Return to Transcripts main page
Isa Soares Tonight
President Trump's Border Czar Arrives In Minnesota To Take Over ICE Operations; Russia Brutally Strikes Ukraine's Port City Odesa; U.S., Ukrainian And Russian Negotiators To Meet Again This Weekend; Shooting Involving Border Patrol Under Investigation In Arizona; Social Media's Role In Minnesota; Italy Objects To ICE; Starmer To Meet With Xi In China This Week. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired January 27, 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, President Trump's border czar arrives in
Minnesota to take over ICE operations. We're also getting new videos of the moments just before demonstrator Alex Pretti was killed.
We'll bring you those. Then, CNN on the streets of Tehran for the first time since the deadly crackdown on protesters. We'll bring you that report
from our Fred Pleitgen. Plus, a brutal Russian attack on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa. We'll take a closer look at where things stand on the
battlefield ahead of more planned peace talks in the coming days.
We'll have that and much more just ahead right here on the show. But first, tonight, it's a changing of the guard in Minneapolis. But the question so
many are asking today is, will it actually change the explosive as well as dangerous situation on the ground there?
White House border czar Tom Homan is now in charge of ICE operations in the twin cities and met with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz today. That's as the
Trump administration sends border patrol commander Greg Bovino, who has been a lightning of rod, really, a lightning rod for criticism out of the
state.
And that's significant switch, follows the shooting deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good, as you can see there and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal
agents. Just a short time ago, President Donald Trump was asked if Pretti's death was justified. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you believe that Alex Pretti's death was justified?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, you know, we're doing a big investigation. I want to see the investigation. I'm going to be
watching over it. I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, President Trump met Monday with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Sources tell CNN, the President did not threaten to remove her
from her post amid the unrest that we've seen in Minnesota. It was Noem who labeled Pretti a domestic terrorist if you remember, shortly after his
death.
A Homeland Security Department spokesperson refused to back away from that stance just earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRICIA MCLAUGHLIN, U.S. ASSISTANT HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: In this case, we saw an individual who -- he was armed. He got into a physical
altercation with law enforcement. He was in the course of obstructing a federal operation, which is a federal crime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, Pretti's sister tells the "Associated Press", her brother was her hero, describing him as a kind as well as dangerous person -- a
generous person, pardon me. Well, there's newly released video of the moments leading up to the shooting death of Alex Pretti.
Before we show them to you, I do want to warn you that the images may be disturbing to some of our viewers. And here, let me show you those. Here,
you can see officer approach Pretti, forcefully pushing him away from the street. And later, a number of agents get him on the ground.
And in this video, he appears to be standing there recording with his phone when he's shoved then by an officer. None of the videos seem to support the
contention that we've been hearing from some administration officials that Pretti or any nearby protesters posed a threat to federal agents.
Let's get more on all these strands. Our Kevin Liptak is at the White House, our Whitney Wild covering the developments on the ground in
Minneapolis. Whitney, let me go to you first. Tom Homan, the border czar, as we're saying is now on the ground meeting both the governor as well as
the mayor. What do you -- what so far has come out of both those meetings?
WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Those are questions we are continuing to ask. We're trying to get a readout from those meetings. This is an
absolutely critical moment because this is a chance for these local leaders here to tell Tom Homan exactly what they think their constituents need to
move past this really difficult moment for the city of Minneapolis.
The ultimate goal for everyone in these talks is to turn down the temperature after the Renee Good shooting, that after a second shooting,
then after the third shooting of Alex Pretti, the city has been -- you know, has been on edge for several weeks now.
This city is really at a point -- is really at a breaking point. We spoke with many people today who told us how they feel about Greg Bovino leaving,
and they are -- to put it in a word there, are relieved.
[14:05:00]
I mean, they really -- when they look at, you know, who is responsible for all of this? A lot of their frustration was directed at commander Gregory
Bovino. So, they think him leaving will take a lot of the stress down, it will help to calm things down, but they are still highly skeptical of what
these ICE operations are going to look like in the city of Minneapolis. Back to you --
SOARES: Yes, let's get more on this, because CNN is now learning that a memo, and I wonder if you have any more light on this, shedding more light
on this.
Sent earlier this month to agents, the agents that were temporarily assigned to the city asked them, and I'm going to quote here, Whitney,
capture all images, license plates, identifications and general information on hotels, agitators, protesters, so we can capture it all in one
consolidated form.
That's what this memo said, according to several sources. What more do we know about this? And what will they do with this data?
WILD: Well, I think that administration officials have made very clear they plan to launch investigations where and when they can. They have set up a
crisis center here. The FBI has put more investigatory resources into the state of -- state of Minnesota and to the city of Minneapolis, because the
Department of Homeland Security and the FBI says federal agents here have been subject to a major increase in threats.
And we have seen there are protesters, are -- you know, they do confront these agents. We see it quite frequently. It is often peaceful, but they
are interacting with these federal agents. I mean, they are under very close watch by these protesters here.
According to the Department of Homeland Security and some of those cases, it has resulted in injuries to federal agents. So, administration officials
have made clear they plan to launch again investigations when and where they can. Although, I think it is really critical to understand that the
vast majority -- and we've been at a lot of these, are peaceful. It is --
SOARES: Yes --
WILD: Noisy. People yell at these federal agents. But I think it's also important to consider that's what local law enforcement deals with every
day all around the country. And we do not see these major flare-ups that we've seen between what are noisy and you know, noisy protesters, but
peaceful and federal agents here in Minneapolis. Back to you --
SOARES: So important to point that out, Whitney. Thank you very much. I'm going to let you go because it is exceptionally cold where you are. Let me
go -- let me go to Kevin. And Kevin, give me a sense, then, of what the President's been saying, because from what I've heard so far, the President
seems to be continuing to back DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
He said today, I think she's doing a very good job. But we did see her go to the White House, and they had a lengthy conversation or a frank
conversation. I suppose the question is, is her job safe at this point?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, the President was asked pretty squarely out on the South Lawn whether she would be resigning,
and he said no. It was a one word answer, but it essentially said everything that you needed, at least, at that point.
The President doesn't seem on the cusp right now of dismissing her, but of course, as we all know, President Trump has a way of shifting on a dime
when it comes to personnel. You know that meeting yesterday in the Oval Office, Kristi Noem actually asked for it to be put on the schedule.
She asked to meet with the President to discuss essentially what the future of these immigration operations would look like. She was there with Corey
Lewandowski, who is a top aide at the Department of Homeland Security. He has something of a mixed relationship with President Trump.
You know, dating back many years to when he was the President's campaign manager. And so, from all accounts that we've gotten, this meeting was
constructive in some ways, as they talked about how this was all going to move forward. But certainly, the questions about Noem have not necessarily
been tamped down just by hearing all of this.
You know, the decision to send in Tom Homan to Minnesota to essentially supplant Greg Bovino, was seen in Washington really as a rebuke of Kristi
Noem. You know, Homan and Noem have been at odds for several months. They are not, in fact, on speaking terms. They have had very different views of
how these immigration enforcement operations should proceed, and they come with much different backgrounds.
You know, Homan is someone who has worked in this space for a very long time, and he has advocated for much more targeted operations. He is
certainly a hardliner. There's no question about that. But when it comes to the tactics, he and Noem had just been on a very different page.
And I just also want to point out one other thing that I think was critical from the President just a few hours ago at the White House, when he was
asked very directly whether he thought Alex Pretti was an assassin. That was the word that Stephen Miller, the President's --
SOARES: Yes --
LIPTAK: Deputy Chief of Staff, used in the hours after Pretti was killed --
SOARES: Yes --
LIPTAK: And the President said, no. And this was really the first time that we heard the President directly contradicting all of those sort of
inflammatory statements that turned out, frankly, to be false from members of his own administration.
[14:10:00]
Stephen Miller, again, doesn't appear to be on thin ice at this point. He walked out of the White House just behind the President, and is on his way
to Iowa to accompany him today.
SOARES: Yes, assassin. We also heard Kristi Noem saying domestic terrorists. Pretti's sister saying today, describing him as a kind and
generous person. I suppose the question we're all trying to get to the heart of this is whether the border czar Tom Homan's arrival in
Minneapolis, whether that potentially suggests a shift in the strategy by this administration, or is this just more of a PR move?
LIPTAK: I mean, I think it does reflect a shift in the tactics. And I think that there is a real recognition among the President's aides and by the
President himself that the way that they were going about these immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis was just not working.
It was bad for the President politically, but it was also just bad generally to have people being shot on the street. That was just not an
outcome that the President wanted. And I think Homan is someone who had voiced those views in private for quite some time, dating to well before
these two killings that we saw in the month of January.
He is someone who has been working in immigration for a long time. As I mentioned, even President Obama awarded him a medal when he was in charge
of certain aspects of deportations during Obama's term, which is a fact that the White House has been very quick to point out this time around.
And so, I do think that this does reflect a very significant change in how they're going about it. It does not reflect a change in the overall view
that more deportations need to be had --
SOARES: Right, understood. That's a really good clarification there. Thanks very much, Kevin, appreciate it. Well, let's stay with this, because some
Republican lawmakers are relieved that Tom Homan is taking over immigration operations in Minnesota. The border czar, as you heard, Kevin said, has
spent decades worth of law enforcement experience.
While this change of guard is expected to help take the temperature down in the twin cities, it's just one part of the problem. There's still massive
unease within President Trump's political party about what all led to this, and how to respond to Pretti's killing. I want to show you these 11
Republican senators, they are calling for a deeper investigation into the shooting.
Here's just some of them, as the party grows really divided. We've heard some of the voices here on the show over federal immigration tactics. Let's
get more on how the Republican Party is reacting to all of this. Let's bring in Bryan Lanza; senior adviser of President Trump's 2024 presidential
campaign.
Bryan, welcome back to the show. Really great to have you on the show at this juncture. Let me really get your take with the question I was asking
our correspondent, just the White House. You know, we've had the President send his border czar, Tom Homan, to Minneapolis.
You know, hours later, we saw Greg Bovino as well, and we know some of his agents are expected to leave Minneapolis. How do you view this switch? Is
this swapping Bovino for Homan? Is this a PR move or do you think we'll see a change in tactics on the ground in Minneapolis?
BRYAN LANZA, SENIOR ADVISER OF DONALD TRUMP 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Well, you won't see is you won't see a change in policy, which is, you know
--
SOARES: Right --
LANZA: Deportation of illegal aliens must go forward. I think the President has made that clear. You know, listen, I think different people bring
different perspectives. And, you know, Tom is a -- is a seasoned veteran at these things. He's done it for 30 years.
You know, he brings a level of maturity. He brings a tremendous amount of experience that clearly, you know, Bovino wasn't able to. Bovino lost
control, and I would just -- you know, it looks it appeared that he lost control, and it looks like the President is brought in, you know, another
person.
It's no different than a negotiation. Sometimes you have, you know, one team of negotiators in their first, you know, they wear out their welcome,
they go too far. And then you bring in the second team. But I mean, that's just -- I think this is expected just because of how hot Bovino got --
SOARES: Yes --
LANZA: Especially on social media over the weekend.
SOARES: Yes, and so, Bryan, you're saying not a change of policy. I understand that, but potentially change of strategy. So, how do you see --
what are -- what are we going to see in terms of ICE agents? Well, how do you think the temperature will be lowered here?
LANZA: Yes, I think what you're going to see is you're going to see more experience, you know, more experienced ICE agents that are going to come
into town. You're going to have, I think Tom Homan said, you know, they're giving the bench -- the city benchmarks to reduce the presence that they
have there now.
So -- but listen, I think a lot of this also falls back on the city and it also falls back on the governor. You know, it is those -- those two have
been the principal people who have not wanted to negotiate and come to terms with last or two Novembers ago election when the people said, you
know, we want Donald Trump to deport all the illegal aliens that are here.
And so, what you have is a blue state rebellion. You don't see this situation taking place in Texas, you know, where you have ICE officers that
are in conflict with local law enforcement people. This is clearly a blue state issue. And you can't, you know -- and what Homan wants to do is, he
wants to change the face -- or what President Trump wants to do is change the face in the short term.
But the policy is the same. And the tactics, you know, whether they're less aggressive, we still need help from the locals to achieve the policy goals
of the American people.
[14:15:00]
And I think the fastest way they can do that is once the governor and mayor realize they should cooperate instead of, you know, trying to offer this
line of resistance. I mean, I heard the governor --
SOARES: Yes --
LANZA: The other day talk about, you know, ICE agents were kidnapping folks. That's crazy. That's irresponsible language. ICE agents are
deporting illegal aliens. They're not kidnapping people. So, it's that language and the media not challenging --
SOARES: Yes --
LANZA: You know, the left and this blue state governor's language. This is just making the situation much worse. We should challenge that language and
we should challenge the language that we -- that the Republicans say as well too.
SOARES: Indeed. And Tom Homan, I understand is meeting both with the governor and the mayor, so, I think things are definitely more cordial from
what we've seen. But you're speaking of language. I wonder then what you made of some of the language that we heard from some of the voices within
the Trump administration, you know, describing Pretti as an assassin, a domestic terrorist.
President Trump was asked about this because what we have seen is a significant number of GOP senators or its lawmakers, condemning not just
what has happened, but some of the language. Let me play for you, Bryan, what Senator Cruz had to say. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): What I think the administration could do better is, is the tone with which they're describing this. That immediately when an
incident like this happens, they come out guns blazing, that we took out a violent terrorist. Hooray!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Is he right there, Bryan? I mean, the language coming out with this inflammatory language, assassin, domestic terrorist without waiting for an
investigation to reach that conclusion. Just your thoughts. Where have they gone wrong?
LANZA: Yes, I think Senator Cruz is 100 percent right. You know, it's the urgency to put out and to find the narrative rather than just leave what
the narrative, you know, the narrative find itself, right? And so, they come out with this aggressive language.
The -- it's no doubt that Pretti was not a domestic terrorist. He was not involved in any riot, that he had not come up with his guns drawn. I mean,
you know, those are the things that the local people, the local ICE, you know, Bovino and those guys were reporting up.
And the facts just don't marry that. The more and --
SOARES: Yes --
LANZA: More video that comes out, the more and more it looks like the candor of these local people are the problem. And that's probably why
President Trump has decided to shift Bovino way, because the candor is just not enough for the information that the President needs.
And we know Tom Bowman has the trust of the President, and he is going to offer the right amount of candor what's taking place. And everybody wants
to sort of blame the President on a lot of things. You know, the policy is what the policy is. Voters wanted this.
But I think what you see here is just a breakdown of candor locally, and that bad information being moved up, and that's a problem.
SOARES: Yes, and I was speaking to a radio host from Minneapolis yesterday, and he was saying exactly that. It's a real question of trust and
credibility because the administration -- some voices within the administration saying one thing, but their eyes are showing them something
completely different.
This was, you know, prior to Bovino reportedly leaving. But let me get your take on what we have seen as well in terms of some of the criticism. And I
just wonder where you see this going, because I've seen also conservative newspapers turning on not just the voice, some of the voices you're
mentioning, Noem and Bovino, but on the President.
We've seen criticism from "Wall Street Journal", and then this "New York Post" from the President. Says, Mr. President, the American people didn't
vote for these scenes and you can't continue to order them to not believe their lying eyes.
How damaging if you think at all and how damaging have the recent events in Minneapolis been for this White House or, I mean, if you're just pushing
ahead in the next few weeks, the funding bill. Could this have an impact?
LANZA: What do you mean, a few weeks? We're going to know this weekend --
SOARES: I mean, do they, this weekend?
LANZA: I mean, I think the government shuts down -- yes, I think the government shuts down this weekend. It maybe starts up really quickly, you
know, next week. But you know, you don't have any inclination that the House of Representatives are coming back to vote on anything related to
DHS.
We haven't heard anything about the policy that needs to be revisited in any of these appropriations bills. So, from the administration and
Republicans, it's a status quo, and the Democrats are not a part of the status quo. They're actually challenging it. So, we don't have resolution
on this.
But yes, I would say, you know, the local ICE people who have -- who have clearly -- their information is contrary to the video we've seen, have done
a tremendous amount of damage to the President and his presidency. I mean, the Presidents -- you know, what I appreciate at this President more than
anything else is that he sticks up for his team.
And, you know, we -- every day, his team makes tough decisions and you have to back them up, and that's what he's doing. But you know, when you're
given bad information and you back something up, you have -- you have a little bit of egg on your face.
And that's not a result of the President's policy or the President doing anything wrong. That's a result of bad local leadership that's -- that
doesn't have the right candor at this particular time. And that's --
SOARES: Bryan Lanza --
LANZA: Why you see Homan coming in.
SOARES: Bryan, really appreciate you coming on the show, really important insight, thank you very much indeed. Bryan Lanza there for us, the very
latest of that perspective which is so crucial right now.
[14:20:00]
Thank you, Bryan, good to see you. And do stay tuned, a little later in the show, we'll talk to CNN's Brian Stelter. He'll explain the role social
media has been playing -- is playing in Minnesota. Now, I want to take you to a CNN exclusive, behind the scenes look at how the Trump administration
plans for Venezuela.
What plans it has for Venezuela. Sources tell CNN, the CIA is working to establish a permanent U.S. presence there. They say the State Department
will plant the flag, but the CIA will quietly spearhead the effort to exert U.S. influence. CIA Director John Ratcliffe was the first senior U.S.
official to visit Venezuela, if you remember, after the capture of former President Nicolas Maduro.
But Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, who was Maduro's Vice President, now says she had enough of Washington's orders. We heard from
her yesterday, let's get more on this plan from our Zachary Cohen, who joins us now from Washington. So, Zach, when the CIA says that it's
working to establish a permanent presence, what exactly does that mean? What kind of presence are we looking at here?
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, ultimately, I think the plan here is for the CIA and the State Department as far as what
we understand about the ongoing planning discussions is that ultimately, the U.S. wants to reopen the U.S. Embassy in Caracas.
Now, sources acknowledge that due to the unstable security situation in Venezuela, as well as the ongoing political transition, that may take some
time and a physical presence is required inside Venezuela as far as U.S. officials are concerned, in order to lay the groundwork for ultimately re-
entering the country in a robust way.
And the CIA appears is poised to take on the leading role in that process. And I'm told that initially, U.S. officials may work out of a CIA annex
inside Venezuela, that could be viewed as a staging area, essentially for U.S. officials to start to exert that American influence in a way, on the
new leadership inside Venezuela.
Military officials essentially trying to reinforce the priorities that the Trump administration has been talking about publicly, and what John
Ratcliffe, the CIA director, told Delcy Rodriguez, the acting President, what his priorities were. And among them was this idea that the U.S. would
no longer tolerate foreign adversaries like Russia, China and Iran to operate freely inside Venezuela.
He essentially said that, that was not acceptable. And it -- sources said - - told me that it will be up to the CIA officers on the ground inside Venezuela to really follow up on that message to brief Venezuelan officials
on their specific concerns related to those foreign adversaries and what they're doing inside Venezuela.
So, there is this collaborative environment that seems to be in the works here, but at the same time, we're still a long way from the U.S., quote,
"running Venezuela". As President Donald Trump said, we still do not have a diplomatic -- the U.S. does not have a diplomatic presence inside the
country.
And it's interesting, too, because Venezuelans have long been very skeptical and critical of the CIA during Nicolas Maduro's regime. He
repeatedly accused the CIA of trying to overthrow him. And ironically, the CIA played a very significant role in the operation that ultimately did
lead to his capture, just about three weeks ago.
And so, now, this news of the CIA, they're expected really key role in what comes next in that country. It will be interesting to watch how that is
received domestically inside Venezuela. And just to put a finer point on it, Delcy Rodriguez, obviously telling her domestic audience that she wants
to be completely independent from U.S. influence.
So, sort of two competing narratives there, Donald Trump insisting that from now, Rodriguez has his backing. But it remains to be seen how long
that may last.
SOARES: Indeed, Delcy saying she has had enough of being told what to do. We shall see how that plays out. Zach, appreciate it, thank you. And still
to come tonight, Iran's defiant message to the U.S. spelled out on the streets of Tehran. Our report from inside Iran with Fred Pleitgen is just
ahead.
Plus, a deadly Russian drone attack rocks Ukraine overnight. But where do things stand, really on the battlefield? I'll break it all down with our
Clare Sebastian when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: Well, Iran says it's in close contact with Russia and China as a U.S. carrier strike group moves into the Middle East in a major show of
force. Iran is warning the U.S. against any military intervention, and it's broadcasting that message in English on the streets of central Tehran. Our
Frederik Pleitgen has more from inside Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Iran's leadership is sending a very strong and defiant message to the
United States and specifically, of course, to the Trump administration. You could see it here on this gigantic poster on Revolution Square in central
Tehran.
The message on this massive poster is, "if you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind". Obviously, meaning, if the United States attacks Iran, Iran
will retaliate in a massive way, which could, of course, lead to a major military confrontation between the United States and Iran.
And that's also something that's on the minds of many of the people that we've been speaking to here as well.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Maybe I'm not sure what to say. I think they are all collaborating with one another against the interest of
the Iranian people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I don't think Trump dares to attack, he is more bluffing.
PLEITGEN: All this, of course, comes as President Trump weighs his options on what to do next. The U.S. has pulled together a substantial military
force here in this region. But the Iranians also say they've replenished their stockpiles of ballistic missiles and are ready to hit back hard any
time.
Now, of course, all this comes in the wake of those large protests that happened here in Iran in the early part of January. And when you're out on
the streets here, you can see that there are people who are still traumatized by what happened then.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There are a lot of people out there on the streets when I had to leave home. I don't know what to say, but the
situation was very bad. Now that the internet connection is restored, we only now know that so many were killed
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: That report from inside Tehran, from our Fred Pleitgen. Well, a Russian drone attack overnight killed at least three people in Ukraine and
injured dozens more Ukrainians in the southern port city of Odesa waited anxiously as rescue workers searched through rubble as you can see there
for signs of life.
Earlier, our Clare Sebastian joined me in the studio with more detail on the Odesa strike, and to break down where things stand on the battlefield.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Joining me now is Clare Sebastian with a detailed map here of what we have seen just on the overnight, just overnight. I think it's staggering
yet again, massive strikes, drone --
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes --
SOARES: Strikes, 50 drones I think, going after not only Odesa, which is in the south --
SEBASTIAN: Yes --
SOARES: Of -- you marked it(ph), but other cities, major cities across Ukraine. Talk us through what we have seen, because that's very much part
of --
SEBASTIAN: Yes --
SOARES: The Putin playbook, isn't it?
SEBASTIAN: Yes, these widespread drone and quite often including missiles, but last night was mainly drone attacks targeting multiple regions. Kharkiv
here up in the north, very badly affected, about 80 percent of that region as of this morning, without power all the way over to Lviv, the area in
western Ukraine.
Kyiv, the capital, has been extremely badly affected by the recent attacks on energy infrastructure, and they were affected again overnight. We're
seeing emergency power outages, but there still almost a thousand apartment buildings without heating.
So, this is about attrition, right?
SOARES: Yes --
SEBASTIAN: This is about trying to break the resolve of the Ukrainian people. And this is a playbook that we see repeated over and over again.
Russia has significantly ramped up these types of attacks.
[14:30:09]
SOARES: But before they were able to repair these pretty fast, that's not - - this is happening, this is impossible now at this -- the rate -- the speed in which they're doing this?
SEBASTIAN: I mean, the attacks are happening so regularly that certainly the energy companies that we've been speaking to have said that they cannot
repair quick enough. For example, in Odessa today, an energy facility was hit and DTEK, which is Ukraine's biggest private energy company, said that
they were, there was a colossal amount of damage and it's going to take, they said, a very long time to repair it.
So, they are working as fast as they can, they're bringing in extra workers. It's very dangerous conditions, very cold, but they just cannot
repair quick enough.
SOARES: Where then are we on these trilateral talks? We've seen the United States, Ukraine, and Russia, and President Putin holding these talks. Not
them, obviously, they're representatives. We have another one this weekend.
SEBASTIAN: Yes.
SOARES: The sticking point, as it always has been, has been territory.
SEBASTIAN: Yes.
SOARES: Talk us through where the movement has been on that frontline and where the sticking point is.
SEBASTIAN: Yes. So, let's look at the specific territory we're talking about here, which is this specific part of the Eastern Front. It's not
shaded in red, so this is still controlled by Ukraine. This is part of the Donbas region that Russia says it wants in full, including territory that
it hasn't been able to conquer militarily, as part of any peace deal.
And we're hearing, obviously, any moves on the battlefield are very incremental at this stage. We're not seeing any strategic gains by Russia,
but they are pushing. In particular, we heard in the last week, towards the town of Pokrovsk, they've been trying to take now for at least a year and a
half and have not yet succeeded, even though they claimed they had in December. That push has accelerated again this week, according to Ukraine's
chief commander, they're amassing reserves there.
So, they're continuing to push. I think, look, all of this that we're seeing on the battlefield and with these overnight attacks, it's yet
another signal from Russia that they are not in the mood for compromise at this point.
SOARES: We shall see what comes out in that meeting on Sunday. Clare, thank you very much. Well, in blackout hit Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy is paying tribute to victims of Nazi atrocities on Holocaust Remembrance Day. Standing alongside some of Ukraine's leading rabbis, Mr.
Zelenskyy said the world has a duty to uphold the promise of never again.
In Poland, Holocaust survivors visited the Auschwitz concentration camp to mark the 81st anniversary of its liberation. Despite the pain, one survivor
due to speak at the U.N. is stressing that love and unity are the formula for peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARA WEINSTEIN, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR: I have come here today with hands extended in a plea for peace in our world so that the heart may have an
open space to spread love.
WEINSTEIN (through translator): Let us extend our hands to one another. Let us live together. Every mother and her child are precious, whether they are
Arab or Jewish or of any faith, every faith. Let us unite and live together. Let us not see wars. Let us give our children a better world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Beautifully said. And still to come tonight, from FBI investigations to users complaining about sponsorship, we'll speak to CNN's
Brian Stelter about the role social media is playing in Minnesota. And how the anger over Donald Trump's immigration crackdown could impact the U.S.
Olympic team, bringing that story out of Italy, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:35:00]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. I want to bring you up to date with some breaking news coming into us. A shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol
agent south of Tucson, Arizona, is under investigation. That is according to the Pima County Sheriff's Department. The statement says the department
is working with the FBI and U.S. Customs, as Well, as Border Control. It is unclear at this stage if there are any injuries. Of course, we'll stay
across the details. We'll bring you more details we have coming into us.
But a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Vaca, Arizona, is under investigation. And we know the department is working with the FBI and
the U.S. Customs and Border Control, according to the statement they've put out. Any more details we have, we'll bring them to you as soon as they come
to our attention.
We do want to return to our top story this hour. Trump administration shift, as we have seen, and a new leader on the ground in Minneapolis.
Border Czar Tom Homan has now taken over the immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities. He met with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz today. The governor's
office has agreed on the need for ongoing dialogue, and will continue working toward those goals. Also, that language coming from them. The man
sent packing from the state is top Border Patrol official Greg Bovino, following the shooting deaths of Renee Good, as Well, as Alex Pretti.
And the role of social media in Minnesota is now under scrutiny. FBI Director Kash Patel says the agency is looking into Signal group chats,
allegedly used to share information about federal agents. And now, users of TikTok are speculating why their anti-ICE videos are not uploading. This
user thinks she's being censored and says she's deleting the app.
This example is one of many complaints CNN has tracked. TikTok says the problem is simply issues with the technology. Just last week, a majority
American-owned joint venture took over control of TikTok's U.S. operation. So, let's just get more on both those strands.
CNN's Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelton joins me now. Brian, great to see you. So, let's start with TikTok and just bring us up today, because this
is something that we haven't covered on the show, but I think it's quite interesting. Do we know how prevalent this is? How many users have been
complaining of this? And what TikTok is saying here?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Judging from my inbox, there are a lot of people affected by this. And it's been going on for a few days now.
This really ramped up on Saturday and into Sunday. And then on Monday, into the new work week, some operators of corporate TikTok accounts also started
to notice this problem. Basically, if you try to upload some videos, you might find problems. You might look at your view counts. They might look a
lot lower than usual.
Some users have jumped to the conclusion or the assumption that there is some foul play going on, some political foul play, because the U.S. TikTok
operations moved into the hands of that Trump-supported, Trump-basically- approved joint venture last week. You know, he had to broker -- Trump had to broker this deal for TikTok. He brought in investors like billionaire
Oracle boss Larry Ellison to run TikTok. And there have been questions about whether there's going to be some sort of change to TikTok as a
result.
I don't see any firm evidence that's happened, however. What you have instead are users being suspicious and jumping to conclusions and worrying
about worst case scenarios. As you said, TikTok blames this on a power outage. Here's the latest statement from the company saying, we've made
significant progress in recovering our U.S. infrastructure with our data center partner. However, you might still experience some technical issues.
We're trying to get back up and running.
[14:40:00]
So, TikTok says there's nothing there. But Governor Gavin Newsom of California is saying he's going to open an investigation. And there are
already other Democratic politicians saying, there's something we need to keep an eye on here when it comes to Trump-approved investors running the
U.S. TikTok now.
SOARES: Right. And just clarify something, the tech issues, was that tech issues just relating to these anti-ICE videos or did it affect other users?
Do we know that?
STELTER: It seems there were broader issues. It seems there were broader issues, but it was these anti-ICE videos that got all the attention over
the weekend and now into the work week. People try and upload messages expressing their condemnation of the killing of Alex Pretti. And that
raises this broader topic, right, this idea that video from the scene has been so important. Video of these altercations between ICE officials or
Border Patrol officials and American citizens. These videos have proven essential. It is giving people power at a time they feel powerless.
SOARES: Brian, appreciate it. I know you'll stay across all of these angles for us. Good to see you, Brian. Brian Stelter there for us in New York.
Well, the anger as well as the backlash over Donald Trump's so-called immigration crackdown has now spread to the Olympics. Italian politicians
are urging Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to block U.S. ICE agents from acting as security for the American delegation at the Winter Olympics. It's
not uncommon for the Department of Homeland Security to provide security support at major international events. But the mayor of Milan, which is the
host city for next month's game, says the Olympics do not need ICE agents for security. In quote, "They will not be welcome in Milan."
Barbie Latza Nadeau joins me now. So, Barbie, I mean, you know, Italians are looking at the horrific events taking place in Minneapolis and they're
thinking what?
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yes, you know, this really has been a day of scrambling by the government under Giorgia Meloni. Giorgia Meloni,
of course, is a friend of Donald Trump, one of his closest allies here in Europe. And of course, everyone's mind assumes that when they're talking
about ICE agents, they're talking about those masked men we've seen on the streets of Minneapolis and elsewhere in the United States.
But we just heard from Italy's interior ministry, who called the U.S. ambassador, he posted on social media that these ICE agents are really just
part of a counterterrorism security effort. They will be sort of, you know, in an operational room. They won't be out on the streets.
And this is something that the opposition to Giorgia Meloni, those political members, have been really trying to exploit, you know, saying
that Giorgia Meloni must prohibit them from coming to Italy. They don't need the security on the streets.
But we've been told by the Italian government now, backed up by the U.S. ambassador here, that they will just be in an operational room providing
the kind of surveillance and counterterrorism expertise that this particular unit that's being sent.
Now, we do expect Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to come for the opening ceremonies and stay for some of the
activities. And so, there will be a need for extra security. But we have been assured by the government of Giorgia Meloni that we will not be seeing
anyone that looks like what we've seen on the streets of Minneapolis anywhere here in Italy.
SOARES: And, Barbie, do we have a sense of how many ICE agents potentially could be involved, could be coming to Milan here?
NADEAU: No, that's sort of a secret, you know. You don't want to give too much away in terms of the security. But apparently, these ICE agents are
part of all international security when it comes to U.S. delegations because they have expertise and specialization in surveillance, in multi-
languages, and trying to vet some of the threats that might, you know, be launched at not just the U.S. athletes and the U.S. delegation, but, of
course, athletes from all over the world.
And we've got these particular Olympic games that are spread out between the City of Milan and the beautiful mountain area of Cortina. And so, it's
a very difficult area to keep surveillance on. And so, you know, some of these agents will have expertise, I guess.
We've been told in some of this counterterrorism. But it has caused quite a bit of outrage here. And it has been fueled to some extent by the
opposition, you know, leaders here pushing Giorgia Meloni to say something. She hasn't spoken on. The interior minister and the foreign minister have
been the ones largely to speak on it. But it's been a day of scrambling diplomacy and message control here in Italy.
SOARES: Very important political context there. Barbie, good to see you, as always. Barbie Nadeau, your life for us in Rome. We're going to take a
short break. We'll see you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:00]
SOARES: Well, the U.K. is looking to strengthen ties with Beijing, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to arrive in China on
Wednesday for a four-day visit. A foreign ministry spokesperson says he'll meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in an effort to deepen cooperation
between the two countries.
Meanwhile, there's been a shocking shake-up in the upper echelons of the Chinese military. Its top general, once considered unassailable, is under
investigation. He appears to be the latest figure swept up in China's long- running anti-corruption driver. Our Will Ripley has all the details for you from Taipei.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The stunning fall of China's most powerful general, Zhang Youxia, battle-tested
survivor and longtime lieutenant to President Xi Jinping, seen by many as untouchable until this.
A 30-second shock announcement from China's defense ministry. Zhang is suspected of leaking information to the U.S., allegedly revealing secrets
of China's nuclear weapons program, The Wall Street Journal's Lingling Wei reports, citing a high-level Chinese military briefing.
LINGLING WEI, WSJ CHIEF CHINA CORRESPONDENT: Our reporting only shows that such a briefing happened and the leaking state secrets was one of the
allegations that was disclosed during the briefing. We haven't been able to really verify any of those allegations.
RIPLEY: Why would a Chinese general leak such sensitive information to the United States if indeed that happened?
WEI: There are all kinds of speculations. There has been a track record of the party, you know, drumming up charges against people they wanted to take
down.
RIPLEY (voice-over): General Zhang, second in command of the People's Liberation Army, behind only Xi himself, purged and accused of corruption.
Along with the PLA's top operational commander Liu Zhenli, Zhang and his boss share an elite upbringing, two sons of communist revolutionaries,
making this purge earth-shattering.
Chinese state media accuses Zhang and Liu of undermining Xi's ultimate authority over the military, China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong,
likely seeking an unprecedented fourth term next year, turning on lifelong allies and hand-picked proteges.
JONATHAN CZIN, FORMER CIA OFFICER: This really demonstrates nobody in that system is safe, truly.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Former CIA officer Jonathan Czin spent years analyzing China's military.
CZIN: Getting rid of somebody he's known for so long and talking about him violating the chairman responsibility system does make me wonder, is he
starting to veer more into kind of a paranoid dictator mode?
[14:30:00]
RIPLEY (voice-over): The lack of clear answers is fueling intense online speculation. Inside China, government censors only allow comments
supporting the investigation. Outside China, unverified rumors of a shootout between security teams loyal to Zhang and Xi. There's no evidence
those claims are real.
CZIN: I think this is more reflective of the information vacuum inside the system.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Zhang now joins a long list, more than 20 senior military leaders removed since 2022.
CZIN: Xi has somehow concluded that the rot is so deep in the PLA and the mismanagement is so gross at the top that he needs to clean a house with an
entire generation of leaders.
RIPLEY: What happens to people when they're purged?
CZIN: They come out, they look gray, they look gaunt, they look haggard. It's pretty rough.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Imprisonment is common, execution still legally possible. In Xi Jinping's China, power offers no protection from the
chairman's purge.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And still to come tonight, take a trip around the world as we reveal the winners as well as the finalists of the 2025 Travel Photographer
of the Year competition. Stunning photography coming up after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, it is award season in the movie biz, and it's time for the British Academy to weigh in. BAFTA nominations were announced today, and
there's one film that really leads the way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Steve Locke's judges attacked my home. And I cannot remember, for the life of my only child, the answer to your question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe you should have studied the rebellion text a little harder.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need to find my daughter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: "One Battle After Another" scored 14 total nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor. "Sinners," which got the most
Oscar nominations, also appears to be a BAFTA favorite. The BAFTA awards will be handed out on February 22nd, about a month before the Oscars.
And finally, this hour, I just wanted you to take a look at some of these breathtaking images. This was captured by Athanasios Maloukos, who was
crowned Travel Photographer of the Year for 2025. Judges have praised the skill it takes to shoot in low light. Some of these images, this is
actually, this image is showing Holy Week in Samora in Spain. And then the other image was showing you as a ceremony in Konya in Turkey.
[14:55:00]
The award for Young Winner goes to 10-year-old Jamie Smart. You know her, who took these images in Queensland, Australia for Fruitbat or Flying Fox.
Jamie says she hopes her photographs will encourage other young people to look a lip closer, of course, at a natural world. Truly beautiful photos
from Jamie.
And from bats to birds, as you can see, 14-year-old Ankur Chatterjee captured this vibrant blue-and-grey image. And from a broad build, as you
can see, Hummingbird. This is in Arizona, I believe. And also, the shot, if we've got it, of an acorn woodpecker that we had just there.
From there, we'll take you to Bangladesh, where 18-year-old Kabiur Rahman Riyad experiments with light to show the sunset, as you can see there
beautifully, over the old Testa River. And then to freezing Mongolia, this beautiful photo. This is from Alessandra Manzotti, who received highly
commended for these images in the Adventures as Well, as Experiences category.
And we'll leave you with these photographs from India by Dashawatar Gopalkrishna Bade, the runner-up in the Cultures, Heritage and Beliefs
category. Really a true celebration of the breadth and beauty of our Earth. And we're going to leave you with these stunning images as we hand over, of
course, to Max Foster with "What We Know." Have a wonderful evening. I'll see you tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
