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Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) On Two Big Democratic Wins In Texas Special Elections; Trump Says Iran Negotiating "Seriously" On Nuclear Weapons; Grammy Winners Express Their Support For Immigration. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired February 02, 2026 - 07:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:31:42]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. This morning a wake-up call for the Republican Party in Texas and maybe across the country. Democrat Christian Menefee won the special election in the Houston area to claim a long-vacant House seat, which further chips away at House Speaker Mike Johnson's razor-thin majority.

But the real earthquake came in a special election for state Senate around Fort Worth. Democrat Taylor Rehmet flipped a state Senate seat in a district that President Trump won by 17 points in 2024. This was the first time a Democrat represents that area in more than 40 years. And Rehmet won by 14 points. That's a 31-point swing.

With us now is Congressman Pete Sessions, a Republican from Texas.

And Congressman Sessions, you know, Gov. Ron DeSantis, of Florida -- you know, a conservative -- no shrinking violet -- said, "Special elections are quirky and not necessarily projectable. That said, a swing of this magnitude is not something that can be dismissed. Republicans should be clear-eyed about the political environment heading into the midterms."

Why did that happen and what does it tell you?

REP. PETE SESSIONS (R-TX): Well John, first of all, the success of a rain dance has a lot to do with timing. And what happened is there was a huge snowstorm -- ice storm, really, that hit north Texas and central Texas.

But let's go back to Gov. DeSantis' point. Special elections are special. And what happened is there was, as I understand it, one Democrat and two Republicans that were running against each other and it was a battle between the two Republicans. And a group of people simply decided they were not going to come participate because still, this Democrat received more than 50 percent of the vote.

So it is -- it is listening to the music and waking up and finding out we need to be better. We need to understand what we're doing. But this was a miscalculation by the people on the ground. And I don't know any of them, but what I will say is you should not loose any election in north Texas like this.

BERMAN: So the question is a miscalculation and is there anything bigger at play here? Because The Wall Street Journal said, "How does a Republican lose by 14 points in a safe conservative Texas state Senate seat that President Trump carried by 17 points? Answer: When there's a voter backlash against the Trump administration, notably its mass deportation debacles."

What do you think of that analysis?

SESSIONS: Well John, there's no question about the issue of the immigration and the way things are going. As we know, the entire country suffered through these two shootings. They're suffering through watching what is really a mess up in Minnesota.

But let's go right to your point. It is hard. It's harder for the president to be able to have things go his way right now. And this is a sign of what's ahead? It could be. It could be unless we recognize inside our party that we have to be a little bit more thoughtful and balanced about what we do.

As you'll recall, when I was chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, we made sure that we sold what we stood for. And I think right now that's a message that our -- at least candidates running for state Senate probably did not enunciate enough.

[07:35:08]

BERMAN: So --

SESSIONS: It is you have to sell what you're for.

BERMAN: So Congressman, you say you have to be more thoughtful and balanced about what?

SESSIONS: Well, about the way we in Congress deal, specifically, with the president also. We have to be able to have our agenda. And as you know, the president is very vigorous on the economy and the economy in Texas is booming.

So then there became outside factors -- the outside factors of immigration. Immigration in Texas cuts across a lot of lines not only people whose -- theoretically, they're perhaps household help came or workers in Texas. And right now it is an issue that we're going to have to deal better with. And that's on this administration to work with members of Congress to sell our plan. And I think we're a little short of the runway.

BERMAN: You're going to have a chance to vote on an issue semi-related to this over the next couple of days in Congress. The House has to vote on what the Senate passed to keep the government funding -- the five appropriation bills and the two-week extension on Homeland Security.

How will you vote on this? SESSIONS: Well, I need to -- I am not for shutting down the government. I am for us making sure that where it's appropriate and I think we've cut that balance now. The president is behind this compromise, the Senate is behind the compromise, and we in the House need to get behind it too.

BERMAN: Some of the specific issues Democrats are calling for maybe after this two weeks includes requiring body cameras for ICE agents and border patrol agents on the ground. Is that something you support?

SESSIONS: Well, I think it is. But once again, there's a balance that comes with that, and that balance is that these federal agents can't be dogged. Drums, yelling, screaming in people's face. I think that a balance that happens in regular law enforcement where video cameras are available, perfectly fine.

But what happened is that this became -- and we saw this happening -- they were dogging, berating, and getting in the way of these -- this -- the federal agents. That should not be allowed to happen.

And so we've got to come to an equal compromise about what the local communities need to do in the states. Even though they disagree with it there has to be rule of law.

BERMAN: Um, the president announced overnight that he's shutting down the Kennedy Center in Washington for the next two years. This comes after the renaming of the Kennedy Center and putting his name on it. This comes after ticket sales have really fallen through the floor.

How does this smell to you -- the president deciding to shut it down for reconstruction?

SESSIONS: Well, first of all, I was unaware of it. I've never been to the Kennedy Center. I've only been up here a few years and never been to the Kennedy Center. But if -- just like the East Wing of the White House, if they are redoing something to make it better -- dramatically better -- I would understand construction. I need to look at that John, and next time you have me on I'll be glad to give you my opinion.

BERMAN: I appreciate that, and I appreciate always your willingness to look into issues more. You should go. Well, you can't go now. I mean, it's going to close down after July 4, so get there in the next few months or else you're not going to be able to get there for the next few years.

Congressman Pete Sessions, great to see you this morning. Thank you very much -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's turn to this right now. Sources tell CNN that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected in Israel tomorrow to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His visit comes as tensions are ratcheting up in the region all the more as the U.S. and Iran are trading new threats now.

Iran's supreme leader issued a new warning yesterday that any U.S. attack on Iran would spark a regional war in his view. President Trump was asked about that and said if Iran does not reach a nuclear deal with him now the world will "find out" whether he was right.

And Axios is also reporting a meeting between Witkoff and Iranian officials could happen this week. Iran's foreign minister tells CNN that in his view he "is confident we can achieve a deal."

One of the president's closest allies on Capitol Hill though is pushing for more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): Bring this regime down because the people want it down. You don't have to invade the country but help on the way means military strikes against the infrastructure that is killing the Iranian people. The people will take over and over time we will have a friend in Iran, not an enemy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:40:00]

BOLDUAN: Joining me right now is retired Admiral James Stavridis, CNN senior military analyst and former NATO Supreme Allied commander. It's good to see you again, Admiral. Thank you for being here.

The U.S. ambassador to NATO also said that the ball is right now in Iran's court, but that "President Trump's not going to be patient on this forever," in his words.

We're all old enough to remember that this started with mass protests across Iran and Trump threatening strikes in Iran if Iran continued to kill any protesters. We're way beyond that now.

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST, FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER, PARTNER, THE CARLYLE GROUP, AUTHOR, "THE ADMIRAL'S BOOKSHELF" (via Webex by Cisco): Yeah.

BOLDUAN: Is it clear to you what the measure is or where the red line is now for the president's calculation on whether or not to launch a military strike?

STAVRIDIS: It's unclear. What I think the Trump administration wants to do Kate is kind of replay the strike against the Iranian nuclear facility, which was by all accounts quite successful, well-executed, and kind of rocked the Iranians back. Iran is not what it was even a year ago militarily.

So I think the president is going to continue to hammer away with "F around and find out" kind of threats, which were successful with the Iranian nuclear program. But at the same time, quite correctly, he's going to look at the possibility of a conversation. Right now I'd say we're talking about talking, but let's hope we can get to the table and avoid real confrontation here. I think there is still a chance of a deal. BOLDUAN: And also, the administration now linking U.S. action to a new nuclear deal with Iran. On the most basic level what does a nuclear deal have to do with the massive protest effort that we've seen inside Iran as the people of Iran are standing up and speaking out against the regime that Trump says that he wants to support and protect?

STAVRIDIS: This is why you hear that immense frustration in Lindsey Graham's voice, who knows this region well and understands the stakes here. And many on the hawkish side against Iran are advocating for those strikes -- the idea being it will bring down the regime. I think that's a possibility.

I would personally like to see us cut a deal and end up with them forswearing the nuclear program but also -- and this is important, Kate -- also advocating for them to not have the ballistic missile capability and to walk back the terrorist activities of their proxies. That's a big swallow for the Iranians. I'm not sure the mullahs are going to go for it. If not, you have the military option.

BOLDUAN: And you have that armada, as the president said, right off the coast just showing the threat that is very, very real. I mean, you know the firepower and what's it capable of better than anyone. We're showing a map of just some of the options that are there now.

Iran's supreme leader saying, according to state media, Admiral, that if the United States attacks it will spark a regional war. I'm curious when he says that what tools -- you mentioned the 12-day war. What tools do the Iranians have to strike back now?

STAVRIDIS: The good news is fewer than they had a year or so ago, but they still have three big things they can threaten.

One, ballistic missile strikes. They still have thousands of ballistic missiles that can reach Israel and reach U.S. bases, for example, on Doha and Qatar.

Number two, they could go after the oil fields of the Arabs. And this is why, Kate, the Arabs are trying desperately to avoid a strike -- to avoid a regional war.

And number three, what I worry about -- and you know the admiral is going to say this -- is the Strait of Hormuz. The ability of all that oil -- 20 to 30 percent of the world's oil has to go through that strait. The Iranians could close that with mines, with small boats. They couldn't close it forever. We could go in and open it again, but that's a big hammer.

So for all those reasons let's give diplomacy a shot, at least this week.

BOLDUAN: Yeah, there's always a chance.

Admiral, thank you so much as always to give us your perspective on this -- Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. This morning a bitter cold is enveloping much of the Southeast as that powerful bomb cyclone moves out to sea. Brutally cold temperatures are expected to last over the next several days.

Check out North Carolina. The record-breaking storm shows this -- there's a ton of accidents that it has caused and also you can see why. There is snow in North Carolina -- in Charlotte, of all places -- and it's across the state. And we're learning that there was like a thousand car crashes and at least two people died because of it.

[07:45:07]

Some cities experienced their heaviest snowfall in decades, with Charlotte getting more than a foot of snow.

Meteorologist Chris Warren is joining us now. People are having all these hilarious names for Charlotte, like, you know -- or for North Carolina. They're like "North Pole Carolina." There's a lot of things they're being called. But this is -- this is pretty cool. You've got snow and beach.

CHRIS WARREN, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, and Sara, you said it -- check it out. South Carolina here -- there's volleyball nets. And this is snow. That's sand right there, right next to the water.

Some of these areas with snow falling -- the amount of snow that came down -- and keep in mind this is, you know, the Carolinas and Virginia. You don't get a lot of snow every year. So in some cases you're looking at a couple of years' worth of snow.

This -- with this powerful storm that developed offshore, the snowfall footprint ranging from snowflakes flying in Atlanta all the way up throughout much of the mid-Atlantic. Some areas in the higher elevations, close to a couple of feet of snow. Even in Georgia more than a half a foot of snow.

But then this is when things are getting pretty serious here. It is going to be extremely cold. It's all the way down to South Florida. In fact, with the warnings we're seeing out there it's a reminder of just how serious this is with windchills -- what it feels like. When you go outside in Jacksonville, it feels like it is 19 degrees. Now, the current temperature at, you know, 32 degrees -- the freezing mark -- so we're talking about water freezing, plants freezing throughout parts of Florida. And it is 39 degrees right now in Miami.

Here is a look at the low temperatures over the next few days. Getting back up to the 50s -- still well below normal here in Miami. And temperatures creeping up above the freezing mark throughout much of the Sunshine State.

Unfortunately, if you are not a fan of the cold we are going to continue to have more rounds of cold over the next several days. But the afternoon high temperatures at times in southern locations back into the 50s and 60s. To the north, pretty much locked in.

And Sara, if you're curious about the groundhog -- Punxsutawney Phil seeing his shadow and saying the extended winter -- six more weeks of winter.

SIDNER: Punxsutawney Phil, I've got words for you but I'm not going to use them on TV.

Thank you so much.

WARREN: That's probably best, right?

SIDNER: Yes. It is two thumbs down, Siskel and Ebert.

Chris Warren, thank you so much -- John.

BERMAN: I always think there's like serious resentment by meteorologists about this groundhog. Like, don't listen to this guy. I went to school. I went to school for this.

SIDNER: That doesn't matter.

BERMAN: Bad Bunny wins big at the Grammys ahead of his huge highly anticipated and controversial Super Bowl appearance. What do his strong statements overnight tell us about what might happen on Sunday?

And nothing says I love you like a ring made of meat.

SIDNER: No, thank you.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:51:43]

BERMAN: This morning jury deliberations resume in the double murder trial of Brendan Banfield, the Virginia father accused of killing his wife and a man in a plot with the family au pair. Jurors did not reach a verdict on Friday.

CNN's Jean Casarez, who is standing by on verdict watch, is with us this morning. And they gave us no sign for what they're thinking.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No. It's a complex trial because they've got to look at the murder weapon, which does not have Brendan Banfield's DNA on it. The blood evidence, the spatter, the castoff, the blood drips. What's the story it tells, according to experts on both sides.

The digital forensics. Who created the accounts that led to the escort coming to the home? And then also, Brendan Banfield's testimony on the stand. Was it credible?

Closing arguments on Friday were very interesting. I want you to watch both sides starting with the defense.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN CARROLL, BRENDAN BANFIELD'S LAWYER: Juliana made it up. She told the Commonwealth what they wanted to hear. And without question, they just took it as their story. JENNA SANDS, PROSECUTOR: Why would the real Christine Banfield have been searching for someone who was willing to engage in knife play when she had a blood clotting disorder? There are so many more whys and I'm sure you have plenty of them in your own heads. But the answer is the same to all of these whys because it wasn't Christine; it was Brendan Banfield with the help of Juliana.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Now there are some handwritten letters that are in evidence and they were posted on the court's website late Friday night, written by Brendan Banfield to Juliana after she was arrested but he was still free. I want to read you the beginning of one of them.

"I hope with every fiber of my body that you don't leave. You had told me this was the best time of your life. I hope you allow our relationship to continue. I hope, at a minimum, you give us another chance to be together. You came here and we fell in love. I think the very best life for both of us by a very large margin is together. No one understands what we have been through. I only have pain and suffering without you."

This is prosecution evidence --

BERMAN: Um-hum.

CASAREZ: -- for motive for murder. That he murdered his wife Christine, stabbing her in the neck, to live his with the person he wanted to.

BERMAN: You've covered so many trials, Jean. As you noted, this is a complicated case with a lot of different factors. In your experience, a case with so many factors -- how does that impact the length of deliberations?

CASAREZ: It should impact the length to really delve into this because these are two life sentences that he is facing right here. But I have seen juries come back very quickly without doing that, which is a little bit of a concern, right --

BERMAN: Right.

CASAREZ: -- because the evidence is there. But this jury is I'm sure very serious. They've taken copious notes. They can use their notes as just a matter of getting to where they all agree unanimously on some theory.

BERMAN: All right, Jean Casarez. I know you are on standby all day along on jury watching -- watching this and covering and not just on CNN on the TV but also on the CNN app and cnn.com. Thank you very much.

CASAREZ: Thank you.

BERMAN: Kate.

[07:55:00]

BOLDUAN: So this morning the "TODAY" show opened with truly sad and concerning news about anchor Savanah Guthrie's family. Her mother is missing. Nancy Guthrie apparently disappeared from her home -- that's Nancy right there -- from her home near Tucson Saturday night and a family member called for help and assistance Sunday when she could not be located. Deputies there say that the scene at the home raised serious concerns and crews are now searching with volunteers, canine units, and helicopters.

The "TODAY" show shared this message on behalf of Savannah. I'll read it for you. "On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and messages of support. Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom."

And we send out most sincere love to Savannah and her family right now.

This morning NASA is preparing to launch its Artemis II rocket, which will take four astronauts around the moon. Fuel testing is set to begin this morning. The phase known as the "dress rehearsal" was delayed because of the freezing temps at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once the mission gets underway the crew will orbit the moon in the Orion spacecraft. This will be the first manned mission to the moon in more than 50 years.

And roses are red and steaks are too. Just in time for Valentine's Day, Longhorn Steakhouse is putting a new twist on love, guys. The restaurant chain has now launched limited edition steak commitment rings that go on sale this Wednesday for $50. The sterling silver jewelry has actually real steak and seasoning in the part of the ring where the gem is supposed to be. They're even designed to match how your love likes their steak cooked from rare to well done. Because nothing says I love you like the suggestion of an edible ring. But to be clear, the steakhouse says these are not intended to be eaten, Sara.

SIDNER: Well, thank God for that because ew, ew.

BOLDUAN: I mean --

SIDNER: No, no, no. I mean, no. We are not doing steak rings, to my husband.

BOLDUAN: There are ways to say I love you to me and you know how I love a ring. So --

SIDNER: OK, we love a ring but to my husband and Tommy, this is a no, OK? No.

BOLDUAN: Michael, full on, yes.

SIDNER: Fine. You can have the ring.

BOLDUAN: There's a lot of jokes on people who ordered their steaks well done this morning going around with my "Five Things" team. And I don't want to hate on them because I have two kids that like it well done.

SIDNER: OK. Well, mine better be jerky because it would start to smell if you don't eat it right away. I'm saying --

BOLDUAN: Also known as perfume. OK, Kate -- you and I have very different ideas of what good smells are, but that's OK. I'm still right. Thank you, Kate Bolduan.

All right. New this morning politics was on full display during music's biggest night, the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Artists like Joni Mitchell, Kehlani, and Justin Bieber stepped onto the red carpet wearing "ICE Out" pins. Others used the stage to speak out against President Trump's immigration crackdown, slamming the administration's policies and ICE and showing their support for immigrants in their acceptance speeches.

It was also a history making night for Kendrick Lamar. The rapper took home five trophies, including Best Rap Album and Record of the Year, making him the most awarded rapper in Grammy history.

CNN's Lisa Respers France is joining me now. It is always fun when I get to have some time with you on TV and off.

Let's talk about the winners. They really got up there and spoke their minds about what they are seeing ICE do and what's happening in Minneapolis. What did you see?

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Yeah, it was music's biggest night and so they took to the stage, and they utilized to speak their minds. You know, Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Olivia Dean -- they all had something to say. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLIVIA DEAN, BEST NEW ARTIST WINNER: I'm up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant. I wouldn't be here --

(Applause)

Um, yeah. I'm a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated.

BAD BUNNY, ALBUM OF THE YEAR WINNER: I'm gonna say ICE Out.

(Applause)

We're not savages. We're not animals. We're not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.

BILLIE EILISH, SONG OF THE YEAR WINNER: I feel like we just need to keep fighting, and speaking up, and protesting. And our voices really do matter and the people matter. And (bleep) um, I say sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCE: Yeah. As you can see, they spoke very strongly. I mean, you know, including Billie having to be bleeped at one point. So they really utilized the opportunity to not just speak to the fan base but speak to the world that was watching the Grammys, Sara.

SIDNER: I just have to end with Teyana Taylor and that outfit. If you don't come --

FRANCE: That body.

SIDNER: -- get me and take me to the gym right now -- if nothing else does, that body will. Oh my gosh.

FRANCE: That body, absolutely, absolutely. She looked amazing, amazing.

SIDNER: So good.

Lisa Respers France --

FRANCE: Yes.

SIDNER: -- so do you, my girl. It's so good to see you.

FRANCE: As do you. It's nice to see you too, my love.