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Biden announces another $ 800 million in military aid to Ukraine: “We are in a critical window” – live | US policy

Richard Luscombe

An auction of works of art, including works by Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, and other personal belongings, owned by the late Chief Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, is expected to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars next week.

Ruth Bader Ginzburg. Photo: Jessica Hill / AP

Much of her collection of paintings and ceramics formed a 115-lot modern art auction, organized by Potomack of Alexandria, Virginia, in an online catalog. An additional collection entitled “Cameras and Home” includes 145 many different interesting things, including tin bowls, crystal vases and many other personal items.

Ginsberg, the iconic pioneer of human and civil rights who died in 2020 at the age of 87 from complications of pancreatic cancer, has a number of artifacts spanning the past two centuries, from artists including Picasso and Warhol.

One of the most valuable items is the 1953 oil painting Presagio-Premonition by Mexican artist Günther Herzo, which is expected to raise up to $ 100,000.

Among the most personal is the “natural black mink coat of the Gartenhaus” with Ginzburg’s embroidered name in his pocket. By Thursday morning, the bid for it was already over $ 2,000, more than twice the original estimate.

Picasso’s pottery and Warhol’s painting on a box of tomato soup are among the other highlights.

“These items are truly tangible parts of her life and times as one of America’s greatest judges of the Supreme Court,” Elizabeth Haney Weinstein, owner of the Potomack Company, told the New York Times.

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The acclaimed and highly acclaimed CNN + subscription streaming service, which the network intends to complement its regular news programs, was discontinued less than a month after it was launched.

The decision to suspend the service on April 30 will be seen as a huge humiliation for CNN, which relied on its big-name presenters to attract customers for $ 5.99 a month.

However, development was slow and CNN +’s new corporate owners, Warner Bros Discovery, decided to close on Thursday.

The company’s hopes for 2 million subscribers in the first year seemed highly optimistic, with reports saying it had attracted just 150,000 in the three weeks since its launch.

In a statement to employees trying to describe the sudden closure as a shift in resources, CNN’s new president Chris Licht said:

Although today’s decision is incredibly difficult, it is the right one for CNN’s long-term success. This allows us to redirect resources to the core products that drive our only focus: further improving CNN’s journalism and its reputation as a world leader in news.

Interruption: CNN +, the streaming service that has been hailed as one of the most significant developments in CNN history, will close on April 30, just one month after launch. Here is our initial story – more https://t.co/JElI3cVyDF

– Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) April 21, 2022

Richard Luscombe

Black Democrats staged a sit-in protest in the Florida legislature to disrupt congressional approval of plans to redirect Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who they say seeks to eliminate black voter representation.

According to the Miami Herald, a special legislative session convened by DeSantis was adjourned shortly before noon on Thursday when black lawmakers began chanting and white colleagues joined the protest.

The Herald said: “The House was in the middle of a three-hour debate on the map when Representative Yvonne Hinson, a Gainesville Democrat, was cut off because she exceeded the five-minute deadline for members’ debate.

“While her microphone was muted, spokeswoman Angie Nixon, a Jacksonville Democrat, was walking on the floor wearing a T-shirt under her” Stop the Black Attack “jacket, holding a protest sign.

“When the Black Democrats started chanting and the White Democrats joined the protest, House Speaker Chris Sprolls ordered the House to rest and the stunned Republicans slowly got off the floor.

DeSantis proposed his own redrawn map of Florida’s congressional districts, which the Republican-controlled legislature said would be passed without change, although it is the legislature’s responsibility to set boundaries.

The governor’s proposal will divide the fifth congressional district into four new ones, where black voters will make up a much smaller share of the vote. Critics say his “racist” plan will remove the seats of two black members of Congress.

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Martin Pengeli

Joe Biden must act to reduce growing economic pressure by giving up “awakened advisers,” said Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney. Photo: Alex Brandon / AP

The Utah senator and former Republican presidential candidate made the request in a column for the Wall Street Journal.

“A new set of priorities requires a new set of principles,” Romney wrote. “President Biden must give up his awakened advisers and surround himself with people who want to make the economy work again.

Romney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what an “awakened advisor” was or who could qualify for the title. The White House did not comment.

As the midterm elections approach, the Biden administration is facing severe economic difficulties. Inflation is at long-term highs, contributing to the cost of living crisis fueled by the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Biden’s rating has fallen as opinion polls show disapproval of his dealings with economic issues.

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So far

  • Joe Biden announced that the United States will provide another $ 800 million in military aid to Ukraine, in addition to $ 500 million in economic aid. He acknowledged that he had almost exhausted the withdrawal powers authorized by Congress in a bipartisan bill last month, and that he would ask for an additional budget to continue funding Ukraine as it defends itself from Russia.
  • In the same address, Biden announced the creation of Unite for Ukraine, a humanitarian parole program to speed up the migration of Ukrainian refugees from Europe to the United States through sponsorship.
  • In addition to more sanctions announced yesterday, Biden announced that ships bound for Russia have already been banned from US ports.
  • The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmihal is in Washington and met briefly with Biden and some members of his cabinet before Biden made his remarks. Schmihal then went to Capitol Hill, where he met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

A new book by reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns contains new details about the days after the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, in which Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell, the two top Republican leaders in Congress, privately told staff they believe Donald Trump must be responsible for the uprising.

McCarthy strongly opposed the New York Times report on the book’s findings, calling it “completely false and erroneous.”

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Delta Airlines will restore the flight privileges of 2,000 customers who were banned from flying due to non-compliance with the federal mask mandate, Reuters reports.

Now that a federal judge has ruled the mandate illegal and the Biden administration will no longer apply it to public transport – although the Justice Department appealed yesterday’s decision at the request of public health officials – Delta said it would recover passengers “just in case.” is reviewed and each customer demonstrates an understanding of the expected behavior when flying with us. ”

“Any further disregard for the policies that keep us safe will result in Delta being placed on the permanent flight ban list,” Delta said.

This will not affect the 1,000 passengers who “have shown impressive behavior and are already on the permanent list of prohibited flights”.

Delta joins United Airlines in lifting the ban on passengers who have been banned from wearing masks on a case-by-case basis.

Here is the White House reading from the meeting between Joe Biden and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmihal:

NEW: The White House launches Pres reporting. Biden meets with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmihal.

“President Biden conveyed the United States’ continued commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine and imposing costs on Russia. pic.twitter.com/l0z52cIK6z

– ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 21, 2022

Now the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmihal is on Capitol Hill with the Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. Earlier, Schmihal spoke with Joe Biden, which delayed his speech.

After providing an update on Ukraine, Joe Biden is now traveling to Portland, Oregon to talk about infrastructure and attend a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee.