10 things you need to know today: February 7, 2018

Trump says he'd "love" a government shutdown, SpaceX launches the world's strongest rocket, and more

SpaceX launches its Falcon Heavy
(Image credit: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

1. Trump says he'd 'love to see a shutdown' as Congress nears spending deal

President Trump said Tuesday he would "love to see a shutdown" of the federal government if Democrats don't accept enough of his priorities on tightening immigration laws as part of a spending deal. "If we have to shut it down because the Democrats don't want safety," Trump said, "... let's shut it down." Trump's comments came as the House passed legislation seeking to avoid a shutdown when funding runs out at midnight Thursday. The House's stopgap spending bill would fund most federal agencies through March 23, although Senate Democrats are expected to reject its increase in military spending without a mirror hike in non-defense spending. Senate leaders, however, said they were making progress toward a two-year budget deal that would set up an immigration debate next week.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.