White House news

• Live updates: DHS shuts down without funding deal; House and Senate out all week

  16-02-2026 14:39 via thehill.com
  
  The Munich Security Conference ended Sunday, with lawmakers and officials making their way back to the U.S. from Germany. But with the Senate and House out this week, things are looking grim for a speedy resolution to cover the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) budget lapse. DHS shut down Saturday morning after Democrats and Republicans...
  
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• Noem dismisses criticism of 'right people' voting for 'right leaders' remark

  16-02-2026 13:56 via thehill.com
  
  Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem waved off criticism of recent comments she made about ensuring “we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders to lead this country," calling the remarks "commonsense." In response to a clip from CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday in which Jake Tapper asks border...
  
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• Pressure mounts on Trump, GOP ahead of midterms

  16-02-2026 12:37 via thehill.com
  
  Morning Report is The Hill's a.m. newsletter. Subscribe here. In today's issue: ▪ Trump tries to avoid midterm losses ▪ DOJ explains Epstein files redactions ▪ Obama responds to Trump’s video post ▪ RFK Jr. reaches one-year mark leading HHS President Trump and congressional Republicans face rising pressure as they stare down a fast-approaching midterm election that could...
  
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• Olympics turn political as US athletes speak out against Trump   

  16-02-2026 12:00 via thehill.com
  
  A growing number of Olympic athletes competing for the U.S. in this month’s Winter Games are expressing discomfort with representing the U.S. under President Trump’s administration, sparking intense pushback from the president’s supporters and Trump himself.Trump attacked U.S. athlete Hunter Hess directly after Hess said he was conflicted about competing for Team USA given the country’s political climate. “It brings up mixed emotions to represent the...
  
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• Debunked election claims behind Fulton County search spark new questions for Gabbard

  16-02-2026 12:00 via thehill.com
  
  Democrats are asking new questions about Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s presence at the FBI's search of a Georgia voting center after an affidavit showed the federal case relies on widely debunked claims about the 2020 election. The document, unsealed as part of a court challenge earlier this week, credited Kurt Olsen, an ally of...
  
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• Danish PM says Trump still 'very serious' about acquiring Greenland

  16-02-2026 05:02 via thehill.com
  
  Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Saturday that President Trump remains intent on acquiring Greenland."I think the desire from the U.S. president is exactly the same. He’s very serious about this," Frederiksen said at the Munich Security Conference, according to the BBC. Throughout December and January, the president raised his view that the U.S....
  
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• Moore says Democrats need to 'stop being the party of no and slow' 

  16-02-2026 04:30 via thehill.com
  
  In an interview that aired Sunday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) urged his party to take a more aggressive governing posture to fight back against the Trump administration and regain popularity. “There’s something that we have to make sure that we do better and that’s actually meet people where they are and move with a...
  
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• Moore declines to directly answer whether he thinks Trump is racist: 'I think his actions probably give the answer'

  16-02-2026 03:35 via thehill.com
  
  Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) declined to say whether President Trump is racist in an interview released Sunday, just over a week after a video depicting the Obamas as apes posted to the president’s Truth Social account sparked bipartisan backlash.  “I think that’s a question for President Trump,” Moore, shaking his head, told CBS News’s...
  
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• Here's how the DHS shutdown is impacting air travel, TSA

  16-02-2026 01:26 via thehill.com
  
  As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains without funding, air travel nationwide has been impacted. Employees of the Transportation Security Agency (TSA), which is housed within DHS, are working without pay as of early Saturday morning — when the funding lapse began.According to DHS’s shutdown contingency plan published in September, just more than...
  
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• Mace slams DOJ over letter about completing Epstein files release: 'They're missing names'

  16-02-2026 00:10 via thehill.com
  
  Late Saturday evening and early Sunday morning, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) criticized the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) justification for redacting certain names from the Jeffrey Epstein files. Mace, one of four Republicans to sign the initial discharge petition that brought the Epstein Files Transparency Act to the House floor last year, wrote Saturday in a...
  
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• Mace slams DOJ over letter about completing Epstein files release: ‘They're missing names’

  16-02-2026 00:10 via thehill.com
  
  Late Saturday evening and early Sunday morning, GOP Rep. Nancy Mace (S.C.) criticized the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) justification for redacting certain names from the Jeffrey Epstein files. Mace, one of four Republicans to sign the initial discharge petition bringing the Epstein Files Transparency Act to the House floor last year, wrote Saturday in a...
  
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• Mullin on Trump calling Oklahoma governor a ‘RINO’: ‘Sometimes, friends disagree’

  15-02-2026 23:07 via thehill.com
  
  Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) dismissed concerns Sunday over President Trump going after Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) earlier this week, chalking it up to a friendly disagreement.The president called the Oklahoma governor a “RINO” — Republican in name only — on Wednesday after Stitt announced that the National Governors Association (NGA), which he chairs,...
  
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• Tillis won't support Fed nominee confirmation before DOJ investigation of Powell is done

  15-02-2026 22:21 via thehill.com
  
  Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) reiterated Sunday that he will not support Kevin Warsh, President Trump’s nominee to chair the Federal Reserve, until the Department of Justice (DOJ) concludes its probe into current Fed Chair Jerome Powell. “I've tried to make it very clear that I have no intention of supporting any confirmation of any Fed...
  
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• Mullin on DHS shutdown: ‘All this is a political theater’

  15-02-2026 22:06 via thehill.com
  
  Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) on Sunday slammed Democrats over the current Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, calling their actions “political theater.” “What is actually happening right now with the Democrat Party by this political theater, by shutting down DHS for something that you even admitted yourself can't be done. They're not stopping [Immigration and...
  
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• Kelly rails against Trump as Munich Security Conference ends

  15-02-2026 21:47 via thehill.com
  
  As he departed the Munich Security Conference on Sunday, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) sharply criticized President Trump for destabilizing NATO. Kelly wrote on the social platform X that it took the president “less than a year to practically destroy” the NATO alliance, adding that Russia and China are benefiting from Trump’s threats to European countries....
  
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• Obama praises Minnesota protesters, calls ‘rogue behavior’ of federal agents ‘deeply concerning and dangerous’

  15-02-2026 20:49 via thehill.com
  
  Former President Obama in an interview published Saturday criticized the actions of federal immigration officers in Minneapolis while praising those protesting their presence in the city. Obama told host Brian Tyler Cohen on his “No Lie” podcast that federal agents have acted in a “rogue” manner in Minneapolis, where U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex...
  
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• Christie: Trump admin putting up 'a bunch of ham sandwiches' and grand juries not indicting them

  15-02-2026 19:44 via thehill.com
  
  Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) slammed the Justice Department's (DOJ) efforts to prosecute President Trump's perceived political enemies, saying the common phrase that grand juries would indict a ham sandwich is being proven false by the administration. "They're putting a bunch of ham sandwiches up there and the grand juries are not indicting...
  
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• Trump announces Board of Peace members have pledged over $5B toward Gaza

  15-02-2026 19:41 via thehill.com
  
  President Trump on Sunday said members of his newly created Board of Peace have pledged $5 billion toward Gaza reconstruction efforts and will commit thousands of personnel to "maintain security and peace" in the territory. Trump plans to host the board's inaugural meeting on Feb. 19 at the “Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace” in Washington, D.C., where, he...
  
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• Trump announces Board of Peace members have pledged more than $5B toward Gaza

  15-02-2026 19:41 via thehill.com
  
  President Trump on Sunday said members of his newly created Board of Peace have pledged $5 billion toward Gaza reconstruction efforts and will commit thousands of personnel to "maintain security and peace" in the territory. Trump plans to host the board's inaugural meeting on Feb. 19 at the “Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace” in Washington, D.C., where, he...
  
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• Beshear on tension between White House and governors: ‘It's just a lot of drama’

  15-02-2026 18:59 via thehill.com
  
  Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) on Sunday decried the recent tension between governors and President Trump over invites and snubs to an annual White House meeting, calling it "unnecessary." “It's just a lot of drama, and it's unnecessary. You know, governors wake up every day focused on getting results, on creating better jobs, creating safer...
  
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• Exiled crown prince says US intervention in Iran would be ‘humanitarian’

  15-02-2026 17:56 via thehill.com
  
  Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi said Sunday that any U.S. intervention in Iran would be a "humanitarian" effort, pointing to the thousands of protesters killed under the country's regime since anti-government demonstrations began in January. During an appearance on Fox News's "Sunday Morning Futures," Pahlavi addressed President Trump's recent comments that regime change in...
  
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• Homan says he doesn't 'know' meaning behind Noem's 'right leaders' comments

  15-02-2026 17:33 via thehill.com
  
  White House border czar Tom Homan said Sunday he didn’t “know” what Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem’s recent comments about ensuring “we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders to lead this country” meant. “So, what does she mean when she says ‘electing the right leaders?’ That's not really immigration enforcement...
  
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• Homan says he doesn’t ‘know’ meaning behind Noem ‘right leaders’ comments

  15-02-2026 17:33 via thehill.com
  
  White House border czar Tom Homan said Sunday he didn’t “know” what Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem’s recent comments about ensuring “we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders to lead this country” meant. “So, what does she mean when she says ‘electing the right leaders?’ That's not really immigration enforcement...
  
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• Massie: Bondi was ‘afraid to’ look at Epstein survivors at hearing

  15-02-2026 17:25 via thehill.com
  
  Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on Sunday said that Attorney General Pam Bondi did not look at the Jeffrey Epstein survivors during her testimony before a House panel because she was “afraid to.” Co-host Martha Raddatz asked Massie on ABC News's “This Week" if he was surprised that Bondi would not look at the Epstein survivors behind her. “I...
  
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• Massie says Garland performed ‘much better’ than Bondi after fiery House hearing

  15-02-2026 17:02 via thehill.com
  
  Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on Sunday said that former Attorney General Merrick Garland “performed better” than current Attorney General Pam Bondi did during her testimony before a House panel examining the Justice Department, including its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. “I don’t think she did very well. She came with a book full of insults, one for each congressperson....
  
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• Schumer on Dems’ DHS demands: ‘These are common sense’

  15-02-2026 16:18 via thehill.com
  
  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that Democrats’ demands for reforming the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “are common sense,” just one day after funding for the department ran out. “We need masks off, we need cameras on and we need every police — every [Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)] officer, to be...
  
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• US intercepts another oil tanker in the Indian Ocean

  15-02-2026 14:23 via thehill.com
  
  The U.S. intercepted another oil tanker in the Indian Ocean that had come from the Caribbean, according to the Defense Department (DOD). “We defend the Homeland forward. Distance does not protect you. Overnight, U.S. forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding of the Veronica III without incident in the [U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM)] area...
  
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• Retired Army general predicts 'formidable' US military action against Iran if Trump pulls trigger

  15-02-2026 13:00 via thehill.com
  
  Retired four-star U.S. Army Gen. Jack Keane said he believes President Trump is inching closer to a decision on using military force against Iran as the president escalates pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program. “Obviously, the president has yet to make the decision about that military option, but obviously, we can see what’s taking...
  
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• GOP senators view Lutnick’s contacts with Epstein as political liability

  15-02-2026 12:00 via thehill.com
  
  Republican senators are worried that revelations around Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein could balloon into a bigger political liability for the GOP heading into this year’s midterm elections.  Lutnick is viewed on Capitol Hill as one of President Trump’s most influential economic advisers, and Republican senators have generally...
  
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• Democrats say Trump's climate rollbacks 'corruption in action'

  15-02-2026 12:00 via thehill.com
  
  Democrats are linking President Trump's unraveling of climate change regulations to a larger story about corruption, a midterm argument they think could hurt Republicans in the battles for the House and Senate this fall. While climate change itself may not be an issue driving most voters to the polls, Democrats are seeking to make a...
  
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• DOJ sends letter to Congress with list of people named in Epstein files, including Trump: Report

  15-02-2026 04:59 via thehill.com
  
  The Justice Department (DOJ) sent a letter to Congress on Saturday outlining its justification for redactions made in the released Jeffrey Epstein files, according to Politico. The six-page letter to the leaders of the Senate and House Judiciary committees also included a list of “all government officials and politically exposed persons” named in the files...
  
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• Noem boasts of Trump administration ensuring ‘we have the right people voting’ ahead of midterms

  15-02-2026 03:48 via thehill.com
  
  Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem suggested on Friday that her department has a broad role in election security, claiming she has the authority to identify “vulnerabilities” in the election system and implement “mitigation measures” to make sure local and state elections are “run correctly.” Noem argued during a press conference in Arizona, where she was...
  
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• Zelensky touts meeting with Witkoff, Kushner ahead of Geneva talks with Russia

  15-02-2026 01:32 via thehill.com
  
  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a phone call with Trump administration envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Saturday ahead of trilateral talks in Geneva next week, saying all three “count” on the meetings with Russia being "truly productive.” “Not everything can be shared over the phone, and our negotiating team will present...
  
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• Sunday shows preview: DHS shutdown, Epstein files backlash shine light on political quarrels

  15-02-2026 00:12 via thehill.com
  
  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shut down on Saturday after Congress failed to pass a funding bill for the department.DHS accounts for 3 percent of the U.S. federal budget and most department employees will be required to work without pay for the duration of the shutdown, which could stretch on for weeks due...
  
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• Greene says Epstein files handling is Trump’s ‘biggest political miscalculation’

  14-02-2026 23:53 via thehill.com
  
  Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) sharply criticized the Trump administration’s handling of the release of files related to the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, calling the saga the "biggest political miscalculation" of her former ally President Trump's career. The former legislator accused President Trump of fighting “the hardest” against the files’ release...
  
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• Obama pushes back on White House rhetoric, ape video: Decorum has ‘been lost’

  14-02-2026 23:21 via thehill.com
  
  Former President Obama argued in an interview published Saturday that American politics has become a “clown show” under the second Trump administration, suggesting that many Americans dislike the rhetoric coming out of the White House in recent months. Obama made the comparison while addressing a controversial video posted on President Trump’s Truth Social account earlier...
  
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• Trump lambasts Maher rhetoric as 'very boring, anti-Trump'

  14-02-2026 21:52 via thehill.com
  
  President Trump on Saturday lashed out at comedian Bill Maher over his criticism of the commander in chief from the day before, with the president referring back to his dinner with Maher at the White House last year. The president in a lengthy Truth Social post praised how Maher was "a nice guy" who was...
  
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• US ambassador to NATO: 'We need strong allies, not dependents'

  14-02-2026 20:36 via thehill.com
  
  The U.S. ambassador to NATO on Saturday expressed the need for “strong allies, not dependents” in response to a question about NATO defense spending contributions at the Munich Security Conference.  The Czech Republic has refused to increase the country’s defense spending above 2 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), in violation of NATO’s new...
  
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• Ty Cobb rips Trump admin over political attacks: 'All those people should be impeached'

  14-02-2026 19:34 via thehill.com
  
  Former White House lawyer Ty Cobb warned Friday that the Trump administration's attacks on its perceived political enemies could lead to impeachment proceedings against top Cabinet officials if Democrats win back control of Congress in November. "All of those people should be impeached, for sure," Cobb said in an appearance on "The Beat with Ari...
  
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• Pelosi calls out Trump over FBI raid in Georgia ahead of midterms: 'Not right'

  14-02-2026 18:53 via thehill.com
  
  Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Saturday blasted President Trump and his administration over what she called "surveillance" ahead of November's midterms, citing the recent FBI raid on an election office in Georgia. "I hear that all over the United States, not just in Europe, that there is concern about the election," Pelosi told...
  
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• Lincoln tops presidential rankings; Trump records most 'poor' marks: Poll

  14-02-2026 17:48 via thehill.com
  
  Americans overwhelmingly view former President Abraham Lincoln as an "outstanding" leader, while President Trump ranks near the bottom, according to a new poll. The YouGov survey, released Friday, found that 74 percent of U.S. voters collectively rank Lincoln, known affectionately as Honest Abe, as "outstanding" or "above average." Another 12 percent said he was "average"...
  
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• Casey Wasserman to sell entertainment agency amid backlash from Epstein ties

  14-02-2026 16:17 via thehill.com
  
  Casey Wasserman, the entertainment executive tapped by President Trump to chair the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, said late Friday that he is in the process of selling off his talent agency. The move, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, comes after Wasserman faced backlash over his name surfaced in files tied to convicted sex...
  
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• Newsom says world sees US as 'a wrecking ball' under Trump

  14-02-2026 15:59 via thehill.com
  
  California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) suggested Friday that world leaders likely see the U.S. as a "wrecking ball" under its current leadership, but added that President Trump is "temporary." Newsom, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, said the people he spoke with during the summit signaled they no longer see the U.S. as...
  
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• Rubio seeks unity with Europe, blasts ‘dangerous delusions’ on migration, climate

  14-02-2026 14:57 via thehill.com
  
  Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday sought to reassure Europe that the U.S. still wanted to work together but warned allies against "dangerous delusions" on migration and climate change. Rubio, during his speech at the annual Munich Security Conference, said the U.S. is "a child of Europe" and they "belong together." "We believe that...
  
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• Latest US strike on alleged drug vessel kills 3 'narco-terrorists'

  14-02-2026 14:10 via thehill.com
  
  The U.S. military on Friday said it carried out a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean, killing three — months after similar strikes caused controversy at the Defense Department. The vessel was operated by designated terrorist organization and moved along "known narco-trafficking routs in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,"...
  
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• How authorities got Nancy Guthrie camera footage through 'backend systems'

  14-02-2026 13:28 via thehill.com
  
  Authorities pulled key surveillance video in Nancy Guthrie investigation days after initial attempts failed.
  
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• Johnson’s delegation cancellation upends lawmakers’ travel to critical global summit

  14-02-2026 12:00 via thehill.com
  
  The cancellation of the official House delegation to the annual Munich Security Conference has drawn pushback from Democrats who still plan to attend, even as it’s upended a decades-long tradition of robust bipartisan participation in the high-profile global policy forum. A House leadership aide told The Hill that cancelling congressional delegations (CODEL) is standard operating...
  
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• DHS funding lapses as Democrats demand ICE reforms

  14-02-2026 06:01 via thehill.com
  
  Funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ran out at midnight, marking the third — but smallest — government shutdown of President Trump's second term as Democrats demand reforms to immigration enforcement practices. The shutdown is likely to last longer than the four-day partial shutdown that ended last week, as the White House, Republicans...
  
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• Noem says she's 'still in charge' of DHS

  14-02-2026 04:47 via thehill.com
  
  Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on Friday said she's "still in charge" of her department as White House border czar Tom Homan has taken more control over President Trump's immigration agenda. Noem has come under fire after two deadly shootings by immigration officials in Minneapolis spurred an outcry toward Immigration and Customs...
  
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• Ocasio Cortez says ‘unconditional’ US aid to Israel 'enabled a genocide in Gaza'

  14-02-2026 02:19 via thehill.com
  
  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Friday said that "unconditional" U.S. aid to Israel in its war with Hamas "enabled a genocide in Gaza," criticism that implicates the Biden administration's Middle East policy. Ocasio-Cortez was answering a question from a Haaretz reporter while attending the annual Munich Security Conference regarding whether a presidential candidate in 2028...
  
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