Admin December 20, 2024
A government shutdown will begin at midnight on Friday if lawmakers don’t act before the funding deadline. The U.S. Education Department will reopen two major student loan repayment programs to new enrollments. Amazon workers continue to strike amid the busy holiday season.
🙋🏼♀️ I’m Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. This year offers a rare occurrence of “Christmukkah.”
Shutdown more and more likely
A partial shutdown appears all but inevitable as current government funding expires at the end of the day Friday.
What it means for you: Without a last-minute deal on the table, the U.S. heads for a government shutdown, meaning several shuttered federal agencies and furloughed federal employees, along with other consequences.
- What happened last night: A deal to avoid a government shutdown that was backed by top Republicans failed in the House on Thursday night, with dozens of right-wing lawmakers joining with Democrats to reject the plan.
- Trump had backed this failed Plan B: He also applauded a reported piece of the agreement —suspending the nation’s debt ceiling for two years.
- President-elect Musk? When Trump finally weighed in on the spending bill, 14 hours after Tesla CEO Elon Musk first attacked it, it looked like he was following the tech impresario’s lead.
Student loan repayment plans are reopening
After months of uncertainty, millions of borrowers will now have “more breathing room,” the Biden administration said in its announcement it will reopen two major student loan repayment programs. The roughly 8 million Americans enrolled in Biden’s halted plan – under which bills have been indefinitely paused – can shift to the older programs now if they want their payments to count toward future debt relief. Here’s what to know.
More news to know now
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Georgia court disqualifies DA Fani Willis
A divided Georgia Court of Appeals disqualified the prosecutor in President-elect Donald Trump’s state election racketeering case on Thursday, ruling Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis carried the appearance of impropriety in her decisions about who to prosecute and what charges to bring. The decision throws into uncertainty when any trial could be held with a new prosecution team for the 15 defendants who have not already pleaded guilty. The appeals court refused to dismiss the indictment. Read more
Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing could face death penalty
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was read federal charges against him in a Manhattan courtroom Thursday, hours after he dropped an extradition fight. The new charges against Mangione, 26, come on top of the extensive state charges filed against him in New York and Pennsylvania. The charges, announced Thursday by the Department of Justice, open up the possibility that Mangione could receive the death sentence if he is ultimately found guilty of Thompson’s murder. Read more
Today’s talkers
Amazon workers strike across US
Workers at seven Amazon facilities continue to strike Friday in the final days of the Christmas shopping season. The labor strike represents an attempt by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to put pressure on the online shopping retailer by threatening to delay some of Amazon’s package deliveries during one of its busiest times of the year. The move comes after Teamsters officials accused Amazon of failing to come to the bargaining table to negotiate contracts by ignoring a Dec. 15 deadline the union set. Read more
Photo of the day: ‘My favorite rule in football’
Jim Harbaugh got an opportunity to utilize what he called his favorite rule in football: The fair-catch kick. According to NFL rules, if a player makes a fair catch, his team may attempt an unchallenged kick from the spot rather than begin its next possession. If the kick goes through the goalposts, it’s worth three points, just like a field goal. Harbaugh’s Chargers got a chance to use the rule on Thursday night.
Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.