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A Ukrainian soldier carries artillery shells to fire in the direction of Bakhmut as the Russia-Ukraine war continues in Donetsk Oblast.

Aziz Karimov / SOPA Images/Sipa USA via Reuters

Can Ukraine get needed weapons without McCarthy?

Kevin McCarthy being ousted as House speaker means Ukrainian troops may not get the gear they need when they need it.

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Ukraine's aid struggles will worsen if McCarthy is ousted
Ukraine's aid struggles | Quick Take | GZERO Media

Ukraine's aid struggles will worsen if McCarthy is ousted

Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: Hi everybody. Ian Bremmer here and a Quick Take to kick off your week and a challenging week indeed for President Zelensky as we start to see more pushback on the ability to continue to support the Ukrainians in defending themselves against the ongoing Russian invasion.

A few different stories here. The most meaningful one being the push against Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, particularly around support for Ukraine aid. And if McCarthy goes down, that is a big hit to the ability to get additional Ukrainian aid approved over the coming months. Any future speaker that sees that the conservatives of the GOP were prepared to take out Kevin McCarthy for willingness to work with the Democrats and get Ukrainian funding done separately would certainly mean that his replacement is going to be very hard pressed to put forward legislation that would continue to fund them. So this has become a big political football in the United States. Republicans, now identified Republicans, a majority say that too much aid is going from the United States. Ukraine should be significantly reduced, if not cut off entirely. Democrats, those numbers are also going up, but they're still in the minority, about 30% and independents more like 40 to 50.

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Ukrainian and EU flags fly in central Kyiv as the city hosts an EU-Ukraine foreign ministers meeting, amid Russia's ongoing attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 2, 2023.

REUTERS/Thomas Peter

The fight over support for Ukraine

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine settles into a war of attrition, ongoing Western support will remain critical for Kyiv.
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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to reporters in the US Capitol after the House of Representatives passed a stopgap government funding bill to avert an immediate government shutdown.

REUTERS/ Ken Cedeno

Will avoiding a shutdown cost McCarthy the speakership?

There was no shortage of drama on Capitol Hill this weekend – including a pulled fire alarm that delayed voting by an hour – as the US government managed to avoid another shutdown. Congress passed a stopgap funding bill on Saturday that will keep the lights on through Nov. 17. The proposal easily cleared the House before garnering Senate approval 88 to 9. It included natural disaster aid but no new support for border restrictions or assistance for Ukraine.

The measure passed a day after Republican Rep. Andy Biggs and 20 others blocked a Republican stopgap bill replete with spending cuts, border controls, and curbs on immigration. Unable to fund the government with just conservative votes, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy changed gears, offering a bill that would satisfy Democrats. The absence of fresh support for Ukraine prompted Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet to briefly delay the vote, but bipartisan senators resolved the impasse by pledging to further fund aid to Ukraine "in the coming weeks." President Joe Biden made it clear that “We cannot under any circumstances allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted.”

McCarthy is expected to introduce a separate Ukraine aid bill when the House returns. But having worked with Democrats to get this measure passed could cost him his job. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican hardliner, said on Sunday that he plans to move for McCarthy’s ouster this week.

If Gaetz introduces a measure to remove McCarthy, the House will have 48 hours to vote on it.

But McCarthy remains defiant. “If somebody wants to make a motion against me, bring it," he said. "There has to be an adult in the room. I am going to govern with what’s best for this country.”

The president-elect of the Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu, left, and SMER-SSD party leader Robert Fico, right.

REUTERS/Dhahau Naseem & REUTERS/Radovan Stoklasa

Election update: China champion takes Maldives, Russia scores in Slovakia

On Saturday, Mohamed Muizzu, leader of the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives, won 54% of the vote in that country’s elections, ousting incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih of the Maldivian Democratic Party. Muizzu’s victory boosts China’s influence in the country to the detriment of India, whose long-standing influence has periodically caused resentment among the Maldives’ Muslim majority.
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Luisa Viera

Is the clock ticking on Biden and Trudeau?

Both Canada and the United States suffer from perpetual campaigns.
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Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott speak during the FOX Business Republican presidential primary debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.

USA Today Network via Reuters

Sound and fury, signifying nothing — the second GOP debate without Trump

“Every time I hear you, I think I get a little bit dumber.”

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The state of multilateralism: Shaky, fragile & stretched to capacity
Shaky, fragile & stretched to capacity: The state of multilateralism | Global Stage | GZERO Media

The state of multilateralism: Shaky, fragile & stretched to capacity

Dr. Comfort Ero of the International Crisis Group has spent her career tackling the most difficult conflicts in the world, often exacerbated by severe environmental or social disasters. But as the climate crisis and war in Ukraine compound the forces pushing many fragile societies to the brink, she says multilateral institutions like the United Nations are not prepared to meet the challenge.

Faced with state collapse, food insecurity, and lack of governance, countries like Libya, Lebanon and Sri Lanka are not able to access the help they need to stabilize, build resilience and thrive.

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