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Partial Government Shutdown Continues; Iran's Foreign Minister Speaks Out; Boy and Father Return Home from Federal Custody; Ukraine, Russia, and U.S. Held Trilateral Meeting; Amazon Touts "Melania" Box Office Success; Derek Van Dam Reports on Bomb Cyclone Aftermath. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired February 01, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

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UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is "CNN Breaking News."

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the "CNN Newsroom." Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean here in New York. The shutdown standoff on Capitol Hill heating up tonight. House Democrats meeting right now to discuss their next steps after Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told House Speaker Mike Johnson to not count on Democrats' help to reopen the government. The current partial shutdown will likely continue until at least Tuesday.

Now, just to bring you up to speed, last week, Senate Democrats negotiated a deal with Senate Republicans that would have funded DHS for two weeks as they work to find a bipartisan funding agreement for that agency, which includes ICE. Now, that legislation is in the House and Democrats there are saying no to that. They are demanding reform measures on federal immigration enforcement to be part of any long- term funding deal. And the funding fight is happening following the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal agents in Minneapolis over the last month.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, though, saying that the shutdown won't last.

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MIKE JOHNSON, SPEAKER OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: Well, let's say I'm confident that we'll do it at least by Tuesday. We have a logistical challenge of getting everyone in town. And because of the conversation I had with Hakeem Jeffries, I know that we've got to pass a rule and probably do this mostly on our own.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Also, this news just in to CNN, according to the FAA's shutdown contingency plan, about 10,000 employees will be furloughed. Again, that's at the FAA. That does not include the tens of thousands of air traffic controllers who will continue working without pay. We'll continue to keep, obviously, an eye on that. Joining us now, Republican Congressman Randy Fine of Florida. Congressman, thank you so much for your time this Sunday. We really appreciate it. So, let's start there with this shutdown. You all are headed back to Washington, D.C. We just heard from your leader, House Speaker Mike Johnson. Do you think this will end on Tuesday?

REP. RANDY FINE (R-FL): Well, I think we'll see. But what I think Americans need to understand is this is the second time in six months the Democrats have chosen to shut down the government because they're putting the priorities of illegal immigrants over actual Americans, and I hope that Americans keep that in mind because the behavior is simply appalling.

DEAN: And I hear you. I do think that they are very concerned about the shooting and killing of two U.S. citizens in the last month.

FINE: Well, I would push back on that. I mean, it's certainly upsetting that it happened. But when you engage physically with law enforcement while they are doing their job to deport dangerous criminal legal immigrants, when in one case you run them over, and in the second case you charge them while carrying a gun, bad things are going to happen.

The bottom line is people should do what I told my kids, which is when law enforcement interacts with you, you're respectful and you get out of their way. If those things happened, neither of these things would have.

DEAN: And there, of course, are videos out there and facts. The dispute, a lot of that. But I do want to stick with the funding fight because this is where you obviously have a very key role as a Republican member of Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson is going to need you and 217 of your colleagues to get all of this done. So, I'm curious where you are on this funding. Do you agree with this? Will you be with the House speaker on this?

FINE: Well, I first reject the premise of the question. Democrats should want government to reopen as well. They're the ones who shut it down. We had a negotiated deal for all six of these appropriations bills. They agreed to that deal. Many of my colleagues voted for things that they hated in order to compromise with Democrats. And then as Democrats do, they welch on the deal. So, I think it's all of our responsibilities to reopen the government.

As for me, I'm going to see what I actually have to vote on Tuesday before I make that decision. Right now, we don't know what will be in the rule, let alone what will be on the floor. And I always understand what's in the bills I'm going to vote on before I commit to vote them. But I am optimistic we're going to get the government reopened.

DEAN: And so, it sounds like, I just want to make sure I'm understanding you correctly, you want to read all of this before committing to a yes or no. What are you hearing from leadership on this? What are they telling you?

FINE: Well, what they told us is they thought Democrats would do their constitutional duty and help us reopen the government. The bills that we passed, these five appropriations bills, that are permanent, passed overwhelmingly on a bipartisan basis, and they are the same bill. So, for Democrats to now say, no, no, no, we got what we wanted in those bills, but we're not going to help you, I think it's pretty disingenuous.

The sixth bill, the Department of Homeland Security bill, that's the one we won't be voting for. That's just the two-week extension. And I will tell you, if that's a standalone vote, I will be voting for that two-week extension so it can be debated and figured out what the right long-term solution is.

DEAN: So, you are -- you are good with that one, if that is voted on.

[17:05:00]

What are you waiting to see in terms of what are you on the lookout for when you're reading this that would tip you one way or another in supporting these funding bills?

FINE: Sure. So, when we voted on these originally, they were voted in three separate chunks. And one of those three included things that I was uncomfortable with. Funding for transgender surgeries on children, the $5 billion in funding for refugees. These were things I voted against the first time, and I'll probably vote against them again. So, that's why I'm waiting to see what the actual structure of the vote is and what the package will be before I make my final decision.

DEAN: And so, again, not to keep beating a dead horse, but just for everyone watching, if just you decided that you were not comfortable with this and Republicans have to do it on their own, that does not -- because the margin being what it is in the House, each House member has a lot of power, ostensibly here, to sway whether these moves or not. So, you're saying that you could be a no, depending on what is in this -- what is in this.

FINE: That's correct. But, again, I reject the premise that it's Republicans' job to reopen the government alone. Democrats voted to shut down the government. Democrats have an obligation to Americans. I understand that they forget that. They think their job is to serve foreign invaders and illegal immigrants.

But it is the job of Democrats to make sure our soldiers get paid, our FAA workers, which you just talked about being furloughed, get paid, our air traffic controllers get paid. All of the people, our State Department employees get paid. Half the federal government is now shut down because of Democrats. Democrats have an obligation to help get that government back reopened.

DEAN: And so, when you're talking with leadership, with Speaker Johnson and others, what will you be saying to them in the next several days as you all work to reopen the government?

FINE: Well, I'll be waiting to see what they come up with. Again, what they told us, it would be a suspension with Democrats' support. Democrats welched on that deal as they did originally. And I'm just waiting to see.

Look, I'm proud to serve under Speaker Johnson. I think he's an extraordinary man doing an almost impossible job given that Democrats have no desire to assist with the running of the country. But I just as a policy don't commit to vote on things until I know what I'm voting for. That's the Nancy Pelosi strategy of voting on a bill to see what's in it that I rejected when I ran for Congress, and I'm not going to start doing it now.

DEAN: Yes. All right. Well, it will be interesting to see how this all unfolds. Congressman Randy Fine, we really appreciate your time. Thank you.

FINE: Thank you.

DEAN: And still to come here, President Trump setting expectations high for the ongoing nuclear talks between U.S. and Iran. We are going to be live from the White House with the ultimatum from the president and also what we're learning about those ongoing negotiations.

Plus, you have seen the photos. These triggered a nationwide outrage over this ICE arrest. Today, that five-year-old boy and his father are back home. We have new details on their asylum case. That's straight ahead.

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[17:10:00]

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DEAN: New tonight, exclusive interview with CNN. Iran's top diplomat says he's confident his country can reach a deal with the United States on Tehran's nuclear weapons program. Iran's foreign minister says his country has lost trust in the U.S. but that exchanging messages through friendly countries in the region has been, in his words, fruitful. President Trump has increased the U.S. military presence in the region but has not given any timeline on any possible strike when he's pressed by reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (voice-over): I certainly can't tell you that, but we do have very big, powerful ships heading in that direction. As you know, I can't tell you. I hope they negotiate something that's acceptable.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Saudi Arabia's defense minister reportedly said that if the U.S. backs off a strike, that will only embolden Tehran. What's your reaction to that, sir?

TRUMP (voice-over): Some people think that. Some people don't. If you can make a negotiated deal that would be satisfactory with no nuclear weapons. They should do that. I don't know that they will, but they are talking to us, seriously talking to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: CNN's Julia Benbrook is joining us now from the White House. Julia, what else are you learning about the White House's thinking on this?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Donald Trump was asked about this just a little while ago. This is as he was entering an event he was attending in Florida. And he was pressed by a reporter specifically on some comments made by Iran's supreme leader, that if the United States did strike, that it could lead to a regional war. And Trump responded by essentially saying that we could find out if that statement is correct. I want you to hear exactly what he said. Take a listen.

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TRUMP: Why wouldn't he say that? Of course, he wouldn't say that. But we have the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there, very close, a couple of days. And hopefully, we'll make a deal. If we don't make a deal, then we'll find out whether or not he was right.

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BENBROOK: And, as you mentioned, Jessica, last night, Trump said that Iran is seriously talking with the United States, and he declined to say whether he had decided on a strike against Iran.

[17:14:54]

We do know, according to sources familiar with the matter, that Trump has been weighing the option of a major strike against Iran after preliminary discussions between Washington and Tehran over limiting the country's nuclear production and ballistic missile operation failed to progress. Trump has also sharply criticized Iran's violent crackdown on the anti-government protests that were taking place and spread across Iran's provinces.

Now, in a post just a few days ago, Trump said that Iran needed to come to the table quickly. I want to pull up part of that for you now. He said -- quote -- "Hopefully Iran will quickly come to the table and negotiate a fair and equitable deal. No nuclear weapons -- one that is good for all parties." He added that time is running out.

DEAN: and Julia, in terms of a timeline for any potential military action, we don't know at this point, right?

BENBROOK: He has been very vague in his answers to this. Reporters have been pressing in recent days, but Trump has not provided any sort of a timeline. And when it comes to those ships and where they're stationed specifically, he said this, he said, they have to float someplace. They might as well float near Iran. So, again, vague in that response and what his intentions might be there.

DEAN: All right. Julia Benbrook at the White House, thank you very much. CNN's senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen spoke with Iran's foreign minister earlier today. In a world exclusive, he got his reaction to multiple comments on Iran President Trump made over the weekend. Here's Fred.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: So, I'm not concerned about war. What I'm concerned of is miscalculations and military operation based on misinformation and disinformation campaigns. It is obvious to us that there are certain elements, certain parties who want to drag President Trump into this war for their own benefits. And I think President Trump is wise enough to make the correct decision.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: How can a meaningful negotiation process be jump-started right now?

ARAGHCHI: A meaningful negotiation should be based on trust. And unfortunately, we have lost our trust to the United States as a negotiating partner. We need to overcome this mistrust. There are now some intermediators, some friendly countries in the region who are trying to build this confidence. It is difficult, but they are trying. So, I see the possibility of another talk if the U.S. negotiation team follows what President Trump said, to come to a fair and equitable deal to ensure that there is no nuclear weapon.

PLEITGEN: So, if this confidence is built, if you get to that stage, you are ready and willing to sit down directly with the American side, with someone like Witkoff, and talk?

ARAGHCHI: The question of directly and indirectly is something else. That is the form of negotiation. We have to -- we have to --

PLEITGEN: That is what they say they want.

ARAGHCHI: Yes. But we have to take care of the substance of negotiation, and that is more important.

PLEITGEN: Yes. President Trump says that negotiations are already going on. He has said overnight that there are negotiations taking place. How does that work right now with this confidence building, with countries in the region also helping?

ARAGHCHI: That is through intermediators. As I said, there are some countries who convey messages and who are trying to build confidence and to prepare the ground for a meaningful negotiation. And we are working with them, and we are exchanging messages.

PLEITGEN: Would you say that these talks that are going on right now are fruitful and can lead to a de-escalation of the situation to a point where real talks can take place?

ARAGHCHI: I think, so far, yes, fruitful.

PLEITGEN: Things like enrichment, things like ballistic missiles, things like proxy forces in the region, I know that the United States has talked about wanting to negotiate about that as well. Is that completely out of the question for you or is that something you could at least talk about? ARAGHCHI: President Trump said no nuclear weapons, and we fully agree. We fully agree with that. That could be a very good deal. Of course, in return, we expect sanction lifting. So, that deal is possible. Let's do not talk about impossible things.

PLEITGEN: What do you think the consequences would be if there was a full-on military confrontation between Iran and the United States? Because I know your military has changed its doctrine, that if there is a major attack, it would be considered existential for the Islamic Republic. What would that mean for the region here?

ARAGHCHI: If war starts, that would be a disaster for everybody.

[17:20:00]

In the previous war, we tried hard to limit the scope of war between Iran and Israel. This time, if it is between Iran and the U.S., since the U.S. bases are spread all over the region, then, inevitably, you know, many parts of the region would be involved, engaged, and that could be very dangerous.

Our missiles were tested in a real war last time, and we were able to, you know, understand their problems, their weak points, and their strengths. So, we learned many lessons from those 12 days of war, and I think we are now very well prepared. But again, being prepared doesn't mean that we want war. We want to prevent the war.

PLEITGEN: President Trump said he's also concerned about the rights of those who are in custody. As you know, he said that he believes that he prevented hangings from taking place here in Iran. Can you guarantee the rights of those who have been detained and whose cases are being looked into right now?

ARAGHCHI: Of course. First of all, there was no plan for executions or hangings. So, there were no plans as such. And right now, I can, you know, affirm that the right of each and every person who is arrested and detained would be observed and guaranteed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: And again, that was our Fred Pleitgen with a world exclusive. Thank you, Fred. A five-year-old Minnesota boy and his father are back home after spending more than a week in an ICE detention facility in Texas. Coming up here, how the Justice Department is responding after a federal judge is scathing ruling on that case.

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[17:25:00]

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DEAN: The Trump administration says it may appeal a judge's ruling ordering the release of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian, from federal custody. Liam and his father are now back in Minneapolis after being released from a Texas detention center. Liam became the face, really, of children caught up in the Trump administration's immigration push. Well, in this image showing a federal agent holding Liam by his Spiderman backpack sparked widespread backlash. He, along with his father, was taken by immigration officials when he was coming home from preschool.

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones is joining us now. Julia, we got that really scathing opinion from the judge yesterday. Now, we hear from the DOJ that they may be appealing this case. What else are you learning?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the good news, I suppose, for this family, that the father and son were coming home immediately, I guess, put into question by the deputy attorney general, saying that as far as the federal government can, they will appeal. In an interview this morning, Jessica, where the deputy attorney general talked a little bit more in-depth about this case, he said there was also a question of whether or not Liam and his father were here legally or not. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, UNITED STATES DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: The immigration law, the body of immigration law, is much different than our typical criminal process because of the administrative nature of what we do every day. And so, to the extent that we need to appeal that judge's decision, I promise we will.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC HOST: To clarify, the lawyer for Liam Ramos and his father say they were following the legal process for asylum.

BLANCHE: I don't know what that means. There's a very meaningful dispute about whether they had properly applied for asylum.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS JONES: Now, I should say, Jessica, an attorney for the family had told CNN that the family did apply for asylum when they entered the United States in December of 2024, that they had been following their appointments and showing up for court. Of course, that is to be discussed in court and that is part of why the judge's opinion was only to release them pending their decision by immigration courts.

DEAN: And Julia, that ruling by the judge, he really had a lot to say in it. Help people understand what was in that ruling.

VARGAS JONES: Well, it's only three pages, Jessica, but it has a lot in here. Well, like he starts by calling the government's actions of immigration ill-conceived and incompetently implemented. e goes on to quote Thomas Jefferson. He says, we the people are hearing echoes of the history of tyranny of the United States. This is quite strong language. And then he quotes the Fourth Amendment.

He goes on to say -- quote -- "observing human behavior confirms that for some among us, the perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty in its quest know no bounds and are bereft of human decency. And the rule of law be damned." Quite strong language there. The judge went as far as to include a photo of Liam in his decision -- in his opinion that went along with the decision to release. But he did make a point, Jessica, that he is not deciding on necessarily the merits of this case, that, of course, people are deported in our deemed -- their processes may have different outcomes.

An immigration court can decide whether or not to deport a family based on the merits of their case. And that is not what he's deciding, that the argument here is only about the manner in which this is being implemented, that it must be -- quote -- "orderly and humane than what it is being done right now."

[17:29:57]

DEAN: And Julia, obviously, this has a lot of politics swirling around it. Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro there in Texas was involved with this. He went and visited Liam and his father and made some posts today that he was back home, had written him a letter. What more do you know about that?

VARGAS JONES: Well, yes, Jessica, look, access to places like the Dilley Detention Center in West Texas is quite difficult. We do know, earlier in the week, Congressman Joaquin Castro had gone to visit with Liam and his father. He had said that Liam had been a lethargic in the press.

And then today, he posted that yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad, Adrian, were released from Dilley Detention Center. He picked him up last night and escorted them back to Minnesota this morning. He said, "Liam is home now. With his hat and his backpack. Thank you to everyone who demanded freedom for Liam. We won't stop until all children and families are home."

And it seems he posted photos of that journey, of Liam returning home, as well as a handwritten note that he wrote to Liam saying, basically, welcome home, and that even as a young child, you've inspired so many people.

I will say also, Jessica, that we're learning from Liam's school district that he is very much missed, and that they are happy to have him back in the classroom.

DEAN: All right. Julia Vargas Jones with the latest on that case, thank you so much for that. And still ahead here, another round of deadly strikes against Ukraine as talks to end the war with Russia appear to stall. We're going to talk to the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. That's next.

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[17:35:00]

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DEAN: Russia today launching a series of deadly strikes on Ukraine. Local authorities say at least 12 people were killed, eight others wounded in a drone strike on a bus carrying coal miners. It follows a pattern by Russia to target Ukraine's energy infrastructure, forcing widespread power outages. You can see the snow on the ground. It's quite cold there. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the next round of trilateral talks will take place this week. Of course, those are aimed at ending this war.

We are joined now by former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, William Taylor. Ambassador Taylor, thanks for being here with us. Let's just start first with this. What does it signal to you that Russia has resumed these strikes after a short pause at President Trump's request?

WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE, DISTINGUISHED FELLOW AT ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Jessica, it's a confirmation, if we needed it, that the Russians are not serious. Sad to say. They continue to bomb.

They continue to inflict, as you just said, damage on the energy infrastructure, which means millions of Ukrainians in very deep cold. We've experienced some cold in this country over the past week. They are double that, double the number of degrees, below zero centigrade. So, it's brutally cold there.

And what the Russians are doing is unconscionable. They want -- they're not interested in striking a deal.

DEAN: And all sides described this late -- this last round of tri- lateral talks as constructive. A diplomatic word we hear often in these situations, constructive. Zelenskyy saying there would be more talks this week. So, knowing all of these and when -- what you just underscored there, which is in your opinion and I think many people's opinion just with watching this play out, that Russia isn't serious, what do you think -- what do you think the chance for progress here is?

TAYLOR: Sadly, I think it's pretty low. There can be constructive talks. And the Russians have sent military and intelligence people there to Abu Dhabi. Ukrainians are represented there at a high political level, people right around President Zelenskyy.

So, they can have constructive talks. They can do a couple things. They can work out the specifics. If there is a ceasefire, how to monitor, how to be sure that one side or the other, in this case, of course, Russia, won't violate it.

But the other thing they can do is to work out options to give to their three presidents. These political issues are going to have to be decided at the top. It's not going to be decided by these people meeting in Abu Dhabi.

DEAN: Yes. And let's talk about Abu Dhabi, where they're meeting. This is happening in the UAE. What is their role in all of these?

TAYLOR: Well, they've been constructive. They've been helpful. They provided a venue. Both sides can feel comfortable there. They've been there before. The Arabs and the other nations in that part of the world would also like to be supportive. They like to be players in a big issue. This is the biggest war in the world at this point. And Abu Dhabi and UAE and others in the region would like to get some credit for helping stop this war. President Trump wants to stop this war. And the problem for the UAE, the problem for Trump is Putin.

DEAN: And so, knowing all of that, I feel like we ask this question all the time, but what about Putin? What to do with Putin?

TAYLOR: What to do with Putin is to put pressure. President Trump knows he's got leverage over Putin. Putin has been worried, trying to stay on the good side of Trump. Trump knows that he's got leverage. He's got power over Putin.

[17:39:55]

If he uses it, if President Trump uses the leverage he's got in terms of weapons, in terms of financial sanctions, just in terms of leaning on him, putting pressure on Putin to come to the table -- he used it when he demanded the ceasefire. Now, the ceasefire didn't last very long. And they often pause anyway to build up their stocks, and then fire again, as you and I just talked. But President Trump has the ability to put pressure on Putin to stop this war.

DEAN: In the meantime, Ukraine's defense minister says Kyiv is working with SpaceX to ensure only authorized Starlink terminals are being used as they try and prevent Russian forces from using that technology to guide their drones over Ukraine. What role does Starlink play in this war and how are we seeing that evolve?

TAYLOR: Well, we've seen a little bit of fits and starts, but it has played a big role. When I'm there, I use Starlink to tune into the internet and use WiFi. And the soldiers do, too. And the civilians do, too. And the government does, too. It's very important for all Ukrainians to be able to use Starlink.

Now, what the Russians have done is illegitimately, illegally -- they have tapped into Starlink. They've gotten some terminals. And Elon Musk, to his credit, is cracking down on this illegal use of Starlink by the Russians.

DEAN: All right. More to come on this, but Ambassador William Taylor, thank you for your thoughts, your analysis, as we see where this next round of talks goes. Thank you so much.

TAYLOR: Thank you, Jessica.

DEAN: Still to come, Amazon touting its new documentary film "Melania" as a box office success despite falling significantly short of turning a profit. Our chief media analyst Brian Stelter will crunch those numbers for us when we come back.

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[17:45:00]

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DEAN: A lot of unanswered questions remain concerning Thursday's arrest of former CNN anchor, Don Lemon. That arrest came roughly 12 days after he livestreamed this immigration protest from a Minneapolis church. Before his arrest, a magistrate judge rejected the government's attempt to charge him and several others. But the Department of Justice then took the case to a grand jury. That's where they got the indictments they had been seeking. President Trump has said he doesn't know anything about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I don't know anything about the Don Lemon thing. But he's a sleazebag. Everyone knows that. He's a washup. Probably, from his standpoint, the best thing that could happen to him. He's getting -- you know, he got no viewers. He was a failed host. And now, he's in the news. I didn't know anything about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter has obviously been following this closely. Brian, good to see you. You've written Lemon's arrest is about sending a chill across journalism and to journalists, you know, trying to have a chilling effect.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST, AUTHOR, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT FOR VANITY FAIR: Yes. It's a worrisome moment.

DEAN: Yes. Tell us about it.

STELTER: Yes. It is a worrisome moment because it's not happening in a vacuum, right? We've seen many attempts by the Trump administration to suppress the free press in the past 12 months. The president has sued news outlets, his appointees have restricted access, his allies have defunded NPR. The list is long. And the arrests of Don Lemon and Georgia Fort are now added to the list. That is what, you know, adds up to a chilling effect.

But reporters are emphasizing that they will not be deterred. And I think that's a really important takeaway from this story. Yes, the arrests happened on Friday. Yes, the initial court appearance has happened. Lemon and Fort are now back working, and they say they will not be deterred, and that's the most important takeaway.

DEAN: And so, what happens now, Brian, do you think?

STELTER: Well, number one, Lemon will be back in court in about a week in Minneapolis for a next hearing. This process may take months to play out. These charges, they all come down to intent. Can the government prove intent? And lawyers tell me the answer is most likely no.

But a question always arises in these cases. Is the government actually trying to win or is the attempt here just to shame, you know, Lemon in the public square to create this sort of legal circus? You know, some First Amendment lawyers say that's really probably the goal here, just to create and make an example out of Lemon, who, you know, is on his own now, streaming on YouTube and Instagram, no longer working for a big media company like CNN.

DEAN: Right.

STELTER: So, you know, we will see down the road how aggressively the government presses this case. But Lemon's lawyer has said he is going to vigorously fight these charges.

DEAN: I also want to ask you about Melania. This is the new documentary, obviously, featuring the first lady, Melania Trump. You've reported that documentary on track to take in about $7 million this weekend. Help -- give people context over that number and how it, you know, relates to what a typical documentary would take in and also what the marketing budget was. Again, this was put up by Amazon.

STELTER: This is really fascinating.

DEAN: Yes.

STELTER: This film was like a referendum for the Trump family. You know, you see liberals this weekend on social media saying the film is a bomb. Conservatives are saying it's a blockbuster success. The reality is that $7 million for a documentary is a fantastic launch for a typical documentary.

But this is nothing like a typical documentary. Amazon paid $40 million for the rights to the documentary, and then spent another $35 million marketing the documentary. That adds up to $75 million. And here's how the theatrical business works.

[17:50:00]

Every ticket that is bought, every dollar that's spent at the movie theater, the distributor gets about $0.50 of the dollar. So, if you add up the math, Amazon would have to sell $150 million of tickets to break even for this movie. They're not going to do that. There's no way Amazon is going to make money on this movie in the movie theaters.

And that is why so many critics say this is really an attempt to curry favor with the Trump administration. This is really a form of a bribe to appease and appeal to the Trump administration. We've heard that from a lot of voices and, frankly, even Amazon's rivals in Hollywood.

But today, I spoke with Amazon executives. They say this is about the long-term appeal of the movie on the streaming service, Amazon Prime Video as well. So, they are arguing that they will make their money back over time through the streaming success of the film.

Count me as very skeptical about that, Jessica. I think the biggest fans of this movie have already seen it this weekend in theaters. They're the ones that went out to theaters, especially in red states, in Texas and Florida, et cetera. There was a real fan base for this movie. But it was probably -- you know, it probably peaked on Friday and Saturday. So, this is a really interesting case where Amazon probably overpaid for the movie. People can come to their own conclusions about why. But because it was the most successful documentary of its kind in about a decade, the president can call it a blockbuster and is calling it a blockbuster. So, you see what I mean? There are multiple dimensions of this. And I think, in some ways, people can have their own takeaway about what it means to have a success for a movie like this.

DEAN: Yes. And as someone who covers media extensively, do you have anything else to compare this to? I was trying to think of a comparative example. It's hard.

STELTER: Yes. That's the thing. There's really nothing quite like it.

DEAN: Yes.

STELTER: The most popular documentaries in theaters are usually nature documentaries like "March of the Penguins" or music films like Taylor Swift's concert films. And yes, those did a lot better than the "Melania" film. But again, the "Melania" film is a political documentary. It's a behind the scenes film.

And you know what it's really like? The best comparisons are actually to faith-based films, movies about Christianity, movies about Jesus Christ. Those movies that don't get a lot of promotion or marketing in advance, but they open in theaters and they do pretty well for a couple of weeks, that's actually what the "Melania" film is like.

The difference, though, is that Amazon budgeted tens of millions of dollars to market it. So, given that marketing money, you might look at this and say it didn't perform very well. But if you look at all the comps to other documentaries, look, I was in a documentary 15 years ago, my filmmaker would have killed for the kind of attention that the "Melania" doc has gotten. This is really an audience of one kind of film, a film of one. There's nothing quite like it to compare it with.

DEAN: Yes. And to your point, I think people can take all of those points, and then kind of make their own decision about what all may be going on behind the scenes.

STELTER: Yes, I think so.

DEAN: Brian Stelter, always good to see you. Thanks so much. And still to come here, more than 20 inches of snow in some places. We're going to have a look at the historic winter storm that hit parts of the U.S. this weekend. Stay with us. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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[17:55:00]

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DEAN: A massive bomb cyclone that dropped historic snowfall across parts of the southeastern U.S. is finally moving on, leaving behind messy roads, flight cancellations, and brutally cold temperatures from Florida to Virginia. Officials in the Carolinas are urging people to stay home as they work to clean up from the storm. A chilly prospect for nearly 20,000 customers who are without power across that region right now.

Looking at the snowfall totals, parts of North Carolina sound more than a foot with nearly two feet reported in some mountain areas. Just 50 miles north of Myrtle Beach, Lakeview, South Carolina seeing 12 inches of snowfall. Some of the state's beaches getting more snow from the storm than some western cities have gotten all winter. Look at that.

Derek Van Dam has more.

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DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Here in Virginia Beach, the snow has come to an end from our bomb cyclone that's exiting out to sea. Behind it, it has left a fresh layer of snow here in Virginia Beach. Not something you really necessarily associate with this area.

But it's the light fluffy snow and it got heavier, especially as you moved into the outer banks and the coastal plain of the Carolinas. That's where we saw snowfall that exceeded a foot in many locations. Charlotte saw their fourth highest daily snowfall total on record.

There was a lot of wind associated with a system, creating whiteout conditions. Even here in Virginia Beach, we experienced that as the storm made its closest approach to the Virginia coastline. We're still feeling the wind, but the big story about this now is that the cold air that is drawing down with it is going to lock in these impacts you see here.

If there is any snow on the roads, it's going to take some time before it can properly melt. It's likely that it'll stay frozen in place here at least for another 24 to 36 hours before some temperature modification comes towards the middle of this week. So, that's something we can look forward to.

But just to give you an idea of how cold it has gotten, Orlando, Florida was actually colder than the capital of Greenland on Sunday morning. So was Tallahassee and so was Jacksonville. Yes, that's incredible. We even had what I like to call novelty snowflakes in the Tampa Bay area as this cold Arctic air moved over the relatively warm waters of the Gulf and it helped create these ocean effect snow flurries. So, let that sink in. snow in Florida and colder than the capital of Greenland. Well, incredible.

I'm CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam in Virginia Beach. Back to you.

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[18:00:00]

DEAN: Derek, thank you. We're going to have a look at that record- breaking snow in Charlotte, North Carolina. That's coming up in our next hour. And a new hour of "CNN Newsroom" starts right now.