Why does the U.S. want Greenland?  January 13, 2026

 

Rise up, sunshine. Welcome to the show. I'm Coy Wire.

 

This is CNN 10, your 10 minutes of news where we simply tell you the what so you can decide what to think. Teacher time Tuesday this January 13th. Thank you to all the educators out there inspiring the next generation.

 

Thanks for making us a part of your day. Go ahead, give a teacher a high five, heart hands or a fist bump. Let them know I see you.

 

Now let's get to your news. We begin with news about one of the world's most rugged and remote places, the vast Arctic Territory of Greenland.

 

rugged [ˋrʌgɪd] adj. 崎岖的; 起伏的

 

The semi-autonomous or mostly self-governing territory is the world's largest non-continental island, about six times the size of Germany, with a population of only about 56,000 people.

 

It's been part of the kingdom of Denmark for centuries. It is mineral rich and perfectly placed to set up defense systems for any potential attacks from nations across the Arctic Ocean. The U.S. has made several efforts to acquire it in the past.

 

Since returning to office last year, President Donald Trump became the latest U.S. president to suggest acquiring Greenland for the United States. In recent days, he has doubled down on that push, citing national security.

 

double down 更加坚定（某立场/策略）

 

But right now, we are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not, because if we don't do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we're not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor.

 

Our Nick Robertson has more about the hows and whys for the United States' previous attempts to acquire Greenland and why they failed.

 

It's not the first time a U.S. president has been interested in Greenland. Over 150 years ago, after the United States purchased Alaska from the Russians, the then-Secretary of State William Seward floated the idea of buying Greenland and Iceland from Denmark.

 

float [flot] v. 提出，建议

 

Even back then, Greenland was recognized for its wealth of minerals and resources. The purchase never materialized, but Greenland remained on the U.S. radar. In 1910, the U.S. ambassador to Denmark suggested the United States give Denmark an island in the Philippines in exchange for Greenland and the Danish West Indies.

 

But that didn't happen either. By 1916, leaders signed the Lansing Declaration, a U.S. proclamation, saying that they would not dispute Denmark's control over the entire territory. But after World War II, U.S. President Harry Truman offered Denmark $100 million in gold for Greenland.

 

Denmark rejected the offer. The bid was secret at the time, but was made public in 1991 by a Danish newspaper after documents had been declassified two decades earlier.

 

Despite the U.S. not gaining control of Greenland, they were given permission to operate military bases, including the Thule Air Base, now known as the Pituffik Space Base, where they still have a presence of U.S. forces.

 

But we need it really for international world security, and I think we're going to get it. One way or the other, we're going to get it.

 

While the world waits to see if President Trump's threats about Greenland come to fruition and Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to talk about buying Greenland, history has told us it may not be so easy.

 

fruition [fruˋɪʃən] n. 实现

 

We've all heard the saying,you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Well, turns out some clever canines might be just fine being self-taught. New research out of Hungary suggests that some perceptive pooches pick up new words just by eavesdropping on our conversations, similar to how toddlers learn.

 

perceptive [pɚˋsɛptɪv] adj. 反应敏锐的

 

So these researchers told a group of dogs about certain toys, and then talked about them without even looking at the dog. And the Dilda’s doggies kind of monitored the speaker's gazes, they picked up on conversational clues and keywords, and learned the toys' names in as little as eight minutes. Some border collies, they learned the names without new objects at all in front of them, without being told directly that's what they were.

 

gaze [gez] n. 凝视，注视

 

Talk about best in show. Now, researchers, they're still trying to determine why the skill seems more prevalent in certain dogs, and they've been working with this group of dogs for years. So you may want to temper expectations if you plan on teaching old Fido what a boo-boo is today.

 

temper [ˋtɛmpɚ] v. 使缓和

 

Mattel is releasing what it's calling their first ever autistic Barbie doll.Advocates for neurodivergent children are celebrating, calling it a magical moment. Our Jacqueline Howard is here to tell us more. Hi Jacqueline.

 

autistic [ɔˋtɪstɪk] adj. 患自闭症的

neurodivergent [͵nɝdaɪˋvɝdʒənt] adj.（如因患有自闭症）神经学表现特异的

 

Coy, there's a new Barbie on the market and she's making history. She's the first ever Barbie with autism.

 

She includes a fidget spinner, noise canceling headphones, and a tablet to help support her communication. Now, the toy company Mattel, it worked with the nonprofit Autistic Self Advocacy Network to design the doll. And their aim was to really reflect the tools and experiences that many children with autism use every day, Coy.

 

fidget spinner 手持旋转器，手指陀螺，纾压陀螺

 

Ten second trivia.

 

What do scientists believe is responsible for most of the gold found in the Earth's crust?

 

Volcanic eruptions, meteor strikes, deep sea thermal vents, or alchemy?

 

If you said meteor strikes, you're out of this world. While more than 99% of the gold on Earth is thought to be locked up in the planet's core, scientists believe much of the gold in Earth's crust came from meteor strikes billions of years ago.

 

Now to Australia and a potential golden opportunity down under. Some of history's heftiest gold nuggets have been unearthed in the state of Victoria's Golden Triangle region.

 

hefty [ˋhɛftɪ] adj.（数额、尺寸、力量等）大的，可观的

unearth [ʌnˋɝθ] vt.（从地下）发掘，掘出；发现；揭露

 

And as the worldwide price of gold continues to soar, everyone from homegrown hobbyists to professional prospectors are scouring the region in a bid to hit it big and shout, Eureka! Our Polo Sandoval has more on the modern day treasure hunt.

 

homegrown [ˋhomˋgron] adj. 本国的; 土生土长的

hobbyist [ˋhɑbɪɪst] n. 业余爱好者

prospector [ˋprɑspɛktɚ] n. 勘探者，探矿者

eureka [jʊˋrikə] int. 我发现了

 

The lure of gold is drawing treasure hunters to Australia's Victoria State, an area known as the Golden Triangle, where historically some of the world's biggest gold nuggets have been discovered. But there was no Eureka moment for this gold seeker. But it's not quite striking out, according to some hobbyists slash prospectors, if the quest is part of the reward.

 

strike out 失敗，砸鍋

 

I like to walk through the bush, seeing the wildlife, and if I'm lucky, finding a little bit of gold.

 

It may not be the gold rush of the mid-19th century, where hundreds of thousands of people flock to California trying to find their fortunes, but demand for recreational mining permits in Victoria is hitting an all-time high. There are more than 100,000 active permits, which allow people to search for gold using only hand tools and keep anything they find.

 

It's a chance to potentially hit pay dirt after the price of gold surged last year to over $4,500 a troy ounce.

 

pay dirt（经搜索或付出努力后所作的）有利发现

troy [trɔɪ] n. 金衡制（金银宝石的衡量制，一磅等于十二盎司）(a troy ounce  = 480 grains)

 

Seeing what nuggets they're finding out there and what they're actually getting for them is definitely a big boost because that can help us pay off a lot of bills, take kids out and stuff like that, so it's a big kicker for me.

 

kicker [ˋkɪkɚ] n. 令人惊讶的东西

 

Tony Mills, a gold hunting tour guide, says he's one of the lucky ones and has found some pretty sizable stones.

 

The best one was the 80-ounce nugget, yeah, and I found a 70 and I found a lot of 21s and yeah, I found a lot of decent nuggets. Not recently, other than this three and a half ounce two months ago.

 

And though most of the people dream of hitting the motherlode, others are happy to just find a little something in the dirt.

 

motherlode [ˈmʌðɚlod] n. 主矿脉;矿产和其他自然丰富的地区

 

A guide estimated this pebble of gold to be worth about $27, a jackpot for those that prize the experience.

 

pebble [ˋpɛb!] n. 小卵石

prize [praɪz] v. 重视，珍视

 

I feel very good, very happy. My heart's singing a nice tune.

 

Today's story getting a 10 out of 10,a flight academy that's clearing the runway for the next generation of pilots.

 

In Lawrenceville, Georgia, students at Lookup Flight Academy are learning more than how to fly a plane, they're learning how to navigate an industry where access hasn't always been easy.

 

For Uriahne Booze, a former flight attendant, becoming a pilot was about more than earning certifications, it was about what flying represents.

 

Black women still make up less than 1% actually of all professional pilots, so I'm just here to change that landscape of what our industry looks like. I feel like the sky is for everybody, so it shouldn't be gatekept just for one certain demographic.

 

gatekeep [ˋget͵kipɚ] v. 藏私、私藏、独占

 

Now she's part of a flight academy working to reshape who gets to sit at the controls.

 

The academy was founded by pilot and aircraft builder, Mike Ojo, who says the goal is to properly train the next generation of pilots and to expose students to high-paying careers in fields like commercial aviation and aircraft maintenance.

 

The program reaches across generations, including teens like Kaylin Wilson, who's balancing flight training with a full-time job. So far, Lookup Flight Academy has graduated 110 students each on a different journey, but united by the chance to reach for the sky.

 

All right, we have a shout-out today going to Mr. Atkisson at Selwood Middle School in Portland, Oregon. I see you in. Thank you for spending part of your day with us.

 

And Mrs. Spellman, William B. Travis Academy in Dallas, Texas, thank you for our furry friend here, who I'm sure was eavesdropping on our entire show.

 

Now tomorrow is Your Word Wednesday, so put your unique vocabulary word and the definition in the comments of my latest post on Instagram, @CoyWire or CNN10, and we'll choose a winner to work into tomorrow's show. Bring it, y'all.

 

Let's make it a magnificent day. I'm Coy Wire, and we are CNN10.