Government shutdown could become longest ever as Trump says he ‘won’t be extorted’ by Democrats
By Mary Clare Jalonick
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government shutdown is poised to become the longest ever this week as the impasse between Democrats and Republicans has dragged into a new month. Millions of people stand to lose food aid benefits, health care subsidies are set to expire and there are few real talks between the parties over how to end it.
President Donald Trump said in an interview aired on Sunday that he “won’t be extorted” by Democrats who are demanding negotiations to extend the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies. Echoing congressional Republicans, the president said on CBS’ “60 Minutes” he’ll negotiate only when the government is reopened.
Trump said Democrats “have lost their way” and predicted they’ll capitulate to Republicans.
“I think they have to,” Trump said. “And if they don’t vote, it’s their problem.”Trump’s comments signal the shutdown could drag on for some time as federal workers, including air traffic controllers, are set to miss additional paychecks and there’s uncertainty over whether 42 million Americans who receive federal food aid will be able to access the assistance. Senate Democrats have voted 13 times against reopening the government, insisting they need Trump and Republicans to negotiate with them first.
Famine spreads to two more areas in Sudan, global hunger authority says
By Samy Magdy
CAIRO (AP) — Famine has spread to two regions of war-torn Sudan, including a major city in Darfur where paramilitary fighters have been rampaging, a global hunger monitoring group said Monday, as the war has created the world’s largest humanitarian disaster.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the leading international authority on hunger crises, said famine has been detected in el-Fasher in Darfur and Kadugli town in South Kordofan province. Twenty other areas in Darfur and Kordofan, where fighting has intensified in recent months, are also at risk of famine, according to the IPC.
El-Fasher had been under siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for 18 months, cutting off much food and other supplies to tens of thousands of people. Last week, RSF fighters seized el-Fasher, reportedly unleashing attacks that killed hundreds, though the scope of violence is unclear as communications are poor.Kadugli town also has been under RSF siege for months with tens of thousands of people trapped, as the paramilitary group tries to seize more territory from its rival, the Sudanese military.
Powerful 6.3 earthquake hits northern Afghanistan, killing 20 and damaging historic Blue Mosque
By Abdul Qahar Afghan and Siddiqullah Alizai
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook northern Afghanistan before dawn Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 640 others, as well as damaging the historic Blue Mosque, officials said.
The numbers of people killed or injured could rise, officials said.
In the town of Khulm, near the epicenter, people dug through the rubble of collapsed mud brick homes with shovels and picked through debris to salvage what belongings they could.
Local resident Ahmad Zia said the air was polluted from all the dust that rose from the ruins of houses. “We pulled the bodies of two people from the rubble, and their funerals will be held today,” he said.
Footage on social media from Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, showed several bricks had fallen from the walls of the Blue Mosque but the structure remained intact. The centuries-old site, one of Afghanistan’s most revered religious landmarks, is a major gathering place during Islamic and cultural festivals.
