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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
Fed Chair Stands Up to Trump; Members of Congress Push Back Against Powell Investigation; Supreme Court Set to Hear Case Involving Lisa Cook; Prosecutors Open Criminal Probe into Fed Chair Powell; Violent Crackdown on Protests; Trump Weighs Options on Iran; Trump Tells Cuba: "Make a Deal, Before it's Too Late"; Minnesota Sues Administration; The Great and the Good in Gadgets. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired January 12, 2026 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington, and you're watching
"The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, Federal Reserve chairman, Jerome Powell, gets the backing of all his living predecessors as President Trump's simmering
battle against the Fed turn nuclear with the federal and criminal investigation into Powell. Iranian state media says the country's internet
blackout will remain in place until it restores security, this after days now of large anti-government protests. And the next big thing for gadgets
in the home from a haircut machine to a lollipop that plays music. It's true. That story and plenty more coming up.
We do begin though on Capitol Hill where there is growing pushback against a criminal investigation of the Fed chair Jerome Powell. Two Republican
senators Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski are now threatening to block the confirmation of future Fed nominees including Powell's replacement until
the administration resolves the issue. Congressman French Hill, the chair of the House Financial Services Committee, also a Republican, calls the
probe an unnecessary distraction. He says Powell is a man of integrity.
The Justice Department we learned over the weekend is looking into what Powell told Congress about ongoing renovations to the Federal Reserve's
headquarters. Powell dismissed the investigation in a taped address to the nation Sunday night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEROME POWELL, CHAIR, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE: This new threat is not about my testimony last June or about the renovation of the Federal Reserve
buildings. Those are pretexts. The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best
assessment of what will serve the public rather than following the preferences of the president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Quite a direct rebuke there. Former Fed chairs Ben Bernanke, Janet Yellen and Alan Greenspan warned that the investigation threatens to
further undermine the Fed's credibility and independence. The statement was also signed by a number of prominent Washington economists.
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren told CNN that the probe is yet another attempt by Trump to dictate Fed policy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): Donald Trump has already said repeatedly publicly that anyone he appoints to be chair of the Fed will be somebody
who agrees with Donald Trump all the time. In other words, Donald Trump has publicly announced he wants a sock puppet running the Fed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Trump said over the weekend that he did not know anything about that investigation, but the president has been a sharp public critic of
Powell and has quite deliberately gone after other Fed officials. He has also tried and so far failed to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook for alleged
mortgage fraud. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear the administration's case regarding Cook later this month.
Richard Quest joins me now. So, Richard, it was interesting to watch the markets today because the Dow, of course, dropped initially, but it
recovered. That said, as you know better than me, the dollar did fall somewhat. Gold went up. Do you read the markets as taking this seriously,
this investigation?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE AND CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: Oh, yes. I think the markets are taking it very seriously. What
you saw in the markets today was two tracks. On the one hand, the realization that, yes, you know, Jay Powell is very influential, but he
doesn't unilaterally set monetary policy. You've still got all the other members of the FOMC.
So, attack him, but you've still got, you know -- and Lisa Cook, for example, but you have the other Fed chair, the regional chairs. So, it's
not going to be that easy as such to undermine the overall independence in the narrowest sense in terms of next month's decision on interest rates,
where the market is also being, I think, sanguine but warning. You see that with equities versus dollar and bonds is by saying, OK, maybe not next
month's, but the overall independence could be questioned.
[18:05:00]
And then you're looking at things like, for example, the bond market and the so-called bond vigilantes that will literally hold the government's
feet to the fire if they feel unwise, foolish, reckless spending decisions are being implemented that would jeopardize the U.S. economy. So, that's
why the market is betwixt and between. Narrowly, we can live with this for a moment. Longer term, we are worried.
SCIUTTO: You spoke with Mohamed El-Erian earlier, who, of course, knows a thing or two about the bond market. Is he sanguine or concerned?
QUEST: He's absolutely sanguine on the question of does it mean interest rates fall next week. Most people are sort of saying this is not going to
have any effect. Anyway, Powell's out in May, so it's not going to have any effect. But on the overriding question of long-term -- the fraying of the
fabric, if you will, Jim.
Let's just remember what this letter from the various Fed chiefs that you were just talking about. It says specifically the reported criminal inquiry
is an unprecedented attempt to use prosecutorial attacks to undermine the independence. Now, this is again, it is not about next month's policy
decision on interest rates. We know where they are. We know who's in favor. We know that one of the members is for a bigger cut. Some will want to stay
still. This is about what will the Fed look like after Donald Trump's finished with it. And on that question, well, it's a much more serious
long-term issue.
SCIUTTO: No question happening before our eyes. Richard Quest, thanks so much. So, joining me now is one of the signatories of that letter, Jared
Bernstein, former chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Good to have you, Jared.
You know, the one quibble I'll take with the letter is that you and your fellow signatories call this an unprecedented attack. The truth is it is
precedented because Trump's already gone after, as you know, another Fed governor, Lisa Cook, with what many have alleged to be a baseless case and
a series of attacks on the Fed. He's made it quite clear what he wants the next chairman to do. I mean, isn't this sort of death by a thousand cuts
for Fed independents?
JARED BERNSTEIN, FORMER CHAIR, WH COUNCIL OF ECONOMICS ADVISERS AND FELLOW, STANFORD INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMIC POLICY RESEARCH: Well, by the way, the same
group that signed today's note signed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court on the Lisa Cook case. So, I take your quibble, but let's agree that that
is a tiny quibble in what is a very serious problem here, as your last conversation with Mr. Quest revealed.
So, yes, the president has obviously been in a long-term campaign. And I think one dynamic that unites these two cases is that they're both based on
complete phony accusations that are, as Chair Powell said, it takes a lot to get Jay Powell to take the gloves off. But that's what happened. They
pushed him. They pushed him too far. I think it's going to backfire on them.
But what you heard him talk about is pretext. These are pretexts in order to compromise the independence of the Federal Reserve. And when that
occurs, when that independence is politicized, very bad things happen to economies pretty quickly.
SCIUTTO: I wonder, though, if Trump might still win in this effort, because, OK, let's say the criminal case falls apart against a Powell, he's
still going to get to choose the next guy. It's quite clear that he wants the next guy to be looser with monetary policy. And, you know, I don't know
Kevin Hassett well enough to know what's inside his mind, but it's possible that he accedes to that. He will be replacing Fed governors one by one. And
those will go by.
And you see that in the votes of his most recent appointee. Those will, it seems plausibly, go by that demand. Might Trump get a pliant Federal
Reserve anyway over time?
BERNSTEIN: Absolutely. And that's why my hair is on fire. It's not that easy to get all those folks. And it was a bipartisan effort, as you saw, to
quickly sign a notice like that. And the reason is because we are all very concerned about the scenario you just outlined.
Now, it is true that if, I should, probably say when Trump is able to replace the chair, that's one vote. But you're absolutely correct that he
is trying to compromise the vote of the other governors so that he can drive the interest rates down, regardless of what the data tell him or what
economic conditions do. And history is just absolutely and unequivocally littered with economies that have been brought to their knees by that kind
of a politicizing of Federal Reserve independence.
[18:10:00]
SCIUTTO: Yes. So, I wonder, back on Liberation Day, as you remember, it was the bond markets, it seemed, that scared even Trump back from the brink of
the worst terrorist terrorists are still in place. But the worst of the terrorists, plus some conversations, it seemed, with Scott Bessent,
treasury secretary. Are you convinced that the bond markets -- I mean, are we replacing too much faith, perhaps, that the bond markets, that they're
the ultimate bulwark against too loose of a monetary policy in the midst of what is still a high inflation economy?
BERNSTEIN: Yes. Well, I don't know if they're the only bulwark, but they are a bulwark, and that's been seen. And I understand that Secretary
Bessent gave the president a bit of a warning today, again, in this front. And that's probably not easy to do. But we certainly saw the bond market
make him turn tail around the terrorists.
The issue today, by the way, and I think you talked a little bit about this, is that the markets are kind of sloughing this off. Yes, the price of
-- we saw a rally in gold, and that's probably related to this action. But I think the case itself is so baseless and so flimsy that it is not at all
clear that Trump and his lawyers are going to be able to even indict Powell, to get a grand jury to indict him, which hasn't occurred yet.
So, at this point, I think the markets are saying, you know, Trump is just really pretty sloppy. We've already seen a couple of cases with Letitia
James and James Comey fall apart because of the sloppy process and the lack of evidence. But markets better not get too complacent, because as you
yourself suggested, this is an ongoing effort by the administration.
SCIUTTO: Yes. And Trump tends not to give up, as you've seen. Jared Bernstein, thanks so much for joining.
BERNSTEIN: You're welcome.
SCIUTTO: All right. So, for a deeper look into the markets today and going forward, Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth. So, Art,
you, I'm sure, were watching the market's reaction to this earlier today. Where do they stand now? Are they sort of in a holding pattern to see how
this shakes out?
ART HOGAN, CHIEF MARKET STRATEGIST, B. RILEY WEALTH: Yes, Jim, I'll tell you, the initial reaction in the overnight markets event coming into this
morning was much more negative. I think the difference maker was the resounding pushback that we heard throughout the day from just about
everybody that got a microphone. So, whether you're a former Fed chair or someone that runs the Republican House Finance Committee or Democrat,
everyone talked about how bad this decision was and how important Fed independence was.
So, I think that gave the market some breathing room here to shift its focus to other things like the beginning of earnings season. And I
certainly think that that was the right thing to do. The historical precedent for non-independent central banks is really poor. And you get
almost the exact opposite of what you wish for when you take away the independence of the central bank.
SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this. And it's a question I ask Jared as well. Given that this is -- this prosecution of Jerome Powell is not isolated, as
you know, you got the attempted prosecution of Lisa Cook, Supreme Court's still considering that. You have Trump being quite public about exactly
what he wants from his next Fed chair. And you have him already been able to place at least one Fed governor we've seen from the votes in the most
recent committee meetings that that new Fed governor is willing to say, yes, let's cut rates. Let's cut them in more than anybody else is talking
about.
Is this death by a thousand cuts, as I phrased it to Jared earlier, to Fed's independence? In other words, is it happening before our eyes?
HOGAN: I would say yes and no. So, obviously, Stephen Miran, the most recent voter, has been dissenting to cut by more than the 25 basis points
the Fed's been moving at. So, that's relatively obvious. I think it's also important to take a step back, Jim, and understand you need 12 votes.
There's 12 voters. Seven of them are governors and then the other are rotating presidents, right?
So, the administration has no control over the rotating presidents. They have control over nominations and you have to get the nominations confirmed
for the governors. There's only one seat that's opening up post the replacement of Chair Powell and it's not Chair Powell. Chair Powell's
extended out to '28 and likely if the environment is as fiery as it is right now, he may well decide to stay on.
So, it's not as though we're getting close to a tiebreaker here with a much easier Fed and it was set up as a committee on purpose, right? The whole
idea is for no one group or one person to have too much weight. Now, obviously, the chair is a larger position and the mouthpiece for the
committee, but it typically is trying to build consensus.
But as we've seen the last three meetings, we've had dissenters in both directions. And I think that's healthy. And I think that we'll continue to
have that as we work our way into this year. But we've got till May and we certainly have to see how this plays out in the courts, if it plays out at
all. It seems like cost overruns on a building or something that the administration probably knows a whole lot about.
[18:15:00]
SCIUTTO: Yes. Well, it'd be interesting if it got Powell to stay longer, right, in the end. Finally, before we go, I mean, inflation is still around
3 percent higher than the Fed target, as you know better than me, 2 percent.
I know the markets love an interest rate cut. We see them jump whenever it happens. But is there a kind of tipping point where they're like, well,
actually, economies get a little frothy here, maybe this policy is too loose for us or they're just going to like the cheap money going forward?
HOGAN: Well, I'll tell you this. I think the market's looking at it two ways, right? The Fed is really trying to defend its full employment
mandate. And that's the quagmire they're in right now. We just don't know how many jobs we need to create on a monthly basis to keep unemployment
from rising. And we haven't figured that out yet. Last year was probably 150,000. This year may be closer to 50 to 75,000. We're just not doing
that. So, the Fed wants to defend that.
But they're trying to get to a place where they're neutral. They're not trying to be restrictive, but they're certainly not trying to stimulate
growth and stimulate inflation. We'll find out more about inflation tomorrow when the CPI comes out at 8:30.
SCIUTTO: We'll be watching, as I know you will. Art Hogan, good to have you on. Thanks so much.
HOGAN: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: I will be back with more news right after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Now, to Iran, which is cracking down on massive anti-regime protests. A U.S.-based rights group says the death toll is now well above
500, with authorities arresting more than 10,000 people. The White House is imposing a 25 percent tariff on goods from any country doing business with
Iran. It even says it's considering, or the president is, launching possible military strikes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think one thing President Trump is very good at is always keeping all of his options on the table.
And airstrikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table for the commander-in-chief. Diplomacy is always the first option for the
president. He's told all of you last night that what you're hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite differently from the messages the
administration is receiving privately. And I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages.
However, with that said, the president has shown he's unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary. And nobody knows that
better than Iran.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Iranian leaders responding to those protests by blaming outside agitators. They've also shut down the internet so people can't share images
of the violence. Iran's foreign ministry summoned ambassadors from the U.K., France, Italy and Germany. Iran says the governments in those
countries have expressed public support for the demonstrations.
[18:20:00]
Joining us now, Alex Vatanka, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. Alex, good to have you back.
ALEX VATANKA, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Thanks, Jim.
SCIUTTO: So, first of all, and it's difficult, and this is the regime's intention, by shutting off the internet and phone service to get real-life
accounts from on the ground, but some accounts from Iran speculate the regime might have killed even thousands of protesters. Are those estimates
plausible? Do we know how broad and how deadly the violence has been?
VATANKA: So, Jim, I wouldn't be surprised if we're talking thousands and not hundreds. I was just looking at social media coming from inside of
Iran, a number of locations only, and you could just count the dozens and dozens of body bags. So, if that was one or two locations, it doesn't take
much to add together, and this must be more than hundreds.
SCIUTTO: President Trump has said multiple times he wants to do something to help the protesters, right up to and including military strikes. Are
there military strikes that would help the protesters? Is it clear to you that striking the regime would stop them from attacking protesters? Do we
know?
VATANKA: Well, it could, but it's a gamble. I mean, this is the thing, you have to factor in that once you have a foreign hand involved, what happens
to the mood in the country? Would it split the protest movement that is otherwise massively in favor of the protesters and their demands? Would a
lot of people say, well, I was supporting our sons and daughters in the streets, but I'm not here to help the Americans? So, that's the risk.
But in terms of what you can actually take out, well, we saw, Jim, during the 12-day war, U.S. and Israel have great intelligence, you know, eyes and
ears on the ground. So, if they want to just take out some key elements that are helping with the repression machinery, I'm pretty sure they have
the capacity to do some damage there. Would it be enough to stop the killing? That's a different story.
SCIUTTO: In terms of the current threat to the regime, you said there are a couple of things that make this protest movement different from the past.
First of all, deeper sense of hopelessness. I mean, you can see that just in the immense drop in the standard of living. But also, an American
president signaling that the U.S. might very well get involved, or at least that U.S. pressure won't stop.
I might add to that, I wonder, just a sense of piercing the invincibility of the regime with these Israeli attacks over the recent months. Tell us
what that adds up to. Do you see the regime as genuinely at risk of falling?
VATANKA: You know, Jim, you don't have to take my word for it. Just listen to officials inside the regime, including people like the president, Masoud
Pezeshkian, who owes his job to the supreme leader. But nonetheless, they're out there openly saying they're in deep trouble. They're in trouble
not just because of the foreign policy being what it is, but also in terms of mismanagement, corruption, all the rest of it.
So, you know, during the last summit, right after the 12-day war, there was a brief window where a lot of folks inside of Iran thought, maybe this was
the wake-up call Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, needed. Maybe he's going to change course and go in a different direction. And for a few weeks, he
kept that kind of hope alive. But then, ever since then, he's come back and essentially signaled that he's going to rebuild on the nuclear front, on
the missile front, in terms of keeping Iran active in the region and that kind of confronting the United States.
That's still very much what drives him. And that has resulted in what you just referred to, Jim, the lack of hope. I mean, the sense of hopelessness
in society at a record level. And that's one of the reasons folks are in the streets. Where is the light at the end of the tunnel? They're not
certainly getting that from Ali Khamenei.
SCIUTTO: Administration allies have a candidate in mind to lead Iran if the regime were to fall, and that is the son of the late Shah. I mean, we've
got to go back 47 years, as you know, to the fall of the Shah. Is he a plausible leader? And do we -- should we have confidence in America's
ability to choose exiled leaders to lead countries after the fall of regimes, given the track record?
VATANKA: So, I'm not sure what administration is on Reza Pahlavi. I just read a few hours ago that he is now out for the first time that I remember
this round in engaging with administration. He hasn't had the meeting with President Trump himself, but that level of engagement in itself could be
important. Because for a while, because of his association, obviously, with his father, there were people who were not sure if Reza Pahlavi was the
man.
In the sort of Iranian community inside of Iran and outside, there is a huge debate, is he the man for the job? But all I can point to is that when
you look for, if you're looking for that single leader that can be the sort of symbol of change, they can offer themselves a manager, not necessarily
the future king of Iran or return of the monarchy, but as someone who can manage Iran from the crisis it's in to something better.
[18:25:00]
He certainly has been -- his name has been chanted today in Iran in ways I've never seen before, and that's quite telling.
SCIUTTO: No question. Well, we'll be watching closely. Alex Vatanka, thanks so much for joining us again.
VATANKA: Thank you, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Well, speaking of countries facing an uncertain future, Cuba now among them. This after President Trump told the Cuban government to, quote,
"make a deal, before it's too late." President Trump warned on social media that Havana will be cut off of Venezuelan oil and money it has relied on
for decades. Our Patrick Oppmann has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Cuba's president this morning denying that there are talks going on, saying that the only conversations
happening between the Cubans and the U.S. are simply about migration matters, which is a constant theme these two governments talk about, but
also leaving the door open, saying that they are willing to talk to the U.S., that they've always been willing to talk to the U.S., but, again,
denying that these high-level conversations are actually taking place, the conversations that President Donald Trump alluded to.
It was certainly the Cuban government has long said that the Cubans that left, particularly those who left after the revolution took power, really
lost their rights to property, to citizenship, and that these, of course, have been, many of them, their mortal enemies over the decades, despite
this back-and-forth, you know, he said, she said kind of thing going on, is that the U.S. does appear to control what oil is leaving Venezuela, and oil
is not coming to Cuba at the moment. This is oil that Cuba desperately needs.
You know, all the reporting over the last year or so about Cuba's energy crisis, when you add the fact that Cuba can no longer count on Venezuela
for the oil that has kept the lights, when they are on, has kept them on, really paints a dire picture for Cuba. It's almost impossible to think how
this island's economy would continue on if they did not have that Venezuelan oil. Yes, Mexico sends oil. Yes, Russia on occasion sends oil.
But it's really been Venezuela throughout the years that has sent millions of barrels of oil at a vastly discounted price, often for free, out of
solidarity. That solidarity apparently has come to an end.
It appears as the U.S., according to President Donald Trump, is calling the shots in Venezuela. So, certainly, for the government in Havana, while they
are bristling at this talk, the reality is they are in a very, very tight spot here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Our Patrick Oppmann in Havana. Straight ahead, Minnesota and its Twin Cities are now suing the federal government. We're going to have the
latest on that suit and how it's targeting President Trump's broadening immigration crackdown.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief. I'm Jim Sciutto, and here are the international headlines we're watching today.
The chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve is firing back over a federal criminal probe launched against him by the Trump administration. Jerome
Powell says he believes that investigation stems from the Fed's refusal to cut interest rates based on what President Trump wants and not the central
bank's $2.5 billion renovation of its headquarters or alleged lies about it.
Iran says the Internet blackout by the government will remain in place until it restores security. A U.S.-based rights group says more than 500
people have been killed by the authorities during weeks now of widespread protests. U.S. officials tell CNN that President Trump has been briefed on
a series of options to intervene, including the possibility of military action.
The U.S. State of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. They argue that the
expanding federal criminal operation there is an invasion and are asking for an immediate stop to that crackdown. The suit was filed shortly after
the state of Illinois and Chicago also sued the Trump administration.
State and local officials in Minnesota tell the White House that the massive surge in federal agents must stop now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEITH ELLISON, MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL: It never should have started. These agents have no good reason to be here. Minnesota's non-citizen
immigrant population is just 1.5 percent, which is half the national average.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Sources say the Department of Homeland Security is expected to deploy some 1,000 additional agents to Minneapolis in the coming days. The
department says they have already made over 2,000 arrests since their Twin Cities operation began.
Ryan Young is in Minneapolis. And, Ryan, it strikes me that one of the biggest changes today are these door-to-door operations, seeing these
masked agents kicking down doors to do what exactly? And do they have warrants for these operations?
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's part of the conversation, Jim, and people are calling 911 to report this, and it ends
up sending the Minneapolis Police Department out to figure out exactly what's going on. And so, they believe that some of these actions are
unlawful, so that's part of the conversation.
You talked about the numbers and the surge of 1,000 more officers coming into the area. You got to think about this, St. Paul has 600 officers, and
Minneapolis has 600 officers. So, that's 1,200 altogether. When you add the two, you can see that they're going to be outnumbered, and that's why
they're using the words invasion and all this, and they're very scared about what this means. You got people who are not going to work. You got
people who are afraid to go to school. Some schools are actually shut down.
I do want to pause for a second, Jim, because we've had several conversations over the years at several sites where people gather when
there's pain. In this community, this is the spot where Renee Good lost her life. You can see this growing memorial. This is where some of the
protesters have been showing up to leave messages, to actually stand actively as we speak, as people drive by, really yelling out, they want ICE
to leave this area because they believe this is a violation of state rights.
And on top of all that, there's real emotion here. This is a community that feels somewhat broken and constrained by the idea that they can't kick the
federal government out. Take a listen to the people that we talked to here at this site.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I cannot believe this is happening in our community, that Minneapolis used to be known as an open city, as a loving city, and
now it is invaded. It's invaded by ICE.
[18:35:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A fellow Minnesotan was killed. I see order in our country, order in my state falling apart, and it's not a time to sit on the
sidelines.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: Jim, you feel the emotions here, and people are upset, and they have not moved on from this, and you start seeing people walk around here with
tears streaming down their face, people who have never met this woman, and they are all screaming out loud, trying to figure out what the next steps
are.
Now, I will tell you, they are happy to see this government fighting back. They're not sure what's going to happen in court. We know it was just filed
today. But obviously, the entire country is watching this to see exactly what happens next. But you can feel the ramifications of all these extra
agents coming to town.
And one of the things they pointed out, Jim, and I'll end on this, is the fact that the tactics that they are using, they feel are heavy-handed,
right, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Listen, not just in the arrest, but we're also seeing it in crowd control, right? I mean, some of these interactions with the protesters.
Ryan Young --
YOUNG: I'm glad you brought that up.
SCIUTTO: -- have you witnessed some of those? I'm sure you have.
YOUNG: Well, we were -- yes. We were in the crowd. And so, we witnessed them shooting pepper balls, sometimes at people who weren't doing anything
but voicing their opinion. I've never been to a protest where I've watched people just shoot pepper balls into a crowd that way. We saw people
scurrying, running around, because once it gets in your lungs, obviously it's very different.
But that's part of the conversation, the lack of training here when it comes to dealing with civilians. It's something that stands out to all of
us who've been covering American law enforcement for quite some time.
SCIUTTO: No question. And to your point, I've covered law enforcement as well, you know as well as me, I mean, the traditional training, right, is
to de-escalate as opposed to escalate, which seems to be what we're seeing so often.
YOUNG: 100 percent.
SCIUTTO: Ryan Young in Minneapolis, thanks so much.
YOUNG: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Still to come on "The Brief," missed this year's CES? We've got you covered. Some of the most interesting and advanced technology unveiled
in Las Vegas. It's worth a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: This year's Consumer Electronics Show recently wrapped up in Las Vegas. As you probably guessed, artificial intelligence took central stage.
Here are some of the highlights. A robot dealing cards for Blackjack in Las Vegas. Its maker says this high-tech dealer can pick up a deck, even follow
the flow of the game. It's not just about movement, it's about decision- making too.
[18:40:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALICIA VENEZIANI, GLOBAL VP, SHARPA ROBOTICS: It needs to think through what's happening in the game and make decisions. So, it also highlights the
reasoning ability and the A.I. capabilities that we have to make, you know, robots interact with people and accomplish actions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Samsung showcasing its latest innovation, a three-panel folding smartphone. The Galaxy Z tri-fold opens into a 10-inch screen, blurring the
line between phone and tablet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE PACHAL, CES ATTENDEE: Now, that it's a tri-fold and it gets wider, now we have something that you really actually want to sit down and watch some
YouTube on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Speaking of smart devices, take a look at this smart hair clipper. Its maker says the A.I. stylus maps your head, guides your hand in real
time and even adjusts the blades as you go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHERINE ASBERGER, SPOKESPERSON, GLYDE: It uses a band that wraps around your head, the clippers themselves and a mobile app to create a perfect
men's haircut in less than 15 minutes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: And Lego is also getting smart, introducing a new brick that does more than just stack. The smart brick uses sensors and a microphone to
interact with other bricks, responding to sound, movement and distance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIE GOLDIN, CHIEF PRODUCT AND MARKETING OFFICER, LEGO: What it gives us an opportunity to do is to bring completely new dimensions to the Lego sets
and Lego play, whether its sound, responsiveness, reactiveness, things being able to interact with each other, but also an opportunity for
tremendous social play.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: And check this out, a lollipop that lets you taste music. You heard that right. It uses bone conduction technology to send sounds through
the candy straight to you as you lick it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WESLEY MOORE, CES ATTENDEE: Put it in your mouth and close your ears, you can actually hear music. I'm like, no way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: With innovation on full display, the future clearly is already here. That's crazy. Joining me now, Gary Shapiro, CEO and Executive Chair
of the Consumer Technology Association. Good to have you, Gary. Thanks so much.
GARY SHAPIRO, CEO AND EXECUTIVE CHAIR, CONSUMER TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION: Thanks for great coverage of CES.
SCIUTTO: So, what was the most exciting product that you saw out there on the floor?
SHAPIRO: Well, a lot of those you mentioned, but there was -- you know, with over 4,100 exhibitors, there's a lot of really exciting products and
everyone thought they were innovative. There is about over 50 different companies showing different types of robots that folded clothes, that
fought with a human being, that could make things, do things. It's just -- there's so many robots there. It's pretty cool. That is the future. And
every year, we will see more of that.
But certainly, artificial intelligence generally stole the show because it can be used in all sorts of devices, industry, business, manufacturing, but
as well as consumer products of all types to make our lives better and easier.
SCIUTTO: The -- we'll, I -- listen, I'll take the robot that folds the clothes as opposed to the one that fights humans. That gets me a little
scared. There was some concern about A.I. regulation among producers, which I understand, but I also understand from a consumer perspective that we
would like some A.I. regulation, I imagine.
SHAPIRO: Absolutely. And I think the people who make A.I. would like to see government step up, especially in the United States. Korea, Japan, China,
they all have national regulation. We don't. President Trump is certainly trying to stop the 50 states with over 1,000 different pieces of
legislation last year. But that's important that we have a national policy.
It's important for our competitiveness. It's important so smaller companies can get into this and not have to deal with 50 different states. So,
regulation is certainly welcome. Tell us the rules. And certainly, industry will follow them. Consumers do need certain levels of protection, just like
with any new technology, whether it be an airplane, a computer, a car, the telephone.
SCIUTTO: Some of the products are very consumer-oriented. I mean, you got that foldable phone. It's like a trifold, I guess, that kind of becomes a
tablet. What's the typical timeline between showing up at CES and showing up on store shelves or for people to buy?
SHAPIRO: It depends on the company. You know, sometimes they're showing up at CES just to see the reaction of the 7,000 media that were there or the
thousands of retailers, investors, potential partners. Some of it is just about to be shown and sold immediately through retail. It depends. It
depends on the product and where they are in the state. Some are just prototypes or ideas. Others are products ready for delivery and ready for
order.
SCIUTTO: Was there concern on the floor about just the broader economic tensions right now in the midst of President Trump's ongoing trade war,
either about the effect of tariffs given the global supply chain is typically multinational, but also other concerns that have restricted the
supply chain?
[18:45:00]
SHAPIRO: Absolutely. I'd say most companies' CEOs were concerned about that, not only the tariffs, but the rapidly changing nature of them. You
know, today we learned that anyone doing business with Iran has another 25 percent tariff. That's some pretty big countries. They're going to put
tariffs on all of a sudden.
And executives just can't change their supply chains when things are shipped so quickly. It's a real, real challenge. And it's affecting
American innovation and American sales. And obviously, tariffs are a tax on American consumers.
SCIUTTO: And we've heard on this program from producers for months now that it makes it impossible for them to make plans to the medium and long term
because they don't know where the tariffs are going to be tomorrow, let alone six months from now.
SHAPIRO: Well, we're waiting for the Supreme Court to resolve at least part of that. We should get a decision in the next few weeks.
SCIUTTO: Gary Shapiro, thanks so much for joining.
SHAPIRO: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: All right. Today's Business Breakout, a volatile session. As we said earlier on the show. On Wall Street, stocks fell earlier in the
session on news that the U.S. Justice Department had opened a criminal probe into the Fed chair, Jerome Powell. Stocks then steadied later in the
day. Gold, however, hit a record high among the uncertainty. The dollar fell. Bond yields ticked higher.
Checking some of today's other business headlines. Paramount Skydance is escalating its hostile takeover bid for Warner Brothers Discovery, the
parent company of CNN. Paramount is threatening to elect a WBD board that's friendlier toward the offer and remove directors who prefer to go with the
Netflix bid, which has been accepted by the board. Paramount has also filed a lawsuit to force WBD to disclose more financial information on its
Netflix deal.
President Trump says he could block ExxonMobil from taking part in future energy projects in Venezuela. The president said he's unhappy with the
cautious comments from the company's CEO at the White House on Friday. Darren Woods said during a summit with oil executives that Venezuela is un-
investable right now.
Shares of major credit card companies fell today after President Trump called for a cap on credit card interest rates. He says he wants interest
rates capped at 10 percent for one year to help Americans financially. Industry officials say the measure could actually backfire and end up
cutting off credit for many Americans.
It is a wrap on the 2026 Golden Globes, the winners and most memorable and forgettable moments when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: It was a big night for "One Battle After Another" at Sunday night's Golden Globes. The film won four awards, including for best musical
comedy. In other categories, Timothy Chalamet won best male actor for his role in "Marty Supreme," edging out Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney.
Teyana Taylor won a trophy for best supporting actress and gave the night's most emotional acceptance speech.
[18:50:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEYANA TAYLOR, ACTRESS, "ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER": Oh, my God. I almost didn't even write a speech because I didn't think I would. Oh, my baby. My
baby's upstairs watching. You all better be off them damn phones and watching me right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Host Nikki Glaser delivered another blistering, in a times hilarious monologue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI GLASER, HOST, GOLDEN GLOBES: And the award for most editing goes to CBS News. Yes, CBS News, America's newest place to see BS News.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Wow. And though the gay hockey romance "Heated Rivalry" was not nominated, its stars did charm the audience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUDSON, WILLIAMS, 2026 GOLDEN GLOBE PRESENTER: You think everyone in the audience has seen "Heated Rivalry"?
CONNOR STORRIE, 2026 GOLDEN GLOBE PRESENTER: That's a maybe. But their trainers have, and their moms have, and their daughters have, and -- hi,
moms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Entertaining journalist Segun Oduolowu joins us now from Los Angeles. It was quite a night. Nikki Glaser was hilarious. I feel like she
solidified her grip on hosting the Golden Globes for the second year in a row. Kind of like a balance of really funny, rapid fire, keeping her
audience on edge. Certainly not shy about taking some shots at folks in the crowd as well.
SEGUN ODUOLOWU, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Jim, you are 100 percent right. It is good to be with you again. Nikki Glaser is like Ricky Gervais' light.
Ricky would really savage, and, you know, Nikki goes up to the line and she doesn't really cross it into the cringeworthy moments.
I love what she had to say about CBS, which is cool, because we're on CNN. But I thought that she was really smart with her comments, especially about
Leonardo DiCaprio, in that we don't know anything about him other than he dates really young women, and he likes pasta, pasta, pasta from a 30-year-
old interview.
Like I love that she did her homework. She was fun, she was self- deprecating, talking about how she might look like an unlicensed surgeon from Europe put her together like Frankenstein. She took shots at herself
while also slinging them at the crowd, and I'm here for it.
SCIUTTO: What stood out to you in terms of the films and shows that really won the night?
ODUOLOWU: Well, you said at the top that "One Battle After Another" is a juggernaut. It is -- I mean, Paul Thomas Anderson, take the trophy. You
know, movie, take the trophy. It was really interesting, though, Teyana Taylor, as we're looking at take the trophy, which, by the way, one of the
best speeches as a father of a young brown-skinned girl. I love everything that she said, and I was so happy that this multi-hyphenate superstar, R&B
singer, choreographer, visual artist, and now Golden Globe-winning actress touched that stage. It meant a lot to see her and what she said.
But "Sinners," the snubbing of "Sinners," I think, is what a lot of people are going to be talking about. They lost in so many of the categories that
they were in, and then it felt like a backhanded compliment giving them cinematic or box office achievement. That's an award the Oscars did away
with in 2018. So, for me, "Sinners" was the big disappointment, "One Battle After Another", unstoppable force.
SCIUTTO: There was -- it was interesting to see podcasting getting its own category just as a kind of sign of where new media is going.
ODUOLOWU: Yes, it was. And look, my -- put on my tinfoil conspiracy brain hat, Amy Poehler winning the inaugural podcasting award seems quite
interesting. Wasn't she a former host of the Golden Globes, like, four times with Tina Fey? Look, to not have Joe Rogan, whose podcast may have
influenced an election, or to not have the Joe Budden podcast, which was in Rolling Stone and all over Times Square, for revamping how podcasting can
actually be done and you can monetize it. For those two people, those two shows, to not be involved, that seemed like a swing and a miss for me by
the Golden Globes. It didn't really make sense.
SCIUTTO: Segun, always good to have you on. Thanks so much for joining.
ODUOLOWU: Thank you, Jim. Good to see you.
SCIUTTO: Well, just spectacular pictures from Hawaii, as lava flows from the Kilauea volcano expanded. The U.S. Geological Survey says occasional
eruptions have been happening since December 2024. From two vents in one of the large craters, you can see up there, Kilauea is one of the world's most
active volcanoes, and those pictures just always mesmerizing. But don't get too close.
[18:55:00]
Thanks so much for joining us today. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
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