A looming government shutdown over immigration enforcement and ongoing international conflicts, including a secret military campaign, dominated headlines. While most Democratic Senators voted against funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania broke with his party to advance a spending bill, according to Time. Simultaneously, investigations into ICE agent misconduct and data sharing practices continued, as reported by Vox.
Fetterman's decision came as Congressional Democrats refused to pass the annual DHS funding bill without new restrictions on federal immigration enforcement, a response to President Donald Trump's immigration policies. Fetterman, a long-standing opponent of government shutdowns, warned that declining to fund DHS would impact agencies housed under the department without affecting ICE functionality, according to Time.
The political landscape was further complicated by international developments. Vox reported that the U.S. government faced a potential shutdown due to funding disagreements over immigration officer conduct. Simultaneously, the International Criminal Court implicated Philippine senators, and concerns about Texas's power grid and political tensions persisted, according to Vox.
Adding to the complexity, the most extensive military campaign of President Trump's second term involved over 100 bombings in Somalia last year, as reported by Vox.
In related news, Ring ended its partnership with Flock Safety, but the company's Community Requests program still relied on Axon, a Department of Homeland Security contractor, according to The Verge. This move sidestepped public concerns about surveillance and law enforcement partnerships. The company cited resource constraints as the reason for the split.
In other news, French director Alain Gomis was returning to the Berlinale competition with his film "DAO," a three-hour family saga exploring themes of colonization and displacement, according to Variety. The film, Gomis's most personal work yet, stars a mother-daughter duo and is inspired by his own experiences.
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