President Trump signs government funding bill, ending shutdown after a record 43-day disruption
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed a government funding bill that ends a record 43-day shutdown. The disruption caused financial stress for federal workers who went without paychecks, stranded scores of travelers at airports and generated long lines at some food banks. The signing ceremony came just hours after the House passed the measure on a mostly party-line vote of 222-209. Democrats wanted to extend an enhanced tax credit that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces and refused to go along with a spending bill that did not include that priority. But Republicans said that was a separate policy fight to be held at another time, and they prevailed.
Epstein email says Trump 'knew about the girls' as White House calls its release a Democratic smear
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jeffrey Epstein wrote in a 2019 email to a journalist that Donald Trump “knew about the girls,” according to documents made public Wednesday. But what Trump knew — and whether it pertained to the sex offender’s crimes — is unclear. The White House quickly accused Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to smear the president. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three emails referencing Trump, including one Epstein wrote in 2011 in which he told confidant Ghislaine Maxwell that Trump had “spent hours” at Epstein’s house with a sex trafficking victim. Committee Republicans later disclosed an additional 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate, including some where he commented unfavorably on Trump.
Trump urges Israel to pardon Netanyahu in corruption case, sparking concerns over US influence
JERUSALEM (AP) — President Donald Trump has urged Israel to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a corruption case. Trump called the case a “political, unjustified prosecution” in a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday. Herzog acknowledged the letter but said a formal request is needed for a pardon. Trump also mentioned the pardon during a speech last month at Israel’s Knesset, receiving a standing ovation. Concerns about American influence in Israeli politics are growing. Netanyahu is the only sitting Israeli prime minister to be indicted, facing charges of fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes.
Judge signals hundreds of people detained in Chicago immigration crackdown could be released on bond
CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge has signaled that hundreds of people arrested and detained in the Chicago area immigration crackdown could soon be released on bond while they await immigration hearings. During a hearing Wednesday in Chicago, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings said he would order the full release of 13 detained individuals based on a 2022 consent decree outlining how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement can make so-called warrantless arrests. He also gave government attorneys a Friday deadline to comb through a list of 615 people detained at jails and federal facilities nationwide to see if they qualify for alternatives to detention under the decree, such as using an ankle monitor, while their immigration cases proceed.
More Americans are unhappy with the way Trump is managing the government, AP-NORC poll shows
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new AP-NORC poll finds U.S. adults’ opinions of how President Donald Trump is managing the federal government have dropped sharply since early in his second term, highlighting the risks posed by the government shutdown and his efforts to reshape the federal workforce. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll was conducted after Democrats notched sweeping victories in this month’s off-year elections but before Congress took major steps to try to end the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The poll finds Americans, particularly Republicans, are less likely to approve of the Republican president’s management of the government than they were in March. Trump's overall approval remained steady since October.
Adelita Grijalva sworn in as the House's newest member, paving the way for an Epstein files vote
WASHINGTON (AP) — After weeks of delay, Democrat Adelita Grijalva of Arizona is a member of the U.S. House. Grijalva was sworn into office Wednesday, more than seven weeks after she won a special election in Arizona to fill the House seat last held by her late father. It was one of Speaker Mike Johnson's first actions before the House began consideration of legislation to end the government shutdown. After delivering a floor speech, Grijalva signed a discharge petition to eventually trigger a vote to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein, giving it the needed 218 signatures. Grijalva’s seating brings the partisan margin in the House to a narrow 219-214 Republican majority.
Appeals court weighs arguments on law cutting Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood
A federal appeals court has heard arguments about a spending law that stopped Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider. The law passed in July and targets organizations that provide abortions and receive over $800,000 annually in Medicaid reimbursements. Planned Parenthood argues the law is unconstitutional. Yet anti-abortion activists support it. The appeals court in September allowed the law to remain in effect while appeals are ongoing. The court heard arguments in the case Wednesday. Planned Parenthood reports the legislation cost $45 million in September alone, forcing clinics to cover Medicaid patient costs out of pocket.
All 14 victims identified from fiery UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A grandfather and his young granddaughter. An electrician with two young children. A woman standing in line at a scrap metal business. They are among the 14 people who died in the fiery crash of a UPS plane in Louisville last week. Their names were released Wednesday as Mayor Craig Greenberg laments lives that will “forever be unfinished.” Eight days after the plane plowed into the ground in a massive fireball, the local coroner’s office says it completed the grim tasks of recovering victims’ remains, identifying them and notifying their loved ones. Greenberg says authorities believe all the victims have been located and identified.
US Mint presses final pennies as production ends after more than 230 years
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The U.S. has ended production of the penny. The last 1-cent coins were made Wednesday at the mint in Philadelphia. The penny was embedded in American culture for more than 230 years, but it has become nearly worthless. When it was introduced in 1793, a penny could buy a biscuit, a candle or a piece of candy. Now most of them are cast aside to sit in jars or junk drawers. Meanwhile each one costs nearly 4 cents to make. The last few pennies were to be auctioned off. Billions of pennies are still in circulation and will remain legal tender.
50-year mortgages? NFL kickoff rules? Here's where some of Trump's latest jaw-dropping musings stand
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump often offers ideas that once seem outlandish, then repeating them until they gain traction and begin sounding more mainstream. Some, like imposing tariffs and pardoning Capitol rioters, have become reality. Others, like 50-year mortgages and revenue checks from tariffs, remain in limbo. Trump also has suggested bonus checks for air traffic controllers and changing NFL kickoff rules, but those suggestions may be fading away. Proposals like enforcing the death penalty in Washington, D.C., and retaking Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan appear even less likely to come to fruition. Ideas like creating a U.S. sovereign wealth fund and naming a stadium after him are still being discussed.
