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Biden Commutes Nearly 2,500 Drug Sentences in Final Days of Presidency; Netanyahu's Office Says, First Hostages Could Be Released as Early as Sunday; Trump Tees Up Aggressive Immigration Push for Day One of New Term. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired January 17, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news, no president in the history of U.S. presidents has ever Biden just did. The eye-popping number of sentences just commuted with just days left to cement his legacy.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Also breaking overnight, the delay appears to be over. Israel's cabinet is now on the brink of a historic ceasefire vote. When we could see hostages released and the end of bombardments.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And file this one under one part scary, two parts pretty beautiful. An unmanned SpaceX rocket explodes, sending burning debris streaking across the sky and raining down in the Caribbean.

I'm Kate Bolduan with Sara Sidner and John Berman. This is CNN News Central Friday.

BERMAN: All right. Breaking just a few minutes ago, what The New York Times calls the broadest commutation of individual sentences ever issued by a U.S. president. With just three days left in his presidency, President Biden just granted clemency for nearly 2,500 nonviolent drug offenders. The president is focusing on those given sentences longer compared to what they would receive under current law and, based on what they say, is discredited as sanctions between crack and powder cocaine.

Let's get right to CNN's Arlette Saenz at the White House. One more, just huge wave of commutations just before he's leaving office, Arlette.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. With just three days to go, President Biden is working down to the wire today this morning, announcing this sweeping commutation of nearly 2,500 nonviolent crime offenders, especially focusing on those who were dealing with the sentencing disparity due to crack cocaine.

Now, this is something that President Biden is saying that he is now becoming the president with the most pardons and commutations in the history of the U.S. And it's really drilling in on that disparity. This disparity in the sentencing between crack and powder cocaine arose back from a 1986 law that then Senator Biden had actually cosponsored. But in recent years, President Biden has pushed to try to end some of these sentencing disparities, and he is hoping that these commutations will offer some relief to those individuals.

Now, this is just the latest round of pardons that President Biden is issuing in his final weeks in office. Of course, he had commuted the sentences of some federal death row inmates. He had also issued that very controversial pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, and we will see whether there are any other announcements on these fronts in these final days.

Now, President Biden has also been teeing up a number of actions in his final weeks as he's preparing to hand things over to President- elect Donald Trump. In some cases, some of the steps he's taking, he's hoping, might be difficult for Trump to overturn. There's a host of actions that he's taken.

But just to run through a few, he's banned future oil and gas drilling in about 625 million acres of ocean. That is a move that actually infuriated President-elect Donald Trump, but Biden crafted it in a way that it would be very difficult for him to undo. He's also extended temporary protected Status to nearly 1 million immigrants. That includes people from Venezuela, El Salvador Sudan, and Ukraine. He's also removed Cuba from the state sponsors of terrorism list. And in a rare area where President Biden and President-elect Trump agree, he blocked the sale of U.S. steel to Japan.

Now, there are still three days left. There's a number of items that Biden could continue to act on. People are pushing for him to certify the Equal Rights Amendment, and he has also said he still weighing preemptive pardons for individuals who could be targeted for prosecution once Trump takes power. So, President Biden is certainly working down to the wire as he's preparing to now leave office on Monday.

BERMAN: It could be an eventful few days. Arlette Saenz at the White House, thank you. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. We are now on the brink of a ceasefire in Gaza. The Israeli security cabinet meeting very soon, they must sign off on the deal to allow the government's final approval. Meantime, U.S. President-elect Trump is taking credit for the deal as President Biden defends his role in the negotiations and the months he spent supporting Israel while urging them to protect innocent lives.

[07:05:08]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: I kept reminding my friend, and he is a friend, although we don't agree a whole lot lately, Bibi Netanyahu, that he has to find a way to accommodate the legitimate concerns of a large group of people called Palestinians have no place to live independently.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SIDNER: A key vote by the full Israeli cabinet had been postponed earlier this week. If approved, hostage releases could begin Sunday. Overnight, Israel bombarded Gaza, killing dozens.

Let's get right now to CNN Anchor and Senior Global Affairs Analyst Bianna Golodryga. You're live in Tel Aviv. What are you hearing from the prime minister's office and from those who are waiting, hopefully their loved ones to be returned?

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: So, Sara, some news to bring you and our viewers. The Israeli Security Cabinet is currently meeting, has not yet voted on agreeing to this ceasefire-hostage deal, though it is expected to overwhelmingly support this deal. What we're also learning now is that an hour-and-a- half from now, about 3:30 local time, the full cabinet will be meeting and is expected to vote in approval of this ceasefire hostage deal.

The prime minister's office issuing a statement earlier this morning, subject to the approval of the cabinet and government and the implementation of the agreement, the release of the hostages could take place according to the planned outline with the hostages expected to be released as early as Sunday.

Sara, this is what the country has been waiting for. It is what those in Gaza have been waiting for as well, because if this goes through as agreed to, then on Sunday we will start to see a pause in the fighting. We'll start to see the first of the 33 hostages expected to be released in phase one. Two of those, we should note, are American citizens expected to be released over the course of six weeks, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Keith Siegel being among them.

But the first that we are expecting to be seen released as soon as Sunday and into next week are the female hostages, three Israeli civilians, three IDF female soldiers next week. Sara?

Bianna Golodryga with that update now that the security is now meeting at this hour to try to finalize this deal, I appreciate it. Kate?

BOLDUAN: And there's also new CNN reporting coming out today we'll bring to you about Donald Trump's plans to crack down on immigration as soon as he takes office and how soon. The details on the executive orders that he has now teed up, that's next.

Plus, we're keeping an eye on the Supreme Court today all because of TikTok. Will they or won't they step in before the U.S. TikTok ban sets in?

And a new twist in the public battle between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. She is now responding to his $400 million defamation lawsuit.

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BOLDUAN: There's new CNN reporting just out on just how quickly Donald Trump is planning to move on his immigration crackdown plans once he takes office. We're talking hours, not days. Sources telling CNN the president-elect is planning a package of executive orders and also including ICE sweeps in major American cities.

And also very relevant to all of this and right now, his pick to leave the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, she's about to sit down for her confirmation hearing in the Senate this morning.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has much more on this reporting. She is on Capitol Hill where the focus is going to shift very quickly in just a couple hours. Priscilla, what are you learning?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, the executive actions that have been described to me by sources would amount to a dramatic shift in immigration policy and would be followed with an immigration crackdown in metropolitan areas. Of course, immigration and customs enforcement does arrest and detain immigrants on a near daily basis.

But this would be an emphasis on that, especially in those sanctuary jurisdictions areas that Tom Homan, the incoming border czar, has criticized multiple times. They limit their cooperation with federal immigration enforcement authorities.

Now, some of these cities that have been told -- that I have been told could be targeted include, for example, Denver, Chicago, two areas, of course, that have seen an influx of migrants over recent years.

Now, another emphasis for the incoming officials are also going to be those jurisdictions that do cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, those areas that that ICE can delegate authority to local police departments, essentially serving as a force multiplier. You're going to hear that term a lot. That means bringing on as many people as they can to arrest undocumented immigrants, especially those public safety and national security threats in the early days of the administration.

Now, the other bucket here is the border. Now, we should note here, Kate, that it is a relatively quiet border right now. Numbers are very low, but all the same, these early executive actions will include a national emergency declaration to get more Pentagon resources to the U.S. southern border and additional asylum restrictions. And I will also note the third bucket here being legal immigration. So, the travel ban that President Joe Biden pulled back, well, that's going to come back.

[07:15:01]

Now, sources tell me it's unclear who exactly it's going to include, but that is something that is under deliberation. Also under deliberation, ending birthright citizenship. We've been hearing that a lot on the campaign trail, and that is something that the lawyers are reviewing. Of course, that is complicated and would likely require Congress or at the very least would tee up a legal fight.

Now, of course, as you mentioned, we're on Capitol Hill because Kristi Noem, who has been tapped to lead the Department of Homeland Security, is going to be here for her confirmation hearing. She has called the border a war zone. She is currently the governor of South Dakota. If she is confirmed, she would be charged with implementing this agenda, while the power center of policy, of course, would be at the White House with Stephen Miller and Tom Homan. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Yes. Let's see what happens this morning. Very interesting with the question she's going to be receiving, especially in light of your great reporting. As always, Priscilla, thank you very much. John?

BERMAN: All right. We are standing by for a critical decision from the Supreme Court that could determine the future of TikTok in the U.S. 170 million Americans from the edge of their seats as the ban is set to take effect in just two days.

And then flights suddenly diverted when Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship explodes in the sky.

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SIDNER: You're looking live at market futures this morning, all pointing slightly up today. Overall, stocks closed down, however, yesterday with most of those declines in the tech sector.

All right, speaking of the tech sector, the Supreme Court convenes this morning with the future of TikTok in the United States hanging in the balance. About a third of all Americans are on tenterhooks waiting to see if the court allows the ban to stay in place and take effect on Sunday. Some Senate Democrats now trying to save the app, asking for more time to discuss the future for its millions of users with a 90- day extension.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ED MARKEY (D-MA): So, it's time to take a breath, try to step back, buy some time, try to figure this out rationally. But in no way should we have TikTok go dark on Sunday. It would be catastrophic for just so many small businesses, so many creators, so many communities that have been created with no alternative available to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: All right. Joining me now is CNN Media Analyst Sara Fischer. Thank you so much for being here this morning. First to the Supreme Court, when you look at, you know, what's happening and that the deadline is Sunday, are you expecting a definitive decision on this case?

SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: We're expecting something today. Now, it could be that they decide to just punt this and not take it up before the ban would go into effect on the 19th. And if we were to get some sort of decision, Sara, we do kind of have a sense of where they would fall. They indicated last week justices from both parties basically saying that the TikTok argument that this would be a First Amendment violation. doesn't really hold water in their eyes. You know, Amy Comey Barrett basically saying, we're not saying that they don't have right to free speech. We're just saying that they have to divest. Justice Elena Kagan also noting that it's a Chinese company, so it's not even that they have First Amendment protections.

So, if we do get a decision today, which I think is possible, it seems likely that the Supreme Court would uphold the ban simply because TikTok's First Amendment defense does not seem to pass the smell test with them.

SIDNER: Yes. And TikTok has said that they're going to go further than just sort of like letting it linger in your app. It's going to go dark. It's going to stop working.

So, Americans on TikTok are flocking to another Chinese app called RedNote, and they're calling themselves TikTok refugees. Why RedNote? And does it have some of the same security concerns as Tiktok?

FISCHER: It does, Sara. I mean, when I downloaded it, I converted the Mandarin terms of service into English just so I could see what I would be agreeing to. You have to agree to uphold the national security values of the Chinese Socialist Party, the Communist Party. So, that's one thing.

The other is that this app is entirely in Mandarin. So, yes, there's been a spike of users that are flocking to it because the features are very similar. It's the short form vertical video that you can scroll through. It's lifestyle focused, but the fact that the whole thing's in Mandarin, I think, is going to prevent this thing from becoming super viral in the U.S. I do think U.S. users are looking for an alternative that feels like TikTok that's obviously going to be in English.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you what the odds are of a last-minute buyer and if that would even stop this ban from taking place in these very late hours. These deals usually take a very long time. Is there any chance someone from the United States ends up buying TikTok and ByteDance agrees?

FISCHER: I mean, there's a few proposals that are being thrown out there. Billionaire Frank McCourt and his company, Project Liberty, has put forth a bid with Kevin O'Leary and a few others. Mr. Beast, the big YouTube creator, has said that he's met with billionaires about a bid.

The problem, though, that you mentioned, Sara, is, one, China has said pretty vehemently that they do not want ByteDance to divest us to a U.S. company. So, even if they were able to aggregate the funds, remember, this could be valued at anywhere between $20 billion and $100 billion. You know, whether or not China would let this get sold is one challenge. And then the other big challenge is, as you know, there's procedures in place that take a long time with deals.

[07:25:03]

Now, if they were to agree to a deal in principle, you could see a world in which the Trump DOJ might not enforce the ban while a deal gets worked out.

But, you know, one thing that I want to know at the top of the segment, when you had that lawmaker saying, well, there's no alternatives, I kind of disagree with that. You have. All of these other social media companies in America, whether that's Meta with reels or YouTube with shorts, that have short form video products. I do think there are probably alternatives here and I think that that argument won't be one that stands.

SIDNER: You're seeing some of the alternatives there, Lemon8 being one that TikTok is pushing people to Instagram. There's a bunch of options, but people have flocked to TikTok, and that's where their sort of social media lies, especially if they're business owners and people don't know where to go. So, it is going to be a huge disruptor if it is banned.

Sara Fischer, thank you so much for unraveling all of that for us this morning. Kate?

BOLDUAN: One of the many things we have to keep our eye on is what happens with the Supreme Court, potentially with that TikTok ban.

We will see also this, new warnings in California now of landslides. The devastation from the wildfires so vast, they're now warning that the soil around even the homes that survived the fires is now becoming unstable.

And President Biden and incoming President Donald Trump at odds, this time over what they had been working together on, so they say, the Israel-Hamas hostage and ceasefire deal. The tension now, who deserves the credit?

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