Friday, January 9 | By Cate Martel |
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Happy Friday! What a jolt we've had into 2026. The past week alone has brought the Venezuela operation, renewed talk of taking Greenland, the fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis, the Jan. 6 anniversary and RFK Jr. changing the vaccine schedule for children — just to name a few. |
Trump aims for buy-in from oil execs Next Venezuela attacks canceled? Weak jobs report to end 2025 NASA ends mission early
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Trump has a big job today — get oil execs on board: |
President Trump's sweeping plan for Venezuela involves the U.S. takeover of its oil industry. He claimed last weekend that U.S. oil companies would "go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country." But that requires the buy-in of major oil and gas companies — and it's not clear they're on board. Why the investment is a risk: It's a huge undertaking to modernize Venezuela's oil production. One independent research firm estimated it would take nearly $200 billion and more than a decade to restore its higher oil production. There's currently already an oversupply of oil in the world, so it's unclear whether this would even be a profitable venture. Which brings us to Trump's mission today: Charm energy executives. He's meeting with executives from oil and gas companies at the White House at 2:30 p.m. He posted on social media this morning that he expects the oil industry to invest "at least" $100 billion. Now, Energy Secretary Chris Wright gave a little wiggle room. He suggested the plans don't necessarily appear to involve U.S. firms going into the country right now. Read Rachel Frazin's reporting: 'Trump plans for Venezuela's oil begin to take shape' Who's attending the meeting?: Executives from Chevron, Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, Continental, Halliburton, HKN, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Trafigura, Vitol Americas, Repsol, Eni, Aspect Holdings, Tallgrass, Raisa Energy and Hilcorp. Wright, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum will also be there. 💬 Follow today's live blog |
Trump canceled a 'second wave' of Venezuela attacks: |
That's what he posted today on social media. What Trump said: "Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of 'Seeking Peace.' This is a very important and smart gesture. The U.S.A. and Venezuela are working well together. … Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, which looks like it will not be needed." |
The president told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he plans to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado next week. Keep in mind: Machado has fiercely fought for democracy in Venezuela, has expressed support for the Trump administration and when she won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, she even dedicated the prize to Trump. But Trump skipped over her when backing an interim president for Venezuela last weekend. Machado is still trying to win Trump over. Will Trump get Machado's Nobel Peace Prize?: Maybe. Trump has repeatedly suggested he should receive the Nobel Peace Prize. And after last weekend's raid in Venezuela, Machado said she would like to give her Nobel Prize to Trump. The president likes this plan, telling Hannity it would be a "great honor" to receive her prize. |
➤ INTERESTING TIDBIT FROM TRUMP'S HANNITY INTERVIEW: |
Trump downplayed Republicans' midterm expectations, acknowledging that the president's party "always loses" in the midterms. From Trump: "If you go back a long way, the sitting president, whether it's Democrat or Republican, always loses the midterm, even if they've done well. Almost always. And, you know, you'd think it'd be like a 50/50 deal. Even if the president's done a great job. I think we've done a great job. We've done maybe the best job ever in the first year, but they always seem to lose the midterm." |
➤ GETTING ATTENTION IN WASHINGTON: |
Do you remember last fall when Code Pink protesters interrupted Trump's dinner at Joe's Seafood? Well, Axios's Alex Isenstadt reports that the White House told the Secret Service that they believe former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) may have given the protesters a heads-up that Trump may visit for dinner. Greene is blasting the claim as a "lie" today, slamming the Trump White House as well as the report about the claim itself. "I had ZERO knowledge of when his reservation was! The only people who could have tipped off Code Pink was the restaurant or the WH!" she posted. Read more |
The December jobs report is out: |
The U.S. added only 50,000 jobs in December, and the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.4 percent, according to the Labor Department's monthly data. Context for December's data: Economists expected a job gain of roughly 55,000 jobs and the jobless rate to tick down to 4.5 percent. The Labor Department also adjusted its fall numbers: "BLS also shaved 76,000 jobs off from the October and November reports, boosting the total October job loss to 173,000 from 105,000, and cutting the November job gain from 64,000 to 56,000." Stepping back — how did 2025 go?: "The U.S. has added fewer than 50,000 jobs on average each month since January 2025, and unemployment is up 0.4 percentage points from its level when Trump took office." Read more |
The situation in Minneapolis: |
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis over the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old woman by a federal immigration officer. Can the officer who shot the woman be prosecuted?: That's the big question. The Hill's Ella Lee and Rebecca Beitsch report that it may come down to the details of the incident. How it works: "Federal law enforcement officers have significant legal protections when acting in the course of official duties, but they aren't ironclad. If federal officers violate federal law or their actions aren't 'necessary and proper' to fulfill their federal duties, courts have said they can face state charges." Read Lee and Beitsch's explainer Related read, via The Wall Street Journal: 'Minnesota Officials Demand FBI Share Evidence in ICE Shooting Probe' |
➤ SOME GOP SKEPTICISM OVER NOEM'S HANDLING OF IT ALL: |
The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports that Capitol Hill Republicans are expressing skepticism over Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's handling of the fatal shooting. How so?: "Noem's hasty characterization of the shooting as an entirely justified use of federal force against a woman who 'weaponized' her vehicle has raised questions on Capitol Hill and differed in tone from other senior administration officials." Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) says she's concerned about reports that the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension may be cut out of the Homeland Security investigation and called for local authorities to be involved in the shooting investigation. "I did find that a little confusing and concerning. It seems like the state authorities are being iced out of it — no pun intended — which just seems unusual," Murkowski said. Read Bolton's reporting: 'GOP lawmakers question Noem's handling of ICE-related shooting in Minnesota' |
— NASA ended its space mission early because of a medical situation involving one of the astronauts on board. — Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito recused himself from an oil case that will be heard on Monday because of direct stock holdings in companies. But as The Hill's Zach Schonfeld noted, the timing of his last-minute recusal is unusual. |
The Washington Post: Erika Kirk is walking a fine line in a glittering pantsuit: Her recent outfits are making a statement: Take her seriously, but don't take her for a career woman. The New York Times: The Next Phase of Trump's Renovations: A New 'Upper West Wing' Barron's: 'War Is Back In Vogue,' Pope Leo Says |
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The House voted this morning. The Senate is out. President Trump is in Washington. (All times EST) |
1 p.m. Trump has lunch with Vice President Vance. 2:30 p.m. Trump meets with oil and gas executives in the Cabinet room. This afternoon: Trump travels to Palm Beach, Fla. 3 p.m. Monday: The Senate returns. 📆 Today's agenda Jan. 29: First lady Melania Trump's film will premiere at the Kennedy Center. |
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🍑 Celebrate: Today is National Apricot Day. 🏡 The secret to happiness — a smaller house?: The Washington Post reports, "Why smaller houses can lead to happier lives." Data shows that people who live in smaller homes are happier than people who live in larger houses. 💘 I know this isn't new but I still do a double-take every time I see a new photo: Singer Katy Perry 📸shared a new photo with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. |
Can someone check on this horse? Is it supposed to be making that sound…? |
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