Live updates: Democrats block Department of Homeland Security funding bill; DHS set to shut down this weekend

The top lawyer at Goldman Sachs, Kathy Ruemmler, said today that she would leave the prestigious Wall Street firm amid controversy over her email correspondence with Epstein disclosed by the Justice Department in recent weeks.

Kathy Ruemmler on NBC's "Meet the Press" in June 2014. William B. Plowman / NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty Images file

In an interview with The Financial Times, Ruemmler said: “I made the determination that the media attention on me, relating to my prior work as a defence attorney, was becoming a distraction.”

Serving as a close adviser to Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, Ruemmler has drawn intense scrutiny for weeks as the Justice Department dumped millions of pages of files related to Epstein.

“Throughout her tenure, Kathy has been an extraordinary general counsel, and we are grateful for her contributions and sound advice on a wide range of consequential legal matters for the firm,” Solomon said in a statement. “As one of the most accomplished professionals in her field, Kathy has also been a mentor and friend to many of our people, and she will be missed. I accepted her resignation, and I respect her decision.”

Ruemmler was White House counsel in the Obama administration.

Read the full story here.

The White House fired the top federal prosecutor for upstate New York just hours after he was sworn into office yesterday.

Donald Kinsella, who has worked for decades as a government attorney and in private practice, was appointed and sworn in as the U.S. attorney in the Northern District of New York in a private ceremony, the court said on its website. Later that day, he was fired in an email from the White House.

Kinsella told NBC News today that the email came from the deputy director of presidential personnel, Morgan DeWitt Snow, and that it said the “president directed that I be removed,” without any explanation.

Reached for comment, the White House directed NBC News to a social media post by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“Judges don’t pick U.S. Attorneys, @POTUS does. See Article II of our Constitution. You are fired, Donald Kinsella,” Blanche said on X.

Kinsella’s hiring and firing were first reported by The Times Union of Albany.

Read the full story here.

The Department of Homeland Security is poised to shut down this weekend as Congress remained deadlocked today over a path forward before it leaves town for a weeklong holiday break.

The White House and Democratic leaders have continued to trade offers, signaling some hope for an agreement. But it remains unclear which Democratic demands the White House will agree to when it comes to slapping restraints on immigration enforcement after federal agents killed two American citizens in Minnesota.

With Congress out of town, DHS will shut down beginning at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. That means federal employees at agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard won’t be paid, though most of them will continue showing up for work because their jobs are considered critical.

Read the full story here.

Mayors Jacob Frey of Minneapolis and Zohran Mamdani of New York met today in New York City, where they discussed handling the challenges they’ve faced because of Trump and his administration.

Frey, a Democrat, and Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, talked about how they’ve navigated the Trump administration, while Frey also shared details of the impact of the administration's surge of immigration agents to Minnesota, their offices said.

“Today I had a meaningful conversation with Mayor Mamdani about the reality local governments are facing. When federal government targets immigrant communities, it’s cities that feel it first — and cities that step up,” Frey said in a statement. “We’re building a coalition of mayors ready to lead.”

Businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson suspended her GOP campaign for governor in Arizona today, writing on X that "the decision was not an easy one" but that "we cannot afford a divisive Republican primary that drains resources and turns into months of intraparty attacks."

Robson added that a contentious primary "weakens our conservative cause and gives the left exactly what they want: a fractured Republican party heading into November."

Karrin Taylor Robson (C) during a campaign rally in Mesa, Arizona, in 2022. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images file

Robson had been running in the Republican primary against GOP Reps. David Schweikert and Andy Biggs. She also ran in the 2022 primary for governor but lost to the eventual GOP nominee, Kari Lake.

The winner of this year's Republican primary will go on to face Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, in November's general election. Hobbs beat Lake by less than 1 percentage point in 2022.

The airspace over El Paso, Texas, was closed yesterday sometime after Customs and Border Protection officials used an anti-drone laser provided by the military to shoot down objects that were later identified as party balloons, four people familiar with the matter said.

The technology was used without coordinating with officials from the Federal Aviation Administration, the people said.

U.S. military-owned laser technology was being tested in the proximity of the airport. The FAA responded by issuing a “temporary flight restriction notice,” which was to shut down the airspace for 10 days. It prevented flights, including helicopters used for medical transport, below 18,000 feet. The airport is a major hub for the region, with more than 50 flights scheduled every day.

The airspace was reopened several hours later yesterday morning. The decision prompted confusion and finger-pointing inside the Trump administration over who was to blame.

Read the full story here.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a short post on X this afternoon that the Trump administration plans to appeal a federal judge's ruling today that blocked the Defense Department's effort to demote Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.

"This will be immediately appealed," Hegseth said, reposting a story about the legal development. "Sedition is sedition, 'Captain.'"

Kelly responded to Hegseth's post, adding a screenshot of the judge's ruling and highlighting this line from it: "Rather than trying to shrink the First Amendment liberties of retired servicemembers, Secretary Hegseth and his fellow defendants might reflect and be grateful for the wisdom and expertise that retired servicemembers have brought to public discussions and debate on military matters in our Nation over the past 250 years."

Hegseth has wanted to downgrade Kelly's military rank and censure him over his participation in the video with other lawmakers advising service members and members of the intelligence community not to follow illegal orders.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote in his ruling today that the Trump administration has "trampled on Senator Kelly’s First Amendment freedoms and threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees."

In a post on X, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., called on former White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler to answer questions before the Oversight Committee after her relationship with Epstein was revealed in a recent release of Epstein-related documents.

Ruemmler, who served in the Obama administration, often corresponded with Epstein and his assistant. She also received gifts worth thousands of dollars from Epstein, according to emails.

In his post on X, Garcia accused Ruemmler, who now works for Goldman Sachs, of having corresponded with Epstein after he had been accused of wrongdoing.

Senate Democrats have blocked the full-year Department of Homeland Security funding bill from advancing on the Senate floor.

A 60-vote threshold motion to end debate on the bill failed on a vote of 52-47.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., was the only Democrat to vote yes, and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., missed the vote.

The vote is expected to be the last one of the week, meaning DHS funding will lapse at the end of the day tomorrow. Funding is likely to lapse for at least 10 days, with the Senate not scheduled to return to Washington until Feb. 23.

Trump said he hasn't fired the staffer he blamed for posting the racist video last week on his Truth Social account that depicted former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as apes.

"No, I haven’t," Trump told reporters when he was asked whether the staffer had been fired. "That was a video on, as you know, voter fraud."

Trump repeated White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt's argument that the video stemmed from a meme video related to "The Lion King." "It’s been shown all over the place long before that was posted. But that was a, that was a very strong ... I’m sure you saw a very strong piece on voter fraud, and the piece that you’re talking about was all over the place many times, I believe, for years," Trump said.

The video was removed from his account hours after it was posted last Friday in the wake of many Republicans' speaking out against it. Trump blamed a staffer for posting it and refused to apologize.

Trump suggested that he opposes some of the proposals Democrats have offered to overhaul some practices at Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Taking questions at his EPA-related event, Trump said that "we have to protect our law enforcement" when he was asked whether he feels Democrats are negotiating in good faith.

"Actually, the Supreme Court gave a ruling, or one of the courts gave a very big ruling, on masks that you have the right to use them for personal protection if you want," he said. "They want our law enforcement to be totally vulnerable and put them in a lot of danger. They have some things that are really, very hard to — very, very hard to approve."

Democrats have 10 demands for changes to ICE and DHS enforcement. DHS is likely to shut down this weekend because Congress remains divided over keeping it funded.

Trump announced this afternoon that the EPA is rescinding the legal finding it has relied on for nearly two decades to limit the heat-trapping pollution that spews from vehicle tailpipes, oil refineries and factories.

The repeal of the landmark determination, known as the endangerment finding, will upend most U.S. policies aimed at curbing climate change.

The finding — which the EPA issued in 2009 — said the global warming caused by greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane endangers the health and welfare of current and future generations.

“We are officially terminating the so-called endangerment finding, a disastrous Obama-era policy,” Trump said at a news conference. “This determination had no basis in fact — none whatsoever. And it had no basis in law. On the contrary, over the generations, fossil fuels have saved millions of lives and lifted billions of people out of poverty all over the world.”

Read the full story here.

In her first interview since taking office after the Trump administration's ouster of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodríguez sat down exclusively with "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker to talk about the future of the country and its relationship with the United States. "I can tell you that President Nicolás Maduro is the legitimate president," she said. The interview came ahead of Energy Secretary Chris Wright's first official talks with Rodríguez.

Delcy Rodríguez Talks Future of Venezuela in NBC Interview

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A federal judge on Thursday ruled that the Trump administration “trampled” on Sen. Mark Kelly’s First Amendment rights, blocking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s efforts to reprimand the Arizona senator, a retired Naval officer.

“This Court has all it needs to conclude that Defendants have trampled on Senator Kelly’s First Amendment freedoms and threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees,” U.S. District Judge Richard Leon wrote. “After all, as Bob Dylan famously said, ‘You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.’ To say the least, our retired veterans deserve more respect from their Government, and our Constitution demands they receive it!”

“Rather than trying to shrink the First Amendment liberties of retired service members, Secretary Hegseth and his fellow Defendants might reflect and be grateful for the wisdom and expertise that retired service members have brought to public discussions and debate on military matters in our Nation over the past 250 years,” Leon wrote. “If so, they will more fully appreciate why the Founding Fathers made free speech the first Amendment in the Bill of Rights!”

He added, “Hopefully this injunction will in some small way help bring about a course correction in the Defense Department’s approach to these issues.”

The Defense Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read the full story here.

During the Senate oversight hearing with Trump administration immigration officials, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said his fellow Democratic lawmakers shouldn't allow the Department of Homeland Security to shut down at the end of the week as they try to negotiate changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement with the White House.

Fetterman said the sweeping GOP domestic policy legislation dubbed the Big Beautiful Bill had already provided $75 billion to ICE, so the effect of shutting down DHS would punish other parts of the department, such as the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency.

"I want to remind everybody that you have ... ICE has plenty of money, and that vote to shut DHS down will have no functional impact on ICE because they have that $75 million from the Big Beautiful Bill," he said.

Senators are expected to leave the capital today without passing an extension of DHS funding before tomorrow's deadline after Democrats and the White House failed to reach a consensus on how to proceed with an ICE overhaul.

Crypto groups are keeping their foot on the gas pedal in the 2026 midterm elections, continuing to pour money into primaries and other competitive contests as Washington works on industry regulations.

Protect Progress — a Democratic-focused PAC affiliated with Fairshake, the crypto industry's political hub — announced a $1.5 million investment in defeating Democratic Rep. Al Green, who has voted against pro-crypto legislation, in his March 3 primary.

“As a member of the Financial Services Committee, Representative Al Green has decided to try and stop American innovation in its tracks,” said Josh Vlasto, PAC spokesperson. “Texas voters can no longer sit by and have representation in Congress that is actively hostile towards a growing Texas crypto community.”

Green faces fellow Rep. Christian Menefee and other Democrats in a primary next month.

And Green isn’t the crypto group’s only target, with more large-scale donations expected for and against candidates in the coming months, a person with direct knowledge of the group’s plans tells NBC News. Fairshake and its affiliated partners have more than $193 million in the bank for the 2026 election cycle.

Last cycle, the group spent $195 million in total to help elect pro-crypto lawmakers. 

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he did not think it was “appropriate for anybody to be tracking” the Epstein files searches of members of Congress at the Department of Justice. 

“My understanding is that there are computers set up where the DOJ was allowing access to the files, and I think members should obviously have the right to peruse those at their own speed and with their own discretion,” Johnson told reporters. “And I don’t think it’s appropriate for anybody to be tracking that. So I will echo that to anybody involved with DOJ, and I’m sure it was an oversight, that’s my guess.”

His comments come after a Reuters photo yesterday revealed that Attorney General Pam Bondi, during a hearing, had a page in her binder labeled "Jayapal Pramila Search History." The photo drew sharp criticism from lawmakers yesterday and today.

Earlier today, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., told reporters that she spoke to Speaker Johnson last night about the issue. 

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is traveling to New York City Thursday to meet with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Frey spokesperson Ally Peters and a second source familiar with the meeting confirmed to NBC News.

Frey, a Democrat, emerged as a prominent figure in Minnesota during the Trump administration’s surge of immigration agents to the state. Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, has also been an outspoken Trump critic, though the two found common ground during a White House meeting in November.

News of the Frey-Mamdani meeting was first reported by Politico.

Speaking about the tactics that immigration agents have used recently and how police officers handle similar situations, Paul recommended that the immigration agencies evaluate the training for their officers.

"I would suggest that you need to look at these and you need to look at the policy, because I don't think they're living up to the same standard of the police, you know," he said.

"I think the police, frankly, are better trained, which is the other complaint that people have had, have we rushed some of the people into the job, you know?" Paul added.

Trump praised Attorney General Pam Bondi for her performance in yesterday's fiery congressional hearing, saying in a post to Truth Social that she was "fantastic."

"AG Pam Bondi, under intense fire from the Trump Deranged Radical Left Lunatics, was fantastic at yesterday’s Hearing on the never ending saga of Jeffrey Epstein, where the one thing that has been proven conclusively, much to their chagrin, was that President Donald J. Trump has been 100% exonerated of their ridiculous Russia, Russia, Russia type charges," he said.

Trump has not been accused by law enforcement of wrongdoing related to Epstein.

Bondi repeatedly praised Trump during the hearing, touting stock market gains and referring to him as “the greatest president in American history.”

Paul and Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., pressed the second panel of witnesses, the leaders of the federal immigration agencies, about what led to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minnesota.

The senators played a video clip capturing what led to the shooting and asked the witnesses about the tactics the immigration agents used in the encounter.

"I think what's important about the encounter isn't even the specifics of the investigation. It's about what are your officers trained to do," Paul said.

Paul said about Pretti's death, "I don't think as terrible as this is, it's something that's a crime. I think it's terrible police work, but there has to ultimately be repercussions."

Paul said that Pretti was "retreating at every moment. He's trying to get away, and he's being sprayed in the face. I don't think that's de-escalatory. That's an escalatory thing."

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said that Congress has for too long "pretended to search" for who is responsible for fraud and waste in programs after funds have gone out to states and local jurisdictions.

"It's almost like a problem Scooby Doo and the Mystery Gang might face," she said, referring to the cartoon mystery-solving team. "So right here, folks, well, the mystery is solved: Congress is responsible by allowing weak incentives for states and localities to police spending after those grant funds are dispersed. Fraud is able to increase more easily, and it's harder to recoup improperly used taxpayer dollars."

Ernst then asked the Republican leader of the Minnesota House, Harry Niska, what he thought should be done.

Niska responded by accusing Democratic state leaders, including Ellison, of not taking fraud seriously, adding, "We should be tightening up eligibility requirements, making sure that that states and local governments are actually going out and checking on whether meals are being served," a reference to a major Minnesota fraud case involving the alleged theft of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal child nutrition program funding.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison got into the first heated exchange of the hearing after Hawley repeatedly accused Ellison of helping people defraud his state and taking campaign contributions from them.

"You don’t know what you’re talking about, sir," Ellison said.

"Why did you take their money?" Hawley asked.

"I didn’t," Ellison responded.

"You helped fraudsters defraud your state and this government of $9 billion," Hawley then alleged. Ellison continued to flatly deny the senator's accusations.

After another back-and-forth over Hawley calling Ellison "pal," the senator then said, "Well, I should call you a 'prisoner' because you ought to be in jail."

Hawley later said Ellison should resign from his role, prompting Ellison to respond, "I was thinking the same thing about you. ... I was thinking the exact same thing about you."

The Senate is expected to leave the capital today without passing any kind of extension for Department of Homeland Security funding before the Friday deadline after talks between Democrats and the White House failed to reach a consensus on overhauling Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The White House sent Democrats legislative text of their counter-offer last night, two sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News, but it appears Democrats will not support a short-term measure to keep DHS funded while negotiations continue.

The Senate is scheduled to leave town for a weeklong President’s Day recess, meaning a DHS funding lapse could last at least 10 days. Earlier this month, Congress passed a spending package to fund the rest of the federal government through the end of September.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., appeared to blame Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison for the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, saying that he and other state officials had encouraged the protests that led to their killings by immigration enforcement agents.

"Two people are dead, because you encouraged them put themselves in harm’s way and now you’re exploiting those two martyrs. That was a tragedy. It never should have happened," Johnson yelled at Ellison.

Johnson suggested that Ellison encouraged the environment that led to the shootings. "So now you’re an ICE officer, you’re doing enforcement action, you’ve got a team behind you trying to protect you. You’ve got all these trained activists behind you, is there any wonder they’re at hair trigger alert? A tragedy was going to happen and you encouraged it! You ought to feel damn guilty about it!"

The senator then said to Ellison, "Yeah, sit there and smirk ... it's sick, it's despicable."

Ellison responded, "Are you asking me for comment, senator? Because everything you said was untrue. It was a nice theatrical performance, but it was all lies."

The Trump administration said this morning that it is ending its immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.

Speaking at a news conference in the city, border czar Tom Homan said coordination with local law enforcement and success of immigration enforcement have contributed to the end of Operation Metro Surge.

“I have proposed and President Trump has concurred that this surge operation conclude,” he said.

The announcement comes weeks after federal authorities shot and killed two U.S. citizens, sparking outrage around the nation and the world.

Read the full story here.

In his opening statement, Minnesota Corrections Department Commissioner Paul Schnell criticized the Trump administration's handling of immigration enforcement in his state.

"What has resulted is not controlled, target-focused enforcement, but an operation lacking planning, discipline and constitutional restraint," Schnell said. "It is both possible to respect civil liberties and engage in meaningful immigration enforcement. We as a country need DHS to respect that balance."

"Minnesota’s experience shows us that unchecked enforcement can lead to tragedy and a profound loss of trust," Schnell said, adding, "I believe oversight is urgently needed."

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison asked in his opening statement that the federal government end the surge of immigration agents in his state — something Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, announced at a new conference this morning would start this week.

Ellison, a former Democratic member of the U.S. House, also asked the Senate Homeland Security Committee to perform its oversight responsibility by taking several actions.

"One, require ICE to provide a full transparent accounting of everyone stopped, detained, arrested and deported from Minnesota during Operation Metro Surge," he said. "Two, require ICE to document the conditions of its detention facilities and to allow attorneys, health care professionals, clergy and elected officials full access."

Ellison asked the panel to require the FBI to conduct investigations alongside state officials into the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and into every other use of excessive force. He further asked lawmakers to require ICE to stop masking and conducting warrantless searches and to pass comprehensive immigration reform."

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chair Rand Paul, R-Ky., opened this morning's Department of Homeland Security oversight hearing by criticizing the Trump administration's handling of public protests that have unfolded in Minnesota amid a surge of immigration enforcement operations in the state.

Paul said in his opening statement that federal officials had made statements implying that firearms are prohibited at protests.

"Those statements were later clarified, but they’re erroneous and not helpful. The 1st and 2nd Amendment are not suspended during periods of unrest or during protests," Paul said.

Paul, a frequent critic of Trump administration policies, also referred to the statements top administration officials initially made about Renee Good and Alex Pretti after their shooting deaths at the hands of immigration agents.

"Declaring nothing to see here or rushing to label a U.S. citizen a domestic terrorist before the evidence is established undermines trust and escalates already volatile situations," Paul said. "Both parties have weaponized the term domestic terrorists to target those with opposing views, and it needs to end."

A pro-artificial intelligence super PAC is preparing to spend about $5 million to help GOP Rep. Byron Donalds’ campaign for governor of Florida — as Republicans in the state participate in a protracted fight over AI legislation backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis but opposed by the industry.

Donalds is the first candidate for governor in the country to win support from Leading the Future, a pro-AI super PAC that has received significant funding from industry heavyweights, including OpenAI President and co-founder Greg Brockman and the founders of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. The group has largely focused on federal races to date.

“Byron Donalds understands we’re on the cusp of a magical era of technological advancement that will unleash enormous economic benefits and protect Florida’s future, and that’s why we’re proud to support him for Governor,” Zac Moffatt, one of the group’s lead strategists, told NBC News.

Read the full story here.

As the Trump administration prepares to close the Kennedy Center for a two-year renovation, the head of Washington’s performing arts center has warned its staff about impending cuts that will leave “skeletal teams.”

In a Tuesday memo obtained by The Associated Press, Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell told staff that “departments will obviously function on a much smaller scale with some units totally reduced or on hold until we begin preparations to reopen in 2028,” promising “permanent or temporary adjustments for most everyone.”

Over the next few months, he wrote, department heads would be “evaluating the needs and making the decisions as to what these skeletal teams left in place during the facility and closure and construction phase will look like.” Grenell said leadership would “provide as much clarity and advance notice as possible.”

The Kennedy Center is slated to close in early July. Few details about what the renovations will look like have been released since Trump announced his plan at the beginning of February. Neither Trump nor Grenell have provided evidence to support claims about the building being in disrepair, and last October, Trump had pledged it would remain open during renovations.

Read the full story here.

Nicolás Maduro is still the legitimate leader of Venezuela, the country’s acting president said in an exclusive interview with NBC News.

“I can tell you President Nicolás Maduro is the legitimate president. I will tell you this as a lawyer, that I am. Both President Maduro and Cilia Flores, the first lady, are both innocent,” acting President Delcy Rodríguez told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker in Caracas, in her first interview with an American journalist since taking office.

As her predecessor sits in a federal detention facility in New York after being captured by U.S. forces last month, Rodríguez is now seemingly being welcomed back into the diplomatic fold by Trump.

A high-profile visit Wednesday by Energy Secretary Chris Wright came as the two countries hammered out details of how Venezuela’s vast oil reserves are to be distributed.

Read the full story here.

Alex Bores, a New York state lawmaker at the center of the political fight over the future of artificial intelligence, released an eight-point plan for a national AI framework yesterday, wading further into the issue that is defining his campaign for Congress.

Bores, one of about a dozen contenders seeking the Democratic nomination in New York’s deep-blue, open 12th Congressional District, unveiled the plan as he faces opposition from some of the biggest national players in AI, as well as support from some others.

The dynamic has elevated him in his House contest, where he has already faced seven figures worth of attack ads from a super PAC funded by AI industry leaders — and raised hundreds of thousands from workers at other AI companies.

In an interview with NBC News, Bores said that given how quickly AI is advancing, there’s a chance most of the plan will need to be reworked. That’s the reality of how different the state of the technology might be by then and a big reason why he wanted to put his ideas on paper now.

Read the full story here.

Six survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse and two members of another accuser’s family said they felt “degraded” during yesterday’s contentious House Judiciary Committee hearing, at which Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to face them and apologize.

Several Epstein survivors and their relatives were on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers grilled Bondi for over five hours about several matters, including the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein case. She was specifically questioned about why released files were heavily redacted and why several survivors’ names were not.

“There was such a lack of empathy today. There was such a lack of, honestly, humanity today,” Dani Bensky said on NBC’s “Hallie Jackson NOW.”

Read the full story here.

Trump’s policies and personal conduct regularly generate fierce backlash from his political adversaries. But over the last two months, fresh counterblasts are coming from an unexpected quarter: his allies.

Three House Republicans joined Democrats on Tuesday on a rare procedural vote to rebuke the president and GOP leadership, which paved the way for more GOP lawmakers to vote for a resolution to block Trump’s Canada tariff yesterday. The final head count of Republicans who backed that resolution as it was adopted, with mostly Democratic votes: six.

A Republican governor who leads a national association representing governors of both parties said this week that the group would not attend a typically bipartisan White House meeting because Democrats were not invited. Trump later said all Democratic governors were also invited — with two exceptions.

And last week, Republicans inside and outside Washington rebuked Trump for sharing a social media video that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes.

The dynamic is playing out across the country and around the globe — on issues from Trump’s posts about the Obamas and slain Hollywood director Rob Reiner to the tactics of his mass deportation campaign and the implementation of his tariffs. But the wave of pushback may be most noteworthy as an indicator of where Republicans stand heading into the midterm elections in November.

Read the full story here.

NATO launched a military effort dubbed Arctic Sentry yesterday aimed at improving security in the High North, a month after Trump ramped up tensions in the alliance with his threats to annex Greenland.

Initially, Arctic Sentry will be the NATO label for national military exercises in the region, such as Denmark’s Arctic Endurance — which angered Trump so much that he threatened to slap tariffs on allies taking part — and Norway’s Cold Response drills.

Arctic Sentry is not a military operation. It does not involve the permanent or long-term deployment of troops to the region under a NATO banner.

Read the full story here.

The Environmental Protection Agency today plans to repeal the legal framework that underpins its power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

“President Trump will be joined by Administrator Lee Zeldin to formalize the rescission of the 2009 Obama-era endangerment finding,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing earlier this week. “This will be the largest deregulatory action in American history, and it will save the American people $1.3 trillion in crushing regulations.”

Known as the endangerment finding, the EPA’s 2009 decision says that greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane are heating the Earth and that warming threatens public health and welfare. It therefore functions, under the Clean Air Act, as the linchpin for rules that set emissions standards for cars and trucks and require fossil fuel companies to report their emissions, among others.

The move is expected to upend most U.S. policies aimed at reducing climate pollution — if the repeal can withstand court challenges from environmental groups, which had already been preparing to sue.

Read the full story here.

Leaders of a right-wing separatist movement in Canada say they’ve discussed everything from switching over to U.S. currency to creating a new military in conversations with U.S. officials from the State and Treasury departments at three meetings in the past year.

Leaders of the Alberta Prosperity Project seek to place a referendum on separating Alberta — the conservative-leaning province often referred to as the Texas of Canada — from the rest of the country on the ballot this year. They said a fourth meeting with Trump administration officials in Washington, D.C., is tentatively planned in the coming weeks to further discuss a transition process should their effort prove successful.

“For those of us who are very much in support of Alberta becoming a sovereign country, it’s heartening to us at each of the three meetings that we’ve had with the U.S. administration to be informed that the entire U.S. administration is supportive of Alberta becoming a sovereign country,” Dennis Modry, a co-founder of the Alberta Prosperity Project, said in an interview.

Read the full story here.

The Trump administration is dramatically expanding an effort to revoke U.S. citizenship from foreign-born Americans as it works to curb immigration, according to two people familiar with the plans.

Over the past several months, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency within Homeland Security that’s responsible for legal immigration, has been sending experts to its offices around the country or reassigning staff to focus on whether some citizens processed through those offices could now be denaturalized, these people said.

The goal of the emphasis on naturalized citizens is to supply the office of immigration litigation with between 100 to 200 possible cases per month, one of the people familiar with the plans said. Such cases have typically been very rare, involving people who concealed criminal history or previous human rights violations during their application process. The quota that was first reported by The New York Times. 

By comparison, throughout the four years of President Donald Trump’s first term, the administration formally filed a total of 102 such cases, according to the Justice Department.

Read the full story here.

Top Trump immigration enforcement officials will testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee this morning.

Lawmakers will question Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE; Rodney Scott, the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and Joseph Edlow, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The three men testified before House lawmakers earlier this week, where they faced questions about the Trump administration's aggressive and deadly immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota and elsewhere.