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Pete Hegseth Confirmed as Defense Secretary by Narrow Vote in U.S. Senate; Kristi Noem Confirmed as Secretary of Homeland Security; President Trump Draws Controversy for Firing Over One Dozen Inspectors General at Government Agencies; President Trump Visits Las Vegas Where He's Expected to Lay Out Plans for Making Tips Tax Exempt; Four Female Israeli Soldiers Freed by Hamas in Latest Round of Hostage Releases; White House Ramping Up Immigration Enforcement Utilizing U.S. Military Planes to Transport Migrants Back to Guatemala; United Farm Workers Labor Union President Interviewed on Her Members' Rights in Face on Increased Immigration Enforcement; President Trump Says He Wants Federal Assistance to California Wildfire Victims Attached to California Voter I.D. Bill; American Tennis Player Madison Keys Wins First Ever Grand Slam Title at Australian Open; CNN Series Examines Career of NBA Star Kobe Bryant. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired January 25, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:13]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A single moment can alter the course of your entire life. A new CNN film chronicles just that. Actor Christopher Reeve was best known as the original Superman. But his greatest role may have come after that. The new BAFTA nominated documentary "Super/Man" follows his inspiring story from playing a hero on screen to becoming a real life symbol of hope. Tune in Sunday, February 2nd, 8:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.

Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

President Trump's cabinet is beginning to take shape. Today, he's adding two new members to his cabinet. Just a few hours ago, the U.S. Senate voted along mostly party lines to approve South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as the new secretary of Homeland Security. Her confirmation comes just shortly after Trump's new leader of the U.S. military took the oath of office. Pete Hegseth narrowly won confirmation last night as the country's next U.S. defense secretary, and this morning, he was sworn in by Vice President J.D. Vance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE, (R) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: -- the duties of the office on which I'm about to enter --

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE: -- the duties of the office of which I am about to enter --

VANCE: -- so help you God.

HEGSETH: -- so help me God.

VANCE: Congratulations, Mr. Secretary.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It was the vice president who had to cast the tiebreaking vote last night after the U.S. Senate deadlocked on Hegseth's nomination. It's just the second time in U.S. history a vice president broke a tie for a cabinet nominee. Three Republicans voted with the Democrats against Hegseth nomination, including former GOP leader Mitch McConnell.

For the very latest on these confirmation votes, let's bring in Annie Grayer on Capitol Hill. Annie, what more can you tell us about now Noem's confirmation?

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN REPORTER: Well, her confirmation process went off pretty smoothly, and she was just confirmed by the Senate of a vote of 59 to 34. And that meant that seven Democratic senators joined with Republicans to confirm her. And we expect her to be sworn in shortly.

But now that she has been confirmed, the real work for her begins. As Trump's leader of the Department of Homeland Security, Noem will have the extremely huge job of running Trump's immigration proposals, from what he wants to do on the southern border to his mass deportation plans. And Trump has already issued a number of executive orders in this area that it will be Noem's job to figure out how to carry out and continue.

Noem will also oversee FEMA, which deals with disaster relief. And we've seen President Trump just yesterday talking about potentially wanting to eliminate that entire agency, subagency under Homeland Security. And as the country is recovering from the devastating wildfires in California and hurricanes up and down the southern coast, that puts into question what's going to happen there. So Noem has a huge job in front of her, but she has been cleared by the Senate to do so.

WHITFIELD: All right, Annie Grayer on Capitol Hill, thanks so much.

All right, President Donald Trump is in Las Vegas today where he is expected to lay out his plans for making tips tax exempt, an issue he campaigned on in the 2024 election. This follows a series of late- night moves from his administration, including one ordering the elimination of DEI from federal agencies within 60 days, and another ordering advocacy groups to stop aiding refugees.

I'd like to bring in now CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak. Kevin, we're just getting word that Oath Keeper founder Stewart Rhodes will be attending that event.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, that's right. And you'll remember, President Trump on his very first day in office commuted the sentence of Rhodes and a number of other participants in the January 6th attack. That was in addition to the blanket pardons for the rioters on that day. He was released from prison. He was serving an 18-year sentence for seditious conspiracy. And I just asked him if he plans to meet with President Trump while he's here. He said he would like to if he got the chance to thank him for releasing him from prison.

And it just, I think, goes to show one of the many examples that President Trump took this week to fulfill the promises he made as a candidate. He really worked with speed as soon as he took office, really to try and reshape the federal government with a degree of sophistication that you really didn't see during his first term. His officials and President Trump himself now know how to pull the levers of power in a way that they just didn't eight years ago.

[14:05:01]

And you do start to see him really trying to execute on those promises he made as a candidate. One of the other steps that he's taken that's very notable overnight was firing more than a dozen inspectors general at government agencies. These are independent officials responsible for investigating waste, fraud, and abuse. The White House telling them that because of changing priorities, their positions were terminated.

This step has already generated a backlash among Republicans on Capitol Hill, including the Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, who has questioned whether this was legal. The White House didn't inform Congress 30 days before taking this step, which is part of federal law. So you can see all of these steps that the president is taking to really try and fulfill his promises, number one. But number two, reshape the government in a way that he said he would do as a candidate.

Now, here in Las Vegas, what we're going to hear the president talk about a little time from now is this promise he made to eliminate tax on tips. This is a promise that he first made here in Las Vegas. Of course, Nevada is a state with a number of hospitality workers, restaurant workers, people who rely on tips for their livelihood. When he made that promise, it came as something of a surprise, even to his advisers, but has become quite a popular issue, including during the campaign. The vice president, Kamala Harris, adopted this as her own policy proposal as well. But it is an area that he'll need to work with Congress. Unlike all of these things that he's done so far this week, really testing the bounds of his executive authority, this is an area that he will need to work with lawmakers. And so I think it is another testing ground for the president as he enters this next four years of his presidency, how closely he can work with lawmakers to try and execute on all of the things he said he would do as a candidate.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kevin Liptak, thank you so much.

All right, now to new details about the president's plans to secure the U.S. southern border and institute sweeping new immigration policies. A source tells CNN that the Department of Homeland Security is gearing up for operations in more than a dozen cities across the U.S., with the first major operation planned for Chicago. The scale and speed of the operations sparking fears throughout many immigrant communities. The White House says deportations on U.S. military aircraft are already underway, as you see in images that have been provided by the White House. Guatemalan officials say they are in permanent communication with the U.S. as they begin processing hundreds of Guatemalan nationals deported back to their home country.

Meantime, National Guard and other American troops are deploying along the U.S.-Mexico border in an effort to bolster security measures. Rafael Romo is here tracking all the latest developments, a lot in a very short amount of time thus far.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Yes, definitely, Fred. And we have had a reporters across the border taking a look at what's been happening, and we've reported how the White House already sent out those military flights to different countries. One of those countries is Guatemala. It's a country that sends a lot of migrants to the United States. And I had an opportunity to speak to Santiago Palomo. He's the press secretary for Guatemala's president's office and someone who has been working closely in the issue of repatriation.

Speaking to us from Guatemala City, he told us several key things regarding the deportations. Number one, the government of Guatemala has been in what he described as permanent communication with the White House on the issue of the deported Guatemalan nationals. Palomo also said that 264 citizens of his country were deported on U.S. military flights on Friday to Guatemala, including six children.

And number three, this official also said that Guatemala is ready to handle around 18 weekly flights of Guatemalan citizens deported from the U.S. The issue of the deportation seems to be a top priority for the government of Guatemala. Guatemalan Vice President Karin Herrera personally welcomed back to Guatemala some of the migrants deported back to their home country this week, greeting them at a Guatemalan air force base just outside Guatemala City.

Meanwhile, the official we spoke with says the deportations were not necessarily a surprise for his government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO PALOMA, GUATEMALAN PRESIDENT'S OFFICE SECRETARY (through translator): Our authorities and the United States, led by Ambassador Hugo Beteta, were in communication this week with senior officials in the Donald Trump administration. The communication was very fluid. We had fairly detailed information about the flights that they were expecting Friday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Fred, to put the issue of deportations of Guatemalan citizens in perspective, the U.S. has deported more than 66,000 back to their home country in fiscal year 2024, according to data from U.S. immigration officials. That's nearly, imagine this, a quarter of all noncitizens removed by the U.S. that year. The Guatemalan officials we spoke with said those returning to Guatemala are being treated in a dignified way through a government assistance program spearheaded by President Bernardo Arevalo, called Returning Home. And that's the key here, that they expect that many of those citizens of Guatemala here in the United States are going to be returning home in the next weeks and months.

WHITFIELD: All right, keep us posted. Rafael, thank you so much.

All right, celebrations in Israel after four more hostages are released by Hamas. Up next, their emotional reunion with families, and the latest developments in the ceasefire deal.

Plus, southern California's first rainfall of the year could bring a mudslide risk. CNN's Allison Chinchar has the forecast straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: New today, four female Israeli soldiers were freed by Hamas as part of the latest round of hostage releases. Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas handed them over to the Red Cross in a highly staged event in Gaza City. Here's the moment the hostages were led to a stage just before the transfer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A short time later, there were emotional moments when each of the hostages was reunited with their families.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CRYING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The uncle of freed hostage Daniella Gilboa described the moment of her release to CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAZI SHERABI, UNCLE OF FORMER HOSTAGE DANIELLA GILBOA: My sister didn't stop to cry, but it's a cry of like having a birth. She's like giving a birth right now. And she just got her daughter back, Daniella.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: As part of the deal, we also saw the release of 200 Palestinian prisoners by Israel. With us now is Khaled Elgindy. He is a visiting scholar at Georgetown

University Center for Contemporary Arab Studies and the author of the book "Blindspot" on the history of America and the Palestinians. Good to see you. I want to start with today's events. We saw Hamas fighters essentially parading those hostages up through the streets and then on stage before they were actually handed off to the Red Cross. What did you take away from that moment?

KHALED ELGINDY, AUTHOR, "BLINDSPOT, AMERICA AND THE PALESTINIANS, FROM BALFOUR TO TRUMP": Well, a couple of things. I mean, first, it's not insignificant at all that this exchange took place, even though we're just one week into this phase one of the ceasefire. The fact that we've now seen two rounds of captives being released on both sides, that's encouraging. That's promising. It's still very, very early. There's a lot that could go wrong in the coming days and weeks. But at least the main pieces of the exchange have been fulfilled as part of the ceasefire plan.

The other aspect of this, I think, the other key takeaway that I see is Hamas made a very big show of defiance. I mean, it was it was clear that they were sending a signal, obviously, to the Palestinian public, but also to the Israeli public and to the Israeli leadership, that they still exist, that they're still in control of at least parts of the Gaza Strip, and they're able to maintain their weapons. And so it was also, I think, a show of defiance on the part of Hamas.

WHITFIELD: And with that show of defiance, as you see it, then, are you -- are you saying to that there is a message of, that they're hoping will have long term effects, that this is not just a show of force temporarily while the hostages are handed over, but it could, I guess, be interpreted in some other way further down the line?

ELGINDY: Yes. I mean, I think what it's intended to show is that despite Israels war on Gaza, and it has been all encompassing, Israel has destroyed most of the Gaza Strip, most of the institutions that are necessary for ordinary life, most hospitals, universities, roads, infrastructure. Northern Gaza is almost entirely annihilated. More than 47,000 people have been killed, 20,000 orphans, tens of thousands of children killed. Despite all of that, Israel has not been able to succeed in the overriding goal of completely destroying Hamas. I think that is the message that they're trying to send. The reality is that was never an achievable goal.

[14:20:00]

Most, I think, most credible analysts made that clear from the outset. It was really more of a way for Prime Minister Netanyahu to perpetuate the war kind of indefinitely. But Hamas still exists. Of course, it's much more weakened, but it still exists politically and, even to an extent, militarily.

WHITFIELD: So two successful exchanges now under this ceasefire agreement. But you did describe at the very top, it's still very tenuous. Why do you believe it is so tenuous?

ELGINDY: Well, there have been violations. Just today, Israel, Israeli forces shot at Palestinian civilians who were attempting to make their way back into northern Gaza. There were some injuries, I believe, reported in the shootings by Israeli forces. That could certainly be construed as a violation of the ceasefire. Israel is saying that Palestinians won't be allowed back into the north of the Gaza Strip until the Bibas family is released, even though there are reports going back many months that that particular Israeli family who were held hostage in Gaza were most likely killed in Israeli airstrikes many months ago.

So there's still a lot of posturing on both sides. And anything could go wrong. We're not guaranteed that hostages or prisoners will, that the releases will continue.

WHITFIELD: Khaled Elgindy, pleasure talking to you again. Thank you so much.

ELGINDY: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Coming up, the impact of mass deportations on the farm working community. The president of the United Farm Workers labor union weighs in next.

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[14:26:28]

WHITFIELD: Fears of mass deportations are ramping up across the country as President Trump implements his promise to crack down on illegal immigration. We have new details about the White House's moves to ramp up immigration enforcement. CNN's Ed Lavandera is near the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso with more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here in El Paso along the U.S. southern border, the number of crossings of migrants has already been dropping dramatically, even toward the end of the Biden administration. But the scene here is starting to also change in many different ways along the U.S. southern border now that we are at the end of the first week of President Donald Trump's first week back in office. The president has is now authorizing and allowing immigration arrests to take place around what is known as safe areas like churches and schools anywhere in the country. We've also seen the administration touting the use of military aircraft to deport migrants back to their home countries. In fact, several flights have been taking Guatemalan nationals back to Guatemala. We have seen that, those military aircraft have been brought to El Paso and to San Diego.

Deportation flights, for proper context here, have gone on for years, but the use of military aircraft is unique and different. So that is expected to continue as well. But we should also put it into proper context, the number of deportations that have happened this week, as much as the Trump administration is touting those numbers, is kind of in line with what we have seen over the last couple of years during the Biden administration. Thats where we are at now. This could change dramatically in the weeks and months ahead, of course. But so far, really, it's the tactics that seems to be kind of changing in what we're seeing here along the U.S. southern border. And it's coming at a time when the number of migrant crossings have already been dropping rather dramatically as well.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, El Paso, Texas.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, concerns over mass deportations are especially being felt in America's agricultural industry, where hundreds of thousands of foreign workers take on the grueling jobs to harvest and maintain America's crops. The president's aggressive push against illegal immigration is also raising questions about what it could mean for some migrants who are legally in the U.S.

Joining us right now is the president of the United Farm Workers labor union, Teresa Romero. Teresa, great to see you. So what are you hearing from your members, their concerns, their thoughts about all that might be coming?

TERESA ROMERO, PRESIDENT, UNITED FARM WORKERS: Thank you very much for having me. Farm workers are feeling afraid. They're an edge. As we know, there's a lot of mixed families, and children who are born in this country are feeling afraid. And they're afraid to go to school because they don't know what's going to, if mom and dad are going to be home when they get home.

WHITFIELD: So what are you telling them when they've expressed those concerns and the level of anxiety that so many families are feeling?

ROMERO: Absolutely. We are meeting with workers, talking to them, letting them know what their rights are. Unfortunately, under the current administration, there is nothing that we can do to 100 percent protect them. Continue to organize the workers, continue making sure that they have union representation where they're going to be more protected than anywhere else.

[14:30:01]

But the workers, they need to remember, they cannot -- they have rights. They don't have to sign documents. They can ask for an attorney. They don't have to answer questions. It is fear that they have, and sometimes they forget what their rights are.

WHITFIELD: But in the case of, you know, impending raids, right, that are already being, I guess, signposted to happen in a number of communities, people might feel like they have to have documentation on them, or they're worried about if they don't have certain documentation on their person, that they are going to get caught up in a transport, and they're going to be taken somewhere, even if they have legal documentation. So are you telling people that they need to carry things? I mean, what do they do? How do they prepare?

ROMERO: We're telling them -- absolutely. We're telling them to carry their identification if they are in this country legally. If they have a residence or they're citizens, they need to carry proof with them. We know that Latinos are, especially farmworkers, the majority are undocumented, and they need to understand that they have rights. And yes, they need to carry their documentation. They need to prove who they are, but they need to remember that they don't have to answer any questions. They don't have to sign any document, and they have the right to an attorney.

WHITFIELD: The UFW, your group, put out a video this week showing strawberry workers in Ventura County, California, harvesting crops amid the smoky conditions brought on by huge wildfires, specifically the Hughes fire. We're looking at it right now. So how are these wildfires impacting conditions for your members, and that being now compounded by the worries about the new administration's immigration policies?

ROMERO: You know, farm workers are at the forefront of climate change. The fires, the challenges that they face every year, not only with the fires, with heat, and in some states with the cold, is something that they face every single year. And as you see in that video, farmworkers continue to work, continue -- we are the ones, in many cases, we are providing masks for their protection because they do not get those protections. Sometimes, when the air quality gets over 150, the employers must provide masks. But unfortunately, they don't do it. And this is something that we also try to do, to step up and make sure that we do everything we can to protect them. But they suffer this every single year.

WHITFIELD: And right now dealing with very tenuous and frightening times. All right, Teresa Romero, thank you so much. We hope to stay in touch with you as things continue.

ROMERO: Thank you so very much for having me.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

All right, coming up, badly needed rainfall in California also bringing the threat of dangerous mudslides now. That forecast is up next.

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[14:38:06]

WHITFIELD: Another fire burning in southern California has people there on edge yet again. The Border 2 fire near the San Diego-Mexico border is only 10 percent contained, prompting evacuations in neighboring communities. But further north, rain is expected to bring much needed relief to fire-scorched Los Angeles. But with that relief also comes a new threat for areas impacted by the Palisades and Eaton fires. Possible debris flows, mudslides, landslides could impact burn scar areas.

President Trump visited the area yesterday, and despite a friendly handshake with Governor Gavin Newsom, the two were at odds over aid to the state. Trump says he wants any federal assistance attached to a California voter I.D. bill, a condition. I want to bring in Jay Inslee. He's the former Democratic governor of

Washington state. Governor, and we know California does require that voters are registered and usually show an I.D. of some sort. But this kind of scenario between Trump and Newsom that might strike a little familiar with you. You had to deal with him with some wildfires in your state not too long ago. So this idea of a condition being placed on being able to get federal assistance, what do you think about this?

JAY INSLEE, (D) FORMER GOVERNOR OF WASHINGTON: Well, it gets my blood up because I went through it when a town of Malden, a whole town, burned down in eastern Washington a couple of years ago, and he abjectly refused to help these people. And it really, I think, is a window in how cruel and vindictive this individual is. When you think about it, who do you know if somebody's house had burned down and were standing in the ashes of their home, the first instinct of anybody I know is, how can I help these people?

[14:40:00]

We have 50,000 people down there who are who are homeless at the moment because of these fires, and that's happening all across the western United States because of climate change. Who would look at that and say, instead of thinking, how can I help these people, how can I use it as leverage for political advantage? And he has done this over and over again. He did it in North Carolina. He's done it in my state, where a whole town burned down.

And it's just a window on this cruel and vindictiveness. What the hell does voter registration have to do with trying to help 50,000 people right now? So, I will tell you, I think he looks at these natural disasters, he's not waking up thinking, how can I help these people? He's waking up thinking, how can I use it for political leverage? And it is disgusting. It is un-American. And he's not doing his job to help people. And I've seen it in my state big time. I hope we can all pull for Washington -- or for California right now.

WHITFIELD: So, I mean, will this lead to political leverage? I mean, I mean, help people understand, I mean, what the gain here is for President Trump. This is -- he's only been in office now for five days. And just as you stated it, I mean, it sounds awfully cold, right? I mean, people are suffering. They need help. Insurance, lack of insurance is a big problem. Underinsured is a big problem. People would like to know what the next step forward is. So how is this a gain for the president?

INSLEE: Well, we hope it's a big loss for him by not knuckling under to these conditions. When he treated my constituents, most of whom who voted for him, by the way, in this town that burned down, it was heavily Trump supporters, we did not change our policies one whit. Instead, we fought him every way that we could. And we're continuing to do that.

I'm very proud of my state. Our new attorney general, Nick Brown, just got a nationwide injunction against him for his illegal, clearly unconstitutional effort to end birthright citizenship. And we didn't knuckle under to it. And I hope that that is the eventual result. He's full of bluster, and if you resist him, sometimes you can

eventually have good things will happen. And I am hopeful that some of the Republican Congresspeople in California can do what our Republican Congresspeople did in Washington, which is basically said Donald Trump, knock it off. You should not treat your citizens and our constituents with such cavalier vindictiveness. It won't stand.

So I'm hopeful that we find some decent people who happen to be Republicans in the House and the Senate who will tell him that this this cannot stand from an American president. He owes an obligation to help these people. They're standing in the ashes of their home hugging each other. They deserve the federal government to give them a hand.

WHITFIELD: What about the idea of allowing states to be in the position of not needing federal assistance at all, meaning not needing FEMA? We heard it from the president. He's thinking about what if he just did away with FEMA altogether? And just in the last hour, I spoke with North Carolina Congressman Chuck Edwards, who represents a large part of the area devastated from hurricane Helene, and he suggested that it would be more efficient for states to manage their own recovery resources. You ran the state of Washington for two terms. Is that feasible?

INSLEE: No, I don't think that's a good idea. And I've worked with FEMA a lot under multiple jurisdictions, and I have found them to be extremely well-coordinated with our local efforts.

Look, the idea of federal disaster assistance is a very wise one. When you have a state that's overwhelmed by these apocalyptic events, and unfortunately, these are going to increase because of climate change, because we have a president who won't help fight climate change, you need a larger entity to come to your aid, which is the nation. And the nation appropriately comes to the aid of local communities when they are devastated.

We send fire trucks, we send firefighters. We need a national response to these incredibly devastating fires, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes. You bet. Look, I've got an earthquake out somewhere in the future of Washington state. It could be a 9.0 earthquake. Washington can't handle that alone. We're going to need national help. We've got hurricanes in Florida where you need national help. And when, if you need national help, you can't just write a check to some state. It's good to have an organization that will come to your aid. So I think it's just nuts to say you're not going to have federal assistance to these local communities.

WHITFIELD: Governor Jay Inslee, always great having you. Thank you so much.

INSLEE: You bet. Be well.

WHITFIELD: You, too.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:49:33]

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. And there it was, a dream realized in Melbourne. Madison Keys, American, upsets the world's number one tennis player to win her first ever Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. She used a combination of aggressive returns and strong serves to outlast Aryna Sabalenka in what turned out to be a thrilling final. I'm going to have to go back and watch it, because I missed all of it. But CNN World Sports anchor Don Riddell, he saw it all.

[14:50:00]

WHITFIELD: This has been a long time coming. We've been watching Madison Keys for a really long time. What in the world happened? What made the difference here?

DON RIDDELL, CNN HOST, WORLD SPORT: Yes. So she turned professional at the age of 14. She's nearly 30. She'll be 30 next month. I saw her in the final of the U.S. Open in 2017, where she completely crumbled against her good mate, Sloane Stephens. And it's kind of taken her a long time to recover from that. But everything has just come right this year.

She was actually injured this time last year, so she couldn't even play in this tournament. But she's got it all together now. And by beating Sabalenka, she has become one of the oldest first time Grand Slam champions.

WHITFIELD: I love stories like that.

RIDDELL: To say, to say that it's been a long time coming would be an understatement. Have a listen.

WHITFIELD: I mean, 14, and now 30.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MADISON KEYS, AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHAMPION: I have wanted this for so long, and I have been in one other Grand Slam final, and it did not go my way. And I didn't know if I was ever going to be able to get back to this position to try to win a trophy again. And my team believed in me every step of the way. So thank you so much.

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: Such an emotional win.

WHITFIELD: That's making me want to tear up right now. RIDDELL: So many people, I think, are so happy for Madison Keys.

She's really, really popular. But I mentioned how she's turned things around.

So she married her coach recently. I've heard it said that he has almost more belief in her than she believes in herself. And one of the suggestions he made was that she change her racket, because she's been dealing with shoulder injuries. She's changed the racket. That seems to have worked. She won in Adelaide, so she was in great form coming into this tournament. And now who knows what the rest of the year will bring?

WHITFIELD: Isn't that amazing, sometimes a tiny minor adjustment, you know, an adjustment in geometry, really. You know, the handling of a racket or the size of the racket made all the difference. We love it.

RIDDELL: She came in as the 19th seed. She beat four of the top 10 seeds, including number one and two in the world to do this. That hasn't been done in a major since 2009.

WHITFIELD: I'm so glad.

RIDDELL: Terrific achievement.

WHITFIELD: I love that good news. Don Riddell bringing the good news today. Appreciate it, thank you.

All right, Kobe Bryant is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. A new CNN original series chronicles the moments that cemented his ascension into the basketball Hall of Fame. And now, five years since his tragic passing, CNN's Bill Weir takes us through Kobe's life and legacy, and who he was both on and off the court.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, the next man I'm going to introduce has it all -- youthfulness, talent, got lots of money, about to get married. Come on up, Kobe.

BILL WEIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Long before the five NBA title parades, the MVP awards, and Olympic gold --

KOBE BRYANT, FORMER NBA PLAYER: USA is back on top. This is what it's all about.

WEIR (voice-over): -- Los Angeles fell in love with this kid at first sight. His dad, Jellybean Bryant, was an NBA first rounder and journeyman pro who played and coached around the world. So, on courts from Italy to Philly, the prodigy dribbled and dreamed of being better than dad and everyone else.

BRYANT: You know, I was in the airport on my way up here. And people would come up to me and say, hey, do you play basketball? And I'd say, yes, you know, I play basketball. And they'd say, well, what team do you play for? I'm used to saying Lower Merion High School.

(LAUGHTER)

BRYANT: So, I'm in there, I'm like, well, I play for Lower Merion High -- no, you know what? I'm in Los Angeles.

WEIR: And this sports crazed town embraced that kid like a member of the family, like few other athletes ever. I was a sports anchor in L.A. the night Kobe proposed to Vanessa, and every station in town sent traffic helicopters over their house, live coverage to mark the momentous occasion. We had no idea how he would evolve as a family man, as a player, and how Vanessa would end up as a fierce defender of his legacy.

WEIR (voice-over): In 2003, when he was charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old desk clerk at a Colorado resort, he insisted it was consensual. And his wife's very public support helped keep the public very much on his side.

BRYANT: I'm innocent. I didn't force her to do anything against her will. I'm disgusted at myself for making a mistake of adultery.

WEIR (voice-over): His defense team and the media tore into his accuser's personal life. There were multiple death threats. And when she was no longer willing to testify, the case was dropped, and Kobe would apologize to her in writing. But he would also harness his pent- up anger and drive into a new alter ego he called Black Mamba, a snake so deadly it strikes fear at first sight.

SCOOP JACKSON, SPORTS JOURNALIST: The next month, he did 81, he came back with that. He won his first championship without Shaq, once he became the Mamba. He won his second championship without Shaq, once he became a Mamba. He finally won the MVP, once he became a mamba.

[14:55:02]

WEIR (voice-over): But off the court, Kobe would shed Black Mamba and transform into a girl dad, doting over his four daughters with obvious, infectious love right to the end.

JACKIE MACMULLAN, SPORTS WRITER AND NBA COLUMNIST: Kobe Bryant did not invent girl dad. He just perfected it. It just felt like the future was limitless for him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- CNN breaking news.

MACMULLAN: And then in a heartbeat, it all stops in the most horrific way imaginable.

WEIR (voice-over): It's been five years since a helicopter accident took him, his daughter Gianna, and seven others. We remember the lives lost, and the legacy of Kobe, a name forever in the debate over all- time greats.

Bill Weir, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: A new CNN original series, "Kobe, The Making of a Legend," airs tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern and pacific, right here on CNN.

All right, President Trump is set to hold a rally in Las Vegas to thank supporters for his election victory. We'll have a live report straight ahead.

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