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U.S. Justice Department Fired Officers Who Investigated Trump; China's DeepSeek Shakes Up Global Tech; Trump, Colombia Tariff Threats Made "Respected Again." Palestinians Return to Northern Gaza After Israel Grants Access; Eight Hostages to Be Released in Phase One Are Dead Says Israel; Rwanda-backed M23 Rebels Claim to Seize Goma; 400,000 People in DRC Displaced Since the Start of the Year as Per U.N.; Fears of Wider Regional Conflict as M23 Rebels Advance; South Korea Reports Initial Findings on Jeju Air Crash; World Marks 80 Years Since the Liberation of Auschwitz; Rescuers Evacuate Residents From Western France Floods; Japan Defeats France to Win the Pastry World Cup. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired January 28, 2025 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to our -- all our viewers joining us in the U.S. and around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Just ahead. Purging the U.S. Justice Department officials who prosecuted Donald Trump a fire. Carrying out Trump's deportation plan, authorities launch more immigration raids across the country.
And the Chinese A.I. model that's taking the world by storm at a fraction of the cost.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.
KINKADE: A massive shake up at the Department of Justice. The acting U.S. Attorney General has begun firing staffers. He says the DOJ can't trust to carry out the agenda of President Trump. The news came in a memo on Monday saying, "you are being removed from your position at the Department of Justice effective immediately." It was sent to specific individuals deemed to have played a significant role in the criminal investigations into Donald Trump.
Also on Monday, the interim U.S. attorney in Washington launched what he called a special project investigating prosecutors who tried and failed to charge some January 6 rioters with obstruction. Speaking at an event Monday, President Trump made light of his multiple criminal cases.
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DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was investigated more than any human being in history. Scarface was not investigated as much as your president was investigated. And it turned out to be a positive thing for me. Can you believe it? It turned out to be -- we got a lot of votes. I think we got a lot of votes because they saw was weaponization. It was a fight against a political opponent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: CNN's Paula Reid has more on the memo issued at the Justice Department.
PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: President Trump has repeatedly vowed retribution against those who investigated him, and these firings are one of the first moves he is making. In a letter, the acting Attorney General told these employees, you played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump. The proper functioning of government critically depends on the trust superior officials place in their subordinates.
Giving your significant role in prosecuting the president, I do not believe that the leadership of the department can trust you to assist in implementing the President's agenda faithfully. Now we're told this move impacts more than a dozen employees, but of course, Jack Smith his top prosecutors. They had already left before Trump returned to office. This is mostly focused on career officials who are supposed to be protected from political retaliation.
And that wasn't the only news Monday out of the Justice Department. They also took the first concrete steps to investigate prosecutors who worked on the January 6 cases. Now the interim US. Attorney Ed Martin has launched an investigation into prosecutors who charged January 6 rioters with obstruction of justice. This is a charge that was used in a few 100 cases, but the Supreme Court ruled last year that it was improper to use that charge, saying obstruction of justice can only be used in the context of interfering with a congressional investigation, not for actions related to January 6.
So, now the Trump Justice Department is seeking all documents, e-mails and notes related to those decisions to charge folks with obstruction of justice. Now, one senior administration official calls this "a fact-finding mission," saying the prior office screwed up by filing hundreds of cases that ended up getting thrown out by the Supreme Court, and it is worth getting to the bottom of poor decision making.
But there are also concerns that this is all part of an effort to undermine the legitimacy of the entire January 6 prosecution.
Paula, Reid, CNN, Washington.
KINKADE: A Colombian plane transporting 110 of its citizens from the U.S. is due to arrive home in the coming hours. Colombia's president says deported passages will travel home in dignity, without handcuffs and chains. It comes after a major diplomatic spot between Colombia's government and the Trump administration over the White House's treatment of undocumented migrants.
President Trump is claiming victory, saying his threats of massive tariffs, Visa holdups and other diplomatic retribution gives the United States the upper hand.
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TRUMP: We're respected again. Isn't that nice? After years of laughing at us like we're stupid people, and as you saw yesterday, we've made it clear to every country that they will be taking back our people that were sending out, the criminals that -- the illegal aliens coming from their country, we're taking them back.
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KINKADE: The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office says nearly 1200 people were arrested across the country Monday in the administration's crackdown. Trump is reportedly disappointed with that number his border czar told CNN that he wants to arrest and deport as many as we can over the next year. The raids are also being orchestrated for T.V. and social media, with agents being told to show up camera ready, wearing full tactical gear and jackets with prominent ICE and Homeland Security logos. CNN's Ed Lavandera reports.
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ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Trump administration is celebrating images of immigration officers fanning out across the country, arresting undocumented migrants. President supporters call it a new day in controlling the U.S. southern border.
REP. TONY GONZALES (R-TX): I think what I've seen in the first week has been very positive as far as deporting people that deserve to be deported. These convicted criminal aliens need to go home.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, or ICE, says in the last four days, it has arrested an average of 593 people a day who will face deportation. In Colorado, the Drug Enforcement Administration says nearly 50 people suspected of being undocumented gang members were taken into custody Sunday. ICE officials say they carried out enhanced targeted operations in Chicago searching for criminal immigrants.
In Georgia, cameras recorded ICE agents arresting a Honduran man in his 50s at his home. The man's family says he is a construction worker with no criminal record other than a ticket for driving without a license. While the Trump administration is touting its deportation efforts, critics say not much has really changed in Trump's first week from the Biden era. In fiscal year 2023, the Biden administration deported about 390 people a day, according to ICE data. That jumped to 743 a day in 2024.
REP. VERONICA ESCOBAR (D-TX): What the Trump administration is doing right now is performative. A form of propaganda so that he can tell his base, look, I'm doing exactly what I told you I was going to do.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): The Trump administration is also boosting the military presence along the southern border. More than 1,500 troops have been brought in and will be deployed along various points on the border. Texas Governor Greg Abbott is also bringing in 400 additional National Guard soldiers to work alongside Border Patrol agents.
TOM HOMAN, BORDER POLICY ADVISER: They're down there to create a secure border and knock that border down. And DODs helped administrations before, but not at this level. So it's a force multiplier and it's sending a strong signal to the world our borders are closed.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Tom Homan is the Trump administration's border czar and he's vowing more arrests to come, which is triggering a sense of fear among immigrant communities across the country, especially among farm workers.
TERESA ROMERO, PRESIDENT, UNITED FARM WORKERS: Right now, farm workers are not even opening their doors to anybody who knock on their doors because they are afraid that it's going to be somebody who's going to take you, who's going to separate you from the family. So this is the worst that I personally have seen in many years.
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LAVANDERA: There have been some operational changes here on the ground along the U.S. southern border. Military aircraft are now being used to carry out deportations, repatriating undocumented immigrants back to their home countries, as well as more cooperation, interagency cooperation in terms of being able to arrest undocumented immigrants around the country. So, we have seen those changes. But the question is, just how long will this be sustainable?
Ed Lavandera, CNN, El Paso Texas.
KINKADE: Joining me now is Sonny Subia. Colorado Director for the League of United Latin American Citizens. And Sophia Zaman, the executive director of Raise the Floor Alliance. Good to have you both with us.
SONNY SUBIA, COLORADO DIRECTOR, THE LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS: Thank you for having me.
SOPHIA ZAMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, RAISE THE FLOOR ALLIANCE: Thanks for having us.
KINKADE: I'll start with you first, Sonny. So, multiple federal agencies are now conducting these raids. You are seeing migrant workers. You're talking with them. What are they telling you?
SUBIA: Just that they're scared and with some of the raids that they've conducted over the weekend, a lot of our migrants and are workers, are folks that are afraid and they don't know what's coming around the corner.
KINKADE: And Sophia, your organization is one of four that is suing the federal government over these weekend rates. Can you tell us on what grounds? ZAMAN: Sure. So, Raise the Floor Alliance is a coalition of worker centers that builds power with workers, including immigrant workers, who are highly concentrated in Chicago's low wage industries and highly exploited. You know, our organizations, along with the other organizational plaintiffs have long fought to make Chicago a welcoming city. And now we, you know, we join this lawsuit because we believe that we're being targeted by the Trump administration for our political advocacy and our views which is unconstitutional and a violation of our First Amendment rights.
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You know, President Trump made his disdain for the sanctuary movement very clear when he was campaigning for president and now he's using arbitrary mass immigration enforcement to sow fear among our communities.
KINKADE: And Sonny, those who are conducting the raids have reportedly been told by the Trump administration to ramp up the deportation numbers. What can you tell us about the daily quotas and the risk of having a higher quota?
SUBIA: We've heard of the code is that they're starting to set here in Colorado and across the country. And LULAC, which is the largest Latino organization in the country and the oldest. We have thousands of councils across the country that are sharing the same concern with the -- our local officials about the quota system. But what it's going to do and the populations that it's going to affect.
You know, LULAC, of course, is for deporting any violent and criminals from the United States. But what we're afraid of is that they capture some legal residents in those raids that they're conducting across Colorado and across the country. So, we're here to make sure that their civil rights aren't infringe on and that they are educated and that they understand that they do have rights even after they are arrested or detained.
KINKADE: What are those rights? So, they -- you're talking rights for undocumented migrants?
SUBIA: Yes. You know, they have the right to a hearing. Some of them that are legal residents, we've been telling them to make sure that you have all your documentation in place. And if you ever are slept up in a deportation rate, to make sure that you have the documentation to prove that you're here legally, that you're a law abiding citizen, and that you're abiding by all the laws of the land.
KINKADE: We heard earlier tonight from Trump's border czar who basically said, if you're in the country without documentation leave or risk deportation. What do you make of that sort of, I guess, that commentary and have you given that advice to anyone?
ZAMAN: So, Raise the Floor Alliance in the sanctuary movement, our belief is that all people are -- should be treated with respect, with dignity, and that harsh, inhumane immigration enforcement is not the answer to what our city or what our communities need. I would echo that everyone deserves due process, and I think that this administration's focus on using the most egregious examples to dehumanize immigrants and to justify their actions.
You know, the intent is to have a chilling effect on our organizing but, you know, again, this vilification is not reflective of the real harms that are happening to our community. And, you know, I, you know, we filed this lawsuit and we're continuing to organize because, you know, we want to keep our families together and we won't be intimidated. So, we'll continue to ensure that Chicago is safe and welcoming for all.
KINKADE: And final word to you, Sonny. What do you make of that statement from Trump's border czar basically saying, if you don't have documentation, leave.
SUBIA: He's just trying to raise fear in the community so they will self deport. A lot of them are here. They -- they're raising their families. Their kids are in school. They're hard working taxpayers and they are a benefit to our communities. You know, with our construction I live in North of Denver, it's one of the fastest growing regions in the United States as far as growth, and what we're seeing is that a lot of the construction, agriculture, farming, dairy, they're seeing their employees not showing up for work.
The one thing that concerns me a little bit is parents are afraid to take their kids to school. The fear of being picked up by ICE. I know the borders czar said that -- and churches now are on the table with -- to raids. And so, our communities listening to this and they're becoming very frightened and they're just needing information and that's what LULAC is doing.
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We're going to be working with all of our councils to start telling our immigrant community and sharing them and ensure that they know what their rights are as citizens.
KINKADE: Sonny Subia, appreciate your time especially given it is your birthday. Very Happy birthday to you and thank you for your time. Thank you also, Sophia Zaman.
SUBIA: Thank you.
ZAMAN: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, in the past few hours, another memo revealed the White House will pause all federal grants and law and disbursement in the coming day. Activities that could be impacted include foreign aid, diversity, equity and inclusion programs and what is being called woke gender ideology. The President also signed an executive order banning transgender individuals from enlisting in the military.
Among other directives, the order course of the military to establish and maintain gender segregated spaces.
An emerging A.I. startup in China has sent the tech world into a frenzy. Just ahead. The latest on DeepSeek's R1 model and how it's revving up the industry giants like ChatGPT.
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KINKADE: Well, a Chinese startup has shocked U.S. markets by threatening America's lead in artificial intelligence. The NASDAQ finished sharply lower on Monday, down over three percent. Tech giants like Microsoft, Google and Meta were hit hard during the sell off. The chip maker NVIDIA suffered the worst drop, down nearly $600 billion in market value. It's the largest single day loss in stock market history.
The Chinese company DeepSeek caught the tech world by surprise after showcasing recent advancements in its artificial intelligence. R1 is replicating the familiar features of a ChatGPT style interface but operating at a fraction of the cost. With China's restricted access to newer chip technology, this high-performance model is also able to run on less advanced, cheaper hardware.
President Trump claims the innovation should be a wakeup call for Silicon Valley. With more on these developments, I want to welcome CNN's Kristie Lu Stout who joins us from Hong Kong. Great to see you, Kristie. So, this small Chinese startup rattling the markets after unveiling a model and a model at just a fraction of the cost, what can you tell us about it?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. China's DeepSeek is a young Chinese Internet startup. It's based in Zhejiang. It has been stunning the world, rocking U.S. markets, and it all started last week, but the claim that it's made a claim that number of analysts are questioning. It was last week when DeepSeek unveiled this new generative A.I. model. It was called R1. It is a chat bot, much like ChatGPT but it was created with a fraction of the cost.
In fact, DeepSeek claims that it only spent about $5.6 million U.S, on the computing model behind it. Compare that to the very steep price tag that was paid by Western Tech A.I. giants like Meta, OpenAI and Google that have paid hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars on their underlying A.I. platforms. Now that is what caused the market route on Wall Street on Monday, the tech world has been definitely shaken in the West.
We saw the NASDAQ fall some three percent. We saw shares of NVIDIA, the A.I. chip giant, fall close to 17 percent. And analysts are saying we want to see the receipts here. We want to prove this mind-blowing claim from this Chinese A.I. startup. In fact, this is what we heard from Isaac Stone Fish. He is his tech analyst, a CEO and founder of Strategy Risks. And he tells CNN this, let's bring it up for you.
It says, "How much did it actually cost DeepSeek to train its model? We won't know that until someone is properly audited its claims and the research paper it released." Now, meanwhile, we've also been looking further into the company itself and its founder. His name is Liang Wenfeng. He recently attended a symposium that was hosted by the Chinese Premier Lee Chang. That's a picture of him at the right there. Attending the symposium, it took place earlier this month.
His company is based in Zhejiang. According to state media, his lab only (INAUDIBLE) of less than 10 people. And Liang has also spoken on the record, on occasion to Chinese media, talking about his tech philosophy and he has talked about the need for Chinese companies to work and to shift from imitation to originality. In fact, this is what he said recently from the founder of DeepSeek saying this, "We often say there's a one or two-year gap between China and the U.S. but the real gap is between originality and imitation. If this doesn't change, China will always be a follower."
And then also adds that China cannot be in a follower position forever. Lynda?
KINKADE: Interesting. We will talk again soon. No doubt. Kristie Lou Stout. Good to have you with us. Thanks so much.
STOUT: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, as intense fighting continues in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the government blames neighboring Rwanda for backing a rebel offensive. Coming up, why hope still remains for a diplomatic resolution.
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KINKADE: Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians were finally allowed to return to Northern Gaza Monday. Israel opened up a corridor allowing access to the north two days later than initially planned. The Israeli government blamed Hamas for the delay, claiming the militant group reached the terms of the cease fire agreement that guaranteed people would be able to return to Northern Gaza. Most have spent long months in makeshift refugee camps after Israel ordered evacuations.
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Israel says aid of the remaining Hamas hostages set to be released during the first phase of the ceasefire agreement are dead. The Israeli government says it was notified of their status after receiving a list from the militant group. Hamas has not revealed the cause of death. Israel says the rest of the 33 hostages are expected to be freed alive. The families of all hostages set to be released were contacted by Israeli authorities Sunday, according to the Hostage and Missing Families Forum.
As days of intense fighting continue in the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials are accusing neighboring Rwanda of sending troops to support the M23 rebels. Now, Kenya says the presidents of Rwanda and the DRC have agreed to meet Wednesday to discuss the recent violence. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what it sounded like in Goma, heavy gunfire ringing out as soldiers from the National Army tried to fight off an assault by M23 rebels. They seem to have failed and the Rwanda-backed M23 group claims it seized control of the Eastern Congo's largest city after driving out government troops, forcing thousands to flee, families unsure of where to find safety.
In the chaos, inmates broke free from a local prison. Fighting between the Rwanda-backed rebels and the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo had ramped up significantly in recent days. The U.N. warning that the violence has already displaced some 400,000 people in the region since the beginning of the year, some have been forced out of their homes more than once.
FLORENCE MAPENDANO, INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSON (through translator): We fled the war, gunshots and bombs, and now we are here. We don't know where to flee to. We've no shelter or place to spend the night. We're outside uncertain of our fate.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): During a lightning offensive, the M23 group grabbed territory, then set its eyes on Goma, the city which sits on the border with Rwanda was last held by the M23 group in 2012 during similar clashes between rebels and government forces. At least a dozen Peacekeepers from the U.N. and other international forces were killed in recent fighting. In response, the U.N. says it is temporarily relocating non-essential staff out of the area.
Hospitals are overwhelmed and emergency tents have been set up to treat the wounded, some who narrowly escaped death.
JEANNETTE NEEMA MATONDO, INJURED IN FIGHTING (through translator): We packed our bags, took our children, and left. When we reached the checkpoint, a bomb fell on us. I was thrown backward in the direction I had come from. I still had my baby on my back and my belongings were next to me, but everyone around me was dead.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): International groups warned that the violence could escalate into a wider regional conflict. The DRC recently severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda, which it says funds and supports M23 rebels. Rwanda denies this, but says it does have troops and missile systems in the Eastern DRC for its own security. The U.N. has condemned. The M23's advance with the support of Rwandan forces and is urging the group to withdraw. A plea for calm so far unheard as thousands caught in the crossfire desperately seek safety and relief.
Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
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KINKADE: Well, South Korean investigators have reported their initial findings on the fatal Jeju plane crash. Officials are focusing on the role of a bird strike. The report says avian blood and feathers were found on each engine, but authorities are also examining concerns over what's known as the localizer landing guidance structure near the airport's runway. The crash was the deadliest on South Korean soil. 179 people were killed on December 29th.
Well, still to come, as the world marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, we'll hear from those who survived the atrocities of the notorious Nazi concentration camp.
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MARIANNE MULLER, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR: Rule the world with love and not hate. Hatred is terrible. And find the goodness, find the good eyes. You can always change the world for a better one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: The world is marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Survivors and family members gathered on Monday to remember the atrocities of the notorious Nazi concentration camp. About 1.1 million people were murdered there between 1940 and 1945. World leaders also attended the ceremony. They didn't make speeches, but rather listened to those who suffered and witnessed the horrors. Survivors shared their stories and warned of the dangers of rising anti-Semitism.
While parts of Western France are underwater following heavy rainfall, roads turned into rivers in the Brittany region with rescuers trying to help residents evacuate to safer ground. People were seen trying to protect their homes from being submerged and save whatever belongings they could carry. The country's National Weather Agency placed the area on Red Alert Monday, which indicates a risk of major flooding.
Finally, may be familiar with a Football World Cup, but perhaps not the Pastry World Cup. The event is one of national pride, the carefully selected teams spending years training to win the highest culinary honor.
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Japan was crowned victorious this year, beating France who hosted the competition in Lyon. Each team is made up of three members who are specialists in chocolate, ice, and sugar. The trios had five hours to rustle up three desserts representative of their country.
Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Lynda Kinkade. I'll be back in about 15 minutes with much more "CNN Newsroom." "World Sport" is next.
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