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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., plans to bring up a standalone bill with aid to Israel after rejecting a bipartisan Senate border deal. Jose Luis Magana/AP hide caption

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., plans to bring up a standalone bill with aid to Israel after rejecting a bipartisan Senate border deal.

After months of stalling an international aid package for Ukraine and Israel in favor of tougher border policy, top Republicans are calling for a standalone international aid package because they now oppose the addition of stricter border policy they demanded.

A bipartisan Senate package that paired border security measures with assistance to Israel and Ukraine appeared all but dead Tuesday, after Republicans backed away from the deal amid growing criticism from the right.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who on Monday urged his colleagues to support the package, had shifted dramatically by Tuesday.

"It looks to me and to most of our members that we have no real chance here to make a law," McConnell told reporters.

The bill in question was specifically crafted to meet GOP demands that Democrats link border policy changes to President Biden's request for military aid to Israel and Ukraine. But by Monday night, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., the top Republican negotiator on the Senate deal, was predicting that a procedural vote on the package would fail this week.

"We are trying to figure out what to do next," Lankford told reporters in the Capitol. "People are saying, 'Hey, we need a lot more time to go through this.'"

The deal began to unravel after former President Donald Trump publicly trashed it and House GOP leaders proclaimed it "dead on arrival." The failure of the package which includes roughly $20 billion for border provisions and raises the threshold to meet asylum claims would cast doubt on Congress' ability to get anything done on border security or foreign assistance between now and Election Day.

The chaos over the border is the latest collapse for one of the least productive congressional sessions in history.

As Congress stewed, Biden blamed Trump.

"Republicans have to decide who do they serve: Donald Trump or the American people?" Biden posed in a speech at the White House. "Are they here to solve problems, or just weaponize problems for political purposes?"

He went on to threaten that a failure on the legislation will become an issue in his own campaign.

"Every day between now and November, the American people are going to know that the only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends," Biden said.

Democrats in Congress also quickly blamed Republicans.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy suggested Wednesday's procedural vote would likely mark the end of a bipartisan effort to address the border, saying about Republicans, "They walked away from the old plan, they'll walk away from a new plan."

The shift has left senators from both parties discussing plans to go back to the original plan from last year to try to pass funding for Ukraine, Israel and humanitarian aid separately.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he plans to move forward with a procedural vote to begin debate Wednesday or Thursday, in response to Republican requests for more time to consider the bill.

"Senators are elected to vote, not to be afraid, run away, make excuses when it comes to voting on the tough issues," Schumer said on the Senate floor. "No one is being asked to take a position on the supplemental tomorrow. The only thing a yes vote would allow us for the Senate to simply begin to consider, discuss and debate the vitally important issues before us now."

Even if the bill were to advance through the Senate, it faced even longer odds in the House. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Tuesday morning that "Republicans simply cannot vote for the bill in good conscience," arguing that it does not do enough to secure the border and that Biden already has legal authority to address the surge of migrants that he is not using.

Several senators have suggested in recent days that Ukraine aid should be considered independently if the larger package collapses.

But it was Republicans who initially demanded that border policy changes be paired with Ukraine assistance, and it's not clear there is appetite among the House GOP for a standalone Ukraine bill.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was forced to remove $3oo million of aid to Ukraine from a larger defense bill in the fall in order to win over a handful of GOP holdouts. Ninety-three Republicans voted for an amendment to the defense bill that would "prohibit security assistance" to Ukraine.

Johnson said Tuesday that efforts to help Ukraine "have not been abandoned. The Pentagon has warned that Ukrainian forces are running out of ammunition and other resources now that U.S. funding has lapsed.

In lieu of the larger package, House Republicans brought forward a bill to provide military assistance to Israel. But that proposal also failed.

Johnson brought up the bill under suspension of the House rules, which requires a two-thirds majority to pass. The final vote was 250-180, as the proposal drew opposition from both sides of the aisle.

House Democratic leaders slammed the standalone proposal as a "nakedly obvious and cynical attempt" to undermine the bipartisan deal in the Senate. Meanwhile, the House Freedom Caucus criticized the bill for its lack of financial offsets.

Republican leaders were forced to skirt a Rules Committee hearing on the bill that might have exposed anger among far-right conservatives. Rules must sign off on legislation and the full House must agree in order for a bill to come up with a simple majority vote.

As the legislative efforts appeared to falter, so too did an entirely partisan effort by House Republicans to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

The vote was stuck in a tie for several minutes as leaders scrambled to sway holdouts. But in the end, four Republicans voted against the measure and the final vote was 214 to 216, scuttling an effort that was widely seen as an opportunity to deliver on a key promise to GOP base voters.

Republicans may revisit the impeachment for another vote when Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., returns to the chamber. Scalise has been out for cancer treatment.

Read the rest here:
Congress in chaos over border deal, Israel and Ukraine - NPR

President Biden took the border fight directly to former President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday, blaming his predecessor and putative challenger for torpedoing a bipartisan immigration agreement out of crass politics at the expense of national security.

Weighing in forcefully after months of largely staying out of the fray, Mr. Biden called on congressional Republicans to show some spine and stand up to Mr. Trump. But he effectively acknowledged that the deal negotiated over several months was doomed and vowed to make it a campaign issue against the opposition.

All indications are this bill wont even move forward to the Senate floor, Mr. Biden said in a speech televised from the White House. Why? A simple reason. Donald Trump. Because Donald Trump thinks this is bad for him politically.

The president said that Mr. Trump would rather weaponize this issue than actually solve it and has leaned on Republicans to block it. It looks like theyre caving, he added. Frankly, they owe it to the American people to show some spine and do what they know to be right.

The decision by Republicans to reject a bipartisan border deal that they had previously demanded not only paralyzed the immigration debate but also imperiled security assistance for Ukraine and Israel attached to the $118 billion measure, closing off what had been seen as the best remaining avenue to aid embattled American allies.

The deadlock raised questions about whether Congress would be able to salvage the emergency aid package and, if so, how. Speaker Mike Johnson sought to advance aid to Israel alone by pushing a separate $17.6 billion measure. But it ran into strong resistance from hard-right Republicans, as well as Democrats and Mr. Biden, who threatened a veto, and failed to garner the two-thirds vote needed for passage on Tuesday evening.

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Biden Tells Republicans to 'Show Some Spine' Against Trump on Border Deal - The New York Times

President Biden took the border fight directly to former President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday, blaming his predecessor and putative challenger for torpedoing a bipartisan immigration agreement out of crass politics at the expense of national security.

Weighing in forcefully after months of largely staying out of the fray, Mr. Biden called on congressional Republicans to show some spine and stand up to Mr. Trump. But he effectively acknowledged that the deal negotiated over several months was doomed and vowed to make it a campaign issue against the opposition.

All indications are this bill wont even move forward to the Senate floor, Mr. Biden said in a speech televised from the White House. Why? A simple reason. Donald Trump. Because Donald Trump thinks this is bad for him politically.

The president said that Mr. Trump would rather weaponize this issue than actually solve it and has leaned on Republicans to block it. It looks like theyre caving, he added. Frankly, they owe it to the American people to show some spine and do what they know to be right.

The decision by Republicans to reject a bipartisan border deal that they had previously demanded not only paralyzed the immigration debate but also imperiled security assistance for Ukraine and Israel attached to the $118 billion measure, closing off what had been seen as the best remaining avenue to aid embattled American allies.

The deadlock raised questions about whether Congress would be able to salvage the emergency aid package and, if so, how. Speaker Mike Johnson sought to advance aid to Israel alone by pushing a separate $17.6 billion measure. But it ran into strong resistance from hard-right Republicans, as well as Democrats and Mr. Biden, who threatened a veto, and failed to garner the two-thirds vote needed for passage on Tuesday evening.

The result was a vivid portrait of congressional dysfunction. Rather than pursue the border crackdown they had once sought, Republicans in the House spent the day trying and failing to impeach Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, on charges that he willfully refused to enforce border laws. With even a few Republicans calling the move a stunt, Mr. Johnson could not muster a majority for impeachment in an embarrassing setback.

The disarray and discord on Capitol Hill, punctuated by the presidents sharp speech at the White House, underscored how much this years presidential election has already come to shape the debate in Washington nine months before the vote. In effect, two presidents, one incumbent and one former, are clashing over some of the most pressing issues facing the United States, each vying in a way to set the direction for the country even before voters make their choice in November.

Mr. Biden, who for most of his presidency has avoided even using Mr. Trumps name, referring to him only as the former guy or other elliptical phrases, has in recent weeks seemed increasingly eager to confront the former president more directly, culminating in Tuesdays speech.

The president privately complained that the initial draft of the address was not pointed enough in attacking Mr. Trump and wanted it toughened, according to a senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. He and aides then tested out tougher phrases shortly before he went before cameras to deliver it more than an hour after originally scheduled.

I understand the former president is desperately trying to stop this bill because hes not interested in solving the border problem, Mr. Biden said. He wants a political issue to run against me on.

Republicans have to decide, he added. Who do they serve? Donald Trump or the American people?

He called the bipartisan agreement a win for America because it combines the most fair, humane reforms to immigration law and the toughest set of reforms to secure the border at a time of record illegal migration. To buttress his point, he cited support from institutions normally favorable to Republicans, including The Wall Street Journals editorial page, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Border Patrol Council, a union that endorsed Mr. Trump in 2016 and 2020.

If this bill fails, I want to be absolutely clear about something, Mr. Biden said. The American people are going to know why it failed. Ill be taking this issue to the country.

The reason, he said, is Republican fear of their front-runner. Theyre afraid of Donald Trump, Mr. Biden said. Every day between now and November, the American people are going to know that the only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends.

The president is coming late to the debate. While he has supported the bipartisan negotiations, he has largely kept away from them personally and not waged a high-profile public fight for a deal. Aides said he wanted to avoid complicating the talks by making them about him. But some Democrats were frustrated that he had not taken a more prominent role until now.

The presidents speech was in part aimed at some Democrats who have already criticized provisions in the border bill that would tighten rules for migrants to gain asylum in the United States. If fellow Democrats vote against the measure, it could make it more difficult for Mr. Biden to frame his party as the one seeking solutions in the face of Republican intransigence.

Mr. Trump fired back at Mr. Biden after the presidents speech. America does not need a border bill that does nothing to deter illegal immigration, Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Mr. Trump, said in a statement. We need a president who will use his executive authority to shut the border down. Joe Biden clearly refuses to do that, but President Trump will get it done on day one.

Republicans have fallen in line behind Mr. Trump, including some who initially favored the bill, which includes measures to toughen border security but none of the provisions historically insisted on by Democrats offering a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country or protecting those previously brought in as children.

The legislation would make it harder for migrants to claim asylum and speed up processing of their cases, which can now take years. It would also expand federal detention centers, enable hiring of more asylum officers and border agents, and call for the border to be effectively shut down when the number of encounters with migrants making illegal crossings reaches an average of 5,000 a day. Critics on the right complained that it nonetheless did not go far enough.

Joe Biden will never enforce any new law and refuses to use the tools he already has today to end this crisis, Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 3 Republican, said on Tuesday. I cannot vote for this bill. Americans will turn to the upcoming election to end the border crisis.

Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, who was initially supportive of the deal, told reporters at a news conference that his conference had a very robust discussion about whether or not this product could ever become law and was influenced by Mr. Johnsons declaration that it would be dead on arrival in the House.

Its been made pretty clear to us by the speaker that it will not become law, Mr. McConnell said. Asked whether he had misread his fellow Republicans, Mr. McConnell said: I followed the instructions of my conference who were insistent that we tackle this in October. It is actually our side that wanted to tackle the border issue. We started it. Obviously with a Democratic president and a Democratic Senate, our negotiators had to deal with them.

Mr. Johnson cheered the Senate Republican reversal over the border deal. It may be on life support in the Senate, he told reporters. We welcome that development.

Mr. Biden argued that Republicans were not just sacrificing a border compromise, but also abandoning Ukraine during its war against President Vladimir V. Putins Russia.

We cant walk away now, he said, wearing a striped tie with the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag. Thats what Putins betting on. Supporting this bill is standing up to Putin. Opposing this bill is playing into his hands.

The grim reality, however, was that the once-strong bipartisan consensus for aid to Ukraine was fraying. In an unusual letter, a group of U.S. ambassadors stationed in the Indo-Pacific region urged congressional leaders on Monday to secure passage of the legislation, which also includes aid to Taiwan, saying that Americas credibility with its strategic partners was on the line.

For months, many in the White House and abroad had followed conventional wisdom and assumed that the combined will of a handful of like-minded congressional leaders, national security committee chairs and the president would be enough to push new funding to Ukraine across the finish line.

But a restive G.O.P. voter base is dead set against sending another round of taxpayer money to Ukraine, and rank-and-file Republicans, especially in the slim-majority House, have flexed their muscles to oppose any real movement.

After reports indicated there was no clear path ahead for Congress to approve aid to Ukraine and Israel on Tuesday morning, Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida and a Trump ally, was exultant on social media. He cited a line from the film Apocalypse Now: I love the smell of napalm in the morning!

Reporting was contributed by Katie Rogers, Erica L. Green, Carl Hulse, Karoun Demirjian , Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Michael D. Shear.

The rest is here:
Border Security: Biden Blames Trump for Faltering Effort to Address Immigration and Ukraine Aid - The New York Times

Karolina Shiino has stepped down as Miss Japan after it was alleged that she was having an affair with a married man.

The 26-year-old Ukrainian-born beauty queen announced her decision to renounce her title on Monday after a local publication revealed the alleged affair, according to CNN and the Associated Press.

Shiino was crowned Miss Japan on Jan. 22 and was the first woman of European descent to earn the title of Miss Nippon, CNN and the BBC reported.

I am truly sorry for the huge trouble I have caused and for betraying those who supported me, Shiino said in the Japanese-language apology she shared on Instagram, per the BBC.

Organizers originally suggested Shiino did not know the man was married with children but backtracked in their latest statement, according to the BBC. The man involved in the affair is a doctor and influencer.

In her apology, which was posted to Instagram, Shiino said she was too scared and confused to confess when the report came out, according to CNN andThe Guardian.

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The Miss Japan Association has said it accepted Shiinos decision to step down and said the role will remain vacant for the rest of the year, per the reports.

The association did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

The doctor involved in the scandal, Takuma Maeda,also apologizedfor causing trouble with the affair, according to the AP.

In his statement shared Wednesday on Instagram, Maeda said he does not plan to divorce his wife and promised to invest time in his work and private life.

Shiino became a naturalized Japanese citizen in 2022, according to the BBC andThe Guardian. She moved to Japan with her mom when she was 5 years old and is fluent in Japanese, according to the AP.

But Shiinos participation in the pageant has been controversial due to her predominantly European descent. After winning Miss Japan in January, she told CNN that she was happy to be recognized through the pageant.

I wanted to be recognized as a Japanese person, she explained. I kept being told that Im not Japanese, but I am absolutely Japanese, so I entered Miss Japan genuinely believing in myself.

Read the rest here:
Ukraine-Born Miss Japan Renounces Title After Her Affair with Married Man Gets Revealed: 'I Am Truly Sorry' - PEOPLE

Senate Democrats released a $118.3 billion emergency national security bill on Sunday that would tie a fresh infusion of aid to Ukraine to measures clamping down on migration across the United States-Mexico border.

The fate of measure, which has the backing of President Biden and Senate leaders in both parties, will turn on whether enough Republicans embrace its border security provisions a long shot given the opposition of former President Donald J. Trump and House leaders who quickly denounced it on Sunday night as a nonstarter that does not crack down enough on migration.

The legislation will need bipartisan support to advance this week in the Senate, where it must draw at least 60 votes to advance in a test vote set for Wednesday.

Heres a look at whats in the 370-page bill:

The bill includes $60.1 billion in military assistance for Ukraine, $14.1 billion in security assistance for Israel and $10 billion in humanitarian aid for civilians of global crises including Palestinians and Ukrainians.

It also would provide about $20 billion in border investments, including for hiring new asylum and border patrol officials, expanding the capacity of detention facilities and increasing screenings for fentanyl and other illicit drugs.

One of the most significant changes to border policy would be the creation of a trigger that would effectively close the border to migrants trying to cross into the United States without authorization. The trigger would be tripped if the average number of migrants encountered by border officials exceeded 5,000 over the course of a week or 8,500 on any given day. Encounters would have to fall to a daily average of 75 percent of those thresholds, again over the course of a week, for affected intake processes to start up again.

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The rest is here:
Here's What's in the Senate's $118 Billion Ukraine and Border Deal - The New York Times