A VOTE ON a bill to avoid a govt. shutdown passed on Friday Senate( Shutterstock).

The specter of a shutdown of the federal government was avoided late Friday night as some Democrats joined almost all Republicans in supporting a U.S.Senate bill that will keep Uncle Sam funded for six more months.

Some Democrats followed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s conclusion that a shutdown would give President Donald Trump and Elon Musk more leeway to strip government agencies of staff and effectiveness, according to the Associated Press.

“A shutdown will allow DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] to drive into overdrive,” said Schumer. “Donald Trump and Elon Musk would be free to destroy vital government services at a much faster rate.”

The final vote was 54-46 and the legislation now goes to Trump for his signature. Two Democrats voted for it and one Republican was against it.

Wall Street bounces back

Reversing days of decline, Wall Street stock exchanges rallied on Friday, wiping out nearly all the losses of earlier this week, believed to have been prompted by fears of the effects of tariffs.

THE BULLS had a good day on Wall Street (Shutterstock)

The New York Times reported that while the S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite and Russell 2000 rebounded, Standard & Poor’s benchmark index still remains in red ink for the week and is 10.1 percent below its peak on Feb. 19.

Also showing increases in value were gold, oil prices and crypto currencies. Gold, for instance, topped $3000 per troy ounce for the first time ever .

Wall Street analysts say that it will take an end to the White House’s on-and-off declarations of tariffs to return stability to the stock markets.

Trump’s vision for Justice Department

DONALD TRUMP, 47th president (Gage Skidmore/Flickr).

President Donald Trump tore into those he considered his enemies in a speech on Friday in Washington as he accused some within the federal government of being “rogue actors and corrupt forcesß” and that he would direct the FBI to investigate them.

According to United Press International, he said, “We will expose and very much expose, their egregious crimes and severe misconduct, of which was levels you’ve never seen anything like it.” He added “It’s going to be legendary.”

He accused the Department of Justice during the Biden administration of spying on his campaign and said that it had “launched one hoax and disinformation operation after another” and “broke the law on a colossal scale.”

Weather: Rain gone, still cool

The rain that complicated life a bit in our West Orange County cities is gone, but temperatures will remain on the cool side. The forecast for Saturday is for a daytime high of 65 and an overnight low of 47 with mostly sunny skies. On Sunday, temps are predicted to warm to 69 (50) with cloudy skies and a 24 percent chance of rain. Monday will cool a bit to 65 (47) and the skies will stay cloudy. Tuesday warms a bit to 67 (48) and sunny.

Great Thoughts

“We are increasing the sophistication of deception faster than the technology of verification.”
– Alvin Toffler, writer and futurist

“Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts, perhaps a fear of a loss of power.”
– John Steinbeck. writer, Nobel Prize winner 1962