House aims to vote on government funding bill Tuesday amid partial shutdown
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The House Rules Committee voted tonight to advance the legislation, the final step before it can go to the floor for a vote by the full chamber.
What to know today ...
- GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: The House Rules Committee met today on setting up a floor vote for a government funding package. Republican leaders are planning on a vote on final passage tomorrow. The federal government partially shut down over the weekend after senators advanced the bill without Department of Homeland Security funding.
- CLINTONS TO TESTIFY: Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed to testify in a House investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, though no date or location has been set. The move came as the House was moving toward a vote on a contempt resolution after the Clintons defied a subpoena to testify.
- TEXAS DEMOCRAT SWORN IN: After a special election in Texas’ 18th Congressional District over the weekend, a new Democrat joined the House today. Rep. Christian Menefee was sworn in this evening, trimming the Republican advantage over Democrats to 218-214.
Tulsi Gabbard defends her presence at FBI search of Georgia elections hub
Tulsi Gabbard today defended her presence at an FBI search of an election center in Fulton County, Georgia, that has raised questions about her involvement as director of national intelligence.
In a letter to the top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees, Gabbard said she was at the center last week in keeping with U.S. law and her responsibilities as the country’s top intelligence official.
Gabbard stood by her decision not to brief lawmakers about intelligence on possible threats to election security before her trip to Georgia, saying she would not “irresponsibly share incomplete assessments.”
“I will share our intelligence assessments with Congress once they are complete,” she wrote.
House Rules Committee suspends consideration of contempt resolution against Clintons
The House Rules Committee tonight suspended its consideration of a contempt resolution against the Clintons after the former first couple agreed to provide testimony to the House Oversight Committee as part of its Jeffrey Epstein probe.
The committee met today to approve contempt resolutions against Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, clearing the path for a vote before the full House this week.
The House Oversight Committee had previously voted to advance contempt proceedings against them over their refusal to testify following a subpoena, with some Democrats joining Republicans in voting in favor of the proceedings.
Judge lifts order on preserving evidence in Alex Pretti shooting
A federal judge in Minnesota said he believes the Trump administration is not likely to destroy or improperly alter evidence related to the shooting of Alex Pretti, and therefore a further preservation order is not necessary.
Judge Eric Tostrud says Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified reasonable concerns regarding defendants’ ability and willingness to preserve and maintain the integrity of the evidence in their possession related to Pretti’s shooting, “but in my judgment, the record as it stands today largely addresses these concerns and does not justify a continuing preservation order."
The Trump administration, Tostrud said, maintains “evidence-preservation policies, and no evidence shows that these policies are deficient or that Defendants are failing to comply with them.”
He said that the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has identified “significant concerns regarding Defendants’ on-scene investigation,” but “I find that these concerns over past conduct do not hold substantial predictive value regarding Defendants’ ongoing evidence-preservation practices.”
The judge also said while he shares Minnesota officials concerns about the handling of the firearm taken from Pretti “at a high level,” the actual complaint itself remains “undeveloped and non-specific.”
Texas Democrat sworn in after winning special House election
Christian Menefee, who won a special election in Texas over the weekend, was sworn in tonight as member of the House of Representatives.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (L) swears in Rep. Christian Menefee at the Capitol today. Heather Diehl / Getty Images
The party breakdown in the House is now 218 Republicans to 214 Democrats.
Federal judge postpones Trump admin’s termination of TPS for Haitians
A federal judge today indefinitely postponed the termination of protected immigration status for hundreds of thousands of Haitians in the United States.
The order from U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes of the District of Columbia pauses Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, “pending judicial review.”
“During the stay, the Termination shall be null, void, and of no legal effect,” Reyes wrote. “The Termination therefore does not affect the protections and benefits previously conferred by the TPS designation, including work authorization and protection from detention and deportation, and the valid period of work authorization extends during the stay.”
Reyes also denied the government’s motion to dismiss the case against the government’s termination of TPS without prejudice.
Maryland House passes new congressional map, setting up a showdown with the state Senate
The Maryland House approved legislation today to redraw the state’s congressional map, sending it to the state Senate, where its future is uncertain.
The bill passed on a vote of 99-37 after hours of heated debate.
The proposed map, which could allow Democrats to pick up an additional seat in this year’s midterm elections, has been pushed by Gov. Wes Moore and national Democrats. But Maryland’s Democratic Senate president, Bill Ferguson, has remained staunchly opposed to the effort.
Maryland is one of Democrats’ few options in the national redistricting arms race in which both parties have scrambled for new electoral opportunities in their battle for the House majority.
Bill and Hillary Clinton agree to testify in House Epstein probe ahead of planned contempt vote
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify in a House investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Angel Ureña, a spokesperson for Bill Clinton, responded in a post today to a letter from House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., saying the Clintons had “negotiated in good faith” and that Comer “had not.”
“They told you under oath what they know, but you don’t care,” Ureña wrote. “But the former President and former Secretary of State will be there. They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone.”
It was not immediately clear when and where the Clintons will testify.
House eyes vote tomorrow to reopen the government and end brief shutdown
House Republican leaders plan to vote tomorrow to pass a government funding package approved by the Senate, three days after a shutdown began.
Funding lapsed Saturday amid divisions in Congress over changes to the Department of Homeland Security after agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pushed the vote back by one day after, he said, Democrats conveyed to him that they won’t provide enough votes to skip the procedural hurdles.
“I think we’ll get it done by tomorrow,” Johnson said today.
Dan Bongino returns to podcasting with a defense of the FBI’s handling of the Epstein files
Former FBI co-deputy director Dan Bongino made a fiery return to podcasting today, defending the agency’s review of the Jeffrey Epstein case, attacking his critics and interviewing Trump.
“It’s been a crazy year,” Bongino said of his time as the No. 2 official under FBI Director Kash Patel. Of how the office handled the Epstein files, he called it a “level 10 problem” — one with no good solution.
“It was never going to please everyone,” he said.
Bongino, who officially stepped down last month, said that he’d always planned to stay on the job for a year and that e intends to use his podcast to combat the “grifters” he said were trying to sow division in the MAGA ranks.
Trump says Kennedy Center renovations could cost around $200 million
Trump said the Kennedy Center renovations scheduled to start this year could cost “around $200 million.”
Trump characterized the conditions at the iconic performing arts venue as hazardous, saying that it’s “in very bad shape, it’s run down, it’s dilapidated” and that a renovation with superior quality could not be done without temporarily closing it.
Trump, who announced that the center would close for two years for renovations starting July 4, reiterated that the renovation is fully financed, without elaborating on the source of the funding.
Tulsi Gabbard accused of trying to ‘bury’ whistleblower complaint
A U.S. intelligence official has alleged wrongdoing by National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard in a whistleblower complaint filed last year, according to the official’s lawyer and Gabbard’s office.
Andrew Bakaj, the attorney for the intelligence official, said today that the complaint was filed in May with the intelligence community’s inspector general but has not been fully shared with Congress. He accused Gabbard of trying to hide the complaint from Congress.
“After nearly eight months of taking illegal actions to protect herself, the time has come for Tulsi Gabbard to comply with the law and fully release the disclosure to Congress,” Bakaj said in a statement released by Whistle Blower Aid, a nonprofit group that represents government and private-sector employees seeking to expose wrongdoing.
“The Inspector General’s independence and neutrality is non-existent when the director of national intelligence illegally inserts herself into the process,” he said.
Rep.-elect Christian Menefee to be sworn in tonight
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will swear in Rep.-elect Christian Menefee, D-Texas, this evening.
The event is scheduled to take place at 6:45 p.m. on the House floor.
The new party breakdown in the House will be 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats after the swearing-in ceremony. That means Republicans can afford only one GOP defection and still pass bills on party-line votes. If two Republicans vote against something with all Democrats, the measure would fail.
Trump says Republicans should ‘nationalize’ elections
Trump said today that Republicans should “take over the voting” from states as he repeated his disproven claims of voter fraud.
“The Republicans should say: ‘We want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least — many, 15 places.’ The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting,” Trump said in an appearance on former Deputy FBI Co-Director Dan Bongino’s podcast.
The statement marks a dramatic escalation of Trump’s stance on election administration, advancing a position that Democrats had warned he could stake out with his calls for stricter voting rules and investigations of allegations of fraud.
Article 1 of the Constitution says that “the times, places, and manner of holding elections for senators and representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof,” though Congress can pass federal regulations, too.
Trump says he was never ‘friendly’ with Epstein
Trump said on Truth Social that he wasn’t “friendly” with Epstein, despite years of evidence to the contrary.
Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump in Palm Beach, Fla., in 1997. Davidoff Studios Photography / Getty Images file
“Not only wasn’t I friendly with Jeffrey Epstein but, based upon information that has just been released by the Department of Justice, Epstein and a SLEAZEBAG lying ‘author’ named Michael Wolff, conspired in order to damage me and/or my Presidency,” Trump wrote in a post in which he again denied that he’d ever gone to visit Epstein’s island.
There’s no evidence that Trump ever visited Epstein’s island, but there is substantial evidence that they were friendly.
“I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,” Trump told New York magazine in 2002, before there were any public allegations of wrongdoing against Epstein. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
A November 1992 clip from the NBC archives showed the two socializing at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, pointing out women on the dance floor. In a part of the tape, Trump is heard saying something to Epstein that causes him to double over in laughter. Epstein also attended Trump’s 1993 wedding to Marla Maples, according to a photo obtained by CNN.
Trump was also photographed with Epstein at an event at Mar-a-Lago in 2000, along with future first lady Melania Knauss and Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing, and there is no evidence connecting him to Epstein’s crimes. He told reporters after Epstein was arrested in 2019 that “I wasn’t a fan of his,” and he said last year that he booted Epstein from his Florida club in the early 2000s because he “took people that worked for me.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker spends $5 million to boost his pick for Senate in his state
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has given an infusion of cash to a super PAC backing the underdog Senate campaign of his lieutenant governor, Juliana Stratton, who is competing in next month’s Democratic primary for an open seat.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. Scott Olson / Getty Images
Pritzker, the billionaire Democratic governor and potential 2028 presidential contender, contributed $5 million in December to Illinois Future PAC, according to campaign finance reports filed over the weekend. His cousin Jennifer Pritzker and her spouse gave another $1.1 million. Together, they accounted for almost all of the super PAC’s $6.3 million in fundraising last year.
The pro-Stratton super PAC said it has continued fundraising in 2026 and has now raised a total of more than $10 million. The source of those additional millions won’t be reported until March.
The group is in the middle of a weekslong ad campaign supporting Stratton’s Senate bid and touting her partnership with Pritzker.
John Thune says state Senate defeat in Texas means GOP must 'up our game'
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said today that Republicans need to do a better job after his party suffered a shocking defeat in a Texas state Senate race in an area that Trump handily won in 2024.
Asked about the results of that race, Thune told reporters: "The message is: We've got to up our game and make sure that we're doing everything to give people, particularly voters in the middle of the electorate who decide these types of elections, a reason to vote for our candidates. And I believe we will do that.
"We are raising really good resources, and we got a great slate of candidates in all the relevant races around the country, at least where the Senate is concerned," he added. "And I think we've got a record of accomplishment to run on, which needs to be communicated better."
Trump loyalist Ed Martin out as 'weaponization' czar
Ed Martin, then the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, in Washington in May. Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images
Trump loyalist Ed Martin is out of his role as the Justice Department’s “weaponization” czar, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
Asked whether Martin still served in the role, a Justice Department spokesman told NBC News that he continued to serve in a separate role, as pardon attorney.
“President Trump appointed Ed Martin as Pardon Attorney and Ed continues to do a great job in that role,” according to the spokesman.
Martin, who used to have an office at the main Justice Department building on Pennsylvania Avenue, is now working out of a Justice Department satellite office in Washington, D.C.
Martin was named last spring as the leader of the “Weaponization Working Group,” which is investigating prosecutors who launched past investigations into Trump and his allies.
Martin, an advocate for people arrested following the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, previously said he planned to “name” and “shame” people the department could not formally charge with crimes, a major departure from long-standing Justice Department policy.
It’s not clear who is heading the group now.
Sen. Tina Smith endorses Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan for Senate
Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., endorsed Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan today to succeed her in the Senate.
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan at the Democratic National Convention in 2024. Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty Images
"I know that right now there is no one I trust more than Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, and that is why I’m endorsing Peggy to be the next Minnesota United States senator," Smith, who is not running for re-election, said in a video posted on social media standing next to Flanagan.
In the video, Smith referred to the surge of federal agents in Minnesota "terrorizing" their community and the fatal shootings by immigration officials of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.
"Peggy has served this state so well; she has delivered results for Minnesotans, and she understands that right now what we need are fierce fighters — people who are willing to stand up to the status quo, people who won't be intimidated, people who remember that the most important thing is that people feel safe in their communities and that they can afford the lives they want to live," Smith said.
Flanagan, Gov. Tim Walz's lieutenant governor, said this is a defining moment in the state and in the country, in which people live in fear of the federal government. She said that people are looking to Minnesota to continue the fight and that she wants to "continue the good work of Tina Smith" as a "progressive fighter" in the Senate.
Smith endorsed Flanagan over Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., the other major candidate in the Democratic primary for the Senate seat.
Reached for comment, Craig campaign spokesman Antoine Givens said in a statement that Craig is "the only candidate who has proven she can both win tough, competitive races against a Republican and go toe-to-toe with the Trump administration."
"From voting to impeach Donald Trump twice and now taking on Kristi Noem and ICE, to writing the law that capped the cost of insulin at $35 for seniors and banning members of Congress from trading stocks, Angie Craig has shown she’s the fighter Minnesotans need to hold the powerful accountable. As Republicans attack the Lt. Governor over fraud, it’s clear that the best candidate to keep this seat blue is Angie Craig," he said.
Other senators have been divided over who should succeed Smith in the primary, NBC News reported in December.
Trump touts talks with Modi on trade and not buying Russian oil
Trump said in a post on Truth Social today that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed during a phone call to stop buying Russian oil for his country and to a trade agreement between the two countries.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in 2025. Andrew Harnik / Getty Images
"We spoke about many things, including Trade, and ending the War with Russia and Ukraine," Trump wrote. "He agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela. This will help END THE WAR in Ukraine, which is taking place right now, with thousands of people dying each and every week!"
Trump said he and Modi also agreed to lower the U.S. reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods from 25% to 18% in exchange for a reduction in Indian tariffs and nontariff barriers on U.S. goods.
Asked about Trump's claim that Modi agreed to stop buying Russian oil, a spokesperson for India's U.S. embassy pointed NBC News to a post Modi made on X referring to the tariffs agreement, which did not address Russian oil.
A White House official told NBC News that Trump is dropping the 25% Russian oil-related tariff on India in exchange for India agreeing to cease Russian oil purchases. The official said that if India does not hold up its end of the deal by continuing to purchase Russian oil, Trump is within his rights to revisit the 25% tariff.
Since last year, Trump has been criticizing countries, including some in Europe, for purchasing Russian oil at the same time that the U.S. and allies are trying to end Russia's war in Ukraine.
Judge again blocks DHS policy requiring lawmakers give advance notice of detention center visits
A federal judge is again temporarily blocking the Trump administration from requiring members of Congress to provide seven days' advance notice before conducting oversight visits at immigrant detention and holding centers.
U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb of the District of Columbia granted a motion for a temporary restraining order today as part of a lawsuit by a group of House Democrats challenging the administration's access policies.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a memorandum earlier this month that reinstated the seven-day-notice requirement that Cobb had previously blocked.
Noem said in the memo that the policy would be reinstated using money from the sweeping tax cut and spending package dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill, not a separate congressional appropriations bill, claiming that the policy therefore was not in violation of the judge's original order. That previous judicial order cited language in the appropriations bill that barred restrictions on congressional access to the Department of Homeland Security facilities.
The department did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment.
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of the progressive legal advocacy group Democracy Forward, said in a statement to NBC News: "The administration’s agenda to detain people without proper process and to raid communities is morally bankrupt and unlawful, and the American people know that. Today, yet again, a federal court has denied the Trump-Vance administration’s attempt to keep their cruelty out of public view."
Friday's jobs report to be delayed because of shutdown
The U.S. jobs report for January, which was scheduled to be released this Friday, will be delayed until further notice because of the government shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics confirmed to NBC News.
Employees at the Bureau of Labor Statistics are on leave and therefore aren't collecting or compiling the report.
"The Employment Situation release for January 2026 will not be released as scheduled on Friday, February 6, 2026," a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement.
"The release will be rescheduled upon the resumption of government funding," the spokesperson added.
Barron's was first to report the delay in the jobs report.
During the last government shutdown, the September jobs report, which was supposed to be issued on Oct. 3, was delayed until Nov. 20.
Trump touts lower crime on ex-FBI No. 2 Dan Bongino's relaunched podcast, makes false election claims
The president phoned into former FBI No. 2 Dan Bongino's relaunched podcast today, touting the nation's decreasing crime numbers while attacking Minnesota's Democratic governor, Tim Walz.
"We're doing much better," Trump said, claiming those numbers would be even better still if not for "terrible" mayors and governors like Walz, whom he called "a disaster."
The president also falsely claimed he'd won Minnesota the three times he's run for office. No Republican has won the state in a presidential election since Richard Nixon in 1972.
Trump told Bongino, who officially stepped down from his role as co-FBI deputy director last month, that "I was very unhappy when you left the FBI, but I was very happy that you have your show, which does so good."
"I call it a net neutral," Trump said.
Fulton County to sue Trump administration over seizure of 2020 election records
FBI officers at the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center in Atlanta on Jan. 28. Mike Stewart / AP
Lawyers for Fulton County, Georgia, are planning to file a lawsuit in federal court today against the FBI and Justice Department over a search warrant that the FBI executed at an election hub last week seeking records related to the 2020 presidential election.
Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. announced in a news release that the county plans to file a motion in the Northern District of Georgia challenging “the legality of the warrant and the seizure of sensitive election records, and force the government to return the ballots taken,” the release said.
“I’ve asked the county attorney to take any and all steps available to fight this criminal search warrant,” Arrington said in a statement. “The search warrant, I believe, is not proper, but I think that there are ways that we can limit it. We want to ask for forensic accounting, we want the documents to stay in the State of Georgia under seal, and we want to do whatever we can to protect voter information.”
Key Gaza border crossing reopens, a step forward in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire
The Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt partially reopened today, a significant step in the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
A Palestinian patient, accompanied by relatives, waits to leave Gaza for treatment abroad through the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Monday. Ramadan Abed / Reuters
The limited reopening will allow some movement of people in and out of the Palestinian enclave, enabling small numbers in need of medical aid to leave Gaza and letting some others return to the territory.
The reopening the crossing in both directions is a key pillar of Trump’s peace plan for Gaza and comes just days after the remains of the last hostage held in the enclave were returned to Israel.
A spokesperson for the Israeli military agency COGAT, Shimi Zuaretz, confirmed to NBC News that the crossing had reopened at 2 a.m. ET. He was unable to say how many people had crossed so far. COGAT had said yesterday the crossing would reopen only for the movement of people. It earlier warned that the crossings at Rafah would be limited and would involve security clearance by Israel.
British prime minister urges former Prince Andrew to testify in Epstein case
The millions of pages of documents in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation released by the Justice Department show a web of connections between the convicted sex offender and powerful people throughout the world, including references to former Prince Andrew. Now, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is calling on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to testify in front of Congress. Meanwhile, some Epstein survivors say they’re frustrated with the way some private information was not redacted in the release. NBC’s Hallie Jackson reports for "TODAY."
Trump threatens to sue Trevor Noah over joke about Epstein’s island
Trump is threatening to sue comedian Trevor Noah over a joke at last night’s Grammy Awards, saying in an overnight post on Truth Social that Noah’s crack claiming he visited Jeffrey Epstein’s island was “false and defamatory.”
Trevor Noah hosts The 68th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 1. Stewart Cook / CBS via Getty Images
Noah, who hosted the awards show, had poked at Trump’s relationship with the late sex offender and the president’s ambitions for the U.S. to take over Greenland.
“That is a Grammy that every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland,” Noah said. “Which makes sense, I mean, because Epstein’s Island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out on with Bill Clinton.”
In the post on Truth Social, Trump said that he has never visited Epstein’s island, “nor anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media.” Epstein had also previously denied that former President Bill Clinton had ever visited his island.
“Noah, a total loser, better get his facts straight, and get them straight fast,” the post continued. “It looks like I’ll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C., and suing him for plenty$.”
Noah’s agency and management did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment. Neither Trump nor Clinton have been charged with any crimes related to Epstein, and they have both denied any wrongdoing. A representative for Clinton did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
Iran’s supreme leader warns of 'regional war’ if U.S. attacks
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a warning that any attack on the country by the United States would lead to a “regional war.” It comes as two Iranian government officials say their president is ready to negotiate and believe that a deal can be reached if it is focused on preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. NBC’s Richard Engel reports for "TODAY" from Tehran.
Trump hails U.S. surpassing Japan in steel production
Trump celebrated the United States overtaking its ally Japan as the world’s third-largest steel producer, with his administration crediting his trade policies.
“Just think? It has just been announced that the United States of America made more Steel last year, 2025, than the Great Country of Japan, a major Steelmaker. Thank you President Trump!” Trump said in a social media post, after making similar comments in a Cabinet meeting last week.
U.S. steel crude production grew 3.1% last year to 82 million tons, according to the World Steel Association, putting it third behind China and India. It was the first time the U.S. had surpassed Japan since 1999.
Crude steel production in Japan fell 4% to 80.7 million tons, the association said, in part because of an influx of cheap steel from China, where domestic demand has fallen amid a slump in the property sector. Japan also faces a U.S. tariff of 50% on its steel products.
Trump says if Iran doesn’t agree to nuclear deal, ‘we’ll find out’ whether U.S. attack would spark a regional war
The president said yesterday that if Iran does not make a deal regarding its nuclear program, “we’ll find out” whether Iran’s supreme leader was correct to predict that a U.S. attack on the country would spark a regional war.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s remarks yesterday on a potential war come as Trump has weighed military action against Iran in response to the country’s nuclear ambitions and the government’s bloody crackdown on protesters.
Asked by a reporter about Khamenei’s remarks, Trump said, “Of course he would say that.”
“But we have the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there, very close, couple of days, and hopefully we’ll make a deal,” he continued. “We don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right.”
Tensions have been high after the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear facilities in June, and in recent weeks Trump has blasted Iran’s crackdown on protesters.
Trump endorses John Sununu in New Hampshire Senate race
The president endorsed John Sununu in the New Hampshire Senate race yesterday, backing him over other Republican opponents, including Scott Brown, as the GOP seeks to flip the seat held by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a retiring Democrat.
John Sununu, Senate candidate for New Hampshire. John Sununu via YouTube
Trump called Sununu an “America First Patriot” on Truth Social yesterday and said he had Trump’s “Complete and Total Endorsement.”
“John is strongly supported by the most Highly Respected Leaders in New Hampshire, and many Republicans in the U.S. Senate and, as your next Senator, he will work tirelessly to advance our America First Agenda,” Trump wrote.
Sununu, who has served in Congress as a representative and a senator, lost his Senate re-election bid to Shaheen in 2008. Sununu has criticized Trump in the past, including calling him a “loser” in a 2024 op-ed published in the New Hampshire Union Leader supporting Republican presidential primary candidate Nikki Haley.
Sununu’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s endorsement.
Trump says Kennedy Center will close for two years for renovations
Trump announced yesterday that he has determined that the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington should close for about two years.
The president, who wrote on Truth Social that the decision is “totally subject” to approval by his handpicked board, said that the center will close July 4 and that “financing is completed, and fully in place.” He did not elaborate on where the funding came from. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on questions about the funding.
Trump added that the decision was made based on a review that involved “Contractors, Musical Experts, Art Institutions, and other Advisors and Consultants,” who were weighing construction with closure and reopening or partial construction while entertainment operations continued.
A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Trump’s announcement, what the center’s board thinks of the issue or what would happen to the center’s existing programming.
Rep. Ro Khanna says he’s a ‘firm no’ on reopening the federal government amid ICE funding dispute
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., yesterday called on House Democrats to vote against a measure that would reopen parts of the federal government today, saying a vote in favor would support the tactics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“I’m a firm no, and I’m going to advocate with colleagues that they vote no,” Khanna told NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” adding, “I just don’t see how, in good conscience, Democrats can vote for continuing ICE funding when they’re killing American citizens.”
Several federal agencies entered a partial government shutdown Saturday, days after President Donald Trump and Senate Democrats reached a deal to avert an extended government shutdown.
House Rules Committee will meet today on government funding package
The House Rules Committee has added the Senate-approved government funding package to its 4 p.m. meeting today, according to an advisory from the panel.
The announcement comes after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., spoke on the phone Saturday, according to a spokesperson for Johnson. The spokesperson said that Jeffries indicated that House Democrats would not help Republicans pass the government funding package under suspension of the rules, a fast-track process that requires a two-thirds vote on the floor.
The call was first reported by Punchbowl News. NBC News reached out to spokespeople for Jeffries on Saturday afternoon, but they did not respond.
Republicans would have needed roughly 70 Democrats to help pass the package if it came under suspension. Instead, the Rules Committee will now try to advance the funding package. This means Republicans will likely need to approve the rule and the package on their own.
On Thursday, Jeffries said he had spoken with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Johnson about the funding talks but that he was not involved in talks with the White House.
Jeffries said “the White House understands that the only group of people that speak for House Democrats are House Democrats. So, we’ll evaluate whatever comes out of the Senate.”
Johnson said on "Meet the Press" yesterday that it’s his goal to pass the package by tomorrow on the House floor.
