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On Politics

Tue Feb 3 2026

Kathryn Palmer | Politics Reporter

@KathrynPlmr

Hello readers and welcome to another On Politics. Kathryn Palmer here. Here's the latest news in politics for today.

Shutdown may end as House secures votes to pass bill

In a positive sign, the partial government shutdown is likely to end today, after the House of Representatives voted to move forward with a legislative package to end the brief funding lapse. Most Republicans and no Democrats voted to advance the bills in a procedural vote, which included a two-week spending measure for the Department of Homeland Security. The package is now poised for a formal vote in the House later in the day, and if successful, it will move on to President Trump, where his signature will bring the four-day shutdown to a close. But another standoff over the administration's policies could happen later this month. Follow along with the latest updates here.

The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 29, 2026

Kent Nishimura, REUTERS

A politics roundup:

•	What is Trump's approval rating in the wake of a shocking GOP loss in Texas?
•	Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a message for ICE yesterday
•	Alex Pretti's death has been ruled a homicide − here's what the medical examiner said
•	A judge has blocked the administration from ending legal protections for Haitian immigrants

Gallery: Tulsi Gabbard's path through US politics, from state representative to national spotlight

Bill and Hillary Clinton agree to testify about Epstein

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have agreed to give depositions to a House committee about accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, defusing a potential showdown between the legislative and executive branches after the pair declined to respond to subpoenas issued last summer. The announcement came as the House Rules Committee was considering resolutions to hold the Clintons in criminal contempt, which could have potentially led to the government imposing penalties and incarcerating them. Bill Clinton is among the political and business leaders who socialized with Epstein and showed up in the DOJ's Epstein file releases. The former president has not been accused of wrongdoing. The Clintons have said they have been out of office for more than a decade and have had nothing to do with Epstein for more than 20 years.

A river border 'wall' erected in the Rio Grande

A string of orange buoys is expanding in the Rio Grande in Texas, as the Trump administration builds a "river wall" to stop what has dropped to a trickle of illegal migration. Unlawful border crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have plummeted over the past year, as the Trump administration ramped up deportations, deployed troops and military tanks to the borderline and prohibited migrants from seeking asylum at the border. Immigration officials said construction of 500 miles of the buoy barrier began in January and is part of Homeland Security's U.S. Coast Guard-led "Operation River Wall" to combat drug and human smuggling. See images of the floating barrier here.

Thanks for reading! Scroll down for more politics stories. You can reach me at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @ KathrynPlmr.