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The Situation Room

Taliban Releases George Glezmann; Lawmakers Facing Angry Voters; Secretary Noem Tours Drug Seizure Operations. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired March 20, 2025 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news. An American citizen who was detained for more than two years in Afghanistan is now on his way back to the United States. 66-year-old George Glezmann was captured by the Taliban in 2022 and was declared wrongfully detained by the U.S. His release comes after weeks of negotiations led by Qatari and U.S. Mediators. Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happy he's on the way home.

BROWN: Yes.

BLITZER: That's so important. Also, today, another round of town halls set to take place across the country as Democratic lawmakers face off frustrated voters and look to articulate their plan to fight back against President Trump's agenda. This just one day after the House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, told his caucus he had a, quote, "frank and honest" conversation with his Senate counterpart, Chuck Schumer, following last week's funding fight.

Joining us now here in the Situation Room, CNN senior political analyst, former senior adviser to President Obama David Axelrod. David, thanks very much for coming in.

DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: Yes.

BLITZER: Jeffries told his caucus he didn't necessarily agree with Schumer's decision, but stressed the need for the party to be united right now in future fights. Is the party about to become united?

AXELROD: Well, we'll see. Wolf, what's happening in the Democratic Party is something that we often see after a party loses an election. There are all kinds of theories about why and how you should move forward, but it's been intensified by the way Donald Trump has handled the presidency and all of the kind of precedent. breaking norm, breaking things that he's doing that are really threatening fundamental values that Democrats care about.

The problem is, you lose an election, you lose the White House, you lose both houses of Congress. There are consequences to that. You can fight it in the courts, but ultimately, you have to fight it at the ballot box. And Democrats have to figure out, you know, not just how to beat Donald Trump, but how to strengthen their own base of support in the country, and they can't do that by squabbling.

BLITZER: Yes, certainly a tough, tough assignment. Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will join Senator Bernie Sanders later today for a rally. I want to get your reaction to something that Michigan's newly elected Senator Elissa Slotkin had to say at her town hall last night about this approach. Listen to this.

[10:35:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): I can't just chain myself to the White House and become an activist full-time because you and others here are going to call me for things that you need. All of those things require me to be more than just an AOC. I can't do what she does because we live in a purple state and I'm a pragmatist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: What does this say, David, about how divided Democrats are right now?

AXELROD: Look I think that there are some ways in which I think Democrats do come together on economic issues, but Democrats are divided. There's no doubt about it. One of the divisions is among Democrats who come from purple states who have to deal with people of divergent views and Democrats who come from heavily Democratic districts don't have to worry about a general election, very much influenced by activists in their district. And activists want Democrats to fight back. The problem is how do you fight back?

It's one thing -- you know, is it -- performative actions are not going to stop what Trump is doing. Court -- the courts may stop him. You may try and slow him down with -- in the Congress. But ultimately, elections are going to have a determining fact is -- are going to be the determining factor here.

So, I think Elissa Slotkin is saying focus on doing our jobs. She said in her response to the State of the Union, focus on the things that touch people's lives. One of the things that happened in the primary -- in the elections, I should say, in 2024 is there were a lot of activists who said democracy is at stake and you see some of the manifestations of that now.

But if you were talking about democracy over the kitchen table, it was probably because you could afford the food on your table. If you were struggling to pay your groceries, that was probably what you were talking about. Somehow Democrats lost touch with that, and I think they paid a price for it.

BLITZER: I want to ask you about this document purge that's now underway at the U.S. Department of Defense, the Pentagon. I know you're a huge baseball fan like I am.

AXELROD: Yes. BLITZER: And articles related to the baseball legend Jackie Robinson, who served in World War II, as well as articles about the Holocaust, have been flagged or removed as part of a push to eliminate diversity content, as it's called. The Robinson article has since been restored after a fierce backlash. But what's your reaction to this development?

AXELROD: Well, I think it underscores the absurdity of the degree to which this DEI thing has become a kind of cause celeb for this president and for his base to the extreme degrees. Not just Jackie Robinson, who, of course, is a national hero and the fact that he stood up when he was in the military for the integration of African- American soldiers was an important step forward for this country.

But, you know, to take words and say we're not going to allow these words. This is an administration that says they're fighting for the First Amendment, and yet they want to eliminate words. So, the Enola Gay, the plane that delivered the bomb over Hiroshima, that was eliminated from their --

BLITZER: Because of the word gay.

AXELROD: Because of the word gay. It's just insane. And it's kind of Soviet, Wolf. It's like this idea that we're going to erase history. We should embrace our history, not erase our history.

BLITZER: So, what this would suggest is that when it comes to the Holocaust, that they're eliminating references to U.S. soldiers during World War II that went into concentration camps and liberated those concentration camps and saved the lives of the Jews there.

AXELROD: Yes, one of the great accomplishments of the -- for the United States of America in all of our history. And, Wolf, I know you're a survivor of Holocaust.

BLITZER: I'm a son of Holocaust survivors.

AXELROD: And I'm -- my father was a refugee from the pogroms in Eastern Europe. I'm so proud of the role that the U.S. played in liberating those camps and ending that war. And we became a beacon to freedom seeking people, oppressed people all over the world. I hate to see us give that away.

BLITZER: And we should talk about it, especially coming up to Holocaust Remembrance Day in the next few days. Both of my parents survived because U.S. soldiers went into those camps and liberated those camps, and we shouldn't hide that fact.

AXELROD: It's so interesting that this should even be an issue at a time when the administration is setting upon universities for not being strong enough against anti-Semitism. At the same time, they're banning the words, hate speech from federal communications as if they're -- you know, if anti-Semitism isn't hate speech, I don't know what it is. So, there's a lot to consider here.

BLITZER: It's hard to believe.This is very, very personal for -- especially for us. AXELROD: Yes, it is. Yes.

BLITZER: All right. Thanks very much, David Axelrod. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:40:00]

BROWN: Right now, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is in Florida, getting a closer look at drug seizure operations with the U.S. Coast Guard. This is all part of the Trump administration's crackdown at the border, which includes a growing reliance on the U.S. Military.

I want to bring in Florida's Republican Congressman Carlos Gimenez. He sits on the Homeland Security Committee. Thanks for coming on, Congressman. So, this comes as the U.S. Navy is deploying multiple warships to areas near the southern border. Do you think the increasing involvement of the U.S. Military and immigration enforcement is necessary?

[10:45:00]

REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ (R-FL), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: If that's what it takes to keep our borders safe, then yes, that's what it takes to keep our borders safe. I think that a lot of what he's done already policy, et cetera, has taken care of a lot of the issues at the southern border, but if the president and the secretary of Homeland Security and the secretary of defense feel that additional measures are needed in order to protect our borders, then then so be it.

So, I have no problem in what the secretary is doing. And frankly, I think what she's doing right now, there's a drug seizure out at sea by the Coast Guard, we do that all the time. That's really not a military operation, it's the Coast Guard, you know, protecting our borders.

BROWN: The Trump administration has confirmed that the IRS is in talks with the Department of Homeland Security about sharing very sensitive taxpayer data that could aid in deportations. Do you think the IRS should turn over that information even though, you know, they're required by law to keep it confidential with few exceptions?

GIMENEZ: Well, I think that's going to be determined by the courts. And so, you know, my opinion is confidential information should be kept confidential. However, for American citizens and American residents that are here legally, I'm not so sure that I share that same opinion with people are not here legally. And so, again, the courts will determine what the outcome of that is going to be.

BROWN: just to follow up on that. You know, the only reason the IRS has this information is because these documented -- undocumented migrants voluntarily shared it. So, I just wonder, you know, why should people who are following the rules, pay in their taxes even if they are here illegally be specifically singled out for deportation?

GIMENEZ: I think you caught yourself on that one, right? People that are following the rules. These are undocumented migrants, OK.

BROWN: Right, but when it comes to pay taxes. Right. And I was very clear on that.

GIMENEZ: I got it. OK. I got that. OK. So, yes, look, it's an interest -- it's a great point for debate. But again, they are undocumented here and they're not supposed to be here. Yes, they were trying to do something the right way, part of it. And so, again, look, I think the courts will determine what's right or wrong on that. I tend to believe that if you're an American citizen -- no, I know, I believe that if you're an American citizen and a resident and you're legally here, that your information to the IRS needs to be confidential.

BROWN: And there's also the question -- I mean, you're right. You know, as you point out, it is a worthy discussion to have to because it's estimated that undocumented migrants paid tens of billions of federal income tax in 2022. So, you do also have to raise the question, right, if this does happen, could that lead to millions of people, you know, hiding their income and potentially draining billions in revenue from the federal government, from the economy, right?

GIMENEZ: Yes, I agree with that premise. Absolutely. You know, that's just common sense. So, you know, what I've said all along is, you know, I blame President Biden and his immigration policies and his wide-open borders with delaying the debate that we need to have about the undocumented migrants that are in this country and have been for a long time.

Once we get those borders secure, then we can have that debate about, hey, what are we going to do with these millions and millions of undocumented folks that have been here probably for decades, need to bring them out into the light, you know, have them pay taxes, like you said, so that we don't lose that revenue and somehow give them some kind of a legal status. It doesn't mean they have to be citizens, but somehow bring them out of the shadows, because it's going to be physically impossible -- practically impossible to deport like 20 million people, 30 million people. You can't. It's not going to happen. And by the way, they're part of our economy.

There are certain people that need to be deported, and I think the president is doing it the right way by the people that are being deported now, for the most part of those gang members, people that have criminal records, or people that have committed crimes in the United States, he thinks that we think pose a threat to our security. And so, you know, we need to do that. And then, later on, you know, see if we can have this debate about what's going to happen with the rest of the folks that have been here that are undocumented.

BROWN: So, you say for the most part, they're just deporting people who are, you know, harmful to our national security. But, as you know, and I know you've been sort of fighting against this, is the Trump administration is moving ahead with revoking temporary protections for Venezuelan migrants. I mean, you have more than half a million in your area. We know that you and your South Florida colleagues are scrambling to try and protect the hundreds of thousands of those Venezuelans who stand to lose that status. What are you telling your constituents right now who are fearful of losing it?

GIMENEZ: Oh, well, look we're the -- I wrote a letter to the secretary of Homeland Security saying that while all members of Tren de Aragua are Venezuelans, not all Venezuelans are members of Tren de Aragua. And so, we need to have a more nuanced approach to how we approach or how we exercise this deportation order of the president. And the same goes -- you know, I would love to have that conversation with President Trump.

[10:50:00]

In South Florida, in Miami Dade County in particular, we have tens of thousands of Venezuelans that have been here for some time. They are part of our community, they're part of our economy, they're good citizens and they're also -- you know, if you ship them back to Venezuela, you know, they're more than likely to be persecuted by an illegitimate government that right now has control of Venezuela.

And so, they are rightfully are fearful for their safety when they return to Venezuela. And that's part of how we -- why we give asylum. And so, you know, there -- everything is nuanced. You know, there's no --

BROWN: And I'm assuming you haven't heard back --

GIMENEZ: Nothing can be done with a broad stroke.

BROWN: I don't want to interrupt, but correct me if I'm wrong, you haven't heard back, right? I have one more follow up question for you, but you haven't heard back from Kristi Noem?

GIMENEZ: No. No, but we need to get with her and explain it and see if we can massage, you know, this policy.

BROWN: I want to, before we let you go, get your thoughts on this news that is ongoing, the Trump administration's deportation of these alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador. Now, I just want to put aside this argument about whether the president has the authority to do it and the judge and all of that, right? So, put that aside. I know a lot of Republicans say, look, he has the authority.

But a central issue for why this went before a judge in the first place is the concern that these migrants were denied due process. Do you think these migrants, even if they were in fact gang members, which we don't have a way to verify because the White House hasn't released their names or anything, do you think they should have had the right to a fair and impartial hearing guaranteed under the Fifth Amendment before being deported?

GIMENEZ: Well, I think that there is an act that was invoked by the president and I would hope and I expect that the president followed the letter of the law according to that act. It was a 1798 act. I think Illegal Aliens or right --

BROWN: The Alien Enemy Act.

GIMENEZ: Right. Yes, there you go. OK.

BROWN: Or Enemy Alien. One of those.

GIMENEZ: One of those. Yes. OK.

BROWN: Alien Enemies. OK. I was right. Right.

GIMENEZ: Right. OK. And I'm not sure that that act gives a due process to anybody who the president deems to be an enemy alien. And so, the question is, are these Tren de Aragua that I will remember is actually enemy aliens. And the definition of that 1798 act, that'll be -- you know, something's going to be debated in the courts and the courts will decide that too.

BROWN: But do you see why then it went to the court for that reason and why a judge said, hey, let's hold on, let's figure this out, because the constitution does provide, you know, due process rights, even for those who are here illegally? And they did not get that impartial hearing, you know, before a judge before they were deported. So, do you see why it was challenged and why this is going through the courts?

GIMENEZ: Oh, I could see why it was challenged and whether the application of that law was valid in this instance. And I think that the Supreme Court is going to have the final say. And so, I would hope that they do. And then -- and give clarity to whether the president of the United States can, you know, claim and utilize that particular act to deport gang members that were sent here by a terrorist state.

BROWN: Right.

GIMENEZ: That's going to be an interesting you know, debate, and I look forward to the outcome from the Supreme Court.

BROWN: And of course, we've been asking the White House to release the names, as you know, some of the family members say they weren't gang members, but there's no way to verify. And so, we would love more transparency on that. Congressman Carlos Gimenez, thank you so much for that discussion. We really do appreciate it and we welcome you back on the show anytime.

GIMENEZ: Well, thank you. Appreciate it.

BROWN: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:55:00]

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Welcome back. I'm Andy Scholes with the best 48 hours in sports is ahead of us. You got 16 games today, 16 games tomorrow. The upsets, the buzzer beaters, they are coming in March madness. And we already saw a great comeback last night to wrap up the first four in Dayton. Xavier trail by as many as 13 to Texas. But with the support of all their fans who made the short trip from Cincinnati to Dayton for the game, Musketeers rallied and closed the game on a 16 to 6 run to beat Texas 86 to 80. Members of the Xavier band so happy they were in tears. They now move on to face Illinois's Friday. And Coach Sean Miller said that crowd certainly helped his team get that win.

Now, in less than two hours, Louisville and Creighton will tip things off in round one at 12:15 Eastern. High point 13 seed popular upset pick, they take on Purdue at 12:40 top seeds Houston and Auburn also both in action this afternoon. Just make sure to get those brackets done by 12:15. You got a little bit more than an hour now. So, make sure to get them done. You got more news, after a quick break.

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