00:01After six weeks of gridlock, the shutdown may finally be ending.
00:05The 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, extending 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, seven 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.
02:25After 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.
03:49But 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,
03:58is 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.
04:29But the buildup has renewed speculation that it could also be aimed at Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro.
04:35Defense Secretary Pete Hegsitt 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,
04:59with 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.
05:33He's the first direct descendant of JFK to run for elected office, calling 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,
05:56calling him a dangerous man who controls all three branches of government.
06:00Even his own family is not off-limits.
06:03Schlossberg once posting on X that RFK loser is a threat to public health and American scientific leadership.
06:10Finally this morning, three decades after his death, Bob 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 with 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, which recently lost federal funding under Trump administration cuts.
06:46Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross Incorporated, said the sale ensures Ross's legacy continues to support
06:53the very medium that 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
07:15on 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.
07:36Get smarter faster with our Unbiased Updates newsletter.
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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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