsibility from a prime minister who has lost it," Lapid wrote on social media platform X.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Monday, Netanyahu, John Kirby, Kirby, We're, Yoav Gallant, Jake Sullivan, Antony Blinken, Yair Lapid, Lapid Organizations: Major, Jewish, Hamas, Security, . Security, United, White House, House, Washington, Israeli, U.S Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Jerusalem, Washington, States, Gaza, Rafah, United States

☆ Rep. Ocasio-Cortez defends accusing Israel of genocide in floor speech, “I believe we have crossed the threshold of intent”
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Michelle Shen | Aileen Graef | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday defended accusing Israel of genocide against the Palestinian people and advocating for cuts to US military aid until humanitarian relief flows freely in Gaza. Her decision to use the term genocide, as she did during a floor speech on Friday in the House chamber, was “taken with extraordinary gravity,” she said. But the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza has “crossed the threshold of intent,” Ocasio-Cortez told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”“As we speak, in this moment, 1.1 million innocents in Gaza are at famine’s door,” Ocasio-Cortez said in her speech Friday. “What we are seeing here, I think, with a forced famine is beyond our ability to deny or explain away,” Ocasio-Cortez told Tapper. Ocasio-Cortez told Tapper on Sunday that she disagrees with the Israeli government restricting the flow of food and aid until Hamas frees the hostages and lays down arms.

Persons: Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Israel, ” Ocasio, CNN’s Jake Tapper, ”, “, Tapper, Biden, Kamala Harris, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, ” Harris ’, Jake Sullivan, Yoav Gallant, Barak Ravid, Sullivan, Gallant, CNN’s Becky Anderson Organizations: CNN — Rep, Hamas, Union, New York Democrat, Gaza Ministry, Health, Integrated, Sunday, Israeli, White, CNN Locations: Alexandria, Gaza, Israel, “ State, Rafah, Ocasio, unjustifiable

☆ Middle East Crisis Blinken Will Travel to Mideast Again as Cease-Fire Talks Restart
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Mr. Issa assumed the role after the assassination of another top commander, Ahmed al-Jabari. Mr. Conrad said he met Mr. Issa, Mr. al-Jabari and Mahmoud al-Zahar, another senior Hamas official, about ten times between 2009 and 2011 in Gaza City. “He was the master of the data on the prisoners,” Mr. Conrad said of Mr. Issa. Mr. Awawdeh, the analyst, called Mr. Issa a man who liked to “remain in the shadows” and who seldom granted interviews to the media. Admiral Hagari has said that Mr. Issa helped plan the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack.

Persons: Marwan Issa, Jake Sullivan, Mr, Issa, Daniel Hagari, Mohammed Deif, Ahmed al, Yahya Sinwar, Salah al, Din, Issa’s, ” Maj, Tamir Hayman, Deif, Sinwar, “ There’s, ” Mr, Awawdeh, “, ” Michael Milshtein, Qassam, wasn’t, Milshtein, Gerhard Conrad, Conrad, Mahmoud al, ”, Gilad Shalit, Al Jazeera, Hagari Organizations: U.S, Hamas, Qassam, Palestinian Authority Locations: Israel, Gaza, U.S, Gaza City, Palestine, Bureij, Ashkelon

☆ Lloyd Austin says US support for Ukraine remains resolute even as security aid remains stalled in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Ramstein Air Base, Germany CNN —US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized Tuesday that the US “will not let Ukraine fail,” as Congress continues to delay critical funding for Ukraine aid. “So, our message today is clear: The United States will not let Ukraine fail. This coalition will not let Ukraine fail. And the free world will not let Ukraine fail.”The trip is Austin’s first official trip abroad since his prostate cancer procedure in December. “And Ukraine continues to down Russian warplanes.”The future of supplemental aid in Congress remains unclear.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, ”, Austin, Rustem Umerov, “, Russia “, ” Austin, Mike Johnson, Sen, Markwayne Mullin, Johnson, Joe Biden, Jake Sullivan Organizations: Ramstein Air Base, Germany CNN — US, Ukraine Defense Contact, Ukrainian Defense, CNN, Russia, Russian Navy, Republican, ”, Pentagon, Army Locations: Germany, Ukraine, United States, Russia, Europe, “, Oklahoma

☆ Famine in northern Gaza is imminent as more than 1 million people face ‘catastrophic’ levels of hunger, new report warns
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Mousa Salem/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Palestinians transport bags of flour on the back of trucks as humanitarian aid arrives in Gaza City on March 6. Omar Qattaa/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Palestinians wait to receive food at a refugee camp in Rafah on January 27. Omar Qattaa/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Humanitarian aid packages are dropped from the air by Jordanian army planes in Gaza City on March 1. Abed Zagout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images A funeral prayer is performed for Yazan al-Kafarneh, the 10-year-old Palestinian child who died of malnutrition, on March 4. Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Children suffering from malnutrition receive treatment at a health-care center in Rafah on March 5.

Persons: Israel, Antonio Guterres, ”, Cindy McCain, it’s, Josep Borrell, Israel “, Trucks, ” Borrell, Loay, Fadi, Kamal Adwan, Omar Qattaa, Saher, Ahmed Qannan, Mohammed Salem, Said Khatib, Dawoud Abo, Jehad, crouches, Abed Zagout, Yazan, Rabie Abu Noqaira, Mohammed Abed, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Yasser Qudih, Fatima Shbair, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu, Stringer, Khan Younis, “, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Jake Sullivan, Biden, Sullivan Organizations: CNN, Integrated, IPC, United Nations, Ministry of Health, Food, UN, Washington Post, Kamal, Anadolu Agency, Getty, AFP, Reuters, US Air Force, UPI, Dawoud Abo Alkas, Aid, ”, Gaza, National Locations: Gaza, UN, ”, Israel, Rafah, Mousa Salem, Gaza City, AFP, Jordanian, Territories, Deir, Egypt, United States

Look no further than the close and historically complicated relationship that American presidents and congressional leaders have negotiated with Israel leaders over the last 75 years. Obama declined to invite Netanyahu to the White House during the visit, with White House officials saying that holding such a visit so close to Israel's election would be inappropriate. The standard Obama set for a White House visit wasn't one Bill Clinton subscribed to years earlier. The bigger the ally's economy, the less likely American leaders are to meddle openly in its elections. “There are moments when American leaders want to and need to speak out and have their say.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Mitch McConnell, Schumer, ”, Mike Johnson, Benny Gantz, Netanyahu, Schumer's, Netanyahu —, “, —, Aaron David Miller, Donald Trump, John Boehner, Boehner, Barack Obama's, Obama, wasn't, Bill Clinton, Clinton, Shimon Peres, Peres, Edward Frantz, meddle, ” Frantz, November's, Donald Tusk, Tusk, Andrzej Duda, Johnson, Biden, Viktor Orbán, Orbán, Trump, David Pressman, Jake Sullivan, ” Sullivan, Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, George H.W, Bush, ” Miller Organizations: WASHINGTON, — Republicans, Democratic, Republican, Israel, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, U.S, White, Israeli, University of Indianapolis, November's Biden, Trump, NATO, Polish, Biden, Republican House, Hungarian, White House Locations: Gaza, Israel, East, United States, Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, U.S, Hungarian, ” Hungary, Budapest, Sinai, Suez

The White House will provide $300 million in additional weapons to Ukraine, officials announced Tuesday, as more funding remains held up in Congress by Republican leaders. The announcement comes as the Ukrainian military is facing dire weapons shortages in its two-year war with Russia. The last supplemental funding package was in December 2022. The U.S. sent $200 million in aid to Ukraine this past December, but it was funded with money from the previous year. It was not immediately clear if the latest weapons package included long-range ballistic missiles.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Mike Johnson Organizations: Republican, Defense Locations: Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, Russia, U.S

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States is spearheading the first United Nations resolution on artificial intelligence, aimed at ensuring the new technology is “safe, secure and trustworthy” and that all countries, especially those in the developing world, have equal access. Unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but they are an important barometer of world opinion. The U.S. draft calls on the 193 U.N. member states and others to assist developing countries to access the benefits of digital transformation and safe AI systems. It “emphasizes that human rights and fundamental freedoms must be respected, protected and promoted throughout the life cycle of artificial intelligence systems." She said the resolution “aims to build international consensus on a shared approach to the design, development, deployment and use of AI systems,” particularly to support the 2030 U.N. goals.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, “, ”, Sullivan, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Joe Biden’s Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, U.S . National, General, Associated Press, United States, Lawmakers, European Union, U.S Locations: United States, U.S, European, China

☆ US Asks Hamas to Release Women, Elderly Hostages for Longer Ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday urged Hamas militants in Gaza to release women, elderly and wounded hostages and accept a temporary ceasefire in the fighting with Israel in order to secure a more lasting one. Hamas says it will only accept a deal based on a permanent ceasefire that ends the war and includes an Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza, rather than another temporary truce. War in Israel and Gaza View All 222 ImagesUnder the most recent proposal, Israel would release Palestinian prisoners at a 10-to-one ratio to the number of Hamas hostages held. Hamas took at least 200 hostages on Oct. 7. During a week-long truce in late November, Hamas freed more than 100 Israeli and foreign hostages in exchange for Israel releasing about 240 Palestinian prisoners.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Israel, We're, Sullivan, Jeff Mason, Steve Holland, Heather Timmons, David Gregorio Organizations: WASHINGTON, Hamas, House, Israel Locations: Gaza, Israel

☆ White House Denies Biden Has Set ‘Red Lines’ for Israel-Hamas War in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Peter Baker | Alan Yuhas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The White House denied on Tuesday that President Biden had set any “red lines” for Israel in its campaign against Hamas in Gaza but warned again that Israel should not attack the city of Rafah, the southernmost city in the enclave, without protections for more than a million people sheltering there. “The president didn’t make any declarations or pronouncements or announcements,” said Jake Sullivan, the president’s national security adviser, referring to an interview Mr. Biden gave over the weekend in which he was asked whether he had a “red line” Israel should not cross in its prosecution of the war. In the interview, with MSNBC, Mr. Biden rebuked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel over the rising civilian death toll in Gaza, saying that “he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost” and that “he’s hurting Israel more than helping Israel.”Mr. Netanyahu later dismissed that contention as “wrong,” and on Tuesday he again defended Israel’s efforts to minimize civilian casualties. Mr. Sullivan, who met on Tuesday with Israel’s ambassador, Michael Herzog, declined to discuss reports that Mr. Biden, if Israel proceeded with the Rafah operation, might impose restrictions on how Israel can use the arms the United States is supplying it. “We’re not going to engage in hypotheticals about what comes down the line, and the reports that purport to describe the president’s thinking are uninformed speculation,” Mr. Sullivan said.

Persons: Biden, didn’t, ”, Jake Sullivan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, “, ” Mr, Netanyahu, Sullivan, Michael Herzog, “ We’re Organizations: White, Hamas, MSNBC, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Israel, Israel’s Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah, Washington, United States

☆ Turkey, U.S. discuss Ukraine, Gaza, ways to improve ties, foreign minister says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Turkish and U.S. officials held comprehensive talks about the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and various bilateral issues during meetings in Washington, Turkey's foreign minister said late on Friday. The NATO allies started the meetings, dubbed the Strategic Mechanism, on Thursday to discuss efforts to move beyond deep policy disagreements and improve cooperation in other areas. Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said officials from the countries held several rounds of discussions on topics including Syria, the Ukraine, Gaza, defense industry cooperation, energy, and counterterrorism. Turkey is also deeply concerned over U.S. support for Kurdish militants in Syria, whom Ankara deems terrorists. He said Turkey was open to discussing the matter but Washington needed to be "open minded".

Persons: Hakan Fidan, Fidan, Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan Organizations: NATO, U.S Locations: U.S, Ukraine, Gaza, Washington, Turkish, Syria, Ankara, Turkey, Kyiv, Moscow, Russian

☆ Israelis protest food shipments to Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Clarissa Ward | Brent Swails | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

They hope preventing food and supplies from entering Gaza will force Hamas to release them. A recent poll by the Israel Democracy Institute found that two-thirds of Jewish Israelis support their view opposing the transfer of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Watch the video to see protesters say why they don’t believe food should be sent to Gaza. Video Ad Feedback Police tackle protesters trying to block aid trucks. Video Ad Feedback Doctors treat 7-year-old suffering from dehydration and malnutrition 00:23 - Source: CNN• Here’s how to help humanitarian efforts in Israel and Gaza.

Persons: they're, Netanyahu, Young, Biden, Gazans, Jake Sullivan, Israel CNN —, Kerem, Kamal Organizations: CNN, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Hamas, IDF, Israel CNN, Israel Democracy Institute, , World Health Organization, UN, US, European Union, Police Locations: Gaza, Israel, Kerem, Kerem Shalom, Sant

☆ How a brief exchange in a call explains the strained Biden-Netanyahu relationship
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Mj Lee | Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Netanyahu bristled at recent media coverage citing anonymous Biden administration officials who said that the US was actively making plans for a post-Netanyahu government. When asked for comment on the exchange, an official in the prime minister’s office rejected the characterization of the call. Still, they insisted, the Biden-Netanyahu relationship remains more or less the same – precisely because their divergent worldviews were never a secret. That will continue.”Even if their relationship remains in many ways consistent, the backdrop is drastically changed and the stakes dramatically higher. Still, Netanyahu’s political standing was a subtext to the visit to Washington this week of Benny Gantz, a member of the Israeli war cabinet and Netanyahu’s chief political rival.

Persons: Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu bristled, Netanyahu, Biden swatted, Israel, Biden, ” Biden, ”, “, Bibi, it’s, Benny Gantz, Gantz, Kamala Harris, Jake Sullivan, Netanyahu’s, Harris, John Kirby, Privately, Ramadan, isn’t Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Democratic, Netanyahu, Biden, Air Force One, National Security, White House, State Department, Pentagon, Netanyahu’s, White, Camp David Locations: Gaza, Israel, Netanyahu Israeli, United States, Washington, Pennsylvania, East Jerusalem

☆ Russian oligarch went to Moscow in effort to broker complex prisoner exchange that included Navalny, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Sebastian Shukla | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —A multi-country prisoner exchange that might have freed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was being discussed and progressing when he died last month, multiple sources have told CNN, and included the direct involvement of a Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich. However, a source close to Navalny’s team told CNN that on the evening of February 15 they had received word that a message had been delivered to Putin. Clinton “initially passed on the message” to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Grozev told CNN. “We had to find a way to package the German asset [Krasikov] into an American negotiation,” the source close to the Navalny team said. Getting the message to Putin was one of the greatest challenges, the individual close to the Navalny team told CNN.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Roman Abramovich, Navalny, Abramovich, Hillary Clinton, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Maria Pevchikh, “, ”, Dmitry Peskov, it’s, Christo Grozev, Clinton, Grozev, Biden, Viktor Bout, Brittney Griner, Clinton “, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, Pevchikh, Vadim Krasikov, Krasikov, Tucker Carlson, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Whelan, Gershkovich, Whelan –, Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, ” Abramovich Organizations: CNN, United Arab, Kremlin, IK, Aspen Ideas, FSB, US National, National Security, Wall Street, Krasikov, Navalny, US Department of Justice Locations: Russian, Moscow, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Siberia, Western, Russia, Aspen, Colorado, Berlin, Chechen, Europe, Germans, Brazil

Opinion SoleAuthority Forty-five feet underground in a command center near Omaha, there’s an encrypted communications line that goes directly to the American president. Buried below is a military command headquarters constructed in case of a missile attack amid a national emergency. Yet regardless of who wins this election, or the next one, the American president’s nuclear sole authority is a product of another era and must be revisited in our new nuclear age. The jet’s crew can contact the president, verify his or her identity and relay a nuclear attack order to bomber squadrons, submarines and intercontinental ballistic missile silos. It is, however, unacceptable for an American president to have the sole authority to launch a nuclear first strike without a requirement for consultation or consensus.

Persons: —, Anthony Cotton, Biden, Donald Trump, Harry Truman, Truman, Truman’s, Jake Sullivan, ” Mr, Sullivan, “, Richard Nixon, wasn’t, Trump, Henry Kissinger, Nixon, Mark Milley, Nancy Pelosi, Bob Woodward, Robert Costa, Kissinger, Milley, Robert Kehler, Stratcom, Kehler, we’ve, That’s Organizations: U.S . Strategic Command, North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, Joint Chiefs, Staff, American, White House, Strategic Command, White, North, Democrats, Chiefs, Air Force, Senate, U.S ., United Locations: United States, Omaha, U.S, America, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Soviet, North Korea, Trump’s

CNN —When top Biden administration officials conveyed their frustrations over the “unacceptable and unsustainable” situation in Gaza to Benny Gantz, they were delivering their message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin’s Netanyahu’s chief political foe. According to an Israeli official, Gantz emerged from those meetings with deep concerns and some surprise about the state of US-Israeli relations over the war in Gaza. Gantz was surprised by how critical the White House was about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and a potential military offensive into Rafah, an Israeli official said. “Help us help you,” was the message, according to an Israeli official. “We’ve raised these things before, but there’s greater urgency now on the humanitarian front,” the administration official said.

Persons: Benny Gantz, Benjamin’s Netanyahu’s, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Gantz, Netanyahu, Biden, Netanyahu government’s, Joe Biden, ”, Harris, Jake Sullivan, ‘, “ We’ve, Blinken, “, we’re, Matthew Miller, Gantz “ Organizations: CNN, Biden, Israel, State Department, Government, ” Locations: Gaza, Washington, Israel, US, Rafah

☆ Cargo Ship Struck by Houthis Sinks in Red Sea, U.S. Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

She is scheduled to meet with Benny Gantz, a member of the Israeli war cabinet, in Washington on Monday. Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to meet with Benny Gantz, a member of the Israeli war cabinet, in Washington on Monday, according to a White House official and a spokesman for Mr. Gantz. Mr. Gantz, who visited Washington last year, is also scheduled to meet separately with Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, his office said in a statement, as well as with members of Congress and pro-Israeli lobbyists. It was unclear whether Mr. Gantz’s visit had the full backing of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Mr. Gantz’s office said he had updated the prime minister on his visit so as to coordinate talking points.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Benny Gantz, Gantz, Harris, Biden, Israel, Jake Sullivan, Gantz’s, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: Monday, White, White House, United, Reuters, Palestinian, Mr Locations: Washington, Gaza, Israel, court, United States, Rafah

CNN —The Israelis have “basically accepted” a six-week ceasefire proposal in Gaza, a senior Biden administration official told reporters Saturday. On Thursday, a Hamas official warned, however, that the negotiations could be affected. Negotiators from the US, Israel, Egypt and Hamas are expected to attend, a diplomatic source familiar with the discussions said. Discussions between Israel and Hamas would be indirect, in separate rooms. Israel has asked Hamas for a list of the hostages, including who is living and who is dead.

Persons: “, Ramadan –, –, Joe Biden, ” Biden, Giorgia Meloni, It’s, Kamala Harris, Benny Gantz, Harris, Gantz, Jake Sullivan, Biden, there’d, it’s, CNN’s MJ Lee, Oren Liebermann Organizations: CNN, Biden, Hamas, White, Italian, Gaza, Command Locations: Gaza, Israel, Gaza City, Paris, Doha, Qatar, Egypt, Cairo, Qatari

☆ House Speaker Mike Johnson faces a defining dilemma on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —House Speaker Mike Johnson has the fate of a democracy and a people in his hands. It’s not the United States, which will survive – even if the coming general election results in another existential test for the constitutional system. Johnson, a backbencher who was the last-ditch choice to lead the mutinous House GOP majority last year, could relieve Ukraine’s agony and help ensure its survival as an independent nation in the coming days. Nothing can be guaranteed in a fractious Congress, with a House GOP majority that has rendered the United States close to ungovernable and is threatening America’s global leadership role. And history is watching whether Speaker Johnson will put that bill on the floor.

Persons: Mike Johnson, It’s, Johnson, Vladimir Putin, –, Donald Trump, speakership, Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Volodymyr Zelensky, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, McCarthy, Hakeem Jeffries, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer —, ”, Jake Sullivan, ” Sullivan, Putin, ” Trump, Trump, Biden, ” Rep, Byron Donalds of, ” Zelensky, “, ” Johnson, David Cameron, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Radoslaw Sikorski, ” Sikorski, CNN’s “ Fareed Zakaria, Seth Moulton of, Xi, ” Moulton, Frederick Kagan Organizations: CNN —, GOP, Pentagon, Democratic Senate, White, Trump, Republican, Democratic, Ukraine, ” Biden, Biden, Washington, Democrats, House Republicans, ”, CNN, British, ” Democratic, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, CNN News Central, NATO, American Enterprise Institute Locations: United States, Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, Louisiana, Western, Moscow, ungovernable, “ State, America, America’s, Byron Donalds of Florida, Zelensky, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, British, Asia, Taiwan, Japan, China, Ukrainian

☆ Ex-CIA Russia chief said Putin's belief that the US would lose its nerve and stop helping Ukraine is being proven right
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

AdvertisementRussian President Vladimir Putin's prediction that the US would lose its "nerve" and stop supporting Ukraine is being proven right, according to Steve Hall, former CIA chief of Russia operations. "This has been a very good couple of weeks for Vladimir Putin," Hall said. They will stop supporting Ukraine one way or another; just have patience,'" Hall told CNN. Sullivan also told CNN, "the reality is that Putin gains every day that Ukraine does not get the resources it needs, and Ukraine suffers." AdvertisementSullivan urged the House, led by Republican Speaker Mike Johnson, to pass the Ukraine aid package that passed with bipartisan support in the Senate.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Steve Hall, Hall, Vladimir Putin, Putin, They'll, Joe Biden's, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, Mike Johnson Organizations: CIA, CNN, Hall, National, Press, Republican, Senate Locations: Ukraine, Russia, United States, Israel, Taiwan

☆ House GOP's budget 'poison pills' could force spending cuts, rattle economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

House Republican hardliners' efforts to stonewall a budget deal ahead of a looming government shutdown could risk triggering automatic spending cuts later this spring that may put pressure on the U.S. economy's already fraught recovery. A full-year budget deal to avert the FRA cuts appears increasingly unlikely, amid staunch opposition from the House's ultraconservative wing. Freedom Caucus derailmentMembers of the House Freedom Caucus, a coalition of hardline conservatives, have been working to derail a permanent budget. Instead, they want to extend the current temporary spending resolution through the rest of the fiscal year, ensuring the FRA's spending cuts are triggered on April 30. But if the FRA's automatic spending cuts take effect, they could rattle the broader economy's teetering recovery.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Jake Sullivan, economy's, Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Hakeem Jeffries, Jan, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, McConnell, Piper Sandler, Nancy Lazar, Lazar, Sen, Patty Murray Organizations: National Security, U.S, Capitol, House Republican, Congressional Research Service, Caucus, Democrat, Freedom Caucus, Congressional Locations: Washington ,, stonewall, D

☆ Oil extends losses in early Asian trade
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A view of decaying FSO Safer oil tanker anchored 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of the port of Hudaydah, Yemen on July 15, 2023. Oil prices fell in early Asian trading on Monday, extending losses from the previous session after oil ended the week 2-3% lower amid market concerns that higher-than-expected inflation could delay U.S. interest rate cuts. Brent crude futures fell 34 cents to $81.28 a barrel by 0121 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures (WTI) declined 33 cents to $76.16 a barrel. "Crude oil prices declined for want of fresh drivers," ANZ analysts wrote in a note. While Iran-aligned Houthis have continued their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, the Israel-Hamas war has not significantly constrained oil supply.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Brent, WTI Organizations: Brent, U.S, West Texas, ANZ, White House, CNN, Sunday, Israeli, U.S . Energy, Administration Locations: Hudaydah, Yemen, China, Iran, Red, Israel, United States, Egypt, Qatar, Paris

☆ Why Zelensky’s plea will fall on many deaf Republican ears
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —There is a simple reason why many Republicans will snub Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s desperate plea for billions of dollars in arms and ammunition. He told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in an interview in Kyiv Sunday that Republicans such as Trump ally Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance – who have been speaking out against more Ukraine aid – do not comprehend the stakes of the conflict. How Trump transformed the GOPThe Ukraine war funding showdown highlights how America’s domestic politics are already reverberating around the globe. The splits in the GOP over Ukraine were exposed last week when 26 Senate Republicans voted against the bill containing Israel and Ukraine aid while 22 backed it.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, It’s, Zelensky, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Ohio Sen, J.D, Vance –, –, ” Zelensky, Trump, Mitch McConnell, Vladimir Putin, Putin –, III, Biden –, Putin, Alexey Navalny, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H.W, Bush, Matt Gaetz, ” Trump, Mike Johnson –, Biden, Johnson, ” Jake Sullivan, CNN’s Dana, •, • There’s, Vance, ” Vance, ’ ”, ” Zelensky –, CNN’s Collins, Avdiivka –, he’s Organizations: CNN, America, Republican, Kyiv Sunday, Trump, Ohio, GOP, NATO, Party, Trump Republicans, Conservative Political, Florida, Ukraine, White, Ukraine –, Munich, Conference, Republicans Locations: Europe, Russia, United States, Ukraine, Kyiv, Soviet, Washington, America, Mexico, “ State, South Carolina, European, China, Taiwan, Avdiivka, Israel, There’s

☆ Hamas has softened some demands as Gaza hostage and ceasefire negotiations progress, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“Hamas’ requirements for the numbers of Palestinians [prisoners that] would have to be freed has declined,” the official added. A diplomatic source familiar with the discussions confirmed that Hamas softened its position ahead of an agreement on the first phase of a deal. “They have to come down to reality,” Netanyahu said of Hamas on Fox News. “And I think if that’s the case, we’ll be able to have a deal we certainly wanted, and I wanted. With or without a hostage deal, “We will do it anyway” Netanyahu told CBS News, because “total victory is our goal.”“We can’t leave the last Hamas stronghold without taking care of it,” Netanyahu said.

Persons: ”, Matt Miller, “, ” Miller, Miller, Jake Sullivan, ” Sullivan, ” Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu, we’ll, Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Biden, State, Doha, Israeli, Fox News, CBS Locations: Gaza, Paris, Rafah, Doha, Qatar, Egypt

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