By GABRIELA AOUN ANGUEIRA

The Federal Emergency Management Agency would have enough money to respond to the massive winter storm still impacting large swaths of the U.S. even if a partial government shutdown begins at midnight Friday, experts and former FEMA officials said, despite Trump administration warnings to the contrary.

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FEMA would have about $7 billion to $8 billion in its Disaster Relief Fund, even if the money Congress appropriated for the fund in the November spending bill that ended the longest government shutdown were to expire Friday at midnight, according to two people familiar with the matter. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss FEMA funding with the media.

Experts said the remaining balance should be enough to limit impacts on the winter storm response, at least in the short term.

“They have enough money for winter storm recovery and anything else likely to come up in the next few weeks,” said Sarah Labowitz, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of the Disaster Dollar Database, which tracks federal disaster spending.

FEMA falls under the Department of Homeland Security, one of several departments whose funding for fiscal year 2026 depends on the Senate passing a spending package that the House already approved. After federal immigration officers killed a Minneapolis man on Saturday, some Senate Democrats are demanding restrictions on how immigration enforcement is conducted in any DHS funding bill, a stand that raises the prospect of a partial government shutdown by the end of the week.

Trump administration officials have cited the storm and FEMA’s response to it as a reason to avoid a shutdown.

“We are in the midst of the winter storm that took place over the weekend, and many Americans are still being impacted by that, so we absolutely do not want to see that funding lapse,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday.

DHS did not respond to requests for comment.

States still assessing winter storm impacts

The Disaster Relief Fund pays for FEMA’s disaster response and recovery efforts and the staffers who work on them. That work can continue unless the fund is in danger of running out, at which point the agency begins prioritizing the most urgent missions.

FEMA is supporting state-led responses to last weekend’s gigantic winter storm, which left hundreds of thousands of residents across multiple states without power and is tied to at least 80 deaths.

President Donald Trump, a Republican, approved emergency declarations for 12 states, unlocking federal support for emergency measures and debris removal. The agency positioned food, water and other supplies across multiple states and is coordinating federal help from other agencies like the U.S. Forest Service for clearing fallen trees from roads and the Army Corps of Engineers for connecting generators at critical facilities like warming centers and hospitals.

It’s unclear how many states if any will request major disaster declarations after they assess damage, which can help pay for repairs to critical infrastructure and financial assistance for impacted households through the Disaster Relief Fund.

“The winter storm at this time is well within the capability of local communities and states,” said Michael Coen, former FEMA chief of staff in the Democratic Obama and Biden administrations.

The timing of the potential shutdown also helps ease concerns over FEMA’s coffers. “We’re a bit of a ways off from wildfire season and hurricane season, so I don’t see a huge impact in the short run in terms of FEMA operations,” said Noah Patton, director of disaster recovery at the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

If a partial government shutdown does occur, some FEMA operations not funded by the Disaster Relief Fund, like the ability to write or renew National Flood Insurance Program policies, would again pause as they did during last year’s 43-day shutdown. Some essential employees would work unpaid.

A drawn-out shutdown could put more pressure on the Disaster Relief Fund, especially if FEMA must respond to new disasters, and could result in a slowdown of reimbursements for past disasters. Several experts pointed out that those reimbursements have already lagged due to a DHS policy that expenditures of $100,000 or more be personally approved by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The spending bill now before the Senate would give the Disaster Relief Fund more than $26 billion, as well as nearly $4 billion for various FEMA emergency preparedness and security grants.

Mixed messages on FEMA as shutdown looms

Trump officials’ warnings about FEMA’s ability to help states come when the administration’s own support for the agency is in question. Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of phasing out FEMA and often calls for states to take on more responsibility for disasters.

Now, Trump officials seem to be leaning on FEMA and its critical purpose as a reason not to shut down the government.

“This funding supports national security and critical national emergency operations, including FEMA responses to a historic snowstorm that is affecting 250 million Americans,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News on Tuesday.

The greater impacts to FEMA are not from a potential partial shutdown, Coen said, but from Trump’s own policies.

“The administration has been dismantling FEMA over the last year,” he said. “Using the agency as a justification for congressional action is laughable.”

Despite saying he wants to overhaul FEMA, Trump has not articulated a vision for those changes. The December release of a long-awaited report from his FEMA Review Council was abruptly canceled and has not been rescheduled.

Meanwhile, several Trump administration policies have had significant consequences for the agency and the states, tribes and territories it supports, including the departures of thousands of staffers and interruptions to grant programs.

Language in the proposed spending bill aims to rein in some of those actions, limiting FEMA’s ability to pause grants and trainings and requiring the agency to publicly report the status of its reimbursements to states for declared disasters.

Labowitz said some of the Trump administration’s policies contributed to why FEMA did not run out of money last year, pointing to delays in major disaster approvals and reimbursements. “All last year they were slow walking spending in the DRF,” Labowitz said.

In the wake of the ESPN report that Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are both open to parting ways via trade ahead of the NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline, Minnesota’s name was mentioned too frequently by league insiders to ignore.

ESPN’s Shams Charania cited the Timberwolves as a potential suitor, while Brian Windhorst from the same network said it’s Antetokounmpo who has interest in Minnesota.

That matters. The fact Kevin Durant wasn’t thrilled about playing for the Timberwolves dissuaded Tim Connelly and Co. from fully pursuing a trade for the aging superstar over the summer. This front office only wants players who want to be here.

Which limits the field. Not everyone wants to play in Minnesota. If Antetokounmpo — who has spent his entire NBA career in Wisconsin — is indeed intrigued by the possibility of moving one state away, a major box is checked.

And Connelly, who traded for Gobert and attempted to move mountains to acquire Durant, has demonstrated a propensity to go after the league’s top players, when available. So, a lot lines up here.

Pairing a 31-year-old Antetokounmpo, an undisputed, top-four player in the NBA, with Anthony Edwards — a top-seven player in his own right — would put Minnesota near the top of the NBA championship contention conversation for years to come.

Such a move would push Minnesota from a team that “might” reach an NBA Finals over the next two or three years to a team that would be favored to reach them.

That alone probably makes a deal worth doing, but exactly which deal is always the question. Milwaukee is reportedly seeking the moon and the stars in return for its franchise pillar, who brought the Bucks a championship in 2021. As it should.

NBA salary cap constraints complicate any deal, but Minnesota has a number of salaries that can be aggregated to help the financial dots connect. Even if it looks impossible, recent history suggests where there’s a will in these instances, there’s a way.

Some combination of Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert can be made to work.

If the Bucks, or another team likely with more available draft capital itching to join the dance as a third partner, coveted McDaniels and Reid, would Minnesota be willing to give away two of its apparent near and long-term Edwards’ running mates?

If the answer is “No,” it’s tough to see a deal reaching the finish line — especially given the number of other organizations interested in the transcendent forward. According to reports, the Wolves are boxing the likes of the Knicks, Heat and Warriors in this fight, with Minnesota having no valuable draft compensation with which to barter.

But as difficult as it would be for the Wolves to say goodbye to two of the organization’s greatest development stories — who are still ascending talents with yet to be determined ceilings — a player of Antetokounmpo’s stature may be the rare exception that produces a “Yes.”

Even if that meant saying some hard “Goodbyes.”

Even if that meant moving forward with a clunky roster for the duration of this season.

Even if that meant re-thinking the franchise’s entire plan for the next five to 10 years.

Because chances to acquire championship-caliber, No. 1 players still in their prime don’t come around often.

Not for Minnesota. Not for anyone.

When these opportunities knock, you almost have no choice but to answer.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) celebrates with guard AJ Green (20) after hitting a last-second game-winning basket against the Indiana Pacers during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Todd Monken sold himself to team owner Jimmy Haslam and Browns general manager Andrew Berry.

Now comes the hard part for Monken — convincing a weary, skeptical fan base that he is the right choice to be the head coach of a franchise that has won only one playoff game in 27 years. A franchise that has had just three winning seasons — 2002, 2020 and 2023 — since 1999. A franchise that hasn’t boasted back-to-back winning seasons since it strung four together from 1986-89.

There is no question Monken, 59, has a brilliant offensive mind. He proved it as offensive coordinator at the University of Georgia when he helped the Bulldogs win the CFP national championship in 2021 and 2022. He spent the last three seasons as OC and calling plays for the Baltimore Ravens. Lamar Jackson passed for 4,172 yards and 41 touchdown passes in 2024.

The head coach of an NFL team has to command the respect of all 53 players, plus his coaching staff and front office personnel. Maybe Monken can lead the entire building at 76 Lou Groza Boulevard. But he is going to have a difficult time getting defensive players on his side.

Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was a finalist for the job. Haslam and Berry decided Monken would be better. Schwartz is steaming mad because he was snubbed, according to reports — angry enough to want to leave the Browns despite being under contract for 2026.

Jim Schwartz directs a drill June 6. (Ron Schwane – The Associated Press)

Berry and Haslam had a long time to think about the ramifications of their decision before they announced it on Jan. 28. Browns players on offense know Schwartz is a demanding but fair taskmaster. They would have had no problem following Schwartz as their leader. They saw for three years how Schwartz got the best from his players on defense.

“I don’t know what’s going to be in the future,” Myles Garrett said the Friday before the season ended. “Would I like to play under Jim? Would I like to keep the team and for us to improve? Absolutely. But these are things that are handled by people who sign my checks, so they make bigger decisions than I can account for.

“So I’m going to allow them to do what they do — give my opinions if they ask for it. And I got to rock with whoever they have here. But I love Jim, and I love playing for him.”

Warming up to Monken could be difficult because he does not exude fire the way Schwartz does.

Schwartz has already been linked to the defensive coordinator job with the 49ers. He might take defensive assistants with him. Linebackers coach Jason Tarver and defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire would be sorely missed.

The Rams have requested an interview with Browns special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone. The Browns need a new offensive coordinator because Tommy Rees left to be the Falcons’ OC under Kevin Stefanski.

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No one would describe being an assistant coach for the Browns as a springboard to job elevations in the NFL. Assembling a quality coaching staff could be difficult for Monken, although he has already taken a positive first step by hiring George Warhop as offensive line coach. Warhop coached the offensive line for the Ravens for the last two years.

Monken’s track record on offense makes him a better candidate than Schwartz to get more from quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who in 2026 will get a fresh start in his second NFL season. The Browns still haven’t given up on Deshaun Watson. Watson, acquired in the disastrous trade with the Texans 46 months ago, hasn’t played well since 2020, when he was in Houston.

Monken is taking over a team that went 8-26 the last two seasons and an offense in total disrepair. The Browns are more than one offseason away from being contenders.

The 19th full-time head coach in Browns history, the 11th since 1999, might not be introduced to Cleveland at a news conference in Berea until early next week. I just hope Monken doesn’t make a reference to the “rich Browns legacy.” The Browns team that had a legacy moved to Baltimore 33 years ago.

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Starbucks said Thursday that it plans to open hundreds of new stores across the U.S. and add seating capacity at thousands of existing locations, doubling down on a strategy of emphasizing the company’s cafes as community hubs even as consumer demand for drive-thru coffee grows.

The company unveiled its plans during a presentation in New York for investors. After announcing in September that it would close hundreds of less profitable stores, Starbucks said it now expects to open up to 175 new U.S. coffee shops this year and around 400 in 2028.

Its plans include smaller-format stores that are 20% cheaper to build but still offer comfortable seating, drive-thru service and mobile order pickup capacity.

Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol said Starbucks ultimately sees an opportunity to build at least 5,000 new cafes across the U.S., with the smaller store format presenting much of that opportunity. There are thousands of sites where no Starbucks operates within a mile of a competitor, he said. Starbucks is particularly eyeing the central, southern and northeastern U.S. for store development.

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In some ways, Starbucks is running counter to a growing U.S. trend of drive-thru-only coffee shops like Dutch Bros and 7 Brew. In September, the National Coffee Association, an industry trade group, found that 59% of U.S. coffee drinkers who bought coffee outside their home in the past week had used a drive-thru, which was an all-time high.

But Niccol said Thursday that over the last month, more than 60% of Starbucks’ customers came into a store to order their coffee, and he thinks it’s important for those stores to feel vibrant and inviting.

“Our cafes are our point of differentiation,” Niccol said. “We want people to be in our coffeehouses.”

Starbucks said it plans to add 25,000 additional seats to its U.S. cafes by the end of its fiscal year this fall. That’s part of an ongoing upgrade process that is intended to make existing stores warmer and more welcoming.

The improvements, which cost around $150,000 and are done overnight while stores are closed, have been completed at 200 locations and are expected to spread to 1,000 by fall. Starbucks expects to finish the retrofitting work in 2028. The company has around 10,000 company-operated stores in the U.S.

Niccol said Starbucks is seeing customers dwell longer in stores that are revamped.

Niccol, who joined Starbucks in 2024 to revive its flagging sales, said the company’s turnaround is taking hold. Starbucks has been adding staff and equipment to stores to improve service times and give employees more time to connect with customers.

Among Starbucks’ priorities in the coming year is improving its afternoon business, which is weaker than its performance in the morning. In the spring, the company plans to introduce customizable energy drinks made with a proprietary green coffee extract. It’s also planning more snackable foods that are high in protein and fiber, like flatbreads, cottage cheese and protein popcorn.

The company is also installing equipment designed to speed up service. A next-generation espresso machine will cut in half the 70 seconds it now takes to pull espresso shots and double capacity to eight shots at a time, the company said. The machines will begin rolling out to U.S. stores in 2027.

Starbucks also expects changes to its loyalty program to boost sales. A three-tiered program set to start March 10 in the U.S. and Canada will have various benefits for Green, Gold and Reserve members. Starbucks has 35.5 million active loyalty members in the U.S. alone.

Green members will still earn one star per dollar spent, and stars can be redeemed for food and beverages. But they will earn a $2 credit faster than before and get free drink modifications once per month, the company said.

Members who spend more will earn more perks. Reserve status members, who must earn 2,500 stars in 12 months, gain access to exclusive merchandise and events, including all-expense paid trips to coffee-focused destinations like Milan and Costa Rica.

Earlier this week, Starbucks reported stronger-than-expected sales in its fiscal first quarter. The company said its same-store sales were up 4% globally and in the U.S. in the October-December period, which marked its best U.S. performance in two years. It expects global and U.S. same-store sales to rise 3% in its 2026 fiscal year.

On Thursday, the company shared guidance for its 2028 fiscal year. It continues to expect U.S. and global same-store sales to rise 3% or more, and it expects revenue to grow by 5%. Starbucks also forecast earnings per share of $3.35 to $4. That compares to adjusted earnings per share of $2.13 in its 2025 fiscal year.

Starbucks shares fell 1% in midday trading Thursday.