Schumer signals GOP funding bill support as shutdown deadline nears

A key Senate Democrat says he will vote to support a House Republican budget bill to prevent a government shutdown. And an American Airlines flight catches fire in Denver, forcing nearly 200 passengers to evacuate onto the wing to escape flames and smoke. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, March 14, 2025.

Schumer says he’ll back GOP spending bill to avoid government shutdown

As a federal government shutdown approaches, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reversed his position on a Republican spending bill that would maintain government funding at its current level through September.

On Wednesday, Schumer spoke on the House floor, stating that the measure would not receive enough Democratic votes to help Republicans reach 60 and pass it. However, by Thursday, Schumer remarked that not passing the bill would be worse for Americans.

“For Donald Trump, a shutdown would be a gift. It would be the best distraction he could ask for from his awful agenda. Right now, Donald Trump owns the chaos in the government. He owns the chaos in the stock market. He owns the damage happening to our economy from one end of the country to the other,” Schumer said.

“I believe it is my job to make the best choice for the country to minimize the harms to the American people,” he continued. “Therefore, I will vote to keep the government open and not shut it down.”

Schumer’s support suggests that Republicans are likely to clear the 60-vote threshold required to pass the bill, but it does not guarantee that will happen.

At least seven Democrats will need to join with Republicans to send the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk before Friday’s 11:59 p.m. ET shutdown deadline.

Even with Schumer’s support, several Democratic senators have spoke out, stating they will not vote in favor of the stopgap.

Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock made it clear he’s among them, saying in a post on X, “The entire conversation around government funding is Washington at its worst. I cannot in good conscience vote for a bill that increases costs for Georgians, defunds care for service members, and slashes investments in education and healthcare.”

Both Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego also said no. Kelly said, “I cannot vote for the Republican plan to give unchecked power to Donald Trump and Elon Musk.”

Gallego also highlighted the president’s relationship with billionaire Elon Musk as part of his rationale for opposing the bill, stating, “I won’t stand by and allow Trump to gut resources for hardworking Arizonans all to give Elon and his friends a tax cut.”

If passed, the bill would cut non-defense spending by about $13 billion and boost defense spending by around $6 billion. The bill would also grant the Trump administration greater authority over how the funds are allocated.

A final vote is expected Friday.

Putin lays out terms for ceasefire agreement with Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he agrees to a U.S.-brokered 30-day ceasefire plan, but still has some important questions.

At a news conference Thursday, Putin suggested that Ukraine halt mobilization and any training of its troops, and that other nations stop supplying weapons to Kyiv during the ceasefire.

The news conference came as Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Moscow to brief Kremlin officials on the U.S.-backed peace plan.

Ukrainian officials have already accepted the ceasefire proposal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to Putin’s comments, accusing him of prolonging the negotiations rather than completely rejecting the deal.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has imposed additional sanctions on Russian oil, gas and banking sectors.

Trump urges SCOTUS to review birthright citizenship case

The legal battle over whether to end birthright citizenship in the United States heads to the Supreme Court.

Lawyers for Trump asked the Supreme Court on Thursday, March 13, to lift a nationwide pause on the president’s order ending birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants and foreign residents.

Critics of the president’s order, including legal experts, argued that it violates the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to anyone born in the U.S.

The Trump administration claimed that lower courts overstepped their bounds by issuing nationwide injunctions that blocked the policy.

Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris wants the court to restrict lower court injunctions to individuals or groups that sued regarding Trump’s executive order — and possibly to residents of the Democratic-led states that challenged it as well.

In the meantime, the president is reportedly expected to invoke a little-known 18th-century law that would expedite his mass deportation pledge.

The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 grants the president the authority to detain or deport the nationals and citizens of an enemy nation.

The Trump administration would use the law to target members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which the president designated as a foreign terrorist organization on his first day in office.

The U.S. has invoked the law three times — all during wartime, with the last instance occurring during World War II.

American Airlines plane catches fire after emergency landing in Denver

An American Airlines plane carrying 178 people from Colorado Springs to Dallas-Fort Worth was forced to make an emergency landing in Denver after the crew reported vibrations coming from the engine.

After the Boeing 737-800 landed around 5:15 p.m. local time, it caught fire while taxiing to the gate. Passengers were forced to stand on the wing to escape the danger as smoke poured from the aircraft.

A spokesperson for the airport said that a dozen individuals sustained minor injuries and were transported to the hospital.

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into the incident.

At least six high-profile plane incidents have occurred to start 2025, including a deadly mid-air collision between an American Airlines flight and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C.

In late January, a plane on a medical mission crashed into a neighborhood in Philadelphia just days later. Additionally, there were two deadly plane crashes in Arizona and one in Alaska.

Across the northern border, a Delta flight from Minneapolis skidded off the runway and flipped over while landing at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

Weekend storms to bring severe weather across US

The National Weather Service reported that a cross-country storm will intensify as it moves over the central U.S. on Friday, bringing extreme weather to millions through the weekend.

The system is developing to create a widespread and severe thunderstorm outbreak across the Mississippi Valley and the South on Friday afternoon, bringing the threat of tornadoes, damaging wind gusts and large hail.

On the northern side of the storm, its winds could generate blizzard-like conditions in the Midwest.

The tornado threat is expected to increase Saturday, March 15, with the Storm Prediction Center saying the South will experience the most destructive weather.

As millions prepare for these storms, there’s an increased wildfire threat. The Storm Prediction Center warned that winds will create extremely critical fire weather conditions from Texas through Kansas.

SpaceX to attempt Starliner launch again to bring stranded astronauts home

SpaceX announced it has fixed the hydraulic issue that delayed its Starliner mission Wednesday, March 12, and the crew is once again cleared for takeoff Friday night.

The mission, if successful, would bring two stranded American astronauts home from the International Space Station.

Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams have been stuck in space since June 2024, after launching on the Boeing Starliner for a weeklong mission. However, the Starliner returned without a crew in September 2024 due to several issues with the spacecraft.

The SpaceX mission will bring four new astronauts to the ISS.

SpaceX managers postponed the launch Wednesday, less than an hour before liftoff, due to a problem with a support clamp arm on the Falcon 9 rocket. The clamps hold the rocket on the pad; if they do not open evenly, the rocket could tip.

Friday’s launch is scheduled for 7:03 p.m. ET.