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Nashville Utility Says No Power for Some Residents for a Week, Ice & Bitter Cold Prolong Dangerous Conditions; Walz Meets With White House Border Czar as Two Agree to Ongoing Dialogue; CIA Quietly Working to Gain a Permanent Foothold in Venezuela; Ukraine Officials Say at Least Three Killed in Overnight Attack on Odesa Region; Meta, YouTube Defend Platforms Over Youth Harm Claims. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired January 27, 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]

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: -- And it's certainly seeming that way in Davidson County, home to the Nashville Metropolitan Area, there is folks who haven't had electricity since Sunday. Right now, it is about 120,000 customers without power. That's about 28 percent of the customers. But let me tell you, that's an improvement, because on Sunday, they had a historic high number of outages, 230,000 people without power, a first for the utility, for Nashville Electric Service.

So that's an improvement of over 100,000 customers that have been restored, but it is not easy. You have over 700 linemen out there working 14- to 16-hour days, and you're seeing dangerous scenarios like this. That probably would not have been advised by the experts there. You're seeing things like this, the power lines all over the roads, trees that are down, and here's what else a lineman told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: What are some of the challenges you've been seeing out here?

JAMES HARPER, NASHVILLE ELECTRIC SERVICE EMPLOYEE: Really just navigation, getting to and from the calls, making sure all the lines are clear.

ROSALES: This looks like really tough work.

HARPER: It is, it is. It's very demanding, long hours, cold weather, but these guys are tough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: Right. So you can see from dangerous scenarios like this. In fact, yesterday we saw a fire truck. It's impacting first responders, getting stuck here and having to turn back around, and that took them a while. They were struggling there.

You can see how this is so dangerous. There's been five deaths in Tennessee that's been weather attributed, weather related. And I want to leave you with this, Brianna, some interesting figures that we got from the CNN Weather Department. Nashville got down to eight degrees this morning. That's the coldest temperature that they've seen in over a year. Not the record, that was minus three set back in 1996, and the windshield this morning got as low as negative two degrees. So certainly still a better cold in the area. Brianna?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": That is some tough conditions for folks there. Isabel, thank you so much for that report. And we're going to take you back to Minneapolis where we're gathering some new footage from the moments before and also right after the shooting death of Alex Pretti. Stay with "CNN News Central" for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:36:20]

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR OF "ANDERSON COOPER 360": We're back live from Minneapolis. The White House Border Czar, Tom Homan is now here in this city, taking over from Border Patrol official, Gregory Bovino, amid escalating tensions over the two fatal shootings by federal agents in just this month. Mr. Homan met with Governor, Tim Walz a short time ago.

The governor's office says the two, "agreed on the need for an ongoing dialog." And the Governor, Waltz, reiterated Minnesota's priorities including impartial investigations into the shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good and a swift, significant reduction in the number of federal forces here on the ground.

The governor looking for the White House to end the "campaign of retribution" against Minnesota. Those were his words. Joining me now is Minneapolis City Council Member, Robin Wonsley. I'm wondering if you have more confidence in Tom Homan than in Gregory Bovino.

ROBIN WONSLEY, MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: There's absolutely no confidence. The clearest demands that I've heard on the ground from our residents who've been experienced the traumatic effects of Operation Metro Surge has been, we want ICE out of Minnesota. We don't want Bovino out of Minnesota.

We want the 2,000+ agents that are still here today, occupying our communities and putting them at harm's risk for being abducted or even shot and killed, we want them out. We don't want swapsies. So until that demand is fulfilled, there is simply not a satisfying moment in this change. I do want to -- yeah?

COOPER: Do you think the tactics at all will change? Because I don't know if it's Gregory Bovino's idea to, you know, or if it's more of an institutional policy now. But do you think any tactics will change in terms of what we're seeing from ICE and Border Patrol agents on the ground?

WONSLEY: I fully anticipate that we will still see residents be abducted. And that is what is going to happen as long as ICE is in our communities. And that is their tactic. That is their mission. So, I don't believe swapping one leader in for another leader will lessen that.

And that means more residents will still have to be out on the streets patrolling, doing grocery deliveries, also having to raise money to cover people's rents, so they're not evicted come February 1st.

COOPER: Would you see any situation where the City Council would change their policy of not allowing local law enforcement to cooperate on operation? So the separation policy.

WONSLEY: Yeah, so policing falls fully under the authority of our mayor. And there has been encouragement from our mayor to literally have law enforcement take up the responsibilities that our residents are doing, such as patrolling or doing legal observations, which is what Alex Pretti was doing when he was shot and killed, so that they aren't having to bear the burden and the weight of protecting and defending our communities. We would love to see that happen.

But in the meantime, we're focusing on how we protect residents while we're experiencing this occupation, such as bringing eviction moratoriums and asking Governor Walz to declare one and also bringing funding for rental assistance. So, again, people aren't kicked out on the streets and put in more contact with these deadly ICE agents in our communities.

COOPER: Do you -- you don't expect to really see any change here? I mean, with Tom Homan coming in, what -- I mean, are you in approval of any kind of operations by Homeland Security officers to catching people here who are undocumented, who have actually committed serious crimes?

WONSLEY: There is that.

COOPER: Where is the -- because they're saying that's what they're going after. Obviously, we're seeing a lot of other people being rounded up.

WONSLEY: Yeah, we've seen a complete bait and switch. First, they came in saying we're going after those committing fraud. And then that's escalated to abducting five-year-olds and two-year-olds, to shooting and killing regular citizens who are just observing and helping care for our neighbors to even incarcerating civil rights leaders.

[13:40:00]

So, I think we can't buy into the bait that they're here catching "bad guys" when that is a leverage point that they're using to truly enact, essentially violations of numerous of our rights and to essentially allow fascism to take place here in Minneapolis and then be able to expand that all across the country.

So, no, there is no satisfaction until ICE is out of here, until we see Alex Pretti and Renee Good get the justice that they deserve and have those federal agents be arrested, and that we do everything that we can to protect our residents here through declarations of eviction moratoriums, making sure people can stay housed. But a modest reduction is not the answer in this moment of federal ICE agents to occupy our communities.

COOPER: Council Member, Wonsley, I appreciate your time.

WONSLEY: Thank you.

COOPER: Thank you so much. Thank you very much. Brianna, let's go back to you.

KEILAR: All right, Anderson. Ahead, we have a lot more news. We'll be following the news out of Minneapolis. And also ahead, we have a Town Hall that we are going to preview, that CNN Town Hall where Minneapolis residents will question officials and community leaders amid these weeks of protests and tragedy. We'll be looking for that. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:45:41]

KEILAR: No, a CNN Exclusive about the Trump administration plans to establish a long-term presence in Venezuela just weeks after U.S. forces captured former President, Nicolas Maduro. Multiple sources tell us the CIA is quietly working to gain a permanent foothold in that South American country. They say both the spy agency and the State Department are discussing short- and long-term plans, including reopening the U.S. Embassy in Caracas. This after President Trump declared, after Maduro's capture, that the U.S. would run Venezuela for the time being.

CNN's Zach Cohen is with us now. Zach, what are you learning about these plans?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, Brianna, we're told that the CIA and State Department are engaged in ongoing discussions about how to establish a permanent long-term footprint, U.S. footprint, inside Venezuela itself on the ground, which is all about projecting U.S. influence during this time of political, transition which was initiated by the CIA and U.S. military during that dramatic operation to capture former President, Nicolas Maduro.

So now, the CIA really looks to be taking on a prominent role as far as asserting the Trump administration's priorities inside Venezuela to the new leadership there, and also to military and intelligence officials within Venezuela that they want to keep on track, keep on message amid concerns that foreign adversaries like Iran, China, Russia are all still operating inside the country.

And so, that's something that the CIA in particular will be the tip of the spear for, briefing Venezuelan officials and key interlockers in the country on those concerns and making sure that the leadership in place now is operating under the -- in the best interest of the United States.

That's something Donald Trump has made clear he expects and his tenuous support for Delcy Rodriguez seems to hinge on that.

KEILAR: Yeah, certainly. And I can only imagine how fearful the current leadership in Venezuela is after you see what happened to Nicolas Maduro from their perspective. What more are we hearing from Rodriguez?

COHEN: Yeah, the acting president seems to be walking a fine line here, both projecting independence and confidence domestically to the Venezuelan people, but as we know with the CIA, is clearly engaging with the Trump administration or has engaged to a certain extent. Now, it's an interesting comparison when you listen to what Delcy Rodriguez is saying publicly and what Donald Trump has said. Take a listen to those recent comments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DELCY RODRIGUEZ, ACTING PRESIDENT, VENEZUELA (through translator): Enough already of Washington's orders over politicians in Venezuela. Let Venezuelan politics resolve our differences and our internal conflicts. Enough of foreign powers.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, I don't know exactly what's going on there but I haven't heard that at all. No, we have a very good relationship.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: So remember too, the CIA not only played a prominent role in the operation to remove Maduro, but a CIA analysis really factored heavily into the Trump administration's policy decision to back Rodriguez over opposition leaders like Maria Machado which has been a controversial choice to date.

Donald Trump has insisted his relationship with the acting president is rock solid, but some differences as far as messaging goes, especially with the domestic Venezuelan audience.

KEILAR: No doubt. I mean, Delcy Rodriguez has two audiences here, right? And it must be tough when it comes to that domestic audience to be portrayed by Donald Trump as essentially a puppet.

COHEN: And how she walks that line will probably dictate how long her tenure lasts as the leader of Venezuela.

KEILAR: All right. Zach Cohen, great reporting. Thank you so much for that.

And we're following some new developments out of Ukraine. Officials there say Russia launched a massive attack on the southern region of Odesa overnight, killing at least three people, injuring 25. They say the attack involved more than 50 strikes that damaged residential buildings, a church, and also a kindergarten.

This comes just days after talks between U.S., Ukrainian, and Russian officials that President Zelenskyy described as constructive. He now says every such Russian strike erodes that ongoing diplomacy and undermines the efforts of partners who are helping to end the war.

Ahead, some new videos of the moments before and after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti. We will dig into those videos after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:54:20]

KEILAR: Two social media giants are in court today defending their companies against claims that their platforms are too addictive and harm the mental health of teenagers. Jury selection is underway in a case filed by a mother and her 19-year-old daughter. They sued TikTok, Meta, Snap, and YouTube, claiming some features led the teen to use the platforms compulsively, which contributed to a decline in her mental health.

TikTok and Snap both agreed to settle before the trial kicked off. YouTube CEO, Neal Mohan and Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg are among the big tech executives expected to testify in the weeks-long trial. Let's talk about this with Psychotherapist, Tom Kersting.

[13:55:00]

He is the author of "Disconnected: How to Protect Your Kids from the Harmful Effects of Device Dependency."

So Tom, the 19-year-old plaintiff in the case is claiming that the companies knowingly created addictive features that harmed her mental health, led to self-harm and suicidal thoughts. What are the addictive properties that you see in these apps?

THOMAS KERSTING, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: I see this every day at my office. I'm a therapist here. And they are designed, you've heard about this -- you've heard this before. They're designed to target the pleasure- seeking part of the brain that produces dopamine. And that dopamine is associated with every addiction, whether it is drugs, gambling, or in this case, devices. So, I look at it like this.

Like, today's children are on devices, teenagers, preteens constantly. So essentially, they're kind of walking around with an IV drip all day long, you know, just constantly getting this dose of dopamine. And I see the -- when these things are taken away, when mom and dad take the phone away for a period of time, or the gaming system, you could see the withdrawal. It manifests itself behaviorally, verbally, sometimes physically.

KEILAR: Yeah, full-on. I've seen that. Every parent I know has seen that. Tech companies say there is a lack of conclusive research on the subject. And they argue that their platforms provide benefits like entertainment and connection to friends. What do we know about the impact of social media on teens' mental health? And what do you say to their claim that there really isn't enough research?

KERSTING: Yeah, it kind of reminds me of like, you know, they're talking in the media about big tobacco back in the '80s, and they had all these executives in the tobacco companies saying that it's not addictive, it's not addictive, it's not addictive. And it turns out it's the most addictive substance there is.

So, you know, here we are now with this, and we're living in a society right now where since really about 2012, when you look at data, there's plenty of data. You could see it's like Mount Everest. Anxiety, depression, suicide rate among kids just continuously escalates and gets worse and worse every year, particularly post- COVID, which helped accelerate it.

So all the evidence is there, right? All the data, in my opinion. Now, proving this, how this 19-year-old is going to prove this, that's a whole another story, and you want to see how it unfolds. But for me, you know, I look at this as a good step in the right direction.

We're finally -- we're doing something, finally attempting to hold big tech accountable, and maybe this opens up a wider, greater conversation, and we could start doing things better in our society.

KEILAR: Snap, TikTok, those guys settled before this. YouTube and Meta -- Meta is the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. These are all different platforms. I wonder if you consider some platforms riskier than others.

KERSTING: Well, you kind of have to wonder why it is like, you know, why is Meta, like, why didn't they settle? Well, kids don't really -- there's not too many kids on Meta. They're spending a lot of their time on TikTok, YouTube, all the algorithms, all these things, and instantly, they know what you're interested in, and you take a vulnerable mind of a young person, and they're immersed in this cyber world constantly all day long, and you hear the term mental health. What is mental health? Well, mental health is what's orbiting around in our mind.

What are the thoughts and the emotions, and where are they coming from? And if you're spending the majority of your life on another planet called the cyber world, not in the real world, how can that not have an impact on what a person thinks and what they feel on their mental health?

KEILAR: So, Meta has teen accounts. I mean, certainly there are some teens right on Instagram, I think, and TikTok obviously so popular. And maybe you go to Instagram if your parents don't let you go to TikTok, right? But TikTok has these youth safety and parental control features. Do you see those as real efforts to protect teens, or do you see those as PR measures to appear that they're protecting minors when actually they need to be doing a lot more?

KERSTING: Yeah, I think those are more knee-jerk reactions to say, hey, look what we're doing. Everybody knows these kids know how to circumvent this stuff. They're better than you and I are at this. They know how to get around it. Even with age verification, it's like, there is -- that you just say, yes, I am this age. So they know.

It kind of reminds me of when the smartphone, the Apple, came out maybe four or five years ago when they put in their own parental controls, right, to make it look like they were doing something and then they booted every other parenting app off of these platforms because they, essentially, really didn't want these parenting apps.

So they have to make themselves, in my opinion, look like they're doing something good. Maybe there is a shred of goodness that they're trying to do, but it's not good enough.

KEILAR: Yeah, a lot of concerned parents who will be watching this very closely. Tom, great to have you. Thank you.

KERSTING: Yeah, thank you. Appreciate it.

KEILAR: And a new hour of "CNN News Central" starts right now.

We're getting a look at some new videos from different vantage points of the moments before and also right after the deadly shooting of VA Nurse, Alex Pretti, and we're going to take you through them. Plus, shutdown --