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Partial Government Shutdown Looms as Senate Deadlocks Over Immigration Enforcement
Washington, D.C. – The Senate teetered on the brink of a partial government shutdown Tuesday, driven by a political standoff over immigration enforcement and funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to Time. With funding for a large portion of the federal government set to expire after midnight on Friday, Republicans and Democrats remained deadlocked over a six-bill appropriations package passed by the House that includes money for Homeland Security.
The impasse stemmed from the aftermath of a deadly shooting in Minneapolis on Saturday involving federal immigration agents. Democrats are demanding changes to the Homeland Security portion of the bill and have signaled a willingness to allow funding to lapse if their demands are not met, Time reported.
In other news, President Donald Trump threatened to end U.S. support for Iraq if Nouri Kamal al-Maliki returned to power. Trump voiced his concerns on Truth Social on Tuesday, stating that al-Maliki's previous tenure led to "poverty and total chaos" in Iraq, according to Time. "Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq and, if we are not there to help, Iraq has ZERO chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom. MAKE IRAQ GREAT AGAIN!" Trump wrote. Al-Maliki was nominated to be Prime Minister by the largest Shia Muslim bloc in the Iraqi parliament on Saturday. Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is the country's outgoing prime minister, according to Time.
Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) signed a significant trade agreement with India, described by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "the mother of all deals," NPR Politics reported. The agreement aims to boost trade between the EU and India, with Europe seeking to hedge against unpredictable ties with the U.S.
In economic news, the price of gold continued its upward trend, hitting a new record yesterday and rising an additional 3% this morning, according to Fortune. The Comex continuous contract measured the price. Gold has gained 22.31% year-to-date. The surge in gold prices is attributed to its role as a safe-haven asset for investors reacting to the weakening U.S. dollar. The dollar fell 1.3% yesterday against a standard index of foreign currencies and is down over 2% year-to-date. "No, I think it's great," Trump said when asked by reporters yesterday about the dollar's decline, according to Fortune. "I think the value of the dollar – look at the business we're doing. The dollar's doing great."
Despite rising costs in some sectors, Rogers Li from Rockville, Md., said he was surprised that attending the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy, was more affordable than expected, according to Time. Li anticipates spending at least $3,000 for five nights, covering transportation, accommodation, food, and event tickets. "I would say it's moderately expensive, but not as much as I anticipated when I first decided to plan an Olympics trip," Li said, according to Time.
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