Thu, December 19, 2024

by: ABC

Potential government shutdown impacts: Millions of federal workers at risk of furlough

If Congress fails to pass the continuing resolution to fund the government by Saturday, millions of federal workers could head into the holidays without paychecks. They could be furloughed or be asked to work without pay.

by: Farmers Weekly

FW Survey 2024: Politics and weather weigh heavy on the sector

That UK farming confidence has taken a battering is hardly a secret, but the extent of that decline is quite startling, as evidenced by the results of our

by: FOX59 News

Where's Biden? Lame-duck president slammed for 'quiet quitting' amid major government funding battle

President Biden was blasted for "quiet quitting" and failing to lead his fellow Democrats amid the fiscal battle in Congress that could lead to a government shutdown just days before Christmas.

by: RealClearPolitics

Stephen Miller to Congressional Republicans: Why Are You Not Giving Trump The Best Possible Chance At Success?

The American people elected him to. He should not have to come into office and immediately be saddled with a government funding expiration followed by a debt ceiling expiration. That is what the current plan would do. He would come into office and ...

by: FOX31 Denver

Millions of people may get expanded Social Security benefits. Who are they and how would it happen?

Nearly 3 million people could receive a boost in Social Security payments under legislation set for a final Senate vote in the coming days. The Social Security Fairness Act would

by: Sydney Morning Herald

'We've been vindicated': Chalmers says government spending has saved the nation from recession

After coming under fire from for his mid-year budget update, Treasurer Jim Chalmers says: "We've rejected this free advice that says slash and burn in the budget".

by: Detroit News

Analysis: Musk's dangerous, exaggerated conflation of social media and democracy

Knee-jerk opposition to spending money on the government was popular on the right before Musk decided to make politics his second career. Republican acquiescence to his push Wednesday was often less about being convinced by his argument (such as it was ...

by: CNN

What's at risk if Congress doesn't fund the government by Friday night

Facing intense pressure of the federal government potentially shutting down within days and disaster aid coffers that need replenishment, lawmakers are racing to cobble together a temporary government funding plan after President-elect Donald Trump torpedoed their last package on Wednesday.

by: The New York Times

Trump Transition Live Updates: Republicans Search for Path to Avert a Shutdown After Trump Smashes Speaker's Deal

President-elect Donald J. Trump denounced a bipartisan spending deal that would fund the government until mid-March, telling Republican lawmakers that it would be "suicidal" to vote for it. His intervention all but buried the agreement with government funding scheduled to lapse in less than two days.

by: Winston-Salem Journal

Two Things: The hits keep on coming for soil and water district candidate; Robinson lands in hot water again

A losing candidate for Forsyth County soil and water conservation district supervisor - the qualified one - takes the high road.The winner, a convicted sex offender, lands in legal jeopardy.

by: Omaha.com

Nebraska auditor alleges more fraud by contracted DHHS caregivers

Auditor Mike Foley's report on Wednesday follows a similar report his office issued in February. He previously said the DHHS likely mishandled tens of millions of dollars during the 2023

by: The New Zealand Herald

Policy and priorities, Wellington council in 'shambles', and a historic h?koi: a year in NZ politics - The Front Page

The coalition Government dived in quickly to reverse previous Labour policy and pushed numerous bills through Parliament to meet quarterly deadlines and targets -with a mixed response from voters around some policies.

by: WSB Radio

Government shutdown at risk as Trump's demands put Speaker Johnson in a bind

A government shutdown at risk, House Speaker Mike Johnson is fighting to figure out how to meet President-elect Donald Trump's sudden demands — and keep his own job

by: The New York Times

Elon Musk Flexes His Political Strength as Government Shutdown Looms

The world's richest man led the charge to kill a bipartisan spending deal, in part by promoting false and misleading claims about it.

by: CNN

DOGE vs. DEI: Republicans' promise to purge government diversity initiatives could be wide-ranging, and hard to pull off

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the two billionaires tasked with slashing government waste, are expected to recommend an agency-wide purge of spending on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, three sources familiar with their plans tell CNN.

by: NBC News

Trump calls for abolishing the debt ceiling

In a phone interview with NBC News, Trump said getting rid of the debt ceiling entirely would be the "smartest thing it [Congress] could do. I would support that entirely."

by: Detroit News

UK considers Musk-proofing donation rules amid Farage talks

Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government is talking to Britain's election watchdog about tougher rules on political donations, amid fears that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage may secure funding from Elon Musk.

by: FOX59 News

Congress agrees to fully fund Baltimore Key Bridge rebuild in plan to avert government shutdown

Congressional leaders struck a deal to avert a government shutdown that includes a provision to cover the cost of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

by: RealClearPolitics

Rep. Casar: We're Seeing The Chaos And Billionaire Corruption Of The Trump Era, Elon Musk Is Cosplaying As Co-President

There are a few weeks left until the Democratic Party faces Republican majorities in Congress. After a decisive loss in the presidential election, Democrats have been at odds over their future and direction during the new Trump era.

by: Austin American-Statesman

When is the government shutdown deadline? What to know as shutdown looms

In the midst of a looming government shutdown, President-elect Donald Trump has come out against Congress' plan to fund the government through March. Trump's statement comes after Congressional leaders released the text of a short-term bill to keep the ...

by: Inside Climate News

Social Scientist Dustin Mulvaney Discusses Solar Power, Trump and the Need to Prioritize Environmental Justice

The rapid rise of renewable energy has made aspects of his 2019 book on solar power read like ancient history.

by: NJ.com

GOP senator floats shocking idea for Trump ally Elon Musk

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) floated a surprising new position for tech billionaire Elon Musk after he spearheaded the charge to tank a bipartisan spending deal on Wednesday.

by: RTE Online

Labour withdraws from government formation talks with FF and FG

The Labour Party has decided to end exploratory government formation talks with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. In a statement, Labour leader Ivana Bacik said she believed that the policy gap between the parties "is such that it would not be possible to ...

by: BBC

Congress in disarray and shutdown looms as Trump, Musk slam spending deal

The president-elect and Elon Musk rejected the bipartisan spending plan that would prevent a government shutdown.

by: FOX59 News

Trump says Mike Johnson will 'easily remain speaker' if he acts 'decisively and tough' on spending bill

EXCLUSIVE: President-elect Donald Trump told Fox News Digital that House Speaker Mike Johnson will "easily remain speaker" for the next Congress if he "acts decisively and tough" and eliminates "all of the traps being set by Democrats" in the spending package.

by: politicsweb

2024 had both high and low points - COSATU

COSATU celebrated its 39th anniversary on 1 December and marked almost four decades of defending and advancing workers' and working-class communities rights and interests. As the Federation heads towards its 40th anniversary in 2025, it remains determined to wage working class battles and win.

by: Penn Live

A key Trump ally on immigration explains how mass deportations could work

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach expects Trump to take action that will spark a legal challenge over the citizenship status of children born in the U.S. to immigrants living in the country illegally.

by: FOX59 News

What to expect as Republicans try to salvage spending package, avoid government shutdown

Republicans in the House are not willing to raise the debt ceiling and Democrats claim Republicans have reneged on their deal. Now, chances of a government shutdown are high.

by: ABC

Government funding plan collapses after threats from Trump and Musk as shutdown looms

With a shutdown looming by the end of the week, Republicans face pressure from Trump and his ally Elon Musk to drop the funding bill they negotiated with Democrats.

by: deseret

Election confidence flip-flop: Poll shows trust in state election officials increase among Utah GOP

A new Deseret News/Hinckley of Institute Politics poll found 9 of 10 Utah Republicans trust state election officials compared to 7 of 10 Utah Democrats

by: Florida Politics

Fiona McFarland wants politics out of child welfare and transparency introduced to AI

Rep. Fiona McFarland wants proper funding around child protection and an easier ability to identify artificial intelligence-created content. As she starts a third term in the House, the Sarasota Republican will tackle those topics and improvements to transportation policy.

by: CNN

GOP scraps government funding bill after Trump demands changes

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise confirmed Wednesday that the current government funding plan that was negotiated by Speaker Mike Johnson is officially scrapped after President-elect Donald Trump came out against it.

by: Florida Politics

Personnel note: Nikki Whiting to lead government relations for Miami Dade College

Nikki Whiting's workload at her alma mater just got heavier. Miami Dade College (MDC) just promoted Whiting to Assistant Vice President of Communications and External Affairs, a role in which she'll oversee all the institution's government relations.

by: The New York Times

Here Are 4 Reasons China Meddles in Local U.S. Politics

American intelligence agencies have warned of influence operations targeting city halls and statehouses. But what's in it for Beijing?

by: Lincolnshire Live

RAF Scampton, elections and farming: Why 2024 was a year of change in Lincolnshire

As the year came to an end, eyes turned towards the big political event of 2025 - the election of the first Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire. Years of negotiations finally led to approval for a devolution deal that would move powers from Whitehall to Lincolnshire, along with £24m per year.

by: MSN

German arms exports: Churches question U-turn

German arms exports have risen sharply, including to the Middle East. Both major churches are calling for stricter licensing rules.

by: MSN

Germany's political earthquake: what it means for Ukraine and Ukrainians

Germany faced a political earthquake. The Bundestag passed a vote of no confidence against Chancellor Scholz, resulting in the collapse of the coalition government made up of the SPD, the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP).

by: The New York Times

Chaos Consumes Drive to Avoid Government Shutdown, With 2 Days to Go

By Chris Cameron Reporting from Washington President-elect Donald J. Trump denounced a bipartisan spending deal that would fund the government until mid-March, telling Republican lawmakers that it would be "suicidal" to vote for it. His intervention ...

by: MSN

I'll 'Sip My Tea': Jasmine Crockett Lights Up 'Unproductive' GOP Amid Spending Bill Chaos

Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) called out Republicans for their part in the "most unproductive Congress" on Wednesday after Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump paraded House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.

by: Daily Record

Deal struck to save shipbuilder Harland and Wolff which has two Scottish yards

The Belfast-based company - which has yards at Methil in Fife and Arnish on the Isle of Lewis - was placed into administration in September for the second time in five years.

by: MSN

'Slack': Federal government fails to pay $50 million in super to ADF psychologists

Sky News host Caleb Bond criticises the federal government for failing to pay $50 million in superannuation to ADF psychologists and mental health workers over the last 12 years.

by: MSN

Constitutional Court attempts again and fails again to serve Yoon summons

The Constitutional Court said Thursday that it had tried twice over the course of the day to serve President Yoon Suk Yeol with papers regarding his impeachment trial, marking its third and fourth attempts to deliver the documents.

by: MSN

"Unfortunate and biased": Pakistan on US sanction on its entities involved in long-range missiles programme

The US sanctioned four Pakistani entities for alleged involvement in a ballistic missile program. Pakistan's Foreign Office called the sanctions unfortunate and biased. The US cited concerns about Pakistan's long-range missile development.

by: FOX59 News

Oklahoma lawmakers on board with abolishing the Department of Education

The Oklahoma delegation is all in on abolishing the Department of Education after President-elect Donald Trump floated the idea. However, one of them doubts he'll get the Senate votes.

by: MSN

Mauritius wants to rethink a deal with the UK over remote islands housing a key US base

The British government said Wednesday it still plans to hand over a contested Indian Ocean archipelago, which is home to a strategically important military base, to Mauritius, after that country's new leader backed away from the contentious deal.

by: MSN

Trump trashes must-pass funding bill as Musk calls for the GOP to shut down the government

Musk wrote that "any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!"

by: MSN

Government funding plan collapses after Trump issues demands

With a shutdown looming by the end of the week, Republicans face pressure from Trump and his ally Elon Musk to drop the funding bill they negotiated with Democrats.

by: The Daily Signal

Here's How Trump Can Make America Beautiful Again

This week on The Signal Sitdown, National Civic Art Society president Justin Shubow explains how Trump can make America beautiful again.

Congress in disarray and shutdown looms as Trump, Musk slam spending deal

The president-elect and Elon Musk rejected the bipartisan spending plan that would prevent a government shutdown.

The article from the BBC discusses the ongoing debate over the use of puberty blockers for transgender youth in the UK. It highlights the recent decision by NHS England to restrict the use of these medications outside of research settings, following a review that raised concerns about the lack of evidence regarding their safety and effectiveness. The article outlines the perspectives of various stakeholders: medical professionals, transgender individuals, and advocacy groups. Some argue that puberty blockers are crucial for allowing transgender youth time to explore their gender identity without the distress of unwanted physical changes, while others, including some clinicians and researchers, express concerns about potential long-term effects on bone density, brain development, and fertility. The piece also touches on the emotional and psychological impact on transgender youth and their families, with personal stories illustrating the relief some feel when accessing blockers, contrasted with the anxiety and uncertainty caused by the new restrictions. The debate encapsulates broader issues of medical ethics, the rights of transgender youth, and the balance between caution and care in medical interventions for minors.

Read the Full BBC Article at:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd0e7j94732o