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Trump Weighing Potential Military Options In Iran; Hundreds Reported Killed During Nationwide Iran Protests; DHS Kristi Noem Defends Comments She Made Just After Deadly ICE Shooting Of Renee Good; Iran Enters Fourth Day Of Internet Blackout; The 83rd Golden Globe Awards Underway In Los Angeles; Los Angeles Still Recovering From Palisades and Eaton Fires, Fire Destroys Mississippi Synagogue, Suspect Arrested. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired January 11, 2026 - 19:00   ET

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

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: Julia, you've been in Florida with the president over the weekend. He's now in route back home here to D.C. What do we know about his thinking around Iran?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, President Donald Trump is on his way back to Washington, and we expect there to be more formal briefings specifically on this throughout the week, including one on Tuesday with senior national security advisers as they discuss how to proceed. In recent days, though, we know that he has been briefed on some options for potential intervention in Iran as he looks to make good on his vow to help the people there as that death toll continues to rise and rise again.

Now, U.S. officials who spoke with CNN said that there are several things being discussed, that a number of options centered around targeting Tehran's security services, which have been used to tamp down the protests. There are also talks about cyber operations that could target Iran's military or other regime targets. And then there's that issue of the lack of information, the lack of internet access.

That could be a place where the United States steps in as well, helping to get access as they are in an information blackout. In fact, going into the fourth day of an information blackout there. Now, as all of these different items are being discussed, there are some concerns within the administration about the potential for military strikes that that could backfire and could actually undermine the protesters there.

But Trump has made it clear in recent days, even posting on Truth Social just yesterday that he would be willing to do something, saying that the USA stands ready to help the people of Iran. And we saw similar messages and reposts from the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

But all of that came with very little detail. When Trump was pressed on what it would take, you know, would it take a certain number with that death toll or what impact it would take on the ground for the United States to get involved, he left open the possibility of being involved, saying that it was possible, but he did rule out boots on the ground there specifically. So we know that that is off the table as they continue these discussions.

DEAN: What about Congress, Julia? What are members of Congress saying about this?

BENBROOK: There's lots of conversations in Congress right now about some of the sweeping comments, sweeping actions that the president has taken lately, especially when it comes to issues elsewhere. As he has, you know, pressed that America first agenda there are questions even within his own party on some of these different topics. But to that point I made earlier about the administration members even having some concerns about what military strikes could do, could that backfire, that is being echoed by some of the concerns we're hearing from members on both sides of the aisle. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA): U.S. military action in Iran would be a massive mistake. It would have the effect of giving the Iranian regime the ability to say, it's the U.S. that's screwing our country up.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): We're always hopeful that, you know, a freedom movement will develop and overwhelm the authoritarian government there. The only problem I have with saying, oh, we're going to bomb Iran is that sometimes it has the opposite effect. So when you bomb a country, then people tend to rally around their own flag.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: So, again, Trump has been briefed. He is considering a range of options, but we expect more formal briefings to take place in the coming days.

DEAN: All right. Julia Benbrook, with the latest reporting from Florida. Thank you so much for that.

Meantime, those protests in Iran have spread across all of the country's 31 provinces, despite the intense risk to those taking part in them. Iran's attorney general has said legal proceedings against protesters will be carried out without leniency, mercy or appeasement.

Let's bring in CNN's Paula Hancocks, who has more on what's happening on the ground in Iran -- Paula.

(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. [19:05:08]

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. 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)

DEAN: Paula, thank you.

And with the president reportedly weighing potential military options there in Iran, let's bring in CNN military analyst, retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

Colonel, thanks for being here with us. I think there are a lot of questions about what kind of options the U.S. might have or might consider when we're talking about potential military intervention in Iran. What comes to your mind?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, there are several different things. And Julia mentioned a few of them, one of them being cyber-attacks that would potentially disable Iranian networks that handle things like sewage systems, water control systems, things like that. And speaking of the water situation, Tehran is actually under a major water emergency right now.

And, you know, doing something that would impact that could have an effect on the Iranian population as well as on the leadership there. Other things, of course, that could happen, Jessica, that could be targeted would include the installations of the police and also the military forces. But those are, you know, that's somewhat risky because a lot of the police installations are in populated areas so that, you know, really lends us -- leads us to the idea that there are some limited options available for the U.S.

But they do pose risks. They present risks to us, potentially affecting civilian populations. And that could increase, of course, the civilian casualties. And that would, of course, achieve the opposite effect of what we intend.

DEAN: Yes. And earlier today, Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, noted that an aircraft carrier that's typically stationed in the Middle East is now currently off the coast of Venezuela. You and I have talked about this before, but I'm curious if you think that that could pose a strategic problem or challenge for how the Trump administration decides to move forward.

LEIGHTON: Yes, it could certainly pose a challenge. It's always good to have an aircraft carrier when you're planning military operations in a specific area, and there are no aircraft carriers in the Middle East right now as Senator Warner mentioned, and they're not in the Mediterranean. Now, there are bases in the Middle East, like in Qatar and in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. But now the question becomes, would those countries allow us to use their territory to mount an attack on Iran?

That's a bit questionable right now. So what that means is that we would probably have to resort to either intercontinental delivery of weapon systems, like with the B-2s flying from Missouri to Iran, just like we had back in the summer, or they would fly from a place like Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. So those are all possibilities. But the very fact that we don't have an aircraft carrier there does limit options.

It doesn't make it impossible to go after Iran, but it does present some difficulties and increases those difficulties.

[19:10:01]

DEAN: And you mentioned some of the bases there in the Middle East. Remind us of the U.S. assets there in the region and do you think that they could potentially -- would they be placed likely on high alert if there was any sort of military intervention? Would they be at risk?

LEIGHTON: Yes, they would definitely be at risk. And yes, the normal practice would be to place them on high alert, especially in places like Qatar and Bahrain and Kuwait, because they're in the Persian Gulf region. They're right across the water basically from Iran. So we have about 45,000 to 46,000 troops in the Middle East in total. Many of them are in that Persian Gulf region, in those countries that I mentioned. We also have some troops in places like Jordan and a very few in Saudi

Arabia. So -- and then, of course, there's the presence in Syria. So what that means is those forces in the western part of the Arabian Peninsula, in Jordan and Syria, especially, they're focused on the ISIS mission and of course those in Iraq are also focused in part on that.

Those on the eastern side, along the Persian Gulf, they would be the ones that would normally be dealing with the Iranian situation. But it would really depend on how much of a green light we would be getting from the Gulf states for an action against Iran.

DEAN: Yes. Earlier this evening, I spoke with Holly Dagres, she's an Iranian American, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute. She, like a number of others, is calling on the Trump administration to do more to support protesters amid the communications blackout. This is what she suggested. I just want to play this clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOLLY DAGRES, SENIOR FELLOW, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE: I want to take a step back and look at what the United States can do in this moment to support the protesters instead of solidarity tweets online. I think first they should turn on direct to cell on Starlink, which basically would connect cell phones to Starlink satellites that are over the country right now. And it would give access to people to actually start sharing what's happening inside Iran and also get in contact with their families, because that's the only way for their voices to be heard by the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: And, Colonel, we've talked about this technology before in the context of Taiwan and Ukraine. But tell us more about the role that it plays in this situation.

LEIGHTON: Yes. So this is what Holly mentioned as a very important aspect to this. And this could be one way to circumvent the internet blockade that the Iranian authorities have put in place. So basically what this does as Holly mentioned is it connects cell phones directly to the satellites in space. That would be a game changer for the protesters in Iran. And that's the kind of soft power action that would actually have a major impact on their ability to communicate with each other and for the families to communicate.

You know, there's an Iranian American family with relatives in Iran. They would, of course, benefit greatly from this kind of a connection. And that's the kind of thing that, you know, from a protest perspective, a protester's perspective would be very important for them to use. Now, the other side of this is Starlink can be jammed, as we found out in Ukraine, and there are things that can happen where those calls can be intercepted.

So it's not a foolproof solution, but it is definitely something that would help the protesters, at least in the short term, circumvent the authorities and make it possible for them to communicate, to organize, and to facilitate aid. And that is basically what they'll need for this.

DEAN: All right. Some great context there.

Colonel Cedric Leighton, good to see you. Thank you.

LEIGHTON: You bet. Jessica, great to see you.

DEAN: Still ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, protests continue across the country in the wake of the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem doubling down on her response to what she believes happened. Plus, the Smithsonian makes a significant change to President Trump's photo in his presidential portrait exhibition. And later, new details about the arrest connected to a fire that destroyed the only synagogue in Mississippi.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:18:15]

DEAN: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is standing by the comments she made saying Renee Good committed an act of domestic terrorism before an ICE agent shot and killed her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTI NOEM, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: I had just been in Minneapolis and had been with those officers, had seen what they were facing on the streets every day, and had talked to their supervisors. As soon as the incident happened and had gotten the facts and seen videos before I ever went to talk at that press conference, 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)

DEAN: Now, a lot of people disagree with that assessment of the situation. The secretary also announcing the Trump administration is sending hundreds more customs and Border Patrol officers to Minneapolis, where the tensions continue to rise, and anti-ICE protests continue there in that city and nationwide.

I do want to bring in CNN's Nick Watt, who's been following this story for us today.

Nick, what have we seen both in Minneapolis and across the country today?

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, in Minneapolis, what we've heard is rebuttal to what Secretary Noem had to say there. The mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, says he's not sure that he thinks even Kristi Noem believes what she's saying. He wants a, quote, "neutral and unbiased investigation." He said, listen, I shouldn't be doing it. She shouldn't be doing it. And he certainly does not believe that Renee Good was a domestic terrorist.

Take a little 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.

[19:20:00]

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, Sara Jacobs, who is a Democratic representative, serves on the Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committee. She called on our air for Secretary Noem to 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, also in Minneapolis, Jessica, we saw today a vigil on the site on the scene where Renee Good was killed this week. We've also just been getting live pictures from Houston, Texas. A vigil down there also for Renee Good. Representative Al Green just finished speaking there.

We have seen these protests, demonstrations across the country. More than 1,000 were planned by this organization, ICE Out for Good, which does what it says on the can. They want ICE out of their communities.

New York City, we saw a protest with upside down American flags, that sign of distress. And, you know, Ilhan Omar, we've also heard from her from Minnesota where she says that what ICE is doing is bringing confusion, chaos and intimidation into their communities, not bringing safety. She says that, you know, unmarked cars, masked agents, pulling people out of cars. Often those people, she says, are -- turned out to be American citizens.

And, you know, we also just got some video from Saint Cloud, Minnesota, from this morning of apparently something like that happening. So apparently agents followed this woman into the parking lot of a mall and followed her in. And it turns out she, according to eyewitnesses, was indeed an American citizen. And the video shows people chanting at her. You know, you're not supposed to be here. Get out, get out, which, given what happened in Minneapolis this week, is perhaps a brave thing to do -- Jessica.

DEAN: Indeed. All right. Nick Watt with the latest. Thank you very much for that.

Meantime, Iran is now in its fourth day of internet blackouts amid widespread protests against the regime. Very hard to know exactly what's going on there as people risk their lives to topple that regime.

Also, we're going to go out to Los Angeles, where we will be live from the red carpet of the golden globes.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:27:07]

DEAN: And tonight, protests against the Iranian regime are ongoing, with an internet blackout now in its fourth day. Experts say Iranian authorities could be jamming Starlink terminals and that people have managed to smuggle terminals into the country. The U.S. based service delivers mobile broadband via a network of orbiting satellites.

Let's bring in CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter, who's joining us now.

Brian, Starlink can be really critical in situations like this where these Iranian protesters want the world to see what's happening and the Iranian regime very much does not. Walk us through the dynamics at play here.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Right. And if we back it up two or three steps, the need for Starlink is evident because of the internet blackout, the broadband internet blackout that has been in effect for about four days. Then you enter a startup like Starlink. You enter a disruptive technology that allows people to connect via satellites that orbit the planet without the need for those usual wired broadband connections that Iran has been able to cut off.

So, you know, it's a little bit like a cat and mouse game, although there's nothing that's actually a game here. This is about life and death. But you have this situation where Starlink comes in and fills the void that's been replaced by broadband interconnections. However, an expert told CNN today that there are some indications of jamming underway. Electronic warfare by the Iranian authorities trying to stop the Starlink connections that are known to be in the country.

Those jamming techniques may be somewhat effective, but not 100 percent effective because journalists have been able to reach witnesses inside Iran today using Starlink portals and terminals.

You know, I was checking out some of the reactions to this from free speech experts. Greg Lukianoff, the head of the free speech group FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. He wrote this on X, he said, "A tyrannical theocracy has shut down the internet for an entire country, so the world can't see the brutal tactics it plans to use to crush a free Iran." He said, "In my view, this is the biggest free speech story in the world right now."

So there's an internet blackout going on. There's also a media blackout. It's incredibly difficult for journalists to report inside Iran. We know of at least two dozen journalists who have been in detention in the country for some time. So you have those kind of compounding pressures right now. And it's notable that Starlink, which is often held up as a solution to these problems, it, too, is under pressure by those apparent attempts to jam the signals.

DEAN: Yes. And Brian, help us understand, too, just as we've seen play out the impact of the world being able to see what's going on, if they're -- if these protesters are able to post.

STELTER: Well, it reminds I think people -- yes. That's right. One of the memories that comes to mind, of course, is from the start of the Arab Spring. You know, we're talking about nearly 20 years ago. Well, certainly 15 years ago at this point. And the critical importance of an early iteration of Twitter.

[19:30:06]

Twitter, now owned by Elon Musk, now known as X. But the ability to organize and to share, and back then it was more text oriented, nowadays it's much more about photos and videos being able to let people see what is going on with their own eyes. And we've seen in the last few days the videos that have emerged from Iran have been geolocated by news outlets like CNN and BBC and others.

So, we've had a lot of ability to see that this is spreading, not just in Tehran and other major cities, but spreading all across Iran, thanks to geolocation software that in some cases didn't really exist or wasn't perfected 15 years ago. But certainly, you know, recent history is full of examples of these social platforms being used to spread awareness of protests and to give others the courage to join these movements.

So, of course, that is why the internet blackout comes as a result and we are seeing this ongoing effort, people trying to find ways to get videos out. The authorities trying to find ways to stop those videos and that is an ongoing back and forth day by day now -- Jessica.

DEAN: Yes, certainly more to come on that front. Brian Stelter, thanks for walking us through it we appreciate it.

And the 83rd Golden Globes now in full swing in Los Angeles, comedian Nikki Glaser is returning as this year's host. And CNN Stephanie Elam is in the middle of it all. Stephanie, what are you seeing? STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, we are getting close to showtime, Jessica and I happen to snag a star. A star you might recognize, Jason Isaacs from "The White Lotus." He is nominated for the show and also supporting actor.

Mr. Isaacs, what is it like coming back to this carpet and being a part of this energy?

JASON ISAACS, ENGLISH ACTOR, DIRECTOR, AND PRODUCER: Well, coming back to this carpet, I've never been to Golden Globes before. I was nominated 17 years ago. They canceled the ceremony because of a writer's strike. So, it's nice to be here for the first time, actually.

ELAM: Okay, well, I'm glad you're here. Your character in "The White Lotus" made me so nervous the entire time. Does that make you feel good about this?

ISAACS: Yes, I was hoping to get people to have some fraction of the appalling time I was having. I was suicidal and homicidal and depressed. I probably had the worst holiday that anyone's ever had in the history of television, so I'm glad some of it rubbed off on you.

ELAM: Oh, yes, yes, as a character, but meanwhile, you were living in Thailand for an extended period.

ISAACS: I was in time, but it wasn't a holiday unless people watching it think that we we're all on holiday. It was like 110 degrees; your fillings were melting. You're in a room with a lot of lights and a lot of sweaty men and stuff and so, you know.

ELAM: I don't think I knew you were this funny. I need to break your brain a little bit because I broke mine. My daughter is old enough now to watch "The White Lotus" and when I broke it to her that you were Malfoy's dad, she was like, couldn't compute that you were the same man. Do people still do that? Do they still come up and like, hey, it's Lucius?

ISAACS: No, I don't look like Lucius.

ELAM: No, you don't.

ISAACS: Hopefully, I don't look like him. No, people come up and it depends who they are. If they were gangsters, they're like brotherhood. If they were, you know, if they're millennials, like L.A., if they're soldiers, they're like "Black Hawk Down".

I've been around such a long time that people still remember the black and white movies I made and even the silent days.

ELAM: Oh, in the silent days, before the talkies came along.

So, what are you looking forward to in the show? Are you even thinking about the fact that you're nominated, or are you not going there?

ISAACS: Food, I'm looking forward to some food. I'm really hungry. Apparently, it's a dinner.

ELAM: Yes.

ISAACS: So, that's what I' m looking forward to and hoping. Nikki Glaser is funny because a bunch of actors going on about themselves and getting up there and thanking their pool guy and the person who walks their dog and, you know, the person at high school. I just think it's ridiculous.

There are millions of people watching at home get up and tell a story, be funny, or get off.

ELAM: So, were expecting funny Jason Isaacs tonight.

ISAACS: I'm not going to win, so it doesn't really matter what I would say, but I hope other people, don't bother thanking the bridge financiers and the caterers because it's a television show.

ELAM: Yes, well, it's a very enjoyable show and it was lovely to watch it and lovely to meet you in person. Have a great night, congratulations.

ISAACS: Thanks very much.

ELAM: All right, thank you. Who knew Jason Isaacs was so funny? I didn't know that.

Jessica Dean, were learning things out here. All right, we're getting close to showtime. The carpet is going to be closing very soon, but we will be taking notes. If Jason Isaacs doesn't think any of those people, he just made fun of for people making fun of when they thank them on the carpet, but we'll see. Let's see if he wins. He says he won't win.

DEAN: Well, we will see. I do want to ask you before you go, Nikki Glaser is hosting. I know you sat down with her. You guys had a great interview that we've been playing throughout the weekend. I thought it was amusing that she said, there's one celebrity who we just saw, by the way, on the red carpet. She's afraid to joke about.

ELAM: She tried out jokes. She told me around L.A. and she's like, L.A. does not play when it comes to Julia Roberts. She said she tried jokes over and over again. People were not feeling it. She said she found a way to joke about her, but not really poking fun at her. She just said, people love Julia Roberts here in Tinsel Town.

DEAN: America's sweetheart. All right, Stephanie, thanks so much. Great to see you there on the carpet.

ELAM: There we go.

DEAN: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:39:02] DEAN: One year after historic deadly fires in Southern California, many residents are still fighting to rebuild their homes and their lives. Just a year ago, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire tore through 35,000 acres, wiping out entire neighborhoods in Los Angeles.

That pair of fires rank as two of the three most destructive fires in California's history. At least 31 people were killed, and more than 16,000 structures were destroyed.

We're joined now by Jessica Rogers. She's the executive director of the Palisades Long Term Recovery Group, and she also lost her home in the Palisades Fire.

Jessica, thank you for being here with us. Here we are pretty much a year afterward. When you look at video of what happened and now you know what you're seeing on the ground one year later, what do you think is important for our viewers who live all across the country and the world, to know about the aftermath of these fires?

JESSICA ROGERS, DIRECTOR OF THE PALISADES LONG TERM RECOVERY GROUP: Well, here we are a year later. And sadly, you know, the world moves on, that's human nature and yet people are dying in Los Angeles, one of the largest cities in the world, and we're stuck, unable to pay mortgages and rents and fill the gaps of insurance. And what the world needs to know is the only way that this can be done is if people decide to stand up.

We need our insurance companies, our banks. We need the federal government, and we need our state government to all work together. There's opportunity for heroes to be made. And yet here in the city of Los Angeles, we have been failed and abandoned and we're hopeful, forever hopeful but we absolutely need people to step in.

[19:40:46]

DEAN: Yes, there were a lot of promises made by the institutions you just named -- banks, insurance companies, but also politicians, et cetera, when this was happening. Do you feel like they have just abandoned you on those promises?

ROGERS: You know, the issue is that it's very complex to just deal with a disaster of this size. And so, understandably, we have a City of Los Angeles has no funding. They're practically bankrupt. But there's absolutely no excuse for everybody to be falling behind -- the blame game. We really need to step up and do what's right.

This community has been rolling up our sleeves. We've been working together. We've been working with any official that's willing to work with us. We want to call on our federal government. Please continue to support us. We need more support. We need you to work with our governor. We need all of these private entities to come together. This is the biggest city in in our country.

The Olympics are coming. Let's make this happen. People are dying. This is a terrible tragedy and it is time for everybody to stop passing the buck around and support us. We are ready to do the work with you, all of us. We've put in our time and were ready to do the work, but we need the support from everyone.

DEAN: And when you say people are dying, explain that to us. Is it the air quality? Is it that they don't have access to what they need? What's causing that.

ROGERS: Tremendous trauma, a disaster of this sort has caused such severe trauma that people are dying of stress, their bodies are breaking down. We've had a rise in suicide rates in our hospitals. This is very real, and it is going to continue to be that way unless we address these issues face on. We need to help people who live in mobile homes and condos and multifamily units. We need people --

There is such tragedy on all levels. People who own land cannot get back and cannot rebuild because the insurance gap is so wide. You know, we cannot ignore whether it's the Eaton Fire people in Malibu, people in Pacific Palisades and homes in between who have burned. These are thousands upon thousands upon thousands of families and residents who have no way to get back. This is why people are dying.

DEAN: Yes, and look, to your point about not being able to get back, according to "The L.A. Times," only between 14 and 16 percent of these rebuilding permits have been approved so far. It's just -- it is going so slowly and you note that there's a lot of complications here, but that has to just be so unbelievably frustrating to not be able to move through the process that appears to have so much red tape.

ROGERS: You know, the city is definitely trying and the biggest issue really here is insurability and safety. If you cannot assure people that this community is safe, how are the insurance companies going to get back? We have the solutions. The solutions are all there, ready in the making. It is a question of all these entities need to come together. We have to stop passing the buck.

You know, we have the federal government that's saying we give funding for wildfire. Where's the accountability? We have the state government that's saying, you know, the know, the federal government isn't doing enough. And they have done so much for us. If it weren't for the federal government, we would be sitting in a pile of debris right now.

So, it's just time for everybody to stop passing the buck. You know, we need the Appropriations Committee to come together. Both sides, both parties need to work together, work with us, and come up with a proper plan so that the city of Los Angeles can stand up again and we could protect our very own.

You know, people are suffering all over the world. But let's not forget, in one of the biggest cities in this country, people are suffering and people are dying while the rest of the world moves on. This is not okay. We have to help our own at home and we're ready to do so. We just need the support. It's not complicated. It's a matter of will. We can make ourselves heroes.

[19:45:20]

DEAN: We'll, we certainly hope that things do improve and that these things can happen. Jessica Rogers, thank you for your time. We appreciate it.

ROGERS: I really appreciate it, thank you.

DEAN: We'll be right back.

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DEAN: One person is in custody for setting fire to that destroyed Jackson, Mississippi's only synagogue. Investigators say that fire broke out at Beth Israel and Jackson early Saturday morning. It caused extensive damage to the library and the sanctuary. It isn't the first time that synagogue has been targeted. CNN's Rafael Romo shares how the congregation is leaning on the community as it now prepares to rebuild.

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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, the Jackson, Mississippi Fire Department says they got the call about the fire around 3:00 on Saturday morning. Fire Investigations Chief Charles Felton said at a news conference that firefighters found smoke and flames at the synagogue when they arrived and had to force their way inside.

Officials said it took firefighters almost two hours to get the fire under control. Beth Israel is Mississippi's largest synagogue and its original location, built just after the end of the Civil War was the first Jewish temple built in the state, according to the congregation.

It is also Jackson's only synagogue. According to the synagogue's website, in 1967, Beth Israel's temple was bombed by local Ku Klux Klan members, in part because of the congregation's work in the Civil Rights Movement.

In a statement to CNN, the Beth Israel Congregation said that the cause of the fire has been established as arson and a suspect has been arrested, adding that no one was injured in the fire that happened in the early morning hours of January 10th.

Several local officials have expressed support for the congregation during this difficult moment for its members.

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CLEOTHA SANDERS JR., JACKSON FIRE DEPARTMENT, DEPUTY CHIEF: We just want to let the community know that the city of Jackson is standing with this community. So, attack against the synagogue is an attack against all of us.

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ROMO: In a statement, Beth Israel Congregation President Zach Shemper told CNN that "As Jackson's only synagogue, Beth Israel is a beloved institution and it is the fellowship of our neighbors and extended community that will see us through. We are still assessing the damage to the building, but we will be continuing our worship services and other programs. Location to be determined." I also spoke to former congregation President Michele Schipper on the phone, and she said that several churches have extended kind offers for Beth Israel congregants to use their building as a worship space as they rebuild.

She also said that there is significant damage to the library of the temple and near the offices, as well as smoke and ash damage throughout the building. Jessica, now back to you.

DEAN: All right. Rafael Romo, thanks for that.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back with more news.

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DEAN: We do have breaking news just into CNN here. Federal prosecutors have now opened an investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and his testimony related to the agency's $2.5 billion renovation of its headquarters.

You'll remember Powell testified before the Senate Banking Committee about this back in June of last year and has denied accusations that this project has been mismanaged. He has responded saying, "The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President."

Venezuela is in crisis. One week after U.S. forces arrested longtime leader, Nicolas Maduro and his wife. So, what happens next? Well, up next here on CNN, it's a new episode of "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper and CNN's senior national correspondent, David Culver is going to show us the dramatic capture, Maduro's journey to the U.S. and break down the legal and far-reaching political consequences.

And David joins us now. David, you've been doing a lot of reporting on this. How did this moment, the capture of Maduro, actually come together?

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, it definitely did not happen overnight. I mean, this is months in the making. The U.S. has been steadily increasing pressure. We're talking militarily, economically and through intelligence and that pressure built quietly.

Then it culminated in what we saw a little more than a week ago now, as U.S. forces carried out that raid inside Caracas and Maduro was taken into custody. And in our hour-long reporting, as you mentioned, just a few minutes from now, we're going to walk you through these steps, Jessica, of how all of this came together and led up to that pivotal moment.

DEAN: And you're also just back from being on the ground in neighboring Colombia. We had some reports from you last weekend. What are you seeing there? CULVER: I think what struck me most was the contrast between the politics, between what you hear in Washington and in Bogota, and then the reality on the ground.

We spent a couple of days with Colombia's Anti-Narcotics National Police going along inside, deep in the jungle on these operations, and despite the sharp rhetoric between President Trump and Colombian President Petro earlier last week, and real concern that the U.S. could potentially confront Colombia next, it seems cooperation between U.S. and Colombian officials is still very much happening -- Jessica.

DEAN: Yes, and Maduro obviously now gone. What does your reporting indicate about what happens next?

CULVER: Right, well, this is where it gets a bit complicated, right? Even with Maduro out of the picture, the system that he built still largely in place. His vice-president is now running the country and many of the same power structures remain.

Officials say the goal was to avoid U.S. boots on the ground, but that also means there's no real clean reset, if you will. So, what comes next for Venezuela? For the region? It's still very uncertain. That's something, though, that we're going to dig into with a range of expert voices in this episode airing in just a few minutes from now -- Jessica.

DEAN: Yes, that is such a central question for so many.

David Culver, thank you so much for previewing that for us.

And as we just mentioned, stay right here. It's an all-new episode of "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper. You'll see David's reporting "Inside the Raid: Venezuela's Future." It airs next here on CNN.

In the meantime, thank you so much for joining me tonight, I'm Jessica Dean and remember, if you're in the U.S., you can now stream CNN whenever you want using the CNN App. Just visit cnn.com/watch to learn more about that.

We're going to see you again here next weekend. In the meantime, have a wonderful night.

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