The US Congress heads out on a two-week break this weekend with no clear plan to provide desperately needed military aid requested by the White House to help Ukraine in its fight against Russian invasion. President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that his country is in dire need of support to replenish dwindling ammunition stocks, and has voiced hope the US will approve a $95 billion package stalled on Capitol Hill. But House Speaker Mike Johnson, an ally of Donald Trump, has resisted pressure to allow a vote on the legislation.

WHAT GOP LAWMAKERS ARE SAYING ABOUT A POSSIBLE DEAL

More than a third of the Senate's Democrats called on President Joe Biden to take "bold" action toward establishing a Palestinian state, in the latest pushback against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The letter to Biden comes days after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the country's highest-ranking Jewish elected leader and longtime advocate for Israel, sent shock waves with a speech criticizing Netanyahu's conduct of the Gaza war and urging new Israeli elections.

BIDEN TARGETED BY BOTH SIDES OF ISRAEL-GAZA DEBATE

In a series of legal maneuvers, the fate of Texas' Senate Bill 4, a contentious immigration law, has taken yet another turn. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, has once again halted the enforcement of SB 4, just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed it to take effect temporarily. The law, which authorizes state and local police to arrest and deport individuals suspected of being in the US illegally, has been the subject of intense legal battles and public debate.

WHAT THE RULING MEANS FOR TEXAS BORDER ENFORCEMENT

How many US states border Mexico? How many border the Gulf of Mexico?

Wednesday's answer: The transfer of Hong Kong from the UK to China was July 1, 1997, ending 156 years of British rule in the former colony.