Wednesday morning news: November 15, 2023

House shutdown vote » Lawmakers in the House have passed a funding bill to avert a government shutdown this week.

AUDIO: On this vote, the yeas are 336, the nays 95. Two thirds being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. The bill is passed.

New Republican Speaker Mike Johnson had to rely on Democratic votes to pass the funding bill late Tuesday as more than 90 Republicans voted against it.

They complained that the bill will not reduce deficit spending or help secure the border.

Congressman Mark Green said that’s why he and other members of the House Freedom Caucus voted “no.”

MARK GREEN: And so I think our statement to make to the speaker is, look, let’s get something for this.

The measure would temporarily fund some federal agencies into January and others into February. Senate leaders have voiced support for the bill.

Biden meet with Xi » The leaders of the world’s two most powerful nations will meet face to face today. As President Biden sits down with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, he says he hopes to begin to open lines of communication.

BIDEN: To get back on a normal course of corresponding, being able to pick up the phone and talk to one another if there's a crisis, being able to make sure our militaries still have contact with one another.

They’ll meet at an Asia-Pacific summit in San Francisco. The event is mainly focused on economic issues, but Biden intends to tackle a range of topics, including stemming the flow of deadly fentanyl from China.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday:

SCHUMER: I believe we made real progress with President Xi on this issue, and I'm very optimistic that good news will come from tomorrow's meeting.

But Republican Sen. Eric Scmitt said he wouldn’t trust the communist leader—quote—“as far as you could throw him.”

SCHMITT: It's not like this is going to stop the flow and I also don't think I don't believe China that they're going to crack down.

Biden and Xi are also expected to talk trade and tension over Taiwan.

APAC Summit » But national security adviser Jake Sullivan says Biden will be doing a lot more this week than just meeting with Xi Jinping.

SULLIVAN: He'll be welcoming leaders from across the Asia Pacific for APEC economic leaders week at a moment when the most dynamic economic region in the world is looking to the United States as the leading economy in the world.

Leaders from the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group are gathering in California to talk about how to better spur trade and economic growth across the Pacific region.

Israel latest » Palestinian authorities are calling for a cease-fire to evacuate patients from the al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza. Israeli forces have the hospital surrounded.

But U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says there’s a good reason for that.

 KIRBY:  We have information that confirms that Hamas is using that particular hospital for a command and control node and probably storage of equipment, weapons, up underneath that.

Kirby said that is a war crime and yet another example of Hamas militants using innocent civilians as human shields. He said it makes the situation much more difficult for Israel Defense Forces.

But he added that hospitals must be protected. And President Biden has also urged Israel to take—quote—“less intrusive action” at hospitals in Gaza.

March for Israel » Meantime, in Washington …

SOUND: [Pro-Israel activity]

… hundreds of thousands of people descended on the National Mall on Tuesday in what some are describing as the largest pro-Israel gathering in American history.

Two of the demonstrators told WORLD:

DEMONSTRATERS: This is not about ceasefire and attacking each other. This about Israel defending itself from terrorists. … We have over 200 people still held hostage there. There’s no ceasefire.

By some estimates, as many as 300,000 people attended.

National Jewish groups organized as a show of support for Israel and to protest rising anti-Semitism amid the war.

Senate Iran Resolution » President Biden should keep all options on the table to keep Iran in check, including military force if necessary.

That’s the message from a bipartisan group of senators.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham believes Iran has been behind recent attacks against American soldiers stationed in the Middle East.

GRAHAM: We’ve had over 50 American soldiers injured in Iraq and Syria since October 7th by Iranian backed proxies in Syria and Iraq.

Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal have introduced a resolution supporting the president’s authority to use force if Iran or its proxies, like the Iranian Revolutionary Guard or Hezbollah, escalate conflicts in the Middle East.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Continuing irresolution among the Republican majority in the House on Washington Wednesday. Plus, World Tour.

This is The World and Everything in It.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.