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Inside Politics

Springfield, Ohio Braces For Possible ICE Surge Targeting Haitians; Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Admin. From Deporting Haitians; Harris Relaunches Campaign X Account As Online Organizing Tool; "Puppy Bowl XXII" On Animal Planet Sunday At 2PM ET. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired February 05, 2026 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:01]

RAMESH PONNURU, EDITOR, NATIONAL REVIEW: Starmer appointed him even though Mandelson had a long history of being linked or at least rumored to be involved in various corruption scandals. So it's not as though Starmer didn't know anything. And, in fact, Starmer has now said that he knew about the ties to Epstein, but that Mandelson had lied about the extent and nature of those ties.

Starmer's also coming into this scandal already unpopular. He put all those things together, and obviously a lot of his opponents, both inside and outside the Labor Party, see blood.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. All right, we're going to sneak in a quick break. When we come back, I'm going to talk to Ohio's Republican governor about the Trump administration's effort to deport Haitians. And the fear still present in Springfield, Ohio, after this false charge from the now president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in, they're eating the cats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:35:28]

BASH: You probably remember this debate moment in 2024.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in, they're eating the cats, they're eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what's happening in our country. And it's a shame.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: It was not happening. But the claims unleashed a wave of threats against Haitian immigrants living legally in Springfield, Ohio, under temporary protected status granted by the Biden administration. Fast forward to now, the city has rallied around the Haitian community amid fears that ICE may come there next to deport them.

DHS already revoked Haitian's legal status. But on Monday, a federal judge temporarily blocked that policy change, a ruling the administration says it will appeal to the Supreme Court.

To discuss this, I'm joined now by Ohio's Republican Governor, Mike DeWine.

GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R), OHIO: Nice to see you, Dana. Thank you.

BASH: You have spoken out aggressively in defense of Springfield's Haitian population. And you did, back then when President Trump, then Ohio Senator J.D. Vance attacked them during the campaign. I know you were born in Springfield. How much fear is there right now in the Haitian community?

DEWINE: Well, there certainly is a lot of fear. But, you know, Dana, I think we're kind of potentially at least a crossroads in this whole debate about immigration. I watched this morning a clip from the president interview he did yesterday. He said, you know, we should be focusing, we are focusing, want to focus on the most violent offenders.

So I think, you know, people -- everybody agrees with that. I think also the president gets a lot of credit, should get credit for what he's done at the southern border. He inherited a mask. He's been able to, you know, dramatically cut down on the number of people even trying to cross the border.

Those two things, I think people agree on. There's big consensus for that. I think where, you know, we start losing people is when we're looking at people who are working hard every day. The Haitians in Springfield are one example of that under temporary protected status here legally. And they're working.

And what the employers have told me time and time again is we hired Haitians. A year or two, three years ago, frankly, because we couldn't fill these jobs. And Springfield is actually -- I look put my governor's hat on now from the point of view of economic development. Springfield has been moving forward. Springfield is coming back.

Part of the reason they've been able to come back is because of these Haitians who are there. They're not only working, but of course, they're spending money in the community. There's been businesses started, restaurants have started. And if we lose all those, if they lose temporary protected status and they no longer can work and the companies can't employ them, that's a blow to the economy. It's a blow to the state.

And if you look at Ohio's growth -- just one more statistic, if you look at Ohio's growth in the last few years, over half that growth has come from immigrants who are here and they're working. And they're helping the economy grow and helping us.

BASH: And these are arguments that you have been making and other Ohio officials of both parties have been making since 2024, since we heard JD Vance and Donald Trump say some of the things that we played again earlier. You said you believe that the president is sort of, my words, not yours, singing a different tune.

But do you believe that that is going to translate into a different policy? Because last week you said that you were getting mixed signals on whether ICE would actually come to your state, come to Ohio to deport Haitians. You don't think that's going to happen now?

DEWINE: Well, I don't know. I don't know that. I'm just saying that listening to what the president said, as I watched this morning, it was yesterday's interview, I imagine. But, you know, that's what people heard, I think, during the campaign.

Let's get the criminals out of here, get the violent people out of here and let's shore up the southern border. Let's take care of that. I think there's a broad consensus of that. Look, I don't know where the president is going on this. But, again, listening to him this morning, that seemed to be what he was saying.

And I think that, you know, he should get a lot of credit for what he's doing in the southern border. And I think, you know, what we've seen in Minneapolis and other places has distracted, frankly, from him getting credit for doing that.

[12:40:06]

So I think from a policy point of view, it's the right thing to do. And I think it's the right thing to do for many reasons. But I don't know. I mean, we were told a few hours before the court decision came down. We got a briefing from ICE and they basically said we have no orders or no plans to come in to Springfield.

Now, they did say that could change overnight. You know, that could change very quickly. But they said we have no plans specifically to do any kind of surge into Springfield.

So as you say -- and it's very much up in the air and you asked me about people in Springfield - you know, look, the Haitians are very, very concerned about it. And, you know, they don't know what's going to happen next. And of course, the employers really don't know what's going to happen next year.

BASH: We've been talking about this ruling on Monday. And in that ruling, the judge found that it's likely the decision to revoke legal status for Haitians is motivated by, quote, "Anti-Black, anti-Haitian animus." Do you agree with the judge?

DEWINE: Look, I'm not going to get into what the judge says or the law. The judge is going to have to do what they do. I respect that. We're going to respect whatever we end up -- BASH: Do you see anti-Black, anti-Haitian animus as a part of this?

DEWINE: Look, I can't attribute motives to people, what their motives are. You know, I just know that these are contributing people to our community. We need them. Our economy needs them. You know, we want to continue to move forward.

You know, Ohio is kind of red hot bringing in companies in here. Our challenge always is, do we have the right workers? And this is part of, frankly, part of the answer. The other answer, of course, is to make sure that every Ohioan lives up to their full potential. And we do a great job educating people.

So all of this kind of comes together in regard to, you know, it's about people. And, you know, the policy, I think, is it should be, in my opinion, you know, to allow these individuals to continue to get up in the morning, go to work. Some of them are working two jobs.

They all want overtime. They're doing everything they can to raise their kids, support their family. They're fixing up houses. They're just doing a lot of positive things that we're seeing in the Springfield community.

And you saw how the community, now not everybody agrees, but the majority of people in Springfield have certainly rallied behind these people that now they've lived aside for one, two, three, four years. And they understand, you know, what they're contributing.

BASH: Yes. Governor, thank you so much for coming on and talking about this. And we will definitely keep in touch as the appeals process goes forward and as you potentially hear more from ICE about whether they do plan to come into your state, not just about the Haitian immigrants, but also Somalis, because I know that Columbus has the second largest Somali population --

DEWINE: Yes.

BASH: -- of course, the first being Minneapolis. Thanks, Governor. Appreciate it.

DEWINE: Yes, thank you. Thank you very much.

BASH: And up next, Brat Summer. I know it feels like forever ago, but it does have one thing in common with what's going on right now. We're going to take you inside Kamala Harris' social media foray that is starting today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:47:57]

BASH: It was the talk of Brat Summer. Kamala HQ, the social media account that launched a thousand memes, even more coconut-based product placements, and an unsuccessful presidential run, now at Kamala HQ, that's no more. But Harris is relaunching another account. And it's just called Headquarters. She says it's an online organizing tool.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So Kamala HQ is turning into Headquarters. And it's where you can go online to get basically the latest of what's going on and also to meet and revisit with some of our great courageous leaders, be they elected leaders, community leaders, civic leaders, faith leaders, young leaders. I'm really excited about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: By the way, the handle they're using, you can see there, we're zooming in on it, at headquarters_67. 67, as the kids used to say. Well, you know, used to say a lot of things. And I think they also used to say that's probably cringe.

I want to talk about all of this here at the table. Zolan, you're the youngest person here, so I'm going to start with you.

ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It's tough because I still don't know what 67 is.

BASH: Nobody does. It's OK.

KANNO-YOUNGS: This is interesting, though, right? I mean, you know, during the campaign, when that account popped up and when Harris replaced Biden on the ticket, you did see excitement. You did see, you know, the excitement online matched with the packed rallies, right?

I remember during even the Biden administration, during the Biden White House, they were like bringing in influencers to try and work with them to get their message out. It's something you see from the Trump White House, too. There's an awareness now by these White Houses that you need to, like, meet people where they are. And this is an effort to do that as well.

Now, I don't know if the jokes are going to land --

BASH: Yes, I mean, are they sort of in on the joke with the 67 thing or do -- anyway, you don't have --

KANNO-YOUNGS: I have no idea what it is.

BASH: We don't know. We don't know. OK.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Yes, so I don't think (INAUDIBLE).

BASH: It's already up and running. Let's just look at some of the posts that we've seen just this morning. They went after the president's prayer breakfast comments. Trump wonders if he'll make it to heaven. I really think I probably should make it. Donald Trump, when he sees a teenage Miss Universe contestant. And then Donald Trump, picture of his hands bruising on his hands.

OK, guys, let's go back to that. We there? [12:50:29]

BASH: OK, guys, do you want some more pain? We're going to continue to show those as we kind of unpack what they're trying -- there it is. As we try to unpack what they're trying to do here. And, you know, I'm going to get to Gavin Newsom in a minute, but it seems to me like they're trying to be Newsom-esque (ph).

PONNURU: Right. But you know what you just said? What are they trying to do here? What's the strategy? What's this about? It reminds me very much of the Harris campaign in that respect, in that we're still asking these questions. And you're wondering, is this just going to be a reprise?

BASH: But they got buzz, in fairness. That Brad Summer thing, they got a lot of buzz for me.

PONNURU: Yes, they got buzz, but buzz is not a substitute for a disciplined, strategic message, which is what they didn't have.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Yes. You say, are they trying to do the Newsom thing? You know, yes, but also, like, the Trump social thing, too, right? Like that White House pushes out memes --

BASH: Yes.

KANNO-YOUNGS: -- all the time --

BASH: That's right.

KANNO-YOUNGS: -- on this stuff, too. So --

BASH: Well, that's why Newsom started doing it to push back.

KANNO-YOUNGS: -- holding up fighting fire with fire. Right.

BASH: And, by the way, the unspoken part of this conversation is Kamala Harris is clearly considering running for president again.

LEIGH ANN CALDWELL, CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, PUCK: Yes, I mean, it's interesting. She's obviously inserting herself back into the conversation in some way. What the goal is, what she's trying to do, I think -- this were -- this is going to have to develop to see. But she wants to be part of the conversation, regardless of if she decides to run or not.

BASH: OK, let's talk about Gavin Newsom, because he is everywhere. He's got a book coming out in a couple of weeks. Let's just show you some examples of the articles in big publications that are being written based on this book. The Front-Runner in The Atlantic.

Gavin Newsom is playing the long game in The New Yorker. Gavin Newsom is setting his own rules in Vogue, with pictures taken by the one and only Annie Leibovitz. Gavin Newsom's red state reading tour in Politico.

CALDWELL: Literally, your chyron at the bottom is exactly what I was going to say. And I had --

BASH: And that's -- well that's --

CALDWELL: -- no idea that --

BASH: That is literally the headline of The New York Magazine story.

CALDWELL: Oh, well, I missed that.

BASH: Yes.

CALDWELL: But, yes, I mean, you know, he is everywhere. He's getting a lot of attention right now. He's figured out how to communicate in this really complicated media sphere that we are in. But, yes, being really popular in 2026 before the midterms is not necessarily the best strategy for a 2028 presidential election.

But he also had a massive win yesterday at the Supreme Court and redistricting is moving forward. He took a huge risk with that. He won. You know, we'll see how it plays out.

BASH: All right. Everybody, stand by, because coming up on Inside Politics, we have some special guests. Oh, my goodness. Hi, puppy. I mean, do we have to say more?

KANNO-YOUNGS: Oh my.

BASH: Do you see them?

KANNO-YOUNGS: Wow.

BASH: Here we go. Special guests, with four legs. This is Rory. Hi, Rory.

Don't go anywhere. More puppies when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:58:04]

BASH: Puppies make everything better, including Inside Politics. Before we all settle in to watch the Super Bowl, a much fluffier and cuter game will be taking place on Sunday. That's right, it's the Puppy Bowl.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he leaps into the stands to celebrate another touchdown.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's football. Only better.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BASH: This is the Puppy Bowl's 22nd year. It's the longest-running call-to-adoption TV event. And this year, you can see 150 dogs from 72 shelters. The event will be simulcast across our sister networks, including HBO Max -- oh, you want your close-up, don't you, Rory (ph) -- Animal Planet and Discovery Plus.

Here with me now are two very special guests with all of us. This is Rory, and that's Stetson, Rory's brother.

CALDWELL: Stetson

BASH: They're 10 weeks old. We believe they are hound crosses. They are little ones from the rescue Operation Paws for Homes. They are looking for forever homes. Oh, she feels pretty comfortable here.

The puppies in the Puppy Bowl, some are from Operation Paws for Homes. I mean, wow. Look -- oh, is that Stetson?

CALDWELL: Yes.

BASH: Stetson, what are you saying? They're so cute. I want to say, look at Leigh Ann. Doesn't she look comfortable with a dog?

CALDWELL: Dana, my daughter.

BASH: You're kids are going to -- I'm going to show your kids this picture. They are so cute. Rory's a little nervous, a little scared. This is, I mean, this is my happy place. This is my happy place right here.

I'm not sure about how my -- can you get it over here? Can you get her face? There you go. I'm not sure how my dogs would feel about a third --

KANNO-YOUNGS: Yes.

BASH: -- but I think they would -- oh, look at that.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Does this mean I can bring my dog?

BASH: Look at cute Rory. Yes.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Next show?

BASH: Yes, yes

KANNO-YOUNGS: I can bring it took long (ph)?

BASH: Dogs are welcome. Always welcome on this show. We're dog people.

PONNURU: I think all the political news has gotten Stetson a little down here.

BASH: I know.

CALDWELL: It's kind of depressing. BASH: That's all right. We'll cheer you up. This is why we need the dogs.

Thank you so much for coming on, Rory and Stetson. We'll get you guys dogs next time.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Next time. I'm not offended.

BASH: OK. Rory, thanks you for joining Inside Politics. CNN News Central starts right now.