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What We Know with Max Foster
Walz: Trump Agreed To Consider Reducing Number Of Agents In State; Border Czar Homan Being Sent To Oversee Minnesota Operation; Israel Recovers Body Of Last Hostage In Gaza; Minnesota-Based Companies Call For Calm Amid ICE Crackdown; At Least 12 Deaths Reported After Major Winter Storm In U.S. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired January 26, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:17]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: A shift in tone from President Trump and the White House on the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
The Twin Cities are on edge after the fatal shooting of intensive care nurse Alex Pretti. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says U.S. President Donald
Trump agreed to consider reducing the number of agents in the state during a phone call earlier today. Mr. Trump says the two leaders are on a similar
wavelength, but the White House press secretary laid out what sounds less like cooperation and more like a series of demands from the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He has outlined a clear and simple path to restoring law and order in Minnesota. Number one, Governor
Walz, Mayor Frey and all Democrat leaders should turn over all criminal illegal aliens currently incarcerated in our prisons and jails to federal
authorities, along with any illegal aliens with active warrants or known criminal histories for immediate deportation. Number two, state and local
law enforcement must agree to turn over all illegal aliens who are arrested by local police. And then thirdly, local police must assist federal law
enforcement in apprehending and detaining illegal aliens who are wanted for crimes, especially violent crimes.
If Governor Walz and Mayor Frey implement these common sense cooperative measures that, I will add, have already been implemented in nearly every
single other state across the country. Customs and Border Patrol will not be needed to support ICE on the ground in Minnesota.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: With bone chilling temperatures, anger still boiling over in Minneapolis, students at the University of Minnesota staging a walkout
today after Pretti's death. This was the scene on Sunday outside a hotel that protesters believe was housing federal agents. A small crowd of
demonstrators tried to get into the hotel but were held back. Keep in mind most protesters in the twin cities have been very peaceful.
Let's go straight to Kristen Holmes on this.
I mean, it is fascinating to see the language coming out of the White House today. A distinct change in tone. But is it a change of approach?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It depends what you mean by approach because if you look at this from the larger perspective
here, the White House isn't going to change anything that they're actually doing on the ground when it comes to ICE. They're not going to change any
kind of agenda items when it comes to immigration enforcement.
You heard Karoline Leavitt saying that today, but that's something that we've also heard from administration officials and even from some
Republican lawmakers who believe the actual immigration agenda could be successful and is something that could be popular with Americans if it was
messaged correctly. The idea being, as you heard Leavitt say, that President Trump is committed to getting out the worst of the worst when it
comes to criminals. But of course, what we're seeing here is people being killed through this process. U.S. citizens being killed through this
process, people being deported who are -- or being detained, that are also U.S. citizens, people who are not criminals, being swept up in all of this.
Now, the line that you're starting to see Karoline walk here was very different from what we heard over the weekend. And likely that is because
and I know this from speaking to a number of various Republican lawmakers across the country, they were calling on the White House to double down on
this idea of a transparent and independent investigation, to stop using rhetoric like domestic terrorists when it came to the killing of Alex
Pretti over the weekend. And Karoline Leavitt very much seemed to be responding to that.
She continued to say that the president wanted to see a full investigation, that they were going to follow the investigation, that she wouldn't answer
questions about why administration officials had gotten out there and called Pretti a domestic terrorist, only to say that President Trump
himself hadn't used that language. Of course. Be very clear. Some of the people that we heard use that language, including Kristi Noem, secretary of
Department of Homeland Security, as well as Stephen Miller. Those are people who are very close to President Trump.
And in fact, we were told on Saturday that Noem was in direct contact with the White House nonstop before she gave that press conference in which she
used that language. So, this is certainly the White House removing itself from that rhetoric. And again, likely a lot of this is coming from pushback
that we're seeing from Republicans across the country saying this has to play out. There has to be an investigation here.
But she is still walking this fine line. We heard her blaming Democrats for this happening in the first place, saying if they would have just worked
with these ICE agents, none of this would have happened. They wouldn't have had to come in and use this force. They would have had to surge these
agents on the ground.
So, if you are asking if they are going to change their tactics in terms of large scale immigration crackdown, it doesn't seem -- it doesn't seem
anywhere near likely that that's going to happen.
[15:05:01]
But in terms of this specific incident and what is going on in Minneapolis, it certainly sounds as though they are looking for some sort of an off
ramp, and they're heading in that direction.
FOSTER: Kristen, appreciate it, from a snowy White House. Thank you.
To get a sense of the mood on the ground there, I want to bring in Josie Albertson-Grove. She's the politics and government reporter for "The
Minnesota Star Tribune".
Really appreciate you joining us today. And you were on the scene on Saturday, weren't you, shortly after that shooting?
JOSIE ALBERTSON-GROVE, POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT REPORTER, THE MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE: Not long after I was having coffee a few blocks away. I live
right in the neighborhood and was just came over to see what was happening. And there was yeah, quickly developing scene.
You could see an ambulance. There was a police line already set up, and just the normal life in the neighborhood of coffee and brunch and yoga was
totally interrupted with -- and by within about an hour, there was tear gas in the air.
FOSTER: How are people making sense of it?
ALBERTSON-GROVE: I think the biggest thing people are doing right now is trying to find ways to help and support each other. The kind of background
of -- backbone of this neighborhood is a stretch of restaurants we call East Street. And a lot of these restaurants have been opening their doors
to give people free meals and just a warm place to stay and stay warm while they're protesting and visiting the vigil site. You see a lot of people who
are trying to find ways to plug into these ICE patrol networks and otherwise find ways to just help out and be of service. And that's that
seems to be what people are directing their anger.
FOSTER: Why are they still going out when people are being shot?
ALBERTSON-GROVE: I think people have been scared and concerned that people are going to be shot since this surge started. I think, but they're just
genuinely so concerned for their neighbors, people that they consider their members of their community. They just feel it is the moral thing to keep
doing. We saw just this morning in the neighborhood, ICE agents were near an elementary school, and people rushed to that scene to just try and
witness and raise attention to that issue. It's people just kind of -- this -- they feel that going out on these patrols is what they ought to be
doing.
FOSTER: So, the governor says that the president has agreed to consider reducing the number of agents. Is that a solution here?
ALBERTSON-GROVE: You know, I'm not sure what a solution here is. I can tell you that the number of agents in south Minneapolis and the
neighborhoods where I live and work, it's very high. You see agents pretty regularly when you're just walking to the grocery store, going to the
coffee shop, and it's -- they're kind of everywhere. I'm not sure what the solution is, but I know that there are a lot of them here now.
FOSTER: Is the solution that they all go for many people on the ground?
ALBERTSON-GROVE: I think for many people on the ground, the solution is that they all go. I think for a lot of activists, they want to see not just
an end to this operation, but most activists want to see the agency completely abolished.
FOSTER: A lot of the local officials calling for an investigation. They feel that their local law enforcement has been blocked from investigating
any of these crime scenes or seeing -- crime scenes. Is that also what the protesters want, or is that more of a focus for the authorities?
ALBERTSON-GROVE: I think that is more the focus of the authorities right now. I think you're seeing protesters. I think since George Floyd's murder
here and even before, a lot of protesters are generally skeptical of police and the criminal legal system. But the authorities here are very focused on
involving local law enforcement and local prosecutors in investigating these two shootings.
FOSTER: Okay. Josie Albertson-Grove, thank you so much. I can't imagine how busy you are and what a tough story it is. Thank you for joining us.
There are signs that some people in the Trump administration could be losing faith in the top officials running the operation there in Minnesota.
Sources tell CNN, senior Homeland Security Department officials are frustrated by the heavy-handed tactics and confrontational attitude
displayed by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol official Greg Bovino. It comes as Donald Trump has dispatched his border
czar, Tom Homan. The move is seen by some as an effort to sideline Noem and Bovino.
Let's go to Josh Campbell.
What do you think, Josh?
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Greg Bovino, who has been the head Border Patrol team leader there on the ground in Minneapolis, has
become such a lightning rod because he is not only been out at the scene of so many of these incidents, at times appearing to demand people to show
their citizenship. At times, it appeared he was squaring off with demonstrators, but then he was also the person who came out very quickly
after that shooting Saturday by his own agents of this 37-year-old Minneapolis man, Alex Pretti, and essentially exonerated the agents and
essentially blamed Pretti here for those actions.
[15:10:10]
So that has fueled a lot of these this continued concern and tension that we continue to hear within the city of Minneapolis, the great state of
Minnesota.
Now, interestingly, the White House seems to be taking a different turn now. And what they're seemingly trying to do is say, well, let's step back.
Let's wait to see what this investigation actually comes up with. We know that certain federal agencies are looking into that actual shooting.
But this is notable because the initial statements from senior Trump administration officials right after this happened do not square with the
multiple angles that we've now been able to see for ourselves. Take a listen here to what that senior official, Greg Bovino, initially said right
after that incident, compared to what he told our colleague Dana Bash yesterday.
And as you listen to this, listen to the certitude in his voice as he accuses the shooting victim here of trying to, quote, "massacre federal
agents". Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREG BOVINO, U.S. BORDER PATROL COMMANDER-AT-LARGE: This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law
enforcement.
DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Do you have any evidence that, yes, he might -- he had a gun on his person? Was he brandishing it?
BOVINO: We heard the law enforcement officer say "gun, gun, gun". So, at some point they knew there was a gun. So again, that is going to be part of
that investigation as to what was happening on the ground there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMPBELL: So appearing to backtrack say, well, saying, well, let's wait for this investigation to play out, which of course is different than his
initial prejudging of the case. It is worth pointing out that we've looked at multiple angles. We do know that it appeared that Alex Pretti had a
firearm on him at the time, city officials said that he was a lawful gun owner, and it's not illegal to bring a firearm on you to a protest if you
have a lawful permit for one.
But the way that officials described it, they said that he had brandished the weapon that he was attempting to murder these agents, none of that
squares with the video that we found so far. In fact, Max, we have found one video that shows a federal agent appearing to disarm him just before
another agent opens fire.
FOSTER: We've reported a lot on the tension between local law enforcement, federal law enforcement. I'm wondering whether Homan has the credibility to
come in and resolve that because he may have tension with federal agents on the ground. Now, if he's going to, you know, come up with a different sort
of finding that doesn't fit the narrative we've had from the government so far.
CAMPBELL: Yeah, I think that is still yet to be seen. We know that the local officials, including the Minneapolis police department, they are
unhappy with the tactics of these federal agents who have surged into their city. A lot of this aggressiveness that they've seen in dealing with
demonstrators leading to this obviously latest fatal shooting that we've seen, and they say this is just not how law enforcement is supposed to act.
But the problem is for local police, they are the ones that then have to essentially absorb the wrath of the community, and they will have to do so
long after these federal agents leave. And so there is that tension there. I think, again, it's yet to be seen what impact Homan has as he arrives. We
do appear to get different tones coming from the White House at the same time.
On one hand, you have the president saying that Homan is going to go there. You know, his job will be to serve as a conduit, a communicator with the
local officials. But then just a short time ago from the White House, the press secretary laying into local officials, saying that the reason why we
continue to see what we're seeing in their view, is because of Democratic officials essentially egging on these protests.
So it doesn't appear that they're working to calm tensions, you know, any time soon, because we continue to see this heated rhetoric.
FOSTER: Yeah. Josh, really appreciate it.
CAMPBELL: You bet.
FOSTER: Thank you.
We've got some other news now. For the first time in years, there are no Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza. Today, the IDF announced the remains of
the final hostage have now been recovered. The IDF released this video of troops singing the Israeli national anthem as they gathered around the
coffin of Ran Gvili.
Our Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: One of the darkest chapters in Israel's history officially closed on Monday. Eight hundred and forty-
three days after the October 7th, 2023 attacks, the body of the last remaining hostage held in Gaza was returned to Israel. Ran Gvili, a 24-
year-old Israeli police officer, the Israeli military, recovering his body in Gaza, returning it to his family in order to be buried.
And Gvili was not only the last remaining hostage in Gaza from the October 7th attacks. This actually now marks the first time since 2014 that there
are no Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, and we've been seeing reactions pouring in from across Israel. And what is not only a true moment of
closure for Ran Gvili's family, but also for Israel as a whole, a country where every Israeli knew the names of all of these hostages who were taken
on October 7th and have prayed and waited for this moment for Gvili's body to finally be returned.
[15:15:19]
We have seen videos of everyone from Israel's president to members of Israel's Knesset to celebrities and the families of hostages taking off
those yellow pins that came to symbolize the fight for the return of those hostages, finally, after 843 days. An Israeli military official said that
his body was recovered in an area that was once part of Gaza City's Shuja'iyya neighborhood. The operation began on Sunday and finally on
Monday, a confirmation that it was his body that had been recovered. An announcement was made to his family and his body was then brought back to
Israel.
It's important to note that his body was found in a cemetery in Gaza on the Israeli controlled side of that yellow line in the Gaza Strip. And now, of
course, the question is what this could unlock, because it does officially allow phase two of this Gaza ceasefire agreement to move forward. It will
allow for the Rafah crossing, for example, between Egypt and Gaza, to officially open later this week. That was supposed to have happened months
ago, after the return of the living hostages. But Israel has refused for months now. Those objections are expected to now go away with the return of
Gvili's body.
But Gaza's civil defense is also hoping that more steps can now be unlocked as well, as they have now called on Israel to allow heavy machinery into
the Gaza Strip in order to allow that rescue group in Gaza to be able to recover the bodies of thousands of Palestinians still believed to be under
the rubble.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Staying in the region, Iran is warning against any aggression as the U.S. builds up military forces in the region. Sources tell CNN a U.S.
carrier strike group is now in the Indian Ocean, putting it closer to assist in any potential attack. President Donald Trump has repeatedly
threatened military intervention over Iran's brutal crackdown on protesters, although he's reportedly still considering his options.
Coming up, more on the tense situation in Minnesota. Politicians in the state are asking the courts to help them get rid of federal agents. What a
judge says about that when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:20:47]
FOSTER: This hour, Minnesota officials are asking a court to preserve all the evidence surrounding the killing of Alex Pretti and to prevent federal
agencies from altering or destroying that evidence. Earlier today, a different federal judge was asked to halt the surge of ICE and Border
Patrol agents in Minnesota. State attorneys say the entire operation is unnecessary, and more about immigration policy than actual policing.
The judge hasn't ruled yet, but she questioned whether she's even allowed to tell federal officers to leave Minneapolis.
So what we want to know is, can Minnesota get federal immigration agents out of the state?
Joining me now is Jamison Whiting, a Minneapolis City Council member.
Thank you so much for joining us.
I just want to get your response, first of all, that according to the governor, President Trump is considering whether or not to reduce the
number of agents in the city. What is your response to that?
JAMISON WHITING, MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: Yeah, and thank you for having me, Max. And we've heard word that the governor and President Trump
spoke later -- earlier this morning, and I think any level that we can do to reduce the amount of agents in our city right now, is -- would be a
godsend. We are seeing the city of Minneapolis occupied by a federal administration in a domestic city, and our residents have been asking for
it. They've been asking for it peacefully.
And anything we can do to get ICE agents off of our streets is for the better. This is not about law enforcement. This is about causing chaos. And
the only way to reduce those tensions is to get officers, federal ICE agents off our street.
FOSTER: You've appealed to the federal government. Youve also appealed to this court. But the judge implying that she can't -- she probably won't be
able to do anything about it. What are your legal avenues at least here?
WHITING: Yeah. And what we're seeing, right, you are seeing a federal judge say this is unprecedented. You are watching the federal
administration actively usurp the U.S. constitution. Policies within the city of Minneapolis and across our state. And what we are doing and what
we're asking is what Minneapolis always does. We're standing up for our neighbors. We are making sure that our immigrant families are protected and
are safe as well. Our office has been, conducting a fundraiser here to keep people in their homes, and ensure that people are safe here as we are
enduring this occupation in the city of Minneapolis.
FOSTER: Protesters obviously trying to do it their own way, aren't they? By holding protests to try to, you know, get everyone's attention to show
the problem as they see it? They're -- they do sometimes turn violent. So what's it, you know, what's the challenge for you about making sure they've
got that freedom to protest? But making sure that they, you know, they don't give the federal agents you know, excuse if you like to clamp down
harder.
WHITING: Yeah. And what we've been seeing, max, the vast majority of these protests, of these demonstrations have been peaceful, right? There are
some. And the city of Minneapolis, the state of Minnesota has no tolerance for rioting, looting or anything of the like. But we've seen hundreds and
thousands of our residents go out into the streets and ensure that we are peacefully protesting and being accountable to what is happening in our
streets.
We will continue to ask for peace because we do not want this to escalate any further and see the Trump administration invoke the insurrection act
and come in here with federal troops. And so, we are trying to do our best to continue to protest in a way and hold this administration accountable.
What I would say is if we have an independent investigation, this would not be happening. We saw the Minnesota Department of Criminal Apprehension not
be allowed on the scene. We saw the Minneapolis police department not be allowed on the scene of the killing of Alex Pretti. And that is not helpful
in our city right now, because I think people are not trusting the federal government to see what is happening in our --
FOSTER: What sort of conversations are you having with other politicians in other states who are concerned this may happen there as well?
[15:25:03]
WHITING: Yeah, I think what we're worried about is there's no end in sight. Every one of us are waking up not knowing what will happen, not
understanding if the federal government will actually abide by the Constitution, not understanding if this is a federal administration that
will actually engage in peaceful and de-escalation tactics.
If we want this city to deescalate, if they want things to happen and be about safety, ICE officers and the federal administration would leave. The
moment they leave, all of these tensions are immediately gone.
FOSTER: Okay. Really appreciate it. Jamison Whiting, thank you for joining us at this incredibly busy time for you. Thank you.
Still to come, it's not just politicians and protesters. Now, some businesses in Minnesota are also calling for calm, including some household
names.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Returning now to the outrage in Minneapolis after another U.S. citizen dies in a shooting involving federal agents, U.S. President Donald
Trump spoke over the phone with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz earlier. President Trump says they will work together and are on, quote, "a similar
wavelength". Walz, for his part, says the president agreed to consider reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says an investigation is underway into the shooting, but she blamed elected Democrats for the
tragedy in Minnesota.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEAVITT: As President Trump said yesterday, the administration is reviewing everything with respect to the shooting, and we will let that
investigation play out. But let's be clear about the circumstances which led to that moment on Saturday. This tragedy occurred as a result of a
deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota. Democrat leaders in Minnesota with sanctuary city policies have actively
defied federal immigration law and the will of the people. And as a result of that defiance, two Minnesotans have now tragically lost their lives on
the streets of Tim Walz's state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Federal officials insist Alex Pretti was shot in self-defense. CNN has been combing through the videos from the scene. And the footage we have
does not support that claim.
Sara Sidner has the details. A warning, the following video is disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the clearest angle of the shooting as it happened. That is Alex
Pretti recording on his cell phone as Border Patrol agents arrive outside the donut shop.
He goes into the street, waving cars through.
Now, here is how the Department of Homeland Security described how Pretti approached federal agents.
KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: An individual approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a nine millimeter semi-automatic handgun.
SIDNER (voice-over): That's not what video shows. It shows federal agents approach Pretti. All he has in his hand is a cell phone, not a gun. Then
you see him moving one protester away from agents, while agents shove another to the ground. As he tries to help the protester they shoved,
agents deploy pepper spray. Three wrestle him to the ground. More join in.
From another angle, you see one agent punching him in the face with a canister of pepper spray in his hand. Pretti is on the ground under them.
Nothing appears in his hands. You can see an officer in a gray jacket walk into frame. Seconds later, agents shout, he's got a gun. One agent removes
a gun from Pretti's belt. He steps away from the scene carrying a firearm seen here in his right hand. It turns out, state authorities say Pretti has
a license to legally carry a gun, but you never see him draw it.
Instead, an agent draws his gun while standing above Pretti and fires the first shot. Pretti survives somehow rising up to his knees. Then agents
fire at least 10 more times. Pretti's body slumps face down in the street, lifeless.
But federal authorities weren't done with their accusations against him.
GREG BOVINO, BORDER PATROL COMMANDER: This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.
SIDNER (voice-over): Pretti's neighbor Chris Gray says that couldn't be farther from the truth.
CHRIS GRAY, ALEX PRETTI'S NEIGHBOR: Well, everything they say about my neighbors is a lie.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Sara Sidner with that illuminating report, we've just had this news into CNN top border patrol official, Gregory Bovino, and some of his
agents are expected to leave Minneapolis on Tuesday and return to their respective sectors, according to three sources familiar with the
discussions. The move comes after President Donald Trump announced he was dispatching White House border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota.
Earlier, the White House press secretary wouldn't be drawn on claims from Trump administration officials that Alex Pretti was a domestic terrorist.
My next guest says the government's position can be infuriating. Tom Jones of Poynter writes, believe what we tell you, not your own eyes. Once again,
that's what the Trump administration is saying after another protester was shot and killed.
Tom Jones is the senior media writer at Poynter.
I mean, you've been going through these videos like Sara Sidner was in her compilation there. Do you think -- I mean, the public can make up their own
minds, can't they? It doesn't really need us to say what happened there.
TOM JONES, SENIOR MEDIA WRITER, POYNTER: Exactly. I mean, that's something that we've seen here in recent years, really going back to the George Floyd
videos from 2020 that citizen, basically citizen journalists, I think you could use the term with their own cell phone cameras taking videos and then
releasing them out into the public. And then I think the great service that's being done here by the media, places like CNN, with the report that
you just aired there from Sara Sidner breaking down the video frame by frame.
And we saw it in this case with Alex Pretti. We also saw it with Renee Good, news organizations like CNN, like "The New York Times", like "The
Washington Post", like "The Wall Street Journal", are able to take their visual forensic people and break down so we can see what happened. Instead
of taking the government's word for it, which obviously the two don't line up.
FOSTER: What would you say to those that say this is trial by media?
JONES: I mean, in many ways, I think what we've seen from the Trump administration here over the last really six years was its certainly since
before the 2020 election, is they put the narrative out there in into the public.
[15:35:06]
Since 2020, we've heard that the presidential election was rigged and there has been no proof of that. Court after court, judge after judge has denied
those claims and that yet we get in a situation where the Trump administration repeats those lies over and over again. We see the effect
that it has on the American population. More than half the Republicans out there believe that the 2020 election was rigged simply because Donald Trump
said so.
We're seeing the same thing with these two shootings is that we have video. We see the evidence. We have pictures of what actually happened, and yet
we're being told, no, that is not what's happened.
It's the part of the Trump playbook, which is to just repeat the lies over and over again. And eventually, people will believe it.
FOSTER: Does it show how the media does have an integral place in a democracy? Because we're able to, as you say, spend the time getting all of
the material together, analyzing it properly, and then, you know, not getting involved politically, but just presenting it to viewers and letting
them make up their own minds.
JONES: Absolutely, Max. I think that's where the media is so important right here. We're taking these videos. When I say we, I'm talking about all
the media. We're taking these videos and breaking it down. We're vetting it, first of all, to make sure that they're not deepfakes, to make sure
they are actual videos from the scene.
And then we present the evidence as -- as it played out. We heard so much over the last couple of days and really the last couple of weeks going back
to the Renee Good shooting of how the Trump administration is doing an investigation. Yet even before really the investigation can get going,
these victims have been labeled as domestic terrorists. And are assigned blame for their own shooting this way.
What we've done in the media, again, you're -- the video you just showed a few minutes ago from Sara Sidner is a classic report of here's what we see,
and we show you our work, why we come to the conclusions that were coming to.
FOSTER: You're not a social psychologist, but why do you think people sometimes watch a piece of video and then hear an explanation from a
politician about what happened to that video? And it doesn't match what's in the video, but people believe the politician?
JONES: Yeah. I mean, again, it's a lot of this is confirmation bias. I hate to make it sound as trivial as sports. That's not my intention at all.
But it's very much like taking a replay of a sporting event, something that happens in a game. And if you're rooting for one side, you see the play
going one way, and if you're rooting for the other team, you see it the other way.
Sadly, that's what's become with these two videos. Really going back again to the George Floyd video from several years ago. Is that wherever you line
up politically, that was what you tend to believe when you're being told, here's what happened.
We look back at the Renee Good case -- I think a lot of people who support the Trump administration look at Renee Good and they're told she was trying
to gun down, trying to run down the ICE agent with her car. Whereas most of us who looked at the video said that doesn't line up.
But again, if you go into it with a bias before you even see the video, chances are you're going to end up believing what it is you're told based
on your already political biasness.
FOSTER: Tom Jones, fascinating. Thank you so much for joining us.
JONES: Thanks, Max.
FOSTER: Now it's the final moments of trade on Wall Street. Stocks are higher. This is what the Dow looks like so far today. Positive news up
three quarters of 1 percent.
This is our business breakout. An ounce of gold now costs more than $5,000, an all-time high. Precious metals have been -- have seen a huge surge. A
rally in recent weeks as investors look for a safe haven. And gold is up 15 percent this year so far. Silver was up almost 10 percent just today.
Would you believe Elon Musk's chatbot Grok is now the subject of a major investigation from the European Union? The European Commission has launched
the probe into the apps ability to generate sexually explicit images, including of children. Grok recently disabled a feature that allowed people
to digitally undress photos of real people after a global outcry.
The consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton has had all its contracts with the U.S. Treasury cancelled. The Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, says its
because the company failed to stop a leak of taxpayer data six years ago. Booz Allen Hamilton is one of the corporate sponsors of Donald Trump's new
ballroom under construction at the White House.
More than 60 chief executives of companies based in Minnesota are calling for local and federal officials to work together to lower the tensions in
the state. Those companies include target and Best Buy. Their open letter, released on Sunday, reads with yesterday's tragic news, we're calling for
an immediate de-escalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions.
Paula Newton joins us now.
I guess they're just saying what -- everyone watching this story unfold wants everyone to work better together.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, absolutely. A bit of a benign statement, but a statement nonetheless. And again, it was signed by 60
CEOs. And besides Target, there was, of course, 3M. There was Best Buy, but also the Minnesota -- the sports teams, right, Max? The Minnesota Wild, the
Vikings, the Twins.
And it is significant in the sense that this is really the first time we have seen corporations lift their head above the parapet. They have been
quite compliant, to use a word, with the White House up to now. What is interesting here is that they did not take sides. They didn't say who was
right or who was wrong. They just said, we want more cooperation.
As you just broke the news, Max, Greg Bovino is now apparently, according to our sources, leaving Minneapolis. Perhaps that is some of the de-
escalation that these businesses are looking for. But to be clear, I mean, the community had a boycott of businesses of all types on Friday, even
before the incident with Mr. Pretti. And it's leaving many people concerned, as your previous guest was talking about.
This is a community that suffered a lot from the George Floyd protests. They have been trying to rebuild community trust. I will say a lot of these
same companies, you know, really built these massive DEI campaigns out of the George Floyd protests. And it is exactly those programs that the Trump
administration has targeted. It has targeted these companies for having any kind of DEI programs, and is one of those companies to get rid of them.
So, it is interesting to now see some businesses tentatively there come off the sidelines and say, look, everybody needs to de-escalate this.
FOSTER: I also wanted to talk about football, Paula, which obviously got the world cup in north America this year. Sepp Blatter, obviously the very
high profile former president of FIFA, has actually suggested fans shouldn't travel to the U.S. for the World Cup. Explain this.
NEWTON: You know, without people saying it, I think there are a lot of people around the world already wondering right now, and it's not just the
price of the tickets, right? They're afraid to come to the United States. There are some cities here that look like armed camps, but a lot of people
are fearful.
But to get to Sepp Blatter and the fact that he actually put online for the fans, there's only one piece of advice stay away from the USA. And what he
was doing there was quoting a lawyer. You see it there. Mark Pieth, who had worked with FIFA, and remember who Sepp Blatter is. He's the former FIFA
president.
He was quoting him as saying that, look, please stay away from the United States. It's no place for you to be. You can see it better on TV anyway,
but they are really echoing a lot of the unease right now with coming to the United States for a variety of reasons. Even if people aren't taking a
moral stand now, there are some people that continually have been calling for the countries themselves to boycott any games in the United States.
I doubt that will gain any traction at all, but this is a real issue. And to have somebody like Mr. Blatter actually say it out loud, out loud, say
the quiet part out loud. So many people staying away from the United States.
I mean, perhaps not the same for Canada and Mexico, but remember, it is the United States that is principally the host of most of those World Cup games
that starts this summer.
FOSTER: You may get some tickets, Paula.
NEWTON: Forget that. That's -- that train's gone. I'm telling you right now, it is way too expensive. We've looked into it. Don't even try.
FOSTER: Still to come, much of the U.S. has been hit by a huge winter storm. We'll go live to New York. There's hundreds of thousands of people
are still without power.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:46:47]
FOSTER: A huge winter storm has killed at least 12 people now across the U.S., snow fell in more than half of the continental United States. In
fact, 18 states saw at least a foot of snow or more 200 million people remain under cold temperature alerts. More than 750,000 homes are still
without power across several states, thanks to ICE and snow causing power lines to just collapse.
As you can see, traveling hasn't recovered from the treacherous weekend. More than 5,000 flights were canceled on Monday. That follows more than
11,000 flights canceled on Sunday.
Gloria Pazmino joins us now from New York.
There was lots of warning. Some people seem to be enjoying it, but for most, it's been pretty tough, hasn't it, Gloria?
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Max. And the snow has stopped falling here in New York City. And now it is very, very bitterly
cold. That is the danger of what's coming up in the next few days. It's going to keep the snow on the ground, and it's going to make conditions
dangerous. If you are outdoors for prolonged periods of time.
Sadly, here in New York City, at least seven people were found dead over the weekend, most likely in relation to the storm, according to city
officials. A majority of those people were found outdoors. Some of them had previously been known by the homeless shelter system here in New York City.
The mayor sadly confirming those deaths earlier this morning.
But another thing that we were watching here in New York was how the city was going to respond to this emergency weather event because, as you know,
Max, we have a brand new mayor here in New York City. And a lot of the criticism that he was up against when he was campaigning just a few months
ago was his lack of experience. So, Mayor Mamdani really made it a point over the last two days to be out there and be very communicative with New
Yorkers, warning them about what was to come, making sure that the city was prepared. He even got out there himself at one point helping a stranded
motorist dig out from the storm.
So, he wanted to make sure he was visually out there communicating with people constantly. And this morning he said that it was all thanks to the
hard work of city workers that are now in the process of helping to clean up.
Today, city public schools are closed. Tomorrow, they will expect to reopen. However, for kids who were expecting to have a snow day today,
sadly, they were doing remote instruction throughout the day and Mayor Mamdani earlier today telling me that it was thanks to the work of those
sanitation and public workers that the city was prepared. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Give yourself and the rest of the response and the people behind you.
MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK CITY: I will -- I will leave it to New Yorkers to give me a grade up. I will, however, say that I am incredibly
impressed and appreciative of the work of the city workers. For all of the conversation about politics, really, what they want to know is can you meet
their basic needs? And I think what city workers showed yesterday is that we can and it's only possible if you take time in advance to prepare for
something like this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[15:50:02]
PAZMINO: So, Max, you know, more than 2,500 public workers out on city streets on 12-hour shifts, 24 hours a day. The mayor describing it as the
nation's biggest snow fighting force. They are certainly out there still today, helping to dig out. Things are slowly getting back into schedule,
and tomorrow, the mayor said the city should be back up and running public transportation also operating with a little bit of a delay, but things are
certainly moving.
If you don't have to go outside. Avoid it. It is very cold. A code blue continues throughout the city today and into tonight. Warning New Yorkers
about the dangerous cold temperatures -- Max.
FOSTER: I'll let you get inside. Gloria Pazmino in New York, thank you so much.
Six people on board a private jet in Maine were killed when the plane crashed shortly after takeoff. The crash happened on Sunday evening. It's
not known yet if the weather played a role in that crash. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane came to rest inverted, and it
caught on fire. The airport will remain closed through Wednesday.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: The killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis cast a shadow over the NBA on Sunday, as the Minnesota Timberwolves hosted the
Golden State Warriors before tip-off. The target center arena in downtown Minneapolis held a moment of silence in honor.
And before the game, the head coaches from both teams were asked about the shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS FINCH, HEAD COACH, MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: For the second time in less than three weeks, we've lost another beloved member of our community
in the most unimaginable way. You know, as an organization, we are heartbroken for what we are having to witness and endure and watch and we
just, want to extend our thoughts and prayers and concern for Mr. Pretti's family, all the loved ones and everyone involved in such a unconscionable,
situation in a community that we really love, full of people who are by nature peaceful and prideful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[15:55:04]
FOSTER: Well, the game was initially scheduled for Saturday, but after Pretti was killed that day, the league postponed the game to Sunday out of
safety concerns.
Stage now set for Super Bowl LX after Sunday's NFL conference championship games. First in the AFC, the Patriots and Broncos battled in snowy, windy
conditions there. In Denver, both defenses were dominant, but New England came out, came up big late in the game.
And in the NFC, it was a shootout between the L.A. Rams and the Seahawks and Seattle. Seattle held off the Rams 31-27. So, it'll be the patriots
taking on the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, February 8th in Santa Clara, California.
Finally, tonight, professional snowboarder Shaun White made the most of the snowy conditions in New York city. No, this isn't aspen, but rather central
park. The crowd gathered to watch the Olympic gold medalist snowboard through the park on Sunday, after New York received more than 17 inches, or
43 centimeters of snow.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Stay with CNN.
END
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