Biden signs $1.2trn spending bill as Harris tours Parkland school: Live

A new poll by The New York Times and Siena College has found that Republicans who get their news from non-conservative mainstream media outlets are less likely to support Donald Trump.

Further, a sizable number believe the former president acted criminally.

Of those surveyed who get their news from conservative outlets such as Fox News, 100 per cent said they intended to vote for Mr Trump, whereas of those who consumed other mainstream media 79 per cent said they would vote for him. Of that second group, 13 per cent said they would vote for Joe Biden.

The poll underlines the potential difficulty the former president may face in the general election in November. While he stormed home in the primaries which are dominated by the party’s base, he might struggle to win over the general electorate.

Check out the full survey results here.

President Joe Biden has signed into law the bipartisan government funding bill passed by the Senate in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The “Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” provides funding through 30 September 2024 for projects and activities of departments and agencies of the Federal Government.

The White House released the following statement from the president:

The bipartisan funding bill I just signed keeps the government open, invests in the American people, and strengthens our economy and national security. This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted. But it rejects extreme cuts from House Republicans and expands access to child care, invests in cancer research, funds mental health and substance use care, advances American leadership abroad, and provides resources to secure the border that my Administration successfully fought to include. That’s good news for the American people. But I want to be clear: Congress’s work isn’t finished. The House must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental to advance our national security interests. And Congress must pass the bipartisan border security agreement—the toughest and fairest reforms in decades—to ensure we have the policies and funding needed to secure the border. It’s time to get this done.

After the passing of the $1.2 trillion federal funding package, House Republicans are angry that included in its 1,012 pages is a line appropriating $200m for the General Services Administration to build a new FBI headquarters in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Some on the right wing of the party claim there is political bias in the bureau as it goes about enforcing laws and tracking down criminals.

Texas lawmaker Chip Roy tweeted: “The $1.2 trillion, 1000-page swamp-bus released in the dead of night includes $200 MILLION for a new FBI Headquarters.”

“So much for those ‘cuts’ to FBI,” he added.

Rep Scott Perry of Pennsylvania included the funds for the new HQ in his list of “sellouts and failures” within the spending deal.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the US stands “in solidarity with the people of Russia” following the terrorist attack on a concert theatre in Moscow on Friday.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Puerto Rico on Friday as part of a whirlwind trip to tout the federal aid the U.S. territory has received following deadly hurricanes and attend a Democratic fundraiser.

Her visit comes days after U.S. President Joe Biden launched a campaign targeting Latino voters ahead of the November general elections. While those in Puerto Rico cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections despite being U.S. citizens, more than 5 million Puerto Ricans live in the U.S. mainland.

Accompanying Harris for the roughly five-hour visit to the island was U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Department of Housing and Urban Development Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman. Welcoming them was Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, a Democrat whose New Progressive Party has long pushed for statehood.

Hours before Harris’ arrival, a couple dozen protesters gathered in Puerto Rico’s capital to decry the island’s territorial status and demand a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

“We find her presence disrespectful,” said Joselyn Velázquez, protest spokeswoman, as a group around her waved Palestinian flags.

Nearby, one demonstrator stood on a U.S. flag while others gathered additional U.S. flags and set them on fire.

“She is not welcome here,” said one protester.

Harris was scheduled to visit a home in the northern municipality of Canovanas, located near the capital, as well as visit a community center in San Juan. She also is slated to address a campaign reception before flying back to the U.S. mainland Friday evening.

It is Harris’ first visit to Puerto Rico as vice president, having visited as a U.S. senator in 2017 after devastating hurricanes Irma and Maria pummeled the island.

On Friday, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene pulled off her most audacious stunt yet when she filed a motion to vacate to stage a no-confidence vote for Speaker Mike Johnson. The reason for filing that motion? Johnson did what he is supposed to do: pass spending bills to keep the government open.

The move went perfectly for Greene, who has shown little desire to legislate but an eagerness for attention. It turned out to be the perfect spectacle in Congress. Greene even brought her boyfriend, right-wing media provacateur Brian Glenn, along for the action. As soon as she exited the floor, reporters, including myself, swarmed her with questions — but she waited to speak until she descended the Capitol steps so she could have her moment in front of the cameras.

Vice President Kamala Harris will make two announcements on gun violence prevention efforts today during a visit to Parkland, Florida, where 14 students and three staff members were killed in a 2018 school shooting.

Ms Harris will meet with families of those killed in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, along with Rep Jared Moskowitz and state officials.

She will then deliver remarks on gun safety measures at 2.45pm, according to the White House.

The Hill reports that the vice president will announce the launch of the first-ever National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center, which will aim to help states effectively implement red-flag laws through training and technical assistance. The centre will be funded through a Department of Justice grant stemming from the bipartisan gun control bill that President Biden signed into law in 2022.

Ms Harris also will announce an official call to action for states to pass red-flag laws and to use the resources from the bipartisan gun control bill to implement them. Red-flag laws allow a judge to take away a firearm from someone based on the suspicion that the owner could use it to harm themselves or others.

Eric Garcia and Gustaf Kilander report from Washington, DC:

Ms Greene filed a motion to vacate the speaker as the House was still voting on the spending agreement.

A two-thirds majority was reached to pass the spending package – 286 voted in favour and 134 voted against.

“This is a betrayal of Republican voters,” Ms Greene told reporters on Friday. “The bill … forced Republicans to choose between funding to pay our soldiers and in doing so, funding late-term abortion – this bill was basically a dream and a wish list for Democrats and for the White House.”

The Senate voted to 74-24 early Saturday morning, allowing the government to stay open and sending the bill to President Joe Biden, who said he would sign the legislation immediately once it reaches his desk. The bill will keep the government open until the end of Fiscal Year 2024 on 30 September.