Good evening. I'm Amna Nawaz. Jeff Bennett is away. On the news hour tonight, Secretary

of State Marco Rubio gives Hungary's far-right president a re-election boost just days after trying

to smooth over relations with other European allies. The Justice Department gives its reasoning for how it redacted the Epstein files.

And the partial government shutdown over Homeland Security funding drags on with no end in sight.

We speak to Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries.

We have an opportunity to make bold, transformational, and meaningful changes in the law that will actually immediately impact how ICE agents are permitted to conduct themselves. Welcome to the News Hour.

America's top diplomat traveled to Hungary today and endorsed that country's far-right prime minister who's seeking his fifth straight term in office this April.

Victor Orban has cracked down on the media, civil society, and weakened judicial independence

in Hungary.

At a news conference in Budapest, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the extraordinarily close

relationship between President Trump and Orban had tangible benefits.

President Trump is deeply committed to your success,

because your success is our success. Orban has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

And while Europe has ended or significantly reduced its reliance on Russian oil, Hungary refuses

to cut back on the oil it buys from Russia. President Trump has exempted Hungary from U.S. sanctions for those purchases.

Rubio's meeting with Orban came after the Secretary of State

addressed world leaders at the Munich Security Conference this weekend.

Coming on the heels of Trump's threats to Greenland, Rubio tried to convey a reassuring message.

We care deeply about your future and ours.

And if at times we disagree, our disagreements come from our profound sense of concern

about a Europe with which we are connected, not just economically, not just militarily, We are connected spiritually and we are connected culturally.

The fundamental question we must answer at the outset is what exactly are we defending?

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