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By
Brittney Melton
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A massive portion of the federal government has ground to a halt after Congress missed Friday's deadline to fund the government. Senate Democrats triggered the partial shutdown by demanding immigration enforcement reforms as a condition for funding the Department of Homeland Security. Employees at other key agencies, such as the Pentagon and the Department of Transportation, are currently either furloughed or working without pay. The White House and lawmakers say the shutdown will be short-lived.
The U.S. government entered a partial shutdown on Jan. 31 as a midnight funding deadline passed without Congress approving a 2026 budget, though disruption was expected to be limited with the House set to move early next week to ratify a Senate-backed deal. Aaron Schwartz/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
A federal judge's Saturday ruling has cleared the path for the Trump administration to continue its immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. The decision comes just after border czar Tom Homan announced last week that there were plans to scale back the federal government's operation there. Thousands of people in Minneapolis continued to protest the presence of immigration enforcement agents on Friday.
President Trump announced in a social media post last night that he wants to shut down the Kennedy Center for two years, starting this summer. He says closing the performing arts center will allow for a massive renovation project to transform the location.
The Trump administration's attempt to fire staff at the U.S. Department of Education cost taxpayers up to $38 million, a new U.S. Government Accountability Office report reveals. The administration wanted to fire more than half of the department's Office for Civil Rights attorneys and staff. However, when courts blocked the move, the Education Department had to retain the workers and continue paying them, even though the department prohibited them from returning to work.
Bad Bunny made history at the Grammy Awards last night when his genre-bending DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS became the first Spanish-language album to win album of the year. He dedicated his award "to all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams." The 31-year-old singer was not the only artist who won big at the award show. Check out the complete list of this year's winners and nominees.
Pandagolik/Getty Images People often say it takes a village to raise a child, sustain a community and more. But they don't often talk about what it takes to be a villager. Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, says the key to creating meaningful connections is putting yourself out there. She shared tips with Life Kit on how you can cultivate community where you live.
For more guidance on how to build a village, listen to this episode of NPR's Life Kit. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.
Mary Freuer stands outside of her teal converted school bus, also known as a skoolie. Cassidy Araiza for NPR hide caption
Every January, a sea of vans, buses, and RVs gather in Quartzsite, Ariz., for the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous. The meetup isn't the #vanlife you might see on social media. It is an event where participants with similar interests can swap practical tips and share resources. They even help each other fix their modes of transportation. Launched in 2011, the desert gathering serves as a lifeline for those who live untethered from a physical address. This year, NPR's Alina Hartounian went along and discovered why many people are drawn to this lifestyle. Read more about it and see the photos from the event.
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft are seen at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Sunday. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
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