Connecticut is set to enact a comprehensive gun control measure on Sunday, limiting the sale of handguns to three per person in a thirty day period and banning open carrying of firearms. The law has been met with legal challenges, but gun control advocates hope it will reduce gun violence in the state. Mixed reactions from gun rights and gun control advocates remain, as the long-term effects of the law remain to be seen.
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President Joe Biden has reassured allies of continued U.S. financial support for Ukraine, despite a short-term funding package that dropped assistance for the country. Congress passed a bill to keep the government funded until November 21, giving them more time to negotiate a longer-term solution. Biden urged Congress to act quickly to ensure the continued flow of American aid to Ukraine.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has announced his intention to file a motion to vacate the speakership of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) this week, citing McCarthy's lack of trustworthiness. The bill passed Saturday night did not include new funding for Ukraine, and McCarthy has said that those wanting more funding for Ukraine will have to give in on border security funding. This motion, if successful, would be a major shake-up in the House of Representatives, and it is unclear how it will be received by other members of Congress.
Saturday night's Powerball draw ended without a winner, pushing the jackpot past the $1 billion mark. This marks the fourth-most-valuable Powerball jackpot and the 32nd consecutive drawing without a winner. There were also two $2 million, multiplier-enhanced tickets, and five $1 million tickets won in the draw. Powerball is a lottery game played in 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with odds of winning the grand prize at 1 in 292.2 million.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy put forward a resolution to extend government funding for 45 days, which was passed with the help of Democrats. This move was met with opposition from far-right Republicans, including Rep. Matt Gaetz, who threatened to oust McCarthy from his leadership position. Despite the challenge, McCarthy remained confident that he would survive, and the government was saved from a shutdown.
President Joe Biden signed a bill to fund the government just hours before the government was set to enter a technical shutdown, avoiding a shutdown and providing disaster relief funding. Members of both parties expressed relief, but the bill is likely to only delay, not resolve, future fights.
Jimmy Carter will celebrate his 99th birthday with his family on Sunday, a day earlier than planned to avoid potential disruption from a federal government shutdown. The celebration will take place in the same one-story structure where the Carters lived before he was first elected to the Georgia Senate in 1962. Carter was born in 1924 in rural Georgia, becoming the first future American president born in a hospital. His grandson Jason Carter reflects on the remarkable accomplishments of his grandparents and their commitment to their small hometown.
The Senate passed a bipartisan bill Saturday evening to keep the government funded for 45 days, just three hours before a midnight deadline. The bill, which was passed earlier by the House with a substantial bipartisan vote of 335-91, will keep the government funded at existing levels through November 17th and authorize additional disaster relief money. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill into law, preventing active-duty troops from not getting paid, travelers from experiencing airport delays, and millions of women and children from losing access to vital nutrition assistance.