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Trump Takes Victory Lap In Las Vegas After Active Week; Trump Pledges To Eliminate Taxes On Tipped Wages; GOP Sen. Grassley: Congress Didn't Receive Legal Notice Of Inspectors General Firings; Guatemalan Officials Say Deportations Didn't Come As A Surprise; Senate To Cast Final Vote On Treasury Secretary Nominee Monday; U.S. Home Sales In 2024 Fell To Lowest Level Since 1995. ICE Can Arrest Migrants in Churches and Schools; Palestinian Prisoners Reunited with Families; Netanyahu Trying to Arrange Meeting with Trump. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired January 26, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:00:36]

AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: Good morning everyone and welcome to CNN This Morning. It is Sunday January 26th. I'm Amara Walker.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: I'm Victor Blackwell. Thank you for joining us.

Here's what we're working on for you today. President Trump spent Saturday touting his administration's actions over the first few days in office. What he told supporters about his upcoming plans. Plus, comments about Gaza raising questions this morning.

WALKER: Some high-profile GOP senators are raising concerns about Trump firing inspectors general for more than a dozen federal agencies. Their response to the firings and why Trump says he did it.

BLACKWELL: Some church leaders are vowing to resist the Trump administration's new policy allowing ICE to operate in or near places of worship despite the threat of arrests. We're joined by one of them later.

WALKER: And giant pandas are back on display at the National Zoo. We're going to take you behind the scenes of their journey from China to the nation's capital just ahead on CNN This Morning.

President Trump begins his first full week in office in South Florida after a swing through the Western U.S. Last night in Las Vegas, the President thanked Nevada for its support in his re-election and then he turned to his plans for his second term.

BLACKWELL: The President bragged about stripping the federal government of what he called woke crap. He also spoke about his compromise on no tax or campaign promise I should say on tax -- no tax on tips, increased border security, and immigration.

CNN's Steve Contorno has some details for us. Steve?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Victor and Amara, Donald Trump took what appeared to be an extended victory lap in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday and what was really a very much a campaign style rally although he spent a lot of time talking a lot less about the campaign and more about the victories of his first week in office including the executive orders he has signed, the actions he has taken to reverse President Joe Biden's agenda, as well as his controversial decision to pardon the January 6 rioters.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I pardoned hundreds of political prisoners who had been viciously persecuted by the Biden regime. Hundreds of people were persecuted, including Christians, pro-life activists to Washington, D.C., police officers yesterday whose lives were destroyed from chasing down a dangerous illegal alien criminal. And of course I was very proud to pardon the J6 hostages.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

CONTORNO: Trump also reiterated his campaign promise to get rid of taxes on tipped wages telling the Nevada crowd that he anticipates it could be part of a tax package at Congress he hopes to pass later this spring. Although it remains to be seen if House Republicans will get on board with it.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

TRUMP: I'll be working with Congress to get a bill on my desk that cuts taxes for workers, families, small businesses, and very importantly, keeps my promise for a thing called -- and I know you didn't hear anything about this. And I'm sure it had no influence on the state the fact that we won this crazy massive majority, the state that hadn't been won by a Republican in decades. But I'm sure you haven't heard but we're going to get it for you, no tax on tips.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

CONTORNO: Trump is back in South Florida. And on Monday, he will meet with House Republicans at his Doral resort. It's the second time in recent weeks that he is convening with House Republicans as they work together to build out his agenda. Victor and Amara?

WALKER: All right, Steve Contorno, thank you.

BLACKWELL: Two more of the President's Cabinet nominees were sworn in on Saturday. Pete Hegseth was sworn in as the Secretary of Defense on Saturday after Vice President JD Vance had to cast a tie-breaking vote to get him confirmed.

WALKER: Kristi Noem took the oath of office as Homeland Security Secretary hours after a bipartisan Senate vote. This week, three of the President's more controversial picks will face Senate committees.

CNN's Annie Grayer reports on what's ahead.

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Well, Amara and Victor, this week is going to be another jam-packed week for senators as they seek to rapidly confirm the rest of Donald Trump's Cabinet. RFK whose Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services has hearings on both Wednesday and Thursday in front of two different committees.

Tulsi Gabbard will also be back on Capitol Hill on Thursday. Gabbard is Trump's controversial pick to be the top -- the nation's top intelligence official.

[07:05:09]

And then you have Kash Patel whose Trump's pick to leading in for a hearing on Thursday. And as we've seen with the confirmations of Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense and Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Republicans are trying to move quickly and give Donald Trump these early wins to build out his Cabinet as quickly as possible.

So, there will be a flurry of actions and we will continue to follow them every step of the way.

WALKER: All right, Annie Grayer, thank you.

President Trump is getting bipartisan backlash in his own party after telling a number of inspectors general they were fired. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley says the firings did not follow legal precedent. Grassley's office said in a statement Saturday that while there may be a good reason for the President to fire them, Congress did not get the 30-day detailed notice of removal that the law demands.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he never got a heads up about the decision. And Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins and Mike Rounds echoed that statement say that while there were -- there may be a good reason for the firings they haven't heard of them yet. But President Trump brushed it off saying the firings aren't a big deal.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

TRUMP: I don't know them, but some people thought that some were unfair or some were not doing the job. And it's a very standard thing to do, very much like the U.S. attorneys.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

WALKER: Turning now to immigration and troops are posted up along the U.S. and Mexico border right now as President Trump's immigration crackdown continues.

BLACKWELL: Hundreds already there with thousands of additional active- duty troops ordered to head that way. President Trump suggested sending IRS agents hired during the Biden administration to the border too.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

TRUMP: Day one, I immediately halted the hiring of any new IRS agents. You know, they hired --

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: -- they hired or tried to hire 88,000 new workers to go after you. And we're in the process of developing a plan to either terminate all of them or maybe we'll move them to the border.

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: I think we're going to move them to the border.

CROWD: Yes.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BLACKWELL: Many of the people being deported are from Guatemala. CNN's Rafael Romo explains how the country is preparing to take back hundreds of its citizens.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Amara, good morning to you. Guatemalan officials have been trying to put a brave face to weather the storm. They have chosen to seek cooperation with the Trump White House so that they can prepare for what could be a large number of Guatemalan citizens returning to their country.

Santiago Palomo, Press Secretary for the Guatemalan President's Office, told us several key things regarding the deportations. Number one, the government of Guatemala has been in what he described as permanent communication with the White House.

Palomo also confirmed that 264 citizens of his country were deported on U.S. military flights on Friday to Guatemala, including six children. And number three, this official also said that Guatemala is ready to handle around 18 weekly flights of Guatemalan citizens deported from the U.S.

The issue of the deportation seems to be a top priority for the government of the Central American nation. Guatemalan Vice President Karin Herrera personally welcomed back to her country some of the migrants deported this week, greeting them at a Guatemalan Air Force base just outside the capital.

Meanwhile, the official we spoke with says the deportations were not a surprise for his government.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

SANTIAGO PALOMO, PRESS SECRETARY FOR THE GUATEMALAN PRESIDENT: Our authorities in the United States, led by the ambassador, Hugo Beteta, met this week with officials of Donald Trump's administration. There was fluid communication and they gave us detailed information about the flights that were expected this Friday.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ROMO: And to put the issue of deportations of Guatemalan citizens in perspective, the U.S. deported more than 66,000 back to their home country in fiscal year 2024, according to data from U.S. immigration officials. That's nearly a quarter of all non-citizens removed by the U.S. that year.

The Guatemalan official we spoke with said those returning to Guatemala are being treated in a dignified way through a government assistance program spearheaded by President Bernardo Arevalo called Returning Home.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

BLACKWELL: President Donald Trump also said that he'd like Egypt and Jordan to accept more Palestinian refugees in a plan that could radically reshape the region. Last night, the President said he'd spoken with the king of Jordan about removing 1 million Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

TRUMP: And we just clean out that whole thing. You know, it's over the centuries it's had many, many conflicts, that site. And I don't know, it's -- something has to happen. But it's literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything's demolished.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

[07:10:19]

BLACKWELL: All right, joining me now is Mica Soellner, congressional reporter for Punchbowl News. Mica, good morning to you. And there was this inconsistency of points on this topic in the first term, where the President would say something like, I'm fine with the two-state solution. I'm OK with the one-state solution.

And then Ambassador Haley would have to come out and clean it up and say, no, no, no, official U.S. policy is still that there will be an Israeli and Palestinian state. But in this new climate, post-October 7th, during the Israel-Hamas war, is U.S. policy on this shifted?

MICA SOELLNER, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS: Yes, good morning. It's good to be with you. Obviously, the new comments from Trump is moving clearly away from a two-state solution, and it really breaks with decades of U.S. foreign (ph) policy.

But one thing that we do know about President Trump is that he has been really unique in his own foreign policy. So we're going to see what happens with his approach. But this is getting a lot of mixed reaction already, given the fact that this would be a huge shift here in terms of actually getting all the Palestinian people out. And that's -- and it's going to receive a lot of criticism from at least a lot of the activist wing. BLACKWELL: Yes, we'll see if it's something more formal than just a gaggle on Air Force One, if he wants to put some policy language behind that clear-it-out phrasing. President fired the inspectors general for more than a dozen agencies.

Senator Grassley, chair of Senate Judiciary, highlighted that the President's order did not follow the law, which requires 30 days notification in Congress and the reasoning. Is this something significant enough that Republicans especially will do more than complain about it? And what can they do?

SOELLNER: Yes, I think that we're seeing this as being the first break from congressional Republicans in terms of Trump's governing style so far. And I think that it's possible that lawmakers could set up, you know, potential investigations or urge more from the administration.

But right now, I'm seeing, aside from Trump's usual detractors in terms of some of the Senate Republicans, I haven't seen much reaction from House Republicans at all. So we'll have to see if they are asked about it.

BLACKWELL: OK. Let's stay in the House here. President, at the event in Las Vegas, under this brand of no tax on tips, reaffirmed that there would be no tax on tips. But where is the clarity? Are you seeing, as House Republicans are starting to put together whatever their tax plan will be, whether that is federal income, payroll?

I mean, the GOP House Budget Committee says eliminating income tax alone on tips will cost $106 billion over 10 years. How are they going to pay for it? What are you hearing?

SOELLNER: Yes, this is definitely something that House Republicans are trying to figure out. Speaker Mike Johnson actually came out and said that he believes the no tax on tips will be part of the package last week.

So I know that the leadership and the Budget Committee, Ways and Means, all the committees kind of working in the jurisdiction here to reinstate Trump's tax cuts are really working to try and get that measure in. And that is a measure, I think, that's kind of one of those rare bipartisan areas, too, that's supported by a lot of members.

BLACKWELL: Yes. We know that former Vice President Kamala Harris promised no tax on tips as well as part of her campaign. You have some interesting reporting about how Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are preparing for a second term with psychologists at their retreat. What for?

SOELLNER: Yes, this is very interesting. So basically, top Democrat on Judiciary Committee, Jamie Raskin, commissioned a couple of psychologists to kind of talk about how to combat Republican talking points, looking at what he says is the authoritarian style of some of Trump's rhetoric in particular.

But I think it's really interesting that Democrats are really interested in kind of studying the psychological makeup of Republicans and Trump and this administration. And it's one of the ways that they're preparing to kind of go up and debate them, you know, in the next two years, in the next four years as well.

BLACKWELL: All right, Mica Soellner with Punchbowl News, thanks so much.

WALKER: Still ahead, Federal Reserve policymakers meet this week and the stakes could not be higher for American households and businesses. The impact their decision could have on the economy and your wallet.

Also, immigrant communities are facing fear and uncertainty as President Trump's crackdown intensifies. Families are now bracing for the possibility of being arrested at schools, churches and hospitals.

Plus, two giant pandas made their debut at the Smithsonian's National Zoo last week. Our CNN's David Culver got exclusive access to their journey from China to Washington, D.C.

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[07:19:54]

WALKER: Another big meeting for the Federal Reserve this week in President Trump's second week of his second term. Experts believe they won't touch interest rates this time, but could start cutting them again later this year.

[07:20:09]

And on Capitol Hill, the Senate will cast its final vote on President Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday evening.

We're joined now by Justin Wolfers, professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Justin, good to see you. Everyone is kind of hedging their bets with the economy as the new president takes office. Could we see any surprises from the Feds this week?

JUSTIN WOLFERS, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: The Fed's job is not to surprise people, and they're pretty good at doing that job. So, look, the truth is Trump inherited really quite a wonderful economy. The unemployment rate's low. People are finding jobs pretty well. And so the Fed doesn't feel like it's in a hurry to cut rates anymore.

WALKER: So if they do, as expected, hold the rates steady, I mean, could that change at some point down the line, depending on what President Trump does on immigration or tariffs?

WOLFERS: Yes, things are remarkably balanced at the moment. So, watching the Fed's going to be a little bit boring for a few months because they're like the rest of us. They're going to watch and see what happens.

With inflation coming back down towards the Fed's target, you would normally expect to see the Fed continuing to bring interest rates back to normal. And remember, they're a little higher than normal right now.

The big question is, how far Trump goes on tariffs and how the Fed responds to those tariffs. It could be that it thinks raising tariffs is just a blip in inflation and it decides not to react, or it could be worried that it has a real effect on inflation and people's expectations about the future.

WALKER: But even with inflation going down, it feels like, you know, a lot of Americans are not feeling in their pockets, right? I mean, grocery prices are still quite high. Eggs are estimated to go up, the price of eggs, by 20 percent this year. And the prices are still high right now. I mean, what's going on and when might we see a break?

WOLFERS: Right. So the thing that people should realize is that inflation is when prices rise. So if inflation comes down, those prices stay high. I remember talking to my grandma who would tell me about back in the day she could get into the movies for a quarter.

We had inflation and that hasn't happened since. And basically, we're going to get used to the current prices that are being charged. And hopefully they're going to continue to rise at a rate that's barely perceptible. What's really going to keep people afloat is each year, hopefully you're going to get a little bit of a pay rise and that'll help you continue to pay for that slightly higher cost of living.

WALKER: What about, you know, home prices? Because they remain sky high mortgage rates. And last year, sales of existing homes in the U.S. fell to its lowest level in almost three decades. Is there any relief ahead for the housing market?

WOLFERS: Yes. So there's actually two very interesting things happening on housing. So the first is what's going on with how many houses are being sold. The answer is very few are being sold.

Now, it turns out people like my friends are a very good reason for this. Let me explain. My friend's got a mortgage back when interest rates were about 3 percent. Their kids have just left the house. And so they're thinking of downsizing.

But if they were to downsize, they'd have to take out a mortgage of 7 percent, at an interest rate of 7 percent. So if they downsize, they'd have less house, but actually their mortgage payment wouldn't fall at all.

So there's a lot of folks in that situation. And so they're not moving. And so that's the reason the quantity of houses being sold is very low. People are locked into their old mortgage rates.

WALKER: Yes, that --

WOLFERS: What's happening to the price is a very different thing. That's all about supply and demand. House prices are high because there's a lot of demand and not much supply. The real solution there is we need more supply, which is building more houses. And what's going on in jurisdictions all around the country is local governments make it hard for people to build new housing and new apartments. We've got to find a way of getting rid of those bottlenecks.

WALKER: Yes. Got to find a way to increase the inventory. Before I let you go, I do want to ask you about Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He does have bipartisan support. The vote for his nomination is set for tomorrow at 5:30. If and when he becomes the Treasury Secretary, I mean, what will you be watching for in terms of his first moves?

WOLFERS: He's going to walk in and the first thing that's going to happen is his staff are going to say, Mr. Secretary, the budget deficit is currently 6 percent of GDP, well above our long run average. And normally when the economy is doing well, you expect that -- you've got to fix that problem, Mr. Secretary.

Here's a president who during the campaign has promised tax cuts here, tax cuts there. The Trump tax cuts are expiring at the end of the year. And how do you bring the budget back into better health at the same time as you've got a president who seems to want to spend, spend, spend?

[07:25:10]

WALKER: Yes, that is the big question. It's going to cost a lot of money for these tax cuts that he has promised.

Justin Wolfers, thank you very much.

BLACKWELL: Coming up, President Trump's immigration crackdown is ramping up with new policies targeting undocumented peoples in schools, hospitals, places of worship. How churches across the country are working to support those families?

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BLACKWELL: Some churches are taking a stand in the immigration debate after the Trump administration says that immigration and customs enforcement officials can arrest migrants in churches and schools.

Now, this reverses the 2011 ICE policy which kept law enforcement from going into sensitive locations to make arrests of undocumented immigrants. Well, now, churches and schools are fair game. And Bishop Mark Seitz of the diocese of El Paso joins me now to discuss.

Bishop, good morning to you. And you wrote in a statement, non- emergency immigration enforcement in schools, places of worship, social service agencies, healthcare facilities. would be contrary to the common good. The president prioritizes removal of undocumented immigrants over the sensitivities of those spaces. Why is he wrong?

BISHOP MARK SEITZ, DIOCESES OF EL PASO, TEXAS AND CHAIR OF THE U.S. BISHOP'S CONFERENCES' MIGRATION COMMITTEE: Well, that sensitive locations policy was there for a reason because these spaces are sensitive. And in fact, our sacred spaces are places where people should be able to gather without fear and worship God. That's part of our -- the religious liberty that our country was founded upon.

These other locations, likewise, are places where people should be able to be without fear. Our children -- in our schools. And so, should people who need to go to the hospital.

BLACKWELL: Bishop, I'd like you to listen to Homeland Security adviser to the President, Stephen Miller, and then I'll get your response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN MILLER, DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR POLICY: No one is above the law, not illegal aliens and not anyone who may choose to illegally harbor those aliens. So, this is a warning to anybody who is trying to obstruct ICE enforcement activity, if your obstruction violates federal law, then you face criminal jeopardy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: If ICE shows up at a church or a school in your diocese, what's the plan?

SEITZ: Well, first of all, let me say we don't harbor people. The courts have clarified what harboring means. Harboring means trying to keep a person that is wanted by law enforcement away from law enforcement. We don't hide. As a matter of fact, the primary work that we do is working with law enforcement, with the Border Patrol and ICE to give people a place to go once they're processed and released. That's what our shelters do. So, that is not considered harboring.

We are always willing to work with law enforcement if they're aware of a criminal that is a threat to the community that somehow is within our facilities, we would call them first if we knew that someone who is a threat was with us, and we do.

BLACKWELL: Now, you say that you work with Border Patrol and ICE to assist with people who come into the country, have somewhere to go. The administration has now ordered advocacy groups and resettlement agencies to stop services for refugees who come into this country. And many of these agencies are faith-based. Let me read from your statement, for the church, charity is not a kind of welfare which could be equally be left to others, but it's part of her nature, an indispensable expression of her very being.

How do you reconcile the call from the administration to stop services for people who are in this country? And we're talking refugees now and the beliefs of the church.

SEITZ: What the administration has done, as I understand it, is to say they're going to stop any kind of government assistance for this work that we're doing, which is actually an assistance to the government because no one wants people that have been processed to simply trying be left to live on the streets. So, we have been assisting the government and in their role of providing for a way that people can receive the basic necessities of life.

It's true, certainly, we always, as a church, we've seen it as part of our religious duty to help people who are in great need, and that's what we do.

BLACKWELL: Bishop, let me go back to one thing, and I just want some clarity from you. You said that if you knew that there was someone who was undocumented in the country and you knew that they were a threat, that they were a criminal or some threat, I should leave it there, that you would contact ICE, you would contact Border Patrol.

But if you have people who are in your shelters or in your churches that you believe or know are undocumented, would you also make that call?

[07:35:00]

SEITZ: Well, first of all, it's not the church's job to assess, to evaluate the status of every person that is within us. We're not capable even of doing that.

BLACKWELL: Sure.

SEITZ: But if some kind of probable cause is given to us that this person is a risk to the community, then certainly we'll be working with them.

BLACKWELL: That would be the threshold if they're a risk to the community, not simply their status in the country?

SEITZ: Well, their status in the country, as I say, you know, the people we've been receiving are people who are -- have been processed and released to us by Border Patrol, by ICE and so on. And that's the primary work we've been doing.

BLACKWELL: Bishop Seitz, thank you so much for your time this morning.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Just ahead, emotional reunions as Palestinian prisoners are released and reunited with their families. The moments of joy come amid ongoing tensions in the region. So, what does this mean for the broader conflict?

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[07:40:00]

WALKER: CNN is learning that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to arrange a meeting with President Trump in Washington, D.C. in the coming weeks. A spokesperson for Netanyahu cautioned that the plans are still in the works and not a done deal yet. And it comes as Trump has restarted the deliveries of so-called heavy bombs to Israel after former President Biden put them on hold last year.

BLACKWELL: As part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Israel's prison service released 200 Palestinian prisoners yesterday. Most were welcomed by thousands of Palestinians in the Israeli occupied West Bank of Ramallah. Israel is expected to release 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in phase one of the deal.

CNN's Nada Bashir joins us now live from Jerusalem. So, this is the second exchange of this ceasefire in phase one. What was different this weekend versus what we saw last weekend?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Victor, Amara on the first weekend, the majority of those released were women. We also saw teenagers released as part of that exchange, many of whom were held under administrative detention, meaning no charges were laid against them.

This weekend, what we have seen is 200 prisoners released, many of them serving sentences for serious offenses, at least 121 of them serving life sentences. And of course, under the terms of the agreement, what we saw is 50 Palestinians prisoners being released in exchange for each Israeli female soldier who's held captive by Hamas in Gaza. So, we saw an uptick, rather, or an increase in the number of Palestinian prisoners being released.

But as I mentioned, this was a different scenario. Many of these were serious offenders, as we saw over the weekend. And of course, what we also saw were significant celebrations once again, and as you mentioned, this is just the second week of what is said to be a week's long exchange process. Take a look at what we saw in Ramallah yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASHIR (voice-over): A show of force by Palestinian security forces as the occupied West Bank prepares for yet another release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli detention.

BASHIR: Buses have arrived now in Beitunia, carrying those prisoners that are being released now on the second week of this exchange between Israel and Hamas. They are arriving now, escorted by Palestinian Security Forces here in the occupied West Bank after being released from the Ofer Prison.

BASHIR (voice-over): In nearby Ramallah, crowds gathered to welcome those freed. 200 male prisoners were released in exchange for the release of four female Israeli soldiers held captive in Gaza by Hamas. Among the prisoners, 121 men serving life sentences, according to Palestinian authorities. Three of whom were arrested for orchestrating deadly bombings which targeted Israeli civilians. A majority of those released were convicted on serious charges, including murder.

In Israel, it is a shocking scene. Prisoners, many considered to be dangerous, being celebrated and walking free. But for Palestinians here, this is seen as a moment of victory.

If there is anything we are proud of in the history of this nation, it is Gaza, Mohammed (ph) says. Those now freed cling on to their loved ones. Many are visibly frail and exhausted. The conditions inside the prison, they say were horrific.

We'd be beaten in the morning and beaten at night. They would bring out large dogs that were trained to attack us, Briad (ph) says. They would raid ourselves while wearing masks and beat us. This morning, they woke us up at 3:00 a.m. and attacked us with dogs.

Mohamed Lazar (ph) had been serving a life sentence for the murder of an Israeli citizen. Now, released, he says mistreatment of inmates grew more severe after the October 7th attacks.

Suffering, Mohamed (ph) says. We went through many difficult things.

[07:45:00]

Palestinians in Israeli detention centers has been documented by several NGOs as well as the U.N. Human Rights Office. CNN has reached out to the Israeli Prison Service for comment.

While many here are celebrating this moment, it is hard to ignore the months which led to this point.

Of course, this is an important moment for our people, Leila Ghannam (ph) says, but we also feel remorse because the price was too high. The price of freedom was the blood of the Palestinian people.

And though the Israeli government has stressed that this is not a victory for Hamas, here many say this is a moment of triumph for Palestinian resistance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR (on camera): And we have since received a response from the Israeli Prison Service with regards to the claims made by the released Palestinian prisoners. They have told us that they are not aware of any such claims. Going on to say that all basic rights required are fully applied by professionally trained prison guards.

But as I mentioned in that report, of course, the alleged abuse of Palestinian prisoners has been detailed in a recent report by the U.N. Human Rights Office, which detailed accounts of abuse, of restrictions on food and water, on beatings as well and -- as well as a series of other incidences.

So, clearly there are real questions being raised as to the conditions faced by inmates in Israeli prisoners. It's something that we heard from a number of prisoners, not just this weekend, but also, of course, last weekend as well. And as I mentioned, this is the second week in what is said to be a week's long process, which will see hundreds of Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for Israeli hostages.

BLACKWELL: Nada Bashir reporting for us. Thank you. And we'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:50:00]

BLACKWELL: I know you're sitting at home biting into your bacon, egg and cheese, drinking your Yoo-hoo, whatever it is.

WALKER: Yoo-hoo?

BLACKWELL: You wonder what is going on with those two giant pandas. Well, I'm here to tell you that they are settling in well at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, dc Of course, they made their first appearance on Friday.

WALKER: Yes. The three-year-olds had been in quarantine since arriving in the U.S. from China in mid-October. And CNN's David Culver had exclusive access to follow their long journey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before we see the creatures themselves, we want to just see how large they loom around their hometown.

CULVER: Of all things you wouldn't need to advertise here in Chengdu, it would be the giant panda.

Headbands. There are so many shops just like this.

Panda themed cigarettes. You've got panda books, panda keychains, panda pens. Even Starbucks has caved to the panda theme. You -- that doesn't have pandas. We've been most -- panda loyalists they are, but that's Chengdu. I mean, basically, it's known for a few things, spicy food, hot pot, and pandas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Yes, the pandas were everywhere, David. He's joining us now from Washington. And so, the pandas made their debut Friday.

CULVER (on camera): Yes.

WALKER: But you, David, believe that this weekend it's going to really show how well they're adjusting.

CULVER: I mean, I think so, because Friday you have a weekday. Here we are in a weekend in Washington, and you've got the big crowds that are headed out there. I got to tell you though, being back in China, you guys know well, Victor and Amara, I spent three years there covering COVID, covering geopolitics. So, to be able to go back and cover pandas, this is a nice change of pace for sure.

And these two in particular, you got Bao Li and Qing Bao, they're both at the National Zoo here in Washington right now. They're three years old. And they are active as can be. I think a lot of folks will get frustrated when they go to the zoo, and they see the pandas just like sitting there up in a tree napping. At times that happens with these two, but then most of the time you can see like what you see right here, they're up and about, they're there going all around.

What's really interesting, though, about this doc that we've got coming up later tonight is that we get access that I was even surprised with. The Chinese officials within the Chengdu area allowing us to go into some of the nature reserves. These are the spaces where they're rewilding some of these pandas and trying to get them back into their natural habitat.

And so, we're hiking through some of these mountainous areas that I was not prepared for physically. And you realize what it takes to try to basically get these pandas back into their spaces that, for now, has been a huge challenge, but really, they're starting to make a lot of progress. And you can see just some of the images that we capture there.

I mean, I think when folks come here to Washington and they go to the National Zoo, and they see two pandas, these two in particular, who have, by the way, been exposed to the public when they were in China. But you're talking about places where they have dozens upon dozens of pandas. I mean, it's panda overload when you go to these base camps in China.

So, now, they're getting a concentrated amount of attention just on the two of them, and they seem to be handling it really well. I think a lot of folks look at this and they question whether or not it would happen. You know, as I talked about, covering China, geopolitics, U.S.-China relations, we're in a new U.S. administration here.

There was even one woman who came in from Texas yesterday, and she told me, I was not convinced this day was going to happen because of U.S.-China relations. But this was a moment to push through that, so it seems. Panda diplomacy, 50 plus years strong and continuing as such. And I think folks felt reassured that at least the way the things are going between the two countries, that hasn't stopped these beloved creatures from coming here to Washington from being part of that exchange program that really allows kind of global goodwill to be spread around the world.

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And it is something special. I mean, I didn't get it for a while, why people would stand there and watch pandas for hours, but then I found myself in China doing the same thing.

WALKER: Really?

CULVER: Yes, it's mesmerizing.

WALKER: All right. They do have -- seem to have a really, you know, interesting temperament and seem to be quite playful. But, you know, hopefully, they'll get used to all these people standing there and gawking at them for quite some time.

CULVER: I think so. WALKER: David Culver really fascinating report. Thank you very much.

CULVER: Thanks, guys.

WALKER: And an all-new episode of The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper: Operation Panda, one whole hour, one whole story airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.

And that's it for us. Thanks for being with us this morning. We'll see you back here next weekend.

BLACKWELL: Inside Politics Sunday with Manu Raju is up next.

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