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Politics

Senate eyes vote before midnight on government funding after House approves bill to prevent shutdown

WASHINGTON — Approaching a midnight government shutdown deadline, the Senate set up votes toward final passage late Friday of a new plan that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, but drops President-elect Donald Trump’s demands for a debt limit increase into the new year. House Speaker Mike Johnson had insisted Congress would “meet […]

Politics

What Trump’s decision to wade into spending fight tells us about the next 4 years

WASHINGTON — After days of threats and demands, Donald Trump had little to show for it once lawmakers passed a budget deal in the early hours of Saturday, narrowly averting a pre-Christmas government shutdown. The president-elect successfully pushed House Republicans to jettison some spending, but he failed to achieve his central goal of raising the […]

Business & Finance

What’s next for the Social Security Fairness Act

Richard Stephen | Istock | Getty Images As Congress managed to avoid a government shutdown, the Senate also passed a key bill that will increase Social Security benefits for some public workers. The Social Security Fairness Actwhich passed by a vote of 76-20 in the early hours of Saturday, will eliminate Social Security provisions known […]

Politics

Israel’s war against militants is expensive. Paying the bill could force tough choices

On top of the grievous toll in human life and misery, Israel’s war against the Hamas and Hezbollah militant groups has been expensive, and the painfully high financial costs are raising concerns about the long-term effect of the fighting on the country’s economy. Military spending has ballooned, and growth has stalled, especially in dangerous border […]