From the It's-A-Dark-Cloud-That-Doesn't-Have-A-Silver-Lining Desk:

The House Appropriations Committee this week approved its $690.2 billion version of the fiscal 2020 defense spending bill, sending the measure to the House floor.

In good news, the panel adopted an amendment by California Rep. Barbara Lee to repeal the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force, which opponents across the political spectrum have derided as a blank check for war. Lee's proposal would sunset the AUMF eight months after the spending bill becomes law.

For the record, total military spending is "budgeted" at $733 billion when contingency costs and nuclear-related funding are added.