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☆ Senate on track to pass $95 billion foreign aid package this week
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Morgan Rimmer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Senate will take up the House-passed $95 billion foreign aid package this week, as the legislation nears its final congressional action after both sides of Capitol Hill have struggled for months to send aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The legislation ties together four bills that the House voted on separately in a rare Saturday session, providing nearly $61 billion in aid for Ukraine, over $26 billion for Israel and more than $8 billion for the Indo-Pacific. Aid for Ukraine and Israel has been stalled after House and Senate Republicans demanded action on border security first, leading to months of negotiations in the Senate on a border package tied to foreign aid. “The Senate now stands ready to take the next step,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer declared Saturday afternoon. Senators were supposed to be in recess this week, marking the Passover holiday, but they elected to return and wrap up work on the foreign aid package instead.

Persons: Joe Biden, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Donald Trump, “, Chuck Schumer Organizations: CNN, Capitol, Republicans, Senate, New, New York Democrat, Senators Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, American, New York, America

☆ Opinion: Shaking off the Trump effect
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. CNN —“We are most deeply asleep at the switch,” wrote Annie Dillard, “when we fancy we control any switches at all. When the Senate voted to send new aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan two months ago, House Speaker Mike Johnson took no action. With the help of Democrats, the House approved aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan on Saturday. Writing for CNN Opinion, he emphasized that there are legal principles that require universities to prohibit expressions of antisemitism.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Annie Dillard, “, time’s, —, Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Biden, Sleepy Joe ”, Israel, Johnson, MAGA, Julian Zelizer, Walt Handelsman, Marjorie Taylor Greene’s, Kevin McCarthy’s, Clay Jones, Fareed Zakaria, Alejandro Mayorkas, “ Biden, ” Zakaria, Bill Clinton, ” Trump, Jack Ohman, Agency Donald Trump’s, dozed, Elliot Williams, Patrick T, Brown, …, ‘, ’, Attorney Alvin Bragg, ” Will, Jeffrey Abramson, ” “, Norm Eisen, Stormy Daniels, ” Eisen, Michael Cohen, Elie Honig, Frida Ghitis, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Lisa Benson, GoComics.com Peter Bergen, Daniel R, DePetris, Dean Obeidallah, Susanne DeWitt, ” David Schizer, ” Schizer, Danielle Campoamor, Caitlin Clark, Simone Biles, Campoamor, Latika Bourke, John Howard, Justin J, Pearson, Winston Churchill, Holly Thomas, Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak’s, It’s, ” Thomas, YouGov, ” Don’t, Drew Sheneman, Agency David M, Perry, Frankie de la, Angel Reese, Roy Schwartz, Joni Mitchell —, Raul A, Reyes, Sonia Sotomayor, Jules Boykoff, Jaime M, Valiathan, Ed Manning, Sara Stewart, Noah Berlatsky, Taylor Swift Amy Bass, Taylor Swift, Swift, Department ”, ” Bass, “ Swift, Joe, Alwyn, Diana, they’re, Clara Bow, Dylan Thomas, Patti Smith — Organizations: CNN, Republicans, MAGA Republicans, Agency, Congress, Biden, Homeland, National Guard, ‘, Manhattan, Attorney, New York Democrats, Twitter, Facebook, New York Times, Trump, Berkeley, Nazism, Columbia, Nike, Team USA, Sydney, Port, Conservative, Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, Central Press, Hulton, National Health Service, WNBA, Ungentlemanly, Department Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, Manhattan, Iran, Russia, China, ‘, New, CNN Iran, “ Israel, Gaza, Israeli, Damascus, Iraq, America, Dearborn, Nazi Germany, Berkeley , California, Berkeley, East Bay, Sydney, Port Arthur, Tennessee, Surrey, Croydon, Quebec, Britain, Vancouver, London, Welsh

☆ Live updates: House vote for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Kaanita Iyer | Shania Shelton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries continued to dodge on whether House Democrats would be willing to help save Speaker Mike Johnson from a potential ouster led by members of his own party. "We're working right now to get the national security legislation over the finish line. Asked for his message to his caucus ahead of Saturday's votes on foreign aid, Jeffries said, "Let's get this done for the good of the American people." Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman also would not say Saturday whether he would be willing to offer a vote to save Johnson. Rep. Richie Neal, a Democrat from Massachusetts, told reporters it was "premature" to answer whether he'd save Johnson.

Persons: Hakeem Jeffries, Mike Johnson, that's, we'll, CNN's Manu Raju, Johnson, Jeffries, Dan Goldman, Goldman, Richie Neal Organizations: New York Democrat, Democratic Locations: Massachusetts

☆ Schumer says senators struggling to reach deal to pass FISA before deadline
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Ted | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

There is broad support in the Senate for Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and it will eventually be approved. We want to get FISA done as soon as we can, because it’s very important for our national security. So, both sides need to fully cooperate, if we want to get FISA done,” Schumer said on the floor. Under FISA’s Section 702, the government hoovers up massive amounts of internet and cell phone data on foreign targets. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also pressed for passage of FISA bill, which he said has a number of changes in it to address past “abuses” by the FBI.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, “ We’re, ” Schumer, Critics, Schumer, ”, Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Katie Bo Lillis Organizations: Washington CNN, Republicans, Foreign Intelligence, FISA, The New York Democrat, FBI, Kentucky Republican Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan

☆ Opinion: The basic problem with putting Trump on trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Opinion Patrick T. Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In this week’s mammoth New York trial of former President Donald Trump on charges of falsifying business records in connection to hush money paid to an adult film star, the yawning gap between “Us” and “Them” is along partisan lines. After all, making hush money payments, as Trump is alleged to have done with former adult film actress Stormy Daniels, isn’t illegal. For decades, Trump has been a fixture on our airwaves, social media sites and political coverage. But they didn’t, and now many are feeling a rally-round-the-flag effect in what is likely the first and potentially only Trump criminal case that’s going to trial before Election Day. Bragg’s decision to bring this case, with its attenuated connection to an actual crime, can’t be taken out of its political context.

Persons: Patrick T, Brown, CNN —, Tom Wolfe, Larry Kramer, ” Patrick T, Donald Trump, –, Trump, “, Attorney Alvin Bragg, it’s, Stormy Daniels, ” Michael Cohen, Daniels, Bragg, Cohen, Andrew McCarthy, can’t, maneuverings Organizations: Public Policy Center, Economic, Twitter, CNN, Manhattan, Attorney, New York Democrats, New York Times, Commission, Trump Locations: Washington , DC, New York City, York, “, New, New York, Georgia

The high court’s ruling could also affect the federal election subversion criminal case pending against former President Donald Trump, who was also charged with the obstruction crime. The law, Justice Elena Kagan said, could have been written by Congress to limit its prohibition to evidence tampering. Unless the court rules broadly in a way that undermines the charge entirely, the case against Trump may still stick even if Fischer wins his case. The Fischer case has prompted some liberal critics of the court to demand that Thomas recuse himself. “There have been many violent protests that have interfered with proceedings,” Thomas asked Prelogar, pressing on a theme he returned to repeatedly during the arguments.

Persons: Critics, ”, Donald Trump, Joseph Fischer, Trump, “, Fischer, Brett Kavanaugh, Elizabeth Prelogar, John Roberts, ’ ” Roberts, it’s, Prelogar, Kavanaugh, ‘, ” Prelogar, Neil Gorsuch, Jamaal Bowman, Bowman, Samuel Alito, ” Alito, rioter, Elena Kagan, ” Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Jeffrey Green, Jackson, Jack Smith, Department’s, Smith, Clarence Thomas, Thomas, That’s, Thomas ’, Ginni Thomas, ” Thomas, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Justice, Capitol, Court, Department, Riot, ”, New York Democrat, House, Hamas, Trump Locations: Pennsylvania, Gaza, Virginia, DC, Colorado, ”

☆ House Democrats keep options open as effort to oust Johnson grows
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Lauren Fox | Kristin Wilson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

He’d let Putin take all of Europe,” Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz said on CNN after Massie announced Tuesday he’d join Greene in her effort to oust Johnson. “Let’s just hope that that does not happen, and that we can do our responsibilities, protect and defend our own democracy as we protect theirs,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. “If Speaker Johnson wants to talk to Hakeem Jeffries, I think we’d be open to something like that. If only a handful of Republicans vote to oust Johnson, only a handful of Democrats would be needed to step in and help him keep his job. And that is where Democrats would have to decide if they’d help Johnson.

Persons: Mike Johnson, institutionalists, Johnson, Hakeem Jeffries, Kevin McCarthy, Israel, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie, He’d, Putin, Jared Moskowitz, Massie, he’d, Greene, Tom Suozzi, Johnson –, “ Let’s, Nancy Pelosi, “, Johnson’s, Sara Jacobs, ”, Jeffries, hypotheticals, McCarthy, Matt Gaetz, –, Chuck Schumer, ’ –, Alejandro Mayorkas –, wouldn’t, Ann Kuster, Mike Gallagher, they’d, ‘, ’ Jeffries, Gerry Connolly, “ It’s, Rosa DeLauro, We’ve, can’t, “ We’ve, Jamie Raskin, Jim Himes, “ Gerry, ” Himes Organizations: CNN — House, Democratic, Union, ”, CNN, New York Democratic, Republicans, California Democratic, Florida Rep, White, Foreign Intelligence, of Homeland, GOP, ” New Hampshire Democratic, Republican Rep, Louisiana Republican, Republican, Maryland Democratic, House Intelligence Locations: Israel, Europe, ” Florida, California, Ukraine, Louisiana, Haiti, Sudan, Gaza, “, Connecticut

☆ Ocasio-Cortez Never Steered Money to a Key Arm of Her Party. Until Now.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Shane Goldmacher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has made her first-ever contribution to the campaign arm of House Democrats — a $260,000 donation that is a milestone in the New York Democrat’s long and complicated relationship with her own party’s political establishment. In an interview, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said her decision to give to the campaign arm, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, was driven primarily by the dire threat of Republicans staying in power. She feared a Republican-controlled House would not certify a potential re-election of President Biden this fall. “The entire country saw a terrorist attack on the United States Capitol that was predicated on not certifying the duly submitted results of a presidential election,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said of the riot on Jan. 6, 2021. She arrived on Capitol Hill as the youngest woman ever elected to the House and as an instant insurgent instigator who protested that fall in the office of the incoming House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, before even being sworn in.

Persons: Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Democrats —, Ocasio, Biden, ” Ms, Ms, Joseph Crowley, Nancy Pelosi Organizations: Democrats, Democratic Congressional, Republican, United States Capitol, Democratic, Bronx, Capitol Locations: York, Queens

☆ It pays to leave Congress: Democrat who resigned mid-term is getting a $131,000 pay bump to run a performing arts center
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewAt the beginning of February, Rep. Brian Higgins officially resigned from Congress to take a job as the president of a local performing arts center. It was a curious move for the New York Democrat, who had served in the House for 19 years. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Just weeks later, Higgins was named president and CEO of Shea's Performing Arts Center, which includes a historic theatre first built in 1926. And it makes it more difficult for potential candidates who aren't independently wealthy to run for Congress in the first place.

Persons: —, Brian Higgins, Higgins, Kevin McCarthy's, That's, Daniel Schuman, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez Organizations: Service, New York Democrat, Democrats, Business, Shea's Performing Arts Center, POPVOX Foundation, Democratic, Cortez of New York Locations: Washington, Shea's, Buffalo, Alexandria, Cortez of New

☆ AOC says there's an 'upside' to the anti-Biden movement over Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Uncommitted voters have been refusing to vote for Biden over his support for Israel's war in Gaza. AOC says she's voting for Biden this year — but also sees an "upside" to the uncommitted movement. AdvertisementRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is not an uncommitted voter herself — but she wants Democrats to recognize the "upside" of the movement. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who represents the majority-Arab Michigan city of Dearborn, endorsed the movement and cast an uncommitted ballot herself. Other progressives like Ocasio-Cortez have taken a slightly different approach, praising the movement for raising the issue while continuing to support Biden personally.

Persons: Biden, —, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Stephen Colbert, Joe Biden's, Rashida Tlaib, Layla Elabed Organizations: Service, New York Democrat, Democratic, Muslim American, Democratic Party Locations: Gaza, Alexandria, Israel, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arab Michigan, Dearborn, Cortez

Follow our live coverage of Trump’s hush money trial. Mr. Blanche recently bought a home in Palm Beach County near Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. He brought his family to Mr. Trump’s campaign celebration there on Super Tuesday. And during Mr. Trump’s first criminal trial, set to begin in Manhattan on April 15, he will use space at 40 Wall Street, the former president’s office tower near the courthouse. After a well-credentialed career as a federal prosecutor and a white-collar defense lawyer, Mr. Blanche, 49, has bet his professional future on representing Mr. Trump, the first former U.S. president to be indicted.

Persons: Todd Blanche, Donald J, Trump, Blanche, Trump’s Organizations: New York Democrat, Florida Republican Locations: Palm Beach, Mr, Lago, Manhattan, U.S

☆ Texas federal court district rebuffs effort to curb ‘judge-shopping’ tactic
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Judge-shopping is the practice of strategically filing cases in courthouses where the lawsuits are almost guaranteed to be heard by judges perceived to be sympathetic to the litigants. Texas has other US district courts with single-judge divisions, in addition to Amarillo, where challenges to the Biden administration agenda are frequently funneled through. The Judicial Conference announced after an early March meeting that it was seeking to curb the practice of judge-shopping with the new case assignment policy. The announcement prompted blowback from Republican senators, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who argued that any mandated policy would run afoul of a statute passed by Congress that gives each district court the discretion to design its case assignment protocols. When the Judicial Conference released the formal guidance days later, it indicated that the districtwide assignment policy was recommended, but optional.

Persons: David Godbey, Chuck Schumer, Matthew Kacsmaryk, Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, Kacsmaryk, Biden, George W, Bush, Schumer, Godbey, ”, “, ” Schumer, Mitch McConnell Organizations: CNN, US, Court, Northern, Northern District of, New, New York Democrat, Amarillo Division, Judicial Conference, Law360, Judicial, Congress Locations: Texas, Northern District, Northern District of Texas, New York, Northern Texas, Amarillo, “

☆ 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

☆ Why this is a wild week for Trump even by his standards
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But exemplifying the roller-coaster nature of his public career, Trump is also soon poised for a massive financial windfall. The case, related to payment to an adult film star ahead of the 2016 election, could lead to Trump being a convicted felon by November’s election. His legal team said last week the bond amount was a “practical impossibility” for Trump, whose wealth is tied up in skyscrapers and golf resorts. Trump’s legal team has also said he shouldn’t be required to sell assets to meet the deadline since doing so would create a fire sale devastating to his business. The White House has done its best not to comment on the case, to avoid giving Trump more political ammunition.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, impeachments, Trump, he’s, Joe Biden, It’s, Letitia James, Jean Carroll, James, subpoenaing Trump, –, litigator Mitchell Epner, ” Epner, Fredricka Whitfield, Biden, Arthur Engoron, ” Trump, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Donald Trump, Juan Merchan, Michael Cohen, Trump’s, there’s Organizations: CNN, Trump, Republican Party, Trump Organization, New York, New, Biden White, , New York, Republican, ”, The New, The New York Democrat, Trump Media, Technology Group, Southern, of, White Locations: New York, Manhattan, Westchester County , New York, ,, Alexandria, “ State, The New York, of New York, Lago, America

☆ Ocasio-Cortez, in House Speech, Accuses Israel of ‘Genocide’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Nicholas Fandos | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned on Friday that Israel’s blockade of Gaza had put the territory on the brink of severe famine, saying publicly for the first time that the nation’s wartime actions amounted to an “unfolding genocide.”In a speech on the House floor, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, forcefully called on President Biden to cut off U.S. military aid to Israel unless and until it begins to allow the free flow of humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip. “If you want to know what an unfolding genocide looks like, open your eyes,” she said. “It looks like the forced famine of 1.1 million innocents. It looks like thousands of children eating grass as their bodies consume themselves, while trucks of food are slowed and halted just miles away.”The comments were a sharp rhetorical escalation by Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, the de facto leader of the Democratic Party’s left wing, and they illustrated the intense pressure buffeting party officials as they grapple with how to respond to Israel’s war tactics and the deepening humanitarian crisis.

Persons: Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Ocasio, Biden, ” Organizations: New, New York Democrat, Democratic Party’s Locations: Gaza, Cortez, New York, Israel

☆ House Speaker Johnson says he will invite Israel leader Netanyahu to address Congress, slams Schumer
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-21 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday said he will invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress. We'll certainly extend that invitation" to Netanyahu, Johnson said on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "I will always welcome the opportunity for the Prime Minister of Israel to speak to Congress in a bipartisan way," he said. One week earlier, Schumer denounced Netanyahu and called for Israel to hold an election to oust him. Schumer accused the prime minister of "allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel."

Persons: Mike Johnson, Joe Biden's, Benjamin Netanyahu, Johnson, Chuck Schumer, We'll, Netanyahu, Schumer Organizations: House Republican Conference, New York Democrat Locations: Joe Biden's State, Gaza, Israel's, Israel, United States

☆ Trump says any Jewish person who votes for Democrats ‘hates their religion’ and ‘everything about Israel’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Kate Sullivan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Former President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Monday that any Jewish person who votes for Democrats “hates their religion” and hates “everything about Israel,” again playing into an antisemitic trope that Jewish Americans have dual loyalties to the US and to Israel. “I actually think they hate Israel,” Trump said. “I don’t think they hate him, I think they hate Israel. And the Democrat Party hates Israel.”“Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion,” Trump said. While Orthodox Jews lean heavily Republican, American Jews of other denominations, including the Reform and Conservative branches, have identified with or leaned toward the Democratic party.

Persons: Donald Trump, “, ”, Trump, White, Sebastian Gorka, Biden, Chuck Schumer, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, ” Trump, Schumer, I’m, Joe Biden’s, ” Andrew Bates, ” Biden, James Singer, Adolf Hitler ‘, Jonathan Greenblatt, Karoline Leavitt, ’, CNN’s Jack Forrest, Nicole Chavez, Morgan Rimmer Organizations: CNN, White House, Israeli, Democrat Party, Israel, Democrats, New York Democrat, White, Defamation League, State, Jewish, Republican Jewish Coalition, American Jewish Committee, Democratic, Republicans, Pew Research, Conservative Locations: Israel, Gaza, America, U.S

☆ Netanyahu’s response to Schumer widens rift in US-Israeli relations
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But the gulf in trust and goals between Israel and Hamas has thwarted hopes for a breakthrough for weeks. He’s opposing the people of Israel,” Netanyahu said. Despite a fearsome onslaught in Gaza, Hamas is far from defeated. Latest developments also raise the question of whether Schumer’s stinging criticism augurs a shift to more pressure on Netanyahu from Biden. We support Israel.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, CNN’s Dana Bash, Chuck Schumer –, –, Netanyahu, “, we’re, ” Netanyahu, ”, It’s, Sen, Schumer, he’s, castigate Schumer, snubbing, Joe Biden’s, Biden, Schumer’s, John Kirby, Netanyahu don’t, Kirby, they’ve, Ghazi Hamad, Al, Israel, …, Barack Obama, Donald Trump –, it’s, Republican Sen, Mike Rounds, Michael McCaul, acquiescing, Nancy Pelosi –, Israel –, “ Chuck Schumer’s, ” Pelosi Organizations: CNN, Israeli, Hamas, Union, Democratic, White, National Security Communications, ABC, Republican Party, GOP, Netanyahu’s Likud, Republican, Office, White House, Foreign, Fox, Texas Republican, Democratic Party ”, Israel, Former, California Democrat, World Health, Palestinian Authority Locations: Gaza, Washington, Israel, “ State, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Hamas, York, Rafah, ”, Arabiya, United States, Iran, Dakota, Texas, California

☆ A Watershed Moment for the Politics of Israel, Courtesy of Chuck Schumer
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Over 44 painstakingly scripted minutes on the floor of the Senate on Thursday, the majority leader, Chuck Schumer, spoke of his Jewish identity, his love for the State of Israel, his horror at the wanton slaughter of Israelis on Oct. 7 and his views on the apportionment of blame for the carnage in Gaza, saying that it first and foremost lay with the terrorists of Hamas. Then Mr. Schumer, a New York Democrat and the highest-ranking elected Jew in American history, said Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was an impediment to peace, and called for new elections in the world’s only Jewish state. The opposition was not nearly so painstaking. Within minutes, the House Republican leadership demanded an apology. The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, using Mr. Netanyahu’s nickname, declared: “Make no mistake — the Democratic Party doesn’t have an anti-Bibi problem.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Schumer, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mitch McConnell of, Netanyahu’s, ” Organizations: State, New, New York Democrat, Republican, Democratic Party, Republican Jewish Coalition Locations: Israel, Gaza, New York, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Congress

☆ Mitch McConnell ramps up his criticism of Chuck Schumer in CNN interview
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Manu Raju | Ted | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

In an interview with CNN, McConnell said Schumer’s speech was a direct contradiction of US policy and called on the White House not to go down that road. McConnell rejected calls for conditions on military aid to Israel – something some Democrats have called for in an effort to tamp down civilian deaths. In his speech, Schumer explained his deep misgivings about the toll on innocent people in Gaza. “I am anguished that the Israeli war campaign has killed so many innocent Palestinians,” he said. McConnell blamed the Biden administration for micromanaging the war in Gaza and said Schumer’s calling for “regime change” in the wrong country.

Persons: Mitch McConnell ramped, Chuck Schumer, Israel –, McConnell, can’t, ” McConnell, “ It’s, Schumer, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, ” Schumer, –, that’s, ”, “, “ I’m, Biden, “ They’ve, Yair Lapid, ” CNN’s Morgan Rimmer Organizations: CNN, Capitol, Democratic, Israel Locations: Israel, Gaza, “, Iran

☆ A speech that sent shockwaves from Washington to Jerusalem
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Schumer’s rebuke of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday contained extraordinarily strong language for a senior US politician criticizing the Israeli government. He also voiced support for a two-state solution to the long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, a position that Netanyahu has rejected. He was almost immediately accused of deserting a US ally in a time of war and of trying to interfere in Israeli politics. McConnell added: “Israel is not a colony of America whose leaders serve at the pleasure of the party in power in Washington. Biden himself last week warned Netanyahu was “hurting Israel more than helping Israel” with his assault on the Palestinian enclave.

Persons: Chuck Schumer’s, Israel, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden’s, Schumer –, –, Netanyahu, “, ” Schumer, Schumer, Israel’s, United States Michael Herzog, Mitch McConnell, doesn’t, McConnell, Obama, Donald Trump, Biden’s, Biden, Kamala Harris, Israel ”, Biden – Organizations: CNN, New York Democrat, Hamas, Likud, Democratic, Kentucky Republican, Senate, Progressives, Democrats, Biden, White, Israel, Israel Democrats Locations: Israel, Gaza, United States, Ukraine, America, Washington, Iran, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Michigan

☆ Biden hits battleground states as Trump opts for a seat in court
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Gregory Krieg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Harris was nearby in Minnesota, making what is believed to be the first visit of a sitting president or vice president to a clinic that provides abortion services. “Big crowds in Fort Pierce, Florida, for the Biden induced Witch Hunt against his political opponent, ME!,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. The president has been barnstorming key swing states since delivering a combative State of the Union address a week ago. The vice president, the first woman in her position, spoke frankly about the medical care provided at clinics like the one she visited. “I will never do anything that will jeopardize or hurt Social Security or Medicare,” Trump told the right-wing news outlet during a sitdown at Mar-a-Lago.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, –, Donald Trump, Biden, Harris, Jack Smith, Aileen Cannon, Witch Hunt, ” Trump, Trump, Chuck Schumer, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel “, ”, Netanyahu, Gaza –, Harris’s, ” Harris, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Roe, Wade, they’ll, Breitbart, “, we’re, pounced Organizations: CNN, Midwest, Trump, Democratic, Biden, White House, New York Democrat, MSNBC, Social Security, GOP, Security, CNBC Locations: Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, Gaza, Minnesota, stoke, Fort Pierce , Florida, Palestinian American, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Georgia, New Hampshire, . Michigan, Saginaw County, Israel, Israel’s, Rafah, Minnesota’s Twin, Colorado, Arizona, Mar

☆ Schumer calls for new election in Israel and sharply criticizes Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Clare Foran | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday criticized Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, calling for new elections in a speech on the Senate floor on the Israel-Hamas war. “As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me: The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after October 7. The world has changed, radically, since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past,” said Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in America. “Five months into this conflict, it is clear that Israelis need to take stock of the situation and ask: must we change course?” he continued. Schumer also said his “heart also breaks at the loss of so many civilian lives in Gaza.”“I am anguished that the Israeli war campaign has killed so many innocent Palestinians,” he continued.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu, ”, Schumer, ” Schumer, Biden, “, Mitch McConnell, Israel, ” McConnell, Ted Barrett Organizations: Israel, New, New York Democrat, GOP Locations: Israel, America, New York, Gaza, ”, Washington

"There has been a lot of attention paid to language in the report about the president’s memory," Hur said, addressing one of the most contentious parts of his report. For that reason, I had to consider the President’s memory and overall mental state, and how a jury likely would perceive his memory and mental state in a criminal trial." Rep. Adam Schiff, California Democrat, chided Hur for including the references to Biden's memory at all. The issue of both Biden's and Trump's mental acuity has been an ongoing issue in the 2024 campaign, although polling shows that voters have greater concerns about Biden's age. "What does that say about his mental state?"

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Robert Hur, Hur, –, “ Joe Biden, Mr, Jim Jordan, Adam Schiff, ”, Schiff, Kamala Harris, Matt Gaetz, Nate Moran, needled Hur, wasn't, Jerrold Nadler, bungles, Nadler, Trump's, Ken Buck Organizations: Republicans, Justice, GOP, White House, Ohio Republican, Trump, Biden, Texas Republican, New, New York Democrat, Colorado Republican Locations: Biden’s, Ohio, California, Florida, Texas, New York, Colorado

☆ Biden’s Armageddon Moment: When Nuclear Detonation Seemed Possible in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( David E. Sanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden was standing in an Upper East Side townhouse owned by the businessman James Murdoch, the rebellious scion of the media empire, surrounded by liberal New York Democrats who had paid handsomely to come hear optimistic talk about the Biden agenda for the next few years. It was Oct. 6, 2022, but what they heard instead that evening was a disturbing message that — though Mr. Biden didn’t say so — came straight from highly classified intercepted communications he had recently been briefed about, suggesting that President Vladimir V. Putin’s threats to use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine might be turning into an operational plan. For the “first time since the Cuban Missile Crisis,” he told the group, as they gathered amid Mr. Murdoch’s art collection, “we have a direct threat of the use of a nuclear weapon if in fact things continue down the path they’ve been going.” The gravity of his tone began to sink in: The president was talking about the prospect of the first wartime use of a nuclear weapon since Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Persons: Biden, James Murdoch, —, Vladimir V, ” Organizations: New York Democrats, Cuban Missile Locations: Upper, Ukraine, Hiroshima, Nagasaki

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