CNN news 2013-12-29 加文本

cnn news 2013-12-29

CARL AZUZ, cnn ANCHOR: Fridays are awesome. This one, though, is a little bitter sweet because it is our last show of 2013. We`re going to look back at some of the stories we covered this year, but first up, we`ve got a congressional compromise. We are talking about a budget, a plan for how the U.S. government will spend money. The House of Representatives passed it last week. The Senate passed it this week. And when President Obama signs it, which he said he will, it will become law.

Over the past several years, any budget talks have been tense: the Republicans and Democrats compromised to come up with this plan. Several members of both parties are happy with some of what`s in the budget deal or what`s not. Some pointed out that the budget will reduce some military benefits. Others criticized it for not including an extension for unemployment benefits. But one Senator said, that`s how things go when the Senate and the House are controlled by different parties. He said, "Nothing is going to be perfect in this world. It`s called compromise."

This budget plan does outline government spending through 2015. It loosens some spending restrictions that were in place, and it cancels some cuts that affected different government programs. Plus, this deal makes it unlikely for there to be another government shutdown like the one that happened earlier this year.

Target is the second biggest merchandise retail chain in the country. But Target became the target of a security breach, and it could affect 40 million people. The breach involved data from credit cards and debit cards. If you shopped at a Target store between November 27 and December 15, you might be affected. This is only if you shopped in a brick and mortar store, so online sales not involved. Target hasn`t said how its systems were hacked, but it did say that the issue that allowed the breach has been identified and resolved. The U.S. Secret Service is investigating. That agency is responsible for protecting the country`s financial framework and payment systems. If you think you might have been affected by this or if you are ever affected by stolen credit card information, there are some ways to protect yourself. Check your statements and look for charges you don`t recognize. Call your credit card company and bank and let them know what has happened. And if you need to, replace your card and get a new pin number.