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Ken Graham is Interviewed about the Winter Storm; John Sandweg is Interviewed about ICE in Minnesota; Jury Acquits Former Uvalde Officer; Trist in Redistricting Battle; Dr. Janna R. Gewirtz O'Brien is Interviewed about Medical Crisis Due to ICE. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired January 22, 2026 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Pushed by Republicans, but also how clearly and cleanly Jack Smith can explain, wait a second, you can have your disputes with the special council investigation. But on that point, nothing to see here.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Elliott Williams, great to see you. This is all going to be starting up on Capitol Hill in just a matter of hours. Thank you so much.

Also this morning, we are tracking a dangerous storm that could hit more than half the country. The forecast now of the ice and heavy snow that is ahead. We're bringing you that.

And doctors now warning that a medical crisis is unfolding in Minneapolis. And it's linked to the ICE operations there. Agents, they say, staking out clinics. DHS officials are now responding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: So, one of the worst winter storms in years is headed for the eastern half of the United States this weekend. One hundred and twenty-five million people are facing a winter storm watch, and states are already starting to prepare. The big worry, ice accumulation. And some areas could see up to a foot of snow. And then add into that these record-breaking low temps that are expected. It's like a trifecta of danger. And this comes on top of storms already hitting the upper Midwest, like a blizzard in Minnesota Wednesday.

Joining me right now is Ken Graham, director of the National Weather Service, assistant administrator with NOAA, with some much needed perspective on this.

What is your view on this, Ken? How dangerous is it and why?

KEN GRAHAM, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR FOR WEATHER SERVICES, NOAA: Oh, good to see you, Kate.

Look, in 31 years working for NOAA, there's only a handful of times that I can remember watches and warnings stretching 2,000 miles, right? And, you know, you look at that, and half the country's population is going to see some sort of winter weather impact. So, you think about travel. You think of the dangers outside.

This -- like you were saying, this is a triple impact, right? It's the snow. Some areas getting a foot of snow. Some areas getting the ice. So, south of that snow are areas that are going to get up to an inch of ice. That brings down power lines. That brings power outages to people.

[08:35:01]

And the other part is the record-breaking cold. Minus 50 wind chill factor for parts of the upper Midwest and zero wind chill all the way down to the Gulf Coast. So, this isn't going away. Even after the snow falls, even after the ice is on the ground, with that prolonged cold, it's going to be around a while, so that's going to impact travel, and it's going to be really a big impact to folks in the whole country.

BOLDUAN: For some reason, for me, it's always ice that is the scariest. What it can do. How long-lasting the damage can be. How almost invisible it can be in places. And then when you add in these low temps, there is like a temperature at which most of the ice melt like stops working. Like, there is -- there is a lot going on here.

GRAHAM: And especially with this storm. I mean there's so much moisture associated with this storm. So, it's not just the cold, it's actually tapping in moisture that comes from the Pacific and the Gulf Coast. So, that's what makes this an incredibly dangerous situation. So, getting a half inch of ice, getting an inch of ice, at first it's like, maybe that doesn't seem like too much, but it is. That's a lot of weight on power lines. That's a lot of weight on rooftops. And it's incredibly dangerous. Trees will topple.

So, if you think about it, it is the ice that is the big danger. So, think about your -- the power outages that could occur. Get the pets inside. And I -- Kate, I really wanted to tell everybody too, I've been doing this a long time. And at the National Hurricane Center, when I was director, generator use. People will have power outages and we've got to remember to use the generators properly. Keep them safe. Keep them outdoors. And really plan on prolonged power outages. So, have supplies and get ready for this one. It's a big event and expansive. I mean from New Mexico to -- all the way to New England we'll see some of the snow and ice. So, just an incredible impact across the board.

BOLDUAN: I -- because I was going to ask you, could this storm still shift? And I -- I guess the answer is, it doesn't matter because it's so big. It's still going to hit everybody almost.

GRAHAM: Yes, the analysis -- you know, you watch all the analysis and it's a little bit north, a little bit south, a little bit this. That's -- the weather does that, right? I mean it shifts like that. And we -- we're throwing everything at it, Kate. We actually sent the hurricane hunters into the storm. So, we have the NOAA hurricane hunters, the P- 3, and we sent the Air Force, the C-130s out to go look at that low pressure system out by Baja and the Pacific, really trying to gauge that data to get into the models, because every degree matters, right? You could get a little further south, a little a little far -- you know, further to the north, that can change everything.

But the reality is, we have to be ready. You can't really bank your preparedness on those small, little wiggles.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely right. Absolutely right.

Ken, it's very good to see you. Thank you so much for coming in. I really appreciate it. Something very important for everyone to watch as we head into this weekend.

Let's get back now to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where one of the places that has been hit already and is frigid there today.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Yes, we're already seeing some snow flurries, but it is about to get downright dangerously cold here.

That is not stopping some of the protesters, though, from coming out. We have already seen one already before the sun ever came out standing outside of where we are with the federal building behind us.

We are noticing that it is more fortified here. Surrounding the building you are seeing much higher fences that have been put up that were not here before.

This is all also in anticipation of the vice president expected to land here, meet with ICE, who he's been very complimentary of and supportive of, but also having a roundtable, the White House says, with local community leaders and members of the local community as well. So, we are waiting for that.

But in the meantime, there has been this revelation from an internal memo that was leaked by a whistleblower that basically allows ICE agents to forcibly enter homes without a warrant based solely on a more narrow administrative warrant to arrest someone who has a final order of removal.

And joining us now to talk through this with us is John Sandweg. He is the former acting director of ICE.

I'm so glad to have you here to talk us through this. Can you give us some example, or some idea of what the policy was beforehand when it came to getting a warrant and entering a home, and this new policy that has been apparently given to all of these new ICE agents who are coming out into communities?

JOHN SANDWEG, FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR FOR ICE: Yes, so this is a radical change in existing ICE policy. Look, longstanding policy and interpretation of the constitutional requirement was that you cannot forcibly enter a home without a warrant issued by a judge, a federal judge or a magistrate judge.

Now, that -- the reason why that's so important here is two things. One is, getting those warrants is not so easy. You have to swear out an affidavit. It's very detailed. Stand before the judge. And not until the judge issues that warrant. So, historically, ICE just has not, in civil immigration enforcement operations, really has never or very rarely obtained those warrants.

But, of course, as operations like Minneapolis are going on, as we've seen this across the country, immigrant rights groups have been advising individuals of this very fact.

[08:40:06]

ICE cannot forcibly enter your home. And so, while ICE's tactics historically have been a knock on the door and encourage you to walk out of the house and we'll make the arrest on your front steps without forcibly entering, these groups have been advising people, don't step out of your house. So, ICE is now struggling with that. And I think this is a byproduct of that, right? They're going to change the interpretation of the -- well, not the Constitution, but of the various cases interpreting the Fourth Amendment's requirements and now use these -- these warrants to kind of bang in the doors.

But let me just say very quickly, these warrants are dramatically different from what you see in a judicially authorized warrant, right? The level of detail, this is just a form where they check a few boxes and fill out the names.

So, this is a shocking development. Obviously, it's going to -- they're going to face litigation quickly. I would be very surprised if this is ultimately deemed, you know, consistent with the Fourth Amendment's requirements.

SIDNER: Yes, I was just going to ask you if you thought that this was a real clear violation of the Fourth Amendment, as we have heard from Senator Blumenthal, who says, to him, it is.

I do want to lastly ask you about what is happening with American citizens here. We have seen several incidents, one in which there is video of a man who has been taken out of his home. He is in his underwear. He's standing in the freezing cold. He is taken by ICE. And then it turns out later that he is a U.S. citizen. So, he is simply dropped off a couple hours later.

We are hearing that happen over and over again. We're also hearing and -- from businesses who say that when they publicly stand up against ICE, say something against ICE, or support the protesters who were here standing up against ICE, that they are being targeted by ICE.

What do you make of this, these kinds of actions where they're taking in citizens and then randomly dropping them off and the citizens are saying, look, they're not apologizing. They're not saying anything. Is there action that you would expect from these citizens who have been detained by ICE?

SANDWEG: I think there are a couple of things going on here. I mean, first, you have mistakes being made in cases, like that case of the gentleman pulled out of his house, right? There are -- there are the immigration enforcement operations. And I think when you put the agency under this pressure, and it's all about numbers, racking up numbers so we can sit up there at a press conference saying we've arrested this many or that many, you're going to increase the likelihood of mistakes. And I know everyone in the administration likes to say these are targeted operations. These are not targeted in the way that the agency did targeted operations for over -- you know, 20 years of its existence before the last, you know, really nine months.

But the problem is that in cases like that, a rush to judgment, get in there, I don't know if there's a judicial warrant there or if it was one of these administrative warrants, but breaking into someone's home and then making an arrest and all of that is a byproduct of this pressure we put under -- the agents under.

The second issue, though, of course, is how they interpret interfering with law enforcement operations. And this goes back to what we've talked about before. ICE historically does not police protests. Border Patrol certainly does not police protests. And it's a difficult thing to police because this is something that's protected by the First Amendment. You have a right to assemble to, you know, to free -- to speech, right? You have this freedom of speech and assembly. And where does that line cross where you now impede a federal agent? Unfortunately, we've seen this very aggressive interpretation where any -- a lot of these protesters, they say that crosses the line, the arresting of American citizens for what is, in many cases, probably is protected speech.

SIDNER: Yes. I mean, it is really fascinating to have you, as a former acting director of ICE, say that this is such a huge departure from the way that ICE has acted over the past many decades that you were familiar with. And now seeing this internal memo allowing them to go into homes without a warrant.

We will be talking to you more ahead, but I do thank you for your expertise. It is really important at this time.

SANDWEG: (INAUDIBLE).

SIDNER: And I will toss it back to John and Kate, as we are sitting here in the freezing cold waiting for the vice president to come to speak with ICE and community leaders. Believe me, there will be a lot of reaction from that.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: No, it will be a big day. But speaking of the cold, Sara, I was looking at the forecast. That's minus 15 where you're standing tomorrow at this time. So, get a hat.

All right, in the meantime, new this morning, a former Uvalde school police officer has been found not guilty of abandoning and endangering the victims of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. This was the moment the jury's verdict was read.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The state of Texas versus Adrian Gonzales. In each of the 29 counts, we, the jury, find the defendant, Adrian Gonzales, not guilty

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Prosecutors had argued he did nothing to stop the gunman in the early moments of the shooting in May of 2022. Nineteen students and two teachers were killed.

CNN's Shimon Prokupecz has been covering this story from that very day. He is in Texas this morning.

I do know it was an emotional night, Shimon.

[08:45:02]

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it was awful. I mean you're just heart goes out to these family members. You know, they've been trying to fight for some kind of accountability any which way they can get it. And they had hopes. They had hopes that this would work out to their favor because they do, in so many ways, feel that there were so many failures here.

The problem with this case was, it was a very difficult case for prosecutors to prove. The law that they were using in this case had never been used in this way. It's only the second time a police officer in the country has ever been charged in a situation like this.

And all of this, all of this centered around the very first moments of the shooting, like the first few minutes. And so the jury had a really difficult task. And after seven hours of deliberation, this is when they came back with their not guilty verdict. Obviously, very strong reactions from the families after that.

One of the uncles of the victim spoke out. Take a listen

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSE RIZO, UNCLE OF UVALDE SHOOTING VICTIM: The system has failed over and over and over. I respect the jury's decision, you know, but it just -- what message does it send out there that if you're an officer, you can simply stand by, stand down, stand idle and not do anything and wait for everybody to be executed, killed, slaughtered, massacred. Is that the message that you sent today?

These children that are no longer with us, that are at the cemetery, they can't speak for themselves. We speak for them. We fight to the end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PROKUPECZ: And, John, there's still another trial that's expected to take place. That's for the former school police chief, Pete Arredondo. He was also charged with Adrian Gonzales. His case is centered around the 77 minutes, of course, that we all know about where those kids were inside the room and police waited and his lack of leadership and command and really control in the end is what ultimately led the prosecutor to charge him. That's going to be a really tough case also. But that case continues to wind its way through the court system. We don't know when that's going to go to trial. But again, for the families, they will be there. If that goes to trial, they say that they will be there. But yet again, they will have to go through this whole process again.

John.

BERMAN: It is so difficult, I know, for all of them, Shimon. But as you said, I mean, every legal expert that we've been speaking with the last few weeks said this was a very, very difficult case to get a conviction. And it did not end up happening.

Shimon Prokupecz, good to see you this morning. Thank you for your reporting.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: More ahead for us. Michelle Obama clarifying why she said America is not ready for a woman to be president.

And Taylor Swift is now the youngest woman to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:51:11]

BERMAN: This morning, a major milestone for a tiny rock star. Three- year-old Remi Steinert from Iowa may be the youngest musician to play at the Grand Ole Opry. He was born with a congenital heart defect. And while waiting for months for Remi's surgery, his mother played him Elvis music. Good choice. Remi then became known as the Elvis baby because that music was the only thing that would calm him down. Remi's surgery was a success, and last year he won a contest to perform "Little Drummer Boy" with the group For King and Country at the Opry last month.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Words cannot describe that moment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To see him on stage just thriving and just living his best little life. And he just -- he has no idea, you know, what he's been through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: That guy's an awesome drummer. Great with the sticks there, Kate.

BOLDUAN: I mean, also, got some suspenders that are to be admired.

BERMAN: Always a good choice.

BOLDUAN: I mean, what a nugget.

OK, Brad, come here. Brad. Peter. And here we go.

All right, a look at the November midterms this morning. A big wild card in who has advantage heading in is the redistricting battles that have been playing out across the country. It started in Texas this time around. But as we know and as we have covered, it has spread far and wide from there.

Harry Enten is running the numbers for you on that.

So, Harry, a look at how much has the redistricting picture changed since the summer?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, OK. You know, Donald Trump and the Republicans started this redistricting fight, but it looks like that the Democrats are going to finish them off, because what are we talking about? What's the most likely outcome? Most likely house seat gain from mid-decade redistricting.

You mentioned back in the summer of 2025 it started in Texas. It looked like Republicans the most likely that they were going to gain nationwide was five seats. But today, at this point, the most likely outcome is Democrats actually gaining from the mid-decade redistricting battle.

Now, this is an about right. It's an approximation. I wouldn't be surprised if it's tied. I wouldn't be surprised if Democrats actually gained two or three seats from the mid-decade redistricting battle. But the bottom line is this, it started out as a plus for Republicans, and now it looks like the Democrats have fought back and fought back in a major way and it looks like it's going to be a plus for them nationwide.

BOLDUAN: Which states are you thinking are going to present a more advantage for one party over another?

ENTEN: Yes, OK. So, right, you know, it's basic mathematics, right, you know, likely redistricting gains for 2026. California, of course, Gavin Newsom, five seats for the Democrats. Utah, court ruling there, one seat. And then it basically evens out on the Republican side, right? Maybe a four-seat gain from Texas. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if that was, in fact, three. Only three. Not the five we thought it was going to start out with. Again, taking away seats from the Republicans nationwide. One in North Carolina. One in Ohio. Basically even. But even in terms of the likely, I think it's more likely than not that Democrats are going to be on the plus side of this equation when you add up the different states.

BOLDUAN: What other states are you watching, though, for a possible, you know, to impact this outcome?

ENTEN: Yes. OK. What about the potential gains? The potential gains. You know, there was a big ruling in New York court yesterday. It could be Democrats gain a seat there. This is potential. Maryland, maybe a seat there. They may redistrict and put an eight-zero map instead of the seven-one currently. How about three seats in the Commonwealth of Virginia? You're looking

at five on this side. Then maybe three in Florida for Republicans, one in Missouri. But again here, what are we talking about? We're talking about five versus four. Four on the GOP side, five on the Democrat side. You just start adding the states up over and over and over again. And what you see is what you see at the top here, which is that, most likely outcome at this point is Democrats, not Republicans, gaining from redistricting. What a change. If you said to me last summer, Democrats are more likely to gain than Republicans, I wouldn't buy it. But again as I said at the at the start, Donald Trump and the Republicans started this mid-decade redistricting war, but it looks like Democrats are going to finish them off.

[08:55:02]

BOLDUAN: No, I mean the -- I mean just the vibes from the summer of when this all rolled out, you would not expect this to be (INAUDIBLE).

ENTEN: No, that -- this is one of the bigger shockers in the last half year of electoral politics.

BOLDUAN: Super interesting. Thanks, Harry.

ENTEN: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: All right, let's get back to Sara in Minneapolis.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, I am live here in Minneapolis outside of the federal building where slowly but surely there are more and more protesters who are showing up in these absolutely frigid temperatures as the vice president is expected here to Minneapolis today.

In the meantime, what is happening here on the ground? A lot of residents very concerned, many scared of the tactics that are being deployed by ICE. Here in Minnesota, doctors also warning now that there is a medical crisis unfolding as ICE is expanding its operations here. Health care providers say that ICE agents are staking out medical clinics and in immigrant neighborhoods following patients into hospitals, they say, and leading people to put off needed medical attention. There have been reports of doctors trying to treat patients with injuries that are inconsistent with what authorities were describing the injuries were, and doctors saying that agents would follow patients into exam rooms and they weren't allowed to hear from the patients themselves about what happened.

Now, the Homeland Security spokesperson, and let me read this for you, said that ICE does not conduct enforcement operations in hospitals, adding that ICE, quote, "would only go into a hospital if there were an active danger to public safety."

Joining me now is Dr. Janna Gewirtz O'Brien. She is the president- elect of the Minnesota chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Can you explain to me what it is that you are seeing and experiencing, and what it is you are hearing from other doctors, as you are hearing from DHS that they are denying that they are doing some of the things that have -- they have been accused of?

DR. JANNA R. GEWIRTZ O'BRIEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT, MINNESOTA CHAPTER OF American ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS: Absolutely. Well, I'm a pediatrician in the heart of Minneapolis, and we are seeing -- we are seeing ICE in our hospitals and around our clinics. And this has been going on for weeks, and we continue to fight against it.

Patients and their families are afraid to come in because they're worried that if they enter a hospital setting or a clinic setting for much needed and sometimes lifesaving medical care, that they may be detained or that their family member may be detained. And I just want to be clear that this extends to folks with legal status as well. Anyone who is black or brown is afraid to come into hospitals and health care. And we are seeing a crisis, much like we did during the Covid pandemic.

SIDNER: That is really extremely disturbing what you are saying, that people are afraid to come in, but also that you are saying that there are ICE agents around your clinic. Are they coming into the clinic? Are they coming in, as has been -- they have been accused of by some health care providers there? And how do you know they're ICE? Are they very visible? Do they have their ICE gear on so that you know who they are? And if they don't, how do you know it's them?

O'BRIEN: We know that they are around our clinics, and we have verified reports that they are in the hospitals as well, sometimes with somebody who is detained. They oftentimes are in plain street clothes. So, not labeled as ICE, which is especially concerning because people are fearful. Our staff, which is a very diverse hospital and clinic staff and workforce across our state, are fearful that they will come into work or that their patients or families will come in and will have an encounter with ICE, and that they won't even realize until it's too late.

SIDNER: What is it like for you working under these conditions?

O'BRIEN: Well, I take care of children and adolescents. And what I'm hearing from them over and over again is that they are afraid to leave their homes. We're seeing young people in mental health crises again. They feel like they are being hunted. They sometimes describe the ICE agents in quotes "like bounty hunters." They are running out of food. They are afraid to even sometimes stay in their homes. Especially as you've previously reported, they are not respecting and using judicial warrants anymore. So, even their homes are no longer safe.

And also, I'm hearing from kids and families that they're afraid to go to school. That we've seen parents picked up at bus stops when they're with their kids. This is -- so, for me, coming in, I'm like, what's -- every time I think we've reached a new level of cruelty, I hear another report of a five year old being detained or a new heinous crime against children and their families.

[09:00:03]

And they are -- the families we're seeing are fearful and they're rightfully fearful of our federal government right now.