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The Senate has made significant progress towards ending the longest US government shutdown in history, narrowly advancing a compromise bill to reauthorize funding and undo the layoffs of some employees.
But the measure, which came after days of talks between a handful of Democratic and Republican senators, leaves out the healthcare subsidies that Democrats had demanded for weeks.
The bill received exactly the 60 votes needed to advance in the Senate, with almost all Republicans voting in favor on Sunday, along with eight Democrats, many of whom were moderates or serving their final terms.
What did the Democrats say about the bill? “This healthcare crisis is so severe, so urgent, so devastating for families back home, that I cannot in good faith support this [resolution] that fails to address the healthcare crisis,” said Chuck Schumer, the Democratic majority leader.
Israeli soldiers speak out on killings of Gaza civilians
Israeli soldiers have described a free-for-all in Gaza and a breakdown in norms and legal constraints, with civilians killed at the whim of individual officers, according to testimony in a TV documentary.
“If you want to shoot without restraint, you can,” Daniel, the commander of an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tank unit, says in Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War, to be broadcast in the UK on ITV on Monday evening.
Some of the IDF soldiers who talked to the programme requested anonymity while others spoke on the record. All pointed to the evaporation of the official code of conduct concerning civilians.
What has the IDF said in response? In a written statement, the IDF said it “remains committed to the rule of law and continues to operate in accordance with its legal and ethical obligations, despite the unprecedented operational complexity posed by Hamas’s systematic embedding within civilian infrastructure and its use of civilian sites for military purposes”.
Syrian president to hold talks with Trump at White House
Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, will hold talks with Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, the first such official visit by a Syrian leader since national independence in 1946. He is expected to push for a full lifting of the remaining sanctions imposed on his war-ravaged country.
Sharaa, whose Islamist rebel forces toppled the longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, has courted the US president to try to reverse the economic restrictions imposed during the 13-year civil war, arguing they are no longer justified.
What’s on the agenda for the talks? Sharaa’s media adviser Ahmad Zeidantold the Saudi-owned broadcaster Al Arabiya the “foremost” issue on Sharaa’s agenda was a repeal of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019, which imposed sweeping sanctions in response to rights abuses by Assad’s regime during the conflict.
In other news …
The BBC’s director general and the head of news have resigned after accusations of “serious and systemic” bias in its coverage of topics including Trump, Gaza and trans rights.
Trump was greeted by a chorus of mostly boos as he became the first sitting US president in almost 50 years to attend a regular-season NFL game.
A review into paracetamol use by pregnant women has found no convincing link to child diagnoses of autism and ADHD, after Trump urged pregnant women to avoid the drug, claiming it was contributing to rising rates of autism.
Super Typhoon Fung-Wong has blown through the Philippines, leaving at least two dead, forcing 1.4 million people to leave their homes amid widespread damage.
Stat of the day: Trump shares false claim Obama receives $40m in ‘royalties’ from Obamacare
Trump promoted the false claim that Barack Obama had received $40m in “royalties linked to Obamacare” in a post to his 11 million followers on Truth Social. The unfounded assertion, originating from a satirical website, that the former US president receives royalties from the use of his name has been consistently disproven since at least 2017.
Don’t miss this: The woman who left her desk job and walked 3,541 miles from Mexico to Canada
Jessica Guo, a former consultant, left her corporate job to attempt a single continuous hike of the Continental Divide Trail and Great Divide Trail. She completed the five-month trek in September – becoming the first female hiker to do so in a calendar year – and decided to leave her six-figure job for good.
… or this: Volodymyr Zelenskyy – why should I be afraid of Trump?
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said in an exclusive interview with the Guardian that he is not afraid of Trump, unlike other western leaders, and dismissed reports that their previous meeting in Washington was volatile.
Climate check: Rich countries have lost enthusiasm for tackling climate crisis, says Cop30 chief
Rich countries have lost enthusiasm for combating the climate crisis, while China is soaring ahead at producing and using clean energy equipment, according to André Corrêa do Lago, the Brazilian diplomat in charge of the Cop30 conference, which begins today.
Last Thing: Who is Fedora Man? Dapper French teenager in viral Louvre heist photo unmasked
Hours after thieves staged a daylight raid on the French crown jewels, a lone figure in a three-piece suit strode past police outside the Louvre … and the internet did the rest. Nicknamed Fedora Man, he was cast as an old-school detective, a Netflix pitch – and even AI. As it turned out, the mystery man was actually a 15-year-old schoolboy.
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