Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Ban on TikTok Could hit U.S.; Ricardo Lara is Interviewed about Insurance in California; Dr. Mandy Cohen is Interviewed about the CDC; Drake Sues UMG; Cancer Rates Climb in Young Women. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired January 16, 2025 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Ever met.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: That's -

BOLDUAN: Harry Enten.

ENTEN: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Thank you so much.

BOLDUAN: John Berman.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I also feel like that was just a giant plea for social media friends for Harry.

ENTEN: Yes, I need them. I need friends. I don't have friends in real life, except for my girlfriend and John Berman. So, if you want to be my friend, please be my friend on Instagram.

BOLDUAN: Notice who he left out in that equation.

BERMAN: That's right. We need some help. So, come on board, guys.

ENTEN: Kate - Kate was making fun of me during this segment. So, yes, I had to leave her out.

BOLDUAN: I do it - but I do it with love. That is how this friendship works.

ENTEN: That - that's true. We're family. We're not just friends, we're family.

BERMAN: All right, we need to speak to a lawyer about all this.

So, with us now, CNN senior legal analyst, former assistant U.S. attorney, Elie Honig.

I want to bring people up to speed on what's happening with TikTok here. TikTok's CEO has reportedly been invited to the Trump inauguration on Monday. Sunday is the day that TikTok is set to be banned by law, Elie. A congressionally mandated bipartisan law signed by President Biden, says TikTok is going to be banned on Sunday if it's not bought by an American company.

So, if Donald Trump wants to save it, how could he do it?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: So, John, there's a couple things that he can possibly do. And by the way, Joe Biden could possibly do it. It's just the president in the next couple days.

Number one, the president could issue an order to the executive branch saying, do not enforce this law because, ultimately, the fines that would be levied against TikTok have to come through the executive branch. That would be controversial, however, to have a brand-new law that passed by huge bipartisan majorities and immediately to say, ignore it.

But I think the cleaner way, if Donald Trump wants to at least buy some time, is the law says, if the president officially certifies that negotiations for the sale of TikTok to a U.S. company have commenced, have begun, that can put the law on hold for up to 90 days.

Now, what does it mean for talks to have commenced? There's some subjectivity in that. But Donald Trump could say, look, I've spoken with the leaders of TikTok. There's various thoughts and rumors out there in the ether, and that's enough. And so, if Donald Trump wants, he can issue that declaration saying, we're at least going to put it on hold for 90 days.

BERMAN: There is some subjectivity in how that clause of the law can be interpreted. Maybe he has that. It doesn't mean that it won't be banned on Sunday. It would have to be sort of unbanned on Monday if Trump did that.

HONIG: Yes.

BERMAN: Elie, this gets to sort of the power of law. When Congress passes a law, particularly by the margins that we see here, 360 to 58 in the House, 79 to 18 in the Senate, it's a powerful thing. And the Supreme Court, which we're still waiting on by the way, seemed to respect that at least when they were listening to this.

HONIG: Yes, so the Supreme Court heard oral arguments challenging this law six days ago on Friday. And the justices seemed very disinclined to strike down the law. In other words, they seemed to believe, look, Congress passed this law by the huge majorities that you mentioned, John, and the stated concern of Congress was national security concerns. And essentially the Supreme Court, we - I listened to the argument, was grilling the lawyers for TikTok on who are we to override the decision of Congress that there's a grave national security concern here.

Now, we've not yet heard from the U.S. Supreme Court on that case. We could hear from them at any moment. Or they could - well, they could do three things. One, they could strike down the law. Two, they could uphold the law. But, three, they could also buy a little more time. They could also say, this is a complicated case, it's a first amendment issue, it's a national security issue. We just heard arguments six days ago. So, we're going to put this thing on hold for a couple of weeks. So at least we, the Supreme Court, can think it through.

BERMAN: Yes, any pause probably would be temporary, weeks, months, but sooner or later it does seem that they're going to have to contend with the meat of this law.

Elie Honig, there will be a chance for us to talk to you again about this. Thanks so much for being here.

HONIG: Thanks, John. All right.

BERMAN: Kate.

BOLDUAN: Ahead still for us, the California fire disaster has brought into real focus what has been happening out west and is now getting worse. The home insurance crisis that is playing out, especially in California. Californias insurance commissioner is our guest to answer some questions.

And the outgoing CDC director issuing a new warning, not about a current or future health crisis, but about the danger of potential cuts that could be coming in the next Trump administration. The CDC director is also our guest.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:38:37]

BERMAN: This morning, firefighters in California are racing to take advantage of this brief window with better conditions and winds die down today. The biggest wildfires, they are still far from being contained. Forecasters say that Santa Ana winds will return early next week.

The fires have destroyed more than 12,000 homes and other structures, and many homeowners did not have insurance because companies have been dropping clients in California, citing the high risk of wildfires.

With us now is California insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara.

Thank you so much for being with us, Commissioner.

Do you have an estimate of how many people were uninsured that were directly affected here?

RICHARDO LARA, CALIFORNIA INSURANCE COMMISSIONER: So, we don't have total numbers yet given that the fires, as you well said, are still not under contained. So, we're working on collecting that number. But we know that this already complicates an already complicated situation here for insurance market in California.

BERMAN: Well, of course it does. And there's a reason behind this. And it's hard to figure out how to stop this cycle.

It's a tragedy that there might be people who've lost their homes and have no insurance. But the insurance companies have been making that decision because of fear of wildfires, right?

LARA: Right. There's a couple things going on. Obviously, climate change has upended insurance markets all over the state and across the country, quite frankly. But what we got to do is, we got to bring down that risk.

[08:40:01]

We got to build better. We got to make sure that we do community wide mitigation standards so - and we also have to get money in people's pockets to help them do the home hardening so that we bring down that risk and keep insurers writing in California.

You know, California's still the largest market in the country, fourth in the world. The insurers want to do business here, but we have to mitigate this risk that continues to grow in an ever-changing climate of ours.

BERMAN: And you're right. I mean that is something that will certainly need to be addressed going forward. We should also address the right now. What resources are available to those people who do not have insurance?

LARA: So, absolutely. What we're telling people, whether you're underinsured, you're not covered, to call our department at 1-800-927- 4357 so we can give - take you to the appropriate resources. Obviously, you know, we - we're working with FEMA. We're working with other state resources. But for those folks that, you know, have coverage, we want them to start the claim process immediately.

My goal is to make sure that we make, you know, we make you whole and that we make sure that the insurance companies honor the contract that you've entered.

And this is now the time when insurance companies have to deliver for Californians and for people that have been their customers for years. So, you know, all eyes are on the insurance companies now, including mine. We got to make sure that, you know, we stabilize our market, we pay out these claims and that we help people recover as quickly as possible.

BERMAN: The California Fair Plan, which is meant to be a last resort, use of that has skyrocketed. Is it at risk of being insolvent given so many claims now?

LARA: You're absolutely right. Yes, Fair Plan is a consortium of insurance companies, and we're - we're communicating with them twice a week. As of now, we don't see any financial threat. But we're monitoring it, right, as we're - as these fires continue to rage and they're not contained. But we're - we're constantly in communication with them. We want to make sure that the insurer of last resort is still there. As you well point out, it has been growing because insurance companies have been non-renewing or canceling folks. But, you know, I'm happy to say that just yesterday State Farm agreed to stop the renewals and actually re-up people's policies that have been currently dropped in L.A. County. That gives us a much-needed reprieve and allows consumers to actually focus on what's important right now, their safety and their recovery, while we work to stabilize this market in the coming year.

BERMAN: There are so many concerns out there day to day, but also some long-term challenges you have to face, too.

Ricardo Lara, insurance commissioner, thank you so much for being with us.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: President Biden, he gave his farewell address to the nation last night, which also coincides with members of his administration working to wrap up their work and preparing their exits ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday. That includes America's health agencies. And one of those people, the director of the CDC, is Dr. Mandy Cohen. President-elect Donald Trump has picked former Congressman Dr. Dave Weldon to replace Cohen to be the next CDC director. Weldon could be a key ally of his potential boss, who Donald Trump has tapped to head up HHS, which is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Ahead of this, in an op-ed in "The Financial Times," the current CDC director, Dr. Mandy Cohen, warns that it would be a mistake to make sweeping changes based on, the way she writes it, outdated pandemic era frustrations, and saying it would be nothing short of dangerous. Adding, quote, "this is not the time to roll back such progress, but to build on it, to continue investing in a stronger CDC rather than endangering it. Further changes need to be made with a scalpel, not an axe."

That CDC director, Dr. Mandy Cohen, joins us right now.

Director, thank you very much for coming in.

What drove you to lay this out so publicly? Who is your message for?

DR. MANDY COHEN, CDC DIRECTOR: I want to make sure that the incoming Trump team understands that the CDC is a different agency than the one they might have remembered from five years ago, at the beginning of the pandemic. We've learned a lot. We've taken action.

Some of the things that are different, we are able to get in data much more quickly from emergency rooms, from wastewater data, from laboratories, and we're able to turn around that data and make it useful for the American people, to make sure that they're protecting health. And I want to make sure that they understand, CDC is a critical asset to protect this nation's health and for our national security.

BOLDUAN: Because, Doctor, what I see in your op-ed is that you're concerned. I mean, maybe I'd go as far as, you're afraid to see what could come if some of what's been thrown around that could be coming in terms of changes, if they come to fruition. Things that you hit on in your piece that concern you, budget cuts that have been talked about in the House of Representatives to the CDC, the suggestion that the CDC be broken apart, that has been suggested by some people around the president-elect.

[08:45:03]

What will be the impact if all of these cuts and structural changes are made to the CDC and other agencies within HHS?

COHEN: I think if we weaken the CDC and we roll back the progress we've made over the last five years, we will be less healthy and less safe. We've made a lot of progress, again, in our data, the way we communicate, the way we're able to partner.

Look, is there always more work to do? Of course. This is an improvement journey that we are on. But we cannot go backwards because the health of our nation needs to make sure we have an asset that's ready to keep us safe. We have threats on the horizon, things like bird flu or avian flu, that we're responding to right now. We just saw yet another outbreak of something called Marburg, which is like an Ebola virus. We want to keep that out of the United States, and we need CDC to be working, not just here in our country, but overseas, to make sure that those viruses don't come to the United States.

BOLDUAN: Donald Trump's nominee to be HHS secretary, which oversees CDC and all of America's health agencies, RFK Jr., he is controversial to say the least. He's not a vaccine skeptic. He's further than that. He is a vaccine cynic. He says that - he has said that there is no vaccine that is safe and effective. He has also said that among the health agencies, he says, FDA staffers should be preparing to pack their bags. He says, at NIH he wants to shift funding from focusing on infectious disease research to focusing on chronic diseases. He thinks entire departments, including some at FDA, should be eliminated.

Do you think RFK is good for that job?

COHEN: Well, I know that we need a leader that's going to continue to make progress on what we have already done here at CDC. We need to make sure that we are strengthening our infrastructure. And vaccines are a very important component of how we keep people safe.

I don't want to have to see kids get sick with polio or measles to yet again prove that vaccines work, and that they're able to be our best defense against some of these terrible childhood illnesses that we've seen in the past.

So, I want to make sure we keep moving forward, making progress, because, look, there's a lot of health threats out there. We have a lot of work to do, both on the infectious disease side and to tackle things like diabetes and heart disease and cancers. We can and need to make progress on all of those fronts.

BOLDUAN: I've heard many doctors on - and experts saying that they are afraid if RFK is confirmed to that position. I've had one pediatric doctor say that he is - he fears for America's children if RFK is given - is given the power and control.

How much damage can one person do, do you think, in the role of being HHS secretary? Because some would say the systems will keep on systemizing, the country will continue, America's health agencies will continue. How much damage can one person do?

COHEN: Well, look, a leader of an agency as wide and - and has so many pieces to it as Health and Human Services can have major impact. That's why I want to make sure the incoming team understands what we have done, the progress we have made, and the opportunities.

We can't go backwards. We need to keep making progress forward. That of the conversations I'm having with members of Congress as well.

And again, when we have these conversations, I think there is a lot of consensus on the need to protect our country, to keep us safe, to make sure we have the infrastructure necessary. And, you know, we've - we've listened and learned at CDC. We are a different agency. And when I have those conversations, there's a lot of consensus that we need to make sure we keep making those investments to keep Americans safe.

BOLDUAN: Yes, I noted that in your piece. You say, yes, the CDC could have done better during the pandemic response. The agency took responsibility and has learned. And that progress continues.

And this is one of those areas of federal government where continuity is key when we're talking about nothing short of America's health.

Dr. Mandy Cohen, thank you very much for your time.

COHEN: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: John.

BERMAN: All right, this morning, one Oregon high school student is waking up with a pretty cool title. At just 16 years old, Zoey Tang is the first female chess grandmaster in the state's history. After several competitions, the International Chess Federation granted her the highest title a chess player can have.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZOEY TANG: To have other people, especially other young girls, come up to me, and that's just really touching, because it means that I can kind of try to inspire these people as much as I can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: According to the Portland Chess Club, the high school junior is one of fewer than 500 women to earn the recognition.

So, the beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar is now headed to court.

[08:50:01]

Why Drake claims a diss track caused break-in attempts at his home, a shooting and harassment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KENDRICK LAMAR: They not like us, they not like us, they not like us. They not like us, they not like us, they not like us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: So, that clip comes from the music video for Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us," which is now at the center of a new lawsuit brought by rapper Drake. Drake is suing his own label over this, Universal Music Group, claiming the label defamed him while distributing promoting Lamar's song. Drake accuses UMG of promoting Kendrick Lamar's diss track that accuses Drake of being a pedophile, and also calls for a violent retribution against Drake.

[08:55:05]

Let's pick this up from here. CNN's Lisa France has the details for us.

And, Lisa, we've talked about this. This feud has been going on for a long time. What finally sparked a lawsuit, though?

LISA FRANCE, CNN SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Well, Kate, it appears that the lawsuit was sparked because of the fact that Drake says that there were multiple attempts to break into his house, including one in which one of his security guards, who he said was a friend of his, was shot.

The song, "Not Like Us," of course, was the song of the year. And I was trying not to dance to it when you were playing that clip. But just to remind people, here are some of the lyrics that Drake has a problem with. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENDRICK LAMAR: Say, Drake. I hear you like 'em young. You better not ever go to cell block one. To any (EXPLETIVE DELETED) that talk to him and they in love, just make sure you hide your lil' sister from him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCE: So, of course, Drake is saying he's not a pedophile. That lyrics such as this are making the public think that he is. And also that they're making people feel like they should seek retribution, which is why he says that there were the attempted break ins, and he's alleging that that's part of what caused the shooting incident at his home.

Now, UMG provided us with a statement where they absolutely deny this. They say that it's actually illogical that they would defame one of their own artists, because Drake is on their label. And they said, "not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist, let alone Drake, is illogical." They went on, of course, to talk about how he's made a lot of money for the company. You know, they've invested heavily in him. And they touch on the fact that this is a rap battle. This between Kendrick Lamar and Drake is, you know, it's pretty much what hip hop is all about, Kate. You know, people go back and forth on wax (ph), but Drake is saying that people are taking it off of wax (ph) and they're bringing it into real life, and it's having some really real life severe consequences for him is what he's alleging, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Wow. This is clearly not over by a long shot.

FRANCE: No.

BOLDUAN: Lisa, great to see you. Thank you so much.

FRANCE: Good to see you. Thank you so much.

BOLDUAN: John.

BERMAN: All right, just in this morning, Pope Francis was injured in a fall at his residence. The 88-year-old hurt his right arm, suffering a contusion, but we're told no fractures. The Vatican said that as a precaution, the arm has been put in a brace. Official pictures showed him wearing a cloth sling. You can see it right there as he was in meetings.

New names added to the performance list for the inauguration. In addition to Carrie Underwood, which we knew, Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, the Village People, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Gavin DeGraw. They will all be there. And the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee has also promised a surprise musical guest.

Fox just announced that for the first time the Super Bowl will be streaming for free. Streaming the game has been locked behind subscription access for the last few years, but now you can watch the game on Tubi. The Super Bowl, of course, will be played on February 9th.

A phone scam at the very highest level. The prime minister of Thailand says she received a call demanding money from what sounded like the voice of a well-known world leader. Turned out to be a scam by an AI system. The prime minister did not reveal whose voice the scam was mimicking.

Kate, if I call you asking for money, it's not a scam.

BOLDUAN: It never has been in the past either. Hmm, interesting. But now I have a new out.

All right, let's move to this. New this morning, we have a new report released by the American Cancer Society finding that young women are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with cancer as young men.

CNN's Jacqueline Howard has the details on this.

Jacqueline, we are all ears. What is this about? What are you learning?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, what we're learning, and this is really surprising because historically men have had a greater cancer incidence compared with women. But what we are now seeing, when you look at adults under the age of 50, women in that age group now have an 82 percent higher incidence rate of cancer than their male counterparts. And this new report from the American Cancer Society, it really points to two specific cancer types driving this trend in women, breast and thyroid cancers. They make up almost half, 46 percent, of all cases in women in this age group.

And so, the takeaway here is that the face of the typical cancer patient is shifting younger and shifting more towards women than men. This is important for doctors to be aware of as they're screening their patients for cancer. And, of course, to reduce our own risk, we should all know our family history. Talk to your doctor about your personal risk factors. Talk with your doctor about when you should get screened, how frequently, and, of course, maintain those typical health tips, like you see here, maintaining a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, avoiding smoking, don't drink too much. These are all things we can do to really reduce our risk at a time when we are seeing these surprising trends, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely.

[09:00:00]

Jacqueline, thank you so much for laying it out for us. I really appreciate it.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.