Tuesday morning news: February 3, 2026

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Government shutdown » It is still unclear when the latest government shutdown will end.

Some House Democrats are rejecting a funding compromise struck by Senate Democrats last week.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries blames Republicans for not agreeing to new limits on Immigration and Customs Enforcement — or ICE. That, in the wake of federal agent involved shootings in Minnesota.

JEFFRIES: The question for Republicans will continue to be, are you gonna double and triple down on your extremism, or try to find a bipartisan path forward?

Republicans say some of the Democrats demands are not reasonable.

Republicans could pass another funding bill without Democrats, but GOP leaders have almost no margin with a razor-thin majority of just four seats.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was asked Monday if they have the needed votes.

SCALISE: We always work till the midnight hour to get the votes. And you know, you never start the process with everybody on board, you work through it and uh, you can say that with every major bill we passed.

The Senate compromise would fund Homeland Security for a couple of weeks to allow more time to negotiate changes while funding the rest of the government through the summer.

More St. Paul church disruption arrests » The Department of Justice has announced two more arrests, tied to an anti-ICE protest that disrupted a church service in St. Paul.

A grand jury in Minnesota has now indicted nine people on federal charges of conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers.

The Justice Department says the group, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon, entered the Cities Church during worship on Jan. 18 and interfered with people’s right to worship. Attorney General Pam Bondi:

 BONDI:  Parishioners were blocked from exiting the church. Don Lemon, on video, blocked one of them … screaming, yelling at the pastor. That's illegal in this country. When we say, "God bless America," we mean it. We're gonna protect America. And if you do that in any house of worship in this country, we're gonna find you, we're gonna indite you, and I'm gonna prosecute you.

Lemon says he was only documenting the protest and was not part of the group that disrupted the service. 

Authorities say protesters targeted the church because its pastor also works with ICE in the St. Paul area.

India tariffs - Russian oil » President Trump says the United States and India struck a trade deal to cut U.S. tariffs on Indian goods. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher has more.

BENJAMIN EICHER: The president announced an agreement to slash those tariffs from 50% to 18%, effective immediately.

He said that India, critically, has agreed to stop buying Russian oil.

Trump said on social media that the deal—his words “will help END THE WAR in Ukraine… which is taking place right now, with thousands of people dying each and every week!”

India will also increase purchases of U.S. products and lower its own tariffs on U.S. goods.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

Ukraine latest » Another round of talks are set for this week, aimed at ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

ZELENSKYY: [Speaking Ukrainian]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says delegations from both Ukraine and Russia are scheduled to hold trilateral talks with the United States on Wednesday or Thursday, and the United Arab Emirates.

For his part, President Trump again told reporters yesterday that he lobbied Vladimir Putin to stop Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities during the current cold snap.

TRUMP: And Ukraine is a very cold country. It's much colder than us. It's colder than they say on average it's Canada or colder. And on top of that, they have a tremendous cold wave. And I asked him "if you wouldn't shoot for a period of one week, no missiles going into Kyiv or any of the towns," and he's agreed to do it, so it's something. 

But it was a different picture in Ukraine.

SOUND: [Cherkasy cleanup]

Firefighters and other first responders worked at the scene of an overnight Russian drone strike in the city of Cherkasy yesterday. Regional officials say civilian infrastructure, as well as homes and cars, were hit. Four people were injured.

NYC cold deaths » Communities across the U.S. are still digging out following multiple powerful winter storms that swept across dozens of states.

The severe weather has been blamed for more than 100 deaths nationwide, including in New York City, where Mayor Zohran Mamdani told reporters:

MAMDANI: Sixteen of our fellow New Yorkers have passed away outside during this brutal stretch of cold. In thirteen of these cases, preliminary findings indicate that hypothermia played a role …

Meantime in North Carolina, residents are digging out from a foot or more of snow, and Florida farmers need their frozen plants to thaw before they can assess the damage.

Sub-freezing weather returned last night across many eastern states. And more than 70,000 homes and businesses in Mississippi and Tennessee have started the second week without power.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: The U.S. defends progress made in Venezuela. Plus, the battle over gender ideology hits the Daughters of the American Revolution.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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