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FEMA Chief Steps Down as Trump Admin Prepared to Oust Him; Trump Flips, Urges Republicans to Vote to Release Epstein Files; Homeland Security Says 130 Arrested in Charlotte Immigration Crackdown; Charlotte Officials Says Crackdown Causing Unnecessary Fear. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired November 17, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: -- is critical because we know the new FEMA Review Council is going to be putting forward a long list of reforms. At least we're expecting that in the coming weeks, right after hurricane season ends. We're going to see DHS and Kristi Noem potentially make a lot of changes. This one might just be the first. We know that a woman named Karen Evans, the current FEMA Chief of Staff, who is a longtime ally of the Trump administration serving in the Department of Homeland Security, she's taking over FEMA for now. We're not sure exactly how long that'll last, but again, you can expect a lot of changes at FEMA. This just the first one.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Gabe Cohen, thank you so much for that reporting. A new hour of "CNN News Central" starts right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": An important House vote on the release of the Epstein files expected tomorrow. In the meantime, President Trump takes a new position when it comes to that vote. We'll have the latest from the White House and Capitol Hill. Plus, a community on edge. Charlotte, North Carolina becomes the latest target in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. We're live on the ground with an update. And President Trump's new efforts to address affordability includes reversing his own trade war. He's teasing what he calls "some pretty good price reductions" after rolling back some of his own tariffs. Ahead, what this all means for your wallet.

We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to "CNN News Central."

We're standing by to see if President Trump will take any new questions during a live event at the White House following his abrupt U-turn on the Epstein files. Just last night, he told House Republicans to vote yes on a bill that would compel the Justice Department to release all of the Epstein files. The president saying in part, "We have nothing to hide, it's time to move on." And adding, "I don't care." But just 48 hours before those words, a much different tune when he called any Republican planning to support the effort weak and foolish. Also worth noting the president does not need Congress to compel the release of the files. He could ask the DOJ to do it right now.

CNN's Alayna Treene is live for us at the White House. Alayna, what are you learning?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, look, I think, as you clearly stated, Brianna, this was a stark reversal from what the president has been saying and what really the position of this entire White House has been for weeks now. Part of the line that they have been sharing repeatedly was that there was no need to release more files because they believe that they released everything -- the Justice Department released everything that they could. Of course, now we're seeing the president, saying move forward with this vote and encouraging them to do so.

And from what I'm hearing is that look, they recognize that this was going to be a losing battle for them. If you listen to Republican Thomas Massie yesterday, he's of course one of the people who has been pushing this from the start alongside his Democratic colleague, Ro Khanna. He said he believed there'd be at least a hundred House Republicans who supported this. This is before the president gone online and encouraged the party to support this.

And look, I think a lot of this is because there's much frustration with the president, but he's recognized that this story that he has repeatedly tried to brush aside, to dismiss as a Democratic hoax as he had been doing repeatedly over the weekend, that's not happening. And so now, it's almost this question of if you're not going to be able to succeed in stopping it, why not try to own it? But it does raise major questions, Brianna, about what could happen in the Senate because it did appear, of course, as we've reported that this vote tomorrow in the House is going to succeed by big margins. But it was very unclear what would happen in the Senate.

We heard from Senate Majority Leader, John Thune essentially saying he didn't know if it was necessary to have a vote on this. Again, using that line that there have been so many documents already released. But now that the president is giving cover to many Republicans, I mean that is a big part of all of this, a lot of people putting their names to this vote and openly defying the president was going to be a tough thing for them, but they were going to do it anyway. But now, there's that question of whether or not Republicans in the Senate will feel emboldened to do this, all to say watch this space very closely and hopefully, we'll hear more from the president on this issue in the next hour or so.

KEILAR: All right, we'll be looking for that. Alayna, thank you. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Today, the Department of Homeland Security posted this video of a van that officials say was "weaponized" against law enforcement during an operation in North Carolina. DHS says the van tried to ram officers, injuring one of them and the driver, an American citizen, was arrested. It's another confrontation erupting in Charlotte, the latest target of President Trump's immigration crackdown. DHS reports so far, officers have arrested more than 130 people in the first two days of what the department is calling Operation Charlotte's Web. Multiple witnesses described fear and terror as masked agents made arrests, including a Honduran immigrant who says he's a U.S. citizen with a real ID. Moments before this happened, the man faced this.

[14:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[Foreign Language]

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SANCHEZ: Border officials said the man refusing to follow their orders. He was eventually released. CNN's Dianne Gallagher is live for us in Charlotte. Dianne, walk us through what you're hearing from folks there about what they're experiencing.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boris, how about I show you? Do you see this right here? All over the city right now, businesses, especially those that are owned by and catered to immigrants are closing today across town. The plaza I'm in right now, it is mostly Latino-owned. Doors like this all over the entire plaza. And that's because on Sunday, and again this morning, they say that Border Patrol Agents were in the parking lot that they came and they started chasing people through.

And in fact, on Sunday, the owners of this Laundromat tell me that they came through here. They came inside, a person ran in through this Laundromat, and they chased this person out the back door of their Laundromat, which then caused the other people who were inside here to panic and start running as well. This Laundromat is open today, but they say it's been completely dead. Hardly anyone is here and they've kept the door locked. So they only open it for customers as they're coming in.

Many of the people that I've spoken with say that they feel profiled by this operation, that they feel like it's not being targeted to those who may have been violent or have serious criminal records. And instead, it's simply operating by looking for Latinos. I spoke with a baker over the weekend and again today, who shut his shop down for the first time in more than a quarter century to not put his customers at risk.

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MANOLO BETANCUR, OWNER, MANOLO'S BAKERY: I employ almost 35 people and we pay thousands of thousands of dollars. Man, I own three more businesses. And I work and prove the American Dream exists, man. We are hardworking people. We believe in this nation. We love this nation. My kids were born in this nation. I will fight and I will die for this nation. And now, these crazy racist people are doing this to us, man. They're not chasing criminals; they're chasing bakers like me.

(END VIDEO CLIP) GALLAGHER: Now look, DHS has said that this is a targeted operation that they're looking for violent criminals who have been released in the state of North Carolina. Again, more than 120 people have been arrested in just those two days of the weekend. We're also seeing a lot of this. It may be difficult to see, but out there on the street, those are members of the community who've been wearing vests. They have whistles on and they're looking for SUVs, anything that looks like it might be Border Patrol behavior, they're blowing the whistles, honking horns and letting people who might be in parking lots businesses know that there could be some activity nearby, and to either get out of the way or to keep going and go home.

Again, we're seeing a lot of this at this point. Much of the concern today, Boris, has been the fact that school was back in session. Some of those community watch members say that they were paying particular attention to the school ground areas to make sure that pickup and drop off did not potentially target some of those parents who might be dropping students off, they said.

SANCHEZ: And Dianne, we understand that there's another city in North Carolina that is making preparations in case Border Patrol heads in that direction.

GALLAGHER: That's right, Asheville, of course known for beautiful mountains. It's a wonderful community to go and visit. The mayor of Asheville said that they also believe that they could potentially be targeted by Border Patrol. Now, CNN does not have any sourcing that indicates that is in fact the case. But look, Asheville's only about a two-and-a-half hour drive from Charlotte. So it's not out of the realm that some of these agents, while they're here in North Carolina, could visit there.

The mayor said that they're preparing for that. I will also note that the governor has said that he's asking people in North Carolina to go ahead and protest, that's fine. But please remain peaceful and vigilant. Record anything that you see that might be considered inappropriate behavior, he said.

SANCHEZ: Dianne Gallagher, live for us in Charlotte. Thank you so much, Dianne. Still to come, as the Pentagon sends more assets to the Southern Caribbean, can there still be a peaceful solution to tensions between President Trump and Venezuela. Plus, a flood emergency for California. How more rain could bring disastrous mudslides to places left scarred by recent wildfires. And up next, new reaction from Jeffrey Epstein's accusers. We're going to hear from an attorney for several survivors after President Trump's about-face on releasing the full files. That and much more coming your way on "CNN News Central."

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[14:14:20]

SANCHEZ: Tomorrow, the House is expected to vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files, a moment many of Epstein's victims have been waiting years for. And on the eve of this important vote, several of the survivors are demanding accountability, speaking out in a new PSA. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was me when I met Jeffrey Epstein.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is me when I met Jeffrey Epstein.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are about a thousand of us.

[14:15:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's time to bring the secrets out of the shadows. It's time to shine a light into the darkness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: With us now, an attorney representing eight of Epstein's accusers, Adam Horowitz. Adam, thank you so much for being with us. Just to start, your reaction on President Trump's reversal on this, going from being against this discharge petition to now telling Republicans they should vote for it.

ADAM HOROWITZ, ATTORNEY FOR EPSTEIN ACCUSERS: Yeah, this is quite a dramatic turn by the president, as big a change as you'll see him make. And but let's be clear, the alternative would've been worse for him. He would've been facing a sharp rebuke from Republican Congress members. So, it was probably a necessary move for him to make. But we're glad to see that he is in support of this bill. And hopefully, some more records will soon see the light of day.

SANCHEZ: What is your clients and your reaction to news that Pam Bondi is going to be investigating some of the folks that are mentioned in these files, mostly adversaries of President Trump?

HOROWITZ: Right. And thank you for asking that question because one of the things that the clients that I'm speaking with, want to see is politics taken out of the equation. A crime is a crime, no matter your party, and victims do not want this turned into a political weapon. They simply want justice. And yet, almost every statement from this president and his administration has injected politics into the issue, falsely, at times calling it a Democrat hoax, a scam, and even attacking his own supporters for demanding accountability.

So, that's what victims don't want. Our clients come from every back background. I represent abuse survivors who are Democrats, who are Republicans. They don't want this turned into a political football in which only the president's opponents become the target of a criminal investigation.

SANCHEZ: And I wonder if you're concerned that given that there are potential investigations, DOJ may then evoke these investigations as a reason to not fully release all the files? HOROWITZ: Right. That's a concern. On the one hand, you have the president now calling for the release of records, and at the same breath, he's asking the Attorney General to investigate certain people. And it could be turned into a situation where the Attorney General says, well, we can investigate but we can't release the records. And so, that is a bit of a concern.

SANCHEZ: How do you know if DOJ does release everything that they have on this? It's difficult to know what may still be out there, if you don't have a full understanding of the compendium of records related to Epstein.

HOROWITZ: Well, that's exactly right, because these records have been kept secret for so many years, it's difficult to know if we'll get the full accounting. And what clients want above all else is transparency. They want the public to finally see how law enforcement failed them and how Epstein and his accomplices received preferential treatment. We still don't have the full story of how Epstein secured this sweetheart deal, and how the system failed at every level.

SANCHEZ: We know that the prosecutor at the time in South Florida, who wound up being President Trump's Labor Secretary, Alex Acosta, was directly tied to the outcome of that deal. He testified before Congress. A lot of folks I heard from were dissatisfied by his testimony. What other questions do your clients have for Acosta?

HOROWITZ: Well, the ultimate question is why did this deal get entered into? Why were the victims shamed? Why were they disbelieved? Why was Epstein not only given such a light sentence, but all of his accomplices were given immunity? This is such an unusual move, that these are types of questions that we need answers to.

SANCHEZ: On the question of Ghislaine Maxwell, as we know, she's serving her sentence at a minimum security prison where she was moved. Our MJ Lee has some new reporting that Maxwell is receiving special privileges. Officials told her that some of that simply has to do with safety concerns. What is your reaction to hearing that news?

HOROWITZ: Yeah, highly unusual move for a sex trafficker convicted to 20 years in jail to be transferred to a minimum security prison, much less the day after meeting with the Deputy Attorney General, highly unusual move. We still haven't gotten answers to why that ever took place. And so, when hear from the current administration that they want the records to now see the light of day, we'd like to see records about why Maxwell's transfer happened as well.

[14:20:00]

SANCHEZ: There's a lot of chatter out there about a possible commutation of her sentence or a pardon. Her attorneys have denied making either of those requests, but if that does reach President Trump's desk, what would be your message to him?

HOROWITZ: Well, look, President Trump campaigned on a promise that these records would be released and that anybody who was responsible for abusing children would be held accountable. But in practice, what we've seen is the preferential treatment for Maxwell and the delay in getting these records released. The message to the president and the administration, if Maxwell were to be pardoned or her sentence were to be committed, would be to that you are not really on the side of survivors. You are not on the side of victims if you are pardoning a sex trafficker who's been convicted.

SANCHEZ: Adam Horowitz, we have to leave the conversation there. Thanks so much for being with us this afternoon.

HOROWITZ: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Still to come, a tariff turnaround from President Trump. Will his reversal on certain imports help make the holiday shopping season a bit more affordable for consumers? And later, CNN takes you inside the Command Center in Southern Israel where U.S. planners are laying the groundwork for phase two of the Gaza ceasefire plan. That and much more coming your way.

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[14:26:12]

KEILAR: The Trump administration just rolled back his reciprocal tariffs on certain agricultural imports like coffee and bananas. It's the president's response to growing backlash over rising sticker shock. Recent data shows average grocery prices were nearly 3 percent higher in September compared to the same time last year. And the question now is, will Trump's tariff exemptions work? CNN's Senior Reporter Matt Egan is with us now on this story. Matt, could grocery shoppers soon see some relief when they are checking out?

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Brianna, this tariff reversal could be helpful when it comes to food prices, but economists and trade experts, they stress this is not likely to be a silver bullet that suddenly makes groceries cheap again. But this is a significant reversal from the president on one of his core issues, which of course is tariffs. So the administration has announced that dozens of agricultural imports are going to be shielded from the president's own tariffs, including everything from coffee and tropical fruit to spices, beef, tomatoes, oranges as well. All of them are going to be shielded from most of the president's tariffs.

Now, this is significant because obviously, it comes at a time when prices have been going up pretty significantly. Banana prices up by 7 percent over the past year. Beef 15 percent and coffee 19 percent as well. All three of these things were facing double-digit tariffs from the Trump administration. Now, take a listen to White House economist, Kevin Hassett, talk about what all this means when it comes to prices.

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KEVIN HASSETT, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL OF THE UNITED STATES: The prices for those goods weren't necessarily going up just because of tariffs. And so --

JONATHAN KARL, ABC CO-ANCHOR OF "THIS WEEK" AND CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: So, they might not go down?

HASSETT: The prices will go down. Well, the prices will go down of course, but --

KARL: But because the tariffs have been taken off?

HASSETT: Right. Well, and because the supply of the goods into the U.S. is going to increase.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

EGAN: Now economists though, they say that this is likely to be more gradual than a game changer. And that's for a couple reasons. One, there's no guarantee that wholesalers and retailers are going to share any potential tariff savings with consumers. Once stores take price increases, they're pretty reluctant to lower those prices And The other thing is this is not only about tariffs. There's other issues at play including extreme weather and shortages of workers as well.

Now, let's just take a look at the timeline and how we got here. So remember it was just about a year ago when then candidate Trump was promising to lower grocery prices on day one. Now that never happened, in part because it just wasn't realistic, right? Prices generally don't plunge outside of an emergency or a deep recession. Then in April, the president imposed historically high tariffs. Inflation ended up hitting 3 percent in September, in part because of tariffs, and then Democrats swept those key elections just two weeks ago. And now, the president is rolling back food tariffs.

But I talked to Scott Lincicome over at the Cato Institute and he said that this reversal from the administration, it really undermines the president's arguments on tariffs in a few different ways, right? First off, if they were arguing that tariffs wouldn't increase prices, then why are they saying that lowering tariffs is going to lower prices? Also, the president had argued that only foreigners were paying for the tariffs. Yet, this reversal suggests that that's not the case, right? If foreigners were the only ones paying for tariffs, why not keep tariffs high to keep chipping away at the federal deficit?

And lastly, the administration has argued that there's a national emergency that has justified these tariffs in the first place. If that were the case, then a couple of bad elections in New Jersey and Virginia shouldn't cause a complete reversal on tariffs. So look, bottom line, it could be helpful that the administration is dialing back tariffs a little bit, but economists say it's not going to be a game changer that suddenly makes groceries cheap again. The best-case scenario, Brianna, is that price increases at the grocery store, they slow to just a gradual --