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FBI Lays Out Detailed Timeline Of New Orleans Attack; New Details Emerge About Green Beret Who Exploded Cybertruck In Las Vegas; Winter Storm Hitting Nearly 70 Million People Over 1,500-Mile Stretch. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired January 05, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:27]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, we begin with this breaking news. In a wide ranging press conference today, officials in New Orleans revealed a detailed timeline of what truck attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar was doing in the months, days and hours leading up to his New Year's Day rampage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LYONEL MYRTHIL, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, NEW ORLEANS FIELD OFFICE: From what we now know, Jabbar stayed at a rental home in New Orleans beginning October 30th, 2024. He was in town at least two days.

During that time, Jabbar using Meta Glasses recorded a video as he rode through the French Quarter on a bicycle. This video shows Jabbar during that trip in October with his Meta Glasses. As we continue to learn more about that trip, we ask anyone who may have seen or interacted with him to contact us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, we also learned the name of the final victim, Latasha Polk. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry is calling for 14 days of remembrance for the victims.

CNN's Rafael Romo is in New Orleans for us.

Rafael, the FBI says the suspect, Jabbar, the man who carried out this attack used Meta Glasses to actually plan part of his attack.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Fred, and that gives you the idea that he planned the attack for not weeks, but months ahead of time, because Meta Glasses look just like regular glasses, but they have the capability to video record whatever you're doing.

And he was riding his bike here in the French Quarter recording as he went along, and let me show you a little bit of the scenery here. Some of the things that you see, some of the paintings that somebody brought in honor of the victims who died here in that New Year's Day terrorist attack and also a lot of flowers, and it has been a steady stream of people who have come here.

Earlier we heard from the FBI, not only that detail about the Meta Glasses, but also the timeline for everything that transpired well before the attack, and it started on October 30th when Jabbar first came to New Orleans, and he stayed here for a few days the following day. That's when he used the Meta Glasses to record some of the streets here around this area.

And then he came back again on November 10th. We have also learned that he rented the pickup truck, the F-150, that he used for the attack in the city of Gonzales here in Louisiana, and one more important detail, the FBI is telling us that he placed here in the French Quarter not one, but two improvised explosive devices.

Let's hear the special agent in charge and how he explained that earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MYRTHIL: Jabbar placed the first IED in the cooler at Bourbon and St. Peter Street at 1:53 AM. Someone on Bourbon Street who we have no reason to believe was involved, dragged the cooler a block to Bourbon and Orleans, where our teams found it after the attack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Officials say in New Orleans say this is a safe city, and they are trying to do everything they can to reassure people who are coming to New Orleans in the next couple of months. As you may remember, Fred, this city is going to host the Super Bowl on February 9th, and then the following month on March the 4th, it is going to celebrate Mardi Gras.

So very important to reassure people that, yes, they can come to New Orleans and this is going to be a safe city.

Now back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Rafael Romo, thank you so much.

Joining me right now, CNN senior law enforcement analyst, Andrew McCabe.

Andrew, it was an incredible press conference, was it not? I mean, there was a lot of detail there about timeline, about forensic evidence, still declaring that he appeared to be working alone, but then also saying they do want to -- FBI, ATF -- they want to reach out to people that may have interacted with him because he did travel quite a bit prior to this attack.

So in your view, you know what is going to be the priority in trying to carry out this investigation at the same time better secure the city, especially since so many people will be descending on the city ahead of Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl?

[15:05:16] ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes, so let's give the FBI a lot of credit for really teeing up a very substantive, revealing press conference, which both raises new concerns about the state of terrorism in this country. But also, I think should provide some comfort to the people of New Orleans that, you know, we have good people on this.

So for me, Fred, the most significant thing that we learned in the press conference was about the foreign travel and the reason I say that is because this is the type of lead that if he traveled to Egypt and Canada for any purpose connected to this attack, then both of those trips provide an opportunity for the United States working with its foreign partners to identify people who could be part of an ISIS support network. It could be recruiters, trainers, people who provide financial support, technical support, whatever that might be, and that's what helps us identify other operatives.

So that's the kind of lead that really fuels counterterrorism efforts here and abroad, and could uncover a network of dangerous folks that we need to be able to disrupt.

The other things we learned in the press conference, super interesting, because they tell us a lot about this guy, about this attacker. The fact that he reserved the truck six weeks ago, the fact that he took two trips to Louisiana in the months preceding the attack. This all shows us the high degree of, first of all, organizational capability that he has. And secondly, the amount of time that he spent planning and preparing for this attack.

This was not some act of fury, you know on the turning over of the New Year. This is something he was thinking about for a long time.

WHITFIELD: Right. And you mentioned ISIS because he did post, or at least it was revealed that he did post many videos, you know, prior to the attack and proclaiming his support for ISIS and claiming that he joined ISIS in the summer.

Now, when you talk about what appears to be meticulous planning ahead of the attack, the FBI and the ATF both revealed today that the fire that he intentionally set at the home that he was staying in New Orleans, either could have been to get rid of evidence, or it could have been used to distract first responders while he was also carrying out the attack.

How important was that to reveal that to the public? Because if not for a neighbor who some five hours later, after he set fire in the home saying that they smelled smoke, investigators say they might not have been able to put some of those pieces together as quickly as they did.

MCCABE: Yes, absolutely.

I mean, it reinforces for us the importance, and we've said it a million times of the See Something, Say Something Campaign and the whole ethos around that idea, like reaching out to law enforcement and first responders when you see something that is suspicious. I think, it is absolutely intentional effort, the fire, probably for both of the reasons you mentioned, both to destroy evidence and to distract first responders. But also, let's give some credit to our fire company that responds to that fire before we have any knowledge of who it was connected to. That's an opportunity to draw first responders into a very dangerous environment.

If those precursor chemicals are ignited by the fire, you know, many personnel could have been additionally hurt. That's something that we've seen mass killers do in the past, to booby trap the place where they live, realizing they'll never get back there, and it is an opportunity to hurt more first responders who go to check out or search their residence.

WHITFIELD: And again, New Orleans is a huge attraction really all year long, but then leading up to the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras, and then just recently with one of the bowl games, I mean, it brings even more people.

We heard from the mayor, LaToya Cantrell, she is asking for the Mardi Gras celebrations to be a SEAR 1 Event, Special Event Assessment Rating One Event. What does that mean? Does that coincide with her request also that the White House provide a tactical expert this week to help harden the city?

MCCABE: I think it is great that she is being as proactive as she is and thinking ahead in terms of ratcheting up their approach to security on these big events. It is significant because now we know that here is someone who claims to have joined ISIS, has traveled overseas, possibly for the purpose of coordinating those efforts with people overseas.

We know from all that activity that New Orleans is a viable terrorist target, maybe one that's higher on the terrorist organizations radar than we previously thought.

[15:10:10]

So I think they are doing the right thing to try to really step up their security game. The federal government doesn't typically come in and provide advice on what specific physical security steps you should take, but there are many, many very good engineering firms and security firms who do that. So I am sure that New Orleans will be able to get the assistance they need. They are just going to have to really prioritize that. And it can be very expensive.

WHITFIELD: All right, Andrew McCabe, we will leave it there for now. Thank you so much.

MCCABE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, we are also learning new details about the active duty Army Green Beret soldier who authorities say exploded a cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. Police say Matthew Alan Livelsberger killed himself and injured several others in that New Year's Day blast. His ex-girlfriend now tells CNN that he struggled with injuries and was depressed.

CNN's Natasha Chen is joining us right now with more.

What are you learning -- Natasha.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the ex- girlfriend, ex Alicia Arritt spoke to our producer, Andi Babineau in Colorado. Arritt said she had dated Livelsberger from 2018 to 2019 and again from 2020 to about 2022. They had stopped communicating after that, but she suddenly heard from him again on December 28th.

She said he had texted her about the Tesla cybertruck he rented, saying, "I feel like Batman or Halo," a reference to a series of military science fiction video games. But she said she had no impression he was planning anything like Wednesday's incident.

Arritt said he suffered concussions, though it is not clear how many, and that he told her he suffered from depression while they were dating. US officials familiar with Livelsberger's military records told CNN he had been diagnosed with depression, but was not deemed to be at risk of violence or suicide.

Now, what authorities have gleaned from notes they believe he wrote on his phone, paint a much broader picture of his state of mind beyond any mental health challenges. The writings included a call to action to purge Democrats from the government and the military, including the possibility of occupying streets and federal buildings, not ruling out the use of force.

In another letter, he had stated support for President Trump and Elon Musk and outlined his grievances with political, societal and cultural issues. He called what he was about to do a wake-up call.

Now, his explosion in front of the Trump Hotel injured seven people who were treated for their injuries and released -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Natasha Chen, thank you so much.

CHEN: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right, next, tens of millions of people are facing a dangerous mix of snow, ice and heavy winds. We are tracking the powerful storm. See who is getting the worst of it right now, and which states and communities might be next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:16:27]

WHITFIELD: All right, we are following a dangerous and massive winter storm weather as it stretches its way from the Central Plains all the way to the Mid-Atlantic Coast. We are talking about 1,500 miles. Nearly 70 million people, in fact, are under winter alerts for a dangerous mix of snow, ice, and wind gusts of up to 50 miles an hour. You're looking at time lapse video right now in Kentucky, showing just how fast the snow has been piling up there. And here is a scene in Topeka. Four million people alone are under a blizzard warning right there between Kansas and Missouri. Oh my gosh. That's blustery conditions. They are especially intense.

The National Weather Service warns the ice is so heavy, even emergency vehicles and snowplows are getting stuck.

Officials urge residents to simply stay off the roads, as it could take more than 24 hours for help to arrive.

Flying, well, it is also potentially problematic. More than 1,900 flights are now canceled across the US.

Meteorologist, Elisa Raffa is tracking the latest conditions from the CNN Weather Center.

This is bad and it is only going to get worse.

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, because it is multi-hazardous, multifaceted for multiple regions across the country. We have winter alerts, but we also have severe weather with possible tornadoes as well.

Here is a look at the storm, incredibly massive. The snow has been very heavy across parts of Kansas City and St. Louis stretching towards Cincinnati. But look at all the lightning that comes down from Kentucky all the way down to the Gulf Coast.

The storm is so dynamic, there is so much moisture and warm air feeding it, and it is rising so fast. We've had thundersnow and thunder sleet reported across parts of Missouri.

You can see where we have some of that thunder sleet. Again, parts of South Central Missouri going into parts of Kentucky. You've got a mix of sleet and snow in St. Louis. All of that icing headed into Paducah. That could be a significant problem is the ice is what we are worried about.

Now, the reason why we have so much going on with this one storm is because the temperature profile is really different depending on where you're at. You have deeper cold air with temperatures in the 20s from Indy to Cincinnati to Charleston. That's where you get all snow.

You have temperatures flirting with freezing around Cape Girardeau, Bowling Green, parts of Kentucky and that is where you get that icy mix, right? Because you have that -- temperatures are warmer upstairs in the atmosphere, and then you have that freezing layer at the bottom and it freezes that rain on contact and makes everything an ice skating rink. It is incredibly dangerous.

Then you have warmer temperatures in the 40s, 50s, even some 60s as you get to the Gulf Coast and that is where you have the thunderstorm risk.

So again, the implications here, they are just so far spanning, more than 1,500 miles. Blizzard warnings in effect from Wichita to Kansas City. You have the ice storm warning, South Central Missouri into Southern Illinois and parts of Kentucky and the winter storm warnings stretch all the way to DC.

Dc is going to wake up with a sloppy mess. Some of the most snow that they've seen in recent years as all of this starts to move eastward.

Plus, on top of this, we have a new tornado watch that was just issued for parts of Mississippi. This goes through 9:00 this evening. You can see the line of strong and severe storms stretching all the way back into East Texas. All of this comes with the threat for multiple tornadoes. Some of them could be strong and damaging winds.

You can see we have multiple tornado warnings in effect right now for parts of Southern Arkansas, Northern Louisiana here, and the push of 60 mile per hour damaging winds. This area, by the way, still cleaning up from the tornado outbreak that we had last weekend.

So again, a potent dynamic storm, multiple hazards between the winter snow and ice and the more springlike severe weather, all of that warm moist air just feeding all of this.

[16:20:10]

So this all continues to move east as we go through the day today. You've got the heavy snow trying to exit St. Louis overnight tonight, and then it pushes east towards the DC, Philly metro as you go into tomorrow morning.

A line of storms, you wake up to that in Atlanta as that continues to stretch down the Gulf Coast. All of this exits tomorrow afternoon. You have some snow on the backside of this for some of the Appalachian Mountains, and that will continue through the day.

The snow forecast, the footprint again, pretty far reaching, could find some totals six to 12 inches, some higher totals from parts of Southern Ohio going into Virginia there. Some totals could eclipse one foot.

Plus, you have all of the ice concerns as well, up to three-quarters of an inch of ice that would cause problems because the ice weighs down tree limbs and power lines. So we are looking at the possibility of long standing power outages as well.

Oh my goodness. Inches in ice and at least a foot of snow in some parts. That's pretty bad.

RAFFA: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much. Keep us posted, Elisa. Appreciate it.

All right, joining me right now is Delaney Tholen with the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Delaney, it is pretty bad when snow plows are even getting stuck. So describe for me, what are you all up against right now? DELANEY THOLEN, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: Good afternoon. Yes, meteorology report kind of covered it. It is a unique combination of weather conditions and temperature. I was just speaking with some of my colleagues around the state earlier in the hour and some of our crews in North Central Kansas have had to cease operations because of just what you described, snow plows going off the road.

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness.

THOLEN: And we have a number of highways closed throughout Kansas. I- 70 is closed in portions eastbound and westbound and we have multiple counties throughout the state that have closed all state highways.

WHITFIELD: So that's pretty bad.

THOLEN: So we encourage people, just to absolutely stay home.

WHITFIELD: Yes, that's very bad.

So how do you prioritize your response to this? Aside from telling people, you know, stay off the roads as best you can, every now and then something is going to happen where someone gets stuck somewhere. So how are you prioritizing with your resources at hand?

THOLEN: So our higher traffic corridors are hit first, but we have folks maintaining cycles throughout all routes. So they are being plowed over and over, but we have continued snowfall and snow blowing back onto the roadway as well as ice. So, it is very challenging.

So stay home. I had up on my screen, but there was some website difficulty. Our real time road condition platform KANDrive.gov. That's www.KANDrive.gov. You can visit that website or call 511 inside the state of Kansas for real time road conditions to let you know if roads are open, closed, or if travel is not advised.

WHITFIELD: And then, you know, Delaney, the National Weather Service in Topeka says temperatures tonight could fall below zero. What are your concerns there about people, you know staying warm, let alone, you know, wet roads, icing over even further?

THOLEN: Yes, another thing for folks to keep in mind, another telephone number and resource is star-47. Save that in your phone if you have trouble on the roadway with a vehicle or if you're stranded, call that number and you'll be connected to the Kansas Highway Patrol Dispatch Center, 24 hours a day on the turnpike. Call star-582 and stay inside your vehicle.

Make sure that you have -- if you must travel, make sure that you have supplies recommended by the National Weather Service and AAA, things like cell phone charger, warm clothes, snacks, bottled water. But stay inside your car.

WHITFIELD: Okay. Ice, heavy winds, bad combination. Often that, you know, equates to power lines going down as well. Power outages. Do you have a message to residents? Is there a contingency plan? Are there warm places, perhaps for those who are homeless where they can go?

THOLEN: So our focus at the Transportation Department has been making sure that we are prepared and are clearing the roads. We can say that our local partners, if you call star-47, they will also be able to likely connect you, if you're on the road and connect you with a local resource. Otherwise, call one of your local agencies.

There are places the temperatures are going to be bitterly cold for several days. So, it is not advised that that people are outside. So stay warm, stay safe and stay off the roads. If you must travel, slow your speed, put your phone down, use your seatbelt.

[16:25:10]

WHITFIELD: Very good. Great advice. Delaney Tholen, thank you so much in Kansas City. All the best to you and everyone.

THOLEN: Thank you to you and your crew.

WHITFIELD: Next, funeral observances for President Jimmy Carter continuing in Georgia. We will have a live report from his hometown in Plains, and we well also talk to a former White House chief-of-staff, Leon Panetta, about his legacy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Today, Jimmy Carter is lying in repose at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. His body will remain there until Tuesday morning.

He will then be taken by an Air Force plane called Special Air Mission 39 to Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, DC. That afternoon, his funeral procession will head to the US Capitol, where he will lie in state until his funeral service on Thursday.

Earlier this morning at the church in Plains, Georgia, where Carter taught bible study, his niece, Kim Carter-Fuller, talked about the impact of his passing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIM CARTER-FULLER, JIMMY CARTER'S NIECE: On Thursday afternoon, God's going to be -- I am being personal now -- God's going to be looking down on this little teeny tiny town, and he is going to be going, I am taking care of you. It's okay. You're going to be all right.

And I am going to be honest with you, it is really hard to teach Sunday school today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:30:04]

WHITFIELD: CNN's Eva McKend is in Plains, Georgia, and she said it right there. It has been very difficult for so many. How are they getting through it? EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: It sure was, Fred. As you can imagine, there were people worshiping in Church this morning that knew President Carter for decades, but also people from neighboring states who have come over the years to see him teach Sunday school.

They felt compelled to return this morning. You heard from President Carter's niece there. She has now since taken over those Sunday school lessons, and she leaned on the book of Psalms this morning talking about how their hearts were heavy, they were broken, but that they will rely on God's strength in this moment.

And what is also remarkable about Maranatha Baptist Church is that it has a lead female pastor. President Carter, notably broke, of course, with the Southern Baptist on this issue. He believed that women should have equal standing in all spaces, and especially in religious spaces.

Take a listen to how she is thinking about this moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHLEY GUTHAS, PASTOR, MARANATHA BAPTIST CHURCH: I believe the heart of Maranatha, the people that are here, though we may be few, I think we are mighty in our hearts to offer hospitality in our commitment to waging peace and all of the things that President Carter really stood for, and especially equality.

This congregation, especially extended such love to me by inviting me as a woman and even more, a divorced woman, to come and be their pastor. And I think that speaks volumes to the ways that this congregation is willing to open our arms wide to all people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: And in her sermon this morning, she talked about how President Carter lived a life where he hungered for God and was an incredible man of faith.

And Fred, I will tell you, as I was leaving the church this morning, I saw the choir assembling, moving to the front of the church as they were rehearsing, practicing, readying themselves for the final day of tributes here.

This, of course, is going to be President Carter's final resting place, his hometown of Plains -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then Eva, how will the Maranatha Baptist Church try to continue to carry out the legacy of Jimmy Carter?

MCKEND: I asked the pastor about this. She told me, by having a presence in this community, really extending on the work that they are already doing.

At the beginning of the church service, one of the members actually read out a thank you card from someone in the community who thanked them for doing this food distribution work. So it is very much keeping in that spirit by continuing to live out the ideals and the aspirations of President Carter.

WHITFIELD: Eva McKend, thank you so much, in Plains, Georgia.

All right, let's talk more about Jimmy Carter's legacy. Leon Panetta is known for his time as head of the CIA, Secretary of Defense, and White House chief-of-staff, but he was also a freshman congressman from California during the Carter administration and he is joining us right now.

So great to see you.

LEON PANETTA, FORMER US SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: So looking back, you know, how do you remember particularly the handling of some of the biggest challenges that Carter faced during his one-term presidency?

PANETTA: Well, as you mentioned, I was elected on the same day that Jimmy Carter was elected president, I was elected to the Congress. And Jimmy Carter at the time, coming out of Vietnam and Watergate represented a lot of hope for a better change in terms of Washington.

You know, he obviously had a mixed record. He ran into a buzz saw of issues with the economy and inflation, energy crisis, and then what happened with the Iran hostages. But I think it was basically summed up by the presenter of the Nobel Prize to Jimmy Carter, who said, you know, while the president may have had a mixed record as president, he was without question the best ex-president in the history of the country because of all he did after he became president, and I think that is true.

WHITFIELD: And even though he faced the buzzsaw of issues, as you put it, he came to the presidency after being governor of Georgia. What was that transition like for him, aside from the buzzsaw of issues?

PANETTA: Well, the most difficult transition is moving from, you know, being having been governor of a state like Georgia and suddenly going into Washington, where you're dealing with 435 members of the House of Representatives and a hundred members of the Senate.

[15:35:21]

And it is a different situation, and he had some difficulty establishing good relationships with the leadership in the Congress and paid a price for that relationship. But at the same time, as president, there is no question he did have some great foreign policy achievements with the Camp David Accords with the SALT II Treaty, with his position on human rights. There is no question that he did accomplish some very important things when he was president.

WHITFIELD: Would you, among those things, I mean, one of the bigger crises that took place during his presidency was the Iran hostage crisis. American diplomats being held for some 44 days. Do you feel like he got enough credit for getting the country through that, and which ultimately led to the release of those hostages? PANETTA: Well, it was without question a difficult time because those hostages were being held under very difficult circumstances. The news was reporting on it every night, every day and I know he was trying to make whatever effort he could to try to rescue them. Unfortunately, when he did try to rescue them, the helicopters went down in the desert and that failed mission only contributed to the image that this whole hostage issue was literally undermining his presidency.

Nevertheless, there is no question, and some of the hostages have said this, that they believe that his dedication to trying to make sure that they were able to ultimately come home, that dedication was very important to their having hope that ultimately, their hostage status would end.

WHITFIELD: And how will you pay tribute to the former president this week? There will be ceremonies that continue in Georgia, then to Washington before being returned to his final resting place in Plains, Georgia.

PANETTA: You know, I think it -- as always, it gives Washington the ability to pay tribute to Jimmy Carter. He is the longest living president of the United States, without question, he was a great public servant. Because of his beliefs, because of his faith, because of the principles that he stood for, I think that will always be important in remembering Jimmy Carter.

I think it was Fritz Mondale who is a good friend who was asked what was the legacy of the Carter administration. And he said, very simply, "We told the truth. We followed the law, and we preserved the peace." That's not a bad legacy for any president.

WHITFIELD: Indeed. Leon Panetta, we so appreciate you being with us. Thank you so much for your memories.

PANETTA: Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: Next, four years after the attack on the US Capitol, CNN's senior data reporter, Harry Enten breaks down President-elect Donald Trump's favorability ratings.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:42:31]

WHITFIELD: All right, tomorrow, four years after the attack on the US Capitol, Congress will again meet on January 6th, this time to certify Trump's return to the White House. It was on that day, back in 2021, when a violent mob stormed the Capitol as outgoing President Trump protested his loss in a free and fair election. It was a moment many on both sides of the aisle thought could end Trump's political future. But now, four years later, Trump is preparing to take the final step in the election process ahead of his second term.

CNN's senior data reporter, Harry Enten joined my colleague Manu Raju earlier today to break down the numbers on what has changed over the past four years. (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Remember, after January 6th, what do we have? We had the impeachment of Donald Trump. And then, of course, we had the trial in the United States Senate.

I want you to take a look at Republicans who voted to impeach or convict Trump in his second impeachment or impeachment trial. You know, you go back to January or February of 2021. What was it? It was 17.

You know, that's a significant chunk of folks, right, Manu? I wasn't -- most of the GOP didn't, but 17 is a pretty big number here.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Absolutely.

ENTEN: And then you go to January of 2025. How many of those folks are still in the United States Congress? It's just five. It's just five. Pretty much the ones who did were all run out of town. There are just two House members, three Senate members who remain.

The bottom line is this, and we will say it over and over and over again. This is Donald Trump's Republican Party. That's why he could pick up the phone, make those calls to ensure that Mike Johnson held on to his speakership. But it is not just within the Republican Party. It is nationally among the general populace as well.

So take a look at Donald Trump's net favorable rating. Take a look here. Trump's net favorability rating, you go back to January of 2021. Donald Trump was way underwater, way underwater, minus 20 points. That's your favorable minus. You're unfavorable.

Look he is still a little bit underwater, but he is now at minus one point. He is considerably more popular. So folks who were writing off Donald Trump's political career, writing his political obituary, he rose up from the grave. He almost looks like one of those WWE characters, right, who kind of rose up, and that is what Donald Trump has done.

He is right now broke even. He is about as popular with the American public, Manu, than he has ever been.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And he has been talking about on the first day, when he comes into office pardoning all of these January 6th prisoners. How does that fair with the American public's view?

[15:45:04]

ENTEN: Yes, how does that fair? Well, I will tell you, it ain't popular. It ain't popular. Donald Trump may be more popular than he has ever been, but the idea of him pardoning these January 6th protesters is, simply put, not a popular proposition.

You look, overall, its 33 percent. It is 33 percent. Look at the opposition, 59 percent of the American public, you can barely get 59 percent of the American public to agree on anything, but they do agree on opposing Trump pardoning the January 6th protesters.

Even among the Republican Party, look at this number. Yes, it is two thirds who support it at 67 percent, but, you know, Donald Trump's favorable rating within the Republican Party is like 85 to 90 percent.

RAJU: Yes, that's low for Trump.

ENTEN: This is low for Trump. You have this 21 percent who are opposed to it. That is a pretty significant chunk of folks who are opposed to it. So yes, Republicans like Donald Trump, but they aren't necessarily in love with the idea of pardoning. Certainly, not overall.

Now, you may be asking yourself, okay, how the heck, then did Donald Trump win that election back in November, right, given that you see this support and you see this opposition among the American public and most Americans, I will note in our CNN poll said that they expected that Trump was going to try and pardon them.

How did it work?

Then well take a look at January 6th memories. Take a look here. All right. January 6th is the biggest memory of Trump's first term. Look at this.

RAJU: Wow.

ENTEN: Just why?

RAJU: That is something.

ENTEN: It is just five percent. I mean, most folks, simply put were willing to dismiss it without much of an issue, and among Republicans, what do we see? It was just two percent. So even though you had that significant chunk of Republicans who said we oppose it, even though the vast majority of Americans opposed it, the bottom line when it came to November, even when it comes now, most Americans simply put, Manu are not thinking about it.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: Harry Enten and Manu Raju, thanks to both of you.

All right, straight ahead, are you planning on driving in Manhattan? It is going to cost you. The city is implementing a new congestion toll system today. How it works and how much it could cost you, next.

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WHITFIELD: Starting today in Manhattan, drivers will pay extra to enter the busiest parts of New York City. A new toll known as Congestion Pricing is charging drivers $9.00 for crossing into Midtown or Downtown Manhattan during peak hours.

The plan is meant to reduce traffic gridlock in the Big Apple and help raise money to fix the city's crumbling public transportation system.

Joining me right now is CNN correspondent, Gloria Pazmino.

Gloria, do people like this?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, I have to tell you, it has been in the making for more than a decade, and even in the last few days, it was facing intense opposition.

Congestion pricing here in New York City has been long in the making. It has had a lot of political obstacles, a lot of political opposition, and it remains deeply unpopular in the suburbs outside of New York City and even in New Jersey, which tried to sue to stop it at the last minute.

But after all of that, it officially started early this morning, right at the stroke of midnight. Officials here in New York were unveiling the new signage to alert drivers about this new congestion pricing program and it is supposed to do exactly what it sounds like.

It is a tolling structure designed to alleviate congestion. It is designed to raise more money for the public transit infrastructure. It is supposed to encourage people to use public transportation, and in the long run, it is supposed to significantly decrease gridlock in what is one of the most congested zones in the world.

So we are here at the end of the congestion zone, and you can see over my shoulder the cameras that will be taking photos of the plates so that they can be told as the cars come in and out of this zone.

Now, how much is it going to cost you? Well, if you drive an average car, a passenger vehicle, it is going to cost you $9.00 to enter Manhattan, south of Central Park on weekdays between 5:00 AM and 9:00 PM and weekends between 9:00 AM and 9:00 PM.

The fee is much lower if you enter during off peak hours, and it varies if you drive a truck or a commercial vehicle or a motorcycle. Now more than 700,000 vehicles are estimated to enter this zone every weekday, Fred. So that is what it is intended to get at. It is supposed to alleviate congestion, improve the quality of the air. And as I said, in the long run, improve traffic.

Now, officials in the suburbs and in New Jersey are not the only ones who have been opposed to this plan. President-elect Donald Trump has also been critical of the program, saying that he will cancel it when he takes office. He has called it a regressive tax that is going to hurt families, workers, and businesses.

But the MTA Chairman, which is the agency that is administering this program, responded to that criticism earlier this morning. Take a listen.

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JANNO LIEBER, MTA CHAIRMAN AND CEO: We will work with the new administration on all kinds of ways. I am confident that agreements between the federal government and localities stand up to changes of administration, so well have to deal with whatever it is.

People don't just routinely pull grant agreements or other agreements between the feds and states and localities, but I also keep saying it, and I believe it, that Donald Trump is a New Yorker, his office buildings -- and he still owns a few -- are filled with people who take mass transit and I think he understands being on Fifth Avenue, living on Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, what traffic is doing to our city.

So I am hopeful that although there has been some rhetoric about this, that we will continue to work with the federal government and get through the change of administration.

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[15:55:01]

PAZMINO: Now, Fred, this is a first of its kind program here in the United States. Other major cities like London, Singapore, to Stockholm have all installed plans similar to this one, Fred, and I will give you some firsthand personal experience.

Today, I took a cab to get here. If you take a cab, the cost is being passed down to the passenger. So I paid an extra $1.75 in order to get here. That is what you'll be charged if you take Uber or Lyft. It is $0.75, if you take a yellow cab. So, Fred, perhaps next time I will take the subway in order to get here and that is exactly the point, to encourage people to take public transportation more often and to reduce the traffic.

My cab driver said that he was in favor, as long as it means that he can get around the city a lot quicker -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, trying to make everybody happy. That's always pretty tough to do.

All right, Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much.

We'll be right back.

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