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Barr in communication with Jan. 6 House panel over possible cooperation: reports

Former Attorney General William Barr is reportedly in communication with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot about potentially cooperating with its probe, multiple news outlets reported on Thursday.

Two sources with direct knowledge told Axios, which first reported the news, that Barr is discussing providing formal testimony before the panel. One source familiar with Barr’s thinking told the outlet that the former Trump official will likely cooperate.

Two sources familiar with the matter told CNN that Barr has “tentatively agreed to give sworn testimony behind closed doors.”

Jan. 6 Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) previously said that Barr had been in informal discussions with his panel.

Committee Vice Chairwoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and committee lawyers met informally with Barr last fall at his home, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. One source told the outlet the meeting centered around interactions Barr had with former President Trump before and after the 2020 election.

Barr drew the ire of the former president after telling Trump that there was no evidence of mass fraud committed in the last presidential election, ultimately resigning from his post in Dec. 2020. 

Trump has since lashed out at Barr, who has called the former president’s claims about fraud in the 2020 election “bullshit,” saying back in March “he was weak, ineffective, and totally scared of being impeached, which the Democrats were constantly threatening to do. They ‘broke’ him.”

The development comes as the committee gets ready to hold eight public hearings next month. Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said on Thursday that she felt the panel’s investigation was “headed in a good direction,” confirming she met with the committee a second time the day before. 

The Hill has reached out to the committee for comment. The Hill could not immediately reach Barr for comment. 

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On The Money — Senate takes step to curb baby formula shortage

Both chambers of Congress are passing bills to help families access baby formula, but which ones will make it to President Biden?  We’ll also look at a House bill to limit how much you’re paying for gasoline and Ukraine aid getting through the Senate.  

But first, a new infectious disease outbreak just dropped. 

Welcome to On The Money, your nightly guide to everything affecting your bills, bank account and bottom line. For The Hill, we’re Sylvan Lane, Aris Folley and Karl Evers-Hillstrom. Someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Senate passes bill to expand infant formula access 

Legislation that aims to protect low-income families from infant formula shortages passed the Senate by unanimous consent on Thursday. 

The Access to Baby Formula Act passed the House late Wednesday on a rare bipartisan vote of 414-9, and now heads to President Biden’s desk for his signature. 

“It’s rare that we have unanimity in the Senate on important measures, and I wish we had more. But this is one of those important issues, and I am glad we are acting with one voice,” Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the Senate floor.

• Each state awards a sole-source contract to a formula manufacturer to provide its product to WIC participants. As a result, WIC participants can only redeem their WIC voucher for formula made by the manufacturer that holds the contract for that state. 
• WIC benefits restrict the types of formulas that recipients can buy, as part of the program’s contracting rules. Abbott Nutrition is one of just two companies that serve nearly 90 percent of all infants in the program. 
• The bill would allow the Department of Agriculture to waive WIC’s contract restrictions during emergencies, disasters and supply chain disruptions, meaning families would be able to use WIC benefits to purchase whatever formula is available. 

“The step we are taking today is going to add flexibility and relief to WIC beneficiaries, and almost half of all baby formula consumed in the U.S. is by WIC beneficiaries. Now millions of parents will have an easier time finding the baby formula they need,” Schumer said. 

But the fate of a separate House bill to provide the Food and Drug Administration $28 million in emergency funding is uncertain. That legislation passed the House 231-192, but GOP senators have expressed wariness about spending the money. 

Read more here from The Hill’s Nathaniel Weixel. 

TARGETING BIG OIL  

The House voted Thursday to pass Democrats’ bill aimed at combating “price gouging” on gasoline. 

The bill passed 217-207, with no Republicans voting for it and four Democrats voting against it: Reps. Stephanie Murphy (Fla.), Lizzie Fletcher (Texas), Kathleen Rice (N.Y.) and Jared Golden (Maine). 

The legislation is unlikely to gain traction in the Senate, where it would need the support of 10 Republicans to advance, but it’s part of a major messaging push by Democrats as they try to blame the oil industry for skyrocketing prices.  

• The bill would outlaw the selling of fuel at an “excessive” price during an energy emergency, though it does not detail any particular price threshold. 
• It would empower the Federal Trade Commission to pursue legal action if instances of price gouging are discovered. 
• The bill’s passage comes as gas prices, which have skyrocketed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hit new highs this week, averaging about $4.59 on Thursday. 

The Hill’s Rachel Frazin has more here. 

HELP IS ON THE WAY 

Senate passes $40 billion Ukraine aid package 

The Senate voted 86-11 Thursday to approve a $40 billion Ukraine aid package that would replenish U.S. stockpiles of weapons transferred to Ukraine and provide billions of dollars to help the Ukrainian government continue operating and for humanitarian assistance.   

President Biden is expected to sign the legislation, which exceeds his $33 billion request to Congress, immediately. The House passed the legislation overwhelmingly earlier this month in a 368-57 vote.  

• The legislation would authorize the transfer of American weapons and equipment to Ukraine and provide $9 billion to replenish depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles and $6 billion in training, equipment, weapons and logistics to Ukraine’s military and national security forces.   
• It would also provide nearly $8.8 billion for continued operations of the Ukrainian government and counter human trafficking, $5 billion in global food aid, $4.35 billion in international disaster assistance and $900 million in refugee support services.    

Eleven Republican senators led by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted against the measure.   

The Hill’s Alexander Bolton breaks it down here. 

NO RESTAURANT RELIEF   

Senate blocks $48 billion aid package for restaurants, other small businesses 

The Senate on Thursday blocked a bipartisan bill to provide $48 billion to restaurants, gyms and other small businesses hit particularly hard by the pandemic.  

Senators voted 52-43 to hold a vote on the bill, falling short of the 60-vote threshold needed to move forward. Just five GOP senators voted for the motion to proceed, with the bill’s opponents citing its impact on the federal deficit and inflation. 

• The vote likely spells doom for the bill, which was crafted by Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) as a way to help struggling small businesses get out of debt accrued during the pandemic.  
• The bill would have provided $40 billion for restaurants and $8 billion for gyms and fitness facilities, live event companies, bus and ferry operators and other hard-hit businesses. 

“Well, this was our best shot. Make no mistake about it, we’re disappointed that we weren’t able to get it done,” Cardin told reporters after the vote. 

Karl has more here. 

Good to Know

A new report from the government’s internal watchdog found that richer taxpayers are benefitting the most from a broader decline in audit rates by the IRS, adding impetus to criticism that the U.S. tax system favors the wealthy, and possibly bolstering a White House push to increase taxes on the wealthy. 

Here’s what else we have our eye on: 

• A bipartisan group of senators on Thursday introduced legislation that would force Google to break up its digital advertising business. 
• Twitter on Thursday announced a new approach to how it handles misinformation during crisis situations aimed more aggressively at targeting false allegations. 
• Americans with homes that are repeatedly flooded by extreme weather events could soon have the federal government buy their houses under a new bill introduced Thursday by Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.). 

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading and check out The Hill’s Finance page for the latest news and coverage. We’ll see you tomorrow. 

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White House announces first government flights to deliver baby formula from Europe to US

The Biden administration on Thursday announced the first flights will take place in the coming days to deliver infant formula from Europe to the United States as part of a new government initiative to address the domestic formula shortage.

The Pentagon is working to get planes in place to fly the equivalent of 1.5 million bottles of formula from Zurich, Switzerland, to Plainfield, Ind., to be distributed to areas of need. The flights are part of “Operation Fly Formula,” an initiative launched this week as one of several steps the White House is taking to increase formula supply.

The Switzerland flight will bring three different types of formula: Alfamino Infant, Alfamino Junior and Gerber Good Start Extensive HA. All three are hypoallergenic and are being prioritized because formulas that are safe for babies with allergies are in especially short supply, the White House said.

The formula shortage occurred after an Abbott Nutrition plant was shuttered back in February over reports of babies falling ill after ingesting formula from the facility. Increased attention on the shortage in recent weeks has led to even shorter supply and price gouging.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has been investigating the plant, on Monday reached an agreement with Abbott on a path forward to reopening the plant in Sturgis, Mich.  

The White House has been under immense pressure to do more to address the baby formula shortage over the past week. Officials have announced a series of actions, including new FDA guidance aimed at boosting imports of formula from abroad not typically sold in the U.S.  

Biden on Wednesday invoked the Defense Production Act to require suppliers to “direct needed resources to infant formula manufacturers before any other customer who may have ordered that good.” 

On the same day, the president launched “Operation Fly Formula” to allow Defense Department commercial aircraft to pick up baby formula from overseas that meets U.S. standards to get it quickly to American shelves. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Google Doodle honors queer, Korean American disability rights activist

Thursday’s Google Doodle honors Stacey Park Milbern, who co-founded the modern disability justice movement, on what would have been her 35th birthday.

Milbern, who had muscular dystrophy, dedicated most of her life to advocating for disability justice – a framework developed by Milbern and other activists to reform the mainstream disability rights movement, which they alleged had marginalized people of color and nontraditional gender identities.

“I want to leave a legacy of disabled people knowing we are powerful and beautiful because of who we are, not despite of it,” Milbern is quoted as saying in a Google news release.

Milbern was born in Seoul, South Korea, but spent most of her childhood in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where her father, who was in the United States Army, was stationed. On a blog she kept until 2008, Milbern described herself as “just your everyday queer disabled corean girl living in the south.”

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She began her advocacy work at 16 and moved to the California Bay Area at 24, where she continued to work as a disability justice activist and became Director of Programs at the Center of Independent Living, which provides a toolkit to people with disabilities to help them live on their own.

In 2014, Milbern was appointed by then-President Barack Obama to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. She also co-wrote former presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders’ disability rights platform and helped produce the Netflix documentary “Crip Camp,” about a summer camp for teenagers with disabilities.

Milbern died on May 19, 2020 – her 33rd birthday – following complications during a surgery.

“Today in North Carolina, in California, and across the country, people are reflecting on Stacey as a friend and activist, revisiting the imprint she left on their lives,” Milbern’s sister Jessica wrote Thursday in a statement. “Stacey taught us that everyone is valuable, despite what society may say, and that each person has an important role to play. She advocated for movements to move at the pace of the slowest person so that no one is left behind and used her voice to amplify the voices of underserved communities.”

Thursday’s Doodle was created by California-based artist Art Twink, who wrote in an Instagram post that they hope the illustration “brings many to appreciate the power, complexity, and creativity in disability [and] disability activism.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Health Care — FDA commissioner faces Congress on baby formula

If you’re heading into work tomorrow (and not working from home), it is Bike to Work Day!  

Today in health care, the FDA commissioner faced questions on baby formula shortages on Capitol Hill, and CDC advisors recommended boosters for kids 5-11.  

Welcome to Overnight Health Care, where we’re following the latest moves on policy and news affecting your health. For The Hill, we’re Peter Sullivan, Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi. Someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

FDA chief: Formula shortages may ease within days  

The head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told a House panel Thursday that the infant formula shortages will begin to ease over the next few days, but had few answers for how the agency allowed a manufacturing plant with known safety issues to continue operating for months without stepping in. 

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf was the first administration official to answer questions before Congress about the formula shortage, which has recently caught lawmakers’ attention. Now facing pressure from frustrated families, those lawmakers are finding no easy solutions.  

The scarcity is partly due to the closure of a manufacturing plant operated by Abbott Nutrition. The plant has been shut down since February, after four infants who consumed formula made there were hospitalized with a rare bacterial infection.  

The FDA earlier this week announced a preliminary consent agreement with Abbott to restart production, pending safety upgrades and certifications. 

“I am pleased to say we’ve made very significant progress” on reopening the plant, Califf told members of a House appropriations subcommittee, “and I think we are on track to get it open within the next week to two weeks, most likely at the outbound two weeks.” 

Califf said the combination of increased production from other manufacturers and new authority on importing formula means “we should see improvement within days.” 

However, he acknowledged “it will be a few weeks before we’re back to normal.” 

Read more here.  

Harris meets with abortion providers

Vice President Harris on Thursday spoke with a group of abortion providers who she said are serving “on the front lines” of a “war on women’s rights.” 

Harris held a virtual meeting with doctors, nurses and reproductive rights advocates who are working in states with particularly restrictive abortion laws, like Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas. The gathering was prompted by news earlier this month that the Supreme Court had drafted an opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that protects a woman’s right to an abortion. 

“We cannot deny that this decision will have real and immediate effects on women around our country,” Harris said. “So, I am here today, joined by doctors, nurses and leading advocates, who are on the front lines against this war on women’s rights.” 

Harris noted that her remarks came less than an hour after legislators in Oklahoma approved a bill that would effectively outlaw all abortions except to save the life of the pregnant person, or if the pregnancy is the result of a rape that was reported to authorities. 

Harris called the Oklahoma law “outrageous, and it’s just the latest in a series of extreme laws around the country. Several of the medical professionals joining us today are seeing the impact of these laws that are designed to punish and control women.” 

Read more here. 

SENATORS UNVEIL BILL TO AVOID FUTURE FORMULA SHORTAGES 

A group of Senate Democrats introduced a bill on Thursday to protect families who rely on infant formula and other essential sources of nutrition from future shortages.  

The Protect Infants from Formula Shortages Act would also safeguard the availability of these products by requiring manufacturers to notify the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of potential supply disruptions, giving the agency time to prevent or mitigate potential shortages. 

The proposed bill will also direct formula manufacturers to develop risk management plans for the supply of their products and increase the FDA’s inspection authority. 

The bill was introduced by Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). 

In a statement, Casey said that Congress has the “responsibility” to tackle this issue, adding that they must do everything to ensure that parents have formulas on the shelves. 

“I am introducing the Protect Infants from Formula Shortages Act to avoid another massive disruption in availability of life-saving and life-sustaining formula and other products,” Casey said. 

Read more here.  

CDC INVESTIGATING CASES OF UNEXPLAINED HEPATITIS IN CHILDREN 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now looking into 180 cases of pediatric hepatitis that were reported over the past seven months, 71 more cases than what was being reported earlier this month. 

In a statement, the CDC stressed that while this may appear to be a large increase in cases, most of them are “retrospective,” with the agency looking at patients as far back as October 2021. Not all the cases that have been detected are recent, and the agency noted that some may end up not even being related to the current investigation. 

“Additionally, there have been no reported deaths since February 2022, and the proportion of patients requiring liver transplants has gone down from 15 percent to 9 percent since May 5,” the CDC said. 

Since the beginning of the CDC’s investigation into the unexplained pediatric hepatitis cases, a possible link to adenovirus has been speculated due to the high rate in which it has been found in the affected patients. 

In its update, the CDC said adenovirus has been found in almost half of the children with unexplained hepatitis and said it “continues to be a strong lead” as a potential cause. 

The agency added that childhood hepatitis continues to be a rare condition. However, parents should still be aware of the potential symptoms. These include vomiting, dark urine and light stools. One of the most notable symptoms of hepatitis is jaundice, which is a yellowing of the skin. 

Read more here. 

CDC advisors recommend boosters for kids 5-11

A panel of independent advisors to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 5-11. 

This recommendation comes just two days after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the authorization of Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster shot for children in that age group.  

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is likely to sign off on the recommendation later today. Children who received their first dose at least five months ago will then be eligible. 

Throughout the five-hour meeting that the ACIP held on Thursday, health officials continually cited data that found booster doses in children within this age range were safe and effective at reducing hospitalizations and deaths. 

While pediatric hospitalizations increased to record numbers during the omicron surge, parents have proved hesitant to vaccinate their kids.  

According to the most recent data from the CDC, about 36 percent of children in the U.S. aged 5-11 are partially vaccinated and nearly 29 percent are fully vaccinated.   

Read more here. 

WHAT WE’RE READING

• 17 suspected monkeypox cases seen in Montreal, as European tally increases (Stat)  
• In rural, low-income parts of the country, how do you find baby formula when there is nowhere to look? (The 19th) 
• U.S. CDC says COVID vaccine-related myocarditis much lower for children than teens (Reuters) 

STATE BY STATE

• This rural, red southern county was a vaccine success story. Not anymore (Kaiser Health News) 
• Pro-Trump counties continue to suffer far higher COVID death tolls (NPR)  
• Here’s how abortion clinics are preparing for Roe to fall (Associated Press)  

That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s Health Care page for the latest news and coverage. See you tomorrow.

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Cawthorn says 'it's time for the rise of the new right' after primary loss

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), who lost his primary race to state Sen. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) earlier this week, said in an Instagram post on Thursday that “it’s time for the rise of the new right.”

“It’s time for the rise of the new right, it’s time for Dark MAGA to truly take command. We have an enemy to defeat, but we will never be able to defeat them until we defeat the cowardly and weak members of our own party. Their days are numbered. We are coming,” he wrote. It was unclear what enemy he was referring to.

His post also included a list of names of people and groups he said had come to his defense “when it was not politically profitable,” which included Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), former President Trump, the NRA, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), among others.

“These are honorable men and women who are the type of friends anyone yearns to have. ‘At the beginning of a change the patriot is a rare and hated man.’ These are those rare and hated men/women. There are other National figures who I believe are patriots, but I am on a mission now to expose those who say and promise one thing yet legislate and work towards another, self-profiteering, globalist goal,” Cawthorn said.

Some on social media pointed out what appeared to be a typo, suggesting the congressman meant to say “genteel” when he wrote, “The time for gentile politics as usual has come to an end.” 

Cawthorn’s remarks come as he lost his primary race in the state’s 11th Congressional District on Tuesday to Edwards, despite receiving the backing of Trump.

The North Carolina Republican faced a slew of controversies in recent months, including over remarks he made calling the Ukrainian government “evil” and its president a “thug,” his claim that he had been invited to orgies in Washington and seen people doing cocaine and a leaked video in which he is seen nude, which he said was “blackmail.”

After conceding the race, Cawthorn called on Republicans in his district to “to rally behind the Republican ticket to defeat the Democrats’ nominee this November.”

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Defense & National Security — $40B Ukraine package heads to Biden’s desk

The Senate on Thursday passed a $40 billion supplemental appropriations bill for Ukraine.  

We’ll talk about next steps. Plus, we’ll recap President Biden’s meeting with Sweden’s and Finland’s leaders. 

This is Defense & National Security, your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. For The Hill, I’m Jordan Williams. A friend forward this newsletter to you? Subscribe here.

Senate passes $40 billion Ukraine aid  

The Senate voted 86-11 Thursday to approve a $40 billion Ukraine aid package that would replenish U.S. stockpiles of weapons transferred to Ukraine, as well as allocate billions of dollars to help the Ukrainian government continue operating and provide humanitarian assistance.   

President Biden is expected to immediately sign the legislation, which exceeds his $33 billion request to Congress.  

Recapping the bill: The House passed the legislation overwhelmingly earlier this month by a vote of 368-57.

The bill would authorize the transfer of American weapons and equipment to Ukraine and provide $9 billion to replenish depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles. It would also provide nearly $9 billion for continued operations of the Ukrainian government and
$4 billion in international disaster assistance.   

Just in time: Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Congress last week to pass the bill by Thursday if the U.S. wanted to continue sending aid to Ukraine at the current pace.  

The administration had predicted that the $100 million leftover in presidential drawdown authority—which allows the Pentagon to send weapons from its own stockpile — would last through the middle of May.  

The ‘no’ votes: Eleven Republican senators led by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted against the measure:

• Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.)
• John Boozman (Ark.)
• Mike Braun (Ind.)
• Mike Crapo (Idaho)
• Bill Hagerty (Tenn.)
• Josh Hawley (Mo.)
• Mike Lee (Utah)
• Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.)
• Roger Marshall (Kan.)
• Tommy Tuberville (Ala.)

BIDEN SENDS MORE EQUIPMENT TO UKRAINE 

The Biden administration announced $100 million in military assistance to Ukraine on Thursday, moments after the Senate sent a $40 billion supplemental aid package to the president’s desk. 

The equipment will include additional artillery, radars and other equipment to Ukraine, President Biden said in a statement following passage of the Ukraine aid.   

In a separate statement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the weapons will be coming from the Pentagon’s existing inventories. 

“These weapons and equipment will go directly to the front lines of freedom in Ukraine, and reiterate our strong support for the brave people of Ukraine as they defend their country against Russia’s ongoing aggression,” Biden said. 

Read more here 

Biden fully supports Finland, Sweden in NATO

President Biden on Thursday offered full-throated support for Finland’s and Sweden’s applications to join NATO, arguing that the addition of the two nations would strengthen the alliance.   

Biden sought to project confidence that both countries would be accepted into the alliance, despite vocal objections from Turkey, which is also a NATO member. 

Earlier in the day: Thursday morning, Biden met with Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö.  

The president “warmly welcomed their applications for NATO membership, which will strengthen our collective security,” the White House said in a readout of the call.   

“At this historic moment for both Finland and Sweden, the President underscored his commitment to support both countries as they seek formal NATO accession, including by working with NATO Allies and Congress to welcome them into the Alliance as quickly as possible,” the readout continued.  

What Biden said: “Sweden and Finland have strong democratic institutions, strong militaries, and strong and transparent economies, and a strong and moral sense of what is right,” Biden said following a meeting at the White House with the leaders of both countries. “They meet every NATO requirement and then some.”  

“Finland and Sweden make NATO stronger,” the president said. “And a strong, united NATO is the foundation of America’s security.”  

Addressing Turkey’s objections: Turkey’s objection stems from accusations that both countries harbor members of the Kurdistan’s Workers Party, a separatist group that is also known as the PKK. The group is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and the U.S. 

Both Niinistö and Andersson said Thursday that their countries were working directly to address Turkey’s concerns. 

Biden administration officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, have also been engaging with their Turkish counterparts.  

Read more here

Milley speaks with Russian counterpart 

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley spoke with his Russian counterpart on Thursday, the first such conversation between the two since the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine began in late February, according to the Pentagon.  

Milley spoke by phone with Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian general staff, and they “discussed several security-related issues of concern and agreed to keep the lines of communication open,” Joint Staff spokesperson Col. Dave Butler said in a readout of the conversation.  

The Pentagon did not provide further information on the conversation.   

The last conversation: The last time the two military officials spoke was on Feb. 18, six days before Russia first attacked Ukraine.  

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Russian counterpart, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, less than one week ago, also for the first time since Feb. 18. 

Prior to both conversations, the Pentagon had consistently tried to reach out to Russian defense officials through a special “deconfliction” hotline based at the U.S. European Command’s headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. But until last week, the U.S. outreach was repeatedly rebuffed, according to defense officials. 

EUCOM commander weighs in: Asked about the call later on Thursday, U.S. European Command head Gen. Tod Wolters said he hopes the talk will bring the two sides “one step closer to achieving a diplomatic solution” to end the war.  

 “I think what we all want the most is for diplomacy to come to the forefront,” Wolters told reporters following a meeting of NATO officials in Brussels.   

Read the story here 

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW

• The Atlantic Council will host a conversation with the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak at 9 a.m. 
• The Centers for Strategic and International Studies will host a discussion entitled “International Norms Under Pressure: State Compliance with International Humanitarian & Human Rights Law” at 9:30 a.m. 

WHAT WE’RE READING

• How does a country become part of NATO? 
• Biden’s Asia trip shifts focus to China 
• Russia firing senior commanders over poor performance in Ukraine: UK intelligence 
• House Jan. 6 committee asks GOP Rep. Loudermilk to appear 

That’s it for today! Check out The Hill’s Defense and National Security pages for the latest coverage. See you tomorrow!

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NAACP targets social media, Fox News in response to Buffalo shooting

The NAACP on Thursday released a response plan to combat white supremacy and hate crimes in wake of the Buffalo supermarket shooting, targeting social media outlets and Fox News. 

The release of the plan comes a day before Derrick Johnson, the NAACP’s CEO, will meet with Attorney General Merrick Garland to discuss the problem of white supremacy.

“We’re focused on preventing the next attack. We need to act. Democracy and white supremacy cannot coexist, and will never coexist. It’s one or the other. We’re fighting for democracy,” Johnson said in a release.

The group is calling for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to aggressively engage social media platforms on the spread of misinformation where hate groups target young people, saying that communities of color provide those social media platforms the revenue they need and those platforms should be required to prove they are acting responsibly. 

It also heaped scorn on Fox News, which it called “the worst of American broadcasting,” saying the network uses its news division to “sow bigotry and racism, create dissension, spread misinformation, and promote conspiracy theories that continually encourage violence.”

It specifically cited the “Tucker Carlson Tonight” program, which has come under criticism in the wake of 10 people being killed at a Buffalo supermarket for amplifying the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory that white people in the United States are being intentionally replaced by members of the minority group.

The suspected shooter in Buffalo, 18-year-old Peyton Gendron, is accused of targeting Black customers and the replacement conspiracy theory is seen as a motivation for the killings.

Carlson distanced himself from the incident during an episode of his show on Monday, referring to Gendron as a “mental patient”.

The NAACP said that advertisers, corporations, and sporting organizations such as the NFL should stop subsidizing the network, an argument it has previously made with the NFL.

“Sporting organizations, such as the National Football League (NFL), should be required to only contract with news and media outlets that do not actively spread hate,” the NAACP said. “The NFL must stop subsidizing Fox News.” 

The Hill has reached out to Fox News for comment

The NAACP also called for former President Trump, along with hate groups that spread hatred and violence, to be banned from all social media platforms. 

“In our country, social media giants, mainstream media outlets, and traditional corporations should not be allowed to knowingly originate or spread hate and white nationalism messages,” the NAACP said. “Any type of corporation that funds or profits from hate – especially white supremacy – should be held accountable for the serious role they play in the spike of hate crimes we are witnessing in communities across the country.” 

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Here are the 11 GOP senators who voted against the Ukraine aid bill

A $40 billion Ukraine aid package passed the Senate on Tuesday with relative ease despite opposition from 11 Republicans. 

The package that passed 86-11 will give Ukraine another round of military and humanitarian assistance as the war with Russia drags on. 

Despite support from Democratic and GOP leadership, 11 Republicans broke from their party and voted against the aid. 

The conservative effort to stop the bill first began last week when the House sent the legislation to the Senate, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) objected to the measure. Paul delayed the passage of the bill by a week because he wanted language in the legislation that would have created an inspector general role to oversee Ukraine’s funds. 

By the time the final vote came, 10 other Republicans joined Paul in opposing the measure.

“If Congress really believed giving Ukraine $40B was in our national interest, they could easily pay for it by taxing every income taxpayer $500,” Paul tweeted Tuesday. “My guess is they choose to borrow the $ bc Americans might just decide they need the $500 more to pay for gas.”

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) tweeted Monday he was against the bill because it did not serve “American interests.”

“It neglects priorities at home (the border), allows Europe to freeload, short changes critical interests abroad and comes w/ no meaningful oversight,” Hawley said. 

Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) emphasized in his statement that although he supports Ukraine’s efforts against Russia, he can’t support a spending bill this large with issues including “inflation” and “gas prices” in the U.S.

“I can’t support $40 billion of new spending unless it’s offset with cuts or taken from already authorized funds, especially when the European Union isn’t matching what we’re doing to end this conflict in their own backyard,” Braun said. 

Eight other GOP senators voted against the package: Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), John Boozman (Ark.), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Bill Hagerty (Tenn.), Mike Lee (Utah), Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.), Roger Marshall (Kan.) and Tommy Tuberville (Ala.).

The senators’ objections to the bill align with those of the 57 House Republican members who voted against it on May 10, as well former President Trump, who denounced the price tag of the bill. 

However, a majority of Republicans in both the House and Senate still backed the aid to Ukraine, helping the bill get to President Biden’s desk. 

“The future of America’s security and core strategic interests will be shaped by the outcome of this fight. Anyone concerned about the cost of supporting a Ukrainian victory should consider the much larger cost should Ukraine lose,” Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) said. 

Source: TEST FEED1