Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Protesters March In Minneapolis Over Fatal ICE Shooting; Anti- ICE Protesters Gather In Front Of The White House; New York Times: Trump Briefed On Possible Military Actions In Iran; Crackdown, Internet Blackout Fail To Deter Protesters In Iran; Dozens Of Protesters In Iran Reported Killed By Security Forces; U.S. Launches Strikes Against ISIS In Syria; Search Continues For Monkeys Seen In St. Louis Neighborhood; "Grateful Dead" Icon Bob Weir Dead At 78; Dry Spell Raises New Concerns As Western Snow Drought Grows; Survivors Testify In Case Of Former Uvalde Officer. Trump: Trump: If Necessary U.S. Will Take Greenland "The Hard Way"; Greenlanders React To Trump's Escalating Threats; Zelensky: Top Negotiator & U.S. Officials Pursue Peace Talks; Ex-Husband Arrested In Deaths Of Dentist And His Wife; 83rd Annual Golden Globes Kicks Off Tonight; Maduro's Son Says His Father Is "Strong" And Doing Well In U.S. Jail. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired January 11, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:43]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. It's Sunday, brand new week, January 11th. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. I'm Victor Blackwell.

Here's what's happening this weekend. Anti-ICE protests held across the country. This, of course, is after the deadly shooting of Renee Good. The message protesters had for ICE officials and President Trump, that's coming up.

Plus, the outrage in Iran. Anti-government protests continue to spread despite a crackdown by the regime. Dozens have been killed. And this morning, Iran is vowing to retaliate if the U.S. gets involved.

Court resumes tomorrow in the trial of a former Uvalde police officer who is facing child endangerment charges. The key testimony jurors have been told to ignore and what that means for the prosecution.

Plus, President Trump says the U.S. will get Greenland the easy way or the hard way. The response coming from Greenlanders, that's ahead.

All right. Large crowds that gathered in major cities across the country Saturday to protest ICE and the fatal shooting of Renee good. In Minneapolis, thousands marched through the city, voicing their outrage and calling for ICE to leave.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just want to support Minnesota, support our immigrant community and get ICE out of our streets. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've got to stand up for our neighbors. We've got to stand up for our city. This is wrong. What's happening in this country is wrong, and it has to end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: The protest remained mostly peaceful, but there was a tense standoff between a small group of protesters outside a federal building. Federal agents fired pepper balls as you can probably see in here, the crowd, after the protesters started pelting cars with snowballs.

DHS officials released a new video that shows three minutes and 30 seconds before the ICE officer fatally shot Good. In the post by DHS, they claimed, without providing evidence, that Good was stalking and impeding a law enforcement operation.

CNN's Omar Jimenez is in Minneapolis following demonstrations across the city.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: We are at the site where Renee Good was shot and killed, and we've seen a combination of protests, as you can hear behind me, but also reflection at points over the life of Renee Good. And if it's not reflection, it is protest against the presence of federal immigration enforcement here in Minneapolis.

Really, this over the past few days, it has been trying to find the number of protests that have popped up throughout the Minneapolis area. For example, over the course of Saturday, we saw protests by the thousands of -- thousands of people, I should say, that started in one of the major parks here, and they marched through the city.

And even though this was a pre-planned protest, I can tell you Saturday was the coldest day we have seen to this point since this shooting actually happened. It did not seem to sway people who marched for hours through the city of Minneapolis, again, demanding that ICE leave the Minneapolis area, which the federal government does not seem keen on doing and does not seem like that is likely, but that is what people are demanding here. And then also in honoring of Renee Good.

Another set of protests we've been keeping our eye on have started or have been centered on a federal building near the airport. So, miles from where the shooting -- this shooting actually happened. But those have been a little bit more contentious, because what we've seen is it's typically federal law enforcement facing off with protesters.

And the federal law enforcement officers form a line at sort of the perimeter of that complex. And protesters yell things. They sometimes throw snowballs as vehicles come in and out of that complex, vehicles that they believe might be used by ICE or other federal agents.

The protesters will throw things at those vehicles. It prompts those agents to sometimes come out, take people into custody, shoot pepper balls, toss flashbangs with even -- which even some of our crews witnessed as well. But here at this site, the site of the shooting, we've really seen a steady stream of people come for days now. And you can hear, at points, cars will drive by and honk their horns in support of the people being out here. It's almost like a little mini community that's formed as people will bring food, they'll bring coffee. People of all ages will come and stop by as you even hear some music playing as well.

[06:05:03]

And while local law enforcement has been here, it hasn't been confrontational with that local law enforcement. For the most part, it has been chanting against, again, federal immigration enforcement being here and to remember the life of Renee Good, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Omar Jimenez, thank you. Make sure to watch "STATE OF THE UNION" later this morning. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem will join Dana Bash in the 9:00 a.m. hour. She'll also be joined by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and the Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara. A special two-hour edition of "STATE OF THE UNION" starts at 8:00 eastern, right here on CNN.

Anti-protest, or anti-ICE protesters were also in front of the White House yesterday. Some of those protestors said that they're looking to lawmakers and state officials to pass legislation that would reform ICE so that what happened to Renee Good won't happen again.

CNN's Camila DeChalus has more from the White House.

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Outside of the White House right now, outside in D.C., a significant number of protesters gathered in order to protest about what just happened in Minneapolis with an ICE agent shooting Renee Good.

Now, I spoke to several protesters that came out in attendance today. One of which was actually from Minnesota, and he said that he was shocked when he heard the news of the murder of -- when the ICE agent shot Renee Good. And he said that this was unacceptable. And it was more -- now more important than ever to come out despite the weather, in order to show support for this protest, but more importantly to send a message that what just happened was unacceptable.

Now, I talked to other protesters and I asked them quite simply, what would they like members of Congress to do? Does this mean that now lawmakers should pass legislation that would reform the federal agency of ICE. And they say that it's really important that members of Congress, not just Democrats, but also Republicans, that they come together and really try to pass legislation to make sure that this does not happen again. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK MCCARTY, PROTESTER: I think the main thing is accountability. The DOJ already has procedures in place that make it very clear that if a citizen is fleeing from an arrest with a vehicle, that is not a justification for deadly force. I think independent accountability and oversight over ICE activities at the state level, in addition to empowering state lawmakers and investigators to be able to hold ICE agents accountable for actions within their state, is a step forward to ensuring this tragedy never happens again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DECHALUS: Now, as you can see, a lot of protesters feel very passionate of what has happened. But most importantly, they are fearful that something like this will happen again. And so they really are looking to lawmakers and to other state officials to pass legislation in order to reform the federal agency of ICE and really -- to really send a strong message that they do not agree with what the Trump administration is doing.

Camila DeChalus, CNN, Washington.

BLACKWELL: New this morning, Iran is stepping up its threats against the U.S. That's after President Trump offered Iranian protesters his support as these deadly anti-government demonstrations in Iran deepen. In a social media post yesterday, the president wrote, Iran is looking at freedom, perhaps like never before. The U.S. stands ready to help.

Now, Iran's parliament speaker warned Trump the U.S. military and shipping hubs would be considered targets. "The New York Times" is citing multiple U.S. officials as saying that the president has been briefed on possible military options in Iran.

In the meantime, the death toll from the protests has climbed to at least 78. That's according to a U.S. based human rights group.

Let's go to CNN's Paula Hancocks now. Paula, we understand that CNN has spoken to some protesters in Iran. And what are they saying?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, we were speaking yesterday about the internet blackout and concerns that it meant protesters on the ground could not communicate with the outside world. We were concerned it meant a brutal crackdown was underway.

What we are hearing on the ground is that it does appear as though this crackdown is becoming stronger from security sources. We spoke to one older couple who said that they had seen people of all ages on the streets, but they then saw security forces equipped with military grade rifles, and they said that they killed many people.

Another resident of Tehran, talking to CNN, saying, quote, "bodies were piled up in hospitals." This is what we've been hearing repeatedly, the fact that there are a huge number of people who are being injured.

We spoke to another group of protesters who said they met a man in his 60s who had pellets in his leg. He had a broken arm. And they took him to several hospitals to try and find someone who could treat him. And they said the situation was completely chaotic. So, we are also hearing from those that are within the hospitals themselves, some very harrowing testimony of those that are trying to treat those that have become injured due to this crackdown. At this point, we did hear, though, also from one of these protesters speaking to CNN, saying that it is, quote, "unstoppable momentum."

[06:10:06]

So, despite the fact that these protesters are having to risk their lives to come out onto the streets, it does show the level of anger, of frustration against the regime that they are continuing to come out in significant numbers. More than 180 cities have seen these protests over recent days. But of course, the concern is that the crackdown is becoming more significant from security forces.

Official death tolls are impossible to come by. We do hear from human rights groups saying that they believe dozens have been killed, hundreds injured, well over 2,000 arrested. But we also hear in the same breath their concern that the death toll is actually much higher, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Paula Hancocks reporting for us this morning. Thank you so much. Other headlines we're watching, the U.S. military carried out a major round of strikes against ISIS targets in Syria yesterday. It's part of what the U.S. calls Operation Hawkeye Strike, and is in response to an ISIS attack last month that killed two Iowa National Guard soldiers and a civilian interpreter.

In Saint Louis, animal control officers are still looking for several monkeys seen roaming a north side neighborhood. Here's one of them now. The KSDK is reporting that people say they saw up to four of them on porches and just walking down the street.

Officers say they've checked alleys and nearby parks, but they've not found any of the animals yet. As for where they came from, animal control officials say they have no idea. But exotic animals are banned in the city.

Fans of the "Grateful Dead" are mourning the loss of the rock band's co-founder, Bob Weir. A statement on his Web site says the legendary guitarist courageously beat cancer after July diagnosis, but passed peacefully yesterday surrounded by loved ones. This is after complications from lung issues.

He helped write some of the band's most iconic songs, from "Sugar Magnolia" to "Truckin." Weir performed as recently as this past summer, celebrating the Dead's 60th anniversary in San Francisco. He was 78 years old.

This morning, a big warning sign is flashing across the west. Huge stretches of the region are seeing almost no snow. It's already hurting winter sports, but the bigger worry is what this means for the ongoing dry spell.

CNN's Allison Chinchar is watching it all for us. No snow, bad news. ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. California is really the exception where they've had a ton of rain and snow that has come through recently, but a lot of the other western states, it's really becoming an impact. And the long-term concern is we rely on that melted snowpack to get down into the Colorado River and provide water for some folks. So, there are some concerns here about what some of the more longer term impacts are going to be.

So, you take a look at this map right here. This is the drought monitor. This shows all of the areas where in the west where you have some of those drought levels.

Again, not dry at all in the state of California, but a lot of the surrounding states, especially some pretty severe drought in some of the neighboring states like Utah or Colorado and some of those other areas. One of the biggest causes for this has been how warm it has been. So, the few systems that even do make it into these areas have really been in the form of rain rather than snow.

Every single one of these red dots you see here on the map indicates the warmest start to winter. So starting December 1st, up until today, they have had their warmest winter so far on record, and it's a lot of red dots that you see on that map.

So, here's the current snow cover, OK. So I want to emphasize it doesn't mean there is no snow anywhere. They have snow. It's just not to the level that we normally would see by this point in the season. Again, the exception is California, but a lot of these other areas, Utah, you would normally see much more snow and much more higher levels of snow, especially in those highest elevations.

Here's a look at California. This was back in November. Now let's fast forward to what it looks like now. Look at all of this snow. Again, California is doing great, but it's the areas a little farther to the east we would typically have a little bit more accumulation up to this point. But California is doing quite well, actually.

When you look at the capacity of where they are, they still have some room, which is good because we've still got a little bit of winter left to go. But the concern is going to be how much more we get for the rest of the season.

BLACKWELL: All right. Allison, thank you. Next on CNN THIS MORNING, testimony is expected to continue tomorrow in the trial against a former Uvalde school police officer. The emotional testimony we've heard so far, and why the jury will not be able to consider some of it.

Plus, President Trump really, really wants Greenland. And he says the U.S. will get it the easy way or the hard way. The reaction we're hearing from Greenland officials.

And it's the start of the award season. The Golden Globes airs tonight.

[06:15:00] What we're watching out for, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Horrifying moments of the 2022 Uvalde school shooting are back on display in a Texas courtroom. The trial of former district police officer Adrian Gonzales will continue tomorrow.

He's accused of not doing enough to stop the attack. Nineteen students, two teachers were killed. Survivors took the stand last week, including one teacher who was injured while trying to shield her young students.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LYNN DEMING, TEACHER: He was shooting through the window and the kids were directly across. And I thought I made the worst mistake I had ever made.

I wanted to tell them it would be OK, but I wasn't sure. And I just wanted the last thing they heard was that somebody loved them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:20:00]

BLACKWELL: It took law enforcement 77 minutes to move past the shooter's barricade and kill him. Former officer Gonzales is the first law enforcement official to go to trial in the case.

CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson joins me now. Joey, some of the details when you read through what the jury saw last week, autopsy photographs. They heard from the mother of Eliahna Garcia, who said that her daughter wanted to come home after the awards ceremony. But she said no and now she feels this guilt. Heartbreaking stuff, but how much of it goes to the central question of the charge that faces Adrian Gonzales?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. Victor, good morning to you. And that is really the seminal point in the case because there's so much emotion and there's a lot to overcome by the defense as we look at the defendant there because of that emotion.

But I think the answer to your question depends upon what side you're on. If you're the prosecutor, you're making clear that, number one, there is a legal duty to act. You are a police officer. You are assigned to the school that designates a special relationship. As a result of that, you have a duty to do something. And the prosecution indicated that, look, we are not saying he should have committed suicide, but at least distract or delay or impair what occurred.

Number two, with regard to the legal duty, there was not action. And to the extent that there was not action, and you were aware that there was an immediate fear of death or injury because there's a shooter going on and you consciously disregard that, you're guilty. That's their narrative. Of course, the defense is arguing something different, and that is, do not be swayed by the emotion. The defendant did the best he could with the information he had, in hindsight, is always 20/20. And so therefore, to the defense -- to the defense's perspective, yes, this is a tragedy. Yes, you know, there are things that happen that are very awful here, but based upon what our client knew then, he is not responsible in this specific instance. It's the battle of those narratives that will carry the day with regard to the jury verdict, Victor.

BLACKWELL: There were scores of members of law enforcement who responded that day. However, Gonzales is on trial alone. And other law enforcement who were there that day will testify.

Why is he up for these charges alone? And how are those other officers more credible in their testimony when they didn't rush in in those 77 minutes, either?

JACKSON: So I think, from the defense perspective, they're arguing that that is scapegoating with respect to these other officers who came and they're not being charged. However, I think the prosecution will be quick to point out a number of things of relevance.

Number one, he was the first on the scene. That's specifically important because he's there assessing and gaining information. Number two, he's directing the others, telling them to stand down.

Number three, he is a school resource officer. And the other officers are not similarly situated inasmuch as all agencies are going to respond. All law enforcement is going to respond. But you, sir, according to the prosecution, not me, are the person who's responsible at that school, that creates a specific duty between you and the students. You did not do enough as the prosecutions position.

The defense is he's being scapegoated. It's the shooter who's the monster, not him. Don't be swayed by the emotion to misdirect the blame with regard to what occurred. He did not specifically know the whereabouts of the shooter, and he did the best he could to stop the shooter at the time. That's the essence of what the defense will say.

BLACKWELL: Yes. The defense attorney actually made a point several times during testimony last week to point out, you know, when there were pictures of damage in the classroom, it is the dead killer who caused that damage, not my client, right? Continuing to put the onus back on to the person who actually killed the children and those teachers.

Let me ask you about the, I guess, unknowable question about will Gonzales testify. I'll flip it this way. Is there value in his testimony for his defense, or does he open himself up to so much in cross that it's not worth, the juice isn't worth the squeeze?

JACKSON: Yes. So, it's always a game time decision, Victor. With respect to whether your client testifies, it depends on a number of factors. Number one, yes, there's emotional testimony, but does it point specifically to you, to your inaction, to your inability to know what occurred, to the information you had and not acting upon it. So, that really is the issue about being a game time decision, right?

Furthermore, is it something that will move the needle. At the time that the defense is up to bat, the defense has no burden, doesn't have to do anything, but certainly they can if they choose to. And so, if the prosecution's case goes in and you believe there's reasonable doubt, you leave it alone.

In the event you think that there could be value added, he testifies. There's always a problem, though, Victor, when a defendant testifies, because you open yourself up to being pilloried.

[06:25:05]

You, sir, were on that scene, right? You were given information. You did not go in. You waited instead of -- you defended yourself instead of defending those specific students.

You did that right, sir? You could have taken more action. You did nothing. In fact, not only did you do nothing, but you told other people to stand down as well.

So, it's fraught with difficulty. When you put a defendant on the stand, you might mean well but at the end of the day, as you note, the juice and the squeeze, maybe not so much. But we'll see.

BLACKWELL: Joey Jackson, thank you very much. Next, finally, a break in the case in the murder of a well-known dentist and his wife in Ohio. We'll explain who police took into custody and his relation to the victims.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:30:01]

BLACKWELL: Well, President Trump is making a big push to acquire Greenland. And he says if he's unable to get a deal the easy way, he'll have to do it the hard way.

In recent weeks the Trump administration has been discussing various plans to bring Greenland under U.S. control.

CNN's Julia Benbrook has more on what the White House is saying.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump has continued to escalate his threats against Greenland. He has not ruled out the possibility of military action and White House officials have discussed a wide range of options to bring Greenland under U.S. control. Trump recently said that if he's not able to acquire the territory the easy way that he's open to doing it quote, the hard way.

Take a listen.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: We are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not because if we don't do it Russia or China will take over Greenland and we're not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor. OK.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: I would like to make a deal, you know, the easy way but if we don't do it the easy way, we're going to do it the hard way.

When we own it, we defend it. You don't defend leases the same way, you have to own it. And, you know, with a nation, look at what happened with Obama with that horrible deal they made with Iran it was a short-term deal. It was like a nine-year deal. Countries can't make nine-year deals or even hundred-year deals. Countries have to have ownership and you defend ownership, you don't defend leases, and we'll have to defend Greenland.

If we don't do it China or Russia will not going to happen.

BENBROOK: Now Greenland's party leaders including the opposition released a joint statement making their stance on this very clear writing quote, we do not want to be Americans we do not want to be Danes we want to be Greenlanders. The future of Greenland must be decided by the Greenlandic people.

It remains unclear how other NATO members would respond if the U.S. decided to use force. Several European leaders have warned that such a move would have serious consequences for the military alliance. Some leaders of those member countries released a joint statement saying that Greenland belongs to its own people.

Victor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Julia Benbrook, thank you so much for the reporting.

So, what do Greenlanders think about President Trump's threats?

Here's CNN's Nic Robertson in Greenland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's hard to imagine this remote tranquil Arctic wilderness is at the heart of a geopolitical crisis that is pitting the United States against its NATO allies and threatens to upend decades of global security.

People here in Greenland are worried about what President Trump is saying. The latest things that he's saying is he can either have Greenland the easy way or the hard way. And what it is the people of Greenland treasure most? It is the tranquility and it is the closeness to nature, it is their culture here their right, their rights to go to hunting, to go fishing and they're worried that if the United States takes control of Greenland all of that changes plunging this the world's 12th largest country a population of only 57,000 people into uncertainty.

And I was speaking to someone here just a little earlier, and he said to me look what can we do if President Trump wants to take this country by force, we don't have a choice. So, people are really concerned at this moment.

Nic Robertson, CNN, on Nuke Fjord Greenland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Now to Russia's war on Ukraine, a Russian official says a Ukrainian drone attack killed one woman in the southern part of Russia overnight. Meanwhile the people of Ukraine are struggling with no heat, power or water in below zero temperatures this weekend and Russia is not letting up.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is trying to keep the war top of mind in the U.S. He says Ukraine's lead negotiator spoke with the U.S. yesterday.

CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau joins us now with more. Do we know anything about that conversation?

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER (on-camera): Well, we know that President Zelensky feels optimistic about what he calls daily dialogue with United States negotiators but of course what's missing from those negotiations right now as they try to agree on a framework Ukraine can sign off on what's missing is Russia. And let's listen to what President Zelensky had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): Only Russia is the source of this war, the reason for prolonging the war and deserves all the blows and pressure in response for everything it does against life and people, against diplomacy, against partners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NADEAU (on-camera): And you know Victor, when you listen to that it's not a desperate plea for attention, but certainly the idea that the United States has got its hands in many other pots right now is a concern here in Europe and a concern in Ukraine. And you know, you just really also have to draw attention to the plight of the Ukrainian people. It's about 14 degrees below zero Fahrenheit there over the weekend, more than half a million people in the capital without power, without heat, without gas to cook.

[06:35:22]

These are women and children and elderly people. They're people who are facing the fourth winter and they know it's just going to get worse, Victor, before it gets better.

BLACKWELL: All right. Barbie Latza Nadeau, thank you so much.

So, after a massive manhunt in the killings of a dentist and his wife in Ohio, the wife's ex-husband has now been arrested for their murder.

Sheriff's records show that Michael David McKee is in custody in Winnebago County, Illinois, and he's scheduled to appear in court tomorrow.

CNN's Rafael Romo has details.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Victor, police in Columbus, Ohio, published a statement Saturday afternoon with an update in their investigation into the deaths of Monique and Spencer Tepe, a couple shot dead in their home and found on December 30th.

Police now suspect Michael D. McKee of murder and say they arrested him without incident in Rockford, Illinois. Court records identify McKee as Monique Tepe's ex-husband. And CNN is working to determine whether the suspect has legal representation.

In the statement, police do not specify whether McKee is the sole suspect or whether there might be other people they may be looking for. A notable development in the case came Monday when Columbus police released surveillance footage showing what they described as a person of interest walking in the alley near the couple's home in the Weinland Park neighborhood just north of downtown. It was taken during the time frame investigators believe the couple was killed.

Spencer and Monique Tepe, 37 and 39, were found dead in their home on December 30, while their two young children were inside the residence. Columbus police said their children, ages one and four, were not physically harmed. Both children and the family's dog are now in the care of relatives, as Rob Mislein, Spencer's brother-in-law, earlier told CNN.

Misla also described Monique Tepe to CNN affiliate WSYX as warm, charming, and strong, and Spencer as calm, steady, and kind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROB MISLEIN, SPENCER TEPE'S BROTHER-IN-LAW: How do you tell a four- year-old that, you know, she's never going to see her parents again? It's just awful, but we've, you know, we've been giving them all of our love.

This person didn't just take two lives, right? They took a son and a daughter, a brother and a sister, an aunt and an uncle, cousins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO (on-camera): Mislein also told WSYX the couple would have celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary in just a few weeks. In a statement to CNN, relatives of the couple said, our family is devastated by the tragic and senseless loss of Spencer and Monique. They were extraordinary people whose lives were filled with love, joy, and deep connection to others. Police revealed early on there were no obvious signs of forced entry, as WSYX reported earlier, and no firearm was found at the scene.

Victor, now back to you.

BLACKWELL: All right, Rafael, thank you.

Tonight, the best in Hollywood hit the red carpet for the Annual Golden Globes. We'll tell you what you need to know about the nominees and the host.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:42:54]

BLACKWELL: The 83rd Annual Golden Globes will be hosted once again tonight by comedian Nikki Glaser.

So, the comedy thriller one battle after another. I don't know why it's in the comedy category, but we'll get into that. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio is currently in the lead with non-nominations, including for best motion picture, musical or comedy, best actor and actress in that category and supporting actor and actress.

Entertainment journalist Shagun Oduolowu joins me now. Shagun, thank you for being with me.

Let's start actually with TV because you say that there are some gimmies there that are easy to predict who's going to walk away with the statue.

Let's start first with comedy series.

SHAGUN ODUOLOWU, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Yes. Well, with comedy series, Victor, and like you said, we'll get to one battle after another because it doesn't belong in the comedy section for the movies, but you might as well engrave Seth Rogen's name on the lead comedy -- lead actor in a comedy and his show, The Studio, is the best comedy. That feels like it's a foregone conclusion. That's what everyone in Hollywood is talking about.

And if you haven't seen it, it satirizes Hollywood and the whole industry. And look, we love to navel gaze out here. So anything that either talks about us or makes fun of us, we're all in for it. So that in the comedies -- in the comedy department, Seth and The Studio seem like runaway winners.

BLACKWELL: Limited series. And I saw the one this one that you think is going to win tonight. Adolescence.

ODUOLOWU: Yes, Adolescence. It's a Netflix show. Everyone has been talking about it since it -- since it dropped. You know, it's a British show, and honestly, the children steal the show.

The young actors are fantastic. The storyline is incredible, and it really kind of benefits from -- from what another Netflix show last year, Baby Reindeer, did where that was all the talk. And Netflix has been churning out just really good limited series dramas. And Adolescence is -- is my runaway favorite for that as well.

[06:45:12]

BLACKWELL: OK. So, let's talk about some competition now in TV Best actor drama. You call this battle royale. Why?

ODUOLOWU: This is battle royale because the people in this you've got Noah Wyle from The Pit, you've got Mark Ruffalo from Task, right? You've got heavy hitter Sterling K. Brown in Paradise, like as the -- as the viewers can see on the screen, these are names that they recognize. And look no -- no -- no slouch Diego Luna is a fantastic actor, but I don't think Andor is -- is up for the challenge this time around.

My candidate that I would love to see is Gary Oldman from Slow Horses which is an Apple TV -- Apple TV -- Apple TV+ show. It's an again. It's another British Spy drama. Look, I'm all in for the Brits. Don't ask me why. But, yes that -- that's -- that's my candidate Gary Oldman. But I really think it's going to be Noah Wyle and The Pit.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about the film category, because there we have one battle after another in comedy or musical, not in drama. Is that the walkaway favorite for this category though?

ODUOLOWU: Yes, it is -- it feels like the walkway category although Timothee Chalamet and Marty Supreme like Timothee Chalamet is standing on top of the sphere in Las Vegas trying to drum up interest for -- for Marty Supreme where one battle after another has kind of done it organically. And maybe it's in the comedy musical category because Teyana Taylor's in it and she's an R&B singer. But that movie is about as funny as falling down a flight of stairs.

So, depending on your point of view, sometimes falling down the stairs is funny. But look this movie is going to run away with it. Paul Thomas Anderson has directed yet another classic in his, you know film, Oeuvre (ph). You're going to love what you're seeing on screen.

And again, heavy hitters, you've got Leonardo DiCaprio, I mentioned Teyana Taylor and then you've got Benicio del Toro just to name a few. Sean Penn is in it. So, a lot of big names. That movie seems poised to run away with that category.

BLACKWELL: All right, Shagun. This will be the second year for Nikki Glaser. Always funny looking forward to the show.

Thank you for being part of the conversation this morning. Enjoy it tonight.

All right next this morning on the "CNN This Morning," we're taking you inside the raid in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Maduro.

A preview of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER," live with David Culver, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:52:11]

BLACKWELL: This morning, we're hearing from Venezuela's ousted President Nicolas Maduro through his son about how he's holding up in jail. His son says that he spoke with Maduro's lawyers and shared this video yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLAS MADURO GUERRA, MADURO'S SON (through translation): The lawyers have told us that he's tough. That we shouldn't be sad. He told us not to be sad. That we are doing well.

We are fighters, Nicolas said. I am a fighter. He's tough and we have to be strong. We are not broken. We are whole. We are solid.

What we are is sad. And you express it. You cry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: CNN's latest episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER," takes us inside the high-stakes raid that led to Maduro's capture. And what it could mean for Venezuela's future.

CNN's David Culver is with me now.

David, good morning to you. There are lots of people who have questions about, and I'm sure you get to the answers tonight, about how this mission to capture Maduro actually came together.

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Hey, Victor. Yes, good morning.

It got a lot of people off guard. But the reality is, as we show you tonight, this was not sudden. I mean, this was months in the making. And we take you into what was a quiet U.S. military and really intelligence buildup that began last summer. And you're going to see how drug boat strikes escalated, how economic pressure was then layered on, and how U.S. intelligence actually tracked Maduro's movements.

All of this converging, as we know, Victor, a little more than a week ago, when U.S. forces carried out that raid inside Caracas and Maduro was taken into custody. We're going to show you how each of those steps really paved the way for that final moment.

BLACKWELL: And so you're back, just back from several days in neighboring Colombia. What were you seeing there as all of this is happening in Venezuela?

CULVER (on-camera): Yes, so the uncertainty there, you can feel it. It's palpable, right? Along the Colombia-Venezuela border, you've got security forces that are on high alert. They've got patrols stretching across more than 1,300 miles. Not really sure what's going to happen on the other side of that border that could impact Colombia. You've got people watching closely, unsure if this brings stability or maybe there's more disruption on the way. And there's real regional tension, especially as Colombia's president prepares to come to Washington in early February, we've now learned, after trading really sharp words back and forth between President Trump over the past several months.

BLACKWELL: So you pull back the curtain tonight on "THE WHOLE STORY," on the operation takes us inside the raid. But what else can people expect to learn tonight?

CULVER (on-camera): Sure. We go beyond the raid itself. We're going to show you how much of Maduro's power structure remains in place inside Venezuela at this hour. We're going to examine the legal, political, the regional questions that this operation is raising right now. And we're going to look ahead.

We're going to show you what this could mean for Venezuela, its neighbors, and U.S. policy in Latin America as a whole, Victor.

[06:55:01]

BLACKWELL: All right, looking forward to it. David Culver, good to have you on a Sunday morning.

And you can see more on "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER, INSIDE THE RAID, VENEZUELA'S FUTURE," airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN and tomorrow on the CNN app.

There's much more ahead in the next hour of "CNN This Morning Weekend." Protests nationwide after an ICE officer shoots and kills a woman in Minneapolis. Pressure is mounting for criminal charges as newly released video shows the critical moments leading up to her death.

We'll show it to you in just minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)