On today's podcast:
1) President Trump said he would refrain from imposing tariffs on goods from European nations opposing his effort to take possession of Greenland, citing a “framework of a future deal” he said was reached regarding the island. The decision, which Trump announced Wednesday on social media, marks a stark reversal for a president who has repeatedly attempted to coerce Europe over Greenland. It came after a meeting with North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Still, Trump did not detail the parameters of the so-called “framework” and it was unclear what the agreement entails, especially since Denmark earlier Wednesday ruled out negotiations over ceding the semi-autonomous island to the US.
2) Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said he is ready to commit Russian assets that remain frozen in the US to rebuild Ukrainian regions damaged during the war after a peace treaty is concluded. Putin also said he could give $1 billion from the US-based assets - frozen to punish Putin for his 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine - to President Trump’s proposed Board of Peace. The offer has been discussed with the US, Putin said, and he plans to talk about it more Thursday during a meeting with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow.
3) US Supreme Court justices suggested they are wary of President Trump’s effort to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook over unproven mortgage-fraud allegations, saying the move could upend the Fed’s independence and rattle markets. Hearing arguments in Washington Wednesday, conservative and liberal justices alike sharply questioned US Solicitor General D. John Sauer, who urged the court to let Trump oust Cook for the time being while her lawsuit goes forward. Trump’s own appointees were among the skeptics. Justice Brett Kavanaugh said the president’s position would “weaken if not shatter the independence of the Federal Reserve.” Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked whether the risk to financial markets was reason for “caution on our part,” though she also suggested she wasn’t ready to fully embrace Cook’s position.