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MN Governor Detects "Change in Tone" during Talk with Trump; Republican Senators Call for Investigation into ICE Shooting of Alex Pretti; White House Border Czar Arriving in Minneapolis, CBP Chief Sidelined; Interview with House Democrat Eric Swalwell, Calling for "Complete Overhaul" of ICE Tactics; India and E.U. Finalize Landmark Trade Pact; UAE and India Form Strategic Partnership; Ceremony in Tel Aviv Marks Return of Last Hostage in Gaza; Japan's Military Readiness; Rutte Paints Bleak Picture of NATO without U.S.; Skydivers Fly through World's Tallest Hotel. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired January 27, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters. I'm Becky Anderson in
Abu Dhabi, where the time is just after 7:00 in the evening. You are very welcome.
Criticism mounts over the Trump administration's response to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a federal agent. Republican lawmakers are now
asking questions of the administration.
After nearly two decades of on-off negotiations, India and the European Union finalize a, quote, "mother of all deals" with a landmark trade pact.
And incredible images from the UAE in one of the most unprecedented aerial stunts, a team of skydivers pull off a daring fly-through at the world's
tallest hotel.
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ANDERSON: Well, a change in tone but will it mean a change in course in the United States?
President Donald Trump's hardline immigration crackdown still on. Minnesota governor Tim Walz says Donald Trump set aside their long-running feud in a
phone call on Monday in the aftermath of the killing of Alex Pretti by ICE agents.
Now the president also talked with Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey, describing both conversations as very good. Well, the White House press secretary,
after blaming Democrat leaders in Minnesota for the shooting, appeared to tone down the rhetoric in remarks on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Nobody in the White House, including president Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed in
America's streets.
This has obviously been a very fluid and fast-moving situation throughout the weekend. As for president Trump, whom I speak for, he has said that he
wants to let the investigation continue and let the facts lead in this case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, here's what the Minnesota governor is saying about that change in tone and the inaccurate descriptions of Pretti's killing that he
thinks prompted it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): And the atrocities we're seeing and I -- look, I think Donald Trump understands it, too. That horrific scene that played out
on Saturday morning, you could tell there was no professionalism to that.
You could tell that this seemed personal for some reason, that running across and pushing people. And then I hope that we finally maybe broke the
fever. The explanation from Kristi Noem was so far off that I think maybe this is what broke it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, all this happening after president Trump announced that he is sending border czar Tom Homan to direct ICE operations in Minneapolis,
with Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino and some of his agents now expected to leave the city. Well, Stephen Collinson back with us this hour.
Good to have you back and appreciate your time. We've got new reporting of a Minnesota judge ordering ICE director, the ICE director, to appear in
court. This, Stephen, as the Trump administration certainly seems to have adopted a new tone.
How is all of this playing out?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And this is moving quite quickly politically, I think, perhaps because there was some real
disquiet by Republicans.
But I think that Governor Walz may have put his finger on something there when he talked about the response by Homeland Security secretary Kristi
Noem.
The depictions of Mr. Pretti and Renee Good, the woman that was shot in her car a few weeks ago by ICE agents, they were so inhumane and divorced from
the facts of what everyone could see on their cell phone in the videos of these shootings, that it really just undermined the whole premise of this.
And it, I think, led to a political change in the dynamic that's underpinning the Trump immigration push. Now the question, of course, is
whether they will continue to be aggressive in pushing deportations but do it in a way that does not, you know, incite the public ire and create these
viral moments.
[10:05:05]
I think there are people inside the administration who really do believe that mass deportations is something that's absolutely endemic to the Trump
project and that they will go on but they may be looking for a way to tone it down, bring the tone down in Minnesota, to save the operation in its
entirety.
ANDERSON: Even GOP lawmakers, Stephen, have come out to condemn the events in Minneapolis. I just want our viewers to listen to senator Cruz, for
example.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): What I think the administration could do better is the tone with which they're describing this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, he's calling for an investigation into Pretti's death.
Do you see a shift in the party, in the Republican Party, due to the administration's handling at this point?
COLLINSON: Yes, there are many Republican lawmakers who are facing tough reelection fights -- senator Cruz isn't one of them -- but in the midterm
elections that are feeling the heat on this issue.
I remember back in the first Trump term, there was a similar immigration push. And the thing that broke out at that time was the picture of small
children in cagelike cells or detention. And that really worked on the public consciousness and forced the administration to step back somewhat.
This perhaps could be a similar breaking point. But the politics here has certainly changed. And I think the president is reacting to that,
notwithstanding the fact that the person who set the tone that is now being changed is president Trump himself.
ANDERSON: So you've written that the behavior of the administration officials, also clearly backfiring on Trump; Noem and Bovino often seemed
to be appealing directly to the performative tastes of the man who appointed them.
Which I guess begs the question, was this the right approach from the DHS officials, Stephen?
COLLINSON: Well, in terms of running a professional immigration policy, I think it's obvious that the approach was not right.
I remember writing a few weeks ago that, if you put troops or if you put federal agents who look like troops on the streets in the middle of
protests, bad things are obviously going to happen.
A lot of people saw what happened coming. But the operation is not just about a professional enforcement operation. It's about boosting president
Trump's personal profile as a strongman.
It's about imposing federal power on a Democratic state that's been used as a petri dish, really, for a lot of Trump's hardline policies.
So from that extent, Kristi Noem and Greg Bovino were playing exactly into what the president wanted them to do. Sometimes in politics, people get
tossed by the wayside when it doesn't work out.
But look at another Trump administration official, Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense. He does exactly the same thing, you know, when
there's a military situation. He's out there doing a press conference. He's very aggressive and bombastic.
These officials were picked because they can create those on-camera moments. And I guess it shows the limits of the extent of Trumpism in
governing, rather than necessarily politicking.
ANDERSON: I want to close out with something that president Trump said recently. I think it was in a extended opportunity that he afforded for
journalists from "The New York Times."
He said and it is reported by those journalists that the only limit on his global powers is his own, quote, "own morality."
So I just wonder whether you think we are seeing his morality at play here in this pivot, at least in tone, if not in policy?
Or are we seeing a shift whereby global and internal pressure can actually rein him in?
COLLINSON: I would think it would be the latter. You know, Trump's morality seems, to put it kindly, to be fairly pliable. He often seems to
be pursuing policies for his own personal and political gain, rather than the national interest.
But what is happening, I think -- witness that speech by Mark Carney in Davos last week -- is that other powers are starting to make their own
choices.
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Carney was in China, for example. British prime minister Keir Starmer is heading to China. Lots of European countries are talking about the need to
start looking after the their own futures without the United States.
So I think there's a recognition, both in Minnesota and in the wider world, that by banding together, people on the other side from Trump can look
after their own interests and perhaps try to restrain him somewhat.
I think this is a backwards and forward thing. Some weeks it looks like Trump's strongman act is prevailing; others it looks like he's being forced
to moderate. So I think we have to look at this over the span of the entire year or the term.
ANDERSON: The entire year feels like a really long time, doesn't it?
Perhaps the entire week in terms of time scale in this presidency. All right. It's good to have you, sir.
And, folks, I do want to add that Italian officials are furious over the deployment of ICE agents to bolster U.S. security at the Winter Olympics.
More on that on CNN Digital. And be sure to read Stephen's very insightful and very important analysis of what is happening there in Minneapolis and
its impact on Donald Trump's presidency.
That is all online. He writes, "Twice within a week, Trump is forced to tone down big second-term power grabs as he faces domestic pushback over
his immigration policy and global pushback over his move to acquire Greenland," for example. That is all on the CNN all-access app.
Right. I want to bring in senior White House reporter now, Kevin Liptak, standing by for us there at the White House.
Kevin, there are reports of president Trump and Kristi Noem meeting in the Oval Office for some hours last night.
What do we know at this point?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And this meeting lasted about two hours. It came at Kristi Noem's request, of course, after the
president had said that he was sending Tom Homan into Minnesota, to essentially take charge of an operation that he had viewed as becoming more
and more politically precarious.
Now we are told specifically that, in this meeting, the president did not tell Kristi Noem that her job was at risk, which, of course, has been a
matter of intense speculation over the last few days, after the president and his spokespeople seemed to distance himself from Noem's assertion that
Alex Pretti was a domestic terrorist.
In this meeting, they talked about how this immigration initiative would move forward. And I think it's significant. You know, she was there with
her top aide, Corey Lewandowski, who the president has had a somewhat complicated relationship with, really, dating back the last 10 years.
And I think it is leading to this increased sense that there is a divide now within the president's inner circle about how to proceed here.
You know, yesterday, the press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, was asked about this decision to send Tom Homan into Minneapolis and remove Gregory Bovino,
who had been the commander at large, which is a title they made up for him with the Customs and Border Protection. Listen to a bit of how she
characterized what that move would look like.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEAVITT: Mr. Bovino is a wonderful man and he's a great professional. He is going to very much continue to lead Customs and Border Patrol throughout
and across the country. Mr. Homan will be the main point of contact on the ground in Minneapolis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIPTAK: So you hear her there, very specific that Tom Homan will now be the point of contact. You know, Tom Homan, by all means, is a hardline
immigration official. The difference here will be tactic.
He is focused more on specific targeted actions to deport individuals who are in the country illegally compared to what Bovino was pursuing, which
was these widespread operations to sweep up undocumented immigrants.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, Kevin. Thank you.
And a short time ago, we heard from Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell. He serves on the House Homeland Security committee, an important voice. He
has been a vocal critic of how the Trump administration is conducting its immigration crackdown. He told our Kate Bolduan sweeping changes are
needed. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA), MEMBER, INTELLIGENCE AND JUDICIARY COMMITTEES: We don't need a change in tone. We need a change in tactics. We need the
masks to come off. We need the identification to come out.
And we need to focus on violent individuals, not pull women by their hair through our streets or deport a 6-year old child battling stage 4 cancer or
chase people through the fields in the factories where they work.
This needs a complete overhaul.
But here's the problem that they have. And this is what the president can fix. You can shove endless lies in our ears.
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But you can't shove one in our eyes because we can't forget something we've seen in 4K.
And so we need a president to come forward, tell the American people the truth and rightfully redeem the characters of Pretti and Good.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: You did not support the DHS funding bill when it was in the House.
What changes would be enough or a start for you to support funding the agency?
SWALWELL: Noem gone, Homan gone, Miller gone; masks off, identification out and law-abiding people no longer terrorized. That's what the American
people asked for.
We were all on board when the president said he's going to focus on the most violent in our communities. Instead, the overwhelming majority of
people who have been removed from our communities are people without criminal histories.
And so no one asked for this. And so if the president got back to just doing what people asked for, whether it was lowering prices, not going to
war, or removing the most violent in our communities, he would not be sitting at a 36 percent approval rating among the people he's supposed to
be serving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That interview a little earlier on CNN.
Well, ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, it is billed as the "mother of all deals." How a major trade pact between India and the
European Union is also sending a message to Donald Trump. A live report on that is up next.
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ANDERSON: We are just under an hour into the trading day in the United States this Tuesday. Let's see how stocks are faring. All eyes this week on
earnings reports from Microsoft, Apple, Meta and Tesla.
The other big question, whether artificial intelligence can maintain the hype. And we may see that through these earnings.
And the Nasdaq, which is, of course, filled with those tech giants, it's a tech-heavy index, that it's on the up, reflecting to a degree what's
happening with the S&P 500, that much broader index. The Dow, though, off some 1 percent today.
India and the European Union applauding a landmark trade deal that will pave the way for India to open up its vast market to free trade with the
27-nation European Union.
Delhi and Brussels seeking to hedge against shifting ties with the U.S., it seems, as president Donald Trump's tariff threats put a strain on alliances
amongst Western and other nations.
Well, CNN's business and economics reporter Anna Cooban having a good look at this, a deep dive, as we call it in TV, into this deal.
And just explain a little bit more about what's going on with this mother of all deals, as it's being tagged
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, it's quite interesting that there have been two decades of on and off
negotiations between the E.U. and India on this deal.
[10:20:05]
And yet it gets signed now when there's obviously so much geopolitical unrest; there's trade disputes with the United States. But this deal is
seeking to liberalize trade between, obviously, these two massive economies and up to 2 billion, up to a 2 billion person population.
Now on the E.U. side, there's the agreement to cut or eliminate tariffs on up to 97 percent of their goods, saving -- making savings of around 4
billion euros.
On the Indian side, there's the agreement to, over a number of years, cut or reduce tariffs on nearly all of the goods. And there's the agreement to
have a 0 percent tariff at some point on Indian textiles and leather that's shipped to the European Union.
But this is what Ursula von der Leyen, the E.U. Commission president, had to say about this deal earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Prime minister, distinguished friend, we did it. We delivered the mother of all deals. We
are creating a market of 2 billion people.
And this is the tale of two giants, the world's second and fourth largest economies, two giants who choose partnership in a true win-win fashion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOBAN: So you hear that she's hailing this deal, this landmark deal. And it comes at a time when both these economies are feeling very vulnerable.
And we saw last year India got slapped with a 50 percent tariff because of its continued purchases of Russian oil. This is a 50 percent tariff from
the United States.
And then just last week, we saw a threat that's now been dropped but a threat against some E.U. countries for further tariffs because they opposed
what Trump had planned to do in Greenland. So they're trying to diversify their trade to really protect themselves.
ANDERSON: Amid tensions with the United States, European nations certainly looking for trading partners elsewhere. We got Keir Starmer of the U.K.
visiting China this week.
What can we expect from that visit?
Is it clear at this point?
COOBAN: Well, this visit is expected to be quite wide-ranging. There's going to be -- there's a loose commitment for cooperation. There's the hope
that trade and investment agreements can be signed.
But Starmer is going with the delegation of 50 executives from British business, which really runs the gamut, from manufacturing to the various
pharmaceuticals to other parts of the U.K. economy.
So it's quite clear that on the agenda is an economic -- is economic ties. And again, the U.K. has been on the receiving end of threats from Trump;
further tariffs -- he was part of those countries last week to have the threat of extra tariffs because of the Greenland issue.
And so the U.K. again is trying to diversify. We've also saw Canada recently signed a cooperation pact with China. Again, Canada bearing the
brunt of many of Trump's tariff threats.
So these economies are trying to be more independent or at least trying not to be so dependent on the United States, that they can have their trade, at
a moment's notice, weaponized against them.
ANDERSON: Thank you. Anna, it's good to have you.
And in light of the news on this E.U.-India deal, I do just want to note that the UAE's minister for industry is expanding on last week's signing of
what was a strategic partnership with India, building on an already very deep relationship.
The UAE ranks as India's third largest trading partner. Speaking at India's energy week conference in Goa, Dr. Sultan al-Jaber highlighted India's
ambition for rapid growth as a key factor in their agreement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SULTAN AL JABER, MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: As prime minister Narendra Modi put it so clearly, India does not do progress in
increments. It goes for quantum leaps. And progress at this pace and growth at this scale demands a special kind of partnership that is strategic,
long-term, agile and flexible.
A partnership that is steadfast, dependable, reliable, principled and consistent and partnership that is based on trust and partnership that will
endure through thick and thin. That is precisely what defines the UAE-India partnership.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Steadfast, dependable, reliable -- that is a description that more and more countries are stressing in the current geopolitical climate.
[10:25:05]
Well, still to come, president Trump says diplomacy with Iran remains an option, even as he is increasing America's military presence in the Middle
East. A closer look at what both sides are saying is up next.
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ANDERSON: President Donald Trump says Iran might be trying to negotiate a deal with the United States as tensions soar between the two countries.
In an interview with Axios on Monday, the president says the situation is in flux but thinks, quote, "Tehran genuinely wants to cut a deal" after he,
quote, "sent a big armada to the region."
Two sources tell CNN the president is also considering options for striking Iran but there is no indication any decision has been made. Iran, meantime,
says it's ready to face possible U.S. aggression. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ESMAEIL BAGHAEL, SPOKESPERSON, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY (through translator): The movement of a warship will not affect Iran's will or
determination. We possess both the resolve and the full capability to defend Iran.
It is very clear how we will respond, as we have shown before, in the face of any aggression or any threat. We will respond decisively with full
strength and in a comprehensive manner.
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ANDERSON: All right. Let's do a bit more on this. Iman Nasseri is the Middle East managing director for FGE. As an economist, he specializes in
Middle East oil research and analysis.
Good to have you. Right. Let's be quite clear. We do not know what decision Donald Trump has or will take at this point.
Were it to be kinetic or military strike, what impact would that have on global oil markets?
IMAN NASSERI, MIDDLE EAST MANAGING DIRECTOR, FGE: Yes, that's a tough question. The short answer is it depends on the scale of the attack, the
duration of it and how deep it would target the infrastructure, especially if there is damage to energy, oil and gas infrastructure.
Hence the stake is high at risk. And we're talking about 2.5 million barrels per day of oil exports right now that goes into the world energy
market. And not so much of gas but still Turkiye and Iraq are importing some gas. However, whether those energy are at risk or not is a different
question.
[10:30:00]
But the market has become nervous in terms of the size of that supply.
ANDERSON: Yes. He has options, of course, one of which could be a blockade.
How would that work?
And what would be the impact of a U.S. blockade on Iranian oil?
NASSERI: Yes. The U.S. blockade, obviously, would be similar to what was done, for example, to Venezuela basically. First it was blockade and then
it was basically the next steps. However, it's not easy to do a naval blockade on Iran.
Certainly Iran has lots of drones and lots of missiles and lots of U.S. bases, targets around it. And it will eventually turns into an act of war.
It could turn immediately into a war. And it could also trigger the closure of Strait of Hormuz, which has been a threat by Iranians, if their
basically oil exports are at risk by any means.
They will not allow that energy to flow through the Hormuz. So that blockade is not going to be as easy as -- and smooth as it was when it came
to Venezuela. So I would put a very, very low probability on that one, really more of a pressure point in terms of Trump negotiation bargain.
ANDERSON: Yes. And in your latest analysis, you lay out three possible scenarios for how things could go -- regime change, return to 2025 state of
play and a U.S.-Iran deal. And let's just take on that final thought.
What might a U.S.-Iran deal look like to your mind in January of 2026, if indeed Donald Trump is right when he says that Iran is looking for a deal?
NASSERI: Yes, that scenario is also a possible but very unlikely -- or the probability is low if we assume that both political stances remain the
same. Trump has insisted on certain terms. That is almost impossible by the current political regime and administration in Iran to be accepted.
And Iranian, if we assume that there is no change in the leadership and there is no change in political system, is hard to accept those. But if
there was an attack and potentially or incrementally increase in pressure through economic means, Iran could come to terms with the U.S.
And if someone wants to assume that the U.S. is willing to change any of those terms which are unacceptable by Iran, that is the only way that that
scenario could be envisioned.
Yes. Iman, it's good to have you, just up the road in Dubai from where we are here in Abu Dhabi. I'll have you back. Excellent analysis, sir. Thank
you very much indeed.
I'm going to leave it there because we are getting live images into CNN from Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. A ceremony is being held to mark the first
time since 2014 that there are no Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
On Monday, the Israeli military recovered the remains of the final deceased hostage in the enclave. And soon the organizers will stop the square's
countdown clock, that you see here on the left at the top of the picture, to commemorate the moment. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is live in Hostage Square
in Tel Aviv.
Jeremy, just walk us through the significance of this moment and what stopping the clock symbolizes.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, you just think of how many times I've come to you live from right here in Hostage Square
at the scene of demonstrations.
And of people, you know, raising their voices to try and secure the release of the hundreds of Israeli hostages who were taken captive on October 7th,
2023. Now it was 843 days later, just yesterday, that the final hostage finally came home.
The remains of Ran Gvili, a 24-year old Israeli police officer, were finally returned after extensive search efforts inside of the Gaza Strip.
And now today, on that 844th day, some Israelis have gathered here to see, as the clock behind me is finally going to be turned off.
This has been the clock that has counted the days, the hours, the minutes and even the seconds that these hostages have spent in captivity.
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And now, in about one minute's time, this clock will finally be turned off, a recognition of the fact that not only have all of the hostages, alive and
dead, come out of Gaza, who were taken on October 7th, 2023, but also that this is the first time since 2014 that there are no Israeli hostages inside
the Gaza Strip.
And this is obviously an enormous moment for the public here in Israel, which has known the names of almost every single hostage by heart, who have
come to hold those hostages in their thoughts and prayers over the course of the last two-plus years.
And finally, now a moment of closure, not only for Ran Gvili's family but also for so many Israelis here, as this country now closes the page on one
of the darkest chapters in its history.
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DIAMOND: And you can see the clock has now stopped at a fixed point. It hasn't gone off yet completely. But Becky, this clock has stopped ticking
844 days after October 7th.
ANDERSON: And can you just describe the atmosphere?
DIAMOND: Well, listen, a lot of people over the last 24 hours have been overjoyed, of course, by the fact that Ran Gvili's body was finally
returned.
We have seen so many Israelis, from politicians, the president of the country, to regular citizens everywhere, taking off those yellow pins that
came to symbolize the fight for those hostages' release.
And a lot of Israelis also saying the shehecheyanu blessing, which is a Jewish blessing, made at moments to express gratitude for arriving at a
very special moment.
And indeed, many Israelis said the shehecheyanu blessing to express their gratitude for arriving at a moment where all of the hostages taken on
October 7th and also all of the hostages previously taken as well have now been returned to Israel. No more Israeli hostages inside the Gaza Strip.
A huge sigh of relief for people in this country. And now, of course, Becky, our attention turns to what will happen next inside of Gaza, because
we do expect that that Rafah crossing is supposed to open, in part, thanks to the fact that the Israelis can no longer object by claiming that there
are still deceased hostages in Gaza.
That crossing was supposed to have opened months ago. We do expect that it will open later this week, although we still don't have specific
information about the timing of the opening of that crossing, which will finally allow Palestinians to go out of Gaza into Egypt.
But also those who have been outside of Gaza to be able to perhaps return home to their families.
Another request that's being made by Gaza's civil defense, the primary rescue agency there, is that Israel finally allow heavy machinery into the
Gaza Strip as well, in order to allow the thousands of bodies of Palestinians that are believed to still be buried beneath the rubble of
Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.
To also have those bodies be recovered and offered a proper burial, in the same way that the deceased Israeli hostages have now all gotten that
opportunity.
ANDERSON: A symbolic moment there, in what's known as Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. Jeremy. Thank you.
Well, all across the world, people are lighting candles and saying prayers on this International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This is also the 81st
anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the most notorious of the Third Reich's death camps.
More than 6 million Jewish men, women and children were murdered during the Holocaust. You are looking at live pictures of the official commemoration,
underway near the ruins of gas chamber 4 at Auschwitz.
Well, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. There is a lot more news ahead. Stay with
us.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me. Becky Anderson. These are your headlines this hour.
And a Minnesota judge has ordered the acting ICE director to appear in court. The judge wants Todd Lyons to explain why he should not be held in
contempt for violating a judge's order in the case of a man -- excuse me -- challenging his detention.
It's happening amid the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and the growing criticism after ICE agents killed Alex Pretti over the weekend.
At least two people were killed in a Russian drone attack on Ukraine's Odessa region. A local official says 23 others were injured, including two
children and a pregnant woman. This comes just days after trilateral talks between the U.S., Ukraine and Russia that the Ukrainian president described
as constructive.
I want to take a little break and -- take a break and see if I can just get rid of this frog in my throat. Back after this.
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ANDERSON: Well, NATO's chief has a warning for Europe: you can't defend yourselves without U.S. support. Mark Rutte made the comments to the
European Parliament on Monday. Well, CNN's senior international correspondent Melissa Bell is live in Paris.
Tell us more about Russia's message to members of the European Parliament.
I mean, is he facing any backlash for this at this point?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Does appear to have struck a chord. I can remember that at, for the last week, even going back
to Davos, there is something about the way Mark Rutte handles the relationship with Donald Trump that has raised eyebrows.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: All right. We're having some technical difficulties with Melissa's -- with Melissa's microphone. Apologies for that. I am going to
try and get back to her.
Before we do that, let me get you to a report from my colleague, Jim Sciutto, in Japan, a country which says it is facing a growing threat from
regional -- from regional adversaries and that has the Japanese armed forces ramping up their exercises.
[10:45:00]
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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At Camp Asaka in Tokyo, Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force troops are in
training to defend their country. This is the SDF's 1st Division. The force is responsible for protecting the capital in the event of an attack.
At nearby Camp Nerima, Colonel Daisuke Shinobe, commanding officer of the 1st Infantry Regiment of the 1st Division, tells me the potential threats
come from multiple directions.
COL. DAISUKE SHINOBE, COMMANDING OFFICER, JAPAN GROUND SELF-DEFENSE FORCE (through translator): Not only China but also Russia and North Korea. We
are surrounded by threats from three nations. The Japanese government recognizes that the current security environment is the most severe since
the Second World War.
SCIUTTO (voice-over): Japan's new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, made that clear in public comments soon after her election in October, stating
that Japan would consider a Chinese attack on Taiwan as an existential crisis. In effect, an attack on Japan itself.
SANAE TAKAICHI, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): If China were to deploy battleships and involve the use of force, I believe this
could be deemed a situation threatening Japan's survival.
SCIUTTO (voice-over): Those words enraged Beijing, which condemned them as crossing a red line for China and soon imposed new sanctions on exports of
dual-use technologies to Japan and trimmed Chinese imports.
But the standoff did nothing to dent Takaichi's popularity. She just called snap elections, betting she can expand her majority in parliament. After
decades of being largely defined by limitations to its role and its size, the SDF is gaining confidence and support as well.
SHINOBE (through translator): As threats from neighboring countries are increasing, the Japanese public's understanding and awareness of national
defense are growing. And this is supporting us in the self- defense forces.
SCIUTTO: Like in Taiwan, it was Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine that led once distant fears of Chinese aggression in the region into a more
believable threat. And that has led many here to call not just for more resources for Japan's military but also the possibility of an expanded
mission.
SCIUTTO (voice-over): One growing concern and potential flashpoint, the Senkaku Islands, claimed by both Japan and China, where they are known as
the Diaoyu.
Following a playbook Beijing has employed in the South China Sea with the Spratly Islands and on islands close to the Philippines, Chinese vessels
frequently conduct operations and harass Japanese ships there.
To Japanese military commanders, the danger of escalation now requires training on multiple fronts.
SHINOBE (through translator): Training involves not only countering strong opposing forces but also responding to complex situations such as satellite
surveillance, cyber attacks, electromagnetic attacks and intelligence gathering by drones.
SCIUTTO (voice-over): An expanding mission for the Japanese military at an increasingly harrowing time -- Jim Sciutto, CNN, at Camp Nerima, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, NATO's chief has a warning for Europe. You can't defend yourselves without U.S. support. He made those comments to the European
Parliament on Monday. Let's get you back to Paris and see if we fixed Melissa Bell's mic, which I believe we have.
Mark Rutte, who I think is still a European, suggesting to Europe's parliamentarians on Monday that you -- he says you can't defend yourselves
without U.S. support.
How did that message go down in Brussels?
BELL: Pretty poorly, Becky. Pretty poorly as you'd expect. This is, after all, the secretary general who has surprised a lot of people, specifically
here in Europe, not just by the nature of his relationship with Donald Trump, the substance of it but the form.
The text messages that were released by the American president in which he referred to him as daddy, there have been a number of moments when his
sycophancy has really irked Europeans. So when he had this to say to the European Parliament yesterday, you can imagine that he hit a sore spot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: So when President Trump is doing good stuff, I will praise him. And I don't mind him publishing text messages.
And if anyone thinks here again that the European Union or Europe as a whole can defend itself without the U.S., keep on dreaming. You can't, we
can't. We need each other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: Now that then elicited a lot of replies on social media. People like the French defense minister, foreign minister, as well a number of other
European officials really outraged at what he had to say.
Because the idea is not so much that they intend to go it alone at the expense of NATO but has always been and appears to be the position of
Washington and European capitals that it is important, even as NATO continues those important relationships, that Europeans gain in
independence.
[10:50:07]
Really what we heard Mark Rutte say yesterday was that the idea of a European army was a nonstarter, really not really worth thinking about,
suggesting that the nuclear capability would take to build up was way beyond their means.
So a great deal of outrage expressed. In fact, you heard from Charles Michel, the former president of the European Council, Becky, a pretty
pointed message explaining that what we needed now was not sycophancy and cozying up to Americans.
On the contrary, a great more independence and resilience and that, after all, Donald Trump was certainly not his daddy.
ANDERSON: That outrage perhaps won't surprise anybody who's been watching this story develop from effectively Munich last year, which is nearly a
year ago now. The Munich Security Council, which was such a moment in time for the NATO and for the European-U.S. relationship when it comes to NATO.
Look, I think it is worth pointing out, though, that there are, you know, there is a school of thought that says that NATO chief has actually quite
successfully helped ease what were clearly strained tensions between the alliance and the Trump administration.
And it's not just Donald Trump we're talking about here. We're talking about JD Vance. We're talking about Marco Rubio. We're talking about the
Defense Secretary.
And where do European nations stand at this point?
BELL: I think there is a recognition also beyond the feathers that he ruffled yesterday with those remarks that surprised many in the European
Parliament.
There is generally, I think, a recognition that he is in a very difficult job, faced with a very difficult administration at a particularly awkward
time and that a secretary general of NATO, his job is not to get the backs up of allies but rather to have them work together.
And specifically the founding and arguably most important member of that organization. And also, to your question on Greenland, I think there is a
great deal of recognition that his very close relationship with the American president did allow what had seemed a fairly explosive and
intractable situation to be resolved.
In fact, we also heard from him yesterday in front of the European Parliament on that question. These two tracks will now go ahead that appear
to have defused the situation. One, NATO will be looking at beefing up its Arctic security.
And we know that trilateral talks with the Greenland, Danish leaders and American leaders should now allow them to progress on the idea of some kind
of deal. And clearly he was behind that situation becoming something that could be resolved. Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, Melissa. Thank you.
Melissa's in Paris time. There it's just after 4:50. Just after 7:50 here in Abu Dhabi.
"CNN CREATORS" joined a group of professional skydivers attempting to complete a world first, threading the needle of the world's tallest hotel.
CNN's Bijan Hosseini has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is 6 am and we just arrived to Skydive Dubai, where inside, there are five of some of the bravest people
in the city.
And they're attempting to do one of the most precise and craziest stunts ever performed in Dubai. They're planning to fly through this hole at the
top of the world's tallest hotel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So in the next five minutes, I reckon we should start gearing up.
HOSSEINI: You've done some crazy stunts here in Dubai. You've base jumped off the Burj. You've flown through buildings before. How does this compare
to your past jumps?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So they're all different. They're all unique, I guess. This one is cool, because it's, like, right here. And as we saw the
building getting built, we saw that this hole was appearing. And it was like, man, we have to fly through that.
SIMON WHITTLE, PROFESSIONAL SKYDIVER: We've been talking about this for months and months. We've all been wingsuiting for years to get up to the
kind of level where this is achievable.
So you could say our preparation started five, 10 years ago. I've been jumping for 20 years.
But yes, as the date comes closer, you do more and more practice jumps. And we've probably put in at least 40 or 50 specific practice jumps for this
situation. Lots of talking, lots of planning.
HOSSEINI: All right. So they've just taken off. They're going to head to about 6,000 feet. It should take them around 10 minutes. And then we'll see
them jump out. And they'll thread the needle.
How do you prepare a jump like this mentally and physically?
Well, the preparation started years and years ago. Obviously, I've been skydiving for, like, 20 years. I've been base jumping for 9 or 10 years.
So for the approach, we're just trying to fly it smooth and controlled, so that the team can fly together. And we practiced that a few times just from
skydiving.
[10:55:00]
So jumping out the plane up high, we get together, we fly, we kind of simulate how many seconds we're going to fly straight when the turn comes,
when the dive at the building comes, just so that that's second nature. Pretty much.
HOSSEINI: Nick just dived down. He's about to go through. And there they go. My gosh. Oh, my.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was cool. It was a flying through the glass. You know, having the -- the reflection. It's like flying through a narcissistic
funhouse. So it was great for us.
HOSSEINI: How many jumps have you done.?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Skydives, over 20,000. And probably about 3,000 base jumps.
HOSSEINI: Does it ever -- does it ever get boring?
Does it lose that feeling of --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. We don't get to fly through a building every day. So no.
HOSSEINI: How do you top this one?
WHITTLE: Well, I'm not sure, to be honest. I mean, Skydive Dubai always comes up with cool stuff, so let's see. But this is definitely one of the
highlights so far for me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Highlights. Amazing.
That's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next
END
