What we're covering
• White House meeting: President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to discuss US-Iran nuclear talks today.
• Indictment rejected: A federal grand jury declined to indict Democratic lawmakers who posted a video urging service members and intelligence officials to disobey any illegal orders from the administration, according to sources.
• Funding deadlock: Senate Majority Leader John Thune said negotiators are making progress on proposed changes to ICE, as lawmakers face a Friday deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer hasn’t ruled out a short-term stopgap bill but said Democrats are putting pressure on the GOP over ICE demands.
• Epstein files: The White House has expressed support for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick after he testified about having lunch at Jeffrey Epstein’s island in 2012.
Trump says he told Netanyahu he would continue pursuing diplomacy with Iran
President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a meeting Wednesday that he would continue seeking a diplomatic arrangement with Iran, despite skepticism within Netanyahu’s government toward Trump’s dealmaking efforts.
In a social media post, Trump, who called the meeting “very good,” described delivering a clear message to his Israeli counterpart while also suggesting a somewhat inconclusive outcome to the talks.
“There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated,” he wrote on Truth Social. “If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be.”
“Last time Iran decided that they were better off not making a Deal, and they were hit with Midnight Hammer — That did not work well for them,” Trump said, referring to the June mission by the US to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities. “Hopefully this time they will be more reasonable and responsible.”
Trump and Netanyahu’s meeting — their seventh since Trump retook office — occurred unusually entirely behind closed doors. It lasted roughly 3 hours.
Wright's Venezuela visit aims to "restore prosperity, safety, and security," Energy Department says
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright arrived in Caracas today to “advance President Trump’s mission to restore prosperity, safety, and security for Venezuela, the United States, and the entire Western Hemisphere,” Energy Department press secretary Ben Dietderich said in a statement.
During his visit, which the Department of Energy called “historic,” Wright will meet with members of the Venezuelan government and business leaders, the statement added.
The official is also expected to visit some of the country’s oil fields.
Netanyahu leaves White House after meeting with Trump
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s SUV was seen leaving the White House at 1:48 p.m. ET.
The prime minister met with President Donald Trump for over an hour behind closed doors in the Oval Office.
Iran’s president apologizes to public over protest crackdown as US pressure mounts
As US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House to discuss Iran nuclear talks, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a public apology to the Iranian people over the deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.
Pezeshkian expressed shame over the recent deadly events and pledged to serve those who were harmed, as the country marked the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution with nationwide rallies.
At least 6,490 protesters have been killed in Iran since nationwide demonstrations erupted in late December, according to updated figures from the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). CNN cannot independently verify those figures.
Pezeshkian stopped short of directly acknowledging the role of Iranian security forces in the bloodshed.
Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked “terrorists,” whom they accused of burning bazaars, mosques and cultural sites.
Trump had issued warnings to Iran over the killings of protesters amid the brutal government crackdown last month. He told Axios yesterday he’s “thinking” about sending another aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East as the US keeps up pressure on Iran amid the ongoing negotiations.
Speaker Johnson denies DOJ weaponized against Slotkin, Kelly
House Speaker Mike Johnson pushed back on the idea that the Department of Justice is being weaponized against lawmakers who made a video encouraging service members to refuse illegal orders and insisted they were in the wrong.
“A line was crossed. It’s very serious when you have leaders in the Senate and the House effectively telling members of the military to defy orders,” he told CNN.
“It’s a very dangerous gambit that they were playing. Should they be sent to jail? Hopefully not. But we need to call it out as being wildly inappropriate,” he added.
Johnson would not comment directly on the indictment as he did not know the terms of it.
Sen. McConnell is out of the hospital and working from home this week
Mitch McConnell was discharged from the hospital yesterday but is not expected to attend votes on Capitol Hill this week, according to a spokesman for the Kentucky senator.
“Senator McConnell was discharged from the hospital yesterday and is grateful for the outstanding care he received. He is feeling better and will be working from home this week on the advice of his doctors,” spokesman David Popp said.
The Senate this week is facing a deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security before money runs out Friday.
McConnell, who is 83 years old and the former Senate GOP leader, had checked himself into the hospital last week with “flu-like symptoms.”
Senate GOP Leader John Thune told reporters earlier this week that he had spoken with McConnell and that he was “engaged.”
Democratic congressman in "illegal orders" video threatens DOJ with legal action
An attorney for Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, one of the Democrats targeted by the Justice Department over their “illegal orders” video, went on offense in a letter to US attorney Jeanine Pirro, saying he will take legal action if prosecutors try again to indict him.
“The baseless and absurd allegations by Donald Trump, followed by your carrying out of the President’s political retribution campaign has already gone too far, and are evidence of yet another abuse of power directed at those who dare speak out and criticize this Administration,” wrote Abbe Lowell, an attorney for Crow.
Lowell said in the letter that the Justice Department should preserve all records and documents.
Crow’s lawyer said potential legal action could include claims that the lawmaker’s rights were violated, including his First Amendment protections and Speech or Debate Clause protections, among others.
The letter was sent a day after a federal grand jury declined to indict the Democratic lawmakers related to the video released in November. The six, who are veterans or former intelligence officials, urged service members and intelligence officials in the 90-second video to disobey any illegal orders from the Trump administration.
Netanyahu arrives at White House for meeting with Trump
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived at the White House for a meeting with President Donald Trump, according to a White House official.
CNN captured video of Netanyahu’s SUV — with an Israeli and US flag on either side — adjacent to the West Wing, where he entered the White House privately on the South Lawn.
The meeting is closed to the press as of now.
Prior to the meeting, Netanyahu met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee at Blair House. Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Michael Leiter posted a photo of the meeting, writing that the group discussed “important geo-strategic developments” in the region.
At the meeting with Rubio, Netanyahu also formally signed on to be a member of Trump’s “Board of Peace,” according to a post on the prime minister’s X account. The board is expected to have its first meeting on February 19.
US energy secretary is in Venezuela for high-stakes meeting with acting president
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright is in Venezuela, making him the highest-ranking US official to visit the socialist country in almost three decades.
The account of the US embassy in Venezuela said in a post on X that his visit is “key to advance the vision” of President Donald Trump in the South American country.
The visit marks a decisive shift in US-Venezuela relations, less than 40 days after a Delta Force commando abruptly seized former President Nicolás Maduro on January 3 and took him to New York City, where the former authoritarian leader is facing charges of narco-terrorism.
What’s on the agenda: Wright is in the Miraflores presidential palace in the capital of Caracas for a meeting with acting president Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former deputy who has taken over from him and in the last 30 days has initiated a cycle of reforms to stabilize the country after years of violent political polarization.
Venezuela has the largest crude oil reserves in the world, and last month, the country’s National Assembly passed a reform on the Hydrocarbon Law to lure foreign investors. Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA said Rodríguez is meeting Wright to establish an agenda that benefits both nations, “within the framework of energy sovereignty and historical bilateral relations.”
The US Department of Treasury has been gradually lifting sanctions on Venezuela and Trump held a roundtable with oil executives last month to pitch a return to the South American country.
Most foreign companies had left Venezuela under Maduro’s rule and his predecessor, the late president Hugo Chávez, and Venezuela’s oil exports today are approximately a third of what they were in the early 2000s.
Today’s visit is the second time a US Cabinet member traveled to Caracas this year. CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Rodríguez on January 15, less than two weeks after Maduro’s capture.
Read our coverage of Wright’s visit to Venezuela in Spanish.
Kennedy Center will operate with “skeletal teams” during renovation, its president says
President Donald Trump’s planned renovation of the Kennedy Center is going to require significant reductions in staff, its president Richard Grenell said Tuesday, describing remaining personnel as “skeletal teams left in place.”
“Departments will obviously function on a much smaller scale with some units totally reduced or on hold until we begin preparations to reopen in 2028. This period will mean permanent or temporary adjustments for most everyone,” Grenell wrote in an email to staff obtained by CNN.
The Kennedy Center, which the board voted to rename the Trump Kennedy Center last year, is expected to close in early July for a major two-year renovation project that Trump said will leave the building’s steel “fully exposed.”
In his Tuesday email, Grenell said the goal “is to ensure continuity of mission while positioning the organization for an extraordinary reopening in 2028.”
Plans for reorganization will take place in the coming months, Grenell said, noting that he will be working with department heads “evaluating the needs and making the decisions as to what these skeletal teams left in place during the facility closure and construction phase will look like.”
Trump’s broader changes to the center over the past year — gutting its board, installing himself as chairman and reimagining programming — contributed to slumping ticket sales and dwindling performances as prominent artists canceled their appearances.
In his social media post earlier this month announcing the building’s closure and renovation, Trump said that the move would be “totally subject to Board approval.” CNN has reached out to the center for clarity on whether the board has approved the closure plans.
GOP senator slams attempted indictment of Democrats as “political lawfare”
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis slammed the Trump administration’s attempt to indict six Democratic lawmakers who posted a video last year telling intelligence officials and members of the US military to not follow illegal orders.
The retiring North Carolina Republican has not held back from criticizing the administration, particularly deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Read more on the attempted indictment and the lawmakers’ response.
How Lutnick's comments raise new questions about past descriptions of contact with Epstein
CNN's Kaitlan Collins analyzes the bigger implications of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently confirming interactions with Jeffrey Epstein on the convicted sex offender’s Caribbean island in 2012--even as he insisted the two did not have a relationship.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins analyzes the bigger implications of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirming interactions with Jeffrey Epstein on the convicted sex offender’s Caribbean island in 2012 — even as he insisted the two did not have a relationship.
The comments raise new questions about Lutnick’s description of having cut ties with Epstein in 2005.
Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace, official says
Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace, an administration official told CNN, which triggered a temporary airspace closure over El Paso, Texas, that has now been lifted.
“The Department of War took action to disable the drones,” the official said. “The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel,” they added, referring to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The airspace closure was prompted by a US military operation related to drug cartels, according to two sources briefed on the matter.
The nature of that military action was not immediately clear though the Trump administration has long said it intends to target drug cartels operating in Mexico and beyond.
Vance to US Olympics athletes: "You’re not there to pop off about politics"
Before departing Azerbaijan, US Vice President JD Vance said that US athletes competing in the Winter Olympics should "expect some pushback" for discussing politics.
Vice President JD Vance said that US athletes competing in the Winter Olympics should “expect some pushback” if they use their platforms to discuss politics.
Vance’s comments came as President Donald Trump called US skier Hunter Hess a “real loser” over the weekend after the athlete expressed “mixed emotions representing the US right now” at the Olympics.
Vance kicked off his three-country foreign trip in Milan, Italy, by meeting US athletes and attending several events featuring Team USA.
The vice president was booed by some spectators during the Olympics opening ceremony. Vance downplayed the cold reception he received.
Qatari ruler speaks to Trump ahead of meeting with Iran’s national security chief
The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, spoke to US President Donald Trump in a phone call today, his office said, ahead of a meeting between the emir and Iran’s national security chief.
The American and Qatari leaders discussed “the developments of the current situation in the region” and “international efforts aimed at reducing escalation and promoting regional security and peace,” a statement by the emir’s office said.
It comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington for talks with Trump, where Iran is expected to be discussed. Yesterday, he met with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s National Security Council, arrived in the Qatari capital Doha a day after visiting Oman. The Omani capital of Muscat hosted indirect negotiations between Iran and the US Friday. The US and Iran have indicated that further talks are expected, though no date has been set.
On Tuesday, Larijani told Omani media that the negotiations remain strictly focused on Iran’s nuclear program.
“The American side has realized that the talks should be about the nuclear issue,” he said. “There were no negotiations on other matters.” CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
Yesterday, Trump said an Iran deal would also need to address Tehran’s missile program.
“No nuclear weapons, no missiles, no this, no that, all the different things that you want,” Trump told Fox Business’ Larry Kudlow in an interview.
CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.
Netanyahu meets with Witkoff and Kushner ahead of Trump meeting
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner yesterday ahead of his meeting with Trump at the White House.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also scheduled to meet with Netanyahu at 9 a.m. ET today before Trump’s meeting, which is set to take place at 11 a.m. ET in the Oval Office.
This is Netanyahu’s seventh meeting with Trump since the start of his second term.
Last night, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Michael Leiter posted an image of an evening meeting with Netanyahu alongside Witkoff and Kushner to discuss “regional developments.”
“Within the first hour of welcoming PM @netanyahu in Washington this evening, we were already hard at work,” Leiter said.
Netanyahu is staying at Blair House, and several roads around the White House are closed and barricaded with fences, DC police vehicles and snow trucks, which is typical for when the prime minister visits.
Vance says racist video posted by Trump of the Obamas is “not a real controversy”
Vice President JD Vance said President Donald Trump does not need to apologize for posting a now-deleted racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes in a jungle.
“Should he apologize for posting a video and then taking it down? No, I don’t think so,” Vance told reporters on Wednesday at the conclusion of a foreign trip.
Trump has refused to apologize for posting the video on Truth Social last week, telling reporters he “didn’t make a mistake,” and instead placing the blame on a White House staffer.
Trump faced bipartisan criticism for the video and several close allies called on him to remove it and apologize.
Vance on Wednesday downplayed the backlash.
“It’s not a real controversy. We have much, much more real problems to focus on,” he said.
See Trump’s response to the video:
Trump and Netanyahu to discuss Gaza ceasefire as US pushes forward with phase two
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said shortly before departing for Washington that Gaza would be among “a series of issues” to be discussed during his meeting with US President Donald Trump today.
The US announced the start of the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan in mid-January, following the formation of a new committee intended to administer the battered enclave.
The conclusion of the first phase of the US-brokered, 20-point ceasefire agreement — which went into effect in mid-October — came after the remains of the final deceased Israeli hostage in Gaza were returned to Israel in January, and the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt was partially reopened last week.
Trump has pushed to advance the ceasefire into its second phase, alongside plans for a governing board and a Palestinian technocratic committee to run Gaza. Netanyahu, however, has continued to stress that Hamas must disarm before any reconstruction can begin in the shattered enclave.
In January, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said the second phase of the plan would focus on “demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction,” though he provided few details on how the most contentious provisions would be implemented.
Netanyahu’s visit to Washington also comes as Israel has taken a series of sweeping steps to tighten its control over the occupied West Bank.
Here's what is on Trump's schedule today
President Donald Trump has a few events on his public schedule today. Here’s what to look out for:
- 11 a.m. ET: Trump has a visit with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This is closed to press right now.
- 4 p.m. ET: Trump participates in a “Champion of Coal” event.
- 5:30 p.m. ET: Trump meets with the special envoy to the United Kingdom, which is also closed to the press.
We’ll keep you updated on any changes.
Trump says he's "thinking" about sending 2nd carrier strike group to Middle East
President Donald Trump told Axios yesterday he’s “thinking” about sending another aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East as the US keeps up pressure on Iran amid ongoing negotiations.
Trump also told Axios he’s anticipating a second round of talks with Iran next week. The US president has repeatedly said Iran wants to make a deal, but there are ongoing questions about the parameters of any agreement and whether it would be limited narrowly to Iran’s nuclear program. Trump told Axios it should also address Iran’s ballistic missile stockpiles.
The US military presence in the region has accelerated in recent weeks as Trump has considered options for striking Iran, but there’s been no indication a decision has been made. Last weekend, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the region after completing talks with Iran on Friday.
