What we're covering
• Government shutdown: After a fierce lobbying push by President Donald Trump and GOP leaders, Congress is on the cusp of ending the partial government shutdown today.
• Petro at White House: The president will meet Colombian President Gustavo Petro in Washington later today. The visit comes after a yearlong public quarrel between the two leaders over immigration and drug trafficking, with threats of tariffs and sanctions from the Trump administration.
• Epstein files: Bill and Hillary Clinton have agreed to meet House Oversight Chair James Comer’s demands for in-person depositions in the panel’s investigation into late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaker Johnson expects spending bill to pass, acknowledges DHS funding talks will be 'intense'
House Speaker Mike Johnson said today that he expects “we’ll have the votes” to pass a spending bill and end the partial government shutdown.
“Never doubted it,” he told reporters, adding that he expects full attendance from his members for the crucial vote.
He acknowledged, however, that coming negotiations over Department of Homeland Security funding will be “intense” and that the “two sides are pretty far apart.”
Asked whether Congress will need to pass another short-term measure for DHS funding, Johnson said, “I hope not. I hope that we can get together and work it out. I’m always an optimist as you know. But there are real challenges here, so we’ll see.”
Clintons' contempt situation still fluid as GOP presses them to agree to deposition terms by noon today
GOP leaders said Tuesday that it remains possible Bill and Hillary Clinton could face a contempt vote this week for failing to appear for depositions in the Oversight Committee’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation, with House Speaker Mike Johnson setting a noon deadline today to “work out the details.”
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said on Tuesday morning that the chamber could still vote to hold the Clintons in contempt this week, unless they sign onto the terms he laid out for depositions.
“Yes,” Comer told reporters when asked if the situation was still fluid. He said he expects the votes on contempt could happen as soon as Wednesday.
Johnson said: “If it’s not done satisfactorily, then we’ll proceed with the contempt.”
The panel is seeking clarification that the Clintons accepted the standard deposition terms outlined in the subpoenas issued to them: transcribed, filmed depositions in February with no time limit, according to a person familiar the matter.
They’ve been given a deadline of 12 p.m. ET on Tuesday to respond, the person said. If they fail to agree, the House will move forward with contempt of Congress proceedings for their failure to comply with duly issued subpoenas, according to that person.
Here’s a look at Trump’s schedule today
President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro will meet in the White House later this morning, as we’ve reported.
Petro arrived in Washington on Monday using a special visa. His previous one was revoked in September by the State Department after a speech to a pro-Palestinian crowd in which Petro called on American soldiers to disobey Trump.
The meeting between the two leaders is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET and will be closed to the press, according to the White House. Trump said Monday that he was looking forward to a “good meeting” with Petro.
Following his meeting with the Columbian leader, Trump will participate in a signing time at 2 p.m. ET, an often recorded event, where the president will sign official documents. The session will also be closed to the press, the White House said.
CNN’s Uriel Blanco, Gonzalo Zegarra and Michael Rios contributed to this reporting.
US envoy Steve Witkoff set to discuss Iran with Israeli PM and top security officials
US envoy Steve Witkoff will discuss Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top security officials today, according to two Israeli officials.
The discussions will also include the head of the Mossad, David Barnea, and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir
Israel will call on the US to make sure that any deal with Iran include Tehran giving up its enriched uranium, ceasing the enrichment of uranium, limits on its ballistic missile program and ending its support for regional proxies.
The demands closely mirror what had been the Trump administration’s preconditions for negotiations with Iran, as CNN has previously reported.
Trump will meet with Colombia's president at White House after a year of tensions
After a year of insults, threats, tariffs and sanctions, the leaders of the US and Colombia will meet in Washington today in an apparent attempt to put their bitter feud behind them.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro accepted the invitation from US President Donald Trump last month following a cordial phone call that reversed their war of words.
The meeting comes at an important moment for Petro. His government intends to prove to Washington that it has an effective grip on drug trafficking following the unprecedented US military operation in neighboring Venezuela that led to the capture of its President Nicolás Maduro, whom the US accused of cartel ties. Petro is also aiming to have US sanctions against him overturned.
Trump said that he was looking forward to a “good meeting” with Petro.
Petro arrived in Washington yesterday using a special visa. His previous one was revoked in September by the State Department after a speech to a pro-Palestinian crowd in which Petro called on American soldiers to disobey Trump.
The Clintons have agreed to in-person depositions for the House Epstein investigation
Bill and Hillary Clinton have agreed to appear for in-person depositions as part of the congressional probe into late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, caving in hopes of avoiding a House contempt of Congress vote.
GOP leaders under pressure ahead of key vote in the House
House Speaker Mike Johnson faces a narrow path to reopening the government as Democrats refuse to cooperate and Republicans struggle to unify.
With almost no margin for error, GOP leaders are under pressure ahead of a key procedural vote that could determine how long the shutdown lasts. CNN’s Manu Raju reports.
House Speaker Mike Johnson faces a narrow path to reopening the government as Democrats refuse to cooperate and Republicans struggle to unify. With almost no margin for error, GOP leaders are under pressure ahead of a key procedural vote that could determine how long the shutdown lasts. CNN's Manu Raju reports.
House to hold crucial vote on funding package today
The House is expected to hold critical votes on a must-pass funding package today.
It is unclear whether House Speaker Mike Johnson has enough GOP support to advance the Senate-passed bill to approve funding for much of the federal government through the end of September.
The deal, struck by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and President Donald Trump, funds the Department of Homeland Security for only two weeks to allow for long-term negotiations on federal immigration enforcement as Democrats seek to rein in the agency.
Yesterday, Trump said congressional leaders are nearing a “resolution” to the partial lapse in federal funding.
“I think they’re pretty close to a resolution,” he said from the Oval Office, noting that he’d spoken recently with Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, and roughly a half-dozen other conservatives had been vowing to block the funding bill if Johnson didn’t agree to attach their bill, which would tighten restrictions for voting in the US, including requiring proof of citizenship.
Trump has supported a push for stricter voter ID laws. But he said on the eve of the critical House vote that he wants to adopt the government funding bill with “NO CHANGES” and sign it quickly to avoid “another long, pointless, and destructive Shutdown.”
But by Monday night, the congresswoman and at least one of those hardliners, Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee, said that after meeting with Trump, they’re now leaning in favor of advancing the bill to reopen the government.
Congress now appears on a path to avoiding a prolonged shutdown, though Johnson could still face lingering concerns from other members as he faces some of the toughest math in the history of the House. House GOP leaders can only afford to lose a single Republican vote, since no Democrats are expected to back the majority party’s procedural vote.
