Senate takes first step to reopen government, North Korea condemns USS George Washington visit to South Korea, and happy 250th birthday to the U.S. Marines Corps.
1. The Senate took the first step to end the government shutdown on Sunday after a group of moderate Democrats agreed to proceed without a guaranteed extension of health care subsidies, angering many in their caucus who say Americans want them to continue the fight. In a test vote that is the first in a series of required procedural maneuvers, the Senate voted 60-40 to move toward passing compromise legislation to fund the government and hold a later vote on extending Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire Jan. 1. The agreement also includes a reversal of the mass firings of federal workers by the Trump administration since the shutdown began on Oct. 1 and would ensure that federal workers receive back pay.
2. Pyongyang condemned the USS George Washington’s visit to South Korea as a “brazen” provocation, as the aircraft carrier departed the port city of Busan on Sunday following its first visit to the Korean Peninsula in more than a decade. The carrier left Busan Naval Base after four days, accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls and the guided-missile destroyers USS Shoup and USS Milius, the U.S. 7th Fleet said in a Sunday news release. While in port, the carrier hosted leaders from both militaries, according to the release. A fleet spokesman did not immediately respond to an email requesting additional details Monday. The Navy described the visit as an opportunity to strengthen the long-standing U.S.-South Korea alliance. But North Korea said the deployment heightened tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul.
3. The U.S. Marine Corps celebrates 250 years of service on Monday with a flagship celebration in its birthplace, Philadelphia, amid a wave of festivities across the country and around the world despite a government shutdown that has become the longest in U.S. history. The Homecoming 250 celebration in Philadelphia began Friday and continues through Tuesday. The celebration features multiple events, including tours, a veterans parade on Sunday, and a ball and block party for the official birthday on Monday. The festivities will be capped off by a Veterans Day ceremony on the Battleship New Jersey on Tuesday. Monday’s events are set to include a cake cutting ceremony that will be matched by ceremonies in all 50 states as part of a Marine Corps Heritage Foundation initiative. Accordingly, other celebrations of varying sizes have been or are being held elsewhere, despite a federal shutdown that has affected some celebrations.
4. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday he wants to order 25 Patriot air defense systems from the United States, as Ukraine desperately tries to fend off relentless Russian aerial attacks that have brought rolling blackouts across Ukraine on the brink of winter. Zelenskyy acknowledged that the Patriot systems are expensive and that such a large batch could take years to manufacture. But he said European countries could give their Patriots to Ukraine and await replacements, stressing that “we would not like to wait.” Combined missile and drone strikes on the power grid have coincided with Ukraine’s frantic efforts to hold back a Russian battlefield push aimed at capturing the eastern stronghold of Pokrovsk. Meanwhile, international peace efforts appear to have dissipated, nearly four years after Russia invaded its neighbor.
The highlight of a sparsely attended National Veterans Day Parade in the nation’s capital on Sunday was a brief ceremony featuring a commemorative sword displayed on a temporary stage before the first float rolled down Constitution Avenue. Retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, along with veterans from the Spartan Sword organization, unsheathed a sword forged from steel salvaged from the ruins of the World Trade Center, destroyed in a terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001. Sunday marked the third year of the Veterans National Parade in the heart of D.C. The celebration held ahead of Veterans Day on Tuesday is the only national parade dedicated to honoring veterans. Parade organizers had encouraged veterans and their families to attend a weekend of special events that included a fundraising evening gala Friday and a patriotic-themed live concert Saturday on the National Mall.
- Legislative