The Brief

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is seeking immediate negotiations for the ownership of Greenland but he would not "use force."

"We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won't do that," he said during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
"That's probably the biggest statement I made because people thought I would use force, but I don't have to use force. I don't want to use force. I won't use force," he said.

Trump said U.S. ownership of Greenland is necessary for national security and that "who the hell wants to defend a license agreement or release, which is a large piece of ice in the middle of the ocean."

"So we want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won't give it. We've never asked for anything else, and we could have kept that piece of land, and we didn't. So they have a choice. You can say yes and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no and we will remember," Trump said.

Trump's push to acquire Greenland

Just two weeks ago, Trump posted on social media that he'd address affordability when he spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

But his belligerent foreign policy is once again overshadowing his attempts at a cohesive economic message. Trump's aggressive push to acquire Greenland has turned to open antagonism toward allies in recent days, becoming a central focus of this year's forum.

Just days before the forum began, Trump on social media threatened to tariff goods from eight European nations and NATO members until they support a U.S. deal to purchase Greenland.

Those countries responded with a statement saying that they stand in solidarity with Denmark and Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Over the weekend, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr also revealed a text conversation in which Trump said that not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize — which the Norwegian government does not confer — is influencing his decision to pursue Greenland.

It also became clear in recent days that other world leaders were seeking to dissuade Trump from attempting to take over Greenland, when Trump on Monday night posted screenshots of text messages from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Rutte began his message with flattery, praising Trump's recent strikes in Syria. Rutte added, "I am committed to finding a way forward on Greenland."

Macron, for his part, was harsher: "I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland," he wrote, but added that he wanted to have dinner after Davos.

And Trump on Tuesday reposted a social media message that cast the U.N. and NATO as the "real threat" to the U.S., as opposed to China and Russia.

All of this buildup has brought American foreign policy to center stage at Davos. When Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took the stage with Fox Business's Maria Bartiromo yesterday, her first question was about Greenland: "How do you justify taking over a country when in fact Denmark and Greenland have said they're not interested?"

"Greenland's becoming more and more attractive for foreign conquest, and he very strongly believes that it must be part of the U.S. to prevent a conflict," Bessent said as part of his answer.

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday delivered a forceful speech that, without mentioning Trump explicitly, argued that his policies are leading to the breakdown of the international order.

"Let me be direct: We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition," Carney said. "Great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited."

"We stand firmly with Greenland and Denmark and fully support their unique right to determine Greenland's future. Our commitment to NATO's Article 5 is unwavering," he later added. "Canada strongly opposes tariffs over Greenland."

But Trump, speaking at length with reporters Tuesday, seemed to step off the gas slightly when it came to his harsh rhetoric. Asked about how his push for Greenland could result in breaking up NATO, Trump seemed to demur.

"Something's going to happen that's going to be very good for everybody," he said.

The foreign policy Trump is bringing to Davos goes beyond Greenland. On Thursday, he will participate in what the White House is calling a Board of Peace Charter Announcement.

The "Board of Peace" is being created as part of Trump's 20-point plan to end the conflict between Israel and Hamas and has come under sharp criticism. A copy of the charter obtained by NPR said that countries that want permanent membership will have to pay $1 billion, and that Trump is the permanent chair, even after his term as U.S. president ends. The charter also says that the world needs a more effective international peace-building body — which may signal the board is hoping to act as a rival to the U.N.

The board's membership is still unsettled, but Trump said he has asked Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, to take part. Meanwhile, France's Macron has said he will not join.

Trump told reporters this week that his main message in Davos will be "how well the United States is doing." Economic advisor Kevin Hassett has said the president will also be revealing a new housing policy.

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MEXICO CITY — The Mexican army killed the leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, "El Mencho, " in an operation Sunday, a federal official said.

The official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said it happened during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco.

It followed several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles in Jalisco and other states. Such tactics are commonly used by the cartels to block military operations.

Videos circulating social media showed plumes of smoke billowing over the city of Puerto Vallarta, a major city in Jalisco, and sprinting through the airport of the state's capital in panic. On Sunday afternoon, Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Puerto Vallarta "due to an ongoing security situation" and advised customers not to go to their airport.

The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG, is one of the most powerful and fasted growing criminal organizations in Mexico and was born in 2009.

In February, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

It has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military—including helicopters—and a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines. In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in the heart of Mexico City against the then head of the capital's police force and now head of federal security.

The DEA considers this cartel to be as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico's most infamous criminal groups, with a presence in all 50 U.S. states where it distributes tons of drugs. It is one of the main suppliers of cocaine to the U.S. market and, like the Sinaloa cartel, earns billions from the production of fentanyl and methamphetamines.

Since 2017, Oseguera Cervantes has been indicted several times in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

The most recent superseding indictment, filed on April 5, 2022, charges Oseguera Cervantes with conspiracy and distribution of controlled substances (methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl) for the purpose of illegal importation into the United States and use of firearms during and in connection with drug trafficking offenses. Oseguera Cervantes is also charged under the Drug Kingpin Enforcement Act for directing a continuing criminal enterprise.
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Hermon — Some shoppers heading into Fresco Market were lost in their phones, but when they momentarily looked up, they were greeted by a flap of brilliant green feathers and a cheery squawk. Phones were put away.

“Pepe! Hey Pepe! So good to see you!”

Perched on the shoulder of T.J. Gonzalez, Pepe the Parrot was in full greeter mode. Wide-eyed and seeming to almost smile as he surveyed the parking lot and his approaching public, Pepe did what he naturally does: make people happy.

A common sight at the Hermon market, near where they live, Gonzalez and Pepe can also be found at community centers, farmers’ markets and local events. They often take the Metro into downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach and other locations.

There’s no money asked, stressed Gonzalez, adding that Pepe simply adores the attention. “People want to see and talk with him more than me,” he joked as he cracked a nut and placed it in his mouth. On cue, the bird reached around Gonzalez’s mouth to retrieve it.

Michael Eagle-Hall of El Sereno is delighted to meet Pepe outside of the Fresco Market in Hermon.

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Brenda Rees

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The Eastsider

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A mail carrier for 37 years before he retired, Gonzalez found Pepe, a red-crowned Amazon (flocks are often seen in Northeast L.A.) in July 2021. The chick had fallen out of a nest and was flailing on a busy street in San Marino. “He was like roadkill,” said Gonzalez, who watched cars drive over (without striking) the bird.

Gonzalez retrieved the parrot and looked for help, but wildlife rehabbers said they’d euthanize the bird since it had a broken wing. Gonzalez instead brought him to a vet and christened him Pepe.

Since Pepe could not fly, Gonzalez started walking him around the neighborhood. He soon discovered how kids and adults enjoyed interacting with the parrot. Pepe is also a social media darling, with more than 8,600 followers on Instagram.

Pepe is more of a squawker than a talker, but Gonzalez has learned how to art-direct photos of people and the bird, instructing them on how to hold their hands and arms best. “We just want that smile because that’s all that Pepe wants from you,” said Gonzalez.

Crews have now recovered the bodies of all nine backcountry skiers who were killed in an avalanche in Northern California earlier this week. It marks an end to what authorities on Saturday described as an agonizing five-day search and recovery operation complicated by intense winter storms northwest of Lake Tahoe.

"While we wish we could have saved them all, we are grateful that we can bring them home," said Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon during a Saturday news conference.

Until Saturday, authorities had not confirmed the death of a ninth victim, a skier who had been missing and presumed dead. Officials say their body was found near the eight other victims that have now been recovered. Authorities said avalanche hazards and weather conditions were too dangerous most of the week to search for the remaining victim or recover the bodies.

Four of the bodies were recovered on Friday, and the rest of the bodies were recovered on Saturday, all in the Castle Peak area where the avalanche – one of the deadliest in California history — struck. Six people from the group of 15 skiers survived Tuesday's disaster, the last day of a three-day backcountry ski trip. One guide and five travelers were among the survivors.

Helicopters with the California National Guard as well as the California Highway Patrol were used to hoist the remaining bodies from the mountain, officials said at the press conference.

On Friday, officials were able to use specialized techniques with the help of Pacific Gas & Electric to reduce the avalanche risk.

The ski trip was organized by Blackbird Mountain Guides, an outdoor tour company based in Truckee, Calif. Moon confirmed the identities of the victims. Three guides were killed: Andrew Alissandratos, 34, from Verdi, Nev.; Michael Henry, 30, from Soda Springs, Calif.; and Nicole Choo, 42, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif. The other victims, who had signed up for the group trip, are: Carrie Atkin, 46, of Soda Springs; Lizabeth Clabaugh, 52, of Boise, Idaho; Danielle Keatley, 44, of Soda Springs and Larkspur, Calif.; Kate Morse, 45, of Soda Springs and Tiburon, Calif.; Caroline Sekar, 45, of Soda Springs and San Francisco; and Katherine Vitt, 43, of Greenbrae, Calif.

The Sierra Avalanche Center classified the avalanche between a D2 and D3 on the avalanche danger scale.

"A D2 would take down a person. A D3 would take down a house, so it was right in between those. It was described by them as a football field length of a path of the avalanche," Sheriff Moon said on Saturday.

Multiple agencies are investigating.

"We are investigating the incident to determine if there were any factors that would be considered criminal negligence," Ashley Quadros with the Nevada County Sheriff's Office said in an email to NPR on Sunday. "It is a standard investigation. It is too early to know if criminal charges will be applicable, as the investigation is preliminary and remains active and ongoing."

The area will be closed to visitors for several weeks.
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