Congress averts shutdown, backs spending bill

WASHINGTON - Congress has averted a government shutdown - with less than hour to spare.The vote in the Senate late Friday night was 63-36 for a stopgap spending bill that will keep the government operating through April 28.The bill provides disaster relief to Louisiana after summer flooding and $10.1 billion in emergency war-fighting money for the Pentagon. It expedites the process for confirming President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for defense secretary, retired Gen. James Mattis.Passage of t