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E.U. Holds Emergency Meeting To Discuss Donald Trump's New Tariffs; At Least 39 Dead After Two Trains Collide In Spain; CNN Visits Training Camp For Iranian Kurdish Rebels; Europe Warns Of "Dangerous Downward Spiral" After Trump Threatens Tariffs Over Greenland; Trump Expected At Economic Forum Amid International Tensions; Chinese Population Shrinks For Fourth Straight Year. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired January 19, 2026 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:32]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is CONNECT THE WORLD.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR: Right. Welcome to the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. A lot to get through today.
One of the most significant stories that we're following, of course is, tensions with Greenland among President Trump's significant day one moves,
withdrawing the U.S. from a lot of what we've been seeing and pushing forward for taking over Greenland.
And of course, he wrote that letter, big snub for the Nobel Peace Prize, and showing his contention with regard to that.
There's also rising death toll in Spain. We're following that story, that's after high-speed train derailed and crashed into another. A search now for
what caused this disaster.
And extreme makeover at the White House, President Trump plans to build an updated bunker under the East Wing ballroom.
European leaders say discussion and negotiations are the best ways to confront the U.S. president's desire to acquire Greenland. President Trump,
though, appears to be giving no ground after threatening to slap new 10 percent tariffs on Britain and a group of E.U. nations resisting a U.S.
takeover of the territory. He sent a message to Norway's Prime Minister.
It reads this in part, considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of peace.
The message goes on to question Denmark's rights of ownership to Greenland. Britain is among the countries facing new tariffs.
In a news conference today, Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized the tariff threat and said Greenland's future is not for President Trump to
decide.
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: And so, any decision about the future status of Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of
Denmark alone. That right is fundamental, and we support it.
The use of tariffs against allies is completely wrong. It is not the right way to resolve differences within an alliance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Starmer spoke a day after an emergency E.U. meeting in Brussels, where officials considered retaliation to any new U.S. tariffs. Melissa
Bell joins me now from Paris.
Melissa, good to have you with us. I mean, we witnessing a remarkable standoff between allies. It is pretty unprecedented. You know, at the core
of this is Greenland. Give me an idea of the narrative from both sides as clearly, a lot of people are saying they're going to be no winners at the
end of this.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's really been the message of European leaders this Monday morning, Eleni, after a weekend
that was spent in discussion amongst themselves, reeling from the latest threats that involve tying, of course, the hopes of President Trump of
gaining control of Greenland with a renewed round of a tariff war.
Now, the very latest that we've heard from the European Commission is that they're hoping to deescalate. They want negotiation. They want to see
dialog with their American partner to avert this all-out trade war.
But the next steps are that European leaders will be meeting on Thursday for an extraordinary council that will be devoted to the question of
transatlantic relations.
And one of the issues that Europeans have, even as they seek to deescalate this latest row, is that the timing of the latest threats by President
Trump is really poor. The European Parliament was about this week to vote, and we imagine, to prove the trade deal that had been put in place between
the United States the European Union last summer.
You'll remember, to try and deescalate that row after the American president had threatened very high tariffs on Europe, they'd negotiate been
negotiated down. This trade agreement had been found it was to pass. It will pass before the European Parliament this week.
What we understand is that with the renewed announcement of fresh tariffs, European parliamentaries are preparing not to vote in favor of it. That
will have an immediate effect of triggering in February, a whole bunch of retaliatory measures, 93 billion euros worth of them that the Europeans had
chosen to freeze in the hope of this deal standing.
So, this will have a lot of consequences, not all of which can be contained immediately and then, of course, resides within the power of the Europeans
when they meet in their extraordinary Council on Thursday. This extra weapon has been described as the nuclear option, the bazooka option of the
European Union's anti- coercion tool which will essentially allow them should the tariffs go into force on February 1st as President Trump has
threatened to then bring into play a whole bunch of ways of preventing the United States from having access to European markets.
[10:05:28]
This is the trade war that looms, and this is what has so weighed on the markets over the course of the last 12 hours, Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right. Melissa Bell, thank you so much for that update. Again, consequential conversations happening right now.
In the meantime, the U.S. Treasury secretary is backing President Trump's ambitions for Greenland. On Sunday. Scott Bessent called Greenland
essential to national security, and said he felt Europe would eventually come around.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: I believe that the Europeans will understand that the best outcome is for the U.S. to maintain or receive
control of Greenland.
Make it part of the United States, and there will not be a conflict, because the United States right now, we are the hottest country in the
world. We are the strongest country in the world. Europeans project weakness, U.S. projects strength.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: All right, I want to bring in Jeppe Kofod, former Danish Foreign Minister, really great to have you with us.
So, we just heard from Scott Bessent, saying that the E.U. projects weakness and the U.S. projects strength, and saying the Europeans are
eventually going to come around, they're going to back down. What's your message in response to that?
JEPPE KOFOD, FORMER DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, I can assure you this is not going to happen. I mean, it is an absolutely clear red line for
Europeans to let United States against the will of the Greenlandic people and nation, against the fundamental rights and rule of law, respect of
territorial integrity and sovereignty of a country like Greenland, and also, of course, the Kingdom of --
GIOKOS: Right. I think --
KOFOD: -- go down in Europe. So, Europe will fight back. It's not something Europe wants.
GIOKOS: Yes, so Europe will fight back. I'm sorry your signal is slightly weak. I'm going to ask you another question. Hopefully you can hear me.
You know, we heard from President Trump and writing this letter to the Norwegians, and importantly, talking about the Nobel Peace Prize. And he's
saying he doesn't have to worry about peace like he did before. It's pretty telling on his intention to eventually take military steps if needed. He
said you could do this the easy way or the difficult way, and it is very concerning. Do you think that's a probability and other Europeans, and
especially Denmark, looking at this as a potential outcome?
KOFOD: No, I mean, if he uses force to take Greenland against the willing of Denmark, against the whole of Europe, then it will be the end of NATO.
It will be a full like political war between United States and Europe, and it's something that will be self-inflicting -- I don't think it will end
like that. I absolutely don't hope it will end like that. And know that Europeans will do whatever it takes to work with -- Arctic security.
But of -- U.S. to take over a nation, a people, against the will of the people, and nation disrespectful of fundamental law and rights.
GIOKOS: So, we're also seeing NATO fortifying troops around Greenland and Arctic security being top of mind here, as well as Denmark looking into
this a very important step. Do you think that is going to deter President Trump's efforts to acquire Greenland, if he feels that the issue of
national security has now been dealt with?
And do you -- are we seeing the troop buildup around Greenland as a protection mechanism in case the U.S. takes a military approach?
KOFOD: Well, listen, yes, the NATO countries, meaning, you know, the strongest European states, United Kingdom, France, Germany, others, has
sent troops to Greenland and to the Arctic region. An Arctic century, as the mission is called in NATO, will ensure security of Greenland and the
Arctic and thereby North America.
So, I think the only thing that will deter Trump from continuing this discussion is that Europe will show its force together, and that's what we
are seeing as we speak.
[10:10:05]
I hope Trump will step down and work with Europe, instead of trying to undermine more than 75 years of strong transatlantic cooperation that has
granted us security, prosperity and protected our democracies against what we have seen of enemies outside.
So, I hope really that there'll be a second thoughts from the president's side.
GIOKOS: So, someone's going to have to make a concession here. It's either going to be the Europeans and Denmark as well as the people of Greenland,
or it's going to be the United States.
Right now, the rhetoric has escalated to a point where people are very concerned whether there's still a window of opportunity to discuss things,
to take a diplomatic approach. What do you think that's going to entail?
KOFOD: Well, I mean, Denmark, you know, he knows Denmark delegation, Atlantic foreign minister and Danish foreign minister last week in
Washington to say to the Americans, to say to Trump, we want to work with you, we want to deploy troops together. We want to ensure that there will
be no threats against North America coming from the Arctic region. And we can do that because four out of five Arctic coastal states are NATO states.
It's United States, it's Canada, it's Kingdom of Denmark, including Greenland, and it's Norway.
The only one which is not in NATO is, of course, Russia and they poses a threat. Let's tear that threat together, and NATO has worked well to
preserve our security, because we stand together. If we start blowing up NATO, then our enemies will get a much easier access to threaten our
collective security, and that will be detrimental to United States interest, to European interests, so to the Western world.
GIOKOS: So, in the meantime, we're seeing a trade confrontation, a tariff confrontation, where President Trump is threatening 10 percent tariffs. The
Europeans have responded with the tariff bazooka approach. Do you think that a tariff war is inevitable?
KOFOD: Well, it's actually not up to the Europeans, because communicated clearly today, Europe doesn't want. But of course, if Trump continues and
let's say he announced to present tariff, and 25 percent June this year, then Europe is forced to retaliate. And then the right and the (INAUDIBLE)
has called a nuclear option, which means that they will retaliate.
You know, not only putting terrorists to the U.S., but also preventing U.S. companies from attending tenders and a lot of other instruments that will
fundamentally weaken our economies in a time where we need strong economies, because we have Russia that is creating a full-scale war in
Europe. We have China.
We need to stand together instead of, you know, parts. So, I hope Trump will understand that eventually, when we continue this discussion.
GIOKOS: All right, thank you so very much, Jeppe Kofod, for joining us today. That was the former Danish foreign minister.
All right, Spain's Prime Minister has declared three days of mourning for the victims of a high-speed train collision, saying the entire country has
been plunged into a terrible sorrow.
At least 39 people were killed in the accident Sunday evening, and a local official said today that number could rise as recovery work continues.
Officials say the rear carriages of a train derailed Sunday evening and was struck by a second train traveling in the opposite direction. An
investigation is underway.
CNN's Pau Mosquera is on the ground near the crash site. I mean, you know, as we're starting to see, emergency services still work through this tragic
accident, the big question in terms of how this happened still unanswered.
PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's a big question, absolutely. Eleni, that's a big question. The main one that most of the audience that
is watching us from home are asking themselves, and the cause is still not clear, and that's why the authorities are asking the population to not
speculate about what could have caused this horrible train clash.
Right now, we know that investigators, officers of the water civil are being deployed on the ground zero, and they are working to first of all,
try to identify those people that are still missing, and then starting to work and identify also the region or the cause that may have led to this
horrific train clash.
We know that there are at least 200 officers of this law enforcement agency that are tireless working there, and they told us that they're going to be
working there as long as they are needed.
Over the morning, they also have deployed some cranes to start moving the carriages that derailed yesterday afternoon to continue the search for
those that families have reported as missing.
[10:15:12]
Now something that surprised us on that the authorities seem to agree with is that this was a quite unusual accident, or at least somewhat an accident
that could not be foreseen. Let's have a listen to what Spain's Transport Minister said earlier this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OSCAR PUENTE, SPANISH TRANSPORT MINISTER (through translator): The accident is extremely strange. It happened on a straight stretch of track. All the
railway experts who have been here today at the center, and those we have been able to consult are extremely surprised by the accident, because, as I
say, it is strange, very strange. It's very difficult to explain it at this point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOSQUERA: And that's why this is a strange accident and the officers will be working for the next hours that the identification of those missing can
take a few more days, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Right, Pau Mosquera, thank you so much for that update.
Well, coming up on the show, Kurdish rebels believe the Iranian regime is growing weaker and they are preparing to fight. CNN's Ben Wedeman goes to
their training grounds.
And a little later, the fight over Greenland is dominating the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. We're looking at the question almost
everyone is asking, will Donald Trump get his way? That's all ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Iran's President has a warning for Donald Trump, any aggression towards Ayatollah Khamenei will be seen as a declaration of all out war.
Those comments appear to be in reaction to President Trump calling for an end to the Supreme Leader's rule over the weekend.
Meantime, Iran's supreme leader is acknowledging that thousands of people were killed in the anti-government protests over the last several weeks,
and has called U.S. President Donald Trump, a criminal over his support for them. One human rights group says nearly 4,000 people were killed.
And some rebel groups see the recent wave of unrest as proof that the Iranian regime's days are numbered. CNN's Ben Wedeman has a new report from
northern Iraq, where he visited an Iranian Kurdish military training camp.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The instructor puts fresh recruits through the paces of how to handle their AK-
47 assault rifles. The men and women in this unit call themselves Peshmerga Kurdish for those who face death, fighters with the KDPI, the Kurdish
Democratic Party Iran, in Iran.
With the bloody nationwide protest that began late last month, 42-year-old Heyman (PH) says, the end of the reign of the ayatollahs is approaching.
The government has economic resources and military power, he says, but now we can see they're slowly losing power in popular support.
[10:20:10]
The KDPI is the largest and oldest Iranian Kurdish rebel group. For 80 years, they fought for Kurdish rights in a country where they make up about
10 percent of the population.
These rugged mountains in northern Iraq have long served as a safe haven for the Kurds and a launching pad for their fight, first against the Shah
and for the past 47 years, the theocratic rulers in Tehran.
WEDEMAN: This is just one of a variety of groups which has been preparing for decades for the day when the regime in Tehran falls.
WEDEMAN:(voice over): Party leader Mustafa Hijri shows me where he was born in Iran, but he hasn't been back in decades.
Ultimately, he believes it's up to the Iranians alone to change their leaders. Help from the U.S. and Europe for the Iranian people is
heartwarming, he tells me, but the people won't put their hopes in the decisions and actions of Mr. Trump or any other international leader.
19-year-old, Farinaf (PH) led her home in Iran to become a Peshmerga. She's training to be a sniper. Iran, she says, we have no rights, especially as
women. That's why I became a Peshmerga to defend my rights as a Kurd and as a woman. Another generation is treading a well-worn path of struggle
against their oppressors.
Ben Wedeman, CNN in northern Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: All right, Ben Wedeman there for us. I want to welcome Ali Vaez to the show. He's the director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis
Group. Really great to have you with us.
Look, I mean, we're looking at internal developments within Iran, and it seems the protests, to a large extent, have died down due to the government
crackdown. The U.S. has, of course, changed its rhetoric about the notion of help is coming. Where do you believe this is headed next?
ALI VAEZ, DIRECTOR, IRAN PROJECT, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: Well, it's great to be with you. As you said, I think the protests have lost momentum
for now, but because the Iranian regime is unable to address the underlying causes of these protests. It's just a matter of time before they erupt
again. This could be a matter of days or weeks or months.
And once that happens, the regime's only answer is going to be repression again, and at that moment, unlike the beginning of this round of protests,
the U.S. is going to have sufficient military assets in the region to be able to sustain offensive and defensive campaign against Iran and its
retaliation against the U.S. allies in the region. So, the risk of the military confrontation will go back up again.
GIOKOS: So, you believe that could go back up again. And it's interesting, because we've got the Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier strike group
that is moving towards the region. You know, even though President Trump has watered down his threats, you know, what are the probabilities of you
know, not this not only be a show of force by the United States, but also ready for any potential move.
VAEZ: Look, of course, President Trump is notoriously unpredictable, so he might take action even before the protests reemerge as means of basically
not going to the rescue of the protesters, because the momentum has been arrested now, but as means of retribution for the bloodbath that the
Iranian regime has committed by killing thousands of protesters.
Now, that's not going to probably result in regime collapse, but it might accelerate the regime transformation process.
But it is also possible that he would wait for an opportune moment. And as I said, it is not a question of if, but a question of when the protests
will erupt again.
Usually, there is this tradition, Shia tradition, of commemorating your lost ones 40 days after their passing. So, it is possible that just a few
weeks from now, there will be new protests commemorating the ones that were killed just a few weeks ago, and that, in and of itself, could serve a
cycle of violence that the United States might join.
GIOKOS: The death toll numbers are pretty harrowing. Happening just in a few weeks. You've got different numbers that are out there.
The Iranian regime, of course, confirming their perspective. You've got human rights organizations coming out with a much higher number. So, what
does the regime say about the death toll and also the action that they took? Because, frankly, you're also seeing them blame pointing fingers to
the United States.
[10:25:04]
VAEZ: Well, look, the regime is putting the death toll in the neighborhood of 3,000 to 5,000 there are different people using different numbers.
Regime opponents are putting those numbers much higher, from 12,000 all the way to 20,000.
Regardless of what the number is, it is shockingly higher than anything we've ever seen before. This regime has always used brute force to suppress
protests, but this degree of violence is just without precedent. And I just give you a point of comparison.
In the 2022, Women Life Freedom movement, there were 500 fatalities. This time is just an order of magnitude higher.
GIOKOS: OK, so I think when the protests erupted, you know, people were asking the question, is this the moment where we will see a push for regime
change? My question is, do you still believe that, because that was the messaging from a lot of people, and can it be done without the assistance
of the United States?
VAEZ: There is no doubt that the Iranian people, at least the majority of whom, would like to see the back of this regime. The question is, what is
the best way of achieving that objective?
Of course, for a regime as entrenched as the Islamic Republic, changing it through remote control or from a distance is going to be very difficult. In
other cases, the U.S. has had either its own boots on the ground, like in Iraq, or other indigenous boots on the ground in Afghanistan and Libya in
Syria.
In the case of Iran, there is no viable organized opposition inside the country that could topple the regime, and the regime still has the will and
a fearsome capacity to repress. We also didn't see any cracks at the top.
So, this might be a very long, protracted, bloody process of confrontation between the state and the society and the outside actors can do some work
to help, but I don't believe that there is a violent shortcut to an outcome that the Iranian people or the United States would like to see.
GIOKOS: Ali, great to have you on the show with us. Thank you so much. Ali Vaez there for us.
VAEZ: It was a pleasure.
GIOKOS: All right, ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, America's European allies are trying to figure out how to respond to Donald Trump's tariff threat.
More insight just ahead from Greenland as well as London.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD with me Eleni Giokos in London. Here are your headlines. Spain's Prime Minister has declared three days of
mourning for the victims of a high-speed collision between two trains. At least 39 people were killed in the accident, and a local official says the
death toll could rise. The cause remains unknown.
[10:30:00]
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, has promised a thorough investigation.
Iran's Supreme Leader acknowledged over the weekend that thousands were killed during anti-government protests.
He called U.S. President Donald Trump a criminal for supporting the protesters. Meantime, Trump said in an interview on Saturday that it's time
for new leadership in Iran.
Donald Trump is issuing a new threat in his drive to acquire Greenland. In a message to Norway's prime minister, he says failure to win the Nobel
Peace Prize, means he no longer feels an obligation to think purely of peace.
He also questions Denmark's claim to Greenland. He is currently threatening new tariffs on a group of European nations that oppose a U.S. takeover of
the Danish territory.
Right. Nic Robertson is back with us this hour, live in Greenland. And I mean, just threats coming through from the president of the United States.
You've got this confrontation of tariffs and counter measures as well. But importantly, where you are right now.
Nic, I want you to explain the shock by locals and what their messaging is.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: They are shocked because they realize that this is happening above their heads. The protests
that they had here over the weekend where perhaps three or 4,000 maybe more people of this city of Nuuk, the capital. So, talking here, well over a
quarter of the population of the capital here came out on the streets.
There were parents with kids on their shoulders. There were grandparents, people with walking sticks, the prime minister, the foreign minister, a lot
of politicians. And they know that they are very clear with their message, and this is the moment to get their message out. Hands off of Greenland,
Greenland is not for sale.
But there is a real sense that what's happening, the diplomacy around, around the future of Greenland. The conversations, the heated diplomatic
exchanges that are coming, the language that's being used by President Trump is really happening at a level that they cannot control that, that
they can't sort of -- that they can't impact on.
And they feel that their destiny is sort of being, is being decided beyond their -- beyond their control.
GIOKOS: Yes.
ROBERTSON: So, there is -- you know, on one hand here, people are taking that opportunity to protest, but on the other hand, they are sort of
putting their shoulders into the sort of the storm that's going on, just saying we're trying to get on with our lives.
A hard reality. People are incredibly worried. People have been buying up extra supplies of camping, gas, of you know, of long-term food stores,
dried foods, canned food. Not everyone, but people, a good number of people here go to bed, worried what's going to happen tomorrow.
(CROSSTALK)
GIOKOS: So --
ROBERTSON: And that's because of things that they feel out of their control.
GIOKOS: Yes. I mean, absolutely, it's a new reality for them. Nic, talk to me about troop deployment by NATO countries, and you know, what you are
hearing on the ground? Are they there purely to show the United States that they can secure the Arctic, that you know, a strong, fortified Greenland
means that it doesn't need to be acquired by the United States?
Or are you hearing that they are preparing for the eventuality of perhaps, Donald Trump making good on this promise that he could do it the hard way
if he doesn't get his way?
ROBERTSON: Look, I think people are taking President Trump seriously at what is saying right now. No one is doubting that he has the capacity to
take the tougher of the two options. They are hoping to dissuade him away from that. The Danish military today have significantly, they say,
increased their number of troops have sent their main or their top military commander a couple of 100 miles north of here, about 300 kilometers north
of here, Kangerlussuaq, inside the Arctic Circle.
Last week, Denmark was hosting here additional sort of logistics, front end logistics, people from NATO, people from Germany, from France, from the
Netherlands, from the U.K., from Sweden, as well, a number of countries.
And, of course, that was the trip wire that President Trump responded to by putting sanctions or threatening to put sanctions on those countries. And
they responded by saying, that's going to undermine transatlantic alliances. It's a slippery slope from here.
Let's talk -- let's talk about this. We can deal with it, country to country, or countries, you know, within NATO, it can be dealt with, as long
as the territorial integrity, sovereignty is respected. All of that.
But the -- but the aim of that NATO force here, and what we think that the Danish are doing here by upping their military presence really is to do
what the Danish Foreign Minister indicated that he told U.S. counterparts when he was in Washington last week, which is to show that NATO can provide
the sort of Arctic security that President Trump is saying that Denmark can't -- Denmark can't provide.
They are incredibly hurt. The Danes, the green line is incredibly hurt when they hear President Trump repeat tropes like Denmark has only committed
another dog sled team to the security here.
[10:35:07]
GIOKOS: Yes.
ROBERTSON: So, they are trying to show very clearly that they can. It's not entirely clear that this message is landing, or if it is, it doesn't seem
to be the message that President Trump wants to hear right now, because he wants to have Greenland.
GIOKOS: All right. Well, Nic Robinson, really good to have your insights on this important story. Thank you so much.
Meantime, the World Economic Forum kicking off today in Davos, Switzerland, world leaders, including Donald Trump and the top names in business are
said to meet and discuss major global issues. And of course, Greenland is very likely to make the list of topics, and obviously very high on the
agenda.
As security is tight this year, more than 3,000 delegates from more than 130 countries are expected, including the largest U.S. delegation ever to
attend.
We have got CNN's Anna Cooban, following all of these developments and joins us now right here in our studio. Anna, great to see you.
I mean, this is such a big story, right? I mean, in terms of Greenland being top of the agenda, it clearly is going to dominate. We don't know how
this is going to play out. So, what are you hearing in terms of, you know how it's -- I think it's going to cannibalize a lot of what is going to be
said this week.
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: Completely. And, you know, for years, Eleni, people have been talking about how the World
Economic Forum is losing its relevance. No one pays attention to it anymore. I don't think this year we can say that that's going to be the
case. It was really going to be focused around A.I. investment, are we in an A.I. bubble? But Greenland and geopolitics in general is really taking
over the show.
This tariff threat by Trump as well has really put the cap among the pigeons, with European leaders. Tensions are high. And the actual economic
impact of these tariffs, some analysts are saying always threatened tariffs won't be that severe. The capital economics yesterday -- a consultancy said
that it could really shave a few tenths of a percentage point of GDP in these economies. But that's not really the point. It's about, again, the
unraveling of the potential trade deals that were signed last year around retaliatory tariffs on 93 billion euros-worth European leaders are thinking
about. It's about the downstream impact. And of course, investors are not happy about that with markets down today and U.S. Futures and also in
Europe.
GIOKOS: Yes. Absolutely. I mean, you know, it's causing so much uncertainty. I mean, what is absolutely vital here, in terms of, I think
people are looking at, are we going to see another trade war emerging between Europe and the United States, and what is that economic impact
going to ultimately be?
Europe, for quite some time, has always tried to appease President Trump, especially with the last time they signed a trade agreement with the United
States. Scott Bessent came out and said, you know, E.U. portrays weakness, the U.S. projects strength. And it really comes down to economic abilities
as -- in as much as it does to political strength.
COOBAN: But I do think that this time around, Trump is really pushing the limits of how much the E.U. can sort of acquiesce to his demands. They are
not prepared to have a NATO territory, because Greenland is a -- is a -- is territory of Denmark. Have its integrity taken away from it.
And what they're talking about now is that part of this retaliation that is on the table is something called an anti-coercion instrument, which is a
fancy way of talking about a set of rules which would effectively bar the U.S. from part of the E.U. single market.
This is the sort of last resort. We are --
GIOKOS: It's a tariff bazooka. That's what they called it. Right?
COOBAN: Yes. Well, yes, it's a -- it's a bazooka. It's got a lot of things in it, it sort of bars it from investments, U.S. companies tendering for
public contracts. It really is the last resort. And that shows you the point at which we are at now, Eleni, it up, even talking about such a
measure.
GIOKOS: Yes, and President Trump is expected to speak at the World Economic Forum. I think his messaging is going to be very strong, very harsh,
specifically against the likes of China, the U.S.'s sort of America first strategy, but also in -- and around -- the -- around Greenland.
But importantly, I think what's playing out is you've got the United States in a confrontation with its allies. And the concern is that China is
watching very closely, seeing the unraveling of these relationships.
COOBAN: Absolutely. And then, you know, this sort of -- the uncertainty all around this is not great for markets. It's not great for business people.
This is a business forum. And to see that transatlantic alliance really fracture in this way is not good for business confidence.
GIOKOS: All right. Anna Cooban, great to see you. Thank you so much.
All right, China's government reports the country met its economic growth target 2025, despite a trade war with the United States. At the same time,
statistics show that China's birth rate hits a new record low.
CNN's Mike Valerio breaks down what those numbers ultimately mean.
MIKE VALERIO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, making headlines here in China, the country today, posted its lowest birth rate on record, and that
could give us clues to what China looks like in the decades ahead.
And essentially, if you are having fewer babies today, that could mean slower growth, weaker consumer demand and a shrinking workforce in the
years and decades ahead.
So, to get to the numbers posted earlier on Monday, 7.92 million babies born in China last year, while 11.3 million people died.
[10:40:05]
That has shrunk the population for a fourth consecutive year in China. The overall population in this country fell by about 3.4 million even as China
remains the world's second most populous country.
So, here are the potential implications of all of this. China's workforce is shrinking. Its population is aging rapidly. And officials now say nearly
one in four people in China is over the age of 60. Taking that a step further, U.N. projections suggest that by the end of this century, as many
as half of China's population could be over 60.
Think about what that means for the workforce. This is happening despite aggressive efforts by Beijing to persuade families to have more children,
from cash bonuses, free public preschool, simplified marriage registration, along with tax breaks, housing subsidies, extended maternity leave at the
local level.
But many young people say the math still does not work. They point to job insecurity, high housing costs, and the unequal burden of child care,
especially felt by women.
Now, all of this is unfolding as China reports on target economic growth of five percent. That is powered largely by exports. But fewer babies today
could mean weaker domestic demand tomorrow.
An expert we spoke to analogized it like this. He was saying that children are very much like super consumers, and with births continuing to fall that
means that China's economy may become more export driven than it already is in the future.
Mike Valerio, CNN, Beijing.
GIOKOS: Right. Still to come on CNN, a source says the Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to prepare for possible deployment to
Minnesota amid ongoing anti-ICE protests there. We are following that reaction right after this. Stick with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: As Minnesota remains on edge amid ongoing anti-ICE protests, the Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is taking another shot at the Trump
administration.
In his remarks. Sunday on CNN, Frey sly -- slammed the Pentagon for reportedly ordering about 1500 active-duty soldiers to prepare for possible
deployments to Minnesota.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACOB FREY, MAYOR OF MINNEAPOLIS: We are not going to be intimidated. If the goal here is safety. We have got many mechanisms to achieve safety. And
the best way to get safety is not to have an influx of even more agents, and in this case, military, in Minneapolis.
This is, well, it's ridiculous, but we will not be intimidated by the actions of this federal government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, the mayor's remarks come just days after President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to suppress anti ice
protests there.
[10:45:08]
CNN's Julia Vargas Jones is on the ground in Minneapolis, and she spoke to my colleague John Berman a short time ago about the mood in the city right
now among protesters. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN NEWSOURCE CORRESPONDENT: We just saw, as the first protesters seem to have arrived here outside -- excuse me, the federal
building, the Whipple federal building that has been the staging area for federal agents. That concern of being caught in the middle of those kinds
of operations, John, has been brought up time and again by protesters that we spoke to here on the ground who said, you know, they don't want their
children to have to go through that, or even witness some of those operations. We saw some of those ourselves as we drove through the city,
many of these community members using small, little 3D printer whistles to warn neighbors of ICE operations happening here on the ground.
But I do want to turn just to where we are right now outside this federal building, we have been seeing images of clashes between police and
protesters. But I do want to say John, that it has calmed down.
Now, the DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said that, that order from the federal judge wouldn't change anything. Wouldn't change the conduct of ICE agents,
federal agents on the ground. But something has changed. Yesterday, we were here for the majority of the day, and we did not see a single detention of
any peaceful protesters or pepper spray or tear gas used to disperse the crowd.
Instead, we are seeing a heavy presence of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Department. They have set up barricades, bike racks, as they called, along
this sidewalk, that has kept protesters from going into the street, and that has also, John, very expertly prevented those clashes from happening,
perhaps, we could hope at least that it would stay this way and that those protesters will continue to voice their opinion peacefully and avoid any
further clashes with those federal agents.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: I want to get you up to speed on some of the stories that are on our radar right now. The U.S. has been inviting leaders to join President
Trump's board of peace for Gaza. Officials from Russia and Israel say President Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu got offers to join.
It comes as a U.S. official says members will receive a permanent seat if they pay $1 billion which they say will go towards rebuilding Gaza.
Wildfires in southern Chile have killed, at least, 18 people and forced more than 20,000 people from their homes. Chile's president has declared a
state of catastrophe in two regions where the largest fires are burning. The country's disaster agency says about 8,500 hectares have been scorched.
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, says she is dissolving her country's parliament on Friday, and she'll call for a general election next month to
seek voter backing for her ambitious plans to boost the economy.
The move comes as polls find the rising cost of living in Japan is a top concern,
And to head on CONNECT THE WORLD, how the new East Wing Ballroom includes a secretive plan, the White House bunker. We'll take a closer look right
after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: It's been more than 80 years since President Roosevelt ordered the secret construction of an underground facility below the White House East
Wing,
[10:50:02]
Now, under Donald Trump's East Wing Ballroom that is under construction, sources say a new bunker is being built.
Little is known about the construction taking place. What is known is that, unlike the ballroom, the new shelter will be paid for by the public.
CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein joins us now from West Palm Beach in Florida. I mean, really interesting. We saw some of the pictures
of the construction that's underway. So, what more do we know about this bunker?
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, one of the more interesting things that I learned in the course of reporting this out, is
that this is actually not the first time that this has happened.
Back in 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, ordered the secret construction of a secure underground
facility, and then, he built an extension of the White House East Wing, on top.
Now, historians say that at the time, there was no public acknowledgement of this bunker space, and that is happening once more, as the East Wing is
now under construction again for President Trump's sprawling new ballroom.
Sources say that, that underground facility has been fully dismantled, and there is now again, a lot of secrecy about the plans to rebuild.
But we do know from our sources that there are plans to build a reimagined and upgraded space underneath the new ballroom, and that is going to
include new technology to counter evolving threats, and they are still very little acknowledgement that this project even exists.
The White House declined to respond to our requests for comment on this, but we did hear in a court filing about a case that wants to halt this
ballroom construction. The White House responding to that, saying that stopping the underground construction would, "endanger" national security,
and they said they were willing to provide more details in a classified setting.
But let's talk about what was down there. This started as a World War II era bomb shelter. It was used during the Nixon-era. During protests on
September 11th, they secured President George W. Bush and Vice President Cheney down there. It was also used as a place to plan secret meetings
ahead of President Biden's clandestine trip to Ukraine.
This bunker had low ceilings. You go down a few levels, shelf stable, food, water supplies, secure communications. Then, there is this thing called the
Presidential Emergency Operations Center, the PEOC. This is a command-and- control facility that is used for emergencies, just for the president.
Now, what is unlikely is whether we are going to get any details on what is built down there, what is like -- what's also more unlikely than that is
how much this is going to cost. This is not at all part of that $400 million price tag that President Trump has solicited private donations for.
This is going to be handled by the American taxpayer.
And one more interesting thing to note is that if you are concerned about presidential security in the absence of this underground facility, I am
told by sources that there are redundancies to keep the president safe while this construction is underway.
GIOKOS: Now, you've always got a plan for redundancies. Betsy, very quickly. I mean, you are talking about how secretive this project is, where
we know about it, but we don't really. Why have they taken this approach?
KLEIN: Well, I think, because, for the exact reason that they don't want to give our adversaries information about what is being built down there. This
is something that is going to be able to withstand a potential nuclear attack, as well as potential biological attacks on the White House. They do
not want anyone to know the specifics of specifically where it is under the White House and how to get there. They don't want to give any of that
information away.
All right. Makes sense. Betsy Klein, thank you so much. She is in West Palm Beach for us.
Now, parts of the United States are getting a hefty dose of winter weather, Arctic air sweeping through much across the eastern half of the country
Sunday with freezing warnings and reports of snow as far south as Alabama, Georgia, and even Florida.
CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar has more for us.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: More than 40 million people are under some type of cold weather alert across portions of the U.S., that includes
the Midwest, the northern plains, and yes, even as far south as Florida, looking at some freeze watches in effect. And that's because Monday
morning, Jacksonville, Florida will see that temperature right around 31 degrees below the freezing mark. Normally, they would be right around 44.
Orlando, even Fort Myers, a place in South Florida, looking at those temperatures well below where they normally would be this time of year, and
it's even colder off to the north, you look at places like Minneapolis, Chicago, and St. Louis, looking at those temperatures 10 to 15 degrees
below average.
Now, for Washington, D.C., New York, and Boston, the cold is coming. It's just going to be a bit more of a delayed effect. You will notice Monday
morning, those temperatures not too far off from where they should be this time of year. But Tuesday and Wednesday, that's when we start to see those
temperatures dropping back.
And that's going to be the first of a few waves this week that bring a very chilly air to much of the northern tier of the U.S.
[10:55:00]
Here is that first wave Monday into Tuesday, little bit of a break. And then, by the time we get to Thursday and into Friday, you start to see more
of that reinforcing cold air begin to dive back south into some areas of the U.S.
Take Chicago, for example. Again, very chilly Monday. You see that brief little warm up, although, again, in perspective, it's still going to be
colder than they normally would be this time of year, just not as bad as Monday.
But then, the temperatures, once again, dive as we head into the latter portion of this week.
GIOKOS: All right. Allison Chinchar, there for us.
Prince Harry's high stakes privacy trial has started. The British royal is at London's High Court for his lawsuit with six others, including musician
Elton John. They are accusing Daily Mail publisher associated newspapers of unlawful information gathering. The case includes phone hacking and using
deception to obtain personal records.
Newspaper group has denied all accusations. This is the third major legal battle the duke has undertaken against the British tabloids.
All right, that's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.
END
