Severe weather, potential tornadoes throughout Mississippi tonight and tomorrow – National & International News – FRI 14Mar2025
Severe weather on the way tonight and tomorrow.
Senate passes funding bill passes to avert potential government shutdown.
After Qatar talks, Hamas announces it will release American hostage.
NATIONAL NEWS
Severe weather on the way tonight and tomorrow
An unusually strong weather system is moving into the area bringing strong winds, heavy rainfall, potential flooding, potentially golf ball sized hail or larger, as well as the potential for severe tornadoes and potentially long-track tornadoes.
The forecast and the situation are evolving rapidly. Virtually every part of Mississippi, including Northeast Mississippi, are now considered to be in danger from multiple waves of severe weather throughout Friday night and Saturday.
Be sure to tune into local weather stations to follow the latest updates. Keep all of your devices charged and be sure that you have multiple ways to be notified in the event of severe weather in your area, even while you are asleep. Some of the severe weather is expected overnight, which is particularly dangerous.
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Senate passes funding bill to avert potential government shutdown
Ten Senate Democrats voted to approve cloture, closing debate on a bill to fund the government until September 30. In the final vote, the building passed the Senate 54-46. It now heads to President Trump’s desk to sign, averting a potential government shutdown that would have started tonight at midnight.
There has been a lot of back and forth among Senate and House Democrats as to how to vote on the bill, passed earlier this week in the House with almost exclusively Republican votes. Under pressure from constituents who want Democrats to stand up to Trump’s agenda, many Democrats in both houses were pushing for their party to reject the bill, even at the risk of what would have been a very damaging government shutdown.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer ultimately voted to get the bill over its final procedural hurdle before its final passage. On Wednesday, Schumer had said the Bill did not have the votes to pass closure. Then on Thursday, in an abrupt reversal, Schumer came out and said he would be voting in favor of cloture. He did not instruct the rest of his caucus as to how to vote, but his announcement gave cover to other Democrats who feared the potential damage from a shutdown. All but two Senate Democrats voted against the ultimate passage of the bill. However, many in the party are angry with Schumer as the party struggles to unify and find ways to challenge Trump’s agenda.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
After Qatar talks, Hamas announces it will release American hostage
After talks this week in Doha, Hamas announced that it will release American-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander as well as the bodies of four dual national hostages who died in Gaza. There hasn’t yet been a timeline for the releases established, and it is also not clear what the group will be receiving in return.
The talks and announcement came after last week’s revelation that Trump’s special envoy for hostages Adam Boehler had held direct talks with Hamas representatives in Doha. The Israeli government took a dim view of the direct talks, but it did seem to stir some forward movement in the ceasefire negotiations which had been stalled for weeks.
Phase 1 of the ceasefire ended on March 1, and Israel has refused to negotiate entry into phase 2, which requires a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza. In order to pressure Hamas into accepting new terms, Israel has mounted a full blockade on Gaza, cutting off supplies of food, water, and recently electricity. International human rights groups have characterized this blockade as a potential crime against humanity.
Cutting off the electricity also means that Gaza’s water desalination plants cannot function, leaving many in the strip without a source of clean drinking water. These deprivations, of course, will also affect Israel’s still living hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza.
The release of Edan Alexander seems to be a gesture of good faith from Hamas rather than an indication that it is willing to relent on its insistence that the ceasefire be implemented as originally agreed. Israel appears to remain intransigent in its demand to introduce new terms that were not foreseen in the original agreement. The future of the ceasefire remains uncertain.
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