Return to Transcripts main page
CNN News Central
Meta, TikTok and YouTube Head to Trial; Numbers on Trump, the Economy and Iowa; U.S. Planning CIA Foothold in Venezuela; Anthony Anderson is Interviewed about "Star Search." Aired 9:30-10a ET
Aired January 27, 2026 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:30:00]
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Jury about this very big issue of youth safety.
CNN's Clare Duffy has much more on this one for us.
Clare, what are you expecting?
CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yes, Kate, this is just a huge moment for the parents and advocates who for years have been asking for more guardrails for these tech companies and more accountability for the harms that they say their children have faced.
As you said, this lawsuit from a 19-year-old woman who says that they're -- these algorithms on these platforms, the constant notifications addicted her and harmed her mental health, leading to self-harm and suicide. Her case is just one of thousands that have been filed by families and parents claiming these concerns around mental health and the impact on their children.
And what's really crucial is that whatever the outcome in this trial that begins today with jury selection of this one case, whatever the outcome is, is going to potentially help resolve those thousands of other cases. So, this is just a huge moment for the parents, the advocates who for years have been calling for this. And despite the fact that we have seen tech executives hauled up to Capitol Hill, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, two years ago apologizing to families who say they've been harmed by their platforms, we still have seen so little outside guardrails.
Now, the companies themselves deny that their platforms harm young people's mental health. We've seen them roll out these tools like parental control features, youth safety tools, content restrictions, and yet still parents say it is not enough and there needs to be some outside accountability for these platforms, Kate.
BOLDUAN: Yes. And when you see the actions of entire countries, like Australia, what France is considering, you see that there is building pressure around more, like a lot more.
Clare, it's great to see you. Thank you so much. John.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, a CNN exclusive. The CIA's plan to establish a permanent presence inside Venezuela.
And I don't think any video has been shown more on this show this morning, but that's what you get when you fly right through a building.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:36:22]
BERMAN: Unusual retreats of sorts for the president just in the last few days, first on Greenland and now on immigration, what's happening in Minnesota. You would think the White House thinks that these issues are its major liabilities. But, remember, heading into this year, the White House was convinced it was the economy, which is why the president is going to Iowa today.
With us now, CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is with me now.
And again, Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, according to "Vanity Fair," wanted this laser focus on the economy. Why? What was she seeing?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Why? Because the economy and inflation ate Joe Biden's presidency alive, and now it is eating Donald Trump's presidency alive.
I mean just take a look here. Net approval rating on the economy. You go back to this point in the Joe Biden presidency. He was 19 points underwater. You go into Donald Trump's presidency. Hey, he started off in the positive territory at plus six points. But down he goes. Down the slide into the ocean he goes. Negative 20 points. Donald Trump is actually in slightly worse position right now on the economy than Joe Biden was in his presidency. And, of course, Joe Biden, as I said at the top, the economy ate his presidency alive. And right now it is eating Donald Trump's presidency alive.
BERMAN: A lot of the focus the last few days, understandably, has been on the immigration crackdown. Is that what Americans want to see?
ENTEN: No, this is the whole thing. You know, why is Donald Trump going into Iowa right now? And it is because of this. I mean Trump administration is focusing too little on lowering prices. The vast majority, three in four Americans say he's focusing too little on lowering prices. That's why he's going into Iowa.
What is he focusing too much on? He's focusing too much on deportations at 53 percent. The Americans want to focus on the economy and lowering prices, they don't want it on deportations. And right now they think it's flip-a-roo. And that's why Donald Trump, again, going into Iowa, trying to flip that script. A script that right now the American people do not like. BERMAN: And full disclosure, I cheated and actually read ahead on this
presentation. This next slide I think is the most interesting. What do we know about when presidents aren't doing well with the economy, how that affects the midterms?
ENTEN: I'm going to forgive John for skipping ahead here, but the audience will follow along with the lesson plan as it was supposed to be told.
Take a look here. The president's party. The average midterm House seat loss. If the president's net approval rating on the economy is positive, which Donald Trump isn't, you keep your House seats lost to a minimal, right? You lose about nine seats on average. If it is negative, the president is not liked on the economy, if his net approval rating on the economy is negative, as it is right now for Donald Trump, look at the average House seat loss, it's a 28-seat loss on average, which would wave adios, amigos, goodbye, see you later, that House majority. And it probably would put the Senate majority in danger as well. When a president is seen negative on the economy, his party suffers big league, to put it into President Trump's language, big league when it comes to the midterm elections.
BERMAN: And that's just negative. That doesn't even account for negative 20 on the economy.
All right, going to Iowa. There will be an open Senate seat there. What are the prediction markets saying about that seat?
ENTEN: OK, so if you know anything about Iowa, recent politics in Iowa, right, the president won it by double digits. He's won it all three times. There has not been a Democratic senator that was a non- incumbent -- a non-incumbent Democrat to win an Iowa Senate seat since 1984. The chance that the GOP wins in 2026, a year ago to win that Senate seat it was 81 percent. Now it's down to 66 percent. Look, that's still a majority chance. But in a state that Donald Trump won by double digits, that foreshadows big problems coming into the midterm election.
BERMAN: This trend may be going state by state right now for sure.
ENTEN: Yes. Yes.
BERMAN: Harry Enten, thank you very much for that.
ENTEN: Thank you. And it's OK, despite your cheating.
[09:40:01]
BERMAN: I go to the last page always.
A lot of news this morning. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: This morning, exclusive new CNN reporting. More than three weeks after the U.S. ousted Nicolas Maduro, sources tell CNN the CIA is quietly working to establish a permanent U.S. presence in Venezuela.
CNN's Zach Cohen helping to break this story. He is with us now.
So, Zach, what have you learned?
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, John, behind the scenes I'm told the CIA is working to establish a foothold on the ground inside Venezuela and is expected to play a significant role in helping shape that country's future going forward.
[09:45:09]
Now, of course, this comes amid some tough talk from Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, who said that she had had enough of taking orders from the U.S. and also coming three weeks -- only three weeks after that dramatic operation to capture former President Nicolas Maduro. I'm told, though, by some multiple sources that there are ongoing planning discussions between the CIA and State Department that are focused on both the long term and short-term U.S. presence inside Venezuela.
In the long term, the State Department, obviously, is expected to be the forward-facing diplomatic presence on the ground there. Donald Trump has said that he wants to reopen the U.S. embassy in Caracas. But in the short term, the CIA appears to be poised to do a lot of the heavy lifting. It seems that they may open a CIA annex on the ground inside Venezuela, where U.S. officials are expected to operate out of as they make initial contacts with individuals inside the Venezuelan government and elsewhere in the Venezuelan opposition groups, as well as other relevant factions.
Were told, too, that the CIA will be responsible for briefing relevant Venezuelan officials on concerns related to foreign adversaries that are operating inside the country. Those include Russia, China, Iran. Those are adversaries that CIA Director John Ratcliffe made very clear during his recent trip to Venezuela with -- that they would no longer tolerate operating inside that country. He was the first top Trump official to visit Venezuela after that operation to capture Maduro, sort of signaling what we're now learning from sources about the CIA's planned future involvement there.
And, of course, this is all coming, though, as I'm told that the White House has not really communicated to the CIA or State Department what their broader objective in Venezuela is. But both agencies trying to move forward in laying the groundwork despite that.
BERMAN: And I'm curious to see going forward what the Venezuelan response will be as the acting leader there is saying she's kind of sick of taking orders from the United States. So, you know, watch this space.
Zach Cohen, great to see you. Great reporting. Thank you.
Kate.
BOLDUAN: So, this morning, the FDA is recalling 80,000 Keurig coffee pods. They're labeled "decaf" but they actually contain full caffeine, which is clearly a bit of a problem, especially if avoiding caffeine for health reasons. The recall is in California, Indiana and Nevada. The pods are branded McCafe premium roast decaf coffee k-cup pods. They were sold in 84 count cartons with the best by date of November 17, 2026.
Should we call this a lesson in anger management? I say I support you. Video of Coco Gauff after losing a match at the Australian Open that's gone viral. Gauff was seen taking out her frustration on her racket after being upset by Ukraine's Elina Svitolina this morning. Here is what Gauff said about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COCO GAUFF, AMERICAN OUSTED IN :59 AT AUSSIE OPEN QUARTERS: I don't try to do it on the court in front of kids and things like that. But I do know I need to let out that emotion, otherwise I'm just going to be snappy with the people around me, and I don't want to do that because, like I said, they don't deserve it. They did their best. I did mine. Just need to let the frustration out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: She's right. She's very evolved. And she is 100 percent in the right. Two other American players are still set to play each other in the quarters.
Tyra Banks is doing some self-reflection in a new Netflix documentary. The film is called "Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model." It digs into the wildly popular reality show that was led by the supermodel. In the doc she and her fellow "Top Model" judges talk openly about the show's complicated legacy, tracing how a show that began as a glamorous break for young models shifted into drama, high emotional moments and moments that still go viral. Now, Tyra Banks says there were times when she, quote, "went too far."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I realized Tyra would do anything for the success of her show.
TYRA BANKS: I knew I went too far.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to talk about being slapped across the face?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You felt betrayed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She then slapped right back.
BANKS: It was very, very intense. But you guys were demanding it. And so we kept pushing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: "Reality Check" is a three-part doc that drops on Netflix on February 16th.
The world's tallest hotel opened just recently in the UAE. It's the Ciel Dubai Marina hotel. Now a team of skydivers and base jumpers just pulled off an absolutely insane stunt with that very same hotel. The team from Xdubai thought the building's signature keyhole design seemed the perfect challenge, flying through it at speeds topping 125 miles per hour. We're told they did between 40 and 50 practice jumps to get it all just right. I think practice is warranted under these circumstances.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICHOLAS SCALABRINO, PROFESSIONAL SKYDIVER: It was cool. It was a -- flying through the glass, you know, having the reflection. It's like flying through a narcissistic funhouse. So, it was great for us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: A narcissistic funhouse. Sign me up Kate says.
[09:50:03]
BERMAN: It is the talent competition that helped launch stars, including Dave Chappelle, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake. "Star Search" is back live on Netflix. And now you get a vote. Hosted by Anthony Anderson and judged by Jelly Roll, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Chrissy Teigen. The five-week series mixes singers, dancers, comics, and more as they battle for a shot at stardom. This is a look at one of the acts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've needed a diversion. I've needed to step away from the news. We all have. I've been so stressed out. You know, they're coming after my Social Security, damn it. I'm going to have to sell my eggs. There's got to be a few up there, don't you think? Everybody likes a good deviled egg. Anyway.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Sarah Michelle Gellar there looked as uncomfortable as you did right now.
BOLDUAN: Yes, I was like, wait a second. That --
BERMAN: That's awesome.
BOLDUAN: Wasn't ready for it.
BERMAN: All right, with us now is Anthony Anderson, the host of the new "Star Search."
ANTHONY ANDERSON, HOST, "STAR SEARCH": Yes.
BERMAN: You don't look a thing like Ed McMahon.
ANDERSON: No. I'm the black Ed McMahon.
BERMAN: I mean, see, but that's my memory of watching "Star Search" growing up was Ed McMahon.
ANDERSON: Yes. Yes.
BERMAN: And, you know, this feels already, based on that comedy act, feels very different.
ANDERSON: No, I -- there's -- the only difference about -- difference of our show is that the audience gets to vote on this.
BOLDUAN: Very cool.
ANDERSON: Everything else stays intact. We have three in-studio judges, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Chrissy Teigen and Jelly Roll. But the most important part of it is the viewing audience gets to vote through their remote if they're watching us live on Netflix. That's a beautiful thing.
BOLDUAN: It's so very cool. And, I mean, I know I am not alone in this. I was sure my career was going to be launched on "Star Search." I was sure -- I loved the show.
BERMAN: You aren't completely alone when it comes to you.
ANDERSON: Yes. No.
BOLDUAN: I was so sure that all I --
ANDERSON: You and I both.
BOLDUAN: I just needed to get on there one time and it would --
ANDERSON: Yes.
BOLDUAN: I watched it with -- I loved it so much.
What -- one thing that I always love also, though, is the interaction between the hosts.
ANDERSON: Yes.
BOLDUAN: Like, that always has to be -- that's always a fun part of it.
ANDERSON: Yes.
BOLDUAN: Which is a little -- maybe a slight little different from the Ed McMahon version. What -- have you worked with Sarah Michelle and Chrissy and Jelly Roll before?
ANDERSON: No, I haven't worked with either of them. I know Jelly Roll through personal friends. I know Chrissy personally and her husband John, and I've never met Sarah Michelle Gellar until this show. But, you know, there's a great interaction between the three of us. Sarah auditioned for "Star Search" as a kid.
BOLDUAN: Did she really?
ANDERSON: Never made it.
John Legend auditioned for "Star Search." Never made it.
BOLDUAN: No!
ANDERSON: Yes. So, it's great to talk about the people who didn't make it on "Star Search" who make it onto the show --
BOLDUAN: Wow.
ANDERSON: But there's a long list of talented artists out there right now who auditioned for the show that never made it. I never made it to the audition, so I never made it.
BERMAN: My -- my --
BOLDUAN: You're really struggling now, though. I -- someday you'll make it.
BERMAN: My memory of "Star Search" was that it was -- it was nice. I mean the difference between my memory of "Star Search" and then, like, the original "American Idol" and everything else where there was kind of some meanness and people would say nasty things about the contestants --
ANDERSON: Yes.
BERMAN: You know, you always feel good. You feel so good about everyone.
ANDERSON: Yes.
BERMAN: Does it maintain that, like, we're here for you. We want to help.
ANDERSON: We maintain all of that. And that's what it's about. You know they're going to get constructive criticism, but they're going to get criticism because, you know, we are searching for this generation's new star. And I think we have a great panel of judges who can speak from experience, and give some wisdom to these artists. And I try to impart it as best I can as the host of the show as well. I don't -- I don't get a vote or a say in any of that but, you know, I try to talk to the contestants as they come center stage with me and we bring them before our judges.
BOLDUAN: I will say, as some of the clips I have seen, some of the imagery I've seen, you -- I am loving your clothes.
ANDERSON: Oh, thank you.
BOLDUAN: It is looking -- you are looking quite sharp in this series.
ANDERSON: Thank you. Thank you. Well, I'd like to shout out my stylist, Courtney Mays (ph), for making me fly. But we --
BOLDUAN: Courtney, please meet John Berman. Had to be said. Had to be said.
Did you find a secret talent in this whole process of your own?
ANDERSON: Did I find a secret talent? No, no. I've discovered all of my talents along the way, yes, over the -- over the years. But, you know, I love hosting live. You know, I had the opportunity --
BOLDUAN: Is that different?
ANDERSON: No. No, no. You know, I had the opportunity to host the Emmys a couple years ago.
BOLDUAN: That's right.
ANDERSON: I hosted the NAACP Image Awards for ten years running. All of those shows were live. So, I fit in this category and I enjoy it.
BERMAN: And the range of acts -- I will say, based on the clip that we chose or was chosen for us, that's not what I was expecting.
BOLDUAN: I wasn't either.
ANDERSON: Yes.
BERMAN: I was expecting to see like a nine year old tap dancer.
ANDERSON: Yes. Yes, well, we have all of that. You know, there's a youth division and there's a young adult division.
BOLDUAN: OK.
BERMAN: She wasn't in the young adult division.
ANDERSON: No. No, no. No, no, she was in the --
BOLDUAN: Young at heart division.
ANDERSON: She was in the snow leopard cougar division.
BOLDUAN: Hey, oh, I love a cougar.
[09:55:00]
ANDERSON: But that was Susan Rice (ph). She was out of Portland, Oregon. She's a great comic. She was on our show our second premiere episode.
BOLDUAN: Can you say, do you have a favorite act? Do you get --
ANDERSON: Do I? I -- no, I don't -- I don't have a favorite act, but I get to live and see it in the moment. And I see some great talent that comes on our stage. And it changes. It's like, oh, my God, I never thought I would like this aerialist doing this thing. BOLDUAN: Exactly.
ANDERSON: But, yes, it's great.
BOLDUAN: I never knew I wanted to be an aerialist until this moment.
ANDERSON: Well, I -- can you hold 212 pounds like you're holding her by the ankles? Yes.
BERMAN: And it's also such -- a hopeful part of all these careers. And it's so special to get to be there with you and with them to see it all happen.
BOLDUAN: Yes.
BERMAN: Anthony Anderson, great to see you. Thank you so much.
ANDERSON: Oh, no problem. Thanks for having me.
BERMAN: Congratulations on this.
BOLDUAN: Thank you so much for coming in. This is awesome.
ANDERSON: Oh, thank you.
BERMAN: Live episodes, and that's the key, live episodes of "Star Search" air Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time only on Netflix.
(INAUDIBLE).
You're a star.
BOLDUAN: Oh, no, John.
BERMAN: I think you're a star.
BOLDUAN: Only because I get to stand next to you.
BERMAN: I think you're a star and you've been found. The search is over.
Thank you all for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "THE SITUATION ROOM," up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
