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Trump Weighs Potential Military Intervention In Iran; Death Toll Rising In Iran's Anti-Regime Protests; Kristi Noem Defends Domestic Terrorist Comment About Renee Good; Trump To Meet Venezuela Opposition Leader Machado; Venezuela Announces First Steps To Restoring Diplomatic Ties With U.S.; Outrage Grows After ICE Agent's Killing Of Minnesota Mother; On The Red Carpet At The 83rd Annual Golden Globes; China's Gleaming Winter Festival Lights Up. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired January 11, 2026 - 16:00   ET

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

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So stick with us here on CNN. We are ready for a really great night here at the Golden Globes, Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: We're ready for all of it. Thank you so much. I'm living vicariously through you. We will be hanging on your every word.

Stephanie Elam, looking glam on the burgundy carpet, shall we say.

ELAM: Thank you. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin with new details on the deadly protests in Iran that could spark a new round of U.S. intervention. Sources telling CNN that President Trump is reviewing a range of possible military options after Iranians calls for change have been met with violence. Across that country, nearly 500 protesters have been killed now, according to the latest estimate by a U.S. based human rights group, marking a significant rise from just yesterday, where a few dozen deaths were reported.

This is the third week of anti-government demonstrations that began over rising inflation, but have since turned into more general protests against the Iranian regime.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is in Florida, where the president is set to depart soon to head back to Washington, D.C.

But, Julia, you know, what options is the Trump administration now entertaining?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, we do know that while President Donald Trump has not made a final decision that he is weighing options on potential intervention there in Iran. This as those anti-government protests have spanned for weeks and into Iran's -- across Iran's provinces. And now we do know from numbers that we've seen that hundreds of people have been killed and thousands arrested related to this.

Trump has been briefed on several potential options. There are some concerns within the administration that military strikes could backfire, that they could actually undermine some of those protests there. But according to U.S. officials who spoke with CNN, some of those options that have been presented to the president centered around targeting Tehran's security services, which have been working to tamp down the protests. There have also been considerations for cyber operations that could target Iran's military, as well as other regime targets. And there are also conversations about potentially working to bolster internet access. The people there have been in an information blackout for several days now.

Trump has made it clear in recent days, posting on social media just yesterday that the USA stands ready to help. There have been similar posts from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. But all of those posts have lacked details on exactly what that would look like. We did hear from Trump. He spoke on camera to reporters at the White House before he traveled out here for the weekend, and he was pressed on what it would take for the U.S. to become involved and what that could look like. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've made the statement very strongly that if they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved. We'll be hitting them very hard where it hurts. And that doesn't mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts. So we don't want that to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Now, a number of different agencies have been involved in preparing options to present to the president. We expect more formal briefings to take place next week, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let us know. Julia Benbrook in West Palm Beach, thank you so much.

All right. So even with an internet blackout in place since Thursday, the brutality of the Iranian regimes response to protests is coming into focus.

CNN's Paula Hancocks has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fears of a bloody crackdown by Iran's security forces against anti-regime protesters are being realized. We have a sharply higher death toll now from the U.S. based human rights activists. Now there is a near-total internet blackout in the country. It is very difficult for people inside to be able to communicate with the outside world.

But we have at CNN spoken to a number of eyewitnesses and medical personnel over recent days. Now medical personnel have been describing harrowing scenes on condition of anonymity, given the fact that they fear repercussions from the regime. One doctor in the city of Neyshabur described indiscriminate killing on Friday.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through text translation): Under Khamenei's order, the use of military rifles against protesters was authorized. And at least 30 people were killed in the streets. Among those 30 were very young children.

[16:05:05]

A 5-year-old child was shot while in their mother's arms. May others were hit with bullets and injured, in hospitals, and they are being passed on from one spot to the other.

HANCOCKS: Other protesters who have spoken to CNN have described seeing security forces brandishing military rifles and killing people in the streets. One said that in hospitals there were, quote, "bodies piled up."

Now, we did speak to protesters as well who say that they were trying to help a 60-year-old man who had pellets in his leg, a broken arm, and they had to go to several different hospitals because of the sheer number of patients that were being treated, saying it was, quote, "completely chaotic."

Now, we've also heard from the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and he has said that citizens should not join, quote, "rioters and terrorists." Now, when these protests first started two weeks ago, they were economic protests. He suggested that he was willing to engage with them. He is now calling them, though, foreign linked terrorists, suggesting that the regime is not willing to have a dialogue and raising fears that the security forces have been given the green light to be more violent.

Now, just a few of the victims that we are hearing about, a 23-year- old student, a 39-year-old bodybuilder, and a father of three, just three of scores of protesters that have been killed. People coming out onto the streets calling for change and paying with their lives.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, Paula, thank you so much for that reporting.

And now to the growing fallout from that deadly ICE shooting in this country in Minneapolis. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is standing by the comments that she made immediately after the shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent. Noem insisting today on CNN that her domestic terrorism claims against Good were not a rush to judgment.

On the day of the shooting, Noem held a press conference where she said Good refused to obey the ICE officers' demands and then weaponized her vehicle in an effort to run the ICE agent over. But videos that have since been released call that narrative into question. Today, Noem repeatedly insisted her version of events is the right

one, and she refused to acknowledge the possibility that Good could have been trying to peacefully flee the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: How can you assert with certainty that she was trying to hurt the officer as opposed to she was trying to flee the scene?

KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: If you look at what the definition of domestic terrorism is, it completely fits the situation on the ground. This individual, as you saw in the video that we released just 48 hours after this incident, showed that this officer was hit by her vehicle. She weaponized it and he defended his life and those colleagues around him and the public.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: In that CNN interview, Noem also defended the decision by federal authorities to not share evidence in the case with Minnesota officials. In a highly unusual move, the Justice Department has blocked state investigators in Minnesota from participating in the probe into that shooting.

Secretary Noem also announced today that the Trump administration is sending hundreds more customs and Border Patrol officers to Minneapolis in the coming days. And it comes as tensions continue to flare in the Twin Cities over that shooting. Huge anti-ICE protests erupted in the Minneapolis area, and across the country on Saturday, and more demonstrations are underway today.

CNN's Nick Watt is joining us now.

And you're keeping an eye on all of those protests. How are Minnesota officials and other lawmakers reacting to these developments?

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, as Kristi Noem is not just standing by but doubling down on her description of Renee Good as a domestic terrorist, we are getting pushback from -- particularly from the mayor of Minneapolis. Now, he has been told by Kristi Noem to grow up over his complaints that state officials are not getting access to any information in order to investigate this.

He has called for a, quote, "neutral and unbiased investigation." He said, listen, Kristi Noem shouldn't be investigating this, neither should I. We need an outsider, neutral, unbiased. Take a listen to what else he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR JACOB FREY (D), MINNEAPOLIS: Here's the thing, she's calling Minneapolis like this dystopian hellhole. You know how many shootings we've had so far this year? Two. And one of them was ICE. I said this was a federal agent recklessly using power that ended up in somebody dying because that was a federal agent recklessly using power that ended up in somebody dying. It's exactly what happened. I mean, am I biased in this? Of course. And I'm biased because I got two eyes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: Now, Fred, about an hour ago, you spoke with Sara Jacobs, who is a Democrat, a representative who serves on the Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committee.

[16:10:04]

She said that Kristi Noem is, quote, "blatantly lying" about Renee Good and that Noem should either resign or be impeached. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. SARA JACOBS (D-CA): If the administration is so sure of their account of events, then they should welcome an independent investigation because the evidence would show that. But I think they're telling on themselves by not allowing it because they know that what they're saying is completely wrong and made-up and preposterous really.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: Now, you mentioned demonstrations, right now nothing getting ugly, getting nasty across the country. We are seeing, we have seen protests this weekend and about a thousand protests planned by this organization ICE Out for Good. It does what it says on the can. They want to get ICE out of their communities. We saw a few arrests in Austin last night. Police officers using pepper pellets by the looks of things.

We saw some demonstrations here in Los Angeles. We're keeping an eye on all that. And meantime, you know, Jake also -- Jake Tapper also pushed Kristi Noem this morning on this apparent disconnect between President Trump pardoning some of those January 6th protesters who certainly laid hands on police officers and the administration's reaction towards Renee Good calling her a domestic terrorist, and also saying that they're going to, you know, arrest and prosecute to the full extent of the law any protesters who lay a hand or harm federal officers.

Now, Kristi Noem didn't really answer the question. She evaded it. But she claims that the Trump administration enforces all of the laws equally.

So, Fred, we're going to keep an eye on the protests. We're going to keep an eye on this back and forth on this investigation. And we'll -- it's going to go on. It's going to go on.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

WATT: Back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nick Watt, thanks so much. Still to come, Venezuela's opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, is

expected to visit the White House this week. Her potential message to President Trump after he claimed that she lacks the respect and support to lead her country. And later the WNBA, now facing major challenges, including a rival league.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:16:17]

WHITFIELD: In a rare warning, the Norwegian Nobel Institute is shutting down the idea that its prestigious Peace Prize can be regifted. The organization released a statement saying the prize cannot be transferred, shared or revoked after remarks by its latest recipient, Maria Corina Machado. The Venezuelan opposition leader suggested that she may give her award as an act of gratitude to President Trump during an upcoming meeting in Washington this week.

CNN correspondent Paula Newton is joining me live right now.

Paula, I mean, this is a critical face to face for the two leaders in Washington, D.C. this week. What can we expect?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, beyond the fact that there is discussion about the Nobel and again, Maria Corina will thank President Trump and assert once again that it was because of him that she received that award. They need to figure out how the opposition moves forward in Venezuela right now. And it seemed to me that this past week, at least in the last few days, that the opposition, including Maria Corina, had finally capitulated, that, look, they do not believe that they are going to be installed as the Trump administration's favored government any time soon, that perhaps they will wait for that transition. And the transition is likely to involve new elections.

The point, though, is, Fred, when? When would those elections happen? And that all continues as the security situation, the situation even with repression in, Fred, just seems to be getting worse. I want you to see now what the State Department put out in the last couple of days, warning U.S. citizens and saying U.S. citizens should take precautions and be aware of their surroundings. There are reports of armed military colectivos setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for evidence of U.S. citizenship or support for the United States.

And Fred, in my opinion, this is quite an escalation. Look, repression really picked up in Venezuela after 2024 and the election that was disputed by the opposition. Maduro really made a move to take power there. And the way he did it was by basically shutting down protests, imprisoning a lot of his political enemies.

The regime around there right now, principally Delcy Rodriguez, the acting president right now is from Nicolas Maduro's inner circle. So the question remains for the Trump administration, as Maria Corina is invited to the White House, what is their plan? And do they have any levers? Do they have any influence with Maduro's inner circle there to say, look, you must let up on the repression and we want a timetable for elections. It is a tall order, though.

WHITFIELD: Yes. This is going to be an interesting week indeed.

Paula Newton, thank you so much.

All right. At least 18 political prisoners were released by the Venezuelan government last week, according to human rights groups. The country's leaders are calling it a gesture to seek peace. But for some Venezuelans, the release of just a few prisoners isn't enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARGARET BADUEL, BROTHER DETAINED IN VENEZUELA (through translator): This is not a small group. We are talking about more than 1200 people who are wrongfully detained for thinking differently. If the regime wants to show signs of change, the first thing it must do is release them all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Petra Costa is with us right now. She's a documentary filmmaker and her movie "Apocalypse in the Tropics," about evangelical Christianity in Brazil's politics, is a top contender for an Academy Award this year.

Congrats ahead of that potential and welcome.

PETRA COSTA, DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER: Thank you so much for having me, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So you were born in Brazil during the military regime to parents who were political activists. So how does that inform your perspective on U.S. involvement in Venezuela now?

[16:20:04]

COSTA: Well, yes, I was born in Brazil at the end of the military dictatorship, and my -- I've been investigating U.S. interference into Brazilian politics for the past 10 years. It started with the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, my investigation at the time. Right now, many things have been uncovered about how the impeachment of Dilma and Lula's imprisonment and Car Wash Operation were also a part of U.S. interests in Brazilian oil.

And then I follow that investigation with "Apocalypse in the Tropics," where I've traced how this intervention comes back to the time of the Cold War, the military coup in 1964 that was supposed to last one year and ended up lasting 21, took out the lives of millions and tortured thousands, was a U.S. backed coup with the interest of also getting Brazil's natural resources and really destroyed the lives of my parents, and my sister's suicide is also result of this historical trauma.

So I have lived and documented through my films how these interventions have horrible effects on our livelihoods and on our history. WHITFIELD: It's very personal. And then, you know, as we talk about

the what's next in Venezuela, Maduro led a repressive regime. You know, millions of Venezuelans have been celebrating his departure. But do you still consider it the same regime with the acting president, who was his vice president?

COSTA: Well, it is the same regime. And what is the question here for the international community is not the character of the government of Venezuela, which was a dictatorship. And I do not desire that for any people. But the question if any member state has the right to use force and coercion or economic strangulation to determine the future of a sovereign state. Venezuela is a sovereign state.

And that's what Lula and presidents throughout Latin America have been calling attention to. And I hope the international community will be more forceful in asking for the sovereignty of Venezuela because otherwise Greenland will be next, and we will see another rise of a lot of tension, not only in Latin America but throughout the world.

WHITFIELD: When Trump says a second wave of attacks in Venezuela has been canceled for now because the acting president is being cooperative, how do you interpret that? And what messaging is that sending?

COSTA: Well, it's sending that the United States wants a puppet in Venezuela. And if that puppet does not adhere to exactly what the U.S. government wants, and it has been very clear that it wants the oil, and the oil should belong to the Venezuelan people, not to American companies, this current president will also be ousted.

WHITFIELD: All right. Petra Costa, we'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much for your perspective. Really insightful. Very important. Appreciate you.

COSTA: Thank you. And I encourage all to watch "Apocalypse in the Tropics." Thanks a lot.

WHITFIELD: Straight ahead. There's new information about the ICE agent involved in the deadly shooting in Minneapolis. We'll have details of a new report on his past policing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:28:02]

WHITFIELD: We're continuing to follow the growing outrage after an ICE agent shot and killed Minnesota mother Renee Good. Today, the head of Homeland Security is defending her decision to call Good's actions an act of domestic terrorism. Listen to what Secretary Kristi Noem told CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Why did you not wait for an investigation before making your comments?

NOEM: Well, everything that I've said has been proven to be factual and the truth. This administration wants to operate in transparency.

TAPPER: You said within hours of her being killed, you said that she was a domestic terrorist. How do you define domestic terrorist?

NOEM: She weaponized her vehicle to conduct an act of violence against a law enforcement officer and the public.

WHITFIELD: How can you --

NOEM: (INAUDIBLE) doing that?

TAPPER: How can you assert with certainty that she was trying to hurt the officer, as opposed to she was trying to flee the scene?

NOEM: If you look at what the definition of domestic terrorism is, it completely fits the situation on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's discuss now with Nick Miroff. He is a staff writer at the "Atlantic" covering immigration, Homeland Security and the U.S.-Mexico border.

Great to see you, Nick.

NICK MIROFF, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: Hey, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So just listening to the line of questioning and the answers there, Secretary Noem doesn't appear to have any potential of changing her position on how she has seen this incident and Renee, you know, Good from the very beginning. Why is this advantageous for Homeland Security or even the White House at this point?

MIROFF: Well, yes, I mean, the Department of Homeland Security came out, almost immediately called this an act of domestic terrorism, depicted good as the aggressor and was, you know, very quick, obviously, to defend Officer Ross, even as some others in the administration were cautioning that, you know, the investigation needed to play out.

I can tell you that there were quite a number of ICE, you know, ICE veterans and homeland security, experienced homeland security officials who were very uncomfortable with such a quick characterization from the leadership of the department, you know, to just come in and, you know, come out and weigh in like this.

[16:30:14]

But I think, you know, what we can expect at this point is that the white leadership of the department. You know, to just come in and, you know, come out and weigh in like this. But I think, you know, what we can expect at this point is that the White House in particular, is going to double down on defending Officer Ross, the deployment of the ICE officers and their, you know, the way they are responding to protesters and trying to, you know, conduct themselves, on the streets of, you know, in the face of these confrontations on the streets. WHITFIELD: You said after talking to a number of people at homeland

security that they feel uncomfortable with the way things have transpired. Do they go as far as saying it potentially undermines their mission or makes their jobs a little bit more difficult moving forward? Can you elaborate further on what makes them uncomfortable?

MIROFF: Yeah, I think there's just a real unease with the politicization of the Department of Homeland Security that has been building for years, and that really comes to the fore with incidents like this in which you know, Americans are upset. They're deeply disturbed. You know, they've seen, you know, a snuff video like this is just playing out over and over again.

And they're looking to -- the law enforcement leaders of the country to comport themselves with a little bit more neutrality and, and, and, you know, frankly, professionalism. And so, you know, this department and this administration's impulse is to is to quickly defend the ICE officers, the Border Patrol agents that they are sending into the streets of U.S. cities on this, you know, very aggressive mission. But I think it's jarring for people to see, you know, homeland security secretary just come right out off the bat and declare this an act of terrorism.

WHITFIELD: The agent involved here, you know, I spent over a decade working at homeland security, has anyone shared with you any information or thoughts on this ICE agent?

MIROFF: Yeah. Officer Jonathan Ross is a not only a military veteran, he worked for the Border Patrol as a -- as a Border Patrol agent. And he's got 10 years of experience as an ICE officer. He is one of -- you know, he's part of a tactical unit called the Special Response Team that is really the most highly trained, you know, part of ICE.

And so, you know, being in tense, difficult situations that potentially require a use of force is really part of his job. That's been one of the most striking things. I have heard from other ICE officers and officials that Officer Ross was known as a very gung-ho officer within ICE that, you know, one described him to me as enthusiastic. Not that he, you know, was known to be like a hothead or anything like that, but, you know, I think the incident in June in which he was severely injured, in a dragging incident, you know, points to the kind of, you know, way he did, you know, exert himself rather aggressively in that incident.

He smashed the window of a -- of a -- of a vehicle. He was trying to arrest the driver who had a previous sex offense. And he was trying to take that driver into custody, smashed the window, reached in, and then ended up getting dragged and nearly lost his life.

And so that kind of move, while, you know, allowed is, is, you know, the kind of thing that I think a lot of other experienced ICE officers see, as you know, putting himself in unnecessary risk.

WHITFIELD: And, of course, it's been widely reported that steering a lot of the White House's agenda is White House aide Stephen Miller. And you have recently written about him and his impact and influence on policy coming out of this White House.

What have you learned that people need to know?

MIROFF: Well, you know, our story, which you can read in "The Atlantic", is really about the enormous influence that Stephen Miller wields in this administration. And how, you know, he is really, you know, expanded his portfolio to cover a whole range of topics beyond immigration to include, you know, the operation to arrest Nicolas Maduro and, and intervene in Venezuela.

But immigration and this, this broader, you know, deportation campaign that the president is, has mounted as really, you know, his most important domestic policy initiative is something that Miller has been wanting to do and has been preparing for at least a decade. And you know, this is an opportunity for him to really, you know, flex his view of power and of the way that, you know, the executive branch can effectively impose itself not only on cities across the country, but internationally as well.

And we've seen that in his most recent interviews. So, he has really emerged as, as I think the key player in this White House.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nick Miroff of "The Atlantic", thank you so much. Good to see you.

MIROFF: Thank you. Anytime.

WHITFIELD: Still to come, new developments in the true life crime story that made headlines around the world. The latest on the death cap mushroom murder case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:40:06]

WHITFIELD: All right. It's award season and the Golden Globes are tonight. And in the last hour, we went live to the red or shall we say burgundy carpet.

Let's go back there now where CNN's Stephanie Elam is in that trending gold lam.

And I think you have some -- a flute or something nearby as well. Yes?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How do you know this? Are you checking my Instagram page? You got, like, eyes everywhere.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. Eyes everywhere. That's what we do. There you go.

ELAM: Eyes everywhere. We do.

They're just handing them out here at the carpet. They're shutting it down. Getting ready to start letting the stars make their way down the carpet here. But you know what? Before tonight's show, I did catch up with the host, Nikki Glaser, to talk about what it's like coming back to host the show after people said she did such a phenomenal job last year.

Here's a little bit of our conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM: 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 backlot, 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. 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: Last year you talked a little bit about politics right after the election.

GLASER: Yeah.

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 TVs and -- TV shows and

movies that we've all consumed. But like, were all consuming -- it is all consuming the news.

ELAM: Yeah.

GLASER: So, I 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, like, escape into it and have some fun.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM (on camera): And yes, those class act pretenders, the head of their class, they will be coming down the carpet, coming this way in just a little bit.

Fred, we're getting ready.

WHITFIELD: Okay. You are ready. And then you're going to be inside the show, too. Can I ask you about that? Anything?

ELAM: Yes, yes. We are so looking forward to -- I'm looking forward to it. We are going to make our way in after the carpet closes, I will fall down. I will make my way in, and I will be sending messages to CNN.com, giving you an update from inside the show. Stuff maybe you don't see on TV, to give you that perspective on what's happening. Maybe during those commercial breaks.

So, I will be there. I will not be drinking the champagne, although it is a perfectly cold temperature. I will tell you.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, it looks tempting. Okay, well, you've a golden ticket in your beautiful golden gown, every word and experience. Stephanie Elam. Thank you so much.

ELAM: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:48:34]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

A new CNN original series follows a crime story that shocked a small town. The series takes viewers to Australia and inside the jaw- dropping murder investigation into Erin Patterson and the lethal lunch that killed her in-laws and estranged husband's aunt. The trial that followed caught the attention of people across the world, and now, following the trials conclusion, Erin has filed an appeal.

Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're talking about an area down at South Gippsland where its ideal for growing mushrooms. There's plenty of moisture. There's trees and cover, and the soil is very fertile. It's easy to grow mushrooms.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was two types of mushrooms. There was mushrooms and there was toadstools. And you just don't go near the toadstools. And that's basically what the death caps are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To me, it's a toadstool, not a mushroom. It's mushrooms to us. And they were pink underneath or black, but never white or yellow. They were toadstools.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I'll never look at mushrooms the same. Joining me right now to discuss is the director of "DEATH CAP", Gil Marsden.

Gil, great to see you. So, I mean, what are the most surprising parts of this story? I mean, besides getting past the mushroom, the deadly mushrooms part, you know, that you learned about throughout the creation of this series?

GIL MARSDEN, DIRECTOR, "DEATH CAP: THE MUSHROOM MURDERS": Well, I think this was one of kind of immediately. And I think we all, as documentary makers, as journalists, had to grapple with the kind of ethical realities of the ways that we view crime now, with everything being consumed and digested and like, represented through TikTok and social media. It became the, you know, the world became a big player in the story of Erin Patterson.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. How were you first introduced to this story? What made it intriguing for you?

MARSDEN: Well, we you know, I'm a documentary filmmaker originally from the States but based now in Melbourne. And so, the moment that the story came up, it's obviously something that we take a look at. Weve also actually got family who live down in that corner of the world, you know, beautiful corner called Gippsland.

And we went down about two weeks after the kind of rumblings of the story had had come out before any charges were laid before we really knew where the story was going to take us over the next two years.

WHITFIELD: Well, and tell us more about this Erin Patterson. I mean, you know, details about her.

MARSDEN: Well, I think it's really fascinating that for the digital world that we live in, so much of her life is still a mystery. You know, we know. And we go through in the documentary aspects of her history. She was an air traffic controller. She was very bright. She was part of a selective entry program in high school.

But then there are massive parts of her biography that remain a blank, periods where she's fallen off the map. The incident, the lunch in particular, you know, really stems around her relationship with a family. The Pattersons and her husband, Simon Patterson, who up until you know, even the time of the trial, they were still married.

WHITFIELD: In your view, what was the most important detail of the story that you felt really needed to be included here in this series in order for people to understand the big picture?

MARSDEN: Well, I think the impact on the community is one of the things that, as we all let them to the story, we want to make sure we didn't forget. This is a small part of the part of the country. And if you think about any kind of small town murder, obviously it is the defining event in that town's memory for decades to come.

And there's no doubt that, you know, what Erin did and the loss of those four individuals, of those three individuals will have ramifications for a very long time.

WHITFIELD: So fascinating. Gil Marsden, thank you so much for your time. And of course, we are all going to continue to be enthralled in this. This CNN documentary, "DEATH CAP: THE MUSHROOM MURDERS".

And right now, it's available on the CNN app. All right. The city of Harbin in China has one of the largest winter festivals in the world. And believe me, it's a sight to see.

CNN's Paula Newton has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The annual Harbin Ice and Snow Festival is lighting up the January sky. A winter wonderland in one of China's coldest cities, built using a record 400,000 cubic meters of ice and snow. This year's theme, a fairytale world. Designs include a castle, frozen flowers, and a replica of the Taj Mahal, just a little smaller.

The festival has become a tourist Mecca, featuring light shows, ice slides, and even weddings.

Couples braving sub-zero temperatures just to say, "I do".

CAO WEIDONG, BRIDEGROOM (through translator): Although it's quite cold outside, my heart feels warm.

NEWTON (voice-over): The event attracts ice artists from right around the globe.

NINA KYIVIET, DUTCH ICE SCULPTOR: Our sculpture is a lot about, yes, perfect shapes, geometry, but they're going to be blocks on top of each other. So, it's also kind of like more of a natural formation that's growing.

NEWTON (voice-over): It's not just glitz and glam. Harbin is a cold weather cash cow. Last year, state media reported more than 90 million visitors spending nearly $20 billion. The show goes on until mid- February, weather permitting.

Paula Newton, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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[16:58:45]

WHITFIELD: Fans of the Grateful Dead are mourning the loss of the rock band's co-founder, Bob Weir.

A statement on his website says the legendary guitarist courageously beat cancer after a July diagnosis, but passed peacefully yesterday surrounded by loved ones. He suffered complications from lung issues. Weir helped write some of the band's most iconic songs from "Sugar Magnolia" to "Truckin". He performed this past summer celebrating the Dead's 60th anniversary in San Francisco. He was 78 years old.

And in Beverly Hills right now, we're starting to see some of the stars arriving at the Golden Globes, as the big night gets underway. There is Gayle King, queen of morning television. CNN will have live behind the scenes updates from our Stephanie Elam from inside the show. And make sure you follow along. CNN all access there. The stars arriving on the burgundy carpet.

And thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jessica Dean in just a moment.