The dizzying pace of White House actions
Elon Musk’s DOGE team is ramping up its efforts to reshape the federal government, taking aim at the Department of Education.
Members of the Department of Government Efficiency now have administrator-level status in the department’s email system, allowing them to potentially access sensitive information.
DOGE’s access to sensitive payment systems at the Treasury Department, however, was temporarily blocked by a federal judge after 19 state attorneys general sued the federal government, alleging Musk and his staffer had no authority to access data that includes Americans’ confidential financial information.
Meanwhile, staffers at the Environmental Protection Agency had to contend with dramatic shake–ups, and its online mapping tool used to help policymakers make decisions in support of environmental justice was taken down.
The stack of executive orders gushing from the White House spans so many fronts that disoriented Democrats appear unsure how to fight back. Trump signed more executive orders in 10 days than any of his recent predecessors did in their first 100, leaving his opponents questioning which countermoves to make. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., told “Meet the Press” he’s open to shutting down the government if the White House continues reshaping federal agencies and programs.
Chiefs and Eagles face off in the Super Bowl
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles face off tonight in New Orleans in Super Bowl 59.
The Chiefs will attempt to become the first team to win three Super Bowls in a row, a feat that would cement their status as one of the greatest dynasties in NFL history. But the Eagles have MVP finalist Saquon Barkley and a top-ranked defense in their corner. NBC News polled current and former players (as well as some celebrities) on who they think will win the big game.
Kendrick Lamar will perform this year’s halftime show, just one week after the rapper won five Grammy Awards for “Not Like Us.” Jesse Collins, the executive producer of the show, told NBC News, “The creative concept is really something brilliant, spectacular and special. In all of our years of doing this — and I think every show that we’ve done has been amazing — but I have never seen an artist take this creative approach to it.”
There has already been a lot of buzz around the commercials, including a “When Harry Met Sally” reunion for Hellmann’s and a Gordon Ramsay-Pete Davidson team-up for HexClad Cookware.
The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
You can follow NBC News’ live coverage here.
Winter storms coat the northern U.S. in snow
Ninety-four million people across the northern U.S. were under winter weather alerts over the weekend, as a fast-moving storm threatened to close roads and create dangerous, icy conditions from the Dakotas to Maine.
By Sunday afternoon, forecasters expected the system to have moved off the terrestrial map and over the Atlantic, but they warned power outages, downed tree branches and icy roads could remain from New York to Boston.
Two more storm systems are expected to hit the northern United States in the coming week, just as the prior storm across the Northeast begins to slow down.
The first system will start from the Plains on Monday, creating snow in the north and heavy rains in the south.
Hostages reunite with families
Five Thai nationals who were held hostage by Hamas arrived home after being freed as part of the hostage-prisoner exchange deal struck with Israel last month.
The five men, who were agricultural workers employed in Israel when Hamas took them captive 15 months ago, had emotional reunions with family members as they arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok before continuing on to their hometowns.
There were cheers and applause as crowds greeted Watchara Sriaoun, 33, on his return to his home village of Thali in the northeastern province of Udon Thani.
“I don’t know how to describe it,” Watchara said. “It’s like being reborn.”
Three more Israeli hostages were released by Hamas on Saturday, and Israel freed more Palestinian prisoners from the Ofer military prison. Israeli forces on Sunday began withdrawing from a key northern Gaza corridor as part of the ceasefire agreement.
‘Meet the Press’
National security adviser Mike Waltz told “Meet the Press” that he doesn’t think President Donald Trump has “any plans to invade Canada,” following multiple reports that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a closed-door meeting of business leaders last week that the Trump administration “keep[s] talking about absorbing us and making us the 51st state.”
“Really, what you’re seeing is a reassertion of American leadership in the Western Hemisphere, from the Arctic all the way down to the Panama Canal,” Waltz said.
Waltz also addressed funding for USAID, saying its mission is not “in line with strategic interests or the president’s vision.” Waltz denied that the U.S. pulling back on humanitarian aid abroad would cede control to China and Russia on the world stage.
When asked by “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker about the aggressive cuts made to certain federal agencies, Waltz suggested that there are additional budget cuts he plans to make to agencies like the Department of Defense.
“Everything there seems to cost too much, take too long and deliver too little to the soldiers,” Waltz said.
You can watch the full interview here.
Politics in brief
USAID freeze: Aid agencies are sounding the alarm about how Trump’s mission to upend the U.S. Agency for International Development risks “deadly consequences” in Gaza. The funding pause could also have particularly devastating effects for women and girls around the world.
CFPB crackdown: Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, the acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, issued directives Saturday night that effectively slowed a large portion of the bureau’s activity to a standstill.
Book bans: Poet Amanda Gorman opened up to “Meet the Press” about her reaction to a Florida school banning the poem she read at President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Democrats’ future: Governors of states like Pennsylvania, Maryland and Wisconsin are signaling they’re ready to take on Trump, even if they’re not always saying so explicitly.
Virginia culture wars: Republicans are retooling their “parents’ rights” campaign in Virginia in a bid to hold on to the governor’s office in the blue-leaning state.
In case you missed it
- A math whiz from Germany went from making more than a half million dollars at a New York trading firm to being shot dead in a shootout with U.S. Border Patrol agents after joining a cultlike group.
- One month after the devastating L.A. wildfires, the public and California’s government are reckoning with problems in their approach that failed some of the area’s the most vulnerable.
- All of the major pieces of wreckage from the collision between a helicopter and a passenger plane have been cleared from the Potomac River, officials said.
- All 10 people aboard a small plane that went missing and was later discovered crashed in Alaska have been confirmed dead.
- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered a temporary closure of poultry markets after bird flu was detected in the New York City area.
- A U.S. Postal Service supervisor pleaded guilty to federal charges after stealing more than $300,000 worth of checks, collectibles and other goods.
- Five planets in our solar system will be visible to the naked eye all February long — with two others detectable for those with special equipment.
