Checking in on DHS. Uncertainty continues to reign at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as the agency remains shuttered and unable to fund operations after Congress failed to pass funding legislation by the most recent deadline of February 13, 2026. News outlets are reporting long security lines at multiple airports in the United States, as some Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents—who are DHS employees required to serve the public, even when their pay is delayed or held in abeyance—miss work due to frustration or pursuit of other means to pay their bills. Airport lines are likely to worsen as TSA agents missed their first paychecks this week and travel volume continued to increase around schools’ spring breaks. Multiple votes on funding bills failed in the U.S. Senate this week, and the sides do not appear close to reaching a deal.
Second, the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has scheduled a March 18, 2026, hearing on the nomination of Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) to be secretary of homeland security. The hearing will occur less than two weeks after President Donald Trump announced Senator Mullin’s nomination. The sometimes arduous and lengthy nomination process clearly moves much more quickly when the Senate is confirming...
New York | The JPMorgan banker named in a graphic sexual harassment suit that went viral last month hit back at her accuser with a defamation counterclaim, calling his allegations “entirely false” ...