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Last Month the Worst January for Job Cuts Since 2009 Recession; Interview with Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA): Dems Push to Unmask ICE Agents and Require ID, Body Cameras; Final Media Day for Super Bowl Teams. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired February 05, 2026 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: 2026 off to a bleak start when it comes to job cuts. New numbers showing last month was the worst January for layoffs since the 2009 Great Recession. CNN senior reporter Matt Egan is joining us now.

That's not great, Matt. Break down the numbers.

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, Brianna, not great at all. This is a discouraging way to start 2026. You see hiring is down and layoffs are way up.

So this comes from outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas. They found that U.S.-based employers, they announced just over 108,000 job cuts in January. Now, that's more than twice as many as January of last year, and it's triple the level of this past December.

In fact, as you mentioned, this is the highest for any January since 2009. Of course, that was just months after the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. Now, where are the layoffs?

In January, really a lot of it was concentrated in two sectors, transportation and technology. In fact, 40 percent of the layoffs last month were linked to two companies, Amazon and UPS. But Challenger says there are also layoffs in health care, chemicals and financials as well.

Now, one thing to note is that this report, it measures announced layoffs. That can be a helpful signal on the state of the job market. But we put more weight on actual applications for unemployment.

And those first time unemployment claims, they've been relatively low, although they did increase in the last week. Sometimes there is a disconnect between these two metrics, and that's because sometimes those announced layoffs take time to kick in. Other times, employees, they get severance or thankfully they get rehired.

But all of this is raising the stakes for that much more important official government jobs report. It was supposed to come out tomorrow, but because of the shutdown, it got pushed until Wednesday.

[14:35:00] Now, another important finding in this Challenger report is on the hiring front. They found that there were just 5,300 pushed until Wednesday. Now, another important finding in this Challenger report is on the hiring fund. They found that there were just 5,300 hiring announcements in January. That's down 13 percent year over year, and it is the lowest for the month of January since Challenger started tracking this back in 2009.

And of course, this is a disappointing finding for everyone who's out there trying to find a job and also for all those recent college graduates who are trying to start their career -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Certainly is. And what reason did Amazon and UPS give for their layoffs?

EGAN: Yes, well, it's interesting. UPS layoffs are actually linked to Amazon. UPS announced last month they're cutting about 30,000 jobs, and that's in part because they're dialing back their business with Amazon to focus on some more profitable shipments.

But that explains why contract loss is the leading reason for job cuts last month in this Challenger Gray & Christmas report. Now, on Amazon, Amazon said they're cutting about 16,000 jobs. They say they're doing that to try to speed up their decision making and become more nimble.

So that gets at another one of the leading reasons for job cuts, which is restructuring. Amazon said that this was not being driven by artificial intelligence. But as you can see, AI is one of the leading reasons for job cuts.

And AI was playing somewhat of a role in Amazon's layoffs because all of these tech companies, Brianna, they're trying to get more and more nimble and speed up all of their decision making because they're trying to be playing a key role in this really fast-moving AI boom. So you put it all together, and again, it's a disappointing start to the year for the job market. Back to you.

KEILAR: Certainly is. Matt Egan, thank you so much.

Still ahead, Democrats drawing a firm line when it comes to their demands for dramatic changes to ICE in the of the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota.

Democratic Senator Alex Padilla will join us next.

[14:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: The White House now downplaying demands to make major changes for immigration operations, even as Democrats draw a red line on DHS funding. Democratic leadership put out a list of 10 demands backing a full year spending bill for DHS. They include targeted enforcement and indiscriminate arrests, requirements for ICE agents to show their faces and display identification. Democrats also want certain locations like schools and churches to be off limits, while demanding an end to racial profiling. The party also says they want DHS to uphold use of force policies, ensure state and local government coordination, and also safeguards around access to attorneys for detainees. They also are demanding that body cameras be worn by all federal agents, also to regulate and standardize their uniform in order to help better identify agents.

Let's discuss these demands with Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California. Senator, thanks so much for being with us this afternoon. Are Democrats willing to accept anything less than these 10 demands?

SEN. ALEX PADILLA (D-CA): Look, Boris, thank you for having with me. And we have made our demands known. And now the ball's in the hands of the Republicans.

And we're waiting to see what their response is going to be. The clock is ticking. In eight days, we'll know loudly and clearly whether Republicans choose a partial government shutdown or to work with us to rein in an out-of-control ICE, CBP, and Department of Homeland Security overall.

We're saying the whole country is seeing all this excessive use of force, violations of the law, the Constitution, and due process and civil rights on a daily basis. And it has to stop.

SANCHEZ: The lead Republican negotiator in the Senate, Senator Katie Britt of Alabama, says that she hasn't heard from any Democrats. Is that the case? Have you been in communication with her?

Do you know if Leader Schumer has?

PADILLA: I find that very hard to believe, because a lot of us know that she chairs the Appropriations Subcommittee in the Senate and is very involved with all these conversations and negotiations before last week's votes and certainly going into next week's deadline. I've heard it from Leader Thune himself. I've spoken to her directly myself.

So, yes, Democrats are reaching out to her. Just check her profile in The New York Times most recently. But let's talk substance here.

The 10 demands, as you summarized in the introduction here, are not radical ideas. They are actually considered best practices and standard practices in law enforcement agencies around the country -- state law enforcement, local law enforcement. Nobody masks themselves, with minimal, minimal exception.

People do identify themselves. When there's excessive use of force, an officer-involved shooting, there is typically an automatic, credible, independent investigation to determine whether any accountability or discipline is warranted. We don't have that under the Trump administration.

We've said it before. We'll say it again. If all they were doing is strictly targeting and going after the convicted criminals, the violent felons that they talk so much about, there wouldn't be a debate.

But that's not what's happening on the streets. And also, I just have to recognize, Donald Trump may be trying to change his tone of late, but we haven't seen any change in circumstances on the ground, not in Minnesota and not other parts of the country that have been dealing with this since last June that may not be in the headlines today.

[14:45:00]

SANCHEZ: There's also been a lot of apprehension on behalf of Senate Republicans to take on these demands. Notably, Senator Lindsey Graham called the proposal ridiculous. Senator John Cornyn said this is a nonserious demand.

There's also criticism of Senate leadership in the direction of Leader Schumer from progressive colleagues of yours in the House. One, for example, Congresswoman Delia Ramirez told Axios, Schumer needs to get the hell out, that he continues to demonstrate to us that he can't meet the moment. I wonder how confident you are in Leader Schumer.

PADILLA: Right now, I think we need to keep the focus where it deserves to be. If Senate Republicans aren't seriously considering the demands, it's because they're not willing to take on Donald Trump. This Trump administration has not just shown itself to be increasingly cruel, increasingly violent.

They're shooting United States citizens exercising their First Amendment rights. Something has to change. And if Senate Republicans don't stand up to their oath of office, the Constitution, and their constituents, that's the bigger problem here.

SANCHEZ: So you're confident that Leader Schumer is going to get this deal done, that he will use leverage to get Republicans to bend to these demands?

PADILLA: Look, our demands are clear. It's not just Leader Schumer. It's also Leader Jeffreies, united Democrats, both in the House and the Senate, behind these asks.

Their common sense, their standard proven practices for the sake of public safety, of the general public, and of law enforcement agents themselves. This is not a hard decision here.

SANCHEZ: Would you be willing to consider some voter ID measures that Republicans have proposed, like the SAVE Act, for example, in order to get these demands that you're seeking?

PADILLA: Look, you just exposed -- you know, it used to be that they weren't saying the quiet part out loud, and now they're shouting it. When Attorney General Bondi sends a letter to Governor Walz saying, sure, we'll pull all the ICE agents out of Minnesota, if you hand over your voter list, your voter file, and all the personal information to voters in Minnesota, it tells you what they're really going after. You know, and that happened around the time that Tulsi Gabbard is raiding an elections office in Georgia, along with the FBI, to confiscate ballots from 2020. The real agenda here is to exploit immigrants and their desire to rig the election this November and hold on to power. That's what it's about for Republicans. We've got to stand up for it, stand up to it.

SANCHEZ: It sounds like you're not willing to negotiate on voter ID.

PADILLA: Senator, I do want to ask you -- go ahead.

PADILLA: Voter ID is a solution in search of a problem, because the truth is, voter fraud in America is exceedingly, exceedingly rare. Study after study has demonstrated that.

SANCHEZ: Sure. Senator, I'm very limited in time. There's one last question I want to ask you about your home state. There was an L.A. Times investigation released yesterday that found, according to two sources with knowledge of the mayor's office in L.A., that Karen Bass directed changes to a report on the Palisades fire, allegedly in order to downplay failures by the city and L.A. Fire. The mayor is now accusing the Times of dangerously crafting a false narrative. She gave a statement to CNN, her office writing that, "Mayor Bass has been unequivocal for months. She reviewed an early draft of the report and only asked the L.A. Fire Department to make sure it was accurate on issues like weather and budget. She and her staff made no changes to the drafts."

Senator, what is your reaction to this investigation, to the allegation, and then to the mayor's denial?

PADILLA: Yes, look, I think my reaction is that we do need all the information as to how the fires happen and grew so quickly so that we can do the work that it takes to try to prevent it from happening again or to mitigate fires when they happen. But, you know, credibility requires truth and accountability, whether it's in the city of Los Angeles or the White House.

SANCHEZ: Senator Alex Padilla, we have to leave the conversation there. Thank you so much for your time.

PADILLA: Thank you, Boris.

SANCHEZ: The Super Bowl is now just three days away, and CNN is catching up with the players for one final interview before the biggest sporting event of the year.

[14:50:00]

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KEILAR: It is the last chance to hear from the Patriots and the Seahawks before Super Bowl 60. The team's holding their final round of interviews before the biggest sporting event of the year. CNN's Andy Scholes is in the Bay Area following all of this.

All right, what are the coaches and players saying?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, well, you know, they're getting ready for Super Bowl 60, which is right around the corner. Brianna, we're just three days away. I'm right now -- I'm in the media center, which is the place to be this Thursday ahead of the big game.

I mean, there's hundreds of media members from all over the world in here, you know, creating content, doing their shows, doing interviews. You never know who you're going to see here at Radio Row between superstar players, actors, you never know.

And I'll get to that more of that in a moment. But I got up with Christian McCaffrey. He's been around here today.

I spoke with him. He was the USAA Salute to Service Award winner. It's a very prestigious award for going for people who work with the military.

And here's what he had to say about winning that award.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS RUNNING BACK: It's a huge honor. You know, it's an honor I don't take lightly. To be presented the award by USAA means a lot.

You know, we've done so much to work with our veterans and our active duty service members. And there's so much work to still be done. And I'm really excited about the future.

But to be presented this award is an honor. And I was telling it's an honor to serve those people who serve us, you know, and play a kid's game for a living. You know, I get to go out there and have fun in front of millions of people.

And there's a lot of people who don't get any credit who, you know, are the reasons why we have the ability to do that. So it's a huge honor.

SCHOLES: You've dealt with knee injuries. Lindsey Vonn's about to compete in the Winter Olympics, going down a mountain at 1,000 miles per hour with a torn ACL. What do you think about that?

MCCAFFREY: It's unbelievable. No, it's inspiring, you know, especially to see athletes who have overcome so much continue to have success, especially later in her career like that. It's nothing but inspiring.

SCHOLES: How do you see the Super Bowl playing out?

MCCAFFREY: I don't know, man. You know, we'll see. You know, anytime you're playing in a Super Bowl, anything can happen. So, you know, we just, you know, you don't root for anybody when you're not playing in it, but, you know, hope it's good football. And I'm kind of excited for that Monday morning after to officially move on to next year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHOLES (on camera): Now, one guy you couldn't miss walking around in here, the Mountain from Game of Thrones. He's repping the Enhanced Games where he's going to try to deadlift more than 1,100 pounds. So that, he's certainly someone you can't miss in here.

And Brianna, something else you wouldn't miss, there was a baby raptor being walked around here by a real Jurassic Park worker. How? Don't ask me, but they're repping their Xfinity commercial.

If you haven't seen the Jurassic Park Xfinity commercial, it's an all- time great Super Bowl spot. It's coming in the third quarter on Super Bowl Sunday. You won't want to miss it.

KEILAR: The Mountain, raptors, warm weather. You have everything, Andy Scholes. Thank you so much for that report.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts after a quick break.

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