The Brief

President Trump says his controversial push for U.S. control of Greenland comes after he failed to win the Nobel Peace Prize last year, adding he no longer feels obliged to think only of peace.

In a message to Norway's prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre on Sunday night, Trump criticized the European country for not giving him the prize.

"Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America," Trump said in the message.

"The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland," Trump added.

The message was reported by PBS NewsHour, and was later confirmed by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in a statement.

Gahr Støre said he received the message on Sunday in response to a text he and Finland's President Alexander Stubb had sent to Trump, in which they had conveyed opposition to Trump's proposed tariff increases on eight European countries over the recent Greenland dispute.

In their message to Trump, according to The New York Times, which received a copy of the exchange from the Norwegian prime minister's office, Gahr Støre and Stubb wrote: "We believe we all should work to take this down and de-escalate — so much is happening around us where we need to stand together."

The pair suggested a joint call.

"Norway's position on Greenland is clear. Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter," Gahr Støre said. "We also support that NATO in a responsible way is taking steps to strengthen security and stability in the Arctic."

Gahr Støre also pointed out that while President Trump claimed that Norway "decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize," the government of Norway is not responsible for the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded by a five member Norwegian Nobel Committee since 1901.

The Danish navy's inspection ship HDMS Vaedderen sails off Nuuk, Greenland, on Sunday.

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Mads Claus Rasmussen

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The Peace Prize, which was last awarded to Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, is also awarded for the previous year. That means the most recent prize was awarded for 2024, before President Trump commenced his second term of office. Machado gave Trump her prize last week as a symbolic thank you for his recent actions in Venezuela.

In a phone interview with NBC News on Monday, Trump again claimed that the Norwegian government has control over the Nobel Peace Prize. "Norway totally controls it despite what they say," he said. Trump also said he would follow through on his threats to impose further tariffs. When asked whether he would use force to seize Greenland, the president replied: "No comment."

The European Union is set to hold an emergency summit on Thursday, in which attendees will discuss how to respond to the threats. In a statement on social media, the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc had "no interest to pick a fight" but would "hold our ground."

Trump's message to Gahr Støre comes as tensions rise between Europe and the United States over the status of Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark that is strategically important and rich in resources.

On Monday, the World Economic Forum said officials from Denmark would not be attending the meeting in Davos, Switzerland, this week. "We can confirm that the Danish government will not be represented in Davos this week," a spokesperson, Alem Tedeneke, told NPR.

On Sunday, in a collective rebuke to President Trump, the leaders of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement condemning recent U.S. tariff threats. The eight countries, which are all members of NATO, said that Trump's proposed tariffs "undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral."

On Saturday night, President Trump had written on his Truth Social social media platform that he would impose tariffs on imports from the countries, after they had deployed limited military personnel to Greenland to participate in a Danish-led Arctic exercise known as 'Arctic Endurance.'

Trump said America would levy a 10% tariff on goods from the eight countries starting on Feb. 1, which would rise to 25% on June 1, and remain in place "until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland" by the United States.

The open dispute comes after weeks of increasingly assertive U.S. rhetoric regarding Greenland, in which Trump has repeatedly said that Greenland is strategically vital to U.S. national security, citing its location and untapped mineral deposits.

In his text message, Trump questioned Denmark's right to claim Greenland. "Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a 'right of ownership' anyway? There are no written documents, it's only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also," Trump said.

Trump made similar comments last week, saying "the fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn't mean that they own the land," drawing mirth on social media, with comedians like Jon Stewart noting on The Daily Show "how do you think we got our land?"

Copyright 2026 NPR

The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement this week addressed growing questions about the presence of ICE agents during World Cup games hosted in Los Angeles and other U.S. cities this summer.

Todd Lyons, the agency's head, said at a congressional hearing that ICE will play a key role in security for the tournament. But he said it would be ICE’s investigatory branch — not it's enforcement division.

The answer did not satisfy Congressmember Nellie Pou (D-NJ) of New Jersey. Pou asked Lyons to publicly commit to ICE pausing operations at FIFA matches and related public events.

"You realize that if they feel that they're going to be wrongfully incarcerated or wrongfully pulled out," Pou said of potential World Cup visitors. "That's going to hurt this entire process."

Lyons responded: "ICE is dedicated to ensuring that everyone that visits the facilities will have a safe and secure event."

Why it matters

The exchange laid bare growing concerns from some lawmakers and community groups about the combination of millions of international visitors coming to the soccer spectacle and aggressive immigration enforcement in L.A. and other host cities.

Kathryn Schloessman, L.A. host committee head, called the matter "above her pay grade" when asked to address concerns about potential ICE activity at FIFA's fan festival, which is scheduled for June 11 to 15.

" We are working very closely with our public safety and security partners," Schloessman told LAist. "That's their job to make sure we're delivering a safe and secure event."

It also underscores the lack of human rights action plans that every host city committee is supposed to release ahead of the games. Those plans should outline how the host city is planning to protect freedom of expression and handle security and workers' rights.

The lack of public plans, less than five month out, has some critics ringing an alarm.

" It's a very poor report card on turning in your homework for Los Angeles and all other host cities," said Minky Worden with Human Rights Watch.

FIFA declined to comment on the status of the local reports. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee said that the L.A. action plan is under review with community stakeholders.

What we know about World Cup security

The World Cup will be staged across Mexico, Canada and eleven U.S. cities including Los Angeles, where eight matches will take place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The tournament is expected to attract up to 7 million international visitors to the U.S., and the federal government has allocated $625 million in funding for security tied to the event.

At a briefing in December, Andrew Giuliani, the executive director for the White House's World Cup task force, told reporters that the Department of Homeland Security is "coordinating daily" with host cities on security for fan zones, stadiums and base camps — where athletes will train throughout the tournament.

Homeland Security's leading role in security for an event as massive as the World Cup is standard procedure — the department is also taking the lead for the 2028 Olympics. What's less clear is exactly the part ICE will play.

Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons testifies during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Feb. 10, 2026 in Washington, DC.

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What we know about ICE's role in security

Lyons, the ICE leader who addressed Congress this week, said it would be the agency's Homeland Security Investigations that would take on a key role. That's the department's criminal investigation unit, which is separate from its "Enforcement and Removal Operations" branch that has been conducting escalated immigration sweeps across Los Angeles — and the nation — since June.

That said, the federal government has not promised that immigration enforcement will stay away from the tournament.

“International visitors who legally come to the United States for the World Cup have nothing to worry about," Tricia McLaughlin, Homeland Security spokesperson, told the Athletic. "What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is whether or not they are illegally in the U.S. — full stop.”

DHS did not respond to LAist's requests for more information on the role ICE specifically will play in World Cup security.

Human rights concerns

These open questions and the ongoing immigration raids have alarmed human rights advocates. A group of leading advocacy organizations in December called on FIFA and local host cities to commit to "ensuring effective protections against racial profiling, arbitrary detention, and unlawful immigration enforcement during the tournament."

Jamil Dakwar, the ACLU's human rights director, pointed to the deployment of the National Guard in cities including Los Angeles last year.

“The Trump administration has aggressively pursued a systematic anti-human rights campaign to target, detain, and disappear immigrants in communities across the US," he said in a statement. "We call on FIFA to honor its human rights commitments, not capitulate to Trump’s authoritarianism.”

FIFA put out a Human Rights framework for the coming World Cup in 2024. That guide, outlining a focus on inclusivity, workers rights, and a grievance procedure for human rights concerns, is intended to be a structure for each host city's own human rights action plan.

Details about the games in L.A.

L.A. will be the first U.S. city to host a World Cup match. The U.S. Men's National Team will play its first game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on June 12, with a 6 p.m. kickoff.

A fan festival at L.A. Memorial Coliseum June 11 to 15 is expected to attract huge crowds of revelers.

This story was originally published by The LA Local on Feb. 11, 2026.

The longtime home of Papa Cristo’s in Pico Union could be demolished to make way for a self-storage facility, across the street from another storage facility.

The Greek market and restaurant closed its doors last year, after seven decades in the neighborhood. Now a Redondo Beach-based developer, who are in escrow over the property, said if they are able to move ahead with their project they would honor Papa Cristo’s in some capacity.

During a community meeting on Tuesday, some in the neighborhood were tepid about the proposal.

“I think everybody would like to see housing. It’s an important need,” said Stephen Post, manager of the Byzantine Latino Quarter Pico Business Improvement District. “I think there’s only so much the community can do to direct what they’d like to see. I’m glad that they want to include Papa Cristo’s. I know it’s been a staple in this community.”

An undated photo of Papa Cristo’s in Pico Union after the business closed its doors after more than seven decades in the community.

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The self-storage proposal would include a ground-floor retail space that could accommodate a scaled-down Papa Cristo’s presence if the family chooses to return to the restaurant business, but they have not spoken to the developers yet.

Brian Sorenson from La Tierra Consulting, who would lead development behind the project, said the space could also be used by the community.

Sorenson maintains the neighborhood is “heavily underserved” when it comes to storage. The area already has more than a handful of similar storage businesses, including one directly across the street from the proposed site on Pico Boulevard.

“Obviously, there’s already a storage facility a few blocks down on Pico, so from a competition standpoint, it will hopefully bring storage prices down for individuals in the area,” Post said.

Representatives for La Tierra Consulting said that storage costs would be market rate.

Still, La Tierra Consulting have presented their plans for the site to multiple community groups, like the Pico Union neighborhood council, and on Tuesday at the Byzantine Latino Quarter Pico Business Improvement District to get feedback on the project.

Other uses were considered for the site, including retail and industrial use, but none were as viable, the developers said.

Residential development would also be difficult on the relatively small lot because of parking requirements and high land costs, according to Post.

Last year, when Papa Cristo’s announced they would close their doors, the property was listed for sale on LoopNet for $5.2 million, according to Eater LA.

Papa Cristo’s was beloved in the community, in large part because of owner Chrys Chrys’s larger-than-life personality.

The restaurant also became famous for its rack of lamb, kebabs, and other classic Greek dishes.

At minimum, Sorenson said, the project would feature plaques, murals, or other public art honoring Papa Cristo’s legacy, and possible subsidized space for community groups.

Three design concepts were presented to the Pico Union Neighborhood Council in January, where the developers fielded questions from the community.

The initial proposal featured a more contemporary façade that some neighbors in Pico Union felt did not reflect the character of the area. In response, the design team developed alternatives inspired by nearby landmarks, including the local high school and surrounding historic buildings.

One revised concept incorporates brick and architectural motifs that echo the high school’s scale and materials, while keeping retail at the corner to help activate the street.

Another concept draws from the Huffington at Saint Sophia, the nearby Greek Orthodox cathedral, referencing its general shape and architectural details without directly replicating the chapel.

An artist’s rendering for the former site of Papa Cristo’s market and restaurant in Pico Union. Developers have proposed converting the site into a storage facility.

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A third option embraces a “neo-industrial” look inspired by revitalized historic buildings across Los Angeles, blending industrial elements with a contemporary update.

The company went back to the Pico Union neighborhood council with all of the designs in February and there were different opinions on the designs, but ultimately the council voted 10-0 to support the project. The Byzantine Latino Quarter also voted to support the project.

Vanessa Rivera, who has been a resident of Pico Union for more than 30 years and is the president of the Byzantine Latino Quarter Pico Business Improvement District, said she does appreciate Sorenson’s company did seek community feedback.

“The fact that they have multiple designs based on community feedback is not something you see all the time,” she said. “They could have been someone that just came in and said, ‘This is our idea. We’ve already got it. We don’t care what you think,’ but they’ve come at it from a very community based perspective.”

Under all versions of the proposal, the upper floors would be dedicated to storage, with retail and potential community-serving uses on the ground level.

Customer access would be located at the rear of the property, where vehicles — including moving trucks — would enter a covered loading area built into the storage facility.

The project would also include a six-foot dedication along Pico Boulevard and Normandie Avenue to allow for wider sidewalks and potential future street improvements, along with a new bus stop.

The facility would operate during limited hours — generally from early morning to late evening — and include gated entry, keypad access, elevator controls restricted by individual codes, and 24-hour monitored security cameras.

Los Angeles Documenter, Aileen Mestas, contributed reporting for this story from the Feb. 2 Pico Union Neighborhood Council meeting. The LA Documenters program trains and pays community members to document proceedings at public meetings. Learn more about the program here.