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CNN This Morning
President Trump Tackles Immigration Reform; Federal Employees Told To Report Efforts To Hide DEI Work; New York Jets Hire Aaron Glenn As New Head Coach. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired January 23, 2025 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:30:45]
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: All right, it is 5:30 a.m. here on the East Coast. A live look at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri on this Thursday morning.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.
This morning a federal judge in Seattle will hear arguments challenging President Donald Trump's executive order looking to end birthright citizenship in the U.S. It is one of multiple lawsuits already brought forward by two dozen Democratic-led states and cities attempting to stop President Trump from enacting one of his signature immigration policies. It's a constitutional question that could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Among some of the other immigration changes the president has made sending thousands of additional active duty U.S. troops to the southern border.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the move talking with reporters yesterday saying the administration is looking to make homeland security a core mission of the Department of Defense.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This is something President Trump campaigned on. The American people have been waiting for such a time as this for our Department of Defense to actually take homeland security seriously. This is a number one priority of the American people, and the president has already delivered on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: President Trump was asked about his plans for immigration policy in his first Oval Office interview with Fox News yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This was a gross miscarriage of common sense to allow people to come in. And I believe the number is 21 million people, and a large percentage of them are criminals all over the world. This is not just South America. Countries that you don't even think of. The Congo has emptied their prisons out into the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: CNN senior reporter Daniel Dale fact-checked some of those statements. According to his reporting, experts on both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the neighboring Republic of Congo have told CNN there's no evidence for claims that they have emptied their prisons in the U.S.
As for the number of migrants who have entered the U.S. during the Biden administration -- through December, there had been 11 million encounters with migrants during the Biden administration.
Joining us now, The Hill's national political reporter, Julia Manchester. Julia, good morning to you.
JULIA MANCHESTER, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, THE HILL: Good morning.
HUNT: So they are, in fact, moving very quickly and they are involving U.S. troops from the Department of Defense. You heard the press secretary there talking about it.
What has the reaction been to this on Capitol Hill from both sides of the aisle?
MANCHESTER: Well, it's interesting. Yesterday we saw the Laken Riley Act pass through the House. It will go to President Trump's desk. Obviously, a different -- you know, a slightly different immigration topic. But I think you're going to see obviously Republicans rally around -- rallying around the president on this -- supporting this.
But Democrats are -- you know, very much have been forced to take a very -- I guess, walk a fine line on this issue of immigration. There were 12 Democrats in the Senate that voted for the Laken Riley Act; 46 in the House that voted for it. So you're starting to see Republicans split them. And I think you'll see Democrats in the House and the Senate sort of make their own political calculations on how to handle this issue of immigration and the situation at the border.
I am curious to see what the reaction in the states is because I think obviously, we talk about Democrats in Washington within the Beltway. It's obviously very important. But I think the Democrats in the states -- those attorneys generals who are pushing back on birthright citizenship -- they're really the front line of resistance against Trump on this issue.
HUNT: Yeah. Well -- and Julia, we can look at some of these numbers. There's this poll here that shows 83 percent of Americans favor deporting undocumented immigrants with a violent criminal conviction. This is an AP poll. And Americans actually do favor even deporting legal immigrants with a violent criminal conviction. Sixty-nine percent of Americans favor that.
I mean, these numbers help explain part of why those votes are happening that way.
MANCHESTER: Absolutely. And I think it shows where obviously Americans are. Democrats see that going forward.
But you still have a number of Democrats, including progressives, pushing back on legislation like the Laken Riley Act, saying that it doesn't -- this doesn't do anything to lower crime. It doesn't address the immigration -- the broken -- what they say is the broken immigration system. So there clearly is a divide in the party.
[05:35:00]
But Republicans, I think, have successfully been able to split Democrats on this, and Democrats are sort of having to go their own way individually in confronting this issue.
HUNT: Let's talk a little bit about sanctuary cities -- places where you've seen local -- state and local leaders say we don't necessarily want to go along with some of the enforcement actions that the Trump -- you know, border -- ICE is --
MANCHESTER: Yeah.
HUNT: -- planning on doing.
Let's look at Tom Homan who is, of course, the border czar, talking about sanctuary cities -- watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM HOMAN, TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BORDER CZAR: So sanctuary cities are going to get exactly what they don't want -- more agents in the communities, more people arrested, more collaterals arrested. So if that's the game they want to play, game on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: And President Trump also spoke about this --
MANCHESTER: Yeah.
HUNT: -- on Fox News with Sean Hannity. Let's watch that, too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: Would you -- will you --
TRUMP: We're trying to get rid of them. We're trying to end them. And a lot of the people in those communities don't want them. You know, California is a big example.
HANNITY: But would cut off their money?
TRUMP: I might have to do that.
HANNITY: Yeah.
TRUMP: Sometimes that's the only thing you can do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: So he's saying they're trying to get rid of sanctuary cities entirely.
Is the Trump administration planning to try to take on these local officials in some way, and what's the reaction been to that?
MANCHESTER: I think we're going to see a big legal fight between cities, states, and the federal government on this. I mean, I think President Trump is certainly telegraphing that could be possible going forward, particularly obviously in a number of these blue states. But we'll have to see how that plays out in the courts. I think you're still going to see resistance in a number of these cities, in a number of these states which happen to be Democratic, so there's going to be a fight ahead.
HUNT: Julia, can we talk a little bit about the border piece of the legislation that's -- you know, the Trump agenda that's moving through --
MANCHESTER: Um-hum.
HUNT: -- Congress in either one or two big pieces? We're not 100 percent sure --
MANCHESTER: Right.
HUNT: -- yet.
But obviously, the president can do a lot with his phone and his pen --
MANCHESTER: Um-hum.
HUNT: -- but there are some things that only Congress can do. And it's going to take money to implement a lot of the things that Donald Trump wants to do.
What's the status of those negotiations, kind of, behind the scenes? I mean, what do you think is going to end up -- like, what's on track right now to be in a border package and what's not?
MANCHESTER: Yeah. Look, I mean, we know that President Trump has met with congressional leaders this week -- have talked about that. I think Republicans for the most part are united on this. I mean, I think it depends really what's tied to specific pieces of legislation going forward.
HUNT: All right, Julia Manchester for us this morning. Julia, thanks so much for being here. MANCHESTER: Thank you.
HUNT: I appreciate it.
All right. Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING two struggling NFL teams introducing new head coaches. Can they end the misery for Jets and Bears fans?
Plus, the National Urban League calling an emergency session to try to save DEI. That group's president, Marc Morial, is going to join us next.
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[05:42:05]
HUNT: All right, welcome back to CNN THIS MORNING.
Federal workers are being told you should report any work being done that looks like DEI in disguise or face "adverse consequences." The message was in a memo at multiple agencies after the White House ordered all federal DEI staff to go on leave.
CNN's Rene Marsh looks at the potential impact of this move.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: Our country is going to be based on merit again.
RENE MARSH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): All employees of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion or DEI offices at federal agencies have been put on administrative leave. The Trump administration also cutting DEI initiatives, training, offices, and taking down social media and websites focused on DEI -- and the changes are coming quickly.
This was the Treasury Department's website on its commitment to DEI before Trump was sworn in. Here it is now. The same at the Labor Department.
The administration also set an end-of-the-month deadline for a plan to execute a reduction in force for these employees. In layman's terms, a plan for firings.
MARSH: How many federal workers are we talking about here that could be impacted by this?
REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): We have no idea. And one of the things that we hope to learn this week is exactly how many employees are working in DEI.
MARSH (voiceover): Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee James Comer is an ally on Trump's mission to eliminate DEI. He says he'll work to pass laws in Congress that make Trump's executive orders permanent.
COMER: It amounts to hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions of dollars in added payroll.
MARSH (voiceover): The impact will go beyond government, cutting equity-related grants and contracts and ending DEI requirements for government contractors all coming within the next 60 days.
EVERETT KELLEY, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES: People are taking to tears because they don't know what to expect. You know, it's a smokescreen to really just fire a whole bunch of civil service.
MARSH (voiceover): Trump's order could also impact government initiatives at agencies like Health and Human Services that use DEI funds to increase the diversity of patients in cancer clinical trials, vaccine equity in rural communities, and research that promotes maternal health equity.
COMER: We are going to abolish these DEI agencies. We feel it's a duplicative service, repetitive service. It's already illegal to discriminate.
MARSH: If the protections aren't there, doesn't it make it easier to violate a law?
COMER: I think the protections are there.
MARSH (voiceover): Right now agencies are not required to track DEI expenditures so it's unclear how much the government has spent overall.
CNN analyzed the proposed budgets of 20 federal agencies. HHS, for example, requested $113 million in its budget for training for diversity in the health workforce. And the Department of Defense asked for $50 million to fund DEI-related activities. That amount accounts for just .006 percent of the department's total budget request according to a spokesperson.
[05:45:10]
The Biden administration expanded DEI protections to a broader group of Americans, including women, rural communities, military spouses, and caregivers.
KATY YOUKER, LAWYERS' COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER LAW: What diversity, equity, and inclusion programs do is open opportunities to qualified, deserving people who worked hard. It's not about dictating hiring decisions of filling quotas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNT: All right, our thanks to Rene Marsh for that report.
That push to eliminate everything DEI from the federal workforce is not going unchallenged. The National Urban League convening an emergency session on Wednesday with DEI executives and community leaders.
President Marc Morial calling for an unwavering and unified resistance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARC MORIAL, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE: We stand against efforts by this administration to repeal, to undercut, or to undermine the hard work of many generations of Americans through what we call unlawful, extra constitutional, and ill-advised actions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Fighting the Trump administration's anti-DEI actions will be an uphill climb. Corporate giants like McDonald's, Walmart, Ford, Meta, Lowe's, Molson Coors, Tractor Supply, Harley-Davidson, and John Deere have already modified DEI initiatives.
And joining us now is the president of the National Urban League, Marc Morial. Sir --
MORIAL: Hey, good morning.
HUNT: Good morning.
MORIAL: Thank you.
HUNT: So grateful to have you on the show.
So let's talk a little bit about for you what this fight looks like. Because there has been -- and you can see it from that graphic of all these companies -- a backlash against some of these programs.
What does your fight look like?
MORIAL: So there are far many companies who have reaffirmed their commitment to equal opportunity. And it's referred to in the nomenclature as diversity, equity, and inclusion. It used to be called different things over the years. So I don't want people to get caught up and to understand what the essence of it is -- and it's equal opportunity.
Now, the administration's executive orders I believe are unlawful and unconstitutional. The bedrock for equal opportunity is the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It's a Magna Carta of American law. All of these initiatives and programs are rooted in that. No president can change that by executive action. So in many respects these actions are going to be challenged in court not once, not twice, but numerous times because of the fact that they go beyond presidential power.
But here is the most important thing. I held this up yesterday. Eighty-one percent of the American people, according to a Harris poll, support the idea that the government and the private sector should do more to make sure their workforces, their boardrooms look like America.
So this is a fight notwithstanding the noise I would tell you where the American people -- a cross-section of the American people are strongly supportive of what we fundamentally believe and what we are going to work and fight for.
HUNT: Do you think that there are any areas where taking the language and making it more accessible might help you convince more people that this is the right thing to do? Because there has been kind of a focus on this in academic settings that certainly -- you know, I've spoken with Democrats on the Hill, for example, who feel that perhaps changing that and making it more accessible would help.
MORIAL: Maybe if people read the language. Maybe if they'd pay attention to details. Maybe if they'd look beyond headlines they'll see that fundamentally what this is about is protecting equal access and equal opportunity and ensuring that people look at this set and the two of us -- look at this network and how it's changed over the last 40 years ensuring that all people who have merit and are qualified have an opportunity to be interviewed for a job, for a promotion, for an opportunity. That's what this is about.
I invite people to get beyond the headlines. Learn the history and understand why for an America whose population is becoming much more diverse we cannot return to 1950s America where we strip away -- what this is really is is stripping away all of the protections for equal opportunity. So people who are serious pay attention to the details.
HUNT: So what is step one for you, especially in terms of the federal workforce where Donald Trump has focused this? I mean, where are you suing? What is -- what's your game plan?
MORIAL: Well, we have not yet determined, and we'll have an announcement soon on where we as a National Urban League are going to challenge this. But there are many, many others who have already filed challenges and there will be more challenges to this. And I think there needs to be a vigorous debate in Congress about this as we certainly go forward.
[05:50:00]
But I hope people will understand that for many women, many Blacks, many people of Latino descent, indigenous Americans, Asian Americans -- an America of 1965 did not include any of us in positions of responsibility or power. The Civil Rights Act meant that changed that in a very positive way. To strip that away in 2025 is a betrayal of that hard work and it's also a betrayal to the next and future generations of Americans.
This idea that DEI is antithetical to merit is not only a falsehood, it's mythology. What DEI says is give everyone with merit a chance.
HUNT: All right, Marc Morial. Very grateful to have you on the show, sir.
MORIAL: Thanks, always.
HUNT: It's going to be an interesting four years. I hope you'll come back soon.
MORIAL: A lot ahead. We'll be back. HUNT: All right, time now for sports. A wild, somewhat controversial finish in the NBA last night in what could be a potential championship preview between the Houston Rockets and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Coy Wire has this morning's CNN sports update. Coy, good morning.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Good morning, Kasie.
Two of the best teams in the league. This game had all the vibes of the mid-'90s. All sorts of physicality.
The Rockets had a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter, but the Cavs go on a 19-0 run to bring it within two. The Rockets' Alperen Sengun gets a layup to go with a minute to go. He also gets away with shoving Cavs' Jarrett Allen. No foul is called.
Let's go -- 10 seconds left, game tied. Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell misses the go-ahead shot. This time refs did blow the whistle saying Allen fouled Sengun, and he makes both free throws. So the Rockets take a two-point lead.
The Cavs have a chance. Darius Garland fouled as he's taking the three. A flagrant one on Tari Eason. So three free throw attempts for Garland but he misses the first two of them. He does get the third to go to bring the Cavs within one. But Donovan Mitchell's desperation three-pointer is no good.
The Rockets hold on for the win 109-108.
OKC superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did it all against the Jazz. The first player in franchise history to score 50-plus with multiple steals and blocks in a game. The MVP candidate averaging 32 a game this season.
Well, last night, he was on like Lionel Ritchie, all night. A career- high 54 points, tied for third most in Thunder history, as OKC wins 123-114.
Elsewhere, the Jimmy Butler-Miami Heat saga took yet another turn yesterday. The team suspending their six-time all-star for two more games after he missed the team's flight to Milwaukee. It's the second time in three weeks Miami suspended him. He just returned from a seven-game suspension over the weekend after demanding a trade. The NBA's trade deadline is February 6.
NFL news now. The Jets hiring their new head coach -- a familiar face -- Aaron Glenn, the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator who improved their defense each of the last three years finishing seventh in points allowed this season. The first-time head coach Glenn was drafted by New York in '94 in the first round. He was a three-time Pro Bowl player.
The Bears introducing their new head coach yesterday, former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. He orchestrated one of the league's most explosive offenses the past three years. Now he's paired up with last year's number one pick, quarterback Caleb Williams. Here is his message to his new roster.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN JOHNSON, HEAD COACH, CHICAGO BEARS: I do have a message here for the players. Get comfortable being uncomfortable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Whoo, look out.
All right, Kasie, put down your coffee. Wait until you see this. Halftime at the Nebraska-USC men's hoops game. A fan steps up and needs to hit a full-court putt to win a new car. The mascot watching intensely and getting excited. The line is good, Kasie, and he -- from 94 feet away -- drains it. And watch the Tiger Woods' fist pump -- yes, sir.
He just didn't win any new car, Kasie -- it's a Porsche -- a Macan.
HUNT: Wow.
WIRE: And here he's maybe hitting them like how am I going to -- yeah, this thing is an expensive car and the taxes. You can see his wheels turning a bit maybe.
HUNT: Well, that's true. Usually they let you take cash in those circumstances if you prefer it which, you know, who knows?
WIRE: It might be a smart move.
HUNT: But if it's red, you know, they charge a lot actually. Porsche charges a lot for a red one of those things, so --
WIRE: I learn something new every day. I'm off to a great start today. I love it.
HUNT: Coy, thank you. See you soon.
All right, straight ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING Elon Musk throws cold water on a big announcement from the president. Why did he diss Trump's AI deal?
Plus, the president is still trying to answer for his blanket pardons of January 6 rioters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, CBS "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": Only two in 10 Americans support pardoning the rioters -- two out of 10. If you want an idea of how unpopular that is that's only one point better than the Rotten Tomatoes score for "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:59:12]
HUNT: It's Thursday, January 23. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They were treated like the worst criminals in history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Not backing down. President Trump defending his sweeping pardons of January 6 rioters.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOMAN: We are concentrating on the worst first.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Immigration transformation. A flurry of executive orders from the West Wing. Today, new policies will be tested in court.
And later --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Is it that important for China to be spying -- to be spying on young people?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Brushing aside concerns, President Trump downplaying the threat of TikTok after giving the app a reprieve.
And this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a completely different beast.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: A fast-moving fire. A new blaze in Southern California exploding in size. Calmer conditions could help crews get the upper hand.
