Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Judge Halts Trump's Plan To Put USAID Workers On Leave; Trump Administration Dismisses National Archivist; DOJ Agrees To Give Two- Days' Notice If Releases Names Of FBI Employees Who Worked On January 6 Cases; Bird Flu Prompts NY To Temporarily Shut Down Live Markets; Heightened Preparations As Trump Is Expected To Attend Super Bowl LIX; Young, Inexperienced Staffers Part Of Elon Musk's DOGE Team; Anxiety Spreads as Trump's Immigration Policies Take Effect; Trump's Mass Deportation Plans Spark Fear Among Nebraska Migrants. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired February 08, 2025 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

REV. DARRIN CONNALL, CATHEDRAL OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES: -- more violent and in that sense, much more scary. It took me a while to, you know, to realize that this was pretty serious.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: A security guard was able to restrain the suspect until police arrived. The attacker was charged with assault. The cathedral says it is hiring additional security.

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

And we're following details on a legal setback for the Trump administration. A new court ruling is halting President Trump's plans to eliminate most of the workforce of a major U.S. humanitarian agency. A federal judge has temporarily blocked a plan by the Trump administration to put thousands of workers at USAID on indefinite leave or fire them.

Hours before the ruling, crews were seen removing signage from the agency's headquarters right there in Washington, D.C. The President's executive order would have left the agency with fewer than 300 employees, that down from 10,000.

The judge's ruling prevents more than 2,200 people from being placed on administrative leave. He also ordered the government to reinstate 500 workers who have already been placed on leave. It's an agency Trump's daughter, Ivanka, once championed when she served as a White House adviser.

CNN's Betsy Klein is joining us right now. Betsy, great to see you again. Bring us up to speed on these developments.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, Fredricka, the Trump administration is actively taking steps to gut USAID and other humanitarian programs across the globe. But President Trump was once a vocal proponent of the agency because his daughter was.

And back in 2019, just to underscore how important this was, President Trump then featured USAID and its work in his State of the Union address. He announced the creation of WGDP, the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, which would be spearheaded by his daughter and fall under the umbrella of USAID.

He signed an executive order on the matter at a major signing ceremony in the Oval Office just a few days after that. Now, what this program did was bolster women's economic empowerment across the globe with things like ending food insecurity and providing capital to women entrepreneurs looking to start small businesses, among other issues.

But it was a very big priority for Ivanka Trump. And sources that we spoke to who worked very closely with Ivanka, as well as direct beneficiaries of some of these programs, talk about how it was really a key success, reaching millions of people, spent about $300 million over the course of the last five years.

Now, one of those farmers from Georgia who was a direct beneficiary of the program told CNN, "When I saw President Trump was elected again, I thought he was going to bring more support for women's economic empowerment because he loved this program".

Now, the program was rebranded under the Biden administration and, by all accounts, continued to thrive during that time. But its work was all halted just last week, and its future is incredibly uncertain. But all of this really underscores an effort by President Trump to really shift federal spending, slash it dramatically.

But sources we have talked to really express grave concerns about these kinds of soft power programs and who fills the vacuum in the absence of U.S. leadership on these issues, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And then, Betsy, the Trump administration also announced a surprising dismissal of the Archivist of the United States. Tell us more.

KLEIN: Yes, this was a very surprising move, and it was even a shock to the archivist herself, according to one source familiar with the matter. Now, President Trump announced her dismissal yesterday after saying in the past that he expected he would be appointing a new archivist.

But the archivist, Colleen Shogan, had been quite loyal to President Trump over time. And just a couple weeks ago, she blocked an effort by then-President Biden to codify the Equal Rights Amendment into the Constitution, saying that was outside of her scope and ability.

And she also became very close with Melania Trump, the first lady. She invited her to the National Archives to attend a naturalization ceremony back in 2023. So really a surprising move here aimed at installing loyalists in key positions, but still a little bit questionable and unclear why he's taking this step right now. WHITFIELD: All right. Betsy Klein, thank you so much.

All right, after a standoff in court, the FBI has now turned over the names of agents who worked on January 6th-related cases to the Justice Department. It comes as President Trump now says he plans to fire some of those FBI employees.

CNN's Paula Reid with the details.

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: On Thursday, the FBI provided the Justice Department with the names of investigators who worked on cases related to January 6th.

[13:05:07]

Now, last week, the Justice Department had been provided with employee I.D. numbers, but the acting deputy attorney general said that was not enough information. Now, understandably, there are concerns among agents and their union that this list of names could potentially be leaked.

Now, there was a lawsuit that was filed over these concerns. And on Friday, an agreement was reached between the Justice Department and the FBI that bars the Justice Department from releasing this list of names without giving the agents at least two days' notice.

Now, the agents say their biggest concern is that this list would be shared with DOGE or the White House and released that way, even though the Justice Department denies it has any interest in releasing this publicly. So these agents clearly have a lot to be worried about, not only for their security if these names are released, but also because President Trump said on Friday he does expect that some of these investigators will be fired.

Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.

WHITFIELD: And we're also learning new details this hour about the spread of bird flu in New York. Wildlife officials say 15 birds from two city zoos are now dead after coming into contact with the virus. And this comes after Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the temporary shutdown of live bird markets as a proactive move in some counties.

CNN National Correspondent Gloria Pazmino is following the latest developments. Gloria, what are you learning about the governor's order?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, and that new development regarding the zoo animals sort of follows a pattern we have been seeing in the past two years where wild animals have been found dead or have become infected with the virus. The zoo saying that they are putting measures into place to prevent the spread.

But as far as this order is concerned, it requires live bird markets throughout the New York City area to shut down for the next week or so to disinfect and clean their markets before they can reopen. This is after seven positive cases of bird flu were found here in the New York City area.

Now, we're standing in front of a live market here in Queens, one of the areas where bird flu was detected, not at this market, but also in places like the Bronx and Queens. Now, as I said, markets will be required to clean and disinfect before they are allowed to reopen.

The governor making it clear that for now, this is just a precautionary measure and that there is no public threat to be worried about at this time. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D), NEW YORK: For a week long period, no poultry can be delivered to those live bird markets. Each uninfected market must sell down all inventory, undergo thorough cleaning and disinfection and then remain closed for at least five days. Each must then be inspected by our state ag and markets before they can reopen.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

PAZMINO: Now, as you heard there, the markets that are uninfected are required to sell down their inventory before they are able to close. I actually took -- went inside this market here behind me. They were in the process of selling one live bird as I went in.

But as I mentioned, this is not one of the markets where an infection has been detected. So they are still selling the inventory before they can close.

Now, Fred, in terms of the spread of bird flu, it has been increasing in the last several months all around the country. And human cases so far has only -- have only been detected in 67 people. One of those people died as a result of the virus.

It is important to note that everyone who became infected with the virus had been in close contact with infected animals. So the state of New York, for now, taking these precautionary measures. It's going to affect New York City, Nassau County, Suffolk County. And in total, about 80 live markets across the region.

But something to keep an eye on. And for now, live markets being forced to make sure that they are disinfecting and cleaning before they pass inspection and are allowed to open again on February 14th.

WHITFIELD: All right.

PAZMINO: Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much.

All right, we are counting down to the Super Bowl kickoff. And officials are ramping up security measures to keep everyone safe before, during and after. We'll take a look at how officials are securing the big game next.

And why a federal judge has restricted Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing the Treasury Department's payment system.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:14:33]

WHITFIELD: New Orleans getting ready for Super Bowl 59 this year. There is heightened security presence, of course, after that terror attack on New Year's Day, killing 15 people and leaving dozens injured and adding to security concerns. President Trump is planning to attend the big game tomorrow.

CNN Senior National Correspondent Ryan Young is live for us in New Orleans. All right. So, oh, my gosh, a lot of people there already. Tell me what's happening.

[13:15:01]

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tons of people, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh my God.

YOUNG: I know you've been here before in New Orleans, but look at the streets here. This is what they were obviously concerned about from a security perspective because you have over 120,000 people expected into the city.

This right here, right now, this is the first ever Super Bowl parade. So you've got to think about all the tens of thousands of fans who were squeezed on the streets here to be a part of the celebration. And that's why you see an extra presence of police officers.

But when you talk about that terror attack that has everyone upset and worried about this, they surged in extra federal resources. So we know over 1,000 police officers and law enforcement officers are in this area to help out. And we've been watching the increased security all throughout the quarter.

Streets are blocked off. Sidewalks are blocked off. And they're making sure people have a safe time here. So far, no incidents. But you should listen to the Homeland Security officer talk about some of the changes they're making for this Super Bowl. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

ERIC DELAUNE, HOMELAND SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS NEW ORLEANS SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: You're going to see drones. You're going to see helicopters. You're going to see boats in the river. You're going to see people on rooftops, sniper teams. And you're going to see spotting teams on rooftops.

You will see more bollards in place. You'll see more temporary barricades in place. You'll see blast shields in some locations.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

YOUNG: So even in the parade, you can see that contingent of officers that are in their personal vehicles there. There are four or five officers in there. They spaced them throughout here. They even have sniper teams on roofs throughout the quarter to make sure that no threats can just run up and down the street.

They're trying to make this as part of a target as possible. We know the President is planning to come tomorrow as well. So that just extends the level of security here. And you just think about all the people who will be surging into the city over the next 24 hours.

Just trying to get down the street here is almost nearly impossible as roads continue to get blocked off. Again, the good news is no major incidents so far. And we do know they're extending the security perimeter all the way through Mardi Gras. So there's about another month of all this.

And this is such a huge economic impact. You understand why they want to protect it and make sure no other lone wolves attack. But right now, Fred, let's just be honest. The Big Izzy is alive. People are having a good time. There's a bunch of smiles out here. Families are just enjoying themselves.

So if there's good news, if there's extra security, it gives people a wonderful chance. Even like the Lamberts giving us an opportunity to stand up here so we can show you the crowd and the parade as they come through.

WHITFIELD: Oh, I mean, let the good times roll. Hey, St. Charles Avenue, often congested --

YOUNG: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: -- but not like that. It's a great bird's eye view.

Ryan Young, thank you so much.

YOUNG: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Have fun as everyone continues to be very safe.

YOUNG: Thank you. Without a doubt (ph).

WHITFIELD: All right, a 23-year-old software engineer and a Hackathon runner-up. What we're learning about the people who are overhauling the government on Elon Musk's behalf.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:22:26]

WHITFIELD: New today, citing risk of irreparable harm. A federal judge has temporarily blocked Elon Musk's DOGE team from accessing a critical Treasury Department payment system. The system handles the distribution of America's tax returns, Social Security benefits, disability payments, and federal employees' salaries.

The weekend order also calls for the destruction of any information downloaded from the payment system by anyone given access since January 20th. This comes after a U.S. District Judge on Friday refused to limit DOGE access to Labor Department data, rejecting for now an emergency request by labor unions and a think tank to put restrictions on DOGE access.

The judge expressed concerns with how DOGE was allegedly operating, but said the challengers had not shown enough reason for a court to intervene at this point. DOGE's actions have ignited intense political debate about the scope and legality of their work.

CNN's Kyung Lah has more on the Musk operatives, who have been tasked with executing perhaps the biggest government shakeup in a generation.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So here we have Luke Farritor, who is winning the first lettuce prize on behalf of the Vesuvius Challenge.

LUKE FARRITOR, SOFTWARE ENGINEER: Indeed. Thank you.

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Luke Farritor was the first person to decipher a word from an ancient scroll that had been buried in volcanic mud for centuries.

FARRITOR: But for kind of the first part of the challenge through July, I was interning at SpaceX and just kind of doing this in the evenings and weekends.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the profurus.

LAH (voice-over): He went on to win the grand prize in a global competition, a 22-year-old undergrad at the time.

FARRITOR: My friends were there and I was cheering, jumping up and down, you know, screaming, crying, all the stuff. I run most of the things from my laptop. It's just a normal MacBook, don't worry. But then I've just got like five surplus computers in here. This is what I do most of my work from.

LAH (voice-over): What he does now is work for DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, headed up by Elon Musk.

ELON MUSK, TESLA CEO: Yes.

LAH (voice-over): Who's brought in a group of gifted young engineers, some in their early 20s with no prior government experience. Their current job assignments? Unclear.

But it is clear they're part of the Trump administration's plan to slash government agencies. Democratic senators sent a letter to the White House describing how DOGE staff has seemingly unfettered access to classified materials and Americans' personal information.

In federal court, government lawyers said Marko Elez had read-only access to a highly sensitive payment system at the Treasury Department. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The mission (ph), lift off.

[13:25:10]

LAH (voice-over): Elez, who previously worked at SpaceX, has been the center of attention. His DOGE position was terminated after the Wall Street Journal uncovered racist and eugenic posts on an account linked to him. But then Elon Musk, the Vice President, and Trump himself weighed in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the DOGE engineers was fired for some inappropriate comments. The Vice President says, bring him back. What do you say?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I don't know about the particular thing, but if the Vice President said that, did you say that? I'm with the Vice President.

LAH (voice-over): The injection of unconventional outsiders is alarming some federal employees. This man, who spoke at a Virginia congressman's town hall this week, didn't identify himself out of fear of retaliation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had Elon Musk in our building and after he visited the building called for a 50 percent cut of the entire agency. My colleagues are getting 15-minute one-on-one check-ins with 19, 20, and 21-year-old college graduates asking to justify their existence.

LAH (voice-over): Most of the hires are connected to Elon Musk's companies, like Ethan Shaotran.

ETHAN SHAOTRAN, FOUNDER OF ENERGIZE AI: This is a really exciting time for young folks, for old folks, for everyone.

LAH (voice-over): He was a runner-up in a Hackathon contest put on by XAI., an artificial intelligence company Musk founded. Shaotran spoke in 2023 about how A.I. will change the future.

SHAOTRAN: Really, for the first time in modern history, it's not the physical laborers, the farmers, the factory workers who are being displaced, but it's the white-collar workers, the knowledge workers, the engineers, lawyers, doctors, teachers. And for a lot of the folks in this room, that's really scary. That's really concerning.

LAH (voice-over): Now Shaotran is a special government employee, a source tells CNN. Gavin Kliger on LinkedIn lists his job as special adviser to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. A 2020 Berkeley graduate, Kliger worked in Silicon Valley for Twitter and then for a data intelligence company. He spoke about that work at a conference in 2023.

GAVIN KLIGER, SPECIAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE: Additionally, any system with a human in the loop is not going to scale well.

LAH (voice-over): In blog posts last year, Kliger wrote about two of Donald Trump's then nominees and showed himself as fiercely loyal to the now President. Kliger recently removed a substack post where he charged $1,000 to subscribe and read why DOGE? Why I gave up a seven figure salary to save America.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LAH (on-camera): We didn't pay and we did try to reach all of the hires were able to identify in addition to reaching out to their family, their friends and classmates. We didn't hear back from anyone.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk further about all of this now. I'm joined now by James Pindell. He is a political reporter for the Boston Globe. James, great to see you again.

All right, let's begin by getting a reaction to these court setbacks for Trump and Musk's DOGE team. A judge temporarily blocking Trump from eliminating the workforce for USAID. Another judge blocking Musk's group from accessing a critical Treasury Department payment system. How significant are these rulings?

JAMES PINDELL, POLITICAL REPORTER, BOSTON GLOBE: Well, look, they're huge. But also at the same time, look, for the conservative project, this is just completely stupid. You know, right now, if the goal is to eliminate USAID, if the goal is to eliminate the Department of Education, a goal, by the way, that goes back longer than I've been alive.

Milton Friedman, the economist, sort of the intellectual father of the modern conservative movement, always wanted to get rid of the Department of Education. If you want to do that, then fine, you have an entire Republican Congress to get rid of it. But instead, by taking this approach, then all you're doing is doing it illegally and not using the Constitution.

It's going to get blocked by courts and then, or by the way, it's going to last like a year and a half, two years to get some resolution. And when that happens, it's likely that the Democrats will control the U.S. House and you'll miss that opportunity to get rid of the projects that conservatives and Donald Trump says he wants to get rid of.

So it's not the argument on the politics of what they want to do. It's the process in the means in which they're doing it. And currently, everything we're seeing right now is all set to backfire unless the goal is simply chaos in the show. And if that's the goal, then obviously they're hitting it pretty well.

WHITFIELD: Because there are three co-equal branches of government. And right now we're seeing the courts, the states, attorneys, generals, who are challenging these Trump efforts. Do you see when or if Congress will intervene?

[13:30:10]

PINDELL: You know, I think Congress is unsure what to do. Republicans don't want to cross Trump. Democrats are caught and conflicted on this idea of saying everything's a five-alarm fire versus just picking and choosing their battles.

Right now it looks like the pushback will be among interest groups and governors who are directly impacted and using the courts to push back. Look again, as you said, the founders of the country were worrisome about kings. They set up a system of checks and balances. The power of the purse is with Congress. It's something that every president, Republican, Democrat, Federalist, we all agree on.

Trump is the first to seriously challenge it and look he has a Supreme Court stacked in his favor but all indications are right now that even Republican judges are weary of some of these moves. Not again, not because the ideology and the politics but because of the way he's doing it.

WHITFIELD: You wrote a piece for the Boston Globe this week with the headline, "We may be in the middle of a constitutional crisis three weeks into Trump's second term." And then you write in that article, quote, "What's happening right now isn't about whether one personally likes or dislikes Trump. It's not about policy preferences. It's about the rule of law," underscoring that point.

In your view, are Americans paying attention?

PINDELL: I don't think so. I don't think we quite understand where it may be potentially in the middle of a constitutional crisis or not. It's one of those things you have to look back and sort of see but look where he's questioning whether or not the institutions will hold.

You know, I hear the pushback. I hear what Trump supporters are saying which is look they feel like they have a mandate. Yes, he won by one and a half percentage points but we'll put that aside.

If the mandates there you have Republicans in the House and in the Senate. Go through the process. The process will last and it will stick much larger and much longer than a certain court case here or there that will do everything you're trying to do right now.

WHITFIELD: James Pindell, great talking to you. Thank you so much.

PINDELL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: USAID doesn't just provide humanitarian aid around the world. It also works with security agencies to keep Americans safe. So what will it mean for national security if the agency is dismantled for good? We'll discuss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:37:15]

WHITFIELD: A court order has put a temporary pause on President Trump's plans to gut USAID. But that's doing little to assuage concerns as thousands of USAID workers are scrambling to figure out what comes next. At the same time, those posted in dangerous hot spots around the world are afraid for their safety.

Joining us right now is Shawn Turner, a former Director of Communications for U.S. National Intelligence.

Sean, great to see you.

SHAWN TURNER, FORMER DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR U.S. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Good to see you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So the White House says cutting USAID is about cutting costs, but what price could the U.S. be paying if USAID's diplomatic mission is to end abruptly?

TURNER: Yeah, Fred, you know, it's important to say at the outset that we simply cannot underestimate the significance that cutting USAID will have. This will have a global impact, you know, and here's why. You know, Fred, over the last 48 hours or so, people have said things to me like, what does a famine in Somalia or a polio outbreak in Pakistan have to do with us here in the United States?

And the answer is, quite a lot. Look, preventing these kinds of things from happening are key pillars of our own national security. We have to think about what things like hundreds of thousands of Palestinians returning to the Gaza Strip without access to food and security and the support that they need.

We have to think about what happens in that void and what that means for U.S. National Security and our own national interests. And what I can tell you from my time in government in the intelligence community is what that creates is a breeding ground for threats to the United States that a lot of people believe will never come to our doorstep, but at one point they absolutely will. And it's part of the reason that USAID exists is to prevent those things from -- from happening, from growing around the globe.

WHITFIELD: One USAID employee working in Africa told CNN, and I'm quoting now, that "Dismantling and pausing foreign assistance will make America more vulnerable to possible terror attacks since much of what USAID does is to target the root causes of extremism worldwide. This also leaves the door wide open for China to continue to exert their influence in Africa, jeopardizing American business interests and values." And you just, you know, touched on the -- the kind of consequences that come from power vacuums. Tell us more about that.

TURNER: Yeah, it's absolutely 100% the case. A lot of people think of USAID as an organization that delivers, you know, rice and food and other supplies, things along those lines, and that's sort of where it stops for a lot of people.

[13:40:01]

But look, you know, as -- as that employee said, part of having USAID workers stationed on the ground around the globe is to make sure that the United States is in a position to work with international organizations, with foreign governments and others to identify the indicators that might tell us that there are emerging threats, emerging issues that could, at some point, become a threat to U.S. National Interest.

So there is an amazing sort of deterrence effect and a sort of information aspect of having USAID workers on the ground. And when they are not there, it's not only that they are not providing that aid, it's also that there are other, oftentimes, bad actors that will step in and provide that aid.

And then, you know, the last thing, Fred, is it's not just about the bad actors either. Oftentimes, the work that USAID does helps with strengthening democracy, and that's a key part of what we need to see around the world here in the United States for our own safety.

WHITFIELD: Right. I mean, it's incredible. I mean, there are roughly 1,400 USAID direct hire employees abroad, you know, plus their families, of course. They are diplomats spreading, as you mentioned, the U.S. goodwill to the world. So if this administration is successful in gutting this agency, what kind of assurances are these employees going to get to be able to return to home base or return to wherever home is for them and their families?

TURNER: Yeah, you know, that's a key question I think a lot of people in government are grappling with right now. And I think the important thing to do is to, first of all, amplify the importance of the work that all of those individuals do.

I'm a firm believer, Fred, in the idea that even if these individuals are recalled to the United States, even if there are efforts to shut down USAID, it is not the kind -- it is not a situation that is sustainable for the long term.

President -- the current president, the current administration will either themselves at some point realize and recognize that by doing this, you are necessarily contributing to an increase in threats to the United States, and those people need to be back in place and doing their work.

And it's important to say also, Fred, that I know there's been a lot of discussion about the need to make sure that we are spending taxpayer dollars responsibly. And I agree 100%. We may need to take a look at the way USAID is spending money, and there certainly needs to be some adjustments there. But for the most part, these individuals need to, you know, come back, remain committed to the mission if they have to come back, because I believe firmly that at some point, calmer heads will prevail and they will be put back on the job in places that they need to be to help protect our national security.

WHITFIELD: All right. And now let me also ask you about Super Bowl, Super Bowl weekend. President Trump expected to attend the Super Bowl tomorrow in New Orleans. Security already had been heightened after that terror attack on New Year's Day, killing 14 and leaving dozens injured. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem says there are no specific credible threats. So how confident are you about security in place, heightened security as a result of so much going on all at once?

TURNER: Yeah, you know, Fred, last year when we talked about the security around the Super Bowl, I said that it would be the most secure Super Bowl in history until now. I've been talking to friends at agencies who are part of the effort to make sure that people are safe at the Super Bowl. And I feel very confident that all the parts and pieces are in play.

I mean, the security right now is with the type of security that you see when you're walking into government agencies. It's not just security for people who are walking through the entrance at the Superdome. The security has multiple layers, several layers, and it gets tighter as you get closer to the Superdome.

We are seeing more agencies than ever before coming together to work on securing this. We're seeing for the first time new tools that are driven by artificial intelligence that are helping to secure the Super Bowl. So I feel very confident that all the work is being done to secure the Super Bowl.

But I'll tell you, if you were asking me what my concern is, the one concern I have is when you have so many agencies working together, federal agencies, state and local agencies, coordination, collaboration, communication between those agencies is always difficult. And so that's the one area that I hope people have been working on, because that's oftentimes where we see vulnerabilities when things happen.

WHITFIELD: All right. Shawn Turner, always appreciate your point of view and expertise. Thank you so much.

TURNER: Thanks, Fred. Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, quote, "If I go back to Honduras, they will kill me."

[13:45:00]

We'll hear from people who received asylum now fearing deportation as Donald Trump's immigration crackdown ramps up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Anxiety is high among immigrant communities across the country. CNN's John King visits Lincoln, Nebraska to get a closer look at how President Trump's crackdown is generating fear and anxiety.

[13:50:03]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Nebraska prairie, it's calm and quiet as the rolling farmlands wait out winter.

CROWD: This is what community looks like.

KING (voice-over): But even here, the new Trump agenda stirs passion and fear.

CROWD: Love over hate. KING (voice-over): Immigrant workers are critical in a state where cattle outnumber people by more than three to one. Nebraska is second to Texas in U.S. beef production, sixth in pork, and its cornhusker state nickname celebrates its role as an agriculture giant.

JOHN HANSEN, PRESIDENT, NEBRASKA FARMERS UNION: If we have a hitch in the get along in Nebraska, it's a big enough processing state, it's going to be felt in the food chain.

KING (voice-over): By hitch in the get along, Nebraska Farmers Union President John Hansen means a Trump immigration crackdown that rounds up undocumented workers.

HANSEN: Do we need better enforcement? I think we do. There's a constructive way to do it, and there's a less than constructive way to do it. And so, it remains to be seen how we proceed.

KING (voice-over): This is a red state, and its Republican governor is offering support if the Trump White House puts Nebraska on its immigration crackdown list. Fear is the word you hear most from immigrants, even those with legal status.

"GIN", NEBRASKA RESIDENT: This first term was more of like, let's see if this can happen. This year is more, I'm going to do it.

They go to school.

KING (voice-over): Gin has a green card now and is working towards citizenship, but he has family and friends who are undocumented, and he asked that we not use his full name.

GIN: It's a scary time for my community, for people I care for aren't basically are not lucky enough like I am.

KING (voice-over): Rumors of ICE activity spread fast, as did word that agents can now enter schools and churches.

GIN: It starts up people getting scared. Basically, it starts off like, have you seen immigration? Have you seen this? And you see the fear in people's eyes. Just the fact that they can't go out to the store, they can't go get groceries or even hospitals. It's just a hard time.

KING (voice over): Immigrant advocates like Mary Choate say clients are worried now about sending their children to school or showing up for English classes and other services.

MARY CHOATE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR LEGAL IMMIGRATION ASSISTANCE: We really want to keep immigrants and refugees involved in the community so -- because -- because they're so integral to our community. But it's been very difficult for them to be able to do that because they fear going outside of their homes.

"G", ASYLUM SEEKER: (Speaking in foreign language).

KING (voice-over): "G" is seeking asylum. She was a journalist back home in Honduras, targeted by the government, she says, after reports detailing corruption.

"G", ASYLUM SEEKER (through translator): If I go back to Honduras, they will kill me.

KING (voice-over): She entered the states a year ago using a Biden administration phone app that Trump eliminated on day one.

KING: Your lawyers tell you you're in the asylum process and you should be OK. But with Trump as president, are you worried?

"G" (through translator): Of course. For sure.

KING: Why?

"G" (through translator): Because he tries to implement quite strict policies with immigrants in general. And I think even more with people who have just entered the country. At least with the program I entered with, there is some instability, so to speak. So, of course, that increases anxiety and concern.

With Trump's arrival, I have felt very unstable. I have a lot of anxiety. I suffer from insomnia and I cannot stop thinking about the possibility of being deported. I cannot go back.

KING (voice-over): Nebraska State Senator Kathleen Kauth is pushing a new E-Verify law that requires employers to certify their workers are legal. Simple and common sense, she says. But Kauth concedes, the polarized national debate might make it harder to win over Democrats.

KATHLEEN KAUTH (R), NEBRASKA STATE SENATOR: I'm really more worried about Nebraska and focusing on, what do we need in Nebraska to understand the problem, how do we make sure that we are keeping people who are not here legally from taking jobs from people who are here?

KING (voice-over): Kauth believes the state can handle any workforce disruption caused by stronger enforcement, and she is a state example of the Trump effect on the Republican Party. Any path to status or citizenship for those already here illegally must start with going home.

KAUTH: I kind of view it as a poison apple from the poison tree. Whatever the legal definition is. If your first act is to break the law, you have become a criminal. And so therefore everything after, even if it's well-intentioned, even if it's wonderful, please go back and go through the process because we do want you here, but we need you to do it the right way. And I don't think that that should ever change.

KING (voice-over): Go back is the driving theme of the new Republican immigration push, and a big reason more immigrants think it's best to stay in the shadows.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: We lost a true American hero and an incredible family friend this week. At 100 years old, Lieutenant Colonel Harry Stewart, a Tuskegee Airman, passed away. He was one of the top gun pilots. He flew 43 missions over Europe as a fighter pilot during World War II and was one of two last surviving combat pilots of the all-black 301st Fighter Squadron in the U.S. military.

[13:55:11]

Colonel Stewart was a longtime family friend after serving with my dad, a fellow Tuskegee Airman. Over the years, Mr. Stewart was -- has joined us a few times on this show, and most recently ahead of his July 4, 100th birthday, reflecting on his lifelong interest in flying before signing up for military pilot training during segregation with the U.S. Army Air Force.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. HARRY STEWART JR., ONE OF THE LAST SURVIVING TUSKEGEE AIRMEN: When I began, I was 18, and then I got my pilot's wings and my second lieutenant's bars at 19, and I did not recognize at the time the gravity of what we were facing. I just felt as though it was a duty of mine at the time there, and I just stood up to my -- my duty.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: He was among the first 1,000 black pilots trained at Tuskegee Air Army Airfield. And after years of World War II combat and escorting all-white crewed long-distance bombers, in 1949, Stewart was part of the four-man team representing the 332nd to compete in the U.S. Air Force's first aerial gunnery competition, the first ever Top Gun-style war game.

Stewart's all-black team won the Top Gun Prize, an accomplishment long kept secret until 2004 when the trophy that had gone missing for 55 years was located in Las Vegas by historian Zellie Orr.

Our hearts are with Colonel Harry Stewart's family as we salute his history-making service to this country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)