Republican leadership in Washington is considering a bill that would continue to fund the government, and U.S. leaders meet with Ukrainian leaders about ending the war with Russia.

House passes bill to fund federal agencies through September, though prospects unclear in Senate

The House passed legislation Tuesday to avert a partial government shutdown and fund federal agencies through September, providing critical momentum as the measure now moves to the Senate, where bipartisan support will be needed to get it over the finish line.

Republicans needed overwhelming support from their members to pass the funding measure, and they got it in the 217-213 House vote. Just one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, voted against the measure. And just one Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, voted for it.

In the Senate, they'll need support from at least eight Democrats to get the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk. It's one of the biggest legislative tests so far of the Republican president's second term, prompting Vice President JD Vance to visit Capitol Hill on Tuesday morning to rally support.

Ukraine-U.S. talks on ending war with Russia start in Saudi Arabia as Kyiv launches huge drone attack

Senior officials from Ukraine and the United States opened talks Tuesday focused on ending Moscow's three-year war against Kyiv, hours after Russia shot down more than 300 Ukrainian drones. It was Ukraine's biggest attack since the Kremlin ordered the full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

The talks in the Saudi city of Jeddah come after President Donald Trump paused U.S. military aid to Ukraine last week, along with some intelligence sharing, in an attempt to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to engage in negotiations to end the war against Russia.

Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel later this week to Moscow, where he could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a person familiar with the matter but not authorized to comment publicly. The person cautioned that scheduling could change.

USF, University of Tampa among schools being investigated for alleged antisemitic discrimination

The University of South Florida and University of Tampa have been notified that they are among 60 schools nationwide facing an investigation into allegations of antisemitic discrimination.

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights sent letters to the institutions warning them of potential enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their obligations to protect Jewish students on campus, including uninterrupted access to campus facilities and educational opportunities.

The obligations are outlined in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

The Civil Rights Act (1964) prohibits any institution that receives federal funds from discriminating based on race, color, and national origin. National origin includes shared (Jewish) ancestry. 

The department launched investigations into five universities after “widespread” antisemitic harassment was reported. The five universities are Columbia, Northwestern, Portland State, Cal-Berkley and Minnesota.

The 55 additional universities are under investigation or monitoring in response to complaints filed with OCR.

The investigations are in response to unrest on U.S. college campuses following the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023.

“The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “University leaders must do better.”