In the coming week, the U.S. Congress gears up for a high-stakes funding battle.

Reports of an Iranian missile transfer to Russia signal a new escalation in Ukraine,

and Hungary faces a 200 million euro fine by the EU for breaking asylum law.

It's September 12, 2024 in time for the world next week.

I'm Bob McMahon.

And I'm Carly Ann Robbins.

Carla, let's start on the hill.

Cue to Kate Bush song running up that hill, if you have to.

Hobbling up the hill.

This past Monday, Congress came back from its summer recess, and to say it had a full schedule is understatement.

One of the things dominating headlines right away is the looming September 30th deadline for funding federal discretionary programs.

Members of Congress do not want a government shut down by many accounts, especially with election

day less than two months away, but battles over the budget are already underway.

Speaker Mike Johnson has faced pushback already to his proposed stopgap funding measures.

So, Carla, how likely will we see a new budget approved then in the coming week or weeks?

Well, Bob, these funding fights usually bring out some of the worst impulses in Congress,

but you really think that an impending election would give them a really strong incentive

to do the people's business and find some compromise to keep the government open. But so far,

at least that hasn't happened. The fiscal year ends on September 30th and funding, as you said,

for discretionary programs, and it's about a third of the federal budget runs out on September 30th.

And House members and the third of the Senate up for re-election, they are really eager to

get back on the campaign trail right after they solved this budget problem. So they need either to

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