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U.S.-Iran Exchange Threats; U.S. on Cusp of Another Government Shutdown; Video Game Mimics Scam Centers; U.S. Allies Mendijng Fences With China Amid Trump Policies; Border Czar Orders Eventual Drawdown Of ICE In Minnesota; Mexico's Sheinbaum Pushes Back On FBI Director's Claims. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired January 30, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

New threats from Iran as President Trump considers a strike. CNN goes to Tehran's ground zero where protesters march against the regime. China's rise in popularity across the West is growing, but what does Xi Jinping want in return? And a CNN video investigation analyzes the crucial minutes before Alex Pretti was shot by two federal agents.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber."

BRUNHUBER: The war of words between the U.S. and Iran is heating up as President Trump demands a nuclear deal and an end to Tehran's crackdown on protests.

Iran's top army spokesperson is firing the latest verbal salvo, saying any attack from the U.S. will be met with an immediate response. He says targets could include U.S. military bases, aircraft carriers, and other naval assets. He adds -- quote -- "These aircraft carriers are vulnerable to the missile and hypersonic missile capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

President Trump has been threatening military action for weeks after security forces killed thousands of protesters. Here's his exchange with reporters on Thursday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Have you had any conversations with Iran in the last few days and are you planning on any?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I have had, and I am planning on it. Yes. We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now. And it would be great if we didn't have to use them. OK?

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Can you say what the message was that you shared with Iranians?

TRUMP: Well, I told them two things. Number one, no nuclear. And number two, stop killing protesters. They're killing them by the thousands. You know, I stopped 837 hangings two weeks ago. But they got to have to do something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Diplomats from a number of countries are working to bring down tensions. U.S. and Saudi officials met in Washington this week. Talks between Iran and Turkey are scheduled for the day ahead. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have said the U.S. can't use their airspace for any operation against Iran, but the U.S. defense secretary says other plans are in the works. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Same thing with Iran right now, ensuring that they have all the options to make a deal, that they should not pursue nuclear capabilities. We will be prepared to deliver whatever this president expects of the War Department.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The European Union has voted to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. Iran calls the move irresponsible and spiteful, threatening to unleash hazardous consequences directly on European policymakers. The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, says terrorist is how you describe any regime that crushes its own people's protests and blood, and the E.U. foreign policy chief says Iran's repression can't go unanswered. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAJA KALLAS, FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF AND VICE PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: This decision means that if we list them as a terrorist organization, that many member states have criminalized any activity or interaction with the terrorist organization. So, that puts more pressure on this. When it comes to attacks, then I think the region does not need a new war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Iran this week, reporting today from Tehran's Grand Bazaar where protests started in late December. Thousands were killed and at least 40,000 arrested in the subsequent crackdown. That's according to the U.S.-based human rights activist news agency. Now, faces are blurred for protection and we do have to say CNN operates in Tehran only with the permission of the Iranian government.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're in the area around Tehran's Grand Bazaar. This is where the protests started several weeks ago that then, of course, spread throughout the entire country, then ultimately leading to that crackdown where even the government acknowledges that thousands of people were killed.

[02:04:57]

We spoke to some folks around here, and at least some of them said the despair continues, and they said they have very little trust that the government will be able to resolve the issues.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: In general, the situation is volatile in a way that the prices are crazy high. And, for instance, just yesterday, there was a 20 to 30 percent hike in prices.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Are you confident that the government can solve the economic issues?

UNKNOWN: Definitely not. We're certainly sure the government cannot solve it. This is something that I can say for sure. Maybe it is dangerous. I feel this is the end of everything.

PLEITGEN: How deep is the trauma after the crackdown on the protests?

UNKNOWN: In this situation, no one is able to do anything because you either have to go to the streets and be killed by weapons or stay at home and die of hunger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: When the protests first started here at the bazaar in late December, it was especially the carpet sellers and jewelers who first walked out. Now, we did speak to some people here who claimed that the situation is now under control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Of course, the Islamic Republic can solve the problem. Actually, it has done so. Ninety-nine percent of it is resolved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: All this comes as President Trump continues to weigh his military options here in this region. Iran's leadership has said that any attack on Iran will be met with very strong resistance. But they've also said they're willing to negotiate. However, not under duress.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And joining me now for more on this from Beirut is Maha Yahya, who is the director of the Carnegie Middle East Center. Good to see you again. Thanks so much for being here with us. So, we heard President Trump. He started out saying he'd intervene if Iran kept killing protesters. Now, he's talking about the nuclear program. The rationale kind of keeps changing. So, is he just looking for basically any excuse to strike, do you think?

MAHA YAHYA, DIRECTOR, CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST CENTER: Good morning, Kim. Thank you for having me. Look, it's not clear, honestly. I mean, there's a massive military buildup in the region. President Trump, you know, shifts the targets constantly and it's not just on Iran. Overall, we see him shifting positions very rapidly. Usually, it's just a tweet or something on social media. So, it's not clear.

What I'm -- what a lot of us are struggling with is trying to understand how the United States is going to leverage its military capacities with some sort of a political outcome. And that political outcome until now is not clear. If they're looking for regime change, this is incredibly complicated in a country like Iran.

The repercussions, the regional repercussions will be massive. The Iranian regime today saw -- we saw the degree of violence with which the protests were met a few weeks ago. We're hearing astronomical numbers of people killed. So, the regime is seeing this, Iranian regime is seeing this as an existential crisis, even more so than the 12-day war with Israel last year.

So, it's not clear what President Trump and his administration is aiming for. If it's to weaken and bring in -- we hear talks of diplomacy. And yet a military buildup, it could be used for greater pressure on Iran. But, again, the outcome that they're looking for, to my mind, is still not clear.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. So, if the outcome isn't clear, I suppose neither are the targets. I mean, do you think Trump could actually go directly after Iran's leadership?

YAHYA: Oh, I think he's more than capable of doing that. And that's extremely worrisome because it's not -- I mean, there's the political leadership, but then there's the religious leadership. Khamenei today is not just a political leader. He's also, at least for some Shias around the world, he's their kind of higher authority, a semi-pope, if you like.

So, the repercussions there are significant. It will aggravate religious tensions with at least part of the Shia community worldwide, not all of it, of course. So, that's one.

The other repercussions on the immediate vicinity, we're talking Afghanistan, we're talking Pakistan, we're talking Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iraq, the regional repercussions are enormous if there's going to be an attempt to push for a regime change. This is a country of 90 million people. This is a multiethnic, multi-sectarian country. You have Kurds, Baloch, Persians, Arabs among many others. So, the dangers of going in and the way that we're seeing the military buildup is -- are huge.

[02:10:03] And if chaos were to ensue, then the kind of fragmentation we might see within the country and the kind of civil strife will really have a ripple effect far beyond Iran itself.

BRUNHUBER: Yes.

YAHYA: And I think today -- just one last thing. I think for Iranians today, they see -- for the regime, at least, they see themselves stuck between, you know, the maximalist requests from the Americans, from the administration of President Trump on the nuclear file, on enrichment, on ballistic missiles, and on the regional influence of Iran.

So, they're seeing a lot of maximalist demands from their perspective. These are maximalist demands from the U.S. administration. And if they were to give in to these things, they would lose even more legitimacy internally.

So, they're kind of stuck between, from their perspective, between a rock and a hard place. It's a war they can't win, but it's also one they cannot afford to lose internally because then, that means that the regime will lose some of its control over the country.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And we heard from our reporter in Tehran that Iran is willing to negotiate. Certainly, plenty of countries in the region hoping to engineer a diplomatic off-ramp here. We'll have to leave it there. Maha Yahya, thank you so much for speaking with us. Appreciate it.

YAHYA: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Well, we're on the cusp of yet another U.S. government shutdown. Senate leaders have a bipartisan funding deal in hand but haven't yet held a vote, which means a partial shutdown is likely in less than a day. President Trump supports the compromise bill and wants to avoid what would be the second shutdown of his second term.

CNN's Manu Raju has a closer look at the timeline and the sticking points.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Senate is gone for the evening. They had hoped to have a vote on Thursday night to avert a government shutdown on this massive bill that would fund a vast majority of the federal government. But because of objections that were in the ranks, they were unable to reach an agreement to have a vote.

Remember, in the United States Senate, it requires all 100 senators to actually sign on and bless anything from happening, including having votes on the Senate floor. If anyone objects, it's very time consuming to go, get, overcome those objections. And they were unable to resolve those objections on Thursday night, which is why the Senate Republican leader said, all right, we're going to come back on Friday and see if we can resolve these objections then. But the question is, can they get it done in time to avoid a government shutdown? 11:59 p.m. is the deadline to avoid a government shutdown.

And there's another complication. The House has been on a session all week, and they still have to approve this bill to keep the government open. They don't expect them to come back until at least Monday at the moment.

Now, remember what this deal is. What initially the bill that had passed both the house was -- included six bills to fund 75 percent of the federal government or so, including agencies like the Pentagon, State Department, Health and Human Services Department.

But in the aftermath of Alex Pretti's killing in Minneapolis from in this fatal shooting involving federal immigration agents, Democrats said we need changes in how ICE is operating, and said that they will not agree to funding the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, until there are changes to ICE.

Trump, recognizing where the politics are on this issue at this moment, cut a deal and said, OK, we can fund the rest of the federal government, but on the Homeland Security Department, we will extend it only for two weeks. That would give them time to reach some sort of deal on ICE.

Now, Democrats have a whole wide range of ideas on how to deal with ICE, whether it's requiring them to wear body cameras, forcing them to remove their masks, changing how warrants are being issued, changing use of force, guidelines, ending roving patrols. The question is going to be, can they get enshrined into the next piece of legislation, which would be the Homeland Security funding bill that would have to be passed again in the next two weeks? That's a separate negotiation.

At the moment, the current situation is, can they even keep the government open by the end of the day on Friday? A big question about, can they resolve those objections? How quickly can it pass Congress? If there's a shutdown, how long will that shutdown be? All major problems that are once again facing Congress as it returns to session on Friday.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Two sources tell CNN that President Trump will nominate Kevin Warsh to become the next chair of the Federal Reserve in the coming day. Warsh is a former governor of the Fed who served five years under former President George W. Bush.

[02:15:02]

Warsh met with Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday. That's according to a person familiar with the matter. Current Fed Chair Jerome Powell's term ends in May.

All right, still to come here on "CNN Newsroom," President Trump is turning his attention to Cuba and in an attempt to curb its influence. We'll look at why he's focusing on their oil imports. That's coming up next. Plus, a big claim from President Trump that Russia has agreed to pause some of its strikes on Ukraine, but Moscow isn't indicating it's on board with that. Those stories and more coming up. Stay with us.

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[02:19:56]

BRUNHUBER: In southeastern Australia, a sweltering heat wave. That's temperatures close to 50 degrees Celsius or 122 degrees Fahrenheit, close to Australia's all-time heat record set in 2022. The soaring temperatures have fueled out-of-control wildfires in parts of rural Victoria. The state of disaster is in effect as crews fight at least five major blazes. Now, this koala named Kevin had to be rescued by farmers. Local authorities warn thousands of native animals are at risk as fires continue to burn.

You're looking at a giant image on a Spanish beach that is sending a heartbreaking message about the suffering of children in Gaza. On Thursday, activists in Barcelona unfurled a portrait of five-year-old Hind Rajab, marking the second anniversary of her death. She was killed after being trapped under Israeli fire while begging operators on the phone for hours to send help. Her final pleas inspired the Oscar-nominated movie, "The Voice of Hind Rajab." Her mother says the little girl has become a symbol of something much bigger than herself. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WESAM HAMADA, MOTHER OF HIND RAJAB: Hind Rajab is not just a child. Today, Hind represents all the children of Gaza. Her name has become a cry. Her image has become testimony.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Russia is tight-lipped about the claims that it has agreed to pause some of its strikes on Ukraine. That's after U.S. President Donald Trump made this announcement on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week. And he agreed to do that. And I have to tell you, it was very nice. A lot of people said, don't waste the coal. You're not going to get that. And he did it. And we're very happy that they did it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Trump for that effort. But when the Kremlin spokesperson was asked to confirm the pause, he said he couldn't comment yet.

Meanwhile, another Kremlin aide is pouring cold water on U.S. optimism about the ongoing peace talks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week the negotiations are down to one issue, the territory in the Donetsk region. But the Kremlin aide told a Russian news agency many issues are still being debated.

President Trump says Americans may soon be able to visit Venezuela. He made the announcement during his cabinet meeting. He also ordered airspace over Venezuela to be reopened. He said, last year, it could be considered closed even though the then Maduro government regarded it as open. U.S. airlines haven't been able to travel to the Latin American country since 2019.

And Venezuelan lawmakers have approved a new law that will make it easier for foreign companies to access their country's oil industry. The bill was backed by acting President Delcy Rodriguez as she attempts to meet President Trump's demands. Trump rolled back some key sanctions on Venezuela's energy industry following the announcement. Two sources tell CNN that the U.S. is planning to use private military contractors to protect oil operations on the ground.

President Trump has signed a new executive order declaring a national emergency against what he calls Cuba's maligned influence. Under the order, Trump is threatening to impose tariffs on goods from countries that provide oil to the island. Politico is reporting that the White House is about to implement a new naval blockade against Cuba, barring any shipments of oil into the country. This would be the first one since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

A reporter asked President Trump about his actions against the island nation. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Are you trying to choke off Cuba?

TRUMP: I don't know. The word "choke off" is awfully tough. Cuba is a failing nation. And you have to feel badly for Cuba. They've treated people very badly. We have a lot of Cuban Americans who really were treated very badly. And they'd probably like to go back. And, no, I'm not trying to, but it looks like it's something that's just not going to be able to survive. I think Cuba will not be able to survive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right, coming up, a new video game that lets players experience how criminal underworld operates scam centers. Just ahead, our Mike Valerio joins us live from Beijing to explain the rules of the game. Stay with us.

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[02:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: A Chinese video game is apparently more than just a game. It's actually about a large-scale criminal operation that traffics people and forces them to commit scams and fraud using phone calls, emails, and texts.

CNN's Mike Valerio has more on the game and the story behind it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I started playing this video game, and it is wild. In the trailer for the new Chinese full motion video game "Blood Money: Lethal Eden," you're a victim of a scam center. You have a cloth put on your face, you wake up in a cage, hands tied, there's a gang kingpin in a white suit, and somebody's about to be executed. And that is just in the first few minutes. The goal is to survive. And every decision that you make sends the game in a new direction.

But this isn't just fiction. This is an intense reflection of a huge problem here in Asia. There are giant criminal scam centers, sometimes looking like fortresses, found across Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and a growing number of countries around the world. People are often duped or tricked by gangs. And under the threat of torture, they're forced to call, email, text, and scam people out of their money.

Why choose this topic?

[02:30:00]

WEI WEI, DIRECTOR OF BLOOD MONEY: LETHAL EDEN: No one in this industry had done a theme like this before, so there was a scarcity. And we also felt that doing this theme could raise people's awareness of fraud prevention.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's an issue increasingly showing up in successful entertainment offerings. The Chinese blockbuster "No More Bets", which follows characters trying to navigate their way out of a scam center, made more than half a billion dollars at the global box office. Potential gauge of how powerfully the crisis is resonating.

JASON TOWER, SENIOR EXPERT GLOBAL INITIATIVE AGAINST TRANSNATIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME: At present, you have over 300,000 people that are effectively trapped inside of large scale compounds.

VALERIO (voice-over): China has made strides in prosecuting gang kingpins, and countries globally have gotten involved in combating the problem. But it may be too late, as experts say, scam compounds have spread from southeast Asia to countries in Africa, the Middle East and into the Pacific.

TOWER: And you hear senior African diplomats, based in countries like Thailand talking about this as crimes against humanity, because the level of torture, the extreme conditions in which a lot of these victims are being subject to, I mean, it really is that.

VALERIO: This game was developed by a small Chinese startup, and its developer says this is a careful balancing act between real suffering and fictional elements of entertainment, with huge commercial appeal.

WEI WEI: The message we want to convey is that you must not do evil. If you do, you will be inevitably be punished by the law. (END VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIO: So, Kim, I know it's a lot to take in, but in terms of the question of where we go from here, at least from our vantage point in Beijing, we learned yesterday that the government in China executed 11 members of an organized crime gang, the notorious Ming crime family that ran one of these scam centers. And this is an effort, at least by the Chinese government, to draw a red line to signal to these international crime syndicates that it is unacceptable for Chinese citizens to be essentially enslaved into these scam compounds. The United States, Great Britain, South Korea, their respective Justice Departments have also gotten together to try to combat the flow of money to these crime criminal organizations.

But it is stunning how far these scam centers have spread. And bottom line, if you're watching this, no matter where you are, China, California, anywhere in between, if you get a clever DM, something that looks kind of suspicious, chances are on the other side of that DM, it could be written by somebody in these scam centers, Kim.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: A fascinating story, interesting illustrated in that game there.

Mike Valerio, thanks so much. Really appreciate it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

XI JINPING, CHINESE PRESIDENT: China is willing to develop a long term, stable and comprehensive strategic partnership with Britain. Your visit has attracted a lot of attention. The road to success is often strewn with setbacks.

China is willing to enhance mutual trust, strengthen exchanges and deepen cooperation with Finland, thereby advancing the development of both nations and bringing greater benefits to our peoples.

The sound and stable development of China-Canada relations serves the common interests of our two countries and contributes to global peace, stability and development.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: That was Chinese leader Xi Jinping talking after meetings with Western leaders on separate occasions in recent weeks. Britain, France, Finland and Canada have all sent their top leaders to mend fences with Beijing. They're trying to open new business opportunities in China as they try to compensate for U.S. President Donald Trump's roller coaster trade and foreign policies. But that could be an opening for Beijing, which experts say wants to drive a wedge between the U.S. and its allies.

Now, the latest Western leader to visit China is British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He said on Thursday the results are coming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: And we made some really good progress on tariffs for whiskey, on visa free travel to China and on information exchange and cooperation on irregular migration, focusing particularly on small boats and engine parts. So, a very good constructive meeting with real outcomes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: For more analysis, we're joined by Kerry Brown, the director of the Lau China Institute and professor of Chinese studies at King's College London. And he's in Canterbury, England.

Thanks so much for being here with us. Really appreciate it.

So I understand you worked at the British embassy in Beijing. Youve been watching U.K.-China relations for decades. This is the first visit by British prime minister since 2018. So, what's behind the timing here? Why is Starmer going now?

KERRY BROWN, PROFESSOR OF CHINESE STUDIES, KING'S COLLEGE LONDON: Well, yes I mean, there's not been a visit since Theresa May went some time ago before the pandemic. So, a lot has happened.

I think the one issue is that the British economy is in still a lot of turbulence, and the fifth, you know, China is the fifth of the world's GDP.

[02:35:02]

It is only 0.2 percent of investment into Britain. It is the third or fourth, depending on how you calculate it. Largest trading partner. But there's a surplus in Chinas favor.

So, really for Britain, we're looking at, you know, kind of trying to diversify our economic partners, our relations with the United States will always be strong, but they're going through a great deal of stress at the moment. And so, I think it makes sense for Starmer to go on top of that. Of course, he had approved the new Chinese embassy in London after a great deal of delay. So that cleared the way.

And so, this seemed to be the right timing. It's been a meeting that's been talked about since late last year. But now it's finally happened.

BRUNHUBER: You talk about the stress with the U.S. So if President Trump's unpredictability is part of what's driving this, does that put Starmer in a -- in a stronger spot with Beijing or perhaps a weaker one because the Chinese know he kind of needs this?

BROWN: Well, I think in a strange way, this is probably the first visit ever where, for the Chinese and for the British they kind of got a common theme, which is what do we make of what America is doing now?

For very different reasons and very different contexts. As I say, China is not an ally of the United States, and Britain is not an enemy of the United States. They still have a huge security relationship. But I think for both of them, the unpredictability of Washington now

is something that they're both thinking through, the implications of. For China, it's a time of opportunity because they can obviously reach out and look like their reputation is slightly more predictable. And that gives some, you know, kind of obviously a lot of help. For Britain. I think its also trying to really think about, okay, what do we do in a world where it's more about bilateral deals, after all, the United States, you know, Mr. Trump will be going to talk to Xi Jinping, I believe, in April.

So, you know, transaction seems to be the name of the game. Now if America is doing it, then Britain kind of has to do it, as did Canada, as is Germany. The chancellors going in a few weeks time, as is South Korea.

So, I think these kind of meetings are going to be the norm now rather than the exception.

BRUNHUBER: You mentioned Canada there. I mean, Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, just made a similar trip, came back with a trade deal, and Trump immediately threatened him with 100 percent tariffs. So how worried should Starmer be about, you know, how Trump reacts to whatever comes out of this?

BROWN: Well, I think it's difficult to you know, kind of sort of complain when, as I say, Mr. Trump is looking for a big deal with China. I mean, we have similar issues. Weve got a big trade imbalance, nowhere near the scale of the United States and China. We don't have the same kind of economic leverage, of course, but for Britain, you know, kind of the Chinese would be interested in buying our financial services here.

They're our second largest research partner after the United States. And that's in areas that are not really problematic. I mean, places like cancer, environmental science, things like this. I think if you stick to those non-contentious areas, which a lot of this meeting has been about, I mean, visa free access, this sort of thing, I don't think that's going to be an issue.

Of course, if you start talking about telecoms communication partnership, like with Huawei and things like that, that's going to be a problem. But on the whole, I think there's there can't be an issue as a sovereign state with you saying we want a bilateral deal that at least doesn't pose massive security issues, and it doesn't sound like this visit has done that.

BRUNHBER: Yeah. Well, we'll have to see what comes of it and what, if any, cost there is in terms of Washington's reaction.

Kerry Brown, thank you so much for speaking with us. I appreciate it

BROWN: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, new CNN video analysis reveals how two federal officers escalated the encounter with Alex Pretti into a deadly shooting. That's coming up next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:43:45]

BRUNHUBER: The Trump administration is now changing its strategy in Minnesota. White House border czar Tom Homan held his first news conference in Minneapolis on Thursday since taking over the immigration operation. He says he's ordered authorities to work on a drawdown plan for federal law enforcement in the state. But he says key to that drawdown would be increased cooperation between local jail systems and federal immigration authorities.

The Trump administration is considering new guidelines for federal immigration officers in Minnesota. It includes plans to avoid engaging with people they called agitators and only focusing on immigrants with convictions or facing criminal charges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, WHITE HOUSE BORDER CZAR: President Trump and I, along with others in the administration, have recognized that certain improvements could and should be made. That's exactly what I'm doing here. We will conduct targeted enforcement operations. Targeted. What have we done for decades.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: President Trump, though, offered a conflicting statement. He said his administration isn't pulling back at all. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Will you be pulling back immigration enforcement agents out of Minnesota?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To keep our country safe, we'll do whatever we can to keep our country safe.

REPORTER: So, you're pulling back?

[02:45:01]

TRUMP: No, no. Not at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Minnesota state investigators say they're hopeful an agreement with federal law enforcement can be reached to cooperate on the investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents, an agreement to cooperate would mark a significant turn in the probe.

The Department of Homeland Security has so far not shared evidence with state investigators, including body camera footage from officers that day or from cell phone states. Investigators say federal officials blocked them from processing the scene of the shooting in the immediate aftermath.

A new video analysis of that day shows how two federal agents actually escalated the encounter with Pretti into a fatal shooting. Now we just have to warn you, the video is graphic.

CNN's Gianna Toboni reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GIANNA TOBONI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This CNN analysis focuses on the two officers that raised their guns, seen here. One wearing a green shirt and black hat and the other in a tan beanie, and sheds light on how their actions escalated the situation before it became deadly.

At 8:56 a.m., we see this officer in the green shirt for the first time in this video. Later, you'll see he's wearing a bulletproof vest labeled "U.S. Border Patrol", along with a patch of the state flag of Texas.

Here he is on Nicollet Avenue. You can see him shaking his spray as the sound of whistles blare in the background. We see Alex Pretti for the first time here in a video filmed from a car driving by.

Pretti and three other people are across the street. They're standing next to a federal officer. Seconds later, an officer pushes Pretti to the sidewalk. Pretti is filming while stepping backwards.

A moment later, this person falls to the ground as an officer begins to restrain him. The officer in the green shirt rushes over to assist him. Together, they dragged this person off the street as protesters yell at the agents.

That first officer in the green shirt would next be seen sitting inside his car here.

We now want to turn your attention to the second officer wearing a tan beanie. According to a report from Customs and Border Protections investigative body. Officers ordered these female civilians and later Pretti, to move out of the roadway, and they did not. At that time, Pretti can be seen directing traffic past the officers and protesters.

The officer in the tan beanie shoves the two women in the middle of the street, prompting Pretti to yell out.

ALEX PRETTI, ICU NURSE: Hey, do not push them into the traffic!

TOBONI (voice-over): Watching the shoving across the street, the officer in the green shirt is now standing outside of his car. Meanwhile, the officer in the tan beanie turns his attention to Pretti, pushing him out of the way before shoving one of the women to the ground.

Pretti steps between them and the officer pepper sprays him in the face. As Pretti tries to help the woman to her feet, multiple officers grab him and pull him to the ground. At this point, the officer, wearing the green shirt and black hat

approaches. You can see him reach for his spray here and then attempt to use it on the people pushed against the car. It appears to malfunction.

As we slow this footage down. You can see that he then turns toward Pretti, who is being held down by other agents. According to CBP, they were attempting to take Pretti into custody and that he resisted. Based on these videos, Pretti can be seen on the ground with more than five officers around him.

At this exact moment, on the other side of the scrum, the officer in the tan beanie starts beating Pretti in the head with a metal spray canister. Another officer in a gray coat removes Pretti's handgun from his waistband directly in front of the officer in the green shirt here, though, it's unclear if he sees it. He pushes the officer in the gray coat to the side, drawing his gun and pointing it at Pretti, who is down on his knees, bent forward. One second later, we hear the first gunshot.

The officer in the green shirts gun now becomes visible again. We see him fire the second, third and fourth shots. We can see the officer in the tan beanie raise his gun in a fifth shot is heard while the other officer's gun is pointed to the ground.

There's a one second pause where Pretti is lying on the ground, face up. He appears to be completely incapacitated.

Then the officer in the green shirt points his gun again shots. Six. Seven, eight, nine, and ten are all fired while Pretti is lying face up on the street. This officer fired at least four of those five shots. You can see the recoil in bullet casings, eject.

[02:50:03]

The other officers have all backed away by this point.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: CNN reached out to DHS for comment. A spokesperson told CNN in part, quote, many of our agents have backgrounds in the military or local law enforcement and border patrol agents receive extensive federal law enforcement training at federal law enforcement training centers, just as ICE officers do.

Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, is pushing back against claims that Mexican law enforcement worked closely with the FBI to arrest former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding. She says the alleged cocaine kingpin gave himself up and was handed over to U.S. authorities.

CNN's Valeria Leon has the latest from Mexico City.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No joint operation with the U.S. in the Wedding case. That's the line Mexico is pushing, President Sheinbaum's morning briefing in Mexico City, started two hours late today after a phone conversation with President Donald Trump.

President Sheinbaum said they did not discuss the Wedding case during that call. The FBI director has publicly suggested that his team was directly involved, and that Wedding later ended up in U.S. custody. Mexico's position is that while information can be shared, no U.S. agents conduct detentions on Mexican soil.

And then there's the central question was it an arrest or a surrender? Mexico's account is that Wedding had been under pressure for months, pursued by Mexican security and military agencies, and surrendered as that pressure closed in. That's how they framed that moment.

And here's what Mexico's president said about it.

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT: I am not going to get into further discussion with the head of the FBI, but it must be made very clear that we do not accept joint operations. We always tell President Trump this, and they have seen that we are making very good progress.

We have made arrests in Mexico while one person turned himself in, although he had been pursued, the Canadian, that is the secretariat of security, defense and the navy were pursuing that target. They seized his assets. There were raids and so on, until he finally turned himself in.

LEON: The FBI's public statements point toward direct U.S. involvement and custody, implying a heavier American hand in the decisive phase. While the Mexican version insists the operation was led in Mexico by Mexican forces.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Authorities say a man has been arrested for trying to free murder suspect Luigi Mangione. Mangione is facing federal and state charges in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a complaint filed Wednesday says a Minnesota man entered the facility where Mangione is being held, claiming to be an FBI agent with an order for his release.

The complaint says 36-year-old Mark Anderson handed over his driver's license when asked for credentials. He was carrying a barbecue style fork and circular blade for cutting pizza. It's not clear what connection he had to Mangione, if any. Anderson is charged with one count of falsely pretending to be an officer of the U.S. government.

Artificial intelligence can help doctors make good decisions just ahead, a major study finds that A.I. can help diagnose breast cancer and balance the workload for some medical professionals. That story coming up, please stay with us.

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[02:56:06]

BRUNHUBER: A groundbreaking Swedish study found the use of artificial intelligence in breast cancer screenings reduced the rate of cancer diagnosis, and led to a higher rate of early detection. For the study, published in the journal lancet. 100,000 women were randomly assigned to either an A.I. supported screening or a standard reading. The group with A.I. supported screenings had a 12 percent lower rate of breast cancer diagnosis, and cancers were detected earlier.

Researchers said A.I. could reduce workloads, but warn that introducing it into the health care industry should be done cautiously. And another new medical study finds that how long you live likely has more to do with your genetics than with your lifestyle habits. In fact, genetics were found to account for more than half of the differences in lifespan when experts said while 55 percent of your lifespan is baked into your genes, the remaining 45 percent is up in the air. He adds that if you're genetically predisposed to live to be 80. Healthy habits won't get you to 100. The study was published Thursday in the journal "Science".

Well, changing gears. The first half of Bridgerton's fourth season is now on Netflix.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I cannot dance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The lady who cannot dance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are quite the teacher.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are perhaps the most intriguing person I've ever met.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: This season focuses on the romantic life of second son Benedict Bridgerton, played by Luke Thompson, who meets his love interest at a masquerade ball. But little does he know that the woman behind the mask is actually a maid. Yerin Ha plays the female lead in the Cinderella Story. Several other Bridgerton siblings have also returned for the season. In part two drops on Netflix February 26th.

All right. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Kim Brunhuber I'll be back in more -- back in a moment with more news.

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