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Hegseth Narrowly Clears Senate Test Vote Despite Some GOP Opposition; Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump's Order to End Birthright Citizenship; Trump Says, I Want to Meet With Putin to End Horrible Ukraine Conflict. CNN Follows ICE Team On Removal Operation; Trump Says He's Open To Elon Musk Or Larry Ellison Buying TikTok. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired January 23, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, Defense Secretary Nominee Pete Hegseth clears a hurdle toward confirmation, despite new Republican opposition, this as new details are now emerging about a $50,000 payment Hegseth made to a woman who accused him of sexual assault.
Also breaking, President Trump loses the first legal test of his bid to end birthright citizenship. A federal judge blocking Trump's executive order and calling it, and I'm quoting now, blatantly unconstitutional.
Plus, the president is pushing for an immediate meeting with Vladimir Putin, as he tries to pressure Russia to make peace with Ukraine. CNN is live in Moscow with a reaction from the Kremlin.
Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in The Situation Room.
And we begin with breaking news up on Capitol Hill, the U.S. Senate clearing the way for a confirmation vote on Defense Secretary Nominee Pete Hegseth, despite new cracks in Republican support for one of President Trump's most controversial cabinet picks.
CNN Anchor and Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins is standing by over at the White House. But, first, let's go to CNN's Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju up on Capitol Hill.
Manu, you have new reporting about Hegseth and a payment he made to a woman.
MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf, a 2017 incident where he was accused of sexual assault. Hegseth was not ever charged in an incident. He has long denied that episode. But we have known that he had reached a nondisclosure agreement with this accuser. What we have not known was how much he settled with her for. And now we can report, based on documents provided to the Sentence Armed Services Committee, that that settlement was in the tune of $50,000. That's what he gave his accuser back then.
Now, he has contented he had reached that agreement to try to prevent this woman from going public to try to -- concerned that she may try to tarnish his career while he was a Fox News host. And his attorney gave us a statement tonight, Wolf, saying that these are false claims that we settled for nuisance value, according to the attorney, saying it would be much less than it would have cost to defend.
Now, despite all this, Wolf, Hegseth is well on his way now to winning Senate confirmation after a critical vote this afternoon, clearing a procedural hurdle on a 51-49 vote, two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, joined with Democrats in trying to block this nomination.
But all this comes, Wolf, as there have been questions about Hegseth's past, questions about allegations of excessive drinking, which he has denied. I put those questions to Republican senators themselves who are supporting Hegseth, and how they view that as he's on his way to confirmation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: He said he wouldn't drink at all.
SEN. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-AL): I'm fine with that. I'm fine with that. But it hasn't been proven to me that he was drinking while he was at Fox for ten years, maybe at a party or something like that. You name it. You probably can't name a handful of your friends that hasn't drank at a party or whatever.
RAJU: I mean, his excessive drinking.
TUBERVILLE: Yes. Well, I agree with that. Well, at the end of the day, what's excessive drinking for anybody? To me, one or two is way too much for me. So, let's just look at the qualifications and the things that should be looked at here. And, again, if he can't do the job, he'll be gone anyway. And that's -- President Trump's proven that.
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): Mr. Hegseth has said he made mistakes in the past. And I dare say we've all made mistakes in the past, but he's learned from those.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: But GOP's Senators Murkowski and Collins both questioned whether or not Hegseth was qualified for the job, could do the job, and Murkowski in particular raised questions about his character and his judgment, which is why they voted against him.
But, Wolf, those questions were not widely shared among Senate Republicans who fell in line behind this nomination. And now Hegseth is expected to be confirmed by tomorrow night for this hugely critical post. Wolf?
BLITZER: Hugely critical, indeed. Manu, stand by as we're joined by Kaitlan Collins. She's over at the White House for us.
Kaitlan, what is President Trump saying about Hegseth and the fate of his nomination?
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, here at the White House, Wolf, they are all watching the numbers very closely and looking at what happened today. And, obviously, they are not pleased that this new information is coming out, including a specific dollar amount on what Pete Hegseth paid this woman who accused him of sexual assault, which he denies.
But they do feel good about the numbers that they are seeing on Capitol Hill, because, yes, we are seeing what Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins are saying about their views of whether or not Pete Hegseth is fit to run the Pentagon, but, Wolf, all but two Republicans voted to advance his nomination.
[18:05:08]
And so they believe maybe it could come down to the wire tomorrow night when that final confirmation vote is going to happen. There's a chance we could see the vice president, J.D. Vance, have to get involved and potentially be a tie-breaking vote if necessary. They are prepared for that here at the White House. But after being in his confirmation hearing last week, it went better than they expected and they do feel confident that he is going to be confirmed and be the next defense secretary here.
BLITZER: And, Kaitlan, you also have some new reporting on the president removing the security detail of yet another former member of his first administration.
COLLINS: Yes, Wolf. I'm hearing a lot of concern from people who worked for Trump in his first term as they are watching what is happening to people like John Bolton and now like Mike Pompeo, where Trump has stripped them of their security details that they had enjoyed and continued to enjoy after they left office because of a threat posed against them by Iran.
A very real threat, as we noted when this happened on Tuesday, just hours after Trump took office, he ordered Ambassador John Bolton to have his Secret Service protection taken away from him, even though those threats very much still remain, as we found out from a Justice Department filing not long ago, just a few years ago. They said there was an Iranian national who was plotting to have him killed in the United States. And now we have learned that Mike Pompeo, who, of course, served as the CIA director and secretary of state for Trump in his first term in office, has now had his State Department detail terminated as well.
Now, these are both people who have been outspoken critics of Trump at time. Pompeo, even though, has really straddled that line between praising Trump's policies, he criticized him over the classified documents investigation, but largely has not been near as much of a critic as John Bolton has. But what has been clear to people who served for Trump the first time is that these officials are facing these threats from Iran because of actions they took while serving Donald Trump in his first term. And also they believe what is happening here, Wolf, is politically motivated.
BLITZER: All right. Kaitlan Collins and Manu Raju, thanks to both of you. Kaitlan, of course, will be back later tonight, 9:00 P.M. Eastern, to anchor her show, The Source.
And let's get some more on all of this with our political experts right now. David Chalian, could this new Hegseth report change the minds, you think, of at least some Republicans who just hours earlier voted to advance in this procedural vote his nomination?
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: Everything I'm hearing off the Hill is that is not the likeliest scenario here, that as Kaitlan was just suggesting, the White House feeling pretty good about seeing the number 51 on the board to advance the Hegseth nomination to a final vote tomorrow.
Listen, the way one Republican described it to me is sort of the Collins and Murkowski no votes were kind of baked into the original calculus of the Hegseth confirmation battle, if you will, Wolf. We'll see. There have been other shaky Republicans on the Hegseth nomination who haven't affirmatively come out and said, yes, I am absolutely voting yes. So, we'll see as we proceed to a vote.
But today's vote, that test vote to close the debate and move to a final vote, that's a pretty good signal that Pete Hegseth is most likely on his way to the Pentagon.
BLITZER: Let me get Scott Jennings to weigh in. Scott, how damaging, potentially, could this new Hegseth report be to his confirmation chances?
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don't think the new information is going to change the calculation of people who've already, I think, made up their mind on what to do or are pretty far down the road, truthfully. I don't think they were waiting for some other piece of information like this. I think it's going to be close. I do expect him to be confirmed. Obviously, he's going to lose a couple of Republicans, but it feels like he is on the way to being confirmed. We'll know in the next 30 hours or so.
But to answer your question, Wolf, I don't expect this new information to matter, and frankly to a lot of Republicans, given the way the Democrats have conducted themselves, and this last-minute information, it feels a little like a smear job, and they're getting sort of Kavanaugh vibes off of it, and I think that's emboldening Republicans to stick with Hegseth, if anything.
BLITZER: That confirmation vote now scheduled for Friday night.
Kate Bedingfield, how do you see all this? KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. Well, I think the assessment that Hegseth is probably likely to be confirmed, given the outcome of the vote today is pretty high. I think he had a lot of strikes against him coming into his confirmation hearing, which, you know, he managed to navigate without kind of re-raising some of the issues that had been of concern as he was coming in.
But I think what ultimately is most likely to happen here, I think, unless we see a drastic shift in the next 24 hours, he's likely to get confirmed and then the Republicans are going to own what he does as secretary of defense. He's somebody who obviously has these really troubling personal issues, character issues that have been raised throughout this process, but he's also somebody who has had issues running much, much, much smaller organizations than the Department of Defense.
[18:10:04]
So, if Republicans are lining up behind Donald Trump to confirm Pete, then they are going to own the things that Hegseth does when he's Secretary of Defense.
BLITZER: David Chalian, Hegseth advanced in this procedural vote today, 51 to 49, it was close, 51 to 49. Are you expecting similar narrow margins for Trump's other very controversial picks, including RFK Jr., Kash Patel, and Tulsi Gabbard?
CHALIAN: Well, certainly, I think RFK Jr. and Gabbard, the sort of former Democrats now being appointed to these roles in the Trump administration, are ones to watch. I don't know if their vote will be as close. Most notably, I would say watch the Tulsi Gabbard space. There's a lot of rumblings of discomfort about her in Republican ranks, whether that will amount to four Republican senators jumping ship. I don't think we know that yet. But, clearly, she has a confirmation fight on her hands as well.
And the RFK Jr. one, Wolf, you know, he may end up getting a sort of cross section and it may not be cleanly across party lines when his confirmation goes up for a vote. Of course, we're going to wait to see his hearings take place, so there's more work to do for the Trump teams that are trying to get these nominees across the finish line on some of these more controversial picks.
BLITZER: And the Republicans do have a 53-47 majority in the U.S. Senate. Kate, should Trump be worried by this early defiance, at least from a couple members of his own party?
BEDINGFIELD: I think there's reason for concern. I think there are a lot of issues with Gabbard that senators who are rightly looking out for the best interests of our national security and America's interests on the world stage have reasonable questions to ask about her.
And I think with RFK, you have somebody who has questioned the scientific validity of vaccines that have protected children in this country for 100 years from getting sick. I mean, these are very tangible concerns. These are reasonable things for the average person who kind of maybe isn't paying all that much attention to a confirmation process to look up and say, is this somebody that we really want to be in charge of one of the biggest health organizations in the country?
So, I think that there should be reason for concern. I think the Senate has shown -- I think Senate Republicans have shown that they aren't necessarily just going to rubber stamp some of these nominees who have very, very legitimate questions.
So, we'll see how it plays out. We'll see how the confirmation hearings go. They are always a an inflection point and can be a moment where a nominee can really spiral out of control and the narrative can get out of hand. So, we'll see how they manage these hearings.
BLITZER: Scott, do you agree?
JENNINGS: Yes. I don't think that the people that are opposing Hegseth are all that surprising. I think some of this opposition is predictable. They're not necessarily aligned with Trump all the time anyway. But overall, I think 98 percent of Trump's nominees for all these Senate confirmed positions are going to have no trouble.
A couple of flash points, but, overall, I think the Republican Party in the Senate is quite comfortable with and supportive of what Trump is doing, both from a personnel and a policy perspective.
BLITZER: All right. Guys, thank you very much. Thanks to all of you.
Just ahead, we have details on a new court ruling, a federal judge blocking one of Donald Trump's first executive orders, calling it, quote, blatantly unconstitutional.
Plus, multiple new fires erupting in Southern California, our CNN team there with a live report from the frontlines.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:15:00]
BLITZER: President Trump is promising to appeal a new legal blow to his bid to end birthright citizenship in the United States, a federal judge blocking the president's executive order on the grounds that it's unconstitutional.
Let's get some more on this breaking story. Joining us now, CNN Legal Analyst Elliot Williams and CNN Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula Reid.
Paula, so what happened today during this hearing and what happens next?
PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: So, today, the judge temporarily blocked President Trump's effort to restrict birthright citizenship. This was very much expected. When executive actions by presidents are challenged, they're usually challenged in a jurisdiction where you think you have a pretty good shot of at least getting this put on pause while a larger legal battle plays out. And here, we're talking about the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
Now, Trump had signaled in his first term that he wanted to restrict birthright citizenship. This is one of his first executive orders that he signed on Monday. And his lawyers are arguing the 14th Amendment has been misinterpreted.
Now, historically, it has been interpreted to mean that if you were born in the U.S. or U.S. territory, that you are a U.S. citizen. But his lawyers are arguing that if you have parents that don't have legal status here in the U.S., that they don't live under U.S. jurisdiction, so that this should not mean that you are a U.S. citizen. They also have some political arguments about the national security risk that this policy poses. They also point to some abuses by wealthy individuals who fly here to have babies.
But, look, this is going to be a real uphill battle for them. And we saw today they clearly lost, the judge saying that their argument, quote, boggled his mind. He sided with the plaintiffs who warned of widespread harm if this policy is rescinded.
But, ultimately, it really is going to be up to the Supreme Court. Trump would need to get the Supreme Court to side with him for this policy to be valid. And the Trump Justice Department today, they vowed to fight all the way, saying, quote, the Department of Justice will vigorously defend President Trump's E.O., which they say correctly interprets the 14th Amendment.
[18:20:02]
We look forward to presenting a full merits argument to the court and to the American people who are desperate to see our nation's laws enforced.
This is the first big test for the Trump Justice Department, but it's just not clear that even with that conservative supermajority at the Supreme Court that they will ultimately win.
BLITZER: E.O. stands for executive order.
REID: Yes, sir.
BLITZER: I just want to point that out.
Elliot, let me read what the 14th Amendment begins with these words and I'll be specific. Let me put them up on the screen as well. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. How do you think the judge came to this decision to block this executive order by Trump?
ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, the judge came to the decision by reading the plain language of the 14th Amendment. There is an astonishing lack of ambiguity here and the language is quite clear. Now, what the executive order relies on is that clause that says, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. And they've said, they've suggested that there's some wiggle room here. But, Wolf, let's be clear, if you read the brief of the states, I think a major case they cite is from 1898. And the reason why the only authority here being cited is 130 years old is because this is largely settled law, and it really hasn't been challenged because of the clarity here.
So, to back up Paula's point, this is a really uphill battle for the former president. I think the language the judge used was patently unconstitutional or blatantly unconstitutional. I just have a hard time seeing how they win this.
BLITZER: Well, if you read the Constitution, and I often carry a copy of the Constitution with me, it's very, very clear, 14th Amendment to the Constitution that was ratified July 9th, 1868. That's a long time ago, and the words are pretty clear.
It seems though that Trump really wants all of this to end up in the U.S. Supreme Court. Do you have any insight how the court might rule on this?
REID: It's a great question because several of the justices, the conservatives, have never weighed in on this issue. So, they're certainly going to be looking at to craft their arguments to appeal to those justices. Other justices like Justice Thomas, they know they could maybe make a historical argument. But it's going to take a while for this to even get to the Supreme Court. This may not be the Supreme Court that it arrives at before if anyone retires, because you have at least five lawsuits against this executive order. And they're slowly going to race. And by race, I mean, like little turtles racing to get to the Supreme Court.
So, it's unclear which case would ultimately get there. But this would be an issue of first impression, and certainly something that the Supreme Court would need to weigh in on. And speaking with sources in and around the Trump team, I mean, no one has told me that they are confident they will win at the Supreme Court. But, look, this is something their boss wants to do. It's their job to defend it, and everybody's got a boss.
BLITZER: Yes, and it's going to leave in the meantime, as you know, Elliot, a lot of people in limbo right now, wondering what's going on with their status, their kids' status in all of this. Do you have a sense of how long this could take to go through the courts?
WILLIAMS: It could take months only because in the grand scheme of legal emergencies, this isn't an emergency. It's an important legal question and one the Supreme Court -- you know, that I think folks want to take to the Supreme Court. But it's not something that, you know, they would rush to the court next week or tomorrow.
As Paula said, there's multiple cases that would likely at some point be consolidated maybe and will make their way up there. So, it could be months, if not longer, before we really get a final answer on this.
BLITZER: And, eventually, we'll see if the Supreme Court does take it up when they decide. We don't know.
Elliot Williams, Paula Reid, to both of you, thank you very, very much.
Coming up, what Donald Trump is now saying about a potential meeting with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and how the Kremlin is responding to Trump's tariff threats. Our live report from Moscow is coming up right after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:25:00]
BLITZER: President Trump is speaking out on the conflict in Ukraine as he vows to bring it to an end and says he wants to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think Russia should want to make a deal. Maybe they want to make a deal. I think, from what I hear, Putin would like to see me. We'll meet as soon as we can. I'd meet immediately. Every day we don't meet, soldiers are being killed on the battlefield.
It would be nice to end that war. It's a ridiculous war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: CNN's Matthew Chance is in Moscow for us. He's got more information. What else are you learning, Matthew?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, these later remarks by President Trump are the latest sort of salvo, I suppose, in his concerted campaign to force Vladimir Putin the Kremlin leaders of the negotiating table and to try and bring this, you know, appalling conflict in Ukraine to an end, a conflict which has cost so many lives, as President Trump pointed out there. And those remarks coming just a day after President Trump launched a sort of scathing attack on Vladimir Putin and issued an ultimatum, essentially, on his social media, Truth Social media platform, where he basically threatened to impose sanctions on Russia, more sanctions, I should say, if the Kremlin didn't come to the negotiating table and do a deal on Ukraine.
He also said this, let's get this war, which never would have started if I were president, over with. We can do it the easy way or we can do it the hard way. The easy way is always better. It's time to make a deal. No more lives should be lost.
And so, again, you know, it seems in these first few days of the second Trump administration, President Trump is going all out to try and, you know, kind of forge a negotiation and to do what he can to bring this conflict to a close.
BLITZER: So, Matthew, what is the Kremlin saying about Trump's latest statements? [18:30:01]
CHANCE: Well, I mean, they haven't reacted to that latest remark we just said, because we saw -- because it's come too late. But, in general, while they've not been particularly happy about the tone, the sort of critical tone that the President Trump has been taking in his recent remarks about Russia and about it, you know, blaming it for the continuation of the Ukraine war, they have said there, you know, kind of willing to meet -- you know, President Putin is willing to meet President Trump face to face as equal. So, they haven't ruled out any kind of summit.
Officially, of course, the Russians want an absolute complete victory in any negotiation. They've said this repeatedly. They'll either win on the negotiating table or win on the battlefield is what's often said on Russian state media. But, you know, the reality is, and President Trump has picked up on this, is that this has been an incredibly bruising, bloody campaign for the Russians. The rest of them that they've lost, you know, hundreds of thousands of soldiers, either dead and injured. It's caused untold damage to the Russian economy.
And so, you know, beyond all this bluster from the White House, actually, President Trump may be pushing on an open door and the Russians may well take this opportunity to engage in a ceasefire and in negotiations.
BLITZER: All right, Matthew Chance in Moscow for us, thank you very much.
Joining us now, Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware. He serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator, thanks for joining us.
I want to play a little bit more of what President Trump said earlier today about Russia's war in Ukraine. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Do you think that sanctions on Russia will force President Putin to negotiate?
TRUMP: I don't know, but I think he should make a deal.
REPORTER: You said that Ukraine's ready to make a deal. Did President Zelenskyy tell you that personally?
TRUMP: He's ready to negotiate a deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The U.S. has already imposed sanctions on Russia because of its war. What do you make of the president using a tactic that hasn't made much of a difference these past three years?
SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): Well, Wolf, if President Trump wants to achieve peace in Ukraine, wants to force Putin to the table and to negotiate an enduring peace for Ukraine, he's going to have to show what peace through strength, as he's fond of talking about, actually means. If President Trump commits to enduring forceful support for Ukraine, he might actually push Putin to make concessions and to come to an enduring peace in Ukraine.
But if Trump threatens to abandon Ukraine doesn't continue the robust support for Ukraine and the aggressive sanctions that his predecessor, President Biden, and dozens of other countries have provided, then, frankly, he'd be abandoning Ukraine, and would be instead showing what ongoing war through weakness looks like.
There is a window here for President Trump to make a real difference for the west, for Ukraine, and for the world. But the way for him to do that is to communicate with Putin his intention to continue robust and unrelenting support for Ukraine on the battlefield, and that might actually bring Putin to the table.
BLITZER: And, Senator, would you support the U.S. potentially brokering a deal to end the war that includes Ukraine giving -- excuse me, giving up some land to Russia?
COONS: If President Zelenskyy on behalf of Ukraine were willing to do that. I don't think we should be coercing the Ukrainians into giving up their sovereign territory or accepting Russian occupation.
Look, Wolf, as you know better than anyone, the Ukrainians have fought bravely. They have lost thousands and thousands of fighters. The Russian occupation of the eastern part of Ukraine has been brutal. They have committed horrific war crimes. So, to force them to concede their sovereignty and their land, for which they have paid so much in blood, would be a tragedy and would send a signal to other authoritarians around the world that their aggression might well be rewarded, and our commitment might be time limited.
We need to stand firm with Ukraine. And it's my real hope that President Trump, his national security adviser, his secretary of state, will do so.
BLITZER: I want to get to the breaking news involving Pete Hegseth, Senator, the news being that he reportedly paid $50,000 to the woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017. He told senators that he was, quote, falsely accused in this incident. What do you make of this new development?
COONS: Well, Wolf, I think this continues what has been a steady drumbeat of allegations against Pete Hegseth both of drunkenness, public misconduct, sexual assault, that raise real questions about his character and integrity.
[18:35:00]
No one would be promoted to be a captain or a major in the U.S. military who had so many accusations of misconduct against him.
For someone to be the secretary of defense, responsible for our largest, and, in many ways, most important federal agency as a result, even with these allegations, to me, would be an alarming development.
Equally if not more important, Wolf, are the questions many have raised about his management ability. He's led two different relatively small veterans groups and been a failure at managing both of them. The Department of Defense has about 3 million people in the armed forces and civilians and a budget of about $850 billion. It's one of the single largest organizations on Earth. And to empower someone to lead it who has shown a real lack of management skill and a lack of character, I think, raises real questions about our future direction and will embolden our adversaries.
BLITZER: Today, Senator, you voted to confirm John Ratcliffe to be the next director of the CIA. Tell us why.
COONS: Well, frankly, I'm not on the Intelligence Committee, but I spoke to several of my colleagues who are and who sat through his confirmation hearing. I am hopeful that Ratcliffe will prove to be a good CIA director. But I was relying on the insights from several Intelligence Committee members who had reviewed his record. It was frankly a very close call.
But as someone who is going to be relying on him to be a bulwark against Tulsi Gabbard, who I view with real alarm as the potential director of National Intelligence, I chose someone, I chose to support someone who I think is less bad than the alternative leaders of our intelligence community.
BLITZER: Senator Chris Coons, thanks as usual for joining us.
COONS: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: And just ahead, a live report from California, where firefighters are now entering day two in a race to contain a massive new wildfire.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
BLITZER: Tonight, tens of thousands of people are under new evacuation orders as yet another wildfire outbreak torches Southern California.
CNN's Veronica Miracle is on the scene for us in Los Angeles County. Veronica, give us the latest.
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we are at the Hughes fire where the fire burns through yesterday. And the fire is now 24 percent contained, which is incredible news and also a huge testament to the firefighters who worked so hard overnight. And this morning, winds were a bit calmer, temperatures were a bit lower. You can see just how rugged the terrain is where this fire was burning.
If you look actually back in the distance as well, you can see a pink line. That's fire retardant made a fertilizer and that was dropped there used to make sure that the fire wouldn't spread. And you can see that it did its job because closer to us that, black hills, the land landscape is charred, but then just beyond it, you can see the plants and vegetation are still growing and they were untouched. And that is incredible news.
And if you just walk -- if we just walk a little bit over this way, it's just really an apocalyptic scene out here. And just, you can see how difficult it was for those firefighters who not only had to fight this by the air but also come out here with bulldozers and make sure that this fire didn't spread to residential areas, which are not that far away.
You know, we can see the I-5 from here, which was shut down, a little bit harder for our camera to see, I'm sure, but this was very close to residential areas. So, in a community where everybody is so on edge, it's great to know that firefighters were able to contain this quickly and it's already at 24 percent containment.
And later today, California Governor Gavin Newsom is expected to sign a $2.5 billion relief package. That's going to go toward to help fire victims as well as for the restoration and for the cleanup and all of this, it's going to take so much money and time to make sure that everything gets cleaned up and restored. Wolf?
BLITZER: So, Veronica, how has things changed over the past 24 hours? And you've been covering it nonstop.
MIRACLE: Well, the winds died down a little bit overnight. They are really picking up right now. It's been very windy today, and the winds are expected to continue for another few hours. So, that has made the progress for firefighters a little bit difficult. But because there are so many firefighters here in Southern California, that really helps their efforts to jump on this and attack it from all angles. And so they've really made good progress over the last 24 hours, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Veronica Miracle in Los Angeles County, as I say to you every day, stay safe over there. Thank you very, very much.
Coming up, CNN goes inside a key part of the federal immigration operation in the nation's biggest city.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:48:06]
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: The New York Police Department says it will not assist federal authorities conducting civil and immigration enforcement. The NYPD points to city and state laws prohibiting its officers from joining operations, but also says they won't stand in the way.
In December, CNN's Shimon Prokupecz joined a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement team on a removal operation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Good morning, everybody, on this cold New York morning. The first subject that we have is going to be a 22- year-old Ecuadorian male. He was convicted of rape of a minor here in New York City.
We're obviously eager to apprehend this guy and get him back into custody.
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): In the predawn darkness of New York City last month, men and women of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement team get briefed on that morning's mission.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just be safe, guys, and let's go do our job.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. We're going to attempt to apprehend on the corner.
PROKUPECZ: We're now outside a home in Flushing, Queens. We're waiting for an individual to come out with the ERO teams here in Flushing. This is an individual who got into this country was a got away, meaning he didn't come officially through the border.
And he has been here in the streets of New York City. He actually was convicted of rape. And now the ERO teams, the ICE teams are trying to take him off the streets.
ERO stands for enforcement and removal operations. The work takes patience.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You saw that guy across the street in front of you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It's not our target.
PROKUPECZ: But finally --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's walking toward the corner with a backpack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There he is. Right there.
PROKUPECZ: At the ICE offices in Manhattan, Reynaldo Analuisa is processed and fingerprinted. He chose not to speak to CNN.
[18:50:02]
Despite the seemingly successful operation, Ken Genalo, the head of ICE New York City, is frustrated.
KENNETH GENALO, DIRECTOR, ICE NEW YORK CITY FIELD OFFICE: We were able to take him down with no issue.
PROKUPECZ: This is the way you would prefer it to be done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anybody in front of me?
GENALO: Actually, I would prefer to take custody of the individual from NYPD or the Department of Corrections. PROKUPECZ: New York City has sanctuary laws that limit local law
enforcements ability to coordinate with federal immigration authorities, even in certain cases involving convicted felons in the country illegally. Analuisa pleaded guilty to rape and was released after serving his sentence of 273 days.
GENALO: If NYPD, or even in this case, the New York City Department of Corrections, had just reached out to us, if we had interest in this individual, we would have taken them immediately from them or from right from Riker's Island.
PROKUPECZ: It avoids having --
GENALO: And it avoids this whole scenario that were working on right now. Cases could take weeks, months, sometimes, and sometimes even longer, because we don't know where the individual is at.
PROKUPECZ: Even New York City's mayor is advocating for a change.
MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, NEW YORK: Those who are committing crimes in our city must be addressed, and we should change the current sanctuary city law to address that issue.
PROKUPECZ: Genalo emphasized that ICE's focus is on those who pose a threat to the communities they are in.
GENALO: That's why I get disgusted and disappointed when I hear these false narratives about ICE is out doing sweeps. ICE is out doing raids. Once ICE is done, going after criminals within like 3 to 4 months, they'll be going after and targeting abuela.
I mean, in my lifetime, I don't know what planet these people live on, but it's going to take us a lot longer than three months, especially here in New York City and the other largest cities, to arrest the criminals that are at large in our communities.
PROKUPECZ: But Trump's border czar stresses that others could be deported as well.
TOM HOMAN, BORDER CZAR: There's going to be more collateral arrests in sanctuary cities because they forced us to go into community and find -- and find the guy we're looking for. When we go find our priority target, which is a criminal alien. If he's with others in the United States illegally, we're going to take enforcement action against him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Our thanks to CNN's Shimon Prokupecz for that excellent report.
Coming up, a new name emerges in the battle to buy TikTok.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:56:53] BLITZER: The race is on to find a potential American buyer to save TikTok after President Trump postponed a ban on the app in the United States.
CNN's Brian Todd is looking at who might jump in.
Brian, the candidates being floated have some big names and some big pockets.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lots of tech stars in that mix, Wolf, as you say. They're all super wealthy, and they range in demographics from a former baseball owner to a 26-year-old YouTube sensation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): With a 75-day clock well past its starting gun, the outlines of a possible deal to purchase TikTok are starting to take shape, driven in no small measure by President Trump, who's pressing potential buyers to purchase 50 percent of TikTok.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I'm thinking about saying to somebody is buy it and give half to the United States of America half, and we'll give you the permit.
No, I'm in the Senate.
TODD: On Inauguration Day, Trump gave TikTok a 75-day reprieve before being banned in the U.S. unless the platform's operations in the U.S. are sold to an American buyer.
Until now, TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance has rejected a sale. But a board member of ByteDance now predicts there will be some type of deal.
INTERVIEWER: Do you believe a deal will get done?
BILL FORD, BYTEDANCE BOARD MEMBER: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: You do believe --
FORD: Firmly, yeah.
TODD: So who are the best known potential buyers?
MRBEAST, YOUTUBE INFLUENCER: Ii might become your guys's new CEO. I'm super excited.
TODD: MrBeast, the super influencer on YouTube with more followers on that platform than anyone, almost 350 million, claims he's putting in a bid for TikTok.
MRBEAST: Just got out of a meeting with a bunch of billionaires. TikTok, we mean business. This is my lawyer right here. We have an offer ready for you. We want to buy the platform.
America deserves TikTok. Give me a seat at the table. Let me save this platform, TikTok.
TODD: The engaging 26-year-old star, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has made a fortune and a gigantic following, posting videos of contests, stunts and huge giveaways.
CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH WRITER: It makes sense why you would want to have an influencer who understands these platforms so well. What makes them work? What makes users attracted to them?
TODD: Another potential purchaser, none other than the first buddy, Elon Musk, who Chinese officials have been thinking of selling at least a portion of TikTok to, according to "The Wall Street Journal" and Bloomberg.
Why would the Chinese want to do that?
SARA FISCHER, MEDIA CORRESPONDENT, AXIOS: Because they would have an i with Trump. Elon Musk has become such an ally to Donald Trump, there's no question that China wants to develop that relationship further.
TODD: President Trump, Musk's new boss, was asked about that idea.
REPORTER: Are you open to Elon buying TikTok?
TRUMP: I would be, if he wanted to buy it, yes.
TODD: Trump says he's also in favor of Oracle CEO Larry Ellison buying TikTok. There's also been a bid from a group including Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary and former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.
How anxious are TikTok users in the U.S. for anyone to step up and buy it?
DUFFY: I mean, it's huge. These are people who rely on this platform for not just dance videos and cat videos, but in many cases for their careers, for their livelihoods.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (on camera): CNN's Clare Duffy says any American buyer would most likely have at least one big challenge. They would probably have to buy TikTok's U.S. operations without the app's really successful algorithm, the formula that TikTok uses to feed you the best videos to keep you hooked, instead of videos and pictures from your friends like you see on Instagram and Facebook.
Wolf, a lot of people in the U.S. are eager for that deal to get done.
BLITZER: Certainly are.
Brian Todd, reporting for us -- Brian, thank you very much. We'll see how all of this unfolds.
And to our viewers, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.
"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.