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Isa Soares Tonight
Starmer Slams Trump After NATO Allies Staying Off Frontlines In Afghanistan Comment; U.S., Russia And Ukraine Meet In Abu Dhabi For Peace Talks; Millions Of Americans Brace For Major Winter Storm With Life- Threatening Conditions Expected Across Much Of The U.S.; Allies Outraged Over Trump's Comments On NATO Troops; More Than Half Of The U.S. Facing Down A Monster Winter Storm; Ice Hockey Romance Becomes Global Phenomenon; Free Solo Climber To Attempt Death-Defying Climb. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired January 23, 2026 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, appalling and insulting. The British
Prime Minister slamming Donald Trump after the U.S. President says NATO allies stayed off the frontlines in Afghanistan.
We will have one more on yet another rift, of course, between the U.S. and Europe. Then Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. are meeting for talks in Abu
Dhabi for the first known time since Russia invaded Ukraine almost four years ago. We'll have the very latest on that.
Plus, millions of Americans are bracing for a major Winter storm with life- threatening conditions expected across much of the U.S. We have that and much more ahead. But first, tonight, there is outrage in Europe this
evening over what can only be described as an insult Donald Trump has thrown at NATO.
European politicians are fuming over the U.S. President's comment that NATO troops, quote, "stayed a little back from the frontlines in Afghanistan."
Now, that comment has particularly stung right here in the U.K., which lost more than 450 troops in Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: I will never forget their courage, their bravery, and the sacrifice that they made for their country.
There are many also who were injured, some with life-changing injuries. And so, I consider President Trump's remarks to be insulting and frankly,
appalling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, among the many, other voices criticizing President Trump is Prince Harry, who served alongside British troops in Afghanistan. He said
the sacrifices of all NATO troops deserve respect. I'll have more in just - - on that in just a moment.
What the outrage over Trump's comments comes as Europe still simmering over its push to take over Greenland. The Prime Ministers of Denmark and
Greenland met today on the Arctic island. This comes as the U.S. is engaged in talks about expanded military as well as mineral rights on Greenland.
I want to go to Greenland. Our Nic Robertson, who is in the capital of Nuuk. And Nic, let me start, first of all, with those claims by President
Trump, because there's real outrage across Europe this evening over these claims, which are not only false, but insulting to so many families, of
course, who lost loved ones.
Prince Harry has commented on this. He served in Afghanistan in 2007 and 2012. Let me read part of what he had to say. Thousands of lives were
changed forever. Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters. Children were left without a parent. Families are left carrying the cost.
Those sacrifices deserved to be spoken about truthfully and with respect, as we all remain united and loyal to the defense of diplomacy and peace."
Incredibly strong words from Prince Harry at a time when Europe has really faced whiplash and NATO from President Trump this week.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, and look, I was in Afghanistan as well covering the troops deployed there. British,
Lithuanian, Polish, America and others. It wasn't just the Americans on the frontlines. That's what we saw there and seen them take casualties as well.
So, it cuts deep. You know, the more than 400 British troops that were lost in Afghanistan. There are many more who are injured and maimed, and whose
families still struggle to look after them. The Danish too. I was speaking to a Danish military commander here a couple of days ago about President
Trump's comments about NATO already, that were -- that were considered by many to be, derogatory.
And that commander said, look, he -- you know, he didn't want to get political, but he said, frankly, he was hurt by it. Denmark lost close to
50 troops in Afghanistan, 6 million people in this country, 350 million in the United States per capita.
Denmark lost more troops in Afghanistan than the United States. So, President Trump's comments like that cut deep at a time when Denmark, along
with other NATO allies, the Danish Prime Minister meeting this morning with the NATO Secretary-General speaking about strengthening security in the
Arctic.
Here she was later in the day in the Arctic region with the Greenlandic Prime Minister. But we don't know the content of their meetings, but
stepping up NATO's presence here through an increased expenditure of Denmark and other countries, that's one of the things that we understand is
happening here.
[14:05:00]
SOARES: And you've been in Nuuk, Nic, for several weeks now. You know, at the heart of when this was all kicking off, when we heard, of course,
President Trump in Davos. Is there a sense from these conversations that you're having, not just with the Prime Minister of Denmark and of
Greenland, but also people on the ground that they trust President Trump? Where are -- where are we with this Trans-Atlantic alliance right now?
ROBERTSON: There's -- I think when you talk to the people here, there's a trust deficit. They don't believe that when President Trump says he won't
attack Greenland, that, that is completely off the table. They won't believe that he isn't still trying to get sovereignty over Greenland,
perhaps by other methods.
It's a serious situation. The Danish Prime Minister said today, being pursued along political and diplomatic tracks, Greenland and Denmark in
lockstep on that, along with NATO partners. But you asked the politicians here, and they're very cautious with the language.
The Greenland Prime Minister yesterday, Jens-Frederik Nielsen to that question, said, I have to believe President Trump when he says he isn't
going to use military force here. But step outside the building, he said that and people just don't believe it.
And I think it's comments such as those about NATO troops and about the presence of a real immediate threat by Russia and China in the waters
around Greenland. People here can see from the get-go when President Trump was saying that.
That didn't match the reality of what they live here in Greenland. So, when it comes to President Trump's words matching the reality that they can
trust in. Again, it isn't there. So, I think at the moment people genuinely feel relieved. Yes, there is that sense --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBERTSON: But can all this ratchet up and come back again? It's almost -- it's almost as if the position Greenland and Denmark find themselves in
today is the same position they were in --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBERTSON: Just over a week ago when they went in -- the Foreign Ministers went in and had a meeting with Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of
State Marco Rubio inside the White House. The sort of diplomatic position seems to be, despite all that week of high rhetoric from President Trump,
to be back where they started from, waiting for talks about what's going to happen with security in this region.
SOARES: Yes, roller coaster of a week for them both. Thank you very much. Nic Robertson for us in Nuuk in Greenland. Well, we are going to have more
on the anger over President Trump's Afghanistan comments a bit later in the show. I'll be speaking to a former Pentagon official who was a leading
voice on U.S. relations with NATO.
That's about what? Twenty two minutes or so right here on the show. Well, for the first known time since the start of the war nearly four years ago,
Russian, Ukrainian and American negotiators are meeting face-to-face today. They're set for two days of talks in Abu Dhabi.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says it's too early to draw conclusions from the meetings. It is worth noting that while Kyiv has sent
its top negotiators to the UAE, Moscow has not. The talks come on the heels of a three-hour meeting between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
A Kremlin aide describes those discussions as, quote, "exceptionally substantive and constructive". But he also raised a familiar red flag,
warning that a major breakthrough is unlikely without resolving the territorial issue. Right now, Russia occupies -- and here's the question
we're talking about, the territorial issue.
About 20 percent of territory recognized under international law to be part of a sovereign Ukraine. Our Kevin Liptak is with us now from the White
House. And Kevin, we just outlined the -- where the territory issues are, because that is from both sides, the major sticking point, right?
Particularly around the Donbas area. Do we know, first of all, whether territory is being discussed at all? What are you hearing from the U.S.
administration on these -- on the latest on these talks?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I mean, heading into the talks, the territory was the discussion. You know, when you heard from Steve
Witkoff, he said that there was going to be one issue that's unresolved, that all of the sides need to sit down and hammer out.
And it was this question of the Donbas region. They do feel like all of the other aspects of this peace deal, whether it's security guarantees for
Ukraine once the war ends or financial commitments to help Ukraine rebuild, they think that those are in a good spot, essentially.
That was the 90 percent that they say is already done and squared away. It is this 10 percent that remains sort of unresolvable at this point. That is
the question of the territory. And it doesn't seem as if any of the sides at least, were heading into these talks, willing to back off their
positions.
[14:10:00]
You know, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that in order for him to cede Ukrainian territory, that it would require a referendum, a vote of the
people in that nation, and that, in order to get to that referendum, there would have to be a ceasefire.
Moscow has neither backed off any of its Maximalist demands for the territory, nor has said that it's willing to agree to a stop in the
fighting to allow a vote to go forward. So, how all of that is resolved remains to be seen, at least, from the American perspective.
They have remained somewhat agnostic in a way about where the actual map ends up once this war ends. They've just wanted to get it ended. And so,
even though you know the format of these talks, these trilateral format, which we haven't seen so far, does seem to lend a glimmer of optimism, at
least, it shows some progress however incremental it may be.
The expectations for what they were able to actually accomplish, I think were somewhat limited, and I think it was notable listening to Zelenskyy
after he met with President Trump yesterday in Davos, came out and said that it was a good talk. You know, he was pretty upbeat, which I think is
pretty notable given the way some of their previous meetings have gone.
But he said that they also discussed air defense systems, things like Patriot missile batteries, all of the armaments that Ukraine still needs to
fight this war, which I think gives an indication that even Zelenskyy at this point doesn't necessarily think that this war is ending any time soon.
SOARES: Kevin Liptak, I know you'll stay cross it for us., thank you very much indeed, live there from the White House. Well, the son-in-law of U.S.
President Donald Trump has unveiled what he calls a master plan to rebuild Gaza. It involves a coastal tourism zone along the seafront, with up to 180
skyscrapers and two urban developments, with tens of thousands of housing units, 200 schools and 75 medical facilities.
The unveiling took place just after Mr. Trump signed the charter for his controversial Board of Peace, which represents the next step in the seaside
plan agreed between Israel and Hamas in October. But many U.S. allies are not joining the board, and some don't like that Russia's Vladimir Putin has
even been invited.
President Trump has now withdrawn his invitation for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to join, as you can see there, after his speech at the
World Economic Forum in Davos. Mr. Carney said middle powers need to work together to protect themselves as a rules-based international order comes
to an end.
And I'll be discussing that speech in just a moment. But joining me now is Mary Robinson; the former first woman president of Ireland, the former
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the former chair of The Elders; an independent group of global leaders who work together for
peace, justice, human rights and sustainable planet.
Mary, wonderful to see you again. Wonderful to have you back on the show. Let me start then, with your views, your take of this master plan, this
Board of Peace that was announced by President Trump. I read that you described it as the Board of the Power of one Trump imperial idea. Expand
on that.
MARY ROBINSON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF IRELAND: Yes. It's lovely to be back on your show again. And I am amazed as what is in the charter. You know, the
Security Council did authorize a Board of Peace to oversee the United States' fashioned ceasefire in Gaza. There is no reference to the mandate
of the U.N.
There is no reference to Gaza. It is something that has been brought together very rapidly. I mean, it took four years for the U.N. itself to be
thought about and agreed by member states. This was two months. It's an instant idea of one man and one man's power, unfortunately.
And I say that because every part of the charter is about the power of the chairman. And that is, of course, President Trump. He -- you know, he has
power to invite. And we've seen his power to disinvite. He actually also has power to throw somebody out of the Peace -- Board of Peace that can be
vetoed by two-thirds of the membership.
That's the only check I've seen in the whole thing. And he decides on the subsidiary bodies. He decides on the executive committee. He decides on
everything. He decides on who will be his successor when he decides to step down. In fact, he's chair in his personal capacity. He could even continue
to be chair beyond his presidency.
It is a -- it is a power grab by an individual who now has imperial ideas. You know, he wants to exercise power because he has been elected to the
office of a powerful country.
[14:15:00[
Nobody is checking his power, and it's growing and becoming really serious because it's undermining our institutions, undermining our rule of law.
SOARES: And important to point out to our viewers with each person, each member who is invited, they have to pay. I think it's a billion dollars,
right? So, it's not just an invite. You have to --
ROBINSON: Yes --
SOARES: Write. You have to pay for this. And you're talking institution. Let me tell you what President Trump described, how he described it. He
said, Mary, he described it as one of the most consequential bodies ever created. I mean, I wonder, given what you've heard, and we've had very
little on what this means for the Palestinian people, by the way, who are - - should really be at the crux of this.
What you think -- whether you think, Mary, that he's trying to undermine the U.N. Security Council? Do you think this will undermine the work of the
U.N.?
ROBINSON: Yes, I mean, the preamble to it makes it clear that peacemaking bodies have failed, basically, and he means the U.N. But, you know, he has
been undermining the U.N. by starving it of funds, by withdrawing from the Paris Agreement. Now, other organizations, the UNFCCC and many other both
U.N. agencies and international organizations, no other country has followed him.
This is a one man show on the -- on the world stage. We're all watching, and you know, and I'm really surprised that other sovereign leaders are so
cowed. You know, this is a bully, and he's going to assert more power and more power if he's not checked. I mean, it's quite obvious.
And I think it's time. I do see that world leaders are beginning to see it. I was very pleased that Prime Minister Starmer responded --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBINSON: So -- you know, so angrily at the accusation that NATO had not done work in Afghanistan. And I mean, this is all outrageous stuff, and it
is very serious because we need the institutions. But actually, I think if people can see that President Trump is power crazy now, he's going beyond
the limits.
They must put checks on him, and they must assert collective wisdom in that, because it's not happening from his administration or his Congress.
SOARES: Yes --
ROBINSON: You know, Republican Congress, where it should be. It's quite serious.
SOARES: Yes --
ROBINSON: And it's -- and this charter is a laugh, but unfortunately, the person who devised it does have power, because he happens to be President
of the United States. But power corrupts, and he's very corrupted by the power he's exercising. I'm sorry.
SOARES: And yes, and we saw that power play or like you said, the bullying at play this week, right? It's been truly, Mary, a head-spinning week, not
just for us, but for viewers right around the world with threats of taking over Greenland, a NATO ally, contempt for allies.
You know, NATO members who have considered for so long America a friend. As a former President of Ireland, Mary, just help us make sense of what you're
seeing. And before you do that, I want to play for our viewers some of the -- some of what we've heard, not just from Prime Minister of Canada, of
course, Mark Carney, who had a really profound speech, but from other European leaders. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK CARNEY, PRESIDENT, CANADA: Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.
EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT, FRANCE: It's as well a shift towards a world without rules where international law is trampled.
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Nostalgia is part of our human story, but nostalgia will not bring back the old order.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: I mean, that Mark Carney's speech was quite something. In the midst of a rupture not a transition, the old order is not coming back. What
is the lesson there, Mary, for European leaders, for readers around the world, following what we've seen this week from leaders who really have
struggled to date to respond to this U.S. President?
ROBINSON: I think the lesson is, for the rest of the world, not just middle and small countries in coalition, but also the rest of the world.
China has not joined the Board of Peace, and I -- you know, I don't know what their thinking process is, but when they look at it, how could they
join it when every decision is a decision of one man?
I mean, no, you know, a country like China, it would be impossible, I think. But no other country has pulled out of the organizations that Trump
has pulled out of. Nobody is following in that sense. People know that this is serious for rule of law. And rule of law has been seriously damaged by
President Trump.
It's up to now the countries, especially the middle and smaller countries, as Prime Minister Carney has emphasized, to come together in an alliance
not just as governments, but as international institutions and as civil society, business.
[14:20:00]
You know, women, leadership, et cetera. And I think what is really important is to recognize we must now reform the U.N. The Elders have been
calling for that for a long --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBINSON: Time, and there are ways of doing it. Article 108 already reformed the U.N. in the 1960s and increased its membership from 11 to 15.
The current membership. And Article 109 provides for a review, a proper way of looking at the U.N. as a whole and assessing it and its relevance in
2026.
It's institutions like the Security Council date from 1945. It needs to be reviewed and reformed and strengthened. Now, the -- an Article 109
coalition, and there's an increasing interest. I would invite leaders of countries, have a look at this possibility of really reforming the U.N.
rapidly to make it fit for purpose, because it is being attacked by this nonsense.
And I call it a nonsense charter, a one man power-play charter. It should not convince any respectable head of state. I do appreciate that the heads
of state of the Middle East who have joined, have joined because they wanted to --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBINSON: Focus on Gaza. Gaza --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBINSON: Is mentioned. Gaza needs attention. And it's unfortunately, the U.K. brokered -- a U.S.-brokered peace is the only show in town. So, I
understand --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBINSON: And I want that to work as well as possible.
SOARES: Mary Robinson, always great to have you on the show, Mary, thank you very much indeed. Lovely to see you.
ROBINSON: OK, thank you.
SOARES: And still to come tonight, outrage is growing over immigration officials detaining a five-year-old in Minnesota. What ICE officials are
saying. That's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: What top U.S. immigration officials are defending, taking a preschooler into custody in Minnesota. Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and
his father are being held at an immigration detention facility in Texas after both were taken into custody by federal agents outside their home on
Tuesday. Border patrol official Greg Bovino is defending the agents' actions. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREG BOVINO, U.S. BORDER PATROL COMMANDER-AT-LARGE: Here in the U.S., border patrol, I will say unequivocally that we are experts in dealing with
children. Let me say that again, experts in dealing with children, not because we want to be, but because we have to be.
[14:25:00]
Over these past four years, hundreds of thousands of children were trafficked across that border. Guess who they came into contact with?
Sometimes who is the very first law enforcement agency or American citizen that they saw? U.S. border patrol.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And happening today, Minneapolis community leaders are expected to call for a strike to demand ICE leave Minnesota. Our Sara Sidner is in
Minneapolis with the very latest. And Sara, from what I understand, organizers are calling for economic blackout.
Give us a sense -- our viewers, a sense --
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes --
SOARES: Around the world, what we're likely to see here in terms of the protests.
SIDNER: Yes, so, the organizers of this march and rally are asking people across the entire state of Minnesota to stop spending money today, to show
their displeasure with the actions of ICE, which are being seen as extremely aggressive here in Minneapolis.
To show their displeasure for that by not shopping, by not spending their money, by taking back some control of their own economics to show their --
how angry they are over what has been happening in this community. They are also here to rally. And you will see people are coming in.
It is freezing temperatures, dangerously cold, but people are making their way here. They have signs. Many of them say ICE out. In other words, they
want the entire apparatus to leave Minneapolis. They say that is the only way that things are going to calm down.
And another thing that has riled -- of the many things, another thing that has riled folks here is what happened with a five-year-old who was
detained. You heard Greg Bovino talking about this and saying, this is what his officers do and are supposed to do, but you are getting really
conflicting reports as to exactly what happened.
On the one hand, you have DHS saying, look, ICE went to this house. They went, picked up this father, he had his son with him, five-year-old Liam
Ramos, and they ended up detaining Liam as well as his father because they said he would have been left abandoned.
That is not at all what witnesses on the ground are saying. They say the mother was in the house on the other side of the door, they were in the
driveway, they could have left the child there, though she would not come out because ICE, she was afraid, would try to detain her too while her
seventh grade child was on his way home from school.
I want you to listen to what the superintendent said after you heard the Vice President J.D. Vance, saying that this child could have frozen to
death, something that she is very aggressively disputing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZENA STENVIK, SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT, COLUMBIA HEIGHTS: I entered the home and the mother was distraught. She wanted Liam. She wanted to open the
door. And I can't even imagine as a mother myself, how conflicted she must have been, seeing -- this is what she told me, seeing her husband standing
in the driveway in handcuffs, saying, don't open the door, and also hearing her little one.
And she could see the ICE agent standing there at the door. So, I am -- I just can't imagine as a mother what she was going through. It was
heartbreaking for me to hear her, and she looked up at me and said, I don't understand what's happening. We're not criminals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: And to that end, the attorney for the father in this case says that this family -- he himself was going through the legal process of
trying to obtain asylum, came into the country from Ecuador in 2024, had all of his paperwork filled out, was going to be having a court hearing.
And so, that they were here trying to go through the legal process and end up being in the hands of ICE as well as their five-year-old. You know, the
family, as you might imagine, you can imagine this emotional toll on this five-year-old, but also on the parents, the mother there, watching all this
happen, but too afraid to come out.
And let me tell you, though, ICE was saying, look, we kept knocking on the door, saying, you know, let us in. We're not going to arrest you. There is
no trust here among the immigrant community when it comes to ICE. And some of the things that have happened here on the ground in Minneapolis, you can
imagine why.
SOARES: Yes, terrifying moment for that five-year-old little boy, Liam and his mother as well. Sara --
SIDNER: Yes --
SOARES: Appreciate it, thank you very much indeed. And still to come tonight, more fallout from Donald Trump's comments about NATO troops not
being on the frontlines in Afghanistan. I'll be speaking with a former Pentagon official who dealt with NATO during the Afghanistan occupation.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:32:32]
SOARES: And returning now to our top story. All across the NATO alliance, there is anger tonight at Donald Trump. His comments, the NATO troops
stayed away from the front lines in Afghanistan has ignited a firestorm from NATO nations. Politicians and military leaders are demanding an
apology from President Trump and reminding him that when the U.S. called on NATO for help after 9/11, NATO responded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMAN POLKO, RETIRED POLISH GENERAL (through translator): Here I believe President Trump crossed a certain red line because we shed blood for this
alliance. We truly sacrificed our own lives. Polish soldiers and special forces wrote wills before this mission. But they said no, we won't evade
our duty even if we die.
AL CARNS, ARMED FORCES MINISTER, U.K.: On Afghanistan, frankly, this is utterly ridiculous. Many courageous and honorable service personnel from
many nations fought on the front line. Many fought way beyond it. I'd served five tours in Afghanistan, many alongside my American colleagues. We
shed blood, sweat, and tears together, and not everybody came home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Some of the reaction there. Joining me now is Jim Townsen. He was the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European NATO Policy and
was in the Pentagon during the occupation of Afghanistan.
Jim, welcome to the show. Plenty for us to discuss this out, but let me start with this claim by President Trump, which as we've been hearing
throughout the day is not only false, but quite frankly incredibly insulting to so many people right -- of NATO allies across the continent.
Just your reaction to the words by President Trump. What is the reality from your vantage point?
JIM TOWNSEND, ADJUNCT SENIOR FELLOW, TRANSATLANTIC SECURITY PROGRAM: I am so angry with what he said. And I can tell you across the United States
particularly with our veterans who were there in Afghanistan, they know that's wrong. He is -- by making these statements he shows his ignorance.
He shows he is hateful and dishonorable. And I can't think of even stronger words to say.
He deserves to apologize to every nation that was in the Afghanistan operation and he needs to apologize to the American people too for being as
ignorant as he is.
SOARES: And we've heard at the top of the show from Prince Harry, of course, who served in Afghanistan. We've also heard from Prime Minister
Starmer. Look Jim, it has really provoked a strong reaction across the European continent. Let me just play what Prime Minister Starmer who looked
visibly quite angry what he had to say early. Have a listen.
[14:35:07]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, PRIME MINISTER, U.K.: I will never forget their courage, their bravery and the sacrifice that they made for their country. There are
many also who were injured, some with lifechanging injuries. And so, I consider President Trump's remarks to be insulting and frankly appalling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: I suppose the question is, Jim, at this junction where we've heard so many insults, right, this week, so many swipes at NATO, where this
leaves the transatlantic alliance, which really has suffered a blow this week.
TOWNSEND: It leaves the transatlantic alliance in shambles. It tears at the fabric of what has kept us together as an alliance, as friends. It has torn
that to pieces. We find ourselves now in the United States as Americans embarrassed by this president and realizing we have three years of him as
well. And so we are insulted too. And I think your prime minister put it perfectly. And I appreciate his anger as well as those others too. Other
heads of state and government across the alliance saying the same thing. An apology is necessary from the president.
SOARES: And President Trump who has -- we have not heard from since that he made those comments on NATO on Afghanistan, he certainly, Jim, irked a lot
of European leaders this week principally with threats not only of military force but also tariffs against Greenland. Of course, this is a NATO ally.
Representative Adam Smith had this to say. I'm just going to read it out. It's hard to unring the bell, he writes. He was willing to threaten and use
coercive power to try to take the sovereignty of another nation. It has damaged the relationship and now our partners and allies think that they'd
better have a backup plan because they can't depend on us.
And those words very similar in tone from what we heard from Prime Minister Mark Carney. If you're -- you know, if your European leaders, other allies,
what do you think they're thinking at this moment after this week?
TOWNSEND: Well, I am sure they are looking to Mark Carney as being a leader in trying to help to get the alliance out of this -- out of this bad place
where they are and trying to figure out where do we go from here in terms of whether there's a plan B as was mentioned. Is there another way in which
the European nations can salvage what they can from this relationship and can become -- can break the dependency on the United States which is
keeping them, you know, from being able to form up a strong coalition because they're dependent on the United States for security, for trade, all
these kinds of things.
This is -- it's unacceptable that our European allies have to -- have to exist under the sway of a bully, especially one as ignorant as this one.
And so, I'm hoping that the -- that the -- your prime minister, that Mark Carney in Canada, and the others can find a way to keep the alliance going
as best we can until better days can come.
SOARES: Until those better days come. Talk to us, Jim, of kind of the long term -- potential long-term effects of President Trump's aggressive
negotiating tactic, of the bullying that you've just mentioned. I mean, do they help advance in any way America's security concerns? Does it not play
into President Putin's hands and others?
TOWNSEND: I'm sure President Putin is very happy to see what's happening here. Donald Trump is doing what President Putin would love to see happen
and he doesn't even have to raise a hand to do it. We are finding in terms of U.S. security that is being undermined, certainly our security when it
comes to Europe. These kinds of tactics are chasing away friends. They're turning friends into enemies. They're isolating the United States.
And this is something that the American people are beginning to wake up to. It's -- you can see that in the poll numbers. And as we get closer to the
Midterm Elections, I think the president is going to regret a lot of the things that he's been saying.
SOARES: Jim, I really appreciate your honesty. Thank you very much for coming on. Jim Townsend there for us live from Washington. Thank you.
And still to come tonight, ice and heavy snow. Two-thirds of U.S. populations bracing for a massive winter storm as well as extreme cold.
We'll see which regions may be affected the most. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:42:13]
SOARES: Well, more than half of all Americans will experience freezing wind chills in the next week as they brace for a massive winter storm. Snow is
already falling in Texas right now. The storm will then travel all the way to New England as it tracks east through the weekend. In Chicago, school
was cancelled today due to those dangerous windchills. Look at that. More than 2100 flights have already been cancelled for Saturday.
Officials in Texas are trying to reassure everyone that the power grid is prepared this time in 2021. A winter storm knocked out power for millions
of people there for days. We'll get more from Dallas in just a moment with our Ed Lavandera. But first, I want to look at more in depth at the
forecast. Let's go to meteorologist Chris Warren.
So, Chris, for our viewers around the world, just paint us a picture of how bad it may get over the weekend here.
CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: This is close to about as bad as it gets for several states across the United States. When you look at the radar
here, the green is the rain. And this is what the air flow is doing. These little streamers that are coming across Oklahoma and into Texas, this is
that frigid arctic air that's meeting up with the moisture. And you can see already the changeover that's starting to happen. Rain turning over to
sleet. So, this is rain that's freezing on the way down. And then there's freezing rain where the rain doesn't freeze until it hits something. That's
what's going to lead to power outages that can last for days.
This pink color, this is where high-impact snow is expected. And just look how much of the U.S. is in this. You got a couple of time zones here and
this goes from Texas all the way up to New England including Boston, New York, Washington, D.C. Ice storm warnings in place as well. Even without
the snow and the ice, it is dangerously cold to be outside. Current wind chills way below zero Fahrenheit. And this cold air continues to just be
entrenched. And even after the snow and the ice fall and it dries out, it is still going to be extremely cold and a lot of people in the south
especially will not have power.
Again, the pink is the ice. That's what's going to lead to the widespread power outages. And then the purple color, this is the snow. At times,
there's going to be rain. Possibly -- to add one more thing to it, possibly some thunderstorms as well throughout parts of the South. That's just how
intense this system is going to be. But again, as it moves off, cold air moves in.
So, in some areas, we're going to get about this much snow across this whole swath right here. So this is a huge, huge footprint of snow. And then
there's the ice. This is what really scares me in terms of trying to travel. The potential, Isa, for car accidents, broken bones for slipping
and falling. But the power outages in these areas going to last for days with this much ice.
[14:45:10]
SOARES: Very bleak indeed. Please stay safe, everyone. Chris, thank you very much indeed.
Let me go to Ed Lavandera who's in Dallas where rain it is making very hard to keep roads clear ahead of the storm. And Ed, as Chris was just outlining
there at the World Weather Center, Dallas right at the heart is expected to see that rain and that ice. How are officials preparing where you are?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a lot of work kind of going in pre-positioning crews, especially road crews and
everything that needs to be in place and setting up emergency management offices and systems in place. So, we're seeing a lot of that take place
across the state. But right now, the temperatures are not hitting the freezing mark yet. And this is afternoon traffic here in Dallas.
It's been raining and kind of misty throughout much of the day, so you can see already the roadway is very slick. And underneath those bridges over
there, we've seen crews where they've prepositioned. Piles of sand and dirt that the crews can spread out on the on the roadways to help cars keep
their traction. But it is going to be a brutally long weekend here especially in Texas because just north of where we are is going to be the
line where the snow stops falling and it converts to ice. So, there's going to be a massive stretch of area here in the in the U.S. that is going to be
blanketed in ice.
And even though the governor of Texas -- you remember about five years ago, there was a huge ice storm that essentially crippled and shut down much of
the state's electrical grid causing hundreds of deaths and also leaving people in the dark at the most vulnerable of times. The governor of Texas
insists that the power grid has never been stronger. But despite that, because of this ice, the ice is going to sit on trees and power lines going
to come down. There's a real risk that we could see some widespread power outages. And that is, of course, a great deal of concern for many residents
here in the state.
So, right now people taking the last hours before the rain and the snowstorm starts up and ice storm starts coming through or the temperatures
drop below freezing, and it will be several days before the temperatures get back up above freezing for that ice to melt. So, there could be places
where you see, you know, several inches of ice blanketing the roadways and neighborhoods all across this part of Texas and Oklahoma as well.
SOARES: Ed, thank you very much. Stay warm. Stay safe, everyone. Thank you, Ed.
And still to come right here on the show, the book turned TV series that's become an unexpected smash hit for its rare portrayal of homosexuality in
male sport. How Heated Rivalry caught the world's attention. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:29]
SOARES: Well, next, we want to delve into the world of ice hockey, or more specifically, Heated Rivalry. It's a TV romance that's become a global
phenomenon for its sizzling storylines and its rare depiction of homosexuality in male sport. Let's have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Canada and Russia final showcasing the two most talked about prospects in the world. Canada's Shane Hollander.
HUDSON WILLIAMS, ACTOR PLAYING SHANE HOLLANDER: Shane Hollander, I wanted to introduce myself.
CONNOR STORRIE, ACTOR PLAYING ILYA ROZANOV: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Russia's Ilya Rozanov.
WILLIAMS: You're an awesome player to watch.
STORRIE: Yes.
You're very good at hockey.
WILLIAMS: The best probably.
STORRIE: Will we be seeing each other a lot?
WILLIAMS: Yes, Boston and Montreal play against each other often.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, the show tells a story of two men's hockey players who compete -- whose competition on the ice gradually turns to romance. It's
currently streaming on HBO Max, CNN's parenting company. Now, the unexpected mega hit has sparked a meteoric rise to fame for its leading
men, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. Both of whom have just been named Torchbearers, by the way, for upcoming Winter Olympics.
And the series is based on a book by the same name by author Rachel Reid. Joining me now is Sarah Maxwell, the owner of London's first romance
bookstore, Saucy Books. Sarah, great to see you live there from London, from inside your bookstore, which I recognize very, very well.
I understand from Julia, our producer, she was telling me that you hosted Sarah, a viewing of Heated Rivalry. I think you had something like 200
people or so. What is it about this book and this series that you think that speaks for a wider audience?
SARAH MAXWELL, OWNER AND FOUNDER, SAUCY BOOKS: That's right. We hosted a viewing party for almost 300 people when it came out on the 10th in London.
The FOMO was very real here because we got a little bit late compared to the States. But I think that the romance and the slow burn relationship
that plays out over like a series of years is what really drives people and resonates with them. They just can't get enough of Shane and Ilya.
SOARES: But what exactly, Sarah, is it about, you know, rivalry that is more exciting this series than the traditional romance?
MAXWELL: I think that the this is a unique experience where the players are well matched in that they're like, you know, equal in terms of talent,
gender, and in investment in their relationship. And so, seeing that equality play out on screen and that chemistry between the two of them just
was something we haven't really seen before. And it -- for whatever reason, you know, they do such a good job with it and we love the storyline.
The thought that they actually aren't actually rivals and have never been, but they're positioned that way because of their careers, you know, it's
really fun.
SOARES: I remember the conversation that you and I had last summer, I mean, I visited your store. We were talking about the rise of romance novels. And
I remember you telling me about the a rise in hockey smut literature, if I can call it that. For viewers new to this, Sarah, what makes hockey romance
different from other sports kind of -- other love stories? Because hockey is not necessarily a sport that many of us know or recognize on this side
of the pond, right?
MAXWELL: I know. It came out of Canada, so we have to give credit to the Canadian authors where hockey is extremely popular there. And they invented
this subgenre of hockey. In fact, I've had a whole dedicated area to the store. I had a steam room back in September that was only hockey romances
because there's so many of them. I think the athletes are so hyper masculine and it's just a sport that nobody really has access to that
there's something about creating a storyline and romance within, you know, these players that are really burly and sort of intense on the rank but
then maybe have like a softer side of them when they're off and that really appeals to readers. It definitely, you know, you gets things going in terms
of your imagination.
SOARES: Are you surprised, Sarah, at all by how successful the series has been? And you know, picking up off that, why is it that this series by
Rachel Reid, you know, was turned into a TV series and why not others, you think? Why is it adapted so well?
MAXWELL: So well. I think it really just speaks to the team behind the show. You know, the showrunner Jacob Tierney loved the series himself and
felt really compelled to bring it to the screen in such a wonderful way. And so, everybody that was a part of the project, the intentionality around
being true to the books and showing this strong chemistry, you know, it was all there. It's a project from like the heart. And I think that that really
shows on the screen.
We will see other shows adapted. I know that a couple of the other streamers have picked up ice hockey romances, so we'll see them probably
later this year, if not next. So, it will continue to grow, but it is really fun that this is the first one. And I think it's just because Jacob
himself was really interested in the series and Rachel wrote a lovely series of six books that there's tons of characters to go off of. So, it
makes it a really fun TV show because you get to watch all these different dynamics.
[14:55:25]
SOARES: Sarah, I really appreciate you coming on the show. Great to see you again.
MAXWELL: You too.
SOARES: The owner and founder of Saucy Books. Thanks Sarah. I appreciate it.
And finally tonight, Alex Honnold, the world-renowned free solo climber, is preparing for his biggest challenge yet. The American is attempting a
record-setting ascent of the tallest building in Taiwan. Also one of the tallest buildings, by the way, in the world. Honnold will be the first
person to climb the skyscraper without ropes or safety equipment, something he calls a longtime personal goal. The jaw-dropping climb will be
livestreamed in the Netflix special Skyscraper live today.
Not for the faint-hearted, that is for sure. That does it for us for tonight. Do stay right here. "WHAT WE KNOW" with Max Foster's up next. I
shall see you next week. Have a wonderful weekend.
END
