[0:04]Welcome to Washington today on CPAN Radio for Thursday, February 19th, 2026. President Donald Trump hosts in Washington the first meeting of the Board of Peace designed to build on the
[0:14]Israel Hamas ceasefire and promote reconstruction of Gaza. [music] The president says that board members have committed $7 billion and the US will give $10 billion [music] to the effort.
[0:26]Former Prince Andrew in Great Britain is arrested on suspicion of sending trade information to [music] the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. King Charles III in a written statement saying, "Let me state clearly, the law
[0:38]must take [music] its course." We'll talk about all this with C-SPAN's Westminster correspondent Peter Nolles. It's day six of the Homeland Security Department shutdown. We'll talk with
[0:48]Lisa [music] Mascaro, Associated Press chief congressional correspondent about where negotiations over federal immigration [music] enforcement reform, a key Democratic demand to reopen the
[0:58]department stand. Plus, state governors in Washington DC [music] for the National Governor's Association winter meeting are asked about immigration and customs [music] enforcement in their
[1:08]states. President Trump travels to Rome, Georgia to talk about the economy. Senator Bernie Sanders, independent from Vermont, kicks off a ballot measure campaign in California for a one-time tax on billionaires. [music] And NASA
[1:20]releases the findings of an investigation into the Boeing Starlininer spacecraft malfunction that [music] turned what was to be a 10-day mission for two astronauts into a 9-month stay on [music] the
[1:30]International Space Station. Associated Press writing that President Donald Trump announced Thursday at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting that nine members have agreed to pledge a
[1:40]combined $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package while five countries have agreed to deploy troops to take part in an international stabilization force to the war battered Palestinian territory. But
[1:52]$7 billion is only a fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild Gaza, where a shaky ceasefire deal looms over Trump's ambitions for his board to rival the United Nations in solving
[2:04]world conflicts. Trump also announced the US was pledging $10 billion for the Board of Peace, but didn't specify what the money will be used for. That was from Associated Press. The Board of
[2:15]Peace, which President Trump chairs, met at the US Institute of Peace in Washington. >> With the commitments announced today, the Board of Peace is proving that it
[2:25]does not just convene countries. It devises and implements and real solutions happen. We we've we've come up with solutions. This is so little talk.
[2:37]This is very little talk, all action. First time it was always talk in the Middle East. People would talk about peace in the Middle East and then they'd go home and they'd never even think about it again. Nothing would happen.
[2:48]We're providing a model for how responsible sovereign nations can cooperate to take responsibility for confronting problems in their own regions. The border of peace is showing
[2:58]how a better future can be built starting right here in this room. And I I want to let you know that the United States is going to make a contribution of 10 billion dollars to the Board of
[3:09]Peace. Thank [applause] you. >> [applause] >> And we've had great support for that number. And that number is a very small
[3:20]number when you look at uh that compared to the cost of war. That's uh that's two weeks of fighting. It's a very small number. It sounds like a lot, but it's a
[3:31]very small number. So we're committed to 10 billion dollars. Together we can achieve the dream of bringing lasting harmony to a region tortured by centuries of war, suffering, and
[3:42]carnage. They say 3,000 years. And hopefully we can lift up the eyes of the world to envision how other intractable conflicts can be settled. So many
[3:52]conflicts, they'd say, are impossible to settle. We get them settled. We got of those eight that we settled, most of them were said to be not settleable.
[4:02]And they not only got settled, they got settled within days. More impossible problems can be solved as we go along this very beautiful path. I think it's a beautiful path. I think it's such an
[4:13]important day. Even the weather's beautiful. We walk in, it's beautiful. Everything's beautiful. But the ancient wounds can be healed and they are indeed ancient. This has been going on for so
[4:24]many centuries that our entire planet will be a better, safer, more beautiful, and more peaceful place for us all. We're going to be working with the United Nations very closely. We're going
[4:36]to bring them back. I think the United Nations has great potential. Really great potential. It has not lived up to potential. The eight wars, I never even spoke to them about one of them, and I
[4:47]should be speaking to him about all of them. Someday I won't be here. The United Nations will be, I think, is going to be much stronger. The border of peace is going to almost be looking over
[4:58]the United Nations and making sure it runs properly. But we're going to strengthen up the United Nations. We're going to make sure it's facilities are good. They need help and they need help
[5:10]money-wise. We're going to help them moneywise and we're going to make sure the United Nations is viable. And you have some very good people at the United Nations can do a good job. But as I
[5:21]said, it's I've said it for years. United Nations has tremendous potential. A lot of people didn't like what I said. They said, "Oh, you shouldn't say that because, you know, we don't care about the United Nations." No, it's really
[5:31]very important and uh I think it's going to eventually live up to potential. That'll be a big day. >> President Donald Trump speaking at the first Board of Peace meeting in Washington DC. NPR writing about it. The
[5:43]meeting includes dignitaries from countries including Argentina, Hungary, India, Pakistan, and Vietnam. Meanwhile, France and the United Kingdom, which have not joined the board out of
[5:54]concerns that Russia could be part of this new group, sent observers to the meeting. Israel and Arab states are part of this board and they too have representatives at the meeting. There is no Palestinian representative on the
[6:05]board. The board of peace meeting was convened as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and Gaza that President Trump pushed through last October remains fragile. Palestinian health officials say more than 600 people in Gaza have
[6:17]been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire began and the next steps of the plan are still unclear. President Trump acknowledged the attacks but said the war was effectively over. He said
[6:27]there are little flames. That reporting from NPR. One of the key people behind the vision to rebuild Gaza is Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, who spoke at today's meeting.
[6:39]>> We've secured today, even without the president's, you know, amazing commitment, over 7 billion. As Mark said, we don't really have a resource issue here, although we are going to need everyone's support. We just need to
[6:49]be executing and doing this in a good way. Uh we've dealt with the humanitarian issue. We've returned the hostages. But the one final thing I just want to talk about as well from our perspective is that um the the the
[7:00]President Trump in his heart wanted to get the hostages home, but he also really wanted to help the people of Gaza. He saw the suffering that they were enduring not through fault of their own because of the bad leadership that they had, the situation they were born
[7:11]into. Uh the war was a horrific horrific situation and I think through this process uh thanks to Ali and the committee uh we are now here to fully support the committee. We are help here to help the people of Gaza, to lift them
[7:23]up and give them ever opportunity to succeed. And we really see this as a partnership with them uh and with the Israelis to see if we can create an environment that could be peaceful, that could be functional, that can offer
[7:33]people the opportunity to really live a better life. And I think you've seen some of the work today and uh and hopefully we'll be successful. Like I said the last one, you know, failure is not an option and we have to really push
[7:43]forward and and keep finding ways to succeed with this. Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law at today's board of peace meeting in Washington. He's been working with Steve Whit. He referred to him.
[7:54]Whit holds the title of United States special envoy to the Middle East and special envoy for peace missions. And today, President Trump said that Kushner would get the same title. He said,
[8:03]"We're making Jared also envoy of peace. They're both envoys of peace." Al Jazer writing about the Board of Peace rebuilding plans in Gaza. The board
[8:14]refers to the plans as New Gaza and New Rafa, pledging to first build a h 100,000 homes in Rafa for 500,000 people and dedicate $5 billion to infrastructure. In the longer term,
[8:26]housing will expand to encompass 400,000 homes for the entirety of the population. And apparent AI renderings for the projects publicized by a promotional video at the end of the
[8:37]meeting included sparkling towers, man-made waterways, and suburban looking roads and houses. That was from Al Jazer. Also speaking at today's Board of Peace meeting in Washington, US Army
[8:48]Major General Jasper Jeffers, commander of Special Operations Command, and he's been tapped to lead the ISF, International Stabilization Force in Gaza.
[8:59]>> It's an honor to be here today as the ISF commander. The ISF will do two things. Stabilize the security environment in Gaza and enable civilian governance as established by the National Committee. For the last few
[9:11]months, we've had a team on the ground of US military experts preparing the infrastructure for the ISF. This team's already operating from a combined joint operations center that's going to be the
[9:20]headquarters for the entire ISF. As you can see on our map, our plan is for the ISF to be assigned in five different sectors. Each sector receiving
[9:30]one ISF brigade. In the short term, we plan to deploy to the Rafa sector first in addition to the training of police. mid-term objective is to continue to
[9:40]expand sector by sector, all moving to our long-term 12,000 police and 20,000 ISF soldiers. I'm incredibly pleased to
[9:51]announce today that the first five countries have committed troops to serve in the ISF. Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan,
[10:01]Kosovo, and Albania. My two countries have committed to train police, Egypt and Jordan. I would also like to announce that I have offered and
[10:11]Indonesia has accepted the position of deputy commander for the ISF. With these first steps, we will help bring the security that Gaza needs for our future
[10:22]prosperity and enduring peace. Thank you. [applause] Major General Jasper Jeffers, the commander of the International Stabilization Force at today's Board of
[10:32]Peace meeting in Washington. While that was happening inside, outside there were protesters. >> PALESTINE IS OUR DEMAND. >> PALESTINE.
[10:43]>> NO PEACE ON STOLEN LAND. >> NO PEACE ON STOLEN LAND. >> NO PEACE OF STOLEN LAND. >> NO PEACE ON STOLEN LAND.
[10:53]>> BOARD OF EMPIRE. BOARD OF >> PORT OF EMPIRE. BOARD OF >> US OF PALESTINE. >> US [music] OF PALESTINE.
[11:03]>> BOARD OF EMPIRE. BOARD OF >> EMPIRE. BOARD OF >> US OF PALESTINE. US
[11:12]>> outside the US Institute of Peace Building, which has since been named for President Donald Trump, although that is the subject of a court case in Washington where today's board of peace
[11:23]meeting was held. This is Washington today. Another Associated Press article, Iran held annual military drills with Russia on Thursday as a second American aircraft carrier drew closer to the
[11:34]Middle East with both the United States and Iran signaling they are prepared for war if talks on Thran's nuclear program fizzle out. President Donald Trump has said he hopes to reach a deal with Iran,
[11:45]but the talks have been deadlocked for years, and Iran has refused to discuss wider US and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups. Indirect talks
[11:56]held in recent weeks made little visible progress, and one or both sides could be buying time for final war preparations. that article from Associated Press. President Trump referenced the talks and
[12:08]the threats at today's border of peace meeting. >> They've had some very interesting meetings having to do with, as you know, Iran is a hot spot right now and they're meeting and they have a good
[12:19]relationship with the representatives Iran and you know, good talks are being had. It's proven to be over the years not easy to make a meaningful deal with her and we have to make a meaningful
[12:30]deal otherwise bad things happen. But we have to make a meaningful deal. But they have a great relationship with the representatives of Iran. >> President Donald Trump referring to his
[12:40]negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Whitoff at today's border peace meeting on Gaza. The Hill reporting that Congressman Roana, Democrat of California, and Congressman Thomas
[12:50]Massie, Republican of Kentucky plan to move next week to force a vote on a resolution to require authorization from Congress before President Trump can use military force against Iran. In a
[13:01]closely divided house, the vote could be very close. That was from the Hill. President Trump returned to the subject of Iran's nuclear program and the talks
[13:12]further on in his speech at the Board of Peace meeting. >> It went into Iran and it totally decimated the nuclear nuclear potential.
[13:23]And when it did, when it decimated that uh all of a sudden we had peace in the Middle East because nobody there was a black cloud hanging over the Middle East and if that wasn't done uh that cloud
[13:34]would have been there and countries like Saudi Arabia, countries like Qatar, countries like nobody could have signed. You would have had that threat. Nobody could have had you couldn't had peace in
[13:45]the Middle East. So now we may have to take it a step further or we may not. Maybe we're going to make a deal with you're going to be you're going to be finding out over the next probably 10 days.
[13:54]>> You're listening to Washington today. New York Times writing. The British police on Thursday arrested Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, intensifying a longunning
[14:06]crisis for the monarchy over his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The authorities arrested the former prince on suspicion of misconduct in public office after accusations that
[14:16]he shared confidential information with Mr. Epstein while serving as a British trade envoy. The arrest underscored a striking contrast in the official responses to the Epstein files. The British authorities have moved
[14:28]aggressively to investigate the possibility of crimes emerging from the 3 million pages of correspondence with Mr. Epstein, while the police in the United States have not. That was from
[14:38]the New York Times. Congressman Steven Lynch, Democrat of Massachusetts, spoke to CNN about this arrest. >> Well, it offers a great contrast, I think. Look what the British government
[14:49]is doing in light of the evidence, and look what the United States government's doing. Nothing. Our chief law enforcement officer is defending and
[15:00]obstructing the investigation, Pam Bondi. And and so it has been Congress in getting subpoenas and then uh passing
[15:09]bills and and fighting to to get this information disclosed and and our own executive, President Trump, Pam Bondi
[15:20]and others uh are obstructing that effort. So it is refreshing that that the British government is coming forward and actually and and and the king is
[15:30]actually saying we we need to follow the law here. I wish our government were doing the same. >> Congressman Steven Lynch, Democrat of Massachusetts on CNN today. President Donald Trump was asked about the arrest
[15:42]of the former Prince Andrew as he flew on Air Force One. >> Had a question about something big overseas today. The former Prince Andrew arrested by the police there. um related
[15:53]to something with Jeffrey Epstein. Do you think people in this country at some point associates of Jeffrey Epstein will wind up in handcuffs, too? >> Well, you know, I'm the expert in a way
[16:04]because I've been totally exonerated. It's very nice. I can actually speak about it very nicely. I think it's a shame. I think it's very sad. I think it's so bad for the royal family. It's a
[16:15]very, very sad to me. It's a very sad thing when I see that. It's a very sad thing to see it and to see what's going on with his brother who's obviously coming to our country very soon and he's
[16:26]a fantastic man, the king. So I think it's a very sad thing. It's really interesting because nobody used to speak about Epstein when he was alive, but now they speak. But I'm the one that can
[16:37]talk about it because I've been totally exonerated. I did nothing. In fact, the opposite. He was against me. He was fighting me in the election, which I just found out from the last 3 million pages of documents.
[16:48]>> Joining us now from London with more on the arrest of former Prince Andrew is C-SPAN's Westminster correspondent Peter Nolles. Thanks again for being with us.
[16:58]Before we get to the details of the case, what does this mean for the British monarchy and the British government led by the Prime Minister
[17:06]Kier Starmer? Well, the king has acted quite decisively in response and his statement says, "My family and I will
[17:18]continue in our duty and service to you all." So, there's a real determination not to let this extraordinary event to
[17:28]get in the way. Um and that's that that's plausible in that the king has
[17:36]already moved against his brother um at a number of points stripping him of all his titles
[17:46]uh in effect removing him from the royal family and removing him from Windsor. So uh today's arrest uh is that uh of a
[17:57]Norfolk man according to the police because he had move had to move to another royal estate in Sandringham in
[18:07]Norfolk. So he's been distanced already by the royal family >> and for the uh government of the prime minister. I think it it offers one
[18:17]particular challenge which is this that Andrew is still in the line of succession. He is eighth in line to the throne. Now, nobody supposes that that
[18:29]would ever come to pass, but it's only by an act of parliament that he could be removed from the line of succession. And until now, the government hasn't seemed
[18:41]to be too bothered to try and do that. I think whatever emerges and whether there's charges brought or not, it's hard to see that being sustained and
[18:52]you'd think that um I don't either Andrew will himself voluntarily remove himself from the line of succession if that's possible. Um or there would have
[19:02]to be action by the government. >> Just to follow up on that, the prime minister himself has been under fire concerning the fallout from the Epstein files. This just keeps it in in the
[19:14]limelight. >> Yes, it does. But it's um it's it's the same um allegation
[19:25]that has been presented against um Peter Mandlesson who was the government's appointee to be ambassador to Washington
[19:34]of of uh allegedly passing from a public office to Jeffrey Epstein. Um, but it you could say perhaps it will just keep
[19:46]it in the limelight. But I think this so overshadows the mand Mandlesson case that that perhaps it doesn't um create
[19:56]further difficulties for the government. >> So what has been revealed so far about how this arrest took place? What investigations underway? You said there are no charges yet. Did the king or
[20:06]prime minister know ahead of time? What do we know? What we know is it the arrests happened at 8:00 and they came as a surprise. They came as a surprise to Andrew uh Mount Batton Windsor as he
[20:18]is now known. They were being told very uh definitely that the um the government and the palace and the king did not know
[20:28]that this was coming. It was a police operation based on um the the police's suspicions of an offense. And those suspicions need to be quite
[20:39]to be to offer reasonable grounds or of the suspicion of guilt to and to allow for an arrest. Otherwise, the person concerned will be called in
[20:51]for questioning and the the euphemism there is helping police with their inquiries. That's not what happened this morning. What happened was he was simply arrested which gave the police the
[21:03]powers uh to uh search his home, his previous home in Windsor um and to seize
[21:11]his electronic equipment. Um it also means that the police have to act now quite quickly. Uh one would expect that
[21:21]Andrew will be released on bail um in the next few hours. It would be strange given the circumstances and the nature of the allegations and suspicions if he
[21:32]wasn't released on bail, but this all happened in quite a flurry this morning around 8:00 in the morning UK time. >> We're talking with C-SPAN's Westminster
[21:42]correspondent Peter Nolles in London. How serious are the potential charges and what could be the penalty? >> Um, well, let's start with the penalty.
[21:52]The penalty, the maximum penalty for misconduct in a public office is life imprisonment. Now, I I don't think anybody could possibly imagine a
[22:02]sentence so severe being passed if charges were pressed and if guilt was found. Um but it is therefore that's an indication that this is a serious
[22:13]offense. But he has to pass a number of tests for um charges to be brought. Um uh and just to run through them, we you have to be absolutely sure that Andrew
[22:24]was in a public office, that he was operating doing a job on behalf of the public. Well, he was a trade envoy of a sort appointed by the crown um for about
[22:35]a 10-year period. So, uh there would need to be that test would need to be passed. Was that a a public office? Um
[22:46]it's then needs to be found that um he did I think seriously wrong that what what what he did um was had serious
[22:56]consequences that he we'd have to have known that it was wrong when he was doing it. Um, so there was then a test of was he willfully misconducting
[23:07]himself and willfully is subject to different legal interpretations and that he abused the public's trust and that he didn't have reasonable excuse. So it it
[23:18]has to pass quite a substantial uh range of tests for this to come through as charges which could then be brought in a prosecution. And we may not know whether the charges are brought for some weeks
[23:30]to come because um the evidence is now being gathered. And it has to be said that Andrew has until now always denied
[23:40]any wrongdoing in terms of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Now, I'm not sure that he's that any of these allegations have been put to him, but
[23:50]that was in connection with other allegations and suspicions, and he's always strenuously denied any wrongdoing. >> Andrew is a former prince, but you said
[24:00]he's still in line to the throne. Put this in historical context. What is the relationship in Great Britain between the monarchy and the civil authorities?
[24:11]Well, the yeah the the the law is the king. The king is the law. So if if charges were brought and if it came to trial, then
[24:21]the prosecutors would be doing so in the name of the king. Um it's always um Rex and before that it was Regina versus the
[24:31]defendant in a criminal case. So the king the prosecutors would be bringing uh charges on behalf of the king against
[24:41]his own brother and that's just uh there is no historical comparator for that. This is quite uh extraordinary. uh there
[24:52]there hasn't been nothing like this has happened since the restoration of the monarchy Charles II and prior to that
[25:00]the only times that um brothers got in trouble with their elder brother the king well were in medieval times and uh
[25:11]treason trials and uh and so forth. So there isn't a there isn't there simply isn't a point of comparison for this. Um, one thing to be said is that in the
[25:23]UK there are very tight reporting restrictions on criminal cases. So the police don't say much, don't expect
[25:32]video of the police answering questions about this case. They're not going to. And there that's how it always works. They haven't even named uh Andrew as the
[25:43]person in custody. they've simply said a man in his 60s from Norolk. Um so the the the amount of speculation that's
[25:55]available to the public about the case about the allegations and so on is very very tightly controlled and that's so in
[26:04]all criminal cases uh nothing unusual no special treatment here for that. Peter Nolles, C-SPAN's Westminster correspondent, joining us from London.
[26:15]Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Former Prince Andrew Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, younger brother of King Charles, was released from custody, remains under investigation following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in
[26:26]public office. According to the British police, Congresswoman Melanie Stanbury, Democrat from New Mexico, writing on X, "If a prince can be held accountable, so
[26:35]can a president." All of the actions in Great Britain and here in the United States stemming from the release by the Justice Department of 3 million files related to Jeffrey Epstein. Yesterday,
[26:46]the House Oversight Committee deposed Les Wexner, person associated with Jeffrey Epstein. That deposition has now been released in its entirety runs about 5 hours. Here is one minute of it.
[26:58]>> Mr. Wexner, is it your testimony today that your conversations with Mr. Epstein were predominantly focused on your business relationship with him.
[27:10]>> That'd be very accurate. That would be very accurate. What common interests did you share with Mr. Epstein outside of work? >> None.
[27:21]>> So, you didn't have any personal relationship with Mr. Epstein whatsoever? I I don't think I ever went to lunch or
[27:31]dinner or a movie or had a cup of coffee with Jeffrey Les Wexner, billionaire living in Ohio. That's where the deposition by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee was done
[27:42]yesterday and the video released today runs 5 hours. We have it at c-pan.org. Washington Today continues in a moment. Friday on [music] C-SPAN Ceasefire. As
[27:53]governors gather in Washington for the National Governor's Association winter [music] meeting, the conversation continues. This week, affordability and healthcare, tensions [music] between the bipartisan National Governor's
[28:04]Association and President Trump following their annual [music] meeting and immigration enforcement highlighting different approaches from Republican and Democratic governors. Joining our
[28:15]bipartisan [music] discussion, North Dakota Republican Governor Kelly Armstrong and Delaware [music] Democratic Governor Matt Meyer. Watch Ceasefire Friday at 7:00 p.m. and 1000
[28:26]p.m. Eastern and Pacific only on C-SPAN. And if you ever miss an episode of Ceasefire, it is available as a podcast at cement.org and wherever you find your
[28:38]podcasts. Welcome back to Washington today, available as a podcast, wherever you get your podcast and on the free C-SPAN now
[28:48]mobile app. A few more headlines. This [music] was from a press release. House Democratic Leader Hakee Jeff and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer today announced that Governor Abigail
[28:58]Spanberger [music] of Virginia will deliver the Democratic response to President Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. [music] The leaders also announced that Senator
[29:08]Alex Padi of California will deliver the Spanish language response [music] to the speech. And the Washington Post, writing, "A federal arts commission on Thursday voted to approve President Donald Trump's planned White House
[29:19]ballroom even as a federal judge considers whether to halt the project. And outside architects and watchdog groups say it's too large. The Commission on Fine Arts, [music] which
[29:29]Trump has packed with allies, including his 26-year-old executive assistant, [music] voted unanimously to approve the design of the nearly 90,000 square foot building, which would [music] be the most significant change to the White
[29:40]House complex in decades. That was from the Washington Post. The article also says the National Capital Planning Commission [music] will be meeting to consider the ballroom project the first week of March. And if it's approved by that commission, above
[29:52][music] ground construction could start as early as April. President Trump posting on Truth Social today. Great accolades were paid to the building's beauty and [music] scale as he talked
[30:03]about the 6 vote to approve it. It's day six of the Homeland Security Department shutdown with congressional Democrats and congressional Republicans in the White House still reportedly in
[30:14]negotiations starting with Democratic demands for reform of federal immigration enforcement as a condition for funding. We spoke with Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press chief congressional
[30:24]correspondent. Well, you know, we're approaching the first full week here of the shutdown of the Department of Homeland and Security, and it seems like there's no real quick end in sight. Um, over the weekend, the Democrats
[30:36]presented the White House with their latest offer. The White House and the Democrats have been trading offers back and forth and um it was immediately rejected by the White House. The press
[30:47]secretary, Caroline Levitt, called it a very unserious proposal and blamed Democrats for the shutdown. Um on Wednesday, uh House Democratic leader
[30:58]Hakee Jeff was here at the capital and uh he said no, it's the Republicans's fault this shutdown and he said the ball is in the White House's court to come
[31:08]back with a better offer. The Democratic leader Jeff though also said that the the demands that the Democrats are making, they want to rein in ICE and
[31:18]impose some new limitations on these immigration enforcement activities. He said those remain lines in the sand. >> Has the White House made any concessions
[31:28]to their offer to Democrats? >> You know, we don't know a lot of the details of what's being passed back and forth. Um there have been though some indications of areas where they might
[31:40]have some common ground, but also areas where they remain far far apart. Um, of course, in the underlying bill that was not approved, that what, you know, was
[31:50]just the reason for the standoff, there was some money in there for these body cameras that the Democrats are demanding that the enforcement um the law
[32:00]enforcement uh immigration enforcement officers wear. Um, so there is some agreement that the uh immigration officers would wear these body cameras,
[32:09]but the next steps really are are too far for the White House. The Democrats say they want the facial masks uh that the officers are wearing to come off. The Democrat slogan is uh you know
[32:21]cameras on masks off. They said the officers should operate like any other police off you know operation in the country. Um Tom Hman the borders are
[32:32]there at the Department of Homeland Security says no he he wants the lawmaker or the excuse me the ICE officers to be able to continue wearing those masks. Um he says it protects
[32:43]their identity so that they don't get harassed in the public. There are other issues where the two sides remain far apart. Um if you want, we can go into those. The Democrats are demanding they
[32:55]want um the enforcement officers to obtain judicial warrants if they're going to enter private property. Right now they're largely uh relying on these
[33:05]administrative warrants. And they want restrictions on what they call sensitive locations. They don't want the immigration officers to be going into
[33:14]schools and hospitals and churches or in the upcoming midterm election into polling places. All of that's on the table and it doesn't look like they're getting any closer to an agreement.
[33:26]>> Okay. So, why is this considered a partial shutdown of DHS and what agencies in the department are being most affected? >> Yeah, that's a really great question. And so unlike the big federal shutdown
[33:36]we saw in fall where all most all of the government was was uh without its regular funding right now what's happened is uh just the department of homeland security is operating without
[33:48]its regular funding. Um but you know most of the homeland securityurities employees there's some 200 I think 70,000 employees are what's deemed
[33:57]essential. So they stay on the job um and many are just going to be going without pay until uh the funding gets restored. So these are your um TSA
[34:08]operators at the airports. This is FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency that responds to disasters, of course,
[34:17]the Coast Guard um and the Secret Service. Um but the core uh dispute is over another aspect of homeland security
[34:27]which is these immigration and customs enforcement division and also the customs and border patrol. Um a lot of those operations are able to really keep
[34:38]running because Congress last year passed that uh Trump's big beautiful bill, you know, that big uh tax cuts and
[34:48]uh spending reductions. And as part of that big bill, they funneled just billions and billions of dollars over to the Department of Homeland Security, almost really more than doubling its
[34:59]budget. And a lot of that money was set aside for this uh administration's, you know, so-called mass deportation operation. And so they've been able to
[35:08]hire in lots more uh officers in ICE in Border Patrol to really carry out this immigration enforcement that we're seeing all over, you know, the streets
[35:20]of Minneapolis and elsewhere across the nation. >> In the last few seconds here, Congress is back on Monday with the partial shutdown still in effect. So it's likely to last at least through Tuesday when the president is scheduled to give the
[35:31]State of the Union address. How and when do you see this wrapping up and could it possibly get resolved before the current shutdown record which is 43 days and it was set last year.
[35:42]>> It's a really good question. We really just don't know the answer to that. It does look like it's going to drag on. However, um leader Jeff did tell us after his press conference uh Wednesday
[35:53]that Democrats are looking into ways to p potentially fund some of the other aspects of homeland security. So, the TSA, the the airport, you know, folks,
[36:04]the FEMA operations, could they, you know, put forward the legislation they have um and and try to push that that uh legislation forward with support from
[36:15]Republicans to to, you know, reopen those parts of government, but um you know, it's not clear that Republicans would be willing to do that right now either because they want, you know, sort
[36:26]of the full the full package. So there are those uh doors opening for next week, but we don't have any outcome of that yet. >> Lisa Mascaro is with the Associated
[36:37]Press. Thanks for joining us today. >> You bet. Thank you. >> Federal immigration enforcement was also discussed today by state governors who are in Washington DC this week for the National Governor's Association winter
[36:48]meeting. Governor Andy Basher, Democrat of Kentucky, was at the Center for American Progress. I've served as the chief law enforcement officer in Kentucky for four years. I've led law
[36:59]enforcement groups. I've worked with law enforcement from the federal to the local level. As governor, we want run the training for local law enforcement and and you are technically the head of
[37:10]the Kentucky State Police. Uh what we see with ICE is an outofcontrol law enforcement organization. Uh they
[37:19]have a [applause] they have an American body count. They have at least two officers being investigated for perjury. They are not
[37:30]doing officer involved shooting investigations that are standard all across the country that occur after every single shooting that are so important so that people have confidence uh in their law enforcement. Their
[37:42]tactics aren't just aggressive. They are so overly aggressive compared to any other law enforcement group in the nation. You see how far out of line they are and their leadership
[37:53]immediately coming to judgment >> about altercations, immediately labeling people as domestic terrorists before they ever even know is grossly
[38:03]irresponsible. So, we've got to retrain every single ICE officer. The idea that they think that they can barge into an American's home with an administrative warrant means they're getting really bad
[38:14]advice and training as it is right now. Um, if they are going to be out in public, they need different training on how you deal with the public because the way they're doing it, no other law
[38:24]enforcement organization ever would. Why? Because the other law enforcement organizations are trying to respect the Constitution and our individual rights.
[38:33]And so I think that this is a massive uh challenge that needs to be fixed and fixed as quickly as possible because what we've seen in Minnesota and Chicago
[38:43]will continue in other places if the current leadership continues and if they are not fully retrained. >> Yeah, I think that's such an important point when you think about ISIS's
[38:54]interventions with the fourth amendment, the fifth amendment, and even the first amendment. It's really a question of whether they will follow the Constitution like every other law enforcement. >> The idea that ICE uh instead of what
[39:05]they say they're doing, going after dangerous criminals, and by the way, if they know about dangerous criminals in Kentucky, while they're being retrained, send us the information.
[39:16]>> We'll go get them and we'll do it right. And you know what? we'll be able to get the conviction because we won't barge into somebody's house >> without the judicial warrant that you would need so that the evidence can can
[39:28]later be be used. But you just think about the first amendment and ICE is now trying to get people's uh identity from social media who are criticizing them.
[39:38]That's your American right. Uh ICE even tweeted back at me when I was on the the view saying exactly what I am today. And what I learned is ICS is so tough it watches
[39:50]the view. [laughter] >> Governor Andy Basher, Democrat from Kentucky at the Center for American Progress in Washington in conversation
[40:00]with its president and CEO Nerra Tanden. He was also there to discuss his upcoming book on faith titled Go and Do Likewise: How We Heal a Broken Country.
[40:10]State's newsroom writing about it. The Trump administration has hijacked faith, the Democrat said, leading to harm instead of helping people. He pointed to the repercussions of the major tax cuts
[40:20]and spending package Republicans passed last year that paid for tax cuts by making changes to food assistance and health care that will result in millions of people losing access to safety nets.
[40:32]That was from the state's newsroom article. Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican from Ohio, also in Washington for the National Governor's Association winter meeting, spoke today about federal immigration enforcement. He was
[40:43]at a Politico governor's summit. He was asked specifically about the estimated 15,000 Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, whose TPS, temporary protected status has been revoked by the Trump
[40:54]administration, although that's on hold as a federal court challenge continues. do I expect to see something uh you know like Minnesota or some you know problem
[41:05]and so you know we have spent a lot of time working with the Springfield police we've worked with the sheriff's office >> in Ohio we don't have a state police as
[41:14]you know highway patrol and we will we will back up the local police and look whether I like the policy or not >> we're Ohioans we follow the law and
[41:24]we're going to follow the law uh and I have every confidence that the Springfield police will do a good job. That the sheriff will do a good job. Sheriff's deputies will do a good job. Our highway patrol will do a good job.
[41:36]>> Um, our >> our job, our job is to keep keep the peace >> and we we will do that. Frankly, you know, we expect ICE, if they come in, to
[41:47]follow good police protocols. If they do that, um, you know, we're going to be able to work our way through it. people have the right to demonstrate if that's what they want to do, but nobody has the right to interfere uh with a federal
[41:59]officer uh physically. So, we're going to we're going to keep the peace and I I am confident uh that things are going to work out okay no matter what happens. Do >> you have confidence in Secretary No
[42:10]overseeing that operation? >> Look, um I I think that what happened in Minnesota was a signal uh to to to a lot a lot of people. Um they didn't like
[42:21]what they saw. Um, you know, I I think I rather state it this way, Jonathan. I rather [clears throat] stay it the way of what we expect. >> You have comments in top. I
[42:30]>> I expect I expect um that the ICE if they if they come in and first of all, we don't know if they're going to come in. Even even if the TPS is taken
[42:41]away, we've not been told at all that they're going to come in. I will make that very very clear. I mean, they've told us we don't have any orders. we don't have any indication that we're going to come in. But they've also said
[42:53]that that that that could change. >> But you following good police protocol is really important. I mean, for example,
[43:03]our highway patrol men and women are told in their training, you don't stand in front of a car. >> Yeah. >> Nothing good is going to happen. You don't reach in reach your arm in uh and
[43:14]try to control the driver because again, nothing good. We just expect we just expect that kind of policy to be followed. Um and that's uh that's what we we expect.
[43:26]>> But it's not been conveyed to you that ISIS coming at some point. >> Absolutely not. Absolutely not. It's not it's not clear at all. We have we just try to be prepared for matter of what happens. >> Governor Mike DeWine, Republican from
[43:37]Ohio at a Politico governor's summit in Washington DC interviewed by Jonathan Martin, the politico politics bureau chief and senior political columnist.
[43:47]NBC News reporting the Department of Homeland Security committed to spending more than $144 million on guns, ammunition, other weapons during the first year of the Trump administration
[43:58]in a quote drastic increase in resources, according to a report released Thursday by Senator Adam Schiff, Democrat from California. Another Associated Press article, the National Governor's Association is
[44:08]pulling out of an annual meeting at the White House after President Donald Trump declined to invite two Democratic governors under cutting one of Washington's few remaining bipartisan organizations. Trump is still expected
[44:19]to meet with governors at the White House on Friday, but the event will not be facilitated by an organization founded more than a century ago to help state leaders from both parties advocate
[44:30]for their interest in Washington. The Republican president had refused to include Democratic governors Jared Polus of Colorado and Wes Moore of Maryland and recently blasted them on social
[44:40]media as not worthy of being there. That was from AP Governor Moore. The National Governor's Association vice chair was asked about this today at the Politico
[44:50]summit alongside the NGA chair, Governor Kevin Stit, Republican from Oklahoma. Governor Stit, uh, you have been in the headlines a lot this week going back and
[45:01]forth, uh, with the White House about whether they will host, uh, the governors, whether it will be an NGA event. Should we expect you at the White House tomorrow or Saturday? >> Yeah, absolutely. I'll be there. Um, and
[45:12]and you know, the NGA is bigger than one meeting. Um, and but I tell all my cabinet secretaries and when Biden was in office and now President Trump, um, we have to have a good relationship with the federal government. And so all the
[45:24]cabinet secretaries uh about three times a year I have my department of transportation and secretary of a make a trip to DC to make sure they have a great relationship with our federal
[45:34]counterparts. Uh 40% of the dollars that come into states traditionally are from the federal government whether it's roads and bridges or education healthc
[45:44]care related items. And so that's very important that if we need waiverss, if we need to win some ties, um we had a good relationship when Buddha Judge was there at the transportation secretary
[45:54]and we have a great relationship now. Um so I'll be there and uh and certainly representing the state of Oklahoma. It's what I'm elected to do. It's what he's elected to do. And so we we will have,
[46:06]you know, conversations with uh with our federal counterparts. >> Governor Moore, will you be at the White House tomorrow or Saturday?
[46:13]>> Um I I I will not. Um and and but I am I am very clear that uh you know I will work with anybody. Um and I think we've
[46:24]shown that. I mean just a couple weeks back we uh we you know led a delegation of Democratic and Republican governors at the White House uh to focus on the issue of PJM capping their energy
[46:34]prices. And it worked because PJM has come back and said they're going to cap energy prices for the next four years. That's a massive win for all 13 states
[46:43]within the PJM grid. Um, we will work with cabinet secretaries, agency heads, etc. Um, but we always want to make sure that they that it is productive. We
[46:54]always want to make sure that uh that the the work that we're doing is going to advance the interests of the people of our state. Um, and so as we've uh and and again, I give a a deep amount of
[47:05]respect to to Kevin for his leadership. This has been a very complicated time. Uh you mentioned in your note to NGA last night uh that there would be some alternative programming. Uh what what is
[47:16]that? Can you take us inside that alternative program? >> Well, it's it's just it's reminding all the governors that the NGA is bigger than who sits in the White House, right? That this is a decadesl long tradition
[47:28]that has existed where governors from around the country come and we meet about issues of real importance to all of us. And so whether we're going to be talking about issues of immigration reform, whether we're talking about
[47:40]issues of energy, whether we're talking about issues of transportation and employment, um you know, how we're thinking about the future of technology and AI, we've got big issues that we are
[47:50]working on together. And so it's just a reminder that there is no person or one administration that can break that bond. That bond is stronger than than one person. >> Governor Wesmore, Democrat from
[48:01]Maryland, and Governor Kevin Stit, Republican from Oklahoma. Moore is the vice chair of the National Governor's Association and State is the chair at a political governor's summit in
[48:10]Washington. The moderator, Adam Ren, Politico's senior national politics correspondent. This is Washington today. Reuters writing that President Donald Trump insisted on Thursday his policies
[48:21]were easing high prices, seeking to persuade voters frustrated by the cost of living that he and fellow Republicans have an effective economic plan ahead of November's midterm elections. Speaking
[48:31]at a steel distributor in Rome, Georgia, Trump touted a growing stock market, his tariff policy on foreign goods, and increased foreign investment in the US economy. That's the reporting from Reuters. Here's the president.
[48:43]>> And then I have to listen to the fake news talking about affordability. Affordability. Do you notice what word have you not heard over the last two weeks?
[48:54]Affordability. Because I've won I've won affordability. I had to go out and talk about it. But we inherited a mess. We inherited
[49:06]the worst inflation in history. But I I'd like to correct it because it's actually the fake news corrected me. He
[49:15]ordered he exaggerated. He said it was the worst inflation in history and it's only 48 years. So I apologize for that, Kelly. I
[49:27]apologize. So, it's the worst inflation in 48. Actually, I think they're wrong. I think it is actually in history. We had the worst inflation in history under
[49:36]sleepy Joe Biden. He was sleeping while you were working. Now, he was sleeping while you were trying to get a job. You weren't working. And now we have the most people
[49:48]working in history. And just recently, we we crossed two milestones most. They thought it was totally impossible when
[49:57]the S&P hit 7,000 points and Dow Jones surged past 50,000. Again, I was supposed to do that within four years. They said he's got a small possibility.
[50:09]I don't know how many of you people watch the stock market, but if the stock market's good, that's good for everybody. That's good for you, good for everybody. The stock market hit over
[50:18]50,000 for the first time in history. They said maybe he might be, this is right after my election in November. They said, 'You know, Trump's a great businessman. He might be able to get
[50:28]50,000 by the time his term finishes. No, we did it, Howard, in one year. One year. Under the last administration, every economic policy punished American
[50:40]workers and businesses like this one while rewarding those who outsource to foreign nations. Under the Trump administration, our policy is the exact
[50:49]opposite. making it harder to outsource while rewarding those who invest, hire, grow, and build right here in the USA. We don't have countries coming in and
[51:01]stealing our businesses anymore. They were coming in for many years. I had it stopped in my first term. We had a great first term. We had the greatest economic numbers we've ever had until now. But
[51:12]this term, I will say, it's blowing my first term away. We've slashed a record number of jobk killing regulations, cutting 129 old regulations for every one new
[51:24]regulation approved. Think of that. So we approved one and we cut 129. And what that means is jobs. It's all it
[51:34]means. We ended the radical left war in American energy. Now, oil production is up by more than 600,000 barrels a day, and natural gas production is at an
[51:45]all-time high. President Donald Trump at the Kusa Steel Corporation plant in Rome, Georgia, part of a series of trips the White House says the president will
[51:56]take this year to promote his economic agenda ahead of the midterm elections. He's already given speeches so far in Iowa and Michigan. Associated Press writing that President Trump's destination in Georgia suggests he has
[52:07]something else on his mind, too. He's heading to a congressional district previously represented by Marjorie Taylor Green, a former supporter who resigned in January after feuding with the president. It's a special election
[52:18]to replace her on March 10th. Again, that was from AP. Los Angeles Times reports that populist Senator Bernie Sanders on Wednesday formally kicked off the campaign to place a billionaire's
[52:28]tax on the November ballot. Framing the proposal as something larger than a debate about economic and tax policy as he appeared at a storied Los Angeles venue. The senator is promoting a labor
[52:40]union's proposal to impose a one-time 5% tax on the assets of California billionaires and trusts to backfill federal healthc care funding cuts by the
[52:51]Trump administration. That's reporting from the LA Times. Here's Senator Bernie Sanders Wednesday night in LA. Brothers and sisters,
[53:01]at a time when the wealth and power of the billionaire class has never been greater,
[53:08]we are here today to send a very clear and profound
[53:14]message to them and that is enough is enough. [cheering] >> [cheering]
[53:32]>> The billionaire class cannot have it all. This nation belongs to all of us, not
[53:43]just a handful of billionaires. [cheering] >> [cheering]
[53:54]>> But let me be honest with you and telling you that what we are dealing with today at this rally and the whole
[54:04]concept of attacks on billionaires is more than economics and it is more than tax policy. Yeah, I'm sure these guys don't want to pay a few billion dollars
[54:15]more in taxes, but for them in many ways, that is pocket change. What is the real issue here? The real issue
[54:25]gets to the very heart of what American society is becoming. And that is what you are dealing with right here. And why I am so proud to be with you in
[54:37]California tonight. And what this what this whole issue is
[54:45]about is that in many respects and this is not rhetoric. This is in fact what I think most people now understand. The
[54:56]billionaire class no longer sees itself as part of American society. Do you understand what I'm saying?
[55:06]They see themselves as something separate and apart like the oligarchs. Remember the history we learned in school. Like the oligarchs of the 18th
[55:17]and 19th centuries, you know, the kings and the queens and the zars. These guys literally believe that they have the
[55:26]divine right to rule and are no longer subject to democratic governance. >> Senator Bernie Sanders, independent from Vermont at a rally in Los Angeles
[55:38]Wednesday night. California Governor Gavin Newsome, a Democrat, told Bloomberg Television a couple of weeks ago why he opposes this proposed wealth tax. I fear the way this has been
[55:50]drafted and I'm old-fashioned. I actually seek first to understand before I'm understood sometimes
[55:58]and uh I was burdened by the facts. The fact is it actually will reduce co uh investments in education. It will reduce
[56:08]investments in teachers and librarians, child care. It will reduce investments in firefighting and police.
[56:17]The impact of a one-time tax does not solve an ongoing structural challenge that has been exacerbated by the impacts
[56:27]of HR1. In fact, what it will do is what the legislative analyst office said it would do, which didn't surprise any of us when they put that out. you would have a
[56:38]windfall one time and then over the years you would see a significant reduction in taxes because taxpayers will move uh
[56:50]and that is what I fear at a state level at a state level >> right so would you support a national a national >> I think you can have that's an interesting conversation it's a challenging one too there's some constitutional issues around takings
[57:01]there's impact as it relates to the flow of capital the impacts on the market which are not inconsequential if you told me. You're going to have a one time. Where do you mark to market? How do you audit? Do we go in and find out?
[57:12]For those that are in this tax bracket, when did you buy your Boscot? You sure it was 1971 or was 1991? Markets have adjusted. Where's the wine
[57:21]collection, sir? Let me look again. Hold on. Mark to market. Wait a second. So, you haven't sold your stuff. All these things it gets complicated. I'm not suggesting I'm not here to belittle it,
[57:32]argue. I think the imbalance I said at the state of the state. The imbalance between the rich and the poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics. That was Plutarch. 2,000 years ago, 10% of people own twothirds
[57:43]of the wealth in the United States of America. This is not working. 30 year olds never done worse. 30-year-old today generation in history. This is not
[57:54]working. You've got to democratize our economy if you're going to save democracy. Absolutely. But this proposal by one local
[58:04]in SEIU I do not believe is the answer. >> Will it get to the ballot? >> Um they have the money. I don't you know and u we'll see. Yeah. >> California Governor Gavin Newsome, a
[58:16]Democrat on Bloomberg television on January 29th. Wednesday night was the official launch of the billionaires tax ballot measure initiative in California. More from the LA Times article. proposal
[58:27]has received more expected and unified backlash from the state's conservatives and business leaders who have launched ballot measures that could nullify part
[58:36]if not all of the proposed wealth tax. Wall Street today the Dow down 267, NASDAQ down 70, S&P down 19. The botched
[58:47]test flight of Boeing's Starlininer spacecraft, right? CNN, a protracted saga that kept two astronauts in space months longer than expected, was a debacle in league with US space shuttle
[58:58]disasters that cost crew members their lives. According to the newly revealed findings from the NASA investigation about the ordeal. While the crude Starlininer mission did not end in tragedy, the myriad issues discovered
[59:08]with the Boeing built spacecraft quote revealed critical vulnerabilities in the Starlininer's propulsion system, NASA's oversight model and the broader culture of commercial human space flight. According to the report the agency
[59:20]published on Thursday, reporting from CNN, the NASA administrator Jared Isaacman spoke about the report at a news conference in Washington. More than 30 scheduled CFT launch attempts created
[59:30]cumulative schedule pressure and decision fatigue. Prior OFT thruster risk was never fully understood. Corrective actions from OFT1 were incomplete and flight rationale was
[59:41]therefore inadequate. [snorts] Witness statements routinely reflected a belief that management within the commercial crew program could only succeed if Starlininer launched. Now on orbit,
[59:53]disagreements over crew return options deteriorated into unprofessional conduct while the crew remained on orbit. Witness statements described an environment where advocacy tied to the
[1:00:03]Starlininer program viability persisted alongside insufficient senior NASA leadership engagement to refocus teams on safety and mission outcomes. Now,
[1:00:15]post mission, despite the loss of sixth degree of freedom control and cost thresholds exceeding a type A mishap by a factor of over a 100, a mishap was not
[1:00:25]declared. Concern for the Starlininer program's reputation influenced that decision. Initially, our commercial crew program investigated itself. Ultimately, these decisions were inconsistent with
[1:00:36]NASA's safety culture, and a subsequent independent investigation was commissioned, and the record is now being corrected. Today, we formally designate this event a type A mishap to
[1:00:46]ensure lessons are fully captured for future missions. Programmatic advocacy exceeded reasonable bounds and placed the mission, the crew, and America's space program at risk in ways that were not fully understood at the time
[1:00:58]decisions were being contemplated. This created a culture of mistrust that can never happen again. And there will be leadership accountability. >> NASA administrator Jared Isaacman had a news conference at NASA headquarters in
[1:01:09]Washington about the events that happened in 2024. More from the CNN article. Officially, the Starlininer test flight is now considered a type A mishap, a designation that NASA defines
[1:01:19]as an incident that results in more than $2 million of damage, the loss of control or destruction of a vehicle, or a loss of life. The Colombian Challenger spatial disasters were also classified
[1:01:30]as typeA incident. NASA today also fueling up its lunar rocket and going through a launch day walkthrough known as the wet dress rehearsal for the Aremis 2 mission that would have four
[1:01:41]astronauts go around the moon. The earliest launch date for that mission is March 6th. Thanks for listening to Washington today. Reminder, another C-SPAN ceasefire program airs Friday at
[1:01:50]7:00 p.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern. Host Asha Burns will welcome two governors, Kelly Armstrong, Republican of North Dakota, and Matt Meyer, Democrat from Delaware for the National Governor's Association
[1:02:01]Winter Meeting Week, a bipartisan dialogue on top issues facing states and the country, including affordability, healthcare, and immigration enforcement that C-SPAN's ceasefire Friday 7:00 p.m.
[1:02:12]and 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Have a good night.