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One World with Zain Asher
Outrage in Minneapolis after Man Killed by Federal Agent; Trump Sending Border Czar to Minnesota Tonight; Kurds Show Anger, Frustration at U.S. for Siding with Syria; Hearing in Minnesota's Push to Halt Immigration Crackdown; Winter Storm Pummels Eastern U.S., Shatters Records; Tickets for "Airing" World Tour Sell Out in Minutes. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired January 26, 2026 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Outrage is growing in Minneapolis and across the United States after a federal agent shoots and kills a U.S.
citizen, the second time this month. "One World" starts right now. Amid the tensions in Minnesota, critical legal battles are also underway to push
back on the Administration's efforts.
Plus, digging out from a massive winter storm which hit much of the United States. And an uncertain future for Kurds in Syria, amid a delicate
ceasefire between Kurdish forces and the army. CNN is in the region for a closer look.
We're coming to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher. You are watching "One World". U.S. President Donald Trump says that he's sending his Border
Czar Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight, as outrage grows across the nation, after a second U.S. citizen was shot and killed by federal agents in
Minneapolis, protests continued in the city overnight.
Demonstrators have been out in the streets amid subzero temperatures, demanding that I.C.E. leave the city. Some were spotted outside a hotel in
Minneapolis, where they believe that federal agents were staying. This as we learn a little bit more about Alex Pretti that's the man who was fatally
shot on Saturday. The 37-year-old was a nurse at an intensive care unit at a Veterans Hospital.
Videos and eyewitness evidence sheds light on the moments that led up to the deadly incident. Warning for you, though these images that we are about
to show you are actually extremely disturbing. A federal immigration officer essentially shot and killed Pretti after wrestling the lawful gun
owner to the ground as Pretti was recording agents with a phone.
Federal officials claim that Pretty brandished his gun that now he was shot essentially in self-defense, yet they provided little evidence for that.
And video from the scene contradicts those claims. Listen to President Trump's Border Patrol Commander.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREGORY BOVINO, U.S. BORDER PATROL COMMANDER: When someone makes the choice to come into an active law enforcement scene, interfere, obstruct, delay or
assault law enforcement officers and they bring a weapon to do that. That is a -- that is a choice that that individual made.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says the federal government is trying to smear Pretti.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): This is an inflection point America. If we cannot all agree that the smearing of an American citizen and besmirching everything
they stood for and asking us not to believe what we saw, I don't know what else to tell you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Two critical federal hearings are set to take place today. One is on a lawsuit to temporarily halt Trump's immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
Another is on preserving evidence from this latest shooting. CNN's Whitney Wild is at the scene and sent us this report earlier.
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: This is this first hearing where the State of Minnesota is suing the Trump Administration, saying that
this immigration crackdown, which DHS says is the largest immigration crackdown ever, goes above and beyond what is permissible under the law.
They say it is so invasive, it is so aggressive that it amounts to an infringement on the State of Minnesota's sovereignty. Again, that case
happening right now. This is a critical hearing where the State of Minnesota is asking for a temporary restraining order to stop Operation
Metro surge here.
Later today, there is a second hearing where local officials here are asking a judge to effectively prevent federal officials from tampering or
destroying evidence in the case of Alex Pretti. So, we have that -- we know that there was a temporary restraining order issued on Saturday that
demanded that federal officials do not destroy or alter evidence at all.
[11:05:00]
The Trump Administration saying plainly, they would never do that, and basically saying they were insulted by even the insinuation that they would
do that. That hearing is later today. Here is more from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on the significance of the question over handling
evidence and the importance of preserving it so that local officials can conduct an independent investigation for themselves.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEITH ELLISON, MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL: This is not a rash decision for us to go to court and to seek a temporary restraining order from a judge to
preserve evidence and prevent the destruction of evidence.
I don't care if you're a conservative, liberal or whatever, but you should at least be in favor of conserving evidence in a homicide and to have to go
get an order from a judge to preserve that evidence is extraordinary and should alarm everyone who believes in equal justice under the law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILD: These are novel legal questions that may not be answered today, but we are watching very closely to find out when these federal judges here in
the twin cities are going to issue their opinions. But certainly, these are, as I said, novel approaches that are really an uncharted territory.
Back to you.
ASHER: Many thanks to CNN's Whitney Wild for that report. Let's take a closer look at the situation on the ground in Minneapolis with CNN Senior
Law Enforcement Analyst Charles Ramsey. So, Charles, I'm sure you've watched the video several times over as I have. Your initial reaction to
this particular shooting death of Alex Pretti.
CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I mean, the video is inconsistent with the statements made by both Secretary Nome and
Commander Bovino. It's not even close to what they were claiming initially, that he was brandishing a weapon, that he was threatening officers, that he
had an intent to cause, you know, major harm. None of that is true.
Thank God for the video quite frankly, because without that, many people would be led to believe that those statements were, in fact, true. This was
not a justified use of force. Sure, he was armed, but he had a legal right to carry that arm. He -- there's no indication at all that he ever
displayed or tried to display that weapon, which would have put officers in danger of their own lives. So, everything has been said so far by DHS, is
just wrong.
ASHER: So how do they justify this? I mean, you know, he was a legal firearm owner. He did have a gun on him technically. That gun was removed
from his person, and then while he was being held down by multiple federal officers, he was then shot. How do they justify that, based on what we see
in the video?
RAMSEY: Well, I mean, they're trying to justify it by spinning the story. But the reality is, it can't be justified. It's just not a good shooting at
all. It's not justified. You know, he was carrying a gun. It's not about carrying a gun. It's about how you're using a gun. What are your actions?
What are you doing to threaten someone else with a firearm? And sure, he had a legal right to carry that gun because he had a permit, but even if he
didn't have the permit, the mere fact that you have a gun on your person is not justification to use deadly force.
Something else has to be present in order for that to take place, and you do not see that in this particular case. The credibility of DHS and I.C.E.
right now is about as low as it could possibly get, and you know that can easily transfer it to other federal agencies.
We learned that lesson at a local level during George Floyd and other types of incidents that involve municipal police officers, even though it
happened in Minneapolis Police Departments across the country had protests and were being accused of, you know, abusing the rights of people and so
forth. So, this may not be limited to just DHS in the long run.
The fact that you have members of the Trump Administration essentially saying that he was brandishing a gun, which, of course, based on, based on
the video, we don't see any evidence of that. They referred to him as a would-be assassin, and also, essentially, also saying that he had committed
an act of domestic terrorism.
All of this, by the way, not again, obviously it's not supported by the video. But on top of that, all of this coming before any kind of
investigation. Just talk to us about what that means for the credibility of the Department of Homeland Security here.
RAMSEY: Well, I mean, it destroys the credibility, because if, whenever an investigation takes place, and you know, I've been a major city police
chief for 17 years, so I've handled a lot of officers involved shooting investigations, or at least reviewed them and signed off on them.
[11:10:00]
As the head of an agency like Bovino or Kristi Nome, you have to sign off on it. Well, if you've already predetermined that there was nothing wrong
with the shooting, where's the credibility of that being a fair, objective investigation based solely on facts and evidence.
I mean, they've lost the ability to claim no matter what the outcome is, that it's a fair and impartial review of the facts of that case, and so
they've destroyed their own credibility. And there's no way in the world you can make those kinds of statements as quickly as they did without
knowing everything that's going on.
I've learned from experience that the first you know story that you get is never 100 percent accurate, because, again, evidence has to be processed.
People have to be interviewed. You have to review video in this world today, all those things before you can draw any kind of conclusion at all
as to whether or not the use of force in general is particularly deadly force was justified.
ASHER: Just in terms of the level of experience and training that border patrol agents have when it comes to A crowd control and B policing urban
areas. What do we know about that?
RAMSEY: Well, they shorten their training from six months to six weeks. That's my understanding. Six weeks is not nearly long enough. But this is
more than just about training. There's a culture now that's been developed within that agency where you know, and some of it is due to, you know,
leadership. Some of it is based on some court decisions.
For an example, the courts have said it's OK for them to profile individuals, pull them over based on what they look like, not based on any
kind of reasonable suspicion or probable cause or anything like that. You can enter a house forcibly with an administrative warrant, as opposed to a
judicial warrant.
Use the force. You've got the two leaders saying that, you know, we got your back no matter what. You're creating a culture there were only bad
things can happen. And where is the supervision on the street, when you see the actions and the tactics being used, which are very poor, by the way,
where is the supervision to correct the behavior of the officers in the field?
Is not there, and if it is there, they ought to be held accountable as well. So, this goes beyond just a lack of training and all that. It goes
deeper than that.
ASHER: Charles Ramsey, live for us, thank you so much. And as for U.S. President Donald Trump, his reaction has been muted. On Saturday night,
hours after the killing, Trump invited billionaire donors to the White House to attend a dinner and screening of the First Lady's new documentary
Melania.
The next day, in an interview with "The Wall Street Journal", despite being asked repeatedly, Trump refused to say whether he supported the federal
officers who shot and killed Alex Pretti. He told the paper that his administration is reviewing everything and that his immigration officers
will leave Minneapolis at some point.
And as we mentioned, Trump announced that he is sending his Border Czar Tom Homan to Minnesota. Let's go live now to the White House, where we find our
Alayna Treene. So just walk us through what's behind Donald Trump's decision to send his Border Czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis. And what does
that mean, just in terms of some kind of change in command on that front?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it's incredibly significant Zain, and part of this is because what the president pointed
out in his post this morning, notably acknowledged that Homan has not been the one on the ground in Minnesota leading these I.C.E. operations over,
you know, the past several weeks, particularly around these two fatal shootings.
This most recent one, of course, Alex Pretti on Saturday, but also the shooting of Renee Good earlier this year. And that does leave a huge
question about, what is the direction of the people who have been at the face or have been the face of this entire operation? Of course, one of the
most notable being Gregory Bovino.
He is considered the Border Patrol Commander-At-Large. He has been on the ground with these I.C.E. agents, but he's also been very public in his
aggressive defense of them throughout all of this. And then the other one, of course, is the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem.
She has also been holding her own press conferences, and, you know, making the rounds on many of the television networks to again, very aggressively
defend these agents. And so, it is a question of whether or not this is some broader shifting strategy.
And I think this post from Karoline Levitt; she added some clarity Zain about what Homan is going to be doing. She said that he will be managing
I.C.E. operations on the ground to continue with this work. But managing these operations, I think, is the notable phrasing there to note.
Because again, Homan has not been the one who has been managing these thus far. So, it's definitely some sort of shift here. The question is, what
does this mean for Bovino and also Nome and how they have been handling all of this?
[11:15:00]
And to your point as well, I think it's worth noting going to back to what you were saying about this Wall Street Journal interview that the president
gave that itself, in itself, seemed to be a departure in tone from what we have been hearing from the people at the top, both in DHS, but also in the
administration more broadly.
This idea that the president kind of refused to weigh in on whether or not he believed that the officer who shot Pretti multiple times was acting
appropriately. And he also said that Minnesota, or excuse me, that I.C.E. may not remain in Minnesota. You know, they'll eventually need to be taken
out.
Didn't give a timetable there, but still notable, again, from what we have been hearing from all of the top people in that building behind me, Zain.
And so there are a lot of questions, of course, that still need answers. A lot of people eager to hear where this is going, and hopefully we'll get
some of those answers today at 01:00 p.m. when the White House Press Secretary, Karoline briefs. Karoline Leavitt briefs, the press.
ASHER: All right Alayna Treene, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, still to come here on "One World", speaking to the European
Parliament, the Head of NATO offers what he thinks is the best way to defend Greenland. Live report for you next. Plus, grounded flights,
stranded passengers, empty airports as well, we have the very latest on the travel chaos caused by the U.S. winter storm and live report as well from
Reagan National Airport.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy says further peace talks are set to resume this week. The Ukrainian President points to progress at
the recent trilateral talks held in Abu Dhabi, and says the document laying out security guarantees with the U.S. is ready to be signed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: For us security guarantees are primarily bilateral security guarantees with the U.S. The document is 100
percent ready. We expect our partners to be ready with the date and place when we will sign it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Well, officials from Moscow and Kyiv sat down last week for their first round of U.S. mediated talks since Russia invaded Ukraine almost four
years ago. The Kremlin says the Donbas territory in Eastern Ukraine is the key to the peace negotiations.
The Head of NATO is urging the EU to ensure there's flexibility and how Ukraine can use a more than $100 billion EU loan for weapons. Mark Rutte is
speaking to the European Parliament today about the war in Ukraine.
[11:20:00]
He's also looking at Greenland as well, saying that it's up to the Danes, the U.S. and Greenland itself to prevent Russia and China from gaining
access to the Arctic Island. The NATO alliance has already been strained by U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to seize control of Greenland and
autonomous territory of Denmark, which is, of course, another NATO member.
CNN's Melissa Bell, joins us live now from Paris. So, Mark Rutte, the Secretary General of NATO, has sort of fashioned himself as this kind of
Trump whisperer, because he does seem to get along quite well with the U.S. President. But just walk us through what he said, specifically as it
pertained to Greenland in his speech today.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. In fact, there were allusions to that during this session, which involved him
speaking, but also MEPs asking questions and as though just to irritate not just to irritate them rather, he said I was going to speak in defense of
the United States.
And what he then went on to do was to speak to the fact that it was President Trump, the Trump Administration, that had forced the conversation
on Greenland, and the Trump Administration that had forced increased spending from NATO members, and that all of these were good things.
Essentially, his message with this, Europe cannot do without the United States, but the United States cannot do with NATO either. Have a listen to
what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: At NATO we have tried and tested when it comes to standards, structures, procedures, and the contributions and
capabilities of NATO's non-EU allies are indispensable for our collective defense. So, my argument will be, let's be practical.
Let's be realistic. When it comes to our security, we need to leverage our respective strength. NATO EU even more, use the common pot of money, the
single set of forces and the vast amount of industrial and innovation power we have across the alliance, that's the only way to keep Europe safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: An important reminder, he said to Europeans to bear in mind their need to continue working with the United States. He was asked specifically
Zain whether there had been any linking of the security guarantees that you now just heard President Zelenskyy say were now ready to be signed and then
ratified by American Congress and Ukrainian Parliament and a deal on Greenland.
He said, absolutely not. The two issues had remained entirely separate. As to the next steps on Greenland, he explained that the any future agreement
would now be hammered out within a trilateral setting between the United States, Denmark and Greenland.
He would not be involved in those but they were important conversations for NATO he explained, because of the fact that seven NATO countries were
considered Arctic in their borders, and that therefore it was to do with the security of the entire alliance, essentially thanking President Trump
for having brought it to their attention with such urgency Zain.
ASHER: All right. Melissa Bell, live for us there in Paris. Thank you so much. Right now, to Northeast Syria, where tensions remain high between the
government and local Kurdish forces, as a fragile ceasefire appears to be largely holding attempts by Damascus to forcibly integrate the Kurds into
Syria's military are meeting resistance.
CNN's Ben Wedeman is there. He assesses the impact of changing U.S. alliances and renewed threats to civilians and detainees.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The men and boys are on high alert. Machine guns at the ready at checkpoints around
the Kurdish controlled Town of Malkia. They fear the Syrian army, fresh from victories against their fellow Kurds in Aleppo and Raqqa, is coming
their way.
For years we were allies, says Abdul Jabbar Itahi, and then at the last moment, the Americans go with Jolani, with ISIS. Jolani, the Nom De Guerre
of Syrian President, Ahmad Al Shahra, until a decade ago, a Leader of an Al Qaeda affiliate. The U.S. position is that the time has come for the Kurds
to integrate into the Syrian army.
Next morning, at a school hosting people fleeing the fighting, we found few were buying America's prescription. And the same goes to the UN and the
Security Council says Abu Diarr. He came with his wife, his sons and his grandchildren, like so many, uprooted time and time again.
In a country ripped apart by nearly 15 years of war, they're beyond the breaking point. Aren't we human asked this woman, we moved from Afrin to
Shabba to Aleppo to Haseke, enough, enough we're dying.
[11:25:00]
Amidst the violence and chaos lies this desolate camp home to more than 2000 foreign women and children who flocked to Syria to live in the Islamic
State now guarded by Kurdish forces. Camp Administrator Hakeemat Ibrahim (ph) tells me, the atmosphere turned menacing when the detainees heard the
Kurds were under attack.
They said, ISIS is returning, she tells me, and when that happens, we won't leave one of you alive. One of the guards drove us around the camp. We were
told it was too dangerous to walk. We went inside the tent of one woman from Britain, afraid to be identified, but desperate to talk.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I'm different person. I'm not she. I'm not feeding no one. I just -- I'm scared for my son.
WEDEMAN: Of course.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Dashi is colloquial Arabic for someone with the Islamic State. She said, the UK revoked her citizenship.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was raised in England, I don't have anybody else anywhere else, my mom, my dad, my brothers, all live England.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): The other much bigger camp for ISIS, women and children, Al Hol is now under Syrian government control. The U.S. is in the
process of moving the 7000 ISIS men who were in Kurdish run prisons to more secure facilities in Iraq.
On the defensive the Kurds are preparing for battle. These young volunteers load bullets into their magazines. They too, accuse the U.S. of betrayal.
America has always pursued its interest, says this fighter who asked we not show his face. As soon as it gets what it wants America sells you out. That
said for them, it's time to go to the front. Ben Wederman, CNN, Northeastern Syria.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, coming up, two major court hearings in Minnesota today. We'll have the very latest as more demonstrators take to the streets over
the weekend after the deadly shooting of ICU Nurse Alex Pretti.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
ASHER: All right, welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some of the headlines we are watching for you today. Makeshift
memorials are being held in Minneapolis after the fatal shooting of a man by federal officials Saturday, deepening outrage over the Trump
Administration's immigration crackdown.
Federal officials not providing details supporting their claims, the agents shot ICU Nurse Alex Pretti in self-defense, Donald Trump is sending his
Border Czar to Minneapolis. A historic winter Storm wall up parts of the U.S., leaving more than 800,000 without power and causing at least 12
deaths.
Millions are now under cold weather alerts as frigid temperatures settle in and are expected to linger for days. A ferry with more than 350 people on
board sank early Monday near an island in the Southern Philippines, rescuers have saved at least 316 passengers and retrieved 15 bodies.
Officials said the inter-Island cargo and passenger ferry was sailing to Southern Jolo Island in Sulu Province, when they apparently encountered
technical problems and sank after midnight coast guard officials said.
A U.S. based rights group says that more than 5500 protesters have now been killed Iran since anti-government demonstrations began there last month.
The human rights activist news agency also says the further 77 children and 42 non-protesters were also killed, and an additional 17,000 deaths are
still being reviewed. CNN is unable to independently confirm these figures.
All right today, two critically legal battles are playing out in Minnesota. This as outrage grows after federal agents shot and killed a U.S. citizen
for the second time this month. New video from Sunday shows law enforcement using flash bangs to disperse protesters who are making noise outside of a
hotel where they believe that federal agents were staying.
As the clashes continue, a judge is now hearing arguments on the state's request to end the so-called immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
Meantime, today's second major hearing focuses on a restraining order, which blocks agencies from altering evidence related to Saturday's deadly
shooting.
Let's discuss all of this by next guest, Former State and Federal Prosecutor David Weinstein. David thank you so much for being with us. So
just walk us through just in terms of these sorts of two dual lawsuits taking place.
I want to touch on the first one, this idea that perhaps it is possible, just according to this lawsuit, that federal immigration officers' presence
in Minnesota essentially violates the state's sovereignty. Walk us through what the 10th Amendment actually says about that and what clues we can get
from the 10th Amendment about which way this lawsuit is likely to go?
DAVID WEINSTEIN, FORMER STATE & FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, Zain, one of the important things about the 10th Amendment is that it was set up and
established at the time when we were forming our country. And there were states that were concerned that this big federal government would overrule
and impede their ability to govern themselves and to take care of the people who resided within their states.
Remember, this is an unusual concept, or coming from a kingdom where the king ruled over the entire country. And so, they set up this 10th Amendment
so that the states would control what goes on inside their states. And that's what they're arguing now.
They're arguing now that these actions by I.C.E. and DHS are impinging on their ability to enforce the laws within their state. And they're seeking
to have a judge declare certain actions and activities that are taking place in violation of the 10th Amendment and of state's rights, and getting
a temporary restraining order preventing I.C.E. and DHS for doing some of the exact same things that led to the second fatal shooting.
And so that second shooting offers additional facts that support the arguments that are being made by the state in this first lawsuit today.
ASHER: So what remedies are available if a court does end up finding federal actions either unconstitutional, unconstitutional or unlawful so
far?
WEINSTEIN: Well, the most severe restriction would be telling I.C.E. that you need to leave and you need to get out and you need to let the state
enforce state's laws. But the issue there is that what I.C.E. and DHS are doing are not enforcing state laws. They're enforcing federal laws and
regulations with regard to detaining and potentially deporting immigrants were there.
[11:35:00]
So certainly, the most important thing that could happen is that the judge could restrict what it is that I.C.E. and DHS are doing? And how they
operate? And the methods they're using. Those were amongst the requests made by the state in their motion, seeking to have them identify
themselves.
Not wear masks, avoiding use of force, avoiding pointing weapons at people, avoiding them, creating the confrontations that, again, ultimately led to
what happened over the weekend.
ASHER: And just sort of depending on which way that this lawsuit ends up going, how will it affect the deployment of federal officers in the future
in other states do you think?
WEINSTEIN: What's going to have a distinct impact on that? Because what's going to happen is that if the federal government loses here, they're going
to take to the Court of Appeals. We've seen this happen time and time again, where the federal government loses in the lower court.
Then when it goes to the Court of Appeals, they'll seek a quick review by the U.S. Supreme Court, and then if they rule on this, it'll certainly have
an impact nationwide. However, even a ruling by the Court of Appeals in this circuit is going to have an impact on other circuits throughout the
country. So, it's a very important decision for a variety of reasons.
ASHER: I want to talk about the second lawsuit that we are focusing on. This idea of there being essentially a restraining order barring federal
officials from tampering with evidence related to the shooting death of Alex Pretti. I mean the fact that an order has been requested from a judge
for this what does that tell you about the times we are living in?
WEINSTEIN: It says that there is a large degree of distrust for the federal government, that the state law enforcement authorities do not believe that
the federal government will act to preserve the evidence that's necessary for a complete, total and transparent review of what took place over the
weekend.
They're concerned enough that they've sought a restraining order from a judge telling law enforcement to do what we always expect law enforcement
to do, preserve evidence, make sure it's not contaminated, make sure that it's not tampered with, and to make sure that it is preserved in its
entirety, so that when an after the fact investigation takes place, the truth will, in fact, come out.
Forensics will be employed, people will be able to see what happened, and then there will be a finding that people can hear and learn from and not
have to rely upon what this person said that person said what a video might have looked like or didn't look like. It's important for the integrity of
the investigation.
And getting back to what you asked, it shows that, unfortunately, there is this friction and distrust between state and locals and federal
authorities.
ASHER: I mean, typically in a case like this, and I'm not sure whether this is more of a legal question or of a law enforcement question. But what
would cooperation ordinarily look like between state, local and federal officials in a situation like this?
WEINSTEIN: Well, it's a legal question and a law enforcement question. Traditionally, what happens is, in a case like this where there's a
homicide, state and local investigate, they cooperate with the federal authorities. They work together. They collect evidence, because the body
that's going to examine this are both federal and local law enforcement.
The federal authorities will be in charge of potentially whatever homicide charges, certainly in the investigation itself, the federal authorities
will they'll be looking at federal violations, whether it's excessive use of force, whether it's a civil rights action, whether there's another
component that's involved.
And they traditionally work with each other, so that you don't interview witnesses twice, so that evidence remains stable and uncontaminated. We're
not seeing this here. We didn't see it with the other shooting that took place as well. So, it's a bit concerning.
ASHER: All right David Weinstein, live for us there. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. All right still to come, old man, winter certainly gripping
much of the U.S. as frigid temperatures settle in after historic storm. What it left in its aftermath just ahead?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:40:00]
ASHER: All right, tens of millions of Americans remain under extreme cold alerts after a monster winter storm walloped more than a dozen states
leaving behind a trail of snow, ice and shattered records. At least 12 deaths have been reported as the bit of cold settles in, that number is
expected to rise.
Crippling ice has knocked out power to more than 800,000 people, leaving them with no heat as the frigid temperatures are expected to linger for
days. It's not all doom and gloom, though New Yorkers are taking advantage of a snow day getting out and about in Central Park where it shattered 121-
year-old snow fall record above 11 inches, and that's nearly 28 centimeters.
CNN's Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us live now with more. I mean, yesterday it was so beautiful outside my window. I live in the suburbs, and
it was gorgeous outside, but an absolute nightmare Derek getting to work this morning. A lot of kids have no school, though. Just walk us through
what things are like, where you are there in Louisville, Kentucky?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, including my children who didn't have school this morning. This was an expense -- yeah this is an expanse of
storm that impacted and continues to impact so many people. And now it's the race against time to restore power and restore electricity to people
who have, you know, lost power because of the ice and the snow.
There were areas that saw over an inch of ice accumulation and that took down tree branches electrical poles. I've got a really interesting graphic
to show you. My wonderful producer, Monica put this together. It shows the areas where the power outages are currently located.
So, you can see that across the deep south, right anywhere from Mississippi into Tennessee, the U.S. State of Tennessee, Louisiana as well that's part
of the area that saw some of these crippling ice storm totals. But overlaid on top of that is the below average temperatures.
So, you see the shades of purple there, that's going to indicate to you that temperatures are way below what they should be this time of year. So
how cold, you ask? Well, 50 percent more than 50 percent of the U.S. population, going forward, is going to experience sub-zero fahrenheit, wind
chill factors let that set in.
That is significant. It's also dangerous, right? Current wind chill temperatures right now in Chicago, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Omaha,
Minneapolis, these areas are well below zero degrees, and so that's what it feels like on your exposed skin. We talk about frostbite, hypothermia.
This sets in extremely fast if you're not protected. And then you add that other complexity, the other layer, when you don't have the ability to heat
your home, that's the problem, right? So, the snow has largely come to an end. So is the freezing rain, but now it's the Arctic chill that's settling
in behind it that we're so concerned about.
Now you think that we would have some reprieve. We think we would get a break from Mother Nature, wrong. Unfortunately, we have what's called
reinforcing shots of cold air as a couple of different cold fronts come through, especially into this upcoming weekend, that are going to help lock
in these impacts from this previous storm or the Eastern half of the United States.
[11:45:00]
So, it's going to take a while for the airports to kind of recover from this current storm. And then just when we think we're on the upswing, then
we've got another cold blast of air that'll come in, and that brings in a whole another slew of issues with de-icing at the local -- at the airports,
that type of thing.
So, we've talked about half of the U.S. population, anywhere East of the Colorado Rockies, or the Rockies, which go basically North and West from
the Canadian border Southward towards the border of Mexico. East of there, most of these states have cold air alerts in place, and that's encompassing
over 200 million Americans.
So that's how expansive it is. We don't expect the mercury to climb above the zero-degree celsius mark anytime soon for some of the hardest hit
areas, Zain.
ASHER: All right, stay warm out there. Derek, live for us. Thank you so much.
DAM: Yeah, thanks.
ASHER: Among those bang the brunt of the winter storms have been travelers, with over 19,000 flights canceled. Now that the storm has exited the Mid
Atlantic, some airports and airlines are slowly recovering. Dulles Airport, which serves Washington, DC area, says that flights are gradually resuming
today.
But airlines are still proceeding with caution after Sunday marked the worst day for flight cancelations in the U.S. since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our Aviation Correspondent, Pete Muntean, is that Reagan National Airport outside of Washington? I mean, if you had a flight book for yesterday,
Pete, I mean, forget it, right? You were not --
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Yeah.
ASHER: -- by all chances, you were not going to go.
MUNTEAN: It's going to be tough. Anyway, you slice it, Zain.
ASHER: Yes.
MUNTEAN: I mean, nothing happened yesterday. Let me just show you sort of cause and effect here of what's happening right now at National Airport.
This is the look out the window here. That is the ramp, the apron between the C and D concourses here. Usually this would be teaming with airplanes
and activity. Now you see is empty gates and big piles of snow.
And what that has resulted in is these long lines at customer service here at National Airport. These are all folks waiting to speak to somebody at
the ticket counter here at the American Airlines ticket counter at National Airport, because their flights were canceled. Only nine flights have made
it out of Reagan National Airport today.
And to put that into context, usual day here at DCA, they see about 400 departures. We're already halfway through the day. This is the departures
board right now. You can see a lot of orange on there that signifies the canceled flights. And we're seeing some major airline hubs get hit really
hard with this.
New York, LaGuardia, JFK, Newark, they're on the list. And then, of course, there's Chicago and Charlotte also on the list. Boston is the worst airport
right now for flight cancelations in the U.S. about two thirds of all flights there canceled. About 40 percent of all flights here at Reagan
National Airport canceled.
So, we are not really out of the woods yet. We're not fully in airline recovery mode yet, after what yesterday was the worst day for U.S. air
travel we have seen since March, 30th, 2020, the worst day of the pandemic when air travel was fully decimated by COVID lockdowns.
We're getting a bit out of the woods. Today the numbers are about a quarter of what they wore yesterday. Yesterday was about 11,600 cancelations
nationwide. Just check Flight Aware, 4300 cancelations right now. But that number has been going up and up, and we will likely not see much in the way
of relief anytime soon.
You can see the big sea of people here. The issue is not only an airline issue. They have the airplanes and crews out of position right now. That's
often what happens in these big snow storms, causing these massive airline schedule meltdowns. But then there is the airport issue as well.
And we've heard from the Federal Aviation Administration that it's going to be piece by piece. It's going to be a little bit here and a little bit
there. They were able to open up the main runway here at National Airport late last night. That's runway 119, that's the busiest single runway in the
U.S. Airspace System.
But some airports aren't fully open just yet, and so crews are working overtime trying to clear out the snow and make it so that the planes can
simply get in and out of the gates. That is the big issue, because so much snow fell here, and then on top of that, a lot of sleet fell on top of it,
making it especially hard to move Zain.
ASHER: All right Pete Muntean, live for us, hopefully some more flights make it out of DCA there. Thank you so much.
MUNTEAN: Yeah.
ASHER: All right. If you've been waiting to see your favorite K-Pop Band, BTS, no longer no waiting. Coming up see your biggest band, as long as you
get the tickets. See who, why and when, after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
ASHER: All right, there's been a global rush for tickets after K-Pop Superstars BTS announced their worldwide come back tour. Pre-sale tickets
sold out in minutes. In general sales, tickets have been just as hard to get. Some bands are going to absolutely wild lens to see their idols in
concert. CNN's Polo Sandoval reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's one of the hottest tickets in the world. The come-back tour of the K-Pop Band BTS, which the
super fans were lucky enough to score.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I flew all the way to career just to book -- just to book this ticket. So, it was all worth it.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): For BTS fans, it's been a long wait for their return, nearly four years since the group announced its Hiatus, during
which all seven members completed their mandatory military service. There were solo projects to fill the void, but the full group is officially back
with a new album in March, powered by a world tour kicking off in South Korea in April. Eager fans pounced a chance to see the pop sensation again.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really happy. I got it. It was kind of unexpected, because I got in the waiting line at a very good number. So, it was really
fast, and I chose a good seat. So, I'm really happy.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): The tour is expected to include stops in Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Australia. And billboard
estimating that the new album and tour could rake in more than a billion dollars for music sales, concerts, licensing and merchandise.
The BTS was already a global sensation, the first Korean act to headline Wembley Stadium in London. They spoke at the United Nations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a great honor to be invited to the White House.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): And were even invited to the White House. But a lot has evolved since BTS took its Hiatus. Korean culture influences have
spread worldwide. Netflix says its animated film K-Pop, Demon Hunters is its most watched film of all time. BTS returns as a group with most of its
members now in their 30s, and many of their fans are older, too.
A new chapter for both, a chance for one of the legends of K-Pop to show new fans just what put them on top, and older fans to once again cheer them
on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope they can be healthy, happy and baseball all the time, and they can stay together forever. I love BTS.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): Polo Sandoval, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:55:00]
ASHER: All right, finally, this hour snow, sleet and frigid temperatures made Sunday one of the more difficult days for Buddhist Monks walking from
Texas to Washington, DC. The journey called the "Walk for Peace" began last October, with the group currently trekking through rally North Carolina.
Despite the wintry conditions, the monks were bundled up, braving temperatures that were below zero degrees celsius. But they say they're
taking each step with care. They're often accompanied by their Dog, Aloka, who has either walked alongside the group or ridden in the camper after
undergoing leg surgery. The monks are expected to reach Washington in mid- February.
All right, stay with CNN. Amanpour Airs at a special time. Amanpour is actually up next. And I'll be back with my colleague Bianna Golodryga in
about an hour or so for more of "One World".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
