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The Situation Room

Noem: "No Plans to Pull Out of Minnesota"; Trump Threatens to Use Insurrection Act; U.S. Weighs Military Action in Iran; Last Day to Sign Up for Obamacare Plans. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired January 15, 2026 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: You say you discussed the Interruption Act with the President. Did you recommend that --

KRISTI NOEM, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: No, we just discussed it, that it was one of the options that he had constitutionally, and we talked about the fact that we're going to continue our operations in Minneapolis and have the resources that we need to get the job done. Yes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many tankers is our Coast Guard tracking that are loose, and are any of them out of the Caribbean that you're tracking worldwide?

NOEM: I can't speak to the specifics of the operation, although we are watching the entire Shadow Fleet and how they're moving. I'm very proud of our Coast Guard, how they've partnered with the Department of War to do unprecedented actions in bringing these flags under jurisdiction, or these ships under jurisdiction that in many instances aren't flagged or they're affiliated with a country moving this unauthorized oil to avoid our sanction policy. Yes? What's that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When -- like the video that was posted this morning, do you watch any of those operations?

NOEM: Absolutely, I do. Absolutely, I do. Yes, absolutely, we do. That's -- we haven't slept a lot lately. Between the Coast Guard operations, what they're doing in partnership with the Department of War, in dealing with the Shadow Fleet, what we're also doing as far as operations with law enforcement across the country, the Department of Homeland Security is very busy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you respond to that, Madam Secretary, perhaps to follow up? Why are we seeing Americans being asked on the street to provide proof of citizenship in Minnesota? Is that targeted enforcement, and are you advising Americans to carry proof of citizenship?

NOEM: In every situation, we're doing targeted enforcement. If we are on a target and doing an operation, there may be individuals surrounding that criminal that we may be asking who they are and why they're there and having them validate their identity. That's what we've always done in asking people who they are so that we know who's in those surroundings, and if they are breaking our federal laws, we will detain them as well until we run that processing. Yes? I'm going to go right here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think that there needs to be an Insurrection Act invoked?

NOEM: Oh, I think that the president has that opportunity in the future. It's his constitutional right, and it's up to him if he wants to utilize it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think he's likely to do it?

NOEM: I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would it lead to more deadly killings in Minnesota if the Insurrection Act is invoked?

NOEM: If anything doesn't change with Governor Walz, I don't anticipate that the streets will get any safer or more peaceful. Governor Walz and his leadership team need to come to us and find out how we can work together like we have in many other states. We didn't see this kind of reaction in Louisiana when we ran our operations exactly how we are running them in Minneapolis, but we had a very different response because we had leaders that were working with us. If you saw our operations in Florida, extremely successful.

In Minneapolis so far, we brought hundreds of criminals off the streets that were dangerous to society and dangerous to that community. We would wish that Governor Walz could take an example from the governor of Louisiana, the governor of Florida, and work with us to do the right thing for his people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your officers are (INAUDIBLE). Do you think they need more de-escalation training though given (INAUDIBLE) as we have seen (INAUDIBLE)?

NOEM: You know, the officers that we have out there are very highly trained and skilled, specific for the operations that they're doing. They're utilizing the most gifted individuals on these operations to go out and to do enforcement because many times they're going after murderers. They're going after professionals and gangs and terrorists that are here in our country illegally.

And I'll remind you, the only reason we're in this situation is because the Biden administration allowed 20 million people to come into this country unvetted, unvetted. My every day is spent thinking about the known terrorists that are in this country that I just haven't found yet, the suspected terrorists, the criminals, the murderers, the pedophiles that are out there on the streets that we need to find and get off the streets because Joe Biden opened up our borders and allowed that invasion to happen.

But if you can imagine the kind of dysfunctional criminal gangs and organizations that use that open border as an opportunity to infiltrate America, it's overwhelming at times. And that's why President Trump is so strong at taking action and making sure he's in every single state following through on his commitments to every single citizen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did the president say what his final straw would be to invoke the Insurrection Act, if he did?

NOEM: No, this president uses all the information and intelligence that he can get. That's why he calls me, he calls Pete, he calls local law enforcement. He talks to those individuals and agents as well that are involved that he knows well. This president makes fully informed decisions and utilizes his authorities when it's appropriate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you worried that bringing in the military would inflame the situation?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maria Corina Machado is coming to the White House today. Are you going to be in the meeting because a lot of illegals are from Venezuela or are you going to talk to with Delcy Rodriguez like Trump?

NOEM: I think I have other commitments today. We are putting in the new commandant of the Coast Guard. He is having his swearing-in ceremony, so I'll be doing that. And then I have some meetings with law enforcement. So, I will not be in that meeting, but the president will keep me informed. Thank you, everybody. Thank you.

[10:35:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. You've been listening to the DHS Secretary Kristi Noem at a very busy time. She said that there is no plans to pull out of Minnesota. She said she has been discussing invoking the Insurrection Act with the president and said that he has every right to do so, but that it's ultimately up to him.

She also made some unsubstantiated claims that Governor Walz was complicit in fraud in Minnesota, as well as saying that Joe Biden let in 20 million undocumented immigrants. That is an exaggerated number, not based on the data available, and our Daniel Dale has done a fact check on that.

But she also said that in every encounter, ICE agents have done exactly what they should do under the law and that these are targeted operations and that everything is done correctly. And she was asked, I believe it was by NBC's Peter Alexander, if when these ICE agents go up to protesters and ask for their papers, whether that is considered a targeted operation and whether people should be bringing their papers with them and their I.D. And she said, yes, U.S. citizens should be prepared to provide proof.

So, I want to bring in Elie Honig to get some more context and perspective on what we just heard from the DHS secretary. You know, Elie, we were just talking about yesterday protected First Amendment activity. And so, I wonder what you make of the DHS secretary's claim there that when these ICE agents go up to protesters and ask for their papers, that that is all above board and that Americans should bring their papers with them to show proof.

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST, FORMER STATE PROSECUTOR AND FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: Well, Pam, that's wrong. It's illegal and it's unconstitutional to require people to show their citizenship papers without some other basis to make a stop. So, let me be clear, in order to stop somebody, detain them, question them for immigration purposes, an officer has to have reasonable suspicion. Now, that's a fairly low bar. It's lower than the bar that a law enforcement agent would need to make a stop or questioning for criminal purposes. But it's still a bar. It's not nothing.

In fact, just a few months ago, in September of 2025, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote a concurring opinion in a Supreme Court case when he reiterated that, yes, immigration agents do have to have reasonable suspicion to stop somebody, to detain them even briefly and to question them. So, what you cannot do is just go arbitrarily up to people or set up a checkpoint or go door to door and say, hey, you need to prove to us that you're a U.S. citizen.

The immigration officer needs to have some reasonable suspicion, articulable, meaning something you can explain in words to a court, why did you stop this person? And Justice Kavanaugh gave immigration officers very broad latitude to do that. But even he reconfirmed just a few months ago that there is a bar. You have to show reasonable suspicion. You cannot just arbitrarily approach people and make them prove that they are, in fact, here legally.

BROWN: Well, let me just follow up on that, because you heard the DHS secretary say, well, if someone is standing there around a targeted operation or an arrest, that these agents have every right to ask for their I.D. and their papers. I mean, does that justify a reasonable suspicion if someone is standing there around an operation?

HONIG: That is quite a stretch. Why would standing around an ICE operation tend to indicate that somebody is in this country illegally? I think that would be a really hard one to justify in a court. And look, Justice Kavanaugh said it was controversial. Justice Kavanaugh actually said immigration officers, it's OK for them to look at things like the color of the person's skin, the language the person is speaking, where they are if they're at a Home Depot or a car wash.

So, even if you allow that level of breadth in determining reasonable suspicion, how would standing around an ICE operation be any indicator of where a person is from or what their immigration status is?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Basically, she was saying that everyone, U.S. citizens, non-citizens, everyone should walk around with documentation, who they are, I.D., and if they're citizens, their citizenship papers or their passport, for example. That's a pretty huge demand of the American people right now.

But there's another huge development that's breaking right now. And I want to get your legal assessment. If the president of the United States invokes what's called the Insurrection Act, he would be able to deploy military forces to any city in the United States and he would be able to activate the state National Guard troops as well, right?

HONIG: Yes, Wolf. So, the key thing to understand about the Insurrection Act is it is extremely broad and it gives the president very broad discretion and authority. In fact, it's been criticized for many, many years for exactly that. The Insurrection Act allows the president, even if a governor does not want it, allows a president to activate the military, not just the National Guard, but the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines in either of basically two situations.

[10:40:00]

One, if the president determines that there's an insurrection or rebellion. But two, way more broadly, if the president determines that it's necessary to enforce federal laws and to protect the civil rights or constitutional rights of civilians. So, that second clause can mean almost anything. And that's why there's been concern about the breadth and scope of this Insurrection Act for a very long time.

But the most important thing to understand, you don't actually need an insurrection as a normal person might understand that word. You don't need a rebellion in order to invoke the Insurrection Act. It gives the president the authority to call out the military to conduct law enforcement, which ordinarily they cannot do if the president deems it necessary to enforce federal law.

BROWN: So, just to put this in perspective, because you have Governor Walz of Minnesota say that he has gotten the National Guard ready to go. But if the president did invoke this, then that would preempt what the governor could potentially do as it relates to the National Guard. Is that right?

HONIG: Well, I think it would be in addition to the National Guard. What would happen if it played out that way? Governor Walz could deploy the Minnesota National Guard and then President Trump would have to decide, OK, now that the National Guard has been deployed, is it still necessary to send in the military to enforce federal law?

And Pam, I want to just give our viewers some historical reference points here. So, the Insurrection Act has not been invoked since 1992 in the wake of the L.A. riots. And that was done at the request of a governor. President Bush agreed. But there you had consent and a request from the governor of California. The last time a president invoked the Insurrection Act without a request from a governor, you have to go back to the civil rights era, the late 1950s, early 1960s, when President Dwight Eisenhower, JFK and Lyndon Johnson all at various points invoked the Insurrection Act to enforce Brown v. Board of Education. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that desegregation had to come to the land, that the nation, that the era of segregation had to end, that our schools had to be desegregated. And some southern states and cities resisted that. And some southern states and cities even called out their National Guard to block students from coming in.

Most famously, President Eisenhower in 1957 called out the 101st Airborne of the U.S. Army to escort nine students into Little Rock High School. So, that's the type of thing where we've invoked the Insurrection Act in the past, for historical reference there.

BROWN: Very helpful, as Wolf always says, you know your stuff, Elie.

BLITZER: He does.

BROWN: Thank you.

HONIG: Thanks, guys.

BLITZER: Appreciate it very much, Elie. Thank you. Coming up, executions, quote, "stopped," in President Trump's words, in Iran. But the U.S. is still weighing military action there. More news just ahead, right here in The Situation Room.

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[10:45:00]

BLITZER: Happening now, Iranians and much of the world on edge right now for reasonable reasons after a very deadly crackdown on anti- government protesters. But some Iranians now say they're on edge right now for reasonable reasons after a very deadly crackdown on anti- government protesters. But some Iranians now say they're still bracing for a possible U.S. attack. President Trump, is it ruling out military action against the regime? Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We've been told that the killing in Iran is stopping, and it's stopped, it's stopping. And there's no plan for executions or an execution or executions. So, I've been told that a good authority will find out about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: We want we want to warn our viewers the video you're about to see is graphic. This appears to show body bags lined up outside a forensic institute in Iran. One U.S.-based human rights group says more than 2,400 protesters have already been killed. We should note that CNN cannot independently verify that number.

I want to bring in former U.S. Foreign Service officer Brett Bruen. He was a National Security Council official in the Obama administration. Brett, thanks very much for joining us. Erfan Soltani is the 26-year- old Iranian protester detained last week and was expected to be hung as recently as yesterday. Iran is now disputing those claims. They say Soltani has not been sentenced to death. Do you believe Iran called off the execution due to pressure from the United States?

BRETT BRUEN, FORMER OBAMA WHITE HOUSE DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT, PRESIDENT, GLOBAL SITUATION ROOM AND FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL OFFICIAL: I do. And look, this is good news out of Tehran. It sounds like, in Erfani's case, they are holding off for now. But, Wolf, I don't think we can say that we're in the clear, both with Erfani, with other Iranian protesters who are being held in what, quite frankly, are, you know, in some cases, torturous conditions, very abusive conditions.

And obviously, also, you've got the looming threat for Iranians who take to the streets, who protest the regime's actions and the crackdown. So, while this is certainly an encouraging sign, it is not a definitive sign yet that the Iranians have changed course.

BLITZER: The U.S., Brett, isn't the only nation who has put a lot of pressure on Iran right now. Who are you looking at as a possible early indicator of something happening in the region?

BRUEN: Well, I'll tell you who the early indicators will come from. It'll come from Beijing. It'll come from Moscow. If they decide that, you know, the time of this regime has expired, and they need to start making bets on the next regime, that's what I think will be a critical change and an inflection point. And I saw it serving in Africa, where, you know, China, Russia would bet on one coup leader. And then, as, you know, things started to fall apart, they would engage with the rising military or junta leader.

And so, that's -- in this kind of circumstances, what you're looking for is a sign of what may be changing, because they have been a critical life support for the Iranian leaders up until now.

BLITZER: President Trump says a strike is not off the table. What do you believe the U.S. would target in Iran if the U.S. decided to launch a military strike?

BRUEN: It is interesting when you talk about target selection here, because there are symbolic targets, Wolf, and you know this well, having covered so many of these conflicts. Essentially, what you want to do is say you did it, but it doesn't necessarily, as last summer's strike did against the Iranian nuclear program, take an important capability off the table. It's more symbolic. It's more superficial. That's what I would expect if Trump wants to essentially move on. And what we're hearing is that Trump has no desire to go deep into Iran, no desire to own this problem. So, that's the kind of operation at this point that I think we're looking at.

BLITZER: The Iranians, as you know, Brett, have been threatening Israel. Knowing the Israelis, as I do normally, when they feel threatened, they launch what's called a preemptive strike. Would they do that this time without approval from President Trump?

BRUEN: Unlikely. Netanyahu has overstepped with Trump before, and I think he has heard quite a strong reaction from the White House on that front. And because this is so delicate, because this can go badly quickly, Israel is going to walk, I think, in lockstep with Washington on this. That being said, obviously, if they believe that Tehran is going to take some sort of asymmetric action, that Tehran is going to try to preempt a strike, they may engage on that front.

And, Wolf, if that could come not just within Iran's borders, but we know that Iran has proxies throughout the region, indeed, throughout the world. And that's an important feature of this conflict, that it may not just spark within the Iranian territory itself.

[10:50:00]

BLITZER: And as a precaution, the U.S. military has already started withdrawing some U.S. military personnel from sensitive regions along the Persian Gulf area, not too far away from Iran. The U.S. has several military bases in those countries there. Brett Bruin, thanks very much for joining us.

BRUEN: Good to be with you.

BROWN: All right. Happening now, Wolf, many Americans are in a last- minute hunt for cheaper health care plans, and today is the deadline to sign up for ACA policies. You'll remember, though, that those enhanced Obamacare subsidies expired at the end of 2025, after Congress declined to extend them. And according to the research group KFF, some people could pay more than double for health care premiums. And more Americans are expected to drop their Affordable Care Act plans due to the skyrocketing cost.

Joining us now are the bipartisan co-chairs of the House Problem Solvers Caucus, Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi of New York. Thank you both for coming on.

REP. TOM SUOZZI (D-NY), CO-CHAIR, PROBLEM SOLVERS CAUCUS AND WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE: Tom Suozzi.

BROWN: Suozzi, I'm sorry.

SUOZZI: That's OK.

BROWN: Tom Suozzi, will you forgive me, please?

SUOZZI: I forgive you.

BLITZER: But Suozzi sounds great, too. So, I want to actually start. There is so much news to get to, but I want to focus on health care, and I want to start on that breaking news. There has been another shooting of an individual in Minneapolis by a federal agent. Though this shooting appears to have very different circumstances than the Renee Good shooting, we should note. And we're still waiting for details from state officials on it. But it prompted these tense protests overnight in a city already so divided.

The Problem Solvers Caucus is all about putting your political differences aside. Congressman Suozzi, how do you de-escalate the situation in Minnesota and nationwide?

SUOZZI: I think exactly what you just said. We need people to put their political differences aside and fight for the things that are good for our country. We need to support law enforcement. Law enforcement is an essential part of our lives, but we also need to make sure that people are following the rules. Both law enforcement has to follow the rules, and protesters have to follow the rules. We have to have this mutual respect for each other. We can disagree with each other on things, but we need to figure out how to disagree in a way that we can present our ideas and actually get things done.

BROWN: So, Congressman Fitzpatrick, President Trump is now threatening to institute the Insurrection Act in Minnesota. Do you think that's what the state needs right now?

REP. BRIAN FITZPATRICK (R-PA), CO-CHAIR, PROBLEM SOLVERS CAUCUS, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE AND WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE: I think everyone needs to start seeing the humanity in each other, to Tom's point. You know, all these people, whether they be the law enforcement officers or the protesters, all deserve to be able to go home safe to their families at night. And to Tom's point, everyone's got to follow the rules and abide by the law. I think that's so important.

And what breaks my heart is to see the inflamed tensions that have split over and manifested itself in what we've seen over the past week. It's heartbreaking. I'm a career FBI agent. Law enforcement is a social contract between the law enforcement officers and the public. And that's a social contract that needs to be tendered to and cared for, because you need cooperation of each other for the whole system to work. And when they're at odds with each other, that's where you see a breakdown in the system and what we've had here.

So, you know, really my belief, and I know Tom and I share this, the volume and temperature of the discourse needs to come down. We need to start seeing the humanity in each other and figure out how to best proceed.

BROWN: We're going to get to health care in just a second. But just to follow up with you, do you think that law enforcement there on the ground in Minnesota has not been upholding the social contract in the way that you would like to see? And do you have concerns about the potential implication of the Insurrection Act and flaming tensions furthermore?

FITZPATRICK: Well, every situation is unique and different. You know, anytime we have a tragic situation like we have with the shooting, shootings, unfortunately, now, every single situation is different. And that's what internal and external investigations are for. Spending my career in the FBI, we've done, you know, shooting investigations are very complicated. You've got to take witness statements. You've got to review videotape. You've got to look at the intent of all parties involved, the subjective intent, and come to a conclusion.

And by the way, federal, state and local law enforcement officers need to cooperate in that investigation. And you determine the facts, you apply those facts to the law and you make a fair and judicious conclusion. That's the only way to proceed with all these situations.

SUOZZI: You know, what we really need is to have a global solution to this problem. You need to address immigration in our country. We need to secure the border, fix the broken asylum system and treat people like human beings and legalize a bunch of people that have been here for over 10 years and have otherwise followed the rules in our country. This is not working for our country, for us to just be at odds like this constantly. We need a solution to this problem. We need to work together to do that.

BROWN: All right. I want to turn to healthcare because I know that's very important to both of you and those critical enhanced Obamacare subsidies that expired at the end of 2025. And now, millions of Americans are dealing with the skyrocketing healthcare costs. To both of you, tell our viewers what you've been hearing from your constituents about this crisis and what they want, starting with you, Congressman Suozzi.

[10:55:00]

SUOZZI: You know, people are freaking out. I mean, you know, in my district, if you make $130,000 a year and you're a family of four, you now pay 8.5 percent of your income towards health insurance because you have the premium tax credits. That's $10,000 or $11,000 a year. That's going up right now as we speak to $30,000 a year. So, a bunch of people are not buying their health insurance. That reduces the risk pool, and that causes everybody's health insurance prices to go up. It's an awful, awful thing that didn't have to happen.

We've tried to work together, Brian and I, as well as the Problem Solvers Caucus, to come up with a solution to this problem to extend the premium tax credits. It's now in the Senate, and we need to push this thing over the finish line. Otherwise, a lot of people are going to continue to suffer.

BROWN: And, Congressman Fitzpatrick, on that note, you were one of four Republicans who broke with your party in December to force a vote on extending the Obamacare subsidies. That bill passed the House this month with 17 Republicans backing it. It hasn't gone anywhere in the Senate. So, what's next?

FITZPATRICK: Well, we need the Senate to act. You know, we're going to continue to work with them. They're a great group of people representing both parties that are as sincere as Tom and I and our bipartisan group in the House of trying to get to a conclusion. There's some thorny issues that they're trying to work through, and we're going to, we stand at the ready to work with them to let them know what we experience here in navigating that in the House, what we think we could get through the House when it comes back from the Senate.

But doing nothing is not an option, and that's been our entire point. We don't believe -- I'll speak for myself, I don't believe a clean extension with no reforms, no income caps is the way to go, but that was the best vehicle that we could get emerging from the House. The Senate has always intended to fix that, to look something like the bill that Tom and I had introduced, a two-party bill that does have income caps, that makes sure that we're targeting these subsidies to the lower and middle-income earners who need it, as well as other reforms. So, that's our hope.

SUOZZI: Listen, on both the issues we talked about today, people are sick of everybody just fighting with each other. We have to work together to actually solve problems and make people's lives better. Let's try and take this model of Democrats and Republicans working together to actually solve problems in people's lives.

BROWN: Yes. I mean, what do you say to Americans who are watching what is happening and feel like neither party is really serving their interests, Congressman Fitzpatrick?

FITZPATRICK: Yes, I would say the extremes of both parties are not serving their interests. I think the centrist Republicans and the centrist Democrats, that's exactly what we're doing. In fact, next week, we are unveiling an affordability agenda that's going to unpack the cost drivers and all the stress points in families' budgets that they're stressing over the kitchen table. Healthcare, to include both health insurance premiums and pharmaceutical drug costs, food, fuel, housing, transportation, childcare.

We're going to be unpacking all of them in a transparent manner so the whole country can see what's driving these high prices and what we can do from a legislative standpoint to provide relief there.

BROWN: All right. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick and Tom Suozzi, thank you very much. We appreciate your time.

SUOZZI: You bet. Thank you.

FITZPATRICK: Thank you.

BROWN: And trying to solve America's problems. We appreciate it.

SUOZZI: Thank you.

FITZPATRICK: Thanks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ben Wedeman in Eastern Iraq, on the road to the Iranian border. Iran, of course, has been convulsed in recent weeks by massive demonstrations. And we'll have a report coming up soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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