The Latest: Trump signs budget bill bringing an end to partial government shutdown

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.

The Latest:

Judge: Deal reached to protect identities of Epstein victims in documents release

A federal judge who presided over the sex trafficking case against Jeffrey Epstein said a Wednesday conference to address harm done to the financier’s victims by a massive release of records will not be needed after a deal was struck to protect their identities.

Judge Richard M. Berman canceled the hearing late Tuesday after he was notified by Florida attorney Brittany Henderson that “extensive and constructive discussions” with the Justice Department resulted in the agreement.

Henderson and attorney Brad Edwards sought judicial intervention Sunday, saying nearly 100 victims were harmed by sloppy redactions to the massive release of Epstein documents that began Friday.

Don’t tune in to the Super Bowl hoping for a break from tumultuous US politics

The NFL is facing pressure ahead of Sunday’s game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots to take a more explicit stance against the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement. More than 184,000 people have signed a petition calling on the league to denounce the potential presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Super Bowl, which is being held at Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Meanwhile anticipation is building around how Bad Bunny, the halftime show’s headliner, will address the moment. He has criticized Trump on everything from the hurricane response in his native Puerto Rico to the treatment of immigrants. On Sunday he blasted ICE while accepting a Grammy, and his latest tour skipped the continental U.S. over fears his fans could be targeted by immigration agents.

Trump has said he doesn’t plan to attend the game, unlike last year, and has derided Bad Bunny as a “terrible choice.” A Republican senator is calling it “the woke bowl.” And a prominent conservative group plans an alternative show it hopes will steal attention from the main event.

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Judge seems skeptical of legal justification for Pentagon’s punishment of Sen. Mark Kelly

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon says he knows of no U.S. Supreme Court precedent to justify the Pentagon’s censuring of the sitting U.S. senator, who joined a video plea for troops to resist unlawful orders from the Trump administration.

Kelly had a front-row seat in a courtroom Tuesday as his attorneys urged Leon to block the Pentagon from punishing the Arizona Democrat, a retired U.S. Navy pilot.

The judge did not immediately rule from the bench on Kelly’s claims that his First Amendment free speech rights were violated. But he appeared to be skeptical of a government attorney’s defense of Kelly’s Jan. 5 censure by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

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Petro asks Trump to declassify documents

In a letter, the Colombian president asked for the declassification of all reports on two violent episodes in his country’s history.

They are the assassination of political leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán on April 9, 1948, and the takeover of the Palace of Justice in November 1985, first by the M-19 guerrilla group — to which Petro belonged as a young man — and then by the Colombian army.

Petro says UN agency monitoring cocaine production is ‘terrible’

Petro had sharp words for the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, which has said Colombia’s potential cocaine production rose by 65% over the past two years and its coca crop is at historically high levels.

“For more than a decade, UNODC’s numbers have been terrible,” Petro said. He did not provide any evidence to back his claim.

The Colombian president said that during his meeting with Trump, he tried to give the U.S. president more accurate information on his nation’s progress on fighting drugs.

Petro also said he spoke with Trump about coming up with a scientific and independent way to monitor cocaine production.

He added that upon returning home, he will launch an initiative to help farmers in remote areas stop working for drug traffickers and rebel groups that profit from the cocaine trade.

Petro discusses ways to ‘reactivate’ Venezuela with Trump

The Colombian president said that during their meeting, he suggested that the U.S. invest in renewable energy projects in northern Colombia that could export electricity to neighboring Venezuela.

“We looked at ways in which we can reactivate Venezuela,” Petro said in a news conference.

Petro has been an outspoken critic of the U.S. raid on Venezuela that led to the seizure and removal of President Nicolás Maduro, and he has called for Maduro’s return so he can be judged by the Venezuelan courts.

Petro said that during the meeting with Trump, they did not focus on their differences over the Venezuela raid. He also said he was looking for ways to work with the U.S to fight rebel groups and drug traffickers.

Petro: The real ‘kingpins’ live in Dubai, Madrid and Miami

Asked about drug trafficking in Colombia, President Gustavo Petro talked about the need to “target the true kingpins.”

Petro said there is a persistent belief — prevalent even within U.S. and Colombian intelligence circles — that the “capos” are those in uniforms carrying rifles in the Colombian jungle.

In reality, he said, “Those are merely the second or third tier. The primary leaders of the drug trade reside in Dubai, Madrid, and Miami. U.S. agencies are aware of them, and I have personally shared their names with President Trump.”

Petro wants an extra ‘s’ on MAGA hat

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said that during his meeting with Trump, he was given a red MAGA hat. Petro said he told Trump there should be an “s” at the end of “America,” so it would say “Make (the) Americas Great Again.”

The two presidents had their first face-to-face meeting Tuesday as the countries try to shore up relations and look for ways to work together to fight drug trafficking.

Trump and Petro have had a rocky relationship that recently led to U.S. sanctions on the Colombian leader.

Petro said the meeting was positive.

‘It’s too bad,’ Trump says of Mandelson’s resignation over Epstein ties

The president was asked about British politician Peter Mandelson’s resignation Tuesday during a bill signing. Mandelson, who had a relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was in the Oval Office last year after playing a key role in securing a U.K.-U.S. trade agreement.

“I really don’t know too much about it. I know who he is. It’s too bad,” Trump said.

Trump had denied knowing Mandelson when he visited the UK last year for a state visit despite the photos of them together in the Oval Office.

Trump shares first public rendering of the ballroom he wants to build at the White House

The president released it on social media and boasted that the ballroom will be “The Greatest of its kind ever built!”

Plans call for it to go up on the site of the former East Wing, which Trump demolished last October.

He shared a view of the ballroom looking out from the Treasury Building across the street. He said it will be of an identical height and scale and “totally in keeping with our historic White House.”

One member of a federal arts panel that is reviewing the project described the ballroom as “immense” at a meeting last month.

Trump says he ‘got along very well’ with Petro

The president told reporters that during their Oval Office meeting, he and his Colombian counterpart talked about efforts to stem the flow of drugs — and got past a rough start to their relationship.

“He and I weren’t exactly the best of friends, but I wasn’t insulted, because I never met him. I didn’t know him at all,” Trump said. “And we got along very well.”

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 shoutout’ to government attorney after ruling against Trump administration

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes ruled against the 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 shoutout” 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 shoutout, 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 acknowledgment 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.”