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What We Know with Max Foster
Border Czar Arrives In Minneapolis As Trump Sidelines Bovino; Trump Says He'll be Watching Over Pretti Shooting Probe; Next Hour: Trump In Iowa For Speech About Economy; Sources: CIA Leading Plan To Secure U.S. Foothold In Venezuela; Iran Sends Defiant Message As Tensions With U.S. Soar. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired January 27, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:28]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: New video showing the moment leading up to the shooting of Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
The White House shifting gears, this amid backlash from the shooting death of a second U.S. citizen in Minneapolis. Border czar Tom Homan is now in
charge of the immigration crackdown in the state, and he's already met with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz today. That's a significant change in approach
from Greg Bovino, the man formerly at the helm. Bovino further inflamed tensions by suggesting, without evidence that Pretti had intended to
massacre federal officers before he was shot by agents.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump was asked about the shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Do you believe that Alex Pretti death was justified?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, you know, we're doing a big investigation. I want to see the investigation. I'm going to be
watching over it. I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Kristen Holmes is at the White House.
Actually a really big shift because he was also asked, wasn't he? Was this an assassin -- an assassin? Speaking of what happened just at the weekend
and Donald Trump said no, which clearly contradicts some of his top aides.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, really one of his top, top aides, which is Stephen Miller, his deputy chief of staff, who
has really been running point on the policy part of all of this immigration. He's been with President Trump for over ten years, and he was
the one who had written that Pretti was an assassin or would be assassin, only to have President Trump say he didn't believe that that was the case.
This just goes to show you where President Trump is mentally and that he is reading the room. I talked to a number of Republican lawmakers who are all
very uncomfortable by what they saw on Saturday, not just the shooting itself, but the aftermath, the response from these members of the
administration while they were watching the video and the video did not seem to sync up with what some of these administration officials were
saying, and they were calling for an independent investigation for any kind of investigation, saying that calling Pretti a domestic terrorist or an
assassin at this point, without information was going to cause a lot of issues down the line.
Here, it seems as though President Trump has heard that. Now, the other thing that he said, notably, was that his Department of Homeland Security
Secretary Kristi Noem would not be stepping down, that he believes that she is still doing a great job. We know that Noem met with President Trump
yesterday in the Oval Office for more than two hours. They talked about the border. They did not talk about her job.
But there's been an enormous amount of speculation as to whether or not she was at risk, given the fact that Homan was put in charge in Minneapolis.
And it is a known fact that there has been friction in the past between Homan and Noem.
FOSTER: What do we read into the fact that Bovino has been pulled out of the city?
HOLMES: We read into the fact that the tactics that he was using were not being appreciated by everyone in the city, and were certainly not going to
lead to a cooling of temperatures. It was clear that there was too much friction between Bovino and these members of the local government, like Tim
Walz, like Jacob Frey, who had essentially called for the removal of ICE.
And what you want, what President Trump wants now is to try and turn down the rhetoric. That doesn't mean that they're going to stop doing these kind
of ICE enforcement operations in the city of Minneapolis or in the state of Minnesota or around the country. But what it does mean is that things had
gotten too tense and they'd gotten so tense that this was becoming a political flashpoint.
And you saw even some of President Trump's staunchest allies starting to balk at the messaging around this incident. So that is why you've seen
Homan come in, Bovino go out, who, by the way, Bovino was a completely polarizing figure. He was even attacking people by name on social media for
a while.
I mean, he was there were people we've seen our reporters on the ground asking people how they felt about Bovino being out of the state. They said
that they were relieved. They were happy. So clearly, a polarizing figure there.
Again, also doing what we know the administration wants to do, which is turn down the temperature.
FOSTER: Okay, Kristen Holmes, appreciate it. From the White House there.
There is newly released video of the moments leading up to the shooting death of Alex Pretti. Before we show you those images, we want to warn you
that they are disturbing to some of our viewers.
Here you can see an officer approaching Pretti, forcibly pushing him away from the street. He appears to be recording the scene with his phone when
he's shoved by an officer, and later, a number of agents get him on the ground, and none of the videos seem to support the contention, though, from
some administration officials that Kristi Noem was speaking to there, that Pretti or any nearby protesters posed a threat to federal agents.
More Republicans on Capitol Hill are now calling for a deeper investigation into this shooting.
Whitney Wild is standing by for us in Minneapolis.
I mean, it's grim looking at this from all these different angles, but it's so important, too, isn't it?
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And what we know is that the Department of Homeland Security has many more angles. The
sources telling CNN that they are processing up to 30 body worn cameras. Some of those cameras were on the agents who were involved in this
shooting. We also know that they're collecting evidence from body worn cameras, from agents who were who were working around that same time and
kind of in that general area. So basically, you know, a large group of agents who were on the ground in Minneapolis at that time.
Again, some directly involved in the shooting, those will be absolutely critical, because while there is a wealth of evidence, we cannot see still
what those agents saw. Theres a scrum around Alex Pretti, and there's so much information that we do see from those videos, but it is just very
difficult to see even from the wealth of video we already have. Exactly what happened inside that circle.
And so, we are hoping to learn more from those body worn cameras if they are ever released to the public, we will continue to push on that. And then
as we move forward the evidence here is creating a point of contention because local officials here are very concerned that the Department of
Justice is not going to adequately maintain the evidence. They want to do their own investigation, an independent investigation.
And so, what we saw was Minnesota officials from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension filing a lawsuit to try to get a federal judge to intervene
and force the Department of Justice to ensure that they do not tamper with or destroy any of the evidence that federal officials have collected. And,
Max, I think that that's an extraordinary thing, because normally, the Department of Justice here in Minnesota, the U.S. attorney's office works
very closely with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Just six months ago, they were bringing to justice together as one team justice for
a state lawmaker here who was murdered and her husband was also murdered. And another state lawmaker was shot in his wife was shot, and they were on
the same team.
And then yesterday we come to this hearing and they are on opposite sides of the courtroom and absolutely extraordinary moment. And it really
highlights the tension here, the suspicion here between Minnesotans and the federal government.
As you heard Alayna say, Minnesotans we've spoken with are very relieved that Commander Bovino is leaving, although they are still very skeptical
that Tom Homan coming to Minneapolis is going to have a positive result.
Mayor Frey met with Tom Homan today. He was also -- also in the room was Minneapolis police chief Brian O'Hara, whose officers have had to deal with
the fallout of something they had nothing to do with, and still have borne the brunt of as protesters have. Protests have erupted throughout the city.
And Mayor Frey, according to a statement, told Tom Homan that Operation Metro Surge has to end and it has to end soon. And he reiterated the damage
that that operation has caused throughout the city and reiterated to Tom Homan that the city of Minneapolis will not enforce federal immigration
law. So, we will see how this dynamic changes if it changes, but we are waiting to see how the situation plays out throughout the Twin Cities --
Max.
FOSTER: Yeah, a big shift today.
Whitney Wild, thank you so much today.
Well, Alex Pretti sister Pretti sister is paying tribute to her brother. Micayla Pretti released a statement saying, quote, "All Alex ever wanted
was to help someone, anyone, even his very last moments on this earth -- on this earth, he was simply trying to do just that." She goes on to speak
about, speak out against ICE, asking how many more innocent lives will be lost.
Well, President Trump is trying to shift the national conversation now away from that hot button issue of Minnesota. He landed just minutes ago in Iowa
and plans to deliver a speech on the state of the economy about an hour from now. The president has been telling the American public the economy is
strong for a while, but poll numbers show wide disapproval for his handling of it.
Steve contorno is there in Clive, Iowa.
Steve, a big test, actually, for the president
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Absolutely. If you take a look at the sign behind me, the message there speaks volumes about what Donald Trump
will try to do here in Iowa. His team believes that they have tamed inflation, that the economy is growing and they just haven't been able to
get that message out. And that is why the president is on the road here today.
But that message is running into not just the events transpiring in Minnesota and all his movements on the world stage, but also the reality
that many Iowans, many Americans are facing.
[15:10:06]
The prices are still up. Donald Trump has not been able to fix that. You know, it's negative six degrees here. And yes, I did that conversion to
Celsius for our international audience. And it's so cold in Iowa, I'm sure many people are blasting their heat right now and heating bills are up. So
that affordability concern is really hitting people.
Now, Trump has been trying to convince people that the economy is much better than the headlines might suggest, but that is running into the
reality on the ground. And Republicans here are starting to get nervous in a state like Iowa that Donald Trump won handily just two years ago,
Democrats have had a series of wins in special elections. There are a number of key races here this fall, including a U.S. senate seat, the
governor's race. Both of those are open contests, and Republicans are quite nervous.
I had a conservative radio host by the name of Jeff Angelo, who has a show here in Des Moines, Iowa, who told me that Republicans are worried that the
Trump magic that he sees when he runs in the on every, every four years, the people who turn out to vote just for him is not necessarily going to
run rub off on other Republicans. Trump is trying to change that. He's almost trying to will those people to show up to the polls by making this
race about him and making these midterm elections about him.
That is quite unusual. We don't normally see presidents embrace midterm elections like this. But his team believes that their best path forward is
by convincing people, the people who don't normally show up in these kinds of midterm elections, that Donald Trump needs their vote and they need to
show up for other Republicans in order to ensure his agenda is protected for the final two years of his term -- Max.
FOSTER: Okay. Steve Contorno, we'll be following it closely in about an hour. Thank you.
Some news just into us now. Officials say a person is in critical condition after a shooting involving U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona. The Pima County
sheriff's department says the shooting happened in Arivaca, a small community near the U.S. border with Mexico, about an hour south of Tucson.
The sheriff's department says its working with the FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. We'll bring you those updates when we get them.
But now, a CNN exclusive behind the scenes look at the Trump administration's plans for Venezuela. Sources tell us the CIA is working to
establish a permanent U.S. presence there. They say the State Department will plant the flag, but the CIA will quietly spearhead the effort to exert
U.S. influence.
CNN's Zachary Cohen is in Washington with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Behind the scenes, I'm told the CIA is working to establish a foothold on the ground inside
Venezuela and is expected to play a significant role in helping shape that country's future going forward.
Now, of course, this comes amid some tough talk from Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, who said that she had had enough of taking
orders from the U.S. and also coming three weeks, only three weeks after that dramatic operation to capture former President Nicolas Maduro. I'm
told, though, by multiple sources, that there are ongoing planning discussions between the CIA and State Department that are focused on both
the long term and short-term U.S. presence inside Venezuela.
In the long term, the State Department obviously is expected to be the forward facing diplomatic presence on the ground there. Donald Trump has
said that he wants to reopen the U.S. embassy in Caracas.
But in the short term, the CIA appears to be poised to do a lot of the heavy-lifting. It seems that they may open a CIA annex on the ground inside
Venezuela, where U.S. officials are expected to operate out of as they make initial contacts with individuals inside the Venezuelan government and
elsewhere in the Venezuelan opposition groups, as well as other relevant factions.
We're told, too, that the CIA will be responsible for briefing relevant Venezuelan officials on concerns related to foreign adversaries that are
operating inside the country. Those include Russia, China, Iran. Those are adversaries that CIA Director John Ratcliffe made very clear during his
recent trip to Venezuela that they would no longer tolerate operating inside that country.
He was the first top Trump official to visit Venezuela after that operation to capture maduro, sort of signaling what we're now learning from sources
about the CIA's planned future involvement there. And of course, this is all coming, though, as I'm told that the White House has not really
communicated to the CIA or State Department what their broader objective in Venezuela is. But both agencies are trying to move forward in laying the
groundwork despite that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Zachary Cohen reporting for us there.
Now, Iran says it's in close contact with Russia and China as a U.S. carrier strike group moves into the Middle East in a major show of force.
Iran is warning the U.S. against any military intervention, and it's broadcasting that message in English on the streets of central Tehran.
[15:15:03]
Our Fred Pleitgen has this report from inside Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Iran's leadership is sending a very strong and defiant message to the United States, and
specifically, of course, to the Trump administration. You could see it here on this gigantic poster on Revolution Square in central Tehran.
The message on this massive poster is, if you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind. Obviously meaning, if the United States attacks Iran, Iran
will retaliate in a massive way, which could have forced lead to a major military confrontation between the United States and Iran.
And that's also something that's on the minds of many of the people that we've been speaking to here as well.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I'm not sure what you're saying. I think they're all collaborating with one another against the interest of
the Iranian people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I don't think Trump dares to attack. He's more bluffing.
PLEITGEN: All this, of course, comes as President Trump weighs his options on what to do next. The U.S. has pulled together a substantial military
force here in this region.
But the Iranians also say they've replenished their stockpiles of ballistic missiles and are ready to hit back hard any time.
Now, of course, all this comes in the wake of those large protests that happened here in Iran in the early part of January.
And when you're out on the streets here, you can see that there are people who are still traumatized by what happened then.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There were lots of people out there in the streets when I had to leave home. I don't know what to say,
but the situation was very bad. Now that the internet connection is restored, we only now know that so many were killed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Coming up, big trouble for TikTok. Some users trying to post about ICE and they say the new owners are trying to censor them. We'll find out
what's going on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Let's take you to the far -- furthest point north really in the British Isles. This is Lerwick in Shetland, and this is one of the biggest
fire festivals you'll see in Europe.
[15:20:10]
It's actually a celebration of Viking culture because this is very close to Norway as well. There are many, many of the people there identify more
closely with Scandinavia, in fact, that they do with the U.K. And it's a celebration of Norse culture. And these are genuine Vikings. I can say that
on authority, because I met many of the people you can see here at new year, but they all head down to Edinburgh to celebrate Hogmanay and they
identify as Vikings and have you know, they carry these torches around with them.
All of the people there in the circle would have had their torches a moment ago, and they've thrown them in this big Viking galley, which is now on
fire to the local music if we listen in.
There we are. That's the scene in Lerwick in the Shetland's. As we speak now around the world, TikTok has new owners, especially in the United
States, who are closely linked to the Trump administration. Now, some users think it could be censoring videos critical of his immigration crackdown.
On Saturday night, the comedian Megan Stalter posted this video on her social media accounts condemning ICE.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEGAN STALTER, COMEDIAN: You can argue the context of any scripture, but you can't argue that God doesn't want us to love our neighbors, and our
neighbors are being hunted and kidnapped and attacked daily.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: On Instagram. The video was reposted with more than 12,000 views on TikTok. The video never even went up. Stalter said she tried and failed
to upload it several times. She blamed censorship from TikTok's new owners and urged people to delete the app. TikTok is blaming a technical issue at
a data center.
It said, "The U.S. user experience may still have some technical issues, including when posting new content. We're committed to bringing TikTok back
to its full capacity as soon as possible." Not everyone is convinced, though. California Governor Gavin Newsom says he's launching a review of
the app.
Joining me now, Dave Jorgenson, he's the host of "Local News International" and online news show that streams on TikTok and on YouTube.
Dave, great to see you.
We wanted to get you on because I think of you as one of the original news TikTokers. You were there with "The Washington Post". You helped define the
genre in many ways.
Obviously, now you've gone independent. Just tell us what you've seen differently recently because you've got the context of time.
DAVE JORGENSON, HOST, "LOCAL NEWS INTERNATIONAL": Yeah, I think there are plenty of glitches happening on the app right now. My own video that I
posted Monday, that was a really deep dive fact check. We had a lot of feedback, literally from people that it wasn't playing in the middle. They
didn't see it at all. Or when they saw it, it immediately disappeared and they had to go back to my own personal profile.
And I would say it's, you know, it's certainly lower than average in terms of it's performance. I think it's possible that there really was this
outage that happened, and it was really poorly timed. But to me, this is also just a symptom of a much larger issue at TikTok, where moderation in
the last few years has been all over the place in terms of what they allow and don't allow.
FOSTER: Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that because Europe's been having the same problem, which predates the takeover in the U.S., where a lot of
videos from established accounts are being taken down and they're impossible to appeal. Why is that?
JORGENSON: Well, I think there's a -- there's a number of factors. Some of them could just be, for lack of a better phrase, not TikTok's fault, and
that there's an oversaturation of content and it's impossible for, you know, all humans to moderate it. So, they've put it out to, to A.I. or
other, you know, devices to help moderate this content. And it's just -- not it's not working well.
And I also think that there's just constantly making these adjustments to the algorithm where, you know, back in 2019, there was certainly less
people posting, but also there wasn't this type of, shadow-banning or suppressing that. You see now.
Three or four years ago when I was still at "The Washington Post", we did this little experiment where we tried to get shadow banned. And so, we made
a video telling people, hey, in an hour, we're going to post a video where we just say as many things as possible that typically get people shadow
banned or suppressed, so that no one can see you on your page. So please tell us if you see the video.
It backfired. I think TikTok kind of got hold of it, and they made it one of our most viral videos ever. So, it's a viral video of us just saying all
these things that you normally can't say. So, while that experiment itself failed, there was an interesting lesson in that TikTok can pull these
levers up and down if they want, it will. But that's really the problem, is that, well, it's really kind of up to any number of people who are just
making these decisions.
FOSTER: As I understand it. A video that gets lots of complaints may well get taken down by the algorithm or the A.I. moderation system, which I
guess does happen, but they don't seem to be enough humans there to appeal to. Now, who in the past would have brought it back online quicker.
JORGENSON: Yes. And that's -- YouTube is experiencing something to a lesser degree of that issue where they have this moderation. Then real
humans come in and they bring it back up, and they've had more success in getting videos back on. But the other issue is that often when these videos
are sort of made available, again, they've already been effectively killed by the algorithm, meaning that, yeah, they're in the system, but it's not
going to reach the same amount of people because they've already been suppressed to a certain amount.
So, they won't send them out. And then if you try to repost it, that's even worse because it could go through the whole process again. So, people
basically feel stuck where there's nothing they really can do, even if they try to post a video and ahead of time, flag that, hey, this might have
sensitive content, but it's not breaking any rules.
FOSTER: This is a problem though, isn't it? Of course, we all believe in moderation because there's all sorts of content we don't want on the
platform. But when it comes to, you know, established news creators like yourself and you're having videos taken down because certain sectors of
society or actors don't want your videos up there, then TikTok no longer is just a platform. It's a publisher with an editor. However, they're going
about that and they're taking editorial control over your journalism.
JORGENSON: Yeah. And I think there's, you know, so far, the only scenario that can really pan out now is something sort of democratic, which is that,
okay, you're not going to work here, I'm going to go to another platform. That's why you see a lot of people going to other platforms new platforms
as well as going to, you know, just basically permanently leaving for reels or YouTube shorts. And so, I think it's a matter of, okay, where is
everyone going to end up if this keeps happening? Because as a creator, after a certain amount of time, you might just get fed up and really feel
like there's no point in continuing to be here.
So, if that happens, maybe TikTok sort of has a slow death, or maybe TikTok starts to reverse some of their policies or try to essentially recruit more
humans to moderate what's happening.
FOSTER: I'm also hearing from full time creators they're struggling to make any sort of income these days on TikTok, which is why they're also
switching YouTube. Is that right?
JORGENSON: Yeah. I think, you know, kind of again, going back to the last couple of years of this more systemic problem is they especially in the
U.S., TikTok shop, became a really big deal. And if you weren't really game and being becoming a part of that, where you're pushing products through
directly through TikTok shop, it just became more difficult to make any money.
And for me, as someone as an independent news creator, I've, you know, I've been doing these videos with other products and other from other companies.
And if I don't do it directly through TikTok, where I'm selling the products, your video is often not pushed on the -- for you page, as much as
you'd like. They're basically telling you if you don't work directly with TikTok and give us a cut of that, of that, you know, advertising you're
doing, then were not going to help you push it out there.
So, it's making it more and more difficult to sort of you know, argue that you should be on the platform.
FOSTER: Yeah. Okay. Dave Jorgensen, it's great having you back on mainstream media. Thanks for joining us today.
JORGENSON: Great to be here. Now, it's been called the mother of all deals. We'll take a look at what's in the new trade deal, the mega trade
deal between the E.U. and India and why both countries are optimistic about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:31:43]
FOSTER: President Trump says he still has confidence in Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and she has no plans to step down. The two met on
Monday. The White House, though, is changing tack on another front as new leader takes over its immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. Border czar Tom
Homan is now in charge of the federal operation in the twin cities. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's office says the two met today and agreed on
the need for an ongoing dialogue. One man has been sent packing, though top border patrol official Greg Bovino, who faced backlash following the
shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens this month.
Stephen Collinson is with me.
It's fascinating on so many levels, isn't it, that Bovino has been pulled out. Another man's been gone in and gone straight to the governor, who the
White House wasn't even talking to before.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICS REPORTER: Yeah, this is a complete change of optics, at least on the part of the White House. I think the
killing of Alex Pretti over the weekend really made this a politically unsustainable operation in the way that it was being conducted. I think the
question becomes now, is the administration changing its hard-line policy, or is it trying to make it a little bit more politically palatable? Mass
deportations are something that's absolutely at the center of President Trump's second term. So, I think it would be a surprise to see that.
And -- but, you know, we're looking to see whether these so-far positive comments from Democratic officials in Minnesota are actually followed
through by changes here.
FOSTER: We should explain what we're looking at. The president is currently in Des Moines. He's there for a big speech, isn't he? He's at the
machine shed cafe meeting people. We're hoping to catch a few words. If you hear something, Stephen, do go to it.
COLLINSON: Right.
FOSTER: But he's trying to talk about economy tonight. How is he going to change the narrative?
COLLINSON: Yeah, well, we just have some new numbers out today showing that consumer confidence is plummeting again. The problem that Trump has
experienced when he goes out into the country to talk about the economy at the behest of many of his senior aides in the White House, he ends up
talking about everything but the economy. Other than to say that, look, the economy is great. We're going into a golden age, and that tends to anger a
lot of the voters that Republicans need to show up in the midterm elections, because people are still struggling here with high grocery
prices power and electricity prices are also rising. That's going to be a big issue in the midterm elections in November.
So, you know, the president doesn't really stick to the script. So we'll be watching for that. And of course, this will be one of his first big public
appearances since this crisis over immigration exploded in Minnesota. So, no doubt he will have something to say about it. And if the past history is
a guide, he'll probably stray a long way from the script and could end up creating new controversies, even as his White House tries to dampen down
the current ones.
FOSTER: He likes to give a big speech, doesn't he? He likes to be in, you know, amongst the people as well, and many of them are cheering for him.
They're very sympathetic audience.
We've seen one senior person involved in that border control in Minneapolis be pulled out.
[15:35:04]
But a lot of heat on Kristi Noem right now as well, isn't there? Do you think she can control that, or is there a bit of a momentum building behind
that?
COLLINSON: Yeah, she's the secretary of homeland security. She has been the public face of a lot of this immigration enforcement. Remember she was
outside that notorious prison in El Salvador earlier this year where some migrants were sent.
She has been very present on social media going around leading immigration raids. Theres some disquiet about her role in the White House. But at the
same time, Kristi Noem was picked by the president. She was following the president, the policies that the president wanted implemented. She's very
much a leading light of Trumpism, so it's difficult to separate them in a normal circumstance.
You might think, well, she could actually pay the political price for the president's mistakes here. But this is a different sort of political
operation, the Trump operation. It would require the president to accept that he'd done something wrong if she were to go.
There's also a movement in the House among Democrats to try and impeach Kristi Noem that might have the impact of actually solidifying her support
among Republicans in the House and in the White House. So, in normal political setups, I think she would be very vulnerable in the particular
Trump operation, perhaps less so.
FOSTER: Okay, Stephen, thank you so much. As we watch President Trump, speak, to members of the public ahead of his big speech tonight on the
economy. He's been signing hats. He's obviously got a bit of a fan base there. But if he speaks to the cameras, we'll certainly bring that to you.
Meanwhile, back at backlash over his immigration crackdown has now spread to the Winter Olympics, would you believe? Italian politicians are urging
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to block federal immigration agents from acting as security for the American delegation at the Winter Games. It's
not uncommon for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to help secure large international events, but the mayor of Milan, which is the host city
for next months games, says the Olympics do not need ICE agents for security and, quote, "They will not be welcome in Milan".
It's final few moments of trade, the Dow Jones falling today by more than 400 points.
This is your Business Breakout. TikTok has agreed to settle a mental health lawsuit. A mother and daughter sued Snap, TikTok and YouTube, claiming the
addictive features of the products were harming young users' mental health. Snap has also settled in the lawsuit.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify in the trial. Consumer confidence in the U.S. is down to its lowest level since 2014, analysts at
the conference board attribute this to prices and inflation. Oil and gas prices, and the affordability of food and groceries. They also cite
geopolitical issues and tariffs.
And U.S. President Donald Trump says he's raising tariffs on goods from South Korea. The level will go from 15 percent to 25 percent. President
Trump says its due to the Korean legislation not enacting a trade agreement between the two countries. Seoul says it's still willing to fulfill the
original tariff agreement with the U.S.
The European Union and India have finally signed a trade deal that was almost two decades in the making. European Commission President Ursula von
der Leyen calls it the mother of all deals. Many tariffs will be removed or scaled back between the 27-nation bloc and the world's fourth largest
economy. The deal offers an alternative to an increasingly unpredictable trading partner, and that is, of course, the United States.
Anna Cooban is with me here.
I mean, this has been going on for decades, and it is a mega deal, isn't it?
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER: Yeah. I mean, India can look forward to tariffs being cut in some really key sectors like textiles
the E.U. as well. Tariffs are going to be lowered on its wine, its machinery, its cars. It's going to be a really -- it's a really
comprehensive deal. But I think, Max, what's really interesting is the timing of it. There have been on and off negotiations for two decades, and
now they're signing this deal amidst this real turmoil for global trade.
I mean, just last week, the E.U. was threatened again with new tariffs by Donald Trump because six -- on six E.U. countries, because they had opposed
his plans to at that point invade Greenland. Those tariff threats have been taken away. But that just shows you how mercurial the U.S. president is.
And that is not how you build solid trading relationships.
So, now, we're getting these massive economies together. These two economies, the European Union and India, a population of almost 2 billion
people. They're really trying to deepen their ties with each other.
FOSTER: It's fascinating, isn't it, that President Trump could actually take credit for this by punishing both trading blocs, but ultimately, it's
-- you know, I'm just talking purely economics away from the politics. But it's going to -- it's not going to be positive to the United States because
these two major trading blocs will buy from each other over the U.S. if they can.
[15:40:07]
COOBAN: Yes. And I think it's ironic that -- well, perhaps not, but the U.S. is becoming more protectionist. And so, the rest of the world is,
perhaps, you could argue, becoming more global. I mean, you have this deal now between India and the E.U. We've seen Canada sign a cooperation pact
with China in the past few weeks to cooperate on clean energy. And then --
FOSTER: The U.K. is in China at the moment.
COOBAN: Exactly. We're seeing Starmer, U.K. prime minister in China tomorrow to potentially sign trade and investment deals. He's got a
delegation of people from 50 U.K. businesses going there. So, because of what Trump's tried to do in sort of protecting U.S. business or putting
tariffs around U.S. business, you're seeing ironically perhaps all of these flurry of deals amongst the rest of the world.
FOSTER: And you know, European -- the values of the European Union, particularly against Modi's government, there's a big clash there. He's
seen, as, you know, know, strongman leader, but they've obviously got past that because they're in greater need of another big trade partner.
COOBAN: Absolutely. And there are some key carve outs with this deal. So, the agricultural sector, there's not much is being touched there in terms
of lowering tariffs. And I think that would be politically very difficult for E.U. farmers, Indian farmers --
FOSTER: Environmental legislation is an issue, right?
COOBAN: Absolutely. But going around all of that, some key industries like textiles, tea, spices for India, for machinery and cars in Europe, they are
prepared to lower tariffs, respectively, on each other. And I think this just shows you the extent to which the E.U. is really committed to. And
India, but particularly the E.U. talking about last week, the need for real independence, they're really trying to lessen their dependance on the
United States. And that means shoring up alliances with people with countries like India.
FOSTER: Anna Cooban, thank you so much.
Still to come when a few seconds tell a big story, a look at the doomsday clock and why scientists say mankind is as close to extinction as we've
ever been.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:50:05]
FOSTER: Mankind is closer to destroying the planet than we've ever been. That is the assessment of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the
organization that's been tracking our stewardship of the planet for close to 80 years. They moved their doomsday clock back from 89 seconds to 85
seconds to midnight. Midnight is the moment earth is uninhabitable. The clock was originally invented to track how far we were from nuclear war,
but in recent years has expanded to include climate change, disease, even A.I.
What we don't know is, is the world really closer to doomsday than ever?
Joining me now, Alexandra Bell. She is the president and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the creators of the doomsday clock.
Appreciate you joining us here today.
I mean, I just want to ask you, first of all, how you come to this assessment. Obviously, you know, it's not entirely accurate, but it's --
just tell us how much we can rely on the way it's going, at least.
ALEXANDRA BELL, PRESIDENT AND CEO, BULLETIN OF THE ATOMIC SCIENTISTS: Yeah. So, one, thanks for having me. And two, the doomsday clock is a -- is
a metaphor for the risks that we're facing. And what we've observed as a science and security board of experts across the existential risk space, is
that every one of those risks has increased over the last year, has grown more dangerous, more complex. At the same time that we're seeing a failure
in global leadership to address these threats.
So, the combination of that, those two factors put us closer to midnight than we've ever been. But that's not to say that that that's the future. We
can choose a different path. Unfortunately, we're just not seeing the political will right now to do that.
FOSTER: So, you're seeing movement on climate, obviously. Also about the - - the nuclear threat presumably as well. You're also talking about A.I. A lot of people see some positives of A.I. as well.
So how are those dynamics moving together?
BELL: Yeah. Well A.I. specifically is a tool. And the danger associated with it is how were choosing to use that tool, whether its being used to
help us to help us create verification mechanisms for nuclear arms control agreements, help us to, to cure pandemics, disease, or if it's being used
in the opposite manner to actually increase threats. And A.I. is a change in the entire security landscape.
So, it's going to affect all these existential risk areas, including nuclear stability. Something that's actually being undermined by the
choices leaders are making. We're about to lose the last nuclear arms control agreement between the two largest nuclear weapons powers in the
world, the United States and Russia. The leaders of those countries could choose to move forward on new negotiations today if they wanted to. They
just aren't doing it.
FOSTER: Is, you know, is the fact that some countries are becoming more isolationist or at least more inward-looking part of the issue here,
because these issues are so large, they require global organizations to deal with them. And a lot of them have been undermined in recent times with
the rise of populism, for example.
BELL: That was an important feature of a discussion this year. The isolationism, the growing tendency towards nationalism, these threats that
we're talking about, nuclear war, climate change, disruptive technologies, undermining safety and security around the world, they don't care about
sovereign borders. These are problems for everybody.
And if world leaders aren't working with each other, communicating even if they don't always agree, simply the process of being in a sustained
dialogue to manage these problems is how, in fact, we'll find ways to solve these problems. If we're not talking to each other, we are not going to be
able to save ourselves.
FOSTER: Well, a good example of that was the COP summit, wasn't it, this year where the biggest polluters weren't actually there.
BELL: That's exactly what we're talking about. We know how to solve these problems. It will take patience. It will take persistence and more
scientific support and acumen.
But at the very least, we need to be talking to each other. We need to be trying and it really is a dereliction of duty that we're seeing world
leaders in every part of the globe, lack the courage of their convictions that they're there to support and protect their people. They're just not
doing the job.
FOSTER: Alexandra Bell, president and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, appreciate you joining us today. Have you back next year.
Still to come, crashing out. American tennis star Coco Gauff exits the Australian Open. Why has she criticized organizers after this post-match
meltdown?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:52:29]
FOSTER: We're back with a surprising exit from the first tennis major of the year, American Coco Gauff was seen on camera here, smashing her racket
after her loss to Elina Svitolina in the Australian Open quarterfinals. The 21-year-old, who lost in just 59 minutes, showing her frustration here,
though she thought she was venting in private.
Don Riddell is here to explain.
Don, what she's been saying?
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, it was not a good night at all for Coco Gauff. As you say, she was beaten in straight sets in 59 minutes. She
made five double faults and made 26 unforced errors in that match. So, any player in that situation would be frustrated.
Now, Coco Gauff said that she intentionally didn't want to smash her racket out on the court. She's aware that kids are there, people are watching. It
sets a bad example. As you have indicated. She thought she was in a private setting, but those cameras in the players room captured those images. They
went all around the world on TV and on social media and on the Internet.
And so, this is what Gauff had to say about it afterwards.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COCO GAUFF, 2-TIME MAJOR CHAMPION: Yeah, I kind of feel like I have a thing with the broadcast. I feel like certain moments, the same thing
happened to Aryna after I played her final U.S. Open. I feel like they don't need to broadcast.
I tried to go somewhere where I thought there wasn't a camera, because I don't necessarily like breaking rackets, but I lost one and two. I broke
one racket on court quarters. I think a round of 16 of French Open, I think, and I said I would never do it again on court because I don't feel
like that's a good representation.
But yeah, I tried to go somewhere where they wouldn't broadcast it. But obviously they did. So yeah, maybe some conversations we can be had because
I feel like at this tournament, the only private place we have is the locker room.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: Yeah. She sparked an interesting debate. I mean, of course, players smashing their rackets on court is something that we're all used
to. But Coco Gauff does try to set a better example. She is one of the great role models within the game. So I think she's disappointed that it's
gone this way.
But it's all in all, not a great start to the year for her. Last year, she made an absolute ton of double faults, 431, which was, I think 131, more
than any other player. She has taken steps to try and address the biomechanics of her serve. That is clearly a work in progress. She's got a
lot to think about as we enter a brand new season here in 2026, and she'll be hoping that something like that doesn't happen to her again, Max.
FOSTER: Yeah, certainly not on camera.
Don Riddell, thank you.
RIDDELL: All right.
FOSTER: Finally, tonight, award season is in full swing and it's time for the British Academy to weigh in. Bafta nominations were announced today,
and there's one film that leads the way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just attacked my home. And I cannot remember for the life of my only child the answer to your question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe you should have studied the rebellion text a little harder.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need to find my daughter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: "One Battle After Another" scored 14 total nominations, including best film, best director, best actor. "Sinners", which got the most Oscar
nominations, also appears to be a real Bafta favorite. The Bafta Awards will be handed out on February 22nd, about a month before the Oscars.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Stay with CNN. I'll have more after the break for our international viewers.
END
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