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NYT: Trump Briefed On Possible Military Actions In Iran; Protesters March In Minneapolis Over Fatal ICE Shooting; Protests In Multiple States After Deadly ICE Shooting. Protests in Multiple States After Deadly ICE Shooting; New Alcohol Guidelines; McDonald's Sued for Pork Content in its McRib; Bob Weir Dead at 78. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired January 11, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:13]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: It's a brand new week. Welcome to it. Sunday, January 11th. Welcome to CNN This Morning. I'm Victor Blackwell. Here's what's happening this weekend.

Protesters in Iran, they are vowing to keep up their anti-government demonstrations despite a crackdown by the regime. This morning, Iran says that it will retaliate if President Trump follows through on his threat to intervene.

Anti-ICE protesters, they were out across the country after the deadly shooting of Renee Good. The message from those protesters for ICE officials and President Trump coming up.

Also, just days into his administration, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is getting heat from his own party. The criticism he's facing and what he's now saying.

Plus, is dry January over already? New guidelines from the Trump administration. What they say about how much alcohol is safe.

All right. New this morning, Iran is escalating threats against the U.S. That's after President Trump offered his support to Iranian protesters as anti-regime demonstrations continue to rock Iran.

The President posted on social media yesterday, Iran is looking at freedom, perhaps like never before. The U.S. stands ready to help. In response to Trump's comments, Iran's parliament speaker told Trump that U.S. military and shipping centers would be considered targets.

And this morning, "The New York Times" cites that multiple U.S. officials are saying that the President has been briefed on options for possibly striking Iran. In the meantime, at least 78 people have been killed in those protests. That's according to a U.S.-based human rights organization.

We turn now to CNN's Paula Hancocks. Paula, good morning to you. Communication blackout there continues. How is that, if at all, affecting these protesters? PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, it's certainly affecting the way that they can communicate with each other, although we don't see that that is impacting them on the ground at this point, as the numbers appear to be growing. It is also impacting how they can talk to those outside the country.

And as we talked about yesterday as well, there is this fear that the crackdown from the security forces will become more brutal. We have had a number of protesters speaking to CNN over the past couple of days, and it appears, unfortunately, as though that is the case. Now, none of them wanted to use their names for fear of repercussions from the regime.

But we spoke to one older couple who said that they had been looking out into the streets and they saw people of all ages that were protesting, and they then saw security forces brandishing military rifles that killed many people.

We also spoke to another protester who said that when they went into hospitals, they saw, "bodies piled up." Now, this is something we have heard from a number of different eyewitnesses on the ground, the fact that hospitals are struggling to cope, given the amount of people that have been injured just over the past few days as this crackdown by security forces continues.

We spoke to one protester who was trying to help a 60-year-old man who had 40 pellets in his leg, they say, and also a broken arm. They had to go to several different hospitals in order to try and find someone to treat him, saying that it was completely chaotic.

We have heard harrowing narratives and descriptions from those within the hospitals as well, from doctors and those trying to treat patients. We did, though, hear from one protester who said that this was unstoppable momentum, talking about these protests, the fact that people are coming out onto the streets knowing that they may be risking their lives, but the anger, the frustration against this regime is strong enough that they are willing to come out in significant numbers.

So unstoppable momentum is how one described it. And of course, they know also that they do have this international pressure, what we're hearing from the U.S. President, and also significant pushback from the Iranian side, in fact, saying that Trump should concern himself with problems in his own country. Victor?

BLACKWELL: Paula Hancocks, thank you very much.

Joining me now is Justin Logan. He's the Director of Defense and Foreign Policy Studies at the Cato Institute. Justin, good morning to you. Let's start here with the threat from the President and the response from the Iranian regime. The President said that he'd hit Iran very hard if forces kill protesters.

The reports are that protesters have been killed. Some of this number is 78. Is it clear what the red line for the Trump administration would be because simply the deaths thus far has not been that? [07:05:07]

JUSTIN LOGAN, DEFENSE AND FOREIGN POLICY STUDIES DIRECTOR, CATO INSTITUTE: No, it's absolutely unclear what the red line may be. And I think that the indications that you've seen from the Supreme Leader and from the Iranian leadership is that they would love to change this subject.

These protests emerged organically, first from economic distress inside of Iran and broadened to include the political illegitimacy of the Iranian regime. When American bombs start dropping, there's always the risk that the subject changes from Iranians' discontent with their own people to what about all the bombs falling around us too.

So I think there's a real danger here, were Trump to engage in some sort of large-scale military action, that that could succeed in changing the subject and inadvertently relieving some pressure on the regime itself.

BLACKWELL: "New York Times" is reporting that the President has been briefed on military options for strikes in Iran. This isn't like striking the Iranian nuclear program, where those targets are easily identifiable. What's plausible that gets to the support of the Iranian people, those protesters?

LOGAN: So anything is plausible, I regret to say. But I think that, you know, leadership nodes, key paramilitary installations, places where the people who are brutally putting down these protests are convening, the intelligence is always a question here, right? You're not targeting, as you pointed out, nuclear sites that are clear. We know where they are and fixed.

So there's always some danger if you have bad intelligence and you believe that you're targeting some sort of paramilitary barracks, that you hit an apartment building or something of this nature. So it would really turn in important ways on the quality of the intelligence.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about Venezuela now. Your latest piece, your commentary asks, will Venezuela define the second Trump administration? Of course, time will tell. But I wonder how much you believe, if at all, the kind of flat response that the President received from those oil executives after saying that oil companies, they are looking to get in, they can't wait to get in, and the CEO of ExxonMobil says at this moment it's uninvestable.

LOGAN: Yes, this was always going to be a hitch. Venezuelan crude is different than American crude that's obtained via fracking, for example. There's a complicated set of arguments about the Gulf facilities in the United States being uniquely designed to handle the sort of heavy sour crude that Venezuela supplies. But uninvestable is a pretty hard word to get past.

I think the President still has room here to walk away from this thing. If he says, you know, we got the drug lord, Nicolas Maduro, and we kept the oil, that's going to satisfy a lot of the people in his base. And I don't think the American public are going to follow every detail of this thing as it goes forward, unless costs start accruing to the United States. If we start seeing it suck the oxygen out of efforts to bring prices down or to fix health care, for example, the American people are going to start increasingly saying, what are we even doing here? Why are we running Venezuela when we're not doing a great job of running the United States?

BLACKWELL: Or to have to commit military resources to offer the security guarantees that those oil companies say they need, in addition to many other things, to go in and restart work there. Let me ask you about the meeting the President says he's looking forward to this week. Maria Corina Machado, the opposition leader there in Venezuela, it came in the context of her coming with her Nobel Peace Prize, although the Nobel Institute says that that can't be transferred or shared. It is what it is for all time. But what should we expect from their meeting this week? Anything consequential?

LOGAN: I mean, I think the dilemma that Maria Corina Machado has had was it was reported pretty well last week that the CIA and the administration itself concluded that they didn't have a handle on the security situation. Now, that's above my pay grade. I don't know whether that was accurate or inaccurate.

But they concluded that the best way to sort of keep a lid on Venezuela was to deal with Delcy Rodriguez, who had essentially the same regime that Nicolas Maduro had. Now, Machado people understandably said it's the same dictatorial regime. It's the same, all the same problems that you've pointed out still exist.

Delcy Rodriguez is under similar indictments to those Nicolas Maduro was under. So I think if Machado is smart, she's going to try to impress on the President that, in fact, somehow they do have a handle on the security situation. Now, whether they do or don't, I don't know.

But that's really the issue that they need to try to move the President on. Marco Rubio said this three phase sort of plan for Venezuela, right, where we'll sort of stabilize the country first, bring in investment in the second phase, and then have a transition in the third phase, does raise the question, why on earth would Delcy Rodriguez, if she stabilized the country and got some economic development, why would she play a role in a transition, to say nothing of the Diosdado Cabello and the others who are, you know, keeping the crackdowns going inside Venezuela. So more questions than answers here, I'm sorry to say.

[07:10:04]

BLACKWELL: Yes, and there also seems to be this kind of PR play that they're doing while, you know, the President posted on social media that Venezuela started to release political prisoners in a big way. The truth is, from some of the human rights organizations, this is not in a big way. Just a few of hundreds of political prisoners have been released, while also creating consequences for anyone who shows support for the mission that took Maduro out. What do you make of this kind of one-and-two step that Delcy Rodriguez is doing, maybe just for her own survival for the near term? LOGAN: Yes, I mean, there's a real dilemma. I mean, she's navigating some tricky waters here in trying to both keep President Trump off her back, if you will, and to keep the sort of henchmen, the enforcers of the enduring regime, Diosdado Cabello and Vladimir Padrino, on side, right? If they turn against her, that's the end. And there's a real chance that if Trump turns against her, that is also the end. And they don't agree about much.

So she has to try to do these things domestically without getting Trump's attention. And she has to try to please Trump by not sort of completely blowing up their interests in the endurance of this regime. So it's a very unstable situation.

Again, the fundamental desires of both sides are diametrically opposed. So it's very tricky for her. And, you know, it may slip out of the U.S. news cycle for a while, but it's going to be a very fraught situation for years to come in Venezuela.

BLACKWELL: Justin Logan with the Cato Institute, thank you very much.

The Department of Homeland Security has released new videos showing the three and a half minutes leading up to the deadly shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer. The video, filmed from a distance above the street, shows Good's car partially blocking a street with several federal vehicles nearby.

Now, a group of people in uniform appear to be gathered on the street a short distance away from Good. DHS claims that Good was stalking and impeding a law enforcement operation, though they did not provide evidence to support that claim. Despite the position of Good's car, the video shows several vehicles successfully drive around her as she waves them past and continuing down the street. And it ends with a truck pulling up to Good's car and agents exiting the vehicle.

Large crowds gathered in major cities across the country Saturday, all to protest against ICE and the fatal shooting of Good. In Minneapolis, thousands marched through the city, voicing their outrage and calling for ICE to leave.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we 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: While the protests were mostly peaceful, there was a tense standoff between a small group of protesters. This was outside of a federal building, and you see here federal agents firing pepper balls at the crowds after protesters started pelting cars with snowballs. 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 protests 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 preplanned 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.

[07:15:00]

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. 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 for us in Minneapolis, thank you.

Make sure to watch State of the Union starting at an hour earlier today. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem will join Dana Bash in the 9:00 a.m. hour. I should also be joined by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara. This special two hour edition of State of the Union starts at 8:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN. People are still struggling more than a year after the wildfires destroyed communities in Southern California. The growing concern that they may be forced out as rent -- the rent rises there. Why they are waiting for their homes to be rebuilt. We'll get into that.

And drink judiciously with friends. That's a guidance from one doctor in the Trump administration who says, "it's a social lubricant." It's coming up in the morning roundup.

And playoff drama from the very start. The NFL's first two postseason games go down to the final seconds, including an 18 point Bears comeback against their arch rivals, the Green Bay Packers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:21:01]

BLACKWELL: This morning, there's a new warning across the West. A lot of the region is just getting too little snow. It's already hurting winter sports. And the bigger concern is how this could make the dry spell even worse. CNN's Allison Chinchar is here. And I understand it's not that they're getting zero snow. It's just not nearly enough.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's not nearly enough, correct. And even some of the systems coming in, because it's so warm, it's actually in the form of rain rather than snow. So, we take a look at the drought monitor here.

Again, you can see some of these areas dealing with severe and extreme drought. Places like Colorado, Utah, even a lot of the surrounding states. Now, California is the exception to this rule. But for much of the West, they would normally have so much more snow. And we talked about the warmer temperatures. And that's what's causing the problem.

We don't have many systems, but the few that are coming in, they're bringing mostly rain. All of these red dots you see here on the map indicate the warmest winter to date. So, from December 1st up until now, this has been the warmest winter they've had so far.

Anywhere you see these red dots. And there's a lot of them on the map. Now, that doesn't mean we have no snow. You can see where the current snowpack is. There's a lot of it in the Sierras, but also the Rockies, the Cascades, the Olympics. It's just not as much as we would normally see by this point in the season.

Now, the unfortunate part is when we go out into the future over the next couple of weeks and even into the months, the forecast still calls for below normal precipitation out into the West. So, we're not really anticipating seeing maybe perhaps that pickup towards the back half of the season.

Again, the hope is we can, but the forecast doesn't really look all that good. In fact, when you take the forecast out, even just the next 10 to 12 days, there's not really much of anything, even rain, that comes through for much of these western states. And they need that, especially the snowpack, because when it melts in the spring, Victor, this is what flows through the Colorado River and eventually into a lot of the reservoirs that the West depends on.

BLACKWELL: All right, Allison, thank you.

A look at our headlines this morning. Eaton Fire survivors, they're facing increasing costs as they rent homes while trying to rebuild their permanent ones. One year after the flames destroyed homes and businesses, the Altadena Town Council says that a lot of the survivors are seeing the increases as leases expire and insurance money runs dry and leaves them worried.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER BROWN, EATON FIRE SURVIVOR: I'm still here in the rental house and anxious, and I'll be responsible for the rent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: A recent survey found 80 percent of Altadena residents are displaced as of last October.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism for a delay in condemning pro-Hamas protests in New York. He released a statement several hours after state and local officials had already commented on the issue. Protesters had been chanting support for Hamas and saying settlers go back home at an event outside a synagogue. Mamdani later released a statement condemning the incident and also said that we will continue to ensure New Yorkers' safety entering and exiting houses of worship, as well as the constitutional right to protest.

[07:24:04]

Protected by absolute immunity. Those are the words of Vice President J.D. Vance about the ICE officer who shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis. I'll be joined by my panel of guests to discuss accountability for those who are in place to protect us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Protests spread across multiple states, Saturday, as people demonstrate against ICE. Investigation continues into an ICE officer's deadly shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good, a mother of three in Minneapolis.

Joining me now, our attorney Cody Randall, race and culture reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Ernie Suggs and journalist JaQuitta Williams. Welcome back to everyone.

So these protests, we've seen these national organized protests before. Likely not, Ernie, going to change the trajectory of this administration. But what is the import of seeing so many people out on the streets?

ERNIE SUGGS, RACE & CULTURE REPORTER, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: I think we're seeing in real time how this country is responding to the administration. This shooting of Renee Good, this 37-year-old mother of a six-year-old was tragic. It was impulsive. And I think that the country is reacting to that.

Now, whether or not the country is going to be able to do something or whether or not we are going to be able to see some significant change in the protest, because I think a lot of the protests that we've had so far, they've not resulted in any kind of significant change in how the administration is dealing with it, you know, how the administration is working.

So I think it's important that as a country, we continue to protest, that the country continues to protest. But I'm not sure if these hundreds of thousands of people are going to make a significant difference in how we think.

[07:29:46]

JAQUITTA WILLIAMS, JOURNALIST: You know, what concerns me, too, is knowing that this happened in broad daylight. This is a woman, a white woman with children in front of crowds of people. And I understand the protest, but I think that when you see these kinds of images and knowing that people are just marching and there needs to be more, I think, for this kind of administration to even begin to take it seriously. I don't really feel or sense that the demonstrations will do what I think they want them to do.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: When you say more, you're saying bigger crowds is in the way of No King's Day, which didn't change much in the trajectory of the administration then?

WILLIAMS: No. I'm not even saying the crowds. I think there are some people who want radical changes. I think there needs to be more images that are alarming, just like the ones we saw.

CODY RANDALL, ATTORNEY: The concept of that we don't -- protesting isn't going to make a difference, or that you don't think it's making a change, like never forget that a small group of dedicated individuals can change the world, because in reality, it's the only thing that ever has. The fact that we're sitting here today having a conversation about these protests means that they are affecting the conversation. They are affecting the narrative.

Whether or not this administration is going to listen to it or heed it doesn't change the fact that there are 460 other elected officials in this country that are seeing these people march, seeing them talk about what is important to them, and it's changing their perspective. Because we have elections coming up in November of next year, and they're all watching these people in the streets wondering, hmm, am I going to have a job after the next election?

BLACKWELL: And that was the follow-up. Is it on a state and local level, because we're coming up on midterms, would they have maybe a better chance at getting some change? Let me ask you about comparisons that's made, because there have been rhetorical comparisons to the George Floyd protests of 2020 in the early days, partially because it's in the same city and not too far from where --

WILLIAMS: Six blocks. BLACKWELL: Yes. Where George Floyd was murdered. Do you think those are appropriate, the comparisons being made between the protest after Good and the protest after Floyd?

WILLIAMS: I don't know. Both images are really, really hard. You've got an officer with his foot on this man's neck screaming for his mother. Then you have a mother who is in her vehicle who is clearly shot three times. You know what, that's a good question. It's hard to answer.

ERNIE SUGGS, RACE AND CULTURE REPORTER, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: And we have -- the George Floyd situation, we had a different administration. And you talked about how -- you know, whether or not politicians are going to listen. I'm thinking about the 1960s. I'm thinking about Martin Luther King Jr., what he was doing, and how he was able to influence the White House with his protests, how the civil rights movement was able to influence the White House. I don't think that that's happening now. It's happening maybe on a local level with the 2026 elections coming up. Maybe local politicians are saying, OK, my seat might be in jeopardy, but I don't think that it's filtering up to the White House where they're impacted at all.

WILLIAMS: How do you influence the White House when you have January 6th where people raided the Capitol and now, they all have pardons?

BLACKWELL: Yes.

WILLIAMS: So, how do you --

BLACKWELL: The DHS tweeted out yesterday, if you lay a finger on a federal officer or agent, you'll face the full extent of the law. We are coming up on the one-year anniversary of the pardon of all of those people who assaulted Capitol Police officers who were also federal employees.

Cody, let me play for you what J.D. Vance, Vice President J.D. Vance, said about the protections for this agent, Jonathan Ross.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Absolute immunity.

RANDALL: Well, let me say here clear and unequivocally, that does not exist. There is no such thing as absolute immunity for anything, everywhere, all the time. There are qualified immunities. There is a concept of immunity, say, for example, a federal judge. They have absolute immunity against judicial acts, things they do during the course and scope of their business, right, or their actual activities. They're not immune from reckless driving or shoplifting. You can't just say, oh, well, you can't prosecute them because they're a federal employee, right? This individual, whether or not they committed a crime, whether or not they murdered somebody, murder's a state issue, right? Whether or not the state wants to bring charges or have a conversation, that's their investigation to have. It's their charges to bring.

BLACKWELL: But that's a lot harder to do when the FBI bars you from participating in the investigation and does not share the case file and the evidence as the FBI is doing now.

RANDALL: This FBI, this day, this time, this administration, there is no statute of limitations on murder, whether it's six weeks, six months, or six years from now. If the government wants to bring charges against the individual and question whether or not this was a justifiable shooting, they can do it at any point in time at their leisure.

BLACKWELL: But let me ask you this. Keith Ellison, the attorney general there in Minnesota, is asking people, listen, give us the video you have. If you have evidence you think it's important, send it to us. Do you think they can reach the threshold of putting together a case without all that the FBI has and at this moment is not sharing with state officials?

[07:35:00]

RANDALL: What does the FBI have that everyone else doesn't have? All of this footage that's being released is coming from bystanders, from people with cameras, from individual civilians, from people that were recording the interaction.

There was, I believe, a video release that was cell phone video that was recorded by the agent that perpetrated the activity himself, but the ICE depart -- like ICE isn't releasing information that they think is detrimental to them, right? It's not just going to be handed over, you have to get that tooth and nail. They're running a opposition game to this.

So, whether the state gets information from individuals I think it's entirely possible they could get enough evidence from the people that were there to at least in panel a jury or have a question with a grand jury as whether or not charges are appropriate.

BLACKWELL: All right. Everybody stay with me. Coming up, go ahead and have the third drink. There are new guidelines from the Trump administration about how much alcohol we should have and your friend group may be affected.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:40:00]

BLACKWELL: The U.S. has now decided to ease up on its drinking guidance. The previous guidance was to not consume more than one or two alcoholic beverages per day, but that got rolled back in favor of just saying drink less for better overall health. Here's what Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MEHMET OZ, ADMINISTRATOR, CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES: So, alcohol is a social lubricant that brings people together. In the best-case scenario, I don't think you should drink alcohol, but it does allow people an excuse to bond and socialize, and there's probably nothing healthier than having a good time with friends in a safe way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Cody, Ernie, Jaquitta are back. OK with that? Makes sense?

WILLIAMS: Lubricant and excuse were the two words that just kept ringing in my head.

BLACKWELL: And a good time with friends.

WILLIAMS: And a good time with friends. But I don't think you need three drinks in order to do that, to have a good time. Now, if you want to be sloppy, if you want to be loose about it, that's another thing. And I'm a breast cancer survivor, so alcohol and me, we don't always necessarily get along. So, I try to make sure I stay away from alcohol, because I know it's a poison to my body. I don't want reoccurrences. So, I don't know, I question how much we're telling people to, you know, have a good time with your friends, lubricant and all that stuff.

BLACKWELL: And the concern is, is that the previous guidance told people at the point at which the risk begins, right? One per day for a female, two per day for a male. And then at a certain point, you put yourself at risk for some types of cancers, for heart disease. Does it matter that the administration saying now, hmm, no alcohol is good, but go out and have a good time?

SUGGS: I mean, I think it's -- I think that's a good point. I mean, I don't drink. I've never had an alcohol. You guys tried to get me drunk last week with -- on Saturday --

BLACKWELL: We gave him one cocktail with a bit of champagne and now I'm a bad influence. Go ahead.

SUGGS: So, yes. So, -- but I think, you know, a lot of my friends, you know, Jaquitta talks about this as well, you know, it, alcohol, I can see the fact of the bonding issue in that. And I think that's good. I think that's a good thing. And I think that as long as you have people who are like me, who are kind of watching and making sure that everybody's OK, then it's fine. I think the guidelines easing is fine.

RANDALL: I mean, OK. I'm going to start with the fact that we're going to start a glance over the obvious that the current administration is saying, hey, get drunk and have a good time. But that being said, I am a firm believer that all things in moderation, including moderation, right? It's OK to go out and have a good time with your friends. You can have a couple of drinks if you want to.

A Friday night, a Saturday night, a wedding, a celebration, that's great. But if we're encouraging people to just daily, like go on a bender, that's less a good time and more condition that you might need treatment for. So, enjoy yourself, but, you know, maybe not a six pack on a Wednesday.

BLACKWELL: I think they're also trying to get to the loneliness epidemic that trying to bring people together, that weighing the balances of those two elements.

Let me ask you about a lawsuit, McDonald's fighting a lawsuit. I didn't even need to say the sandwich yet. The McRib. So, there are these four people who have now -- they're suing McDonald's, this class action lawsuit. They say that the McRib is concealing the truth. McDonald's concealing the truth about it, that it's not any actual meaningful amount of pork rib meat. Who thought that there was?

WILLIAMS: I have no idea. I don't know who thought it was actually --

BLACKWELL: Pork rib meat.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

BLACKWELL: I think it gives it away when they press the bone shape into the sandwich.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

BLACKWELL: I mean, clearly these are not actually ribs.

WILLIAMS: Absolutely not.

BLACKWELL: But according to the lawsuit, the rib shaped patty instead composed of exclusively lower quality pork products, such as shoulder, heart, stomach, and tripe. McDonald's told USA Today that it advertises the sandwich is a hundred percent pork and that this lawsuit is making inaccurate claims. Is it a credible lawsuit?

RANDALL: They're advertising is a hundred percent pork. It is, in fact, a hundred percent pork. They're not saying that it's rib meat. They're not saying whatever, like particular things. But that being said, I don't think if you made -- if you put a billboard with every single actual ingredient that's on this thing, they would still sell like hotcakes. The people that like the McRib is like a cult following. They show up in droves and stand in lines to get it. Four people that want to sue them, I think they're more opportunistic than they are actually victims of McDonald's.

WILLIAMS: I've never had them.

BLACKWELL: I never had a McRib.

WILLIAMS: I think he had one. You had one, right?

SUGGS: I had one in high school.

WILLIAMS: He mentioned how he got really sick.

BLACKWELL: You had one in high school?

SUGGS: I had one in high school and got violently ill. I don't know if I should say that on television, but I haven't had one since.

BLACKWELL: OK. All right. Let's now go to the Golden Globes. Big show tonight. Every year I get to the show and I'm thinking I haven't seen most of these movies. Do you have favorites?

WILLIAMS: I do.

BLACKWELL: OK.

WILLIAMS: "Sinners."

BLACKWELL: Yes.

WILLIAMS: "One Battle After Another."

BLACKWELL: Yes.

WILLIAMS: Those are my two top tenders.

[07:45:00]

SUGGS: Yes, those are my two as well. One's drama and one's comedy. So, I think they're both going to have a good night tonight.

RANDALL: But it's not really a comedy.

WILLIAMS: Which one is comedy?

BLACKWELL: It's in the comedy and musical category.

SUGGS: Yes, exactly. So, there's two categories.

BLACKWELL: Yes, "One Battle After Another" is in the comedy and musical category.

WILLIAMS: Oh, wow.

BLACKWELL: And then "Sinners" is in the drama category.

SUGGS: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Favorite?

RANDALL: I'm going to stay out of this one because the only movie that I saw in the last six months was "Zootopia 2." And it was a masterpiece.

SUGGS: Is that nominated?

RANDALL: I don't know if it is. I haven't paid attention to that.

BLACKWELL: There is an animated category. I didn't look at it either. I didn't expect that to be your answer. All right. Cody, Ernie, Jaquitta, thank you all.

WILLIAMS: Thank you.

SUGGS: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: All right. It was playoff drama from the very start and down to the wire in the final seconds of an 18-point Bears comeback. Coy Wire has your highlights next in sports.

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[07:50:00]

BLACKWELL: Fans of the "Grateful Dead" are mourning the loss of the rock band's co-founder, Bob Weir. A statement on his website says the legendary guitarist courageously beat cancer after July diagnosis, but passed peacefully yesterday, surrounded by loved ones. He suffered complications from lung issues. Weir helped write some of the band's most iconic songs from "Sugar Magnolia" to "Truckin'." He performed this past summer, celebrating the dead 60th anniversary in San Francisco. He was 78 years old.

The NFL playoffs are underway with Saturday's games, delivering nonstop drama. Both matchups came down to late touchdowns for the win. The Bears staged a comeback for the ages to top the Packers, while the Rams held on tight for a road win against the young Panthers team. Coy Wire joins me now. Big start to a wildcard weekend.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Huge start. And we'll start with that longest rivalry in the NFL. The Bears and Packers dating back to 1921. This was just the third time ever, though, that the Bears and Packers met in the playoffs.

Now, you mentioned comeback for the ages. The Packers were up 21 to 3 at halftime, but with about four minutes to go, Caleb Williams hits Salama Davis and Keyes for the touchdown. Looks like he's on that social lubricant right there. They go for two. Williams hits rookie Colston Loveland, who has a monster game. Game high. 137 seven yards. They busted out the cheese grater. Packers would miss a field goal attempt. So, Chicago gets it back and Williams finds DJ Moore for the touchdown and the lead.

The Packers have one last shot, but Jordan Love's pass falls incomplete. So, the Bears get their first playoff win in 15 years, 31 to 27 Packers eliminated. Chicago, they'll get to play in front of their fans at home again next week as well.

Now, Williams completed just 50 percent of his passes. He had two interceptions, but he also had those two touchdowns and another comeback win. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CALEB WILLIAMS, BEARS QUARTERBACK: We understand that it's 60 minutes of football. We understand and know who we are. We understand what this means to the city. We understand what this means to the organization. We also understand what this means to us. And so, you keep going, you keep going, you keep fighting. And when the clock hits zero, you'll look up and see who wins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Now, the Rams, they were up 14 early over the Panthers, but the Panthers kept pounding. The defense got an interception in the fourth and then special teams blocked this punt when they were down 27-24. It gave them the ball deep in Rams' territory. The former number one overall pick, Bryce Young, threw a touchdown with two minutes to play, the go ahead. But that was plenty of time for the front runner for league MVP Matthew Stafford to hit Colby Parkinson, who makes an incredible grab. That's the game winning score with 30 seconds to go.

Now, listen to what Stafford said to his team in the huddle on that final drive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVANTE ADAMS, RAMS WIDE RECEIVER: You say, let's go snatch these guys hearts. And that was that was pretty cold. Pretty cold. Just to hear that. And I actually like literally smiled in the moment because I thought that I was like one of the most gangster things you could say in that moment, honestly. And to hear him say that and look at his -- on his face and then throw the touchdown, and then look on his face after that was just like MVP stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right. here's a look at the games coming up today. The Bills, they head to Jacksonville to face the Jags at one Eastern. Then the defending champion Eagles will face the 49ers. The Patriots hosting the Chargers in the nightcap.

Allison, good to see you. You mentioned the winter weather sports potentially being threatened because of except for the indoor ones, right? And on that note, Allison is taking me curling this week. And I want to officially invite you to come join us. She's a coach, did you know?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And all the supplies you need, Victor.

BLACKWELL: I'm in.

WIRE: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Let's go snatch some hearts. All right. Thank you, Coy.

WIRE: You got it. BLACKWELL: All right. The City of Harbin in China has one of the largest winter festivals in the world. Believe me, it's a sight to see. CNN's Paula Newton has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The annual Harbin Ice and Snow Festival is lighting up the January sky. A winter wonderland in one of China's coldest cities, built using a record 400,000 cubic meters of ice and snow. This year's theme, a fairytale world. Designs include a castle, frozen flowers, and a replica of the Taj Mahal, just a little smaller.

[07:55:00]

The festival has become a tourist mecca, featuring light shows, ice slides, and even weddings. Couples braving sub-zero temperatures just to say, I do.

CAO WEIDONG, BRIDEGROOM (through translator): Although it's quite cold outside, my heart feels warm.

NEWTON (voice-over): The event attracts ice artists from right around the globe.

NINA KYIVIET, DUTCH ICE SCULPTOR: Our sculpture is a lot about, yes, perfect shapes, geometry, but they're going to be blocks on top of each other. So, it's also kind of like more of a natural formation that's growing.

NEWTON (voice-over): It's not just glitz and glam. Harbin is a cold weather cash cow. Last year, state media reported more than 90 million visitors spending nearly $20 billion. The show goes on until mid- February, weather permitting.

Paula Newton, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: And thank you for joining us for CNN This Morning Weekend. Have a good Sunday.

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[08:00:00]