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First Thing: the US morning briefing

First Thing: Kharkiv could become ‘second Aleppo’ without US aid to Ukraine, mayor says

House speaker seeks to split US aid into separate votes. Plus, Trump rebuked by judge in warning against juror ‘intimidation’

The site of a recent Russian bombing at an unused shopping mall in Kharkiv.
The site of a recent Russian bombing at an unused shopping mall in Kharkiv. Photograph: Julia Kochetova/The Guardian

Good morning,

The mayor of Kharkiv has said the city is at risk of becoming “a second Aleppo”, unless US politicians vote for fresh military aid to help Ukraine obtain the air defences needed to prevent long-range Russian attacks.

Ihor Terekhov said Russia had switched tactics to try to destroy the city’s power supply and terrorise its 1.3 million residents by firing into residential areas, with people experiencing unscheduled power cuts for hours at a time. He said aid was of “critical importance”.

Meanwhile, Russian forces are exploiting the delays in US aid and are manoeuvring on the battlefield again, the Institute for the Study of War says. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, fears a large Russian offensive this spring.

  • What’s the latest with US funding? The Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson, has refused to allow a vote on the $95bn joint Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan aid bill already passed by the Senate. Instead, this week he proposed a complicated plan for separate votes for each section.

  • How is Zelenskiy responding to Iran’s attack on Israel? He said Ukraine “could have received the same level of protection [as Israel] long ago” with intercepting drones and missiles.

Israel has sped up settlement building in East Jerusalem since 7 October

Givat Hamatos, where Israel is currently building the first new settlement in 20 years, in East Jerusalem.
Givat Hamatos in East Jerusalem, where Israel is currently building the a new settlement. Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian

Israel’s government has accelerated the construction of settlements across East Jerusalem, with more than 20 projects totalling thousands of housing units having been approved or advanced since the start of the full-scale war in Gaza, planning documents show.

Ministries and offices within the Israeli government are behind all the largest and most contentious of the projects, sometimes in association with rightwing nationalist groups with a history of trying to evict Palestinians from their homes.

The rapid approval or construction of settlements that are illegal under international law is likely to further damage Israel’s relationship with the Biden administration.

Footage shows people in Gaza fleeing strikes as people try to return to the north – video
  • What’s the backstory to settlement expansions? Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan in the six-day war of 1967 and later annexed it, in a move not recognised by the international community. Permanent settlement of territory occupied militarily is illegal under international law. Today, about 40% of Jerusalem’s population of roughly 1 million is Palestinian, and maintaining a Jewish majority in the city has been an aim of successive Israeli governments.

  • What’s happening in Gaza after Iran’s attack on Israel? Israel has said for weeks it is going to launch a ground operation into Rafah, with the fate of nearly 2 million Palestinians in the city hanging in the balance.

Trump rebuked as hush-money trial judge warns against juror intimidation

Former president Donald Trump returns to the courtroom after a recess at Manhattan criminal court, in New York on Tuesday.
Former president Donald Trump returns to the courtroom after a recess at Manhattan criminal court, in New York on Tuesday. Photograph: Mary Altaffer/UPI/REX/Shutterstock

Donald Trump met a stern rebuke on Tuesday from the judge presiding over his criminal hush-money trial, with Juan Merchan warning: “I won’t have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom.”

Trump’s team had found a video on one possible juror’s social media that appeared to show a street celebration over Trump’s loss in the 2020 election, but Trump’s apparent misbehavior – gesturing and speaking in the direction of a juror, the judge said – did not derail the trial’s progress.

  • How many jurors have been picked so far? Seven jurors were picked by the day’s end; dozens have been dismissed for having strong preconceived views about Trump.

  • Which case is this one again? Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records over an alleged $130,000 hush-money scheme involving Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal.

In other news …

Flash flooding in Oman and UAE hit by heaviest rainfall in 75 years – video
  • Highways were flooded and flights disrupted in Dubai and across the UAE, amid what officials called the heaviest rainfall in 75 years.

  • The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said he had urged Xi Jinping to press Russia to end its war in Ukraine. He also said the Chinese president had agreed to back a peace conference in Switzerland.

  • The US made assurances to the UK high court over Julian Assange’s extradition, but the WikiLeaks founder’s wife dismissed them.

  • The government of Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, passed a measure allowing anti-abortion activists to enter abortion consultation clinics, in a move criticised by opponents as a heavy blow for women’s rights.

Stat of the day: Companies made at least $100m clearing California homeless camps

Work crews clean-up personal belongings and trash at a homeless encampment under the 405 freeway in Inglewood.
Work crews clear away personal belongings and trash at a homeless encampment under the 405 freeway in Inglewood. Photograph: Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

Public spending on private sweep contractors is soaring across California. In total, private firms have been paid at least $100m to clear homeless camps, an investigation by the Guardian and Type Investigations has found. The 14 municipalities and public agencies from which spending details could be obtained represent a small slice of such spending in the state. Unhoused people say they have been treated poorly.

Don’t miss this: ‘Water is more valuable than oil’ – the corporation cashing in on America’s drought

Queen Creek is one of the fastest growing communities in Arizona and is heavily reliant on groundwater for its water supply. Greenstone bought hundreds of acres 200 miles away and diverted a small town’s water rights to the suburb.
Queen Creek is one of the fastest-growing communities in Arizona and is heavily reliant on groundwater for its water supply. Greenstone bought hundreds of acres in a small town 200 miles away and diverted water rights to the suburb. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

In an unprecedented deal, Greenstone Resource Partners, a private company, purchased land in a tiny Arizona town – and sold its water rights to a suburb 200 miles away for a $14m profit. Guardian reporting reveals that Greenstone strategically purchased land to advance the deal, exploiting the arcane water policies governing the Colorado River. Local residents fear the agreement has opened a Pandora’s box. Read Maanvi Singh’s full investigation here.

Last Thing: Drivers gawp as elephant joins Montana traffic after escaping circus

The elephant strolling the streets of Butte, Montana.
The elephant strolling the streets of Butte, Montana. Photograph: NBC Montana/YouTube

Viola, a 58-year-old elephant, slipped her circus handlers in Butte, Montana on Tuesday and strolled through traffic, sparking alarm and surprise among drivers. “An elephant walking down the road, oh my god,” a woman says in a video. Viola, who escaped Jordan World Circus, was recaptured without harm, though not before she defecated on a suburban house’s lawn.

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