Trump: Won’t Use Force to Take Greenland; EU Halts Approval of US Trade Deal | NTD News Today Jan 21

Today is Wednesday, January 21st. I'm Stefania Cox. The European Parliament decided today to suspend its work on the European Union's trade deal with the U.S. That's over President Trump's tariff threats on European allies over Greenland. It's totally clear that there was a breaking of the Scotland deal by President Trump announcing 10% tariff for European goods starting at the 1st of February and 25% if Greenland is not going to the United States in June. Therefore, we were quite clear we will hold on the procedure with the two files until there is a clarity regarding Greenland and the threats. So, we formulated quite clear until the threats are over. So, there will be no possibility for compromise until the threats are there. Edward Lange, Chair of the Parliament's trade committee said on social media that EU-U.S. deal on ice indefinitely. The EU trade deal was reached in July after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met Trump in Turnberry, Scotland. Much of the agreement was put into effect before it was formally signed. The deal called for 15% tariffs on European Union goods entering the U.S. and that rate was among the lowest given to any trading partner last year. Some EU goods would have faced no tariffs, including generic pharmaceuticals. It's unclear whether the full trade agreement is now off. It's also unclear if parts already in place will remain. Some measures may continue even if others do not. We'll be keeping you updated. President Trump speaking at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland this morning, he restated his desire to take control of Greenland, saying the island is critical to national security. The president clarified that he's not planning to forcefully take over Greenland. Take a look. Because people thought I would use force. I don't have to use force. I don't want to use force. I won't use force. All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland where we already had it as a trustee, but respectfully returned it back to Denmark not long ago after we defeated the Germans, the Japanese, the Italians and others in World War Two. We gave it back to them. The president previously declined to rule out the use of force to acquire Greenland. Trump explained that the island lies between the U.S., China and Russia, saying that's why it's crucial to national security. The president also said he does not want the island for its rare earth minerals. He said they lie hundreds of feet below thick ice sheets, suggesting it would be hard to extract them. Trump also touched on developments in Europe, criticizing large scale immigration. Perhaps how you two and the places where you come from can do much better by following what we're doing, because certain places in Europe are not even recognizable, frankly, anymore. They're not recognizable. The president says he loves Europe, but added that the continent is not heading it in the right direction. Trump said illegal immigration and large government spending are among the major problems that have to be resolved there. In Greenland, of course, being a hot topic at the World Economic Forum meeting, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said today President Trump is right to worry about Arctic security. And when it comes to the Arctic, I think President Trump is right. Other leaders in NATO are right. We need to defend the Arctic. We know that the sea lanes are opening up. We know that China and Russia are increasingly active in the Arctic. There are eight countries bordering on the Arctic. Seven are a member of NATO. That's Finland and Sweden and Norway and Denmark, Iceland, Canada and the US. And there's only one country bordering on the Arctic outside NATO, and that's Russia. And I would argue there is a ninth country, which is China, which is increasingly active in the Arctic region. So President Trump and other leaders are right. We have to do more there. Rutte said he would not publicly comment on the dispute between the US and Denmark. NATO leader said he was working on resolving the issue behind closed doors. Polish President Karol Naroszkowski also said he prefers a diplomatic solution on Greenland. Finland's President Alexander Stubb said NATO working on Arctic security could offer an off-ramp for tensions between Europe and the US. Iran is in spotlight as tensions continue with the US. Tehran yesterday warning President Trump not to take action against the regime's leader. NTD's Daniel Monaghan reports on that, plus updates on the Gaza Board of Peace. The comments from Iran come days after President Trump called for an end to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's nearly 40-year reign. Iran's foreign minister issued a direct threat against the United States, warning that if attacked again, Tehran will respond with, quote, everything we have. President Trump addressed tensions with Iran over its assassination threats against him, speaking on News Nation. I would absolutely hit them so hard, but I have very firm instructions. Anything happens, they're going to wipe them off the face of this earth. Meanwhile, US forces are repositioning toward the Middle East, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. China is sure to be watching developments in Iran closely. Beijing has played a major role in sustaining Iran's economy, viewing the country as strategically vital to the Belt and Road Initiative. China committed up to $400 billion in investments under a 25-year cooperation deal, while Iran supplies oil, more than 90% of which is bought by China despite US sanctions, according to China expert Alexander Lau. This supports Beijing's push for a yuan-based energy trade and de-dollarization. The Atlantic Council think tank reports that Iran, Russia, and China now trade sanctioned oil in Chinese currency. But analysts say if Iran shifts toward the West, China could lose key leverage in the Middle East. Over to Gaza. President Trump discussed the Board of Peace, which he chairs as part of the US-brokered ceasefire plan between Israel and the Hamas terror group. We just created the Board of Peace, which I think is going to be amazing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today he had agreed to join the Board of Peace. His office earlier criticized the makeup of the Board's committee. Trump has sent invitations to dozens of countries to join. United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have confirmed their participation. Russia, China, and Belarus have also been invited. French President Emmanuel Macron opted not to join the Board of Peace over concerns it could undermine the United Nations. President Trump says the Board of Peace could actually end up replacing the United Nations. I wish the United Nations could do more. I wish we didn't need a Board of Peace. But the United Nations, you know, with all the wars I settled, the United Nations never helped me on one war. When a reporter asked the president whether the Board of Peace could replace the UN, he replied it might. Despite criticizing the UN, Trump didn't call for the dissolution of the international body. The president says the potential of the organization is, quote, so great. The Board of Peace will also include an international stabilization force led by U.S. Army Major General Jasper Jeffers. Daniel Monaghan, NTD News. Thank you, Daniel. And Trump said at Davos today that he would meet with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky tomorrow. He said he believes both the Ukrainian leader and Russia's President Putin want to end the nearly four-year-old war. Trump said he was dealing with both Putin and Zelensky and urged an end to the fighting. Take a listen. They got to get that war stopped because too many people are dying, needlessly dying. Too many souls are being lost. It's the only reason I'm interested in doing it. But in doing it, I'm helping Europe. I'm helping NATO. Last month, it was 31,000 soldiers died. 31,000. That's this room times the number of people in this room times 30. Think of it. 30,000 soldiers died in one month. The month before, it was 27,000. The month before that, it was 28,000. The month before that, it was 25,000. It's a bloodbath over there. And that's what I want to stop. It doesn't help the United States. But these are souls. These are young, young people. President Trump's special envoy, Steve Whitkoff, is going to Moscow tomorrow. He says he'll meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. You said that you're planning to meet with President Putin tomorrow. What do you plan to discuss with him? We plan to discuss peace in Ukraine and Russia. And how do you think it will go? I'm hopeful. I'm hopeful life at all. Is Mr. Kushner coming with you? He is, of course. Are you meeting Ukrainians later? We are. Whitkoff says they plan to discuss peace and the war in Ukraine and Russia. He made the comments at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The special envoy says the Russians asked for the meeting. He called that a significant statement on their part. The Kremlin said last week it was preparing to welcome Whitkoff and Jared Kushner Moscow for peace talks on Ukraine, but that no dates had been set. Whitkoff also said he thinks Putin will be joining Trump's board of peace. Also at Davos, President Trump said that people will be prosecuted for what they did in the 2020 elections. Take a listen. The war with Ukraine is an example. We are thousands of miles away, separated by a giant ocean. It's a war that should have never started and it wouldn't have started if the 2020 U.S. presidential election weren't rigged. It was a rigged election. Everybody now knows that. They found out. People will soon be prosecuted for what they did. It's probably breaking news, but it should be. It was a rigged election. You can't have rigged elections. Following President Trump's Davos address and today's EU pause on the U.S. trade deal, we're joined by geopolitical strategist and retired Lieutenant Colonel Darren Gobb, who served as a battalion commander and Black Hawk helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army as well. Good to have you with us today, Lieutenant Colonel Gobb. What do you make of the EU's pause on its trade deal over the U.S.'s Greenland terror threat? Good afternoon, Stephanie. No surprise at all. I mean, this is just, I guess you call it the art of the deal. You can call it negotiations. You can call it diplomacy. It's kind of all the above. There is no surprise at all that Europe would take a step back from something that we're looking forward to based on what's happening with the discussion around Greenland. There are clearly some messaging issues with Greenland itself that is causing part of this problem. Trump finally said today that he didn't see any need to use the military involving Greenland, but frankly, there was never a need to use military involving Greenland. So that's part of the issue is cleaning up exactly what we're trying to do, why we're trying to do it, and the how. And it should be based mostly on economics and trade. Military should never have been part of the equation anyways. And how do you expect Trump to respond to this pause in the agreement that was already forged and just kind of going ahead? Well, I think he already kind of put it out there anyways, which was starting off with 10 percent tariffs and growing to 25 percent tariffs come June if that plan stays in place. I think he got ahead of the EU in anticipation of them thinking that they would do this anyways. So again, not a surprise that it happened. And also, we'll see if the tariff threat is enough to see if it'll turn around. But I truly think that some of the more closed door sessions and backroom deals that are getting work in Davos and elsewhere are where you're going to find the actual solutions to this rather than generally what is put out in public. Do you think the president can affect what he said in his speech was needed in regards to Greenland, right title and ownership, so that the U.S. can properly defend the island in the case of an attack? Do you think that can be achieved through economic means? I think it's the best chance of achieving that, because outside of that right now, what you've got is an unfortunate threat of military activity, which is completely unnecessary. And frankly, there are other means to be able to use Greenland's mass and size for what we're trying to achieve in the first place. It doesn't involve necessarily owning and titleship. It could involve leases and various other means to do things. And that's me talking directly to the people in Denmark in my coalition that I have worldwide. They know that. And it's disconcerting to them that this discussion seems to have been focused around military use of force potential or real or imagined, I guess you could say. Can we do it? Yes, if they agree. And frankly, the whole thing should be done based on economics and buying power and nothing else. And the president laid out plans to build a missile defense dome on Greenland, which he has had for some time. Why is that so important to him right now? Well, there are many threats leveled against the United States. And one of those is, of course, the ability to reach us via intercontinental ballistic missiles. When you look at places like Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia, and China specifically has such a growing nuclear arsenal. The ability to advertise and demonstrate the effectiveness of a golden dome could sway some of those debates, because now we're well defended. And all Greenland does is extend the reach of such a type of a dome out further geographically from the mainland United States. And that could be a good thing. It's just a question of how we get there. There are other means to do it besides owning Greenland ourselves. We can work with NATO allies to do that. Because frankly, if you get a dome like that, that's big enough, we're defending them anyways. Either by making sure that we aren't impacted directly, because we're such the main force behind NATO, or actually, basically, it's going to look kind of like NORAD, North American Aerospace Defense, but a whole lot bigger and covering a whole lot more ground. And we are seeing a new mega embassy approved for China in London, and the prime minister is set to visit the regime's leader soon in Beijing. How do you see the European leader's response to Trump at this point in time in the context of their other interests, such as in regards to China? I think in some way, what you're seeing is Europe showing its colors a little bit right now, regardless of who's in the White House. It's the fact that China is coddling up to many of the allies that we would say we have in Europe. And frankly, the trade deal they just are looking at with Canada right now is also not a good thing, either. So China is continuing to try to reach into areas where America has historically had a significant amount of influence. And while Europe seems to be turning away from greater liberty and more towards authoritarianism and policing of its own people, it's natural that they would have a quasi attraction to what China represents, not only in political ideology, but in their desire to continue to use their economics to grow and to dominate other regions of the world. So Europe constantly reaching out to someone like a China is not a good sign for what is actually happening on the ground, which is a turn towards less freedom. And on that point, China's population numbers came out recently, and it's really getting decimated internally. Xi Jinping's trying to position himself as a kind of stable alternative to President Trump, as you mentioned, in terms of being an international partner. But how much do you think these recent tensions and those other alliances could see a kind of sway towards China? Also, we saw Canada's Mark Carney saying that he asked China's Xi about human rights abuses privately in their meeting, rather than publicly, because that causes tension with the regime's leader. And that is an approach that so many leaders take with the regime's leader. How do you see these things as perhaps a kind of kowtowing to the regime? And just lastly, anything that could shift that in your view? Sure. I think one of the things that could shift it would be the fact that China has such a challenge with their massive downturn in population growth. And frankly, it's also a result of how much they locked their own people down in COVID and how many deaths were suffered as a result, plus their one-child policy. This was totally expected. And I still think they're probably over-advertising their overall population growth in current numbers. And so they know that, frankly, between that, the internal fights they've had between their leadership, Xi and some of his military leaders, their loss of buying power with their currency evaluations and their real estate problems, what they're trying to do is claim a stability and be more quiet to give people the perspective that they are stable when they are not at all. And if they are able to sufficiently convince the world that they are stable, China could be looked at as a force worth investing in or becoming a partner with, rather than the reality, which is they are completely an unstable nation that has many of its own challenges and problems. America is looked at as different because we tend to be a little bit louder, I guess, right now than people are used to. And that makes them wonder, even though in many cases, we're identifying the correct problem and recognizing that China still remains a big threat, frankly, to itself and its own people and to many nations around the world. Well, great to have your insights today. Thank you so much for your time, Lieutenant Colonel Gobb. Thanks, Deb. Fraud and focus on Capitol Hill. Independent journalist Nick Shirley, a former fraud investigator and other witnesses testified on the massive fraud scheme in Minnesota. The witnesses say warning signs were in the air long ahead of the federal government crackdown. Officials say about $9 billion in tax dollars was likely stolen. NTD's Melina Wisecup has that story. House lawmakers on the Judiciary Committee further exposing the billion-dollar fraud scheme in Minnesota. These fraudulent actions have robbed taxpayer funds intended to feed children, support individuals with autism, provide housing for low-income and disabled Americans, and deliver health care to Medicaid recipients. Independent journalist Nick Shirley made an appearance, reflecting on his findings after traveling around to expose the daycare fraud. Since my reporting, the HHS department froze over $185 million, and to this day, not a single business has been able to prove proof of legitimacy. It looked like it was a number of facilities, like, in the same building. Yes. So, in one building, there was, I believe, three daycares, and there was no children, and they were all receiving CCAP funding for separate daycares. There's one daycare we went to that one day it was closed by the government, and then that same day it was reopened underneath another name, and they both received CCAP funding. After federal prosecutors found $9 billion tax dollars were potentially found to have been stolen by fraudsters, the Trump administration froze funding for social service programs. One witness who directly felt the impacts reflected that everyone, including legitimate child care services, suffer due to what she called the state government's lack of action. I built Holland for 20 years. Families built their lives around the care that we provide. All of that is risk of destruction today, not by fraud, but by clumsy government response that failed to distinguish between criminals and caregivers. Governor Walz has insisted that his office has spent years cracking down on fraudsters, but one former fraud investigator said he faced pushback from state officials when he tried to look deeper into the warning signs early on. You tell the truth, they call you racist. Exactly what happened here. So, they ignore your recommendations, they call you racist, but it even got worse than that. You can imagine they started investigating you. Is that right? Yes, we were interviewed by an outside firm for a report given to the Office of Legislative Auditor. The judiciary hearing comes as a separate committee is investigating alleged Medicaid fraud in Minnesota. On Tuesday, lawmakers requested documents and information from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and the temporary commissioner of Minnesota's Department of Human Services. In a letter to state officials, lawmakers claim fraud is rampant in the state and that many of Minnesota's Medicaid programs were designed in such a way that made them vulnerable to fraud. The chairman warned that Medicaid funds will be withheld if the state doesn't comply with federal Medicaid requirements. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Melina Wisecup, NTD News. Next, the latest from Minnesota. As the federal government and state officials go head-to-head over immigration enforcement, the Justice Department has started issuing subpoenas to top officials as part of its investigation into anti-ICE protests. Here's what we know. The standoff between the federal government and state officials in Minnesota is escalating. The Department of Justice has now started issuing subpoenas to Minnesota officials as part of its investigation into anti-ICE protests, some of which have turned violent. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's office told the Epoch Times it has received a subpoena. It came after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Frey and Governor Tim Walz of encouraging, impeding, and assault against federal law enforcement. In a post on X Tuesday, Frey said when the federal government weaponizes its power to intimidate local leaders for doing their jobs, every American should be concerned. Walz's office did not respond to a request for comment, but in a statement on X, the governor called the ongoing investigation a partisan distraction. Meanwhile, Border Patrol boss Greg Bovino stressed the importance of immigration enforcement in At a press conference yesterday in Minneapolis, Bovino said what happens in Minneapolis is directly connected to what happens at the border. Bovino said federal agents had arrested more than 10,000 criminal illegal aliens in Minneapolis since the start of the second Trump administration, and more than 3,000 of the worst offenders in the last six weeks alone. Even as tensions between state and federal government escalate, President Trump says he doesn't yet need to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota. Trump's comments come after he earlier said he could employ the powerful tool to aid immigration enforcement officers in the state. The Insurrection Act allows the president to deploy the military when federal law enforcement becomes impossible through regular means. In an interview with NewsNation yesterday, Trump said invoking the act would make life a lot easier, but he didn't think it was needed at this point. In that interview, Trump also addressed a controversial protest in which demonstrators stormed a Baptist church in St. Paul, accusing one of the pastors of being an ICE agent. He accused Sunday's protesters of being paid agitators. That incident is now under federal investigation. DHS says there are more than 2,500 federal agents currently on the ground in Minnesota. Officials are now saying an additional 1,500 could be on their way in the coming weeks. Protesters take to the streets across America as President Trump's term enters its second year. Yesterday marked one year of a presidency defined, among other things, by intensified operations against illegal immigration. In Washington, D.C., hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets to protest ICE operations. They were led by the Marxist group, the Party for Socialism and Liberation. The demonstration remained peaceful, surrounded on all sides by law enforcement. Aside from the nation's capital, organizers planned coordinated protests across the country, from Bryant Park in New York City to Los Angeles City Hall. In Atlanta, hundreds of students at Lakeside High School walked out of classes as part of a nationwide anti-ICE protest. And former NFL sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya is running for a Minnesota Senate seat. She's looking to win the Republican nomination as Democratic Senator Tina Smith retires. Tafoya is best known for her work as a reporter for NBC's Sunday Night Football, but has long been active in Minnesota politics. Other Republicans in the race include former NBA player Royce White, and military veterans Adam Schwarz and Tom Weiler. Democratic Representative Angie Craig and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan are competing for their party's nomination. Republicans haven't won a statewide election in Minnesota since 2006. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced yesterday that Lindsay Halligan is leaving her post as a top federal prosecutor in Virginia. Bondi described the Trump ally's departure as a significant loss to the Justice Department. The announcement came the same day a federal judge barred Halligan from representing herself as the U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. The court cited her lack of prosecutorial experience and noted she could face disciplinary action if she continued to claim the role. Halligan said she faced baseless accusations and disputed the court's actions. She argued the position remained unfulfilled. Her tenure included high-profile cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, which were dismissed by federal judges. Controversy at Rutgers University over alleged racism. Students have traded barbs online with Professor Brittany Cooper over past race-based statements. NTD's Daniel Monaghan spoke with a pair of Rutgers students who are asking for accountability. Brittany Cooper is a professor of women's and gender studies and Africana studies. Comments she made during an interview about critical race theory with the Root Institute continue to make waves a few years after being shared by the New York Post and others. I think that white people are committed to being villains in the aggregate. Cooper discusses colonialism. White human beings thought there is a world here and we own it. Prior to them, black and brown people have been sailing across oceans, interacting with each other for centuries without total subjugation, domination, and colonialism. The professor was asked in the interview, what is the solution to a more equitable sharing of resources since the nature of white people compels them to hoard power and goods? The thing I want to say to you is we got to take these out. But I know, but like, we can't say that, right? We can't say, like, I don't believe in a project of violence. I truly don't. Rutgers University student Ava Kwan reacts to Cooper's comments about race in the video. It's not professional to have a professor who so blatantly advocates for violence against white people to so confidently say we need to take white people out is outrageous. It's a very vile statement to make, especially as a professor working with students of all different races and backgrounds. It's very disappointing to see. Kwan says they still haven't seen a statement from Rutgers. I'm not holding out much hope, but I do hope that we do see action from the federal government. I know that Rutgers is requesting up to $530 million in federal funding this year. And I think that now that we know that we have professors employed who are essentially advocating for white genocide. Student Megan Doyle says it's very disappointing that Rutgers would employ someone with what she sees as such bias. Doyle recently had a heated discussion on social media with Cooper. This professor refused to apologize for her actions and her statement on Instagram. And I decided to call her out on it like many others would do, especially when you're a Rutgers student, you expect your professors to maintain a professional stance and not a racist one. So when you have a professor like that, you have to really question whether this professor is capable of teaching without a bias towards white students. Cooper responded to her clips, again going viral online this month. She said she gave an interview in 2021 about the anger black people feel at the persistence of racism. She said her remarks were misconstrued as an advocacy of violence. She said in reality, she concluded in her interview that violence is not an answer. Rutgers issued a statement of support for Cooper back when the video first aired, saying she has been subjected to racist attacks for her public scholarship. The university expressed its quote, unequivocal solidarity with Dr. Cooper and affirmed their support of what they called her academic freedom. Ava Kwan doesn't believe what she calls advocating for violence counts as free speech. I think that when you're making a comment, you know, stating that we need to take a certain group of people out, you are inciting violence. And it undermines the whole concept of free speech in itself. No one is going to feel safe enough to speak up in a classroom, let's say, if they think that their professor is going to do something or believes that they need to be taken out. That doesn't allow free speech. Those kinds of comments don't allow free speech. It actually shuts down free speech. Doyle feels that racism, if directed towards certain groups, gets a free pass in institutions of higher learning. I fundamentally believe that white racism is generally dismissed, especially in higher academics like this one. The two students say they have received backlash for speaking out against Cooper's comments and also previously about a professor, Mark Bray, who wrote a bestselling book, Antifa, the anti-fascist handbook. The students feel if they don't speak up, who will? Daniel Monaghan, NTD News. Thank you, Daniel. President Trump has signed a new executive order focused on home ownership. The order is designed to restrict Wall Street firms from buying up single-family homes. In his order, Trump blames Wall Street investors and the Biden administration for driving up prices and putting homes out of reach of ordinary Americans. Now federal agencies have been instructed not to approve or facilitate sales of single-family homes to institutional investors. Trump also called on Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Federal Trade Commission to review large acquisitions by such investors for anti-competitive effects. The order reads people live in homes, not corporations. The impact the order will have on the housing market remains uncertain. The largest active measles outbreak in the United States continues to grow in South Carolina. Health officials are reporting nearly 90 new cases and about 540 people currently in quarantine. The outbreak has reached college campuses, including Clemson University and Anderson University, along with several primary schools. State officials say the outbreak began last year and has been linked to infections in neighboring states. The CDC reports more than 2,200 measles cases nationwide in 2025, the highest number since 1991. In the year 2000, the disease was declared eliminated in the U.S., but the Pan American Health Organization could change the U.S. status when it meets in April. And a major winter storm is taking shape. It's expected to be the most extreme winter storm so far this season, set to bring the season's coldest air to date. It comes as many communities are already getting lashed by severe winter weather. Take a look at this report. I wish it would stop. I think we're pushing 20 inches, 21, 22 inches. Residents in upstate New York digging out after a lake effect snowstorm dumped more than 20 inches amid brutal winter weather. We're going to get it for 24 hours straight for sure. That lake effect snow causing whiteout conditions. Authorities responding to multiple crashes on Interstate 90 involving roughly 60 vehicles over a six mile stretch of highway. Officials said there were multiple jackknife tractor trailers as well as passenger vehicles that were struck. Authorities had to divert traffic and shut down all westbound lanes of the interstate. The brutal winter weather is set to get worse for many, with the most extreme winter storm so far this season forecast to slam the eastern half of the U.S. with damaging ice and heavy snow. The storm, fueled by a blast of Arctic air, is set to hit the Midwest and Plains Thursday into Friday, then spread into the south and east this weekend. Communities in the storm's path are bracing for snow, sleet and freezing rain, a dangerous wintry mix that could stretch more than a thousand miles from Oklahoma and northern Texas to North Carolina and Virginia by Saturday night. Salt shipping is very important. We were starting to get low from all we've had and there so many different places is using salt right now, especially up north. It's getting kind of hard to get. Coming up, Britain's finance minister expresses confidence in a trade deal signed with the United States last year. President Trump threatens 10% tariffs on countries that oppose his plans for Greenland. And at least one person is dead and nearly 40 injured in a train crash near Barcelona, days after Spain's deadliest rail disaster since 2013. Those stories and more ahead. I'm Stefania Cox and this is World Watch. U.S. forces have seized another oil tanker linked to Venezuela in the Caribbean. This marks the seventh such seizure connected to sanctioned oil. The military said yesterday the oil tanker named Sagada was in defiance of President Trump's quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean and was taken without incident. The Sagada is a Liberian-flagged tanker and its registration says it's owned and managed by a company in Hong Kong. The tanker was sanctioned by the Treasury Department under an executive order related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. U.S. Southern Command said the seizure demonstrates its resolve to ensure Venezuelan oil leaves the country properly and lawfully. Today, Britain's finance minister expressed confidence in a trade deal signed with the United States last year. Rachel Reeves said the agreement will hold despite escalating tensions between President Trump and Europe over Greenland. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Reeves said she had spoken with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The U.S. and Britain announced a deal last year to lower tariffs on certain products. Both countries agreed to cut import duties on cars and steel and better access to agricultural markets. Another train crashed in Spain last night. At least one person died in the Barcelona area wreck. Nearly 40 others were injured. The train hit a retaining wall that fell into the tracks. The victim of the crash last night was a train engineer in training. Spain's railway operator said the containment wall likely collapsed due to heavy rainfall that swept across the region this week. It comes just days after Spain's worst railway disaster since 2013 on Sunday. Emergency workers were still searching for victims in the wreckage from Sunday's high-speed crash in southern Spain. That accident killed at least 42 people and injured dozens more. And the assassin who killed former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been sentenced to life in prison. Tetsuya Yamagami had admitted to killing Abe with a homemade gun in July 2022. Yamagami was arrested at the scene. He said he believed Abe was connected to a religious organization that had bankrupted his family. Japan has capital punishment for murder cases, but prosecutors usually do not seek the death penalty unless at least two people are killed. Abe was Japan's longest-serving leader after World War II. He was in power for about nine years before stepping down in 2020. And after pressure from the U.S., the European Union is working to improve its cybersecurity amid a growing threat from China. The bloc is considering a proposal to phase out gear supplied by companies like Huawei. NTD's international correspondent Ariane Pasdar has that story. The European Union is working to protect its critical infrastructure, such as high-speed telecom networks. Under new draft legislation, telecom equipment from so-called high-risk suppliers would be phased out within three years. This comes amid rising concerns that European countries are vulnerable to the dominance of Chinese tech manufacturing. The proposals don't mention any countries or companies by name, but the term high-risk has been previously used to refer to countries like China, home to tech giant Huawei. Commenting on the new draft, the EU tech chief says, with the new cybersecurity package, we will have the means in place to better protect our critical supply chains, but also to combat cyberattacks decisively. The proposed restrictions would also cover equipment in other sectors, like security scanners used at border checkpoints, water supply systems, and health and medical devices. The U.S. already banned new Chinese equipment in 2022 and has urged European allies to follow suit. Last year, the Trump administration issued an executive order aimed at strengthening the nation's cybersecurity. The White House released a statement at the time, saying the People's Republic of China presents the most active and persistent cyber threat to United States government, private sector, and critical infrastructure networks. And just two months ago, the administration released its 2025 national security strategy. It highlights China's cyber activities in the context of economic competition, intellectual property theft, and supply chain threats. The document warns of grand-scale intellectual property theft and industrial espionage. Ariane Pastar, NTD News. President Trump is now participating in a reception with business leaders in Davos, Switzerland. Let's tune in. So it's about a dialogue, and dialogue doesn't necessarily lead to agreement. But it's the first step towards understanding, and sometimes, importantly, towards movement and resolution. It may be unfashionable to be an optimist about disagreements discussed this week that most appear unresolvable right up until election day. Mr. President, thank you for recognizing that the World Economic Forum is a place where we can have – that can be debated, and where difficult problems can at least be confronted together. And we're grateful that you added your voice, and a needed voice, to the conversation today, and again this evening. Mr. President, thank you again for being here. I think you can see by the audience, they're thrilled. And we look forward to hearing from you. He's a hell of a guy, but we have an audience, I recognize so many, I know so many. We have the king of soccer, the king of sports. I mean, I just got a report on the sales of tickets. It's December, whatever they like, and so that's good. We're going to break every record. So thank you for choosing us. We appreciate that. He's another spectacular person. And so many people in the audience said, you know, I have this beautiful speech, page after page. And I just said I just made the speech, and they were all here, and they heard it one way or the other. And I said, the last thing I want to do is waste our time and hear it again. But I do want to say the people in this room are amazing. Most of you are in the other room also. And the United States is doing really well, doing like nobody thought was actually possible, certainly not this year. It's one year. It's exactly a year, if you think about it. Time flies. It's 25%. That's a long time, but it went very, very fast. We've had tremendous luck. I think it's been reported by even people that aren't lovers of Donald Trump that it's been maybe the best first year for any president. I think in terms of what we've accomplished, it might very well be what we've accomplished a lot, including ending eight wars. I wanted to go. I thought that was going to be one of the easiest ones, and it's turning out to be one of the tougher ones. But you heard a lot of people that are working on that are here, and they've done a good job. I think it could have gone into a world where if we weren't here, it was out of control. But I think we're going to get it resolved. And I'm doing it to save 30,000 people a month, if you can imagine. Your kid, I mean, take your son leaves home, waves, you're proud of him, so beautiful. And then two weeks later, you hear he had his head blown off fighting Ukraine or fighting Russia. It's both of them. The total are averaging 30,000, actually 30,000 young people, generally soldiers, a little bit in towns, but for the most part, it's soldiers. Every single month they're dying. So I think we're going to do well there. But we have Scott Besson, who everyone knows, and Howard Lutnick, and these guys are doing a fantastic job with. They were both recommended by many of the people in this room. I said, what do you think of Scott? Oh, he's fantastic. What do you think of Howard? Very different types. I would say these are two exact opposites. And I like that. I like that. They are the exact opposite. You know, I never thought of it that way. I'm just saying that I'm looking at you two. You are in every way, but they're tremendously talented people and very successful people. And I like bringing successful people in because there's a reason for success. It's one of the reasons that we've had such success. You know, we took over a country with a border that was a disaster where millions of people were coming in. Millions of people were coming in every single week. I mean, literally a week would have millions of people and they weren't vetted. It was a totally open border. You had people come in, you could look at them. I don't want to say why define that, because they always discriminate, so I don't discriminate. But you could look at some people and say they're criminals. And we took in tremendous numbers of murderers, drug dealers, mental institution, insane asylum people, people that were in insane asylum. Institutions for the mentally ill and dangerous, very dangerous. They dumped them into our country like we were dirt. And we're doing a great job of getting them out. But it takes a lot of time, a lot of effort. And it's a nasty business. But if they were bad someplace else, they're going to be bad here. They killed people in their country, whether it was Venezuela or the Congo or any of the countries where they came. In the Congo, they emptied out their jails into our country. In Venezuela, they did the same thing. And in many other countries, they did the same thing. So when you read all these stories about ICE, you'll understand they're doing a hell of a job because we can't have those people in our country. And we're getting them out. But we're doing numbers in terms of people investing in the United States like we've never had before. I guess it's because of November 5th, the election. But the election gave us a view. And it's a view on tariffs to protect our country because our country is being plucked like you pluck a chicken. Our country was being plucked. And it wasn't good. And, you know, you can only take so much of it. And we've changed it around very quickly. And we'll have, Scott, I'd say $600 billion worth of tariff money coming. And I think we're going to have maybe more than that. Yeah, by next year, it'll be much more than that. That's not including the countries that the countries and companies who have countries coming over and building. But we have companies, great companies coming in. Apple is spending $650 billion. I mean, so many are one just announced $10 billion. Toyota, Mr. Toyota in Japan. So what's your name? Toyota. I said, oh, do you own the car company? Yes, 92%. I said, you didn't have to be that specific. But I said, you're rich. Yes, yes, I'm rich. But he just announced he's going to do $10 billion worth of plans. I mean, it's amazing what's going on. Look, it's amazing. We've never had anything like it or close. Nobody else has it. So I think in terms of your investments, you're in great shape. I don't even ask anybody how you're doing now. It's like everybody is making so much money. Oh, look who I see, Tim. Hi, Tim Cook. He's been good for 650. Think of it. Six hundred and fifty billion dollars. OK, can you imagine that's what he's going to be investing more than that? I think it's going to end up being more. He's great. And he's great. He's done some job. You have done really some job. And we have so many people in this room that have done a job. I don't know how many have done better than Tim, but some are right up there with you. We better you better get your ass moving. But fantastic people, fantastic people. But I go around and I say, meet the biggest people, biggest business people. I say, congratulations. They say, and what? I said, you've doubled your net worth since I've been president. Right. He said, yeah, even more than that. They would say even more. We're doing even better than that. And, you know, we've given you a platform where you can really put your genius to work. A lot of brilliant, genius people in this room. And you can put that genius to work. And it's an honor to do it. In a way, I'm jealous. In a way, I'm upset. A couple of people in the room, I can't stand them. And they've become very rich. There's nothing I can do about it. I would screw them if I could. But I can't do it. Right, Dina? I can't do it. If I had a chance, I could just take them and say, you can't do what Apple's doing. But you're not allowed to do that, Newt Gingrich. Right. Can't do it. But I would love to do it, really. You know, it's one of those things. But everybody's making a lot of money. And everybody's investing money in the United States. And our jobs are through the roof. And I made a statement the other day. Thank goodness for robots. Because we're never going to have enough people to run all these places that are being built. And I think robots are actually going to be a very big business. I think it's going to be surprisingly big. But I think we're going to need it. We're going to need it. So we have a country that's becoming very safe. We had the best crime numbers that we've had ever in recorded history. Perhaps they were better 100 years ago. I'm not sure. But the recorded history is 67 years. And in 67 years, they had the best numbers. And that's despite having a lot of people in the country that shouldn't be here. We're getting out. But we've got tough law enforcement, smart law enforcement, and patriotic law enforcement. You know, they've been amazing. One example is Washington, D.C. You couldn't walk down the street in Washington. You'd get mugged. You'd get killed. They were losing 100 people. Think of it, 100 people a year. And dead. You call up the parents. They come in from Iowa. They come in from Indiana to see the Washington Monument. And they end up being killed. It's not happening anymore. And I said in the other room, people are going to dinner. They're walking. They're meeting their wives in the middle of the street. And they're walking across the street to have dinner. New restaurants are being built. At records that nobody's ever seen, they were closing. We lost half of the restaurants in the last four years during the Biden administration. Now they're all opening again. I even went to have dinner just to show, I guess, to make a point. I went to a restaurant in Washington. I walked right down the middle of the street. I wouldn't say that Secret Service was thrilled. But if I did it a year before, believe me, it wouldn't work. Here's my other friend, Hussein. How are you? OK? Are you good? Well, you got a lot of good people here. This is a very good place. But so it's amazing what happened there. Memphis is amazing. When you go to Louisiana, what we've done there has been incredible. Always much more helpful if we could have a little participation. In the case of Louisiana, we have Jeff Landry, the governor, Republican governor. We have a couple of Democrat governors. We have a couple of Democrat mayors who very quietly are begging us for help. And we're making them all look very good. But I would do it. If I were a Democrat, if I were a mayor or governor, I'd be saying, Mr. Trump, could you quietly come over here? And would you do this precedent for me? Send about a thousand troops in here. And we do it fast. And we get rid of the criminals. And it's amazing how effective. I didn't campaign on this. I campaigned on law and order. But I didn't know it would be this type of law and order. But the cities, some of these cities, we've lost these cities. And we're bringing it back and we're bringing it back quickly. Washington took us literally six weeks to make it safe and eight weeks to make it really safe. And now it's really safe. And I don't know, you know, some people disagree. But I like seeing those big, strong soldiers. You know, we won. We won in the Supreme Court a very important case, Merit. Our country was built on merit. And then all of a sudden, we got away from that. And people with A averages and high college boards and everything were not able to get into colleges. And people that had C averages and low college boards were getting in. And, you know, it's not fair. But our country is based on merit. The whole concept and the whole system only works on merit. It doesn't work on anything else. And our military works now on merit. And when you see the soldiers in the street in Washington or in Memphis or in New Orleans or in some of these places, including Chicago, you know, we have crime down in Chicago, despite the fact that we have an idiot governor and a mayor that, I mean, very low IQ person is a low IQ person. And it's amazing you have these wonderful, beautiful black women make America great again, MAGA caps on. They're all over Chicago. They want MAGA to come in. And we went in a pretty quiet way as opposed to the way we did it in Minnesota. You know, in Minnesota, we took it. We took out over 10,000 hardline criminals, people with big convictions that came in here that shouldn't be here, brought them back to countries. In some cases, we bring them to jails, because if you bring them back to the country, they'll find a way. Despite the strong borders, they'll find a way in because a lot of them are really evil, but they're not stupid. So we're doing a real job. The country's the hottest country anywhere in the world. Best place to invest. The great big, beautiful bill is incredible. You get that one year deduction, you build something and you take the whole thing down. And I always said that's what made my first term so successful, because, I mean, people were buying things that I have a friend bought an airplane. He never used it. He just bought it. He said, I get it. I deducted it. He's on the plane. Steve, you could buy it. He's got about four hours on the plane. It's been three years. I think he's got to be a great plane to buy, actually, because he'll never use it. But it really spurred people to do things and do projects that they really would have delayed or held. And the beautiful thing about the great big, beautiful bill, the one that we just did is over there, you had a two-year window to do it. Now we have a 10-year window, which I hate to tell you, because people will take their time. So in one way, I didn't want that. I call that not good, but it is good, ultimately. Think of it. It gives me a chance to use it if and when I ever get out of this position. There's a big question. It gives me a chance to use it. Otherwise, I'd be precluded. That would be terrible, right? But it's 10 years. But you're able to build something. You build a factory. You write the whole thing off in one year. Nobody's ever thought that was possible. It was always 38, sometimes 40, sometimes 41 years. You know, you get a little here, a little there. You write it all up. So it's been really amazing. And you are the people that made it happen. Really, largely, it's you. It's you and a group of others. Not a lot more. I mean, the people here, I guess because of Larry, the people that came to this event, it's really incredible. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. We had somebody, as you know, that ran it for many, many years. And I'm not sure what happened there. But I figured, well, that's all right. They had a hell of a run in Davos. Then I heard Larry was taking it over, more or less. And he called me. He said, would you do me a favor? Would you be there? And we've had some great business dealings together. And he's great. He's one of you. He's one of the greats. And it was an honor. We had a good speech. We got great reviews. I can't believe it. We got good reviews in that speech. Usually, they say, he's a horrible dictator-type person. I'm a dictator. But sometimes you need a dictator. But they didn't say that in this case. And no, it's common sense. It's all based on common sense. You know, it's not conservative or liberal or anything else. It's mostly, I'd say, 95% common sense. And that's what we have. So I just want to thank everybody for being here. It's such an honor. And if we can ever help, you're going to let me know. And I have a pretty direct line. Marco Rubio is here, too. He's done a fantastic job as Secretary of State. He'll go down as maybe the best Secretary of State if he keeps going like he's going. That's a big question. I don't know that he will. But for the first year, he's right. He's headed to the top. And I just want to thank everybody very much for being here. Thank you very much. Take care of yourselves. Thank you.