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The Brief with Jim Sciutto

CNN International: Zelenskyy Meets Trump in Davos; Witkoff and Kushner Meet with Putin in Moscow; Ukraine, Russia and U.S. to Meet in UAE on Friday; E.U. Leaders Hold Emergency Summit in Brussels on Greenland; European Leaders Wary About Trump's Board of Peace; Trump Says Tehran Wants to Hold Talks with U.S.; Iran's Internet Blackout; Vance Appeals for Calm in Minneapolis; 2026 Academy Award Nominations. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired January 22, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, "THE BRIEF": Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington, and

you're watching "The Brief."

Just at this hour, the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents meet in Davos as Ukraine says documents to potentially end the war with Russia are nearly

ready. Once again, a European official tells CNN that the issue remaining, perhaps the biggest of all, is territory. Turn down the chaos, the message

from J. D. Vance as he appeals for state and local officials to cooperate with ICE in Minneapolis. Plus, vampires and demon hunters. The nominations

are in for the 98th Academy Awards. That story and plenty more coming up.

Donald Trump met with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Davos, Switzerland today. The U.S. president says there's still a ways to go to

end the war with Russia. After their meeting, President Zelenskyy sharply criticized European leaders for what he described as their inaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: We have told our European partners multiple times, act now. Act now against those missiles in

Belarus. Missiles are never just decoration, but Europe still remains in Greenland mode. Maybe someday someone will do something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Greenland mode, he called it. He delivered another blunt warning to Europe, saying it remains too reliant on the U.S. for its security.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY: Today, Europe relies only on the belief that if danger comes, NATO will act. But no one has really seen the alliance in action. If Putin

decides to take Lithuania or strike Poland, who will respond? Who will respond? Right now, NATO exists thanks to belief, belief that the United

States will act, that it will not stand aside and will help. But what if it doesn't?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: President Trump's special envoy and personal friend, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are now in Moscow meeting once

again with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy says officials from Ukraine, the U.S. and Russia will together hold talks in the United Arab

Emirates on Friday.

Joining me now is Timofiy Mylovanov. He's the president of the Kyiv School of Economics, Ukraine's former minister of economic trade and development.

Good to have you back. Thanks so much for joining.

You heard Zelenskyy's, frankly, sharp words in Davos to Europe, saying it's still in Greenland mode, denounced its inability to stop Russia's

aggression. Do you share that criticism?

TIMOFIY MYLOVANOV, PRESIDENT, KYIV SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND FORMER UKRAINIAN ECONOMICS DEVELOPMENT AND TRADE MINISTER: Well, this criticism is very

sharp, even for a very direct and very outspoken Zelenskyy. And -- but frankly, yes, I share it. I would, of course, expand it a little bit,

because it applies both to Europe and to the United States. And it is true for the entire duration of the war.

SCIUTTO: I wonder if you saw evidence, perhaps some evidence, of Europe changing this weekend in its opposition to Trump taking Greenland. Is it

learning the power of saying no, you know, of unity in saying no to Trump on Greenland that perhaps they could use to say no to Trump if he attempts

to force a peace deal on Ukraine?

MYLOVANOV: Well, so Ukraine needs a peace deal. But the question are the conditions of this peace deal. And what stands, what's the point of

contention is, of course, territory. You know, Trump, I think, and Putin basically have the demands that Ukraine gives up some territory. And

Ukraine needs Europe to support Ukraine with funding and military support in order to be able to have a decent bargaining position.

[18:05:00]

So, I think it is important for Europe to be much more unified. And it is true that it is encouraging the unification that we have seen recently with

respect to Greenland. But actions speak always louder than words. We will see what happens.

SCIUTTO: I wonder, as you watch this internal dispute within the alliance, just a couple of days ago, there was genuine concern among some in Denmark

that there might be a military standoff with the U.S. One of the key demands, desires of Ukraine is a U.S. security guarantee. In your heart of

hearts, would you trust a security guarantee from the U.S. under President Trump?

MYLOVANOV: I don't think it's about President Trump. I think it's about overall the fate of this, the sort of the level of credibility of the

United States institutions. And recently, not just this year, but throughout the entire four years of the full-scale invasion, I think

Ukraine has learned that, you know, there is more words than action. And so, in my heart of hearts, the answer is no.

SCIUTTO: Goodness, I sense to some degree frustration from Zelenskyy, certainly frustration with the U.S. and Europe. But I wonder if he's to

some degree giving up too, right, in expecting too much from the U.S. And by the way, I mean, Ukraine is already bearing the lion's share of the

military burden there with its own weapons systems, drone technology, et cetera, as you well know. Did we hear a little bit of that in Zelenskyy's

comments today that perhaps he's already given up on the U.S.?

MYLOVANOV: Well, I think indeed his comments are sharper and more direct than usual. And they are pointed at Europe rather than the United States.

Obviously, it's coming immediately after the meeting with President Trump.

But yes, I think he says pretty clearly, although maybe not in words, but, you know, the meaning is clear, that he's not expecting much of change in

the level of support from the United States. But he needs this support now. He needs more support if Ukraine is to stand together strong. And he needs

this support then from Europe.

SCIUTTO: So, now we have this -- another attempt, right, at negotiations, a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, U.S. and Russian officials. The last

time Trump attempted that, it fell through. And we've seen a consistent pattern, Russia talks, but on the battlefield, in terms of its attacks on

Kyiv, et cetera, Kyiv, it just expands those attacks. Do you see any substantive change in Russia's position as it relates to peace

negotiations?

MYLOVANOV: Not really. I think we have not seen much of a change in the Russian position throughout multiple rounds of attempts at negotiations and

throughout the entire four years of the full-scale invasion. So, their position has softened somewhat, but it is still territorial concessions in

Donbas in particular. So, I have not seen that change.

And I think anyway, most of it is just noise. What's not noise, that conversation continues and conversation appears to be expanding. So, this

trilateral meeting is a welcome sign forward, is some potential for peace, for resolution. But I don't think Russia's position has changed much.

SCIUTTO: Timofiy Mylovanov, we appreciate you joining us, as always, given where you are. I say we wish you a safe night there.

MYLOVANOV: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Well, Greenland's prime minister says the territory's sovereignty is a red line in any potential deal about its future.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENS-FREDERIK NIELSEN, GREENLANDIC PRIME MINISTER: Nobody else than Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark have the mandate to make deals or

agreements about Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark without us. That's not going to happen. We have said from the beginning in Greenland, we have

some red lines. We cannot cross the red lines. We have to respect our territorial integrity. We have to respect international law, sovereignty.

We are ready to cooperate more in economics and in other areas. But that's something we have to talk about in mutual respect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[18:10:00]

SCIUTTO: This, of course, after President Trump announced a, quote, "framework" for a future deal on Greenland, Trump said today that

perspective -- that perspective deal would allow the U.S. to, quote, "do whatever we want in Greenland." Not clear what that means. Prime Minister

Jens-Frederik Nielsen in the dark about at least some of those frameworks details.

Juno Berthelsen is a member of Greenland's parliament, and he joins me now.

JUNO BERTHELSEN, GREENLANDIC PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Thanks so much for taking the time. Thank you so much, Jim, for having me on your show.

SCIUTTO: Well, you said that Greenlanders are relieved that President Trump has chosen now to go down this diplomatic path. Big picture, do you

believe the crisis over Greenland sovereignty has been averted? Has the U.S. truly removed its threat to Greenland sovereignty?

BERTHELSEN: Well, let me first just make it very clear, Jim, that first things first, we, the Greenlandic people, all parties in Greenlandic

parliament are united in our message. We don't want to be Americans. We don't want to be Danish. We want to be Greenlandic or Gaelic, Inuit, as

we're called in our own language.

Now, we welcome that the U.S. president has chosen to steer away from rhetoric that revolves around use of force and invasion, and we embrace

that we are on the right path of diplomatic dialogue. That is a very important development and step that brings some relief among our public

here in Greenland who have been affected by the tensions of late. There is a sense of relief that we are not going in the wrong direction and that

diplomacy is pursued.

And let me be very clear, the Greenlandic people will be at the center of any conversations regarding Greenland. We are a people, according to

international law, with a right to self-determination, and the Greenlandic people is a rightful owner of Greenland.

So, you know, the United Nations has recognized us as a people, according to international law, and that we decide our own future. We need to talk

about sovereign peoples, not only sovereignty of states. That's very important in these times.

SCIUTTO: Understood. As you know, one proposal out there, although Danish officials have told me Denmark has not been involved in any such

discussions, but one of the proposals is that the U.S. would take control over pieces of Greenland, parcels of land to then build and operate

military bases there. Is that something the people of Greenland would accept, U.S. sovereignty, not over all -- the entire island, but pieces of

the island?

BERTHELSEN: Well, we don't know exactly what this framework entails. So, of course, it's important now to find out what has been discussed exactly.

I don't want to engage in speculation. You know, I find it that it's my obligation not to deal with hypotheticals. So, I think it's important that

we wait until we get the concrete answers that we're seeking and that we can continue the conversation from there.

But this needs to be said. Nothing happens in Greenland without the consent of the Greenlandic people if we are to adhere to international law. Nothing

about us without us. That is the message that we've sent to the International Community and to the U.S. for a long time now.

International law must be adhered to. The Greenlandic people are the people to be negotiated with and have a dialogue with when Greenland is being

discussed. We need to be at the table and we look forward to see in what fashion that this goes forward and that we are at the table when discussing

Greenland.

SCIUTTO: Trump emphasizes two main points regarding this discussed deal. And by the way, he was emphasizing different things a couple of days ago.

So, I understand it's changing. But he says it's total access and that there are no there is no time limit to U.S. access to Greenland. But to

your point, there are no written documents at this point.

Do you -- are there outlines that you can describe of something that you and other members of Greenland Greenland's parliament would accept? Is

there a middle ground that you would accept?

BERTHELSEN: Well, the most important thing is that we are in the people that are that are the people who are at the table and that the U.S. has the

dialogue with us and those negotiations with us. What I do know is that our Greenlandic government's own minister of foreign affairs had a short

conversation last night with Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte, and after Mark Rutte had had his -- after his meeting with Donald Trump, and

that the secretary general had informed that NATO had not negotiated anything on behalf of Greenland. No formal agreement about Greenland has

been made.

So, NATO does not have that jurisdiction or mandate. We, the Greenlandic people, decide and have the mandate of negotiating what happens with

Greenland, with our home.

[18:15:00]

So, you know, we've been adamant in pursuing a peaceful outcome through diplomacy and we are relieved as Greenlandic parliament members to witness

the result of our efforts, both Greenlandic government officials as well as parliament members. So, we need to see what is concretely on the table

before we continue this conversation and that's what I'm here to say out loud.

SCIUTTO: Just briefly, as you know, some in President Trump's orbit have said that well, we could buy the Greenland people if we offer them enough

money individually. I mean, you hear figures thrown around in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Do you believe that the people of Greenland or a

majority of them, that there's a price that they might accept to sell their country to the U.S.?

BERTHELSEN: The Greenlandic people are united. We will never sell Greenland. The Greenlandic people can continue now our ongoing process, you

know, exercising as a sovereign people our right to self-determination and continue on our path towards independence. We've been here in the Arctic

for thousands of years. We will be here for thousands more.

This is our home. You know, the spirit of the Greenlandic people is the strongest you'll find. We're unbreakable. We survived colonial atrocities

and will stand up for a right to determine our own future as long as we live and breathe. And you will hear no answers from Greenlandic people

whatsoever about selling Greenland or accepting any idea about Greenland being bought or sold.

SCIUTTO: Juno Berthelsen, thanks so much for joining.

BERTHELSEN: Thank you for having me.

SCIUTTO: Well, European leaders are meeting late into the night in Brussels for emergency talks on Greenland and the future of the U.S.-

European relationship, including NATO. The meeting was called earlier this week before President Trump's concessions on Greenland and E.U. tariffs.

But even as those tensions ease, E.U. leaders remain fearful about the future.

Clare Sebastian is in Brussels covering this. And have you heard any statements there about the way forward now, following this at least near

rupture in the relationship?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, look, I think coming into this meeting, it's clear that there was some sort of disparate views on how

to move forward. Some leaders, particularly those, sort of, on the eastern flank of NATO with more skin in the game when it comes to security, are

certainly more vocal when it comes to preserving the transatlantic relationship. Others, perhaps with slightly stronger rhetoric around the

ruptures that they've seen, the Rubicons that have been crossed in the past week.

We're getting some sense that there's some movement on the ground now, about four or four and a half hours in to the talks that are being held

now. But as we try to figure out exactly what that is, take a listen to Kaja Kallas, the E.U. foreign policy chief, as she came in to this summit

earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAJA KALLAS, E.U. FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF: The transatlantic relations have definitely taken a big blow over the last week. But I think in this one

year, we have learned that these relations are not the same as they were. On the European side, we are not willing to junk 80 years of good

relations, and we are willing to work for this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: So, look, she's still also, despite saying that there's been a big blow to the relationship, also says that Europe is not ready to junk

it, that they still have to preserve it. Pragmatically speaking, I think that gets you back to the topic of Ukraine, where of course Europe needs to

keep the U.S. on side.

President Zelenskyy, you heard today, really wants to make sure that the U.S. is involved in the peace process and post-war security guarantees. I

think what this means going forward for Europe on the practical side is going to mean more of a commitment to standing on its own two feet when it

comes to security, moving faster down the path of ramping up defense spending and capabilities. Perhaps on the trade side as well, we've heard

talk of diversifying trade partnerships, being a bit more independent from the U.S.

But I think one other thing to watch here, and certainly we've seen this develop throughout this week, is perhaps a more muscular tone that will be

taken by European leaders towards the Trump administration. We've seen a year of frankly flattery, of concessions, of sending so-called Trump

whisperers to the U.S. to deal with Trump. I think from now moving forward, we may see a stronger tone and clearer red lines laid out by the Europeans,

Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yes, some of them seem to think that that worked in terms of pushing Trump off his most extreme positions on Greenland. Clare Sebastian

in Brussels, thanks so much.

Well, at an interview in Davos, President Trump took this particularly personal swipe at NATO allies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We've never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them. You know, they'll say they sent some troops

to Afghanistan or this or that, and they did. They stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[18:20:00]

SCIUTTO: This is false. Notably, it was soldiers from Canada and Denmark, two of the president's favorite targets, who did dangerous frontline combat

duty, and paid for it, in blood. Nearly 160 Canadian military personnel were killed in Afghanistan, second only to the U.S. and U.K. in total

casualties. Denmark lost more than 40 soldiers, one of the highest death rates relative to the size of its deployment.

On a personal note, on my own assignments in Afghanistan during the war, I saw these forces in frontline deployments. One way I knew that Canadian

troops were on site in Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, I saw their wooden inline hockey rinks to suit their ice hockey obsession. Facts

matter, especially when allies lose lives for each other.

Still ahead, President Trump officially launches his so-called Board of Peace in Davos. Son-in-law Jared Kushner also laying out his master plan

for rebuilding Gaza, that even he fears could fail.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, U.S. stocks rose for a second straight session as tensions over Greenland de-escalated. Tech

stocks were the big winners. The major averages, however, finished off their session highs. Chip giant Intel reported earnings after the closing

bell. Profits and sales both came in strong. But it is warning that it might not meet demand in the current quarter. Intel shares are down more

than 12 percent in after-hours trading as a result.

Checking some of today's other business headlines. U.S. President Donald Trump is taking unprecedented action against the largest U.S. bank,

JPMorgan Chase, and its CEO, Jamie Dimon. Trump today filed a $5 billion lawsuit against the firm, accusing it of dropping him as a client in 2021

due to political pressure. JPMorgan says the suit has no merit.

Jamie Dimon has been highly critical of Trump. This week at Davos, he says Trump's plan to cap credit card interest rates would cause, quote,

"economic disaster." And he criticized the administration's immigration policy, saying, quote, "I don't like what I'm seeing."

Procter & Gamble's earnings are raising new concerns about the health of the U.S. consumers. The make of the Tide detergent, Crest toothpaste, other

household staples reported weaker than expected revenue. It says U.S. sales took a hit from the government shutdown, and it says tariffs continue to

weigh on its bottom line. Sales outside the U.S., though, remain strong.

[18:25:00]

Shares of Italian eyewear firm iVision Tech rallied more than 31 percent in European trading today. Demand for the firm's Top Gun-style aviator

sunglasses is surging, well, for that, after French President Emmanuel Macron wore those shades at Davos this week. President Macron, we should

note, was forced to wear them due to an eye condition. The company says its website crashed because of high demand. Its market cap has risen by more

than $4 million.

Fresh reaction today from European leaders over President Trump's so-called Board of Peace. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he's concerned

that Vladimir Putin plans to be a member, given Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The E.U.'s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, says Europe could

work with the board as long as it focuses solely on Gaza, something not mentioned in its charter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KALLAS: In the United Nations Security Council resolution regarding Gaza, there was a Board of Peace mentioned, but that was for until 2027 and very

strictly focused on Gaza. So, what we want to see is the mandate of the Board of Peace being really narrowed down to Gaza like it was initially

meant and in accordance with the Security Council resolution. And these talks are ongoing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: CNN's Oren Liebermann has more on today's Board of Peace rollout in Davos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Here's what came out of the official Board of Peace signing ceremony. President Donald Trump was joined

on stage by a group of world leaders and senior officials, but crucially none of the U.S.'s closest European allies. And Trump said they can do

whatever they want.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do, and we'll do it in conjunction with the United

Nations. You know, I've always said the United Nations has got tremendous potential, has not used it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMANN: Trump talked just a bit about Gaza, the first real effort of the Board of Peace, but it was his son-in-law, U.S. Envoy Jared Kushner,

who gave some more details here. He showed a redevelopment map that's entirely disconnected from the reality on the ground in Gaza right now,

including a port, an airport, multi-use towers along the beach and much, much more.

He said the U.S. was planning for catastrophic success. But the next phase, he said, was the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of Gaza.

Without that, he said, no one would want to invest in Gaza, and this plan requires billions and billions of dollars.

So, will this all actually come together? Well, crucially missing from today's ceremony was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was not

in attendance in Davos, even though he agreed to Trump's invitation to join the Board of Peace. Israeli President Isaac Herzog was in Davos, but didn't

attend the signing ceremony. Trump and his team talked as if the war in Gaza were completely over, but that is a decision that Israel's government

has not yet made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: That was Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem. Coming up next, it was the moment Iran was cut off from the online world. We hear from protesters who

witnessed a violent crackdown on anti-government demonstrations.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto and here are the international headlines we're watching today.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is describing his latest meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump as, quote, "positive." Two leaders met on

the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos Thursday. Trump called negotiations to end Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, quote, "an

ongoing process." President Zelenskyy says talks between Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. will be held in the UAE beginning Friday.

The U.S. vice president is blaming unrest in Minnesota on a lack of cooperation between state and local officials. J. D. Vance went to

Minneapolis to speak with federal officers and local authorities. He defended the administration's expanding crackdown there, but conceded that

immigration agents have made, quote, "mistakes."

The former special counsel who indicted President Trump says he stands by that decision. Jack Smith was called to testify before the House Judiciary

Committee today. He led the investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Republican lawmakers accused him of overreach.

Smith says there was evidence to support the president committed a crime.

Donald Trump said in Davos today that Iran wants to engage in talks with the U.S. following its deadly, bloody crackdown on anti-government

protests. A U.S.-based rights group estimates more than four and a half thousand protesters have been killed since those rallies began in late

December. This is an Internet blackout continues for most of the country.

Jomana Karadsheh takes a look at what happened when that blackout occurred. I'll warn you, some of these images are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, January the 8th. Just as these incredible images were emerging

from protests in Tehran and other cities, Iran went dark.

Under the cover of the digital darkness it imposed, the regime launched one of the bloodiest chapters in the history of the Islamic Republic.

KIARASH, PROTESTER: I saw the army and they were attacking us. I saw shotguns, I saw heavy guns. They didn't allow many of the injured bodies to

go to the hospital.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): This protester spoke to us from an undisclosed location after leaving Iran. Kiarash is not his real name, but for his

safety, we're not identifying him. He's one of the countless Iranians who joined the protests.

KIARASH: The blood was all over the streets. Three bodies collapsed. A girl on my left hand. Another girl, just two steps, she was near me, and a

guy was like four meters away.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Kiarash took to the streets again, after a day spent in Tehran's largest cemetery, where scenes like this played out.

Surrounded by grief, anger and chaos, he searched through the dead for the body of Nassim, a family friend who was shot in the neck.

KIARASH: I saw two layers of dead bodies. In my eyes, I can say minimum 1,500 up to 2,000, just in one warehouse, and small bags. I realized that,

oh, my God, these small bags, they're children's, many of them.

[18:35:00]

KARADSHEH (voice-over): His harrowing account is consistent with other testimony and verified visual evidence collected by CNN and human rights

organizations from various reported protest sites across the country, pointing to a widespread coordinated armed attack by regime forces, turning

the streets of Iran into something that resembled a war zone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were shooting at us from the top of the building and the Ashrafi Esfahani Bridge. They were aiming with lasers and the

shooters were shooting people in the face. They massacred people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We started hearing gunshots and feeling tear gas from behind. In Iran, we call this the scissor. They sent forces to the back of

the protests to start hitting people from the back and the front.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From 12:00 a.m. Thursday night onward, the type of injuries changed. The live rounds started. I've never seen anything like

this. The sound of heavy machine guns in the city is something you only see in movies.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Little video that has broken through the regime's wall of censorship not only captures the horror, it also shows the forces

and weaponry deployed to suppress protest in major urban centers like Tehran and Mashhad, a tactic not previously seen on this scale outside of

minority-dominated border regions. This is a regime that has never tolerated dissent, one with a long history of crushing protests violently.

But this was like nothing anyone had ever seen before.

MAHMOOD AMIRY-MOGHADDAM, DIRECTOR, IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS: It's a completely different level of violence and brutality.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam has spent his life documenting atrocities committed by the Islamic Republic. He says this

crackdown is unparalleled in scope and lethality.

AMIRY-MOGHADDAM: Everywhere we have had witness testimonies, they have been going -- doing it the same way, you know, using live ammunition,

military-grade weapon, with the aim of killing as many as possible, even those injured on the ground.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Iran's leadership has admitted that thousands were killed, but blamed the deaths on rioters and agents of Israel and the U.S.

They've released video like this on state media, claiming to show violence committed by protesters. The regime has long used the narrative of a

foreign plot to justify its crackdowns. This time, it had an exiled opposition and a U.S. president urging a revolt.

AMIRY-MOGHADDAM: I think that the regime has never been closer to a fall, to a complete regime change. They are doing it for survival, but also to

prevent more protests in the coming years. The aim is to traumatize a generation.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Even for those who know the regime's brutality all too well, this is just too much to bear.

KARADSHEH: I'm so sorry.

AMIRY-MOGHADDAM: We have no other option. Those who have lost their loved ones, but they still speak out, and that inspires us.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): The world may never know the real scale of the loss and pain as a scarred nation slowly emerges from the night Iran went

dark.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Such an important story. Coming up next, visiting a city here in the U.S. on the edge. J. D. Vance addresses protests in Minneapolis. Speaks

out as well about the detention of a five-year-old boy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

SCIUTTO: The U.S. vice president is blaming state and local officials for what he calls the level of chaos in Minneapolis. He is demanding better

cooperation with federal agents. J. D. Vance's visit to the city comes at a deeply fraught time with protesters -- protests taking place daily over the

ongoing immigration crackdown.

Vance was asked specifically about a five-year-old boy who was taken into custody by ICE along with his father. You see the boy there, escorted by

agents into a vehicle. A source says he and his father are now being detained at a facility in Texas. Vance defended this operation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J. D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I'm a father of a five-year-old, actually, a five-year-old little boy, and I think to myself, oh, my God,

this is terrible. How did we arrest a five-year-old? Well, I do a little bit more follow-up research, and what I find is that the five-year-old was

not arrested, that his dad was an illegal alien, and then they -- when they went to arrest his illegal alien father, the father ran.

So, the story is that ICE detained a five-year-old. Well, what are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a five-year-old child freeze to

death?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: A lawyer for that boy's family says that the father was, in fact, authorized to be in the U.S. and had no criminal record. ICE, at the same

time, is inserting the right to forcibly enter people's homes without a judicial warrant. This, according to an internal ICE memo obtained by the

AP, the Department of Homeland Security says it's their agents being harassed, which then triggered the Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino to

throw a chemical agent into a crowd after issuing a warning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get back. Gas is coming. Gas is coming. Second warning. Third warning. Gas, gas, gas, gas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Gas, gas, gas, he shouts. Zaynab Mohamed is a member of the Minnesota State Senate, joins us now from Minneapolis. Good to have you on.

STATE SEN. ZAYNAB MOHAMED (D-MN): Thank you so much for having me.

SCIUTTO: So, lots of questions for you. First of all, do you accept the vice president's explanation of how this five-year-old boy was taken into

custody?

MOHAMED: I do not, and I don't think anyone in our state does accept that explanation. Just today, a few hours ago, I got a call that there was a

child named Chloe, two years old, and her father were also taken by ICE agents. I think the people in this state have a right to be concerned about

the level of brutality that is coming from ICE agents.

What we're seeing is children. There is at least five kids that have been taken by ICE. Whatever the explanation is, there is no reason for the

mother of that child, Liam, for her to find out where her child and her father are 24 hours after they were taken from an ICE detention in Texas.

The mother of that child that you were talking about, five years old, his mother had been looking for him for 24 hours. That is an insane amount of

time to separate a child from their mother and their siblings. And so, I don't think people in the state accept that explanation. I think they want

better from the federal government.

[18:45:00]

SCIUTTO: The vice president is blaming the chaos there on state and local officials refusing to cooperate with federal officials. What do you hear

from local officials, local law enforcement? Are they refusing to cooperate?

MOHAMED: No, I think the local law enforcement, local government, our city and state government have been very open to working with the federal

government if they know what's going on on the ground. What we are seeing is Minnesotans' civil and human and free speech has been violated almost

every day, multiple times a day in their due process. And what we're hearing from the federal government and the vice president himself is that

none of those crimes is of any concern to them.

And certainly, not the killing of Renee Good, which is why you have people on the ground protesting, which is why tomorrow we will have the largest

strike probably of this state, is that people want answers to what happened. Why was Renee Good killed? Why are we not investigating that

case? Why are we investigating random things and random protests instead of looking into the issue at hand?

And so, I think our local government has been completely blacked out by the federal government. What you also saw a few weeks ago was the federal

government saying, yes, they were going to work with the state government and the BCA and co-investigate, and then that got taken away from our state

government and our state agency.

And so, I think we have a right to ask questions of where are the investigations, who are you investigating, and can we get some answers?

That is not happening from the federal government, unfortunately.

SCIUTTO: A few very glaring legal issues here. So, federal immigration officers are using what's known as an administrative warrant, which

basically the DHS can issue itself, not a judge's warrant, according to this memo, and quite willingly so. Is that breaking the law?

MOHAMED: I mean, you know, when somebody has a judicial warrant, we can't do anything about it. They can go up to somebody's home, break down the

door, and essentially take that individual. When somebody has an administrative warrant, the individual has a right to ask for a judicial-

signed warrant, where is your judge-signed warrant, and if they don't have it, they can't pursue it like it's a judicial-signed warrant because it's

not. The two have completely different sets of guidelines, and the law needs to be followed as it is.

SCIUTTO: So, who's challenging this? Because the DHS and ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agents are enforcing these administrative warrants

seemingly every day. I mean, what's the legal recourse?

MOHAMED: I think the -- I think that's where we see the biggest fundamental differences with what's happening at the ground with the

federal government versus our local government. The local government wants to cooperate with the federal government if ICE agents have judicial-signed

warrants, and that's what they want to carry out. Those are the law of the land, and we can't refuse for them to go ahead and implement those.

But if you have an administrative warrant signed by your agency, we can't accept that as if it's a judicial-signed warrant. What we need is for them

to go back to judges, get judicial-signed warrants if they want to do it the right way, but they're not. They want to create chaos. And what's also

happening on the ground is they are creating so much confusion for people.

When somebody says, hey, I want to see a judge-signed warrant, they're giving them an administrative warrant, but that's not usually what these

individuals, regular people don't know the difference. And so, they are essentially breaking people's rights by giving them something that's

completely wrong.

SCIUTTO: Do you believe they're not seeking judicial warrants because they believe, fear they won't get one?

MOHAMED: I think so, because in order for somebody to get a judicial- signed warrant, we know that individual has to have had some sort of record on their background. Being in the United States as undocumented individual

is a civil case. It's not a criminal case.

And so, to say that they all have judicial-signed warrants, that means you are saying every undocumented person in this state and in this country has

committed some sort of crime that's on their record. Being undocumented in this country is a civil offense. It's not a criminal one.

SCIUTTO: Zaynab Mohamed --

MOHAMED: And so, no, they won't be able to get --

SCIUTTO: Zaynab Mohamed, we appreciate you walking us through what your community is experiencing.

MOHAMED: Thanks for having me.

SCIUTTO: And we'll have more news right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:50:00]

SCIUTTO: From bloodsuckers to demon hunters, nominations are in for the 98th Academy Awards. Vampire drama "Sinners" makes history with a record-

breaking 16 nominations, including Best Picture. Writer and director Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan, who played two characters, by the way,

twins, are among the nominees.

"One Battle After Another" is another big contender. Nominated in 13 categories, including Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio and Best Supporting

Actress for Teyana Taylor. And they fought off an evil boy band. But can the "KPop Demon Hunters" take Hollywood's ultimate prize? Netflix's

worldwide hit is up for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for its chart-topping smash "Golden."

Clayton Davis is the chief awards editor at Variety, and he joins us now. So, "Sinners" did not do great at the Golden Globes, right? But now it's

got 16 nominations here. I wonder if you see them doing better at the Oscars.

CLAYTON DAVIS, CHIEF AWARDS EDITOR, VARIETY: Yes, thank you for having me. I do see it doing better at the Oscars. And you can kind of see some of

these tea leaves that you've been following the last few weeks. I write a column every week of the Oscar predictions every week. And a few weeks

back, I saw a little bit of that tide turning. "Sinners" was gaining momentum. And this is for a movie that opened up last April. But to see it

nominated in 16 categories is historic in and of itself. It beats the record that was set by "La La Land," "All About Eve" and "Titanic."

It shows that it's a wide hit. Everyone loves it within every branch or 19 branches of the Academy. It really did something today that even I, who was

doing the final predictions, predicted 15, 16 was even, I couldn't fathom. And it just really showed up today. And it has real momentum now that I

think we can have a real serious conversation about, is this our Best Picture winner? And I think it really might be.

SCIUTTO: Wow. Any big snubs from the nominations?

DAVIS: Listen, I think the big talk of the day is "Wicked: For Good." Going from 10 nominations last year for part 1 to completely shut out,

getting zero nominations. Notably, Ariana Grande and Best Supporting Actress, who have been nominated by every major televised precursor. But I

want to stress this, that it was kind of unprecedented, we never had a part 1 of a movie that did so well and come back immediately the next year for

part 2. And the closest precedent we had were the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. But even then, we knew we were building to a part 3. And part 2

also did half the nominations of "Fellowship of the Rings." It went from 13 to 6. Then got to "Return of the King" and then obviously went 11 for 11.

So, it's just a hard thing to do. Musicals and horror films both walk in with their backs against the wall. There are genres that kind of come with

pre-exposed biases.

SCIUTTO: So, just quickly, why was a new casting category added this year?

DAVIS: Yes, it's something that's been long overdue. And I think now it gives an opportunity for people to learn about what this profession is and

will inspire a lot of young people to -- you know, that want to get involved in Hollywood and movies, hey, maybe there's a road for casting.

And now, we have our first ever category nominated at the Oscars. Some great nominees. "Sinners" is the frontrunner also in this category. No

shocker here.

[18:55:00]

But it's going to be a really long overdue achievement. To recognize the people that get all these key players together and find great discoveries

like Chase Infiniti from "One Battle After Another." And Miles Caton from "Sinners."

SCIUTTO: I got a lot of movies to catch up on. Clearly. Clayton Davis, thanks so much for joining.

DAVIS: Thanks for having me.

SCIUTTO: All right. So, BTS is finally going back on tour. Fans are racing to snap up tickets. On Thursday, tickets dropped for the K-pop group's New

World Tour, which kicks off in South Korea in April. Making stops across Asia, North America and Europe. BTS, you may remember, took a break in

2022. So, members could complete their mandatory military service in South Korea. Along with the new shows, BTS will also release their first new

album in more than three years.

Finally, tonight, these are the northern lights shimmering off the French coast in the northwestern Brittany region. The amazing display can also be

seen in other parts of Europe, including England, Hungary, Germany and Poland. The aurora can be seen well beyond its usual range. Why? Because of

intense solar storms. Wish I could see them.

Thanks so much for joining. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.

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