DHS Funding Negotiations, Russia Attacks Ukraine Power Grid, Nationalizing Elections

Summary of DHS Funding Negotiations, Russia Attacks Ukraine Power Grid, Nationalizing Elections

by NPR

12m•February 4, 2026
Listen to Episode

Overview of Up First (DHS Funding Negotiations, Russia Attacks Ukraine Power Grid, Nationalizing Elections)

This episode of NPR's Up First covers three major stories: Congress racing to finish Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending negotiations after a stopgap measure ended a partial government shutdown; renewed Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power infrastructure amid fragile peace talks; and President Trump’s public call for more federal control of elections and what the Constitution allows. Reporters explain the stakes, the main demands and objections, and what to watch next.

DHS funding negotiations — what’s at stake

  • Context: The House passed a short-term funding measure to keep most government offices open through September, but Congress has nine days to resolve annual appropriations for DHS or risk a DHS-only shutdown.
  • Scope: This is funding for the entire Department of Homeland Security (not just one agency), so a failure to agree could affect TSA, disaster response, border operations and other non‑immigration functions.
  • Key negotiation items Democrats are pushing:
    • Mandated use of body cameras for immigration enforcement (the current DHS appropriations bill includes $20 million for body cameras, but Democrats want a legal requirement for use and implementation timelines).
    • Requirement that arrests be supported by judicial warrants rather than internal administrative warrants (concerns about Fourth Amendment protections).
    • Ban on face coverings for officers (politically contentious — Republicans argue it risks doxxing agents).
  • Political dynamics:
    • Some bipartisan interest exists (e.g., on body cameras), but there is strong opposition from some Republican leaders (Speaker Mike Johnson mentioned).
    • Lawmakers are skeptical that robust, durable compromises can be reached in under two weeks.
  • Risk: If negotiations fail, a DHS shutdown could occur even while the rest of the government remains funded.

Russia renews attacks on Ukraine’s power grid amid peace talks

  • Situation: Peace talks resumed in Abu Dhabi; President Trump reportedly asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to pause strikes on Kyiv during negotiations. There was a brief pause, but Russian strikes resumed within days.
  • Impact: Missile and drone strikes hit a thermal power plant in Kyiv, cutting power and heat to many apartment buildings in extreme winter cold (reported overnight lows near -10°F in one passage).
  • Diplomatic progress and limits:
    • Reported progress on “security guarantees” for Ukraine — European officials reportedly willing to provide peacekeeping forces once fighting stops, with the U.S. as a backstop.
    • Major sticking points remain: Russia’s demand for territory in eastern Ukraine (transcript cites 22% of Donetsk) and Russia’s insistence that any foreign (European) troops would be legitimate targets.
  • Ukrainian response: Strong public resistance to ceding territory despite hardship; President Zelensky criticized Russia for continuing strikes and questioned the effectiveness of diplomacy when attacks continued.
  • On-the-ground color: Citizens coping with cold and outages; local voices emphasize resolve (“We won’t surrender”).

Trump’s call to “nationalize” voting — legality and reactions

  • What Trump said: He suggested Republicans should “take over the voting in at least many, 15 places” and to “nationalize the voting,” naming cities like Atlanta, Detroit and Philadelphia in his remarks.
  • Constitutional reality:
    • The Elections Clause (Article I, Section 4) gives states primary responsibility to run elections; Congress can pass laws to set national rules, but the president has no inherent authority to unilaterally take over state-run elections.
  • Examples of federal pressure and legal fights:
    • An executive order the administration issued on elections was blocked by courts.
    • The Department of Justice has requested unredacted voter lists from states (many states have not complied).
    • Federal agents recently seized ballots and equipment in Fulton County, Georgia — a development that local officials and secretaries of state (both Democratic and some Republicans) view as part of growing federal intervention.
  • Reactions:
    • State election officials — Democrats and some Republicans — have voiced concern about federal overreach and are preparing for possible interference.
    • Legal scholars and election officials warn that a federal takeover would be unlawful without new legislation and would raise constitutional and political conflicts.

Key takeaways — what to watch next

  • DHS funding: Nine-day deadline — watch negotiations over body‑camera mandates, warrant requirements, and face‑covering bans; failure could trigger a DHS shutdown affecting TSA and disaster response.
  • Ukraine: Monitor the Abu Dhabi talks for any concrete security-guarantee language, the presence/role of international peacekeepers, and continued Russian targeting of energy infrastructure.
  • Elections: Track any legislative proposals from Congress to change how federal and state election responsibilities are allocated, DOJ actions toward states’ voter data, and legal challenges to federal intervention.

Notable quotes

  • President Zelensky (as cited): “We see how Russia responds to a personal request from the president of the United States with ballistic missiles.”
  • Local Ukrainian (Volodymyr Karabenko): “We won’t surrender. We won’t give up, at least without a fight.”
  • President Trump (as cited): “The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”

Corrections / transcript discrepancies to note

The episode transcript contains some misattributions and figures that conflict with public records:

  • The transcript refers to “DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.” Kristi Noem is the governor of South Dakota; the DHS Secretary (during the recent Biden and post‑2020 period) was Alejandro Mayorkas. The show’s reporting intent appears to be about DHS leadership statements; verify the named official before quoting.
  • The transcript names Mark Rutte as NATO Secretary-General; Rutte is the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. NATO’s Secretary-General is a different official (e.g., Jens Stoltenberg during much of the 2010s–2020s). The reporting appears to describe a Dutch leader visiting Kyiv and making comments.
  • The transcript states ICE received “$75 billion” in a prior bill; that figure is likely incorrect by orders of magnitude. ICE’s typical annual budgets are in the single-digit billions; Congress did pass supplemental billions for immigration operations in some bills, but not tens of billions. Treat the $75 billion figure as an error in the transcript.

(These discrepancies are noted so readers and editors can verify specifics before republishing or quoting.)

Produced by: NPR’s Up First team — anchors and reporters include Michelle Martin, Steve Inskeep, Jimena Bustillo (immigration), Eleanor Beardsley (Ukraine), and Miles Parks (voting).