Feb 7, 2018

House passes short-term spending bill ahead of Thursday's deadline

Photo: Win McNamee / Getty Images

The House passed a short-term spending bill on Tuesday in a 245-182 vote to fund the government through March 23, staving off a potential government shutdown on Thursday night.

Why it matters: The real challenge, as we've seen, is in the Senate. And per NPR, the Senate "is likely to change the deal before passing it." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday that he's "optimistic...we'll be able to reach an agreement."

At the White House: Trump said earlier on Tuesday that he'd "love to see a shutdown" if Democrats can't get behind his immigration framework.

But, but, but: Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told the press an hour later that Trump "isn't looking for" a shutdown, and that he wants a long-term deal.

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Courtenay Brown

48 mins ago - Economy & Business

Unemployment rate falls to 13.3% in May

Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics; Chart: Axios Visuals

The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 13.3% in May, with 2.5 million jobs gained, the government said on Friday.

Why it matters: The far better-than-expected numbers show a surprising improvement in the job market, which has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.

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Dion Rabouin

1 hour ago - Economy & Business

The difficulty of calculating the real unemployment rate

Data: U.S. Department of Labor; Note: Initial traditional state claims from the weeks of May 23 and 30, continuing traditional claims from May 23. Initial PUA claims from May 16, 23, and 30, continuing PUA and other programs from May 16; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

The shocking May jobs report — with a decline in the unemployment rate to 13.3% and more than 2 million jobs added — destroyed expectations of a much worse economic picture.

Why it matters: Traditional economic reports have failed to keep up with the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic and have made it nearly impossible for researchers to determine the state of the U.S. labor market or the economy.

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Kendall Baker

2 hours ago - Sports

How coronavirus could reshuffle the sports calendar

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

The NBA's Board of Governors approved Thursday the league's 22-team plan to resume play at Walt Disney World — a plan that also includes tentative dates for both this season and next.

Why it matters: The league's proposed trip to Disney World not only impacts this season but could have a domino effect that impacts seasons in the future — and could permanently change what time of year the NBA plays its games.

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