Good Monday evening. In this edition: Second fatal shooting in Minneapolis increases shutdown odds, spurs White House shift.
Plus, Gaza hostages, Eleanor Holmes Norton and Maxwell Frost.
Minneapolis Shooting
A partial government shutdown is now looking increasingly likely following the fatal shooting of Minneapolis intensive-care nurse Alex Pretti, the second U.S. citizen killed in Minnesota this month by federal agents.
Democrats are demanding changes to immigration enforcement operations before agreeing to a bill funding the Homeland Security Department, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called on Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to separate the Homeland Security funding bill from five other measures the House sent to the Senate as a single package.
"The responsibility to prevent a partial government shutdown is on Leader Thune and Senate Republicans," Sen. Schumer said in a statement.
"If Leader Thune puts those five bills on the floor this week, we can pass them right away. If not, Republicans will again be responsible for another government shutdown."
While the other five bills have drawn bipartisan support throughout the appropriations process, the Homeland Security measure passed the House last week by a narrow margin, with just seven Democrats voting in favor.
If the Senate amends the six-bill package rather than passing it as-is, it would have to return to the House — which is not scheduled to reconvene until Feb. 2, after the Friday funding deadline.
Congressional investigations into the shooting are also looming, with the House Homeland Security Committee formally requesting testimony from the leaders of ICE, CBP, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the chair of the Judiciary Committee, also announced a hearing with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem scheduled for March 3.
Meanwhile, the White House appears to be adjusting its tone and strategy amid mounting outrage over the shooting and the administration's handling of it.
President Trumpordered border czar Tom Homan to take over immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis, describing him as "tough but fair."
The president also spoke with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), with whom he has been feuding for months, calling it a "very good call" and saying the two "seemed to be on a similar wavelength."
Gov. Walz's officedescribed the conversation as "productive" and said the leaders discussed ensuring independent investigations into the killings, as well as the possibility of reducing the number of federal agents deployed to the state.
Later in the day, press secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared to distance the White House from comments made by senior officials in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, which described Mr. Pretti as a "terrorist" and "assassin," telling reporters that she speaks only for the president.
"I have not heard the president characterize Mr. Pretti in that way," Ms. Leavitt said. "However, I have heard the president say he wants to let the facts and investigation lead itself."
On Saturday, Secretary Noem likened Mr. Pretti to a domestic terrorist and claimed he was "brandishing" a weapon with the intent to "massacre" federal agents — despite video evidence contradicting those claims.
Stephen Miller, a senior aide to President Trump, called Mr. Pretti a "would-be assassin" who "tried to murder federal law enforcement."
Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander who had been leading operations in Minneapolis and is now reportedly being reassigned, claimed Mr. Pretti intended to inflict "maximum damage and massacre law enforcement."
Despite the shakeup, Ms. Leavitt said Secretary Noem continues to have the "utmost confidence and trust" of President Trump.
She added that Mr. Homan's deployment to Minneapolis should not be interpreted as dissatisfaction with how federal officials are handling operations in the city.
The Israeli militaryannounced it has recovered the remains of the final deceased hostage in Gaza, with the return of Ran Gvili, whose body was taken to the enclave after he was killed in Hamas's Oct. 7 attack. "A short time ago, we returned the late Ran Gvili, a hero of Israel. There are no more hostages in Gaza," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset on Monday. It marks the end of the 843-day hostage crisis as well as the completion of the first phase of President Trump's Gaza peace plan.
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) ended her reelection campaign, according to a filing made Sunday, putting an end to months of speculation about the 88-year-old's political future amid concerns about her age and cognitive state. The civil rights leader, who first won election in 1990, has championed DC statehood throughout her decades-long run as a non-voting delegate to the House. Two DC Council members, Robert White and Brooke Pinto, had already launched primary challenges, among several others in what's expected to be a competitive contest for the seat.
Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) said he was "punched in the face" over the weekend while at the Sundance Film Festival by a man who allegedly told him President Trump was going to deport him. "He was heard screaming racist remarks as he drunkenly ran off," the congressman wrote on social media. "The individual was arrested and I am okay." A 28-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with aggravated burglary, assaulting an elected official and assault.
For your radar…
The National Transportation Safety Board holds a meeting Tuesday on the midair collision between an airliner and Army helicopter over the Potomac River last year, which resulted in 67 fatalities. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN2 at 9am ET.
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