Gazette Daily News Briefing, September 30 and October 1
Welcome to the weekend!
This is Stephen Colbert from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I’m here with your update for Saturday, September 30th, and Sunday, October 1st, 2023.
According to the National Weather Service, Saturday will be Sunny, with a high near 90. Saturday night will be mostly clear, with a low around 66.
Sunday, will be sunny, with a high near 89, cooling to a low around 61 Sunday night.
Grassley, after Feinstein’s death, now oldest sitting U.S. senator
California U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein died Friday at 90. Her passing makes Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley, who turned 90 this month, now the oldest active senator.
Feinstein and Grassley were the top Democrat and Republican, respectively, on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017 and 2018, when Republicans had the majority.
Grassley and Feinstein clashed on a number of issues over the years, but also worked together on a number of issues and pieces of legislation over the years, including supports for human trafficking victims, combating drug trafficking, and addressing methamphetamine abuse.
House rejects bill to avoid government shutdown as deadline nears
Iowa’s all-Republican U.S. House delegation voted Friday on a failed last-ditch plan to keep the federal government temporarily open as the funding deadline nears.
Federal government funding expires after midnight on Saturday.
The U.S. House on Friday failed to pass a short-term spending measure, known as a continuing resolution, that would have kept the government funded for 30 days while cutting funding by 30 percent for all agencies except the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs.
The resolution also included a Republican measure to codify controversial Trump-era border policies that would make various changes to immigration law, including by imposing limits on asylum eligibility, which are a nonstarter with the Democratically-controlled Senate and White House.
The bill also called for the creation of a commission to study the federal debt. It would recommend changes to improve solvency for some programs, such as Medicare and Social Security.
Iowa police departments warn of phone scams
The Iowa City and Cedar Rapids Police Departments both posted on social media this week warning the public about common phone scams that have been popping up recently.
The post from the Cedar Rapids police says the department has received several calls recently from victims of what’s called a “grandparent scam.” This is a common scam used on older individuals. A caller claims to belong to a law enforcement agency out of town and tells the person being targeted that their grandchild is in trouble and they need money to release them, according to the post.
The scammers usually ask for money in the form of gift card numbers, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or cash. They make the situation sound urgent so the person being called will be less likely to slow down and think through what’s happening.
The department recommends talking to family members about this scam. If you get a call claiming your grandchild is in trouble, hang up and call your grandchild directly.
Have a good weekend, everyone.
