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ICE Makes 100+ Arrests in Maine as Immigration Operation Starts; 1,700+ Saturday Flights Canceled Ahead of Storm; Vance Defends ICE Agents' Tactics as Tensions Grow; Brendan Banfield Expected to Testify in His Own Defense; Defense Attorney Says Wife Created Sex Fetish Account Using Personal Email. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired January 23, 2026 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF KEVIN JOYCE, CUMBERLAND COUNTY, MAINE: -- leaving his car with the windows down, the lights on, unsecure and unoccupied. They left it right on the side of the street. Folks, that's bush-league policing.
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ERICA HILL, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": We are also learning of a video from a separate incident in Portland, Maine. It's an encounter between agents and an anti-ICE protester.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guys, help! Help! You don't have to say [expletive] you guys.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get back, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm allowed to be here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get back!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm allowed to be here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have a good day, ma'am, all right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You guys are monsters. You are monsters. This is insane. They're taking somebody. They're taking somebody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get back. Get back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're allowed to protest. This is a public street.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get back. You have a good day, all right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, tell me, boy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I come after three today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: So, the woman who filmed that video, Olivia Oldach, joins me now. Olivia, thanks for joining us. Can you walk us through what you saw in the moments leading up to when you started the recording? What prompted you to start that recording?
OLIVIA OLDACH, ANTI-ICE PROTESTER: Yeah, I was just standing on the corner, watching out for ICE agents. There's been an increased presence in our community, and it all happened pretty fast.
The car sped up, slowed down, and was taking the guy in, in a matter of seconds. I kind of ran across the street before I started recording, and the agents were talking to me and kind of antagonizing me a little bit before I started recording. Yeah, it all happened extremely quickly.
HILL: You said they were antagonizing you before you started recording. Do you think their demeanor changed when you started recording?
OLDACH: Not really. I got it a little bit on the beginning of the clip, but they said -- one of them said, he was like, oh, you are all so pretty. And then when I got closer, he was like, you're pretty, Jesus. And then so just more so like demeaning and weird, unprofessional.
HILL: We've heard from the president repeatedly that the protesters in Minnesota, right, not Maine, but in Minnesota, that they're yelling, they're blowing whistles. We heard a whistle there, ranting or raving, as he says. He has also indicated that some protesters are professionals and are highly trained. What's your response to that?
OLDACH: I mean, it's quite obviously a lie. I mean, I just want to say that this is not a partisan issue. This is a class and economic issue. And right now, immigrants are being used as a scapegoat. I think the rhetoric that we're seeing from this administration is obviously demonizing protesters and anybody who's against what's going on.
And just looking back at history, if you look at Richard Nixon's Domestic Policy Chief, like John Eckelman, I think he had an interview in 2016 and talking about the war on drugs that said, did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course, we did. And I think that is kind of like history repeating itself here and that they're -- of course, they're lying about what's going on here.
They're banking off of it and they're just saying whatever they need to do because they have no convictions. Yeah.
HILL: What is your -- so, what is your goal in this moment? Is it to -- is it to stop or in any way obstruct ICE operations? What do you want to see happen when you are there on the street?
OLDACH: I mean, ideally, ICE wouldn't be here in the first place in the way that everything is going on. I think my goal as a protester, I can't speak for everybody, is to just document what's happening. I think we've been seeing so much violence and I think if you have recordings of it, there might be a likelihood of violence decreasing potentially. I mean, we know that that's not always true.
And also, using whistles and causing a commotion, so other people know to stay inside, don't come out. ICE is taking whoever, you know, they're taking citizens, they're taking people who are well underway the asylum seeking process. So, we just want people to stay safe.
And also, like the goal of what I'm doing too, like the communities coming together, donating to local organizations would be a really great thing to do if folks do want to help without doing that. Maine Solidarity Fund, mainesolidary.org, I do encourage people to donate for bail and supporting resources because people are sheltering in place because everybody is terrified, so --
HILL: Olivia Oldach, appreciate you sharing your perspective. Thank you.
OLDACH: Thanks so much.
HILL: We are -- as we continue to watch this massive storm, light snow, rainstorms are beginning now as this massive event is really preparing to hit more than half the country. Ice, snow, those bitter temperatures, as you know, we're going to take a closer look at where those impacts are now being felt, next.
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[13:38:57]
HILL: Right now, 230 million Americans, chances are you are one of them. That's about two-thirds of the U.S. population -- are preparing to take a hit from one of the worst winter storms we have seen in years. 14 states and the District of Columbia are already under a state of emergency.
More than a thousand flights have been canceled in the United States for Saturday, that number though is climbing higher by the hour. CNN's Pete Muntean is live for us at Reagan National Airport here in Washington, D.C.
So, what is the anticipation, Pete, in terms of how widespread this travel impact will be?
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: It's going to be big. Today, it is going to be manageable, if you are one of the folks lucky enough like the folks here at the Terminal 2 North Checkpoint on their way out of D.C.A. Tomorrow, going to be much worse according to airlines. And the cancellations and delays keep going up.
The good news here, if you look at the Departures board here at National Airport, not a lot of red on the screen, although it is going to change this time tomorrow. And you just check FlightAware, the number has gone up and up.
[13:40:00]
1,800 flights preemptively cancelled by airlines going into tomorrow. That is a huge number. We are talking the worst we have seen so far this year and probably the worst we have seen in the next -- in the last few years, once it is all said and done, here is what airlines are doing. They are putting into place what's call travel waivers, meaning that you can book, rebook or cancel your flight free of charge, no penalty, making it easier for you to sort of get out one of these places that's going to be impacted by this storm.
Southwest Airlines, in fact, just said that it is canceling about 235 flights preemptively tomorrow, suspending operations at about a half a dozen different airports from Memphis all the way to Amarillo. Here's what airlines are doing. They are moving airplanes out of place that are going to be hit big time by the storm and they are bringing in extra workers in terms of folks below the wing, that's baggage workers, people marshalling airplanes, because they are going to be out in the cold.
Also, they are making sure that de-icing equipment is ready to go. And the airports that we've been hearing from, a lot of places that aren't impacted by snow big time, they are making sure that their ploughs, their de-icing equipment is ready to go. We just heard from Atlanta, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. They say they are ready for this in spite of the fact that they do not big storm -- snow storms like this often.
It is the biggest hub for Delta Airlines, one of the biggest airports in terms of traffic volume in the world. It is going to have a big impact there, Erica.
HILL: Yeah, absolutely. All right, Pete, appreciate it. Thank you. We want to take a closer look at one of the images, this one, that in many ways is starting to define what is happening in Minneapolis. The photographer who took this picture is our guest, next.
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[13:46:21]
HILL: One of the images emerging from the immigration crackdown in Minnesota is the one you see behind me. It shows federal agents pinning a protester to the ground as another agent sprays that person with a chemical irritant.
Critics say the photo highlights some of the aggressive tactics federal agents are using in the crackdown. While speaking in Minneapolis yesterday, Vice President, J.D. Vance defended those agents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) J.D. VANCE, (R) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: One of the things I learned is that the guys behind me are going an incredible job and frankly, a lot of them here is lying about the job that they do every single day.
Now, it doesn't mean that there are occasionally stories out there, there are occasionally videos out there that suggest that these guys, or at least some of the people who work for them, are not doing everything right. But very often, if you look at the context of what's going on, you understand that these people are under an incredible amount of duress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Joining me now is a photographer who took that photo, Richard Tsong-Taatarii. Richard, we appreciate you taking the time to join us this afternoon. Can you walk us through what happened in the moments leading up to the moment that you captured in that image, when the man is pinned on the ground and being sprayed in the face with that irritant?
RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER, MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE: Well, thanks for having me. I had been monitoring Signal earlier that day and this popped up, so I went to the scene and apparently, two teenagers had already been arrested and the crowd was very amped up.
And one of the protesters was perceived to be in the way of the convoy of ICE agents trying to leave, so that agent pushed a bicyclist over and that really set off the crowd. And in terms of approaching ICE very closely and yelling at them, and ICE feeling threatened, they deployed mace and tear gas.
So I was just photographing people, protesters being wrestled down to the ground, and this gentleman was one of them, and he was being pinned down by two agents. And because I had the photo framed already, this other agent was going around. I do believe in the video, it does show him spraying other protesters, but he happened to spray the one I was photographing, and that's how I captured that image.
HILL: What was -- as that was unfolding around you, I mean, I understand that you're focused on the photo that you're taking in that moment, but where you also able to just have a sense of what the reaction was to the people who were there in that moment as all of this was unfolding?
TSONG-TAATARII: It was very chaotic. You know, there's been a very organized response from the observers who are on Signal monitoring ICE and trying to prevent what they perceive as abductions and a lot of arrests of citizens who are later released. Yeah. It's just an escalation of tension that really has both sides very amped up.
HILL: So, you talk about both sides being amped up. Part of what we have heard from federal officials, particularly from the Border Controls Commander-at-Large, Greg Bovino, he has said that the Minneapolis Police Department has been called in several situations, that they haven't responded to help federal agents is what he was saying.
You've covered so many of this. How often do you see local law enforcement on the scene as well?
TSONG-TAATARII: I haven't seen them as much as during the -- , obviously, during George Floyd, DHS wasn't here.
[13:50:00]
So it's perhaps hardly ever. It's not -- I think our mayor is trying to avoid a direct conflict between local PD and ICE. I think when they get involved, it's to redirect traffic or some aspect of crowd control versus trying to regulate these abductions.
HILL: And Richard, real quickly before I let you go, what is the response that you've had to that photo from people?
TSONG-TAATARII: People are outraged that this mace or a chemical irritant was deployed at such close range. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure it's not intended to be used that way.
HILL: Richard Tsong-Taatarii, thank you for taking the time to join us today and thank you for all the work that you're doing.
TSONG-TAATARII: Thank you for having me.
HILL: There has been a shocking turn of events in the double-murder trial of Brendan Banfield, who is now expected to testify in his own defense. Prosecutors accuse him of plotting to -- plotting with the family's au pair to kill his wife. These are developments ahead after this quick break.
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[13:56:02]
HILL: A major development in the double-murder trial of Brendan Banfield, the Virginia man who's accused of killing his wife and a stranger allegedly, so then he could start a new life with the family's au pair.
Well, now his attorney says Banfield will take the stand in his own defense. That could actually happen as early as today. The defense is stepping up its case, claiming that investigators manipulated evidence to fit their theory against Banfield.
Joining me now, CNN's Jean Casarez, who's been following all of these twists and turns for us. So Jean, we always talk about, you know, will the defendant take the stand? How risky could it be in this case for Banfield to testify? And walk us through some of the defense's argument here.
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, of course, there's always a risk because you have cross-examination, and that is when the prosecutor can just really get into what they believe the details and the theory is of their case and to show that the defendant is lying, that he's not telling the truth.
But the testimony today, also has been riveting, because the defense is going behind the data on Christine Banfield's phone and Christine Banfield's personal laptop computer. And they are showing that on specific dates that FetLife.com, which is the sexual website, was accessed just seconds away from when her personal account was accessed. And I think we have it right here.
Here's an example. This is on January 17th, when FetLife was actually created, that account, 10:05 p.m., logged into Christine's personal e- mail account, looking at e-mails. Then at 10:05, same time, just seconds away, Google search on the personal account for FetLife. And then 10:12, so close, logging back into Christine's personal e-mail account, and then later on at 10:12, logging into that FetLife account.
So, they're trying to show right there, there was not catfishing, there was not luring someone to the house to try to cause them harm, that Christine Banfield was responsible for this. We've got to show the picture in the bathing suit because, on that night, January 17th, around 7:20 p.m., Christine Banfield, first time we've ever seen this photo, she took a picture of herself in a bathing suit.
She sent that picture to her husband, Brendan, by saying, brand-new bathing suit and that is the picture that was ultimately posted on FetLife. Now here is a summary.
The expert today on the stand, someone who used to work for the Department of Justice, the Inspector General's Office, who did investigations on the investigations in the federal government, he is on for the defense. Here is how he summarizes his conclusions.
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HARRY LIDSKY, DIGITAL FORENSIC ANALYST: I didn't see anything here that indicated loss of control of the device. I'm not able to say who was in control of the device for the entirety of this period, but I did see inconsistencies in that the usage was not confined just to the accounts related to this investigation.
In this case, that would be the suspect's alleged Gmail account and the FetLife account. So interspersed with that, I saw personal account usage with Ms. Banfield's accounts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: Now, he's still on the stand. Court should reconvene in just about a minute. But of course, there will be cross-examination to try to discredit this witness that has been on for quite a while now for the defense.
HILL: And in terms of the prosecution, what evidence does the prosecution say most clearly supports that theory?
CASAREZ: Well, the prosecution is saying that, according to Juliana, who came -- who is the au pair that came with her story, saying that we devised a plan. When Christine was upstairs asleep, we would get her computer and we would get her laptop, and we created the FetLife account. We lured this escort to the house, to Christine's bedroom. But all along, we knew we were going to murder him --
