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Trump Addresses Economic and Foreign Policy at the World Economic Forum; Israel to Intensify Military Operations in the Occupied West Bank. More American Influencers and Billionaires Interested in Selling TikTok; Tina Turner's Lost Song from Her Breakthrough Album Rediscovered. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired January 24, 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]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Welcome to all of our viewers from around the world. I'm Eleni Giokos, ahead on "CNN Newsroom." U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the world stage addressing foreign policy and his economic agenda. We'll look at the key takeaways.

With the ceasefire holding in Gaza, Israel shifts its focus to the West Bank. We have the latest developments on the ground there. And more names enter the picture as potential American buyers for TikTok as the U.S. ban looms again.

And we begin with Donald Trump on a global stage for the first time since starting his second term as U.S. President. Mr. Trump addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland by video link, laying out his foreign policy and economic vision.

He's calling for a swift end to the war in Ukraine, which he says can be achieved in part by lowering energy prices. He also says he wants immediate talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In an interview recorded earlier this week, Mr. Trump said Ukraine's president should have never let the war happen and that Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to settle now. Mr. Trump was asked about the possibility at Davos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Our efforts to secure a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine are now hopefully underway.

BORGE BRENDE, PRESIDENT AND CEO, WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM: And when you're back here in Davos next year, will there be then a peace agreement with Ukraine and Russia by then?

TRUMP: Well, you're going to have to ask Russia. Ukraine is ready to make a deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP) GIOKOS: On the economic front, Mr. Trump made it clear that for him, the best path to good relations is investing in the United States. He says companies that make their products in the U.S. should get a 15 percent corporate tax rate. Countries that export their products to the U.S. will get tariffs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: But if you don't make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then very simply you will have to pay a tariff, differing amounts, but a tariff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: More now on Donald Trump's speech to the World Economic Forum from CNN's Richard Quest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: This was classic Donald Trump.

It was a fusillade of policies and wishes and possibilities, many of which will never actually come to fruition. But buried in the at least dozen topics that he raised, there were some major policy announcements.

For instance, he said he was going to ask NATO members to increase the amount that they spend from two percent of GDP to more than doubling it to five percent. He'd mentioned this several times during the campaign, but today was the first time he'd said he was actually going to do it.

Then he said he was going to ask the Saudis to increase the amount that they'd said they would invest in the United States from 5 or $600 billion to more than a trillion dollars.

And at the same time, he was going to insist, he said, that Saudi and OPEC lower oil prices, which would in turn allow for lower interest rates, conveniently not mentioning that he doesn't really have the power to unilaterally lower interest rates.

Perhaps for the European audience watching carefully, the biggest threat came on tariffs.

Donald Trump warned the world's business that if you manufacture in the United States, well, you would not only benefit from a lower corporate tax rate, you wouldn't be penalized with tariffs.

But if you chose to not manufacture in the U.S., which, as he said, is your prerogative, then there would be a variety of tariffs at different scales which would be imposed.

The world's leaders and now the world's business is in no doubt that this transactional president means business. No one can say they haven't been warned. Richard Quest, CNN, Davos.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: Leslie Vinjamuri is the head of U.S. and the Americas Program at the international affairs think tank Chatham House and joins us now live from London. Great to have you with us, Leslie.

[03:05:00]

A lot coming through from President Trump, speaking directly to the private sector, to world leaders and specifically on the threats of tariffs and saying you've got to manufacture things in the United States, which we all know if you want to industrialize further, that takes a lot of time.

Do you think the 15 percent tax incentive is going to be enough to try and move manufacturing into the United States?

LESLIE VINJAMURI, HEAD OF THE U.S. AND AMERICAS PROGRAM, CHATHAM HOUSE: This is, as you just said, a very long-term proposition, but it's also dangerous for national leaders around the world and in Europe who need to invest in their own economies and create jobs for their own people and develop their own talent.

So of course, this is a very difficult task. One of the things that's very interesting about this Davos speech is if you go back, it's been a phenomenal week, but a short one. It feels like a long one, but on Monday, President Trump's inauguration speech, he didn't speak about Europe. He spoke about Mexico and Canada and Panama.

So this was the first time that he'd really turned his attention, I guess, not surprisingly, it's Davos, but to Europe and really pushed a tough agenda against America's friends, America's partners and allies and this is the thing that I think Europeans have been waiting for, worried about.

But that economic agenda, he wants that manufacturing at home, and he's going to, at least with the words, push a very tough bargain.

GIOKOS: Absolutely. It seems to me that they're also just looking at the largest trade deficits that the United States has right now, which it does have a trade deficit with the E.U., and of course, the largest being China.

What are you anticipating in terms of a direct confrontation against China, not forgetting that China has enormous leverage because it does control a lot of the supply chain on critical minerals, something that the U.S. lacks?

VINJAMURI: Yes, I think people have been perhaps pleasantly surprised because of the risk of this confrontation spilling over into multiple geographies, multiple corridors. Nobody's looking with happiness towards that conflict getting worse. So he sort of started a little bit dialed down from what people anticipated, talking about 10 percent tariffs. He clearly likes President Xi. But you're right to say if you look at where Donald Trump is focused on those bilateral trade deficits, Mexico, Canada, the E.U., and China.

But there's a broader set of negotiations that, of course, Donald Trump can have with China. There's a question. He wants to end that war in Ukraine. China is important to that. If he can work behind the scenes to get China to lessen its support for Russia, that's one step towards putting more pressure on Russia.

And Donald Trump doesn't tend to want to go head to head with strongmen. So Europe right now is a target. The other thing he mentioned in the Davos speech, of course, is don't regulate and restrict our technology firms.

He's got a lot of ire for that. He's very close to the tech companies, wants to see deregulation, wants access for those U.S. companies. So I think, again, a tougher line on Europe than was elsewhere.

GIOKOS: Absolutely. It did feel sort of threatening in terms of what he's planning on the policy front.

In terms of the oil market, and he was very clear about this, and he was saying OPEC and Saudi Arabia needs to drop the oil price because that is going to help end the war in Ukraine, which is quite interesting because the economics don't really add up. If you see a low oil price, expecting a lot of investment in new projects in the U.S., it looks like a really tough task.

He's immediately getting himself into this oil conversation because he believes that this is going to help bring down inflation in the United States. Do you think that he's going to be able to pull this off?

VINJAMURI: It doesn't look like he will be able to pull this off. There's reasons for oil producers in the U.S. not to produce more oil. They are watching the price. It's not set by them. It's set globally, as we know.

But they will come under the pressure of the president of the United States. This is a very difficult political context now, where we have a president who's trying to, you know, set interest rates, push hard on deregulation tax cuts, tell oil producers what to do not only in the United States but globally.

And I guess, you know, what we're waiting to see now is does he follow through? What is the sanction or what mechanism does he use to try and coerce individuals, companies, foreign leaders to do his bidding?

[03:10:01]

Words are one thing. They create phenomenal uncertainty across multiple dimensions and policies. But, you know, following through with that threat is quite another.

GIOKOS: Absolutely. It's all about implementation at the end of the day, Leslie. And we see what will happen on that front. Leslie Vinjamuri in London. Thank you so much. Great to have you on.

Donald Trump says he's looking to reconnect with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Talking to Fox News, Trump noted how well he got along with Kim. These remarks come amid concern over North Korea's nuclear program.

In his first term, Trump was the first sitting U.S. president to enter North Korea. Talks related to denuclearization were the goal then, but those efforts ultimately stalled.

The Trump administration is also sending a signal about its other foreign policy priorities. It announced Marco Rubio's inaugural trip as the U.S. Secretary of State next week is expected to head to Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. Some of those countries have high migration rates to the U.S., which Mr. Trump has pledged to stop.

Officials say Rubio also had a phone call with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutter and spelled out Mr. Trump's immediate foreign policy goals. Rutter called it a good call.

President Trump said Thursday that he'd be open to hosting some of his supporters who stormed the capital on January 6, 2021. This comes after he pardoned most of the people who were charged in the attack hours into his second term.

Here's what Trump told reporters on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I don't know, I'm sure that they probably would like to. I did them something important. But what they did is they were protesting a crooked election.

I mean, people understand that also. And they were treated very badly. Nobody's been treated like that. So I'd be open to it, certainly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Well, there is no evidence that the 2020 election was crooked, as Mr. Trump put it there. He also lost a free and fair election to Joe Biden.

Now, meanwhile, the president shrugged off Elon Musk's criticism of his newly announced A.I. project. The Trump ally said he doubted that any of the participating companies had the $500 billion it needed to fund it. Mr. Trump said Musk simply hates one of the people involved.

Also Thursday, Mr. Trump revoked the security detail for his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Like former National Security Advisor John Bolton, Pompeo has received threats from Iran for his hardline policies. Here's what the president had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: When you don't have protection, you can't have it for the rest of your life. Do you want to have a large detail of people guarding people for the rest of their lives? I mean, there's risks to everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: And Mr. Trump signed an executive order Thursday releasing files related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Many of the files related to the JFK assassination have already been disclosed, including 13,000 documents released during the Biden administration.

Mr. Trump's pick for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could push his confirmation over the finish line today. That's when the Senate is set to hold a final vote on his nomination.

Hegseth narrowly cleared a key procedural vote yesterday, despite opposition from two Republicans, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins.

But the party still has enough votes to confirm him, even if those two votes no again.

Hegseth faces a string of accusations, including that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017. He denies the allegation. But documents newly obtained by CNN show he told the Senate that he paid his accuser $50,000 as part of a confidential settlement.

Hegseth's attorney says it costs less to pay the amount than to fight the case in court. For some Senate Republicans, Hegseth's explanations are good enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): Now I'm going through this last allegation. But unless I can point to specific, first-hand, corroborated testimony, I'm not going to cave to pressure. I'm going to vote for his confirmation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Well, he's only been in office a few days, but Donald Trump is already making good on campaign promises around U.S. immigration. We'll look at how immigrants and constitutional experts are reacting to the crackdown.

And with the ceasefire in Gaza, Israel shifts focus to the occupied West Bank. Palestinian officials say they're worried Israel wants to do the West Bank what it did to Gaza. We'll give you details on that story straight ahead. Stay with CNN.

[03:15:00]

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GIOKOS: Welcome back.

Now, Israeli forces killed two Palestinian men during its ongoing military operations in the occupied West Bank. Video shows the building where the men were killed in exchange of gunfire with Israeli troops now reduced to rubble. The two are suspected of carrying out a shooting attack that killed three Israelis and injured multiple people earlier this month.

Israel claims they were terrorists affiliated with Islamic Jihad, a militant group linked to Hamas. The deadly operation comes after Israel's prime minister on Tuesday declared the start of a, quote, "large-scale military operation targeting so-called terrorists in the West Bank."

Palestinian officials warn Israel is trying to replicate its Gaza offensive in the occupied territory.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VARSEN AGHABEKIAN, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER: They're telling us very clearly, we're done with Gaza for the time being. Now it's a time on the West Bank. And we will do on the West Bank what we have done on the Gaza Strip.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Over the past few days, Israel's expanded operations in the West Bank have killed at least 10 people. Palestinian officials say it has displaced thousands. It began shortly after the start of the delicate ceasefire process in Gaza.

Ninety Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli detentions as the ceasefire deal took effect earlier this week. In exchange, Hamas freed three Israeli hostages among the newly freed Palestinians and a West Bank journalist who was jailed for her social media posts.

Now after 10 harrowing months in Israeli jails, she is reunited with her family and her young daughter who barely knows her mother's face. CNN's Nada Bashir reports from Bethlehem in the West Bank.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Little Elia is still adjusting to finally having her mother back home. Rula Hassanein, a Palestinian journalist from the occupied West Bank, was arrested by Israeli security forces when her daughter was just nine months old.

Now, after 10 months in detention, she is among the first Palestinian prisoners to be freed as part of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement.

RULA HASSANEIN, PALESTINIAN JOURNALIST AND RELEASED DETAINEE (translated): Of course, my daughter forgot what I looked like. My husband and family members would show her photos of me. They would tell her that is your mother but a photo is nothing like the real thing. I would dream about my daughter a lot.

My first Ramadan after having Elia was spent in prison. I was in prison for her first Eid and I also missed out on the memory of her first birthday. BASHIR (voice-over): This was the moment Rula was reunited with her daughter and husband last week. Having suffered from health complications in the first few months of life, Rula says it was a relief to see her daughter doing well after almost a year of agonizing separation.

But Rula herself has also been through unimaginable suffering while in detention.

[03:20:02]

HASSANEIN (translated): During our transfer, we weren't allowed to drink water, eat any food, use the bathroom or even to pray.

BASHIR (voice-over): Rula says that the day she and 89 other prisoners were transferred for release as part of the ceasefire deal, they were subjected to hours of psychological and physical abuse.

She recalls that they were pushed down to their knees, dragged across the ground while handcuffed, and dressed only in thin layers while out in the cold. They were then made to watch hours of Israeli propaganda video before being released.

But, like so many other Palestinians in Israeli jails, abuse and harassment had become a daily occurrence for Rula.

BASHIR: What were the conditions like inside the prison?

HASSANEIN (translated): Regarding the female prisoners, they violated all international human rights to protect us. We were also deprived of our most essential private needs. During our time of the month, male guards would say we don't need to change our sanitary pads every hour, only every four or five hours.

They confiscated our underwear and left us with only one piece to wear. We saw female prisoners from Gaza who were brought to Damon Prison. Some of them looked like they were in a very different state.

During their time of the month their clothes would be covered by blood. It was horrifying. The guards were mocking them.

BASHIR (voice-over): The Israeli prison service has told CNN that they are not aware of any such claims. But the harsh conditions faced by Palestinians in Israeli jails has been widely documented.

In a report published in July 2024, the U.N. Human Rights Office said Palestinian detainees are subjected to systematic beatings, humiliation and threats, in addition to severe restrictions on food, water and essential hygiene products.

Like many Palestinians, Rula was tried before a military court rather than a civil court, and later charged with incitement on social media of a post shared where she had expressed frustration over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.

HASSANEIN (translated): It isn't a new policy to hold Palestinians accountable for their thoughts. Many Palestinians have been targeted for their art or writing. It has become so easy for them to arrest someone simply by accusing them of incitement on social media.

BASHIR (voice-over): For Rula, it is impossible to forget the suffering that she and other Palestinian detainees have been forced to endure. But, she says, her focus now is on enjoying each moment with her daughter and husband.

Nada Bashir, CNN, in Bethlehem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: Live now to Tel Aviv and Mairav Zonszein, Senior Analyst with the International Crisis Group joins us. Mairav, great to have you with us.

We're expecting to see the release of hostages this weekend. There's so many questions about how fragile and delicate the ceasefire hostage deal is. With what we're seeing in the West Bank right now, are you worried that we could see this entire negotiation, this entire process falling apart and being derailed?

MAIRAV ZONSZEIN, SR. ANALYST, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: Well, it's certainly a concern, although I think that currently both parties, Hamas and Israel, have an interest in seeing the ceasefire go through for now.

Seeing the release of hostages, Hamas has promised and gotten in this deal now that after the hostages are released, residents that were displaced from northern Gaza will be able to return, even though they don't have much to return to. That has been a very important part of the process.

So I see it going through now. But in the West Bank, it's important to keep in mind that Israel has been conducting raids in places like Jenin for a very long time, and they have not actually been effective.

And so when the defense minister talks about learning the lessons from Gaza in the West Bank and trying to eradicate terrorism in the West Bank, it's ironic that he's saying that, because we've seen that Israel's military campaign in Gaza for months has not been able to remove Hamas from power or, you know, other than, obviously, to dismantle parts of its military. It hasn't removed it completely.

So it's unclear how they think the same kind of methods can work in the West Bank. And so for now, to me, this is mostly a strategy of Israel separating between the West Bank and Gaza, even though, as we all know, the Palestinian people claim both areas as a future state and they are one population.

So what happens in the West Bank obviously affects people in Gaza and vice versa.

GIOKOS: Absolutely. And this is why it sort of becomes a question as to what it means for future negotiations. Mairav, in terms of what we heard from the Palestinian Authority's foreign minister speaking in Davos at the World Economic Forum saying that Israel wants to do in the West Bank what it's done to Gaza, do you think that that is a risk? Do you think that could be a probability?

[03:25:09]

ZONSZEIN: Well, look, the Israeli government, the Netanyahu coalition is openly and explicitly against the Authority, against the Palestinian state, against any kind of political process.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is really the one who came out against the deal but stayed in the government, in many ways what we're seeing now is kind of a gesture to him and his settler base saying, yes, okay, we've stopped the fire in Gaza, but we're going to keep doing what we're doing in the West Bank.

And you have a real issue of leadership. I mean, if you think about Palestinians in the West Bank, all they know is Netanyahu in Israel and Mahmoud Abbas in the Palestinian Authority. These are both corrupt and very anti-democratic leaders.

So they don't have a political landscape to look forward to. So it's a real concern, and there's no day-after plan for Gaza at this point, and there's no alternative.

So you de facto are left with Hamas. And the more that Israel acts in the way that it does, actually we see in the West Bank that Hamas' popularity has risen.

So Israel has legitimate concerns now that it's releasing prisoners to the West Bank. But again, I have yet to see how its actions in the West Bank have been effective.

GIOKOS: So let's talk about President Trump, who had a phone call with the Saudi Crown Prince NBS and specifically talking about investment and transactions. The question is, under the Trump administration, would they be pursuing a Palestinian state, something that Saudi Arabia really does want to see, if they are going to normalize relations with Israel and then we can talk about sort of a day after. What is your sense about how the U.S. will be looking at this war?

ZONSZEIN: Well, look, I mean, we don't know what Trump exactly is going to do, but we know that he wants this. He wanted the ceasefire and hostage deal. He wanted the issue off his table. And he does seem to have aspirations.

We know that the Trump plan from his previous term, the deal of the century, he called it a two-state solution, a Palestinian state, but it wasn't actually a viable Palestinian state. It wasn't something that Palestinians could accept. It's not a sustainable solution. But it is a starting point. It's better maybe than nothing.

So it's very possible that he wants to move forward with that for his own interests and vis-a-vis Saudi. And the Saudis have yet to say exactly what their terms would be.

So a key question here is, what is the Saudi demand for Israeli concessions to the Palestinians? And I imagine that since October 7 and what we've seen in Gaza, it would have to be quite high and concrete, or at least we would hope so. So then the question becomes, what can the Netanyahu government do if it really wants Saudi normalization on the Palestinian issue?

And we've heard his strategic affairs minister, Ron Dermer, talk about how there is no promise for a Palestinian state, but that there is something that they can do that connects to the day after in Gaza. So it's hard to speculate at this point how the pieces of the puzzle would come together.

I think the big question now is, is the Trump administration going to make sure that the ceasefire is seen through? If it reaches its final stage, then I think we have more of an opportunity for diplomacy.

GIOKOS: All right. Mairav Zonszein, great to have you with us. Thank you so much for your insights.

Now, the International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders for alleged gender-based crimes. The ICC chief prosecutor says they believe that the Taliban's supreme leader and chief justice have committed crimes against humanity. The applications for arrest warrants still need to be approved by a judge.

Afghan women and girls have been living under the Taliban's repressive rules since the group rose back to power more than three years ago. One activist tells CNN this announcement, quote, "gives us hope that our voices are not forgotten."

And coming up, the latest on the massive wildfire near Los Angeles and the urgent effort to contain it.

Plus, an immigration battle is brewing in the United States. Donald Trump wants to end birthright citizenship, but a federal judge says not so fast. More on that, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Welcome back to all of our viewers from around the world. I'm Eleni Giokos, in Abu Dhabi. This is "CNN Newsroom." U.S. President Donald Trump's long-promised immigration crackdown is now underway.

But a federal judge says his executive order ending birthright citizenship is, quote, blatantly unconstitutional. The judge, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan, has now issued a temporary restraining order to block it.

He said, in part, quote, "I have been on the bench for over four decades. I can't remember another case where the question presented was as clear." But Trump isn't giving up on the matter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: No, obviously, we'll appeal it. They put it before a certain judge in Seattle, I guess, right? And there's no surprises with that judge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Leigh Waldman has more on the constitutional issues and arguments being made about birthright citizenship.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN: This next order relates to the definition of birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment of the United States.

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A court battle is brewing over President Donald Trump's executive order declaring an end to birthright citizenship. But the CEO of the National Constitution Center says the 14th Amendment is clear.

JEFFREY ROSEN, CEO, NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER: Ever since the amendment was passed in the 19th century, that's been interpreted to mean that if you're born in the United States, you're automatically a citizen, whether or not your parents are here illegally.

WALDMAN (voice-over): The 14th Amendment resulted from overturning the 1857 Dred Scott decision, which denied citizenship to black people and upheld slavery in U.S. territories. The executive order keys in on one phrase in the amendment, subject to the jurisdiction thereof.

ROSEN: They're suggesting that if you're here illegally or your parents are here illegally, they have allegiance to a foreign power, in other words, another government, and therefore that you're not a citizen.

WALDMAN (voice-over): Rosen says trying to end birthright citizenship isn't a simple task.

ROSEN: Basically, the Supreme Court would have to change its mind and reject an interpretation of birthright citizenship that goes back more than 100 years.

WALDMAN (voice-over): The executive order aims to end birthright citizenship for children born after it was signed. But Hiroshi Motomura, immigration scholar at UCLA, says he worries about the thousands of people born before.

HIROSHI MOTOMURA, IMMIGRATION SCHOLAR, UCLA: That creates a precariousness that I think has a real potential to undermine societal cohesion for many people in this country.

WALDMAN (voice-over): In New York, I'm Leigh Waldman.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: With arrests already being executed in places like Boston, cities across the country are bracing for more immigration action, CNN's Whitney Wild reports out of Chicago.

[03:35:04]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over)): With President Trump moving swiftly to deport undocumented immigrants across the country.

WILD: What does this space mean to you? What does this room mean to you?

WILD (voice-over): Relief is one aspect of it. I feel calm because I'm sheltered. This bedroom is part home, part hiding place for this woman, whose name we are withholding because she fears deportation.

A lot of helplessness because I'm nervous, she says. I'm anxious. I'm afraid of losing this trip I took across the Darien. I'm afraid of losing those dreams of having something in my country because I'm 50 years old, she says.

She has been in the U.S. for more than a year. She hoped to make some money here and then go back to Venezuela, where her two children and mother stayed. She had planned to find a job this week, but was too afraid to leave this apartment.

I put on makeup today because I had a job interview, and it was really like putting on a mask because I'm really devastated, she says.

Fear is spreading as the Trump administration makes clear cities like Chicago, a sanctuary city, are major targets for enforcement. Here local ordinances generally bar officials from helping immigration and customs officials unless there is a criminal warrant.

TOM HOMAN, WHITE HOUSE BORDER CZAR: If they're in the United States illegally, they're going to be arrested too. So sanctuary cities are going to get exactly what they don't want. More agents in the communities, more people arrested, more collaterals arrested. So that's a game they want to play? Game on.

WILD (voice-over): Now the Department of Justice is threatening to prosecute local and state officials who obstruct, resist or fail to enforce immigration law.

The impact of stepped-up immigration actions could be massive, according to leaders here, particularly for businesses who regularly use migrant labor. Here in heavily Hispanic Little Village, normally busy streets are slow.

JENNIFER AGUILAR, LITTLE VILLAGE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Ever since the word got out over the weekend, we have seen and heard from our small businesses that flood traffic and that the amount of people they're seeing is just going down drastically.

WILD (voice-over): It's a real fear that is impacting an entire community. SAM TOIA, ILLINOIS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION: We're a very independent

restaurant community, not a chain restaurant, so we could see some of our independent restaurants closing.

WILD (voice-over): With so much uncertain, this woman can only hope to still fulfill her dream. I came here for something, she says. I came to fight, I came to get ahead, and I haven't done anything. I don't want to feel like a failure. Whitney Wild, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: The mayor of Newark, New Jersey, says agents have detained undocumented immigrants and citizens alike in his city without producing a warrant. CNN has not been able to independently verify the mayor's statements. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it will not comment on ongoing investigations.

All right. Fire crews are gaining ground on the latest major inferno to scorch the Los Angeles area. The Hughes fire in north of the city is now 36 percent contained, but tens of thousands of people remain under evacuation orders and warnings, and an estimated 14,000 structures are at risk. No casualties have been reported. And CNN's Veronica Miracle picks up the story for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you look in the distance just here where the fire burned through all of this hillside, you'll see a pink line in the distance. That's a line of fire retardant made of fertilizer, and it's used to stop the fire from growing.

And you can see here it really did its job, because closest to us there's burned hillside, but then just beyond it there's a vegetation that did not burn, which is incredible news.

If we walk just a little bit this way, you can really get a scope of the apocalyptic landscape and what firefighters were contending with. The rugged hillsides, they brought in bulldozers and hand crews, and they also had to attack this from the air to make sure that the flames did not reach nearby communities, which they were able to do.

Also today, California Governor Gavin Newsom is signing a $2.5 billion relief package. That's going to be money that will be used for victims of the recent fires, as well as for restoration and cleanup. Veronica Miracle, CNN, Castaic, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: Ireland and parts of the United Kingdom are facing hurricane- force winds. Storm Eowyn, a bomb cyclone, is expected to peak in the morning hours over Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The worst of the winds will then transition into Scotland and Northern England. Now, red-wind-level warnings have been issued. The highest level of warning, a bomb cyclone, is a mid-latitude storm that has a rapid pressure drop or strengthens quickly. [03:40:00]

The mother of missing American journalist, Austin Tice, returns to Syria to find her son, still ahead, while she believes he's still there in a safe house.

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GIOKOS: Syria's new government is urging the new U.S. administration to lift its sanctions from the country. The Syrian foreign minister says they've been in contact with the Trump team and that the sanctions should be lifted to support stability and security. The sanctions have been in place for many years, partly because Syria was designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the United States.

But the country's Assad regime was toppled last month in a campaign led by HTS, a group that emerged from a former al-Qaeda affiliate. HTS is now designating and distancing itself from the terrorist organization.

An American journalist disappeared in Syria in 2012, and Austin Tice's mother remains desperate for answers. The U.S. government claims Tice was held by the Assad regime, but with Bashar al-Assad now ousted from power, Debra Tice went back to Syria to search for her son.

CNN's Clarissa Ward has more.

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CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the story of the lengths a mother will go to to find her son. It's the story of so many Syrian mothers and one American. For 12 and a half years, Debra Tice has not stopped looking for U.S. journalist Austin Tice.

Taken at a regime checkpoint in Syria in 2012, he has been missing ever since. One of many thousands who disappeared in the prisons of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Six weeks after Assad's ouster, Debra is now going back to Damascus. Joined by the head of Hostage Aid Worldwide, Nizar Zakka, who is coordinating the search.

DEBRA TICE, MOTHER OF AUSTIN TICE: Almost 10 years since I was here.

NIZAR ZAKKA, PRESIDENT, HOSTAGE AID WORLDWIDE: When was the last time?

TICE: The last time I was here was in 2015 in May.

WARD (voice-over): At the hotel in Damascus, a group of journalists eagerly await her arrival. But for now, there are more questions than answers.

TICE: It's hard for me to think about how, what is my way forward here? You know, Austin has been held by the Syrian government all this time. Who is holding him now? Where is he? How, what is the approach? I mean, it's like it's first grade again.

WARD: And where do you think he is? What do you know? What can you share?

TICE: I feel like he is still in Syria. And I do think it's most likely he's in a safe house.

WARD: Are you saying that based on what you feel or what you know?

TICE: There's some of each. There's some of each.

[03:45:05]

WARD (voice-over): Faith has played a vital role in Debra's journey. First thing Sunday morning, she heads to St. Anthony's Church, the place she came to pray on an almost daily basis when she first visited Damascus in 2014, and ended up staying three and a half months trying to gain Austin's release.

Prayers are needed by so many here, dotted around the city, flyers with photos of those who disappeared under the Assad regime, leaving devastated families desperately looking for answers.

For Debra and Nizar, the prisons where they believe Austin was detained hold important clues. They visit al-Khatib prison, where Nizar's team has discovered some graffiti that the Tice family is convinced was written by Austin.

Debra has been stealing her cell for this moment for weeks and is intent on seeing it for herself.

WARD: Okay. Take a minute. Okay. Okay.

TICE: You want to hold that for me? Okay, I'm going to take that.

WARD: You want me to hold the light for you?

TICE: Yes, yes, yes, yes.

WARD: All right, I'll hold the light for you.

TICE: Okay.

WARD: I'll go in first. Okay. It's very small in here, okay?

TICE: Okay.

WARD (voice-over): The Tice family asked us not to show the graffiti itself out of respect for their privacy.

TICE: I'm going to stay in here for a minute.

WARD: Okay.

TICE: I just want to be in here for a minute, just for a minute.

WARD: Sure.

TICE: I hardly even know what to say about that experience. It was beyond anything I could have imagined. These pictures don't even begin to tell you how unbelievably, unbelievably horrible, awful, terrible, nightmare they are.

WARD (voice-over): At a press conference the next day, Debra talks about her experience visiting the prisons.

TICE: For all the mothers whose sons were disappeared in these dungeons, our hearts are joined. For all those looking now for answers about their family members, I am here with you in solidarity.

WARD (voice-over): Unlike those Syrian mothers, Debra and Nizar were able to meet with Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Shara, who offered support and confidence.

ZAKKA: He believes, like all of us, that Austin is alive and he's going to be joined with his mom. And we promised him that when he's back, we're going to come visit Shara again with Austin.

WARD: A lot of people will think after the fall of the Assad regime, after the prisons were opened, more than a month later, the fact that Austin doesn't turn up, hasn't turned up, is not a good sign. And there are many people who assume that he was likely killed.

How do you know or do you know with conviction that he is alive?

ZAKKA: We have enough information collected that Austin is alive and is in a safe house, is controlled somehow by the regime. We are receiving this information from the highest sources, confirming what we believe in.

So we don't see any reason, any reason to think differently. In fact, we didn't have one thing, ever, nobody provided one single evidence that Austin is not alive.

WARD (voice-over): It's Monday afternoon, the day of the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump.

WARD: Have you been in contact with the Trump administration? Do you feel optimistic?

TICE: Oh, I feel hugely optimistic. And one of the main things is that his people reached out to me. I mean, they are in. They are ready. They want to go with it. They want Austin home.

WARD (voice-over): Looking out at the city as the sun starts to fade, Debra's hopes are high.

TICE: You remember the feeling of the baby's almost due? You know, that kind of thing of just waiting, you know, when are we going to be together again? I have very much that kind of feeling.

WARD: Do you feel when you look around that you're closer to him?

TICE: Yes, I feel like I'm closer to him. I feel like he knows that I'm here.

[03:50:04]

WARD (voice-over): The next morning, it's time to leave. But Debra is certain she will be back, and soon.

Clarissa Ward, CNN, Damascus.

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GIOKOS: TikTok's future with American users is still in limbo. Just ahead, how billionaire Elon Musk, YouTube influencer Mr. Beast, and others may be close to sealing a deal to buy the popular social media site. We'll be back after this short break.

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GIOKOS: U.S. prosecutors say a nearly four-minute audio recording captured the former interpreter of MLB star Shohei Otani, impersonating the Japanese baseball player on a phone call with a bank.

The interpreter allegedly can be heard identifying himself as Otani and attempting to transfer some $200,000 from a bank account. Prosecutors referenced the recording in a court filing as they pushed for a nearly five-year sentence.

The interpreter previously pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud for stealing almost $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers star player. He is due to be sentenced in early February.

Several potential buyers are emerging as serious contenders to become the new possible American owner of the social media site TikTok. The U.S. law to impose a ban if the website was not sold to an American was delayed for 75 days by President Donald Trump. And any deal still must be approved by TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance.

CNN's Brian Todd has the details for us.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With a 75-day clock well past its starting gun, the outlines of a possible deal to purchase TikTok are starting to take shape, driven in no small measure by President Trump, who's pressing potential buyers to purchase 50 percent of TikTok.

TRUMP: What I'm thinking about saying to somebody is buy it and give half to the United States of America, half, and we'll give you the permit.

TODD (voice-over): On inauguration day, Trump gave TikTok a 75-day reprieve before being banned in the U.S., unless the platform's operations in the U.S. are sold to an American buyer.

Until now, TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance has rejected a sale, but a board member of ByteDance now predicts there will be some type of deal.

UNKNOWN: Do you believe a deal will get done?

UNKNOWN: Yes, I do believe it will get done.

TODD (voice-over): So who are the best known potential buyers?

JIMMY MR. BEAST DONALDSON, YOUTUBE INFLUENCER: I might become your guys' new CEO. I'm super excited.

TODD (voice-over): Mr. Beast, the super influencer on YouTube with more followers on that platform than anyone, almost 350 million, claims he's putting in a bid for TikTok.

DONALDSON: Just got out of a meeting with a bunch of billionaires. TikTok, we mean business. This is my lawyer right here. We have an offer ready for you. We want to buy the platform. America deserves TikTok. Give me a seat at the table. Let me save this platform, TikTok.

TODD (voice-over): The engaging 26-year-old star, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has made a fortune and a gigantic following, posting videos of contests, stunts and huge giveaways.

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: It makes sense why you would want to have an influencer who understands these platforms so well, what makes them work, what makes users attracted to them.

TODD (voice-over): Another potential purchaser? None other than the first buddy, Elon Musk, who Chinese officials have been thinking of selling at least a portion of TikTok to, according to the "Wall Street Journal" and Bloomberg.

[03:55:00]

TODD: Why would the Chinese want to do that?

SARA FISCHER, MEDIA CORRESPONDENT, AXIOS: Because they would have an in with Trump. Elon Musk has become such an ally to Donald Trump, there's no question that China wants to develop that relationship further.

TODD (voice-over): President Trump, Musk's new boss, was asked about that idea.

UNKNOWN: Are you open to Elon buying TikTok?

TRUMP: I would be if he wanted to buy it, yes.

TODD (voice-over): Trump says he's also in favor of Oracle CEO Larry Ellison buying TikTok.

There's also been a bid from a group including Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary and former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.

How anxious are TikTok users in the U.S. for anyone to step up and buy it?

DUFFY: I mean, it's huge. These are people who rely on this platform for not just dance videos and cat videos, but in many, many cases for their careers, for their livelihood.

TODD: CNN's Clare Duffy says any American buyer would most likely have at least one big challenge. They would probably have to buy TikTok's U.S. operations without the app's successful algorithm, the formula TikTok uses to feed you the best videos to keep you hooked, instead of videos and pictures from your friends like you see on Instagram and Facebook.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

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GIOKOS: A song Tina Turner recorded but never used for the hit album "Private Dancer" was considered lost. Now, after four decades, it has been rediscovered. The rock star recorded "Hot For You, Baby" at Capitol Studios in Hollywood.

It was found again and played for the first time on the BBC's Radio 2 Breakfast show on Thursday. Have a listen.

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Very cool. "Private Dancer" was a comeback album and a huge hit for Turner in 1984. "Hot For You, Baby" will be included in an anniversary reissue of the album in March called "The Queen of Rock and Roll." Turner died in May 2023 at the age of 83.

Now, 25 newborn panda cubs in China made their public debut on Thursday. The event, called Lucky Wishes and Adorable Newcomers, is part of a celebration for the upcoming Chinese New Year.

It featured two groups of the cubs born last year. They were seen playing with sticky rice balls, snake-shaped toys and symbols of good fortune, red lanterns.

I'm Eleni Giokos. Thanks so much for joining me this hour. I'll be back with more news after a quick break.

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