House GOP unveils plan to avert shutdown

House GOP unveils plan to avert shutdown

WASHINGTON

House GOP leaders unveiled a plan Saturday to avert a government shutdown next weekend and keep the government open through Dec. 22.

The measure would buy time for bipartisan talks on a bigger budget agreement that would give the Pentagon and government agencies significant relief from a pending budget freeze.

A temporary spending bill enacted in September expires at midnight Friday.

The move comes despite opposition from some GOP conservatives who think they’re being set up for a pre-Christmas deal they won’t like.

House Democrats say they won’t vote for the legislation without protections for immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. GOP leaders oppose the idea.

Talks on a budget agreement are likely to restart this week after a setback Tuesday when top Democrats pulled out of a meeting with President Donald Trump after he attacked them on Twitter.

Officer praised for grabbing van dangling off bridge

LONDON

A British police officer has been praised for grabbing hold of a van as it dangled on an icy bridge over a highway with the driver trapped inside.

The West Yorkshire Police force said Constable Martin Willis arrived Friday at the scene of an accident that had left the large van teetering on the edge of the bridge.

Willis says he could see the van sway every time another vehicle passed. He grabbed the rear axle and held it until a fire department crew arrived.

Willis said Saturday he told the driver not to panic and “whatever you do, don’t move.”

Hawaii’s attack siren barely heard on popular beach

HONOLULU

Hawaii officials were checking if sirens intended to alert tourists and residents to a possible nuclear attack from North Korea malfunctioned or were not loud enough Friday after the first test of the warning system since the end of the Cold War was barely heard at one of the state’s most popular beaches.

The sirens largely were drowned out by crashing waves and wind along Waikiki, the famous stretch of beach in the shadow of the Diamond Head volcano. Beachgoers hardly noticed the test, which sounded like a distant siren. The warning would give people 20 minutes to take shelter ahead of an imminent missile strike.

“I was out in the ocean playing around, and I heard this siren,” said tourist Tom Passmore from Calgary, Canada, adding that he didn’t think much of it.

“I think it’s a good idea,” he said of the test, “but judging by everyone’s reaction around here, nobody moved.”

Thousands protest Trump’s monument reduction plan

SALT LAKE CITY

Thousands of protesters fired up by President Donald Trump’s expected announcement to shrink two national monuments in Utah rallied in Salt Lake City on Saturday, just two days ahead of his planned visit.

Crowds converged on the steps of the Utah State Capitol to denounce Trump’s decision, many chanting and holding signs with messages such as “Protect Wild Utah.” Native American groups, some in tribal dress, danced or formed drum circles.

Speakers who addressed the throngs of demonstrators included a state lawmaker and an official with the Navajo Nation.

Associated Press