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CNN This Morning

Trump's New Tariffs Trigger Protests In Demark, Greenland; Bitter Cold Temperatures Sweeping Nearly Half Of The U.S.; NY Nurses Demanding Improved Staffing, Higher Pay And Security; Hospitals Call Union Demands "Unreasonable"; Trial Set To Resume Tuesday For Virginia Man Accused Of Killing Wife And Another Man; Au Pair Testifies Producers Have Reached Out To Buy Her Story; Today: E.U. Holding Emergency Meeting Over New Trump Tariffs. E.U. Holding Emergency Meeting Over New Trump Tariffs; Americans Face Record Debt; Immigrant Advocacy Group on Patrol in Minneapolis; Celebrating Dr. King's Legacy. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired January 18, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:00:45]

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN HOST: Hey there, it is Sunday, January 18th, and welcome to CNN This Morning. I'm Danny Freeman. Victor Blackwell is off for the weekend, and here's what's new this morning.

First up, an emergency meeting of E.U. leaders is set to begin in a few hours in response to President Trump's threat of new tariffs. It's just the latest move by Trump in his effort to secure Greenland for the United States.

Plus this, a routine drive home from a kid's basketball game turned into sheer terror. A family trapped in a Minneapolis protest with tear gas filling their car. The mother said she fought to save her baby's life.

And equality, civil rights, nonviolent protests. These are just some of the legacy pillars of the late Martin Luther King Jr. In a little bit, I'll speak with his son and daughter-in-law later this hour about Dr. King's message and how it still resonates today.

But we begin with President Trump increasing his push to acquire Greenland with a round of new tariffs. The European Union is holding an emergency meeting today in Brussels to respond. Now, the president is slapping a 10 percent tariff on eight European nations who are voicing solidarity with Denmark and Greenland. The tariff escalates to 25 percent in June if there's no agreement.

Well, that sparked protests in several Greenlandic cities and in Denmark on Saturday, with demonstrators holding up signs like, "Yankee, go home."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JULIE RADEMACHER, GREENLANDER: So, Donald, we don't want to be Americans. We are Greenlanders, and we want to be in a democratic world. And we hope Americans, they will support us.

ALEXANDER WALLACE, PROTESTER: I've never met an American who thinks anything other. Greenland should be free and Greenland should be for the Greenlanders, not for the Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: CNN's Nic Robertson has been following all of these developments and joins us now live from Greenland. Good morning, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, good morning. The prime minister of Greenland, the foreign minister of Greenland, many of the politicians from here were out of that protest yesterday. What was remarkable about it was that there were so many people out in this tiny town. I talked to folks, and they said they'd had a protest last year when President Trump first raised this issue of wanting Greenland.

They told me that the protest yesterday was much, much bigger than that, people taking it really seriously, people concerned, genuinely concerned. Spoke with some young people here. They said, literally, every -- this is everyday conversation now. Is the United States going to invade?

They were watching flight tracking radar, they told me a couple of nights ago, and they saw an aircraft inbound, a military aircraft, and they thought, oh, no, this is it. The Americans are coming. So it's a real palpable feeling and a very simple, very clear message from people here. Greenland is not for sale. We don't want to be part of the United States.

It was a friendly, fun atmosphere. A lot of sort of culture involved, the Inuit culture. The majority of people here are Inuit. There's Inuit music. There were songs. There was a minute of silence as well.

But it was parents carrying their young children on their shoulders. It was grandparents out there, people with walking sticks, even in the sort of cold, bad weather here. Everyone came out, the prime minister with a very strong message. That protest ended up right outside the U.S. consulate.

And he, the prime minister, foreign minister, the politicians, were standing on a hill overlooking the consulate waving the Greenland flag. So very powerful. And of course, that coming just as President Trump threatens to put tariffs on the NATO nations who have come here. We've seen them arriving in the past couple of days, the British, the Norwegians, the Finnish, the Germans, the French, coming here to support Denmark in these Arctic military exercises.

European leaders saying that this, President Trump's announcement, has crossed the line. The discussions at that European ambassadors meeting today in Brussels, likely to consider not moving ahead with the U.S.- E.U. trade deal, which would mean sanctions on or tariffs rather on U.S. goods coming into the European Union would remain in place.

And the possibility of anti-coercion measures being put in place in the future, which could impact all manner of business going between the United States. It could put costs onto Amazon transactions, onto Visa card, MasterCard transactions.

[07:05:04]

So what the European Union is beginning to talk about now, their toughest language so far, they really do feel that President Trump has taken a step over the line here. It would be the biggest counter-trade measures with the United States in recent memory.

FREEMAN: Wow. Again, all eyes going to be on Brussels today for that response.

Nic Robertson, thank you so much for your reporting. Appreciate you.

And to this now, tensions are flaring in Minneapolis as anti-ICE protesters face off against federal law enforcement. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz mobilized the state's National Guard to support local law enforcement and allow for peaceful demonstrations, but they have not yet been deployed.

Protesters braved below freezing temperatures Saturday as they gathered and chanted outside of the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building. Now, while the protests remain largely peaceful, federal agents were seen detaining people during tense standoffs with those protesters.

CNN spoke with one protester who was tackled and detained by federal officers before later being released.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So were you were you blocking the road? Were you --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, sorry. I was actually on the sidewalk right in front of the tennis courts. And after the ASAC, the Special -- Assistance Special Agent in Charge in the DHS building, he reviewed the footage and he mentioned that he -- like the median line, the one that divides the cars on the road, that's the one where you're not allowed to cross as a protester. But he saw clearly that I was right on the sidewalk, so he let me go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what was the reason they gave you for your detention?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They said something about -- well, I didn't hear -- overhear everything in perfect detail, but they said that they were looking for some people that were spitting at police cars and making threats at officers.

(END VIDEO CLIP) FREEMAN: Now, demonstrations are expected to continue. This all comes with new restrictions on immigration agents placed by a federal judge on Friday. The order prohibits federal agents from using certain crowd control measures like tear gas or pepper spray against peaceful protesters.

Switching gears now, bitter cold is sweeping nearly half of the country this morning, with more than half the country under cold weather alerts stretching from the Midwest to the East and even parts of the South. CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking it all for us. I mean, Allison, I'm seeing snow up here, little snow down in your neck of the woods, too.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, pretty close, actually. Yes, we've got a lot of places that are dealing with the cold air and that is turning whatever moisture you have into snow. We even have some blizzard warnings across portions of the upper Midwest. But, yes, quite possibly the most unusual would be the snow showers coming down across the southeast.

We actually have reports of some snow showers around Pensacola, also into southeast Alabama, down near Columbus, Georgia. Now, it looks like it's snowing right now around Atlanta, but unfortunately the air here is just a little too dry. So other than a few flurries, we're just not really seeing that snow reach all the way down to the surface here in downtown Atlanta. It's all rain along the eastern side where those temperatures are just simply too warm.

Now, up into the northeast where we have the combination of the moisture, but also the temperatures, this is where you're going to start to see some more significant accumulations. A lot of these areas could end up seeing 3 inches, even as much as 6 inches or 8 inches of snow by the time this is all said and done on Monday.

Right now, snowing in Philadelphia, New York, and eventually starting to see a lot of that moisture surge into places like Hartford and Boston. This is an overall look. Again, this is just going to be up and down the eastern seaboard as we go through the remainder of the day today.

So you can see down south again, even until about say 10:00, 11:00 in the morning, could still see some of those snow showers across places like Macon, Columbus, Georgia, and creeping into areas of central and southeastern portions of South Carolina.

But a lot of these other places, it's just going to be rain because it's coming down during the daytime when those temperatures are going to be a little bit warmer. It's a very fast moving system. So from the standpoint of the southeast, this will be long gone by the evening hours.

A different story off to the north, where it's not only going to linger through much of the afternoon and evening hours, but for some folks into the northeast, this is actually going to stick around even early into Monday morning, especially across places like Massachusetts, Maine, and even portions of New Hampshire, where you're still looking at some of those snow showers around 7:00, 8:00 a.m.

You also have another clipper system that's going to be making its way across the Great Lakes region and pushing into the northeast early into Monday. So kind of back to back for some of these areas dealing with some snow showers that could cause some travel problems.

FREEMAN: Oh man, I hope not too many travel problems. But I will say I walked through Central Park while it was snowing a little bit yesterday, spectacular. So that's the kind of snow we like.

Allison, appreciate you. Talk soon.

All right, to this now, New York nurses are heading into another week of protests. Nearly 15,000 nurses are on strike right now against three major hospital systems calling for improved staffing levels, higher pay, and increased security at hospitals.

CNN's Leigh Waldman is in New York with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[07:10:04]

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A sea of nurses flooded a sidewalk in the Bronx outside of the Montefiore Hospital.

CROWD: Hey, hey, ho, ho, (INAUDIBLE) had to go.

MICHELLE GONZALEZ, NURSE, MONTEFIORE MEDICAL CENTER: We're out here to make sure that there's enough nurses to take care of our patients safely.

WALDMAN (voice-over): Nearly 15,000 nurses walked out of the job this week as talks between three private hospital systems and the New York State Nurses Association failed to reach a contract agreement, according to the union.

LIBNI ADROVER, NEUROSURGICAL ICU NURSE: Why is it so hard? You know what I mean? Why is it so hard for them to give us a fair contract?

WALDMAN (voice-over): The NYSNA union is asking to beef up staffing inside of hospitals, to pay nurses more, and to increase security in and around hospitals.

ADROVER: You punch everybody else outside in the street, you get charged. You get punched as a nurse, your manager is like, what could you have done different to deescalate this situation?

WALDMAN (voice-over): Meanwhile, the hospital systems at the center of the strike, Montefiore-Einstein, Mount Sinai, and NewYork-Presbyterian maintain the asks by the union are unreasonable. In a statement, NewYork-Presbyterian said "NYSNA's latest proposal for an approximately 25 percent wage increase would amount to more than $2 billion over the next three years, which is unrealistic."

Mount Sinai stated 23 percent of its union nurses showed up to work Wednesday despite the strike. Strikers are skeptical that nurses are crossing the picket line.

GONZALEZ: At the end of the day, Mount Sinai nurses, Montefiore nurses, NewYork-Presbyterian nurses are out on strike for safe staffing, and we are going to fight until we get our contracts.

WALDMAN (voice-over): This strike comes three years after a three-day- long walkout by New York City nurses that resulted in safe staffing wins. But now NYSNA president Nancy Hagans says hospitals have gone back on that deal.

NANCY HAGANS, RN & PRESIDENT, NYSNA: Those three hospitals decided to roll back, and we're not going back. We want to improve our staffing. We want workers' protection.

GONZALEZ: We want to go back into our homes. Our hospitals are our homes. It's time to start bargaining fairly.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALDMAN (on-camera): And, Danny, the nurses that we spoke to say that they're prepared to keep this strike going for as long as it takes for them to get what they call a fair contract.

FREEMAN: All right, Leigh, thank you for that reporting.

Coming up, could a former au pair's testimony be the undoing of the employer she had an affair with? Well, court testimony reveals how a man and his family's au pair allegedly worked together to kill his wife and an innocent man. We'll talk about that testimony coming up next.

Plus, a watchful eye. CNN's Isabel Rosales talks to the people documenting ICE operations nationwide. And then a message for peace. Ahead of Martin Luther King Day, his son and his son's wife explain how his legacy lives on.

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[07:17:23]

FREEMAN: We now turn to the bizarre trial of Virginia man Brian (ph) Banfield because it picks up again on Tuesday. He's accused of killing his wife Christine and another man all so he could be with the other woman he was seeing, his child's au pair. Now, the au pair testified in court last week that the two lured a man to the house with a fake profile on a sex fetish website. That's when Brendan Banfield allegedly shot him before stabbing his wife to death.

Now, on Thursday, an officer testified the au pair moved into the couple's bedroom within months of the murders. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OFFICER KEN FORTNER, FAIRFAX COUNTY POLICE: They had gotten new flooring, new bedroom furniture and pictures that had once featured Brendan and Christine had been taken down and replaced with Brendan and Juliana together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So showing you Commonwealth 97, is this the primary bedroom?

FORTNER: This is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In October of 2023, eight months after the murders.

FORTNER: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: And forgive me, Brendan Banfield is the name of the main suspect here. Now, a window salesman also testified that he sold Banfield soundproof windows before the killings.

With us now is Defense Attorney Elyse Hershon to break down what has just been a stunning couple of weeks in this case. Let's start here.

This case hinges on a lot of testimony, right? This is the most complete story coming from the au pair specifically, who says she's doing this because it opens up the possibility of getting less prison time. With that caveat, how much power does the au pair's testimony carry in this case?

ELYSE HERSHON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Good morning, Danny, and thank you for having me. The au pair is the government's star witness in this case. She is an eyewitness to everything that went on. She gave statements that she was involved in this very elaborate plan to kill Brendan Banfield's wife, Brendan, who she's been having an affair with, who was her employer, and then to lure somebody in as an innocent, completely innocent victim from a fetish website to frame him as an intruder.

It's a bizarre and elaborate plan. It begs the question, why are they offering the au pair a get out of jail free card in exchange for her testimony? It means that they didn't think that they could prove this against Brendan Banfield without her. She's got a lot on the line here.

FREEMAN: Yes, and we'll talk about the forensics in a moment, but sticking with the au pair for a moment, one of the most interesting revelations in court came out that the au pair, as I understand it says, multiple producers have actually reached out to her to get and sell her story. So take a listen to this on that topic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[07:20:00]

JULIANA PERES MAGALHAES, FORMER FAMILY AU PAIR: I had a video call with the producer who works with Netflix, and they want to make a movie, a documentary about my case, and he explained to the producer who works with Netflix, and they want to make a movie, a documentary about my case. And he explained in terms of compensation, money, et cetera.

Things that Josh had denied, saying that don't do that, right? Anyway, he wants to finalize the contract already. So when I leave here, we can have the interview and everything else. But they want to be exclusive, so I can talk only to them.

It's worth it. They want to pay because they want to talk to you too, and interviews, and you share photos, videos, facts from when I was a child, adolescence, et cetera. Thanks for them to add to the movie. So they're thinking about $10,000, which would be around $55,000 in our money. Helps and it's good, but I want to negotiate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Again, just a remarkable revelation. I mean, Elyse, could this work in Banfield's favor?

HERSHON: Absolutely, Danny. I mean, this is something that's completely unheard of. She was negotiating with multiple producers, including Netflix, and receiving payments from them while she's been sitting in jail, waiting to testify against Brendan Banfield. So think about it.

She cuts the deal with the government. She gets freedom. Now she's negotiating a deal, $10,000, $25,000, $50,000, $100,000 with different producers to tell her story when she gets out. That's fame and fortune. She now has freedom, fame, and fortune.

Her testimony is bought and paid for. She gets to walk out of jail. All she has to do is point the finger at Brendan Banfield. There's even a letter that her mother wrote to her while she's been sitting in jail waiting for trial that says, well, now you just got to pin it all on Brendan Banfield.

So think about what is the jury going to think about that? That is extremely prejudicial towards the Commonwealth case. Another huge mistake the Commonwealth made. They didn't bring this out through their direct examination of Juliana, the au pair. It came out through cross.

They should have come out, you know, really taken the wind out of the sails of the defense, say, look, this is going to be coming. Don't consider this. Take it this way. They didn't do that. That's a huge misstep. Like, that could really affect the outcome of this trial.

FREEMAN: Yes, perhaps a large oversight from the prosecution to not handle that themselves. OK, what are we expected to hear in court this coming week? Do you expect Banfield himself to testify?

HERSHON: That's always the question. And of course, we all want to hear from the defendant. I know when I do cases, and I've worked on 17 murder trials, gone to trial on them as co-counsel, people always want to know what the defendant's going to say.

Usually they only testify if it's a false self-defense case. Here, it really depends if the defense feels like they got out enough on cross to discredit Juliana, the au pair, their star witness, as well as the very messy crime scene. We'll get -- I know we'll get to forensics in a second.

I don't think he's going to testify. I think there's going to be a lot of explaining to do, and he'll have to go through the details of the affair, right, which is offensive to a lot of people and doesn't help his case character-wise. And certainly he has no burden to testify.

But what we're missing so far is a witness to testify as to who Christine Banfield was, what she may have known --

FREEMAN: Right.

HERSHON: -- before her death, and what she was up to. So I would anticipate a friend or family member would testify.

FREEMAN: Right. A lot to look forward to.

Elyse Hershon, unfortunately I have to leave it there. You and I could talk about this all day. The good news is --

HERSHON: All day.

FREEMAN: -- for our viewers at home, the entire trial will be streamed live on CNN All Access, so you can also catch more analysis from Elyse, CNN's Laura Coates, and other experts as this case progresses. Don't miss it.

All right, coming up next, President Donald Trump is ramping up his push to take over Greenland, and it could make most of our European allies suffer. His tariff threats and how Europe is responding, that and more is coming up next.

Plus, credit card debt totals over $1 trillion nationwide. So President Trump is demanding companies put a cap on interest rates in 48 hours. Well, those companies have a lot of lingering questions. That and more coming next as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:28:36]

FREEMAN: Let's get back now to that trade war erupting over Greenland. The European Union is holding an emergency meeting of its ambassadors today in Brussels, after President Trump announced he would hit eight E.U. countries with a new 10 percent tariff until the U.S. is allowed to acquire Greenland. E.U. officials are already pushing back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO COSTA, EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT (through translation): If we want prosperity, we must open markets, not close them. We must create zones of economic integration, not increased tariffs. What we can say is that the European Union will always be very firm in defending international law, wherever it may be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: CNN's Barbie Nadeau has more on the reaction from Europe. She joins us live from Rome. Barbie, again, a consequential day on this front.

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yes, you know, this emergency meeting is really going to be telling. It's going to -- we're going to kind of see these European leaders who don't always agree on things. That has to be said. We might see them unite. This may be the one thing that sort of brings them together.

Now, we did see some of this reaction earlier this -- or last year, I should say, when Donald Trump posed these reciprocal tariffs and then sort of backed down on them. A lot of European leaders are speaking out. They're calling it a mistake. They're likening it to blackmail.

The Italian prime minister just recently posted something in which she called it a mistake. But I think that what's really, more than anything, these European leaders are seeing it as a distraction. And I just want to read to you a post from the European foreign policy chief, which I think does really get to the crux of the matter.

China and Russia must be having a field day. They are the ones who benefit from divisions among allies. If Greenland security is at risk, we can address it inside NATO. Tariff risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity. We also cannot let our dispute distract us from our core task of helping to end Russia's war against Ukraine.

And really, Danny, I think that does come to the crux of the matter, because this is a distraction. What's happening up in the Arctic is really taking the attention away what's happening in Central Europe that affects so many people, and that is, of course, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and that war going into its fourth year. So, very consequential day. Let's see how it comes out. There's a lot to watch today, Danny.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, certainly a lot to watch. All eyes on Brussels as this meeting takes place in a little bit. Barbie Nadeau, thank you so much for that report.

All right. Let's turn to some other headlines this morning. First up, President Trump continues his push for a 10 percent cap on credit card interest rates. He gave the industry until January 20th to get on board. But with just days to go, there's still not really any clarity on what the White House actually plans to do. Consumer groups, lawmakers and even the banks say they haven't been told how this would work or what happens if companies don't lower their rates. Now, all of this comes as Americans' outstanding credit card balances increased by $24 billion in the third quarter of 2025, topping $1.23 trillion.

And in Minneapolis, a family fleeing their car after a tear gas canister thrown by federal agents rolled underneath it. The car's cabin quickly filled up with gas, and the mother had to perform life- saving CPR after her six-month-old baby stopped breathing. The family of eight said they didn't even know about the protest. They were just trying to get home from their son's basketball game. Well, the children are now in stable condition. DHS maintains agents followed training and that the family was not targeted.

And as tensions continue to rise in Minnesota, immigration advocacy groups in Minneapolis are focused on monitoring ICE officers. CNN followed one group out on patrol after they trained to advocate for the legal rights of those being detained by federal authorities. Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer, notably was not part of this particular group. Here's CNN's Isabel Rosales.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The phone buzzes and they hit the gas.

RYAN PEREZ, LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZING DIRECTOR, COPAL: OK, I'm getting an alert. Federal activity in Bloomington.

ROSALES (voice-over): ICE has been spotted.

PEREZ: We're heading to a -- it sounds like it's a business location.

ROSALES (voice-over): These are legal observers with immigrant advocacy group COPAL, part of a network of 5,000 trained civilians who monitor federal immigration enforcement in real time.

PEREZ: Hey, we're observers with COPAL.

ROSALES (voice-over): We spent the day with members of the group as they traveled around Minneapolis, responding to calls about ICE activity. Here, they missed the federal agents by mere moments.

PEREZ: This business was targeted by ICE and they've took some people and --

ROSALES (voice-over): Ryan Perez, a self-described ICE watcher, says he has answered more than 100 of these tips.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back away.

ROSALES (voice-over): And that number increases by the day with an influx of federal agents in Minneapolis.

PEREZ: So, our observers are trained to walk in and say, I demand to see a warrant. Show me a warrant.

ROSALES: So, you're legal observers that are not quiet.

PEREZ: Ours are not quiet. We said, it's your First Amendment right to document, yes? It's also your First Amendment right to be loud. Continue recording. Focus on the camera.

ROSALES (voice-over): And with their notes and videos, they create a legal record.

ROSALES: What types of people sign up to be observers? PEREZ: People that look a lot like Renee Good. We have a lot of moms. We have a lot of retirees.

ROSALES (voice-over): In the 24 hours after her death, Perez says the group saw a three-fold increase in the number of people signing up for their constitutional observer program.

PEREZ: To say this, the killing of Renee Good lit a fire under the community would be an understatement.

ROSALES (voice-over): Kateri Heymans is one of them. She's been alarmed by the number of federal agents flooding her hometown.

KATERI HEYMANS, LEGAL OBSERVER, COPAL: Someone put the name of Renee Good here on this fence.

ROSALES (voice-over): And Good's killing inspired Kateri to register as an observer the very next day. This is her first time out on patrol. Some rules, no touching. Stay 8 feet away from agents. Observe. Document. Use your whistle.

PEREZ: And so, the whistle keeps people safe because it says this is effectively a war zone.

ROSALES (voice-over): Then another alert.

PEREZ: Have your phone ready? We're three minutes away. So it's good to start having your phone ready.

HEYMANS: Even videos of documenting things can really help people because sometimes people don't know their family is being taken away.

PEREZ: You hear the president saying that observers are obstructing and violating.

ROSALES: Are they?

[07:35:00]

PEREZ: So, our observers, I can only speak for our peaceful and following protocol.

ROSALES (voice-over): Our last stop before sunset brings us to a tense scene outside the Whipple Federal Building, which has become the epicenter for protests.

ROSALES: Whoa, whoa.

PEREZ: We see a bunch of agents with riot gear on the right side here. It looks like they're ready in case of an escalation on the left side of protesters.

We want to document this just like any other law enforcement activity.

ROSALES: So what we're seeing right now is federal agents coming in and driving in unmarked vehicles. And they have detainees in the back. This is the Whipple Building where they're being taken for processing. And anytime we see one of these vehicles rolls in, you can see a rise of emotion with these activists who are yelling and chanting.

ROSALES (voice-over): Around a dozen people ended up being arrested later. DHS claims the activists assaulted law enforcement. Among the shouting crowds and remnants of pepper balls, these legal observers stand out in neon, making sure someone is always watching.

Isabel Rosales, CNN, Minneapolis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: Isabel, thank you very much for that reporting. Tomorrow, America remembers the life and legacy of one of its greatest civil rights leaders. And up next, Martin Luther King Jr.'s son and daughter-in-law explain how his message for peace lives on decades later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:40:00]

FREEMAN: This Monday, the nation will pause to honor and remember the legacy of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Born in Atlanta, he not only envisioned, but also peacefully fought for a world free of racism, poverty and violence through boycotts, marches and protests inspiring generations to come. Dr. King, of course, was tragically killed at just 39 years old.

Well, today, the Dr. King holiday is recognized as a national day of service, honoring his legacy and push for civil rights. Joining me now is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King's eldest son, Martin Luther King III, along with his wife, Andrea Waters King. Martin serves as chairman and Andrea is president of the Drum Major Institute. Thank you both so much for joining us on this important weekend for your family, but also for our country.

Let's start here. It's a challenging moment for America. We're seeing a lot of unrest, most recently in Minnesota. I'm just curious, what are you both thinking about as we are in this holiday weekend?

MARTIN LUTHER KING III, CIVIL RIGHTS ADVOCATE, GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN, AND CHAIRMAN, DRUM MAJOR INSTITUTE: Well, I think, first of all, I'm thinking about as we observe the holiday, how do we create a totally different climate in a nation where there are so many interruptions? I think my father and mother always approached whatever confrontation that they had to approach in a very positive way with uplifting energy.

And I think people are very disturbed about what we are seeing, because we also know that we are a far better nation than the behavior that is being created. So, it is about creating an environment at a much higher level than -- because everything is energy. And I believe that while we're observing this holiday -- that's why we talk about service because we know that being engaged in service brings people together. We can never create an -- we should never create an environment where people are turning on each other. We need to figure out how do we create that environment where people are turning to each other, lifting each other up, helping us navigate through these problems, whether it is no insurance or unaffordable insurance, whether it is a lack of food.

Dad wanted to eradicate, and Mom, what they call the triple evils of poverty, racism, and violence. Unfortunately, we have a long, long way to go before we get to being able to eradicate those evils.

FREEMAN: Perhaps, Andrea, can you reflect a little bit? We look at the black and white photos, you know, we talk about the protests and marches of yore, but can you talk about what perhaps is maybe most misunderstood about Dr. King's legacy today?

ANDREA WATERS KING, PRESIDENT, DRUM MAJOR INSTITUTE: I would say that peace is strength. There is a lot of talk, I think, about power and force, and the fact that if you look at that this nation, and in fact the world was changed through nonviolent protests, through peaceful protests, people coming together, standing together, working together to really call us to the best of who we are as a nation.

FREEMAN: You know, it's interesting, we're seeing a lot of backlash on many levels, certainly over the past year, to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, many issues and ideas Dr. King pushed for. How would you -- I guess, how are you responding to or thinking about some of these ideas being rolled back after decades of progress?

KING III: Well, beyond tragedy -- a tragedy there's been a deliberate effort to exclude history. Here, we're approaching the 250th anniversary of our nation, and what made us who we are is the actual diversity.

[07:45:00]

And I think that that is what needs to be advocated, not a scenario where we're trying to divide people. We're trying to blow up that which was good and still can be good.

You -- it's interesting that people, some, are not interested in having a different point of view. That is really what makes us a better nation. It doesn't mean we're going to -- you know, we don't have to universally agree on everything. We're a -- we're not a monolithic society. We're a diverse society. But diversity brings a different perspective, and we're choosing to ignore that.

I don't know that that's going to serve us well. We may go down this pathway for a while, but at the end of the day, it cannot be sustained that way because the human spirit is going to rise up. The goal is to rise up in a nonviolent way, not a destructive way, but a constructive way to build community.

KING: And what I would add, as someone who monitored hate groups and hate crimes for many, many years, the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazi skinheads, what is most alarming is the things in which we were researching in the mid-'90s we are seeing as soundbites. We are really at a point where oppression is being legislated, and we are at a point where hatred is masquerading as patriotism. And these are literally soundbites that we were monitoring in the '90s that were from Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazi skinheads. We used to have a saying that they don't all wear sheets.

And so, what's most alarming is to see that becoming part of the national dialogue and communication style. But at the same time, we also are seeing more and more people coming together, standing together. If you look at the monks walking for peace, and there are thousands of people every place that they go that are standing with them, walking with them, we are all around the country working on service, and we're wanting to unite America through service. And we have over 20 million hours of a 100 million hours goal of people coming together.

So, at the same time, we are seeing people that are standing for everything that Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King gave their life for.

FREEMAN: Last thing, I only have about 30 seconds left from each of you. Of course, tomorrow is a holiday. A lot of schools and businesses are closed. What should everyone be doing tomorrow to honor Dr. King's legacy?

KING III: It's a day on, not a day off, which means that we should -- instead of celebrating and relaxing, we should be engaged in a service project.

KING: And we have an initiative called Realize the Dream where we are uniting America. 100 million hours of service by Dr. King's 100th birthday. You can go to realizethedream.org and find ways to participate in your communities.

FREEMAN: Wonderful. Very well said, a day on, not a day off. Martin Luther King Jr. -- excuse me, Martin Luther King III and Andrea Waters King, thank you so much for your time. Really appreciate it on this holiday weekend.

KING III: Thank you.

KING: Thank you.

FREEMAN: OK. We're just weeks away from the big game, and we're rounding out the weekend with some upsets in the NFL playoffs. Coy Wire joining me next with all the details.

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FREEMAN: The Broncos are headed to the AFC Championship game after an overtime win over the Bills. Coy Wire is here with us in Miami. Coy, I'm sorry, man. I know this is a game you're watching. Wolf Blitzer's got to be sad, too.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I knew you were going to get me, Danny. I was, you know, as a former Bills player, I wasn't thinking about how much this win would mean to the players or coaches. I was thinking about all those kids who bleed Buffalo blue and red and all the grown- ups who've been bleeding blue and red since they were kids in overtime.

The Bills denied Denver on their first possession. Next score wins. Josh Allen is intercepted. His fourth turnover of the game. Official say McMillan ripped it out of Brandin Cooks' hands before he was down. Unbelievable. Broncos' Bo Nix would heave it down the field and Tre'Davious White arrives to the party early past interference.

And that set up Wil Lutz. He doesn't miss. From 24 yards out, the AFC's number one seed, Denver, advancing to the conference championship 33-30, one win away from the Super Bowl, but quarterback Bo Nix fractured his ankle in overtime scheduled for surgery Tuesday. Backup Jarrett Stidham has to carry Denver's hopes to the Super Bowl from here.

Now, the NFC's number one seed, they advance as well. Seattle, from the opening kickoff, making their presence felt against the 49ers' Rashid Shahid, taking it 95 yards for a touchdown, and the Seahawks never look back. 41-6 is the final. They will face the winner of the Bears-Rams game in the NFC title game.

All right. We are here in beautiful Miami for Monday's college football championship. Miami head coach Mario Cristobal, who played for the Hurricanes, returned with a no-nonsense, no-living-in-the-past mentality. They will face Indiana, who's pulled off arguably the greatest turnaround story in college football history. Their coach, Curt Cignetti, came in just two years ago, took them from the bottom of the barrel, most losses of any college football program ever, to two playoff appearances, an undefeated season, playing for their first-ever national title.

We asked both teams how they would put into words how huge it would be if they could actually pull off winning the title. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FERNANDO MENDOZA, INDIANA HOOSIERS QUARTERBACK: Yes, it would mean a lot, and I know how much it would mean to people, and I know that the best way to accomplish this goal is to really just focus on the football. Myself focusing on the job, and myself focusing on the present, gives the Hoosiers the best chance to win, and I owe it to my teammates, to my coaches, and also Hoosier Nation.

FRANCIS MAUIGOA, MIAMI HURRICANES OFFENSIVE TACKLE: I mean, it would mean a lot, man. I mean, winning the national title means, you know, that you're the best. We all play for each other, we all play for -- because this is a brotherhood, this is a family. And, you know, we just do it for ourselves. We just do it for each other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Tickets, Danny, will cost a small fortune. Miami hasn't won a title in 24 years. They're playing in their home stadium. Indiana, they have the largest living alumni base of any school in the country. They're everywhere. Get-in price for the worst seats hovering around $3,000, Danny. Good luck.

FREEMAN: Oh, my God. Yes, yes, I don't know that I'll be attending that one. Coy Wire, thank you. And, by the way, that was a catch. It was not an interception. I fight for you, man. Talk to you soon.

WIRE: My man. I love you.

FREEMAN: All right. And thank you all for joining us for CNN This Morning Weekend. Inside Politics Sunday with Manu Raju is going to be up next after a short break. Thanks for being with us.

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