What happens if the government shuts down? - NBC News

JAN 17 2018, 11:14 PM ET

What happens if the government shuts down?

by BENJY SARLIN

WASHINGTON — The White House and Congress have yet to reach a deal on funding the federal government, raising the prospect of a partial shutdown as early as this weekend. What happens if they don’t? Here’s what you need to know.

Why are we talking about a shutdown again?

The government is operating on a stopgap funding bill that passed on Dec. 21, which followed a separate stopgap bill that passed in September. But the current funding legislation expires on Saturday, and the White House and Congress are still at an impasse. The biggest dispute, though not the only one, is how to address the status of roughly 800,000 undocumented immigrants granted legal protection and work permits under President Obama that the Trump administration plans to revoke. Republicans control the House and Senate, but they need 60 votes in the Senate to pass a bill (there are only 51 Republicans) and may not have enough votes to pass a bill without Democrats in the House, thanks to conservative defections.

GOP leaders offer bill to avert government shutdown

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GOP leaders offer bill to avert government shutdown 5:43

What happens if they don’t find a deal?

Then we have a partial government shutdown. While funding expires on Saturday, you’d really start to notice the effects on Monday when hundreds of thousands of federal employees who are deemed non-essential don’t show up to work. Without funding, the law requires them to be furloughed without pay. In 2013, the last time there was a shutdown, a peak of 850,000 federal workers per day were furloughed, according to the Congressional Research Service. Without workers, national parks will be closed along with various government offices, programs, and activities.

This whole process is a relatively recent phenomenon. The government used to keep more services up and running during funding gaps, but the Department of Justice decided in 1980 and 1981 that existing law demanded a more far-reaching shutdown if Congress failed to pass a spending bill.

Who’d be guarding the country?

Here’s where the “partial” in partial government shutdown kicks in. Federal workers considered essential to national security and the safety of life and property would still have to show up and do their jobs. That includes the military, law enforcement officials, TSA screeners, doctors, and border patrol agents, among others.

Despite showing up for work, these excepted workers wouldn’t get paid unless Congress somehow authorizes more funding. In 2013, Congress passed the Pay Our Military Act, which kept military paychecks going during the shutdown and also allowed hundreds of thousands of civilian defense workers to keep going to work and received pay as well. But that law was not permanent, and Congress would have to pass a similar bill this time if they want to pay the same federal employees and contractors during a shutdown.

What about government benefits?

Some services would still continue. Social Security, which has its own funding stream, will issue its usual checks. The mail will still be delivered. Medicare and Medicaid should still be able to pay out benefits. It’s possible customer service and various administrative duties might be impacted by furloughed employees, however.

North Korea Is Sending 230 Cheerleaders to the 2018 Winter Olympics - TIME

North Korea Is Sending 230 Cheerleaders to the 2018 Winter Olympics

By HYUNG-JIN KIM / AP January 17, 2018

(SEOUL, South Korea) — North Korea plans to send a 230-member cheering squad as part of its delegation to next month’s Winter Olympics in South Korea, officials said Wednesday, as South Korea’s president announced his support of a proposal for the rivals’ first unified Olympic team.

The two Koreas have been pressing ahead with a flurry of projects to cooperate in the Feb. 9-25 Olympics in Pyeongchang since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un abruptly said in a New Year’s speech that he was willing to send a delegation to the games.

Critics say Kim’s overture is an attempt to use improved ties with South Korea to weaken U.S.-led international sanctions on North Korea while buying time to perfect his nuclear weapons program. The moves nevertheless have provided a temporary thaw in the Koreas’ long-strained ties and fostered optimism that North Korea won’t launch any new provocations, at least during the Olympics.

The North’s participation in the Olympics “will serve as a chance to warm solidly frozen South-North ties,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in said during a visit with South Korean Olympic athletes. “But if we march together (during the opening ceremony) or field a single team, I think that can be a further step in developing South-North relations.”

Moon spoke while officials from the two Koreas were meeting at a border village for the third time in about a week, with North Korea saying it will send a 230-member cheering squad to the Olympics as well as a delegation to the Pyeongchang Paralympics in March.

The officials also discussed fielding a joint women’s ice hockey team and having their athletes march under a “unification flag” depicting the Korean Peninsula, instead of their respective national flags, during the opening ceremony, according to Seoul’s Unification Ministry. It said North Korea proposed that its Olympic delegation travel to South Korea across the heavily fortified land border.

During earlier talks, the two Koreas agreed that the North will send a 140-member art troupe as part of its Olympic delegation, along with athletes, high-level officials, journalists and a taekwondo demonstration team.

The ideas floated by the two Koreas are highly symbolic and emotional. But South Korean media predicted only up to 10 North Korean athletes would end up being covered by an additional quota by the International Olympic Committee to compete in Pyeongchang because no North Koreans are currently qualified.

A pair of North Korean figure skaters qualified for this year’s Olympics, but North Korea missed a deadline to confirm their participation.

Some conservative critics say North Korea’s cheering and artistic squads are too big, and worry the North may try to steal the show at the Olympics to launch what they call a “peace offensive.”

North Korea also sent female cheering squads when it attended previous international sports events in South Korea. The groups, dubbed “beauty squads” by South Korean media, often received more attention than their athletes. Kim Jong Un’s wife, Ri Sol Ju, was a member of a 2005 squad.

The IOC said recently it has “kept the door open” for North Korea to take part in the games. IOC officials are to meet with sports and government officials from the two Koreas and officials from the Pyeongchang organizing committee in Switzerland on Saturday.

South Korea wants the IOC to allow the hockey team’s 23-player Olympic roster to be expanded so that several North Korean players can be added without removing any of the South Korean players.

If a joint hockey squad is realized, it would be the Koreas’ first unified Olympic team.

There are worries in South Korea that adding new players less than a month before the Olympics would weaken the team and deprive South Korean players of playing time.

“Adding somebody so close to the Olympics is a little bit dangerous just for team chemistry because the girls have been together for so long,” Sarah Murray, the South Korea women hockey team’s head coach, told reporters Tuesday, according to the Yonhap news agency. “I think there is damage to our players.”

Moon acknowledged the joint team isn’t likely to greatly boost the team’s power and may require lots of effort by the players.

“But if South and North Korea form one team and compete in the games, that will be an everlasting historic event, which I think will move our people and people around the world,” he said.

North Korea under Kim Jong Un has made sports, and especially success in international sporting events, a high priority. While it’s not a major winter sports competitor, North Korean athletes have set several weightlifting world records and its women hold a high profile on the world football scene.

When traveling abroad, however, North Korean athletes and coaches tend to cloister themselves away from outsiders when they are not competing or practicing. Defections are likely a concern, along with what their minders might deem to be ideological “contamination,” so they are kept under close scrutiny.

Facebook selfie showing murder weapon helps convict killer - BBC News

18/1/2018

Facebook selfie showing murder weapon helps convict killer

A belt worn by Cheyenne Antoine (L) can be seen as she poses with victim Brittney Gargol

A Canadian woman has been convicted of killing her friend after police discovered the murder weapon used in a picture of the pair on social media.

Cheyenne Rose Antoine, 21, pleaded guilty on Monday to killing Brittney Gargol, then 18, in March 2015.

Gargol was found strangled to death near a landfill in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with Antoine's belt near her body.

Antoine was sentenced to seven years for manslaughter.

She was identified as a suspect after she posted a selfie on Facebook of the two of them, showing her wearing the belt hours before Gargol died.

The suspects snared by their tech use

The show-offs caught out by social media

What happened?

The two were "inseparable" friends, reported the Toronto Sun - until Gargol was discovered dead on a road by a passerby in the early morning of 25 March 2014.

Police said that no evidence could be found to verify the story Antoine first gave to them - which was that the pair had gone from a house party to some bars before Gargol left with an unidentified man, while Antoine went to see her uncle.

Once the belt had established Antoine as a suspect, police used Facebook posts to help establish the real movements of the pair.

Police realised that Antoine's Facebook post on Gargol's personal page the following morning - "Where are you? Haven't heard from you. Hope you made it home safe" - was a diversion. She had also asked her uncle to provide a false alibi.

And eventually she confessed to a friend.

Antoine now says the pair were drunk and high on marijuana when they got into a heated argument.

She accepts she is responsible for strangling her best friend - although she says she doesn't actually remember the events.

Does Antoine show remorse?

Yes, and that's why the judge agreed to a seven-year sentence when she pleaded guilty to manslaughter (rather than the second-degree murder she was originally charged with).

"I will never forgive myself. Nothing I say or do will ever bring her back. I am very, very sorry... It shouldn't have ever happened," she said in a statement through her lawyer.

Her lawyer said her client had suffered years of abuse in the Saskatchewan care system and had gone to police to report abuse by foster parents a month before the killing.

"Honour your friend by becoming a positive member of the community," Judge Marilyn Gray told her, according to the Saskatoon Starphoenix. "You owe it to her."

What about Gargol's relatives?

Before Antoine was sentenced, Gargol's aunt gave a victim impact statement to the court.

"Most days we can't stop thinking about Brittney, what happened that night, what she must have felt fighting for her life," Jennifer Gargol said.

Outside court, her uncle Al Gargol said she was "a wonderful young person that didn't deserve this and we truly miss her every day", the Saskatoon Starphoenix said.

Ryan Herds Divided GOP on Spending With Little Help From Trump - Bloomberg

Ryan Herds Divided GOP on Spending With Little Help From Trump

By Anna Edgerton

January 18, 2018, 8:00 PM GMT+11

House GOP seeks to fund government without help from Democrats

Democrats want bill to protect young, undocumented immigrants

Paul Ryan Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

Speaker Paul Ryan is once again herding the fractious Republican House majority toward passage of a temporary government funding plan that satisfies no one and leaves Democrats fuming.

And once again Ryan is putting off divisive issues, especially immigration, that will require political cover from an often inconsistent partner: President Donald Trump.

The funding plan heading toward a House vote as soon as Thursday would keep the government operating through Feb. 16. But after that, Congress will need to confront deep-seated differences to agree on new budget limits, immigration legislation and raising the federal debt ceiling.

While Republican leaders can likely work through the budget and debt ceiling without White House backup, Ryan has a limited supply of goodwill built up from winning passage of tax legislation last month. He has made clear that when it comes to the polarizing immigration issue, Trump needs to make the first move.

Democrats are demanding protection for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children as part of a spending bill. Trump decided in September to end an Obama-era initiative that shielded them from deportation, effective in March. The U.S. counts 690,000 people currently enrolled in the program, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.

“We will not bring a DACA bill that the president doesn’t support,” Ryan said Wednesday. “It’s got to be bipartisan and the president has to support this for this to occur.”

What Shuts Down During a U.S. Government Shutdown: QuickTake Q&A

Trump wants funding for a border wall and Republicans have said they support various types of border-security enhancements. But efforts to forge an agreement with Democrats on immigration were thrown into turmoil after the president was reported to ask lawmakers why the U.S. accepts immigrants from “shithole countries” like Haiti, El Salvador and African nations rather than places like Norway.

Even under Trump’s inconsistent political cover, Ryan’s ability to work with Democrats on one of the most controversial issues in American politics without alienating his far-right members will determine how ambitious he can make his 2018 agenda, which includes overhauling federal programs for the poor, sick and elderly. It could also determine how long Ryan stays in Washington amid retirement rumors.

House Republican vote counters say they have enough Republican support to fund the government past Friday without needing help from Democrats. However, there has not been any public progress on a bipartisan, House-Senate deal to raise budget caps for defense and non-defense spending, needed to begin allocating federal dollars for the rest of the fiscal year.

For that discussion to move forward, Democrats are insisting on immigration legislation. Deputy leaders for each party in the House and Senate are now leading that negotiation. Trump rejected a bipartisan immigration proposal last week.

Needing Democratic support for legislation while trying to satisfy Republicans who promised voters they wouldn’t compromise their conservative principles helped end the tenure of Ryan’s predecessor, Ohio Republican John Boehner, in 2015. Boehner, a plain-spoken pragmatist, was often attacked by conservatives in his party who said he was too willing to cut deals with the opposing party, even though he was working with a Democratic president.

Ryan’s Future

Ryan promised to do things differently and allow more input from rank-and-file members. The stakes are high this year as lawmakers prepare to campaign on their record under an unpopular president.

It’s not clear how long Ryan wants to remain speaker. Last month, Politico reported that Ryan told confidants this will be his final term in the job. Ryan publicly dismissed the article. He said last week that he and his wife would discuss whether he’ll run for his House seat again, which he described as a spring ritual in election years.

Many of the issues in play this week have been lingering since the beginning of this fiscal year in October. Last month, it seemed that Ryan would follow the urging of conservatives and hold a vote on a bill to increase the military’s budget for the rest of the fiscal year while temporarily funding all other government programs at current levels.

Ryan pulled back from this plan -- in the two days between passing tax cuts and Congress’s holiday recess -- amid resistance in the Senate, where Republicans don’t have a large enough majority to cut off debate and force a vote.

“The American people elected us to fund defense and hold the line on non-defense spending," said Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican and one of the founders of the Freedom Caucus. “We had a little difference in opinion on a lot of things with our leadership’s decisions last month.”

‘Grow Up’

Charlie Dent, a moderate Republican from Pennsylvania who is chairman of an appropriations subcommittee, said some of his GOP colleagues need to “grow up” and recognize that a 60-vote threshold for passage of most legislation in the Senate forces compromise from a majority party that holds just 51 seats.

“Leadership has no choice but to reach a deal,” Dent said. “We need a bipartisan, bicameral agreement. We’re going to raise defense spending, the price is going to be that non-defense goes up as well.”

Dave Brat, a Virginia Republican and also a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said Ryan is making the right call by seeking to keep the government open, but he and other conservatives want assurances that they’re not going to give Democrats and the Senate too much leverage on immigration.

“Paul Ryan has been doing his job on this, he’s focused on 218” votes needed to pass the spending bill, Brat said. “The problem going forward is what will happen with immigration.”

Republicans said Ryan did a good job navigating competing demands over December’s tax legislation. Yet many Republicans say it will continue to be a challenge to balance various GOP factions, and strong leadership and lawmaker participation.

“We trust him to make play calls to some degree, that’s part of a conference of people electing a leader or a speaker,” said Brian Mast, a Florida Republican. “Even if we’re ideologically aligned, we still have different ideas of perfect on any given issue. If I only get what’s perfect for me, I’d never vote ’yes’ on anything.

North Korea crisis: South to continue talks with 'clear eyes' - BBC News

18/1/2018

North Korea crisis: South to continue talks with 'clear eyes'

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha: "We understand North Korea better than anybody"

South Korea says it will continue high-level talks with North Korea with "clear eyes" amid global warnings that Pyongyang might be playing for time to continue its nuclear-arms programme.

"We have to make the most" of the opportunity, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told the BBC.

The two Koreas earlier agreed to march under a "unified Korea" flag at next month's Winter Olympics in the South.

The talks come as the US and its allies vowed to keep pressure on the North.

On Wednesday US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said sanctions were "really starting to hurt", expressing confidence that the pressure would eventually force the North to the negotiating table over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Last year, US President Donald Trump said that America would destroy North Korea if forced to defend itself or its allies.

Also on Wednesday, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said the world should not be blinded by Pyongyang's recent "charm offensive".

"It is not the time to ease pressure or to reward North Korea," Mr Kono said, Reuters news agency reported. "The fact that North Korea is engaging in dialogue could be interpreted as proof that the sanctions are working."

Meanwhile, President Trump accused Russia of undermining international sanctions against North Korea.

"Russia is not helping us at all with North Korea," he told Reuters. "What China is helping us with, Russia is denting."

What is Seoul's negotiating stance?

Ms Kang told the BBC: "I think we understand North Korea better than anybody, having dealt with North Korea for decades, having had series of discussions off and on.

"We haven't had any significant engagement in the recent past - but this is an opportunity.

Head of the North Korean delegation Jon Jong-su, vice chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country (CPRC) of the DPRK, crosses the concrete border to attend his meeting with Southern counterparts at the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarised zone separating the

North and South met for the first high-level talks in two years - against a backdrop of mounting military tension

"You can have all kinds of theories of why there are here (at the talks). There are, obviously, calculations going on the part of the North Korea decision-makers as to their actions.

"But in the end we have to make the most of it."

Ms Kang also said South Korea and its allies were "very much on the same page" regarding the longer term - the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

And the foreign minister said Seoul wanted more humanitarian aid to be sent to North Korea as sanctions were beginning to take effect.

What has been agreed about the Olympics?

If the plans are realised, a hundreds-strong North Korean delegation - including 230 cheerleaders, 140 orchestral musicians and 30 taekwondo athletes - could attend the Winter Olympics.

South Korean supporters wave "reunification" flags for the North Korean football team during a match between South and North Korea at the East Asian Football Championship in Jeonju, Seoul, 4 August 2005Image copyrightAFP

Image caption

The "reunited" flag symbolises aspirations in both the North and South to end the nearly seven decades of division

It will mean the opening of the cross-border road for the first time in almost two years.

The two countries have also agreed to field a joint team for the sport of women's ice hockey. It would be the first time athletes from both Koreas have competed together.

The Games will take place in February in Pyeongchang.

The North has also agreed to send a smaller, 150-member delegation to the Paralympics in March.

The agreement will have to be approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting on Saturday, because North Korea has missed registration deadlines or failed to qualify.

South Korea will also need to find ways to host the North Korean delegation without violating UN Security Council sanctions outlawing cash transfers to Pyongyang and blacklisting certain senior North officials.

Winter Olympics: How good is North Korea at sport?

North Korea: A sporting history of bombs and diplomacy

North Korea's cheerleading charm offensive

What has the reaction been in South Korea?

South Korea's hockey coach and conservative newspapers have expressed concern about the prospect of a united hockey team, saying it could damage South Korea's chances of winning a medal.

Tens of thousands of people are said to have signed online petitions urging President Moon Jae-in to scrap the plan.

But the liberal leader told South Korean Olympic athletes on Wednesday that the North's participation in the Games would help improve inter-Korean relations.

How did the deal come about?

The talks came after tensions on the Korean peninsula reached their highest point in decades.

This is because North Korea has made rapid advances in its nuclear and conventional weapons programmes in recent years.

Its latest ballistic missile test, in November, sparked a series of fresh sanctions from the UN targeting petrol shipments and travel.

Soon afterwards North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he was "open to dialogue". In a New Year speech, he said he was considering sending a team to the Winter Olympics.

The breakthrough announcement that the North would be sending a delegation came on 9 January.

It was also agreed that a military hotline between the nations, suspended for nearly two years, would be reinstated.

Could the Olympics help peace talks?

Analysts say the sudden and dramatic change after months of tension between the Koreas is a positive sign. But few believe Pyongyang has any intention of giving up its nuclear arsenal or halting tests.

Experts say Kim Jong-un has become increasingly fearful that the US is planning a military strike against him, and has decided he must do something to de-escalate tensions.

South Korea's president must try to engage the North in genuine dialogue, while not upsetting his very sceptical American ally.

It remains to be seen whether the inter-Korean talks can provide a starting point for tackling bigger problems - there may be a lull during the Olympics, but what happens after that is far from clear.

Previous efforts at rapprochement - notably the Sunshine Policy 20 years ago - did not lead to peace.