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Palestinians Reunite with Families as They Return to Gaza City; Trump Fires Inspectors General From More Than a Dozen Agencies; Bill Gates Blasts Musk for Supporting Far-Right Politicians Abroad. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired January 27, 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]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: A mass exodus into northern Gaza is underway as tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians who fled after Israel attacked Hamas are now returning to their homes. CNN obtained video showing a huge group of people walking north carrying whatever they can hold.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Many families are reuniting with loved ones after months of separation. You're about to see an emotional reunion between a set of Palestinian twin brothers in Gaza City who were separated during the conflict. Watch this.

CNN Jerusalem correspondent Jeremy Diamond has been tracking this story. Jeremy, what are you learning about what's happening on the ground there?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, we have been seeing emotional reunions like that one happening all throughout the day as tens of thousands of Palestinians have been returning to northern Gaza. These crowds of people are just absolutely enormous. And usually when we see images like this, it's because Palestinians have been forced to flee from bombs and bullets.

But this time they are returning with tears of joy in their eyes, with relief as they are able to finally be reunited with their loved ones, some of whom have been separated for more than a year amid this war in Gaza. Now, many of the Palestinians who are returning to northern Gaza had no illusions about what they were going to find there. Many did not know whether their homes would still indeed be standing when they return.

But they said they wanted to go back not only to see for themselves whether their homes were still standing, but also simply out of a sense of feeling that that part of northern Gaza is home for them. And that is, of course, why when we hear these latest comments by President Trump calling for Palestinians to be moved to Jordan or to Egypt for either a short-term or perhaps even a long-term solution, you know, that is completely unfathomable for many of these Palestinians in Gaza who have a deep connection to the land itself and who have made clear as they are returning to these areas that have been devastated that no matter what the state of Gaza is, they have told us that they want to remain. And that is indeed what we are seeing.

In addition to that, of course, President Trump's remarks were also rejected out of hand by both Jordan and Egypt, the two countries that he suggested Palestinians could be taken to. And so really the only people that these remarks have traction within the Middle East right now are far-right Israeli politicians who have suggested not only displacing Palestinians out of Gaza to other countries but also have suggested resettling Gaza -- Boris.

KEILAR: All right, Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much for that.

Without warning and defying federal law, President Trump firing inspectors general from more than a dozen federal agencies. We're going to discuss with Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly of Virginia next.

[15:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: We're getting new reaction to President Trump firing more than a dozen inspectors general in a Friday night purge. Those affected include watchdogs at the departments of state, energy, the interior, defense, transportation, and as you see here, the list goes on and on. The move is both unprecedented and unlawful.

Federal law requires the White House to give Congress 30 days notice and substantive rationale for terminating any inspector general. President Trump said the firings come after, quote, some people thought that some were unfair or were not doing the job. One of the newly terminated IGs spoke with us just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANNIBAL "MIKE" WARE, FORMER INSPECTOR GENERAL, FIRED IN TRUMP PURGE: The act says what the act says. And this is not a technicality. If you're allowed to determine what pieces of the IG act you will follow, the entire act means nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:40:05]

KEILAR: And joining us now is Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly, who's a top Democrat, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. Sir, you hear that the newly fired IG, the Inspector General Act, which, by the way, was updated in 2022 after some of the IG business of the first Trump term, means nothing if a president can just decide which parts they'll follow. So what can you do about that?

REP. GERRY CONNOLLY (D-VA), RANKING MEMBER, OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: Well, I think this is going to be litigated, Brianna, hopefully by the people affected. And certainly I hope Congress will enter at the very least in an amicus brief in such litigation. But President Trump is not following the law, as you pointed out. It requires two things, a 30-day notice to Congress of his intent to terminate employment, and secondly, a rationale for that termination. He's done neither. But obviously, in the longer run, we're going to have to protect inspectors general and their autonomy and independence by circumscribing the exact performance conditions under which somebody could be removed, and only those conditions.

Because President Trump is, you know, flagrantly violating not only the law, but the spirit of the law that you referenced that we modified back in 2022.

KEILAR: So I mean, you say this was an illegal action. It's pretty clear it's not following the law. But you are the ranking member. Republicans control the House and the Senate. You're not the chairman. You don't have those powers. You've sent a letter to the White House. You are speaking out and hoping for an amicus brief. But you've sent out a press release noting that oversight committee Dems are going to try to give some support to this Council of Inspectors General on Integrity.

What does that do? And I wonder if, as people look at that and have a sense that there's not really much Democrats can do, what you say to that.

CONNOLLY: Well, I think we have to point out to the American people what's going on here. Inspectors General are, as you point out, the watchdogs of the government. They're there to fight waste, fraud, and abuse.

And by firing 19 of them -- we think there are 19, by the way -- what Trump is doing is contradicting his own Doge efforts to ferret out waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government and to get more efficiency. These are the watchdogs who are charged with doing precisely that.

Secondly, and maybe more nefariously, what Trump is doing is protecting himself from charges of corruption by removing the watchdogs who are there to make sure that corruption is ferreted out and called out and dealt with.

He is protecting himself and his cronies in the White House and throughout the government from charges of corruption, as he did in his first term. He removed five inspectors general who were actively investigating corruption in his administration at that time.

KEILAR: Congressman, can you talk a little bit about what your strategy is going to be for House Oversight Dems in this next Congress? Because they were very active during the first Trump administration. And considering that Trump appears to have more of a mandate than during the first term, you have voters who overlooked a myriad of issues with him both personally and in relation to his official duties to re-elect him.

Do you need to take a different approach?

CONNOLLY: Well, I think we're going to pick our battles, but there are going to be battles. And we had a pretty good track record of winning a number of those battles in Trump 1.0. And I believe we're poised to have a number of victories in Trump 2.0. The American people elected him despite his foibles, not because of them. And that doesn't mean they think this is a good idea.

They want an efficient government and a clean government. What he's doing with inspectors general and throughout the federal government in terms of Schedule F, loyalty tests, things like that, what he's doing is degrading federal employment. Ultimately, the losers of that aren't just civil servants.

It is the American people who rely on the government for benefits and for service, whether they be veterans, whether they be Social Security recipients, or whether they're just counting on their IRS refund.

KEILAR: And just really quickly before I let you go, if you say you're going to pick your battles, I mean, can you read in? Can one read into that, that there were too many battles last time?

CONNOLLY: No, I'm referring really to the current strategy of Steve Miller and Donald Trump to flood the zone.

[15:45:00]

So we're dealing in one week with empowerment, reconciliation, mass deportation, loyalty tests, you know, Schedule F, hiring freezes, you know, raids in cities all across America in terms of immigration.

Where do you begin? Our committee has jurisdiction over the inspectors general. We believe this is a real soft spot in terms of the Trump strategy because these people are charged, as I said, with preventing corruption, ferreting it out, and fighting waste, fraud, and abuse. He is disrupting that, and we need to call him out for that.

KEILAR: Congressman Gerry Connolly, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it.

CONNOLLY: My pleasure, Brianna.

KEILAR: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:00]

KEILAR: Breaking News. After pardoning or commuting the sentences of January 6th defendants, the Trump administration is now investigating the federal prosecutors who charged them.

Our Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent, Paula Reid, has new reporting on this. Paula, what are you learning?

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, I want to be careful with the nuance here. This specific investigation, this is a review of cases that charged obstruction of justice related to January 6th. And this is significant because, as we know, the Supreme Court had to review the use of obstruction charges in January 6th cases, decided they could not be used in that context.

So here one senior administration official says this is a fact-finding mission. They want to go in and figure out why these cases were brought. They say that quote, they were in some cases a huge waste of resources. This is not about all the January 6th cases. We are talking specifically about cases where obstruction of justice was one of the charges.

Now, this is a memo, an e-mail, from the acting U.S. attorney, Ed Martin, and he is asking for all information related to the use of this specific charge. Now, of course, there is a legitimate concern that this could become a broader investigation into prosecutors who investigated January 6th. But as of now, our reporting is that this is specifically focused on the use of obstruction of justice in the January 6th related cases.

KEILAR: All right, Paul Reid, thank you for the latest on that -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: It is a clash of the tech titans, Bill Gates versus Elon Musk. In a new interview with the Sunday Times, the Microsoft founder is blasting his fellow billionaire for embracing right-wing politicians abroad and sounding the alarm about his rival's political influence. Gates tells the paper, quote: It's really insane that he can destabilize the political situations in countries.

He goes on to say, quote: You want to promote the right wing, but to say that Nigel Farage is not right-wing enough, I mean, this is insane stuff.

Gates adds: We can all overreach if someone is super smart, and he is, they should think about how they can help out. But this is populist stirring.

Let's talk about all of this with CNN chief media analyst, Brian Stelter. Brian, what do you make of these remarks coming from Gates?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes, and Gates is about to launch a book next week, so we're going to be hearing more from him in the days and weeks to come. As the Sunday Times article points out, these two men are of different generations, and in some ways you could probably view Bill Gates as the establishment figure versus Musk, very much anti-establishment now, very much on the Trump train. Gates is one of these older tech billionaire types who is now on the sidelines wondering what to make of it all.

And we've heard that from other people who have known Musk for decades as well. As Musk has become more radicalized and has embraced right- wing politics in the past few years, we've heard from his former allies and counterparts, you know, colleagues, who have noticed this dramatic change. And here is Bill Gates, of all people, saying, some of what Musk is now spouting is insane.

SANCHEZ: Beyond British politics, Brian, Musk recently made a virtual appearance at a campaign event for Germany's far right. At this point, what role is he playing in politics, not only abroad but also here in the U.S.?

STELTER: Right, he's using his megaphone in ways that people like Gates are unaccustomed with. Bill Gates, for example, is saying, you know, when you're as rich as I am, you pick a few issues, you focus on those, you don't go and try to change people's votes in other countries. That's Gates's position. That's his point of view.

He says, for example, I didn't want Brexit to happen, but I didn't tell people how to vote. Musk's doing something very differently. He's openly campaigning for that far right party in Germany and making an appearance via Zoom over the weekend at a rally for AfD.

So he is putting his muscle and his megaphone behind his political views. There's less evidence that Musk is using his own personal wealth to influence politics in other countries, but he's definitely using his X account and his public appearances. And now that Musk has an office with the Trump White House, it makes everything Musk does even more complicated.

You know, when he goes out and endorses a party in German elections, what does that mean about Trump? What does that mean about U.S. foreign policy? Things were complicated for Elon Musk a month ago, but now they're even more complicated because of his U.S. government affiliation.

SANCHEZ: It is a fascinating dynamic. Brian Stelter, thank you so much.

So still to come, it is rare and pungent why people waited for hours to smell something awful at Brooklyn's Botanical Garden.

We'll be right back.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: There is something stinky in the air in New York. It is the rare "Corpse Flower" that is in bloom at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It's known for its towering height and for that unmistakable, stinky, rotting scent that, for whatever reason, attracts visitors.

SANCHEZ: Oh yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, it smells like rotting garbage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sweaty.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. It's like being in a locker room.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gym, it's like a locker room.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's putrid.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the worst thing I ever smelled.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yesterday, at least, was dead rat with a little garlic, a little burnt plastic. Today's been a little fainter, but it's still coming in waves and I'm getting more of a stinky cheese foot smell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: That guy's like a sommelier for a rotting Corpse Flower.

KEILAR: Burnt tires.

SANCHEZ: Yes, this is actually the first time a Corpse Flower has bloomed since it arrived in Brooklyn in 2018.

It's only going to last for a few days before it collapses. I find it hilarious that people are smiling like, yes, it's putrid. It's a real thing, this attraction to bad smells.

It's called olfactory obsession. I just Googled it. I find myself doing this with, like, cheeses and stuff at the grocery store. I'm that guy that's standing there like --

KEILAR: I'm taking it home, putting it on a cracker.

SANCHEZ: Yes, this is the one, yes, yes, yes.

KEILAR: OK, but what would you wait in line for hours?

[16:00:00]

Like, I mean, people are waiting for hours for this thing. What weird thing would you wait in line to sniff?

SANCHEZ: Some scrambled eggs at a Super Bowl party, yes. You don't like scrambled eggs?

KEILAR: I love scrambled eggs --

SANCHEZ: At a Super Bowl party.

KEILAR: -- but not as -- no, I want my wings. I want some seven-layer dip. You want to up it to eight or nine, really bring the game.

SANCHEZ: Egg salad?

KEILAR: That's fine.

SANCHEZ: With some celery salt?

KEILAR: No, absolutely not. Absolutely not. You know who agrees with me? I'm sure. Jake Tapper. And "THE LEAD" starts with him right now.

SANCHEZ: I don't know about that.

END