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U.S. Seizes Russian-Flagged Oil Tanker Linked to Venezuela; Lawmakers Receive Closed-Door Briefing on Venezuela Raid; Greenland Asks for Meeting With Rubio as U.S. Says It's Not Ruling Use of Military to Acquire Island. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired January 07, 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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PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, tanker seized. We are getting late reporting into The Situation Room that the U.S. seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela in the North Atlantic.

And breaking moments ago, a second ship seized in a pre-dawn operation of the Caribbean. We will have the very latest.

Also fraud allegations, three Minnesota lawmakers on Capitol Hill right now as a committee is looking into alleged fraud and misuse of federal funds in the state.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And happening now, buying Greenland, a new CNN reporting. This hour, the Trump administration looking at buying the Danish territory and not ruling out military action.

And a changing food pyramid. We're expecting new guidelines from RFK Jr. soon, the guidance on what we should and should not be eating.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in The Situation Room.

And we begin this hour with the breaking news. The U.S. has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela. The ship seen here in the distance had been fleeing the U.S. Coast Guard since last month. That's when it refused to stop and be boarded as it approached Venezuela. Russia now claims the ship and has previously demanded the United States stop its chase.

And we're also getting late word right now from the U.S military's Southern Command, a second ship seized in the Caribbean. This is video of that pre-dawn operation.

Let's go live right now to CNN National Security Correspondent Natasha Bertrand and CNN White House Reporter Alayna Treene.

Natasha, you first, what are you learning this morning?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: This is a saga that began last month when the U.S. Coast Guard attempted to board the Bella-1 tanker around the waters of the Caribbean. The Bella-1 refused to be boarded, and it continued to turn around. It was going to go to Venezuela. It actually turned around and started heading northeast into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Coast Guard at that point was unable to board it. But according to a post on X by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, a Coast Guard cutter actually continued to pursue that oil tanker through the North Atlantic, even through storms, to continue to monitor it until U.S. forces were actually able to seize it, as they did this morning.

Now, importantly, there are some complications here because the Russians have claimed ownership over this vessel. The crew of that tanker, actually at one point, as it was fleeing U.S. forces, it painted a Russian flag on its hull. And, consequently, the Russians then registered it as a Russian vessel, even though it had originally been flying under the flag of Guyana.

Now, the U.S. considers the tanker to actually be stateless. It does not recognize that Russian claim over it. And so the U.S continued with its objective of boarding and seizing the vessel, which it did successfully this morning, according to U.S.-European Command. It was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court after being tracked by that Coast Guard cutter.

Now, we should also note that this is not the only operation that the U.S. Coast Guard conducted today with the help of the U.S. military. Another tanker was actually seized in the Caribbean by the U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Defense as well. According to a post by U.S. Southern Command, that vessel as well was considered to be stateless and was, quote, conducting illicit activities in the area.

Now, we should all know this is part of the U.S.'s broader effort to seize and detain these ghost fleet ships that are accused of transporting illicit oil around the world, whether it be to Iran, China, Venezuela. The U.S. has said that it's going to keep up the pressure of seizing these oil tankers, particularly because it is trying to enforce a blockade on these vessels from entering and exiting Venezuela currently. Wolf?

BLITZER: Very interesting, very significant developments.

Alayna, you're at the White House and you have new reporting as well. The Trump administration is outlining a number of conditions Venezuela must now meet in order to resume oil production. What are you learning?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right, Wolf. And two of the biggest ones, I'm told, from my conversations with senior White House officials is essentially that they've made clear to Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez. I should note, she was previously Maduro's vice president, so very much a part of his regime.

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But, essentially, what they've laid out is that Venezuela must kick out foreign adversaries and sever economic ties with them, countries including China, Russia, Iran, Cuba. And they also laid out that they want Venezuela and Caracas to exclusively partner with the United States when it comes to oil production and sales, and that they want Venezuela to prioritize that relationship with America and any sort of oil sales to them.

Now, I was told as well that they believe, the Trump administration, that Venezuela can only survive for a couple more weeks without the very lucrative, you know, financial benefit of this oil -- of these oil sales and oil production. And so that's really where they feel like they have a lot of leverage.

Now, there's other conditions as well that have been translated to the Venezuelan government, particularly the idea of they want them to commit to free and fair elections in the future. They want them to get rid of the country's drug gangs, cooperate on narco-terrorism.

But, look, at the end of the day, they believe that really securing the country's oil, rebuilding it, and getting rid of Venezuela's relationship with the United States' foreign adversaries is a key priority. And it all relates back to the President's ultimate goal, which is really to grow the United States influence all over the Western Hemisphere. Wolf?

BLITZER: And, Alayna, I know the energy secretary, the U.S. energy secretary, Chris Wright, talked about what the plan was for the money that would be made from the Venezuelan oil. What did he say?

TREENE: That's right. So, Chris Wright, the energy secretary, has been meeting with a series of oil executives this week. I should note, President Trump is also expected to meet with oil executives on Friday. But, essentially, he was speaking at a conference to Goldman Sachs in Miami.

And Chris Wright said that any cash that is gained from the sale of Venezuelan oil will be controlled by the U.S. I want to read for you this quote. He said, quote, we're going to let the oil flow, sell that market to United States' refineries and around the world to bring better oil supplies, but have those sales done by the U.S. government and deposited into accounts controlled by the U.S. government. He went on to say, and then from there, those funds can flow back into Venezuela to benefit the Venezuelan people.

Another thing he said as well is that they're looking to try and accompany some oil companies, particularly United States oil companies, for any investments they make into Venezuela. We should note he did not provide any clarity on that. I think that would be a tall as, but still something that he publicly put out there.

He also admitted, and this is really a key, you know, challenge that the Trump administration faces with this entire strategy, that it is going to be very difficult to try and convince U.S. oil companies to go into Venezuela and try to rebuild their entire energy infrastructure. He said it would take significant time and tens of billions of dollars to get Venezuela back to its historic levels of oil production. Wolf? BLITZER: All right. Alayna Treene and Natasha Bertrand, to both of you, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: Wolf, happening now behind closed doors, top Trump officials briefed Congress on the Venezuelan raid that culminated with capturing a sitting president.

So, why did the administration decide to strike, who's in charge right now and what's next as the president pushes to acquire Greenland? Lawmakers from both parties will be demanding answers.

CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju joins us now live from Capitol Hill. So, Manu, what are you hearing from lawmakers this morning and what they really want to know from this briefing?

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are a lot of questions because this is the first time the full House and Senate will get this classified briefing about what happened this past Saturday to arrest Nicolas Maduro and his wife and what the administration's plans are for a strategy in Venezuela going forward, how did plans actually develop the oil there, how it's going to deal with this interim government, and what happens if the interim government does not cooperate with the United States. How long will the U.S. be involved? Will there be a long-term involvement? How much will it cost taxpayers? And that's just on the Venezuela side.

And then there are all the questions about Greenland, especially in the aftermath of the White House not taking military action off the table in trying to acquire Greenland. That is going to be a big point of discussion here in this closed-door meeting that's happening with senators right now. And after this meeting with the senators, they'll meet with all the House members as well.

I did catch up with some House Republicans, some swing districts Republicans, some conservative members as well, about some of their questions about how this will play out in Venezuela and what specifically they're asking for.

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RAJU: So, your constituents are supportive of potentially a long-term U.S. involvement here?

REP. KEVIN KILEY (R-CA): I don't think anyone wants, you know, a commitment that an involvement that mirrors what we've seen in other parts of the world, at least in decades. You know, I think that the optimal scenario here is that we shook assure stability in the very near term and then we have, you know, democratic self-government for the people of Venezuela.

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REP. DAN CRENSHAW (R-TX): One of the biggest mistakes in Iraq was deification, you know, a complete regime change. And that's not what happened here. We simply executed a warrant from 2020 for an legitimate leader. And as long as the new government seems to cooperate, and hopefully in the long-term actually holds true democratic elections, I think you could see a much better outcome for everybody.

RAJU: What if Delcy Rodriguez doesn't --

CRENSHAW: I think she knows what's going to happen if they don't.

RAJU: What is that?

CRENSHAW: Well, I think we just saw it.

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RAJU: And that was just some of the questions about exactly how this will play out, this new arrangement with this government of the interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, in Venezuela if there is not that cooperation, Wolf. And that's one of the big points of discussions and contention that we'll see behind closed doors as lawmakers get briefed right now. Wolf?

BROWN: All right. Manu Raju, thank you so much. Wolf?

BLITZER: And still ahead, the U.S. eyeing Greenland. The White House now says it's not taking military action off the table, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio is downplaying this option to lawmakers. What we're learning, we will update you.

BROWN: And then later, we're watching Wall Street after a historic day for the Dow.

You're in The Situation Room and we'll be right back.

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BROWN: Well, the leaders of Denmark and Greenland are urgently asking for a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as the White House says, it's not ruling out using the military to fulfill President Trump's desire to acquire Greenland.

The island is a self-governing territory of NATO ally Denmark that the president says is needed to ensure U.S. national security. Sources tell CNN that Rubio is downplaying the military threat, telling lawmakers the Trump administration is considering buying the strategically-located island.

So, let's bring in National Security Correspondent Kylie Atwood, because, Kylie, I remember during the first term of Trump's when I was a White House reporter, there was a lot of reporting and speculation about Trump saying he wanted to buy Greenland, but it was mainly sort of seen as a joke or not an actual serious proposal, even last year when he mentioned it. But now no one's laughing. What's changed?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. And we really haven't heard about the U.S. acquiring Greenland in recent months, but it's come back to the fore with a vengeance in the recent days. President Trump said over the weekend that it was important for the U.S. to get Greenland for national security reasons. Then we heard from Stephen Miller on CNN on Monday saying that nobody is going to fight the United States over Greenland's future and that Greenland should be part of the United States, and then the White House doubling down yesterday, saying effectively that the Trump administration isn't counting out the possibility of using military means to overtake the island, with Karoline Leavitt saying the present and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal. And, of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander-in-chief's disposal.

But we should also note that our reporting, as you just said, is that the secretary of state, when he briefed lawmakers earlier this week, downplayed any near term military intervention when it comes to Greenland and said that the Trump administration is more focused on the prospect of buying Greenland.

BROWN: So, President Trump has said, you know, this is about national security, but there's been an agreement struck between the U.S. and Denmark and Greenland over allowing the military to be there in Greenland, and, in fact, the U.S. has significantly downsized its military presence in Greenland over the last few decades, right?

ATWOOD: There are already agreements between the U.S. and Greenland both when it comes to U.S. military presence there, that they could use to expand that presence, as you point out, even though they have actually pulled it back in recent years. And when it comes to critical minerals, there's a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Greenland to explore what Greenland has in terms of its resources.

One point I do want to point out I've learned is that in recent months, while we haven't heard administration officials talk about Greenland publicly very much, they've been churning on this in the inter-agency. Officials at the State Department at the highest level asked lower level State Department officials to come up with an assessment of the critical minerals that Greenland actually has.

And their assessment was that there actually hasn't been a study done on those critical minerals, including rare earth, that is appropriate enough to determine whether or not there are tremendous amounts of resources there. And if the United States were actually to put resources towards getting out these critical minerals, it would be extremely costly because of the situation there when it comes to low infrastructure and when it comes to obviously the cold temperatures.

BROWN: All right, Kylie Atwood, a lot of reporting there, thank you so much. Wolf?

BLITZER: Very good report. Thank you.

Meanwhile, Denmark's prime minister says a U.S. attack on Greenland would mean the end of NATO and the security the alliance has provided since the end of World War II. European leaders are standing behind Denmark and Greenland, saying the island, quote, belongs to its people. Our Melissa Bell spoke a short time ago with the head of NATO, the secretary general, Mark Rutte. Melissa, what was his reaction to U.S. threats about Greenland?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He was very cautious in what he had to say, adopting a really considerable tone. But you'll have to remember, Wolf, that this particular secretary general of NATO has, since he took the helm of the organization, adopted a very conciliatory approach to President Trump, going with flattery rather than criticism. And that was reflected in what he had to say to me.

He was here in Paris for a meeting on Ukraine. They managed to achieve unity on Ukraine by leaving Greenland entirely off the table. But I put to him, Wolf, that the irony here was that NATO was reaffirming its unity, even as that unity was being threatened by Greenland.

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He preferred though to focus on where there was agreement.

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MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: We all agree that it is true, that the Russians and the Chinese are more and more active in the area. But you look at Denmark, they are investing heavily in their military and very important to say that the U.S. has a bilateral agreement with Denmark from 1951. They had a lot of people, a lot of military in Greenland in the past. And the Danes are totally fine if the U.S. would have a bigger presence than they have now.

So, I think this collectively shows that you make the same assessment and we have to make sure that the Arctic stays safe.

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BELL: That's as far as NATO's reaction, Wolf. But what we also heard here in Paris these last couple of days from other European leaders is a great deal of bewilderment and anger, frankly, this ratcheting up of the threats and the pressure and the rhetoric. This in a context when Europe has been trying to come to terms with the fact that this long- term ally has been behaving increasingly aggressively and in a hostile manner of the last few months, really ratcheted up these last few days over Greenland, specifically. Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes, good point. Melissa Bell, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: You have officials in Denmark saying that if the U.S. were to try to seize Greenland, that it would be the end of NATO.

BLITZER: Yes.

BROWN: So, all right, coming up, happening now, three Minnesota State lawmakers are in the hot seat on Capitol Hill over fraud allegations in this state. We'll be right back.

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BLITZER: Happening now, three Republican state lawmakers from Minnesota right now, they're up on Capitol Hill testifying before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. It's a hearing looking into alleged fraud and misuse of federal funds in the State of Minnesota. The hearing comes after a conservative content creator claimed with little evidence that Somali-run daycare centers in Minnesota were fraudulently taking funds meant to provide childcare for low income families.

Let's go live right now to Arlette Saenz. She's up on Capitol Hill for us. What are you learning, Arlette.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, House Oversight Chairman James Comer said that they are trying to nail down the extent of these allegations of welfare fraud in Minnesota. They want to know who is allegedly responsible and what Congress can do going forward to protect taxpayer dollars. He told CNN that he thinks in the end this could be one of the biggest welfare fraud cases in U.S. history.

Now, state investigators have cast doubt on those claims that were made in that viral video. They said that their initial findings when they sent investigators to those childcare centers was that they were operating as expected, but those investigations do continue.

At the same time, you have the federal government freezing federal childcare payments to Minnesota as they're awaiting more information from state officials. With this hearing today, Comer has specifically called three state Republican lawmakers who have worked on identifying fraud issues in Minnesota in the past.

But this has really emerged as a major political flashpoint in Minnesota. Earlier this week, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced that he would not seek or continue his re-election bid for governor as his oversight of this matter has come under scrutiny, and Comer has said that he still wants Walz to come up to Capitol Hill to testify at a hearing next month that he said he would also like to include the state's attorney general, Keith Ellison, as Republicans have said that Democrats have needed to do stronger oversight of this matter into these allegations of welfare fraud.

BLITZER: All right. Arlette Saenz up on Capitol Hill, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: In the meantime, Wolf, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz dropped his reelection bid amid the growing scandal. And this morning, we know that Senator Amy Klobuchar is, quote, seriously considering entering the race. In a brief interview, she told CNN, I love my job, I love my state, and I'm seriously considering it. Klobuchar first ran for Senate in 2006 and sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. She could be the party's best chance to maintain control of the governor's office there.

BLITZER: Let's see.

And just ahead the U.S. seizing not one, but two tankers this morning, the breaking details just ahead.

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