5 things to know for Dec. 18: Government funding, Immigration crackdown, School shooting victims, Interest rates, Climate

CNN

By Alexandra Banner, CNN

(CNN) — The Supreme Court will decide the fate of the popular social media app TikTok in a matter of weeks. Unless the company wins its appeal to the high court or divests from Chinese ownership, the video platform could be banned in the US on January 19 due to national security concerns.

Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

1. Government funding

A government funding deal negotiated by House Speaker Mike Johnson has been scrapped after President-elect Donald Trump came out against it on Wednesday. Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance sharply criticized the deal for what they see as Democratic priorities and called on Republicans to increase the debt limit as part of the negotiations to keep the government running. The bill included nearly $100 billion in disaster relief and another $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers. It also gave lawmakers their first raise since 2009. If passed by the House and the Senate, the bill would have averted a government shutdown before funding runs out Friday at midnight.

2. Immigration crackdown

President-elect Donald Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan said Wednesday that plans are underway to deport undocumented immigrants on a large scale and that he’ll need funding from Congress to do so. In a CNN interview, Homan said he will need a minimum of 100,000 beds to detain undocumented immigrants — more than doubling the 40,000 detention beds ICE is currently funded for — and needs more ICE agents to carry out Trump’s mass deportation promises. Homan also said the incoming administration plans to construct new deportation facilities in large metropolitan areas and bring back mass worksite immigration raids — a potentially significant development for some industries that rely on undocumented immigrants’ labor.

3. School shooting victims

The victims of the Wisconsin school shooting have been identified as chilling details emerge about the 15-year-old female student who opened fire. Erin Michelle West, 42, and Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, were both pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office. Six others were injured in the shooting, two of whom remain in critical condition, police said. The four others have been released. Meanwhile, authorities said Wednesday that the shooter had been in contact with a 20-year-old man in Carlsbad, California, who was plotting a mass shooting with the teenager and told her he was planning to attack a government building, the AP reported.

4. Interest rates

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday cut interest rates by a quarter point, the third rate cut since it began to lower borrowing costs in September. The central bank’s latest move leaves its benchmark lending rate at a range of 4.25%-4.5%, a two-year low. However, Fed officials penciled in just two rate cuts for next year, according to their latest forecasts, down from the four they projected in September. Officials also expect slightly stronger economic growth, slightly lower unemployment, and for inflation in 2025 to be higher than they previously thought. The projections overall suggest policymakers expect the US economy next year to be buoyant, with no recession in sight.

5. Climate

The Biden administration announced an aggressive target for the US to cut its planet-warming pollution to 61-66% below 2005 levels by 2035 — a goal that will all but assuredly be reversed by President-elect Donald Trump in his first days in office. Trump has said he intends to drill for more oil and gas, shred federal climate regulations and overturn Biden’s clean energy law. A new target is required every five years by the international Paris Agreement, which Trump has promised to once again pull the US out of. Also on Wednesday, the Biden administration gave California the greenlight to ban sales of new gasoline cars by 2035. But it is also widely expected that Trump will revoke California’s authority to set its own emissions standards once he takes office.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

You can now chat with ChatGPT … on the phone
OpenAI has created a ChatGPT phone line (1-800-CHATGPT) where anyone can talk to the chatbot without having to download an app.

Oscars shortlist revealed
A shortlist of Oscar contenders in ten categories has been revealed. See which movies made the cut.

Astronauts who flew to space aboard Starliner face additional delay
NASA announced that it is delaying its Crew-10 launch, a move that will keep astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams in space even longer.

The official first day of winter is Saturday
Here’s what you should know about the winter solstice, a day when science intermixes with ancient traditions around the world.

Life expectancy in the United States is rising
People born in 2023 are now estimated to live 78.4 years, according to the CDC. Read about the promising trends.

TODAY’S NUMBER

123
That’s how many laser strikes were reported by pilots in the US on Tuesday, according to the FAA. Pilots are reporting a massive uptick in aircraft being hit by laser pointers from the ground since the increase of mysterious drone sightings this month.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“It is a rare day when the humans actually get to win one against the insects.

— Sven Spichiger, an entomologist for the Washington State Department of Agriculture, announcing Wednesday that invasive “murder hornets” have been eradicated in the US. Known for their dangerous sting, northern giant hornets gained attention in 2013, when they killed dozens in China and seriously injured more than 1,600 others.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY …

This startup is capturing carbon dioxide from ships
Tech startup Seabound created a system that attaches to a ship’s exhaust pipe and soaks up its carbon emissions. See how the technology works.

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