Monday, February 2nd, 2026 - Shutdown watch; Arrested journalists; CBP agents named in ICE shooting; TX runoff upset

Today’s Headlines: The federal government is currently shut down after Congress failed to pass a spending bill by Friday’s deadline, though Speaker Mike Johnson claims the shutdown could end as soon as tomorrow. Even so, the funding lapse barely registered amid a flood of other major news. On Friday morning, journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort were arrested following their coverage of an anti-ICE protest at a Minneapolis church, despite both repeatedly stating they were there in a journalistic capacity — a development that raised serious press freedom concerns. Around the same time, federal records identified the two immigration agents involved in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, adding more scrutiny to ICE and CBP operations. There was at least one rare piece of good news: 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father were released from an immigration detention center in Texas and returned home to Minneapolis after a judge ordered their release. That decision stood in stark contrast to reports that ICE allowed a suspect in the $100 million Brinks jewelry heist to be deported while continuing to detain families with young children. Elsewhere, the DOJ released more than 3.5 million pages of heavily redacted Epstein files, signaling that no new indictments are expected. President Trump also sued the IRS for $10 billion over leaked tax returns, promoted new Trump-branded savings accounts for children, announced plans to shut down the Kennedy Center for two years, and capped off the week as Democrats scored a surprise victory in a deep-red Texas state Senate district. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: Axios: Johnson predicts end by Tuesday to partial shutdown as Dems fight DHS funding NYT: Don Lemon Released Without Bond Over Minnesota Protest Charge ProPublica: Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting People: 5-Year-Old Boy Released from ICE Detention Center After Almost 2 Weeks, Boards Plane Home to Minneapolis with His Dad The Guardian: Prosecutors stunned as ICE lets suspect in $100m jewelry heist leave US | ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) DOJ: Department of Justice Publishes 3.5 Million Responsive Pages in Compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act NYT: Trump’s Lawsuit Against I.R.S. Creates ‘Enormous Conflict of Interest’ - The New York Times CNBC: No need to wait for Trump accounts—you can open a 529 college savings plan now Bloomberg: Trump Says He’ll Close Kennedy Center for Two Years in July The Hill: Democrats flip Texas state Senate seat in shock upset Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices