The Trump Administration is trying to boost U.S. supply chains for critical minerals, materials that make up everything from your cell phone to fighter jets.

A meeting with high level officials including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio went on at the State Department Wednesday, where more than 50 nations are considering a new trade pact that seeks to combat Chinese influence on rare earths and critical minerals.

The deal would cover more than a dozen critical materials, naturally occurring elements and minerals that are used in everything from jet engines to cell phone batteries and AI chips.

China has dominated this market, accounting for about 70% of mineral drilling markets and 90% of refinery markets. It has also frequently dumped cheap product on the global marketplace as a means of trying to push back against any competition.

The new U.S. effort seeks a trade agreement to try to enable countries to purchase minerals among themselves, setting some floor level prices and ensuring that countries participating in the deal will only purchase those minerals from other participants.

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"This morning, the Trump administration is proposing a concrete mechanism to return the global critical minerals market to a healthier, more competitive state," said Vice President JD Vance. "A preferential trade zone for critical minerals, protected from external disruptions through enforceable price floors. We will establish reference prices for critical minerals each stage of production, pricing that reflects real world fair market value. And from members of the preferential zone, these reference prices will operate as a floor, maintained through adjustable tariffs, to uphold pricing integrity."

It remains to be seen how successful a deal would be, or what penalties or enforcement mechanisms would ensure compliance.

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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed Monday that the agency was reviewing officer body camera footage related to the death of Alex Pretti, who was shot while being apprehended by federal immigration officials in Minneapolis over the weekend.

There is body camera footage from multiple angles which investigators are currently reviewing," a DHS official said in a statement to Scripps News.

When asked Monday if the body camera footage would be made public, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said "that's not something I've heard the president commit to." According to court filings, DHS is leading the investigation into Pretti's death, with assistance from the FBI and other federal agencies.

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Up to this point, multiple videos circulating online have shown various different angles of the shooting, which occurred as demonstrators were protesting the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities. Pretti, 37, was on hand apparently filming law enforcement activity, nearly one mile away from where Renee Good was fatally shot by an immigration enforcement agent earlier this month.

Video footage from one bystander showed Pretti standing in the street recording federal officers with a cell phone. One agent can then be seen approaching another person and pushing them down onto the ground. At that point, Pretti jumps between the agent and the protester and is pepper sprayed in the face. Seconds later, several other officers jump in and attempt to apprehend Pretti and a scuffle ensues. Officers are then seen backing away from him after at least one shot was fired.

WARNING | GRAPHIC CONTENT

Bystander video of fatal shooting during federal immigration enforcement protest

Separate video captured by another bystander showed the same struggle ensue before four consecutive shots are heard.

Bystander video captures fatal shooting during immigration enforcement protest

The Department of Homeland Security said that Pretti approached agents with a firearm with two magazines and "violently resisted" when officers attempted to disarm him. Pretti's family has said he owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed firearm. However, the footage only shows Pretti holding what appears to be a cell phone in his hand.

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In a sworn declaration filed in federal court, a civilian witness described what they said they observed moments before shots were fired. The witness said they never Pretti him reach for a weapon.

"I didn't see him with a gun," the witness stated. "They threw him to the ground. Four or five agents had him on the ground and they just started shooting him. They shot him so many times."

Relatives of Pretti described him as a dedicated intensive care nurse at the Veterans Administration, who was compassionate for others and deeply upset over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in his city.

Representatives from the U.S., Ukraine and Russia on Friday held the first trilateral negotiations since Russia invaded Ukraine.

A White House official called the new talks "productive" and said they would continue into the weekend.

But officials downplayed the possibility of quickly arriving at any significant breakthroughs.

The nations' leaders are not attending the talks.

Ukraine sent military and intelligence officials, including the secretary of Ukraine's National Security Council.

Russia's delegation is made up entirely of military officials led by their military intelligence chief.

Representing the U.S. is special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump' son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as several military members from the Pentagon including Army Secretary Gen. Dan Driscoll and Supreme Allied Commander in Europe Gen. Alexus Grynkewich.

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Steve Witkoff on Thursday before he left for Moscow indicated some optimism about how talks were going, suggesting that they had "got it down to one issue" remaining for negotiation disputes over who controls what territory if and when the conflict ends.

The Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine remains a central concern for Russia. Ukraine continues to fortify and maintain about a quarter of the territory there. Russia says that Ukraine must turn over all of that territory to bring an end to the fighting.

Russian officials have also indicated it will "continue to consistently pursue the objectives of the special military operation on the battlefield where the Russian armed forces hold strategic initiative until an engagement as or an agreement is reached."

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In a recent address, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Ukrainians that he'd monitored the negotiations. He said it's still too early to draw any conclusions from Friday's talks and that it's not just Ukraine who needs to show willingness to end this war, but also Russia.

President Donald Trump on Friday touted the health care framework he released a day earlier as tremendous, promising it would lead to significant reductions in costs for American consumers.

But pharmaceutical manufacturers and health insurers see it differently as most Americans remain worried about the expiration of expanded government subsidies that helped offset consumers insurance premium payments for plans bought on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

Trumps proposal, which did not include any legislative text or timeline for enactment and did not appear to be formally endorsed by Congressional GOP leaders, includes a grab bag of initiatives intended to lower Americans prescription drug and insurance premium costs.

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Among the ideas were: redirecting funding previously used to offset insurance premium costs directly into Americans health savings accounts; codifying Trumps push to cut U.S. drug prices by linking them to lower drug costs abroad; restoring the ACAs cost-sharing reduction program; and instituting maximum price transparency by requiring insurers and medical providers to make more information publicly available.

"The big insurance companies lose, and the people of our country win," Trump said in a video announcing the plan.

Indeed, many industry groups quickly came out strongly against the plan - suggesting it would do little to alleviate Americans cost concerns and could instead stifle innovation.

Imposing broad-based price controls does nothing to address insurance barriers and would instead threaten access to breakthrough treatments and undermine critical investments that strengthen the U.S. economy, Alex Schriver, a top official with the pharmaceutical industry group PhRMA, said in a statement to Scripps News. Importing those same flawed policies into the U.S. would undermine our leadership at a time when China is poised to surpass us in medicine development.

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Legislation that codifies most favored nation drug pricing isnt necessary, echoed a spokesperson for Eli Lilly and Company, one of the largest U.S-based pharmaceutical manufacturers. The Administration already successfully negotiated unique voluntary agreements with pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Some health insurers and trade groups representing them were supportive in public statements: a spokesperson for CVS Health Care told Scripps News the company share[s] the Presidents goal to make health care more affordable and are committed to continue doing our part, while an official with America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), a political advocacy and trade association of health insurance companies, also signaled support.

Health plans welcome ideas to bring down the unaffordable prices drugmakers charge Americans and to empower consumers to make the best health care decisions for themselves and their families, AHIP spokesman Chris Bond told Scripps News in a statement.

David Merritt, a senior official with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) the largest private insurer in the U.S. when considering combined commercial markets said its encouraging that President Trumps plan includes a focus on the root causes driving up health care premiums, like drug prices.

We look forward to continuing to work with Congress and the Administration to deliver more information, more choices and lower costs for the American people, Merritt concluded.

Yet a BCBSA official who declined to speak on the record signaled opposition to the notion of redirecting subsidies to consumers.

100% of the enhanced premium tax credit goes directly to the consumer, the official said.

Though White House officials have stressed that they see the proposal as worthy of bipartisan backing, it received the typical partisan response in Congress: most Democrats panned it while Republicans signaled support.

Every American should be asking themselves a simple question: are you paying more for your health care than you were a year ago?, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oreg.) posed. The answer ought to tell you everything you need to know about the Trump-Republican health care agenda.

And though a White House official said the Trump administration didnt believe pursuing the proposal through the budget reconciliation process - which only requires a simple majority to pass in the Senate, instead of the usual 60 votes - would be necessary, House Republican leaders said they were prepared to do just that.

Our framework for a second reconciliation bill includes many of these historic reforms, because that's how we're going to secure real wins for the people who sent us here, Republican Study Committee (RSC) Chairman Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) said in a statement.

Asked whether this proposal closed the door on negotiations to extend those enhanced ACA subsidies, a White House official noted it does not specifically address those bipartisan congressional negotiations that are going on.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), whos at times broken with GOP leadership, told reporters Thursday shes not giving up on a potential deal to extend the subsidies.

"I don't think it is too late to try to salvage something," Murkowski said.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe met Thursday with acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodrguez, a U.S. official confirmed to Scripps News. The meeting comes as the Trump administration appears poised to continue engaging with the interim government following a dramatic U.S. operation that led to the capture of ousted President Nicols Maduro and his wife.

At President Trumps direction, Director Ratcliffe traveled to Venezuela to meet with interim President Delcy Rodriguez to deliver the message that the United States looks forward to an improved working relationship, the official said in a statement. During the meeting in Caracas, Director Ratcliffe discussed potential opportunities for economic collaboration and that Venezuela can no longer be a safe haven for Americas adversaries, especially narcotraffickers.

Thursdays trip by Ratcliffe, first reported by The New York Times, represents the highest-level meeting between the U.S. and interim Venezuelan leaders, and came the same day President Donald Trump met with Mara Corina Machado, Venezuelas opposition leader and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

The U.S. official, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said Ratcliffes meeting lasted about two hours and was accomplished in close coordination with the White House, Department of State and Pentagon.

The meeting laid the groundwork for continued communication and collaboration with interim Venezuelan authorities, the official added. In their conversation, Ratcliffe stressed the need for Venezuela to stop providing support to narcotraffickers, and asked officials to collaborate with the U.S. on continued takedowns of drug organizations, specifically Tren de Aragua.

Ahead of Ratcliffes meeting, Trump spoke by phone with Rodrguez on Wednesday, he announced in a post on social media, noting officials are making tremendous progress, as we help Venezuela stabilize and recover.

Rodriguez, in her own social media pos,t described her conversation with the president as long and courteous and noted the leaders addressed a bilateral work agenda for the benefit of our peoples, as well as pending matters between our governments.

Despite Rodrguezs ties to Maduro, U.S. officials thus far have signaled that they see her leadership and the interim government more broadly as the safest path to maintaining stability in the country, at least in the short term.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that Trump believes Machado currently lacks the support to lead Venezuela, based on realities on the ground.

Such an assessment is based on what the president was reading and hearing from his advisors and national security team, Leavitt added. At this moment in time, his opinion on that matter has not changed.

Though Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he wants to see a transition to democracy in Venezuela, Trump has indicated he doesnt see that happening anytime soon.

"They couldn't have an election, he told Fox News in an interview that aired Jan. 9. They would not even know how to have an election right now, the country has become third world."

Leavitt echoed those comments on Thursday, suggesting the president is committed to hopefully seeing elections in Venezuela one day but couldnt provide an updated timetable as to when that might be.

During her meeting with Trump, Machado presented him with her Nobel medal. She later told Fox News she did so because he deserves it."

"I decided to present the Nobel Peace Prize medal on behalf of the people of Venezuela," she added.

The Norwegian Nobel Institute, for its part, has noted the prize is not transferable.

Regardless of what may happen to the medal, the diploma, or the prize money, it is and remains the original laureate who is recorded in history as the recipient of the prize, Institute officials said in a statement. Even if the medal or diploma later comes into someone elses possession, this does not alter who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump on Friday told reporters Machado offered him the prize of her own volition, suggesting it was a very nice gesture.

Asked why he continues to back the interim government over the democratically-elected opposition leader, Trump likened the situation to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Everybody was fired, and they ended up being ISIS. Instead of just getting down to business, they ended up being ISIS, Trump claimed.

Still, Trump added that he had "great respect for Machado, describing her as a very fine woman.

I had a great meeting yesterday by a person who I have a lot of respect for, and she has respect - obviously - for me and our country, Trump said. She gave me her Nobel Prize, but, I'll tell you what, I got to know her. I never met her before, and I was very, very impressed.

President Trump met with top oil executives at the White House Friday, seeking to interest those companies in investing in Venezuela's massive oil reserves.

The president spoke for more than an hour and a half, hearing from executives about their intentions for Venezuela and the barriers that still remain for long-term investments in the region.

The president noted the interim government of Venezuela has given the U.S. the ability to refine and sell up to 50 million barrels worth of crude oil. U.S. oversight of that process would continue indefinitely.

The president also suggested that the U.S. will provide some form of security guarantees to those U.S.-based businesses who choose to invest in the region try to redevelop some of the energy infrastructure there, but that will not include U.S. military boots on the ground.

"We're going to work with the Venezuelan leaders and people and we're gonna have a very safe group, and they're going to also bring over some security with them," President Trump said. "You know, these are not babies. These are people that drill oil in some pretty rough places. In addition to that, we will have very good security for them. We're going to make sure there's very, very good security. And I think the people of Venezuela are going to give you very good security."

Further details of any agreements between U.S. oil interests and Venezuelan officials remain unclear.

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Oil executives thanked President Trump Friday for reopening the region to investment and development, but some reiterated that the process of investing in Venezuela would need to be made safe and legal. Under current finance and regulatory requirements, foreign corporations that try to do business and oil extraction in Venezuela have to enter into a partnership with the Venezuelan government.

"We look at the legal and commercial constructs and frameworks in place today in Venezuela. Today it's uninvestable. And so significant changes have to be made to those commercial frameworks, the legal system," said ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods. "There has to be durable investment protections and there has to be change to the hydrocarbon laws in the country. We're confident that with this administration and President Trump working hand-in-hand with the Venezuelan government, that those changes can be put in place."