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Venezuela's Machado gives Nobel Prize to President Trump; Court Sentences Ex-South Korean President Yoon up to Five Years in Prison for his Failed Martial Law Attempt. Aired 3-3:45a ET

Aired January 16, 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]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

All options on the table. The U.S. still won't say whether it will take military action in Iran amid a brutal crackdown against protesters there.

Giving the prize, Venezuelan opposition leader Marina Machado presents her Nobel Peace Prize to Donald Trump. But what, if anything, she gets isn't clear.

And the U.S. says the Gaza ceasefire plan is entering its next phase. We'll delve into what's set to happen next.

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

BRUNHUBER: U.S. President Donald Trump is taking his rhetoric against Iran a step further after threatening military action over its crackdown on protesters. Right now a U.S. carrier strike group is headed to the region, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Now, that's usually done when political friction is escalating. The White House is making it clear Trump is still keeping all options on the table while slapping new sanctions on people and entities that reportedly helped the crackdown on anti-regime protests.

But at the U.N. Security Council, Iran isn't showing signs of backing down. It said if any military action is coming, Tehran is ready.

Salma Abdelaziz is monitoring those developments, and she joins us from London. So, Salma, what are we hearing from Iran on these developments?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the first question, of course, Kim. What's going on inside Iran?

But it's very difficult to answer that because of a communication blackout in the country that has gone on for several days now, essentially cutting off Internet services and phone services, making it nearly impossible for Iranians to get their message out there.

But what we are hearing trickling out of the country is essentially that Iran's brutal and bloody crackdown has worked in silencing, or at least quieting down, the dissent that has been seen on the streets of the country for weeks now, and which escalated around January 10th and triggered this really, really brutal crackdown. According to rights groups, some 2400 Iranians have been killed.

There is fear that that death toll is much higher. Thousands have been arrested. Some await potentially hurried executions.

But of course, Iran's government is taking responsibility for none of that. It is painting these protesters as agitators, as criminals, as foreign elements. Take a listen to what one Iranian official told the United Nations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GHOLAMHOSSEIN DARZI, IRANIAN DEPUTY AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Iran seeks neither escalation nor confrontation. However, any act of aggression, direct or indirect, will be met with a decisive, proportionate and lawful response under Article 51 of the Charter.

This is not a threat. It is a statement of legal reality. Responsibility for all consequences will rest solely with those who initiate such unlawful acts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: So you're hearing there Iran responding essentially to President Trump's threats to intervene, to potentially deploy troops or use military action to get involved in what's happening.

We do have other indications that the events on the ground has slowed, and that is through a mediation process, Kim. There's been four Arab states which have been involved in speaking directly to the government in Iran and essentially saying, let's cool things on the ground.

And the White House and President Trump says that those mediation efforts have been successful in, again, slowing the killing, slowing that crackdown.

But you have to remember that the underlying causes which caused these demonstrations to take part in the first place remain there. The economic conditions that have caused rising inflation in the country, anger at the regime, the demands for democracy, the demands for rights of women, all of those underlying issues remain there. So the question is, is this just a pause? And we'll see more demonstrations later on, or does this seem to have actually quieted the streets of Iran for now? Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right. So that's the Iranian perspective.

Let's talk about the U.S. specifically. President Trump says all options are still on the table. So what is the White House considering then? ABDELAZIZ: So the U.S.'s current approach is wait and see.

[03:04:55]

And this is after a really rollercoaster week with President Trump on Tuesday initially going into the Situation Room, senior advisers indicating that potentially the United States was taking very seriously the possibility of using military action to intervene in Iran's conflict. President Trump was shown videos of crackdown, apparently shown videos of executions in the past, which impacted him deeply. That's on Tuesday when he stepped out, wrote on social media that help is on the way, that gave every indication to the public that potentially we were looking at U.S. action in Iran.

But all of that switched on Wednesday when we heard President Trump saying that the killing had stopped and that assurances had been given to him that the crackdown had slowed. Now, we do know, of course, again, as I mentioned, that there was a mediation effort in place.

Arab states that were pushing Iran to slow its crackdown on demonstrators. President Trump seems convinced that that has taken place. He's also been reassured that executions have been, at least for now, stopped.

But again, while the president says he is waiting and seeing, he is also putting those consequences on the table, potentially of military action. So the question here, Kim, is, is this rhetoric that President Trump was using simply to push the Islamic Republic to stop its crackdown, or is he still serious about that possibility of using troops on the ground?

BRUNHUBER: We will see. That's the question. Salma Abdelaziz in London, thank you so much.

Venezuela's opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, gave President Donald Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal during a meeting at the White House.

Trump has long coveted the international award, but the Nobel Committee says the prize itself isn't transferable. Apparently, in return, Trump gave Machado a swag bag embossed with his signature and a general statement of his support for a new genuine electoral process.

CNN's Kristen Holmes has the latest.

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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: -- Machado left her Nobel Peace Prize here at the White House for President Trump after their meeting, an indication that the President is going to keep that prize. Now, that's, of course, despite the fact that the committee for the Nobel Peace Prize has said that, sure, you can give your medal to anyone, but the actual winner of the prize is not something that is transferable. But the big question, of course, is, will she, Machado, get what she

wants in return, which is the support of President Trump? If Venezuela is going to ultimately hold elections and be the democracy that the United States has said it wants to see in Venezuela, Machado would like to have that endorsement.

And just a reminder that President Trump declined to endorse her after the capture of Maduro. And, in fact, went further than that, saying he didn't believe that she had the respect or the support of the Venezuelan people to be able to lead. And it's not clear whether or not that has changed since this exchange of the Nobel Peace Prize.

I will remind you again that President Trump was asked specifically if his opinion of her would change should she hand over this prize. He said he'd have to talk to her about it, but that nobody deserved the Nobel Peace Prize more than him. But on top of that, we also heard from Karoline Leavitt today essentially saying that his assessment of Machado had been based on intelligence, on information that his administration received and had received, and that that hasn't really changed.

But she did say that he was looking forward to sitting down to lunch with her. One of the things we heard from President Trump just in the last couple of days was his support for this Maduro-adjacent leader who is now in charge of Venezuela, the former Vice President, now acting President, Delcy Rodriguez. President Trump just this week calling her a terrific person, saying that they were working really well together.

We do know the administration did focus on her to be the leader of Venezuela because they wanted stability in the region. But it is still unclear when, if ever, there are going to be elections in Venezuela and that shift to democracy. Even Leavitt today said in the briefing that there was no timeline for that.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

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BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, delivered a State of the Union address where she called for a diplomatic battle with the U.S. She criticized the U.S. for its attack on her country, and she called for Venezuelan unity. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DELCY RODRIGUEZ, VENEZUELAN ACTING PRESIDENT (through translator): We know they are a lethal nuclear power. We have seen their record in the history of humanity. We know and we are not afraid to face them diplomatically, through political dialogue as appropriate, and resolve once and for all this historical contradiction.

Brothers and sisters, deputies, regardless of political affiliation, it doesn't matter. We have to go together as Venezuelans to defend sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and also defend our dignity and our honor. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now we're following a developing story out of South Korea.

A court has sentenced disgraced former President Yoon Suk-yeol to five years in prison. Now the charges stem from Yoon's botched attempt to impose martial law in December 2024. The Seoul Central District Court says it found Yoon guilty of obstructing authorities from trying to arrest him, among other charges.

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We'll go to CNN's Mike Valerio in Beijing. So, Mike, clearly a hugely significant ruling. Take us through it.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think the big takeaway, Kim, here is that this shows how quickly the South Korean justice system can hold people accountable, even people who are at the top echelons of South Korean political life. And in this case, it's ex-President Yoon Suk-yeol.

So where this all stems from, as you mentioned, is the 2004 Declaration of Martial Law, when the ex-President Yoon Suk-yeol said for just about six hours on December 3rd, paraphrasing here, you know what? I'm going to suspend all democratic rights across South Korea, put the military in charge of law enforcement.

And he did that, again, paraphrasing for the sake of summary in our conversation, Kim, because he found himself in the middle of a political logjam, and he thought that was the best way to solve his problems. It clearly backfired, and corruption investigators tried to arrest him not once, but twice.

So this is what the verdict today is all about. Found guilty, Yoon Suk-yeol, on obstruction of justice and other charges. January 3rd of last year, corruption investigators tried to go to his home to take him into custody.

But if you remember, or if you're just joining us, dipping into this story for the first time, his bodyguards prevent investigators from doing their job, and there's a standoff twelve days later, there's another shorter standoff, and then this President, now ex-President, is taken into custody. So again, this is a bid to hold him accountable for martial law, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Alright, I appreciate that. Mike Valerio in Seoul, thank you so much.

Alright still ahead, President Trump threatens to invoke a centuries- old law over protests against his immigration crackdown, CNN is on the scene in Minneapolis, that's next.

And as the Trump administration pushes to take over Greenland, Denmark is showing solidarity with the territory, and several European nations are sending military personnel. Those stories and more coming up, stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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BRUNHUBER: President Trump's threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy troops over protests in Minneapolis. A number of people have been arrested this week as tensions flared during demonstrations against his immigration crackdown.

Now CNN was on the scene Thursday night as law enforcement deployed what appeared to be tear gas, pepper spray, and smoke on anti-ICE protesters outside a federal building. Shimon Prokupecz reports from Minneapolis.

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SHIMON PROLUPECZ, CNN SR. CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Here outside the Whipple federal building we've watched protesters sort of in a standoff with federal law enforcement the whole night. What's been happening here is that many of the protesters, they've been sitting here, they've been sitting down on the ground here.

This is the driveway, this is the area where many of the federal law enforcement vehicles, this is where they would drive through, come in, and leave. And so protesters have been trying to block some of that.

And then several times we watched as federal law enforcement in tactical gear, they would come out from behind there, push the crowd back, push the protesters back to clear the way. In some cases we saw a protester throw a frozen water bottle at one of the cars, and then we saw federal law enforcement come out from behind targeting an individual and then detaining that individual.

We also watch that some protesters were shaking a fence on the other side, and then we saw one of the law enforcement officials using pepper spray to get the person back. We watched as pepper balls were deployed. For the most part the night has been peaceful.

There have been pockets of tension, certainly a standoff here. But for the most part federal law enforcement, they've been allowing them to stay in the street. But when it comes to preventing cars from coming in or leaving, that's when we would see it, certainly the tension, that's when we would see it rise.

Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, Minneapolis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Officials from Denmark and Greenland are speaking with members of the U.S. Congress over President Trump's vow to acquire the territory. Democrat Tim Kaine was the latest senator to sit down with them on Thursday. He says he will co-sponsor a war powers resolution aimed at blocking U.S. military action in Greenland without congressional approval. The White House says troops amassing in Greenland do not affect

Trump's push to take over the world's biggest island for national security reasons. Germany, Sweden, France, Norway and Finland have all confirmed they are sending military personnel to Greenland this week. They are expected to participate in joint exercises with Denmark, which is responsible for Greenland's defense.

Here's what a member of Greenland's parliament had to say.

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AKI-MATILDA HOEGH-DAM, GREENLANDIC MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: I feel that the Greenlandic population, even last year, were very concerned with seeing more military presence. You all have to remember, even if it's Danish military, if it's United States military or other, we are very aware that it's a foreign military, it's not Greenlandic military. So it does bring a sense of unease.

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BRUNHUBER: The Gaza ceasefire is now in its second phase, despite questions about how it will be implemented. Still ahead, we'll talk to an expert about whether Israel and Hamas can deliver on this part of the plan. That story and more coming up, stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom," I'm Kim Brunhuber. Let's check today's top stories.

A U.S. carrier group is headed to the Middle East as President Trump weighs possible military action in Iran. That's according to a source familiar with the matter. The White House says all options are on the table for the President, he's threatened grave consequences if Iran doesn't stop killing and executing anti-regime protesters.

[03:25:01]

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gave her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Trump on Thursday. Now, Trump has long coveted the international award and says no one deserves the honor more than he. But the Nobel Committee says while the medal can be given to someone else, the prize itself isn't transferable.

Officials from Denmark and Greenland are meeting with members of the U.S. Congress over President Trump's threat to acquire the territory. The U.K., Germany, France and others have confirmed they're sending military personnel to Greenland this week for joint exercises with Denmark, which is responsible for Greenland's defense.

Phase two of the ceasefire plan in Gaza is now in place, despite open questions about how it will actually work. U.S. President Donald Trump posted that he backs the new Palestinian technocratic government. It's supposed to run the enclave until a reformed Palestinian authority is ready to take over.

But it's anyone's guess how other thorny issues will be implemented, and that includes the demilitarization and disarmament of Hamas, which is still a force on the ground, and the formation of an international stabilization force, which few countries so far actually want to be part of.

Alright, joining me now for more on this from London is Sanam Vakil, who's the director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House. Good to see you again. Thanks so much for being here with us.

So the U.S. calling this the start of phase two, but Hamas hasn't disarmed, Israel still controls more than half of Gaza, and there's no international peacekeeping force in place. I mean, is this a real turning point, or is the Trump administration just declaring progress here?

SANAM VAKIL, DIRECTOR OF MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA PROGRAM, CHATHAM HOUSE: Well, thank you for having me. I think certainly the Trump administration is trying to hold together what has been a fragile ceasefire or a ceasefire in name only. There has been continued military strikes in Gaza, there is still not adequate humanitarian aid coming to help Palestinians in Gaza as well.

But the Trump administration sees getting to phase two as really important to push through the core elements of technocratic governance to make sure that there is more international oversight. The so-called board of peace is going to be announced shortly.

And he's also managed to receive the endorsement of the Palestinian technocratic government. And that's also very important, because ultimately you didn't need Palestinian support and agency in this process. But of course, there are roadblocks that we can talk about.

BRUNHUBER: Well, let me ask you about the latter part of that that you mentioned. I mean, this new technocratic government that's supposed to run Gaza day to day without anyone from Hamas or the Palestinian Authority on it. So how does that actually work when Hamas is effectively still the power on the ground there?

VAKIL: Well, Hamas and other groups have endorsed this process. I think that's what's important. What's problematic is, of course, that Hamas is not disarmed, which is one of the core requirements of this plan, and one of the reasons or excuses that Israel is using to not have fully withdrawn from Gaza as well, it still occupies over 50 percent of the Gaza Strip.

So it is a bit of a standoff. But Hamas supporting this process and perhaps using disarmament as leverage is sort of where we are. Moving to this next phase is about doing the hard work and the negotiations on the ground and trying to create accountability so that all of the parties see this process moving forward, so there's continuity and pressure.

Ultimately, what we need to do is deliver meaningful aid to Palestinians, create a political process and a better governance for Palestinians, as well as, of course, think about Israeli security and security for all sides.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So we've touched on the U.S., Israel, Palestinians. There are other countries potentially involved here.

Donald Trump is expecting countries like Indonesia, Morocco to send troops. Many countries reluctant to do that, asking basically why would any country want to put soldiers into that situation right now.

VAKIL: You're quite right. That is a real thorny issue.

The International Stabilization Forces, it's called the ISF, is meant to provide a degree of security, but the mandate of this force is not very clear. Troops from Muslim countries or Arab countries do not want to be seen to be firing on Palestinians. It's a very uncomfortable situation, and they don't want to be stepping in and crossing boundaries that will also put them in uncomfortable situations back home.

[03:30:07]

So that mandate needs to be made more clear. And the other thing to, of course, watch is the announcement of the Board of Peace, which, of course, will be led by Donald Trump at the top and Steve Witkoff, if not also Jared Kushner, but will also be composed of representatives from other governments around the world, perhaps also European leaders, but also Middle Eastern leaders.

And to answer your question about other countries, Qatar, Egypt, Turkey have been together playing a very important role in negotiating and trying to facilitate the arrival in this phase two process.

BRUNHUBER: For my last question, I want to take advantage of your regional expertise here. You have the Gaza deal moving forward at the same time as the crisis in Iran. So how do those two things connect, if at all, and does what's happening in Tehran actually affect what happens in Gaza?

VAKIL: Well, there are a few connections, of course, Israel being the obvious connector, and Iran has historically and rhetorically supported the axis of resistance that includes Hamas.

Frankly, I think that we should be able to separate them in this circumstance. The news cycle has been dominated by Iran and these really dramatic and very repressive, deadly protests inside the country. We should also be focusing on the tragedy that still is ongoing in Gaza.

Gazans are suffering, it's cold. There's still military dynamics, not enough food and humanitarian aid. But ultimately, pressure on Israel and Hamas is certainly needed to meaningfully arrive at the second phase of this process.

And on the Iran side, the protests are certainly waning under severe pressure -- severe repression from the Iranian government. Donald Trump's pullback from striking Iran or, you know, coming to the aid of protesters on Wednesday night, but here the connector is, of course, that the United States remains very influential, and the threat of pressure, you know, while immediately removed, I think still looms on the horizon. And the U.S. and Trump's intervention to constrain Iran's destabilizing capabilities internally as well as externally in the region still very much looms large, and we shouldn't think that things are over.

BRUNHUBER: I really appreciate getting your expertise on all of this, Sanam Vakil, in London. Thanks so much.

VAKIL: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: And now for something totally different, one tech platform is betting on A.I. to help boost productivity for farmers across Africa. The World Food Bank estimates Africa's food and agriculture industry could be worth a trillion dollars by 2030 if the right tech investments are made, and that includes more accurate weather forecasts for farmers.

CNN's Victoria Rubadiri looks at how new A.I. models could potentially help farmers protect their yields.

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VICTORIA RUBADIRI, "CONNECTING AFRICA" CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Developers in the Free State Province of South Africa, also known as the breadbasket of the country, are marrying the old and the new. This team is combining generations of knowledge from local farmers with cutting-edge artificial intelligence.

With a rising threat of climate change, their goal is to make accurate drought predictions for farmers across the continent. The platform, known as Itiki Africa, is the brainchild of Muthoni Masinde. It stands for Information Technology and Indigenous Knowledge with Intelligence.

MUTHONI MASINDE, FOUNDER, ITIKI AFRICA: Remember indigenous knowledge coming as a story. So we pick that and immediately artificial intelligence kicks in. That way we're able to convert what was originally a story into a number.

We have access to professional weather stations, we have our own weather station. We check what they say, we compare them. So with that now we use artificial intelligence, specifically artificial neural networks, to train and predict.

RUBADIRI (voice-over): Currently operating in South Africa, Kenya and Mozambique, Itiki provides farmers with short-term and long-term drought forecasts. Masinde says some of their drought predictions can be made up to four years in advance, with 87 percent accuracy.

MASINDE: We use their local language to communicate this information. And for us it's not just pieces of data, but we give them actionable plans.

This is what's going to happen. You should plant millet, not maize. RUBADIRI (voice-over): While its goal is to expand across the continent, the team says a seamless rollout has been difficult.

[03:35:06]

MASINDE: We're able now to scale up to across Africa, we're subscribing to services, global services. For example, we can get satellite data on weather for any country, and it's free. So we use that now to scale up to other countries.

We just need to deal with that regulation issues, go through the regional economic blocks like East Africa Community or SENDEC, and roll this out.

RUBADIRI (voice-over): But for them, the efficiency, accuracy and opportunities A.I. has unlocked are worth persevering.

MASIDE: In 10 years, Itiki will beat every African country predicting droughts Itiki way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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[03:40:00]

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to CNN. This is your Business Breakout.

Let's take a look at the Asia markets. The Nikkei is down 174 points, the Hang Seng is down 78 points, the Kospi is up 43 points.

Checking some of today's business headlines.

The U.S. and Taiwan have reached a major trade deal aimed at boosting American technology production in exchange for lower tariffs. Now the agreement comes after months of trade negotiations with the Trump administration. Under the deal, Taiwanese companies will invest $250 billion into U.S. semiconductor, energy and A.I. manufacturing, and Washington will cut tariffs on imports from Taiwan down from 20 percent to 15 percent.

Good news for homeowners and buyers in the United States. The 30-year mortgage rate has fallen to 6.06 percent, its lowest level in three years. A typical homeowner could save $84,000 over the life of the loan compared to last year's rate.

Well from a two-star Michelin rating to a now-skating hygiene rating, food inspectors hit a Wales restaurant with a one-star rating, saying major improvement was needed. Ynyshir, named Britain's best restaurant for two years offers a 30-course tasting menu starting at around $630. In an interview with the BBC, the owner and head chef acknowledged the restaurant's paperwork wasn't up to standards.

Hindu devotees in northern India gathered on the brinks of the Ganges River on Thursday to take a holy dip. They were there as part of an annual harvest festival that includes a pilgrimage to the sacred river and a chance to participate in a centuries-old bathing ritual. Holy men led prayers and offered blessings.

Devotees believe the water washes away their sins and purifies their souls.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SWAMI VISHWATMANAND SARASWATI JI MAHARAJ, HINDU SPIRITUAL LEADER (through translator): According to Hindu belief, today marks the beginning of an auspicious new year. It is hoped that this occasion brings peace, brotherhood among people, freedom from hatred and devotion.

DEEPAK GRUPTA, HINDU DEVOTEE (through translator): Last year I had come for the Hindu pitcher festival. It was very crowded that time, but this time the arrangements had been done really well. I took a dip comfortably.

It was a bit cold when I bathed, but after that it was really enjoyable. It felt like I really bathed in the Ganges River. I felt a great sense of joy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right, that wraps our coverage. I'm Kim Brunhuber. "World Sport" is next, and then there's "Amanpour" in about 15 minutes.

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