Return to Transcripts main page

What We Know with Max Foster

Venezuela's Machado Speaks After Meeting Trump Thursday; Source: U.S. Moving Carrier Strike Group To Middle East; Iran Reels From Brutal Crackdown On Anti-Regime Protesters; Bipartisan U.S. Delegation Backs "Trusted Allies" In Denmark; Trump: No Reason To Invoke Insurrection Act "Right Now; Ugandan Candidate Bobi Wine "Forcibly Removed" From Home; Lackluster Poll Numbers For Trump Come In Key Election Year. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired January 16, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:30]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: What? Okay. Hello.

Maria Corina Machado no longer has her Nobel Peace Prize medal. Does she have the trust of the president, President Trump, that is?

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

Venezuela's opposition leader says the road ahead may be complex and challenging, but she says it's the first step towards democracy for her

nation.

Maria Corina Machado spoke to reporters in Washington earlier today, a day after her high stakes meeting with Donald Trump. She says she's grateful to

the American people and the U.S. president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZEULAN OPPOSITION LEADER: I am profoundly, profoundly confident that we will have an orderly transition. This is a

complex phase we are right now. Some of the dirty work is being done by them. But then the result of a stable transition will be a proud Venezuela

who is going to be the best ally the United States has ever had in the Americas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Machado brought a gift to the White House on Thursday. Her Nobel Peace Prize medal, long coveted by President Trump. Machado says gifting

her medal was an emotional moment.

The Nobel Committee says the award is not transferable. That meeting seems to have left an impression on Donald Trump as he left the White House for

Florida. The U.S. president said he thought Machado was a fine woman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I had a great meeting yesterday by a person who I have a lot of respect for, and she has respect,

obviously, for me and our country, and she gave me her Nobel Prize. But I'll tell you what, I got to know her. I never met her before and I was

very, very impressed. She's a really -- this is a fine woman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, meanwhile, on the day Machado met President Trump in Washington, D.C., Venezuela's acting president held a meeting with the head

of the CIA in Caracas. A U.S. official says John Ratcliffe talked about potential opportunities for economic collaboration. Let's go straight to

Stefano Pozzebon. I'm just wondering what you think Machado got out of that big moment yesterday when she handed over her medal, because she's clearly

looking for something in return?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, she got a gift bag from Donald Trump. We saw, Max, that she was leaving the White House yesterday with a

rod -- a red gift bag with the signature of the U.S. president engraved in gold. However, jokes aside, I think that he gave her reassurances, or at

least that she's been telling us that he she was given reassurances that the U.S. are committed towards a full transition towards democracy and

freedom in Venezuela.

And yet that transition will have to wait, because just while he called her a very fine woman on the lawn of the White House a few hours ago, Donald

Trump also said that he does not want to repeat the mistakes of Iraq and Afghanistan 20 years ago, and that would mean do not force a complete

reshuffle of the government after toppling an authoritarian government or an authoritarian leader in this case, which was Nicolas Maduro.

And this is why we are seeing Donald Trump being more interested in creating a working relationship with Delcy Rodriguez, who was Maduro's

deputy before he took over from him after Maduro's being captured and taken to Washington -- to New York City, rather than developing a strategy to put

Machado in her place anytime, anytime soon. I think that it's a -- it's an awkward conversation for Maria Corina Machado is a person who has been

spending the last 20 years trying to dislodge Maduro first, and Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chavez, before him. And once again, he's being

essentially told, you have to wait, your moment will come, but not now, because the country is not ready to transition towards democracy.

We know that Venezuela is a country that doesn't have reliable institutions in the electoral authorities, for example. Those are the same electoral

authorities that granted Maduro's victory in 2024. Despite overwhelming evidence that Maria Corina Machado coalition had actually won those

elections. There are no judiciary, or parliamentary institutions that rely on the -- on the confidence of the people.

So, it seems that right now we have to wait and see. And while the White House is developing this, these relationship with Delcy Rodriguez, they are

somehow preparing the ground, ceding the ground for an eventual transition to democracy.

[15:05:07]

That does not mean, of course, that Delcy Rodriguez is very busy to present herself as a credible alternative to Donald Trump. But she has received the

visit of John Ratcliffe. Like he said, I think I've been in Venezuela since 2016. I don't remember, frankly, a cabinet member from the United States

traveling to Caracas to be received by a U.S. president, and the fact that we learned about that visit very, very quickly, we learned it earlier today

when the visit took place only in the late hours of Thursday.

That means that, of course, that was considered positive by both sides, and that's why they decided to come clear on it. And at the same time today,

Max, we are seeing the first deportation flight coming back from the United States, deporting migrants from, in this case, Phoenix, Arizona, all the

way directly to Caracas. We know how important deporting migrants is as an issue for the White House. And of course, the fact that Delcy Rodriguez can

guarantee that working relationship on the issue of migrants, as well as cooperation on oil exports. And now it seems, intelligence cooperation with

the visit of the CIA director builds her up as a credible alternative.

So never underestimate Maria Corina Machado. I think that the last person who underestimated Maria Corina Machado's skills and, sheer will of power

of her will is now sitting in a jail in Brooklyn. So do not underestimate that leader because she has achieved remarkable successes in the past

despite all the odds. But right now, it seems that Donald Trump seems, at least for the short term, more interested in developing a working

relationship with Delcy Rodriguez. And this is what is being played out in front of our cameras this week at least -- Max.

FOSTER: Yeah, it's really intriguing. Stefano, thank you so much for joining us from there.

Machado is not the only foreign opposition voice making a pitch for Donald Trump's support in Washington. Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last shah of

Iran, gave an address earlier asking the international community to keep supporting Iranian protesters and said he believes the fall of the regime

in Tehran is now inevitable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REZA PAHLAVI, SON OF FORMER SHAH: The truth is now undeniable. The so- called Islamic republic is not the government of Iran. It is a hostile occupying force that's hijacked our homeland. The Islamic republic will

fall, not if but when.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, those comments come as sources tell CNN that the U.S. is sending a carrier strike group to the Middle East. That could include

dozens of fighter jets and Tomahawk cruise missiles as well. President Trump has so far held off from military action after threatening to attack

Tehran if it began executing protesters, though he insists he's keeping his military options on the table.

Kevin Liptak is at the White House.

This is interesting, isn't it, because a lot of military analysts say that the U.S. doesn't have the hardware in the Middle East to carry out an

attack on Iran, and that's why one hasn't happened yet, potentially.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. And it's rare that the U.S. doesn't have a carrier strike group in the region. Remember, President

Trump -- excuse me. President Trump moved the USS Gerald Ford, which had been in the eastern mediterranean to the Caribbean sea as tensions were

building with Venezuela. And so there had they had been without this military muscle in the lead up to the president's decision making on what

to do with Iran.

Now, we don't know precisely which carrier strike group is moving to the region. The one that is closest is the USS Abraham Lincoln, which had been

in the South China Sea. It could potentially take around a week for it to get from there to the region around Iran. That is a group that's a massive

sort of apparatus. In addition to the aircraft carrier itself, it has about 90 aircraft, including F-18s, F-35s, also three destroyers, which would

allow launch of these missiles if that's the direction that the president decides to go ahead.

At this point, it doesn't seem clear that he has committed to doing that at all, though, and we understand that as the president sort of was weighing

all of this over the last several days, there was also this intensive behind the scenes effort on the part of American allies in the Gulf, Saudi

Arabia, Qatar, but also, I think, interestingly, Israel, who are encouraging him to hold off -- to essentially tell him that the time was

not right to start striking inside of Iran and that in combination with what the president regarded as sort of a conciliatory step by the regime to

hold off on these executions, is what caused him to back off.

Now, the president was asked about all of this on the south lawn earlier today, and he said, no. No one convinced him that he convinced himself that

the time was not right. And what the White House says is that they're continuing to monitor the events on the ground there, and that the military

option is not off the table entirely.

But I do think it adds up to a picture of a president confronting quite a complicated reality here. One, the military artillery just wasn't in place,

and that would have allowed for quite a difficult, I think action, if that's the step that the president wanted to take. But it was also, I

think, clear that anything that the president did didn't necessarily have a clear outcome. You know, if he decided to strike at some of the security

services, for example, that are leading the crackdown on the protesters, it wasn't at all clear that that was going to end the regime's very brutal

tactics.

At the same time, the president was aware that all of these options came with enormous risks, you know, for American military personnel in the

region, in Qatar, in Syria and Iraq. So, he was facing a decision that didn't necessarily have a clear outcome, but did come with enormous risks.

And so, as he talks about, you know, the regime backing off these executions, I think it's also evident that he saw this as something of an

off ramp, a allowing him to sort of maneuver and give himself space to further consider what exactly he wants to do here, whether he wants the

regime to fall, whether he thinks that that's a positive step in terms of stability in the region, all of it. I think adding up to quite a

complicated decisional picture for him, that he continues to kind of reckon with as the weekend begins.

FOSTER: Okay, Kevin, thank you.

Now in Iran, the internet and communications blackout is now in its eighth day, and details about conditions inside the country are scant. Authorities

there say 3,000 people have been arrested for taking part in the anti- regime demonstrations. A U.S.-based rights group estimates that number is well over 20,000, with more than 2,500 others killed by security forces.

Two Iranians tell CNN that authorities are allegedly making families pay significant sums to retrieve the bodies of those killed in the protests.

It's a tragic repression tactic that the regime has used before.

Before you show, before we show you that -- Paula Hancocks' report, a warning that some of the images here are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The cry of a generation robbed of their future.

Twenty-three-year-old Mahan Ghadami (ph), a barber shop owner with a passion for rap singing the pain of no freedom.

MAHAN GHADAMI, BARBER SHOP OWNER: My whole life is nothing but suffering --

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Activist outlet IranWire says Ghadami was killed last Friday, the day after the Internet was cut and security forces

launched a brutal crackdown on anti-regime protesters.

This shows just how bloody their response was. New footage sent to CNN of the inside of the Kahrizak morgue in Tehran, row upon row of body bags,

distraught relatives saying farewell to lifeless loved ones. Some of those killed with clear gunshot wounds to the head.

The body of Siavash Shirzad (ph) was one of those taken to Kahrizak. According to IranWire and Hengaw, a Norway-based human rights organization,

a Kurdish father of one.

His family say he was part of this protest in Tehran's Punak Square on January 8th. They had begged him not to go. Hengaw says. He was shot and

killed by Iranian security forces. He would have turned 38 this past week.

So many victims were young, like 20-year-old Sayeed Shafiei (ph), killed on January 8th, according to Hengaw and IranWire. Her last post on Telegram: I

love you all. They may cut the Internet soon.

So many risked their lives to fight for freedom. Thousands are believed to have been gunned down in the street, according to U.S.-based Human Rights

Activists News Agency, on the order of leaders that value regime survival above all else.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now, whilst the U.S. president insists that Greenland is vital for U.S. national security, he's facing resistance from U.S. lawmakers,

including some from his own party. A bipartisan group of senators visited Copenhagen today to show support for what they called trusted allies.

Denmark's parliament flew the Greenlandic flag in a sign of solidarity with that territory, and this comes as a number of European countries are

sending troops to Greenland for military exercises with Denmark. Although the deployments are small, it is seen as a significant show of solidarity

amongst NATO allies.

Nic Robertson has more from the capital of Greenland, Nuuk.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, the congressional delegation in Copenhagen, led by Senator Chris, bringing some comfort to

the people here in Nuuk, talking about the shared values between the United States, Denmark and the Greenlandic people, shared values and sovereignty,

territorial integrity, self-determination and also talking about the need to have a conversation between the two countries.

[15:15:22]

But very clear in the context of what this delegation was saying, that there is, in a sense, a strong breakdown of trust between them and the

White House.

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): Are there real pressing threats to the security of Greenland from China and Russia? No. Not today. Are there real

opportunities for us to partner through NATO to contribute to Arctic security? Yes. And so, there's a lot of rhetoric, but there's not a lot of

reality in the current discussion in Washington. And part of the point of this trip is to have a bipartisan group of members of congress listen

respectfully to our friends, our trusted allies and partners here in Denmark.

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): When you ask the American people whether or not they think it is a good idea for the United States to acquire Greenland,

the vast majority, some 75 percent, will say, we do not think that that is a good idea. This senator from Alaska does not think it is a good idea. And

I want to build on the relationship that we have had as, as Aya and I penned in an op-ed about a year ago, Greenland needs to be viewed as our

ally, not as an asset.

ROBERTSON: And on Saturday, the people of Nuuk also planning to send a message to President Trump. A march through the town here ending up outside

the U.S. consulate.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Nuuk, Greenland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now, the weekend could bring more clashes between protesters and immigration agents in Minneapolis, as if the past is anything to go by.

U.S. Homeland Security says 12 people were arrested last night. Protesters keep showing up despite frigid weather and even colder temperatures to

come. President Donald Trump says he sees no reason to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota right now, but he hasn't ruled it out for the

future.

Josh Campbell is following this story for us.

This is really becoming this flashpoint, isn't it, for a national debate, not just between not just about the clashes between protesters and

authorities, but between the U.S. authorities themselves.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I mean, as local officials in Minneapolis have described it, you have the locals essentially

fighting with the federal government here over how best to address this issue. And neither side seems to be backing down, which, as you mentioned,

has been fueling a lot of these protests that we've seen. This all centers on this surge of immigration agents that the Trump administration sent in

to Minneapolis.

And there have been a lot of videos that have shown up on social media showing aggressive interactions between these agents and members of the

public, both in trying to conduct arrests in order to identify people who might be in the country unlawfully, but also in interacting with these

demonstrators, as you can see there on your screen. Oftentimes, we've seen groups that are gathered outside of a federal building there in the

Minneapolis area.

You do have a group of agitators that will sometimes launch projectiles, you know, water bottles and other types of things at the officers. And then

they come out in full force to try to clear that area. And so that is kind of the standoff where we are.

Meanwhile, there's this other backdrop that we're seeing. Obviously, this has been infused with politics essentially from the get-go. But the

secretary of homeland security, who oversees the immigration apparatus in the United States, she made some comments that really raised a lot of

eyebrows yesterday. She essentially said that Americans should be prepared to show their proof of citizenship in certain situations to immigration

officers. And that has been a flashpoint itself, because you've seen on some of these videos, these agents just going up to seemingly random

bystanders and saying, where are you from? What's your citizenship status? Essentially, show me your papers.

And so, that is obviously caused a lot of consternation as well, because that runs counter to, a lot of the history of this country, right, as far

as, you know, freedoms and constitutional protections.

And so again, neither side seems to be backing down. The president says that he is potentially weighing invoking the Insurrection Act, which could

mean additional federal forces, federal troops coming into the city. He says he isn't planning on it right now. But even weighing that, and putting

that out there is certainly caused a lot of tension there in that city, which, as I mentioned, doesn't seem to be abating anytime soon.

FOSTER: Okay. We'll be watching it. Josh, thanks so much for joining us.

CAMPBELL: You bet.

FOSTER: Now, just a short time ago, we learned that Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine has been forcibly removed from his home and taken to an

unknown location in an army helicopter.

[15:20:00]

This is according to his party. Wine is running against sitting President Yoweri Museveni. There have been outbreaks of violence in Uganda in the

last 24 hours, and reports of repression and intimidation around this crucial election.

Coming up, a negative review after almost a year back in the White House, a majority of Americans do not approve of Donald Trump's handling of the

presidency. We'll take a look at the numbers for you, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: New CNN polling shows a change in how Americans view President Donald Trump, and it's not good for the White House. Thirty-nine percent of

Americans approve of how Mr. Trump is handling his job as president, 61 percent disapproving. A majority believes Mr. Trump is focused on the wrong

priorities and doing little on the things they care about, namely the economy. Just 39 percent of those surveyed approve of the president's

handling of foreign affairs, whilst even less approve of his handling of tariffs.

What we don't know is, can Donald Trump actually turn these poll numbers around at this point?

Joining me now is Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

Thank you so much for joining us, Larry.

First of all, I mean, how, common is this at this point in the presidency?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Well, it's not common at all. Essentially, Donald Trump is duplicating his low

ratings from his first term. Although, to be fair to him, President Biden had become almost as unpopular at the end of his first year of his one term

in office.

But this is all new, we didn't used to have this kind of presidential low approval just a year in, It's worse for Trump, though, Max. Here's why: he

was given a second chance. Only the second time in American history a president got a nonconsecutive term. He had the opportunity.

And at first it was going well. He actually hit the 50 percent mark for the first time in the entire time he'd been in office, counting the first term.

[15:25:01]

And now, he's below 40 percent again. And I don't think he's going to get a third chance. That's not how voters are. They reluctantly gave him a second

chance, and he's disappointed them, not just on the economy but on a wide range of issues, including the one that he was most popular on, which was

immigration.

So how he gets a third chance, I don't know that even Donald Trump is capable of that. It's often the economy, though, isn't it? That is the is

the priority issue, particularly when people don't feel that they can make ends meet. And this is one of the big promises, wasn't it, that he was

going to improve the economy, improve, you know, the cost of groceries, if you like?

Do you think that's the real you know, the number one issue here?

SABATO: Oh, absolutely. That's number one. And of course, politicians always make it worse on themselves when they overpromised. So, Trump didn't

say it's going to take hard work. We're really in a deep hole. Stick with me. It could take a year or two to get this back on track.

No. He said, I will lower prices, lower prices on day one, his first day in office. So that was an impossibility for anyone. But it's more than that.

It's something that I've noticed recently. It's gone beyond the economy. And I think this is where the incursion in Minneapolis is really having an

impact.

Over the past few months, more people, independents, not Republicans, but independents have started to have real doubts about Trump and his

commitment to even minimally to democracy. And people are starting to worry that we really are headed to an autocracy. This is not what Americans want,

at least outside the MAGA base, which is a solid 35 percent. So, Trump has that base no matter what he does. But that's not enough to sustain a

dramatic move away from democracy.

FOSTER: But we've also seen the MAGA base separating as well, haven't they? And calling him out on certain issues. So that base that he's always relied

on in the past appears to be breaking down too.

SABATO: Yes, but it's minimal. And I've listened to all the discussion. I've looked at all the poll numbers. And, Max, I really do think that his

base is still not quite as solid as it was, but it's still very solid. People waiting for that base to fall away. Well, it's like people waiting

for senior members of the Republican leadership in Congress to break away. They've got a long wait, like forever.

FOSTER: Okay, Larry Sabato, really appreciate it. Thank you so much for joining us.

Still to come, a present for Trump. Maria Corina Machado hands President Trump her Nobel Peace Prize. We'll take a closer look at the gesture coming

up. There it is.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:31:05]

FOSTER: Nobel Peace Prize Committee has decided to weigh in on the Maria Corina Machado decision to give her medal to Donald Trump. This is the

picture that raised the eyebrows around the world. Really? Now, the Nobel committee has issued a statement to clarify. Pretty crystal clear, saying

the Nobel prize and the laureate are inseparable. It reads a laureate cannot share the prize with others nor transfer it once it's been

announced. A Nobel peace prize can also never be revoked. The decision is final. It applies for all time.

The committee goes on to say that other laureates, like Kofi Annan, have chosen to donate their medals, and it doesn't want to engage in day to day

commentary on the matter.

At one point on Thursday, the Venezuelan opposition leader was seen holding a Trump branded swag bag, whilst Machado looks to earn the U.S. president's

political endorsement, some, including late night comedians, had been quick to mock the situation.

Here's what comedian Jimmy Kimmel had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY KIMMEL, COMEDIAN: Rarely does a president yank a Nobel prize off of someone's neck. He's, you know, he's back in the Oval Office sucking on it

like a pacifier right now. Look at how happy he is. Have you ever seen anyone happier than that for winning this prize he didn't even win?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: What we want to know, is has the Trump-Machado medal swap hurt the Nobel Peace Prize? Because that statement did come out.

Joining me now is Benedicte Bull from the Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue. She's also a professor at the University of Oslo.

Thank you so much for joining us, professor. What was your reaction when you -- sorry.

BENEDICTE BULL, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF OSLO: Yeah. Well, my reaction was that this is rather surreal. I also felt it was rather sad because this

Peace Prize was celebrated here in Oslo as a prize to all the Venezuelans that had struggled so hard for democracy for so many years. And we're

seeing and they finally felt that the global community is seeing them and appreciating them and acknowledging their struggle. And now it's handed on

to Mr. Trump.

Of course, it's true, as the Nobel Committee is emphasizing that the medal is one thing. The price is different, but that's not evidently how its seen

by Mr. Trump. As we saw in his commentary to the meeting and his being given this medal by Maria Corina Machado.

FOSTER: They're allowed to do this, aren't they, Nobel laureates? We've seen how the medals have been given to museums, but giving it to an

individual for political gain, effectively. Is that seen as an insult to the fact that she received it?

BULL: Yeah, I think it's seen as a lack of respect for the Nobel prize as has been mentioned, it has happened before to raise money for a good cause

or something else. But the Nobel Peace Prize here in Norway is seen as something a little bit above and beyond the regular, power struggles and

power and what the global politics is all about on the day to day level. And now, it's kind of used, in a sense, as a token in, in a struggle for

power over the future of Venezuela. So it's definitely seen as something that can lower the prestige of the prize in the longer run.

FOSTER: I guess it could end up helping, certainly in the cause of democracy, if Donald Trump then endorses Machado and her idea of an early

election, it could have huge political impact. Ultimately, I guess that's her bigger focus, really, even though she may be aware that she may have

upset some people in Norway.

BULL: Yeah, of course, that is of minor concern to her. She's doing everything she can to ensure that this this attack on the third of January

actually translates to a regime change, which has not happened yet.

[15:35:07]

But I think that -- so I think the reaction by the Norwegian people and commentators here, balances that with the concern for the fact that Donald

Trump is not seen himself as a protector of democracy. Quite to the contrary, here in Europe.

So this is, this is so -- there are so very many conflicting feelings about this, although we understand the difficult situation that Maria Corina

Machado is in, it is still damaging to the whole idea of the prize and especially a prize given to democracy.

FOSTER: Benedicte Bull, really appreciate your thoughts there from Oslo.

Now it is the final moments of trade on Wall Street. The Dow is mostly flat as we finish the week.

This is our Business Breakout.

A month after Australia implemented the world's first ban on social media users under the age of 16, companies say they have collectively deactivated

nearly 5 million accounts belonging to Australian children and teenagers. Officials say the ban is designed to protect young people from addictive

algorithms, online predators and digital bullies, too.

President Donald Trump has suggested that his top economist, Kevin Hassett, may not be in the running after all, to be Fed chair. Mr. Trump told a

White House event that he wanted to keep Hassett where he is at the National Economic Council. Hassett has been one of the favorites to replace

Jerome Powell as the head of the U.S. Central Bank.

President Trump has also said that countries who disagree with his plans to annex Greenland could be hit with new tariffs. The recent U.S. rhetoric on

Greenland has been met with pushback from many of America's NATO allies, particularly in Europe. The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, is

hailing a new strategic partnership with China after the two countries agreed to a preliminary trade deal during his visit to Beijing. Canada will

lower tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, while China will import taxes on -- will cut import taxes rather on Canadian canola seed by March the

1st.

Paula Newton is in the Canadian capital.

I mean, it's fascinating -- this, isn't it? You can see how a good relationship with Canada in North America would be so useful in America.

You know, a neighbor of America to Beijing. But also, Canada needs markets now as well, when, you know there are more issues with tariffs than like

with the U.S.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely it does, Max. And this is not unrelated to the story -- about Greenland, right? I mean, Mark Carney in

making his announcement about this and answering questions from the press, was point blank about the United States saying that the relationship with

China is now much more predictable.

One thing you cannot predict, Max, on any given day, is how President Trump himself will react to this here. Many in Canada wondered what the president

might say. And just a few hours ago, the president, on his way out to Mar- a-Lago, said, look, we expect Canada to make this kind of deal with China. That's what he should be doing.

What remains to be seen, though, here, is whether or not this will in fact be an irritant for that all important U.S., Canada, Mexico negotiation that

is upcoming in the next few months. I think though, Max, what it shows not just for Canada, but for the U.K., for the E.U., for countries like Brazil,

they are continuing to expand their markets because they know they need one that is much more reliable from the -- than the United States. And that is

the point.

When it comes to E.V. specifically, this is such a point of contention as the good reviews for those Chinese cars keep coming in. Many continue to

say that they are, that they've produced too many, that they are subsidized, that they will totally undercut domestic markets. It's the same

in Canada as it would be in the U.K. or the E.U. Canada has decided it will allow in about 49,000 vehicles. That's only 3 percent of the market.

But we'll see how this experiment, certainly unfolds in the Canadian consumer market going forward. And a lot of countries will be watching

carefully.

The other thing is, Max, I don't know if you have an E.V. I have one and it is software that propels those things. And many have brought up national

security concerns. It's even been brought up by Canadian politicians as to whether, if you were a Canadian and you bought one of these cheap Chinese

E.V.s, could you even drive it over to the United States?

Because the United States might have concerns about the software in the track -- and tracking? In fact, the conservative party leader here in

Canada called them these Chinese EVs, roving surveillance systems.

So I know I've gone through a lot there, but everybody pay attention. There's going to be a huge issue not just for Canada, but also when it

comes to any jurisdiction doing trade with the United States in the --

FOSTER: Yeah, well, you're seeing more and more Chinese EVs on the European roads, that's for sure. But it's interesting, isn't it, that China appears

to be seeing an opportunity here when, other countries are concerned about trade with the U.S.

[15:40:10]

It is China that is the most likely alternative market with that sort of scale.

NEWTON: Yeah. And as Mark Carney put it, it is the second largest economy in the world. And continuing to grow. It is not a market that can be

ignored. And at this point in time, when you have the U.S. relationship looking so shaky for so many different countries, they need to be in China

again, highlighting the fact that as much red tape as there is in China, as much that you also have to trust but verify when you're doing trade with

China.

Many realize that there is no escaping that trading relationship going forward, and Xi Jinping making the most of it, really touting the fact

that, hosting Mark Carney, inviting him to Beijing. That was already a big deal. And I know we've had other European leaders also beating a path to Xi

Jinping's door.

FOSTER: Yes. It's interesting. Paula, thank you.

Still to come, Charlie Kirk's alleged killer is in court today. Why his lawyers are asking the judge to disqualify prosecutors in the case when we

come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: The man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk is in court right now in Provo, Utah. Lawyers for Tyler Robinson are arguing to

have the entire prosecution team disqualified from the case, alleging a conflict of interest. The defense says a family member of one of the

prosecuting attorneys was at an event where Kirk was killed in September. Robinson has yet to even enter a plea.

Nick Watt is in Utah, where the hearing is taking place.

So much focus on this. I mean, what -- are we talking a technicality here? I mean, how important is this question?

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max, we've had a little bit of drama here already this morning.

[15:45:00]

The prosecution just accused the defense of, quote, an ambush, a stalling tactic of trying to change prosecutors so they can get a different

prosecutor that might be more lenient and who might not seek the death penalty against Tyler Robinson. So the background to all of this is one of

the county attorneys, a deputy county attorney, his daughter goes to UVU, which is where Charlie Kirk was shot.

And she -- this young woman was in the crowd that day when Kirk was shot. She was looking away at the exact moment, so she didn't see it. She heard

it. And so, the defense has said, listen, this attorney is clearly conflicted. He is clearly compromised. He's going to be emotional about

this. He should be disqualified.

But not just him. The prosecution -- sorry -- the defense is arguing that the entire prosecutors office should be removed because this one deputy

shared this information, some of it in real time. He was getting texts from his daughter, shared some of it, so that they are all tainted.

So what we were expecting to happen today was this deputy prosecutor and his daughter were going to testify, probably in closed session, because

their names are not being released. Then this bombshell at the beginning, when the defense stood up and said, you know what? We don't even think that

these prosecutors should be arguing this part of the case, whether they're conflicted or not.

And the judge was like, well, maybe you should have said that earlier. So, it is now going back and forth as to whether this is all going to be

continued. Now, the schedule that we were supposed to be on, Max, was that May 18th, we were going to actually get to at least some of the meat of

this case. Those were going to be three days scheduled for the prosecution to lay out their case.

And the case revolves largely around DNA found on a weapon surveillance video and an alleged confession by Tyler Robinson on a Discord chat with

his roommate, who was also a romantic partner. Right now, we're just waiting to see if this is going to be, you know, ended today any second.

And as you say, this is a hugely high profile case. The judge is being extremely cautious. I'm watching now, Tyler Robinson sitting there, blue

shirt, striped tie, looking calm, clean shaven.

Anyway, one of the first orders of business today was the judge asked the camera guy who was shooting the pool video in there, asked him to come up

and say, do you really understand all of the decorum issues? You know, were not allowed to show Tyler Robinson shackled. Were not allowed to show him

walking in and out, whether this case is going to be televised is also a huge bone of contention.

The defense do not want cameras in there, but Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow, does. She said, listen, my husband was shot out in the open. We

should have a trial that is out in the open that is transparent.

Listen as I say, Max, you know the headline from this morning is the prosecution is saying the defense is trying to stall this. They're

ambushing us. Where does this end? Max?

FOSTER: I'm just wondering if the tactic, how can they know the tactic will work? I mean, who is the alternative prosecutor that would come in, and how

can they guarantee that they may be more sympathetic if that's the right word?

WATT: I mean, I don't know. That is just the argument that the defense is making here. They are saying that really like state level prosecutors

should be involved here, should be handling this case. And they're saying that now these state level prosecutors should also be litigating this issue

as to whether the county people are tainted and should be disqualified.

So, it's a lot of back and forth. The judge trying to maintain some calm, but there's some anger here from the prosecution here. You know, they want

this case to move forward. And they say that the defense is just stalling, stalling, stalling, doing whatever they can just to delay and delay -- Max.

FOSTER: It's a hugely pressure case, isn't it? Nick Watt, thank you so much.

News just into CNN, the Federal Aviation Administration is warning U.S. airlines and pilots to exercise caution over a large stretch of the Pacific

Ocean, citing military activity and possible satellite navigation interference. The warning covers parts of Central and South American

airspace, and it's going to remain in place for two months, we're told. We'll have more on the story as we get it.

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:52:00]

FOSTER: Teenage girls, take note. Harry Styles is back. He announced his fourth album, "Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally" is going to drop on

March the 6th. It's been three years since he won a Grammy for Album of the Year.

Fans extremely eager to see if there's one direction he'll take his music into next.

Joining us now from Atlanta, Lisa Respers France.

You haven't really got much to go on, I guess.

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN REPORTER: I mean, not much. We just know that it's going to be 12 tracks that he is once again working with longtime

collaborator Kid Harpoon, and that he is very excited about this new music. It's the worst kept secret ever, Max, because he was dropping hints. If you

signed up for a WhatsApp from him, you got to hear him sing we belong together to his fans.

And yeah, I mean, I'm excited because four years is a long time to have to wait for a new Harry Styles project. And this one, I mean, the title alone

is "How I Plan On Living My Life From Now" on, Max.

FOSTER: I mean, he's -- what's amazing about him. He's massive commercial success, but the critics love him as well, don't they?

FRANCE: They really do. And his "Harry's House" was such a global phenomenon with so many hits. As you mentioned, he won at the 2023 Grammys,

the coveted album of the year award for that album, and it also is sadly going to be his first music that he is releasing since the death of Liam

Payne, who was in one direction with him. He passed away tragically in 2024. So --

FOSTER: Yeah. Okay, Lisa, we'll get more details from you as he gives them to you.

FRANCE: Yes.

FOSTER: The world is waiting.

FRANCE: Thank you.

FOSTER: Thank you.

More now on that news just into CNN, though, the federal aviation administration warning U.S. airlines and pilots to exercise caution over a

large stretch of the Pacific Ocean, citing military activity and possible satellite navigation interference.

Pete Muntean is with us. Obviously, everyone asking, what do they know that we don't?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and that is the big question here, Max. And we know from the Federal Aviation Administration

that they are doing this essentially on their own, not at the request of the United States military.

This is big, although not necessarily unprecedented. Remember the day after the Maduro strike? That is when the Federal Aviation Administration

essentially shut down Caribbean airspace to all U.S. airlines. That was essentially one of the biggest days after the holiday travel rush. A lot of

people going home that day. So a lot of people were really caught up in this.

This -- this time, not a shutdown, but rather a strongly worded warning to U.S. airlines essentially telling them that there could be GPS

interference, commonly known as spoofing, and potential military activity in an area that's been pretty well known to be a drug trafficking route and

of high interest to the U.S. military as they carry out these deadly drug boat strikes.

[15:55:03]

I want to read you now from the series of notices to airmen called NOTAMs, that the Federal Aviation Administration just put out, and it says

potential risks exist for aircraft at all altitudes, including overflight and the arrival and departure phases of flight. This includes a huge swath

of Pacific airspace. We're talking Mexico down to Panama into South America.

So, this is really, really a pretty significant piece of airspace. The size is huge, probably hundreds of thousands, if not millions of miles. So, this

is really opens, as you mentioned, some pretty big questions about what does the FAA know that we don't. Is this warning of a potential strike? Is

this warning of nefarious activity, meaning that GPS spoofing.

So it could be a little bit of both. And here, at the risk of speculating, although a pretty big warning here, a pretty strong warning from the

Federal Aviation Administration.

FOSTER: You'll have more in the next hour with Paula, I know. Thanks for joining us, Pete.

I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Do stay with CNN.

END

TO ORDER VIDEOTAPES AND TRANSCRIPTS OF CNN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS