Here's where things stand
• Iran: President Donald Trump said he is “not happy” with the way talks between the US and Iran have been going. Negotiators for the two countries wrapped up talks on Tehran’s nuclear program on Thursday without a major breakthrough, though there were some signs of progress.
• Cuba: Trump floated the prospect of a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, saying the country’s government has been in talks with his administration. Earlier this week, Cuban soldiers opened fire on a boat that it claimed was trying to infiltrate the island, killing four, including a US citizen.
• Trump’s Texas trip: The president made the comments as he departed the White House for Corpus Cristi, Texas to give a speech about his energy agenda. The state’s primary election is on Tuesday.
Trump says he’s not considering national emergency around midterm elections
President Donald Trump said Friday he is not considering declaring a national emergency tied to the midterm elections, telling reporters he hasn’t heard about the idea.
When pressed on reports about a proposed executive order that would do that, Trump said, “Who told you that?” adding, “No, I’ve never heard about that.”
His comments came after The Washington Post reported on a 17-page draft executive order circulating among Trump allies that proposes the use of emergency powers to expand presidential authority over voting.
Trump has repeatedly called for Congress to pass stricter voter ID measures and ban mail-in ballots, including during his State of the Union address earlier this week.
Kennedy Center Honors to include Trump's name, institution says
The Kennedy Center’s annual awards show will be called the “Trump Kennedy Center Honors,” the performing arts institution confirmed to CNN today.
The change reflects the center’s renaming to include Trump’s name.
The center shared with CNN its president Richard Grenell’s interview with local DC radio station WTOP, in which he said that the awards show will be hosted at a different venue when the Kennedy Center closes in July for a two-year renovation.
“The location is yet to be determined,” Grenell told WTOP. “We’re already looking for different places. It will probably just be in a smaller venue.”
Trump says Lutnick would testify to Congress on Epstein ties
President Donald Trump told reporters today that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick would testify to Congress about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
“Howard would go in and say whatever he has to say,” Trump told CNN’s Kristen Holmes. “He’s a very innocent guy, he’s doing a good job.”
An email exchange, released as part of the Epstein files, between the disgraced financier and Lutnick shows that the Commerce secretary communicated with Epstein more than a decade after he claimed he cut off all contact with the convicted sex offender who died in 2019. Lutnick has not been accused of wrongdoing and has publicly said he “did not have any relationship” with Epstein.
Trump has remained a strong supporter of Lutnick, who is perhaps one of the few Cabinet secretaries who Trump considers a personal friend.
Trump floats potential "friendly takeover" of Cuba
President Donald Trump on Friday floated the prospect of a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, saying the country’s government has been in talks with his administration.
“We could very well end up having a friendly takeover of Cuba after many, many years,” he told reporters at the White House. “They’re in big trouble and we could very well do something good, I think, very positive for the people that were expelled, or worse, from Cuba that live here.”
Trump did not specify what such a “takeover” would look like or offer a timetable for any potential action against the country. The president’s remarks came days after Cuban soldiers opened fire on a boat that it claimed was trying to infiltrate the island, killing four, including a US citizen.
Trump officials are still investigating the incident, which Secretary of State Marco Rubio called “highly unusual” and not part of any official operation.
Trump and his aides have criticized the Cuban government in the past, seeking to put increasing pressure on its leadership in the weeks since the US forced leadership change in Venezuela.
“They’re in a big deal of trouble, they have no money, they have no anything right now,” Trump said. “But they’re talking with us.”
Trump signals frustration with Iran negotiations
President Donald Trump said Friday he’s “not happy” with the way Iran is negotiating, but said there will be additional discussions and that he hasn’t made a final decision about potential military action.
“I’m not happy with the fact that they are not willing to give us what we have to have,” Trump told reporters while leaving the White House for a trip to Texas. “I’m not thrilled with that, we’ll see what happens, we’re talking later. We’ll have some additional talks today.”
Trump added that “we haven’t made a final decision,” while reiterating that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. “We’re not exactly happy with the way they’re negotiating, and again, they cannot have nuclear weapons.”
Pressed on whether potential US strikes could spiral into a prolonged conflict in the Middle East, the president said there’s some risk.
“I guess you could say there’s always a risk. You know, when there’s war, there’s a risk in anything, both good and bad,” Trump said.
CNN has reached out to the White House about the talks Trump mentioned. CNN previously reported that the Omani foreign minister is meeting with Vice President JD Vance in Washington on Friday to discuss efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran, according to two sources familiar with the plans.
Trump's visiting Texas, where the Senate primaries are testing both parties
President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Corpus Christi, Texas, today to speak about his energy agenda, a visit that comes just days before the state’s Senate primaries next week.
The elections serve as an early gauge of where the energy is in both parties, especially after a Democratic win in the red state earlier this month sparked a wave of warnings from Republicans on Capitol Hill. Early voting data ahead of Tuesday’s primaries suggest a sharp rise in Democratic turnout in Texas, where no Democrat has won statewide since 1994.
With early voting now underway, the results of the primaries stand to shape how Democrats and Republicans view the potential competitiveness of the general election contest in Texas as the GOP seeks to maintain control of its 53-seat majority in the chamber.
Republicans are engaged in a three-way battle between an incumbent senator fighting for political survival, a state attorney general who’s defied odds amid a series of scandals, and a lesser-known US congressman pushing for generational change. Looming over the GOP face-off is Trump, who has refrained from offering an endorsement of four-term Sen. John Cornyn despite pleas from senior leaders in his party.
Meanwhile, the Democratic contest features two rising stars in Texas politics – both showcasing vast digital reach but offering differing theories on how the party can win in the deeply conservative state.
Read more about the significance of Texas’ primaries here.
