Blinken meets with Johnson at Capitol amid disagreement over Israel, Ukraine assist – reside | US politics

On the opposite aspect of the Capitol, Senate Democrats introduced plans to challenge subpoenas to a few rich Republicans who had been concerned in organizing luxurious journeys for conservative supreme court docket justices, sparking an ethics scandal:

Senate Democrats plan to subpoena Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow and conservative activist Leonard Leo to quiz them about their roles in organizing and paying for lavish perks for justices on the hard-right wing of the US supreme court docket.

The announcement by Democrats on the Senate judiciary committee got here on Monday amid a storm of controversy that has blown up in current months about conservative justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito not solely accepting but additionally not disclosing free journey and different luxurious favors offered or facilitated by influential public figures.

The supreme court docket is now being pressed to undertake an ethics code – a transfer that has been publicly endorsed by three of the 9 justices amid the rows about moral controversies, together with the dangers of out of doors affect corrupting the court docket.

The committee may act as quickly as subsequent week to authorize Illinois senator Dick Durbin, the panel’s chairman, to challenge subpoenas to Crow, Leo and one other rich donor, Robin Arkley II.

Reporters on the Capitol caught secretary of state Antony Blinken leaving his assembly with Republican speaker of the Home Mike Johnson this afternoon:

Now to see what progress their dialog made have produced in the direction of resolving the disagreement between Johnson and the Democrats over Joe Biden’s proposal for about $100b in navy assist for Ukraine and Israel, in addition to to bolster the southern border. Johnson’s counteroffer is round $14b in assist for Israel alone that can be paid for by chopping the finances of the IRS – a non-starter for Democrats.

Gavin Newsom has completed his weeklong journey to China, which was meant to deal with rising tensions between the 2 nations and push for local weather disaster options. However a few of the headlines the Democratic California governor garnered had been much less about tackling diplomacy – and extra about tackling a toddler.

Viral footage exhibits Newsom enjoying basketball with a bunch of kids for a photo-op, and within the course of showing to stumble whereas dribbling after which falling on prime of a boy.

Rightwing media and critics of the governor have had a area day with the clip of Newsom “steamrolling” and “plowing via a small little one”. “CA. GOV NEWSOM DESTROYS KID” was most likely not a information line that Newsom, along with his broadly reported presidential ambitions, hoped for.

Thankfully, nonetheless, the LA Instances studies that the “cringey second… didn’t trigger accidents”.

Learn extra on the substance of Newsom’s journey right here:

Wisconsin’s Democratic governor Tony Evers has engaged in a courtroom struggle with the state’s Republican-controlled legislature for its alleged obstruction of fundamental authorities capabilities, together with supply of pay raises for college staff that had been beforehand accredited.

Evers says it’s “simply bullshit” and “a bridge too far” that lawmakers had been holding out on 35,000 College of Wisconsin staff, and is taking his lawsuit direct to the state’s supreme court docket, the Related Press studies.

“You possibly can’t do this. That’s why we’re suing and that’s why we’re going to win,” Evers mentioned at a information convention in Madison on Tuesday, accusing Republicans of additionally blocking state conservation applications, updates to the state’s industrial constructing requirements and ethics requirements for licensed professionals.

Wisconsin senate majority chief Devin LeMahieu and meeting speaker Robin Vos, each Republicans, didn’t instantly return emails in search of touch upon Tuesday, the AP mentioned.

The legislature included a 6% pay increase for college staff over two years within the state finances handed earlier this yr that Evers signed, however the measure won’t be finalized till signed off by a Republican-controlled committee of legislative leaders.

Vos has mentioned he opposes spending on the college due to its variety, fairness and inclusion applications.

Tucker Carlson “bought too large for his boots” at Fox Information and was fired partially for alienating “giant swaths” of the corporate, in line with a revelatory new account of the downfall of the community’s greatest star.

Carlson, a rightwing conspiracy theorist who was dismissed in April regardless of his standing because the most-watched cable TV persona, believed himself to be irreplaceable, the journalist Brian Stelter says in his new guide Community of Lies, reported on Tuesday by Self-importance Truthful.

However finally Carlson’s escalating toxicity, which included an undercurrent of white supremacy and a penchant for demeaning ladies and minorities, led Lachlan Murdoch, the then chief govt of Fox Corp, to drag the plug, the guide says.

“He dedicated the cardinal Fox sin of appearing like he was greater than the community he was on,” Stelter mentioned.

“His model, bizarre because it was, revolved round the concept that he may name anybody the C-word, or anything, at any time. He may say something, do something, and by no means be held accountable, as long as he commanded the eye and affection of tens of millions.

“Carlson was believed to have Trump-like hypnotic energy over the GOP base. He was believed to be irreplaceable. However that impression was, largely, a creation of Carlson’s. In reality, Carlson had alienated so many individuals, instigated so many inside and exterior scandals, fanned so many flames of ugliness, that his firing was inevitable.

“That’s why Fox dropped Carlson. It wasn’t one factor. It was the whole lot,” Stelter writes, as excerpted completely by Self-importance Truthful.

Learn the total story:

Joe Biden calls Republican senate minority chief Mitch McConnell a superb pal, and the pair seem to see eye to eye over passing an assist bundle that features assist for Israel and Ukraine.

On the chamber flooring simply now, McConnell made the identical argument because the president did in his deal with to the nation earlier this month, linking Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the Hamas assaults on Israel, and calling them a menace to international democracy and peace.

“The threats going through America and our allies are severe they usually’re intertwined. If we ignore that truth, we achieve this at our personal peril,” he mentioned.

Politico has this report highlighting how McConnell’s stance on assist for each nations places him at odds with new speaker Mike Johnson and a slew of different Home Republicans.

A number of the discomfort has unfold to the senate, the place McConnell is going through elevated pushback from quite a few colleagues on the appropriate over his efforts to maintain assist for Israel and Ukraine collectively, in line with The Hill.

Republican Home speaker Mike Johnson made his conservative bona fides clear yesterday when he proposed a invoice that will ship about $14b in assist to Israel and pay for it by chopping funding to the IRS tax authority. The White Home responded by accusing Johnson of “politicizing nationwide safety”, and at the moment, its Democratic allies within the Senate made clear the speaker’s proposal won’t fly. Nevertheless it’s unclear if the political will exists for the roughly $106b Joe Biden needs to spend on each Israel and Ukraine’s protection, in addition to border safety. Johnson is reportedly talking with secretary of state Antony Blinken concerning the request at the moment, and we’ll preserve a watch out for what comes out of that.

Right here’s what else is happening at the moment:

• Blinken’s testimony to a Senate committee contemplating the international navy assist request was interrupted repeatedly by protesters calling for a ceasefire within the Gaza Strip.

• Arab Individuals seem like turning on Biden over his steadfast assist of Israel.

• A small however bipartisan group of Home lawmakers requested Johnson to convey the Biden administration’s request for assist to Israel and Ukraine up for a vote.

Joe Biden’s definitive backing of Israel in its battle with Hamas and invasion of Gaza seems to be costing him assist amongst Arab American voters, the Guardian’s Erum Salam studies:

Arab American assist for Joe Biden has fallen within the wake of his response to the newest bout of violence between Israel and Hamas, a brand new ballot from the Arab American Institute (AAI) exhibits. The identical ballot confirmed a pointy improve in studies of discrimination towards members of the group.

Following Hamas’s lethal 7 October assaults, which killed 1,400 Israelis, Biden has repeatedly proclaimed the US’s “rock-solid and unwavering assist” for Israel, which has responded by tightening its blockade and bombarding the Gaza Strip. Greater than 8,000 Palestinians have been killed, in line with well being officers within the coastal territory.

In line with AAI, that response has prompted a “dramatic plummeting of Arab American voter assist for President Biden”. There are roughly 3.7 million Arab Individuals within the US.

“Help amongst Arab American voters for Biden has plummeted from 59% in 2020 to 17% at the moment,” the ballot evaluation mentioned.

Secretary of state Antony Blinken and Republican Home speaker Mike Johnson will discuss at the moment concerning the White Home’s request for greater than $100b in assist to Ukraine and Israel, and to fortify US border safety, Politico studies:

The newly elected Republican chief seems removed from accepting the Democratic administration’s calls for for a big bundle aimed toward supporting two of Washington’s key allies whereas responding to the surge of individuals crossing into America from Mexico. We’ll see if any progress is made of their dialog.

A small group of Democratic and Republican lawmakers has launched a letter calling on the GOP Home speaker Mike Johnson to permit a flooring vote on a measure to ship assist to Ukraine and Israel, and enhance US border safety.

Johnson yesterday proposed a invoice that will ship about $14b in safety help to Israel whereas chopping funding to the IRS. The White Home and Senate Democrats have already rejected it, arguing that chopping the tax authority’s finances is irresponsible, and any laws should additionally fund Kyiv’s protection towards Russia’s invasion.

The letter was signed by Republican Joe Wilson, who chairs Home international affairs subcommittee on the Center East, North Africa and Central Asia, in addition to Democrats Marcy Kaptur, Brad Schneider and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

You possibly can learn the letter in full right here, and right here’s the gist of its argument:

The USA should assist safe Israel and the larger Center East, Europe, and the IndoPacific in order that our future generations can reside free from the threats of totalitarianism and non secular extremism. America can and can rise to those challenges. Though the overwhelming majority of the worth in blood and treasure can be born by our allies, Congress should do its half to verify the citizen troopers defending Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan have what they should defend their democracies, and by extension, our nationwide safety.

That’s the reason we beseech you to not separate assist for Israel’s struggle to rescue its hostages and safe its borders from Ukraine’s struggle to do the identical, or from Taiwan’s efforts to discourage a struggle. All are essential priorities for the US. The introduction of offsets, or the potential deferral of our commitments, threatens not solely our nationwide curiosity, but additionally our long-term fiscal well being. It is much better and more cost effective in blood and treasure to make sure Russia, Iran, and Hamas are defeated of their present wars than will probably be in the event that they obtain strategic victories towards Ukraine or Israel.