US government shutdown deadline looms

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The US Congress has til midnight to approve spending plans to avoid a government shutdown. At the same time, Democratic lawmakers are trying to expand the national debt limit ahead of a mid-October deadline, as well as approve a multi-trillion dollar spending programme. Lauren Fedor talks us through the complex legislative process. And the BBC's Rob Young examines the background to the current impasse. Also in the programme, at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, German company CureVac was thought by many to be one of the best prospects to develop a Covid-19 vaccine. The company's chief executive Franz Haas explains why their vaccine candidate was not as effective as had been hoped, and how the firm hopes to move forward with a second generation vaccine for the disease. Today's edition is presented by Fergus Nicoll, and produced by Philippa Goodrich and Russell Newlove. (Picture: The US Capitol building. Picture credit: Getty Images.)