Thursday, February 12 | By Cate Martel |
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It's Thursday. These Winter Olympics could not have come at a better time. This has been such an intense start to 2026. It's nice to rally around something so universally loved. (Though even with the Games there are some tensions — more on that below.) | Minneapolis immigration crackdown is ending Dems reject White House's offer to avert DHS shutdown How a Homeland Security shutdown would affect you FBI finds glove near Nancy Guthrie's home Zelensky rips IOC over Ukrainian disqualification
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The Trump administration will end its immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis, border czar Tom Homan announced this morning. What's the time frame?: "A significant drawdown has already been underway this week" and the withdrawal will "continue through next week," Homan said. "A small footprint of personnel" will stay in Minneapolis for a bit during the transition, he noted. Did Trump sign off on this plan?: Homan says Trump "concurred" with the decision. 💬 Follow today's live blog |
Minnesota state officials, along with Trump administration figures, are testifying on Capitol Hill about the immigration enforcement efforts in the state. Who is testifying?: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D), Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott and acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons Here are the highlights: 🔷 Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) got into a shouting match with Ellison over a fraud investigation in the state. 🔷 GOP Sen. Ron Johnson (Wis.) blamed Ellison for the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. 💻 Watch the hearing |
We may be looking at our third shutdown in four months: |
Well, it sure looks like we are headed toward the third federal shutdown in four months, though this would be the smallest one yet, affecting one department: Homeland Security (DHS). But even a funding lapse with that one department could have major implications for a range of federal agencies, especially if it were to drag on for an extended period. What agencies are part of DHS?: The U.S. Coast Guard, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Secret Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Republicans and Democrats are far from agreeing on how to fund DHS because it includes funding for the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. Unless something drastically changes, DHS funding will expire at the end of the week, while the rest of the government is funded through September. How will this affect you?: Americans are most likely to notice the effects of the shutdown when flying. The vast majority of TSA agents will be working without pay, so expect more agent absences, meaning fewer staff, lower morale and longer wait times at airport security. Read Sarah Fortinsky's reporting on how a shutdown will affect each agency |
➤ TRUMP'S LAST-DITCH TRY TO AVERT THE PARTIAL SHUTDOWN: |
➤ DHS'S NEW HIRE RAISES SOME EYEBROWS: |
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A possible breakthrough in the case: | FBI teams found a black glove while searching roads near 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie's home. It's unclear whether it is related to her disappearance, but the glove looks similar to a glove worn in the FBI-released smart doorbell footage. It will be tested for DNA evidence. 📸 Photos of the glove A potential new note: TMZ says it received a new note. The note claims not to be from the kidnapper, but from someone who has information about the kidnapper. It demands 1 bitcoin in exchange for information. A new tent: NewsNation's Brian Entin reports that a tent was put up briefly on Thursday at Nancy Guthrie's front door. This is where some news outlets spotted blood. 📸 Photo The tip line: Authorities say they have received more than 4,000 calls to their tip line in the past 24 hours. Timeline of events: Here's a helpful timeline of the developments in the case. |
The helmet that got an Olympic athlete disqualified: |
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) disqualified a Ukrainian skeleton racer who insisted on wearing a helmet honoring athletes and coaches killed in his country's war with Russia. The helmet featured black-and-white images of 24 people who died in the war. The IOC argued it prohibits political statements in the field of play. The Ukrainian athlete, Vladyslav Heraskevych, was allowed to wear it during practice. The IOC also offered to let him display the helmet once he was off the ice, but Heraskevych refused. Zelensky's reaction: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back on the IOC's decision. "Sport shouldn't mean amnesia, and the Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play into the hands of aggressors," Zelensky wrote. "Unfortunately, the decision of the International Olympic Committee to disqualify Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych says otherwise." |
If this were a plot in 'Veep,' I'd roll my eyes: |
But this is actually real!! The FAA announced a highly unusual 10-day closure of El Paso International Airport due to security concerns, only to abruptly pull it back hours later. Well, The New York Times is reporting what actually happened behind the scenes that led to this snafu. "The abrupt closure of El Paso's airspace late Tuesday was precipitated when Customs and Border Protection officials deployed an anti-drone laser on loan from the Department of Defense without giving aviation officials enough time to assess the risks to commercial aircraft, according to multiple people briefed on the situation." "Top administration officials quickly claimed that the closure was in response to a sudden incursion of drones from Mexican drug cartels that required a military response. … But that assertion was undercut by multiple people familiar with the situation." Omg: "C.B.P. officials thought they were firing on a cartel drone, the people said, but it turned out to be a party balloon." Read the full reporting: 'Border Officials Are Said to Have Caused El Paso Closure by Firing Anti-Drone Laser' Plus: Here's what we know about the incident Yes, this!!: "I'm not sure Veep could have come up with this scenario: DOD lends DHS experimental lasers, which it uses to shoot down party balloons, which prompts the FAA to close down El Paso's airspace for 10 days, only to announce a few hours later that it is reopening." (From journalism fellow Kate Brannen) |
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The House voted this morning. The Senate is in. President Trump is at the White House. (All times EST) |
Noon: The Senate votes. 📆 Today's agenda 1:30 p.m. Trump makes an announcement with the EPA administrator. 💻 Livestream 3 p.m. Trump participates in policy meetings. Friday-Sunday: The Munich Security Conference. Secretary of State Marco Rubio leads the U.S. delegation. |
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