Photo: Science Photo Library RF
1 Senate Passes Stopgap Funding, Which Now Is Headed To President Biden's Desk
Just one day after the House passed a stopgap funding package to keep the federal government open past Friday night, the Senate did its part last night. The “laddered continuing resolution” package passed the Senate on a bipartisan 87-11 vote, and now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk. The president is expected to sign the bill, which will fund parts of the government including the Agriculture, Transportation, Housing, Urban Development, and Veterans Affairs Departments until the middle of January, with other departments staying funded until February. The House adjourned early for the Thanksgiving break yesterday after votes on full funding packages were blocked by some Republicans, meaning that there could be more strife in store after the holiday for Republicans in the House. When asked yesterday if he had any advice for House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries just said, “Good luck!”
2 Capitol Police Injured During Clash With Protesters Outside Democratic National Committee Headquarters
A large group of pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with Capitol Police outside the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee headquarters last night in Washington, D.C. Police said arrests were made, but didn’t say how many, and said that the people were “illegally and violently” protesting. Around seven members of Congress were inside the building when the protests began, and Capitol Police officers evacuated them. The protests broke out shortly after Democrats held a forum in the building, attended by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and others, but he had left before the protests began. One of the representatives inside at the time, Rep. Brad Sherman of California, said members in the forum room heard chants of “cease-fire now.”
3 SpaceX Cleared For Mega Rocket Test Launch Tomorrow
SpaceX is hoping for a slightly longer test flight tomorrow. The first launch of the company’s Starship mega-rocket ended in an explosion just minutes after lifting off from a launch pad in south Texas in April, but the Federal Aviation Administration gave the company approval for its next unmanned test flight after it said SpaceX had met safety, environmental, and other requirements to launch again. SpaceX has a $3 billion contract with NASA to land astronauts on the lunar surface as early as 2025 on the Starship and is targeting a launch window starting around 7 a.m. tomorrow morning. Watch for the plume…or wait for the boom.