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More Than Two Dozen States In The Path Of Major Winter Storm; Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) On ICE Memo Authorizing Officers To Enter Homes Without Judge's Warrant; Trump On Greenland: We Have A "Concept Of A Deal." Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired January 22, 2026 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:30:55]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Happening now what could be one of the most extreme winter storms in years. Half the country is preparing, and if you're not preparing, you should be. With 125 million people -- actually, I've heard estimates north of 200 million people now from the Plains to the East Coast in the path. Huge snowfalls expected and deadly ice that could wipe out power and completely halt travel in major cities. This is a big one, so pay attention.

Let's get right to CNN's Allison Chinchar for the latest on what we're hearing, Allison.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. So you take a look at the map here and you can see all of the areas shaded in blue, pink or even purple are under some type of winter weather alert from this system. And again, it stretches from New Mexico all the way up to New York State. You're talking a large population that could be impacted by this particular storm. And the reason for that is all of the cold air that's going to be in place before the low pressure system even arrives.

You can see all of these areas under those extreme cold alerts, including the watches, the warnings, and advisories -- again, just to show how cold that air is going to be. And obviously, the coldest is going to be in the Northern Plains and the Midwest. But look at this map as it drags that cold air all the way down into some southern cities, which is why you have some of this snow and ice reaching places that you normally wouldn't see it.

Now, once we get to Friday evening, that low pressure really starts to set up across the southern tier of the country and starts to see some of that changing over into snow and ice in places like Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. By the time we get to Saturday morning you can see it starting to spread eastward but also expanding. Look at how much more purple and pink is on this map than just 12 hours prior.

Then you start making your way through the rest of day Saturday and into early Sunday. Now you start to see more of it sliding into areas of the mid-Atlantic, the Carolinas, even into portions of Georgia. And then also notice some of that wraparound along the back side of that system where that cold air really starts to get pulled down.

So yes, even places like Dallas, Shreveport, Louisiana -- places you don't normally see things like this could end up seeing some pretty significant amounts of snow and ice creeping into these areas even as we go through the rest of the day on Sunday.

So here is a look at the snowfall totals. This is just snow only. Look at some of these areas. The dark pink, 12 to 18 inches, and then this very deep purpose color right through here, 18 to 24 inches of snow. Now, while those types of amounts won't necessarily be widespread, for the communities that are impacted you're going to see significant impacts, including the potential for very prolonged power outages.

And then farther south, especially where you're going to get mostly ice as opposed to rain or even snow, you could be looking at ice accumulations of three-quarters of an inch -- maybe even an inch of ice total. Again, when you have that much ice accumulation on things like trees and power lines, that can cause significant power outages -- again, not just for a day or two but in some cases, guys, it could linger for several days of having your power out.

BERMAN: Yeah. The ice is just going to be a huge problem. Then you're talking a foot and a half of snow in places like New York and Philadelphia. This is, as I said, a major, major storm. We are going to keep on it over the next couple of days.

Allison Chinchar, thank you very much.

You know, one place where there's some weather now where it's very, very cold is Minnesota, and that's where our Sara Sidner is. Good morning to you.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, John. Yeah, it is extremely frigid here.

We are standing outside of the federal building, which has been the subject of, of course, protests for many, many days now. You are seeing a difference here with much more security, including these very high fences that they have recently put up.

And in the midst of all of this, this is a really polarized community who is dealing with a lot. Some citizens say they feel like their city is under siege by ICE where there are triple the number of ICE agents here than there are, for example, local police officers in the city.

And there is a lot to be discussed as Vice President Vance is expected to land here in the city and have meetings with local leaders and community leaders, though we do not yet know who those people are that are supposed to meet with Vance.

[07:35:00]

But there are a lot of tensions very high here after some of what transpired over these last few days, including what happened yesterday where you're seeing the head of ICE operations throwing a gas canister at protesters who he believed got too close after warning them, and after an appeals court has allowed ICE to continue with its aggressive tactics against protesters. You're seeing some of that video play out now.

I do want to bring in now Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. Thank you so much for being here.

You have been watching very closely what is happening here in Minneapolis from your vantage point. And we just got this new information overnight. The Associated Press was the first to report that ICE is changing its policy and it is now allowing its agents to forcibly enter homes without a warrant. And I just want to be clear, based solely on a more narrow administrative warrant to arrest someone on a final order of removal.

Do you think this sharp turn from ICE's policy and from normal policing tactics is a violation of the Constitution's Fourth Amendment?

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): It is a blatant, craven violation of the Fourth Amendment -- a bedrock protection for people in the privacy of their homes. Americans should be terrified that this secret ICE policy authorizes agents to break down doors and ransack through their homes, arresting or detaining people without a judicial warrant.

There's a critical difference between that administrative warrant, which is signed by an ICE officer or a deportation official, and a judicial warrant where a judge and a court have to find that there is a cause -- probable cause to enter someone's home.

And this shocking policy is linked directly to top officials of ICE. In fact, the acting director of ICE authored this secret memo, and it is being circulated throughout ICE. It is trained to new agents potentially on the job out there in Minnesota. It exemplifies what Americans are seeing in real time.

And it's part of a pattern that I documented in a report that I did interviewing dozens of American citizens illegally detained. Lawlessly deprived of opportunities for medical treatment, for making phone calls. And that's why the whistleblower came to us with this memorandum as part of our investigation on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which is going to continue. We're going to demand accountability for this lawless violation of the Fourth Amendment.

SIDNER: What should that accountability look like? Are you looking, as some legislators are, to defund ICE? Do you think that ICE should be hemmed in in some way?

We are seeing reports here of ICE going into businesses who have been publicly condemning them and saying that is the reason why they have come into their businesses -- to intimidate them. We have also seen a man pulled out in his underwear in the cold who turned out to be a U.S. citizen. ICE detaining him as well.

What is it that you are proposing should happen to ICE because of all these scenarios?

BLUMENTHAL: I've written letters to the chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the Homeland Security Committee demanding that Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, be called before our committee and be held accountable.

Also, that we attach conditions to the new appropriations bill forbidding this kind of warrantless breaking into homes, terrifying children, ransacking bedrooms, and taking people, as you just suggested. Specific instances of American citizens being detained. That individual taken from his home in his underwear into the cold, driven around St. Paul for two or slightly fewer hours, and then returned without an explanation, without an apology.

This kind of entering and breaking into people's homes without any judicial oversight or approval has to be stopped and it will take probably my Republicans stepping up and showing that their valuing human rights really means something in practice, not just in rhetoric. My Republicans have to grow a backbone here and hold ICE accountable in hearings and in specific language attached to appropriations bills.

[07:40:05]

SIDNER: Speaking of Republicans, Vice President JD Vance is coming to Minneapolis amidst all of this. Why do you think he's here now and what would be your message to him?

BLUMENTHAL: My message to JD Vance, as a fellow Yale Law School graduate, is respect the Constitution. Obey the Fourth Amendment. Direct that Kristi Noem respect the law because it is such a bedrock principle. As he well knows, the Constitution of the United States is not a suggestion; it's the law.

And as a former prosecutor myself -- a United States attorney in Connecticut for 4 1/2 years, as well as attorney general of the state for 20 years -- I worked with agents of the federal, state, and local governments and cooperation among them is essential.

My message to JD Vance is include state and local police and law enforcement. Don't exclude them. And urge them to follow the Constitution and seek a judicial warrant. The judges are available. Those federal judges are ready, willing, and able when it is justified to sign a warrant. Do not rely on those deportation officials to sign some administrative piece of paper.

SIDNER: Yeah. And as you know, one police chief here says that his own officers have been detained by ICE, potentially unconstitutionally.

We will see what happens as the vice president lands here. Thank you for your time, Senator. We do appreciate it -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much, Sara.

Right now, President Trump is wrapping up his time in Davos and when he departs, he is leaving behind big announcements and also big questions and confusion. The world is really standing by still for more detail on the president's framework of a future deal, as it has been described, on Greenland that he announced yesterday.

Overnight, NATO's chief said what he discussed with President Trump calls for NATO allies to increase their Arctic security measures.

And here is what else is known. A source tells CNN the framework includes renegotiating the 1951 agreement over U.S. military presence there. And a NATO official tells CNN the alliances discussed - has discussed Denmark possibly allowing America to build more military bases on land considered sovereign U.S. territory.

Still unclear what this means for the core of what Trump wanted to acquire -- own Greenland -- and the role of rare earth minerals and what that plays in all of this. That's a huge question as well.

Here is President Trump's new take.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will have all -- everything we want. We're getting everything we want at no cost.

MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX BUSINESS ANCHOR: So the -- so the Golden Dome will be on Greenland?

TRUMP: A piece of it, yes, and it's a very important part because it's everything comes over Greenland. If the bad guys start shooting it comes over Greenland, so we knock it down. It's pretty infallible. It's amazing.

You know, Ronald Reagan had the idea a long time ago, but we didn't have any technology at that point. The concept was great but there was no technology. Now we have unbelievable technology. I mean, virtually 100 percent.

BARTIROMO: So what are we talking about? An acquisition of Greenland? Are you going to pay for it? I mean --

TRUMP: We're talking about -- it's really being negotiated now -- the details of it. But essentially, it's total access. It's -- there's no end. There's no time limit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Joining us right now is the former U.S. ambassador to the European Union in Trump's first term, Gordon Sondland. Ambassador, thanks for coming back.

Looking back at what you projected and predicted on Monday, you largely called it when you were on our show on Monday that he wouldn't use military force. He announced that. That he would focus on a way to box out Russia and China. It seems to be motivating this. And also, you did say this. He's not doing a great job explaining what he's doing and there is really no detail of what's actually -- what we're actually getting here that's new from backing down.

Is it clear to you? GORDON SONDLAND, FORMER AMBASSADOR TO THE EUROPEAN UNION, FOUNDER AND CEO, PROVENANCE HOTELS: Oh, yeah. So I got one right, huh?

BOLDUAN: (Laughing).

SONDLAND: Yeah.

BOLDUAN: You got lots right.

SONDLAND: No, he --

BOLDUAN: You got lots right on that.

SONDLAND: Yeah, thank you. Thank you, yeah. Sara was looking at me the other day saying zero percent that we're going to invade, and I would say that was pretty close.

Look, the issue here is Trump brought this up in his first term and he did it in the way that I think the loyal opposition would have appreciated. It was quiet. It was gentle through our ambassador to Greenland and got nowhere. And that we before Golden Dome was really fleshed out in terms of its details.

[07:45:00]

This is all about Golden Dome and it's all about making sure that once we put billions of dollars of equipment on Greenland that something doesn't change politically, and we're asked to remove it. So I think he's going to wind up with some sovereign real estate. The rare earths I think are secondary.

But it's unfortunate Kate that Trump has to be so hyperbolic and so draconian in order to get Europe to focus on any issue. Gentle and quiet, and diplomatic does not work. They just play rope-a-dope.

BOLDUAN: The question though is what is new that is going to be had that isn't already allowed in previous agreements, like the 1951 agreement over U.S. military presence there?

I mean, we've heard from many Danish lawmakers and lawmakers in Greenland as well saying there is no fight over having U.S. military presence on the island. There is one base. You could talk about reopening the many that were already closed down on Greenland.

So that's what is unclear because the court -- the central issue -- and Trump reiterated this from the podium yesterday when he said what he wants when it comes to Greenland, very clearly including right, title and ownership. He's not getting that.

SONDLAND: Well, that's B.S. and he knows that, and the Danes know that, and the Greenlanders know that. Everyone knows that.

What he is really getting here is once we own parts of Greenland on a sovereign basis for our bases then Russia and China really are going to be boxed out, which they're not currently under the treaty. And that's really the endgame here because the Europeans have a long

and treasured history when it comes to China and Russia of being a little bit squishy when something comes up that they like -- that, you know, involves a business deal or involves something that they don't think is insidious -- they'll make a deal.

This prevents that, and it prevents it legally and psychologically because once we have sovereign territory on Greenland, I think Russia and China are going to see that Greenland is game over. They don't have a shot there anymore, and that's really what Trump is looking at. And it's 10, 20, 30 years out. It's not today or tomorrow.

BOLDUAN: Um, I want to ask you about the real impact and maybe lasting impact that this has on relationships with Western allies, with NATO, with the EU, as you were -- you were critical of getting them to move by using nice language. By being quiet and negotiating in I would say a more traditional sense, saying that they play rope-a-dope all the time.

But what is clear -- one thing that seems clear is that Trump departing Davos is -- he was very clear about his disdain for NATO again. His derision of NATO allies from that stage and that it does seem to have left a real mark in a way that's different this time.

You heard from the prime minister of Canada, and then the German chancellor just today, who said old order is unraveling at a breathtaking pace in this world. Let me play this for you, Ambassador.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: The United States' global pole position is being challenged, and Washington reacts by radically reshaping its foreign and security policy. We have entered a time of great power politics. The international order of the past three decades anchored in international law has always been imperfect. Today, its very foundations have been shaken.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Ambassador, do you think there is -- that damage is done that won't be, I don't know, repaired with a tweet saying I'm not going to do the tariffs that I had threatened?

SONDLAND: No. These are crocodile tears. This comes from a country which, by the way, is the country of my parents' birth. I'm a dual German American citizen so I feel like I have a special pass to say this. I love Germany, I love Europe.

But look, this comes from the country that looked me in the eye from a previous chancellor and said Russia will never invade Europe and Russia will never turn off our energy. That's why we like Nord Stream 2.

This goes back to my earlier point, Kate, about they like to be squishy when there's something in there to their benefit. And that's why Trump is drawing a hard line and he's right to do it. And I think Democrat and Republican leaders 10, 20, 30 years from now when Trump is long gone will thank him for this.

BOLDUAN: Very interesting.

Ambassador Sondland, thanks for coming back in -- John.

[07:50:00]

BERMAN: All right. New this morning a warning from the CEO of Anthropic, best known as the maker of the AI chatbot Claude. In a new interview with The Wall Street Journal, CEO Dario Amodei says he is both excited and worried by AI's potential.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DARIO AMODEI, CEO, ANTHROPIC: The nightmare would be there's like this emerging zeroth world country of, like, 10 million people that's like seven million people in the -- in, like, Silicon Valley and, you know, three million people kind of scattered throughout. That, you know, is kind of forming its own economy and is becoming decoupled or disconnected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right. CNN tech reporter Clare Duffy is with us now. So why are his comments causing such a stir?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Well -- so we saw at Davos AI was obviously one of the top conversations and we really saw the full spectrum of AI doomerism, as you hear there -- some of these scary nightmare scenarios that leaders in this industry have laid out to AI boomerism where there is optimism and there is potential with this technology.

And there were discussions about some of the top issues surrounding AI right now. Obviously, AI's impact on jobs and the economy was a big part of the conversation. Competition with China. When we will reach potentially AGI or superintelligence.

And I think we are really hearing these sort of diverging points of view from different leaders in this industry. On the jobs issue, as you hear Dario talking about there, we could see massive wealth inequality, which is one sort of take on this issue.

On the other hand you have somebody like NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang, who has talked about potential jobs boom because of AI. Take a listen to what he said at Davos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENSEN HUANG, CEO, NVIDIA: This is the largest infrastructure buildout in human history and that's going to -- that's going to create a lot of jobs. And it's wonderful that the jobs are related to trade craft and we're going to have plumbers, and electricians, and construction, and steel workers. We're seeing quite a significant boom in this area.

(END VIDEO CLIP) DUFFY: Now I don't know if that's going to be cold comfort if you are a lawyer or a data analyst who doesn't have training in those trade jobs.

So I think we're starting to see again this divergence -- again, on something with -- like with the competition with China. Jensen Haung has talked about how America should be shipping high-powered AI chips to China because it's better for the country if foreign technologies are built on an American tech stack.

But then again, you have Dario Amodei who is saying that Trump's decision to allow sales of advanced AI chips to China has incredible national security implications. He called it "crazy." He said, "It's a bit like sending nuclear weapons to North Korea."

So again, I think all of this speaks to the need for us to take with some grain of salt these extreme warnings on either end because clearly, nobody even within the industry can agree on what the outcome is going to be here.

And I think another important point too is that all of these leaders have an incentive --

BERMAN: Sure.

DUFFY: -- to talk up the extreme outcomes here, whether they're good or bad. They point to the idea that they have very powerful technology, which is good for fundraising.

BERMAN: They all have extreme self-interest in all of this.

Clare Duffy, great to see you this morning --

DUFFY: Thank you.

BERMAN: -- on the subject of superintelligence -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yeah.

Ahead, a critical day in the double murder trial that started as an affair with a family's au pair and witnesses that we now expect from the defense attorney today.

And a big change for one of the most popular cooking shows on the planet. New reporting on who could replace judge Prue Leith on "THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW."

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[07:56:47]

BOLDUAN: Happening today, the defense will be making its case in the double murder trial of Brendan Banfield. He is the Virginia man accused of plotting with his -- with the family's au pair to kill his wife and frame another man for her murder. Banfield appeared emotional, as you're seeing video here, in court

yesterday as jurors watched police body camera video from the day that his wife was stabbed to death in their bedroom. So much going on here.

Joining us now is CNN's Jean Casarez, who has been following every moment of it for us. What are we expecting today?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the defense started -- today they're starting the theme --

BOLDUAN: Um-hum.

CASAREZ: -- to show that the investigation was tainted and it was biased, and they wanted to pin it on Brendan Banfield.

But yesterday they started the case with a bang because they wanted to personalize the defendant. So body camera video was shown to the jury, and the attorneys, and the defendant. We just heard it. But it's when Brendan Banfield went to the hospital with an officer. Got to hospital. His wife was still alive. They were working on her to save her. But then the moment comes. The doctor goes to him and tells him that she has passed.

Listen to this video and listen to his reaction at the hospital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOCTOR: Hi, sir. Uh, my name is (INAUDIBLE) and I'm one of the doctors here. Um, your wife has died.

BRENDAN BANFIELD, ACCUSED OF DOUBLE MURDER: (Crying).

DOCTOR: I'm so sorry. I think that she died of blood loss. Her airway was actually OK. I'll call the medical examiner, of course, and we'll do an autopsy and make sure we know for certain.

BANFIELD: Yes, ma'am.

DOCTOR: But --

BANFIELD: I was trying to apply pressure.

DOCTOR: Yeah. I mean, those were enormous wounds and, you know, it's not -- the neck --

BANFIELD: There were so many tears, so many --

DOCTOR: Yes, and the neck is not compressible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: They heard him crying. They watched him. The jury is now assessing this emotion in him.

But furthermore, the digital forensics examiner from Fairfax County, who was in charge of everything for digital forensics -- he was removed from the case, and this is fact. He came out with a report that said that his investigation showed that Christine Banfield always maintained the control of her devices. He was taken off the case. He was put in another division. And he took the stand for the defense yesterday talking about that he was removed because of his findings on this case.

Now his report was actually correct. It was done early on. And if Juliana's story is to be believed -- the au pair -- that they took her devices in the house and they manipulated them --

BOLDUAN: Right.

CASAREZ: -- to show that Christine was communicating with this sexual website, then his report was right. But he didn't know at the time. He knew that it was in the house when Christine was there and that the device was manipulated.

Now other homicide investigators were taken off the case for similar reasons. I believe the defense is going to keep focusing on this investigation. That is was biased, it was tainted. If you don't agree with our theory to get Brendan Banfield, you're off the case. You are put in another division.

We'll see how it goes.

BOLDUAN: Wow.

CASAREZ: But that could impact things.

BOLDUAN: Well again, this is another turn in what we've already seen as they have been laying out their cases.

CASAREZ: Yeah.

BOLDUAN: Really interesting.

Jean, thank you so much.

You can watch Jean's live coverage on CNN All Access on cnn.com and the CNN app. There is so much going on, and Jean has been doing an amazing job covering it all.