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Long-stalled bill reaches Joe Biden’s desk. Plus, Donald Trump’s criminal trial hears testimony from David Pecker
Good morning,
The US Senate approved $95bn in aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan on Tuesday, as a bipartisan super-majority united to send the long-stalled package to Joe Biden’s desk. The vote was 79 to 18.
What took so long? A foreign aid bill passed the Democratic-held Senate in February. But the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson, bowing to rightwing pressure, resisted further aid to Ukraine. Eventually he was persuaded to act. It may cost his job.
How is the funding split? $60.8bn for Ukraine’s war against Russia’s invasion; $26.3bn for Israel and humanitarian relief; and $8.1bn for the Indo-Pacific region to bolster defenses against China.
What else is in the legislation? The Republican-controlled House added a provision that would result in TikTok being blocked in the US unless the platform’s Chinese-owned parent company divests within a year.
How many bodies have been found? Palestinian officials said a total of 310 bodies have been discovered in the last week. Officials said the bodies at Nasser were people who had died during the siege.
What did the UN human rights chief say about Rafah? Türk has again warned Israel against a full-scale incursion on the city, saying it could lead to “further atrocity crimes.”
What is the humanitarian cost of the war? The 7 October attack by Hamas killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel. Israel’s offensive has killed at least 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including 13,000 children.
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