Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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President Trump doubles down on his plans to acquire Greenland ahead of expected meetings at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Even if a compromise is found on the Greenland issue, things will never be the same. A line has been crossed here because of Trump's willingness really to consider all options, including force, against the U.S. 's own allies.
Plus, we take a look at why Trump's Greenland-inspired tariff salvo isn't fully rattling markets. And what time should you be waking up in the morning? It's not quite as straightforward as you think. It's Tuesday, January 20th. I'm Caitlin McKay for The Wall Street Journal, and here's the AM edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories moving your world today.
President Trump has fired off a series of true social posts reiterating his plans for Greenland and telling reporters that the U.S. is the only country that can ensure peace.
Well, I don't think they're going to push back too much. Look, we have to have it. They have to have this done. They can't protect it.
The post followed days of escalating tensions over the territory and with the subject set to take center stage as world leaders gather in Davos, Switzerland. There, the president has agreed to meet with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, and other parties to discuss Greenland.
Trump also shared a screenshot of what appeared to be a text message with French President Emmanuel Macron, which read, quote, It comes after a French government spokesperson yesterday said the U.S. was crossing a new threshold of coercion. That punctuated a day of hectic diplomacy, with Danish and Greenlandic officials meeting with Ruta and the U.K. government.
Here's Danish Foreign Minister Lars-Luka Rasmussen.
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Chapter 2: What are President Trump's plans regarding Greenland?
The Europeans are planning an emergency summit of European Union leaders on Thursday in Brussels. Before that, it's likely that Trump will meet some European leaders in Davos. Trump has said he will meet various parties without specifying whom at the World Economic Forum.
after which it remains completely unclear whether Trump will go ahead with his threat to impose tariffs on some European countries from the 1st of February and whether it will escalate or whether some solution will be found in the meantime.
It's clear from the communications in the last few hours or overnight that Trump is not backing down from his demand that the US should own Greenland and should take it over completely. Even though Trump said that he had a good conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Ritter, he emphasized that he needs to own Greenland, in his view.
At the same time, Trump has said further critical things about other European allies. He criticized the UK for giving away Chagos, even though Trump had previously approved that move. And he threatened France with 200% tariffs on French wine and champagne unless Macron agrees to join Trump's Board of Peace for Gaza. So the tensions and the mixed messages are continuing.
On the one hand, conversations are happening. On the other hand, he continues to take a very dim view of European allies and maintain his demand about Greenland.
Marcus, you've got a great story out along with the journal's David Luno about the collapse of trust between European leaders and the U.S. and how that's now forcing Europe to reassess its reliance on Washington.
Yes, indeed. So the Atlantic Alliance, NATO as the military core of that alliance, has always relied as much on trust and on a belief in common commitment as on its military infrastructure. And that part of it is what is really coming under fire and into increasing doubt because Trump has long been a skeptic about NATO and has made no secret about that.
during the past year has not only stepped up the rhetoric against European allies in various ways, but in the clash over Greenland, he seems to be communicating that for the US, it's more important to control the Western Hemisphere, including owning Greenland, and that if NATO is a casualty of that, then so be it.
So the fear on the European side is that the commitment that's needed as the glue is simply no longer there. Even if a compromise is found on the Greenland issue, things will never be the same. A line has been crossed here because of Trump's willingness really to consider all options, including force, against the US's own allies.
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Chapter 3: How are European leaders reacting to Trump's Greenland acquisition proposal?
Of course, it's also possible that investors just think there's a decent chance that Trump is bluffing or that even if he's not bluffing, he doesn't have the power to push through with this. Quite a lot of Congress is not supportive of the idea of taking Greenland and his tariffs might end up being ruled illegal. And of course, if they are, then all of this goes away, at least temporarily.
And then, of course, one of the reasons that stocks did well last year is that Europe is planning to spend vast amounts of money on its military, which is very, very good for European defence stocks. I guess the worst case is that the US actually invades. Now, at the moment, that's not on the cards. President Trump says he wants to buy it.
But if the US started sending troops there, that would be an absolute sort of end of NATO moment. And investors would suddenly have to wake up and say, this is what we need to address. This is what we need to be thinking about.
As James mentioned, investors will also be watching the U.S. Supreme Court today, which is expected to hand down opinions around 10 a.m. Eastern, including possibly on whether Trump's sweeping tariffs are in fact legal. An hour later, Anthropic CEO Dario Amadei speaks to journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker at Davos. And after the U.S.
closing bell today, Netflix earnings, where the streamer may comment on reports that it plans to make its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery all cash. And finally, what is the optimal wake up time to get the most out of your day? If you listen to social media, that would be 5 a.m. to keep up with all the high flying CEOs and elite athletes.
But if you want to boost productivity, waking up before sunrise might not be for you. A recent Gallup poll showed that more than half of Americans said they're sleep deprived, an increase from previous years. Journal family and tech columnist Julie Jargon says the ideal time to wake up really comes down to our genetic predisposition.
my research, I came across that people fit into typically three categories, lark, bear, or owl. And so those who wake up naturally early in the morning between, you know, 6 and 6.30 a.m. are considered the early birds or larks. That represents about 15 to 20 percent of the population. And then a small subset of those early birds are those who do naturally wake up at 5 a.m.,
The other 15% to 20% are night owls, people who like to sleep in. But the largest percentage comprise 55% to 65% of the population. Some sleep experts call them bears. We wake up sort of when the sun rises and go to bed earlier in the evening, and we feel that we're at our peak. productivity-wise between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Julie writes that morning sunlight, avoiding evening workouts, and limiting caffeine and alcohol before bed will also help you feel rested and ready to take on the day. But most importantly, stick to a regular wake-up time.
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