President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice stepped in this week to try to stop former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin‘s legal team from an appeal effort. As highlighted by The Daily Wire, U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson on Monday approved the examination of George Floyd’s heart tissue and bodily fluids, paving a way for an appeal from Chauvin, who was found guilty in the contentious and highly-publicized case concerning Floyd’s death. Now, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota are trying to reverse that ruling, Fox News reported. In a motion filed Tuesday, the state is arguing that Chauvin has “no legal basis for [his] discovery requests, all of which stem solely from an email he received from an unvetted doctor offering a weaker version of the medical defense than the version that the jury had previously rejected at his state trial.” A day earlier, a motion filed by Chauvin’s new defense attorney, Robert Meyers, asked Judge Magnuson to explore samples taken during Floyd’s autopsy on the basis that Chauvin was given “ineffective assistance of counsel” under his last attorney, Eric Nelson. Meyers noted that Dr. William Schaetzel, a Kansas-based forensic pathologist, told Nelson before conviction that he believed Floyd died from heart failure due to an excessive release of catecholamines, not from Chauvin’s actions, ABC5 reported. However, Nelson never discussed this with Chauvin. Judge Magnuson agreed, writing in his order, “Nelson provided ineffective assistance of counsel to Mr. Chauvin by failing to consult with him on this issue.” CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Floyd, who suffered from heart disease and hypertension and had fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system at the time of his death, did not die until he was at a nearby hospital. Chauvin, who has already been stabbed in prison, has been trying to appeal the conviction. In 2023, attorney William Mohrman filed an appeal at the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing, in part, that Chauvin was denied the right to a fair trial. However, the high court refused to hear the appeal. “Under the Sixth Amendment of the U. S. Constitution, every criminal defendant is guaranteed a right to a fair trial,” Mohrman told The Daily Wire at the time. “And part of that fair trial right is not to be tried in a location where the jurors have either been exposed to extensive pre-trial publicity, or there has been such community outrage and the like that the jurors, before they even were impaneled before the trial, would have concluded the defendant’s guilty, or would have been pressured into rendering a guilty verdict.” Related: Chauvin’s Legal Team Allowed Avenue For Appeal, Will Examine George Floyd’s Heart Tissue

A Christian pro-life father of 11 described before Congress on Wednesday the armed FBI raid on his home in Tennessee after the Biden administration brought charges against him over a peaceful pro-life protest. Paul Vaughn, of Centerville, Tennessee, appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on the Constitution and Limited Government on Wednesday to speak about his experience being prosecuted by the Justice Department under the FACE Act. The FACE Act is a Clinton-era law that was supposedly to protect both abortion facilities and churches from violence. In practice, the law has been used by the Biden administration to prosecute peaceful pro-life activists across the country. The FBI arrested Vaughn on October 5, 2022, after he was involved in a peaceful protest at the Carafem abortion facility in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, in March 2021, where protesters prayed and sang Christian hymns. Vaughn was charged with violating the FACE Act and engaging in a conspiracy against rights, a Reconstruction-era charge meant to crack down on violence by the Ku Klux Klan. “My house was assaulted, my wife and children were terrorized, and I was kidnapped at gunpoint by four armed men,” Vaughn told lawmakers of the arrest. “I had just sent three of my children to the car so I could take them to school when the house began to shake from a loud banging near the front door. I heard men shouting from my front porch, ‘Open up! FBI!’” Vaughn said that he saw two unmarked SUVs with flashing lights outside his home and men with automatic rifles and a pistol aimed at his door. “I opened the curtains on my front door to find three men with guns trained on the front door,” he said, adding that the federal agents did not identify themselves. “I later learned at the same time three of my children, ages 12, 14, and 18, were being detained in the side yard on the edge of the woods by a fourth armed man. I was taken without the presentation of a warrant or identification when requested. Make no mistake: this was an armed conflict and I was unarmed. Lethal force was abused to abridge my God-given and constitutionally secured rights.” Vaughn said that the FACE Act was passed as a tool to “stifle free speech and abuse the rights of Christian conservatives.” Data show that 97% of all prosecutions of the FACE Act since its inception have been against pro-lifers. Under Biden, the Justice Department has brought 24 FACE Act cases with all but two coming against pro-life activists. CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE “The FACE Act was ostensibly passed because of violence. But as my family knows very well, all it did was give violence the cover of law and place it in the hands of the government,” Vaughn said. Paired with the felony conspiracy charge, the activists have faced over a decade in prison and hundreds of thousands in fines. Multiple pro-lifers are currently serving prison sentences, including Cal Zastrow, one of Vaughn’s co-defendants in Tennessee. Vaughn, who was convicted in January, was sentenced over the summer to three years of supervised release and has been prohibited from leaving the Middle District of Tennessee. He was given a special exception to travel to D.C. for the hearing. Other testimony during the hearing came from Alliance Defending Freedom lawyer Erin Hawley and Thomas More Society lawyer Steve Crampton, who has served as lawyer for many of the pro-life defendants prosecuted under Biden. The hearing was led by Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Dan Bishop (R-NC). Roy has consistently called for the FACE Act to be repealed and demanded that the Justice Department keep its records of the pro-life prosecutions.

“Five for Fighting” lead singer John Ondrasik dropped a hilarious new hockey song about Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and its gaining popularity. “My musical submission to the Canadian House of Commons deliberating the fate of @JustinTrudeau @OurCommons,” the 59-year-old singer captioned his post on Monday on X. It included a clip of his song with lyrics suggesting that the country would be better served if it picked a leader that had at least played ice hockey, which is the official national winter sport of Canada. “Justin Trudeau wants you to know that he never played hockey,” the opening line of the song goes. “Justin Trudeau has got to go. It’s damn clear he never played hockey.” In one line, the singer notes that, “Totalitarian parliamentarians, they have no mind to skate. Their only love, their hate. They’ll freeze your bank account. The mounties they will mount to trample on your rights like Fidel [Castro.]” My musical submission to the Canadian House of Commons deliberating the fate of @JustinTrudeau. ?? ?? ?? ? @OurCommons pic.twitter.com/qzxRk6Zijk — John Ondrasik (@johnondrasik) December 17, 2024 The lead singer then uses a lyric from the country’s national anthem “O Canada.” “O Canada, he’s not part of a team,” he sings, as he includes hockey terms like how Trudeau never “ate a puck” or performed “a Gordie Howe Hat Trick.” The song ends with the line, “Justin Trudeau has got to go. Get someone who played hockey.” Speaking to The Daily Wire about the new song, Ondrasik released a statement that read, “When Trudeau said he would arrest Bibi [Netanyahu] if he came to Canada, it was time he got his song. Playing hockey should be a requirement for any Prime Minister whether he’s related to Castro or not.” At the time of this publication, the post has been viewed nearly 350,000 times and counting. CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Actor Kevin Sorbo was one of the many people who commented on the song on social media, writing, “Ha ha ha, love this.” Another person wrote, “Try to imagine a Canadian boy who never played hockey. I can’t do it. Canada! You are a great nation! Find a new leader who has at least played hockey. Justine has never scored a goal nor made an assist. Totalitarians are not team players.” Related: ‘The World Has Gone Mad’: Five For Fighting Lead Singer John Ondrasik On Why He Wrote ‘OK (We Are Not OK)’

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Love it or hate it, Christmas music is an inescapable part of the holiday season. For some, it’s a source of nostalgia and joy, while for others, hearing Jingle Bells for the hundredth time feels more like a test of patience. But what does science say about the impact of festive music on our mood and health? It turns out, your reaction to holiday tunes might reveal more than just your taste in music. How holiday music affects the brain Music has a unique ability to influence nearly every part of the brain, especially those related to memory and emotion. “When people listen to music they like, we find lots of interesting activity in the parts of the brain that deal with pleasure, emotion, and reward,” explains Robert Zatorre, Ph.D., chair of the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University. While Zatorre’s studies haven’t focused specifically on festive music, his research shows that listening to music you enjoy can reduce stress and elevate your mood. “If someone is a fan of Christmas music, it could indeed have a positive physiological effect,” he adds. Holiday tunes often have an uplifting structure that enhances these effects. “Christmas music is typically in a major key,” says Ronald Borczon, professor emeritus of music at California State University, Northridge. “Music in a major key is most often associated with positive feelings, compared to music in a minor key, which is linked to sadness.” In fact, a Danish study from 2022 suggests that festive music may even lower blood pressure levels while boosting the “Christmas spirit.” The healing power of nostalgia Holiday music’s ability to evoke strong emotions often comes from its connection to cherished memories. Daniel J. Levitin, professor emeritus of psychology at McGill University, explains that the serotonin boost we get from nostalgic memories can help reduce anxiety and improve overall well-being. A 2012 study in the Journal of Consumer Research found that people actively revisit experiences—like listening to Christmas songs or watching favorite holiday movies—because they anticipate the same positive emotions they’ve felt before. “When you hear Bing Crosby’s White Christmas, it can transport you to moments of childhood joy,” says Levitin. This is why we repeatedly watch Elf or listen to All I Want for Christmas Is You—we’re seeking that familiar sense of happiness and comfort. When Christmas music backfires But not everyone feels warm and fuzzy when Silent Night starts playing. For those who dislike Christmas music, the effects can be the opposite, Zatorre explains. “If people hate Christmas music, it could have a negative physiological impact instead.” Even for fans, too much of a good thing can turn sour. “When music is played repetitively, it can go from pleasant to unpleasant—it crosses that threshold,” says Dean McKay, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Fordham University. Retailers take note: blasting Deck the Halls in October might do more harm than good. McKay suggests that context matters. “If Christmas music is played within the North American societal boundaries of the day after Thanksgiving to the day after Christmas, most people associate it with the joyous mood of the season,” he says. Finding your holiday groove So, should you lean into the sounds of the season? That depends. If holiday music puts you in a good mood or helps you connect with fond memories, go ahead and press play. But if the tunes feel overwhelming or overplayed, don’t hesitate to turn them off—or at least take a break. The key is balance. Whether you’re a Christmas Carol enthusiast or a holiday tune skeptic, tuning into what feels good for your mental health can help you navigate the season with more joy. As Borczon puts it, “Music is deeply personal, and how it affects you depends on your relationship with it.”The post Are holiday tunes good for your health? Here’s what science says first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In a unanimous decision that champions environmental resilience, New Mexico’s Water Quality Control Commission voted to protect 250 miles of stream and river segments with the state’s highest water quality safeguards. This historic decision recognizes stretches of the Rio Grande, Rio Chama, Cimarron, Pecos, and Jemez rivers as Outstanding National Resource Waters (ONRW), ensuring that these lifelines remain uncontaminated by pollution. The 10-0 vote signifies a powerful commitment to the future of these critical ecosystems, shielding them from degradation caused by pollutants, heavy metals, temperature changes, and other environmental threats. “The water quality must maintain where it is, or get better,” said Steven Fry, policy specialist for Amigos Bravos, a Taos-based water conservation nonprofit. “It just limits what kind of pollution can be put into these streams moving forward.” Why this designation matters more than ever This ruling comes at an important time for water protection in the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Sackett v. EPA in June 2023 drastically weakened federal protections for intermittent rivers, streams, and wetlands without direct surface water connections. According to New Mexico state officials, this decision left almost 93 percent of the state’s waters exposed to pollution. The ONRW designation provides a crucial shield for these water bodies at the state level, offering a measure of protection against federal rollbacks. “Because of Sackett, so many New Mexico rivers and wetlands are at risk,” explained Tannis Fox, an attorney at the Western Environmental Law Center. “This is one more tool in the toolbox to protect waters in light of the federal restrictions.” Protecting natural and cultural treasures The newly protected segments of rivers span ecologically and culturally significant areas. Many are already known for their importance as wildlife habitats, community recreation areas, or vital resources for outdoor lovers. Congress classified some sections as Wild and Scenic Rivers, while others flow through state parks or wilderness regions. These regulations will be especially beneficial to trout habitats. “In light of Sackett, designations like this are actually more important than they used to be,” said Dan Roper, New Mexico state lead at Trout Unlimited. The ONRW classification also means that these rivers cannot be exposed to activities that harm their current water quality. Instead, any changes must maintain or improve present standards—a step that conservationists believe is critical for long-term ecological health. How it happened These protections did not materialize overnight. The New Mexico Environment Department launched the petition process in August 2023, with conservation organizations such as Amigos Bravos and Trout Unlimited on board. Public involvement and campaigning were critical in obtaining the Commission’s approval in December. This move builds on the state’s long history of protecting water. Since 2005, slightly over 1,700 miles of New Mexico streams and 8,300 acres of wetlands have been designated as ONRW, demonstrating the state’s dedication to preserving its natural resources. A model for local action As federal protections dwindle, New Mexico’s decision is an encouraging example of state-level effort. While federal regulations are in flux, local initiatives like this offer optimism for environmentalists and communities that rely on clean, healthy rivers. “The increased protections show New Mexico is making local decisions to address water quality after the state lost federal protections,” Roper pointed out. This judgment is a triumph for New Mexico’s rivers, as well as the towns, wildlife, and ecosystems they support. It is a lifeline.  The post 250 miles of New Mexico’s rivers get toughest safeguards against pollution first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

'As Christmas approaches, policymakers should consider granting relief to small businesses'

This downturn began after the Fed’s policy statement revealed expectations of only two interest rate cuts in 2025

We’re discussing a wacky syndicated sitcom that was tailor made for Remember That Show? It’s Out Of This World from 1987 featuring alien powers, 80’s hijinks and goofy guys galore. So stick your index fingers CONTINUE READING... The post Remember That Show? Ep. 26: Out Of This World appeared first on The Retro Network.

Paul Vaughn, a Christian father of 11 convicted under the Freedom of Clinic Access Act for praying outside an abortion clinic, testified Wednesday that the weaponization of the U.S. Justice Department against pro-lifers is more than a catchphrase to his family. It’s their life, he said. “Since my arrest, I’ve been restricted to the Middle District of Tennessee for over two years under the control and supervision of the federal government,” Vaughn testified during a House Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Revisiting the Implications of the FACE Act.” Paul Vaughn, the Christian father of 11 convicted for praying outside an abortion clinic, said the weaponization of the DOJ against pro-lifers is reality for his family. "I did not nothing outside Constitutionally protected free speech and freedom," he said. pic.twitter.com/XzV1LjMaUL— Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell (@TheElizMitchell) December 18, 2024 “My family spent 20 months of having a potential decade in prison hanging over their heads,” he told lawmakers. “We endured long, stressful days of the actual trial for the sake of government winning a case with no regard to actually seeking justice.” Vaughn was subjected to a SWAT-style FBI raid of his home in October 2022 in front of his wife and children. He later was charged under the FACE Act and another federal statute called “Conspiracy Against Rights.” Vaughn prayed and sung hymns, encouraged women seeking abortions to choose life, and spoke to police officers during a pro-life gathering March 2021 at a now-closed abortion facility in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. The Christian husband and father was sentenced to three years of supervised release and six months of home confinement after a federal jury trial and guilty verdict in Nashville. Vaughn told The Daily Signal that his sentence continues to be a daily challenge. “Right now, my 3-year-old is asking for me, staying with [a] big sister at their house, and our other kids are trying to do finals in the semester,” Vaughn said, and he has to reply that “your dad’s got to go out and speak to these people that raided us and talk about the case.” “It’s been a horrible ordeal,” he said. “It’s horrible for my children, but I know that God used this in our life.” But if he could go back to that fateful day when he praying outside the abortion clinic, Vaughn said, he wouldn’t do anything differently. “Our faith [in God] has grown, and our level of relationship with him has been greatly increased,” Vaughn told The Daily Signal. “There’s an element of knowing that God was doing something there that day, that all the things, all the events, all the media, all these interviews, all these committee hearings are part and parcel to that story, and it’s his story to tell.” Since 2021, the Biden-Harris administration’s Justice Department has brought criminal or civil cases under the FACE Act against at least 50 pro-life advocates, said Erin Hawley, a senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom. “I think Congress, as well as the American people, will recognize that justice needs to be equal for everyone. And the FACE Act has been enforced against 55 individuals, 50 of them pro-life; that’s simply unacceptable,” Hawley told The Daily Signal. “So at a minimum, it needs to be equal application.” Vaughn testified that he did nothing outside his constitutionally protected right to free speech and religious freedom. “I did nothing that day that I’ve not done many times since FACE was passed in 1994,” he said. He didn’t sit in the abortion clinic, Vaughn said. He broke no laws and wasn’t arrested, he said. But he did pray. “There is a lot of talk about violence around the issue of abortion,” Vaughn testified. Although honorable people denounce violence, he said, the pro-abortion narrative fails to account for three types of related violence. "There’s a lot of talk about violence around the issue of abortion," says Paul Vaughn, who the DOJ targeted for praying at an abortion clinic. 1?"There is violence committed against every unborn child"2?"There’s violence committed by aggravated fathers or other family members… https://t.co/fj9UYXZliR pic.twitter.com/HdZ3kyU6KC— Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell (@TheElizMitchell) December 18, 2024 “There is violence committed against every unborn child in every abortion,” Vaughn testified. “There is violence committed by aggravated fathers or other family members of aborted children. And there is violence being done to pro-lifers by our own government. Any serious conversation about violence going forward needs to include these three facts.” In 1994, Congress passed the Face Act and President Bill Clinton signed it into law to prevent violence, Vaughn said, but he and his family know the Fact Act now gives violence “the cover of law and places it in the hands of the government.” If the power to limit abortion has returned to the states because of the Supreme Court’s June 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, he said, so should laws governing abortion. “At this point, with the overturning of Roe and the long train of abuses [and] the unequal application of the FACE Act, there is no legitimate reason for it to remain on the books,” Vaughn testified. “It’s a tool whose sole purpose is to stifle free speech and abuse the rights of Christian conservatives.” “There is nothing that the FACE Act does that is not already accomplished by state laws across the land,” he said. The new Republican majority in the House and Senate effective Jan. 3 must stop the weaponization of the DOJ against pro-lifers, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said during the Wednesday hearing. Roy also called on the second Trump administration to pardon and commute the sentences of pro-lifers targeted by Biden’s Justice Department using the Face Act. In September 2023, Roy introduced a bill to repeal the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which “prohibits threats of force, obstruction and property damage intended to interfere with reproductive health care services.” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, soon introduced a Senate version of Roy’s House bill. Vaughn’s attorney, Stephen Crampton, told The Daily Signal that the process of being targeted by the DOJ is itself the punishment for many pro-lifers. “Take Mark Houck,” Crampton said, naming a pro-life activist who is a Catholic father of seven. “You get a ‘not guilty’ jury verdict, but look what he went through. And he said to this day, virtually all his family is still suffering kind of PTSD, even from seeing law enforcement. So, you know, the process itself is so horrific.” “And then, of course, the fact that most of the FACE offenders have been found guilty makes it even worse,” Crampton said. “Now you’re a convicted felon, arguably for the rest of your life.” .@WesleyHuntTX addresses the conviction of 89-year-old Eva Edl for pro-life activism."In Biden's America, you can escape a communist concentration camp and then come to America and be arrested for praying." pic.twitter.com/hFfeshO8X0— Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell (@TheElizMitchell) December 18, 2024 The post In House Hearing, Pro-Lifer Describes Post-Roe Weaponization of FACE Act appeared first on The Daily Signal.

DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Members of Congress are slated to receive a pay raise for the first time in 15 years if the massive spending bill released by House leaders Tuesday evening passes both chambers and is signed into law. The 1,574-page bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), contains language allowing for a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which would give members of Congress a pay raise for the first time since 2009. This pay increase for Congress comes as many lawmakers’ constituents are struggling to make ends meet as inflation has skyrocketed under President Joe Biden’s administration. Lawmakers currently earn a base salary of $174,000 annually with members in leadership receiving a higher salary. If Biden signs the CR into law, members of Congress are set to receive a maximum salary increase of $6,600 due to a 2025 COLA of 3.8%, according to a press release from Maine Democratic Rep. Jared Golden on Wednesday. The Maine Democrat is notably opposing the CR over the pay raise language in the bill. “Congress should be working to raise Americans’ wages and lower their health care costs, not sneaking new member perks into must-pass legislation behind closed doors,” Golden wrote in the press release. “If members can’t get by on our already generous salaries and benefits, they should find another line of work. As long as these provisions are in the CR, I will vote against it.” “Until the pay freeze is reinstated, I will not vote for this CR,” Golden added. The CR’s pay raise for members of Congress is just an adjustment to lawmakers’ base salary for the year 2025 and does not take into account every adjustment prescribed since 2009, according to analysis from the Congressional Research Service. If lawmakers had not routinely blocked language prohibiting their salaries from increasing with COLAs in annual spending bills, their 2024 base salary would be $243,000, according to the Congressional Research Service. “If Members of Congress had received every adjustment prescribed by the ECI formula since 1992, and the statutory limitation (2 U.S.C. §4501) regarding the percentage base pay increase for GS employees remained unchanged, the 2024 salary would be $243,300,” the Congressional Research Service wrote in an article on lawmakers’ salaries that was updated in September. In addition to Golden, Republican lawmakers have also pledged to vote against the CR, citing the pay raise provision. “So Congress is failing the American people AGAIN and giving themselves a raise in the process?” Republican Arizona Rep. Eli Crane wrote in a post on X Wednesday. “Can’t make this stuff up. I will be voting NO.” So Congress is failing the American people AGAIN and giving themselves a raise in the process?Can’t make this stuff up.I will be voting NO. https://t.co/qKB5SQyTPk— Rep. Eli Crane (@RepEliCrane) December 18, 2024 “Seems hypocritical to increase salaries for ‘sausage making,’” Republican Indiana Rep. Victoria Spartz told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement. “I understand if we would be governing.” Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy, who is leading the fight among conservative House Republicans to tank the CR, also acknowledged the irony of lawmakers receiving a pay raise when many Americans disapprove of Congress for failing to pass a balanced budget, cut spending, or secure the border. “It is difficult to go to the American people and explain why we’ve earned the right to even have that conversation [pay raise increases] when we’re failing,” Roy told reporters on Wednesday. “I think the American people might be like, all right, maybe pay raises make some sense, if you stop the day trading, if you do your job. How about you [Congress] pass a balanced budget? How about you stop spending more money we don’t have? How about you secure the border in the United States? And then, how about you not be day trading?” “And then talk to me about pay,” Roy added. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, torched the pay raise language in the CR, proposing a constitutional amendment that would appear to prohibit lawmakers from giving themselves a pay raise. “Proposed 28th amendment: ‘Congress shall make no law respecting the citizens of the United States that does not also apply to members of Congress themselves,’” DeSantis wrote on X on Wednesday. The CR also includes language that would allow lawmakers to opt out of Obamacare. Some advocates of giving lawmakers a pay raise cite the high cost of living in Washington, D.C., and the need to adjust lawmakers’ salaries due to the rise in inflation. Several spending bills passed by Congress in recent years, including the American Rescue Plan and the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, notably contributed to inflation, according to many economists and policy experts. “It’s good news,” Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin told CNN Wednesday during an interview in response to a question on whether he supported giving Congress a pay raise. “I think it’s about time something’s done.” Durbin, the second-ranking Senate Democrat, told the network that he was unaware about the pay raise provision in the CR. Rising rents and inflation have been a burden for Americans since Biden took office in 2021. Inflation under Biden has increased over 20%, with a sizeable share of that increase being attributed to cost-of-living expenses, including shelter and food. The CR will temporarily extend current government funding levels through March 14, 2025, by approving hundreds of billions in spending to avert a government shutdown set to occur Friday night. Conservative lawmakers immediately slammed House GOP leadership for allowing “reckless and unpaid spending” and an array of unrelated policy riders into the spending bill, dubbing the CR the “Christmas Cramnibus.” Lawmakers will likely have 72 hours or less to review the massive spending bill before voting on the package. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation The post Congress Sneaks Massive Pay Raise for Itself Into Spending Bill as Americans Struggle to Make Ends Meet appeared first on The Daily Signal.