Morning News Update: Friday, May 17, 2024

House lawmakers have passed a bill aimed at forcing President Biden to deliver heavy weapons to Israel without restriction. The vote, which was 224 to 187, saw 16 Democrats joining all but three Republicans in the majority. Speaker Mike Johnson emphasized the importance of standing with Israel, calling them a stable democracy and one of America’s closest allies.

The measure would cut off funding to agencies like the State and Defense departments unless Israel receives the weapons. However, the bill is largely symbolic as Democratic leaders in the Senate have stated they won’t take it up.

The Biden Administration is currently withholding heavy weapons, including bombs, over concerns of mass civilian casualties in a major ground operation Israel is preparing for in the town of Rafah. Israel argues that a ground offensive in Rafah is necessary to eliminate Hamas’s last stronghold in Gaza.

In other news, a temporary pier has been constructed to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The United Nations will oversee the effort, but fuel imports have slowed, complicating aid delivery to over 2 million people in need.

Meanwhile, the House Judiciary Committee is moving forward with holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to release subpoenaed audio from President Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur. The White House argues that transcripts of the interview are already available and releasing the audio is unnecessary.

Lastly, the Biden Administration is pushing to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, moving it from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3. This proposal has been submitted to the federal register for a 60-day comment period. Additionally, Missouri’s attorney general is taking action against the city of Kansas City for allegedly doxxing Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker after he criticized President Biden for supporting abortion in a commencement speech.