What Trump's decision to wade into spending fight tells us about the next 4 years

WASHINGTON (AP) — After days of threats and demands, Donald Trump had little to show for it once lawmakers passed a budget deal in the early hours of Saturday, narrowly averting a pre-Christmas government shutdown. The president-elect successfully pushed House Republicans to...

Deal spares federal workers before Christmas but there's concern about possible job cuts under Trump

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Johnny Zuagar said he tried to hide his worries about a potential government shutdown from his three boys as he weighed how much to spend on Christmas presents. “I’ve got to keep a poker face,” Zuagar, a statistician at the U.S. Census Bureau, said when...

Shutdown saga exposes new fault lines for Speaker Johnson and tests his grip on the gavel

WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the most turbulent sessions of Congress in the modern era is about to make way for the next one. Midnight passage of the government shutdown package put in sharp focus the political fault lines emerging in Washington, as President-elect Donald Trump returns...

Albania to close TikTok for a year blaming it for promoting violence among children

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania's prime minister said Saturday the government will shut down the video service TikTok for one year, blaming it for inciting violence and bullying, especially among children. Albanian authorities held 1,300 meetings with teachers and parents following...

Biden signs bill that averts a government shutdown and brings a close to days of Washington upheaval

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden signed a bill into law Saturday that averts a government shutdown, bringing a final close to days of upheaval after Congress approved a temporary funding plan just past the deadline and refused President-elect Donald Trump’s core debt demands in the...

Biden signs bill averting a government shutdown after Trump's intervention had imperiled congressional passage

Government shutdown is averted just after deadline as Congress rejects Trump's debt limit demands

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a government shutdown deadline, the Senate rushed through final passage early Saturday of a bipartisan plan that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, dropping President-elect Donald Trump's demands for a debt limit increase into the new year. ...

Musk helped kill a congressional spending bill. But much of what he spread was misinformation

President-elect Donald Trump's billionaire ally Elon Musk played a key role this week in killing a bipartisan funding proposal that would have prevented a government shutdown, railing against the plan in a torrent of more than 100 X posts that included multiple false claims. The X...

Government funding bill clears the Senate and heads to President Biden for his signature, averting shutdown

The Latest: Schumer says Senate on course to pass bill before funding lapses at midnight

With hours to go before a midnight government shutdown, the House approved a new plan from House Speaker Mike Johnson that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, but dropped President-elect Donald Trump’s demands for a debt limit increase into the new year. The...