{"id":34009,"date":"2024-04-24T05:17:49","date_gmt":"2024-04-24T05:17:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/24\/wednesday-briefing-6\/"},"modified":"2024-04-24T05:17:49","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T05:17:49","slug":"wednesday-briefing-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/24\/wednesday-briefing-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Wednesday Briefing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/04\/24\/multimedia\/24ambriefing-europe-nl-promo2\/24ambriefing-europe-nl-aid2-tjfz-facebookJumbo.jpg?resize=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Wednesday Briefing\" title=\"Wednesday Briefing\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-37026b38\">U.S. Senate passed foreign aid bill<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/23\/us\/politics\/senate-aid-package-ukraine-israel-taiwan.html\" title=\"\">U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly last night to approve<\/a> a long-stalled $95.3 billion package of aid to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/23\/us\/politics\/aid-bill-ukraine-israel-taiwan.html\" title=\"\">Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan<\/a>, sending it to President Biden for his signature and ending months of uncertainty about whether the U.S. would continue to back Kyiv against Russian aggression.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The legislation had nearly been derailed because of right-wing opposition. The vast majority of senators in both parties supported the package, and Senate leaders regarded its passage as a triumph, particularly given the opposition to aid for Ukraine that had built up in the House.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ukraine is running short of the munitions it needs to fight and had grown desperate for the aid to pass. My colleague Marc Santora, who has been reporting from Ukraine since the start of the war, told me that \u201cwhat this aid means, in the most simple terms, is guns and bullets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cBut beyond that,\u201d he continued, \u201cwhat this has done is provided a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/21\/world\/europe\/ukraine-military-aid-bill.html\" title=\"\">much-needed boost for the morale of both Ukrainian soldiers<\/a> on the front and civilians living under the threat of near-nightly Russian drone and missile bombardments.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-2468ef48\">Trump\u2019s tough day in court<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/23\/nyregion\/trump-hush-money-trial-pecker-testimony.html\" title=\"\">Donald Trump had a dismal day in court yesterday<\/a>; the judge presiding over his criminal trial in New York City told a defense lawyer that he was \u201closing all credibility,\u201d and a key witness described what prosecutors called a conspiracy to influence the 2016 presidential election.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The witness, David Pecker, the longtime publisher of The National Enquirer, detailed a crucial 2015 meeting with Trump and Michael Cohen, Trump\u2019s former lawyer and fixer, during which, prosecutors claimed, they hatched a plot to conceal sex scandals looming over Trump\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Pecker\u2019s testimony followed a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/23\/nyregion\/trump-hush-money-gag-order-hearing-contempt.html\" title=\"\">bruising hearing for Trump and his legal team<\/a>. In the hearing, the prosecution urged the judge to hold Trump in contempt for repeated attacks on witnesses and jurors that they said had violated a gag order. The judge did not issue an immediate ruling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Here are <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/23\/nyregion\/trump-trial-takeaways-pecker-gag-order.html\" title=\"\">five takeaways<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"css-7ad88g e1mu4ftr0\"\/><\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The comments were among the first indications of the Israeli military\u2019s plans if it were to conduct a major ground offensive in Rafah. The Biden administration has urged Israel to forgo such an action, but Israeli officials have repeatedly said that the army will enter Rafah to fight Hamas battalions there.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">More Gaza news:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"css-1le37cb ez3869y0\">\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Bodies:<\/strong> The U.N. human rights office called for an independent investigation into two <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/23\/world\/middleeast\/gaza-mass-grave.html\" title=\"\">mass graves<\/a> found after Israeli forces withdrew from hospitals in Gaza.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Gaza: <\/strong>Read <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/23\/world\/middleeast\/gaza-famine-starvation-children.html\" title=\"\">about two families<\/a> searching for enough food to keep their children alive.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"css-1uuxri4 e1gnsphs0\" id=\"link-55bd377a\"><span><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">MORE TOP NEWS<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Sometime in the late 18th century, a sign appeared outside a butcher\u2019s hut in the English town of Stratford-upon-Avon. \u201cThe Immortal Shakspeare was born in this house,\u201d it announced, using a common spelling of his name for the time. Today, the town is one of Britain\u2019s most popular tourist destinations, drawing up to three million visitors a year, many to see the birthplace.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But it turns out that <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/23\/travel\/shakespeare-birthplace-stratford-upon-avon.html\" title=\"\">no one knows exactly where Shakespeare was born<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"css-1uuxri4 e1gnsphs0\" id=\"link-286d948a\"><span>CONVERSATION STARTERS<\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"css-1uuxri4 e1gnsphs0\" id=\"link-4393a9e5\"><span><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">SPORTS NEWS<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Italy\u2019s champions:<\/strong> Inter Milan beat its rival, A.C. Milan, to clinch its <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/theathletic.com\/5436607\/2024\/04\/23\/inter-win-serie-a\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">20th Serie A title<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Iga Swiatek: <\/strong>The Polish tennis star has spent <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/theathletic.com\/5434962\/2024\/04\/23\/iga-swiatek-100-weeks-world-number-one-stats\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">100 weeks<\/a> as the world No 1.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Nothing to lose: <\/strong>Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, knows he can <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/theathletic.com\/5436146\/2024\/04\/23\/toto-wollf-max-verstappen-mercedes-red-bull\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">play the waiting game<\/a> with the Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"css-1uuxri4 e1gnsphs0\" id=\"link-61b76e56\"><span><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">ARTS AND IDEAS<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-24348350\">For sale: a Klimt portrait valued at 30 million euros<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A European auction house will list a painting by Gustav Klimt for sale today, projecting it will fetch at least 30 million euros, or about $32 million, in its pre-auction estimate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Whoever buys it will obtain a portrait whose subject, provenance and current ownership are either unknown, not public or the subject of debate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The mysteries surrounding the portrait have only added to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/22\/arts\/design\/klimt-sale-vienna.html\" title=\"\">the interest in the sale of this work<\/a> by Klimt, whose highly decorative paintings are now among the art market\u2019s most coveted trophies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/24\/briefing\/senate-aid-ukraine-trump-trial.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. Senate passed foreign aid bill The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly last night to approve a long-stalled $95.3 billion package of aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending it to President Biden for his signature and ending months of uncertainty about whether the U.S. would continue to back Kyiv against Russian aggression. The legislation had [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/04\/24\/multimedia\/24ambriefing-europe-nl-promo2\/24ambriefing-europe-nl-aid2-tjfz-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[235,7780],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34009"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34009"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34011,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34009\/revisions\/34011"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}