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What We Know with Max Foster
Denmark: Fundamental Disagreement Remains With U.S. On Greenland; Trump Speaks At White House As U.S. Mulls Action Over Iran Protests; U.S. Suspends Immigrant Visa Processing For 75 Countries; Witkoff Announces Phase Two Of Gaza Ceasefire Plan; ICE Raids Continue Across Minnesota Despite Protests; Four Astronauts Leaving ISS Early Due To Health Issue; FBI Searches Washington Post Reporter's Home. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired January 14, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:22]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: European nations send troops to Greenland as President Donald Trump says the territory must be under U.S. control.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
Denmark says it's been unable to sway the U.S. on Greenland after meeting with top Trump officials in Washington. The Danish and Greenlandic foreign
ministers spoke just a short while ago, as the White House says it's committed to seizing the island.
The growing rift amongst NATO allies is spurring action by Europe, with Germany, Sweden and Norway joining Denmark in sending troops to Greenland.
Denmark says the U.S. refusal to respect Greenland's territory is remarkable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARS LOKKE RASMUSSEN, DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER: Ideas that would not respect territorial integrity of the kingdom of Denmark and the right of
self-determination of the Greenlandic people are, of course, totally unacceptable, and we therefore still have a fundamental disagreement. But
we also agree to disagree, and therefore we will, however, continue to talk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Nic Robertson is in Nuuk in Greenland.
Watching that from afar, Nic, I mean, it felt quite -- you saw these two figures. They look quite weak. They seem to be arguing on principle that
you can't go in and, you know, invade someone's sovereignty in this way. But at the same time, they said the American side wasn't budging at all.
They want Greenland. They want to acquire it. And if they can't acquire it, they're going to take it by some sort of other level of control.
You know, there's -- it seems a very one-sided debate at this point, and America just isn't budging on those principle grounds, if I can call it
that.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah. Look, I think the Danish foreign minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, is a well-respected
diplomat, a diplomat who can really use the fine art and fine skills of the diplomatic language, but somebody who's also seen as a tough negotiator,
who can go toe to toe with Vice President J.D. Vance and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
So there was a very articulate diplomat in the room, and he has given it, you know, if we understand it this way, a very skilled diplomat in the room
negotiating, but still a very skilled diplomat, when he's standing in front of the journalists, trying to give it the best framing possible, a
fundamental disagreement --
(CROSSTALK)
FOSTER: I'm sorry. Nic, I'm going to interrupt and come back to you because we want to go to Donald Trump, who is speaking on Iran. The other
big story.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Information that the killing has stopped, that the executions have stopped. They're not going to have an
execution, which a lot of people we're talking about for the last couple of days. Today was going to be the day of execution.
And, another piece of information that I think is very important is the leaker has been found and is in jail right now. And that's the leaker on
Venezuela in -- a very bad leaker. So, there could be some others. And we'll let you know about that. We're hot on their trail, but the leaker has
been found and the leaker is in jail, and will probably be in jail for a long time. Let's see what happens.
So, we'll let you know. We'll keep you apprised as to what's going to happen with that. And I want to thank all of the incredible people behind
me, political people, both Republicans and Democrats, because they like whole milk. Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, whole milk is,
right, it's a great thing.
The senator was in the office many years ago. It feels like many years ago, but quite a while ago, right at the beginning of my first term --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE; With Elijah Cummings.
TRUMP: Right, with Elijah, a very good person. You and I had a good relationship with him. At that time, I think you were a congressman and
you've made a lot of progress. You've done very well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some would disagree.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: I don't disagree. I think -- I think you did a great job, but it's great. It's great to have you here again.
FOSTER: Okay. We're going to come back to that. We're going to monitor it for you because we want to go back to Nic.
The president there talking about a signing, but we're particularly interested, Nic, on anything he says on Iran, but also in terms of
Greenland as well, because he doesn't appear to have changed his position in any way. And it's difficult to see where Greenland is going to take this
from here.
ROBERTSON: Yeah. I think where I was wanting to try to get to until the president was speaking, the Danish foreign minister, skilled diplomat in
the room, not able to change the U.S. position. Speaks to journalists, is able to put forward what the best spin, if you will, on the situation.
Fundamental differences.
[15:05:06]
But I think what he's done here and this is really a temporary band-aid on the situation, as he said, that there's going to be high level talks now to
see if they can address some of the president's concerns. But what does that really mean in practical terms? What it means is that for the next few
weeks at least, it appears that Greenland won't be taken over militarily by President Trump, which appeared to be potentially long stretch. Many people
thought on the table because President Trump said he would do it the easy way or the hard way.
So, the -- what has been achieved in that meeting? What has been achieved is it looks like the U.S. wouldn't take the military route for at least a
couple of weeks. It's not going away. It's not off the table. There might be a little less anxiety here in Nuuk and the rest of Greenland tonight,
but it's not going away. And the fundamental differences remain, Max.
FOSTER: Okay. Nic Robertson in Nuuk, thank you very much for that.
Now, a U.S. official says some American personnel are being told to evacuate a U.S. base in Qatar as the Trump administration considers
military options regarding Iran, an American based human rights group says more than 2,400 protesters have been killed since demonstrations began last
month. Iran's ambassador to the U.N. is accusing President Trump of violating international law after he posted an online message encouraging
Iranians to keep protesting and to take over your institutions, in his words.
Our CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak is with us.
Kevin, this -- you know, urge for military personnel to leave a base in Qatar did get received by a lot of alarm in the region today, because
that's a similar sort of messaging we got the last time the U.S. struck those nuclear sites in Iran.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right. And it did come after that briefing that the president received last evening at the White
House, part of what he was briefed on is this U.S. intelligence assessment that if the U.S. were to strike Iran, that the retaliation could
potentially be very swift and would potentially be focused on U.S. military facilities in the region, including potentially Al Udeid air base, which
you'll remember, Iran struck back on when the U.S. struck those nuclear sites back in June.
But I do want to go back to what the president just said a few moments ago regarding Iran, because this in itself is a new shift in the president's
tone. He said that he had been told that the killing had stopped inside Iran, suggesting that the crackdown on protesters had ended and suggesting
as well that the executions that had potentially been planned in that country were stopped as well.
Where that information is coming from, entirely unclear. And I think its probably likely that the president will be pressed about that once he's
finished signing this bill about milk. But I think, you know, this could be a sign that the president is backing away from some of these threats if he
believes that the crackdown on these protesters has ended. Remember, he had drawn that red line saying that he would come to the aid of these
protesters if the killing and if the crackdown continued.
Behind the scenes, he had felt obliged, we're told to make sure that that that red line was enforced, you know, mindful of some of his predecessors
who had seen their own red lines crossed.
What this means precisely for the president's options, that we know that he had been weighing, I think, very unclear at the moment. And there, to be
clear, had been no indication, based on our own reporting or our own, you know, contacts on the ground in Iran, that somehow this crackdown had been
easing in any way. And so, I think a notable shift there that were seeing, and it leaves a lot of open questions about whether the president now has
decided that he does not need to respond, that he does not need to act.
And so, I think a lot of questions in the air at the moment.
FOSTER: Yeah, because as you say, you know, the premise of going in hard against Iran was if they killed protesters, it appears they have been doing
that. And then he followed up later on if protesters were executed. So, he's taking away the premise of his initial argument for saying he's going
to go in hard, am I right?
LIPTAK: I mean, it seems as if the president is moving the red line somewhat. I mean, he has been explicit and he has acknowledged that this
red line exists. He created it back at the very beginning of January when he said the U.S. was, quote, locked and loaded and ready to go into Iran.
If this crackdown proceeded, which it did, you know, we have -- we don't have firm figures about the death toll. Even President Trump said last
night that he didn't have firm figures about how many protesters had been killed.
But when he was asked about the prospect that Iran could begin hanging, some of the detained demonstrators, he said that the U.S. would conduct
very strong action.
[15:10:06]
Now, we don't know whether those executions have proceeded, but at least President Trump seems to be suggesting that he has some information that
they have not been.
Now, information has been so tight in Iran. It's been very difficult for any sort of intelligence to come out, both for, you know, the media and the
public generally, to see what exactly is going on. But even for U.S. officials who are trying to ascertain what exactly the situation is on the
ground.
You know, President Trump, when he said that he created this red line, was aware that he would be sort of beholden to follow through on what he said
he would be doing. And I think, you know, as he was briefed by his officials, this prospect that there could be very forceful retaliation on
the other side was an issue. And it's something that they were discussing at some length behind the scenes.
You know, President Trump doesn't want to get in a situation where the U.S. gets dragged into a prolonged conflict, doesn't want to see a potential
U.S. casualties if Iran starts firing at facilities not just in Qatar, but also in Iraq and Syria. And so, it's a very difficult question for him to
try and uphold a red line, as it always is for a president when they create them.
And so, the president does seem to be suggesting that there's new information here. What exactly that is remains to be seen.
FOSTER: Yeah. Well, he will be asked more questions, I'm sure, later on in that press conference. So we'll get back to it then.
Kevin, thank you.
The United States has announced a huge new immigration crackdown meanwhile. It's suspending visa processing indefinitely for 75 countries, including
nations like Brazil, Colombia, Egypt and Russia. The pause will begin a week from today and applies to all immigrant visas, but not student and
tourist visas.
The State Department says it's to root out people who would exploit the generosity of the American people.
Jennifer Hansler is at the U.S. State Department.
So, this appears to be allowing people to come in temporarily, but blocking them from any sort of settlement, is that right?
JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Yeah. Max. So this is applying to people who are trying to come to the U.S. more long term.
Exactly. As you say, they're applying for immigrant visas. These are visas that help with employment in the United States, for example, to join with
family members, spouses who are living already in the United States.
This does not apply to people who are coming here on tourist visas, on short-term business visas, on student visas, people who are coming for the
World Cup, for example. This would not apply to them.
But this is still a serious expansion of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration to this country. This applies to 75 countries
around the world. This includes places like Brazil, like Colombia, like Russia, a number of countries that were already on that expanded travel ban
list. So, this is a big, big expansion.
They say this is happening under this public charge part of immigration law here in the United States that allows them to scrutinize people who are
accused of being a drain on public resources here in the U.S. We heard from the State Department spokesperson, Tommy Piggott, who said they would use
their longstanding authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge and exploit the generosity of the American
people. This is something that is part and parcel of the Trump administration's immigration policy. They have accused immigrants writ
large of exploiting the American taxpayer dollar. So, this is them once again, cracking down in a very big way with adding these 75 countries to
this list.
We also don't know, Max, how long this is going to actually take place, because this is something that is starting next week, but they say it will
continue indefinitely as long as they are examining and processing and reassessing how they process these immigration visas -- Max.
FOSTER: Jennifer Hansler, thank you.
The Trump administration has now revealed the second phase of its 20-point plan for Gaza. On X, special envoy Steve Witkoff announced that the U.S. is
moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance and reconstruction, adding that the U.S. expects Hamas to comply fully with its
obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage. Failure to do so will bring serious consequences.
On the ground, though aid groups say there's still work to be done. The United Nations says at least 100 children have been killed in the enclave
since the ceasefire began, and close to 100,000 children are suffering from malnutrition.
Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv.
Just take us through what the second phase means for those who got lost along the way.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the very fact that the phase two is being announced today is notable after so many questions over
the course of the last few months about whether we would actually get to this moment, especially when you consider the fact that more than 400
people have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli military over the course of this ceasefire, there was the slow release over many weeks of the remains
of deceased hostages, with one deceased hostage, Ran Gvili, still in the Gaza Strip.
[15:15:08]
But nonetheless, Steve Witkoff announcing phase two here and saying that it will establish a technocratic Palestinian governance commission inside of
the Gaza Strip. The names of some of those technocratic officials have been announced today by the Egyptian government. And then you will see the next
phase include the demilitarization and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, with Witkoff saying that the U.S. expects Hamas to comply fully with its
obligations, saying that failure to do so will bring serious consequences. Hamas has already indicated that it is preparing to dissolve its government
in Gaza and hand over power to this technocratic committee, what they have not yet committed to is the disarming process, and that is where the
trickiest part of phase two will actually come into play.
But it's also notable to look at what Steve Witkoff did not mention in this statement. There is no mention of Israels responsibilities under phase two.
No mention, in fact, of Israel at all in this statement, despite the fact that President Trump's 20 point plan talks about Israel withdrawing from
the half of the Gaza Strip that it currently controls based off of certain milestones that would take place as it relates to that demilitarization and
disarming process.
There's also no mention of that international security force that is set to take over security control of the Gaza Strip. Neither the United States nor
any of the countries that might potentially contribute troops to that effort have yet to publicly announce when that force will actually be
formed and go into Gaza. That was supposed to start to happen around the beginning of this year. So, there's still some time for that, but still
some questions over exactly when that will happen. And of course, many challenges laying ahead for phase two of this plan -- Max.
FOSTER: Okay, Jeremy, thank you for that update.
Well, still to come tonight, demonstrators in Minnesota vow to keep fighting federal immigration operations in their state. We'll discuss that
just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:20:13]
FOSTER: Police in Minneapolis are bracing for another night of protests against the U.S. build up of ICE agents there. Demonstrators tell CNN they
need to make their voices heard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZOE, PROTESTER: We have this way here. Clearly, if they're throwing weapons at us, they're afraid. They don't want us here because we know we
have power against them. Personally, I could be hit by flashbangs again, and I'm not going anywhere. I am going to be out here for the coming weeks
until ICE is off our streets and stops terrorizing our neighbors and killing our neighbors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: This as several videos have gone viral showing those ICE crackdowns on protesters. Just days after a mother of three was gunned down
by an ICE agent. Despite that, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection say they won't back down in Minnesota. In fact, more agents were deployed over
the past weekend. That's on top of the 2,000 agents CNN reported in the region last week.
Ryan Young spoke to protesters in Minneapolis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, one of the big conversations that people are having in this neighborhood is they feel like
there's an invasion here because of the number of officers used. When we saw people being pulled out of the car yesterday, that seemed to incite
more of the crowd to go toward the ICE agents and bang on their vehicles, that only sharpened the response from those same ICE agents.
Now, one of the things I should mention here, what you can see is a different level of technique by the guards who are here. Some of them seem
like they've had a lot of experience, and then some of them seem like they're new to the area. And on top of all that, we know a lot of them come
from southern states, just based upon the fact of how they're dressed and how they're dealing with the cold. And you can see all that playing out
with the interactions here on the ground.
I will say this, though, because I've talked to a couple Minneapolis police department police officers. They too are upset because they feel helpless
sometimes when the 911 calls come in the way, they have to handle this. After the ICE agents leave is really deteriorating, sort of the community
interaction with the police department. And that's something that's been talked about for quite some time.
But all this is playing out on the streets where people are very tense, and they're hoping the federal government steps in in some way to stop all
these agents from being here. But we now know more apparently are on the way.
FOSTER: A new CNN poll shows a majority of Americans are unhappy with the actions of immigrant enforcement agents. According to the poll, 56 percent
believe the shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis was an inappropriate use of force. Only 26 percent believe it was appropriate. The poll also asked
what effect ICE enforcement is having on U.S. cities. 51 percent of those polled said the ICE crackdowns are making cities less safe, whilst 31
percent said ICE was making U.S. cities safer and 18 percent saying it's having no effect.
One influential voice who's turned critical of ICE is Joe Rogan. On his latest show, the podcaster said the Minneapolis shooting looked horrific
and even evoked images of Nazi Germany.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE ROGAN, PODCASTER: But you don't want militarized people in the streets just roaming around snatching people up, many of which turn out to actually
be U.S. citizens. They just don't have their papers on them. Are we really going to be the gestapo? Where's your papers? Is that what we've come to?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Senior political analyst Ron Brownstein is here.
I mean, we played that because, you know, a significant conservative voice saying what many on the left have been saying for some time. Is something
changing here do you think?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah. You know, the history I've been covering immigration for a long time. And there's a very clear
pattern in public opinion in the U.S., which is that attitudes on immigration tend to move in the opposite direction of the policy of the
administration. By the time Biden left office, there was great frustration over how he had handled or not handled the border.
And there was significant support for more restrictions. In fact, the share of Americans in Gallup polling who said they wanted to reduce the number of
immigrants was the highest it had been since the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. But what you have seen over the past year is opinion very
clearly bifurcate over Trump's approach.
There's still a lot of support for him regaining control of the southern border. But as you point out, there are now a number consistently in polls.
You're seeing a majority of Americans raising red flags about the way they are pursuing this mass deportation agenda in the interior of the country.
Those numbers have been trending down even before the shooting, and I suspect they will push even further in a negative direction in the
aftermath of this tragedy.
FOSTER: I mean, the shooting is turning into a flashpoint around this debate, isn't it? But what rogan seems to be speaking to was the imagery
coming out of it all as well, wasn't he? These ICE agents in full armor, acting in the way that they do, and that appears to have been -- is the
approach, not necessarily the strategy here to deal with immigration, but how are they doing it?
[15:25:10]
BROWNSTEIN: Well, the how, the how though, is kind of inescapable, right? I mean, you know, if you are going to -- it's important to recognize that
even from the administration's own perspective, they are just at the very beginning of what they intend to do. The best estimates are that they've
deported and arrested about 300,000 to 360,000 to 370,000 people.
There are 14 million undocumented immigrants in the country. Congress, the Republican Congress last year provided them 75 billion in additional
funding to hire 10,000 more agents. So, try to imagine what we have seen over the last year. All the economic, social and political turmoil kind of
escalated two or -- two or three times this level. And you can kind of envision what the country has to look forward to if we stay on this course.
And I think there are a lot of people who are questioning whether this is a realistic approach to deal with the problem if we've had so much turmoil
over this first year, what would it look like over three more years escalated to two or three times this level of enforcement on the streets of
American cities.
FOSTER: There's also this concern about authoritarian leadership, isn't it? I mean, he did it in a very blank terms. Rogan, didn't he talk about
Nazi Germany?
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.
FOSTER: But the idea that you can just go into a city and have a presence and the imagery adding to that sense that it isn't safe, rather than making
it safer. You know, people are wondering, is this for us or is this not for us?
BROWNSTEIN: Right. Well, you know, these are images that we have not seen in our, in our lifetime, really, of a federal presence on the streets of
American cities. And it has to be noted, blue cities you know, Democrat run cities where, you know, the administration. Stephen Miller is on TV telling
ICE agents, you have absolute immunity. If anybody raises any question about what you do, we are going to prosecute them, not you.
I mean, you know, I said often during Trump's first term, he governed as a wartime president with blue America as the adversary. And I think the sense
in these cities is that they are being occupied. And again, this is only the beginning of what they envisioned.
A truly make a dent in the problem at scale, they are going to have to do this in a more extensive and prolonged manner. And so like, you know, you
kind of ask the question, what is the tolerance in the public? And even among Republican members of Congress for the level of confrontation that is
unavoidable if you really envision ratcheting this up to 11, as they would say, in "Spinal Tap".
FOSTER: Ron Brownstein, fascinating insights as ever. Thank you so much for joining us.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.
FOSTER: Right now, NASA working to get its crew home early after a medical issue in space. The operations underway, not the medical operation, the
transport operation, but we'll be explaining what's exactly happening next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:31:31]
FOSTER: Four astronauts returning from the International Space Station today, a month ahead of schedule, though, this after one crew member
experienced a medical issue. This is the first time in history NASA has brought astronauts home early from a space station due to a medical
concern.
This is the live scene for you. It's all going on right now. The transfer. Whilst NASA hasn't provided details about the health problem we're talking
about here, the affected astronaut is said to be in stable condition.
The SpaceX capsule carrying the astronauts is expected to undock there from the ISS, as soon as 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. That's about 90 minutes from
now.
So, what we want to know is how unusual is it for a crew to return home early from the International Space Station?
Joining me now, Colonel Terry Virts, a retired NASA astronaut and U.S. Air Force colonel. He's also running for Congress right now as a Democrat for
Texas ninth congressional district.
Thank you so much for joining us. I mean, it is rare.
COL. TERRY VIRTS, NASA ASTRONAUT (RET.): Thanks for having me on.
FOSTER: It hasn't happened before for NASA astronauts, anyway. Has it ever? But, you know, you must get medical issues in space, right?
VIRTS: We do. And we've planned for this from the beginning. We've known that this was always a possibility of something came up. Everybody would
have to get in the capsule and come back to earth.
The NASA doctors tell me that there's a 1 to 3 percent chance every year that this might happen. So, knock on wood, we haven't had to do it yet, but
it's happening now. The good news is it's not an emergency.
If it was an emergency, they would have just gotten in the capsule and come back immediately. You know, they took a week to make sure it's all planned,
but there are problems that occur. You know, we're humans and humans have medical things sometimes. Sometimes people have skin problems.
They'll have to send up, you know, skin medicine, or they'll have other problems that they need to send up medicine in the next cargo ship. So, if
you can wait a month or two for the next SpaceX cargo ship, then that's okay. But in this case, they decided it was better to bring the astronaut
home.
FOSTER: We don't know what the medical issue is, and we may never know is that due to, you know, patient privacy or is there another reason for that?
VIRTS: No, no, no, it's just -- it's just, privacy. It's one of those things where, you know, if somebody has an issue, they don't want to
necessarily talk about it and tell the world about it.
So, the good news is, you know, you can see the crew, they're all there. They're walking around. So there's nothing significant. And immediately
emergent happening. But we just respect our astronaut's privacy.
FOSTER: We're looking at the hatch just closing I believe in this sort of very lengthy operation to try to get them off the space station. Just talk
us through the complications here. I mean, you know, obviously this has been done many times before, but obviously you have to be careful every
time.
VIRTS: You do. So, what's going to happen? They're in orbit together. They're going to undock. Once they seal the hatch, make sure the pressure
is good. There's no leaks.
They're going to undock. They're going to separate probably a few hundred miles, maybe from the space station. Turn the capsule around backwards and
fire the rocket engines. That will slow the capsule down by a few hundred miles an hour. It's going 17,000 miles an hour.
So, when you slow down in space, your orbit shrinks, and they'll fire those engines at the exact right time, and the rocket will burn for the exact
right amount of time so that the orbit shrinks so that it hits the earth's atmosphere at the right spot. And that will be a few thousand miles from
the splashdown point in the Pacific Ocean.
[15:35:03]
And then it'll come down on the Pacific Ocean.
So that whole process, once you turn around and do what we call the deorbit burn, it's -- you do that roughly on the other side of earth. So, it's
about 45 minutes before you splashdown. But they're landing early in the morning, so it'll be a few hours from undocking to splashdown.
FOSTER: And just on the medical issue, obviously, these are the fittest people in the world, really, aren't they? The amount of testing they go
through and training they go through to go up into space. But you don't have doctors up there, but the other astronauts are trained in medical
issues -- presumably the basic ones, at least.
VIRTS: Well, I'm -- so I'm a fighter pilot by training. I was an F-16 pilot, but I was actually the crew medical officer, so I spent a lot of
time training here at the Houston hospital system. I got to work in the O.R. and in the E.R. It was some of my favorite training I did.
But we have basic stuff. You know, if somebody gets a bad cut, you can do stitches. Somebody has a heart attack. We have an AED. Theres a few
backpack-sized containers full of different medicines so we can do basic stuff. You can't really do surgery in space. The blood would float
everywhere. So, you can kind of handle what an EMT, if you think about that, could handle at your house. But anything that you need to go to the
hospital for, you're going to have to come back to earth.
And the good news is that our NASA doctors trust me, when you get a medical exam before space flight, they leave no stone unturned.
FOSTER: Yeah.
VIRTS: So, they make sure that were in pretty good health before we go up.
FOSTER: Terry, appreciate it. We're going to be watching that closely. Also watching President Trump actually currently speaking at the White
House.
TRUMP: They said people were shooting at them with guns and they were shooting back. And you know, it's one of those things. But, they told me
that there'll be no executions. And so, I hope that's true.
REPORTER: Does this mean military action is now off the table against Iran?
TRUMP: We're going to watch it and see what the process is. But we were given a very good -- very good statement by people that are aware of what's
going on.
REPORTER: -- considering military action.
TRUMP: You know what they say. No executions. Everyone is talking about -- a lot of executions were taking place today. We were just told no
executions. I hope that's true. That's a big thing.
Yes.
REPORTER: The foreign minister of Greenland, she said a while ago in a press conference in an embassy of Denmark that she made very clear in the
meeting that happened here in the White House, what are their limits. She also said that it was a very respectful meeting.
Are those limits going to be respected?
TRUMP: Well, we're going to see what happens with Greenland. We need Greenland for national security. So, we're going to see what happens.
They're going to brief me on the meeting right after this conference.
In fact, the sooner I get you out, the faster I'm going to know exactly what happened. But we have a very good relationship with Denmark, as you
know. We'll see.
But you know, we're doing the Golden Dome. We're doing a lot of things, and we really need it. If we don't go in, Russia is going to go in and China is
going to go in, and there's not a thing that Denmark can do about it, but we can do everything about it.
REPORTER: There's no bargain (ph). Is that what they're going to do then?
TRUMP: Well, we're going to see I mean, look, were going to see what happens, but we need it. You know, I'm not the first one. This was talked
about by President Truman. And 40 years before President Truman, they were talking about it. They've been talking about this for 100 years.
This is not anything so new. A lot of people don't realize that. But this was a hot subject. Probably not as hot as it is now, but it was a hot
subject for a long time. We need it for national security. And that includes for Europe.
And I spoke with, as you know, Mark, the head of NATO, and he really wants to see something happen. It's very important, very important for national
security.
REPORTER: It's being reported that Health and Human Services released frozen funds to Planned Parenthood. I'm wondering why this happened and why
Planned Parenthood is receiving any federal funds?
TRUMP: I don't know anything about that. Bobby, do you know anything about that?
ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR., HHS SECRETARY: What was the question?
REPORTER: It's being reported that frozen funds were released to Planned Parenthood in December by HHS. I'm wondering why that happened
TRUMP: I haven't --
KENNEDY: I have not heard that.
TRUMP: I have not heard of that.
REPORTER: Mr. President, on NATO right now, it sounds like you are saying that you would potentially acquire Greenland by force. That would be a NATO
country. The united --
TRUMP: You're saying that.
REPORTER: Are you -- are you saying that Would you do that?
TRUMP: No, you're saying that.
REPORTER: Would you take it by force --
TRUMP: I didn't say it. No. You're telling me that that's what I'm going to do. You don't know what I'm going to do.
REPORTER: So what are the options?
TRUMP: Your network doesn't know either.
REPORTER: The Danish foreign minister said that there are still fundamental differences after the meeting with Rubio and with the vice
president. Are you willing to leave the NATO alliance in order to get what you want with Greenland? What are the options right now?
TRUMP: Well, I wouldn't be telling you what I'm willing to do certainly. I'm not going to give up options, but it's very important. Greenland is
very important for the national security, including of Denmark.
And the problem is there's not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland. But there's everything we can
do.
[15:40:00]
You found that out last week with Venezuela. Theres everything we can do about things such as that not going to happen.
We're not, you know, I can't rely on Denmark being able to fend themselves off. You know, they were talking about -- they put an extra dog and they
were serious about this. They put an extra dogsled there last month. They added a second dogsled. That's not going to do the trick.
REPORTER: Denmark fought alongside the United States in both Afghanistan.
TRUMP: And tell me that I appreciate it, but I have a very good relationship with Denmark and we'll see how it all works out. I think
something will work out.
Yeah, please.
REPORTER: On Venezuela -- Cabello, the de facto number two in Venezuela right now. He seemed pretty reluctant to work with the U.S. and obviously
he's --
TRUMP: They just gave us 50 million barrels of oil.
REPORTER: The number two, the Venezuela security.
TRUMP: I know the number one. We just had a great conversation today. And she's a terrific person. I mean, she's somebody that we've worked with very
well.
Marco Rubio is dealing with her. I dealt with her this morning. We had a call, a long call. We discussed a lot of things, and I think we're getting
along very well with Venezuela.
REPORTER: Mr. President --
REPORTER: You're bringing the new assistant attorney general position dedicated to rooting out fraud.
TRUMP: Yeah. He's fantastic. The person is fantastic.
REPORTER: Who is it?
TRUMP: It's a he. I will tell you. Maybe within minutes. I mean, I don't know if it's appropriate to say yet because were going through a process,
but we have chosen a person who's very tough, very smart, very fair.
REPORTER: You gave a speech yesterday in Michigan about how you've recalibrated the American economy to work for workers, U.S. auto factories.
We've seen core inflation completely tamed. You lowered the trade deficit, the lowest amount since 2009. American exports are growing, but we're also
waiting on the Supreme Court case with the tariffs.
Given the success that you've had in the first 12 months, what is at stake in this case?
TRUMP: A little bit like whole milk. I can't believe we even have a case.
This was a case started by a very China-centric people and also anti- American people, frankly, people that don't want us to do well. Tariffs have helped us stop eight wars. They've helped us get the best trade
numbers we've ever had. They've helped us get $18 trillion brought into the country.
And maybe above all else, they've given us tremendous national security, just the threat of tariffs. You saw that just yesterday when I put tariffs
on a certain country, we won't talk about that country. But you know who it is based on the fact that if you do business with that country, you know
it's going to make them it's going to bring them to the table a lot faster.
So, we have made hundreds of billions of dollars with tariffs. We have very little inflation. Think of it. Inflation has gone down and productivity,
everything has gone up. We've never taken in money like we have.
We've never had anywhere near $18 trillion invested in our country. Neither has any other country. It's the biggest number by maybe five times, five
times, not 5 percent, five times. Nobody's ever seen numbers like this.
We have plants going up. You know, you mentioned I was in Michigan yesterday. I was at the Ford plant where they make the Ford F-150. It's one
of the original plants. It's a -- was from before World War I. It's a giant plant.
That plant was probably going to be closed. And, two years ago they were doing very poorly. And now they just announced yesterday that they're going
to go 24 hours around the clock, three shifts, which they rarely do. That's Ford. And Ford's having the best numbers they've ever had. General Motors
having the best numbers they've ever had.
Stellantis, which hasn't been here, is now investing billions, tens of billions of dollars on building in the country. We're building auto plants
all over the country. We're building A.I. all over the country. We're leading China by a lot. And a lot of it has to do with tariffs.
That would be a very disappointing decision. And especially since the people that are fighting me are people that want China to do well. And
we're doing great against China. We're doing great against everybody.
We were the hottest country anywhere in the world. As I say often, we're right now the hottest country anywhere in the world. And a year and a half
ago, we were a dead country.
Thank you very much, everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, press. Thank you, thank you, press. Let's go. Thank you.
FOSTER: President Trump speaking at the White House. The two key issues we're interested in, Kevin Liptak, were Iran and Greenland.
Let's start with Iran because it felt a bit like less aggressive language towards Iran now.
LIPTAK: Yeah, to be sure. And the president was asked how he knew that, in his words, the killing had been stopped. And he said that he had been told
that by, quote, "very important sources" on the other side, a suggestion that they had received this information from the Iranians, from officials
within the Iranian regime.
[15:45:02]
And the president went on to say that in their explanations of what had been happening on the ground there, that they said that people had been
shooting at them with guns and that they were simply shooting back. And so, on the face of it, it seems as if the president is taking the word of
whoever the Iranian regime seems to be conveying this information.
Now, he didn't take the military option off the table. He's not saying, look, this is all done and dusted. The red line that I mentioned many times
over the last several days is no longer operable.
He said that they would watch and see what the process is going forward, but certainly sounding much less intense about coming out with some sort of
military action, at least in the immediate near term.
Now, in talking to officials, just as the president was proceeding over the last half an hour, there's a lot of confusion about what exactly all of
this means. Is the president doing some sort of attempt at deception here to try and conceal whatever plans he does actually have in place?
You remember back in June when the U.S. struck those military strikes in Iran, the president, just before it happened, sounded as if he was backing
down. And no one is necessarily ruling that out at this point, but at least based on the president's words alone, it sounds as if for now, he is not
exploring any military option, at least immediately.
FOSTER: Yeah, it was interesting, wasn't it? And on Greenland, there was this meeting from the -- with the Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers
today, I think it was with Rubio and J.D. Vance, wasn't it?
LIPTAK: Yeah.
FOSTER: He said he hadn't been briefed on that yet, but we need Greenland. There's not a thing Denmark can do about it. Essentially saying that
Denmark can't protect Greenland. It needs to be protected.
It just feels like a fait accompli, despite the fact that the, you know, the Danish are talking about this working group where they can work out a
future together, where Denmark retains control.
LIPTAK: Yeah. And, you know, coming out of that meeting, we heard from the foreign minister of Greenland and Denmark that they were not able to move
the United States off of this sort of maximalist position when they were talking to J.D. Vance and when they were talking to Rubio, they were not
able to find a compromise by which the U.S. would have some interests in Greenland but stop short of annexation.
And I think listening to President Trump just now, that was pretty clear. The president not backing off at all, suggesting even that he was willing
this massive rupture within NATO, if it meant that the U.S. was able to gain control over Greenland. And he was pressed sort of repeatedly whether
he was willing to make that compromise, whether he was willing to see the entire NATO alliance sort of disintegrate over this one objective.
He didn't really answer one way or the other. I think sort of leaving some of his options a little vague, but certainly not suggesting that he's been
talked down from this position at all, even after this face-to-face meeting.
Now, he said he was going to be briefed on it later. It didn't sound as if he had spoken to Rubio or Vance since that session. It lasted about an hour
and 20 minutes earlier today.
So perhaps once he hears from them what the Danish and Greenlandic position was, he may have a better understanding of what some of the options might
be for the U.S. that would be short of annexation, but at least for now, he's not backing off at all.
FOSTER: It does seem that two of his narratives seem to be coming together around Greenland, because Denmark's basically saying America can come here,
has the right to come here, do what it wants here effectively to defend Greenland. We're very happy to have them here.
But Donald Trump doesn't feel he should pay for other people's defense budgets, does he? If he's going to do that, he wants to have control of the
space. He wants to defend the U.S. He doesn't feel like he's there to defend everyone else.
LIPTAK: Yeah. And I think the argument that the Danish will make is that if the U.S. goes there under existing agreements, builds military
establishments there, reopens a lot of the military bases that were closed after the Cold War, that it would be mutually beneficial, that the U.S.
would be able to, for example, use Greenland as part of this Golden Dome. The $175 billion missile defense shield that the president says is
necessary and that Greenland would form a critical component of.
But the president doesn't seem to be buying those arguments. He seems to believe that the only way to get the benefit of that island, this Arctic
Island, which you know, is a strategic value, you know, no one is disagreeing with that, but that the only way to reap those benefits was
that if this was an actual U.S. territory.
FOSTER: Kevin, thank you.
Still to come, shock around the U.S. Capitol. FBI agents execute a search warrant at a "Washington Post" reporter's home. What we know about the
investigation so far.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:52:33]
FOSTER: A highly unusual search setting off alarms amongst press freedom advocates the world over.
Last month, "Washington Post" reporter Hannah Natanson wrote about her year as what she called the federal government whisperer. She received tips from
hundreds of federal workers impacted by President Trump's transformation of the government.
On Wednesday, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Natanson's home. Attorney General Pam Bondi is now accusing Natanson of obtaining classified
and illegally leaked information.
Katelyn Polantz live from Washington for us.
And what sort of worried me about this story when I heard it was it appears that the agents have taken away all of her computers, which could mean
they've got access to all of the contacts, which obviously should have remained confidential.
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: A phone and two computers. Max, those is -- that is what was seized in the search of
"Washington Post" reporter Hannah Natanson's home this morning. But this isn't a probe as far as we know, into Nathanson herself or her work, though
that is something that both the FBI director, Kash Patel, and Pam Bondi have said that they will not tolerate.
What this we, as far as we understand, is an investigation into is another person, a government contractor who had a top secret clearance with the
U.S. government and had access to both a secured information facility and classified documents, at least related to one foreign nation. That person,
Aurelio Perez-Lugones, he was charged and arrested last week with the unlawful retention, allegedly, of national security information.
So that would be the leak investigation that the Justice Department is conducting that led to the search of "The Washington Post" reporter. Now,
Perez-Lugones, the Justice Department is fighting to keep him behind bars as he awaits trial. He currently is detained, but it is something that is
disputed. And going before a judge tomorrow.
So, he will be there and there will be more to this story as it develops. But even with that leak investigation, which in some ways looks like a very
typical charge of unlawful retention of classified records against Aurelio Perez-Lugones, this raises many unusual questions that we have not seen in
many years about the protections around journalists, reporters, the press and the FBI and Justice Department's willingness to go to the home of a
"Washington Post" reporter and seize both, as you noted, a phone and two computers.
[15:55:05]
FOSTER: Yeah. Okay. Katelyn, thank you.
New data shows 2025 was the third hottest year on record. That news coming as Copernicus, the European service that monitors climate change, released
its final climate data for the last year. We're also learning the last 11 years have been the warmest on record, with the past three years being the
worst as average temperatures exceeded 1.5 degree Celsius. That was the temperature limit set by the Paris climate agreement to prevent the climate
crisis from worsening.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW.
Stay with CNN. More after the break.
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