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U.S., Colombia Hit Each Other With Dueling Tariffs In Deportation Fight; Colombia Tariffs Could Impact Prices Of Coffee, Flowers And Gas; Trump Administration Launches Immigration Enforcement Blitz; Interview With Laredo Mayor Victor Trevino About Immigration Enforcement; DOJ Removes Online Database Of January 6th Convictions; Trump Closes Federal DEI Offices, Puts Staffers On Leave; Fire- Scorched Parts Of LA County Brace For Rain, Mudslides; Trump Says He May Consider Rejoining World Health Organization. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired January 26, 2025 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:45]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean in New York.

And right now the United States and Colombia are engaged in a trade fight, slapping each other with dueling 25 percent tariffs. President Trump hitting the South American country first after two U.S. Military planes carrying undocumented migrants were turned away from Colombia. Colombia's president then blocked those flights from landing. Trump threatened even higher tariffs. And then Colombia's president hit back.

CNN contributor Stefano Pozzebon is live in Bogota, Colombia. We also have Steve Contorno in Florida covering the president and that angle of this story.

So, Steve, let's start first with you. President Trump enacting -- saying he's going to enact these 25 percent tariffs. Walk us through what happened.

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, Jessica, the Trump administration says they were caught off guard by Colombia today deciding not to accept these planes. They believed that they had clearance from Colombia to bring these two planes full of deported individuals back to their home country. And clearly, there was some misunderstanding there.

But Trump's administration was certainly ready with punishment as soon as it felt like it wasn't getting what it wanted out of Colombia's president and hitting the country with a 25 percent tariff and a threat for a 50 percent tariff by next week, is what Trump posted on Truth Social, as well as some Department of State mechanisms that they will put in place, including travel bans and potentially sanctions on people involved with the government there.

And just moments ago, actually, Jessica, we saw the Department of State account here in the U.S., the office of Secretary Marco Rubio doubling down, saying, quote, "Measures will continue until Colombia meets its obligations to accept the return of its own citizens. America will not back down when it comes to defending its national security interests."

So clearly, Jessica, this is an early window into how we can expect Donald Trump to engage with foreign leaders across the globe when he doesn't get his way. And we've seen him do it with China on certain trade disparities. He has done it with our neighbors to the north and south, Mexico and Canada when he didn't believe that they were going far enough to help with border issues, and now he is doing it with Colombia, threatening them, hitting them really with a tariff right out of the gate here because they would not take these planes full of migrants.

And we are certainly trying to send a message here to the rest of the world with how he intends to engage with them, to get what he wants from them.

DEAN: All right. Steve Contorno, thank you for that reporting.

I want to go to Stefano now to talk more about what the reaction has been like on the ground in Colombia.

Of course, Stefano, this is always -- this has long been considered a very strong U.S. ally in that region.

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. Yes, exactly. It's frankly the first time that we see Colombia and the U.S. ever going one against each other. Colombia has always been one of the United States' staunchest allies in Latin America. Well, this is no longer the case, clearly. Now, Petro, the president of Colombia, has also retaliated, adding a 50 percent tariff on imports from the United States.

Now, that is likely to create much more impact than whatever tariff Trump imposes in the Americans because you might sometimes drink Colombian coffee or have some flowers from Colombia, which is the largest U.S. exporter of flowers towards the U.S. but here, a lot of technology, a lot of armament for the Colombian chronic security situation comes from the United States.

So the impact that Colombian citizens will feel is likely to be much, much higher than their American counterparts. And just as Steve was saying, the State Department is going on and we just received confirmation that the U.S. embassy just behind my back has suspended visa proceedings for all Colombian citizens.

We were speaking with several people today here in front of the U.S. embassy in Bogota, who got their appointments suspended or canceled because they were looking at having an appointment, either to have an interview for a visa or to go through the thumbnail recognition for their electronic visa.

[19:05:13]

Well, all of that is suspended. And they were looking to travel towards the United States. These are countries that have cemented a mutual relationship of benefits over the last 50 years. There are thousands, tens of thousands of Colombians living in the U.S. And well, now the two leaders going after each other on social media, by the way. They're going after each other on social media and declaring politics and discussing state politics in front of everyone's eyes on their own personal social media accounts.

Well, this is impacting a lot and a lot of lives of millions of Colombians. And I think Steve is correct. This is a window of what we can expect in the next few months and years as the Trump administration tries to impose their policy and work out these plans of mass deportations, where the Latin American counterparts, if Colombia is taking such a strong stance, what other countries in the region, Ecuador, Panama, Guatemala or Nicaragua, might want to do as well. That's the big question -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Stefano Pozzebon for us in Bogota tonight. Thank you very much for that.

And of course, immigration is the story that is driving tonight. So that is one piece of it. Also happening right now the Trump administration launching an immigration enforcement blitz in Chicago. The border czar, Tom Homan, and the acting attorney general Emil Bove on the ground in Chicago as officials do what the administration is calling enhanced targeted operations.

CNN's Rosa Flores joining us now live from Chicago.

Rosa, I know you've been monitoring this all day. What are you hearing? How is this playing out on the ground there?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, well, there's a lot of fear in the community right now, Jessica. I was based here in Chicago for CNN during Trump's first administration. And I can tell you firsthand that I interviewed many undocumented immigrants here in this city, some of them DACA recipients, their parents. And there was a lot of fear back then.

But what we're seeing now is that a whole other level. The words that I'm hearing from advocates and other contacts and sources here in the city that they're using to describe the -- what the pulse of the neighborhood, immigrant communities here in Chicago are feeling is panic, heightened anxiety. They say that there are individuals who are not leaving their homes because of these targeted raids, and law enforcement actions.

Now, the city of Chicago has had a long history of advocacy for immigrants, for workers' rights. And so there's a lot of organizations that have been preparing for this day. For example, there is a hotline that individuals can call if they see ICE activity in their neighborhood. There's an organization who has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to try to stop these enforcement actions in their communities.

There's even an organization that is dropping off groceries to individuals, migrants in this community, are telling me that there is, for example, a Venezuelan family that has two little girls, elementary school aged, that they have not left their home ever since President Trump took office. This means that this family is cooped up. They have not gone to work. Their children have not gone to school because they have so much fear.

That just gives you a sense of what these -- some of these immigrant families are experiencing while this is going on. So a lot of advocacy organizations, civil rights groups that I've talked to here in the city, denounce these ICE enforcement actions here in Chicago, and so does the governor of the state. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JB PRITZKER (D), ILLINOIS: Well, let me start by being clear that when we're talking about violent criminals who have been convicted and who are undocumented, we don't want them in our state. We want them out of the country. We hope they do get deported. And if that's who they're picking up, we're all for it. They show up with a warrant, and we're going to hand over people who are in our prisons or in our jails who fit that description.

Now, what they're also doing, though, and it's quite disturbing, is they're going after people who are law-abiding, who are holding down jobs, who have families here, who may have been here for a decade or two decades. And they're often our neighbors and our friends. And why are we going after them?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: Now the governor is also asking for legal pathways for law- abiding migrants -- Jessica.

DEAN: Rosa Flores with the very latest from Chicago. Thank you very much for that.

And joining us now, the mayor of Laredo, Texas, Victor Trevino.

Your city, Mayor, thanks so much for being here. Your city located right there along the U.S.-Mexico border.

[19:10:02]

I just first want you to tell everyone how your community is reacting to all of this and how it is being affected by this new immigration push.

MAYOR VICTOR TREVINO, LAREDO, TEXAS: Yes. Well, thank you for having me. As a border mayor we're always faced with challenges, especially dealing with migrant surges. So, but however, lately we've been seeing a lot of movement in our border in terms of readiness. We're waiting to see what the specifics are from the president's executive orders. And, you know, we hosted a border mayors' summit here to discuss some of the issues, South Texas Alliance of Cities.

Every border is different because every city on the opposite side of the border has a different city. So these are things that we have to take into consideration and know that these are the challenges we have to face first off. Now one of the things we have to address, and it's my concern as a

medical doctor, is fentanyl and the influx of fentanyl. We do have a crisis on our hands when it comes to fentanyl, and we know it's made in Mexico by the cartels and supplied by China precursors. So as a medical doctor, I do support the president going after the cartels who also do the human trafficking. So these are the things we have to balance and take everything into consideration.

DEAN: And listen. You all, you and the people that live in your town are the ones that are really dealing with this because you are physically on the border there.

TREVINO: Exactly. The river, the Rio Grande separates our two countries, and this is something that we have to take into consideration. But in order to succeed, you know, collaboration works better than threats, I think. And I think these are things that have to be done. We do a lot of collaboration here.

Mexico is our number one trade partner, and we have to continue working with those lines. And we just can't send difficult orders like that to make things happen right away. We do understand that we want secure borders. We want immigration. And immigration has to be overhauled completely. But let's do it in a progressive way and not to cause other side effects like we're seeing.

DEAN: And I hear you that you are trying to collaborate. I know that you and several other leaders of border towns in Texas met with your Mexican counterparts as well. What did you -- what were you all able to talk about, and how are you hoping that the two -- those two sides can work together?

TREVINO: Well, because of our collaboration, we talk extensively on almost on a daily basis with our Mexican counterparts, governors of two states that coincide with Laredo, but also with the mayor of our sister city, Laredo, Mexico, and they're preparing shelters for all these migrants that will be coming in. And these are things that it's a binational thing, but it works with talking about it and getting ready and making plans to see what we can do to better the situation.

This is the thing. And I've always said we have a thing called the Laredo formula where we talk and we discuss things, and I think this is -- has made us successful. You know, one of the things, we want to stop drugs and we want to stop fentanyl, we want to stop the deaths associated with the cartels, I think the target on the cartels should be number one.

DEAN: And I know a lot of cities have given directives to their public schools or churches that they are giving different directives as these ICE immigration -- as ICE comes into those communities and begins these deportation efforts. What are you what are you telling your city?

TREVINO: Well, we're telling our cities that these are federal laws and we've been told that compliance is necessary or else there will be consequences. The courts have to rule. I mean, we know those are executive orders, but we have to wait for the courts to give us whatever decision is going to be the law.

DEAN: You're talking about like birthright citizenship that's being challenged already.

TREVINO: Exactly. That's the main one, because we have to look at the Constitution and the amendments, and only the courts can decide if there's going to be a change of that.

DEAN: And so how do you see the next, let's say, month playing out in your town?

TREVINO: Well, there's a lot of anxiety, a lot of people that do work here. And the economy of the city sometimes depends to a certain degree on that. The economy of the whole country depends on workers and the workforce.

Here in Laredo, we do have a large enforcement presence, and we have also the National Guard presence. But because were the largest port of entry in the United States, over 40 percent of the goods that come from Mexico pass through here to our largest ports, which is Laredo, Texas.

[19:15:10]

And we have to understand that if tariffs are put on these countries that are partners, then the consumers of the United States are the ones that are going to pay for that tariff.

DEAN: All right. Mayor Victor Trevino, thank you so much for being here. We appreciate it.

TREVINO: Appreciate it. Thank you.

DEAN: Still ahead, President Trump has already pardoned hundreds of January 6th convicts. And now his Department of Justice is working to further erase information about their crimes.

You're in the CNN newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:20:22]

DEAN: Just days after President Trump gave blanket pardons to people convicted in the January 6th riots, the U.S. Justice Department removed a massive online database detailing the many criminal charges and convictions of the U.S. Capitol rioters.

CNN crime and justice correspondent Katelyn Polantz is joining us now.

Katelyn, what more can you tell us about this move?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, this is the unwinding, the burying of the record that the executive branch was keeping about all of its work on these January 6th rioter cases. There were 1500 defendants, 1200 of those or so convicted for Capitol riot offenses.

And what we're talking about is essentially Web sites. The Justice Department, the U.S. attorney's office in D.C. so the office that actually prosecuted all of these cases, there were so many that in order to keep track of them, they put up a Web site called the Capitol Siege Section Web site, which was a database showing all of the arrests as they were being made, providing information to the public about the total numbers that the office was keeping. That Web site gone.

Also an FBI Web site so a different part of the Justice Department. This is the people that do investigations. The largest investigation in their modern history. The FBI's Capitol Violence site, that is also no more. And on that site, it used to have many, many videos and photos of people that they were still looking for to potentially arrest because of the amount of violence toward police, toward the media on January 6th.

So this really is just another moment where the incoming Trump administration has decided to take it down and try and rewrite the history here so that people don't have that information accessible at least online from the Justice Department site, the U.S. attorney in Washington, as well as the FBI.

But, Jessica, these records of these cases against all of the January 6th defendants, those convicted, it still exists in the court system. And Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the D.C. District Court, she was among a group of judges this past week who had a lot to say that you cannot wipe away the court record of these convictions, even whenever these people are receiving massive pardons.

She wrote, "No stroke of a pen and no proclamation can alter the facts of what took place on January 6th, 2021, when others in the public eye are not willing to risk their own power or popularity by calling out lies when they hear them. The record of the proceedings in this courthouse will be available to those who seek the truth -- Jessica.

DEAN: And just as you were talking, Katelyn, we're airing some of the video from January 6th, and the violence that we are watching with our own eyes. You, me, anyone else watching, it's right there. You can see it in the video.

What else is the Trump administration saying?

POLANTZ: Well, the Justice Department didn't comment. They didn't want to comment on this particular move that they made. Taking down these online databases that they had of the people they were seeking and the people that they had prosecuted previously. But Vice President JD Vance, he went out this morning and defended Donald Trump's decision to pardon so many of these rioters, nearly all of them, with a blanket sweeping pardon.

Just saying they are exonerated for their crimes or they are receiving clemency from the president. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JD VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The pardon power is not just for people who are angels or people who are perfect. And of course, we love our law enforcement and want people to be peaceful with everybody, but especially with our good cops. That's a separate issue from what Merrick Garland's Department of Justice did. We rectified a wrong, and I stand by it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POLANTZ: So the Justice Department did take these people through the court system. They were, by and large, convicted in jury trials before judges. There were appeals where these cases were upheld. So when JD Vance says the Justice Department was denying people constitutional protections, there was a wrong that had happened here. This had been vetted outside of the Justice Department.

These convictions stood. And it was Donald Trump's decision to pardon these people with no differentiation between people who just went into the Capitol and took photos and left the federal protected grounds during the riot, and the people who were deeply, deeply violent toward police and also plotted, even brought weapons onto the capitol grounds -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Katelyn Polantz, excellent reporting. Thank you so much.

Still to come, how Trump's push to get rid of federal DEI programs could affect programs from vaccine and cancer research to higher education. We're going to talk more about that.

[19:25:05]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: Employees in any Federal Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Offices are now on paid leave. This is just one move in a series of actions taken this week by President Trump. It's one that will have immediate and lasting impacts for a number of Americans. This is what he said about it at the World Economic Forum.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My administration has taken action to abolish all discriminatory, diversity, equity and inclusion nonsense. And these are policies that were absolute nonsense throughout the government and the private sector. With the recent yet somewhat unexpected great Supreme Court decision just made, America will once again become a merit-based country.

[19:30:11]

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: So just to give you a snapshot, this is Pew Research and you see there, DEI at work was a good thing. That has gone a little bit down, even though a majority still say yes, 52 percent, but it is down from 56 percent in February of 2023. Just to give you an idea of generally where Americans stand on this.

Joining us now is Liz King. She's the senior director for Education Equity at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

Liz, thanks so much for being here with us. What is DEI?

LIZ KING, SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR EDUCATION EQUITY AT THE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS: Thank you so much, Jessica.

Look, every single one of us wants to be treated with respect and dignity at school, at work, and when we interact with the government and almost all of us want the same for our families, friends and neighbors. And that's what we're talking about here. People being treated with respect, people following nondiscrimination obligations and ensuring we all have the chance to bring our best case forward, to bring our gifts and talents to bear at work, at school and wherever we go. That's what this is really all about.

DEAN: And so people who are not supportive of DEI practices generally have a take that look, this isn't merit based that people that are getting positions aren't earning it, that it's a box that's being checked. What do you say to them?

KING: Look, President Trump deserves no deference on questions of law and certainly not on questions of merit.

The uncomfortable reality for Trump and the wealthy few he represents is that merit lives in every community and every neighborhood in America. They're tired of merit. They're tired of competing against everyone.

They want to close doors and shut people out so they can preserve privilege for themselves.

This isn't about merit. They don't care about merit. This is why they're trying to shut us all out. They're trying to keep us out and keep power and privilege for themselves.

DEAN: And so, look, we saw a real spotlight and highlighting of DEI, especially in the wake of George Floyd at the summer of 2020. And now, obviously, things are shifting once again. What do you make of kind of this pendulum swinging back and forth on DEI policies?

KING: Look, in order to distract from their agenda, to concentrate wealth and power in the hands of a few, they have been on a relentless campaign of fear, confusion and disinformation.

Our values as Americans have not changed. Diverse teams make better decisions. Respectful workplaces are better for employers and workers alike, and we learn more when we have the chance to interact with people different from us. That is all still true. It was true before. It is true now, and it will be true in the future.

DEAN: Its interesting because we're seeing some companies go both ways on this. Some are scaling back DEI policies after pressure campaigns from investor groups. Others, like Costco, aren't. Costco shareholders voted overwhelmingly last week 98 percent against a proposal to cut DEI policies.

How do you see this playing out? So, were talking about the government, which is what Trump was talking about. But how do you see this playing out in private sector companies?

KING: Yes, diversity, equity and inclusion supports compliance with Civil Rights law and enhances the bottom line. Trump rescinded an executive order that was issued in 1965 that has withstood Republican and Democratic administrations alike.

That executive order is about the government using its purchasing power to uplift the nation as a whole, not just the wealthy few. These aren't partisan questions. These are questions of who we are and who we will be.

Do these companies want access to every customer, every prospective employee, or do they want to close their doors and cut themselves off? That's the real question.

DEAN: All right, Liz King, thank you so much for joining us, we appreciate it.

KING: Thank you so much for having me.

DEAN: Bone-dry Southern California getting its first significant rainfall in months just in time to help those weary, heroic firefighters. But the problem is, heavy rain could create a whole new hazard for people trying to get back into their homes, mudslides.

We'll talk more about it. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:39:02]

DEAN: People in areas ravaged by wildfires in Southern California communities now facing a new threat and that's if there's too much rain. That rain, of course, is much needed. It could help with containing the fires. The problem is, too much of it all at once could overwhelm that parched land, triggering dangerous mudslides.

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones is in Altadena, where it has been raining. Julia, what is being done to prepare these communities?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jessica, we saw 250,000 sandbags distributed in these communities. We've seen them placed around the doors of businesses and homes that are still standing here. But what the National Guard is really concerned about is potential runoff from the San Gabriel Mountains, just above the city.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARRETT SAWTELLE, CALIFORNIA NATIONAL GUARD, CAPTAIN: We're in Altadena, California, and we're entering the Sierra Madre Villa debris basin. JONES (voice over): The National Guard deployed to assist first responders just hours after the deadly fires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena began in the first week of January.

This unit, part of the Guard's Task Force 49, is charged with digging trenches at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California. A race against the rain to protect neighborhoods in and around the burn zone.

[19:40:26]

SAWTELLE: The fire basically causes it to be a lot more susceptible to erosion.

JONES (on camera): Oh, wow, oh, I see this now. So this is where the water is going to flow?

SAWTELLE: Yes, the water will come through there.

JONES (on camera): Oh that is deep.

JONES (voice over): Their aim, to divert water that could trigger dangerous mudslides once rain begins to fall,

SAWTELLE: We have two means of loading. We have our excavators and then behind us we have our loader, our front wheel loader.

JONES (voice over): Crews digging pits into hillsides to create dams.

SAWTELLE: So, this portion will capture the sediment, rocks, vegetation and then where it opens up, the water would flow out.

JONES (voice over) : The whir and buzz of bulldozers, excavators and other heavy machinery, a welcome cacophony to a community still reeling from fatal wildfires.

SAWTELLE: So, this was a part of the burn scar. So the fire did come through here.

JONES (voice over): Burn scars are among the most vulnerable areas for potential mudslides and even flash flooding.

This has been the driest start to the rainfall season in Southern California in over four decades. The ground is so dry that if the rain falls too fast, soil won't be able to absorb it.

Lieutenant Colonel James Smith is the commander of this operation.

JAMES SMITH, CALIFORNIA NATIONAL GUARD, LIEUTENANT COLONEL: If we do get significant rainfall, you're going to see a lot of that material behind us here. It's going to move down into this basin.

JONES (voice over): His mission, he says, is to do whatever is necessary to avoid even further devastation.

SMITH: You can't imagine the tragedy they've all suffered through. We'll be here however long we need to be in order to help this community recover.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS (on camera): And, Jessica, we've seen rain come and go throughout the day, but this flash flood warning has been in place now for about 40 minutes. It will go for 24 hours. And it's not just for here in Altadena, it goes for any areas that have burned in the past six months. It gives you a sense of how important it is to be alert during this time.

DEAN: And Julia, how long is the National Guard expected to be there?

VARGAS: Well, they said at least until the end of the month, possibly into February. They said they're committed to helping this community. You know, they've been setting up checkpoints here. They've been manning the checkpoints here, Jessica, it's not just this kind of work that they've been doing. They've also been helping with firefighting.

There's lots of different missions that they're taking as roles here in Southern California, and they seem very committed to staying until they're no longer needed.

DEAN: All right. Julia Vargas Jones there in Altadena. Thank you so much for that.

And still ahead, President Trump says he may consider rejoining the World Health Organization after threatening to cut ties earlier this week. What could happen to global health if the US isn't at the table?

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:47:49]

DEAN: One of the first things President Trump did after returning to the White House was sign a number of executive orders, including one that intends to remove the US from the World Health Organization. Public health experts warn doing so could put American lives at risk.

Now, a few days later, the president says he may reconsider allowing the US to rejoin the WHO And earlier, I spoke with the former Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius. And here's some of our conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, FORMER SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: The process of withdrawing from the World Health Organization takes a year. So, we are not out of the World Health Organization if I understand that the Executive Order puts WHO on notice that the United States intends to withdraw. That's step one.

I am delighted to know that he may, within two days of having issued the Executive Order, may now be reconsidering. This isn't a discussion of how much we are or are not willing to pay, and what other countries pay. It is essential to the health of Americans that we understand what's happening across the globe.

We understand what's breaking out in remote countries. We have the opportunity to work with health ministers and health leaders to monitor disease, to contain, control and hopefully wipe out outbreaks before they reach our borders. We live in a global country. We cannot stop disease from coming into the states.

And Jessica, we already saw what happens when the United States backs out of global health discussions. Donald Trump in his first term, withdrew our CDC employees who worked in China, worked closely with the Chinese health minister, pulled them back, said that's really not where US people should be.

And by the time COVID was identified, it was already in our country. So, it really put us steps back from where we could have been, should have been. And I'm really hopeful that he will rethink what lots of people consider to be the best diplomacy we have, which is health, collaboration and cooperation across the globe.

Every country in the world is a member of WHO. Now, I'm not going to tell you it is a brilliantly operating organization. Like many organizations that have existed since the end of World War II, it needs to be updated. It needs to be upgraded. We need other countries to fully participate. But withdrawing from this vital network of information monitoring would only jeopardize Americans.

[19:50:33]

We saw what COVID does. COVID took down our economy. This disease that spread rapidly really made a huge dent in the way Americans conduct business with one another and killed millions of Americans. So, this is not hypothetical. It's not something could happen, might happen. Something did happen. And the further we get away from knowing what's happening, in what corners of the globe, how we can provide expertise to, as I say, contain and control. Identify, help it not come to our borders, the better and more secure Americans will be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: And our thanks to Kathleen Sebelius for that interview.

A new CNN Film chronicles the life of actor, Christopher Reeve, best known for his famous portrayal of "Superman" on the big screen. But his greatest role may have come later in life as a powerful advocate for research into spinal cord injuries like the one he suffered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER REEVE, AMERICAN ACTOR, ACTIVIST, DIRECTOR, AND AUTHOR (voice over): When the first "Superman" movie came out the most frequently asked question was what is a hero? My answer was that a hero is someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences.

Now, my definition is completely different. I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: "Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story" airs next Sunday night. That's February 2nd at 8:00 PM Eastern and Pacific, right here on CNN.

If you thought traveling with kids was hard, what about traveling halfway around the world with two giant pandas, That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:57:21]

DEAN: Fly Eagles, fly. Take a look at the streets of Philadelphia tonight where Eagles' fans are chanting E-A-G-L-E-S-Eagles as they have now punched their ticket to the Super Bowl in New Orleans, winning over the Washington Commanders 55 to 23.

I was there when they went to the Super Bowl in 2017, and they had to grease those poles, and people still climbed them. So, let's see what happens in Philadelphia as we look toward the Super Bowl now.

Also tonight, catch an encore as a new CNN Original series highlights his life five years after his passing, chronicling the moments that cemented Kobe Bryant's ascension to the NBA Hall of Fame, as well as the personal transformations that occurred along the way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOOP JACKSON, SPORTS JOURNALIST: You know, there's rookies and everybody else. There's that threshold where they get treated totally different because you are a rookie.

JALEN BRUNSON, NBA ALL-STAR: Anything you've done in the past, no one cares about. No matter what you've won, where you won, what you did. You're back to the bottom of the totem pole.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he is not acquiescing at all -- like, dude, you can't feel that you're that special.

TRACY MCGRADY, FRIEND AND NBA HALL OF FAMER: Because he doesn't give a (bleep) what they thought. He didn't care.

He's about this basketball, about his craft. Like he's real serious about this and all the time. I mean, I used to hear, "I'm better than Michael Jordan." Like he used to say that faithfully. "I'm better than Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan ain't got nothing on me." And I was like, "This dude is insane."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: "Kobe: The Making Of A Legend" replays tonight at 10:00 Eastern here on CNN.

Two giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, making their public debut on Friday at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington. And CNN's David Culver got exclusive access going with them on their journey to America all the way from Chengdu, China, a city of 21 million people and many, many pandas.

Here's a preview of tonight's "The Whole Story: Operation Panda."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): I think when people think of Chengdu and the pandas, perhaps you think of one panda base. But the reality is, it is a massive project, one that spans over several different locations, about five altogether.

CULVER (on camera): At this location alone, this base, they have some 80 pandas. Everywhere you look, there's pandas. I would see video of people like just watching and recording for hours, and I found myself up there, you're mesmerized.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you stand here and you watch giant pandas, we actually release certain hormones that makes you feel joy and it makes you feel closer and more connected to other people.

CULVER: The world could use more pandas, I think.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It certainly could.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: They're very cute. "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper "Operation Panda" airs next, right here on CNN.

Thanks so much for joining me this evening. I'm Jessica Dean, we're going to see you again right back here next week. Have a great night.

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