Airport travel chaos continues as DHS funding freeze becomes longest partial shutdown in history – US politics live

Trump has ordered pay be restored to TSA employees but it is unclear where money will come from and whether he has such legal powers Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. Airports continue to warn passengers to arrive several hours early due to unpredictable Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wait times, as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) became the longest shutdown in US history. A generational divide over the Iran war has emerged between older attendees and their political heirs at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas , as the group’s leaders pleaded for unity ahead of a challenging midterm election year for Republicans. More here . Iran has warned the US that it is prepared to confront any ground assault, accusing Washington of secretly planning a land attack while publicly seeking talks , as the war that has killed thousands of people and caused the biggest ever disruption to global energy supplies entered its second month. More here . US lawmakers have responded to reports that the Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran as thousands of US troops assemble in the Middle East and the conflict showed signs of entering a more dangerous phase. More here . The abortion rate is holding steady in the US despite total and partial bans in some states – largely because of travel across state lines and a significant increase in telehealth appointments, a new report says. More here . …