Government Funding Deal Reached as Winter Storms Claim Lives Across U.S.
Washington D.C. — The Senate reached an agreement Thursday to move forward with a government funding package, averting a partial government shutdown, while negotiations continue over immigration enforcement, according to CBS News. The deal separates funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from a broader package of five other spending bills covering the Pentagon, the State Department, and other agencies, ABC News reported. Funding for DHS will be extended at current levels for two weeks, while the other five bills will be funded until the end of September, according to ABC News. Funding was set to lapse at 12 a.m. Saturday for the parts of the government funded by the six appropriations bills, CBS News reported.
Meanwhile, a powerful winter storm swept through large parts of the country, leaving a trail of damage and extreme cold in its wake. As of Thursday, at least 64 deaths had been confirmed across multiple states as directly caused by storm conditions or weather-related accidents, according to CBS News. Officials in numerous states reported about two dozen additional deaths that appeared to be related to the winter weather, CBS News reported. Hypothermia from exposure to the cold, car accidents, snowplow accidents, sledding accidents, and sudden cardiac emergencies linked to shoveling snow were among the causes of death reported so far, CBS News reported. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said 10 people had been found dead in the cold there, though not all of their causes of death had been confirmed yet, according to CBS News.
In other news, three federal air marshals were chased out of a Lynwood restaurant after a crowd mistook them for immigration agents on Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, CBS News reported. The incident occurred around 6:20 p.m. at Plaza Mexico, in the 3100 block of E. Imperial Hwy, CBS News reported. The air marshals were having dinner at a Korean barbecue restaurant when someone recognized them as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, according to deputies, CBS News reported. Deputies said a large crowd formed at Plaza Mexico after the rumor spread through the restaurant and social media, CBS News reported. The Sheriff's Department said the air marshals called for help, prompting dozens of deputies from two nearby stations to respond, CBS News reported. The deputies separated the air marshals from the crowd and created a skirmish line, CBS News reported.
In a separate story, a 25-year-old woman completed her solo rowing journey across the Atlantic Ocean, arriving in Antigua on Thursday morning, ABC News reported. Taryn Smith paddled approximately 10 to 12 miles per day after embarking from La Gomera, Spain, 46 days ago, ABC News reported. "I really couldn't have done it without all of the support from people back home. So thank you so much for joining me," Smith said, according to ABC News.
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