The Senate has approved a one-week continuing resolution extension of government funding -- buying themselves seven days to come up with a grand deal on government funding and COVID-19 relief.

In a dramatic fashion, both Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., indicated that next week, they must get a vote on their amendment to provide working class Americans with another round of $1,200 stimulus checks -- or they will block government funding, in effect, forcing a government shutdown.

-ABC News' Trish Turner and Allison Pecorin

The Senate voted to send the National Defense Authorization bill, the military's annual budget, to Trump's desk Friday afternoon by a veto-proof majority of 84-13.

While the bill received broad support from members on both sides of the aisle, it faced objections from each party's most off-center members. Progressive Democrats like Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Jeff Merkley opposed the bill, as did conservative Republicans like Sen. Josh Hawley and Sen. Tom Cotton.

Trump has threatened as recently as Tuesday to veto the bill.

-ABC News' Trish Turner and Allison Pecorin

As the Trump campaign waits for smoke signals from the U.S. Supreme Court, it faced yet another courtroom defeat on Friday.

The Milwaukee County Circuit Court in Wisconsin has denied the Trump campaign's attempt to toss out 220,000 ballots it said should have been rejected following recounts in Dane and Milwaukee Counties. Judge Stephen Simanek noted the campaign made "no allegations of widespread fraud," nor did it submit any evidence that would support such claims.

The Trump campaign will now likely appeal the decision to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Since his Nov. 3 defeat, the president and his allies have mounted over 50 lawsuits in state and federal courts that have met with resounding and, at times, scathing defeats.

-ABC News' Alex Hosenball and Matthew Mosk

As the runoff elections for Georgia's two U.S. Senate seats that will decide which party controls the chamber enter their final weeks, Biden's presidential campaign is ramping up its investments to bolster the candidacies of Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock.

In coordination with the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Biden campaign has spent roughly $5 million thus far in the Georgia runoffs and are paying for "approximately 50 staffers" to help with organizing, voter outreach and other efforts, according to a Biden campaign official. Around a dozen of the campaign's data analytics staffers are also helping.

The Biden campaign and the DNC also have raised nearly $10 million for both Ossoff and Warnock combined, and earlier this week launched a "Flip Georgia Fund" to aid their campaigns.

Biden himself will travel to Georgia on Tuesday to campaign for Ossoff and Warnock and will emphasize his commitment to helping candidates win up and down the ballot and build a broad coalition that will support his agenda to "build back better," according to a Biden campaign official.

-ABC News' John Verhovek

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to name retired four-star Army Gen. Lloyd Austin as his choice to lead the Defense Department, four sources familiar with Biden's plans told ABC News.

If confirmed, Austin would be the first Black defense secretary in American history.

Austin, the former commander of U.S. Central Command -- with jurisdiction over military activities in the Middle East -- retired in 2016 after more than 40 years of military service, including a stint leading U.S. forces in Iraq and the campaign against the Islamic State.

Austin will need a waiver from Congress to lead the Pentagon, given that he is less than seven years from active duty. Congress granted retired Marine Corps Gen. Jim Mattis the same waiver in 2017 to allow him to serve as President Donald Trump's first defense secretary.

-ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz, Benjamin Siegel, Katherine Faulders, John Santucci and Luis Martinez