WASHINGTON (AP) — On the brink of a federal government shutdown, the House on Saturday swiftly approved a 45-day funding bill to keep federal agencies open as Speaker Kevin McCarthy dropped demands for steep spending cuts and relied on Democratic votes for passage to send the package to the Senate.

The new approach would leave behind aid to Ukraine, a White House priority opposed by a growing number of GOP lawmakers, but the plan would increase federal disaster assistance by $16 billion, meeting President Joe Biden’s full request. The package was approved 335-91, with most Republicans and almost all Democrats supporting.

With hours to go before the midnight deadline to fund the government, the Senate was also in for a rare weekend session and prepared to act next.

“We’re going to do our job,” McCarthy said before the House vote. “We’re going to be adults in the room. And we’re going to keep government open.”

With no deal in place before Sunday, federal workers would face furloughs, more than 2 million active-duty and reserve military troops will work without pay and programs and services that Americans rely on from coast to coast will begin to face shutdown disruptions.

The House measure would fund government at current 2023 levels for 45 days, through Nov. 17, moving closer to the bipartisan approach in the Senate. But the Senate package would have added $6 billion for Ukraine to fight the war against Russia and $6 billion for U.S. disaster relief.

Both chambers came to a standstill as lawmakers assessed their options, some decrying the loss of Ukraine aid.

By David Morgan, Makini Brice and Moira Warburton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Congress was scrambling on Saturday to avert a partial government shutdown just hours away, with House Republicans turning to Democrats for help passing a temporary stopgap measure to keep federal agencies open.

Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy abandoned party hardliners’ earlier insistence that any bill pass the chamber with only Republican votes, a change that could cause one of his far-right members to try to oust him from his leadership role.

The House voted 335-91 to fund the government for another 45 days, with more Democrats than Republicans supporting it. The measure would extend government funding by 45 days if it passes the Democratic-majority Senate and is signed into law by Democratic President Joe Biden.

The move marked a profound shift from earlier in the week, when a shutdown looked all but inevitable.

Time was short to avert the fourth partial federal government shutdown in a decade, which would begin at 12:01 ET (0401 GMT) on Sunday.

(Reporting by David Morgan, Makini Brice and Moira Warburton, Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone and Andrea Ricci)

By David Morgan, Makini Brice and Moira Warburton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Congress was scrambling on Saturday to avert a partial government shutdown just hours away, with House Republicans turning to Democrats for help passing a temporary stopgap measure to keep federal agencies open.

Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy abandoned party hardliners’ earlier insistence that any bill pass the chamber with only Republican votes, a change that could cause one of his far-right members to try to oust him from his leadership role.

The House voted 335-91 to fund the government for another 45 days, with more Democrats than Republicans supporting it. The measure would extend government funding by 45 days if it passes the Democratic-majority Senate and is signed into law by Democratic President Joe Biden.

The move marked a profound shift from earlier in the week, when a shutdown looked all but inevitable.

Time was short to avert the fourth partial federal government shutdown in a decade, which would begin at 12:01 ET (0401 GMT) on Sunday.

(Reporting by David Morgan, Makini Brice and Moira Warburton, Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone and Andrea Ricci)

By David Morgan, Makini Brice and Moira Warburton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Congress was scrambling on Saturday to avert a partial government shutdown just hours away, with House Republicans turning to Democrats for help passing a temporary stopgap measure to keep federal agencies open.

Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy abandoned party hardliners’ earlier insistence that any bill pass the chamber with only Republican votes, a change that could cause one of his far-right members to try to oust him from his leadership role.

The House voted 335-91 to fund the government for another 45 days, with more Democrats than Republicans supporting it. The measure would extend government funding by 45 days if it passes the Democratic-majority Senate and is signed into law by Democratic President Joe Biden.

The move marked a profound shift from earlier in the week, when a shutdown looked all but inevitable.

Time was short to avert the fourth partial federal government shutdown in a decade, which would begin at 12:01 ET (0401 GMT) on Sunday.

(Reporting by David Morgan, Makini Brice and Moira Warburton, Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone and Andrea Ricci)

By David Morgan, Makini Brice and Moira Warburton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Congress was scrambling on Saturday to avert a partial government shutdown just hours away, with House Republicans turning to Democrats for help passing a temporary stopgap measure to keep federal agencies open.

Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy abandoned party hardliners’ earlier insistence that any bill pass the chamber with only Republican votes, a change that could cause one of his far-right members to try to oust him from his leadership role.

The House voted 335-91 to fund the government for another 45 days, with more Democrats than Republicans supporting it. The measure would extend government funding by 45 days if it passes the Democratic-majority Senate and is signed into law by Democratic President Joe Biden.

The move marked a profound shift from earlier in the week, when a shutdown looked all but inevitable.

Time was short to avert the fourth partial federal government shutdown in a decade, which would begin at 12:01 ET (0401 GMT) on Sunday.

(Reporting by David Morgan, Makini Brice and Moira Warburton, Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone and Andrea Ricci)

By Kanishka Singh

(Reuters) -Torrential downpours after a week of mostly steady rainfall that brought flash flooding to New York City on Friday were a consequence of climate change and likely reflect a “new normal,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Saturday.

“Of course, we know, this is result of climate change. This is unfortunately what we have to expect as the new normal,” Hochul said in an address.

Almost eight inches (20 cm) of rain fell in some parts of the most populous city in the U.S., enough to enable a sea lion at Central Park Zoo to swim briefly out of the confines of her pool enclosure.

Hochul warned of “life-threatening” floods and declared a state of emergency for New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley.

She hailed the response of authorities and said on Saturday that no fatalities were reported despite the heavy rain.

Flooding had caused major disruptions to New York’s subway system and the Metro North commuter rail service, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Agency, which operates both. Some subway lines were suspended entirely, and many stations were closed. Some bus routes slowed to a crawl, trapping riders for hours. Officials warned some New Yorkers to avoid traveling unless they were fleeing a flooded area.

Hochul said on Saturday a state of emergency, which allows faster allocation of resources to deal with a crisis, will remain in effect for the next six days.

The New York governor added she spoke to the White House and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and said they were prepared to support a federal emergency declaration of disaster if necessary.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

By Kanishka Singh

(Reuters) – Torrential downpours after a week of mostly steady rainfall that brought flash flooding to New York City on Friday was an impact of climate change and likely reflects a “new normal,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Saturday.

“Of course, we know, this is result of climate change. This is unfortunately what we have to expect as the new normal,” Hochul said in an address.

Almost eight inches (20 cm) of rain fell in some parts of the most populous city in the U.S., enough to enable a sea lion at Central Park Zoo to swim briefly out of the confines of her pool enclosure.

Another few inches could fall in the region before the storm system pushed out to sea later on Friday, forecasters said.

Hochul warned of “life-threatening” floods and declared a state of emergency for New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley.

She hailed the response of authorities and said on Saturday that no fatalities were reported despite the heavy rain.

Flooding had caused major disruptions to New York’s subway system and the Metro North commuter rail service, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Agency, which operates both. Some subway lines were suspended entirely, and many stations were closed. Some bus routes slowed to a crawl, trapping riders for hours. Officials warned some New Yorkers to avoid traveling unless they were fleeing a flooded area.

Hochul said on Saturday a state of emergency, which allows faster allocation of resources to deal with a crisis, will remain in effect for the next six days.

The New York governor added she spoke to the White House and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and said they were prepared to support a federal emergency declaration of disaster if necessary.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

By Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Americans celebrated the 99th birthday of former President Jimmy Carter this weekend, with the White House putting up a wooden cake display on its north lawn and the Carter library in Georgia hosting a party for the public.

Carter, a Democrat who served as U.S. president from January 1977 to January 1981, is in hospice care after deciding in February to decline additional medical intervention. He turns 99 on Sunday.

In Atlanta, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum hosted a celebration that it said would feature cake, games, trivia and a food truck. The party was moved up to Saturday ahead of a possible government shutdown that could start around midnight on Sunday.

Back in Washington, a three-tiered wooden cake display, decorated in the red, white and blue colors of the American flag and featuring 39 candles in recognition of Carter’s being the country’s 39th president, festooned the White House lawn with a “Happy Birthday President Carter” message.

Carter, who was born on Oct 1, 1924, has lived longer after leaving office than any former president in U.S. history. He has garnered worldwide admiration for his post-presidency humanitarian work and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Carter has faced health challenges in recent years, including melanoma that spread to his liver and brain, but he has continued to show resilience, even after his decision to start hospice care.

He and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, who has dementia, took an outing a week ago to attend the annual peanut festival in their hometown of Plains, Georgia.

Carter’s grandson Jason told the New York Times that the former president faced physical limitations and was “coming to the end,” but was home, with his wife, and at peace.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Leslie Adler)

By Nate Raymond

(Reuters) -A federal appeals court on Saturday blocked a venture capital fund from moving forward with a grant program that awards funding to businesses run by Black women in a case by the anti-affirmative action activist behind the successful U.S. Supreme Court challenge to race-conscious college admissions policies.

The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on a 2-1 vote granted a request by Edward Blum’s American Alliance for Equal Rights to temporarily block Fearless Fund from considering applications for grants only from businesses led by Black women.

Blum’s group asked the court to do so while it appealed a judge’s Tuesday ruling denying it a preliminary injunction blocking Fearless Fund from moving forward with its “racially exclusive program.” Grant applications were due Saturday.

The judges in the majority, U.S. Circuit Judges Robert Luck and Andrew Brasher, agreed with Blum’s group that Fearless Fund’s “racially exclusionary” grant program likely violated Section 1981 of the 1866 Civil Rights Act, a Civil War-era law that bars racial bias in contracting.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash earlier this week had concluded that under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment’s free speech protections, Fearless Fund had a right to express its belief in the importance of Black women to the economy through charity.

But the appeals court’s majority, comprised of two appointees of former Republican President Donald Trump, said the First Amendment “does not give the defendants the right to exclude persons from a contractual regime based on race.”

“The members of the American Alliance for Equal Rights are gratified that the 11th Circuit has recognized the likelihood that the Fearless Strivers Grant Contest is illegal,” Blum said in a statement. “We look forward to the final resolution of this lawsuit.”

Fearless Fund did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It has argued that Blum was trying to “turn a seminal civil rights statute on its head” by suing it under a Civil War-era law enacted to protect formerly enslaved Black people from racial bias.

The lawsuit is one of three that Blum’s Texas-based group had filed since August challenging grant and fellowship programs designed by the venture capital fund and two law firms to help give Black, Hispanic and other underrepresented minority groups greater career opportunities.

A different group founded by Blum, who is white, was behind the litigation that led to the June decision, powered by the Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority, declaring race-conscious student admissions policies used by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina unlawful.

According to the Fearless Fund, businesses owned by Black women in 2022 received less than 1% of the $288 billion that venture capital firms deployed.

The fund aims to address that disparity, and counts JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and MasterCard as investors. It has invested nearly $27 million in 40 businesses led by minority women since its founding in 2019.

It also provides grants, and Blum’s lawsuit took aim at its Fearless Strivers Grant Contest, which awards Black women who own small businesses $20,000 in grants and other resources to grow their businesses.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Andrea Ricci)

By Nate Raymond

(Reuters) -A federal appeals court on Saturday blocked a venture capital fund from moving forward with a grant program that awards funding to businesses run by Black women in a case by the anti-affirmative action activist behind the successful U.S. Supreme Court challenge to race-conscious college admissions policies.

The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on a 2-1 vote granted a request by Edward Blum’s American Alliance for Equal Rights to temporarily block Fearless Fund from considering applications for grants only from businesses led by Black women.

Blum’s group asked the court to do so while it appealed a judge’s Tuesday ruling denying it a preliminary injunction blocking Fearless Fund from moving forward with its “racially exclusive program.” Grant applications were due Saturday.

The judges in the majority, U.S. Circuit Judges Robert Luck and Andrew Brasher, agreed with Blum’s group that Fearless Fund’s “racially exclusionary” grant program likely violated Section 1981 of the 1866 Civil Rights Act, a Civil War-era law that bars racial bias in contracting.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash earlier this week had concluded that under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment’s free speech protections, Fearless Fund had a right to express its belief in the importance of Black women to the economy through charity.

But the appeals court’s majority, comprised of two appointees of former Republican President Donald Trump, said the First Amendment “does not give the defendants the right to exclude persons from a contractual regime based on race.”

“The members of the American Alliance for Equal Rights are gratified that the 11th Circuit has recognized the likelihood that the Fearless Strivers Grant Contest is illegal,” Blum said in a statement. “We look forward to the final resolution of this lawsuit.”

Fearless Fund did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It has argued that Blum was trying to “turn a seminal civil rights statute on its head” by suing it under a Civil War-era law enacted to protect formerly enslaved Black people from racial bias.

The lawsuit is one of three that Blum’s Texas-based group had filed since August challenging grant and fellowship programs designed by the venture capital fund and two law firms to help give Black, Hispanic and other underrepresented minority groups greater career opportunities.

A different group founded by Blum, who is white, was behind the litigation that led to the June decision, powered by the Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority, declaring race-conscious student admissions policies used by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina unlawful.

According to the Fearless Fund, businesses owned by Black women in 2022 received less than 1% of the $288 billion that venture capital firms deployed.

The fund aims to address that disparity, and counts JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and MasterCard as investors. It has invested nearly $27 million in 40 businesses led by minority women since its founding in 2019.

It also provides grants, and Blum’s lawsuit took aim at its Fearless Strivers Grant Contest, which awards Black women who own small businesses $20,000 in grants and other resources to grow their businesses.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Andrea Ricci)