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New 40-Acre Brush Fire Erupts Overnight in L.A.; Trump Make First Major Speech to Global Business, Political Leaders; Authorities Search for Motive in Deadly Nashville School Shooting; Freed Oath Keepers Leader Meets With GOP Lawmakers. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired January 23, 2025 - 09:30   ET

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

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: -- authorities here. They worked throughout the night using helicopters, using the Chinooks and the Black Hawks in order to try to douse those flames with water.

[09:30:07]

One thing we're hearing from authorities is that, you know, if there's any good news in this terrible situation, because of those past two large-scale fires here in Los Angeles, there was already a multitude of resources that were on standby, just ready to go and attack that fire

Also you'll recall two weeks ago at the Palisades Fire, in that deadly Eaton Fire, the helicopters couldn't fly because wind conditions were so severe. Take a listen here to one official from L.A. County Fire spoke with our colleague Laura Coates who says that this Hughes Fire, a very different effort. Fortunately, have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. SHEILA KELLIHER, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE: It's a completely different beast. It's a different fire with the wind. So that's the good news about this fire. We're fortunate because we can dip right out of Castaic Lake. So we've got a lot of water up there. There's a lot of resources as far as where we can fill up our helicopters and fixed-wing crafts and stuff. So we've got plenty of water to fight this fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: And then finally, just south of us, as you mentioned, a new fire erupting overnight. I spoke to an official there just a short time ago. We were at that fire. He said that they've stopped forward progress. Right now it's at 40 acres, but it's next to an area that is heavily populated. And so as the winds are expected to kick up here, as the sun comes up, authorities will still be on edge. They're really worried about any particular embers that are still there and reigniting. So a massive effort underway there as well, John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, it could be a trying day. All right, Josh Campbell for us. Please keep us posted. Thank you. Sara?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. In just a few hours, President Trump will take his America First stance to the World Economic Forum. He'll do so virtually after threatening to place tariffs on America's biggest trading partners, China, Mexico, and Canada as well.

He'll do his speech virtually the first major address to global business and political leaders of his second term. CNN Anchor and Business Editor at large Richard Quest is in Davos, Switzerland. You are there in-person. Trump will be there virtually. You're at this conference. You go every year. What are world leaders expecting to hear from the president today?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR AND BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE: I think they want clarity. They want certainty. They want some idea of exactly how much of the rhetoric on things like tariffs is going to turn into reality.

You see, the point here is everybody says the mantra of Davos. Here you go, Sara. The mantra of this year's Davos is Donald Trump's bark is worse than his bite.

Don't listen to what he says. Watch what he does. And that's the way they're soothing themselves against all the threat of greater tariffs and sanctions.

Now, so what is going to happen? He's going to give a virtual address, and then he's going to be questioned by several business leaders, the CEO of Total of France, Brian Moynihan of Bank of America. Steve Schwarzman is going to be questioning him.

There's a whole variety of them that will be asking. I'm not expecting it to be a blisteringly coruscating interview, but I am expecting that they're going to put a couple of pointed questions that will, if you will, flesh out just how much is rhetoric and how much is reality.

SIDNER: Is there a sense among those who you've spoken to, whether it is world leaders or leaders in business, that this is a different Donald Trump, a more focused Donald Trump, and someone in this term who is hellbent on getting things done and not just saying, oh, his bark is worse than his bite? Do they see him as different this time around?

QUEST: You nailed it in one, Sara, absolutely. They're just both impressed in some cases, delighted in others, aghast for some at the speed and ferocity with which this has now come into force, the executive orders, the, if you like, administrative instructions on the back of executive orders.

Now, what they're saying is, we know Donald Trump is transactional. We know he has a goal in a sense that he wishes to get to, and will get there by whichever means necessary. And so you had Jamie Dimon here yesterday saying about tariffs, so be it.

People here are realists. They're businessmen and women. They are people who will live with whatever comes their way and adapt accordingly.

SIDNER: Here's what I'm going to remember from today, this hour, is Richard Quest, the business guru, said that I nailed it, and I will keep that in my heart. It is so lovely to see you there. Enjoy the freezing cold in Davos. Appreciate it.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up for us, she defended the results of the 2020 election and faced armed protesters and death threats for it. Now the secretary of state of Michigan, Jocelyn Benson, has announced she's running for governor. She joins us next.

And students are speaking out after the school shooting in Nashville. A 16-year-old girl murdered the suspected gunman, a fellow student.

[09:35:07]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CANDACE HUFF, WITNESS: The way the guy looked at us before shooting himself, it was -- it was crazy because I didn't know if we were next.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, this morning Nashville police are searching for a motive in a deadly shooting inside a high school cafeteria. Police say a 17-year-old male student opened fire killing a 16-year-old girl and injuring two other students before the shooter took his own life. Authorities said they are looking at the shooter's social media posts, which CNN affiliate WTVF says praise mass shooters.

[09:40:04]

Let's get right to CNN Senior National Correspondent Ryan Young covering this. What's the latest you're learning, Ryan?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, very tough, John, to watch some of this video, to listen to some of these students. As we heard just before the break, some of these young people now have experiences that no one should ever happen. You're talking about someone entering a cafeteria around 11 o'clock, a student that they knew pulling out a handgun and firing multiple times. And of course, you talk about that one student that's dead, Josselin Corea Escalante. She was just 16 years old.

But listen to the shots fired in that cafeteria over and over as this was being live streamed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(GUNSHOTS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, he shots himself. (END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Yeah, this happened 10 miles southeast of Nashville. And talking to so many people in that area, and even Representative Jones, who represents that area, talked about how difficult this is for the families in that area to deal with.

Take a listen to the parents and students who witnessed this shooting, especially right after this all happened. They, of course, are still heartbroken.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUFF: I witnessed it all. I saw the guy shoot himself. I saw him on the ground. I was in the line, stuck with my friend. I was freaking out, hyperventilating, everything. And I felt stressed, overwhelmed. I felt like my whole world was crumbling apart in my hands. And I didn't have my phone, so I couldn't call my mom. And so I was really just there. And no one would know that I'm gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: No one would know I was gone. That is tough to hear from a child. There were two SROs in the building. They weren't in the cafeteria at the time of the shooting. Of course, John, like you indicated, they are still investigating this, especially all that online stuff that they have found so far.

John?

BERMAN: So tough to hear. It's tough to hear, tough to see. Ryan Young, thank you for your reporting on this.

Kate?

BOLDUAN: Yeah. So the leader and founder of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, showed up on Capitol Hill yesterday, just after he was released from prison. His now commuted sentence is part of Donald Trump's sweeping pardons of nearly all January 6 defendants.

Also now, sources tell CNN there are discussions at the White House of inviting -- around inviting some of those now pardoned convicts to the White House.

Everyone from the officers who were attacked that day to the election officials who faced threats for defending against those election lies are now speaking out. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson called the President's pardons a stunningly callous disregard for law and order.

You'll remember she faced armed protesters outside her own home after the 2020 election. The Secretary of State has also just announced she is now -- she is now a Democratic candidate running to be the next governor of Michigan.

Jocelyn Benson joins us right now. Secretary, thank you for being here. First on these pardons, Donald Trump, he promised during the election that he would pardon people convicted for January 6, even on day one. And he won your state, and he won the election. How do you square that with your views his pardons are a callous disregard for law and order?

JOCELYN BENSON, (D) MICHIGAN SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, I think no matter our politics, we should all be able to agree that the tragedy at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, is to be condemned. And those who broke the law, those who attacked our -- not just our institutions, but law enforcement, should be held accountable. Anything less is an affront to democracy and everything we stand for as Americans.

And, you know, it breaks my heart to see people like Michael Fanone, Harry Dunn, Eugene Goodman take this message from the current president as one that your voice doesn't matter. The work you did to defend our democracy and our country doesn't matter. The violence instead was OK. That's the message it sends us.

And for those of us who worry about our own safety and the safety of our families for simply doing our jobs in this moment to protect democracy, it creates a heightened sense of anxiety, frankly, that we've been living with for many years, but even more so now. You know, are people going to take this as a sign that that violence against election officials and law enforcement is OK? I hope not. But that's what's on our mind in this moment.

BOLDUAN: I did want to ask you that, because some of the people who have been released and some of the more violent have said that what they're now looking for, they are looking for accountability. Donald Trump just last night, the president just last night, said yet again that the election was rigged. He said again in an interview just last night, do you fear for your safety after the president's move with these pardons?

BENSON: Yes, absolutely. And I know everyone, my colleagues, secretaries of state, Al Schmidt in Pennsylvania, Brad Raffensperger in Georgia, we're nonpartisan professionals, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, who are just simply trying to make sure every vote is counted and protect the will of the people, no matter the outcome of any election.

[09:45:18]

And so, the fact that we now have to watch our backs even more than before, four years after an election that was clear and accurate and free and fair, is unnerving. And, you know, as I said, it really shows just a stunningly callous disregard for law and order and professionals who simply are just trying to make government work for everyone.

BOLDUAN: You just announced that you are running for governor. Gretchen Whitmer is term limited. So, it's going to be a very big Democratic -- it's going to be a very big election. I mean, this is a very important position and this is a very important state in terms of, well, everything, in terms of its position, its economy, and its status in America's political landscape.

With this in mind, how do you approach, why are you running, and how do you approach, if you win, working with the man we're talking about, President Trump?

BENSON: Well, I approach this as a mom and as the head of our second largest state department that interacts with every resident. I run the motor vehicle office in addition to running our elections. And so I know firsthand how important it is that government just works well and efficiently and smoothly and saves people time and money so that they can get on with their day.

That's what I've done as Secretary of State and that's what you see candidates winning across Michigan, being able to deliver on, making lives a little easier, solving the housing crisis, which is on everyone's mind, and making health care a little bit more affordable, protecting our kids in schools, and establishing quality education and job opportunities for all. These should not be partisan issues, and I will work with anyone at the federal level or even with other governors at the regional level to explore ways we can work together to deliver for our residents.

But when it comes to anyone, whether it's a billionaire or a president, who would try to hurt our residents or make them feel unsafe or challenge or take away their rights and freedoms, I will be there to step in the way every moment, just as I've done as Secretary of State.

And I think that's what all officials and states need to do right now. Stand up to police, no matter how powerful, protect our residents, and then just simply make government work well for everyone.

BOLDUAN: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, thank you very much for coming in.

Sara?

SIDNER: And the 2025 Oscar nominees are Kate Bolduan, John Berman, no, sorry. Coming up, all the snubs and surprise nominations for the 97th Academy Awards.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:52:26]

SIDNER: After a week-long delay due to the wildfires still burning in L.A. County, the Oscar nominees are here. Leading the nominations with 13, Emilia Perez, a Spanish-language crime musical. Emilia Perez also made history with its lead actress, Karla Sofia Gascon, who the "L.A. Times" reports is the first openly transgender acting nominee. It was a good year for musicals. "Wicked" got 10 nominations, as did "The Brutalist."

Joining us now, Segun Oduolowu, Boston Globe Today host. It's good to see you again. I think we hung out a bit in L.A. way back in the day, talking about some of this stuff. All right, so we've got these 13 nominations for Emilia Perez. Who is expected to be the big winner, the one that gathers all of these awards?

SEGUN ODUOLOWU, HOST, BOSTON GLOBE TODAY: Well, I think you said it, Sara, and it's good to, you know, see you on screen doing your thing, but it's Karla Sofia Gascon. I mean, look how far Hollywood has come. You had Felicity Huffman, you know, playing a trans woman in Transamerica.

You had Jared Leto playing a trans woman in Dallas Buyers Club. And you had Hilary Swank win an Oscar for playing a trans man in Boys Don't Cry. And to see the pendulum swing now, Emilia Perez is a triumph. It's a musical. It has -- you know, it also has Zoe Saldana nominated for Best Supporting Actress. So I think that that is going to be this year's Oppenheimer, where we saw Oppenheimer kind of beat out with, again, multiple nominations and win in the categories that it was supposed to.

I think that Emilia Perez is going to be that juggernaut of a movie. And again, it will be exciting to see Karla walk across that stage, possibly winning a historic Oscar.

SIDNER: Mr. Oduolowu, you know, it took me a long time to learn how to say your name, and I'm so glad that you have come on our screen, because I do want to get a little negative here and ask, who got snubbed? Which film? Which actor?

ODUOLOWU: Well, you know, actually, it's funny. Sebastian Stan won a Golden Globe for a movie that he's not even being up for in the Oscars. So, I mean, he's nominated for an Oscar. He won a Golden Globe for another one. So I guess not getting two Oscar nominations could seem like a snub. But what will happen is on the day of the Oscars, I think Colman Domingo will be snubbed for Sing Sing.

[09:55:03]

And I hope that's not the case. Sing Sing is a technical marvel. The actors that are in this film are, some of them themselves, incarcerated. Most of the cast, in fact, is incarcerated felons that acted alongside of Colman Domingo. The movie is a triumph. His performance is a triumph. And if he doesn't win the Oscar, if they give it to Timothee Chalamet, you know, Hollywood's dream boat, everybody loves him. I know he's playing Bob Dylan, but if he beats out Colman, I might be out there with the picket signs talking about somebody got robbed.

SIDNER: Wow, that's extreme. Let me just quickly ask you, who's hosting, which is sort of the worst job in Hollywood?

ODUOLOWU: Well, it's Conan O'Brien this year. And you're right. It is probably the worst job in Hollywood. The ratings have been going down every year. In fact, this year, they're not going to have musical performances, which -- which floors me because I remember 2006 when Three 6 Mafia won best song for it's hard out here for a pimp and had all of Hollywood in an uproar, not expecting to see that on stage.

We've had Adele on stage doing "Skyfall." You've had incredible musical acts. So to not have music performed live at the Oscars, I feel that's also a big snub.

BERMAN: We're getting musical live right now.

SIDNER: We're getting musical playing us off, Segun, just like the Oscars, except for we don't have the hardware. Thank you so much for joining us.

This is CNN News Central, Newsroom up next.

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