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New York Times – U.S. News
nytimes.com
Summary
A polling place in California on Tuesday.
A polling place in California on Tuesday.
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Published by New York Times – U.S. News on nytimes.com
Melania Trump was awarded Ukraine's Order of Princess Olha, 1st Class for her "significant personal contribution to humanitarian support for Ukraine" US First Lady Melania Trump called for a "more enduring" ceasefire in Ukraine as she welcomed Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the White House following last week's truce in the southern region of Kherson. Hundreds of residents of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky facing starvation and constant bombardment were able to evacuate during a six-day ceasefire, which both Moscow and Kyiv credited Trump with brokering. "The lives of innocent people must transcend the division of war. I hope Oleshky inspires greater peace," she said. The unusual White House event saw senior Ukrainian and Russian officials meet away from the setting of official US-brokered peace talks they have been holding without success since last year. The delegations were made up of Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and his Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova, as well as Ukrainian MP Davyd Arakhamia and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Melania Trump was credited by all for playing a key though unspecified role in the ceasefire, and all parties conveyed to her the gratitude of the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. Melania Trump handed Dmitriev and Arakhamia "personal letters" for their respective presidents The US first lady said she had "reviewed demining plans, aerial images, assessed roadways, and discussed evacuation routes, hospital access, vehicles, and medical resources" during the truce. "Last week in Oleshky and neighbouring areas of Kherson, people experienced the simple joys of life for the first time since 2022," Trump said. Melania Trump has generally remained discreet on foreign policy matters, and neither Moscow nor Kyiv have elaborated on the nature or extent of her involvement in coordinating the delicate ceasefire - the most enduring and widespread of the war so far.
In the run-up to the midterm election, seen by many as a referendum on the Iran war, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth unveiled FORTRESS America — a project to allow U.S. military bases to survive a 90-day siege. But following the landslide Democratic victory, it’s Hegseth who finds himself increasingly besieged within his own fortress, the Pentagon, and on Capitol Hill where he stands on the brink of bipartisan impeachment. In the wake of an election rout that handed Democrats firm control of the House and the Senate, Hegseth is in the crosshairs of lawmakers whom he has treated with contempt for two years, as he has withheld basic information from Congress and purged bipartisan-backed senior military leaders. “One of the first things we’re going to do in the majority, we’re going to run Pete Hegseth out of town,” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who is now in line to be speaker of the House, announced at a campaign rally just before Election Day. Asked about the self-styled War Secretary on Wednesday, Jeffries replied : “Is Pete Hegseth still around?” As the blue wave crested on Tuesday, storm clouds stacked up on Hegseth’s horizon. “We’re going to go after Hegseth,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., in line to return to the helm of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, announced after cruising to victory on Tuesday. “LAWYER UP,” Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, posted on X . Both will be joined in the House by Democrat Nancy Lacore, a former Navy admiral who was fired by Hegseth, who declared victory in a traditionally red district in South Carolina. Bryant — until last year a senior targeting adviser and policy analyst at the Pentagon — gave voice to Massie’s more technical articles of impeachment which indict Hegseth for extrajudicial killings and waging unlawful war, among other crimes. “He is conducting state terrorism. He needs to be prosecuted,” said Bryant, who was pushed out of his Pentagon job for blowing the whistle on Hegseth’s efforts to undermine protections for civilians .
After Democrats delivered a once-in-a-generation midterm thumping of Republicans in the United States midterms , their current leader, Chuck Schumer, has expressed confidence he will helm his party’s larger-than-expected majority in the US Senate. “I’ll be re-elected as majority leader,” the New York Democrat told reporters in Washington on Wednesday. But as calls for change reached a fever pitch among voters in this week’s pivotal elections, not every newly elected Senate Democrat is open to the idea of having Schumer, a 75-year-old stalwart of the chamber, reprise his role as the head of their agenda. At least seven incoming Democratic freshmen have publicly suggested – or said outright – they will not commit to supporting Schumer in next month’s leadership vote: Jackson has openly questioned Schumer’s ability to connect with working-class voters, while Flanagan’s staff has said the senator-elect wants “a progressive champion” who will shepherd Democrats through the final two years of Donald Trump’s presidency and into 2028. New members, like El-Sayed, may not be won over after Schumer backed the former public health official’s opponent, Haley Stevens, in Michigan’s Democratic primary. Schumer, the first Jewish Senate leader, has often found himself at the centre of brewing cultural and foreign-policy debates within his party. In remarks that were posted online in February, Schumer told Jewish leaders in New York City one of his core duties was “to fight for aid to Israel”. “We delivered more security assistance to Israel, our ally, under my leadership than ever, ever before”, he said. “We will keep doing that.” Schumer has also faced fierce criticism for not doing enough to block Trump’s cabinet members from being confirmed. Some have even chastised the leader for retreating during last year’s government shutdown after he backed a Republican bill to reopen federal agencies without getting anything in return. Critics in his party, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, called that a “capitulation” that abandoned key Democratic priorities, like healthcare subsidies. The Democratic leader said on Wednesday the party’s new Senate plan would include launching investigations into the Trump administration, challenging the president’s agenda and ending his war in Iran. To be re-elected, Schumer needs a simple majority of the Democratic Senate caucus, projected to comprise 54-56 members, and Schumer, who previously served as majority leader during the duration of former President Biden’s term in office, still has allies he can count on.