Feb 08 Senate votes to begin last-ditch effort to approve funding for Ukraine and Israel By Stephen Groves, Mary Clare Jalonick, Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press A vote to begin work on the new package cleared on a 67-32 vote, but the legislation’s path remained uncertain. Senate leaders had not agreed to a process to limit the debate time for the bill. Continue reading
Feb 08 Blinken ends latest Middle East trip after Israel’s rejection of proposed Gaza cease-fire plan By Matthew Lee, Associated Press U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken left the Middle East on Thursday after getting a virtual slap in the face from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the war would continue until Israel is completely victorious and appeared to reject… Continue reading
Feb 08 Israel kills 13 in Rafah, southern Gaza town where many Palestinians have fled By Najib Jobain, Wafaa Shurafa, Kareem Chehayeb, Associated Press More than half of Gaza's population has fled to Rafah, on the mostly sealed border with Egypt. It is also the main entry point for humanitarian aid. Continue reading
Feb 07 Watch 10:44 Experts discuss Gaza cease-fire negotiations as Netanyahu rejects Hamas’ latest terms By Nick Schifrin Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a counterproposal from Hamas that would have paused the war in exchange for releasing Israeli hostages over the next few months. The U.S. has hoped a pause could spark broader regional diplomatic progress. Nick… Continue watching
Feb 07 Netanyahu rejects Hamas terms for cease-fire, vows to fight until ‘absolute victory’ By Matthew Lee, Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy, Associated Press Blinken said an agreement between the sides was still possible. But Netanyahu's remarks also underscored how wide the chasm between Israel and Hamas remains as the war enters its fifth month. Continue reading
Feb 06 Blinken meets with Egyptian mediators to push for cease-fire in Gaza By Matthew Lee, Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy, Associated Press Egypt fears an expansion of combat to the Rafah area could push terrified Palestinian civilians across the border, a scenario Egypt has said it is determined to prevent. Continue reading
Feb 05 Watch 8:11 How the bipartisan border deal would transform the U.S. immigration system By Lisa Desjardins, Kyle Midura The most significant immigration reform proposal in a generation is now in the hands of the Senate. The bipartisan deal would tighten asylum rules and allow for partial border shutdowns while increasing enforcement and opening some new avenues for legal… Continue watching
Feb 05 Watch 3:03 Blinken returns to Middle East in push for Gaza cease-fire, release of hostages By Nick Schifrin, Solveig Rennan Secretary of State Blinken returned to the Middle East hoping to make progress on a deal to pause the war in Gaza and release Israeli hostages. The Biden administration hopes the deal could lead to larger diplomatic initiatives across the… Continue watching
Feb 05 Watch 9:24 Experts discuss obstacles to Palestinian statehood and Saudi-Israeli normalization By Nick Schifrin, Dan Sagalyn Saudi leaders say diplomatic normalization with Israel isn’t possible without steps toward a Palestinian state. The U.S. hopes a pause in fighting could lead to progress on reforming the Palestinian Authority, normalization and two states. Nick Schifrin discussed more with… Continue watching
Feb 05 Watch 6:38 Sen. Murphy on border security bill: ‘This is an old-fashioned compromise’ By Amna Nawaz, Ian Couzens A bipartisan Senate deal to fund border security, Israel and Ukraine looks like a no-go after Republican House Speaker Johnson called it "dead on arrival." Amna Nawaz discussed the plan and its reaction with Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut,… Continue watching