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Gunfire and Anti-Aircraft Fire Erupt in Venezuela's Capital; Trump Says He is in Charge of Venezuela After Ousting Maduro; Police Release Video of Person of Interest in Ohio Couple's Murder. Aired 7- 7:30a ET

Aired January 06, 2026 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[07:00:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, gunfire near the presidential palace in Caracas. The Venezuelan capital on edge after the capture of Nicolas Maduro. What we know about the overnight violence and President Trump's next move, and new reporting on a possible Senate vote on Trump's war powers.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking details in the hunt for the killer of a dentist and his wife. Their two children were found unharmed near their parents' bodies. And this morning, police say footage taken near the scene could help crack the case.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And a stolen monkey on the lam, wreaking havoc on a Tennessee pawn shop. You have to hear the details, and, of course, it was caught on camera.

I'm Kate Bolduan with Sara Sidner, and John Berman. This is CNN News Central.

SIDNER: All right. We begin with what's happened overnight. Breaking overnight, new gunfire erupting near Venezuela's presidential palace in the capital, Caracas, just days after the U.S. military operation that ousted President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuelan officials say, police opened fire after drones were seen flying without permission. There were reports that this was all sparked by a misunderstanding, but it's a sign of the tensions in Venezuela as questions grow over who exactly is running the country. With Maduro sitting in a jail cell in New York, his vice president was formerly sworn in as acting president, but President Trump doubling down in a new interview saying that he is the one in charge of Venezuela.

Later today, he will huddle with House Republicans in a closed-door retreat while top Democrats are accusing him of having no plan for Venezuela.

CNN's Alayna Treene is live at the White House. What are you learning this morning?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, really, this question, Sara, that you bring up of who is running Venezuela is continuing to dominate questions, including among lawmakers who emerged from that classified -- I should say, the more than two-hour classified briefing on Capitol Hill. I should note it was only for House and Senate leaders, as well as the leaders of the Intelligence Committees in both chambers, but that was really a question that continues to dominate and one that Democrats are arguing is still unclear.

Now, Stephen Miller, he's the president's deputy chief of staff, or at least one of them, and he's been integral in this process. In my conversations with White House officials and Trump administration officials more broadly, him and Rubio, the secretary of state and national security adviser, have really been the one who have been pushing this escalation toward Venezuela. This is what he said in response to that question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN MILLER, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF: there's going to be some posturing that occurs when a nation has been so thoroughly defeated in this way.

The United States of America is running Venezuela.

By definition, we are in charge because we have the United States military stationed outside the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, Sara, Secretary Rubio, of course, the other person who's really heading this entire operation, he put it a little bit differently. He said that they're trying to run policy, and that essentially with regard to Venezuela, he says we want them to move in a certain direction because not only do we think it's good for the people of Venezuela, it's in our national interests. And the president, for his part, he put it in a one word answer to NBC in that interview yesterday, when asked this question, he essentially said, quote, me, I am the one who is running it.

Now, look, all of this, of course, is bringing up tensions among lawmakers, many of whom still feel very left out of this entire process and very much agitated that they were not notified before this. As I said, they were having that classified briefing yesterday. And we are going to have an opportunity to hear from the president publicly. He's going to be addressing House Republican lawmakers when they go to the Kennedy Center, which, of course, was recently named by the Board of Trustees to the Trump Kennedy Center.

So, a lot that's still breaking down today, but a lot of questions, of course, that many people are still wanting answers to.

[07:05:00]

SIDNER: Yes. On who is running Venezuela, it is clear as mud this morning.

Alayna Treene, thank you so much. I do appreciate it. John? BERMAN: All right. This week, the Senate is set to vote on a measure that would limit President Trump's war powers. None of that will bear on the cases against Nicolas Maduro and his wife. The couple pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges in their first court appearance when Maduro declared, I am still president of my country.

With us now, Elie Honig, former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and CNN senior legal analyst. Counselor, you spend most of your time on the prosecution, but I am curious how would you stage a defense for Maduro at this point?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, a little role reversal there, John. So, the first thing I would do is I would make all the pre-trial motions to dismiss based on constitutional arguments and international law. I think the defense will argue that Maduro was illegally arrested in a foreign country. They will argue that he's entitled to some sort of immunity because he was a public official and the head of state of Venezuela.

I think, ultimately, those arguments will fail in court. We don't have a lot of precedent, but, generally speaking, United States law is, I think, surprisingly permissive of arrests in foreign countries that may even violate international law. The holdings generally have been that even an illegal arrest overseas does not mean a case gets dismissed. So, you have to make those arguments as the defense. I don't think they'll win.

Then you're on to trial. And if and when this case gets to trial, if I was representing the defendants here, I would note that, according to the indictment, there's not any one particular smoking gun. There's not, for example, a recording or an electronic communication cited in the indictment that links Maduro directly to these crimes. They never found Maduro in physical possession of drugs or guns. And so it looks like the prosecution's case is going to be based largely on cooperating witnesses.

Now, any good defense lawyer can effectively cross-examine a cooperating witness, argue they have bad motives, they're dishonest. So, ultimately, I don't think Maduro beats this case, but it's not going to be easy for prosecutors, and the defense will have some material to work with here.

BERMAN: So, Maduro was pretty vocal in this hearing yesterday, and it was clear he wanted to be even more vocal. How difficult will it be for this judge, Hellerstein, to maintain decorum in the court?

HONIG: Well, he's going to have a real courtroom disciplined challenge on his hands. And, John, not every federal district court judge is great at controlling his or her courtroom. I've seen some who have problems controlling defendant and defense lawyers, and maybe even prosecutors, even in routine cases. And one thing we learned for sure yesterday is that Nicolas Maduro does not intend to go quietly into this case. He was defiant. He spoke out of turn. He said things that were not called for. Now, I know this judge, Judge Hellerstein, in the Southern District of New York, did three jury trials in front of him, argued in front of him many, many times. One thing I can tell you for sure about him is he is in charge of his courtroom. He does not take nonsense. He does not tolerate outbursts. And you could see that yesterday. There was a moment yesterday where Judge Hellerstein shut down Maduro sort of mid- rant. So, watch for that to be a continuing challenge here.

BERMAN: Elie, today is the fifth anniversary of the riots on January 6th at the Capitol, and a lot of people have been asking over the last few weeks whether President Trump inadvertently pardoned the alleged January 6th pipe bomber, the person who is in custody now for planting those pipe bombs at the Republican Democratic National Committee headquarters. The reasoning is the language of his January 6th pardons, for everyone who was there was a full and complete unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021.

If you're the lawyers for this individual, will you press this and how successful could it be?

HONIG: This is like a perfect law school hypothetical, only it's going to come to life. It is real. The argument is going to be, okay, let's look at this offense by Brian Cole. He set these pipe bombs at or near the Capitol on January 6th. Well, it was the night before, it was January 5th, and it's within a few hundred yards of the Capitol where he planted the bombs.

But the main argument that I would make on Mr. Cole's behalf is if he was motivated by a belief that the 2020 election was stolen, then he shared the exact same purpose as the people who stormed the Capitol, and therefore he falls within this pardon if and when he is convicted.

I think the counterargument from prosecutors will be that, pardon issue by Donald Trump on his first day in office, January 20th, 2025, that was not meant to apply indefinitely into the future to people who had not yet been charged. But here's the thing, John. Donald Trump is still president and he has every ability to clarify his intent either way. If he wants to pardon Brian Cole, he can do that today. And if he intended for his pardon back on January 20th not to apply to this case, he can come out and make that statement.

So, watch, though. I think defense lawyers will make this argument at some point. I don't think they're likely to succeed, but, again, it's a fair argument to make.

BERMAN: And it just shows again, sort of the ongoing ambiguity with the power of the pardon.

[07:10:02]

Elie Honig, Counselor, always great to see you. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Police are releasing new video now a person of interest this morning after an Ohio dentist and his wife were found shot to death in their home. We're going to bring the very latest on who they're looking for.

And there are big changes just announced when it comes to kids and vaccines, the federal health department, HHS, slashing the number of shots that it now recommends for kids in the United States. What's on the list and what it means.

And from dancing robot dogs to humanoid robots that can build cars, the new wave of A.I.-powered robots making its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show.

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BOLDUAN: A big development this morning in the investigation of the murder of an Ohio couple. Columbus Police are now releasing security camera video, and we'll show it to you, showing what they are calling a person of interest. Investigators are trying to identify the person seen walking in an alley near the couple's home in the early morning hours of December 30th.

Police say Spencer and Monique Tepe were found later that morning, here's a picture of them, dead in their home with gunshot wounds. Their two young children were there as well unharmed.

CNN's Jean Casarez has the latest reporting on this. What a tragedy. What are you learning?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it's a tragedy and it's just so mysterious. It was a week ago today, and now they're releasing this video and they want everybody to look at it. But it was a week ago today, 8:00 A.M. in the morning. He was the dentist. So, the dentist practice opens at 8:00 in the morning and you know, patients come to the dentist's office when they open, right? Well, he doesn't show up. Spencer doesn't. And so they wait. And at 8:58, they called police and asked for a wellness check because it's not like him. They tried to get a hold of his wife, couldn't find his wife, and so the police go to the house at 9:22, simply knock on the door. There's no answer, so I guess they leave. And then beyond that 9:56, actually, some colleagues come and they hear children crying in the house. So, they call police again. And then finally at 10:03, someone calls 911 and says, I see a body.

But, Kate, police are saying they believe that they were murdered. They believe this is a homicide in their bedroom. So, how can someone see a body from the outside if they're in their bedroom? That's a question I have, but there was no gun or revolver found at the scene, no gun at all. Some projectiles were found. And that's how they decided this is a homicide, not a murder, suicide, because there's no weapon whatsoever.

There was no sign of forced entry. But they believe between 2:00 and 5:00 A.M. is when they were murdered. And that's why this person of interest, they say, is so important. They want people to look at this person of interest. This is Columbus, Ohio. And the person of interest is actually walking in an alleyway very close to their house. This was a loving couple. I mean, the statement the family gave on these two people, how they were beloved by their family and friends and in the community, two children, one years old and four years old in the home unharmed while their parents laying murdered in the bedroom, and at this point, one week later, no answers that we know of.

BOLDUAN: I mean, just think of it. Think of this as a parent, that a one-year-old was in that home for hours and hours without any, I mean, that's on top of the tragedy of they've now lost their parents.

CASAREZ: And family has those children, so that's good, close family.

BOLDUAN: Thank God for something in this, but now a big development with this video out there and police asking Yes for everyone's help.

Thank you so much, Jean. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Ahead, the NFL seeing a major coaching shakeup, there are now six teams looking for a head coach this morning.

And you want to know what monkey business looks like? Take out what this capuchin does. He goes ape in a pawn shop.

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BERMAN: Overnight, a stunning development in the NBA east. After winning four straight, the injury-ravaged Boston Celtics are now in first in the Atlantic over the preseason favorite and juggernaut New York Knicks, who've lost four straights. But never mind that. We're not going to cover that. We're going to start out west where Kevin Durant stuck it to one of his many former teams.

Let's get right to Andy Scholes for that. Good morning, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Good morning, John. I mean, your Celtics are probably the biggest story of surprise so far this NBA season, second place right now. How about that, Eastern Conference?

But, hey, nevertheless, let's move on to Kevin Durant. You know, he played for the Suns for two and a half seasons, didn't go well there. They didn't really win anything, but K.D. says he never wanted to leave, didn't appreciate being blamed for the lack of success in Phoenix. He was, of course, traded to the Rockets. Last night his rockets tied with the suns five seconds left, get the ball into K.D., makes a three with a second left. That wins it for Houston. K.D. then tells his former team they can leave. Final was 100-97, and after the game, K.D. was asked about beating the Sun.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN DURANT, HOUSTON ROCKETS FORWARD: I don't want to sound too dramatic, but I will to be kicked out of a place, you know what I'm saying? It feels good to play against a team that booted you out the building and scapegoated you for all the problems that they had. And it hurt because I put all my effort and love and care towards the Suns and the Phoenix area and Arizona, in general, but that's just the business. That's the name of the game. And, you know, so when you play against a team, yes, you got to chip on your shoulder.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: All right. Another one of transformer teams, Warriors in action against the Clippers last night, Gary Payton II blocked here by John Collins. That should have clearly been a goal-tend. Steph Curry then picks up his fifth foul on the other end, and Steve Kerr was just irate. He had to be held back. He picks up his second technical foul here, was ejected from the game.

Now, for the first time since 2021, Steph would foul out of an NBA game. He watched from the bench in the final seconds as Jimmy Butler misses a potential game winner right here, Clippers. Hold on to win that one 103-102.

Now, last night was the football championship subdivision national title game between Montana State and Illinois State. This was a wild one. We're going to pick it up in overtime, Tommy Rittenhouse to Dylan Lord here for a ten-yard touchdown.

[07:25:04]

Illinois State takes the lead.

But on the extra point, Montana State blocks it. So, now they're going to get the ball down by six. And on fourth in ten, Justin Lamson to Taco Dowler. We're all tied up, so an extra point now wins it and they make it. Montana State claims their first national title since 1984. Congrats to them.

All right, and, finally, it was another rough Black Monday for coaches around the NFL. Pete Carroll, Jonathan Gannon and Kevin Stefanski were all fired. Now, in all, there are now six job openings in the league, the Raiders, Cardinals, and Browns joining the Falcons, Titans, and Giants in the search for a new head coach.

And you know, Berman, Stefanski, a two-time coach of the year there for the Browns, he's expected to get many job interviews in this cycle. You know, I would not be surprised if he just immediately gets another job.

BERMAN: No. And then that may not have even been the most surprising decision by a pro football team in Ohio when the Bengals decided to keep their coach. I mean, maybe they've reversed it by the day.

SCHOLES: I guess Joe Burrow likes Zach Taylor, right? Yes, you don't want him to go anywhere. You got to keep Burrow happy.

BERMAN: Andy Scholes, thank you, got to keep you happy. I appreciate it.

SCHOLES: All right. BOLDUAN: John Berman, what is your opinion on that Bengals coach apparently?

BERMAN: I think it's -- the Bengals had a really disappointing season, like a very, very -- he seems like a very nice guy. The Browns coach is fantastic. I was surprised he was fired.

BOLDUAN: Again, John Berman should be the new coach of the Bengals.

BERMAN: That'd be great.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

BERMAN: That'd be awesome.

BOLDUAN: On his off time, since he is off T.V. for all of one hour a day.

President Trump set to speak this morning, meeting with House Republicans and expected to talk about the unfolding situation with Venezuela. When asked who runs that country in a new interview, President Trump had one word, quote, me.

And Cher's relationship advice for Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard. You might want to hear this one.

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