Wednesday morning news: February 4, 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.

AUDIO:  On this vote, the yeas are 217 and nays's are 214. Without Objection, the motion, the motion is adopted.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Shutdown latest » And with that, the House voted Tuesday to end the partial government shutdown.

Twenty-one Democrats voted with Republicans, while 21 Republicans voted no on a stopgap measure.

The package will fund federal agencies into the Fall, with the exception of the Department of Homeland Security. It only funds DHS for a couple of weeks, buying time for talks over immigration enforcement.

House Speaker Mike Johnson says he’s hopeful about reaching a deal on that funding soon. He noted that DHS does not only oversee immigration enforcement.

JOHNSON:   It is TSA, it's the Coast Guard, it's, it's, uh, secret service, it's FEMA. We're in the middle of winter storms, uh, that people are still digging out from, so this is no time to play games with that funding.

The Senate already approved the funding package last week, and President Trump says he welcomes it.

TRUMP:  We've succeeded in passing a fiscally responsible package that actually cuts wasteful federal spending, while supporting critical programs for the safety, security, and prosperity of the American people.

House Democratic leaders were not as pleased. They are demanding changes to federal immigration enforcement.

And negotiations now shift to immigration policy, where sharp divisions remain.

Iran to begin negotiations with U.S. » Iran's president has instructed the foreign minister to pursue negotiations with the United States. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports:

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Iran’s shift comes amid high tensions following the Islamic government’s crackdown on nationwide protests.

And the announcement comes as President Trump has threatened military action if Iran does not negotiate an end to its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Talks are planned in Turkey later this week between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian officials.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, appears to support the talks.

The announcement also follows news that a U.S. Navy jet shot down an Iranian drone near an American aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, after it failed to respond to warnings.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Petro at White House » At the White House, President Trump met with Colombian President Gustavo Petro behind closed doors for nearly 2 hours.

U.S. officials say the talks focused on regional security and curbing drug trafficking.

And despite very public friction between the two leaders in recent months, both called the meeting friendly and productive.

TRUMP:  We got along very well. He and I weren't exactly the best of friends, but I wasn't insulted 'cause I never met him, I didn't know him at all, and we got along very well.

The two leaders previously traded jabs, with the Colombian president criticizing the US military operation in Venezuela, among other things. And Trump accused Petro of being a drug trafficker.

But the tone had softened in recent days. Trump told reporters ahead of the meeting that Petro appeared to be more open to cooperating following recent developments in the region.

Petro is Colombia’s first leftist president in generations. He’s set to leave office in August, with an approval rating mired below 40% in recent polls.

Ukraine latest » In Ukraine:

ZELENSKYY: [Speaking Ukrainian]

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he expects the U.S. to respond after he says Russian leader Vladimir Putin disregarded a promise he recently made to President Trump.

On Monday, Trump told reporters that he had asked Putin to pause Russia's attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure amid the current cold snap.

TRUMP: 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 Zelenskyy says not even four days into that week, Russian forces are still pounding Ukraine.

SOUND: [Zaporizhzhia attack]

Authorities say two people were killed and eight others were wounded after a Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia yesterday.

All of this comes ahead of another round of trilateral peace talks between U.S., Russian and Ukrainian officials, and the United Arab Emirates over the next couple of days.

Clintons will testify » Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee later this month in its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher has more.

BENJAMIN EICHER: Hillary Clinton is set to appear on February 26, and Bill Clinton will testify the next day. The agreement comes after House Republicans threatened a contempt of Congress vote.

Committee chairman James Comer says the testimony is aimed at understanding how Epstein gained access to powerful figures.

The closed-door sessions will be recorded and transcribed.

House Speaker Mike Johnson says contempt proceedings are now on hold.

Neither Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing, and both say they had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes at the time.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

Ron Kenoly obituary » Gospel music artist and worship leader Ron Kenoly has died at the age of 81.

His longtime music director confirmed Kenoly’s passing Tuesday.

He was best known for popular worship songs like “Ancient of Days”:

MUSIC: [Ancient of Days]

… and “Jesus Is Alive”:

MUSIC: [Jesus is Alive]

Tributes have poured in from fellow worship leaders, and listeners, who say his faithfulness inspired generations.

I'm Kent Covington.

Still ahead: Hunter Baker is standing by for Washington Wednesday. Plus, WORLD’s Janie B. Cheaney on severed family ties.

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.