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The Lead with Jake Tapper
Pete Hegseth Confirmation Vote Could Happen In Hours; Sen. Tim Kaine, (D-VA), Is Interviewed About Pete Hegseth Confirmation, RFK Jr.; The Impact Of Trump's First Days Back In Office; Trump Floats The Idea Of Getting Rid Of FEMA; Big Changes In Americans' Views On How Much To Drink; Giant Pandas Debut At D.C.'s National Zoo. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired January 24, 2025 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[17:01:02]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour it's 5:00 somewhere. And by somewhere I mean right here in Washington, D.C. But there are new guidelines on the way when it comes to the possible drinks of even moderate drinking.
What you need to know about the latest science. Plus, President Trump is set to land in California soon. His second stop in a coast to coast trip today seeing hurricane destruction in North Carolina and then wildfire damage in California. But Mr. Trump is also suggesting some major changes to FEMA which is in charge of disaster response and recovery. And the person who led that agency until just a few days ago is going to join us ahead to react.
And leading this hour, the U.S. could have a new secretary of defense in just a few hours. The Senate is set to vote on Pete Hegseth's confirmation tonight. But has last minute opposition from two Senate Republicans changed how confident the Trump administration is feeling? Let's get right to CNN's Lauren Fox. She's on Capitol Hill for us.
And Lauren, President Trump is expected to have his secretary of Defense tonight, but it has not been the smoothest of sailing.
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's exactly right. Over the course of the last several days, there's been story after story about Hegseth popping up here and there. And clearly it has had an impact on two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of the state of Alaska and Senator Susan Collins of Maine both voted against advancing Hegseth's nomination yesterday in a procedural vote. We're going to be watching tonight whether or not any other Republicans join them.
Earlier today, Trump suggested that Mitch McConnell always votes no. We should note, of course McConnell voted to advance Hegseth's nomination last night, but we're going to be keeping a close eye on whether or not McConnell changes his vote when it's the final vote cast on Pete Hegseth's nomination. We are also keeping a close eye on whether or not Republicans and Democrats get a deal to try to speed this up. Right now we are slated to vote at 9:00 p.m. on Capitol Hill. There's always a possibility if Democrats agree to speed up this process, they could move more quickly. But Republicans are not willing to give on advancing other nominees later in the weekend. So there's really a question right now of whether this gets sped up in any way.
Right now it just doesn't look like either side is that invested in moving forward. Those jet fumes just not that strong today on Capitol Hill, Jake.
TAPPER: And Lauren, the Senate's work on Trump's nominees isn't even going to stop after that vote, right?
FOX: Yes, exactly. After they take a vote on Hegseth, they will have a procedural vote on Kristi Noem's nomination to be the next Department of Homeland Security secretary. The then there's going to be several hours that have to lapse. Then in the early morning of Sunday, if they can't clinch a deal to move it up or move it back, then they will have a final vote on that nomination and then another procedural vote to advance the nomination of Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent. So that just gives you a sense that Thune is clearly the new Republican leader trying to make the impression to Trump that they are working overtime up here on Capitol Hill to get his nominees through.
Jake.
TAPPER: All right, Lauren Fox, thanks so much.
Let's bring in Democratic senator from the great Commonwealth of Virginia, Tim Kaine.
Senator Kaine, good to see you. So you had some of the most memorable exchanges with Hegseth during his hearing. Let's remind our viewers, show a little clip.
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SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA): Did you ever engage in any acts of physical violence against any of your wives?
PETE HEGSETH, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE NOMINEE: Senator, absolutely not.
KAINE: But you would agree with me that if someone had committed physical violence against a spouse, that would be disqualifying to serve as Secretary of Defense, correct?
HEGSETH: Senator, absolutely not have I ever done that.
KAINE: You would agree that would be a disqualifying offense, would you not?
HEGSETH: Senator, you're talking about a hypothetical.
(END VIDEO CLIP) TAPPER: So you repeatedly questioned Hegseth's character and invoked his repeated infidelities. He cheated on wife number one with wife number two and wife number two with wife number three and wife number three with this other woman. "New York Times" columnist David Brooks criticized the Democrats approach, saying, quote, "Tim Kaine tried to play the moral disqualification game, dwelling on Hegseth's various adulteries with Democrats' having failed to defeat Donald Trump with this strategy, I admire their capacity for persistent losing," unquote. What's your response? He's saying you should have taken him on more on his policy ignorance and less his personal life.
[17:05:25]
KAINE: Well, look, I don't tell David Brooks how to be a journalist, and he's never sat in my seat. Here's my experience, Jake. I've watched Republicans grapple with Donald Trump cabinet nominees, and the only way we get votes against them from Republicans is either by showing complete lack of qualification or deep moral and character failings. We were able to get a couple of votes during Donald Trump's first term against Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education. She was qualified for other things, but she was an enemy of public education.
And so, some Senate Republicans voted against. We were able to basically muscle Matt Gaetz out of the running for attorney general by demonstrating his lack of character. Those are the only two things that cause Republicans to vote against a Trump nominee. There's not an example, a single one of policy differences leading Republicans to vote against a Trump nominee. So there were other members on the Armed Services Committee who focused on qualification policy.
I focused on a long track record of abuse of women, including his wives, creating a toxic culture, hurting women employees, and showing up impaired by alcohol on the job. Because I understand from my past history that character deficits are one of the few things that open a door to Republicans voting no against a Trump nominee.
TAPPER: So it seems to have worked those issues when it comes to the two Republicans we know who will vote against Hegseth, Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. But I don't know of any other Senate Republicans who are going to vote no. Have you spoken to former leader Mitch McConnell about whether he will vote to confirm Hegseth?
KAINE: Here's what I'll say, Jake. I don't know of other Republicans who are voting no either. But I think there are still some votes in play. I think there are still some Republicans who are troubled about somebody heading the most important cabinet position with this track record. And we've been picking up that just kind of vibe.
Even President Trump is sort of feeling it based on what he said earlier today. I would say right now the odds are that Republicans will fall in line. But I think there are some who are still very, very troubled by a guy whose own mother wrote him a letter saying you are a serial abuser of women and need to change your life. But we'll see when the vote happens tonight. TAPPER: You say you're going to participate in the hearing for the nominee to be director of the Department of Health and Human Services of --
KAINE: Yes.
TAPPER: -- RFK Jr.
KAINE: Yes.
TAPPER: What's the preview of your strategy there?
KAINE: You know, I had a fascinating conversation with RFK Jr. a couple of days ago. And then the hearing is scheduled, I think next Thursday. And you know, frankly, during the conversation, there were some areas where, like, I completely agree, and then there were some other areas where I just think that's completely false. So my staff who was in the room ended up with a lot of research coming out of that meeting.
You know, some of the issues, of course, a willingness to purvey misinformation troubles me. And so you'll see many, many members of the committee kind of digging into that. But what we had was a really spirited conversation, I will say RFK Jr wanted to meet with me. Pete Hegseth refused to meet with any Democrat on the Armed Services Committee except the chairman, Jack Reed. And that broke precedent.
People who want to get the committee vote meet with folks on both sides of the aisle. Only Pete Hegseth decided I don't even want to pay Democratic members the respect of coming to meet with them before.
TAPPER: Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, the great Commonwealth of Virginia, thanks so much. I think it's the first time we've talked since you are reelected. So congratulations on your reelection.
KAINE: Thanks, Jake. Appreciate it, man.
TAPPER: President Trump is wrapping up his first week back in the White House. And between the executive orders, speeches to world leaders, pardons, threats of tariffs and more. It has been quite a busy month these last four days. Our correspondents will join me live with the biggest moments and the ones you might have missed.
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TAPPER: In our politics lead TGIF, it's not just any Friday, though, it's the end of the first week of Donald Trump's second presidency. It's been one week. One. One week, still feels like a month. President Trump has already generated so many headlines.
What's actually changed so far in this great nation? Well, let's take a step back and serve up a sample platter of Trump's actions since he took the oath office on Monday, which, as I said, feels like four months ago. OK, let's start with immigration. The United States now has more active duty U.S. troops deploying to the U.S. Southern border. Trump is ordering thousands of troops there to help secure the border while also laying the groundwork to quickly deport migrants already in the country.
Deportation flights have been going on for years, but what's notable is that today these migrants are now boarding military aircraft. Trump effectively closed off the U.S. Southern border to asylum seekers, limiting who's eligible to enter. The Trump administration also canceled incoming refugee flights this week, even of refugees who had already been vetted. Trump signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship, which legal experts say is enshrined in the Constitution's 14th Amendment. A federal judge has already temporarily paused that order.
While Trump is tightening the rules on the border, he is loosening the rules around social media. You can now TikTok till you drop since Trump paused the TikTok ban that was approved by both Houses of Congress, signed by President Biden and approved by the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump has barred government officials from pushing social media companies to combat misinformation and disinformation, citing free speech principles.
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And while Trump is all about creating a climate of change, climate change is not on his list of concerns. Trump repealed multiple Biden orders on climate change and withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, which committed nations to pursue policies limiting carbon emissions. The new boss is also enacting huge workplace changes for federal employees, including a stop working from home or else, type order, nixing DEI, diversity equity inclusion programs, from the administration.
On the subject of health, Mr. Trump withdrew the U.S. from the world Health Organization, and he repealed some rules meant to make it easier to get insurance under the Affordable Care Act. However, to set the record straight, this did not repeal the $35 monthly cap on insulin or Medicare's $2,000 out of pocket cap on prescription drugs. Those have not been repealed.
Yesterday, Trump signed an executive order to release files related to the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., saying the American people deserve transparency and you know what we do. This wasn't the only Trump move aimed at the past. He's also concerned with more recent history rewriting it. The self-described law and order president commuted and pardoned hundreds of January 6th rioters who stormed the Capitol fueled by his 2020 election lies, including those who were charged and convicted of violence against the law enforcement community that protects members of Congress.
Trump also revoked the security detail of some of his former administration officials turned people he doesn't like so much anymore, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, who faces ongoing threats due to his public role during the COVID pandemic, and Trump's own former National Security Advisor John Bolton and Trump's own former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who both currently face credible death threats from Iran.
So, what hasn't Trump done this week? Well, he did not end Russia's war on Ukraine on Day one as he claimed he would do. He has not yet impose new tariffs on Canada and Mexico as he's been promising. This move could torpedo the economies of those countries, potentially the American economy by extension. Is it all a bluff?
What are the tariffs going to actually be? We don't know. Some on Wall Street think so. Maybe don't place your bets just yet. After all, it's only Friday. We're only on day four. Only on day four.
Whew. CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Priscilla Alvarez join me now. I'm exhausted.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Only Friday. I'm glad it's Friday.
TAPPER: I'm -- you know, I'm -- you guys are young. I mean, I don't know. I don't know if I got it in me. Let's get a reality check. President Trump took a ton of actions in these first few days, tackling immigration, diversity initiatives, JFK assassination. How much of this is about his base? How big will the impact be from just these four days?
COLLINS: I think some things are impactful. Some things are just more symbolic, like changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which some people may recognize, like Ron DeSantis, but it doesn't actually really change all that much. What I have been struck by as someone who covered week one of Trump in round one and week one of Trump in round two is he is doing a lot of the things that he said he was going to do on the campaign trail. That's what Republicans are falling back on to defend the January 6th pardons. They're saying, well, he did say this on the campaign trail, but it's how much more organized everything is in terms of even going down to trying to eliminate the DEI initiatives at federal agencies and finding if they've been disguising them as other things since Trump won the election in November and they knew this was coming.
And as far as with immigration as well, using the military planes as they are today, these C17s to transport people back home, that is something that all of these officials had been previewing and now we're seeing them execute on it. So I think everything that we've been talking about what Trump was going to do, they are following through for a lot of it in terms of a more organized fashion than what we saw the first time he took office.
TAPPER: Priscilla, so big focus by President Trump on immigration, cracking down immigration, deportations of people in this country illegally. What is the reality of local and state governments cooperating with what he wants to accomplish here? And what's the biggest -- bigger picture here on how he's approaching this issue of illegal immigration?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So what you just mentioned about local -- state and local law enforcement, they are invoking a sweeping legal authority to essentially request the help of everyone across the country to what they call force multiply so they can arrest more people, so they can detain more people. So, you start to connect the dots over the course of the week. Remember earlier in the week, DOJ sent a memo saying, if you get in the way, state and local officials of our immigration crackdown, we're going to prosecute you. So, today you start to do A to B, right? If they're not going to help with their local law enforcement, are they going to be eligible for prosecution?
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So this is when we're talking about swift action by the Trump administration on this very key agenda issue. These are the things that are happening behind the scenes that are setting up the showdowns that are going to happen in the weeks to come. Now, when you broaden out, you have the public posture and what's happening behind the scenes. So the public is the military planes. They were very quick to circulate those images on the Internet of migrants getting on the military aircraft, which in and of itself is a remarkable image because we haven't seen that before, even though we have seen migrants getting on a chartered flight --
TAPPER: Right.
ALVAREZ: -- back to their origin country. And then the additional troops on the border and the images they have been putting out of that, even though the U.S. Military has been on the U.S. Southern border before then happening behind the scenes, making more people eligible for deportation by putting out memos, guiding ICE officers on a case by case basis to revoke their status if they are under a Biden program, for example. So --
TAPPER: And deleting the app.
ALVAREZ: Correct. So in totality, you start to see all these maneuvers and how they are going to use them to deliver on the president's promise. Although Jake and Kaitlan, as you know, it all comes down to Congress in terms of money and resources, but at the very least, they know what they are doing legally --
TAPPER: Yes.
ALVAREZ: -- through these memos and guidelines to make these promises happen.
TAPPER: And Kaitlan, during the campaign when Trump said, I am your retribution, he later tried to say, no, the retribution will be just in the success we have. But you know, a lot of people out there wondered how petty he was going to be. In the words of Dave Chappelle, who on Saturday Life a few weeks ago said something like, you know, we don't need a petty president. Basically, what -- I'm paraphrasing, it was much funnier when he said it. But how much of this week has been about retribution, rewriting history, going after his enemies?
COLLINS: I mean, we talk about what his first actions were in the first hours after he takes office. He signed all these executive orders, made this big show of it. For good reason, they had that planned. They wanted it to look like he was doing a lot on day one. But the other things that he was doing quietly also have a lot of impact.
And within hours of when he was in the Oval Office for the first time, he saw -- he instructed the Secret Service to yank their detail from protecting Ambassador John Bolton, who, like John Bolton or not, he does have a real threat against him. Because I talked to him about this last night, the Friday and the Saturday before the inauguration, he got a call because they do updated threat assessments against officials who have protection, they don't just have it for life.
TAPPER: Right.
COLLINS: And they said the threat against him was still very real and had not decreased, was still the same threat.
TAPPER: Somebody was arrested a couple years ago for the threat against Bolton.
COLLINS: And is still at large.
TAPPER: Yes.
COLLINS: The person was charged, but they are still at large. And so, I think from that to then seeing it happen with Secretary Pompeo, you just saw it taking a little bit longer because, of course, Secret Service is the easiest to have that directive and tell them, stop protecting this person. The State Department detail which was protecting Pompeo took a little longer. For Dr. Fauci security, but it was being funded by the National Institute of Health, and they canceled that. Last night was when he was informed that it was over, according to my reporting.
And so you're seeing it kind of happen trickle by trickle as it's making its way through the federal government. But certainly, I mean, there's a policy objective here when it comes to canceling their security. They do face threats. You can have an argument about who should pay for it, but they are facing real threats. And as Pompeo and Bolton have noted, they were doing what Trump wanted and taking this hard line stance on Iran while working for him, which is why they are being targeted.
TAPPER: Well, you said there's no policy objective. The policy is don't criticize Donald Trump or else you will even have your life at risk. And you would, theoretically, you would think somebody who had faced two horrific assassination attempts might be more sensitive to how serious that threat can be. What are we expecting next on the immigration front?
ALVAREZ: Well, again, all of this that happened this week was really setting up their interior enforcement because that is the fixation of Trump 2.0. The first time around, it was the border. Sure, there were images of the border today of the military aircraft and the troops, but the reality is that the border is relatively quiet. Only around 1,000 people crossing. Very different from the 4,000, 6,000, 12,000 of before.
So right now, a lot of what their focus is on, I've been on the phone with sources all day, is really getting in place to deliver on the interior enforcement, be it the sweeping arrests. Again, calling these targeted enforcement, going after the public safety and national security threat as White House borders czar Tom Homan has said. I think the question mark that everyone is still waiting to see is who gets swept up in that. Are we going to see families who are swept up on that, because they were targeting one person and they get someone else?
So. it's unclear exactly how it will execute, but certainly the apparatus is well underway in the force multiplying with the federal enforcement agencies. That is also actively happening.
COLLINS: Also, the question is, do they meet the numbers that they want? I mean, they have said that they're going to do such a better job than Biden was. Biden and Trump deported roughly the same amount of people from Trump's first term to Biden's second term, as Priscilla very well knows. That's a question is they would never give us really a hard number of what they're aiming for this time, I think, understandably. But it is a question of do they actually get to what they have been pledging, these mass deportations?
[17:25:06]
TAPPER: All right. Kaitlan Collins, Priscilla Alvarez, thanks to both you. Have a good weekend.
And don't, of course, miss out on Kaitlan's show. It's called "The Source." It airs every weeknight at 9:00 p.m. And tonight she's going to be live just as the Senate is voting on Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth. We still don't know if he's going to be confirmed or not.
Today, President Trump said he might get rid of FEMA, the federal agency that handles disaster response. But what would that mean for the communities the president is visiting today, those decimated by hurricanes in North Carolina and fires in California? We'll ask the most recent head of FEMA in just moments.
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TAPPER: In our National Lead, within the hour, President Trump will land in Los Angeles, California, where he is scheduled to view the destruction caused by those massive wildfires that tore through the region earlier this month and continue to tear through the region. According to President Trump, the federal aid that thousands impacted by the fires are relying on to get their lives back on track might soon come with conditions.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In California, we want them to have voter I.D. so the people have a voice because right now the people don't have a voice because you don't know who's voting and it's very corrupt. And we also want them to release the water. (END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: CNN's Veronica Miracle is in Altadena, California where the Eaton fire wiped out entire neighborhoods. Veronica, are those who were impacted getting the help they need from FEMA?
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, it's been kind of a mixed bag. We've spoke with one woman who was able to get an appointment very quickly. We spoke to someone else, Elissa Lopez, who says it's been a very confusing process. She and her husband lost their rental in the Eaton fire. And they've had to sleep in their car for a couple of nights because they haven't been able to get access to some funding. Take a listen to what she had to say.
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ELISSA LOPEZ, ALTADENA RESIDENT: We did fill out paperwork for FEMA, but FEMA can't do anything until the renters insurance is done. And so we're kind of like in an no man's land waiting and trying to process stuff as much as possible. They told us that it was a total loss but if we could salvage anything to do it today, our home is red tagged. It's not safe to go in and do it. We're doing it on our own accord.
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MIRACLE: Of course. Elissa's story is just one of thousands of people who are hoping to get funding. We did ask her what she thought about President Trump visiting today. She said she's so overwhelmed and stressed by everything that's happening, she doesn't want to talk politics. But she did tell me she hopes this incoming administration will not reduce funding for the victims who so desperately need it. Jake?
TAPPER: Veronica Miracle in Altadena, California, thanks so much.
Let's bring in former FEMA administrator, Deanne Criswell. And Deanne, in your last days of FEMA administrator, you saw firsthand the devastation of the wildfires caused in the Los Angeles area which are continuing. There are new fires almost every day. What needs do you see ahead for Los Angeles? It almost seems like there's like a refugee population that's going to have to be taken care of.
DEANNE CRISWELL, FORMER FEMA ADMINISTRATOR, BIDEN ADMIN.: Jake, the -- the devastation that I saw when I was there is just unbelievable, right? Communities, Altadena that we just heard from just completely burned to the ground. And so the individuals and the families, they are going to need short term, immediate help to make sure that they have a safe place to stay. But they're going to need long term assistance to make sure that they have a place that they can live with, their families still go to work, take their kids to school while these homes are first the debris being removed and then rebuilding the home. And that debris removal is the most complicated part of this whole situation to help those communities start that rebuilding process.
TAPPER: So President Trump was in North Carolina earlier today. He met with some of those impacted by Hurricane Helene, another disaster effort that you saw as FEMA administrator during the Biden administration. I want you to take a listen to what President Trump said about the future of FEMA.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I'll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA or maybe getting rid of FEMA. I think frankly, FEMA is not good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: He's talking about maybe getting rid of FEMA. FEMA is not good. Obviously you disagree. What's your response?
CRISWELL: I think it's important to have a conversation about really understanding what FEMA does, right? FEMA is the agency that comes in and, one, helps coordinate the entire federal family to help support the immediate response to these disasters. You know, when we see urban search and rescue teams come in, whether that's the FEMA teams that are made up of state and locals or it's from the Department of Defense, whether it's from Fish and Wildlife, you know, we bring them in.
And we bring them in because we're sitting side by side with the state emergency managers. And they're telling us what their needs are. Or we bring in the Army Corps of Engineers to immediately start to stabilize the water system, which they did in North Carolina. And so who is going to coordinate this federal family if you don't have FEMA? Because they don't just show up on their own.
And I think that's one big part of this conversation. But I think the other part is, you know, what we do and what I heard earlier today is, you know, we should just give the states money and take FEMA out of the picture. Well, that is what FEMA does, right? States, as they rebuild, they incur costs and FEMA reimburses them for the cost. But we also then provide the oversight to make sure that they're rebuilding in a way that makes them more resilient, making sure that they're following federal procurement processes, making sure that, you know, that they are using the money the way it was intended.
And so you still have to have an agency that would provide oversight to the reimbursement for the rebuilding. And that's what one of the big roles that FEMA does.
[17:35:03]
TAPPER: Trump also called FEMA bureaucratic and slow. What's your -- what's your take on that?
CRISWELL: We have improved so much, especially over the last four years when it comes to the response piece of it. I think that there's still a lot of misunderstanding about what FEMA's role is in response. And we were accused of being slow in North Carolina, but I had thousands of people on the ground before the hurricanes made landfall in any of the six states that were impacted. Recovery is a long process. And, you know, I listened to the -- to the lady that was on just before me, right? Every person has a unique situation. They have a very specific circumstance to them. And we need to work with them and do casework with them so we can use the programs that we have to help them. Recovery is really complicated and it takes time. But we have to work together with our states to make sure that we're doing it the way they want it done.
TAPPER: Why do you think there's been such blowback and criticism from people in western North Carolina about FEMA's response?
CRISWELL: I would say the people that I talked to in western North Carolina were very grateful for our response. I was on the ground personally for four weeks.
TAPPER: OK. But you -- let's -- let's say -- let's just pause for the sake of argument, because we're running out of time, that it's a minority of people in western North Carolina, just for the sake of argument, why do you think those people are being critical?
CRISWELL: Because they don't understand what we do. I think that they think that we're supposed to be firefighters and showing up. That's not FEMA's role, right? FEMA's role in response is to again bring in search and rescue teams. We had over 9,000 rescues or contacts in those early hours after the disaster. That doesn't happen without FEMA being there. I just think it's a general misunderstanding of the role that FEMA is supposed to play in the response side of -- of a disaster like this.
TAPPER: All right, former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, thank you so much. Really appreciate your time.
CRISWELL: Thank you.
TAPPER: Will dry January now stretch into dry February, dry March and on and on. A new study shows how our attitude toward alcohol is changing. That's just ahead.
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[17:40:52]
TAPPER: In our Health Lead, as dry January wraps up next week, the attitude surrounding drinking alcohol here in the United States is quickly changing. In a new CNN poll, 50 percent of Americans now say that even moderate drinking is bad for their health. That's more than double the number from two decades ago. Joining us now, CNN's health reporter, Jacqueline Howard. Jacqueline, just 8 percent of adults think there's a health benefit to drinking moderately. That's a pretty big change from those who once considered a -- a glass of red wine heart healthy. Are there any health benefits that outweigh the risks of alcohol?
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Jake that's where we're actually seeing a lot of debate right now. There have been two recent government reports that suggest there are potential benefits alongside potential risks. And one of those reports found that compared with people who don't drink, those who drink in moderation appear to be at a lower risk of heart attack and stroke. The other report that I mentioned also found a lower risk of stroke.
But then there are health authorities like the World Health Organization who say no amount of alcohol is safe for our health. So we are seeing this ongoing debate that we can expect to continue to play out this year, especially because, Jake, this year the U.S. Dietary Guidelines are up for review. And the guidelines currently recommend for men to limit their daily alcohol intake to no more than two drinks per day.
Women limited to no more than one drink per day. But Jake, again, because we're seeing this debate, it will be interesting to see moving forward if these guidelines are changed in any way in -- in the future, Jake.
TAPPER: Just a few weeks ago, the former surgeon general suggested alcoholic beverages should have warning labels on them about the health risks. Is there support for that?
HOWARD: There appears to be broad support. In our CNN poll, Jake, we found that 74 percent of adults surveyed said that they do support updating warning labels on alcoholic beverages, specifically to mention a link to cancer risks. So this reflects what appears to be a shift in public opinions and public attitude around alcohol here in the United States. And again, Jake, because of these changing attitudes, it will be interesting to see if guidelines follow what this trend appears to be.
TAPPER: All right, Jacqueline Howard, thanks so much.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go to Brian Fantanago (ph) live on the scene with a Channel 4 News exclusive. Brian (ph)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Panda watch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[17:43:24]
TAPPER: It's sunny out and the bears are fluffy. The nation's capital is once again home to two giant pandas. And we have plenty of pictures of these gorgeous beasts right after the break.
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TAPPER: In our World Lead, the pandas are back. Look at the must see video of the two giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao. The duo originally from Chengdu, China, now making their long awaited public debut today at the Smithsonian's National Zoo here in Washington, D.C. Joining us now, CNN's David Culver, who was given exclusive access to follow their journey from China to here in Washington. David, tell us a little bit more about the hype here with these two giant pandas. DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Jake, I wish I actually had pandas behind me right now, but they're in for the night. I don't know if it was just all the crowds today for the debut that were just too much for them to take. But yes, it's one of these really special moments. I mean, you know, it living here in D.C. I grew up in this area. And so to have that more than a year so from November 2023 until now, the points where people didn't have pandas to come to, I think, you know, were really tough.
In fact, folks we saw this morning lined up early. It was really cold, freezing cold. Many of them were in tears when they saw the pandas for the first time. And so I think this is a moment where they feel like it's all complete here at the National Zoo and they actually have pandas to visit once more.
TAPPER: There's a lot of change in the U.S. We have a new president. What kind of signals are the U.S. and China sending with the state of what people call panda diplomacy?
CULVER: I mean, how often do you and I talk about U.S.-China relations and -- and the tensions between the two countries and having lived there for three years? Yes, this was something I think a lot of folks weren't certain was going to come to fruition after the pandas left in November of 2023. And so this morning I even was talking to a woman. She flew in from Houston just for this.
And she said she was convinced it wasn't going to happen. The pandas weren't going to be sent back here to the U.S. I think the signals here are certainly from the Chinese side and I've talked to officials when went to China back in October for the sendoff is that they want to push past politics. They don't care who's in the Oval Office. They want to make sure that panda diplomacy continues. It's more than 50 years going now.
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And then from the Smithsonian scientist side of things, they too just want to put politics one side and science on the other and just focus on the science. But as you well know, those two can blend quite easily.
TAPPER: And David, you've been covering pandas and the efforts surrounding the conservation of pandas for a while. You even traveled to China to learn how captive pandas get released back into the wild as part of a special whole story that's going to air on CNN this Sunday. Let's run a little clip.
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CULVER: This is a first for me I think wearing an outfit like this in a -- what is a legitimate journalism role right now.
Can you reassure me that's a legitimate thing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anytime you're releasing animal, you want to minimize human contact. So that's the idea behind the costume is just not even getting familiar with humans. Do they think you're a panda? No, they don't. But they really don't want pandas to be comfortable coming towards people or towards villages and things like that.
CULVER: So what are you guys thinking for dinner?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bamboo.
CULVER: Bamboo.
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TAPPER: But David, what have you learned from your cover?
CULVER: First of all, thanks for not thinking less of me, Jake, for dressing up like that. It was, according to a scientist, totally legitimate. I think the biggest takeaway for me is that this is one of those rare things that actually unifies different cultures. And seeing what we saw in Chengdu and you're going to see that in a special this weekend and just how large these creatures loom in their hometown and really across China. And to see that then replicated today with debut day and the love and passion that folks have, I don't know, for me, that's something that kind of just hits at home.
TAPPER: All right, David Culver, thank you so much. And you can see more of David's reporting on an all new episode of The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, Operation Panda. One whole hour, one whole story, Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.
Up next, a presidential pardon for the man behind the Silk Road dark website who speaks out against -- who -- who just spoke out after President Trump granted him freedom. Stay with us.
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ROBERT ULBRICHT, PARDONED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP: I'm a free man now, so let it be known that Donald Trump is a man of his word.
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TAPPER: The founder of the dark web marketplace is speaking out after President Donald Trump pardoned him a few days ago. Ross Ulbricht had been serving a life sentence on charges related to the shadowy e- commerce site called Silk Road. It's a site the U.S. Justice Department dubbed, quote, the most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace on the internet today, unquote.
The website, which launched in January 2011 and was shut down two and a half years later, allowed users to anonymously trade almost anything. This was done in near total secrecy using Bitcoin. Ulbricht, dubbed by a judge as, quote, the kingpin of a worldwide digital drug trafficking enterprise, has been in prison since 2013 when he was arrested on charges of money laundering, drug trafficking and computer hacking, among other charges.
He was convicted on all of them. And court prosecutors also claimed that Ulbricht had also solicited the murders of people whom he considered threats. But they acknowledged there was no evidence that any killings took place. The case sparked protests and got the attention of Donald Trump, who called the sentence, quote, ridiculous. And with the stroke of a pen this past Tuesday, Ulbricht's lifelong sentence was wiped away.
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ULBRICHT: President Trump, for giving me this amazing blessing, I am so, so grateful to have my life back, to have my future back, to have this second chance.
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TAPPER: Trump's pardon makes good on a campaign promise he made in May of last year when Mr. Trump pledged to the Libertarian Party's National Convention in D.C. to commute Ulbricht's sentence immediately upon taking office.
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TRUMP: And if you vote for me on day one, I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht, who is sentenced of time served. He's already served 11 years. We're going to get him home. We're going to get him home.
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TAPPER: This week, the President lashed out at prosecutors in this case, posting to his Truth -- Truth Social site, quote, the scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me. He was given two life sentences plus 40 years, ridiculous, unquote.
Attorneys with the Southern District of New York say Ulbricht was a drug dealer who exploited people's addictions and contributed to the deaths of at least six young people. And they have as of now, declined to comment on the presidential pardon.
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TAPPER: In our Pop Culture Lead, today, a woman who survived the October 7th Hamas terrorist massacre at the Nova Music Festival has been chosen to represent Israel at this year's Eurovision Song Contest, 24-year-old Yuval Raphael went on to advance to the contest of week with her -- with her rendition of ABBA's "Dancing Queen." The Israeli contestant at last year's Eurovision was booed by some members of the crowd while police surrounded a group of pro-Palestinian protesters outside the venue. Coming up Sunday on State of the Union, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, that's Sunday morning at 9:00 Eastern and again at noon here on CNN.
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You can follow me on the Facebook, on the Instagram, on the Threads, on the X on the Bluesky and on the TikTok at JakeTapper. You can follow the show on X at TheLeadCNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can listen to the show all two hours once you get your podcasts.
The news continues on CNN now with Wolf Blitzer right next door in The Situation Room. I'll see you Monday.