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Isa Soares Tonight
Trump: "Time is Running Out" for Iran to Make a Deal; Death Toll Rises from Iran Protests; Justice Department to Release Full Epstein Files Soon; FBI Serving Search Warrant at Fulton County Elections Office. U.S. Fed to Make Decision on Interest Rate Today; FBI Says it is Executing a Search Warrant at an Elections Office As it Probes Alleged Voter Fraud During 2020 Presidential Election; Ilhan Omar Speaks Out After Town Hall Attack. Aired 2:00-3p ET
Aired January 28, 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: Hello, and a very warm welcome everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, we are following two major stories out
of the United States. Any moment now, the Federal Reserve will make their decision on interest rates. We'll of course bring you that decision in just
a moment.
And in Georgia, the FBI are executing a search warrant at Fulton County, and that's where I want to begin for you this hour. We are following
breaking news out of Fulton County in Georgia, that's where the FBI says it is executing a search warrant at an elections office as it probes alleged
voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
Now, Paula Reid is standing by. Paula, bring us up to date. What more are you learning now? It's connected to 2020. We've seen this before, this push
before. And here we are yet again.
PAULA REID, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here's what we know at this moment. Right now, the FBI confirming that this search is connected to an ongoing
investigation, with one source telling CNN that this is connected to an effort by the Justice Department to seize election records and pursue
allegations of voter fraud back in the 2020 election.
Now, the Atlanta metro area has always been a centerpiece of President Trump's baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. In the
first Trump administration, his Attorney General, then Attorney General Bill Barr, they looked at these allegations and they did not find
sufficient evidence to pursue a full-blown investigation.
But the Justice Department has sued this county to try to get these records, that litigation is still pending, and then we see this search
today. I will also note another important piece of context here is that President Trump has a lot of legal history in this county.
Back in 2023, this is the office that charged him and 18 others for their alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election. That case, though, was
eventually removed by the courts from that office because the District Attorney, Fani Willis had a personal relationship with a prosecutor who was
overseeing that case.
So, here it appears this is connected to allegations of fraud in the 2020 election. But the President has quite a bit of history in Fulton County.
SOARES: Yes, we will remember that infamous call, of course, phone call to find the 11,780, I think it was votes. Do we know at this stage if this is
happening, what they're taking? And I'm guessing that a judge wouldn't simply sign off on this, right, without proof. So, give us some more
context here on how procedural elements of this.
REID: That's right. They can't just walk in there. They need a warrant. They need a justifiable cause to walk in there. And it's not exactly clear
what they will be seizing, but we believe it would be election records, potentially information related to the voter rolls.
Anything, though, that is materially connected to their investigation is covered by this warrant. So, it's unclear exactly what they could find
during this search. It's also unclear at this point how long they have been searching, how long they have been there.
But as we get more details about this search and more broadly about the extent of this investigation, we'll continue to bring you those updates.
SOARES: Very quickly. Is the timing of this interesting to you, I'm just thinking of Brad Raffensperger, who is also throwing his hat in the ring,
is he not for governor?
REID: Look, we have no reporting to suggest that there is a connection there. I will say that President Trump's false claims about the 2020
election, he has been making these consistently since --
SOARES: Yes --
REID: Pretty much election day. Unclear, though, if there is a connection between today's search and Raffensperger's announcement.
SOARES: I know you'll continue on this, Paula. Appreciate it for the breaking news there. Our Paula Reid on the very latest from Washington.
Good to see you, Paula, thank you. The other big story, breaking news story we're following, of course, as I promise you, the U.S. Federal Reserve has
just announced it will keep interest rates unchanged.
Paula Newton standing by in New York. So, Paula, give us a sense of what the Fed is saying because I think this is the first decision for the new
year, right? So, give a sense of what they're saying in terms of the tone critically.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is in fact the first of the year, but also the third to last for Chair Powell --
SOARES: Yes --
NEWTON: Himself. And there's been so much controversy around him. OK, to the facts. Interest rates staying stable, that is not a surprise for
everyone, and we have seen going into this that the markets have been fairly -- trading fairly sideways.
A few things to note here, though, is that the Fed is saying that the U.S. economy is expanding at what they call a solid pace, and that inflation
remains somewhat elevated. And those two aspects right there indicate that the majority of the Fed members here were not willing to cut interest rates
even a quarter point.
[14:05:00]
Because, look, they're saying the economy is growing, inflation is somewhat elevated. So why would we juice up the economy at this point? The other
indicator here, Isa, which is quite interesting on -- you know, we just had an announcement of more layoffs from Amazon in the last 24 hours.
And yet, here we are with the Fed saying that the unemployment rate has shown signs of stabilization. And what they're referring to there is the
fact that while employment and certainly there hasn't been a lot of employment growth in the United States, but it did stabilize, especially
towards the end of 2025. A lot of movements in the markets, as --
SOARES: Yes --
NEWTON: You know, Isa, not just from the Fed itself, but from the President. And there have been a lot of gyrations in currencies, which a
lot of people will have noticed. The President himself having more of an effect on markets than the Fed, saying that he was not going to -- he
didn't care if the dollar -- if the U.S. dollar was high or low, that he didn't really think that he had a high dollar policy.
Well, just this morning in a media interview, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent came on board and said, oh no, we really continue to back a strong
dollar and we will not be interfering in the currency markets. Given everything, though, with the Trump administration, that still is a little
bit unsettling --
SOARES: Yes --
NEWTON: For markets in general. And they are wondering now where it goes from this. As you know, Isa, in the middle of all this is the big question
about who will replace Chair Powell, and if that person will be independent. Everyone says the Fed has to be independent, not just for the
U.S. economy, but for the world economy.
And many wondering though, depending on who is chosen, if they will lean more towards cutting interest rates more aggressively after May.
SOARES: Yes, and we'll hear from Jay Powell in about 24 minutes or so, so, we'll get a sense from him where the Fed stands and the dot plot where the
voting was. But give me a sense -- I suppose the question many will be asking, how long this pause will be, right? On the -- on the cutting rates.
How long -- when will be the next one I'm guessing? Give us a sense, because the last time they said they were looking, they wanted to see the
effects of those cuts before cutting further. We've also seen tariffs against South Korea, and I'm guessing that has an impact. It takes its
time.
What is your sense from what you've seen so far from the press -- from the -- from the Fed, their statement in terms of their look ahead for the next
few months?
NEWTON: So, the Wild Card here is the fact that the Fed chair will change. I will note that there are only --
SOARES: Yes --
NEWTON: Two dissenters on not cutting interest rates, right? So, two wanted to cut interest rates. And that was no surprise here. Stephen Myron,
who is a Trump appointee, and Christopher Waller, who is in the race to become Fed chair as far as we understand.
Given all that, though, I'd say given this statement that the Fed right now, as it stands, is saying that, look, economy is doing well, even the
unemployment rate has stabilized, that I would say this would back those rate cuts later into 2026, which is not something the market is going to
like too well.
But you have got this expanding GDP number, some people are talking about 5 percent growth in the United States. And given all that, there is a lot of
caution with the Fed, given the fact that there is still inflationary pressure, many saying that those tariffs that the United States continues
to apply even as recently as in the last week, will start to come through to consumers and to prices even more so in 2026.
So, the Fed will be a bit shy about perhaps cutting those interest rates, at least, not at least until the latter part of 2026.
SOARES: Yes --
NEWTON: And we'll see how markets react to that.
SOARES: Yes, CPI numbers weren't great the last time I looked, and I think -- I'm just going to ask Laura(ph) to bring -- my producer to bring the
graphic up, the Dow, I think it was pretty flat the last time I looked. Thank you very much, Paula. We'll keep an ear out as well for what Jay
Powell says, whether he addresses it, of course, any of the criticism and the unrelenting pressure, of course, that he has seen from the President.
Paula Newton will be back with "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS", and like I said, the Dow pretty much flat on that decision from the Feds. Thank you, Paula.
Well, another story for you. Busy hour here, breaking news. A Homeland Security official confirmed to CNN that the federal agents involved in the
shooting death of Alex Pretti have been placed on administrative leave.
An initial report from the Department of Homeland Security says that two officers fired their guns during that fatal encounter, but it does not say
whether any of the bullets fired by those agents struck Pretti. It also does not say that Pretti was brandishing a gun as DHS Secretary Kristi
Noem, if you remember, she claimed that, or that he attacked officers at any point.
And in what appears to be some backtracking, top White House aide Stephen Miller now admits the federal agents involved may not have been following
proper protocol before Pretti was killed last Saturday, and that is a notable change in tone from Miller, who labeled Pretti, if you remember, a
would-be assassin shortly after the shooting.
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Well, amid the turmoil on the streets of Minneapolis, a stunning attack on a Minnesota Congresswoman President Trump referred to recently as garbage.
Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar was holding a town hall, as you can see there, meeting, when a man rushed the podium, as you can see, and
sprayed her with an unknown substance.
She was not injured, by the way. Forensic examiners now say they believe that liquid that was thrown at her was likely apple cider vinegar. The 55-
year-old man was charged with third degree assault. CNN's Sara Sidner caught up with the congresswoman, who struck a defiant tone shortly after
the attack. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Representative Omar, are you OK?
REP. ILHAN OMAR (D-MN): You know, I'm going to go figure if I am, but I feel OK. I feel that it is important for people, whether they are in
elected office or not, to allow these people to intimidate us, to make us not fight for our constituents and for the country we love.
And as I said, you know, I've survived war, and I'm definitely going to survive intimidation and whatever these people think that they can throw at
me, because I'm built that way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill have condemned the attack. President Trump, though, did not. In an interview
with "ABC News", he called Congresswoman Omar a fraud, and said she probably had herself sprayed. And that is a direct quote.
Our senior White House reporter, Kevin Liptak is with us. So, Kevin, let me start first with the breaking news that we have been following. Those
agents who have been involved in the shooting of Alex Pretti. They're now being placed on administrative leave. Do we know when this happened? And
speak more about the changing tone that we are seeing from administration. Is quite a turnaround.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and just the fact of them being put on this leave is itself a turnaround, because you --
SOARES: Yes --
LIPTAK: Remember some days ago, Greg Bovino, who had been leading the CBP in Minneapolis, said that in fact, these agents were still on duty, that
they had been reassigned to other areas, but they still were carrying out the President's objective of these immigration raids.
Now, we're hearing something much different, which does speak to the pivot that the President seems to be suggesting is underway, and how all of this
is being carried out. Of course, we don't know precisely what the investigation will lead to, and whether any of these agents will be
disciplined in any way.
We should also note, we don't know the identities of these agents either, which is itself something of a rarity after this kind of event. Normally,
their names would have trickled out through official channels by this point. And so, even as you see this pivot happening, there isn't
necessarily an indication from the ground in Minneapolis that you're seeing massive numbers of these federal officers leave the city.
You know, you have Tom Homan, who is the President's border czar, who the President has dispatched to Minneapolis to essentially take hold of all of
these operations. And in the President's words, de-escalate the situation somehow. We saw him meet with the governor, Tim Walz, and the Mayor Jacob
Frey.
All sides of that meeting came out suggesting that it was productive. You know, Tom Homan acknowledging that, yes, they would have differences of
opinion on how to approach this question of getting undocumented immigrants deported. But certainly seeming as if they were willing to have these
productive conversations going forward.
Now, that seemed to change somewhat a couple of hours ago when President Trump went after Jacob Frey very harshly on social media for Jacob Frey's
assertions that these federal agents needed to leave the city entirely. And so, I do think it speaks to the underlying fact here that President Trump
may be changing his tactics when it comes to these immigration enforcement operations. But the policy is not changing at all.
SOARES: Yes --
LIPTAK: And even Tom Homan, very much a hardliner, still is of the view and of the position that the administration has held that undocumented
migrants need to be deported.
SOARES: And as you're talking, we're looking at some video from Minnesota that happened on Tuesday. And just really want to follow up from what you
said. Do we know when these agents were placed on administrative leave, and since Homan's arrival there in Minneapolis, have we seen a shift in the
tactics by ICE? Because we were just playing some video that doesn't suggest it's changed at all.
LIPTAK: Yes, and I think, you know, some of the incidents that we saw take place yesterday did not seem to indicate that they were going to shift some
of these more aggressive positions. For example, when ICE agents showed up at the Ecuadorian Consulate in Minneapolis, which draw outrage from Quito,
an enormous amount of consternation, given that those facilities had typically been viewed as sort of off limits.
So, you do see ICE and CBP continuing some of these very aggressive operations that had caused so much outrage to begin with.
[14:15:00]
At the same time, there is a sense that the temperatures could be lowering. You don't see confrontations with demonstrators and protesters of the style
that we saw that led to the shooting deaths of these two individuals in Minneapolis over the last two weeks.
Now, when it comes to when these agents were put on leave, I'm not sure it's explicitly clear. Those details seem to be coming out sort of piece by
piece. But as we know, Bovino said just a couple of days ago that they were still on duty and still assigned to other areas.
So, it seemed to have happened between then and when the President sort of reassigned Bovino to other aspects of the immigration agenda.
SOARES: Kevin Liptak for us with the very latest on the breaking news, thank you, Kevin, appreciate it. And do join us for a CNN town hall on
Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time amid tensions following those two fatal shootings, of course, of U.S. citizens that my colleague, we just talked
about, that's Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal immigration officials, local leaders and Mayor Jacob Frey.
Take questions from Minnesotans and discuss really a path forward. CNN's Anderson Cooper and our Sara Sidner are on the ground, and they're
moderating the town hall. Be sure to join us for that at 8:00 p.m. in New York, 7:00 p.m. in Minneapolis.
And still to come tonight, U.S. President Donald Trump warns a massive armada is heading towards Iran, escalating threats of military
intervention. Plus, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has finished testifying before a Senate committee. We'll show you what he said about
Venezuelan financing and the future of NATO. Both those stories after this very short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, defending the administration's foreign policy while testifying for nearly three hours at
a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. Secretary Rubio acknowledged the complexity of the situation in Iran, saying it's hard to predict who
would take over if the supreme leader were to be removed from power.
He did suggest the U.S. could launch preemptive strikes to protect U.S. forces in the region. When it came to Venezuela, Rubio said, the Trump
administration has created a way to help fund the Venezuelan government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE, UNITED STATES: And they were facing a fiscal crunch. They needed money in the immediacy to fund the police
officer, the sanitation workers, the daily operations of government. And so, we've been able to create a short term mechanism.
This is not going to be the permanent mechanism, but this is a short term mechanism in which the needs of the Venezuelan people can be met through a
process that we've created, where they will submit every month a budget of this is what we need funded.
[14:20:00]
We will provide for them at the front end what that money cannot be used for. And they've been very cooperative in this regard. In fact, they have
pledged to use a substantial amount of those funds to purchase medicine and equipment directly from the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, Secretary Rubio was also asked about the country's future within NATO. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-NH): The extent to which that unity is undermined, like the talk about Greenland and antagonizing Denmark, then it undermines
NATO's ability. And the only people who are excited about that are Vladimir Putin and President Xi.
RUBIO: Yes, well, I would say that I think our alliances in NATO ultimately are something that's going to work out. Our partners understand
the importance of the U.S. presence in NATO. Without the U.S., there is no NATO. And we understand that in order for NATO to be stronger, our partners
need to be stronger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's get more on all this. Kylie Atwood joins us now from Washington, Stefano Pozzebon is in Bogota. Stefano, let me go to you,
first. Secretary Rubio outlined, and we heard it before, really, but clearer today, kind of the long-term strategy for Venezuela stabilization.
I think he said recovery and then transition. All this, of course, sounds good on paper. The question is how long will this take? And many, of
course, asking when will there be elections? Because Delcy Rodriguez doesn't seem to like the idea of following orders from what we've heard
from her.
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, it's exactly. It's interesting to follow the remarks from Delcy Rodriguez down in Caracas on Sunday, saying
that enough is enough. We are tired of looking -- of listening to orders from Washington.
But when I was listening to the secretary, I was having my mind set on the money. How is Venezuela receiving the profits and the proceeds of the sale
of their oil, which is now we know is being managed by the United States. We have been -- reported on that, and we can confirm, especially after
hearing it directly from Secretary Rubio, that right now, all the oil is being sold through a U.S. authorization.
The proceeds are going to an account, a bank account in Qatar that is owned by the Venezuelans, but is actually controlled by the Americans. So, the
real question is how long -- more than Rubio -- how long can Delcy sustain that structure? Because I was speaking with experts in the oil sector down
in Caracas, and the way they described me is a junior account similar to what you open for your kid when you go to the local bank.
And it's an account with limited capacity and limited action available with the oversight of a parent. Well, right now, Delcy Rodriguez is an acting
head of state who doesn't have the control of the finances of her country. She needs to comply with the Americans, with the U.S. states in order to
receive the money and in order to be able to spend and to function as a country, as a nation.
And my question is, who will get hired the first? Because yes, we know that, especially Secretary Rubio, being a close ally of the opposition
leader, Maria Corina Machado is pushing ahead with a full transition to democracy and freedom down in Caracas.
He has talked about a three-phase plan stabilization, recovery and then transition to democracy with Maria Corina Machado playing a role in that
transition. But my personal feeling is that Delcy Rodriguez and the current leadership down in Caracas will try to break through the shackles that the
United States have built around them far sooner than when the U.S. administration and the White House will feel confident to push ahead
towards a transition. So, we --
SOARES: Yes --
POZZEBON: Understand that this is a very temporary solution, and Marco Rubio did say that these are very fluid times that things can be bumpy, I
like that adjective, by the way, the road to democracy can be bumpy sometimes, but I think that what really remind -- stayed out of that -- of
that deposition was the idea of a sitting head of state who doesn't have access to the bank accounts of --
SOARES: Yes --
POZZEBON: Their own country. That is, Isa --
SOARES: Yes, and --
POZZEBON: Frightening so far --
SOARES: She would have to even submit a budget request if she wanted the money, and to show what that money will be used for. I thought it was
interesting what Marco Rubio said, this is -- this is not a ready meal that you put in a microwave, and in two minutes it's ready.
I thought that metaphor worked quite well. It just shows the long road ahead. Stay with us. Let me go to Kylie, because Kylie, of course,
Venezuela did take most of the conversation and they were there for hours, really questioning Marco Rubio, senator -- Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
But he was also asked about NATO, and I think he said at one point, he said without the U.S., there is no NATO. He also said that NATO needs to be re-
imagined. And he faced several questions on this. Speak to the concerns that we heard from some of the lawmakers there.
[14:25:00]
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the concerns, particularly from Democratic lawmakers, is that the U.S. has so undermined
its alliance in NATO, its European allies, that it is detrimental to the United States foreign policy objectives.
Effectively making the case that language that President Trump uses and also action that we have seen from Trump on this front, is just -- is not
what the United States should be doing here in terms of shoring up alliances and really doubling down on those alliances.
The Secretary of State talking about reimagining NATO, effectively made the case that the United States would like to see the European countries as we
have heard from the Trump administration, time and time again, step up when it comes to their own defense, and do more in terms of military spending.
In terms of resources that they are putting towards their military defense so that the United States can still be a part of that alliance, but so that
the United States can effectively take its own resources and put it to other parts of the globe where it sees that there are challenges.
Obviously, when it comes to China, the United States feels that there could be resources put towards that competition. So, he was not very explicit in
talking about, you know, how long it's going to take for the United States to make these changes.
But when it does come to Greenland and the rift that we have seen between the United States and Greenland and Denmark over the future of Greenland,
and who is going to control that island, the secretary said that things right now are in a pretty good place.
That was his analysis of it. He said that he believed that they are, you know, working towards a solution. He also notably said that he hopes that
future meetings with the United States and Danish and Greenlandic officials will be less in the spotlight so that they can actually kind of work
through things here without the attention being on every single movement that is made.
So, obviously, this is a space that we will continue to watch. But he did notably say that the United States views NATO as useful. So, not completely
taking the United States away from its commitment to, of course, to that European military alliance.
SOARES: Yes, saying there needs to be a rebalance, but still very little in terms of details when the question of Greenland, which I thought was --
ATWOOD: Yes --
SOARES: Very interesting. Kylie and Stefano, thank you very much to you both. And still to come tonight, U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening
a new attack on Iran, saying it's running out of time, he says, to make a nuclear deal. We're live at the White House with the very latest.
And then Iran's speaker of parliament sits down with our Frederik Pleitgen in Tehran. Why he says Iran has little reason to trust President Trump.
That interview just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Welcome back everyone. Threats and warnings are escalating fast today between Iran and the United States as
President Donald Trump weighs military action. He says a massive U.S. armada is heading to Iran, larger than the one he sent to Venezuela.
Mr. Trump says time is running out for Tehran to negotiate a nuclear deal, threatening a new attack on Iran that he says would be far worse than the
last. He has also threatened military intervention over Iran's deadly crackdown on protesters. Iran's foreign minister says his country's forces
have their fingers on the trigger, ready to immediately and powerfully respond to any aggression. But he also stresses that Iran would welcome
what he calls a fair and equitable nuclear deal.
Let's get more from our Kristen Holmes who's at the White House. So, Kristen, first of all, I mean an armada as we've heard is heading toward
Iran. What is the intention then? Do we know what the intention of the President is here? Because initially it was about the protesters and now it
seems to be talking about nuclear programs. So, lay out the land for us.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's really what we're trying to get to the bottom of right now, because this is a
relatively recent post. Just remember, up until now, he had been focused on this idea of the protesters and this red line that if Iran crossed in terms
of these killings of these protesters, it would spark a strong U.S. reaction, including potentially a military one.
And that is all around the time when President Trump started talking about this armada that was headed over there. We have already started to note
that the USS Lincoln is in is close enough now to assist with anything the White House would want to do, although it's not likely in its final
position.
But as you noted, it seems as though we've shifted away from the protests and more to the Iran nuclear deal or some kind of nuclear negotiation. Of
course, this is something that had been ongoing with the administration until it totally timed out. And we stopped hearing about any kind of
negotiation between the U.S. and Iran. There was several sticking points for both sides that made it impossible to actually come up with some kind
of solution when it came to Iran.
So, the big question we've been asking the White House now is what is this change in posture? How has the focus shifted to nuclear capabilities? And I
do want to read you part of this here. This is what President Trump says. He likens this to Venezuela, and that will come up at the end of this. I'll
explain his thinking. It says, like with Venezuela, it is ready, willing and able to rapidly fulfill its mission. He's talking about the aircraft
carrier that I just mentioned.
It says with violence, with speed and violence, if necessary, hopefully Iran will quickly come to the table and negotiate a fair and equitable
deal, no nuclear weapons and one that is good for all parties. The reason why I mentioned Venezuela there is that we have been reporting for the last
several weeks that President Trump has grown increasingly bullish on the world stage after the capture of Nicolas Maduro and the enormous kind of
focus that the U.S. military had in that mission, the accolades that the U.S. military has gotten from the mission that they executed there.
You know, even outside -- even outsiders commenting that it was almost a flawless mission, something President Trump has touted at every turn, part
of his kind of posturing now is using the military as a threat to try and get countries to do what he wants them to do. And now, of course, he has
Venezuela to point to as something he actually followed through on. So, it might give these countries pause, or at least that's what the White House
is hoping it will do when they kind of start to set up this posture of aggression towards Iran.
SOARES: Yes. But Venezuela, a very different kettle of fish because they were dealing, as we've learned, with Delcy Rodriguez behind the scenes
leading up to the capture of Maduro. So, very different. Kristen, appreciate it. Thank you very much indeed.
And while Iran faces the threat of outside interventions, also facing huge pressure, of course, at home, a U.S.-based human rights group now says more
than 5,800 protesters have been killed, including 100 children, since nationwide demonstrations began, if you remember, last month. CNN can't
independently confirm those numbers, and internet blackouts continue to limit verification efforts.
[14:35:00]
Our Frederik Pleitgen is reporting from Tehran this week, operating only within the government's permission. He sat down with Iran's speaker of
parliament to talk about the protests, President Trump's threat, and much more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOHAMMAD BAGHER GHALIBAF, SPEAKER OF IRAN'S PARLIAMENT (through translator): How can we, given all these actions and reactions again,
trust President Trump?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you still willing to negotiate with the Trump administration?
GHALIBAF (through translator): If there's genuine talk to reach a deal within the framework of international regulations, then yes. But that's not
the kind of talk the U.S. president is after. He just wants to impose his will on others. He ripped up the JCPOA and threw it in the bin. Two days
before the new round of talks, he torpedoed the talks by giving the green light to Israel to attack Iran.
In my opinion, if Trump is really honest and telling the truth and seeking peace and wants to have the Nobel Peace Prize, he needs to go towards a
real peace, and his first action must be to get free of the warmongers and those seeking Iran's submission.
PLEITGEN: The United States says it's building up these forces because it's reacting to the mass killing of protesters during the recent protests
that happened here in Iran by Iranian security forces. What's your response to that?
GHALIBAF (through translator): This behavior, as I described, was a scheme that was designed entirely out of the country in order to try and carry out
a terrorist pseudo-coup. These crimes need to be prosecuted and will be pursued inside the country, and legal procedures will take place. We will
never back down from seeking revenge for the blood and pursuing different aspects of this crime.
PLEITGEN: President Trump has threatened massive force if no agreement is reached. What do you think that that would mean for Iran, and what would
that mean for the region?
GHALIBAF (through translator): Maybe Mr. Trump can start a war, but he doesn't have control over the end. Thousands of American soldiers who have
been deployed from several thousands of kilometers from home are definitely going to be harmed, which is not a good thing. The Iranian nation
throughout history has shown that it would never submit to foreigners.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Frederik Pleitgen there on the ground in Tehran. Let's get some perspective now from Colin Clarke, Executive Director of the Soufan Center.
Colin, great to see you. Let me get your take, first of all, on what we've heard from the president saying that a massive armada is heading toward
Iran. How significant, first of all, is and how massive is this armada? Speak to the assets, of course, first, if you could.
COLIN CLARKE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE SOUFAN CENTER: Yes. Thanks for having me. So, well, it is an armada and it is a massive amount of U.S.
military muscle, fighter jets, really everything the United States would need and more to conduct a sustained assault on Iran, which I think is
becoming increasingly more likely.
I do think we are going to see some kind of strikes. The question at this point, if those go forward, is how extensive are they? And does this look
like more of a mop up operation? The targets that the U.S. didn't hit this summer during Operation Midnight Hammer, does Trump then go in and try to
finish the job, so to speak?
SOARES: Yes. So, just picking up on that, where -- what would they be striking then, Colin?
CLARKE: So, there's going to be a range of targets that are on the table. Obviously, the leadership of the country, of the regime. There could be
some kind of attempted decapitation strike against the supreme leader, against the leadership of the IRGC Quds Force, against other military,
security and intelligence officials. And then there's the hardware, the sites, what's left of the missile silos and the Iranian nuclear program.
SOARES: We -- you saw and we've showed our viewers just in the last few minutes what President Trump posted on Truth Social when he said their
murder was on its way. He also obviously brought Venezuela into this. And we know the one that the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group that was
in Venezuela was now making its way. But this -- I mean, this gunboat diplomacy that we saw in Venezuela, this is a very different proposition to
Venezuela, right? I was just speaking to Kirsten Holmes in the White House.
Delcy Rodriguez was, we understand, was doing a deal with U.S. behind the scenes. I very much doubt that you get anything similar to this in Iran
with the IRGC. Anyone trying to break ranks with them?
CLARKE: It's not an apples-to-apples comparison, although I do think the important point and the salient point, which was mentioned in your previous
segment, is that the president's success in going after Maduro has emboldened him and allowed him to kind of double down on, you know, the
efficacy of military force.
Again, the United States has the most talented military in the world. You have to be careful, though, when you get into the situation where, you
know, when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail, and that the president then attempts to use military force to solve problems that
could be solved through diplomacy.
[14:40:00]
And you're right, Iran and Venezuela, two totally different scenarios. A decapitation strike against the regime would almost certainly lead to a
prolonged insurgency in that country.
SOARES: And I was looking at some of the data, CNN data on IRGC members. I mean, there's something like 100, 115 -- let me see, 115,000 plus fighters.
I mean, this would be a huge gamble, would it not for the U.S.? Speak to the risks here.
CLARKE: No, the risks are tremendous if things go, you know, sideways, because as you mentioned, that's a very robust force of individuals that
are equipped with weapons and trained to use them. And this is existential for them, right? If the regime folds, they're likely going to be killed.
Look at the -- you know, how visceral the protests have been. There's a huge schism in that country, and it would almost certainly devolve into
prolonged civil war and insurgency.
SOARES: Let me get your take from what we heard from Secretary Marco Rubio, who was testifying on Capitol Hill. The majority of questions, to be
fair, were on Venezuela, but he was asked about Iran. This is what he said. Have a listen, Colin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: That regime is probably weaker than it has ever been. And the core problem they face, unlike the protests you
saw in the past on some other topics, is that they don't have a way to address the core complaints of the protesters, which is that their economy
is in collapse.
The protests may have ebbed, but they will spark up again in the future, because this regime, unless they are willing to change and or leave, have
no way of addressing the legitimate and consistent complaints of the people of Iran who deserve better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: We're not to say that the regime is probably weaker than ever. Do you agree with this assessment, Colin?
CLARKE: It's really difficult to measure something like that accurately, and I do find it to be a very seductive argument for the administration,
right? In other words, if you're going to do something to topple the regime, now is the time to act. You have this, you know, small window
within which to do it. Where is that pressure coming from? Is that an intelligence assessment? Is that coming from folks within Trump's cabinet
who have his ear? You know, that's definitely something to keep an eye on.
SOARES: Colin Clark, as always, appreciate it. Good to see you, Colin. Thank you.
CLARKE: Thanks, Isa.
SOARES: We'll have more, of course, more than a month past the deadline. The U.S. Justice Department says it plans to release the full Jeffrey
Epstein files, quote, "in the near term." To date, less than 1 percent of the documents related to the convicted sex offender have been released.
More than 2 million have been under review and reduction. An exact date for the release has not been announced, but be sure we'll stay across all the
latest on this story.
We're going to take a short break. We'll be back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:00]
SOARES: I want to return to our breaking news that we brought you in the last, what, 40 -- well, 50 minutes or so, 30 minutes or so. In Fulton
County, Georgia, the FBI says it is serving a search warrant at an election's office as it probes alleged voter fraud during the 2020
presidential election. The FBI says it is serving a search warrant at an election's office as it probes alleged voter fraud during the 2020
presidential election.
Now, a source told CNN that the search is related to an effort by the Justice Department to seize election records of alleged voter fraud there.
It has long been a centerpiece of President Donald Trump's baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.
So, let's bring in former state and federal prosecutor David Weinstein for more. David, great to see you. There's a lot we do not know at this stage,
of course, as is breaking news. We've been following the past half an hour. But just your initial thoughts, and really reaction to this search warrant
taking place now at Elections Office in Fulton County.
DAVID WEINSTEIN, FORMER STATE AND FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, Isa, I did a little digging. And this is clearly related to a letter and subpoena that
they issued to the clerk of the court, which is the subject of a now pending lawsuit in District Court in Georgia. They're seeking the same
record. They're seeking voter registration records, they're seeking any record from that particular, the 2020 election.
And in that particular lawsuit, the clerk said, the law you cited doesn't apply. We don't have the records and because they're under seal, you need
to get a judge to issue an order. So, for me what this means is that the Department of Justice has now taken a parallel track, and they obtained an
order. Now, what they did, they went to a judge and they said, we believe there's probable cause to believe that a statute's been violated and please
issue a search warrant so we can go get those documents.
SOARES: So, then, David, take a step back for us, just for our viewers, and just add some context here because in December 2020, this was during
President Trump's first term, the then-Attorney General Bill Barr, we remember clearly, said the DOJ hadn't found, right, hadn't found any
evidence to support any sort of allegations of widespread fraud that could have changed the presidential election held the month before.
What then -- from then to now, besides what we're hearing, has any other evidence emerged in the last six years to suggest the contrary?
WEINSTEIN: We haven't seen anything that's emerged that's different. Look, we had a lawsuit that was filed in state court in Georgia against people
alleging some of the same activity, there was another lawsuit filed in -- rather criminal case filed in D.C. alleging election interference by people
on the other side. We haven't seen anything really new or different. But now, perhaps the issue is not was that a fraudulent election but rather,
how were the voter rolls and registrations put together? Was there a violation of people's civil rights to vote and how the election was
operated? To me, it's all intertwined together.
SOARES: What does that mean? Yes. And, David, what does that mean, how the -- how they vote and how is all put together? What do you think that --
what exactly are they looking at here?
WEINSTEIN: What they're trying to look at is trying to find out based on the rules and the registration and the way the election was operated
whether or not the election officials discriminated against a particular class of individuals deprived them of their right to vote. That's the only
thing I can think of that's any different than everything that's been alleged, and that's certainly what they were trying to get at in the letter
and the subpoena that they served on the clerk of court.
So, other than a change in attorney generals, that's the only thing that's changed between 2020 and now.
SOARES: David, I know you'll stay across this for us, it's all breaking news and lots of developments. David Weinstein, thank you for coming up for
us on this breaking news story out of Miami. Thank you, David. Good to see you.
WEINSTEIN: You're welcome.
SOARES: And still to come -- you're very welcome. Still to come tonight what the U.S. first lady was doing at the New York Stock Exchange today. A
breakdown of the numbers behind the Melania movie. Yes, that movie. When we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:00]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Amid the hoopla of Oscar and BAFTA nominations that we brought you in recent days, a film being released on
Friday is generating some very different buzz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELANIA TRUMP, U.S. FIRST LADY: Everyone wants to know, so here it is. Hi, Mr. President. Congratulations.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Did you watch it?
M. TRUMP: I did not. Yes, I will see it on the news.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, the documentary about Melania Trump is coming to theatres and it highlights her role in the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump's
second inauguration. She was reportedly paid tens of millions of dollars by Amazon MGM Studios to participate in the film. The first lady rang the
opening bell today at the New York Stock Exchange as part of the Melania promotion. Amazon is said to be spending 35 million dollars marketing the
film and is getting an unusually wide release for her documentary.
Harry Enten has a lot to break down for us. Harry, I imagine you haven't seen it. I don't know maybe you have. I certainly haven't. Give us a sense
of how it's being received and the projections here.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes. OK. No, I have not seen it as the number one thing. I don't think anyone has really seen it besides, of
course, Melania Trump and the folks at Amazon.
But look, you mentioned the Oscars earlier. I don't think that this film is going to win an Oscar. Why do I say that? Well, I say this because just
take a look here. The chance Melania's score on Rotten Tomatoes is below 20 percent. Of course, you want to be well north of 50 percent if you want to
win an Oscar. But the chance that on Rotten Tomatoes it's below 20 percent, an 83 percent chance according to the prediction market odds. The belief is
that this film is not going to be well received by the critics.
And of course, it hasn't been released at this point for the critics to actually review it, which of course oftentimes happens when you don't think
the film will be particularly well received.
SOARES: Yes.
ENTEN: Now, you see this right here. You see, OK, it's not expected to be well received. And that of course seems to definitely probably have an
impact on the box office. Because what are we talking about? What are the projections here? All right. This is documentary ticket sales for the first
weekend. The number one film ever was "Fahrenheit 9/11." And the sales there were $41 million adjusted for inflation.
Look at what the projection is for "Melania." The forecast is for about $1 to $5 million, which is not anywhere on the same planet as "Fahrenheit
9/11" was, 41 million. And what is that? That's about eight times more than the highest projection for "Melania."
Now, here's the thing though, right. You see this 1 to 5 million. And you mentioned it at the top, which was how much money Amazon has spent on this.
I mean, my goodness gracious. You mentioned the marketing budget 35 million, but the film budget how much they reportedly actually spent to
acquire the rights was 40 million. That means it costs Amazon, get this, $75 million. $75 million. And they, at this point, don't look like they're
going to come anywhere close to recouping those losses.
"Melania," at this point, looks more likely than not to be a box office bomb. But of course, we'll just have to wait and see.
SOARES: We will have to see. Let me let me tell you what, this is The Guardian newspaper came out on Monday and it says, U.K. ticket sales for
"Melania" are so far soft, they say. This is according to the chief executive review. One ticket had been sold for the 310 screening on Friday.
And this is one of its flagship branches in London.
[14:55:00]
While two have been booked for 6:00 p.m. it does not bode well for the film thus far. I wonder what you are hearing on that side, whether there is any
sort of excitement.
ENTEN: I have not heard any excitement. I did see a theater up in Boston, I believe it was up, in Massachusetts here in the States, and it showed
that zero, zero seats had been sold for a prime time showing of it. We'll see if this 1 to 5 million actually works out.
Would it not be shocking to me that perhaps this is a little bit optimistic based upon those anecdotal reports? Maybe so. If it is optimistic or they
you could put that on a movie review.
SOARES: Maybe it needs the president, the husband, to go on Truth Social and give it a bit of a lift. Give it some love.
ENTEN: Maybe so. Maybe it will do better in some of the areas that Trump did well. And I don't think he's particularly popular in London nor in
Boston, Massachusetts.
SOARES: No. You're quite right. Harry, great to see you. Thank you very much indeed.
ENTEN: Have a good one.
SOARES: Thank you. That does it for me for tonight. Do stay right here. "What We Know" with Max Foster is up next. Always a good watch.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
