White House says using US military ‘always an option’ for acquiring Greenland | First Thing

Trump demands Venezuela open up to US oil companies or risk more military action. Plus, justice department has released less than 1% of Epstein files

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Good morning.

Donald Trump and his advisers are looking at a range of options" in an effort to acquire Greenland, noting in a White House statement on Tuesday that using the US military to do so is always an option".

How are the US's European allies responding? In a show of solidarity on Tuesday, the leaders of France, Germany, the UK and other countries issued a joint statement with the prime minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, urging the US to respect its sovereignty. They said Arctic security was a top priority for Nato, a defense alliance that includes the US and Greenland. Greenland belongs to its people," the statement said.

What would a deal of this kind signify? Top Venezuelan officials have called Maduro's capture a kidnapping and accused the US of trying to steal the country's vast oil reserves. However, Tuesday's agreement is a strong sign that the government is responding to Trump's demand that it open up to US oil companies or risk more military intervention.