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Judge Orders 5-Year-Old Liam Ramos And His Father Released From Immigration Detention; Federal Judge Says Operation Metro Surge Can Continue In Minnesota; More Than 27 Million Under Winter Weather Alert As Storm Blasts Southeast; Fulton County Official Speaks Out After FBI Seizes 2020 Ballots; Interview With Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell About Winter Storm; Triplets Making History For Jamaica's Ski Team; Korean- American Singer EJAE On What Shaped Smash Hit "Golden." Aired 3-4p ET

Aired January 31, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:02:07]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome, everyone. Thanks for being here. I'm Omar Jimenez, sitting in for Fredricka Whitfield.

We are following breaking news just into CNN. A federal judge has ordered the release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father from the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. If you remember, the preschooler and his dad were taken away by federal agents during the recent immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.

This image really was everywhere. They've been held in detention in Texas for more than a week now.

I want to bring in CNN's Julia Vargas Jones, who joins us now.

So, Julia, what more are you learning here?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, from this order, from Judge Fred Biery, from the Western District of Texas, that the father and son duo will have to be released no later, Omar, than Tuesday, February 3rd. And the government then must file an update, a report the following day confirming to the court that indeed those steps have been taken.

Now, it's important to note the federal government likely can still appeal this decision. It is not final. They have not yet been released. The DHS had said previously that Liam's father is, quote, "an illegal alien," and they took him after they said, DHS says, the father said that he wanted Liam to stay with him.

Now an attorney for the family has told CNN that they were originally from Ecuador and they presented themselves to border officers in Texas in December 2024 to apply for asylum. The attorney said that they were following all established protocols, that they were pursuing their claim for asylum, that they were showing up for their court hearings, that they were not a flight risk, and that they should have never been detained.

Now that arrest, that picture there, that, as you said, has been everywhere, that took place just outside their home in Columbia Heights in Minnesota. That was on January 20th, almost 11 days ago. And his mother, Omar, was inside the house at the time of that arrest of Liam's father. She was four months pregnant. That has been a big part of this controversy is why Liam with his father, not with his mother at home.

Now a family friend at the time told CNN that she was terrified of the agents outside her door and what they called as using her son to try to get her to come outside. And of course, she was afraid of being arrested as well. Now, ICE disputed that claim, saying that they would never -- have never used a child as bait.

But of course, that story, that picture it all has now fueled even further the protests that we've seen yesterday across the nation, from here, Los Angeles, to New York, and of course, in Minnesota, with signs that say "Bring Liam home," "Free Liam," or pictures of his hat and his backpack, Omar, and protests that we're expecting to see here in Los Angeles this afternoon as well.

JIMENEZ: Yes. You know, as you were talking, one of the images we were showing was of Liam sort of asleep in the arms of what appeared to be his father.

[15:05:08]

That was because one -- Congressman Joaquin Castro, this one, this picture here, went down and actually was able to visit Liam there.

Julia, just what can you tell us about the facility where Liam and his father have been held?

JONES: Well, this is a Dilley facility. It is for families. Now it is difficult, Omar, for us to have, as journalists, to have an understanding of what happens in these facilities. And so we rely on people such as Congressman Joaquin Castro to relay the information to us. What he said is he visited this family this week, is that Liam appeared depressed and lethargic. He said that he missed his classmates and that he wants to be back in Valley View School, and that he keeps asking about his backpack and that bunny hat, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Julia Vargas Jones, really appreciate the reporting.

We also want to go to a federal judge's ruling today allowing the immigration crackdown in Minnesota, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, to continue. Now, the ruling came as a lawsuit filed by Minnesota, St. Paul and Minneapolis also goes on. But the suit calls the federal immigration enforcement operation a, quote, "federal invasion," end quote, involving warrantless arrests and excessive force as they've described it.

The decision also follows weeks of escalating tensions and protests over the shooting deaths of Minneapolis residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents.

I want to bring in CNN's Julia Benbrook, who joins me live from the White House. Julia, what more can you tell us about the judge's ruling here.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Omar, as you detailed there, this ruling said that Operation Metro Surge can continue to take place there in Minnesota after weeks of these escalating tensions and frustrations between local state officials and the federal government, and that presence there. We know that earlier this month the state of Minnesota, as well as the Twin Cities, sued federal officials for that ongoing immigration operation, saying that they saw it as a federal invasion involving warrantless arrest and excessive forces.

And this, of course, is coming, as we are seeing protests take place across the country and people are questioning even the leadership of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, who has really been the face of this response here lately.

JIMENEZ: I believe -- apologies, Julia. I thought there was a sound bite that was going to run. That's on me. I just was going to ask about Secretary Noem, who just spoke a little bit earlier ago. Did she mention the ongoing situation in Minnesota?

BENBROOK: So she did speak, and this was at a press conference that was focusing in on technology and on travel specifically. So it was not billed as something where she was going to speak about this, but she did get at least one question on body cam footage and what that would look like. She said that as that investigation plays out, that will be up to the FBI and their discretion.

But notably, we have not heard her speak about this much in recent days. In fact, there was a very, almost obvious opportunity when Trump held a Cabinet meeting. It was the first one of this year, his 10th of his second term. And those of us that cover this beat here at the White House, we have become accustomed to him going around the table and asking his secretaries to comment specifically on the work that's going on in their department.

He did start out that meeting saying that he wasn't going to go to every single person that day. But it's notable that he skipped Noem, did not even mention Noem, with so much going on right now within her department. And there are calls on Capitol Hill from Democrats as well as Republicans just questioning her future in this administration.

Congressman Bennie Thompson spoke with CNN earlier today. He is the top ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, and he made it clear that he does not believe she is the correct person for this job. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS): Kristi Noem has been a horrible manager of the Department of Homeland Security. We've been asking for her firing or resignation since April of last year. But it continues to give the drumbeat that clearly she's not competent.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BENBROOK: So you are hearing those concerns from some. But President Donald Trump is standing by his Homeland Security secretary at least right now. He posted on social media last night saying that he believes that she is doing a great job. I do believe that we have some of that post to pull up for you now. But he said, quote, "The radical left lunatics, insurrectionist, agitators and thugs are going after Kristi Noem, the secretary of Homeland Security, because she is a woman and has done a really great job."

[15:10:11]

He later added in the post, "I was elected on strong borders and law and order, among many other things. Thank you to Secretary Kristi Noem."

Now, unless Trump fires her, which, as you see there, by his own words, he does not have plans to do, that there are calls on Capitol Hill for a vote of impeachment. Of course, we will be tracking anything there -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: Julia Benbrook, appreciate the reporting.

We are also following the latest developments on the bomb cyclone that's bringing heavy snow, a lot of winds, coastal flooding to the southeast and Mid-Atlantic this weekend. I mean, you look at live earth cam footage from Asheville, look at this, shows a lot of snow as multiple years' worth of snow is expected in the Carolinas. More than 27 million people across the region under winter weather alerts. And many cities are still thawing out from last weekend's storm that killed more than 100 people, according to the Associated Press.

Plus, more than 160,000 homes and businesses are still without power across Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Louisiana. Many outages lasting for a full week at this point. And then even more dangerous than the snow is the bitter cold. As far south as Miami they are expecting temperatures close to freezing.

CNN is covering the developments from multiple fronts. I want to start with meteorologist Derek Van Dam in Virginia Beach.

Derek, what are the conditions there right now?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Just taking a casual stroll down the beach here in Virginia Beach. Should be 51 degrees temperature right now. What it feels like on your exposed skin is roughly 10 degrees. This is just the precursor to what's to come. The Arctic air mixed in with the potential of blizzard conditions. The wind has been battering this coastline from extreme southeastern Virginia through Cape Hatteras, which is just to my north, or, excuse me, the Chesapeake Bay, and then all the way down into the outer banks of North Carolina.

What we have potentially occurring here this evening and into the overnight as blizzard conditions with whiteout conditions, visibilities dropping to near zero in some instances, especially across some of these exposed coastal areas. And this storm is going to pack quite a punch, not in terms of just the snow, but also the potential of coastal flooding as well.

So let's explain all of that. Look at the radar here, and I want to show you two distinct areas of precipitation that we are monitoring. One, moving through Atlanta and into the Charlotte region. Just look at how tumultuous the ocean is here. You can see some of the sea foam getting pushed up by the northerly winds. The other band of snow were desperately waiting for here in Virginia Beach is moving in. And this is what we're concerned about. The potential of this storm coinciding with a high tide and exaggerated tide cycles because of the full moon that is occurring tonight and into tomorrow.

So with wind gusts of over 60 miles per hour, that's tropical storm force winds that will help push up the Atlantic Ocean, the angry Atlantic Ocean, which is responsible for this bomb cyclone because of the Arctic air interacting with the warm ocean waters.

And I want to show you this, too. Check this out. Right now a lot of the sand is frozen. OK. So the high tide that came in earlier this morning kind of pushed against the coastal areas here. I can break off pieces of frozen sand here. What the concern is that with the high tide and the strong winds that will push in from the ocean is coastal erosion being an impactful thing here right across the outer banks and into Virginia Beach.

So we're going to monitor that for the possibilities. High tide, by the way, at 704 in the morning on Sunday. That's what we're most concerned about. The Arctic air behind it, it means business. We have cold alerts all the way down to the Florida Keys in Miami-Dade -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: Frozen beach, just frozen sand. That's just what you want, day at the beach.

Derek Van Dam, thanks for being there so I don't have to.

VAN DAM: Yes, you got it.

JIMENEZ: CNN national correspondent Dianne Gallagher, I can barely see you in Charlotte, North Carolina. Just -- I can tell you, I grew up in the south. That is more snow than I think I have ever seen in North Carolina. Does it look as wild in person as it does on TV here?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Omar, there's no way that the camera is capturing just how wild this actually is. I worked in local news in Charlotte for several years, and we had a really big snowstorm back in 2014. We are already surpassing that. I was measuring out with my trusty ruler about an hour ago, and we had about five plus inches out here in Cordelia Park in Charlotte.

So we're surpassing that and heading close to what they -- not close yet, but heading toward what we saw in 2004. I wasn't here to see that, but they talk about that still as one of the biggest snowstorms they have had in recent history.

[15:15:03] And it is just still coming down right now. The flakes are getting bigger. The wind continues to whip. There are still those concerns I talked about last hour about roads and safety and that ice that still is there from last weekend's ice storm and the impact on the Carolinas. We are seeing those accidents pile up. They're asking people to please stay off the road on top of probably not knowing how to drive it. It's just difficult right now.

And again, you're having a hard time seeing at some points. But what we're also seeing are people who are having fun seeing snow like this for the first time in their life. We are out here. It's not really snow for making snowballs or snowmen right now. It's very powdery and fluffy. It's great for sledding and we have creativity on display. I'm actually going to talk to Juliette for just a quick second here, because you said this is your first time ever sledding.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is. Ever sledding. That's right.

GALLAGHER: You've been done once.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've been done once. We've got storage bins that actually kept our summer clothes in them, obviously took them all out. And now we're going to sled down on the lids of the bins.

GALLAGHER: And I'm going to do something that is ill advised on live television, but I'm going to do it anyway, Omar. We're going to race actually on these storage bins to see if the bottom or the top is faster, and Cam here is going to push both of us as we get in. Again, this could be a disaster, but -- and see what we can get here at Cordelia Park. Going down this.

Now again, the concerns, Omar, remain those roads and the frigid temperatures telling people not to stay outside for long periods of time. Make sure you go in and get warm. And also, we are ready whenever you are. Also, Omar, they are treating those roads. They put 5500 tons of salt already on the roads. They've got millions of gallons of brine, but still they are unsafe.

Kim, are you ready? Let's go. Come on. All right, let's see the bottom.

JIMENEZ: Let's do it.

GALLAGHER: All right. Maybe this isn't the best kind.

JIMENEZ: Now, there you go. Hey, you're beating them out.

GALLAGHER: All right.

JIMENEZ: This could be a photo finish.

GALLAGHER: Yes.

JIMENEZ: There we go. Dianne Gallagher.

GALLAGHER: All right. Well, I didn't -- JIMENEZ: You made me nervous.

GALLAGHER: How often do you get to do this in North Carolina?

JIMENEZ: You made me nervous when you turned around right in the beginning, I was like, oh, man. But hey, the snow clearly slushy enough and fluffy enough just to get you down that hill. I've never seen more snow just looking at it on TV than I am seeing right now.

Dianne, have fun. And we're going to keep checking back in with you. Let's see what other sled you can get to continue the race.

Dianne Gallagher, everyone.

GALLAGHER: Yes.

JIMENEZ: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:22:16]

JIMENEZ: Today we're learning more about what's inside the Justice Department's latest release of Epstein files. For example, included in yesterday's drop of millions of documents new never-before-seen photos that appear to show former Prince Andrew on the floor with an unidentified person. It's unclear when or even where the photos were taken.

It's also important to remind everyone that an appearance or mention in the Epstein files doesn't suggest any wrongdoing. And Buckingham Palace did not offer a fresh statement when approached by CNN on Saturday. Instead, it pointed to its October 2025 statement outlining King Charles's decision to remove former Prince Andrew's style, titles and honors, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Also happening today, growing unease among Democratic officials nationwide after this week's FBI raid of an election center in Georgia. Secretaries of state from Nevada to Minnesota tell CNN they're preparing for the possibility of federal intervention into this year's midterm races, including having discussions on protecting voters from interactions with federal officers at polling sites to navigating the Trump administration's push for personal information on tens of millions of voters.

I want to bring in Rob Pitts. He's the chairman of the Fulton County, Georgia, Board of Commissioners, where that FBI raid took place.

Chairman, I just want to thank you for being here, and I want to start with how concerned are you that the federal government may try to intervene in your elections this year?

ROBB PITTS, CHAIRMAN, FULTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS: Well, I'm extremely concerned, and we're concerned the, first of all, about the confiscation of the records that we were holding at our warehouse here. They were safe and secure. That's what I've tried to assure our citizens and the voters that they were. But once they left our possession last couple of days ago, I have no idea where the records are. I have no idea who has the records. I have no idea what they're doing with the records. So it is of some concern.

Now, what really, though, bothers me that I think the bigger issue here is, what is this all about? And what I think, my own opinion, that it's all about the 2026 and the 2028 elections. If they are able to sow dissent, concern, confusion among the voters, it could impact, and I think it will impact, the elections in '26 and '28. So that's my biggest concern now.

A secondary concern, though, is there's been an effort in the state legislature with our state elections board, they wanted to take over Fulton County elections for some time now. And that's not going to happen on my watch. So I think this may be a part of this also. The 2020 elections are over with no matter what they're doing with the ballots. Nothing is going to change.

[15:25:02]

Again, we counted every legal vote. They were counted multiple times. They were -- there was even a hand count, and in every instance we come up clean. In fact, in addition to that, we've had conducted some 17 since 2020 without any errors, concerns, whatsoever. So I'm satisfied that what we're doing here in Fulton County is open. Our elections are fair and transparent.

JIMENEZ: I mean, as we've seen from images, I mean, director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was seen there as the Justice Department or as this raid sort of was carried out. I just want to ask quickly, were you told at all the reason for why they were there or why they were taking the materials that there were? What was the communication once they were on site?

PITTS: There was no communication. In fact, I'm told that typically what happens is you are notified that an event like this is going to happen. We received no advance notice whatsoever. They simply showed up. And when they showed up, the people, our workers at the warehouse call my office. I then contacted our county attorney. We rushed there for two reasons. Number one, to make sure that our employees were safe.

Number two, to make sure that we were complying with whatever the FBI was looking for and asking us to do, because I certainly didn't want any incident to occur. And so from that point of view, things were fine. But we've received no advanced warning whatsoever. And we were there that evening, we got word that Tulsi was coming, and I said, this doesn't make any sense. Why would someone, with everything that's going on in her shop, would she take the time out to come to Fulton County, Georgia for an FBI raid?

It doesn't add up, so there has to be something that's bigger and more sinister that's going on. And what I think that is, is somehow to sow as much dissent, confusion about the 2026 and the 2028 elections as possible at this time. JIMENEZ: And, you know, to your latter point there, you do have a very

big race with national implications in your state that could decide which party controls the Senate. I mean, Georgia has been at the center of a lot of very critical races, but this one in particular. I know you said, you know, you worry about the effects this could have on the '26 and '28 elections. Are there things that you all are trying to do proactively to protect against anything that may come during those elections?

PITTS: We're considering every possibility right now. That's what I've been doing all day long, huddling with our county attorney and others who are involved in our elections. Just thinking ahead, what possibly can they be up to? We don't know what specifically what they're up to, but I can assure you that something sinister is going on. But Fulton County, Georgia, will be prepared.

I think this really started in 2020. We've been a target and I've been a target going back to 2020 when he and then Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and Representative Matt Gaetz from Florida, they were meddling in our affairs and I told them to stay the hell out of Fulton County. I can handle Fulton County. And so I've been sort of a target ever since I made that statement. In fact, further proof of that. I've been -- I was invited to the White House for an event, was later disinvited. So I'm aware of what's going on. They're aware of me, but I'm not concerned. I think the truth is on our side.

JIMENEZ: And while the federal government, to this point, including Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, said that someone like Tulsi Gabbard's appearance there shouldn't surprise anybody, I think it's fair to say the images have shocked a lot of officials like yourself there on the ground.

Please keep us posted on any updates you get to the investigation. And, Chairman Rob Pitts, thank you for being here. Appreciate the conversation.

PITTS: Thank you for having me.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

All right. Still to come, the East Coast bomb cyclone is not only dumping snow and whipping up dangerous winds, it is also straining emergency resources, disrupting power and pushing first responders to the test.

Stay with CNN for the latest on how communities are dealing with all this weather.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:44]

JIMENEZ: Live pictures out of Minneapolis right now, where protesters are marching to protest against ICE operations ongoing in the city. This is similar to protests we've seen now for weeks since really the beginning of Operation Metro Surge. This comes as a federal judge ruled today the immigration crackdown in

Minnesota can continue. We're going to have a live report from the White House coming up at 4:00 with more details, but we'll continue to monitor some of those protests there in cold Minneapolis.

We're also following a lot of cold elsewhere. The strengthening bomb cyclone dropping heavy snow, winds and coastal flooding to the southeast and Mid-Atlantic this weekend. Right now, more than 27 million people across the region are under winter weather alerts. A lot of cities still recovering from last weekend's storm that killed more than 100 people, according to the Associated Press.

I want to bring in the mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, Janet Cowell.

Mayor, how is your city doing right now? We were just seeing some images over in Charlotte. Seemed like a lot of snow. What are you seeing on your end?

MAYOR JANET COWELL, RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA: It is just starting here. We're getting a dusting, but it's coming later than originally thought.

JIMENEZ: Yes. You know, the snow is set to peak at the top of the hour a little bit later, but just -- can you talk me through how your city is preparing or has prepared to this point?

[15:35:03]

COWELL: Yes, absolutely. We have brined all the roads and there's a number of closures today. No bus service, no garbage pickup, that kind of thing. But I think we're well-prepared. So when it does accumulate over the coming hours, we'll be ready to clear whatever we need.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, I think a lot of people look at when folks like yourself or other places across the south get a whole bunch of snow, you know, it's different than in places like Chicago or Minneapolis that might be used to dealing with this level of winter weather. I mean, is there coordination among states with South Carolina or otherwise to try and pool resources or help get to a place where everybody is sort of taken care of? Is there that coordination?

COWELL: You know, I would say it's more local here. Of course we're the capital city for North Carolina, so we work closely with the state and have resources.

JIMENEZ: Sure.

COWELL: And of course, we do get a lot of snow more to the west part of the state. You know, the beach, obviously, it's really unusual to get this. So I think we're well-positioned to handle what we're getting. I would say one thing is it's so cold here. It's like five- degree wind chill. Most people aren't going out just because we don't even have the, you know, gear, the coats and the gloves and stuff to handle being outside when it's this cold.

JIMENEZ: Oh, believe me, I grew up in Atlanta and I had to get shocked up in the Midwest to deal with something like this.

COWELL: Yes.

JIMENEZ: You know, I want to go back to 2014 a little bit because, I mean, I don't know if you were there at the time, but it was a nightmare for Raleigh. And we're showing one photo on the screen that went viral 12 years ago that basically brought the city to its knees.

COWELL: Yes.

JIMENEZ: And I just wonder what were the takeaways from that storm and did that sort of change the way that Raleigh prepares for incidents like this?

COWELL: Yes, I think that's such an incredible picture. And, yes, I have been here for 30 years, so lived through a number of these, you know, one-inch of ice and everything comes to a standstill. So I think we're much more proactive about putting the brine down and being over prepared, as in today. Right? We still haven't seen that much accumulation, but we're definitely ready.

Last week same thing, which was going to be more ice. And I think we handled that pretty well. So I feel like, at least in my term as mayor here, we are handling these storms well.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Yes. And, you know, you'd rather be overprepared than the opposite as we monitor to see sort of what comes down.

Mayor, I really appreciate the time. Keep us updated. You're welcome on here whenever. And just thank you for taking the time.

COWELL: Yes. Thank you so much.

JIMENEZ: All right. Still to come for us, American born triplets are competing for Jamaica's Alpine ski team. One of them even headed to the Olympics later this week. We're going to meet all three of them next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:42:42]

JIMENEZ: Jamaica not exactly known for winter sports especially when it comes to the Olympics. There was, of course, the legendary 1988 bobsled team. But this time they have a qualifier in skiing. Henri Rivers IV will compete in the Alpine slalom events when the games get underway starting later this week. He's one of triplets who are all American born but compete internationally for their mother's home country in Alpine skiing. Not bad for three 18-year-olds who were born in New York City.

Henri IV, Helaina and Henniyah Rivers join me now.

Thank you all for being here, repping the colors.

Henri, I want to start with you. One, congrats for qualifying for the Olympics. I just wonder, how does it feel for you? What is on your mind right now as we get closer to the games here?

HENRI RIVERS IV, AMERICAN SKIING FOR JAMAICAN OLYMPICS ALPINE TEAM: Hi. Thank you so much. I'm thinking to just go out there and show the world what I can do yet again. That's my mindset going into these games.

JIMENEZ: Do you feel the country on your back and sort of the significance of someone from Jamaica or someone representing Jamaica representing the country at the Winter Olympics like this?

HENRI RIVERS: I do definitely have those kind of moments where I'm thinking, and I just put so much pressure on myself, but it's -- I shouldn't do that because then you wouldn't do as well. So I definitely know I have the entire country watching me and rooting me on, but it just feels great knowing that I'm able to ski for them.

JIMENEZ: Yes, you got a whole lot of people behind you in this, and we're showing some footage of you skiing here.

Henniyah, you and Helaina just missed qualifying for the Olympics this time around. But I have a feeling you all are still pretty good. Are you both going to go to Italy and support your brother at the games here?

HENNIYAH RIVERS, AMERICAN SKIING FOR JAMAICAN ALPINE TEAM: Yes, of course. We all are going to go.

JIMENEZ: What are you looking most forward to, to doing that?

HENNIYAH RIVERS: Just to see my brother. We haven't seen him in a while. But also just to support him and just to make sure he knows that we're supporting him and we're following him down the whole course.

JIMENEZ: Yes. You know, Helaina, are you, and both your sister, planning to push on and try to make it to the games in 2030? What is that training looking like right now?

[15:45:05]

HELAINA RIVERS, AMERICAN SKIING FOR JAMAICAN ALPINE TEAM: Yes, 100 percent. This year was a learning opportunity, and we're going to be hard in the gym every summer leading up to those games, as well as on snow.

JIMENEZ: Yes, yes. You know, I want to ask you all about how you got started. We've got some old family pictures that we're going to show some viewers here. And there you all are in the red wrapping with the family.

Henri, how did your dad get you all going on skiing here? How did this sort of start?

HENRI RIVERS: Well, it's kind of a long story. He was a skier from early childhood, like 9, 10 years old. And then, you know, had such a love for it that he wanted to share it with his kids. And once we were able to walk like one and a half years old, he got us on snow. So.

JIMENEZ: That's pretty incredible. And as I understand, you guys grew up in Jamaica, Queens, which makes this like even more perfect that you all are representing here.

And Henniyah, can you just tell us about the bond that exists among the three of you. Outside of just being triplets, I'm told there's some, like, telepathy among triplets, but that's another interview. Just -- can you just tell us about the bond that you all have, you know, just growing up skiing together and competing and I'm sure making each other better in the process.

HENNIYAH RIVERS: Yes. We are built-in best friends. We tell everyone that. We are so close, and I'm so happy we get to be in this sport all together, because it'd be hard if we're all doing separate sports, you know, but still supporting each other. So I'm glad we get to share this love for skiing with one another and support each other every step of the way.

JIMENEZ: And you know, Helaina, as I see the three of you sort of laid out there, I mean, just to be able to compete at the level that you all are competing, especially in skiing, what do you think this means to the country of Jamaica and to other athletes who are probably now looking at you all and saying, hey, that's where I want to be?

HELAINA RIVERS: Right now, in the moment, you genuinely don't really think, oh, we're skiing at a pretty difficult level representing Jamaica and doing hard things. But then when you have a break and you think back, you're like, wow, we're actually making history and pushing and showing that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. So that's truly what I think about the three of us competing.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Well, we will look for you two in the green supporting. Henri, we will look for you in the green and black on the slopes, representing as well. I appreciate all three of you being here, Helaina, Henniyah, and from an Omar Jimenez III, Henri Rivers IV, appreciate you being here. And good luck at the games.

HENNIYAH RIVERS: Thank you.

HENRI RIVERS: Thank you so much.

HELAINA RIVERS: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: Of course, of course.

All right, everyone, still to come from heartbreak to pop hit. Learn how a Korean American artist took early career setbacks to inspire the "K-Pop Demon Hunters" anthem "Golden." Stick around.

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[15:52:59]

(MUSIC) JIMENEZ: You've heard it. You probably haven't been able to stop hearing it. Your kids love it. It's going to live in my head as it has for a long time. It's "Golden" from Netflix's "K-Pop Demon Hunters." The song got five Grammy nominations becoming the first by a K-Pop act in contention for Song of the Year.

Now, Korean-American singer-songwriter EJAE, who co-wrote and provided the singing voice for the smash hit, reveals how her early heartbreaking career failures shaped her songwriting.

CNN style editor Stephy Chung reports on the breakout year EJAE had after "Golden" topped charts and broke records.

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STEPHY CHUNG, CNN STYLE EDITOR (voice-over): For many of us, this tune was everywhere last year.

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CHUNG: "Golden," the smash hit single from Netflix's acclaimed "K-Pop Demon Hunters," set global pop chart records and now it's making a splash during award season. But the greatest K-Pop phenomenon of the year almost didn't happen. For "Golden" singer and co-writer EJAE, the song's success is a reminder of what inspired it in the first place. Rejection and failure.

At age 11, EJAE joined SM Entertainment, one of the K-Pop industry's biggest companies, and started the grueling training process that countless young hopefuls embark on with dreams of becoming a K-Pop idol. But after a decade, she never debuted. Her agency dropped her. In a call with CNN, EJAE shared her experience.

EJAE, KOREAN-AMERICAN SINGER AND SONGWRITER: Being dropped after being in the company for so long was the same feeling as if you probably were with someone for like a 10-year relationship and break up with them. For a long period of time after that, I did feel very hopeless, like I don't know where to start in music.

CHUNG: EJAE found her new start. After studying music at NYU she fell in love with writing pop songs and went on to co-write K-Pop hits like "Psycho" and "Birthday."

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Eventually, she was offered the lead singing role in "K-Pop Demon Hunters" years after giving up her K-Pop dreams.

In a Netflix featurette, EJAE shares how "Golden" and the film's central character, Rumi, reflect her own journey.

EJAE: I really connected with the character a lot, striving to be perfect. It's like her desperation to reach this goal that feels unrealistic, but still kind of yearning for it. So I kind of felt like, wow, like if you write a song about this, hopefully it manifests in itself, which it did, which is insane. (END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: What a journey. Stephy Chung, thank you for that reporting.

CNN NEWSROOM continues after a quick break.

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