Baton Rouge news

• Thousands rally in US for workers, immigrants, against Trump

  01-05-2017 21:24
  
  NEW YORK - Thousands of people from New England to the Midwest to the West Coast chanted, picketed and protested Monday as demonstrations raged against President Donald Trump's immigration policies along with the traditional May Day marching in favor of labor.Protesters flooded streets in Chicago. At the White House gates, they demanded "Donald Trump has got to go!"And in Portland, Oregon, police shut down a protest they said had become a riot, as marchers began throwing smoke bombs and other it
  
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• EBRSO deputy one of two injured in two-vehicle crash on I-12

  01-05-2017 21:16
  
  BATON ROUGE - A crash involving an East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office deputy cruiser and another vehicle resulted in two injuries Monday evening.According to sources, the two vehicle crash occurred on I-12 near the Millerville exit ramp. One EBRSO deputy was transported to a local hospital and is reported to be in stable condition, according to sources. Another individual was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening&a
  
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• Body found last week positively ID'd as missing teen hiker

  01-05-2017 20:57
  
  GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. - A body found last week has been positively identified as that of a 14-year-old hiker who went missing more than two weeks ago while in the bottom of the Grand Canyon during a family trip.The Coconino County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Monday that the body was that of Jackson Standefer of Chattanooga, Tennessee.But they say the teen's cause of death and manner of death still are pending.The boy was crossing a creek on April 15 when he and his step-grand
  
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• FDA postpones rules for calorie labels on menus

  01-05-2017 20:29
  
  WASHINGTON - Customers looking for calorie labels on restaurant menus and grocery store displays will have to wait another year.The Food and Drug Administration has decided to delay calorie labeling rules set to go into effect this week.The law was originally passed as part of the health care overhaul in 2010. It requires restaurants and other establishments that sell prepared foods and have 20 or more locations to post the calorie content of food.Supermarkets and other businesses opposed to the
  
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• NKorea says it will speed up nuke program in response to US

  01-05-2017 20:25
  
  UNITED NATIONS - North Korea's Foreign Ministry says the country will speed up measures to bolster its nuclear program "at the maximum pace" in response to the new U.S. policy that calls for new sanctions and "maximum pressure and engagement."A statement from the Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday that was circulated by North Korea's U.N. Mission says the government is ready to respond to any option taken by the United States.It says that during recent U.S.-South Korean military drills, "U.S.
  
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• More congressional disaster aid could be headed to Louisiana

  01-05-2017 20:21
  
  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana is slated to share in a $400 million pool of disaster funding included in the congressional spending bill to fund government operations through September.Gov. John Bel Edwards' says the disaster aid, if approved by Congress, would be split among Louisiana, California, West Virginia and North Carolina. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development would decide how to divvy up the dollars.Whatever Louisiana's portion, it would be added to $1.6 billion in federal bloc
  
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• Man wanted for stealing firearms from Livingston Parish home

  01-05-2017 19:59
  
  HOLDEN - Detectives with the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office are seeking a suspect in connection to a home burglary.According to LPSO, the burglary occurred Thursday in the 32000 block of Highway 1036 in Holden. Deputies say the suspect used a pry bar to gain entance to the home. Once inside, the suspect stole a handgun, a shotgun, ammunition, and an unopened package containing cleaning supplies.Security cameras caught the suspect in the act as he loaded the stolen items into his veh
  
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• House lawmakers reverse plans to raise legislative spending

  01-05-2017 19:33
  
  BATON ROUGE - Lawmakers are scaling back plans to boost their budget by nearly $11 million next year.Though Louisiana continues to face budget shortfalls, state legislative leaders initially weren't proposing to cut their own agencies. The budget bill they introduced would have increased legislative agency spending in the financial year that begins July 1 to the level in place before they took any reductions.But the House Appropriations Committee reworked that proposal Monday. The committee cut
  
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• Large number of Blue Racer snakes spotted in Ascension Parish

  01-05-2017 18:41
  
  ASCENSION PARISH – The Blue Racer snake is common in some parts of Louisiana, however the warm temperature is bringing them out into the open.The snake is a very aggressive breed."They just have a bit of mean streak in them and they are one of few snakes that will chase people," Dr. Mark Mitchell, a veterinarian at LSU, said.Mitchell says that the snakes are not venomous, however they will attack."When they chase you down, they will try to bite, but most avoid them and then they go awa
  
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• Mo-Dad Utilities issuing credit, hosting rate workshops starting Tuesday

  01-05-2017 17:48
  
  DENHAM SPRINGS - A wastewater treatment company has been answering customer questions following an announcement of a rate increase. Customers say they aren't happy to be paying for the company's required improvements.Dewayne Masingale lives in the Arbor Walk subdivision of Denham Springs. He says he's upset that his sewer bill is now going to be more than his water bill. In the three years he's lived in his home, Masingale says Mo-Dad Utilities has made additions to their wastewater facility but
  
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• EBRSO to be awarded $1.5 million for flood recovery

  01-05-2017 16:38
  
  BATON ROUGE – The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office will be awarded $1.5 million from FEMA for flood recovery.Recovery assistance will help replace damaged equipment, vehicles and other items used for emergency preparedness measures. The funds are delegated through FEMA’s Public Assistance program.According to FEMA, the amount represents 90 percent of the federal share of the $1.61 million total project cost.FEMA’s Public Assistance program helps to repair
  
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• NWS confirms tornado touchdown in Zachary

  01-05-2017 16:23
  
  ZACHARY – An EF-0 tornado touched down in Zachary as storms moved through the area on Sunday morning.The National Weather Service confirmed that the tornado caused minor damage with winds of 70 miles per hour.The National Weather Service also confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down in Livonia during Sunday's storms, causing damage to a mobile home.Permalink| Comments
  
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• BRPD: Prominent BR attorney not implicated in wife's murder

  01-05-2017 15:59
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police have announced that DNA evidence failed to implicate Attorney Joel Porter in the 1985 murder of his wife, Denise Porter.  According to BRPD, the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab has tested all of the evidence from the crime scene that was submitted by police.  None of the evidence submitted implicated Joel Porter.  DNA testing by the State Police has identified the DNA profile of an unknown male on the clothing of Denise Porter. Joel Porte
  
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• Two arrested in strange home invasion scam in Tangipahoa Parish

  01-05-2017 15:32
  
  INDEPENDENCE - Deputies arrested two Tangipahoa Parish citizens after they reported a fake home invasion to authorities.According to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, 19-year-old Hannah Charbonnet and her ex-boyfriend, 20-year-old Alexander Fisher, fabricated the story of a home invasion at the residence of her current boyfriend and father of her child.Deputies responded to the home on Highway 442 in Independence regarding the alleged home invasion Friday afternoon.Authorities say Charbonn
  
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• Historic streetcar line to become wheelchair-accessible

  01-05-2017 15:26
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A federal court settlement requires New Orleans transit officials to make the city's historic St. Charles Streetcar line accessible to people in wheelchairs.The settlement was announced Monday in a news release from lawyers for three wheelchair users who filed the suit a year ago.The agreement calls construction at six stops on the roughly seven-mile route to make them wheelchair-accessible.No changes will be made to the familiar green 1920s-era streetcars on the line, which are no
  
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• Texas stabbings suspect is 21-year-old student

  01-05-2017 14:58
  
  AUSTIN, Texas - Police say a 21-year-old student is the suspect who was taken into custody in the stabbings of four fellow students at the University of Texas, one of whom died.University Police Chief David Carter identified the suspect as Kendrex J. White, who was armed with a hunting knife.Cater says the attacker did not resist when officers ordered him to the ground at gunpoint.Police say all the stabbings occurred within a one-block area. There was no immediate word about a possible motive.P
  
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• Authorities: 1 dead, several hurt in U. of Texas stabbings

  01-05-2017 14:58
  
  AUSTIN - Emergency responders say one person is dead and three others have been taken to a hospital with "potentially serious injuries" after a stabbing attack on the University of Texas campus.Austin police say one person is in custody Monday afternoon.Travis County Emergency Medical Services has tweeted that one person is dead at the scene near the campus' Gregory gym and three others have been transported. The agency notes there also are reports of additional patients with non-life-threatenin
  
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• Weight limit removed for southbound lanes of LA 1 bridge

  01-05-2017 14:50
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announced the load limit for the southbound lanes of the LA 1 Intracoastal Waterway Bridge has been rescinded.The load limit was lowered in both directions in late March due to deficiencies found during an inspection. The repairs for the southbound lanes were completed Monday.The load limit posting of 15-25 tons is still in effect for the northbound lanes and is expected to be lifted in mid-June. Louisiana State Police Weig
  
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• UPDATE: Dallas shooting began as neighbor dispute

  01-05-2017 14:31
  
  DALLAS - Dallas police say a shooting that critically wounded a paramedic started as a dispute between two neighbors.Interim Police Chief David Pughes said the suspected gunman was found dead in a Dallas home Monday as officers searched the neighborhood following the paramedic's shooting.Investigators say the paramedic was among those responding to a shooting reported in the neighborhood east of downtown around 11:30 a.m.Authorities say that as emergency responders treated a civilian who'd been
  
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• Dallas firefighter shot in active shooter situation

  01-05-2017 14:31
  
  DALLAS – Dallas police say a firefighter has been shot and is being transported to a local hospital.Dozens of police vehicles are swarming a residential neighborhood near Interstate 30. The Dallas Police Department tweeted that a member of Dallas Fire Rescue had been shot, but no details about the circumstances have been confirmed.Police said the firefighter was being taken to a hospital early Monday afternoon. Police say a spokesperson was on their way to the scene, though no other de
  
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• Body of suspected shooter found in Dallas; paramedic shot

  01-05-2017 14:31
  
  DALLAS – Dallas' mayor says two bodies have been found in a local home, including the body of a person suspected of shooting a paramedic.Mayor Mike Rawlings said during a news conference Monday that a police robot found the bodies as authorities scoured a Dallas neighborhood following the shooting.Authorities say the paramedic was shot and critically wounded while helping a shooting victim.Rawlings says the paramedic is out of surgery and in intensive care. The mayor says the civilian
  
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• Jimmy John's offering $1 subs Tuesday

  01-05-2017 14:15
  
  Jimmy John's is thanking customers Tuesday by offering $1 subs on their nationwide Customer Appreciation Day.The special promotion will begin 4 p.m. and end at 8 p.m. local time on May 2, 2017.Jimmy John’s will be offering their #1 through #6 subs plus the JJBLT for $1 plus tax. The specially priced subs are limited to one per person. The deal is good for in-store purchases only, the offer is not valid for online ordering. Sadly, you cannot have $1 subs delivered to your home or workpl
  
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• Jimmy John's offering $1 subs this Tuesday

  01-05-2017 14:15
  
  Jimmy John's is thanking customers Tuesday by offering $1 subs on their nationwide customer appreciation day.The special promotion will begin 4 p.m. and end at 8 p.m. local time on May 2, 2017.Jimmy John’s will be offering their #1 through #6 subs plus the JJBLT for $1 plus tax. The specially priced subs are limited to one per person. The deal is good for in-store purchases only, the offer is not valid for online ordering. Sadly, you cannot have $1 subs delivered to your home or workpl
  
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• White House: Conditions not right for Kim Jong Un meeting

  01-05-2017 14:00
  
  WASHINGTON - The White House says conditions aren't right for President Donald Trump to meet with Korean leader Kim Jong Un despite Trump's openness to that possibility in the future.Trump told Bloomberg he'd be open to a meeting under the right circumstances and that if it were appropriate, "I would be honored to do it."But White House spokesman Sean Spicer says he doesn't see that happening anytime soon. He says Kim would have to show signs of "good faith." But Spicer isn't elaborating on exac
  
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• State regulation of Uber, Lyft advances to full House debate

  01-05-2017 13:57
  
  BATON ROUGE - Lawmakers are moving forward with a bill to make Louisiana the 43rd state in the nation to regulate ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft at the state level.Without objection Monday, a House committee advanced the measure, which would see the state and local municipalities share 1 percent of each fare. The bill next will be considered on the House floor.Putting aside a tense business rivalry, representatives from Uber and Lyft were united in arguing their apps could start ser
  
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• House GOP leaders unveil their version of Louisiana budget

  01-05-2017 13:55
  
  BATON ROUGE - House Republican lawmakers are advancing a rewritten budget proposal that would spend hundreds of millions less next year than Gov. John Bel Edwards wants. The spending plan would protect the TOPS college tuition program by making cuts to health care.The more than $28 billion operating budget proposal received backing from the House Appropriations Committee in a 17-5 vote Monday.The plan would spend $235 million less in state tax dollars than an income forecasting panel projects Lo
  
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• Speakers stolen from Tiger Band Hall observational tower

  01-05-2017 13:10
  
  BATON ROUGE – LSU Police are investigating after speakers were reportedly stolen from the Tiger Band Hall on Aster Street.According to the LSU crime log, speakers were taken from outside the band’s observation tower. Additional details about the burglary are limited at this time.The Tiger Band Hall practice field is located on the north side of LSU’s campus near the intersection of Highland Road and West Roosevelt Street.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Coroner identifies drowned teen in Lake Pontchartrain

  01-05-2017 12:39
  
  MANDEVILLE- The St. Tammany Parish Coroner's Office says they've identified a teenager who drowned in Lake Pontchartrain.News outlets report that 15-year-old Chandler Byrd has been identified by the coroner's office Sunday after he drowned the previous day.The city of Mandeville said in a news release that the teenager jumped into the lake from the fishing pier at Sunset Point to recover a hat blown off his head by strong winds.Mandeville police and St. Tammany Fire District IV responded to the
  
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• Filing: Tossing conviction would reward Hernandez for dying

  01-05-2017 12:37
  
  BOSTON - Prosecutors have asked a judge to reject a request by attorneys for ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez to dismiss his murder conviction.In court documents filed Monday, prosecutors argue that dismissing the conviction would reward Hernandez for his "conscious, deliberate and voluntary act" of suicide.Hernandez was convicted of first-degree murder in Lloyd's 2013 killing. The former New England Patriots tight end hanged himself in prison last month, five days after being acquitted in a separate
  
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• DA: Tossing ex-NFL star's murder conviction seen as reward

  01-05-2017 12:37
  
  BOSTON - Prosecutors have asked a judge to reject a request by attorneys for ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez to dismiss his murder conviction.In court documents filed Monday, prosecutors argue that dismissing the conviction would reward Hernandez for his "conscious, deliberate and voluntary act" of killing semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd.Hernandez was convicted of first-degree murder in Lloyd's 2013 killing. The former New England Patriots tight end died of an apparent suicide in prison
  
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• Protest crowd grows at Jefferson Davis monument in New Orleans

  01-05-2017 12:36
  
  NEW ORLEANS - A protest with a mix of Confederate monument supporters and opponents gathered around the base of the Jefferson Davis monument in New Orleans.According to The Advocate, police detained one individual near the monument in Mid-City where more than a dozen law enforcement officials are standing by.A number of individuals were seen carrying firearms, according to The Advocate.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Appeals court won't reconsider net neutrality ruling

  01-05-2017 12:36
  
  WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court says it won't reconsider its ruling to uphold the government's "net neutrality" rules that require internet providers to treat all online traffic equally.The decision on Monday means the rules favored by consumer groups but despised by telecom companies will remain in place for now. But the Trump administration has signaled that it intends to scrap the Obama-era policy.A divided three-judge panel ruled last year to preserve regulations that ban service provid
  
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• Two rescued from sinking vessel in Atchafalaya Bay

  01-05-2017 12:25
  
  NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard says two people were rescued after their fishing boat started sinking in the Atchafalaya Bay Sunday.The Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report at 10:02 p.m. of the fishing vessel David Boy taking on water after striking a piling. A MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew was dispatched and were hoisted to safety.A Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries boat crew then transferred the two survivors to emergency medical services.Permalink| Comments
  
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• NY zoo's baby giraffe named Tajiri, Swahili for hope

  01-05-2017 12:09
  
  HARPURSVILLE - The baby giraffe born at an upstate New York zoo to internet star April has a name.Animal Adventure Park owner Jordan Patch announced Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America" that the male calf born April 15 has been named Tajiri (tah-JEER'-ee), a Swahili word that means hope.The name was the winning entry in the zoo's online contest. The giraffe will be called "Taj" for short.The zoo's live stream of April's pregnancy was the second most live-viewed channel in YouTube's history, wi
  
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• Trump makes puzzling claim about Andrew Jackson, Civil War

  01-05-2017 12:08
  
  NEW YORK - President Donald Trump made a puzzling claim about Andrew Jackson and the Civil War in an interview.Speaking to The Washington Examiner, Trump wonders why issues "could not have been worked out" in order to prevent the bloody conflict. Trump praises the accomplishments of Jackson, the populist president he has cited as a role model.He makes the puzzling claim that Jackson "was really angry that he saw what was happening in regard to the Civil War." But Jackson died in 1845, and the Ci
  
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• Ryan Seacrest joins Kelly Ripa on 'Live'

  01-05-2017 12:05
  
  NEW YORK - Ryan Seacrest is becoming a regular on morning television, adding his name to Kelly Ripa's on the chat show "Live with Kelly."He was announced on Monday, a year after Michael Strahan exited the show for "Good Morning America." The way Strahan's departure was handled so annoyed Ripa that she skipped the show for two days in protest.She has worked with guest co-hosts like Jerry O'Connell, Fred Savage and Andy Cohen since then, a stretch of uncertainty that led some to wonder with Ripa r
  
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• SpaceX launches top-secret spy satellite for US government

  01-05-2017 08:19
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX has launched a top-secret spy satellite for the U.S. government.The unmanned Falcon 9 rocket lifted off Monday morning from its NASA-leased pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It hoisted a classified satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office.Several minutes into the flight, the first stage booster - its job done - aimed for a touchdown at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. SpaceX strives to return most of its first-stage boosters for reuse.This was the fourth Sp
  
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• Trump promotes revamped health care bill

  01-05-2017 08:17
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is promoting a revamped health care overhaul effort after failing to advance legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act in his first three months in office.Trump tweeted Sunday that a "new healthcare plan is on its way," promising lower premiums and protection for people with pre-existing conditions.The House did not vote last week on a renewed effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Health Care Act, but the White House remains hopeful actio
  
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• Lawmakers agree on $1T plan government-wide funding bill

  01-05-2017 08:10
  
  WASHINGTON - Congressional Republicans and Democrats have reached agreement on a huge $1 trillion-plus spending bill that would fund most government operations through September, but denies President Donald Trump money for a southern border wall and rejects his proposed cuts to popular domestic programs.Aides to lawmakers involved in the talks disclosed the agreement Sunday night after weeks of negotiations. The measure, which is expected to be made public early Monday, would fund the day-to-day
  
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• Body found in storm drain on dead-end street in New Orleans

  01-05-2017 08:08
  
  NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans police are investigating after a body was discovered in a storm drain.Police spokesman Juan Barnes said the body was found Sunday evening in the 7th Ward.NOLA.com ' The Times-Picayune reports that the storm drain is in a desolate dead-end under Interstate 10, near two stripped and abandoned cars.Sewerage & Water Board technicians and firefighters fought termites as they dug out the drain and dropped down a ladder to retrieve the body.Barnes said the coroner's office
  
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• Man charged with murder after Hooper Road shooting

  01-05-2017 07:38
  
  BATON ROUGE – Police have arrested a man wanted in connection to a shooting on Hooper Road.Courtland Owens, 26, was arrested Monday and charged with second-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon.Baton Rouge Police believe Owens and Brandi Ayers, 24, were involved in an argument inside the residence where the shooting happened. Owens later turned himself in at the BRPD Fourth District Precinct.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Government shutdown avoided as Congressional Republicans, Dems strike $1T bipartisan deal

  01-05-2017 05:21
  
  Top Capitol Hill negotiators reached a hard-won agreement on a huge $1 trillion-plus spending bill that would fund the day-to-day operations of virtually every federal agency through September, aides said Sunday night.
  
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