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Firefighters Battling New Fires Near Los Angeles; States Sue Trump Over Bid to End Birthright Citizenship; Melania Trump Planning More Prominent Role as First Lady; Ohio Grand Jury Indicts 4 Men for Luxury Home Burglaries. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired January 22, 2025 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Firefighters right now, you're looking at live pictures here out of Southern California. Firefighters are battling a number of fires in the L.A. area fueled by strong winds, which have been picking up in recent days. The Hughes Fire, which is just north of the city, we're learning is burning about 500 acres an hour. So that's a rate of a football field that is scorched every 10 seconds. And it's now up to, I believe, some 3,400 acres.

The Clay Fire still poses a risk as well. Evacuation warnings now in place for several areas near Riverside, California. Right now, though, there are no mandatory evacuations that have been issued. All of this is L.A. County officials are calling for an independent investigation to review the emergency alert system. CNN's Natasha Chen is joining us with more on that. So, Natasha, what is prompting these calls for that review?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, the Los Angeles Times reported that certain parts of Altadena, especially the western parts, did not actually receive electronic evacuation alerts until the fire had already started and was encroaching upon the area. Now, we all got very loud emergency push alerts during that week if we were near one of these fires. In fact, one of those days, there was an alert that accidentally went out to everyone when it was only supposed to go out to certain people.

So there have been noticeable glitches here. But this particular realization has been described by some of the western Altadena residents in very stark terms because they were seeing the flames in the distance getting closer and closer that evening. And one person told me today that, you know, he looked on the map where they describe a yellow area for people who should be preparing to go and a red area for people who need to be leaving now.

And he said that everyone sort of west of Lake Avenue, where he lived, were not in either a red or yellow zone. And yet he could see with his own eyes that this was getting very serious. So both he and other folks that we've talked to in the same area told us that had they waited for an emergency alert push notification on their telephones, on their cell phones, they might not have made it at all. They may not be alive today. And so this is very concerning. We've got a couple of county

supervisors calling for a third party investigation. Right now, the county, the sheriff actually said he welcomes an investigation to take a look in more detail at what exactly happened, how it happened, sort of an aftermath report here. And, of course, as you mentioned, all of this going on as a new fire is raging in the northern part of the county -- Erica.

HILL: All right, Natasha Chan, appreciate the update and reporting. Thank you.

One of Donald Trump's key executive orders is already facing a challenge in court. More than 20 states are suing to stop his plan to end birthright citizenship. One of the attorney generals leading that lawsuit will join us live after this quick break.

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Today, President Trump's bid to end birthright citizenship is facing several legal battles in courts across the country. Two dozen Democratic-led states, cities, and advocate groups are challenging Trump's executive order, saying it violates the 14th Amendment, which gives a constitutional right of citizenship to all children born in the United States.

[15:40:00]

Joining us now to discuss is New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin. He's co-leading one of these lawsuits. Sir, thank you so much for being with us this afternoon. Walk us through your argument against this executive order that would end birthright citizenship.

MATT PLATKIN, (D) NEW JERSEY ATTORNEY GENERAL, CHALLENGING TRUMP ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: Well, Boris, birthright citizenship has been part of the fabric of this nation for centuries, and since the Civil War 157 years ago, we put it in the Constitution so that there would never again be debate about whether a child born on American soil would be entitled to the rights and privileges of the United States. This is plain and simple.

The President of the United States has broad powers, but he is not a king. He cannot rewrite the Constitution with a stroke of a pen, and when we talk about the rule of law and standing up for the rule of law, that is exactly what we mean.

SANCHEZ: So I was speaking to Ken Cuccinelli. He was Trump's Deputy Homeland Security Secretary during his first term earlier in the afternoon, and he essentially argued that the basis for these arguments against the executive order are flawed because they rely on these two Supreme Court cases you pointed to the one -- or rather you suggested that the 14th Amendment written after the Civil War was reaffirmed, right, through these Supreme Court cases. It's been the law of the land, you're arguing, for 150 years. He's essentially saying that these cases have been misinterpreted,

that they don't establish birthright citizenship. I wonder what you would say to him that the precedent, he argues, doesn't apply.

PLATKIN: Well, that's an interesting interpretation of 125 years of Supreme Court precedent that has said the exact opposite of what he said. But look, the courts are going to decide this, and I'm confident that we're going to prevail. But this is a legal question, but this is also a question about who we are as a nation.

Are we a nation that says, if something is plain as day in the Constitution, that a president on his first day in office can issue an executive order, not even an act of Congress, with a stroke of a pen, rewrite a 157-year-old provision in the Constitution? No president has taken that view since the Civil War, and I'm confident that both the courts and the American people are going to agree with us.

SANCHEZ: I want you to expand on that, because Cuccinelli seems to believe that the Supreme Court, as it's laid out right now, he called it the most originalist court in U.S. history, might buck precedent and interpret it the way that he's interpreting it. What do you think about that?

PLATKIN: Well, originalism, as I understand it, starts with the text. And the text of the Constitution in the 14th Amendment is clear, that people born on American soil are citizens of this country and receive the rights and privileges of being citizens of this country. And again, it was always understood for that to be the case until just a couple of years before the Civil War, one of the worst decisions the Supreme Court has ever issued, the Dred Scott decision.

And after the Civil War, after we fought an incredibly bloody Civil War, the American people came together and said, both for descendants of slaves, but for all people born here, we're not again going to have the debate as to whether or not they are citizens of this country. The Supreme Court, as you noted, reaffirmed that proposition multiple times over the past century and a half, and I'm confident that the courts are going to see it the same way.

SANCHEZ: States that are party to this lawsuit are estimating that about 150,000 kids would be denied citizenship over the course of a full year. Do you know what kind of immediate consequences that might mean for children born in New Jersey?

PLATKIN: Well, it is thousands of children in New Jersey alone. And, you know, what the order does is it just says that these children are not citizens. It doesn't say what they are. It doesn't say what rights, if any, they're entitled to.

So, for instance, for providing them health care or education, you'd have massive questions about who's paying for that and what they're entitled to. And so states would be directly harmed as we lay out in our lawsuit on top of the harms imposed upon the people who are born here who are not sure whether they're a resident or a citizen of this country, of some other country, or none of the above. And that is a status that has never existed in American history. And it is a status that I am confident the courts are going to say does not apply to these residents.

SANCHEZ: New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin. We have to leave the conversation there. Thanks so much for sharing your perspective.

PLATKIN: Thank you for having me, Boris.

SANCHEZ: So we're getting new details about First Lady Melania Trump's plans for her second stint in the White House. This time, sources tell CNN that she's preparing to take on a more prominent role than during her husband's first term.

HILL: CNN Senior White House Reporter Betsy Kline joining us now with her new reporting. So, a little different take for Melania 2.0, and we may be seeing more of her as well.

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BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: That's exactly right, Erica. I mean, if you just take a step back, the role of First Lady, it is unelected, it comes with no manual, and, of course, an enormous amount of public scrutiny. And Melania Trump has privately acknowledged that it had a whirlwind of responsibilities of which she was largely unaware the first time around. She says this time will be different, and she's taking on a more public posture.

You know, Trump and his team have learned that there are different levers of the federal government that they can use to enact their agenda. We are seeing similarly that she is learning from her first term and approaching this a little bit differently. So, she has been preparing intensely, sources tell us, over the past few months to return to this role.

She has been studying foreign affairs, preparing on her own, joining her husband at Mar-a-Lago for some of those dinners with VIPs, and I think she implicitly recognizes that there is a certain level of curiosity about her and her life and that leaning into that could prove strategic and also, frankly, lucrative.

So, we saw her autobiography, instant bestseller. We saw that she inked that multimillion-dollar deal with Amazon to produce a documentary about her life and this transition. She's appeared on Fox News multiple times. And then on the eve of the inauguration, she released this unofficial meme NFT.

But Inauguration Day, really a visual preview for the next four years. We saw that double-breasted coat. We saw her hat, the infamous hat. And I think, you know, back in 2018, she told us that she wanted us to focus on what she says and not what she wears, but she understands the power of fashion to send a message. And the message she is sending is she is getting down to business. She is back.

SANCHEZ: I do wonder, Betsy, how Ivanka Trump not being there during this second Trump term might impact Melania's time as first lady. KLEIN: I mean, that's exactly right. She had a West Wing office, Ivanka Trump, and she also had a senior advisor title. And there was a lot of ambiguity vis-a-vis her role with the East Wing and Melania Trump's team and at times some tension.

So Ivanka Trump has said she is leaving politics. She is not coming back to Washington, making that very clear. This may empower Melania Trump to be the female figurehead for the Trump administration going forward.

HILL: We will be watching, and you'll be feeling us in on all of it. Betsy, thank you.

When we return, four Chilean nationals indicted, accused of targeting multimillion-dollar homes in a string of burglaries. And officials say they could actually be tied to the break-in at the home of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. That's next.

[15:50:00]

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HILL: Four men have been indicted by a grand jury in Ohio accused of carrying out a string of burglaries targeting multimillion-dollar homes. And officials believe the suspects may be tied to a break-in at Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow's home last month. Police say all four are in the country illegally or have overstayed their permission.

CNN support anchor Patrick Snell joining us now with more of these details. So in terms of what investigators have here, what are the clues that they have so far that could potentially tie them to this break-in at Joe Burrow's home?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, hi, Erica. Following this one very closely, indeed. Well, fair to say I think the big break could actually come down to something as simple as an old shirt and a ball cap.

While Burrow's name isn't mentioned explicitly, authorities there in Clark County, Ohio, saying officers found LSU and Bengals gear in the suspect's car when they were pulled over for a traffic violation. This was back on January the 10th.

Now, Burrow played at LSU in college. According to the affidavit, officers also finding two center punches, their tools typically used in burglaries. The men all facing charges, including patterns of corruption and gang activity. Police also say all four are in the United States illegally, which could tie into the larger picture.

Investigators saying they've arrested members of at least six South American burglary organizations. Five of which based in Chile. Burrow is one of at least nine athletes whose homes have been targeted in recent months, even prompting the FBI to send a message to teams and players warning them about the break-ins.

CNN has reached out to the defendant's attorney for comment -- Erica.

HILL: And as we're waiting to hear back from the defendant's attorney, what about, as you mentioned, a number of professional athletes have been targeted recently. Have we heard anything from the NFL, the NBA, in terms of what we're seeing here?

SNELL: Well, CNN has reached out again to the league, the Bengals and Burrow's representatives for comment. And what we can say is that late last year, back in November, in fact, Erica, the NFL, as well as the NBA and the NHL, warning teams that organized and skilled groups are targeting the homes of athletes for break-ins, including while the players are actually away on duty at games, doing their jobs, basically. The Kansas City area homes of chief stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were burglarized in October, according to multiple local news outlets, citing authorities.

We will stay across all the very latest. We're tracking it closely, Erica, Boris, back to you.

HILL: Patrick, appreciate the update. Thank you.

And stay tuned. We'll be right back.

[15:55:00]

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SANCHEZ: We want to leave you with an update on the breaking news out of Nashville. A female student has been killed. Another wounded in a shooting at Antioch High School. Police say the shooter was a 17-year- old who eventually turned the gun on himself. Here's what Nashville Police Chief John Drake said about the moments that led up to the shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JOHN DRAKE, NASHVILLE POLICE: This individual arrived at school on a bus and was actively a student in the school, went into the restroom, I guess to retrieve his weapon and then went into the cafeteria. I would say if there's anything as we progress to always, if you see something, say something. We believe there's some materials out there and if maybe they were seen and said something maybe more could have been done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: So the wounded student we do know suffered a graze wound in the arm and is in stable condition. This is of course the second major school shooting tragedy to hit the Nashville area in recent years. Just a little under two years ago in 2023 three nine-year-olds and three adults were killed during a shooting at the Covenant School. A former student opened fire there before being fatally shot by police officers.

[16:00:00] SANCHEZ: You can imagine officers are now going to investigate an entire trail that that shooter may have been left behind. But as we heard from one grandmother earlier this is something that is going to stay with those parents and likely those students for the rest of their lives. Parents going home tonight without their kids.

HILL: Absolutely. We know it does stay with them because we know all too well from speaking to so many who have survived these shootings and the parents who lost their children what it is like for them.

SANCHEZ: Thank you so much for joining us this afternoon. Erica, thanks so much for being with us. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.

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