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Protests in Minneapolis, Portland After Shootings by Federal Agents; Trump Cancels Second Wave of Attacks on Venezuela Due to Cooperation; Iran Plunged into Internet Blackout Amid Calls for Regime Change. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired January 09, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, protests across the country over the fatal shooting of a mother in Minneapolis by an ice agent, and now another shooting involving more federal agents this time in Portland, Oregon. We're on the ground in both places.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump tells The New York Times his own mortality is the only thing that could curb his presidential power and goes even further to say, I don't need international law.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A landfill collapses bearing dozens of workers this morning. There is a desperate search for survivors.

I'm John Berman with Sarah Sidner and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: So, there were protests in cities from coast to coast overnight over the killing of 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis. We are now learning some more detail about all of it, about the ICE agent involved who fired the shots. And there's now a new investigation and big questions around another shooting that just happened, this one involving a Border Patrol agent in Portland, Oregon, an incident that will no doubt further inflame tension there over President Trump's immigration crackdown.

We're going to show you images from Minneapolis coming in from overnight, anger growing over the death of Renee Good. And there is also new reporting after state officials now say the FBI has blocked them from really taking part in what was to be a joint investigation. Sources tell CNN there were concerns in the Trump administration that those state officials couldn't be trusted with information that would emerge from the probe and that they were concerned for the safety of ICE agents and that it would be put at risk.

We've also now learned that the agent involved was dragged and injured during a traffic stop last year, according to court documents, just beginning to fill out the picture of the ICE agent involved in this shooting.

Whitney Wild is live on the ground in Minneapolis for us this morning. Whitney, what is the very latest that you are seeing and hearing there?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, right now, we are just about two blocks from where this incident happened and before it had been blocked off by makeshift of barricades and included refrigerators and doors, recycling bins, trash bins, law enforcement now has taken some of that down. They had blocked off the area where I'm standing here. They have since moved on from this spot.

But we are learning more this morning about the ICE officer who's involved. What we know is that he served in the National Guard in Iraq as a gunner from 2004 to 2005 last summer. This is the incident you were talking about. His arm was pinned into the back of a window as he initiated a traffic stop. At that time, he was trying to arrest a man who was wanted for sexually assaulting a teenager in 2022. At the time, the man would not let him inside the vehicle, would not roll down the window, so he broke the window, reached into the vehicle, and that's when that suspect drove off, dragging him a hundred yards.

His injuries were extensive. He had a long cut in his right arm that required 20 stitches. He had a cut on his left hand that were required 13 stitches. At that time, he fired his taser in that encounter. This is all again, according to court records related to that case.

At that time, Kate, he had testified that he had performed hundreds of traffic stops as -- in his time over two decades both with the Border Patrol and with ICE, and that included with drivers who were trying to flee. He said this in one of his testimonies. They do erratic behaviors. They take great risks. They seem to not be aware of other people driving on the road. They usually make just extreme movements with their vehicles. This background is now coming under heightened scrutiny and Vice President J.D. Vance suggested that that incident should inform how people believe the officer would have gone into this incident and inform how they view this entire interaction.

Here's more from Vice President J.D. Vance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I would appreciate everybody saying a prayer for that agent. Look, in the past six months, he has been hit twice by a motor vehicle. One time, the first time, it led to over 30 stitches and very serious injuries to his legs.

[07:05:00]

This is a guy who's actually done a very, very important job for the United States of America. He's been assaulted, he's been attacked, he's been injured. Because of it, he deserves a debt of gratitude.

And I think the media prejudging and talking about this guy as if he's a murderer is one of the most disgraceful things I've ever seen from the American media.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: Kate, as you mentioned, there are nationwide protests now here in Minneapolis. There were protests yesterday that became a bit confrontational with federal law enforcement. Governor Tim Walz has authorized the National Guard to intervene if necessary. Kate?

BOLDUAN: All right. Let's see what happens this morning, as we saw it pick up in terms of protests early yesterday. Let's see what happens today. Whitney, thank you very much for your reporting. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Breaking overnight, at least six people were arrested during protests outside an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon. It comes as Portland is now grappling with its own shooting involving a federal agent. Yesterday, a Border Patrol agent shot a married couple after stopping their car in Portland.

CNN's Nick Watt is in Portland this morning. What we know it is obviously still very early there where you are, 4:00 in the morning, but what are you learning this morning?

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, in terms of the in investigation, the word is evolving. We now have the Oregon Department of Justice launching an investigation. The FBI has already launched an investigation into what they say was an assault on officers. There were vigils here, as Whitney mentioned, that incident in Minneapolis has spread across the country in terms of protest vigils, there were vigils here last night. You mentioned those six arrests at that ICE facility. Most of them were for basically standing in the way of traffic in the street and not moving when police told them to.

What we know of the actual incident so far, Sara, 2:19, yesterday afternoon, we're told, CBP Special Unit did a targeted stop of a red Toyota. That's what one source tells us. And when the officers identified themselves to the people in the car, the car drove off, one source says, striking the officer.

Now, the first that the local police heard was a 911 call from the driver of that car who said that he had been shot twice and his wife had been shot once. They are now receiving medical attention. We understand that the man was shot in the arm, the woman was shot in the chest.

Now, we are hearing from Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary, who says that both of those people in the car, the married couple, were connected with Tren de Aragua, the multinational crime organization that's based in Venezuela, that the woman in the car was connected with a prostitution ring and had perhaps been involved in a shooting recently here in Portland.

This is a statement I'm going to read from Tricia McLaughlin. When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger fleeing the scene.

So, the reaction here in Portland from local politicians and from the people is they don't want ICE here is what the mayor and others are saying. So, it's going to be fascinating to see if protests, vigils develop today and also what happens with those evolving, as we're told, investigations into exactly what happened here in Portland. Sara?

SIDNER: Yes, because there is a huge gap in the public trust considering what has been said in other cases as well.

Nick Watt, thank you for being there. I know you spent plenty of time in Portland, and you'll be watching this for us, and we do appreciate it. John?

BERMAN: All right. Breaking overnight, massive demonstrations sweep Iran. Some protesters openly calling for regime change. The internet shut down there, the world on edge to see what happens next.

Tornadoes tear through the nation's midsection with the storm system, now threatening a new round of severe weather and flooding.

And NASA orders a medical evacuation from the International Space Station, bringing astronauts home. New reporting this morning on this very rare move.

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[07:10:00]

BERMAN: All right. Breaking overnight, President Trump says he has canceled a, quote, previously expected second wave of attacks on Venezuela due to what he calls the country's cooperation. The president will meet with oil and gas executives today at the White House. He wants to convince them to invest billions of dollars to help rebuild Venezuela's oil infrastructure, but big oil apparently does have some reservations.

With us now, CNN Senior Reporter Matt Egan with the latest on this. Sir?

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, look, John, this is a high stakes meeting and it is all about the president's goal of really reviving Venezuela's decaying oil industry. But to do that, he's got to get big oil on board, and that won't be easy, especially not in today's world of really cheap oil, right?

But, look, that's going to be the focus of the meeting. It's expected to include executives from more than a dozen oil companies, including some of the names you might expect, like ExxonMobil, Conoco Phillips and Chevron.

Now, one of the problems is that Venezuela's oil industry, I mean, it's really in shambles, right, from not just punishing sanctions for years, but also from the fact that really they haven't been investing enough money and their power grid is not working. This is a look at Venezuela's oil production. You can see it really crashed during COVID, like it did elsewhere, but it really hasn't recovered.

Now, sources tell CNN's Adam Cancryn that energy executives are considering telling the president that, yes, it is possible to ramp up Venezuela's oil production by perhaps hundreds of thousands of barrels per day over the coming months. This would be part of a strategy to try to preempt the president's demands for even more aggressive commitments from the industry. It would be looked at as kind of a more realistic phase one.

But to get Venezuela back to its heyday in the 1990s, right, you would not need hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil increases.

[07:15:03]

You would need millions, right? You'd have to basically triple Venezuela's oil production. This would require just gobs of money. You're talking about tens, maybe hundreds of billions of dollars. And there's a lot of reluctance for obvious reasons, right? One industry source told me that just because Venezuela has a lot of oil, possibly more oil reserves than any nation on the planet, it doesn't mean you're necessarily going to drill there.

This source said, this is not like standing up a food truck operation, right? The industry would have some requirements, right? They want security guarantees, minimized sanctions, signs of long-term political stability in Venezuela, debt repayments, and U.S. government-backed financial pledges.

And, John, that last one is perhaps the most controversial because I don't know how that's going to look when people are struggling right now in the U.S. The cost of living is high. Unemployment has gone up. And to send a lot of taxpayer money to help oil companies make money in Venezuela might not go over that well with voters.

And just one last point, John, it's the price of oil. That's one thing that's often overlooked. I mean, oil prices are just $60 a barrel. This is not a slam dunk to invest anywhere right now, let alone in Venezuela.

BERMAN: The paradox, it's good for consumers to have cheap oil.

EGAN: Of course.

BERMAN: but it may mean that oil companies don't want to invest on something that may not be profitable without a taxpayer-funded financial backstop where it gets politically precarious.

Matt Egan, great to see you thank you very much.

BOLDUAN: Politically precarious paradox.

BERMAN: You know it's awesome. I only went with two Ps, because if I went for a third, it would've been like --

BOLDUAN: But you served it up. I just brought them together. It was very, very well done. Thank you so much, John.

Coming up for us, today is an important day in the trial of the Luigi Mangione, the man accused of murdering the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. The fight over the potential that he faces could face the death penalty, that takes center stage.

And don't put me in, coach, the goalie caught apparently hiding in a hallway to avoid going into the game

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

SIDNER: There is remarkable breaking news out of Iran this morning, fire in the streets, calls for regime change, new powerful images coming out of that country as authorities impose a nationwide internet blackout. And here's a look at what's happening. As protesters set fire in the streets, the Iranian government cut internet and phone lines as protesters have been demanding new leadership.

Let's get straight to CNN's Nada Bashir. Nada, does it appear to you that these protests are really gaining momentum?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Sara. They have suddenly grown and expanded in terms of locations since they first began in late December. We have seen now protests taking place in over a hundred cities, protests taking place in every province of Iran.

And, of course, these demonstrations began as protests in the bazaars, protests being carried out by business owners and university students over the economic crisis, of a rising inflation and a plummeting currency, everyday items becoming simply unaffordable for so many.

But the protest movement has really evolved and grown. And as you mentioned, we are now hearing protesters calling for the toppling of the Islamic regime in Iran. We are hearing many calls for the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to be deposed as a result. And as you've also mentioned, what we're seeing now as a result of these expanding protests, which are really gaining momentum here, is now the implementation of a total internet and communications blackout.

Now, we have seen this in the past during protests in Iran. It is a tactic often used by the Iranian regime to quell these protests, to suppress any signs of dissent. It makes it more difficult for protesters to organize, to share videos and evidence from on the ground, but also this may be an indicator that we may be beginning to see the Iranian regime crack down more violently.

Now, we have heard from the Iran human rights NGO based in Norway. They believe at least 40 people have been killed so far, including children. They say hundreds more have been injured and at least 2,000 detained over the course of this protest movement. They've also heard reports of live ammunition being used by Iranian security forces in some locations.

But, again, it is very difficult to verify and confirm these cases, particularly during this internet blackout. And now, of course, we've also heard from Iran's supreme leader today addressing the nation and addressing the U.S. president, Donald Trump, saying that there are some agitators, in his words, within the protest movement, seeking to please the U.S. president. He has said in a direct message to Trump, I urgently call on Trump to focus on the problems of his own country. And, of course, this comes in response to the U.S. president warning that the U.S. may strike Iran once again if any more protesters are killed. Sara?

SIDNER: Yes. I mean, these are really remarkable times as we're watching these pictures out of Tehran and other parts of Iran and the response to the regime there.

Nada Bashir, I know you're watching it and will be watching it for us. We do appreciate you. John?

BERMAN: All right. The new push this morning to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

And NASA cuts short a space mission, bringing four astronauts back to Earth early, citing a serious medical issue. What we're learning this morning,

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[07:25:00]

SIDNER: All right. Breaking overnight, these are pictures of protesters taking to the streets and cities across the United States as anger grows over the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three in Minneapolis at the hands of an ICE agent.

The Trump administration says Good was trying to run over the agent, but that has been disputed by state and local officials, multiple eyewitnesses and video. Vice President J.D. Vance has now weighed in saying that agent should face absolutely no legal consequences.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANCE: The precedent here is very simple. You have a federal law enforcement official engaging in federal law enforcement action. That's a federal issue. That guy's protected by absolute immunity. He was doing his job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was among the first Trump officials to publicly address the shooting, claiming Good had weaponized her car against the agent. And now the secretary is facing a push to impeach her in the House.

[07:30:00]

And that effort is being led by Democratic Congresswoman Robin Kelly of Illinois who joins me now.

First to what Vice President Vance is saying, that the officer he's.