The Senate on Wednesday approved legislation that prevents a government shutdown and allows the upper chamber to begin work on passing a budget.
In a 73-26 vote, the Senate approved a $984 billion continuing resolution that keeps the government funded through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. The House is expected to approve the bill before adjourning on Thursday.
More than 20 Republicans and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) voted against the measure.
We don’t know about you guys, but we’ll believe that Congress is ready to stop using potential government shutdowns as a negotiating chip every 4-6 weeks if/when it actually happens. That said, the thought of hearing about something other than the government spending bills for a few weeks is certainly a nice one.
We have been clear that the use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people would be a serious and tragic mistake. The Assad regime must understand that they will be held accountable for the use of chemical weapons or their transfer to terrorists.President Barack Obama - Commenting on the alleged usage of chemical weapons in attacks which left 25 dead and dozens injured in the Syrian city of Aleppo yesterday. Both those loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Syrian opposition forces have blamed their opponents for the attack; however, the perpetrators of Tuesday’s attack remain a mystery at this time. Many suspect the Assad regime, given previous reports about the Syrian government’s possession of such weapons, but calls for a formal investigation into the attack have gone unanswered thus far. source
A treatment that genetically alters a patient’s own immune cells to fight cancer has, for the first time, produced remissions in adults with a deadly type of acute leukemia that resisted chemotherapy and left little hope of survival, researchers are reporting.
In one patient who was severely ill, all traces of leukemia vanished in eight days.
While it’s far from a cure, the new T-cell treatment successfully sent several patients leukemia into remission for periods ranging from a few months to two years. Currently, only 40 percent of adults diagnosed with acute leukemia survive the disease, though the rate is now much higher among children (80-90%).
The Band’s Getting Back Together: It’s not final, but actor Harrison Ford has been quoted as saying rumors that Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill would reprise their iconic roles in the next Star Wars trilogy are “almost true” while out helping to promote 42. Still no word on the plot for Episode VII though. (Photo via jandercito) source
Police in Indiana are investigating a report of an “armed individual on campus” at a university in Indianapolis, the school said in an alert on its website.
The alert from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis advised students and employees to remain in a “shelter location” until an “all clear” is received.
We’ll keep you updated on the situation as more information becomes available.
Update: The “all clear” has been issued, and things are back to normal at IUPUI. — Scott @ SFB
The Indian Parliament’s lower house passed a landmark law Tuesday that sets tougher penalties for rapists and police who refuse to file a woman’s complaint of rape, as well as criminalizing sexual offenses such as stalking, voyeurism and acid attacks.
The amendments to the existing law incorporate some of the sweeping changes that were demanded after the fatal gang rape of a young paramedical student in New Delhi in December, an incident that sparked a nationwide outcry against the lack of safety for women.
Despite the unprecedented protests that galvanized tens of thousands of Indians, the number of incidents of sexual assault has not diminished.
Those convicted of sexual assault in India will now face the death penalty in cases where their victim(s) dies or is left in a permanently vegetative state, and mandatory minimum sentences have been raised to 20 years in prison (formerly 7-10 years). Government approval will no longer be needed to pursue charges against policemen, government officials, politicians, or judges either; however, the legislation fails to address cases of marital rape or sex crimes committed by members of the Indian military. Still, it’s pretty hard not to look at today’s changes as signs of progress.
Women who report domestic violence are exposing themselves to arrest under a new NYPD directive that orders cops to run criminal checks on the accused and the accuser, The Post has learned.
The memo by Chief of Detectives Phil Pulaski requires detectives to look at open warrants, complaint histories and even the driving records of both parties.
“You have no choice but to lock them up” if the victims turn out to have warrants, including for minor offenses like unpaid tickets, a police source said.
We’re not entirely certain who thought this up, but definitely count us among the crowd of folks who think this is a terrible idea. We understand that situations like these might seem like excellent opportunities to catch elusive criminals, but giving people any reason to second-guess calling for help in domestic violence situations doesn’t sound like a particularly great idea. Traffic tickets don’t hold the same value as people’s lives. Thoughts?
I’m moving back to New York in a few days. Unlike past...
OMG. I got so...
In this week’s Newsweek, a little...
Tumblr this morning. [h/t anne]
#@#$%!.tumblr.com
Here’s a hidden feature that shipped in...
The late leader Hugo Chavez swayed Jesus to inspire the College of Cardinals to elect Catholics’ first South American pope, Venezuela’s interim president said.
“We know that our commander ascended to those heights and is face to face with Christ. Something must have influenced [Jesus] to call for a South American pope,”Nicolas Maduro said on national television at the opening of an international book fair in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital.
“Some new hand arrived and Christ said, ‘Now is the opportunity for South America,’ it seems to us,” Maduro said
Presented without comment, mostly because we couldn’t stop laughing.
I’m not a sixth-grader. I’m not a lawyer, but after 20 years, I’ve been up close and personal to the Constitution. I have great respect for it. … It’s fine you want to lecture me on the Constitution. I appreciate it. Just know I’ve been here for a long time. I’ve passed on a number of bills. I’ve studied the Constitution myself. I am reasonably well-educated, and I thank you for the lecture.Sen. Dianne Feinstein • Responding to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who Sen. Feinstein believed was giving her an unrequested/undesired lecture on the U.S. Constitution and the wording used in its creation. The conflict arose during a heated debate between the two on a gun control bill (sponsored by Sen. Feinstein) which would ban the sale and manufacture of more than 150 types of military weapons, and was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. source
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