The government is shut down again. Here’s what both sides want.

Summary

Apple News Today Podcast Summary

Episode: The government is shut down again. Here’s what both sides want.
Date: February 2, 2026
Host: Shemitah Basu

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Overview

This episode covers the partial U.S. government shutdown triggered by disagreements over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with a special focus on immigration enforcement reforms at the heart of the dispute. It also reports on a new release of Epstein-related government documents, financial challenges facing U.S. Olympic athletes, recent cultural news, and other top headlines.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Partial Government Shutdown and Immigration Negotiations

• Why the Shutdown Happened:
  The House did not reconvene in time to vote on a funding deal before the deadline, stalling the Senate's plan to extend only DHS funding.
  [00:45–01:00]
• Political Tensions & Processes:
  • Speaker Mike Johnson expressed optimism that the shutdown would end quickly after reconvening.

    “He was confident the shutdown would end soon after the House reconvenes today, and he expressed optimism about further negotiations.” — Shemitah Basu [01:04]

  • President Trump actively participated in bipartisan negotiations, a sharp contrast to past refusals to engage with Democrats.
    [01:17–01:34]
• Political Challenges:
  • GOP's slim majority makes passing anything along partisan lines difficult, heightened by issues like lawmakers' health and attendance.

    “Mike Johnson has one of the narrowest House majorities... no one is envious of his job…” — Natalie Andrews [01:51]

• What Each Side Wants:
  • Democrats:
    • More transparency and accountability for ICE agents (name tags, ban on mask-wearing, de-escalation of force, targeted enforcement).

      “Democrats want things like... ICE officers [not] to wear masks... names on their uniform... de-escalation in force... more targeted [actions].” — Natalie Andrews [03:00]

  • Republicans:
    • Warn that Democrat delays could restrict funding for essential agencies like the Coast Guard and FEMA, critical during current national emergencies (“buried in ICE and snow”).

      “...the DHS bill funds the Coast Guard and FEMA and several swaths of the country are currently buried in ICE and snow and may need FEMA fund.” — Natalie Andrews [03:45]

  • Speaker Johnson opposes certain reforms, citing agent safety concerns (e.g., risk of doxxing).
    [03:29–03:31]
• Public Response:
  • Widespread protests following fatal ICE actions in multiple cities, including Minneapolis and LA.
    [02:35–02:47]
  • The partial shutdown will continue at least until Tuesday, pending a House vote.
    [04:22–04:24]

2. Release of Epstein-Related Government Files

• New Documents:
  • Latest release included personal details implicating various high-profile individuals (Bill Gates, Steve Tisch, Bill & Hillary Clinton, Trump family).

    “Some of the most wealthy individuals, tech leaders, finance leaders, politicians, all implicated in some way having emails about wanting to go to Epstein's island knowing that Epstein was a pedophile.” — Ro Khanna [07:46]

  • No new criminal charges expected, per DOJ.

    “There's a lot of horrible photographs… but that doesn't allow us necessarily to prosecute somebody…” — Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch [05:03]

• Bill & Hillary Clinton:
  • Never-before-seen photos of Bill Clinton and Epstein, and both Clintons may face a contempt of Congress vote for not testifying.
    [06:02–06:08]
• Trump & Family:
  • Name appears in documents over 38,000 times, but no direct communication with Epstein and no charges.

    “None of which included direct communication between Trump and Epstein. Trump has denied any wrongdoing…” — Shemitah Basu [06:31]

• Criticism of DOJ:
  • Ro Khanna and victims’ representatives criticize incomplete compliance with mandatory document releases and accidental disclosure of victim names.

    “They've released at best half the documents, but even those shock the conscience of this country.” — Ro Khanna [07:46]
    “Survivors are still upset… many of their names accidentally came out without redactions…” — Ro Khanna [08:38]

3. Financial Realities for U.S. Olympic Athletes

• Lack of Government Support:
  • U.S. provides zero government funds to medalists; private grant this year from Ross Stevens ($200,000 per athlete) aims to change this.

    “The US government spends $0 to reward athletes, but this year a grant from billionaire financier Ross Stevens wants to ensure that competitors are walking away with something.” — Shemitah Basu [09:15]

  • New $100 million donation to US Olympic and Paralympic Committee — largest ever — to fund grants.
    [10:01–10:10]
• Comparisons with Other Countries:
  • US Olympic medal earnings are low vs. other nations (Gold: $37,500; compare Singapore: $744,000).

    “You'll see that the US is kind of at the bottom of that list, trailing the likes of France and Russia... Singapore leaves all nations with a payout of $744,000 for a gold medal.” — Josh Schaefer [10:47]

  • Other nations offer pensions, lifetime benefits.
  • Many athletes struggle financially; rely on side jobs, accrue debt.

    “It's a fight to get to that level.” — Chris Mazder [11:54]
    “I expected a lot more support rather than running up my credit card debt into, you know, close to 70, $80,000.” — Jonathan Cheever [12:20]

4. Other Notable Stories

• Kennedy Center Controversy:
  • President Trump, as self-appointed chairman, announces two-year closure for renovations, prompting artistic withdrawals and leadership resignations; major performances canceled.
    [12:47–13:17]
• ICE Detention & Release:
  • Minneapolis father and son released after controversial detention, with sharp judicial criticism of Trump administration policy.

    “...described the Trump administration's actions as ill conceived and incompetently implemented in pursuit of quotas, quote, even if it requires traumatizing children.” — Shemitah Basu [14:08]

• 2026 Grammy Highlights:
  • K-pop's first ever Grammy win (Demon Hunters), Olivia Dean wins Best New Artist, Spielberg completes EGOT, and Bad Bunny wins Album of the Year as first Latin artist.
    [14:12–14:58]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the difficulties Speaker Johnson faces:

  “You have one person go down with a cold and you're in a risky spot.” — Natalie Andrews (Wall Street Journal) [01:51]

• On the lack of government redactions in Epstein files:

  “Many of their names accidentally came out without redactions, and they want to make sure the rest of the files come out.” — Ro Khanna [08:38]

• On athletes' finances:

  “The thought of staying in the sport without... even pay rent is... a really serious thing that people don't know exists.” — Chris Mazder [11:54]

• ICY Judicial rebuke:

  “Described the Trump administration’s actions as ill conceived and incompetently implemented in pursuit of quotas, ‘even if it requires traumatizing children.’” — Quoting a judge [14:08]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Partial government shutdown context & Speaker Johnson's comments — 00:45–01:10
• Trump’s shifting role, bipartisan deal-making — 01:17–01:34
• House majority struggles explained — 01:51
• Democratic/Republican asks on ICE, public protests — 03:00–03:39
• Funding bill negotiation details — 03:41–04:24
• Epstein document dump & DOJ response — 05:03–06:46
• Victims’ privacy failures — 08:13–08:38
• Olympics compensation, new Stevens grant — 09:09–10:12
• Athlete side jobs & struggles — 11:54–12:25
• Kennedy Center & Grammy news — 12:47–14:58

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Language & Tone

The tone is urgent and matter-of-fact, appropriate for major political controversy, and shifts to empathetic and critical during discussions of victims and athletes. Speakers offer sharp, memorable analysis with a brisk, news-focused delivery style.

Transcript

[Shemitah Basu]

Good morning.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

The government is officially in a partial.

[Shemitah Basu]

Shutdown as Democrats push for a separate vote on funding and reforms for homeland security.

[Political Analyst]

Our intention is by Tuesday to fund all agencies of the federal government except for that one, and then we'll have two weeks of good faith negotiations to figure it out.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Another major batch of Epstein related materials.

[Shemitah Basu]

Gets released with big name drops and.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Why Olympic glory Doesn't Always mean Financial.

[Shemitah Basu]

Stability for American athletes reads It's Monday, February 2nd. I'm Shemitah Basu. This is Apple News Today, While the.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Senate came to an agreement to separate out extended funding for the Department of.

[Shemitah Basu]

Homeland Security, the House was not in session to vote before the midnight deadline on Friday, pushing the government into a partial shutdown.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

House Speaker Mike Johnson said in an.

[Shemitah Basu]

Interview with Meet the Press yesterday that.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

He was confident the shutdown would end.

[Shemitah Basu]

Soon after the House reconvenes today, and he expressed optimism about further negotiations.

[Political Analyst]

Some of these conditions and requests they've made are obviously reasonable and should happen, but others are going to require a lot more negotiation.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

President Trump was reportedly the catalyst for.

[Shemitah Basu]

The bipartisan deal making that's unfolding.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Trump reached out directly to Senate Majority.

[Shemitah Basu]

Leader Chuck Schumer, marking a stark departure from his position last year when he refused to work with Democratic leaders on averting the longest shutdown in history.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

The private outreach comes as some Republican members of Congress and strategists have voiced.

[Shemitah Basu]

Concerns about immigration enforcement becoming a liability for the party in this year's midterm elections and at a moment where House Republicans have little margin for error. As Natalie Andrews with the Wall Street.

[Natalie Andrews]

Journal explained to us, Mike Johnson has one of the narrowest House majorities in the history of the House of Representatives. No one is envious of his job and what he has to do in order to get things passed on partisan lines. And the tricky part of that is the House of Representatives is a group that is not young. They are not all healthy. You have one person go down with a cold and you're in a risky spot.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

As lawmakers negotiate over funding and ultimately.

[Shemitah Basu]

Over stipulations for ICE funding, the actions of immigration agents on the street are still at the forefronts of minds across the country.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

That's from a protest in Minneapolis on Friday.

[Shemitah Basu]

As the city still reels from the killings of Alex Preddy and Renee Good by federal immigration agents on Saturday.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Protests also took place in other cities.

[Shemitah Basu]

Like Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon and New York.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Meanwhile, much of what Democratic lawmakers are.

[Shemitah Basu]

Asking for in their negotiations could have a direct effect on the actions of immigration agents on the ground.

[Natalie Andrews]

Democrats want things like they don't want ICE officers to wear masks. They'd like ICE officers to have their name on their uniform like other members of law enforcement. Right. A local police force, if you will. They want them to be marked. They want to see a de escalation in force. Instead of doing checks on people feeling like they can ask people if they're citizens or not, they'd like to see something that's more targeted.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Speaker Johnson has already pushed back on.

[Shemitah Basu]

The idea of the ban on masking and the names on uniforms, saying that it could lead to doxxing of immigration agents.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

As Andrews pointed out to us, both.

[Shemitah Basu]

Parties are arguing that time is of the essence in getting this bill through.

[Natalie Andrews]

Republicans would say, you know, Democrats shouldn't hold this bill up because ICE is already funded and the DHS bill funds the Coast Guard and fema and several swaths of the country are currently buried in ICE and snow and may need FEMA fund. So it does give a tension point. It gives a place where you can negotiate and you can say, hey, we need this to be effective immediately and we need these restrictions on immigrations and Customs Enforcement before they can spend their money.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Yesterday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told ABC that Democrats did not agree to.

[Shemitah Basu]

Fast track the package of bills passed.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

By the Senate, which means the soonest.

[Shemitah Basu]

The partial shutdown can be resolved with a vote is Tuesday.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Over the weekend, another batch of documents.

[Shemitah Basu]

From the Epstein files were released by the federal government.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

But despite anticipation over whether the latest.

[Shemitah Basu]

Release would produce new incriminating evidence against any notable figures, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch says they likely won't lead to any new charges.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Speaking on CNN on Sunday, Blanche said.

[Shemitah Basu]

Even though some disturbing materials were included in the latest release, the administration's position hadn't changed.

[Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch]

There's a lot of horrible photographs that appear to be taken by Mr. Epstein or people around him, but that doesn't allow us necessarily to prosecute somebody. And that's what's important for the American people. And the victims want to be made whole. And so we want that. The attorney general wants that more than anything. But. But that doesn't mean we can just create evidence or that we can just kind of come up with a case that isn't there.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Some of the latest revelations in the.

[Shemitah Basu]

Latest document dump include salacious details about Bill Gates and women Epstein allegedly connected him with. Gates called the accusations absurd and completely false.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

The co owner of the New York.

[Shemitah Basu]

Giants, Steve Tisch, was also revealed to have corresponded with Epstein. Tish said it was a brief association, that he never went to Epstein's island and he regretted the connection. Neither Gates or Tish have been charged with a crime connected to Epstein.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Friday's files also included never before seen.

[Shemitah Basu]

Photos of former President Bill Clinton and Epstein together.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

The House is expected to vote this.

[Shemitah Basu]

Week on whether to hold both Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for failing to testify in the Epstein probe. The Clintons have claimed they didn't know about Epstein's crimes.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

According to the New York Times, President.

[Shemitah Basu]

Trump, his wife Melania Trump and other Trump related terms are mentioned more than 30, 38,000 times in the latest batch.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Of materials, none of which included direct.

[Shemitah Basu]

Communication between Trump and Epstein. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in connection with the deceased financier. Blanche said on CNN the DOJ did not find credible information to merit further investigation into the president.

[Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch]

So look, it's not about President Trump. It's about a ton of people, multiple, multiple, multiple people that were, quote, in the Epstein files. And what I think folks will see when they review the materials we released is that there have hundreds of calls made to the FBI where allegations are made by either anonymous individuals or people who are very quickly determined to not be credible, whether it's the nature of what they're saying or the fact they won't provide any information or corroboration. And that's part of the Epstein files.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Blanche said the DOJ's review of more.

[Shemitah Basu]

Than 6 million documents is over and.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

That the department is waiting on judicial.

[Shemitah Basu]

Approval before releasing what he described as a small number of documents that are still outstanding.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

The DOJ was compelled to release the.

[Shemitah Basu]

Documents by a law passed in Congress late last year. Ro Khanna, a House Democrat from California who co sponsored the bill, told NBC's.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Meet the Press yesterday he thinks the.

[Shemitah Basu]

Administration hasn't done enough to comply with that law.

[Ro Khanna]

They've released at best half the documents, but even those shock the conscience of this country. I mean, you have some of the most wealthy individuals, tech leaders, finance leaders, politicians, all implicated in some way having emails about wanting to go to Epstein's island knowing that Epstein was a pedophile.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Meanwhile, dozens of victims of Epstein's were.

[Shemitah Basu]

Shocked to learn the DOJ failed to redact their names. From the latest release, the Wall street journal reports 43 victims full names were included in the documents. Many had not had their identities revealed publicly or were minors when they were abused. The DOJ has since been temporarily taking down certain documents to make new redactions. Khanna said he spoke with some victims about this issue.

[Ro Khanna]

It's frankly one of the largest scandals, in my view, in our country's history, and there is a demand for elite accountability. But the survivors lawyers that I've talked to have said that the survivors are still upset. They're upset that many of their names accidentally came out without redactions, and they want to make sure the rest of the files come out.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Olympic athletes are making their way to.

[Shemitah Basu]

Milan for the Winter Games, which officially.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Kick off this week. And while Team USA has more medals.

[Shemitah Basu]

Than any other country across the Summer and Winter Games and there is a big disparity in how American athletes are compensated for their achievements on the olympic stage, the US government spends $0 to reward athletes, but this year a grant from billionaire financier Ross Stevens wants to ensure that competitors are walking away with something. Here's the Wall Street Journal's Rachel Bachman in a video posted to social media.

[Rachel Bachman]

Explaining the gift, Stevens is giving $200,000 to each U.S. olympic and Paralympic athlete. The first half will come 20 years after their first qualifying Olympic Games, or at age 45, whichever comes later. The other $100,000 will be a guaranteed benefit for their families after they die.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Stevens made a $100 million donation to.

[Shemitah Basu]

The U.S. olympic and Paralympic Committee, a record for the organization to fund these payments.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

The money will go to each athlete.

[Shemitah Basu]

Regardless of how they perform.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

To be clear, athletes on Team USA.

[Shemitah Basu]

Do receive prize money from the Olympic Committee if they meddle in their events. But the US Lags behind a lot of other nations.

[Josh Schaefer]

Each country determines how payments work for their given team, and the US Olympic Committee just doesn't spend that much money on these Olympians when they get a medal.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Josh Schaefer is a reporter for Yahoo. Finance and spoke to the network as.

[Shemitah Basu]

The last Winter Games wound down in 2022. Schaeffer said the money isn't insignificant, but the comparison to other countries can feel stark.

[Josh Schaefer]

U.S. olympians make $37,500 for a gold medal, 22,500 for a silver and $15,000 for a bronze. Obviously that's no small amount of money, but we have a list of several different countries and what they pay out for gold medals, and you'll see that the US Is kind of at the bottom of that list, trailing the likes of France and Russia that are slightly above them. And then Singapore leaves all nations with a payout of $744,000 for a gold medal.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Those figures haven't changed since the last.

[Shemitah Basu]

Winter Games and barely budged for the Summer Games in Paris in 2024.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Meanwhile, countries like Russia and China offer.

[Shemitah Basu]

Retirement stipends or pensions.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

And in South Korea, athletes have earned.

[Shemitah Basu]

Pensions since the 70s.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Most people think of big name Olympic.

[Shemitah Basu]

Athletes and assume they're doing fine, and.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

The big ones probably are if they've.

[Shemitah Basu]

Managed to score endorsement and sponsorship deals. But many Olympians struggle financially as they train without pay and try to juggle paid work. Here's what Chris Mazder, the first ever American man to medal in singles luge, told NBC News.

[Chris Mazder]

The thought of staying in the sport without being able to make anything or to be able to give back, just even pay rent is it's a really serious thing that people don't know exists. I was a bartender, work, banquets, restaurants. It's a fight to get to that level.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Jonathan Cheever, who competed in Snowboard for.

[Shemitah Basu]

Team USA in Pyeongchang in 2018, had a similar take. Here he is speaking with HBO's Real Sports.

[Josh Schaefer]

I expected a lot more support rather.

[Political Analyst]

Than running up my credit card debt.

[Josh Schaefer]

Into, you know, close to 70, $80,000.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Some Olympic events get underway midweek, but.

[Shemitah Basu]

The official opening ceremony for the Winter Games is this Friday at 2pm Eastern, 11am Pacific. And finally, a few other stories we're following.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

President Trump says the Kennedy center will.

[Shemitah Basu]

Close for two years for a renovation starting in July. Trump, who named himself chairman of the Kennedy Center's board, has seen a number of artists and performers withdraw from scheduled events, citing his takeover. Philip Glass pulled the premiere of his new symphony titled Lincoln. The Washington National Opera said it will leave after nearly 50 years and the hit musical Hamilton canceled a run scheduled for this year.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

The new head of the center's artistic.

[Shemitah Basu]

Programming also quit after less than two weeks on the job last week.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

A five year old and his father.

[Shemitah Basu]

Who were detained by immigration officers in Minneapolis last week, sparking outraged headlines nationally, have been released from an ICE facility in Texas following a judge's order. They returned to Minnesota on Sunday. The father, Adrian Conejo Arias, and son Liam, are originally from Ecuador. The government says the father entered the US Illegally. The family's lawyer says he has an asylum claim pending which allows him to stay in the U. S. The judge in his order described the Trump administration's actions as ill conceived and incompetently implemented in pursuit of quotas, quote, even if it requires traumatizing children.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

And finally, Sunday was music's biggest night, the Grammys.

[Shemitah Basu]

Among the big winners were the animated musical K pop Demon Hunters with the song golden, which took home the first ever Grammy for the huge hugely popular K pop genre.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

Olivia Dean, singer of the massive hit.

[Shemitah Basu]

Man I Need, won best New artist.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

And film director Steven Spielberg became part.

[Shemitah Basu]

Of the exclusive Egot club, meaning he has won an Emmy, an Oscar, a Tony and now a Grammy for producing the documentary music by John Williams.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

The night's two biggest prizes went to.

[Shemitah Basu]

Kendrick Lamar and SZA for their song Luther, which won the Grammy for Record of the year, and Bad Bunny won for Album of the Year for his album Debbie Terrar Mas Photos Bad Bunny is the first Latin artist ever to take home the Grammy's top award.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

You can find all these stories and.

[Shemitah Basu]

More in the Apple News app.

[Apple News Today Host/Reporter]

And if you're already listening in the.

[Shemitah Basu]

News app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. New York Magazine takes us inside what it calls the conservative campus revolution and how Charlie Kirk youth political movement was galvanized after his killing and in some ways co opted by darker forces. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.