Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Deadly Iran Protests; Trump Warns Iran Against Using Violence Against Protesters; Outrage Over ICE Shooting; Widespread Protests Across U.S. Over Deadly ICE Shooting; U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets; Maduro Supporters Rally; Russia Knocks Out Kyiv's Heat; Michael David McKee Arrested in Killing of Ohio Couple. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired January 11, 2026 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to everyone watching in the United States and all around the world. I'm Kristi Lu Stout in Hong Kong.

And ahead right here on CNN Newsroom. The death toll rises as anti- government protests spread in Iran. President Trump says the U.S. is ready to intervene. We'll have the latest in a live report. And protesters march in cities across the U.S. over the fatal ice shooting of a mother in Minnesota. Hear what their message is to the Trump administration. And the U.S. carries out large-scale strikes in Syria. We got the details on the latest retaliatory attack against ISIS.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Hong Kong, this is CNN Newsroom with Kristie Lu Stout.

STOUT: Iranians tell CNN that an ongoing internet blackout and violent crackdown by security forces are not stopping their demands for regime change. In fact, they say that those measures are pushing even more people out onto the streets.

Now, this video posted on social media shows protesters gathered in Tehran with fireworks exploding overhead. Now, protests, they have spread across the country over the past two weeks and the regime has responded in force, arresting thousands of people and promising to treat them without mercy. A U.S.-based human rights group says dozens of protesters have been killed.

Well, Donald Trump posting on social media that, quote, "The USA stands ready to help." Now, he has previously threatened to attack Iran's government if security forces kill protesters. Iran's hardline parliamentary speaker is warning that Tehran will treat U.S. military and commercial bases as targets for retaliation if the U.S. intervenes militarily.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the White House to denounce the Iranian government and to show support for the Iranian people.

Now, CNN's Paula Hancocks is tracking this story from Abu Dhabi. She joins us now live. And, Paula, disturbing accounts are emerging despite the ongoing internet blackout in Iran. What is the latest on the protests and the crackdown?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, with that internet blackout done by the authorities, obviously it is more difficult for people to be able to communicate with each other on the ground in Iran and also to be able to give information to the outside world. We have, though, at CNN spoken to a number of different protesters. It is a concerning picture that is emerging on the ground in Iran. There were fears, of course, that the authorities were going to use this internet blackout as a chance to increase a brutal crackdown against the protesters.

Now, some of the eyewitness statements that we have been hearing, there were a couple in their 60s and 70s saying that they were out on the streets. They saw a huge amount of people of all different ages on the streets. But they also saw the security forces holding military rifles and said that they killed, quote, "many people." Another resident of Tehran telling us that they had seen bodies piled up in hospitals. We are hearing testimony from the care workers, the professionals within the hospitals themselves, talking about just how many patients that they are having to deal with at this point. Some harrowing accounts. One of those within a hospital telling us, quote, "They were shooting from rooftops and terraces," speaking of the security forces, and they were dealing with many injured.

We also heard from protesters in Tehran saying that they helped a man in his 60s that they found. He had pellets in his leg, he had a broken arm, and they were trying to take him to a hospital to be treated. They said they had to go to several different hospitals because the situation was completely chaotic.

So, the concern is that the regime is really carrying out this brutal crackdown now, believing that without the internet, that protesters on the ground will not be able to get their stories out. We also did hear from another protester saying that this was an unstoppable momentum. So, even though there is this risk, even though many are risking their lives, they are still frustrated enough, angry enough, wanting change enough, that they are continuing to come out onto the streets each night.

[04:05:00]

The latest figures we have is something like a hundred and eighty cities at least across Iran have seen protests over recent days, Kristie.

STOUT: Incredible. Some harrowing accounts coming out despite the ongoing Internet blackout, and yet the will of protesting, that remains strong. Separately, Paula, Donald Trump, the U.S. president, he's been threatening to intervene. How big a threat is what Trump is saying and also the protest movement, the ongoing momentum behind it? How big a threat is all of this posing to the regime?

HANCOCKS: Well, Kristie, this is being considered as one of the most significant challenges to this Iranian regime for a number of years. The sheer size of the protests that we're seeing at this point, of course, they started as economic protests, so there was that threat to the regime, which early on they acknowledged that there are economic problems. Then, of course, there are the political aspects of this, the fact that many of these chants are talking about death to the dictator, death to the regime. And then, on top of that, you have the third element of the international aspect, the fact that you have the U.S. president, Donald Trump, saying that he will get involved, he will step in if peaceful protesters are being killed by security forces.

Now, we know that there are protesters that are being killed at this point, and we are hearing over the past couple of days an increase in what the U.S. president is saying. He has said Iran is looking at freedom, perhaps like never before, the USA stands ready to help. We're hearing similar comments from many in the administration, but the Iranian parliamentary speaker says that if the U.S. does target Iran, then they will target U.S. assets around the region. Kristie.

STOUT: A very fluid and volatile situation in Iran. Paula Hancocks, we thank you for your reporting. Now, the New York Times and its reporters recently sat down with Donald Trump in the Oval Office for this wide-ranging discussion about his policies, and CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger was among them. Now, he spoke about whether the U.S. president seemed emboldened by his recent strikes on Venezuela to act against the Iranian regime.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST AND WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, NEW YORK TIMES: I left the conversations that we had with him in the Oval Office, and we talked to him for nearly two hours there, and then additionally some during a tour of the residence and so forth. I left generally with the sense that he was emboldened on foreign policy across the board.

Now, second-term presidents frequently turn to foreign policy because they don't have the kind of restrictions there that they do in the domestic world, and he may be looking out ahead and saying to himself, you know, Republicans could well lose the House or maybe the House and Senate in the next election, and he'll become an all-foreign policy president because he wouldn't get anything through on his agenda.

But I also think he's a little bit enamored of the very quick results he's gotten from the military in both the Iran nuclear strikes and the Maduro operation. Less clear to me that he's ready to go deal with the outflow from that Maduro seizure, because I'm not sure they've got a full plan for how they keep running the country by remote control.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: David Sanger there. Now, anti-ICE protesters, they brought their message straight to Washington, D.C. In fact, they gathered outside the White House on Saturday, demanding justice for Renee Good. She was killed this week by an immigration officer in Minneapolis.

It's one of more than a thousand protests happening across the U.S. this weekend. Major cities like New York, Detroit, Los Angeles and Philadelphia saw large crowds. The Trump administration has defended the ICE agent, saying that he was acting in self-defense. But some protesters are calling for legislation to reform ICE and say that the country is headed in the wrong direction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Democrats aren't very organized. The Republicans are just spineless, spineless. They're kowtowing to Trump, and I don't understand why. He's out of control.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're here because of what happened in Minneapolis last week. But we're also here because many of us in our group are involved with a lot of the immigrants in Winona, and they are terrified.

[04:10:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm feeling that our country is going the wrong direction. Basically, the administration that's in power doesn't have any regard for American society.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: In Los Angeles, protesters gathered outside a strip of federal buildings. Police issued an order telling them to leave the area before one person was detained.

Now, thousands of people marched through the snow in Minneapolis on Saturday. They repeated Renee Good's name and called on ICE to leave the city. This march, it began in Powderhorn Park, which notably served as the main gathering place for the 2020 George Floyd protests. Now, the city's mayor, Jacob Frey, says the, quote, "Vast majority of protesters there are peaceful."

Minneapolis police said earlier that there were no arrests on Saturday. Law enforcement is expecting demonstrations to continue throughout the weekend. And we want you now to listen to some protesters explaining why they felt compelled that they had to come out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLEN HINCK, MINNESOTA TEACHER: Ever since I was a little kid and I learned about World War II, I asked myself, what side would I be on? It's happening again. And I want to be on the right side. This is Minnesota. Our slogan is Minnesota Nice. Everybody's welcome here.

PAXTON FLATEQUAL, MINNESOTA RESIDENT: Yes, we just want to support Minnesota, support our immigrant community and get ICE out of our streets.

SARAH AVERKAMP, MINNESOTA RESIDENT: We've got to stand up for our neighbors. We've got to stand up for our city. This is wrong. What's happening in this country is wrong, and it has to end.

(END VIDEO CLIP) STOUT: Now, the U.S. has carried out a large retaliatory attack on 35 Islamic State targets in Syria. A U.S. official tells CNN that more than two dozen aircraft fired some 90 precision munitions. The raid was ordered after an ISIS shooter killed two U.S. service members and an interpreter last month in Palmyra, Syria. Now, the two service members are both from Iowa's National Guard, which is why the mission is named Operation Hawkeye. The operation's goal is to deliver a significant blow to ISIS remnants in the region. Now, hundreds of U.S. troops are deployed in Syria as U.S. fights ISIS in the region.

Now, meanwhile, after days of intense fighting, Kurdish-led forces withdrew from Syria's second largest city, ending violent clashes with Syria's army. The Kurdish commander says that his forces left Aleppo after an agreement was worked out with Syria's army. Fighting there in the region has displaced thousands of residents. As seen as Polo Sandoval explains just how we got here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Aleppo once again at the center of a power struggle in Syria after heavy clashes erupted this week between Syria's central government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces or SDF. More than 140,000 people have fled their homes, according to Syrian authorities.

SMER ISSA, ALEPPO RESIDENT: The shelling intensified, and I have young children. We left because our children could no longer endure the hits and the shelling. As you can see, our situation is heartbreaking.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): The Syrian government says that its forces were responding to attacks coming from Kurdish held neighborhoods. But Kurdish groups say that the government is trying to displace the city's remaining Kurdish residents.

The fighting coming after little progress has been made to implement a deal brokered last year to integrate the SDF into the Syrian army. Syria's president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, has vowed to unify the country but there is deep distrust among Syria's minority communities towards the Islamist administration.

The SDF controls much of Northeastern Syria after it helped to defeat the ISIS caliphate in 2019 with the support of a U.S.-led global coalition. And the U.S. is trying to mediate the crisis, balancing its long-term ties with the SDF and its new relations with the Syrian government. Al-Sharaa, former leader of an Al-Qaeda-backed army, met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House last year, even played a game of basketball with U.S. officials,

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: The Kurds and the Syrian government, we get along with both, as you know very well. They have been natural enemies over the years, but we get along both and we want to see serious succeed. And so far, I think they are succeeding, but this is just breaking out and we want to see that stopped.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Turkey also upping the stakes, saying it considers the SDF to be a terror group and could intervene militarily if the SDF does not merge into the Syrian army.

The situation in Aleppo highlighting how much is still unresolved in Syria and how precarious its future could be.

Polo Sandoval, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: You're watching CNN Newsroom. And up next, a week after the U.S. captured the Venezuelan president, his supporters there are taking to the streets to demand his return. Stay with us.

Plus, Ukraine faces its fourth winter since Russia launched its invasion. We have all that and more when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:15:00]

STOUT: As you can see on your screens, Venezuelans, they protested in the capital, Caracas, on Saturday against the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro and the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, saying that they hope Maduro will return to the country. Now, the ousted leader and his wife are being held in Brooklyn's notorious Metropolitan Detention Center, where they have pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges.

In a video that was shared on social media on Saturday, Nicolas Maduro's son quoted his father urging Venezuelans to stand firm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLAS MADURO GUERRA, SON OF VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT, NICOLAS MADURO (through translator): The lawyers have told us that he's tough, that we shouldn't be sad. He told us not to be sad, that we are doing well. We are fighters, Nicolas said. I am a fighter. He's tough and we have to be strong. We are not broken. We are whole. We are solid. What we are is sad and you express it. You cry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Meanwhile, Trump says Venezuela has started the process of releasing political prisoners. In a social media post, Trump thanked Venezuela, saying, quote, "I hope those prisoners will remember how lucky they got that the USA came along and did what had to be done," unquote.

Now, since the ousting of Maduro, Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, has been walking this tightrope, trying to appease both the Trump administration as well as loyalists. And Paula Newton has more now about the person now responsible for navigating Venezuela's political crisis.

[04:20:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For weeks now, in her carefully curated social media accounts, Delcy Rodriguez has strived to project a commanding hold on the economy, specifically the energy industry. Stressing that the situation was improving and that she was fulfilling vital commercial commitments even to the U.S.

That crafted persona is serving her well. She was sworn in as Venezuela's acting president on Monday, seen by many as a steady hand who could help avoid a transitional crisis.

She is also a familiar, genial and long-standing presence for Venezuelans, many of whom simply refer to her as Delcy.

Images like these belie the repression that is still a feature of everyday life here. That includes a decree that allows the regime to hunt down and capture anyone who promotes or supports the U.S. attack on the country.

In an interview with Fox News, on Monday, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado warned that Rodriguez will remain loyal to the regime.

MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER: She's the main ally and liaison with Russia, China, Iran, certainly not an individual that could be, you know, trusted by international investors.

NEWTON (voice-over): In fact, Rodriguez was embraced by ambassadors from Russia, China and Iran just moments after she was sworn in.

Todd Robinson, the former acting U.S. ambassador to Venezuela during President Trump's first term, tells CNN Rodriguez is smart but combative and cunning.

TOM ROBINSON, FORMER ACTING U.S. AMBASSADOR TO VENEZUELA: My guess is she has worked some kind of deal where she will either be able to stay for a while as they work through a transition or perhaps leave after the transition is over. She was part of the ruling elite, the coterie, that was benefiting from all of the illegal activity going on at the highest levels of the Maduro regime.

NEWTON (voice-over): U.S. president Trump has warned that if Rodriguez doesn't do what's right, he told "The Atlantic" she is going to pay a very big price. The scope of what's right, though, in Venezuela has so far been focused on the economy and a calm transition, not the democratic rights of its citizens.

Paula Newton, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now, Donald Trump has been reiterating his push to own Greenland and ramping up his rhetoric to reporters on Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not. Because if we don't do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland. And we're not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor.

I would like to make a deal, you know, the easy way. But if we don't do it the easy way, we're going to do it the hard way. When we own it, we defend it. You don't defend leases the same way. You have to own it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: In response, European leaders rallied behind the Danish territory. In a joint statement, they said, quote, "Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland and them only." Now, Greenland has repeatedly said it has no intention of becoming part of the US. And Greenlanders say that they are worried about Trump's escalating threats. Nic Robertson has more now from the Arctic territory.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's hard to imagine this remote, tranquil Arctic wilderness is at the heart of a geopolitical crisis that is pitting the United States against its NATO allies and threatens to upend decades of global security. People here in Greenland are worried about what President Trump is saying. The latest things that he's saying is he can either have Greenland the easy way or the hard way.

And what it is the people of Greenland treasure most, it is the tranquility and it is the closeness to nature. It is their culture here, their rights to go hunting, to go fishing. And they're worried that if the United States takes control of Greenland, all of that changes, plunging the world's 12th largest country, a population of only 57,000 people into uncertainty.

And I was speaking to someone here just a little earlier and he said to me, look, what can we do if President Trump wants to take this country by force? We don't have a choice.

[04:25:00]

So, people are really concerned at this moment.

Nic Robertson, CNN on Nuuk Fjord, Greenland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: One woman is dead and three others are injured after an overnight Ukrainian drone attack on the Southern Russian city of Voronezh, this is according to the governor of the region. Now, the governor went on to say this, quote, "I am sure that retribution will be inevitable," unquote.

Now meanwhile, in the capital of Ukraine, residents there were forced to brave below freezing temperatures without heat, without power or even water. This marks the fourth winter since Russia launched its invasion. CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau joins me now live from Rome with the latest. Barbie, good to see you. And first, let's talk about peace talks underway for Ukraine. What is the latest update?

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Well, we know that President Zelenskyy is talking about having daily dialogue with the United States in order to develop this framework towards peace. Now, who's missing from that table is obviously, you know, Russia in these conversations. Let's listen to what President Zelenskyy had to say about the priorities and whose fault this ongoing war really is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Only Russia is the source of this war, the reason for prolonging the war and deserves all the blows and pressure in response for everything it does against life and people, against diplomacy, against partners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NADEAU: And you know, Kristie, when you listen to him and the priorities of this, it's also very important for Ukraine to keep the war in Ukraine as a priority to the United States administration because of course, there's so many other conflicts and issues and wars going on in the world. And it's important to Zelenskyy and to the Ukrainian people that the U.S. doesn't forget about what's going on here in Europe, in Ukraine.

STOUT: Absolutely. And, Barbie, it is a very harsh winter for the people of Ukraine as Russia continues to target the country's infrastructure. Could you walk us through the tangible human impacts here?

NADEAU: Yes. You know, at any given time, even in the capital of Ukraine, you've got more than half a million people without power, without electricity to run their heating, without water to cook. And you know, it's below zero, 10 degrees below zero over the weekend. They've had to shut off the heating grids or the power grids, I should say, in order to repair them after these attacks on the infrastructure. Let's listen to what some of the residents of Kyiv had to say over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERHII PRZHITOVSKIY, KYIV RESIDENT (through translator): Before the strike, it was good, normal warmth. We had everything until they turned the heating back on. I'll have to sleep in my clothes.

HALYNA TURCHYN, KYIV RESIDENT (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): These little gas canisters, we use them to heat things up. Today, we will cook something to eat because we haven't cooked anything for two days already.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NADEAU: And you know, Kristie, that's just really, really difficult to listen to. And for the people of Ukraine, this is the fourth winter that they're going into this. They know what's coming. They know that it's just going to get colder, that they haven't even peaked in terms of the coldest it's going to be. And it's an especially cold winter here. We've had blast after blast here in Europe of these cold spells and, you know, very, very difficult. And it's really very much a sort of below-the-belt hit to be hitting the infrastructure when the people, children, elderly people are the ones suffering the most, Kristie.

STOUT: It's so important, isn't it, to underscore this. This is another year of conflict, four years running so far, another brutal and punishing winter for the people of Ukraine. Barbie Latza Nadeau in Rome, thank you so much for your reporting.

You're watching CNN Newsroom, coming to you live from Hong Kong. And still to come, this potential fight is brewing within the Democratic Party in the U.S. over how to best address ICE and Trump's immigration agenda. What two Democrats have to say next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00]

STOUT: Welcome back to all of you watching in the United States and all around the world. I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong.

Now, the United States saw widespread protests on Saturday against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. It comes after 37-year- old mother Renee Good was shot and killed this week by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Major cities like Chicago, Boston, Houston all drew huge crowds. And demonstrations, they've been held in Minneapolis every day since the shooting on Wednesday. Law enforcement there is expecting protests to continue throughout the weekend.

Our CNN's Camila DeChalus has more now from the protests in Washington, D.C.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Outside in D.C., a significant number of protesters gathered in order to protest about what just happened in Minneapolis with an ICE agent shooting Renee Good.

Now, I spoke to several protesters that came out in attendance today, one of which was actually from Minnesota, and he said that he was shocked when he heard the news of the murder of when the ICE agent shot Renee Good and he said that this was unacceptable. And it was now more important than ever to come out despite the weather in order to show support for this protest, but more importantly to send a message that what just happened was unacceptable.

Now, I talked to other protesters and I asked them quite simply, what would they like members of Congress to do? Does this mean that now lawmakers should pass legislation that would reform the federal agency of ICE? And he said that it's really important that members of Congress, not just Democrats, but also Republicans, that they come together and really try to pass legislation to make sure that this does not happen again. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think independent accountability and oversight over ICE activities at the state level, in addition to empowering state lawmakers and investigators to be able to hold ICE agents accountable for actions within their state is a step forward to ensuring this tragedy never happens again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DECHALUS: Now, as you can see, a lot of protesters feel very passionate about what has happened, but most importantly, they are fearful that something like this will happen again, and so they really are looking to lawmakers and to other state officials to pass legislation in order to reform the federal agency of ICE and to really send a strong message that they do not agree with what the Trump administration is doing.

Camila DeChalus, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: And with ICE and its tactics front and center in the political discourse, Democrats in Congress are looking for ways to rein in the president's hardline immigration policies.

[04:35:00]

And some of the most liberal congressional Democrats say that the party should insist on making changes to ICE in the upcoming funding bill, even if that risks a potential government shutdown. But they are running into resistance from more conservative members of their party who are calling the idea unrealistic.

Now, Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin had this to say about calls from progressives to abolish ICE. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): You need law enforcement. You do. I'm sorry. And whether you're using them correctly, that's a whole other conversation. But again, I wasn't for abolishing the police when that became a popular talking point, and I'm not for abolishing law enforcement now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, who is running for U.S. Senate, is also weighing in, and she thinks that ICE should fundamentally change.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LT. GOV. PEGGY FLANAGAN (D-MN), U.S. DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE: We have to absolutely start over with this agency. And frankly, Kristi Noem and, you know, leadership of ICE should be dragged in front of Congress. And let's be clear, how they are acting right now is unconstitutional. So, should we throw out this current model of ICE? Absolutely yes. We are causing chaos and terror in our communities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Now, our next guest is Natasha Lindstaedt. She's a professor of government at the University of Essex and joins us now from Colchester, England. Natasha, thank you very much indeed for joining us here on the program. First, we need to talk about the funding fight. What are your thoughts on this? Will the Democrats make Trump's hardline immigration policy a red line in the funding fight, even if it risks another government shutdown?

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: That's a good question. So, the Department of Homeland Security, the bill to fund that was probably one of the most contentious issues. We had some $170 billion that ended up being allotted for the Department of Homeland Security for over four years, the majority of which goes to ICE. And Democrats, of course, are incredibly upset about what happened, but they're also just enraged by the fact that there is just no accountability.

You have Senator Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator, overseeing the appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security, who is proposing sweeping reforms that would say that they need to have a warrant to make an arrest, that they no longer can be wearing masks, and that they shouldn't be deploying ICE agents in cities that are not near the border.

Now, this may be something that may be more popular with Democrats rather than just fully abolishing ICE. So, I'll point to some recent polling by YouGov that showed that 52 percent of Americans disapprove of ICE and think that it's going too far, using too much force, and 42 percent of Americans are in favor of completely abolishing ICE, and that's up from 19 percent when the poll was taken in September of 2024.

So, for the Democrats, this is an important issue, but they don't want to go too far in abolishing ICE, and I think they're probably, most of the Democrats are in line with Americans on this one, and whether or not they're going to use this as leverage, I don't see that as likely. I think a bigger issue for them is healthcare. That's something that affects more Americans than the issues regarding ICE.

STOUT: Interesting analysis there, and also interesting polling there on attitudes among Americans towards ICE right now, but I want to get your thoughts on the very sharp messaging from local Democratic leaders in Minnesota in the wake of that deadly ICE shooting. I want to play this video. We're going to hear from the Minneapolis mayor responding to a CNN question about D.C. Republicans criticizing his comments, saying that he's actually escalating tensions. Let's play the clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACOB FREY, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA MAYOR: I'm so sorry if I offended their Disney princess ears, but here's the thing. If we're talking about what's inflammatory, on the one hand, you got someone who dropped an F-bomb, and on the other hand, you got someone who killed somebody else. F-bomb, killing somebody. I think the more inflammatory action is killing somebody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Jacob Frey there, very unrepentant about his choice of language in response to what happened earlier this week in Minneapolis. Natasha, I want to get your analysis. What is the political impact of this type of forceful messaging we've been hearing from the Democrats?

LINDSTAEDT: Right. So, in the case of the mayor's response, I think that he is communicating with his constituents who are all up in arms, who are angry. Minnesotans in the state more generally are angry about the deployment of ICE, but also, of course, the people of Minneapolis who have gone through so much.

So, his response, though some may say it was emotional, it was in line with the way people were feeling. And I think people in Minnesota are incredibly outraged at the Trump administration's response. I mean, there would be no other president that would respond this way to this type of tragedy.

[04:40:00]

They would try to be measured and say that we need to have some kind of investigation that should involve state and local level police and not just only the federal level law enforcement, not just the FBI, and that we need to see this investigation play out.

You wouldn't have people like J.D. Vance saying basically to the effect that Renee Good was some kind of left-wing domestic terrorist who essentially deserved this. I think that the response from Minnesotans has been so enraged because of how quick the Trump administration was to judge her and to blame the victim.

STOUT: Yes, sharp language on both sides. This is stating the obvious here, but it is a big election year in America. The midterms are coming. Natasha, is there concern among battleground Democrats? These are the Democrats who really need to win over swing voters. Is there concern among them about their more progressive colleagues and their sharp and forceful battle cries against ICE?

LINDSTAEDT: I'm sure there's concerns amongst the Democrats just because they've had so many divisions within the party, and then that's made the party seem as though it just doesn't have a focus or a direction. They started to rally behind the issue of affordability. That's an issue that everyone can basically relate to. But I think what you're going to see is that particularly in the House, where you're really representing a small district, the Democrats will try to represent the people within their district. There are going to be some districts that are incredibly progressive that may want the, you know, abolishment of ICE. And so, I think what the Democrats have to do is just have a clear message that speaks to the people within their constituency and not worry too much about the fact that not every Democrat is going to be on the same page.

STOUT: Natasha Lindstaedt, really appreciate your analysis here. Thank you so much and take care.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

STOUT: Now, an arrest has been made in a double murder investigation in Ohio. And still to come right here on CNN Newsroom, the connection, police say, that the suspect has with the victims in the killings.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:45:00]

STOUT: Welcome back. Now, a nearly two-week manhunt in Ohio is over. Authorities have charged a suspect in the killing of Monique and Spencer Tepe in their Columbus home. Police arrested Monique Tepe's ex-husband, Michael David McKee, on two counts of murder on Saturday. Rafael Romo has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Police in Columbus, Ohio, published a statement Saturday afternoon with an update in their investigation into the deaths of Monique and Spencer Tepe, a couple shot dead in their home and found on December 30th.

Police now suspect Michael D. McKee of murder and say they arrested him without incident in Rockford, Illinois. Court records identify McKee as Monique Tepe's ex-husband. CNN is working to determine whether the suspect has legal representation.

In the statement, police do not specify whether McKee is the sole suspect or whether there might be other people they may be looking for. A notable development in the case came Monday when Columbus police released surveillance footage showing what they described as a person of interest walking in the alley near the couple's home in the Weinland Park neighborhood just north of downtown. It was taken during the time frame investigators believe the couple was killed, police said.

Spencer and Monique Tepe, 37 and 39, were found dead in their home on December 30th while their two young children were inside the residence. Columbus police said their children, ages one and four, were not physically harmed. Both children and the family's dog are now in the care of relatives, as Rob Misleh, Spencer's brother-in-law, earlier told CNN.

Misleh also described Monique Tepe to CNN affiliate WSYX as warm, charming, and strong, and Spencer as calm, steady, and kind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ROB MISLEH, TEPES' BROTHER-IN-LAW: How do you tell a four-year-old that, you know, she's never going to see her parents again? It's just awful, but we've -- you know, we've been giving them all of our love. This person didn't just take two lives, right, they took a son and a daughter, a brother and a sister, an aunt and an uncle, cousins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Misleh also told WSYX the couple would have celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary in just a few weeks. In a statement to CNN, relatives of the couple said, our family is devastated by the tragic and senseless loss of Spencer and Monique. They were extraordinary people whose lives were filled with love, joy, and deep connection to others. Police revealed early on there were no obvious signs of forced entry, as WSYX reported earlier, and no firearm was found at the scene.

Rafael Ramos, CNN Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now, severe weather has affected large parts of the eastern United States this weekend. Saturday's severe storms and tornado risk have eased, but that same system will continue to bring heavy rain and possible localized flooding as it moves east. Meanwhile, parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee are all expected to see the heavy rain, with some areas already reporting three to six inches, with more on the way. Now, unusually warm spring-like temperatures continue across much of the country, with highs of up to 20 and even 30 degrees above average across the eastern U.S.

Now, the NFL playoffs are underway, kicking off with a pair of nail- biting wild-card games. Saturday's highlights are straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:50:00]

STOUT: Welcome back. Well, the playoffs in the NFL's wildcard round kicked off on Saturday and the Green Bay Packers started strong against Chicago, but the Bears clawed back in the fourth quarter to erase an 18-point deficit and win 31-27. Now, quarterback, Caleb Williams, led Chicago's comeback. He threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns in his postseason debut.

And the L.A. Rams edged the Carolina Panthers 34-31. Quarterback and MVP candidate Matthew Stafford tossed three touchdowns for the win. This was a close game with the Panthers seizing a fourth quarter lead and forcing Stafford to engineer a late scoring drive in the final minute. But the favored Rams held on to advance into next week's divisional round.

Now, there has been a remarkable upset in England's FA Cup football competition. CNN World Sports' Patrick Snell has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, they call it the magic of the cup, and now we know why England's FA Cup is the oldest cup competition of them all. It dates all the way back to 1871. That's 155 years ago, a tournament steeped in history and a chance for the traditionally the tiny clubs to take on the big glamour boys to get biblical. Think David versus Goliath.

Non-league Macclesfield are in the sixth tier of the English football pyramid. They're managed by John Rooney, Wayne's brother. They're a club based in the northwest of the country. They were expelled from the National League as well five years ago, with debts totaling more than half a million pounds before being saved by a local businessman.

On Saturday, they face the cup holders, Crystal Palace. And what a storyline we would witness in this third-round encounter at tiny Moss Rose, which holds just under 5,000 fans. No fans in total shock as the captain for Macclesfield, Paul Dawson, putting his team ahead against all the odds against Palace, who are 117 places above Macclesfield. It's a good header and a shock of gargantuan proportions was on the cards as the Silkman looked to become the first non-league team to eliminate the defending champions in 117 years.

Then just past the hour mark, it's Macclesfield scoring again. Isaac Buckley-Ricketts improvising brilliantly finds the back of the net and the ground just erupts. Palace got one back, but it matters not. Macclesfield recording the biggest shock in FA Cup history, and (INAUDIBLE) know it. The ultimate Cinderella story. Yet another reason why we all love England's FA Cup.

[04:55:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL DAWSON, MACCLESFIELD CAPTAIN: It's an immense achievement, to be honest. I'm proud of the boys, proud of everyone, proud of the fans. You can see what it means to all the fans behind us. It's a really community club and yes, really proud.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: All right. A day of jubilation, no question for all concerned at a proud club that is Macclesfield, but a poignant occasion too. It was just before Christmas that one of the team's young players passed away following a car accident and these then the scenes inside the dressing room of the home team afterwards as Ethan's parents joining players and staff after the historic match. You just can't imagine what they're even going through at this point. A special moment to share and a really poignant one to witness as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAWSON: Yes, that was always for him, that was for him, big team performance, we dug him really well and that was for Ethan.

ISAAC BUCKLEY-RICKETTS, MACCLESFIELD FORWARD: Thinking about it literally whilst the game kind of also went on, thinking Ethan was in it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Yes. A truly emotional historic weekend for Macclesfield. They'll find out their fourth-round opponents in Monday's draw and with that it's right back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now, what does one do when the temperature is below freezing? Well, you take a bracing dip in a frigid lake of course. And that is exactly what the Berlin Seals swim club in Germany did to celebrate 40 years of their icy tradition. Now, many wore costumes for the so- called circus event. They take the frosty plunge, in fact, every week through the winter. And folks it's often a skinny dip but not when the cameras are around. Cheeky.

Well, thank you very much for joining us this hour for CNN Newsroom. I'm Kristie Lu Stout, and I'll be back with more news after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:00:00]