What we covered
• Funding fight: The White House said President Donald Trump is willing to consider some of Democrats’ demands for ICE reforms, but others are “non-starters.” Congress isn’t “anywhere close” to a deal on funding the Department of Homeland Security, the Senate Republican leader said earlier today.
• Election issues: Trump and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the involvement of spy chief Tulsi Gabbard in the controversial search of a Georgia elections office last week. Leavitt also downplayed the president’s recent call to “nationalize” elections, saying he was referring only to voter ID legislation.
• Drug price initiative: The White House tonight launched TrumpRx, the administration’s much-anticipated direct-to-consumer drug platform.
• Foreign policy: US officials are keeping expectations limited for tomorrow’s talks with Iran, after weeks of threats from the president to strike the Islamic Republic if it does not agree to a nuclear deal.
Our live coverage has ended. Read the latest on the US boat strike here.
US strikes another alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific, killing 2
The US military conducted a strike against another alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, killing two people, according to US Southern Command.
“On Feb. 5, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,” SOUTHCOM wrote on X, adding that no US military personnel were harmed in the strike.
At least 119 people have now been killed in strikes on suspected drug boats as part of a campaign, dubbed Operation Southern Spear, that the Trump administration has said is aimed at curtailing narcotics trafficking.
Slotkin, Houlahan won't sit for DOJ interview over 'illegal orders’ video
Two Democratic lawmakers - Sen. Elissa Slotkin and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan – said on Thursday that they will not sit for interviews with the Justice Department related to their involvement in a video urging service members to disobey illegal orders.
Slotkin said in a video posted to X that she has informed Attorney General Pam Bondi and DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro she won’t sit for an interview.
“Earlier today, I sent a letter to Attorney General Bondi and to the lead Department of Justice lawyer in DC, Jeanine Pirro, telling them 1. I will not be complying with their inquiries and sitting down for an interview based on a 90-second video I filmed and number 2. Urging them to retain their records on this case in case I decide to sue for infringement of my constitutional rights,” Slotkin said.
“I’m not going to legitimize their actions,” Slotkin said after saying she won’t be sitting for an interview at this time. “The intimidation is the point and I’m not going to go along with that.”
Houlahan said in a video posted to X, “I want to update you on the Department of Justice’s request for me to submit to a voluntary interview about a video my colleagues and I released last fall – I will not be doing that.”
“Free speech is not a favor that the government can revoke. It is a right and I will not surrender it, for myself or for anyone else,” the congresswoman said.
CNN has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.
In the original video, which was posted online in November, half a dozen members of Congress who previously served in the military or intelligence community urged service members and intelligence officials to disobey illegal orders that might be issued by President Donald Trump’s administration.
CNN reported last month that at least four Democratic lawmakers had been contacted by Pirro’s office for interviews following their involvement in the video.
How the White House "sanewashes" Trump’s election fantasy
CNN’s Jake Tapper analyzes how press secretary Karoline Leavitt and the White House “sanewashes” President Donald Trump’s statements by attempting to put a different interpretation to his often off-the-cuff remarks, including when he said Republicans “should take over the voting” and “nationalize” elections.
CNN's Jake Tapper analyzes how Karoline Leavitt and the White House 'sanewashes' President Trump's statements by attempting to put a different interpretation to his often off-the-cuff remarks.
White House launches TrumpRx, the much-anticipated direct-to-consumer drug platform
The White House officially launched TrumpRx, the Trump administration’s much-anticipated direct-to-consumer drug platform, on Thursday.
“We’re here this evening to celebrate the launch of one of the most transformative health care initiatives of all time. There’s never been anything like it,” President Donald Trump said during the platform’s announcement event.
TrumpRx is a key pillar of the president’s effort to lower prescription drug costs. The website will serve as a clearinghouse that connects patients with drug makers selling certain products to those willing to pay cash and forgo insurance. The medications, including the blockbuster obesity drugs Zepbound and Wegovy, will be available at a discount through these channels.
For some drugs, the website provides patients with coupon cards to use at a pharmacy, while others are only available for purchase at the discounted rates directly from the manufacturer.
Read more about TrumpRx and how patients can use the website.
Trump asks GOP to pass voter ID bill, as White House downplays his call to "nationalize" voting
President Donald Trump on Thursday called on Republicans in Congress to pass the SAVE America Act — a GOP-led bill that would tighten voting requirements.
“America’s Elections are Rigged, Stolen, and a Laughingstock all over the World. We are either going to fix them, or we won’t have a Country any longer. I am asking all Republicans to fight for the following: SAVE AMERICA ACT,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
The GOP-led House passed the SAVE Act last year — a bill that requires documentary proof of US citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, despite the fact that it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. Republicans recently introduced an updated version of the bill that adds a voter ID requirement for federal elections.
Trump’s Truth Social post calls for voter ID, proof of citizenship to register for voting and “NO MAIL-IN BALLOTS (EXCEPT FOR ILLNESS, DISABILITY, MILITARY, OR TRAVEL!).”
The push comes as the White House has downplayed the president’s own recent call to “nationalize” elections, something he has raised the prospect of on multiple occasions over the past week. In an NBC interview on Wednesday, he claimed without evidence that some states might not be properly counting votes, and that if that’s the case, “something else has to happen.”
But press secretary Karoline Leavitt argued that Trump is primarily concerned with passing legislation to tighten safeguards against noncitizens voting.
“The federal government should absolutely do away with that,” she said. “This is a piece of federal legislation that will help states ensure the integrity and the sanctity of their elections, and that’s what the president wants here.”
CNN’s Adam Cancryn and Clare Foran contributed to this post.
Catch up on where things stand on DHS funding negotiations and tomorrow's US-Iran talks
It’s a busy day in Washington, and Congress remains deeply divided over Department of Homeland Security funding, which is set to expire next week.
Meanwhile, after some back-and-forth between the US and Iran, the two sides have agreed to move ahead with the talks in Oman tomorrow.
If you’re just tuning in, here’s a look at today’s latest news:
DHS funding fight:
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that efforts to find agreement over the DHS funding bill will “continue through the weekend.”
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Republicans for not presenting a clear rebuttal to the Democratic demands.
- The White House said the administration is willing to consider “some” demands from Democratic leadership’s list, which was sent to GOP leaders yesterday.
Diplomacy:
- US-Iran meeting: The White House offered limited expectations for tomorrow’s talks with Iran and said President Donald Trump would receive a briefing from his delegates to the discussions afterward. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is leading Iran’s delegation and Trump’s top foreign envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner will represent the US.
- Ukraine war trilateral talks: Talks intended to end the Ukraine war concluded today in an agreement to reopen a military communication channel between the US and Russia, Trump’s top foreign envoy said, though no resolution to the conflict appears at hand.
- START treaty: Trump said the US should negotiate a “new, improved, and modernized” nuclear treaty with Russia instead of agreeing to extend the New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear treaty between the two countries which expired today.
- Diego Garcia: Trump said he had “very productive discussions” with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the future of Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean where the US has a military base.
- Hungary election: Trump endorsed populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban ahead of a key election in April.
- Japanese prime minister: Trump announced that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will visit the White House on March 19.
Economy and elections:
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt again denied that Trump wants the federal government to take over the counting of electoral votes, insisting that his calls to “nationalize” elections referred only to his support for strict voter ID legislation.
- Leavitt also suggested that “it’s more than appropriate” for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to be present and involved in searches for alleged voter fraud.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren had a heated exchange during a congressional hearing while discussing affordability challenges and the next leader for the Federal Reserve. Watch some of the exchange below:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) pressed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about rising US grocery prices after President Trump continues to falsely say that grocery prices are falling.
CNN’s Ted Barrett, Annie Grayer, vana Kottasová, Riane Lumer, Samantha Waldenberg, Kevin Liptak, Adam Cancryn, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Alejandra Jaramillo and Bryan Mena contributed to this report.
US to provide $6 million in humanitarian aid to Cuba as it attempts to choke off oil supply
The US State Department announced $6 million in humanitarian assistance to Cuba as the Trump administration attempts to choke off oil to the island.
The assistance will be distributed through Caritas, a network of Catholic charitable organizations, and the Catholic Church, Jeremy Lewin, the senior State Department official in charge of foreign assistance, said Thursday. Lewin told reporters that there had not been direct engagement with the Cuban government on the matter.
The Trump administration has disrupted oil supplies to Cuba from Venezuela and last week it threatened tariffs on nations that export oil to Cuba.
Lewin rejected the idea that the US oil restrictions on Cuba was amplifying the need for humanitarian aid there. He argued that the island was still impacted by Hurricane Melissa and the oil was being “hoarded by the government run monopoly” and the “security service.”
Lewin said the assistance would be usable even during the fuel shortage. He said it included “canned tuna, rice, beans, pasta, things like that, basic necessities, little solar lamps that allow you to also charge your phone, hygiene kits, basic necessities like that.”
On Tuesday, the US Embassy in Havana warned Americans to “prepare for prolonged power outages” by keeping their phone charged and stocking up “on nonperishable food and water.”
Schumer demands on DHS funding show two sides are still far apart heading into the weekend
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Republicans for not presenting a clear rebuttal to the Democratic demands on funding for the Department of Homeland Security, as the two parties head into the weekend still far apart on negotiations with the clock ticking.
“They have different people going in different directions. They’ve got to get their act together,” Schumer said of the Republicans.
“At the moment, it’s the appropriations committees talking to each other, but you’ve had other people on the Republican side saying different things. Hakeem and I are doing this together. You don’t see us saying different things,” Schumer told reporters.”
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune has also expressed frustration about not being able to get the Democratic side to sit down and negotiate, and many Republicans have said many of the Democratic demands are nonstarters.
Schumer described the GOP proposal to attach so-called “sanctuary city” reforms to DHS funding as “unserious” and a “totally different issue.”
The Democratic leader sidestepped when asked if he would support another short-term extension of DHS funding if the two sides can’t reach an agreement by next Friday, and said his bottom line is he needs to see a proposal that address the Democrats’ demands to rein in ICE.
“If Republicans can’t go along with that, they shouldn’t count on our votes” Schumer said.
But when asked if he would consider passing a separate funding bill for some of the other agencies under DHS like TSA, Schumer sounded more open: “the bottom line is that TSA is very important, and there’s talk in our caucus of how to continue TSA.”
CNN’s Audie Cornish talks to Democratic Rep. Lauren Underwood about the DHS funding issue.
Thune says conversations over DHS funding “will continue through the weekend”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that efforts to find agreement over the Department of Homeland Security funding bill will “continue through the weekend.”
“The conversations will continue through the weekend, and hopefully by next week, we’ll have a better sense of that,” Thune said.
He said he prefers a full year continuing resolution — or funding extension — as a backup. As of now, the talks appear to be at an impasse between the two parties with the funding deadline fast approaching.
Asked if there have been direct talks, Thune said, “Well, we’re trying. There’s been a lot of outreach, at least, I know on our end, to get everybody to the table. I mean, I just don’t think that litigating this, you know, publicly, is the way to ultimately get to a solution.”
Asked why it is so difficult to get everyone to sit down, Thune said, “I don’t know that’s good question. I think part of it is they want us to react publicly to what they propose. But I think the way you’re going to solve this is to get down, find out what the real issues are, not all the stuff that’s out there for, you know, social media consumption and narrow it down and figure out how we solve this.”
Trump endorses Hungary's populist leader Orban for reelection
US President Donald Trump has endorsed Hungary’s populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban ahead of a key election in April.
The endorsement comes as Orban’s right wing Fidesz party is trailing in opinion polls behind the center-right Tisza party whose leader — a former Orban ally turned nemesis — has emerged as the prime minister’s first serious challenger in years.
Orban, who is the European Union’s longest-serving current leader, has been in office for almost 16 years. Over that time, critics have accused him of presiding over democratic backsliding and economic stagnation. Orban, a steadfast supporter of Trump, has also been criticized for his persistent opposition to the European Union’s efforts to assist Ukraine in its war with Russia.
White House says administration open to discussing “some” ICE demands from Democratic leadership
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration is willing to consider “some” demands from Democratic leadership’s list, which was sent to GOP leaders yesterday as a continuation of their effort to impose limits on President Donald Trump’s nationwide immigration enforcement surge.
Leavitt did not specify which demands she was referring to, saying she would not “negotiate policy from the podium.”
“I’m going to allow the president to do that, and any final decisions that are made will be made ultimately by him,” she said.
Pressed on what those non-starters are specifically, Leavitt noted there are a few but again declined to elaborate. “I know the White House will be engaged in direct, serious talks with Democrats on this important matter,” she added.
Earlier: Senate Democrats insist that proposed changes to ICE tactics and protocols are a “moral red line,” in their demands, warning they are prepared to allow Department of Homeland Security funding to lapse without a deal. Senate Republicans, however, counter many of the proposed changes, referring to them as “ridiculous.”
White House suggests "it's more than appropriate" for Gabbard to be involved in search for alleged voter fraud
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested Thursday that “it’s more than appropriate” for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to be present and involved in searches for alleged voter fraud.
“It is more than appropriate,” Leavitt said. “In fact, it is Tulsi Gabbard’s job to ensure that our elections are safe and secure, and that’s exactly what she’s been doing on the ground in Georgia.”
Leavitt’s comments come as CNN has reported that Gabbard’s department has obtained voting machines from Puerto Rico and probed them for security vulnerabilities.
Gabbard was also present as FBI agents executed a search warrant in Fulton County, Georgia, last week related to the 2020 election.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has insisted that Gabbard was present in Fulton County because she was asked by the president to be there. While the president told NBC News yesterday that he did not know why Gabbard was there, he on Thursday said that she had gone at Attorney General Pam Bondi’s insistence to probe alleged ballot irregularities.
Trump "standing by" for updates from Witkoff and Kushner after Iran talks Friday
The White House offered limited expectations for Friday talks with Iran, saying President Donald Trump preferred to resolve tensions diplomatically and that he would receive a briefing from his delegates to the discussions afterward.
“Diplomacy is always his first option when it comes to dealing with countries all around the world, whether it’s our allies or our adversaries,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House.
There had been a back-and-forth between the US and Iran over the location and format of the discussions, but the two sides ultimately agreed to move ahead with the talks Friday in Oman.
Trump’s top foreign envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner will represent the US in the discussions.
“We will see what comes of those,” Leavitt said. “The President is standing by for an update from them.”
Trump hopes the large US military build-up he’s ordered in the Middle East will act as leverage as he seeks concessions from Iran on its nuclear and missile programs, along with its support for proxy groups in the region.
White House again downplays Trump's suggestions federal government should take over elections
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt again denied that President Donald Trump wants the federal government to take over the counting of electoral votes, insisting Thursday that his calls to “nationalize” elections referred only to his support for strict voter ID legislation.
“What the president is suggesting, and I just spoke to him about this, is that Republicans and Democrats in Congress should pass the SAVE America Act,” she said during a press briefing, alluding to a proposal requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. “This piece of legislation is going to ensure that states are abiding by federal election law by removing noncitizens from their voter rolls.”
Trump has raised the prospect of the federal government intervening in elections on multiple occasions over the past week, including an NBC interview on Wednesday where he claimed without evidence that some states might not be properly counting votes, and that if that’s the case, “something else has to happen.”
But Leavitt downplayed his remarks, arguing that Trump is primarily concerned with passing legislation to tighten safeguards against noncitizens voting.
“The federal government should absolutely do away with that,” she said. “This is a piece of federal legislation that will help states ensure the integrity and the sanctity of their elections, and that’s what the president wants here.”
Iranian foreign minister will head delegation for nuclear talks with US, Iran says
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is leading a diplomatic delegation to conduct nuclear negotiations with the United States in Oman, Iran’s foreign ministry said today.
The high-stakes talks are scheduled to take place tomorrow in the Omani capital of Muscat and will involve Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to Iran’s state-affiliated Tasnim News Agency.
The talks will be carried out “with authority” and aimed at reaching a “fair, mutually satisfactory and honorable understanding” on the nuclear issue, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in the statement.
The ministry said that Iran is entering the negotiations with full awareness of past experiences, including what it described as previous breaches of commitments, military aggression against Iran in June and foreign interventions during recent nationwide protests. These experiences, the statement said, continue to shape Tehran’s approach to diplomacy.
Learn more about Iran’s position ahead of tomorrow’s talks in this video:
As the US and Iran go back and forth on where and what they will talk about amid tensions, CNN's Nick Paton Walsh looks at what position Iran are in.
Trump says US should negotiate a "new, improved, and modernized" nuclear treaty with Russia
President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States should negotiate a “new, improved, and modernized” nuclear treaty with Russia instead of agreeing to extend the New START treaty.
“Rather than extend ‘NEW START’(A badly negotiated deal by the United States that, aside from everything else, is being grossly violated), we should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved, and modernized Treaty that can last long into the future,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
The last remaining nuclear treaty between the two countries expires on Thursday and has sparked fears about a nuclear arms race, with the two biggest nuclear superpowers without limits on their arsenals for the first time in decades.
Trump says he understand UK's Diego Garcia plan but retains right to "militarily secure" base
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he had “very productive discussions” with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the future of Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean where the US has a military base, after previously criticizing the UK’s plans to transfer its ownership to Mauritius.
In a Truth Social post, Trump warned that the United States would act if American interests were threatened.
“I understand that the deal Prime Minister Starmer has made, according to many, the best he could make,” he said. “However, if the lease deal, sometime in the future, ever falls apart, or anyone threatens or endangers U.S. operations and forces at our Base, I retain the right to Militarily secure and reinforce the American presence in Diego Garcia.”
“Let it be known that I will never allow our presence on a Base as important as this to ever be undermined or threatened by fake claims or environmental nonsense,” Trump continued.
Earlier this year, he accused the UK of “stupidity” over the move to transfer ownership of the Chagos Islands, which includes Diego Garcia, to Mauritius.
“Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia … FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER,” Trump wrote in January. “The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY.”
Democrats aren't committed to stopgap bill for DHS, raising prospects of agency shutdown
Democrats are not committed to backing another short-term funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, raising the odds of an agency shutdown.
While Congress has funded most of the federal agencies through September 30, funding for the Department of Homeland Security expires next Friday at midnight.
Democrats are demanding reforms as part of any funding package for the agency. But as talks remain stalled, a number of rank-and-file Democrats – including many who traditionally back stopgap measures in the past – indicate they won’t entertain another funding bill without a clear sense that negotiators are making progress.
“That’s a close call, and it would depend to some extent on whether I thought there were real, good faith negotiations going on,” Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, said of whether he’d back another short-term spending bill for the agency. “But if it is we’re not even going to talk to you….I don’t know but if that’s their position then no.”
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, another Democrat who has voted to keep the government open even when other Democrats voted no, argued that she wasn’t going to speculate at this point what she will do given the talks haven’t really gotten underway.
Several Democrats said they weren’t open to a short-term funding extension of any length or under any circumstances.
“We definitely don’t need a short-term CR, and I don’t think the American people want us funding an agency that is out of control,” Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said.
Asked if he was open to a CR to give talks more time, Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, shot back “more time for what?”
Trump announces Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi will visit White House on March 19
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will visit the White House on March 19, praising her leadership ahead of Japan’s upcoming legislative elections.
Trump highlighted the significance of Japan’s vote scheduled for Sunday, calling it critical to the country’s future and offering an emphatic endorsement of Takaichi.
“The Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, has already proven to be a strong, powerful, and wise Leader, and one that truly loves her Country,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, adding that he looks forward to welcoming her to Washington later in March.
The president first met Takaichi during his Asia trip in October, where the two leaders spent time together during meetings with business executives and government officials.
During that visit, Trump received a Nobel Peace Prize nomination from Takaichi, the second of his Asia trip, along with a golf putter that had belonged to the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who famously bonded with Trump over golf.
“She is a delight,” Trump said at the conclusion of the day’s events. “I got to know her pretty well in a short period of time.”
