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Interview with Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA): House Passes Bill to Reopen Government, Temporarily Fund ICE; Russia Resumes Night Strikes on Kyiv After Brief Reprieve. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired February 03, 2026 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

WHITNEY WILD. CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Boris, he went on to point out we do not know how many other children might be in federal custody because they didn't have a viral photo that people latched onto that became so widespread and a symbol of what many believe is over-aggression by ICE. He went on to say, finally, Boris, that he believed that these actions by the Trump administration in Minnesota are an all-out assault. Back to you.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Whitney Wild, thank you so much for that update.

Still ahead, the House passing a funding bill to end the partial government shutdown, creating another funding cliff for the Department of Homeland Security in just about two weeks. Another fight ahead. Where things stand next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:00]

SANCHEZ: Just moments ago, House lawmakers voted to pass a sprawling funding package that will end the partial government shutdown. President Trump supports the package and is expected to quickly sign the bill.

The legislation fully funds a number of critical departments and creates a two-week extension of funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats are demanding reforms to how immigration enforcement agencies operate following the fatal shooting of Americans Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis. They're hoping to use those two weeks to negotiate changes.

Joining us now from Capitol Hill is Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell. He's a member of the Homeland Security Committee, now running for governor of California. Congressman, thank you so much for sharing your afternoon with us.

REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA), HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: Of course.

SANCHEZ: So Democrats were divided on the easy part of this funding debate, and now there's a question of how this two weeks is going to go. Do you think that two weeks is enough time to reshape ICE policy?

SWALWELL: Well, yes. If you stop roving patrols, if you take your mask off, put your identification out, get rid of qualified immunity, have body cameras, and no longer target people based on their accent and the job that they work, which they've admitted to doing. They could have done that yesterday.

I voted against this. And tonight, frankly, Boris, is the first debate in the governor's race in California. I wanted to be here to make it absolutely clear that the will of the people across California is to be protected.

And so I'm not giving them a penny, and I don't think we should give them a penny until they do what they said they were going to do, which is remove violent criminals.

SANCHEZ: Republicans obviously are going to object to a lot of those proposals, and they will argue for issues of their own. In fact, Senate Majority Leader John Thune says that Republicans are going to try to add a measure targeting sanctuary cities to the package. Is that something Democrats should negotiate on?

What are you willing to concede for the changes that you want to see?

SWALWELL: What I'm willing to concede is we should have a secure border, an asylum process that is swift and adjudicates the thousands of cases out there, and that we should remove the most violent people in our community. But what are we seeing? We're seeing people running through the fields and factories where they work.

Women are being grabbed by their hair. A six-year-old child battling stage four cancer. A U.S. citizen was deported, and we lost a nurse named Pretti and a mom named Good. And so another penny only funds more public executions. I don't want to be a part of that. People want to be protected.

They don't want to be executed. And that's what ICE is doing right now in our streets. And no small reform, like having a body camera, is going to be enough for the terror that they've imposed on our communities.

SANCHEZ: So what I'm hearing is that changes to sanctuary city policies at the federal level, to you, is a non-starter?

SWALWELL: Right. And I just want people to understand what a sanctuary city means. It means that when an undocumented person is a victim of a crime, they are allowed to call the police and say they're a victim of spousal abuse, or they've been robbed, or a friend has been murdered, and they saw that, and they want to help solve the crime, and we don't deport them for helping to make our communities safer.

That's what a sanctuary city means. It doesn't mean the police don't go looking for bad guys. The police will look for bad guys regardless of your immigration status.

We want them to do that. And so I'm not allowing, you know, the debate to target the most vulnerable in our communities and keep them further in the shadows when we want them to be protected, more protected than what we're seeing right now.

SANCHEZ: You've also spoken out in wanting to make it difficult, if not impossible, for ICE agents to get jobs at state agencies in California. Also for masked officers to lose their driver's licenses. What do you say to those who argue that you're just taking out your frustration with the administration on individual agents, and that those steps don't necessarily ensure safer communities?

SWALWELL: Yes. Well, if you still work for ICE, that's a decision. After watching a nurse named Pretti shot and killed, a mom named Good shot and killed, people dragged through the streets, thrown into unidentified vans.

If you still work for them, that's a decision. And I'm saying as a governor, I'm going to make a decision that you can't work in the state. I also am calling on every governor, use your emergency powers and take away the driver's licenses of these folks who don't want to wear -- or don't want to take off their masks.

There's a lot we can do to protect people. It's going to take people rising up in the streets peacefully and rock solid governors to protect the people. And by the way, that reflects the will of the American people who think you can go after bad guys, but also not terrorize women and have them subjected to having any masked individual throw them in an unidentified van.

And then they're asking, are they ICE? Are they a kidnapper? That's what they've brought into our communities.

[14:40:00]

SANCHEZ: You previously told my co-anchor Brianna that as it exists today, ICE is unworkable. It needs to be completely changed, rather completely crushed and reshaped. How is that different from abolishing ICE?

SWALWELL: I want to crush their budget, so they don't terrorize people. You can call it what you want. My job as a lawmaker and my job as a governor is going to be to protect the people.

And by the way, when Donald Trump was elected, he promised he would lower the costs. He is zero for 380. The guy said he was going to cut prices.

Instead, he's killing people. Nobody asked for that. People want to be protected.

And what I think Democrats have to do is go on offense. If we're not on offense, the most vulnerable in our communities are on defense. And this guy, he only understands the language of strength.

You have to make him react or we are seeing the most vulnerable in our community scared. They're not sending their kids to schools. They're not shopping at businesses in our communities. And I'm not going to let that happen while I'm, you know, in elected office. And I'm calling on every Democrat to meet the moment and understand who needs our protection right now.

SANCHEZ: Congressman Eric Swalwell, we have to leave the conversation there. Appreciate your time and perspective. Thanks.

SWALWELL: Thanks, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

Still ahead, Russia launching a major missile and drone attack on Ukraine after a brief pause by Putin's forces. What it could mean for tomorrow's scheduled talks between Moscow, Kyiv and the U.S.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:45:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Russia is resuming its attacks on Ukraine, launching its biggest missile and drone strike so far this year, several strong explosions heard in Kyiv overnight. And Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says the Russian barrage involved hundreds of drones and missiles and they were focused on energy facilities, which cut heat to thousands of people who are struggling with frigid winter temperatures far below freezing. The attack also ends an agreement that President Trump said he had reached with Russian President Putin not long after he said he'd reached it.

I'm joined now by retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton, who is a CNN military analyst. All right, put in perspective the scale of this bombardment, because Ukrainians are saying 70 missiles, 450 attack drones, a lot of it on energy facilities.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes. This, Brianna, this particular attack by the Russians was actually the largest one so far this year. And it was also the largest since December, I think, December 24th.

And then the volume of attacks has actually been increasing over the past few efforts here. And what the Russians are doing is they're deliberately striking the infrastructure targets that would really damage the Ukrainians' ability to survive the winter.

KEILAR: And it's like 25 degrees below freezing there?

LEIGHTON: Yes.

KEILAR: Fahrenheit, is that right?

LEIGHTON: Yes. It's depending on the region, anywhere between 20 and even 25 below. So it is. It's very cold there right now.

KEILAR: So what's the psychological toll? LEIGHTON: So the psychological toll is considerable because people know what the Russians are doing. They understand that the Russians are trying to force them to capitulate, basically. I don't think the Ukrainians will.

They're pretty tough people. But this is something that they will be dealing with years after this war is over.

KEILAR: And the president had been trumpeting an agreement that he came to with Putin to stop strikes on energy facilities when it is so cold.

LEIGHTON: Yes, and in fact, that agreement was supposed to last a week. It lasted four days.

So this shows that, you know, when you look at the way in which the White House is working this issue, they are not spending the time that is necessary, nor advocating properly for Ukraine, because Ukraine, whether they like it or not, is really our ally when it comes to the way the geopolitical structure is set up, and we really should treat them that way. The Russians are an adversary, and the White House is trying to make it different. But that's not the way it really is.

KEILAR: That you're spelling it out is so curious, that you have to spell it out in these times. I want to ask you about Iran, because a U.S. aircraft carrier shot down an Iranian drone that was aggressively approaching a ship in the Arabian Sea today. And hours after that, there were two gunboats that actually operated by Iran's IRGC approached a U.S.-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and threatened to board and seize the ship. This is what a U.S. military spokesperson is saying. How dangerous is this situation right now?

LEIGHTON: Well, it's really dangerous, Brianna. And one of the key things about this is, so on the one hand, you have the Iranians talking about having talks with the United States, and they, you know, are basically making nice when it comes to certain aspects of that. But in fact, what they're doing is they're moving forward from a military perspective.

The drone was a Shahed-type drone, a Shahed-139 to be specific, that went after the USS Lincoln. So that's the actual aircraft carrier. That was about 500 miles south of the Iranian coastline.

And a merchant vessel, the oil tanker, was a U.S.-flagged tanker with a U.S. crew. So the Iranians are basically practicing some of their swarming techniques that they use when it comes to going after ships in the Persian Gulf. And this was an aspect of that.

They used far fewer ships than they -- or boats than they have in the past. But they at least were out there showing kind of a presence there and showing an aggressive intent that kind of belies the negotiating stance that the foreign minister was talking about earlier.

KEILAR: And with this carrier strike group there still, what is your assessment of what the reality, the real possibility of a U.S. strike on Iran is?

LEIGHTON: So I assess it at the moment, I assess it at 50-50, but I might change that assessment very quickly to more in favor of a strike because of the way the Iranians are being intransigent. In fact, they also talked about moving the venue of the talks from Turkey to Oman. It gives them some advantages, perhaps, at least in their mind.

So they are trying to delay, the Iranians are trying to delay, they're trying to obfuscate very typical Iranian behavior when it comes to these kinds of negotiations. So they have to be careful, though, because I don't think this administration is going to be very patient with them.

[14:50:00]

And they have to really -- the Iranians have to understand that there could be consequences to these kinds of delaying tactics.

KEILAR: Yes, if they're trying President Trump's patience, what is he going to end up doing? Cedric, thank you so much, really appreciate it.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Brianna.

KEILAR: Boris.

SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour. Paris prosecutors say its cybercrime unit has carried out a raid on the French offices of Elon Musk's social media platform X. The raid is part of France's investigation into suspected abuse of algorithms and the platform's AI chatbot, Grok's ability to generate sexualized deepfakes of people.

Since the European Commission launched a separate probe into the platform, X has stopped all Grok users from being able to create revealing images of people. Musk and his former CEO have been called to appear at court hearings in April.

Also, three fraternity members have been arrested in connection with the suspected hazing death of a student at Northern Arizona University. Witnesses tell police the 18-year-old was found unresponsive after he and others drank a large amount of vodka during an initiation event at the Delta Tau Delta house. Some tried to perform CPR, but apparently, he died at the scene.

The three fraternity members are charged with hazing. The official cause of death is still under investigation. Lawyers representing each of them did not return phone calls requesting comment. The fraternity's chapter at NAU has been suspended.

And China becomes the first country to ban hidden door handles. This is a signature feature on Tesla vehicles and other electric cars. China says the reason for the ban is the inconvenience of operating doors from the outside and the handle's inability to open after an accident. The new rules go into effect in 2027. Still ahead, let the Super Bowl festivities begin. We're going to

bring you some of the best moments from Super Bowl 60 opening night when we come back as we look at live pictures from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Stay with us.

[14:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: The countdown to the NFL's biggest game is officially on. Players and coaches from the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots gathered for opening night.

CNN sports anchor Andy Scholes is in Santa Clara. And Andy, you were there. What'd you see?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Ah, Boris, opening night, always such a fun event. Media members from all over the world coming here to the Bay Area to talk to the Patriots and the Seahawks ahead of Super Bowl 60. Right now we're outside of the Patriots' team hotel in Santa Clara, California, where they just held another media availability.

Lots of talking early in Super Bowl week. None of the teams are practicing today, just more media availability. So they had opening night Monday, media availabilities on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Then that's over with and it's down to business and really getting after that game plan, getting ready for Super Bowl Sunday. But as I said, opening night, always a fun night. The biggest crowds of the night were certainly around the two quarterbacks, Drake Maye and Sam Darnold.

And these two guys took very different paths to get to this Super Bowl. You know, Maye, this is just his second season in the NFL. And I asked him at 23-years-old, what would it mean to become the youngest quarterback ever to win the Super Bowl?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DRAKE MAYE, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK: I mean, I think it would mean the most just for this team. I think, you know, the stat of the youngest or if I was the oldest, just being a chance to win the Super Bowl in general is what I'm most worried about and knowing that this team, how far we've come and just not to come this far, just to come this far and make it worthwhile.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, Darnold, meanwhile, he was considered a bust with the New York Jets, but he rejuvenated his career with the Vikings. Now he has the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. You know, he could be the first quarterback ever to go from bust to winning it all.

And I asked him last night, just how was he able to accomplish this? (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAM DARNOLD, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS QUARTERBACK: For me personally, like I really, I don't think it's anything more than just doing my job every single day. I don't think about anything else. I just, you know, think I have a job to do, and I have a job to do every single day.

And if I can lock in on that, you know, I won't have time to think about any other, you know, BS, I guess that I might be able to think about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Now, opening night is -- it's a fun night. It's the time of the week to ask some off the wall questions. And with the Winter Olympic Games just around the corner, I walked around and asked a lot of the players what Winter Olympic sport do they think they could compete in?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hockey.

SCHOLES: Hockey? You're a good hockey player?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've skated since I was three.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I had to choose, it'd probably be bobsled.

What is the bobsled? Skiing. Is that a winter sport?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Snowboarding would be fun. I've never done it, but I'd be willing to try it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me about a year, I could be really good at curling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Honestly, no, there isn't one. I don't think I'd be good at any Winter Olympic sport.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

END