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Over 140 House lawmakers condemn ‘brutal’ Iranian regime after Israel strike

FIRST ON FOX: Dozens of members of the House of Representatives have signed onto a resolution condemning Iran’s “brutal” regime after Tehran launched a missile attack against Israel over the weekend. The bipartisan measure is being led by Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas, and co-sponsored by 141 House lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats. “Decades of a tyrannical regime in Tehran – destabilizing the Middle East and intentionally spreading chaos throughout the region – has culminated in Iran’s direct attack on our greatest ally, Israel,” Weber told Fox News Digital. HOUSE TEES UP 17 BILLS RELATED TO IRAN/ISRAEL FOR THIS WEEK “The rogue regime needs to be overthrown immediately.  Now, more than ever, the United States must support the freedom-loving citizens of Iran who have spent decades trying to eject these murderers from power in Tehran.  Today, we condemn the godless mullahs who epitomize the head of the snake of war and terror in the Middle East.” The resolution accuses Iran of having “contributed to terrorism and regional instability” in the Middle East in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, according to legislative text previewed by Fox News Digital. It also affirms U.S. support for Iranian citizens who have demonstrated against the fundamentalist Islamic government by recognizing “the rights of the Iranian people and their struggle to establish a democratic, secular, and nonnuclear Republic of Iran.” HOW CAN ISRAEL RESPOND TO IRAN’S BRAZEN ATTACK? At least one member of the House GOP’s top leadership ranks, Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is backing the bill. Iran launched a barrage of airstrikes against Israel over the weekend – 99% of which were intercepted – after accusing Israel of attacking its diplomatic facilities in Damascus, killing at least seven officials, including a top commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. No direct injuries or deaths were reported, but the move marks a significant escalation in the region as the first attack launched at Israel from Iranian soil. EXILED CROWN PRINCE OF IRAN DEMANDS REGIME CHANGE AFTER ISRAEL ATTACK: THIS ISN’T OUR WAR, ‘IT’S KHAMENEI’S’ Iran’s retaliatory strikes were condemned by leaders in the U.S. and abroad as disproportionate and brazen. The country’s regime has been accused of financing Hamas, the Palestinian terror group whose militants invaded Israel on Oct. 7 last year in a surprise attack that killed more than 1,000 people. Iran’s government has also backed Houthi rebels in Yemen – the militant group that has been attacking western ships in the Red Sea.

Louisiana Democratic Party selects new chairman

The Louisiana Democratic Party has new leadership. Randal Gaines, a former state representative, was selected Saturday as the political group’s new chair after a set of procedural moves ended with him being the only candidate nominated for the position. His selection ousted Katie Bernhardt, who had been chair for the past four years, The Advocate reported. SIX DEMOCRATS IN LOUISIANA BUCK PARTY LINE BY SUPPORTING UNIVERSAL SCHOOL CHOICE: ‘POLITICAL RAMIFICATIONS’ “It is critical that we use this unifying, watershed moment to rebuild, refocus, and recruit the leaders of tomorrow to address the concerns that are top of mind for residents in every corner of our state,” Gaines said in a statement afterward. Bernhardt, in an interview with the newspaper, expressed no ill will at Saturday’s result. “He should have the support of everyone in the Democratic Party,” Bernhardt said of Gaines. “There are elections in November, and we need to keep our eye on electing Democrats and not fighting each other.” Bernhardt had faced criticism since last fall’s elections, when Jeff Landry was elected governor and Republicans won a super-majority in both the House and the Senate. Republicans now hold all statewide offices and a 73-32 advantage in the House and a 28-11 majority in the Senate. Democrats in Louisiana have not held so few seats in more than 100 years. Gaines, 68, termed out of the state House last year after serving 12 years representing LaPlace. He became known to party activists by spending the past four years as one of the party’s two liaisons with the Democratic National Committee.

GOP senators plan to force votes on stand alone Israel aid in wake of Iran attack

FIRST ON FOX: Republican Sens. Roger Marshall of Kansas and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee will look to force votes on two different versions of a stand-alone Israel aid measure in the Senate on Monday night.  Following Iran’s drone attack on Israel over the weekend, the two Republicans are planning to ask for unanimous consent to force votes on both Israel aid bills – one that is for $14.3 billion and includes cuts to Biden’s $80 billion expansion of the Internal Revenue Service under the Inflation Reduction Act – and another for $17.6 billion that does not include a mechanism to pay for it. The former will be led by Marshall while Blackburn tries to force a vote on the latter.  In prepared remarks, Marshall is expected to tell his fellow senators: “Time and time again, I see members, even the Democrat Majority Leader this weekend, say he stands with Israel.” JOHNSON TO PITCH HOUSE GOP ON ISRAEL, UKRAINE AID PLANS IN CLOSED-DOOR MEETING With his unanimous consent to vote on the stand-alone Israel bill, Marshall said in a prepared statement: “My message today to my colleagues is that actions speak louder than words. We are tired of hearing the pro-Israel lip service while you simultaneously block every effort to help Israel in its time of need. History will not forget this; let’s do the right thing.” “Democrats say they support Israel, but their actions since October 7 to repeatedly block urgent standalone aid have told a different story,” Blackburn told Fox News Digital in a statement.  “Senator Marshall and I will once again request the Senate swiftly and unanimously give Israel the resources they need to continue their fight against terrorism. In light of Iran’s historic attack this weekend, I hope our Democratic colleagues will put politics aside and join us in support of our Jewish friends.” REPUBLICANS PRESSURE BIDEN DOJ TO PROBE ACTIVISTS CALLING FOR ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’ A Democratic senator is likely to object to the request, as the caucus has maintained its desire to tie Israel aid to Ukraine aid. Marshall previously tried to force a vote on the same measure late last year, but his request for unanimous consent was objected to by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who argued on the chamber floor, “Ukraine can no more afford a delay than our allies in Israel.” HOUSE TEES UP 17 BILLS RELATED TO IRAN/ISRAEL FOR THIS WEEK The bill for aid to Israel only, and not Ukraine or Taiwan, passed the House earlier last year, by a largely party-line vote of 226 to 196. Two Republicans defected from their conference, while 12 Democrats voted with Republicans. The measure’s IRS funding cut was a particularly controversial point of the bill, as it took funds allocated within Biden’s much-touted IRA law. While Republicans claimed the additional money for the IRS would mean auditing more Americans, Democrats claimed it would instead prevent wealthy individuals from getting away with not paying taxes.  The White House renewed its threat on Monday to veto aid to Israel that was not tied to other foreign aid. At a White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed, “We will not accept a stand alone.” “Stand-alone would actually not help Israel and Ukraine,” she said.  National security communications spokesperson John Kirby reiterated the White House’s opposition at the same briefing, telling reporters, “We are opposed to a standalone bill that would just work on Israel.” Marshall and Blackburn each voted against the $95.3 billion supplemental foreign aid package that included Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan in February. Arguing against the aid, Marshall told his colleagues that voting against the measure was putting U.S. “national security first by securing the border first.” “Up here in DC, my friends across the aisle, the White House, they continue to put Ukraine funding as their priority,” he said. 

Bidens report adjusted gross income of $619,976 in 2023

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden reported a federal adjusted gross income of $619,976, according to their 2023 federal income tax returns, which were released by the White House on Monday.  The president and first lady filed their income tax return jointly and paid $146,629 in federal income tax, according to the records reviewed by Fox News Digital.  Their 2023 effective federal income tax rate was 23.7%.  FLASHBACK: BIDENS REPORT ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME OF $579,514 IN 2022 The president and first lady also released their Delaware income tax return and reported paying $30,908 in Delaware income tax.  First Lady Jill Biden also released her Virginia income tax return and reported paying $3,549 in Virginia income tax – from her teaching at Northern Virginia Community College. An annual presidential salary is $400,000. In 2022, the president and first lady reported a federal adjusted gross income of $579,514. In 2021, they reported $610,702. In 2020, the first couple earned $607,336, which was down from the $985,223 they reported in 2019. The president and first lady also reported contributions of $20,477 to 17 different charities, including a $5,000 contribution to the Beau Biden Foundation, a public charity dedicated to ensuring that all children are free from the threat of abuse.  They also donated to St. Joseph on the Brandywine, their home parish, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and the National Fraternal Order of Police Foundation, among other charities. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff reported federal adjusted gross income of $450,299. They paid $88,570 in federal income tax and had a federal income tax rate of 19.7%.  FLASHBACK: WHITE HOUSE RELEASES BIDEN’S 2021 TAX RETURNS Harris and Emhoff also paid $15,167 in California income tax and Emhoff paid $11,599 in District of Columbia income tax.  Harris and Emhoff contributed $23,026 to charity in 2023. The White House, in a statement after the release of the returns, said the Biden administration has restored “the bipartisan tradition of sharing presidential tax returns with the public.”  “President Biden has now shared a total of 26 years of tax returns with the country,” the White House said Monday. “Once again demonstrating his commitment to being transparent with the American people, President Biden has released the most tax returns of any commander-in-chief while in office.”   The White House added that the president “believes that all occupants of the Oval Office should be open and honest with the American people, and that the longstanding tradition of annually releasing presidential tax returns should continue unbroken.” 

Colin Allred’s fundraising for U.S. Senate race surpasses O’Rourke’s early 2018 pace

U.S. Rep. Colin Allred raised over $9.5 million for his U.S. Senate campaign this quarter, surpassing Beto O’Rourke’s 2018 first quarter sum of $6.7 million.

Five most dramatic moments from first day of Trump’s hush money trial

Former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial kicked off Monday, where he faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The historical trial began with jury selection, where a pool of more than 500 potential jurors will be peppered with questions to determine if they can fairly weigh in on the charges.  The case revolves around payments made by Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, to former pornographic actor Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. The $130,000 payment was to allegedly quiet her claims of an alleged extramarital affair she had with Trump in 2006.  Trump has denied the affair and pleaded not guilty to the charges.  LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP’S HUSH MONEY PAYMENT GETS UNDERWAY AS JURY SELECTION BEGINS  Prosecutors say reimbursements from the Trump Organization to Cohen were falsely recorded as legal expenses. Falsifying business records is a misdemeanor, and prosecutors are working to prove that Trump falsified records with an intent to commit or conceal a second crime, which is a felony.  The trial overall is anticipated to last at least six weeks.  The first day was action-packed, including Trump sounding off that the case was “political persecution.” Trump was seen leaving Trump Tower early Monday morning, heading to Manhattan Criminal Court where he addressed the press and railed against the case and its charges.  “Nothing like this has ever happened before,” Trump said at the courthouse Monday ahead of the trial officially beginning. “This is political persecution … it’s a case that should have never been brought.” “This is an assault on America and that’s why I’m very proud to be here,” he added.  Trump has repeatedly slammed the trial and charges, including in Pennsylvania on Saturday, where he held his last scheduled campaign rally ahead of the trial officially beginning. “I will be forced to sit fully gagged. I’m not allowed to talk. They want to take away my constitutional right to talk,” Trump said in Pennsylvania.  “I’m proud to do it for you,” he continued, calling the trial a “communist show trial,” which he claims is orchestrated by the Biden administration. “Have a good time watching.”  FIVE KEY QUESTIONS ON HOW START OF TRUMP’S FIRST CRIMINAL TRIAL WILL IMPACT PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN The district attorney’s office argued Monday that Trump has violated a gag order three times in social media posts and should pay $1,000 for each violation.  Presiding Judge Juan Merchan had imposed a gag order on Trump earlier this month that prevents him from making public statements about witnesses and their anticipated testimony in the trial.  “The defendant is aware of the April 1 order. We know that from various posts he had made,” said prosecutor Christopher Conroy before Merchan’s ruling.  “We think it is important for the court to remind Mr. Trump is a criminal defendant,” Conroy added.  Trump’s legal team pushed back that the 45th president was defending himself from “salacious, repeated, vehement attacks by these witnesses.” POTENTIAL TRUMP HUSH MONEY TRIAL JURORS BEING ASKED 42 QUESTIONS Merchan announced he will hear arguments on whether Trump violated the order on April 23, before making a decision on the matter. The defense team has until April 19 to file a written response to the prosecutors’ claims Trump violated the gag order.  Merchan doubled down Monday on his previous decision that the jury not be shown the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape, which surfaced ahead of the 2016 election and shows Trump boasting to host Billy Bush that he could kiss and grope women due to his star power.  TRUMP CALLS HUSH MONEY TRIAL ‘ASSAULT ON AMERICA’ AS CASE OFFICIALLY KICKS OFF Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass urged the court to include evidence surrounding the video, which he said is an “admission of sexual assault” and “living proof that the defendant wasn’t all talk.” “That is more than just comments of a sexual nature,” Steinglass said, adding that when the video surfaced in 2016, it threw Trump’s presidential campaign into a “tailspin.” Merchan had previously denied the prosecution from showing the tape to jurors, saying in March, “it is not necessary that the tape itself be introduced into evidence or that it be played for the jury.” Trump’s attorney said the video is prejudicial and should not be aired to the jurors.  “The people will get everything they need to prove the charges in this case from what your honor has already ruled,” attorney Todd Blanche said. Prosecutors can introduce Trump’s exact words from the video, as well as an email related to the tape, but Merchan said the video itself cannot be shown to jurors.  9 QUESTIONS ABOUT TRUMP TRIAL, ANSWERED The trial in Lower Manhattan, which will not be televised from the courtroom, attracted a massive media presence on Monday.  Video footage shot outside the courtroom shows a long line of journalists staged in front of cameras along at least one block in the Big Apple.  Trump’s trial marks the first time a former president will stand trial on criminal charges. The hush money case is also the first of four criminal cases Trump is expected to face this year while juggling the campaign trail as the presumptive Republican Party’s presidential nominee.  Merchan on Monday told Trump it was “too early” for him to decide whether he can attend the high school graduation of his son, Barron Trump, next month, which sparked criticism from Trump as he departed the courthouse.  “Amazing things happened today. As you know, my son is graduating from high school, and it looks like the judge will not let me go to the graduation of my son who has worked very, very hard,” Trump said while leaving the courthouse.  “He’s a great student, very proud of the fact that he did so well and was looking forward for years to have graduation with his mother and father there. It looks like the judge isn’t going to allow me to escape this scam. It’s a scam trial,” he continued.  Trump’s defense team had asked the judge for

Atlantic City mayor, wife charged with abusing, assaulting teenage daughter: ‘smack the weave out of her head’

Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small and his wife were charged Monday with abusing and assaulting their teenage daughter on multiple occasions, including hitting her in the head with a broom and knocking her unconscious. The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office said it filed charges against both parents of endangering the welfare of a child. Marty Small also was charged with making terroristic threats; aggravated assault, and simple assault. La’Quetta Small was additionally charged with three separate counts of simple assault. ATLANTIC CITY MAYOR SAYS HOME WAS SEARCHED OVER ‘PRIVATE FAMILY ISSUE,’ DISMISSING CORRUPTION WHISPERINGS The prosecutor’s office said in a news release that “the defendants physically and emotionally abused their 15/16-year-old-daughter on multiple occasions” in December 2023 and January 2024. It said that in one incident, Marty Small is alleged to have hit his daughter multiple times in the head with a broom, causing her to lose consciousness. He also is accused of punching his daughter in the legs multiple times, leaving bruises, and threatening to throw her down a staircase and “smack the weave out of her head,” the release said. LaQuetta Small, who is Atlantic City’s superintendent of schools, is accused of punching her daughter multiple times in the chest, leaving bruises, and punching her in the mouth during a separate argument. LaQuetta Small also is accused of dragging her daughter by the hair, and striking her with a belt on her shoulders, leaving marks, according to the prosecutor’s office. Reached by telephone, Small declined comment, referring a reporter to his lawyer Ed Jacobs. The lawyer did not immediately return a call seeking comment. The president and vice president of the Atlantic City Board of Education did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Monday. Both Smalls were issued summonses with the charges against them. Earlier this month, Small held a news conference in City Hall to say that a search of his home in late March involved “a private family issue,” not a crime. Small said at the news conference that he and his wife have been interacting with state child welfare authorities and have nothing to hide. “We’re going through family therapy, and that’s what this should be, a family matter,” he said. A spokesman for the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency, said it cannot publicly discuss its cases to protect the privacy of those involved. Small’s wife and two children attended the news conference with him but did not speak, and left before it was completed.

Republicans express deep concern over Iraqi PM visit to White House, connections to terrorist orgs

Ahead of Iraqi Prime Minister Shia Al-Sudani’s visit to the White House, members of the Republican Party expressed their concerns over the hundreds of billions of dollars sent to the country, and its ties to groups on the list of U.S.-designated terrorist groups in a letter to President Biden. The letter, which was signed by RNC National Security Task Force Chair Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., and Republican Study Committee Chair Kevin Hern, was sent to Biden on Monday. “As members of the Republican Study Committee, we write to express our deep concern with your decision to host Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani to the White House and your overall Iraqi policy,” the letter reads. “Despite hundreds of billions of dollars spent in Iraq over two decades and countless American treasure, Iraq is now solidly in Iran’s hands.” The letter notes that Iraq joined Iran in the attack on Israel on Saturday, adding that Al-Sudani leads a government that funds Iran-backed militias with about $2.7 billion a year. HOUSE TEES UP 17 BILLS RELATED TO IRAN/ISRAEL FOR THIS WEEK Three of the militias were designated by the U.S. as terrorist groups, Wilson and Hern explained, and those groups have attacked Americans at least 180 times since Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing three Americans and injuring over 100 others. “The Iraqi federal budget last year also passed massive funding for the Iranian-backed militias’ financial arm, the Muhandis General Company, which gives the IRGC and Iraqi militias almost unlimited access to terrorist threat funding and land grants – the last one of which was half the size of Lebanon, in the exact area from which the same militias launched drones at Saudi Arabia,” the letter read. “The [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp’s] influence is also now extending to Iraq’s judiciary which has spearheaded the campaign against American interests, most notably in the Kurdistan Region.” Members of the terrorist groups, according to the Republican lawmakers, are members of Iraq’s parliament and the Finance Committee, which authorizes funding for U.S.-designated terrorist groups while also blocking the funding for the Kurdistan Regional Government, which is an ally with the U.S. TURKISH WARPLANES STRIKE KURDISH MILITANT POSITIONS IN IRAQ AFTER ATTACK KILLS SOLDIER, WOUNDS 4 The letter to Biden claimed Al-Sudani’s cabinet supports terrorism and the country’s security forces have been infiltrated by IRGC-backed militias, which include members of designated terrorist groups. Additionally, Hern and Wilson told the president that the U.S. Treasury Department continues to allow U.S. money to go to Iraq’s Central Bank, which is ultimately funneled to terrorist groups and Iranian-backed militias. Also, the minister of oil oversees the second-largest OPEC producer in the world, and the oil that comes out of Iraq is largely controlled by the militias. The oil is then exported by Iran as unsanctioned Iraqi oil, the two told the president. BIDEN SILENT AFTER BEING PRESSED ABOUT IRANIAN STRIKE AGAINST ISRAEL: ‘WHAT NOW?’ “These are the officials you have determined are worthy to visit the White House. Furthermore, China and Russia have exploited U.S. investments in Iraq, such that China now operates more than 50% of Iraq’s oil fields and the Iraqi Oil Ministry now turns to Russian and China for the bulk of its sales and investments,” the letter reads. “In essence, the US has effectively overseen China, Russia and Iran dominate Iraq, despite our overwhelming financial and human commitment to Iraq’s latest chapter.” To make matters worse, they added, Iraq, which is supported by Iran, has turned on the Kurds and has refused to allocate the Kurdistan Region its full Constitutional Budget. Ahead of the meeting, the lawmakers requested answers to several questions, including whether the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury can certify that no U.S. money is transferred to Iraq’s Central Bank and being used to fund Iran or its proxies in Iraq. Wilson and Hern also asked why the Treasury Department continues to support money transfers to Iraq when the funds are used by U.S.-designated terrorist groups, and how the State Department is addressing the Iraqi government’s blockade on U.S. Congress appropriated military equipment to the Kurdistan Region. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the letter.

Planned Parenthood ‘stonewalling’ probe into peddling puberty blockers to minors: state AG

Despite a judge’s ruling that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey can now access Planned Parenthood patient records — the third such ruling against transgender health clinics that could potentially expose whether they’ve been offering puberty blockers and transgender surgeries to children — Missouri’s top lawyer says he’s still meeting significant “stonewalling.” Missouri’s Merchandising Practices Act allows Bailey to obtain patient documents because they do not fall under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protections, St. Louis Circuit Judge Michael Stelzer ruled last week. Even as he described the ruling as “a huge win” in his series of investigations into how transgender health clinics have offered services to minors, Bailey singled out Planned Parenthood for its part in dragging out the investigation. “It’s extremely questionable that Planned Parenthood is actively stonewalling our investigations,” Bailey told Fox News Digital. “I had to haul them into court in order to get a judge to force them to turn over the documents we’ve requested.” Bailey added, “If we have to continue to go to court to protect children and uncover what went on here, that’s exactly what we’ll do.” MISSOURI LAW BANNING GENDER-CHANGING TREATMENTS FOR MINORS TAKES EFFECT Of the three clinics Bailey has won against in court, only one has handed over documents: Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.  A Planned Parenthood clinic in Great Plains has filed an appeal to keep their documents private while a St. Louis-based Planned Parenthood in St. Louis has yet to send Bailey’s office any of its patient documents. According to the court opinion, Planned Parenthood attempted to block Bailey’s inquiry and argued that Bailey’s office “failed to show” how they were “directly involved in his investigation” of transgender clinics. In Stelzer’s opinion, Bailey “is investigating possible dishonesty by Plaintiff in their medical and billing practices.” ARIZONA SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS NEAR-TOTAL ABORTION BAN “It is clear from the statute that the Defendant has the broad investigative powers when the consumer is in possible need of protection and there is no dispute in this matter that the MMPA (Missouri Merchandising Practices Act) applies,” Stelzer said.  Last year, Bailey launched a multi-agency investigation into the Washington University Transgender Center (TGC) at St. Louis Children’s Hospital after a whistleblower went public and accused the hospital of lying to parents of patients. The AG’s inquiry into the TGC “seeks all records for all patients treated at the TGC, among other requests seeking private and protected health information. These records involve more than 1,000 patients.” Jamie Reed said in an affidavit submitted to the attorney general’s office in early 2023 that she was employed as a case manager at the children’s hospital from 2018 until November 2022. She accused hospital employees at the transgender center of lying to the parents of patients, among many other issues. OLYMPIC MEDALIST SLAMS TRANSGENDER TRACK ATHLETE FOR COMPETING IN WOMEN’S EVENT: ‘SIMPLY CHEATING’ Just a few months later, Missouri enacted a law outlawing puberty blockers, hormones and gender-transition surgeries for minors. But the AG’s investigations from prior to the law will continue across the state, the office told Fox News Digital.  After the law was passed, Bailey’s office sent a letter to providers across Missouri, warning them to stop providing experimental treatment on children immediately. “My team will get to the bottom of how this clandestine network of clinics has subjected children to puberty blockers and irreversible surgery, often without parental consent,” Bailey said. Fox News Digital has reached out to Planned Parenthood for comment. Fox News’ Adam Sabes contributed to this report.

Trump’s loan proposal for Ukraine aid may be common ground for comprehensive foreign aid package

Former President Trump’s plan for Ukraine aid to be granted as a loan could be the determining factor that pushes a supplemental aid package across the finish line in Congress. Several congressional aides on both sides of the aisle noted potential support for Trump’s idea for assistance to the country – which is in an ongoing war with Russia – in the form of a zero-interest loan with an unlimited lifespan. The likelihood of support for such a measure is especially high if it is determined to be the only way to pass an aid package to Ukraine and Israel. US MILITARY SHOOTS DOWN ‘DOZENS’ OF IRANIAN DRONES FIRED AT ISRAEL AS JEWISH STATE AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM EXCELS In the wake of a massive Iranian drone attack on Israel over the weekend, a renewed sense of urgency was placed on lobbying attempts for aid in Congress, which were already underway. JOHNSON TO PITCH HOUSE GOP ON ISRAEL, UKRAINE AID PLANS IN CLOSED-DOOR MEETING The Senate passed a $95.3 billion foreign aid package that included Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in February. Despite passing the upper chamber, it managed to split the Republican conference, several of whom had been critical of continued aid to Ukraine. A number of Republican senators were also unhappy that the package didn’t address the southern border crisis. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has yet to bring the supplemental package to the House floor for a vote, despite many House Republicans having urged him to do so. The package would likely pass, but with significant Republican opposition. With a path forward on foreign aid still unclear, House Republican leaders are set to meet Monday evening to discuss potential ways to address both Israel and Ukraine. FRANCE, GERMANY URGE CITIZENS TO LEAVE IRAN, CANCEL FLIGHTS AMID INCREASED RISK OF MILITARY ESCALATION According to several Democrat congressional aides, the attack on Iran isn’t likely to make Senate Democrats more amenable to a standalone bill for Israel. This is partially because Ukraine aid would have more difficulty passing without being tied to Israel. One Democrat aide even suggested that standalone Israel aid would face trouble passing without the allotment for Ukraine. What the attack on Israel at the hands of Iran is more likely to prompt from Democrats is an even harder push for the House to take up the Senate-passed supplemental bill, per one congressional aide. While Senate Democrats still prefer the supplemental bill and believe it is the fastest way to get aid to Israel, they aren’t completely opposed to other ways of obtaining it. BIDEN TO HOST IRAQ’S LEADER AFTER IRAN’S ATTACK ON ISRAEL SPURS CHAOS ACROSS MIDDLE EAST Two aides told Fox News Digital that numerous Senate Democrats are open to advancing a package that combines aid for Ukraine and Israel, with the provision that assistance to Ukraine is extended as a loan, aligning with Trump’s proposal. This is especially true if it presents a faster opportunity to get aid to both countries.  Republicans are similarly interested in the idea of the aid as a loan, per two GOP aides. A Senate Republican aide indicated that the appetite for the supplemental package, which was passed but severely divided Republicans, likely remains the same. Instead, the recent attack on Israel renewed the desire to pass Israel aid apart from Ukraine and Taiwan, which Democrats have largely rejected.