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House GOP releases long-awaited foreign aid bills

Yesterday, US House leaders introduced a $95 billion foreign aid package comprised of three separate bills aimed at supporting Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. A vote on this critical legislation is anticipated for Saturday night, following a prior refusal by the House to address similar measures approved by the Senate. This legislative push is largely driven by the urgency following Iran’s recent missile-and-drone assault on Israel.

The proposed package allocates $61 billion to aid Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression, $26 billion for Israel and Gaza, and $8 billion to bolster security in the Indo-Pacific region. While the proposal mirrors the Senate's bill from February, it modifies about $10 billion originally earmarked as economic assistance grants to Ukraine into loans. Additionally, House leadership plans to unveil a fourth bill focusing on other GOP priorities.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R, LA-4) will likely rely heavily on Democratic votes to pass the Ukraine aid, given that a segment of his GOP colleagues opposes continued support for Ukraine. This week, another Republican lawmaker supported a motion to oust Johnson from his speaker role.

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NBA bans Jontay Porter after gambling probe shows he shared information, bet on games

Yesterday, the National Basketball Association imposed a lifetime ban on Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter for breaching the league's gambling regulations. Porter, who wasn't selected in the 2019 draft and spent a season with the Memphis Grizzlies followed by three years in the NBA G League, has been averaging slightly more than four points per game with the Raptors.

The investigation into Porter began in March after betting operators reported suspicious activity involving an $80,000 wager that promised a payout of $1.1 million if Porter underperformed in a game against the Sacramento Kings. Porter exited the game early due to a minor injury, and it was later discovered that he had disclosed details about his health status to the individual who placed the bet. Further inquiry revealed that in January, Porter was involved in another similar case and had placed bets on at least 13 games during the 2023-24 season using another person's account. This marks the NBA’s most significant gambling controversy since the 2007 criminal case against referee Tim Donaghy.

As the NBA's play-in tournament progresses, with the playoffs scheduled to start on April 20, the league continues to navigate the implications of this scandal.

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Larry Nassar victims to get $100M from Justice Dept.

The U.S. Justice Department is set to pay approximately $100 million to around 100 victims of the infamous former Team USA doctor Larry Nassar, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. This payment is a response to the FBI's mishandling of the initial investigations into Nassar's sexual assaults on America's elite gymnasts and others. If finalized, this settlement would elevate the total payouts in the Nassar-related lawsuits to nearly $1 billion. Although contacted by ESPN, two lawyers representing over 300 of Nassar’s victims declined to confirm the specifics of the proposed settlement.

The FBI's oversight in the Nassar case has been prominently criticized. During a Senate hearing in 2021, FBI Director Christopher Wray issued an apology to Nassar’s victims, describing the FBI's failure to act on evidence against Nassar in 2015 as "inexcusable," acknowledging the agency’s missed opportunity to halt his crimes.

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