Senate Republicans this afternoon blocked a sweeping spending bill to fund the ongoing war effort in Ukraine and help Israel fight Hamas over objections that the legislation failed to do enough to clamp down on border security.
The 49 to 51 vote — short of the 60-vote threshold — reflected an impasse that solidified over the last few weeks. Democratic and Republican negotiators failed to strike a compromise to accommodate G.O.P. demands that additional military assistance for Ukraine be accompanied by stringent new policies to keep would-be migrants out of the U.S.
Hours before the bill’s demise, President Biden pleaded in a televised speech for Republicans to pass the $111 billion package, which included $50 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel. He said he would be willing to make “significant compromises” on border provisions if Republicans would support the funding for Ukraine.
Biden warned that a failure to provide aid for Ukraine could enable President Vladimir Putin of Russia to reclaim momentum in the war and even draw in American troops. “This cannot wait,” Biden said.
But our congressional reporter Karoun Demirjian told me that “it is highly unlikely that this gets resolved before the end of the year.” The parties, she said, “are still very far apart on matters related to how and where migrants are detained, or released into the U.S.”
Israel hunts a Hamas leader as Gazans struggle for refuge
As Israeli forces fought close-quarter battles in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that troops in the area were encircling the house of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza. “He can escape, but it is only a matter of time until we reach him,” Netanyahu said.
Israel’s offensive in Khan Younis has forced thousands more Palestinians to flee, many to the southern border town of Rafah, where the U.N. has said that shelters are packed beyond capacity. Some have been forced to sleep in the street, and the feeling of imminent death is widespread. Here’s a look at life in Gaza over the last two months.
In the U.S., the University of Pennsylvania’s president is facing calls to resign after she evaded questions at a House hearing about calls for violence against Jews.
Kevin McCarthy said he is resigning from Congress
Representative Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California who made history two months ago as the first House speaker to be ousted from the leadership post, announced today that he would leave Congress at the end of the year.
His exit, after nearly 16 years in the House, will cap a spectacular downfall ushered by a group of his far-right colleagues and shrink the already slim Republican majority in the House. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California will have 14 days after McCarthy’s final day to call a special election, which has to take place about four months later.
Norman Lear’s comedies changed the face of TV
Norman Lear, the television writer and producer who reigned at the top of the American television world through the 1970s and into the early 1980s, died yesterday at 101.
Lear left a lasting mark with shows like “The Jeffersons” and “Good Times,” but his crowning achievement was “All in the Family.” The show’s main character, Archie Bunker, “was an oaf and a bigot, but a richly human one,” our television critic wrote. Inspired in part by his experience as a Jew in America, Lear “imagined popular, populist TV as a form of patriotic dissent, embodying a spirit of big-hearted 20th-century liberalism.”
Here’s where to stream some of Lear’s hits.
The songs we’re still playing
Music in the streaming era is distilled not through albums but through individual tracks. Some songs stick to pop conventions, but the most memorable among them seem to disregard the standard path, either literally or lyrically.
Our critics each made a list of their favorite songs of 2023. Check them out.
Looking back a bit further, the Killers’ signature hit “Mr. Brightside” hardly made a wave when it was released. Over the last two decades, it has become a millennial anthem.
The Obamas’ production company changes its tune
It has been more than half a decade since Barack and Michelle Obama left the White House and started a production company, Higher Ground, with documentaries. This week, in a noticeable shift, they will release “Leave the World Behind,” a bleak and unnerving drama that centers on the idea of mistrust.
The movie, along with two other Higher Ground releases this fall, reflects an intentional evolution by the Obamas’ company from an earnest, feel-good brand to one that is more complex and ambitious. “Not everything we do has to fit on PBS,” Barack Obama said in an interview.
The most stylish ‘people’ of 2023
Margot Robbie walked the red carpet in bubble-gum pink; Rihanna performed at the Super Bowl in an unforgettable maternity jumpsuit; and the A.I. pope’s all-white puffer tricked countless social media users. Those are just three of the 71 looks that defined style this year.
A few of the entries on the list aren’t officially “people,” but they all made my colleagues on our Styles desk think this year about what we wear, how we live and how we express ourselves.
Have a standout evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew
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