Texas marked the fifth anniversary of catastrophic blackouts this week, while the Department of Homeland Security faced a looming shutdown due to political gridlock, and President Donald Trump’s administration continued its extensive, yet largely unpublicized, military campaign in Somalia. These events, along with the fallout from Trump's failed prosecution of six Democrats, and the popularity of the new Netflix K-drama "The Art of Sarah," dominated headlines.
Five years after the devastating Texas blackouts, the state continues to grapple with the aftermath. According to NPR News, the blackouts occurred on February 16, 2021, due to a historic winter storm, which brought freezing temperatures and precipitation across 26 states. The article did not specify how much had changed since the event.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security was set to shut down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, according to Time, due to an impasse between the White House and congressional Democrats over immigration enforcement reforms. This potential shutdown marked the third funding lapse of the current Congress and the second in less than six months. The standoff centered on Democrats' demands for new guardrails on agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) following the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in January.
President Trump's administration continued its extensive military campaign in Somalia, a conflict he rarely discussed publicly. Vox reported that the U.S. had bombed Somalia more than 100 times last year. Joshua Keating, a senior correspondent at Vox, noted that this campaign represented the most extensive military action of Trump's second term.
In other political news, President Trump faced another setback, as his prosecution of six Democrats failed. Eric Levitz, a senior correspondent at Vox, stated that Trump had yet to turn America into an authoritarian nightmare, "but not for lack of trying."
Finally, Netflix's new K-drama, "The Art of Sarah," captivated audiences with its complex narrative. The eight-episode drama, titled "Lady Doir" in Korean, follows a woman's quest to escape her working-class life. The show's non-linear storytelling and exploration of social inequity kept viewers guessing until the very end, according to Time.
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