Partial Government Shutdown Begins Amidst Political Wrangling
The federal government entered a partial shutdown just after midnight on Friday, a situation that lawmakers from both parties anticipate will be resolved over the weekend, according to Time. The shutdown occurred despite the Senate's movement to pass a bipartisan spending package aimed at funding most of the government through the end of the fiscal year and allowing two more weeks to negotiate new limits on the Administration's immigration enforcement tactics.
However, with the House out of session until Monday, lawmakers recognized the impracticality of sending the bill to President Donald Trump before the deadline, making a short shutdown unavoidable, Time reported. The pressure now shifts to the House, where lawmakers will decide whether to swiftly ratify the Senate plan or reopen a deeper fight.
Newsom Files Civil Rights Complaint Against Trump Official Dr. Oz
In other news, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom filed a civil rights complaint against Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), after he accused Armenian crime groups of being responsible for health care fraud in Los Angeles, according to Time. "My office is filing a civil rights complaint seeking an investigation into Dr. Oz's baseless and racist allegations against Armenian Americans in California," Newsom said.
Newsom's office alleged that Oz made baseless and racially charged allegations targeting the Armenian community in Los Angeles in a video he posted on Jan. 27, according to a letter addressed to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Time reported. The complaint stated that false public statements by anyone involved in administering these critical federal health care programs are unacceptable.
Extreme Weather Events Impact U.S. and Australia
Meanwhile, extreme weather events are impacting both ends of the world this week, Time reported. In the U.S., Winter Storm Fern set snow records in parts of the country last weekend, quickly followed by one of the longest cold-air outbreaks in decades. A bomb cyclone is expected to hit the southeast over the weekend.
Across the globe in southern Australia, a heat dome is setting records, with temperatures reaching 120Fthe most severe heat wave the country has experienced in 16 years, according to Time. "Its difficult to outright blame climate change for any one specific weather event, but as our planet warms, it could mean that extremes of all kinds, occurring at the same time around the world, could become the norm," said Gary Lackmann, professor at the University of Albany, according to Time. "You can't really attribute any specific single weather event to climate change."
Trump's Poll Numbers Decline
Vox reported that President Donald Trump's poll numbers are declining. Astead Herndon, a host and editorial director at Vox, is following the story. "Every good political journalist needs a good MAGA guy in their back pocket someone you can call when things are looking messy in President Donald Trumps GOP orbit. And my MAGA guy is John Frederick," Herndon wrote.
Melania Trump Documentary Released
Melania, Brett Ratner's documentary about the sitting First Lady of the United States, has arrived in theaters worldwide, according to Time. Produced by Melania Trump herself, it was purchased by Amazon MGM Studios for $40 million, more than quadruple the price of the average doc, and Amazon has reportedly spent another $35 million to market it, Time reported. The premiere at the Opera House of the newly minted Trump Kennedy Center had many members of the Trump Administration in attendance, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Environmental Protection Agen, according to Time.
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