A partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) went into effect Friday as lawmakers remained deadlocked over immigration enforcement, marking the third funding lapse since October. The shutdown comes as the Trump administration faced other challenges, including a court order to return a deported college student and criticism over a US-funded vaccine trial.
According to ABC News, the DHS shutdown began after funding expired at the end of the day Friday. Negotiations are ongoing, with Trump indicating he will be involved in the discussions. Members of Congress have either left Washington for a weeklong recess or traveled to Munich for a security conference.
In a separate development, a U.S. District Judge ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, a 19-year-old college student who was deported over Thanksgiving, despite a court order blocking her removal. Judge Richard Stearns, in his order, stated, "Wisdom counsels that redemption may be found by acknowledging and fixing our own errors," ABC News reported.
Meanwhile, the US-funded plan to run a hepatitis B vaccine trial involving thousands of newborns in Guinea-Bissau has been criticized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "unethical." The WHO expressed "significant concerns" about the plan, which involved delaying the vaccine for some infants. The US health department, headed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been involved in the project, according to BBC World.
At the Munich Security Conference, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to reassure European leaders, stating that the US does not plan to abandon the transatlantic alliance. He said the US and Europe's destiny "will always be intertwined," according to BBC World. However, he also criticized European immigration, trade, and climate policies.
The conference also saw Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez questioned on whether the US should commit troops to defend Taiwan from a potential invasion by China. According to Fox News, this led to commentary on the state of intellectual discourse within the Democratic party.
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