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Trump Looks to Week Two; U.S. Cities Brace for Trump's Immigration Crackdown; Trump Picks Face Confirmation Hearings This Week; Netanyahu Arranging Meeting with Trump; U.S. Justice Dept. Wipes Jan. 6 Database; Los Angeles Looks to Rebuild; Israel Stops Palestinian from Returning to N. Gaza; Trump Says He'll Meet with Putin. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired January 26, 2025 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of our viewers watching from around the world. I'm Polo Sandoval joining you from New York City.

Ahead here on CNN Newsroom, Donald Trump taking a victory lap after issuing a barrage of executive orders and sweeping policy changes during his first five days in office.

Displaced Gazans are blocked from returning to the north as Israel and Hamas trade blame for breaking the terms of the ongoing ceasefire.

And as California residents look to rebuild their homes in the wake of the brutal wildfires, rain is bringing a new threat.

SANDOVAL: Deportations, the dismissal of government watchdogs, a slew of executive orders, including efforts to end federal DEI programs and birthright citizenships. It's hard to believe we're not even at the end of the first week of the new Donald Trump administration. The coming hours will see the U.S. president meet with House Republicans at his resort in Florida.

Meanwhile, President Trump has accepted a formal invitation to address members of Congress in March, but there's also some concern among the GOP. Some blindsided Republicans are looking for answers after the White House fired federal watchdogs in a sweeping purge overnight, the president claiming that some of the inspectors general were quote, "unfair" and not doing their jobs. But also appears that senators received no warnings about these dismissals on Friday.

More than a dozen federal agencies have been impacted, including the Departments of State, Defense, Health, and Human Services, these are crucial, crucial departments, including the inspectors also -- that ultimately conduct independent investigations into potential fraud or waste by a government agency.

And the head of their council is slamming these dismissals, stating IGs are not immune from removal. However, the law, partly created in reaction to Trump's last IG firings, it has to be followed to protect independent government oversight for Americans. And removals inconsistent with the law are a significant threat to the actual and perceived independence of IGs.

At Saturday's Las Vegas event, Mr. Trump seemed to brag about his federal government overhaul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Since I became the 47th president at noon on Monday, I've been moving with urgency in a historic speed to fix every single calamity of the Biden administration that they've created. And this week alone, I took nearly 350 executive actions to reverse the horrible failures and betrayals that we inherited from a group of people that didn't know what the hell they were doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Let's go now to CNN's Kevin Liptak for more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Trump used his event here in Las Vegas as a victory lap, both in his victory in last year's presidential election, fueled in part by his win here in Nevada, but also a victory lap of his first week in office, discussing all of the executive actions that he said acted as fulfillment of the promises he made on the campaign trail.

Now, this speech was ostensibly meant to discuss Trump's promise to eliminate taxes on tips, and he did talk about that, but it took him about 25 minutes into his speech before he arrived at that subject. He said that he was preparing to work with members of Congress to write new tax policy. As his 2017 tax cuts prepare to expire, he will need to work with members of Congress to write new tax code, and he said that this plan to eliminate taxes on tips would be a part of that. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'll be working with Congress to get a bill on my desk that cuts taxes for workers, families, small businesses, and very importantly keeps my promise for a thing called -- and I know you didn't hear anything about this and I'm sure it had no influence on the state, the fact that we won this crazy massive majority, a state that hadn't been won by a Republican in decades, but I'm sure you haven't heard it, but we're going to get it for you, no tax on tips.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:05:00]

LIPTAK: Now, for all of the president's talk in this speech about the promises he plans to fulfill, it was also in a lot of ways a backwards looking speech. He continued to lambast his predecessor in office, Joe Biden, calling his administration full of lunatics. And he talked about all of the things he had done since taking office to strip back some of the policies that he said were misguided, going after what he called woke crap within the federal government. And I think it does give you a sense of these dueling strains of the Trump presidency that we're going to continue to see over the next four years.

Certainly, he's focused on fulfilling his campaign pledges. We've seen him test the bounds of his executive authority in this first week in office doing just that. But he's also still focused on the past, on all of the grievances that helped propel him to the Oval Office a second time, talking about the wrongs that he said were done against him when he was president and in the intervening years. Certainly, those dueling strains will continue to animate this Trump presidency over the next four years.

Kevin Liptak, CNN, Las Vegas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And a source tells CNN that Donald Trump's federal crackdown on immigration could target as many as 30 cities in the U.S. The president, as you recall, declared an emergency at the southern border earlier this week. And also, the White House says that they've begun using military aircraft to continue deportation flights, flights that the previous administration had been carrying out for the most part, just not widely sharing some of those images via the press shop in the White House.

Some of this video also showing U.S. troops arriving in El Paso, Texas on Saturday to help facilitate some of those flights. As a Republican congressman from the state, Tony Gonzales says authorities would be, quote, "deporting people that deserve to be deported."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TONY GONZALES (R-TX): I think you'll see the number increase, you know, from hundreds to thousands of people getting deported on a daily basis. But once again, that doesn't just happen in a vacuum. You have to work with your foreign partners to make sure there's someone to receive on that end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: CNN's Ed Lavendera is there in the border town of El Paso with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVENDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here in El Paso on the U.S. southern border, the number of crossings of migrants have -- 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're 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 arrest 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, the 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 is kind of in line with what we have seen over the last couple of years during the Biden administration. That's where we're 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 and 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)

SANDOVAL: A really important point there from Eddie, which is deportations were ongoing in the previous administration. This is a continuance of that, certainly part of a numbers game now on behalf of the Trump administration.

Now, the new Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem, she says securing the border is one of her top priorities. She was sworn in on Saturday, hours after a bipartisan Senate vote to confirm her nomination. Pete Hegseth also took the oath of office, becoming the next Secretary of Defense in the U.S. You'll recall he was barely confirmed. In fact, it was Vice President J. D. Vance, a supporter of his, that had to cast that tie breaking vote that got him confirmed eventually.

As CNN's Annie Grayer reports another round of Mr. Trump's cabinet picks are facing confirmation hearings this week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN REPORTER: This week is going to be another jam- packed week for senators as they seek to rapidly confirm the rest of Donald Trump's cabinet. RFK, who's Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has hearings on both Wednesday and Thursday in front of two different committees.

[04:10:00]

Tulsi Gabbard will also be back on Capitol Hill on Thursday. Gabbard is Trump's controversial pick to be the nation's top intelligence official. And then you have Kash Patel, who's Trump's pick to lead the FBI, who's also coming in for a hearing on Thursday. And as we've seen with the confirmations of Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense and Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Republicans are trying to move quickly and give Donald Trump these early wins to build out his cabinet as quickly as possible.

So, there will be a flurry of actions and we will continue to follow them every step of the way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says that he is trying to arrange a meeting with President Trump soon. The prime minister's spokesperson says that the meeting will probably happen in about two weeks' time, but it's not yet a done deal, as they said.

CNN has reached out to both the White House for comment, as well as the prime minister's office for more information. Both Mr. Trump and former President Joe Biden, they've each claimed credit for the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire deal.

Protesters in Israel, they are reiterating their demand that all of the hostages be released. They actually gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, some worrying that the Israeli government might try to end the ceasefire, end the hostage release agreement before all of the hostages are back home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EFRAT MACHIKAWA, RELATIVE OF HOSTAGE GADI MOSES: Our hearts are filled with joy over the four hostages who will return to us today. But we are also extremely concerned for our loved ones still held in terrorist captivity. We are gravely concerned over those in power who are actively seeking to sabotage the remainder of this life-saving deal. The signed agreement must be implemented fully. There is no time to waste. We must bring everyone home quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And it was just 24 hours ago that we're seeing these images come in. The four hostages released Saturday had emotional reunions with their families in Israel, plenty of hugs and no shortage of tears of joy there. Doctors who examined them say that all four of them are doing well. They're in stable condition.

And in the West Bank and other set of emotional reunions, Palestinians released from Israeli prisons were back with their loved ones. Israel released 200 prisoners on Saturday as part of the ceasefire agreement. CNN's Jerusalem correspondent Jeremy Diamond has more on the situation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Flanked by armed Hamas militants, this is the surreal moment four Israeli soldiers emerged from 477 days of captivity. But before they are freed, one final moment of Hamas propaganda, smiling and waving as a crowd of hundreds whistles and cheers.

Their first taste of freedom looks more like this. A rush of emotions as they embrace their parents for the first time on Israeli soil.

Hamas militants had taken them hostage 15 months earlier at the Nahal Oz military base near the Gaza border, where the four women served as field observers monitoring militant activity in Gaza. Their warnings to commanders about Hamas preparations for an attack ignored. In one of the most searing images of October 7th, one of the soldiers, Naama Levy, is seen being taken into Gaza, her pants stained with blood. Now she is reunited with her family. In Israel, an entire country welcomed them back.

DIAMOND: And that sound you hear behind me are hundreds of Israelis who are welcoming those four female Israeli soldiers just freed from Hamas captivity, who have now arrived at this hospital here, where they're about to be reunited with their families and begin their long journey to recovery.

DIAMOND (voice-over): For the family of Agam Berger, the last remaining female Israeli soldier in Hamas captivity, mixed emotions.

On the one hand, we feel great joy, her grandfather tells me. But on the other hand, there's also some disappointment. She was supposed to be among those released. Still, he says today has given him hope she will be next.

The four captive soldiers were exchanged for 200 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, including 121 who had been sentenced to life in prison, three of whom were arrested for orchestrating deadly bombings that targeted Israeli civilians.

[04:15:00]

In Gaza, hundreds of displaced Palestinians gathered at the gates to Northern Gaza. They were meant to be allowed to return north today based on the ceasefire agreement. For hours, they desperately waited on Al-Rashid Street, carrying all their belongings, ready to finally return home.

I've been here since 6:00 a.m., Yusra says.

I missed the north and the soil of Northern Gaza. My house is gone, but I will live in a tent if I have to. The most important thing is to return north.

I'm counting the time, not just in seconds, but in milliseconds, this woman says. We left the north with tears of sorrow. And we will return with tears of joy.

That joy soon turned to disappointment. The Israeli government said it would not allow civilians to return to Northern Gaza as planned, claiming Hamas violated the agreement by not releasing a civilian female hostage due to be released. Instead of returning home hundreds ran in panic amid a hail of gunfire. Israeli soldiers firing what appeared to be warning shots towards the crowd. But as the sun set, many here remain undeterred, camping out by the checkpoint, waiting for their chance to return home.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SANDOVAL: Following President Donald Trump's pardoning of January 6th rioters, information about their actions has been wiped from a government website.

Plus, President Trump urging Los Angeles officials to expedite the rebuilding process following his tour of the Palisades Fire aftermath. Ahead, you'll be hearing with -- or at least be hearing from, an expert on the risks of climate change and what they pose to those efforts, and what, if anything, can be done to prevent this scale of destruction.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

SANDOVAL: A searchable database detailing the criminal offenses of rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol four years ago has been wiped from the Department of Justice's website. It listed charges and cases successfully prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office, but details are still available in DOJ press releases and in court records.

The move coinciding with President Donald Trump's decision to pardon all convicted rioters, both those accused of violent and nonviolent offenses. More than 1,200 people were convicted of crimes related to the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The latest on the wildfires ravaging in Southern California now, almost three weeks since their outbreak, the Palisades Fire now at 84 percent containment and the Eaton and Hughes Fires are nearing finally 100 percent containment. And this, according to some of the latest figures from CAL FIRE.

Meanwhile, Southern California has reason to be cautiously optimistic as much needed rainfall forecasted for the weekend and into Monday. But for many counties in the fire and burn scarred areas, the rain could actually prove to be too much of a good thing. That's why there's a flash flood watch in effect from today through Monday in the fire ravaged areas, which could face new threats of possible debris flows, mudslides, landslides as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM HUDSON, INCIDENT COMMANDER, CAL FIRE: I've had a lot of conversation about the weather the last couple of days, but we are monitoring that. The third day of the incident, we requested what we call a watershed emergency response team. And they've been doing modeling and analysis of the soils and the areas and the terrain. And working on thresholds for potential runoff. And we're working on thresholds that could provide concern to it or cause concern and staying ahead of those as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump toured the Pacific Palisades on Friday, calling the damage not believable, they said, and also urging Los Angeles and California state officials to expedite rebuilding efforts.

Trump and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass briefly clashed during a roundtable discussion on the wildfires. At one point, the president told the mayor that she should exercise her emergency powers as he has in response to the situation.

Let's now go to Jack Eidt. He is an environmental journalist and host of the podcast, "EcoJustice Radio." He joins me now from Los Angeles. Great to see you, Jack.

JACK EIDT, ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALIST AND HOST, "ECOJUSTICE RADIO": Yes, thanks for having me on.

SANDOVAL: Yes, of course. It's our pleasure. It's clear if we've learned anything over the last several weeks that climate change has created a new wildfire reality for California. One figure from a state task force estimating that more than 25 million acres of California land there under high or extreme fire threat. And by one estimate, I believe, Jack, and correct me if I'm wrong, but roughly 11 million Californians essentially living in some of those high-risk areas, and those numbers are from 2019. So, likely even higher now.

So, I'm wondering, why do developments continue expanding into these areas? Is it simply that there's nowhere else for some of these cities to grow?

EIDT: Well, there's plenty of other places for people for -- to expand our communities. Unfortunately, it is easier to build in the wild lands because there's no communities, the existing communities to sort of say that's too big, or that's too -- you know, not the right development. So -- and they have -- the developers, the landowners, the real estate agents have more control of the wild lands.

And the interesting thing is they keep approving these developments in extremely dangerous environments. One development that we fought against that is -- that has been approved, it's a community for 60,000 people called Tejon Ranch. It's about 100 miles north of Los Angeles in extremely fire dangerous area.

So, you know, we need to stop doing this. And I think we have a chance to build a new model here. When -- and in our response to this, as well as the big picture of how we respond to this, just an unimaginable tragedy.

[04:25:00]

SANDOVAL: And on that topic of the new model, when it comes to reconstruction, you've mentioned a bedrock of environmental laws, essentially a game plan for resilient and a safe community that could be rebuilt, because so many people that we've heard from there on the ground saying they will rebuild. So, essentially, are building codes one of the keys to safeguarding lives and property, Jack?

EIDT: Well, truly following the -- what's in the codes and the California Environmental Quality Act has been challenged by a lot of folks. But it -- really what it does is it gives us a chance to provide a game plan to create a vision for redevelopment.

For example, in our response to how we rebuild in these areas, you know, you think of Palisades Highlands, it's almost completely surrounded by what is Topanga State Park. You know, you got to consider how that community -- we're building extremely flammable structures in an extremely flammable environment.

So, what we need to do is consider that the landscape's drying because of increasingly hot weather, undependable rains, which, you know, we just started our first rain of the rainy season. It should have come four months ago. And that's exacerbated by the highest level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in recent history caused by what? Burning of fossil fuels. We know this.

Also, you know, we have to -- we can't -- they're talking about, you know, the emergency power questions, you know, the -- you know, to go fast and build as fast as we can and to subvert or put aside some of the environmental laws. Well, these burn sites are extremely toxic. They've got asbestos, plastics, heavy metal, smoke damage, et cetera. They must be remediated. This cannot be expedited.

The building codes, as we mentioned, you know, we've -- there's an all-electric home requirement that they were talking about putting aside. Well, gas is dangerous. It's flammable. It's toxic to breathe. It causes climate disruption and we've got fracking and leaking pipes. We need to follow that. We also need to stop using mass produced lumber. It burns like matchsticks. We can use light gauge steel, nontoxic fireproof building materials. We need that -- we need to use the codes.

Now, often the codes aren't good enough for some of these more environmentally friendly and fireproof building materials. So, we need to rethink some things in the code. So, that's why I really advocate that we take some time to put together a plan. There's a lot of professionals coming together right now, and I'm involved with a movement here to come up with a quick plan. I'm not talking about years, I'm talking about months.

SANDOVAL: And what we're hearing from you is the emphasize -- really emphasizing what happens next really matters and has a potential impact long-term to safeguard those properties, as you mentioned, down to the wood that may be used in rebuilding. Very important decisions. Really appreciate your time, Jack. You're not only a novelist, an urban planner, you are a resident of Los Angeles. So, this certainly hits close to home for you. So, Jack, thank you so much for your expertise. I appreciate it.

EIDT: Yes, thank you. I appreciate you having me on.

SANDOVAL: Of course. All right. Still ahead, Palestinians hoping to return to their homes in Northern Gaza will have to wait even longer. We're going to tell you why after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00] SANDOVAL: Israel will be able to acquire powerful U.S. heavy bombs again, that's if it wishes. President Donald Trump has lifted a hold on the shipment of the more than 900-kilogram bombs, which was imposed by his predecessor, Joe Biden.

The weapons can kill or injure people even if they're more than 300 meters away from the blast site. Biden was concerned that they could be used in densely populated areas. A CNN analysis showed that Israel used those weapons extensively in the early stages of the war. Experts partly blamed these bombs for the high death toll.

Well, thousands of displaced Palestinians are anxiously waiting to return to their homes in Gaza's war-torn north, but they will have to wait. That's because Israel has blocked Palestinian civilians from entering Northern Gaza until Hamas allows the release of Arbel Yehud. Israel says that she's a civilian who was kidnapped from her home during the October 7th attacks. Hamas calls her a soldier. Israel says that she should have been freed in yesterday's hostage release.

After Israel's order, many Palestinians tried to cross into Northern Gaza anyway. They ran for their lives as Israeli troops opened fire. Israeli military says its soldiers fired some warning shots, but nobody was hurt. However, the chaos and uncertainty are not keeping Palestinians from wanting to go back home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MINAR AL-SOURI, DISPLACED GAZA CITY RESIDENT (through translator): We want to go back to our homes. We're exhausted. Our families are still in Gaza City, and we want to see them. Enough. My brothers were killed and buried in Gaza, and we didn't even get to see them. We want to visit their graves. If they allow us to return now, I will be the first to enter the north.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And last week, some Palestinians managed to return to the neighborhood in Northern Gaza, including the bombed-out city of Beit Hanoun to see exactly what's left. This is what it looked like.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This is my car.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Look, my toy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Come back slowly so the rubble doesn't fall on you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): In 2014, our home was destroyed. In 2017, we rebuilt it. We barely had time to enjoy our clothes, our books, our toys and our room. We just wanted to play but then the war came and destroyed our homes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This is the robot. We are on Al Misrin Street and this is the Israeli army's robot. I came here and found everything destroyed. I told myself, I'm living in a tent in Gaza City. But I'll come here to put up a tent in Beit Hanoun. Where will I put the tent? There's no infrastructure, no water, no electricity, no communications, no road. None of the basic necessities of life.

[04:35:00]

I came here to search for some belongings. What am I supposed to look for? Look around. This house was hit by an F-16 missile. A civilian home struck by an F-16. Why? Is it a military facility? The catastrophe will become two catastrophes. This is worse than the Nakba of 1948.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: On to another war that is still raging. U.S. President Donald Trump says that he will meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin as soon as possible with a conflict in Ukraine at the top of the agenda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, could I ask you about Ukraine? Do you have any update on when you are going to talk to Russian President Putin?

TRUMP: He wants to speak and we'll be speaking soon. And I've spoken to President Zelenskyy numerous times. And I'd like to see peace. I would like to see an end to the war, and I think President Putin would like to see an end to the war, too. So, we'll see if we can help him it along.

I think it's a shame. It's a war that would have never happened if I were president. A shame.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: That was audio from Donald Trump as he was briefing reporters aboard Air Force One. The Russian leader has also said that he is ready to talk about Ukraine. Earlier this week, Donald Trump threatened Russia with new sanctions if it didn't make peace. President Putin was unimpressed, claiming the move would backfire on the U.S. economy.

For more now, we are joined by Tymofiy Mylovanov. Joining us. He is the president of the Kyiv School of Economics. He's also a former cabinet minister in the Ukrainian government. He's joining us from Warsaw, Poland right now. Tymofiy, it's really good to have you on the program.

TYMOFIY MYLOVANOV, PRESIDENT, KYIV SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND FORMER UKRAINIAN MINISTER OF DEVELOPMENT, TRADE AND AGRICULTURE: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: So, I want to ask just a little bit about Trump's essentially reaching out to Putin, saying that there has to be a deal or else face the possibility of sanctions. As we know the Kremlin essentially shrugged, but then said, fine, we're open to talks. And of course, we should remind viewers this as the war certainly continues and they continue to target other parts of Ukraine.

So, what's your initial assessment here just a few days into the second Trump era? Could we potentially see a ceasefire between these two nations during this new Trump administration?

MYLOVANOV: I think so. I think the new administration, Trump, will definitely try and it looks from his rhetoric at least that he is willing to threaten with some consequences, economic in particular. And it is also true that no matter what the President Putin is saying, the Russian economy is actually in difficulty currently with structural imbalances and potential issues for the, you know, creating a foundation for a crisis later. They are there because exactly of the war.

So, Trump knows that, Putin knows that, everyone knows that. Both countries are exhausted from war, Ukraine and Russia. And for both countries to going forward with the war simply limits their future prospects, both strategic and in terms of quality of life. So, the war should stop, everyone understands that, but the issue now is what conditions.

SANDOVAL: Exactly. And to your point, it has been a bloody war and certainly both sides anxious to get their leaders to the negotiating table to bring this to a close. But on that last note that you mentioned here, about the specifics here, I'm curious, just looking ahead, and with your expertise, what do you think the mechanics of this -- of a potential ceasefire between these two nations would look like? Do you think that a guarantee of Ukraine sovereignty would be necessary has to be a non-negotiable?

MYLOVANOV: Yes, absolutely. Because, you know, as we have seen before in the Ukrainian history, politicians could make all kinds of deals, trading Ukrainian sovereignty or elements of it. But it's not going to hold up with the people of Ukraine. We have seen that Ukrainian people are resilient, are willing to fight and defend their country.

We are exhausted, that is absolutely true. But if there is no durable peace or sovereignty is violated, then I think the deal will not hold. There'll simply be a continuation.

SANDOVAL: Can you help us paint a picture of these two leaders, of the Ukrainian president and the Russian president? You have Putin's unpredictability. And then, on the other side, you have President Zelenskyy's clear stance. What will they bring to the negotiating table after so many years at war?

[04:40:00]

MYLOVANOV: Both are very strong leaders. Both are determined and both are willing to take each other on and pay the costs. But both understand, right now, that their future strategic options are becoming extremely limited and increasingly limited. So, we need to have a deal. The secret is in sequencing. If ceasefire comes first without any conditions, essentially, Putin will try and will succeed, I think, in derailing any negotiation. Any long-term, any durable settlement. And we'll see another round of this war several years from now.

If however Trump will play his cards strongly and very well and will promise Ukraine certain real guarantees and will leverage Putin to agree to that, I think we can bring this war to a proper settlement to sort of resolve the problem.

SANDOVAL: Tymofiy, briefly, if you could just also tell me what you make of the U.S. Department's announcement that came out this week announcing freezing nearly all foreign aid. And I say nearly because there was that waiver that exists allowing the U.S. government to continue to provide military aid to Egypt, and it -- and certainly to Israel, but no mention of Ukraine.

So, what kind of message do you think the White House and the U.S. State Department is sending Ukraine by potentially -- or by announcing a withdrawal of its aid?

MYLOVANOV: Well, I do not know if that message is intentional or just a broad sweep. In practice, however, there are three military assistance programs, and the one which is banned hasn't have any money left in it, or practically no money. The other two programs, which have appropriated funding, they continue. So, there is a difference between the substance and rhetoric.

What is true that the USAID projects are stopped and these humanitarian projects we have not seen yet see -- we have not yet seen the ban on the ground in terms of freeze of operations. And we'll also see in the news and we know that the State Department officials are trying to push for an exemption. But the message is clearly there, that guys will also have leverage over you.

SANDOVAL: It is certainly going to be one to watch, especially for these nations, how they respond and will -- do they -- will they actually come through with their intentions to begin to negotiate, to begin to work a deal something that's been long awaited for the region. Tymofiy Milovanov, we are so happy to have you and thank you so much for your -- all of your insight.

MYLOVANOV: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: You bet. All right. Still ahead, in one coastal Spanish town, a longtime tourist paradise is becoming -- has really become a living nightmare for some of the locals there ahead of what the Spanish government is doing to combat the country's overtourism.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:45:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The groceries, when you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they would double and triple the price over a short period of time. And I won an election based on that. We're going to bring those prices way down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Despite President Trump's campaign promise, you just heard, record high egg prices are expected to linger for most of this year in the United States. The cause? Not inflation. But an aggressive and persistent strain of the bird flu. The virus has made a resurgence in recent months, with over 17 million egg laying hens killed in November and December alone. Young birds are also falling victim to the flu for the straining supply projections. Egg prices are likely to increase roughly 20 percent this year as a result, despite the president's promises. So, we'll see.

Now, being one of the world's top tourist destinations, it's coming at a cost, and residents of one coastal town in Spain say that they are fed up with paying the price of global popularity. Our Nick Valencia reports on how the country is simultaneously combating a housing crisis and overtourism.

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NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Spain's Costa del Sol region seemingly has what millions of tourists want, the sun, siestas on the beach, happy hour. It's a popular holiday break for British tourists. But many visitors say the feeling isn't mutual.

PATRICIA WILSON, BRITISH TOURIST: To be honest, we've thought about it. I have really thought about buying, you know, a place here. But, you know, it seems as if now the Spanish don't want us.

VALENCIA (voice-over): What's two weeks in paradise for visitors is an ongoing struggle for locals who can't afford the skyrocketing prices of food and rent that come with the tourists. The Spanish prime minister says there are too many Airbnbs and not enough affordable housing. So, the government is cracking down on foreigners purchasing homes for investments by proposing a 100 percent tax on non-E.U. home buyers. It's also planning to hike taxes on landlords who rent short- term apartments and prioritize building more homes for residents.

It's hard to say if this will diffuse the anger of fed up locals who staged massive protests last year against overtourism in Spain. The backlash causing some tourists to reconsider their plans.

GRAHAM SHAW, BRITISH TOURIST: Traditionally, Spain's always been a cheaper destination. But it's got competition now. So, I can understand that, yes, they would look elsewhere before perhaps choosing Spain.

VALENCIA (voice-over): But if too many tourists are a problem, having fewer of them could cause another one. In 2024, an estimated 94 million foreigners visited Spain and spent about $130 billion there, according to Spain's tourism minister. Foreigners also made up 15 percent of all real estate purchases in Spain in the third quarter of 2024, according to Spain's Association of Registrars, which included E.U. and non-E.U. buyers. Some real estate developers say, that's just a drop in the bucket, compared to overall sales.

ANTONIO DE LA FUERTE, COLLIERS REAL ESTATE COMPANY (through translator): In Spain, the main non-E.U. homebuyers are British citizens, and the next group are people from Morocco. I'm not sure whom they are targeting, but in any case, the solution of housing problem cannot rely on creating troubles for a Manchester citizen that wants to retire in the Costa del Sol.

VALENCIA (voice-over): But the tide has definitely turned against mass tourism in Spain. In June last year, Barcelona announced it will bar apartment rentals to tourists by 2028, a move that could benefit hotels and residents with thousands more flats potentially available to them.

Nick Valencia, CNN.

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SANDOVAL: You won't want to miss this next one, it's about a dormant plant that's now blooming in New York for the first time in just a little over half a decade. And as you see here, it is stinking up a greenhouse in the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Still ahead, we'll bring you some of the reactions when visitors get a whiff of this flower for the first time.

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SANDOVAL: Welcome back. Some galleries at the British Museum in London were closed to the public after an employee who had been fired, allegedly broken on Thursday and sabotage security and I.T. systems. It is just the latest of the museum's problems. It is the center of an ongoing controversy about returning artifacts taken during years of empire, especially the ancient British Elgin Marbles from the Pantheon in Greece, I should say the Elgin Marbles.

The museum is also still trying to find and reclaim nearly 2,000 objects said to have been stolen in recent years by a former curator. Plenty of problems there.

And then there's this one. A stench of a rare bloom, it's turning heads and noses at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. The corpse flower. It's a beautiful but putrid smelling plant. It's blossomed again for the first time in seven years. CNN's Allison Chinchar has more on visitors' reactions and the significance of the flower's return.

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ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Not everything smells like roses. But with a pinch of the nose visitors at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden got a whiff of something rarely seen or smelled in nature, the bloom of what's known as the corpse flower.

GIRY NATHAN, BROOKLYN RESIDENT: So, many different smells. We got some stinky cheese. Some poop smells. Some kind of sweaty. Well, now I get the sweaty sock smell.

ISA FRANCISCO, NEW YORK RESIDENT: I think it smells like something growing actually in the Earth, and I do think it smells rotten, but more like rotting food almost.

CHINCHAR (voice-over): It's easy to figure out how the flower got its nickname. Native to the island of Sumatra and Indonesia, the corpse flower only blooms once every two to 10 years. And even then, only opens for about 24 hours. Botanists say it's a sight to behold, and its signature smell may not appeal to everyone, but some creatures dig it.

KATE FERMOILE, DIRECTOR OF INTERPRETATION AND EXHIBITIONS, BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN: The plant is emitting this smell to attract pollinators. So -- and it is attracting the pollinators that it wants the most, so carrion beetles. That would -- are -- would be attracted to stuff that smells kind of putrid. Flowers that smell beautiful are, you know, attracting bees or they're attracting hummingbirds or other birds. This is attracting beetles and flies.

CHINCHAR (voice-over): It's the first time this corpse flower has bloomed since it arrived in Brooklyn seven years ago, and only the nose knows when this awakening of the senses will happen here again.

Allison Chinchar, CNN.

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SANDOVAL: And we do want to thank you for joining us. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. I'll be right back with more CNN Newsroom right after this break. Don't go away.

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