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☆ Defense Bill’s Fate Teeters After G.O.P. Wedges In Social Issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The measures stand no chance of passing in the Democratic-led Senate, which is planning to begin considering its own version of the bill next week. Even if Republicans can muscle their bill through the House, the deep chasm between the chambers is expected to set off a protracted fight that could threaten Congress’s ability to maintain its six-decade track record of passing defense policy bills each year. Representative Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, lamented the Republican approach to the legislation, saying it had ruined a bill that had emerged from the panel on a near-unanimous vote. They spent weeks agitating for reluctant G.O.P. leaders to include the socially conservative amendments in the defense bill debate, ultimately forcing the issue by threatening to block progress on the legislation until they got their way.

Persons: Adam Smith of, Smith, “, Kevin McCarthy, G.O.P Organizations: Defense, Democratic, Armed Services, Republicans Locations: United States, Adam Smith of Washington

☆ House to Vote on Abortion Access for Military, Bowing to the Far Right
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It was an unusual situation for the defense bill, normally a bipartisan matter that is considered one of the few must-pass items to come before Congress. This year, with Republicans in control of the House, it has become a partisan battleground whose very survival is in doubt. “It is outrageous that a tiny minority of MAGA extremists is dictating how we’re going to proceed,” Representative Jim McGovern, Democrat of Massachusetts and the ranking member of the Rules Committee, said early Thursday morning, denouncing G.O.P. leaders for accepting the demands of what he called “a dozen far-right wing nuts.”“When you have a razor-thin majority in one half or one branch of government, you don’t get to dictate every single amendment that comes to the floor,” Mr. McGovern said. “Democracy means compromise.”

Persons: Katherine M, Clark of, MAGA, Jim McGovern, G.O.P, Mr, McGovern, ” Organizations: Democratic, CNN Locations: Clark of Massachusetts, Massachusetts

☆ G.O.P.’s Far Right Seeks to Use Defense Bill to Defund Ukraine War Effort
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

They are seeking votes on a series of proposals that would hamstring U.S. support for Ukraine, including one to curtail all funding for Kyiv until there is a diplomatic solution to the conflict and another that would end a $300 million program to train and equip Ukrainian soldiers that has been in place for nearly a decade. “Congress should not authorize another penny for Ukraine and push the Biden administration to pursue peace,” Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, argued to lawmakers on the House Rules Committee this week, appealing to them to allow votes on several proposals she has written on the topic. “Ukraine is not the 51st state of the United States of America.”Representative Scott Perry, Republican of Pennsylvania and the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said votes to curtail support for Ukraine were every bit as important to the members of his group as votes to restrict abortion access and services for transgender soldiers. But if he bows to the demands for votes on Ukraine, it would put divisions in Congress over the war on display at a critical junction in Ukraine’s counteroffensive, and just after Mr. Biden has appealed to allies this week during a NATO summit to remain united in support. “It will be absolutely the worst thing to do to have a show of division — that’s playing right into Putin’s hands.”

Persons: Biden, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Scott Perry, “, Kevin McCarthy, Gregory W, Meeks, — that’s, ” Organizations: Republican, ”, Freedom Caucus, Ukraine, NATO, Foreign Affairs Locations: Ukraine, Georgia, United States of America, Pennsylvania, New York

☆ Hard Right Presses Culture War Fights on Defense Bill, Imperiling Passage
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hard-right House Republicans are pushing to use the yearly bill that sets the United States military budget and policy as an opportunity to pick fights with the Biden administration over abortion, race and transgender issues, imperiling its passage and the decades-old bipartisan consensus in Congress around backing the Pentagon. Republican leaders have scheduled votes beginning on Wednesday on the $886 billion measure, but as of Tuesday evening, they had yet to dissuade their ultraconservative colleagues from efforts to load it up with politically charged provisions to combat what the G.O.P. calls “wokeness” in the military. Those proposals — including rolling back a Pentagon policy providing service members access to abortions and defunding the military’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs — would alienate the moderate Republicans and Democrats whose votes would be needed to get the bill through the narrowly divided House. The situation has turned the annual defense policy bill into the latest test of Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s leadership since the far right revolted over the debt ceiling deal he forged with President Biden, grinding the House to a halt to demand more influence over its agenda.

Persons: Biden, “ wokeness, Kevin McCarthy’s Organizations: Republicans, United States, Pentagon, Republican

☆ Tuberville Blockade Over Abortion Policy Threatens Top Military Promotions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

But their efforts have thus far failed to dissuade Mr. Tuberville, who has dismissed his critics by arguing that Senate leaders have options to resolve the impasse. He has dared Senate leaders to circumvent his blockade by voting on the promotions individually, arguing that he would be ready to approve some promotions if forced to take a vote. In the meantime, Mr. Tuberville has steadily rejected the compromises that Senate leaders have offered him. Challenges to the Pentagon’s abortion access policy are expected to figure in the House debate on the defense authorization bill. But they hope that such a public referendum on the Pentagon’s policy would back Mr. Tuberville into a corner, creating public pressure on him to give up his quest.

Persons: Tuberville, Charles Q, Brown, Biden’s, Milley, Randy A, George, Mr, Biden Organizations: Armed Services Committee, Air Force, Joint Chiefs, Army, Republican, Democratic, Republicans, Defense Department, House Democrats Locations: Alabama

☆ Democrats Denounce Biden’s Decision to Send Cluster Munitions to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden’s decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine has angered a wide swath of Democrats, who are accusing his administration of making a hypocritical decision that risked the moral standing of the United States. The move answered a monthslong clamor from congressional Republicans to supply Kyiv with the weapons, but Mr. Biden’s political allies denounced it. “A victory for Ukraine is an essential victory for democracies across the globe, but that victory cannot come at the expense of our American values and thus democracy itself,” Representative Chrissy Houlahan, Democrat of Pennsylvania and an Air Force veteran who co-chairs a bipartisan congressional caucus on unexploded ordinance and demining, said in a statement on Friday. “I challenge the notion that we should employ the same tactics Russia is using, blurring the lines of moral high ground.”She and other Democrats argued that cluster munitions of the kind the administration plans to send to Ukraine pose indiscriminate harm to civilians long after they are used in combat.

Persons: Biden’s, Chrissy Houlahan, “ Organizations: Republicans, an Air Force Locations: Ukraine, United States, Pennsylvania, Russia

☆ Republicans Are Divided on Impeaching Biden as Panel Begins New Inquiry
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Republicans are deeply divided over impeaching President Biden, with newly energized lawmakers on the far right applying pressure to do so and leaders and rank-and-file members concerned they have undertaken a politically risky battle that they cannot win. over moving forward and complicating a separate monthslong drive by the panel to prepare an impeachment case against Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, for the same offenses. Neither pursuit appears to have the votes to proceed, and many Republicans are worried that without a stronger case against the president, even trying the move could be disastrous for their party. Several rank-and-file Republicans from politically competitive districts had balked at the idea of impeaching Mr. Mayorkas, even after Mr. McCarthy endorsed that push. Few believe that the new investigation of Mr. Biden — a hastily arranged effort designed to halt a right-wing attempt to impeach the president outright with no investigation — will yield anything that could persuade them to oust him.

Persons: Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Alejandro N, Mr, Mayorkas, McCarthy, Biden — Organizations: impeaching, Mr, Homeland

☆ G.O.P. Threatens Spy Agencies’ Premier Surveillance Tool
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An intensive drive by right-wing Republicans in Congress to vilify the F.B.I. with charges of political bias has imperiled a program allowing spy agencies to conduct warrantless surveillance on foreign targets, sapping support for a premier intelligence tool and amplifying demands for stricter limits. But the law authorizing it is set to expire in December, and opposition among Republicans, who have historically championed it, has grown as the G.O.P. has stepped up its attacks on the F.B.I., taking a page from former President Donald J. Trump and his supporters. “We’re concerned about surveillance, period.”At issue is a program allows the government to collect — on domestic soil and without a warrant — the communications of targeted foreigners abroad, including when those people are interacting with Americans.

Persons: —, Donald J, Trump, “, ”, Jim Jordan, Mr, Trump’s, “ We’re, Biden Organizations: Republicans, Republican Locations: Ohio

☆ Coast Guard Apologizes for Covering Up Long History of Sexual Assault
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | John Ismay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The U.S. Coast Guard apologized on Friday for covering up scores of documented sexual assault and harassment cases that took place at the service’s academy, and failing to properly investigate or discipline those accused in dozens more cases over a span of nearly two decades. According to Senators Maria Cantwell of Washington, the panel’s chairwoman, and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, an internal Coast Guard review called “Operation Fouled Anchor” determined that 62 incidents of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment either took place at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., or were committed by cadets during those years. Those cases may only be part of the problem. According to the letter, Coast Guard officials told senators during the briefing that their internal inquiry had yielded another 42 cases of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment that were never properly investigated. The letter said officials also revealed what Ms. Cantwell and Ms. Baldwin called a history of leaders who “discouraged survivors from filing formal complaints or otherwise disclosing their assaults.”

Persons: Linda L, Fagan, Maria Cantwell, Tammy Baldwin of, ”, Cantwell, Baldwin, “ Organizations: U.S . Coast Guard, Senate Commerce, Justice, Maria Cantwell of Washington, Guard, Coast Guard Academy, Coast Guard Locations: Maria Cantwell of, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, New London, Conn

☆ Liberal Democrats Boycott Modi’s Speech to Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A half-dozen liberal House Democrats are boycotting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech to Congress on Thursday afternoon, in protest of what they criticize as his abysmal human rights record, particularly toward Muslim minority groups in India. Four of the protesting members released a statement Thursday condemning the address as “an embarrassing spectacle,” arguing that by giving Mr. Modi such a rare platform, “Congress undermines its ability to be a credible advocate for the rights of religious minorities and journalists around the world.”“We must never sacrifice human rights at the altar of political expediency,” Representatives Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Cori Bush of Missouri, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, and Jamaal Bowman of New York wrote in the joint statement. They called on other members of Congress to join their protest and “stand in solidarity with the communities that have been harmed by Modi and his policies.”But while other lawmakers have acknowledged and even criticized Mr. Modi for promoting antidemocratic and Hindu nationalist policies, and criticized him for failing to condemn violent assaults against minority groups, they have recoiled at the idea of boycotting a visit from such an economically and strategically important U.S. ally.

Persons: Narendra Modi’s, Modi, Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush of, Ilhan Omar, Minnesota, Jamaal Bowman, Mr Organizations: Democrats, York Locations: India, Michigan, Cori Bush of Missouri, antidemocratic

☆ Biden Welcomes Indian Leader With a 21-Gun Salute
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Mujib Mashal | Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

Mr. Biden celebrated India’s rise with a lavish display of friendship marked by marching bands, honor guards and a 21-gun salute on the South Lawn, to be followed by an Oval Office meeting and a gala state dinner. Mr. Modi agreed to join Mr. Biden in the East Room to meet with journalists and will also address a joint session of Congress in the afternoon. Image The scene on the South Lawn in the morning underscored the rising role of Indian Americans in the United States. Image Mr. Modi suggested the two nations could tackle international challenges in tandem. Credit... Pete Marovich for The New York TimesMr. Biden pointed to the prevalence of Indian Americans in prominent positions.

Persons: Biden, Narendra Modi, Modi, “, ” Mr, ’, Mr, ”, Doug Mills, China’s, Atomics, Biden’s, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, “ Modi, Pete Marovich, Kamala Harris, Harris, Harris’s, Erin Schaff, Joshua Bell Organizations: White, “, New York Times, Artemis Accords, International Space Station, General Electric, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Boeing, Biden, New York Times “ Equity, United States, ”, Cortez of New York, Twitter, The New York Times, Mr, The New York, Penn Masala, University of Pennsylvania, U.S . Marine Locations: India, United States, Russia, China, U.S, Moscow, Beijing, American, Ukraine, Russian, New York Times India, New Delhi, Cortez of New, portobello, Asian

Mr. Modi agreed to join Mr. Biden in the East Room to meet with journalists and will also address a joint session of Congress in the afternoon. Image The scene on the South Lawn in the morning underscored the rising role of Indian Americans in the United States. Image Mr. Modi suggested the two nations could tackle international challenges in tandem. They considered it a victory that the administration had persuaded Mr. Modi, who famously refuses to hold news conferences, to meet with reporters alongside Mr. Biden, as most major world leaders do when they visit the White House. Credit... Pete Marovich for The New York TimesMr. Biden pointed to the prevalence of Indian Americans in prominent positions.

☆ Schumer Lays Out Process to Tackle A.I., Without Endorsing Specific Plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Declaring that Congress “must join the A.I. revolution,” Mr. Schumer steered clear of endorsing any specific bills, instead calling for an approach to A.I. Mr. Schumer, who predicted that his plan could produce legislation within months, instead is seeking to give lawmakers a comprehensive crash course in A.I. in a setting where partisan rancor might be set aside, before they try to impose rules on the rapidly changing industry. “In many ways we’re starting from scratch, but I believe Congress is up to the challenge,” he said during a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, adding that “A.I.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Mr, Schumer, ” Organizations: Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: New York, A.I

☆ Republicans Attack Blinken for China Trip, Threatening Subpoena
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Why It MattersThe clash reflects two divergent approaches to dealing with a rising China, and could influence forthcoming debates over military spending. Relations between the two countries experienced another setback earlier this year, when the Chinese spy balloon floated over the United States, hovering near sensitive military sites. Mr. Blinken canceled a planned trip to Beijing in the aftermath of the balloon incident. What’s NextMr. McCaul is trying to prove that State Department officials intentionally dragged their feet on punishing China by demanding to see the department’s so-called competitive actions calendars. The State Department was not expected to meet the 6 p.m. deadline Mr. McCaul set for producing the documents.

Persons: Biden, fecklessly, ”, Mike Gallagher, Robert Menendez, Nancy Pelosi’s, Blinken, What’s, McCaul Organizations: Republican, Robert Menendez of New, Foreign Relations, United, Beijing, Department, China, The State Department Locations: China, United States, Taiwan, Wisconsin, Robert Menendez of, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Beijing, Cuba

☆ Congressional Support for Aiding Ukraine Frays Amid Spending Battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Right-wing House Republicans have long opposed U.S. support for Ukraine, but until recently they lacked the numbers to thwart any aid packages, which have sailed through Congress with the support of a critical mass of G.O.P. The bill that passed this month suspending the debt ceiling set spending limits that strengthened their hand, and increased the political pressure on Speaker Kevin McCarthy to keep a tight lid on federal expenditures. It also intensified the skepticism to new aid for Ukraine among some progressive Democrats, who were angry that the fiscal agreement capped spending on domestic programs, such as education, housing and food assistance, while it allowed military funding to continue to grow. They are now hinting that any future assistance to Kyiv must be accompanied by more nonmilitary spending, a nonstarter with Republicans. Since the Russian invasion, Congress has extended military and humanitarian assistance to Kyiv through a series of emergency spending measures totaling more than $100 billion.

Persons: —, Kevin McCarthy, Biden Organizations: Kyiv, House Republicans, Democratic Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russian, Congress

☆ House Passes Resolution Calling on Russia to Free U.S. Prisoners
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Why It MattersThe House has weighed in to condemn Mr. Whelan’s detention in the past, but Tuesday’s resolution was the first time that either chamber of Congress had officially called for Mr. Gershkovich’s release. Mr. Gershkovich’s arrest came just a few months after a high-profile prisoner swap in which Brittney Griner, an American W.N.B.A. American officials tried and failed to secure the release of Mr. Whelan in the deal. Mr. Whelan, who holds American, Canadian, Irish and British passports, has insisted he was visiting Russia as a tourist, and was set up. It is not clear which Russian prisoners the Kremlin would seek in exchange for either Mr. Gershkovich or Mr. Whelan, or both.

Persons: Biden, Gershkovich’s, “, Marc Fogel, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Mr, Antony J, Blinken, Roger D, Carstens, Biden’s, Gershkovich, Soviet, Brittney, Viktor Bout, Whelan, Griner’s, ”, — Organizations: American, Kremlin Locations: U.S, Russia, Russian, American, Yekaterinburg, Moscow, United States

☆ China to Build Station That Could Spy on U.S. from Cuba, Officials Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Wall Street Journal first reported on plans to build a facility in Cuba. President Biden’s National Security Council pushed back against reports of the planned facility. “This report is not accurate,” John Kirby, the council spokesman, said in a statement, declining to go into further detail. Bilateral relations had a further setback earlier this year when a Chinese spy balloon was caught traversing the United States, hovering near sensitive military sites. It is unclear if the latest revelations about the planned facility in Cuba could affect the visit once again.

Persons: Biden, ” John Kirby, Mr, Kirby, Nancy Pelosi’s, Antony J, Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Wang Yi Organizations: Street Journal, Biden’s National Security Council, Mr Locations: —, Beijing, Cuba, Taiwan, United States

A group of hard-line Republicans hijacked the House floor on Tuesday, grinding legislative business to a halt for several hours in a striking display of ire at Speaker Kevin McCarthy for making a deal with President Biden to suspend the debt limit and banding together with Democrats to muscle it to passage. The mutiny, staged by nearly a dozen members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus as leaders sought to bring up legislation to guard against restrictions on gas stoves and other federal regulations, reflected the bitter acrimony lingering in the Republican ranks after passage of the debt limit measure last week. It indicated that, even as right-wing lawmakers suggest they are not yet inclined to try to oust Mr. McCarthy from his post over the compromise, they plan to use their clout in the closely divided House to make the speaker’s job impossible unless he bows to their will. “We’re concerned that the fundamental commitments that allowed Kevin McCarthy to assume the speakership have been violated as a consequence of the debt limit deal, and the answer for us is to reassert House conservatives as the appropriate coalition partner for our leadership, instead of them making common cause with Democrats,” Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida told reporters.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Biden, Mr, McCarthy, “ We’re, Matt Gaetz Organizations: Republicans, Caucus, Republican Locations: Florida

The Biden administration has highlighted the program as one of its signature achievements in helping Ukraine battle Russian forces. Congress approved $14.5 billion in drawdown authority to last through the fiscal year, which ends on September 30. As of Wednesday, according to congressional aides, only $2.7 billion of that was left. The Biden administration has resisted the idea of approaching Congress to augment those authorities before the end of the fiscal year, according to lawmakers and congressional aides. Mr. Biden and his top aides have said they would support Ukraine until it won the war.

☆ Over Decades, Congress Failed Repeatedly to Address Immigration Dysfunction
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For nearly a quarter century, as successive waves of migrants have tried to enter and work in the United States, presidents have appealed to Congress to address gaps in an immigration system nearly everyone agrees is broken. Yet year after year, congressional efforts to strike a wide-ranging bipartisan deal — one that would strengthen border security measures while expanding avenues for people to immigrate to the United States in an orderly and lawful way — have fractured under the strain of political forces. Immigration has proved to be a potent political messaging tool, particularly for Republicans, who have rallied voters behind campaigns to close the border with Mexico — and denounced anything other than stringent security proposals as amnesty. And Democrats have long resisted border security initiatives without measures to grant legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants residing in the United States and to expand immigration in the future. While many lawmakers have tried to bridge the gap, not once in the 21st century has Congress managed to send a comprehensive immigration bill to the president’s desk.

☆ Asylum Debate Snarls Efforts to Forge an Immigration Deal in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A crush of asylum claims at the U.S.-Mexico border is complicating an already intractable immigration debate on Capitol Hill, pulling the two parties further apart and threatening to undermine what some lawmakers have viewed as the best hope in a decade for Congress to forge a comprehensive immigration deal. For decades, bipartisan discussions on such a compromise focused on pairing beefed-up border security with a pathway to legalization for undocumented immigrants and expanded legal pathways to entry. “It’s changed,” Senator Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware, said of the immigration overhaul debate. “We managed to get to an agreement that put a significant amount of money into border security last time. Making similar progress on asylum is very, very different, because it’s a values issue.”

☆ Migrant Child Labor Debate in Congress Becomes Mired in Immigration Fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | Hannah Dreier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Weeks after revelations that migrant children are being regularly exploited for cheap labor in the United States prompted bipartisan outrage and calls to action on Capitol Hill, Congress has moved no closer to addressing the issue, which has become mired in a long-running partisan war over immigration policy. Legislation to crack down on companies’ use of child labor has gone nowhere and currently has little Republican backing, while Democrats’ efforts to increase funding for federal agencies to provide more support services to migrant children who cross the border by themselves face long odds in the House, where the G.O.P. has pledged to slash agency budgets. At the time, Republican proposals to institute tougher vetting of adults in households sponsoring migrant children and expedite the removal of unaccompanied minors stand little chance of gaining ground in the Democratic-led Senate. Instead, as Congress prepares to wade into a bitter debate over immigration policy in the coming days, Republicans and Democrats have retreated to their opposite corners, abandoning whatever initial hope there may have been for tackling the issue of child labor in a bipartisan way.

☆ McCarthy Offers to Host Netanyahu in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Patrick Kingsley | Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Speaker Kevin McCarthy offered on Monday to host Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for high-level bipartisan meetings in Congress — issuing an implicit challenge to President Biden, who has refrained from welcoming the Israeli leader to the White House in a protest against his domestic agenda. The offer fell short of a formal invitation, but the comments were a break with diplomatic custom and tradition, and reminiscent of a similar move by congressional Republicans during the Obama administration when tensions in the U.S.-Israeli alliance were similarly fraught. The move also risked exacerbating tensions between Democrats and Republicans over how the United States should manage its alliance with Israel, a bond that has traditionally had bipartisan support in Washington. Mr. McCarthy’s comments, at a news briefing after he spoke at the Israeli Parliament, suggested a business-as-usual approach to Mr. Netanyahu’s government.

☆ Taliban Kill Head of ISIS Cell That Bombed Kabul Airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — The Taliban have killed the leader of the Islamic State cell responsible for the suicide bombing at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, in August 2021 that killed 13 U.S. troops and as many as 170 civilians, four senior American officials said on Tuesday. The administration on Monday began calling relatives of the American troops who died in the attack to tell them that the leader of the terrorist cell had been killed by Taliban security forces in recent weeks. The American officials said that U.S. intelligence analysts became aware in early April that the mastermind of the attack, whom they declined to identify, had died in a Taliban operation in Afghanistan. It was unclear whether the Taliban were specifically targeting the insurgent or he was killed in one of the increasing number of attacks between Taliban and Islamic State fighters, the officials said. But the officials offered no evidence to support that conclusion or other details about his purported death.

☆ Inspector General Says U.S. Aid May Be Flowing to the Taliban
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“We used to brief on a regular basis,” Mr. Sopko said of his prior engagements with the State Department, U.S.A.I.D. and the Pentagon, as he lamented a lack of access of records on what he said was over $8 billion in U.S. aid that had been provided to Afghanistan since the evacuation. “Since SIGAR’s inception, U.S.A.I.D. “We are frequently and regularly working with SIGAR on their requests.”A State Department spokesman said that U.S. reconstruction activities in Afghanistan — the centerpiece of Mr. Sopko’s jurisdiction — ceased after the Taliban took over the government in August 2021. The hearing had been billed as a venue to scrutinize the Biden administration’s actions during the withdrawal, a focus that the panel’s top Democrat, Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, criticized as “absurdly narrow.”

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