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Senate passes FAA reauthorization bill, sending bill to House

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Senate passes FAA reauthorization bill, sending bill to House


WASHINGTON — The Senate has passed a $105 billion bill designed to improve safety and customer service for air travelers, a day before the law governing the Federal Aviation Administration expires.

The bipartisan bill, which comes after a series of close calls between planes at the nation’s airports, aims to boost the number of air traffic controllers amid a shortage, improve safety standards and make it easier for customers to get refunds after flights are delayed or canceled, among other measures.

After passing the legislation on a strong 88-4 vote, the Senate passed a one-week extension to ensure that the law doesn’t expire before the House considers the bill next week. The FAA has said it would have had to furlough around 3,600 workers if the law expired at midnight Friday.

The bill stalled for several days this week after senators from Virginia and Maryland objected to a provision that would allow an additional 10 flights a day to and from the heavily trafficked Reagan Washington National Airport. Other senators tried to add unrelated provisions, as well, seeing it as a prime chance to enact their legislative priorities.

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But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called a vote Thursday evening after it became clear that senators would not be able to agree on amendments to the bill before the law expired. The Senate then passed the one-week extension that the House had already passed, sending that to President Joe Biden’s desk.

The FAA has been under scrutiny since it approved Boeing jets that were involved in two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019. The Senate legislation would govern FAA operations for the next five years and put several new safety standards in place.

The bill “gives the FAA the stability it needs to fulfill its primary mission — advancing aviation safety — while also making travel more convenient and accessible,” said Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.

The legislation aims to increase the number of air traffic controllers, provides for more safety inspectors at manufacturing facilities and requires the FAA to use new technology designed to prevent collisions between planes on runways. It would require new airline planes to have cockpit voice recorders capable of saving 25 hours of audio, up from the current two hours, to help investigators after safety incidents.

It would try to improve customer service for flyers by requiring airlines to pay a refund to customers for flight delays — three hours for a domestic flight and six for an international one. Lawmakers tweaked the bill this week to make it even easier for customers to receive refunds, revising language that would have put most of the onus on the customers to request them. The change put the Senate bill more in line with new regulations issued by the Biden administration last week.

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In addition, the bill would prohibit airlines from charging extra for families to sit together and triple the maximum fines for airlines that violate consumer laws. And it would require the Transportation Department to create a “dashboard” so consumers can compare seat sizes on different airlines.

The legislation would also improve access for passengers with disabilities, requiring airlines to accommodate seating requests for disability-related needs, setting new training standards for airline personnel who handle and store wheelchairs and awarding grants for airport accessibility upgrades.

Failure to pass the popular bipartisan bill by May 10 would have been the latest setback after months of delays on the measure, and the last-minute deal to pass it was the most recent example of Congress struggling to pass major legislation that had broad bipartisan support.

Schumer, who had urged lawmakers to drop their objections and come to agreement on the legislation, said after passage that “passing this FAA bill is the best thing Congress can do to give Americans the peace of mind they deserve.”

Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats, had pushed for a vote on their amendment to block the additional long-haul flights at Virginia’s Reagan National. They say the airport is restricted in size and too busy already, pointing to a close call there between two planes earlier in April that they said is a “flashing red warning light.”

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Several Western lawmakers have argued for more flights at the airport, saying it is unfair to consumers that there is a restriction on long-haul flights. The provision’s chief proponent is Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, who is up for reelection this year and has argued that San Antonio should have a direct flight from the airport. Cruz blocked a vote on Kaine and Warner’s amendment when Schumer tried to bring it up shortly before final passage.

Like lawmakers, airlines are also split on the idea of additional flights at Reagan National. Delta Airlines has argued for more flights, while United Airlines, with a major operation at farther-out Dulles Airport, has lobbied against the increase.

The House last year passed its own version of the FAA legislation without additional Reagan National flights after intense, last-minute lobbying from the Virginia delegation — a bipartisan vote on an amendment to the FAA bill that saw members aligning not by party but geographic location. Lawmakers use the airport frequently because it is the closest Washington airport to the Capitol, and Congress has long tried to have a say in which routes have service there.

“Some of our colleagues were too afraid to let the experts make the call,” Kaine and Warner said in a joint statement Thursday evening, after Cruz blocked a vote on their amendment. “They didn’t want to show the American people that they care more about a few lawmakers’ desire for direct flights than they care about the safety and convenience of the traveling public. That is shameful and an embarrassment.”

Kaine, Warner and Maryland’s two senators, Democrats Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, were the only four senators to vote against final passage.

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Copyright 2024 NPR





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South Carolina Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for Dec. 15, 2025

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South Carolina Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for Dec. 15, 2025


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The South Carolina Education Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 15, 2025, results for each game:

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Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

23-35-59-63-68, Powerball: 02, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

Midday: 5-9-2, FB: 6

Evening: 1-3-7, FB: 2

Check Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

Midday: 0-2-2-8, FB: 6

Evening: 7-5-9-6, FB: 2

Check Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

Midday: 10

Evening: 15

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Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Palmetto Cash 5 numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

04-07-16-25-35

Check Palmetto Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

The South Carolina Education Lottery provides multiple ways to claim prizes, depending on the amount won:

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For prizes up to $500, you can redeem your winnings directly at any authorized South Carolina Education Lottery retailer. Simply present your signed winning ticket at the retailer for an immediate payout.

Winnings $501 to $100,000, may be redeemed by mailing your signed winning ticket along with a completed claim form and a copy of a government-issued photo ID to the South Carolina Education Lottery Claims Center. For security, keep copies of your documents and use registered mail to ensure the safe arrival of your ticket.

SC Education Lottery

P.O. Box 11039

Columbia, SC 29211-1039

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For large winnings above $100,000, claims must be made in person at the South Carolina Education Lottery Headquarters in Columbia. To claim, bring your signed winning ticket, a completed claim form, a government-issued photo ID, and your Social Security card for identity verification. Winners of large prizes may also set up an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for convenient direct deposit of winnings.

Columbia Claims Center

1303 Assembly Street

Columbia, SC 29201

Claim Deadline: All prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw date for draw games.

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For more details and to access the claim form, visit the South Carolina Lottery claim page.

When are the South Carolina Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
  • Pick 4: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
  • Cash Pop: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
  • Palmetto Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. ET daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Carolina editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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South Carolina Football: Gamecocks Tight End Plans to Return for Sixth Season

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South Carolina Football: Gamecocks Tight End Plans to Return for Sixth Season


After losing one tight end to the transfer portal and another from eligibility requirements South Carolina was thin coming into the 2026 offseason in that room. Now it appears they will at least get a veteran back as Brady Hunt plans to return to the Gamecocks for his sixth season of college football.

An ankle injury that required Hunt to miss all of 2023, has given him new life in 2026 as he will play his final season with the Garnet and Black next fall. The 6-foot-5 and 248 pound tight end from Muncie, Indiana, transferred to South Carolina in 2024 for his redshirt junior season. Hunt caught 23 passes for 190 yards while adding two rushing touchdowns in 22 games for the Gamecocks in his two seasons.

Over the weekend, Hunt took to Instagram to announce his decision. He posted a photo of himself before a game with the caption “One more go around.” On3 Sports’ first reported the news after getting confirmation that he will get his an extra season of eligibility.

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Tight End Depth

Oct 12, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks tight end Brady Hunt (87) during the second half at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-Imagn Images | Butch Dill-Imagn Images
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With Hunt’s return to the Gamecocks, he is the leader in the room that is now without Michael Smith (transfer) and Jordan Dingle (eligibility). Mike Tyler, Maurice Brown II, Lukas Vozeh, and Reno Roehm make up the rest of the tight end room behind Hunt so far for next season. Hunt is the only one in the group that has seen significant snaps in a Gamecocks uniform.

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This is one area the Gamecocks’ coaching staff will have to hit hard in the transfer portal once it opens on Jan. 2. The tight end spot has been a nice safety valve for quarterback LaNorris Sellers in his time as a starter, so getting a proven veteran to join the team will be near the top of the list during this transfer cycle.

Outside of tight end, Shane Beamer and company will look to fill holes at the wide receiver, running back, offensive line, defensive line, and secondary spots this offseason.

Join the community:

  • Follow Alex Joyce on Twitter: @AlexJoyceSI
  • Follow Joey Walraven on Twitter: @thejoeywalraven

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking “Follow” on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to follow us on X at @GamecocksDigest and on Facebook!

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Everything Dawn Staley said after South Carolina’s win over Penn State

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Everything Dawn Staley said after South Carolina’s win over Penn State


South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley spoke to local media following a 95-55 victory over Penn State.

Here is everything she said.

NEW! Message board for South Carolina Women’s Basketball! 🏀

Dawn, you knew Madina Okot was gonna be out. What was the plan to try to limit Gracie Merkle in the paint?

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“I mean, we wanted to just make sure that she didn’t get any direct passes in her direction. And in order for you to do that, you always have to have your feet higher than hers, you always have to be in front when you are one pass away. Feet above, two passes away. And then when the ball goes in the air, we don’t just go for the ball, we actually just maintain contact with her and crowding her space. So I think Maryam [Dauda] and Ahdel [Tac] didn’t perfect that until today.”

Joyce Edwards had three different career highs today. I know you expect this kind of play from her, but just how crucial was it to play the way she did without Madina?

“You know, Joyce is gonna play that way with Madina, without Madina, with anybody. If it’s a game with a ball that’s being played, she’s gonna play to the best of her ability. I mean, she’s just playing really loose and just finding a way to impact the game through an entire stat line. Do we want the rebounding to be a little bit better? Yes, we do. But the other stuff, the five assists and no turnovers, you know, the six steals, four blocks, like, you know, that is who she is. And I do think we are working with her to just kind of be more than a scorer, because she is one thing that can pretty much fill a stat sheet. It wasn’t at times where she did that. Now she’s aware of it now. And she’s executed.”

Obviously, you don’t want to force any offense from anyone, but just your overall thoughts on the offensive bench production so far, nearing SEC play?

“Just improving. We want to just improve. What that looks like for us is taking good shots, okay? I mean, and that’s basically it. It’s not, you know, if we’re gonna get comfortable, I don’t think all of them are comfortable, and that’s okay to me. They don’t have to be comfortable. When you’re comfortable, you probably lend yourself to doing stuff that you’re not supposed to do. So there’s a little bit of fear of not doing the right thing, which keeps us a little more disciplined. But, you know, I like what we’re bringing to the table. I don’t think, you know, I think Maddy [McDaniel is] starting to get back into the swing of things. Ayla [McDowell] is holding her. I think we can get a little bit more out of Ahdel and Maryam, so we just continue to work with that. And I think it’s good that Madina didn’t play, you know, and they can build some confidence. Definitely defensively, offensively will get the go a little bit.”

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Coach, huge discrepancy in the turnover margin, 26 to 5. What did you see and what did you like from your team in terms of taking care of the ball?

“I like the fact that we took care of the ball and we had great ball movement at times, like really good ball movement. We thought they were going to press us a little bit more, and they didn’t. So we just executed. We moved the ball; we had 20 assists on 37 field goals. I mean, we’re moving in the right direction. So I like the fact that we have single-digit turnovers.”

I know it’s been a tough season just with injuries and illnesses and things, but what are the positives for the healthy players, having to adjust, you know, maybe being a bit uncomfortable? What are the positives for them in those situations?

I mean, I think the positive is mentally they’re going to the games, that they’re gonna play a whole lot of minutes, and they haven’t conserved. Like, they haven’t conserved defensively. They surely aren’t going to conserve offensively. But I just like their mentality, which is the next woman of, like, whether we have eight to practice with, we’re just going to keep moving forward. If we can add another player to the mix in a day or two, the next game, be great. But I want us to always feel like we got a chance, we got enough in the room to win, no matter what the stakes are.”

What’s the prognosis for Madina and Agot [Makeer] to make the Florida trip?

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“I mean this day to day. I mean, we’re not going to force them to make things worse. I think we’re very conscious. I think we’re super conservative. And I don’t have a say in it. I get a report every day, and the report is that we’re going to continue, but they’re not there yet. They do some things in practice, and they’re not there yet. So we’ll just, you know, adhere to what they’re telling us, and if we get them back, it’s going to help us. If we don’t, we just got to keep moving forward.”

The first nine points of the third quarter were all fast-break points. Was that a focus going into the second half to get out and transition before they could set their zone?

“Well, I would say it was probably a product of our defense and rebounding, like, I mean, we didn’t. We gave up 22 offensive rebounds. So, you know, a lot of times they were just getting their own rebound and making us playable a little bit longer. So I think we’ve got rebounds and we pushed, and we saw people up the floor.”

I guess it was the second game, Ta’Niya Latson got herself going in the second half. How do you kind of channel that to get it throughout the game?

“I don’t know, I mean, she’s getting looks. So, I mean, it is, you know, I think Ta’Niya does best when she gets off to a good start. I thought she got off to a good start because she got a lot of assists as well. Like, and you know, when I look at the stat sheet, and she’s got four assists, no field goals of like. You know, got to give her some touches. So we may try to manufacture some touches to where she’s in a comfort zone. Sometimes she makes it, sometimes she does it, but I don’t want her to get rattled because for someone that can score a lot of points in bunches, you know, as long as a lot of time is left in the game, there’s a lot of opportunity for her to just, you know, create some opportunities for the sport.”

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When you got back from Vegas, you mentioned that free throws were kind of a takeaway that you had. I’m just curious, like, is that as simple as practice and kind of routine? What do you see there?

“I will say we practice every day. Every single day, there is not a day that goes by. It’s becoming a little mental now and we can’t just say, ‘Oh, it’s going to fix this stuff. We got to still do something. You can practice a little bit more over here to help us in this gym. But probably a little mental. I hope it turns to where it’s not even, it’s just routine at this point.”



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