{"id":10091,"date":"2026-02-13T14:23:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T14:23:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/02\/13\/trump-administration-live-updates-dhs-heads-toward-shutdown-munich-security-conference-kicks-off-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T14:23:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T14:23:05","slug":"trump-administration-live-updates-dhs-heads-toward-shutdown-munich-security-conference-kicks-off-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/02\/13\/trump-administration-live-updates-dhs-heads-toward-shutdown-munich-security-conference-kicks-off-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump administration live updates: DHS heads toward shutdown; Munich Security Conference kicks off &#8211; NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"<div q:id=\"1\" data-testid=\"feed-qwik\" on:qvisible=\"q-SiZKsu5I.js#_hW[0]\" on-document:qidle=\"q-SiZKsu5I.js#_hW[1]\">\n<div id=\"rcrd100199\" data-pubat=\"2026-02-13T14:08:35.080Z\" data-testid=\"card-qwik\" on:qvisible=\"q-DIkZRE8b.js#_hW[0]\" q:id=\"d\">\n<p>9m ago \/ 9:08 AM EST<\/p>\n<h2 q:key=\"r0_1\">Next round of talks between the U.S., Ukraine and Russia will take place later this month in Geneva<\/h2>\n<div data-icid=\"liveBlogCardLink\">\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"k\">The next round of negotiations between the U.S., Ukraine and Russia has been scheduled for Feb. 17 and 18 in Geneva, Dmytro Lytvyn, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, confirmed today. <\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"n\">\u201cThe Ukrainian delegation is preparing,\u201d Lytvyn said in a WhatsApp message to reporters.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"q\">Russian state media outlet TASS also reported the new set of talks, citing an announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin spokesman Dmitri Peskov. <\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"t\">\u201cThis time, the Russian delegation will be led by Russian presidential aide [Vladimir] Medinsky,\u201d Peskov said.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"w\">The White House didn&#8217;t immediately respond to NBC News&#8217; request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"rcrd100194\" data-pubat=\"2026-02-13T13:54:08.073Z\" data-testid=\"card-qwik\" on:qvisible=\"q-DIkZRE8b.js#_hW[0]\" q:id=\"y\">\n<p>24m ago \/ 8:54 AM EST<\/p>\n<h2 q:key=\"r0_1\">Businessman named in Jeffrey Epstein files replaced as chairman of major logistics company<\/h2>\n<div data-icid=\"liveBlogCardLink\">\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"14\">Dubai has named a new chairman for DP World, one of the world\u2019s largest logistics companies, replacing the outgoing head who was named in the Jeffrey Epstein documents.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"17\">The announcement by the government\u2019s Dubai Media Office did not specifically name Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. However, it said that Essa Kazim was named DP World\u2019s chairman and Yuvraj Narayan was named group CEO. Those were positions held by Sulayem.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"1a\">DP World has long been a pillar of the economy of the Middle Eastern city. DP World is a logistics giant that runs the Jebel Ali port in Dubai and operates terminals in other ports around the world.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"1d\">The announcement comes a day after financial groups in Canada and the United Kingdom said they\u2019ve paused future ventures with DP World after newly released emails showed a yearslong friendship between Sulayem, and Epstein.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"1g\">The emails \u2014 some referencing porn, sexual massages and escorts \u2014 surfaced in the cache of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/jeffrey-epstein-client-list-sex-trafficking-049c96080a2ca2c12c84ac506437e50b\" target=\"_blank\">Epstein-related documents<\/a>\u00a0recently released by the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/video\/bondi-clashes-with-dems-in-epstein-files-hearing-offers-a-wide-ranging-shouting-defense-of-trump-5ed43ef59dff476fba7709a379d24bd8\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. Department of Justice<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"1j\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/politics-news\/sultan-ahmed-bin-sulayem-jeffrey-epstein-rcna258902\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><em>Read the full story here.<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"rcrd100191\" data-pubat=\"2026-02-13T13:26:54.198Z\" data-testid=\"card-qwik\" on:qvisible=\"q-DIkZRE8b.js#_hW[0]\" q:id=\"1l\">\n<p>51m ago \/ 8:26 AM EST<\/p>\n<h2 q:key=\"r0_1\">Mike Johnson canceled official delegation to Munich Security Conference, Democratic lawmaker says<\/h2>\n<div data-icid=\"liveBlogCardLink\">\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"1r\">House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., ordered the cancellation of the military flight, hotel reservations and credentials members of Congress had for the Munich Security Conference, Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., told NBC News today. <\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"1u\">It wasn&#8217;t clear to Crow whether the cancelation was related to the expected shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security as a result of the divisions within Congress over whether to fund the department as lawmakers negotiation an overhaul of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"1x\">Crow and several other lawmakers who were originally part of a nearly two-dozen member House delegation, wound up flying commercially, booking their own hotel rooms, and obtaining credentials to attend the summit and,  for those in the official program, deliver speeches.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"20\">Crow told NBC News that the speaker\u2019s decision was the wrong move, saying the U.S. needed to be represented at the conference by more officials than just Secretary of State Marco Rubio. <\/p>\n<div id=\"rcrd100191-overflow-content\" data-testid=\"markupembeds-overflow\" q:id=\"22\">\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"25\">Some of the lawmakers who traveled commercially included Reps. Sarah McBride, D-Del.; Sara Jacobs, D-Calif.; Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz.; and Jim Himes, D-Conn. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., did as well, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-foreign-policy-president-senate-election-rcna258229\" target=\"_blank\">alt<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-foreign-policy-president-senate-election-rcna258229\" target=\"_blank\">hough she wasn&#8217;t part of the official delegation<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"28\">Johnson&#8217;s office didn&#8217;t immediately respond to a request for comment. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"rcrd100192\" data-pubat=\"2026-02-13T13:10:00.008Z\" data-testid=\"card-qwik\" on:qvisible=\"q-DIkZRE8b.js#_hW[0]\" q:id=\"2a\">\n<p>2h ago \/ 8:10 AM EST<\/p>\n<h2 q:key=\"r0_1\">CIA makes new push to recruit spies from Chinese military<\/h2>\n<div data-icid=\"liveBlogCardLink\">\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"2h\">The CIA released a new Mandarin-language video yesterday appealing to members of China\u2019s military to spy for the United States and work toward \u201ca brighter future,\u201d weeks after Beijing\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/china\/china-xi-jinping-general-zhang-corruption-purge-taiwan-invasion-rcna255911\" target=\"_blank\">ousted a top general<\/a>\u00a0as part of a dramatic purge of top brass.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"2k\">The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8mCVjyXI-jM\" target=\"_blank\">video<\/a>\u00a0is the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/national-security\/cia-hopes-cinematic-videos-will-persuade-chinese-spy-us-rcna202321\" target=\"_blank\">latest in a series<\/a>\u00a0aimed at recruiting potential informants in China\u2019s regime, a top priority for the U.S. spy agency, which has sometimes struggled to cultivate human sources in a country known for its extensive electronic\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news?tags%5B%5D=9839\" target=\"_blank\">surveillance\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/now\/video\/inside-china-s-surveillance-state-63750726002\" target=\"_blank\">apparatus<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"2n\">The new video posted on social media portrays a fictional disillusioned mid-level officer in China\u2019s military, who laments corrupt party leaders\u2019 enriching themselves while capable men are \u201cdeemed a threat and unceremoniously removed.\u201d It then describes how to safely contact the CIA.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"2q\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/asia\/cia-makes-new-push-recruit-spies-chinese-military-rcna258866\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><em>Read the full story here.<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"rcrd100183\" data-pubat=\"2026-02-13T12:48:53.620Z\" data-testid=\"card-qwik\" on:qvisible=\"q-DIkZRE8b.js#_hW[0]\" q:id=\"2u\">\n<p>2h ago \/ 7:48 AM EST<\/p>\n<h2 q:key=\"r0_1\">White House immediately fires U.S. attorney chosen by judges to replace Trump\u2019s pick<\/h2>\n<div data-icid=\"liveBlogCardLink\">\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"31\">The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/white-house\" target=\"_blank\">White House<\/a>\u00a0fired the top\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/justice-department\" target=\"_blank\">federal prosecutor<\/a>\u00a0for upstate New York just hours after he was sworn into office.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"34\">Donald Kinsella, who has worked for decades as a government attorney and in private practice, was appointed and sworn in as the U.S. attorney in the Northern District of New York in a private ceremony on Wednesday, the court\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nynd.uscourts.gov\/sites\/nynd\/files\/Announcement%20Don%20Kinsella.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">said on its website<\/a>. Later that day, he was fired in an email from the White House.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"37\">Kinsella told NBC News yesterday that the email came from the deputy director of presidential personnel, Morgan DeWitt Snow, and that it said the \u201cpresident directed that I be removed,\u201d without any explanation.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"3a\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/justice-department\/white-house-fires-us-attorney-donald-kinsella-judges-replace-trump-pic-rcna258833\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><em>Read the full story here.<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"rcrd100187\" data-pubat=\"2026-02-13T12:20:08.769Z\" data-testid=\"card-qwik\" on:qvisible=\"q-DIkZRE8b.js#_hW[0]\" q:id=\"3c\">\n<p>2h ago \/ 7:20 AM EST<\/p>\n<h2 q:key=\"r0_1\">Top Goldman Sachs lawyer to leave firm amid Epstein files fallout<\/h2>\n<div data-icid=\"liveBlogCardLink\">\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"3j\">The top lawyer at Goldman Sachs, Kathy Ruemmler, said yesterday that she would leave the prestigious Wall Street firm amid controversy over her email correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein, which the Justice Department disclosed in recent weeks.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"3m\">In an interview with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/c9c4ea8a-f806-4a04-b409-a8ec03c00b15\" target=\"_blank\">The Financial Times<\/a>, Ruemmler said: \u201cI made the determination that the media attention on me, relating to my prior work as a defence attorney, was becoming a distraction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"3p\">Serving as a close adviser to Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, Ruemmler has drawn intense scrutiny for weeks as the Justice Department dumped millions of pages of files related to Epstein, the convicted sex trafficker.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"3s\">Ruemmler was White House counsel in the Obama administration.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"3v\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/business\/business-news\/kathy-ruemmler-leaves-goldman-sachs-epstein-files-fallout-rcna258862\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><em>Read the full story here.<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"rcrd100178\" data-pubat=\"2026-02-13T12:20:01.392Z\" data-testid=\"card-qwik\" on:qvisible=\"q-DIkZRE8b.js#_hW[0]\" q:id=\"3x\">\n<p>2h ago \/ 7:20 AM EST<\/p>\n<h2 q:key=\"r0_1\">Trump nominee stalls after GOP senator challenges him on remarks about Jews and Israel <\/h2>\n<div data-icid=\"liveBlogCardLink\">\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"43\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\">Trump\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0pick for a top State Department post faces bipartisan opposition after a Republican senator pressed the nominee over his past remarks about\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/israel\" target=\"_blank\">Israel<\/a>\u00a0and the Holocaust.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"46\">Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, came out against Jeremy Carl\u2019s nomination to be assistant secretary of state for international organizations after a confirmation hearing yesterday, where he challenged Carl on comments he made as recently as 2024.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"49\">\u201cAfter reviewing his record and participating in today\u2019s hearing, I do not believe that Jeremy Carl is the right person to represent our nation\u2019s best interests in international forums, and I find his anti-Israel views and insensitive remarks about the Jewish people unbecoming of the position for which he has been nominated,\u201d Curtis said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"4c\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/trump-administration\/state-department-nominee-jeremy-carl-senator-john-curtis-israel-jews-rcna258858\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><em>Read the full story here.<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"rcrd100188\" data-pubat=\"2026-02-13T12:19:51.153Z\" data-testid=\"card-qwik\" on:qvisible=\"q-DIkZRE8b.js#_hW[0]\" q:id=\"4e\">\n<p>2h ago \/ 7:19 AM EST<\/p>\n<h2 q:key=\"r0_1\">Trans-Atlantic tensions in focus as annual Munich security gathering opens <\/h2>\n<div data-icid=\"liveBlogCardLink\">\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"4k\">An annual gathering of top international security figures that last year set the tone for a growing rift between the United States and Europe opens today, bringing together many top European officials with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/politics-news\/marco-rubios-next-big-role-politics-desk-rcna252458\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio\u00a0<\/a>and others.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"4n\">The Munich Security Conference opens with a speech by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/europe\/germany-chancellor-friedrich-merz-europe-national-security-strategy-rcna248177\" target=\"_blank\">German Chancellor Friedrich Merz<\/a>, one of 15 heads of state or government from European Union countries whom organizers expect to attend.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"4q\">The many other expected guests at the conference that runs until Sunday include\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/ukraine\/zelenskyy-says-us-gave-ukraine-russia-june-deadline-reach-agreement-en-rcna257888\" target=\"_blank\">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy\u00a0<\/a>and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. In keeping with the conference\u2019s tradition, there will also be a large delegation of members of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. Congress<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"4t\">\u201cTrans-Atlantic relations have been the backbone of this conference since it was founded in 1963 &#8230; and trans-Atlantic relations are currently in a significant crisis of confidence and credibility,\u201d conference chairman Wolfgang Ischinger told reporters earlier this week. \u201cSo it is particularly welcome that the American side has such great interest in Munich.\u201d<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"4w\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/europe\/munich-security-conference-trump-europe-tensions-rcna258893\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><em>Read the full story here.<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"rcrd100181\" data-pubat=\"2026-02-13T12:19:34.838Z\" data-testid=\"card-qwik\" on:qvisible=\"q-DIkZRE8b.js#_hW[0]\" q:id=\"50\">\n<p>2h ago \/ 7:19 AM EST<\/p>\n<h2 q:key=\"r0_1\">Homeland Security Department poised to shut down as Congress leaves with no deal<\/h2>\n<div data-icid=\"liveBlogCardLink\">\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"56\">The Department of Homeland Security is poised to shut down this weekend as Congress remained deadlocked yesterday on a path forward before leaving town for a weeklong holiday break.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"59\">The White House and Democratic leaders have continued to trade offers, signaling some hope for an agreement. But it remains unclear which Democratic demands the White House will agree to when it comes to slapping restraints on immigration enforcement after federal agents killed two American citizens in Minnesota.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"5c\">With Congress out of town, DHS will shut down beginning at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. That means that federal employees at agencies such as FEMA, the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard won\u2019t be paid, though most of them will continue showing up for work because their jobs are considered critical.<\/p>\n<p q:key=\"Il_0\" q:id=\"5f\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/dhs-government-shutdown-2026-what-know-ice-rcna258739\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><em>Read the full story here.<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>9m ago \/ 9:08 AM EST Next round of talks between the U.S., Ukraine and Russia will take place later this month in Geneva The next round of negotiations between the U.S., Ukraine and Russia has been scheduled for Feb. 17 and 18 in Geneva, Dmytro Lytvyn, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, confirmed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10092,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10091\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}