{"id":10025,"date":"2026-02-11T14:15:03","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T14:15:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/02\/11\/live-updates-trump-to-meet-with-netanyahu-to-discuss-iran-relations-as-uproar-grows-over-epstein-files-cnn-politics-cnn\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T14:15:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T14:15:03","slug":"live-updates-trump-to-meet-with-netanyahu-to-discuss-iran-relations-as-uproar-grows-over-epstein-files-cnn-politics-cnn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/02\/11\/live-updates-trump-to-meet-with-netanyahu-to-discuss-iran-relations-as-uproar-grows-over-epstein-files-cnn-politics-cnn\/","title":{"rendered":"Live updates: Trump to meet with Netanyahu to discuss Iran relations as uproar grows over Epstein files | CNN Politics – CNN"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Live Updates<\/p>\n

Trump and Netanyahu will meet at the White House today <\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
The White House says Trump is standing by Howard Lutnick as he faces calls to resign over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. CNN’s MJ Lee reports on OutFront.<\/p>\n

” data-duration=”04:15″ data-source-html=” \u2022 Source: CNN<\/a> <\/span>” data-fave-thumbnails=”{“big”: { “uri”: “https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/gettyimages-2260904991.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill” }, “small”: { “uri”: “https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/gettyimages-2260904991.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill” } }” data-vr-video=”false” data-show-html=”Erin Burnett Out Front<\/a>” data-byline-html=”<\/p>\n

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Updated 9:09 AM EST, Wed February 11, 2026 <\/div>\n

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The White House says Trump is standing by Howard Lutnick as he faces calls to resign over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. CNN’s MJ Lee reports on OutFront.<\/p>\n

” data-check-event-based-preview data-network-id data-publish-date=”2026-02-11T00:57:35.965Z” data-video-section=”politics” data-canonical-url=”https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/02\/10\/politics\/video\/ebof-mj-lee-epstein-files-howard-lutnick” data-branding-key data-video-slug=”ebof-mj-lee-epstein-files-howard-lutnick” data-first-publish-slug=”ebof-mj-lee-epstein-files-howard-lutnick” data-video-tags> \"GettyImages-2260904991.jpg\"<\/picture> <\/div>\n

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Trump Commerce Secretary Lutnick’s contact with Epstein fuels calls for him to resign <\/p>\n

04:15 <\/span> \u2022 Source: CNN<\/a> <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Trump Commerce Secretary Lutnick’s contact with Epstein fuels calls for him to resign<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

04:15 <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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\u2022 Trump-Netanyahu meeting:<\/strong> President Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today at the White House. Their discussion is expected to center on US-Iran nuclear talks. <\/p>\n

\u2022 Epstein files: <\/strong>The DOJ un-redacted more names<\/a> in the Jeffrey Epstein files after pressure from lawmakers who reviewed unredacted versions of several records. Separately, the White House said the president supports Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick<\/a> after he testified about having lunch at Epstein\u2019s Caribbean Island in 2012.<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u2022 Funding deadlock<\/strong>: Facing a Friday deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said negotiators are making progress on proposed changes to ICE<\/a>. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer did not directly rule out a short-term stopgap bill but said Democrats are putting pressure on the GOP<\/a> over ICE demands. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace, an administration official told CNN, which triggered a temporary airspace closure over El Paso, Texas, that has now been lifted. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Department of War took action to disable the drones,\u201d the official said. \u201cThe FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel,\u201d they added, referring to the Federal Aviation Administration. <\/p>\n

The airspace closure was prompted by a US military operation related to drug cartels, according to two sources briefed on the matter. <\/p>\n

The nature of that military action was not immediately clear though the Trump administration has long said it intends to target drug cartels operating in Mexico and beyond. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Before departing Azerbaijan, US Vice President JD Vance said that US athletes competing in the Winter Olympics should “expect some pushback” for discussing politics.<\/p>\n

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Updated 9:09 AM EST, Wed February 11, 2026 <\/div>\n

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Before departing Azerbaijan, US Vice President JD Vance said that US athletes competing in the Winter Olympics should “expect some pushback” for discussing politics.<\/p>\n

” data-check-event-based-preview data-network-id data-publish-date=”2026-02-11T09:19:12.302Z” data-video-section=”us” data-canonical-url=”https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/02\/11\/us\/video\/vance-winter-olympics-athletes-politics-vrtc” data-branding-key data-video-slug=”vance-winter-olympics-athletes-politics-vrtc” data-first-publish-slug=”vance-winter-olympics-athletes-politics-vrtc” data-video-tags> \"thumbnail<\/picture> <\/div>\n

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Vance says US athletes should not ‘pop off about politics’ at the Olympics <\/p>\n

Before departing Azerbaijan, US Vice President JD Vance said that US athletes competing in the Winter Olympics should “expect some pushback” for discussing politics.<\/p>\n

01:00 <\/span> \u2022 Source: CNN<\/a> <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Vance says US athletes should not ‘pop off about politics’ at the Olympics<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

01:00 <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Vice President JD Vance said that US athletes competing in the Winter Olympics should \u201cexpect some pushback\u201d if they use their platforms to discuss politics. <\/p>\n

Vance\u2019s comments came as President Donald Trump called US skier Hunter Hess<\/a> a \u201creal loser\u201d over the weekend after the athlete expressed \u201cmixed emotions representing the US right now\u201d at the Olympics. <\/p>\n

Vance kicked off his three-country foreign trip in Milan, Italy, by meeting US athletes and attending several events featuring Team USA. <\/p>\n

The vice president was booed by some spectators during the Olympics opening ceremony. Vance downplayed the cold reception he received. <\/p>\n

Follow CNN\u2019s live Olympics coverage.<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, spoke to US President Donald Trump in a phone call today, his office said, ahead of a meeting between the emir and Iran\u2019s national security chief. <\/p>\n

The American and Qatari leaders discussed \u201cthe developments of the current situation in the region\u201d and \u201cinternational efforts aimed at reducing escalation and promoting regional security and peace,\u201d a statement by the emir\u2019s office said. <\/p>\n

It comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington for talks with Trump, where Iran is expected to be discussed. Yesterday, he met with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump\u2019s son-in-law Jared Kushner. <\/p>\n

Ali Larijani, the head of Iran\u2019s National Security Council, arrived in the Qatari capital Doha a day after visiting Oman. The Omani capital of Muscat hosted indirect negotiations between Iran and the US Friday. The US and Iran have indicated that further talks are expected, though no date has been set. <\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Larijani told Omani media that the negotiations remain strictly focused on Iran\u2019s nuclear program. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe American side has realized that the talks should be about the nuclear issue,\u201d he said. \u201cThere were no negotiations on other matters.\u201d CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. <\/p>\n

Yesterday, Trump said an Iran deal would also need to address Tehran\u2019s missile program. <\/p>\n

\u201cNo nuclear weapons, no missiles, no this, no that, all the different things that you want,\u201d Trump told Fox Business\u2019 Larry Kudlow in an interview. <\/p>\n

CNN\u2019s Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.<\/em> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump\u2019s son-in-law Jared Kushner yesterday ahead of his meeting with Trump at the White House. <\/p>\n

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also scheduled to meet with Netanyahu at 9 a.m. ET today before Trump\u2019s meeting, which is set to take place at 11 a.m. ET in the Oval Office. <\/p>\n

This is Netanyahu\u2019s seventh meeting with Trump since the start of his second term. <\/p>\n

Last night, Israel\u2019s Ambassador to the United States Michael Leiter posted an image<\/a> of an evening meeting with Netanyahu alongside Witkoff and Kushner to discuss \u201cregional developments.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWithin the first hour of welcoming PM @netanyahu in Washington this evening, we were already hard at work,\u201d Leiter said. <\/p>\n

Netanyahu is staying at Blair House, and several roads around the White House are closed and barricaded with fences, DC police vehicles and snow trucks, which is typical for when the prime minister visits. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Vice President JD Vance said President Donald Trump does not need to apologize for posting a now-deleted racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes in a jungle. <\/p>\n

\u201cShould he apologize for posting a video and then taking it down? No, I don\u2019t think so,\u201d Vance told reporters on Wednesday at the conclusion of a foreign trip. <\/p>\n

Trump has refused to apologize<\/a> for posting the video on Truth Social last week, telling reporters he \u201cdidn\u2019t make a mistake,\u201d and instead placing the blame on a White House staffer. <\/p>\n

Trump faced bipartisan criticism for the video and several close allies called on him to remove it and apologize. <\/p>\n

Vance on Wednesday downplayed the backlash. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a real controversy. We have much, much more real problems to focus on,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

See Trump\u2019s response to the video:<\/strong> <\/p>\n

President Donald Trump refused to apologize Friday after posting and then deleting a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes in a jungle, insisting he hadn\u2019t seen the final frames containing the offensive content and blaming a staffer for the mistake.<\/p>\n

” data-duration=”01:37″ data-source-html=” \u2022 Source: CNN<\/a> <\/span>” data-fave-thumbnails=”{“big”: { “uri”: “https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ap26037858368806.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill” }, “small”: { “uri”: “https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ap26037858368806.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill” } }” data-vr-video=”false” data-show-html=”” data-byline-html=”<\/p>\n

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By Ellen Rittiner<\/span>, CNN <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

” data-timestamp-html=”<\/p>\n

Updated 9:09 AM EST, Wed February 11, 2026 <\/div>\n

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President Donald Trump refused to apologize Friday after posting and then deleting a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes in a jungle, insisting he hadn\u2019t seen the final frames containing the offensive content and blaming a staffer for the mistake.<\/p>\n

” data-check-event-based-preview data-network-id data-publish-date=”2026-02-07T04:03:58.946Z” data-video-section=”politics” data-canonical-url=”https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/02\/06\/politics\/video\/trump-obama-racist-video-af1-ebof-digvid” data-branding-key data-video-slug=”trump-obama-racist-video-af1-ebof-digvid” data-first-publish-slug=”trump-obama-racist-video-af1-ebof-digvid” data-video-tags> \"President<\/picture> <\/div>\n

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‘I didn’t make a mistake’: Trump responds to racist video he posted of the Obamas <\/p>\n

01:37 <\/span> \u2022 Source: CNN<\/a> <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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‘I didn’t make a mistake’: Trump responds to racist video he posted of the Obamas<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

01:37 <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Palestinians<\/picture> <\/div>\n

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said shortly before departing for Washington that Gaza would be among \u201ca series of issues\u201d to be discussed during his meeting with US President Donald Trump today. <\/p>\n

The US announced the start of the next phase of the Gaza <\/a>ceasefire plan in mid-January, following the formation of a new committee intended to administer the battered enclave. <\/p>\n

The conclusion of the first phase of the US-brokered, 20-point ceasefire agreement \u2014 which went into effect in mid-October \u2014 came after the remains of the final deceased Israeli hostage<\/a> in Gaza were returned to Israel in January, and the Rafah crossing<\/a> between Gaza and Egypt was partially reopened last week. <\/p>\n

Trump has pushed to advance the ceasefire into its second phase, alongside plans for a governing board and a Palestinian technocratic committee to run Gaza. Netanyahu, however, has continued to stress that Hamas must disarm before any reconstruction can begin in the shattered enclave. <\/p>\n

In January, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said the second phase of the plan would focus on \u201cdemilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction,\u201d though he provided few details on how the most contentious provisions would be implemented. <\/p>\n

Netanyahu\u2019s visit to Washington also comes as Israel has taken a series of sweeping steps to tighten its control over the occupied West Bank<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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President Donald Trump has a few events on his public schedule today. Here\u2019s what to look out for: <\/p>\n

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