WASHINGTON—Just days before a crucial deadline to avoid a shutdown and following multiple delays, congressional leaders on Tuesday night unveiled the language of a short-term plan that would keep the federal government operating until March 14. The House and Senate are hoping to adjourn for the Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year holidays, but funding expires at the end of Friday. In order to repair the devastation caused by hurricanes Helene and Milton in areas like Florida and western North Carolina, the package contains $100.4 billion for disaster relief assistance. President Joe Biden had asked Congress to do just that. A one-year extension of the farm bill, $10 billion in economic aid for farmers, and a clause reauthorizing a Department of Homeland Security program that permits governme...

Taking a stance on a topic that has been the focus of debate and proposed legislation in recent years, President Joe Biden stated in an interview that was partially published on Tuesday that he supports a ban on members of Congress trading stocks. "I don't know how lawmakers could trade stocks in good conscience while representing their states or districts," Biden said in an interview with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.'s adviser Faiz Shakir on the progressive nonprofit news site More Perfect Union. Biden remarked, "I don't know how you look your constituents in the eye and know that the job they gave you paved the way for you to earn more money." Throughout his decades as a senator, Biden did not hold stock, Shakir pointed out in the interview. Biden made his first public statement on the mat...

According to a research published Tuesday in the journal BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health, many women are taken aback by the level of pain they endure during a medication abortion. Medication abortions, in which a woman takes two medications, frequently at home, to terminate a pregnancy, account for more than 60% of abortions performed in the US. According to the study, which polled women in the United Kingdom, many of them don't feel ready for the level of agony they would experience during the surgery. Although some women may feel taken aback by the information they received from medical professionals, pain does not indicate that the treatment is hazardous. Dr. Alyssa Colwill, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Oregon Health and Science University School of Me...

NASA said Tuesday that the two astronauts who have been stranded on the ISS since their Boeing spacecraft malfunctioned in June will have to stay there even longer. To give additional time to finish processing a new SpaceX spaceship that will be used for the mission, NASA has rescheduled the next astronaut crew's flight to the ISS from February to no sooner than late March. Before leaving the station in a different SpaceX Dragon capsule, four crew members must wait for the next crew to arrive. Among them are NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who took off on the maiden test flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which was fraught with difficulties. With the additional time for the most recent delay, the two would have lived and worked in orbit for more than nine months, com...

The Manhattan district attorney's office said on Tuesday that Luigi Mangionew been indicted on first-degree murder and other counts related to the ambush death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson this month. The case against Mangione, 26, for Thompson's murder outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4, is elevated by the indictment on first-murder degree in furtherance of terrorism. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement that Mangione is also charged with two counts of second-degree murder, one of which is a killing in the act of terrorism; two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon; four counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon; one count of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon; and one count of second-degree criminal possessio...

About two months ago, law authorities in West Tennessee received their first tip: a local person was selling inexpensive versions of Ozempic and other weight-loss medications. West Tennessee Drug Task Force officials claim that because of the products' unusually cheap cost, the tipster thought they couldn't be real: For instance, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, semaglutide, costs approximately $100 for a 10-milligram vial and $140 for a 15-milligram vial. The pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk sells the brand-name versions for about $1,000 for a month's supply. More than 300 vials of fake semaglutide, tirzepatide, the ingredient in the weight-loss medication Zepbound, and the diabetic medication Mounjaro, along with other weight-loss medications, were discovered during a raid...

On Tuesday, a jury in San Francisco found IT consultant Nima Momeni guilty of the 2023 stabbing death of tech executive Bob Lee, which was actually the result of a personal argument but raised questions about street crime in the city. Momeni was found guilty of second-degree murder by the jury, but he was exonerated of first-degree murder. Deliberations began on December 4 and a verdict was reached on Monday, but it was read out on Tuesday.According to NBC Bay Area, the jury was urged to consider first-degree murder with an addition of employing a deadly weapon. According to the station, Momeni and his primary lawyer, who attended the hearing via Zoom, seemed emotionless when the verdict was read. According to San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, he could spend 16 years to life ...

After eating latkes, lighting the menorah, and playing spin the dreidel, you could be searching for gifts to offer loved ones if you celebrate Hanukkah, which begins on December 25 this year. On the other hand, you're probably shopping for themed décor and other items to keep a crowd entertained if you're hosting or attending a party. I've put up a few Hanukkah-themed presents for everyone on your list, along with Judaica to put on display at home, to help you narrow down your search this season. GO Ahead and SkipBest Judaica | Best Hanukkah presents for adults | Best Hanukkah presents for children and teenagers | Best Hanukkah food and drink presents | Why rely on NBC Select? Selected. Our top picks Best for adults I Could Nosh by Jake Cohen ...