Wednesday morning news: February 11, 2026

Editor's note: The following text is a transcript of a podcast story. To listen to the story, click on the arrow beneath the headline above.

Immigration testimony » Congress is up against another deadline to avoid yet another partial government shutdown. Members have just a couple of days to reach a compromise, or funding will expire for the Department of Homeland Security.

Democrats are demanding changes at DHS after two fatal incidents between federal agents and demonstrators in Minnesota.

They want tougher rules for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, including requirements for agents to unmask and obtain warrants in more situations.

SOUND: [Committee called to order]

Immigration officials testified before the House Homeland Security Committee Tuesday. And Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu questioned the professionalism of immigration enforcement agencies.

LIEU: And that's because real police officers are trained to de-escalate, not to escalate. Real police officers wear body cameras and not masks. And real police officers use...warrants and don't engage in racial profiling.

Republicans say they are on board with some of the proposed changes such as more body cameras, but say they will not agree to a democratic partisan wish list. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise:

SCALISE: Democrats want open borders. Democrats want mass amnesty and they're willing to shut the government down and wreak havoc with the American people to do it.

Republicans say ICE is just trying to enforce the law, and what agents really need is more protection.

GOP Save America Act » Meantime, the House is expected to vote this week on a bill that would implement new rules that Republicans say are designed to safeguard elections.

They call it the Save America Act. It would require voters to show a valid form of identification when casting a ballot in national elections.

Democratic leaders oppose the measure, calling it voter suppression. Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer:

SCHUMER:   The Save Act would introduce the 21st century equivalent of a democracy that tolerates literacy tests.

Schumer even compared the measure to Jim Crow laws.

But House Speaker Mike Johnson counters:

JOHNSON:  Americans need an ID to drive, to open a bank account, to buy cold medicine, I mean, to file government assistance as is noted by the leader. You even need an ID to attend events of most Democrat politicians and even the Democrat National Convention. So why would voting be any different?

The House passed a similar measure last year, which Democrats blocked in the Senate.

There is a least one Democrat in the Senate who would likely support the bill if it reaches the upper chamber. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania:

FETTERMAN:  Me as a Democrat, I do not believe that it's, it's unreasonable or, uh, to show ID just to vote. And I would remind everybody that less than a year ago in Wisconsin, you know, they added that to the Constitution by a 63%, you know, passing.

But Republicans face an uphill battle garnering enough Democratic support to meet the 60-vote threshold needed to avoid a filibuster.

Netanyahu visit preview » Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting once again with President Trump in Washington today. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher reports:

BENJAMIN EICHER: Netanyahu is expected to press President Trump to expand the scope of high-stakes nuclear talks with Iran.

The negotiations resumed last week against the backdrop of an American military buildup in the Middle East.

Trump has threatened military action if Iran doesn’t cooperate.

Israel has long called for Iran to cease all uranium enrichment, dial back its ballistic missile program … and cut ties with militant groups across the region.

Iran has always rejected those demands, saying it would only accept some limits on enrichment in return for sanctions relief.

A top Iranian security official was spotted Tuesday in Oman, the country currently mediating talks between Tehran and Washington. 

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

Lutnick - Epstein ties » Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick acknowledged to a Senate panel Tuesday that he met twice with the late sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein, after Epstein’s 2008 conviction.

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen pressed the secretary about a visit that Lutnick and his family made to Epstein's private island, years after he claimed to have cut ties with Epstein.

VAN HOLLEN:  Did you see anything inappropriate during that visit?

LUTNICK: The only thing I saw with my wife and my children and the other couple, uh, and their children, was staff who worked for Mr. Epstein on that island.

Some Democrats are now calling for Lutnick to resign or be fired over his ties to Epstein. But the White House says that is not going to happen. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt:

LEAVITT:  Secretary Lutnick remains a very important member of President Trump's team, uh, and the president fully supports the secretary.

Secretary Lutnick told senators that his interactions with Epstein were limited and that he never had a close relationship with him.

Starmer renews vow to remain on job » Meantime, in the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s job appears to be safe for now.

He has secured a temporary respite after fallout from the Epstein files threatened his leadership.

Some rivals within his Labour Party have been hesitant about possible consequences of a political coup. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said Tuesday that Labour lawmakers decided to unite behind Starmer.

And that came as the prime minister renewed his vow to remain on the job:

STARMER:  I will never walk away from the mandate I was given to change this country. I will never walk away from the people that I'm charged with fighting for.

The political crisis stems from Starmer's decision to appoint Epstein-friend Peter Mandelson as U.K. ambassador to Washington.

Starmer has apologized and said that Mandelson had lied about his ties to Epstein.

Pakistan: Taliban creating terror-friendly conditions » Pakistan’s president is warning that the Taliban's government in Afghanistan is once again fostering terrorism, as it did before the 9/11 attacks. WORLD’s Mary Muncy has more:

MARY MUNCY: President Asif Ali Zardari’s warning comes after a Shiite mosque bombing in Islamabad that killed 31 people.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombing, and investigations are ongoing.

In a statement, Zardari said ,“the Taliban regime has created conditions similar to or worse than pre-9/11, when terror organizations posed threats to global peace.”

He added that Pakistan had long maintained terrorism cannot be confronted by any single country in isolation … and he thanked the international community for condemning the mosque attack.

Zardari also suggested that India is assisting the Taliban regime, which India denies.

For WORLD, I’m Mary Muncy.

And I'm Kent Covington.

Still ahead: Hunter Baker is standing by for Washington Wednesday. And later, what layoffs at The Washington Post say about the public’s trust.

This is The World and Everything in It.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.