House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 5, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times Democrats are demanding changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as the Senate on Thursday failed to advance a government funding bill that includes money for the Department of Homeland Security
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting of the Cabinet in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington on Jan. 29, 2026. Win McNamee/Getty Images WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump said on Jan. 29 that the White House is getting closer to a deal with Senate Democrats to avert a government shutdown. “Hopefully, we won’t
(L-R) Canadian businessman Kevin O’Leary, Musician Nicki Minaj, and President Donald Trump speak during the Trump Accounts summit at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington on Jan. 28, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times Celebrated hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj revealed on Jan. 28 she received a Trump Gold Card, which fast-tracks a person’s legal residency and
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is seen in a file photo. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images The governor of New Jersey said she will create a new online portal for residents to report encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and wants them recorded on video. Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat and former House lawmaker
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a press conference in Arlington, Va., on Dec. 8, 2025. Heather Diehl/Getty Images U.S. officials are declining to fund a global vaccine alliance called Gavi until it commits to halting the distribution of vaccines containing thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative. The federal government had asked Gavi to “submit a
President Donald Trump, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio monitor U.S. military operations in Venezuela, from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Jan. 3, 2026. Molly Riley/The White House via Getty Images On Jan. 29, President Donald Trump announced he had instructed the Transportation Secretary to reopen Venezuela’s airspace to commercial
WASHINGTON—The Senate failed to advance a spending package on Jan. 29 after Democrats said they would not support the measure because it included funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), increasing the odds of a partial government shutdown. The stalled vote comes amid heightened scrutiny and protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in