
What’s at risk if Congress doesn’t fund the government by Friday night
CNN
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.
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. The now-dead agreement would have kept the federal government operating through March 14, as well as provided nearly $100 billion in disaster aid and economic relief for farmers in rural communities. The deal would have also provided lawmakers with their first pay raise since 2009. Here’s what Americans could soon face if Congress doesn’t reach a deal by midnight on Friday: The bipartisan deal struck earlier in the week would have provided nearly $100 billion to help Americans trying to recover from multiple natural disasters in 2023 and 2024. Every state in the nation was set to get a portion of the funds. States like North Carolina and Florida, which were hit hard by Hurricanes Helene and Milton earlier this year, were expected to get some largest amount of funding, according to a breakdown provided by Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. Some $29 billion would help replenish the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund, which has dwindled after contending with the two hurricanes, as well as other disasters.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth risked compromising sensitive military information that could have endangered US troops through his use of Signal to discuss attack plans, a Pentagon watchdog said in an unclassified report released Thursday. It also details how Hegseth declined to cooperate with the probe.

Two top House lawmakers emerged divided along party lines after a private briefing with the military official who oversaw September’s attack on an alleged drug vessel that included a so-called double-tap strike that killed surviving crew members, with a top Democrat calling video of the incident that was shared as part of the briefing “one of the most troubling things” he has seen as a lawmaker.

Authorities in Colombia are dealing with increasingly sophisticated criminals, who use advanced tech to produce and conceal the drugs they hope to export around the world. But police and the military are fighting back, using AI to flag suspicious passengers, cargo and mail - alongside more conventional air and sea patrols. CNN’s Isa Soares gets an inside look at Bogotá’s war on drugs.

As lawmakers demand answers over reports that the US military carried out a follow-up strike that killed survivors during an attacked on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, a career Navy SEAL who has spent most of his 30 years of military experience in special operations will be responsible for providing them.









