11 Republican senators agree to bipartisan infrastructure deal
CBSN
Washington — Eleven Republican senators said Wednesday that they have agreed to an infrastructure deal crafted by a group of 20 senators from both parties, meaning that the Senate could advance a measure without resorting to the reconciliation process, which would have enabled the bill to pass without any Republican votes, if all the Democrats voted for it.
But it is unclear whether this new measure will receive sufficient support from Democratic senators, who have raised concerns about funding for the bill and the exclusion of priorities such as climate-related infrastructure. "We support this bipartisan framework that provides an historic investment in our nation's core infrastructure needs without raising taxes. We look forward to working with our Republican and Democratic colleagues to develop legislation based on this framework to address America's critical infrastructure challenges," the group of 20 senators said in a statement. However, they did not release any details about the breakdown of the bill, or how it will be funded.Washington — The Supreme Court on Friday said it will consider the constitutionality of the Federal Communications Commission's Universal Service Fund, agreeing to review a lower court decision that upended the mechanism for funding programs that provide communications services to rural areas, low-income communities and schools, libraries and hospitals.
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launched six space tourists on a high-speed dash to the edge of space and back Friday, giving the passengers — including a husband and wife making their second flight — about three minutes of weightlessness and an out-of-this world view before the capsule made a parachute descent to touchdown at the company's west Texas flight facility.