00:00And in news overseas, with barely three weeks left until he officially returns to the Oval Office and to power as the leader of the free world,
00:07President-elect Donald J. Trump has renewed his wish to put Greenland under U.S. control and ownership.
00:13In addition, he seeks control and management of the Panama Canal to be reverted to the United States
00:19after noticing how China has cozied up to the Panamanian government over the years.
00:24VOA's White House correspondent Patsy Wittekeswara tells us more.
00:31Greenland, the ice-covered, semi-autonomous Danish territory, is again in President-elect Donald Trump's crosshairs.
00:38As he named his ambassador to Denmark on Sunday, Trump wrote that,
00:42quote, for purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world,
00:46the United States of America feels the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.
00:52Trump also suggested Sunday he would retake control of the Panama Canal.
00:57He called the rates Panama charges to use the vital shipping route a, quote, complete ripoff.
01:03If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed,
01:10then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly and without question.
01:21Every square meter of the canal will continue to belong to Panama,
01:25said the country's president, Jose Raul Molino, rejecting Trump's allegations of overcharging.
01:31Rates are not a whim.
01:35They are established publicly in an open hearing,
01:38considering market conditions, international competition, operating costs,
01:43and the needs of maintenance and modernization of the interoceanic waterway.
01:48Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also pushed back, saying Greenland is not for sale.
01:54Trump's initial calls to purchase Greenland in 2019 during his first term came to nothing.
02:00But his statements now, as he prepares to take the oath of office on January 20th,
02:04are making some allies and partners wary.
02:07That includes Canada.
02:09Trump has referred to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as, quote, the governor,
02:13suggesting the U.S. can absorb its northern neighbor, as he threatened 25% tariffs against the country.
02:19Trump's end goal is unclear.
02:21But on Monday, his son Eric Trump posted to social media a doctored photo of the president-elect
02:27purchasing Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal via Amazon, the online shopping website.
02:33Pat Siwidaku, Suara Viewing News, Washington.
