New US aid, first-line testimony, Russian defiance – and Congress It’s been a big week for Europe’s largest armed conflict since World War II and the Washington Post’s coverage of Russia’s extended invasion of Ukraine. Let’s look at some of the critical developments — and a big looming test of President Biden’s policy. I teased it in the title, so let’s jump right into this test, which you may have missed because it was more of a bureaucratic development than a battlefield puzzle, a diplomatic breakthrough, or a viral social media post featuring the explosive demise of a Russian Tank . Ready? A week ago, Biden asked Congress for an additional $13.7 billion in new money for the Ukraine war — $7.2 billion to provide Kyiv with more weapons and military equipment and to replenish American stockpiles of weapons sent in Ukraine, $4.5 billion to help the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky, and $2 billion to mitigate energy supply disruptions.
This week, some lawmakers, including Democrats, pushed back on the request and asked the administration for more information before committing to support it, as Joe Gould and Bryant Harris documented for Defense News.
That included, they said, Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.). “I’m not against it. I just want to know what he has,” he was quoted as saying. Others who raised questions included Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Thom Tillis (RN.C.) who both sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee. The committee’s top Republican, James M. Inhofe (Okla.), expressed reservations and pushed for Biden to use his authority to send another $2.8 billion in weapons to Ukraine before that authority expires when the new fiscal year opens on October 1st. The White House requested the money as part of a broader $47 billion emergency package that would also help fight Covid, boost monkeypox vaccine stocks and address disaster needs after flooding in Kentucky, the White House said. my colleague Tony Romm. “The official request sets up a bitter battle on Capitol Hill, where warring Democrats and Republicans face a looming late September deadline by which they must fund the government — or risk a disastrous shutdown weeks before the midterm elections,” Tony noted . . The test for the Biden administration comes in two parts: Can they resist calls for the Ukraine package to come in the form of a stand-alone bill? And can they overcome congressional skepticism — as well as growing outspoken opposition from House Republicans? Chances are that some kind of legislation will pass to help Ukraine. But it will require some deft navigation in Congress with ominous government shutdown clouds on the horizon and closing in fast. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is trying to reassure Ukraine of long-term support from Washington and hold on to its coalition of allies and partners, even as Russia cuts off energy supplies to Western Europe, sending prices skyrocketing as winter approaches. My colleagues John Hudson and Missy Ryan covered the latest on Thursday: Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, and the administration pledged another $675 million in US military aid and $1 billion in military funding. “We will support the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Blinken said in a statement. John and Missy noted that the visit “focused in part on a major new operation that Ukrainian leaders hope can dislodge Russian forces from occupied areas in the east and south of the country and that US officials believe would put Kyiv in better basis for possible negotiations with Russia. “
“We know this is a pivotal moment, more than six months into Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as your counteroffensive is now underway and proving effective,” Blinken said.
“While the Ukrainians have made some gains, they are suffering heavy losses and soldiers say that despite massive foreign support, they desperately need more weapons and ammunition to prevail against the better-equipped Russians,” they said. And here, I want to highly recommend John’s blistering, investigative report from a day earlier, when he told the harrowing stories of wounded Ukrainian troops describing their ordeal fighting to recapture the strategic southern city of Kherson from Russian forces. Beyond the tragic human toll, John was told of:
Russian drones monitor Ukrainian forces from so high in the sky that their targets never hear the drone’s drone. Russian tanks emerging from newly constructed cement bunkers fire at Ukrainian targets, then slide back into cover, protected by mortars and rockets. Russian anti-battery radars that let Moscow forces target Ukrainian artillery. Russian hackers hijack Ukrainian drones.
John’s piece serves as a corrective to the social media narrative of the war, in which videos show lucky Ukrainian forces outmaneuvering the heavier but luckier Russians. It is a reminder that the war is not over.
King Charles III arrives in London to a crowd of well-wishers “Britain’s new king, Charles III, arrived in London on Friday afternoon, for the first time as a reigning monarch. He shook hands with well-wishers gathered outside Buckingham Palace, who lined up to greet their new king,” reports Claire Parker. He is scheduled to deliver his opening remarks at 6 p.m. local time (1 p.m. Eastern time). 96-gun salute, liturgy, king’s speech: What’s on Friday
North Korea says it will never give up nukes to confront the US “North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has stressed that his country will never give up the nuclear weapons it needs to counter the United States, which he has accused of pushing to weaken the North’s defenses and ultimately bring down his government, state media reported on Friday,” Kim was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. Tong-Hyung reports.
Harris announces new coalition of space companies “Vice President Harris, who presided over a meeting of the National Space Council on Friday, announced a new coalition of companies that the White House said will focus on increasing the space industry’s ability to meet the growing demand for skilled technicians,” John Wagner . and Mariana Alfaro’s report.
At noon it is read from The Post
In the Trump ruling, low-profile Justice Aileen Cannon calls for scrutiny Cannon’s controversial decision, which she called necessary to “ensure at least the appearance of fairness and integrity under exceptional circumstances,” temporarily bars investigators from using documents seized last month from his Mar-a-Lago residence . The order has been criticized by legal experts for appearing to extend special treatment to Trump and for stopping an investigation before anyone is charged with a crime. On Thursday, the government said it would appeal Cannon’s decision,” Ann E. Marimow reports. Queen Elizabeth II: 1926-2022
Obituaries: The Queen dies at 96 “Queen Elizabeth II, the seemingly eternal monarch who became a shining but unexplored beacon of continuity in the United Kingdom during more than seven decades of rule, died on September 8 at Balmoral Castle, her estate in the Scottish Highlands. It was 96,” writes Adrian Higgins.
Biden says the Queen “defined an era”. For a proud Irishman, it’s complicated. “President Biden grew up with a series of lessons that included a saying from his mother: Don’t kiss the Pope’s ring and don’t bow to the Queen. It was meant, he later recalled, as a sign that all men are equal and no one is superior,” reports Matt Viser. “But for a man who respects institutions, Queen Elizabeth II was, for Biden and the world, as much an institution as anyone in modern history. So while Biden – an Irishman to the core – may not have respected the Queen as much as some, and bowed to her as much as many, he honored her in his own way. After they met last year, he paid her one of the biggest compliments Biden can give her: he compared her to his mother.” More on the Queen’s life and the aftermath of her death:
Trump’s post-election fundraising comes under Justice Department scrutiny. “A federal grand jury in Washington is looking into the formation of — and spending by — a fundraising business created by Donald J. Trump after his 2020 election loss as it sought millions of dollars by falsely claiming that the results were tainted by widespread election fraud,” Alan Feuer, Maggie Haberman, Adam Goldman and Kenneth P. Vogel of the New York Times report. “According to subpoenas issued by the grand jury, the contents of which were described in The New York Times, the Justice Department is interested in the inner workings of Save America PAC, Mr. Trump’s primary fund-raiser since the election.”
China’s plan to revise constitution could enshrine ‘Xi thought’ “China’s ruling Communist Party will revise its constitution to include ‘grand strategic thinking,’ state media reported, in a sign President Xi Jinping’s dogma could be elevated further,” Bloomberg’s Jenni Marsh reports News. “The top decision-making Politburo decided at a meeting on Friday to ‘write important theoretical views and important strategic thinking into the party constitution’ at the 20th party congress next month, according to the official Xinhua news agency.”
White House renews call to ‘remove’ Section 230 liability shield “The White House on Thursday called on Congress to remove an important liability shield for tech companies… President Joe Biden previously called for the repeal of the liability shield, which allows platforms to spread content without being held responsible for it — known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 — on the campaign trail in January 2020. But…
