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One World with Zain Asher
Trump Meets With Noem Amid Backlash Over Pretti Shooting; Growing Questions Over When Rafah Crossing Will Reopen; Kurds In Northeast Syria Fear Advance Of Government Forces; Meta And YouTube head To Trial Over Youth Harm Claims; Minnesotans Draw On Music And Faith As They Protest ICE; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired January 27, 2026 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:32]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: A changing of the guard in Minneapolis. Donald Trump is switching up his personnel, but the administration says, there are
no plans to change posture.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: The second hour of "One World" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: The White House and Trump administration officials are very clearly trying to figure out how to move
forward here. They recognize the optics are not good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Signs of retreat. The White House tries to contain the backlash as Minnesotans demand change.
ASHER: Also ahead, inside Iran. A brand-new CNN report on Tehran's message for the West.
And later.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(PROTESTER SINGING "HOLD ON")
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Healing through music. How Minnesota is leaving room for inspiration, even when times are dark.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching the second hour of "One World."
And we're saying what could be signs of de-escalation from the White House following the second shooting death of a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis by
federal agents.
ASHER: Yes. President Trump says he's sending his border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota as his administration grapples with how exactly to handle Alex
Pretti's death following a nationwide outpouring of both grief and rage.
Homan is expected to replace Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino.
Meantime, in a radio interview a short time ago, Trump signaled a shift in tone when describing his talks with two Minnesota leaders on Monday, but he
also had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Actually, they were both great conversations. So let's hope that turns out to be so.
SID ROSENBERG, AMERICAN RADIO PERSONALITY: So, is there a possibility, President Trump, of some type of compromise? I read that some of the guard
we leave in the state of Minnesota, some type of compromise to, I guess, make those guys feel like they're in charge. You know, God help us.
TRUMP: Yes. Well -- well -- well, I think so. Yes. I mean, I think so. What -- what we need is they're criminals. You know, they have criminals. And
all I said, just give us your criminals. And if you give us your criminals, it all goes away.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When the people hit the street.
ALL: When the people hit the street.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Funding ICE is always wrong.
ALL: Funding ICE is always wrong.
(CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Protesters, meanwhile, are braving sub-zero temperatures and taking to the streets of Minneapolis by the thousands, demanding
accountability and more action from their representatives.
ASHER: Yes. This group outside of the office of Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar calling on her and other lawmakers to oppose legislation that
would increase funding for ICE. And the urgent messages are making it clear words and social media posts aren't enough. It's time to actually do
something.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As ICE continues its reign of terror in our community, it has been outrageous to see the lack of action that has come from our
leaders.
We have lost friends, mothers, fathers, students, nurses, beloved members of our community. And this has not been enough for them to show up. Not
with their words, but with their actions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Josh Campbell joins us live now from Los Angeles.
So, Josh, when you think about the sort of changes that we're seeing on the ground, Tom Homan being rushed into Minneapolis, Gregory Bovino,
essentially being ousted, demoted, moved back to his previous post, what does that actually change in terms of how ordinary people in Minnesota and
Minneapolis rather experience ICE's presence in their streets? What changes on the ground?
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: It's a great question. I think it's still yet to be determined. Because what we do know right now is that
the White House is in a messaging crisis over this.
And this is something that they are some rat they're facing both not only from the left, but also from Republicans over this latest killing of Alex
Pretti there on the ground by Customs and Border Patrol officers.
Of course, we've seen these protests that have occurred for several weeks based on, you know, some of the tactics of these officers, this kind of
heavy-handedness that you see as they're going about trying to fulfill Trump's immigration surge to remove people from this country that are not
here lawfully.
[12:05:02]
But the way they're going about it has showed up on so many of these viral social media videos, of course, the latest culminating in this death that
was caught by multiple angles.
And I say a messaging crisis because what we're learning more and more is that it seems nothing that the White House said about this incident when it
originally happened is actually panning out.
You'll recall they said that Alex Pretti, they described him as a domestic terrorist, someone who was brandishing a weapon, who was trying to, in
their words, massacre law enforcement officers. If that's all you hear, that obviously paints a picture. Again, none of that has actually borne out
in what we're seeing there.
So people on the ground are furious. They want to see these agents out of their city. Of course, one thing that I'm waiting to see is whether the
words we're now seeing kind of the softening tone, it appears, from the White House. Well, maybe we'll have more conversations with local leaders.
We'll send in Tom Homan, who is less of a fire brand than the man who was running the operation before, if -- if that actually leads to, you know,
the tactics changing on the ground.
We do continue to see the White House blasting local officials there. And so it's almost like you're getting two different messages trying to kind
of, you know, reduce the temperatures there, but they also are going out of their way from the White House to actually, you know, continue to criticize
Democrats and blast them over these immigration policies.
ASHER: Josh Campbell, live for us there. Thank you so much.
CAMPBELL: You bet. Thanks.
GOLODRYGA: Well, emotional moment unfolding today in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square. A clock that was counting down the days since the first hostages
were taken captive has now stopped after 843 heartbreaking days.
The ceremony marks the end of a very dark chapter now that there are no remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza.
ASHER: On Monday, the Israeli military said that it had recovered the remains of Ran Gvili, a police officer who is killed in the October 7th
attacks and his body then taken to Gaza.
GOLODRYGA: The return of Gvili's remains now paves away for the second phase of the Gaza peace plan and the potential reopening of the Rafah
Crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Aide trucks are at the border ready to roll once Israel allows them in.
ASHER: Yes. This is Gaza's main gateway to the outside world. Before the weekend, the Palestinian official slated to lead a governing committee of
technocrats, said, he expected the crossing to open this week.
The next phase of the plan for Gaza is meant to focus on reconstruction and demilitarization.
GOLODRYGA: We're joined now by Steven Cook in Washington. He is a senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Stephen, it's good to see you.
You and many others have said now that phase two is upon us. This may be the hardest part yet of the ceasefire plan. The focus, and as they noted in
the introduction, would be for reconstruction.
But we heard from Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday speaking before the Knesset saying the focus from Israel's perspective is not on
reconstruction, but the disarmament of Hamas and making sure that they are no longer in power.
So, is there a conflict here between how the Israelis are moving forward with how they envision phase two unfolding and the United States?
STEVEN COOK, SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Indeed, there is. This is -- this phase is focused on, as you
said, demilitarization, longer-term security, reconstruction and the provision of basic services to Gazans.
And right now, Hamas says and continues to say and has said all along, it will not disarm. If the Israelis are going to focus on that issue, which is
their right, then we're going to have a problem.
The United States has a different view of it. It believes that as phase two gets underway, basic services are restored, reconstruction gets underway.
This will undercut Hamas' argument for maintaining its arms.
I think that that's a gamble. As long as Hamas retains its arms, it has the ability to intimidate Gazans and intimidate this technocratic committee
that is supposed to oversee the return of basic services in the beginning of reconstruction.
ASHER: And just talk to us about how phase two of this deal sort of interacts with Israel's internal political pressures, Israel's sort of
coalition dynamics. What are your thoughts on that?
COOK: Well, this is an election year in Israel. Either the government will fall in March over its inability, the Knesset's inability to pass a budget,
we'll see. Or there will be elections when the government's term runs out in October.
But clearly, Prime Minister Netanyahu's coalition partners, who have been his coalition partners all along, are insisting that at -- that Hamas be
disarmed and that Hamas have no role.
I mean, they have gone further. They would like the annexation of the Gaza Strip. But at the very least, they insist that Hamas be disarmed and that
it play no role in governance to Gaza.
[12:10:06]
That's going to be very difficult because no one has stepped up and said, we will disarm Hamas other than the IDF, which is planning a major
offensive in Gaza City for the month of March.
GOLODRYGA: This is all happening, Steven as quite an impressive show of force has amassed in the region from the United States, a U.S. carrier
strike group, also some air defenses are back in the region as President Trump has still not taken military action against Iran off the table.
There, in fact, seems to be indication that that is likely to happen in the days to come. What are the U.S.'s options here as it -- the death toll and
the at least verified death toll continues to grow into the tens of thousands, even perhaps at this point, Steven.
Is this to attack their -- their ballistic missiles? Is it regime change? Is it going after IRGC leadership? I mean, what are the U.S.'s options?
COOK: Yes. This is an extraordinary show of force, the largest show of force in the United States in -- in quite some time, in fact.
And what it would suggest is that if the United States is going to strike, it's going to strike those targets simultaneously. Regime figures IRGC
ballistic missiles.
The Iranians have promised a withering response in return, which has put the Israelis very much on alert. It would suggest that if the United States
does undertake this dramatic action, it will not be like Operation Midnight Hammer, in which there was a one and done, albeit devastating strike, which
this would have to be multiple targets and multiple rounds in order to get after the regime itself and prevent its ability to retaliate against U.S.
partners like Israel, but also the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and others in the region.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. But the president says that perhaps talks are in the works between the Iranians and the U.S., but I feel like that was the language
that we heard in leading up to the previous strike last summer targeting their nuclear facilities.
COOK: That's exactly right.
GOLODRYGA: Very tense situation now in the region. Steven Cook, thank you so much.
ASHER: Thank you, Steven.
All right. Iran may be trying to negotiate a deal with Washington amid a growing U.S. military buildup in the Middle East, that's according to
President Trump.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. In an interview with "Axios" on Monday, the president said that the situation is in flux, but thinks Tehran genuinely wants to cut a
deal.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran and has this report on what Iranians are saying.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Iran's leadership is sending a very strong and defiant message to the United States, and
specifically, of course, to the Trump administration. You could see it here on this gigantic poster on Revolution Square in central Tehran.
The message on this massive poster is, if you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind. Obviously meaning, if the United States attacks Iran, Iran
will retaliate in a massive way, which could have forced lead to a major military confrontation between the United States and Iran.
And that's also something that's on the minds of many of the people that we've been speaking to here as well.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I'm not sure what you're saying. I think they're all collaborating with one another against the interest of
the Iranian people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I don't think Trump dares to attack. He's more bluffing.
PLEITGEN: All this, of course, comes as President Trump weighs his options on what to do next. The U.S. has pulled together a substantial military
force here in this region.
But the Iranians also say they've replenished their stockpiles of ballistic missiles and are ready to hit back hard any time.
Now, of course, all this comes in the wake of those large protests that happened here in Iran in the early part of January.
And when you're out on the streets here, you can see that there are people who are still traumatized by what happened then.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There were lots of people out there in the streets when I had to leave home. I don't know what to say, but the
situation was very bad. Now that the internet connection is restored, we only now know that so many were killed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: That was our Fred Pleitgen there reporting on the ground there in Iran.
All right. Sources say that Russia is withdrawing forces from Northeast Syria, where sources say the Damascus government is trying to seize control
from Kurdish forces.
The Russian plane was seen on Monday, taking off from Qamishli Airport, where it has stationed troops since 2019.
GOLODRYGA: Syrian government forces have this month taken swaths of territory in the northeast from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces or
SDF.
As Damascus expands its authority over the region, Kurds are bracing for where the Syrian Army could be heading next, as CNN's Ben Wedeman reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[12:15:03]
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 Malikiyah. They fear the Syrian army, fresh from victories against their fellow Kurds in Aleppo and Raqqa, is coming
their way.
For years we were allies, says Abdul Jabbar Itahi (ph), and then at the last moment, the Americans go with Jolani, with ISIS.
Jolani, the Nom De Guerre of Syrian President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, until a decade ago, a Leader of an Al-Qaeda affiliate.
The U.S. position is that the time has come for the Kurds to integrate into the Syrian army.
Next morning, at a school hosting people fleeing the fighting, we found few were buying America's prescription.
And the same goes to the U.N. and the Security Council says Abu Diarr (ph). He came with his wife, his sons and his grandchildren, like so many,
uprooted time and time again.
In a country ripped apart by nearly 15 years of war, they're beyond at the breaking point.
Aren't we human? Asked this woman, we moved from Afrin to Shahba (ph) to Aleppo to Hasakah (ph), enough, enough we're dying.
Amidst the violence and chaos, lies this desolate camp, home to more than 2,000 foreign women and children who flocked to Syria to live in the
Islamic State now guarded by Kurdish forces.
Camp Administrator Heikmat 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 Daeshi. I'm not Syrian, no one. I'm -- I just -- I'm scared for my family.
WEDEMAN: Of course.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Daeshi is colloquial Arabic for someone with the Islamic State. She said, the U.K. revoked her citizenship.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was born in England. I was raised in England. I don't have anybody, anywhere else, my mom, my dad, my brother, all live
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 7,000 ISIS men who were in Kurdish-run prisons to more secure facilities in Iraq.
On the defensive, the Kurds are preparing for battle. These young volunteers load bullets into their magazines. They too, accuse the U.S. of
betrayal.
America has always pursued its 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 Wedeman, CNN, Northeastern Syria.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: All right. And still to come for us on "One World."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: It was Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine that led once distant fears of Chinese aggression in the region into a more
believable threat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Japan is stepping up its military preparedness as it sees threats all around it growing more acute.
Our Jim Sciutto's report from a Japanese training camp, coming up.
ASHER: And two of the largest social media sites are on trial. Do they harm their youngest users? What the experts say and what might come out of this
trial, next.
GOLODRYGA: And in a rare T.V. interview, the U.S. First Lady shares a behind-the-scenes look at Inauguration Day, sharing details on the Trump's
relationship with the Bidens and more.
We'll have more on that, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:20:04]
ASHER: TikTok will avoid trial over the alleged harmful effects of social media.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. A mother and daughter initially filed suit against the company along with Snap, Meta and YouTube, accusing the platforms of
harming young people's mental health.
However, CNN has learned that TikTok just settled out of court and Snap settled last week.
ASHER: Yes. The suit claims the apps are engineered to be addictive and can lead to self-harm and suicidal thoughts. It's the first time the company's
executives will testify before a jury about youth safety.
Our Clare Duffy joins us live now from Los Angeles.
So, Clare, just walk us through the potential impact of the outcome of this trial. What could it mean at this point for regulations when it comes to
social media companies?
CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yes, this is really significant. We are here outside of Los Angeles Superior Court, where jury selection has kicked
off this morning in this first case against the social media platforms over these claims that social media platforms harm young users' mental health
that we have been hearing for years.
As you said, this 19-year-old California teen filed suit against Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap, claiming that the platforms addicted her and
harmed her mental health leading to suicidal thoughts and self-harm.
As you said, TikTok settled last night, Snap settled last week. So this case will really be against Google, YouTube and Meta.
And we do expect that the executives from these companies will testify during this trial, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
And this is really just a huge moment for the parents and families who for years have been calling for more guardrails for these companies and more
accountability, more than a thousand families from across the country have filed similar lawsuits.
And so whatever the outcome is in this KGM trial could impact how all of those cases are resolved.
I spoke earlier to the plaintiff's lawyer, Mark Lanier, and he said he -- we could also see changes to how these platforms operate if the jury finds
in their favor. Take a listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK LANIER, PLAINTIFF'S ATTORNEY: Without a doubt, we will see changes to how these companies operate, the platforms, the features. They've got to
have direct changes, or the companies would have to pay money at infinitum.
They're going to want to pay to settle the past. And they're going to want to change the way they do in the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DUFFY: Now, these platforms have denied the fact that they harm young users' mental health. They have talked about some of the features that
they've rolled out to keep young users safer, including parental control tools, other use safety features like content restrictions and take-a-break
reminders.
But soon it is going to be up to the jury in this courthouse to decide if they've done enough here.
Zain and Bianna.
ASHER: All right. Clare Duffy live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Well, today marks a grim milestone in human history. It is the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp during
World War II.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(INSTRUMENT PLAYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[12:25:04]
GOLODRYGA: Survivors and family members gathered to remember the atrocities at the notorious Nazi concentration camp. Many there shared their stories
describing the horrors that took place at Auschwitz.
At the memorial site, survivors laid flowers and wreaths where so many were murdered by German forces.
ASHER: In Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is marking the day with a somber ceremony in Kyiv. The Ukrainian president says, we have a chance to prevent
further tragedies if the whole world unites around one nation.
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer marked the day by meeting with a Holocaust survivor who warns us of rising anti-Semitism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALA TRIBICH, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR: Having endured the Holocaust, we survivors never imagined we would witness anti-Semitism at the level it is
today.
Remembering the past is no longer enough. I speak to you leaders of this country, I proudly call home and I believe that you do what you need --
what needs to be done to tackle this pain (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: More than one million people, mainly Jews, were killed at Auschwitz between 1940 and 1945.
Be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: All right. As President Trump is leaving the White House now heading to Iowa to deliver a speech on the economy, he took some questions
from reporters.
Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: All of the things having to do with Syria and that area are working out very, very well. So we're very happy about it.
Tom Holman, as you know, is in Minnesota now. He's meeting with the governor and he's meeting with the mayor, I think, later. And I hear that's
all going very well, also.
I'm going to Iowa. Some of you are coming with me, but I'm going to Iowa. And what can I say? The economy is good. It's all good. Prices are coming
way down. And we have a lot of very positive news.
(CROSSTALK)
[12:30:16]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, do you believe that Alex Pretti's death would justify?
TRUMP: Well, you know what, I'm doing a big investigation. I want to see the investigation. I'm going to be watching over it. I want a very
honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) Kristi Noem going to step down.
TRUMP: No.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president of Venezuela say that she might taking orders from you. What do you want to say about that?
TRUMP: Well, I don't know exactly what's going on there, but I haven't heard that at all.
No, we have a very -- we have a very good relationship.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How (INAUDIBLE)?
TRUMP: I'd like to see interest rates go down. Everything else is going down. We have the energy and fuel going down. We have gasoline in many
states now at $1.99. Groceries are going down. We inherited a mess with very, very high prices. Very, very high prices.
And I will tell you, we've made a lot of progress. So we have the groceries going down. We have the energy going down. We have gasoline going down in a
record clip. And that's what I want to do. We're doing well.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, what (INAUDIBLE)?
TRUMP: Well, I'm looking at that whole situation. I love everybody. I love all of our people. I love its family. And it's a very sad situation.
Yes, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) now?
TRUMP: I have. Yes. I -- I think he's doing a very good job. I think he's doing a very good job.
The border is totally secure. You know, you forget, we had a border that I inherited where millions of people were coming through. Now, we have a
border where no one is coming through.
They come into our country only legally. So you have to remember those things. You know, people forget it. As soon as you accomplish something, it
goes into history. And nobody ever wants to talk about it.
We had a border that caused all of this problem. Biden caused and the Democrats caused this problem. They allowed tens of millions of people to
come and many of them were murderers. Many were drug dealers. Drug addicts. People from mental institutions.
They allowed these people to violate our country, to come into our country. And that's what we're talking about.
So if you remember, we had a horrible border. The worst border we've ever had ever in history. People were flowing through by, we think, 25 million
people. Not to mention drugs and everything else. And that border is absolutely closed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).
TRUMP: Oh, well, prices are coming down, the border is really strong. You know, if you remember I probably got elected more than anything else. So
the border -- we had a border that was open with 25 million people coming through, with an open border policy, which is insane.
And that's the one -- that's the policy that caused the problem that we have. With all of that being said, with the outset -- with the -- other
than, I would say, just to put it accurately, Minnesota, and in particular, Minneapolis, because it's not all of Minnesota, every city that we've gone
to has been, like, literally, time has just gone down 50, 60, 70, 80.
And Washington has gone down to practically no crime. You know, Washington is a great example.
But you take a look at other cities, Memphis, Tennessee. The crime is down 78 percent. And you know where else is down? It's down in Minnesota. It's
down in Minneapolis. And it's down very much because of the fact that we're there.
So we have to -- we can't lose sight of the fact that we have to take murderers and drug lords and people from mental institutions that were
dumped into our country through an open border with Joe -- of the Democrats, the Biden, in which you want a great job.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: The other thing is that Tom Homan is there right now. He's with the governor and with the mayor. And I hear things are going very nice.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) Budapest back in play?
TRUMP: We're looking at the (INAUDIBLE) things happening in Ukraine and (INAUDIBLE) very good things. Very good things are happening in Ukraine.
(CROSSTALK)
[12:35:05]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On the (INAUDIBLE) Mr. President, where do we stand on Gaza, Mr. President?
TRUMP: (INAUDIBLE) is going very well. (INAUDIBLE). I can tell you, the America (INAUDIBLE)
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: (INAUDIBLE). It is very unfortunate (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: All right. We've been listening to President Trump touch on a number of issues, both domestic and international, as he has taken off
there on his way to Iowa to deliver a speech on the economy.
Senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak has been listening and joins us now from Washington, D.C.
And, Kevin, as it relates to Minneapolis, we saw the president echo what he said before, his support for Tom Homan, saying that he is the right person
for the job now to handle the situation on the ground and offering his support for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem at a time when some are questioning
her standing with the president.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And I think that latter show of support was probably the more notable one there. You know, a lot of
questions this morning in Washington about what precisely Kristi Noem's future will hold, but the president saying pretty explicitly that, no, she
is not stepping down, and saying at one point that his whole team was doing a good job when it comes to this immigration question.
And remember, it was just last night that the president met for two hours in the Oval Office with Kristi Noem at her request to kind of go over how
all of this is going to move forward.
You know, the president sending in Tom Homan to Minnesota really viewed as something of a demotion, not in rank certainly, but at least in stature
within the administration of Noem's approach to all of this.
You know, Tom Homan, certainly a hardliner when it comes to immigration, but someone who has far more experience in carrying out some of these
deportation operations and who behind the scenes had really differed with Noem about how to do all of this.
He's really advocating for much more targeted investigations into known violent criminals compared to Noem who had advocated for some of these
major sweeps.
So the president not sort of belying any rifts within the team, certainly suggesting that they're all on the same page, but obviously also saying
that Noem -- or that Homan is now on the ground leading everything that's going on there.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Kevin Liptak, thank you.
ASHER: Thanks, Kevin.
All right. The deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good have left a climate of anger and unease on the streets of Minneapolis.
GOLODRYGA: But many people are finding solace in music and faith. CNN's Anderson Cooper has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(PROTESTER SINGING "HOLD ON")
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The singing first started four days after the killing of Renee Good.
(SINGING)
COOPER (voice-over): Some 300 people gathered in a neighborhood to encourage those hiding in homes nearby.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's turn and sing it to the neighborhood.
COOPER (voice-over): They marched in frigid temperatures, many learning the songs for the first time.
(SINGING)
COOPER (voice-over): Six days later, some 600 people showed up.
(SINGING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We will rise.
COOPER (voice-over): Double the numbers, double the courage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am not afraid. I am not afraid. I will live for liberation because I know why I was made. We've been singing that one in
English and in Spanish.
(SINGING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's by a group called the Peace Poets.
COOPER (voice-over): This is one of the organizers of Singing Resistance. She didn't want to be identified out of concern for her safety.
[12:40:07]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Song is a vehicle for us to grieve. It's a vehicle for us to feel rage. It's a vehicle for us to strengthen ourselves. Like we --
that song, I am not afraid that I sing. We're not singing it because we're actually not afraid.
Like we are afraid. It is terrifying what is happening. And it's a way to gather our courage.
COOPER (voice-over): Courage, it seems, is contagious. Last Saturday, hours after Alex Pretti was shot to death by Border Patrol agents, some 1,400
people came to the Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church to sing.
(SINGING)
COOPER (voice-over): Elizabeth Macaulay is the pastor.
ELIZABETH MACAULAY, PASTOR: It's been a time when it's been pretty tempting to feel so disempowered. And where is the voice of sanity and hope in the
midst of community. And we all did it together. And the leaders of the Singing Resistance movement were beautiful. And they brought out the hope
and the grief and the rage and the beauty.
COOPER: Do you think song makes a difference?
MACAULAY: I know song makes a difference.
COOPER: Songs do.
(SINGING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd like to think that more and more people are waking up. They want us to go about our lives while our neighbors are stolen from
their families.
And what I've seen is that after Renee Good's murder, after Alex Pretti's murder, more people are out in the streets the next day.
(SINGING)
The everyday acts of deep love and courage that I see my neighbors, my community members taking, that's the world that we want and we're
practicing it every day here.
(SINGING)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Powerful glimpse into a community that is gathering as they are trying to heal in this time of sorrow.
Our thanks to Anderson Cooper for that.
Well, that does it for "One World" today. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Bianna is going to be back in about 15 minutes or so.
GOLODRYGA: Give or take. Yes.
ASHER: With "Amanpour." But "African Voices" is up next. You're watching CNN.
(SINGING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(AFRICAN VOICES)
END
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