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VP Vance Delivers Address At March For Life Rally; Trump Threatens Tariffs, Sanctions On Russia Over Ukraine War; Trump Defends Revoking Security Details For Fauci, Pompeo. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired January 24, 2025 - 13:30   ET

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


[13:30:00]

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: -- person appearance since becoming vice president to this March for Life in support of the anti-abortion movement. You also have a large roster of Republicans. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune have already addressed this crowd.

And to put it simply, Speaker Johnson said, we are entering in a new era with the Trump White House. So many of the people I spoke with today say that they are paying very close attention to what this new administration is saying and notably what they are doing.

Many people referenced the fact that already they are seeing some early moves of this administration that they are like in support of the movement, namely the fact that President Trump last night pardoned 23 individuals, 23 activists who had demonstrated at abortion facilities, some who had been in prison.

They are saying that that is an early message that this administration is, they hope, going to move more aggressively in support of that movement. Now this March will, after these speakers are done speaking, they will take to the streets. They will mark down -- march down Constitution Avenue, over not to the Supreme Court, but this year to the Capitol.

And that is for a very important message to the members of Congress that although many of these fights, of course, and the messages will come from the administration, that a lot of these fights are going to take place now at the state level. And they certainly hope that the backing of the administration and many top Republicans on Capitol Hill will help push those forward. Erica?

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Sunlen Serfaty live for us. Thank you.

Well, Russia says it is now ready to negotiate with Ukraine over -- with President Trump rather, over Ukraine, but that it's waiting for a signal from the White House. A report from Moscow, up next.

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[13:36:06]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: President Donald Trump is applying new pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine, threatening new tariffs and sanctions, also accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of, quote, "destroying Russia".

CNN's Matthew Chance is live in Moscow with Putin's reaction to all of this.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris and Erica, the Russian President Vladimir Putin has lavished precedent on President Trump while urging a meeting between the two leaders to discuss Ukraine and other issues. In an interview on Russian state television, Putin insisted that he always had what he called an exclusively professional and businesslike relationship with Trump, a U.S. leader who he appears to hold in very high esteem.

Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

PRES. VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIA (through translation): He is not only a smart person, he is a pragmatic person. And I can hardly imagine that decisions will be made that will harm the American economy. Therefore, most likely, it would be better for us to meet and talk calmly about all those areas that are of interest to both the U.S. and Russia. We are ready, but this primarily depends on the decision and choice of the current administration.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

CHANCE: Well, those remarks coming as President Trump said he would meet Putin immediately to bring a rapid end to the conflict in Ukraine. Earlier, Trump told Putin over social media to make a deal on Ukraine and to end what he called this ridiculous war or face increased U.S. sanctions. Putin's response has essentially been to agree in principle to talks, but also to flatter the U.S. President.

In his state TV interview, Putin called his relationship with Trump trustworthy and added that he agreed with the U.S. President that, quote, "If his presidency had not been stolen in 2020, maybe the crisis in Ukraine would not have happened". Putin, of course, launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in in 2022, when Joe Biden was U.S. President.

Back to you.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much to Matthew Chance for that update.

President Trump today is actually defending his decision to terminate the private security details of Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former National Security Adviser John Bolton.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: When you work for government, at some point, your security detail comes off and, you know, you can't have them forever.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you feel partially responsible if something were to happen to, say, Dr. Fauci or John Bolton?

TRUMP: No. No. You know, they all made a lot of money. They can hire their own security to all the people you're talking about. They can go out. I can give them some good numbers of very good security people.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

SANCHEZ: Dr. Fauci discussed the threats against his life during a congressional hearing last year.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, FMR. DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE: There have been credible death threats leading to the arrests of two individuals and credible death threats mean someone who clearly was on their way to kill me. It is very troublesome to me. It is much more troublesome because they've involved my wife and my three daughters.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

SANCHEZ: A source tells CNN that Dr. Fauci has hired his own private security detail. Remember, he served in government for decades and was the nation's top infectious diseases expert for 38 years. But Trump, again, has also pulled security details from former National Security Adviser John Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who we know have been targets from overseas adversaries.

Erica?

HILL: Specifically targets with threats involving Iran from part of their role in the first Trump administration.

Let's take a look at some of the other headlines we're watching this hour for you. In Colorado, the validity of more than 500 criminal cases now in doubt. This is because a former star DNA analyst for the state is facing criminal charges over data tampering.

Yvonne "Missy" Woods allegedly telling investigators she changed data to complete cases more quickly. That's according to the arrest affidavit. Internal investigators say she was working too fast and that affected serious cases, including homicide and sexual assault.

[13:40:08]

A survivor of the October 7th attack on Israel will represent her country at Eurovision. 24-year-old Yuval Raphael, who was survived the deadly attack on the Nova Music Festival, will sing at the International Song Contest in May. She was voted the winner of Israel's Rising Star TV competition.

And in Paris, the iconic Louvre is really urging the French government to step in and help. According to Reuters, the museum's president is now warning the building itself is in such dire shape that leaks and temperature swings are threatening the priceless art inside. Pieces which include some of the most famous paintings in the world, including the Mona Lisa.

The Louvre itself was built in the 1100s as the palace for Francis King's. It was turned into a museum in 1793.

When we come back, it is a coming out party of cuteness. Stand by, the National Zoo's two new pandas. They're ready to meet you on the other side.

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[13:45:52]

SANCHEZ: We've got some new faces in Washington this week, and they are not politicians or members of the incoming Trump administration. Two pandas are making their long awaited debut at the Smithsonian National Zoo in D.C. Bao Li and Qing Bao are both three years old. They've been in quarantine since arriving in the U.S. from China in October.

HILL: CNN's David Culver joins us now live from the National Zoo. So you actually you first saw them in China. So I know the crowds are really excited, but I'm curious, David, how excited were they to see you? They were like, hey, we're reunited.

SANCHEZ: There he is.

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, we go way back, Erica, you know, right, four months ago to when we were in China for their send off. So I don't know if the fact that Qing Bao is way back there and has turned her back to me for the past 20 minutes or so is any indication.

But aside from that, I think they're actually very excited that we're here. More importantly, the crowds are here. And it's not too heavy right now because it is -- I mean, you guys are here in D.C. It's really cold, but you still have folks who are wrapping themselves in blankets and several layers and wanting to just take in the moment.

It's interesting because you do get a lot of people who are shouting and yelling and happy as soon as they get to this area. The panda exhibits, they start to quiet down. They get really tranquil and they just kind of take it in.

I'm looking to see where Qing Bao went because she's been going back and forth. Nikki, do you think she went back over on this side? We're going to see. She'll pop out soon enough. But as I mentioned, having gone way back to China with them, I want you to see what it was like for their send off.

And this is a really, really unique view, because while you have media from all over the world, actually here today, what we got to see, we were the only foreign media allowed in Chengdu, China to see them send off from there and arrive here. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

(Speaking in Foreign Language)

CULVER: They're saying Bao Li, Qing Bao, have a safe trip.

They're going to leave this panda base. They'll head to the airport and then it's off to the U.S. on a very long flight. This is incredible to see. I mean, they lifted up one of the pandas already and we could see and you can actually still see.

I've never been this close to a panda, but there she is, Qing Bao. Oh, look how beautiful she is.

The next time we'll get to see them will be in Washington, D.C.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

CULVER: And they're here. They're in Washington, D.C. They did arrive back in October. They went through that quarantine period you guys were talking about. And then they had a moment to slowly get used to more and more crowds.

And a lot of the folks who are watching them are doing so even here at times on the panda cam. If you look around, there's several different surveillance cameras, 40 that they have installed. They're all HD, they're all new and they're all ready for their debut here in D.C. So it is really exciting to actually see them again and to reunite. Even if they don't remember me.

SANCHEZ: Oh, they definitely remember you.

HILL: I'm sure they do. They don't forget you, Culver. Come on.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Yes. I'm pretty sure you like donned a panda suit --

CULVER: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: -- and like you sprayed panda urine on yourself to be able to get close to them. Of course, they remember you, David.

CULVER: You know what? Maybe that's what's missing. That's what's missing.

HILL: That's what you need. A little panda urine on your suit and you're ready to go.

SANCHEZ: I do want to ask you about --

CULVER: Yes. Yes.

SANCHEZ: -- the diplomatic aspect of all of this, because I believe it was in 2023 when we last had pandas at the National Zoo and they were sent back to China. There was all this misinformation that was published in Chinese media about how they were mistreated and underfed.

[13:50:00]

And then it seems like things reversed. And now we're fortunate to have these pandas in the U.S. again. But it says something about where Chinese and U.S. relations are.

CULVER: It really does. And I think you have to think about the history of this, right? I mean, it goes back more than 50 years to when President Nixon first went to China and then coming back to the U.S., his wife, Pat Nixon said, I really like those animals. She made a comment to then Premier Zhou Enlai, seeing the pandas on a cigarette case.

Oh, my goodness, I would love some. And he goes, I'll send you a pair. So the first two came then. And now you -- and actually you can see, by the way, Qing Bao behind me. And now you've got this continuing force to your point.

And it was interesting this morning, I was talking to a woman who had gotten here around 7:00 a.m. She flew in from Houston, Texas. And she said, I didn't think this day was going to come. I said, why is that? She goes, U.S.-China relations have been so fraught.

It's been really a tense time. She thought for sure this enclosure would never see pandas again. But this does speak to the fact that panda diplomacy, as you can hear the kids yelling, does continue through, doesn't matter the administration, who's in the White House, and the tensions between the two countries. We've got pandas back in D.C. So that does say something.

HILL: Yes, absolutely. David Culver, we'll leave you with your pandas. But just keep us posted on the reunion.

CULVER: Thank you.

HILL: Good to see you.

Be sure to tune in for The Whole Story: Operation Panda. David's report, which airs this Sunday at 8:00 right here on CNN.

We also want to tell you about a new CNN film chronicling the life of actor Christopher Reeve, best known, of course, for his role as Superman in the three Superman movies in the 70s and 80s.

SANCHEZ: Yes, his greatest role, though, may have come after that as an advocate for the latest science to help spinal cord injury patients like himself. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

CHRISTOPHER REEVE, AMERICAN ACTOR: These cells have the potential to cure diseases and conditions ranging from Parkinson's and MS to diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's, Lou Gehrig's, even spinal cord injuries like my own. DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Christopher Reeve wouldn't live to see stem cells possibly help with his own paralysis, but nearly 30 years after his accident, spinal cord injury patients like Jake Javier are now reaping the benefits.

JAKE JAVIER, SPINAL CORD INJURY PATIENT: So it was actually my last day of high school and I was over at a friend's house and we were swimming. I just jumped out a little too far and ended up hitting my head where it started to get a bit shallow and hit my head on the bottom and broke my neck.

GUPTA (voice-over): Like Reeve, Jake was also left paralyzed. Instead of walking with San Ramon Valley High School's graduating class of 2016, Jake was weighing whether or not to try an experimental treatment based on stem cells.

JAVIER: I didn't know a whole lot about it, but I knew that it could potentially help me or, you know, potentially help others. And I didn't see a lot of risk in it, so I decided to do it.

BRIAN CULLEY, CEO, LINEAGE CELL THERAPEUTICS: Stem cells can become, by definition, any of the cells of the human body. They just need the instructions and the information.

GUPTA (voice-over): Brian Culley is the CEO of Lineage Cell Therapeutics.

CULLEY: We convert those stem cells into the actual cells that comprise and make up the spinal cord.

GUPTA (voice-over): Think of the spinal cord as the nervous system's interstate. With these electrical impulses sending messages from your brain to other parts of your body. Now, to send those messages more efficiently, a conductive sheath of fat and protein known as myelin wraps around the nerves. But when the spinal cord is injured, the myelin can become damaged as well.

GUPTA: When you've actually injected these cells into the spinal cord in someone like Jake, what sort of results have you been seeing?

CULLEY: To date, 30 individuals have received these cells. The initial objective was to demonstrate the safety, but the data which we collected and the conversations that we had with the surgeons really encouraged us that there was some improvement that was somewhat unexpected.

GUPTA (voice-over): Improvements for patients like Jake that now allow him to live his life, drive, and work.

JAVIER: I ended up getting some return here in my right hand, so I'm able to wiggle this index finger just a little bit, which doesn't look like much and there's not a lot of strength behind it. But it actually proves to be very functional for me because it kind of gives me a little bit more dexterity and the ability to kind of open my hand here and grab even small objects like this.

GUPTA: How big a deal was the advocacy of Christopher Reeve in all this?

CULLEY: Christopher Reeve is synonymous with this condition and that's really important. Having someone who is connected as an individual to a condition can really help attract attention and interest in the space.

[13:55:02]

JAVIER: I knew I would one day get to a point where I felt like I was living a, you know, a very fulfilled lifestyle, traveling the world and going to school, moved down to San Diego. And after getting my master's in North Carolina and I'm engaged, I have a wonderful fiancee who's very supportive.

GUPTA (voice-over): Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

SANCHEZ: What an inspiring story. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you so much. The documentary "Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story", airs Sunday night, February 2nd at 8:00 Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN.

Stay with us on CNN News Central as President Trump warns he may get rid of FEMA while meeting Hurricane Helene victims in Durham. Another hour begins after this short break.

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