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What to know about how the DHS shutdown could affect you

February 14, 2026
What to know about how the DHS shutdown could affect you

Funding for theDepartment of Homeland Security has expired, potentially jeopardizing critical government services like airport security and disaster relief.

USA TODAY

Appropriations for the 9/11-era Cabinet agency lapsed after Friday, Feb. 13, as negotiations continued between congressional Democrats and the White House over curbing immigration enforcement. No deal was in sight as lawmakers left for a week-long scheduled recess, with many taking planned trips overseas.

<p style=After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. are protesting against Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.

Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Savannah Gritter, 12, holds signs during the A federal agent goes to clear a makeshift shield a protester placed over a gas canister during an anti-ICE protest at the Eugene Federal Building on Jan. 30, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon. <p style=Hundreds of people gather to protest ICE at the corner of Palafox and Garden Streets in downtown Pensacola, Florida, on Jan. 30, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> In an aerial view, demonstrators spell out an SOS signal of distress on a frozen Lake BdeMaka Ska on Jan. 30, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Protesters marched through downtown to protest the deaths of Renee Good on January 7, and Alex Pretti on January 24 by federal immigration agents. Protesters chant as they march down University Avenue during a Party for Socialism & Liberation–sponsored anti‑ICE demonstration in downtown Gainesville, Fla., on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. The march began at Southwest 13th Street and University Avenue and ended at Bo Diddley Plaza, where participants protested ICE and recent killings in Minnesota. A protestor is shoved by a federal agent after getting face-to-face with the agent, who stood among a line of agents blocking off the federal detention center in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. People hold signs along PGA Blvd., and Military Trail during the Demonstrators march down Walnut Street as Cincinnati Police officers clear traffic during an ICE Out! rally in downtown Cincinnati on Jan. 30, 2026. Protestors clash with police during a <p style=Penn High School students participate in a walkout protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Mishawaka, Indiana.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> People hold signs along PGA Blvd., and Military Trail during the Federal agents drive out protesters from the grounds of the Eugene Federal Building on Jan. 30, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon. <p style=Protesters gather at City Hall in response to recent actions by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly referred to as "ICE," and the presence of Flock cameras in the community and Indiana University campus, in Bloomington, Indiana, on Jan. 30, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> People partake in a <p style=A Penn High School student confronts a man in a car line at the school who was shouting, "Let's go ICE!" as students were marching past during a walkout protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Mishawaka, Indiana.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> People partake in a People hold a photo of Alex Pretti, who was shot dead by federal agents, during a protest in Minneapolis on Jan. 30, 2026. People hold a photo of Renee Good, who was shot dead by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, during a Protestors clash with police during a Students walked out or skipped school to join others in the student-led ICE Out protest in downtown Knoxville, Tenn., on Jan. 30, 2026. A protestor reacts to being hit by tactical gas used by federal agents in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. LAPD officers attempt to clear protestors during 'National Shutdown Thousands of protestors begin to march away from city hall in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. Demonstrators gather in front of the Hamilton County Courthouse during an ICE Out! rally in downtown Cincinnati on Jan. 30, 2026. Hacks actress Megan Stalter holds up a protest sign outside of city hall in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. Protesters gather at the Rhode Island State House on Jan. 30, 2026 as part of the nationwide 'ICE Out' national strike. People protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies outside the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Los Angeles, California, Jan. 30, 2026. A demonstrator reacts in front of Los Angeles Police Department officers standing guard during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies, near the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Los Angeles, Jan. 30, 2026. A Los Angeles Police Department helicopter circles the area over protestors outside of the federal detention center in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. Demonstrators gesture towards Los Angeles Police Department officers approaching them during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies, near the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Los Angeles, Jan. 30, 2026. People march down the road during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S, President Donald Trump's immigration policies outside the CoreCivic ICE detention center in Houston, Texas, Jan. 30, 2026. <p style=Protesters gather at City Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, on Jan. 30, 2026, in response to recent immigration enforcement actions by the government.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

'ICE Out' protests spark marches, confrontations across US

After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. areprotestingagainst Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D–New York, pledged earlier this week that Democrats wouldn't back funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without added guardrails for federal immigration agents.

"The Republican bill on the floor allows ICE to smash in doors without warrants, to wear masks and not be identified, to use children as bait for their parents," Schumer said in avideo statement posted on social mediaFeb. 12. "No oversight? We are keeping our word. No funding for ICE until it is reined in, until the violence ends."

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R–South Dakota,said on Fox NewsFeb. 12 that he hopes Democrats strike a funding deal with the White House over the weekend

"This isn't just ICE. This isn't just, you know, Border Patrol. This is FEMA. This is TSA. This is the Coast Guard. This is cyber security. A bunch of things covered by this bill," Thune said.

More:Coast Guard chief warns DHS shutdown will 'cripple morale'

Much of DHS's typical work,including Immigration and Customs Enforcement's operations, will continue even while the agency is shut down. Regardless, the heads of some of the department's most critical divisions warned lawmakers ahead of the latest funding lapse that the consequences of a prolonged shutdown could be dire.

TSA agents check for REAL ID compliance at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on May 7.

DHS hasn't publicly released an updated contingency plan for this shutdown, but ittypically requiresthe vast majority of TSA's more than 64,000-person workforce to stay on the job without pay.

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Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told lawmakers Feb. 11 that the roughly 61,000 employees at more than 430 commercial airports who will be impacted by another funding lapse can't go through it all over again.

"Some are just recovering from the financial impact of the 43-day shutdown," she said. "We cannot put them through another such experience. It would be unconscionable."

Usually, as shutdowns drag on, callout rates for TSA workers spike, leading to longer wait times in security lines at the airport.

Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard helped free a cruise ship after it became "beset" in ice during an Antarctica voyage.

The Coast Guard, which falls under DHS purview during peacetime, will have to suspend missions that aren't critical for national security and the protection of life and property.

"Shutdowns cripple morale," said Vice Adm. Thomas Allan, the Coast Guard's acting vice commandant, at a Feb. 11 congressional hearing.

Allan told lawmakers the shutdown would cause deferred maintenance and potentially interrupt pay for 56,000 active-duty reserve and civilian personnel.

FEMA

After Hurricane Helene, Ether Ashe speaks with a FEMA representative outside the Buncombe County Courthouse in Asheville, North Carolina on Oct. 16, 2024.

Most employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency will also work without pay. Gregg Phillips, who leads FEMA, said on Feb. 11 the shutdown would "severely disrupt" the agency's ability to reimburse states for disaster relief costs.

He expressed concern about the approaching hurricane season.

"A federal government shutdown would have far-reaching and serious consequences for FEMA's operations and for the nation's ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters," he told lawmakers.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:What to know about how the DHS shutdown could affect you

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How Jeffrey Epstein used the glamour of the Nobel Peace Prize to entice his global network of elites

February 14, 2026
How Jeffrey Epstein used the glamour of the Nobel Peace Prize to entice his global network of elites

STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — Jeffrey Epstein repeatedly played up his ties to the former head of the Nobel Peace Prize committee in invitations to and chats with elites like Richard Branson, Larry Summers, Bill Gates and Steve Bannon, a top ally of President Donald Trump,the Epstein files show.

Associated Press

Thorbjørn Jagland, who headed the Norwegian Nobel Committee from 2009 to 2015, turns up hundreds of times in the millions ofdocuments about the former U.S. financierand convicted sex offender that were released by the U.S. Justice Department last month.

Since the release, Jagland, 75, has been charged in Norway for "aggravated corruption" in connection with an investigation prompted by information in the files, the economic crime unit of Norwegian police Økokrim said.

Økokrim has said it would investigate whether gifts, travel and loans were received in connection with Jagland's position. Its teams searched his Oslo residence on Thursday, plus two other properties in Risør, a coastal town to the south, and in Rauland to the west.

His attorneys at Elden law firm in Norway said Jagland denies the charges, and was questioned by the police unit on Thursday.

While there is no evidence in the documents seen so far of any outright lobbying for the Nobel Peace Prize, Epstein repeatedly played up hosting Jagland at his properties in New York and Paris in the 2010s.

From an 'interesting' guest to subject of banter with Bannon

In September 2018, during Trump's first term and in an apparent allusion to his interest in the peace prize, Epstein had a varied text-message exchange with Bannon, at one point writing — in one of many messages with untidy grammar: "donalds head would explode if he knew you were now buds with the guy who on monday will decide the nobel peace prize."

"I told him next year it should be you when we settle china," he added, without elaborating.

In one email from 2013, mixing in investment tips and praise for PR tips, Epstein told British entrepreneur and magnate Richard Branson that Jagland would be staying with Epstein in September that year, adding: "if you are there, you might find him interesting."

A year after she left a job as White House counsel to President Barack Obama, in 2015,Kathy Ruemmlergot an email from Epstein saying: "head of nobel peace prize coming to visit, want to join?"

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In 2012, Epstein wrote former Treasury Secretary and Harvard University president Larry Summers about Jagland, saying "head of the nobel peace prize staying with me, if you have any interest."

In that exchange, Epstein referred to Jagland — also a former Norwegian prime minister and former head of the Council of Europe, a human rights body — as "not bright" but someone who offered a "unique perspective."

The financier wrote Bill Gates in 2014, saying that Jagland had been reelected as head of the Council of Europe.

"That is good," theMicrosoftco-founder and the world's former richest man, wrote. "I guess his peace prize committee job is also up in the air?"

During Jagland's tenure as chair of the committee, it gave the peace prize to Obama, in 2009, and the European Union in 2012.

Jagland was brought into Epstein's orbit by Terje Rød Larsen, a Norwegian diplomat who helped broker the Oslo Peace Accords between Israel and Palestinians. Larsen and wife are also facing corruption charges in Norway due to their association with Epstein.

Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.

The AP is reviewing the documents released by the Justice Department in collaboration with journalists from CBS, NBC, MS NOW and CNBC. Journalists from each newsroom are working together to examine the files and share information about what is in them. Each outlet is responsible for its own independent news coverage of the documents.

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Obama compares 'rogue' ICE actions to authoritarian countries

February 14, 2026
Obama compares 'rogue' ICE actions to authoritarian countries

Former President Barack Obamasaid in a Feb. 14 interview that the actions of some federal agents under the Trump administration are similar to behavior previously seen under dictatorships.

"The rogue behavior of agents of the federal government is deeply concerning and dangerous," Obama said in aninterview with podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen.

<p style=After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. are protesting against Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.

Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Savannah Gritter, 12, holds signs during the A federal agent goes to clear a makeshift shield a protester placed over a gas canister during an anti-ICE protest at the Eugene Federal Building on Jan. 30, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon. <p style=Hundreds of people gather to protest ICE at the corner of Palafox and Garden Streets in downtown Pensacola, Florida, on Jan. 30, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> In an aerial view, demonstrators spell out an SOS signal of distress on a frozen Lake BdeMaka Ska on Jan. 30, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Protesters marched through downtown to protest the deaths of Renee Good on January 7, and Alex Pretti on January 24 by federal immigration agents. Protesters chant as they march down University Avenue during a Party for Socialism & Liberation–sponsored anti‑ICE demonstration in downtown Gainesville, Fla., on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. The march began at Southwest 13th Street and University Avenue and ended at Bo Diddley Plaza, where participants protested ICE and recent killings in Minnesota. A protestor is shoved by a federal agent after getting face-to-face with the agent, who stood among a line of agents blocking off the federal detention center in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. People hold signs along PGA Blvd., and Military Trail during the Demonstrators march down Walnut Street as Cincinnati Police officers clear traffic during an ICE Out! rally in downtown Cincinnati on Jan. 30, 2026. Protestors clash with police during a <p style=Penn High School students participate in a walkout protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Mishawaka, Indiana.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> People hold signs along PGA Blvd., and Military Trail during the Federal agents drive out protesters from the grounds of the Eugene Federal Building on Jan. 30, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon. <p style=Protesters gather at City Hall in response to recent actions by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly referred to as "ICE," and the presence of Flock cameras in the community and Indiana University campus, in Bloomington, Indiana, on Jan. 30, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> People partake in a <p style=A Penn High School student confronts a man in a car line at the school who was shouting, "Let's go ICE!" as students were marching past during a walkout protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Mishawaka, Indiana.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> People partake in a People hold a photo of Alex Pretti, who was shot dead by federal agents, during a protest in Minneapolis on Jan. 30, 2026. People hold a photo of Renee Good, who was shot dead by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, during a Protestors clash with police during a Students walked out or skipped school to join others in the student-led ICE Out protest in downtown Knoxville, Tenn., on Jan. 30, 2026. A protestor reacts to being hit by tactical gas used by federal agents in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. LAPD officers attempt to clear protestors during 'National Shutdown Thousands of protestors begin to march away from city hall in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. Demonstrators gather in front of the Hamilton County Courthouse during an ICE Out! rally in downtown Cincinnati on Jan. 30, 2026. Hacks actress Megan Stalter holds up a protest sign outside of city hall in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. Protesters gather at the Rhode Island State House on Jan. 30, 2026 as part of the nationwide 'ICE Out' national strike. People protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies outside the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Los Angeles, California, Jan. 30, 2026. A demonstrator reacts in front of Los Angeles Police Department officers standing guard during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies, near the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Los Angeles, Jan. 30, 2026. A Los Angeles Police Department helicopter circles the area over protestors outside of the federal detention center in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. Demonstrators gesture towards Los Angeles Police Department officers approaching them during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies, near the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Los Angeles, Jan. 30, 2026. People march down the road during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S, President Donald Trump's immigration policies outside the CoreCivic ICE detention center in Houston, Texas, Jan. 30, 2026. <p style=Protesters gather at City Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, on Jan. 30, 2026, in response to recent immigration enforcement actions by the government.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

'ICE Out' protests spark marches, confrontations across US

After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. areprotestingagainst Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.

Obama added that American citizens should be appreciated for engaging in "peaceful protests and shining a light on the sort of behavior that, in the past, we've seen in authoritarian countries and we've seen in dictatorships, but we have not seen in America."

Obama's remarks come afterWhite House border czar Tom Homanannounced Feb. 12 that the Trump administration would bedrawing down the surge of federal immigration agentsit sent into Minnesota. Two U.S. citizens,Renee Nicole GoodandAlex Pretti, were killed by federal agents in that state in incidents that sparked controversy and protest.

The former president characterized the actions of ICE agents in Minnesota in particular was "unprecedented."

Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks while campaigning for Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger during a campaign rally in the Chartway Arena on November 01, 2025 in Norfolk, Virginia.

Those agents were deployed into cities without clear guidelines and trainings, and once there, they pulled people out of homes, used children to bait their parents, and tear-gassed "crowds simply who were standing there, not breaking any laws," he said.

As protests have mounted in major cities in recent months in response to ICE actions, White House officials have defended their immigration record.

Vice President JD Vance, for instance, rebuffed allegations that immigration agents had used a five-year-old as bait by ordering him to knock on his front door and then apprehending the boy's father.

"Are they supposed to let a five-year-old child freeze to death?"Vance said. "If the argument is that you can't arrest people who have violated our laws because they have children, then every single parent is going to be completely given immunity from ever being the subject of law enforcement."

Negotiations between congressional Democrats and the White Houseare ongoing this weekend, as Democrats seek new restrictions on federal immigration agents in exchange for providing Department of Homeland Security funds.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Obama says 'rogue' ICE actions under Trump admin similar to dictatorships

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Pakistan's imprisoned ex-PM Khan to get medical treatment after reported partial vision loss

February 14, 2026
Pakistan's imprisoned ex-PM Khan to get medical treatment after reported partial vision loss

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's imprisoned former Prime MinisterImran Khan will undergo treatment for an eye conditionat a specialized medical facility, a Cabinet minister said Saturday, days after the Supreme Court ordered a medical evaluation amid growing concerns about his eyesight.

Associated Press

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar wrote on X that an examination would be conducted by leading eye specialists as part of Khan's ongoing treatment which began in late January afterKhan reported a partial loss of visionin his right eye.

The minister did not say at which medical facility and when Khan would be treated.

"A detailed report will also be submitted to the Supreme Court. Conjecture, speculations and efforts to turn this into political rhetoric and mileage for vested interests may please be avoided," Tarar said.

Earlier this week, Khan's lawyer, Salman Safdar, told the Supreme Court that the former premier had lost roughly 85% of vision in his right eye. The court subsequently directed authorities to arrange a medical assessment by a panel of doctors and facilitate a telephone call between Khan, 73, and his sons before Feb. 16.

Supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, have staged protests in Islamabad and other cities, demanding he be moved from prison to a hospital for specialized treatment. Some of the lawmakers from PTI and its allies are also staging a sit-in outside the parliament.

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Khan's family angrily responded to Tarar's announcement, saying it had not been consulted before he was taken for treatment and has called for family members and his personal physician to be present during any future procedures.

Khan's sister, Aleema Khan, said Saturday on X that the authorities had arranged the call and Khan had spoken with his sons for about 20 minutes. Khan was "extremely happy" to hear their voices after a long gap, she said, adding the family was awaiting urgent treatment of Khan at an eye hospital under the supervision of Khan's personal doctors.

The former cricket star turned politician has been in prison since 2023 after being convicted in a graft case.

He was removed from office in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022. He has alleged that his ouster was the result of a U.S.-backed conspiracy involving political rivals and Pakistan's former army chief, Qamar Javed Bajwa — allegations denied by Washington, Pakistan's military, and his political opponents.

Despite his legal troubles, Khan remains a central and popular figure in Pakistan, and the PTI wants his release. The issue of Khan's partial vision surfaced in late January when Tarar said the former premier had undergone a medical procedure for an eye condition and was in good health.

The PTI party made a strong showing in the Feb. 8, 2024, parliamentary election but did not win a majority of the seats in the National Assembly, or lower house of the parliament. The party claimed the vote was rigged. The government denies such claims

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