Trump set to welcome Colombian president to White House for talks<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n
Hello and welcome to the US politics<\/a> live blog. I\u2019m Tom Ambrose and I will be bringing you all the latest news lines over the next few hours.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a> 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.<\/strong><\/p>\n US administration officials say the meeting will focus on regional security cooperation and counternarcotics efforts, AP reported.<\/p>\n And Trump on Monday suggested that Petro – who has continued to criticize Trump and the US operation to capture Venezuela\u2019s Nicol\u00e1s Maduro – is more willing to work with his administration to stem the flow of illegal drugs from Colombia<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cSomehow after the Venezuelan raid, he became very nice,\u201d Trump told reporters. \u201cHe changed his attitude very much.\u201d<\/p>\n However, in recent days, Petro has continued to criticize the US president, calling Trump an \u201caccomplice to genocide\u201d in the Gaza Strip, while asserting that the capture of Maduro was a kidnapping.<\/p>\n And ahead of his departure for Washington, Petro called on Colombians to take to the streets of Bogot\u00e1 during the White House meeting.<\/p>\n In other developments:<\/p>\n Grammys host Trevor Noah<\/a> has been threatened with legal action by Donald Trump<\/a> for a joke during Sunday\u2019s awards ceremony<\/a> about the president\u2019s connection to the disgraced late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 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\u2019s board of peace in Gaza<\/a>, according to a November proposal obtained by the Guardian.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 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 \u201cas funding is available\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Iran\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Donald Trump<\/a> has been accused of \u201ccorruption, plain and simple\u201d after it was revealed that a member of the Emirati royal family was behind a $500m investment into the Trump family\u2019s cryptocurrency company.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Immediately after a US border patrol agent shot two people<\/a> in Oregon last month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the targets were \u201cvicious\u201d gang members connected to a prior shooting and alleged they had \u201cattempted to run over\u201d officers with their vehicle.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n