TODAY'S TALKING POINTS 09-30

TODAY'S TALKING POINTS

Lawmakers might avoid a government shutdown after all. The Senate advanced a bill to fund the government through Dec. 11 that excludes the Planned Parenthood funding stipulation that riled up lawmakers and constituents alike. The bill is expected to pass today in the Senate and House, and if it does, you won’t have to cancel your fall trip to Yellowstone or watch the government bleed billions while standing still.

Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards stood in front of Congress for the first time Tuesday to defend vital health services the organization provides, including cancer screenings, STI testing and contraception, in order to justify the federal funding her organization receives. She called the accusations made in the leaked undercover videos “offensive and categorically untrue,” as the hashtag #StandWithPP trended on Twitter and profile pictures across social media went pink.

Scientists may have found a way to cure blindness using stem cells. The new surgical procedure was performed on a 60-year-old woman last month in the U.K., but scientists just declared it successful. They’ll know whether or not she has fully regained her sight by December. If the procedure works, by the end of the year, scientists may have a groundbreaking solution for a problem that causes nearly 50% of blindness.

Also: the second episode of Mic’s new series Future Present is here! In it, we explore one revolutionary technology that is giving sight to those who are legally blind.

A record 522,000 migrants have fled to Europe by sea this year. That’s more than double the number last year, which was already incredibly high. The impending cold means the journey is becoming even more perilous for refugees — and finding a solution is more important than ever.

Japan is the latest country to jump into the fray and offer help. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe just pledged $1.5 billion to help refugees. Meanwhile, as Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin are proposing competing fixes for the devastating Syrian crisis, the Pentagon’s top official overseeing Russia and Ukraine’s military relations announced her plans to resign. Early Wednesday, Russian parliament gave Putin the green light to use military force in Syria, where the nation has already been scaling up its military presence.

Georgia executed a woman for the first time in 70 years. Kelly Gissendaner, 47, was on death row for planning (but not committing) the murder of her husband. A few last-ditch appeals were filed — and even the pope made a plea for her life — but the execution was carried out despite those efforts. Gissendaner was the 16th woman executed in the U.S. since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976.