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One World with Zain Asher

new Round Of Ukraine-Russia-U.S. Talks Opens In Abu Dhabi; Trump: It's Time For Country To Move On Amid Fallout; Trump Doubles Down On Call For GOP To "Nationalize" Elections; No Suspects Yet In Disappearance Of Nancy Guthrie; Homan: DHS To Withdraw 700 Personnel From Minneapolis; Aired 12-1p ET

Aired February 04, 2026 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:50]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching "One World."

We begin with the latest round of peace talks between Ukrainian, Russian, and American negotiators in Abu Dhabi. The first day of discussions wrapped

up just a short time ago.

And Moscow's demands for Kyiv to give up territory in the east of the country remains a major sticking point. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov

said a short time ago that the war in Ukraine would continue until Kyiv makes what he called the appropriate decisions.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry says today's talks focus on the terms of a possible ceasefire and a possible demarcation line. Negotiations are

expected to resume on Thursday.

So, let's go straight to Kevin Liptak live from Washington. And, Kevin, We know that the president's son-in-law, as well as Steve Witkoff, his envoy

to the region, to the Middle East, are at these talks right now in Abu Dhabi.

From experts we've spoken to, it is a positive step that you've got representation from all three countries here. But given this statement now

from Dmitry Peskov, how is the White House interpreting this? And also tell us about a phone call the president just had with the president of China.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And they're actually related because the president did speak with President Xi about this war in

Ukraine.

When it comes to these talks in Abu Dhabi, you know, the White House has been putting an extraordinarily optimistic spin on them, making the point

that until, you know, this first round of talks last week, that all of these sides had not been sort of in the same city and in the same room

talking together. And they're framing that as itself a positive development.

And you've heard President Trump, just over the last several days, repeatedly say that more progress is being made now than at any point over

the course of this nearly four-year war. And so from their perspective, these talks are progressing well.

But I think you hear, you know, a different perspective from, you know, other key players in all this. And then Mark Rutte, the NATO Secretary

General, just said yesterday that the fact that Moscow continues these, you know, record-setting bombardments of Ukraine shows that Putin may not be

serious about reaching a peace deal here.

And we saw just overnight, Monday into Tuesday, you know, the largest bombardment of the year as Ukraine suffers this record-setting cold snap.

You know, President Trump had said that he had struck an agreement with Vladimir Putin to hold off strikes on Kyiv for the length of a week as this

frigid temperatures had been setting in.

The president, yesterday after this new bombardment, said that he thought Putin had kept his word, that the pause in the missiles and drones had

lasted a week and that no one had essentially expected it to last beyond that.

And so you do see the president there essentially sort of giving Putin the benefit of the doubt, saying that he still thinks that these peace talks

could proceed successfully.

Now, it does seem clear that the remaining issue in all of this is the question of the territorial concessions. You know, that's something that

officials had said was the remaining sticking point. They seem to have figured out the question of the security guarantees for Ukraine once the

war ends. They've discussed some of the financial commitments to help Ukraine rebuild.

But it is the question of the eastern Donetsk region, the parts of the country that Ukraine would have to cede to Russia in order to bring about a

ceasefire that remains a point of contention. And certainly as they're sitting down there in Abu Dhabi, that will be, I think, the big point of

discussion as they work to come up with a deal that all sides can agree to.

Now, this was, as I mentioned, a point of the phone call between President Trump and the Chinese President Xi earlier today.

The timing of this call was interesting because in the hours before President Trump got on the phone with Xi, Xi was also speaking with

Vladimir Putin. And you can kind of see how he is sort of at the center in some ways of all of these discussions.

[12:05:02]

One of the things that Trump raised with Xi was potentially buying more oil and gas from the United States, of course, China, is a top purchaser of

Russian oil. And President Trump has been making a point to try and go sort of country by country to try and get them to reduce their purchases of

energy products from Moscow.

And so it doesn't seem clear that they were able to come up with any agreement on any of that, but you do see how President Trump is sort of

relying on his relationship with Xi to discuss all of these other geopolitical issues beyond just the relationship between Washington and

Beijing.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And the President expected to travel to Beijing in about two months' time as well for a state visit.

Kevin Liptak, thank you so much.

In the days leading up to today's talks in Abu Dhabi, Russia intensified attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. As we've just reported,

Ukrainian officials say Tuesday's onslaught was the biggest, so far, this year, consisting of 70 missiles and 450 drones.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accuses Russia of terrorizing the Ukrainian people amid the coldest days of winter. The country has suffered repeated

power shortages and outages.

In Kyiv, some people are skeptical about what will come from this week's peace talks and what life will look like when they're done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DARIA ULMAN, WIDOW OF UKRAINIAN SOLDIER (through translator): Obviously, the war will end through negotiations, but it won't happen this month or

even this year. People will continue to die. And I really don't want Ukrainians to wait for that day, because it will not come. The war will go

on for centuries, on and on.

We must always hate Russia. We must always support the army and the Ukrainian people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Well, let's hear from Oleksiy Sorokin. He is the deputy chief editor at "The Kyiv Independent." Oleksiy, great to see you. Thank you so

much for taking the time to join us.

I want to ask you about your reaction and how you're interpreting these comments from the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Pekov, who, as these talks

are underway at the UAE, says that Russia will continue the war until, quote, Kyiv makes the appropriate decisions.

How do you interpret that?

OLEKSIY SOROKIN, DEPUTY CHIEF EDITOR, THE KYIV INDEPENDENT: Well, we've been here, we've done that. Everything that's happening was already

happening in the summer, in March and in April, as well. So nothing new is actually happening.

We know that both Ukrainians and Russians are conducting these peace talks only to appease President Trump. We don't expect anything to come out of

these negotiations. We also know that Russia believes it's -- it's winning the war. It is advancing in eastern Ukraine. It occupies more and more

land.

So, obviously, Russia feels boldened to demand the terms that it wants. And it has all the power to continue the war until it reaches its goals.

GOLODRYGA: And now you have the president saying that this ceasefire, the truce at least, as it relates to Russia striking Ukraine's energy

infrastructure, has expired. Even though we know what the president said just a few days ago, that was on Thursday, that this would be in place for

a full week. A full week has not transpired yet.

And the fact that President Trump continues to seemingly, at least publicly, get President Putin, the benefit of the doubt here tells you what

about any type of pressure that U.S. officials right now are putting on Russia and Abu Dhabi.

SOROKIN: Well, there's absolutely no pressure on Russia. There's pressure on Ukraine. We see that President Trump practically believes everything

that the Russians tell them to, to believe because we know that Russia attacked Ukraine on the 24th. It attacked Ukraine on the 27th, and it

attacked Ukraine on the 2nd. So, between those dates, there was never a week.

President Trump backtracked on his comments that President Putin will -- will spare Ukraine for a week, because as we know after his comments, the

Kremlin said that the so-called energy ceasefire will hold only until February 1st, so it's only a few days.

And I think that Ukraine officials understand that even if the U.S. promises Ukraine something, promises Ukraine security guarantees, for

example, there is no certainty that the U.S. will actually follow through.

So, I think for Ukraine, it's right now impossible to agree to a U.S. broker ceasefire because there is no certainty that the U.S. will actually

follow on its end of the bargain.

GOLODRYGA: So, in your views, it's just Ukraine going through the motions because they feel they don't have any other alternative options?

[12:10:08]

SOROKIN: Yes. Ukraine has to continue playing along, going with all the peace formats that the U.S. insists on, and it has to rely only on its own

armed forces, because Russia is advancing and the U.S. is not helping Ukraine.

GOLODRYGA: Well, and the impact that this is having on everyday civilian life is extraordinary and frightening.

You posted on X after these strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which we should note, Russia continues as we're now approaching the four-

year mark of this war, continues to say that all of its targets are military complex operations, yet, we've had markets hit, buses hit, the

energy infrastructure.

And here's what you wrote on X. You said Russia is now attacking Kyiv with missiles and drones. Lights are out across my entire neighborhood with the

only lights coming from air defense. And by the way, it's minus 20 degrees Celsius outside. And I can bet my money that they are once again trying to

freeze us.

Just give us a sense of -- of what life is like now there in Kyiv today.

SOROKIN: While Russians continue attacking civilian infrastructure, I personally think this is a war crime, because there is no military target

in attacking, heating, and forcing Kyiv residents, including retirees, kids, into inhumane conditions.

We know that in apartment buildings, especially the older apartment buildings, the temperatures inside is around five, seven degrees Celsius. I

-- I don't know how much that's in Fahrenheit, but it's pretty, pretty cold.

We -- we -- we know of people who sleep in sleeping bags inside. We know people who actually put up tents inside their apartments for it to be at

least a bit warmer. There's also -- except for -- for heating, there's also problems with electricity.

For example, my place doesn't have electricity for 20 hours a day. So I have electricity only four or five hours a day. And for example, I have an

electric stove. So, obviously, I can't cook anything.

There's also problems with running water. For at least twice in the past month, there was half of the good the city was cut off from running water

because Russia hit the water supplies, the pipes, the -- the facilities that take care of water supplies.

So, Russia is recurrently -- currently attacking civilian infrastructure. And for a lot of the people, it's basically life and death because, OK, I'm

-- I'm capable of maybe moving or -- or doing something, but there's grandparents, there's retirees, there's people with disabilities who don't

have the luxury of actually taking care of -- of themselves in those -- in those conditions. So, unfortunately, Kyiv, right now, is pretty unlivable,

I would say.

GOLODRYGA: Well, this morning, I spoke with the U.N. High Commissioner on human rights on a separate issue, but this came up as well. And, you know,

his assessment is in line with yours that any strikes on civilian infrastructure, particularly when it comes to anything related to energy in

a time of winter is considered a war crime.

Oleksiy Sorokin, thank you so much for taking the time to talk. Just really appreciate it.

SOROKIN: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, the U.S. and Iran are set to hold nuclear talks in Oman on Friday. It's the first negotiations between both sides since America's

attacks on three of Tehran's nuclear sites last summer.

And it comes after Iran requested the venue, which was initially said to be in Istanbul to be changed. It also insisted that regional participants be

excluded and says it will not make concessions on its ballistic missile program.

Asked about the changes, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier today that the U.S. is ready to meet and try to find out if a deal can be

reached.

U.S. President Donald Trump says that it's time for the nation, meantime, to move on from the Epstein scandal. But the fallout? Well, that's still

reverberating in Washington and around the world.

Bill and Hillary Clinton are due to appear for depositions in the congressional Jeffrey Epstein probe later this month after initially

refusing to appear for interviews.

And the co-founder of Microsoft is also facing the heat for his ties to Epstein. While Bill Clinton has not been -- while Bill Gates has not been

accused of any wrongdoing. He expressed regret about ever associating with the convicted sex offender.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL GATES, CO-FOUNDER, MICROSOFT: Yes. I met Jeffrey in 2011. The focus was always he knew a lot of very rich people and he was saying he could get

them to give money to global health.

[12:15:09]

You know, in retrospect, that was a -- a dead end. And I was foolish to spend time with him. I was one of many people who regret ever knowing him.

You know, it's factually true that I was only at dinners. You know, I never went to the island. I never met any women. And so, you know, the more that

comes out, the more clear it'll be that although the time was a mistake, it had nothing to do with that kind of behavior.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Well, the fallout is also rocking Britain. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was grilled in Parliament on ties between the convicted sex

offender and Britain's former ambassador to Washington.

The prime minister says Peter Mandelson betrayed his country and lied repeatedly.

Let's dig deeper now with CNN politics senior reporter Stephen Collinson who has written a new digital piece about the Epstein developments.

And the web has been spun pretty deep, Stephen, from connections here to Jeffrey Epstein. And this obviously goes beyond U.S. borders.

It's interesting that the pushback and sort of the -- the criticism that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing is that he already knew about ties

between Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein before appointing him, I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, to be ambassador to the United States.

Just tell us the reverberations that are being felt far beyond Washington, D.C.

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes. What is fascinating when you go through this latest release of documents is the extent to which

Jeffrey Epstein had this global network. It's a constant world of meetings, of dinners, of conferences.

And we're talking about, say 2013, four years after he was released from jail over a previous sex offender case. And the fact that he was still in

these circles is very interesting. And I think that gets to some of the questions that are being asked now about, first of all, why people continue

to associate with him.

And secondly, what people knew. These are sophisticated, powerful, wealthy people that gathered around Epstein. And the idea that none of them knew

what was going on is very strange.

And I think that really is one of the issues that's playing out in the U.K. over the issue of why Keir Starmer chose Peter Mandelson to be the U.S.

ambassador to Washington, A, having known about the ties between Mandelson and Epstein, if he didn't know the full depth of the latest issues that

Mandelson is facing over, supposedly an allegedly leaking financial information to Epstein.

And Mandelson was, of course, an exceedingly controversial figure. He lost his job several times in the Labour governments under Tony Blair and Gordon

Brown because of scandal. So it does really raise, I think, questions about the judgment of the prime minister, who is, as we know, leading an already

weakened government, despite the fact that he's got a massive majority.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And also quite stunning to hear President Trump yesterday say that he regrets or feels badly about the situation that the Clintons

find themselves in at this point, agreeing to testify, not sure how seriously to take the president's sincerity there.

But you have Democrats now saying, hey, a precedent has been set here. And when we've regained the House, this could very well be the president

himself now being subpoenaed to testify. How likely would that be?

COLLINSON: I think it would be quite likely if the repub -- if the Democrats win back the House, because I think that is the only way that

anything actually gets done in terms of accountability here.

The Justice Department is signaling it's not going to move further, and it's saying, and it's not even going to fully comply with the law by

releasing all of the remaining Epstein files. Trump wants to move on.

I think that comment where the president said he feels badly for the Clintons perhaps is that he really feels badly for himself, because the

spectacle of the Clintons testifying on Capitol Hill is going to open new avenues of inquiry in this saga.

And it means it's not going away as much as the president has tried repeatedly to make it go away over the last six months or so. That

appearance by the Clintons is going to be an extraordinary coder, I think, to both of their careers.

And I think a lot of people are wondering what exactly they're going to say, not just about allegations surrounding Bill Clinton. Let's stipulate

that there's been no evidence of wrongdoing by the former president. He's not been charged with anything.

But about this broader orbit of Epstein and his involvement with international organizations, philanthropic organizations, and what that was

all about, that is going to be exceedingly interesting to see what they say.

[12:20:01]

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And the Clintons want this deposition to be televised and Republicans there in the House oversight are saying no.

Stephen Collinson, thank you so much. Fascinating report.

All right. We'll stay in Washington now. And Democrats are increasingly worried that President Trump might try to interfere in November's midterm

elections.

This is Trump doubles down on his call for Republicans to nationalize elections. The Constitution, of course, requires states to run their own

elections. So, do Americans believe President Trump is committed to election integrity?

Our Harry Enten is here to break it down for us. Harry, answer that question for me, my friend. Do Americans believe that the president is

committed to election integrity?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: No. They believe he's committed to that as much as committed to modesty, which, of course, he really doesn't

have.

Look, look, look, here's the situation, which is that Americans do not trust Donald Trump when it comes to free and fair elections. Just take a

look here. OK. Trump committed to free and fair elections. This is among all of those.

You can see it right here. Just 43 percent of Americans say, yes, Donald Trump is in fact committed to free and fair elections.

Look here though. You see the clear majority, 56 percent of Americans say - - say, no, he is not committed to free and fair elections.

And I will note that "The Washington Post" also asked this poll question about the Democratic Party and what you see is the inverse. In fact, the

majority of Americans say that, yes, the Democratic Party is in fact committed to free and fair elections.

Now, you see this top line here, you see the 43 percent yes. You see the 56 percent no. Of course, elections, since we're on the topic of elections,

are ultimately determined by independents, by independents, right?

And what do we see among independents? It's an even worse picture for the President of the United States. Trump committed to free and fair elections

among independents. We're talking about just a third, just a third of independents, 32 percent say, yes, Donald Trump is in fact committed to

free and fair elections.

Among independents, look at that, the clear majority, two in three, 65 percent say, no, Donald Trump is in fact not committed to free and fair

elections.

And I will note this is part of a larger story with the President of the United States. When it comes to independents, we have seen him struggling

with them overall. We have seen his numbers decline.

When he's talking about nationalizing elections, I can't see how that helps at all with a key part of the electorate that has been shifting

considerably to the left and has been considerably down on the president of the United States.

Now, here's, of course, the other key nugget, right, which is that if you're going to nationalize elections, then you're going to take them away

from localities. And the truth is that most Americans actually trust their localities when it comes to elections.

So take a look here. OK. Say the 2024 elections will run very well. In their community, look at this. You see more, more than two and three

Americans, 69 percent of them say that in fact the elections in 2024 were in fact run very well in their local communities.

Compare that to the United States at large, it's just 43 percent. And I will note that this call that Donald Trump has made to nationalize

elections comes at a time in which trust in the federal government is at or near record lows.

In fact, when the Pew Research Center asked you have a favorable view of the national government, the federal government, we're talking about, get

this, just 22 percent, just 22 percent of Americans say that they view the federal government favorably.

This to me is not just a constitutional dead end, but it is at a dead end with the American public as well. But, of course, with Trump's approval

ratings being as low as they are, I think he's trying to throw a bunch of things against the wall and see what sticks.

But when it comes to nationalizing elections, this is a pathway that really leads to nowhere in terms of popularity among the American public, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. We've exhausted the hypothetical, but I have to just say it, imagine if a democratic president said that he or she wanted to

nationalize elections. Every Republican's hair would be on fire, as it should be.

ENTEN: Of course, it would be an --

GOLODRYGA: Yes.

ENTEN: -- absolute fire. Of course, Republicans have always -- have been over the past few generations about states' rights. And now, of course,

you're taking away rights from the states.

GOLODRYGA: Of course.

ENTEN: It's -- it --

GOLODRYGA: Well --

ENTEN: You know, Donald Trump just rose things up and sort of has messed with our politics in a lot of ways. And this is definitely one of those.

GOLODRYGA: Well, my hair was almost on fire when you weren't on live with us the other day. And I was told this because you had to go to the

Westminster Dog Show. I thought --

ENTEN: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: -- that was an excuse. But, Harry, you really did go. So I have to ask you about your trip to the dog show. How -- I have -- this is

written in the prompter. I can't even act it out well. How rough was the assignment, Harry?

ENTEN: There -- there we are. We're walking right there in the dog show. That's --

GOLODRYGA: You and John Miller.

ENTEN: That -- that -- me and John Miller.

GOLODRYGA: I didn't know he was a dog fan.

ENTEN: He's a huge dog fan. I've actually been on with his dog Bernie, who I call Bernabe (ph). And we get along like, I don't know, you know, like --

like summer lovers almost. I mean, we're just such a great pair together.

[12:25:07]

And I was able to, in fact, see my childhood dog, it was a Lhasa Apso. If you go on a Twitter X, my avatar is my childhood dog, Cody, a Lhasa Apso.

And I was able to meet one of the Lhasa Apsos that took part in it. His name was Roger, Roger the Lhasa Apso. This regal (ph) dog and his name was

Roger, named after Roger Federer. He is from Connecticut.

But anytime I see a cute dog, it makes my voice go really high, and I just go hello little doggy. How are you? You're such a cute little doggy. And I

want to hug that dog so -- so very much. Dogs, to quote the great Andy Rooney, they truly are better than people.

GOLODRYGA: And they are such a uniter. I mean, bringing you and John Miller, of all people, together. I mean, I don't think there's anything

else that could get the two of you in a room with a smile on your face that big, both of you enjoying every second of this.

And we are going to see your report with John Miller later on in the show. I can't wait to watch. And I hope you got to meet the winner.

ENTEN: We did not get to meet the winner. But you know what, as far as I'm concerned, every dog is a winner.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Good answer. Good answer.

All right. Harry, we'll have to leave it there. Good to see you. I've missed you in person, as has my mom.

ENTEN: Oh. Well now she better be calling after the show.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Harry, thank you.

ENTEN: See you.

GOLODRYGA: We'll see you later.

All right. Coming up for us, while all eyes have been on border agents in Minneapolis, the Homeland Security Secretary wants to focus back on the

U.S. Mexico border. We'll tell you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: All right. New details are emerging about the missing 84-year- old Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBC television host and our colleague, Savannah Guthrie.

At least three media outlets say they've received ransom notes earlier this week demanding millions of dollars in bitcoin for Guthrie's safe return.

Now, the sheriff of Arizona's Pima County says that his team is investigating and have not yet confirmed whether the notes are genuine.

Officials also tell us they still do not have any suspects in the case.

We want to bring in John Miller, CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst.

Such a upsetting and really, really heartbreaking story, John, when you obviously -- we're familiar. We know Savannah, have worked with her for

years and have come as so many of our NBC colleagues to -- to really know her mother as well from her appearances on the "Today" show with Savannah.

[12:30:03]

Does it surprise you that already three, four days have passed and there are yet to be any real concrete leads or updates from authorities?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, not necessarily, Bianna. It's -- it's the kind of thing where this doesn't

appear to be a spontaneous incident.

It appears that this was something that was planned according to the sheriff. It appears she was taken from her home in the early morning hours,

perhaps, after being dropped off after dinner.

And it suggests that the person who did it wasn't there to rob the house. None of the normal things that would be taken in a --in a burglary or a

robbery, if you encountered a person seemed to be missing. Most of her things seemed to be left behind.

So, it appears that the single purpose for being there was to take her. And that suggests that there's a plan behind it.

Now, we are -- we are a couple of days into this now, as you point out, and has there been a credible contact with anyone who has her? If the motive is

money, so far, the answer is no or maybe.

Now, we know about these ransom notes that were sent to a local television affiliate and to TMZ. They have a description of some clothing items. And

we are told a demand for a bitcoin, but that may be just a result of the publicity.

The bottom line with a ransom note is, what can the kidnapper tell you that makes it clear that they have the victim? And the normal counter to a

ransom note that doesn't do that before any money or anything else is transmitted is proof of life. Can you put the victim on the phone? Can you

show us a video of the victim in good health? Can you at least answer a question that only that person would know and more than one?

And, you know, the -- the ransom notes they have, while they -- the sheriff says these are important leads and they are investigating them, don't

appear to come with any of those components. So just from what we know about them and there's things about them that we don't know.

GOLODRYGA: And, of course, we know time is of the essence here. Nancy Guthrie is in need of daily medication, life-saving medication. And so

every minute that goes by makes it that much more difficult and that much more alarming that we don't yet have proof of life or any new leads.

We will continue to follow this really disturbing and heartbreaking story, John Miller. And has everyone has been saying, if you hear of any leads,

please contact local officials.

We'll be right back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:35:56]

GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.

The governor of Minnesota calls it a step in the right direction. But the mayor of Minneapolis says the drawdown of 700 Department of Homeland

Security personnel from his city is not a de-escalation.

The White House's so-called border czar announced the reduction in force a short time ago. Tom Homan said that it would happen immediately and the

goal was to eventually achieve a complete drawdown.

Homan also announced the roll out of body-worn cameras nationwide beginning with agents in Minneapolis. But he also said the Trump administration is

not giving up on mass deportations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, U.S. BORDER CZAR: President Trump fully intends to achieve mass deportations during this administration. And immigration enforcement

actions will continue every day throughout this country.

President Trump made a promise, and we have not directed otherwise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Time now for "The Exchange." My conversation with CNN opinion writer, Raul Reyes. Raul, welcome back to the program.

Let me ask you to respond to what Mayor Jacob Frey said is not a de- escalation in his view, though a step in the right direction that 700 ICE agents would be leaving Minneapolis while 2,000 would remain there on the

streets patrolling and that they would now be wearing body cam videos.

Do you not view that as a de-escalation?

RAUL REYES, CNN OPINION WRITER: For me, I -- I do see it as a de-escalation in the sense that for starters, the sheer numbers of -- of border patrol

and ICE personnel on the streets of Minneapolis, it is being decreased.

Number two, the -- the idea that agents will now be wearing body cameras, not only in Minneapolis, but throughout the nation, according to Mr. Homan.

That is something that immigration activists have long desired, that they have pressed for. So those two things alone signal progress.

And we -- we have to look at the -- the bigger picture here. And -- and that is that the Trump administration, right now, is in a shocking place

and that it is on the defensive and it is actually backing down a bit on immigration.

That is extremely unusual for this administration, which has always seen immigration as one of its core strengths. There -- there was some

conflicting information from Mr. Homan's speech.

I mean, what struck me is that he -- he spoke against the rhetoric surrounding the Minneapolis protest and the killings. And he sort of

ignored the fact that the most incendiary rhetoric came from the president and people in the administration.

But I -- I do see it as a -- as a positive development going forward and also a signal to anti-ICE protesters across the country that -- that the

tactics can work, that they can force ICE and DHS to back down.

GOLODRYGA: So as you noted, protesters are viewing this as a victory. Do you think this decision, however, emboldens activists to come out now more

aggressively on the streets or in more numbers and then increasing the risk of altercations with ICE officers that led to tragically the shooting

deaths of two U.S. citizens?

REYES: In my view, I -- I do see it as encouragement for protesters and just ordinary Americans to come out in support of their communities against

what they see as overly aggressive ICE tactics.

I don't think it necessarily encourages any kind of violence. I -- I have been at some of the marches, observed some here in New York City. We've

seen that most of these protests, where there was violence, it was often instigated by ICE officers.

So, I don't think this is necessarily going to inspire violence in -- in that way, but I do think it's encouraging news for this really organic

grassroots movement of pushback we're seeing against ICE.

What this moment reminds me of, it reminds me of 2018 in the first Trump administration when the family separation crisis really shocked the whole

world and led to a huge upsurge public opinion against that policy.

[12:40:14]

Where we are right now with Minneapolis and these incredible protests continuing in -- in sub-freezing temperatures, that's what this moment

calls to mind.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And for years, the president has viewed and the poll numbers supported that view that immigration was one of his great

strengths. It's what helped him get back into office for a second term.

And it's notable that now DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is going back to speaking about securing the border and the record low number of crossings

there.

You aren't as enthusiastic though about those figures and how effective the -- the wall has been and the U.S. border security there between the United

States and Mexico has been under President Trump. Why not?

REYES: Well, for me, it's a mixed bag. I -- I have to say, if -- if you voted for this president to -- to crack down on illegal crossings and

crossings at the border, he has delivered on that. He has, full stop. Crossings at our southern border with Mexico are at a 50-year low.

I -- I think where I differ from the administration is that there are a variety of factors in play here. The administration's policies, the

crackdown on asylum, the efforts by Mexico and Central American countries to restrict migrations. So it's all of those factors, not necessarily the

wall.

However, for many people, the wall is a very potent symbol of Trump's crusade against illegal immigration.

At this time, when the Trump administration is facing bipartisan criticism around his handling of the issue, it does make political sense for Kristi

Noem to return there to highlight these numbers.

And it also makes sense strategically for her. Her -- her public approval rating is 36 percent, 37 percent, maybe the lowest in the cabinet. She has

faced bipartisan criticism for her handling of DHS. So, this is also an opportunity to highlight what they can point to as a success by the Trump

administration.

Whether or not, you know, it's worth the human cost, that probably depends where -- where you stand in your political affiliations. But it is a fact

that Trump administration has achieved historic lows, historic crossings at the border.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And it will be interesting to see whether focusing more on border statistics will improve public opinion on how --

REYES: Right. Right.

GOLODRYGA: -- he's approaching this policy.

Raul Reyes, thank you so much. Good to see you.

REYES: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, we turn now to Nigeria where at least 170 people have been killed in a remote village in the central part of the country. This marks

the deadliest assault so far this year. And it happened in an area that contained -- continues to be targeted by gunmen. Several people remain

missing. We'll continue to stay on top of this story for you.

And still to come for us, big changes may soon be coming to social media ads with new proposed rules aimed at stopping scammers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:45:53]

GOLODRYGA: All right. Let's check in on how the U.S. markets are doing. A mixed day for markets on Wall Street. The Dow is up just slightly. And as

you see, the S&P 500 down nearly one percentage point. The tech sector, the NASDAQ, down over two percentage point. Continued heavy declines there at

the NASDAQ.

We will continue to follow the markets for you, but meantime, this is your business breakout.

"The Washington Post" has announced widespread layoffs. Sources say changes include shutting down the entire sports section as well as closing the book

section and canceling The Daily Post Reports podcast. And all one in three employees across the company are being let go.

Pizza Hut is closing hundreds of locations across America. Its parent company, Yum Brands, revealed in Wednesday's earnings call that 250 of its

underperforming stores are shutting their doors in the first half of this year.

It comes after the company announced in November that it had launched a formal review of strategic options for Pizza Hut, including a possible

sale.

Two U.S. senators, one Republican, the other Democrat, have introduced a bill designed to prevent scam ads on social media platforms. It requires

companies to vet their advertisers and take reasonable steps to combat fraudulent ads or face legal action by the Federal Trade Commission and

state attorneys general.

And at the World Government Summit in Dubai, Spain unveiled plans to ban social media for children under the age of 16. That would match countries

like Australia, France and Denmark, which have all moved to shield young people from the influence of digital platforms.

Spain's prime minister said his government also plans to hold social media executives criminally liable if they fail to remove harmful content.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEDRO SANCHEZ, SPANISH PRIME MINISTER: Spain will ban access to social media for minors under the age of 16. Platforms will be required to

implement effective age verification systems, not just checkboxes but real barriers that work.

Today, our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone. Space of addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation,

violence. We will no longer accept that. We will protect them from the digital wild west.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Back here in the States, Senate Republicans are going after Netflix for what they call its woke content.

The company will need approval from the Trump administration for its $83 billion bid to buy Warner Bros. streaming and studio assets.

At a hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday, some conservative senators accuse Netflix of having a left-wing bias.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ERIC SCHMITT (R-MO): Why in the world would we give a seal of approval or a thumbs up to make you the largest behemoth on the planet related to

content? It seems as though you have -- you have engaged in creating, not only a monopoly of content potentially, but the wokest content in the

history of the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Ted Sarandos, the co-CEO of Netflix said, his company has no political agenda. Warner Bros. Discovery currently owns CNN, but CNN and

other linear networks would not be included in the Netflix deal.

Coming up after the break for us, we paws, P-A-W-S, for some fun news. We sent two of our most intrepid reporters to the Westminster dog show. We'll

bring you this year's winner and show you what goes on backstage for real.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:50:59]

GOLODRYGA: All right. The moment we've been waiting for. The Westminster Kennel Club has crowned a new top dog.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For Best in Show at the 150th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is the Doberman Pinscher.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: That would be Penny, a four-year-old Doberman Pinscher stole the judge's heart, taking home the most coveted award, Best in Show.

She outperformed nearly 2,500 canines from more than 200 breeds. It's the fifth time a Doberman has taken the top prize at Westminster. Penny's

handler said, quote, she is a great Doberman and the great Doberman as I've ever seen.

Well, we wanted to know what the Westminster dog show is like behind the scenes, so we sent CNN's two biggest dog lovers, Harry Enten and John

Miller. Here's what they learned during their rough assignment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ENTEN: So, Johnny --

MILLER: Yes.

ENTEN: -- I've decided to take you to one of my favorite places in the world, that is the preliminaries of the Westminster dog show, because you

and I both love dogs tremendously. I've met your dog, Bernie, who, of course, I call Bernabe (ph).

MILLER: He still asks for you.

ENTEN: Oh, my goodness gracious. And, of course, I think of my childhood dog, Cody, the Lhasa Apso, who I still think of whenever I want to bring a

smile to my face.

Are you looking forward to seeing some dogs here today?

MILLER: I love dogs.

ENTEN: I know.

MILLER: It's going to be my favorite day.

ENTEN: And you work -- and you've got the doggie tie.

MILLER: I wore the dog tie. Yes.

ENTEN: Fantastic. And let's go see some dogs.

MILLER: Let's go see some dogs.

ENTEN: Let's go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is Petunia Pugdashian, and this is her boy toy, Otis.

ENTEN: Now, Petunia, what do you think of John Miller? What about me? Do you have anything to say about me?

MILLER: Just gave a big yawn, Harry. I think that sums it up.

ENTEN: Oh, well.

MILLER: Are we getting our hair done here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course, of course.

MILLER: There's a dog in there somewhere?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a dog in here somewhere.

ENTEN: So, do you prefer the smaller dogs or the bigger dogs?

MILLER: I always love a big dog. But if Bernie's watching, I also love the small dogs, too.

ENTEN: Yes, I think I'm a small dog type of guy. I'm of the belief that if a dog, for whatever reason, decides to turn on me, that I want to be able

to control the dog. But I feel like I could take on a Maltese if it came down to it.

MILLER: Probably. Although I might bet on the Maltese.

ENTEN: All right, Johnny, my childhood dog Cody, the Lhasa Apso. Roger, who is waving hello or waving goodbye. I'm not quite sure which it is.

MILLER: Definitely hello. He -- I think he's -- he's angling for a kiss, Harry.

ENTEN: Aww.

Hello, Roger.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's named after Roger Federer.

ENTEN: Oh, a champion tennis player and a champion dog.

MILLER: Hey, Brittany (ph). How are you doing? What are you thinking about?

ENTEN: Aww.

MILLER: Irish Wolfhound. Does he sleep in bed?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, he does. Whole bed.

MILLER: Oh, my God.

ENTEN: You should see John's face on that. John looks amazed.

[12:55:04]

All right. So, it's not just about showing of the dogs here at the Westminster dog show, you can pick up apparel for your dog as well. Look at

this. This is like climate control. And I love you keeping the dog safe.

MILLER: High visibility.

ENTEN: This is nicer than any piece of clothing that I own.

MILLER: So, what is the filet mignon of dog food?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the one they all love.

MILLER: Have you tried it?

ENTEN: I might be tempted.

MILLER: Well, I have to say, today has truly been a treat.

ENTEN: Oh. John, any time with you is a treat and -- and we got nourishment as well.

MILLER: Yes.

ENTEN: Can I get an aroo?

(HOWLING)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Did they really eat that dog food? All right. Well, that is some Emmy award-winning reporting from Harry and John.

Well, from dogs to pandas. This is one of the newer arrivals at China's Chengdu Research Base. You can see the exceptionally clingy cub trying to

wake its sleeping mother. The base is world-renowned for its conservation of giant pandas and other endangered wild animal species. It's also a

tourist attraction, so you can go see that adorable little cub as well.

We're going to send Harry and John there next.

All right. That does it for "One World" today. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thanks so much for watching. I'll be right back after a quick break with

"Amanpour."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:00]

END