Vance and Rubio meet with officials from Greenland and Denmark
The Trump administration said it's suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt and Somalia.
Highlights from Jan. 14, 2026...
- WAR POWERS RESOLUTION: The Senate voted 51-50 today to block a resolution that would have stopped President Donald Trump from using military force in Venezuela without congressional approval. Vice President JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote.
- GREENLAND MEETING: Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland today amid Trump's efforts to take over the vast, semi-autonomous Danish territory. The Danish foreign minister said the two sides "have a fundamental disagreement, but we also agree to disagree, and therefore we will, however, continue to talk.”
- VISA FREEZE: The Trump administration is suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt and Somalia, the State Department said, an escalation of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
- CLINTONS FACING CONTEMPT MOVE: House Republicans said they will seek to hold both former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton in contempt of Congress after they did not appear for their respective depositions today and yesterday as part of the Republican-led Oversight Committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
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María Corina Machado expected to meet with lawmakers tomorrow
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado is expected to meet with a bipartisan group of senators in the Capitol tomorrow afternoon, two sources familiar with the planning told NBC News.
The senators attending the meeting are Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.; Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.; Rick Scott, R-Fla.; and John Curtis, R-Utah.
Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., is organizing an effort for Machado to meet with lawmakers in the House, as well, two separate sources familiar with the plans said.
NBC News has previously reported Machado is expected to meet with Trump at the White House.
California Gov. Newsom says he’s blocking Louisiana’s push to extradite doctor accused of mailing abortion pills
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said today he was blocking Louisiana’s attempt to extradite a doctor in California accused of mailing abortion pills.
Newsom, a Democrat, made the announcement a day after Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, said he had sent the extradition paperwork in an effort to bring the physician “to justice.” Louisiana has some of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the country, while California law aims to protect abortion providers from criminal prosecution for treating out-of-state patients.
Newsom said extraditing the doctor would have violated an executive order he signed in 2022 barring state agencies in his administration from assisting other states’ efforts to prosecute abortion providers.
Trump would want military action in Iran to be swift and decisive, sources say
Trump has told his national security team that he would want any U.S. military action in Iran to deliver a swift and decisive blow to the regime and not spark a sustained war that dragged on for weeks or months, according to a U.S. official, two people familiar with the discussions and a person close to the White House.
“If he does something, he wants it to be definitive,” one of the people familiar with the discussions said.
But Trump’s advisers have so far not been able to guarantee to him that the regime would quickly collapse after an American military strike, the U.S. official and two people familiar with the discussions said, and there is concern that the U.S. may not have all the assets in the region it would need to guard against what administration officials expect would be an aggressive Iranian response.
Senators meet with foreign ministers from Denmark and Greenland
Several senators spoke with reporters today following a meeting with the top diplomats of Denmark and Greenland.
“We had a very constructive and open discussion,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. “I think it’s important to send the message that here in Congress we recognize and support the sovereignty of the people of Greenland.”
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told reporters that "it is important that people in Congress and the Senate emphasize that, of course, everybody has to respect the U.N. Charter and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark."
Asked about today’s meeting between administration officials and the foreign ministers, Murkowski, a frequent Trump critic, replied, “It was made apparent that there were areas where they agreed to disagree.”
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said that "this entire discussion is based upon a false premise, and that is that somehow America has to control Greenland in order to develop national security assets to protect our security interests in the Arctic, which are real."
"One of the things we learned in the meeting is that they are very — the Danes and the Greenlanders — are very open to additional national security assets in Greenland in order to meet whatever risks there are," he added. "So the idea that we have to own the country in order to protect our national security is just nonsense."
Senate blocks measure to restrict Venezuela strikes after Trump flips two Republicans
The Senate voted 51-50 today to effectively block a resolution that would have prevented Trump from using military force in Venezuela without congressional approval after Trump flipped two Republican votes in recent days.
Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Todd Young, R-Ind., voted last week to advance the resolution to require Trump to seek prior approval from Congress to strike Venezuela.
But after Trump attacked and pressured them, they flipped their positions and voted with most Senate Republicans to remove “privilege” under the resolution, all but sinking it in the chamber.
The vote broke 50-50, and Vice President JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote to scuttle the war powers resolution.
With a tiny majority, House GOP leaders tell members to show up unless it’s ‘life or death’
As the slim House Republican majority hangs on a razor’s edge, lawmakers are getting a stern warning from party leadership: You should be absent only for matters of life and death.
That message has been delivered to members in recent party meetings and private conversations, according to multiple lawmakers, and it has taken on an increasing sense of urgency as the GOP’s margins have shrunk even further in recent weeks with the unexpected death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., and the shock midsession retirement of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s office confirmed to NBC News that it is advising members that “outside of life-and-death circumstances, the whip’s office expects members to be here working on behalf of the American people.”
Victims ask DOJ inspector general to step in on Epstein files
A group of Epstein survivors is calling on the Justice Department's inspector general to oversee future Epstein file releases, arguing the department has not done enough to protect them.
The group asks acting IG Don Berthiaume to "oversee all future releases to ensure full compliance with U.S. law and basic standards of survivor protection," because to date "the manner in which these materials were released reflects serious failures in redaction practices, survivor protection, and oversight."
The letter by 19 victims and relatives of victims of the late sex offender criticized what they called "a troubling pattern of selective redactions" since the enactment of the Epstein Files Transparency Act last month.
"In multiple instances, names of individuals alleged to have participated in or facilitated abuse appear to have been redacted, while identifying details of survivors were left visible," the letter says, adding, "This disparity is deeply troubling."
"These failures have caused renewed harm to survivors and undermined trust in the institutions responsible for safeguarding sensitive information," they wrote.
The group also expressed concern that the Justice Department hasn't complied with the statutory requirement to provide explanations for the redactions it has made to date, saying it "undermines both transparency and accountability."
"Taken together, these failures raise serious questions that warrant independent oversight from OIG," the letter said.
Federal court upholds California's redrawn congressional map
A federal court today rejected a Republican-led bid to block the use of California’s new congressional map that was drawn by Democrats and approved by voters last year.
Republicans had sued over the map, which could result in as many as five new seats for Democrats in the midterm elections, alleging that one district was an illegal racial gerrymander.
Two members of the three-judge federal panel disagreed and said the evidence of racial gerrymandering was inadequate. They concluded that the voters had intended to enact a partisan gerrymander when Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a map to help Democrats neutralize the potential five-seat advantage Texas Republicans drew for themselves earlier in the year.
“We find that Challengers have failed to show that racial gerrymandering occurred, and we conclude that there is no basis for issuing a preliminary injunction," the two-member majority opinion concludes. "Our conclusion probably seems obvious to anyone who followed the news in the summer and fall of 2025."
Rep. Jason Crow contacted by federal prosecutors over November video
Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., one of the Democratic lawmakers who recorded a video last year urging military and intelligence officers to disobey illegal orders, has been contacted by prosecutors from the Justice Department, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Yesterday, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who was also featured in the video, confirmed that she's under investigation by federal prosecutors for her role in it.
When the lawmakers, including Crow, Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., released the video two months ago, Trump criticized them, accusing them of "seditious conspiracy," a charge he said was "punishable by death."
Crow told NBC News on Capitol Hill today that he was committed to doing his work in Congress.
"We are members of Congress; we will do our duty. We took an oath to this country to enforce the law, and that is exactly what we are going to do, and we will not allow any president to intimidate us and threaten us and dissuade us from performing our duty and fulfilling our oath," he said.
Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took steps to downgrade Kelly's military retirement rank in the wake of the video, a move that prompted Kelly, a retired Navy captain, to sue Hegseth.
Polling shows Americans not sold on acquiring Greenland
New polling out this week suggests that Americans aren't high on the concept of their country's acquiring Greenland and are overwhelmingly against using military force to do so.
A narrow majority of self-identified registered voters, 55%, opposed the U.S.' trying to buy Greenland in a new Quinnipiac University poll. And 47% of adults said they disapproved of the U.S. efforts to acquire it in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, with 35% saying they weren't sure and 17% approving.
Both polls showed more than 7 in 10 respondents said they opposed taking Greenland by force or thought it was a bad idea.
On the question of acquiring Greenland generally, both polls showed Republicans split between approving and not being sure whether it was a good idea, with Democrats and a narrow majority of independents against it. But there was cross-partisan agreement that taking Greenland by force would be a bad idea.
The Reuters poll of 1,217 adults was conducted online Jan. 12-13 and reported a margin of error of 2.9%. The Quinnipiac poll of 1,333 self-identified registered voters was conducted Jan. 8-12, with an error margin of 3.7%.
Trump says he ‘aced’ his cognitive tests because he drinks milk
Trump today credited drinking milk for his "aced" cognitive tests.
“So, milk could help your cognitive ability?” he asked Ben Carson, the neurosurgeon who was secretary of housing and urban development during Trump’s first term, who said it “absolutely” could improve cognitive function.
“Take a cognitive test? I’ve taken a lot of them," Trump said in response. "I’ve aced every one of them because I drink milk.”
NBC News reported that Trump's last publicly known cognitive test took place in April. At 79 years old, he is the oldest president in American history.
Denmark seeks ‘common way forward’ on Greenland after meeting with Trump officials
Denmark will join a high-level working group to discuss Greenland’s future after talks at the White House with senior Trump administration officials.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said at a news conference today that the closed-door meeting, attended by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was a “frank but also constructive” discussion and an opportunity to “challenge the narrative presented by the American president.”
Trump continues his push for Greenland, despite pushback from Danish leaders
At an event in the Oval Office, Trump reiterated that "it's very important" for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, despite Danish and Greenlandic leaders' saying today that it is a "red line" for them.
Asked by reporters what options he is considering to acquire Greenland, Trump said, "Certainly I'm not going to give up options, but it's very important."
"Greenland is very important for that national security, including of Denmark. And the problem is, there's not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there's everything we can do," he added.
Trump signs bipartisan bill to allow schools to serve whole and 2% milk
Trump signed a bipartisan bill this afternoon that allows schools to serve whole and 2% milk.
"I want to thank all of the incredible people behind me, political people, both Republicans and Democrats, because they like whole milk," Trump said at a bill signing event in the Oval Office, adding that whole milk is a "great thing."
The House and the Senate passed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act last year. The measure allows schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to offer students whole milk and 2% milk, in addition to lower-fat milks and milk alternatives.
President Donald Trump touches a container of milk as he speaks in the Oval Office today. Alex Brandon / AP
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins criticized the efforts by the Obama administration, led by then-first lady Michelle Obama, to overhaul food made available in schools to provide students healthier lunches, including low-fat milk.
"Over a decade ago, Michelle Obama, in this very room, made an announcement on a short-sighted campaign to ditch whole milk in schools, and that’s what we’re working to fix today," Rollins said.
Trump says he spoke with acting Venezuelan leader this morning
Trump said he spoke with Delcy Rodríguez, the acting president of Venezuela, this morning.
"We just had a great conversation today, and she's a terrific person. I mean, she's somebody that we've worked with very well," he said. "I dealt with her this morning. We had a call, a long call, we discussed a lot of things, and I think we're getting along very well with Venezuela."
Before the U.S. removed Nicolás Maduro from power this month, Rodríguez had been Venezuela's vice president in his regime since 2018.
Raskin asks NYU, Columbia about evidence Epstein 'lured young women' by promising to get them into universities
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, sent letters to the presidents of New York University and Columbia University today saying his panel has received information that Jeffrey Epstein “repeatedly lured young women into his network by promising to help them get into colleges and universities,” including those two schools.
Raskin asked the college presidents for their “assistance in shedding light on the extent to which Epstein used his relationship with elite universities and colleges to further his criminal goals.”
NBC News is reaching out to the universities.
Trump says U.S. notified that Iran won't execute protesters
Trump said in remarks in the Oval Office that the U.S. was notified that the "killing in Iran is stopping."
“It’s stopped. It’s stopping, and there’s no plan for executions, or an execution, or executions. So I’ve been told that a good authority will find out about it. I’m sure if it happens, we’ll all be very upset," Trump said at a bill signing on legislation related to milk in schools.
He continued, "They’re not going to have an execution, which a lot of people were talking about for the last couple of days. Today was going to be the day of execution.”
Iran was expected today, according to U.S. and human rights groups, to execute the first person who has participated in nationwide protests, 26-year-old Erfan Soltani.
Trump had warned that the U.S. would take "very strong action" against Iran if it proceeded with executions, though he didn't detail what that would involve.
Trump to get tailored options for Iran today
Yesterday, Trump outlined for his national security team what he wants any U.S. military action in Iran to achieve, and now the Pentagon has tailored options to meet his military objectives, according to two U.S. officials and a person familiar with the discussions.
Those tailored options were set to be presented to Trump today, said one of the U.S. officials and the person familiar with the discussions.
Asked about the president giving his aides guidance on his objectives in Iran, a White House official said in a statement, “All options are at President Trump’s disposal to address the situation in Iran. He demonstrated with Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Absolute Resolve that he means what he says.”
A second White House official said Trump joined a meeting on Iran that was chaired by Vance yesterday afternoon after returning from Michigan. The president was briefed in part on the latest estimated death toll among protesters in Iran and asked for more information on that topic, this official said.
After White House meeting, Danish foreign minister says no compromise on Greenland, but talks will continue
At a press conference following a meeting with Vance and Rubio, Danish Foreign Affairs Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told reporters that U.S. officials are committed to acquiring Greenland, but he hopes that they can reach a compromise.
He said that while the two sides did not reach "a conclusion where our American colleagues said, ‘Sorry, it was a total misunderstanding, we came up on our ambitions. It was clearly a disagreement,' we agreed that it makes sense to try to sit down at a high level," Rasmussen said.
He added that a future meeting with high-level officials could "explore whether there is possibilities to accommodate the concerns of the president, while we at the same time respect the red lines of the kingdom of Denmark. So this is where we will start. Whether it’s doable, I don’t know.”
Rasmussen described the meeting, which included himself, Greenland’s minister of foreign affairs and research, Vivian Motzfeldt, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as "a frank but also constructive discussion."
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt speak at the Danish Embassy today. Oliver Contreras / AFP - Getty Images
"I must say, the president has made his view clear and we have a different position," he said. He added that the two sides "have a fundamental disagreement, but we also agree to disagree and therefore we will, however, continue to talk."
He said that his goal was to turn a "black-and-white" argument "into a discussion where there is room for nuances.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether there will be future meetings between high-level Danish and U.S. officials.
Rep. Robin Kelly introduces articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem
Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., announced that she introduced articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The move is unlikely to go anywhere because Republicans control the House and Senate.
Kelly, who is running for U.S. Senate, introduced the articles of impeachment accusing Noem of obstruction of Congress, violation of public trust and "self-dealing," alleging that the secretary "has abused her power for personal benefit."
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said criticized Kelly as being "more focused on showmanship and fundraising clicks than actually cleaning up her crime-ridden Chicago district."
"We hope she would get serious about doing her job to protect American people, which is what this Department is doing under Secretary Noem," the spokesperson said.
Any House member can introduce articles of impeachment against government officials, and Democrats have done so in several instances during Trump's terms in office, including against the president.
U.S. to stop issuing immigrant visas for 75 countries
The Trump administration is suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, the State Department said today.
The State Department claimed that immigrants from the countries on the list — including Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt and Somalia — “take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates.”
The move marks an escalation of the Trump’s administration’s crackdown on immigration, which has included deportations and freezes on visa applications.
As Vance locks down early 2028 support, would-be GOP rivals look for ways to stand out
Vice President JD Vance begins 2026 with a healthy head start toward the Republican presidential nomination that he is widely expected to seek in 2028.
Early polls show him with a commanding lead over would-be GOP rivals.
Conservative activist Erika Kirk, who last year was named to head the influential Turning Point USA after the assassination of her husband, Charlie Kirk, has already endorsed him. Trump repeatedly identifies Vance, along with Secretary of State Rubio, as an heir apparent to his MAGA movement. And Rubio has repeatedly deferred to Vance, insisting that the 2028 nomination is his for the taking.
The latest nod toward Vance came Sunday, when another oft-mentioned Republican contender, outgoing Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, struck a similarly deferential tone.
Trump touts ‘economic boom’ as consumer prices rise sharply
Trump declared a victory yesterday when it comes to the U.S. economy, saying, “The Trump economic boom has officially begun.” But government data shows inflation rose 2.7% in December compared to a year prior and grocery prices are up 2.4% for the same period, while gasoline prices fell 0.5% in December compared to a month earlier. NBC’s Peter Alexander reports and Brian Cheung joins "TODAY" to discuss the newly released report and the looming tariff ruling from the Supreme Court.
GOP senator flips vote on Venezuela war powers measure after Rubio's assurances
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., one of the five Republican senators who voted to advance the bipartisan Venezuela war powers resolution last week, said that he will flip his vote and join Senate GOP leadership in trying to procedurally kill the measure after receiving a letter from Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressing his concerns.
In the letter, Rubio assured him that there are no U.S. ground troops in Venezuela, and if the administration sought to put them there, “they would come to Congress for congressional authorization,” Hawley said.
“His commitment to abide by the war powers notification procedures and also the Constitution is directly responsive to my concerns, so I’m inclined to take yes for an answer,” Hawley told reporters this morning.
Hawley said he did not feel “pressure” from the administration to change his vote, despite the president's public chastisement of him and the four other Republican lawmakers for initially supporting the resolution.
“I didn’t feel pressure, but I felt a lot of outreach on substance," Hawley said.
"The secretary of state said to me, listen, he said, I can tell you we’re not going to do current troops, but what can we do to allay your concerns?” Hawley said, adding that Rubio's "commitments were terrific."
U.S. approves Nvidia H200 chip exports to China with some conditions
The Trump administration yesterday gave a formal green light to China-bound sales of Nvidia’s second most powerful artificial intelligence chip, putting in place a rule that is likely to kick-start shipments of the H200 despite deep concerns among China hawks in Washington.
According to the regulations, the chips will be reviewed by a third-party testing lab to confirm their technical AI capabilities before they can be shipped to China, which cannot receive more than 50% of the total amount of chips sold to American customers.
Union defends autoworker cursed out by Trump
The United Auto Workers Union is defending a worker at Ford's Dearborn truck plant who was flipped off by the president yesterday after he called him a "pedophile protector."
In a statement, the union said the employee "believes in freedom of speech, a principle we wholeheartedly embrace," and that workers "should never be subjected to vulgar language or behavior by anyone — including the President of the United States."
"The UAW will ensure that our member receives the full protection of all negotiated contract language safeguarding his job and his rights as a union member," the statement said.
The union did not name the employee, but The Washington Post interviewed the heckler, identifying him as TJ Sabula. Sabula told the paper he'd been suspended for making the comment, but he had “no regrets whatsoever” about calling Trump out during his visit to the plant. NBC News has not independently confirmed the identity of the heckler.
One of several GoFundMe pages set up in Sabula's name has raised almost $150,000 since the incident, which was caught on a cell hone camera. The president appeared to mouth words at the heckler in addition to giving him the finger.
White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement afterwards that a “lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response.”
Rubio tells top GOP senator no U.S. troops are in Venezuela, promises congressional notification
Rubio assured Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Ind., in a letter today that there are currently no U.S. troops in Venezuela
“Should there be any new military operations that introduce U.S. Armed Forces into hostilities, they will be undertaken consistent with the Constitution of the United States and we will transmit written notifications consistent with section 4(a) of the War Powers Resolution,” Rubio wrote in the letter, obtained by NBC News.
Risch sent a letter to Trump yesterday asking his “assistance in clarifying the disposition of U.S. forces in Venezuela” following the military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from Caracas earlier this month.
“I respectfully request you provide Congress with an official correspondence confirming Operation Absolute Resolve has ended and that U.S. military personnel are no longer involved in hostilities in Venezuela,” Risch wrote.
The Senate GOP leadership is working with the Trump administration to flip the handful of Republican senators who voted last week for a war powers resolution to restrict further action in Venezuela without congressional approval. Trump, Rubio and others have been calling those senators a head of the final vote on the measure, which could come as soon as today.
New Zealand central bank chief is rebuked over support for Jerome Powell
New Zealand’s foreign minister publicly rebuked the country’s new central bank chief after she expressed support for Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell as he is threatened by Trump.
Anna Breman, who became governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand last month, is among 14 global central bank chiefs to sign a statement of solidarity with Powell, who has been threatened with lawsuits and firing by Trump over his refusal to further lower interest rates and now faces a federal criminal investigation. The statement, which was released yesterday, said that Powell had served with integrity and that the independence of central banks “is a cornerstone of price, financial and economic stability.”
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a post on X that “the RBNZ has no role, nor should it involve itself, in U.S. domestic politics. We remind the Governor to stay in her New Zealand lane and stick to domestic monetary policy.”
The New Zealand bank declined to comment on Peters’ criticism. Earlier, a spokesperson said Breman had signed the statement because she and the bank “believe strongly in the independence of central banks.”
Second phase of Gaza peace plan is beginning, U.S. envoy says
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff announced today that the second phase of Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan will begin, which he said is focused on "moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction."
Witkoff said in a post on X that the second phase establishes the formation of a "transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel."
Witkoff did not identify the members of the governing committee or expand on moving forward with “the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel,” a key aspect of the second phase.
"The US expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage. Failure to do so will bring serious consequences," Witkoff wrote.
Qatari, Egyptian and Turkish mediators said in a separate statement that the governing agency, titled the Palestinian Technocratic Committee to Administer the Gaza Strip, will be headed by Dr. Ali Abdel Hamid Shaath, who according to Reuters is a former deputy minister for the Palestinian Authority.
The first phase involved a ceasefire and influx of humanitarian aid in Gaza and the return of all living and dead hostages taken into the enclave during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are living in crowded, unsanitary conditions in tents camps amid the rubble in Gaza, where the Associated Press reported more than 400 people have been killed and over 1,100 wounded since the ceasefire began, according to the Health Ministry.
"We are deeply grateful to Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar for their indispensable mediation efforts that made all progress to date possible," Witkoff said.
Vote on Venezuela war powers resolution is 'uncertain,' Senate leader says
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said this morning that it’s “uncertain at this point” whether the Senate will vote today on the war powers resolution related to Venezuela that advanced in the chamber last week.
"We’re still having conversations with some of our members,” he said.
The majority leader seemed to be alluding to the idea that the Senate could vote to dismiss the resolution as not germane because the White House has given assurances that no troops are on the ground in Venezuela now and there are no plans to send any in the future.
“I think that it’s pretty clear, in my view at least, that there are no hostilities that exist today," which suggests the measure shouldn’t be expedited on the floor,” Thune said. He acknowledged that a motion to dismiss the resolution would also need the votes to pass.
The Senate voted 52-47 last week to advance the resolution to a final vote, with five Republicans supporting the legislation. Trump and administration officials have been calling those five republicans to try to get them to flip. Sen Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said the calls were “very helpful, very substantive.”
Supreme Court allows mail-in ballot challenge
The Supreme Court ruled this morning that a Republican congressman can move forward with a challenge to Illinois rules that allow mail-in ballots to be counted after Election Day.
The court handed a win to Rep. Mike Bost and other Republicans who brought the lawsuit. Lower courts had said the challengers did not have legal standing, but the Supreme Court disagreed in a 7-2 ruling.
The case is separate from one the court is hearing later this year that directly addresses the underlying question of whether counting ballots received after Election Day violates federal law.
The election ruling was one of three the court issued today. The court has yet to rule on the closely watched issue of whether Trump's sweeping tariffs are lawful.
"March for Our Lives" co-founder drops out of packed NY-12 Democratic primary
Cameron Kasky, a "March for Our Lives" co-founder who attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, said today that he was dropping out of the race in New York's 12th Congressional District.
"Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Columbia University. Folks, I’m so sorry- I have to drop out of one more thing," Kasky wrote in a post on X.
"Thank you to everyone who supported our human rights-centered campaign for New York’s 12th Congressional District," he added in another post.
With Kasky's withdrawal, there are still almost a dozen people running in the Manhattan district, including assassinated President John F. Kennedy's grandson, Jack Schlossberg, state Rep. Alex Bores and Republican-turned-Democrat George Conway.
The district's incumbent congressman, Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, announced in September that he wouldn't seek re-election this year.
Trump threatens to cut off funds to sanctuary cities and their states starting next month
Trump said yesterday that starting Feb. 1, he will deny federal funding to any states that are home to local governments resisting his administration’s immigration policies, expanding on previous threats to cut off resources to the so-called sanctuary cities themselves.
Such an action could have far-reaching impacts across the U.S., potentially even in places that aren’t particularly friendly to noncitizens. Two previous efforts by Trump to cut off some funding for sanctuary jurisdictions were shut down by courts.
Trump unveiled the concept this time late in a speech yesterday at the Detroit Economic Club.
House Republicans plan to hold Hillary Clinton in contempt for refusing to testify in Epstein probe
The House Oversight Committee will seek to hold former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress after she did not appear for a scheduled deposition as part of the Republican-led panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, Chairman James Comer announced today.
The move comes a day after Comer said the committee would seek to hold former President Bill Clinton in contempt for failing to appear for his scheduled deposition yesterday.
“We’re going to hold both Clintons in criminal contempt of Congress,” Comer told reporters this morning.
Comer speaks to reporters today. Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images
China reports record $1.2 trillion trade surplus for 2025, defying Trump’s tariffs
Trump says 'anything less' than U.S. controlling Greenland is 'unacceptable'
Trump said in a Truth Social post this morning that the U.S. needs Greenland for national security purposes, adding, "Anything less than that is unacceptable."
"NATO should be leading the way for us to get it. IF WE DON’T, RUSSIA OR CHINA WILL, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!" he wrote.
"Militarily, without the vast power of the United States, much of which I built during my first term, and am now bringing to a new and even higher level, NATO would not be an effective force or deterrent — Not even close!" he added. "They know that, and so do I. NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES."
Iran expected to execute 1st protester despite Trump warning of ‘strong action’
Iranian authorities today are expected to execute the first person in relation to the nationwide unrest that has rocked the country, according to the United States and human rights groups.
Trump has warned of “very strong action” if the regime goes through with the execution, though Israeli and Arab officials have privately suggested the U.S. hold off on strikes.
Iranians have had no internet connection for days, but information and videos trickling out of the Islamic Republic suggest the protests were met with a brutal response not seen in decades of crackdowns against internal dissent.
Buying Greenland could cost as much as $700 billion
The U.S. could have to pay as much as $700 billion if it were to achieve Trump’s goal of buying Greenland, according to three people familiar with the cost estimate.
The estimate was generated by scholars and former U.S. officials as part of planning around Trump’s aspiration to acquire the 800,000-square-mile island as a strategic buffer in the Arctic against America’s top adversaries, these people said. It attaches a price tag of more than half the Defense Department’s annual budget to Trump’s national security priority, which has stoked anxiety across Europe and on Capitol Hill amid his rhetoric about seizing Greenland since he ordered a U.S. military raid to capture Venezuela’s president and his wife.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin says she’s under federal investigation after video about refusing illegal orders
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., is being investigated by federal prosecutors after she participated in a video with other Democratic lawmakers urging members of the military and the intelligence community not to follow illegal orders, her office confirmed yesterday.
Slotkin said in an interview with The New York Times that she found out about the probe from the office of Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Slotkin’s office confirmed her remarks to NBC News but did not elaborate.
“Facts matter little, but the threat matters quite a bit,” Slotkin told the Times. “The threat of legal action; the threat to your family; the threat to your staff; the threat to you.”
Democrats outline ‘multiple paths’ to a Senate majority — all through red terrain
Democrats believe they now have “multiple paths” to flipping the Senate this year, touting strong recruits in some deep-red states and a message focused on costs and health care. And, for the first time, the party’s Senate campaign arm is outlining its top targets.
“We now have this opportunity that I don’t think we imagined at the beginning of this cycle,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said in an interview, in which she also defended the committee from critics in her own party.
Democrats face a difficult combination of the Senate map and the Senate math this election cycle. They must net four seats to take control of the Senate, which would require defending several competitive states while ousting Republicans in at least two states that Trump won by more than 10 points in 2024.
Greenland’s future on the line at key White House meeting
Hoping the United States will cool its Arctic ambitions, the top diplomats of Denmark and Greenland were set to hold high-stakes talks at the White House today.
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt, with the future of the vast, semi-autonomous territory on the line as Trump vows to take it from Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally.
Trump has intensified his efforts to seize the territory since the U.S. attack on Venezuela, vowing to do so “one way or the other” before Russia or China can. Greenland and Denmark have rejected his advances, which have stoked alarm among NATO allies in Europe.
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio depart the Eisenhower Executive Office Building after meeting with diplomats from Greenland and Denmark today. Brendan Smialowski / AFP - Getty Images
