What we’re watching Thursday

Good morning. These are some of the stories we’re watching today:

The Senate is expected to approve the $1.1 trillion spending bill sometime this week for the current fiscal year, following an overwhelming approval vote by the House Wednesday, 359 to 67.

Egyptian state media reports that early counts show more than 98 percent of voters approved of the country’s new constitution.

The UN’s human rights office said extremist Islamic groups in Syria are committing a “soaring” number of executions that could amount to war crimes.

President Obama will host more than 80 college and university presidents at the White House Thursday in the start of a campaign aimed at encouraging low-income youth to go to college.

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