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D.C. Officials Give Update On Crash Recovery Operation; inflation Likely To Occur Due To Trump Signing New Tariffs For China, Mexico And Canada; Two USAID Security Officials Put On Leave After Refusing To Let DOGE Officials Access Agency Systems; Hostages Released From Gaza. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired February 02, 2025 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:37]
JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean in New York.
At any moment now, we are expecting a news conference from our nation's capital on that deadly midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter that happened earlier this week. We're keeping an eye on that. We're going to bring it to you live as it happens.
But first, today, fears of a trade war as America's biggest trading partners begin to fight back against President Trump's new tariffs. The tariffs are set to go into effect Tuesday, kicking in one minute after midnight. And just a reminder it's 25 percent on goods from Mexico and Canada, 10 percent on Canadian energy, and an additional 10 percent levy on Chinese goods.
Economists broadly agree these tariffs mean Americans will pay more for items including food, clothing, alcohol, sneakers, toys. Experts predict Trump's tariffs would cost the typical U.S. household more than $2600 a year, and the president, acknowledging that for the first time, writing on Truth Social, quote, "Will there be some pain? Yes, maybe. And maybe not. But we will make America great again, and it will all be worth the price that must be paid." Again that coming from President Trump.
The leaders of Mexico and Canada hitting back, though, with tariffs of their own on products from the U.S. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling for 25 percent tariffs on most U.S. products, warning there are no winners in a trade war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: This is a choice that, yes, will harm Canadians. But beyond that, it will have real consequences for you, the American people. If President Trump wants to usher in a new golden age for the United States, the better path is to partner with Canada, not to punish us.
(END VIDEO CLIP) DEAN: We're going to continue to monitor that story. But we do want to take you now to Washington, D.C., where we are expecting to hear more from officials as they continue their investigation into that deadly midair crash between an American Airlines flight and a Black Hawk helicopter that killed dozens of people in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night.
Let's listen in.
CHIEF JOHN DONNELLY, WASHINGTON, D.C. FIRE AND EMS: By the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Colonel Francis Pera, and U.S. Coast Guard Captain Patrick Burkett, as well as the Metropolitan Police Department Assistant Chief Jeffrey Carroll, (INAUDIBLE) Deputy Director Justin Brown, the fire chief of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Rick Barnett, the police chief for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Police Major Tim Moore, the Maryland State Police First Sergeant John Potenza, and the U.S. Army Deputy Director of Aviation, Colonel Mark Ott.
We have next slide. So overnight, we've been conducting search and rescue operations, or really since our last update. And these operations have continued with our regular partners from the region, as well as some of the assets that have arrived on scene. During our salvage surveys and preparation to lift the aircraft, additional remains were located and removed from the river and taken to the medical examiner's office.
So far, 55 victims have been positively identified from this aircraft or from this accident. The NTSB, American and PSA Airlines, as well as district officials, Red Cross and some other support organizations are continuing to support the families at the family assistance center and during a site visit.
So far, the only injury on this event that we have to report is that one of the Metropolitan Police Department divers was transported to an area hospital to be checked out after hypothermia situation. He's doing -- we're happy to report that he's doing fine and that that's the only injury we have. Today, for the rest of the day, the salvage crews are continuing to survey the site and get ready for tomorrow.
Can we have the next slide? So going forward tomorrow and you're going to get more from the Army Corps of Engineers about this is salvage equipment will be moved into place and tomorrow there'll be some lifting operations on what's the wreckage that's in the water.
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While that's going on, the local teams will continue to search down the shorelines and around the river to make sure that we're getting all the debris that's out there. And if by chance, as a member of the public, you come across some of that, you should call 911 and report it to them, and we will get it taken care of and get it examined.
Next slide. So our first responders, all the people that are coming in here to support this is a tough operation. And we want to make -- we want you to know and if you're a responder listening to this, we want you to know that you can have a lot of different feelings about this. And there's people out here to help you. So each of our organizations have peer support. The Unified Command is coordinating peer support for the responders as they work.
And you can easily talk to a trained mental health professional by dialing 988 at the Crisis Lifeline. And we would like everybody to look out for each other during this time. Check in on your neighbors that there are a lot of people that are being affected by this tragedy in our community. Additionally, if you want to contribute to the relief fund, of the Greater Washington Community Foundation has a relief fund. It's tiny url.com/DCATogether. And that is a legitimate site that you can use to donate if that's the way you do want to help.
With that, I'd like to call up Colonel Pera and he's got a briefing.
COL. FRANCIS PERA, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: Hey, good afternoon, everyone. My name is Colonel Francis Parra. I'm the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District. I'd first like to say that really our hearts and minds remain with the victims of this tragic incident. I also really want to thank the cooperation that we're getting at the local, state and federal level. This is an incredible joint response effort.
Right now, the Corps of Engineers, together with the Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy's supervisor of salvage and diving, or SUPSALV, you know, we're leading the effort to clear the wreckage from the Potomac River as part of a larger interagency effort. Before I can explain how this wreckage removal will work, I just want to make sure that everyone is crystal clear, understanding that all salvage operations will be completed in close coordination with the unified command.
All of our partners, just really to ensure strict adherence to our central priority, that the dignified recovery of missing flight passengers and personnel take precedence. Right? And should any remains be found during our process an automatic work stoppage happens and we will definitely begin to begin the proper coordination with the appropriate authorities. So reuniting those lost in the tragic incident is really what keeps us all going.
We've got teams that have been working this effort since the beginning, and we're committed to making this happen. So our teams over the past couple of days have been really doing the preparatory work to make sure that we're doing this the best way possible. There's an iterative process that we go through that starts with really the dive survey process to really understand.
I've got a small graphic that we're sharing with some of you here. That first piece is a sonar piece. We've got a wide debris field. Within that wide debris field we're employing different techniques to make sure that we can understand what's in the water. Once we've localized really the larger items that we want to focus on, that really starts to shape our dive effort. Our dive effort is there with some very trained personnel.
These are personnel who have a lot of experience. Many of you in the local area are familiar with the response that we had at the Francis Scott Key Bridge. It's very similar in the capability and experience that we brought there. This dive team goes down, they look and they do their prep and work to make sure that they can establish a great salvage plan. Once they build that salvage plan, we'll spend the next, you know, period of planning and preparation to prepare for our lift plan.
That's where we're at today. Today is our second day of survey in the water. I think we've done everything to set the conditions for a successful lift starting tomorrow morning. We anticipate that we'll start at first light. Right now, if you look out in the Potomac, you'll see that all of our equipment and personnel are in place. We've completed our rehearsals and all the processes that I talked about previously have been rehearsed to a tee with all of our joint partners.
As we go through that, when we begin the lift process tomorrow, our goal is to really lift as much as we can, given the fact that we are also accounting for the human remains component. And then our goal is to then transfer that -- those pieces of equipment over to a flatbed trailer that will now take it over to a designated hangar so that the investigation can begin.
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At that point, we're going to reassess. We'll repeat this operation. It's really just a reminder that we're extremely deliberate about how we're approaching this. And we're doing this in partnership with each member of the Unified Command, with the victims in mind.
I'll stand by for any questions you all may have. And I'll be followed by Captain Pat Burkett from the U.S. Coast Guard.
CAPT. PATRICK BURKETT, U.S. COAST GUARD: Hey, good afternoon. My name is Captain Pat Burkett. I am the sector commander for Coast Guard Sector Maryland, National Capital Region. And first of all, I just want to say, like everyone else, I just want to offer my condolences to the family and the loved ones involved with this tragic accident.
I also want to just say thank you to the community. We the Coast Guard along with the first responders here have just received a tremendous outpouring of support from the community, from messages and social media. Just thank you so much. That really helps us keep going and keep the mission focused on what we need to do over the next couple of days.
But what I want to do is kind of talk about the Coast Guard's role here. What we're doing is essentially monitoring the safety zone that we have established, and that safety zone is for all waters north of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on the Potomac River. So the area that you see here in the graphic in red, that's the Coast Guard established safety zone that only vessels that's been pre-vetted for this operation are going to be allowed to get into.
The Coast Guard have right now on the motor for what we call our small boat assets. That's monitoring that area. And then we have two Coast Guard cutters that's also in the area to ensure only those authorized vessels are in the area. And if there's any other vessels that have to get through this area or need to transit, you need to call on Coast Guard Channel 16 or either call the Coast Guard Command Center so that you can request permission to see if there's any possibility of you coming into those areas.
But right now, that waterway is closed only for those involved with this operation. And Coast Guard's primary missions right now for this incident remain to ensure the safety of the public and first responders. And we will do that by ensuring no one is in this security zone. Excuse me, the safety zone. Like I said, we have about 200 personnel in addition to those vessels that's on the waterway to include active duty civilian and auxiliary Coast Guard personnel.
That's all involved to make sure we can support our partners in this effort. As we aid in the recovery and salvage efforts, and like I said, we just want to support the National Transportation Safety Board, the Army Corps of Engineers and Navy supervisor salvage to ensure we clear the wreckage and recover everyone involved in this incident.
Any questions, I'll stand by and pass it back over to Captain John Donnelly.
DONNELLY: So now we're going to take some questions. I'll start over here and work my way across one, two, three.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Just wondering if you attended the memorial along the river this morning. What's that like?
DONNELLY: So I did not attend that. We did not have -- this is a family event and it is something smaller for them.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You have been meeting with the families over the last --
DONNELLY: I have been meeting with the families over the last several days.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How was that?
DONNELLY: I think it's exactly like what you'd expect. These people have suffered a terrible loss. And, you know, they're grieving. And I think that that's exactly what you'd expect. There's a whole range of emotions in that. I will say that they are a strong group of families that are focused on getting their loved ones back, and I think that's the appropriate place to be at this point. Yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Yes. Colonel Pera, I have a question to you. My understanding is that in some cases, in order to reach some of the unaccounted for, it requires moving the wreckage. Can you talk about how there's a pause if a person is recovered, how do you juggle all of that when, you know, those folks may be in the wreckage or moving or that wreckage may need to move in order to access those people?
PERA: Yes, that's a great question. So how do we address the fact that there may be remains inside some portions of the wreckage that we're trying to recover? We walked through that in several rehearsals. We've talked through that with everyone who's been really kind of dealing with this tragic accident. The teams that have been in the water up to this point. What we're finding is, you know, during our dive surveys, we really get a good appreciation of kind of where the wreckage is, where the lift points are.
And at that same time, based on the type of equipment that we're bringing and we're finding that we have a much better view of kind of what's in the wreckage than what we've seen with some of the other dive operations, really, because we're really kind of taking a dive salvage approach.
[16:15:04]
So when our divers go down there, they've got a much wider view on their helmet, and they also carry a HD camera that's supported by a support boat. So you've honestly got four or five sets of eyes looking inside of a wreckage at the same time. We already do have clear water, so that just kind of aids in that process. During our surveys, for instance, yesterday, they were able to identify 11 separate human remains as part of this effort, as part of their preparatory operation for dive.
But we do have a process where we were watching the lift as it happens, and then if there are remains in there that will not move while we're recovering the wreckage, we will bring that wreckage to the surface of the barge. Our process to immediately tent the barge to make sure that we have full discretion. And then we'll bring in the proper personnel to deal with that at that time.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thank you, sir.
DONNELLY: Thank you. Next question.
GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Excuse me. 55 victims at this point have been recovered and identified. How confident are you that your team knows where those additional 12 victims are in the water, and that you will be able to recover everyone who died in the crash?
DONNELLY: So it is my belief that we're going to recover everyone. If we knew where they were, though, we would already have them out. So we have some work to do as the salvage operation goes on and we will absolutely stay here and search. And until such point as we have everybody.
COHEN: Are there any areas where you know there are victims, but your divers just haven't been able to reach those spots because of the wreckage?
DONNELLY: I don't know that for a fact. OK. Next three questions. And actually I should have repeated your question at the beginning if that helps. The question was, do we -- are we confident that we know where all the victims are and that we will get everybody out? And the answer to that is that we believe we're going to be able to recover all of the victims. But no, we don't know where they all are at this point. So next three. One, two, three. Yes, sir. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So if I heard the two of you correctly, you
have 12 victims that you have yet to recover. But you believe you have 11 sets of remains that you've seen based on the dives you've done so far? Did I not hear that correctly?
DONNELLY: So the question was, doing our math, we have identified -- let me get the number that I gave. 55? 55. I want to be clear on that, that we have positively identified. We did remove 11 sets of remains yesterday from the wreckage during our operation. So those two number, the 55 includes from that 11. OK. So we're still searching for the Delta between it.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And you expect that when you lift the fuselage that you'll be able to recover more remains in the fuselage or in the two -- I know you --
DONNELLY: So that's part of this operation. Right? We're going to, as we recover the fuselage, we expect that we'll find more. But we may also need to do additional searches in other areas. So, hang on. Yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: There was a question. Thank you. About, you know, meeting with the families. And we know the emotion that they're going through. But your guys and people from all over the region, your divers, wherever they're coming from, I was told there'd be divers from, you know, as long as they could drive here, they'd be here. But talk a little bit about the emotional toll on your men and women who were down there, who were doing this recovery effort. I mean, the emotion that they are going through as well.
DONNELLY: So I'm going to speak first a little bit and then captains going to talk as well. There's a lot of work that goes into supporting our responders on an everyday basis. Right? First responders across this nation, across the world, see a lot of things. They see people on their worst day. So we have built in support systems in our fire department and a lot of things in our region. It's something called peer support, but there's various names for it.
Peer support is the first layer of defense for first responders. It is peers that have some training to help people understand that the feelings they have are normal, and how to get help if there's any feelings that aren't going away, if, you know, the signs and symptoms, if you're having trouble sleeping, if you're not eating well. We don't want you to drink, right? We don't want you arguing with your family.
If all that is something new, based on the incident, and we have programs in all of our organizations around this region to help people, and I think that's really important. The other thing you're seeing a lot of is the peer support dogs or the facility dogs. You see some here for the incident command team.
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They're under a lot of stress as well. So having those dogs here may relieve some of the pressure, but it also gives the handler a chance to talk to the responder about all of those things we just talked about. Additionally, we know that members of the community are feeling that, and we want to make sure they know that the crisis hotline is out there at 988. So I think that's good. Captain?
BURKETT: Thanks, Chief. Yes. Along those same lines, with the Coast Guard, we have something called Critical Incident Stress Management, or what we call CISM. And then we have chaplains that we have on a 24- hour rotation. So as soon as our crews go out and come back to home base, we have CISM teams waiting to speak with them. Like Chief said, we understand this is not normal and it's OK for them to not feel OK.
And we want them to have someone to talk to as soon as they arrive back to the base. And with those 200 people that we have involved in this operation, part of that is crew relief. So we have multiple crews from all around the Coast Guard that have come here to help out, to make sure that when someone feels like they need to just take some time out to reset, we have the back bench strength to get in there and help them out.
And so that's what we've been doing. We've been having a steady stream of folks coming through to help with critical incident stress management and chaplain services. In addition, we have what we call our senior enlisted advisers that kind of go around and just get the pulse of the crew and make sure everybody is doing OK. This is a large incident and that it puts a lot of stress on everybody.
And working together as a team, we're trying to stay on top of the mission, but we've got to make sure we take care of our own people as well, and that's what everybody has been doing as a team.
DEAN: And you are listening there to officials giving an update on the crash recovery in Washington, D.C., and the Potomac River. This was not the NTSB, which is responsible for focusing on exactly how that crash happened. Instead, these are other officials who are focused on the recovery efforts.
And to that end, we did get some new information. We know that they have positively identified 55 bodies that they have removed from the wreckage there. We also heard from them that they are set for what they said first light tomorrow to begin pulling out that wreckage, that fuselage and other bits of wreckage from the Potomac River as they continue to try to find those additional 12 bodies that remain, though they do say that they are confident that they're going to be able to recover everyone.
I want to bring in David Soucie, who's a CNN safety analyst and former FAA safety inspector.
David, thank you so much for being here with us. This of course, this crash has rattled all of us. And I think everyone's hearts just go out to these families who are so focused on trying to get back their loved ones who are clearly in grief right now for the shocking event. What were your thoughts as you were getting -- as you were hearing this information about these recovery efforts?
DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: I have to say, I'm extremely impressed with the care that they're taking for the recovery crews. That's something that's rarely mentioned is just the stress and the anguish that the recovery teams go through. But that's not to discount the families and what they're going through as well. And the NTSB has a transportation group that what they do is they make sure that the families have the same level of counseling and the same level of help as well.
So the NTSB has made some great strides forward with that. So, again, the aftermath of these things will last a lifetime for these families who have lost someone. And it just doesn't go away. I've spoken to many of these families after these accidents, and it's just a horrific event for them. And I'm just really impressed with what they've done so far to try to recover what they can from this accident.
DEAN: Yes. For these people, there will be a life before this and a life after it. It is one of those types of events for families and for people who love -- those people who were lost in that crash, for sure. And I think it is so interesting. You do mention those first responders who have been nothing short of heroic that night. Wednesday was so cold. It was so dark, and they absolutely rushed to that scene. And they have worked and worked and worked to try to recover these bodies.
What kind of support do you think those people need? Because to your point, this is traumatic in its own way for them as well.
SOUCIE: Well, it's so personal. For me the accident sites that I've been on, they live with me, too. I've got so many defining moments in my life, even though I've never been touched directly with a family member lost in an accident. When you do the accident investigations and you put those teams together and you speak to the families of the lost souls, it is something that changes you as a person. It changes who you are. How you see life.
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And so the counseling and the things that are available to you is to know that you're not alone in this. Other people are feeling the same emotions that you are. And so, as they said in the press conference, I'm so impressed with this. They said it's OK to not be OK and that it is a horrible thing to see the visions, the temperature of the air, everything about where you are is ultrasensitive right now.
When you're out there trying to recover the souls that were on board, it's really hard for me to talk about. I'm sorry, I'm choking up a little bit about it because every one of the accidents I've been in, I've been involved with, it stays with you forever. And -- and it's OK.
DEAN: Yes. It's so human. I mean, that makes perfect sense that it would stay with you.
David, thank you for talking us through some of that.
Again, this press conference so really solely focused on crash recovery and getting those bodies back to family members and getting that crash site secured. David Soucie, thank you so much for that.
Still ahead, back to our other top story today. President Trump is warning Americans of what he's saying will be some pain that might come after he signed new tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. We're going to have more on the pushback and how it could impact you. That's ahead.
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DEAN: Fears of a trade war, as America's biggest trading partners begin to fight back against President Trump's new tariffs. Those tariffs set to go into effect starting Tuesday, kicking in one minute after midnight. 25 percent on goods from Mexico and Canada. 10 percent on Canadian energy products. And an additional 10 percent levy on Chinese goods.
Christine McDaniel joins us now. She's the former trade economist for the White House Council of Economic Advisers under President George W. Bush. Christine, thank you so much for being here with us.
I, first, just want to start by getting your thoughts on this question I think a lot of people are asking which is, could these tariffs, ultimately, turn into a trade war?
CHRISTINE MCDANIEL, FORMER WHITE HOUSE TRADE ECONOMIST, GEORGE W. BUSH ADMINISTRATION (via Webex): Thank you, Jessica, for having me. Well, yes, they could turn into a trade war. They could also, you know, turn into something where it's a really intense negotiation, you know, across the three countries over the next few days, and maybe we'll avoid it.
But the risk is -- and it's a -- it's a big gamble they're taking. Is that Mexico and Canada do not come to the negotiating table and, in fact, retaliate. And that is a huge gamble and would be devastating for the U.S. economy and the North American economy.
You know, the North American economy is a powerhouse. You've got (?) Canada, U.S., Mexico. Regional integration is essential to so many manufacturing industries.
So, it doesn't make a lot of sense to want to burn that down. But, on the other hand, President Trump feels very strongly about these goals. He has stated, in terms of border security, fentanyl, et cetera. And he sees tariffs as a way to combat those problems and solve -- and, hopefully, you know, solve those problems with our neighbors.
DEAN: Yes. And you rightly note, it is a big gamble. he's gambling with the -- with the American economy. The North American economy as well. Is it worth it, do you think?
MCDANIEL: Well, that's not for me to decide. He clearly thinks that it is worth it. You know, he did have pretty good success with Colombia. But, you know, Mexico is bigger. Canada is bigger. And the U.S. is much more dependent on Mexico and Canada for, you know, consumption and production.
And just look at an automobile. You know, I was just reading these reports over the weekend. I mean, they -- these automobiles go back and forth, you know, across our borders about at least half a dozen times before they end up on the showroom floor in your local community. And so, it's not clear if, like, every time it goes back and forth, is that going to be, like, another 25 percent?
So, they've got a lot to work out. But, you know, it's not surprising that dealerships were among the list of people that came out and said, you know, we understand that -- you know, your goals here, President Trump. But please, you know, be careful with, you know, raising prices too much because you could kind of put us out of business.
DEAN: And, listen, you mentioned that maybe, in the next few days, we don't know, but perhaps there is more negotiating that happens. But I think, at this point, I was speaking with the Ontario premier last night, for example. The Canadians are still quite confused over what exactly they can do to stop this from going into effect. And it's about, like, the specifics of what they can actually do.
Do you have any thoughts on whether the president should be more specific, besides the kind of broad strokes that he's given about curbing fentanyl and immigration at both of the borders?
MCDANIEL: Well, what the president and his team say publicly may or may not be the same as what they're saying privately or in back channels. And we won't know that, you know, for quite a while. Usually, those stories about back-channel negotiations don't come out until much later.
But let's hope that those back channels are working very closely. And that, you know, Canada is more than willing to come to the table and work with this White House and stay with Mexico.
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MCDANIEL: You know, we saw Justin Trudeau went down to Mar-A-Lago and had dinner with President Trump and his border czar. And then, right after, went back to Ottawa and announced $1.3 billion in new defense spending and closer cooperation with the United States on the border.
We also saw Mexico's Sheinbaum announce that they were going to be processing immigrants -- migrants at their border, before they get to the -- to the U.S. It's not clear that will be enough for President Trump.
But let's all hope that these countries can get serious about cooperating with border security. Look, nobody should be surprised. This has been what President Trump has been saying for the past eight years. This is very important to him.
And Mexico and Canada, you know, they really shouldn't be surprised either. So, there's not much more to say than that.
DEAN: No, I mean, you're right. I mean, he was very clear about this. No one should be surprised that this is happening. I mean, nobody. Because he promised it. And he said he put everybody on notice for years.
My last question to you, though -- and, listen, Americans voted him into office, right, knowing full and well this was his plan. And they gave him the go ahead.
My question to you is, and we're probably just going to have to see, just how much do you think -- how long do you think Americans are willing to give it, if those prices do start to go up?
MCDANIEL: Well, you know, so, it will take a little bit of time. The 2018 tariffs that Biden continued, you know, added about a third of a point to inflation all in all, right.
But now, if you look at this, this is much broader. And also huge trading partners. Let's say it adds up to one point of inflation. So, instead of, you know, 2.9, now, we're going to be 3.9. That is going to be very annoying to a lot of people.
But, you know, it's at the beginning of his term. And there are other things that he could do to counteract some of that. So, for instance, pro-competitive regulatory reform. That takes time. But that can be deflationary. Government spending cuts, you know, if that happens, that can also counteract inflation.
But, you know, those things take time to kick in. Where tariffs will raise prices, you know, almost right away. So, he's got sort of a timing issue here that will be kind of tricky. And it's not clear how much patience the American consumer will have. But we'll see.
DEAN: That's the big question, right. All right, Christine McDaniel, thank you very much. We appreciate your time.
MCDANIEL: Thank you.
DEAN: Still ahead, personnel from the Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency physically stopped from accessing a government office and security systems and files. They even tried to call the U.S. Marshals to try to get inside. What could happen next, as Musk called USAID a criminal organization. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
[16:38:04]
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DEAN: It's a theme we're beginning to see throughout the U.S. government. Elon Musk's allies pushing limits to gain access to government agencies data systems.
Two top security officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development, that's the government's humanitarian arm, are now on administrative leave, after they refused to allow officials from Musk's DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, to access agency systems. Sources telling CNN the DOGE officials tried to physically gain access to USAID headquarters last night but were stopped by staff.
Joining us now, CNN's Alex Marquardt. And, Alex, you, and our colleague, Jennifer Hansler, broke this story. And you report that that -- those team members, those DOGE team members, threatened to call U.S. Marshals to try to get inside.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. Essentially, this personnel -- these personnel from the Department of Government Efficiency, which, of course, was started by Elon Musk, tried to barge into the USAID headquarters. It's the Ronald Reagan Building.
They were not initially permitted from going in. And then, they threatened to call the U.S. Marshals to essentially help force their way in.
Jennifer Hansler and I were told by multiple sources that these DOGE personnel wanted access to security systems, to personnel information, and to areas where classified information is held. Of course, highly restricted areas. And I want to remind our viewers, of course, you need a security clearance to get into those areas.
Eventually, we are told, the DOGE personnel were able to get in. And then, the top two officials in charge of security for USAID, John Voorhees who is the director, and his deputy, were put on administrative leave. They join dozens of other top career officials from USAID who are on leave.
We're also told that much, if not all, of the Public Affairs Office was put on leave as well. And, Jessica, this comes at a time when so many at USAID fear that the agency is in the process of being gutted.
DEAN: Right. And so, to that end, Alex, we see the -- a lot of indication there's major changes underway there.
MARQUARDT: Well, USAID could be going away, as we know it. I mean, not long after our reporting came out, we saw a post on X by Elon Musk, who, of course, owns the platform. And he wrote, USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.
He, of course, has Donald Trump's ear. As does Stephen Miller, who, just a few days ago right here on CNN, a top aide to President Trump, said that, overwhelmingly, the USAID staff is made up of Democrats.
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MARQUARDT: We have seen the USAID Website go down, just yesterday. Today, its X account went dark.
There is a new Web page on the State Department's Website for USAID, and that is raising concerns that USAID will lose its critical independence. Be swallowed up, absorbed by the State Department.
I've been speaking with current and former officials who say that that is a terrible idea. That USAID -- that the State Department does not have the expertise, the training, the capability to do what USAID does. They are the biggest provider of food aid in the world. They work in more than 100 different countries.
They work in some of the most desperate, difficult and hard-to-reach areas around the world. That is not something the State Department, they argue, can replicate -- Jessica.
DEAN: And, just to note, they are -- they, again, work for the U.S. government, not for a party or a particular president. Most of the people there are bureaucrats.
And, Alex, look, if America stops going into some of these countries, suddenly, we're off the international stage. That provides quite an opening for nations like China.
MARQUARDT: China, Russia and others. There are a lot of people I've been speaking with who talk about the national security implications of this.
One of the first things that Donald Trump did, when he came into office, was put a blanket freeze on all foreign aid around the world, with a handful of exceptions. The USAID budget is $40 billion a year. That is most of the overall USAID budget.
It does all kinds of things. And all kinds of programs and organizations ground to a halt. There's a lot of confusion. A lot of chaos out there. Some waivers have since been given.
But, you know, we're talking about AIDS and HIV programs. We're talking about feeding babies who are suffering from malnutrition. Women who are facing sexual violence. So, there are all kinds of things.
Even if the programs come back up online, just a momentary pause can have hugely destructive, even deadly consequences -- Jessica.
DEAN: Yes. All right, Alex Marquardt with that exclusive. Thank you so much for that reporting.
And still ahead, an Israeli-American hostage is now safe after being released by Hamas this weekend.
Keith Siegel's niece will join us ahead. We're going to hear how he's doing. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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DEAN: Negotiations for the next phase of the Gaza cease fire are supposed to begin tomorrow. But Qatar's prime minister says Israel and Hamas have made no plan to start the new round of talks just yet. This is (?) Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. He's set to meet with President Trump in Washington Tuesday.
On Saturday, Hamas released three more hostages taken during the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. And among them, Israeli American Keith Siegel. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: (INAUDIBLE.)
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DEAN: 65-year-old Siegel is a North Carolina native, but he's lived in Israel for many years. His wife, Aviva, was also abducted by Hamas on October seventh. But she was released during the first cease fire in November of 2023.
And I'm joined now by their niece, Hanna Siegel. Hanna, thank you so much for being here with us. We are really, really happy for your family. And I think everyone just wants to know how your uncle is doing today.
HANNA SIEGEL: Thank you so much for having me. It's surreal. We've been waiting for this day for so long.
He's doing OK, all things considered. He's getting checked out at the hospital as all hostages do. You know, from the videos and photos, you can probably tell he's lost some weight and he's pale. But he's doing OK and we are so grateful for that.
DEAN: I know you are. And it is just so good to see him back with his family where he belongs. I know that your aunt, who I've spoken with before on this program, was taken, along with your uncle. She was freed back in November of 2023.
This has been hell for your family. And, hopefully, now, you know, you all can start to move forward. But I can't imagine what it has been to, kind of, get this in bits and pieces. Get her back and then wait for your uncle.
SIEGEL: Yes. I mean, we are, as I said, ecstatic that Keith is home. But we're really devastated that it took this long. Keith's mom, my grandma, Gladys Siegel, passed away in -- over Thanksgiving, just a few months ago, before she could see her son released.
And we know from Aviva, that when they were being held together in 2023, Keith would talk about how the first thing he was going to do after he hugged his children and grandchildren was get on a plane and fly to Chapel Hill.
And so, yes, it's -- you know, it's overwhelming. And it's mixed emotions. And we're also looking at all of the other hostages. We work with these families all the time. We know them very well. Who are still waiting for their loved ones to come home, including five Americans, two alive and three bodies who we're waiting to come back.
So, the work isn't done. I think what the 15 months have shown us is that it's really only through political agreement and through diplomacy that we get to a better place.
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SIEGEL: That we bring everybody home. And so, we are very, very much working to encourage everybody to keep this deal going.
DEAN: Yes. And to that end, look, that -- seeing the Biden Administration work hand in hand with the incoming Trump Administration, and vice versa, to get this piece of this deal, this phase one, done and bring these hostages home, was really kind of a remarkable thing to see those two groups working together in that way.
Now, we get to phase two. What is your hope, as someone who's been affected so personally by this? What is your hope for what comes next?
SIEGEL: Yes. I mean, I just echo what you said. I don't know what other issue we can say that the Trump team and the Biden team worked hand in glove on. But this one really did. I mean, the Biden team was tireless in their advocacy for us. And, you know, we owe them such a debt of gratitude.
And then. really, the second that Trump got elected, his team, particularly Steve Witkoff and Adam Boehler and President Trump himself, jumped in and they got it across the finish line.
And so, I have a lot of faith in the Trump team to keep pushing Netanyahu, to keep pushing Hamas, to make sure that this deal holds. And that's really my hope. We need every single hostage home.
DEAN: Wow. We're really, really happy that your family is whole right now. That your uncle is finally home.
Hanna Siegel, thanks for being with us.
SIEGEL: Thank you so much, Jessica.
DEAN: Yes, we'll be right back.
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