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The Biden administration has told Congress it plans to send a $1bn package of military aid to Israel despite US opposition to the Israeli military’s plans for a full assault on Rafah, the city in southern Gaza.

The move by the White House comes after the US paused one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel over concerns about their use in densely populated areas of Gaza, which risks further increasing the Palestinian civilian death toll.

While that step marked the first time Biden had withheld weapons in an effort to restrain Israel’s military conduct since the war with Hamas began in October, the $1bn package in the works shows that Washington is not seeking to restrict its arms supply to Israel more broadly.

The signal from the Biden administration that it wanted to proceed with the $1bn weapons package was conveyed this week, according to a congressional aide. It is expected to include mostly tank ammunition and tactical vehicles.

“We are continuing to send military assistance, and we will ensure that Israel receives the full amount provided in the supplemental,” Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, told reporters on Monday, referring to $95bn foreign security aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific enacted last month.

“Arms transfers are proceeding as scheduled,” another US official said on Tuesday.

The state department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the Biden administration’s plans for a new $1bn weapons transfer to Israel.

Biden decided to freeze the transfer of some of its most lethal bombs as it sought to deter the Israel Defense Forces from a full assault on Rafah, the city in southern Gaza where more than 1mn Palestinians are estimated to be sheltering. The US is also seeking to finalise a temporary ceasefire deal and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.

The state department last week warned that US-made weapons might have been used in the conflict in a way that violated humanitarian rights.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted with defiance to Biden’s arms suspension, saying Israel would “stand alone” in the absence of support form the US, its closest ally.

While some Democrats were relieved to see Biden make more aggressive use of US leverage over Israel, the president also faced a backlash from lawmakers within his party who were upset about the move, including Jacky Rosen, the Nevada senator, and John Fetterman, the Pennsylvania senator.

Rosen said the US needed to provide Israel with “unconditional security assistance”.

West Virginia voters chose their nominees in primaries with the key posts of governor and a U.S. Senate seat coming open.

Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

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Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

West Virginia voters chose their nominees in primaries with the key posts of governor and a U.S. Senate seat coming open.

Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

After a campaign focused on national culture war issues, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey won the state’s Republican nomination for governor, according to a race call by The Associated Press.

In a state that voted heavily for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, Morrisey will start as the frontrunner for the November election. He’ll face the one contender in the Democratic primary, Steve Williams, who’s in his third term as the mayor of Huntington. Unopposed in the Democratic primary, Williams has been able to wait and focus his efforts on the upcoming general election.

They’re seeking to replace Republican Gov. Jim Justice, who has reached his two-term limit on that office.

Meanwhile Justice, according to the AP, won an expected victory in the GOP primary for the nomination to replace Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, who is retiring. Justice, owner of a vast array of businesses and son of a coal magnate, is the dominant figure in the state’s politics and was endorsed by Trump. As governor, he has helped pass income tax cuts and a near-total ban on abortion.

He’ll start as a likely favorite against Democrat Glenn Elliott, the mayor of Wheeling, who the AP called as the winner of that party’s primary. With the Democratic Sen. Manchin leaving, the race could be key in determining whether Republicans can take control of the Senate.

In the Republican primary for a U.S. House seat, incumbent Carol Miller has defeated Derrick Evans, according to the AP. Evans served three months in prison on a civil disorder charge for participation in the storming of the U.S. Capitol building Jan. 6, 2021. He was a delegate to the West Virginia House at the time.

The new GOP gubernatorial nominee, Morrisey, was elected attorney general in 2012 and used the office to spearhead lawsuits against federal policies from the Obama and Biden administrations. He recently led other state attorneys general in suing to block rules by the Environmental Protection Agency requiring cuts in emissions from coal and gas-fueled power plants.

Much of the primary campaign saw the candidates for the GOP nomination competing for who was the more conservative and the biggest Trump supporter. They touted their support for the state’s coal industry, backing fossil fuels as still key to the U.S. energy supply as the country transitions to renewable sources. But much of the media campaigning was focused on their opposition to transgender rights.

“Because our candidates don’t have a lot, frankly, of policy alternatives they want to talk about, it’s easier to play the culture wars game and to gin up fear,” said Marybeth Beller, associate professor of political science at West Virginia’s Marshall University.

Though he grew up in New Jersey and moved to West Virginia in 2006, Morrisey beat contenders with deeper ties to the state’s political establishment. Moore Capito, a former delegate to the West Virginia Legislature, was on track to come in second. He is the son of U.S. Senator Shelley Capito and grandson of late Gov. Arch Moore. He was backed by Gov. Justice.

Another contender was auto dealership owner Chris Miller, who’s mother is U.S. Rep. Carol Miller. The other candidate was current Secretary of State Mac Warner.

Randy Yohe covers state government for West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Contact of Containership Dali with the Francis Scott Key Bridge
and Subsequent Bridge Collapse
Marine Investigation Preliminary Report
DCA24MM031
2
Dali
2.1 Background and Specifications
The Dali, a 947-foot-long, steel-hulled general cargo vessel (containership),
was built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. in 2015. The vessel’s draft on
departure was 39.9 feet fore and aft, with a cargo of 4,680 containers (56,675 metric
tons of containerized cargo). The ship and cargo displaced 112,383 metric tons as
loaded at departure.
Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Limited, the vessel’s owner, owns
55 ships-a mix of containerships (including Dali), bulk carriers, and tankers. As of
March 26, Singapore-based Synergy Marine Group, the vessel manager who
provided the crew and operated the vessel for the owner, managed 55 ships under
Panama, Marshall Islands, Hong Kong, Liberia, and Singapore flags, including the
Dali. The vessel was classed by ClassNK, one of several nongovernmental
classification societies that establish and maintain standards for the construction and
operation of ships. Through construction and later periodic surveys, classification
societies confirm a vessel meets the class’s technical rules.
2.2 US Port Calls in March 2024
Since arriving from Sri Lanka to the United States on March 19, the ship had
made two other US port calls (Newark, New Jersey, from March 19 until March 21,
and Norfolk, Virginia, from March 22 to March 23). On March 23, at 0236, the Dali
moored at the Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore Harbor.
2.2.1
Electrical Power Loss on Previous Day
On March 25, about 10 hours before leaving Baltimore, the Dali experienced a
blackout (loss of electrical power to the HV and LV buses) during in-port
maintenance. While working on the diesel engine exhaust scrubber system for the
diesel engine driving the only online generator (generator no. 2), a crewmember
mistakenly closed an inline engine exhaust damper. Closure of this damper
effectively blocked the engine’s cylinder exhaust gases from traveling up its stack and
out of the vessel, causing the engine to stall. When the system detected a loss of
power, generator no. 3 automatically started and connected to the HV bus.
Vessel power was restored when crewmembers manually closed HR2 and LR2.
Generator no. 3 continued to run for a short period, but insufficient fuel pressure
7 The NTSB is not aware of any other vessel power outages occurring in Baltimore or while in
its prior ports, Newark or Norfolk.
13 of 24
This information is preliminary and subject to change.