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Erin Burnett Outfront
Iran Airspace Closed As Trump Weighs Military Action; Journalist Critical Of ICE Says She Was Surprisingly Hired By ICE; FBI Searches "Washington Post" Reporter's Home, Seizes Phone & 2 Computers. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired January 14, 2026 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:24]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
Breaking news, the airspace now over Iran almost completely closed. Is a military strike imminent? New reporting tonight.
Plus, hired by ICE. A journalist applied to work as an ICE agent. And to her surprise, she says she got the job, even though a quick Google search would have shown she's a reporter critical of ICE. That reporter is OUTFRONT.
And the mother of one of Elon Musk's children is speaking out, claiming Musk's A.I. tool named Grok was used to create deepfake sexual images of her.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
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BURNETT: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news, the Iranian airspace closed for we understand, two hours and 15 minutes. Any flights pre-approved by Iran. And you can look at what it looks like over that country. You see the parade of planes on either side of Iran, but over Iran. Not a single plane.
As we just said, we understand that this is going on for two hours and 15 minutes. Why, when you look at that map -- I mean, you see the glaring emptiness over Iran. The reason for this is unclear.
Trump has been considering potential military strikes against the Iranian regime in response to its deadly crackdown on protesters. It's a threat that has Iran's foreign minister now issuing a chilling threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: My message is do not repeat the same mistake that you did in June. If you -- if you try a failed experience, you will get the same result.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: The foreign minister there is referring to the U.S. strikes with those powerful bunker buster bombs on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Now, Iran claims that didn't significantly set back their nuclear program. Experts say otherwise. But you heard the threat there. Iranian state television has also posted a poster from a protest, which is of Trump after the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, with the text on that sign. The arrow doesn't always miss, and the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard tonight vowing to respond to the United States after accusing it of stoking the violence there.
Trump's rhetoric on Iran has shifted. Yesterday, he fired off this ominous threat after Iran's regime threatened to hang a protester.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will take very strong action if they do such a thing. When they start killing thousands of people, and now, you're telling me about hanging. We'll see how that works out for them. It's not going to work out good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Today, a very different tone. Trump claims the Iranian regime has folded.
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TRUMP: We have been informed by very important sources on the other side. And they said the killing has stopped and the executions won't take place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Of course, to imagine an on/off switch on that is hard to do. And all eyes are on what President Trump is about to do next. The fact that that airspace has that two hour and 15 minute, almost complete closure, it's a very specific time period, right? Two hours and 15 minutes is raising serious questions about what's happening in those two hours and 15 minutes.
Kristen Holmes is OUTFRONT live outside the White House tonight to begin our coverage.
And, Kristen, what are you learning?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Erin, we do not believe that military action is completely off the table here. We are told by U.S. officials that essentially, they have moved into this wait and see mode as they've been trying to weigh what military actions to take. And just to be clear, we've seen this before where President Trump, the administration says there's not going to be any action and then turns around. And shortly afterwards, there is, in fact, military action. And one of the things that we've been reporting is this idea that
President Trump has told U.S. officials, or at least indicated that he feels an obligation to take decisive action when it comes to Iran, and part of that is his own making. The fact that he issued these redline statements, which we saw there during that interview, and there were several others, these threats on Iran, if they were to harm protesters, what that action looks like, we still are unclear. His national security team was divided on this idea of kinetic strikes.
There's a lot to weigh, including the idea of do the benefits outweigh the risks they are still trying to make sure that there's that -- it actually benefits the United States to have a kinetic strike or other action in Iran and not risk U.S. personnel. We've already seen from U.S. intel, or at least had it indicated that Iran is also looking at options for retaliation for strikes against U.S. troops in the Middle East.
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We've seen notices go out to U.S. bases saying that if you are not necessary personnel, that you should not be at those bases in the Middle East because they are anticipating some kind of action or potential reaction when it comes to Iran. So right now, we are taking these U.S. officials at their face value, saying that they are waiting and seeing. But again, we don't know where this information is coming from, and we can't confirm this information that the killing has stopped because there has been a blackout over Iran for days, for hours. So, we have very limited information coming out.
BURNETT: All right. Kristen, thank you very much.
I want to go now to Karim Sadjadpour, expert on Iran, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Nazila Fathi was "The New York Times" correspondent based in Tehran for a decade. She had to flee the country with her husband and children. And Seth Jones, former advisor to the commanding general of U.S. Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan.
Seth, let me just start with you. Weve got this this essentially ban on flights in and out of Iran. And we just showed the map. You know, there's not currently a single plane for a two hour and 15 minute period.
Obviously, you can imagine the speculation when all of this came out is rife. But what do you read into this?
SETH JONES, FORMER ADVISOR TO THE COMMANDING GENERAL OF U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN: Well, Erin, this may be just the Iranians trying to know exactly who is flying in their airspace at any one time. So, if they can get rid of essentially all aircraft flying in their airspace, they, I think, have an ability then to know, particularly with concern about the U.S. flying aircraft or even the Israeli flying aircraft in and around Iranian space. This is a -- this is really an opportunity to try and control the airspace with possibility of strikes coming. BURNETT: Right, so that they would know who's there, which obviously
raises the question, obviously, two hour and 15 minute period of the intense focus on just that, that window of time, how important it is.
I mean, Nazila, you've got family in Iran in addition to obviously, your decades long experience reporting from there and on the country. I know you have been able to get through to speak to some people, which in and of itself is so significant with this blackout. What are you learning tonight?
NAZILA FATHI, FORMER JOURNALIST FORCED TO FLEE IRAN: Well, what was interesting was that yesterday and today, Iranians could call, outside the country. We couldn't reach anyone inside Iran. But suddenly, Iranians learned through satellite TV programs that are beamed inside Iran that they could make calls. There was like this system that they could make one-way calls. And people started calling out.
And it appeared that people were really intimidated by (AUDIO GAP) the regime had waged this week. But in the meantime, they're expecting some kind of military strike. And I'm assuming it was based on the news that they were getting from these television, satellite television programs.
BURNETT: So, Karim, what do you make of what's happening right now? I mean, I guess hard to read into the exact specifics, but I think Seth's context is so crucial. But closing the airspace for such a specific time, two hours and 15 minutes, which we are in the midst of right now.
KARIM SADJADPOUR, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE; IRAN EXPERT : Erin, I think President Trump has a difficult choice. If he does nothing, it will be viewed by history as a strategic and moral betrayal because he encouraged protesters to take to the streets for weeks, he kept reassuring Iranians that he had their back, and he watched while thousands of protesters were killed. So, it would be viewed as an abandonment if he does nothing.
At the same time, military action is fraught with risks. There's no silver bullet in which we can cleanly take out the regime and usher in a secular democracy.
That said, I think there are three priorities for the president if he does take military action. Number one, we want to provide a shield for the Iranian people against this overwhelming brutality. Number two, it should be incumbent to try to lift this information, blackout. This country only has 1 percent connectivity. And number three, any U.S. military action, I think, should be aimed to boost the morale of the people and weaken the resolve and the unity of the regime.
BURNETT: So, Nazila, what do you think is happening suddenly? You know, you have complete blackout, and the images that did come out were horrifying, right? There were corpses. There were people with bullets riddled through their bodies. I mean, the images that we -- that were -- that were successfully coming out of the country were horrible, but they were blacking out everything. Then, all of a sudden, they just let people call? I mean, what do you think is happening? What's the -- I mean, there's got to be a very specific sort of chess game being played here.
FATHI: We still don't know how many people have died, but the images that have come out of the country are horrifying.
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I've never seen so many people lying dead on the ground.
The interesting thing this time is that the regime is at its weakest. It has really lost steam, especially after the 12-day with -- 12-day war with Israel. It lost many of its ideological leaders. So, the regime is in a totally different situation than it was during the previous demonstrations.
Demonstrators are much, much angrier. I remember when I was in Iran, I would ask protesters on the streets whether they were willing to die. I asked this question from student leaders and the answer was always no. We're fighting to have a better life.
Now, when I speak to people, people are just furious and they say there's no reason to live anymore in this country. Therefore, it's very hard to tell what's going to happen and what the regime is trying to do. But the truth of the matter is that this regime is armed to its teeth, and it has shown time and again that it is not going to stop at ending the violence against the protesters. It's willing to go to any extreme lengths, to end the protests on the street
BURNETT: Seth, you know, we talk about, you know, you look at Venezuela in this situation with, what, about 30 million people? You've got almost 100 million people that live in Iran, right?
So, for the U.S. to impose something on a country like that, seems farcical in a certain sense, I guess in that context, then what would be the -- what would the U.S. strike in July or June? As shocking as it was to some, there was a specific thing the United States was doing was helping Israel take out what they say were deeply buried nuclear facilities.
So, when you go in, in a situation where there's some sort of amorphous regime change on the table, 100 million people and a deeply widely entrenched in the revolutionary guard, right? This isn't just one individual leading a country. What does the U.S. strike?
JONES: Well, Erin, I think, you know, what's interesting is the military toolkit is the continuation of politics by other means. And I think what we saw, as you noted in Iran last year, was the U.S. had a very specific objective to set back Iran's nuclear programs. And, you know, I think we've got to remember that the Israelis actually took out most of the Iranian air defense systems command and control nodes to allow the U.S. to do that.
In the Venezuela case, it was very specific, to get Maduro out of power and leave the entire regime intact. So, part of the question here becomes, what is the political objective in using military force? Is it to push for an end of the theocratic regime? If that's the case the U.S. is going to have very little in its toolkit to influence what happens after. But, you know, it can hit IRGC targets, Iranian Revolutionary Guards, can hit Basij police forces. They could try to decapitate the regime.
All of it will come back to the political objectives that the Trump administration has. And I know from talking to folks that is the center of the debate right now.
BURNETT: Karim, there had been some cracks in June within the regime itself. Those who were on the inside, there were cracks. Where are those cracks now? When you look at the IRGC, right? All powerful, control the economy. The fancy districts of Tehran, whatever cars they wanted, they had that group, the military.
Are there cracks right now or has there been repair, both in the strength of the regime and basic things like air defenses themselves, in the past six months?
SADJADPOUR: I think the crack, Erin, within the system is between those who want to continue for Iran to be a revolution and those who want it to be a nation state, to put the economic and national interests of the country first. Obviously, that is the goal of the protesters to have Iran as a nation, not as a revolutionary cause.
I even think within the security forces, there's probably a majority who realize that this status quo is untenable. But as long as this supreme leader is around and ruling, I don't think this regime is going to show any ideological flexibility.
BURNETT: All right. But as you pointed out, of course, he's in his late 80s and time is time.
Thank you all very much. I appreciate it. As we are in the midst of this two hour and 15-minute flight halt over Iran. We're going to keep an eye on that and let you know exactly what we're seeing in that airspace.
So, thanks very much to all of you.
And next, a big question with what's going on in ICE around the country. How easy is it to get hired by ICE?
Well, one journalist who has been openly critical of the president and ICE wanted to find out. So, she applied and she says she was hired. She's going to tell you the whole story.
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She's next.
Plus, the FBI searching the home of a "Washington Post" reporter, seizing a cell phone and computers. And now, the Trump administration defending the search. So why did they do it?
And why are people waking up in the middle of the night? Others driving up to 15 hours to attend a megachurch in Atlanta.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The devil took his best shot last year, but she's still standing, though.
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BURNETT: New tonight, a crucial question right now. How easy is it to get hired as an ICE agent? Our next guest is a freelance journalist who applied to work at ICE, and she said was offered a job.
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She says the job offer came despite an easily googleable footprint of articles, which she's written critical of ICE and President Trump calling her, causing her to conclude, quote, ICE's recruitment push is so sloppy that the administration effectively has no idea who is joining the agency's ranks.
And Laura Jedeed is OUTFRONT now. She wrote about her experience for "Slate".
And it is fascinating, Laura. I hope someone -- everyone watching will read your full report, but I wanted to talk about it with you.
So, you never set out to actually get a job offer from ICE, I understand. That wasn't actually the point of your report. You were trying to find out what the application process was like to join ICE's ranks. So, basically, you start out by going to a job expo.
What happened there?
LAURA JEEDED, INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST WHO SAYS ICE OFFERED HER A JOB: Yeah, that was the plan was just to write about the Arlington job expo, which happened on August 26th and 27th. I went to the 27th. I brought a resume that was 100 percent true. I'm a veteran. I have deployed to Afghanistan.
So, at first glance, my resume looks pretty good. I went in, I handed over my resume. A woman asked me a few questions about things like my name, date of birth, military service, where I'd like to be stationed, and then, that was -- that was the interview.
It took about six minutes. I did end up talking to an ICE officer just about the job, but that was not part of the interview process. That was just -- to see if I wanted to do it.
BURNETT: Okay, so just to be clear, you talk about your resume, that the resume you put in was real as was your name. And there is a lot on your resume that could appeal to ICE, right? As you point out, army veteran who served two tours of duty, Laura, I know in Afghanistan, but your name, they confirm your name. Your name is unusual, Laura Jedeed. And they could Google it. And if
they did, they would find articles you wrote. Let's see some of the titles here. "Trump's ugly cult of vengeance". You wrote an article about ICE and their extralegal abductions of immigrants.
Obviously, it sounds like none of that ever came up.
JEDEED: It did not. I -- that was the thing. I mean, I left assuming that would be the end of this, I assumed that they would not be passing me on to the next step. I assumed that there would be a cursory glance at who I was that would disqualify me immediately. So, I went home and started working and basically didn't look out for any kind of, further communication, which unfortunately means that I missed the tentative job offer that they sent me a few days later, on September 3rd, it sank to the bottom of my inbox.
That tentative offer letter said that I needed to accept within 48 hours. It sent a bunch of paperwork that I needed to fill out to be considered. And like I said, I sank to the bottom my inbox. I sent absolutely none of it, which definitely should have been the end of this journey and was not.
BURNETT: Okay. So let's get to the end was not. But that email that with the -- with the tentative offer came to -- for you to be a deportation officer. It was dated seven days after the expo and in part that email which you shared with us, Laura says, congratulations, you have been tentatively selected for the position below within the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement.
Okay, so I know you're saying you had no idea such a thing was going to come, and you would think that because you missed the 48-hour window to reply to this, that was the end of it. But then it wasn't the end of it?
JEDEED: No. And this is the part where, you know, there's been skepticism, and I understand why I could not believe what I was seeing when it all came together. A couple weeks after this email arrived in my inbox, and I missed it. I got an email telling me that the next step of my ICE hiring process required me to take a drug test, which I did, which I almost certainly failed. Cannabis is illegal in New York state. I had used it six days before the test, and then about nine days after that, I logged into the hiring portal for the first time to see how my application was going and whether they processed that test yet.
And to my shock and surprise, I found that according to this ICE hiring portal, I had a final offer from ICE. I had apparently accepted that final offer, and my EOD date, my entry on duty date was September 30th, three days before I checked it. So that -- that would be a final job offer and a start date from ICE to be a deportation officer.
BURNETT: Okay, this is -- it's frankly pretty disturbing. I don't think anybody should want this process to be working this way. And in fact, DHS does dispute your reporting. You know, they told us applicants may receive a tentative selection letter following their initial applications and interview. That is not a job offer. This individual was never offered a job at ICE. They have called you reporting also a lazy lie.
Okay, so I wanted to give you a chance to respond to what they're saying. And I guess specifically about the fact that you were never offered a job at ICE
JEDEED: Yeah. I mean, I think this is a little bit -- the problem is they don't know who they've offered a job to. This is kind of indicative of the problem. I posted in response to that. A screen capture of exactly what I saw on that ICE portal which involved a final job offer and a start date.
It's true that they sent me a tentative offer. That's the email that I sent to you for the segment. But that is not all that they did.
BURNETT: Right. This was subsequent to that.
JEDEED: So, if we're talking about lazy lies and omissions, that would be them.
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BURNETT: Yeah. I mean, it's incredible. Can I just ask you, as everyone is trying to understand, you know, who's responding to the marketing and the push that's going out by ICE about defending the homeland? Did anything else stand out to you at the expo about who was there, what they were doing?
JEDEED: Yeah, well, it was pretty sparsely populated, which was a much smaller crowd than seemed -- they were expecting for this esports arena that they -- that they rented. When I talked to the deportation officer just to learn more about the job, he very clearly and said as much that he'd been talking to people who were raring to go, raring to get out in the street and cuff people. Very excited to go out there.
He wanted me to be very, very clear that my first six months probably wouldn't involve that. That would have to wait until later. And that's really the crux of this. You know, it's very funny that they offered me a job, a lefty journalist with a big internet footprint.
What's not as funny is the implications of this, because maybe this was just my application, but possibly it wasn't. Which means we don't know who is wearing those masks, carrying those guns in cities across the country. We don't know how many of those people have domestic violence convictions.
We don't know if they're guilty of sex crimes or pedophilia. These people who are supervising our detention centers with people who will neither be believed nor missed, you know, the more you think about it, the more disturbing this gets. And it's a little bit disturbing that the DHS isn't even curious about this. I feel like they should take this seriously. It's just another example of them not caring about anybody's safety at all.
BURNETT: Laura, thank you very much. Just a really incredible story, I think -- I think perhaps because exactly as you say, in a sense, you stumbled into it, right? You know, you didn't expect it to proceed as it did. And it's sort of stunning, absolutely, that it did. Thank you so much.
JEDEED: Thank you for having me on. I appreciate it.
BURNETT: All right. You, too.
And next, top Trump officials tonight defending the FBI search of a "Washington Post" reporter's home. The papers executive editor calling it, quote, "extraordinary and aggressive". And were going to talk to the mother of one of Elon Musk's children. She says Musk's A.I. tool, Grok, won't stop creating sexual images of her, something Musk is now disputing. What's her response and what's happening there?
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BURNETT: Tonight, there are growing questions about the FBI search of a "Washington Post" reporter's home. The executive editor of "The Washington Post" slamming the Trump administration for the search and seizure of multiple electronic devices, calling the action extraordinary and aggressive.
Now, that reporter is very well known and respected, Hannah Natanson. She published an extensive piece just a month ago on Trump's overhaul of the federal government. And in that report talked about receiving hundreds of tips from federal workers.
Now, the attorney general today claims Natanson reported on classified and illegally leaked information.
Brian Stelter is OUTFRONT.
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BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST (voice-over): Tonight, new alarm in newsrooms across America after the FBI executed a search warrant at the home of a "Washington Post" reporter? FBI agents looking for Hannah Natanson's devices seized a phone, two computers and a Garmin watch.
HANNAH NATANSON, REPORTER, WASHINGTON POST: I think our reporting did show that --
STELTER (voice-over): Natanson is not accused of any wrongdoing. The search warrant related to the case of a government contractor in Maryland who was arrested last week. FBI Director Kash Patel said an unnamed post reporter was, found to allegedly be obtaining and reporting classified, sensitive military information from a government contractor.
Patel said the alleged leaker is in custody and later in the day, President Trump raised eyebrows by saying this.
TRUMP: Leaker has been found and is in jail right now. And that's the leaker on Venezuela -- a very bad leaker.
STELTER (voice-over): It is not a crime for journalists to receive and report on leaks in the U.S., but it certainly is a sore spot for Trump.
TRUMP: We have leakers all over this place, but a lot of it isn't leaks. You know, a lot of it's just made up by the newspapers.
STELTER (voice-over): That was Trump in 2020, during one of his countless tirades against the media. Today's FBI search may be turning words into actions.
GABE ROTTMAN, VP OF POLICY, REPORTERS COMMITTEE: It's a tremendous escalation by the administration in their intrusion into the independence of the press. The Justice Department has never executed a search warrant at the home of a reporter in a national security leak case.
STELTER (voice-over): At "The Post" headquarters today, reporters gathered around Natanson's desk asking what happened during the raid and sharing support for her. One "Post" colleague writing online, this is an outrage and urging people to read her recent stories like this one, calling 2025 the year Trump broke the federal government.
In a late December column, Natanson said more than 1,000 tipsters from inside the government sent her messages on Signal, alerting her to changes and cutbacks at their workplaces. And last week, she was one of six reporters who wrote an exclusive story about Venezuela, citing secret government documents obtained by "The Post".
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STELTER (on camera): So this FBI search may be about one specific leak, but it is also a sharp escalation against the American news media more broadly. It is something that newsroom leaders and media lawyers have feared might happen during Trump's second term.
And ultimately, this affects everybody. Because if whistleblowers don't feel safe confiding in reporters, then fewer stories get told.
To that end, Natanson urged her colleagues to get back to work. Today, she said, look, I can't do much work right now. I don't have my cell phone. She said, quote, "The best thing you can do for me is keep reporting" -- Erin.
BURNETT: So important, as you point out, right? The implication of slamming, cutting off leaks, of course, is less information and truth coming out overall.
OUTFRONT now, the former Chicago mayor and the U.S. ambassador to Japan and former presidential chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. As I said, I was for Obama, that you were the chief of staff.
So, Rahm, I appreciate your time. Okay, on this issue, right, it's this extraordinary moment coming in, seizing a computer and phones. The attorney general, Pam Bondi, is defending it and she said, I wanted to read the full quote to you, mayor. The Trump administration will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a grave risk to our nation's national security.
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Okay, grave risks to our national security. I mean, obviously, you can put that up. It could either be real or it could be a complete fig leaf. How do you see it?
RAHM EMANUEL, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL & GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Look, I mean, what this administration is doing is body checking this reporter against the boards, to use a hockey metaphor. And it's a signal to all the other journalists and all the other people that want to be a source about what we have in the kind of public space. This for the grace of God, there goes I.
Remember, this is also an administration, a piece at the Defense Department had a bunch of journalists had to sign oaths, et cetera., and a lot of journalists were kicked out. You have this whole issue with an acquisition going on. And CNN's at play.
This is of a piece of a puzzle. They put their thumb on the scale of what kind of journalist they're going to permit, and what kind of journalists and journals they're not. And now, they're using the power of the state to make that happen.
You're living in a world where a woman was killed the other day in Minneapolis with a whistle and a car, and yet people are let out of jail from January 6th who are called patriotic, peace-loving people who were convicted. So, if it doesn't make sense to you, there's a reason, because this is not the America we know.
And so, this is all of a piece. And don't kid yourself, this does not happen in a functioning democracy where one of the most important sacred rights is the freedom of the press and the freedom of public debate.
BURNETT: You know, what's interesting is that we have seen Republicans raise real concerns specifically about the criminal investigation into Jerome Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve.
You know, some of the examples that you're talking about, you know, you don't hear the criticism from Republicans and from the right. But in the case of Jerome Powell, it's questions of whether it's a straw that broke the camel's back.
I mean, Ben Shapiro, obviously a top Trump voice asked, what's the case? Right. And Joe Rogan, he came out on immigration. Obviously, he had endorsed Trump on the eve of the election. He's both critical of the ICE shooting of Renee Good and about ICE overall.
He's using the word gestapo, Rahm. Let me play it.
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JOE ROGAN, PODCAST HOST: You don't want militarized people in the streets just roaming around snatching people up, many of which turn out to actually be U.S. citizens that just don't have their papers on them. Are we really going to be the gestapo? Where's your papers? Is that what we've come to?
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BURNETT: What's the significance of that, Rahm? Someone like Joe Rogan coming out and saying, are we really going to be the gestapo.
EMANUEL: Yeah, well, Joe Rogan raised his voice in a way that you wouldn't see in the Republican Congress and Republican Senate. It took a big supporter. The reason it's news is because of how loyal he is to the president.
You know, law enforcement have this term called the Kavanaugh stop. You literally had a Supreme Court justice say, well, you look at somebody and you have the right to go do what they did. That's an incredible license without any guardrails around it.
And to your comment about the Republicans found their footing around Joe -- around the Fed chair, Mr. Powell. Well, that -- well, that's good. I don't -- you don't get an A for showing up with a -- you know, your pencil at your SAT test here.
They have been silent for the last year, and the president has run roughshod. He's taken control of tariffs, and they didn't say anything or do anything. They literally have put the three monkeys, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil to shame. And so I'm happy that they finally found their footing and their voice and their courage around the Fed chair.
But there's a lot of other Americans whose rights are being violated. Who's -- the presidents usurping their power, and they have not found any compunction of their capacity as an independent, co-equal branch of government to speak up on behalf of their constituents. So, while I'm happy for that, I'm not impressed. They get a D-minus.
BURNETT: Yeah. Well, it's also interesting, as you say, right? Standing up for people is Joe Rogan said, we don't want militarized people snatching up people. You're not hearing that from Republicans in the third branch of government. You're just not co-equal, as you --
EMANUEL: I will say one --
BURNETT: Yeah.
EMANUEL: I will say one other thing, Erin. I apologize for interrupting. My grandfather on my mother's side fled the pogroms of Eastern Europe to come to a country that offered a promise of tomorrow. The idea that -- and that his grandson then becomes not only chief of staff, but mayor of a big city that he called home. The idea that you have now the federal government, through the FBI, going after a journalist, going after a woman who showed up in a protest expressing her First Amendment rights and materialism and killing her. You have a child now without a mother. This is not America. And he's turned it inside out and to the point of
what the Republicans need to do is actually understand what is happening to this country that will be on their legacy and their responsibility.
BURNETT: Mayor Emanuel, thank you very much.
EMANUEL: Thank you.
BURNETT: And next, the mother of one of Elon Musk's children speaking out, claiming Musk's A.I. tool named Grok, was used to create deepfake sexual images of her.
[19:40:05]
She's next.
Plus, what is it about this one Atlanta church that has people driving up to 15 hours and then waiting in long lines all night to attend a service.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whether we're young or old, black, white, brown, we all can agree that we live in a world that is broken.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Tonight, the mother of one of Elon Musk's children is speaking out and sounding the alarm about his A.I. tool named Grok. Ashley St. Clair says Grok was used to create deepfake sexual images of her, including photos of her as a child.
And St. Clair is not the only one who is reporting these types of disturbing images. It's impacting hundreds of thousands of women worldwide after people started flooding Grok with requests to take photos of mostly everyday women and put them in bikinis or remove their clothing.
[19:45:02]
Musk is now facing growing international pressure to respond. Grok was just blocked in Indonesia and Malaysia. The United Kingdom is threatening to ban the social media platform. California's attorney general just announcing an investigation. So far, though, Musk is taking no responsibility posting today that he's, quote, "not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok, literally zero."
Ashley St. Clair is OUTFRONT now.
And, Ashley, I really appreciate your taking the time to come on and talk about this because this is crucial for women, for children, for families around the world. So, Musk says Grok generated zero naked underage images. But you say
it undressed you in several photos, including one of when you were 14 years old.
ASHLEY ST. CLAIR, MOTHER OF ONE OF ELON MUSK'S SONS: That's correct. And what he said is deceptive at best, because while maybe there weren't actual nude images, it was pretty close to it. And the images that I saw not only of myself, but of I don't even know whose children who were undressed and covered in various fluids. The abuse was so widespread and so horrific, and it's still allowed to happen. They just released restrictions that are based on where it's illegal.
BURNETT: Okay, so Musk has promoted and touted what he's called Grok spicy mode. Okay? One point he shared a post that said Grok could put a bikini on everything and it was a toaster. So that's we can see that the bikini on the toaster there.
And his statement today, as I said, he obviously he said nothing about naked underage that he hadn't seen that. And then he said, obviously Grok does not spontaneously generate images. It does so only according to user requests. When asked to generate images, it will refuse to produce anything illegal.
What do you see between those lines, Ashley?
ST. CLAIR: That's not what I saw at all. Images I saw do seem to be illegal and even them coming out and now trying to place safeguards afterwards seems like an admission that they know that there has been an issue, that it has been creating non-consensual, sexually explicit images of women and children.
He is saying that people are making this up. And meanwhile, Ireland is probing over 200 cases of child sexual abuse material produced by Grok.
BURNETT: Two hundred?
ST. CLAIR: Two hundred.
BURNETT: And that's just in Ireland?
ST. CLAIR: And it's not only that, it's that he's placing the blame on the victims so that you -- if this happens to you, you have to go to your local law enforcement and take their resources and see if they can find this anonymous account instead of just turning the faucet off.
This is what's wrong, because they're hold -- they're handing a loaded gun to these people, watching them shoot everyone and then blaming them for pulling the trigger.
BURNETT: And I mean, what you're describing, I mean, I obviously haven't -- haven't seen the images, but you're talking about images of children covered in fluids. I don't need to say any more, but that's deeply, deeply disturbing what you're describing to even hear that. Now, look, you are choosing to speak out, okay, because you have a
voice on this, because people can hear you. People listen to you, but you face backlash since you chose to do that. You were banned from Twitter premium, right? So, you say there's been some things that have happened to you in terms of that.
You've had harassment, you've had attacks on X, right? The platform where Grok lives or whatever the right word may be. Why is it so important to you, Ashley, to take this extra step, to put your face out here like you are now?
ST. CLAIR: Because it's not just about me, it's about building systems and A.I. systems which can produce at scale and abuse women and children without repercussions. And there's really no consequences for what's happening right now. They are not taking any measures to stop this behavior at scale. They are saying we're going to make it illegal where it's illegal.
That is absent all morality. And guess what? If you have to add safety after harm, that is not safety at all. That is simply damage control. And that's what they're doing right now.
BURNETT: And also I guess in this context, it is disturbing when you think about, you know, the post that Elon Musk had originally put up about Grok and put a bikini on everything. Now he was talking about a toaster.
But sort of making light of all of it, given where it's gone, you would think it would be something you'd want to seize responsibility for, we're going to say, I'm outraged. We're going to stop this. That's not been the response.
ST. CLAIR: They're not. And people need to start asking questions not only to X and Elon, but also to the investors, because amidst this scandal, they raised $20 billion. While these women were in my DMs telling me they feel hopeless, they are distressed and they don't know how to get certain images removed.
BURNETT: Because you can't get them removed once it lives, it lives.
All right. So, Elon Musk has posted on X this week about you. Obviously, you're out talking about this and trying to raise awareness for this. He posted about you, "I'll be filing for full custody today, given her statements implying that she might transition a one-year-old boy." Now she's -- he's, I believe talking about your child, obviously did not imply that in the post that you posted that he's responding to, which I want to read to everybody so they can hear it for themselves.
[19:50:04]
You are apologizing for past comments that you made about the transgender community. You wrote, "I feel immense guilt for my role, and even more guilt that things I have said in the past may have caused my son's sister more pain." Your son's sister is another one of Musk's children who has transitioned. What's your response when that's the post this week?
ST. CLAIR: I'm not at liberty to discuss it further, but I think anyone with more than a third grade reading comprehension level knows what I was saying there.
BURNETT: Yeah, I mean, you -- I guess, have so many questions to ask you, and I know you're not at liberty to talk about things like custody and that, but I guess I'm curious in all of this how hard it must be for you.
I mean, do you want your child to have a relationship with his father?
ST. CLAIR: I cannot discuss that right now.
BURNETT: Right. You can't -- you can't even talk about that. So, I guess in the context of this, what do you do now?
ST. CLAIR: I'd like to keep the focus on this issue at hand, because I think there's a lot of people, especially with very tabloidy tweets, that are trying to distract from this issue because it is a big is a big issue. They are facing immense backlash from multiple countries, and they are trying to move something to the second page of Google because they want it to go away.
And I don't think we should make it go away. I think this needs to stay center focused until there is regulations and protections and safety for people being abused by these very new platforms, these new technologies.
BURNETT: Yeah.
ST. CLAIR: And you can't brag and take credit for being a disruptor in an industry and then absolve yourself of all liability once this damage and harm is done.
BURNETT: All right. Well, Ashley, thank you very much. I appreciate your time and your speaking out.
ST. CLAIR: Thanks, Erin.
BURNETT: And next, we're going to take you to an Atlanta church that is exploding in popularity. Some people are actually driving 15 hours to attend this service. And we're going to show you exactly what it is that is attracting them.
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[19:55:37]
BURNETT: Tonight, the power of the pulpit. An Atlanta pastor at 2819 Church named after a bible verse exploding in popularity. And it's a stunning story. Thousands of people gather at his church every Sunday. They line up before dawn just to hear Philip Anthony Mitchell preach.
Now, one person our reporter spoke to drove 15 hours to attend a service.
And so, Ryan Young went and visited the church and wait until you see this report OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILIP ANTHONY MITCHELL, 2819 CHURCH PASTOR: Doctor's report still standing. Betrayal still standing. Lost a job still standing. Is anybody happy that you're still standing? Give God praise.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They come here from all over.
MITCHELL: Since we're in America and I know we're mad, materialistic, wanting to hear Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell. The greatest reward you'll get in prayer is not something you can touch.
YOUNG (voice-over): A Queens, New York, native son to immigrant parents from Trinidad who graduated from North Carolina Central University with honors before founding 2819 church in south Atlanta, named after a bible verse --
MITCHELL: 2819 was taken from a scripture, Matthew 2819 and that scripture Matthew records what's called the great commission.
(SINGING)
MITCHELL: I think it's a revival that's happening in America through 2819 and around the world. People are coming in here and they're finding a message of hope. They're being encouraged.
The devil took his best shot last year, but he's still standing, though.
We want to create an atmosphere that's not so stuffy that anybody can come from any walk of life and feel comfortable.
YOUNG: The suns not even up yet. These folks are all waiting in line.
So where did y'all drive from?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We drove from Ohio.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I left about 9:00 last night and drove.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I get up at 3:30 in the morning every Sunday.
YOUNG: What motivates you guys to be here this early in the morning to wait in line for church?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We wait for other things in life in line. This is -- this is worth it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's refreshing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It feels like family. When you get here, you'll feel -- you'll feel the spirit.
MITCHELL: Does anybody got that kind of testimony? All right. You give him praise in this house.
YOUNG (voice-over): Philip Anthony Mitchell's followers believe they are hearing an authentic message from God.
MITCHELL: Three a.m., 3:00 a.m. there, I am weeping on the floor as I'm hearing this warning of God that time is coming to an end.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've been watching a lot online, so a lot on social media. Everyone's saying that like, this is this is where it is. You know, the presence of God is here.
YOUNG: What made you want to come from eastern North Carolina to hear?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The message.
YOUNG: Why do you think this message is spreading the way it is?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's raw. It's things that you really don't hear from the pulpit.
MITCHELL: This ain't no pep talk, this real life. Come on, put your hands together and give him praise.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, we live in a culture where people love to follow hype. But I think what underscores that culture is people's desire for something more
MITCHELL: Yes, people do stand in line for hours to get into these gatherings, but something is happening on the inside that's making them to want to be out there. I do feel overwhelmed at the amount of people.
But all of the things that we are busying ourselves with --
YOUNG (voice-over): Pastor Mitchell says he wasn't always pointed toward God. In fact, he described having a troubled past in New York before telling us he encountered God in a bathroom after his girlfriend survived a bad car crash.
MITCHELL: I knew I was different, my heart was different. Something changed in my heart, and for the first time, I felt bad about the wrong that I was doing. So, God literally met me in that bathroom, November 2003. And that day changed the whole trajectory of my life.
To all of our digital disciples watching live right now across America and around the world, you are our family.
YOUNG (voice-over): About 6,000 currently attend the gatherings each Sunday, up from just 200 when 2819 rebranded three years ago. The church says they continue to grow with over 72 million viewers on YouTube reaching over 50 countries. YOUNG: Clearly, your message and the message that you're preaching is
starting to reach a point where it's not just an Atlanta thing anymore.
MITCHELL: Whether we're young or old, black, white, brown, we all can agree that we live in a world that is broken when we see violent weather patterns, we see wars, we see crime, murders, lawlessness.
I want to be faithful to whatever the Bible says.
YOUNG (voice-over): Ryan Young, CNN, Atlanta
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: And thanks so much for joining us.
"AC360" begins now.
