The House has passed a bill to end the partial government shutdown in a final vote Tuesday afternoon, cleared by a bipartisan vote under the insistence of President Donald Trump.
The measure funds most of the federal government through Sept. 30, while providing the Department of Homeland Security with short-term funding for two weeks. Lawmakers will return to negotiate potential changes for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as Democrats demand more restrictions on its operations.
Earlier in the afternoon, Speaker Mike Johnson managed to secure the near-unanimous GOP support needed to pass the bill through a procedural vote, despite some members of the party trying to tack unrelated priorities onto the funding package.
Trump called on Republicans to stay united in a social media post Monday, telling holdouts, “There can be NO CHANGES at this time.”
He has said he will sign the bill when it reaches his desk.
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Trump claims Putin ‘kept his word’ on request to hold off Ukraine strikes during cold snap
Trump last Thursday said Putin had agreed on a weeklong pause in strikes on Ukrainian cities amid a particularly frigid stretch.
But Russia carried out a major overnight attack on Ukraine in what Ukraine’s Zelenskyy said Tuesday was a broken commitment to halt striking energy infrastructure.
Trump said the new strikes did not amount to a breach of the commitment Putin made to him.
“We’ll take anything because it’s really, really cold over there,” Trump said. “But it was on Sunday and he went from Sunday to Sunday.”
Trump ends partial government shutdown with stroke of pen
Trump signed a roughly $1.2 trillion government funding bill Tuesday that ends the partial federal shutdown that began over the weekend and sets the stage for an intense debate in Congress over Homeland Security funding.
The president moved quickly to sign the bill after the House approved it with a 217-214 vote.
“This bill is a great victory for the American people,” Trump said.
Federal judge gives ‘judicial shout-out’ to government attorney after ruling against against Trump administration
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes ruled against the Trump administration when she blocked the end of protections that have allowed roughly 350,000 Haitians to live in the U.S.
But she decided to give a “judicial shout-out” to one of the government attorneys for his work on the high-profile case.
Reyes, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Joe Biden, heaped praise on Justice Department attorney Dhruman Sampat in a Tuesday court filing.
“His work has been, in a word, exemplary,” Reyes wrote, adding that he “exhibited mastery of an intricate statutory regime.”
“And, even with the Court lobbing endless questions at him, he did so with good humor throughout,” the judge added. “The Court has not before docketed this type of judicial shout-out, but Mr. Sampat’s effort demands no less.”
Reyes’ ruling on Monday dealt a blow to Trump’s immigration agenda. But her praise for Sampat marked a far more cordial exchange than she had last year, when the Justice Department filed a complaint accusing her of “hostile and egregious” misconduct during hearings for a lawsuit challenging Trump’s ban on transgender troops serving in the military.
Reyes ruled against the government in that case, too, and the complaint against her was ultimately dismissed.
Rep. Ilhan Omar demands Kristi Noem be fired or impeached
The Democratic congresswoman said she represents a city “under occupation” and said the Homeland Security secretary, along with Trump aide Stephen Miller, must be held accountable.
Speaking outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in Washington, she said children are afraid to go to school, patients fear going to hospitals occupied by “paramilitary forces,” restaurants are shutting down, people are housing others who fear going home, “and that is all happening in an American city.”
“We have two neighbors, two of my constituents, who were shot by federal agents as cameras recorded, and their president maligned their names and told us not to believe our eyes,” she said.
Omar said Miller is “the architect of the terror” and Noem’s department is “not just rogue, but unlawful.”
“If Kristi Noem does not resign and the president doesn’t fire her, Democrats are ready and willing to impeach her,” Omar said.
Renee Good’s brothers remember their sister at Congressional hearing
Two brothers of Renee Good spoke lovingly of their sister during a hearing put on by Congressional Democrats.
Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer while protesting in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
Her brother, Luke Ganger, spoke of the “deep distress” the family felt at their sister’s death in “such a violent and unnecessary way.”
He said the most important thing the two brothers could do during the hearing was to explain to those listening “what a beautiful American we have lost. A sister. A daughter. A mother. A partner and a friend.”
Another brother, Brett, spoke of Good’s hopeful spirit: “She believed that kindness mattered and she lived that belief.”
Trump declares February is Black History Month
The president issued a proclamation in which he wrote, “I call upon public officials, educators, librarians “and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies and activities.”
But since returning to office, Trump has ended diversity, equity and inclusion programs throughout the U.S. government, and has pressured colleges and universities and other institutions that receive federal funding to do the same.
The administration has also removed Black history references at national parks, most recently removing an exhibit on slavery in Philadelphia.
Petro asks Trump to mediate trade dispute with Ecuador
Petro said he asked Trump to help mediate an escalating trade war with Ecuador during a meeting between both leaders in the White House
“I asked Trump to help me in that regard … he told me he was going to call (Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa),” Petro said in an interview with Colombian radio station Caracol Radio following their meeting.
Petro said he proposed the possibility of joint actions against rebel group ELN by the militaries of Colombia and Venezuela and described the U.S. president as “frank.”
The Colombian president said he wants to work with the U.S. to change ways in which cocaine production is monitored.
Leavitt says Trump’s demand to ‘nationalize’ elections was a reference to legislation
The White House spokeswoman tried to clarify the president’s statements after they sparked an uproar.
Trump on a podcast Monday called for Republicans to “take over” and “nationalize” elections.
The comments came in the wake of an FBI raid on a Georgia election office that has been the target of Trump’s often-debunked conspiracy theories to explain away his loss in the 2020 presidential election.
Leavitt said Trump was referring to the SAVE Act, legislation tightening proof of citizenship requirements that some Republicans want to bring up for a congressional vote. House Republicans also introduced a second bill last week to change election procedures nationwide.
The partial shutdown is in its final hours
Unlike last year’s record 43-day closure, the first government shutdown of 2026 is ending quickly.
Legislation reopening the government is headed to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature. Once it’s signed, the administration will begin to fully reopen government.
The bill funds much of the government through Sept. 30, and the Department of Homeland Security until Feb. 14.
The partial shutdown began on Saturday and included the Pentagon and agencies such as the departments of Homeland Security and Transportation. Other parts of government remained open, having been funded through other legislation.
The overall impact of the shutdown was likely minimal. Essential functions continued, and the funding lapse was short enough that paychecks were unaffected.
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White House press secretary assails celebrities who criticize ICE
Leavitt criticized Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny for using his Grammy acceptance speech to speak out against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying celebrities don’t face the same dangers as ordinary Americans.
“Look, I think it’s very ironic and frankly sad to see celebrities who live in gated communities with private security, millions of dollars to spend protecting themselves, trying to just demonize, again, law enforcement, public servants to work for the United States government to enforce our nation’s laws,” Leavitt said.
On Sunday, when the Puerto Rican artist accepted a Grammy for album of the year, he began his acceptance speech by saying “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ICE out.”
It marked the first time a Spanish-language album had garnered the honor.
Trump ‘unsurprised’ by Russia resuming assault on Ukraine energy grid
The president on Thursday said Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to cease strikes for a week on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities amid a bitter cold snap in the region.
But Russia carried out a major overnight attack on Ukraine in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday was a broken commitment to halt striking energy infrastructure even as the countries prepared for more talks on ending Moscow’s 4-year-old full-scale invasion.
Leavitt said Trump was “unfortunately unsurprised” by Moscow’s move.
She added that Witkoff and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner will take part in talks with Russian and Ukrainian officials in Abu Dhabi set for Wednesday that are aimed at making headway at ending the brutal war.
“Special envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner and President Trump made the impossible possible with respect to peace in the Middle East,” Leavitt said. “And I know they’re looking to do the same with respect to the Russia-Ukraine war as well.”
Warner says intel chief should stay out of election case
The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee says Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s attendance at an FBI search of a Georgia election office is eroding longstanding barriers separating intelligence work from domestic law enforcement.
Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia on Tuesday rejected Gabbard’s argument that she participated in the search because President Donald Trump asked her to be there, saying she should be focused on international threats to the U.S. instead of amplifying Trump’s disproven conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
“It raises serious legal and constitutional questions and politicizes an institution that must remain neutral,” Warner said at a press conference at the Capitol, speaking of the nation’s intelligence service. “She has no role in executing search warrants.”
Gabbard defended her role at the search in a letter to lawmakers, arguing that she regularly works with the FBI and is authorized to investigate any threat to election security.
White House still wants talks with Iran in Turkey even as tensions mount
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in an exchange with reporters acknowledged that Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff has been planning to hold talks with Iranian officials in Turkey later this week.
It was the first direct acknowledgement of the talks by the White House.
“These talks, as of right now, are still scheduled,” Leavitt said in response to whether the latest developments with Iran could impact Witkoff’s planned talks with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
“President Trump is always wanting to pursue diplomacy first, but obviously it takes two to tango,” Leavitt said. “You need a willing partner to achieve diplomacy. and that’s something that special envoy Witkoff is intent on exploring and discussing.”
Leavitt’s comments came soon after U.S. Central Command announced that a U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
Leavitt added, “As always, though, of course, the president has a range of options on the table with respect to Iran.”
US shoots down Iranian drone that approached aircraft carrier, military says
U.S. Central Command says a U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
In an emailed statement Tuesday, U.S. Central Command said the drone “aggressively approached” the aircraft carrier with “unclear intent” and it “continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by U.S. forces operating in international waters.” The U.S. military says the shootdown also occurred within hours of another incident in which Iranian forces harassed a U.S.-flagged and U.S. crewed merchant vessel that was sailing in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Shahed-139 drone was shot down by an F-35C fighter jet from the Lincoln, which, according to U.S. Central Command, was sailing about 500 miles (800 kilometers) from Iran’s southern coast. The military’s statement noted that no American troops were harmed and no equipment was damaged.
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Petro extradites drug lord hours before White House meeting
Shortly before the meeting between Petro and Trump, Colombia’s government offered a diplomatic olive branch to the United States by announcing the extradition of drug trafficker Andres Felipe Marin Silva.
Extraditions have become a contentious issue between both countries as Petro holds back some extradition requests involving members of rebel groups, whom he has argued need to stay in Colombia to facilitate peace negotiations with his government..
Some officials in Petro’s cabinet have also argued that extraditing drug traffickers to the United States hinders efforts to seek truth and reconciliation for their victims.
In today’s meeting Petro is attempting to improve relations between his government and the Trump administration as both sides look for ways to cooperate in the fight against drug trafficking.
In critical meeting with Trump, Colombian President goes with suits
In his meeting with Donald Trump, Colombian President Gustavo Petro sported a dark suit with a white shirt and a golden tie, attire that the left wing leader tends to reserve for special occasions like his own inauguration, or military parades.
The Colombian president tends to dismiss formal attire, and in national broadcasts he is often seen donning more professorial attire such as cardigans, sweaters or white linen shirts known as guayaberas, which he has also used at the UN General Assembly.
However, Petro also has used suits in regional economic forums and in meetings with heads of state like the President of Panama or the King of Spain.
The meeting takes place as both nations try to renew cooperation in the fight against the drug trade, following months of tensions that included threats by Trump to intervene in Colombia.
Colombia releases first photos of Petro with Trump
The Colombian presidency released the first images of President Gustavo Petro’s meeting with Donald Trump.
One photo captures the two leaders walking through the White House corridors alongside Ambassador Daniel García-Peña, who is seen carrying a copy of Trump’s book, “The Art of the Deal.”
Some states still scrambling to gerrymander in hopes of controlling US House
Trump hoped redistricting could help House Republicans hold on to their slim majority in November’s midterm elections. But the GOP so far has only a slight edge, and it’s unclear whether that will make any difference in determining control of Congress.
It began last summer when Trump urged Republicans in Texas to redraw the state’s congressional districts for political gain. Democrats countered with their own gerrymandering in California. More states soon followed.
The unconventional mid-decade redistricting contest has now shifted to the Democratic-led states of Maryland and Virginia, with Republican-led Florida set to undertake it this spring. Ongoing court challenges could affect boundaries in New York, Louisiana and elsewhere.
▶ See more about states that have adopted or considered new House districts.
Senate Majority Leader throws cold water on Trump’s call to take over elections in states
“I’m not in favor of federalizing elections,” Sen. John Thune told reporters, pointing to Constitutional requirements that states conduct their own elections.
The president said in a Monday podcast interview that Republicans should “take over” elections in as many 15 states. Trump’s calls come amid a push among Republicans in Congress to tighten voting requirements nationwide.
“I’m a big believer in decentralizing and distributing power,” Thune added.
However, the South Dakota Republican said he is supporting legislation known as the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. The House has already passed the bill, but Republicans have not been able to overcome the 60-vote threshold required by the Senate’s filibuster rules.
3 elections in 4 months and new US House map lead to confusion in heavily Democratic Houston
Rep. Christian Menefee started work Monday as the newest member of Congress, and has just four weeks to convince voters he deserves reelection.
The candidate Menefee defeated on Saturday, Amanda Edwards, is running again in next month’s Democratic primary. So is Rep. Al Green, whose longtime home was redrawn into the 18th District. The situation is spinning heads in heavily Democratic Houston.
The 18th went nearly a year without representation after the Rep. Sylvester Turner died in March 2025. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott set an all-party primary for eight months later. That gave Republican leader Mike Johnson more time to pass House legislation with a thin GOP majority. Then, the Texas Legislature redrew congressional maps, raising concerns about disenfranchising voters in the predominantly Black and Hispanic district.
“We’re not going to say they want to steal elections, but they make it very hard for the Black and brown communities to vote,” voter Shampu Sibley said.
Don Lemon describes his arrest by a dozen federal agents
The former CNN anchor said agents handcuffed him at the elevator of his Los Angeles hotel, ignoring his offer to turn himself in to face federal civil rights charges over covering an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a Minnesota church service.
ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel said his Monday night guest “was arrested for committing journalism.”
“I went there to be a journalist. I went there to chronicle and document and record what was happening. I was following that one group around, and so that’s what I did. I reported on them,” Lemon said.
Lemon said the arresting agents wouldn’t let him make a phone call or talk with his lawyer, but one did agree to take his diamond bracelet, which kept getting caught in his handcuffs, up to his husband in their hotel room. “And that’s how my husband found out. Otherwise, no one would have known where I was,” Lemon said.
By The Associated Press
