Rachel Abrams

And what have the Emirates said about their role in funding this conflict?

So the UAE is hedging its bets here.

We haven't talked about the United States and any role that the U.S.

might have in ending this war.

So far, the U.S.

has been deeply invested in ending the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

But we have heard next to nothing about anything that the U.S.

intends to do vis-a-vis Sudan.

What has the Trump administration said publicly about this?

But given how much money is flowing into the UAE in the form of gold from Sudan and the fact that they won't even acknowledge that they have a role in the conflict, what incentive would the UAE have in trying to solve this?

This war in Sudan started in 2023, and it has gotten so much less attention than the war in Gaza, which also started at the end of 2023.

And we may now be talking about Sudan because there is a ceasefire, a fragile ceasefire, but a ceasefire nonetheless in Gaza.

And I wonder whether these two things are related, that there is now room and space and attention to devote to this conflict in Sudan.

Do you see it that way?

Declan, thank you so much.

Here's what else you need to know today.

After a procedural vote Sunday night in the U.S.

Senate, the federal government appears poised to end its record breaking shutdown.

The deal saw a handful of members of the Democratic caucus join Republican senators to advance a package of bills that would fund the government through January 30th.

In addition, the deal would fund programs related to agriculture, military construction, and legislative programs for nearly a year.