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Inside Politics
Minnesota Officials Demand State Be Part Of Shooting Probe; Five GOP Sens. Back Limiting Trump's War Powers In Venezuela; Gov. Shapiro Launches Re-Election Bid With 2028 On His Mind; Buddhist Monks Trek Across 10 States In "Walk For Peace" To D.C. Aired 12:30-1p ET
Aired January 09, 2026 - 12:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:30:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- unprecedented this is. Are you going to be sharing information that you're gathering with the FBI? And federal authorities could not have been more clear yesterday that you folks had no jurisdiction.
And Commissioner Bob Jacobson was asked this question yesterday, and he said that they couldn't do an investigation because they didn't have any of the evidence. Is Bob Jacobson and the BCA really on board with this? I don't see them --
MARY MORIARTY, HENNEPIN COUNTY ATTORNEY: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- in this room.
MORIARTY: That is not exactly what Commissioner Jacobson said. So I think it's important --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, that's pretty much what he said.
MORIARTY: Well, please listen to what I'm about to say. I think it's important for everybody to understand that unit in the BCA was created, I think, after 2020 with the expectation that they would do the top-notch investigate absolutely everything, OK?
What he was saying was that he -- and this is what Superintendent Evans also said, they can't do the type of investigation that they would like to do, that they do do in every case, if they don't have access to that physical evidence. That is what he's saying.
And I want to remind people, though, we never have ideal investigations, pretty much. Not because of the fault of officers, but we have cases submitted to us where we would like to have other types of evidence. So what he's saying is that they will not have access to some of that physical evidence. That would preclude them from doing the thorough investigation that they would like to do.
Yes?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I could go down, I really thought Jacobson is part of this.
MORIARTY: Lou (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does this go straight to the BCA, or is this something that a catch-all for you guys --
MORIARTY: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- that you will then turn over to the BCA?
MORIARTY: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then you'll allow me to follow up.
MORIARTY: Yes. So the question is --
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: OK, you've been watching a press conference with Minnesota officials. And I just want to go back to where we dipped in, which was when Keith Ellison, who is the Attorney General of Minnesota, was asking the public to inform them if they have any videos or to give them anything that they either have or they have seen that is not already out there in the public about that horrible event.
And back here at the table, it's really striking, especially in the context of the questions that they were getting about Minnesota, the BCA, which, by the way, is the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. They're the ones who are investigating on the state level or should investigate on the state level.
They're pushed out of this. We know that. But they clearly, and Keith Ellison -- I don't know if he said this directly, but he certainly was insinuating that they want this information regardless of the fact that they're not officially part of the investigation because they're not so sure if that information is going to go anywhere with the feds.
MARIANNA SOTOMAYOR, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Yes. It's -- I mean, it's stunning just watching it. I was just surprised and thinking about -- we've seen the erosion of what is true, what is not true on Capitol Hill for a long time. We've seen, for example, congressional committees investigate and you have a Democratic response and a Republican response.
Or you have shadow committees, as they call them, because they feel like the majority party is not investigating. And this is kind of what it feels like. And the potential erosion of the public trust that goes decades of investigations, federal investigation.
Like, I'm pretty sure most Americans don't even notice that federal investigators always work with the state to try to get to the bottom of a number of different cases. And the fact that that is not happening and the fact that there could potentially be two different public releases as to what happened --
BASH: Yes.
SOTOMAYOR: -- that's just a whole other level of distrust.
BASH: Yes, public trust. Those are the two key words that you just talked about.
Stand by, we have a lot more to talk about here on Inside Politics, including what's happening more on Capitol Hill with Republicans pushing back. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:38:26]
BASH: President Trump said it could be years that the U.S. is, as he put it, running Venezuela. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TYLER PAGER, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: How long do you think you'll be running Venezuela?
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Only time will tell.
PAGER: Like three months, six months, a year, longer?
TRUMP: I would say much longer than that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What longer?
TRUMP: We have to rebuild. You have to rebuild the country and we will rebuild it in a very profitable way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: If, big if, but if he authorizes further military action, he may have a problem in Congress. The Senate seems primed to vote on a War Powers Resolution for future operations in Venezuela. That's because five Republicans joined Democrats to advance the measure, the latest sign that the president's iron grip on the GOP. I won't say it's fading, but we see some cracks.
My panel is back now. OK, so we talked about that, and I just want to put up some other examples, Marianna, and you to weigh in. Talked about the five senators. 17 House Republicans yesterday voted to extend ACA subsidies for three years. That is not what the president wanted, or the leadership.
Senate unanimously voted to hang a plaque honoring January 6th police officers. Shouldn't be controversial. It is in the White House. Dozens of House Republicans voted to override Trump vetoes.
SOTOMAYOR: Yes, it's a midterm year, so we tend to expect especially vulnerable lawmakers to vote against the party. That's normal. What isn't normal is the speed in which they did that in the first week of the year. And I think when we talk about the abdication of Congress, I completely agree with all of you that we have seen that happen over and over again, including in this first year that Trump's been in office.
[12:40:10] I am very interested to see, and I think this will be a story as the year goes on, because it is an election year, the majority is very, very slim in both the House and the Senate. We haven't seen the vulnerable members, and not even -- not all of the 17 who voted in the House were swing district members. A lot of them were rank-and-file people who represent safe districts.
If we continue to see this trend --
BASH: Yes.
SOTOMAYOR: -- it's possible that War Powers Resolution could pass the House.
BASH: So you talk about the House, but just going back to the Senate, I'm curious your take on this, Phil. The Republicans, I mean, you have Susan Collins, you have Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, you talked about what happened there. Todd Young --
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR & CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
BASH: -- Josh Hawley --
MATTINGLY: Yes.
BASH: -- these are not rhinos. The president put out on Truth Social, Republicans should be ashamed. They should never be elected to office again, those who voted against it. Listen to what Hawley said in response. "I don't take offense to that. I think the president is great. I love the president. I understand he's ticked."
MATTINGLY: I mean, honestly, first off, Todd Young is somebody who wanted to repeal the 2001 AUMF, the 2002 AUMF. He's worked with Tim Kaine on these issues a long time. It makes a lot of sense. He's been a problem for the administration on these specific issues.
He's been consistent --
BASH: On Congress mattering?
MATTINGLY: -- on Congress -- yes, on Congress having a role. You know, the one in the Constitution, the Article I part --
BASH: The one first.
MATTINGLY: Yes, Todd Young actually read the Article I part, I think. And credit to Hawley, who's saying, like, look, this is actually kind of a position that he's held on foreign policy and U.S. interventionism and is sticking to it on a vote.
Honestly, the shocking thing to the midterm point about what the president put on Truth Social, Susan Collins is the most endangered Republican in his Senate majority right now. I know they've had issues for a long time, but, like, she's the appropriations chair.
She's in a bluish state. She's got a really tough race and saying because she did this thing that she has always voted in this way on, she should never be in Congress again. Like, if you're the NRC chair, like, I know nothing matters anymore, but, like, you're probably sitting there being like, man, don't do that, please.
BASH: Not helpful.
ASTEAD HERNDON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, I think the five senators who joined, one specifically the War Powers Resolution, represent a swath of, I think, growing discontent among Republicans. You have your kind of more libertarian types. Obviously, the Rand Paul's been consistent on this.
But the Hawley, the Todd Young, I do think it's interesting. Donald Trump's had some issues in Indiana, kind of getting them to do what he wants, right? And there's an increasing sense that maybe that lame duckness of this administration, decreasing approval ratings, that some of that may be allowing Republicans in Congress to be hearing even more from their own voters of ways to break in limited spaces from Trump.
BASH: Yes.
HERNDON: But I asked Thomas Massie if he expects this to happen in the House also yesterday. And he said, no, I don't think so. I think Donald Trump's power here is still pretty total and complete. So I think we're seeing this in the Senate. But I would be somewhat skeptical that maybe the House follows in the same way.
BASH: Thomas Massie, the one who constantly and consistently votes against the president.
All right. Up next, two governors, a possible, actually a couple of possible 2028 contenders, make their case for their records at very different crossroads in their current office. We'll explain after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:47:35]
BASH: Is it a tale of two governors or two presidential candidates, or both? Yesterday we saw one governor, Gavin Newsom, delivering his final state of the state address, defending his eight year record in office and warning of dark times ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: We face an assault on our values unlike anything I've seen in my lifetime. The federal government, respectfully, it's unrecognizable. Protecting the powerful at the expense of the vulnerable.
But in California, we're not silent. You're not silent. You're not hunkering down. We're not retreating. We're a beacon. The state is providing a different narrative. An operational model. A policy blueprint for others to follow. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: On the other side of the country, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced his re-election bid ahead of a possible presidential run in two years. His message? It's time to roll up your sleeves.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D), PENNSYLVANIA: We've got more stuff to do. We've got more people to help. And we've got more problems to solve. And so, with a servant's heart and an ear to your concerns, progress made and with a hunger to do more for you, I am here to announce that I am running for re-election as governor of this great commonwealth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: My panel is back. What do you think?
ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I mean, it bears repeating, and maybe it's obvious, but there's no clear frontrunner or leader of the Democratic Party right now. And each time I hear sort of these clips of these speeches, I think about, I mean, you were on the campaign trail too, and I feel like I would often hear from voters who would say, like, we need a fighter that's willing to actually do something about the Trump administration and about what they see -- what many see as a threat to democracy.
It seems like you're starting to see these different leaders try to fill that void. You know, Gavin Newsom with the redistricting battle, Shapiro as well.
BASH: Yes, I mean, obviously, Gavin Newsom is the one who started earlier -- earliest, not just fighting, but fighting the kind of fight --
KANNO-YOUNGS: Yes.
BASH: -- that Donald Trump wages. This morning, there were job numbers posted this morning. He said this is in response to a post about the job numbers released today. He said that they are the worst job numbers outside of a recession since 2003, jumping on every little thing. There we go.
MATTINGLY: Which has been effective for many politicians, including the one who's currently in the White House. I'm sorry, I thought we were only talking about Zolan's interview with the President of the United States. We kind of pivoted a little bit.
It was great. It was great. I just can't read anything else in the New York Times, but there's 7 million stories on it, which is awesome. I'm kidding, obviously. It's fantastic stuff.
[12:50:13]
What I would say is what's fascinating about this moment, and big picture, and I actually want to turn it to Astead, who does this stuff every single day in an awesome manner, is trying to figure out the lanes that they're in, how they're trying to kind of act within those lanes, and then how do they try and build outside of those lanes.
I think there's very clear, like, cookie-cutter, this is how one person should do it, this is how another person should do it, and how they've kind of evolved in this moment --
BASH: Yes.
MATTINGLY: -- is going to be really interesting to watch.
BASH: Before you do that, I just want to throw out one other name because it is going to be a huge field, or at least at the beginning. Republicans are giving political gifts to Senator Mark Kelly, who is very much considering running in 2028. They're trying to censure him. Pete Hegseth is going after him because of a video that he posted.
Senator Kelly was asked about whether he was going to run this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you at least thought about it?
SEN. MARK KELLY (D), ARIZONA: Yes. Yes, of course. Yes, I think I would. Well, first of all, I think every senator thinks about it. At some point, I think it would be irresponsible not to think about it. But I -- let me also say that Gabby was a member of Congress in our family. I never thought I'd be in the U.S. Senate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: She was shot and almost killed 15 years ago this week, hard to believe.
HERNDON: Yes, this is an open landscape for Democrats in 2028. You know, when you think about the question of who's going to run, I think about the Mean Girls quote, right, the limit does not exist. You know, like there's going to be --
BASH: I thought you were going to say, stop trying to make fetch happen.
KANNO-YOUNGS (?): I didn't know --
MATTINGLY: That could have gone so many different ways.
KANNO-YOUNGS (?): Yes.
HERNDON: The limit does not exist. They're all going to run. And I think that we're really kind of seeing an open question of who Democrats want to be. And I think Zolan's point is really important. Like, they have evolved in terms of the base, in terms of the way they want their politicians to project, even.
And so you've seen that even in Gavin Newsom. Remember after the election, he was doing a lot of Republican outreach. BASH: Yes.
HERNDON: He had kind of started in the kind of middle of the road. Like, he has pivoted as the party has pivoted to embody that sort of fighter. I think that really works for this year, particularly as Democrats are pushing back against the Trump administration, hoping for a good midterms.
I just think in 2027, this is going to come back to a Democratic primary about ideas. And four years ago, when they had that 2019 big, sprawling primary, they never fully completed that discussion because Joe Biden won on electability. That basically you put those things to the side, and so we just have to focus on beating Trump.
That won't work this time. And so questions like ICE, what to do with it, about immigration, questions about health care, things like single-payer, all of those are on the table. And I don't think we have those answers from these politicians yet. I think that comes next year.
BASH: Yes, I think it's about ideas, but it is going to be, as it always is, about the person. And the ideas, I think, will go in there.
HERNDON: Yes.
SOTOMAYOR: Yes. No, I absolutely agree.
BASH: Yes.
SOTOMAYOR: And I do think, as everyone, just to echo what you said, Gavin Newsom is the guy who has so far been able to kind of capture that fighter mode. It's the name that I hear on the Hill the most, especially when Democrats say, why is he flirting with Republicans? He seems to have changed their minds --
BASH: Yes.
SOTOMAYOR: -- very quickly just by pushing back on Trump.
BASH: Thanks, everybody. Appreciate it. Thanks for that interview you did --
KANNO-YOUNGS: Of course.
BASH: -- in New York Times.
KANNO-YOUNGS: Of course.
BASH: Up next, a reminder, in the middle of all of this stress, anxiety, anger, fear, sometimes the best remedy could be to take a walk.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:57:54] BASH: As we end a week with no shortage of tension, anxiety, fear, anger, and concern about the striking lack of empathy in the discourse at the highest levels of government, we look for an example of something that can help us restore faith in our shared humanity and have a little faith.
And here it is, Buddhist monks on a Walk For Peace through the U.S. A 2,300-mile trek across the country from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., drawing attention from thousands both along their path and online. Overnight in South Carolina, a scene played out similar to other stops. Community members gathered for a blessing and to show their support for the monks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My friends, be well, happy, and peaceful. May the indifferent persons be well, happy, and peaceful. May the unfriendly persons be well, happy, and peaceful. May all beings in this church, in this area, in this city, in this county be well, happy, and peaceful. May all beings in this universe be well, happy, and peaceful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: They're traveling with Aloka, their loyal peace dog, who's leading the way. He's named after the Sanskrit word for enlightenment. The monks say they don't walk to change anyone's belief, only to raise mindfulness, compassion, loving-kindness, and unity.
Thanks for joining Inside Politics today. Don't miss State of the Union this weekend. Jake's there, and he is going to talk to Democratic Senator Mark Warner, along with Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. That's 9:00 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
CNN News Central starts right now.
