Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presents Nobel medal to Trump despite institute ban
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she presented President Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal, describing it as a historic gesture recognizing his commitment to freedom and the fight against tyranny. Machado spoke with reporters outside the U.S. Capitol Thursday, when she was asked whether she offered her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump. “I presented the president of the United States the medal … the Nobel Peace Prize, and I told him, ‘Listen to this, 200 years ago, General Lafayette gave Simón Bolívar a medal with George Washington’s face on it,” Machado said. “He kept that medal for the rest of his life. Actually, when you see his portraits, you can see the medal.” She said Lafayette gave the medal to Bolívar as a symbol of the partnership between the people of the U.S. and the people of Venezuela and their shared fight for freedom against tyranny. TRUMP PLANS TO MEET WITH VENEZUELA OPPOSITION LEADER MARIA CORINA MACHADO NEXT WEEK “Two hundred years in history, the people of Bolívar are giving back the heir of Washington, a medal, in this case the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize, as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom,” Machado said. Trump thanked Machado for the medal in a post on Truth Social on Thursday evening. “It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today,” Trump wrote. “She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!” NOBEL PEACE PRIZE RECIPIENT MACHADO PLEDGES TO RETURN TO VENEZUELA, SEES ‘ALARMING’ INTERNAL CRACKDOWN Machado’s meeting with Trump came nearly two weeks after the U.S. captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and amid lingering questions about her political future. The meeting also followed comments from Trump casting doubt on Machado leading the country rather than endorsing the Venezuelan opposition leader. “I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader,” Trump told reporters Jan. 3. “She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.” The Washington Post previously reported Trump was annoyed Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025, an award he had hoped to receive and that Machado dedicated to him, though the White House said the president’s decisions were based on “realistic decisions.” KRISTI NOEM DELIVERS TRUMP’S ULTIMATUM TO VENEZUELA’S VICE PRESIDENT FOLLOWING MADURO CAPTURE OPERATION Still, Machado floated the idea of transferring the prestigious award to Trump last week during an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity.” “Did you at any point offer to give him the Nobel Peace Prize?” Sean Hannity asked. “Did that actually happen?” Machado responded, “Well, it hasn’t happened yet.” “I certainly would love to be able to personally tell him that we believe — the Venezuelan people, because this is a prize of the Venezuelan people — certainly want to give it to him and share it with him,” Machado continued. “What he has done is historic. It’s a huge step toward a democratic transition.” Despite her intent, the Norwegian Nobel Institute shut down the idea last Friday. “Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared or transferred to others,” the institute said in a statement. “The decision is final and stands for all time.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for a reaction. Fox News Digital’s Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.
DHS arrests armed man with extra ammunition for alleged assault of officer at late-night Minneapolis riot
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security says it arrested a man in Minneapolis Wednesday night who assaulted a federal immigration agent while carrying a gun and box of ammunition. The incident occurred several hours after DHS says a separate agent was attacked by an illegal migrant from Venezuela with a shovel. The illegal migrant was shot in the leg, prompting riots to escalate in the city shortly after. “Last night during a riot in Minneapolis, a U.S. citizen was arrested for assaulting officers while carrying a firearm,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. “The individual showed up to the protest with a gun and a box of ammunition in a bag. The individual threatened violence against law enforcement officers while pointing at his bag. TRUMP DRUG CZAR RIPS DEMOCRATS OVER ANTI-ICE RHETORIC PUTTING ‘EVERYBODY’S LIFE IN DANGER’ “After law enforcement deployed crowd control measures to calm an increasingly volatile crowd, the individual kicked a metal smoke canister at officers. He then pushed an officer, and he was arrested for assault,” McLaughlin explained. “While being arrested, he stated he had a firearm, which was located along with a box of ammunition. He was not carrying his concealed carry permit. This is not the peaceful protesting that the First Amendment protects.” Tensions in Minneapolis have been high as days of riots ravage the city and federal law enforcement officers face off with agitators. Riots began shortly after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was killed by an ICE agent during an altercation in Minneapolis last week. ICE HEAD SAYS AGENTS FACING ‘CONSTANT IMPEDIMENTS’ AFTER MIGRANT SEEN RAMMING CARS WHILE TRYING TO FLEE Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem referred to the Good as a “domestic terrorist,” alleging she used her vehicle as a weapon after obstructing ICE agents on the roadway. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told ICE to “get the f— out of Minneapolis” during a news conference after Good’s death, and Gov. Tim Walz criticized DHS, posting to X that he saw the video, and referred to Noem’s explanation of the incident as a part of a “propaganda machine.” On Thursday, President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act if people in Minnesota continue to disobey the law and endanger federal officers. “If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump posted to TRUTH Social. Should President Trump invoke the legislation signed into law in 1807, he would be allowed to send National Guardsmen into the area to stabilize control and reduce violence.
Trump rolls out ‘Great Healthcare Plan,’ urges Congress to slash costs for Americans
President Donald Trump unveiled his new “Great Healthcare Plan” Thursday, and urged Congress to create and pass legislation with the provisions included in an attempt to lower healthcare costs for Americans. The plan, which comes amid a big push from the White House to focus on affordability issues for Americans, calls on Congress to get behind a series of provisions outlined in the plan that stem largely from previous executive orders the president has signed during this term. DEMOCRATS HOLD THE GOVERNMENT HOSTAGE OVER SUBSIDIES AMERICANS DON’T WANT Specifically, the “Great Healthcare Plan” calls on Congress to codify Trump’s most “favored nations drug pricing” initiative that instructs drug companies to lower costs and keep them in alignment with what drugs in other developed countries cost, according to a White House fact sheet. Trump issued an executive order on the matter in May. The plan also aims to maximize price transparency, and require providers or insurers to take Medicare or Medicaid to “prominently post their pricing and fees in their place of business and ensure insurance companies are complying with price transparency requirements,” according to the fact sheet. 17 REPUBLICANS REBEL AGAINST HOUSE GOP LEADERS, JOIN DEMS TO PASS OBAMACARE EXTENSION The plan also calls for ending taxpayer-funded subsidy payments to insurance companies, and instead of sending those funds to eligible Americans instead — a proposal that Trump has suggested previously. “The government is going to pay the money directly to you. It goes to you, and then you take the money and buy your own health care,” Trump said in a video the White House released Thursday. “Nobody has ever heard of that before, and that’s the way it is.” It’s unclear how the federal government plans to directly distribute funds to Americans, and an administration official told reporters Thursday that the administration is open to working with Congress on that front. “These are commonsense actions that make up President Trump’s Great Healthcare Plan, and they represent the most comprehensive and bold agenda to lower health care costs to have ever been considered by the federal government,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday. “Congress should immediately take up President Trump’s plan and pass it into law.” Meanwhile, the Senate is prepared to vote on extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies, which were a sticking point during the government shutdown in October and expired at the end of 2025. The House passed extending the subsidies for three years Jan. 8.
$174B spending package to avert shutdown clears key hurdle in Senate
The Senate advanced a three-bill spending package through its final procedural hurdle on Thursday, teeing up a final vote later in the day. Lawmakers are in a mad dash to avert a partial government shutdown after just exiting the longest closure in history a few short months ago, and they have a deadline on Jan. 30 to beat. Thursday’s first vote was a key test of whether the warring parties could come together or again fall victim to political divisions as they did in September. The overwhelmingly bipartisan vote proved, for now, that Senate Republicans and Democrats have a truce in the government funding battle. DHS FUNDING FIGHT DRIVES SENATE SCRAMBLE TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN The roughly $174 billion package, which cruised through the House last week, includes funding bills for commerce, justice, science and related agencies; energy and water development and related agencies; and interior, environment and related agencies. If passed later on Thursday, it’ll mark six total spending bills that lawmakers have put on President Donald Trump’s desk. But it’s only halfway to the magic dozen that are needed to fund the government. Many lawmakers acknowledge that given the short amount of time left before the deadline, and lingering issues with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, a short-term funding extension, known as a continuing resolution (CR), will be needed to prevent a shutdown. DHS AT CENTER OF PROGRESSIVE REVOLT AS HOUSE ADVANCES $80B SPENDING PACKAGE Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was hopeful that another round of funding bills brewing in the House could solve the DHS issue. But he didn’t shut down the possibility that lawmakers may need to use a CR just for that agency as political divisions bubble up. “That will be the hardest one for sure,” Thune said. “And I can’t predict what happens, but I think you have to, you know, reserve some optionality.” Congressional Democrats have put their foot down on the DHS funding bill, demanding restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the wake of the shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent. SENATE ADVANCES $174B PACKAGE AS MINNESOTA ICE SHOOTING FUELS DHS FUNDING FIGHT But it’s unlikely Republicans will play ball with that request, meaning the bill will stay in limbo for the time being. That divide won’t be an easy mountain to climb, and the Senate is gearing up to leave for a week, returning to Washington, D.C., the week of the funding deadline. Senate Democrats also don’t want to turn to a year-long CR, a good sign that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus are serious about finishing the work of funding the government. Earlier this week, Schumer lauded Democratic negotiators who worked on the package, and noted that it was full of their own spending priorities meant to push back against Trump. “Their leadership stopped the worst of Donald Trump’s devastating cuts, protected investments that millions of Americans depend on, from education to housing to jobs,” Schumer said. “Though this isn’t the finish line, it’s a good step in the right direction.”
Congress has two dozen lawmakers 80 or older; more than half seeking re-election in 2026: report
While some prominent elderly members of the House of Representatives and Senate have announced that they will not pursue re-election, others in the 80 or older age bracket are aiming to keep their jobs even longer. Out of 24 figures from the Silent Generation serving in Congress, 13 have opted to run again in 2026, according to a review by NBC News. The outlet appears to be including Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, of Washington, D.C., in that tally of 13. NBC News assesses that the 119th Congress is the third-oldest in U.S. history. A few of the senators in the batch of two dozen lawmakers have terms that stretch beyond this year, so they have time to decide on their political futures. REPUBLICAN SENATOR CONDEMNS ALLEGED SYRIAN ARMY ABUSES AS CEASEFIRE FOLLOWS ALEPPO FIGHTING It seems to remain unclear whether Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., will run again. The congressman has said he will decide in the coming weeks, according to NBC. “I don’t know what the Silent Generation is. I didn’t know that we were silent,” Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho quipped, according to the outlet. “You got to like the job, and you got to have enough time to spend with your family, and you got to have your health, and if you’ve got your health, and you’re doing what you want to do, why not?” The senator will turn 83 later this year and would be 89 by the end of another six-year Senate term. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., will turn 88 later this year prior to Election Day. REP. MAXINE WATERS CALLS FOR USING THE 25TH AMENDMENT TO FIND OUT WHAT’S ‘WRONG’ WITH DONALD TRUMP “My work is not finished, and I don’t know if it will ever be finished,” the congresswoman told the outlet. NBC News reported that 88-year-old Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., noted, “As long as I can be helpful to the constituents I represent, I’ll keep working.” NANCY PELOSI WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION, ENDING DECADES-LONG HOUSE CAREER But some longtime congressional figures, like Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., a former House speaker, have announced that they will not run for re-election.
RFK Jr: Dr Oz says Trump has ‘highest testosterone level’ he’s seen in a man older than 70
President Donald Trump has the highest testosterone levels of any man older than the age of 70 that Dr. Mehmet Oz has ever seen, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recounted during a podcast interview providing a handful of updates on the president’s health. “He’s got — he’s in incredible health,” Kennedy said on Katie Miller’s podcast Tuesday. “Dr. Oz looked at his medical records and said he’s got the highest testosterone level that he’s ever seen for an individual over 70 years old.” “I know the president will be happy that I’ll repeat that,” Kennedy quipped. Oz serves as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. BROOKE ROLLINS, ROBERT KENNEDY JR: NEW DIETARY PLAN RECOMMENDS REAL FOOD FOR ALL AMERICANS Kennedy joined Miller, who is the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, as the media and Democrats continue fanning the flames of concern surrounding Trump’s health, citing bruises on Trump’s hands, swollen legs and allegations he has fallen asleep during public events. The White House has fiercely pushed back against the claims, citing Trump’s packed daily schedule and medical reports that have found the president in normal and “exceptional health.” Kennedy has long cast himself as a public-health advocate, and he repeatedly has urged Americans to eat “real,” minimally processed foods, steering people away from ultra-processed packaged snacks and toward meals built around fruits, vegetables and other nutrient-dense staples. Trump has a long and well-established history of enjoying fast-food, notably McDonald’s meals, and frequently downs Diet Coke — putting him at odds with his Cabinet official’s health calls. Kennedy celebrated that despite Trump “pumping himself full of poison all day long,” he has the “constitution of a deity.” “He eats really bad food, which is McDonald’s, and candy and Diet Coke. But he drinks the Diet Coke at all times,” Kennedy said. “I don’t know how he’s alive, but he is. … He says that the only time that he eats the junk food is when he’s on the road and he wants to eat food from big corporations.” While Trump is known for fast food snacking and cracking open a Diet Coke, he has famously steered clear of alcohol throughout his life. The White House backed Kennedy’s remarks when approached for additional comment on Trump’s health Thursday morning. “Secretary Kennedy is right: as his golf championships and flawless physical report results indicate, President Trump has the constitution and energy levels most young people could only dream of having,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox Digital. Fox News Digital reached out to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for additional comment on Oz’s review of Trump’s health records Thursday morning. RFK JR.’S BARNYARD RINGTONE INTERRUPTS WHITE HOUSE MAHA BRIEFING, SPARKS LAUGHS Democrats and liberal media outlets increasingly have questioned Trump’s fitness in recent months, citing his 79 years of age, bruising on his hands and reports of swollen ankles. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in July that Trump’s swollen legs were part of a “benign and common condition” for individuals older than age 70, while the bruising on his hands was attributable to “frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.” Trump has received two medical check-ups since his inauguration nearly a year ago, received a CT scan — which originally was reported as the president receiving an MRI — as well as celebrating that he has “aced” a series of cognitive tests, including celebrating new results earlier in January. TRUMP PITCHES COGNITIVE TESTS FOR LEADERS, TAKES AIM AT HARRIS, WALZ, NEWSOM “The White House Doctors have just reported that I am in ‘PERFECT HEALTH,’ and that I ‘ACED’ (Meaning, was correct on 100% of the questions asked!), for the third straight time, my Cognitive Examination, something which no other President, or previous Vice President, was willing to take,” Trump posted to Truth Social Jan 2. The heightened focus on Trump’s health follows the media overwhelmingly downplaying concern over former President Joe Biden’s mental acuity until his final year in office. Biden ultimately dropped out of his 2024 re-election effort to hold control of the Executive Branch in July of that year, amid pressure from longtime Democrat allies and media pundits that he bow out of the race and pass the proverbial torch to a younger generation.
Democrats’ dilemma: Progressive push to ‘Abolish ICE’ sparks fresh divide in party
Calls to abolish ICE by some progressive Democrats are sparking a new divide in the party, as center-left groups warn about a political backlash and instead urge messaging to reform the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. “We must reform ICE. But it looks at this stage, folks, ICE is beyond reform,” Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar told reporters on Wednesday. “ICE is totally out of control, and this week I intend to introduce a bill to abolish ICE.” Thanedar spoke one week after a fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman by an ICE agent went viral, sparking protests and a national debate over the agency’s efforts to carry out President Donald Trump’s push for the mass deportation of millions of undocumented migrants. Trump on Thursday warned that if Minnesota’s political leaders don’t stop what he argued were “professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place.” TRUMP’S WARNING TO MINNESOTA AMID PROTESTS OVER ICE SHOOTING The center-left think tank The Third Way cautions Democrats to avoid calls to abolish ICE. “The impulse is emotional,” reads their memo. “The slogan is simple. But politically, it is lethal. Every call to abolish ICE risks squandering one of the clearest opportunities in years to secure meaningful reform of immigration enforcement — while handing Republicans exactly the fight they want.” And Adam Jentleson, president and founder of the center-left Searchlight Institute and former chief of staff for Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, took to social media to emphasize that any call to abolish ICE “is and always will be a political albatross. I don’t care if it gets a bump into positive territory given the horrific stuff we’ve seen — it’ll fall back and remain a drag.” PROTESTERS CLASH WITH FEDERAL OFFICERS AFTER ANOTHER ICE SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS An ICE agent shot and killed the 37-year-old Renee Good last week during a federal enforcement operation in south Minneapolis. Federal officials have said agents were attempting to make arrests when the woman tried to use her vehicle as a weapon against officers, prompting an ICE agent to fire in self-defense. Top Democrats, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, criticized the federal account of the incident and rejected the claim that the officer acted in self-defense. Minnesota has since sued the Trump administration, claiming the immigration enforcement surge in the state is “unlawful” and “unprecedented.” Good’s death sparked widespread protests in Minneapolis and across the nation, with demonstrators calling for changes to federal immigration enforcement. “I believe it should be abolished,” Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts reiterated in an MS NOW interview on Sunday, as she referred to ICE. Calls by politicians on the left to abolish ICE are not new. Progressive champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, in a fundraising email obtained last year by Fox News Digital, wrote: “I believe that ICE, an agency that was just formed in 2003 during the Patriot Act era, is a rogue agency that should not exist.” And Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota urged, “Abolish ICE,” in a social media post last September. VOTERS SHARPLY DIVIDED OVER ICE SHOOTING IN MINNESOTA: POLL But the Third Way compared the phrase to calls to “defund the police” amid massive nationwide protests in 2020 after the fatal shooting of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Calls by Democratic politicians to “defund the police” were later seen as explosive ammunition for Republicans to use as a cudgel to bash Democrats at the ballot box. “The lesson is clear: when the debate sinks into polarizing slogans that read as anti-law or anti-safety, space for practical reform disappears,” The Third Way memo argued. The Third Way emphasized that Democrats should focus on ending what it called the “unaccountable uses of force” by ICE agents rather than disbanding the agency. “Immigration laws are meaningless if they are not enforced. And they can be enforced in ways that protect public safety, respect legal norms, and uphold civil liberties. Voters understand this. They responded strongly to what they saw as a lack of enforcement under President Biden. But they are also recoiling from Trump’s excessive force,” the memo read. And making the case for putting ICE on a leash rather than scuttling the agency, Jentleson wrote, “Retraining, fixing the culture. Good. All these things are more popular than ‘Abolish ICE.’” Rather than call for the outright dismantling of the agency, leadership of the Congressional Progressive Caucus this week emphasized it would “oppose all funding” for ICE in any upcoming government appropriations bills without substantial reforms to the agency. Omar, a vocal Trump critic and frequent target of the president, said that “calling for systematic reforms is not extreme … this is the bare minimum required to restore safety and justice back to our communities.” As they negotiate with the Republican majority over 2026 funding for the Department of Homeland Security ahead of a Jan. 30 government shutdown deadline, top Democrats are demanding new mandates for ICE agents, including forcing them to wear body cameras and stop wearing masks. “House Democrats want accountability and oversight of ICE,” Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, who is number three in Democratic congressional leadership, told reporters Tuesday. Pointing to ICE, Aguilar charged, “They are terrorizing people in the streets of this country.” Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota, who is running this year to keep the state’s open Senate seat in Democrat hands, during a MS NOW interview likened ICE’s efforts in her home state to the “1930’s in Germany” under Nazi rule. Polls suggest many Americans may agree with the Democrats’ efforts to put some political handcuffs on ICE agents. Four in 10 questioned in a Quinnipiac University poll conducted late last week through Monday said they approved of the way ICE is enforcing immigration laws, while 57% gave the
US military seizes another fugitive oil tanker linked to Venezuela
The U.S. military has seized another fugitive oil tanker linked to Venezuela in the Caribbean, U.S. Southern Command announced Thursday. The U.S. has now seized six oil tankers since ramping up a campaign against illicit oil trade by Venezuela. “In another pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from USS Gerald R. Ford and apprehended Motor/Tanker Veronica without incident. The Veronica is the latest tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean, proving the effectiveness of Operation Southern Spear yet again,” U.S. Southern Command said in a statement. “These operations are backed by the full power of the U.S. Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group, including the ready and lethal platforms of USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale. The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully. The Department of War, in coordination with interagency partners, will defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere,” the statement continued. TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO PROTECT VENEZUELA OIL REVENUE HELD IN US ACCOUNTS The operation comes as President Donald Trump is set to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday. The vessels intercepted so far have been either under U.S. sanctions or part of a “shadow fleet” of unregulated ships that disguise their origins to move oil from major sanctioned producers such as Iran, Russia and Venezuela. Trump has said the U.S. will “run” Venezuela after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month. TRUMP PLANS TO MEET WITH VENEZUELA OPPOSITION LEADER MARIA CORINA MACHADO NEXT WEEK Trump told The New York Times in an interview that was published Wednesday that “only time will tell” how long the U.S. will be running the country, but said it would be “much longer” than a year. Additionally, Trump announced recently that Venezuela would hand over up to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S. and that the oil would be sold “immediately.” “We will rebuild it in a very profitable way,” Trump told the Times. “We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need.” Likewise, Trump shared a doctored image that looked like a Wikipedia page that identified him as “Acting President of Venezuela” since January 2026. Fox News’ Diana Stancy and Reuters contributed to this report.
Trump to meet with Venezuela’s opposition leader after praising ‘terrific’ Maduro loyalist
President Donald Trump is slated to meet with Venezuela’s opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize recipient María Corina Machado at the White House Thursday. Trump announced Jan. 3 that the U.S. had captured dictator Nicolás Maduro and that the U.S. would be running Venezuela until a safe transition could occur. But instead of endorsing Machado, Trump cast doubt on her abilities to lead the country. “I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader,” Trump told reporters Jan. 3. “She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration chose not to support Machado because the U.S. didn’t want to make similar mistakes to the ones it made in the Middle East in Latin America, although he said he had “tremendous admiration” for Machado. TRUMP SIGNALS LONG ROAD AHEAD IN VENEZUELA IN HIS BOLDEST INTERVENTIONIST MOVE YET “But there’s the mission that we are on right now.… A lot of people analyze everything that happens in foreign policy through the lens of Iraq, Libya or Afghanistan,” Rubio said Jan. 4 in an interview with CBS. “This is not the Middle East. This is the Western Hemisphere, and our mission here is very different.” A classified CIA assessment, which senior policymakers requested and presented to Trump, evaluated who would be the best fit to oversee an interim government in Venezuela following the overthrow of Maduro, a source familiar with the intelligence told Fox News Digital. Ultimately, it was determined that Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, would be best situated to lead the country. Although The Washington Post reported that Trump was annoyed Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 — an award he had hoped to receive and that Machado dedicated to him — the White House claimed Trump’s choices were based on “realistic decisions.” As a result, Trump has put his support behind Rodríguez who is now serving as interim president. On Wednesday, Trump shared he had a call with Rodríguez, and later described her as a “terrific” person. “We are making tremendous progress, as we help Venezuela stabilize and recover,” Trump said in a social media post Wednesday. RUBIO LAYS OUT THREE-PHASE PLAN FOR VENEZUELA AFTER MADURO: ‘NOT JUST WINGING IT’ “This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be a spectacular one FOR ALL,” Trump said. “Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!” Specifically, Trump said he and Rodríguez discussed oil, minerals and national security matters. On Jan. 7, Trump announced that Venezuela would provide the U.S. with 50 million barrels of oil that would be sold “immediately.” Rodríguez voiced similar sentiments, saying their “courteous” call “addressed a bilateral work agenda for the benefit of our peoples, as well as pending matters between our governments.” Meanwhile, Machado has praised Trump for his role overthrowing Maduro, and told CBS News that the president and the U.S. have “done much more than anybody thought was possible.” On Thursday, the White House referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s previous comments to Reuters, when asked what the president planned to discuss with Machado. “I think we’re just going to talk,” Trump told Reuters Wednesday. “And I haven’t met her. She’s a very nice woman. I think we’re just going to talk basics.” Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Israel will honor the late Charlie Kirk with award for opposing antisemitism
Israel will reportedly honor slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk with an award for his efforts battling antisemitism. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office indicated that this recognition will take place at the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism, The Associated Press reported. Kirk, who founded the conservative organization Turning Point USA, was assassinated while holding an event at Utah Valley University in September. “A lion-hearted friend of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization,” Netanyahu said in a post on X on the day Kirk was fatally shot. GRAND THEFT AUTO BLACKLISTS ‘CHARLIE KIRK’ AS PLAYERS TRY TO RECREATE HIS KILLING IN THE GAME In the post, the Israeli leader called Kirk “an incredible human being” whose “boundless pride in America and his valiant belief in free speech will leave a lasting impact.” Kirk asserted in a post on X less than a month before he was killed, “Jew hate has no place in civil society. It rots the brain, reject it.” NETANYAHU AND RUBIO DISCUSS US MILITARY INTERVENTION IN IRAN AMID ONGOING NATIONWIDE PROTESTS: REPORT Kirk, who was a supporter of Israel, indicated last year on “The Megyn Kelly Show” that some in the pro-Israel camp had unfairly criticized him. “The behavior by a lot, both privately and publicly, are pushing people like you and me away. Not like we’re gonna be pro-Hamas,” he said. “But we’re like, honestly, the way you are treating me is so repulsive.” TYLER ROBINSON PROSECUTORS SAY CHARLIE KIRK SHOOTING TEXTS SHOW CONFUSION, NOT BIAS, TO REBUT CONFLICT CLAIM CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I have text messages, Megyn, calling me an antisemite. I am learning biblical Hebrew and writing a book on the Shabbat. I honor the Shabbat, literally the Jewish sabbath. I visit Israel and fight for it,” he noted at the time. The Associated Press contributed to this report.