President Joe Biden signed a temporary spending bill on Saturday, securing federal funding until mid-March and averting a government shutdown.

The approval came just after the midnight deadline had technically passed.

The Senate passed the bill earlier on Saturday, following a bipartisan vote in the House of Representatives on Friday evening.

The measure maintains current funding levels while allocating $100 billion for disaster relief and $10 billion in direct aid for farmers.

“This agreement is a compromise. Neither side got everything it wanted, but it blocked the accelerated tax cuts for billionaires sought by Republicans. It also ensures the government continues operating at full capacity,” President Biden stated.

The legislation shifts the next funding deadline to early next year, at which point Republicans will control both chambers of Congress.

President Biden’s prompt action on the bill ensured uninterrupted government operations, highlighting his administration’s commitment to stability and fiscal responsibility.

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United States former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has voiced her displeasure at the overwhelming influence of Elon Musk on members of Congress, especially those from the Republican Party .

Clinton spoke against the backdrop of some Republican lawmakers and Musk’s position and tactics regarding the government spending imbroglio on Capitol Hill.

House Democrats had claimed that the country was on the verge of a government shutdown due to the actions of ‘Extreme MAGA’ Republicans.

Reacting to the fiscal impasse, Clinton, a former democratic party presidential candidate, claimed that the Republican Party was doing the bidding of Musk, the world richest man.

“If you’re just catching up: the Republican Party, taking orders from the world’s richest man, is on course to shut down the government over the holidays.

“Stopping paychecks for our troops and nutrition benefits for low-income families just in time for Christmas,” Clinton wrote in a post on X.

Fox News reports that the U.S government will go into partial shutdown at midnight Saturday if no compromise is reached to shift the government funding deadline to March and continue spending at 2024 levels.

According to the report, Musk had kicked against the original spending agreement House Speaker, Mike Johnson, had with Democrats.

However, the world richest man threatened to back a primary challenge to any Republican who voted for it.

Meanwhile, House Republicans on Thursday came out with a new version, which was substantially shorter and included both disaster aid and a suspension of the debt ceiling for two years, as President-elect Donald Trump had requested.

But the measure failed in the House, with some Republicans refusing to support it and Democrats uniting against it, with many apparently displeaed with Musk’s apparent influence

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On Friday, Donald Trump accused Google of displaying only negative stories about him and vowed to prosecute the tech giant if he returns to the White House. Trump claimed his Truth Social platform, alleging that the search engine shows only favourable articles about his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.

“This is an ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, and hopefully, the Justice Department will criminally prosecute them for this blatant Interference of Elections,” Trump said in his post. He added that, if elected in the upcoming election, he would seek Google’s prosecution “at the maximum levels” if the Justice Department does not take action.

Trump’s accusation followed a report from a conservative group that allegedly found biased results when searching “Donald Trump presidential race 2024.” However, Google denied the claims, stating that Trump’s and Harris’ campaign websites consistently appear at the top of search results for relevant queries.

Google reiterated that it does not manipulate search results to favour any political candidate. The company also noted that search results are influenced by factors such as the timeliness and popularity of topics.

Trump is currently involved in numerous legal cases, facing accusations related to sexual abuse, paying hush money, interfering with the 2020 election, and attempting to prevent a peaceful transfer of power after his defeat to President Joe Biden.

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Sean “Diddy” Combs was on Monday night arrested by federal agents in a Manhattan hotel, in New York.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York confirmed the arrest of the rapper.

According to a person familiar with the situation, who described him as caught off-guard by the apprehension. Combs had been living at the hotel for several weeks, a person with knowledge of the investigation said.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in a statement on Monday evening, disclosed that federal agents had arrested Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the Southern District of New York.

“We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time,” Williams said.

Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo expressed disappointment in a statement. He said Combs, 54, had been cooperative with the investigation and “voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.”

“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community,” the statement said. “He is an imperfect person but he is not a criminal.”

“These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court,” it added.

It was not immediately clear on what charges Combs, the rapper-turned-music mogul, was arrested.

Combs has faced a wave of lawsuits — one as recent as last week — accusing him of sexual assault and misconduct since November, when former girlfriend Casandra Ventura sued him in federal court, accusing him of years of physical and sexual abuse.

Ventura, who is best known by her stage name, Cassie, was once signed to Combs’ Bad Boy record label. The two settled her lawsuit a day after it was filed, without disclosing the terms of the settlement. An attorney for Combs said the settlement was not an acknowledgment of wrongdoing. He previously denied the allegations

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Donald Trump says he will deal decisively and put an end to what calls a “migrant invasion” if he is elected the US presidential elections in November.

Trump vowed to halt the influx of migrants into the country and abrogate all president Joe Biden and Kamala Harris administration immigration policies.

Trump, who made this known in a post he shared on X on Sunday, said he would protect cities and towns in states grappling with the scourge of unchecked migration.

“As President, I will immediately end the migrant invasion of America,” the former US president wrote.

“We will stop all migrant flights, end all illegal entries, terminate the Kamala phone app for smuggling illegals (CBP One App), revoke deportation immunity, suspend refugee resettlement, and return Kamala’s illegal migrants to their home countries (also known as immigration).

“I will save our cities and towns in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and all across America.”

Trump’s stiff stance comes a day after saying he would execute large-scale deportations of migrants, beginning in Ohio and Colorado.

He said it would be the “largest deportation in the history of our country”.

“And we’re going to start with Springfield and Aurora,” he said.

In a debate with Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, Trump claimed that migrants in Springfield were eating American pets.

Trump has frequently criticised influx of migrants and has announced border restrictions as the top of his priorities if he returns to the White House.

In June, the Republican nominee said he would ensure foreign students get automatic green cards after graduation from universities in the country if elected.

Hours after Trump’s comments, Karoline Leavitt, his campaign’s press secretary, issued a statement saying there would be an “aggressive vetting process” that would “exclude all communists, radical Islamists, Hamas supporters, America haters, and public charges

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President Joe Biden recently revealed the reasoning behind his decision to step down from the 2024 United States presidential race. Speaking at the Democratic National Convention, Biden emphasized that his decision was not influenced by anger towards those urging him to step aside but was driven by his love for the country and the need to preserve democracy.

During his speech, which marked the culmination of his lengthy political career spanning over five decades, Biden reflected on his time as senator, vice president, and president. He expressed deep pride in his accomplishments while acknowledging the importance of stepping aside for the greater good. “I love the job, but I love my country more,” Biden stated, underscoring his commitment to the nation’s future.

Despite winning the Democratic nomination five months ago and being expected to run for a second term, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. He called on the crowd to support Harris and Tim Walz as the party’s president and vice president candidates.

Biden’s speech was punctuated by moments of reflection on key events that shaped his decision to enter the presidential race, including the 2017 white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville and the January 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol. He highlighted the importance of standing against hate and violence and reiterated his commitment to moving America forward.

In his remarks, Biden humorously acknowledged his age, noting that he was too young when he first entered the Senate at 29 and now too old to continue as president. However, he reassured the audience that he had always done his best to serve the American people.

Biden’s decision to step down and his endorsement of Kamala Harris reflect his dedication to ensuring the continued strength of American democracy, even if it means stepping aside from the role he has held with honour and distinction.

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United States Vice President Kamala Harris has clinched the Democratic Party nomination for the presidential election.

This is after she secured enough delegates to become the Party’s presidential nominee.

According to Fox News reports, a virtual roll call to officially nominate Harris as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee began on Thursday.

“I am honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee,” Harris said on a call with supporters.

The Democratic National Committee’s electronic voting for their party’s 2024 standard bearer comes less than two weeks after President Biden shelved his second term bid.

Biden instead endorsed Harris to succeed him at the top of the ticket.

Democratic Party is using a virtual roll call which will conclude on Monday.

This is two weeks ahead of the August 19 start of the party’s convention at the United Center in Chicago.

Harris will square off with his Republican counterpart, Donald Trump, at the November poll.

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Former President Trump has said the outcome of the November’s presidential election will go a long way in shaping the world order.

Trump, who said this on Friday, asserted that the world could become steeped in cataclysmic instability and upheaval if things don’t go his way.

He stated that there could be a major war in the Middle East and potentially a “third world war” if he does not win.

Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, one day after Netanyahu met at the White House with President Biden and Vice President Harris.

“If we win, it’ll be very simple. It’s all going to work out and very quickly,” Trump told reporters at the start of the meeting.

“If we don’t, you’re going to end up with major wars in the Middle East and maybe a third world war. You are closer to a third world war right now than at any time since the second world war. You’ve never been so close, because we have incompetent people running our country.”

The former president has previously said the world is on the vergd of another world war with the fighting in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Trump has also made unsettling predictions about what his loss in the election could portend for the world, including a claim that the stock market would crash.

His meeting with Netanyahu on Friday came amid furore in the presidential campaign. Biden announced last Sunday he would not seek reelection in November and endorsed Harris as the nominee. Harris has quickly consolidated support among Democrats and is the likely presidential nominee for the party in November.

Harris met with Netanyahu separate from Biden on Thursday, which she described as “frank and constructive.” She told reporters after the discussion that Israel has a right to defend itself, but she has “serious concern” about the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.

Trump has been critical at times of Netanyahu since the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel that killed more than 1,100 people and the subsequent fighting in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

But on Friday, he sought to stress his support for Israel, citing his administration’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and impose sanctions.

“We’ve had a good relationship. I was very good to Israel, better than any president’s ever been,” Trump said.

The Biden administration has expressed optimism that a cease-fire deal and the release of hostages being held by Hamas is within reach.

Trump said Friday it was “not an acceptable situation” and questioned the condition of those still being held.

“They have to be given back immediately because there can be no way they’re in good shape,” he said

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US President Joe Biden has thrown his weight behind Kamala Harris, the vice-president, for the nation’s biggest and highest public office.

Biden endorsed Harris as his replacement for the United States 2024 presidential election after he shelved his second term ambition on Sunday.

He stated that his decision to withdraw from the presidential race was is in the best interest of his party and country.

In another post on X, Biden said he has offered his full support to Harris as a nominee of the Democratic Party in the forthcoming election.

He appealed to the party members to join forces and defeat the Republican candidate, Donald Trump.

“My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden said.

“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made.

“Today, I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”

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