Shutdown Showdown

The federal government is partially shut down, at least until the U.S. House of Representatives gets back to work on Tuesday. The Senate did vote for a deal—one that President Donald Trump approves of—over the weekend, but it’s not totally clear that Speaker Mike Johnson will have the votes. At the very least, he needs virtually every single Republican House member to return to Washington, D.C. The Republican margin in the house is currently 218–213—about to become 218–214.

“I have a one-vote margin, yes, for the rest of 2026,” said Johnson, according to CNBC. “But we’re going to demonstrate once again that this is the party that takes governing seriously.”

Whether the agreement to fund the government will attract any Democratic support in the House remains to be seen. The recent controversies involving immigration enforcement in Minnesota have prompted Democrats to push for changes, and they are understandably loath to reward the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with additional funding. The Senate bill keeps DHS funding at existing levels for two weeks, giving Republicans and Democrats time to haggle over accountability measures for ICE.

But House Democrats seem inclined to reject this plan. Rep. Ro Khanna (D–Calif.), for instance, said he would vote against the bill and urged his colleagues to do the same.

“I just don’t see how, in good conscience, Democrats can vote for continuing ICE funding when they’re killing American citizens, when there’s no provision to repeal the tripling of the budget,” he said. “I hope my colleagues will say no.”

During a private call on Sunday, some Democrats signaled that they would indeed be inclined to vote for the spending package.

Trump apparently has no appetite for another government shutdown, telling Fox News over the weekend that he hopes “enough people will use their heads.”

The two immigration enforcement officers who shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Minnesota, have been identified. They are Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa, age 43, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer Raymundo Gutierrez, age 35. Their names were released by ProPublica, which identified them from government records.

Contrary to some speculation, they were not rookies.

“Records reportedly show that Ochoa joined CBP in 2018 as a border patrol agent, while Gutierrez began working for the agency in 2014,” reports The Guardian. “Gutierrez serves in CBP’s office of field operations and is part of a special response team that handles high-risk missions similar to those carried out by police Swat units. Both men are from south Texas.”

Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.) is seeking more information about Pretti’s death, calling on top immigration enforcement officials to testify before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Appeared on 60 Minutes on Sunday, the senator strongly disputed the Trump administration’s contentions about Pretti’s death. Paul denied that Pretti could be seen assaulting police officers in the video.

“I saw a man that was retreating,” GOP Sen. Rand Paul says of the video he saw of Alex Pretti, shot and killed by federal immigration officers. He has scheduled a Congressional hearing on the matter. https://t.co/5s5y5uakoi pic.twitter.com/K47kA8yngS

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) February 2, 2026

Some powerful people are not coming off well in the Epstein files. For instance, newly released emails show that Jeffrey Epstein and Elon Musk corresponded in 2012. Musk previously claimed that he had refused an invitation to Epstein’s island. But in a November 2012 email to Epstein, Musk wrote, “What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?” Richard Branson, Andrew Farkas, and Steve Tisch also correspond with Epstein.

Scenes from Washington, D.C.: Denizens of the nation’s capital have been complaining ceaselessly about the city government’s unbelievably poor response to last month’s snowstorm, and the city has renewed its efforts to more effectively plow streets and clear away giant chunks of ice. I watched from my window on Saturday as the city employed heavy construction equipment to get the job done in my neighborhood.

Nevertheless, many school systems in the D.C. metro area will remain closed for a sixth straight day. That’s gotta be frustrating for parents!

• While it’s likely not going to make back what it cost to produce, Melania—the new film about the first lady—had a strong opening for a documentary, bringing in about $7 million.
• Bad Bunny and other celebrities criticized ICE during their acceptance speeches at the Grammys.
• Elon Musk is very upset about the casting rumors for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey: Lupita Nyong’o is theorized to be portraying Helen of Troy.
• Pro-Palestinian protesters, apparently unaware of the speaker’s stated views on the issue, interrupted an event at Sarah Lawrence College featuring New York Times columnist Ezra Klein.
• Actress Catherine O’Hara has passed away at age 71.