By Hannah Jewell and Jamie Ross  Email Listen to this briefing Good morning. It’s Wednesday, May 15, and if you’re reading this from a yacht near the Strait of Gibraltar, please take care — the orcas are at it again. Now let’s get to the news.   President Biden plans to move forward with $1 billion in weapons deals for Israel. What to know: The decision comes after the White House paused a shipment of bombs this month over concerns about Israel’s plannedinvasion of Rafah, in southern Gaza. What it means: The U.S. remains intent on giving weapons to its ally despite threats to withhold them that were criticized by Republicans and some Democratic donors. Read this story            Donald Trump’s lawyers tried to destroy Michael Cohen’s credibility in court. In a courtroom sketch, Cohen testifies during the former president’s trial on charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to Stormy Daniels. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters) Yesterday: Trump’s former attorney was cast as a liar whose allegations of Trump falsifying business records can’t be trusted. He said he would “like to see” Trump convicted. What now? The criminal trial — which has brought a parade of top Republicans to New York — resumes tomorrow with more from Cohen, the last prosecution witness. Read this story              Angela Alsobrooks won Maryland’s Democratic Senate primary. Yesterday: The Prince George’s County executive defeated Rep. David Trone in the hotly contested race. She could become Maryland’s first Black U.S. senator. What’s next? Alsobrooks will face former governor Larry Hogan in November. That race could determine control of the Senate. See full results from Maryland here. In West Virginia: Gov. Jim Justice won the Republican Senate primary. He’s favored to win the election to replace retiring Sen. Joe Manchin (D). Read this story            The U.S. secretary of state made a surprise visit to Ukraine yesterday. What happened? Antony Blinken said billions of dollars of aid, passed by Congress last month, is “on the way.” The top U.S. diplomat also rocked out with a Kyiv bar band. What else to know: A Russian offensive into Ukraine’s Kharkiv region has forced more than 6,000 people to evacuate. Some evacuees said this attack is worse than the first. Read this story            ADVERTISEMENT     There’s a new group of coronavirus variants known as “FLiRT.” Why is it called that? It’s an acronym drawn from the names of virus mutations. The more official name of the most widespread variant in the group is KP.2. Should you worry? KP.2 has become the dominant form of the coronavirus in the U.S., according to disease trackers. But it’s not causing a surge in infections, the CDC said. Read this story            The sun unleashed its strongest solar flare in seven years. An image of the solar flare, an X8.7 — meaning it was on the stronger end of the X-class spectrum. (NASA) What to know: The flare, launched yesterday, was an X-class — the most powerful kind. It erupted during an exceptionally busy time for the sun. Does that mean more northern lights? Sorry, but no. It was different from the eruptions that produced the geomagnetic storm and glorious aurora displays last weekend. Read this story            Sage the miniature poodle won Best in Show at Westminster. Last night: She bested more than 2,500 other dogs to win the top prize. The show was filled with struts and silky coats — you’ll want to see the best photos and the biggest moments. More canine content: Our reporter set out to pet all 200 breeds at the competition — here’s what happened. And you can figure out your show dog name with this quiz. Read this story