Congress scrambles to avoid shutdown; California’s Feinstein dies … – The Guardian US

Good morning, US politics blog readers. It’s coming down to the wire in Congress, where the House and Senate must find agreement in less than 48 hours on a government spending measure if a shutdown is to be avoided. And thus far, there’s no sign that a deal is at hand. While both chambers are expected to today vote on bills that will keep the government funded for a few weeks, it does not appear that the Republican-controlled House of Representative’s measure would be acceptable to Democrats in the Senate – or vice versa. Thus, chances are that when you tune into this blog next week, the federal government will be shut down. But miracles are possible and negotiations will continue all through today and probably into tomorrow.

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Meanwhile, the Washington Post got an important scoop yesterday: months after they embarrassed Kevin McCarthy by delaying what is normally a procedural vote to appoint him speaker of the House, rightwing lawmakers are plotting to attempt to remove him as the chamber’s leader as soon as next week. But for all their bluster, remember that these are a small group of GOP insurgents, who would likely need the help of Democrats to succeed. There’s no saying if that will happen, so all we know for sure is that the House will remain a place of high drama for the foreseeable future.

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Here’s what else is going on today:

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• House Republicans held the first hearing of their impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden yesterday and it didn’t go so well. Expect to hear more about this today.

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• The president will at 10.30am give a farewell speech for the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Mark Milley, amid an ongoing blockade of military promotions by the Republican senator Tommy Tuberville over Pentagon policies meant to help service members access abortions.

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• Donald Trump, who is way ahead in presidential polls and shunning debates against fellow GOP contenders, will address the California Republican party at 3pm.

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Dianna Feinstein, California’s long-serving Democratic senator who pushed to reveal CIA torture overseas and ban assault weapons at home, has died aged 90, according to media reports.

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CBS News reports that Feinstein died overnight, citing sources.

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In office since 1992, Feinstein was chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee during a period when it compiled a report into the Central Intelligence Agency’s torture of suspects detained in the “war on terror”, a portion of which was made public in 2014. She also introduced the federal assault weapons ban, which was enacted by Congress in 1994 but expired in 2004.

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Feinstein’s death is unlikely to change the balance of power in the Senate, where Democrats have a two-seat edge over the GOP. Feinstein, who has suffered health issues that kept her away from the chamber for months earlier this year, had announced she would not seek re-election in 2024, and several House Democrats have already announced campaigns for her seat.

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California’s Democratic governor Gavin Newsom previously said he would appoint a Black woman to replace her if she leaves office early.

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