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The Fox News Rundown

Immigration Battle Triggers Another Shutdown, Shakes Up Midterms

The Fox News Rundown

FOX News Podcasts

News, Daily News, Politics

3.4 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 16 February 2026

⏱️ 31 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Department of Homeland Security has entered a partial government shutdown, after a two-week funding extension expired without a bipartisan agreement on immigration reforms. While core agencies like ICE and CBP remain operational due to existing funding streams, the lapse forces roughly 95% of TSA agents and thousands of FEMA employees to work without pay, echoing the financial strain of a previous 43-day shutdown. Republican candidate for the North Carolina Senate and former RNC Chairman Michael Whatley joins the Rundown to discuss yet another political standoff and how it ties into his bid to replace retiring Senator Thom Tillis. As the nation marks the federal holiday for Washington’s birthday, 'The White House', a new FOX Nation series, explores the executive mansion's early years, highlighting the political power plays, personal scandals, and the high-stakes compromise that shaped the nation’s capital. Historian and CEO of the American Philosophical Society, Dr. Patrick Spero, who is featured in the series, joins to discuss the complex lives of the Founding Fathers, the influential role of Dolley Madison in shaping the building’s social identity, and how the "People's House" has constantly evolved to meet the needs of a growing country. Plus, commentary by Paul Batura, vice president of communications at Focus on the Family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:58.9

I'm Ben Dominic. I'm Madison Allworth. I'm Stuart Varnie, and this is the Fox News Rundown.

1:07.2

Monday, February 16th, 2026, I'm Mike Emanuel.

1:11.0

In battleground, North Carolina, the Senate race to replace retiring Republican Senator Tom Tillis is red hot.

1:19.0

The expected matchup, Democrat Roy Cooper, who is a former governor, facing a former chairman of the Republican National Committee who weighed in on the new partial

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