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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Prime Minister Keir Starmer Speaks Out As Trump's Tariffs Threaten NATO Allies; At Least, 39 Killed After Two Trains Crash in Spain; About 1,500 Troops on Standby for Possible Deployment to Minnesota. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired January 19, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

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JOSH LIPSKY, CHAIR, INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: I think it's already volatile right now. And I think the President seeing that, and if he sees Europe escalate could threaten it even more than we're already seeing the 10 percent. It reminds me of the tit-for-tat we got into with China in the Spring, if you remember that in the trade wars last year.

And right now, we're on that course. That doesn't mean we can't find offense, but they're increasingly hard to see at the moment.

RAHEL SOLOMON, ANCHOR, EARLY START: Yes, I mean, you know, Josh, I saw over the weekend some comments from Republican lawmakers who sort of downplayed these threats from Trump, and said, look, this is art of the deal, this is the beginning of a negotiation. I'm curious if you see it that way, too.

LIPSKY: I don't. Because the question I have is, what's the deal? In the trade situations last year, you really understood that Trump was threatening tariffs. He would lower tariffs, for example, on the U.K. in return for them dropping tariffs and investments in the U.S.

Same with the EU. These were the deals that were struck all over the world. But what is the deal with Greenland? Denmark and Europe are not giving away Greenland. They have been completely clear on that point. The President, on the other hand, has been completely clear.

He wants it, no questions asked. So, this to me is why it's different and much harder to say this is just Trump negotiating. I don't see the space between them now. It may be created. We may find it perhaps this week in Davos, where many of them will be here in person meeting.

But it's a different kind of crisis than the ones we've experienced so far in the second Trump administration.

SOLOMON: I mean, is Keir Starmer, the person who might be able to find it? I mean, he has had success with Trump in the past. Diplomatically, he seems to think that he might be able to reach some sort of agreement here.

LIPSKY: Well, I think you could see in that press conference, he was trying to position himself between the U.S. and the EU as the person who could broker this deal. But I also noted from him a sense of uncertainty of what that deal would look like. He said he spoke to the President.

He said he didn't think there would be military action. He said he didn't want to threaten U.K. tariffs. But I didn't hear what the offer would be. I think he wants to play that role, but it also requires the President wanting him to play that role. And that's a very open question in my mind right now.

SOLOMON: Yes, Josh, I know I have to let you go, but before I do, give me a sense of what the chatter is like on the ground there in Davos. I mean, I imagine this has to be the thing that everybody is talking about.

LIPSKY: This is dominating the conversation since the time I arrived yesterday. Everyone's awaiting the President's arrival Wednesday. There's hope that this can be a forum because the leaders are here to actually come together. You know, everyone at Davos thinks when they're here, this is the most important place to be in the world.

This week, they may actually be right given the stakes and given the leaders who will be on the ground. But there's also a lot of anxiety in the air. There's no doubt about that. Because for all the talk about multilateralism and international cooperation, we are seeing a fracturing between the world's most important economic and military alliance, unlike any we've seen in recent history.

SOLOMON: Yes, real questions about what that alliance looks like after, you know, after this is all said and done. Josh Lipsky, we appreciate you being with us in Davos there. Thank you.

LIPSKY: Thank you.

SOLOMON: All right, let's continue the conversation. Joining us now live from Paris is CNN senior international correspondent Melissa Bell. Melissa, give us your sense of what you heard there, and also, what we've heard from French President Emmanuel Macron, who has also made some pretty strong comments over the weekend in response to these threats.

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I mean, just picking up on the conversation you were just having there with Josh in Davos. There has been this tremendous outrage expressed by European leaders not longer than a few moments ago by Keir Starmer.

We'll listen to that in just a moment. And what has emerged from what we're hearing both officially, the statements that have been made, that have been put out, are things that have been said openly. And what we're hearing about what might come out of this meeting that took place between European leaders yesterday in response to this tariff threat, is a great deal of unity and determination to stand firm and push back through -- in the shape we will hear more specifically, exactly what the commission is announcing.

But we understand that in retaliation to these threats of tariffs, 10 percent going up to 25 percent, and on top of already what Europeans are facing since that deal was struck at the end of last year. So, we're expecting the European Union to be looking at a couple of different ways that it might act, Rahel.

Either through this anti-coercion tool or through the unfreezing of the retaliatory tariffs that had been set aside and frozen back at the time when a deal was struck with Washington last year over the framework for those tariffs and what they might look like.

So, a lot hangs in the balance. But certainly, I think what we can expect from the commission today is some pretty tough action aimed at protecting the European Union and standing firm around Denmark when it comes to Greenland. Have a listen to what the British Prime Minister had to say just a short while ago when asked about this latest threat of tariffs.

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KEIR STARMER, PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: On Greenland, the right way to approach an issue of this seriousness is through calm discussion between allies. And let's be clear, the security of Greenland matters, and it will matter more as climate change reshapes the Arctic as sea routes open and strategic competition intensifies because it goes to the heart of how stable and trusted international cooperation works.

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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: British Prime Minister also spoke there of the fact that using tariffs to try and pressure Europe on this question was a mistake. That was not -- he explained how allies function. So, I think what you're going to see is the European Union try very strongly today to counter those threats in a way that will make the American President see reason.

We've also heard over the course of the last few hours, Rahel, about this quite extraordinary letter that President Trump sent to the Prime Minister of Greenland, explaining his rationale for wanting now to take control of the Arctic island. Explaining that having been snubbed for the Nobel Peace Prize, peace was no longer the priority that it had been, and after all, it had only been a question of a few boats arriving there in the last few centuries that had led to European claims on Greenland.

There had, he explained in his letter, also been American boats, and it was time to reclaim it for the United States. So, quite an extraordinary series of events over the course of this weekend, Rahel.

SOLOMON: Extraordinary, certainly, one way to put it. Our Melissa Bell live for us there in Paris. Thank you. Well, there has been an outpouring of grief across Spain following a deadly high speed train crash. At least, 39 people were killed. When officials say that the rear three carriages of a train derailed and crashed into the front of a second train that was traveling in the opposite direction.

It's one of the country's worst rail disasters in more than a decade. Firefighters, police and military emergency units were sent to help passengers, many of whom remained trapped for hours after the crash. Journalist Atika Shubert joins us now from Spain.

Atika, what's the latest that's coming from the ground there, both in terms of anyone who may have been trapped, and, of course, the death toll.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been painstaking work to try and get those that were trapped inside. Dozens were killed, brought to an end and many more injured, brought to nearby hospitals. There's been centers set up in Ademuz, but also Huelva and Cordoba to try and bring in these people.

What we do know is that the Minister of Transportation, Oscar Puente, is on the scene at the moment, and we've seen some new video coming in from La Guardia Civil showing the extent of the crash. And you can see the trains have just -- not only did they collide in together, but they sort of fell apart on the tracks there off of an embankment.

And that's what made it particularly difficult to get people out. They're trying to figure out what caused this crash. The -- an investigation has been opened. What's unusual here is that both trains are running on straight tracks. There was no bend, no curve in the rail that might have caused this kind of derailment.

So, it's a mystery at this point. The Italian train operator, Italo, which was operating the train that initially derailed, is doing their own investigation, and they have just put out a statement saying that the train was purchased in 2022, and had a recent check in January 15th.

So, this is all -- and seemed to have passed its checks. So, nobody knows what technically went wrong here, and it could be some time before we find out.

SOLOMON: OK, Atika Shubert reporting for us there in Valencia, Spain. Atika, thank you. The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active duty soldiers to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota. Demonstrators -- demonstrations have continued throughout the weekend.

Meanwhile, thousands of federal officers have been conducting immigration raids and arresting people throughout Minneapolis. The Pentagon's decision raising tensions even higher. In a statement, Minnesota's National Guard says that it is staged and ready to support local law enforcement and protecting life, property and, quote, "the right of all Minnesotans to assemble peacefully."

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, condemning the possible deployment of active duty soldiers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR JACOB FREY, MINNESOTA, MINNEAPOLIS: This act was clearly designed to intimidate the people of Minneapolis. And here's the thing. We're not going to be intimidated. If the goal here is safety, we've got many mechanisms to achieve safety.

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And the best way to get safety is not to have an influx of even more agents, and in this case, military in Minneapolis.

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SOLOMON: CNN's Betsy Klein has more.

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BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER (on camera): What we know now is that the Pentagon has ordered 1,500 U.S. soldiers to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota. Those troops include two battalions from Alaska. What we don't know at this stage is what tasks those U.S. soldiers would be asked to perform.

But according to one U.S. defense official, it could include crowd control and other efforts to assist in supporting law enforcement on the ground in the Minneapolis area. President Trump has raised the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act.

I'll remind you, that is that centuries old law that enables a President to deploy U.S. troops domestically. And we heard on Sunday from deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, he said that there may come a time when that is needed. And President Trump has the full support of the Justice Department.

Multiple officials, however, stressed that this does not mean that a deployment is imminent or even guaranteed. But we do know that the White House and Trump administration more broadly, is monitoring the protests in Minneapolis very closely.

And they have a range of options prepared for President Trump, depending on how he decides to proceed. Now, all of this comes as the Trump administration has surged federal resources to Minneapolis. That includes personnel from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as other federal personnel and a small number of FBI agents.

We are seeing this immigration crackdown at the same time that protests are intensifying in the Minneapolis area after an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Good. But I want you to listen to how acting ICE Director Todd Lyons described the role that these supplemental agents are playing.

TODD LYONS, ACTING ICE DIRECTOR: You hear about the 3,000 federal officers and special agents that deployed to Minneapolis. Majority of those, if not most, are to protect the men and women that are out there trying to make those arrests. And that has definitely changed our tactics, where we would go and

have 5 to 6 officers on an arrest team. Now, you have to go with 10 to 15 just to protect those individuals that are trying to arrest a bad guy.

KLEIN: Now, Lyons comments come after a federal judge ruled on Friday that agents cannot deploy certain crowd control measures against peaceful protesters or arrest them. Of course, the White House monitoring the situation very closely. Betsy Klein, CNN, traveling with the President in West Palm Beach, Florida.

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SOLOMON: Still ahead for us, Iran warns the U.S. that any aggression toward its supreme leader will be taken as a sign of all-out war. We'll have the latest on the escalating tensions after the break. Also, more American troops withdraw from Iraq. Up ahead, where U.S. service members can still be found in the region. We'll be right back.

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SOLOMON: Welcome back. Iran's President warns the U.S. that any aggression directed towards its supreme leader will be seen as a declaration of, quote, "all-out war against Iran". That warning comes after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that Iran look for new leadership different from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The supreme leader called Trump a criminal over his support of recent anti-government protests in Iran. One human rights group reports that more than 3,600 demonstrators have been killed in the last three weeks. Let's get to CNN's Nada Bashir following this story for us from London. Nada, let's just start with what's the latest in terms of what we know on the ground there in Iran.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, it is still very difficult to get a full sense of what is unfolding inside Iran. Iran is still under a near-total internet and communications blackout. We've just had an update in the last hour from the monitoring group Netblocks, which has said that for the 12th day now, metrics show that national connectivity in Iran remains minimal.

And while there have been some breaks in connectivity, some individuals have been able to reach outside of Iran via landlines, some via Starlink satellite connections. Some have had minimal access to the internet. It is very difficult to really get a full grasp of what is happening.

We have heard some testimonies of the violence that has unfolded over the last few days. We have seen some video showing the scale and impact of the violent crackdown by the security forces, including hospitals, overrun testimonies from doctors describing the nonstop surgeries that they've had to perform on protesters who have been shot by live ammunition while they were demonstrating. And of course, we have seen the distressing videos of morgues overrun

with the bodies of victims as family members struggle to identify their loved ones. And that is the picture that we are seeing and getting with the small fragments of information that are making their way out of Iran.

And of course, as you mentioned, a U.S.-based human rights organization has put the death toll at this stage at over 3,600 people since protests began, some 24,000 others are said to have been detained. And of course, it's very difficult to independently verify these figures, given the restrictions on access to Iran at this current point in time.

But we do get a sense clearly of the scale of the brutality unfolding at the hands of the Iranian security forces. And what we've been hearing somewhat from demonstrators is that protests have waned over the last few days, there have been more tighter restrictions enforced by security forces who are present on the ground across different neighborhoods.

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These protests, of course, important to note, had spread across every province of Iran. Now, some residents in Tehran tell us there is some sort of curfew in place after 8:00 p.m., preventing them from moving between neighborhoods. And that is the picture right now. And of course, the Iranian regime is trying to push forward a different narrative.

We've heard strong remarks, firm remarks from the Iranian leadership, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, accusing both the United States and Israel of being behind these protests, of instigating these protests. Of course, the U.S., as you mentioned, has also taken a firm line.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said it is time for Iran to look for new leadership. That is certainly what the protesters are calling for. But whether these protests will be successful in that core, of course, is unclear.

SOLOMON: OK, our Nada Bashir for us there in London. Nada, thank you. The U.S. has completely withdrawn all of its forces from military facilities within Iraq's federal territory. Iraq's Defense Ministry announced the troop withdrawal on Sunday, noting the final contingent of U.S. advisors had departed Al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq after more than two decades.

U.S. troops still remain in the Kurdish region and northern Iraq, Iraq's central government does not have full control over the region. Still ahead, Prince Harry is suing the publisher of "The Daily Mail" over alleged privacy breaches. Coming up, we'll take you to London as the first day of the trial gets underway. We'll be right back.

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[05:25:00] SOLOMON: Welcome back. Prince Harry's high stakes privacy trial will

be officially underway any moment now. The British royal is at London's high court, joined by six others, including musician Elton John. They're accusing "daily Mail" publisher associated newspapers of unlawful information gathering.

The case includes phone hacking and using deception to obtain personal records. The newspaper group has denied all accusations. For more on this, let's welcome in CNN's Salma Abdelaziz, who is following this in London. So, Salma, let's just start with laying out the allegations here. What is alleged in this case?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, and we understand Prince Harry is already inside for the first day of what is going to be a major legal showdown. This battle pits Prince Harry alongside six of Britain's most famous celebrities, and they are battling, as you said, the publisher of Britain's bestselling newspaper, "The Daily Mail".

Now, over the course of the next nine weeks, this group, including these plaintiffs, are expected to testify against "The Daily Mail". Prince Harry, according to a timetable, should be testifying on Thursday. What are the allegations? What are they accusing this publisher of?

Well, they say that it engaged in criminal activity to violate their privacy and obtain information about them unlawfully. They accused this publisher of tapping their homes and their cars, of hiring private investigators to follow them, of paying corrupt cops, of impersonating and deceiving in order to obtain medical records.

Now, as you mentioned, "ANL" now, the publisher of "The Daily Mail", has denied these accusations outright. It calls them lurid claims and says they are simply preposterous. But for Prince Harry, this is a battle of principle. He has had a longstanding issue with the tabloids.

In fact, this is the third time that he has taken legal action against British tabloids just in recent years. And he's blamed the tabloids in the past for what he believes is a role in his mother, Princess Diana's death. So, for him, this is about reputation. This is about principle, and get the estimated legal cost here, $53.5 million on the line in this case.

SOLOMON: And Salma, as you point out, I mean, there is obviously a documented relationship, negative relationship between Prince Harry and the press. Was there something specific that "The Daily Mail" published that triggered this lawsuit?

ABDELAZIZ: This is a historic lawsuit. So, you're talking about a chunk of time, I believe it's between 1993 to 2001. So, you're talking about a chunk of time. And as I mentioned, this case, they originally sued the publisher of "The Daily Mail" in 2022. So, this has been a long, drawn-out battle just to bring it to the courts in the first place. In 2023, a high court ruled that, yes, these plaintiffs did have a prospect of proving wrongdoing in the case of the "ANL". In the case of the publisher, "ANL". And that judge ruled that they could go ahead to this court. So, it's not simply one thing. It is a manner of wrongdoing across a historic period of time.

They say -- these plaintiffs say that "ANL", the publisher of "The Daily Mail", actually withheld information which caused them to delay actually being able to get this case to court.

And a lot of what we're going to hear is absolutely going to be shocking over the course of this -- of the next nine weeks when we're speaking about, again, some of Britain's most famous celebrities, like Elton John, talking about their privacy being violated, or Prince Harry's privacy being violated in the manner that they are accusing "The Daily Mail" of doing.

SOLOMON: A lot of what we hear, but also what might we see, Salma, over the course of this trial, in terms of evidence that may -- that may be produced?

ABDELAZIZ: Well, again, this has been a longstanding battle. So, you had years here of wrongdoing that has been collected. You have, again, eight of Britain's most famous faces, most famous celebrities who are backing Prince Harry in this. And for him, yes, there are huge legal costs at stake here.

As I mentioned, $53.5 million. But this is going to be about proving.