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CNN International: Trump to Host Jordan's King Abdullah at the White House; Hamas Says It is Postponing the Next Hostage Release, Accuses Israel of Violating Ceasefire Agreement; Israelis Shocked by Poor Condition of Released Hostages; Political and Business Leaders Meet in Paris for AI Summit; J.D. Vance Delivers Speech at Paris AI Summit; Macron Says European Commission Will Present Unique New Ai Strategy; Elon Musk Leads Bid for ChatGPT Parent Company, OpenAI; Trump Dealt Series of Setbacks by Judges on Monday; Rubiales Says He Asked for Permission Before World Cup Kiss; Trump Imposes 25% Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum Imports; E.U. Vows to Safeguard Its Interests; U.S. President Trump Wants $500 Billion in Rare Earth Minerals From Ukraine in Exchange for Aid; Gulf of America Replaces Gulf of Mexico on U.S. Google Maps; U.S. Senate Committee to Hold Hearing Wednesday on Greenland's Importance to U.S. Interests; Philadelphia Eagles Celebrate NFL Championship. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired February 11, 2025 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:12]
AMARA WALKER, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Hi, everyone, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Amara Walker. This is "CNN Newsroom". Just ahead, President Trump is considering withholding assistance from Jordan if it does not get on board with his plan for Gaza. Today, he is meeting with King Abdullah in Washington. Plus, a widening trade war, the U.S. president is imposing a new set of tariffs aimed primarily at China, and making clear he is not done yet. And Greenland has made it abundantly clear it is not for sale, which has not stopped President Trump from casting a covetous eye. But what do the citizens of the Arctic land think? We ask them.
In just a few hours, U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Jordan's King Abdullah at the White House. The fate of some 2 million Palestinians and the future of billions of dollars in U.S. aid are at stake. Now, the president is threatening to withhold funding from Jordan and Egypt if they don't agree to take in Palestinians from Gaza. Both countries have already rejected that idea. This, as President Trump explicitly says that Palestinians would not have a right to return to Gaza under his plan to take over Gaza.
The talks come at a time when Israel and Hamas are accusing each other of violating a fragile ceasefire in effect. On Monday, Hamas said it would postpone the next hostage release schedule for Saturday, accusing Israel of not allowing the entry of aid. Now, listen to President Trump's response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, I would say this and I'm going to let that, because that's Israel's decision. But, as far as I'm concerned, if all of the hostages aren't returned by Saturday at 12 o'clock, I think it's an appropriate time, I would say cancel it and all bets are off. And let hell break out. I'd say they ought to be returned by 12 o'clock on Saturday. And if they're not returned, all of them, not in drips and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two, Saturday at 12 o'clock, and after that, I would say, all hell is going to break out, and I don't think they're going to do it. I think a lot of them are dead. I think a lot of the hostages are dead. I think it's a great -- it's a great human tragedy, what's happened, how people can be that mean to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: Our reporters are covering all the angles. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv. But let's begin with Alayna Treene who's joining us now from the White House. I mean, audacious and stunning comments from President Trump.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, they are, especially at a time when, as you mentioned, Amara, that this deal, this hostage and ceasefire deal is very fraught. It's very fragile. And really, this postponement by Hamas to release some of these hostages is really the first major setback that we've seen. Now, of course, just to discuss a little bit about today, and King Abdullah coming to the White House, it's the first Arab leader who will be at the White House since President Donald Trump was sworn into office.
But it also comes, of course, as we've heard the president continue to double and triple down on what he's calling his plan to take over and own Gaza. He said that he wants to clean it up. He wants to have Gazans be displaced and have countries like Jordan, but also Egypt and other Arab nations, take in those displaced Gazan so that the United States can build it into what he calls the Riviera of the Middle East.
I want to be very clear here though. We have heard King Abdullah, as well as his counterparts in Egypt and other Arab countries, flatly reject that idea, saying that is not on the table. But the president has argued that he believes he could convince them to do so. And also last night, he was asked very explicitly, would you withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt if they were not to take these people in? And he said, I would consider it. He left that possibility open.
So definitely, going to be at the forefront of that conversation between the president and the king of Jordan. They are set to begin speaking at 11:30 a.m. I also would like to note that the crown prince, the king of Jordan's son is also going to be in attendance. And then just to get back to -- and I know Jeremy will talk about this in more detail as well, but back to what the president is saying about the very fragile ceasefire deal. One thing that's really been striking to me throughout my time covering this from the White House is that the president, even though he's had Steve Witkoff, his Middle East Envoy and others in his administration, be part of the negotiations to craft that ceasefire and hostage deal, he's also left to really open the possibility over the past couple weeks now that he wasn't sure the ceasefire would hold.
[08:05:20]
And so, these comments saying that all hell will break loose -- I would also like to point out that he did not specify or detail exactly what all hell breaking loose would mean if Hamas doesn't deliver the hostages by noon on Saturday. I mean, that's in keeping with some of what we've heard of him, kind of the skepticism of whether or not this ceasefire is really as long lasting as its creators meant it to be. Amara?
WALKER: Alayna Treene, thank you very much. Jeremy Diamond, now in Tel Aviv, what's the view from there? I mean, at least from Israel and Netanyahu's right-wing government, this -- some of these words are obviously music to their ears.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes. But it is important to keep in mind that this is such a sensitive time in Israel right now. What we have seen since Saturday, when those three Israeli hostages emerged from 16 months in captivity, looking quite frail and emaciated, has been that those images have really affected Israelis, have been kind of seared into the public conscience here, and is driving a sense of urgency around the fate of the remaining hostages.
And what we know is that the Israeli prime minister already moved up his security cabinet meeting this morning, which I believe is still ongoing at this time, not only as a result of those, the images of those three hostages, but also Hamas' plans to delay the release of the next three hostages this weekend. And now into all of this, you have President Trump issuing somewhat of an ultimatum, although also not making clear that the United States would actually do anything to enforce that ultimatum.
Rather, it seems to be a suggestion that he's putting forward for the Israelis to implement. So far, there's no indication that Israel has the appetite for issuing that kind of an ultimatum, that if all the hostages aren't released this Saturday, then Israel will return to the war. But there certainly are political forces on the right wing in Israeli politics who would like to see exactly that. But it is important to remember that we are just about halfway through this six- week ceasefire in terms of the numbers of hostages who are set to be released. And there are families who are still waiting and anticipating that they will get to see their loved ones in the coming weeks as a result of this very ceasefire agreement.
And so, while the president may be criticizing this kind of drips and drabs mechanism that is seeing three hostages released at a time, and we also know that there will be the bodies of eight hostages released towards the end of this agreement, for the families who are counting on that, those drips and drabs mean everything. There's no question that there is a growing pressure inside of Israel for some kind of an all-out deal that would end the kind of delays, the periodic release of the hostages, and would instead see all of the hostages return, especially given concerns that many of the remaining hostages are also in the same kind of poor health as the ones who were released Saturday.
But the way that many of the hostage families would like to see that done is through accelerated negotiations with Hamas that would achieve that result rather than some kind of ultimatum that Hamas seems unlikely to accept or abide by.
WALKER: Jeremy Diamond, always appreciate your reporting. Thank you very much.
Let's take a closer look now at the situation with David Satterfield. He served as Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues under the Biden Administration, and he's now the Director of Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. Really appreciate your time.
First off, let's talk about some of these stunning comments that President Trump is doubling down on, especially the forced relocation of Palestinians. And let's start with the practicality of his threats and his proposal, threatening to withhold U.S. aid, much needed aid from Jordan, from allies, from Jordan and Egypt if they do not permanently take in most Palestinians from Gaza. I mean, there's even questions about if it's even legal. What are your thoughts?
DAVID SATTERFIELD, FORMER U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR MIDDLE EAST HUMANITARIAN ISSUES: Neither Jordan nor Egypt are going to take in any significant numbers of Palestinians from Gaza, even if the Palestinian population of Gaza was willing as a voluntary matter to depart, which they are not. Their situation is miserable there. The president is quite right to discuss it as a literal hell of misery on earth. But despite that, this is their home. Israel is not going to force them out at gunpoint.
[08:10:00]
The United States is not going to do it. And even if they were to leave, for Egypt and Jordan, it is an existential issue of political and security concern and instability. Jordan is not going to take in Palestinians and destabilize itself. It would be suicidal for the king. And Egypt has just fought a long campaign in the Sinai against an Islamist terrorist movement whose origin was in Gaza, from the same roots as Hamas.
It's not going to happen. The focus needs to be though, and here the president is correct on what comes next. What's the day after? And the answer to that is, it is stabilization. It's reconstruction in Gaza.
WALKER: Yeah.
SATTERFIELD: But it is reconstructions conducted with Palestinians in place.
WALKER: I want to get -- dig more into that in just a minute, but it's interesting that you say that it would be suicidal for Jordan, Egypt to sign up for this proposal because of security implications as well as political implications. But let's say, because the meeting between King Abdullah and President Trump will be happening in the next few hours, it's going to be a very challenging meeting for the king of Jordan. But if the U.S. does indeed pull aid from Jordan and Egypt, what would that mean for these countries? I mean, they would have to obviously turn to other allies in the region.
SATTERFIELD: Indeed they would. But, let's ask the question in a slightly different frame. What would be the implications for the security of the state of Israel were that to happen? Israel's security relationship with Jordan and with Egypt is extremely strong, despite other political difficulties, despite the campaign in Gaza. Were Jordan to become destabilized, which indeed some in the Israeli cabinet would be happy to see, in that case, Israel's security would be directly impacted. So would that of the U.S. We have thousands of troops in Jordan who are there to pursue campaigns against Islamist terror beyond Jordan's border. The same holds true for Egypt.
WALKER: Back to President Trump's comments about the ceasefire deal and threatening if Hamas did not release all the remaining Israeli hostages by 12 o'clock on Saturday that basically all hell is going to break out. Do you see this as this very fragile ceasefire and hostage release deal on the verge of being derailed? Or is there reason to remain cautiously optimistic?
SATTERFIELD: I would not say optimistic, but I don't believe this deal is on the verge of being derailed. We've seen since the deal began, this kind of bargaining. Hamas pulls back, Israel pulls back the two sides renegotiate their terms, to the extent that everyone would like to see all hostages living out, now all those deceased accounted for, this tragic drawing out of the process is a terrible ordeal. We all understand that. But it's a complex negotiation, it is going to remain a complex negotiation, and I believe it will or is likely to continue.
What is essential here is that the negotiators remain focused on the real goal here, which is bringing out those who are still alive, given their clearly deteriorating situation and accounting for those who have passed.
WALKER: Really appreciate your expertise and perspective on this. David Satterfield, thank you for your time.
SATTERFIELD: Thank you.
WALKER: Well, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is warning Europe that excessive regulations risk strangling artificial intelligence. Speaking at the Global AI Action Summit in Paris, Vance said that the U.S. would remain the gold standard in AI under the Trump Administration. The U.S. vice president is on is on his first international trip since taking office. He is set to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines.
Mr. Macron has been vocal about Europe's need to cut red tape, and he told our Richard Quest, he wants to see France accelerate its pace in the AI race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: Europe is lagging behind. But in the current situation, France is number one in Europe. So for me, the objective of this summit is to give an impetus and to have this wake- up call with new decision and acceleration of investment in order to bridge it. Having said that, our view is very clear. We want the best of the world, so we want our own research, our own startups to grow up and scale up. But we want to team up as well with American, Indian, Gulfian, Chinese players. Alibaba and Google will be here at the summit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: We're joined now by CNN's Senior International Correspondent, Melissa Bell in Paris.
[08:15:00]
Hi, Melissa. So tell us more about the summit and first off, how the American Vice President J.D. Vance was received.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, this was, Amara, as you just heard from the French president there speaking here last night, an attempt by French authorities to gather all of the voices that count in AI together. Not just many of those global leaders, but of course, so many of the tech industry's leaders to discuss what future for AI, how the balance can be struck between regulation and innovation.
Now, we've just been hearing from J.D. Vance, he is even now having lunch with the American president. Before that, he delivered his remarks here. Not the most gracious speech made before a host, you could imagine, but he was, Amara, certainly a forthright laying out of the new administration's tone when it comes to foreign relations and ideas when it comes to the need for further deregulation when it comes to AI.
He spoke very clearly in front of both Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, and critically about what Europe has done so far, not just when it comes to the regulation of AI, but privacy laws as well. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, (R) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Many of our most productive tech companies are forced to deal with the E.U.'s Digital Services Act and the massive regulations it created about taking down content and policing so-called misinformation. And of course, we want to ensure the internet is a safe place, but it is one thing to prevent a predator from preying on a child on the internet, and it is something quite different to prevent a grown man or woman from accessing an opinion that the government thinks is misinformation.
Meanwhile, for smaller firms, navigating the GDPR means paying endless legal compliance costs or otherwise risking massive fines. Now for some, the easiest way to avoid the dilemma has been to simply block E.U. users in the first place. Is this really the future that we want, ladies and gentlemen? I think the answer for all of us should be no.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BELL: Beyond taking on Europeans, the American Vice President also spoke to what he described as the problem of wokeism in AI, a controversy that was ignited back when a Google Image generator had sought to create more diversity to overcome the natural balances of -- biases of AI, apologizing for some of the content that emerged. But those were some of the words of the American Vice President here in France, his first foreign trip, and so his words and his tone very clearly looked at by his counterparts.
And interestingly, Amara, the idea of the French authorities here was that there should be these non-binding commitments signed by the end of this summit. And the idea is that these are non-binding commitments, the pledge that actors involved in the development of AI will look for it to be inclusive for all of humanity and these non- binding commitments signed by most here, but not critically, Amara, by the United States.
WALKER: CNN's Melissa Bell in Paris. Thank you as always. And Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, is now setting his sights on buying one of the most influential artificial intelligence companies on the planet. Musk is leading a group of investors offering to buy OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT for almost $100 billion. Musk co-founded OpenAI with current CEO Sam Altman, but the relationship has since soured with Musk leaving the company and filing a number of legal complaints against it.
In response, Altman took to Musk's social media platform X saying, "No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want."
Still to come, as Donald Trump pushes his agenda, the courts are saying not so fast, a look at the president versus the judges when we come back. And Fed Chair Jerome Powell to face questioning over the independence of the Federal Reserve under Donald Trump.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:21:05]
WALKER: In Donald Trump's first few weeks in office, he has arguably been able to do almost anything he wants, largely by executive order, almost. The biggest pushback we have seen on the president's power has come from the courts. On Monday, federal judges dealt a series of blows to Mr. Trump's agenda, blocking him for now from implementing his buyout program, ordering him to unfreeze billions of dollars in federal aid, and preventing the White House from firing the head of a watchdog agency that enforces ethics laws.
It has all led President Trump and his most vocal allies to begin raising questions about judicial authority, setting the stage for a potential constitutional showdown between the White House and the courts. With more on all of this, let's bring in CNN's Crime and Justice Correspondent, Katelyn Polantz.
Good morning, Katelyn. Yeah, really busy Monday when it comes to legal action by the judges, I mean, could you explain all the ways the courts have essentially blocked Trump's policies from being implemented, at least for now?
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Amara, for now really is the operative way of thinking about this. There's a bunch of different cases. I just was trying to count. We're almost nearing four dozen, challenging Trump policies. And just yesterday, there were five different ways the judges said, no, stop. You can't do that just yet. We need some more time to look at things. So the way the courts are responding so far, Amara, is that they're largely trying to keep the status quo in place in the federal government, so irreversible harm isn't done.
These cases, they cover a couple different buckets of things. A lot of them are challenging Trump's attempts to curtail the federal workforce, cut out USAID, put people on administrative leave, fire people like the top whistleblower watchdog special counsel in the federal government, people like that. That man, Hampton Dellinger, the Special Counsel, he was reinstated by a judge yesterday in an emergency hearing that was set about a half an hour before it took place, and we got a ruling. So just an example of how fast this is moving.
Other than the federal workforce, there's a ton of things happening where the Trump administration is trying to cut back money that's going out. They're doing it in a lot of different ways, cutting back National Institutes of Health funding, cutting back those foreign aid payments through USAID, trying to turn off other money outlays that the federal government has. And the judges have largely stepped in and said, pause, don't do that just yet.
There's also social policies, immigration, transgender rights that the Trump Administration is trying to rewrite. Those things are being blocked so far by the courts as well, at least temporarily, so that the judges have more time to look at the full extent of the law, make decisions, and then allow these things potentially and very likely to go up the chain of the court system, potentially the whole way to the Supreme Court.
WALKER: And Katelyn, as you know, Trump and his allies are pushing back and saying that these judges' rulings for now are intruding on valid presidential authority. I mean, what could potentially be the administration's next move then?
POLANTZ: Yeah, we're hearing this already from lawyers at the Justice Department defending Donald Trump and what his administration is doing. They're saying, hey, he's the president, he gets to make choices about the executive branch, where money is being spent, where the workforce is. Now the problem with that is that, what some people will say is that Congress also has a role, especially in appropriating federal funding and making sure that certain parts of the government exist, creating agencies.
So there's going to be a role for the courts to play on determining that. But just a hint of what this sort of argument looks like, after Trump put a lot of USAID workers on leave as that agency is -- as they're trying to shut down that agency, a judge, a Trump appointee said, no, reinstate them temporarily until we can look at the law here.
[08:25:00]
And then the Justice Department yesterday wrote back, the president's powers in the realm of foreign affairs are vast and generally unreviewable. We're likely to hear very much more of that in many other cases.
WALKER: Yeah, it definitely sounds like that. Katelyn Polantz, appreciate you breaking it down for us. Thanks so much.
Well today, Fed Chair Jerome Powell will be on Capitol Hill testifying before the Senate Finance Committee. He's due to deliver prepared remarks and then face lawmakers' questions for the first time since President Donald Trump took office. He is likely to be asked about everything from tariffs and inflation to the independence of the Federal Reserve. CNN's Matt Egan spoke to my colleague John Berman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: He's got almost an impossible job here, right? He's got to talk about the state of the economy and the risks ahead without getting bogged down in politics. And that's so hard to do because so much about the outlook today is driven by the policies that have been put forth by the White House, right? Exhibit A, the emerging trade war that President Trump has launched just yesterday. These 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the U.S.
Goldman Sachs is telling clients that these tariffs are going to be largely passed through to U.S. prices. What does Jerome Powell say about that and the other tariff proposals out there? What does he say about inflation expectations? Because there's new surveys out in recent days that show Americans are bracing for higher and higher prices, in part because of the Trump tariffs. The Jobs Report, this is his first chance to weigh in, on that kind of mixed January Jobs Report, what does he say about that?
And then there's a lot on deregulation. Specifically, the recent efforts to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, is Powell in favor of these efforts to essentially pull the cop on the street, off the street here when it comes to trying to fight financial crime? And then I think the elephant in the room, right? It's the fact that two of the most powerful people in the world, Jerome Powell and Donald Trump at times have not gotten along.
You remember, after the Fed kept interest rates steady at the last meeting in January, Trump came out and he essentially attacked Powell and the Fed over inflation. But then, he backtracked a little bit and he actually said that Powell made the right move there. So, we're going to hear Powell try to defend the importance of Fed independence from politicians.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Good luck with that. Look, even a simple question, our tariff is inflationary, which you can bet a Senator will ask, will put him in a bind. EGAN: Oh, it will, John. It will. And look, there's just a 7 percent chance of an interest rate cut the next meeting in March. Very low chance of the meeting after that, after May, I don't think there's much about today's hearing that's really going to change these numbers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: The former Spanish football boss on trial for kissing a female footballer during Spain's World Cup celebrations has testified that he asked for permission. Luis Rubiales said he asked Women's World Cup winner Jennifer Hermoso before kissing her during the on- field medal ceremony in 2023. Rubiales also said, I behave like an athlete who achieved success. I should have acted cold-blooded and played a more institutional role. His sexual assault trial is taking place in Madrid with prosecutors seeking a two-and-a-half year prison sentence.
Still to come, Europe and Canada vow to respond to President Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum. Also, Donald Trump raises the possibility that Ukraine could be, in his words, Russia someday. And he demands compensation of sorts for USAID to Kyiv. We're going to get reaction straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:30:55]
WALKER: The European Union and Canada have vowed to respond to Donald Trump's new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the 25 percent levy unacceptable with his country one of the largest suppliers of both metals to the U.S. The measures are set to come into effect next month after President Trump signed the proclamations late on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It's 25 percent without exceptions or exemptions. And that's all countries, no matter where it comes from, all countries. If made in the United States however, United States of America, there is no tariff, zero. So if it's made in the United States, there is no tariff. All you have to do is make it in the United States. We don't need it from another country, as an example, Canada. If we make it in the United States, we don't need it to be made in Canada. We'll have the jobs. That's why Canada should be our 51st state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: And for a closer look now at how President Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum could impact Canada. CNN's Paula Newton reports from Ontario.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's on this factory floor in Canada that Donald Trump's demands for fair trade are being tested.
NEWTON: What are these over here?
ROB WILDEBOER, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, MARTINREA: Parts of Silverado.
NEWTON (voice-over): These are parts for the Silverado, a GM truck made in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, and they're made by Martinrea.
WILDEBOER: These are thousand ton stamping presses.
NEWTON (voice-over): Global auto parts supplier with thousands of workers in all three countries. Trump tariffs would strike at the very heart of this business and its workers in North America, says Executive Chairman Rob Wildeboer.
NEWTON: President Trump would say, why Mexico? Why Canada? Why can't you just make it all in the U.S.?
WILDEBOER: I don't know anyone in our company that wants tariffs between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, because we work very well as a unit. We take care of our people everywhere. We make great parts in every jurisdiction. And quite frankly, we benefit from that. We've got some great plants in Mexico, in the United States, and Canada.
NEWTON: Do you believe a U.S. made car then would be more expensive?
WILDEBOER: Yes, for sure. For sure.
NEWTON (voice-over): That's the math, he says, a calculation made every day here as the threat of tariffs hang over one of the most prized manufacturing industries on the continent. Canada's auto industry directly employs at least 130,000 people in dozens of towns and cities, including Martinrea's facility in Vaughan, Ontario, just outside of Toronto. They depend on these stable jobs, as do workers at this Martinrea facility in the U.S. state of Kentucky.
WILDEBOER: I'll put my U.S. hat on, right? Because we are an American supplier, we're a Canadian supplier, we're a Mexican supplier, but we have twice as many people in the United States as we do in Canada. And in a number of communities, we're the largest employer, so Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Jonesville, Michigan, and others. We're a big -- we're a big deal. We're a big deal locally. We take care of a lot of people.
And I would say a lot of those people probably voted for President Trump. They liked his message of lower inflation, more jobs, stronger economy, but with the tariffs and so forth, they're getting higher inflation, less jobs, weaker economy.
NEWTON (voice-over): Despite that pitch, even employees here know what they're up against in the Oval Office, and some told us they approve of Canada standing up to the threat.
NATIK JARIWALLA, MARTINREA EMPLOYEE: It's going to hurt anyhow. It's like either you deal it right now or in future. NEWTON (voice-over): And it's not just Canada. Trump is challenging the very template of free trade right around the world. The European Union can see what's coming their way. It has one of the largest trade deficits with the U.S. It too says it will respond firmly to any tariffs. But it is Trump's tough talk about an economic takeover of Canada that cannot be reconciled.
[08:35:00]
TRUMP: What I'd like to see, Canada become our 51st state.
NEWTON (voice-over): It has triggered an uncommon anti-American backlash in Canada that may have legs. Booing the U.S. Anthem, boycotting American products, all of it so far seems to have staying power.
DON PEPPER, BURLINGTON, ONTARIO RESIDENT: Well, I think it's ridiculous. We've been friends for years, traded for years, and then, all of a sudden this happens.
NEWTON (voice-over): For Martinrea's executives and its North American workers, tariffs could still be a reality within weeks, putting at risk a profitable business and good paying jobs in the U.S. and beyond. They're asking President Trump, why mess with that?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: And that was Paula Newton reporting, really important insights there. For more now on this, we're joined by Director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, Larry Sabato. Good to see you, Larry.
You know, I think, for a lot of Trump's supporters, his tough talk, his tough actions, his tariff war, it may all sound great. But at some point, they're going to start seeing the impacts of it. I mean, do you see his supporters -- I mean, do you see all of this backfiring on Trump politically,
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Not among his base. We have learned they never move. They always support him.
WALKER: But what about --
(CROSSTALK)
SABATO: Even when he campaigned --
WALKER: But he campaigned on bringing down inflation and making the economy stronger. And a tariff war is not going to do that.
SABATO: No, that is absolutely correct. I was saying his core base, the MAGA base won't change, but there's a 5 percent, 6 percent, 7 percent kind of old Republican voter base as well for Trump. They're the ones who will flake off because they're not going to like the pain that will be inflicted upon them. And it's coming. WALKER: Yeah, it's just -- it's really incredible that some people just turn a deaf ear to some of the impacts that many economists are saying are coming with a tariff war. Let me ask you about the legal side of all this, as we're seeing judges after judge blocking Trump's executive orders, at least temporarily. On Monday, judge -- there were federal judges that temporarily blocked five different Trump-ordered executive actions, which is extraordinary in itself, Larry, isn't it?
Because it just shows how much this president is already clashing with the courts. How do you see all this and how do you see Trump and his allies -- what will they do next? I mean, do you see them defying these court orders? Because they're not happy with this intrusion, as they see it, on valid presidential authority.
SABATO: That's well put because, essentially, what Trump and his minions they're doing is going right up to the edge of the abyss. And what's the abyss? Disregarding the Constitution completely. And that means defying a co-equal branch of government, the judicial government, the judicial branch of government. And at that point, the American Republic is dead. It's dead.
Now, usually you can depend on the legislative branch to support, in this case, the judicial branch against the presidential branch. Well, that's not happening. I would put it this way. The Republicans in charge of the House and Senate have the backbone of a banana. And so, they are essentially going to do whatever Trump wants them to do. If we're not in a constitutional crisis, we're very close to it.
WALKER: Yeah, that's what I keep hearing. And speaking of the legislative branch, we're four to five weeks away from this government funding deadline. The Republicans are going to need Democratic votes to pass -- to keep the government open and pass a budget bill. It's going to be one piece of leverage to counter Trump for the Democrats. How do you see this playing out? Are they going to play hardball?
SABATO: Well, they have a very tough consideration here, and some of the Democratic leaders in Congress understand this. If there is a government shutdown, which Democrats could probably provoke by refusing to supply any votes in the House of Representatives to whatever Republicans put on the floor. If the government shutdown happens, that means that Trump and his administrative state had even greater power to destroy agencies, rearrange agencies, stop funding, it actually increases their power. And is that what you want to do? I think it's awfully risky given what we've seen.
WALKER: Larry Sabato, we're going to leave it there. Good to have you, as always. Thank you.
SABATO: Thank you.
WALKER: President Trump raises eyebrows with his latest comments about Ukraine and he demands a deal to compensate the U.S. for aid. The details are ahead.
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[08:42:05]
WALKER: President Trump is again raising eyebrows with some comments about Ukraine and its future. In a Fox News interview Monday, he said, "Ukraine may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday." He claimed his administration has made progress in laying the groundwork for potential peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. And when it comes to U.S. aid for Ukraine, well, Mr. Trump said he wants something in return in the form of $500 billion worth of rare earth minerals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They have tremendously valuable land in terms of rare earth, in terms of oil and gas, in terms of other things. I want to have our money secured because we're spending hundreds of billions of dollars and they may make a deal, they may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday or they may not be Russian someday, but we're going to have all this money in there. And I say I want it back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: Nick Paton Walsh joining us now from London to add some perspective here. Ukraine may be Russian, may be not Russian. I mean, what are we to make of these comments?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, look, I mean, it's often hard to tell whether Donald Trump is talking off the cuff, is fully aware of the consequences of what he's saying. But this is the president of the United States holding out the possibility that at some point, Ukraine or part of Ukraine could be Russian. Now, that is something unimaginable a matter of simply a month ago under the previous administration and in thinking it's already been seized upon by the Kremlin, sort of suggesting that it's in tying up with their position, having occupied about 20 percent of the country.
The Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying, I paraphrase here, that lots of Ukraine has already voted to be part of Russia and is already undeniably part of Russia. He's suggesting obviously a reference there to their forced military occupation with allegations of war crimes and significant civilian casualties as a result of that. So, a very odd situation to be in, to have that off the cuff remark. It's unclear if the deal that Trump is referring to there is a large, wider peace deal that he and his officials believe might be easily hatched with the Kremlin, or if it's a deal around the rare earth minerals he's been talking.
About that half a trillion dollar figure, I wouldn't say fanciful, but not one that I've heard repeated too often is this, people around Donald Trump trying to say to him there is a business case for continuing to support Ukraine outside of the moral and security advantages of stopping Russia having this strategic victory, or is it simply something he's trying to say to himself in order to push this over the mark or try and get some kind of financial gain back for the United States. But it's fascinating to see the thought process laid bare here. It's at times, I think, horrifying for Ukrainians to have what is essentially so close to a Russian talking point spoken by the United States president.
[08:45:00]
And I think it's also a sign there of the off the cuff leverage perhaps he's trying to posit saying, you don't make a deal? Maybe this will potentially happen. And it comes too at a time, Amara, of hot diplomacy trying to get moving at this stage. We have his presidential envoy to Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg going to the Munich Security Conference in a matter of days.
We have him suggesting over the weekend that he spoke to the Kremlin head, Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin didn't confirm that. He said on Friday, Donald Trump, that he might meet Zelenskyy at some point in the coming days. That hasn't happened. And I have to say, I think the clock is ticking on that as Zelenskyy doesn't have an easy route in and out of Ukraine, and has to be in Germany by late Thursday. So a lot potentially moving here, but a lot of uncertainty and it doesn't feel that joined up at this point.
The most troubling signal that which we're getting from Kyiv, who at times sound like they're concerned they're not adequately involved in the process, that things may be happening in different room that they don't have knowledge of. And then you have this comment here, off the cuff as it seems to be, so hard to tell if this is policy being formulated, an idea that will be jettisoned a matter of minutes later. But it doesn't take away from the fact that we've just seen the president of the United States suggesting that Ukraine may be Russian someday.
Now, maybe he has a crystal ball, but he certainly cannot be in that position making statements like that without consequence. And I'm sure there are many Ukrainians seeing that, who shivered. Amara?
WALKER: Nick Paton Walsh, thank you. The USAID inspector general's office has a warning for Mr. Trump as he tries to dismantle the agency. The IG Report says, freezing foreign aid and taking USAID apart -- USAID apart could make it easier for terror groups to get their hands on U.S. taxpayer money. According to the report, there's usually a partner vetting process for programs in countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Syria to ensure funds do not end up supporting groups like Hamas, ISIS, or the Houthis. But it says, staff reductions now mean there is potentially lax oversight.
And there's a new body of water south of the U.S., it's now called the 'Gulf of America.' The gulf itself obviously isn't new, but the name is, at least on Google Maps. To make things slightly more confusing, users in Mexico will still see Gulf of Mexico on their maps. Google Maps officially made the switch after Donald Trump signed an executive order to honor what he called American Greatness. Google says its policy is to apply name changes when they're updated on official government sources.
Still to come, we go to Greenland where Trump's plan to buy the territory is not getting a warm welcome.
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WALKER: It's an idea that so many people believed was just farfetched. But now, Donald Trump's goal of acquiring Greenland will be the focus of the U.S. Senate Committee hearing on Wednesday. Officially, the purpose is to "Examine the strategic significance of Greenland to the American economy and national security." This, despite Greenland making it abundantly clear it is not for sale. Our Donie O'Sullivan traveled there to gage the local reactions to Donald Trump's plans.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUPANUK OLSEN, GREENLAND ELECTORAL CANDIDATE: I really want this statue gone.
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Why?
OLSEN: Because why should she be up there? Why isn't it a Greenlander up there?
[08:50:00]
Trump wants to buy my country Greenland.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): This is Qupanuk Olsen.
OLSEN: Today, Miko (ph) and are having whale skin.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): She's known as Greenland's biggest influencer, and she's running in the island's upcoming elections. She's a native Greenlander. And for her, this statue of an 18th century missionary is a daily reminder of Denmark's control of her country.
O'SULLIVAN: So, you would like to be independent of Denmark?
OLSEN: Yes.
O'SULLIVAN: But that doesn't mean you want to be part of the U.S.A.?
OLSEN: No. I don't -- I don't want to become a part of the U.S.A. I definitely don't.
O'SULLIVAN: You don't want to be an American?
OLSEN: No.
O'SULLIVAN: Why not?
OLSEN: Why should I? Why should we just be taken by another colonizer?
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Native Greenlanders or Inuits make up almost 90 percent of Greenland's population. O'SULLIVAN: Is all this interest in Greenland because of Trump, is it a good thing or is it a bad thing?
OLSEN: In my opinion, it's a good thing because it is speeding up our independence process. So, I see it as a good thing.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): When the Nazis took over Denmark during World War II, the United States stepped in to protect Greenland.
O'SULLIVAN: Now, the U.S. military has had a presence here on Greenland for decades. But in the capital, one of the very few signs of the United States is this, the U.S. Consulate, which was reopened by President Trump in his first term in 2020.
TOM DANS, FORMER U.S. ARCTIC COMMISSIONER: Americans died for this country. In my own family, my grandfather watched his shipmates die.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Another sign of the U.S. here is Tom Dans, who was appointed to the U.S. Arctic Research Commission during Trump's first presidency.
O'SULLIVAN: When Trump first brought up Greenland, people treated it like it was a joke. People thought that's crazy. But you're saying it's not so crazy?
DANS: It's not crazy at all. Greenland, due to its geographic positioning, is the kind of the front door for North America.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): The U.S. is jostling with Russia and others for Arctic dominance. Military bases here are prime real estate for satellite and missile detection systems.
O'SULLIVAN: So this is Danish Navy?
OLSEN: This is the Danish Navy. Yeah.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Greenland currently relies on Denmark for security and financial support.
O'SULLIVAN: You think Greenland can survive without -- without this -- without the support of Denmark?
OLSEN: We will definitely need an agreement with another country, either with -- or still continue the agreement with Denmark, with military, or go with U.S. or Canada.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Climate change is opening up new shipping routes in the Arctic that the U.S. want to control.
O'SULLIVAN: The Greenlanders you've spoken are excited about a closer relationship with the U.S.?
DANS: Absolutely. You know, I'm talking with businessmen, investors, entrepreneurs. Tremendous things are happening.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): And another appeal of Greenland for Trump is its many natural resources.
DANS: Fishing, tourism, mining, security investments, logistics, the hard thing is deciding where to start first.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Tom Dans does not have a role in the current administration, but he did campaign for Trump in the last election, along with Greenlander Jorgen Boassen.
DANS: He's been known as Trump's son here.
O'SULLIVAN: Trump's son.
JORGEN BOASSEN, GREENLANDIC TRUMP SUPPORTER: Papa. Papa.
(LAUGH)
O'SULLIVAN: I mean, maybe, it could be.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Jorgen has made multiple trips to the U.S. in recent months, even campaigning for Trump in Pennsylvania.
O'SULLIVAN: Do you want Greenland to be part of the United States?
BOASSEN: Not 51st state, but best and closest ally with everything, with defense, mining, oil exploration, and trades and everything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. OK. We are here in Greenland with Don Jr.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): In January, another sign of the United States here. Donald Trump Jr. arriving on the plane dubbed Trump Force One. It's all a sign here for some that there's a lot more to come.
OLSEN: The feeling when I saw the plane was kind of excitement, but also like, should I be nervous now? And like the realization of Trump's words are no longer just words. Now, they have become the reality.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): And Greenlanders will go to the polls here next month in an election where Donald Trump and the United States is expected to loom large, so much so that just last week, the parliament here fast tracked new legislation, a law banning foreign political donations here, that is very much seen as something that is in response to the renewed and intense interest from the United States. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: A fascinating and very important perspective from our Donie O'Sullivan.
Well, football fans in Philadelphia are flying high after their Eagles won the Super Bowl.
[08:55:00]
Quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was the game's most valuable player, celebrated the Eagles win with a trip to Disney World in Florida. The rest of the team flew back to Philadelphia where they were greeted by excited fans and airport workers. Dozens of people waited hours just to get a glimpse of their hometown heroes.
Up next, Friday's big celebration in Philly. The city is expected to release details about the victory parade later today.
And the NFL is also celebrating a huge ratings success. Fox Sports says a projected 126 million people watched Sunday's game. According to Variety, that's up 2 percent from last year's Super Bowl, which was already reported by Nielsen as the largest TV audience ever. Fox says viewership peaked during the second quarter, and it says streaming viewership also hit an all-time high with 13.6 million total viewers tuning in on NFL+ and other platforms.
That is really something to be proud of, and that's my time. Thank you so much for being with me here on "CNN Newsroom." I'm Amara Walker. "Connect the World" is next.
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[09:00:00]
