BBC News Briefing

19 December, 2024

Sofia has long, light-brown hair and is wearing a green top

Sofia Lotto Persio

Hello. A government shutdown is looming in the US after President-elect Donald Trump and his supporter Elon Musk raised opposition to a cross-party spending deal backed by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson. Max Matza and Rachel Looker explain what's at stake. From Mayotte, Mayeni Jones reports on the extensive damage inflicted by Cyclone Chido. And finally, William and Kate's Christmas card looks back at a moment of hope in a challenging year.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Musk's hand in spending deal showdown

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), President-elect Donald Trump, businessman and proposed DOGE commission co-chair Elon Musk, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and director of national intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard are pictured in a VIP box during the Army-Navy football game in Landover, Maryland, on 14 December.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has defended the 1,500 page stopgap bill. Credit: Reuters

The US could face a government shutdown at midnight on Saturday after President-elect Donald Trump urged Congress to scrap a cross-party funding deal in favour of a streamlined bill. His intervention followed heavy criticism of the spending deal by tech billionaire Elon Musk. The short-term funding bill will need to be passed by Congress by the end of the week to prevent many federal government offices from shuttering.

What's at stake

GET UP TO SPEED

A child in a winter jacket protects a candle with her hand during a candlelight vigil at the Wisconsin State Capitol building, which is illuminated behind her.

Wisconsin school shooting victims named

A teacher and a teenage student have been identified as the two victims killed at Abundant Life Christian School.

Read now >

Vladimir Putin wears a black suit, red tie, and white shirt. He is sat in front of a blue screen during his annual end of year marathon press conference.

Putin questioned over his 25-year rule

Russia editor Steve Rosenberg has challenged Vladimir Putin on whether he has "taken care" of Russia.

Watch Putin's reply >

Gisèle Pelicot has a straight bob haircut with a fringe reaching her dark eyes.

Gisèle Pelicot's parting words at trial conclusion

The 72-year-old addressed supporters after her ex-husband was jailed for drugging her and recruiting strangers to rape her.

Read in full >

AT THE SCENE

Mayotte

Cyclone Chido's trail of destruction

Devastation from the Cyclone is visible on barren hills where several buildings have been reduced to rubble. A large grey cloud covers the sky.

The storm flattened areas where many live in informal structures with sheet metal roofs. Credit: BBC

Cyclone Chido is thought to be the worst storm to hit the archipelago of Mayotte in 90 years. It brought wind speeds of more than 225km/h (140mph). At least 31 people have been confirmed dead, but thousands are still missing.

Mayeni has short curly hair and is wearing a blue blouse

Mayeni Jones, BBC News

It's hard to exaggerate just how completely devastated the landscape is in this French Indian Ocean territory, after the storm tore through the islands on Saturday. Rolling hills previously covered in coconut trees now look barren and black. The leaves of trees have been blown off and their trunks are horizontal. The airport's signal tower has been mangled by the 220km winds.

‌

Mayotte now finds itself at the centre of a political storm as well as a physical one. The thousands of illegal migrants on the island have long been a conundrum for the French government, and now some in France are arguing that providing too much help to the territory would encourage more migrants to come. In the meantime, the residents of France's poorest department are still waiting for food, water and shelter.

Keep reading

Watch: The scale of the damage is visible immediately upon landing on the island.

A statue of Gabriel Garcia Marquez writing at his desk stands in Aracataca's town square, in front of a white church and a tree.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Real-life Macondo

Gabriel García Márquez's childhood hometown has inspired his work.

Here's how

And finally...

The Prince and Princess of Wales have revealed a Christmas card with a personal significance, using a picture taken from the video released when Catherine announced the end of her chemotherapy in September. The family's relaxed demeanour in the screenshot stands in contrast with last year's black-and-white studio portrait.

Six Steps to Calm

Discover a calmer future with this course of six science-backed techniques, weekly to your inbox.

Subscribe here

MORE BBC NEWSLETTERS

US Election Unspun: Cut through the noise in the US presidential election and its global impact, every Wednesday and Friday. Subscribe.

World of Business: Gain the leading edge with global insights for the boardroom and beyond, every Wednesday. Subscribe.

The Essential List: The best of the BBC, handpicked by our editors, in your inbox every Tuesday and Friday. Subscribe.

Thank you, as ever, for reading. Send us suggestions for topics or areas of the world to cover in this newsletter. Tell your friends and family about it! They can sign up here. You can take a look at all our newsletters here.

By the way, you can add newsbriefing@email.bbc.com to your contacts list and, if you're on Gmail, pop the email into your “Primary” tab for uninterrupted service. Thanks for reading!

– Sofia

You've received this email because you've signed up to the BBC News Briefing newsletter.

Click here to unsubscribe

To find out how we use your data, see the BBC Privacy Policy.

BBC Studios Distribution Limited.

Registered Number: 01420028 England

Registered office: 1 Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, London, W12 7FA, United Kingdom