Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Friday.
The House voted to avert a government shutdownThe House approved legislation tonight to avert a government shutdown roughly six hours before it was set to begin. A majority of lawmakers in both parties voted to extend funding for the federal government into mid-March and approve disaster relief for parts of the nation still reeling from storms. The bill moved to the Democrat-controlled Senate for a vote expected this evening. The outlook in the chamber was unclear, though top lawmakers predicted that senators were likely to accept what the House passed and avoid a crisis. Here's the latest. The vote in the House came after some last-minute chaos: An earlier bipartisan spending deal was abandoned after Donald Trump demanded that Congress also increase the debt limit. That led to a revolt in the House, which yesterday rejected a bill to fund the government. As the shutdown loomed, Speaker Mike Johnson agreed today to move forward with a slimmed-down deal that does not address the debt ceiling. It was the kind of maneuvering that often happens as Christmas nears, our correspondent Catie Edmondson told me. "There tends to be a little bit of holiday magic when the lawmakers desperately want to go home for the holidays," she said. In order to placate Trump, Republicans discussed raising the borrowing cap early next year as part of a broad tax cut measure.
A driver rammed a German Christmas market, killing 2A driver plowed a vehicle into a Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg in central Germany this evening, killing at least two people and injuring more than 65 others, 14 of them severely. The driver, identified as a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian citizen, was arrested, the authorities said. They said they believe it was a deliberate attack. More than 1,000 Christmas markets pop up every year in Germany, and have been targeted by terrorists before. In 2016, an extremist rammed a truck into a crowd in Berlin, killing 13. Since then, the police have secured many of the markets with temporary barriers.
Canada's leader suffered another setbackPrime Minister Justin Trudeau appears to be losing his grip on power. The head of a party who has backed Trudeau released a scathing open letter today calling the prime minister a failed leader and vowing to bring down the government. Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the New Democratic Party who wrote the letter, promised to bring a motion to defeat Trudeau's government after Parliament returns from holiday break next month. The move could force an immediate general election. For more: Here's why so many Canadians have turned on Trudeau.
Despite the panic over drones, Amazon is leaning inIn New Jersey, concerned residents have reported thousands of drone sightings over the past few weeks (many were just planes). Meanwhile in Phoenix, Amazon is trying to prove that little flying robots are a good way to deliver packages. Our tech columnist, Kevin Roose, recently tried Amazon's overhauled drone delivery program. He was impressed. But it was also clear to him that the anxiety in New Jersey was not to be ignored: People are still skeptical about drones. More top news
Can you recognize the biggest names of 2024?A lot happened in 2024: There was the presidential election, the wars in the Middle East and the Summer Olympics in Paris. How well do you remember the year's defining personalities? Test yourself with the faces quiz. We'll show you photos of 52 people; you tell us their names.
Looking for a last-minute gift? Consider a book.For those who exchange gifts for Christmas or Hanukkah, time is running short. One option is to check out my colleagues' favorite books of the year. For more, the Book Review picked the 10 best books of the year, and readers shared their recommendations.
Your holiday traditionsAs the holidays approach, we asked readers about the traditions they are most looking forward to this year. Thank you to everyone who wrote in. Today, we are featuring the first reader contribution and will include more in our upcoming newsletters. As kids, my mom would hide a pickle ornament on the tree after we went to sleep on Christmas Eve to decide who would get to open the first present the next morning. Now I'm 21 and my sister is 17, and I'm still looking forward to beating her at the Pickle Hunt. — Lauren Radicchi, Pawling, N.Y. This one was particularly fun because my family also hides a pickle ornament on our Christmas tree. If you want to share your favorite tradition, tell us about it here.
Dinner table topics
Cook: This cheese puff is the ultimate comfort food. Sip: 'Tis the season for ponche crème, a Trinidadian twist on eggnog. Watch: "Laid" is acerbic, raunchy and fun, our critic writes. Gaze: The Ursids, the last major meteor shower of the year, reaches its peak tomorrow night. Prepare: Weather may snarl holiday travel. See what's coming your way. Decorate: Here's how to make a Festivus pole like you're Frank Costanza. Compete: Take this week's news quiz. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.
The Griswold house's power billIn the 1989 holiday classic, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," Clark Griswold impresses his family with a blinding display of 25,000 twinkle lights at his house. The scene has made some viewers wonder: How much power would that take? After rewatching the movie this year, we found some answers. It turns out there's no way a typical home could have powered so many lights in the 1980s. And even if the Griswolds found a way, it would have cost about $287 a day or $8,885 per month. If they used modern LEDs, it would still cost the family about $34 a day or $1,054 a month. Have a dazzling weekend. Thanks for reading. I'll be back on Monday. — Matthew Anna Ruch was our photo editor today. We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.
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