Global Flashpoints: US Spending Ends Shutdown as Sudan Breaks Blockade

US House Passes $1.2 Trillion Spending Package, Colombian and Mexican Presidents Make Headlines

Washington D.C. – The United States House of Representatives approved a $1.2 trillion spending package on Tuesday to end a partial government shutdown, while international relations saw developments in Colombia and Mexico.

The bipartisan legislation, which passed with a narrow 217-214 vote in the Republican-controlled House, restores funding for key federal programs through September 30, according to Al Jazeera. However, the Department of Homeland Security will only be funded for two weeks under the current agreement.

In other news, Colombian President Gustavo Petro met with former U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, putting aside months of hostile remarks. According to The Guardian, the meeting concluded with an agreement to tackle drug trafficking. The two leaders had previously exchanged insults, ranging from accusations of being a "sick man" and "drug trafficking leader" to calling the other an "accomplice to genocide with a senile brain." The Guardian reported that the meeting ended with pleasantries, autographs, and a "Maga cap."

Meanwhile, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pledged to send humanitarian aid to Cuba, despite efforts from Washington to limit the island's access to oil. The Guardian reported that Sheinbaum said Mexico was exploring all diplomatic avenues to send fuel to the Cuban people, following an order signed by Trump threatening tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba.

These international developments occur amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions, including the ongoing conflict in Sudan, where the military recently broke through a years-long blockade by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan, according to Al Jazeera. The military described it as their second major advance in the Kordofan region in less than a week.

The situation in Venezuela also remains complex, with many exiled Venezuelans hesitant to return home despite the removal of President Nicolas Maduro from power in January, according to Al Jazeera. Luis Peche, a 31-year-old political consultant who fled Caracas in 2025, told Al Jazeera that it is still too dangerous to return.