WASHINGTON — Congress on Wednesday passed a temporary measure that keeps government agencies funded into December, avoiding a shutdown for now while punting final spending decisions until after the Nov. 5 election.

The Senate approved the measure by a vote of 78-18 shortly after the House easily approved it. The bill generally funds agencies at current levels through Dec. 20. But an additional $231 million was included to bolster the Secret Service after the two assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee. Money was also added to aid with the presidential transition, among other things.

The bill now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

“This bipartisanship is a good outcome for America,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said before the vote. “I hope it sets the tone for more constructive, bipartisan work when we return in the fall.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., billed the measure as doing “only what’s absolutely necessary,” a statement directed at members of his own conference concerned about spending levels.

Still, it was a no-go for some Republicans, which forced House GOP leadership to rely on Democratic votes to pass the bill through a process that requires at least two-thirds support from voting members. Johnson said the only alternative to the continuing resolution at this stage would have been a government shutdown.

“It would be political malpractice to shut the government down,” Johnson said. “I think everyone understands that.”

Ohio chemical leak: An evacuation order remained in effect Wednesday for residents in an Ohio community as crews continued to work at the scene of a dangerous chemical leak.

Styrene, a toxic and flammable chemical used to make plastic and rubber, began leaking Tuesday afternoon from a railcar in Whitewater Township, a community of about 6,000 just west of Cincinnati. The Hamilton County Emergency Management Agency advised anyone within a half-mile of the area to leave immediately.

Tom Ciuba, a spokesperson for Central Railroad of Indiana, which operates the tracks, said Wednesday that the railcar was no longer venting. He said crews worked overnight to put water on the car, but it wouldn’t be removed until officials determine it is safe to do so. He said air and water quality continue to be monitored, and that several roads near the area will remain closed indefinitely.

LA bus hijacked: A passenger was killed after a gunman hijacked a city bus in Los Angeles early Wednesday, leading to a slow police chase through downtown before the suspect was eventually arrested, authorities said.

The armed man boarded the bus with the driver and two passengers shortly before 1 a.m. in South Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

A cavalcade of police vehicles followed the bus as the driver drove at gunpoint for the next hour.

Police deployed spike strips, which punctured one of the tires. After traveling more than 7 miles, the bus came to a stop at a downtown intersection and the suspect surrendered, officials said.

A man was found in the bus with gunshot wounds, but details about what led up to the shooting were not immediately available. The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, officials said.

The driver and the second passenger were treated at the scene and released.

Police praised the driver for keeping calm and driving “in as safe a manner as he could under the circumstances.”

Titanic tourist sub: The carbon fiber hull of the experimental submersible that imploded en route to the wreck of the Titanic had imperfections dating to the manufacturing process and behaved differently after a loud bang was heard on one of the dives the year before the tragedy, an engineer with the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday.

Engineer Don Kramer told a Coast Guard panel there were wrinkles, porosity and voids in the carbon fiber used for the pressure hull of OceanGate’s Titan submersible.

Hull pieces recovered after the tragedy showed substantial delamination of the layers of carbon fiber, which were bonded to create the hull of the experimental submersible, he said.

OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush was among the five people who died when the Titan submersible imploded in June 2023.

Thai marriage law: Thailand has become the first nation in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriages after King Maha Vajiralongkorn approved a law passed by the parliament three months ago.

The royal endorsement for the same-sex law was announced in a gazette notification late on Tuesday, with a clause that the legislation takes effect 120 days from the date of publication.

US Steel sale: An arbitration board has ruled that U.S. Steel may proceed with its proposed acquisition by Nippon Steel, a deal that faces strong opposition from its workforce.

The board said Wednesday that U.S. Steel has satisfied each of the conditions of the successorship clause of its basic labor agreement with the union.

It determined that no further action under the agreement was necessary in order to proceed with the closing of the proposed transaction with Nippon Steel. The United Steelworkers union had filed a series of grievances in January alleging that the successorship clause had not been satisfied.

The board said Wednesday that it recognized the repeated written commitments Nippon made to fulfill the requirements of the successorship clause, including Nippon’s pledge to invest at least $1.4 billion in USW-represented facilities, to not conduct layoffs or plant closings during the term of the basic labor agreement, and to protect the best interests of U.S. Steel in trade matters.

Kentucky judge shooting: A Kentucky sheriff charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a judge pleaded not guilty Wednesday in a case that has shaken the small rural community of Letcher County.

Sheriff Shawn Stines made his first court appearance as a defendant in the case at his virtual arraignment. He is accused of fatally shooting Judge Kevin Mullins on Sept. 19 in his chambers in the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg.

Law enforcement officials have not disclosed a motive. And Wednesday’s 10-minute hearing did not yield any clues.

The Kentucky State Police said last week that Stines, 43, and Mullins, 54, argued briefly in the judge’s chambers before the sheriff shot him multiple times. Stines then surrendered to police.