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Trump Begins Work as 47th U.S. President by signing Executive Orders and Declaring Emergency in the Southern Border; U.S. Senate Unanimously Confirms Marco Rubio's Appointment. Trump Withdraws U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement for the Second Time; New Oxfam Report Warns of Growing Wealth Inequality. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired January 21, 2025 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, promising a golden age, Donald Trump begins his second term on his own terms. Granting sweeping clemency with the stroke of a pen, Trump pardons nearly all of the January 6th rioters.
And getting right to business, seeking to upend everything from eliminating birthright citizenship to declaring an emergency at the southern border and pulling out of the International Climate Pact.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Thanks for joining us.
Well, just hours into his second term in the White House, Donald Trump is taking steps to radically reshape the U.S. federal government, and the 47th president is delivering on promises he has long made to his supporters, signing dozens of executive orders and actions covering a wide range of issues from immigration to TikTok.
Perhaps the most controversial of those actions, granting full pardons to more than a thousand people charged in the January 6th U.S. Capitol riots, including those who assaulted police and destroyed property.
And he commuted the sentences of 14 far-right extremists from the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys who were either charged with or convicted of seditious conspiracy for trying to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power to Joe Biden four years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're going to release our great hostages that didn't do, for the most part, they didn't do stuff wrong. You see, take a look at what went on and look what happens in other parts of the country in Portland, where they kill people, they destroy the city.
Nothing happens to them in Seattle, where they took over a big chunk of the city. Nothing happened. Minneapolis, where they burned down the city. Nothing happened. Essentially nothing happened. All they want to do is go after the J6 hostages.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Earlier, President Trump again withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord, something he did during his first term as well. He also ordered an immediate freeze on new or pending government regulations and rescinded dozens of Biden-era policies on sex discrimination, gender identity, government ethics and more. More now from CNN's Jeff Zeleny.
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JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: President Trump stepping into the Oval Office for the first time on Monday night and delivering on campaign promises to commute the sentences of January 6th defendants and deliver a mass pardon of some 1,500 defendants and some 14 sentences. Many serious cases were commuted.
Certainly answering the question that's been hanging over his campaign really for many months and even years. Would he distinguish between the violent offenders and the nonviolent offenders on that horrific day on January 6th?
President Trump saying he would not delivering that blanket mass pardon and the commutation of those serious sentences as well. That was just some of the executive actions that the president did on his first full day in office from speaking on Capitol Hill to speaking at a rally at a downtown arena.
The President arriving at the White House and stepping into the Oval Office for the first time in his second term, he said it felt great to be back. He immediately signed a large stack of executive orders, including on immigration, declaring a national emergency on the border, calling the cartels a terrorist organization, did not rule out using special forces in Mexico.
The list goes on and on, taking a series of questions on a range of topics, but the president made clear he was very excited to be back in power.
Also at one point, opening the drawer of the Resolute Desk, pulling out a private note that President Biden sent to him. It was March 47. He joked with reporters in the Oval Office saying, should I read it aloud? He did not read it aloud, but there is no question on the first full day back in power.
President Trump doing actions on the January 6th to the defendants that certainly is going to be controversial in his own party and at the Justice Department. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House.
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CHURCH: Joining me now is Democratic strategist Caroline Heldman. She is a professor of critical theory and social justice at Occidental College. And Republican strategist Robert Stutzman, founder and president of Stutzman Public Affairs. Welcome. Appreciate you both joining us.
CAROLINE HELDMAN, PROF. OF CRITICAL THEORY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE, OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE: Good to see you, Rosemary.
ROBERT STUTZMAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, STUTZMAN PUBLIC AFFAIRS: Thank you.
CHURCH: So on day one of the second term of President Donald Trump, he signed sweeping executive orders before a crowd of supporters and then went back to the White House to sign more while answering multiple questions from the assembled media.
STUTZMAN: Let's start with President Trump's decision to pardon more than 1000 defendants of the January 6th riots. Robert, what was your reaction to these mass pardons?
Well, personally, it was very disappointing to see, even though I'm a Republican, I completely disagree with what the president defines January 6th as.
I think those are all people that committed crimes and it was an awful dark day for the United States. So I'm very disappointed in that action. But he did exactly what he said he was going to do.
And he was elected with a winning the majority vote or the popular vote, I should say, in this country while promising to do exactly what he's going to do.
CHURCH: Caroline, your reaction to this broad effort to pardon January 6th rioters?
HELDMAN: I see this as part of a larger threat to our democracy and one that so few people are even talking about anymore. There's almost this resignation in the press to talk about this.
But inciting a violent insurrection is not normal. And then pardoning 1600 folks who engaged in violence against law enforcement officers, five people died, I mean, ribs were broken, eye injuries, head injuries.
This is not the only thing that is happening that is weakening our democracy, but it is such a red flag. And it's almost as though we're erasing that memory.
And as someone who used to give tours when I worked for Congress years ago in that beautiful rotunda room today, I was thinking about how it was defiled four years ago and how much work has been put into revising history.
And I would put this, you know, this red flag of Donald Trump eroding democracy along with some others, you know, attacking his enemies, attacking the press, right, overriding some of the basic protections like the emoluments clause that says that a president can't benefit from their time in office.
So I hope that we're still going to be talking about the five alarm fire that is Donald Trump's threat to democracy in the second term.
CHURCH: And Robert, President Trump also declared a national emergency at the border and redefined birthright citizenship. What will this mean for immigrants and immigration in this country?
STUTZMAN: Well, that will ultimately be up to the courts. His broad effort to redefine what the common understanding of the 14th Amendment has been in the United States when it comes to birthright citizenship will certainly be challenged in court.
His order will certainly be enjoined and ultimately it will be up to this current Supreme Court to probably decide exactly what the 14th Amendment means when it comes to birthright citizenship.
But again, this is something he promised he would do. So these things that he's doing are the things that he said he would do and that he could argue he's been elected to do.
CHURCH: And Caroline, what is ahead for immigration in America?
HELDMAN: Well, the question is, when do the mass deportations start? The Pope has called Donald Trump an unchristian man because of his approach to this. And I couldn't agree more.
I mean, we are a nation of immigrants and Trump has been feeding this fear based upon things that are simply not true. He's painted this narrative, and I would argue it's a racist narrative, of criminal immigrants when the fact is that crime has been dropping across the United States post-COVID and folks who are born here are much more likely to engage in crime than immigrants.
So he is deporting people, which will have a profound effect on the housing costs since so many immigrants work in that industry, as well as produce prices. And in fact, I would point out that I didn't hear anything that's going to lower prices for working Americans today.
In fact, he revoked the prescription drug caps that Biden put into place. His approach to immigration is going to cause prices to go up and tariffs are just taxes.
And that's something we're going to pay. And so I didn't hear anything that's actually going to address the number one reason why people put him in the White House, which is the economy.
CHURCH: And Robert, President Trump also signed an order to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Treaty and the World Health Organization. What will this potentially mean for both the environment and for the health of the American people?
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STUTZMAN: Well, I don't know. I'm not expert enough to know what withdrawing from the World Health Organization will mean. I would think most Americans would think it doesn't mean anything to them as they live their daily lives.
The Paris Accords are, of course, a bit more interesting. What it does is it allows the president to now focus on what he would call an America first energy policy.
He's going to strip away regulations and go for more domestic energy production, particularly in the state of California, where I reside, which has seen its domestic oil production really precipitously drop off over the past eight years under Governor Newsom.
So what you're going to hear from along with withdrawing from Paris, what you're going to hear from Trump is we want to see a lot of drilling of oil using U.S. resources and becoming less dependent upon foreign oil. And ultimately, that should be something that leads to lower prices for Americans.
CHURCH: Caroline, your response?
HELDMAN: We've had the highest domestic oil production under Biden, and that's not what has caused the prices to go up. It's a variety of things.
The drill, baby, drill after, you know, fire, the fires in Los Angeles came a block from my house. We're going to act like we're not in a climate crisis.
Pulling out of the Paris agreement, we're joining a few other countries. Most countries across the globe want to constrain fossil fuels because of climate change.
So having 80 mile per hour winds combined with fire, I mean, for me, it is hit close to home. And I would argue it is affecting millions of Americans.
And I'll just add the weaponization threat to withhold funds from places where he doesn't agree with the politics of the people in charge is a terrible precedent to set for the American public.
CHURCH: And Robert, hours before leaving office, President Biden used his executive clemency power to protect those people targeted for reprisals by Donald Trump, including General Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci and Liz Cheney, as well as five members of his own family. He has been criticized for doing that. What's your reaction?
STUTZMAN: Well, I understand the broad attempt to try to immunize the members of the January 6th committee. I think the pardons of his family are more troubling, particularly of his brother, which the Biden DOJ had commenced some investigation into his business activities. So unfortunately, as much as what we've seen today with Trump is very
discouraging with how to use the pardon power, Biden has completely diminished any type of moral high when it comes to the pardon power because of the blanket pardons he's issued to his family, obviously starting with his son last month.
CHURCH: And Caroline, you get the last word on this.
HELDMAN: I would agree with Rob. I think I don't like the precedent that Biden set. I understand why he did it. We are in unprecedented times with Donald Trump going after his enemies in ways that really violate our constitution and violate our rules and norms of democracy.
At the same time, Biden has set a terrible precedence for essentially issuing pardons to family members. And we've seen this before. Roger Clinton, we've seen it on occasion, but nothing like what Biden has established in the last week or month.
CHURCH: Caroline Heldman and Robert Stutzman, thank you both for joining us. I appreciate it.
HELDMAN: Thank you, Rosemary.
STUTZMAN: Thank you.
CHURCH: A prisoner exchange years in the making between the U.S. and the Taliban has finally been reached in the final hours of Joe Biden's presidency. Two Americans held in Afghanistan have been freed in exchange for a Taliban member serving a life sentence in the U.S.
Sources tell CNN Americans Ryan Corbett and William McEntee are now on their way home. At the same time, Taliban member Khan Mohammed, convicted in 2008 on narcoterrorism charges, has been flown from the U.S. to Doha, Qatar.
Corbett's family released a statement saying they are profoundly grateful to President Trump and his team, along with the former Biden White House, for bringing Ryan home.
And still to come, how Donald Trump is trying to dismantle the constitutional right of birthright citizenship, we'll explain.
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CHURCH: President Trump has signed a slew of executive actions and orders kicking off his harsh crackdown on immigration. One of those orders is an attempt to redefine birthright citizenship, a right that is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
President Trump gave justification for that dramatic change.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNKNOWN: This next order relates to the definition of birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment of the United States.
TRUMP: That's a good one. Birthright. That's a big one.
UNKNOWN; What about that one (inaudible)? That one is likely to be.
TRUMP: Could be. I think we have good ground, but you could be right. I mean, you'll find out.
It's ridiculous. We're the only country in the world that does this with birthright, as you know. And it's just absolutely ridiculous. But, you know, we'll see. We think we have very good ground.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: To be clear, other countries do have birthright citizenship. A coalition of civil and immigration rights groups have already sued the Trump administration over that executive order.
President Trump also signed an order declaring a national emergency at the U.S. southern border with Mexico. He shut down an app that hopeful immigrants use to let U.S. officials know they intended to enter the U.S. and to schedule appointments for asylum claims.
And he's also promising to start deportation raids in major cities across the United States. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez takes a closer look at Trump's immigration actions.
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PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump signed a series of executive actions on immigration on Monday that will dramatically overhaul the U.S. immigration system and make it even harder for migrants who are coming to the United States trying to seek asylum.
Now, these actions included, for example, a national emergency along the U.S. southern border, which allows the administration to pull more Pentagon resources to assist along the U.S.
Also designating cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, which could preface the use of the military force on Mexican soil. The President saying while he was signing that quote, "Mexico probably doesn't want that."
Then to President Donald Trump also signing an executive action that would kick off the process of ending birthright citizenship. Of course, that will likely be challenged in the courts, which is part of the plan that Trump officials have had in mind when it comes to ending birthright citizenship.
But it was also the actions that happened quietly that may have the most wide-ranging effects, at least in the near term. And that is, for example, the Trump administration turning off CVP1, essentially canceling appointments for migrants who were scheduled to come to those legal ports of entry about every single day, at least under the Biden administration, there were 1,450 appointments.
So today, over a thousand migrants who had been queued up in line after scheduling their appointments were told that those were canceled. And without other in addition to, I should say, asylum restrictions along the U.S. southern border for those crossing illegally essentially makes asylum all but impossible for migrants who are at the U.S. southern border.
In addition to that, sources telling me that Trump officials had fired some key leaders of the Justice Department's Immigration Office. That's an office that oversees the nation's immigration courts, essentially those immigration judges who decide who stays in the U.S. and who is deported.
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So President Donald Trump coming into office with a suite of actions that already are having implications for immigrants both in the United States and around the world. Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.
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CHURCH: With the presidential inauguration over, attention is now shifting to Trump's cabinet. And the first high level official to be confirmed is the new secretary of state, Marco Rubio. He received overwhelming bipartisan support with his nomination approved in a 99-0 vote on Monday.
Many Democrats even praised their former Senate colleague, calling him highly qualified for the top diplomat role. Rubio said it was a great honor to be confirmed and that the State Department will prioritize making the U.S. safer and stronger.
Well, the fragile Gaza truce is now in its third day. While the ceasefire has finally brought a moment of reprieve, it has also allowed Palestinians in Gaza to begin returning home and grieving all they have lost.
And in Israel, 30 hostage families are eagerly awaiting the release of their loved ones after the return of three hostages on Sunday. Their families now advocating for those still in captivity.
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MEIRAV LESHEM GONEN, MOTHER OF FREED HOSTAGE ROMI GONEN (through translator): There are 94 more of our brothers and sisters to whom we are all committed. We are strong. We are powerful. And together we will bring them back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Israeli and Palestinian officials are optimistic about working with the new Trump administration. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas congratulated President Donald Trump and said in a statement he hopes to, quote, "achieve peace guided by a two-state solution." And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent warmest wishes to the U.S. first family via X.
An Israeli official says Mr. Netanyahu is planning to meet President Trump in D.C. in the coming weeks where they are expected to discuss Israeli-Saudi relations, Iran's nuclear program and the ongoing ceasefire and hostage deal.
And our Paula Hancocks joins us now live from Abu Dhabi. Good to see you again, Paula. So leaders no doubt watching the transition. The fragile ceasefire appears to be holding, doesn't it?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It does at this point, Rosemary. And it's a ceasefire that both sides have been waiting a very long time for.
We are seeing hundreds and thousands of Palestinians, many of them walking back to their homes in Gaza, some using donkey carts, the lucky few being able to travel by car. But many are finding rubble as opposed to a home as they get back to the area.
We are hearing though from humanitarian aid groups that more than 900 aid trucks were allowed into Gaza yesterday. So certainly, the amount of aid that it is allowing into Gaza in an immediate sense in the first couple of days has certainly been what the aid groups were hoping for as they try and deal with that acute need within the Gaza Strip itself.
Now, when it comes to the Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza, we know that some of the families of the hostages met with U.S. President Donald Trump and also Noah Agamani, who's one of the hostages that was rescued by the IDF, met at the inauguration concert event at Capital One Arena with Donald Trump.
And the U.S. President said, "we won and we have to bring them home," referring to the rest of the hostages. However, when he was asked by a reporter if he believed that the ceasefire would hold, this was his response.
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TRUMP: I'm not confident. It's not our war, it's their war, but I'm not confident. But I think they're very weakened on the other side. I looked at a picture of Gaza. Gaza is like a massive demolition site that places. It's really got to be rebuilt in a different way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: Now, of course, there are no guarantees that this ceasefire will get to the second phase, which is when all of the hostages are released and the Israeli military pulls out completely from Gaza and the ceasefire becomes permanent.
Now, it's supposed to be on day 16, at least by then, the two sides are going to indirectly come back together to try and negotiate that second phase. Now, we have also heard from the Israeli military about how Palestinians in Gaza can keep themselves safe.
[03:25:00]
They have said that Palestinians should not be approaching any IDF soldiers because they are still in Gaza. They're just pulling out to buffer areas and also the Philadelphi corridor between Egypt and Gaza.
They've also told them that do not approach the Rafah crossing, the Philadelphi access, do not approach the sea or the buffer zone, which is around the border with Israel.
Also pointing out that by next week, they will be allowing Palestinians to get back to their homes in northern Gaza itself.
Now, this is the worst hit area, it is believed, within the Gaza Strip. But for several months now, Israel has been pounding that area, believing Hamas was trying to regroup there.
And we also know that humanitarian aid groups are desperate to get more aid to those residents who were not able to leave that area and have had very little over recent months. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Paula Hancocks bringing us that live report from Abu Dhabi. I appreciate it.
Still to come, President Trump had vowed to float a wave of tariffs after he came into office. We will take a look at what could be ahead for China when it comes to tariffs.
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CHURCH: During his first day back in power, U.S. President Donald Trump cast himself as a peacemaker and unifier before darkening his tone during his inaugural address.
He issued a flurry of executive orders and actions upon his return to the Oval Office, among them a near-blanket pardon for about 1,500 January 6 rioters and a pullout from the Paris Climate Accords.
He also declared a national emergency at the southern U.S. border. After taking the oath of office, Mr. Trump described his vision of America's future.
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TRUMP: My recent election is a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal and all of these many betrayals that have taken place and to give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy, and indeed their freedom. From this moment on, America's decline is over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Larry Sabato is the director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics and he joins me now. Appreciate you being with us. LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA-CENTER FOR POLITICS:
Thank you, Rosie.
CHURCH: So, we witness the swearing in of Donald Trump as the 47th U.S. President Monday after declaring America's decline is over in his inaugural speech. The first day of his second term in office was dominated by the signing of sweeping executive orders including revoking 78 of Biden-era executive actions, the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Treaty and the World Health Organization.
But let's start with the pardons of more than 1000 January 6 defendants and the commuting of 14 of them. What was your reaction to those pardons and what are the likely consequences of this?
SABATO: Well, it's disgraceful and truly outrageous. And remember, we had been told even by the new vice president, J.D. Vance, last week that there would be some selectivity here, that the people who had been convicted of attacking police officers, and let's remember several died within a few days of January 6.
And there were over 140 police officers savagely attacked and beaten brutally. We were told they were going to be separate, they would be looked at separately and not all of them would be pardoned or wouldn't have their sentences commuted.
Well, it turns out that 1500 people are pardoned, including some of those who directly and savagely attacked police. There are another 14 with sentences commuted, they'll be released, but they won't be fully pardoned until their cases are more fully examined. But I suspect some of them will be pardoned too.
So, it's a shock to everyone except for those who listened to Donald Trump during the campaign. So, it's hard to deny that we didn't know this was coming, but we didn't know it was going to be this broad.
CHURCH: And Larry, other executive orders signed by President Trump Monday include a requirement that federal workers return to full-time in-person work immediately and a directive to all federal departments to address the cost of living crisis.
But why wouldn't President Trump address price gouging directly with an executive order to lower prices?
SABATO: Well, that's a very good question. And he really should have been asked it tonight at that very lengthy press conference in the Oval Office while he was signing executive orders. He'll have an answer, no doubt.
And again, we have to remember his base is so solid, they accept anything he says. They really do not focus on the particulars. They assume that Trump has a reason for it and they agree with the reason, whatever it is. So, this won't hurt him at all.
But over time, if prices do not go down, I think he will suffer. And I'm not saying that inflation, just inflation goes down, but prices have to go down. That's what he pledged. So, we'll be looking to those dozen eggs -- the price of those dozen
eggs that cost Kamala Harris, the White House.
CHURCH: And Larry, what did you make of that long session of President Trump signing additional executive orders and pardons in the Oval Office while he also took so many questions from the assembled media?
SABATO: Well, that's a plus, the fact that he was available to the media. He did answer questions that he hadn't fully prepared for. He's very good at that back-and-forth. And we haven't seen it in a long while.
And we all know why. President Biden was in decline. I think he was sharp at least some of the time, but he was in decline. He was incapable of doing that. So, it was a good contrast for Trump, probably helped him. Some of the answers might give Trump trouble later, but they always do.
CHURCH: And what do you expect to come out of a second Trump presidency, given what we've already seen on day one?
SABATO: It's clear that Trump's number one priority, as we suspected all along, would be the border and immigration. And we are going to have a lot of deportations.
The question most people have who are in that field is whether or not the country's agricultural sector and other sectors will suffer from the absence of labor, immigrant labor. So that could hurt the economy.
And it's pretty clear that economists have lowered their expectations for the American economy because of Trump's policies. So, if you throw the baby out with the bathwater, the baby being the economy, then you really haven't improved your situation.
Beyond that, he has a lot of plans and he has a lot of suggestions and changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America is one of them. But some of these trivial things will never happen. But there'll be topics for Trump to discuss, as he did today.
[03:35:06]
CHURCH: Larry Sabato, always appreciate your analysis. Many thanks.
SABATO: Thank you, Rosie.
CHURCH: President Trump has signed an executive action that delays the federal ban on TikTok by 75 days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Essentially, with TikTok, I have the right to either sell it or close it. And we'll make that determination. And we may have to get an approval from China, too. I'm not sure. But I'm sure they'll approve it. And if they don't approve it, it would be somewhat of a hostile act, aren't they?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: During his campaign, Mr. Trump had vowed to impose a punishing 60 percent levy on goods from China. On Monday, he noted the tariffs imposed during his first term. But on imposing new tariffs, he said, quote, "we may, but we're not ready for that just yet."
China is expressing willingness to cooperate with the new administration and is urging the U.S. to ensure a, quote, "fair and non-discriminatory business environment." CNN's Beijing Bureau Chief Steven Jiang joined us now live to discuss. Good to see you, Steven. What more can you tell us about China's reaction to President Trump's return to the White House?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yeah, Rosemary. The Chinese Foreign Ministry just answered a barrage of questions from reporters on Trump and China in their daily briefing that wrapped up just a short while ago.
But their response is largely a mix of dodging the questions and reiterating previously stated positions on issues ranging from the ownership of the Panama Canal to the case of TikTok.
I think Chinese officials have learned quite a bit in terms of how Trump operates and his personality from his first term of office. So, I think at this stage, they appear to be trying to avoid unnecessarily angering or triggering the U.S. President at this critical juncture.
Now, as you said, from their perspective, if you were the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, you probably would find the past few days of events quite comforting or relieving. There was not only no day one announcement of China tariffs.
Also, you look at what happened at the inauguration. China sent an unprecedented high-level delegation to attend, led by their Vice President, who has also met with J.D. Vance, but also business leaders in D.C., including Elon Musk.
So, all of this from the Chinese perspective is really buying them some time, giving them some breathing room at a time when their economy is struggling, the growth is sluggish.
But of course, there is a lot of anxiety here in Beijing, especially for officials who have to deal with the Trump team because of their experience during the first term.
They see this President, of course, as unpredictable, but they also see him as more transactional. So, there is that hope that something, some deal can be reached in terms of trade deal. That, of course, has always been Mr. Trump's top priority.
But I think for Trump 2.0's team, they probably want to look at the 1.0 team's trade deal with China, which was never fully implemented, to see what kind of lessons can be drawn from that deal.
But overall, Rosemary, there is a lot of wait and see kind of attitude from the Chinese perspective. Perhaps even the unpredictable nature of Trump can work in their favor, as in the case of TikTok, where the President has completely reversed himself. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Steven Jiang, many thanks for that live report from Beijing. I appreciate it.
Well, President Donald Trump made no direct mention of the Russia- Ukraine war in his wide-ranging inauguration speech. However, he is making it known that efforts to end the war are underway.
Mr. Trump said he plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin once talks are set up, and he wants the Ukraine war to end, quote, "as quickly as possible."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Please tell me he wants to make a deal. What do you mean he wants to make a deal? Zelenskyy wants to make a deal. I don't know if Putin does. He might not. I don't know. He should make a deal. I think he's destroying Russia by not making a deal.
I think Russia's going to be in big trouble. You take a look at their economy, you take a look at the inflation in Russia. So I would hope, I got along with him great, and I would hope he wants to make a deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expressing optimism that President Trump will bring about a resolution to the war.
Congratulating the U.S. President in a post on X, he described Donald Trump's inauguration day as one of change and hope, expressing his readiness for cooperation. He also praised President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): He is a strong person. I wish President Trump and all of America success. Ukrainians are ready to work together with Americans to achieve peace, real peace. This is an opportunity that must be seized.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:40:06]
CHURCH: South Korea's detained President Yoon Suk-yeol has attended a constitutional court hearing for his impeachment trial today. He's accused of leading an insurrection with his short-lived attempt to impose martial law in December.
The court will ultimately decide whether he will be reinstated or removed from office permanently. Yoon told the court he is committed to a free democracy. However, he's refused to answer questions in a separate criminal investigation.
A fire at a ski resort in Turkey has killed at least 10 people and injured 32 others. It happened in Bolu province, west of Ankara. The fire broke out overnight in a hotel restaurant. Both the roof and top floors of the hotel were seen engulfed in flames.
Officials say two of the victims died after jumping out of the building in a panic. The cause of the fire is not yet known. Dozens of fire trucks and ambulances have been sent to the scene. Coming up, just hours into his new term, Donald Trump has withdrawn the U.S. from a landmark climate agreement again. We'll take a look at that.
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CHURCH: On his first day back in the White House, Donald Trump kept his promise to pardon January 6 insurrectionists. He issued pardons for more than a thousand people, including those who assaulted police and destroyed property. He also commuted the sentences of 14 far-right extremists from the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.
Former Capitol Police Officer Michael Fanone was one of those attacked on January 6. He tells CNN he feels betrayed.
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MICHAEL FANONE, FORMER D.C. POLICE OFFICER: I have been betrayed by my country and I've been betrayed by those that supported Donald Trump. Whether you voted for him because he promised these pardons or for some other reason, you knew that this was coming and here we are.
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CHURCH: Meanwhile, supporters of the insurrectionists have gathered outside the jail where many of them are being held. CNN's Ellie Reeve spoke with them about President Trump's pardons.
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ELLIE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Supporters and family members of J6 defendants have been standing out front of the D.C. jail here behind me for hours. Slowly the crowd has built as Trump spoke. They were listening to him talk. They were cheering.
They've been giving each other speeches to sort of get a pep talk because information has been really hard to get out. Some people who are incarcerated have called in but they haven't had a lot of information.
There are two organizations here that are offering help for people who get out of jail or prison. One group, the J6 Association, has a bus. They're going to take people to a hotel in an undisclosed location before getting them elsewhere they need to be.
[03:45:06]
Another group has a house called the Eagle's Nest in Capitol Hill. People are going to stay there overnight. And all in all, people have been so happy they've almost been in tears. Your kids, are they charged with felonies?
BEN POLLOCK, SON AND DAUGHTER WERE CHARGED IN CAPITOL RIOT: Yes, charged with everything in the book, mister. They wanted to destroy our family. They don't do bank robbers like they've done our family. They don't do rapists like they've done our family.
DERRICK STORMS, CHIEF LEGAL COUNSEL, J6 ASSOCIATION: We personally would like a full pardon on everybody and we believe the justification for that is this was a big entrapment operation.
We're viewing this day as, in American history, equivalent as the release of the Iranian hostages. We believe it's that momentous for what is occurring today.
UNKNOWN: We're hopeful. We're happy. Today's our day.
REEVE: Ellie Reeve, CNN, Washington.
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CHURCH: Panama's president is rejecting Donald Trump's promise to take back the Panama Canal and he's reaffirming the importance of Panama's permanent neutrality. He's also dismissing claims Trump made about the canal in his inauguration speech Monday.
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TRUMP: We have been treated very badly from this foolish gift that should have never been made and Panama's promise to us has been broken. The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated. China is operating the Panama Canal and we didn't give it to China. We gave it to Panama and we're taking it back.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk more about this with CNN's Patrick Oppmann joins us now from Havana. Let the fact checking begin. So, what is the situation with the Panama Canal and how accurate are those claims by Donald Trump?
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, I was just in Panama a few weeks ago and people were celebrating the anniversary, the 25th anniversary of the Panama Canal being turned over to Panamanians. They've expanded that canal. They make much more money than the U.S. ever did running off it.
And we should point out that Panama is a stalwart ally of the U.S. and is also a kind of a bastion of prosperity in a region that otherwise has problems with drug cartels and migration that is heading to the U.S. border.
So, Panama would seem to be an ideal U.S. ally. And then you have these claims by Donald Trump that the rates to go for U.S. ships to go through the Panama Canal are too much. They're out of whack with international prices elsewhere, which Panamanian officials have pushed back very hard against.
They say that operating the canal, of course, is very expensive, particularly when you've had a couple of years of droughts, which has meant that the number of crossings, transits that happen every day are so much fewer. And then you have this other issue that somehow China is secretly running the Panama Canal, something that would seem impossible because you have to be a Panamanian ship pilot to actually take any of the ships to go through the Panama Canal.
And while there are ports that belong to this Hong Kong company that, of course, has relations with China, that company has been doing business in Panama since the 1990s, when the U.S. helped run the canal.
And there is just no evidence that they have the ability to shut the canal at all or that they are in charge of the canal. Panama consistently says and shows that Panama is in charge of the canal. So Panamanian President Jose Raul Molina, who has called for better relations with the U.S., has pushed back very, very hard.
But we should point out, John, that Panama, after the 1989 U.S. invasion, does not have a military anymore. So, if Donald Trump followed through on these threats to essentially take back the Panama Canal, legally or not, there would be very little to stop him.
Of course, five percent of the world's maritime trade runs through the Panama Canal. So certainly, if you are trying to lower prices, stabilize the world economy, this is not the way to do it.
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CHURCH: CNN's Patrick Oppmann speaking there with our John Vause.
Well, Donald Trump has withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement again. The executive action signed Monday seeks to double down on fossil fuels and expand mineral mining. That's despite scientists warning that our planet for the first time breached 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming last year, the threshold governments have set to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change.
When Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement in his first term, environmental groups successfully raised lawsuits against his attempts to expand fossil fuel development. And those groups say they will do the same again.
Well for more on this, I'm joined now by Tim Flannery, Chief Councilor of the Climate Council in Australia. Thank you so much for being with us.
TIM FLANNERY, CHIEF COUNCILLOR OF THE CLIMATE COUNCIL, AUTRALIA: It's a pleasure, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Among the sweeping executive orders signed by President Donald Trump on his first day back in office was this one that withdraws the United States from the Paris Climate Treaty immediately. What will be the consequences of this?
[03:50:04]
FLANNERY: Well, look, there's no doubt, Rosemary, it's going to make it a lot harder for the world to come together to really pursue effective climate change at the global level. But at the same time, it's not putting the U.S. in great company.
You know, the only countries that are outside that agreement at the moment are Libya, Iran and Yemen. So not really illustrious. And of course, it will make it more difficult for the U.S. as well to transition to a cheap, effective form of energy. And that will disadvantage the nation.
CHURCH: And this executive action seeks to double down on fossil fuels and expand mineral mining. But when Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris agreement last time, environmental groups took successful legal action against his efforts, and they plan to do it all over again. So how far do you expect they'll get with this?
FLANNERY: I suspect that Donald Trump is impotent in terms of trying to shut down clean energy. The amount of money that's already involved, the inertia that's there to transition the global energy system to a clean, renewable base is pretty much unstoppable.
What he can do is temporarily increase the volume of fossil fuels, perhaps in the U.S., which will push up prices, energy prices and disadvantage the U.S., as I said, and maybe slow the transition to some extent. But in terms of stopping it, that's just not going to happen.
Globally, we can see how much progress has been made under the Biden administration in the U.S. and around the world, in fact, just over the last five years. And it is now an unstoppable momentum that we're at.
In fact, in my own country of Australia, in five years' time, there's likely to be almost no coal being burned for electricity generation in this country. So, things are moving fast.
CHURCH: Yes, I mean, Australia has always been known as being very progressive when it comes to these issues. So, all of this comes despite scientists warning that our planet is getting warmer than ever, breaching the threshold governments have said to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change. So, what does this mean for all of us, do you think?
FLANNERY: Well, I think that the tragic fires in California should act as a warning to us all. And the climate is changing without doubt. It's within our remit to slow that change down. We should be doing as much of that as we can.
But if we don't, events like the California fire, like the tragedies we've seen with flooding and cyclones and droughts around the world are just going to accelerate. So, it's in all of our interests to work together to get this done.
CHURCH: And of course, Donald Trump would argue that the reason America needs to do this is to become independent of the Middle East when it comes to access to gas and oil. What would you say to that?
FLANNERY: I think that's true. That's a very good reason to go for renewable energy.
Why not just cut them out altogether? Why not build a very vigorous electric vehicle industry in the U.S.? Why not be making your own solar panels and making your wind turbines, giving yourself true energy independence?
You know, relying on a finite resource like oil and gas, where you can always be undercut by a cheap producer somewhere else. It's not a great way to be. You might as well, I think, go for clean energy throughout the economy. And that's what the world is doing.
And China is in a position where they are now leading that charge. If the U.S. leaves the table where decisions are made, you know, the Paris agreement, the big beneficiary will be China, because they're already selling their electric vehicles and their solar panels and their wind turbines globally.
They will bring the world along with them. And if the U.S. is not really competitive in that niche, it will be stuck with a high energy cost, old style economy that simply won't be able to won't be able to compete.
CHURCH: Tim Flannery, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.
FLANNERY: Thank you.
CHURCH: And we'll be right back.
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CHURCH: The richest billionaire on Earth could become the world's first trillionaire. That is according to Oxfam's annual inequality report.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk will likely be worth at least a trillion dollars in the next five years and could be followed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, among others. Oxfam warns this growing wealth inequality comes as the ultra-rich are exerting more political influence.
Musk himself spent nearly $300 million on Donald Trump's presidential campaign and will now lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency.
Well, champagne sales have lost their pop as people around the world are apparently not in the mood to celebrate. The number of champagne shipments from France fell last year by nearly 10 percent. It's the second straight year that sales have dropped. Champagne Trade Association says people are not parting as much because of inflation wars and political uncertainty. All right, now to U.S. college football. The Ohio State Buckeyes are national champions for the first time in 10 years, facing Notre Dame in the title game right here in Atlanta. Ohio State built a commanding lead early in the second half, then held off a late rally by the Fighting Irish for a 34-23 victory.
It's the first championship game played in college football's new 12- team playoff format. And I want to thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues next with Polo Sandoval in New York.
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