Here we go again. As the Senate worked furiously over the last several days to bring a $95 billion aid bill for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan across the finish line, a minority of Republicans, at the urging of former President Donald Trump and led by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), have been working just as hard to block any additional aid to Ukraine
When the report from special counsel Robert Hur was released yesterday, the initial headline was that President Joe Biden would not face criminal prosecution despite the finding he “willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) plans to try again to move ahead with a $95 billion international aid bill that includes $60 billion for Ukraine as well as funding for Israel, Taiwan, and Indo-Pacific partners. Schumer had hoped to move the bill to the floor for debate and amendments yesterday but adjourned the Senate last night when it appeared he was short of the 60-vote threshold necessary to advance the measure, reportedly saying Democrats would "give our Republican colleagues the night to figure themselves out.”
After months of fierce fighting, Russian forces are on the verge of their most significant victory since they captured Bakhmut in May as Ukrainian troops, short of bodies and ammunition, struggle to hold off a determined assault on the besieged city of Avdiivka in the eastern Donetsk region.
Senate Republicans face a dilemma on border compromise: McConnell originally characterized it as the "most substantial policy in 30 years" but now calls for senators to vote "no."