Up First from NPR Government Shutdown Day 4, US-Iran Nuclear Talks, Guthrie Investigation
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Feb 3, 2026 
Jackie Northam, an NPR Middle East correspondent, covers renewed U.S.-Iran nuclear talks and regional diplomatic pressure. Claudia Grisales, an NPR congressional reporter, breaks down the funding deal, DHS funding pause, and House maneuvering. They discuss shutdown stakes, tough DHS bargaining points, and why Gulf states are pushing diplomacy. Short, urgent takes on three fast-moving stories.
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Shutdown Deal Hinges On House Vote
- The Senate-brokered six-bill package would fund most agencies and temporarily fund DHS for two weeks to allow talks on immigration enforcement.
- Claudia Grisales says the House faces a razor-thin margin and intense partisan pressure to accept a deal they didn't negotiate.
Make Reforms Legal, Not Just Promises
- Put key reforms into law rather than rely on verbal assurances to build durable oversight of immigration agents.
- Democrats seek explicit measures like body cameras and warrant rules to ensure enforceable accountability.
Two-Week Talks May Not Be Enough
- Two weeks of talks on DHS reforms may be insufficient to resolve deep mistrust over use-of-force and accountability rules.
- Both parties have electoral incentives to own the immigration-enforcement issue during an election year, complicating compromise.