In Washington, Zelensky Faces Republican Intransigence

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, trudged across Washington today, making urgent pleas for quick approval of more aid for his country’s war against Russia. But in the meetings that mattered most — with Republican leaders whose allies hold the decisive votes — Zelensky’s pitch appeared to hit a brick wall.

After House Speaker Mike Johnson and several Senate Republicans met with the Ukrainian leader, they reiterated their stance that they would not agree to any new aid for Ukraine unless President Biden and Democrats in Congress bowed to their demands to clamp down on migration at the southern border of the U.S.

Biden, who also met with Zelensky this afternoon, said he was negotiating with Republicans and hopeful that they could come to an agreement over Ukraine aid. He warned Republicans that “Putin is banking on the United States failing to deliver for Ukraine.”

Passing an aid package for Ukraine before the end of the year has become “practically impossible,” Mitch McConnell, the senator from Kentucky, said. And as my colleague Julian Barnes points out, Ukraine has been forced to persuade that the aid is needed and that it won’t go to waste on another failed counteroffensive.

“Vladimir Putin’s strategy was to outlast the West,” Julian said. “In some ways, this entire funding debate is about whether Putin’s theory of the case is correct.”

Biden and Netanyahu disagree over the war’s next steps

A divide between Israel and the U.S., its closest ally, burst into the open today as President Biden warned that Israeli leaders were losing international support for their war in Gaza. He said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should make changes, but that Israel’s right-wing government was “making it very difficult.”

Biden’s remarks came hours after Netanyahu pledged to defy weeks of American pressure to put the Palestinian Authority in charge of Gaza once the fighting ends. Netanyahu ruled out any role there for the body, which now governs parts of the West Bank.

“There is disagreement about ‘the day after Hamas,’” Netanyahu said. He added that he hoped the two governments could reach an agreement about what happens after the war ends, but he vowed not to allow threats to Israel’s population to continue.

In Gaza, Israeli strikes have flattened much of the north. Here are before and after images.

Democrats can redraw New York maps, top court rules

Powered by a new liberal majority, New York State’s highest court today ordered the state to redraw its congressional map, reopening a process with sweeping national implications.

Democrats could shift anywhere from two to six Republican-held House seats toward their party. Republicans vowed to challenge any new map that they believe violates the gerrymandering ban, and it could take several months for New York to adopt new district lines.

Harvard’s board says that its president will stay

Claudine Gay will remain president of Harvard University, the school’s governing board announced this morning, despite an uproar over her evasive answers at a congressional hearing about campus antisemitism.

One of Gay’s loudest critics was the billionaire investor Bill Ackman, an alumnus who has donated tens of millions of dollars. By his own admission, he resents that Gay and other Harvard officials have not heeded his advice on a variety of topics.

L.A. can’t stop talking about Shohei Ohtani

Los Angeles is a city so full of celebrities that many residents go about their lives without being star struck. But Shohei Ohtani is no ordinary star; he has often been called the modern incarnation of Babe Ruth. So, when it was announced this weekend that he would sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, residents celebrated.

“I screamed in my car,” one fan said.

Ohtani’s talents — which unusually combine superior hitting with the arm of an All-Star pitcher — will cost the Dodgers. His $700 million contract is the largest in sports history, though he is expected to defer most of that amount for at least a decade.

The best dishes in America this year

Throughout this year, my colleagues who report and edit our Food coverage have dined at some of the most talked-about restaurants across the country. Now they want to share their favorites meals with you.

Check out their list, which stretches across thousands of miles and several cuisines.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

In case you missed yesterday’s newsletter, we’re asking readers to share advice: Do you have a unique way of unwinding during the holidays? If so, let us know. We may publish your response in an upcoming newsletter.

Ecologists prefer indoor cats

Free-ranging domestic cats are skilled hunters, and they eat more than you might think: birds, reptiles, butterflies, sea turtles and cows (probably scavenged). The problem, scientists say, is that humans have brought cats into ecosystems that aren’t equipped for such predators.

A study published today found that cats eat more than 2,000 species. A researcher wrote that they “are beloved companions for many people, but they are also invasive predators that have been linked to numerous birds, mammals and reptiles going extinct.”

Have a voracious evening.

Thanks for reading. Sarah Hughes was our photo editor today. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew

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