US Shutdown

Washington (Rajeev Sharma): After nearly six weeks of political deadlock that has shuttered large parts of the U.S. government, a group of centrist senators say they have crafted a plan that could reopen federal agencies and set the stage for a December vote on health care subsidies. The proposal — led by Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, along with Independent Senator Angus King of Maine — would pass three long-stalled spending bills and temporarily extend funding for the rest of the government until late January. According to sources familiar with the discussions, the deal also…

San Francisco (Rajeev Sharma): A federal court has ordered that U.S. government agencies may not proceed with firing federal workers while the current government shutdown continues, extending a temporary measure that was due to expire this week. The ruling came from U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco, who decided on Tuesday to keep in place a moratorium on dismissals until further notice. The judge’s earlier injunction, issued earlier this month, was originally set to end on Wednesday. In her decision, Judge Illston—who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton—said that the evidence presented so far points to the…