How Trump blocked US aid for Ukraine – to help his bid to beat Biden
The marathon overnight session in the Senate to pass a funding bill for Ukraine is a relief for Kyiv and for Europe.
It’s yet to pass the House of Representatives, though.
It may well not.
And the whole episode is indicative of an almighty American political mess with huge implications.
The real story isn’t that the US Senate has done its part in passing the spending bill for Ukraine.
Ukraine latest: Zelenskyy reacts to crucial US Senate vote
It’s actually about how we got to this point, and it is a story of raw, ugly politics.
It is about American leadership, and it is about the extent to which Donald Trump is already shaping global geo-politics.
It’s a tale that cuts to the heart of America’s political chaos, but it’s not altogether straightforward so bear with me…
‘Secure our own borders first’ – the Republican plan
Late last year, with America’s cyclical funding contribution for Ukraine in need of being renewed, a new proposed bill was sent from the White House down Pennsylvania Avenue to Congress for approval.
That’s where the problems began.
Joe Biden speaks about the aid package for Ukraine from White House. Pic: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
Republicans, with justified concerns about America’s domestic challenges, saw an opportunity.
Conservative America has huge worries about the Biden Administration’s immigration policy and the chaotic status of the country’s southern border with Mexico – which, incidentally, dwarf Europe’s immigration challenges.
And so, Republicans decided to predicate their support for the Ukraine-Israel-Taiwan spending bill on Biden and the Democrats doing something about America’s border-migration chaos.
The Republicans sold it as “why should we be helping Ukraine secure its own borders when our own are wide open”.
It’s an argument that resonates well in conservative parts of today’s America.
Mexico-US border. Pic: Reuters
The Democrats though saw it as an unacceptable conflation of two distinct challenges which put Ukraine’s victory against Russia, and European security, in peril.
Nevertheless, they faced it head on. Biden and the Democrats produced their most conservative policy ever for America’s southern border. It largely addressed the Republican concerns.
They were ready to put a broad “Southern border-Ukraine/Israel/Taiwan” package through Congress.
Here’s where the raw politics comes in.
Trump got what he wanted – and rejected it anyway
Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill rejected the Democrat domestic border proposals – the very proposals they had been calling for.
Why? Because Trump urged them to reject them. He even threatened that Republicans who voted for the border package would find their careers at an end.
Trump was the sole reason Republican lawmakers rejected Democrat domestic border proposals. Pic: Reuters
Trump and his allies recognised that a chaotic southern border helps him. If Biden sorted out the border, then he’d get the credit; it’s no longer a tool for Trump as he seeks to beat Biden in November’s election.
And so, with the overwhelming power he holds over conservative lawmakers in the lower house of Congress, he managed to block the southern border bill.
The whole package fell apart. Ukraine’s ability to defend itself and the security of America’s southern border were both in jeopardy and the victims of raw politics.
This prompted the Democrats to return to the original plan – not to conflate the domestic border with foreign spending.
So, they pushed through the Ukraine-Israel-Taiwan bill on its own.
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Today that passed the Senate – congress’s upper house – inhabited on the right by more traditional, less Trumpian Republicans.
The question now is what Trump’s foot-soldiers in the lower house will do.
Echoing into their lower chamber, the House of Representatives, from the Senate across the hall, are the words of the traditionalist titan of the Republican Party – and no fan of Donald Trump – Senator Mitt Romney:
“Now, I know that the shock jocks and online instigators have riled up many in the far reaches of my party. But if your position is being cheered by Vladimir Putin, it’s time to reconsider your position.”
Donald Trump has waded into the debate surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad.
The American Eagle ad, which features the 27-year-old actress, who starred in the HBO series Euphoria and White Lotus, has the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”.
It has sparked a debate in the US over race and Western beauty standards.
One of the Sydney Sweeney jeans ads. Pic: AP
In a Truth Social post, the US president described it as the “hottest ad out there”.
Hailing Sweeney as a “registered Republican”, he said the jeans are “flying off the shelves”, adding: “Go get ’em Sydney!”
Most of the criticism of the ad has centred on videos using the word “genes” instead of “jeans”, with one in which Sweeney says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”
Critics argued the play on words potentially promotes eugenics, a discredited theory that believed humanity could be improved through the selective breeding of certain traits.
But others have defended the ad, saying the critics are reading too much into its message.
The video appeared on American Eagle’s Facebook page and other social media channels, but is not part of the ad campaign.
In a statement on Instagram on Friday, American Eagle Outfitters said the campaign “is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
Stocks in American Eagle Outfitters jumped by 23.3% after Mr Trump’s intervention.
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In his Truth Social post, which he reposted three times to fix various typos, Mr Trump compared the ad with “woke” ones “on the other side of the ledger” – as he criticised other companies, as well as hitting out at Taylor Swift.
“The tide has seriously turned – Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be,” he wrote.
Sky News has contacted Sweeney’s agent for comment.
Police in Tennessee have discovered 14 improvised explosive devices in a man’s home as they were arresting him, the local sheriff’s office said.
Officers were executing a warrant in the home of Kevin Wade O’Neal in Old Fort, about 45 miles (70km) east of Chattanooga, after he had threatened to kill public officials and law enforcement personnel in Polk County.
After arresting the 54-year-old, officers noticed “something smouldering” in the bedroom where he was found.
Kevin Wade O’Neal. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
On closer inspection, they discovered an improvised explosive device and evacuated the house until bomb squad officers arrived at the scene.
Fourteen devices were found inside the property – none of which detonated.
Improvised explosive devices were found in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home in Old Fort, Tennessee. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
O’Neal was charged with 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder, corresponding to nine officers and two other people inside the property when the suspect tried to detonate the devices.
He also faces 14 counts of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components.
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O’Neal is being held at the Polk County jail and his bond is yet to be determined.
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