What we covered here
• Venezuela meeting: President Donald Trump is keeping Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize after she presented it to him during their meeting. Trump has long coveted the prize, but the committee that awards it has been clear that it cannot be shared or transferred.
• Tensions over Greenland: Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon suggested any US military action there would spell the end of Trump’s second term. Yesterday, leaders from Denmark and Greenland said that a “fundamental disagreement” persists with the US over the territory.
• Trump interview: Meanwhile, the White House said Trump was “simply joking” when he told Reuters in an interview the country “shouldn’t even have an election,” following the first year of his second term in office.
Our live coverage has ended for the day. Get the latest on President Donald Trump’s meeting with Venezuela’s opposition leader here.
US officials tell agencies to pull out of major cyber conference after former Biden official gets involved
US officials are telling personnel at multiple agencies, including the FBI and the White House Office of the National Cyber Director, not to attend one of the world’s most popular cybersecurity conferences after the event’s parent firm appointed a former Biden administration official as its chief executive, multiple sources told CNN.
Cyber experts from the FBI and other federal agencies have long attended the RSA Conference (RSAC) in San Francisco, including last year in the early months of Donald Trump’s second term. With tens of thousands of attendees, federal employees see it as an important networking and career development event — and a chance to promote federal cyber policy to the private sector. The FBI’s top cyber official as of Thursday was still listed as a speaker for the March conference on the RSAC website.
But after RSAC announced on Thursday that Jen Easterly, the head of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) under former President Joe Biden, would be chief executive of the company that hosts the conference, the reaction from the Trump administration was swift. By Thursday evening, officials were being told not to attend the conference, sources said.
Easterly was a career US intelligence official who rose in the ranks in the Army and the National Security Agency before being a senior cyber executive at Morgan Stanley. She served as head of CISA, a part of the Department of Homeland Security that protects other agencies from hacks, during the Biden administration. During her tenure, Easterly was generally well-liked by cybersecurity-focused Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill. Some Republicans accused CISA of “censoring” conservative voices online, an accusation not supported by evidence and which the agency denied.
It’s not the first time the Trump administration, in its second term, has responded negatively to Easterly. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll in July ordered the US Military Academy at West Point to rescind an offer of employment to Easterly amid pressure from far-right activist Laura Loomer.
The FBI declined to comment. The White House Office of the National Cyber Director did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did RSAC.
White House plans to ask for power auction but grid operator PJM says it was not invited to event tomorrow
The Trump administration and Northeast governors plan to ask the country’s largest grid operator to hold an emergency power auction, a White House official told CNN today, in an attempt to make technology giants pay for surging power costs from new data centers. Bloomberg first reported the news.
The plan is contingent on PJM Interconnection agreeing.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement, “Under President Trump’s leadership, the administration is leading a unprecedented bi-partisan effort urging PJM to fix the energy subtraction failures of the past, prevent price increases, and reduce the risk of blackouts.”
Some context: PJM is the country’s largest grid, covering 13 states and the District of Columbia. So while some states like Virginia are experiencing a data center boom, it is straining the interconnected grid and spiking energy costs throughout the entire region. Virginia’s largest utility is increasing rates by roughly 9%, and New Jersey utility bills jumped by more than 20% this year.
Trump has directed his attention toward the rising costs, teasing plans this week to address the rising bills with Big Tech.
Trump accepts Machado's Nobel Peace Prize
President Donald Trump is keeping Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize after she presented it to him during their meeting Thursday, a White House official said.
“It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”
Machado left the medal at the White House, and it is currently in the president’s possession, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Trump has long coveted the prize, but the committee that awards it has been clear that it cannot be shared or transferred. “A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot,” it said in a post on X.
This post has been updated with additional details.
Venezuelans share their hopes for the future
Moments before US President Donald Trump met with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday, Venezuelans in Caracas expressed to CNN their hopes for their country.
Office messenger Rafael Alexandre said that Venezuelans wanted the meeting to be a “great blessing” and “for everything to be normal again” for Venezuela.
Judith Machado, a house cleaner, hoped for an agreement with the US “so the country doesn’t suffer much.” She said that the people – and their pockets – suffered the most through the crisis.
Food delivery worker Angel Salazar said Venezuelans were “open to all possibilities.” “We’ve been through so many things that anything right now is a good possibility.”
Alberto Berrios, who works as a cook, responded to Trump’s claim that Machado was “not qualified” to run Venezuela. “There has to be someone qualified for that,” Berrios said, adding that he felt a final agreement could be reached with acting president Delcy Rodriguez. “I don’t know whether Delcy is qualified for that, but what I want is for everything to be for the good of the country — for everything to be good for us — and for this country to get fixed.”
While Machado presented Trump with her Peace Prize medal, Venezuela’s acting president addressed the nation
It’s been a busy day for Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado and acting president Delcy Rodríguez, both of whom say they represent their country on the world stage.
• Machado goes to Washington: The opposition leader told reporters Thursday that she had “presented” US President Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal as a gift during an “extraordinary” meeting at the White House. Trump has long coveted the prize, but the committee that awards it has been clear that it cannot be shared or transferred. “A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot,” it said in a post on X.
• Historic or not?: After her meeting with Trump, Machado told US lawmakers that the meeting with the president was “historic, not only for the future of Venezuela, but for the future of freedom in the world.” However, Trump has previously indicated he does not think Machado has enough respect within Venezuela to govern – and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that he had not changed his view.
• Rodríguez calls for a “diplomatic battle” with the US: Meanwhile, in Caracas, Rodríguez gave Venezuela’s equivalent to the State of the Union address, telling lawmakers that Venezuela should engage in a “diplomatic battle” with the United States to defend its sovereignty. “All of Venezuela is being threatened,” Rodríguez said, “and that is why I call for national unity so that, with sovereignty foremost, we wage the diplomatic battle.”
• Rodríguez criticizes the US without mentioning Trump: During her speech, Rodríguez mentioned a “criminal economic blockade,” an “economic war,” a “naval blockade aimed at encircling the country as an energy exporter,” and an “armed aggression by a nuclear power unlike anything that has ever occurred in history.” However, she did not once directly mention the president of that nuclear power, Donald Trump.
• A possible visit to Washington, “standing up”: Rodríguez subtly opened the door to a trip to the United States, saying that “if one day I have to go to Washington, I will go standing up … never crawling or dragging myself.” She also defended sending between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil to the United States. “Venezuela has the right to have relations with all the countries of the world — and with the United States as well,” Rodríguez said.
Foreign troops arrive in Greenland for joint exercises after countries pledge military presence
European troops have arrived in Greenland for joint exercises with Denmark as President Donald Trump continues to indicate the United States might want to seize the Arctic territory by force.
Newly arrived military personnel from France and Norway joined Danish soldiers at the Joint Arctic Command Headquarters, a CNN team in the capital city of Nuuk witnessed Thursday.
Greenland, at the invitation of Denmark, last hosted French and Norwegian troops, along with several other European nations’ armed forces, in September for Exercise Arctic Light: a land, sea and air training mission that is just one aspect of Denmark’s intensified military presence, launched in June, around its Arctic holdings.
At least five other European nations – Germany, Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands – have announced their intent to dispatch forces to Greenland.
Senate Democratic Leader Schumer and President Trump met at White House today
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer met with President Donald Trump at the White House today to discuss the stalled funding for the Democrat’s key gateway project, an important infrastructure project in his home state.
During the course of the meeting, however, Schumer also raised ongoing tensions with ICE and pushed for Trump to embrace Democrats’ proposal to extend the lapsed enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies. The meeting comes as bipartisan talks on the hill over the enhanced Obamacare subsidies are stalling out.
CNN has reached out to the White House for more on the meeting.
CNN’s Samantha Waldenberg contributed to this post.
Machado left White House with gift bag bearing Trump’s name
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado appeared to leave the White House with a gift bag bearing President Donald Trump’s name.
The bag, which Machado held in her hand along with her purse as she crossed Pennsylvania Avenue to greet supporters, was red with gold embossing of the president’s signature.
CNN has asked the White House what the contents of the gift bag were.
Machado calls Trump meeting "historic" and insists Venezuela has a president-elect
Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado described her meeting with US President Donald Trump on Thursday as “historic” and “extraordinary.”
“What is happening at this moment is historic, not just for the future of Venezuela, but for the future of freedom in the world,” Machado said in a statement from her press team.
Machado said she had told US Senators in a separate meeting that the opposition’s focus was to turn “Venezuela into a free and safe country, and into the strongest ally the United States has ever had in this region.”
“We are a deeply pro-American society,” Machado added.
According to her press team, she said that the Trump administration understood the need to rebuild institutions, protect human rights and free speech and for a “new, genuine electoral process” to encourage Venezuelans to return to their country.
“I have insisted – and I will continue to insist – that Venezuela has a president-elect, and I am very proud to work alongside him,” Machado said, speaking of opposition candidate Edmundo González.
While the US has previously recognized González as the president-elect following Venezuela’s disputed 2024 election, the country is currently being run by acting president Delcy Rodríguez – who was Nicolas Maduro’s deputy before his capture by the United States. Trump has previously indicated he does not think Machado has enough respect within Venezuela to govern – and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said as the meeting was getting underway that he had not changed his view.
“When Venezuela is free, millions of Venezuelans will return of their own free will,” Machado said.
She added that Trump was very concerned about the “safety of Venezuelan people” and “the children who are not going to school because teachers earn barely one dollar a day.”
Machado’s statement did not provide details on any specific agreements or next steps discussed during the meeting.
Machado says she presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she “presented” US President Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal at their meeting Thursday.
“I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize,” Machado said, before launching into an anecdote about Latin American revolutionary Simón Bolívar.
“I told him this,” Machado continued. “Two hundred years ago General (Marquis de) Lafayette gave Simón Bolívar a medal with George Washington’s face on it. Bolivar since then kept the medal for the rest of his life.”
“Two hundred years in history, the people of Bolivar are giving back to the heir of Washington a medal, in this case the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
Trump has long been public about his desire for the prize, and Machado dedicated it to him when she won it last year. However, the Nobel Committee has stated that the Peace Prize is untransferable.
Trump welcomes Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers to White House
President Donald Trump welcomed the 2025 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers to the White House on Thursday. Some players from the team offered gifts to the president, including a gold hockey stick, a “Trump 47” jersey and two championship rings.
The president proceeded to try on both championship rings on his hand – and then showed them off to the crowd.
As he was presented with the gold hockey stick, he remarked that one of the team’s players told him it was “good for slashing.”
The president told the crowd that he would be bringing the team to the Oval Office after the ceremony.
GOP congressman suggests US action in Greenland would "end" Trump's presidency
Asked about President Donald Trump’s threats to take over Greenland, Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon suggested any US military action there would spell the end of Trump’s second term.
Bacon told reporters in the Capitol Thursday that he didn’t think Trump would follow through on his threat and suggested it’s “negotiating tool” by the president.
Venezuela’s acting president urges "diplomatic battle" with the US
Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez said Thursday she was willing to “walk” to Washington “with the tricolor flag in my hand” and urged her country to wage a “diplomatic battle” with the United States.
Rodríguez began her speech by acknowledging the young men and women who died during the US attack on Caracas earlier this month and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, who was taken to New York to face narcoterrorism and drug trafficking charges, which he denies.
She told lawmakers that “a new political landscape is being forged” in Venezuela following “unprecedented aggression” from the US on January 3.
“A new political landscape is being forged in Venezuela … after an armed aggression from a nuclear power, unlike anything our history has ever seen,” Rodríguez said, urging a “diplomatic battle” with the United States rather than further physical confrontations.
In between references to the historical Latin American revolutionary Simón Bolívar, Rodríguez also nodded to the ongoing release of political prisoners, saying that those freed were not necessarily absolved of guilt for their offenses against the “constitutional order.”
Machado meets with senators on Capitol Hill
María Corina Machado is currently meeting with a bipartisan group of senators in Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin’s office in the US Capitol after meeting with President Donald Trump earlier in the day.
Machado was greeted by supporters as she entered the Capitol building before she moved upstairs to Durbin’s rooms.
Republican Sens. Rick Scott, Ted Cruz, Bernie Moreno, and John Curtis are in the room, alongside Democratic Sens. Durbin, Jeanne Shaheen, Peter Welch, Tim Kaine, Ruben Gallego, Alex Padilla, Chris Murphy and Jacky Rosen. Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, is also attending.
Machado greets supporters outside White House after meeting with Trump
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado greeted supporters gathered outside the White House after her meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday.
CNN observed Machado crossing Pennsylvania Avenue to hug and take selfies with supporters.
Troops amassing in Greenland do not affect Trump's thinking, White House says
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that troop activity in Greenland has no bearing on President Donald Trump’s push to acquire the Danish territory.
“I don’t think troops in Europe impact the president’s decision making process, nor does it impact his goal of the acquisition of Greenland at all,” Leavitt said, underscoring the president’s position.
The comments come following yesterday’s meeting between Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Leavitt described that meeting as “productive.”
The two delegations “agreed to really establish a working group of individuals who will continue to have technical talks on the acquisition of Greenland,” Leavitt said, adding that the talks would occur “every two to three weeks.”
The White House also made clear that the president views acquiring Greenland as a priority for national security.
“He wants the United States to acquire Greenland, and thinks it’s in our best national security to do that,” Leavitt said.
CONTEXT: Denmark, responsible for Greenland’s defense, has warned that an attack on the territory would likely bring NATO to an end. Denmark’s government announced Wednesday that it is expanding its military presence in Greenland in coordination with NATO allies.
Germany, Sweden, France, Norway and Finland have all confirmed they are sending military personnel to Greenland this week to participate in joint exercises with Denmark.
Trump's assessment of Machado hasn't changed, White House says, as meeting gets underway
President Donald Trump’s assessment of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has not changed, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday as his meeting with her was getting underway.
“I know the president was looking forward to this meeting, and he was expecting it to be a good and positive discussion with Ms. Machado, who is really a remarkable and brave voice for many of the people of Venezuela,” Leavitt said during a White House press briefing on Thursday.
Pressed on whether Trump stands by his assertion that Machado does not have the necessary support to lead Venezuela, Leavitt said he does. “It was a realistic assessment based on what the president was reading and hearing from his advisers and national security team, and at this moment in time, his opinion on that matter has not changed.”
She later added that Trump didn’t go into the meeting with certain expectations from Machado.
“I don’t think he needs to hear anything from Ms. Machado. I think generally, this is a meeting that the president was willing to take and willing to accept, to meet Ms. Machado in-person and to just have a frank and positive discussion about what’s taking place in Venezuela,” Leavitt said.
She said the president is “committed to hopefully seeing elections in Venezuela one day,” but did not provide a timeline.
White House says Trump was “simply joking” when he suggested canceling midterm elections
The White House said Thursday that President Donald Trump was “simply joking” when he told Reuters in an interview the country “shouldn’t even have an election,” following the first year of his second term in office.
According to Reuters, Trump was reflecting on the upcoming midterm elections, which he acknowledged have historically posed an uphill battle for the party in power.
“It’s some deep psychological thing, but when you win the presidency, you don’t win the midterms,” Trump reportedly told Reuters, adding that his administration had accomplished so much during its first year, that “when you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.”
“I was in that interview – it was a closed-door interview,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday. “Obviously there was no audio or video, the President was simply joking. He was saying, ‘We’re doing such a great job, we’re doing everything, the American people thought maybe we should just keep rolling.’ But he was speaking facetiously.”
Trump previously joked about canceling midterm elections while speaking to House Republicans earlier this month during remarks at the Kennedy Center.
“How we have to even run against these people — I won’t say cancel the election, they should cancel the election, because the fake news would say, “He wants the elections canceled. He’s a dictator.’ They always call me a dictator,” the president said.
Shaheen says Trump should "absolutely" tamp down talk of US military intervention after meeting with officials
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, argued that President Donald Trump “absolutely” needs to tamp down talk of US military intervention in Greenland after a meeting with Danish and Greenlandic officials.
“Why are we going to pay for something that we can get for free? We don’t need to spend $800 billion, $700 billion to buy Greenland because they want to partner with us on whatever our interests are. And Donald Trump, as a deal maker, should understand that,” she said.
Shaheen and other members of the committee met Thursday with the officials amid Trump’s talk of the US taking control of Greenland.
She described the meeting as “very good” and said there was “high level dialogue that we expect to continue to address the issues that have been raised by the administration.”
“They expressed their interest in working with the United States and in partnering on whatever we think needs to be done in the Arctic, and that they are working to address the concerns that have been expressed by President Trump,” she told reporters.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen asaid that Thursday’s meeting on Capitol Hill was “very, very constructive dialogue.”
“We are ready to do more in order to accommodate any reasonable American request,” he told reporters. “Because we share the view that we have to step up in the Arctic in order to deter and defend.”
The meeting also included Republican Chairman Jim Risch, GOP Sens. Steve Daines, Pete Ricketts, Democratic Sens. Chris Coons, Tammy Duckworth, Tim Kaine, Jeff Merkley, Chris Murphy, and Brian Schatz.
