
House to vote on bill to avert shutdown hours ahead of deadline
CNN
The House is set to vote Friday on a stopgap funding bill in a bid to avert a shutdown just hours before a midnight deadline.
The House is set to vote Friday on a stopgap funding bill in a bid to avert a shutdown just hours before a midnight deadline. The bill would extend government funding into March and includes disaster relief as well as other provisions, but does not include a suspension of the debt limit, which President-elect Donald Trump has been demanding Republicans address. The expected vote comes as House Republicans have struggled to find a way to prevent the government from shutting down after Trump upended the funding push by coming out against an initial bipartisan deal. The Republican-led chamber then tried and failed on Thursday to pass a GOP funding plan backed by Trump that would have included a two-year suspension of the debt limit. This story is breaking and will be updated.

The area of the rural Cascades near Leavenworth, Washington, is so majestic, they call it the Enchantments. Cold, clear water from the wilderness lakes flows into Icicle Creek, where it rushes over sparkling rocks. But the tranquil beauty that draws campers and hikers from all over the country was shattered a month ago by the murders of three little girls only yards from the creek.

As the Trump administration looks to quickly pivot from military strikes to a diplomatic deal on Iran’s nuclear program, the final military and intelligence assessment on the recent US strikes will be critical in informing what the Trump administration needs to accomplish in future Iran negotiations.