Trump willing to meet with Democrats before shutdown deadline

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would meet with House and Senate Democratic leaders ahead of a government funding deadline but cast doubt on a deal to avoid a federal shutdown.

Trump has not met with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries or Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, both of New York, since returning to the White House on Jan. 20.

“Well, I will, I guess, but it’s almost a waste of time to meet because they never approve anything,” Trump said, responding to a question following his remarks at a Kennedy Center event.

During a lengthy answer, Trump then several times said he would meet with Jeffries and Schumer but repeated his contention that such a bipartisan session likely would not yield legislative fruit.

—CQ-Roll Call

Illinois judge rules against Ken Paxton in his effort to have Texas House Democrats arrested

Illinois law enforcement officers cannot arrest Texas House Democrats who have been staying in the northern state in protest of a congressional redistricting map, a state judge ruled Wednesday.

The ruling, handed down by judge Scott Larson of the 8th Judicial Circuit Court, said the court did not have the “inherent power” to direct law enforcement officers in the state to make the arrests on the civil warrants issued by the Texas House last week.

Larson ruled the court cannot determine whether the decision by Democrats to flee Texas earlier this month was willfully disobedient and that the warrants were limited to within Texas state lines.

“As the petitioner has failed to present a legal basis for the court to obtain subject matter jurisdiction over this cause of action, this court is without jurisdiction to grant petitioner’s emergency motion to rule on pleadings,” Larson wrote in the four-page ruling.

—The Dallas Morning News

Are sharks an ‘overwhelming problem’ in Florida? What the experts say

MIAMI — Florida anglers say sharks are snatching their catches at unprecedented rates, calling it an “overwhelming problem” and blaming a boom in Gulf shark numbers.

But scientific research paints a more complicated picture. Scientists who study sharks acknowledge that depredation — the act of fish being eaten by an underwater predator while on a fisherman’s line — is a growing concern in some areas, especially Florida. They cite several potential drivers of increased shark-human conflict, including climate change-related shifts in shark behavior and rebounding populations of some species.

But they note that changes in human behavior — such as more people fishing and heightened awareness of shark encounters through social media — may also play a role.

Now, researchers are working to learn when and why these encounters happen and how to prevent them.

—Miami Herald

Israeli military chief greenlights latest Gaza war plans

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir has approved operational plans aimed at expanding the campaign in the Gaza Strip, the military said on Wednesday, following Israel's announcement that it plans to capture Gaza City.

During a meeting attended by military officials and the Shin Bet domestic intelligence service, Zamir "approved the main framework for the IDF's operational plan in the Gaza Strip," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

"The Chief of the General Staff emphasized the importance of increasing troop readiness and preparedness for reserve recruitment, while providing time to regroup and recover ahead of the upcoming missions," it said.

The Israeli Security Cabinet under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided on Friday that the military should take over Gaza City — possibly with the aim of taking control of the entire Gaza Strip in order to eliminate the Palestinian extremist group Hamas.

—dpa