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Trump Warns Iran Against Using Violence Amid Protests; U.S. Strikes Multiple ISIS Targets In Syria; Schools In Parts Of Iran Set To Close As Crackdown Intensifies; Nationwide Protests Held Over Fatal Minneapolis ICE Shooting; Mamdani Speaks Out Against NYC Pro-Hamas Protests; Medical Issue In Space; Bob Weir, Grateful Dead Guitarist, Dies At 78. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired January 10, 2026 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:44]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean in New York.

And tonight President Donald Trump issuing a message of solidarity to the people of Iran, posting, quote, "Iran is looking at freedom, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help." Those comments come as protests against the Iranian regime are intensifying tonight. A U.S. based human rights group says at least 78 people have been killed, more than 2300 people have been arrested over the past two weeks.

Iranian authorities cut off internet access and telephone lines Thursday. That was the biggest night of demonstrations so far, and the protests have now spread to more than 100 cities across that country. For context, those protests started in Tehran's bazaars or marketplaces over inflation concerns, and they have since evolved into more general protests against the regime.

So that sets the stage for you. Let's bring in CNN's Julia Benbrook to talk more about specifically what the Trump administration is saying on this.

Julia, what are we hearing?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, as you mentioned, according to a U.S. human rights group, at least 78 people have been killed and 2300 arrested during two weeks of anti-government protests in Iran. Those demonstrations have spread across Iran's provinces as nationwide unrest continues over worsening economic conditions. And President Donald Trump, he's here in Florida right now for the weekend, he commented on this just a couple of hours ago, taking to social media to write, quote, "Iran is looking at freedom, perhaps like never before," adding, "The USA stands ready to help."

And Trump was asked about this yesterday as well, if the United States would get involved in some way now that protesters had been killed, he did not rule out U.S. involvement. Take a listen to part of his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I just hope the protesters in Iran are going to be safe because it's a very dangerous place right now. And again, I tell the Iranian leaders, you better not start shooting because we'll start shooting, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Now, Trump did emphasize that that did not mean boots on the ground, but he added this. It does mean, quote, "hitting them very, very hard where it hurts." Not a lot of clarity, though, here or specifics on what involvement would look like.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also posted a message, but it didn't give any more details. He said that the United States supports t the brave people of Iran. Now, Iran's supreme leader, the ayatollah, has blamed the United States for playing a role in inciting the protests and has urged Trump to remain focused on his own country.

DEAN: All right. And Julia, I also want to ask you about reports of U.S. strikes in Syria. What more can you tell us about that?

BENBROOK: Well, we have learned that the United States carried out large scale strikes against ISIS in Syria today. I believe we have some new video to play for you, showing that. This is a part of an ongoing retaliation campaign. And the U.S. Central Command released a statement providing some more details. In it they said that, "Today at approximately 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time, U.S. Central Command forces, alongside partner forces, conducted large scale strikes against multiple ISIS targets across Syria."

The operation was named Operation Hawkeye Strike that was in honor, in memory of the two U.S. Army soldiers from Iowa who were killed in an ambush by an ISIS gunman in December. Those two soldiers, along with a civilian interpreter, were killed.

Now, Trump at the time promised retaliation. That statement from CENTCOM went on to reiterate that point. They said, "Our message remains strong. If you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice." Hundreds of American troops remain in Syria. This is a part of an ongoing campaign to fight ISIS.

[19:05:05]

DEAN: All right, Julia Benbrook, with the latest in West Palm Beach. Thanks so much for that.

Let's turn back to Iran now. CNN's Paula Hancocks has more on the protests happening on the ground there.

Paula, what can you tell us?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know that there is a crackdown by authorities on these protests, which are gaining momentum and are larger than we have seen in recent years. Now, one of the NGOs and human rights groups within the country says

they believe at least 65 people have been killed at this point. We know that hundreds have been injured. We can't independently verify these figures. But there are raising concerns of a potential brutal crackdown on protesters, more so than we are seeing now because of this internet blackout, which was put in place by authorities late on Thursday night.

Now we are also hearing from the exiled, Reza Pahlavi. He's the eldest son of the late shah, who was deposed back in 1979. He's trying to position himself as an alternative to the Islamic regime. And he has been very publicly calling for nationwide protests. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REZA PAHLAVI, EXILED IRANIAN OPPOSITION FIGURE (through translator): I ask all of you today and tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, this time starting at 6:00 p.m., to come into the streets with flags, images and national symbols, and to reclaim public spaces as your own. Our goal is no longer merely to come out into the streets. The goal is to prepare to seize city centers and hold them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, it is unclear how many within Iran will actually hear that message given the fact there is that internet blackout. And it's also unclear exactly how much support he still has within the country. We have been seeing those chants on some of the social media, posted videos saying, this is the last battle, Pahlavi will return.

We also have heard from the supreme leader in response to what we heard from the U.S. president, Donald Trump, saying he will intervene if peaceful protesters are killed. He has blamed the U.S. for trying to stoke these protests. He's talking about rioters and foreign mercenaries, and also says that Trump should focus on the problems of his own country.

There are concerns, though, that this crackdown could intensify in the coming days, and we're certainly seeing no signs that the anger and frustration on the streets of Iran in the hundred plus cities across the country is going to wane any time soon.

DEAN: All right. Paula Hancocks for us. Thank you for that.

And we are joined now by former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, Dana Stroul. She's currently research director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Dana, thanks for being here with us as we kind of work through what these protests might mean, these are the largest nationwide protests we've seen in several years. And I think the question now is, what does it all lead to? Does it actually pose a serious threat to the regime? And what might we see in the coming days? Does that include more violence against these protesters?

DANA STROUL, RESEARCH DIRECTOR, THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: Well, first of all, this is different from all of the other protests we've seen for one very specific reason, which is the regime is weaker at home and weaker abroad than it has been in the entire history of the Islamic Republic of Iran since the shah was ousted in 1979. And when you think about it, last year we saw Israeli and American strikes directly inside Iran against its nuclear program, its missile program, Iran's terror network across the entire region, Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon, militias in Iraq, militias in Yemen, Hamas in Gaza are all really degraded at this point in time.

So the main ways in which the regime in Tehran used to threaten the world and threaten the people is gone. And at the same time, inside Iran, the regime is exposed economically. There's a water crisis. There's not jobs, there's not electricity. And so the fear barrier of Iranian protesters is just lower. They're not as concerned about what repression looks like. They're challenging the regime.

DEAN: And the president, President Trump, is suggesting, you know, the U.S. could get involved. He's also warned leaders against violence. But he said today, you know, the U.S. stands ready to help. And it's unclear what help could mean many, many things. But what do you read into that?

STROUL: Well, President Trump, in the first year of his second administration, so looking at last year, every time he threatened military force, he backed up his threat with military force, whether it was in Yemen early last year, whether it was together with Israel against Iran over the summer. There's been strikes in Syria and retaliation against ISIS for the killing of those soldiers and the civilian contractor. In Nigeria, in Somalia, and of course, in Venezuela.

[19:10:03]

So if you're the regime in Iran, this is not the time to be questioning President Trump's commitment to use military force.

DEAN: And so how -- what are you anticipating seeing in the next couple of days? What are you watching for as these protests continue?

STROUL: Well, first of all, it's going to be really hard to figure out what's going on inside Iran because clearly the regime is scared and they don't want the world to know what's going on. That's why we have the internet blackout, the phone blackout. It's going to be really hard to get information about what's going on, but it's likely that we know about tens or dozens of protesters that have been killed and hundreds of arrests.

It's likely that those numbers are much higher. And yet people are in every city, in every governorate across Iran, continuing to protest and continuing to call not for the regime to change its policies. They're calling for an end to the regime. So what I'm looking for is whether the regime cracks down in an even more brutal way with mass killing, whether or not the security forces of the regime continue to implement that policy of protests and repression, or whether they actually say, no, we're done with this, and we're on the side of the people who want freedom and legitimate rights.

DEAN: Yes, that is interesting. And just so everyone knows, the U.S. based human rights group estimates at least 78 people have been killed so far in the last two weeks. And to your point, Dana, we wait to see how does that number grow and what does that look like?

You also mentioned the importance of the blackout, the communications blackout. How important then, you know, we hear people talking about Starlink and the importance of Starlink so that they can communicate with the outside world. How important is that?

STROUL: It's really important. And the U.S. government has many, many times worked with Elon Musk and Starlink in order to provide internet access in places where you have an adversary that's trying to take that right, and that access away from the people. The challenge in Iran over the next couple of days is the regime knows to look for Starlink. It's going to be able to locate where the protesters are using that capability.

And so part of this is about how the protesters are going to protect themselves, but also use Starlink access in order to get information out to the rest of the world. And of course, President Trump wants to know how seriously the regime is attacking the Iranian people because he's put the regime on notice.

DEAN: Right. And so to that end, what role do you see the U.S. having in this -- in the immediate future?

STROUL: Well, the U.S. administration has clearly associated itself with the Iranian people, on the side of the Iranian people. And the question is, if President Trump orders military strikes, what does that exactly look like? Is he aiming for regime change? Is he trying to topple the regime or just pick select targets that are going to put the regime on notice and try to damage its ability to kill more protesters? And that is a really difficult needle to thread.

DEAN: Right. And of course, we will see. All right, Dana Stroul, thank you so much for your expertise. We really appreciate it.

And protests in Minnesota and across the U.S. after a woman was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this week. A CNN team is on the ground as protesters and immigration agents continue to face off. Plus, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaking out following pro-Hamas protests in the city. And a little later, NASA astronauts are set to make a rare early return home from space. More on why. That's coming up.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:17:51]

DEAN: Big crowds gathering today to voice outrage over the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis by an ICE officer. Demonstrators chanted her name, calling for ICE to leave the city. Law enforcement is expecting demonstrations to continue throughout the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Are you on this?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: This afternoon at a federal building near Minneapolis, CNN was there on the scene as federal agents fired pepper balls to push a group of protesters who were throwing snowballs at law enforcement vehicles. Some were trying to block cars from leaving the facility.

Let's bring in CNN's Omar Jimenez who you just saw in that clip there.

Omar, you were obviously at that facility. You've now moved to a protest there. What are you seeing?

JIMENEZ: Yes, so right now we're at the site of where Renee Good was shot and killed. And really, this has become a place to reflect, a place for protest at times, a place for chants, so really a place to remember Renee Good even days removed from this particular shooting. But as you can see, there are chants that break out at times, protesting against federal immigration enforcement being here in the city of Minneapolis.

And as cars come through, there are oftentimes they're beeping in support of these protesters. But it really has been a day of protests here in Minneapolis. Earlier, we were tracking a protest that was by the thousands, starting out of one of the major parks here in the Minneapolis area as they marched through the city. That was one that was pre-planned but on a day like this where I know you probably can't feel it through the TV, but it is definitely the coldest day it has been since this particular shooting.

That did not sway and did not seem to sway, I should say, anybody that came out because it truly was a large turnout. And then over at this federal building that is miles from where I'm standing right now, a little bit closer to the airport, that has been the scene of a little bit more tense, confrontational protests. And the reason for that is we typically see federal law enforcement there forming a line at the perimeter of that complex, and then protesters face off with them there, yelling things at them, sometimes throwing snowballs at them.

And as their vehicles pull out of the complex or into the complex, they'll throw snowballs or yell or taunt at them.

[19:20:04]

And so that will then prompt law enforcement to push out into the crowd at times. You showed some of the footage a little bit earlier. That might be a flashbang, that might be firing pepper balls, in some cases, spraying things as well. And so those protests have been a little bit more confrontational. And then last night, and this is something we're going to be watching for tonight as well, we saw hundreds of protesters in downtown Minneapolis targeting hotels where they believed federal immigration agents were staying.

So that's truly making as much noise as possible, like banging on drums, blowing whistles, but also shining lights in the windows of the hotels as well. And while things overall went OK last night, as was described by law enforcement, there were still 29 people arrested. Some damage done to property as well. So we're going to be watching for that dynamic as we get into the nighttime hours.

But then when you come back here to where we are at this particular site, it has been a steady stream of people visiting this ever growing memorial site here. And it's almost become a mini community within itself as people bring food, they bring tea, they make coffee for people who come to visit. We've seen people of all ages come and stop by, and I can tell you, being here for days now, there does not seem to be any indication that the momentum that is bringing people here is stopping.

DEAN: All right. Omar Jimenez, with the very latest there from Minneapolis. Thank you so much for that.

Jason DeRusha joins us now to discuss more. He's the host of WCCO Radio show "Drive Time with DeRusha."

Jason, thank you so much for being here with us tonight. We really appreciate it. Obviously, you're very much a fixture of the Minneapolis community. For people across the country and the world who are watching tonight, give us a peek into what the community is saying right now, what the mood is like there.

JASON DERUSHA, WCCO RADIO HOST, "DRIVETIME WITH DERUSHA": You know, Omar captures it well. You do in Minnesota see people show up. They show up for their neighbors in tough times and in good times. Omar was here in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd during those riots. He knows very well that protest is also a part of this community.

But I want to say this. Because this is a community that has gone through a lot, but this is a state that is similar to many states in America where in the urban core, you see protests, and throughout the country, the media picture of Minneapolis is a community that is rising up. But bear in mind that this state does have a diversity of opinion, and there are many people who are glad to see that what they voted for, which was strong borders and getting people who are here illegally out, there are people who are happy about that. And they are not the people you see pictured and you see covered.

DEAN: Yes. And listen, Minneapolis --

DERUSHA: I'm not advocating for that position. I'm just saying like --

DEAN: No, no, just laying out.

DERUSHA: Just know that there is a diversity. Yes.

DEAN: Listen, there are many opinions in this country. That is for sure. We certainly have seen this as a flashpoint, no doubt about it. The thing about Minneapolis, too, is it is obviously a major city, but it's not gigantic in the sense that it's not, you know, millions and millions and millions of people. It is a pretty close knit major city, if that all makes sense.

DERUSHA: Yes, exactly. And I do think that's part of what people here, even people who are sympathetic to the idea of having tougher immigration enforcement, why us? If you were designing a strategic program to reduce the number of people in America who are here illegally, why would you come to a state that has six million people? The estimates are about 130,000 people who are here without proper documentation.

Why us? Is -- and I think we know the answer. Right? There is certainly a beef between the federal government and the leadership of the city of Minneapolis and the leadership particularly of our governor, Tim Walz.

DEAN: Yes. And help people understand, you mentioned the George Floyd protests. It is remarkable that all of that happened, you know, in the same city and that these two incidents happened just not that far apart from one another in terms of distance.

How are these protests different? Where, you know, how would you compare then and now and just kind of how Minneapolis might be different as well?

DERUSHA: There are a number of major differences. First of all, I do think law enforcement here has learned how to respond better. I think protesters know that the White House wants to see Minneapolis enraged and fighting against the cops. And so people are really being sensitive to not take the bait and not give that image to people who might want that image.

[19:25:00]

We also are fatigued and I don't think that is keeping the number of protesters down. But you mentioned George Floyd being -- his murder being very near. What happened with ICE this week, but also in that same neighborhood, there was a school shooting at Annunciation Catholic School, the first day of mass inside the church. That trauma is recent. We had the former speaker of the House assassinated in her home, along with her husband, and three other legislative leaders had this alleged killer show up at their front doors.

The series of trauma has been crushing.

DEAN: Yes. As you listed, it is just hard, you know, you put all that together, it is a lot. And I think about -- I think about those kids who were at school on their first day of school and praying, and they were attacked and killed. And it is, it's a lot of trauma for one community.

Jason, thank you for giving us a window into that. We really appreciate it.

DERUSHA: Thank you. DEAN: Thank you.

After the break, how New York's Mayor Zohran Mamdani is responding to pro-Hamas protests here in the city.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:30:36]

DEAN: New York City's new Mayor Zohran Mamdani now criticizing pro- Hamas protests outside a synagogue, yelling antisemitic chants. Mamdani, who has described himself as pro-Palestinian, releasing a statement in part saying, "As I made clear the rhetoric and displays that we saw and heard in Kew Gardens Hills last night are wrong and have no place in our city."

Let's bring in CNN's Gloria Pazmino. Gloria, bring us up to speed here.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jessica, you know, I think the context of all of this is super important to understand why there has been controversy over the mayor's comment and his response and the reality and from speaking to several sources over the last two days, there was a lot of frustration, including from some allies of the mayor for the delay that the mayor had in responding to this protest. This took place outside of a synagogue in queens, in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood. This was an event that was taking place inside of the synagogue, where they were providing information and resources for people who were interested in purchasing land in Israel.

That event unto itself has gotten a lot of criticism in the past. Now, there were protesters there to respond to that event, along with some counter-protesters. But it was what the protesters were saying and chanting during their demonstration that got the attention of several lawmakers and caused the controversy because they were chanting support for Hamas. And that is what made many of the videos spread throughout social media. Many of them went viral, and that's why it drew such controversy.

For a lot of people I spoke to, they felt like this was a very clear crossing of the line, right? Protesters expressing outright support for Hamas, a terrorist organization to them, that is a clear cut, something that the mayor should respond to and do quickly. But because he didn't do it for several hours, he got a lot of criticism for that delay. He was asked about it again today, earlier this morning. Listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK CITY: So I actually was asked a question around that same time where I made very clear something that is consistent with my own politics and my own policies, which is not only was that wrong, but also that it has no place in our city. There is no place for support for a terrorist organization in New York City. And I want to say that very clearly to New Yorkers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Jessica, that last part, where he specifically refers to Hamas as a terrorist organization, I think is very important because it was something that during the campaign for mayor, he did not do when he was initially asked about it.

And you have to remember, again, the context that this issue of Israel, Palestine and Gaza has been such a flashpoint here during the campaign. And now that Zohran Mamdani is in office, still a lot of the Jewish community here in New York are really critical of him for his delay in that response -- Jessica.

DEAN: And Gloria, have we heard from other lawmakers?

PAZMINO: Yes, you know, I think that was part of what helped to highlight the delay, that when the video started going viral, several lawmakers, including the governor, the state attorney general, several Congress members issued statements condemning the language and the actions of those demonstrators that gathered outside the synagogue.

So, I think that helped to highlight the mayor's delay, and I think it served as an early test for him and how he handles this kind of stuff, considering his strong criticism of the state of Israel, the Israeli government, I should say, and his strong support for Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause.

DEAN: All right, Gloria Pazmino, with the very latest. Thank you for your reporting.

Still ahead, a group of astronauts are on their way back to earth after one of them suffers a medical issue, more on this you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:38:53]

DEAN: NASA says four astronauts aboard the International Space Station will return to Earth next week. This is after a medical issue experienced by one of the astronauts cutting short Crew 11's mission, and CNN's Tom Foreman has more on this -- Tom.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jessica, this is really quite unusual for a space crew to be brought back a full month early from the International Space Station.

Crew 11 arrived at the space station in early August on a on a Dragon Capsule made by SpaceX. They were up there to do their work, and they've been doing their work all along. The first we knew of a problem was some days ago, when a spacewalk was canceled and we were told there was a health issue. Who's involved? What's the issue? We don't know. We know who the crew is. There is a Russian cosmonaut. There is a Japanese astronaut in there are Americans, Zena Cardman, the commander, and Mike Fincke, who is the pilot. So, because NASA is calling it back, it might involve the Americans, but we just don't really know. What we are told right now is that whoever this person is involved, that this person is in stable condition, but you have to bear in mind that anything that can go wrong on earth can go wrong up there.

You can have a toothache, you might have a blood clot, and you might have a broken bone. There are all sorts of things that could happen in space, and a lot of astronauts go to space and they struggle with motion sickness and things like that just because of the oddity of the environment. We don't know.

We know that in 2024, a whole crew came back and was taken to the hospital, one staying longer than the others, but they very much guard the privacy of the astronauts and say, look, the goal here is to find out what went wrong, how we can be better prepared to deal with in the future, not to talk about specifically who was involved.

So, we know the person is stable. We know they're coming back early. We'll have a lot more to find out down the road -- Jessica.

[19:40:46]

DEAN: Indeed, Tom Foreman, thank you for that.

And, we're joined now by retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and NASA astronaut, Terry Virts. He also previously commanded the International Space Station and is currently running for Congress there in Texas. Colonel Virts, thank you so much for being here with us. We really appreciate it, this is unusual. What do you think is happening behind the scenes right now? Walk us through what kind of conversations are happening and also, you know, what we might see.

TERRY VIRTS, FORMER ISS COMMANDER: Well, it's very unusual. It's actually the first time that this has happened, and we've known since the beginning of the space station program over 25 years ago that this might happen. And we always keep what we call Lifeboat Available.

So, the Soyuz Russian Spaceship has three seats. The SpaceX Dragon has four seats. So, if one of the crew members has a medical problem that you can't handle in space, the whole crew has to get on board and come back because if they all didn't come back, they would be stuck on the space station without a life raft -- so, a life craft. So, if something happened they wouldn't be able to come back.

And during both of my spaceflights, I was actually the crew medical officer. So, even though I'm just a fighter pilot, I got medical training, so I would have been the person to help out crew members with whatever problems they were having. And you can handle basic medical emergencies, you can do stitches. We have an AED in case someone had a heart attack. There's a few basically backpacks full of medicine to handle basic stuff, but for something more advanced, you know, a more serious medical problem, you have to come back to Earth.

And the good news is, it's not serious. I don't know what it was or who it was, but NASA has said that they're stable, and if it was an emergency, you can actually get in the capsule and come back to the Earth and be in definitive care within 24 hours.

So, if it really were truly an emergency, they'd already be on Earth. So that's the good news.

DEAN: Okay, so see, that's important context and good to know because as you're kind of sorting through all of this, it's serious enough to end this mission over a month early but they're also taking a week to get this astronaut back to Earth. So to your point, it's something in the middle of it is serious enough, but it's not -- you know, if we needed to get this person back immediately, it sounds like they could have done that as well.

VIRTS: Yes, if it was truly an emergency, they'd already be on Earth. That would have been handled and there's a lot of medical issues that happen when you're in space. When I was there, we were doing a big study on astronaut eyes, and I was doing ultrasounds on my eyeball and on my heart and on my brain to see how this ironically, the pressure goes up in your head while you're in space. So, that's just one of many medical conditions they look at. I really can't speculate as to what happened. But, you know, astronauts for the last 60 years have had medical issues flying in space; thankfully, people have been overall very healthy. Were able to live and work in space for a long period of time. So we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

DEAN: Yes and you were listing some of the equipment you had when you were up there help people again, just kind of go through a little bit more. What is typical to have on board there?

VIRTS: Well, we had a laser scanner for your eyes, so you could really get detailed imagery inside your eye. They have two ultrasound machines now. There's not -- we had an X-ray machine, but for mice, so that wouldn't work very well. Maybe you could stick your pinky in there.

DEAN: Not going to work for human, yes.

VIRTS: We did a lot of mice X-rays. I did a lot of those when I was there. There's something called a fundoscope, which is this infrared camera that you, again, you could use for your eyes. There's basic blood pressure, you know, stethoscope. We had what we called a bag, basically a mask. So instead of having a machine give you oxygen, somebody could manually squeeze this bottle and give somebody oxygen if they needed it.

Like I said, there's an AED, so you could put it on your chest and it would automatically, you know, shock you, your heart back to life. Thankfully, knock on wood, that hasn't been used yet.

There's a weight measurement device. It's kind of cool. You don't step on a scale in space. They basically put you on this spring. So you sit on this thing and it moves back and forth and they can tell how much mass there is by how long it takes you to move back and forth.

DEAN: Fascinating.

VIRTS: So, there's an eye chart, you know, like a 20/20 eye vision chart, old school thing. So, there's not super advanced diagnostics, but there's basic equipment.

DEAN: One other question, when the Crew 11 astronauts returned, there's only going to be one NASA astronaut, Chris Williams, who's left on the ISS. Practically, what does that mean?

VIRTS: It means he's going to have a good few weeks until the next crew comes up, because he'll be the only guy. He'll have the whole space station to himself.

When I was there, we had -- it was me and Samantha, an Italian astronaut, and then one Russian. And that was kind of fun to have this big, giant space station for only three people. But it also means that the amount of science that we can do is going to be reduced. Of course, this administration has cut back on a lot of the science that's being done anyway, but the amount of science will be less.

If there is an emergency outside and you need to do a NASA spacewalk, for example, an ammonia leak, which has happened several times in the last decade. That would be tough or probably wouldn't happen, because normally you need two astronauts to do the spacewalk.

So, there's a little bit of risk when you only have one, we call them -- they're not NASA astronauts. We call them U.S. segment, which means Japan, U.S., Canada or Europe. If you only have one of those astronauts, you can't do a spacewalk. So, there's a little bit of added risk there. But I think mostly it means he's going to have a good few weeks until the next crew gets there.

DEAN: The next group gets there. I think there are two Russians with him. But yes, a much smaller group.

Colonel Virts, thank you so much, we appreciate it.

VIRTS: Thanks for having me on.

DEAN: Some sad news to report from the rock music community. Founding member and guitarist of the iconic American rock group the "Grateful Dead," Bob Weir has died at the age of 78.

According to a statement posted to his website Weir beat cancer after being diagnosed in July, the statement says he passed away from underlying lung issues.

He leaves behind his wife and two daughters. The statement saying his work did more than fill rooms with music. It was warm sunlight that filled the soul, building a community, a language and a feeling of family that generations of fans can carry with them. Bob weir was 78.

We'll be right back.

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DEAN: Comedian, Nikki Glaser says she's more than ready to host the Golden Globe Awards for a second time on Sunday. CNN's Stephanie Elam sat down with her to talk about her game plan for the big night.

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STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What does the preshow pep talk from Nikki to Nikki sound like?

NIKKI GLASER, HOST, GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS: I'm strong, I'm prepared, this is easy. You say it all day, thousands of times, muttering to yourself and you just start to believe it.

ELAM (voice over): Perhaps it's easier to believe for Nikki Glaser, who's back after universal praise last year as host of the Golden Globes.

GLASER: I want people to tune in to be like, what will she say? What might they bleep? What might happen? Who's going to fall?

ELAM (voice over): But the roast comic has learned Julia Roberts, who will be in the room, might be untouchable.

GLASER: But I found out she's a very protected entity in this world from running jokes around town and having people get very, very upset. I found a way to make a joke in which she's involved, but it wasn't easy.

ELAM (voice over): Glaser, revealing during our chat on a Hollywood back lot. She limits the roasting to the nominees. Except this joke last year about Selena Gomez's now husband.

GLASER: And Benny Blanco is here because of the genie who granted him that wish. Man, you're a lucky guy.

ELAM (voice over): Glaser tells me she got permission from Blanco ahead of time because she considers the less famous to be off limits. Stars like Leo and Clooney. That's another story.

GLASER: I don't have these people's numbers. I'm not disconnected, and I don't even know that I want to text them that because it would just, I think they would just be like, no, don't do that. But I think if I could just do it, I can get away with it and I just avoid them the rest of my career.

ELAM (voice over): Not much is off limits, she says, even the cancellation of Stephen Colbert and other controversy at CBS.

GLASER: I mean, I'm on CBS. Do you bite the hand that feeds you? Maybe a little bit.

ELAM (on camera): Last year you talked a little bit about politics right after the election.

GLASER: Yes.

ELAM: One or 19 more things have happened since then. Is that going to factor into your show? GLASER: Of course, there's so few things in T.V. shows and movies that we've all consumed, but like, were all consuming -- it is all consuming the news. So I've got to use those when I can get them.

ELAM (voice over): Glaser says she takes her job seriously so viewers don't have to.

GLASER: We are living in a hellscape at times, and as award shows used to feel like escapes from all that where we could just celebrate this royalty that we've crowned in our country for whatever reason, because they're good at pretending on screen and it's all ridiculous. But so what? We really enjoy it and let's just escape into it and have some fun.

ELAM (voice over): Stephanie Elam, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: All right, Stephanie, thanks so much for that. The stage is set for an historic game. A look at the big matchup where winner takes all.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[19:58:31]

DEAN: A major breakthrough in the suspected killings of an Ohio dentist and his wife. Police in Columbus have arrested a suspect, Michael David McKee, the ex-husband of the woman who was killed. The couple were found dead with apparent gunshot wounds at their home December 30th. Their two young children were found inside and unharmed. McKee's arrest ends a ten-day manhunt. He is expected to appear in court Monday.

Artificial Intelligence will soon refill prescriptions in Utah. The state announced an agreement with an A.I. health platform, Doctronic to give patients with chronic conditions a faster way to renew their prescriptions.

Some doctors caution taking these decisions out of the hands of medical professionals. It could be dangerous. The state is saying it will rigorously evaluate the platform's clinical safety protocols, patient experience and real world effectiveness.

The college football national championship game is set. Last night in Atlanta. The Indiana Hoosiers destroying the Oregon Ducks. They remain undefeated and will now try to win a college football national championship.

For the first time ever, Indiana will be playing the University of Miami, which will be looking for its first title in 24 years. The game will be on the Hurricane's home field, but don't be surprised if it looks like a huge Hoosiers game, because Indiana has more living alumni than any other school, and none of them have ever seen quite a game like the one that's coming a week from Monday night.

Thank you so much for joining me this evening.

I'm Jessica Dean. I'm going see you all again tomorrow night. We start at 5:00 Eastern.

Up next, dig into the career of comedy legend, Chevy Chase in a sharp, funny and revealing new CNN film featuring candid interviews with the Chase family, friends, co-stars and Chevy himself.

"I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not" airs next. It's also streaming now on the CNN App, which you can get and watch anywhere. You can take us with you. Have a great night everyone. We will see you tomorrow.

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