The Senate Moved to Salvage Ukraine Aid

Democrats in the Senate are pushing to advance a package that would send billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine and Israel, after Republicans blocked similar legislation that paired the foreign aid with stringent border security measures.

A vote on the measure is expected later this evening.

Members of both parties have privately said that they believe the legislation could eventually receive support from at least 60 senators, putting the measure on track to pass in the Senate within days. The bill would send about $60 billion to Ukraine for its war against Russia, $14 billion in security assistance to Israel and $10 billion in humanitarian aid for civilians in global crises, including Palestinians and Ukrainians.

But even if lawmakers succeed in resurrecting the aid bill in the Senate, it still faces stiff headwinds in the Republican-led House, where right-wing lawmakers oppose sending additional assistance to Ukraine. Some have even threatened to oust Speaker Mike Johnson if he brings any bill to the floor that includes aid for Ukraine.

The effort to revive the aid was a glimmer of hope for members of both parties who have warned that the fate of Eastern Europe — and America’s reputation on the world stage — hang in the balance if Congress fails to move ahead.

A U.S. strike killed a militia commander in Iraq

An American strike in Iraq today killed a senior leader of an Iranian-backed militia that U.S. officials have blamed for recent attacks on American personnel, according to U.S. officials.

The Pentagon said the man was a leader of Kata’ib Hezbollah, the militia that officials have said was responsible for the drone attack in Jordan last month that killed three American service members and injured more than 40 more. Videos from the scene showed the charred wreckage of a vehicle in a neighborhood of eastern Baghdad.

In other news from the region, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel dismissed a Hamas counterproposal for a cease-fire, saying that an Israeli victory in Gaza was “within reach.”

China is no longer America’s top source for imports

For the first time in 20 years, the U.S. in 2023 bought more goods from Mexico than it did from China, according to data released this morning. That wasn’t because imports from Mexico surged — they remained about the same as in 2022 — but rather because trade with China plummeted by 20 percent.

The drop is a reflection of increased tensions between Washington and Beijing, in part because of tariffs imposed by Donald Trump and maintained by President Biden. Imports of Chinese products with high tariffs fell, while those without them kept growing.

The U.S. toughened its air pollution limits

The Environmental Protection Agency tightened limits today on soot and other fine industrial particles, which are among the most common and deadliest forms of air pollution. The move, U.S. officials said, could prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths annually.

Business groups are expected to mount a legal challenge to the new rules. At least two Democratic governors have already written to President Biden expressing concern about the economic effect of the regulations.

More top news

The woman who keeps Broadway in tune

Joan Lader is a vocal coach without comparison. She has worked with the likes of Madonna, Paul Simon and Sting, and at any given time she is on retainer for a handful of Broadway shows. She often helps new singers improve their voices, but her real specialty is therapy. Using a mix of artistry and science — and, some of her clients might add, magic — she rehabilitates the vocal cords of Broadway’s biggest stars.

“I’ve called her a witch in front of people many times,” the music director Rob Fisher said. “I’ve never seen anybody else do the hocus-pocus that she sometimes does.”

India’s great curry clash

Two families in India both say they invented butter chicken, the creamy, heavenly marriage of tandoori chicken and tomato gravy that is beloved everywhere that north Indian food is served. Each family had an ancestor named Kundan, and both men became partners in a restaurant called Moti Mahal. The families now both contend that it was their Kundan who invented the dish.

A court has been asked to solve the bitter dispute.

A birthday the whole town celebrates

Willits, Calif., a small village nestled in the state’s redwood forests, was once known for logging. Now it’s better known for Edith Ceccarelli, a resident who turned 116 this week, making her the oldest known person in the U.S. and the second-oldest on Earth.

Ceccarelli was born in Willits in 1908, when Theodore Roosevelt was president, Oklahoma had just become a state and women could not vote. She has lived through two World Wars, the advent of the Ford Model T and the two deadliest pandemics in American history. And every year, the people of Willits get together to celebrate its most treasured resident.

Have a festive evening.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew

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