--:-- Rylan Barton: Support for NPR and the following message come from Indeed. Hiring? Do it the right way with Indeed's Sponsored Jobs. Claim a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at Indeed.com slash NPR. Terms and conditions apply.
--:-- Rylan Barton: Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton.
--:-- Rylan Barton: The Senate is poised to vote on a measure to end the government shutdown after a handful of Democrats negotiated with Republican leaders to temporarily fund federal agencies.
--:-- Rylan Barton: Democrats joining in on the deal are being criticized by some colleagues for not pushing for health care concessions from Republicans.
--:-- Rylan Barton: If the Senate does approve it, the House would still have to weigh in.
--:-- Sam Greenglass: At the core is a resolution funding parts of the government through the end of January.
--:-- Sam Greenglass: The Senate has been voting on a version of that for weeks now.
--:-- Sam Greenglass: What's new is this stopgap is now paired with three full-year appropriations bills that would fund some agencies, including ones providing food assistance and services for veterans.
--:-- Sam Greenglass: The package also has a provision to reverse the firings of federal employees during the shutdown.
--:-- Sam Greenglass: That same section would prevent more layoffs through January 30th.
--:-- Sam Greenglass: Senate Majority Leader John Thune has also promised a vote on expiring health insurance subsidies.
--:-- Sam Greenglass: NPR Sam Greenglass reporting.
--:-- Lisa Autry: The U Supreme Court has declined to revisit a landmark 2015 decision legalizing same marriage.
--:-- Lisa Autry: As Lisa Autry of member station WKYU reports, the petition came from a former Kentucky County clerk.
--:-- Lisa Autry: A same-sex couple sued former Rowan County clerk Kim Davis for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses on religious grounds.
--:-- Lisa Autry: She appealed the $360,000 jury verdict, arguing protection under the First Amendment.
--:-- Chris Hartman: The reality is that Kim Davis' case was never the one that was going to make it to the Supreme Court.
--:-- Chris Hartman: All of the experts agreed that this was the weakest possible challenge to marriage equality in the U.S.
--:-- Lisa Autry: The Conservative Liberty Council, which represents Davis, says by declining to hear the case, the court leaves the, quote, wrongly decided 2015 opinion in place.
--:-- Lisa Autry: For NPR News, I'm Lisa Autry in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
--:-- Jonathan Lambert: Many governments around the globe simply give people cash to reduce poverty.
--:-- Jonathan Lambert: As NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports, a new study in The Lancet finds these programs can substantially improve maternal and child health.
--:-- Jonathan Lambert: In recent years there been loads of research showing cash transfers can have significant benefits for households but there been less research looking at countrywide effects.
--:-- Jonathan Lambert: To get a broader view a team of researchers analyzed different health outcomes across 37 low- and middle-income countries with government-sponsored cash aid programs.
--:-- Jonathan Lambert: The benefits were big.
--:-- Jonathan Lambert: Cash transfers helped about 10% more pregnant women get better care, which in turn improved child mortality.
--:-- Jonathan Lambert: Slightly older kids were more likely to get vaccinated, be fed nutritious food, and about 40 percent less likely to get diarrheal diseases in places with cash transfers.
--:-- Jonathan Lambert: Programs that benefited bigger chunks of the population were associated with greater health improvements.
--:-- Jonathan Lambert: NPR News.
--:-- Rylan Barton: This is NPR News from Washington.
--:-- Syrian Foreign Minister: Syria's foreign minister says in a social media post tonight that the U.S. has lifted sanctions imposed during the former Assad government.
--:-- Syrian Foreign Minister: Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara met with President Trump at the White House today is the first visit by a Syrian head of state since the country gained independence in 1946.
--:-- Syrian Foreign Minister: The U.S. and Syria are expected to formalize an agreement that invites Syria into a coalition that fights the Islamic State group.
--:-- Kadia Riddle: Inside one of NASA's centers, employees say there's a campaign of organized chaos and information blackout.
--:-- Kadia Riddle: It's unclear why, but they do know that President Trump targeted it for cuts earlier this year.
--:-- Casey McGrath: Like the upper management is pushing fast and hard to shut down buildings on campus without actually telling anybody what they're doing.
--:-- Kadia Riddle: The White House and NASA both did not respond to requests for comment on this story.
--:-- Katie Rettel: NPR News.
--:-- Rylan Barton: China has a new visa to try and attract global talent and gain an edge in the tech industry.
--:-- Rylan Barton: Similar to the H-1B visa in the United States, China's version targets skilled science and technology workers.
--:-- Rylan Barton: Tighter immigration policies in the U.S. have made China relatively more appealing, but language barriers, quality of life issues, and Internet censorship remain challenges.
--:-- Rylan Barton: I'm Rylan Barton.
--:-- Rylan Barton: You're listening to NPR News from Washington.
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