In our news wrap Tuesday, Markwayne Mullin took office as the new head of the Department of Homeland Security, some Republican Senators believe they’ve reached a deal to end the DHS shutdown, President Trump cast a mail-in ballot in Florida as he publicly calls the method “mail-in cheating” and Hawaii is assessing the full scope of the damage caused by the worst flooding there in decades.
Geoff Bennett:
In the day’s other headlines: Markwayne Mullin took the oath of office today as the new head of the Department of Homeland Security.
Pam Bondi, U.S. Attorney General:
Congratulations, Secretary.
(Applause)
Geoff Bennett:
Sworn in this morning this afternoon at a ceremony in the Oval Office, Mullin begins his tenure as secretary amid an ongoing DHS shutdown. And he leaves behind his Oklahoma Senate seat, which the state’s Republican governor quickly filled.
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA):
So help your God.
Sen. Alan Armstrong (R-OK):
I do.
Sen. Charles Grassley:
God bless you.
Geoff Bennett:
Energy executive Alan Armstrong was sworn in to the U.S. Senate today to finish out the remaining nine months of Mullin’s term.
Returning now to that ongoing DHS shutdown that’s lasted for more than a month, a number of Republican senators say they believe they have reached a potential deal to end it after meeting with President Trump at the White House yesterday evening.
Sen. John Thune (R-SD):
It is time to end this. The time to end this is now. The Democrats have in front of them a proposal with legislative text.
Geoff Bennett:
The deal under consideration would fund most of DHS and parts of Customs and Border Protection and ICE, but not the part of ICE charged with arresting and deporting undocumented immigrants. In the Oval Office today, President Trump remained noncommittal.
President Donald Trump:
Well, I don’t want to comment until I see the deal. But, as you know, they’re negotiating a deal. I guess they’re getting fairly close. But I think any deal they make, I’m pretty much not happy with it.
Geoff Bennett:
Meantime, several of the nation’s busiest airports continue to be overwhelmed by long security lines, forcing travelers to wait for hours. That’s led one major airline to put pressure on lawmakers. Delta Air Lines says it has suspended specialty service for members of Congress, a perk that’s allowed them to bypass lines. Delta now says they will be treated like other passengers.
President Trump has cast another mail-in ballot in Florida, even as he has publicly called the method — quote — “mail-in cheating.” Voter records in Palm Beach County, where the president is registered to vote, show he voted by mail-in today’s special election. His ballot was counted.
Mr. Trump was in Palm Beach over the weekend, when early in-person voting was available. All of this comes as the president pushes a sweeping bill known as the SAVE Act, which would overhaul elections, including putting a ban on most mail-in ballots.
Officials in Minnesota have sued the Trump administration over access to evidence regarding three shootings in the state by federal officers. That includes the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The suit alleges that the federal government hasn’t cooperated with the state’s investigation and asks the court to step in. Minnesota leaders have long questioned the federal government’s willingness to investigate itself.
DHS has since withdrawn thousands of federal agents it had surged into Minnesota as part of an immigration enforcement crackdown late last year.
Turning now to Ukraine, officials say a major Russian air assault killed at least six people and injured dozens more in a number of cities. Some 400 drones and missiles rained down on civilian areas overnight and into today, like in Zaporizhzhia, where a strike sent a high-rise apartment building up in flames.
As residents rushed to the ground floor, some said they lost everything.
Dmytro Zaiets, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Resident (through interpreter):
It’s a residential building, 16 floors. People were living here peacefully and this is what’s happening. Not so long ago, the building had just been rebuilt. And, today, it was hit by a Shahed drone.
Geoff Bennett:
Meantime, in Western Lviv, another drone smashed into this 17th century church, a building that’s part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It comes as Ukraine’s military braces for a new Russian ground offensive as spring arrives and the weather improves.
In Afghanistan, Taliban authorities have released American academic Dennis Coyle after he was detained in the country for more than a year. Afghan authorities arrested Coyle last January and accused him of violating laws without ever specifying which ones.
The U.S. State Department welcomed Coyle’s release after it had designated Afghanistan a sponsor of wrongful detention earlier this month. Afghanistan has rejected allegations that it engages in what’s known as hostage diplomacy.
Here at home, many people in Hawaii are starting to clean up and assess the full scope of the damage left behind from the worst flooding there in decades. On Oahu, high water and thick red volcanic mud covered towns north of the capital, Honolulu. Hundreds of homes and structures were damaged and more than 230 people had to be rescued from flash floods.
Hawaii’s governor, Josh Green, said the damage could cost more than a billion dollars. Parts of the Big Island and Maui are still under flash flood watches and warnings at least through this evening, local time.
A New Mexico jury ruled late today that social media giant Meta must pay a $375 million penalty for violating state consumer protection law. Prosecutors had argued that Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, prioritized profits and failed to safeguard young users against child predators.
Meta says it will appeal. The landmark decision ends a nearly seven-week trial and also comes as a federal court in California awaits a verdict in a similar child safety trial involving both Meta and YouTube.
Meantime, stocks handed back some of their recent gains as uncertainty remains over the war with Iran. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped by more than 80 points, a small loss. The Nasdaq fell by nearly 1 percent and the S&P 500 also finished slightly lower.
