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President Trump Threatens Strong Action on Iran; Trump Administration Prepares Order on Housing Affordability; Court Hearing on Lawsuit Over ICE Actions in Minneapolis; Vance, Rubio Meet Officials from Greenland and Denmark. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired January 14, 2026 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our spirit is restored, inflation has stopped, wages are up, prices are down, our economy is booming like I think you'll see soon, like never before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: The president says we're in an economic boom, but do Americans actually feel that way? Well, good morning, everybody, I'm Audie Cornish. I want to thank you for joining me on CNN This Morning.

It is 6:32 here on the East Coast, and here's what's happening right now.

Today is the deadline for Hillary Clinton to testify in the Jeffrey Epstein probe. That seems unlikely after she and former President Bill Clinton wrote a letter saying they would not show. They wrote the process is, quote, literally designed to result in our imprisonment. They went on to say, You will say it is not our decision to make, but we have made it. Now you have to make yours.

The two were subpoenaed to appear before the House Oversight Committee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): No one's accusing the Clintons of any wrongdoing. We just have questions. I find it odd not only they didn't show up, but that the Democrats on the committee who are so concerned about getting to the bottom of the Epstein investigation didn't even bother to show.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: So the chairman is now threatening to hold the Clintons in contempt.

Meanwhile, the measles outbreak in South Carolina has doubled in size. It is now at more than 430 cases. More than half of those were reported in the past week alone. The state says more than 400 people are in quarantine after being exposed to the measles.

And actor Kiefer Sutherland arrested after allegedly assaulting a rideshare driver. Los Angeles police say Sutherland got in the car and physically assaulted the driver. Police say the victim did not require medical treatment. Sutherland was released from jail a few hours later on a $50,000 bond.

And the thousands of deaths reported in Iran's anti-government protests, President Trump has a message for people in Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And I've canceled all meetings with the Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protesters stops. And all I say to them is help is on its way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: But what that help looks like is what some lawmakers are asking about now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAT RYAN (D-NY): Well, the question is, what would we strike? I mean, I hear people saying, we're going to do a military option. Well, what is that?

[06:35:00]

What do we think would actually -- if the goal is a free Iran, which is certainly what we want, and this regime gone, which is certainly what we want, those are the ends, but what are the means?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK, group chat is back. You know, I was listening to Leon Panetta this week, and he was saying that, look, there are cyber capabilities, there are drone capabilities, there are sanctions. He was actually listing a couple of things. Joel, how do you think about it?

JOEL RUBIN, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: Yes, Audie, first of all, the regime is in a death spiral, without a doubt, and the people of Iran are done with it, and we should be done with it, too. So everything that we do should be within that frame. But I think what we've done as a policy, and the Trump administration in particular, is taking away tools that can help us get to that end state.

CORNISH: Like what?

RUBIN: Tools like, for example, broadcasting into Iran's support for funding for the people of Iran in pro-democracy ways. Support for ensuring that there's internet access. All those programs were cut and killed. So those need to be restored. There needs to be pressure. It needs to

be aggressive. And I do think military strikes, potentially targeting leadership assets, as well as hard military assets, that could be helpful. For the protesters who ultimately the people of Iran have to be the ones to make this decision.

CORNISH: But at the same time, of course, the regime is still in charge. In a letter to the U.N. Secretary General, Iran's U.N. ambassador, was actually responding to the president's encouragement of the protesters. And he said this, "This reckless statement explicitly encourages political destabilization, incites and invites violence, threatens sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Iran is always speaking sharply. But can you talk about this idea of, is the president actually positioning himself to make a difference compared to what past administrations did, which is to say, we really hope you get a democracy, and then not much else happens?

CHARLIE DENT, (R) FORMER PENNSYLVANIA CONGRESSMAN: Well, I do think the president should be uttering statements of support for the Iranian people for their aspiration to have a better regime. It is dying. It is discredited.

So I think this is the right thing to do. Now, the question is, what else can we do? You know, these covert actions, you know, bringing back Voice of America, and maybe some limited military strikes. You know, I'm curious to hear what they want to do there.

But also start thinking about who's going to step in. You know, Reza Pahlavi, the crown prince of Iran, you know, could be seen as a transitional figure who actually wants representative government in Iran. And so I think there are a lot of things we can do to be helpful, but I think the president needs to be clear about exactly what those areas are.

And we can't be seen as forcing the regime change from the outside. We want this to be an organically driven process.

CORNISH: How is the White House thinking about this? What are you reading?

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: I think it's unclear what's going on. Look, we're 14 days into 2026, and so far, we've got -- we've grabbed the leader of Venezuela. And we don't -- we're a week and a half into that. We don't have a plan of what's going on there, what the long-term or even short-term is of that.

And the president is threatening to possibly invade Greenland, and now he has to deal with what's happening in Iran and saying that we're going to have these strikes. We just don't -- a lot is coming very quickly, some of it of the White House's own making, some of it that's happening on its own. And we do not have any I think sense of how any of these pieces individually would work and certainly how if we're supposed to be doing them all at the same. CORNISH: Yes, and it's not clear who the lead is, so to speak, with Venezuela. I think I look at the administration, I think, OK, Marco Rubio. When it comes to Iran it's not clear to me what's happening.

RUBIN: It's not clear there's definitively debate inside the administration and frankly the president's MAGA base doesn't want to see American boots on the ground but it's OK with remote control strikes and bombings. But one thing I want to also reiterate what Paula said in an earlier piece, is that thousands of Iranians are being executed by this regime, and that has to stop. And if there's one thing that should be unifying the international community, it's overtly stating that we should be going to the U.N. and rallying countries to condemn the mass brutal attacks and campaign against the Iranian people by this regime.

CORNISH: OK, you guys stay with me. There's a couple more things I want to talk about this hour. For instance, the president's economic team, they're reportedly preparing an executive order to address the housing crisis. So, despite repeatedly calling the affordability issue a hoax, the president is trying to come up with a plan to fix affordability when it comes to housing.

It'll be rolled out later this month when he speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Now, according to the Washington Post, this could include an option like 50-year mortgages, a ban on corporations buying up single-family homes, and maybe allowing home buyers to withdraw from their 401k to make down payments without incurring tax penalties.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Grocery prices are starting to go rapidly down. Rent is down, airfares are down, hotel rates are down, cell phone prices are down. And we're just getting started.

In the coming weeks I will be laying out even more plans to help bring back affordability. And again, remember, that's a fake word by Democrats. Prices were too high. They caused the high price.

They never want to talk about a fact of affordability. And again, remember, that's a fake word by Democrats. Prices were too high. They caused the high price. They never want to talk about affordability. They always go, this is an election about affordability. They say they caused it, but they're good at that stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Now, according to a recent NBC News poll, the cost of housing is the number one problem facing Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that it's very hard for people to buy food. Everything's very expensive right now, and wages aren't up.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CORNISH: All right, joining me now in the group chat, Rachel Siegel, economics and housing reporter for the Washington Post. Thanks so much for being here. So when I was looking at the options, it was like, you can have a loan for 50 years. And maybe take money from your college fund for your kids -- your 529 or your retirement fund, which you won't need because you're in a 50 year mortgage to pay for it all.

So help me understand the sort of thinking about how they believe Americans should pay for a home.

RACHEL SIEGEL, ECONOMICS AND HOUSING REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Sure, so this is all part of what seems to be a growing menu of options to both target housing affordability but also appeal to first time buyers who feel very shut out of the market or people I don't think that they'll be able to sell their home. But you mentioned some of those top line headlines. We don't have a lot of details as to what follows beneath that.

But you're right, there's been some discussion, or at least some discussion spurred by Trump's own announcement that he was looking into a 50 year mortgage.

CORNISH: Are you surprised that came back?

SIEGEL: I was surprised that came back mainly because the sort of quick analysis from economists is that you end up paying decades more interest over time, and so the affordability math doesn't necessarily add up there.

CORNISH: I did the math because I'm a psycho. So if you the interest paid on a home that's $450,000 on a 30 year mortgage, you would pay, you know, half $1,000,000 not great.

SIEGEL: Yes, yes.

CORNISH: On a 50 year mortgage you would pay more than a million.

SIEGEL: Yes, so there's that aspect of it. You have some people saying actually being able to dip into a 401K savings account would really help towards a down payment, but that assumes that you have the savings in the first place. There isn't a whole lot of detail on how you could avoid incurring a massive tax penalty.

CORNISH: But that's what they might change.

SIEGEL: That's what they might say in this economy.

CORNISH: A lot of 401K's are doing quite well.

SIEGEL: A lot of 401K's are doing quite well. There seems to be this expectation pointing towards the president's speech in Davos next week. It's not entirely clear to me why Davos is suddenly the place to talk about American housing affordability, but I would -- I would love to know.

But slowly we've seen this trickle of announcements come out from the president, mostly on social media, some of which seem pointed towards an EO, some of which seem to be part of this growing affordability message that has housing right at the center of it.

CORNISH: I saw this one thing that got floated, which is the idea of preventing corporations from buying up single family homes. I followed this issue for a long time. Renters know that, like a private equity firm, it actually ends up owning half the neighborhood. How did this get here? And how serious is it?

SIEGEL: This is a message that we've seen echoed quite a bit from more populist parts of the MAGA movement. This is something that has been discussed, not necessarily specifically in the world of housing policy, but among politicians who often tie this, you know, aspect of large investors playing a larger and larger role in the housing market. But also, if you look under the hood there, it isn't always the case, or even a fraction of the case, that many single family homes that are available for rent are actually owned by institutional investors.

So I think that's actually an example of some aspect of this that has taken on a real populist political message but wouldn't necessarily bear out to opening up tons of homes all over the country that renters or owners otherwise wouldn't be able to get into.

CORNISH: OK, Rachel, in the meantime, I guess we got to keep our eye on Davos again.

SIEGEL: I'll be there.

CORNISH: They were done with that. Appreciate it. If you missed any of Rachel's reporting, you want to hear part of that conversation or anything we talked about earlier, we're a podcast, so you can share it. Just scan the QR code now to find it. CNN This Morning is available anywhere you get your podcast.

And next on CNN, today, a judge will hear arguments over the president's immigration crackdown in Minnesota. But can the Twin City takeover be stopped?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENS-FREDERIK NIELSEN, PREMIER OF GREENLAND (through translator): Greenland does not want to be owned by the USA. Greenland does not want to be governed by the USA. Greenland will not be a part of the USA.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK, today a summit in Washington. Will it shape the future of the island nation of Greenland?

[06:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm concerned that the rhetoric keeps escalating, that the tensions keep rising, that we are headed towards yet another tragedy and a potential trigger to what happened here yet again in 2020.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Local officials in Minneapolis are speaking out with their worries about the ongoing federal crackdown in their city as the state files a lawsuit to stop it. A hearing in federal court is happening in just a few hours.

So last night, federal officers were confronting protesters outside the federal building in downtown Minneapolis. CNN actually saw them fire two or three flashbangs directly into the crowd, injuring one protester in the leg. Now the state is suing to stop these ongoing federal actions, which are called Operation Metro Surge.

The state attorney general says the federal presence in Minneapolis is actually making the city less safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[06:50:00]

KEITH ELLISON, MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL: I do not believe that the president will stop simply because there's evidence, clear evidence that this surge is not doing what he said he wanted it to do, which is to deal with crime. It's not achieving that goal. It's actually creating more disorder, more harm, more risk of injury than anything going on in Minneapolis. So we need we need court intervention.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Joining me now, Sarah Krissoff, former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York. I want to talk to you about a couple things. But first, do you mind if we follow up on what we just heard from the attorney general there, Keith Ellison, because there's going to be this hearing today in federal court over this lawsuit? But you know, there were times during desegregation, right, where there were states that wanted to challenge sort of the federal authority to to come in state and take action.

So what are you going to be listening for?

SARAH KRISSOFF, FORMER U.S. PROSECUTOR, SDNY: Yes, I'm curious if the judge is at all receptive to Minnesota's arguments here. I think Minnesota is sort of in new territory here with these allegations. They are trying to take action to prevent ICE from, you know, participating in this surge in Minnesota.

But I just, there's really not a strong legal basis for their case. So I'm really curious to see if the judge is receptive at all to the case or if she's just inclined to get rid of it quickly.

CORNISH: In the meantime, there is this conversation about the investigation into the death of Miss Good, and right now I think 6 federal prosecutors actually resigned over this en masse. What was your reaction to that? What's in the prosecutor group chats in terms of this mass resignation?

KRISSOFF: Yes, I mean, we have resignations coming really from two different places surrounding this case. We have resignations from Maine Justice, the Civil Rights Division in Washington, and we have resignations from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota. And so it's very, you know, I think there is -- we should all be concerned about the resignation of career prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

When we see resignations like this, it should be concerning to us because it is really a loss of talent, a loss of expertise that these U.S. Attorney's Office at DOJ needs to operate effectively.

CORNISH: Can you talk about more like why? Because I mean, I care about the loss of expertise, but is this a crisis or a change in personnel?

KRISSOFF: I think it's a crisis. So prosecutors are used to serving under different political animals. That's just sort of the way it works, particularly for career prosecutors who have been in these positions for decades.

They serve under different administrations, whether they're Republican or Democrat, and do their jobs pretty much the same way under both administrations. So when we're seeing resignations like this, we know sort of the system -- there are problems with the systems, right? And so, and then, and I think I think we should all be concerned about the integrity of investigation.

So we have had this tragedy, no question. And now the real question, the fundamental question for us is how can we trust this investigation that is happening?

CORNISH: In the end, when we look at this investigation that the federal government is doing, I think at this point we're hearing that the FBI is in charge of it. Is there anything that Minnesota can do? Can they investigate this death themselves?

KRISSOFF: They certainly can investigate independently, right? And the question is there, what information do they have access to? They're going to have access to the video that we've all had access to.

They're going to have access to witnesses. I'm sure many witnesses are going to be cooperative with them. There may be other witnesses such as the ICE agents themselves who are not going to cooperate with the state authorities, but there are things the state can do even without the cooperation of the FBI.

It would be much better if they were this together and could share information and that is sort of the standard way these are done, but there are things that Minnesota can do.

CORNISH: All right, it'll be interesting to see if they actually do and take that up. Sarah Krissoff, thanks so much for your time. KRISSOFF: Thank you.

CORNISH: All right, one more thing. Vice President J.D. Vance hosting his counterparts from Denmark and Greenland today at the White House as the president ramps up pressure to take over Greenland. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be among the other U.S. officials taking part in the meeting.

The Danish foreign minister says they called for the meeting amid tense discussions with the White House. CNN's Nic Robertson was actually in Greenland, and he was hearing from people about their concerns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[06:55:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm afraid nature will destroy and many animals will disappear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're always looking for investments we want to develop. I don't think it's about that.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: What's it about?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's about land.

ROBERTSON: What does your gut tell you is going to happen?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no idea. But I have hopes and expect the worst.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CORNISH: Group chat is back. I don't think of J.D. Vance as the person you send in when you want to delicately discuss the situation in the White House. Maybe my view is colored by that Zelenskyy meeting and other meetings, or even the way he spoke to Europe in the Munich conference those years ago. What are you going to be listening for out of this meeting?

DOVERE: Well, let's see if there's anything that the White House says to these officials and that Vance says to them that makes them feel any differently about this from where they stand right now. Because it is very clear that many of the government leaders in Greenland and the government leaders in Denmark do not want this at all. And are saying that for the president to be pursuing this is not just about Greenland, but it's about the larger NATO alliance and how we're dealing with the world. And it's not clear what the end game would be here.

CORNISH: Yes, although, Charlie, you pointed out there are many ways the U.S. could have made in treaties or tried to get what they wanted from Greenland that were not this, like, six months of saber-rattling.

DENT: Yes, this whole conversation is insane. Why should we be bullying and trying to coerce the Danes to give us Greenland? When we can get what we want in Greenland through simple, polite diplomacy.

If we want a larger military presence there, there's nothing to suggest that the Danes wouldn't grant that to us. Maybe they won't do it now, but they would -- but they would always have the right to ask. We have -- it's crazy. We have an agreement with Denmark that they have sovereignty over that area. They gave us the American -- the U.S. Virgin Islands in exchange.

CORNISH: Yes.

DENT: I mean, there's all sorts of agreements post World War II. So the point is, we could have gotten what we want through diplomacy. If we're worried about the Russians and the Chinese up there, I'd be more worried about the Russians in Ukraine, frankly, than I am in the Russians in Greenland.

CORNISH: Let me play something for you, just so we're clear about how Greenland feels about it. This is Jens Frederick Nielsen speaking about this idea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENS-FREDERIK NIELSEN, PREMIER OF GREENLAND (through translator): Greenland will not be a part of the USA. We choose the Greenland we know today, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Now we are faced with a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the USA and Denmark, here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark, and we choose the EU.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: So someone was like, Hey, President Trump, have you heard about this? Because they don't really seem interested, and here's what the president had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We prefer to stay with Denmark. Do you see that as --

TRUMP: Who said that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The premier of Greenland?

TRUMP: Well, that's their problem. That's their problem. I disagree with him. I don't know who he is. Don't know anything about him, but that's going to be a big problem for him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK, they're going to need some org charts at this meeting.

RUBIN: Oh boy, look, this imperialist urge has got to stop. Quite frankly, it also risks NATO itself. There's a serious downside potential risk of NATO breaking apart. A NATO country should not be attacking another NATO country. The American public are not behind this. And what the --

CORNISH: The Trump Administration thinks if there's a problem for NATO, it's a problem for NATO. Like --

(CROSSTALK)

CORNISH: Well, that doesn't mean the U.S. is going to get

(CROSSTALK)

RUBIN: The administration ultimately looks like it wants to break up NATO. And I think you know Vladimir Putin is smiling, right? Let's just be blunt about it. This he could not have ever hoped for, prayed for, begged for this kind of an outcome where the American president would be threatening another NATO country with military action. And to Charlie's point, it's unnecessary. We have a treaty with Denmark that would enable us to expand our military bases right now on Greenland if we asked for it.

CORNISH: All right, I want to talk to you guys very briefly about your group chats. Charlie, what have you been thinking about in your world?

DENT: Well, two things. My group chat has been talking about this whole Jay Powell situation and the independence of the Fed. And of course, the other thing we never get out of football, Eagles fire their offensive coordinator, Pittsburgh Steelers coaches just resigned.

CORNISH: Why are they firing coaches left and right? What's going on?

DENT: Well, this is the end of the season.

CORNISH: Oh, yes.

DENT: Probably didn't get fired. Eagles, he stepped out.

CORNISH: And what about you, Edward-Isaac?

DOVERE: Because it's it. I feel like we don't have enough adrenaline and crisis in our lives and the real world watching "The Pit" and seeing what's going on there.

CORNISH: You're watching "The Pit". You're watching a medical drama where life and death hang in the balance.

DOVERE: Yes.

CORNISH: I Like that. Joel, last word to you. What's in your group chat?

RUBIN: Oh well, it's all Pittsburgh since I'm from Pittsburgh originally. But honestly, it's about the Jewish politics and the meltdown right now in Democratic Party ...

[07:00:00]