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00:00 Next to Ukraine where President Vladimir Zelensky has signed a new law aimed at boosting Kiev's ground forces
00:06 The mobilization law is set to take effect next month and it's meant to keep eligible men from dodging
00:12 Conscription this follows a law which Zelensky signed two weeks ago to lower the age to enlist from 27 to 25 and
00:20 Comes as Ukraine has been struggling to fend off advances by Russia Charlotte Hughes reports
00:28 It's a move aimed at ramping up Ukraine's troop numbers as Kiev presses ahead with its grueling counteroffensive against Russia
00:35 After receiving the green light from lawmakers last week a bill overhauling mobilization rules has been signed into law by Vladimir Zelensky
00:43 It hardens punishments for draft dodgers
00:46 Increases payments to those who volunteer and requires men to ensure their draft details are up-to-date with the authorities
00:55 Controversially though a clause that would have enabled soldiers to leave the military after three years of service was excluded
01:01 according to lawmakers
01:03 Demobilization is set to be covered in a separate bill
01:06 But for now long-serving soldiers have no clear time frame for when they may return home
01:11 People need to know what they're doing if you were told that you were serving till 2025
01:16 You'd know that if you survived you'd be going home if people can't make plans they get depressed and they start making mistakes
01:23 More than two years after Russia's invasion Ukraine is outnumbered and outgunned by Moscow's forces on the ground
01:29 last week
01:31 Ukraine's army chief said that the situation on the eastern front had worsened and that Russian troops aimed to take the town of Chasov
01:38 Yaa in early May it comes after Russia captured the city of Avdiivka in February where some residents nearby are still
01:45 Reluctant to leave. I don't want to leave yet. I want someone to help me get my documents. They're covered in rubble
01:53 We don't have money not a penny there's no pension nothing
01:58 As well as grappling with a shortage of manpower Kiev is facing delays in much-needed aid from Western allies
02:06 Well funding for Ukraine is taking a central role as the Republican leader of the US House of Representatives
02:14 Fights to hold on to his job speaker
02:17 Mike Johnson has introduced legislation to decouple aid for Ukraine and for Israel many hard-right Republicans have come out against
02:24 Continued funding for Ukraine and are threatening to oust him for more on this story
02:28 Let's cross to our correspondent in Washington Fraser Jackson
02:31 So Fraser help us understand where we stand when it comes to US funding for Ukraine the Senate passed a package
02:37 That was never considered by the house. Is this the same one Johnson is now putting forward?
02:45 Technically no, but in effect almost yes the the 95 billion dollar aid package that was passed by the Senate has sat
02:53 In the house for two months with Johnson
02:55 Pushing it down the line and kicking the can down the road
02:59 But it seems that giving the weekend's attacks by Iran on Israel that now the speaker really has been pushed to action as it were
03:06 And he's basically
03:08 Repackaged that deal into four standalone bills that he will be putting on the house floor
03:14 There's also a bill which will include sanctions on Iran
03:17 But interestingly, there's nothing in there about national security at the border with Mexico
03:23 And that was one of the main reasons that Republicans gave for not giving their support to that original bill that came down from the Senate
03:30 So they are likely to vote on these next four bills by the end of the week
03:36 However, the text for those bills was meant to come out on Tuesday
03:40 But so far there has been nothing that has come out of the speaker's office. So a vote by Friday. It could be
03:47 Dubious, however, things can move quickly in the house at least what they went when they want them to at least
03:53 Some Republicans now are calling for those four bills to be united as one
03:57 Package to then be sent to the Senate which some Democrats is arguing
04:02 Well, that's exactly what we tried to do two months ago
04:05 But hasn't been done the White House has been previewed about these a few bills
04:10 Johnson spoke to President Biden on Monday and John Kirby on Tuesday said quote
04:15 It does appear at first blush that the speaker's proposals will in fact help us get aid to Ukraine aid to Israel
04:22 And needed resources to the Indo-pacific for a wide range of contingency there that of course being that bill on
04:27 Taiwan now Biden says he needs to study these bills a bit more before giving his approval
04:32 But ultimately Johnson is going to have to decide whether his tenuous grasp on the a speakership can survive bringing these bills to the floor
04:40 Well, yes speaking of exactly that, you know
04:43 There have been some calls for Mike Johnson to step aside a speaker from members of of that hard-right coalition Fraser
04:48 Where do we stand on that?
04:50 Well, the main one is Marjorie Taylor Greene who most people will know she's been hanging a motion to vacate his speakership over his head
04:59 For the last couple of weeks and that gained a slight bit more traction on Tuesday when one more
05:04 Republican senator who is the senator for Kentucky Thomas Massey said that he would support that movement
05:11 However, Johnson says he's not going anywhere
05:13 He's not stepping down and most vitally probably is that most Republican senators don't have any appetite to vacate
05:21 the speakership
05:22 But they saw the mess that happened with Kevin McCarthy and the numerous times it took to get Johnson into the speakership
05:28 That now less than six six months ago means that they are unlikely to want to do anything like that again
05:36 Jim Jordan himself one of the people who put himself forward for that as a speakership said we don't need that
05:42 No way, we shouldn't go through that again
05:44 now they have made sure though they're making sure now the Republicans that opposition doesn't grow because their
05:50 Raiseth in majority comes to just one seat at the end of this week as one of their colleagues steps down in the house
05:56 So a real a trying time for Mike Johnson as he tries to thread that needle. Yeah, that would ensure a lot more chaos
06:02 I think in the House of Representatives. Okay, our correspondent in Washington Fraser Jackson Fraser. Thanks as always good to see you
06:08 Well, it's day two of Donald Trump