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Trump's Board of Peace Offers Permanent Membership for $1 Billion; Millennial Couples Falling in Love with Prenups; National Title on Line for Hoosiers, Hurricanes in Miami. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired January 19, 2026 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:30:00]

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: ... track headed towards each other. This is a situation where one came off the track for some reason, like I said, they're now talking about a worn section, and then hit the second train.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN HOST: Mary Schiavo, always so thankful for your expertise. Really appreciate it. Thank you.

And to this now, the White House announces more details about President Trump's Board of Peace for Gaza. We'll tell you why right- wing Israeli politicians and even some countries are pushing back. That after a break.

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FREEMAN: For the price of $1 billion, nations can get permanent membership on President Trump's Board of Peace, overseeing the reconstruction of Gaza. Among those invited to join include Russia, Belarus, and Israel.

[15:35:00]

The board is a key step in the plan backed by the U.N. to demilitarize and rebuild the Palestinian territory after two years of war between Israel and Hamas. CNN Jerusalem correspondent Jeremy Diamond joins us live.

Jeremy, I understand there's already been some pushback over the president's proposal. What more can you tell us?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Danny. There's been pushback and coming from various directions at this point. I mean, some of the pushback is coming from European leaders and diplomats who have seen President Trump now invite President Vladimir Putin of Russia, the man responsible for this years-long war of aggression on Ukraine, to join a board of peace.

The Kremlin saying that they are hoping to get more details from the U.S. side but certainly seem to be considering joining. And then there are Palestinians and others in the Middle East who are upset about the fact that President Trump is inviting Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, the man who oversaw this war in Gaza that has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, decimated the Gaza Strip, and now Netanyahu being invited to join a board of peace that will ostensibly oversee the administration, the rebuilding of Gaza that is going to be carried out ultimately by a Palestinian technocratic committee.

But then, of course, here in Israel there is also opposition, including from the Israeli prime minister himself, to many of the decisions that have already been made about the executive board beneath this Board of Peace. With the Israeli prime minister putting out a rare statement of criticism towards the United States this weekend, criticizing the inclusion of Qatar and Turkey on the board, accusing them of supporting and funding Hamas.

Both of those countries, however, despite Netanyahu's opposition, were critical to getting Hamas on board with the ceasefire agreement that has now been in place for several months. And all of this is happening as this ceasefire agreement now enters phase two inside of the Gaza Strip, a phase that is going to be very, very delicate, Danny, for so many different reasons. Not only is it supposed to include the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip, but also the disarmament of Hamas, something that the militant group has yet to actually agree to here.

And beyond that, we're still waiting to see whether or not this international stabilization force will actually be formed, whether countries will contribute troops to it in order to go into Gaza, take over security, and again perform that critical task of disarming Hamas -- Danny.

FREEMAN: Jeremy Diamond, thank you very much for that update. Appreciate it -- Erica.

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Joining us here in the studio, Global Affairs Analyst Kimberly Dozier is joining us for more insight. This Board of Peace is really something, and I have to say I'm having a tough time wrapping my head around a couple of the points there, which Jeremy just walked us through, this billion-dollar pay-in, first of all, where the money would go, but also the fact that Vladimir Putin potentially would be a part of that.

How does that figure in? Why would it be important to have him, the leader of Belarus, for example, as a part of this Board of Peace?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: There's one bit of logic that says, well, Russia is already in conversation with the Palestinian Authority. The prime minister is visiting there this week, according to TASS. Hamas leaders have been hosted there.

But inviting Putin amounts to rehabilitating an indicted war criminal's reputation. It is inviting him back on the world stage to take part in Middle East peace talks and negotiations that the U.S. and Russia are at odds on right now. I mean, they're on the opposite sides of what's going on in Iran, for instance.

So in a lot of ways, it doesn't make sense.

HILL: It's also strange in the moment of we have President Trump saying, hey, I need Greenland because China and Russia are a threat. DOZIER: Yes.

HILL: But apparently Russia is not so much of a threat that Putin couldn't be invited to be on the Board of Peace in Gaza.

DOZIER: Maybe somewhere in Trump's thinking, this is like we're talking a mafia structure where, you know, tough guys lay out, this is my territory. And Trump thinks it's OK to signal to Putin that, no, Greenland is going to be our territory. You stay on your side of the line.

But we're honoring your place in the world by inviting you to be on this board. And the same types of invitations were sent out to Turkey, Hungary, Belarus, places where the leaders are often called dictators.

HILL: Yes.

DOZIER: Now, it was also sent to the EU, which is considering the invitation. And there are reports on AFP and others that France has rejected it, saying that this body would compete with the U.N. because it's the U.N. where such peacemaking is supposed to happen.

HILL: Right. And so given that, right, that reaction from France and not the only, there are questions about whether this board would undermine the U.N. or in some ways would almost be a replacement. Is that what you're hearing?

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DOZIER: It certainly seems to compete with the U.N. in what it sets out to do. And it doesn't just say Gaza. It seems that it could be used for peacekeeping or peacemaking anywhere in the world. It also says that Donald Trump is in charge, not the president of the United States.

So it seems like he's giving himself this position in perpetuity. But it's not clear where the guardrails, who would have oversight of the spending, for instance. Would it be the Office of Management and Budget?

And, you know, he's in office for another three years. But any successive president, even if it was a Marco Rubio or a J.D. Vance, would they want a former U.S. president competing against them in setting foreign policy? I don't think so.

HILL: Yes, and even and as you point out, even if it was a Marco Rubio or a J.D. Vance, what if it is a president who represents the Democratic Party instead of the Republican Party next go round? How would that impact things?

And the money question.

DOZIER: You'd think it would fall straight apart. But that said, a number of people who've been invited, who rely on Trump for trade, diplomatic status, etc., will likely say yes to this. The biggest obstacle is Israel. HILL: Yes.

DOZIER: But Netanyahu, in the end, will likely go ahead with it, despite opposition from inside his party. Because, again, everyone wants to go along with Trump to make sure that they don't end up, oh, like Greenland or Venezuela.

HILL: It is. It is quite a moment we're living in. Glad you're here, though, to help us walk through it. Kim, appreciate it. Thank you.

Still ahead here, a hot new trend for "Genzers" who are about to get married, a prenup. In fact, prenups have become so popular, yes, there's an app for that.

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HILL: So a new trend, apparently, for younger engaged couples. It's not just about, you know, planning the wedding dreams of that big day.

It's also a lot of pre-planning. More prenuptial agreements are being signed before these couples walk down the aisle.

FREEMAN: So an article in The New Yorker highlights how millennials in particular love the idea of having a prenup, even if they don't have much to lose in a divorce. Now, part of the thinking is that I guess the best marriages are ones that come with easy outs. Let's talk about it.

The author of that article, Jennifer Wilson, joins us now. Jennifer, let's start here. How soon, from your reporting, are couples now bringing up the conversation about signing a prenup?

JENNIFER WILSON, STAFF WRITER FOR THE NEW YORKER: It's funny you ask that. And thank you for having me, by the way. But I've actually met a number of couples who talked about getting a prenup before they were even engaged.

One couple, you know, told me that one of the reasons why she said yes right away when her fiance proposed is that they had already discussed getting a prenup. She wanted one, and he was fine with it. So she was happy to say yes.

HILL: It's fascinating, too, because some of the things that they are saying that they need, I mean, we hear so much about this generation, right? It's harder to own a home. They have fewer assets.

And yet they're really looking to protect them. So where is that coming from?

WILSON: Well, it's not always assets they're worried about. In some cases, it's debt. You know, this generation has a ton of student loan debt.

And people are worried, you know, whose responsibility is that going to be in the event of a divorce? You know, we're talking huge sums.

HILL: That's fascinating to me.

FREEMAN: Yes, that is fascinating. And again, you know, all of it seems like a millennial hate crime, frankly, the conversation. But, you know, the other thing that struck us as interesting is there also are some couples, as we understand, adding clauses demanding hefty amounts for infidelity, even though, again, they know their partner will probably never have that kind of money.

What's that all about?

WILSON: Yes, and you have to be really specific about what infidelity is these days. I interviewed one lawyer for the piece who said, you know, a relationship with an AI girlfriend or boyfriend, that could count as infidelity and, you know, break the infidelity clause. And, you know, she warns her clients that, you know, those conversations with the chatbot, those can be subpoenaed.

There are also social media image clauses that attach, you know, pretty big penalties to criticizing your ex on social media. We're also seeing embryo clauses. You know, millennials and Gen Z, they're starting families later.

So some of these prenups deal with everything from who gets the embryos, you know, after a divorce to also, like, who pays the storage fees.

HILL: Which are, I mean, those are very important practical questions. Some of that, and very expensive. So some of that, when it comes to those issues, isn't as surprising.

But the social media clause, I am all in on this. I want to hear more about this. So this is in that prenup saying, if you say something terrible about me online, you're going to have to pay.

I mean, how is this written out? What's the legal language for that?

WILSON: You know, pretty similar to that. And you can actually decide what the dollar amount is going to be. You don't even actually have to have that much money.

You can say, you know, $50,000 or something absurd. But, you know, like this generation has seen people, you know, their careers affected by, you know, a partner going on social media and, you know, criticizing them and divulging, you know, private indiscretions. So I don't think that it's irrational to be concerned about that in this day and age.

HILL: Seems kind of smart.

[15:50:00]

FREEMAN: Yes, I mean, so many problems to be solved for this specific generation. Question for you, I understand there's also, because of course there is, there's an app for this. Can you tell us how that works?

WILSON: There are many apps for this. There's Hello Prenup, Weenup, First. There's this one company called Neptune where you actually, you chat with this, speaking to AI chatbots, you chat with an AI entity.

And based on your replies, your concerns, it matches you with an appropriate lawyer or based on your particular set of circumstances. But, you know, Weenup and Hello Prenup, you know, they're around $600. You don't need a lawyer.

You can make one on your phone. You answer a set of questions. Your partner does.

If you're aligned on them, it auto-generates for you a prenup that's supposed to hold up in court.

HILL: There you go.

FREEMAN: Hello Prenup.

HILL: 600 bucks.

FREEMAN: Weenup.

HILL: Ready to go.

FREEMAN: Jennifer Wilson, you win the award for most fascinating conversation of the day. Appreciate you very much joining us today. Thank you.

WILSON: Thank you. Bye.

FREEMAN: All right, now we want to take a look at some of the other headlines that we're watching this hour.

First up, a major loss in the world of fashion today. Legendary Italian designer Valentino Garavani has died. He was best known by, of course, just one name, Valentino. His career spanning decades as he rose to become one of the most influential designers in the world, making dresses for royalty, first ladies, Hollywood icons like Liz Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, and Jane Fonda.

Valentino reportedly died at his home in Rome, surrounded by family. He was 93 years old.

Plus, Venus Williams making tennis history. She has now set the record at the Australian Open, becoming the oldest woman to ever compete in the event's singles main draw, surpassing the previous record of age 44. Now, Williams came out firing in her first round match, taking the first set against the 68th ranked player in the world before eventually falling in three sets.

Venus' hopes for a victory at the Australian Open is not over yet, though, because she is set to begin her quest for a fifth doubles title at the tournament tonight. All right, congrats to Venus.

HILL: She is a badass. Can we just say it? She really is.

Also, if you think money talks when it comes to politics, a new report suggests you might be right, at least when it comes to holding public office. According to Oxfam's annual inequality report, billionaires are 4,000 times more likely to hold political office than anyone else. The group reached those findings by looking at the year 2023, when a record 74 billionaires held office.

In just a matter of hours, it all comes down to this game, Miami facing off against Indiana in the college football national championship game. We're going to take you live to Hard Rock Stadium. Come on, say it with me, Danny.

HILL AND FREEMAN: Hoo, hoo, hoo, Hoosiers. Hoosiers.

FREEMAN: I'm learning.

[15:55:00]

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FREEMAN: All right, we've got to come clean. Behind the scenes, we are a NEWSROOM team divided today, because tonight it all comes down to this. Will the University of Miami earn their sixth national championship?

HILL: Or will a certain Heisman Trophy winner, the one and only Heisman Doza, lead the Indiana Hoosiers to their first ever title in football? CNN's Coy Wire is in Miami with the assignment of the year, quite frankly.

There are so many -- what I love about this, too, is there are so many. I mean, I am clearly rooting for the Hoosiers. My son goes to IU. My husband is a Hoosier.

But there are so many great storylines here that make even a non- football fan lean in.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I know Danny is good company, but you should have come down here and hung out with me, to be quite honest. This is going to be an awesome game. These are two remarkable turnarounds for the progress from two remarkable leaders.

The head coach of the Miami Hurricanes, Mario Cristobal, he played for the Canes, won two national titles here from 89 to 92. Dwayne Johnson, the Rock, was his teammate. He has seen Miami's glory days.

So he has now brought this no-nonsense, no-living-in-the-past mentality and helped completely transform this team. They're on the verge of their first title in 24 years. They're on a mission, but Coach was almost on an entirely different mission.

Out of college, he studied, he prepped to become a Secret Service agent, and he got accepted. I asked Coach about the moment he got that call and the decision he made to chase his other dream of football instead. Listen.

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MARIO CRISTOBAL, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI HEAD COACH: It was something that I always kind of envisioned myself doing, working for the federal government. I loved every aspect of it. My family has always been in law enforcement.

But I slept on it. I woke up in a panic. I love football.

I've always loved football. I didn't really play it for anybody else or want it for anybody. I just loved it.

And I wasn't willing to let that opportunity go again. So, by the grace of God, I was able to move my stuff back in my GA office. Butch Davis, Larry Coker took me back and gave me the opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right, now on the other side, Indiana's Coach Curt Cignetti grew up on the practice fields and in the locker rooms. His dad, Frank, was a college Hall of Famer.

He, when a head coach at West Virginia, hired a young assistant named Nick Saban. Thirty years later, Saban returned the favor, hired Cignetti as his assistant in his inaugural year at Alabama in '07. And he produced some of the greatest recruiting classes known to man.

Well, after 27 years as an assistant, Cignetti finally got his shot to become an FBS head coach. The rest is history. At 64, he is instilling his wisdom in this Indiana team.

[16:00:00]

And he says he's seen the media sensationalize his guys and how tightly knit they are hugging on the practice field. He says he is tired of that. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CURT CIGNETTI, INDIANA HEAD COACH: I think it's time to sharpen the saw now. Throw those warm fuzzies over out the door. That's sentimentalism.

You know, it's time to go play a game against a great opponent. We've got to have a sharp edge going into this game. And, you know, you don't go to war with warm milk and cookies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: No milk and cookies for you. Hey, good news for these astronomical ticket prices here to this game. The prices just dropped.

The cheapest ticket now to get in is only $3,500. Back to you.

HILL: Down $500 in the nosebleed. Coy, thanks. Danny and I will make it just in time for kickoff.

WIRE: Perfect.

FREEMAN: And "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.

END