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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Federal Officer Shoots Man In Leg During Minneapolis Arrest; NASA Set To Bring Astronaut Home Early For Medical Reasons; Iran Airspace Partially Reopens As Trump Weights Next Moves; U.S. Says Gaza Is Entering 2nd Phase Of The Ceasefire Plan; Voters To Decide Between Former Pop Star And Longtime Leader; Trump to Meet Venezuelan Opposition Leader Machado; SpaceX Crew-11 Returning to Earth Early, Crew Member Ill; Free Press Advocates Condemn FBI Raid on Journalist's Home; Buddhist Monks on 2,300+ Mile Walk for Peace. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired January 15, 2026 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: And you're watching breaking news here on CNN. I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles. We're following multiple breaking stories this hour, including a NASA mission happening right now. More on that in a moment.

But let's start in Minneapolis, where a federal law enforcement officer shot a person in the leg after that person allegedly resisted arrest and assaulted that officer. Department of Homeland Security says the officer was trying to apprehend a Venezuelan man in the country, illegal.

The subject allegedly fled the traffic stop and began to resist and assault the officer. As you can see, there has been a big law enforcement scene in Minneapolis tonight. Lots of protesters in the streets.

During that initial struggle that caused all of this, two people came out of a nearby apartment, allegedly attacked the officer. This is what Homeland Security put out on X. Police say the suspect got loose, joined the assault. That's when the officer fired, quote, defensive shots, hitting him in the leg. The officer and the injured man both in the hospital and the other two people are in custody.

Meanwhile, federal agents fired tear gas multiple times and pepper balls at protesters who gathered near the scene. That city on edge after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by a federal immigration agent a week ago.

The mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, has been vocal about the presence of federal officers in the city. He calls it unsustainable. But not long ago, he asked residents to go home, saying these protests are actually making things worse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JACOB FREY, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA MAYOR: This is not creating safety. It's certainly not creating safety when a huge percentage of the shootings that have taken place so far this year in Minneapolis have been by ICE.

So, let's be very clear. I've seen conduct from ICE that is disgusting and is intolerable. If it were your city, it would be unacceptable there, too. And for anyone that is taking the bait tonight, stop. That is not helpful. Go home. We cannot counter Donald Trump's chaos with our own brand of chaos.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCHAELSON: For more on all this, let's bring in retired U.S. Marine intelligence officer Lieutenant Colonel Hal Kempfer. He's also the CEO and founder of GRIP, Global Risk Intelligence and Planning, and the host of the Strat podcast. Hal joins us live now. Thanks for being with us.

HAL KEMPFER, CEO AND FOUNDER GLOBAL RISK INTELLIGENCE AND PLANNING: Thank you, Elex.

MICHAELSON: You focus a lot on law enforcement tactics. You help train folks when it comes to security issues. What is your big takeaway from what we're hearing tonight? And it sounds like the real danger this officer was under?

KEMPFER: Well, there's heightened political tension, shall we say, in Minneapolis and Minnesota. And I think a lot of people convoluted, as with that, with what was actually happening. You had an officer that was doing exactly what they're supposed to do, chasing down a suspect. In this case, you know, it's immigration. It's a Venezuelan. He turned on him. He was attacking with what was potentially very harmful, potentially a deadly weapon.

And in that scuffle, there was a shot was fired. He was shot in the leg. But I will say one thing. You show -- you see restraint, one shot, that was probably enough. And they were able to take care of the scene from there. Although the ICE agent was actually injured in this encounter.

MICHAELSON: And not a situation of shooting to kill.

KEMPFER: No. And see, that's why I kind of point out, and a lot of people are saying, oh, my gosh, you know, he was shot in the leg. Look, first off, law enforcement, federal law enforcement, not trained to shoot people in the legs. All right? You go for center mass. Unless you're doing something specialized, you go for center mass.

And so the shot in the leg was obviously in the scuffle, in the fight. He got a shot off, but he made a decision that was enough, that the situation, that was all the force that was required, and then proceeded from there. And I think that shows judgment. It shows restraint. And I know people -- there's a lot of people hate the, you know, basically immigration enforcement tactics across the board. But in this particular case, you look at what I see is probably an exercise of very good judgment.

MICHAELSON: Yes. I mean, we have not seen any video of this. We have not sort of independently been able to confirm what Homeland Security has put out. But if -- if what they put out turns out to be true after an investigation, it's certainly -- you have to understand where this potential officer is coming for.

[01:05:07]

But the situation right now in Minneapolis is challenging because there's so many federal law enforcement officers there. It's clear that a lot of protesters don't want them there. And that is not a recipe necessarily for peace in the streets.

KEMPFER: Well, it's a -- it's a recipe for confrontation, which is what we've seen. And, you know, regardless of how anyone feels about the -- a lot of people really pass judgment on the shooting of good. And, you know, you look at that, you know, the bottom line is what came out today was the ICE agent was actually hit. He was struck, he was injured.

There was certainly a lot of people, I think, that just kind of dismissed that. And they look at it very differently. Regardless of whatever said, the federal government has a legal responsibility to enforce immigration law. You know, that is not some wild new concept that's been around for a long time. They may disagree with the degree that the agents are out there, but they do have that. That is an inherent part of what a nation state does, and it's an inherent part of what federal law enforcement does.

So when you hear things like, well, there shouldn't be any ICE in Minneapolis, well, there's been an ICE office in Minneapolis for a very, very long time, as long as there's been ICE. But they may disagree on the number officers coming in, how they're doing their tactics. And these are certainly reasonable discussions.

But they are doing a lawful law enforcement function. And if people get in the way of that, they can create situations where potentially use of force could get involved.

MICHAELSON: Yes. Hal Kempfer, thank you for joining us. Appreciate you sharing your perspective.

KEMPFER: Thank you, Elex.

MICHAELSON: Now, the other breaking story we're following right now, we're keeping an eye on the sky, literally here in Southern California, because you're going to be able to see this with a naked eye tonight as NASA is bringing a SpaceX capsule back to Earth from the International Space station.

The Crew-11 is carrying two American astronauts, one of them from Japan and one of them from Russia. One of those crew members is experiencing a health concern, prompting the early return to Earth. NASA says he or she is in stable condition and well cared for, but they have not said who's sick, what they have for private medical reasons.

We're expected a splashdown to happen and in the Pacific coast off a Pacific Ocean off the California coast, about two and a half hours, around 12:40 a.m. Pacific time.

With me here live in studio is Garrett Reisman, professor of astronautical engineering at USC, former NASA astronaut, former SpaceX guy who helped to design the capsule, knows all of this stuff. So what's happening right now?

GARRETT REISMAN, PROFESSOR OF ASTRONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, USC: Wow. Well, right now we're about two and a half hours away. So we're about an hour and a half away from the deorbit burn. So what they're doing is they're just waiting as the capsule's flying around the Earth to get into just the right spot so they can slow down and be on a trajectory that brings them right towards Long beach, basically.

So they're playing the waiting game right now, and not much is going on, but that'll change in about an hour and a half.

MICHAELSON: So who, how is that determined? Is that determined by how does that spot -- how do you get to that right spot?

REISMAN: A lot of really smart engineers determine that.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

REISMAN: So what you're doing is you're -- as you're going around the Earth, the Earth is spinning underneath you. And so you -- it's all about timing and being in the right place at the right time. You can control how fast you're going around the Earth by changing the altitude of the spacecraft. So as you go down in altitude, you actually go faster around the Earth. So if you want to speed up, you can go down. If you want to slow down, you can go up.

And by doing that just the right way, you line everything up and so it's just right. And then you slam on the brakes. You only have to slow down a couple like 100 miles an hour or so, and you're going 17,500 miles an hour.

So it's only a little bit of a slowdown, and it's enough for gravity to win the tug of war and bring you back into the atmosphere. And, and then you go and splash down.

MICHAELSON: Wow. Crazy piece of -- crazy math problem at that level. So what do we know about this potential medical issue? Everybody wants to know what's happening here, and we don't know very much, right?

REISMAN: No, I know absolutely nothing.

MICHAELSON: And even you don't know anything, which is crazy.

REISMAN: NASA's very careful about protecting our private medical data. So just like we have HIPAA laws and all that, NASA takes that very seriously. So they're not going to publicly discuss what's going on. It's up to the individual crew member. If they wish, they could publicly disclose, like, hey, this happened to me. I could tell you all the stuff that happened to me when I was up in space, but that's of my own free will. NASA can't do that for me.

[01:10:00]

MICHAELSON: And we also don't know is it the Russian or is it the Japanese person who -- and then in which case it wouldn't even be NASA's.

REISMAN: Or is Zena? Or is it Mike?

MICHAELSON: Right.

REISMAN: We don't know. I suspect it's Zena or Mike because NASA's been controlling this decision about whether to come home. Now, of course NASA has and SpaceX operate the Crew-11 capsule, the SpaceX Dragon, so that kind of makes sense, but I suspect it's, you know, I'm just guessing, but I suspect it's one of the --

MICHAELSON: I think it's one of the Americans. So left behind now is going to be three people, two of them Russian, one of them an American who are already up there at the International Space Station. It's not unprecedented to run that with three people. It's been a little while since that's happened.

REISMAN: Yes.

MICHAELSON: What are they going to be doing now?

REISMAN: Well, when I was up there were just three of us too. And through the last two months of my long duration stay in the space station and it was me and two Russians. So it's kind of a similar situation. Now the space station's a bit bigger now and a bit more complicated. But they're going to be fine is the bottom line. They're a little shorthanded, so they might not get all the work done that they're planning on.

But this is just -- we're talking about a one month gap and it might be even less if they can move up Crew-12 and launch them a little bit sooner. It might be less than a month. And during that period of time between the three of them, they can certainly keep the ship running.

They even have the capability to go out and do spacewalks if they need to. One of the Russians that remains with Chris is trained to go out in the American spacesuit. So that's something we worry about in another bad day, if it gets worse, something on the outside breaks and you have to -- there's things out there that if it breaks, you have to go out and fix it.

MICHAELSON: Sure.

REISMAN: But they can do -- they can even do that. So they're in a pretty good situation. It'll be a little more lonely, I suppose, with just three, but hey, we did just fine.

MICHAELSON: Yes. And the crew that is coming home now early was supposed to do spacewalks to work on --

REISMAN: Yes.

MICHAELSON: -- some solar stuff outside those clearly not happening, at least not yet. Garrett, thank you so much. You'll be back for our next hour of coverage because we are staying on late tonight to watch this whole thing happen. And we're going to have special coverage throughout the night right here on a special edition of The Story Is. Again, around 12:40 a.m. we're going to see the splashdown, but in that entire hour leading up to it, we're going to be able to watch this whole happen and we're really excited to bring this to you live.

Now though, to the volatile situation in Iran where some domestic flights have now resumed. The skies over Iran were totally empty just a few hours ago after the government there closed down its airspace.

The U.S. and a number of European countries are urging their citizens to get out of the country, which comes weeks into its deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. President Trump has refused to rule out military action, but his tone has kind of been all over the map.

A day after warning Iran against executing protesters, he now claims that no executions are taking place, but he didn't say how he learned that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We were told that the killing in Iran is stopping. It's stopped -- stopping and there's no plan for executions or an execution or executions. So I've been told that a good authority will find out about it. I'm sure if happens, we'll all be very upset.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it has received nearly 400,000 reports of security violations and suspected terrorist activities leading in some cases to arrests. A warning the video you're about to see is disturbing.

It was posted online appears to show rose of body bags in Tehran. The U.S. based human rights activist news agency estimates more than 2,400 protesters have been killed since the start of the crackdown. But a very different number from Iran's foreign minister in an interview with Bret Baier on Fox News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: The exact figure would be announced very soon, perhaps tonight by our authorities.

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: So you're saying it's less than a thousand people?

ARAGHCHI: No, no. Hundreds of people. I certainly, you know, deny the numbers and figures they have said. It is an exaggeration. It is a misinformation campaign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: The Trump administration says Gaza is now entering phase two of the ceasefire plan despite Israeli opposition. US Special envoy Steve Witkoff says the focus will shift to demilitarization, technocratic governance and reconstruction. He added that the U.S. expects Hamas to fully cooperate and return the remains of the final Israeli hostage.

A committee of Palestinian technocrats has now been selected to run Gaza until a reformed Palestinian Authority can take over. The committee will be overseen by President Trump and the so called Board of Peace.

Several NATO countries are planning joint exercises with Denmark which is responsible for Greenland's defense.

[01:15:00]

This comes as President Trump ramps up threats to annex the Arctic territory. Officials from Denmark and Greenland say that there is a fundamental disagreement with the Trump administration over the future of that island. That assessment after a, quote, constructive meeting between the U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House on Wednesday. Despite the differences, they plan to keep talking, try to find a way forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARS LOKKE RASMUSSEN, DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER: Here our perspectives continue to differ. I must say the president has made his view clear and we have a different position. For us, ideas that would not respect territorial integrity of the kingdom of Denmark and the right of self- determination of the Greenlandic people are, of course, totally unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: We'll have more on the new shooting and arrests in Minneapolis just ahead. What happened as federal agents face off with protesters. Breaking news coverage continues here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:20:23]

MICHAELSON: We continue to follow breaking news in Minneapolis. The mayor there, Jacob Frey, urging protesters to go home after a new shooting during an ICE tonight. Demonstrators have been facing off with federal agents who used tear gas to clear the scene.

Homeland Security Department says a federal agent defensively shot an immigrant from Venezuela in the leg. That man allegedly assaulted the officer first during an arrest. The city, of course, still reeling from last week's shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREY: This is not creating safety. It's certainly not creating safety when a huge percentage of the shootings that have taken place so far this year in Minneapolis have been by ICE. So let's be very clear. I've seen conduct from ICE that is disgusting and is intolerable. If it were your city, it would be unacceptable there, too. And for anyone that is taking the bait tonight, stop. That is not helpful. Go home.

We cannot counter Donald Trump's chaos with our own brand of chaos. And I have seen thousands of people throughout our city peacefully protesting for those that have peacefully protested. I applaud you. For those that are taking the bait, you are not helping. And you are not helping the undocumented immigrants in our city. You are not helping the people that call this place home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: So the tension in Minneapolis follows the heavily criticized approach repeatedly used by ICE agents. As Josh Campbell reports, some experts say there's a better way to handle the arrests.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What the fuck. What the fuck is wrong with you? You just try to kill him?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What you just saw was a federal immigration agent pushing an unidentified protester into oncoming traffic after appearing to block their vehicle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They just fired off a tear gas canister.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): And here, another violent clash between Border Patrol agents and anti-ICE protester who appeared to SWAT an agent's hand away while recording an immigration enforcement operation. These moves coming on the heels of an explosive week for ICE, their aggressive tactics only seem to be escalating.

Last week, tensions between ICE and protesters erupted when a woman in Minneapolis was shot and killed by an ICE agent. DHS officials claimed the shooting was self-defense. Despite the nationwide scrutiny, ICE doesn't appear to be slowing down, raising questions by some police use of force experts whether the tactics of agents in handling both suspects and activists are inflaming an already volatile situation.

KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: If they conduct violent activities against law enforcement, if they impede our operations, that's a crime, and we will hold them accountable to those consequences.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): Social media has been flooded with an onslaught of videos showcasing the rising tensions between ICE and protesters in Minneapolis. The killing of Renee Goode wasn't the start of these aggressive tactics. It was more of a tipping point.

In August of 2025, Oregon state officials released a video of two federal officers slamming a protester to the ground outside an ICE facility. DHS says it was a targeted arrest of a dangerous rioter who had previously assaulted law enforcement.

In September, officers shot pepper balls from the rooftop of an ICE facility down at a protest in Illinois, hitting a pastor. DHS released a statement saying that the agitators ignored verbal warnings and were impeding operations by blocking an ICE vehicle from leaving the facility, a claim the pastor has denied.

About a month later, an officer repeatedly strikes a person in the head during an arrest. DHS said a hostile crowd surrounded agents, verbally abusing them and spitting on them. Pepper spray was deployed to deter the agitator and disperse the crowd.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get off of him.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): It is a crime to interfere with the actions of immigration agents, and efforts to block their work have been documented on video. But police experts say that when possible, deescalation is always preferred.

CHUCK WEXLER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, POLICE EXECUTIVE RESEARCH FORUM: Making an arrest in a large crowd can sometimes be problematic as opposed to identifying that person and maybe making arrest later on when you're not enraging the rest of the crowd.

When emotions are high, rational thinking is low. And sometimes you have to really slow things down. Take a step back, communicate.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): Josh Campbell, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:25:05]

MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Josh. Now we turn to politics, not here in America, but in Africa, where millions of people in Uganda will go to the polls Thursday to cast their votes in a presidential rematch. There are six other candidates, but voters are choosing primarily between a former pop star and their longtime leader, known as an authoritarian, who is now 81.

In the 2021 match, the President won by a landslide, but his opponent, 44-year-old singer turned politician Bobi Win, claimed the results were rigged. CNN's Larry Madowo has been following that story. He is live in Nairobi, Kenya. Larry, great to see you. I mean, this is quite a matchup here. Pop star versus autocrat.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It sounds like a Netflix show, right? And it is a blockbuster election. In fact, there's an Oscar nominated documentary, Elex, about the life of Bobi Wine and challenging President Yoweri Museveni in 2021. He lost that election. There's a documentary about that called "The People's President." And this time Bobi Wine is asking Ugandans to cast a protest vote

against the authoritarian government of President Yoweri Museveni. The way he sees it, Yoweri Museveni is a dictator who sees Uganda as his personal property and all Ugandans as his slaves. That's exactly what Bobi Wine told me a month ago when I spoke to him.

On the same day he was campaigning in the capital Kampala, he was beaten up, his supporters were tear gassed. This has been a violent campaign through and through, and that is the backdrop for this election.

Two days ago, the government of Uganda shut down the internet and the people of Uganda don't have access to the internet as we speak right now. So even getting any voting lines video from Uganda has been difficult because even the media is having trouble covering this election when they're having to call their reporters on the phone because they can't get any live video from that.

The reason the government of Uganda shut down the internet is because they say this is to avoid the spread of misinformation, disinformation, to curb the potential for electoral fraud and also to avoid any incitement to violence. But this has been criticized by many human rights groups, by the opposition there as an authoritarian, repressive tactic.

MICHAELSON: Well, and how do we now even know if the elections are fair? Talk about no transparency, cutting down the internet. I mean, how is this election supposed to be credible?

MADOWO: That is the big question here. And Bobi Wine, the opposition leader, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, as he's officially known, has said that all signs point to President Yoweri Museveni rigging this election. He's been in power since 1986. This is his 40th year in power and he's running for the seventh term. And he does not expect that this election will be credible, free and fair because of the extreme violence and the tactics used by President Yoweri Museveni.

President Yoweri Museveni's government says that protecting the gains and they have brought Uganda stability and economic growth and he looks to continue that. But Yuri -- but Bobi Wine told CNN a few days ago that if Yoweri Museveni rigs this election, the people of Uganda must rise up to defend their victory.

So in the next few days, we'll get to know if he does win or it's another continuation of Yoweri Museveni's rule for another five years, bringing his rule into 45 years. The man is in his 80s now and the signs of age are starting to show.

MICHAELSON: Yes, I mean, he first took office in 1986, the year that I was born and has been there that whole time. The fact that he won with 81 percent, you think most likely will win again this time, but we will see. Larry Madowo, bringing us up to date on a really interesting election day in Uganda.

In the coming hours, President Trump will welcome Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado to the White House. The high stakes meeting could impact the country's future after the ouster of Nicolas Maduro. CNN contributor Stefano Pozzebon has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 to Maria Corina Machado.

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): The highest honor of Maria Corina Machado's life so far may ultimately seal her fate. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October for her struggle to bring democracy to Venezuela, celebrated by most, but not everyone.

TRUMP: I can't think of anybody in history that should get the Nobel Prize more than me. And I don't want to be bragging, but nobody else settled wars.

POZZEBON (voice-over): This week, Machado comes to Washington to convince Donald Trump she is still worth his support. But much has changed since the last time they spoke.

In December, Machado traveled to Oslo to receive her prize, a daring journey to escape capture in Venezuela.

[01:30:00]

This month, the U.S. led an unprecedented raid in Caracas to capture now-former president, Nicolas Maduro and throwing its support behind Maduro's deputy and replacement, Delcy Rodriguez.

TRUMP: I think she was quite gracious, but she really doesn't have a choice.

POZZEBON: The White House ultimately deciding Machado would not be able to stabilize her country, and choosing the old guard instead.

Rodriguez' advancement is seen as a betrayal by the Venezuelan democratic movement.

MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER: Everybody in Venezuela and abroad knows perfectly who she is and the role she has played. She was sanctioned by the United States government because of the corruption and all the involvement she has in criminal activities.

Beyond that, she has been the architect, one of the main architects and director of the torture centers in Venezuela, of repression.

POZZEBON: Allegations Rodriguez has denied. Machado, even suggesting she would be ready to hand her prize to Trump himself if it helped the Venezuelan cause. Although the Nobel Committee already warning that awards cannot be transferred.

TRUMP: And we're getting along extremely well with the people of Venezuela, both the people and the people that are running Venezuela.

POZZEBON: But with Trump now openly exploring business deals with Rodriguez, a new challenge awaits the Nobel laureate. Regaining the support of the U.S. President might prove harder than anything she has faced so far.

Stefano Pozzebon, CNN -- Bogota.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: Members of NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 are returning to earth early after the first ever medical evacuation from the ISS.

Up next, what to expect in the hours ahead. We talk live with an astronaut who knows a whole lot about what's going on here.

Stay with us.

[01:31:57]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: We're following multiple breaking stories tonight, including the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule making its way back to earth. It's expected to splashdown off the coast of California about two hours from right now.

In an unprecedented move, the four-member crew left the International Space Station early because one of the astronauts has a medical issue. We still don't know which astronaut has it and what that issue is. The crew member is said to be in stable condition.

Let's go to Lieutenant General John Shaw, the former deputy commander for U.S. Space Command. Thanks so much for being with us. Welcome to THE STORY IS for the first time.

LT. GEN. JOHN SHAW, FORMER DEPUTY COMMANDER FOR U.S. SPACE COMMAND: Good evening, Elex. Good to be here.

MICHAELSON: And thank you for your service to our country as well. So you know a lot about how all of this works. and including in this particular mission, we have the two Americans coming with a Russian and Japanese astronaut.

Talk about the way the countries work together in all of this Despite the tensions that may exist on the international stage.

SHAW: Sure, yes.

Hey, first let me start by -- you have a great American there in the studio with, you know, Garrett Reisman. So it's good to see that that he's there providing you some commentary.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

(CROSSTALKING)

SHAW: And I think -- I think it's also.

MICHAELSON: Yes SHAW: And remarkable that it's worth remarking that, you know, we're

talking about this being the first ever medical evacuation and making it, you know, it is significant in that regard.

But what's even more significant to me is that it is the first one, after doing 25 years on the International Space Station, with many astronauts coming and going, that this is the first time we've had to do something like this, given the demanding environment that is.

So I think that really speaks to NASA's ability to train and condition and sustain its astronauts. So I think it's worth pointing out.

So to your question about --

(CROSSTALKING)

MICHAELSON: Let me dig on that -- let me dig on that point and then we get to my original question. Because the fact is, as a NASA astronaut, you're tested over and over and over and over again in every way.

So what does that make us think about what could have happened here that wasn't found out until, you know, now?

SHAW: Yes, I think there's, you know, Garrett will know better and you can ask him a little later in your segment, but there is lots of focus on the medical health of astronauts all the time.

They're constantly being evaluated, monitored, and anything that starts to look out of the ordinary, there will be questions and follow up.

So whatever this situation is, there are probably some indicators either self-reported because they're trained to do that, or there was something that medical professionals on the ground saw and started to have a conversation.

So that's one thing. We watch our astronauts very, very, very closely and so if there is something wrong, it's going to be caught pretty quick.

MICHAELSON: And there is this international cooperation. And it's been that way for a long time. The Americans and Russians, and in this case, the Japanese all working together.

SHAW: You know, so when we first started operations, the International Space Station in the year 2000, it was truly friendly. I mean, you know, the Cold War was somewhat of a distant memory. Ten years had ended, had gone by, and we were looking forward to doing operations on the ISS with the Russians and bringing, members of other nations to the ISS.

[01:39:50]

SHAW: That was the plan when we began, but it didn't take long for things to kind of go downhill. There were some struggles at the latter part of the Bush administration. And then during the Obama administration, there was the invasion of Ukraine.

And -- but what was decided by both countries is that the ISS would continue to be a bubble of cooperation despite what was going on on the surface of the earth.

And again, that goes back four administrations. And that was sustained through the first Trump administration during the Biden administration with the fuller invasion of Ukraine. And we're seeing it today.

Can we sustain that, is a great question to ask. I hope we can, because I think it speaks to the hope that we can work together peacefully in space.

But at some point, there's probably a breaking point where tensions get so high. We just agree we're not going to cooperate any longer.

MICHAELSON: Yes, and I've never had the privilege of going up in space. I would love the chance to do it, but I would imagine when you're up there and you look at the earth from that perspective, you realize there may be bigger issues out there than just individual country things when you look out in the other direction, too and see it gives you some literal perspective.

John Shaw, thanks for your service to our country. Really appreciate it.

SHAW: Thanks, Elex.

MICHAELSON: Coming up, free speech advocates are crying foul after a controversial move by the FBI. Just ahead, why they are condemning an early morning raid on the home of a "Washington Post" journalist.

[01:41:23]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELSON: Free press advocates are condemning the FBI's early morning raid on the home of a "Washington Post" reporter. Agents seized several electronic devices from reporter Hannah Natanson on Wednesday as part of an investigation into a government contractor.

The Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement saying the raid, quote, "ignores longstanding protections for journalists' work material" and called it a blatant violation of journalistic protections, saying it undermines the public's right to know.

CNN's chief media analyst Brian Stelter has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Tonight, new alarm in newsrooms across America after the FBI executed a search warrant at the home of a "Washington Post" reporter. FBI agents looking for Hannah Natanson's devices, seized a phone, two computers and a Garmin watch.

HANNAH NATANSON, REPORTER, "WASHINGTON POST": I think our reporting did show that --

STELTER: Natanson is not accused of any wrongdoing. The search warrant related to the case of a government contractor in Maryland who was arrested last week.

FBI Director Kash Patel said an unnamed "Post" reporter was quote, "found to allegedly be obtaining and reporting classified, sensitive military information from a government contractor".

Patel said the alleged leaker is in custody. And later in the day, President Trump raised eyebrows by saying this.

TRUMP: The leaker has been found and is in jail right now. And that's the leaker on Venezuela -- a very bad leaker.

STELTER: It is not a crime for journalists to receive and report on leaks in the U.S., but it certainly is a sore spot for Trump.

TRUMP: We have leakers all over this place, but a lot of it isn't leaks. You know, a lot of it's just made up by the newspapers.

STELTER: That was Trump in 2020, during one of his countless tirades against the media. Today's FBI search may be turning words into actions.

GABE ROTTMAN, VP OF POLICY, REPORTERS COMMITTEE: It's a tremendous escalation by the administration in their intrusion into the independence of the press. The Justice Department has never executed a search warrant at the home of a reporter in a national security leak case.

STELTER: At "The Post" headquarters today, reporters gathered around Natanson's desk asking what happened during the raid and sharing support for her.

One "Post" colleague writing online, "this is an outrage and urging people to read her recent stories like this one, calling 2025 the year Trump broke the federal government.

In a late December column, Natanson said more than 1,000 tipsters from inside the government sent her messages on Signal, alerting her to changes and cutbacks at their workplaces.

And last week, she was one of six reporters who wrote an exclusive story about Venezuela, citing secret government documents obtained by "The Post".

Brian Stelter, CNN.

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MICHAELSON: When we come back, a look at Buddhist monks who are walking across the U.S. promoting peace and inspiring the people they meet. Anderson Cooper reports next.

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MICHAELSON: This could be your chance to star in one of those great Super Bowl ads. The candy brand Skittles is holding a contest in which the winner's home will be featured in a live commercial during the big game on February 8th.

Movie star Elijah Wood, dressed as a quote, "mysterious creature", will deliver the chewy, hard-shelled sweets to the winner.

The Mars-owned brand says it will be a deliciously perplexing experience.

More than two months ago, a small group of Buddhist monks began a pilgrimage. They left their monastery in Texas and began a 2,300 mile walk to Washington.

They haven't gotten a lot of attention on national TV, but online and on the road, they're bringing people together in ways we rarely see.

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper has more.

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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: When 20 monks left their Buddhist temple in Fort Worth, Texas 81 days ago, there was little fanfare. They planned to walk to Washington some 2,300 miles away.

At first, few passersby knew who they were, this thin line of silent monks, accompanied by their dog, Aloka, picked up as a stray on an earlier walk in India.

But with each step and each day that passed, word began to spread. It was, they said, a pilgrimage, not about politics, but about peace, in their words, to raise awareness of loving kindness and compassion across America and the world.

In Houston, Texas, they prayed for police, giving them Buddhist blessing cords, a symbol, the monks said, of a shared prayer for the officers' safety, well-being, and endurance as they serve the community.

Their temple began posting their procession online, often with music accompanying their march. That's when the crowds began to grow.

Some, who met the monks along their route, were brought to tears. Others offered food and water and encouraged Aloka, who now has his own Facebook page with more than 600,000 followers.

But the journey has not been easy. Some of the monks walk barefoot. Just weeks in, their escort vehicle was hit by a truck, and one of the monks, Bhante Dam Phommasan's leg was broken and had to be amputated. He implored the others to continue, and now they say he walks with them in spirit.

This man, Osbaldo Duran, donated a new escort vehicle so the monks could continue on.

OSBALDO DURAN, DONATED VEHICLE TO MONKS: When I saw that, I was like, no, they need some help. We've got to help them. They're walking for us.

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COOPER: Now cities offer them police escorts to ensure their safety, and more and more people want to walk with them.

As they cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, site of an infamous standoff during the struggle for civil rights, they paused to pray and hundreds joined alongside them.

The monks begin their days at dawn and sometimes don't rest until night. This was 70 days into their journey in Arnoldsville, Georgia.

They've crossed six states so far, and with each step and each stop, more are moved, and their message has spread.

This was the scene in Columbia, South Carolina this week, one of their biggest crowds so far.

We may not hear many people speak of compassion and kindness in politics or culture today, but for many, these monks are a sign of hope. Their steps may be silent, but it seems they're being heard loud and clear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seeing people from all walks of life and faiths come together has been deeply moving. There's something profoundly powerful in the simplicity of their act, monks walking for peace.

Instead of worrying about the future, maybe the real question is, what are your plans? Because peace only happens when each of us decides to play our part.

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MICHAELSON: Our thanks to Anderson Cooper for that.

And thank you for joining the first two hours of THE STORY IS. But you've always wanted to see a four-hour show, we've got one tonight.

I'll be right back with special live coverage of the return of the astronauts from the ISS. Our reporter in Houston -- we've got several astronauts lined up here.

It's going to be amazing to watch history happen together. When we come back.

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