What we're covering
• Trump’s meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader: Nobel laureate María Corina Machado will meet with President Donald Trump today, after he declined to endorse her following the US capture of leader Nicolás Maduro. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, is set to deliver a state of the union address today after Trump said they spoke yesterday.
• Tensions over Greenland: Leaders from Denmark and Greenland said that a “fundamental disagreement” persists with the Trump administration over the future of the territory following their meeting yesterday with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
• DOJ probe into Fed chair: Trump told Reuters yesterday that he is not planning on removing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, even as the Justice Department conducts a criminal investigation into the central bank chief.
What we know about the situation in Venezuela as Trump prepares to meet opposition leader
Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Laureate Maria Corina Machado will soon meet with President Donald Trump at the White House, weeks after the US launched a military operation ousting Nicolás Maduro.
If you’re just joining us, here’s a quick recap of what’s happened since Maduro’s ousting:
- On January 3, the US ousted Maduro following a military operation. Maduro and his wife were flown to New York City and pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges.
- At a news conference after the operation, Trump said the US will “run” Venezuela for the foreseeable future, later adding that top US officials would work with a “team” to help run the country. He also said the US will seize Venezuela’s massive oil reserves.
- Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s vice president, was sworn in at interim president following the US military operation. Trump said the US would work with Rodríguez as the country faces an uncertain future.
- Venezuelan opposition parties have called for new elections. Many were caught off guard when the US president said he thought it would be tough for Machado, a vocal Trump supporter, to lead Venezuela following Maduro’s capture.
- This week, the US completed its first sale of Venezuelan oil, valued at $500 million, according to an administration official.
- Venezuela has begun releasing a number of high-profile prisoners, including opposition politicians, in what its government has called a gesture “to seek peace.” The Trump administration has called for the release of all political prisoners in Venezuela.
- Senate GOP blocked an effort to curb the Trump administration’s military action in Venezuela. Many lawmakers have raised concerns since it appears Congress was not notified of the January 3 military operation.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Jennifer Hansler, Samantha Delouya, Morgan Rimmer, Ted, Barrett, Manu Raju, Jessie Yeung, Stefano Pozzebon, Uriel Blanco, Max Saltman, Mitchell McCluskey, Laura Sharman and Ivonne Valdes Garay contributed to this report.
Trump unveils health care plan aimed at lowering costs
President Donald Trump unveiled a multipart proposal on Thursday aimed at lowering prescription drug prices and reducing health insurance premiums, as well as increasing pricing transparency. He also vowed to hold big insurance companies accountable.
The plan, which the president is calling on Congress to enact, proposes sending money directly to consumers, not insurers, as he has called for in recent months amid the debate over whether to extend the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium subsidies, which expired at the end of last year.
Many of the proposals have been pushed by Trump or Congress in recent years. Some also build on measures the president enacted in his first term or agreements he struck in the past year, including asking lawmakers to codify his “Most Favored Nation” drug pricing agreements with more than a dozen pharmaceutical manufacturers.
GOP senator says Machado "clearly going to become president" in Venezuela, despite Trump's previous comments
Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott said Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado will “clearly” eventually become president of the country, despite President Donald Trump previously saying she doesn’t have the respect of the people.
“I think she’s clearly gonna become the president. I think the transition … clearly Trump and Marco Rubio have a … transition plan. We know we’d all like it to happen in a day, but we are making progress,” said Scott, adding: “I don’t think there’s any question she has the respect.”
The Florida Republican said when he spoke with her last week, “the first thing she said is she is so, so, so appreciative of President Trump, and I know that’s what she’s going to say today to him when she meets with him.”
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said she looks forward to speaking with Machado about “how she views getting to democratic — returning to democratic elections in Venezuela.”
While Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine said he’s not meeting with Machado today, he urged his colleagues to question why Trump would argue that she doesn’t have the respect of Venezuelans.
“And I think we should listen to her, my colleagues should, because maybe that — maybe her words will help illuminate why she was not deemed trusted by President Trump.”
Denmark and Greenland officials are back on Capitol Hill today
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine said he will be meeting with officials from Denmark and Greenland on Thursday – the latest senator to sit down with them amid the Trump administration’s pursuit of Greenland.
“I’ll do everything I can to make sure that the United States never takes up arms against them as a longtime ally, and that they should not seriously engage even in negotiations about selling part of their sovereign territory, certainly not when they’re being threatened and bullied with military action and other words of disrespect,” he continued.
The Virginia Democrat reiterated that he will cosponsor a war powers resolution aimed at blocking military action in Greenland without congressional approval and expects “very strong Republican support.”
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin told reporters that senators from both parties want to reassure Danish officials during their upcoming congressional delegation visit to Copenhagen that Americans don’t want to take control of Greenland.
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he thinks “Republicans and Democrats are on the same page thinking it is absolutely bizarre and absurd that the president of the United States, the supposed leader of the free world, is talking about invading an ally who has committed men and women in the causes where we have fought, like Afghanistan, and now trying to seize a territory simply to enrich the United States.”
As tensions simmer over Greenland, some European nations send military personnel
Several European NATO countries are deploying small numbers of military personnel to Greenland to participate in joint exercises with Denmark as US President Donald Trump ramps up his threats to forcibly annex the island.
News of the deployments came just as Danish and Greenlandic officials met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance yesterday.
Denmark, which is responsible for Greenland’s defense, has warned an attack on Greenland would all but end NATO, and announced on Wednesday that it was expanding its military presence “in close cooperation with NATO allies.”
Germany, Sweden, France, Norway, the Netherlands and Finland have all since confirmed they are sending military personnel to Greenland this week. The announced numbers are quite small, with Germany deploying a “reconnaissance team” of 13 and Norway sending two people.
Some context: It is not unusual for NATO countries to send troops to train in other NATO countries, and there has been a years-long push by allies, including the US, to ramp up joint exercises in the Arctic Circle. The US has about 150 troops stationed at its Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland.
A spokesperson for Canada’s Ministry of National Defense told CNN on Wednesday that it has some military personnel in Greenland. However, “as of this moment,” Canada is “not initiating any new operations” there.
Keep in mind: Both the timing and symbolism of the latest announcements by European nations are a significant show of solidarity at a time of unprecedented tension within NATO.
Read CNN’s full report on European military exercises in Greenland here.
Senators seek Machado’s take on post-Maduro Venezuela this afternoon
Senators are expected to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado this afternoon, after her meeting at the White House.
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, who noted he’s stayed in contact with her, says they want to hear her opinion on what has happened in Venezuela since the US captured and ousted then-President Nicolás Maduro.
“She’s an extraordinary person, totally deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. She risked her life to bring a change in the government in Venezuela,” Durbin told reporters. “Some practical questions we’re going to ask today, as to how she sees her homeland since Maduro has been removed and has a new president.”
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said she will also attend the meeting.
US military seizes another oil tanker in the Caribbean
The US seized another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea on Thursday, according to a social media post from US Southern Command, as the military continues to assert control over the flow of oil into and from Venezuela.
“The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully,” US Southern Command said.
The seizure of the tanker, called Veronica, was conducted by the Joint Task Force Southern Spear in coordination with the US Coast Guard and the Justice Department.
Prior to Thursday’s action, the US had boarded and taken control of five sanctioned oil tankers since early December.
Here's what's on Trump's schedule today
President Donald Trump is set to meet with Venezuela’s opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado today at 12:30 p.m. ET.
At 4 p.m. ET, Trump will host the 2025 Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers, in the East Room.
Additionally, at 1 p.m. ET, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will brief the press.
Analysis: Machado gambling her political future on Trump. Here's why
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado is in Washington, DC for a high-stakes talks with President Donald Trump on the future of Venezuela following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro.
The meeting comes after Trump surprised many by allowing Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, to assume control, dashing opposition hopes for a new democratic era.
The last 12 months have been a rollercoaster for Machado.
A year ago this week, she was seen in Caracas, struggling to energize crowds against Maduro, the authoritarian leader who was beginning a third term as Venezuela’s president after his electoral authorities announced him the winner in the 2024 presidential election — without releasing detailed results and despite evidence that Machado’s candidate, Edmundo González, had beaten him in a landslide.
It was the last time anyone had seen Machado in public until last month, when she emerged from hiding to receive her prize in Norway following a daring escape from Venezuela evading capture by Maduro’s forces.
Machado has tried to court Trump’s favor, first by awkwardly supporting the White House strategy to target alleged narcotraffickers in the Caribbean, many of them Venezuelans, despite scant public evidence to justify the strikes, and then by controversially dedicating her Nobel award to Trump himself, who has openly campaigned to receive the honor for years.
Read more about the power dynamics between Trump and Machado.
Trump and Venezuelan opposition leader will meet today at the White House
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, is scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump today.
Her visit to the White House comes as the president declined to endorse her following the US military strikes in Caracas and capture of the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, whose vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, has been sworn in as acting president.
Shortly after the January 3 military operation, Trump said it would be tough for Machado to lead Venezuela, saying she doesn’t have the support or the respect of the people.
Machado, however, has something Trump has long coveted — a Nobel Prize. She’s suggested she would offer her award to the US president, and he’s said it’d be an “honor” to receive it, although the Norwegian Nobel Institute has said the prize cannot be transferred.
Asked on Friday whether receiving Machado’s prize would make him reconsider his view of her role in Venezuela, Trump didn’t directly answer.
