5 things to know for Feb. 13: DHS shutdown, Minnesota surge ending, Nancy Guthrie, Epstein fallout, Climate
It’s Friday the 13th — a day cloaked in superstition, when even the most rational people knock on wood just in case. Cursed or not, it has a way of making an ordinary day feel slightly ominous. If you dig deeper, though, there’s evidence that both Fridays and the number 13 have long been regarded as a harbinger of good fortune.
Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.
1️⃣ DHS shutdown
A shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security is all but certain this weekend after lawmakers left town for a planned recess with no funding deal in place. Republican congressional leaders have blamed Democrats, saying the White House made reasonable concessions after several Democratic leaders demanded changes to ICE protocols. The next steps are uncertain. With talks ongoing between the White House and Democrats, the two chambers of Congress aren’t scheduled to return to Washington for 11 days, though GOP leaders could still call members back if a deal is reached.
2️⃣ Minnesota surge ending
White House border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday that the monthslong immigration enforcement crackdown in Minnesota would be ending. “I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude,” Homan said. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey expressed “cautious relief” at the end of Operation Metro Surge, which sparked mass protests, thousands of arrests and the deaths of two US citizens. At its height, about 3,000 federal officers were deployed in what was the largest immigration enforcement operation in the country’s history.
3️⃣ Nancy Guthrie
The FBI on Thursday shared a description of a suspect in the Nancy Guthrie case and also raised the reward for information to $100,000. The person in the video is described as a 5’9” to 5’10” man with an average build wearing a black, 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack. “We hope this updated description will help concentrate the public tips we are receiving,” the FBI’s Phoenix office said. Investigators have also recovered multiple gloves, though it’s unclear whether they were worn by the suspect. People living near Guthrie’s home have been asked to submit any footage from doorbell cameras of cars and people from about a month before the 84-year-old went missing.
4️⃣ Epstein fallout
Kathy Ruemmler, the chief legal officer at Goldman Sachs, said late Thursday that she is resigning amid fallout from the Justice Department’s release of millions of pages of Jeffrey Epstein documents. Her announcement comes in the middle of recent scrutiny of her relationship with the disgraced financier, which she maintains was professional. Separately, powerhouse talent agent Casey Wasserman is facing a revolt after appearing in the Epstein files for both riding on the late convicted sex offender’s plane and exchanging suggestive messages with Epstein’s former girlfriend and convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Though not accused of wrongdoing, there have been calls from clients and colleagues for him to step aside.
5️⃣ Climate
The Trump administration delivered a major blow to longstanding US climate policy on Thursday, finalizing rules that revoke the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate climate pollution. First issued in 2009, the endangerment finding determined that six greenhouse gases could be categorized as dangerous to human health under the Clean Air Act. It has underpinned the EPA’s authority to limit planet-warming pollution from the oil and gas industry, power plants and vehicles since the Obama administration and is considered the federal government’s most powerful tool to tackle climate pollution and the country’s contribution to the global crisis. President Trump, when repealing the policy, called it “disastrous” and a “giant scam.”
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Quiz time
How well do you remember the week’s news? Put your memory to the test.
The FAA announced an unprecedented airspace shutdown this week over which Texas city?
A. Austin
B. Dallas
C. Houston
D. El Paso
Weather
🌤️ Check your local forecast to see what you can expect.
And finally…
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Today’s edition of 5 Things AM was edited and produced by CNN’s Andrew Torgan.