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What We Know with Max Foster
FBI: Serving Warrant At Fulton County Elections Office; Trump Warns Frey He Is "Playing With Fire" Over Immigration Stance; Noem, Miller Criticized For Initial Response To Pretti Shooting; Trump: "Time Is Running Out" For Iran To Make A Deal; Rubio Testifies Before Senate On Venezuela, Iran & NATO. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired January 28, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:23]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: An election office in Georgia being searched by the FBI.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
Today's search, part of a larger FBI probe into alleged voter fraud.
For years now, Fulton County has been in the crosshairs of President Trump's baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from
him. In the weeks following that election, President Trump asked Georgia's secretary of state in a now infamous call to, quote, find enough votes to
overturn the results. He lost the state to Joe Biden by more than 11,000 votes. It's also worth noting a review from the Justice Department in
Trump's first term did not find evidence to support his fraud allegations.
Let's go straight to Paula Reid, live from Washington.
What's this based on, then, Paula?
PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: So, Max, the FBI is confirming that there is an ongoing investigation, that this warrant is
connected to. And a source tells CNN that specifically, the Justice Department is looking to seize election records and try to pursue these
allegations of voter fraud back in 2020.
But as you just pointed out, back in the first administration, when then President Trump started raising these baseless allegations, his Justice
Department looked into these allegations and did not find enough evidence to support pursuing a full blown investigation. The Justice Department has
also sued the county to get these records. That litigation is still pending. So, it's notable that today there was an escalation with the
search warrant being served.
I also want to note another important piece of context, and that is President Trump has a long legal history in Fulton County, back in 2023.
This is the county that charged him and 18 others for alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election. Now, eventually, that case was removed from the
office because the district attorney, Fani Willis, she had a romantic relationship with a prosecutor who oversaw the case. It's an appearance of
impropriety, but there is a lot of history between President Trump and Fulton County, Georgia.
But the most significant thing is that this has been the city, Atlanta, the metro area, a centerpiece of his baseless allegations about losing the 2020
election, having it stolen from him. So notable that they are sort of continuing to pursue this avenue because his previous Justice Department
pursued this and just didn't think there was enough evidence.
FOSTER: There are many people who do believe Donald Trump's claims. They may argue that the county. It looks as though the county is hiding
something. If they're not willing to hand over those records. I mean, what's the -- what's the argument there?
REID: It's certainly possible that new evidence has surfaced or that there is some development that were unaware of that may have changed the
calculation inside the Justice Department. But all of this is happening amid larger questions about whether the Trump Justice Department, the
latest one which vowed not to allow that department to be weaponized, has indeed used it to pursue some of the president's pet issues or pursue his
adversaries. So we'll be looking at this very closely and trying to learn more about the supporting arguments for this warrant, the reasons for it,
and what has been obtained.
So, this is something that we have to look at pretty critically in light of the overall context at the current Trump Justice Department in questions
about whether they are pursuing some things at the will and discretion of President Trump, when traditionally this is an agency that is independent
of the White House.
FOSTER: Yeah, Paula, thank you so much. We will have more on this later in the show.
But also following President Trump's somewhat conciliatory tone towards local leaders in Minnesota, and it seems to have been pretty short lived
actually. The president warning Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey today that he's playing with fire by insisting that local police will not enforce
federal immigration laws. Frey responded by saying his city's policy is similar to that of former New York Mayor Giuliani, Mr. Trump's former
personal attorney and a longtime supporter.
Meanwhile, in what appears to be some backtracking, top White House aide Stephen Miller now admits the federal agents involved may not have been
following proper protocol before intensive care nurse Alex Pretti was killed last Saturday. That's a notable change in tone from Miller, who
labeled Pretti a would-be assassin shortly after the shooting.
One Republican senator described Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as incompetent. He also had some choice words for Miller.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): Stephen Miller was the one who got out in front on Greenland. It's not working the way he said it was. He got out in front
and told the president before he'd even taken the time to understand the incident that happened in Minneapolis, that a terrorist had had been killed
and was brandishing a weapon.
[15:05:04]
It's like this -- these are amateurs in the in the strictest sense of the word.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Let's go to Kevin Liptak. There's clearly something that went wrong in Minneapolis. It does feel as though political targets are becoming
Miller and Noem.
What's the narrative there?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. And you do see something of a blame game, even between the Noem and Miller camps about how
they had come up with this initial description of Alex Pretti as a domestic terrorist, as an assassin, all things that ended up being false. And you
have heard whispers that Noem is saying that she was just repeating what the White House told her to say, that this was the narrative that Stephen
Miller had come up with.
Miller last night in that statement, saying that all of his information was coming from CBP. I think both of them looking to avoid becoming a scapegoat
for what had been clearly a political problem for President Trump, as these scenes of chaos were playing out in Minnesota. And as he determined that
something of a pivot was necessary as he sent in Tom Homan, his border czar, to oversee operations on the ground there.
But, of course, today, you're kind of seeing a pivot from the pivot as the president sort of ramps up tensions again with the local leadership there,
whether it's Jacob Frey or Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota. The president warning Jacob Frey that if he tries to push out a federal
immigration officers, that he was, quote, playing with fire. And so, it's clear, I think, that the presidents objectives overall here have not
changed.
You know, the tactics we might see on the ground could shift. That's something that Tom Homan has been expected to do is to sort of cease these
sweeping immigration raids in communities where they essentially go door to door to try and get undocumented migrants, whether they're criminals or
not, and deport them. Homan is seen as focusing on a much more targeted operation, where they go after violent criminals.
So, the tactics might change but it's clear, I think, from listening to President Trump, that overall his objective remains very much these mass
deportations, which he thinks is so critical to his political project.
Now, when it comes to Miller and Noem, the president has been backing them up politically. He said yesterday he doesn't expect Noem to leave her job.
Stephen Miller, you know, by all accounts, is on firm footing in the White House. He's been one of the president's closest aides for the better part
of a decade, and there's no indication that his influence is waning whatsoever.
But that's not to say that Republicans aren't coming out to voice their displeasure, although we should note that Thom Tillis, the senator that we
heard from there earlier, is not running for reelection in North Carolina. He has become quite a vocal critic of President Trump's, presumably because
he no longer feels obligated to rely on the president's sort of political umbrella.
FOSTER: Okay. Kevin, appreciate it. Thank you so much.
Also, a stunning attack on a Minnesota congresswoman President Trump referred to recently as garbage.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
FOSTER: Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar was holding a town hall meeting when a man rushed the podium, sprayed her with an unknown
substance. She was not injured. Forensic examiners now say they believe that liquid was likely apple cider vinegar. A 55-year-old man was charged
with third degree assault.
CNN's Sara Sidner caught up with the congresswoman, who struck a defiant tone shortly after the attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Representative Omar, are you okay?
REP. ILHAN OMAR (D-MN): You know, I'm going to go figure if I am, but I feel okay. I feel that it is important for people whether they are in
elected office or not, to allow these people to intimidate us, to make us not fight for our constituents and for the country we love. And as I said,
you know, I've survived war, and I'm definitely going to survive intimidation and whatever these people think they can throw at me because
I'm built that way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill condemn the attack. President Trump, though, did not. In an interview with ABC News, he called
Congresswoman Omar a fraud and said she probably had herself sprayed.
Shimon Prokupecz is in Minneapolis.
I mean, it was a defiant tone. Extraordinary to think that she would have sprayed herself. What are people saying there?
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: No, I mean, we now actually know what was in the syringe with the law enforcement and
investigators are saying that he used a -- the suspect allegedly used a syringe and the syringe. There was apple cider vinegar, but certainly this
investigation has escalated because the Capitol police, which are in charge of security for members of Congress, are now investigating.
You know, as you know, the members of Congress have been under all sorts of threats in this country. And there's always -- there's been a lot of
concern over the security, you know, and for her, certainly, there's been a lot of concern. And so, this investigation has certainly escalated now that
it could potentially this individual could face some kind of federal charges even for what happened here.
So, you know, it may seem as something very minor, but there's always a concern that it could escalate. And so that's why we're seeing a larger
investigation now
FOSTER: And two federal officers have been suspended as well. Take us through that. And the reaction to that.
PROKUPECZ: So they are technically what's called administrative leave. And it's usually in these kinds of investigations. I mean, the problem that
this should have been released, this information should have been released to us almost immediately or even the day after, you know, we reporters were
asking, what is the status of these individuals?
Well, today, finally, the government released information saying that the two officers, one of them a border patrol agent and the other one a Customs
and Border Protection officer, are on administrative leave.
Now, this is not abnormal. This usually happens. It does not indicate of any kind of guilt or any kind of wrongdoing necessarily. It just is part of
the process. You take people who may have been involved in these kinds of incidents off the street while you investigate.
Of course, there's a lot of questions here about this investigation or whether or not its tainted and whether or not there's going to be a fair
investigation. A lot of people calling for independent investigators to come in, our Department of Justice here to come in, for the FBI to come in.
But right now, all indications are that the department -- the Department of Homeland Security is keeping this as an internal investigation. So there's
some worry that that that is creating because people feel like, well, are we going to get a fair investigation here? We'll see. We'll see what
happens.
But the calls for that independent and accountability that's not going to go away, especially here in Minneapolis where people we've been talking to
today are demanding accountability and demanding for investigations.
FOSTER: Shimon Prokupecz in Minnesota, thank you so much for joining us.
Well, do join us in just a few hours from now for a CNN town hall, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Officials, local leaders and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob
Frey will take questions and discuss a path forward.
CNN's Anderson Ccooper and Sara Sidner are your moderators for that.
Threats and warnings are escalating fast today between Iran and the United States, as President Donald Trump weighs military action there. He says a
massive armada is heading to Iran, larger than the one he sent to Venezuela. Mr. Trump says time is running out for Tehran to negotiate a
nuclear deal, threatening a new attack on Iran that he says would be far worse than the last.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke about Iran on Capitol Hill today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: That regime is probably weaker than it has ever been, and the core problem they face, unlike the protests you
saw in the past on some other topics, is that they don't have a way to address the core complaints of the protesters, which is that their economy
is in collapse. The protests may have ebbed, but they will spark up again in the future because this regime, unless they are willing to change and/or
leave, have no way of addressing the legitimate and consistent complaints of the people of Iran who deserve better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: While Iran faces the threat of outside intervention, it's also facing huge pressure at home. A U.S. based human rights group now says more
than 5,800 protesters have been killed, including 100 children, since nationwide demonstrations began last month. CNN can't independently confirm
those numbers. And internet blackouts continue to limit verification efforts.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen, though, is reporting from Tehran this week, operating only with the government's permission. He sat down with Iran's speaker of
parliament to talk about the protests, President Trump's threats, much more as well.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOHAMMAD BAGHER GHALIBAF, SPEAKER OF IRAN'S PARLIAMENT (through translator): How can we, given all these actions and reactions again,
trust President Trump?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you still willing to negotiate with the Trump administration?
GHALIBAF: If there's genuine talk to reach a deal within the framework of international regulations, then yes. But that's not the kind of talk that
the U.S. president is after. He just wants to impose his will on others.
He ripped up the JCPOA and threw it in the bin. Two days before the new round of talks, he torpedoed the talks by giving the green light to Israel
to attack Iran. In my opinion, if Trump is really honest and telling the truth and seeking peace and wants to have the Nobel Peace Prize, he needs
to go towards a real peace. And his first action must be to get free of the warmongers and those seeking Iran's submission.
PLEITGEN: The United States says its building up these forces because it's reacting to the mass killing of protesters during the recent protests that
happened here in Iran by Iranian security forces. What's your response to that?
GHALIBAF: This behavior, as I described, was a scheme that was designed entirely out of the country in order to try and carry out a terrorist
sudoku. These crimes need to be prosecuted and will be pursued inside the country, and legal procedures will take place. We will never back down from
seeking revenge for the blood and pursuing different aspects of this crime.
PLEITGEN: President Trump has threatened massive force if no agreement is reached. What do you think that that would mean for Iran, and what would
that mean for the region?
GHALIBAF: Maybe Mr. Trump can start a war, but he doesn't have control over the end. Thousands of American soldiers who are being deployed from
several thousands of kilometers from home, are definitely going to be harmed, which is not a good thing. The Iranian nation throughout history
has shown that it would never submit to foreigners.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Now, the top U.S. diplomat also says Washington would eventually like to see regime change in Cuba. Secretary of State Marco Rubio finished
testifying at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing just a short while ago. This was the first time that Rubio testified publicly about the
U.S. military operation that deposed Venezuela's Maduro.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): What if a foreign country indicts our president for violating a foreign law? Should we extradite our president? Or should we be
okay if they come in and get him by force?
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Look, I think ultimately we're always going to act in our national interest. And so, if somebody comes
after our national interest, like the case you've described, which obviously does not exist at this time, but the case you've described, the
U.S. always has the right to act in its national interest and to protect itself.
So, I don't -- I don't know about this equivalency. Does this justify them doing it? We're always going to do what's best for the United States in
America. We're always going to protect our system.
PAUL: But the point isn't, and you're exactly right. We will act in our national interest, and we should. So I'm not disagreeing with you at all.
What I'm saying is that our arguments are empty. Then the drug bust isn't really an argument. It's a ruse. The war argument, not a war, is a war is a
ruse. It's not a real argument.
And we do what we do because we are -- we have the force. We have the might. We do it because it's in our interest.
So we wouldn't let anybody come in and bomb us, blockade us, and take our president. You know, we've had arguments about legitimate, illegitimate
presidents, bad elections, rigged elections.
So there's all kinds of same arguments that we've had in our country that have had in Venezuela.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Kylie Atwood is standing by for us.
There's a lot to take in, obviously, from that hearing, but I'm interested in the idea that Cuba could be next.
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And the secretary of state really very clearly saying that the United States would
like to see regime change in Cuba, but also then going on to say that that doesn't mean that the United States is going to move to make that happen.
But keeping the door open there. It's clear that there are conversations about this. He also made clear at a different part of his testimony that
the United States sees there to be an opportunity for that potential regime change in Cuba at this time, given, of course, what has happened in
Venezuela.
We've heard U.S. officials over the last few weeks after the ouster of Nicolas Maduro, say that Cuba was so heavily reliant on Venezuela that it
could be in really real troubles right now in terms of trying to actually keep the leadership there afloat. So, this is obviously an area for us to
watch. But what we really learned from the secretary of state today were some new details about the mechanism that the Trump administration is
standing up to allow Venezuela to put to use the revenues from their oil sales that the United States is now controlling, saying that there's this
Qatari bank account.
All the money is going to go into their Venezuela can put in request with the United States for budgetary payments that it has to put that money
towards. The United States will then sign off for things such as government payments that would go towards teacher salaries or police or sanitary
worker salaries, effectively, to keep the country from crumbling right now. We know that this is a regime that is completely reliant on those revenues
from oil sales.
And so, the United States is effectively controlling how they use those revenues at this time. We'll have to watch and see how this mechanism
really plays out because he said that this Qatari bank account is a short- term fix. Eventually, there will be account that's controlled by the U.S. Treasury that will be up and running.
[15:20:05]
But it's unclear how quickly that can happen because creditors in the United States were owed money by the Venezuelan regime, could try and get
access to those funds if they're here in the United States.
So, all very complicated. But what it boils down to is that the Trump administration believes that by controlling what the regime is able to do
with these oil sales, they believe that they are taking that first step to trying to stabilize the country, to get it to a better place, to get it to
a free, fair and prosperous Venezuela in the words of Secretary Rubio.
But making it very clear that this is going to take some time and putting no timeline on how long it is going to take to allow, of course, opposition
leaders into the country and to allow for free and fair elections.
FOSTER: Okay, Kylie Atwood, thank you.
Coming up, we'll have more on the U.S. threat of military intervention in Iran, including a closer look at President Trump's warning that any new
attack would be, quote, far worse than the last.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Returning to U.S. President Donald Trump's latest threat of military intervention in Iran, he says a massive armada is heading to Iran,
warning the fleet is able to rapidly fulfill its mission if Tehran doesn't negotiate a nuclear deal. Mr. Trump says the next attack on Iran would be
far worse than Operation Midnight Hammer. A series of U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities back in June of last year.
So, what we want to know is what could the U.S. military target in Iran?
Joining me now, retired Admiral Robert Murrett.
Thank you so much for joining us, Admiral.
ROBERT MURRETT, U.S. VICE ADMIRAL (RET.): Good to be with you, Max.
FOSTER: First of all, could you give us a sense of the scale of the military that's moving towards the Middle East so we can understand how
significant it is.
MURRETT: Yeah, Max. Well, according to press reports, at first, I would say that the existing footprint, military footprint that we have within
reach of Iran, which is some of its near and some of it's not, it's always been extraordinary.
[15:25:11]
And of course, there's been a lot of attention given to the fact that the USS Abraham Lincoln is headed for the area, although there's already a
considerable amount of combat power in the -- what we call the U.S. Central Command area of operations.
So, I think it's certainly able to carry out any mission. And there has been, according to press reports, a little bit of a plus up in activity
throughout the region in the last -- last week or so.
FOSTER: What capability does that give the U.S. that it didn't have before? Because as you say, it's got a lot of installations in the region
already
MURRETT: Yeah, Max, I think a lot of it has to do with what kind of mission you want to execute. I mean, there are different kinds of military
options that we have for taking measures against Iran to include, you know, precision airstrikes or wider things to take out networks in the country,
whether they're related to their nuclear program or leadership and so forth.
And then the other thing is, if you want to take additional steps, such as a maritime quarantine of Iran, for example, that would call for a different
force mix to do with things pertaining to the Gulf of Hormuz and -- Straits of Hormuz, rather in the Persian Gulf and so on.
So, I think the mission set that you want you want is important, but also at the same time, what your strategic objectives are. And that's something
you can't ignore.
FOSTER: Who would they collaborate with? The Israelis, presumably. I mean, what other countries in that region would be dragged into this?
MURRETT: Well, you know, the mix of allies we have for different operations tends to change from mission set to mission set. We have several
allies working with us right now in an operation called Inherent Resolve, which has to do with counter ISIL operations. That's a separate one.
But depending upon the circumstances and what is in terms of the target set, what represented, for example, if it was focused on, proxy groups that
Iran has throughout the region in places such as Yemen or elsewhere, it could have a different mix, I think, than strikes going feet dry, as we
say, into Iran, which would probably call for a different group of allies to be worked with.
FOSTER: They'd have to be preparing for counterstrikes for any sort of plans that they have in place, wouldn't they? Iran said today, if pushed,
it will defend itself and respond like never before. What sort of scenarios would they have to plan for in terms of counterstrikes from Iran?
MURRETT: Yeah, there are different things that they're capable of doing. Some of them they have done already. They had a limited missile attack into
Qatar after the strikes that took place some months ago. They could also activate their proxy groups, which exist throughout the Middle East,
certainly in countries like Iran and Syria, to mount additional attacks against U.S. and allied forces that are in the region or at again, enable
the Houthis to conduct even more attacks than they have already from Yemen into places like the Red Sea. So, they have a range of options.
But I think, you know, the communications that we're having with them, Max, right now, it's clear that they're ongoing negotiations. And I think part
of this is part of an overall, you know, diplomatic and force posture effort to hopefully bring him to the table, have some kind of meaningful
dialogue regarding their nuclear program, but also the repression they're having against their own people.
FOSTER: Admiral Robert Murrett, we really appreciate your time today and your expertise. Thank you so much for joining us.
MURRETT: Good to see you, Max.
FOSTER: Still to come. It was one of Donald Trump's primary targets in 2020, an election office in the state of Georgia. The FBI now has a search
warrant. We'll have more of our breaking news, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:31:57]
FOSTER: Let's get back to our breaking news tonight. The FBI says it's serving a warrant at an elections office in the state of Georgia as part of
an investigation into alleged voter fraud. A source tells CNN its part of an effort to seize election records. A Fulton County official just spoke.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- happening right now. I wasn't able to get an official explanation. They took a video of a couple of the ERT team
members. I tried to ask them what they were getting, what they were there for.
They could not tell me. They said they tried to refer me to a public relations officer. What did you say?
REPORTER: Why do you think this is happening right now, state senator?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think it's happening. I said this a minute ago because of this weekend. You know, Donald Trump is an illusion artist, and
he's --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, Georgia, which was narrowly won by Joe Biden in the 2020 election, became a focal point of Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the
election results back then. He made this phone call to Georgias secretary of state, asking him to find more votes.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All I want to do is this I just want to find a 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: What we don't know then, are these searches part of Donald Trump's election fraud claims, widely seen as baseless.
Joining me now, Amy Lee Copeland, former federal prosecutor in Georgia's southern district.
Thank you so much for joining us.
I mean, what did you make of today's move?
AMY LEE COPELAND, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Max, it was just bizarre to me. I know the Justice Department sought the voter records from Fulton
County in October of 2025. The Justice Department wasn't successful. They instituted a lawsuit against Fulton County in December 2025. And then the
next thing we know, they are calling it a court ordered enforcement action to seize the voting records.
The first thought I had was similar to the Fulton County manager, who said this is in response to what happened this weekend.
FOSTER: What sort of evidence might have appeared that prompted this new development?
COPELAND: You know, I'm scratching my head, typically to go into a place and seize records by using the FBI, parties have to make a probable cause
showing before a magistrate judge that it's more likely than not evidence of a crime will be found there. So, this apparently is a long, ongoing
investigation. I think the president said at the world economic forum last week that people were about to get prosecuted for what happened with the
elections.
So I -- I'm not sure exactly what prompted it. I don't know what the evidence is. You know, they keep this in secret, but they are armed,
apparently with some sort of court order that is allowing them to seize documents. It's all very strange to me, especially after Mayor Giuliani was
hit with $148 million judgment in a defamation suit accusing the two Fulton County poll workers of improprieties.
FOSTER: They're after some records that the counties got. You know, the argument could be made that if the county didn't have anything to hide,
they'd hand them over anyway. What do you say to that?
COPELAND: Well, the 2025, the December 2025 lawsuit by the Justice Department says we need those records to ensure compliance with the Civil
Rights Act. You know, voter rolls are typically private things. States have fought back against the Trump administration's attempts to obtain them just
by asking them. I think a federal judge in Oregon this week said, you know, you can't get the state voter rolls.
So I'm not sure what violations of the Civil Rights Act, the Department of Justice thinks are there. Again, there's a private documents typically held
by the state. The state has broad authority to conduct elections, even though there is some federal oversight. So, I -- again, I'm kind of stumped
about why there is now a search warrant being executed at the elections warehouse for Fulton County.
FOSTER: And just explain what the warrant means. It means that they're in the building, right? And they're getting whatever documents they need.
COPELAND: They're -- yeah, yeah. Typically with -- if this is, in fact, a criminal search warrant that's gone before a magistrate, there has to be a
showing. More likely than not that some sort of crime has been committed. That's not a particularly high standard to meet. They're usually supported
by an application, an affidavit from a federal agent saying, we've been investigating. We think we'll find these records here. And we think those
records are related to some sort of commission of a crime.
You know, typically under federal law, the standard federal criminal statute of limitations is five years. So, we're talking about voting that
that occurred in 2020 with the 2020 elections.
So, you know, I'm the FBI never talks much about what they're doing with search warrants. I mean, they talk about ongoing investigations. Those are
secret. So again, I'm just sort of -- I'm sorry to sound so fumbling here, Max. I'm just not sure what they're after.
The only thing that we really have are the DOJ filings and the attempts to obtain those records, claiming they want to search for violations of the
Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act.
FOSTER: Let's see what they find.
Amy Lee Copeland, I really appreciate you joining us today.
Now it is the final moments of trade on Wall Street. Stocks are more or less flat if you take a look. Investors have a big decision from the
Federal Reserve to digest.
This is our Business Breakout.
So, the Fed has kept interest rates on hold. The board of the U.S. Central Bank voted by a 10-2 margin to keep rates where they are. We're still
waiting to hear who Donald Trump intends to nominate as his successor to Jerome Powell as fed chair, amid Mr. Trump's ongoing pressure campaign for
lower rates.
There have been some big moves in the U.S. dollar after Donald Trump said he wasn't concerned about its recent falls. Speculation swirled that the
U.S. might move to strengthen the Japanese yen, move to strengthen Japanese yen, sent the dollar to its lowest levels in in four years.
Secretary Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC earlier that the U.S. still has a strong dollar policy.
Amazon has announced its second round of massive layoffs. The tech giant will cut 16,000 jobs after cutting 14,000 jobs in October. Amazon argues
it's overhired during the COVID 19 pandemic, and that this move is part of a larger effort to reduce red tape. It comes as companies race to gain an
edge in and with actually A.I., Anna.
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER: Yeah, these are pretty significant layoffs. I mean, as you said there, they come just a few weeks
after another massive set of layoffs, 14,000 workers. Now, it needs to be said that Amazon employs 1.5 million people globally. So, it's a very small
slice.
But the regularity of these layoffs has really spooked people who are, I think, quite rightly, concerned that this might be to do with A.I., like
we've seen Amazon, like many other tech companies, pour billions into A.I. investments. And Amazon's CEO was very clear last year when he said that
there will be the need for fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs. So people are
rightly questioning, is this an example of that?
FOSTER: And is it a pattern? So they'll be thinking very carefully about the next round of layoffs, because if there is a third round of layoffs
like this, then it will very much feel like a pattern. And we'll speak to A.I.
COOBAN: Yes. And there was a statement today from Beth Galetti. She's the senior vice president of people at Amazon. And she said that this won't
become the new rhythm. Amazon, all these layoffs.
But I don't think that's going to be or it'll be cold comfort for many workers who are seeing this. We saw last year Microsoft, thousands of
people laid off, too. And this could be part of a broader slowdown in hiring. Weve seen sluggish, sluggish hiring in the United States, for
example. So, there are other factors at play here, too, especially the overhiring during the pandemic. But I think A.I., its fair to say, is a
very big part of this conversation.
FOSTER: And then it becomes a question of whether or not layoffs for A.I. will work out, because A.I. makes mistakes at this early stage of its
development.
[15:40:03]
COOBAN: Yes. And I think sometimes the fears of A.I. coming to take our jobs can be overblown. There was a report that came out recently by
Vanguard, this asset management company, that actually showed that at the moment, anyway, that jobs that are particularly -- white collar jobs that
are particularly exposed to A.I. automation have actually increased quicker than they did prior to the pandemic. But I think the longer term picture of
A.I., Max, is one in which this this technology will be competing with people for jobs.
FOSTER: Yeah. Anna, thank you so much.
Still to come, an update on the Epstein files. How much longer before the remaining two million files released in their entirety? We'll take a look
at that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Just in to CNN, a commercial flight with 15 people on board has disappeared in northern Colombia, near the border with Venezuela. It's a
plane operated by the state owned airline Satena. It was flying between the Colombian cities of Cucuta and Ocana. The flight apparently lost contact
with air traffic control a few minutes before it was due to land. We're following that to get you more details.
The Justice Department says the remainder of the Epstein files will be released in the near term. However, they won't say when exactly that is.
The comments came in a court filing made to the Southern District of New York on Tuesday. The deadline for all the files to be released was December
19th last year.
Less than 1 percent have been released so far, and more than two million remaining files are still under review.
For more on this, I'm joined by Kara Scannell, who is in New York.
What more detail do we get about the release today, Kara?
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, max, as you said, the Justice Department providing this new update to the judge saying that they expect
the files to be released in the near term, while they are not willing to commit to a specific date because they said this has been a complicated
review and it could take longer than they expect.
[15:45:00]
But, you know, over the course of the past several weeks, there's been periodic updates to courts, but never anything that seemed to put a
deadline or at the very least, an end target to it. So, this is the most we've heard from them to try to specify that this is something they think
will get wrapped up sooner than later. In the last filings, they said that they had over 500 people employed at the Justice Department between the
U.S. attorney's office staff here, especially in New York, as well as criminal division staff, FBI analysts all going over these documents.
The biggest hurdle, they say, is that they are trying to redact any identifying information from victims. Victims had been critical of prior
disclosures, saying that some information was made public that shouldn't have been made public. So there's been collaboration. According to the
justice department, between both of those groups to try to ensure that they don't do anything that they shouldn't do as part of this release.
Now, the Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, was on "Meet the Press" on NBC on Sunday, and he said that they have been going through hundreds of
thousands of pages every few days, that everyone is working seven days a week to get this done. And he said, we will not rush this. We will not risk
victims names being released.
So that is what DOJ is saying is the reason why this is taking so long. That being said, he said that they have gone through several million pages
of documents and according to him, they've made great progress and they are expected to release these publicly in the near term. We will wait and see
what the near term actually means in this case, although a lot of people have been waiting to see exactly what is released and what is redacted, and
if there are too many redactions, that could be a whole other secondary issue that could come up.
FOSTER: Okay, Kara, thank you.
Still to come, the first lady on film, how Melania Trump is promoting a documentary about her role in Donald Trump's inauguration.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Hollywood and Washington came to Wall Street today.
The U.S. first lady ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange as part of the promotion of the new documentary about her. Amazon MGM paid
$40 million for the rights to the "Melania" film. The studio is giving the film a much wider release than most documentaries, but it hasn't yet been
screened for critics to review.
[15:50:04]
So, we're waiting for those reviews and ratings.
Melania herself was reportedly paid tens of millions of dollars to take part in that documentary.
For more on the film about the first lady, here's CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I want to take a step back and talk about the role that First Lady Melania Trump has played in her
husband's second term. She's had a couple of key priorities. That includes children in foster care, as well as A.I. safety and returning Ukrainian
children allegedly abducted by Russia.
But Melania Trump, for the most part, has stayed under the radar, splitting her time largely between New York and Palm Beach, Florida, rarely appearing
publicly. And that has started to change in the months before the release of her eponymous documentary, scaling up those public appearances, we saw
her ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange and sitting for the first time in the second term for a televised interview.
I want you to listen to Melania Trump on Fox News.
MELANIA TRUMP, U.S. FIRST LADY: We need to unify. I'm calling for unity. I know my husband, the president, had a great call yesterday with the
governor and the mayor, and they're working together to make it peaceful and without riots. I'm against the violence. So if -- please, if you
protest, protest in peace.
KLEIN: I just want to reiterate how rare it is for Melania Trump to weigh in on current events at all. But again, the reason for this television
appearance is promoting her documentary. It comes out in theaters on Friday, and a lot is at stake here.
Amazon MGM studios has cut a roughly $40 million deal with the first lady and her team, as well as a $35 million marketing budget. Certainly, that is
a recognition of the public's curiosity in the first lady, but it is also setting up a major test for whether the first lady's fans will flock to
movie theaters. It is not yet streaming only in person at the cinema.
The first lady is an executive producer on this project, and that means that she has full editorial control here. Certainly, we've heard a lot from
first ladies in the past. They've written books spoken publicly, but it is unprecedented to see this from a sitting first lady. So, lots to be
watching for as this film gets its release later this week.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Well, meanwhile, here in London, a man has been found guilty of assaulting a woman after Barron Trump alerted U.K. police to the attack
last year. Barron Trump, the youngest child of U.S. President Donald Trump, became unexpectedly involved when he witnessed the 22-year-old Russian
citizen attack a -- Russian citizen attacked the woman whilst on a video call with her in January last year, British media reports. The woman
credited Barron Trump with potentially saving her life.
Now, from one first lady to another, a court has sentenced South Korea's former first lady to 20 months in jail. Kim Keon Hee was found guilty of
accepting bribes from the controversial Unification Church in exchange for political favors. She denies any wrongdoing and will appeal her case to a
higher court.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout has more
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A love of luxury has brought down a former first lady in South Korea. A court has sentenced Kim Keon Hee, the
wife of former disgraced president Yoon Suk Yeol, to 20 months in prison. She was found guilty of accepting bribes. These are bribes from the
Unification Church that include a Chanel bag and a Graff diamond necklace.
Kim was found not guilty on additional charges of stock manipulation and election meddling, and this follows the investigation into her husband's
brief imposition of martial law in 2020 for an incident that sent shockwaves through the country, and he faces separate trials, including a
possible death sentence.
Now, during the last year, we have learned more about the former first lady. Kim is a stylish, wealthy businesswoman who was seen as a key driving
force behind her husband's political ascent, and she was not a traditional first lady. Now, Kim had an established career in organizing art
exhibitions, appearing comfortable in the spotlight. She even had her own fan club, and she was also an avid promoter of K culture, a vocal critic of
the dog meat trade and a glamorous fashionista on these overseas trips, she would take with her husband, ex-President Yoon.
Now, Kim has also been the subject of a number of other high profile scandals, including one involving a grayish blue lady Dior pouch that was
gifted to her by a Korean American pastor. Now, she had also apologized for resume padding and faced allegations for academic plagiarism. As for
today's court decision, Kim has denied any wrongdoing.
Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Finally, this hour, singer Neil Young giving a gift to his fans in Greenland and even those who aren't his fans, actually. Everyone who has a
cell phone based in Greenland will have access to Young's entire catalog for a year. The veteran rocker said he hopes his songs, quote, ease some of
the unwarranted stress and threats coming from the Trump administration. Young has notably refused to allow his music to be on some streaming
platforms in the past, and even pulled it off Spotify for a while. He calls the gift an offer of peace and love.
And a programing note for you. Before we go, join us in just a few hours from now for a CNN town hall. It's at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Guests
including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, will take questions and discuss a path forward after the deadly shootings in Minnesota.
CNN's Anderson Cooper and Sara Sidner are your two moderators for that. Do tune in.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Stay with CNN.
END
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