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AG Bondi: 16 People Arrested in Minneapolis Today for Allegedly Assaulting Federal Law Enforcement; Capitol Police Weighing Possible Federal Charges in Omar Attack; Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) Discusses About Votes to Fund Department of Homeland Security; Shutdown Looms as Dems Push for DHS Reform, Threaten Funding; Rubio: U.S. Use of Force in Venezuela Unlikely But Not Off Table; Secretary of State Rubio Testifies on U.S. Policy in Venezuela; Texas Lawmaker Visits ICE Facility Where 5-Year-Old Minneapolis Boy and His Father are Being Held 3-3:30p ET

Aired January 28, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: ... end up getting some significant snow from this. However, the GFS or the American model pushes it a little bit farther to the west, allowing some of those folks to get slightly higher snowfall totals.

So, as of now, we are still likely to see some of these areas pick up several inches of snow, but it could be as high as eight, 10 or even 12 inches for some, depending on where the track ends up.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Allison Chinchar, thank you so much. And a new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

New details about the federal agents involved in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis as President Trump issues a warning to the city's mayor.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: And the key takeaways from Secretary of State Marco Rubio's testimony on Capitol Hill today. What he had to say about possible regime changes in Venezuela, Iran and a third country much closer to the U. S.

KEILAR: And CNN is in South Texas as the ICE detention center -- at the ICE detention center where a five-year-old is being held. The latest actions to get Liam Conejo Ramos and his father back home. We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SANCHEZ: We're following more breaking news out of Minnesota today. Attorney General Pam Bondi posting on social media that she's on the ground in Minneapolis where she says that federal agents have arrested 16 people allegedly for assaulting federal law enforcement. Bondi then adding, "We expect more arrests to come." CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is there for us in Minneapolis.

Shimon, what are you learning about this?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is certainly interesting, Boris, because, you know, a lot of people are calling on the Department of Justice to investigate the Alex Pretti shooting. But instead, what we have is the Attorney General coming here to arrest what she says are rioters, and protesters, and people who she alleges assaulted federal agents, impeded arrests, resisted arrests. And she's saying that is why she's here on the ground.

They've also released a number of photos of individuals they say they arrested. Notably, it's Homeland Security investigations making those arrests. And certainly, we -- I have been hearing from the community here today that there's been some activities off federal law enforcement, and this perhaps could explain why that is.

And so, I think it is very interesting at a time when certainly people are trying to de-escalate what has been happening here. We now have the Attorney General here on the ground saying that they are making arrests of alleged rioters, protesters, people who have been impeding arrest, they allege and resisting arrest. Sixteen people have been arrested, and the Department of Justice and the Attorney General saying that more arrests will come.

SANCHEZ: And, Shimon, this afternoon, we also got an update on the federal agents involved in the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti.

PROKUPECZ: Yes. So, this was expected. I just want to say that, you know, kind of off the top. This is not anything unusual, but two of the officers, two of the federal officers, the Border Patrol agent and the Customs and Border Protection officer are now on administrative leave as there's this internal investigation that's now underway. And then, also the investigation by Homeland Security investigations into the shooting.

SANCHEZ: And Shimon, finally, there was also an attack on Congresswoman Ilhan Omar during a town hall last night. I understand that Capitol Police is now weighing potential federal charges against this suspect.

PROKUPECZ: Well, sure, because at a time when we are -- you know -- you know, our -- the Congress are -- definitely are facing a lot of threats, a lot of concern, and it is -- would be a federal crime. And so, that is now part of the investigation. And, you know, there's been a lot of concern now for several years over our congressional leaders. And so, there's a lot of concern there. So, it makes sense, obviously, for the Capitol Police to do this investigation.

The other thing, that individual, you know, was on court, in court today, that entire incident has been captured on tape and interestingly enough, the substance, you know, there's been a lot of questions about what was it that was in that syringe that he's alleged to have used to spray her with. It appears, according to officials, that it's apple cider vinegar.

And so, this is going to be an investigation that certainly the Capitol Police are -- are going to undertake, and they're going to look further to see if there was anything else going on here.

SANCHEZ: Shimon Prokupecz, thank you so much for the update from Minneapolis. Brianna.

KEILAR: We're joined now by Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts.

Sir, thank you so much for being with us.

[15:05:00]

Democrats in the Senate appear poised to withhold votes to fund the Department of Homeland Security, and thus so much of the government that is also included in this huge funding bill. What changes are Democrats demanding as a caucus?

SEN. ED MARKEY (D-MA): Well, we're saying to John Thune, to the Republican leadership, just break off the Homeland Security bill. Let's have a debate about what the safeguards are necessary in the light of what just happened on Saturday to Alex Pretti, what happened to Renee Good. We need to just deal with this rogue agency. We need to have a debate over what those safeguards are.

Yes, they -- they shouldn't be allowed to wear masks. They should have to wear body cameras. They should have to have badges with numbers on them. They should have to get judicial warrants in order to enter people's homes. They should -- they should have to comply with the Constitution of the United States. And we need that debate on the floor of the United States Senate, and we need it now more than ever.

The American people saw a cold-blooded murder committed on the streets of Minneapolis on Saturday, and they want accountability right now. And the United States Senate must right now have that debate. Break off the rest of the appropriations bill, but let's have a full- throated debate over the Department of Homeland Security and this corrupt agency run by Kristi Noem and Tom Homans and Bovino and all orchestrated out of -- out of the White House by Stephen Miller on behalf of Donald Trump. Let's have this full-throated debate in our country right now. It is absolutely essential. Democracy is on the line.

KEILAR: So, John Thune says they are not going to break off the DHS funding, but the demands are -- are out there. You -- we're starting to hear them coming out of your policy lunch, some of which you've just detailed. Enforcing accountability, the same use of police force -- the same use of force policies, I should say, that apply to state and local law enforcement.

What is the enforcement mechanism on that? What's the accountability mechanism that you are looking for as Democrats? Do you want that in the bill? How does that work?

MARKEY: Yes. Right now, the Trump administration is saying, oh, don't worry, we're going to administratively make all the changes that are needed in the wake of what just happened on the streets of Minneapolis. You don't need to legislate, just trust us. And I don't think the American people would allow for the Senate to give that kind of trust to Donald Trump. I think they want accountability. I think they want it to be legislated. I think the details have to be there. I think there has to be a complete examination of everything that this corrupt agency is doing -- is put under a microscope. So that's what we're going to be demanding.

And if John Thune says no, then we're prepared to debate that until the cows come home, because we're at a critical point in the history of our nation. We are seeing something that is absolutely unprecedented. It actually goes back 250 years in Boston when the Minutemen and Minutewomen rose up in order to stand against King George and his arbitrary imposition of laws illegally upon American citizens.

And this latter-day generation of patriots, they're rising up in Minneapolis, they're rising up across the country, and the Department of Homeland Security bill is the vehicle we need to use in order to have that debate.

KEILAR: It certainly appears that you will be having that through a shutdown, right? I mean, that -- that appears to be the reality if they're not going to break off DHS funding. And also, under DHS funding, it's not just ICE, right? It's not just CBP. Pay for members of the Coast Guard, FEMA funding, all of that is wrapped up into this spending bill.

I spoke with the mayor of Nashville yesterday, who's a Democrat, and they're in the middle of quite a situation with this ice storm. And he told me, even as he understands what Democrats are opposed to in Minneapolis, and he stands by that as well, he said, if we have to contend with that, meaning FEMA funding being threatened on the heels of an extraordinary winter weather event, it is absolutely going to be challenging circumstances. Are those things, Coast Guard pay, FEMA funding, are those acceptable casualties of a shutdown for the Democrats, for you?

MARKEY: Look, John Thune and Speaker Johnson, they control the procedure. It's their procedure. If they want to, just break off the funding for this snow crisis. We had the same crisis in Massachusetts over the weekend. Just break it off. It'll probably pass by unanimous consent, but we're not going to allow them to break off these Department of Homeland Security functions that are being engaged in by this secret police orchestrated out of the White House by President Trump.

[15:10:03]

That is not going to be allowed to continue unless and until the -- we have this debate on the floor of the United States Senate.

KEILAR: Do ...

MARKEY: And if the House of Representatives has to come back into session, bring them back this weekend, because we're in a crisis, a constitutional crisis in this country at this moment.

KEILAR: Do -- do you want ICE abolished or reformed?

MARKEY: I want ICE to be made accountable. I want this full-blown debate out here. It is a -- it's an agency which is corrupt from the top down. The head of the snake is in the White House right now, and we just have to make sure that we have this full-blown debate right now.

KEILAR: Okay, so I -- I just -- I want to pin you down on this, because it sounds like you're saying that you want it -- you want it reformed. You're not saying that you want it abolished. And there are a number of Democrats who say that it needs to be shuttered. And I wonder how you think Democrats should be approaching this, because how do you make sure that it doesn't become essentially defund the police 2.0.

When you do have Americans who are in favor of, say, this idea of getting rid of the worst of the worst of undocumented immigrants, even as they don't like the tactics that are being used in Minneapolis, even as they don't like the -- what we're seeing when, you know, you see grandma who's been here for two decades and isn't a public safety threat being deported. They don't like those things. But there are some things they do like. How should Democrats confront that and not make this be defund the police 2.0?

MARKEY: I am voting no on the ICE budget. I am not going to be supporting a rogue agency and this -- this army of agents that are hitting the streets of our nation in a way without any constitutional protections built around them. I'm voting no on the ICE budget. And I think that's the right position to take right now, because this is something that Donald Trump -- we saw it in -- on Saturday in Minneapolis, let's be honest. We saw it in -- in Saturday. What was the -- what was the ...

KEILAR: But is that no way in perpetuity or is that no for ICE as it is? Do you want it abolished or do you want it reformed?

MARKEY: Let me just finish this. You know, Pam Bondi on Saturday, what was her first response? Give her the voting rolls of Minneapolis. What was that all about? We know what it was all about. It's about what we're seeing right now down in Atlanta with the FBI going into the election rolls of Atlanta. This is all ultimately about Trump exercising the Insurrection Act, where you can use the Army and the Marines on the streets of our country in order to suppress votes in our nation. That's what this is all about.

And even today, as Bondi goes into Minneapolis, is it the focus upon the murder? Is it the focus upon what happened on those streets? No, it is to divert away from the central issue that all Americans want to have answered. What is happening to our government?

KEILAR: I hear -- I hear what you're saying ...

MARKEY: What is happening ...

KEILAR: ... but let's not divert away from the issue of my question here, do you want it abolished or do you want it reformed? What do you want to happen to ICE?

MARKEY: Well, I don't trust this administration. I don't trust this administration with the ICE funding. So, to the extent to which we need to stop and have this debate and make them accountable, let's see if the Republicans are willing to rally around a way in which we deal with this issue. Otherwise, we're going to continue to have this unfolding constitutional crisis beset every city in our nation before the end of this year, including on Election Day, when the Insurrection Act is going to be invoked by Trump, and he is going to try to make sure that minority voters especially are not allowed to come out and participate in our democracy. That's what this is all about. It is a crisis point in our nation's history.

KEILAR: Senator Ed Markey, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

MARKEY: Great to be with you. Thank you.

KEILAR: Still to come, Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the hot seat on Capitol Hill for nearly three hours answering questions on everything from Venezuela to the protests in Iran. We'll have the key takeaways from this ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:18:08]

KEILAR: For nearly three hours today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee answering questions on Greenland, Iran, Ukraine, but mostly Venezuela. This was the first time that Rubio had testified publicly before Congress since Nicolas Maduro was captured by U.S. forces 25 days ago. The Secretary told lawmakers that the U.S. is close to setting up a diplomatic presence in Venezuela and will audit how money from its oil will be spent.

SANCHEZ: The Secretary also said in his written statement to the committee that the U.S., quote, "is prepared to use force to ensure maximum cooperation if other methods fail in Venezuela." Rubio also said that progress there is happening quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: We are much further along on this project than we thought we would be given the complexities of it going into it. And I recognize that it won't be easy. I mean, look, at the end of the day, we are dealing with people over there that have spent most of their lives living in a gangster paradise. So, it's not going to be like from one day to the next. We're going to have this thing turn around overnight. But I think we're making good and decent progress. It is the best plan. And we are certainly better off today in Venezuela than we were four weeks ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's get some perspective from CNN National Security Analyst, Beth Sanner. She was deputy director of national intelligence during the first Trump administration.

Beth, great to see you, as always.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado met with Rubio today. She says that she wants to go back to Venezuela as soon as possible. How likely is that?

BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, if the U.S. embassy is up and running, which I think it is going to take a little while, they'll be based out of Colombia, probably in the beginning. But I think it's probably quite possible. And it is something that the administration could absolutely hold over the heads of the Rodriguez administration to make sure that she is safe. And that kind of rallying point in Venezuela is definitely needed. So, you know, if she is willing to do it, I think it's probably a good thing and -- and quite possible.

[15:20:08]

KEILAR: What did you make about the questions and his answers about how the U.S. is handling the money from Venezuelan oil sales?

SANNER: It -- it's Pretti detailed and confusing, right? We're only talking about sanctioned oil and we're only talking about this $500 million. And, you know, it's going to be in this account in gutter and then it's going to become a U.S. Treasury sanctioned account or -- or, you know, controlled account and all of this stuff.

I think the bottom line here is that they're trying to deal with the issues at hand that they had to deal with right away, but now they have a mess on their hands and they're trying to sort it out and create some normalcy. And that's what Rubio kept saying, bear with us. And there are -- it's true that there are all these laws and regulations, but it's also true that, you know, in the beginning, there's not a lot of transparency about what's going on or where that money went and now they're trying to correct that.

And I -- I do think that what Rubio said about going forward makes sense, having an audit process, having them say what they're going to spend it on, us paying attention to that and approving that. But boy, that does sound like we're controlling Venezuela, doesn't it?

SANCHEZ: We also learned in some exclusive CNN reporting that the CIA is quietly working to establish a permanent presence, a U.S. presence on the ground in Venezuela. How do you see that playing out? How do you see that as being in balance with a diplomatic presence?

SANNER: Well, you know, CIA operates all around the world and, you know, through diplomatic presences and otherwise. And so, it's a natural occurrence that when you're setting up an embassy and you have a presence, that you have a wide range of U.S. government representation on the ground. My guess is that we'll have FBI and DOD presence in that embassy as well.

And, you know, we need to have CIA on the ground and they need to be recruiting sources. And I'm sure that they're doing that and they have been doing that over time. It's an essential part of us actually knowing what's going on, because you cannot trust what the Venezuelans tell you. We need to intercept communications and we need to have spies inside that government telling us what's going on. And it -- and I -- and I -- it looks like we had that, but we need to build that out.

KEILAR: And, Beth, on Iran, Rubio says the Iranian regime is probably weaker than it has ever been. And this morning the President threatened Iran on social media. What is the real possibility of a strike here?

SANNER: I mean, to me, it's -- it's interesting. Rubio seemed to really play it down. While just a couple of hours before you had President Trump putting out a social -- on Truth Social saying, you know, we're basically locked and loaded and we're ready to use our humongous armada that's moving into the region and it's bigger than what we had in the Caribbean, not actually true. And if they don't come to the table, you know, they're going to be sorry kind of thing.

And Rubio was like, well, we need to put forces in the region just in case Iran attacks us. And we may have to protect American forces and partners in the region preemptively from an Iranian attack.

So, it sounds like to me that Rubio is kind of setting up a rationale for why we would conduct this strike. Because there is no sign that Iran is about to strike anybody in the region. But he's saying, well, we might have to preemptively strike because they are about to strike us.

I think that the chances are rising that we are going to take a strike. We have all of these forces in the region. We have probably as big or bigger air strike capability, refueling planes, electronic warfare. I mean, we're getting ready to go. Air defenses, the whole nine yards. It is looking like, you know, it's only a decision away.

SANCHEZ: Wow. We'll see if that decision comes. Beth Sanner, thank you so much.

SANNER: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, growing calls to get five- year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father released from a South Texas detention center. CNN is there in South Texas with lawmakers leading the charge.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:28:46]

KEILAR: Happening right now, Texas Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro is touring the ICE facility in South Texas where a Minneapolis father and his five-year-old son are being detained. Liam Conejo Campos (ph) and his father were taken into custody by federal officers last week. State and local officials and faith leaders are calling for the boy's release. He is a U.S. citizen and Congressman Castro says he's being told some detainees at the facility are being kept on lockdown in their rooms. CNN Senior National Correspondent Ed Lavandera is outside the facility in Dilley, Texas. Ed, the Congressman said he planned to meet with the father and son.

Tell us what you've learned.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that according to what the Congressman told us that he was going to be arriving here around 11 o'clock this morning. We're now three and a half hours into this visit. We have not gotten any updates from this facility.

Meanwhile, outside of the facility, this tension kind of escalating here as a large group of protesters have marched from Dilley into the area. And now state troopers in riot gear have been brought in to start pushing the crowd back. This group of protesters was much larger just a little while ago. The majority of them have left and kind of like started marching back toward town.

[15:30:03]

But here, on the edge and the entrance into this detention facility, there are still smaller ...