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U.S. Federal Agents Involved in Portland Shooting; Protests Continue as Trump Administration Defends ICE; Anti-government Sentiment Sparks Unrest in Iran; Zelenskyy Speaks Out on Peace Efforts; Police: Two People Shot By Federal Agents In Portland; Protests Erupt In Minneapolis Over Deadly ICE Shooting; U.S. Senators Advance War Powers Resolution For Venezuela; How Greenlanders Feel About Trump's Threats To Take Over. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired January 09, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. Ahead this hour, U.S. federal agents involved in another shooting, this time in Portland, Oregon, as outrage grows over the shooting death of a woman in Minnesota. Anti-government sentiment sparks unrest in Iran, where demonstrators are angry over the economy and security crackdowns. And U.S. lawmakers are challenging Donald Trump's war powers after Washington's military operation that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro. We've got the details straight ahead.

And we begin with federal agents opening fire for the second straight day, this time in Portland, Oregon, where two people were hospitalized. This incident coincides with nationwide protests over the fatal shooting of an American woman by ICE in Minneapolis one day earlier.

The Department of Homeland Security says Border Patrol agents were going after a Venezuelan gang member during a targeted vehicle stop, and they accused the suspects of trying to ram the agents. A senior law enforcement official tells CNN that a married couple were arrested while seeking treatment for gunshot wounds. Protests have since erupted in Portland, and the mayor is calling on ICE to pause operations in the city.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR KEITH WILSON, PORTLAND, OREGON: Portland is not a training ground for militarized agents. When the administration talks about using full force, we are seeing what it means on our streets. The consequences are not abstract. They are felt in hospital rooms and living rooms in the quiet moments when families try to make sense of what happened, what is happening. We know what the federal government says happened here. There was a time when we could take them at their word. That time is long past. That is why we are calling on ICE to halt all operations in Portland until a full and independent investigation can take place today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHANTING)

LU STOUT: Tensions are rising in Minneapolis the day after an immigration officer shot and killed a U.S. citizen. Protesters are calling on ICE to get out of their city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Thirty-seven-year-old Renee Good is being remembered as a loving mother of three who liked to sing and write poetry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: The Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, is raising concerns that the investigation into the shooting won't be fair. It comes after state officials said the FBI blocked them from joining the probe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): It feels very, very difficult that we will get a fair outcome. And I say that only because people in positions of power have already passed judgment, from the president, to the vice president, to Kristi Noem, have stood and told you things that are verifiably false. When Kristi Noem was judge, jury, and basically executioner yesterday, that's very, very difficult, to think that they were going to be fair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, the Trump administration is defending ICE and says that the agent opened fire in self-defense. CNN's Kristen Holmes has more now from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump's administration making it clear they stay behind the ICE agent in Minneapolis. Today, Vice President J.D. Vance coming to the podium in a somewhat impromptu press conference with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, saying in no uncertain terms that this was the fault of the driver, not the ICE agent who pulled the trigger.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The reason this woman is dead is because she tried to ram somebody with her car, and that guy acted in self-defense. That is why she lost her life. And that is the tragedy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, I tried to ask the vice president during this briefing. If the federal government has already come to this conclusion, this determination of who is at fault, then what exactly is the point of a federal investigation? Are they doing any kind of investigation into this ICE agent, into the events that led up to this? Because now we're starting to hear a lot of concern from these state officials that there's not going to be a fair investigation, especially because the federal government seems to have already made up their mind.

[02:05:05]

Now, Vance deflected on that question, saying the Department of Homeland Security would be conducting investigation and then move on fairly quickly.

But there are still quite a number of questions as to whether or not this investigation is going to be thorough, and that's what you're hearing from those state officials on the ground. At the same time that Vance was saying this, we saw an article, an interview in the "Associated Press" with the ex-husband of Good, the woman who had been killed the day before, in which he said she was not an activist, that she, as far as he knew, had never been part of any sort of protest, that she was on that street because she had been dropping off her six- year-old at school.

And to be clear, we don't know the details of that either. We don't know if that is an accurate portrayal of who Good was. But the questions remain that this would all be solved or at least be investigated if there was a formal investigation. And that is why there is concern that the government or the federal government has already made their mind up on what the outcome is here.

Kristin Holmes, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: OK. We need to bring in an expert here. We have Steve Moore joining us. He is a CNN law enforcement contributor and retired FBI supervisory special agent. Sir, thank you so much for joining us here on "CNN Newsroom."

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR, RETIRED FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: Sure.

LU STOUT: First, we need to get your thoughts on these eyewitness videos out of Minneapolis of that ICE shooting. These videos have been widely circulating. No doubt you've seen a number of them. What goes through your mind when you watch what happened?

MOORE: Well, they're all very interesting, but none of them are conclusive. What you're seeing are little quotes out of context, if you will. You don't see the entire situation. You don't see the motivation of why the woman was there. You don't see the motivation of the officer and whether he was reasonable in his belief that his life was in danger. There's not enough on these videos as they stand and as they've been

released to prove anything in a court of law, which is why it's troubling that people from both sides have been declaring somebody guilty or innocent and, you know, like the mayor of Minneapolis calling self-defense B.S. without seeing the factors in it.

LU STOUT: Or Kristi Noem calling this an act of domestic terrorism on the other side. I mean, they are very contrasting.

MOORE: That's what I meant when I said both sides.

LU STOUT: Absolutely. These are highly --

MOORE: We have already played Kristi Noem.

LU STOUT: Yes.

MOORE: We have to see both sides.

LU STOUT: I understand that, sir. And these are very different narratives that are out there. And the core question in regards to Minneapolis --

MOORE: Exactly.

LU STOUT: -- is whether the ICE agent was justified in using deadly force. I want to get your expertise here. What are the guidelines for federal agents when it comes down to using deadly force?

MOORE: If a reasonable agent believes that their life or the lives of others are in imminent risk of losing their lives or grievous bodily harm, they may use deadly force. And that is what we're going to have to determine, whether or not this officer's belief was actual and whether it was reasonable. You can have somebody who believes that their life is in danger, but it's an unreasonable belief. So, what they're going to have to determine is whether this officer believed his life was in danger and whether that belief was reasonable or not.

LU STOUT: Now, I want to ask you now about the shooting in Portland. Border Patrol agents, not ICE, were involved in that shooting. Two people were wounded. There is now very much heightened tension at the moment. What needs to happen now to just turn down the temperature?

MOORE: I think you have to try to come up with some kind of bipartisan investigation. I think neither side trusts the other to do a fair and unbiased investigation. So, there has to be some kind of cooperation on the investigation of both of these so that it's an open and transparent investigation that's going to go forward.

The problem is, you know, I haven't met a single person who hasn't decided already on the basis of what they previously believed about the validity of the ICE whole policy.

LU STOUT: And I wanted to ask you about training and the training of Border Patrol agents and the training of ICE officers.

[02:10:02]

You know, we know, especially in regards to ICE, the U.S. has been aggressively recruiting and hiring from all over the country. What kind of training have they received?

MOORE: Well, they're going to go through the law enforcement academy down in Glynco, Georgia. It's a standard federal law enforcement training facility down there, and they call it FLETC. And that is the location where everybody but, say, DEA and FBI are trained. And they're all going to go through the standard law enforcement course down there. And so, the training that they're getting now, to the best of my knowledge, is no different than they've been getting.

And, you know, we're going to have to find out how long each of these officers or agents had actually been on patrol. It could have been that they have been agents for months or it could have been that they've been agents for years before this policy even came out.

LU STOUT: Steve Moore, we'll leave it at that, but thank you, sir, for joining us. We appreciate your perspective and your eye-opening insights here. Thank you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

LU STOUT (voice-over): We are getting video of anti-government protests in Iran, even as authorities moving to cut internet and phone lines. The protests have spread to more than 100 cities across the country. They're showing no signs of subsiding. Images are showing crowds setting fires on streets, sometimes calling for the removal of the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

And this footage, it shows a car plowing into security forces facing protesters in Khamenei's hometown on Thursday.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The protests that erupted in Iran 12 days ago sparked by the state of the economy and plummeting currency, and that have quickly morphed into anti-regime protests and spread like a wildfire across the country, appear to be gaining even more momentum.

Video that has been trickling out of Iran on Thursday evening showed large crowds taking to the streets in different cities, in the capital, Tehran, in different areas. Protesters taking to the streets, chanting slogans that we have heard during previous protests, calling for freedom and death to the dictator. But also, we are hearing chants in support of the former monarchy.

This is happening after a crackdown that, according to activists, has killed at least 45 protesters. Hundreds have been injured, according to these activist groups, and more than 2,000 protesters have been detained.

And as we began seeing these videos coming out of Iran on Thursday evening, the monitoring group, NetBlocks, has reported that there has been a countrywide shutdown of the internet by the Iranian regime. This is something that we have seen during previous protests. And the fear when that happens is that it could signal the beginning of an intensified crackdown.

This is happening at a time when this is a very different Iran to the Iran that had to deal with these protests in the past. The regime has been weakened after its war with Israel last summer, after U.S. strikes. It has also lost allies in the region, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

So, the question is, what does it do right now, especially after what the U.S. did in Venezuela and especially after it has threatened President Trump several times in the past few days, has threatened to get involved if Iran's regime kills protesters? And the question right now is, do they really want to test the U.S. president's willingness to follow through on these threats?

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Syrian government security forces are advancing in Aleppo as fighting intensifies with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Authorities say at least seven people have been killed since clashes erupted on Tuesday. More than 140,000 people have been forced from their homes. Rescue workers scramble to put out flames sparked by shelling on Thursday. Kurdish authorities are resisting integration into the central government. Kurdistan regional officials accuse the Syrian army of ethnic cleansing by targeting Kurdish neighborhoods.

[02:15:02]

Now, some viewers could find this next video disturbing as Israeli violence against Palestinians in the West Bank is worsening tensions in the region. In this surveillance video, it's from Deir Sharaf, obtained by CNN, it shows a group of settlers, most of whom appear to be masked, surrounding a Palestinian man lying on the ground. Several settlers attacked the man with clubs while others run up and kick him while he's on his knees. And nearby factory worker identified the man as a 67-year-old deaf man.

Another video shows Palestinians running into a nearby building as settlers set several cars on fire. Israeli security forces say that they are continuing searches in the area, and they are investigating the incident.

Now, Israel launched new strikes on Gaza on Thursday where a formal ceasefire is approaching a three-month mark. And medics say at least four people were killed and three others injured in two separate strikes. Earlier, Israel said it hit the site of a failed militant rocket launch.

Also, on Thursday, Israel said it had banned international staff of more than three dozen NGOs from entering Gaza unless they register with Israeli authorities. Now, those NGOs have already been given 60 days to wrap up their operations, and the 'A group' say that they are concerned that sharing information about their staff could put those workers at risk.

Now, Ukraine takes more fire from Russia just as President Zelenskyy touts progress in peace efforts. But he says there is still one way left to make Moscow serious about peace. That's ahead.

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[02:20:00]

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LU STOUT: Ukraine's president says the agreement on security guarantees for his country is largely ready to be finalized with the White House. President Vladimir Zelenskyy spoke with Russia before Russia launched overnight strikes on Kyiv, killing at least four people and injuring 10 others.

Meanwhile, Russia is confirming that it hit the city of Lviv with its Oreshnik hypersonic missile, one of the most advanced weapons in its arsenal. Russian officials claim the Oreshnik can travel up to 10 times the speed of sound with a range that allows it to reach all of Europe.

Mr. Zelenskyy says there's only one way to get the Kremlin on board with peace efforts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): The American team must receive an answer from Russia about what they are ready for and whether they can really end the war. We believe that only pressure will solve this, pressure on Russia, and only if it is sufficient. Now, Russia is betting more on winter than on diplomacy, on ballistics against our energy sector, and on not working with America and agreements with President Trump. This must be changed, and it must be changed precisely by pressure on Russia and support for Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Meanwhile, Russia is doubling down on its position that Western troops would be legitimate targets if they come to Ukraine. The statement came after Britain and France signed a declaration of intent to send their troops when peace is achieved.

We're joined now by Jill Dougherty. She's an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and distinguished fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center. She's also a CNN contributor and former CNN Moscow bureau chief. Jill, it's great to see you. JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY, DISTINGUISHED FELLOW AT WOODROW WILSON CENTER, FORMER CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Hey, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Now, the U.K. and France this week, they have agreed to send military forces in Ukraine in case there's a peace deal. I mean, just how significant is this?

DOUGHERTY: I think it's very significant. But there are lot of ifs in this. I mean, essentially, this really is a declaration of intent to do that. But, as you said, you know, the linchpin is having this some type of ceasefire, and Russia so far is not going along with that. We can talk more in detail about their view of it. But that is -- that's the problem.

So, essentially, this would be -- they're calling it really reassurance and -- reassurance and regeneration force. So, reassurance in the sense that it would protect Ukraine from any possible incursion again from Russia. And then also it would be regeneration, which is helping the Ukrainian military to come back online because, ultimately, they will be the guarantors of security in the future if there is this ceasefire.

LU STOUT: You know, the language being used here is really interesting, a reassurance and regeneration force. But what about the U.S. role in all this? You know, Washington has ruled out boots on the ground in Ukraine. So, can any security guarantee work without U.S. involvement and what, at minimum, does that need to look like?

DOUGHERTY: Well, the United States has one big advantage, which is intelligence and the ability to monitor, to get information, and to see if that ceasefire goes into effect, how it's working. So, the monitoring and verifying whether or not there actually is a ceasefire.

And that is crucial. This has been the big sticking point for quite a long time. What would the United States role in this be? And it appears that this -- they're calling themselves the coalition of the willing. It appears that that is now what the United States is willing to do.

[02:25:00]

LU STOUT: And before we get to Russia, let's talk more about the coalition of the willing, namely the rest of Europe, you know, because you have the U.K. and France agreeing to step forward. These are the two of the most powerful militaries in Europe. But what about the other European allies? What about Germany? What about Italy, Poland, others? Would they send military forces to Ukraine as well?

DOUGHERTY: So far, they are not saying that they would. Now, some countries might have troops that would be kind of dedicated to this project, but they would not be in Ukraine. And so far, we only have the U.K. and France.

Others might support in different ways because if you look at this more closely, what they're also talking about is weapons production and intelligence sharing and cooperation on security issues. So, other countries in this coalition could contribute to that, but they might not have troops on the ground, actually, in Ukraine.

LU STOUT: Got it. And Vladimir Putin, how is he viewing all of these? Would he accept having any foreign peacekeeping troops on Ukrainian soil?

DOUGHERTY: You know, he has said for a long time, no. And if you look at the statements that are coming out of the Russian foreign ministry, it's still no. So, the latest statements were actually pretty strong, saying this is dangerous, destructive. It called -- the Russian foreign ministry calling Ukraine and its allies an axis of war. And they're making it very clear, as they have said for a long time, that if any Western troops were to go into Ukraine, they would be legitimate targets for the Russian military. So, this is really the sticking point.

LU STOUT: And where we stand now. The war Ukraine is nearly four years long. Yes, we had this agreement on security guarantees from Ukraine's allies, but still no peace. So, what is it going to take for a peace deal to be reached?

DOUGHERTY: I think you're going to have to have some movement from Russia, but I don't think that Vladimir Putin feels that he actually has to do much of anything. At this point, what they're doing is bombing. They are destroying the energy infrastructure of Ukraine, as you can see right now, especially heat and energy, electricity, et cetera. That is what they are intent on doing. I don't think that Putin feels that he is -- he needs to do much of anything other than continue that. And, you know, even this agreement to have this coalition of the willing, et cetera, this is -- this is hard fought.

So, Putin, sitting back, is probably still trying to figure out, you know, could the European allies, the United States, President Trump, could they fall apart, could the unity dissipate, and that is much of what he's hoping will happen.

LU STOUT: Meanwhile, peace in Ukraine remains elusive. Jill Dougherty, thank you so much.

DOUGHERTY: Thank you.

LU STOUT: You're watching "CNN Newsroom." Still to come, two American cities rocked by shootings at the hands of federal agents. When we come back, the latest on the unfolding investigations in Minneapolis and Portland.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:33:34]

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kristie Lu Stout.

We're following developments in two separate shootings involving federal agents in the U.S. Police say Border Patrol agents opened fire at a husband and wife in

Portland, Oregon, sending them to the hospital. A law enforcement official tells CNN that the agents were trying to stop a car with a suspected gang member inside. Oregon's attorney general says state officials are now launching a formal investigation.

In Minneapolis, protests are flaring up after an immigration officer shot and killed a 37-year-old U.S. citizen. Crowds of people are calling on the federal government to end its immigration crackdown in the city. As the White House defends ICE. Minnesota officials say the FBI has blocked them from joining the investigation. We are now learning more about Renee Nicole Good following the fatal shooting.

Brian Todd has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Renee Nicole Good's father said his 37-year-old daughter was a wonderful person, telling "The Washington Post", quote, "She had a good life, but a hard life."

One of Good's college professors recalled his conversations with her about dealing with those challenges.

KENT WASCOM, TAUGHT RENEE NICOLE GOOD AT OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY: She was pregnant and working and balancing both of that with getting an education. So, we had to work together to be able to make class attendance and assignments accessible and possible for someone who's carrying a child.

[02:35:00]

TODD (voice-over): Renee Good was a mother of three, according to "The Associated Press", with a 15-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son from her first marriage, and a six-year-old son from her second marriage. Her father said she spent most of her life in Colorado and briefly moved to Kansas to live with her parents after one of her husbands, a military veteran, died about three years ago.

While President Trump has called Good a professional agitator, Good's college professor told us he saw no signs of political activism with her and Good's mother, referring to protests against ICE agents told "The Minnesota Star Tribune" her daughter was, quote, not part of anything like that at all.

Good graduated from Old Dominion University in 2020 with a degree in English, and during her time there won a prize for her poetry. Her professor says her work in his class was unique.

WASCOM: She wrote outside of her circumstances. A lot of times, young writers write about themselves, right? You write what you know.

Renee wanted to write about other people. She wrote about elderly people and about people from other places, and in circumstances that were unlike her own. TODD (voice-over): Good's ex-husband, who asked not to be named, told

"The Associated Press" she was a devoted Christian who took part in youth mission trips to Northern Ireland and loved to sing.

On an Instagram account appearing to belong to Good, she said she was, quote, "experiencing Minneapolis" and posted a pride flag emoji.

CNN spoke to one of her Minneapolis neighbors.

KIMMY HULL, NEIGHBOR OF RENEE NICOLE GOOD IN MINNEAPOLIS: She was a very welcomed member of the community. Somebody is always going to be a daughter, a son, a mother, a brother, a sister, a child, a grandchild, you know? I mean, each and every one of us here, were one of those to somebody else, you know? It matters

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): Renee Good's ex-husband told "The Associated Press" she had just dropped her six-year-old son off at school on Wednesday, and was driving home with her current partner when they encountered the ICE agents. Her son's grandfather told "The Star Tribune" there is no one else in the child's life.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

STOUT: As protests erupt over the actions of ICE, you are now learning more about the officer who allegedly shot Renee Good, as well as the training that ICE officers receive.

Priscilla Alvarez has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are learning more about the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday during a targeted operation in that area.

Now, according to a senior homeland security official, this officer had 10 years of experience. He was with Immigration and Customs Enforcement ERO. That is to say, the branch of that agency that focuses on the arrest and deportation of undocumented immigrants. And of that branch, he was part of the special response team.

Now, according to the Department of Homeland Security, this officer last year was involved in an incident, again, an operation where he was dragged by an undocumented immigrant with a criminal record with a vehicle about some 50 yards and had to receive 33 stitches. He was hospitalized for that and then discharged.

Now, all the same questions remain about all of the elements at play in this shooting that resulted in the death of a 37-year-old woman. Now, according to the Department of Homeland Security policy on use of force, it says the following, quote, DHS law enforcement officers may use deadly force only when necessary. That is, when the LEO has a reasonable belief that the subject of such force poses an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to the LEO or to another person.

This policy guidance, released in 2023, also says that use of force should not be used to prevent escape of a subject of a subject, or disable a vehicle.

Now, the Department of Homeland Security is saying and arguing that the vehicle here was the weapon. And of course, there's questions about what the officer perceived to be happening in that moment. These are all questions that would typically be answered over the course of an investigation.

But homeland security officials that I have been speaking with are concerned about how quickly the department has come out, essentially absolving this officer of his conduct in this moment without, again, that investigation having -- having taken place. All the same, the department and the White House maintain that there will be an investigation. The FBI is conducting one, and the department is conducting an internal one.

Typically, those investigations can take months, if not years.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Okay, we have an update on Venezuela. President Donald Trump says opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is coming to Washington, D.C., next week. He told reporters that he's looking forward to saying hello to her. Trump has said that the Nobel Peace Prize winner is, quote, a very nice woman, but added she doesn't have the support or respect to lead Venezuela.

Meanwhile, demonstrators in Caracas on Thursday demanded the release of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. They carried signs reading "free Maduro" and "No to the foreign invasion".

And later on Friday, President Trump is set to meet with oil industry leaders. Executives from Chevron, Exxon, Conoco are among those of more than a dozen attendees expected.

[02:40:02]

And finally, in an interview with "The New York Times", Trump said that he expects the American intervention in Venezuela to last, quote, "much longer than a year".

Meanwhile, five Republican senators broke ranks and voted with Democrats to rein in the president's war powers in Venezuela. They advanced a resolution that would limit future U.S. military force in that country, meaning troops can't go in again with guns blazing without congressional approval.

Manu Raju explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In a big rebuke to Donald Trump's Venezuela policy, five Republican senators joined with all 47 Democrats to vote to say next time that Donald Trump wants to move ahead with hostilities toward Venezuela, he has to come to Congress first.

Now, this bill is now on course to pass the United States Senate next week. And Donald Trump is furious. He put out a post on social media blasting those five Republican senators: Josh Hawley, Todd Young, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and Rand Paul, and saying that they should all be voted out of office, should never win another reelection. Most of those Republican senators we talked to simply shrugged it off,

saying that they had no issue with it. Senator Todd Young told me he's got no concerns. Senator Josh Hawley says that he loves the President and says that the President may not endorse him, but he endorses the President.

And then Senator Susan Collins, who's in one of the most difficult reelection races in the country, said that it appears that Donald Trump may want Janet Mills to win, referring to the Democratic governor there and a potential opponent in the fall.

Now, this came in the aftermath of Donald Trump making some comments in the "New York Times" that it could take some years, potentially, of U.S. involvement in Venezuela, particularly when it comes to rebuilding its vast oil reserves and digging into those vast oil reserves and building that oil infrastructure.

And that's caused a lot of alarm on Capitol Hill, particularly among Democrats like Senator Mark Kelly, who's pushing back.

RAJU: Trump said that U.S. could be involved in Venezuela for years.

SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): Yes, isn't that?

RAJU: What do you think about that?

KELLY: We're also involved in Iraq for years, and a lot of U.S. service members lost their lives because of it. These things don't go as we expect them to.

We tried regime change in South Vietnam. We tried it in Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Cuba. It doesn't go well and he has no plan.

RAJU: Now, this will also come up in the United States House. We expect a vote could happen this month. A similar version that is expected to pass the Senate will also come up in the United States House.

It could pass the House, given that Speaker Mike Johnson has the narrowest of Republican majorities, and at least a few House Republicans are signaling that they plan to vote for it. So this could be a reboot for Donald Trump. However, symbolic, because Trump could still veto this measure and is not going to have a veto-proof majority in either the Senate or in the United States House. But nevertheless, a sign of concern among at least some Republicans about Trump moving ahead with an escalation in Venezuela without the consent of Congress.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now, President Donald Trump is refusing to say if he spoke with his Russian counterpart, since the U.S. seized a Russian flagged tanker in the Atlantic. This is what he told Fox News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

INTERVIEWER: Did Vladimir call you after this tanker was seized?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't want to say that, but the fact is that the Russian ships -- there was a submarine and a destroyer. They both left very quickly when we arrived, and we took over the ship. And the oil is being unloaded right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Some analysts are contradicting what Trump just said, explaining that the tanker was empty when it was seized on Wednesday.

Now, Venezuela has been a key oil supplier to Cuba, but now that President Maduro is gone, the energy shortages on the island are likely to get worse.

Valeria Leon has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After several attempts, Helene (ph) walked out from her native Cuba, an island marked by rolling blackouts. Now in Mexico, the memory of those long nights stays with her.

She explains that blackouts have always been part of life in Cuba, but says that since 2019, they started to last entire days. And when the pandemic hit, things got even worse.

The crisis didn't just turn off the lights, it closed doors. With the U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro, Venezuelan oil aid to Cuba was cut off, making Mexico's help with fuel to the island essential.

In 2025, Mexico sent more than 12,000 barrels a day to Cuba, nearly half of the island's crude consumption.

TRUMP: I think it's just going to fall. I don't think we need any action. It looks like it's going down. It's going down for the count.

LEON (voice-over): President Claudia Sheinbaum, defending Mexico's oil shipments, saying that for years, oil has been sent to Cuba under contracts and as humanitarian aid. The impact isn't just diplomatic energy analysts said these shipments are valuable and could affect Mexico's own dwindling domestic supply.

(INAUDIBLE) estimated that last year, about 15 ships were sent to Cuba between May and June, adding that this amounts to roughly 10 million barrels of crude worth close to $800 million. Still, experts in the region see a huge risk for Mexico in its current Cuba policy.

Ricardo Pasco (ph) said Mexico's oil support for Cuba is worth billions and directly clashes with Washington's push for influence in Latin America.

And yet, Helene points to what she calls a contradiction. Even with the steady supply of Mexican oil to Cuban shores, the energy crisis hasn't let up. She argues that Mexico's help ends up favoring the regime, not the people. As the flow of oil continues, so does the pressure, as energy becomes a new frontline in the region's power struggle.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: As President Trump renews his focus on taking control of Greenland, diplomats are working to find a solution that will work for all parties. We got the details coming up after the break.

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[02:51:34]

STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio set to meet with his counterparts from Greenland and Denmark next week in Washington. And that comes as President Donald Trump ramps up his threats to take over the world's biggest island.

Nic Robertson has more now on how people in Greenland, the residents there, how they are handling the growing tensions.

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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Everyone here in Greenland is worried about President Trump's threats for national security reasons, to take control of Greenland, and they're worried that he could do it by military force. The vast majority of people here, the last polling, only 6 percent said they wanted the United States to take control. The vast majority of people here do want independence, but eventually not necessarily right now.

And just speaking to one person after we arrived here, he said to me, President Trump thinks he's a big man, but we don't see him that way. We think of him as a small person. They like their life here, he tells me. They're worried that it's going to change irreversibly if the United States takes control.

Danish politicians are worried. Greenland politicians are worried. We know that the foreign minister from Greenland is expecting to meet, along with the foreign minister of Denmark, expecting to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio next week. The Danish foreign minister asked for that meeting. He said it's necessary because we need to get nuance into the conversation.

They feel that the United States doesn't understand what Denmark offers, what Greenland has on tap for them already in terms of resources and potential troop deployments. The foreign minister of Denmark also said that we need to bring the rhetoric down, tone it down.

But the Danish prime minister has used even stronger language and said, look, President Trump takes this area by force, Greenland, then that's the end of NATO and the European Union is standing lockstep behind Denmark and Greenland right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be back right after this quick break.

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[02:56:07]

STOUT: Now, a snow storm over much of northwestern Europe led to closures, as well as some winter fun in Britain, heavy snow and strong winds left tens of thousands of people without power on Thursday, hundreds of travelers were stranded after flights in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam were all canceled on Wednesday, while some people in Paris frolicked in the snow with sleds and skis. Storm also forced schools across the region to close.

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JARED ISAACMAN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: For over 60 years. NASA has set the standard for safety and security in crewed space flight in these endeavors, including the 25 years of continuous human presence on board the International Space Station. The health and well-being of our astronauts is always and will be our highest priority.

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STOUT: NASA administrator Jared Isaacman there announcing the four astronauts on SpaceX's Crew 11 will return to Earth early because one of them has a medical issue. Now, the unnamed crew member is in stable condition and is not expected to receive special treatment during the trip back from the International Space Station. Their return is expected in the coming days, more than a month ahead of schedule, NASA revealed the issue on Wednesday after postponing a spacewalk. NASA's next four member team was set to take off for the space station in mid-February, but could soon launch in the next few weeks.

Thank you very much indeed for joining me this hour. I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, and I'll be right back after this break.

You're watching CNN.

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