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Colombia Clashes with Trump Administration over Accepting U.S. Military Aircraft Repatriating Colombian Immigrants; Reports Indicate Trump Administration Issued Quotas to Immigration Agents for Daily Arrests of Immigrants; Trump Cabinet Nominees Tulsi Gabbard, RFK Jr., and Kash Patel to Testify at Senate Confirmation Hearings This Week; California Rain Sparks Mudslides Fear; Trump Signs Executive Order to Review FEMA; Trump Fires Inspectors General From Over a Dozen Federal Agencies. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired January 27, 2025 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts now.

Nearly 1,000 arrests made in immigration raids across some of America's largest cities. This as certain migrant deportations cause a near trade war.

Heavy rains hitting California, bringing with them potential fire relief, but an entirely new threat of mudslides.

And this morning, new allegations against Sean Combs. What a musician that Combs helped discover is saying about their troubling interactions.

Sara is out this morning. I'm John Berman with Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

All right, happening now, we are standing by to learn when the first U.S. military plane with deportees will arrive in Colombia. This after a trade war was averted overnight. The U.S. and Colombia secured a deportation deal, which the White House is hailing as a win, and also says it's something of a warning to other nations. The president had threatened tariffs of 25 percent that would spike to 50 percent if Colombia turned away U.S. military planes carrying migrants. The Colombians were doing that for a time before reversing. Colombia, for its part, said it secured a promise of dignified treatment to the migrants.

Let's get to CNN White House correspondent Priscilla Alvarez for the very latest on this. Priscilla, what is the status this morning?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN REPORTER: Well, this was certainly the first major international clash over immigration, John, and as you mentioned, resulted in that threat from President Donald Trump of tariffs that has now been pulled back after a last-minute deal was cut. Now, all of this unfolded over the weekend when Colombia abruptly said that it wouldn't take two flights coming in with migrants from Colombia.

Now, the issue that the Colombian president was taking was that they were coming on military aircraft. Of course, the U.S. and Colombia have a bilateral agreement to send back repatriated migrants, but it was the aircraft that was of issue. However, John, I am told by sources as well as reviewed documents that showed that Colombia had accepted those flights, approved of them before they took off from the United States.

So you can see how all of this quickly spiraled into this feud between the U.S. and Colombia. Now, it played out publicly, with President Trump saying that he would slap, as you mentioned there, those emergency 25 percent tariffs. It also resulted in the Colombian president striking back, saying that he, too, would impose retaliatory measures against the United States. Well, the two finally came to a resolution here. In a statement, the White House press secretary saying that the tariffs on Colombian imports would be, quote, "held in reserve."

Now, we are still awaiting details on whether Colombia will send its presidential plane. That was part of the offers that was made by Colombia to resolve this issue, or, and/or whether the military aircraft will take off with those migrants on them. But this is telling John of two leaders, two world leaders who are close allies suddenly coming to a public clash over this very signature issue for President Donald Trump. And the president deciding to do, or to threaten tariffs, which is something that he said he would do on the campaign trail, and that we are seeing how it plays out now that he is sworn into office.

Of course, the U.S. has struggled with repatriating certain migrants to countries. Colombia was not usually one of them, taking them on those civilian aircraft, but certainly telling of what may come, John.

ALVAREZ: Yes, indeed it is. All right. Priscilla. Keep us posted on this. Appreciate it.

Kate?

BOLDUAN: And also this. Immigration raids are being carried out across the United States, and there's new video of arrests being -- a number of arrests happening in multiple states. Yesterday, ICE officials say nearly 1,000 people were taken into custody. You can see here some of the raids as they were, as they were happening from Chicago to Colorado to Phoenix to Miami, all across the country.

And the White House border czar Tom Homan was on hand in Chicago to watch as operations played out there. This comes as we're also learning some new detail about quotas that the Trump administration want agents to hit, that the administration has set for officials on the ground, quotas for arrests on a daily basis.

CNN's Rosa Flores is live in Chicago, where a lot of operations have been focused so far. Rosa, what's the very latest?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, good morning. We're starting to learn the stories of the individuals who have been arrested and how it's impacting their families. This story is from our CNN affiliate, WLS. They went to a suburb in northern Chicago, the north side of Chicago, and this woman shared with them that their father was arrested yesterday.

[08:05:05]

He's a grandfather. He's been in the United States for 30 years. And he says that they that ICE knocked on his door and he opened the door, allowing them in. Now this woman is very distraught because her father was arrested, and she is asking a pastor in that area for help. There was a prayer circle that was done to help this woman, of course, emotionally, because of what she's going through. And here's what the pastor had to say about these enforcement actions. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PASTOR JULIE CONTRERAS, UNITED GIVING HOPE: I had a four-year-old crying, fearing deportation. That is not making America great again.

ERENDIRA RENDON, RESURRECTION PROJECT: The fear is that they will detain other people around them, maybe that live there, or maybe that just happen to interact with them. And that's why it's important that folks know their rights and that they don't have to answer any questions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: Now, ICE says that they are focusing on individuals who have criminal backgrounds, who are public safety threats or national security threats. We don't know anything about the man that was arrested in the northern suburb of Chicago, but we have asked ICE about why he was arrested, if he has a criminal background. And we'll let you know once we have that information.

These arrests are nationwide. They are happening in multiple states. We've learned, and there are agents not just from ICE, but also from other agencies, the DEA, the FBI. And Kate, one of the things that people are probably wondering at home, well, is this new? Yes, it's new that there's a surge of operations. But ICE has not been taking a nap for the last four years. A very quick search of the ICE website, you'll see -- I do it all the time because I'm a reporter, but you can see it for yourself. Go to the press release tab of ICE and you'll see that there's been operations in multiple states, even in the days leading up to Trump's inauguration. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Rosa, thank you very much for your reporting, as always, on this.

Joining us right now to talk much more about it, Tara Palmeri, senior political correspondent for "Puck." It's good to see you, Tara. There's also new reporting on the immigration crackdown front that agents, that agencies have been directed by Trump administration officials to aggressively ramp up the number of people they are arresting, talk of quotas. What are you hearing in terms of how the White House is viewing this rollout implementation of the immigration crackdown so far?

TARA PALMERI, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "PUCK": I mean, this is what they promised to do. So I would assume that the ramp up is a direct order from the president, from Tom Homan. This is, the, you know, promises made, promises kept. This is what they went on about on the campaign trail. So I'm not really surprised to hear that there's a ramp up. I just wonder if that will continue if optically it starts to look like its messy. People don't like the images of ICE agents going into homes and places of work. They feel like their lives are being disrupted. But this is what they -- this is what they promised.

BOLDUAN: And that is, and that's an interesting question, because if you compare it to the first Trump administration, everyone experienced and watched the travel ban go in, be implemented, the disaster and chaos that it created, and then kind of the attempts to roll back and redo it. And I mean, that was a mess, and they tried to clean up for it, if you want to like sum it up. Does that look -- this looks different this time. They've been -- they look like they have been preparing more for it, and it seems that public sentiment is in a different place.

PALMERI: Yes. I mean, Kate, they've been preparing for the past four years for it, frankly. And this has been, policy papers have been written on this. Trump has been interviewing people for these roles for the past four years. It was the number one campaign promise priority. And so, yes, it's being done a lot more carefully.

I mean, Trump was -- most of the executive orders that he put out during his first term, they were pretty much toothless. And the execution was completely haphazard. A lot of people didn't believe in his agenda either. But because he's surrounded by loyalists who know the directive, things are happening quicker, and they're happening more effectively.

Now, does that mean that the public sentiment will be with him? That's unclear. They may, people may want deportations, but they may not want deportations happening in front of them in their communities. There's a whole different aspect to that. So we'll see if public sentiment stays with him.

BOLDUAN: Let's talk about this week ahead. This week, another critical one for Donald Trump's cabinet.

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Some of the president's most controversial picks to join his cabinet, Tulsi Gabbard for DNI, Kash Patel at the FBI, RFK Jr. at HHS, they're all headed for the Hill for confirmation hearings this week. What are you hearing about that? It was very interesting hearing during Pam Bondi's confirmation hearing, she got a lot of questions about Kash Patel. That's how concerned, it seemed, that lawmakers are about -- senators were about Kash Patel. How tough a road do these nominees, do these nominees face? What are you hearing?

PALMERI: They are certainly the most challenging of the nominees that have been put forward. They got through Pete Hegseth, who many told me was like the wall. They had to get Pete through. They felt like if he fell, then the others would fall through after him.

But it is not going to be an easy road for Tulsi Gabbard or RFK Jr. or Kash Patel, although there is more concern about Tulsi Gabbard and RFK, really, Tulsi the most. She's got to get on the good side of Senate Intel Chairman Tom Cotton, but she's already said that she supports FISA warrants, Section 702, to spy on foreign adversaries. It's something that she didn't support in the past, and that's a sticking point for him. She's got to win over Susan Collins, who did not vote for Pete Hegseth. She's got to win over Mitch McConnell, who is, frankly, like in a YOLO stage. He's in his final years. He's going to step down in 2026, and he does not see the world the same way as these MAGA characters that Donald Trump has brought in. So you got to win him over. You can't lose more than three senators.

So she's got a tough road. A lot of people are very suspicious of her. Some even think she's a foreign agent because she went and visited Assad after he gassed his people. And she is going to be the keeper of the American secrets, the director of national intelligence. RFK, he has very controversial opinions on vaccines. But he also is anti- abortion -- he's also pro-abortion, although he's changed that stance. A lot of them are sort of shifting their stances to work with the Senate. And it's going to be a real circus of a hearing this this week. And he's got a lot of forces coming up against him, including some conservatives like Leonard Leo, the pharmaceutical industry. And in the meantime, the Health and Human Services is in like a in a standstill waiting to see what happens because Trump has given him full rein to completely overtake the agency.

So Kash Patel, I think a lot of people assume he'll get confirmed, but if he really fails at his hearings or he doesn't seem to charm the senators or make them feel comfortable, he might be another sacrificial lamb. So it's going to be a rough week ahead. I think the others will probably glide through pretty easily, but these three are certainly problematic.

BOLDUAN: These are definitely hearings to watch this week for sure. Tara, good to see you. Thank you.

John?

BERMAN: All right, President Trump signs a new executive order examining a potential overhaul of FEMA. So what getting rid of the agency could mean for families struggling to recover from multiple natural disasters.

And the new message from doctors. Swap out your phone alarm with a good old fashioned alarm clock. Why they say your phone could be the reason you have trouble waking up in the morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:17:59]

BERMAN: All right, this morning, heavy rains in California are bringing threats of mudslides to areas that have been ravaged by the fires there. Let's get right to CNN meteorologist, Derek Van Dam for the latest on this.

Good morning, Derek.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, John, here's the threat. So we've got such a dry, arid ground especially in those burn scars near the Palisades and Eaton Fires, but this volatility is brought to the forefront when we get the rain that has fallen recently. The much needed rain, but obviously too much for the slope to handle. Remember, this is a really rocky kind of mountainous terrain in this part of Southern California.

Here is the rainfall. There was this collective sigh of relief just kind of going through my Twitter feed. We saw people just excited that it is raining from the sky. But of course, that brings a whole host of problems to the areas that have recently burned.

Now, the flood warnings that were in place across LA County, they've been allowed to expire, with the exception of a flood watch that is still in portions of northwestern sections of LA County, including the Hughes Fire. So you'll see why in just a second.

Latest radar, there is Palisades. There's the Eaton Fire. You can see the rain becoming less prevalent within this area. You shift a little further to the north. The Hughes Fire still some rain and snow in the higher elevations that's impacting that region.

So mudslides still a concern through the course of this morning, that will expire through about 10:00 AM as the rain gradually comes to an end. But there is also this insidious risk that goes along with this, John, that not a lot of people are talking about, but it is important.

The recent burn scars here have lots of chemicals and contaminants from burned homes and vehicles, so the water mixing in with that has actually forced authorities there to bring an advisory here for the beaches of LA County. So keep that in mind.

BERMAN: Oh, wow. There are so many threats after disasters like this.

VAN DAM: Exactly.

BERMAN: Derek Van Dam, thank you very much for that.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So one of Donald Trump's big targets since taking office has been FEMA. The president signed an executive order actually this Sunday to establish what they're calling a FEMA Review Council.

When he was touring on Friday the areas devastated by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and then headed out west to see the devastation from the wildfires, he even floated getting rid of FEMA altogether.

So what would that look like?

[08:20:07] Joining us right now is CNN senior national security analyst, Juliette Kayyem, who is also former Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security.

This executive order establishing this council, it says that the group is going to be composed of the Secretaries of the Homeland Security and the Defense Secretary, along with private sector subject matter experts for the order to come up with suggestions on improvements and all of the above or more.

What do you see in this?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: There is good in this executive order. It preambles with a lot of politics that we can just ignore.

What is good about it is, for a couple of decades now, Republicans and Democrats alike, experts have been saying there needs to be reformed to disaster management. It is not just when the fire happens, but in particular on recovery.

How do we want these jurisdictions to rebuild? How do we want to work with states? So there is a lot that can be done in terms of a review of FEMA.

The challenge is, is that Donald Trump has now sort of raised this issue. Does FEMA still exist? Look, there is still going to be disasters. If you wish disasters away by getting rid of FEMA, that's not going to happen. The needs are still going to be there by not just politicians.

I mean, FEMA assist individual citizens, people who are conservative, people who are liberal. It is not about this governor or that governor that he likes or doesn't like. The needs will still be there.

And I think it is just like an unserious -- honestly, it is an unserious proposal for a real challenge, which is what does disaster management look like in a country that is facing disaster every couple of days.

BERMAN: You see this executive order as a mend it not end it category.

KAYYEM: Yes, yes, and it should be mended. I mean, I think -- I think you talk to people from the Biden administration, Obama, Trump 1 now Trump 2. There is a need to reform disaster management and how we address the challenges ahead, and I am going to say apparently a bad word now, but I like it, is that some of our funding should be condition based.

We built a disaster management system that gave money to people who were harmed, which we should do as a country. We want to help our citizens that are harmed, but with no requirement that they get ready for the next harm. And I think there is something to, you know, requiring jurisdictions to zone better to require them to build better in anticipation of the next disaster. This is not a Republican idea or a Democratic idea. I traveled the country. Paradise, California; Moore, Oklahoma after tornadoes, communities are beginning to address this. It is time that the federal government did.

BOLDUAN: What of the concept -- we heard a lot of Republicans saying this sounds in concept like a great idea. Donald Trump saying in concept, this sounds like a great idea. Give the money, cut out the red tape, give the money directly to the states, let them do what they can do best, which is they can get it to the people and the victims who are suffering faster.

What do you think of that in concept? Because the pushback is some governors don't -- they don't want to manage it.

KAYYEM: Right, so the way FEMA works, it is actually -- when I hear republicans say that, I get a little bit confused because the way it works is that it is the state that actually does get the money.

BOLDUAN: Exactly.

KAYYEM: So I am not quite sure what world they are imagining would be better or worse. I think honestly, the White House doesn't like certain governors and likes other governors. There is no -- every governor is going to have some oversight over this funding, but we could make it faster. We could base it on conditions.

The problem is, is that this debate about conditions, which is a legitimate debate to have in a country that is facing climate disasters like we are, you know, Donald Trump has linked it to voting changes in California, sort of random things that have nothing to do with recovery.

I think the time is now, though, that we begin to think about --

BOLDUAN: Reforms could get lost in the politics.

KAYYEM: Exactly. That the recovery money should be spent to build these communities so they're ready for the next hurricane, the next fire, the next flooding and it is time for this country to address it and address it seriously.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you, Juliette.

KAYYEM: It is nice to see you live in person.

BOLDUAN: Exactly.

KAYYEM: Not for my box in Boston.

BOLDUAN: We love any way we can get you.

KAYYEM: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Thank you very much.

BERMAN: Release her.

BOLDUAN: You're calling her the Kraken?

BERMAN: Exactly.

BOLDUAN: Yes, we are.

Coming up for us, Donald Trump also taking swift action to eliminate oversight of his administration. What one of those fired inspectors general is telling CNN today about his dismissal.

It has been also described as smelling like rotting garbage, a dead rat and stinky cheese foot smell. That's what you talk about when you hang out with John Berman.

BERMAN: That's right.

BOLDUAN: No, I am talking about -- you know what's coming -- corpse flower. People lined up for hours to get a whiff.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: This morning, Democrats and Republicans want answers after President Trump suddenly fired inspectors general from more than a dozen federal agencies with no warning.

Federal law requires that the White House give Congress 30 days' notice and provide "substantive rationale" for terminating any inspector general. That clearly did not happen here.

President Trump says it was changing priorities that prompted the firings. So what now?

CNN's Alayna Treene has more. Alayna, that maybe is the hardest question to answer. The what now? But one of those fired IGs spoke to CNN just this morning about how all of this went down. What is he saying?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: That's right. We heard from Mark Greenblatt. He spoke with Kasie Hunt this morning, as you mentioned, one of the fired inspectors general from last week. He worked at the Department of Interior, and essentially he warned that the firing of these different independent watchdogs would -- or he said, warned that "nominating and appointing political lackeys would harm Americans." Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK GREENBLATT, FORMER DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR INSPECTOR GENERAL: I don't know what the basis of the removal was, but we've been doing good, high impact work trying to help the American taxpayer. We are the taxpayers' representatives inside the Department of the Interior.

What will President Trump do with these positions? Is he going to nominate watchdogs or is he going to nominate lap dogs? That's the key question. (END VIDEO CLIP)

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