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One World with Zain Asher
Nationwide Protests Erupt Over Deadly I.C.E. Shooting; New Details About I.C.E. Agent Who Killed Woman in Minneapolis; Federal and State Agencies Are Investigating Oregon Shooting; Minneapolis Mayor Calls for Local Role in I.C.E. Shooting Probe; Protests Enter 13th Day as Government Cuts Internet; Ukraine Hit with Hypersonic Missile in Overnight Strikes. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired January 09, 2026 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Hello, everyone. Live from New York. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: And I'm Zain Asher. You are watching "One World". Nationwide protests continue from coast to coast this as tensions
deepen over the Trump Administration's immigration crackdown.
GOLODRYGA: Here you can see some of the crowds that took to the streets last night. Protesters expressing outrage after an I.C.E. agent fatally
shot 37-year-old Renee Good.
ASHER: Yeah. Right now, Minnesotans are observing a moment of silence during the day of unity, as ordered by the governor. New details are
emerging after state, authorities say the FBI blocked them from the investigation. Sources tell CNN some in the Trump Administration are
concerned Minnesota officials cannot be trusted.
And believe that information from the probe could have jeopardized I.C.E. agent's safety. Last hour, Minneapolis city and state leaders, including
Mayor Jacob Frey held a news conference on the fatal I.C.E. shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACOB FREY, MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR: The fact that Pam Bondi's Department of Justice and this presidential administration has already come to a
conclusion about those facts is deeply concerning. The facts that from the very beginning, they're calling the victim a domestic terrorist.
They're calling the actions of the agent involved as some form of defensive posture. We know that they've already determined much of the investigation,
and even if they haven't, there is the appearance that there is some conclusion drawn from the very beginning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Meantime, we are learning more about the I.C.E. agent who fired the shots that killed Renee Good. Court records show that that same officer was
actually dragged and injured by a car during an immigration enforcement operation last year.
GOLODRYGA: And let's go straight to Whitney Wild, who was on the scene in Minneapolis, things look like they have quietened down behind you there for
the time being. But just in reaction to what we heard from Jacob Frey, the mayor of the city, and those city officials standing with him, the rhetoric
continues that the heated exchanges between the federal government, U.S. Administration officials, and local officials there, especially now that
the FBI said that they will not be allowing local officials to be part of this investigation.
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: That's right. It is impossible not to hear conclusions drawn on both sides from the Trump
Administration, from leaders here in Minnesota. And actually, Jacob Frey was questioned about that today during the press conference, he was asked
something to the effect of, you know, well, haven't people here, haven't you drawn your own conclusion?
And he pointed out that he, while having strong words, and the leaders he was with had strong words. One person who spoke at that press conference
called it a crime. They are not the ones actually conducting the investigation. And so, while they, you know, again, have very strong
opinions about the video they've seen and what the witness statements say they are not conducting the investigation.
Instead, they say they have full faith in the independence of the BCA here in Minnesota, which I think is important to understand, works with the FBI
all the time. They work on joint task forces. They work on investigations all the time. It was just last summer that they worked together on the
murder case of a state lawmaker and her husband and the shooting of another lawmaker and his wife, and so they have quite a good working relationship.
It is a very common part of their experience trying to carry out justice in the State of Minnesota. They work together all the time very well. And so,
I think there is a lot of concern here in Minnesota about why they are being boxed out of this investigation, when normally they have such a well-
functioning relationship.
Again, we are learning more about the man who is at the center of all of this. He was -- he's been with I.C.E. for several years. He was also with
the Border Patrol. He spent time in Iraq with the National Guard as a gunner from 2004 to 2005. Last summer, he was going after a suspect who had
been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage relative.
In this case, Vice President JD Vance believes that people should look at what happened to him in that case as they assess whether his actions were
right. In this latest case with Renee Nicole Good.
[11:05:00]
He walked through some of the details, which include basically this I.C.E. officer trying to arrest that suspect back over the summer, he broke
through the back window, tried to reach into the car, the suspect would not surrender and drove 100 yards, injuring that I.C.E. officer.
He had 20 stitches in his right arm, 13 stitches in his left hand. He testified in that case that he has conducted hundreds of traffic stops in
his time with Border Patrol and with I.C.E. quite often with drivers who are erratic, who are attempting to flee. And so again, Vice President JD
Vance really pointed to that to say that that should inform how people look at this, and likely informed how he looked at the situation unfolding with
Renee Nicole Good. Back to you.
GOLODRYGA: Whitney Wild reporting to us live there from Minneapolis. Thank you.
ASHER: Border Patrol agents in Portland, Oregon shot and wounded a married couple on Thursday as well.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. It happened at a targeted traffic stop. The Department of Homeland Security says that an agent fired defensive shots after the driver
of one vehicle tried to run agents over. The car then drove off. Senior law enforcement of source says that the man and the woman inside suffered
gunshot wounds.
Department of Homeland Security released these images. It says, are the two people shot in Portland. Says the two are believed to be linked to the
Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The State's Attorney General says that he's opening an investigation into the shooting that's in addition to an FBI
probe. Portland's Police Chief had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF BOB DAY, PORTLAND POLICE: This is a federal investigation. It's being led by the FBI. We have been in touch with them. We do not know the facts
of this case. We are simply providing that traditional investigative support. We do not know which federal agencies were involved.
As we know, there are many federal agencies serving in the City of Portland right now. So, as I said, it's a complex situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The incident, coupled with Wednesday's fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis, have raised a lot of new concerns about President Trump's
immigration crackdown. Thousands of people held protests across the country following Wednesday's shooting. Our Nick Watt is covering the events in
Portland and filed this report.
NICK WATT, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're told that no CBP agents were injured by one source, and we understand that two people who were in
that car were both shot, a man shot in the arm, a woman shot in the chest. They are a married couple, and according to federal officials, they are
both suspected members of Tren de Aragua, a transnational criminal organization based in Venezuela.
We're told by the federal authorities that this was a targeted stop of these two people. The woman in the car is believed to be involved in a
prostitution ring and perhaps also in a recent shooting here in Portland. So, the FBI is investigating this as an assault on federal agents.
Now the Mayor of Portland, he said, listen, the time for us to trust what the federal government says is long past. So, the Oregon Department of
Justice is also launching an investigation. They say the focus of that will be to determine whether these agents operated outside of their legal
authority here in Portland, Oregon.
There were vigils last night for both what happened in Minneapolis and also what happened here, and there were protests at an I.C.E. facility here in
Portland, relatively peaceful. There were six arrests, mainly people standing in the road, getting in the way of traffic and not obeying
officer's orders to move out the way.
So, what we heard from the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary, she said this, so talking about the
incident, which was 02:19, in the afternoon Thursday, when agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his
vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents, fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot.
We've actually heard that multiple shots were fired. Anyway, the driver, she says, drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene. Now the
background to all this protests here last year when President Trump tried to deploy the National Guard, claiming Portland was burning to the ground.
Portland was not burning to the ground. Those troops were never fully deployed because of legal challenges. The last of them were stood down on
Monday. And on Monday, President Trump also said, falsely, we managed to get crime down to almost zero in Portland. When the crime starts again, we
will come back.
So, we'll wait to see whether President Trump tries to use as a pretext whatever has happened and might happen here, to try and use that as a
pretext for bringing back National Guard troops to this city. Back to you.
ASHER: Nick Watt reporting there. Right, let's discuss all of this, just in terms of the shootings in Portland and in Minneapolis, with our next guest
fort NYPD Lieutenant and Criminal Justice Expert, Darrin Porcher. Darrin, thank you so much for being with us.
[11:10:00]
I think what's different about, I mean, there are a number of key differences, but the main difference in terms of what happened in Portland
versus Minneapolis is that there is no video, and so we don't actually fully know what happened. I mean, obviously what happened in Minneapolis,
you see the video from multiple angles, as bystanders, as eye witness accounts, in addition to what federal agents have said as well.
Just in terms of a situation like this, where it's literally where we what we have to go. And is really what the Department of Homeland Security is
saying, that the driver weaponized the vehicle and that the agents were fearing for their lives. Just walk us through what is the burden of proof?
A, in terms of evidence and B, just in terms of the federal agents actually proving that they genuinely believed that the driver of this vehicle poses
a threat to their own safety. How is that proven?
DARRIN PORCHER, FORMER NYPD LIEUTENANT: Thanks for having me as a guest. I was a lieutenant in the NYPD Internal Affairs Unit. And as a result of
being in that unit, I investigated many police involved shootings. One of the first things that we're going to look through the lens of is, why did
the shooting happen.
The shooting happened because the officers in Portland believed or perceived that these were alleged gang members, and one, I believe it was
the passenger was involved in a shooting in the past. We have a policy, and I want to say this is a nationally accepted policy, in that you do not
discharge your firearm at a moving vehicle unless the occupants are using deadly physical force other than the vehicle.
The translation would be simply this, if a person in the vehicle is shooting at the officers, then you can return fire, but if you shoot at a
vehicle, the centrifugal force is going to continue the move the vehicle forward, and it's not going to stop. And I give you an example.
When we look at what happened in the first shooting, it was clear that the vehicle continued to move forward after the officer shot the lady and she
lost her life, the vehicle continued to move forward. So just by shooting the occupants in the vehicle or the driver, it doesn't stop the centrifugal
force of the vehicle.
But when we look from the investigational perspective, there's a lot that they're going to look to. There are cameras that should be in that area
that federal authorities should be able to capture and reveal what actually happened. Unfortunately, we haven't had body camera video that's been
introduced, but we live in a society where technological innovations have proved to set up was of 100 to 200 cameras on a day-to-day basis, where we
as common citizens see.
So that's going to be one component. Secondly, we're going to have interviews that are going to be conducted of the officers on the scene as
well as any witnesses. It's an arduous task, but eventually you come up with a solution to determine what actually happened at the scene of the
shooting in Portland.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and I believe I.C.E. officers, unlike many police officers and departments, are not required to wear body camera footage, though we do
have news and reports that the I.C.E. officer who actually shot at the driver in Minneapolis was filming something on his own phone as well.
So, I would imagine that will be introduced at some point as evidence. I'm just wanting to get your reaction to Minnesota now saying that the FBI has
completely excluded state officials from participating in the investigation in the shooting there in Minneapolis, there had been reports that they had
been cooperating and working together, until ultimately being told yesterday that the FBI would be going about this investigation alone, not
providing or sharing any of the evidence and witnesses with state officials.
How unusual is this? And what do you think some of the consequences of this action could be?
PORCHER: Federal and local law enforcement agencies often work in tandem as it relates to these police involved shootings or shootings for any matter.
This is somewhat of an aberration. This is something that I have never seen before, but I think this is goes back to the politicization that's coming
from the White House that's driving the narrative of this investigation.
Local law enforcement has a large degree of assets and resources that they can access, such as individuals in the community that they have
confidential interactions with. They know the landscape better than federal law enforcement. Believe it or not, local law enforcement is far more
involved in these police involved shootings than federal law enforcement.
Therefore, it's necessary for you to conjoin both entities, as opposed to having an unbridled investigation that's being driven by the federal
government in this particular case, in Minneapolis.
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ASHER: And just in terms of having an administration that is sort of hell bent on siding with the federal agents before any kind of investigation
takes place. I mean, JD Vance has come out and talked about immunity for the officers involved. We've seen Kristi Noem talk about domestic
terrorism, essentially accusing Renee Good, the female driver in the Minnesota shooting, accusing her of domestic terrorism.
Essentially all of this happening before any kind of investigation has taken place. What are the consequences of that?
PORCHER: This is really unfortunate because it drives the public sentiment in the wrong direction. One of the things that I saw in the Minneapolis
shooting is they quickly dismantled the crime scene, meaning they said that car away relatively quick. And I've never seen that in my 20 years of law
enforcement experience as it relates to police involved shooting, generally speaking, there's going to be mapping.
When I say mapping, you're going to measure the distance from where the officer was to where they fired the shot. In addition to that, we're going
to point lasers through that windshield to see what the trajectory of these bullets would have been. That never happened because the crime scene was
dismantled so quick.
And for JD Vance and other individuals to come out early and make a quick assessment as to what the conclusion of this investigation would be. I just
think this is unfortunate and it really devalues what law enforcement's purpose is as it relates to protecting us as a common society.
ASHER: Right, Darrin Porcher, live for us there. Thank you so much. Right, still to come calls for regime change and the threat of more violence,
angry protesters take to the streets throughout Iran as the Supreme Leader issues a defiant response to the U.S. President.
GOLODRYGA: Then Russia unleashes a massive arsenal aerial assault on Ukraine using a nuclear capable missile and what may be a direct warning to
Europe. We'll bring you details straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: All right, as anti-government protests gain momentum and expand throughout Iran. There are signs that the Islamic regime may be getting
ready to crack down more violently. The information is increasingly hard to verify after authorities pulled the plug on the internet, plunging the
country into a complete communications blackout.
[11:20:00]
ASHER: Yeah, earlier, angry crowds chanting death to the dictator march through the Southeastern City of Zahedan, one day after massive
demonstrations spread nationwide. An address to the nation on Friday morning, the Supreme Leader made a direct appeal to the U.S. President by
urging him to focus on the problems in his own country.
It comes just one day after Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened direct U.S. intervention in Iran if any more protesters are killed. CNN Nada
Bashir has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A stunning show of defiance against the Iranian regime in Mashhad, the hometown of Supreme Leader,
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the flag of the Islamic Republic is lowered and torn to pieces. Protesters here have a clear message.
They want the regime gone. What began as organized demonstrations in Tehran's bazaars and universities over the country's dire economic crisis,
with inflation soaring, a plummeting currency and everyday items becoming unaffordable, has now become a large-scale protest movement against the
Islamic Republic.
In this video, protesters are heard chanting death to the dictator. According to the Norway based Iran Human Rights NGO, dozens of protesters,
including children, have been killed since demonstrations began in late December. With state security forces reportedly using live ammunition in
some locations to suppress the protests, hundreds more have also been reported injured and over 2000 people detained, the NGO added.
In a televised address on Friday, Iran's Supreme Leader blamed, quote, agitators who want to please the American President for the unrest gripping
the country. The video shared online by protesters across the country shows the scale and force of the movement, with protests gaining momentum across
more than 100 Iranian cities.
Roads blocked filled with crowds of protesters, buildings set alight. Iran security forces, in one instance, targeted in a counter attack. But the
country has now been plunged into a total internet and communications blackout. A tactic often used by the regime to suppress demonstrations,
making it more difficult to organize and to share videos, evidence from the ground.
And while we have yet to see the full force of Iran's security apparatus unleashed on protesters. There are fears the blackout could be an indicator
of more violence to come. The threat of a potential U.S. attack, meanwhile, continues to loom large. With U.S. President Donald Trump warning again on
Thursday that if protesters are killed, the U.S. may once again attack Iran.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think they're going to get hit very hard --
BASHIR (voice-over): Nada Bashir, CNN in London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is demanding global action after Russia unleashed a large-scale aerial assault on its democratic
neighbor overnight using one of its most advanced weapons.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, Moscow says that it used the nuclear capable Oreshnik ballistic missile in the massive attacks that also included the capital of
Kyiv. The Kremlin says that the strike was retaliation for a claimed Ukrainian drone attack on President Putin's home last month that the U.S.
and others have said never happened. CNN, Fred Pleitgen has more.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: By all accounts, this appears to have been a massive attack on Ukraine that took place
overnight, the Ukrainians, speaking of well north of 200 drones employed by the Russians, also ballistic missiles and cruise missiles as well.
Several people killed, lots of people injured. But the one thing that really stands out is the fact that both the Russians and the Ukrainians say
that the Oreshnik medium range missile was used in this as well. This is a missile that the Russians say is capable carrying multiple nuclear
warheads, each of them with several times the destructive power of the bomb used in Hiroshima in World War Two.
And the Russians have certainly said over the past couple of weeks and months that this weapon is now going on active combat duty, and say that
they've deployed several of them in Belarus, which, of course, is also a big ally of the Russians as well. The Ukrainians are irate about this,
saying that Washington needs to put more pressure on Moscow.
But it also comes as there's been some friction between the NATO alliance and the U.S. and the Russians over the past couple of days. The U.S., of
course, intercepting a tanker that was Russian flagged, which came from Venezuela. But then also several NATO countries saying that they could
possibly send troops to Ukraine as part of any peace agreement between the Ukrainians and the Russians.
The Russians then saying that any Western and NATO troops on the ground in Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets.
[11:25:00]
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
GOLODRYGA: All right, still to come for us, as Venezuela begins releasing political prisoners, a U.S. official says a State Department team is
traveling to Caracas for the first time since Maduro's ouster. We'll bring you those details.
ASHER: Plus, American oil executives are headed to the White House today. We'll have more on what they want before they're willing to pour money back
into Venezuela.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. Here some of the headlines we're watching today.
ASHER: Church bells rang across Switzerland on this National Day of Mourning. It has only been a little over a week since 40 people died in a
fire in the early hours of New Year's Day. The fire broke out at the constellation bar in the resort town of Crans-Montana. The owner of the bar
has been detained.
Local authorities say the bar have actually not been inspected in about five years.
GOLODRYGA: The U.S. has seized another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea. The U.S. Southern Command said today the Olina tanker was sailing near
Venezuela under a Timor Leste flag, according to marine traffic. Now, this comes after the U.S. sees two Venezuela link tankers this week, including a
Russian flagged vessel in the Atlantic Ocean.
ASHER: U.S. President Donald Trump says he's canceled what he calls a previously expected second wave of attacks on Venezuela and a social media
post he cites the nation's cooperation with the United States. He also says that Venezuela is releasing a large number of political prisoners as a sign
that it seeks peace.
GOLODRYGA: President Trump also is meeting with oil executives today to discuss rebuilding Venezuela's oil industry. He posted on social media that
Big Oil would invest at least $100 billion in the country. So far, the industry has been wary for a range of reasons, including security, rule of
law and sanctions concerns.
[11:30:00]
ASHER: A U.S. State Department team has now arrived in Venezuela for the first time since Maduro is capture. Let's bring in Stefano Pozzebon joining
us live now from neighboring Colombia in Bogota. So, this is part of the administration's effort to resume diplomatic operations in Venezuela.
We also know that Donald Trump has said that the U.S. plans to run this country, in his words, indefinitely. Walk us through what the immediate
priorities are, of these officials on the ground in Caracas?
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, we understand, Zain, that the immediate priority is to assess how quickly it would take to reopen the
Embassy in Caracas. Let's give you a little bit of context. The U.S. Embassy in Venezuela, the U.S. Embassy in Caracas has been shut down since
March 2019.
We were there when the flag was lowered at a time of heightened tensions between Washington under the first presidency of Donald Trump and Caracas
back then, under the leadership of Nicolas Maduro. From that moment, the interest of Venezuela had been covered from the Embassy here in Colombia.
And now the arrival of these team, we understand that we should not be calling them a delegation. These are a team of State Department officials
led by charge of affair, which is the Acting Ambassador to Colombia, John McNamara trying to go there to assess how fast the diplomats could build a
stable presence in the country.
We understand that at this point there is not a meeting with the Acting President Delcy Rodriguez is not being discussed. However, of course, it's
very fluid times between the two capitals, between Washington and Caracas, very fluid, because also we understand that an envoy of Delcy Rodriguez,
the Acting Venezuelan President, was taking over after Nicolas Maduro has been detained by U.S. forces.
When an envoy of Delcy Rodriguez is indeed in Washington. And in Washington, Donald Trump is just like he said, meeting 17 executives of the
oil industry. The representatives of up to 17 different companies, most of them are American companies, but also you have representatives of shell or
the Italian oil major, any meaning that Donald Trump is going all out on a pitch to the oil industry to try to convince them to come up with
investment plans for Venezuela.
Earlier today, for example, he tweeted or posted on Truth Social that Big Oil is committed to up to $100 billion worth of investment for Venezuela.
We understand from sources that it's not really clear where this figure of $100 billion came from, that the meeting is yet to take place up in
Washington.
But of course, a lot of news, a flurry of news between the two capitals, between Washington and Caracas. And one more development where we're
tracking from Caracas is, of course, the release of several political prisoners, as of today, after it was announced yesterday, only eight people
have been released as of the early hours of Friday.
We understand from Caracas that further people will be released in the upcoming hours as a gesture of goodwill. A gesture of peace from the new
administration of court of Delcy Rodriguez to try to build bridges, especially with other countries that have had foreign nationals detained
for political reasons in Venezuela. Lot of news, we're trying to make sense of it all for you, Zain.
ASHER: Stefano Pozzebon live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: All right, let's take a closer look at the situation with Todd Robinson. He is the Former Assistant Secretary of State for Bureau of
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Former U.S. Charge d'Affaires in Caracas and a Former U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala, in
essence, a perfect person to have this conversation with.
Todd, welcome back to the program, Mr. Ambassador. So, let's just respond to the president's claim that U.S. oil companies are going to be investing
$100 billion at least and taking back all of the oil in Venezuela. And reportedly, behind the scenes, many oil executives are still wary about
this proposal and plan from the U.S. government.
And some are even suggesting that they would like a financial guarantee from the U.S. government, before they make any sort of investments of this
scale. From your experience, how big is the gap between the president's rhetoric here about this massive investment? And what you think the reality
really would look like in terms of the appetite these companies have going into Venezuela at this moment?
TODD ROBINSON, FORMER U.S. CHARGE D'AFFAIRES IN CARACAS: Thank you so much. I think the gap is large, if we take a step back and remember number one,
the oil industry in Venezuela has been deteriorating for the better part of two decades.
[11:35:00]
So just the infrastructure itself is going to take a long time to get back up and running. I think number two, people have to remember, I'm not an oil
expert, but my understanding is the type of oil that Venezuela had is called heavy crude oil is really hard to get out of the ground. Is not user
friendly.
You have to get it refined, some of that we had been doing in the United States in years past. And so, it's not an easy thing to do. And I think the
third thing that we have to think, remember and think about, is there are thousands of contracts in dispute from previous years of nationalization of
the oil industry and the inability of the Venezuelan state to pay for previous goods and services.
So, I think the conservative estimate is that it's going to take years before there's any financial benefit from the oil industry in Venezuela,
either for U.S. companies or for international companies.
ASHER: And I think what's also important to note is that the Trump Administration can only really provide guarantees while they're in power.
So, when Trump is no longer in power, and we have another administration here in the U.S., possibly on the other side of the political aisle.
If the U.S. is no longer controlling Venezuela, what does that mean for the oil companies, who by then would have already invested a hefty sum in
Venezuela's infrastructure, energy infrastructure, and what does that mean for them going forward? If it goes back to the hands of the Venezuelan
people, and there is a democracy there, by that point.
Then you know, the leaders of Venezuela could simply change their mind and end up kicking some of these oil companies out. That's also a risk, right?
Just the political risk of all this for a lot of these oil companies?
ROBINSON: No, you're absolutely right. I think there's probably less risk on the U.S. side, because traditionally, past administrations have honored
the agreement of the administration before them. I know we're in a new political world here, but in the past, you know, over my 40 years in the
State Department, they -- administrations have generally honored those commitments.
I think the stronger risk is absolutely as you raise on the Venezuela inside. I mean, if the democratic opposition comes into power, there's
every chance that they will explore changing the commitments that have been made under the previous Maduro regime, or the remnants, the current
remnants of the Maduro regime today.
And then there's this whole other side of law and contracts in Venezuela that lawyers will have to explore to make sure that their agreements are
done in such a way that they have to be honored by any incoming government in Venezuela.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, all the more reason the president is likely to want to rush any sort of deals that he can make from these oil companies, a
reminder that they are private companies. These are not state companies run by the U.S. government. Nonetheless, I would imagine publicly that least
they don't want to upset the president too much either.
President Trump made some news last night by not only saying that the release of some of these prisoners suggest that, that's proof that the U.S.
pressure on the regime there Delcy Rodriguez is working. He also, though, in terms of the opposition, said that he would be meeting with Maria
Machado next week.
And it's interesting because he last week, said that she really holds no power or support there among the people. Said she is a nice lady, but what
is this meeting? If it happens next week, what does that symbolize?
ROBINSON: Well, I think it symbolizes one that the administration is admitting, it might have made a mistake by sort of pushing the opposition
to the side in that first press conference.
[11:40:00]
Clearly Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez have large scale support both in Venezuela and with Venezuelans outside of Venezuela, and I think
that the administration has to recognize that. But I would also caution about the release of these political prisoners.
We have to remember that the Maduro regime and now the remnants of the Maduro regime have spent decades playing the international community, and,
you know, softening on one side, making it appear that they're giving some cooperation, while turning the screws on the other side.
And you know, I would be very, very careful about trusting anything Delcy Rodriguez and Jorge Rodriguez, her brother, do in terms of showing that
they're cooperating. And then the third thing I will say, and I've said this before, it's really, really hard to run a country like Venezuela.
It's hard to run the country when you're in Venezuela. It's going to be really, almost impossible to do it from a boat on the coast -- off the
coast of Venezuela, and certainly hard from Washington, D.C. Virtually impossible to do.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, a long road ahead for any sort of stabilization or recovery for that country. Todd Robinson, Mr. Ambassador, thank you so much
for the time.
ASHER: We'll be right back.
ROBINSON: Thank you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Right, giving back doesn't always mean starting a foundation. Larry Madowo asked "Big Brother Naija" host Ebuka Obi-Uchendu how he's
contributing to the society that raised him?
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, that's when the conversation turned to mentorship perspective and a growing concern for young boys being left behind. He's
this month's African voices change maker.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You've done some advocacy work with enough is enough Nigeria and others. How are you contributing to how are you
giving back to the society that raised you?
EBUKA OBI-UCHENDU, MEDIA PERSONALITY: I have done some work with the Gates Foundation, with global citizen, with the World Economic Forum. I was a
global leader, young global leader at the time.
[11:45:00]
So, a lot of what I try to do, because I've never thought that I'm the guy who starts an NGO. I don't think everybody should be starting an NGO.
MADOWO: What -- Ebuka Foundation.
OBI-UCHENDU: Maybe at some point. But as you can tell, I'm very passionate about young boys now and that space. And I'm trying to do a lot of
mentoring, and it's, sort of an offshoot of the mentality with Ebuka project that I'm doing, where I'm going to be doing a lot of things with
sort of secondary school kids, and sort of trying to shape or reshape, you know, how they see the world.
And I don't know that mentoring is done enough with young boys. I always say this joke about how there's been too many -- for a lot of focus on the
girl child for decades, and which is what led to boys only forgotten, quote, unquote. So, it's time to us -- for us to say, OK, you guys, what's
going on?
I don't know that. It's my job to fix things. But I'm hopefully going to get people who know it's not just about -- I'm not necessarily looking for
clicks. I mean, the clicks will be great. I'm hopefully going to get people who know to give perspective. A few experts here and there, but most people
who are leaving these things to tell their stories.
MADOWO: Right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Well, get ready for the Golden Globe Awards. They are rolling out the carpet for Sunday's show. I can't believe it's already here. You
can definitely expect a tight race for the top categories. Up next, we'll have a preview of the very best in entertainment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Right, this Sunday, the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards will be held in Beverly Hills, California. It's happening at the Beverly Hill 10 and
will be hosted by actress and comedian Nikki Glaser, celebrating the top films and TV shows from 2025.
GOLODRYGA: There will be major nominations for the film, "One Battle After Another", starring Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as "The White Lotus".
ASHER: My favorite.
GOLODRYGA: The only one I know. Plus, new podcast categories those I know. And of course, stars like George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Miley Cyrus,
will be presenters, featured as presenters.
ASHER: All right, let's bring in the Executive Editor of Variety, Brent Lang. So, let's just start with Nikki Glaser. This is the second time she's
hosted consecutively. She did it last year. They brought her back, so she obviously did something, right?
[11:50:00]
What can we expect from her?
BRENT LANG, EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF VARIETY: Yeah, well, I think more of the same. I mean, what makes Nikki Glaser so exciting is that she is willing to
go there, she's willing to cross a line, and she's definitely willing to roast the celebrities in the room.
She's a little like Ricky Gervais, but I think she's not quite as acidic as he is, so it sort of works better, and the stars themselves seem to not get
quite as bent out of shape, but I'm really looking forward to her coming back.
GOLODRYGA: And I have to admit which I'm fine doing that, I've increasingly turned into more and more of a cultural void. I do know "The White Lotus".
Other than that, there are many films and many shows that I've never heard of, but what I have heard of and what I listen to all the time are
podcasts.
So, I think it's really a smart move, by the introduction of that as a new model, to bring in as a category for other potential winners, and you've
got "Call Her Daddy", "Up First. We're showing up the best podcast category nominees here "Good Hang with Amy Poehler", "The Mel Robbins Podcast", and
"SmartLess. That's pretty exciting, Brent.
LANG: Absolutely. I mean, this is the first big award show to recognize podcasts, and I think it's a great idea, because that is how so many of us
get our news and our entertainment. And in many ways, it's the form of entertainment that is, like paramount for most of us. I listen to podcasts
every day at the gym or just walking into work, so I think this is really exciting.
It's very interesting. I mean, most of these podcasts are comedy podcasts. They're not the kind of conservative, sort of rowdy podcasts that are also
often very popular. So, it's intriguing that the voters really went in that direction.
ASHER: And just in terms of the ratings. I mean, we know that the Golden Globes has suffered its facts chef controversy over the past few years.
What can we expect in terms of people actually tuning in to watch?
LANG: Well, it has had some rating steps, as have most live events and particularly award shows. The ratings were better last year, and I sort of
expect that they will continue a modest upward trajectory, but they're not going to be the kind of ratings that you used to see 10, 20, years ago.
I mean, nothing is getting that and people are often catching up with these programs on YouTube the day after.
GOLODRYGA: So, what will you be watching for Sunday and who are the expected winners?
LANG: Well, I think what I'll be watching for is to see just how well "One Battle After Another" performs. It has really nominated a lot of the early
film awards, and it is the most nominated film. I expect it will do quite well this year at the Globes, and then I'm also interested in "Sinners".
I wonder how that's going to perform as well. Because I think that film, which is in the Best Drama category, "One Battle" is in the Best Comedy
category, also has a lot of momentum. So, I think if both of those films come out of the Globes, having scored some really big wins, it's going to
be -- that's going to be the kind of battle I'm looking for as the Oscars happen in the next coming -- in the coming months.
ASHER: Brent, you haven't mentioned "White Lotus", both of our favorite. Although, Bianna, doesn't watch TV. But --
GOLODRYGA: I -- "White Lotus" --
ASHER: And what I love about this particular series is that, I mean, it keeps on getting better. I mean, the bar is already quite high for them,
because, you know, the first one was outstanding as was the second, and then they came up with a third version, and it was, in my opinion, I mean,
obviously, you know, people have mixed reviews.
But in my opinion, it was either just as good as the first and second installments or even better. So, what can we expect from "The White Lotus"
this time?
LANG: I mean, I don't know how they keep doing it, but they keep chopping themselves without --
ASHER: I know.
LANG: Who expected incest on our bucket list for last year, but they did it, and they went there, and I think I'm not sure it will win. It has won
in the past. Globes voters tend to vote for newer shows. So, I wouldn't be surprised if something like "Pluribus" ended up coming on strong or the
pit. But, you know, "White Lotus", obviously a phenomenon.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, the pit is really hot. I just have to say, "Marty Supreme", is that up for anything, because I did actually watch that movie
over the holidays, and it is intense. I really enjoyed --
ASHER: But --
GOLODRYGA: -- Well, when the kids are away, I can actually go watch a film.
LANG: Yeah. I mean, it is up for some major categories, Timothee Chalamet, of course, for his performance, I think he will probably win. And it's also
up in the musical or comedy category. It's interesting, because I saw both "Marty Supreme" and "One Battle After Another".
And there are funny moments. I'm not sure I would really call them laugh out loud, but --
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, me too.
LANG: -- an interesting --
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, exactly. All right. See, I get more culturally in tune than I even thought I was.
ASHER: Maybe a news resolution for you to actually watch. I'd say this, but watch more television -- television after all.
[11:55:00]
Brent Lang, live for us there. Thank you so much.
LANG: Thanks Bianna --
ASHER: Right, finally this hour, of course, finally this hour, NASA is bringing the four astronauts of SpaceX crew, 11 back to Earth early because
one of them has a medical issue.
GOLODRYGA: The unnamed crew member is in stable condition and is not expected to receive special treatment during the trip back from the
International Space Station. The return is expected in the coming days, more than a month ahead of schedule. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
announced the change on Thursday.
ASHER: And that's revealed the issue on Wednesday, after postponing a spacewalk. NASA's next four-member team was set to take off for the space
station in mid-February, but could launch sooner.
GOLODRYGA: All right, do stay with CNN. Stay with us. We'll have more "One World" after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
