What we covered here
• DHS funding: Lawmakers will return to Washington on Monday with just days to find a funding solution on the Department of Homeland Security or see the agency shut down. Democrats are demanding reforms to federal immigration enforcement.
• Trump interview with NBC: President Donald Trump pointed to a measure requiring proof of citizenship before registering to vote as a mechanism to unify Americans. Trump’s push for the SAVE Act comes as he has raised the prospect of the federal government intervening in elections multiple times over the past week.
• Racist video: The president has faced backlash from Democrats and Republicans alike over a since-deleted racist video depicting the Obamas as apes. The social media post, which Trump refused to apologize for sharing, was the latest in a long line of offensive messages amplified by the president’s account.
Our live coverage of the Trump administration has ended for the day. Get the latest here.
Ad promoting ICE as "people who love this country" airs in some regions during Super Bowl
Shortly after Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show performance ended, an advertisement promoting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in a personable tone aired in some regional markets.
The video, paid for by the group American Sovereignty, touts ICE agents as “friends and neighbors” who are “removing violent criminals from our streets and neighborhoods.” American Sovereignty describes itself has a group “committed to securing our borders and making communities safe in order to protect American values.”
“It’s dangerous and difficult work. But ICE has one mission: to make America a safer place live. And that’s what they’re doing,” the video says.
The advertisement comes as American attitudes about ICE have dimmed in the fallout of two fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis. In January, a CNN poll found that half of Americans think ICE is making US cities less safe.
"Nobody understands a word": Trump calls Bad Bunny's halftime performance "worst, EVER"
President Donald Trump — who skipped the Super Bowl and is attending a watch party in Florida — called Bad Bunny’s halftime performance “a slap in the face” and said “nobody understands a word” the Puerto Rican rapper was saying.
Bad Bunny, who hails from Puerto Rico, sang in Spanish, which the president appeared to take offense to.
“Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World,” Trump said.
Trump’s criticism is hardly surprising; he previously said Bad Bunny, who has spoken out against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was a “terrible choice” for the halftime show.
Meanwhile, conservative group Turning Point USA offered a counterprogramming show with Kid Rock and other artists friendly with the Trump administration. “The All-American Halftime Show” was filled with the imagery of country music, guitars and the group’s founder, the late Charlie Kirk.
Super Bowl features a public service announcement promoting "Trump Accounts"
A promotion for the Trump administration’s “Trump Accounts” — paid for by Invest America, a nonprofit advocacy group — aired just before kickoff at the Super Bowl.
“Trump Accounts,” announced last year by President Donald Trump, puts $1,000 into individual accounts for babies born between January 2025 and December 31, 2028. Both the child and their parents must have Social Security numbers, and families can contribute up to $5,000 a year.
The commercial featured a series of children discussing their financial futures.
“It can change my future,” says one child.
“We can all experience the American dream,” one child says.
The cost of a 30-second commercial during Super Bowl LX ranges from about $8 million to $10 million.
Some context: Proponents of “Trump Accounts” give the program strong marks for its universality and limited hoops to jump through for enrollment. It also gives every American child a bit more financial security. But critics note it’s a regressive benefit, giving everyone money regardless of need.
Trump congratulates Japan's conservative prime minister on stunning win in snap election
President Donald Trump on Sunday congratulated Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a hardline conservative, after her high-stakes snap election gamble granted her party a supermajority.
“Sanae: It was my Honor to Endorse you and your Coalition. I wish you Great Success in passing your Conservative, Peace Through Strength Agenda,” he added.
The president announced last week that Takaichi will visit the White House on March 19. He also highlighted the significance of Japan’s election, calling it critical to the country’s future and offering an emphatic endorsement of Takaichi.
Trump first met Takaichi in October during a trip to Tokyo, where the two leaders developed an easy camaraderie.
Japan’s election: After an election framed as a referendum on Takaichi herself, her Liberal Democratic Party won more than 310 of the 465 seats in Japan’s lower house, marking the first time since World War II that a single party has secured a two-thirds majority. The broader ruling coalition won more than 340 seats.
Trump points to bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote as a way to unify Americans
President Donald Trump pointed to a measure requiring proof of citizenship before registering to vote as a mechanism to unify Americans amid nationwide polarization.
Asked by NBC News what the president can do to find common ground for Americans, Trump referred to the SAVE Act, which he said “will secure up our voting.”
“I think people would like to do it. And I think Democrats would too,” Trump said in an interview with Tom Llamas that aired Sunday. Only four Democrats voted for the measure when it came before the House last year.
The SAVE Act requires proof of US citizenship to register to vote, despite the fact that it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. Trump’s push for the bill comes as he has raised the prospect of the federal government intervening in elections multiple times over the past week.
In the same interview with Llamas, Trump claimed without evidence that some states might not be properly counting votes, and that if that’s the case, “something else has to happen.”
Earlier today, Trump took to Truth Social again urging Republicans to support the SAVE Act.
“America’s Elections are Rigged, Stolen, and a Laughingstock all over the World. We are either going to fix them, or we won’t have a Country any longer,” he wrote.
Critics have warned the SAVE Act threatens to restrict voting access by creating unnecessary hurdles that will make it harder to register to vote and wrongfully disenfranchise legitimate voters.
Trump says he's "very proud" of the economy under his leadership
President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly said he inherited an economic “mess” from the former administration, took ownership of the economy in an interview with NBC News, stating that he’s “very proud” of where it stands under his leadership.
Asked by NBC News’ Tom Llamas in an interview that aired Sunday at which point the United States will be in the “Trump economy,” the president said, “Oh, I’d say we’re there now. I’m very proud of it.”
“You know, we have a GDP of 5.6 despite a shutdown,” he said, adding, “I think ’26 is even gonna be better.”
While broad economic growth is strong — third-quarter GDP expansion hit an annualized rate of 4.4%, according to Commerce Department data — Americans are still hurting, as reflected by a recent CNN poll, which found 3 in 10 rating the economy positively.
As CNN’s Daniel Dale fact-checked, overall prices have increased during Trump’s second term, Consumer Price Index data shows. In December 2025, average consumer prices were 2.7% higher than they were in December 2024 — and far more products have gotten more expensive since Trump’s inauguration than have gotten cheaper.
During the interview, Trump also underestimated the price of gas and falsely claimed that we have “almost no inflation.”
CNN’s Daniel Dale, Allison Morrow and Ariel Edwards-Levy contributed reporting.
Trump says he thinks the Super Bowl is "gonna be a great game," praises both teams
President Donald Trump praised both teams playing in the Super Bowl, telling NBC News that he anticipated “a great game” because both the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks have “amazing” quarterbacks.
The president said he will likely watch the game at his Mar-a-Lago estate in South Florida “with a lot of friends.”
Asked by NBC News’ Tom Llamas on his reaction to former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s recent snub from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Trump said it was “terrible.”
He’s “won so many Super Bowls. Great coach. Became a little bit controversial, I guess, after that. … During it he was just a great coach. I thought it was very inappropriate,” Trump said.
The game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks is slated to kick off around 6:30 p.m. ET at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Some background: Despite attending many high-profile sporting events in his second term, Trump said last month he would skip the Super Bowl. While he blamed his absence on the long flight, it’s no secret he is not thrilled about this year’s Super Bowl performers, Bad Bunny and Green Day, both of whom backed Kamala Harris in 2024.
Group planning America’s 250th birthday party takes out a Super Bowl spot
The nonprofit group leading the Trump administration’s celebrations surrounding the US’ 250 birthday is running a public service announcement during tonight’s Super Bowl, with a message it says is meant to promote unity as the country hits a new milestone.
The 30-second spot by Freedom 250, first obtained by CNN, features iconic imagery from the nation’s past, along with videos of modern Americans.
“Just as Super Bowl Sunday brings Americans together around a shared love of competition, tradition, and excellence, the 250th anniversary will unite our entire nation in celebration of the values and freedoms that make America exceptional,” said Keith Krach, Freedom 250 CEO. “This is our moment to come together as one country and honor the American story and celebrate the bright future ahead. “
The PSA was produced in a partnership with Angel Studios, a media company that’s produced films, many with religious themes, that President Donald Trump and prominent conservatives have promoted.
“After 250 years, the American experiment still isn’t finished. It’s been built, tested, carried forward and fought for, and we passed it on, hand to hand, life to life,” says a voiceover in the video. “Generations ago, ordinary people risked everything to begin it – 250 years later, the work continues.”
Trump has long touted his desire to shape the nation’s 250th celebrations. In the past few weeks, his administration has rolled out a slate of events that align with the president’s call for programming that renews national pride.
Freedom 250 plans include an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout on the White House’s South Lawn on the president’s birthday, an IndyCar race near the National Mall in August, the “Patriot Games,” a competition with young athletes from across the country and the construction of a giant triumphal arch across from the Lincoln Memorial.
Correction: This post has been corrected to reflect that the spot is being run as a public service announcement. An earlier version of this post incorrectly indicated Freedom 250 bought the spot.
GOP Sen. Cassidy evasive on whether he regrets his 2021 Trump impeachment vote
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of seven Republicans who voted to convict President Donald Trump in his 2021 impeachment trial, wouldn’t say last week whether he regrets that vote, which has put him in Trump’s crosshairs.
Trump successfully pushed Rep. Julia Letlow to challenge Cassidy in the Louisiana GOP primary this year, setting the stage for a potentially expensive primary battle for a safe Senate seat.
CNN’s Manu Raju on Thursday chased Cassidy down in the halls of Congress, where the lawmaker declined to weigh in on why Trump appears to be angry with him.
“You’re asking me the president’s motivation. I can’t comment on that. Frankly, I don’t think you can either,” Cassidy said.
Pressed by Raju on how he looks back on his vote to convict Trump for his role in inciting the 2021 Capitol riot, Cassidy said he’s “commonly asked by reporters how do I feel and how do I regret.”
“All I can say, brother, is you live your life forward,” Cassidy said.
Democratic senator questions Gabbard's competence over handling of whistleblower complaint
Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, questioned Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s ability to lead the nation’s intelligence community as lawmakers scrutinize a whistleblower complaint.
Gabbard accused Warner of “lying” yesterday after the Virginia Democrat expressed concerns about a delay in her office sharing information on a whistleblower complaint. The complaint includes claims that the distribution of a highly classified intelligence report had been “restricted for political purposes” and that an intelligence agency lawyer had failed to report a potential crime to the Justice Department.
Though Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton, a Republican, has made clear he approves of how the whistleblower complaint has been handled, Warner said, “I’m not comfortable with the process, the timing, and I can’t make a judgment about the credibility or the veracity, because it’s been so heavily redacted.”
Asked whether the panel will be able to speak to the whistleblower, Warner said he understands the person “has been waiting for guidance, legal guidance, on how to approach the committee.”
Trump lashes out at Olympic skier who expressed "mixed emotions" representing the US
President Donald Trump called Olympic skier Hunter Hess a “loser” today after the athlete expressed “mixed emotions representing the US right now” in the Winter Olympic Games.
“U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics,” Trump posted on Truth Social Sunday morning. “If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it. Very hard to root for someone like this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Hess, who hails from Bend, Oregon, said during a press availability last week that “just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the US.”
“It’s a little hard; there’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of and I think a lot of people aren’t,” Hess said. “I think for me, it’s more I’m representing my friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe that are good about the US. I just think, if it aligns with my moral values, I’m representing it.”
A number of conservatives have criticized Hess for his comments in recent days.
“If you can’t say you love America while competing on behalf of our nation then you shouldn’t be at the Olympics,” wrote Katie Miller, a Trump ally and the wife of top White House aide Stephen Miller, on social media yesterday.
Fetterman predicts government will reenter partial shutdown
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman said he does not expect Democrats and Republicans to come to an agreement ahead of the upcoming February 13 government funding deadline for the Department of Homeland Security.
“If I had to say now, I would probably expect that there is going to be a shutdown,” Fetterman, who sits on the Homeland Security Committee, said this morning in an interview with Fox News.
If an agreement to fund DHS is not met, a partial shutdown is on the horizon, which would affect operations in that department. Agencies such as TSA, FEMA and the Coast Guard would all be impacted.
Fetterman is one of eight Democrats who broke with their party at the end of last year to vote with Republicans to reopen the government after a 43-day shutdown.
Murkowski begrudgingly rules out an Alaska gubernatorial bid
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said today she does not plan on joining the open field in the race this year to be Alaska’s next governor.
“Would I not consider returning back to the state that I love and working on hard problems and challenges? Absolutely,” Murkowski told CNN’s Manu Raju this week, adding, “I also feel that the role that I’m playing here in the United States Senate is a particularly important one for our state and for the country.”
“So hard decisions, but you got to pick one, and I’m here and going to continue to serve Alaskans here,” she added.
The Alaska Republican has broken with President Donald Trump and many of her GOP colleagues on several key issues, including on the confirmations of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and FBI Director Kash Patel, said she’s “not happily” ruling out a gubernatorial bid.
“The idea of being able to be home and shovel real snow instead of ice snow, big difference,” she said, referring to weather conditions in Washington, DC.
Trump to attend Super Bowl watch party in Florida
President Donald Trump is set to attend a Super Bowl watch party in Palm Beach, Florida, today.
The Seattle Seahawks will play the New England Patriots in Santa Clara, California, a place Trump previously said was “just too far away” for him to travel to in person.
Trump will attend the watch party at 6:30 p.m. ET, and return to the White House some time after this. The event is closed to the press.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore frames redistricting push as an effort to save democracy
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore defended his effort to redraw the Maryland congressional map as part of a push by Democratic-led states to respond to President Donald Trump’s efforts to create more Republican seats throughout the country.
The proposed map would eliminate the only Republican-held seat in Maryland, currently occupied by conservative Rep. Andy Harris.
“This is about our democracy. This is about the fact that you know who started this. It wasn’t (California Gov.) Gavin Newsom. It was Donald Trump. When Donald Trump first contacted Texas and said, I need you to find the additional congressional seats, and they went to a back room with a sharpie and started redrawing maps,” Moore told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”
The Maryland House approved the new congressional map last week, but leadership in the state Senate has said the bill doesn’t have enough support to advance in that chamber — largely due to concerns it could backfire.
Moore called on his state’s Senate to back the proposal, saying that Trump’s racist post on social media on Friday, which depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes, “highlights the kind of urgency that we have within this moment … we are watching a president who is just unchecked.”
“It’s why I’m urging the Maryland Senate to let democracy not die in the free state and to let a vote to happen on the Maryland Senate,” Moore said.
Go deeper: Moore confronts limits of his power in clash with state Dems
Trump "needs to apologize" for posting racist video of Obamas, Jeffries says
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries demanded President Donald Trump apologize for the racist video depicting the Obamas as apes that was shared on his Truth Social account on Friday.
The post has since been deleted after several Republicans, including Sen. Tim Scott, the only Black Republican senator and a close political ally of the president, expressed outrage. Trump has said he doesn’t think he needs to apologize since the White House said it was a staffer who shared the content.
Jeffries also accused the president of “unlawfully withholding funds” from a major New York infrastructure project amid reports that Trump told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer last month that he would drop his freeze on billions of dollars in funding for a long-planned rail tunnel if Schumer agreed to rename New York’s Penn Station and Washington’s Dulles International Airport after Trump.
“It’s another example of Donald Trump trying to force presidential graffiti down the throat of the American people. It’s completely and totally unacceptable,” Jeffries said.
Oz urges Americans to take the measles vaccine
The administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services urged Americans to “please” take the measles vaccine, but denied that the fast-growing South Carolina outbreak of the disease is a consequence of the Trump administration undermining confidence in the vaccine.
“We’ve advocated for measles vaccines all along. Secretary Kennedy has been at the very front of this,” Mehmet Oz told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.” “When the first outbreak happened in Texas, he said, ‘Get your vaccines for measles,’ because that’s an example of an ailment that you should get vaccinated against.”
While Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. encouraged people to get their measles vaccines in April during a Texas outbreak, he advocated against government mandates for vaccines. Bash also pointed out how Children’s Health Defense, which Kennedy founded and ran up until April 2023, posted on X, “Despite the media’s scare tactics, there’s no reason to fear measles.”
Asked by Bash if people should fear measles, Oz said, “Oh, for sure and we actually are pretty aggressive. CMS, we fund any vaccine you want to take. There will never be a barrier to Americans get access to the measles vaccine.”
“Take the vaccine, please,” Oz said. “We have a solution for a problem. Not all illnesses are equally dangerous and not all people equally susceptible to those illnesses, but Measles is one you should get your vaccine,” Oz said.
GOP Rep. Massie: Trump should “absolutely apologize” for racist post
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie today said Trump should “absolutely apologize” for sharing a since-deleted racist post on his social media network that depicted former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as apes.
“He’s gone too far,” Massie told CNN’s Manu Raju on “Inside Politics.”
“He’s attacked my wife recently online, and I do think there are limits. For a while it’s kind of funny, but once pass certain guardrails like attacking a man’s spouse or getting into racist tropes – I think somebody at the White House, maybe (Chief of Staff) Susie Wiles needs to go to the president and just ask him for his phone.”
Trump has for months attacked Massie, who has been among the lawmakers behind the push to compel the Department of Justice to release case files surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, on social media. He recently suggested on Truth Social the lawmaker’s wife was part of the “radical left.”
“It doesn’t make me angry, but it’s unfair to my spouse,” Massie told Raju today.
Jeffries says "ball is in the court" of the GOP on DHS funding deal
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he’s not willing to accept anything less than Democratic leaders’ demands and cast blame on Republicans for stalled negotiations on a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security before a crucial deadline.
“Not at this point,” Jeffries told CNN’s Dana Bash just days before DHS, which includes FEMA and TSA, will shutdown without a funding solution, declaring the top immigration enforcement agency is “completely and totally out of control.”
Democrats have put forward their list of requirements for a bill to fund DHS and reform ICE, including requiring immigration enforcement agents to wear body cameras and remove face masks and to use judicial warrants, an issue that has been a nonstarter for Republicans.
Jeffries said Democrats haven’t heard back from the White House or GOP leaders on their “common sense” demands, adding, “in our view, the ball is in the court right now of the Republicans” ahead of the February 13 deadline.
“Either they’re going to agree to dramatically reform the way in which ICE and other immigration enforcement agencies are conducting themselves, so that they’re behaving like every other law enforcement agency in the country, or they’re making the explicit decision to shut down the Coast Guard, shut down FEMA and shut down TSA,” he warned.
