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Speaker Of Iran's Parliament Sits Down With CNN; Pam Bondi Says: "We Will Not Tolerate Lawlessness In Minnesota"; Growing Concerns Over When Rafah Crossing Will Reopen; Manufacturers Using A.I. To Make Weapons More Accurate And Lethal. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer Meets With President Xi Jinping in China; Spain to Grant Legal Status to 500,000 Undocumented Migrants; U.S. Federal Reserve Leaves Interest Rates Unchanged; Amazon to Lay Off 16,000 Employees as A.I. Battle Intensifies; Bruce Springsteen Releases Song About Minneapolis Killings; Late Drama as Opening Phase of UEFA Concludes; Arsenal Secure Early Spot in Knockouts With Clean Sweep. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired January 29, 2026 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:00:02]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, the U.S. president warns Iran time is running out to make a nuclear deal, escalating threats of a military intervention.
Working to build a stronger partnership. The U.K. Prime Minister is on a visit to China
And no shortage of drama, we'll have the highlights from the climactic Champions League opening round.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Good to have you with us. U.S. President Donald Trump is stepping up his threats of military action against Iran. He's urging government leaders in Tehran to negotiate a deal to prevent them from developing nuclear weapons. If not, he says the next attack on Iran will be far worse than the one carried out last summer.
A key advisor to Iran's supreme leader is vowing to respond, naming Tel Aviv as a target if the U.S. attacks. The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is now in the Indian Ocean, and sources say the president is considering military strikes on Iran's leadership, government institutions and nuclear sites. He's also threatening to target security officials responsible for killing thousands of anti- government protesters. Here's what U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers in Washington on Wednesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: That regime is probably weaker than it has ever been, and the core problem they face, unlike the protests you saw in the past, on some other topics, is that they don't have a way to address the core complaints of the protesters, which is that their economy is in collapse.
The protests may have ebbed, but they will spark up again in the future, because this regime, unless they are willing to change and or leave, have no way of addressing the legitimate and consistent complaints of the people of Iran who deserve better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Rubio also said no one knows who would take over if Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were to be removed from power.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen is reporting from Tehran this week, operating only with the government's permission. He sat down with Iran's speaker of parliament and asked him if the government into Iran can trust U.S. President Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOHAMMAD BAGHER GHALIBAF, SPEAKER OF IRAN'S PARLIAMENT (through translator): How can we, given all these actions and reactions again, trust President Trump?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you still willing to negotiate with the Trump administration?
GHALIBAF (through translator): If there's genuine talk to reach a deal within the framework of international regulations, then yes. But that's not the kind of talk the U.S. president is after. He just wants to impose his will on others. He ripped up the JCPOA and threw it in the bin. Two days before the new round of talks, he torpedoed the talks by giving the green light to Israel to attack Iran.
In my opinion, if Trump is really honest and telling the truth and seeking peace and wants to have the Nobel Peace Prize, he needs to go towards a real peace, and his first action must be to get free of the warmongers and those seeking Iran's submission.
PLEITGEN: The United States says it's building up these forces because it's reacting to the mass killing of protesters during the recent protests that happened here in Iran by Iranian security forces. What's your response to that?
GHALIBAF (through translator): This behavior, as I described, was a scheme that was designed entirely out of the country in order to try and carry out a terrorist pseudo-coup. These crimes need to be prosecuted and will be pursued inside the country, and legal procedures will take place. We will never back down from seeking revenge for the blood and pursuing different aspects of this crime.
PLEITGEN: President Trump has threatened massive force if no agreement is reached. What do you think that that would mean for Iran, and what would that mean for the region?
GHALIBAF (through translator): Maybe Mr. Trump can start a war, but he doesn't have control over the end. Thousands of American soldiers who have been deployed from several thousands of kilometers from home are definitely going to be harmed, which is not a good thing. The Iranian nation throughout history has shown that it would never submit to foreigners.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says proceeds from the sale of Venezuelan oil are now funding key services like policing and sanitation in the country.
[02:05:08]
The top U.S. diplomat testified on Wednesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio says there has been progress in working with the interim government in Caracas, but the transition to democracy requires a phased approach, which will take time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUBIO: We are much further along on this project than we thought we would be, given the complexities of it going into it, and I recognize that it won't be easy.
I mean, look, at the end date we are dealing with people over there that have spent most of their lives living in a gangster paradise. So, it's not going to be like from one day to the next. We're going to have this thing turn around overnight, but I think we're making good and decent progress. It is the best plan, and we are certainly better off today in Venezuela than we were four weeks ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: After his testimony, Rubio met with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. She says no one has faith in Interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who took over after the U.S. captured Nicolas Maduro earlier this month. Here's more of what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER: Well, I have told the Secretary of State that I want to go back to my country as soon as possible. Certainly, there are important meetings and agreements that we're working on abroad, and as soon as I finish working on those issues, I want to go back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: To Washington now, where the White House and Senate leaders are moving closer to a deal to avoid a government shutdown. Sources say they are trying to resolve some final sticking points ahead of Friday's deadline, Democratic senators have threatened to block a massive spending package that includes funding for ICE amid calls to rein in the federal agency.
Now, this comes as new videos show federal officers clashing with Alex Pretti more than a week before he was shot and killed by Customs and Border Protection agents. Pretti is seen shouting at officers and kicking their vehicle's tail light. The agents then stop, get out and tackle Pretti to the ground.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey defended the city's sanctuary policies at CNN's town hall. He also reacted to President Trump's warning that he is, "Playing with fire if Minneapolis doesn't enforce federal immigration law."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACOB FREY, MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR: It's not about safety, nor is it, I believe, about immigration. You don't need to take my word for it. Listen to the words that are coming directly from the federal administration and people in it. This is about political retribution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is back in Minneapolis now, and she says they will not stop enforcing the law. CNN Senior Crime and Justice Correspondent Shimon Prokupecz has more.
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SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR LAW AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Minneapolis right now is a city that very much is just trying to heal, and you could see that behind me with people who continue to show up at the site where Alex Pretti was killed, and all day long, people have been coming and laying flowers and paying their respects and just trying to heal.
But there's still many unknowns here as the federal law enforcement continues operations here in Minneapolis, the Attorney General Pam Bondi tweeting that a number of alleged protesters who allegedly assaulted federal officers were arrested, and she also claims in her tweet that they impeded arrests, and it's a time that people are trying to see some de-escalation.
And there are some that are worried that this continued presence is going to escalate things that are happening here.
On Thursday, we expect to hear from the border czar, who is now running the immigration operation here. Tom Homan for the first time, and hopefully there we will get some details on the next steps here.
But everyone here certainly hoping that this deescalation can continue.
Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, Minneapolis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: CNN town hall Wednesday night brought out some candid comments from state and local officials grappling with the fallout from ICE agents killing two residents in Minneapolis. The city's police chief was sharply critical of the federal agents' tactics. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN O'HARA, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE CHIEF: Well, I think at least a number of the videos that we've seen that have been circulated online show a lot of methods that are questionable and tactics that just do not appear safe. They don't appear safe for the officers involved or for the people in the community that they're encountering.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Minnesota's attorney general was asked by an audience member how the state would be able to investigate potential criminal activity if it doesn't have the names of the agents who shot Alex Pretti. Here's Keith Ellison's response.
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[02:10:10]
KEITH ELLISON, MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'm confident that we will get those names, but the fact that I don't know them yet is an absurdity and an example of how little cooperation that we're getting.
I mean, if you believe that you committed, you used deadly force in a lawful manner, why would you be afraid to look to disclose that name. You're claiming that you did the right thing. Step up, admit it and let us all deal with it. It feels like a cover up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Ellison says the government should volunteer the information if it's confident about the agent's actions. U.S. Representative Ilan Omar says the man who sprayed liquid from a syringe at her during a town hall in Minneapolis will be taken into federal custody in the coming hours.
The congresswoman was not hurt in that incident. Police tell CNN, the FBI is now leading the investigation into that attack. They believe the liquid that was used was apple cider vinegar.
Meantime, Omar is dismissing claims by President Trump that she staged that attack, telling CNN his administration has lied about both ICE killings in Minneapolis. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ILHAN OMAR (D-MN): Is a president who presides over an administration that when they assassinated Renee Good told us that she was a domestic terrorist that was trying to kill the federal agents. When they assassinated Alex Pretti, they told us that he was a domestic terrorist who burnished a weapon. None of those things are true. They are known to be liars. They have constantly told us not to believe in our eyes. Fortunately, both of those assassinations were caught on camera, and
so was what happened to me last night, caught on camera.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The man accused of attacking Omar is facing a third degree assault charge.
Jeff Duncan, the former Lieutenant Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia, is slamming an FBI search of an elections office here in Atlanta, calling it, "Another disgusting attempt by Donald Trump and his administration to try and rewrite history."
Fulton County Commissioner Mo Ivory says the FBI had a warrant for all of the ballots cast in the county during the 2020 election. He says they collected 700 boxes of ballots. President Trump continues to baselessly claim the 2020 election was stolen from him.
Since winning a second term, he has repeatedly warned those connected to what he calls widespread voter fraud would face consequences.
Still to come, the Rafah crossing is a key gateway for Gaza to the world. Next, why Palestinians are worried about when it will open.
And A.I. leaps to the forefront of weapons technology, how it's being used to make guns even more deadly, and why warfare will never be the same again. We'll have that just ahead.
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[02:17:52]
CHURCH: Crowds lined the streets in Israel as the country marked a symbolic end of the horror of the October 7th Hamas attack. This is the funeral procession for police officer Ran Gvili. He was killed in that attack, and his remains were taken into Gaza by Hamas fighters. Those remains were returned to Israel several days ago and finally laid to rest. Gvili was the last October 7th victim, dead or alive, to be held by Hamas.
With no more Israeli hostages in Gaza, Palestinians are hoping Israel will reopen the Rafah border crossing. The humanitarian situation so critical that many displaced Palestinians don't even have cooking gas. Some of them are burning plastic and wood for cooking, despite the health risks from the fumes, especially for children.
And critically injured Palestinians are hoping to finally be able to get treatment abroad. Some of them say they have been on the waiting list for months because hospitals in Gaza have no way of treating them.
The Rafah crossing is a key gateway for Gaza to the outside world. Prime Minister Netanyahu's office had said it would reopen for pedestrians, not humanitarian aid after the remains of the last hostage is back in Israel. And although that has now happened, it's unclear when the crossing will actually reopen. And for more, we're joined by James Elder, a global spokesperson for UNICEF. He's speaking from Geneva, Switzerland. Thank you so much for joining us.
JAMES ELDER, GLOBAL SPOKESPERSON, UNICEF: Good morning, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So, people in Gaza are facing shortages of the most basic needs, with many being forced to burn plastic just to stave off freezing temperatures and to cook whatever food that they do have. How would you describe the situation there in Gaza right now?
ELDER: Rosemary, it remains miserable. I was there a couple of weeks ago. It's bitterly cold. Several times I deliberately walked out into that sideways rain just to get a sense of what families were enduring. Of course, in a couple of hours, then you really struggled to get dry again and constantly must remember that for children, that's two years, two years of since that many of their homes have been destroyed.
[02:20:15]
So, for many of those children trying to simply get warm again is very, very difficult. And of course, if you're a very young child, it's been two years of nutritional deprivation as well. So, immune system still.
Now, there's been a change. There's no doubt, famine is on the retreat. UNICEF for the first time now, we're getting school supplies in first time in two years, looking at hundreds of thousands of children.
But as you rightly say, cooking gas for families, they're intense. They're not in their homes, and that's been way, way too long for families and children to be enduring that.
So, the basic day for a child, go to bed safe, wake up warm, have a meal, walk to school. For most children, they're still only getting about half of that, Rosemary.
CHURCH: And James, with the reopening of the Rafah border crossing, possibly, you know, just days away, how likely is it that this will allow for the start of the evacuation of thousands of injured children in Gaza who need urgent medical care abroad right now?
ELDER: Spot on, it's been way too long for a mix of reasons. Rafah per closing, cut the number of children and civilians with wounds, and not just wounds, oncology, leukemia, all these things that children used to be able to be treated for.
Yes, I sit with children literally a week or two who go, who will lose another limb if they don't get -- if they don't get medical evacuation, or a little boy with shrapnel in his eye who, again, is seeking medical evacuation, but it's also those children with eminently treatable ills, with parents just watching their children get more and more sick. So, Rafah is key. As you said, Rosemary, it's a -- it is the door for Palestinians. So,
it's medical evacuation, thousands of children. Now, that's both getting them out. That's also about host countries, other countries opening their doors, and I would say their hearts.
Egypt has taken more than 6,000 patients. The European Union has taken about 10 percent of that, or the entirety of the European Union.
So, these countries making statements did need to do a lot more for children who will quite literally lose another limb or die without that care.
Now, one boy I spoke with, you know, his family called him the cheeky one. He was a 9-year-old boy, and now they say this because he's cheeky. He's got that little energy to him, that's gone. His whole family had been killed. He's now left with aunts and uncles, but he lost his siblings. He lost his eldest sister.
And now, Rosemary, the only time he really talks his family says, is when he has these night terrors. These children need that care. Rafah offers that.
It also offers families a chance to reunite. I've seen so many men and grandparents trying to get a mobile connection night after night to speak to family members, children, wives, grandchildren, who they haven't seen for two years. So, Rafah is critical, and we hope that starts this Sunday.
CHURCH: And James, as you've been talking to us, we saw the vision there of the young boy you referred to with the shrapnel in his eye. You've highlighted his situation on your Instagram account, and it's just horrifying to see that. And of course, you know it's not just the children. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 18,000 people need medical attention.
So, what will likely happen to all of those people, and what tends to be the medical attention that they need most at this point?
ELDER: Yes, it's a great question, and it's important that little boy we looked at there that was an injury sustained during the cease fire. So, that's what we must remember as well. We need crossings to open. We need unfettered humanitarian aid. This phase two of this agreement is very clear on that. humanitarian and commercial goods people going both ways.
But that little boy was injured during the cease fire. More than a hundred children have been killed during the cease fire. 10 children have died of hypothermia during the cease fire.
So, it's a range of things. It's still trauma cases, because those attacks obviously much more limited in number, but they have not stopped. And it's a whole range of you know, families who need heart disease medicine, children who have cancer. You know, women who have breast cancer. Whole range of things where they really were, the hospitals in Gaza were, you know, you'd be -- you'd be comfortable to go in there with any ailment, not now, of course, it's been a systematic devastation of those hospitals. And despite amazing health care workers, they struggle to function.
There is -- you know, there is that hope education in Gaza, Rosemary, remains everything. It's not just for Palestinians to get a sense of normalcy. They see it as their future. Palestinians will decide on whether they stay or go so largely on that education.
When I was at Shifa Hospital, which has been under attack many times the last two and a bit years, there was a graduation for hundreds of medical students, the first graduation since the horrors of October 7th.
So, Palestinians that pride in one of the world's highest literacy rates. They want to maintain that, but they know they can only maintain the engineers and the teachers and the thinkers of the next generation. If that education goes forward, it's a big thing UNICEF's been launching this week.
[02:25:18]
CHURCH: James Elder, we appreciate you. Thank you so much for joining us.
ELDER: Thank you.
CHURCH: Well, these days, artificial intelligence is everywhere. It can help you by serving as a personal assistant or by organizing an airline flight schedule, and now weapons manufacturers are working to put A.I. to use, using it to make their guns and drones more accurate and deadly than ever seemed possible before. Our Nic Robertson has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): At an Israeli gun range, a demo of how A.I. is changing up battlefields.
SEMION, HEAD OF EUROPE, ISRAEL WEAPON INDUSTRIES: It will analyze my movements, analyze when I'm stable enough on the target, and will release the bullet when it calculates the maximum probability for me to hit the target.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): This tech called Arbel and others like it already in use by Israeli troops in Gaza.
A.I. enhanced weapons on you, but putting them in front line soldiers, regular guns is cutting edge.
SEMION: I think we're at the, let's say, the beginning of this revolution of putting A.I. on the soldiers.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): The manufacturers are counting on fears of cheap, increasingly lethal battlefield drones boosting sales.
SEMION: Europe has an ecosystem that feel very threatened by this kind of threat. We see very growing interest in this kind of solution. ROBERTSON: The lessons of the world's cutting edge battlefields like Ukraine. If you don't have A.I. tech in your weapon, then you just increase your chances of getting killed. Manufacturers are racing to keep up, governments hungry to protect their troops.
BOB TOLLAST, RESEARCH FELLOW, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: Guys are just being, you know, they're being chased into bunkers. They can't get away and I think this is what's driving such a massive level of experimentation.
And in Ukraine alone, I've actually heard there were 63 companies just in the drone interceptor market.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): These recent videos from Ukraine show how sophisticated front line drones have become. Smart operators increasingly helped by A.I. able to hit targets impossible a few years ago.
And it's not just Ukraine's front line losses ringing alarm bells around Europe's capitals, airports from Denmark to the Netherlands, Germany, France, the U.K., are also getting buzzed by fast moving, hard to target drones. The Dutch recently tried unsuccessfully to shoot them down.
As the threat multiplies, so innovation is accelerating both attack and defense, enhanced by A.I. near instantaneous software updates edging closer.
TOLLAST: It's that iteration loop that's really changed how we're looking at warfare that's really one of the big lessons from Ukraine actually. We're in an age what some people call Software Defined warfare.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Even so, experts like tallest caution against the notion an infantry soldier's A.I. tech being a defining Battlefield game changer just yet.
Back on the Israeli gun range, They're convinced A.I. augmented infantry is the way forward.
SEMION: It really dramatically increases your marksmanship, your lethality, your ability to engage, but this is the best tool to any light arm scenario you can see at the battle.
ROBERTSON: Is there any way of going back from this now?
SERION: No.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): What is clear, guns as we knew them are changing, becoming more deadly.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: After years of tensions, a tentative tilt toward China. The British Prime Minister is visiting Beijing, and we will have a live report on his meeting with the Chinese president, back in just a moment.
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[02:34:03]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Welcome back, everyone. Well, for the first time in eight years, a British prime minister is visiting China. Keir Starmer says it's vital for the two countries to build a more sophisticated relationship.
He's eager to reset relations with the world's second largest economy and reduce the U.K.'s reliance on an increasingly unpredictable United States. CNN's Mike Valerio is following all of this. He joins us now live.
Good to see you, Mike. So what all came out of Keir Starmer's trip to China? And of course, his meeting with the president there.
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So we're waiting on the deliverables, but we do know that this is a remarkable reset visit, because after years of suspicion really permeating the relationship between the U.K. and China, we now have the British prime minister here in town, in Beijing, saying that he wants a relationship between the U.K. and China, delivering security and prosperity for the British people.
[02:35:00]
Quite a reversal from what we've heard from some members of the British government in recent years. So to that end, let's listen to Prime Minister, Keir Starmer in his own words. We'll talk about it on the other side. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: China is a vital player on the global stage, and it's vital that we build a more sophisticated relationship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALERIO: OK, so quite a statement there in eight-and-a-half seconds. Chinese leader, Xi Jinping very much echoing the sentiment, saying in part a couple of minutes ago, quote, "China is willing to develop a long-term, stable and comprehensive strategic partnership with Britain, which will benefit the people of both countries as well as the world."
So this reset visit is so remarkable in part because of the primary ally, the largest and most important ally of the United Kingdom, and that would be the United States. And we see more and more often allies of the United States, leaders of those allies, from Emmanuel Macron of France, Mark Carney of Canada, coming back to this town, Beijing, re- evaluating their ties with China. So, we have not only with the British Prime Minister traveling with members of his government, but also bringing with him big business names. We're talking about representatives from Jaguar Land Rover, GSK, HSBC, big business brands from the U.K. And this is happening as so many companies around the world, myriad companies, are trying to diversify their trade portfolios, perhaps reduce their reliance on trade with the United States.
So, it will be interesting to see what are the deliverables, what are the tangible results of this trip, especially considering where the U.K. and China have been. I think one of the low points was certainly in 2020, when the British government said that Huawei needed to be removed from Great Britain's 5G network, a deadline of next year still existing to remove all installed elements of Huawei Technology from Britain's 5G network because of allegations and security concerns that have been leveled by the British government.
But on the flip side, we have Keir Starmer, just about a week ago, greenlighting the so-called mega embassy project across the street from the Tower of London, in the shadow of London's financial district, the heart -- financial heart of Great Britain. So we have both of these things happening, a new path that seems to have emerged.
The British prime minister saying that he's not going to choose between relations, good relations with China and the United States. And the next leader that perhaps will follow in this parade of Western allies coming to Beijing, we're watching for February for German Chancellor, Merz, perhaps to make his way to Beijing also.
CHURCH: All right. Thanks to Mike Valerio, bringing us that live report from Beijing.
Well, Spain announces a new immigration policy that could grant legal status to hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants. Just ahead, I speak to an expert about why Spain is seen as an outlier in Europe. Back with that and more in a moment.
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[02:42:52]
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Spain is bucking the trend of anti- immigration policies seen in the U.S. and other parts of Europe. The country says it is granting legal status to 500,000 undocumented migrants. The move aims to reduce labor exploitation in Spain's underground economy.
Under the new policy, foreigners with no criminal record, who arrived in the country before December 31st of last year will be granted legal residency of up to one year and work permits if they can prove they have been living in Spain for at least five months. This policy builds on a measure from last year that made for a simpler legalization process. The government says this will help the economy and allow migrants to have a dignified life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ELMA SAIZ, SPANISH IMMIGRATION MINISTER (through translator): Today is a historical day for our country where we're strengthening migration model based on human rights, integration, coexistence, and compatible with economical growth and social cohesion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Joining me now is Cecilia Estrada-Villasenor, a researcher at the Institute for Migration Studies at Comillas Pontifical University in Madrid. Appreciate you talking with us.
CECILIA ESTRADA-VILLASENOR, RESEARCHER, INSTITUTE FOR MIGRATION STUDIES, COMILLAS PONTIFICAL UNIVERSITY, MADRID: Thank you very much for the invitation, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Of course.
ESTRADA-VILLASENOR: And I want to say this is a very important moment for Spain right now in the immigration policy.
CHURCH: Yeah, let's talk about that because I mean, Spain set to grant legal status to half a million undocumented migrants in a move that goes against this anti-immigration trend that we've all been witnessing here in the United States and of course, across much of Europe. Why is Spain doing this at this particular time?
ESTRADA-VILLASENOR: Well, there are two situations that I want to point. There is an international situation and also a national situation. I want to say that in the European and the international context, as you said, there is an anti-immigration rhetoric that has gained strength with the far-right governments, mostly in Italy with Meloni, in Hungary with Orban, and in the Netherlands with Wilders.
[02:45:14]
And in the rise of similar parties in Germany, in France, and in other countries, the Spanish government's decision is a counterweight to this trend. And from the international perspective, I think this measure sends a clear message. Human rights and social inclusion can be a state policy, even in complex and polarized political context. And I think that is one of the most important tracks (ph) of this situation.
CHURCH: And I'd be interested to hear from you how the people of Spain feel about this change in immigration policy and this move toward bringing people in rather than pushing them out, which is this trend that most other nations are following.
ESTRADA-VILLASENOR: Well, still as a researcher, I cannot -- I don't have any test. I haven't tested, the notice just arised a few days ago. But in the past, we do have barometers and many other studies that talk about the feeling of the population, the Spanish population, with immigration and also all of the attitudes towards migrations and how people feel with immigrants living in the society.
And I have to point that the Spanish population is not against immigration at all. It's the opposite. The Spanish society feels very comfortable and feels also, how would I say, feels the immigrants as part of this society. First of all, because there are so many, so many works that they do in the society that are very, very needed --
CHURCH: Right.
ESTRADA-VILLASENOR: -- especially the housing, especially the hospitality (ph) and so on.
CHURCH: Right. And how will Spain select those 500,000 undocumented immigrants who would be granted this legal status? I mean, we ran through some of the criteria. Presumably, there'd be more than half a million who would fit some of that.
ESTRADA-VILLASENOR: Yeah.
CHURCH: So then, there would have to be some sort of selection process as to who gets this legal status and who doesn't.
ESTRADA-VILLASENOR: Yeah. Well, the rules are very simple. They do have to be here five months before the 31st of December, 2025. They have to have a clear criminal --
CHURCH: Record?
ESTRADA-VILLASENOR: -- with a police --
CHURCH: Situation report.
ESTRADA-VILLASENOR: Exactly. And mostly those are the two very important situations that the government is going to ask for -- to ask for the people to regularize their situation. And as you said before, they are not going to be allowed to stay for forever. They will be allowed to stay for one more year here in Spain.
And this part is very important to recognize, because we are moving that part to see that this regularization formalized labor sectors that are, of course, structurally dependent on migrant labor like domestic work, agriculture, hospitality, caregiving. And these sectors have operated for years with an underground economy that makes all of these workers precarious and encourages exploitation.
So, the measurement and the regulation is also, I can say, an act of social justice and economy, hygiene, if I can say, because it allows all of these workers to pay social security contributions, to have labor protection, and also, of course, to contribute fully to the system.
And I think this posture breaks with all of this vicious circle of no papers, no contract, then no contract, no papers.
[02:50:00]
And we keep on going on that way and not recognizing people, that people is people. Because of the papers, that is something that breaks our humanity, of course. CHURCH: Cecilia Estrada-Villasenor in Madrid, many thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.
ESTRADA-VILLASENOR: Thank you.
CHURCH: Despite ongoing threats from President Trump, the U.S. Federal Reserve is holding its ground and refusing to lower interest rates. The Central Bank is keeping its benchmark lending rate at 3.50 to 3.75 percent, and hinting the pause may persist for some time.
Chairman Jerome Powell says dropping rates doesn't make sense right now because the economy seems to be holding up.
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JEROME POWELL, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE OF THE UNITED STATES: The outlook for economic activity has improved -- clearly improved since the last meeting, and that should matter for labor demand and for employment over time.
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CHURCH: Amazon says it's laying off another 16,000 employees. It comes after the company cut 14,000 corporate workers back in October. CEO Andy Jassy has said he wants Amazon to stay nimble as the company evolves in the A.I. race.
Amazon says these layoffs are more about efficiency than cost savings, and that they won't become a "new rhythm."
Well, it's not often a goalkeeper scores the game winner, but that's just what happened in the Champions League. Highlights from the end of the opening round, just ahead.
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CHURCH: Bruce Springsteen is honoring Alex Pretti and Renee Good with a new protest song. The singer-songwriter says he was moved by the killings of the Minneapolis residents at the hands of federal immigration officials. He wrote, recorded, and released the song in just a matter of days. Here's a small portion of "Streets of Minneapolis."
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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, SINGER-SONGWRITER: Then we heard the gunshots And Alex Pretti lay in the snow dead Their claim was self-defense, sir Just don't believe your eyes
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CHURCH: Springsteen, who has won nearly two dozen Grammy Awards during his career, has previously spoken out against the Trump administration. He says the song is dedicated to all Minneapolis residents. The opening round of the UEFA Champions League has drawn to a close in dramatic fashion, and we now know which clubs have secured their spots in the knockouts. World Sport's Don Riddell recaps all the drama.
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DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: The Champions League had us all on the edge of our seats today. 18 games, all happening at exactly the same time as the league phase concluded. And when the dust had settled, we knew the top eight teams who would go to the knockout round directly, the 16 teams who will now head to a playoff, and the 12 teams who are now out of the tournament.
And we had some pretty insane drama. Real Madrid against Benfica, Benfica winning 3-2, but they needed one more goal to survive in the tournament, and it was their goalkeeper, Anatolly Trubin, who provided it with the very last act of the game in the 98th minute. What a goal, what a moment. And their Manager, Jose Mourinho, who of course used to be the Real Madrid Manager, absolutely loved it. Benfica sneaking into the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Sporting Lisbon's 95th minute goal against Athletic Club was hugely consequential. Athletic needed a win to make it into the playoffs. They had a late corner. The sporting keeper got the ball, launching a rapid counterattack. Sporting thought they might have blown their chance to win it, but the ball then fell to Alisson Santos, and with a couple of terrific touches, and bang! Game over. In that moment, Santos sent his club directly into the knockout round, and with that, pushed Real Madrid out of the top eight. So Madrid will now have to go through the playoffs.
The Italian champions, Napoli, had to beat Chelsea, otherwise they were out. And despite leading the Blues 2-1, Napoli ended up with nothing. Just after the hour mark, Joao Pedro leveled the scores of 2- 2 with a brilliant goal. He scored again with eight minutes to go, effectively ending Napoli's campaign in Europe this season. And a 3-2 win for Chelsea propels them straight into the knockout round, along with four other Premier League teams, one of whom is Arsenal.
Now, the Gunners had already secured their place in the knockout round. They qualified in style. Viktor Gyokeres getting the party started as early as the second minute in this game. Kai Havertz, he's only just got back into the team after almost a year out injured. He made that opening goal, then in the 16th minute, he scored himself to make it 2-1.
And Gabriel Martinelli has really enjoyed scoring in Europe this season. This is his sixth goal against six different teams, 3-2 the final score. Arsenal have dominated the group stage. They are the only perfect team with eight wins out of eight. So a reminder, the top eight go straight into the knockout stage. Five of them are from England, as we say. Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea and Manchester City, they'll all be glad that they don't have to worry about the playoff stage.
Joining them in the next round will be Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Sporting Lisbon. UEFA will make the draw for the playoff round on Friday and those ties will get underway in three weeks' time. That was an amazing night of football.
Back to you.
CHURCH: And thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more "CNN Newsroom" after a short break. Do stay with us.
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