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The Dictatorship

Senate passes a government funding bill as shutdown nears its likely end

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Senate passes a government funding bill as shutdown nears its likely end

After 41 days of unpaid federal workers, shuttered government agencies and mounting public painthe Senate approved a funding package Monday night to reopen government, moving the country one step closer to ending the longest shutdown in American history.

But the lights in Washington aren’t back on just yet.

The legislation, approved in the Senate with the support of 52 Republicans and eight Democrats, combines three full-year spending bills with a stopgap measure to keep the rest of the government funded through Jan. 30. The package also reverses mass layoffs triggered during the shutdown and blocks additional firings through the duration of the continuing resolution.

The bill passed the Senate 60-40, with those eight senators who caucus with the Democrats — Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., John Fetterman, D-Pa., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Tim Kaine, D-Va., Angus King, I-Maine, Jackie Rosen, D-Nev., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. — joining all but one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, to support the legislation.

While the bill to reopen government still has to pass the House — and still needs President Donald Trump’s signature — the Senate was the tallest hurdle. In fact, even getting senators to expedite consideration, after a critical number of Senate Democrats showed on Sunday that they would vote with Republicanswas its own obstacle.

“I am grateful that the end is in sight,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said on the floor Monday. “But I would encourage every member of this body, Democrat or Republican, pro-bill or anti-bill, not to stand in the way of being able to deliver the coming relief quickly. The American people have suffered for long enough.”

Thune got his wish.

Senators agreed to speed up the process in their chamber on Monday in order to likely end the shutdown some time in the next couple of days.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told House Republicans on a members-only conference call Monday that he is aiming to clear the legislation on Wednesday, according to a source on the call who was granted anonymity to discuss the private plans. It will be the first day the House has held a legislative session since Sept. 19.

While House passage, of course, isn’t guaranteed, Republicans can advance the legislation without Democratic support. That’s a relief for House GOP leaders, since they are unlikely to draw more than a handful of votes from vulnerable Democrats in swing districts.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has vowed to vote against the legislation and is pushing the rest of his caucus to oppose it as well, slamming the deal that a handful of Democrats crafted with Republicans because it omits any immediate action on the Obamacare subsidies.

In exchange for Democratic support, Thune agreed to allow a Senate vote on legislation to extend the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies. But he offered no assurances about the outcome, and the measure — which would require 60 votes to advance — is widely expected to fail.

Throughout the shutdown, Democrats had insisted that any agreement to reopen the government include language addressing the expiring tax credits. They didn’t get that language — and lawmakers are now only one step away from solving the shutdown without addressing skyrocketing health care premiums.

If all House Democrats vote no on the funding bill, Republicans can only afford two GOP defections while still passing the legislation. But there’s another dynamic complicating passage in the House: Attendance.

With shutdown-inducted travel issues impacting airlines across the country, members could face delays and cancellations on their way back to Washington.

“We are urging you this morning to start finding your way here, right now,” Johnson told members Monday on the private GOP conference call, according to the source. “Get back to D.C.”

Senate passage of the funding package caps off a whirlwind six weeks in the Senate, which saw more than a dozen unsuccessful votes to open the government, plenty of intraparty fighting, and the rise and collapse — and rise again — of bipartisan talks.

But in many ways, the drama is just beginning.

For all the Democratic dissatisfaction over this shutdown deal, Democrats will have to quickly regroup to try to muster the support of 13 Senate Republicans to support an extension of the expiring Obamacare subsidies.

If Senate Democrats somehow win over enough Republicans, Democrats believe they could force a vote in the House — if not through political pressure on Johnson, then at least by a discharge petition.

It’s unlikely, however, that Senate Democrats will secure the support of so many Republicans on an Obamacare subsidy extension. And with Democrats seeming to walk away from the shutdown with little more than a show-vote, many Senate Democrats are still dumbfounded that eight of their colleagues would fold after last week’s resounding election results for Democrats.

“The people were on our side,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., posted on X. “We were building momentum to help save our democracy. We could have won — the premium increase notices were just starting. And giving in now will embolden him.”

“Things will likely get worse,” he said.

She covers Capitol Hill involving both Democrats and Republicans. She previously covered Congress at Blue Light News. She graduated from George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication and political science.

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The Dictatorship

French company Capgemini to sell subsidiary working with ICE

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French company Capgemini to sell subsidiary working with ICE

PARIS (AP) — French company Capgemini announced Sunday it is selling off its subsidiary that provides technology services to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, during global scrutiny of ICE agents’ tactics in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

France’s government had pressured the company to be more transparent about its dealings with ICE, whose actions in Minneapolis in recent weeks have raised concern in France and other countries. The government’s campaign against immigrants in Minnesota’s capital has led to the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal immigration officers.

Capgemini said in a statement Sunday that it will immediately start the process of selling off its subsidiary Capgemini Government Solutions. It said the rules for working with U.S. federal government agencies ″did now allow the group to exercise appropriate control over certain aspects of the operations of this subsidiary to ensure alignment with the group’s objectives.″

It didn’t give further explanation for the decision, but noted that the subsidiary represents only 0.4% of the company’s estimated 2025 revenue.

Capgemini CEO Aiman Ezzat said he was only recently made aware of the subsidiary’s contract with ICE. In a LinkedIn post, he said, “The nature and scope of this work has raised questions compared to what we typically do as a business and technology firm.’’

The company selloff announcement came after French Finance Minister Roland Lescure, speaking to parliament last week, urged Capgemini ″to shed light, in an extremely transparent manner, on its activities … and to question the nature of these activities.″ Lescure’s office did not comment on the company’s decision.

Non-governmental organization Multinationals Observatory reported that Capgemini Government Solutions provided ICE technical tools to locate targets for the immigration crackdown. CapgemiSni did not immediately respond to a query about the tools.

Capgemini is a consulting and technology company that employs more than 340,000 people in more than 50 countries.

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The Dictatorship

‘Melania’ opens with strong ticket sales for a documentary

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‘Melania’ opens with strong ticket sales for a documentary

NEW YORK (AP) — Promoted by President Donald Trump as “a must watch,” the Melania Trump documentary “Melania” debuted with a better-than-expected $7 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The release of “Melania” was unlike any seen before. Amazon MGM Studios paid $40 million for the rights, plus some $35 million to market it, making it the most expensive documentary ever. Directed by Brett Ratner, who had been exiled from Hollywood since 2017, the film about the first lady debuted in 1,778 theaters in the midst of Trump’s turbulent second term.

While the result would be a flop for most films with such high costs, “Melania” was a success by documentary standards. It’s the best opening weekend for a documentary, outside of concert films, in 14 years. Going into the weekend, estimates ranged from $3 million to $5 million.

But there was little to compare “Melania” to, given that presidential families typically eschew in-office memoir or documentary releases to avoid the appearance of capitalizing on the White House. The film chronicles Melania Trump over 20 days last January, leading up to Trump’s second inauguration.

Marc Beckman, left, shake hands with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his wife Jennifer as they arrive for the premiere of first lady Melania Trump's movie

Marc Beckman, left, shake hands with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his wife Jennifer as they arrive for the premiere of first lady Melania Trump’s movie “Melania” at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

On Thursday, Trump hosted a premiere of the film at the Kennedy Centerwith attendees including Cabinet members and members of Congress. There, Ratner downplayed its box-office potential, noting: “You can’t expect a documentary to play in theaters.”

The No. 1 movie of the weekend was Sam Raimi’s “Send Help,” a critically acclaimed survival thriller starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien. The Walt Disney Co. release debuted with $20 million. The film, with a $40 million budget, was an in-between kind of release for Raimi, whose hits have typically ranged from low-budget cult (“Army of Darkness”) to big-budget blockbuster (2002’s “Spider-Man”).

The microbudget sci-fi horror film “Iron Lung,” directed by YouTuber and filmmaker Markiplier, came in second with $17.9 million, far exceeding expectations. The Jason Statham action thriller “Shelter” debuted with $5.5 million.

But most of the curiosity was on how “Melania” would perform. A week earlier, the White House hosted a black-tie preview attended by Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy, Apple chief executive Tim Cook and former boxer Mike Tyson.

The audience waits in a movie theater for the start of the screening of a documentary about Melania Trump in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

The audience waits in a movie theater for the start of the screening of a documentary about Melania Trump in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

The film arrived in a week dominated by coverage of federal immigration tactics in Minnesota after a U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

“Melania” didn’t screen in advance for critics, but reviews that rolled out Friday, once the film was in theaters, weren’t good. Xan Brooks of The Guardian compared the film to a “medieval tribute to placate the greedy king on his throne.” Owen Gleiberman of Variety called it a “cheese ball informercial of staggering inertia.” Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: “To say that ‘Melania’ is a hagiography would be an insult to hagiographies.”

But among those who bought tickets over the weekend, the response was far more positive. “Melania” landed an “A” CinemaScore. Audiences were overwhelmingly 55 and older (72% of ticket buyers), female (72%) and white (75%). As expected, the movie played best in the South, with top states including Florida and Texas.

David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm FranchiseRe called it “an excellent opening for a political documentary.”

“For any other film, with $75 million in costs and limited foreign potential, it would be a problem,” said Gross. “But this is a political investment, not a for-profit movie venture, and if it helps Amazon with a regulatory, taxation, tariff or other government issue, then it will pay back. $75 million is insignificant to Amazon.”

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive for the premiere of her movie

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive for the premiere of her movie “Melania” at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

“Melania” is Ratner’s first film since he was accused of sexual misconduct in 2017. Multiple women, including the actor Olivia Munn, accused Ratner of sexual harassment and misconduct. Ratner has denied the allegations. Last fall, after Trump’s reported intervention, Paramount Pictures said it would distribute his “Rush Hour 4.”

“Melania,” which will stream on Prime Video following its theatrical run, was released globally. Shortly before its debut, South African distributor Filmfinity said it would no longer release it. The company said it changed course “based on recent developments.”

International ticket sales for “Melania” were expected to be minuscule.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

1. “Send Help,” $20 million.

2. “Iron Lung,” $17.9 million.

3. “Melania,” $7 million.

4. “Zootopia 2,” $5.8 million.

5. “Shelter,” $5.5 million.

6. “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” $5.5 million.

7. “Mercy,” $4.7 million.

8. “The Housemaid,” $3.5 million.

9. “Marty Supreme,” $2.9 million.

10. “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” $1.5 million.

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The Dictatorship

‘ICE out’: Bad Bunny uses Grammy speech to speak out

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‘ICE out’: Bad Bunny uses Grammy speech to speak out

As awards season progresses, celebrities continue to speak out against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown — especially in Minneapolis. Though some stars have opted for a slight nod of resistance with pins that say “ICE out,” others have been more vocal in their stances.

Upon accepting the Grammy Award for Best Música Urbana Album on Sunday night, Bad Bunny got straight to the point.

“Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ICE out,” the Puerto Rican performer said as soon as he approached the podium with award in hand.

After a standing ovation and cheers from the crowd, he continued.

“We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”⁣

This is not the first time the artist has spoken out against the Trump administration’s rhetoric against immigrants in the United States. Last year, he announced he would no longer tour in the U.S., which drew criticism from some right-wing commentators.

Despite that pushback, Bad Bunny scored the headlining spot at this year’s Super Bowl and said he decided to “do just one date in the United States.”

The album Bad Bunny accepted the award for, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” also won Album of the Year, becoming the first primarily Spanish-language album to win the distinction in the ceremony’s 68-year history.

Kathleen Creedon is a platforms editor for MS NOW. She previously worked as a web producer for Vanity Fair.

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