Here's the latest
• Meeting on Venezuela: The White House confirmed President Donald Trump will discuss Venezuela in a meeting with his national security team today as his administration intensifies its pressure campaign on the country.
• Concerns over boat strikes: The White House defended an admiral who it said ordered a follow-up strike that killed survivors on an alleged drug vessel in the Caribbean, saying he was acting “well within his authority.” Lawmakers from both parties have voiced concerns over the second strike’s legality.
• US officials head to Russia: Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, and special envoy Steve Witkoff are traveling to Moscow on Monday, a White House official and a US official told CNN, following high-level US-Ukraine talks this weekend. Witkoff is due to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
• Asylum decision pause: Trump said the pause on all decisions on asylum applications has “no time limit” amid his escalating anti-immigration crackdown after last week’s shooting of National Guard members.
White House: Trump's medical imaging was of cardiovascular and abdominal systems; both were "perfectly normal"
President Donald Trump’s doctor said in a memo released by the White House today that his October medical imaging was of his cardiovascular and abdominal systems and that both showed “perfectly normal” results.
“His abdominal imaging is also perfectly normal. All major organs appear very healthy and well-perfused. Everything evaluated is functioning within normal limits with no acute or chronic concerns,” the memo continues.
The memo says the “advanced imaging was performed because men in his age group benefit from a thorough evaluation of cardiovascular and abdominal health.”
The president told reporters in October that he received an MRI at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, a visit the White House billed as the president’s “routine yearly checkup.” Trump underwent his annual physical, however, in April.
After telling reporters he received an MRI, Trump said they should ask his doctors why he received the scan, but no reason was provided. He said Sunday he was open to releasing the results, although he said he was unaware which part of his body was examined in the scan.
The White House announced in July that Trump was diagnosed with chronic veinous insufficiency, a condition in which valves inside certain veins don’t work the way they should, which can allow blood to pool or collect in the veins.
CNN’s Betsy Klein and Kit Maher contributed to this report.
White House declines to say what threat boat strike survivors posed to the US
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday declined to detail what threat was posed by the survivors of the US’ first boat strike when a second strike was deemed necessary.
She argued the boat was trafficking drugs and represented a threat to the US as a result. But when pressed on what danger the survivors of the first attack posed in its aftermath, she would not elaborate.
“Adm. Bradly worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was totally destroyed and the threat to the narco-terrorists, to the United States, was eliminated,” Leavitt said, referring to Adm. Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley.
Leavitt then deferred “any further questions about his thinking” to the Department of Defense, adding that she “obviously wasn’t in the room.”
Asked whether there had been any change in policy that resulted in two survivors of a subsequent October attack being rescued and repatriated, Leavitt said, “Not to my knowledge, no.”
Hegseth spoke with lawmakers concerned over boat strikes, White House says
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth spoke with lawmakers who expressed concerns over the weekend over a follow-up strike that killed survivors on an alleged drug vessel in the Caribbean, the White House said today.
Leavitt did not specify which members of Congress the secretary spoke to.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are questioning the legality of the administration’s follow-up strike on September 2.
“There have also been 13 bipartisan briefings to Congress on the Venezuelan strikes. There have been a number of document reviews for members of Congress to review the classified DOJ Office of Legal Counsel opinion and other related documents,” Leavitt said.
White House defends pardoning former Honduran president over drug trafficking conviction
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday defended President Donald Trump’s promised pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, arguing that his US drug-trafficking conviction was a result of Biden-era “over-prosecution.”
Trump “was opposed to the values of the previous administration, and they charged him because he was president of Honduras,” she said, adding that the president decided to pardon Hernández after hearing concerns raised by his supporters.
Leavitt also dismissed questions over whether pardoning a convicted drug trafficker undercut the administration’s justification for its lethal strikes on boats in the Caribbean that officials have alleged are bringing drugs into the US.
Hernández is serving a 45-year federal prison sentence for drug-trafficking offenses.
White House says follow-up strike in the Caribbean was ordered by admiral acting "well within his authority"
The White House said Monday that Adm. Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley, commander of the US Special Operations Command, was responsible for ordering a second, targeted strike on an alleged drug vessel operating in the Caribbean on September 2 after the first strike did not kill everyone aboard.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Bradley, who she said was “well within his authority” to order the second strike, which CNN has reported killed the remaining crew on board. The strike has generated questions on both sides of the political aisle about whether the administration was acting within the bounds of the law, with some Democrats calling it an apparent war crime.
She added that President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “have made it clear that presidentially designated narco-terrorist groups are subject to lethal targeting in accordance with the laws of war.”
Pressed on the legal justification for the strike, Leavitt said it was “conducted in self-defense to protect Americans” and was carried out “in international waters and in accordance with the law of armed conflict.”
Trump told reporters Sunday evening that he personally would not have wanted a second strike and seemed to cast doubt on the idea Hegseth had ordered it.
“No. 1, I don’t know that that happened, and Pete said he did not want them — he didn’t even know what people were talking about,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “So, we’ll look into it, but no, I wouldn’t have wanted that, not a second strike.”
The US military has conducted 20 known strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and amassed significant military forces in the region as the president weighs next steps in Venezuela. Top Trump officials, including Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, will meet with the president later Monday evening.
Trump will hold Cabinet meeting and attend FIFA World Cup draw this week
President Donald Trump on Tuesday will host his ninth Cabinet meeting since taking office, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said today.
Following the Cabinet meeting, the president will make an Oval Office announcement on his plan to create “Trump accounts” for families with young children.
Trump’s schedule for the week also includes a meeting with the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday. That evening, the president and the first lady Melania Trump will attend the lighting of the National Christmas Tree on the White House Ellipse.
On Friday, Trump will attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, where FIFA will announce the groups and matchups for the opening stage of the quadrennial tournament.
Schumer says Democrats are still discussing what to include in health care bill
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told CNN that Democrats are still discussing what exactly to include in a bill to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, after Senate Majority Leader John Thune promised them a vote on the issue this month in exchange for reopening the government.
Schumer would not confirm whether they are going to push for a clean, two-year extension, which is highly unlikely to pass the Senate.
White House says the "monster responsible" for National Guard shooting will face "most severe punishment"
The White House said Monday that the “monster responsible” for shooting two National Guard members in Washington, DC, last week will face the “most severe punishment possible.”
“Sarah and Andrew are heroes, and we will never forget their sacrifice. That means ensuring the monster responsible for this atrocity is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and faces the most severe punishment possible,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday.
Leavitt also sought to place blame on former President Joe Biden’s administration in the wake of the shooting, claiming that the suspect was not sufficiently vetted before entering the US.
The press secretary also said the administration intends to “finish carrying out” President Donald Trump’s mass deportation operation.
“In the wake of last week’s atrocity, it is more important than ever to finish carrying out the president’s mass deportation operation,” Leavitt said.
Trump invited Netanyahu to meeting at White House "in the near future" during call Monday, PM's office says
President Donald Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, and Trump invited Netanyahu to a meeting at the White House “in the near future.”
An Israeli source briefed on the content of the call said Trump and Netanyahu discussed “regional issues,” focusing on recent developments in Gaza, but also touching upon Syria, Lebanon and Iran.
The source also said that Netanyahu’s recent pardon request came up during the call.
Netanyahu formally requested a pardon from Israeli President Isaac Herzog in his long-running corruption trial on Sunday, following up on a November letter from Trump, who sent Herzog a letter requesting his pardon.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
Zelensky says territorial issues are the hardest in current negotiations to end war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that territorial issues are the most difficult in the current negotiations over ending the war with Russia.
During a news conference in Paris on Monday, Zelensky said Kyiv’s priorities in the negotiations were “first and foremost, protection and security guarantees, guarantees of Ukraine’s independence and the preservation of our sovereignty.”
Remember: Under the original US proposal released last month, Ukraine would have to give up parts of the Donetsk region that have been illegally annexed but not occupied by Russia. The plan proposed that the “entirety” of Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk be recognized as “de-facto Russian.”
Zelensky said money and reconstruction, “without the presence of European partners, are not easy to accept, because the money is in Europe.”
The original version of the US plan proposed that $100 billion in frozen Russian assets, most of which are held in Europe, would be used to rebuild Ukraine. The US would receive 50% of the profits and Europe would also invest $100 billion, according to the US blueprint.
“We are working to ensure that there will be no third Russian invasion and that there will be no breach of the agreements on ending the war,” Zelensky said, adding that he hoped to hold talks with US President Donald Trump after the visit to Russia of Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff.
US and UK reach deal to exempt tariffs on pharmaceuticals
The United States and the United Kingdom announced today an agreement in principle that would raise the prices the UK pays for new medicines in exchange for a reprieve on tariffs paid by US importers for UK-made pharmaceuticals.
The deal is the latest effort by the Trump administration to reduce drug costs in the US by bringing them in line with other developed countries’ lower prices.
Under the terms of the deal, the UK will increase the net price the National Health Service pays for new drugs by 25% and guarantee that the higher prices are not reduced by concessions or other rebates. The deal includes additional investments by UK drug companies in the US, though no details were released.
In exchange, the US will exempt pharmaceutical imports from the UK from tariffs for the duration of the Trump administration – a provision lauded by the UK government. It noted it is the only country to secure a 0% rate, “protecting UK-based manufacturing and cementing our place as a world leader for life sciences investment,” according to a statement from the British government.
The two nations announced earlier this year that they intended to negotiate preferential treatment on drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients imports from the UK to the US.
The UK exported £6.6 billion (more than $8 billion) worth of medicinal and pharmaceutical products to the United States in 2024, according to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, which applauded the agreement.
Jared Kushner will accompany Witkoff to Moscow, White House official says
Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, is traveling with special envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow, according to a White House official.
CNN had previously reported that Witkoff was set to travel to Moscow Monday, a day after he, Kushner and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met a high-level Ukrainian delegation in Florida.
Rubio said after that meeting that progress had been made toward ending the war between Russia and Ukraine but there was more work to be done. Witkoff was expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Here's the latest on US-Venezuela tensions ahead of today's expected White House meeting
President Donald Trump is expected to hold a meeting at the White House later today about next steps on Venezuela, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Catch up below on where things stand between both countries:
• US military buildup: The meeting, which is expected to take place at 5 p.m. ET in the Oval Office, comes as the United States has increased pressure on Venezuela with strikes on drug vessels and a military asset buildup in the Caribbean. The US military has amassed more than a dozen warships and 15,000 troops in the region as part of what the Pentagon has branded “Operation Southern Spear.” The president also said last week that the US would be stopping Venezuelan drug trafficking by land, in addition to sea, “very soon.”
• Broad directive to avoid Venezuelan airspace: Over the weekend, the president issued a broad directive on social media, warning airlines, pilots and criminal networks to avoid Venezuelan airspace. He told reporters Sunday, however, not to read into the announcement.
• Call with Maduro: Trump also confirmed he had spoken with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro over the phone, but didn’t address what was discussed. The administration last week formally designated Maduro and allies of his government as members of a foreign terrorist organization, a move officials argue will give the US expanded military options for striking inside Venezuela.
• Concerns from lawmakers: Lawmakers continue to question the legality of the US strikes on alleged drug boats in the region, which have killed more than 80 people. The legality of the strikes has been questioned as the US is not officially in a war with Venezuela. CNN reported last week citing sources familiar with the matter that the US carried out a follow-up strike on a suspected drug vessel after an initial attack did not kill everyone on board. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle voiced serious concerns over the strike with some suggesting it could be a “war crime.”
Zelensky spoke with Macron, Starmer and Witkoff ahead of US envoy’s Kremlin visit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that he has spoken with the leaders of the UK and France along with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff – ahead of Witkoff’s meetings in Moscow.
“It was an important briefing, and we agreed to discuss more details in person,” he added.
Witkoff is due to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
Sen. King: Ordering follow-up strike to kill survivors on alleged drug boat would be "stone-cold war crime"
Ordering a second strike to kill survivors on an alleged drug boat would be a “stone-cold war crime,” Sen. Angus King of Maine told CNN on Monday, as a bipartisan group of lawmakers continues to raise questions about how the Defense Department is carrying out its operations in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean.
King, who is on the Senate Armed Services Committee, added: “So the real question is, who gave which orders? When were they given? And that’s what we’re going to get to the bottom of in the Congress.”
Some more context: Sources familiar with the matter previously told CNN that the military carried out a follow-up strike on a suspected drug vessel operating in the Caribbean on September 2 after an initial attack did not kill everyone on board. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has defended how his department has conducted itself.
King said he anticipated “interviews of people up and down the chain of command.”
Trump will hold Oval Office meeting on Venezuela this evening, sources say
President Donald Trump will hold a meeting at the White House this evening about next steps on Venezuela, sources familiar with the matter told CNN, as the administration intensifies its pressure campaign on the country.
Key members of Trump’s cabinet and national security team, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to attend, as well as White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
The meeting, which is expected to take place at 5 p.m. ET in the Oval Office, comes as the US has increased pressure on Venezuela with strikes on drug vessels and a US military asset buildup in the Caribbean.
Over the weekend, Trump also issued a broad directive on social media, warning airlines, pilots and criminal networks to avoid Venezuelan airspace.
Catch up on the weekend news: Ukraine war talks, Venezuela tensions and Trump's immigration crackdown
The Trump administration had a busy weekend, with a focus on two major foreign conflicts.
Top US and Ukrainian officials met in Florida yesterday amid a diplomatic push to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. President Donald Trump expressed optimism after the high-level meeting, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “progress was made.”
Meanwhile, Trump said he had a phone call with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro amid his pressure campaign against the country, which the administration says is aimed at disrupting illegal drug flows.
Trump did not delve into the specifics of the call, while Maduro chanted that Venezuela is “indestructible, untouchable, unbeatable” during a public appearance yesterday, in what appeared to be a nod to the tensions with the US.
At home, Trump is escalating his anti-immigration crackdown after the suspect in last week’s shooting of National Guard members was identified as an Afghan national. He said a pause on all asylum decisions announced in the shooting’s aftermath could be indefinite.
Here’s where things stand:
- Ukraine talks “productive and useful”: After yesterday’s US-Ukraine meeting, Trump suggested that there was a “good chance” of a peace deal, and Rubio described the meeting as “a very productive and useful session,” but cautioned that work remained.
- Moscow talks: Rubio emphasized that Russia needs to weigh in on key sticking points. US special envoy Steve Witkoff is traveling to Moscow today, where he is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. It’s unclear whether Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who attended the Miami talks, iss accompanying Witkoff to Russia.
- Venezuela tensions: Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have expressed alarm over reports of a follow-up strike that killed survivors on an alleged drug vessel in the Caribbean. Caracas accused the US of “murder” after publicly acknowledging for the first time that some of its citizens were among those killed by US strikes on such boats.
- Asylum pause: Trump said his administration’s pause on all decisions on asylum applications has “no time limit, but it could be a long time.” He also doubled down on his threat to possibly denaturalize some American citizens.
