Bill Avoid

• House Speaker Mike Johnson is launching a floor vote on a stopgap funding bill to prevent a federal government shutdown before the November midterm elections. • The short-term measure aims to keep the government fully funded through early December, avoiding a lapse in services. • To secure Democratic support, the Senate modified the bill to delay an Office of Management and Budget rule that would have increased political appointees' control over federal grants.

Speaker Mike Johnson to launch a floor vote designed to prevent any federal shutdown before the November midtermsHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.House speaker Mike Johnson will launch a floor vote to pass the stopgap funding bill designed to keep the federal government fully funded through early December, removing the possibility of a shutdown before the midterm elections.The Supreme Court allowed Donald Trump to continue building his $400m White House ballroom project. In a 5-4 decision along political lines, the justices found that a group issuing a legal challenge against the ballroom did not have standing to bring their case. Trump celebrated with a post on his Truth Social platform while Democrats criticized the decision.Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is stepping down from his role after 18 months on the job, leaving another top military position vacant. Driscoll and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had reportedly butted heads for some time.Trump vowed further strikes on Iran and called it a “failed nation”. The remarks came as Washington and Tehran exchanged their first military strikes in a month.JD Vance gave a speech in Michigan that included an attacked against Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. “There’s something about Abdul El-Sayed that is very, very evil,” Vance told the crowd.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of turning their trade dispute into a “political shouting match”. Carney had rejected the Trump administration’s terms that would have given the US government extensive power over Canada’s trade policy.California Governor Gavin Newsom vowed to block the appointment of election denier Tina Peters, who was convicted in 2024 in relation to a plot to chase pro-Trump election conspiracies. Newsom announced he would take measures to prevent Peters from working as an election consultant for Northern California’s Shasta county. Continue reading...

Exclusive: PM also warns his ministers against trying to influence vote when bill returns to Commons next monthAndy Burnham has told Labour MPs that he will not cast a vote when the assisted dying bill returns to the Commons next month to avoid influencing the debate.While the move was welcomed by supporters of the measure, No 10 officials say the prime minister has no wish to affect the process in either direction, and is just doing what he thinks is best to allow MPs to reach their own collective view. Continue reading...

• The European Commission fined Alphabet's Google €890 million ($1 billion) on Thursday for violating EU regulations designed to limit the dominance of Big Tech companies. • The penalty stems from the company's failure to adhere to specific rules aimed at ensuring fair competition within the European digital market. • Despite the fine, EU regulators reported "good progress" in Google's recent efforts to comply with the regulations, suggesting the company is taking corrective action.

• Google has been hit with a $1-billion fine by the European Union for failing to treat competitors fairly and non-discriminatorily. • The tech giant now has 60 days to comply with Commission orders, which include allowing app developers to steer users away from the Google app store. • Despite the penalty, regulators report "good progress" in ongoing "constructive" talks, suggesting Google may avoid further fines if it meets compliance standards.

Reform’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, seeks to present issue as irrelevant in interview with Laura Kuenssberg Labour has accused Nigel Farage of attempting to dodge scrutiny as the Reform leader continued to face questions over the £5m gift he received from a crypto billionaire shortly before the last general election.Asked about the gift from Christopher Harborne on Sunday, the party’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, sought to present it as an irrelevance to voters and said it had complied with all the rules. Continue reading...

High-net-worth residents of UAE heading to Ireland and France to wait out missile attacks before tax year endsWealthy UK nationals fleeing war in the Gulf are seeking sanctuary in countries such as Ireland and France to avoid hefty tax bills back home.In the face of possible demands from HM Revenue and Customs, high-net-worth individuals who had been living in the United Arab Emirates and neighbouring countries are hoping to wait out the missile and drone attacks elsewhere rather than return to the UK. Continue reading...