Luke Vargas

European stocks are gaining in midday trading, and U.S.

stock futures are pointing to a higher open.

And we've got a lot more coverage of the day's news on the WSJ's What's News podcast.

You can add it to your playlist on your smart speaker or listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Here is your Morning Brief for Tuesday, February 17th.

I'm Luke Vargas for The Wall Street Journal.

The U.S.

government is emerging from the holiday weekend partially shut down, with only the Department of Homeland Security currently affected.

Its immigration enforcement personnel are still working and getting paid, but not so for the TSA, whose staffers at the nation's airports can log hours, but likely won't be compensated for them until after the shutdown is resolved.

And with the House and Senate on break this week, that could be a little while.

Lawmakers remain at odds over the terms of a DHS funding package, with Democrats mandating that ICE and CBP agents wear body cameras, unmask, wear visible identification, and need warrants signed by a judge in order to enter homes.

Hotelier Thomas Pritzker is retiring as the executive chairman of Hyatt after recently released documents detailed his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Pritzker is a member of one of Chicago's most prominent families, which includes Illinois' current governor and a former U.S.

Commerce secretary.

In a statement, Pritzker said he exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

And in a memo to the board, added that his departure would allow for a proper handoff at Hyatt.

The company has named its president and chief executive as board chair.

And Wall Street's DEI retreat is continuing.

Goldman Sachs will no longer consider race, sexual orientation, and other diversity factors when screening for potential board candidates.

We exclusively report that the decision follows a behind-the-scenes request from a conservative activist nonprofit that owns a small stake in the bank and urged it to drop the DEI policy and requested the proposal be circulated to shareholders.