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New Poll Favors Democrats; Hoosiers Versus Hurricanes Tonight; Trump Order Could Ban Army-Navy Broadcast Competition. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired January 19, 2026 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Impact could those wind farms actually have on the issue?

MARK WOLFE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ENERGY ASSISTANCE DIRECTORS' ASSOCIATION: Well, that's going to have significant impact because wind is free. Once you get the wind farm up, the cost of the fuel, the fuel that runs the wind farm is there's no cost for it. So, it's not just helping to manage prices, but it's providing more stability.

So, for example, natural gas has spiked. You know, significantly two years ago after Russia invaded the Ukraine and then cut off gas supplies to western Europe, prices spiked. And I think what wind does, and so does solar and renewable energy in general, it provides price stability. So, if you're paying, say, $0.12 a kilowatt hour now, you don't have to worry about going to $0.15 next year. So, that's, I think, the advantage.

And that's the threat to our system because what the administration is doing, whether intentionally or not, is adding fuel to the fire, so to speak. You know, putting a freeze or trying to stop wind farms adds pressure to the system. Also, natural gas exports. It's now about 30 percent. We're the largest exporter of natural gas. What that means is that natural gas produced in the United States is not necessarily used in the United States. And that puts more pressure on prices as well.

HILL: So, would this auction, do you think, really help -- when it comes to the consumer level, would it help with these current electric bills?

WOLFE: Yes, I think it should make a significant difference in the northeast. This is where it's called the PJM purchasing pool. So, to provide price stability, and that's what the auction is about, to get better prices. Now it remains to be seen, of course, because there's still all the pressure from the new data centers that need electricity.

HILL: Right. So, is the other answer, do we need to use less A.I.? And I mean that seriously. Should we not be using as much ChatGPT, for example, I'm not saying it's ChatGPT fault, but by relying on it more, are we actually pushing up our own energy costs?

WOLFE: Under the current system. But the system that being -- that's being discussed right now, and that was part of the meeting at the White House --

HILL: Yes.

WOLFE: Is that the A.I. centers would bear more of the costs.

HILL: Yes.

WOLFE: And that we don't have to stop using A.I., but the A.I. centers have to pay their share -- their fair share. And so, I think what, (INAUDIBLE) Microsoft, all the big companies met and said, yes, we want to pay our fair share. Well, if they really want to pay their fair share, they'll rebate, for the last couple of years, all the great deals they got. And that we're not hearing.

HILL: No.

WOLFE: You know, that would be great. Yes, well, give me the extra money that you saved. That's not going to happen.

But going forward, because it is such a major industry now. I mean, Virginia, for example, has the most data centers of any place in the world.

HILL: Right.

WOLFE: It's amazing. And these are required for our security. It's required to run the internet. But we have to have the prices be fair so that families don't have to bear the burden of those data centers. I mean this is especially a problem for low income families in the United States. And that's about a third of the families. You know, one out of six poor families -- no, I'm sorry, one out of six families in the United States is behind on their utility bill. And so these increases are just making it worse.

HILL: Yes, they absolutely are.

Mark, really appreciate you helping us to put it all in perspective. It's great to have you. Thank you.

WOLFE: Well, thank you.

HILL: Still ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, the midterm motivation. Some new CNN polling breaking down who has the momentum in this moment.

Plus, for many folks in the country it is a three day weekend. If you're heading to a national park today, though, it is not going to be like it was in the past. No more free entrance on this Martin Luther King Day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:38:14]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MAYOR JACOB FREY (D), MINNEAPOLIS: This is a very serious matter. And

this whole investigation would ultimately be the product of one of the most basic foundational responsibilities that I have as mayor, which is to speak on behalf of my constituents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey there defending himself as the DOJ is now reportedly investigating both Frey and Minnesota's governor, Tim Walz. Sources telling CNN they are both under federal investigation for allegedly obstructing law enforcement.

Good morning, I'm Erica Hill here on CNN THIS MORNING with you. Thanks for joining us.

It is 6:38 on the East Coast. Here's a closer look at what's happening right now.

Rescue efforts underway in Spain after a deadly high speed train crash. At least 39 people were killed when the end of one train derailed, slammed into another train. Officials say they're looking into the cause of the accident, but are calling it truly strange, noting it occurred on a flat part of the track that had just been renovated.

President Trump's board of peace to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza. We're learning more about that, including that Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly been invited to join. That's according to the Kremlin. Yes, Putin, who, of course, invaded Ukraine and started the war there. It's also being reported that a seat on that board will cost $1 billion. Unclear if Putin would have to pay that fee.

And we have a live look for you this morning at the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s memorial here in Washington, D.C., as we honor the life and the legacy of the civil rights leader. This year, though, for the first time, if you have plans to head to a national park today, it will no longer be free. President Trump issuing an executive order which removed MLK Day, as well as Juneteenth from the list of free entrance fee days.

[06:40:01]

The new list, though, does now include President Trump's birthday.

Ten months to go now until the midterms and new CNN polling shows there's some momentum building for Democrats. Eighty percent of Democrats say they're extremely or very motivated to vote in November. That is a clear edge over the motivation for Republicans if we're talking about enthusiasm here.

So, what does this mean? Does it actually spell trouble for the GOP? The group chat is back.

When we look at these numbers, Isaac, I was, you know, there is a lot of excitement. There is a lot of motivation among Democrats. What's striking, though, is there is not a lot of enthusiasm when it comes to current party leaders. How much of an issue could that be for Democrats?

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, it parts a little bit with the poll just --

HILL: Yes.

DOVERE: Is that it's not motivation just of Democrats, people who are thinking of voting for Democrats, right?

HILL: Right.

DOVERE: Who are leaning Democratic. And that includes Democrats, but also includes independents and Republicans. People, given where the numbers are, it seems like at least some people who voted for Donald Trump in 2024. That is, it seems, in large part because of a backlash to the president and to his administration, things that we've been talking about all hour, what's been going on and other things as well.

What it does not seem so far is that it is a positive statement about where the Democratic Party is and what the Democratic Party is talking about. And that is reflected in these -- the doubts expressed in the poll about the Democratic leadership. But in other things as well. And you see Democrats continuing to try to figure out their footing, where they stand on key issues, what proactive, positive message they are trying to bring to the American people and what they would do if in power.

A big part of what you will hear out of Donald Trump and out of Republicans over the course of the year is that they just want to stand in the way of Trump and block him if he's -- if they win majorities in Congress. But, for Democrats, it will be about saying, this is not what you voted for and this is something that we can maybe try to turn around.

HILL: One of the -- one of the challenges, right, as they try to figure their message for Democrats has always been unified messaging because they -- they do want to be the party that can sort of, you know, big tent party, welcome everybody. Is it your sense that there is starting to be perhaps more recognition of that, certainly in the wake of 2024, about the need for unified messaging for Democrats if they want to be victorious, take back the House?

MARIO PARKER, MANAGING EDITOR, U.S. ECONOMY AND GOVERNMENT, "BLOOMBERG": Well, you see Democrats still being bedeviled by some of the demons from the 2024 election, right? You see, on one hand, Abigail Spanberger becoming the governor of Virginia, right, a moderate Democrat. On the other hand, you go a little bit further north, you see Mamdani, right, more progressive wing as well. I think that's what you're also seeing play out with some of the disappointment, or low figures at least, for Democratic leadership, because they too, Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, are wrestling with these kind of issues as well and which way the party goes after the 2024 recall that the autopsy of that election was shelved because they didn't want to quell some of the momentum that they had at the end of 2025.

HILL: Yes. It also, right to your point about, you know, Jeffries and Schumer, it does get to the issue in this polling, which is that, I believe it was 48 percent of registered Democratic voters say they're really unhappy with party leadership. So, you have, you know, different people being elected in different areas of the country because, you know, Virginia is not New York City, for example.

SEUNG MIN KIM, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Sure.

HILL: But the fact that the party leaders, right, are still kind of a hurdle for Democrats.

KIM: Right. And this is something that the leaders have struggled to navigate. I mean, I think it's really -- what encapsulates that for me is how, for example, Hakeem Jeffries and especially Chuck Schumer handled Mamdani's candidacy, that they -- they clearly saw where the energy was in their party, particularly as it relates to New York City, their homes. But, you know, they were so resistant to getting on board because they knew that brand of Democratic politics could hurt them elsewhere in the country, because they're not only New York politicians, but they're national party leaders.

But I think Democrats are trying to emphasize that they are a party where, with a broad message such as affordability, it is -- it is a party that could be home to an Abigail Spanberger and a Zohran Mamdani. But I think there are internal fights right now saying, well, this is kind of the way that we should go for this year. And, obviously, party leaders are trying to be as broad and inclusive as possible.

DOVERE: That's -- that's the issue. The polling question is, are you unhappy with party leaders? And some people among the Democrats, or leaning Democrats, are unhappy that the party leaders are, they feel, going to moderate. Some people are unhappy that they're going too far to the left. Some people are unhappy that they're not fighting more with Donald Trump, or that they're fighting too much with Donald Trump. And yet it all gets into that umbrella of one question.

HILL: Yes.

DOVERE: And that's part of what they need to sort out here.

But, of course, look, Spanberger and Mamdani are these two electoral models. Now, Spanberger has been inaugurated as governor. Look, she won by more -- a larger margin than Mamdani did in a state that is much closer to swing state territory.

[06:45:02]

But there is no question that there is a lot of interest and energy for the kind of politics that Mamdani is talking about. These are all things that are going to continue to get sorted out.

HILL: Yes.

DOVERE: But really going to get sorted out in these swing House districts and a couple of the Senate seats that are up (INAUDIBLE).

HILL: Certainly gives us a lot to talk about in the coming months, that's for sure.

DOVERE: Yes, for sure. Good for all of us.

HILL: Yes.

Still ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, are you ready for some football? The NFL playoff picture, of course, coming into focus. Some questions about, this is probably for John Berman, whether there's a new dynasty brewing in New England.

Plus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CURT CIGNETTI, COACH, INDIANA UNIVERSITY BLOOMINGTON: You don't go to war with warm milk and cookies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: There you go. Curt Cignetti weighing in. Tonight, of course, is the night. The college playoffs coming down to two teams that many people likely did not predict.

All of this as President Trump is weighing in with a new executive order involving football and your TV.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:17]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I bleed Buffalo blue and red, as you -- as you know. And I can testify, I've got the new hat. I'll put it on right now. There we go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: It is such a good look, and I'm so sorry, Wolf. It's a rough morning, I know. A number of broken hearts after a wild weekend of post-season NFL football.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here it is. On the way. And the Denver Broncos have won it in overtime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Wolf Blitzer's and Harry Enten's Buffalo Bills falling to the Broncos in crushing fashion in overtime. So, four teams now left standing, including John Berman's Patriots. We could be witnessing the start of another dynasty perhaps in New England. Not sure they need any more Super Bowls. But anyway, it is no time for pigskin fans to catch their breaths. Tonight, talk about a game. Of course, college football's national championship. The top seeded Indiana Hoosiers taking on number ten Miami in south Florida.

CNN sports analyst, "USA Today" sports columnist Christine Brennan joins the group chat.

And I would just like to be very transparent with everyone. I have zero objectivity in this game. I am married to a Hoosier. My son goes to Indiana. I mean, you know, just Google Curt. You know, they win. This is how it happens.

But, you know, with all that, Christine, this game and this matchup of these two teams and the fact that it's happening in Miami, there are so many fascinating story lines.

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: This is one of the best. And, by the way, three siblings, one brother-in-law and one niece all went to IU.

HILL: There you go.

BRENNAN: So, same things going on in my household as well.

You know, it's when sports is good, they're great. And when there are -- when there are surprises, and in our world today, which I know you've been all talking about here the last 40 minutes or so, you know, something that's happy and fun. And Fernando Mendoza, I'm sure that 99 percent of people had never heard of him last year, Heisman winner. Every interview you just -- it's must see TV.

HILL: Yes.

BRENNAN: You know, like, grandmothers are crying, you know, over him. And Indiana was a losingest team in college football. I mean they just never won. Men's basketball, yes.

HILL: Yes.

BRENNAN: Not football. And that is flipped with a 64-year-old coach who never smiles, but is absolutely the, you know, the toast of Indiana and really the country.

HILL: Yes.

BRENNAN: And then, of course, against Miami. Now that's a -- that's a school before the U was the U. I covered them. I was covering the '83 -- I was the beat writer for "The Miami Herald." Watched that happen with Bernie Kosar and all those great names from the past. They know how to win national titles.

HILL: Yes.

BRENNAN: They've won five. Home game for them, although a little bit of a thought, Erica, here. I'm wondering if that stadium, with all the Indiana people, it may actually be close to 50/50 or even more Indiana than Miami in that stadium.

HILL: Even more? Wow.

BRENNAN: We'll see.

HILL: We'll see.

There's also -- there's so much focus on Fernando Mendoza, right? Heisman Mendoza, as we know. There's a lot of focus on the money. How much did the money come into play when it comes to college football? Do you think it's more about the money that was able to and the support that has been thrown at Indiana over the last two seasons, or it is about Coach Curt Cignetti and the way he puts together a team?

BRENNAN: I think it's more that, the latter. And I do think it is, though, the transfer portal NIL.

HILL: Yes.

BRENNAN: He was at James Madison. And he basically brought all these great players from James Madison. Now, the thought that there were a lot of great players at James Madison, no offense to James Madison, but that's not exactly a football factory.

HILL: Right.

BRENNAN: But he brings these players. They're veterans. There's a lot of people that have played a lot of football. And he is bringing this intact team into Indiana. And that's really what the transfer portal is all about.

So, if you hate what's going on in college sports, which a lot of people are very concerned, I am too, about all of these things that are happening, this is the good side of it, where one man can bring in -- athletes in and have a team in mass and keep it together and bring complete joy, as you know and I know, to a fan base that has never had any.

HILL: Yes.

Is it also, in this moment, as you were noting in the group chat, we're talking about politics and things feel very heavy in this moment. This is also a little -- a little bit of a unifying moment, right, to have this game tonight. I mean I don't -- I mean how interested are you guys in the -- in the game?

KIM: So, I am not a football person, but I think that generally, unless you are from the Miami area or from Florida, I feel like the entire country is rooting for Indiana at this point. It is such a feel good story. And again, like, I only knew Indiana as a basketball school. So, to see them, you know, emerge as they are, beat Ohio State, like, it was -- it's just been really great to see.

HILL: Yes, absolutely.

As we look at all of this, really quickly on the NFL, Patriots. BRENNAN: I know. As you said, John Berman.

HILL: Yes.

BRENNAN: Yes.

HILL: He's a happy man this morning.

BRENNAN: Exactly.

[06:55:00]

Since 2018, you know, it seems like, you know, it was just a couple of years ago with Tom Brady, but it's been a while and they've had to hit the depths to come back.

And then also, you know, my goodness, the Chicago Bears, you know, can we talk about --

HILL: Yes.

BRENNAN: Yes.

HILL: (INAUDIBLE).

BRENNAN: Well, and since we're talking family, my dad had a tryout with Papa Bear Halas in the early '50s. Yes. I mean, so we're from Chicago, my parents. And the idea the Bears were that close.

HILL: I know.

BRENNAN: And, of course, one of the greatest plays we will ever see, what Caleb Williams did, he literally had a 14 yard touchdown pass that he threw 51 yards because he was backpedaling, and then that miracle throw. But then the interception.

HILL: Yes.

BRENNAN: I know he's a young quarterback. They were this close, though, to making it.

HILL: This close. Well, we'll look at next year, maybe.

BRENNAN: Oh, absolutely. I do want to -- I do want to get everybody's take on this too. So, over the weekend, I think this had some people scratching their heads. President Trump saying he plans to sign an executive order that would block competing broadcasts during the Army- Navy football game. That matchup, of course, started in 1890. Traditionally, there was an exclusive time slot on the second Saturday in December. Of course, we have the expansion of the college football playoffs, obviously, so now the game could overlap with conference bowl games. In 2025, the game shared airtime with the L.A. Bowl.

The group chat is back.

This is sort of remarkable to me, too, because, Isaac, I don't -- I'm not sure that I'm clear on the sort of authority that the president has when it comes to both this game and the broadcast rights.

DOVERE: I don't think anybody is. And so that's the -- that's part of the issue here. But there's also an issue of, this is the leader of the government telling private companies what to do. And in this case, broadcasters what to do.

Donald Trump has succeeded over the last year in pushing and bullying a lot of people to do what he wants. We will see if he is able to do that, even if this executive order doesn't have clear legal standing.

PARKER: Well, that being said, I mean, with CBS there's also the optics, right, with Skydance, Paramount as well. David Ellison also. But this has -- there did -- there was some bipartisanship here. We had Dan Sullivan and Jack Reed pushing for this as well to kind of codify some of this, given the sanctity of the U.S. Army-Navy game and patriotism and all those things as well.

But we also know that this is a president that loves sports. I mean he intervened with the NFL and famously -- infamously with Colin Kaepernick, right, and the kneeling, but then also Shedeur Sanders earlier this year when he didn't get drafted also.

HILL: It is fascinating too, I wonder, in terms of like if there is any pushback. You mentioned some bipartisan support. The fact that it's Army-Navy, right, and the president can really say, this is about patriotism. This is about this game that's been played since 1890. Does that blunt some of the criticism?

KIM: It could. And this is -- I mean -- and he's very dedicated to the Army/Navy game itself too.

I would be really interested in seeing if and when the text of the executive order comes out, what it exactly does in terms of mandating this to happen, which we know it's not very clear whether he has a legal standing to do so because there have been times where the administration has said they're going to do something. But once the text actually comes out, you see it's a little bit scaled back.

HILL: Yes.

KIM: For -- I'm thinking, I mean, this is a completely unrelated topic, but when the president said he was renaming the Pentagon, the Department of Defense, the Department of War. Once the actual text came out, you saw that it's being called to -- called as a secondary title because, obviously, Congress has the right to change the name there.

HILL: Right.

KIM: So, I really want to see, again, if and when that comes out what it actually says.

HILL: Yes. Yes. I mean, don't let the facts get in the way of a good story, right?

OK, let's talk a little group chat, shall we, on a Monday. Christine, you want to kick it off?

BRENNAN: Well, it's got to be this football game.

HILL: Yes.

BRENNAN: And by the way, I got to say, Army-Navy, they already have 7.8 million viewers last year. A lot of people watched. And most people, it's not Ozzie Harriet anymore that are watching games and sitting there.

HILL: Yes.

BRENNAN: It's all on your phone. Anyway.

But Indiana, the whole family, I'm seeing pictures nonstop. They're all down in Fort Lauderdale now.

HILL: Yes.

BRENNAN: So, that's got to be it for me, especially from the sports aspect.

HILL: Absolutely. We'll sing the fight song later.

Isaac, you have some new reporting in your group chat.

DOVERE: Yes. And reporting that I've been involved with about what's in Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's book that's coming out next week. But there's a chapter about his experiences over 2024 and the campaign as he was being vetted to be Kamala Harris' running mate. The whole book is about his faith and how it registers for him. It's written in the wake of that firebombing at the governor's mansion last year on Passover. But there are things in that book where he says that he was asked by the Harris vetting team if he was and if he'd ever been an Israeli agent, if he'd ever talked to an undercover Israeli agent, and a lot of allegations from others who've read the book that this is blatant anti-Semitism. Shapiro certainly seems to feel that way himself.

HILL: Yes.

DOVERE: And so that's --

HILL: I think that's going to move out of the group chat too.

DOVERE: Yes. That's the way -- there's already stories on our website.

HILL: I mean there's going to be -- yes, it is. We can (INAUDIBLE) about here, but definitely one that's going to have a lot of legs. We're a little tight, but, Mario, over to you first.

PARKER: Forgive me, as a (INAUDIBLE) Bears fan this morning. But just thinking through Greenland and what's underpinning that, which is climate change, right?

[07:00:03]

So, some of this -- many of -- much of this tension is because of the effects of climate change. The fact that this is arctic passageway. Now, that wasn't the case 25 years ago.

HILL: Yes. We'll be watching that.

KIM: In my group chat, and actually to be more accurate Instagram feed chains, just what we all look like in 2016, we all looked a little bit better. But it's also a reminder of just how long Donald Trump has been in our lives, just both professionally and just in our political world. You know, he rose and then now he's still here.

HILL: Yes, still here. You're right. I am -- I resisted at first, but I did lean into the 2016 and it's kind of fascinating.

Thanks to all of you for joining us this morning. I'm Erica Hill. Stay tuned. The headlines are next.