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CNN This Morning

TikTok Shuts Down In The United States; Trump Says He Will Probably Give TikTok A Reprieve From The Ban; Israel-Hamas Ceasefire In Effect, Hostages And Prisoners Set For Release; Biden To Travel To South Carolina. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired January 19, 2025 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:00:35]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: We are following two major breaking news stories this morning. Good morning, I'm Victor Blackwell.

AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: And I'm Amara Walker.

TikTok is now dark for 170 million users in the U.S. And the Israel- Hamas ceasefire is now in effect after a three-hour delay. CNN Anchor and Chief National Security Analyst Jim Sciutto has been following this story for us from Tel Aviv. Jim?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: That's right, and we are just under two hours now from a key point in this agreement. That is when the first Israeli hostages, or at least the earliest, the first Israeli hostages, will be released, three of them.

And we're also going to see in the same period of time dozens of Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli prisons in the West Bank. It's a tense moment here, but a moment of some hope after so much suffering.

WALKER: All right, Jim, we'll see you in a bit.

TikTok also has officially gone dark. That app and others owned by ByteDance went offline late Saturday night, just two hours before the ban was slated to take effect.

BLACKWELL: So if you try to open TikTok this morning, you'll see this message. "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now."

We're covering the latest on this with CNN's Clare Duffy and Former National Security Intelligence Official Timothy Edgar. Clare, we're going to start with you. TikTok also seems to suggest in this message that they are waiting for President Trump's inauguration and there could be some way to be back online. What do you know?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: That's right, Victor. Look, there are going to be lots of unhappy TikTok users who are waking up this morning. And many users are also disappointed because they thought they had until midnight last night to continue their scrolling. But the app shut down two hours earlier than expected.

As you said, ByteDance owned Lemon8 and CapCut also have gone offline and all of the apps are no longer available on the App Store. And just to back up for one minute, I mean, this is a huge deal. TikTok has 170 million American users.

And if we look back, the app really became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic when people were stuck at home. It was a place to find community, connect to creativity. Of course, many people built businesses there. So users are really sad about this loss.

This video was posted just before the ban went into effect last night.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- sad about TikTok leaving. I'm going to miss being here TikTok grandma. I had so much funny here. And I love you all. Follow me on Instagram.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

DUFFY: But as you said there, TikTok may not be gone for long. The company is hoping to receive an assist from incoming President Donald Trump. Trump is said to be weighing a 90-day delay of the ban.

Yesterday, he told NBC, "The 90-day extension is something that will most likely be done because it's appropriate. You know it's appropriate. We have to look at it very carefully. It's a big situation. If I decide to do that, I'll probably announce it on Monday".

But here's the big question. The president has the option to delay the ban by 90 days if a deal is in process to spin off TikTok's U.S. assets from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. And so far, ByteDance has been unwilling to engage with any of the buyers who have put their hands up for this platform.

So the question will be whether Trump can convince ByteDance, convince China to change its mind and work out a deal to sell this platform to an American owner.

WALKER: Yes, that is the question. Clare Duffy, thank you very much for your reporting.

Let's talk more about this with Former National Security and Intelligence Official Timothy Edgar. Timothy, thank you for your time this morning. So let's start with that because I know you told my producer that there isn't really anything the outgoing or incoming president can do to easily reverse this.

But as you heard from Clare Duffy's reporting there, Trump told NBC yesterday that he will most likely delay this ban. But how can he do that and implement this 90-day extension if there is no deal in progress and ByteDance has up until now refused to sell off TikTok? TIMOTHY EDGAR, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL: Well, the short answer is that he can't. The law gives him that 90-day extension only if a deal is in progress, and that means that there have to be actual documents that are signed and a firm agreement to buy TikTok. And we haven't seen anything like that.

So, you know, he could issue some order or some statement, but it won't have the force of law and it won't protect companies who are worried about enforcement of the ban.

[07:05:06]

BLACKWELL: Timothy, the law that was passed last year singled out applications developed by ByteDance, which owns TikTok. But the number one app, and we can put it up on our screen, on both the Google stores and the Apple store, is RedNote, which is another social media app owned by a Chinese entity. Are the same national security vulnerabilities applicable to ByteDance and TikTok applicable to what is the most popular downloaded app now on these stores?

EDGAR: I would say yes. And the law also gives the president the power to designate additional apps or websites that have the same concerns, not just from China, but also from Russia or other what the law calls foreign adversaries.

So now, you know, Trump is probably trying to save TikTok rather than to ban RedNote, but he does have the power under the law to ban RedNote using the same process. And now the Supreme Court has said that that's constitutional.

WALKER: So I understand you sided with TikTok on this case, especially because, you know, we saw this case pit free speech against national security concerns, even if the national security risk is rare -- real. I mean, obviously, you know, we've seen China fly spy balloons in the U.S. to collect intelligence.

But you also say that there are better alternatives to shutting down TikTok. What are those alternatives, then, that would also address these national security concerns exposing so many millions of Americans' data?

EDGAR: Yes, so I agree with the Supreme Court that there are real risks to data privacy and other national security risks. TikTok was working with Oracle, a U.S.-based cloud provider, to provide real safeguards, technical, physical, administrative safeguards using sound cybersecurity principles when it was storing its data in the Oracle cloud.

And I think that's exactly the kind of approach that would allow us to make sure that we safeguard national security while protecting free speech. And so I was disappointed that that approach was abandoned.

BLACKWELL: Yes. The fear is, is that the Chinese government could compel, in many ways, these companies to use the algorithm to spread misinformation or to get that sensitive information. The question I've heard, though, is why is their -- the consumer's personal information safer on U.S. apps that might be able to do the same thing? Why is it safer on X than it would be on TikTok if someone were compelled to hand over what's on one of these platforms?

EDGAR: The short answer is that it really isn't safer. You know, these apps collect enormous quantities of personal data, and that data is vulnerable. It's vulnerable to governments who are demanding it using legal pressure. It's also vulnerable to spying.

And there's no reason to think that with a TikTok shutdown, that the Chinese intelligence agencies are going to close up shop. They're going to continue to try to get our data, and there's enormous opportunities for them to do so through all sorts of other apps.

And so what we really need is a comprehensive data privacy law that protects all of our data, and that would be a much better way of addressing these national security concerns.

WALKER: But I guess the takeaway for those who are watching who were TikTok users, there's not much that can be done to get around this ban. But, of course, we'll see what President-elect Trump comes up with when he takes office tomorrow.

Timothy Edgar, good to see you. Thank you for the conversation.

EDGAR: Thank you.

WALKER: Well, we are now entering the third hour of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and this is a live picture at the Israel- Gaza border. Three Israeli women are set to return home today after more than a year in captivity.

A special hospital, you see there, a special hospital unit, an entire ward has been set up to take them in and help them recover.

BLACKWELL: Displaced Gazans are returning home to the rubble that remains in places like Rafah, Gaza City. Humanitarian groups say that at least 4,000 aid trucks are lined up, ready to help them. And this is the first phase of this ceasefire deal. 33 Israeli hostages will be set free in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Let's get now to CNN's Chief Security Analyst, Jim Sciutto, live in Tel Aviv right now. Jim, the -- minute by minute is not clear. We do know some of the choreography that's expected to happen over the next two hours. What do you know? And tell us what's happening now.

SCIUTTO: And we do now know the identities of the three -- the first three Israeli hostages to be released as soon as, well, just under two hours from now.

[07:10:04]

There are three women, not in the military. Romi Gonen, 24 years. She was taken from the Nova Music Festival. You'll remember where so many of the deaths happened in those hours, those early hours of October 7th. Her family says she was shot in the hand and that her wounds worsened in captivity. That's Romo Gonen. Emily Damari, also in this first group. She's 28 years old. She was taken from Kfar Aza in the south. She's British-Israeli. Her mother has said she, as well, was shot in the hand, as well as had shrapnel injuries in her leg, blindfolded, bundled in the back of her own car as she was taken.

So many, in addition to the undeniable psychological wounds that they have suffered during captivity, also have physical wounds, which doctors will be treating once they're released.

And the third, Doron Steinbrecher, 31 years old. She's a veterinary nurse. She was taken from her apartment in the kibbutz Kfar Aza, as well. And there was video showing her alongside two others who were released from Hamas -- released by Hamas in January 2024. That was a proof of life at the time.

So three families, three Israeli families, are going to be able to see their loved ones again today. But, of course, so many other families, close to 100, who will not. Also happening during those early hours of this agreement is that 95 Palestinians -- 95 Palestinian prisoners will be released, as well. Our understanding is that 20 of them are teenagers.

We should note that because of the laws in Israel, many of those prisoners are held under what's known as administrative detention. They haven't been convicted of any crimes. So there will be a mix of those who are released and many hundreds more over the course of this agreement.

This is, though, a small step, a powerful one. In the 470 days since October 7th and the painful war that has followed, painful for the hostages, painful, of course, for the people of Gaza. Many tens of thousands killed there, more than 40,000.

In fact, the vast majority of them civilians, people there desperate for a breath of relief, as well. That Israeli-Hamas ceasefire has officially began earlier this morning, local time.

Coming up, we go to the West Bank, where we expect those Palestinian prisoners to be released. And we expect to see them soon as part of this deal.

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[07:17:26]

SCIUTTO: With the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas now in place, the first phase will see dozens of Israeli hostages exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. That taking place over the course of six weeks with a small group today.

CNN's Nada Bashir, she is outside Ofer Prison in the West Bank. That's where we expect to see the 95 Palestinian prisoners released sometime today. Nada, you made a good point last hour that many of those held in these prisons were not convicted of crimes that they're being held under administrative detention. Do we know the makeup of this initial 95 in terms of what their legal status is or any more details about them?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this stage, Jim, it is still somewhat up in the air. As you mentioned, we have that list of 95 that was issued last night by the Israeli authorities or the night before.

Now we are getting a list from Palestinian authorities and organizations. They believe 90 will be released this evening. Of course, it remains to be seen once that release actually takes place.

But as you mentioned, at least 30 on that initial list are believed to have been held under administrative detention. So no charges laid against them, no ongoing legal process or trials to speak of.

As we understand it at this stage, the 95 potentially set for release this evening include 70 women and 25 men, among them 10 teenagers. And of course, this is the first day in what is set to be a staggered process over the course of six weeks, in which we will see hundreds potentially of Palestinian prisoners and detainees being released.

Of course, in the broader context, there are more than 10,000 Palestinians currently held in Israeli custody, more than 3,000 of them are held under administrative detention, according to recent NGO data.

And in terms of the process, of course, as you mentioned, we are outside the Ofer Prison, we are expecting this to be one of the key release points for those Palestinian prisoners and detainees over the course of this first phase of the ceasefire agreement, if it continues to be upheld, much as we saw during that four-day truce back in November 2023.

And once again, we are expecting the International Committee for the Red Cross to play an important role in the logistics in coordinating the transfer of these prisoners and detainees onwards into the occupied West Bank or into East Jerusalem.

Of course, this is still a fragile process, and it remains to be seen how this is carried out later this evening. There was, of course, a delay in the ceasefire being implemented, so that may lead to a delay in those three hostages being released from Gaza into Israeli territory and subsequently, of course, for the prisoners and detainees to be released. Of course, that is very much dependent on confirmation that those three hostages are indeed returned back to Israeli territory.

[07:20:18]

And what is also important to note is what we saw last time around during the four-day truce is huge celebrations taking place across the occupied West Bank, limited celebrations in Jerusalem. We know that Israeli authorities are cracking down.

They've already carried out some raids, in fact, just yesterday for families in parts of Jerusalem who are expecting their loved ones to be released. Whether we see any further crackdown here in the occupied West Bank later tonight, that remains to be seen. Jim? SCIUTTO: And to your point, this is a delicate process. Each stage has dangers of delays and other roadblocks. We'll be watching those closely.

Nada Bashir in the West Bank, thanks so much.

We should not, though, underestimate what a change this is after 470 days of just relentless war, a ceasefire for the people of Gaza, relief for some Israeli families over the course of the next six weeks. Three of them today with those three female Israeli hostages to be released.

Joining us now is Professor Allen Fromherz, he's the director of the Middle East Studies Center at Georgia State University. Professor, thanks so much for joining us this morning, your time. Let me ask you one very basic question. Gaza has been devastated in this war, more than a year and a half of bombing.

If you look at the landscape, thousands of structures, homes, buildings destroyed, most of the hospitals no longer operational, desperate need for food. And sadly, Hamas remains there. Weakened, but Hamas remains. What does the future of Gaza look like just even over the next several weeks and months?

ALLEN FROMHERZ, DIR., MIDDLE EAST STUDIES CENTER, GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY: First, thank you for inviting me here on this historic day and this day of wonderful optimism for the region. As a historian myself, I can say, and I hope that this will maybe be a day that is written down in the history books as a day of change and opportunity, as you say, for the people of Gaza.

And I think there's two options here for the Middle East that are represented by two of the major players here, which are Hamas and Qatar and the Gulf, which is a place of great prosperity, a place where things are happening all the time that are positive and moving forward. And then, as you're saying, the devastation that is happening in Gaza.

But what is interesting is that places like Qatar and places like the Gulf are coming in and are being a part of this peacemaking process in a way that was never seen before in previous peace, great peace agreement in this region. I think that's a really exciting and positive and optimistic trend that is happening.

SCIUTTO: I don't want to get ahead of ourselves here because, of course, there are so many steps to come in this agreement between Israel and Hamas, three phases, the first phase, six weeks, really a handful of hostages every week over the course of those six weeks.

But we do know that the Trump administration, like the Biden administration, would very much like to get a larger agreement, a normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel at some point. Following this agreement and other events in recent weeks, of course, the weakening of Hezbollah, the fall of Bashar al-Assad, are we closer to such an agreement? FROMHERZ: I think we are. And I think we are coming to a sea change. We're seeing the generational shifts that are happening in the Middle East. The old resentments that seemed to be eternal are starting to shift in many ways over the long term.

I'm not saying it's going to happen immediately, but we are seeing new people in charge in the Middle East. And it's taken a while for the older resentments to pass away, but they are starting to do so. We're seeing new leadership.

Even though Mohammed bin Salman is controversial, not only in Saudi Arabia, but in the West and in Israel, he is making extensive and incredible intrinsic changes. And I do think the Abraham Accords, which are a coup for the Trump administration from its first term, will be expanded in this second term of the administration and hopefully will include such important keystone members of the Accord as they hope to include Saudi Arabia.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Listen, perhaps a moment of hope, certainly a moment of hope here in Israel, in Gaza as well, and we'll see if more broadly in the region.

Professor Allen Fromherz, thanks so much.

[07:25:10]

SCIUTTO: Coming up --

FROMHERZ: Thank you so much.

SCIUTTO: -- my colleague, CNN's Bianna Golodryga, got an exclusive interview with Israel's Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar. We will have her next hour as well as sound from that interview. Please do stay with us.

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SCIUTTO: Some news now just into CNN.

[07:30:00]

The Israeli government has now named the 33 hostages set for release during the first phase of this ceasefire and hostage release deal, which will be carried out over the course of some six weeks. Among those due for release are two of the youngest hostages held by Hamas, Kfir and Ariel Bibas, who if they are alive, and this is an open question on many of the remaining hostages in Gaza, they would be just two and five years old.

Also, among those now named are two Israeli-Americans who are presumed, based on the information Israeli officials have, to be alive. They are Sagui Dekel-Chen and Keith Siegel. Again, 33 names, 31 of them taken on October 7th.

And as I was saying earlier this hour, it's coming up on, well, just about an hour and a half, when we do expect the first three Israeli hostages to be released from Gaza.

Joining me now is former CNN senior international correspondent Arwa Damon. She is the founder and president of International Network for Aid, Relief, and Assistance. An organization that provides medical and mental health care to children across the globe, including in Gaza.

And we know right now that there are thousands of aid trucks ready to go into Gaza because the need there is so great for the most basic supplies, food, medical supplies as well. Arwa, can you tell us what the state is of the people of Gaza as this ceasefire deal gets underway?

ARWA DAMON, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR AID, RELIVER AND ASSISTANCE (INARA): Hi, Jim. Well, I've been messaging with the team all morning, literally, they were counting down the minutes for this to begin and sort of struggling to express their emotions because there's, you know, joy and relief, but at the same time there's sorrow and many people are afraid that, you know, right now, the floodgates of all of the pain that they have had to bury for the last 15 months is going to open and it's just going to hit them like a tsunami.

One of our staffers, our program coordinator, Yousta, actually message me saying, you know, we thought now would be the time where we could pause and kneel down and cry, but actually, we're realizing that right now is when we're going to have to double down on our work. And of course, he's talking about the work in the humanitarian sector because so much is needed.

You know, on my trips to Gaza, and I've been there four times, I was always and continue to be struck by how you would watch people moving around and their steps were heavy. There was no spark in their eye. And they would actually describe themselves as zombies. And now, people are saying, you know, we're beginning to feel a little bit more alive.

But of course, all of this is coupled with, you know, anxiety when it comes to going back to their homes, their neighborhoods, what they're actually going to find there. Of course, for the vast majority, it's going to be nothing. And then, actually, how long is this going to hold for? You know, a lot of people are saying it's finally over and you don't really have the heart to tell them, you know, it's very, very shaky.

SCIUTTO: You know, the description, it's so similar to what I was hearing from a mental health professional last hour describing the coming home process for former Israeli hostages that many of them display his passivity, which is really self-preservation tactic in the midst of so much suffering.

Let me ask you this, Arwa, because there have been consistent questions about who controls the distribution of aid inside Gaza when this aid comes in, and that some of it is siphoned off by Hamas and other groups there, basically a power play by those groups. As this flood of aid comes in, who's going to be in charge of getting it to the people who need it most? DAMON: Well, Jim, let me just try to clarify it a little bit. I mean, does Hamas end up with its hands on some of the aid, you know? Yes, of course. This, we actually saw occurring mostly in the beginning. What has been the big challenge over the last, you know, seven, eight months has been these criminal gangs and looters that actually operate in what's known as the red zone. So, areas that were under Israeli control that we can only cross over. through with very careful coordination with the Israelis, you know, we can only move through these areas once we had gotten a very specific green light.

There are obviously concerns right now that there will be some sort of -- you know, it's not so much a power play, as sort of a need to try to somehow secure Gaza because rule of law has been completely and totally decimated. And of course, as we see in so many war zones, you know, when you eradicate rule of law, all sorts of nefarious actors begin to emerge.

But I can assure you, Jim, that we control the aid. Humanitarian organizations control the aid. We control the distribution of it and --

[07:35:00]

SCIUTTO: Arwa Damon, I believe we lost -- oh, we lost the signal there. But, Arwa Damon, thanks so much for giving us a vision inside Gaza where, of course, there's been so much suffering through these last 470 days, and we appreciate the work she does.

We continue to monitor events here as we're coming very close to the moment when the first Israeli hostages of Hamas will finally get their freedom, be reunited with their families, as well as close to a hundred Palestinian prisoners as well. And we'll be right back.

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[07:40:00]

SCIUTTO: Exclusive now, Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, just spoke with my colleague, CNN anchor and senior global affairs analyst, Bianna Golodryga, a CNN exclusive. She joins me now from Jerusalem. Bianna, given the events of today, a hopeful point amidst so much suffering since those 470 days since October 7. I wonder, what was his view of this agreement and what follows?

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR AND CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well Jim, this was Gideon Sa'ar's first interview with the international media since taking on the position rejoining the government as foreign minister. What he said is that he expects the framework of the hostage release deal today to be fulfilled, which could begin in just over an hour's time from now, 4:00 p.m. local time.

And, Jim, as you noted, we've been near a deal. For so long now, for 15 months, this war has gone on only to see a deal fall apart last minute. I asked him what, if anything, the U.S. election back in the United States, what role, if anything, that had in getting this particular deal to where it is across the finish line? Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIDEON SA'AR, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: No doubt that the efforts that America invested and of course, President Trump that came with a very powerful message right after his elections, and they were coordinated both administration. So, altogether, of course, the involvement of America, the strong involvement of America, the strong involvement of President Trump was very, very influential and helpful during the last weeks.

It's not that the -- President Trump and the ongoing administration forced us to do something we didn't want to do. We worked together to achieve a goal that was very important for us, and President Trump was very helpful in achieving that goal. But whoever describes it differently I think is not accurate with what happened.

GOLODRYGA: Hamas's leadership has been defeated. Hamas is a military no longer opposes a threat to Israel. Your former defense minister, Gallant, said that all of the war conditions had and goals had been achieved last summer, as well as the defense establishment. Given your commitment to bringing all of the hostages home, barring a major infraction by Hamas in breaking this deal, are you committed to seeing phase two and phase three implement and thus the release of all of the hostages?

SA'AR: I disagree. I disagree that it was achieved. We see the pictures from Gaza today. Hamas is still in power in Gaza. What happened if they will stay in power? It is not automatic to move from one phase to the other phase. And also, the United States of America agree, it's not automatic.

We will negotiate with good faith. We want the full deal to be successful, but we will not abandon the objectives. If we could achieve this objective in another way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: And, Jim, Foreign Minister Sa'ar went on to say that, quote, "The war is not an objective in itself, but we will not leave Hamas as a ruling power on the street there in Gaza," which begs the question, Jim, that we've been discussing that so many world leaders have been pressing Israel on, what does the day after look like? If not Hamas, then who will be governing Gaza?

The Israeli government has been very much opposed to the Palestinian Authority playing that role, which is something that the United States or at least the Biden administration has been supportive of. Nonetheless, Gideon Sa'ar says that he is fully committed to the release of all of the hostages, which would mean, Jim, that the phase three and phase three would have to be successfully implemented in this hostage deal after phase one, which would see the release of 33 hostages. He, we should note, also voted in favor of this ceasefire- hostage deal.

SCIUTTO: Well, it's interesting, because that is the assurance that the hostage families are getting from the incoming Trump administration as well. A number of them met with Mike Waltz, the incoming national security adviser yesterday, and he said the Trump administration is committed to seeing this deal through until all the hostages are released.

Of course, the test will be, as you well know, Bianna, whether they're able to push that through, given all the potential pitfalls. Appreciate the interview. Bianna Golodryga, thanks so much. We'll continue to follow events here.

[07:45:00]

We're coming up to just about an hour, Victor and Amara, until when we expect to see the first three Israeli hostages finally get their freedom.

BLACKWELL: All right. Jim Trudeau, thank you for the reporting there. And we'll get back to you.

Today is also President Biden's final full day in office. He's New CNN reporting that he is leaving feeling nostalgic for his decades long political career, but also frustrated over the way it ended.

WALKER: Yes, the president is scheduled to spend his final full day in South Carolina, a state that helped catapult him into office in 2020. CNN Senior White House Producer Betsy Klein has more. Obviously, this is a state that holds a special place in President Biden's heart. Tell us more about what we can expect and of course, why South Carolina.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Certainly, Amara, a lot of significance in South Carolina for President Biden and the entire Biden family. It is the place that he largely credits with catapulting him to victory back in 2020, turning the tide of that flagging campaign. It is also the place where the family gathered together for the first time after the death of Beau Biden, the president's son, from brain cancer.

Now, I was with the president back in January of 2024 when he went to Charleston telling the Mother Emanuel AME Church that those congregants as well as the black community of South Carolina are the reason that I stand here today as your president.

Of course, there were some early signs back then that his messaging on democracy just wasn't breaking through to voters, and he was also interrupted multiple times by protesters during that appearance, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, of course, taking on new significance today. But he is returning under very different circumstances, his final full day in office as president and also the end of a decades long career in public service.

Now, the president feels he has a record of accomplishment, but is also frustrated by and feels some level of resentment toward his team for -- he thinks they did not tell a good enough story about his administration. And also, he is frustrated he is handing over the keys to Trump. But today, a moment to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day and honor his legacy in Charleston. WALKER: All right. Betsy Klein, thank you very much. And the Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is here to track the extreme cold that will fall upon the inauguration tomorrow, a huge part of the country as well --

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You don't even have to be in D.C. to feel it. It's going to be incredibly cold. So, we take a look at the map just to show you the scope. You're talking nearly 150 million people under these extreme cold alerts. Some begin today, some will begin tomorrow, but the point is it's going to be cold. Even colder than January would normally be. Even some of these southern cities are going to get in on it.

You could see a city like Atlanta that may not even make it above freezing in the coming days. Yes, that takes us to D.C. where the inauguration is. There's an obvious reason why they moved things indoors because this isn't just typical January cold, this is dangerous cold. Those wind chills could get down into single digits even in the afternoon hours. Those temperatures likely to hover in the low to mid 20s.

Behind that, that's where all the air is coming from is behind this cold front. And in the short-term, it could also even bring some rain and snow to the Northeast.

BLACKWELL: Oh, all right. Thank you, Allison.

WALKER: More to deal with.

BLACKWELL: Huge weekend for football, the pros and in college. Coy Wire joins us now -- or in just a moment with a look at Monday's national championship game.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:50:00]

WALKER: A stunning upset in the NFL playoffs yesterday, the Washington Commanders knocked out the Detroit Lions with a convincing win.

BLACKWELL: Coy Wire is here to break it all down.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: This will go down as one of the biggest shockers in NFL playoff history. You have the Washington Commanders taken down the one seed Detroit Lions in Detroit with a rookie quarterback.

This game started slow, but it erupted in the second quarter The teams combined for 42 points, most ever in a playoff quarter. Sam LaPorta making an incredible one handed grab, stretching out like beanies on mine and Victor's big bald heads. Look at this thing.

Now, the Commanders answer. Jayden Daniels, the rookie sensation, to Terry McLaurin on a screen pass. He was McFlying. Breaking tackles, taking it 58 yards for the score. Daniels had 350 total yards, two touchdowns. The difference was turnovers. Quan Martin intercepting Jared Goff's pass on the next drive, taking it to the house for six. Tough blow for Detroit. Commanders had five takeaways in a 45-31 win. They advanced to the NFC title game for the first time since 1991.

Chiefs also beat the Texans yesterday to advance to their seventh straight AFC championship. We have another huge game tomorrow though, Notre Dame, Ohio State, two of the great programs in college football history, playing for the national title. None of the players I talked with yesterday at Media Day seemed afraid of the moment. So, I asked, what are you afraid of?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DYLAN DEVEZIN, NOTRE DAME RUNNING BACK: I'm afraid of hitting a deer on the road. I'm deadly afraid of hitting a deer.

WIRE: How about a Buckeye?

DEVEZIN: Same, you know, like all that.

QUINSHON JUDKINS, OHIO STATE RUNNING BACK: Holes. Holes.

WIRE: Are you serious?

JUDKINS: Yes, I don't like holes.

WIRE: But do you do that for like you're living right now? You run through them

JUDKINS: I run through holes, but I'm talking about like circle holes, like those. I don't like --

WIRE: That's why you get through them so fast?

JUDKINS: Right. You got to get out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Oh, this is going to be awesome. Any big fears, you guys?

BLACKWELL: Holes? He's afraid of holes?

WIRE: Yes, like (INAUDIBLE) --

WALKER: I was trying to get that. Yes.

WIRE: Yes. I didn't get it either. And he's a running back. He runs through holes. My greatest fear is my Bills losing to Victor's Ravens later today, because I'll never hear the end of it. But I do have to ask quickly, Ali, what is up with these earrings right here?

[07:55:00]

CHINCHAR: I figured --

BLACKWELL: Yes, yes, yes.

WALKER: -- yesterday.

WIRE: These are amazing.

CHINCHAR: For anybody that used to read the books or watch the show "Magic School Bus," this is Ms. Frizzle.

WALKER: I always love your sartorial choices.

BLACKWELL: We made a Ms. Frizzle comparison to Allison yesterday and --

WIRE: Because she always knows it --

BLACKWELL: Well, because she always shows up with all these, like, the earrings and the comic dress and the snowflakes.

WALKER: The snowflakes dress.

BLACKWELL: And who knew she had Frizzle earrings.

WALKER: I do want to see the beanie being fit over your, what did you say big fat bald heads one of these days.

BLACKWELL: Nobody said fat heads.

WALKER: Oh, OK. Sorry.

BLACKWELL: OK. That was not part of it.

WALKER: That was my editorial --

BLACKWELL: Thank you very much.

WIRE: That's what she heard, Victor. Now, we know how she feels about us.

WALKER: I didn't mean that. I'm just going to sit down. Sorry about that.

BLACKWELL: My spirit. Thank you, Coy.

WIRE: You have to use one of those shoe horns to fit your beanie on.

BLACKWELL: I still have time to deal.

WALKER: That means it's a fat head.

BLACKWELL: Breaking News coverage continues. Thanks for watching.

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