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America's Largest Trading Partners React to Trump's Tariffs; Washington Air Disaster; Next Phase of Israeli-Hamas Ceasefire Talks; New Democratic Party Chair; Cleanup Underway After Deadly Eaton Fire. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired February 02, 2025 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.
America's three largest trading partners react to President Donald Trump's steep tariffs. How Canada, China, and Mexico are responding. And it's not just an issue for politicians and policy makers, we'll look at how these tariffs could impact consumers.
And Democrats have a new party chair. Hear his pointed message about taking on Trump and the Republican Party.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: We begin this hour with what looks like a trade war as U. S. President Donald Trump imposes new tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China. Several corporations and business groups are lashing out, warning Trump that his tariffs will actually make things more expensive for Americans.
He placed a 25 percent tariff on all imports from Mexico and most goods from Canada and a 10 percent duty on Chinese imports. President Trump signed the orders at his Mar-a-Lago club on Saturday, fulfilling a promise he made on the campaign trail. But he admitted that it will have an impact on the American people. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: There could be some temporary short- term disruption and people will understand that. But the tariffs are going to make us very rich and very strong, and we're going to treat other countries very fairly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, says she will implement a plan that includes tariff and non-tariff measures against the U.S., but she didn't elaborate on what that would involve. Here she is. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translator): When we negotiate with other nations, when we talk with other nations, always with our heads held high, never bowing our heads. We are equal with all the nations of the world. Mexico is free, independent, and a sovereign country, and that is in the way which we defend Mexicans and our homeland.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Mexico is America's largest trading partner, exporting $467 billion worth of goods to the U.S. last year, and that includes things like fruits, vegetables, steel, beer, and alcohol.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced his own 25 percent tariffs on U.S. goods. He says they will be far-reaching and include everyday items.
Meanwhile, officials in China are promising countermeasures with these new U.S. tariffs. So, we want to go to CNN's Marc Stewart live in Beijing. So, Marc, how is China responding to all of this?
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, the real question is, what are these countermeasures? What exactly will they entail? We know that China will file a complaint with the World Trade Organization saying this 10 percent tariff seriously violates the rules, but beyond that, it's not very clear.
Right now, we are in the midst of the Chinese New Year. So, the government has not had its typical question and answer session with reporters. So, as far as the specific countermeasures, we may not know until perhaps mid to later this week. It's something we're going to keep a watch on.
But I did talk to one expert who suggests that what China can do is perhaps limited in the sense that it's already dealing with trade issues with Europe, concerning electric vehicles and solar panels. Essentially, flooding some European markets with cheap items in a way to attract business for Chinese companies. That's been a big point of contention right now between China and Europe and taking up a lot of energy there.
In addition, the Chinese economy right now, it's kind of shaky. People aren't spending as much money as they did in the past. There are remnants of a housing crisis. So, that too may limit exactly what kind of punishments China will do.
Typically, when we look at this U.S.-China relationship, it's very much tit for tat. You do something to hurt me, I'm going to do something to hurt you back. But it's not clear if China has that leverage. In fact, it's quite possible that it just may try to leverage its supply chain and not institute any kind of tariffs as we traditionally have seen.
But none of this really is a surprise to China. This is something that President Trump talked about during the campaign, this possibility of tariffs. China also knows just how fragile the world landscape is. China has depended on the U.S. very much as a large export market, but in recent months we have seen it expand its export reach, not just depending on the United States, but looking to places such as Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa, even Russia in an attempt to spread its business.
[04:05:00]
Also, it's important to note that China -- that the United States said it's instituting these tariffs because it's not satisfied with how China has been responding to the fentanyl crisis. China did respond to that, saying it has shown its support to the U.S., but the fentanyl crisis is very much an American problem. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right. So, as you say, we'll have to wait to see exactly how China will react. Marc Stewart in Beijing, thank you so much.
And we get more now on Canada's reaction from CNN's Paula Newton in Ottawa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Canada says it feels like a country targeted and scorned by the United States. The reaction here was visceral, emotional, but also clear headed about the devastating challenges ahead for the Canadian economy.
And keep in mind, Donald Trump is ripping up an agreement that he signed with Canada in terms of trade. Canada is now coming to terms with the fact that he no longer wants that relationship. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: I don't think there's a lot of Americans who wake up in the morning saying, oh, damn Canada. Oh, we should really go after Canada. We're there as friends, as partners. We always have been, we always will be.
Yes, we've had our differences in the past, but we've always found a way to get past them. As I've said before, 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)
NEWTON: And so, Canada will retaliate about $155 billion in total Canadian, $30 billion of that will come on Tuesday, the 25 percent tariffs to match the Trump administration tariffs. The bulk of that though will come in three weeks. Canada saying it wants businesses some time to prepare.
But keep in mind here, this will be a losing battle for everyone in terms of consumers and businesses that now try to adjust. And the bottom line is the president himself has said that he will now retaliate because Canada retaliated in turn. This is the beginning of what could be a very nasty trade war and it could also rebalance the trade relationship between the United States and so many of its allies.
Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: All right. I want to bring in Ryan Patel, senior fellow at the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University and joins us from Los Angeles. Good to see you again, my friend.
So, listen, we ran through some of the things that are likely to be more expensive. Donald Trump calls tariffs beautiful. He says tariffs are going to make us very rich. But again, we have to be clear here that tariffs hit the person importing the goods. So, that's, you know, U.S. businesses and eventually the customer, right?
RYAN PATEL, SENIOR FELLOW, DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, CLAREMONT GRADUATE UNIVERSITY: I know. If you ever to think about the -- you know, this trade war or tariffs, you think about a domino effect, right? One tariff leads to another. So, the challenges for businesses, if you think about it, isn't really the immediate impact, but how do they pivot, they must evolve, and then, obviously, pass down to the consumer.
So, if you think about the short-term impact, I think about maybe this goes on for the next one to three months. It's really businesses trying to do their best job to delay the price increases, right? That's what they're trying to do, to keep those margins, but after that, Kim, it is going to be passed on. All those strategies are going to be passed on to the consumer, and they're going to start to feel it.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, and supply chains are so interconnected. So, if, you know, the -- it costs the grocery store, let's say, 25 percent more to import an avocado, and then 10 percent more to transport it to the store because gas costs more, I mean, that adds up, right?
PATEL: Yes. You know, I think this is where -- if you look at the numbers, right, you think, you know, the U.S. -- you know, is being easier on the energy costs because they know that, you know, up to 10 percent I think as of right now. If they did it more, the consumer would feel it right away.
So, if you think about the less flexible supply chains that you mentioned that could be easily impact quicker, like examples like electronics, clothing, some produce and the raw materials, we'll see if those a lot more faster for the consumer to feeling that and I think, again, compounding with the energy costs is why I think the way President Trump was laying out his plan, to me, it's kind of a wait and see approach. He didn't use all of it right away. There's a little -- I mean, if you think of logic, the question becomes what is it you're trying to gain in these bilateral deals and what places is he looking for to help what industries?
[04:10:00]
BRUNHUBER: Yes, that is the question. In the meantime, though, we do have this, you know, basically a trade war, and the Wall Street Journal editorial board called it the dumbest trade war in history because, of course, the nations affected are also responding with tariffs. So, everyone is hurt here on all sides.
I want to play a clip from the head of the World Trade Organization talking to CNN last weekend about Trump's threat of tariffs before they came in. So, here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION: Actually, I've been saying to members here at Davos, let's chill. Let's not get too overexcited. And to our members, I've also been saying, look, let's not do any tit for tat. It's not when you hear something from one member, you immediately apply counter tariffs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: But of course, right away now, we are seeing tit for tat tariffs. So, her message to chill out, not exactly resonating here.
PATEL: Yes. And I think -- I mean, it is -- it's kind of hard where we think of the global economy has evolved and how we define value. It's not just tariffs. We think about security. It's tied into it. So, it's not just, you know, the families, the jobs, the agriculture, the industries, I can go down the list, Kim, that is affected. And to be able to send that strong message is something that seems like the countries are not willing to sacrifice.
But at the end of the day, I also think, have we've learned anything, has businesses learned anything from four years ago? Did they stay more competitive? Did they evolve to help in the short-term? Again, we know that President Trump has been using this, and will continue to use this as a negotiation tactic, and would not be surprised to see, like they did last time, there was a deal to be had. But again, we don't know all the details just yet.
As you mentioned, we don't want to jump to see what is their conclusions, but it'll be interesting to see the next couple of weeks how it looks in the escalation of this will be really key.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. And whether there will be any beneficiaries, I mean, normally tariffs are used to protect domestic industries or bring back manufacturing to the U.S. soil. So, will there be beneficiaries? Will it do that in any way?
PATEL: You talk about Mexico and Canada, right? There's a lot of different produce. And, you know, if you think about certain items that go really heavily for Canada, Mexico being a large trade partner for the U.S. So, I think what you're asking me is it's pretty more with China is where this kind of becomes a factor of bringing that manufacturing back home because of the NAFTA and those kinds of agreements. So, I see of the Mexico and Canada relationship more differently than they do with China when it comes to more protection -- you know, protection tariffs behind that. That's why you haven't really seen the language from President Trump just yet in bringing more things back from Canada and Mexico. It's more about deals at the end of the day.
BRUNHUBER: All right. As you know, I always like to end our conversations with your message to consumers. So, is there anything that we can do to insulate ourselves from this, if you were planning to buy that car, get down to the dealership today?
PATEL: You know, my message is always to try to -- don't spend the money that you don't have. And I think part of this is to keep an eye on big purchases. You know, I don't have a crystal ball to see if this is going to go longer to one is six months. But, you know, the short- term purchases that are very vital to your needs and are vital, you know, to that degree, you look to kind of -- you look to maybe purchase them.
But again, I think when you think of the long-term aspect to really feel it, it's got to be at least six to 12 months when it comes to the items that have a better supply chain. So, don't panic just yet. You hope for the best, but you have to be wary of the things that you're spending on because things will get more expensive. The average check, when you go to the grocery store, will rise and you have to plan for that and have to put some money to the side for a rainy day, too. And that's what I would probably be my message to the consumers. Save and put a little bit to the side just in case.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, great advice. So much still up in the air. Ryan Patel in Los Angeles, thanks so much.
PATEL: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: Well, the Trump administration is making its America First policy known on the international stage. Marco Rubio landed in Panama on Saturday, kicking off his first trip as U.S. secretary of state. He'll stop in five Central American nations to drive forward Trump's policies, but some officials issued a warning about the recent U.S. foreign assistance freeze. They say it could undermine the president's efforts to fight illegal migration and drug trafficking into the U.S.
All right. We have the latest details in the deadly air collision over Washington. We'll share what authorities say may have happened in the seconds leading up to the disaster. That's next.
And as Hamas releases more hostages and Israel releases more prisoners, the next phase of ceasefire talks are about to begin. We'll look at where they stand ahead here on CNN Newsroom. Please stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:15:00]
BRUNHUBER: Investigators are still searching for the cockpit voice recorder from the medevac plane that crashed in Philadelphia Friday, leaving seven people dead. The mayor says the victims include all six people on the plane and one who was in a car. At least 19 others were injured on the ground, but most of them are already out of the hospital. All six people on the plane were Mexican citizens, including a child who was headed home with her mother.
Authorities are providing new details about Wednesday's midair collision over Washington that left 67 people dead. The victims include three soldiers, including a female Black Hawk pilot, and a number of young figure skaters returning from a camp in Kansas. A flight attendant living one of her dreams also lost her life, as well as friends returning from a hunting trip and a pilot to be married this fall. CNN's Brian Todd has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The latest information we have from the NTSB regarding the investigation into this collision gave one very dramatic account of the timeline leading up to the collision a few very horrifying seconds where the plane was approaching Reagan National Airport and the helicopter pilots were asked at 8:47:39 p.m. on Wednesday night whether they had the plane in sight.
[04:20:00]
At 8:47:42, the controllers asked the helicopter to pass behind the passenger jet, this is according to the NTSB. At 8:47:58 p.m., the crew heard a verbal -- the crew of the passenger plane was heard giving a verbal reaction to something that was happening, and one second later, according to the NTSB, they heard the sound of impact. So, all of this unfolding in just a few very horrifying seconds over the Potomac River.
Another very key piece of information from the NTSB was that the crew of the passenger plane, the pilots of that plane, may very well have tried some kind of an evasive maneuver at the very last second. They said that the passenger plane was at 325 feet above the ground at the time of impact, give or take about 25 feet.
When asked if the passenger plane's pilot tried some kind of a maneuver to pull up, Todd Inman of the NTSB said they did detect some kind of a change in pitch, meaning that there could very well have been an evasive maneuver attempted at the very last second by the pilot of the passenger plane. But of course, it was too late to avoid the collision.
Brian Todd, CNN at Reagan National Airport.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The next phase of the indirect Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks are scheduled to begin next week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday. Netanyahu left Israel for Washington, D.C. a short time ago. Meanwhile, Egypt says a Hamas delegation is expected in Cairo. On Tel Aviv Saturday, thousands of gathered outside Israel's Defense Ministry and Hostage Square. They're calling for the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza.
Now, this comes after the latest round of hostage and prisoner releases on Saturday. CNN Jerusalem Correspondent Jeremy Diamond shows you how they went.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Keith Siegel's children have waited too long for this moment. For 51 days, their mother was held hostage by Hamas. It took another 433 days for their father, a dual American-Israeli citizen, to come home.
In kibbutz Gezer, friends and family began the day huddled together, watching the news anxiously, waiting for his release.
STEVE BURSNTEIN, RABBI: Excited, scared, anxious, hopeful. Just praying that soon we see Keith coming home.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The moment Keith emerges from the Hamas vehicle, the room goes silent. And then, as he steps onto the stage, gasps, followed by a pressure valve release.
And then come tears, hugs and joy.
LEORA SCHWARTZ, KEITH SIEGEL'S RELATIVE: Relief. I'm so relieved that he's back and feeling that I can breathe again, you know, like relief, big relief and happiness. And yet it's also, you know, we still have to fight for the rest of the hostages.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Ofer Calderon, a father of four, also finally embracing his children. For the family of Yarden Bibas, the sweetness of reunion also tinged with what his release may mean for the fate of his wife and two children, the youngest Israeli hostages. Hamas has said they were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israeli officials will only say that they are gravely concerned about their fate.
In the wake of these chaotic scenes from Thursday's hostage release, Saturday unfolding seamlessly after Israel demanded an orderly handover. Israel now responding in kind, releasing 183 Palestinian prisoners within an hour of the hostages return.
Emotional and cheerful crowds in Ramallah welcomed 40 prisoners arriving in a Red Cross bus, nearly half of whom had been serving life sentences. And in Gaza, over 100 freed Palestinians, including several minors, arrived back in Khan Younis. All were detained during the war in Gaza, where Israeli troops have carried out mass detentions.
Saturday's exchange also clearing the way for 50 sick and wounded Palestinian civilians to be evacuated to Egypt via the Rafah crossing. It is the first-time patients have been evacuated through the crossing since May. For May Khadr Samour (ph), a moment of relief. Her son, Muttasim (ph), has been battling a life-threatening immune disorder since October. Gaza's decimated health care system cannot save him.
Thank God today our pleas have finally succeeded after a long and painful struggle, she says. I pray that his journey leads to successful treatment.
That same day, Muttasim (ph) and others arrive in Egypt. Life-saving treatment now finally within reach.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
[04:25:00]
BRUNHUBER: Well, many people are asking what exactly are tariffs and how they work. Well, we'll explain when we come back. Please stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.
Mexico, Canada, and China are hitting back at the U.S. after President Donald Trump imposed aggressive new tariffs on all three countries. He placed a 25 percent tariff on all imports from Mexico and most goods from Canada. Energy imports from Canada will face a 10 percent tariff. Trump's new tariff from Chinese imports is also set at 10 percent.
Now, Trump is fulfilling a promise he made on the campaign trail in repeated hours after taking office. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMPS: Tariffs are going to make us rich as hell.
Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens.
The tariffs, I told you, most beautiful word in the dictionary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Now, several corporations and business groups are lashing out, warning the president that his tariffs will actually make things more expensive for Americans, that could include some of the top imports from Canada, like oil, minerals, cement, wood and paper goods.
And in retaliation, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his own 25 percent tariffs on U.S. goods. Ontario's premier, Doug Ford, is warning that this is going to cause inflation for both countries. Here he is. [04:30:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUG FORD, ONTARIO PREMIER: Of retaliatory measures, it's unfortunate. We don't want to do it. We'd rather have a strong trading partner with the U.S. We want to ship down more products, more critical minerals, more oil. That's what we want to do. But I can assure you, what President Trump underestimates, the resilience of the Canadian people, the strength of the Canadian people, no matter what political stripe you come from in Canada, we're united.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: So, now many people are asking, what exactly are tariffs? How do they work? And most importantly, how will they affect me? CNN's Phil Mattingly has the answers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF U.S. DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: What is a tariff? It's cool to ask. Really, especially with Donald Trump back in the White House. Now, simply put, a tariff is a tax on imported goods. But what does that actually mean?
Let's try this. Say these t-shirts are sold by a U.S. company, some hypothetical but obviously super cool clothing brand, and you have to have one of these t-shirts. But these shirts aren't actually made in the United States. They're produced by an international company, which is outside the U.S. Now, that means the U.S. company needs to import the shirt that you covet.
Now, for the sake of hypothetical, let's just say for 20 bucks a pop, which the U.S. company then turns around and sells for, say, 60 bucks each, which is an insane price to pay for a t-shirt. But, hey, look, you do you.
But what happens if the U.S. government imposes a tariff on your coveted t-shirt? Why? Well, historically, there are two triggers for tariffs. One, protect a domestic industry. In this case, maybe the U.S. t-shirt industry is getting crushed. And two, raise government revenues.
Regardless of the reason, let's just say the government has now imposed a 10 percent tariff on our t-shirts, which means that the American company that imports the same t-shirt, it costs $22. Now, history tells us the American company isn't just going to eat that cost. Margins, they matter. So, they pass that cost on to you, the consumer.
Now, I get it. You have to have this shirt. So, a couple extra bucks. You know, no big deal, but you're asking about tariffs for one reason, President Donald Trump, a guy who fervently believes in tariffs so much, so that he's proposed tariffs across the board on every imported good from anywhere, universal tariffs. Now, think about that couple extra bucks you were cool with shelling out for that trendy t-shirt. What if it wasn't just the shirt, but everything imported that you buy?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Now, business people and investors are already reacting to the new tariffs. Our CNN Global Economy Analyst Rana Foroohar tells us they're concerned about a lack of clarity over the goal of the punitive measures. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMY ANALYST: The president has put some very nebulous criteria on in terms of what he's -- what kind of -- you know, what success looks like for him. He's saying, we'll know that the tariffs are working when people stop dying of fentanyl overdoses, or we are seizing more fentanyl at the border. That's a very squishy metric. It's very unprecedented.
There have been estimates showing that these numbers, the 25 percent on Mexico and Canada, with the exception of 10 percent on Canadian oil, 10 percent on China, that that could be a $20 billion hit to U.S. GDP. That's not nothing.
And I think there's also a huge fear factor here. You know, I'm talking to investors that, frankly, are starting to think, gosh, we really want to diversify away from the U.S. in terms of our portfolio, because we just don't know what's going to happen. I think that uncertainty is huge.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, the White House is looking to ramp up its deportation policies. The source tells us that the Trump administration is It is preparing to revoke the legal status of migrants who entered the U.S. under a Biden-era program. The move could affect about half a million migrants from Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela, and Haiti. They arrived during President Biden's term under a humanitarian parole program and were allowed to temporarily live and work in the U.S.
We spoke to the former acting director of ICE, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and he explains these migrants are an easy target under Trump's mass deportation program.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN SANDWEG, FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR, U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT (ICE): Because these people were paroled into the United States and because they just recently entered the United States, ICE believes it can just revoke the paroles and then deport them. I think the other reasons this population is vulnerable is because ICE has good information about where they are. Typically, these people are checking in with ICE as they go through the process. So, look, on one hand, you could sit here and say, boy, it's stunning that Biden, the United States government gave these people permission to came in, they didn't cross the border illegally. They came in legally, you know, with permission from the government, it seems really unfair for the government to arrest them. But from an operational perspective, I understand why the administration wants to focus on them. They're low hanging fruit, easy to arrest, easy to deport.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[04:35:00]
BRUNHUBER: President Trump says Venezuela has agreed to receive Venezuelan nationals deported from the U.S. and has further agreed to supply the transportation back. Well, that social media post from Trump came just one day after his special missions envoy met with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas. The result, the release of six Americans who'd been detained there. Venezuela, under Maduro, has previously refused to take Venezuelan nationals back, and the U.S. has generally been unable to send them back because of frosty relations. CNN has reached out to the Venezuelan government for a comment.
The website for USAID, the U.S. Agency for International Development, has disappeared. Democrats fear that the Trump administration is trying to absorb the independent, congressionally funded humanitarian agency into the State Department. Lawyers say President Trump has no legal authority to do so. USAID has been caught in the Trump administration's crosshairs, as the White House works to freeze foreign aid and development across the world.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also purging critical information and data from its website. Several webpages, including those related to HIV and LGBTQ youth, went dark on Friday. This comes after Trump's executive orders to eliminate federal DEI programs and for the U.S. government to recognize only two sexes.
A senior health official told CNN that CDC employees were warned of severe consequences if they didn't change the language on the website. It's also not clear when or if those missing pages will be back online.
In their first big move since the bruising presidential election loss in November, Democrats have chosen a new leader for the Democratic National Committee. Ken Martin spent 14 years as the leader of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party and eight years as the vice chair of the DNC. He beat out a crowded field of contenders for the role. CNN's Arlette Saenz has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Democrats elected Ken Martin as the next chair of the Democratic National Committee at a time when Democrats are grappling with how to rebound from their losses in 2024 and how to respond to President Trump's flurry of actions now that he's in office.
Now, Martin is a party insider. He has been the chair of the Minnesota State Democratic Party and he earned the majority of votes here at the DNC meeting on Saturday. Coming in second place was Ben Wickler, the state chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party.
It all comes as Democrats are trying to sort out how they will challenge Trump in the years to come. That is something that Ken Martin said he is very focused on in his early days as DNC chair. This is the message that he said he had for President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN MARTIN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIR: We're coming. This is a new Democratic Party. We're taking the gloves off. I've always viewed my role as a chair of the Democratic Party to take the low road, so my candidates and elected officials can take the high road. Meaning, I'm going to throw a punch.
So, Donald Trump, Republican Party, this is a new DNC. We are not going to sit back and not take you on when you fail the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: In addition to that, much more aggressive tone he has previewed, he's also said that they're focused on organizing, trying to build state apparatuses in order to prepare for this year's off year elections, 2026 and 2028. But Martin also said that there would be a period of introspection within the party after they had lost to Donald Trump in November.
He said that he will have a formal review of what happened in that election, something that he's committed to releasing publicly in order so people can learn from the lessons of what happened during that case. But all of this amounts to a lot of the challenges that the Democratic Party is facing in this moment as they are trying to rebuild, trying to continue selling their message to voters while also challenging President Trump while he's in office.
Arlette Saenz, CNN, Oxon Hill, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: A grand jury in Louisiana has issued an arrest warrant for a doctor in New York for allegedly prescribing prescription abortion pills to a pregnant minor. Now, the panel also issued an arrest warrant for the minor's mother. Louisiana has one of the strictest near total abortion bans in the United States, it includes no exceptions for rape or incest. The case appears to be the first instance of criminal charges against a doctor. accused of sending abortion medication to a patient in another state since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul says she will, quote, "never under any circumstances comply with the extradition request." Well, the worst effects from one of California's most devastating fires are far from over. Ahead, we'll bring you the latest on the lengthy and potentially dangerous cleanup process in Altadena. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:40:00]
BRUNHUBER: After weeks of death and destruction, the Eaton and Palisades Fires are finally at 100 percent containment, but the worst is far from over. Our Julia Vargas Jones is in Altadena, where the Environmental Protection Agency is working to remove hazardous materials that survived one of the most destructive fires in California history.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sifting through Altadena's ashes, what were once homes, now piles of toxic waste. The cleanup after the deadly Eaton Fire is just beginning.
HARRY ALLEN, ON-SCENE COORDINATOR, U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY: So, we put a white X to mark that we've checked it and it doesn't have anything dangerous in it.
JONES (voice-over): Weeks after flames decimated thousands of homes and businesses, crews in hazmat suits roamed the ruins. The Environmental Protection Agency carrying out what they call phase one, a painstaking process, removing all that is hazardous in the fires aftermath.
ALLEN: They're common goods from your house, paints from your shop. They may be oils from your garage, propane from your grill. These are the kinds of materials we're looking for and we'll remove if they're -- if they haven't been burned.
JONES (voice-over): Harry Allen has been with the EPA for more than 20 years and helped in the recovery after major wildfires.
ALLEN: Napa, Sonoma, Woolsey Fire here in L.A., Lahaina. Yes, this one is larger than those.
JONES (voice-over): But this time around, another danger lurking amidst the rubble, partially damaged batteries.
ALLEN: Inside that battery it can get hot and the gas can ignite and cause a fire.
JONES: Just on its own?
ALLEN: On its own. And if you watch videos of this, they look like little roman candles, if you're familiar with that firework. And the fire comes out like a jet from the battery and it can be very harmful.
JONES (voice-over): Once EPA crews remove these dangerous items and dispose of them safely, phase one is complete.
JONES: What happens after that?
ALLEN: Once that phase one is fully completed, phase two can start, which is either public or private contractors will come in and remove the debris from each property.
[04:45:00]
JONES (voice-over): The scope of the disaster and the magnitude of the work ahead now coming into focus. On these blocks, gas and power just starting to come back online. Beyond them, thousand more residences await.
JONES: How long to complete all of the Eaton Fire area? I mean, this is -- it's the whole community.
ALLEN: We don't know how long it's going to take, but we've gotten a lot of pressures and direction to complete the work faster than we normally would. And so, we're ramping up our staffing to try to meet those goals.
JONES (voice-over): For those displaced and who are ready to start rebuilding, those goals can't come soon enough.
Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Altadena.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: A Los Angeles County man has been charged with damaging a firefighting airplane with a drone. Peter Aikman used a plea agreement to admit that he recklessly operated the drone that collided with a Super Scooper aircraft. The Canadian-owned plane was being used to fight the fires in Los Angeles, but the collision tore a brick sized hole in the plane's wing. Two crew members landed safely and were unhurt, but the water bomber was grounded for five days while wildfires raged.
California is very dry. January is about to be counteracted by an atmospheric river event that could span all the way to the Rockies. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar has the latest.
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ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: There's not one, but multiple atmospheric river events that will be hitting the West Coast over the next several days. And that's leading to the potential for flooding. You've got over 12 million people under flood watches currently, but we're also going to be dealing with a significant amount of snow. All of these areas here. So, that includes the Sierras, the Cascades, the Olympics and even the Rockies looking at substantial amounts of snow over the next 24 to 48 hours.
In terms of atmospheric rivers, when you have level twos and threes, those air mostly beneficial with the potential for some hazardous impacts. But we're going to be looking at a level for around San Francisco and slightly north of that. The concern here is, well, still beneficial. Now, you start seeing most of it being hazardous, especially in the form of that excessive amount of rainfall and also the potential for some landslides.
Here's a look at the forecast. We already had rain yesterday on Saturday. Now, we're looking at more of that rain to surge in today as well as Monday. And then, by Tuesday and Wednesday, we actually start to see it shift a little bit farther south. So, areas like Los Angeles and San Diego now start to get in on some of the rainfall amounts as well, and they desperately need to see it.
The highest snowfall amounts are going to be in the higher elevations. You're looking at widespread totals of 12 to 18 inches, but some spots could pick up two or even three feet of snow. The rainfall, the highest is going to be centered across portions of Northern and Central California. widespread amounts of three to five inches, but it is not out of the question for some of these spots to pick up 60, even 10 inches of rain. And that's why you have the concern for all of the flooding in those areas.
And it's going to be multiple days too. You look at San Francisco's forecast, rain on Sunday, rain on Monday, rain on Tuesday, not to mention the rain that we already got. So, it's going to be a prolonged event, too, and that also will end up leading to some of the flooding concerns.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: So, as the California wildfires called the glitz and glamour of Hollywood's award season into question the Grammys are still moving ahead tonight. After the break, we'll tell you about the focus of this year's award show. Stay with us.
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[04:50:00]
BRUNHUBER: The 67th Annual Grammy Awards are set to air tonight as scheduled, despite the growing backlash about holding a glitzy ceremony amid the devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister sat down with those running the awards show as they share their plans to shift this year's spotlight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amid a backdrop of tragedy, the nation's deadliest air disaster since 2001, and the most destructive wildfires in Southern California history.
HARVEY MASON JR., CEO, THE RECORDING ACADEMY: Grammys and this platform is cool, but it's not the most important thing in the world.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. and Grammys Executive Producer Ben Winston are tasked with putting on a show that some thought should be called off. WAGMEISTER: There have been some people who say award season should be canceled. This is not what we need right now.
BEN WINSTON, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, 2025 GRAMMY AWARDS: If you could actually take the Grammys, where we know we've got an audience who are going to watch it, we know we've got the biggest stars in the whole world that are sitting there, and we bring real awareness to what's happened. We do some really serious fundraising for the causes that need it so much right now. We pay tribute to our first responders. We showcase L.A. businesses. Surely that is worth doing rather than not doing.
WAGMEISTER: Winston and Mason Jr. sat down with CNN during a break in construction of the Grammys set. For them, this show feels personal.
MASON: I know one guy that lost his entire studio, burned all his collections, all his instruments, and this is how they make a living. So, if we were to postpone the show, we wouldn't be able to raise the money that we need to support those people.
WINSTON: Before this happened, I probably knew the name of four of my neighbors. I reckon, I now know about 23 of them. Like there is a sense of community right now in Los Angeles that I personally haven't seen before, where people are helping each other, and I think we can reflect that on the show.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): They point out the majority of working musicians in L.A. aren't wealthy superstars. Plus, the Grammys telecast brings income to 6,500 workers who depend on award season paychecks.
WINSTON: The drivers, the florists, the builders, the PAs, people, some of whom have lost their homes.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): That said, the Grammys will still be the Grammys, with performances from pop stars like Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, and Sabrina Carpenter, country star Brad Paisley, and legends like Stevie Wonder.
MASON: There will be incredible performances, but there's also going to be a layer of emotion and heart and storytelling about the heroes.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): And if you're in it for, well, the awards, there's that, too.
WAGMEISTER: The Beyonce question. You brought up the race for best album.
MASON: Yes.
WAGMEISTER: Is this the year for Beyonce?
MASON: I'm going to give you a hot take. I feel like she's got a one in eight chance of winning that thing. I'm serious.
[04:55:00] WAGMEISTER: Statistically, that is absolutely accurate. It's actual. No fact-checking needed.
WINSTON: That's how you're going to get out of us.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[04:55:00]
BRUNHUBER: A stunning NBA trade agreement has just altered the league's landscape. Two of basketball's top superstars have been swapped midseason. The Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Luka, a five-time all-star, has become the face of the Mavericks franchise, while Anthony Davis has been the right hand to LeBron James since 2019, helping lead the team to an NBA championship that year. As Luka recovers from a calf injury, ESPN reported the Mavericks' concern over his conditioning. When asked about the trade, Dallas said Davis will bring a defensive mindset that the team needs moving forward.
A streamlined Mercedes set a record for a Grand Prix car after selling at a RM Sotheby's auction Saturday for over $53 million. Bidding took place at the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. The streamliner is one of only four complete examples in existence. This vintage classic claimed victory in the 1955 Buenos Aires Grand Prix. It was also driven that same year by Formula One great Stirling Moss. And it's the first Mercedes with this iconic body type to become available for private ownership.
Well, the sun is shining in a London Hall named after the ancient Greek and Roman sun god Helios. It's an elaborate internally lit display of the sun. Now, each centimeter or inch of the orb represents roughly 124 miles of the sun. The 23-foot-wide installation is on display in London's famed Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.
All right. That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll back with more news in just a moment. Please do stay with us.
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