Short Takes – 3-4-25

Looming shutdown deadline presents minefield for Speaker Johnson. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “Even if he gets uniform support from hard-liners, Johnson is not in the clear on the other ideological end of the spectrum in the House GOP conference. A clean funding stopgap is also getting pushback from more moderate and centrist members.”

Senate negotiators look at dueling options to avert government shutdown. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Monday told reporters that negotiators are working on dual tracks: either a full-year continuing resolution (CR) lasting through the end of September or a monthlong measure to give appropriators more time to hammer out a yearlong overall deal.”

Did Trump Admin Order U.S. Cyber Command and CISA to Stand Down on Russia? Zetter-ZeroDay.com article. A more nuanced article than most that have been published on the topic. Pull quote: “So as it stands now. we have U.S. Cyber Command halting some cyber operations against Russia temporarily, while the administration tries to launch negotiations over the war, and we have unanswered questions about whether CISA will alter the work it has been doing on Russian cyber threats or become less aggressive in pursuing those threats. Stay tuned. I'll update this story if more information becomes available.”

Starship's Eighth Flight Test. SpaceX.com article. Pull quote: “The eighth flight test of Starship is preparing to launch as soon as Wednesday, March 5. The launch window will open at 5:30 p.m. CT.” No information on the scrubbed Monday launch.