What we’re watching Thursday

Good morning! Here are some of the stories we’re watching this a.m.

Congress

• The Senate pulled an all-nighter as Republicans continue to force lengthy debates on presidential nominees in response to the Democrats’ use of the “nuclear option.”

• The House is set to vote on a bipartisan spending budget.

  Ukraine

• European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton says Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych intends to sign a trade deal with the EU; one that was earlier rejected.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin in an address said he hoped Ukraine’s government and protesters could find a political solution. He also touted the economic benefits of joining a trade union with two former soviet republics, Reuters says.

Thailand

• Protesters cut power to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s compound, demanding that police abandon the premises. The Prime Minister, who was not in the compound at the time, later gave a televised address announcing a December 15 meeting to attempt to find a solution to the crisis.

Central African Republic

• The United States has begun to airlift troops from Burundi to the Central African Republic in order to assist French and African troops already in the country.