INTERNACIONAL
Government shuts down after Congress deadlocks on spending deal
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The federal government is officially entering a partial shutdown on Wednesday after the midnight funding deadline passed with Democrats and Republicans failing to agree on a funding bill.
An earlier attempt by Senate Republicans to pass a short-term extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 government funding levels, called a continuing resolution (CR), was sunk by Democrats who were furious about being sidelined in shutdown negotiations.
The bill, which would have given Congress until Nov. 21 to set FY 2026 funding priorities, passed the House largely along party lines on Sept. 19. The Senate is expected to vote on the same bill again on Wednesday, with more votes to come through the rest of the week and into the weekend until either a deal is struck or Democrats relent.
House Republicans have been away from Washington in order to pressure the Senate to pass their bill. House Democrats, however, returned this week in a bid to paint a contrast between themselves and the GOP.
SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS
The government is entering a partial shutdown after Congress failed to reach an agreement on federal funding. (Getty Images)
In addition to their anger over being sidelined, Democrats had also pushed for a CR to extend Obamacare subsidies that were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic but were set to expire at the end of 2025.
Republican leaders signaled they were willing to discuss those healthcare dollars later this year but accused Democrats of risking the entire federal government over their demands.
«There isn’t any substantive reason why there ought to be a government shutdown. This is something that has been done routinely, as I said, 13 different times when the Democrats had the majority. But we are not going to be held hostage for over $1 trillion in new spending on a continuing resolution,» Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said ahead of the vote.
President Donald Trump and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) now have wide discretion over what federal services will remain active. However, thousands of government workers are set to be furloughed or made to temporarily work without paychecks, and a litany of federal agencies could be closed.
OMB Director Russ Vought released a memo shortly after the GOP’s CR failed that said because it was «clear» that Senate Democrats would block any more attempts to pass the bill before the deadline, «affected agencies should now execute their plans for an orderly shutdown.»
«It is unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict,» the memo read. «Regardless, employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities.»
Some federal workers could lose their jobs permanently as well, with OMB Director Russ Vought issuing guidance earlier this month warning offices to consider plans for mass layoffs in the event of a shutdown.
Trump told reporters earlier in the day that Republicans did not want a shutdown, but warned the GOP could inflict pain on Democrats should the government close.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks alongside Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget director, from left, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Vice President JD Vance, as they address members of the media outside the West Wing at the White House in Washington on Sept. 29, 2025. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo )
«We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them, like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like,» Trump said in reference to OMB’s memo.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., responded to Trump during a press conference on Tuesday, «Well, there it is. Trump admitted himself that he is using Americans as political pawns. He is admitting that he is doing the firing of people. If God forbid it happens, he’s using Americans as pawns.»
«As I said, Democrats did not want a shutdown. We stand ready to work with Republicans to find a bipartisan compromise, and the ball is in their court,» Schumer said.
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Phillip Swagel wrote a letter to Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., on Tuesday laying out the possible effects of a shutdown.
SCHUMER, DEMOCRATS FACE HEAT FOR SHIFTING STANCE ON GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN THREAT
«In general, a longer lapse will have larger effects than a shorter one will,» Swagel wrote.
The CBO estimated, based largely on previous reports from prior shutdowns in 2019 and 2018, that «about 750,000 employees could be furloughed each day; the total daily cost of their compensation would be roughly $400 million.»
The report also noted that given the OMB’s directive of mass firings beyond typical furloughs, the daily cost of a shutdown could decrease. Active-duty service members would also go without pay, while lawmakers are constitutionally required to still be paid.
And while House and Senate Republicans are both expected to be back in Washington next week, the Capitol will see certain modifications during a shutdown.
JD VANCE SAYS GOVERNMENT LIKELY ‘HEADED INTO A SHUTDOWN’ AFTER TRUMP MEETS WITH DEMS
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., right, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., walk speak to members of the media outside the West Wing at the White House in Washington on Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)
The Capitol Visitor Center, the Botanic Garden and the Library of Congress will all be closed to visitors, according to guidance sent to lawmakers and obtained by Fox News Digital.
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Congressional delegation trips to foreign countries are also canceled during a shutdown, among other measures.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., warned House Republicans to remain unified and on-message in the event of a shutdown during a lawmaker-only call on Monday.
He also urged House Republicans to avoid political events like fundraisers for the duration of the shutdown, and to remain largely outside D.C. until the House is due to return next week.
congress,house of representatives politics,senate,government shutdown,politics
INTERNACIONAL
Chloé Zhao, directora de ‘Hamnet’: “Me convertí en cineasta porque me costaba expresar mis emociones”
La cineasta china Chloé Zhao, ganadora de varios Óscar de Hollywood por Nomadland y ahora nominada en ocho categorías por Hamnet’, define su situación como “compleja”: “Puede ser un poco desagradable que a tu trabajo le pongan una etiqueta” en la que solo eres “ganador o no”, dice. “Creo que todos mis compañeros se sienten así porque todos somos muy sensibles. Así que a lo que nos aferramos es a la comunidad que existe dentro de nuestra industria, especialmente ahora mismo, y a apoyarnos mutuamente”, explica Zhao (43 años) en una entrevista antes de un encuentro en la Academia de Cine.
Todos los pronósticos señalan que el próximo 15 de marzo la cineasta recogerá varias estatuillas por su película sobre el dolor de Shakespeare y su esposa por la muerte de su hijo de 11 años, adaptación de la novela de Maggie O’Farrell, producida por Steven Spielberg, que está teniendo una gran respuesta en cines de distintos países, a cuyo público da las gracias.
Sobre sus orígenes en la industria audiovisual, asegura que hace las películas “por supervivencia”. “Sinceramente, me convertí en narradora y cineasta porque me costaba conectar, expresar o sentir mis emociones”, dice Zhao, que se define como neurodivergente. Sin embargo, sí es capaz de conectar con las emociones de otros -“la pérdida se siente igual, el desamor se siente igual, el amor se siente igual”- y de integrarse rápidamente en comunidades en apariencia muy diferentes.
Esta mujer que nació en China, se educó en Reino Unido y estudió cine en EE.UU., considera que “cuando no eres de un lugar y no tienes un profundo apego, en lo único en lo que puedes confiar es en estar completamente presente cuando estás con otro ser humano”. Con esta premisa consiguió obras como el excelente retrato del oeste americano contemporáneo de The Rider (2017) o la historia de una mujer mayor y pobre que debe buscarse la vida en los bellos pero hostiles paisajes estadounidenses de Nomadland (2020). “Es más fácil y seguro crear un mundo fantástico y contar las historias de otras personas” y “experimentar una especie de catarsis a través de la alquimia de la narración”, destaca.
Algo parecido es lo que le ocurre al personaje de Shakespeare en Hamnet’, que en la piel del actor Paul Mescal muestra dudas, debilidades y un dolor que vuelca en sus inmortales creaciones literarias. La imagen de un Shakespeare que llora chocó a algunos críticos que consideran excesiva la carga emocional de la película. Al respecto, la directora cree que “vivimos en una sociedad que, lamentablemente, no honra nada lo que no es productivo” y en la que a menudo se ocultan los duelos.
(Foto: Agata Grzybowska / © 2025 FOCUS FEATURES LLC)
“Preferimos vivir en verano todo el tiempo en lugar de honrar el invierno, cuando las cosas se están muriendo y se están preparando para el siguiente renacimiento”, defiende Zhao, quien explica que “si no te permites sentir duelo sin intelectualizarlo” no habrá una transformación. Ella misma, a medida que madura, también sigue un proceso de “curación”, ya que había partes sobre las que no se había permitido hacer un duelo.
“Cuanto más lo hago, más me doy cuenta de que el cine, si no pones cuidado, puede ser disociativo, en el sentido de que no estás en tu cuerpo, sino en tu cabeza”, reflexiona. Un ejemplo de esta corporeidad en la película de Hamnet sería la escena del primer parto de la esposa de Shakespeare, Anne Hathaway -en la película es Agnes, el nombre con el que también se le conocía-, interpretada por la actriz irlandesa Jessie Buckley. “El primer nacimiento en el bosque fue muy diferente al segundo, estaba mucho más en contacto con su cuerpo. El bosque, metafóricamente, es su conexión con su propio bosque interior; no solo con su cuerpo, sino con el linaje de las madres y las mujeres de su linaje”, subraya Zhao.
Fuente: EFE
Arts,Culture,Entertainment,Arts / Culture / Entertainment,North America
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FIRST ON FOX: A coalition of election integrity groups is urging the Supreme Court to uphold a lower court ruling that found federal law requires mail ballots to be received by Election Day.
The conservative-leaning groups, including the Honest Elections Project and the Center for Election Confidence, filed an amicus brief supporting the Republican National Committee’s challenge to Mississippi’s postmark deadline. They argue that federal law establishing a single Election Day requires ballots to be in election officials’ hands by the close of polls. The case could determine whether similar postmark-based deadlines in 14 states remain valid ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Supporters of the RNC’s position say a ruling affirming the lower court would establish a clear standard for when ballots must be received, though curtailing acceptance of late-arriving ballots would not guarantee that election officials won’t still be tabulating ballots in close races beyond Election Day.
«Counting ballots that are received after Election Day unnecessarily damages public trust in election outcomes, delays results, and violates the law,» Jason Snead, Honest Elections Project executive director, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
SUPREME COURT SAYS ILLINOIS CONGRESSMAN CAN SUE OVER STATE MAIL-IN VOTING LAWS
Mail-in ballots are inspected at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center on Nov. 4, 2025, in California. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Oral arguments in the case, Watson v. Republican National Committee, are set for March 23, and a decision is expected by the summer.
The case arose from a lawsuit brought by the RNC challenging Mississippi’s practice of counting mail ballots received up to five business days after Election Day if postmarked by that day.
The RNC chose to bring the case in the Republican-friendly U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, which ruled in the RNC’s favor and found that federal law trumps the state’s deadline and requires ballots to be received by Election Day.
At issue is whether statutes establishing a single Election Day mean that all ballots must be received by that day to be valid. The election integrity groups argued that under the Supreme Court’s decision from three decades ago in Foster v. Love, the «final act of selection» must occur on Election Day and that receipt of a mail-in ballot constitutes casting a ballot, which cannot happen after Election Day by that standard.
Minnie Bounds, 74, fills out her ballot at Blackburn Laboratory Middle School on Nov. 07, 2023, in Jackson, Mississippi. After months of candidates campaigning, the state of Mississippi is voting today in the Governor’s race between Gov. Tate Reeves and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Snead said a favorable ruling from the Supreme Court would «protect the rights of voters and the integrity of the democratic process, and ensure that it is easy to vote but hard to cheat in future elections.»
The election integrity coalition argued that allowing ballots to arrive after Election Day can lead to delayed results and can chip away at voters’ confidence in elections.
The groups also pointed to recent U.S. Postal Service guidance that warned that postmarks might not reliably reflect when a ballot entered the mail.
HOUSE GOP MOVES TO REQUIRE PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP, PHOTO ID TO VOTE IN FEDERAL ELECTION
The Supreme Court building is seen in Washington, D.C. (AP/Jon Elswick)
Fourteen states and Washington, D.C., currently count ballots received after Election Day if postmarked on time.
Since the 2024 midterm election, four Republican-controlled states, Kansas, Ohio, Utah and North Dakota, have moved to require receipt by Election Day.
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A ruling upholding the 5th Circuit could invalidate the laws in the 14 states and require ballots to be in election officials’ hands by the close of polls. The decision is expected to affect the 2026 midterms.
Military and overseas ballots, which are governed by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, would likely remain unaffected.
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Iran fires live missiles into Strait of Hormuz as Trump envoys arrive for nuclear talks
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Iran fired live missiles into the Strait of Hormuz during naval drills Tuesday and signaled it is prepared to close the strategic waterway if ordered by senior leadership, according to Iranian state-affiliated media.
The drills come as President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are meeting senior Iranian officials in Geneva for a second round of nuclear talks.
Rear Adm. Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, said Tehran stands ready to shut down the strait, a critical global oil transit route, according to Tasnim News Agency, an outlet affiliated with the IRGC.
Tasnim said traffic through the shipping corridor was suspended for several hours during the «Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz» exercise, which included missile launches from vessels, coastal positions and inland sites, as well as drone operations conducted in signal-jamming conditions.
TOP IRAN SECURITY OFFICIAL SEEN IN OMAN DAYS AFTER INDIRECT NUCLEAR TALKS WITH US
Iranian military personnel take part in the «Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz» exercise in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz on Feb. 16, 2026. (Press Office Of The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) previously urged the IRGC in late January to carry out its announced two-day live-fire naval exercise «in a manner that is safe, professional and avoids unnecessary risk to freedom of navigation for international maritime traffic.»
«U.S. forces acknowledge Iran’s right to operate professionally in international airspace and waters. Any unsafe and unprofessional behavior near U.S. forces, regional partners or commercial vessels increases risks of collision, escalation, and destabilization,» it said.
GLOBAL PROTESTS CALL FOR IRAN REGIME CHANGE IN MAJOR CITIES WORLDWIDE AFTER BLOODY CRACKDOWN
Iranian military personnel take part in the «Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz» exercise in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz on Feb. 16, 2026. (Press Office Of The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Trump administration has built up a large military presence in the Middle East as talks over Iran’s nuclear program continue, with U.S. officials signaling that any potential agreement would need to go beyond enrichment and address broader security concerns.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in February that for negotiations to be «meaningful,» they would need to address Iran’s ballistic missiles, its sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region, its nuclear program and its treatment of its own people.
UK, FRANCE, GERMANY TRIGGER UN SANCTIONS ON IRAN OVER ‘SIGNIFICANT’ NUCLEAR PROGRAM DEFIANCE
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Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday that he would be involved in the talks «indirectly.»
«They’ll be very important and we’ll see what can happen. It’s been – typically Iran’s a very tough negotiator. They’re good negotiators or bad. I would say they’re bad negotiators because we could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2’s in to knock out their nuclear potential,» he said. «And we had to send the B-2’s. I hope they’re going to be more reasonable. They want to make a deal.»
iran,middle east,donald trump
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