Zelensky lobbied for more aid in Washington
President Volodymyr Zelensky was welcomed at the White House yesterday as President Biden faces pushback from some Republican lawmakers in Congress who oppose providing further assistance to Ukraine.
Making his second wartime visit to Washington, Zelensky also met with lawmakers and warned that his country would fall to Russia if the U.S. cut the military and financial aid that has helped his forces withstand the Russian onslaught.
“If we don’t get the aid, we will lose the war,” Zelensky said in a meeting with at least 50 senators, as recounted by the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer.
Zelensky came to Washington to follow up on Biden’s request to Congress for a $24 billion package of military and humanitarian funding. His visit came at a critical time: Ukraine is struggling to break through Russian front lines in a counteroffensive before the start of winter brings fighting to a standstill.
Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, said that Biden would announce a new aid package for Ukraine containing “significant air defense capabilities.” Earlier in the day, Russia launched a wave of missile attacks on energy plants and equipment.
A shift: During his first trip to Washington in December, Zelensky received a hero’s welcome. “The whole dynamic is a real departure from where things were the last time Zelensky came to Capitol Hill,” my colleague Karoun Demirjian said. “Then he was feted, he made a joint address in front of Congress and the public, and he was praised pretty roundly for how good a job he did of being able to make his case.”
This time, Zelensky spoke to lawmakers in a closed-door meeting. Republican lawmakers asked Zelensky to address their concerns and provide them with his vision of a plan for victory.
Rupert Murdoch is retiring
Fox News and News Corporation announced yesterday that Rupert Murdoch was retiring from their boards. His son Lachlan will become the sole executive in charge of the global media empire his father built from a small local newspaper concern in Australia 70 years ago.
The announcement marked the formal end to a career in which Murdoch, now 92, built the most influential media empire on the planet. With a brand of right-wing populism, his companies have amassed the power at times to make or break presidents and prime ministers. He built that empire across three continents, helping to shift norms and tastes in journalism, politics and popular culture throughout the English-speaking world.
Murdoch will become chairman emeritus of the two companies and continue to offer counsel, his son said in a statement.
What’s next: So far there is no indication that Lachlan Murdoch, 52, will change the overall course of Fox News. The political and media worlds will be watching closely to see if his father’s retirement changes that.
A look at Sikh life in Canada
The Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple in Surrey, British Columbia, is a major cultural and…
2023-09-21 15:46:48
Post from www.nytimes.com
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