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Officials Fear Lessons Learned from Iraq's Oil Might be Ignored with Venezuela; Philadelphia City Council Members Introduce "ICE Out" Legislation; CNN Speaks to Accusers of Ft. Hood Doctor in Sexual Misconduct Scandal. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired January 29, 2026 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: So, CNN has new reporting about concerns that lessons learned from the U.S. invasion of Iraq are not transferring to the Trump administration's plan for Venezuela's oil.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: In both cases, the U.S. set out to revitalize another country's oil sector after ousting its leader. In Iraq, distrust of U.S. intentions led to sabotage, and some officials fear that history could repeat itself in Venezuela. That is according to a CNN source.

Let's get more insight from CNN National Security Correspondent Kylie Atwood. What are some of the concerns that you're hearing about here?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, what we've learned is that in the weeks leading up to the U.S. military operation to actually oust Maduro, officials were already looking back at Iraq. And what they were looking at was the U.S. approach to oil in the country following the 2003 U.S. invasion. And one of the key findings, according to a source that I spoke with, familiar with this briefing, is that there was a level of distrust and skepticism on behalf of the Iraqis who were working those oil fields about what the U.S. intentions were. And in some situations, that actually led to internal sabotage.

And so what that meant was the U.S. was trying to work with Iraq, trying to work with the Iraqi oil ministry, trying to even work with the United Nations backing to boost oil production in Iraq. But that internal sabotage obviously made it harder to boost that production quickly. It actually took about 10 years following the U.S. invasion to get levels back up to where they were pre-U.S. invasion.

So this is one of the lessons that some folks at the State Department were looking at in the weeks leading up to the ouster of Maduro. Now, President Trump has been talking about oil in Venezuela and how this U.S. effort to revitalize the industry there is really going to benefit the United States. We've heard from Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying this is going to benefit the Venezuelan people. We've heard similar from the Secretary of Energy. But Trump's own language, officials are concerned, could engender that same sort of distrust on the ground in Venezuela.

Listen to some of what Trump has said about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We want it back. They took our oil rights. We had a lot of oil there.

As you know, they threw our companies out. And we want it back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ATWOOD: Now, we have heard from Trump in the past who has said that what happened in Iraq was a failure because the United States didn't take the oil. So this is a sentiment that he has long held close. It's one he's clearly applying to Venezuela.

We'll have to watch and see how this goes. But I would also note that experts say that, listen, U.S. companies have been operating in Venezuela for decades now. Obviously, it's only Chevron now.

But there may be some resource of trust that they tap into. But it'll be really critical to see how that trust is built up by the Trump administration.

KEILAR: Yes, they really want investment. We'll see. Kylie, great reporting. Thank you so much.

Next, Philadelphia's ambitious plan to ice out federal agents. We have more ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

[14:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Talks to avert a partial government shutdown are intensifying as the clock is ticking toward tomorrow's midnight deadline. Earlier today, a bipartisan group of senators blocked a huge spending bill that was passed by the House. The main issue is funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which includes money for ICE.

After the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Senate Democrats say they will not move forward unless money for the agency is dealt with separately. The Democrats want more time to negotiate new policy guidelines for the deployment of ICE agents across the country. CNN sources say the White House is now moving closer to the Democrats' demands that would temporarily fund DHS, buying some more time for negotiations.

But any deal would still need approval from both chambers before the deadline hits -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Lawmakers in Philadelphia are taking preemptive steps aimed at limiting how federal immigration agents can operate in the city. Today, two city council members introduced ICE-out legislation outside City Hall. Joining us now are two co-sponsors of that bill, Minority Leader Kendra Brooks and Philadelphia City Council Member Rue Landau.

Thank you both for being with us. First to you, Rue, what specific problem is it that you're trying to stop right now in Philadelphia that existing policy doesn't already address?

RUE LANDAU, PHILADELPHIA CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: Well, we've been watching in horror as ICE has continued their lawlessness in cities around the country to the point of murdering innocent citizens, even. And we wanted to ensure that we are protecting Philadelphians as much as possible. We've got some executive orders in the books, but we wanted to codify those executive orders in our law and expand on the protections that we have in a variety of areas of our local law to make sure that we're protecting people as much as possible.

[14:40:04]

ICE is already here, but we want to be ready for them to not only handle what they're doing now, but to make sure that we are preparing for the future.

SANCHEZ: And Kendra, part of the package prevents city agencies from collaborating with ICE or even from collecting immigration status information. I wonder if you limit coordination between local officials and the feds. Isn't there a risk that might make the community less safe?

KENDRA BROOKS, MINORITY LEADER, PHILADELPHIA CITY COUNCIL: Well, we want to prevent our local officials from sharing data with ICE that will basically disrupt families. You know, we have some of these things that are already on the books. We're just trying to strengthen existing laws to make sure that community members feel safe.

It's not to hinder current policy, it's to make sure that we're preventing undue harm to community members here in Philadelphia.

SANCHEZ: And when it comes to enforcing some of these policies, for instance, with the use of masks or the use of unmarked vehicles, what happens if federal agents just ignore them and say that immigration policy is dictated by federal law? What enforcement power does the city have then?

LANDAU: Well, we've been working with our mayor's administration and our police department, who's been very clear on their policies for our Philadelphia Police Department. They don't wear masks on a regular basis. They don't shoot at fleeing cars.

They don't stand in front of moving vehicles and shoot at them. We have practices and policies in place here in Philadelphia that we've instituted in order to protect Philadelphians. And our expectation is that ICE is going to follow what we have in Philadelphia while they're here.

This will be our cooperation with our mayor's department to make sure that we're enforcing these laws as best as we possibly can. But we know what the expectation is. And we also have a district attorney who's ready to prosecute any ICE officer who breaks the law here in Philadelphia.

SANCHEZ: Councilmember Rue Landau, Minority Leader Kendra Brooks, thank you both. LANDAU: Thank you so much.

BROOKS: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

Up next, an update on a story you first saw here on CNN. The number of women now accusing a Fort Hood doctor of sexual misconduct ballooning to more than 100. We spoke with some of those women.

Brianna's interview with them is next.

[14:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Some accusers of an Army gynecologist facing sexual misconduct allegations are now lobbying Congress to make changes to protect service members and their family members who receive care at military medical facilities. In November, we brought you the exclusive story about what led Army investigators to investigate this Army doctor at Fort Hood. The number of women, both service members and military spouses, now accusing Major Blaine McGraw of sexual misconduct over several years has ballooned to well over 100.

Lawyers and advocates expect that number will continue to grow as McGraw remains behind bars. He was detained in December and charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice with 54 specifications of alleged instances of indecent visual recording and five specifications of conduct unbecoming an officer and more. In a civil lawsuit, dozens of women allege McGraw recorded them without permission during breast and pelvic exams, during transvaginal ultrasounds and births that he gave them unnecessarily rough exams.

Exams so rough they induced labor against the wishes of at least two women and that he spoke to patients and touched them in a sexual rather than professional manner during their appointments. We should note these are allegations that McGraw denies. We spoke with some of the women who are part of that civil suit and their lawyer when they came to Washington recently to meet with lawmakers and demand Congress make these changes to protect women in the military medical system.

And while the women spoke to us on camera, we should note they asked that we use pseudonyms to protect their identities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Claire, Army investigators brought you in pretty early.

CLAIRE, MCGRAW ACCUSER: They're like, we're going to show you a picture. Please let us know how you know this person. It was a still image of me from my appointment the week prior.

KEILAR: Were you shocked?

CLAIRE: Oh, absolutely. I was floored. He performed two pelvic exams, plus a transvaginal ultrasound and a breast exam. And it was all on video.

MEGAN, MCGRAW ACCUSER: It's a sinus infection. Why would I need a pelvic exam for a sinus infection? And he kept on pushing and pushing until after the fourth time I said no.

But I consent to a stomach exam so you can check on my baby, see if everything's OK. He lifted up my shirt over my breasts. I told him, no, that's too far.

He went to my pelvic region to pull my pants down. He went back to my top and started gripping my breasts. I told him, please stop.

I'm uncomfortable. He went back to my pelvic region and grazed my vagina. And I told him, if you don't remove your hands, I will punch you in your face.

This exam is over.

BETH: MCGRAW ACCUSER I was in the ER for bleeding. I needed to get a blood transfusion that night. That's how much bleeding was going on.

So it was a vulnerable, scary situation. He sat on my bed. He exposed me from the waist down and gave me an internal without a proper private room, without any tools, just using his hands.

[14:50:00]

It didn't provide comfort. It was painful. It was so weird to the fact where as soon as he stepped out, my wife and I looked at each other and said, that was really weird.

But he's a military doctor. The military is your family. Your family is supposed to take care of you.

So each other and said that was really weird. But he's a military doctor. The military is your family. So we didn't really question it.

KEILAR: You later, as I understand it, looked at your medical records.

BETH: My records did indicate that I had a chaperone and I did not.

KEILAR: Andrew, how many clients do you have who are accusing Dr. McGraw of sexual misconduct?

ANDREW COBOS, ATTORNEY FOR 100 MCGRAW ACCUSERS: We represent 100 women in this lawsuit. We're not the only law firm who is representing these survivors. We represent an individual who was raped in the motor pool at Fort Hood.

She was under the impression that a doctor, Dr. McGraw, was going to perform a rape kit analysis to be able to get evidence for her lawsuit. McGraw began conducting what she thought was a rape kit, but he conducted it completely improperly. And he was on his phone during the rape kit analysis. And ultimately, he did not include those findings in her report. Her perpetrator ultimately got off.

KEILAR: What do you think overall about how the Army has responded to this?

MEGAN: They have it. They're not taking accountability. They're not taking everyone serious.

But we need more help than just giving a pamphlet, giving a number. We need our stories to be heard. We need justice.

We need accountability.

KEILAR: You say you tried to report this interaction you had with him how many times?

MEGAN: For the rest of the month, so many times, week after week after week. No one would listen. No one would talk to me.

No one would answer, get hung up on. And then I just lost faith.

COBOS: Congress needs to intervene. They need to have open hearings where Army officers can come and testify under oath about exactly what they knew and about what they should have done.

KEILAR: Has this experience for you changed how you view the military and your place supporting the military?

CLAIRE: It makes it hard. My husband's active duty still. And to know that a system that we've put over two decades of our life and trust into has continued to let this happen.

It makes you feel resentful. It makes you feel invisible and unimportant. I tried to go off base for a referral, and I couldn't get an appointment.

So I had to go back to the system that broke my trust because I have no other options.

BETH: We've all had our own issues from these incidents. I cannot seek gynecological care. I go into a panic when I think about it.

We're all here together and we need to stay together and be strong and speak up and come forward, because if we keep staying silent, nothing's going to change. It's going to go on forever like it has been.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR (on camera): We reached out to McGraw's lawyer who told us that he's, quote, "... aware of these allegations." He said, "both the government and defense are having experts examine the quality of care. We maintain that any physical examinations were medically indicated and performed properly." The Army stressed their detention of McGraw and that he's presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty and told us they, quote, "... remain committed to supporting anyone affected. A patient support line, a call center and Special Victims Counsel are available to provide immediate assistance." They emphasized a new patient chaperone policy, the criminal investigation of McGraw and the ability of accusers to report anonymously.

But these women say it's not enough. One told us they received care since the new chaperone policy went into effect and a chaperone was there briefly for the sensitive exam portion of her appointment. But then she was alone with a male provider at Fort Hood, even though the staff there was aware she is an alleged victim of Dr. McGraw's. So they want Congress to make the medical chaperone policy more robust. They want to stop what is called quiet PCS or moving a service member who is the subject of complaints to a new duty station without allowing a paper trail to follow them to maintain anonymous reporting, which they fear may be going away under a policy change that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced last year. And they want a public congressional hearing.

There were complaints about Dr. McGraw over the years, and they want Congress to find out who knew what, when and how he was allowed to continue his alleged misconduct with patients.

Next, we're beginning to see the impacts of surging Obamacare premiums. We'll have that new reporting right after this.

[14:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Now, some of the other headlines were watching this hour. A major drop in the number of people covered by the Affordable Care Act. According to federal data, more than a million fewer people signed up for ACA insurance coverage in 2026. This comes as enhanced premium subsidies have expired, causing monthly payments to skyrocket for many enrollees. Experts are predicting that even more are going to drop their coverage in the coming months as many people who are automatically reenrolled learn just how much more their premiums have risen.

Also, oil prices are on the rise as investors worry about potential disruptions from a U.S. attack on Iran. President Trump has been warning Iran about a new strike. His talks of a new nuclear deal break down.

The global oil benchmark, Brent, climbed over $70 today. If it finishes the day, their oil will be at its highest closing price since late September. The U.S. benchmark, WTI, also on the rise.

KEILAR: And a rough ride for Tesla. The company says its revenue went in reverse ...

END