In an apparent attempt to win back Donald Trump’s favour, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado told reporters she had “presented” her gold Nobel peace prize medal to the US president during a private meeting at the White House on Thursday.
Machado, who received the award last year for her struggle against Nicolás Maduro’s “brutal, authoritarian state”, told reporters she had done so “in recognition [of] his unique commitment [to] our freedom”. It was not immediately clear whether Trump had accepted the gift.
Trump later wrote his Truth Social platform: “María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!”
It is unclear if Trump retained the medal, and he did not post an image of it.
While Trump expressed gratitude to have been presented the medal he’s long pined for, the Nobel Peace Center has reiterated its rules of possession several times in recent days.
“Once a Nobel prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others,” Nobel organizers wrote in a 9 January press release. “The decision is final and stands for all time.”
The medal may be in Trump’s hands, but peace prize is not his, Nobel officials say
Judge allows offshore windfarm halted by Trump to resume construction
A federal judge on Thursday cleared the way for a New York offshore wind project to resume construction, a victory for the developer who said a Trump administration order to pause it would probably kill the project in a matter of days.
District judge Carl J Nichols, an appointee of Donald Trump, ruled construction on the Empire Wind project could go forward while he considers the merits of the government’s order to suspend the project. He faulted the government for not responding to key points in Empire Wind’s court filings, including the contention that the administration violated proper procedure.
Norwegian company Equinor owns Empire Wind. Spokesperson David Schoetz said they welcomed the court’s decision and would continue to work in collaboration with authorities. It is the second developer to prevail in court against the administration this week.
The Trump administration froze five big offshore wind projects on the east coast days before Christmas, citing national security concerns. Trump has targeted offshore wind from his first days back in the White House, most recently calling windfarms “losers” that lose money, destroy the landscape and kill birds.
Death of man at ICE camp could be investigated as homicide after examiner’s report
The death of a man who was being held at a federal detention camp in Texas in early January may be investigated as a homicide after the local medical examiner reportedly found the preliminary cause was “asphyxia due to neck and chest compression”.
Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban migrant who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in July last year, was pronounced dead on 3 January. He had been in ICE custody at Camp East Montana, a sprawling tent camp at the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso.
In a press release about his death, the agency claimed he died after “experiencing medical distress” and said his cause of death was under investigation. The Department of Homeland Security had previously highlighted Lunas Campos’s arrest as one of the “worst of the worst” a category used by DHS to trumpet what they claim as victories of Trump’s mass deportation campaign. He has convictions of child sexual abuse, possession of a firearm, and aggravated assault.
Three US citizens sue Trump with the ACLU over encounters with ICE agents
The American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit over the Trump administration’s immigration operation in Minneapolis describes a mass “racial profiling campaign” resulting in “an unprecedented level of violence” against Minnesotans of color.
“People targeted by ICE have been handcuffed, tackled, and beaten by federal agents. Agents have broken car windows, dragged people from their cars, and used pepper spray and tear gas against compliant, non-violent people,” the lawsuit reads.
The three plaintiffs in the case, who are all US citizens, are Mubashir Khalif Hussen, a 20-year-old Somali man who grew up in the United States after his family came to the country as refugees, Mahamed Eydarus, a 25-year-old Somali-American and Javier Doe, a 22-year-old Hispanic man.
On December 10, 2025, Hussen encountered immigration agents while on his lunch break. The lawsuit describes agents pushing him into a restaurant, dragging him outside, placing him in a headlock, and then driving him to an ICE field office where he was denied medical assistance and water – despite Hussen’s repeated statements that he was a US citizen.driving him to an ICE field office where he was denied medical assistance and water – despite Hussen’s repeated statements that he was a US citizen.
Trump administration restores funding to Planned Parenthood, other groups after lawsuit
The Trump administration has agreed to unfreeze millions in federal funding to Planned Parenthood and other family planning groups, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
The union filed to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit on Jan. 13, citing the restoration of funds.investigation, citing potential violations of federal civil rights laws. In response, the ACLU sued the administration over the cuts.
The union filed to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit on Jan. 13, citing the restoration of funds.
“We are relieved all of our members now have access to their promised funds, but we know the fight for contraceptive access in this country goes on. We will continue to stand up for our members and the essential care they provide to millions of individuals,” Clare Coleman, president and CEO of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, said in a statement.
The Trump administration ultimately paused 22 federal Title X grants, jeopardizing care for 842,000 patients across the country, according to the ACLU.
European troops arrive in Greenland as Trump throws another curveball
European troops were arriving in Greenland on Thursday in a show of support, as leaders scrambling to respond to President Donald Trump’s threats were thrown another American curveball.
Trump pushed ahead with his aim of “conquering” one European territory, Denmark’s top diplomat saihttps://www.nbcnews.com/world/greenland/european-troops-arrive-greenland-trump-throws-curveball-rcna254166?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-usd after a high-stakes meeting in Washington on Wednesday.
The president then sided with the man who invaded another, casting Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy rather than Russia’s Vladimir Putin as the obstacle to peace, in his latest reversal on the conflict already raging on the continent.
Trump's comments drew new pushback from leaders in Europe, whose alarm over U.S. actions had for weeks been focused farther north.
Small numbers of military personnel from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway and Sweden were arriving in the Arctic island early Thursday.
Venezuela's Machado says she presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she presented President Donald Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal during their Jan. 15 meeting at the White House, an extraordinary gesture to try to earn Trump's backing.
Machado, speaking to reporters after the meeting ended, said she gave Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal, which Trump has long coveted, "as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom." She did not say whether Trump accepted the medal.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The meeting was held as Machado is seeking Trump's approval to have a role in the Venezuelan government following the United States' Jan. 3 attack on Venezuela and capture of the country's president, Nicolás Maduro. Trump has instead embraced Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's vice president, as the next leader, praising her cooperation as the United States begins to sell Venezuelan oil.
West Bank Bedouin community driven out by Israeli settler violence
While attacks by Israeli settlers affect communities across the West Bank, the semi-nomadic Bedouins are among the territory's most vulnerable, saying they suffer from forced displacement due in large part to a lack of law enforcement.
"What is happening today is the complete collapse of the community as a result of the settlers' continuous and repeated attacks, day and night, for the past two years," Farhan Jahaleen, a Bedouin in the village of Ras Ein al-Auja, told AFP.
Since Israel took control of the West Bank in 1967, Israeli outposts have steadily expanded, with more than 500,000 settlers now living in the territory, which is also home to three million Palestinians.
Dropsite News: The Gaza Genocide, West Bank, and Israel
Total casualty counts since ceasefire: Since October 11, the first full day of the ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 449 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,246, while 710 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Ministry of Health.
Gaza officials report 32 deaths from cold and collapsing shelters: One Palestinian was killed and one injured as a result of a building collapse, bringing the total number of deaths from building collapses since the onset of winter to 25, according to the Ministry of Health. At least seven children have also died from exposure to the cold this winter. Health officials and doctors say hospitals are overwhelmed as they face shortages of medicines and medical supplies, rising malnutrition among mothers and children, and a surge in respiratory illnesses, while Israeli restrictions continue to limit the entry of essential health items.
UNICEF says more than 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the October ceasefire: More than 100 children, including 60 boys and 40 girls, have been killed in Gaza since the October ceasefire, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund. Speaking from Gaza, UNICEF representative James Elder said children are still being killed by airstrikes, drones, tank shelling, and live fire, while others are dying in tent shelters from exposure to winter storms.
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