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Trump Links Greenland Threats to Nobel Peace Prize Snub; DOJ Investigating Protesters Who Disrupted Church Service; 1,500 Federal Troops on Standby for Possible Deployment to Minnesota. Aired 10- 10:30a ET

Aired January 19, 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, lashing out. President Trump is threatening America's allies over Greenland and the Nobel Peace Prize. And now Europe is fighting back.

Plus, high-speed rain collision, at least 39 people are dead as rescuers rush to find any survivors trapped under the wreckage.

And later, tensions rising, the Justice Department says it is investigating activists who disrupted a church service in Minnesota. The protesters are alleging the pastor is an ICE official.

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

Happening now, President Trump escalates his threat to take Greenland. He is now amping up his rhetoric in a new message to Norway's prime minister, tying his ambition to control Greenland with his recent disappointment over not getting the Nobel Peace Prize, quote, dear Jonas, considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped eight wars-plus, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America. We should note the Peace Prize is given by an independent committee.

Norway is one of eight countries the president is threatening with tariffs in less than two weeks unless the U.S. is able to buy Greenland. And European leaders are considering retaliation, including this so-called trade bazooka.

So, we are covering all the latest developments. CNN's Nic Robertson is in Greenland, and Kevin Liptak is live at the White House.

Wow, Kevin, this letter that leaked this morning is pretty extraordinary.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: It's absolutely remarkable. And the way that this message came about is the prime minister of Norway wrote the president a text message along with the president of Finland, Alexander Stubb, who's a top ally of President Trump's in Europe.

They were protesting these new tariffs that the president is threatening on countries that oppose his bid to annex Greenland, and they got really this extraordinary reply in response, the president directly linking his bid to control Greenland with his failure so far to obtain a Nobel Peace Prize. The president going on to write that Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China. And why do they have a right of ownership anyway? There are no written documents.

But remember, Pamela, Greenland has been part of the Kingdom of Norway from more than 300 years, and, in fact, there are documents, including a 1916 treaty between the U.S. and Norway stipulating that Greenland would be part of that country.

The president goes on to write, I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding. And now NATO should do something for the United States. The world is not secure unless we have complete and total control of Greenland.

Now, the prime minister of Norway was out this morning discussing this message. He said that, in response, he argued to President Trump and explained to President Trump how the Nobel Prize is actually awarded. It's not from the Norwegian government. It's from this committee, the Nobel Committee. But, certainly, that doesn't seem to have dampened the president's of furor in any way to try and obtain Greenland. The president really going out of his way this weekend to threaten those tariffs.

A number of European leaders have been on the phone with him, including the British prime minister, the Italian prime minister, the NATO secretary general to try and talk him down, but there's no evidence that any of that is working.

BROWN: And you mentioned the NATO secretary general, who is meeting with ministers from Greenland and Denmark.

On that note, Nic, is that a sign of how seriously U.S. allies are taking this threat?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Incredibly seriously. To use a metaphor that I think fits in with the climate here, there's an absolute blizzard of military planning preparations, conversations, diplomacy going on. We've learned today that the Danish government is deploying a substantial number of troops, about 200 miles north of here, Kangerlussuaq, inside the Arctic Circle.

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They're sending their top military commander. The Dane's top military commander is coming as well. That's a very strong signal. The Danish foreign minister, the Greenland foreign minister meeting with Nordic counterparts later this week, they're having an extraordinary meeting of their E.U. leaders. On Wednesday and Thursday this week, you'll have a meeting of NATO defense officials.

So, it is a week where a lot is being put in. We know that the finance ministers of both France and Germany, when they were meeting, have said that they don't want to escalate the situation. They'd rather engage with the United States. That's the European message. Although they do have these trade options that some of them are very, very powerful and they're saying they will use them.

I think it would be perhaps -- you know, when you look at what's happening right now, the simplest thing to say is this is the deepest rift between Europe and the United States in well over a generation.

BROWN: And I think that that really sums up just the significance of this moment we're in, Nic.

Back to you, Kevin. President Trump is beginning this busy week, which will include a speech of the World Economic Forum on Wednesday. And you just have to wonder what those interactions could be like with America's allies, or once allies, the leaders there, and the president right now?

LIPTAK: Yes. And I think it's safe to say that the president's visit to Davos this week did get a lot more interesting and a lot more consequential. You know, the White House had been framing his speech on Wednesday morning as an opportunity to talk about his affordability agenda. They said that he would unveil some initiatives to make housing a more affordable for Americans. And, certainly, that's still on the president's agenda.

But it is these sideline discussions that could perhaps take place up there in the Swiss Alps about this rift and about the president's ambitions to control Greenland that I think will overshadow that entire event. You know, a number of world leaders we're already planning to attend. And you can bet that they'll be jockeying to get into the president's ear to get some face time with him to try and explain why this is causing so much damage to one of the world's most essential alliances, the NATO alliance.

But I think in listening to American officials just over the weekend, it did not sound as if there is any room for reconciliation. You know, the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, was out over the weekend talking about this. He said that the, quote, European leaders will come around to the president's point of view here. Certainly, that doesn't seem to be happening now. And it will be, I think, their initiative in Davos this week to try and explain to the president just how much damage this could be causing.

BROWN: All right. Kevin Liptak live for us from the White House, thank you so much and thanks again to Nic.

Still ahead here in The Situation Room, vowing to press charges. The Justice Department is now investigating after protesters disrupted church service in St. Paul. We are live in Minnesota with a closer look at what sparked the interruption.

And then later, new reports, the Buffalo Bills have fired Head Coach Sean McDermott. The breaking details just coming in.

We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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BROWN: Happening now, sources say nearly 1,500 troops are on standby and ready for a possible deployment to Minnesota. This as tensions remain high following another weekend of protest. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey calls the move an act of intimidation.

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MAYOR JACOB FREY (D-MINNEAPOLIS, MN): We're not going to be intimidated. If the goal here is safety, we've got many mechanisms to achieve safety. And the best way to get safety is not to have an influx of even more agents, and in this case, military, in Minneapolis.

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BROWN: Also this morning, the Justice Department is vowing to press charges after a group of protesters in Minnesota disrupted services at a church.

Let's go live now to CNN Correspondent Julia Vargas Jones. She's right outside that church in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Julia, the protesters are alleging that a pastor there is an ICE official. What more are you learning?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pamela. That is the reason they decided to come to service here on Sunday, yesterday. And as we can hear in that video saying the name of Renee Good, the 37- year-old mother of three who was shot by ICE agents on January 7th.

In that video, you can also hear some of those protesters confronting those church goers directly, saying, why aren't you out protesting outside the Whipple Building, where we've seen the protests take place. We are -- we have that pastor. His name is David Easterwood, apparently also acting field office director of enforcement and removal operations for ICE in St. Paul, the U.S. Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said that now her agency is investigating this as federal civil rights violations.

And last night, Attorney General Pam Bondi posting on social media, quote, I just spoke to the pastor in Minnesota whose church was targeted. Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law.

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She said, if state leaders refuse to act responsibly to prevent lawlessness, this Department of Justice will remain mobilized to prosecute federal crimes and ensure the rule of law prevails.

Now, I will say, Pamela, over the past few days, we did see a lot of activity of protesters outside that federal building, but today, things remain calm here about in the Twin Cities.

BROWN: All right. Julia Vargas Jones, thank you so much.

And we have some breaking news just coming in. CNN is learning that the FBI briefly opened a civil rights investigation to the ice agent who shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good to Minneapolis, but the bureau then switched the probe to focusing on whether the agent was assaulted. The investigation is now centering on Good's actions and those around her, as well as of her widow. CNN has reached out to the DOJ for comment.

But with us now to react is Democratic Minneapolis Council Member Elizabeth Shaffer. She represents Ward 7, which is located on the western edge of Minneapolis. Good morning to you.

I first want to get your take on this news from sources, my colleague, Evan Perez, has been speaking to about the FBI opening this brief civil rights investigation into the ICE agent who shot Renee Good before switching the focus of the probe.

ELIZABETH SHAFFER, MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: Well, I would like to just start here on MLK Day by saying and taking the words of Dr. King to heart here in Minneapolis, that darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can. And hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can.

We are in a situation here where most of our protesters have been -- protests have been peaceful. Most of the investigations have been are proceeding. We have our suits filed. But I do know that we need to lead with love (INAUDIBLE) to do here in Minneapolis.

BROWN: What more can you tell us about local and state officials conducting their own investigation into that ICE officer?

SHAFFER: As a city council member, we are leaning heavily into our coordination with state and local authorities. And I would not have an update on where that process is at this point in time.

BROWN: Let me ask you about some other news coming in, and that is the fact that the Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active duty soldiers to prepare for possible deployment to Minnesota. You heard the mayor, Jacob Frey, say more agents in the military are not needed in Minneapolis. What do you think about that?

SHAFFER: Well, let me give you some facts. We have estimated here in Minneapolis, Minnesota, about 1 percent of the undocumented immigrant population. Currently, Trump has deployed approximately 15 percent of the total number of agents to our state. This isn't not an immigration -- this is not about immigration. It's political. And so I would not agree that we need to add additional forces on the streets of Minneapolis. We need to de-escalate and we need to get ICE out of our city.

BROWN: So, DHS, as you know, has said that it is sending law enforcement agents there because of the fact that it's a sanctuary city and local officials are not cooperating with federal officials, and so this is necessary. That is their argument. And DHS posted on its website that it has arrested several violent criminals from your area listing out some of their alleged crimes, which include murder, domestic violence, and fraud.

I understand you don't like what you're saying. You don't like some of the administration's crowd control tactics. You believe this is political, but can you support removing violent criminals from your community, especially those here illegally?

SHAFFER: I believe we need to lean into the processes that we have established as a sanctuary city. We do not condone criminals in our midst. We do not support criminals. We are investigating fraud seriously in our city. But we cannot continue to make our residents available to unrestricted situations where they are being made vulnerable by the ICE agents in our street.

On the ground, we are seeing businesses closing, people not coming to work. There's a school, an elementary school in my ward who has half of their student population now sheltering at home. Our lifestyle has been disrupted and we need to have that restored, our lifestyle restored.

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BROWN: Elizabeth Shaffer, thank you so much for coming on and offering your review of what's happening there in Minnesota. We appreciate it.

Coming up, President Trump is tying his push to acquire a Greenland with his loss of the Nobel Peace Prize. The new message to Norway's prime minister as NATO countries are sending their own message by sending troops to Greenland.

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BROWN: Happening now, European countries are weighing using what's known as a trade bazooka to block American access to E.U. markets, this after President Trump threatened tariffs on European allies until a deal is reached for the purchase of Greenland from Denmark.

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Here's what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said about that.

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SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY: I believe that the Europeans will understand that the best outcome is for the U.S. to maintain or receive control of Greenland.

Make it part of the United States and there will not be a conflict.

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BROWN: Right now, Europeans are not showing any signs of changing their position. With us now to discuss is the former commander of U.S. Army Forces in Europe, retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges. Nice to see you.

So, we recently saw several NATO countries deploy some military personnel to Greenland. In your view, is all of this just posturing, or could it really escalate into armed conflict?

LT. GEN. BEN HODGES (RET.), U.S. ARMY: Well, first of all, of course, the allies sent a reconnaissance unit, if you will, to go there and look at if they were going to deploy troops for exercises or to be stationed there. This would be not only practical, but also a signal of unity with Denmark.

It's hard to imagine though that we would get into an actual conflict with our allies because it's so unnecessary. There's no need for us to use military force to seize Greenland. There's actually no need for us to seize Greenland. If it really is about security, we can already do everything that we need to do. So, I think most people can see that this is really not about security. That's the pretext.

BROWN: Well, and now President Trump introduced this idea that he's disappointed that he didn't receive the Nobel Peace Prize, and so that is factoring into his decisions. He sent this letter to the Norway prime minister saying, quote, dear Jonas, considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped eight wars-plus, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely a peace.

What is your reaction to this? I mean, have you ever heard language like that from a U.S. commander-in-chief before?

HODGES: Well, certainly, this is an extraordinary letter. I'd say it severely damages his chance for the peace prize next year, but with that kind of language. It's extraordinary, though, because it also shows that he doesn't understand that it's not the Norwegian government that awards the prize. I mean, the committee is separate from the government.

And so this -- you know, what's most concerning about this entire episode is that it damages the cohesion of NATO. American security has been tied to a very cohesive NATO since 1949. And the president does deserve credit for encouraging nations, demanding that they actually increase defense investments. They've done that and they're using that investment to buy American-made weapons. So, I don't understand this approach where he's trying to use leverage to get something that we don't actually need, and it's causing damage to the most successful alliance in the history of the world.

BROWN: The western alliance, yes. And to be clear, the U.S. has established these agreements with Denmark and Greenland in terms of putting defensive facilities there and getting minerals. President Trump keeps saying that this is also a desire for Greenland to -- this desire for Greenland is all about national security as well, right, to combat the threat from Russia. How real is that Russian threat in the Arctic?

HODGES: So, there's no doubt that as -- because of climate change and the polar ice cap begins to shrink, it becomes more and more feasible for ships to come over the top of the planet to get from Asia, for example, into the Atlantic. And so, certainly, Russia and China are very interested in increasing shipping. And so security of those shipping lanes is not something to dismiss.

But we can already do what we need to do because of NATO. You have Norway and Canada, Denmark. These are NATO allies that already are part of the security of the Arctic region. The president deserves credit for reminding everybody that we have to do this, that we have to protect the Arctic region, but his solution for doing this is more damaging than it is helpful.

Tomorrow, the secretary of defense could deploy thousands of U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force to Greenland. We already had the permission from the Greenlanders and Denmark to do that because of the treaties that you highlighted at the beginning. So, if this really is about security, then let's load some guys up, get them up there.

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But I don't think they're going to do that because I don't think this really is about security.