DHS Deadline, North Korea's Successor, and Secret Keeping

 Need To Know 

DHS Funding Deadline

Congress faces a midnight deadline to keep the Department of Homeland Security funded, with lawmakers still at odds over immigration enforcement and agency reforms as of this writing.

Democrats are seeking tighter limits and oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, citing recent operations and fatal encounters in Minneapolis. They want stronger accountability measures and new constraints on certain enforcement tactics. Republicans say they are open to some changes but argue that many Democratic proposals would put agents at risk and that Democrats are exploiting the funding deadline to push broader immigration policy shifts. Most of the federal government is funded through September, but DHS has been operating under a short-term patch that expires today. ICE would likely continue operations even during a DHS shutdown. See affected agencies here.

Separately, the Trump administration said it is ending its large-scale immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis, returning to a smaller presence in the area.

'Endangerment' Ruling Repealed

The Environmental Protection Agency repealed its 2009 finding yesterday that greenhouse gases threaten human life and well-being. The so-called "endangerment" finding formed the basis for the agency’s case to regulate emissions from vehicles, the oil and gas industry, and power plants.

In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled greenhouse gases are air pollutants and called on the EPA to determine whether they pose a public health threat. In response, the EPA found carbon dioxide, methane, and four other greenhouse gases met the criteria to be considered dangerous to humans under the 1970 Clean Air Act (read the finding). 

In yesterday’s decision, the Trump administration claimed the Clean Air Act only covers pollution directly causing harm to humans and only where damage is near the site of pollution. Democratic governors said they would challenge the repeal, setting up legal battles expected to reach the Supreme Court.

Learn about greenhouse gases here.

North Korea's Next Leader

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, 42, plans to designate his teenage daughter as his successor, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers yesterday. 

Kim’s daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and about 13 years old, made her public debut at a missile test in November 2022. Speculation about her political future mounted after she joined her parents on a New Year’s Day visit to a site with the bodies of her late grandfather and great-grandfather—North Korea’s first and second leaders. South Korea previously said it was unlikely Kim Ju Ae would succeed her father, given North Korea’s patriarchal society. She reportedly has an older brother and a younger sibling whose gender is unknown. 

Kim is expected to outline policy goals at a party conference this month—the first since 2021. North Korea's economy reportedly grew 3.7% in 2024—its fastest pace in eight years—driven largely by expanded trade with China and arms exports to Russia.

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych is barred from Olympic race after defying International Olympic Committee by wearing a helmet honoring athletes and coaches killed since Russia invaded Ukraine four years ago (More) 

> US men's hockey beats Latvia 5-1 in preliminary Olympic game; rival Canada beats Czechia 5-0 (More) | US snowboarder Chloe Kim falls short of third straight gold in Olympic women's halfpipe, wins silver (More)

> GoFundMe for family of "Dawson's Creek" star James Van Der Beek surpasses $1.3M within 24 hours of his death from colorectal cancer; treatment costs reportedly left his wife and six children in significant financial strain (More) 

Science & Technology

> NASA and SpaceX eye launch of two American astronauts, one French astronaut, and one Russian cosmonaut to International Space Station today (More, w/live updates) 

> Researchers uncover immune response behind rare blood-clotting side effect of some adenovirus-based COVID-19 vaccines, paving way for future vaccines that avoid the reaction (More) 

> Elephant whiskers have unusual material properties that enable them to feel objects and recognize where contact is made, compensating for their thick skin and poor eyesight; discovery could inform robot-assisted sensor technologies (More) 

Business & Markets

> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -1.6%, Dow -1.3%, Nasdaq -2.0%); tech stocks sink over AI disruption concerns (More) | Cisco shares close down 12%, the largest drop in four years, as rising memory costs put pressure on margins (More) 

> US existing home sales fell 8.4% month over month in January, the biggest monthly decline since February 2022; median home price of $396,800 is up 0.9% from a year ago (More) 

> Anthropic closes $30B funding round, valuing the maker of the Claude AI system at $380B (More) 

Politics & World Affairs

> US antitrust chief Gail Slater leaves Justice Department post; Slater had been reviewing Netflix-Warner Bros. merger, among others (More) 

> South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says he will deploy army to combat gang violence and illegal mining (More) 

> Switzerland will vote in June on referendum to cap the country's population, currently 9.1 million people, at 10 million (More) 

In-Depth

> Science of Secret Keeping

Hidden Brain | Staff. We all have doubts, concerns, and vices. Some we share, but many we keep to ourselves. Harvard psychologist Leslie John explains what scientific evidence tells us about when to conceal our feelings and when to share them. (Part 1 | Part 2) 

> The First Winter Games Without Forever Chemicals

Grist | Joseph Winters and Tik Root. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation has banned the use of speed-enhancing wax containing PFAS. How are Olympic skiers and snowboarders adjusting? (Read) 

> Disney's Almost Terrible Decision

SFGATE | Julie Tremaine. In 25 years, Disney California Adventure transformed from the widely loathed "antithesis of what Walt wanted to create with Disneyland" into the 11th-most-visited park in the world. (Read) 

> Rise and Fall of the Ice King's Empire

Veritasium | Staff. American businessman Frederic Tudor made a fortune shipping ice from ponds in New England to the Caribbean and the West Indies. Then, human-made ice and refrigeration came along. (Watch) 

The history of Galentine's Day.

... and of Friday the 13th.

Save the date for a Feb. 28 planetary parade.

Does attraction change over the course of a menstrual cycle?

Krispy Kreme is offering some customers free doughnuts today.

New Hampshire ranks first among states in which to retire for your health.

The story behind Kate Bush's debut hit "Wuthering Heights."

The TV shows targeting pets.

Clickbait: Divorce rings for when diamonds aren't forever.

Historybook: Galileo arrives in Rome to face charges of heresy (1633); Chuck Yeager, first pilot to break sound barrier, born (1923); Talk show host and politician Jerry Springer born (1944); Nashville sit-ins begin (1960); French opera singer Lily Pons dies (1976).