Donald Trump set to welcome Colombian president to White House for talks – US politics live

From 43m agoTrump set to welcome Colombian president to White House for talksHello and welcome to the US politics live blog. I’m Tom Ambrose and I will be bringing you all the latest news lines over the next few hours.President Donald Trump is set to welcome Colombian president Gustavo Petro to the White House on Tuesday for talks just weeks after threatening military action against the South American country and accusing the leader of pumping cocaine into the United States.US administration officials say the meeting will focus on regional security cooperation and counternarcotics efforts, AP reported.And Trump on Monday suggested that Petro - who has continued to criticize Trump and the US operation to capture Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro - is more willing to work with his administration to stem the flow of illegal drugs from Colombia.“Somehow after the Venezuelan raid, he became very nice,” Trump told reporters. “He changed his attitude very much.”However, in recent days, Petro has continued to criticize the US president, calling Trump an “accomplice to genocide” in the Gaza Strip, while asserting that the capture of Maduro was a kidnapping.And ahead of his departure for Washington, Petro called on Colombians to take to the streets of Bogotá during the White House meeting.In other developments: Grammys host Trevor Noah has been threatened with legal action by Donald Trump for a joke during Sunday’s awards ceremony about the president’s connection to the disgraced late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A US disaster response firm submitted a plan to White House officials that would guarantee 300% profits and a seven-year monopoly over a new trucking and logistics plan for Donald Trump’s board of peace in Gaza, according to a November proposal obtained by the Guardian. The homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, said that all federal agents in Minneapolis will immediately begin wearing body cameras and that the program will be expanded nationwide “as funding is available”. Iran’s top diplomat has said the government is ready for negotiations with the US as the two countries reportedly prepared to send top envoys to Istanbul for high-stakes talks on the Iranian nuclear programme later this week. Donald Trump has been accused of “corruption, plain and simple” after it was revealed that a member of the Emirati royal family was behind a $500m investment into the Trump family’s cryptocurrency company. Immediately after a US border patrol agent shot two people in Oregon last month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the targets were “vicious” gang members connected to a prior shooting and alleged they had “attempted to run over” officers with their vehicle. Key events17m agoUS judge to hear request for 'immediate takedown' of Epstein files33m agoClintons agree to testify in House Epstein investigation43m agoTrump set to welcome Colombian president to White House for talksShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureUS judge to hear request for 'immediate takedown' of Epstein filesA federal judge said he would hear a request to block access to investigative files linked to Epstein on Wednesday, after lawyers flagged unredacted names of victims.The Justice Department released more than three million files last week related to the investigation into the disgraced financier, including his links to high-profile figures.The department was left scrambling after names of alleged victims, who were supposed to be anonymized, were left unredacted, AFP reported.In a letter to judges overseeing the case, lawyers representing the victims listed documents in the latest cache they said revealed victims’ names and some personal details.Clintons agree to testify in House Epstein investigationBill and Hillary Clinton agreed on Monday to testify in a House investigation into the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, days before the chamber was expected to vote to hold them in contempt of Congress.The concession follows a tense back-and-forth between the Clintons and the Republican James Comer, chair of the House oversight committee, who on Monday said that he would insist both Clintons sit for a sworn deposition before the committee in order to fulfill the panel’s subpoenas.“They negotiated in good faith. You did not,” Angel Ureña, a spokesman for the Clintons, replied to Comer, in a post on social media. “They told you under oath what they know, but you don’t care. But the former president and former secretary of state will be there. They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone.”The House was headed towards potential votes this week on criminal contempt of Congress charges against the Clintons. If passed, the charges threatened the Clintons with substantial fines and even incarceration if they were convicted.“The Clintons do not get to dictate the terms of lawful subpoenas,” Comer said.See the full report here:Trump set to welcome Colombian president to White House for talksHello and welcome to the US politics live blog. I’m Tom Ambrose and I will be bringing you all the latest news lines over the next few hours.President Donald Trump is set to welcome Colombian president Gustavo Petro to the White House on Tuesday for talks just weeks after threatening military action against the South American country and accusing the leader of pumping cocaine into the United States.US administration officials say the meeting will focus on regional security cooperation and counternarcotics efforts, AP reported.And Trump on Monday suggested that Petro - who has continued to criticize Trump and the US operation to capture Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro - is more willing to work with his administration to stem the flow of illegal drugs from Colombia.“Somehow after the Venezuelan raid, he became very nice,” Trump told reporters. “He changed his attitude very much.”However, in recent days, Petro has continued to criticize the US president, calling Trump an “accomplice to genocide” in the Gaza Strip, while asserting that the capture of Maduro was a kidnapping.And ahead of his departure for Washington, Petro called on Colombians to take to the streets of Bogotá during the White House meeting.In other developments: Grammys host Trevor Noah has been threatened with legal action by Donald Trump for a joke during Sunday’s awards ceremony about the president’s connection to the disgraced late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A US disaster response firm submitted a plan to White House officials that would guarantee 300% profits and a seven-year monopoly over a new trucking and logistics plan for Donald Trump’s board of peace in Gaza, according to a November proposal obtained by the Guardian. The homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, said that all federal agents in Minneapolis will immediately begin wearing body cameras and that the program will be expanded nationwide “as funding is available”. Iran’s top diplomat has said the government is ready for negotiations with the US as the two countries reportedly prepared to send top envoys to Istanbul for high-stakes talks on the Iranian nuclear programme later this week. Donald Trump has been accused of “corruption, plain and simple” after it was revealed that a member of the Emirati royal family was behind a $500m investment into the Trump family’s cryptocurrency company. Immediately after a US border patrol agent shot two people in Oregon last month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the targets were “vicious” gang members connected to a prior shooting and alleged they had “attempted to run over” officers with their vehicle.