Capitol Report Full Broadcast (Jan. 21)

Good evening and welcome to the Capital Report on Entity Television. I'm Steve Lance. Coming up, a framework deal on Greenland reached as President Trump wraps up his first day in Davos. We'll have highlights from his address to the World Economic Forum. And what could be in that framework with Greenland? Plus, the president calling out world leaders by name in his address to the World Economic Forum. This says Europe is still calling off the trade deal with the United States. We'll hear from retired Lieutenant Colonel Hal Kempfer. And a House congressional panel today voting to hold former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton in contempt. We'll get legal analysis from former federal prosecutor Jim Trustee. Plus, where is the subpoena headed for the Minnesota governor and the Minneapolis mayor? Our panel tonight, Nick Shirley testifying before Congress today on fraud in Minnesota. This after his viral videos prompted deeper federal investigation. We'll discuss with our panel, Steve Scully and Bobby Eberle. This is Capital Report, live from our global headquarters in our nation's capital. Here's Steve Lance. And President Trump calling off the tariff threats on Europe. This says he announces a framework for a deal on Greenland has been reached. And in a bold address to the World Economic Forum, the president outlining his vision for Western nations. Entity's Washington correspondent Mario Tsu brings us key highlights from the president's speech in Davos. What I'm asking for is a piece of ice, cold and poorly located, that can play a vital role in world peace and world protection. It's a very small ask compared to what we have given them for many, many decades. President Trump, after meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Davos, says he's formed the ultimate long term deal on Greenland, framing the island's acquisition as an urgent issue of national security. Greenland is a vast, almost entirely uninhabited and undeveloped territory, sitting undefended in a key strategic location between the United States, Russia and China, that will make it impossible for the bad guys to do anything against the perceived good ones. While he says he won't use force to take the island, he blasts Denmark for insufficient military spending on Greenland and extols the singular strength of the U.S. military. He recounts Operation Absolute Resolve, the capture of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, saying the Venezuelan regime encountered weapons they'd never heard of. Everything was discombobulated. They said, what the hell is going on? Those defensive systems were made by Russia and by China. So they're going to go back to the drawing boards. And his argument goes beyond the armed forces. President Trump says America is the only country with the power to stand up to sophisticated forms of subversion and restore the integrity of free nations. Calling the West's shared culture a precious inheritance, he blasts Europe for its immigration and energy policies, which he says led to vulnerability to hostile foreign adversaries and smaller militaries. I realized in that conversation that the United States is keeping the whole world afloat. Without us, it's not Switzerland anymore. Without us, it's not any of the countries that are represented here. Without us, most of the countries don't even work. They're destroying themselves. It's beautiful, beautiful places. We want strong allies, not seriously weakened ones. And President Trump urging world leaders here in Davos to seize the special time period we're in to restore and defend cherished national liberties before it's too late. The White House calling his address a vision of transatlantic strength, while the president emphasizes that the time is now to build a viable future. We have to defend that culture and rediscover the spirit that lifted the West from the depths of the dark ages to the pinnacle of human achievement. We live in an incredible changing period. We have to take advantage of the time that we're in. Meanwhile, President Trump announcing that people will soon be prosecuted for their role in the 2020 elections, while arguing that a country needs fair media, strong borders and free elections to keep its liberties. Reporting from Davos, Mario Tsu, NTD News. And here to discuss the framework for the Greenland deal is retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel Hal Kemper, CEO of GRIP, Global Risk Intelligence and Planning. Colonel, great to have you back with us. So President Trump today announcing this framework shortly after his speech. We have a soundbite from the president. It's a deal that people jumped at. Really fantastic for the USA. Gets everything we wanted, including especially real national security. It's the ultimate long term deal. And I think it puts everybody in a really good position, especially as it pertains to security and minerals and everything else. Colonel, what do you expect might be in this deal? And as Trump says, it may provide everything the U.S. initially wanted, especially national security. Steve, I think this deal was probably already worked out before they went back there. If you ever studied his part of the deal book, way back when in the late 80s, one of the ways he shifts what's acceptable is to throw out something that he knows is not going to be really acceptable. Obviously, if you talk about military takeover in Greenland, that would be unacceptable to all of our NATO partners. But I think he had this in mind. The big thing is Greenland is strategic. The Arctic is a battle space that is under great contention. Denmark, very capable, very professional military, but they don't have the size of military that could actually defend Greenland. That would take an enormous commitment. They're just not that big of a country or big of military. But what it sounds like, and I'm trying to fill it in because they haven't put a lot of framework on it, is we're having a NATO commitment for defending Greenland. So I anticipate there'll be new bases up there. We may see forces rotating on a regular basis, forces actually stationed up there, be much beyond our permanent presence at the Pacific Space Force Base. And I expect to see European countries rotating large units in there. I also expect to see 11th Airborne Division rotating units through there on a regular basis. So that's going to be a big change. And then he kind of left it open to the minerals deal. And I've been kind of speculating for some time that minerals will be part of the deal. We'll find out what that looks like. Carl, what do you make of the President, though, as he was laying out his reasons leading up to the speech and during the speech? You know, the big one that he pointed out was sort of the psychological practical impact of owning it versus leasing it, you know, in terms of you put all of your resources and treasure into that place. You don't want to put it into something that's a lease agreement. You want to own it. It was pretty convincing. So how do you see whatever framework might be lining up with his, you know, thoughts leading into the agreement? Well, there's been a lot of thought about us taking over Greenland for quite some time. Because first off, it's really closer to North America. It's an island, but it's really kind of contiguous to North America. It kind of buttresses a couple of major things. Right now, with the Arctic ice receding, what it does every year, there's a couple of major commercial sea lanes. One goes above Eurasia. The other is the famous Northwest Passage that shoots over North America. Both of those run right beside Greenland. So Greenland takes on a strategic dimension that just didn't have, say, a hundred years ago. It's completely different in that regard. So that's one of the things that we're looking at, is the maritime part of that. But one of the things he talked about with ownership, we're going to, with the Golden Dome, we're going to put a significant investment. And basically, it's a real estate thing, location, location, location. A huge investment in putting stuff on the ground permanently in Greenland. And I think what we're looking for is something stronger than the 51 agreement. Right now in 51, we can put as many bases as we want, but we have to do that with the cooperation concurrence. There's a thing we have to do with Denmark when we do that. We ran into this in the late 50s. We built a huge nuclear power base under the ice. We kept it top secret. And we were planning on putting nuclear missiles under the ice. Never went there, but we actually didn't tell Denmark we were doing it. And that was part of the operational security dimension. So that may be something we're thinking about in the future, is we want freedom to do militarily what we think we have to do there from a strategic standpoint. Really fascinating. What do you think ultimately brought Colonel Nadeau to the negotiating table on this? Well, I think, first off, he threw out that 10% tariff on all these countries that went in there. He's actually, the White House actually admitted he may have been misbriefed on that, that he thought this was something they were doing as a retaliation for his comments about that. It turns out this was a planned evolution, a planned training thing that the US had actually been invited to participate in, and it may have been misbriefed. So he may have kind of pulled the trigger a little too fast on talking about tariffs. So that was something that he could pull back. He pulled that back. The other thing I think he was reacting to was the European Parliament yesterday saying that they're going to stop all further work on a trade deal between the EU and the US. That would have had a profound impact on the markets, particularly Wall Street, if they had not been able to get that thing through. So I think he pulled all this back. That's in the background as part of the framework, but he was looking at all that. And then, of course, he was looking at that ACI, that thing that the EU had put together to deal with China back in 21 that was now that trade bazooka that was being aimed at the US. I think all these things had a kind of cumulative effect. And that was part of his thinking in that, let's get off of this thing about military. Let's pull back this stuff and see if we can get to a framework. And it's sounding now like he may have a deal. And I think Mark Rutte, the NATO General Secretary, had a lot to do with this. He has been often called the Trump whisperer, and I think he had a tremendous influence on how this came about. Now, in the president's main address on stage there in Davos, he put a lot of world leaders on notice. We have some highlights. Let's take a quick look. Canada gets a lot of freebies from us, by the way. They should be grateful also, but they're not. I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn't so grateful. Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements. So when I called up Emmanuel Macron, I watched him yesterday with his beautiful sunglasses. What the hell happened? And I love Europe, and I want to see Europe go good. But it's not heading in the right direction. Unchecked mass migration and endless foreign imports. This was the path that sleepy Joe Biden administration and many other Western governments very foolishly followed, turning their backs on everything that makes nations rich and powerful and strong. Because of my landslide election victory, the United States avoided the catastrophic energy collapse which befell every European nation that pursued the Green New Scam. You're supposed to make money with energy, not lose money. There are windmills all over Europe. There are windmills all over the place, and they are losers. China makes almost all of the windmills, and yet I haven't been able to find any wind farms in China. Did you ever think of that? It's a good way of looking at this. President really takes no prisoners, as you can see there. How is this tactic, strategy, whatever you want to call it, able to work for him after all, walking away out of that speech with a framework deal in place for Greenland? Well, it's the art of the deal. It's not the art of diplomacy, so to speak. He throws these things out there. Look, that's what he does. That's his style. That's the way he talks. If you spend a lot of time in New York, you may recognize that particular patois as far as how that goes. Frankly, it's part of that blunt speaking that got him re-elected for a second term. It works for him on a political basis. Obviously, on a diplomatic scape, it's very different. There are certain things he points out. It is true that Canada, for example, really shrank its military footprint at the end of the Cold War. Within the Canadian defense military circles, they had been talking about this for a long time, that Canada had basically taken this peace dividend after the Cold War and really had not been maintaining where it needed to be. There is some criticism for Canada. They do need to bring up. They have been starting to bring up, but they were very reluctant to do so, the size of their forces. Now, as far as Macron and his glasses, I understand that he has a problem with one of his eyes. It's called bloodshot stuff or something. I don't really look. I thought that was an odd thing to say. President Trump, he's very blunt. He throws those things out there. That's just the way he says it. Here's the thing. NATO is now committed to putting 5%. Countries are all committed to putting 5% of their gross domestic product into defense. That's been something that's been talked about for a very, very long time. From the beginning of his first term and even before that is the lack of investment. Now, as some like to say, at the end of it will be the sausage. Nobody likes to see how sausage is being made. Certainly, he's had to do some things that really are outside the diplomatic norm, but it has compelled the NATO members to really step up and start paying for their own defense since their countries are on the front lines. That's a big shift. You mentioned Canada. Some folks have said that the president's putting out a five-alarm fire right now between Venezuela, Iran, and Greenland. Give him five minutes and he'll get back to Canada for that trip that the Canadian prime minister took to China, vowing a new world order under China's direction. I wonder if that had anything to do with the discussion. One thing Trump criticized Europe for in particular is actually buying those windmills from China. How is the push for so-called green energy played into China's advantage and perhaps weakened Europe? This is actually very frustrating. What China does is they subsidize their industry. It's an unfair trading practice. They take advantage of the free trade situation that they've had for so long. They basically pump money to support certain things. What they did was they basically took the world wind energy generation business by being able to sell these massive wind generation machines, whether they're afloat or mostly on land. Particularly the blades and some of that stuff, they basically were able to sell for much less. While Europe is moving away from fossil fuels and everything, certainly, if you look at what's going on in China, they use fossil fuels. They use a lot of coal. It's very dirty. They have a lot of problems with that. They've basically taken us on. He's pointing out things. Here you have all the Western European countries. You have the USA. We want to go clean. We want to go clean energy. What we've done is we've increased our dependence on buying something that's being sourced from China. From a strategic standpoint, we want to be less dependent on China for a lot of things. Windmills, rare earths is another issue that's really big in terms of this thinking, critical minerals that we need. We'll reduce our dependence, not increase our dependence. He's been moving in that direction to say, look, let's look at what we have. Of course, we produce enough oil for ourselves. We produce enough gas. There are dirtier, yes, but we do produce on our own and we're not dependent on China for it. Retired Colonel Hal Kemper, greatly appreciate you joining us. Coming up, holding the Clintons in contempt of Congress, House Oversight Chairman James Comer says he expects the resolution to pass in the full House of Representatives. Jim Trustee, former federal prosecutor, will join us for legal analysis. And Chinese technology embedded in America's infrastructure from traffic systems to ports. Lawmakers warning the risks go far beyond data collection. What Congress says must happen next. That and more when we return. In times of uncertainty, technology for humanity matters more than ever. Ganjing World utilizes technologies to promote kindness, respect, and trust among people. Subscribe to GJW Plus. Enjoy over 10,000 movies and shows. Ganjing Kids, the number one safe platform, value-based learning and fun for kids. Be part of technology for humanity. Subscribe now. One of the biggest challenges my clients face is buying and selling a home at the same time. 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Any of us, every one of us, can make a small, a modest monthly donation that actually helps and benefits everybody. Please call the number on your screen or go to helpheart.org now to become a monthly donor. Thank you. And welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lance. Happening on Capitol Hill today, the House Oversight Committee voting to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton, that's the former president, in contempt of Congress after they refused to appear and testify in a probe on Jeffrey Epstein. Joining me in studio to discuss what this means for the former president and the former first lady is former federal prosecutor Jim Trustee. Jim, great to have you with us. Good to see you. So Chairman Comer says that he expects the resolution to pass the full House of Representatives. We have some sound from the chairman. Again, no one's accused Bill Clinton of any wrongdoing, but we have a lot of questions. And to my knowledge, he's never sat down with any of you and answered any questions. So hopefully someday we'll know the truth. Jim, the president of the United States taking up a ton of airtime today in Davos, multiple speeches, multiple press avails. You have a former president of the United States being held in contempt of Congress, getting very little airtime just because of the news cycle. What are the consequences here? Yeah, I mean, potentially huge. And look, the starting point is just the historical, as you're mentioning, the idea that a former president and a former presidential candidate that he's married to would be held in contempt of Congress. I mean, it's become a little bit of a political badge of honor. You've had a lot of different folks, attorney generals, Bill Barr had to appear before this committee, other people that wouldn't respect the subpoenas and got the same kind of treatment. So there is a potential bad ending, which is a criminal referral. And that's kind of a mind-blowing thing to think of that all these years later that there could be some possibility for that. But I think what really got under Comer's bonnet here is that you had five months of negotiating with David Kendall. Kendall's the longtime attorney for the Clintons. And five months worth of, well, let's try to do this, let's do it on this day, let's do it on that day. And it turned out it was all a game. And I think that's just wore Comer out, he said, and even got some bipartisan support for pushing this forward, basically saying you can't play games with Congress when they want you to come in. Jim, weaponization of government, obviously a big issue for this president now that he was sent through the ringer, much of which you know very well about. We saw some of the president's allies held in contempt. Peter Navarro, Steve Bannon, those two actually did prison time, whereas you had folks like Dan Scavino, Mark Meadows, held in contempt but not. Where do you think the Clintons might fall into this framework? Yeah, good question, and different folks at the helm of Congress and the committee. But I think the problem that some of the political operatives had was completely ignoring the not showing up at all. And so here, in some ways, it aggravates it, but in some ways, it's better for contempt that they negotiate, that they have an attorney coming to Comer's committee saying, we have nothing that helps you in your probe. And so the kind of building of a procedural record of negotiating probably helps keep you out of that criminal referral a lot more than just a flat out stiff arm. I thought it was a little bit in your face to say, we're not even going to appear, we're not going to say anything, as opposed to appearing and maybe asserting a Fifth Amendment privilege or saying, I've got nothing, I'm not going to answer any questions. Physically showing up tends to make a difference on these things. A lot of nuance to take in. With regard to Jeffrey Epstein, back in the news, federal judge today blocking the lawmakers' efforts to compel the DOJ to release those files. What specifically do you think the judge ruled on here, and what legal reasoning did he rely on? Yeah, well, this was kind of a funky Hail Mary by a couple of congressmen. They're basically saying, we're not really a party to any litigation right now, but we want to file an amicus brief to force DOJ to submit to a special master, meaning a third party, like a former judge, monitors the discovery process. So they're saying, we're frustrated, we've passed a law requiring an open file, and DOJ is behind. DOJ is basically saying, yeah, we're going to turn everything over, and then it's heavily redacted. And they announced, we've got 2 million documents to go. No timeframe put on that. So it's a bad look. I understand why these congresspeople thought, let's make a run at it. But the judge looks at it and says, look, the only case that's out there on the table is the U.S. versus Maxwell. Neither party is asking for anything, and neither party has ever asked for a special master. So essentially, on the grounds of standing, you can't just come in from the outside and start filing amicus briefs on a non-issue. So Jim, what options, if any, does Congress have left on the table? They can still go the route of what we just talked about with Comer. You can still have oversight-type proceedings and drag people in and say, why the heck are we behind by 2 million documents? When did you know about these 2 million documents? There was some reporting early on that Southern District of New York ambushed Pam Bondi and said, by the way, we might have a million documents up here. Heads should probably roll for that kind of moment. So that's the political process playing out through oversight. And there's a conceivable lawsuit that somebody could file, but they're going to run into these standing issues. Like, do you really have the ability to claim injury just because you really want to know what's in those files? I think it's uphill for litigation. A lot of legal battles taking place and unfolding in our country. Subpoenas of the Minnesota government officials, Tim Walz, the governor there, and the Minneapolis mayor, Jacob Fry, they're now facing subpoenas tied to the allegations that they interfered with a federal immigration enforcement operation. At this stage, how serious are those allegations, Jim? And what would prosecutors need to prove in order for the case to move forward? Yeah, I think there's kind of a multi-front war here. I mean, and don't leave Ralph Ellison out of the picture. The state attorney general who apparently is on film talking to Somalian groups who are under investigation saying, don't worry, I'll get rid of the investigation right before he gets a payment. So he may be exhibit A for the most exposure. For the obstruction kind of angle, you have to show a specific intent. You have to show some sort of conspiratorial activity if you're charging conspiracy to obstruct. That's going to be difficult. But at the same time, the mayor and the governor were so irresponsible in kind of fomenting violence, in promoting these hyper-emotional reactions. I think whatever your party, if you're a public official, you should be calling for lawfulness, not lawlessness. And now we have this church demonstration that adds to that. So it's early to know exactly where DOJ is going to go, whether they're thinking civil rights, traditional criminal, or just kind of political embarrassment. But everything's in play. And ultimately, if you have anything from the Somali community, the fraudster community within the Somalians, making contributions to Democrats who have been saying these types of things, well, then you're getting into that world of quid pro quo. And that's really the kind of the gold standard for public corruption cases, is can you show an official act based on some sort of consideration from an interested party? And I think there's a real chance of at least one of these political figures facing that kind of thing. It's really hard to follow everything that's going on. The president today, from the world stage in Davos, implicating and inserting himself on the fraud, $16 billion in Minnesota alone, if that's true, it's just staggering. Lastly, Jim, where is the legal line, would you say, between protected political speech and statements that could be interpreted as obstructing or undermining federal law enforcement? Yeah, it's a tough and a great question. I mean, look, the reality is, free speech goes right up to that line of criminality. And so it's always kind of fact-based in terms of what's going on. But when you have people celebrating the idea of bringing violence to ICE, doxing them, protesting in churches, anything that you say that supports clear lawlessness, I think runs the risk of an obstruction type charge. And again, it's a question of specific intent. And if the politicians on this equation can say, no, we're just giving support in a more general sense, and we're still calling for lawfulness. And you notice recently, they have walked back a little bit. There's been a little bit of temperance introduced into the speeches by Waltz and Fry in recent weeks. So I think somebody's whispering in your ear, ratchet back a little bit, or you're going to find yourself in harm's way. Indeed. Former federal prosecutor, Jim Trustee, really appreciate your insights. Sure. Good to see you. Thank you. The Chinese Communist Party's reach into US critical infrastructure under the microscope. Lawmakers warning Beijing is collecting Americans' data and could disrupt transportation systems throughout the country. NTV's Washington correspondent, Jack Bradley, has more. The electrical panel on one's roof, and those could, in theory, be remotely flipped off or even remotely made to overheat, causing electrical fire or even explosion risk. The US intelligence community assesses with high confidence that these actors are embedding, quote, sleeper software within our infrastructure to be activated at will. The Chinese Communist Party is collecting Americans' data through and has the ability to cause major outages in transportation infrastructure. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight probed these threats from China on Wednesday. That means foreign entities may have visibility into American facilities, American operations, and American vulnerabilities. Our adversaries may have the capability to conduct espionage or even cause outages in transportation infrastructure. If Beijing has full information on our society, that's how it can target all of its attacks. If China decides it's time, they can shut off our systems, they can interfere with our systems, they can destabilize our society. The Department of Homeland Security last February said there are tens of thousands of Chinese-made cameras connected to the internet in the US and that these cameras lack basic security settings and can communicate with their manufacturers in China. These communication devices could be used to collect individuals' transportation data, could be used to hack into government systems, and could even be used to cause outages in major American cities. Back in September 2024, the House Select Committee on the CCP released a report detailing how a Chinese state-owned entity supplies nearly 80% of the cranes at US ports. And the government has found communication devices embedded on these cranes that could be used to track port activity and enable cyber espionage. In the case of these devices, what we're talking about is an ability to both monitor and control and disrupt the infrastructure should it be in China's interest to do so. What we need to do is replace the electronics, rip and replace the electronics. The panelists recommend that Congress work to phase out Chinese-made parts in critical infrastructure with laws that bar federal funds from going to companies that utilize them. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Jack Bradley, NTD News. So how safe are Chinese-made electric vehicles? Two EVs from China, a well-known Chinese brand, have reportedly exploded in a single day. What was the cause? You can find out more tonight on China In Focus with Tiffany Meyer at 8 p.m. Eastern. Coming up, President Trump making progress in his pursuit of Greenland. And independent journalist Nick Shirley takes his case to Capitol Hill. Steve Scully, senior fellow of the former Members of Congress Association, and Bobby Eberle, Republican strategist, will join us for analysis. I'm Jonathan Lawson. If you're 50 to 85, please listen closely. The lock I want to talk to you about isn't the one on your door. It's a rate lock for your life insurance that guarantees that once you're insured, your rate can never go up at any time for any reason. Many policies you see don't have this, but you can get a lifetime rate lock from Colonial Pen. This plan was designed for people on a fixed income with coverage options that start at $9.95 a month. That's less than 35 cents a day. Your rate is locked in for life. Coverage can never be canceled, and your acceptance is guaranteed. You cannot be turned down because of your health. See for yourself. Call for an information kit and gift. Both are free, no obligation. Call 1-800-624-6556 for your free information and your free gift. That's 1-800-624-6556. 1-800-624-6556. Call now. What if kids in America didn't have to go to bed hungry tonight? What if our moms, dads, and grandparents could put healthy food on the table? Every day to help us grow strong. What if all of our friends and neighbors had fresh food too, and there was no hunger at all in America? And what if there was a way today for you to help? Call now or go online to helpfeedingamerica.org and give $19 a month, just 63 cents a day. So many of us don't have enough food to eat, but your monthly gift means families across the country and in your community can fill plates with food. Kids can get healthy meals year-round, even when school's out, and our neighbors can have fresh food. Food that moms, dads, entire families need to thrive. But right now, more people are facing hunger. Feeding America works from coast to coast with partner food banks, food pantries, and meal programs. It takes all of us to make that happen. Will you help too? Please call the number on your screen or go online to helpfeedingamerica.org and give just $19 a month, and we'll send you this free canvas grocery bag. It's our way of saying thank you for helping to end hunger for our neighbors. Because no kid, no mom or dad, nobody should go hungry in America. Nobody. So what if today was the day you could help nourish futures for our friends, our families, for all of us? Ending hunger is possible. What if we end it together? Call or give online today at helpfeedingamerica.org and your gift can be doubled. Thank you. And welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lanz. President Trump today in Davos announcing he has reached a framework for a deal on Greenland. This with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Joining me now to assess these latest developments are our panelists, Steve Scully, Senior Fellow of the Former Members of Congress Association, and Bobby Eberle, Republican strategist. Great to have you both back with us. President Trump says he's reached the framework deal on Greenland. Here is the president talking about Greenland's defense at the World Economic Forum. I have tremendous respect for both the people of Greenland and the people of Denmark. Tremendous respect. But every NATO ally has an obligation to be able to defend their own territory. And the fact is no nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than the United States. We're a great power, much greater than people even understand. Steve, everybody eager to know what's in this framework. Do you have any ideas or thoughts on what this might actually look like? It's remarkable that if you watch the speech this morning between 9 and 10.30 and then almost immediately within an hour, there's a framework for a deal, which of course will not include military option and will not of course include Greenland being the 51st state. I find it remarkable. We don't know what the details are. I can say this, having spent time in Copenhagen, understanding the Danish people, talking to sources inside Denmark, they have said basically to the White House, to the president, if you want a military base, go at it. If you want to invest in Greenland, we welcome that opportunity. But the telling sign today was when Caitlin Collins of CNN had questioned the president, what does this mean long term? And there was a long pause. So look, I hope this is a good agreement. NATO is an important alliance. We need to keep that firm. The president has been very critical of NATO in his speech over the last couple of days. It was a crisis summit to try to shore this up. I hope that we are able to reach an agreement. But there are a lot of details that we just do not know at this hour. We circle back to a point I made earlier on the program. The president has been what seems to be unequivocal, really, in terms of making sure that Greenland, if we do make any investments, and the Golden Dome will be a significant investment on that island, that it's ours for the long haul. Yeah. And Scott Besson over the weekend, he mentioned that presidents for the last century have been interested in Greenland. So that's nothing new. But Trump's enthusiasm for Greenland is definitely something that's put it on the radar screens of everyday Americans. I think something significant did come out today with this framework. And Steve was mentioning some of the comments to the press. There was also one about how long this would last. And he gave a couple interesting answers. He says a very, very long time. And then he followed that up with infinitely. So to me, that could mean a base. But to me, I think that sounds more like a land purchase, backing off the tariffs and bringing the NATO allies to the table. I have a feeling you could see something significant as far as that, as far as Golden Dome security. It's an ideal place. A lot of the Golden Dome is space-based, but the land-based portion, that's an ideal location. So it definitely serves our security interests. We may be in the midst of a big, big purchase. Now, back at home, switching gears a bit, conservative influencer Nick Shirley testifying before Congress today. Here's a clip of that. I'm here today to speak on behalf of all hardworking, law-abiding, tax-paying citizens here inside of the United States. I've helped bring to light widespread fraud that's happening inside our nation. And we, the people, have had enough of our hard-earned money going towards fraudsters as if it's no big deal. Nick Shirley, the social media influencer, just doing as he just said, he didn't uncover it. He just brought it to light, really. It was something that was going unnoticed or unreported. Steve, as this fraud comes to light, do you think we'll begin to uncover more in other states? Oh, absolutely. And that's really the sad part. I think, though, it's important to go back to how this all came about. So two key facts. First of all, during the height of COVID in the Trump administration, to their credit, they pumped a lot of money into the economy to shore up the economy. Larry Kudlow, who was one of the president's advisors, I remember talking to him back in 2020, saying that they knew that there was going to be some fraud and abuse, but they had to pay that price to ensure that the economy was going to be shored up. What's happening in Minnesota is a mess. I should point out that the investigation began initially under the Biden administration, but Nick Shirley deserves a lot of credit because you're right. He has shined a light to his influencers to try to say, this is what's going on in Minnesota. And we should also point out at the moment, the governor is not charged with anything or linked to this, except maybe the ineptitude of the administration not to focus more on this. But yes, to your point, it's happening in Minnesota. It's also happening in other states. Kevin Kiley, Republican congressman from California, in questioning on the Hill, admitting that it's likely in California and other states as well. The president is right. There's a lot of money that's being wasted because of the COVID dollars. And I think we're at the very early or the tip of the iceberg when it comes to investigations elsewhere around the country. Bobby, the president earlier in his speech today, too, mentioning the fraud in Minnesota and beyond, really calling on his cabinet, the attorney general, the deputy attorney general, and his treasury secretary, Scott Besant, to really pumping them up and giving them the top-down validation to look into this and uncover it. And then if they're able to find even 50% of it, it could be an astronomical number. We're looking at, what, $16 billion alone in just Minnesota. So what does the extent of this fraud indicate, really, Bobby, about our politics? And where do we go from here? Well, I think it's significant. And I think Shirley pointed this out in some of his testimony and when he referenced his own generation. These people want to root out the so-called deep state and corruption. That is one of the things that people rallied around, independents, Republicans, and some Democrats, to get Trump to his electoral and his popular vote victory was going after this entrenched, corrupt ruling class in Washington, D.C., whether it's Republican or Democrat. So when you see someone as an influencer, and Steve's right, there's investigations ongoing. I think the influencer strength of this is that people know that the whistleblowers or others with information that may have been ignored or overlooked could go to someone like this, get it out there into a wide audience, and now there's action. So I'm hoping that similar results end up in other states where people could come forward, people who have maybe been ignored or politicians have swept things under the rug, that the light is so bright now that they can't hide and it could restore some trust in the government at all levels. Can I just add one other point? What was remarkable is, as Nick Shirley testified today, citizens were telling him, hey, look, there's nothing going on here. They apparently got a lot of money. There's no child care facility here. So that was really, and underscore that point that the citizens are learning, Nick Shirley, this is what's going on. Yes, he shined a light on it, and now we're all talking about it. Steve Scully, Bobby Everly, greatly appreciate you both joining. Thank you. Coming up, a new ICE operation launching in Maine. The Department of Homeland Security releasing photos of the first arrests. And what do everyday Americans make of a possible U.S. acquisition of Greenland? We'll hear from folks right here in D.C. when we return. So at the age of five, I was sexually molested. I had my first child at the age of 15 and became homeless at the age of 16. The scariest part about not having a place to live was having a child and not having a place to live and not knowing where our meal was going to come from and where we're going to sleep. To be homeless as a teen, I didn't ask for that. No young person should ever have to worry about having a safe place to sleep at night or a warm meal to eat or whether anyone cares about them. One in 10 young adults will experience a form of homelessness this year, and that's unacceptable. 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Your $19 monthly gift is urgently needed to reach other young people who are facing unimaginable situations. Call or go online to safeplacetosleep.org. Your support makes the restaurant quality pho with no wait. In just four minutes, you get bold, authentic Vietnamese flavor with Pholicious, available in beef or chicken. Crafted from real beef tallow or chicken, it's comforting and full of tradition. Just add your favorite fresh extras. Every bowl comes packed with everything you need for the ultimate pho experience and ready in minutes. Bring the bold, authentic flavors of Vietnam straight to your home. Pholicious is now available at Walmart or Walmart.com. Welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lance. A powerful winter storm is poised to hammer much of the United States, driven by a dangerously stretched polar vortex fueled by a warming Arctic. Meteorologists warn the system could rival the damage of a major hurricane. It could bring below freezing temps, heavy snow, and affect nearly 230 million Americans. The polar vortex is normally locked over Canada, but it's being pushed south this year. And what waters and heavy Siberian snow warping the upper atmosphere are a big factor in it all. As that bitter air collides with moisture from the Pacific and the Gulf, widespread ice and snow are expected and the cold could linger for weeks. Forecasters are warning about dangerous travel conditions and prolonged power outages. Make sure those fuel tanks and propane tanks are stored and filled. The eastern two-thirds of the nation could potentially experience these historic winter conditions. And a new ice operation, nothing to do with the cold, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation is underway in the state of Maine. The Department of Homeland Security says it's targeting the worst of the worst criminal illegal immigrants across the state. Antony correspondent Jason Blair has more. In many cases, they're murderers, they're drug lords. All ICE wants to do is get them out of our country. Operation Catch of the Day has been launched in Maine by ICE, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The department says, like other operations, the focus is on catching criminal illegal immigrants across the northeastern state. The effort officially started on Tuesday. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin says, on the first day of operations, we arrested illegal aliens convicted of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child. Maine Governor Janet Mills commented earlier this month when speculation of the ICE operation first came out. To the federal government, I say this, if your plan is to come here to be provocative and to undermine the civil rights of Maine residents, do not be confused. Those tactics are not welcome here. And the Department of Justice is investigating whether Minnesota officials impeded or obstructed immigration enforcement in the state. What we've seen that's a bit different here is the organization that, coupled with a very poor response from the mayor and the governor, make that a difficult operating environment. Several state officials have been served grand jury subpoenas, including Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Attorney General Keith Ellison. The subpoenas are part of an investigation announced by the DOJ on Friday and target records and will not require personal testimony. Governor Walz responded, calling the investigation a, quote, partisan distraction. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey responded by saying, when the federal government weaponizes its power to intimidate local leaders for doing their jobs, every American should be concerned. This should be deeply concerning, not just for Minneapolis, but for anybody out there. With ongoing civil unrest and aggressive protests happening in Minnesota against ICE and immigration enforcement, President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act on January 15th. There have also been reports of troops being mobilized for possible deployment in the state. Trump told NewsNation on Tuesday that he's holding off on using the Insurrection Act for now. I don't think we need it at this point, and hopefully we won't need it. But I would not have any problem with invoking it if we needed it. Also in Minnesota, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals paused a lower court's order restricting the use of force by immigration enforcement agents on protesters while a lawsuit plays out in the state. Reporting in Washington, D.C., Jason Blair, NTD News. With Greenland in the spotlight, what do everyday Americans make of a possible U.S. acquisition of the strategic island? Entity Sam Wong was out in the National Mall right here in D.C. to ask the people. What do you think about the prospect of the U.S. potentially acquiring Greenland? I think it's interesting, but nobody else has thought about it before. I think it probably, for our national security, would be helpful. I don't know if I would see it become part of the United States, but I do think he has a decision to make about how we're going to utilize Greenland. He's trying to force upon the people of Denmark and Greenland his rules. They don't want to be a part of the United States. I don't blame them. They got good medical health care. We have a crazy health care system that's out of control. I really don't have a problem with it because I feel, maybe I'm wrong, but I just feel it's for national security. And that was always one of the main reasons that I voted for Trump since the first time that he was in to take office. President Trump has been talking about sort of the strategic importance of Greenland, right? Given China and Russia's presence in that region, do you think the president has a point? Oh yeah, very much so. The North Pole is certainly an area of concern with all the Russians and the Chinese. It's things to think about that we had never thought about. Certainly, if it is something that would be in our national interest, security-wise, I think he's going about it the wrong way. I think we're upsetting our allies that really is going to protect us. I think it's been a security issue for the past 40, 50 years. So the other presidents just weren't willing to take that initiative. We already have with NATO a pact that the U.S. can put seven more bases on Greenland. And what happens as soon as he does this? Then we're kicked out of Europe, and all of the bases that we have in Europe are gone, and those are the ones that are closest. At the end of the day, the Russians, the Chinese, and the Iranians, they want us to go down. That's their main objective. That's why they created all this, trying to create all this instability inside of our own country. The people from other countries don't want us to have peace, and that's the reason why we have to defend our country like we did many hundreds of years ago. As screen time and digital noise continue to grow, more and more people are embracing a slower analog lifestyle. Handwritten letters, typewriters, and even postcards all seeing a resurgence in popularity. Hobbyists say it helps reduce screen time, encourages reflection, and creates more meaningful connections. Across the United States and beyond, people are forming penpal networks once again, hosting letter writing gatherings, and even building communities around mail calligraphy and journaling. But across the Atlantic, over in Denmark, the market for letter writing is going bust. The Nordic country has ended its state-run letter delivery service, becoming the first country to do so. Postal Service post-Nord stopping delivery letters this year after demand fell by more than 90% since the year 2000. They will now be focusing on parcels. Officials say most Danes use digital mail, but critics warn elderly residents could be hardest hit. Still, for handwriting enthusiasts, the appeal is simple, requires focus and intention, and offers a sense of connection that digital communication often lacks. That's all we have for you tonight on The Capital Report. For around-the-clock original coverage, be sure to visit us at Entity.com and download the Entity mobile app. From the nation's capital, I'm Steve Lance. Have a great evening. See you back here tomorrow.