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1,500 Federal Troops on Standby for Possible Deployment to Minnesota; "60 Minutes" Finally Airs the Shelved "Inside CECOT" Segment; Pentagon Pauses Training for HIV-Positive Recruits; 3 U.S. Catholic Cardinals Issue Rare Rebuke of Trump Administration. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired January 19, 2026 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Today, some 1,500 active duty troops are said to be on standby for a possible deployment to Minnesota as the Twin Cities continue to reel in the wake of the deadly ICE shooting of Renee Goode. State officials have, of course, mobilized the National Guard. The National Guard is on standby there if needed.

Today, sources telling CNN the FBI briefly opened a civil rights investigation into the agent who shot and killed Renee Goode but then shifted the focus of that investigation to her. Joining me now is Aisha Gomez. She's a Democratic state representative in Minnesota.

Representative, it's good to have you with us this afternoon. As we look at everything that is unfolding in your city and in your state, frankly, a judge, of course, ruled late Friday that federal agents working in Operation Metro Surgeons, it's called, they're not allowed to arrest or retaliate against peaceful protesters. They are told not to use pepper spray to disperse crowds, not to stop people in their cars -- in their cars, rather, without cause.

Have you noticed over the last couple of days a change in those tactics?

AISHA GOMEZ, (D) MINNESOTA STATE REPRESENTATIVE: Well, thank you so much for having me. And I wish I could report that there had been a change in their tactics. But instead, what we've seen is a continued escalation against, you know, just regular people engaging in constitutionally protected activity that ICE and DHS and Customs and Border Patrol have been ordered not to use their brutal tactics against.

We've continued to see chemical munitions used against our residents. We've continued to see agents breaking people's car windows, taking them into custody for no particular reason. They'll detain them for a day and release them without charges, of course, because they're not violating the law.

So unfortunately, what we've seen is a continuation of what we've seen in this country over the last months, which is a federal administration that has no regard for the rule of law, no matter what a court or anyone else says. HILL: The governor, as I'm sure you're well aware, but just for the folks at home, Governor Walz, as well as Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, have urged the protesters to remain people peaceful. They don't want them taking the bait in their words. Do you agree with that approach from those leaders?

GOMEZ: Listen, you know, I am just so proud of our community right now. You'll see I'm wearing my whistle. A lot of us wear these around now.

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What we see in our community right now are people coming together and demonstrating the best and truest things about us as a city, about our state and about our country and about human beings, which is that in the face of threats, we are courageous and we stand up for each other, and we take care of each other. And so that's what I've seen.

I've seen just an outpouring of love and support and care. And that's how we that's how we fight back against an authoritarian, tyrannical regime on the march. We come together, we take care of each other, and we say, no, not in our city.

HILL: Do you believe there are other measures beyond that, right? Beyond the community coming together, beyond peaceful protest? You're saying you didn't see a change in the tactics, despite what we heard from the judge on Friday in your city.

Do you believe there's any legal recourse if you continue to see and document that behavior, those actions which a judge had said now have to stop?

GOMEZ: Well, I certainly hope so. As you know, our attorney general and our two largest cities have filed suit to stop this incursion, this invasion by heavily armed, brutal, violent secret police. I don't know how else to think about it.

I mean, they murdered my constituent in the street, extrajudicial like execution in the street of an American city. People have to understand what's going on here. And so absolutely, we are going to use every possible tool that we have, including the law, including the courts, because what we know is that this incursion into our city is lawless.

They want to make an example out of us, but this could be happening in any city around the country. And, you know, there are certainly what we've seen is, you know, Trump's use of National Guard in Illinois and Oregon, I believe, was struck down recently. We saw, as you said, this recent ruling telling them that they can't use these brutal tactics against our residents who are engaging in perfectly legal activity.

And so, you know, I am confident that all of the different arms of our government is joining with our community and using all of the tools that we have, whether it's an injunction or a whistle.

HILL: Minnesota State Representative Aisha Gomez, we appreciate it. Thank you for joining us this afternoon -- Danny. DANNY FREEMAN, CNN HOST: Last night, the public finally got to see that shelved 60 Minutes investigation into the treatment of Venezuelans deported to the brutal prison in El Salvador, known as CECOT. Now, the story was pulled last month by new CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, hours before it was set to air. Despite the story initially being approved, Weiss said it wasn't ready and needed further reporting.

Now, this move drew criticism from other CBS employees and the correspondent on the story, Sharyn Alfonsi, who accused CBS of corporate censorship. The piece ultimately aired last night with some changes that Weiss had wanted.

For more on this, we have CNN Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter. He joins us now. Brian, tell us, what are you hearing about how much the story that was actually aired actually changed from the original?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Right, very little of the reporting actually changed, very little of the report actually changed. The substance of the report that was produced in December aired in the exact same way that it was in December. However, correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi added some new reporting to the beginning and to the end.

That was her way of making it more up-to-date and her way of addressing the changes that Weiss wanted. But this was very much a culture clash inside CBS News, an editorial battle over what is appropriate and who decides. And the whole time there were these concerns about political interference or political pressure, given how President Trump has been vocally critical of 60 Minutes, given how the parent company Paramount has tried to ingratiate itself with President Trump.

All of that hanged over -- was hanging over this report as there was a battle to get it on the air. So ultimately, Sharyn Alfonsi, the correspondent, prevailed. She was able to get the report on the air the way she wanted it to.

But she did add some of the context that Weiss wanted by taping a new ending to the piece. This exposes an ongoing tug-of-war inside CBS and, like I said, and ongoing concerns about political interference.

FREEMAN: Brian, can you speak a little more about this? If the report itself essentially stayed the same, did Weiss give any clue as to why she felt the story was ultimately ready to air on Sunday?

STELTER: That's the thing. And I think part of the answer has to do with what happened last Thursday. Weiss was adamant that the team needed to try harder to get Trump administration officials on camera, on the air, defending the deportations of these Venezuelan men to El Salvador. That's one of the main things she said the report needed more of. More of that point of view.

Why did the Trump officials do it? Do they still support what happened? These men have alleged torture in the prison in El Salvador. How would the Trump administration respond? So last Thursday, Weiss had the 60 Minutes crew fly to Washington. She said she would line up an interview with someone like Kristi Noem or Tom Homan.

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Ultimately, though, no interview materialized that day, and the crew went home empty-handed. In some ways, this supported what Alfonsi said back in December. She argued that the administration was refusing to participate in the story in order to kill the story, in order to stop it from airing. And she was concerned that if you waited and you held out for an interview, that would be like giving the administration a kill switch to stop it from ever airing.

Weiss said that that was not what she was doing. She was not trying to spike the story. She was simply trying to get more reporting and more context added.

But the bottom line here was that there was a severe lack of trust between the CBS News NEWSROOM and the new leader, Bari Weiss. Weiss came in in October saying she wanted to help restore trust in American journalism and make CBS News more trusted. But she doesn't have the trust of the staff, or at least not of Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi.

So you had this kind of standoff between the journalist and the executive, and that's ultimately what came to a head here, where the journalist had her story air, but tensions remain very high at CBS now, and Alfonsi's contract is up in just a few months. Meanwhile, people can watch it for themselves. It's on CBS News' website.

And all of this controversy probably drew a lot more attention to the report in the first place.

FREEMAN: Well said. All right. Brian Stelter, thank you very much for that reporting. Appreciate it.

All right, still to come, the Pentagon pauses its new policy allowing HIV-positive recruits to begin military training, triggering uncertainty for those hoping to enlist.

Stay with us.

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FREEMAN: A new order from the Pentagon put a pause on initial training for new military recruits who are living with HIV. CNN has also learned that a decision is expected in the next few weeks on reinstating a ban on their enlistment in the first place.

Now a federal appeals court is expected to weigh in after shelving a 2024 ruling that blocked the Pentagon from rejecting recruits solely because of their asymptomatic status. But it's not clear immediately how many recruits will be prevented from undergoing their training. I want to discuss this topic now with Javier Munoz. He's an HIV AIDS

activist and of course the actor who played Alexander Hamilton in the Broadway production of Hamilton after Lin-Manuel Miranda. Javier, thank you so much for being with us today. I really do appreciate it.

I want to start with the top line here. What's your reaction to hearing that the Pentagon is pausing initial training for people living with HIV?

JAVIER MUNOZ, HIV/AIDS ACTIVIST AND ACTOR: That it is not based on medical fact, plain and simple. People like myself living with HIV who have access to treatment can achieve and maintain an undetectable status. What that means is I and anyone else who has access to our daily treatment cannot transmit the virus to anyone else.

And that one a day pill that I take that many people take allows me to live a perfectly healthy, perfectly strong, normal life with no side effects. There's absolutely no reason a person who wishes to be in the military who's living with HIV cannot do so. They are absolutely, everyone who wants to do so is military ready, period.

FREEMAN: Well and to your point, that's not just your opinion. A federal judge ruled on this two years ago saying that modern science has quote, transformed the treatment of HIV and that quote, asymptomatic HIV positive service members with undetectable viral loads are capable of performing all of their military duties including worldwide deployment. Now of course, as I noted at the top, an appeals court has not made a final decision on this.

But I mean simply, do you concur specifically with that ruling that someone living with HIV can fulfill all of their, I would imagine, very intense military duties?

MUNOZ: Yes, I do agree with that. I live that. That is my reality.

I'm not in the military, but I am someone living with HIV and I do take one pill a day. It allows me to maintain my undetectable status and my physical abilities, and my health and wellness are as vibrant and strong as they were on the days that I was still performing Hamilton on the Broadway stage. So this really just isn't rooted in fact.

And the risk here is that a ruling such as this will ripple out and set a precedent. And so entities anywhere and everywhere can then follow suit and allow discrimination towards people like myself living with HIV in a varied amount of forms. So this should not be a thing.

This should, medical fact is undetectable, is un-transmittable. I cannot give this virus to anyone else and I'm perfectly healthy.

FREEMAN: Javier, I'm curious your perspective on this. What message do you think this sends to service members perhaps who are already enlisted who may be living with HIV?

MUNOZ: I think it sends a terrible message, actually. One of fear, one that's rooted in fear and one that's rooted in bigotry and discrimination. And it is simply untrue.

I feel for anyone who is in that situation, in the military, living with HIV and having to experience this. We've been through this so many times. This is not the first time we have to fight this fight.

And I mean we, those of us living with HIV and or AIDS and are in this arena advocating for this cause. Right now also, HIV funding is being attacked nationwide.

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You know, access to treatment is being attacked and that access, my access to my treatment means whether, determines whether I live or I die. And that is not exaggeration, hyperbole, metaphor. That is fact. I need access to my medication and my services and treatment as do anyone in the -- as does anyone in the military who is living with HIV.

That access allows us to literally keep living and it does not hinder us in any way to be receiving that treatment.

FREEMAN: Javier, I just want to drill down on something you just mentioned there because in Florida, health departments, the health department there estimates 10,000 people are about to lose access to affordable HIV medication due in part to deep cuts to the state's federally funded AIDS drug assistance program. These programs and medications, as you noted, can help save lives, keep people alive. Just talk to us about the potential impact of that for Floridians.

MUNOZ: It is life and death, period. This is not an exaggeration. ADAPT is a program that I myself was a recipient of in New York City where I am born and raised.

That shift in Florida for those Floridians who are living with HIV, for anyone who loves a family member or any sort of loved one who is living with HIV, this is life and death. This is access to treatment. My one a day pill allows me to literally stay alive and that is the truth for anyone living with HIV who maintains access to their treatment.

And without the proper funding, HIV funding, the resources required for people like myself to afford our medication, to afford our access to services and treatment means life and death. This is simply, to be quite honest, and I have to just say this, it's murder. That's what this is.

Any sort of denial of access to treatment is going to kill people living with HIV. That's what this is.

FREEMAN: Well, Javier Munoz, I really do appreciate you coming on and sharing your perspective on this story that is impacting many. Appreciate your time.

MUNOZ: Thank you.

FREEMAN: Still to come, three American cardinals call out the Trump administration's foreign policy in a new joint statement. You're not going to want to miss it. Those details coming up next.

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HILL: This just in, three U.S. cardinals questioning America's moral leadership in this moment. In a joint statement, the church leaders from Chicago, Newark, and Washington, D.C. are urging the administration to use a moral compass when dealing with foreign policy matters, specifically citing the U.S. military action in Venezuela, Trump's threats to acquire Greenland, as well as federal cuts to foreign aid, all of which they say only increase the possibility of widespread suffering.

Joining us is CNN religion contributor, Father Edward Beck. Father Beck, always good to talk to you. When we look at this, just to put it in perspective, this statement also echoes some recent concerns that we heard from Pope Leo. When it comes to what we typically hear in terms of U.S. Catholic history, if you will, how extraordinary is it for the Pope and for these leaders here in the U.S. to be speaking out in a moment like this?

REV. EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGION CONTRIBUTOR: I think it's rather extraordinary, Erica, because sometimes the Pope and some of the bishops have not always agreed, so the bishops would tend to stay silent. In this, three of the most senior Catholic cardinals have said and questioned this extraordinary joint statement, questioning America's leadership for the first time since the Cold War ended, its moral leadership. And we know that Pope Leo has made similar claims.

So the fact that they're in solidarity with this, and we know that Pope Leo agrees with these cardinals, I think that's an extraordinary moment in itself. It hasn't always happened.

HILL: What does it say about this moment for the Catholic Church in an even larger context?

BECK: Well, I think it says that the Catholic Church is getting back to its real roots of social justice policy. I mean, Catholic social teaching is based in human dignity, the common good, solidarity with the vulnerable. And so this is what Catholic teaching is supposed to be about.

Recently, we've, in the not-too-distant past, focused on a lot of the hot-button social issues. But now we're back to these, you know, real human and social justice issues, global and actually domestic. And I think in some ways it's affecting Catholics in the United States.

HILL: One of the most well-known Catholics in this country, of course, is Vice President Vance. He is very open about his Catholic faith. How important it is to him. Do you think any part of this message is aimed directly at influencing the vice president?

BECK: Well, I would say it's directed at influencing all of those who are putting forth these policies. Cardinal Tobin had an interesting statement. He said, when President Trump said that he's guided by his own morality and we don't need international law, Cardinal Tobin said that this is practically Darwinian, that it's the powerful survive and the weak don't deserve to.

And so I think that in some ways, yes, it's a repudiation of part of what Vance has said, but not only Vance. There are other leaders in this country, including what's happening right now in our own country here in the United States, who have spoken against this kind of policy. And so I think that it's being addressed to many people, not just ...

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