DHS Shutdown, Ukraine Peace Talks, Olympics Stars Stumble

Summary

Up First from NPR

Episode: DHS Shutdown, Ukraine Peace Talks, Olympics Stars Stumble
Date: February 16, 2026
Hosts: Steve Inskeep, Layla Fadell
Duration: ~10 minutes

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Episode Overview

This episode focuses on three major news stories:

• The latest partial government shutdown in the US, affecting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• Renewed peace talks among the US, Russia, and Ukraine in Geneva
• Notable successes and surprises from the Winter Olympics, including American stars stumbling and historic wins by athletes from other countries

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. DHS Shutdown and Congressional Gridlock

• Situation:
  Funding for DHS lapsed, marking the third partial shutdown in three months. Congress left for recess without reaching a deal.
• Impact:
  Core security functions (e.g., airport security, ICE, TSA) continue, but the shutdown signals a recurring legislative failure.
• Analysis (02:11–05:39):
  • Congressional reporter Sam Greenglass describes a pattern where major political crises (“the crisis cycle”) catch national attention, but quick, decisive action rarely follows.
  • Lawmakers blame each other for missed deadlines—pointing to both legislative inaction and a lack of political will to compromise.
  • Efforts to address underlying issues, like health subsidies and immigration reform, often break down due to partisan differences and a political culture that disincentivizes consensus.
  • Former Senator Heidi Heitkamp notes the decline in willingness to reward compromise from both party bases (04:21).
  • Senator Tim Kaine highlights that on issues like healthcare and immigration, the parties are "in fundamentally very, very different places" (04:33).
  • The immediate, pragmatic impacts of the shutdown are muted (funds still available for now), but prolonged gridlock could eventually be felt by the public.

Notable Moment:

“Shouldn't we be here trying to figure out how to solve problems rather than trying to figure out how to score political points for the purposes of the next election?”
— Unnamed Lawmaker/Interviewer (03:14)

2. Ukraine Peace Talks in Geneva

• Context:
  As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine nears its four-year mark, diplomatic negotiations continue in Geneva with US, Russian, and Ukrainian officials present.
• Participants:
  US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner (chosen by President Trump); Secretary of State Marco Rubio voices caution.
• Analysis (05:47–09:21):
  • Rubio expresses uncertainty about Russian intentions:

    “We don’t know the Russians are serious about ending the war they say they are and under what terms... But we’re going to continue to test it.”
    — Secretary of State Marco Rubio (06:35)

  • Charles Mains (NPR, Moscow) explains Russia’s dual messaging: professing to prefer diplomacy while signaling an inevitable victory without concessions.
  • Russia is offering the carrot of future investment and business opportunities to entice the US into a deal but demands Ukrainian territorial concessions—including territory not under their control.
  • Ukraine, represented by President Volodymyr Zelensky, resists making concessions and seeks “ironclad security guarantees” to prevent future attacks.
  • European nations’ findings on Alexei Navalny’s death (presence of toxin epibetidine) support claims he was murdered, contradicting official Russian statements.

Notable Moment:

“The Americans often return to the topic of concessions, and too often those concessions are discussed in the context only of Ukraine, not Russia.”
— President Volodymyr Zelensky (08:23, paraphrased by Charles Mains)

3. Winter Olympics: Triumphs, Surprises, and Setbacks

• Highlights:
  • US speed skater Jordan Stoltz wins his second gold medal at Milan Cortina Games, setting two Olympic records.
  • Disappointments for US stars:
    • Erin Jackson, former 500m gold medalist, finishes fifth.
    • Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin again falls short of a medal; this is her eighth straight Olympic event without medaling.
• Performance Under Pressure (09:34–12:28):
  • The phenomenon of “the yips” or “twisties,” where psychological pressure leads to performance blocks, is explored.
  • Dr. C. Gupta, a sports psychologist, speaks about acute Olympic stress and how even well-prepared athletes can struggle.
  • There is hope: history shows that athletes often bounce back after setbacks—Nathan Chen and Simone Biles are cited as examples.

Notable Moment:

“In most sports, it’s about a 10 minute period every four years. That’s when you’re actually competing in the finals for the medals. Right. This is what we characterize as an acute and immediate stress environment.”
— Dr. C. Gupta, University of Portsmouth (11:49)

• International Moments:
  • Italy’s Federica Brinognier wins two golds after a severe leg injury.
  • Norway’s Johannes Klæbo achieves his ninth Olympic gold in cross-country skiing, setting a Winter Games record.
  • Brazil earns its first Winter Olympic medal through Lucas Pinero Broughton in men’s giant slalom—a milestone for South America.

Notable Moment:

“Layla, it turns out this is the first Winter Olympic medal ever for an athlete from South America.”
— Brian Mann (13:13)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------------|--------------| | DHS Shutdown & Political Stalemate | 02:07–05:39 | | Ukraine Peace Talks / Navalny Investigation | 05:47–09:21 | | Olympics Recap, Athlete Pressure, Global Triumphs| 09:34–13:19 |

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Memorable Quotes

• On Congressional Dysfunction:

  “The base on both sides, their willingness to reward compromise is greatly diminished.”
  — Heidi Heitkamp (04:21)

• On Negotiating Peace:

  “We don’t know the Russians are serious about ending the war.”
  — Secretary of State Marco Rubio (06:35)

• On Olympic Pressure:

  “Yips, twisties. These are actually very highly studied. So the technical term of that is performance failure or performance blocks.”
  — Dr. C. Gupta (11:21)

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Tone

The episode maintains NPR's signature tone: measured, analytical, informative, and anchored in direct reporting from correspondents and expert voices. The dialogue is respectful, with emphasis on providing context and parsing complex issues for listeners starting their day.

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Summary

In this episode, NPR’s Up First explores three major stories: persistent US congressional dysfunction leading to another partial government shutdown and what that means; the difficult, ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine and the continued uncertainty about Russia’s intentions; and dramatic moments from the Winter Olympics, both disappointing and historic, including American athletes’ struggles with pressure and record-setting wins for other countries. Through interviews and expert analysis, the episode offers a concise yet comprehensive briefing on these top news items.

Transcript

[Steve Inskeep]

Another day, another missed deadline. Funding ran out for the Department of Homeland Security, and Congress went home.

[Layla Fadell]

The lapse points to a consistent failure by lawmakers to do their job on time. What's going wrong?

[Steve Inskeep]

I'm Steve Inskeep with Layla Fadell, and this is up first from NPR News.

[Layla Fadell]

Diplomats from the U.S. russia and Ukraine meet in Geneva Tuesday for a new round of peace talks. Here's how Secretary of State Marco Rubio framed the problem.

[Marco Rubio]

We don't know Russians are serious about ending the war.

[Layla Fadell]

Many analysts think Russia is not serious. So where is the negotiation going?

[Steve Inskeep]

Also, why did some of the world's best athletes stumble at the Olympics? Speed skater Jordan Stoles won gold, but other Team USA stars didn't get the results they were hoping for. Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day.

[Joanna Strober]

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[Layla Fadell]

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Midi Health committed to helping women in midlife with perimenopause and menopause care accessible via telehealth [e-mail] this message comes from Schwab.

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Everyone has moments when they could have done better, like cutting their own hair or forgetting sunscreen. So now you look like a tomato. Same goes for where you invest. Level up and invest smarter with Schwab. Get market insights, education and human help when you need it. Learn [e-mail] this message comes from Capital One. With the Capital One Saver card, earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining and entertainment. Capital One what's in your wallet? Terms apply [e-mail] the third partial shutdown.

[Steve Inskeep]

Of the US government in three months is having less obvious effects than the others.

[Layla Fadell]

Funding ran out for the Department of Homeland Security, though key employees like airport security remain on the job. Rather than immediate chaos, the funding lapse points to a larger issue, the consistent failure by Congress to do its job on time. The missed deadline does make it harder for the government to think ahead, and it's become routine.

[Steve Inskeep]

NPR congressional reporter Sam Greenglass was listening to lawmakers as they didn't work things out over the past several days. Sam, good morning.

[Sam Greenglass]

Hey, Steve.

[Steve Inskeep]

Why does this keep happening?

[Sam Greenglass]

Yeah, so this latest effort seems to be following, I guess a familiar Cycle, a crisis captures national attention, in this case the deadly shootings of two U.S. citizens by immigration agents in Minneapol recently. Health subsidies expiring and spiking premiums. A number of Democrats and Republicans suggest that they will respond. Like when Republican Senator Bernie Moreno said last month that a bipartisan deal to save the subsidies was in the red zone only for talks to fizzle, leaving both sides pointing fingers.

[Unnamed Lawmaker/Interviewer]

Shouldn't we be here trying to figure.

[Steve Inskeep]

Out how to solve problems rather than trying to figure out how to score.

[Unnamed Lawmaker/Interviewer]

Political points for the purposes of the next election?

[Steve Inskeep]

Well, is that a fair assessment that Congress can't get anything done?

[Sam Greenglass]

Yeah. Some lawmakers would push back, like Republican Senator Susan Collins. I asked her why bipartisan talks seem to keep crumbling, and she rejected that idea, pointing to all the spending bills that Congress has agreed to.

[Unnamed Lawmaker/Interviewer]

I don't know how you could possibly describe that as crumbling.

[Sam Greenglass]

That's Congress reasserting its power of the purse.

[Steve Inskeep]

Okay, that's an interesting argument. Congress has been very, very obedient over the last year, and she's saying actually no. Now we're pushing back and funding things the way we want to. But why is it difficult for Congress to act on these hot button issues that get a lot of public interest?

[Sam Greenglass]

I put that question to former Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp, and she told me that once the shock of a crisis wears off, lawmakers go back to their corners. And while bipartisan deals have always been delicate, many lawmakers today see less incentive as politics.

[Layla Fadell]

The base on both sides, their willingness to reward compromise is greatly diminished.

[Sam Greenglass]

And Democratic Senator Tim Kaine says that on some issues, finding consensus is just really hard.

[Schwab/Capital One Sponsor Voice]

On health care, on immigration, the parties are in fundamentally very, very different places.

[Steve Inskeep]

Okay, so let's circle back to this DHS shutdown, the partial shutdown, any progress toward an agreement?

[Sam Greenglass]

Over the weekend, the White House and Democrats have been trading offers. But Democrats have described Republican proposals so far as insufficient. And Republicans are calling Democrats demands unreasonable, like requiring judicial warrants for some enforcement operations. And judging by how fast lawmakers left DC Last Thursday for a week long recess, the two sides are still far apart.

[Steve Inskeep]

Could this shutdown last long enough that we could feel some effects?

[Sam Greenglass]

Members have been told to be ready to come back this week if there's a deal. Meanwhile, immigration enforcement will continue. Congress already gave ICE billions of dollars last year. Disaster response has money to work with for a while, and TSA agents won't miss a paycheck for a few weeks. So most Americans may not notice this shutdown Unless it drags on.

[Steve Inskeep]

Okay, we'll see what happens in days to come. Npr, Sam Greenglass, thanks so much.

[Sam Greenglass]

You're welcome.

[Steve Inskeep]

Russian, Ukrainian and American officials meet in Geneva, Switzerland tomorrow for another round of negotiations focused on the war in Ukraine.

[Layla Fadell]

Yeah, the talks come as the Russian full scale invasion nears its four year mark.

[Steve Inskeep]

Hard to believe it's been four years. NPR's Charles Mains has been covering it all. He's on the line from Moscow. Hey there, Charles.

[Charles Mains]

Morning.

[Steve Inskeep]

Is there anything about these talks that would suggest they would turn out any differently than all the other talks?

[Charles Mains]

Well, you know, President Trump's preferred negotiators for seemingly everything these days. That's White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son in law Jared Kushner. They're representing the US and they've been rather upbeat about the prospect for a deal. But in remarks at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was far more cautious, particularly when it came to Russia.

[Marco Rubio]

The answer is we don't know. We don't know the Russians are serious about ending the war they say they are and under what terms they were willing to do it and whether we can find terms that are acceptable to Ukraine upon that Russia will always agree to. But we're going to continue to test it.

[Steve Inskeep]

Testing what the Russian position is. Is it clear to you what the Russian position is as you listen to people there in Moscow?

[Charles Mains]

Well, the Kremlin's line here is it prefers diplomacy to conflict, but that Russian victory is also inevitable. So give us what we want or we'll take it by force. But I think we have to be clear that this is part of the Russian strategy in its negotiations with the White House to try and convince the US that Ukraine's cause is hopeless. Moreover, the Kremlin is suggesting that once this war is settled, the US And Russia can get back to business with massive investment opportunities. And White House negotiator Steve Witkoff in particular has made clear he sees business and profits as key to bridging differences between a post war Russia and Ukraine.

[Steve Inskeep]

Oh, that's really interesting. So the Russians are saying if you just go along with us, there's money to be made. The Americans are interested in making the money, but they still don't even have a deal. So what are the key hangups here?

[Charles Mains]

Yeah, US Efforts have really bogged down on the issue of territorial concessions and security agreements. Russia is demanding Ukraine cede territory, including parts claimed but not occupied by Russian forces. Ukraine argues why should we give up territory that Russia's been unable to take in four years, or if for some reason they were to agree to that, then they certainly want ironclad security guarantees from the west and from the US in particular, some assurance that Russia simply won't come back and attack again. But speaking to Munich over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made it clear he's under pressure from the White House to sign onto a deal. The Americans often return to the topic of concessions, and too often those concessions.

[Dr. C. Gupta]

Are discussed in the context only of Ukraine, not Russia.

[Steve Inskeep]

Okay, so that's Zelensky's view of this, that only he is being forced to concede and still not getting to a deal. I want to ask about another bit of news on this. European nations had an announcement over the weekend about Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader.

[Unnamed Lawmaker/Interviewer]

What?

[Steve Inskeep]

What did you hear?

[Unnamed Lawmaker/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Charles Mains]

Today marks two years to the day, in fact, since Navalny died in a remote prison in Russia's Arctic. Now, several European countries, including the U.K. france and Germany, say analyses of Navalny's remains that were smuggled out of Russia conclusively confirmed the presence of epibetidine. This is a toxin found in poisonous dart frogs in South America. They're not native to Russia. The US Says it doesn't dispute those findings. Russian officials, however, continue to Navalny died from natural causes. But these European findings would appear to support what Navalny's family and his supporters have certainly always maintained that he was murdered.

[Steve Inskeep]

NPR's Charles Mains is in Moscow. Thanks, as always, for your insights. Really appreciate it.

[Charles Mains]

Thank you, Steve.

[Layla Fadell]

US Speed skater Jordan Stoles won his second gold medal over the weekend at the Milan Cortina Games.

[Steve Inskeep]

There were also some super high profile stumbles. US Alpine skier Michaela Shiffrin again fell short of a medal.

[Layla Fadell]

NPR's Brian Mann is in Cortina d', Ampezzo, Italy, this morning. Hi, Brian.

[Unnamed Lawmaker/Interviewer]

Hi, Layla.

[Layla Fadell]

Was Jordan Stoltz expected to be this strong?

[Unnamed Lawmaker/Interviewer]

You know, he came into these games with high expectations, but Stoltz is having an amazing run in Milan. He set two Olympic records here, including this 500 meter race Saturday. He's the first male speed skater to win the 500,000 meter races in one game since. But not such a strong outing over the weekend for US speed skater Erin Jackson. She won gold in the 500 meter four years ago, but finished fifth yesterday. And as mentioned, Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin also finished well behind the front runner Sunday. This was her eighth straight Olympic event dating back to the Beijing Games where she's failed to medal. She spoke with reporters afterwards. She said she feels really hopeful going into her last race here on Wednesday, the slalom. It's her best chance to break this Olympic losing streak.

[Layla Fadell]

Now, Brian Schifferd and Jackson are not alone. A bunch of athletes who are expected to boost the US Medal count are going home disappointed. And you've been looking at the science behind this. What have you learned?

[Unnamed Lawmaker/Interviewer]

Yeah, you know, the brain is a wonderful thing, but scientists I've been talking to say sometimes it gets in the way of elite athletes. After he fell repeatedly in his figure skating program Friday, Ilya Malinin talked about the pressure of the Olympics. He told reporters all his preparation kind of unraveled. Dr. C. Gupta is a sports performance psychologist researcher at the University of Portsmouth in England. He's an expert on this phenomenon. It's known as the yips or the twisties.

[Dr. C. Gupta]

You know, yips, twisties. These are actually very highly studied. So the technical term of that is performance failure or performance blocks.

[Unnamed Lawmaker/Interviewer]

Gupta says athletes train for this pressure. They work with therapists. They have all kinds of tricks for quieting the brain and letting their deep muscle training take over everything from meditation to listening to loud music to dancing. But the unique pressure that happens at the Olympics sometimes overwhelms all that preparation.

[Dr. C. Gupta]

In most sports, it's about a 10 minute period every four years. That's when you're actually competing in the finals for the medals. Right. This is what we characterize as an acute and immediate stress environment.

[Unnamed Lawmaker/Interviewer]

But Leila, there is one hopeful thing here. Experts tell me athletes who fall apart at one Olympics often learn from it. They come back stronger. You'll remember the figure skater Nathan Chen fell apart at the Winter Olympics in South Korea, then triumphed four years later. The gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from competition at the Tokyo Games, then in Paris won three gold and a silver. So a painful experience for these athletes, but not always the end of the story.

[Layla Fadell]

Now, some other countries have seen history making moments from their top athletes. Who are you watching?

[Unnamed Lawmaker/Interviewer]

Yeah, big weekend. Let's start with the hometown favorites. Italy. Such a great story. Alpine skier Federica Brinognier shattered her leg in a crash less than a year ago. She's come back to win two gold medals so far. Here in Cortina, she won the giant slalom yesterday. And then there's Norway, where cross country skier Johannes Klebo made history over the weekend. He's won four gold medals so far. Here he has nine gold on his career. That's the most of any Winter Olympian. And he could add two more golds before this event wraps up. And I want to mention one other history making moment here over the weekend. Lucas Pinero, Broughton, one gold standard skiing for Brazil in men's giant slalom. And Layla, it turns out this is the first Winter Olympic medal ever for an athlete from South America.

[Layla Fadell]

Amazing. Okay. NPR's Brian Mann and Cortina this morning. Thank you, Brian.

[Sam Greenglass]

Thank you.

[Steve Inskeep]

And that's up first for this Monday, February 16th. I'm Steve Inskeep.

[Layla Fadell]

And I'm Layla Falden. For more Olympics coverage, check out Up First Winter Games, a new video podcast from NPR. New episodes drop throughout the games every afternoon at YouTube.com NPR you get to.

[Steve Inskeep]

See the NPR voices that you normally hear. Today's up first was edited by Jason Breslow, Kate Bartlett, Tina Kraia, Eric Whitney, Mohamed El Bardisi and Adam Birne. It was produced by Ziad Bach and Nia Dumas. Our director is Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Hyness. And our technical director is Simon Laszlo Jansen. Join us again tomorrow.

[Joanna Strober]

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