Rand Paul stalls Senate passage of $40 billion in Ukraine aid https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rand-paul-ukraine-aid-senate-unanimous-consent/ Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul defied leaders of both parties Thursday and delayed until next week Senate approval of an additional $40 billion to help Ukraine and its allies withstand Russia's three-month old invasion. With the Senate poised to debate and vote on the package of military and economic aid, Paul denied leaders the unanimous agreement they needed to proceed. The bipartisan measure, backed by President Joe Biden, underscores U.S. determination to reinforce its support for Ukraine's outnumbered forces. The legislation has been approved overwhelmingly by the House and has strong bipartisan support in the Senate. Final passage is not in doubt. Even so, Paul's objection was a departure from the overwhelming sentiment in Congress in favor of quickly helping Ukraine, as it fights to withstand Vladimir Putin's brutal invasion and tries to discourage him from escalating the war. It was also a rebellion against his fellow Kentucky Republican, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who on Thursday had called on "both sides" to "help us pass this urgent funding bill today." Paul, a libertarian who often opposes U.S. intervention abroad, said he wanted language inserted into the bill, without a vote, that would have an inspector general scrutinize the new spending. He has a long history of demanding last-minute changes by holding up or threatening to delay bills on the brink of passage, including measures dealing with lynching, sanctioning Russia, preventing a federal shutdown, the defense budget, government surveillance and providing health care to the Sept. 11 attack first responders. Democrats and McConnell opposed Paul's push and offered to have a vote on his language. Paul was likely to lose that vote and rejected the offer. Paul, who unsuccessfully sought his party's 2016 presidential nomination, argued that the added spending was more than the U.S. spends on many domestic programs, was comparable to Russia's entire defense budget and would deepen federal deficits and worsen inflation. Last year's budget deficit was almost $2.8 trillion but is likely headed downward, and the bill's spending is less than 0.2% of the size of the U.S. economy, suggesting its impact on inflation would be negligible. "No matter how sympathetic the cause, my oath of office is to the national security of the United States of America," Paul said. "We cannot save Ukraine by dooming the U.S. economy." Democrats said they were objecting to Paul's plan because it would expand the powers of an existing inspector general whose current purview is limited to Afghanistan. That would deny Mr. Biden the chance past presidents have had to make an appointment to the post, they said. "It's clear from the junior senator from Kentucky's remarks, he doesn't want to aid Ukraine," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York. "All he will accomplish with his actions here today is to delay that aid, not to stop it." Schumer and McConnell stood nearly side-by-side as they tried pushing the legislation forward. "They're only asking for the resources they need to defend themselves against this deranged invasion," McConnell said of the Ukrainians. "And they need this help right now." The House voted 368-57 on Tuesday to approve the measure. All Democrats and most Republicans backed it, though every "no" vote came from the GOP. The bipartisan backing for Ukraine has been partly driven by accounts of Russian atrocities against Ukrainian civilians that have been impossible to ignore. It also reflects strategic concerns about letting Putin seize European territory unanswered as his assault on his neighbor to the west grinds into its 12th week. "Helping Ukraine is not an instance of mere philanthropy," McConnell said. "It bears directly on America's national security and vital interests that Russia's naked aggression not succeed and carries significant costs." Biden administration officials have said they expect the latest aid measure to last through September. But with Ukraine taking heavy military and civilian losses and no sense of when the fighting might end, Congress will ultimately face decisions about how much more aid to provide at a time of huge U.S. budget deficits and a risk of recession that could demand added spending at home. The latest bill, when added to the $13.6 billion Congress approved in March, would push American aid to the region well above $50 billion. For perspective, that would total $6 billion more than the U.S. spent on military and economic aid around the world in 2019, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. The push toward passage came as Russia continued blasting Ukrainian forces and cities in southern and eastern portions of the country. Reflecting international concerns prompted by the assault, Finland's leaders announced their support for joining NATO and Sweden seemed not far behind. Mr. Biden asked Congress for $33 billion two weeks ago. It didn't take lawmakers long to add $3.4 billion to his requests for both military and humanitarian programs. The measure includes $6 billion for Ukraine for intelligence, equipment and training for its forces, plus $4 billion in financing to help Kyiv and NATO allies build up their militaries. There's $8.7 billion for the Pentagon to rebuild stocks of weapons it has shipped to Ukraine and $3.9 billion for U.S. troops in the region. The measure also includes $8.8 billion to keep the Kyiv government functioning, more than $5 billion to provide food to countries around the world that rely on Ukrainian crops devastated by the fighting and $900 million to teach English and provide other services to Ukrainian refugees who have moved to the United States. The biggest hurdle to rapid approval of the assistance was cleared this week when Biden and Democrats dropped their demand to include billions more in the measure to bolster U.S. efforts to counter the coronavirus pandemic. Republicans want separate COVID-19 legislation to be a battleground for an election-season fight over immigration that divides Democrats.
Putin's Soviet purge continues... Russian military leaders ‘sacked and arrested’ amid heavy battlefield losses Speculation about Valery Gerasimov comes after he was absent from Moscow Victory Day parade https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...sian-military-gerasimov-ukraine-b2077884.html
No way the Russians can keep up with this kind of weaponry. This system is bad ass. It’s for striking large tactical groups. All you have to do with the brimstone system is identify an approximate location and it will identify and target individual targets on its own. It can even track a moving target on its own.
SEA OF FLAMES Russia ‘loses ANOTHER ship in Black Sea as mystery blaze guts navy vessel’ after Putin’s two flagships are destroyed Anthony Blair 15:44 ET, May 12 2022 Updated: 3:42 ET, May 13 2022 https://www.the-sun.com/news/5326933/russian-navy-ship-destroyed-fire-snake-island-ukraine/
Erdogan says Turkey not supportive of Finland, Sweden joining NATO Somewhat predictable. Although I figured that Orban in Hungary would be the first to play this card. He is next then. As some know, I have many many times referred to the Turks as snakes in Nato that I would like to boot out. I have Zero interest in defending them if they get caught up in one of the many snaky domestic and international conflicts that they have brewing at any given time. Plus, they muck up Nato as much as they can. They are buying missiles from Russia, while selling missiles to Ukraine. Snaky The major power NATO members saw this coming though. You have the US and Britain and other countries hustling around entering into mutual defense pacts with Sweden and Finland - under the guise of saying that- "we want them to be protected in case the Nato membership process is long and drawn out." That's the countermove that Vlad can not stop even though he might be able to get his bootlickers in Nato to stop membership for certain countries. There are no barriers to the major powers entering into mutual defense pacts with other countries, Ukraine included, outside of Nato. It is messy and not the preferred way to go but you deal with what is in front of you. https://www.reuters.com/world/erdog...itive-finland-sweden-joining-nato-2022-05-13/
I missed this bit of news. "Residents of Orwell Road* in Dublin, where the Russian embassy is located, are set to be consulted on a proposal to change the name to Independent Ukraine Road." https://www.thejournal.ie/russian-embassy-orwell-road-independent-ukraine-road-5706473-Mar2022/ *though its hard to imagine a more perfect name for the road the embassy is on?
Rand Paul is a little mangy haired weasel*. https://www.businessinsider.com/rand-paul-hair-2013-2 *"A student asked Paul, who worked as an ophthalmologist for many years before entering politics, for advice on taking a midterm exam. Paul responded by recalling his own college strategy of using misinformation to "trick" fellow students that he viewed as "opponents." " 2013 address to students.