00:01After six weeks of gridlock, the shutdown may finally be ending.
00:04The House votes today to reopen the government.
00:07What's in the deal and what's not?
00:09Plus, she won her election seven weeks ago, but still has not been sworn in to the House.
00:14That changes today.
00:16The high-profile vote she's expected to cast.
00:19And the USS Gerald Ford now in the Caribbean, closer to Venezuela than ever.
00:23Is it a message or a military move in the making?
00:26The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:35These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:40Good morning, I'm Craig Nugrelli.
00:42The longest government shutdown in history could finally end later today.
00:47After 43 long days, the bill to reopen the government now heads to the House floor.
00:52And if it passes, President Trump says he will sign it.
00:55The Senate cleared the bill in a 60-40 vote Monday night, with eight Democrats crossing the aisle to break the stalemate.
01:02House lawmakers are back in Washington today, many returning early after Speaker Mike Johnson warned of travel delays caused by the shutdown itself.
01:10The package would fund most federal agencies through January 30th, with full-year funding for military construction, the legislative branch, and agriculture.
01:19It also restores pay and jobs for federal workers impacted by the shutdown, but does not include an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, a key Democratic demand.
01:30Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is keeping in place a temporary order allowing the Trump administration to withhold full SNAP benefits during the shutdown,
01:39extending uncertainty for millions of Americans who rely on food stamps.
01:42The order expires Thursday night, giving Congress and the President two more days to get a deal signed before those benefits run out.
01:51The House vote is expected as early as 4 p.m. Eastern.
01:54If it passes, Trump is expected to sign it immediately, officially ending a shutdown that has cost billions of dollars, grounded flights, and stretched into its 43rd day.
02:03Another moment on the House floor later today, one that has been delayed for weeks.
02:09Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva will finally be sworn in as the newest member of Congress,
02:14seven weeks after winning her special election to fill the seat once held by her late father, Raul Grijalva.
02:21Speaker Mike Johnson's office confirming Tuesday night that it will happen later today.
02:26After seven weeks of waiting, I almost can't believe it's true.
02:29This can never happen again to another member-elect that is waiting in the wings because someone doesn't want to do their job or because they're playing politics.
02:37Grijalva has been outspoken about the delay, calling it an unlawful breach of the Democratic process.
02:43Critics say Johnson stalled her swearing-in to avoid giving Democrats the 218th signature needed to force a vote on the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
02:52Johnson denies that, calling the accusation a moot point, saying the House Oversight Committee is already conducting its own Epstein investigation.
03:01When he was asked on Monday whether or not he would finally swear in Grijalva, here's what he told CNN.
03:06When are you going to swear in Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, who was elected way back in September?
03:12Yeah, just as I promised, as soon as we get back to legislative session.
03:15So, I mean, before we have this vote that we're talking about, she'll be administered the oath.
03:19After the House gavels in, but before the vote.
03:21Right, yeah, sure, sure, as soon as we get started, yeah.
03:23When Grijalva takes her oath this afternoon, the House Republican majority will narrow once again, 219 to 214,
03:30and a new round of political fallout may not be far behind.
03:33A major show of U.S. military power this morning as the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford,
03:41moves into waters near Latin America.
03:43The Pentagon says it's part of the Trump administration's expanding campaign against drug cartels.
03:48But the move is fueling speculation of a much larger plan.
03:53The Ford strike group, including three destroyers and more than 4,000 sailors and Marines,
03:57is now operating under U.S. Southern Command, north of the Caribbean Sea.
04:02The Pentagon says the carrier will help disrupt narcotics trafficking and dismantle transnational criminal groups.
04:09It joins existing assets already in the region, surveillance drones, F-35 fighters, and at least one U.S. submarine.
04:17Since September, the administration says it has carried out 19 strikes on suspected drug-running boats,
04:23killing 76 people, part of what the administration calls a crackdown on cartels.
04:28But the buildup has renewed speculation that it could also be aimed at Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro.
04:35Defense Secretary Pete Hegsits says the mission is strictly counter-narcotics,
04:40while President Trump insists Maduro's days are numbered.
04:43In response, Venezuela now says it is launching a massive mobilization of troops, weapons, and equipment
04:50in what it calls a defensive move against the, quote, imperialist threat from the United States.
04:56The defense minister says the order came directly from Maduro,
05:00with land, air, and reserve forces carrying out drills through Wednesday.
05:04The Ford's arrival brings the total U.S. military presence in the region to about 15,000 personnel,
05:10one of the largest in decades.
05:12Nearly 62 years to the day after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas,
05:18his grandson is now stepping into politics.
05:2132-year-old Jack Schlossberg, the son of Caroline Kennedy and her husband Edwin Schlossberg,
05:28announced he's running for Congress in New York's 12th District,
05:31seeking to replace retiring Democrat Jerry Nadler.
05:34He's the first direct descendant of JFK to run for elected office,
05:38calling himself a part of a new generation of Democrats.
05:42Schlossberg says he'll focus on affordability and blames what he calls a, quote,
05:47cost-of-living crisis, sponsored by the Big Beautiful Bill, for cuts to health care, education, and child care.
05:53He's also been sharply critical of President Trump, calling him a dangerous man
05:58who controls all three branches of government.
06:01Even his own family is not off-limits.
06:03Schlossberg once posting on X that RFK loser is a threat to public health
06:08and American scientific leadership.
06:10Finally this morning, three decades after his death,
06:14Bob Ross is still helping public television paint a brighter picture.
06:18And I think today we'll do a picture that's maybe like we're walking through the woods.
06:23And so let's start right here with a little bit of cad yellow
06:26with just the least little touch of phthalo green in it.
06:30Three original works from the Joy of Painting, titled Home in the Valley, Cliffside, and Winter's Peace,
06:36sold at auction on Tuesday for more than $600,000.
06:40The money will help support public broadcasting,
06:42which recently lost federal funding under Trump administration cuts.
06:46Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross Incorporated, said the sale
06:50ensures Ross's legacy continues to support the very medium
06:54that brought his joy and creativity into American homes for decades.
06:59All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
07:01At 11, a farewell to Dr. Jane Goodall, the world-renowned conservationist,
07:06remembered today at a service at Washington National Cathedral.
07:10Then, all eyes on the sky, Blue Origin launches its massive new Glenn rocket
07:14on a mission carrying NASA payloads bound for Mars.
07:19And later today on Capitol Hill, the House returns after a 53-day break.
07:23First item up for business, swearing in Democrat Adelita Grijalva of Arizona,
07:28narrowing the GOP majority even further.
07:30Then, the big event, the expected vote on the shutdown bill.
07:35Less ranting, more reading.
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07:42Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Wednesday.
07:44We'll see you back here tomorrow.
07:45For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
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