The Latest: Partial government shutdown over DHS oversight seems poised to drag on

Lawmakers and the White House offered no signs of compromise over the holiday weekend in their battle over oversight of federal immigration officers that has led to a pause in funding for the Department of Homeland Security. A partial government shutdown began Saturday after congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump ’s team failed to reach a deal on legislation to fund the department through September.

Democrats are demanding changes to how immigration operations are conducted after the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal officers in Minneapolis last month.

Unlike the record 43-day shutdown last fall, the closures are narrowly confined, affecting only agencies under the DHS umbrella, including the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. But the work of ICE and CBP will mostly continue unabated, thanks to billions in funding from Trump’s 2025 tax and spending cut law.

The latest:

Trump family business files for trademark rights on any airports using the president’s name

The Trump family company has filed to trademark the use of the president’s name on airports but says it doesn’t plan on charging a fee — at least for a proposed renaming of one near his Florida home.

Applications filed by the Trump Organization with the federal trademark office are seeking exclusive rights to use the president’s name on airports and dozens of related things found there, from buses shuttling passengers to umbrellas and travel bags to flight suits. The filings come amid debate in Florida over a state bill to name the Palm Beach airport after Trump and a dispute over funding of a tunnel between New York and New Jersey that is tied up with proposals that both it and Dulles International Airport in Virginia bear his name.

The Trump Organization said that the applications were triggered by the Florida bill and that it didn’t seek any profit — only protection against “bad actors” given that the Trump name is the “most infringed trademark in the world.”

The Trump company’s claim that it is the most infringed trademark in the world could not be quickly confirmed.

▶ Read more about trademarks and the presidency

Trump appeals ruling that struck down his order blocking wind energy projects

Judge Patti Saris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts said in December that Trump’s effort to halt virtually all leasing of wind farms on federal lands and waters was “arbitrary and capricious” and violates U.S. law.

The Justice Department appealed the ruling on Tuesday.

Saris ruled in favor of a coalition of state attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C., led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, that challenged Trump’s Day One order pausing wind energy projects.

Trump has been hostile to renewable energy, particularly offshore wind, and prioritizes fossil fuels to produce electricity.

Trump pays tribute to Jackson by posting photos of himself with the civil rights icon

The president shared a dozen photos on social media of himself with the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson that were primarily from the 1980s and 1990s. Trump did not share any text with his posts but the photos showed him and Jackson shaking hands at various events, chatting and pointing at things.

Vance is in New York for a fundraiser

The vice president, who is also serving as the finance chairman of the Republican National Committee, was set to headline a Manhattan fundraiser for the GOP Tuesday night. The event was expected to raise more than $2 million, according to a person familiar with the plans who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Vance is set to headline another RNC fundraiser in McLean, Virginia, in March, according to the person. — By Michelle L. Price

Vance sidesteps questions about whether he will run for president

The vice president was asked several times in the interview Tuesday about the 2028 presidential election, including whether he would like to run for president and whether he wants Trump’s endorsement, but Vance repeatedly brushed off the questions with pronounced laughter.

“Why don’t I do as good of a job as I can on in this job. We’ll worry about the next job sometime in the future,” Vance said.

He said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is perceived as Vance’s biggest potential GOP rival in 2028, is his “closest friend in the administration” and praised the work he’s doing.

“The media wants to create this conflict where there isn’t any conflict,” Vance said.

White House, Democrats ‘still pretty far apart’ on DHS talks

As the Homeland Security shutdown continues, the administration and congressional Democrats remain “still pretty far apart” on a deal that would place some guardrails on federal immigration agents.

That’s the assessment of a White House official who was granted anonymity to discuss the private deliberations.

Democratic leaders submitted their latest offer to the White House late Monday. But the prospect of a deal this week, particularly as lawmakers are out of Washington, remain dim.

The official said the White House is still interested in good-faith negotiations to end the shutdown of DHS, which affects agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Transportation Security Administration. Meanwhile, the president has stressed that any agreement has to protect law enforcement officials. — By Seung Min Kim

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is leaving the agency

In a post on X, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem praised McLaughlin’s performance on the job, which she’s held since the beginning of the Trump administration.

“Tricia McLaughlin has served with exceptional dedication, tenacity, and professionalism,” Noem said.

During her time as spokesperson, McLaughlin took on a high-profile public role defending the administration’s contentious immigration policies on television and social media.

Noem did not say why McLaughlin was leaving but said the department was sad to see her leave and wished her well.

The change comes at a tumultuous time for Noem and the department after the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis led to calls for Noem to step down.

McLaughlin said Pretti approached Customs and Border Protection officers with a handgun and he “violently resisted” when they tried to disarm him — a claim that was contradicted by bystander videos.

Vance says Iran nuclear talks went well ‘in some ways’

Vice President JD Vance said in an interview Tuesday afternoon on Fox News Channel that he spoke to Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner earlier in the day about the negotiations.

Vance said the U.S. made it clear where its red lines are, including blocking Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon, and while it would prefer a diplomatic solution, “the president has all options on the table.”

The vice president said of the negotiations, “In some ways, it went well,” noting the sides agreed to meet again. But, he said, “in other ways, it was very clear that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not willing to actually acknowledge and work through.”

He did not elaborate.

“We’re going to keep on working it,” he said as he went on, “But, of course, the president reserves the ability to say, when he thinks that diplomacy has reached its natural end—we hope we don’t get to that point—but if we do, that will be the president’s call.”

Police say they’ve arrested a man who ran toward the US Capitol holding a shotgun

Police said the man dropped his weapon and complied when “challenged” by U.S. Capitol police officers.

Congress was not in session when the arrest occurred.

Earlier, Capitol Police had urged people to avoid the area, saying that “our officers just arrested a person with what appears to be a gun.”

White House backs Kalshi and Polymarket as states move to ban prediction markets

The Trump administration is throwing its support behind the prediction market operators Kalshi and Polymarket in a critical legal battle between the growing prediction market industry and states that wish to ban these platforms.

Michael Selig, the chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, says states cannot ban these markets because federal law gives the CFTC control.

Several states have accused the platforms of running unlicensed casinos. The most notable of the lawsuits comes from Nevada, where a federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order to prevent Kalshi from operating in the state.

Selig argues these contracts act like futures, not sportsbook bets. While customers can bet on anything, roughly 90% of Kalshi’s trading volume goes toward wagers on sports.

Any friendly decision the CFTC makes on this industry could end up financially benefiting the president’s family as well. President Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., has invested in Polymarket through his venture capital firm and is a strategic advisor for Kalshi.

▶ Read more about prediction markets

Colbert says CBS lawyers pulled Talarico interview as early voting begins in Texas

Late-night host Stephen Colbert said his interview with Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico was pulled from Monday night’s broadcast over network fears it would violate regulatory guidance from the Trump administration on giving equal time to political candidates.

The issue came just hours before early voting opened Tuesday in Texas’ primary elections, which feature hotly-contested Senate nomination races in both parties.

Colbert says the network also told him not to mention the change, but Colbert discussed it on air and pointed viewers to the full interview posted on YouTube. Talarico also posted a clip, calling it the “interview Donald Trump didn’t want you to see.”

The FCC guidance warns talk shows to treat candidates like other broadcast programs. Colbert says the rule does not apply to streaming. Neither CBS nor the FCC commented Tuesday.

▶ Read more about the interview

Mexico’s president rejects Trump’s offer to join the Gaza Board of Peace

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government has declined to join the U.S.-led group overseeing the Gaza ceasefire plan because of the lack of Palestinian representation on the board.

She said her country would instead act as an observer and send Mexico’s ambassador to the U.N., following encouragement from U.S. authorities.

“Given that we recognize Palestine as a state, it’s important that both states, Israel and Palestine, participate. It isn’t set up that way,” she said on Tuesday.

In Latin America, countries that have accepted the U.S. invitation are largely right-wing Trump allies, including Argentina, El Salvador and Paraguay.

Sheinbaum’s rejection comes at a time when the leader has walked a political tightrope with Trump, trying to maintain a strong relationship with him while also standing up for deeply held principles by the Mexican government.

US aircraft carrier leaves Caribbean, heads to the Middle East

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and its escort of three destroyers are now in the mid-Atlantic after being ordered to depart the Caribbean for the Middle East last week, a Navy official confirmed Tuesday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive ship movements, said that the Ford, along with the destroyers USS Mahan, Bainbridge, and Winston Churchill, are in the mid-Atlantic and no longer with the U.S. Southern Command’s area of operations.

Given its current location, the Ford and its escorts are likely more than a week away from reaching the waters off the coast of Iran.