DHS funding stalemate thaws as White House sends Democrats ‘serious’ counteroffer
Frigid negotiations between the White House and Senate Democrats appear to be thawing, with the Trump administration submitting what it calls a “serious” offer to reopen the government. “Yesterday, the White House made another serious counteroffer,” a White House official told Fox News Digital. “Democrats need to make a move to end the shutdown before more Americans are harmed by a lack of funding for critical services like disaster relief.” It’s the second offer from the White House in an ongoing back-and-forth that has left the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without funding for two weeks. With lawmakers away from Washington, D.C., for the weekend, the shutdown will stretch into a third week. AGENCY THAT NABBED ‘EL CHAPO,’ ‘DIDDY’ THREATENED AS DEMOCRATS’ DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON The latest development comes after a week of stalled negotiations between Senate Democrats and the administration, along with concerns that an off-ramp from the shutdown remained out of reach. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., both acknowledged receiving the offer in a joint statement Friday. “We have received the White House’s counteroffer and are reviewing it closely. Democrats remain committed to keep fighting for real reforms to rein in ICE and stop the violence,” they said. SCHUMER, DEMS AGAIN BLOCK DHS FUNDING, FORCE STATE OF THE UNION SHOWDOWN Congressional Democrats have spent much of the week accusing the White House of not taking the negotiations seriously, while Republicans contend their counterparts are asking for too much. Schumer and Senate Democrats earlier this week blocked another attempt by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Republicans to fund DHS using the original compromise funding bill. DEMOCRATS DEMANDING ICE REFORMS LOSE AIRPORT ESCORTS IN SHUTDOWN THEY TRIGGERED “It seems like the Democrats concluded this is maybe good politics for them. It’s not for the people whose lives are affected on a daily basis,” Thune said earlier this week. “So, we’ll keep pressing to try and get folks to the table. But I think the White House — you know — they continue to exchange paper and trade paper and all that, and hopefully they’ll find a sweet spot.” Democrats want stringent reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including requiring agents to obtain judicial warrants and identify themselves during enforcement actions, changes Republicans and the administration say are red lines. Democrats argue the White House has not shown the urgency they would have expected, given that an agency central to President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda has been shuttered for nearly three weeks. “They haven’t indicated that they’re concerned about the closure of DHS,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., told Fox News Digital. “They’ve been slow to come back on the proposals that the Democrats have made. “And no one has ever explained why there should be only one police force in the entire country that should not have to follow the same kind of rules as everyone else.”
Rubio designates Iran over wrongful detentions, urges Americans to leave country ‘immediately’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday designated Iran as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention, calling for Americans currently in Iran to “leave immediately.” “When the Iranian regime seized power 47 years ago, Ayatollah Khomeini consolidated his control of power by endorsing the hostage taking of U.S. embassy staff,” Rubio wrote in a news statement. “For decades, Iran has continued to cruelly detain innocent Americans, as well as citizens of other nations, to use as political leverage against other states. This abhorrent practice must end.” “President [Donald] Trump issued an Executive Order to Protect U.S. Nationals from Wrongful Detention Abroad last fall and Congress subsequently enacted the Countering Wrongful Detention Act of 2025, authorizing the Department to designate Iran as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention,” he added. Rubio said if Iran does not stop, the U.S. will be forced to consider “additional measures,” including a potential geographic travel restriction on the use of U.S. passports to, through, or from Iran. TRUMP SAYS IRAN ALREADY HAS US TERMS AS MILITARY STRIKE CLOCK TICKS “The Iranian regime must stop taking hostages and release all Americans unjustly detained in Iran, steps that could end this designation and associated actions. We encourage it to do so,” Rubio wrote. “No American should travel to Iran for any reason. We reiterate our call for Americans who are currently in Iran to leave immediately.” Rubio’s comments came amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran as they take part in indirect nuclear negotiations. Trump last week gave Iran roughly 10 to 15 days to reach an agreement, warning during his State of the Union address that the urgency to make a deal was backed by force. TRUMP SAYS IRAN ‘SERIOUSLY TALKING TO US’ AS MILITARY SHIPS HEAD TO MIDDLE EAST Trump told reporters on Friday that he is “not happy” with the way Iran is negotiating, but said he has not yet made a final decision on potential military strikes. Eleven U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters recently arrived at Israel’s Ovda Air Base in the country’s south, Fox News reported, marking the first-ever operational deployment of American combat aircraft to Israel. When asked how close a decision may be, Trump told a reporter, “I’d rather not tell you, you would have the greatest scoop in history, right?” The president noted that there is “always a risk” of long-term conflict in the Middle East. “I guess you could say there’s always a risk,” Trump said. “You know, when there’s war, there’s a risk in anything both good and bad.” This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Fox News’ Efrat Lachter, Peter Doocy and Morgan Phillips, along with Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
Is the US negotiating with Iran or preparing to strike?
Iran and the US begin new nuclear talks as Washington builds up forces in the region. Iran and the United States are heading into a third round of indirect nuclear negotiations in Geneva, while US military assets build up across the region. Is either side prepared to compromise, or is the confrontation at a breaking point? In this episode: Episode credits: This episode was produced by Noor Wazwaz, Melanie Marich, and Marcos Bartolomé, with Spencer Cline, Tamara Khandaker, Tuleen Barakat, Maya Hamadeh, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Alexandra Locke and Sarí el-Khalili. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube Published On 27 Feb 202627 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
‘Like it’s 2024 again’: Trump takes centre stage in 2026 midterm elections
Nationalising the race The Republican Party has suffered losses since Trump’s return to the presidency last year. In 2025’s off-year races, Democrats notched a handful of victories, from Virginia to New Jersey. Wiles, a close adviser to Trump, has blamed the Republican defeats on Trump’s absence from the ballot. “Typically, in the midterms, it’s not about who’s sitting in the White House. You localise the election, and you keep federal officials out of it,” Wiles explained to The Mom View. “We’re actually going to turn that on its head and put him on the ballot, because so many of those low-propensity voters are Trump voters.” Her strategy is designed to harness the strong sense of loyalty Trump has engendered in the Republican Party. The YouGov poll found conservative voters overwhelmingly approved of his job, at a rate of 82 percent. A mid-January CBS News survey found an even higher approval rating — 90 percent — among US adults who identify as Republicans. “Since 2016, our surveys have all been off because we underestimate the Trump vote consistently,” said political scientist Lonna Rae Atkeson. “Trump has definitely drawn more support from irregular voters, people who don’t regularly go to the polls, during presidential elections.” But she questioned whether Trump’s endorsement would translate into increased support for down-ballot races. “We haven’t seen that carry over well to the midterms,” said Atkeson. “So it may not turn out well for him.” But putting Trump “on the ballot”, as Wiles suggests, also risks shifting the focus of the midterm races away from local issues. Instead, experts like Gillespie believe that “nationalising” the midterm races could homogenise both down-ballot candidates and their policy platforms, as they seek to reflect national priorities, not local ones. “One manifestation of polarisation in American politics is that national issues increasingly supplant local ones,” Gillespie said. “As national politics seep into state and local races, it becomes harder for federal candidates to distinguish themselves from Washington.” Adblock test (Why?)
Iran says US must drop ‘excessive demands’ in nuclear negotiations
Iranian foreign minister emphasizes seriousness and realism as key to successful negotiations with the United States. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 3 mins info Published On 27 Feb 202627 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo The United States must drop its “excessive demands” in nuclear talks with Iran to achieve a successful outcome, the Iranian foreign minister has said, as the US embassy in Jerusalem granted permission to nonemergency staff members to leave Israel amid fears of a regional war. Abbas Aragchi made the remarks during a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdel Ati, according to a report on Friday by the ISNA news agency. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Iran’s top diplomat said that “success on this path requires seriousness and realism on the part of the other side and avoidance of any miscalculation and excessive demands”. He did not elaborate on what those demands are. Aragchi’s statement tempered down previous comments where he hailed “progress” at the talks and described the last round of negotiations between Iranian and US officials in Geneva as the “most intense so far”. “It concluded with the mutual understanding that we will continue to engage in a more detailed manner on matters that are essential to any deal – including sanctions termination and nuclear-related steps,” he said. Further negotiations will be conducted in parallel to meetings between technical teams in Vienna in the coming days, the Iranian diplomat added. American and Iranian officials left the Swiss city following the indirect talks mediated by Oman on Thursday to consult with their respective governments. Since resuming talks last month, the US has said it wants Iran to dismantle its nuclear infrastructure entirely, limit its arsenal of ballistic missiles and stop supporting regional allies. While Tehran has shown flexibility about discussing limitations on the enrichment of uranium for civilian use, it has so far treated missiles and proxies as non-negotiables. Advertisement US President Donald Trump has said he favours a diplomatic resolution to the standoff, but has repeatedly threatened to bomb Iran if it does not accept a deal. The US has amassed its biggest military arsenal in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, including the world’s biggest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, which arrived on Friday in the Israeli port city of Haifa, according to Israeli Channel 12. Iran has said that it was not going to initiate a war, but that it was ready to respond if attacked, threatening to strike bases used by US forces in the region. The military build-up has left the region bracing for a potential war that could spiral into a regional conflict. On Friday, China told its citizens to evacuate from Iran “as soon as possible” and the US authorised the departure of nonemergency embassy staff from Israel – the same order Washington issued for the US mission in Lebanon earlier this week. Canada, India, UK and Poland have also issued similar orders. Adblock test (Why?)
Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia get clean chit in Delhi excise policy scandal; know about the case
Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia have been cleared of all charges in the Delhi excise policy case, with the court ruling that the CBI failed to prove the charges against them.
No end of troubles for Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia as CBI mulls moving Delhi High Court in excise policy case
The move comes after the Rouse Avenue court observed that the alleged central conspiratorial role of the AAP leaders could not be substantiated.
Delhi’s power sector gets a boost as CM Rekha Gupta launches Rs 160 crore underground cabling project, says ‘preparing National Capital for next 50 years’
The project, which will cost Rs 160 crore, will cover 28 roads and streets in the Old Delhi area, including Kucha Mahajani, Bhagirath Palace, Jama Masjid Road, and Nai Sadak.
Earthquake tremors in Kolkata trigger panic, epicentre in Bangladesh
The USGS said the earthquake was located at latitude 22.451°N and longitude 89.139°E, at a depth of 9.8 kilometres. People were seen gathering in open spaces in Kolkata shortly after the tremors were felt.
Court slams CBI, calls Arvind Kejriwal’s excise case ‘economically illiterate,’ ‘erroneous,’ and ‘speculative’; details here
The court found that the prosecution case was built on “conjecture and speculative constructs” rather than legally admissible evidence.