Hello from CNN, I'm Afoma DK with the five things you need to know for Wednesday, February 28th.

Congressional leaders have struck a deal to stop the government from shutting down, ahead of Friday night's deadline.

That's according to a GOP leadership aid who tells CNN that the leaders

reached an agreement on some of the appropriations bills and a short-term stopgap measure

that would extend government funding ahead of a Friday night

deadline. The agreement would continue to extend funding to six agencies through March 8th

and extend the deadline for six other agencies through March 22nd while negotiators work on a broader

agreement to fully fund the government through the end of the fiscal year in

September. The House plans to vote on the stopgap measure tomorrow. Several wildfires are burning across parts of the Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma,

but the Smokaus Creek Fire in Texas is the largest of the mall,

forcing many residents to evacuate.

Texas A&M Forest Service says the fire has scorched nearly 1 million acres, and is only 3% contained

as of this afternoon.

The extent of the damage from the fires is still being assessed, but homes have burned in Oklahoma and at least two Texas towns.

Senator Mitch McConnell is marking the end of an era on Capitol Hill.

I always imagined a moment when I had

total clarity and peace about the sunset of my work, a moment when I'm certain I have helped preserve the ideals I so strongly believe that

they arrived today.

The Senate Minority Leader announced on the floor today that he's stepping down as the

G.O. Chamber's leader in November, but he'll remain in the Senate.

McConnell said he made the decision after the death of his sister-in-law earlier this month.

The 82-year-old Kentucky Republican became the longest-serving Senate Party leader in history last year.

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