Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Only four Senate Republicans voted to advance the bipartisan compromise: “The Senate voted 49-50 to shoot down a bipartisan border security and foreign aid bill after Republicans voted en masse to filibuster the agreement they had demanded, arguing that it didn’t do enough to crack down on an overwhelmed border.”
* In Iraq: “A Kata’ib Hezbollah commander was killed in a U.S. drone strike today in Baghdad, Iraq, as part of the country’s response to an attack on American forces in the region two weeks ago, a U.S. official confirmed to NBC News.”
* Difficult diplomacy: “Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as he tries to advance the cease-fire talks and pushes for a larger postwar settlement for the Gaza Strip. The meetings came after Saudi Arabia said it would not engage in diplomatic relations with Israel without recognition of an independent Palestinian state and an end to the assault on the enclave.”
* In related news: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected demands from Hamas for a permanent cease-fire in response to a potential hostage deal, adding that Israel will fight until ‘absolute victory.’ The prime minister insisted that Hamas’ military power must be dismantled before Israel can consider a withdrawal.”
* The search continues: “A search for five troops aboard a Marine Corps helicopter carrying them from Nevada to California is underway Wednesday afternoon after the aircraft was reported missing Tuesday, amid a historic storm. The aircraft was located by civil authorities near Pine Valley, Calif. outside San Diego around 9 a.m. local time, but the search for the Marines onboard continues as snow and rain pelt the area, search crews said.”
* The latest Jan. 6 arrest: “The FBI arrested yet another Jan. 6 rioter on Wednesday, saying that eBay and Amazon purchases helped confirm the identity of the New York man who they say assaulted officers with pepper spray during the assault on the Capitol. Aaron Sauer, 43, who the FBI says was affiliated with the Proud Boys and went by the moniker ‘Roni,’ faces at least nine charges, including felony counts of civil disorder and assaulting officers.”
* Another arrest of note: “A Tennessee man who planned to travel to the southern border with an arsenal of weapons and explosives to ‘stir up the hornet’s nest’ was arrested Monday, federal officials say. Paul Faye, who told undercover agents that the U.S. was ‘being invaded’ by illegal immigrants, has been charged with selling an unregistered firearm suppressor, according to a criminal complaint federal prosecutors filed this week in Nashville, Tennessee.”
* Shifting trade patterns: “New data released on Wednesday showed that Mexico outpaced China for the first time in 20 years to become America’s top source of official imports — a significant shift that highlights how increased tensions between Washington and Beijing are altering trade flows.”
* At the Vatican: “Pope Francis said he sees ‘hypocrisy’ in criticism of his decision to allow priests to bless same-sex couples, possibly his most strongly worded defense of the move.”
See you tomorrow.
