After a sobering trip to #Kyiv, Secy of State Antony J. #Blinken is urging #POTUS#Biden to lift some restrictions on how Ukraine can use American arms.
Since the 1st US shipments of sophisticated weapons to #Ukraine, #POTUS#Biden has never wavered on 1 prohibition: President #Zelensky had to agree to never fire them into Russian territory, insisting that would violate Biden’s mandate to “avoid World War III.”
But consensus around that policy is fraying. Propelled by the State Dept, there is now a vigorous debate inside the admin over relaxing the ban to allow Ukrainians to hit missile & artillery launch sites just over the border in #Russia….
“When a #police department upgrades its #guns, what happens to the old ones? A CBS #News investigation found #law enforcement agencies routinely resold or traded in their used duty #weapons, a practice that has sent thousands of guns into the hands of criminals.
In a 16-year period ending in 2022, the ATF identified more than 52,000 guns recovered from #crime scenes that were once used by police agencies. It took a federal court order for the ATF to release that data”
The #Republican-led UnitedStates House of
Representatives passed a bill on Thurs that would force President Joe #Biden to send weapons to Israel, seeking to rebuke the Democrat for delaying bomb shipments as he urges Israel to do more to protect #civilians during its war w/ #Hamas.
The #Israel Security Assistance Support Act was approved 224 to 187, largely along party lines. 16 #Democrats joined most Republicans in voting yes, & 3 #Republicans joined most Democrats in opposing the measure.
The act is not expected to become #law, but its passage underscored the deep #US#election-year divide over Israel policy as PM Benjamin #Netanyahu's government seeks to wipe out militants who attacked Israel on #Oct7….
Should police officers be deployed in schools for safety?
Are the children safe?
Some U.S. school districts that removed police officers in the wake of George Floyd’s death in 2020 are rethinking what safety experts called a “knee-jerk reaction” as fights and incidents with guns that endanger students spark concern.
WSJ reports that the #Biden administration notified Congress on Tuesday that it was moving forward with more than $1 billion in new #weapons deals for #Israel.
Facing Russian Advance, a Top Ukrainian General Paints a Bleak Picture
#Ukraine’s forces are stretched thin & have minimal reserves to draw on, the chief of #military#intelligence said, in addition to shortages of #weapons.
“The situation is on the edge,” Gen Kyrylo Budanov, head of #Ukraine’s #military#intelligence agency said…from a bunker in Kharkiv. “Every hour this situation moves toward critical.”
His assessment echoed…other Ukrainian officers…, the country’s military prospects are dimming. Besides being outnumbered, Ukrainians face critical shortages of #weapons, esp artillery ammo, & $60.8B worth of arms from the #US —approved 3 wks ago after months of gridlock in #congress —has barely begun to arrive.
@Nonilex
MAGAt Mike Johnson is responsible for these deaths and destruction of entire towns 100%. I thought the weapons were all ready to be immediately delivered. It appears not. How disgusting. 🤬