The Latest: Homeland Security seems certain to shut down tonight

A shutdown for the Department of Homeland Security at the end of the day Friday appears certain as lawmakers in the House and Senate were set to leave Washington for a 10-day break and negotiations with the White House over Democrats’ demands for new restrictions have stalled.

Democrats and the White House have traded offers in recent days as the Democrats have said they want curbs on President Donald Trump’s broad campaign of immigration enforcement following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis last month. They have demanded better identification for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal law enforcement officers, a new code of conduct for those agencies and more use of judicial warrants, among other requests.

Unlike the record 43-day shutdown last fall, the closures will be narrowly confined, as only agencies under the DHS umbrella — like Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection — will be affected. Still, depending on how long the shutdown lasts, some federal workers could begin to miss paychecks and services like airport screening could suffer if the shutdown drags on for weeks.

The latest:

House Democrats call for Justice Department to change Epstein file review process

Top Democrats overseeing the review of the Department of Justice’s case files on Jeffrey Epstein want a meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi after it was discovered that her staff was tracking the search histories of lawmakers while they reviewed the files.

In a letter to Bondi, Reps. Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, and Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, say that the Justice Department “is spying on Members of Congress. Stop now and give us meaningful access to the fully unredacted Epstein files.”

The lawmakers say that Bondi’s actions were “a flagrant assault on congressional oversight” and demand that she develop a new process for them to review the files, including giving them access at the Capitol and allowing committee staff to review files.

AOC says U.S. should reconsider unconditional aid to Israel

Speaking on a panel at the Munich Security Conference, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was asked whether the Democratic Party’s next presidential nominee should reconsider the country’s military aid to Israel.

Ocasio-Cortez, a high-profile progressive, said that “the idea of completely unconditional aid no matter what one does, does not make sense.” She added that conditional aid is “appropriate.”

Matt Whitaker, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, declined to directly answer the question, saying Israel is “one of our closest allies.”

Trump embraces the prospect of regime change in Iran

“It seems like that would be the best thing that could happen,” Trump said in an exchange with reporters when asked about pressing for the ouster of the Islamic clerical rule in Iran. “For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking.”

Trump made the comments shortly after visiting with troops in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, and after he confirmed earlier in the day that he’s deploying a second aircraft carrier group to the Mideast for potential military action against Iran.

Trump said earlier that the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, is being sent from the Caribbean Sea to the Mideast to join other warships and military assets the U.S. has built up in the region.

House leader says ‘increasingly likely’ shutdown at midnight

“Why?” asked Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, standing at an almost empty Capitol after Congress left for a 10-day recess. “Because Donald Trump and Republicans have decided that they have zero interest in getting ICE under control.”

The Democrats are demanding restraints on immigration enforcement operations and preparing a response to the latest offer from the White House. But Jeffries said border czar Tom Homan’s declarations about a wind-down in Minneapolis operations are insufficient.

“ICE needs to be dramatically reformed. Period. Full stop,” he said.

Routine annual funding for the agency runs out at midnight. The bulk of the employees at other Homeland Security divisions — including the Transportation Security Agency and FEMA — are expected to remain on the job as essential employees, though they could miss paychecks.

Jeffries points out that for Trump’s deportation operations, DHS has what he called a massive “slush fund,” including $75 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, under the GOP’s big tax breaks bill that was signed into law

Feds investigating whether 2 ICE officers lied about the shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis

ICE Director Todd Lyons said Friday that his agency had opened a joint probe with the Justice Department after video evidence revealed “sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements” about the shooting of a Venezuelan man last month.

The announcement came as a federal judge ordered all charges dropped against Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was shot in the leg by an immigration officer, as well as another Venezuelan man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna.

The officers, who were not named, have been placed on administrative leave pending the completion of an internal investigation, he said.

“Lying under oath is a serious federal offense,” said Lyons, adding that the U.S. attorney’s office is actively investigating.

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Noem advocates for GOP elections bill

The Homeland Security secretary pitched the Republican voting and elections bill that passed the U.S. House earlier this week.

The legislation would require documented proof of citizenship to register to vote and impose a photo ID requirement to cast a ballot, among other election changes.

Noem called it an opportunity “to show that we’re serious about securing our elections.”

She reiterated the Republican talking point that the bill was needed to prevent noncitizens from deciding elections. Noncitizen voting has been shown to be rare and not occurring in any coordinated way.

Asked if she had any examples of noncitizens voting in Arizona, Noem said she presumed it had happened but couldn’t point to one.

Democrats and other critics say the so-called SAVE America Act, if it becomes law, could disenfranchise millions of U.S. citizens who don’t have ready access to the documents that would prove their citizenship. The bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where it does not appear to have the 60 votes needed to overcome the filibuster rules.

Noem: ‘I am still in charge’ of DHS

Noem made that statement during a press conference near Phoenix, where she was supposed to discuss election security. Instead, as congressional funding for her agency stalled and it ended its controversial immigration sweep in Minnesota, a reporter asked Noem if she still ran the department.

“I am still in charge of the Department of Homeland Security,” Noem replied, moving on to additional questions about elections.

Noem has come in for scathing criticism from not only Democrats, but some Republicans, after federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens protesting the Minnesota operation and Noem seemed to misstate the facts of the cases in the initial hours.

Trump refers to the ‘discombobulator’ used in Venezuela

Recounting the January military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, Trump once again referred to the “discombobulator,” a secret U.S. weapon he said was used in the operation.

“The Russian equipment didn’t work, the Chinese equipment didn’t work,” Trump told troops at Fort Bragg, Friday. “Everyone’s trying to figure out why it didn’t work. Someday you’re going to find out.”

The president has previously hinted that the military used “a certain expertise” to turn off power in Caracas for the operation but has not provided details. It’s unclear whether he has been referring to a single weapon or several military capabilities.

Trump jokes that he might retire to the area around Fort Bragg

The president was up for a bit of joshing in a speech to military families at Fort Bragg in North Carolina — though it wasn’t quite clear how his jokes landed.

“It’s a great area, like I’m thinking about moving here some day, maybe,” Trump said, asking his wife, Melania, if she would like to live at Fort Bragg near the city of Fayetteville, which has the 143rd largest metro area population in the U.S., according to the Census Bureau.

Trump also joked that M1 Abrams battle tanks was named after Stacey Abrams, the Democratic politician from Georgia who ran for governor in 2018 and 2022.

The tank, in fact, is named for Gen. Creighton Abrams, one of the top tank commanders during World War II and a former Army chief of staff.

Kristi Noem: ‘Continuing to work on communication’ regarding laser incident

The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security was addressing a reporter’s question about Customs and Border Protection’s use of an anti-drone laser earlier this week that led the FAA to shut down airspace over El Paso, Texas, for several hours. A source familiar with the situation told AP that the laser was deployed without coordinating with the FAA,

Noem seemed to acknowledge the chaos the event caused.

“This was a joint agency task force mission that was undertaken and we’re continuing to work on the communication through that,” Noem said during an Arizona event.

The abrupt shutdown led to confusion in the city of 700,000 on the Mexican border.

Trump administration ends temporary status for Yemen

The policy had allowed more than 1,300 nationals of Yemen to live and work in the U.S. for more than a decade.

The decision announced Friday by the Department of Homeland Security comes as the White House moves to put more immigrants in the U.S. eligible for deportation. It represents another step to not only reverse the Biden administration’s expansion of TPS but to end it to countries that have long had it.

Yemen is the latest in a string of countries to lose Temporary Protection Status, including Venezuela, Honduras, Haiti, Nicaragua, Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Nepal, Cameroon and Ethiopia.

During the Biden administration, more than 1 million people were protected by TPS.

DHS said that conditions in Yemen have improved and no longer pose a serious threat to the safety of returning Yemeni nationals. Yemen was initially designated for TPS in 2015 based on an ongoing armed conflict.

Yemen nationals in the U.S. with no other lawful status have 60 days to voluntarily leave the country after the TPS termination notice is published in the Federal Register, said DHS.

Trump blurs politics into Fort Bragg visit, calling Whatley up to speak

Trump’s trip to one of the largest military bases in the world by population was intended to honor members of the special forces who stormed into Venezuela last month, but U.S. campaign politics quickly came into view.

A few minutes into his remarks, Trump called to the stage Michael Whatley, the North Carolinian who served as Republican National Committee chair during Trump’s 2024 campaign and is now seeking an open U.S. Senate seat in the state.

“I am thrilled that he has asked me to run for Senate in North Carolina and is giving me an opportunity to represent you and to fight for you,” Whatley told the crowd, of Trump.

North Carolina’s primary elections are March 3.

Trump shows impatience with Zelenskyy again as new talks are set for Geneva

Trump renewed his pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reach an agreement with Russia to end the nearly four-year war as the U.S. readies to hold another round of talks next week with envoys from the two countries.

“Russia wants to make a deal and Zelenskyy is going to have to get moving, otherwise he’s going to miss a great opportunity,” Trump told reporters. “He has to move.”

Trump has, at times, shown impatience with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war, but has more frequently complained that Zelenskyy is standing in the way of finding an endgame to the conflict.

The new round of talks will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday in Geneva, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies. Zelenskyy’s communications adviser, Dmytro Lytvyn, confirmed the new round of negotiations.

Trump confirms plans to shift a second U.S. aircraft carrier group to the Mideast

The president told reporters he’s decided to shift a second aircraft carrier to the Mideast as he continues to press Iran to make a deal to scale back its nuclear program.

“In case we don’t make a deal, we’ll need it,” Trump said of his decision to make the move.

In his exchange with reporters, Trump added that the carrier group will “be leaving very soon.”

Trump floats ‘some ideas’ on Iraq if al-Maliki returns to power

Trump on Friday reiterated his warnings against Iraq if its former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki returns to the job.

Al-Maliki has been nominated by Iraq’s dominant political bloc for the premiership. Once that happened last month, Trump said in a social media post that if he’s elected, the U.S. will no longer help Iraq, arguing that al-Maliki’s last tenure led Iraq into “poverty and total chaos.”

Trump, in response to a question Friday, said that “we’re looking at a prime minister.”

“We’re going to see what’s going to happen,” he told reporters. “We’ve got some ideas on it, but in the end, everybody needs the U.S.”

Newsom: Musk owes California policy for his private sector success

As the 4th largest economy in the world by itself, California markets help drive the global market away from fossil fuels, California Gov. Gavin Newsom says.

He said California’s “regulation in this space” helped spur innovation, including developments that have helped make Elon Musk the world’s wealthiest person.

“Tesla exists for one reason — California’s regulatory market,” Newsom said of the EV automaker that Musk runs.

His argument is that such a populous state can drive the broader market with regulations on fossil fuels, tax policy and investments in infrastructure like EV charges.

Anything California does economically, Newsom said, it does “at scale.”

The AP has reached out to Tesla’s corporate communications for a response.

Newsom also said reversing climate change isn’t simply a moral issue, but an economic one.

He alluded to California wildfires — exacerbated by climate change — that have raised insurance rates and even made some properties uninsurable.

Navy’s top officer calls extensions of aircraft carriers disruptive

The Navy’s top uniformed officer said last month that keeping the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier longer at sea would be “highly disruptive” and that he was “a big non-fan of extensions.”

Adm. Daryl Caudle spoke to reporters in January ahead of a U.S. decision this week to send the world’s largest aircraft carrier from the Caribbean to the Middle East.

Carriers are typically deployed for six or seven months. “When it goes past that, that disrupts lives, it disrupts things … funerals that were planned, marriages that were planned, babies that were planned,” Caudle said last month.

He also noted that extending the carrier would complicate its maintenance and upkeep by throwing off the schedule of repairs, adding more wear and tear on components, and increasing the equipment that will need attention.

Caudle told The Associated Press recently that his vision is deploying smaller, newer ships, when possible, instead of consistently turning to huge aircraft carriers.

Newsom blasts Trump on climate policy

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a likely 2028 presidential candidate, told the Munich Security Conference audience in Munich that “never, in the history of the United States of America, has there been a more destructive president” for the planet than Trump.

Newsom blasted Trump’s environmental record, especially his action this week gutting U.S. regulations of carbon emissions.

Trump is “doubling down on stupid” by rejecting scientific realities, Newsom said, because he is a “wholly owned subsidiary” of the fossil fuels industry.

Newsom emphasized to the international audience, however, that “Donald Trump is temporary,” suggesting future U.S. administrations will reverse Trump’s policies.

Justice Department sues Harvard over access to admissions records

The Trump administration is suing Harvard University, saying it has refused to provide admissions records that the Justice Department demanded 10 months ago.

In a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Massachusetts, the Justice Department said Harvard has “thwarted” efforts to investigate potential discrimination.

The department asked Harvard to turn over admissions records last year to determine whether the university has continued considering applicants’ race in admissions decisions.

The Supreme Court barred affirmative action in admissions in 2023 after lawsuits challenged it at Harvard and the University of North Carolina.

Trump officials have accused colleges of continuing the practice, which the administration says discriminates against white and Asian American students. Harvard did not immediately comment.

A statement from Attorney General Pam Bondi said she will “continue fighting to put merit over DEI across America.”

Funding for DHS set to expire Saturday

Another shutdown for parts of the federal government is expected this weekend as lawmakers debate new restrictions on Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda.

Funding for the Department of Homeland Security is set to expire Saturday. Democrats say they won’t help approve more funding until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis last month.

The White House has been negotiating with the Democrats, but the two sides failed to reach a deal by the end of the week, guaranteeing that funding for the department will lapse.

Unlike the record 43-day shutdown last fall, the closures will be narrowly confined, as only agencies under the DHS umbrella — like Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection — will be affected.

Still, depending on how long the shutdown lasts, some federal workers could begin to miss paychecks and services like airport screening could suffer if the shutdown drags on for weeks.