Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
White House Deportations Have Begun On Military Aircraft; Trump Threatens To Get Rid Of FEMA While Criticizing Agency; Interview With Former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell; Four Israeli Soldiers Released By Hamas; Judge Blocks Trump's Executive Order To End Birthright Citizenship; Trump Signs Order To Release More JFK Assassination Files; Trump: Make Products In the U.S. Or Pay Tariffs; Trump Plans To Use Taxes & Oil Deals To Lower Prices But Economists Warn Of Holes In His Logic; Madison Keys Claims First Major Tennis Title; Sunday's Showdown Will Decide Who Plays In Super Bowl. Aired 5- 6p ET
Aired January 25, 2025 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:01:14]
JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean in New York.
We begin tonight with new details about the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and deport people here in the United States illegally.
A source telling CNN 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 operation sparking fears throughout some immigrant communities.
The White House press secretary shared images last night that you see here of migrants lined up, handcuffed and boarding a military aircraft for deportation.
Meantime, National Guard and other American troops are deploying along the U.S.-Mexico border in an effort to bolster security measures.
CNN's Ed Lavandera has the latest now from El Paso, Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
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 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 into proper context the number of deportations that have happened this week, as much as the Trump administration is touting those numbers, it is kind of in line with what we have seen over the last couple of years during the Biden administration.
That's 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 it 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 VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: Ed, thank you.
And it's not just immigration. This week, Trump signed a slew of executive actions focused on energy and rolling back environmental protections. Those include declaring a national energy emergency, withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord, blocking new wind energy projects, boosting oil and gas drilling, and reexamining the EPA's 2009 finding that climate change is dangerous.
Now, the president is suggesting getting rid of FEMA. That's the agency responsible for helping people in communities impacted by natural disasters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA. I think, frankly, FEMA is not good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: With more and more climate change fueled natural disasters, like the deadly wildfires in California and the hurricane damage in North Carolina, FEMA is having to respond to year-round catastrophes with limited resources and funding.
The agency's disaster fund has actually run out of money ten times since 2001. Last year, it was completely depleted even before Hurricanes Helene and Milton ravaged Florida and North Carolina.
[17:04:46]
DEAN: But the president can't simply get rid of FEMA. That requires congressional approval.
Joining us now, the former administrator for FEMA, Deanne Criswell. Thanks so much for being here with us. We really appreciate it.
I know you've said that President Trump's comments yesterday could have a chilling effect on emergency response. Tell us more about that.
DEANNE CRISWELL, FORMER FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: Hi. Good afternoon, Jessica.
You know, one of the things that I just think is really important to continue to have a conversation about is really understanding the role that FEMA plays before, during, and after disasters, right?
Our role is not just to respond. Our role isn't just to help recover, but we do so much work to help communities be prepared. We do work to help them mitigate against future disasters.
And then we support state and locals and their ability to make sure that they have enough resources when one of these big events is happening and then, you know, assisting in that long road to recovery.
And I think where my concern comes in is that some states and some jurisdictions are definitely more capable than others. Those that aren't, they're just going to have a harder time meeting the needs of their citizens and doing those life-saving actions, as well as those long-term recovery things that are going to need to happen after these severe weather events hit their communities.
DEAN: And President Trump said he really wants the states to be managing disaster relief, which is ironically kind of what you're getting at right now. You guys work in in tandem with them. It's kind of how it works now.
Help us understand how FEMA currently works and what role the states play right now as it's set up.
CRISWELL: You're exactly right, Jessica. What we do is support state and locals. All disasters start and end at that local level. I was a local emergency manager.
And what happens is if it exceeds their capability, then they can contact the federal government. That's when they request a presidential disaster declaration that can either provide immediate response and life-saving resources, like our urban search and rescue teams, or help them rebuild afterwards and rebuild in a way that's going to make them stronger and more resilient to future events.
But it has always been with the state and the locals, and what we do is reimburse them. The federal government already pays them for the work that they're doing, and we reimburse them as they go through their rebuilding process.
And so I'm not quite sure exactly, you know, what he's trying to change there, because the model that he's talking about sounds exactly like the model that exists.
DEAN: And FEMA is housed within the Department of Homeland Security. CNN did speak to some other former FEMA leaders who said that the current model for FEMA isn't necessarily sustainable, that FEMA is being asked to do too much, that more things keep being added into its bucket.
Do you agree with that? Do you -- would you make any changes?
CRISWELL: Well, there's always room for improvement. And I think one of the things is we are seeing an increase in the number of severe weather events that we're responding to.
Last year we had 179 disaster declarations. You know, there's a lot of focus on what happened in North Carolina with Hurricane Helene and all six states for Helene and Milton. But that was just one storm. We had 179 different declarations around the country.
And so while we are being stretched to respond to the natural disasters, the severe weather events, we also bring this coordinating capability. We bring in the rest of the federal family to support other things.
And so I think that there's always room for conversation about how FEMA is being used. And I would like to make sure that they are only used for those things that are part of their mission, and that is supporting state and locals when they are trying to either be better prepared, mitigate against, or respond to and recover from these events.
DEAN: And a source did tell CNN also that FEMA personnel across the country are anxious about the president's comments, that they are concerned that some even feel betrayed.
What -- have you talked to anyone still working within FEMA? Are you hearing from anyone about something like feelings like that?
CRISWELL: Well, I certainly have talked to a few, you know, members that have been really close to me throughout my years. But of course, they're feeling anxious.
These are women and men that give their all. They leave their homes. They leave their families to go out to disasters, to help people that have been impacted. They work hard every single day.
And to say that they're no good without any basis behind it is really just shameful. And, you know, I'm just so impressed and I couldn't have been prouder to have served and led that agency because of the women and the men that make that agency what it is.
DEAN: Yes. And we did -- CNN did travel to North Carolina, of course, that's where President Trump was yesterday, in addition to going to California.
And you know better than anybody else, thousands of people there displaced by Hurricane Helene. They're now facing further uncertainty as FEMA's hotel voucher program is set to expire in March. And FEMA says it reassesses need every two weeks.
[17:09:54]
DEAN: And that's a process that some of the residents we talked to said has been confusing and stressful. I just want to play a clip from one of them. And then -- and then I want to get your thoughts on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEAGAN STELCHOOK, DISPLACED RESIDENT: I can't tell you how many hours I've spent down there thinking that I was making some progress here, you know, because I am really limited on funds.
I'm trying to, like, properly you know, make sure that I'm filing correctly, you know, so that I can get the assistance that, you know, really, really need.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Are there shortcomings about this program? Does she -- does she have a point that it's hard -- that it is harder for them to get back on their feet because there is this process where they're having to be reassessed every two weeks?
CRISWELL: Yes. The Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program is the one that you're talking about. And that's where we can place people in hotels to help give them a temporary, again, designed to be a very temporary place to stay while we're looking for something that's going to be able to support them longer term if needed.
And we know that every individual has their own unique circumstance. Our goal is to not leave people in hotels, but get them into something that's more permanent, whether that's finding them an apartment to rent or a house to rent, or using one of the temporary housing units that can be placed up.
And that's why we call them every two weeks. Some people have made repairs to their home and they're livable and so they can go back to their home and we just want to make sure that their needs are being met.
And those that still have needs we want to do the case work with them, you know, do you need a different place to stay that is going to better support you and your family, closer to your kids' school, closer to your work?
This is an ongoing conversation with everybody that's been impacted. And again, we need to have those conversations with them so we can help each person, each family with their specific needs. DEAN: And I just lastly want to ask you about California, about the
fire recovery there. You know, absolutely historic damage. It's just going to take a very long time to get -- to make those people whole and get them back into their homes and get their homes rebuilt.
Are you confident? I mean, look, that is billions and billions and billions of dollars. Obviously FEMA is not -- that's -- you're not responsible. They would not be responsible for all of that.
But this is already so much. And it's not even -- we're not even through the 1st of January, the first month of the year. Are you confident that FEMA will have the resources it needs to continue to respond to disasters like those fires?
CRISWELL: I am totally confident, right? We have the resources to help support the response. And those are things like our search and rescue teams or our ability to coordinate the federal family, like the Army Corps of Engineers is going to play a big piece in being able to come in and support the debris removal.
And I think it's important to remember, Jessica, that we are just one part of the team and one of our biggest roles is coordinating the entire federal family.
We bring in all kinds of experts to be able to help with whatever the specific circumstances are or the specific impacts to a community.
But it is telling that we are having such a major fire this early in the season. And again, last year 179 disaster declarations. Starting out this year with a catastrophic, once-in-a-lifetime fire that is continuing to burn across southern California, it just goes to show how we are going to continue to have to respond and work with states, work with our governors and the local communities to help them be better prepared.
But also, how do we help them become more resilient so they have less impacts? I'm not saying it's going to be easy. It's certainly going to be hard because we're seeing more and more.
But I think with the whole federal family coming together, I think that anything is possible.
DEAN: All right. Deanne Criswell, thanks so much for your time.
CRISWELL: Thanks, Jessica.
DEAN: Still ahead, four more Israeli hostages are released by Hamas. CNN was there for their emotional reunion with families.
Plus, President Trump launching a fight to end birthright citizenship. How his executive order is setting up a potentially years' long legal fight.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
[17:14:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEAN: Four Israeli soldiers held captive in Gaza for 15 months are in stable condition now, according to the hospital where they are beginning the long road to recovery.
Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag all released by Hamas today in a highly-staged event. Hamas parading the hostages through Gaza City and then bringing them on stage before the handoff to the Red Cross.
This marks the second round of releases in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage agreement. Another 26 hostages expected to release -- to be released in phase one of this deal.
CNN's Bianna Golodryga was with the family of one of those freed hostages as they saw her released.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. There she is.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am in the home of the aunt and uncle of Daniella Gilboa. And I have to say, it was just sheer emotion, so much enthusiasm here. Tears of joy, champagne popping.
[17:19:43]
GOLODRYGA: We are the only foreign news media who were allowed to witness this moment as family and friends saw their loved one, their niece Daniella Gilboa, 20 years old, alongside three other female hostages for the first time in 15.5 months.
RAZI SHARABI, UNCLE OF RELEASED HOSTAGE DANIELLA GILBOA: Daniella, she is a daughter of a lioness. They are fighters and they are proud Jewish girls who never lost hope. And I'm sure that Daniella never -- Daniella never lost hope.
DEKELE SHARABI, AUNT OF RELEASED HOSTAGE DANIELLA GILBOA: We didn't know what to think, you know. We just wanted to think good things. But we didn't know how we -- how we're feeling.
And you just want to hug her, want to see her and to hug her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: I can understand, you just want to hug them.
Israel's prison service today confirming 200 Palestinian prisoners were released as part of that ceasefire deal. The group included some who had been serving life sentences. And they were welcomed by thousands of Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.
Israel is expected to release 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in phase one of this deal. And CNN is learning tonight, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
is trying to arrange a meeting with President Trump in Washington in the coming weeks.
A spokesperson for Netanyahu cautioned the plans are still in the works and not a done deal yet.
Still ahead tonight, Trump signs executive orders to release more files on the JFK assassination. We run the numbers as a growing number of Americans believe that JFK assassination conspiracy theories.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
[17:21:24]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEAN: President Trump's blitz of executive orders this week could upend political and legal norms for years to come. Many, including a federal judge, see his order to end birthright citizenship as a direct challenge to the U.S. Constitution.
CNN Chief Supreme Court Analyst Joan Biskupic has more on this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN CHIEF SUPREME COURT ANALYST: President Trump's stunning order that would lift birthright citizenship ended the week in trouble.
The first judge to assess it called the move, quote, "blatantly unconstitutional". But there will be more action ahead beginning next week for this order that goes to the core of American identity and assurances that have been woven into life here for more than a century.
Within an hour of taking the oath of office, Donald Trump signed an order that would end the constitutional guarantee that nearly everyone born in the United States is automatically a citizen.
That promise arises from the 14th Amendment and was reinforced by the Supreme Court in a landmark decision that's more than a century old.
Trump's order would exclude children born here to undocumented parents, as well as those here legally on temporary visas, such as students and skilled workers.
It, of course, grows from his larger anti-immigration agenda. But here's why the response by a federal judge in Seattle hearing the first of a series of lawsuits, was predictable.
The citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment states clearly that "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside." That amendment was ratified in 1868. And then in 1898, the Supreme Court weighed in. In a case brought by the son of Chinese nationals who was born in America.
The Supreme Court said the words of the 14th are clear. It guarantees citizenship for anyone born in America, irrespective of the parents' race or national origin.
The only exceptions are children born of parents who fall under such narrow categories as foreign diplomats or soldiers of invading armies.
Trump's lawyers argue that there should be another exception, based on the amendment's phrasing, "subject to the jurisdiction therein". They say children born here of parents who lack citizenship or permanent residency are not under this country's, quote, "jurisdiction".
When he heard this first case on Thursday, Judge John Coughenour, a long serving appointee of President Ronald Reagan, said, "I have been on the bench for over four decades. I can't remember another case where the question presented was as clear."
The judge called Trump's executive order "blatantly unconstitutional". He granted the request of Washington state and other states for an emergency order halting implementation of the policy for the next 14 days. He ordered more filings from the parties, due beginning on Monday.
We'll probably see a more substantive ruling next month, as well as action and other lawsuits filed across the country.
President Trump said he would be appealing. In the end, this litigation is likely to make its way to the Supreme Court, where if the justices abide by history and their past landmark, President Trump's executive order would be found unconstitutional.
Joan Biskupic, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: Joining us now to run the numbers on this, CNN senior data reporter, Harry Enten. Hello, Harry.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Hello.
DEAN: Do Americans support Trump's move to end birthright citizenship?
ENTEN: You know, there are a lot of things that Donald Trump has done in his first week in office that Americans do support. This isn't one of them. This isn't one of them.
I don't know what the heck he's doing, because not only did that judge spank him like he was a young child back in the 1960s, but the American public isn't with him either.
[17:29:44] ENTEN: I mean, look at this support ending birthright citizenship for children born to immigrants illegally here. Look, you can see I've traced it over time since 2011. 2011, 2015, 2025 -- There is no number higher than 35 percent.
[17:30:00]
It's 35 percent now, 53 percent opposed. In 2015, it was 31 percent supporting, 35 percent in 2011.
The number has just stayed very, very, very consistent whereby only about a third of the public support the idea of ending birthright citizenship for children born to immigrants illegally here.
It's, simply put, Jessica Dean, ain't popular, and it doesn't appear to be legal either. So a double whammy for the incumbent president.
DEAN: OK. But what about Trump's base? How do they feel about it?
ENTEN: Yes, this is where it gets a little bit interesting. But again, I'm not sure this is particularly promising for the president either.
I mean, again, look, supporting ending birthright citizenship for children born to immigrants illegally. Here you can see the majority of Republicans do, in fact, support this. But it's just 56 percent. It's just 56 percent.
If you were to look at Donald Trump's approval rating among Republicans, it would be north of 85 percent. In fact, you could find polls where it's 90, upwards of 95 percent. So he's basically losing.
You know, you can do the math with me quickly here, 30 to 35, upwards of 40 percent of Republicans who approve of him but don't approve of this action.
And then, not surprisingly, Democrats, very few of them actually support it. it's just 21 percent. And among Independents, it's 19 percent.
So what Donald Trump is doing with this move is he's dividing Republicans, uniting Democrats and Independents against him.
Politically, it seems like a very bad move. And obviously, legally, judge -- the judge and most legal scholars agree.
Again, it's just a bad move all the way around. And despite it being an executive order, I don't think it's going to get very far.
DEAN: And then another move Trump made this week was for the government to release more files about the assassination of JFK. Where do people stand on that? I mean, this has been a source of -- of intrigue for people for a long time.
ENTEN: I would say for a very long time. I remember, back in middle school, I watched a documentary, Peter Jennings, which actually sought to essentially say, you know what, it was a single gunman. It was, in fact, Lee Harvey Oswald.
And I agree with that documentary. But the American people don't. So who killed John F. Kennedy Jr.? Look, a plurality has always said it was at least two people, despite what the Warren Commission found.
You can go back to 2013, it was 61 percent who said it was at least two people. You look at the Gallup poll back in 2023, it was 65 percent, two-thirds of Americans.
Only about a third, in fact, a little bit less than a third agree with me and agree with the Warren Commission, 30 percent in 2013, slightly lower though within the margin of error. In 2023, just 29 percent.
So the bottom line is this is actually a good move by the president of the United States to release these files, because most Americans, about two-thirds do, in fact, believe in a conspiracy theory, regardless of what the Warren Commission found.
And regardless that 60 years - actually, more than 60 years after the fact, no one has been able to prove that the Warren Commission was actually wrong.
DEAN: Yes. Sometimes you're going to have to run some numbers on why Americans -- why do we love conspiracy theories so much.
(CROSSTALK)
ENTEN: But they're fun. They're different.
DEAN: We like to go down a rabbit hole.
ENTEN: We like to go down a rabbit hole. We don't like authority. That's America for you.
DEAN: Authority? Or sometimes, yes, just, yes. We don't want to accept -- accept what is.
ENTEN: Yes.
DEAN: OK. Who do those who believe in conspiracies -- in a conspiracy think was involved then?
ENTEN: Yes. You know, this is where it gets more interesting. You see a bit of a time trend here. Who conspiracy believers say killed JFK. In 2023, it was just 25 percent of -- of those who believed in the conspiracy said it was the U.S. government.
Now look at it. it's up to 38 percent. The percentage that said others has dropped from 40 percent to 29 percent. Of course, U.S. government could be the CIA. It could be the FBI. It could be LBJ. It could be a whole host of folks.
But this has gone up. I don't think that's much of a surprise. We've obviously seen more folks disbelieving in the government. We've seen that, especially after the Covid pandemic. So you've got, you know, 38 percent of those who have conspiracy
theory believers on the JFK assassination saying it's the U.S. government. Again, despite no proof that this is actually true.
Maybe these files being released might convince them otherwise. But somehow, I doubt it.
DEAN: Yes, I doubt it. too.
I have here a question for you --
ENTEN: Yes.
DEAN: -- about the Bills-Chief game tomorrow. But, like, why am I even asking you for your forecast? I could give your forecast, which is Bills by a billion.
ENTEN: You know what? I mean, I think I even have a slide for you right here.
(LAUGHTER)
DEAN: See.
ENTEN: There it is. You forecasted it perfectly.
I even have my jacket right here. I bought this jacket -- my mother got it for me back when I was in, let's see, 10th grade or so.
DEAN: Is that a starter jacket? I feel like those were very popular.
ENTEN: Oh, these were very popular and very, very warm because we haven't been above freezing in New York for god knows how long.
DEAN: I know.
ENTEN: These are warm. They're stylish.
And you know what? Come Monday, I'm going to be wearing the jacket of the AFC champions because Kermit the Frog and the Kansas City Chiefs and Mr. Taylor Swift are going down at Arrowhead tomorrow.
DEAN: Wow. You heard it here first, by a billion.
ENTEN: By a billion.
DEAN: Harry Enten, thank you so much. Good to see you.
ENTEN: Thank you. Go Bills.
[17:34:59]
DEAN: Still ahead, either make your products in the United States or pay some stinging tariffs. That's President Trump's idea. Will his proposal help bring back manufacturing or will it fire up inflation? We'll talk about it next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My message to every business in the world is very simple. Come make your product in America and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on earth.
[17:40:02]
But if you don't make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then, very simply, you will have to pay a tariff, differing amounts, but a tariff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: President Trump there addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week, insisting companies around the world either make their products in the U.S. or face consequences.
Joining us now, Moody's chief economist, Mark Zandi.
Mark, thanks so much for being here with us.
Trump says he thinks this will help bring inflation down. But 95 percent of economists surveyed by the University of Chicago say that they'll likely get it will likely get passed on to consumers, meaning higher prices.
What do you expect when it comes to these tariffs?
MARK ZANDI, CHIEF ECONOMIST, MOODY'S ANALYTICS: Really, only 95 percent. I'd like to meet the other 5 percent.
(LAUGHTER)
ZANDI: You know, broad-based tariffs, which is, I think, what we're talking about here, will result in higher prices for the things that we import. And American consumers will need to pay more for those things. It will add to inflationary pressures.
So, you know, that's the evidence that we got from the tariffs that were imposed under President Trump's first term. Those tariffs were mostly on China, smaller than what I think he's considering here.
But the evidence was clear. It raised inflation, raised prices. And I don't expect anything different -- any different outcome here. It will add to inflationary pressures.
DEAN: And look, at this point, we have to wait and see exactly how, when, if he puts into these -- puts into place these tariffs he's been talking about.
ZANDI: Right. DEAN: There is a kind of theory, oh, it's a bargaining chip, it's a
way to get a better deal, whatever that might mean, from various countries. Is that a good way to leverage on behalf of the American people?
ZANDI: Well, I -- I -- you're right. Exactly. You're absolutely right. We don't know exactly what he has in mind and what he's going to implement.
And I'd say, Jessica, you know, one of the big downsides of that is the uncertainty it creates. You know, businesses need clarity with regard to, you know, exactly what he has in mind.
Which countries are going to see the tariffs on what products? You know, over what period of time are they going to be in place? For one month, three months, six months, six years?
Until those questions are answered, I think businesses are just going to sit on their hands. They can't make investments. So, no, I don't think that's a great strategy.
And I go back to the experience of the tariffs under the president's -- under the president's first term. And the same kind of drama was being created, same kind of uncertainty.
And at the end of the day, I can't tell you what was accomplished by that. The U.S. trade deficit is as large today as it was back then. I don't see any more production here as a result of that those efforts. So I just -- I just don't see it.
DEAN: I want to walk through on how Trump plans to deliver on his economic promises when he when he talked to the World Economic Forum this week. It was really the most specific we've heard him, especially since he'd taken office. He hasn't been in office but five days.
But we did get some more specific information. But we know he wants to cut the corporate tax rate to 15 percent. Obviously, raise the tariffs, as we were just talking about.
Make a deal with OPEC to cut oil prices. And he would like to see lower interest rates. But worth -- worth reminding everyone that's the Fed's job, not the president's job.
Let's start first with -- with cutting the corporate tax rate to 15 percent. How might that work? And do you think that would help the economy?
ZANDI: Yes, I have no problem cutting taxes. I think that's great. I think a lower corporate tax rate would be helpful, all else being equal.
But I do think they need to be paid for. I don't -- we have very large budget deficits. We have a very high debt load that's rising. Interest rates are rising. Long-term interest rates, mortgage rates, auto loan rates are rising, in part, because of investor concerns about deficits and debt. So the question is not so much whether we want to cut taxes. The
question is, how would we pay for that? And what kind of economic impact would that have?
So it's the net of all those things that we need to consider. So, you know, like anybody I'm -- I'm for lowering tax rates. But I think we need to pay for them.
DEAN: And then we talked about the tariffs. What about this idea of making a deal with OPEC to try and cut oil prices?
ZANDI: Yes. I don't get that either. I'm confused by it. I mean oil prices are determined in a global marketplace. And OPEC is a big part of the marketplace.
And so if, in fact, they do increase production to lower price, that probably means other parts of the producers and other parts of the world will cut production.
Like the U.S. is the largest oil producer in the world at this point. We produce more oil than the OPEC, Saudi Arabia and other members of OPEC.
And will those oil producers in the United States, the frackers, what would they do in response to the lower oil prices? In all likelihood, they'll cut back on their investment in production and lower their output.
[17:45:06]
So the net of all that is, I just don't see how that gets oil prices down to any significant -- any significant way.
But, you know, Jessica, the broader point is the president has very limited control over many of the things that he wants to do here. He can't lower interest rates.
You pointed out the Fed has control over short-term rates. But there's -- long-term interest rates are determined by global investors. Mortgage rates are determined by global investors.
And they, in fact, may drive up long-term interest rates for fear that the Fed doesn't do the right thing. And that causes inflation and makes their investments less viable. So it's a very, very difficult thing to pull off here.
And the kinds of things he's talking about, you know, color me skeptical, I think it's going to be -- it's not going to result in the kind of reduction in the cost of living or even the inflation rate that he's hoping for.
DEAN: Yes. And obviously, cost of living just at the very, very top of so many voters' minds. It's what people went to the voting booth thinking about.
ZANDI: Yes. DEAN: And it's what they're hoping to see change.
All right. Mark Zandi, thank you so much. Good to see you.
ZANDI: Yes. Anytime. Thank you.
DEAN: Up next, an American triumph at the Australian Open. How Madison Keys was able to take down the world's top-ranked player to get her first grand slam title.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:50:54]
DEAN: A performance for the ages down under. American Madison Keys celebrating her first grand slam tennis title at the Australian Open. The 29-year-old knocking out the world's top-two ranked players in route to the title.
CNN's Don Riddell is joining us now.
Don, this was a long time coming for Keys. How did she do it?
DON RIDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Yes, really long time coming, Jessica. She turned professional at the age of 14, which is nearly 16 years ago now. And I don't think anybody who's been following her career would have thought it would have taken this long.
But she's had her challenges. I watched her lose the U.S. Open final to Sloane Stephens, another American, in 2017. And it seems to have taken her a long time to recover from that, both mentally -- she's also had injury problems. She didn't even play this tournament last year because she was out injured.
But she's really turned things around. An absolutely brilliant run to the title. You mentioned the top two players. she's beaten. She actually knocked out four of the top-10 seeds in this tournament.
And finally she can say she's a major champion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADISON KEYS, AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS CHAMPION: I've 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: Yes, such an emotional moment there. Really, really wonderful to see. She's a very, very popular player on the tour. You asked how she did it. Well, one of the things that maybe has had
an impact, her coach is also her husband. They got married recently.
And one of the things he suggested, because she had these shoulder issues, was that maybe she should change rackets. And she did. And she seems to be better and healthy.
She won in Adelaide before this tournament, so she is on a roll. And it's going to be really exciting to see what she can do for the rest of this season now.
DEAN: So fun to watch. Such a great moment for her. It's really special.
And then we look to tomorrow, Don, and NFL fans are so excited for these conference title games. I have -- lot of people are talking about them. Everyone has very firm sides that they're on. These are going to be big.
RIDDELL: Yes, huge. I mean, the NFL just seems to be getting bigger and bigger every year. By Sunday night, we will know the lineup for the Superbowl this year.
In the AFC, it's a familiar matchup. We don't know if it's going to be a familiar story. But Kansas City Chiefs, of course, they're going for an unprecedented three-peat. They're playing the Bills again.
The Bills have already beaten them this season. But in three of the last four playoffs, the Chiefs have knocked Buffalo out. So is that going to happen again? The Chiefs have home advantage. Maybe that makes them the favorites.
In the NFC, it's the Eagles against the Commanders, two exciting teams with some really exciting players. I think the Eagles would be the favorites in this one. Again they're the home team.
But all in all, these are two absolutely massive games. Can't wait to see how they play out.
DEAN: It's going to be fun.
Don Riddell, great to see you. Thank you so much.
Two giant pandas have made their public debut at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington.
And CNN's David Culver was given exclusive access to follow the journey of those pandas.
It all started in Chengdu, China. The city doesn't just offer visitors a chance to see pandas in their natural habitat. It also offers just about every panda-themed item you could think of.
Here's a preview of this weekend's episode of "THE WHOLE STORY."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Before we see the creatures themselves, we want to just see how large they loom around their hometown.
Of all things, you wouldn't need to advertise here in Chengdu, it'd be the giant panda.
Headbands. There are so many shops just like this. Panda-themed cigarettes. You've got panda books, panda keychains, panda pens.
Even Starbucks has caved to the panda theme. You struggle to find a storefront that doesn't have pandas.
[17:55:06]
We've been most surprised to see just how many panda loyalists there are. But that's Chengdu. I mean, basically, it's known for a few things, spicy food, hot pot and pandas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
DEAN: An all new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER, OPERATION PANDA," one whole story, one whole hour, airs tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
Still to come, why President Trump is clearing the deck of key watchdogs at over a dozen government agencies as he continues efforts to reshape the federal government.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
