What is the current status of the federal government shutdown?
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. The impasse in Congress continues as the federal government shutdown is more than two weeks old. NPR's Sam Greenglass reports last night the Senate voted down a Republican short-term spending bill for the eighth time.
Republicans want to pass a stopgap funding bill, but Democrats say Republicans need to negotiate over health insurance subsidies that are expiring soon. Top Republicans say there's nothing to negotiate, even as a handful of their members are having informal conversations with Democrats about potential paths forward.
But that hasn't resulted in much, and both parties are gearing up for an extended shutdown. The White House says it's moved around funds to make sure troops get paid this week, and food assistance for women and children continues. And President Trump says he plans to fire more federal workers en masse while the shutdown continues, saying Democrat programs will be specifically targeted.
Sam Greenglass, NPR News, Washington.
And while a federal judge in California will hold a hearing today on the layoffs, unions representing hundreds of thousands of federal workers have sued the Trump administration to block the layoffs. The Gaza ceasefire is coming under strain. Israel says one of the eight bodies handed over by Hamas this week is not that of a hostage. Israel has also closed the Rafah crossing into Gaza today.
That will limit relief aid getting to Palestinians. The Trump administration says it has revoked the visas of six foreign citizens. And PR's Giles Snyder says it's over social media comments about last month's killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The State Department announced the revocations as President Trump was posthumously awarding Kirk the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The visas were revoked from people from Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Paraguay, and South Africa. And the State Department says it's continuing efforts to identify visa holders who it says celebrated Kirk's assassination.
NPR's Giles Snyder reporting. Los Angeles County has declared a state of emergency in response to the ongoing federal immigration raids. County supervisors say this is the first time they've taken this action against immigration operations. From member station LAist, Destiny Torres has more.
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