Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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President Trump's tariff threats against Europe over Greenland raises tensions.
Europe has to step up, Europe has to be strong, and Europe has to make sure that the threats that have been imposed don't become reality.
The Wall Street Journal explains how a U.S. trade war with its closest allies could unfold. The Washington Post walks us through some of the ways in which Trump is pushing to change election processes before the midterms. And the wealth tax proposal that's causing a revolt among Silicon Valley's elite. It's Tuesday, January 20th. I'm Shmeeta Basu. This is Apple News Today.
The world got a firsthand look at how President Trump has been talking to European leaders about Greenland behind the scenes yesterday. Over the weekend, a text exchange between Trump and Norway's prime minister, Jonas Garstora, revealed he was explicitly tying the Nobel Peace Prize to his demands to acquire Greenland.
Referring to the committee's decision to award the prize to someone else, Trump said, quote, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of peace and that he could now, quote, think about what is good and proper for the United States. Prime Minister Stora spoke to reporters after having shared the text publicly.
He is very concerned about the Nobel Prize.
He described Trump as being very preoccupied with the Peace Prize and that he'd repeatedly explained that it's decided by an independent committee, not his government. The issue of Greenland has become a full-blown crisis for Europe and is causing a major rupture in the NATO alliance.
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Chapter 2: How is President Trump's Greenland proposal tied to the Nobel Peace Prize?
Trump has now threatened tariffs against several European countries, which could affect the price of everything from French wines and cheeses to German cars to pharmaceuticals. Last Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant told NBC the U.S. wanted this strategically important Greenland to deter adversaries.
Peace through strength. Make it part of the United States. And there will not be a conflict because the United States right now, we are the hottest country in the world. We are the strongest country in the world. Europeans project weakness. The U.S. projects strength.
The threat of tariffs has now raised the prospect of tit-for-tat escalation that could hurt consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.
European officials are taking comments like this, comments about Greenland, comments about the tariffs. They're taking those extremely seriously.
Kim McRae is a Brussels-based reporter for The Wall Street Journal. She told us European leaders are now considering a range of options to fight back. They could refuse to sign last year's trade agreement to eliminate European tariffs on some American exports. Or they could dust off old retaliatory tariff lists prepared during a fight with Trump last year.
That includes duties on things like American whiskey, peanut butter, and chewing gum, as well as industrial products. McRale says a last resort that has also been floated is something that has come to be known as the bazooka.
The slightly more formal word for it or term for it is the anti-coercion instrument. It's considered a last resort because it gives the EU such wide leeway to act in a number of areas, such as export controls. They could put tariffs on services, potentially. They could restrict intellectual property rights, curb the ability of American companies to bid on public contracts in Europe.
So just this huge suite of possibilities. Not something anyone in the EU takes lightly.
So far, McRaehl says European leaders have sought to avoid escalation with Trump. The U.S. remains the continent's most important trading partner, and some fear Trump could use U.S. support for Ukraine as leverage. But the language has hardened. French and German ministers have started using the word blackmail to describe Trump's tariff threat, and the U.K.
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Chapter 3: What are the implications of Trump's tariff threats against Europe?
Talking to Bloomberg, he said he hadn't given it any thought.
We work in Silicon Valley because that's where the talent pool is. So we chose to live in Silicon Valley. And whatever taxes, I guess, they would like to apply, so be it. I'm perfectly fine with it.
The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office advised the measure would probably raise tens of billions of dollars, but could also result in some lost tax revenue that would be hard to predict. It needs nearly 900,000 signatures by June to get onto the ballot come November. And finally, a few other stories we're following.
At least 40 people are dead in what's become Spain's worst rail disaster in over a decade. A high-speed train bound for Madrid derailed and crossed over to the opposite tracks, colliding headlong with an oncoming train. Reuters quotes an unnamed source briefed on the initial investigation as suggesting experts had found a faulty joint on the rails.
The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has vowed to get to the bottom of the cause and announced a three-day mourning period for the country. In Iran, state TV appeared to be hacked on Sunday evening in a sign of continued dissent against the regime. Ordinarily a medium for propaganda, state channels began showing speeches by President Trump and the exiled son of Iran's last shah.
Streets have been quiet in recent days, following mass protests and a brutal crackdown that some estimate have killed more than 5,000 people. And Valentino Garavani, one of the last giants of 20th century fashion, died yesterday at the age of 93. He was renowned worldwide for his signature style and his trademark use of vibrant red.
He designed Jackie Kennedy Onassis' wedding dress, as well as countless gowns for iconic women like Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Julia Roberts, and Anne Hathaway. Speaking to Charlie Rose back in 2009, he explained why he loved the color red so much.
And I think it's a color so good for everybody. And believe me or not, when you are in a party, cocktail or big evening, when you see two women dressed in red coming in, you have a sort of big, big joy in your heart because they look sensational. It's a very happy color.
He told The New Yorker he hoped he would be remembered as a man who pursued beauty wherever he could. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. New York Magazine reports on what was supposed to be the future of eating, veganism.
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