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Trump Presses Greenland Acquisition, Democrats and Republicans Opposed His Move; Security Protocols for Ukraine Largely Finished; Monkey Goes Wild in a Tennessee Pawn Shop. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired January 07, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church, Just ahead.

President Trump doubles down on acquiring Greenland, but he's facing opposition from Democrats and some Republicans.

Millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil bound for the U.S. as lawmakers and leaders around the globe wonder what's next for Venezuela.

The U.S. says security guarantees for a post-war Ukraine are largely finished, but will Moscow accept it?

And later, a monkey sneaks into a business and basically goes bananas. Find out what piece of office equipment really set it off.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: I appreciate you joining us.

The Trump administration is ramping up its warnings on Greenland. The White House says it's now discussing various ways to acquire the mineral-rich island, and it's not ruling out military action. These are live images from Greenland, which has now asked for a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State.

Back in Washington, bipartisan criticism is coming from both branches of Congress. Many lawmakers say this rhetoric on Greenland and NATO ally Denmark is a very bad move.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): I think the first few months, people kind of joked about Greenland, but the idea that he's potentially posing a serious military threat, nothing would lead to the absolute destruction of NATO more than American aggressive action against a long-term ally like Denmark.

REP. DON BACON (R-NB): This is one of the silliest things I have heard come out of the White House in the last year, and it's unacceptable.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): This will be a work in progress. I'm trying to create a new and better relationship between the United States and Greenland.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): Ultimately, the people of Greenland would have to vote, and potentially Denmark. I'm not sure who would have to vote, but you won't get there by insulting them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And this is the latest wording from the White House. President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States. The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander-in-chief's disposal.

Meanwhile, some of Washington's European allies are showing support for Denmark and Greenland. CNN's Melissa Bell explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The NATO Secretary General, someone known to text with Trump --

MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: And that he has to use strong language.

BELL (voice-over): -- is coming to the President's defense, trying to downplay the issue that is tearing NATO apart. Trump's threat to annex Greenland.

BELL: So you believe that the United States can be convinced that cooperation rather than annexation is the way forward?

RUTTE: It's my absolute conviction that when it comes to NATO and the assessment of the situation in the High North, we are all on the same page. The U.S. is heavily involved, and again, when it comes to Greenland specifically, I know the Danes are totally open to have more U.S. troops in Greenland. They are fine, the agreements are there.

BELL (voice-over): Rutte, of course, has a history of complimenting Trump in texts meant to be kept private. Trump posted them on Truth Social, quoting Rutte as saying that Trump's action in Iran was "truly extraordinary and something that no one else had dared to do," with Trump later saying that Ruta had texted him about NATO spending. "You will achieve something no American president in decades could get done."

But on Tuesday, the NATO chief found himself once again caught in the middle of a crisis caused by the Trump administration's rhetoric on Greenland.

Earlier, European leaders issued a joint response to the President's renewed claims over the Arctic Islands, saying "Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland and them only to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland."

Denmark's Prime Minister also hit back, reiterating Greenland does not want to be part of the United States and that the NATO alliance would be dead if Trump seized it by force.

METTE FREDRIKSEN, DANISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I also want to make it clear that if the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops. That is, including our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War.

[03:05:00]

BELL (voice-over): This after Trump adviser Stephen Miller questioned Denmark's right to sovereignty over Greenland on CNN.

STEPHEN MILLER, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF: The real question is, by what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? For the United States to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend NATO and NATO interests, obviously Greenland should be part of the United States.

BELL (voice-over): Trump has a long-held interest in obtaining the vast Arctic territory. Both Vice President Vance and Donald Trump Jr. have visited Greenland in the past year.

DONALD TRUMP JR., SON OF DONALD TRUMP: Super cool stuff.

BELL (voice-over): And now the President is once again ratcheting the threats.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.

After the dramatic U.S. operation to remove President Maduro and take control of Venezuela, many fear that Greenland could be next in Trump's sights. Some Danish lawmakers have called for Europe to take a tougher stance against President Trump.

RASMUS JARLOV, DANISH MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: I don't think it's strong enough. I'm afraid the Americans are not going to stop. We don't know if they're going to attack Greenland militarily or not.

We will defend it. And in that case, we would be at war.

BELL (voice-over): Though the possibility of war between two NATO allies still seems unlikely, the Western military alliance is once again being plunged into uncertainty.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: I want to bring in CNN's Nic Robertson, who joins us live from London. Good morning to you, Nic. So what is the latest on reaction to President Trump's threats to acquire Greenland by any means? NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well the very

latest, I think, was really reported by Melissa there in terms of that joint statement coming from the Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris yesterday. Greenland, its people, its future can only be determined by the people of Greenland and of Denmark, of which it is a kingdom.

So the language was clear, as you heard that Danish politician saying that he would prefer that language to be stronger, that he feels that the push coming from the United States, and this is what European leaders are waking up to today, the sort of reaffirmation coming from the press secretary at the White House that a military option is not off the table. Marco Rubio speaking yesterday, talking more about an economic option, a financial option, something sort of akin to the Marshall Islands, where they retain sovereignty, but the U.S. can do whatever it wants there.

The Danish politician who Melissa featured in her report there, had a longer interview with our Becky Anderson yesterday, and detailed another couple of points in this vein. He said, look, right now, the United States can have however many troops it wants on Greenland.

A few decades ago, he said there were many, or more than tens of thousands. Now there is an estimated couple of hundred U.S. troops. So he indicated they could have as many as they wanted.

And as far as the sort of access to rare earths and minerals in Greenland, he said, look, the Danish government has made it very clear to the United States, you are most welcome, just come and invest.

And the politician, Jaroslav, said that so far, the United States has not done that. And then the question about the sovereignty of, you know, of Denmark, he pointed out that Denmark has treaties with the United States going back decades and decades, that it has Denmark's claim, if you will, over Greenland, which goes back to the Vikings more than 1000 years ago, has been unchallenged for over 600 years.

So the depth of feeling within Denmark is very clear, the threat of the damage to NATO is very real. And I think for leaders in Europe waking up now who didn't want to deal with this issue when they were asked questions about it in Paris yesterday, when Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump's envoys there to the Coalition of the Willing, were in the room, that question was sort of sidestepped. That just tells you it is a thorny, unresolved, growing issue.

CHURCH: Indeed. Nic Robertson, joining us there live from London with that report. I appreciate it.

Well, the situation in Venezuela's capital is described as tense and uncertain, with security officers reportedly patrolling the streets, asking people about their political allegiance. CNN contributor Stefano Pozzebon reports from across the border in Colombia.

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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Newly installed Venezuelan acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, is flexing her muscles in Caracas and showing an image of strength and stability. As the situation of security inside the Latin American country remains extremely tense, less than four days after the dramatic raid that led to the capture of Rodriguez's predecessor, Nicolas Maduro, in the early hours of Saturday.

[03:10:04]

On Tuesday, Rodriguez declared seven days of national mourning to commemorate the victims of that raid. Including of them are at least 24 Venezuelan officers that have been named by the high command of the Venezuelan army as being killed in operations that led to the capture of Maduro. Those are on top of 32 Cuban military officers that were also working in Maduro's security details that we had previously reported.

So clearly a death toll that is growing and growing around that operation as many questions are now starting to get some of the answers. But Rodriguez also had words for Donald Trump himself.

The U.S. President saying earlier on Tuesday that he believed he was the man in charge in Venezuela. This is what Rodriguez had to say about that.

DELCY RODRIGUEZ, ACTING VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We are a people who do not give up, who do not surrender. And we are here governing together with the people.

The government of Venezuela governs our country, no one else. There is no external agent that governs Venezuela.

POZZEBON: But also on Tuesday, Reuters reporting that members of Rodriguez's entourage were ready to hold meetings with officers and envoys from the White House about how to boost the Venezuelan oil exports to the United States. Also on Tuesday, Donald Trump said that he expects Venezuela to send between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil, almost as if it was a bounty from the Latin American country.

It would be an extremely high number of barrels given that Venezuela over the last few years has struggled to drill one million barrels of oil per day, let alone export that, and let alone export that in the quality that the United States refineries need in order to mix it with their own oil to produce gasoline in the Gulf Coast refineries.

However, we now have a sense of the type of task that Donald Trump expects Delcy Rodriguez to be filling up and complying with if she wants to keep her job.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota, Colombia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Earlier, I spoke with former U.S. ambassador to NATO, Ivo Daalder, and I asked him how Donald Trump's recent actions and warnings have affected the world order.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IVO DAALDER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: Well, he's certainly offering an end to the kind of rules-based order that the United States since 1945 has been creating and then maintaining, an order that says there are certain rules about how states behave with regard to each other, an order that says that working together with like- minded countries is more likely to be beneficial for not only the United States, but for the rest of the world as well, and returning to a kind of old-fashioned power politics in which, as back in the times of the Greeks, that the strong will do as they will, and the weak will do as they must.

And it's that kind of order where we are emphasizing that power, particularly military power, is what matters, that suggests that we're going to be dividing the world into strong countries, each having their own spheres of influence, and weak countries having to do what they want.

CHURCH: So where does all this leave America's relationship with its allies, and how much more uncertain will these relationships be if Trump goes ahead and takes Greenland?

DAALDER: Well, I think the relationship with our European allies is going to be significantly upended. Going after and trying to take over, or in fact taking over an ally of the United States, a member of NATO, sends a signal that the United States is more interested in acquiring territory than providing for security of its allies. And the allies will have to take the conclusion from that and draw the conclusion and say, we can no longer rely on the United States. We have to, in fact, become more independent in our own security.

And we will have to find ways to make the cost on the United States much heavier than it has been up to this point, perhaps raise tariffs and increase trade tensions, deny technology access and access to technologies, and ultimately perhaps even deny the use of European bases and overflights, which will make it far more difficult for the United States to achieve the kind of military objectives as it set itself. We are in an alliance because both sides tend to benefit from it and have benefited from it for 75 years. If the United States decides that it's no longer interested in the alliance, it's going to pay a big price, not just to Europeans, but so will the United States.

[03:15:05]

CHURCH: Ivo Daalder, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

DAALDER: My pleasure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Ukraine's allies are outlining long-term security protocols for the war-torn country. Still to come, a look at the progress made during the so-called Coalition of the Willing summit in Paris.

Plus, Iran's security forces crack down on anti-government protesters amid warnings from President Trump about possible U.S. action.

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CHURCH: U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff says security protocols for Ukraine are largely finished.

[03:20:03]

The announcement follows a meeting of Ukraine's allies in Paris where officials from 35 countries vowed to provide security guarantees. The U.K. and France signed an agreement that would deploy forces on the ground and build military hubs in Ukraine should a ceasefire with Russia take effect. While Ukraine remained the central focus of the meeting, there were also questions over U.S. pressure toward Greenland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: What value do these commitments have on the very day that at the highest levels of government, they are talking about seizing the sovereign territory of a fellow NATO member?

STEVE WITKOFF, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY: The President does not back down from his commitments. He is strong for the country of Ukraine and for a peace deal and we will be there for the Ukrainians in helping them to get to that final peace and we're confident we will get there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The security guarantees for Ukraine would include a continuous ceasefire monitoring system led by the U.S. There was no immediate reaction from Moscow over these developments but the Kremlin has repeatedly rejected the idea of a foreign peacekeeping force operating inside Ukraine.

Well since the U.S. captured Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, President Trump has been warning a long list of countries including Iran. Nationwide protests there against a cost-of-living crisis are ramping up and President Trump has warned that Iran will get hit hard by the U.S. if protesters are killed.

CNN's Paula Hancocks has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A female protester is dragged from a street in Tehran. Demonstrators run for cover as gunfire is heard in Malakshahi, a city in Iran's western Ilan province. It is a familiar and brutal response to nationwide protests now in their second week.

The Iranian currency is collapsing, inflation rising and the cost of living becoming hard to bear. Shopkeepers, traders and students on the streets blame government mismanagement. Officials say publicly they are willing to talk.

SANAM VAKIL, CHATHAM HOUSE: The government is trying to be more amenable to dialogue. President Pezeshkian has offered to mediate and engage. He's acknowledged responsibility.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): But as the President offers dialogue, the security forces are cracking down. Attacking protesters hold up in this hospital in Ilan.

Social media footage shows forces inside looking for injured protesters and those trying to hide. The U.S. State Department said quote "the assault on the injured with tear gas and live ammunition is a blatant crime against humanity." The U.S. President has already threatened to step in if protesters are killed.

TRUMP: We're watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they're going to get hit very hard by the United States.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): A move against the Iranian regime that Israel's prime minister has been encouraging.

ESMAIL BAGHEI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): Actions or statements raised by figures such as the Prime Minister of the Zionist regime or some radical American officials regarding Iran's internal affairs amount under international norms to nothing more than incitement to violence, incitement to terrorism and incitement to killing.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): U.S. military attacks on Venezuela over the weekend and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro will be watched closely in Tehran.

VAKIL: I think Venezuela adds icing to a really clearly baked cake for Iran. The Islamic Republic has learned the hard way that President Trump is unpredictable.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Although the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, does still have some support, there are increasing calls for his removal, both inside and outside the country.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: President Trump is putting his own spin on a 200-year-old foreign policy. Just ahead, how he's turning the Monroe Doctrine into the Donroe Doctrine.

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[03:25:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom," I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check today's top stories for you.

Kyiv's allies are vowing to guarantee Ukraine's security. The so- called Coalition of the Willing met in Paris, and members agreed to provide Kyiv a wide array of military assets and a multinational peacekeeping force in the event of a ceasefire with Russia. But the Kremlin has repeatedly stressed it will not agree to foreign troops operating in Ukraine.

President Donald Trump says Venezuela will give the U.S. 30 to 50 million barrels of oil to sell. At current market prices, that would be worth as much as $2.75 billion. Mr. Trump says the proceeds will be used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the U.S.

The White House says it's discussing a range of options to acquire Greenland, including the use of the U.S. military. Greenland, a Danish territory, has requested a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State.

[03:30:06]

European leaders have issued a statement of support for the sovereignty of Greenland and Denmark.

President Trump's assertion of U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere is getting pushback from longtime allies from the Americas to Europe and beyond. But in typical Trump fashion, he's making a hard sell to Americans on the branding. CNN's Jake Tapper explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, AND ANCHOR OF "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER": We have entered the era of the Donroe Doctrine. You probably remember hearing about the Monroe Doctrine in grade school. But President Trump is now referring to the Donroe Doctrine. What is that?

Well, the State Department tweeted, "this is our hemisphere." And White House Advisor Stephen Miller told me that this is the U.S. exerting its superpower dominance over the hemisphere.

MILLER: The United States is using its military to secure our interests unapologetically in our hemisphere. We're a superpower. And under President Trump, we are going to conduct ourselves as a superpower.

TAPPER: That includes, apparently, the U.S. taking Greenland if it wants, which Stephen Miller says Trump wants.

You might remember the Monroe Doctrine dates back to 1823 when President James Monroe asserted that, quote, "the American continents are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for colonization by any European powers," unquote, meaning any new effort by European powers to exert influence or control in this hemisphere would be seen by the United States as a security threat.

Now, the U.S. didn't have much of a navy back then. So it wasn't really taken particularly seriously until the 20th century when the Monroe Doctrine was invoked by Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, and now, of course, Donald Trump.

Now, the Donroe Doctrine does seem to be a bit more offensive and less defensive than the way it was asserted by President James Monroe, saying that the U.S. can and will do whatever it wants to do in Venezuela or, as President Trump has said, Mexico or possibly Colombia or possibly Cuba or possibly Greenland.

We should also note that in the White House's national security strategy from November, the White House asserted a Trump corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, which also asserted goals beyond just this hemisphere, including expanding to the Indo-Pacific when it comes to navigation and supply chains, including preventing any adversaries from dominating in the throughout the world. So more to come, presumably, beyond our hemisphere.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: CNN's Jake Tapper reporting there.

Members of the U.S. Congress will receive classified briefings on the operation in Venezuela today. House Democrats are said to be working on legislation to limit President Trump's war powers on Venezuela, Greenland and other potential targets. Sources tell CNN Democrats worry there could be limited Republican support for one resolution in particular that's sponsored by progressive Democrat Ilhan Omar.

Well meanwhile, President Trump is taking something of a victory lap over the military operation in Venezuela.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The United States proved once again that we have the most powerful, most lethal, most sophisticated and most fearsome. It's a fearsome military on planet Earth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Senate Republicans are cheering on the president. South Carolina's Lindsey Graham says Venezuela needs the steady hand of the U.S. to stabilize the country. And the capture of Nicolas Maduro has put officials in the country on notice.

Democrats are taking issue with the Trump administration's explanation for the mission.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): We talk about how this is a law enforcement operation. But if, in fact, 150 airplanes were used from, you know, multiple services, it feels less, to me, law enforcement and more like a military operation.

WARNER: Maduro is a bad guy. And the country and the region are better off without him being in power. But the notion of the administration has said that somehow this was simply a legal action, executing a war, doesn't pass any smell test.

You know, the military action on Friday night was remarkable. It was exquisite. [03:35:06]

But all branches of the military are involved. This was a military action. Of course it was.

And the irony here is that, you know, the very same administration that's claiming this was simply a legal action serving a warrant said when they blew up the so-called drug boats, that was military. So their justification doesn't pass any kind of smell test.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Wesley Tabor is a former DEA Venezuela attache. He's also the author of "Infiltrate America - Blood Roots and the Rise of Latin American Gangs." Good to have you with us.

WESLEY TABOR, FORMER DEA VENEZUELA ATTACHE, AND AUTHOR OF "INFILTRATE AMERICA": Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: President Trump is taking a victory lap amid uncertainty over what comes next. And he's now saying Venezuela is giving him 30 to 50 million barrels of oil. What does this signal to you? And how will Venezuela be governed going forward with Trump claiming he's in charge while Maduro's old regime remains firmly in place?

TABOR: So, you know, there are reports that they've been speaking with Delcy Rodriguez for quite some time, which is not surprising, right?

You're going to have to have something in place when all the smoke dies down, the dust settles, and the soldiers are out. Now we know that we still have a flotilla and, you know, aviation assets and so forth off the coast. And that's great.

But on the ground, we have power struggles that could develop, right? We have Vladimir Padrino Lopez, you know, he controls the armed forces. Diosdado Cabello, that guy, secret police, all of the intelligence agencies and so forth.

So, you know, the one that's kind of been appointed here, according, you know, to the administration, Delcy Rodriguez, she's got a lot of work ahead of her to stay in the power. And I just don't see her being one because, listen, she was part of the whole scheme, right? The whole dictatorship.

So, we got a lot going on. So, the victory lap, you know, I don't think I'd be taking that quite yet.

As far as the oil and so forth, listen, you know, there's a lot of oil there. And I think we're keeping that from the adversaries. I know, you know, when you look at the statements coming out of the administration, they were saying, listen, not only did we have a humanitarian crisis, you could say 8 million Venezuelans fled that country and 30 million still inside the country suffering.

You know, we have people, political prisoners, we had a myriad of different crimes, we had terrorists coming from around the world. They're still there, some of them, many of them are still there. We had narco traffickers and gangs and colectivos in Tren de Aragua.

And so, it's a very complicated situation. So, let's see what's going to happen. I don't think it's going to be a smooth sailing, as some are saying.

CHURCH: As you say, very complicated. We're also learning from sources that the CIA had a covert team inside Venezuela, as well as a source close to Maduro over the summer. And as you pointed out, according to an official who had briefed Congress, the Trump administration has been in touch with the now acting President, Delcy Rodriguez, for months, deciding to keep her as Maduro's replacement rather than an opposition leader.

So, what's your response to all of this?

TABOR: Well, you know, listen, we're going to do a military operation. They announced that the Central Intelligence Agency was going to be doing some operations. And it doesn't surprise me whatsoever that they're going to have people on the ground there.

I mean, it's a very dangerous job that those men and women had that went in there. And it's an important job, right?

Because it's not just for the success of the United States of America in an offensive into a country to do a rendition and pull this person, I won't call him a President, you know, out of the country, he was a dictator, and he abused his people, right?

And he created a security threat in the Western Hemisphere that we haven't seen in many decades. So, you know, the fact that we put these guys and gals into the country to make sure that we had these connections, you know, maybe they were speaking with Delcy, maybe they were speaking with Lopez, maybe they were speaking with Cabello.

We just don't know yet. We're probably going to find out at some point. But you're always going to have that primary, secondary, and tertiary plan to back it up.

And I, you know, listen, I worked there for years, right? I was sent down there to try to make the case on the Cartel de las Olas.

What can we do? Who can we get? How can we create witnesses? How can we build an investigation that's going to culminate into a nice prosecution and removal of this character and all the other characters? Because they were all bad actors.

CHURCH: Right. Of course, the big question now is what the U.S. is planning to do next in Venezuela. We've learned about the 50 million barrels of oil coming to America, and that this is not about regime change. So what about democracy and the people of Venezuela? Will they get an opportunity to govern themselves? Or is this just about the U.S. getting oil from the country?

[03:40:08] TABOR: Not at all. And, you know, I think we don't have to just bifurcate the two issues of the financial lucrative oil that's there, which everyone wants, including their adversaries.

You think Russia doesn't want some of that oil? You think China doesn't want some of that oil going to where it needs to go?

You know, Venezuela had a huge debt to China, and they were paying it back with oil. And you have a true dictatorship in Venezuela. The people were suffering.

You know, you had surgeons that were healing people without medicine, doing surgeries and sewing them up with needle and thread. They literally didn't have the medical supplies they needed. This was a horrendous thing that was occurring.

So we have two good things that have come out of this. And just because you're getting something, because you took action, in my mind, is not negating the fact that we actually did something good for the hemisphere and the people of Venezuela.

CHURCH: Wesley Tabor, I appreciate your analysis and perspective. Thanks for joining us.

TABOR: Thank you.

CHURCH: People across Europe are honoring the lives of the 40 people killed in a fire on New Year's Eve in Switzerland. Skiers formed a giant heart in the snow in the Swiss mountains as a tribute to the victims.

And France's National Assembly observed one minute of silence out of respect for those who died. More than 100 people were injured in the fire.

Local officials now say the bar where they were celebrating had not had a mandatory fire safety inspection since 2019. Prosecutors believe sparklers in champagne bottles ignited foam soundproofing material in the ceiling.

Nvidia has been the poster child for the A.I. boom. Now the company is showing off the next generation of its flagship A.I. hardware. More on what this means for the tech industry just ahead.

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[03:45:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back. Here are your business headlines.

Two indexes in the U.S. stock market hit new record highs despite geopolitical uncertainty. On Tuesday, the Dow Jones gained 485 points to close above 49,000 for the first time ever. The broader S&P 500 rose 0.62 percent and also hit a record high. China has banned a range of exports to Japan amid strained tensions

between the two countries. The sweeping restrictions include rare earth elements and other so-called dual-use items that have both civilian and military applications. It's unclear how this will impact Japanese industries as the scope of the ban has not been disclosed.

Elon Musk's X A.I. company has raised $20 billion in funding as it seeks to develop new A.I. models and infrastructure. Multiple companies including Nvidia and Cisco joined as investors. The company's latest work is training GROK5 and integrating A.I. on the X platform.

Nvidia just gave the world a look at the next generation of the technology that made it the most valuable company on earth. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, it showed off its new A.I. platform for data centers named for the astronomer Vera Rubin.

CNN's Business Tech Editor Lisa Eadicicco has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA EADICICCO, CNN BUSINESS TECH EDITOR: Nvidia just announced that its new Vera Rubin A.I. platform will be launching in the second half of 2026, And is currently in production, and this is going to be a very closely watched launch because Nvidia is kind of a bellwether of where A.I. is going. So many tech companies rely on its technology to power their models that the direction that they take with their advancements does, in a way, kind of dictate where everything else goes.

And the big thing that we're seeing with Vera Rubin is a focus on inference. And that refers to the process that A.I. models go through when they're actually answering requests when these models are thinking, if you will.

And Nvidia is arguing that as A.I. models grow more complex and people start using them for more complicated things, that more computational power is going to be needed. And there is a big push throughout the tech industry right now to shift from question and answer chatbots to A.I. agents that can actually do things on your behalf.

So this push with Vera Rubin is really a bet that that actually is the future. And what Nvidia says Vera Rubin will be able to do is process these context-heavy requests in a way that's more capable, efficient and quick.

Now, of course, this all comes at a time when there are looming questions about whether we're in an A.I. bubble. And this kind of ties into that because, again, this is a bet that companies and everyday people will be relying on A.I. to do things for them in the future, kind of justifying all of that computing power and all of that spending on infrastructure that we're seeing in the space. And it also comes as Nvidia is starting to face more competition from rivals like AMD in the chip space as well.

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CHURCH: Still to come, a mischievous monkey tears through a store in Tennessee and expresses his deep disdain for office equipment. We'll show you that when we return.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Venezuela's acting president says there is, quote, no external agent that governs Venezuela. Delcy Rodriguez made that statement after being sworn in to take over from deposed President Nicolas Maduro. But as CNN's Paula Newton tells us, Rodriguez now must walk a tightrope of leading her nation without angering Washington.

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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For weeks now, in her carefully curated social media accounts, Delcy Rodriguez has strived to project a commanding hold on the economy, specifically the energy industry.

Stressing that the situation was improving and that she was fulfilling vital commercial commitments even to the U.S.

That crafted persona is serving her well. She was sworn in as Venezuela's acting president on Monday, seen by many as a steady hand who could help avoid a transitional crisis.

She is also a familiar, genial, and long-standing presence for Venezuelans, many of whom simply refer to her as Delcy.

Images like these belie the repression that is still a feature of everyday life here. That includes a decree that allows the regime to hunt down and capture anyone who promotes or supports the U.S. attack on the country.

In an interview with Fox News, on Monday, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado warned that Rodriguez will remain loyal to the regime.

MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER: She's the main ally and liaison with Russia, China, Iran, certainly not an individual that could be, you know, trusted by international investors.

NEWTON (voice-over): In fact, Rodriguez was embraced by ambassadors from Russia, China, and Iran just moments after she was sworn in.

Todd Robinson, the former acting U.S. ambassador to Venezuela during President Trump's first term, tells CNN Rodriguez is smart, but combative and cunning.

[03:54:55]

TOM ROBINSON, FORMER ACTING U.S. AMBASSADOR TO VENEZUELA: My guess is she has worked some kind of deal where she will either be able to stay for a while as they work through a transition, or perhaps leave after the transition is over. She was part of the ruling elite, the coterie, that was benefiting from all of the illegal activity going on at the highest levels of the Maduro regime.

NEWTON (voice-over): U.S. President Trump has warned that if Rodriguez doesn't do what's right, he told "The Atlantic" she is going to pay a very big price. The scope of what's right, though, in Venezuela has so far been focused on the economy and a calm transition, not the democratic rights of its citizens.

Paula Newton, CNN.

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CHURCH: And we want to leave you on a lighter note with some animal escapades here in the United States, starting with a monkey who decided to wreak havoc in Tennessee. Jeremy Roth has that.

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JEREMY ROTH, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): Take a look at a monkey that turned a business into some monkey business. Officials in Morristown, Tennessee, say this pawn shop was turned upside down when a capuchin monkey on the loose made its way in through a doggy door and went, well, bananas.

LORETTA BRYANT, PAWN SHOP OWNER: It was a disaster.

ROTH (voice-over): Store owner Loretta Bryant says the uninvited primate prowler seemingly ignored most of the store's merch, but did go ape on everything from loose food to office fodder.

BRYANT: I watched him open a pack of crackers and eat some. He really hated computer keyboards. There was three computer keyboards just bashed.

ROTH (voice-over): Maybe keyboards just aren't his type. Okay.

WBIR reports Animal Control says the monkey is now back with its rightful owner, and Bryant says the store is back to normal following one wild and woolly encounter.

BRYANT: In my wildest dream, could not have dreamt that.

ROTH (voice-over): And from a monkey to a donkey. Wait a minute, that doesn't rhyme. Why doesn't that rhyme?

Oh, well, wonky donkey wordplay aside, this furry farm animal in Georgia is now world famous thanks to her ears. WGXA reports during a checkup, Hope's owner says the vet noticed her extremely long ears, a whopping 16 inches long, to be exact. A check-in with and checkmark by the one and only Guinness World Records has confirmed Hope is now the world record holder for longest ears on a living donkey.

And even though she may be completely oblivious to her accomplishment, she ought to be proud.

I, on the other hand, ought to be ashamed of myself.

I'm Jeremy Roth.

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CHURCH: And thanks so much for joining us, I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day.

"Amanpour" is coming up next, then stay tuned for "Early Start" with Rahel Solomon. That's starting at 5:00 a.m. in New York, 10:00 a.m. in London.

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