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CNN International: Trump Meets with Netanyahu at WH; Trump Signs Executive Order Blocking Iran to Achieve Nuclear Weapons; Trade Tensions Grow Between the U.S. and China; Sweden's Worst Mass Shooting; Medical Evacuation from Gaza; Senate Finance Committee Approves RFK Jr. Nomination; Senate Intel Committee Approves Gabbard Nomination; Migrant Flight Heads to Guantanamo Bay; Trump-Netanyahu News Conference Underway at White House. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired February 04, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Just ahead, President Donald Trump suggests that Palestinians could be resettled outside of Gaza as he meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trade tensions grow between the U.S. and China as the largest economies in the world exchange tariffs. And Australia bans Chinese artificial intelligence model DeepSeek from all government devices.
First, we begin in Washington. And right now, President Donald Trump is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. We are waiting on a news conference between the pair at any moment, which we will bring to you live.
Both leaders are discussing Gaza, Iran, and the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. A short time ago, Trump expanded on his idea that Palestinians should be relocated outside of Gaza. Speaking alongside the Israeli prime minister, Donald Trump said Palestinians had no alternative but to leave.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't think people should be going back to Gaza. I think that Gaza's been very unlucky for them. They've lived like hell. They lived like you're living in hell. Gaza is not a place for people to be living. And the only reason they want to go back, and I believe this strongly, is because they have no alternative. What's the alternative? Go where? There's no other alternative. If they had an alternative, they'd much rather not go back to Gaza and live in a beautiful alternative that's safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, ahead of the meeting, President Trump also signed an executive order authorizing a tough approach towards Iran meant to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We will see whether or not we can arrange or work out a deal with Iran and everybody can live together. And maybe that's possible and maybe it's not possible. So, I'm signing this and I'm unhappy to do it, but I really have not so much choice because we have to be strong and firm and I hope that it's not going to have to be used in any great measure at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, our Stephen Collinson joins us from Washington for more on this. Good to see you, Stephen. So, Donald Trump hosting his first meeting with a world leader since returning to office. Of all the allies, why Netanyahu?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: I think it shows the big ambitions that President Trump has in the Middle East in his second term. Not only does he want to get all the hostages out of Gaza and to end the war, he wants to create this normalization agreement between Israel and the Arab states, which would transform the region and act as a bulwark against Iran.
And you heard even in some of his rather saber-rattling language about Iran, even talking about how he'd like to do a deal with the Islamic Republic. So, this is all about what Trump wants to get accomplished in his second term, despite the rather somber historical. And that is why I think Netanyahu is the first world leader to visit him in the Oval Office.
KINKADE: We did hear from Trump's national security adviser who said that rebuilding Gaza could take some 15 years. We also heard from the President's Middle East adviser who said there are some 30,000 unexploded munitions in buildings that could tip over at any moment. And in the last hour or so we heard from Donald Trump saying that people in Gaza, if they had a choice, would not return there. Is that what Netanyahu wants to hear?
COLLINSON: Well, the Israeli prime minister could hardly keep the grin off his face during that exchange in the Oval Office. And that's because it exactly is exactly what he wants to hear. Netanyahu is under pressure from far-right factions of his own government. He can now go to them and say, look, I am the guy you need to deal with Trump. I got this concession out of him about Gaza in the Oval Office during my trip. And that could be used by him to solidify his government.
[18:05:00]
But to see a United States president advocate what would be the forcible expulsion of more than a million gardens from that territory is an extraordinary moment. It is something that would, some people have said, tantamount to ethnic cleansing. It would establish a president that authoritarian states would use to expel other populations around the world, and it would probably be in contravention of international law.
And of course, the Arab states have said that this is not possible. Jordan and Egypt do not want hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees, more Palestinian refugees. They fear this would create great instability. And obviously, it would set back the aspiration many Palestinians have for a Palestinian State and driving would drive people off land which they cherish and which, in many cases, their families have occupied for generations.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. And in terms of the fragile second phase of the ceasefire with Hamas and, of course, the release of hostages, this is meant to be front and center of discussions that are happening right now. How do the views of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu differ?
COLLINSON: Well, it's interesting to see that a lot of the questions in that news conference were to Netanyahu about whether he will implement the phase two of this deal that you mentioned. He is under a great deal of pressure from those far-right members of his coalition to restart the war, because Hamas has said that it won't go into the phase two process until the war is certifiably ended. So, Netanyahu is in that difficult political position.
Trump wants this war over as soon as possible. He wants to get it off his plate and to move on to those greater ambitions that I talked off. And he wants the credit for ending the war. He's going through a series of rather expansive steps in the first few weeks of his presidency. And this is another one he'd very much like to tick off, not least because he's made no secret of the fact that he covets a Nobel Peace Prize. So, all of this for Trump is about getting things done and polishing his own aura as a peacemaker in many ways.
KINKADE: Well, Stephen Collinson, good to have you with us as always. Thanks very much.
COLLINSON: Thanks.
KINKADE: And we are going to stay on this story. I want to bring in Firas Maksad, the senior director and senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. Good to see you.
FIRAS MAKSAD, SENIOR DIRECTOR AND SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Thank you, Lynda.
KINKADE: So, Donald Trump moments ago called Gaza a pile of rubble. He says that Palestinians should be resettled off their land. He says, I think they would be thrilled to get a piece of land and resettle them permanently. What's your response to that?
MAKSAD: Well, my response is that this is one big distraction from the president's own objectives in the Middle East. And I would define those in two ways. One is clearly having to deal with a challenge posed by Iran and Iran's nuclear program, particularly as some of the sunset clauses that had been originally negotiated under the JCPOA, the nuclear deal by President Obama, they're due to expire in the fall of this year. So, there's a sense of urgency of needing to move on Iran. It's closer than it's ever been to producing enough facile material for a bomb.
The second, which we keep hearing about is that his quest for a Nobel Prize through a peace deal between the Arabs and the Israelis. The Arabs, they are led by Saudi Arabia, it wasn't by coincidence that the first call with a foreign leader that President Trump put in once he was in office was with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, the first foreign leader he meets in the White House is the prime minister of Israel.
Talking about mass transfer of Palestinians under the guise of this being a humanitarian gesture to rebuild Gaza is not going to get President Trump there. It's a nonstarter for the Egyptians. It's a nonstarter for the Jordanians. It deals and undermines their own national security. It simply is not going to go anywhere. So, I really do hope that the president finds a way to change the bandwidth and move in a more productive way forward on his own objective.
KINKADE: I mean, he certainly suggested that people in Palestinian should, he said in his words, get a nice piece of land in Jordan or Egypt. Of course, both of those countries have rejected any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. I just want to play some sound of what Donald Trump had to say about Gaza a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It's a demolition site. The whole place is demolished. It's unsafe. It's unsanitary. It's not a place where people want to live.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: What sort of reaction do you expect we'll see from the region to those comments?
MAKSAD: We've already seen initial reaction last week for the first round of comments that Trump made in this regard. It was unanimous. We had six or seven leading Arab countries sign up to a joint declaration. Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, those are America's lead Arab partners. All putting their name to paper to say that that's simply is not an option that's on the table.
[18:10:00]
So, I feel that the Trump administration is going to come up against tough realities in the Middle East. I don't know if President Trump has conceived of this idea because he thinks it might help Prime Minister Netanyahu domestically maybe get to a phase two of the ceasefire, or this is something that has to do with sort of his background as being a dealmaker in the real estate world.
But in the real realm of politics in the Middle East, this issue of mass transfer of Palestinians gets to the very heart of the Palestinian national trauma and the narrative that the Palestinians have. It's a nonstarter for them. It's a nonstarter for the rest of the Arabs.
KINKADE: Donald Trump said he wants this war to be over and the hostages out. Does it benefit Netanyahu politically to drag out this second phase of the hostage deal, which, of course, calls for a permanent ceasefire? Because Netanyahu was asked about whether he was optimistic about this second phase and he certainly didn't sound very optimistic.
MAKSAD: Yes. Well, there's certainly a lot of political challenges that are in the way of getting to ending or reaching a permanent calm in Gaza as it's being dubbed. Prime Minister Netanyahu sits on top of very fragile coalition, the finance minister, which is key, has threatened to withdraw from that coalition, bringing that government down.
But Prime Minister Netanyahu also has options. The center left opposition leader, Yair Lapid, there has offered to provide him the political cover should he needed to go on with the phase two and bring all these hostages home and end this war.
I think what's happening here is there's also a great deal of linkages also between the Iranian issue on one hand and what Prime Minister Netanyahu needs to do on the Palestinian issue on the other. And so, it will be very interesting to see, after these talks between the Prime Minister and President Trump in the White House are concluded, what kind of arrangements they both come to on Iran and also in getting to phase two in Gaza. These two issues are not separate, they're very linked.
KINKADE: Earlier today, for us, we saw Donald Trump signing a memo restoring what he said was maximum pressure on Iran. What does that mean in real terms?
MAKSAD: Well, what it means is going back to the kind of strategy that Trump pursued in his first term in office. It effectively brought Iranian's export of oil down to zero, a couple of hundred thousand barrels per day up from -- or down from, I should say close to 2 million.
During the Biden administration, the Biden administration was very lax in enforcing that sanctions. And so, there was the windfall of profits, some $54 billion a year that Iran was able to bring in as a result of the lack of enforcement. The challenge here for President Trump is, again, the time horizon. We have sunset clauses that are due to set in by October, sometime in the fall of this year. For maximum pressure and sanctions to be effective, this is something that will need to play out over years.
He wasn't, in fact, able to move Iran in the first Trump administration to get it politically to where he wanted it to be, for it to make the concessions that he wanted. So, there are some real tough questions on how to deal with Iran, and particularly that there is a window right now where Iran is very vulnerable. Its air defenses are down, given the last round of Israeli actions, and people tend to think -- experts tend to think that you've got a six-to-nine-month window to act against Iran's nuclear program before they rebuild their air defenses. So, this is going to be a critical area to watch from here between now and the fall of this coming year. KINKADE: We heard this week from U.S. intelligence who believe that Iran is seeking to build a cruder atomic weapon that could be developed quickly if Tehran leadership wanted. What more can you tell us about that?
MAKSAD: Yes, that was a very interestingly timed leak and article in The New York Times, just as the Israeli prime minister is set to discuss these issues with President Trump. It's obviously very concerning. Every American administration has committed itself to prohibit Iran, to stop Iran from achieving that nuclear -- the nuclear weapon.
It is -- it does not allow Iran to strike at Israel, this kind of a crude bomb that they seem to be talking about or seem to be reporting about in that article. But it would very much mean that Iran then becomes part of the nuclear club of nations. And I think that, again, emphasizes my point that time here is of essence and that there is a very limited window to try and deal with the Iranian nuclear challenge.
[18:15:00]
President Trump very clearly, we heard today, prefers to have leverage and to exercise that leverage through economic sanctions in a coercive diplomatic process that gets Iran to essentially accept curbing its nuclear program and some of its malign activities in the region.
However, it's no guarantee at all that that kind of coercive diplomacy might work. And there is a closing window for military action that Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu very much would like to undertake.
KINKADE: Firas Maksad, always good to get your analysis. Appreciate your time today. Thanks so much. And of course, we are awaiting that press conference from U.S. President Donald Trump and the Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu. We will bring you that live when it happens.
Well, still to come, key votes in Washington for two of President Trump's most controversial cabinet picks. We'll tell you how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabard faired.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Well, welcome back. The U.S., Canada, and Mexico have put their tariff battles on the back burner for a month, but the Trump administration's trade dispute with China is just heating up. China wasting no time Tuesday announcing retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. as the new U.S. tariffs kicked in.
I want to welcome Will Ripley, who joins us now live. Good to see you, Will. So, Trump's 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods went into effect. In response, China came back with tariffs announcing that it will investigate some U.S. companies and a warning. Just take us through it. WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, China is essentially not just not making concessions, but they're fighting back hard, Lynda, targeting American tech with, you know, those limits on rare mineral exports, which could potentially be a big deal for the semiconductor industry here in Taiwan.
And you also have them taking this fight to the World Trade Organization and saying that this is all an American problem. President Trump, though, seems not too perturbed about it when he was asked by reporters, he brushed this off saying that it's fine, he's in no rush to speak with President Xi, and he thinks the U.S. will be on the winning side of this. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY (voice-over): The retaliation from China, fast and fierce. Just minutes after President Donald Trump's sweeping 10 percent China tariffs kicked in, Beijing fired its own economic salvo. A 15 percent tax on some U.S. coal and liquefied natural gas, a 10 percent tariff on American crude oil, cars, and farm equipment, new export restrictions on rare minerals vital for U.S. tech and defense.
[18:20:00]
RYAN PATEL, SENIOR FELLOW, DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, CLAREMONT GRADUATE UNIVERSITY: When you're dealing with the Chinese government, you really are looking to try to find a way that nobody really looks bad.
RIPLEY (voice-over): With tariffs piling up and both sides digging in, all eyes are now on a crucial upcoming call between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. That conversation could set the tone for whatever comes next. A last-minute deal or a full-blown trade war.
JUSTIN WOLFERS, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: Trump has shown himself frankly to be an unreliable partner. I'm not sure I'd want to invest in the United States right now if I were a foreign entity, given that these sorts of shenanigans can be on again, off again, according to the president's whim.
RIPLEY (voice-over): China also announced it's going after Google, launching an antitrust investigation. Google's search engine is not available in China, but it does have limited operations there. The move signals Beijing's willingness to target major U.S. tech firms in its retaliation.
One wild card in Trump's China strategy, Elon Musk. The Tesla CEO, has deep business ties in China. The Shanghai Gigafactory produces a significant portion of Tesla's global output. His close relationship with the Chinese authorities could make him a pivotal figure in the unfolding trade tensions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not only does Donald Trump think he is, I believe his wording, was super genius, but we know that the PRC is also very invested in Elon Musk maintaining his business within China. RIPLEY (voice-over): China is also taking the fight to the World Trade Organization, accusing the U.S. of violating international trade rules. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce says, trade and tariff wars have no winners.
Trump and Xi once shared what Trump called magical diplomatic moments, from their first meeting at Mar-a-Lago to an unprecedented state visit to Beijing's Forbidden City. He's even called Xi brilliant.
TRUMP: I have a great respect for their president, as you know, President Xi.
RIPLEY (voice-over): But now, Trump is ramping up economic pressure, still insisting he can strike a deal with Beijing. A fast-moving, high stakes economic battle that may be just beginning.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY (on camera): The authorities in Beijing got word of these tariffs during the long Lunar New Year holiday. They've technically been on vacation until today when everybody in China is now officially going back to work. But clearly, there was a lot of work happening on the Lunar New Year in China to get their retaliatory measures in place.
China is signaling more retaliation as possible, additional countermeasures if the U.S. doesn't back down with this. So, this is going to be interesting out here to see how this goes. These tariffs already are bigger than anything we saw on the first Trump administration.
KINKADE: Yes. But you'll be staying across it for us, no doubt. Will Ripley joining us from Taipei. Good to have you with us. Thank you.
And I do want to stay on this story. I want to welcome Michael Hirson, who joins us now live. He's the head of China Strategy at 22V Research. He's also the U.S. Treasury Department's chief representative in China from 2013 to 2016. Good to have you with us.
MICHAEL HIRSON, HEAD OF CHINA STRATEGY, 22V RESEARCH AND FORMER CHIEF REPRESENTATIVE IN CHINA, U.S. TREASURY DEPARTMENT: Great to be with you.
KINKADE: So, during the election campaign, Donald Trump threatened China with tariffs of some 60 to 100 percent. Right now, we're seeing 10 percent tariffs on $400 billion worth of goods that America purchases from China. And it's certainly less than the proposed tariffs that Trump suggested for allies Mexico and Canada. Just explain the 10 percent.
HIRSON: Well, I think it's important to recognize this is sort of round one in terms of how Trump plans to deal with China. This 10 percent only really relates to President Trump's concerns, complaints about China's cooperation on fentanyl. We haven't even really gotten to the big show, which is what President Trump does with his trade disputes with China. So, there could very well be more coming, but I think this is just an opening salvo, and to some extent is also meant to provide some wiggle room for a potential trade deal, because the president does seem to be interested in exploring that.
KINKADE: And, of course, China's response was limited, hitting just 12 percent of what the U.S. sends to China each year, about $20 billion worth of exports. Why the limited response? What did you make of that?
HIRSON: I think China's leadership is quite cautious this time around. It is a weak economy right now domestically in China. And frankly, China just does not actually import all that much from the U.S. So, they're kind of running out of room for things to impose tariffs on, which is one reason why you've seen China take a number of other steps this week with the antitrust investigation to Google, potential restrictions on these critical minerals. I think they don't have one tool, so they have to deploy several.
[18:25:00]
KINKADE: And in terms of other things they've announced, what more are you hearing about their investigation into Google?
HIRSON: I think the Google investigation is, I don't want to say it's purely symbolic, but Google does not have a really any domestic business in China. They do get some business from Chinese firms advertising outside of China, but this is not nearly as aggressive as going after a U.S. tech firm that has a large business in China. For example, you know, Apple at the most extreme. So, it's a warning shot, but it is not a highly aggressive move.
KINKADE: So, do you believe that these tariff decisions by Donald Trump are undermining the rules of multilateral economic trade?
HIRSON: I think, yes, they are in a literal sense. One could also make the case that China through its industrial policy subsidies and some other moves has also been undermining those rules. So, the global trading system, the rules-based global trading system is under strain, and it really is coming from both countries and from some other parties as well.
KINKADE: Michael Hirson, head of China strategy at 22V Research, no doubt we'll be talking again as we see how this plays out. Thanks so much for your time.
HIRSON: Thank you.
KINKADE: And, of course, we are awaiting that press conference from the White House with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the U.S. president, Donald Trump. This is, of course, his first meeting with a world leader at the White House since returning to office. We will bring you that live when it happens.
Also, ahead, a toddler with a life-threatening illness has been evacuated from Gaza for urgent medical care. We'll have an update on her fight for life.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Let's check today's top stories. Sources say the FBI is complying with a demand from the Justice Department to hand over the details of thousands of employees. who worked on investigations related to the January 6th riot. Details of more than 5,000 staffers have been sent to the DOJ, including their employee I.D. numbers, but not their names. It's leading to fears that the Trump administration could be planning a massive purge.
In Greece, thousands of people are fleeing Santorini as a series of tremors continues to rock the island. Hundreds of quakes are being reported every few minutes. Schools have been closed and emergency crews are now stationed on the island. There are fears that a major earthquake could be on the way.
Sweden is in shock after what the prime minister calls the worst mass shooting in the country's history. The gunman opened fire at an adult education school in Central Sweden Tuesday. Authorities say the suspect is dead. There were initial reports that around 10 people were killed. A police official later said that they could not report on the exact death toll because an investigation was just beginning. Our Melissa Bell has the details from Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Some new details are emerging after the dreadful shooting that took place just after midday in the town of Orebro in Western Sweden, where a gunman went on the rampage at what we understand was an adult learning center, but on campus where there are schools for children as well.
Police are saying that multiple people died in the attack, and it was to a shock nation in a country that so rarely sees school shootings or mass killings that the Swedish prime minister spoke.
ULF KRISTERSSON, SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We've today seen brutal, deadly violence against completely innocent people. This is the worst mass shooting in Swedish history.
BELL: Police say that the death toll could continue to rise given that there are still several wounded people in hospital. They've also said that they're trying to figure out what this man's motive may have been. They say the perpetrator was a man and that they believed he was killed during that shootout itself. The question of why he acted the way he did now at the center of the investigations that are ongoing.
What police have said about him though is that he was not known to police services, nor did they think that there was a terror motive behind this attack, the worst in Sweden's history.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris. (END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Returning to our top story this hour, U.S. President Donald Trump meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington. We are waiting on a news conference between the pair at any moment now.
President Trump has been telling reporters that Palestinians should leave Gaza and move to a new location. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It would be my hope that we could do something really nice, really good, where they wouldn't want to return. Why would they want to return? The place has been hell. It's been one of the meanest, toughest places on earth. You take certain areas and you build really good quality housing. Like a beautiful town. Like some place where they can live and not die. Because Gaza's a guarantee that they're going to end up dying. The same thing's going to happen again. It's happened over and over again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, shortly before Prime Minister Netanyahu arrived, Mr. Trump said Palestinians who live in Gaza should be moved to Egypt or Jordan.
Well, turning now to a story of a family that's been given hope after weeks of uncertainty. A two-year-old toddler who was born with a rare genetic condition is now getting lifesaving medical treatment in Jordan after being given permission to leave Gaza. Doctors say the little girl had only days to live.
Our Jomana Karadsheh reports, but we need to warn you, it does contain upsetting images.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rana's preparing her baby girl for the big day. Habiba is finally leaving Gaza for life- saving treatment. This is what the wait has done to the two- year-old.
The black and shriveled skin you see is gangrene that has worsened dramatically in a matter of days. We followed Habiba's fight for her life for weeks. After our CNN report, Jordan heard her cries for help and decided to evacuate her for treatment for a suspected rare genetic condition.
But it took nearly two weeks, time Habiba doesn't have to make it happen, the negotiations with Israel described as difficult by Jordanian officials. Israeli authorities did not respond to CNN's repeated requests for comment on the delay in Habiba's evacuation.
[18:35:00] Over the past week, as her mother helplessly watched Habiba teeter between life and death in intensive care, Rana had to also go through a roller coaster of emotions.
As they prepared to leave for an evacuation that was later cancelled, Rana got crushing news, Israel would not let her leave Gaza with Habiba, forcing this mother to make an impossible choice, to let go of Habiba, to save her life.
Dear Lord, if this is your will, I'll accept it, she prayed.
But it was just too much to accept. Rana has to stay strong, she's Habiba's everything. On Monday, they woke up to good news, Jordan had secured approval for Rana to travel with Habiba, but this time, just as they got ready to go, they were told her son no longer had Israeli permission to leave.
You're a big boy, I know how hard this is for you, Rana says. God will take care of you better than I ever will.
No one can make Habiba smile and forget her pain like her only brother, Soheib. He even brings out her cheeky side.
I'm going to go and leave you, Habiba says. But the thought of being left all alone is just terrifying for the 11-year-old.
I don't know what I'll do without them. Where do I go now, Soheib cries. It's time to go, the ambulance is here. Soheib puts on a brave face for their goodbyes. But soon after they head out, another twist, Soheib is cleared to join them. Jordan tried to spare Habiba this harsh long journey by land, but Israel wouldn't approve a Jordanian airlift.
Across the border in Jordan, there's no time to waste. The military medevac chopper King Abdullah ordered is here for Habiba, ready for when she crosses into Jordan. With nightfall, the moment they've been waiting for, medics move fast to get the toddler. Habiba peeks out quietly from under her blanket, too young to understand what this is all about. As they head to the chopper, she wants mama. They need to get her fast to the hospital, but they do it gently.
KARADSHEH: It's a quick trip to the hospital. The medical team is here and ready. They're going to be monitoring Habiba every second of this trip.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Habiba's stable, but she's just arrived from an exhausting journey out of intensive care. For a shattered Rana, it's too early to feel relief. As we get ready to take off, the team comforts Habiba.
It's the first time this family is flying, their first time seeing the world outside of besieged Gaza. Habiba's story is one out of thousands of children who have become another faceless statistic of this war, trapped in Gaza and deprived of life-saving medical treatment.
On Monday, Israeli authorities said they approved Habiba's evacuation as a, quote, exceptional humanitarian gesture. As soon as she arrives at the hospital, medical staff begin what doctors in Gaza couldn't do, a full clinical diagnosis over the next 24 hours. Doctors here hope they'll be able to save Habiba's right leg and her arms, but they also fear it may be too late. Her journey out of Gaza may be over, but another difficult battle now begins for little Habiba.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Amman.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, still to come, President Trump says his administration will use Guantanamo Bay to accommodate a lot of people. An official tells U.S., migrants are going to be sent there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back. Robert F. Kennedy Jr is one step closer to leading America's health agencies after clearing a major hurdle at the U.S. Senate. His nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services was approved by the Senate finance committee on Tuesday. It now goes to the Senate floor. Also waiting for confirmation by the Senate is Donald Trump's pick for National Intelligence Director, Tulsi Gabbard. Her nomination was approved Tuesday by the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Well, let's get more on these Senate confirmations. Margaret Talev joins us now live from Washington. She's the director of the Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship at Syracuse University. She's also a senior contributor for Axios. Good to have you with us, Margaret.
MARGARET TALEV, SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR, AXIOS AND DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR DEMOCRACY, JOURNALISM, AND CITIZENSHIP AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: Great to be here.
KINKADE: So, let's start with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who, of course, has this long history of misinformation, especially when it comes to vaccinations. Despite that, he is on track to oversee the nation's health agency with a $1.7 trillion budget. The Republican senator, Bill Cassidy, a doctor, said he would only agree to the confirmation if certain conditions are met. What are those assurances that he wanted?
TALEV: Well, one of the big ones has been around the area of vaccines and he has said as part of his decision to back RFK Jr. that he has received assurances. That he would not seek to dismantle the vaccines program or spread misinformation about them, that he would uphold the vaccines regimen. That doesn't mean that every vaccine that's mandatory now would remain mandatory. But that, in general, he is not seeking to discredit or undercut or undermine or unravel vaccines.
Dr. Cassidy also says that he's secured some, sort of, unprecedented, you know, guarantees for consultation or involvement with HHS and the White House. But I'll say this, once he is confirmed, that nominee is confirmed, it is much harder to pull them back. So, I think this is sort of a combination of a leap of faith plus a recognition of the extreme political pressure that these Republican senators have been under from the new Trump White House and sort of President Trump's political apparatus as well.
And when you look at RFK and Tulsi Gabbard, they are different nominees, but they share some distinctions. They're two of the most controversial, and they also come from the Democratic side of the aisle, although neither lives there anymore. And so, this will be President Trump's show of bipartisanship, sort of, but they are part of the sort of coachery of advisers, cabinet members that you would put in the destroyers camp.
There are some nominees that you would not put in that camp. They are looking to rebuild perceptions about the economy or growth or work on inflation. There's another larger camp that is meant to tear down long-standing institutional norms and these two have been seen in that camp. So, both of their ability to clear these key hurdles today in the Senate Intelligence and Finance Committee suggests that they are now poised for full confirmation.
[18:45:00]
KINKADE: You touched, Margaret, on accountability, and I want to ask you about that, because when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was named, the big vaccine producers, Pfizer and Moderna, their stocks tumbled. I'm wondering who from the government will hold him accountable as he seeks to run this agency.
TALEV: Well, he, in theory, under sort of the norms of how Congress operates, cabinet officials can be called and are called frequently to Capitol Hill to testify to lawmakers to give reports or if there are problems or controversies or confusion to answer questions. So, that accountability measure still exists in theory.
But as we are seeing the balance of power, separation of powers, the levers of guardrails in American democracy, they do depend on the political leaders who control those other institutions, who control the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate, to a different extent, the U.S. Supreme Court, to be willing to exert those levers.
And so, I think you're at a moment now where President Trump is an extremely strong leader inside his own party. Yes, he comes in as a lame duck. Yes, he cannot run for another term as president under the laws of the United States, but he has the ability to crush many of these incumbents in primary elections to turn their own constituents against them, to really ruin their lives if they run against him. And so, he is much more powerful than you would think of a second term president typically of being.
On the other hand, he holds this razor thin majority, of this razor thin ability to control. the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate. And so, for him, it's all or nothing. These senators have to be lockstep with him. If any of these senators in these two committees and the key ones today were Todd Young from Indiana in Tulsi Gabbard's case, Bill Cassidy, the physician from Louisiana in RFK Junior's case, if they had blinked, if they had stopped, if they had said, you know what, I'm not ready to do this yet, like that would have been it and it would have been a big political loss and a slowing of Trump's momentum.
He very much wants to keep his winning streak going and they are pressing very hard on their own party to stand with him. And so, far, in these early days of this new administration, it has worked and we will see what the consequences will be.
KINKADE: Yes, and we definitely saw that voting along party lines. Margaret Talev, thanks so much for joining us.
TALEV: Thanks very much.
KINKADE: Well, the U.S. military flyer carrying detained migrants took off for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on Tuesday. It follows President Trump's order to prepare the U.S. naval base for tens of thousands of undocumented migrants. Questions about how long they can be held there and what their rights are still need to be answered. Priscilla Alvarez reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Trump administration sent migrants to Guantanamo Bay on Tuesday, the first military aircraft to carry migrants to the base, a Homeland Security official telling CNN there were around 10 migrants on the flight with criminal records.
Now, all of this comes after President Donald Trump announced last week that he wanted to expand the facilities in Guantanamo Bay to house 30,000 migrants. Now, sources tell CNN that attorneys at the Department of Homeland Security and at the Pentagon have been assessing the legality of this because it is taking people off of U.S. soil to then send them to Guantanamo Bay. It's an unprecedented step and different from how it has functioned before.
For example, there is a migrant operation center on Guantanamo Bay. It has been used to temporarily house those who are interdicted at sea. Therefore, they have not been on U.S. soil. They are housed there and then repatriated. But this would be a new step, one that would have migrants housed on the base before they are repatriated to their origin country.
Now, there are still a lot of questions outstanding, including, for example, if people would have legal access to legal service providers as well as how long they would be held there. The Homeland Security secretary, Kristi Noem, saying that they would not be held there indefinitely, but certainly, a lot of questions because so much also hinges on scheduling and countries and whether they're willing to take back those repatriated nationals.
But sources tell CNN that planning is well underway. Marines have been there setting up tents, as has the Army, all of that going up multiple facilities to eventually house these 30,000 migrants.
Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, meanwhile, El Salvador has offered to accept U.S. deportees along with violent, convicted criminals even if they are U.S. citizens. We're going to break from that story right now.
The U.S. president and Israeli prime minister are about to speak at the White House. Let's listen in.
[18:50:00]
TRUMP: Thank you very much. That's a lot of press. Congratulations. You bring them out. You really bring them out.
Today, I'm delighted to welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu back to the White House. It's a wonderful feeling and a wonderful event. We had fantastic talks. And thank you very much with your staff.
He's the first foreign head of state to visit during our administration. And, Bibi, I want to say it's an honor to have you with us.
Over the past four years, the U.S. and the Israeli alliance has been tested more than any time in history, but the bonds of friendship and affection between the American and Israeli people have endured for generations, and they are absolutely unbreakable. They are unbreakable.
I'm confident that under our leadership, the cherished alliance between our two countries will soon be stronger than ever. We had a great relationship. We had great victories together four years ago. Not so many victories over the past four years, however.
In my first term, prime minister and I forged a tremendously successful partnership that brought peace and stability to the Middle East like it hadn't seen in decades. Together we defeated ISIS, we ended the disastrous Iran nuclear deal, one of the worst deals ever made, by the way, and imposed the toughest ever sanctions on the Iranian regime. We starved Hamas and Iran's other terrorist proxies. And we starved them like they had never seen before. Resources and support disappeared for them.
I recognized Israel's capital, opened the American embassy in Jerusalem, and got it built, by the way, built it to just not only designated it, but got it built at a price that nobody's seen for 40 years. We got it built, it's beautiful, all Jerusalem stone, right from nearby, and it was -- it's something that's very special. And recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, something that they talked about for 70 years, and they weren't able to get it, and I got it.
And with the historic Abraham Accords, something that was really an achievement that was, I think, going to become more and more important because we achieved the most significant Middle East peace agreements in half a century, but the Abraham Accords, in particular, and I really believe that many countries will soon be joining, this amazing peace and economic development transaction. It really is a big economic development transaction. I think we're going to have a lot of people signing up very quickly.
Unfortunately, for four years, nobody signed up. Nobody did anything for four years, except in the negative. Unfortunately, the weakness and incompetence of those years, those past four years, the grave damage around the globe that was done, including in the Middle East, grave damage all over the globe, the horrors of October 7th would never have happened if I were president. The Ukraine and Russia disaster would never have happened if I were president.
Over the past 16 months, Israel has endured a sustained aggressive and murderous assault on every front. But they fought back bravely. You see that and you know that. What we have witnessed is an all-out attack on the very existence of a Jewish state in the Jewish homeland. The Israelis have stood strong and united in the face of an enemy that has kidnapped, tortured, raped, and slaughtered innocent men, women, children, and even little babies.
I want to salute the Israeli people for meeting this trial with courage and determination and unflinching resolve. They have been strong.
In our meetings today, the prime minister and I focused on the future, discussing how we can work together to ensure Hamas is eliminated and ultimately restore peace to a very troubled region. It's been troubled, but what's happened in the last four years has not been good.
I want to thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for working closely with my transition team, the special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who's here somewhere. Steve? Stand up, Steve, please. What a job you've done. What a good job you've done. Proud of you. You've done a fantastic job.
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. Thank you, Mike, for working so well with us. Thank you.
[18:55:00]
We have in addition, Marco Rubio, who is on the phone right now, listening to every single word that we say, and he's going to be great. And, Pete, congratulations. And, Scott, congratulations. I see you're here. And Karoline's been doing a great job. She's really probably talked about more than anybody here. She's done a fantastic job, and thank you very much, Karoline. We're proud of you.
But we'll only be satisfied when all of these problems are solved, and we have the team to solve them, and that's going to happen. And it's going to happen, I think, very quickly.
I also strongly believe that the Gaza Strip, which has been a symbol of death and destruction for so many decades, and so bad for the people anywhere near it, and especially those who live there, and frankly, who's been really very unlucky, it's been very unlucky, it's been an unlucky place for a long time. Being in its presence just has not been good and it should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have really stood there and fought for it and lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there.
Instead, we should go to other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts, and there are many of them that want to do this and build various domains that will ultimately be occupied by the 1.8 million Palestinians living in Gaza, ending the death and destruction and frankly, bad luck.
This can be paid for by neighboring countries of great wealth. It could be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, it could be numerous sites, or it could be one large site. But the people will be able to live in comfort and peace and we'll get sure -- we'll make sure something really spectacular is done.
They're going to have peace. They're not going to be shot at and killed and destroyed like this civilization of wonderful people has had to endure. The only reason the Palestinians want to go back to Gaza is they have no alternative. It's right now a demolition site. This is just a demolition site. Virtually every building is down. They're living under fallen concrete that's very dangerous and very precarious. They instead can occupy all of a beautiful area with homes and safety and they can live out their lives in peace and harmony instead of having to go back and do it again.
The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too. We'll own it. And be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out. Create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area. Do a real job. Do something different. Just can't go back. If you go back, it's going to end up the same way it has for 100 years.
I'm hopeful that this ceasefire could be the beginning of a larger and more enduring peace that will end the bloodshed and killing once and for all. With the same goal in mind, my administration has been moving quickly to restore trust in the alliance and rebuild American strength throughout the region. And we've really done that. We're a respected nation again.
A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks. We are actually a very respected nation again. I ended the last administration's de facto arms embargo on over $1 billion in military assistance for Israel. And I'm also pleased to announce that this afternoon the United States withdrew from the anti-Semitic U.N. Human Rights Council and ended all of the support for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which funneled money to Hamas and which was very disloyal to humanity.
Today, I also took action to restore a maximum pressure policy on the Iranian regime, and we will once again enforce the most aggressive possible sanctions, drive Iranian oil exports to zero, and diminish the regime's capacity to fund terror throughout the region and throughout the world. We had no threat when I left office. Iran was not able to sell oil. Nobody was buying oil because I said, don't buy it. If you buy it, you're not doing any business with the United States. And Hamas was not being funded. Hezbollah was not being funded. Nobody was being funded. There would never have been an October 7th.
Two weeks ago, I once again designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization. They're trying to destroy world shipping lanes, and that's not going to happen. And over the weekend, I ordered airstrikes against senior ISIS leaders hiding in the caves of Somalia --
[19:00:00]
