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Trump Doubles Down On Dramatic Government Overhaul; Winter Storm Moves Offshore As Three More Storms Are Expected; President Trump Races To Reshape Federal Government; Countdown To Super Bowl LIX: Chiefs vs. Eagles; Countdown To Super Bowl LIX: Chiefs Vs. Eagles; Consumer Watchdog To Shut D.C. Headquarters This Week; Project 2025 Co-Author Russell Vought Begins Work As OMB Director; NYC Immigration Memo Sparks Outrage Among Advocates. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired February 09, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:39]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. We begin this hour with President Donald Trump defending his dismantling of U.S. government agencies and proclaiming in a new interview that he has a mandate from the American people to eliminate wasteful spending and he vows more drastic cuts are on the way.

The interview is set to air in about an hour from now just before kick-off for the biggest game of the year, the Super Bowl in New Orleans.

President Trump will be there becoming the first sitting U.S. president to attend a Super Bowl.

All of this is happening as the president is getting billionaire Elon Musk and his DOGE the greenlight to cut numerous government agencies, even as the courts put the brakes on some of their actions.

CNN's Betsy Klein is joining us right now. Betsy, what can you tell us about this new interview and how it fits with Trump's use of executive authority?

BETSKY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, Fredricka, back during the 2024 campaign, then-candidate Trump said that he wouldn't have time for revenge and retribution because he'd be too busy making the U.S. successful again.

But we have seen him as president over the last few weeks really reimagine his use of executive authority and using that authority at times to seek retribution against his perceived political enemies.

Now, this started fast and furious during his initial days in office, as he started issuing executive orders, weakening protections for federal workers, he pulled security details, and he also reassigned and dismissed career Department of justice officials. But in recent days, he has taken additional actions expanding on that

authority and themes of revenge and retribution. There appears to be a personal through-line.

We saw him get rid of security clearance for former President Joe Biden. He announced plans to gut the board of trustees of the Kennedy Center and install himself as the chairman. He dismissed the National Archivist. We also saw him strip additional officials of their security details, including former secretary of defense Mark Esper, who, of course, is under threat from Iran due to his actions during Trump's first administration.

Now we are also seeing Elon Musk and DOGE the Department of Government efficiency take aim at some government departments and try to slash funding, and also appear to root out people who are perceived to be disloyal within the federal government.

Now, for his part, President Trump feels emboldened by his November victory and feels like he has a mandate to enact these actions.

Take a look at what he said with that interview with Fox News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Trust Elon? Oh, he's not gaining anything. In fact, I wonder how he can devote the time to it. He's so into it.

But I told him, do that. Then I'm going to tell him very soon, like maybe in 24 hours to go check the Department of Education. He's going to find the same thing.

Then I'm going to go to the military. Let's check the military. We're going to find billions -- hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse. And, you know, the people elected me on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: President Trump's actions over recent days underscore a president intent on settling scores, new and old. And also his administration's implicit confidence in their ability to fight any subsequent legal challenges to that, Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: Ok, Betsy.

And then, of course, today, Trump does plan to attend the Super Bowl. What are the plans?

KLEIN: Well, by most measures, President Trump is having a pretty good Sunday. He woke up here in Palm Beach this morning and hit the links with golf great Tiger Woods.

And just a few moments from now, we're going to see him board Air Force One on his way to New Orleans for the Super Bowl, where he will sit with Gayle Benson. She is the owner of the New Orleans Saints, as well as Speaker Mike Johnson. Now, we'll be watching closely to see if President Trump makes any

additional news in that traditional Super Bowl interview airing just a few moments from now.

[14:04:46]

WHITFIELD: All right. Betsy Klein, thank you so much.

All right. Amid President Trump's efforts to shrink the federal government, the U.S. Secret Service now has shelled out an estimated $2 million for a recruitment advertisement that is set to air during the Super Bowl pre-game show today.

CNN has exclusively learned, blockbuster movie director Michael Bay was tapped to produce the ad.

Sources telling CNN it's expected to be played on the jumbotron in the New Orleans Superdome.

CNN senior national correspondent Ryan Young is in New Orleans where security has been ramped up even more than usual for a Super Bowl game because in part of the president's attendance, but also because of that New Orleans deadly attack.

Ryan, hopefully you can hear me. I know there are a lot of people there. What's happening with security?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. We're going to -- yes, we're going to try to pull this off without having any YouTube moments, Fred.

The crowd is energized about the Super Bowl. People have been on the street for hours partying already, getting plenty of that liquid courage, better known as liquor in their systems before the game.

One of the reasons why we're on this corner, in particular is because that deadly attack that happened, of course, at the beginning of the year, this is one of the areas where one of those coolers were placed with those IEDs. And that's why they made sure no coolers could be left behind anywhere in this area.

You see, the National Guard members behind me. And every now and then they'll check people's bags as they come through.

Above all that, if you look as we'll show you some now, there have been helicopters that have been flying above consistently for the last few hours, not only checking the crowds, but we've been told radiation devices have been brought into the area to make sure things stay safe here.

Talking to fans who've had that great chance to have a good time, drink some of that courage and go up and down the street and cheer for their teams, they say they feel safe. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel great. You can't live your life in fear. I feel real -- very comfortable.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel so safe here. I love just the extra presence of security, but also everybody here just wants to have fun. And it feels very innocent and happy and great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: And there's actually a drone above my head here now. We've also been told that there have been drone teams brought in because that's something they're concerned about, obviously people flying drones in crowded areas. They want to make sure none of those things crash into people.

One thing, though, is you kind of feel like a chaperon at this point because there are so many people who piled into New Orleans for a good time. They've been giving this A-plus effort. They're not even worried about the extra security measures.

And I can tell you, the closer and closer you get to Bourbon Street, the more security you feel. The closer you get to the Superdome, it's at a point where traffic is almost at a standstill, and this is hours before the game, Fred.

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WHITFIELD: Oh my -- oh my goodness. Gridlock already.

Ok, well, something I've never heard before, Ryan Young. Liquid courage -- learn something new every day. Thanks for enlightening me.

YOUNG: Absolutely. Take it easy.

WHITFIELD: I think the folks behind you have had a little bit of that liquid courage.

All right. Thank you.

All right. The snow -- well, it has finally tapered off in the northeast as the winter storm that dumped more than a foot of snow has moved offshore now. Snow plows cleared the streets in Boston, where five to nine inches of snow is expected.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar explains, while winter alerts have expired, three more storms are still on the horizon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The system in the northeast finally starting to wrap up, and it dumped a pretty significant amount of snow. Widespread totals about four to six inches.

But we did have one spot in upstate New York that topped out at 14 inches of snow. Ice was also a concern, especially across Pennsylvania, where we had at least a quarter of an inch of ice accumulating on those roadways, power lines and even the trees. But now it's time for us to get a little bit of a break across the

central portion of the country before the next system begins to arrive.

It should start to take shape late Monday and continue to spread eastward on Tuesday, sliding over portions of the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys and then into the mid-Atlantic.

Right on the heels of that storm, the next system begins to spread in on Wednesday across portions of the Midwest, sliding over the great lakes and back into the northeast, bringing additional snow and even some ice chances as well.

Saturday, this comes the next system late Friday, setting up over the central U.S. And then Saturday spreading into portions of the Midwest and into the northeast.

But also noting too, the southern end of these areas are also going to get some precipitation. It's just going to be warmer here. So you're going to get a significant amount of rain on the southern end of all of these systems.

But just like the snow, the rain is also going to accumulate. You can see widespread totals from Louisiana up to the Carolinas of three to five inches of rain. Not out of the question, however, to see six maybe even seven inches of rain total.

On the northern tier, you're looking at widespread snow totals of at least four to six inches. Keep in mind this is on top of what they've already had as we finished out the rest of the weekend.

And that snow is likely going to stay there because those temperatures in the northern tier are going to remain below average.

[14:09:47]

CHINCHAR: So any additional snow that comes in is just going to accumulate on top of what's already there.

The southern tier, however, that's where the above average temperatures are located. That's why you're mostly going to see rain, but a lot of rain.

So you've got Tuesday and Wednesday both looking at a slight risk of excessive rainfall and the potential for flooding exists both of those days.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Allison Chinchar, thanks so much.

All right. Still ahead --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE BUFF, PASSENGER ON SOUTHWEST FLIGHT: I thought at that point this is it. But we're going down and we're going to die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Some terrifying moments for passengers on board a Southwest Airlines flight. The possible engine issues that forced them to turn around after takeoff.

And later, the government agency that protects Americans from fraudulent financial practices from big banks, has been ordered to stop working. What this move by the Trump administration could mean for you.

[14:10:40]

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WHITFIELD: All ten victims from the deadly plane crash in western Alaska have been recovered. Officials have also identified the pilot and nine passengers of the Bering Air flight.

Shortly after takeoff, the plane disappeared from radar. It was found more than 30 miles from its destination of Nome.

According to Alaska state troopers, the bodies of the victims will be transported to Anchorage for autopsies. Investigators hope to retrieve the wreckage, but its resting on unstable sea ice.

Possible engine issues forced a Southwest Airlines flight headed to Denver to turn around shortly after takeoff. One woman on board said she saw flames coming out of one of the engines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I smelled something weird. I mean it wasn't like fresh air or anything. It smelled more like burning wires. As we're on the runway, going superfast as you normally are for takeoff that's when it went super loud -- boom.

I thought at that point, this is it. But we're going down and were going to die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: How frightening. And when asked about the engine issue, Southwest Airlines told CNN affiliate KCRA that there was nothing notable to report but apologized for the inconvenience.

Passengers were placed on another plane to Denver.

We're now three weeks into Trump's new term, and his flurry of executive orders and actions, along with his controversial cabinet appointments, have Democrats struggling to figure out ways to fight back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): I'm trying to figure out what leverage we actually have. What leverage do we have? They control the House, the Senate and the presidency -- it's their government. What leverage do we have?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Entering week four now. Joining me to talk more about the first three weeks of President Trump's new term in the White House and what's ahead, Domenico Montanaro. He's a senior political editor and correspondent for NPR.

Domenico, great to see you.

DOMENICO MONTANARO: SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT, NPR: Great to be with you.

WHITFIELD: Ok, so your latest article for NPR, you know, has the headline "Trump carries out his 'flood the zone' strategy, creating a week of whiplash". And that is certainly what it sounds like that Jeffries was kind of expressing there. They're trying to figure out where's the leverage, where do they go next.

So what are the options?

MONTANARO: Yes. And you hear a lot of frustration there from, you know, the minority leader. And I think that that word "minority" needs to be really stressed here. Because in this system in the United States, life in the minority is not great, right?

I mean, when you don't have a majority in either the House, the Senate, or have the White House, you really don't have, as he said, a lot of leverage.

And I think Democrats have to pick and choose what they think are going to be the most salient places to be able to combat the Trump administration because of this "flood the zone" strategy that Steve Bannon some years ago had advocated for. And clearly, the Trump second term here is doing that.

I mean, just the number of things that they've put forward as quickly as they have, everything from trying to disband USAID to the Department of Education to, you know, essentially a complete upheaval of the federal workforce makes it very difficult for Democrats to be able to find a message, to be able to figure out how to go and attack this White House.

The one place that they think they might have some opening is with Elon Musk, because Elon Musk was not elected. He's not the president. And yet he seems to have quite a bit of control over what things that the federal government is going to be spending money on.

WHITFIELD: Meaning, looking for ways to undermine what has become a very powerful Elon Musk, meaning he has not been you know, he didn't -- wasn't sworn in. There's no oath of office for him. It is a created agency or office that he is leading. So Democrats might be looking for ways to undermine that or maybe even

legally challenge it. Similar to the kinds of legal challenges that we see now in court as it pertains to buyouts.

MONTANARO: I think the court process is clearly the one way where they can actually stop things if they're deemed to be illegal. You know, Trump has certainly pressed, you know, the limits of the presidency, tested the limits of the presidency to see just what he can actually get done.

[14:19:47]

MONTANARO: But someone like Elon Musk, if he's politically not popular, if he does things that go too far. Now, that may be something that helps Democrats.

It's also something that could be a little bit of a heat shield for Donald Trump, because there is a little bit of tension between Musk and Trump. Trump doesn't want him to do things that are going to become unpopular.

I mean, we saw this on the campaign trail where Trump tried to put some, you know, plausible deniability between himself and Project 2025, despite the fact that Project 2025, in many ways, is how this administration is being -- is scripting the sort of second term for Trump.

So he wants to be able to distance himself from anything that could be politically unpopular. And he also doesn't like when people have more of a spotlight than him. And certainly there's been so much attention on Musk that if he does things that Trump doesn't agree with, or at least doesn't appear to be popular and comes back on him, that's when you could see a decrease in Musk's power.

WHITFIELD: All right. So Republicans control the House, Senate and executive branch. So why is the president going this route, executive orders, when he has a Republican controlled Congress to leverage. He's not trying to get any legislation passed. Why not?

MONTANARO: Well, Congress moves much more slowly than an executive action could take. And I don't think Trump particularly likes the idea of having to control a bunch of Republicans who might be against this.

I mean, you think there's still some, you know -- you know, half a dozen or a dozen or more potential moderates who are Republicans. They have a very small majority in the House, only, you know, three seats or so.

And you know, if that's the case, if he has to try to win them over to make a case, to try to, you know, get rid of USAID, they're not going to make a big provocative splash as much as trying to get something through.

And I think that anybody who follows Washington closely and follows legislative processes closely for a new president, really, you get one big legislative item that you can convince your party and get through and do it in a timely manner.

And that has to do with this big, beautiful budget bill that Trump wants to put through, as he calls it, where they want to put all of this stuff through as much as they possibly can to cram in, to be able to get to pass the House with just that 51 percent majority, 50 plus one, and then be able to use the reconciliation process in the Senate to be able to just need 51 senators or 50 plus J.D. Vance, the vice president, to break a tie, as long as its tied to the budget.

It's complicated. Trump doesn't like complicated. He wants things to be simple and fast, and that's why he's having Musk go through some of these agencies.

And even if stuff gets overturned by the courts, maybe there will be a degree of attrition. Maybe there will be a lot of federal workers who decide they just don't want to deal with this. They want to find a job doing something else. And that will also affect the end goal of having fewer federal workers.

WHITFIELD: One wonders if it also removes some accountability for Trump, because if things don't go well, he can blame somebody else did it. It wasn't me, but it was Elon Musk.

MONTANARO: For sure.

WHITFIELD: But again, we'll see what the next chapter is.

Domenico Montanaro -- it's only week four that were entering.

MONTANARO: We'll see what happens.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much. Good to see you.

All right. Meantime, we are just hours away now from kickoff at the Super Bowl, and all eyes are on the Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley as the Birds try to stop the Chiefs from a three peat.

What Barkley is saying about his historic season ahead of the big game.

[14:23:21]

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WHITFIELD: Ok. Super Bowl Sunday. It's here. And the countdown to kickoff is now on. We're now just about four hours away from the start of the big game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.

CNN's Coy Wire is in the middle of it all. He has been there in New Orleans for all the action.

Ok, so after the parades, the fanfare, the excitement, it is go time. What's up?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: What's up is an epic showdown, a rematch from the Super Bowl two seasons ago, Fredricka.

Last time it was 38-35. Those eagles lost in a heartbreaker. Now here we are. Can they get redemption? Or will those chiefs win a third straight Super Bowl? That would be a record.

this time around, The Philadelphia Eagles have a maybe unfair advantage. The best running back in the NFL, Saquon Barkley 2,005 yards this season, most in the NFL. He's 29 yards shy of breaking the single season regular and playoffs rushing mark.

So I talked to some of his linemen. The thing they love about him most is that he is humble. As big of a superstar as he is, he's always spreading the love and showing credit to his big linemen up front.

Here he is, Saquon Barkley on this game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAQUON BARKLEY, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES RUNNING BACK: You don't rush for 2,000 yards by accident and you don't do it by yourself. That's why I love this sport. It's the ultimate team sport and I have the best offensive line in the league.

And you could make an argument, one of the best offensive lines ever. And I argue with you about it all day because I firmly believe that I stand on that. And you know, that's why I go to the guys every single game and let them know that you guys are the best in the world.

So whenever we call, you guys just do your job and I'll go out there and try to make the best plays I can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right, so who's going to win this game? Fredricka, we wanted to hear from some of the stars. We were at the best Super Bowl party of Super Bowl week. Yes, I do have the best job at CNN. Fanatics, red carpet or blue carpet, you could say.

Serena Williams was there. Kevin Costner, Gabrielle Union, I could go on and on. Here are a few of the celebrity predictions we got just last night, Fred.

[14:29:47]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL SKENES, PITTSBURGH PIRATES: I think seeing a three peat would be cool. But I like watching, I like watching Hurts, I like watching Saquon -- all those guys.

So I don't have a dog in the fight.

LIVVY DUNNE, LSU GYMNAST AND INFLUENCER: I got to go with the Chiefs. I don't know if it's an expert prediction, but I'm just going with the Chiefs.

SKENES: Taylor Swift.

DUNNE: Yes.

[14:30:03]

MICHAEL RUBIN, FANATICS FOUNDER AND CEO: Eagles by a lot. I feel like, you know Patrick Mahomes is a beast, but this is the Eagles year.

CEEDEE LAMB, DALLAS COWBOYS WIDE RECEIVER: I think the Chiefs are going to put it off. Obviously, NFC east. It's a little bit of a discrepancy there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: All right. We don't know. We'll see who's going to win this game.

We'll also see some other things that we have to kind of predict or guess what's going to happen.

Prop bets are always some of the most fun ahead of a big Super Bowl. Check out some of these prop bets going on this year, Fredricka. We have a -- let's see -- how long will John Batiste sing the National Anthem? Is it over 120.5 seconds or under?

Also, the winning coach is going to probably get splashed with some sort of liquid, probably Gatorade. What color will it be? Or will it not be a color? Will it be water, with no liquid at all?

And if the Chiefs win, the game, will head coach Andy Reid mentioned the word burger? The man loves his cheeseburgers -- the bigger, the better, the better. So it's just part of the fun from here ahead of this big game. Fredericka and the game itself is sure to be epic.

We have Kendrick Lamar halftime with SZA. Will Taylor Swift make an appearance? No, she can't do that. But some people are saying she would be an unfair advantage --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: What? Yeah, she will. Oh, you mean on stage, okay.

WIRE: Half time speech to her boyfriend's team, right?

WHITFIELD: Right.

WIRE: Okay. Yes. And, of course, President Donald Trump, he's going to be the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl. So even more hype and a lot more security here at this Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.

WHITFIELD: Oh, exciting nonetheless. Okay. So I'm going to say yes to John Batiste over 122. And he's going to -- he's going to -- he's going to draw it out. But it's going to be beautiful and eloquent.

Purple because New Orleans, it's all about purple. Purple Gatorade. Can we find that? And yes to the burger -- cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: That's how I see it.

WIRE: Let's do it.

WHITFIELD: What can I say?

WIRE: You heard it here first, folks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coy Wire, we're going to check in with you again.

We'll be right back.

WIRE: Take care.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:36:38]

WHITFIELD: All right, this just in. Employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have now learned that their headquarters in Washington, D.C., will shut down this week. The announcement comes after newly installed OMB Director Russell Vought sent an email last night to the watchdog group ordering that they cease all work.

That work includes fighting financial abuse, providing oversight to payday lenders, big banks and other financial institutions that could be hurting consumers. It also oversees $18 trillion in consumer debt.

Joining us now, CNN global economic analyst and global business columnist and associate editor for "The Financial Times", Rana Foroohar.

Rana, great to see you. Okay. So these employees of this agency, you know, must be apoplectic right now. They're maybe even racing to the building now to see what they can retrieve, because tomorrow they may not be able to get in.

So help people understand the CFPB -- I know I gave a little synopsis of the things that they do, but help break down what is it that it that that agency does.

RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: For sure, Fredricka. I mean, this is, I think, one of the most important agencies in Washington. It was founded after the great financial crisis. It was championed by Elizabeth Warren. It has been headed by a number of successful directors that have done all kinds of things, you know, fight all kinds of consumer fraud, basically act as watchdogs for American consumers at a time when debt and, you know, potential financial risk is actually growing in the system.

So it's concerning on its face. I mean, this is, to my mind, not the kind of agency that you'd want to be shutting down or even cutting at a time when debt is at record levels. There is all kinds of algorithmic financial fraud out there. There's a lot of opacity in the system.

But the other thing I would say is its unclear to me yet, but its possible that this could be a sort of a USAID type move where you see the Trump administration and DOGE, Musk going in and saying, we don't think this entire body should exist. If that is the case, you can bet you're going to see a lot of lawyers filing lawsuits, because, as we've already seen, you know, Democrats and some thoughtful Republicans are actually challenging what Musk and the president are doing in shutting down some of these agencies.

WHITFIELD: So with scams and fraud on the rise, you know, why would you not want this kind of agency operating?

FOROOHAR: You know, I have to think that this is somewhat political. The CFPB is an agency that has been more associated with Democratic administrations. As I mentioned, it was championed by Elizabeth Warren. It's very much associated with the post-2008 Democratic scrutiny of the financial system.

And so, you know, I think that that would be a reason to look into it if you're coming from this White House, I also think, you know, that there's a possibility that there could be some trimming to be done. That's something that you can argue. Nobody argues that, you know, there's no reason for more government, not, you know, reason not to have more government efficiency.

But you cannot go in and simply shut down congressionally funded agencies. That's-- that's illegal, and it's supposed to go out as lawsuits are filed.

[14:40:02]

WHITFIELD: Right. It's supposed to go through Congress, but -- right, this is where we are. Instead, it you know, there is a reliance now on class action suits, et cetera, and to see where that goes in the court system.

So, meantime, dozens of House Democrats have signed a letter to rescind what appears to be an illegal stop work order at the CFPB. Is -- is that going to be effective, or is that really just kind of the, you know, the first shot?

FOROOHAR: Well, you know, one of the things I've actually been very impressed by in the last few weeks is that the court system is working, right? You know, when you -- when you see the president trying to pull back on federal aid, you see lawsuits filed, you see temporary restraining orders, you see Musk trying to meddle in the treasury plumbing. You see two federal judges coming forward and saying, here's a restraining order.

So I think the courts are taking these kinds of actions very seriously. And I think even conservative court members are really loathe to mess around with article one of the Constitution that says it's up to Congress, not the president. WHITFIELD: However, the White House did respond to a federal judges

order blocking Elon Musk's, you know, DOGE team from accessing the Treasury Department's payment system, calling it judicial overreach. The Treasury Department issues tax refunds for Americans who overpay their taxes, if Musk and his team are allowed to follow through.

Do you see that potentially tax refunds are going to be interrupted here?

FOROOHAR: Well, what I can tell you is that if you have access to this kind of data and payments information, whoever has that access, Musk, you know, folks at the Treasury, you do have the ability with read and write access to shift payments, to delay payments, to get access to people's bank accounts or institutional bank accounts. I mean, this is a tremendous trove of information, and it's a real privacy violation for anybody except for authorized officials to be in that database.

WHITFIELD: Okay. Rana Foroohar, thank you so much.

FOROOHAR: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: So before Russell Vought was appointed OMB director, he was a key author behind the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 policy initiatives. And his writings offer a glimpse into what else the Trump administration may target.

CNN's Brian Todd has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He doesn't have the flash of Elon Musk, but 48-year-old Russell Vought could soon be upending the workings of the U.S. government every bit as much as Musk has.

JOHN BRESNAHAN, CO-FOUNDER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS: Very controversial figure, very aggressive on the power of the executive branch, on the power of the presidency.

TODD: Vought, President Trump's pick to head the Office of Management and Budget, is cast by top Democrats as a dangerous and destructive choice to lead that agency.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), MINORITY LEADER: Russell Vought wants to cast chaos across America.

TODD: But to many Republicans and Trump loyalists in particular, Vought is just the person to slash the ranks of a bloated bureaucracy and to grab some key powers from Congress and hand them to the president.

RUSSELL VOUGHT, OMB DIRECTOR NOMINEE: I do believe that there are bureaucracies that are weaponized against the American people.

TODD: Vought served as OMB director at the end of the first Trump administration. But it was his work when Trump was out of office that has drawn the ire of Democrats. Vought wrote a key chapter of Project 2025, a 900-page blueprint for Trump's second term that would impose an ultra conservative social agenda and enhance Trump's power.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: In that chapter, he wrote a lot about how he believed that the president has really expansive authority. The president can do almost anything that the president wants to do.

TODD: Specifically, Vought wants to hand more of the government's purse strings over to the president's control, for the Trump administration to not have to spend the money that Congress tells it to.

BARRON-LOPEZ: They believe that that the president has the power to stop payments and to redirect money how they see fit.

TODD: Last year, in a hotel suite, Vought spoke to two men who he thought were relatives of a wealthy conservative donor. They turned out to be with a British nonprofit journalistic outlet and were secretly recording him.

He spoke about his behind the scenes efforts to plan Trump's second term.

VOUGHT: I want to be the person that crushes the deep state. I think there's a lot of different ways to do that.

TODD: During the campaign, Trump repeatedly disavowed any connection to Project 2025.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Project 2025, I've said 100 times, I know nothing about it. I had nothing to do.

TODD: But a CNN analysis of Trump's executive orders from his first week in office found more than two thirds of those orders reflected proposals outlined by Project 2025, including his orders to crack down on illegal immigration, to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and to undo environmental restrictions on oil and gas exploration.

BRESNAHAN: The blueprint was there inside Project 2025 no matter what Trump tried to say and we're seeing it via his executive orders and some of the actions they're taking.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[14:45:01]

TODD (on camera): There are at least a couple of issues where President Trump has actually gone against what Project 2025 recommended. President Trump ordered a pause on the ban on TikTok in the U.S., a ban that project 2025 was strongly in favor of. Project 2025 had also pushed for the administration to reverse federal approval of abortion pills. Trump recently said he was unlikely to limit access to those pills.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington. WHITFIELD: New York City agencies have been directed to let ICE search

schools and hospitals have staff feel, quote, threatened. How some local officials are fighting back, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:50:21]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

We're learning this week that senior officials in the White House are pressuring ICE to pick up the pace of migrant arrests, according to sources familiar with the discussions. And it's coming as cities like New York are still grappling with their response to potential immigration agents showing up in places like hospitals or churches.

CNN national correspondent Gloria Pazmino is following the latest developments.

Gloria, New York Mayor Eric Adams issued a memo to city workers that sparked criticism from lawmakers and advocates. What was in it?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Fred. This guidance was sent to city workers last month, but it was last week that a lot of the advocates and other Democrats here in the city caught wind of it.

And the reason they're so upset is because they say that the memo essentially leaves too much gray area in terms of how city employees are supposed to react if law enforcement from a federal agency shows up on their door. The memo outlines some of the basic steps that we have been talking about in the last few weeks. You know, ask for an ID, request to see a warrant, call the city's lawyer.

But then it also says that if city employees feel threatened or if they fear for their safety, they are allowed to step aside and let the federal law enforcement agents in.

That's what's upset so many of the Democrats here in the city, and migrant advocates who say that there is too much ambiguity for city workers in terms of how to react. They also say it encourages ICE to come into the city and do aggressive enforcement. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANA MARIA ARCHILA, CO-DIRECTOR, NY WORKING FAMILIES PARTY: New York city is a proud sanctuary city. We made it. So Eric Adams sent a guidance to city workers, encouraging them to give away the power that the law has granted them. He has told city workers that if they feel intimidated by an ICE officer, they should open the doors of our schools, of our hospitals --

(BOOS)

ARCHILA: -- of our city agencies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now, city hall has told me that this memo was just an attempt to remind its employees of how to respond if they are in this situation. And they say that ultimately, public safety and the safety of those workers is their primary concern.

Now, this is all happening in the context of sanctuary cities, right? You saw Ana Maria Archila there talking about the fact that New York City is a sanctuary city. Now, we are learning from a source familiar with the plan that officials in Los Angeles, another sanctuary city jurisdiction, are expecting to see immigration enforcement happening this month.

And that is part of what has led several other cities across the country, some in the West Coast, others here in the East Coast, to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that the Trump administration is targeting these sanctuary city jurisdictions. They specifically cite the Trump executive order, which says that if sanctuary cities do not comply or do not help to enforce this immigration crackdown, they could see the loss of federal funding, which these cities allege is illegal. So this will likely play out in court.

But in the meantime, a lot of discussion here in New York City over how employees should be discussing and whether or not this mayor is doing enough to make sure that the city's migrant community feels like they are safe -- Fred.

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

On Friday, President Trump announced that new reciprocal tariffs against all of America's trading partners could go in place this week. What this could mean for the price of your guacamole after today's game.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:59:03]

WHITFIELD: All right. President Trump says he's not finished with tariffs, telling reporters that he will announce so-called reciprocal tariffs on several countries this week. While it's not clear what form those tariffs would take.

CNN's Valeria Leon explains how this could play out in the produce aisle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Super Bowl weekend is here and millions are stocking up on game day essentials. One of the key ingredients found in American kitchens, the Mexican avocado.

ALVARO LUQUE, PRESIDENT AND CEO, "AVOCADOS FROM MEXICO": The American market is in love with our fruit.

LEON: Mexican avocados pouring into the U.S. with profits reaching the billions. And Super Bowl Sunday is its biggest day.

LUQUE: It is an event that still is huge for -- for the Mexican industry. We are in the -- in the four weeks leading up to the event, were importing close to a 250 million pounds of avocados.

LEON: But the industry may soon face revenue challenges if U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threat is carried out.