This week’s guide to government and politics in under 10 minutes

I LAWMAKERS SHARE WORRIES ABOUT NATIONAL SECURITY AMID DHS PARTIAL SHUTDOWN

As the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security enters its third week, Republicans say the war in Iran and possibility of retaliatory attacks on the U.S. are additional reasons to pass a bill funding the department. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso said last week Democrats would have “blood…on their hands” if a cyber or terrorist attack occurred while DHS was still shut down. Democratic lawmakers have said they are prepared to fund most DHS agencies, just not Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection. Critics of the bill argue it should require reforms to immigration enforcement operations following the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis. On Thursday, the House passed the DHS funding bill 221-209, but Republicans fell short of the 60 votes needed to move it through the Senate. The next Senate vote is set for today.

I KHAMENEI’S SON CHOSEN AS NEW LEADER FOR IRAN

Following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s Assembly of Experts selected his son, 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei, as the Islamic Republic’s next leader, according to Iranian state media. The 56-year-old cleric had long been considered a leading contender and is known for his close ties to the country’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He has never been elected or appointed to a government position, but is expected to follow closely in his father’s footsteps. As the strikes between the U.S. and Iran continued over the weekend, the move was widely cast as “defiant,” because President Trump had previously warned that Khamenei was an “unacceptable choice” for the role.

I REPUBLICANS DEBATE ADDING TARIFF RELIEF FOR FARMERS, WILDFIRE AID TO MILITARY FUNDING BILL

Republicans are debating whether to add aid for farmers affected by tariffs and wildfire relief for states to a military funding bill that President Donald Trump plans to use to help pay for the U.S. conflict with Iran. Politico reported last week that GOP leaders are considering including more than $15 billion in tariff relief for farmers, along with wildfire aid that Democrats have been seeking following last year’s California fires. North Dakota Republican Sen. John Hoeven, the chair of the agriculture funding panel, has argued adding the provisions could help secure enough support for the emergency military funding package. Critics, however, warn that the additions could significantly increase the bill's cost, with military aid alone expected to total at least $50 billion.

I JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PUBLISHES DOCUMENTS WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST TRUMP

The Justice Department released FBI interview summaries with a woman who alleged President Donald Trump sexually assaulted her as a teenager, as part of the broader release of files tied to financier Jeffrey Epstein. The documents summarize three 2019 interviews with an unnamed woman who said Epstein introduced her to Trump in the 1980s and alleged that both men sexually assaulted her when she was between 13 and 15 years old. The files say the FBI had no further contact with her after the interviews. Democrats have accused the DOJ of previously withholding the material, but officials said the documents were mistakenly held because they had been “incorrectly coded as duplicative.” The release comes as the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee investigates whether Epstein-related files were improperly withheld. Last week, a House committee voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify about the department’s handling of the records.

I KRISTI NOEM NAMED SPECIAL ENVOY FOR NEW “SHIELD OF THE AMERICAS” AFTER BEING OUSTED AS DHS SECRETARY

President Trump said Thursday that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem will leave her role to become a special envoy for “The Shield of the Americas,” a new organization created to advance the president’s foreign policy initiatives. A part of Trump’s “Donroe Doctrine,” the “Shield of the Americas” has been described by the White House as a regional coalition of Latin American countries working together on issues such as transnational trafficking and immigration to secure the Western Hemisphere. The organization will officially launch on March 31, when leaders from 13 Latin American countries — including Argentine President Javier Milei — will meet in Miami for a summit to discuss counterterrorism. Republican Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin is expected to succeed Noem as DHS secretary on March 31, but the Senate must confirm him first.

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When AI feels human, what are the consequences?⁠

A 76-year-old New Jersey man died as he traveled to meet a Meta AI character he believed was real, according to Reuters. The chatbot, designed to feel human and flirtatious, reportedly invited him to New York and reassured him, saying, “I’m real.”⁠

Here’s what happened and why the incident is fueling debate over AI regulation in this week's Reuters Recap.

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