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

I GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN OVER ICE FUNDING FIGHT

The federal government is in a partial shutdown due to a partisan dispute over funding and restrictions for ICE. While the Senate passed a compromise negotiated between President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Friday, the House was in recess and does not have a vote on the deal scheduled . The Senate-passed plan would fund all federal agencies through September, except the Department of Homeland Security, which would be funded temporarily for two weeks while Congress debates new restrictions to ICE and other immigration agencies. Among the reforms, Democrats are calling for federal immigration agents to unmask and identify themselves, obtain a judicial warrant to enter someone’s home or car, and an end to roving patrols. House Speaker Mike Johnson said body cameras are included in the package, but expressed concerns about law enforcement safety if masks come off. During the shutdown, ICE operations will continue largely unchanged due to the $75 billion the agency received from the “Big Beautiful Bill” funding package passed last year.

>> Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) breaks down the ICE funding fight here.

I FEDERAL AGENTS ARREST DON LEMON

Federal agents arrested former CNN anchor Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort in connection with an ICE protest at the Cities Church in Minnesota. The protest on January 18 interrupted a worship service at the church, whose pastor is also an ICE official. The Justice Department alleges that the protest interfered with the congregation’s constitutional rights and charged Lemon, Fort, and six others with violating civil rights laws. Lemon and Fort both state they were at the protest in a journalistic capacity and that their actions are protected by the First Amendment's free press clause.

>> Dig deeper into the state of journalism and press freedoms here.

I NEW CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION IN ALEX PRETTI’S DEATH

The Department of Justice has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the shooting of Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old VA nurse shot and killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the FBI will be taking over the investigation into Pretti’s death, with Homeland Security Investigations playing a supporting role. Customs and Border Protection will do its own internal investigation into the shooting.

>> ASP breaks down whether Congress or the White House is responsible for ICE oversight here.  

I DOJ RELEASES EPSTEIN FILES

On Friday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the release of more than three million pages of materials related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The release includes around 2,000 videos, 180,000 images, and the names of powerful and affluent people, including New York Giants co-owner Steven Tisch, Richard Branson, Elon Musk, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, former Clinton Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Steve Bannon, and former president of the UN General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak. For some of them, the extent of their connection to Epstein has been known for years, but for others, the files reveal a more extensive relationship than previously known. According to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the files fulfill the DOJ’s obligation to release the files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Congress passed last year.

>> Find out more about the Epstein Files Transparency Act here. 

I NASA RETURNS TO THE MOON

NASA hopes to send astronauts back to the moon next week. The mission was previously scheduled to launch this Friday, but last week, NASA announced the new launch date will be no earlier than February 8 due to extreme cold at the launch site. The change leaves three days this month when the mission could take off, but any further delays will push it to March. The mission is scheduled to last 10 days, during which a crew will lift off, circle the moon, and return. It marks the first crewed moon mission in more than 50 years. Artemis II will test the effectiveness and feasibility of newly developed technology ahead of a planned mission to return astronauts to the Moon's surface, currently scheduled for 2027.

>> More about the Artemis program here.

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