Here's the latest
• Epstein files: The Justice Department un-redacted some more names in the Jeffrey Epstein files after pressure from lawmakers who reviewed unredacted versions of several records. Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna charged, after viewing the documents in full, that powerful men were being protected by the redactions.
• DHS hearing: In his opening statement at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson heavily criticized the department for “running roughshod over Americans’ rights.” He also referred to videos showing immigration officers acting like “unprofessional goons.”
• Funding deadlock: Facing a Friday deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries panned the White House’s counterproposal on changes to ICE, deriding the offer as “woefully inadequate.” House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune will meet later today to discuss the funding cliff.
Schumer introduces bill to remove statute of limitations on sex trafficking
Democrats joined survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse to introduce legislation to remove the statute of limitations on sex trafficking, named for the late survivor and advocate Virginia Giuffre.
Giuffre’s brother, Sky Roberts, also spoke, crying throughout his remarks.
“We do not take this moment lightly. We are holding an overwhelming mix of grief, loss and pride, and if our voices shake and our tears fall, it is only because of the depth of our love for our sister,” he said. “Grief without action is another kind of silence, and Virginia did not survive what she survived just to be silenced again.”
Both Schumer and Roberts said that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was photographed with Giuffre and faces allegations of sexual abuse, should appear before Congress and answer questions.
Mountbatten-Windsor has previously denied any wrongdoing over his ties to Epstein.
Iran says talks with US gauged Washington’s "seriousness"
Last week’s talks with the United States were meant to gauge Washington’s “seriousness,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said today.
The talks did not go into details and focused more on “generalities,” Baghaei was reported as saying by the state news agency IRNA.
Last week, President Donald Trump said the US had “very good talks” with Iran after delegations from both countries participated in indirect discussions in Oman. He said that another round of negotiations will be held again this week.
Sticking points: A key point of contention remains Iran’s demand to enrich uranium — a nuclear fuel that can be used to make a bomb if purified to high levels — which the US and its allies reject. Tehran currently has stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, including material enriched close to weapons-grade.
On Monday, Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said that Tehran could agree to dilute its most highly enriched uranium in exchange for the lifting of all sanctions, Iran’s semi-official Students’ News Agency reported.
ICE chief won’t say how many officers have been fired for conduct
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons on Tuesday declined to say during a congressional hearing how many of his agency’s officers have been fired for their conduct since the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown began.
“I can get you that data,” Lyons said, responding to a question from Rep. Eric Swalwell. “I’ll get that back to you.”
“Is it more than one?” Swalwell asked. Lyons responded that he would not speak publicly about personnel actions and then again said he would give Swalwell that data.
Swalwell then questioned Lyons about comments he made during an industry expo last year where he said he envisioned immigrants being deported with the same efficiency as Amazon delivery routes — “like Prime, but with human beings.”
“Mr. Lyons, how many times has Amazon Prime shot a mom three times in the face?” Swalwell asked, referencing the shooting of Renee Good in January. “None, sir,” Lyons responded.
Lyons said his Prime comments were taken out of context but he stands by the idea of being more efficient while the agency is deporting people.
Asked by Swalwell whether he would apologize to Good’s family for the administration’s comments referring to her as a terrorist after she was shot, Lyons responded: “I welcome the opportunity to speak to the family in private, but I’m not going to comment on any active investigation.”
Canada's Carney spoke with Trump about bridge dispute
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that he spoke with US President Donald Trump about the president’s threat to block the opening of a new bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.
“Secondly, it’s a property shared between the state of Michigan and the Canadian government, and there were American steel and workers involved in the work for the bridge,” Carney added.
The prime minister also said that the two “decided to have other conversations on these topics” alongside the ongoing trade negotiations between the US and Canada.
Republican leaders to meet today as DHS funding deadline nears
Congress’ two GOP leaders — Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune — will meet later today to discuss how the party should approach Friday’s funding cliff for the Department of Homeland Security.
Johnson told reporters they plan to meet to decide how to handle the deadline, which will require Congress to pass a funding bill or risk another funding lapse to the department.
Democrats have been in talks with the White House over DHS reforms that have largely stalled. They’re ruling out support for any funding measure without major reforms, specifically on federal immigration enforcement in the wake of Minnesota’s fatal shootings.
Johnson suggested he doesn’t want to see a short-term DHS bill to buy time for more talks, but instead force Democrats to support a year-long bill.
“The Senate should pass the House-passed Homeland bill. I think they should get that through,” Johnson said. “Us offering a CR would be a concession,” he added, referring to a stopgap continuing resolution.
Johnson and other House GOP leaders fiercely criticized Democrats’ handlings of the talks so far, accusing them of wanting to defund DHS altogether.
“I’m furious with the Dems who are so desperate to satisfy their activist base that they would rather shut down FEMA, TSA and even the Coast Guard -they’re rather doing that than to stand up and say one simple thing – violent criminals who are here illegally should be deported,” GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain told reporters.
“They are clamoring for another government shutdown,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise added of Democrats.
ICE and CBP chiefs vow to give Congress results of probes into Pretti and Good shootings
The heads of both Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection today promised to release the results of their own investigations into the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
The assurances from ICE acting Director Todd Lyons and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott came after House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Andrew Garbarino asked them to release the results of the various investigations of the shootings which took place in Minneapolis.
“Yes, Mr. Chairman, fully committed to give you the full and unabridged investigation, and the outcome,” Lyons said.
Asked whether he would do the same, Scott responded: “Yes, sir.”
ICE and CBP heads pressed on how many officers are wearing body cameras
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told members of Congress Tuesday that 3,000 ICE officers have body worn cameras, with 6,000 more being deployed.
“Three thousand out of how many?” Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson asked.
“Out of approximately 13,000,” Lyons said.
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said that 10,000 CBP officers have cameras as well, which he said was approximately half of all CBP officers.
In the days after the killing of Alex Pretti by CBP officers, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she would be deploying cameras for all DHS officers in Minneapolis and would send more cameras across the country as funding became available.
Lutnick says he “did not have any relationship with” Epstein
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick today denied that he had ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after his name appeared on documents in recently released Epstein files.
“Of these millions and millions of documents, there may be 10 emails connecting me with him … over a 14-year period,” Lutnick, a former neighbor of Epstein, told a Senate hearing. “I did not have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with that person.”
Lutnick did confirm having lunch with Epstein, along with his own family and another unnamed family, on Epstein’s island.
But Lutnick came under criticism from Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat.
Thompson plays "60 Minutes" video of woman shot by Border Patrol agent
During his opening statement at House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson played a video interview featuring a woman who was shot multiple times by a Border Patrol agent in October.
Thompson, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said the shooting of US citizen Marimar Martinez — along with the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti — were a “a scourge on this country and shameful chapter in our nation’s history.”
In the video, Martinez showed a correspondent for “60 Minutes” several bullet wounds on her body. Martinez was shot five times after DHS accused her of ramming an officer’s vehicle, but a judge dismissed charges against her after raising concerns about how the investigation into the shooting was carried out.
In the video, Martinez said she first thought she was hit by less-lethal rounds, but later learned they were indeed bullets.
Top House Democrat against stopgap funding for DHS
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday panned the White House’s counterproposal on changes to ICE, deriding the offer as “woefully inadequate” and unserious as both sides try to strike a deal before a Friday deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
With a possible DHS shutdown looming, Jeffries ruled out the idea of supporting a stopgap measure to extend spending past the February 13 deadline. Senate GOP leaders are exploring the idea of a funding extension, they say, to allow negotiations over ICE to continue.
Privately some Democrats say it doesn’t make sense to oppose a continuing resolution and let parts of the government shut down, since ICE would still have plenty of funds from the president’s domestic policy bill last year.
Thompson kicks off Homeland Security hearing by saying federal officers acted like "goons"
In his opening statement at the House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson heavily criticized the Department of Homeland Security for “running roughshod over Americans’ rights.”
Thompson, who focused on the killings of two US citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota last month, accused DHS of “threatening our very democracy,” adding that the federal government’s refusal to investigate Good’s shooting was akin to an admission of guilt.
Thompson also referred to videos showing immigration officers acting like “unprofessional goons.” He held up a poster board with various headlines about ICE and Border Patrol officers acting badly.
This is what's on Trump's schedule today
President Donald Trump has a few scheduled events on his calendar later this afternoon.
At 4:30 p.m. ET, the president will participate in “signing time,” during which he usually signs official documents. An hour later at 5:30 p.m. ET, he will attend a policy meeting, then have a private dinner at 7 p.m. ET.
All of these events are closed to the press, according to the White House schedule. We will make sure to bring you any relevant updates as we get them.
Justice Jackson says SCOTUS tariffs ruling "takes a while to write"
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson today said that the Supreme Court is working through its normal process to finish the high-profile appeal involving President Donald Trump’s sweeping emergency tariffs and offered a relatable explanation for why the decision hasn’t yet been issued.
“It takes a while to write,” Jackson, the court’s junior-most justice, told “CBS Mornings” in response to a question about the opinion’s timing.
Sometimes, she said, the court’s process “takes time.”
Remember: The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the tariffs case in early November, signaling it had reservations with Trump’s use of a 1977 law to impose them. While the court often takes months to decide major cases, it expedited the tariffs case and both business groups and the White House have called for a quick decision.
Democrats unhappy with GOP counteroffer as showdown over DHS funding continues
A possible Department of Homeland Security shutdown by the end of the week hinges on a showdown over a DHS funding bill — with many Democrats signaling they may not back another short-term funding measure for DHS if more progress isn’t made.
Last night, Democrats received a counteroffer from the White House to their demands on reforms to federal immigration enforcement, four sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
However, top Democrats criticized the Republicans’ counteroffer as being devoid of details.
The Democrats had sent Republicans legislative text of their demands over the weekend. One of the sources told CNN that the GOP offer was not legislative text.
Jeffries on Sunday cast blame on Republicans for stalled negotiations on a deal to fund DHS, which includes FEMA and TSA, ahead of the February 13 deadline.
A closer look at clemency as Maxwell's attorney says she's prepared to speak "fully"
The attorney for Ghislaine Maxwell, who was jailed for 20 years for conspiring with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to abuse minors, yesterday called on President Donald Trump to grant her clemency in exchange for her clearing his name in regard to Epstein.
Trump has long denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein.
At a virtual deposition before the House Oversight Committee yesterday, Maxwell’s lawyer said the disgraced former socialite is “prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump.”
In the US Constitution, the president is given the power to “grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.” According to Congress, presidential clemency is reserved for federal criminal offenses, rather than state crimes or civil claims.
What clemency looks like can differ on a case-by-case basis, according to Congress. The president can grant a full pardon if they choose, or commute a punishment by, for example, reducing the length of a prison sentence.
On his first day back in office last year, Trump granted sweeping clemency to all of the nearly 1,600 people charged in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of everyone convicted of January 6-related crimes, including hundreds who were guilty of assaulting police. He also ordered the Justice Department to dismiss all pending cases.
US needs "fair share" of proceeds from US-Canada bridge, trade representative says
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said today that negotiations on the Gordie Howe International Bridge between the US and Canada will be related to the economic activity the bridge generates, after President Donald Trump threatened to block the bridge’s opening.
Greer said “I think that’s the understanding “when asked if Canadians are expecting the US would get no revenue from people crossing into the US by way of the bridge.
Meanwhile, Stacey LaRouche, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s spokesperson, said in a statement to CNN that the bridge is “all about jobs.”
House tees up vote to block lawmakers’ ability to challenge Trump tariffs
Elsewhere, the House is expected to vote today on a rule that contains language restricting lawmakers’ ability to challenge President Donald Trump’s tariff policies through the end of July.
GOP leaders have successfully passed similar restrictions before, with the latest block expiring in late January. But some Republicans have become increasingly uneasy with the moves, and it’s not clear whether leaders will have the votes to clear the rule this time.
Speaker Mike Johnson expressed confidence last night, telling reporters he thinks “we’ll have the votes” to pass it.
He said he wants to give the Supreme Court time to weigh in on Trump’s tariffs before House members can force votes on them.
The rule needs to be adopted to advance other, unrelated legislation on the floor. The House Rules Committee approved the rule last night.
We’re getting ready for a busy morning in DC. Here’s what’s going on
As the Epstein files and Department of Homeland Security funding continue to be top of mind in Washington, DC, there are a number of hearings and events taking place this morning where those topics could be addressed:
- At 9:30 a.m. ET, Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is set to appear before the Appropriations Committee. Recently, GOP Rep. Thomas Massie called on Lutnick to resign over his links to Jeffrey Epstein. The White House in turn praised President Donald Trump’s Cabinet when asked to respond.
- At 10 a.m. ET, Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting Director Todd Lyons, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott, and US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow are set to testify before the House Committee on Homeland Security. “The hearing will provide an opportunity to conduct oversight of each agency and ensure they are fulfilling their duty to protect the homeland,” the committee wrote. “Transparency and communication are needed to turn the temperature down.”
- Then at 10:30 a.m. ET, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer will hold a news conference with Jeffrey Epstein survivors, advocates, and the family of Virginia Giuffre to introduce “Virginia’s Law.” Schumer’s office has described the legislation as seeking to “eliminate the statute of limitations that has shielded traffickers” and denied survivors of Epstein’s crimes “their day in court.”
- This afternoon, the White House has a press briefing scheduled for 1 p.m. ET with press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Stopgap funding bill will be needed to avert a DHS shutdown, Thune warns
Senate Majority Leader John Thune signaled that there is some positive movement between Senate Democrats and the White House amid ongoing negotiations for changes to ICE protocols and tactics.
But he warned that he believes they will not be finished by Friday’s funding deadline for the Department of Homeland Security, and Congress will have to pass another short-term extension of funding for the agency.
“I hope that there’s enough progress on it that, whether it’s ready to go by Friday or not, there’ll be an understanding that we can extend the time period to allow negotiations to hopefully come to a conclusion,” Thune told reporters, adding that there is an incoming GOP counterproposal to Democrats’ bill text they sent over the weekend.
The latest Epstein files drop has led to fallout around the world. Catch up on the latest
The latest release of millions of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has caused fallout both in the US and internationally.
Epstein’s jailed associate Ghislaine Maxwell yesterday invoked the Fifth Amendment during a virtual deposition with the House Oversight Committee.
Later today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, alongside Epstein survivors, advocates and the family of Virginia Giuffre, are due to introduce Virginia’s Law. The legislation aims to eliminate the statute of limitations that has shielded traffickers and denied survivors their day in court.
Catch up on the latest developments below:
Men protected by redactions
At least six powerful men are being protected by redactions to the Epstein files, Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna said yesterday, after viewing the documents in full.
Massie said one individual was “pretty high up in a foreign government,” while Khanna, a Democrat representing California, said that “one of the others is a pretty prominent individual.”
As we reported this morning, the Justice Department un-redacted some more names in the files yesterday evening, after the documents were viewed by lawmakers.
Maxwell testimony
During her virtual deposition yesterday, Maxwell’s lawyer said that, if President Donald Trump were to grant her clemency, she would clear his name of any wrongdoing as it pertains to Epstein. Trump has long denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein.
Epstein survivors urged members of the House Oversight Committee to treat Maxwell “with the utmost skepticism, to rigorously scrutinize any claims she makes,” according to a letter entered into evidence during the deposition.
International fallout
King Charles is ready to support police as they assess a report that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor allegedly shared confidential material with Epstein during the former prince’s role as UK trade envoy. Mountbatten-Windsor has previously repeatedly denied any wrongdoing over his ties to Epstein. He has not publicly responded to the latest allegations.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is also under scrutiny following revelations in the Epstein files that Peter Mandelson, who Starmer appointed as British Ambassador to the United States in late 2024, appeared to leak sensitive UK government tax plans to Epstein. Mandelson has since resigned from Starmer’s Labour party.
Newly released files also show that Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit corresponded extensively with Epstein, years after he pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a minor. On Friday, Norway’s royal house said Mette-Marit “strongly disavows Epstein’s abuse and criminal acts” and is sorry for “not having understood early enough what kind of person he was.”
CNN’s Annie Grayer, Ellis Kim, MJ Lee, Billy Stockwell, Charlotte Reck, Max Foster and Christian Edwards contributed to this reporting.
