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One World with Zain Asher
European Leaders Reject Trump's Push to Control Greenland; Diplomats from Greenland & Denmark Meet with Vance & Rubio; Death Toll Surges in Iran's Crackdown on Anti-Government Protests; New Questions About First U.S. Strike in Alleged Drug Boat; Federal Agents Deploy Pepper Balls, Flash Bangs Amid Protests; Federal Hearing Over Minnesota Lawsuit Seeking to Stop I.C.E. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired January 14, 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]
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BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: President Trump steps up the pressure on Greenland. "One World" starts right now. That pressure campaign
coming as the U.S. Vice President and Secretary of State are meeting with the Foreign Ministers of Denmark and Greenland right now.
Plus, Iran's deadly crackdown on protests continues. We are now getting new information about how the regime plans to deal with protesters. And CNN has
new reporting about the wave of federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigning this as the fight over I.C.E. operations in the state, heads to court
today.
Hello everyone, live from New York. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching "One World". A high stakes diplomatic meeting is
under way at the White House amid fresh threats from President Trump. The Foreign Ministers of Greenland and Denmark are meeting U.S. Vice President
JD Vance and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio for talks on Greenland.
Now just moments before the meeting, the U.S. President doubled down on social media on his stated goal to acquire the world's largest island.
Trump says Washington needs the territory for national security purposes. In an early morning post on Truth Social today, he said, in part, quote,
NATO should be leading the way for us to get it.
If we don't, Russia or China will, and that is not going to happen. Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark and the tug of war pits
NATO nation, Denmark and the U.S. against each other. European Leaders are rejecting Trump's call. And Greenland's Prime Minister made it clear that
the island does not want to be governed by the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENS-FREDERIK NIELSEN, GREENLAND PRIME MINISTER: Greenland will not be a part of the U.S.A. We choose the Greenland we know today, which is part of
the Kingdom of Denmark. Now we are faced with a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the USA and Denmark here and now, we choose
Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark, and we choose the EU.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Nic Robertson is standing by in nook Greenland. But let's begin with Kevin Liptak in Washington. Kevin, is the president sort of
boxing any sort of negotiating room in space for his vice president and secretary of state by bluntly coming out and posting this morning ahead of
that meeting on Truth Social that anything less than getting than the U.S. getting Greenland is unacceptable?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. I mean, on the surface, the president seems to be setting the stakes of this meeting
incredibly high. You know, I think the intention for this delegation coming into the meeting was try and ascertain, from Vance, from Rubio, whether the
president would accept anything less than full annexation.
And I think his message makes that pretty clear when he says that anything less than that won't be acceptable. And so, it does, I think, set quite a
tense back drop to this session. You know, the addition to Vance to this meeting as well, I think, is also notable. You know, we heard last week
that Rubio would be meeting with these delegates from Denmark and Greenland.
The addition of Vance, sort of at the last minute yesterday, I also think sets the stakes much higher. You know, he has been willing in the past to
have these confrontations, particularly with European officials. And you'll remember he traveled to Greenland last year to really kind of underscore
President Trump's desire to make inroads there.
And so, I do think that this all sets up quite an important moment for them to sort of ascertain what exactly the president is thinking here. And
you'll remember the president has not ruled out taking over Greenland using military force. Now, when you talk to officials behind the scenes, they say
that there are potentially other avenues that they're willing to take.
And one thing that Marco Rubio has been working on behind the scenes is to try and come up with a plan to potentially purchase Greenland. Now
Greenland is not for sale. The Danes have made that pretty clear. So have the residents of Greenland saying that they have no interest in becoming a
part of the United States.
But I think you know, as they get down to discussing in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building right now. One of the goals will be to try and
determine whether there's any sort of compromise here that could allow these two nations to sort of proceed with their alliance without sort of
rupturing everything.
[11:05:00]
And one thing that you hear discussion of is potentially trying to use some existing agreements to, for example, reopen some American military bases in
Greenland, you know, that would already be something that the U.S. could do without trying to take over the entire island.
You know, during the Cold War, the U.S. had 17 military bases in Greenland, and all of them except one, were closed. I think the Danes and the
Representatives from Greenland will be open to suggesting to the U.S. that that's something that they could explore, reopening some of these bases
potentially explore certain mining opportunities.
All things that would stop well short of the U.S. taking full control of Greenland, but certainly President Trump making it explicit that he still
has his eye on the entirety of the island.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, there's a decades old agreement in place, we should note from the 1950s between the U.S. and Greenland, giving the U.S. a great deal
of latitude on the island. Kevin Liptak, stay by, stay nearby for us. I want to go to Nic Robertson. And Nic I remember the one of the first
overseas trips for Vice President Vance was to exactly where you are there in Greenland to visit one of those military facilities.
He wasn't exactly greeted warmly by Greenlanders there. No pun intended as you're freezing in this live shot for us, but talk to us about how the mood
hasn't changed at all. How are Greenlanders feeling about being in the spotlight once again?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah. And I think to stick with that metaphor, he would find an even frostier reception if he
tried to come here today. He is really sort of viewed from here, at least as being, you know, such a strong advocate for the United States taking
control of Greenland, perhaps absent President Trump, the strongest person who views the importance of having Greenland as part of the United States
in the room with the Danish Foreign Minister, with the foreign minister from Greenland here.
The view from here is very, very clear, and it's in alignment with the Prime Minister of Greenland, who just -- you just had his words on there.
Very clearly, they feel at the moment that, although they might want independence from Denmark in the future, for now, they're aligned with
Denmark.
For now, they're part of NATO. For now, they're part of the European Union. And that's absolutely where they look to Greenland has looked to for their
security. They look at the words of President Trump and that to that agreement 1951, the United States, they say, has, and I spoke to a
government minister about this in the past couple of days.
United States has the right to have any number of military bases it wants in Greenland. The government of Denmark is more than ready for them to come
back in the numbers they want. The same applies the deputy mining minister told me, in fact, that although the United States has the opportunity to
mine any amounts of minerals wherever it wants, inside of Greenland at the moment.
Over the past few years, it hasn't made efforts to try to use those opportunities. So, the message from here, from people here, is, it's an
open door for the United States at the moment in Greenland, why not use that open door? Why try to take the whole house?
And what worries them as well is that for Greenlanders, 57,000 of them here. It's not many. They don't have an army, and they really worry. And I
spoke to a business woman here about that -- about what's going to happen, and you'll hear here, she told me, they worry about, you know, what could
happen next month?
Will she wake up one day and find she's in America? This is what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you don't know which country you're living in in a month, then you know.
ROBERTSON: Is that real for you right now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I don't want it to be real. I really try to push that thought down, but that is the worst-case scenario that you know, in a
month, I'm American. We don't even have military in Greenland, because we don't do war. So of course, you know there would be, I don't know, you
know, we wouldn't be able to resist the American military. No one can resist through the American military.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: But what they are resisting, of course, is President Trump's narrative. And the other part of that, of course, he insists that it's
under -- Greenland is under a serious threat from both China and Russia, that there are Chinese and Russian ships in the waters around here, that
their interests are here.
And that's again, I think Greenlanders is telling you here they don't see that. They don't see Chinese ships. They don't see Russian ships.
[11:10:00]
They don't see those Chinese and Russian interests here in Greenland at the moment.
GOLODRYGA: And yet we continue to hear that claim from President Trump, that if it's not the U.S., that it is China or Russia who will make a claim
for the island. Nic Robertson, Kevin Liptak, thank you so much. Let's take a closer look at the development with Matthew Karnitschnig, he is the
Editor-in-Chief of Euractiv and joins us now live from Brussels.
Matthew, it's good to see you. How are European allies viewing this? Really again, we'll use the word unprecedented, which we continue to use almost
every day now, meeting between the Foreign Minister of Greenland, Denmark and then the U.S. Vice President and Secretary of State following these
warnings from President Trump.
MATTHEW KARNITSCHNIG, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF EURACTIV: Well, good to see you. Good to be with you today. I was thinking, listening to the woman from
Greenland that it's very consistent with the overall feeling among European leaders at the moment, namely, that they don't do war.
They're not at all prepared for this. And I think there's also a realization that if Trump really wants Greenland, there's nothing they can
do to stop him. I think there was some hope in recent months that he would be distracted by other things, that he would forget about Greenland, and
that if he started to pursue it again, that there would be enough resistance in the United States, especially in Congress, to steer him away
from it.
But now it feels as though he's been emboldened by the U.S. success in Venezuela, and is now determined to see through with his plans for
Greenland. So, there's a lot of unease here. We just reported on a meeting that Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission had in
the European Parliament, where she refused to say whether the European Union's mutual security clause would apply to Greenland, because the
Greenland is part of Denmark.
Greenland is not technically part of the European Union. So that really tells you everything that you need to know right now. It does not seem that
the Europeans are going to be willing to stand up to the U.S. on this front if the Trump Administration decides to move in?
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and I don't think anyone really took a military threat and route that seriously, as opposed to perhaps some sort of coercion, as we
heard Secretary of State Rubio explain in a briefing to other lawmakers that the president is attempting to purchase Greenland.
Trump is also arguing that NATO will effectively be stronger if Greenland is under the control of the United States than it currently is by Denmark,
a bit of paradox, given that Denmark, too is part of NATO. But what do you make of that argument?
KARNITSCHNIG: Well, I think you know, from an American perspective, you can certainly make that argument that with the U.S. there, with a larger
military presence there, that, that would help NATO's posturing in the Arctic region. But as we heard before, the Danes have already invited the
United States to come in.
They basically can do whatever they want in Greenland anyway. And it's worth remembering that that Greenland is a huge swathe of territory. It's
larger than Alaska, in fact. So, you know, there's not really a lot stopping the U.S. at the moment. And so, I think this argument that NATO
would be better off if the U.S. owned Greenland is.
It's not really true, because there's nothing to stop the U.S. from putting more military bases there at the moment. And I think this is really kind of
highlights the power dynamic, though, between Europe and the United States at the moment in that Europe needs the U.S. for the security guarantee,
especially with the war in Ukraine continuing.
And I think for many NATO members, they do not want to sacrifice the alliance and the security guarantees that they have from the United States
over a Danish territory that very few people have ever been to that has a very small population. They would like this issue to go away.
At the same time, it obviously raises a very important question of principle, whether one NATO country can move in on another's territory and
basically seize it, either by force or by coercing the locals into some kind of an arrangement.
GOLODRYGA: Well, it's pretty clear that this is no longer just sort of a temporary impulsive move and ask or demand from President Trump.
[11:15:00]
We saw him also debating and publicly suggesting that the U.S. should own Greenland during his first term. Now here we are, and things have really
ratcheted up for the sanctity of NATO and its alliance as they are trying to collectively come to an agreement, and perhaps a deal to bring the war
in Ukraine to an end.
Do you think it's more advantageous, given the circumstances for Denmark to just accept the U.S.'s demand?
KARNITSCHNIG: I think it would be impossible for Denmark as a sovereign nation to accept the demand. I think that the Trump Administration might
move in there and just create a fair, complete, I agree, there's not going to be, you know, that there won't be any shots fired, but they may just go
in there and create a presence and then say, well, we're going to pay you X, or this is going to be the arrangement that we're offering you can make
them an offer they can't refuse.
I think the real question is how the rest of the NATO alliance reacts to this, and how the European Union reacts to this over the long term. And you
know, I think it will have the effect of galvanizing European efforts even more than we already see to building their own military capabilities.
We heard Ursula von der Leyen, again, the President of the European Commission, earlier today, saying that Europe needs to become a military
powerhouse, and this is, I think, the kind of thing that would really underscore that. And it's not going to happen overnight.
Europe will remain dependent on the U.S. for the foreseeable future, but this could have long term negative effects, obviously, for the
transatlantic relationship, and that would be beyond just the military relationship, this could affect the trade relationship and everything
that's connected to that.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, perhaps President Trump can finally get his wish for a 51st state. Maybe that's not Canada, but maybe that would indeed be
Greenland. Matthew Karnitschnig, good to see you. Thank you so much. Well, as the death toll skyrockets and Iran's brutal crackdown on dissent, the
U.S. President is spelling out a new red line, one that could see Washington's credibility put to the test very soon.
After threatening Tehran for weeks with U.S. military intervention if protesters are killed, Donald Trump is now warning Tehran against executing
anyone arrested for demonstrating, saying that they what -- that would result in a strong action by America. Now later today, the U.S. State
Department says one Iranian, 26-year-old Erfan Soltani may be put to death.
If that happens, his name would be added to a growing list of protesters who have lost their lives, been killed in the past two weeks. A U.S. based
Human Rights Group says more than 2400 have been killed. That number could even be higher, and under the cover of a communications blackout, those
numbers, as noted, would likely rise dramatically.
Iran meanwhile, is accusing Trump of encouraging political destabilization after the U.S. President had this message for protesters on Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: To all Iranian patriots, keep protesting, take over your institutions, if possible, and
save the name of the killers and the abusers that are abusing you. You're being very badly abused. I say save their names, because they'll pay a very
big price.
Then I've canceled all meetings with the Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protesters stops, and all I say to them is, help is on
its way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Nada Bashir joins me now, live from London. Things are really heating up, Nada, with the U.S. evacuating some personnel at a
military base in Qatar. The president publicly stating last night in an interview, warning that more dire consequences would be coming Iran's way
if they publicly execute these protesters.
And yet, Iran continues in defiance to the president's threats to make threats of their own. Just walk us through what the latest is.
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly is a huge amount of concern now rising over the potential for direct military action in Iran.
Some commentators even say that this may serve the Iranian regime, and in fact, unites people behind the Iranian regime, if the U.S. does take such
military action, in terms of any possible direct strikes by the U.S. on Iranian territory.
But what we continue to see, despite this international uncertainty, is the growing and continued protests inside the country. And this comes, of
course, in the face of what has become a violent and deadly crackdown by the Iranian regime.
[11:20:00]
We are now entering the sixth day of this total internet and communications blackout in Iran. We know that some individuals have been able to gain
access through land lines, other through Starlink satellite connections. And we've been hearing from individuals on the ground who have been able to
make contact outside of Iran.
Some for just a matter of seconds, describing the scenes unfolding as this blackout continues, preventing the world from witnessing in real time what
is unfolding inside the country. Many have described, of course, the violent and brutal crackdown by the Iranian security forces, including the
use of live ammunition indiscriminately against protesters.
We've heard from one individual who has described the protests as being somewhat smaller, perhaps in size than in previous nights. Of course, these
protests have been going on since late December, and several individuals have suggested that they are now smaller in size as a result of this, of
course, deadly repression.
But the Iranian regime has also, according to one individual inside the country, put in place a sort of curfew on Iranian, preventing them from
moving between neighborhoods after 08:00 p.m. adding that there is, of course, the presence of those security forces in these neighborhoods,
preventing people from being able to move.
And of course, again, that warning of live ammunition being used indiscriminately. We have seen just snippets of this evidence on the ground
from some videos have managed to make their way out of Iran over the last few days, showing in distressing footage the impact of this crackdown.
We have seen videos of body bags lined up outside a medical complex. We have seen morgues overrun with the bodies of the victims of this violent
crackdown by Iran security forces. Families struggling to identify their loved ones. So, this is just a small window into what is unfolding now.
As you mentioned, a U.S. based Human Rights Organization now putting that death toll at more than 2400 people, with a further 1800 said to have been
arrested, 18,000 rather.
GOLODRYGA: Well, the blackouts continue in the country as well. Nada Bashir, thank you. And we'll have much more on this developing story in the
next hour, with my guest, Suzanne Maloney, the Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution.
And still to come for us this hour, did the U.S. military disguise one of its aircraft to make it look like a civilian plane. New legal questions are
being raised over strikes on alleged drug boats. We'll have the details next. Plus, the State of Minnesota calls the I.C.E. operation there a
federal invasion. We'll update you on the state's efforts to get them out.
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[11:25:00]
GOLODRYGA: CNN has learned that Venezuela has freed at least four Americans who were imprisoned there. It's the first known release of Americans from
Venezuela in custody since the capture of ousted President Nicolas Maduro. Maduro regime had a long history of detaining Americans to be used for
political leverage with the U.S. government.
The interim Venezuelan government led by Delcy Rodriguez, has also freed dozens of Venezuelan political prisoners. The move comes as a part of an
effort to meet demands from the Trump Administration, which is calling for the release of all political prisoners, but a Human Rights Group says
progress remains limited.
Just 50, 60 detainees freed so far out of more than 800 still being held. And new questions are being raised about U.S. military operations in the
Caribbean. Sources tell CNN that the plane used in the first strike on an alleged drug boat there was not painted the usual gray applied to military
planes.
Instead, they say it was painted as a civilian aircraft and was part of a classified program. Administration officials, however, told lawmakers the
plane was not pretending to be a civilian aircraft. Again, that's according to a CNN source. So why is this so important?
Well, let's discuss with CNN's Haley Britzky, live from Washington. Haley, what more are you hearing from the Pentagon, and how significant is this
piece of reporting?
HALEY BRITZKY, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, Bianna, so, this raised a lot of questions for lawmakers early on in the strikes. Remember,
this goes back to September, at the very beginning of the campaign that we have seen by the U.S. military in the Caribbean against these alleged drug
boats.
And the plane that sources say was used, as you said, was not the typical gray that you are accustomed to seeing for U.S. military aircraft, this
plane looked more like a civilian plane. And sources tell us it's part of a classified program typically used for surveillance and reconnaissance.
And so, this raised immediate scrutiny among lawmakers of why this plane was used, why it was the one used in this first strike of this campaign.
And administration officials have said that, you know, it was not intentional for this to look like a civilian plane, that this was the one
to be used in this strike that it happened to be the aircraft most available at the time.
And the concern, really at the crux of this issue is within the Pentagon's own law of war manual, and it says it prohibits the intentional feigning of
civilian status. So, in this case, this would mean the intentional use of an aircraft that looks like a civilian plane in order to sort of lure the
enemy, or in this case, these alleged drug cartel members into a false sense of security in order to attack them.
So, using an aircraft that looks civilian so that they did not flee, they didn't fight back, and with the intent of attacking them later on, and that
intent piece is very important here. The legal analyst that we spoke to said that this may not raise to the level of pro of violating that clause
within the law of war, because there is not a clear intent that this was done to disguise this plane as a civilian plane in order to attack these
individuals.
Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson, when we asked her about this yesterday, said that the military utilizes a wide array of standard and
non-standard aircraft depending on the mission, and that prior to using these aircraft, they go through a rigorous procurement process to ensure
compliance with both domestic law and the law of armed conflict.
So, administration officials saying that this was not an intentional act to make this look like a civilian aircraft, but certainly raise question among
lawmakers of why this was used and if it's been used in future operations, as this campaign has continued, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Haley Britzky, reporting to us live from Washington. Thank you so much. And still to come for us, we've got details of the
government action that prompted half a dozen U.S. prosecutors to walk off the job in Minneapolis. That's next.
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[11:30:00]
GOLODRYGA: All right, welcome back to "One World". I'm Bianna Golodryga here in New York. Here's some headlines we are watching today. The death
toll is soaring in Iran, following more than two weeks of anti-government protests. The U.S. based Rights Group says more than 2400 people have been
killed in a brutal crackdown, while 18,000 have been arrested.
President Trump is threatening a strong U.S. response if any of the demonstrators are executed. Diplomats from Greenland and Denmark are
meeting top U.S. officials today at the White House. Before the meeting, Donald Trump doubled down on his threats to acquire the island territory,
saying the U.S. control is vital to American security.
Denmark announced today that it would increase its military presence in and around Greenland. At least 32 people have died and scores were injured when
a construction crane collapsed and fell onto a moving passenger train in Thailand, railing three carriages. Rescue teams are searching the wreckage
for survivors.
Officials say the crane was being used in a high-speed rail project. Ukrainian officials say intense Russian missile and drone attacks have left
hundreds of thousands of homes in Kyiv without power as temperatures drop. On Tuesday, the city's mayor said 500 buildings were in the dark.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's energy grid to disrupt heating supplies in winter. The City of Minneapolis still reeling from the death of
a mother and a massive buildup of I.C.E. agents. Overnight, federal agents used flash bangs to try to disperse protesters.
Anger is growing over the killing of Renee Good and the number of I.C.E. agents in the city. This confrontation was captured on video. A woman
dragged from her car just blocks from where Good was shot. She could be heard yelling that she is disabled and was on her way to the doctor.
Well, the battle between the state and the federal government is going on right now in court. State officials have sued to halt the I.C.E. operation,
which they're describing as a federal invasion. Now, regardless of the resistance, agents are facing in the streets, the Commander of the U.S.
Border Patrol claims most Minnesotans want them there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREG BOVINO, U.S. BORDER PATROL COMMANDER: Despite rioters, agitators and vast amounts of violence against federal officers, we're not going to stop.
We're doing this for MA and PA America. And we're glad to be here and for those 90 to 95 percent of Minnesotans that like us here, we salute you, we
respect you, and we love you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: We're also learning that at least six federal prosecutors in Minneapolis are stepping down over the investigation into the woman killed
by I.C.E. last week. A person familiar with the matter says their issue is the focus on Renee Good's widow.
[11:35:00]
And the lack of focus on the conduct of the officer who opened fire. Ryan Young joins us now live from Minneapolis. And Ryan as we saw overnight,
even despite the freezing temperatures, tensions continue to mount. Protesters continue to come out in force and some of the tactics that are
used by I.C.E. agents in response to these protesters also raising more concern. Just tell us what you've seen and heard.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, quite colorful to use a word here, because quite honestly, sometimes when we see the interactions
between the protesters and the I.C.E. agents, a lot of times, the violence from the I.C.E. agents sometimes rise above anything that we've seen from
the protests.
We're actually not understanding why some tactics are being used when they're being used. The flash bangs that went off last night right in front
of us and we saw a young lady be hurt by the shrapnel from them, we didn't know why that action took place. In fact, they were protesters in front of
the building.
They were upset. They're making their voices heard. And then all of a sudden, we saw the agents just appear out of nowhere and then start
throwing those flash bangs. Behind us right now, at the site of the shooting of Renee Good, you can see this visual that's going on. This is a
prayer that is going on currently as we speak.
I just wanted to give our viewers a chance to see this as well. There are people in this community who are still in pain and they are upset. You
played the sound bite saying that there was a lot of support for these I.C.E. agents from that federal government official.
And one of the things that we've seen over and over, not only from community leaders, but from the community itself, they actually are
concerned about the surge, because there are more I.C.E. agents in this city than are between the two police departments of the major cities of
this area.
There're 600 police officers in Minneapolis or 600 in St. Paul. We know there's over 2000 federal agents now here. And a lot of times when they're
going to arrest people. In fact, today in court, the government was saying, the local government was saying that they were using 60 agents to arrest
one person.
So, you understand that at some points you don't need that many people. But you can hear these people praying right now. Now we also want to show you
some that video and some of the tactics that were used yesterday. It's about a block away from here. The I.C.E. agents came into the area.
We saw the community members and protesters fled toward that area. Someone was being pulled out of a car, still not sure why that action happened. And
then we saw more than 10 agents pile on top of an older gentleman as they took him into custody. Some of the I.C.E. agents even sprayed each other
with irritant, because they were missing each other as they were shooting that irritant, and they were hitting each other, and so they had to be
pulled back.
Pepper balls were used on other folks in the area as well. And all this kept happening throughout the evening. And then back at the Whipple
building, we saw more of that aggression between the officers and everyone else. Take a listen to this young protestor who was hurt after one of those
flash bangs went off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have the sway here. Clearly, if they're throwing weapons at us, they're afraid. They don't want us here, because we know we
have power against them. Personally, I could be hit by flash wings again, and I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be out here for the coming weeks,
until I.C.E. is off of our streets and stops terrorizing our neighbors and killing our neighbors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: Yeah, you could actually see the blood flowing from her leg. That's why, sometimes when they deploy those flash bangs, they give it some
distance. So, at this point, we're just trying to figure out exactly what's going on. We're still on the ground here, paying attention to what the
community wants and following vigils, just like this one.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Ryan Young, stay safe. Stay warm, Ryan. I know it is very, very cold there where you are. And for more, let's bring in Former
Federal Prosecutor, Gene Rossi. Gene, it's good to see you. First, let's start with this lawsuit filed by the State of Minnesota and the Twin
Cities.
A legal challenge the Trump Administration's immigration enforcement there, calling it a federal invasion. How much standing does this lawsuit have as
we know, the hearing has started today?
GENE ROSSI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, the hearing is probably for a preliminary injunction or temporary injunction, and the argument of the
Minnesota officials would be that President Trump is going beyond his article two powers under the constitution.
And also, he's going beyond what a statute would allow him to do in sending in what appears to be 3000 I.C.E. agents to supplement the 1000 police
officers in Minneapolis and in St. Paul. And that would be the thrust and they are usurping the right of state and local officials in Minnesota to
exercise their state rights to control crime and local law enforcement. That would be the thrust of the lawsuit.
[11:40:00]
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, this as DHS announced just over the weekend Kristi Noem that more I.C.E. agents would be deployed to the state. I also want to ask
you about the new reporting of federal prosecutors retiring over pressure to zero in on actions of Renee Good's wife.
ROSSI: Yeah.
GOLODRYGA: In your view, is there any validity to their concern? And are you surprised by the number? I believe it's six that have resigned.
ROSSI: Well, let me give you, Bianna. Let me give you a little prolog here, the number of career prosecutors, seasoned, experienced, brilliant
prosecutors at main justice headquarters and in the U.S. Attorney's Office who are leaving or retiring early or being fired is at a stunning level.
So that's the prolog. What happened in the last couple of days, Bianna, is four senior civil rights prosecutors at main justice headquarters either
quit early or decided to retire because they were very outraged that there was not an investigation not charging, but just an investigation of the
alleged unlawful killing of Renee Good.
They didn't take -- the Department of Justice didn't even want to start an investigation, which I got to tell you, is unheard of, given the videos
that we have seen. Number two, what happened in Minnesota to me, is probably equally stunning, because six prosecutors in the Minnesota U.S.
Attorney's Office, which is a tremendous office.
The Head Prosecutor, Joseph Thompson, Bianna, he was the acting U.S. Attorney for six months last year. He was second in command. Now, he and
five other prosecutors resign for two major reasons. One main justice the headquarters wanted them to investigate Becca Good, the widow of Renee
Good.
And number two is they didn't want to the Department of Justice did not want to coordinate at all with state and local officials in Minnesota to
investigate the killing of Renee Good. Those were the major reasons.
GOLODRYGA: So is it standard protocol, no matter what video is seen, or whatever the outcome ultimately will be, to launch an investigation into
any shooting by a police officer or I.C.E. agent that leads to death. But I would imagine even just anything involving a shooting or a gun itself.
ROSSI: Bianna, the standard protocol in the Department of Justice, where I worked for quite a few years, is that when there is a police shooting,
either at the federal level by a federal officer, or at the state level by state local officer. It's almost automatic that the Civil Rights Division
at least opens an investigation.
They may not eventually recommend any charges or make any findings that something was wrong, but it's automatic that the Civil Rights Division at
least opens an investigation to gather evidence. And Bianna, I can't stress enough when you do these types of investigations, when there's a killing of
a citizen by a law enforcement official, federal state or local.
You always have coordination. And the reason for coordination among feds, state and local officials is they all gather evidence at certain rates and
certain sources, and you want to have a synergy. You know, one plus one equals five. You want to have a collaborative effort, because you want to
have a full and fulsome investigation.
And I got to say this, it has to be investigated, not that it's going to be charged, but we have to investigate whether that officer acted
unconstitutionally, unlawfully in taking the life of Renee Good, that has to be done, and that's why Joe Thompson and five other prosecutors
resigned.
But instead of going after looking at the officer, Bianna, they're looking at the widow Becca Good to see if she's committed crimes. That's tarnishing
the victim. It's victim abuse.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and I guess you could also make the argument that it benefits the officer if an investigation is launched, an official
investigation is launched, if they ultimately are exonerated to say there was an investigation conducted, and I was exonerated afterward.
[11:45:00]
This is unusual to say the least. Gene Rossi, thank you. Appreciate it.
ROSSI: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: And coming up for us, threatened with death while fighting for freedom. The U.S. State Department says a 26-year-old Iranian protestor may
be executed today. CNN spoke with his cousin, who says there's only one person who can stop it all.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Right, turning back now to one of our top stories. The death toll in Iran is skyrocketing after more than two weeks of anti-government
protests. a U.S. based Rights group says more than 2400 people have been killed and 18,000 arrested. And under the cover of a communications
blackout, those numbers could rise dramatically.
As far as news agency says the internet is likely to remain disconnected for the next one to two weeks. This says President Trump issued a new
warning to leaders of the Islamic Republic after weeks of threats to take military action if any protesters were killed.
Trump now says that America will take strong action if any demonstrators are executed. The U.S. State Department says a 26-year-old Iranian man will
be executed today. CNN's Isobel Yeung spoke with a cousin of Erfan Soltani about the young man's plight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It must be incredibly raw for you. You've only just received this message. Your cousin is due to be executed
extremely soon. How are you feeling?
SOMAYEH, ERFAN SOLTANI'S FAMILY MEMBER: I was in so much shock, I cried so much. Now that you see me, I am in complete shock. I keep feeling as if I
am in a dream.
YEUNG (voice-over): Somayeh says that she is living in fear that her family member is about to be executed by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Erfan
Soltani is 26 years old, and he's believed to be the first anti regime protestor in this latest uprising to be given the death sentence, according
to Human Rights Organizations.
YEUNG: What is it that he's been protesting for? What does he want to see happen in Iran?
SOMAYEH: He has always wanted people to be at least free in the most basic aspects of life. He has always fought for the freedom of Iran, and today we
see him standing under the gallows.
YEUNG (voice-over): The protests that Erfan took part in were huge and they turned violent.
[11:50:00]
To date, about 2000 protesters have been killed, according to a U.S. based Rights Group, but that figure could be much higher.
YEUNG: The Iranian state media has said that these protesters are rioters. Was Erfan using violence?
SOMAYEH: Erfan has never resorted to violence I always witnessed that all the destruction being carried out was done by the regime itself. In order
to execute young people, they fabricate accusations against them.
YEUNG: Human Rights Organizations say that he was arrested on Thursday and that he was given the death sentence just two days later. They said that he
wasn't allowed access to a lawyer, and that his execution has been expedited without trial. Tehran's prosecutor on Friday said that some
protesters could be given the death penalty.
Iranian state media says that rioters have killed dozens of members of the security forces, but we've not been able to contact the Iranian government
for comment. Somayeh says that there's just one person who could save Erfan from being killed, and that's President Donald Trump, who's threatened
military action if protesters continue to be harmed.
SOMAYEH: My request is that we need Trump's help by the second, we need Trump's help by every second. People trusted Trump's words and came to the
streets. I beg you, please do not let Erfan be executed. Please.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to CNN Isobel Yeung. And coming up an early return from space.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I accept command of International Space Station.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: For the first time four crew members head home early because one of them has a medical issue. Those details are ahead on "One World".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: In Japan's annual New Year military drill exercise on Sunday. The Self Defense Forces introduced a new kind of soldier, the kind with
four metal legs. These robots have joined the troops for the first time. Developed by U.S. company, Ghost Robotics, the 51 kilogram or 112-pound
robots can endure over 3 hours of continuous walking or 21 hours of standby time.
And later today, four astronauts will return from the International Space Station more than a month ahead of schedule after one unnamed crew member
experienced a medical issue.
[11:55:00]
This is the first time in history that NASA has brought its astronauts home early from the space station due to a medical concern. While NASA has not
provided any details about the nature of the health problem, the affected astronaut is said to be in stable condition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JAMES D. POLK, NASA'S CHIEF HEALTH AND MEDICAL OFFICER: This is not an operational issue. This is not an injury that was that occurred in the
pursuit of operations, if that was the question. But unrelated to the operational environment that we have right now. It's mostly having a
medical issue in the difficult areas of microgravity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The SpaceX capsule carrying the departing astronauts is expected to undock from the ISS as soon as 05:00 p.m. Eastern Time today. And
finally, before we go, another astronaut on board the ISS captured these stunning images of the Aurora Borealis. Look at this, also known as the
Northern Lights.
The Japanese astronaut caught the effect caused by charged particles that come from the sun in a steady stream or a solar wind. Just beautiful images
to leave you with there. All right, do stay with CNN. I'll have more "One World" after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
