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Isa Soares Tonight

White House Blames Elected Democrats For Recent Events In Minneapolis; More Than 200 Million People In The U.S. Are Now Under Alert For Extreme Cold; Israel Recovers The Body Of The Last Remaining Hostage In Gaza; Israel Recovers Body Of Last Hostage In Gaza; U.S. Carrier Strike Group Now In Indian Ocean; WH Holds First Briefing Since Fatal Shooting Of Pretti; Trump Sending Tom Homan To Minnesota; CNN Goes Inside Camp For ISIS-Linked Women And Children; Venezuela's Rodriguez Resists U.S. Pressure. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired January 26, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, the White House blames elected Democrats

for recent events in Minneapolis. A U.S. citizen was fatally shot by federal agents over the weekend.

We'll have much more on the shooting as well as the anger in Minnesota. Then, after a monster storm lashed across the United States, more than 200

million people are now under alert for extreme cold. We'll have the very latest on the dangerous conditions.

Plus, Israel recovers the body of the last remaining hostage in Gaza. We'll explore what that now means for the peace plan. That, and much more ahead

this hour.

But first, tonight, as the anger builds on the streets of the twin cities over the shooting death of another U.S. citizen by federal agents, there

are signs that the crisis that sent shockwaves right across the country may have reached a crossroads. That is the question.

U.S. President Donald Trump says Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called him today to quote, "work together", and says the two are on a similar

wavelength. Those are his words. The governor says the President agreed to consider reducing the number of agents in Minnesota.

The White House, though, continues to blame -- place the blame on Democrats for the shooting death of Alex Pretti. Here is the press secretary just

speaking moments ago. Karoline Leavitt, have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Let's be clear about the circumstances which led to that moment on Saturday. This tragedy occurred

as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota.

For weeks, Governor Walz and the Mayor Jacob Frey and other elected Democrats were spreading lies about federal law enforcement officers who

are risking their lives daily to remove the worst criminal illegal aliens from our streets, murderers, rapists, pedophiles, human traffickers and

gang members.

Governor Walz and Mayor Frey have shamefully blocked local and state police from cooperating with ICE, actively inhibiting efforts to arrest violent

criminals. They have also used their platforms to encourage left-wing agitators to stalk, record, confront and obstruct federal officers who were

just trying to lawfully perform their duties.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, Mr. Trump says he's sending White House border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to manage the ICE operation on the ground. Meantime, there are

two critical hearings today related to the case. In the first, the state is trying to get a temporary restraining order to put a stop to the surge that

we've seen federal agents into the twin cities.

That hearing ended just minutes ago without a decision from the judge. And in the next hour, the state seeks to prevent the destruction or the

altering of evidence in Alex Pretti shooting. It's all amid growing calls from both sides of the aisle for a full investigation into the killing.

Well, the Trump administration officials said it was Alex Pretti who was solely to blame for his own death. But multiple videos taken at the scene

don't seem to support that claim. We are going to take a look at the moments leading up to the death of intensive care nurse.

We do want to warn you, the video is disturbing. Now, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti approached agents with a nine millimeter

semi-automatic handgun. But in this video, as you can see, Pretti very clearly is carrying a phone, not a gun.

Then seconds later, an agent removes a firearm from Pretti's belt. Pretti was a licensed gun owner who was shot multiple -- while multiple agents

were on top of him, as you can see him right there on the ground. And we'll have much more on the scene-by-scene and CNN analysis, of course, of these

videos later in the show.

Let's get more, though, what we've heard in the last few hours, in the last few moments, in fact, from Karoline Leavitt, a senior -- a senior reporter

Stephen Collinson is with me now. And Stephen, let me start, first of all, with what you made of what we heard from Karoline Leavitt.

Because we heard, you know, quite a change in tone from the President, saying that him and Governor Walz were kind of on the same page. There was

a productive call. And then we heard the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt really going on the attack against Walz.

[14:05:00]

Just what stood out to you from what we heard from her?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, I think some of the tactics here on the part of the White House are that, she came out very

strongly, restating the fact that this was all the Democrats fault. But that does seem to be giving a little bit of political cover for a slight

adjustment from the White House today.

The fact that Tom Homan, the border czar is going to Minnesota to take control of this operation, and the fact that the President spoke to Walz,

the governor of Minnesota, and said that it was a positive call. It does hint at the idea that the administration realizes that at least, the public

face of this operation is not politically sustainable at this point following another horrific killing which shocked many Americans over the

weekend.

This is not just happening in Minnesota. As soon as these things take place, they flash up on everybody's mobile phones. So, it's becoming almost

a national conversation and reckoning rather than just an isolated incident. And that's why its political reverberations are happening so

quickly.

There is clear concern among Republicans on Capitol Hill. I don't think that we're going to see a shift in the wider deportation push from the

Trump administration, because that is something that's central to the political project of Trumpism. But the fact that they want to make it look

-- perhaps, you know, the President doesn't seem to have confidence, perhaps any more in some of the other people that have been out there from

his administration.

Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security Secretary, Greg Bovino, the border protection senior official who went out there and created this narrative

that many people saw later on their phones, was not true about what they were saying about the shooting, and which you were referring to at the

beginning there.

So, there's a credibility problem for some of these officials, that is creating -- translating into political pressure for Trump. And that might

explain what we've been seeing today from the White House.

SOARES: Yes, and Karoline Leavitt was asked numerous times about the border czar Tom Homan's presence and what that meant in relation to Kristi Noem.

And -- but it does seem that they're trying to downplay any sort of appearance, right, of conflict between both sides. Speak to that.

COLLINSON: Yes, and there have been reporting from inside the Department of Homeland Security with some of my colleagues here in Washington. There is

concern about the belligerent public performances of Kristi Noem and this other official, Greg Bovino. We should say that Tom Homan is by no means a

shrinking violet.

He's a pretty brazen public performer as well, but at least, he has a lot more experience in running a lot of these operations. He even worked as

Karoline Leavitt, pointed out as an immigration enforcement official during the Obama administration. So, perhaps, you could see some changes to the

posture of these agents on the street.

I think what the White House tried to do today is put the focus back on this as an operation to go after undocumented migrants who are violent

criminals. That is their main thrust. And that's where they believe that the people are still with them. The problem is, is that almost -- well, a

majority of people who are being swept up in these enforcement dragnets are not criminals at all.

We saw a number of occasions last week, for example, when there was a five- year-old boy --

SOARES: Yes --

COLLINSON: That was detained by the border forces. These sort of tableaus make Americans upset. They don't -- what they want is a strong border. That

was one of the reasons why Trump got elected. But they don't necessarily want everybody that's undocumented migrant deported or arrested, or federal

agents cruising through their streets in SUVs and taking an aggressive posture.

That is something that they don't want. And there's a split now between border enforcement and the enforcement of deportations on the street in the

eyes of many Americans. And that's got political impacts.

SOARES: Yes, there seems to be a trust and credibility deficit, that is for sure, Stephen, appreciate it. Thank you very much indeed --

COLLINSON: Right --

SOARES: We're going to stay in this story because Minneapolis is seething with anger today. And that might be an understatement. This was the scene

on Sunday night outside a hotel that protesters believed was housing federal agents. Just have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHAOS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:10:00]

SOARES: And just heard and saw there, demonstrators trying to get into the hall, but then being held back. Federal agents eventually used chemical

munitions to force them to disperse. It is just one example of how anger over the immigration crackdown and the shooting of Alex Pretti is boiling

over.

Joining us to help us really understand the reaction to all of this, DeRusha; he is a radio personality in Minneapolis and the host of 'Drive

Time with DeRusha". Great to see you again, Jason, really appreciate it. I wish we didn't have to speak again about the events, the tragic events that

we have seen in Minneapolis.

But give us a sense, first of all, I mean, how this is just escalated even further than last time you and I spoke. We saw those scenes outside of

hotel. Give us a sense of the mood on the ground just following this horrendous weekend.

JASON DERUSHA, RADIO HOST: You know, it is a contrasting situation because you have exactly what you saw and you showed outside the hotels, which is a

tactic we've seen from protesters going to where they think ICE agents are staying and trying to disrupt it.

There also is great sorrow here. There is another life lost just after really a day of optimism, I think. I was personally shocked and moved by

seeing tens of thousands of people marching peacefully in the streets of downtown Minneapolis when the air temperature was 20 degrees below, the

wind-chill was 40 below Celsius.

I mean, it was incredibly cold and people were out there raising their voices. So, Friday, you had that, and then Saturday, you had Alex Pretti's

murder. And the anger, I think, really goes to this trust issue you were just talking about --

SOARES: Yes --

DERUSHA: Stuff can go wrong, but don't lie to us when your own government is telling you a version of a story that this guy was trying to inflict

maximum damage? Give me a break. The video does not show that. Nothing shows that. And I think that's really what has been a tipping point for a

lot of people.

SOARES: Yes, because we've heard from the administration's words describing as an assassin, a domestic terrorist. But their version of accounts, Jason,

just does not match what we are all seeing, right? What our eyes are showing us. So, this goes beyond trust. This goes now to the credibility.

How can we come out of this? You've heard, of course, the President saying that he's sending his border czar, Tom Homan, he's spoken to Governor Tim

Walz, they had a good conversation. Do you think -- I mean, does this suggest to you that the administration is potentially looking for an off-

ramp here?

DERUSHA: I think so, and this is the first time that Tim Walz and President Trump spoke. As far as we know, during this entire ordeal, Tom Homan, as

your analyst said, is no shrinking violet. But there are different approaches to how you can go after people who are here without proper

documentation.

Illegal aliens, however you want to describe it, you can go to the areas where you have the largest number of people who are here illegally, or you

can go to the small Midwestern state that borders Canada. The way they've been doing this here, there has been quite a bit of reporting that there's

been a difference of opinion in the Trump administration.

And Homan has sort of advocated for the -- let's go to the areas where you have more dangerous, undocumented people.

SOARES: Can you give us some color at all, Jason, on some of the calls that you've received, of course, just over the weekend and today as well? What

are callers telling you? What are they asking you?

DERUSHA: You know, today, what you're seeing is, more people who are very supportive of the idea of having strong border enforcement, strong

immigration enforcement, but saying we need a break. There are many Trump- supporting Republican elected officials in Minnesota have started to call for a break.

So, I do think there's a point of inflection here where even those who support the goals of the Trump administration are saying, this ain't it.

SOARES: We've heard, and I'm sure you heard in the press from White House Press Secretary, she basically went out and blamed Democrats. She said

"this tragedy occurred as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota."

How much -- that does not help to really smooth any of these tensions out. How do people view some of the comments that we are hearing from this

administration? Because going back to your point that you were making earlier, the question of credibility, the question of trust is now at

stake.

DERUSHA: Right. You know, I think you have to ask, is Karoline Leavitt a serious person? Is she seriously speaking for what the administration's

moves are, or is this a little bit of red meat being thrown out to Republican-elected officials and Trump supporters who have spent the last

couple of weeks blaming all of this on Democrats?

[14:15:00]

So, maybe you give them a little bit of cover, Karoline Leavitt said what you wanted to be said, and now we get down to the grown-ups doing the real

work. Tom Homan, Governor Tim Walz, the fact that these guys are talking, I think people aren't going to worry too much about all of the statements.

We've heard a lot of talk over the last couple of weeks. Now, it's going to be about action. Do we see fewer aggressive, interactions in the street

with ICE agents going after people? Do we see maybe a winding down of the number of federal troops who were here? And then we're watching the courts,

too, to see what they decide based on --

SOARES: Of course --

DERUSHA: This morning's hearing.

SOARES: And we're waiting to see that in the next hour. Do you think the protests, though, Jason, protesters will continue to come out?

DERUSHA: Yes -- no -- yes, absolutely.

SOARES: Yes --

DERUSHA: I think they will. But it's also important to remember I went down to the memorial site for Alex Pretti this weekend because I just wanted to

connect with the people who are feeling this. There's something about physically going to the site, and it was somber. It was moving, and it was

a reminder that we're talking about people here.

These are people who had families, who had lives, who made an impact on the community. And I think that humanity, if we can focus on the humanity,

well, then --

SOARES: Yes --

DERUSHA: We can figure this out. If it's just going to be political arguments, God help us all. It's not going to go well.

SOARES: Yes, well said, Jason. Appreciate it. Jason DeRusha there, thank you, Jason. Good to see you. And to give you a sense of what Minneapolis is

like today from a law enforcement standpoint, it's worth noting that the city's police force has about 600 officers in it.

Donald Trump's operation Metro Surge has sent about 3,000 federal officers to the city, meaning federal law enforcement outnumbers police in the city

by about 5 to 1. Joining us now is CNN's chief law enforcement and Intelligence analyst, John Miller. John, great to great to -- great to have

you on the show.

We heard my guests there from Minneapolis saying, you know, that border czar Tom Homan is no shrinking flower. I wonder what you make of his

departure, I think -- I think Karoline said he was leaving at some point today. What does that indicate to you? Because the administration has been

trying to downplay the appearance of conflict between Kristi Noem and the border czar?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT & INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, the border czar is heading to Minneapolis to basically become the face and the

voice of this operation. Up until now, it's been Greg Bovino, who is an official of Customs and Border Protection, the border patrol, and he has

been in uniform.

I think the move to put Homan there as perhaps the face and the voice is to get someone who is not in uniform, in civilian clothes, he's the associate

deputy director for Emergency Removal Operations, which is the main effort to deport as many of these people as possible, and to start to repair with

someone who has had regular dealings with law enforcement.

Some of these broken relationships, Isa, you'll see over the weekend on Saturday night, the IACP, International Association of Chiefs of Police

issued a press release saying that they need to have a meeting with the White House and federal law enforcement groups so that local and federal

law enforcement can forge a constructive path forward.

This is a real sign of a fracture between police and their federal counterparts in multiple cities growing out of these operations.

SOARES: Two questions. Let me put your -- get your take, first of all, John, what we've heard -- just what we've heard from the administration

regarding the fatal shooting. I'm just going to talk through some of what we've heard, some of the arguments from administration. First, we heard

Kristi Noem claiming that Pretti attacked officers, an assertion that was then echoed, I think by the FBI Director Kash Patel.

Then no one claimed that Pretti was brandishing a gun. White House deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller referred to Pretti as an assassin who tried

to murder federal agents. Is there anything -- and I'm sure you've gone through the footage numerous times.

Is there a single shred of evidence suggests, from what you've seen so far, that the government is right on any of those assertions before even

actually investigating this?

MILLER: So, so far, no. I mean, the unusual aspect here is that you have a protester who comes to a protest as an activist who is carrying a firearm.

Now, parentheses there, he has a license for it. He has a right to carry it. He's carrying it legally, but it is unusual for people who know they

may be coming into a dust-up with law enforcement, whether it's local or federal, to have firearms.

Because as it's been pointed out, that can raise the stakes very quickly in a case like that. But regardless, nothing they said about him pulling it,

him brandishing it, him threatening anybody with it, none of that occurred.

[14:20:00]

I mean, the video analysis done by CNN, which isn't final, but it's very demonstrative shows that as they turn him over and they're struggling with

him, they remove a gun from what appears to be an inside-the-pants holster in the small of his back, and that they take it out of the melee, and that

the shots are fired after that.

He did not approach them with a weapon, according to the video. The video shows us having them approach him and then getting into a fight over

shoving a protester --

SOARES: Yes --

MILLER: So, the first story is normally never right. It's the --

SOARES: Yes --

MILLER: The first take on information, and it has to be put together. The problem --

SOARES: Yes --

MILLER: Is that they haven't really changed their narrative significantly since then.

SOARES: Yes, then caveat that when they make a statement, right? Saying it's preliminary information, we'll give you more, and then they give us

more information. That's what we normally get to see. Very briefly, before we go, we heard the Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying that President

Trump has not committed to releasing the body-cam -- body camera footage in the shooting of Alex Pretti.

Why do you think that he wouldn't -- they wouldn't release it? I mean, he may end up releasing, but she said that's not something I've heard the

President commit to.

MILLER: Well, our analysis of the video indicates that there appears to be at least, two agents who have body cameras on, that are part of that arrest

that leads to the shooting and the death. That will clearly be a part of whatever FBI and HSI investigation is going on to this.

The reasons to not release it may be because it's material to the investigation, and it would be too early. The reasons to release it would

be out of transparency, and we'll have to see what the administration decides is within their interests. I don't think we'll see it released any

time soon, though.

SOARES: Yes, and that's what many people are calling for, more transparency. John Miller, appreciate it as always, John. Thank you.

MILLER: Thanks, Isa.

SOARES: We're going to stay in the United States because at least, 12 people across the U.S. have died this weekend due to a monster Winter storm

and plunging temperatures. At least, 18 states saw major snowfall. We really mean major. Look at those images.

Two hundred million people remain under cold temperature alerts. And for the areas that didn't get snow, well, freezing rain and black ice remain a

threat. That ice and snow causing power lines to collapse, more than 700,000 customers are still without power across several states, and the

weather also wreaked havoc on air traffic as you can imagine.

More than 4,000 flights were canceled today, on top of more than 11,000 flights canceled on Sunday. And schools in several major cities have either

canceled classes or moved to remote learning. Our Isabel Rosales joins us now from Nashville, that's where hundreds of thousands of power outages

have occurred.

Isabel, great to see you. Just give us a sense of what you are seeing, how people have been coping just over the weekend.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, so, I'm by the Tennessee state capitol just a couple of blocks away from Broadway Street, that infamous

street in Nashville where you see all of the bars, the honky-tonks where people come to enjoy a good time.

And here in the main arteries, if we turn the camera around to the roads, you can see they've done a great job pre-treating the roads, clearing them

out in these major arteries. But then when you get deeper into the suburbs, into east Nashville, it is a mess out there, Isa.

We had the snowstorm roll in through the weekend, then that freezing rain came down, and that takes a heavy toll on trees, on roadways. As we can see

right here, this is what happens when you have subfreezing temperatures, when you have that ice accumulation engulfing the trees like this.

It creates this weight where it'd be pretty any other -- in any other story, right? A Pretti wonderland, Winter wonderland if it weren't so

dangerous. Because this is what happens. Able, capable, heavy enough to split a tree like this, even bigger trees into pieces. This falls on

roadways.

It falls on houses, it can fall and has fallen on power lines, knocking out power. Yesterday, we saw 92 percent of the county here without power. So,

the other challenging part to this, is that, there's no big warm-up expected any time soon. Dangerous, bitter, brutal cold here in the next

couple of days.

In fact, the low temperature tomorrow morning is zero degrees Fahrenheit. That has only happened twice here in Nashville in the past 25 years. And

looking into next week, the highest temperature is 24 degrees. Usually, the high around this time of the year is 50 degrees.

So, that's a full 26 degree drop than what we normally see. And the winds also creating a challenge here. So, the snowstorm is out of the way, but

the domino effect is still going. Those winds, 20 to 25 miles per hour. That can also knock down these trees that are already bearing the weight of

this ice.

[14:25:00]

Now, outages is the big story here. I mentioned that yesterday it was 92 percent of the county that had a power outage. Right now, it's 37 percent

of customers here in Nashville. Listen real quick to what the head of the utility had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRENT BAKER, NASHVILLE ELECTRIC FORCE: This is going to be a historic event. It has, you know, gotten us up to 230,000 outages yesterday. We were

down to 175,000 now. So, overnight, restored 60,000 customers. We'll continue to make progress. But this event is still a weather event ongoing.

The trees are still continuing to fall, which is causing issues with restoration and with more outages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And they have over 300 linemen out there right now trying to restore that power. But again, not out of the woods, and unfortunately,

this is all super dangerous. Three weather-related deaths so far in the state of Tennessee. Isa.

SOARES: Stay safe, Isabel, thank you very much indeed. Isabel Rosales there for us in Nashville, Tennessee. Well, still to come tonight, for the first

time in years, there are no Israeli hostages in Gaza. The IDF says the body of the final hostage has now been recovered. What that means for the next

phase of the ceasefire just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Welcome back, everyone! High stakes talks on ending the war in Ukraine are set to resume in Abu Dhabi later this week. That is according

to U.S. and Ukrainian officials. And it comes after Ukrainian, Russian as well as American negotiators sat down together over the weekend for the

first time since the war began.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says talks focused on military issues. But the Kremlin said territorial issues remain unresolved. Russia

has reiterated its stance that Ukraine should cede the Donbas region, made up of Donetsk and Luhansk, as you can see on the map, a demand Ukraine has

repeatedly rejected.

Well, Israel's military says it has fulfilled its promise to, quote, "never leave anyone behind in Gaza". Today, it announced the remains of the final

hostage have now been recovered. The IDF released this video of troops singing the Israeli national anthem as they gathered around the coffin of

Ran Gvili.

Hamas says his return demonstrates its complete commitment to the first phase of the ceasefire deal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says

Israel is now at the threshold of the next stage, which he defines as the disarming of Hamas, not the reconstruction of Gaza.

I want to bring in our Jeremy Diamond for us in Jerusalem. And Jeremy, closure, of course, for Ran Gvili's family who have been waiting for the

body of their loved ones for so long. Tell us about this last hostage, and what this means critically, for the second phase, of course, of the peace

plan.

[14:30:12]

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, closure for Ran Gvili's family but also closure really for this entire country of Israel who for

843 days waited for the last of the hostages taken on October 7th to finally be returned.

And indeed, Ran Gvili was the last deceased hostage to be returned from Gaza whose body was taken into Gaza on October 7th. It also marks in fact

the first moment since 2014 that no Israeli has been held hostage inside of the Gaza Strip. And so, indeed in many ways the closing of a very dark

chapter in Israel's history.

Ran Gvili's body was recovered from a inside of the Gaza Strip. On the Israeli controlled side, we should note, of the yellow line in Gaza after

the Israeli military received intelligence about the whereabouts of his body.

But as you note, Isa, this is also the beginning of the next phase of this ceasefire agreement and it should in theory allow for that phase two of

this ceasefire agreement to move forward with fewer Israeli objections. But it doesn't seem that way quite yet.

The Israeli prime minister, as you noted, said that for him phase two is not about the reconstruction of Gaza but rather about the disarmament of

Hamas. That is very much at odds with what U.S. officials have been saying about this second phase of the agreement as they talk about, yes, on the

one hand the disarmament of Hamas but also very much in the same breath the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip and officials involved in this next phase of

the agreement very much understand how desperate and dire the humanitarian conditions and in particular the housing conditions are on the ground for

Gaza's population of more than 2 million people.

We do expect that the return of Ran Gvili's body means that the Rafah Crossing which has been closed for so many months now will finally be able

to open for Palestinians to go to Egypt and also for Palestinians who left Gaza to be able to return should they choose to do so for the first time in

a very long time.

Gaza's civil defense that the primary rescue operation inside the Gaza Strip is also calling for Israel to now allow the entry of heavy machinery

in light of the return of Ran Gvili's body so that the bodies of thousands of other people Palestinians inside the Gaza Strip whose bodies have been

under the rubble can finally be recovered. Isa.

SOARES: Jeremy Diamond for us there with the very latest in Jerusalem. Thanks very much, Jeremy. Well Iran is warning against any aggression as

the U.S. builds up military forces in the region. Sources telling CNN a U.S. carrier strike group is now in the Indian Ocean putting it closer to

assist in any potential attack.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened military intervention over Iran's brutal crackdown on protesters although he's reportedly still

considering options. A U.S. based human rights group says more than 5,500 protesters in Iran have been killed since anti-government demonstrations if

you remember began last month. It says an additional 17,000 deaths are still being reviewed. We will stay across the latest on out of Iran for you

right here on the show.

And still to come tonight we are hearing the first statements from the White House since that deadly weekend shooting in Minneapolis. Those

details for you just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:00]

SOARES: Welcome back everyone. New reaction from the White House following the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Moments ago, Press

Secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed elected Democrats for the unrest. Her comments came shortly after President Trump wrote on social media that he

had, quote, "very good call" with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Meanwhile, the Minneapolis community is in mourning. Wrapped up against the cold, bitter cold, people gathered for vigils on Sunday. Flowers, candles

and signs all in remembrance of the 37-year-old ICU nurse. Pretti's death marks the second time this month a U.S. citizen has been shot and killed by

federal agents. Federal officials insist Alex Pretti was shot in self- defense.

Now, CNN has been combing through the videos from the scene and the footage we have seen does not support that claim by the administration. Our Sara

Sidner has the details. And a warning for you, the following video is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the clearest angle of the shooting as it happened. That is Alex

Pretti recording on his cell phone as Border Patrol agents arrive outside the donut shop.

He goes into the street, waving cars through. Now, here is how the Department of Homeland Security described how Pretti approached federal

agents.

KRISTI NOEM, DHS SECRETARY: An individual approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.

SIDNER (voice-over): That's not what video shows. It shows federal agents approach Pretti. All he has in his hand is a cell phone, not a gun. Then

you see him moving one protester away from agents, while agents shove another to the ground. As he tries to help the protester they shoved,

agents deploy pepper spray. Three wrestle him to the ground. More join in.

From another angle, you see one agent punching him in the face with a canister of pepper spray in his hand. Pretti is on the ground under them.

Nothing appears in his hands. You can see an officer in a gray jacket walk into frame. Seconds later, agents shout, he's got a gun. One agent removes

a gun from Pretti's belt. He steps away from the scene carrying a firearm seen here in his right hand. It turns out, state authorities say Pretti has

a license to legally carry a gun, but you never see him draw it.

Instead, an agent draws his gun while standing above Pretti and fires the first shot. Pretti survives somehow rising up to his knees. Then agents

fire at least 10 more times. Pretti's body slumps face down in the street, lifeless. But federal authorities weren't done with their accusations

against him.

GREG BOVINO, U.S. BORDER PATROL COMMANDER: This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law

enforcement.

SIDNER (voice-over): Pretti's neighbor Chris Gray says that couldn't be farther from the truth.

CHRIS GRAY, ALEX PRETTI'S NEIGHBOR: Well, everything they say about my neighbors is a lie.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: That's our Sara Sidner reporting now. Well, joining us now senior political analyst Ron Brownstein. Ron, great to see you. Great to have you

on the show. Let me start, if I may, from what we've heard from President Trump on Truth Social, said that he had spoken to Governor Tim Walz. I

think he said that he had a good call. I think the word he used was we're in a similar wavelength. That was all cordial.

[14:40:00]

And then we had Karoline Leavitt in the last 45 minutes. And then she said, this tragedy occurred as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by

Democrat leaders in Minnesota, calling the protest agitators. I mean, we're getting serious whiplash. Help us make sense of these two narratives here.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, look, you know, as I said back to Trump's first term, he governs as a wartime president with

blue America rather than any foreign adversary as the enemy. In every way possible, this kind of use of force, cutting off federal funds, arresting

and investigating blue state, elected officials, he has tried to squeeze the areas of the country that are most resistant to him. But he ultimately

does reflect political reality. He lives in political gravity.

And I believe that he is in the process of inadvertently demonstrating that you simply cannot address the undocumented immigrant problem in the U.S.,

situation in the U.S., at scale, at an acceptable cost to the American people.

You know, you look at the cracks in the Republican coalition that have emerged today, media voices like the New York Post and the Wall Street

Journal, members of Congress, Republican gubernatorial candidates in Minnesota dropped out today, saying he could not defend the administration

conduct. And I think Trump recognizes, even if he is reluctant to do so, that he is on an unsustainable course.

SOARES: And I'm glad you brought some of the Republican voices now speaking out loudly over this. I also saw the Wall Street Journal opinion piece. Let

me play what the Oklahoma Republican governor, Kevin Stitt, told our Dana Bash. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. KEVIN STITT (R-OK): Broad agreement. President Trump closed the border, promised to get violent criminals out of our country. And I think

everybody agrees with that. But now Americans are asking themselves, what is the end game? What is the solution? And, you know, we believe in

federalism and state rights, and nobody likes feds coming into their state. And so, what's the goal right now? Is it to deport every single non-U.S.

citizen? I don't think that's what Americans want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: That is such a good question. I think you posed in line with that. You wrote in your article for Bloomberg, in all these actions, Trump is

recklessly unraveling the threads that bind together America. The scariest part is that even he cannot know in advance when he's gone too far to turn

back. So, what is then the end game? How did you turn this around?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think the end game is becoming apparent. You know, as the governor suggests, from the beginning, the American public has

differentiated between Trump's actions to regain control of the border, which they largely support, and which they criticize Biden for his handling

of, and the way that they are dealing with this mass deportation inside of the U.S.

I think that Stephen Miller and others in the administration envisioned a kind of Sherman march to the sea in the Civil War, where they would go

through at least blue cities and blue states, one by one, with this kind of application of force, which is both aimed at the undocumented population,

but also meant to send a signal about subjugating blue places that resist the administration. But they've kind of run into -- to switch metaphors or

switch wars, they've kind of run into their Stalingrad in Minneapolis.

I mean, it is just -- it -- can anyone imagine them now replicating these tactics serially in San Jose, Boston, Denver, Seattle, much less in New

York City? I think they have inadvertently demonstrated that the costs of trying to deal with this issue solely through an iron fist are higher than

the vast majority of Americans will accept, and even a substantial minority of Republicans will affect.

I think that they are inadvertently proving that their approach to this is ineffectual and cannot reach the levels that they were originally hoping to

affect.

SOARES: Ron, always great to get your insight. Thank you very much indeed, Ron Brownstein, there, live for us. Thank you, Ron.

And still to come tonight --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of the guards drove us around the camp. We were told it was too dangerous to

walk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: -- CNN goes inside a Kurdish-controlled detention camp for women and children linked to ISIS as the fate of Syria after Bashar al-Assad

hangs in the balance.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:45:00]

SOARES: Well, to northeast Syria, where tensions remain high between the government and local Kurdish forces. A fragile ceasefire that was extended

Saturday appears to be largely holding, but attempts by Damascus to forcibly integrate the Kurds into Syria's military are being met with

resistance. Our Ben Wedeman reports from Kurdish-held northeastern Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN (voice-over): The men and boys are on high alert, machine guns at the ready, at checkpoints around the Kurdish-controlled town of Malikiyah.

They fear the Syrian Army, fresh from victories against their fellow Kurds in Aleppo and Raqqa is coming their way.

For years, we were allies, says Amja Dabar Aatai (ph), And then at the last moment the American go with Julani, with ISIS.

Julani, the nom de guerre of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa until a decade ago, a leader of an al Qaeda affiliate. The U.S. position is that

the time has come for the Kurds to integrate into the Syrian Army.

The next morning at a school hosting people fleeing the fighting, we found few were buying America's prescription.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) you, Donald Trump. (INAUDIBLE) you --

WEDEMAN (voice-over): And the same goes to the U.N. and the Security Council, says Abul Diar (ph). He came with his wife, his sons, and his

grandchildren -- like so many, uprooted time and time again.

In a country ripped apart by nearly 15 years of war they're beyond the breaking point. Aren't we human, asked this woman. We moved from Afrin to

Shahba to Aleppo to Hasakah. Enough. Enough. We're dying.

Amidst the violence and chaos lies this desolate camp, home to more than 2,000 foreign women and children who flocked to Syria to live in the

Islamic State, now guarded by Kurdish forces. Camp administration Hakeem Ibrahim (ph) tells me the atmosphere turned menacing when the detainees

heard the Kurds were under attack.

They said ISIS is returning, she tells me. And when that happens, we won't leave one of you alive.

One of the guards drove us around the camp. We were told it was too dangerous to walk. We went inside the tent of one woman from Britian afraid

to be identified but desperate to talk.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I'm a different person. I'm not a Daeshi. I'm not Syrian, no one. I just -- I'm scared for my family.

WEDEMAN: Of course.

[14:50:00]

WEDEMAN (voice-over): Daesh is colloquial Arabic for someone with the Islamic State. She said the U.K. revoked her citizenship.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was born in England. I was raised in England. I don't have anybody anywhere else. My mom, my dad, my brother all live in

England.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): The other much bigger camp for ISIS women and children, Al-Hol, is now under Syrian government control. The U.S. is in

the process of moving these 7,000 ISIS men who were in Kurdish-run prisons to more secure facilities in Iraq.

On the defensive the Kurds are preparing for battle. These young volunteers load bullets into their magazines. They, too, accuse the U.S. of betrayal.

America has always pursued its interests, says this fighter who asked we not show his face. As soon as it gets what it wants America sells you out.

That said, for them, it's time to go to the front.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Northeastern Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: And still to come tonight, Venezuela's acting president is walking a tightrope since the U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro. We'll hear what she

told a crowd of oil workers about Washington's constant demands. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Well, Venezuela's acting president said she had enough of Washington's demands since capturing Nicolas Maduro. The U.S. has backed

Mrs. Rodriguez as the interim leader, but it has put heavy pressure on the country to break ties with China, Iran, Russia, as well as Cuba, and to

partner exclusively with U.S. on oil production.

As Maduro's former deputy, Rodriguez has tried to hang on to party loyalists. And you can see the mayor holding a rally while also keeping

Washington satisfied. Here's what the acting president told a group of oil workers just on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DELCY RODRIGUEZ, VENEZUELA'S ACTING PRESIDENT (through translator): That is why it is important that we open spaces for democratic dissent, but that it

be politics with a capital P and with a V for Venezuela. Enough already of Washington's orders over politicians in Venezuela. Let Venezuelan politics

resolve our differences and our internal conflicts. Enough of foreign powers. This republic has paid a very high price for having to confront the

consequences of fascism and extremism in our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:55:00]

SOARES: And CNN has reached out to the White House for comment following Mrs. Rodriguez's comments.

Well, over the last few hours, lawmakers in the French National Assembly have been debating a proposed social media ban for under-15s amid growing

public concerns over online safety. And this comes days after French President Emmanuel Macron asked his government to fast-track the legal

process. And the bill will pass to the Senate before a final vote in the lower house. The U.K. is also considering a social media ban for under-16s

following Australia's landmark law in December.

And finally, tonight, snow sleet and frigid temperatures made Sunday one of the more difficult days for Buddhist monks walking from Texas to

Washington, D.C. The journey called the Walk for Peace began last October with the group currently trekking through Raleigh, North Carolina. Despite

the wintry conditions.

The monks were bundled up, as you can see, braving temperatures that were well below zero degrees Celsius. But they say they're taking each step with

care, as they should do.

And that does it for us for tonight. Do stay right here. "What We Know" with Max Foster's up next. I shall see you tomorrow. Have a wonderful

evening.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:00]

END