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Arab Americans React To Gaza Takeover Proposal; Trump Continues His Revenge Tour; Judge Pauses Deadline For Trump's Resignation Offer; New Orleans Ramps Up Security Ahead Of Today's Big Game; New York City Memo Urges Sparks Outrage Among Advocates; President Trump Arrives In New Orleans For Super Bowl LIX; Kremlin Won't Confirm Or Deny Putin Had Call With Trump; North Korea Has A New Plan To Entice Tourists; Fun And Familiarity Take Over Super Bowl Ads. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired February 09, 2025 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: The group Arab Americans for Trump last week changed its name to Arab Americans for Peace after the president's comments on removing Palestinians from Gaza. The head of the group spoke with CNN's Victor Blackwell this weekend and explained the change.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BISHARA BAHBAH, CHAIRMAN, ARAB AMERICAN FOR PEACE: The Arab Americans for Trump was created to help President Trump win the elections. We wanted an end to the war in Gaza primarily, and the president also promised us a lasting peace in the Middle East that is satisfactory to all parties. Based on those two promises, we lent our -- the president our vote.

Now, when he started suggesting that relocating Gazans, which is against international law, against Palestinian interests, against the continuity of a Palestinian state between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, we could not come out with a statement under the title of Arab Americans for Trump. First of all, we're not a cult. Secondly, we want peace. We started supporting the president because we wanted peace. And as a result, we changed the name.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Several key Arab nations, including Jordan and Egypt, have said they will not support Trump's plan for Gaza.

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

All right. At any moment now, President Trump will land in New Orleans, where he will be the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl. It comes as he is doubling down on his dismantling of government agencies. In a new pre-Super Bowl television interview that just aired, Trump argues he has a mandate from the American people to eliminate wasteful spending, and he's vowing more drastic cuts on the way. The president also repeated his desire to make Canada the 51st state. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS HOST: You know, the prime minister said this weekend to a group of Canadian businessman, he was in a private meeting, he said that your wish for Canada to be the 51st state is a, quote, "real thing." Is it a real thing?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes, it is. I think Canada would be much better off being a 51st state because we lose $200 billion a year with Canada, and I'm not going to let that happen. It's too much. Why are we paying $200 billion a year essentially in subsidy to Canada? Now if they're a 51st state, I don't mind doing it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Betsy Klein is joining us right now.

Betsy, what more can you tell us about this new interview?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, Fredricka, President Trump campaigned and said in a town hall back in 2024 that he would not have time for retribution as president. He'd be too busy making the U.S. successful again. But as we have seen over the past three weeks, President Trump is really expanding and reimagining how he uses that executive authority and using that authority at times to target people who he perceives as political enemies.

Now, we saw that during the first few days of his administration, as he was issuing those fast and furious executive orders, we saw him issue executive orders, weakening protections for federal workers. We saw him pull the security details from a number of officials from his first administration, as well as reassigning or dismissing Department of Justice career officials. But new moves over the past few days have really underscored a president intent on settling scores.

We saw him on Friday announced that he was revoking the security clearance for former president Joe Biden, a move that Biden himself did to Trump back in 2021. He announced plans to gut the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees and insert himself as the chairman of that board. He announced that he would be dismissing the National Archivist, and he also stripped additional officials of their security details, including former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who of course remains under threat from Iran due to his own actions during that first Trump administration.

Now, we are also seeing DOGE, the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, start to tap into different parts of the government and work to slash federal spending, but also root out people who could be deemed to be disloyal to the Trump administration.

Now, for his part, President Trump has been emboldened by his November victory, and he told FOX in that interview airing just moments ago he believes he has a mandate. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: 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)

[16:05:09]

KLEIN: Taken together, these actions over the past few days really underscore a president intent on settling scores, new and old, but also confidence in his administration's ability to fight any potential legal challenges -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. And, Betsy, as for today, with Trump landing now in New Orleans, he'll be the first sitting president at a Super Bowl game. What else does he have on tap there?

KLEIN: That's right. He told FOX in that interview he didn't know he was going to be the history making first sitting president at a Super Bowl, but said he thought it would be good for the country for him to go. He also announced that he believes the Kansas City Chiefs will win the Super Bowl, offering some praise to Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback there.

We've also learned, according to a White House official, that while he is in town, President Trump will participate in a meet-and-greet with different members of the New Orleans Police Department, first responders, other emergency personnel, as well as the honorary coin toss participants for the game and family members of the victims of that terror attack on Bourbon Street on New Year's Day -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Lots going on. Thank you so much, Betsy Klein.

All right. Tomorrow, a federal judge will hear arguments on the Trump administration's offer of buyouts for federal workers. The judge paused last Thursday's deadline for employees to accept the resignation offer, and may decide on the legality of the action at this new hearing.

I'm joined now by Kevin Owen. He is an employment attorney who represents federal employees.

Kevin, great to see you.

KEVIN OWEN, PARTNER, GILBERT EMPLOYMENT LAW: Great to be here. Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, Kevin, with these court ordered delays in place, you know, what are you advising federal employees to contemplate, assess or even believe?

OWEN: So federal employees are being asked in a very short order to make life-changing decisions about their careers, about their retirements, and about the financial security for themselves and their families. And so what we are telling them is to pause, assess what you're actually being offered here, and to really look at the benefits that you may be giving up if you accept this offer that has gone out via e-mail over the last couple of days.

One of the main concerns that we're having and hearing from people is the terms keep changing, and it's a moving target. And so we have to sometimes revisit with people over and over again, so they are clear on their rights.

WHITFIELD: So among those things, you know, some of these proposed Trump administration buyouts are suggesting federal employees who take it, might get paid through September. So first of all -- and I see that expression from you. You're like not, don't really believe it. You're skeptical of that. But I wonder if you can express your skepticism and then also explain what are usually, I guess, what's customary for civil servants and the separation process? I mean, buyouts are something that are commonplace in private enterprise, but not in the federal government if you're an employee.

OWEN: So this isn't actually even a buyout. There is a government program for federal employees to have a buyout, and that's called a VSIP, voluntary separation incentive pay, that is not on the table here. And so when people think of this as a buyout, they're really being mistaken and misled. What is really going on here is they're just resigning or retiring in the future now. And the government is saying that that's irrevocable. So something changes and Congress does not appropriate funds after March 14th.

They may be -- the employees may be left holding the bag. They may have no income. They may have no guaranteed security for this deal.

WHITFIELD: OK. So that was your eyebrow raising. That was the skepticism that we're seeing there because, you know, let's just put it out there. You know, if you are among the 60,000 federal employees who have signed up for this, let's not call it a buyout anymore, but, you know, and the whole thing falls through, are there any protections for you to even get your job back? I mean, you talked about the benefits that you might be giving up, but might you get your job back potentially?

OWEN: So the government, in the versions of the contracts that are out there, are asserting that employees are waiving their future rights to challenge what happens to them if they even take this offer. And so what we're really looking at here is a significant concern with millions of people potentially buying themselves into a lawsuit, and the government may wind up having to pay out all of the money that they're being promised now and potentially even return these employees to the rolls in the future.

WHITFIELD: Wow. It's a lot, a lot for people to consider. And hopefully they are paying attention. Right? And maybe even calling you for more advice.

OWEN: Yes. [16:10:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. Kevin Owen, thank you so much.

OWEN: Thank you for having me.

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

CNN has exclusively learned that blockbuster movie director Michael Bay was tapped to produce the ad. Sources telling CNN that 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 of course because the president is visiting and because of that New Year's Day attack. But right now it looks like they're just having fun and feeling very safe. Right?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the good news so far. No significant security updates from authorities because everything has been really chill so far in terms of the security posture. It's the fans that have really been having a good time here and enjoying some of the extra security as we're standing here. I mean, look, you even have famous people like Rob Lowe standing across the way over there, having a good time and throwing beads down to the fans.

And you look down the street here, you can see the streamline of people just going everywhere. This is more than 75 blocks going in either direction in terms of people just having a good time and coming out for the fans.

Now, look, the security here is increased with drones in the air, radiation detection devices. They're also looking at social media posts from around the area to make sure nothing is weird being posted around the Super Bowl. Take a listen to some of the fans that we talked to about how they feel about the security efforts in place for the Super Bowl.

(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: Yes, want to have and you understand that. But this is a scene of so much tragedy. It was put up the statement from the White House. You can see what the president posted before arriving here. And you add the fact that the president -- this will be the first sitting president ever to witness a Super Bowl. And we know there's so much attention put on this game because how important it means.

But you can see in this White House statement they're thinking about the victims of that terrorist attack, the 14 who were killed and the 35 injured. It was right here on the street. The security on every block is something to really see as we walked up and down the street for the last few days. And we've been talking to some of the Air National Guardsmen, the police officers, they felt really proud about being a part of this.

People are high-fiving them as they go by. So it's that excitement, it's that energy. And then just the sheer excitement of a Super Bowl in a city like this. And then you add on the fact that this one is going to continue all the way through Mardi Gras. You can understand with hundreds of thousands of people walking the streets why they wanted to keep everyone safe.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Lots of fun there. All right. Thank you so much, Ryan Young.

All right. Coming up, a fast-moving winter storm bringing snow, sleet and ice to the northeast. And more winter storms are on the way. We'll have the week's forecast. Plus, elected officials in New York protest immigration policy that allows ICE agents to arrest migrants at sensitive locations, including schools and churches. A live report straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:18:01]

WHITFIELD: Earlier today, the Kansas governor issued a state of disaster emergency proclamation due to incoming winter weather expected to hit the state tomorrow. This comes as three more storms are expected to hit parts of the east in the coming week. While people in the south, they should brace for heavy rains and flooding.

Here's CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar.

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

[16:20:05]

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.

WHITFIELD: Allison Chinchar, thanks so much.

All right. Officials and immigration advocates in New York are pushing back today after a memo sent to city employees sparked confusion and backlash. Some sanctuary cities are still grappling with how they will respond to the real possibility of immigration agents showing up in protected places like hospitals and churches. And now, critics say New York City Mayor Eric Adams is catering to the Trump administration.

CNN national correspondent Gloria Pazmino is following the developments for us.

Gloria, what are you learning?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, there's significant sort of political subtext to consider here, given that Mayor Eric Adams has made it clear that he wants to cooperate with immigration enforcement when it comes to migrants who are accused of crimes here in New York City. He has made it clear that he thinks the sanctuary city laws go a bit too far here in New York City.

But this memo that you mentioned, as you said, it was sent to city employees and it specifically outlines how they are supposed to react if a federal law enforcement agent tries to get access to a city agency or to city property, and advocates and other Democrats here in the city have said that the memo leaves too much ambiguity, that it creates a gray area, essentially telling workers that if they feel threatened or if they fear for their safety, they should step aside and let the officers in. They say that that goes directly against the city's sanctuary city

laws, which say that the city will not cooperate when it comes to federal enforcement. Of course, all of this is playing out in the background, as Trump's immigration crackdown continues around the country and Democrats as well as migrant advocates here in New York are accusing the mayor of not doing enough to defend New Yorkers.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANA MARIA ARCHILA, CO-DIRECTOR, NEW YORK WORKING FAMILIES PARTY: New York City is a proud sanctuary city.

CROWD: Yes.

ARCHILA: We made it so. Eric Adams sent a guidance to city workers encouraging them to give away that 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, of our city agencies.

(CROWD BOOING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now, those officials you are seeing there say that this ultimately just encourages federal law enforcement to act intimidating or to approach a city agency in an aggressive manner that will eventually lead a city worker to simply let them in.

Now city hall has gotten back to me on this. They say that this is simply out of concern for the safety of their employees, which they say is their ultimate responsibility.

Now, Fred, we're also seeing reports that immigration enforcement is expected this month in Los Angeles. We have seen similar operations here in New York City, as well as in Chicago in recent days, I should say, and that now is at the very center of a lawsuit that's been filed in California. Several jurisdictions specifically sanctuary city jurisdictions alleging that the Trump administration is unfairly and illegally targeting them as a result of that status.

As we know, the Trump executive order that was signed recently directs the federal government to withhold federal grants to sanctuary cities or to places that do not cooperate with his immigration enforcement. So the city is now trying to take this issue to court, where we are expecting it will play out over the next several days, even as more enforcement is expected -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Gloria Pazmino, thanks so much.

Coming up, hours away now from the Super Bowl and the anticipation is building. We'll have a live report from New Orleans, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [16:29:03]

WHITFIELD: All right. Live pictures right now of Air Force One landing there in New Orleans. President Trump, soon to be the first sitting U.S. president to attend a Super Bowl game. And you can see the weather is not cooperative. But that's OK. The Superdome, it will be indoors. But the president does have a number of other stops and events that he will be attending to while he is there in New Orleans.

Of course, the big focus is the big game and all the fun to be had there. It's already being had, but there's more to come. Our Coy Wire has been in the middle of all of it throughout.

So what's going on now?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Fredricka, this game, this Super Bowl LIX, this rematch from the Super Bowl two seasons ago is about to be like that big old bowl of chicken and andouille sausage gumbo I had last night. Spicy and scrumptious.

Can the Eagles get revenge after that heartbreaking loss? Or will those Chiefs pull off that first ever three-peat Super Bowl titles.

[16:30:02]

We shall see.

Now, these Chiefs, they haven't had like that dominant form that we've seen them in the past, but we still keep finding ways to win, despite taking every single team's best shot every single week, all season long. It's been like those other teams' Super Bowl, just to get to play against the two-time defending champs. We caught up with some of the players and asked them about this championship mindset that they all possess. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE KARLAFTIS, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: We don't do any of this for the media, the attention or anything like that. We just want to win games by any means necessary.

DRUE TRANQUILL, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS LINEBACKER: We've got a great offense. We've got great special teams, and we've got a great defense. And I think playing good team football is what's allowed us to win a lot of games this year.

PATRICK MAHOMES, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS QUARTERBACK: It's just about winning the football game. And at the end of the day, that's what the ultimate goal is. And so that's what I've tried to do, especially this part of my career, is even though the stats might not be as flashy as they were in my first year, we've won a lot of football games and I'll always be proud of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right, Fredricka, who is going to win this big game? Don't ask me. We found some of the biggest stars in New Orleans this weekend for Super Bowl. We went to the best party maybe on the planet, not just in New Orleans. The fanatics party, the red carpet, AKA blue carpet, caught up with some of the stars to ask them who they think is going to win the big game. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA TAYLOR, NBC SPORTS HOST: If the Eagles win, it's because Saquon Barkley goes off and sets the tone from the very beginning because the pressure that he erases for Jalen Hurst is wild. Like if I'm number one and I see him behind me, I know that I can do anything. If the Chiefs win, it's because Patrick Mahomes has the ball at the end of the game, period, full stop.

ELI MANNING, TWO-TIME SUPER BOWL CHAMPION: I think the Eagles can jump out on him a little bit, but Kansas City always has that ability to play close games and to fight back and you get Patrick Mahomes in the second half. He's hard to slow down.

KRISTIN JUSZCZYK, FASHION DESIGNER: We're going to Switzerland in this, to be honest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

JUSZCZYK: We're hoping for the Niners to somehow make it in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right, Fredricka, prediction time. Earlier, we talked -- we were talking to some of the prop bets around this game. You said that John Batiste's national anthem was going to go longer than 120.5 seconds. You said that purple Gatorade would be poured on the winning coach. But I want to know, who is going to win this game, Fredricka, we feel that us. You're it.

WHITFIELD: I'm going to go with the Chiefs. Can I do that?

WIRE: Okay.

WHITFIELD: I'm going with the Chiefs.

WIRE: Well, you might not be wrong. There have been three times that quarterbacks have faced off in a rematch of the Super Bowl, all three times. It was a repeat winner. So, you might be right, but my bet's going on Philadelphia. I'm a Pennsylvania boy. I love the Chiefs, but how can I go against the bald Eagles, the Eagles? I'm bald, I can't do that. I'm going Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Eagles. I'm going to pull this one out and get revenge.

WHITFIELD: You know, I have no connections either. I'm just saying, you know, it's time for a little bit more history being made, and so let's go with the three-peat is all I'm saying. We'll see.

WIRE: What's not to love?

WHITFIELD: Okay. Coy Wire, have fun. We've been enjoying all the reports. I feel like we have been there with you.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:35:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. The Kremlin says it can neither confirm nor deny claims by President Trump that he has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump says in a new interview that he has a good relationship with Putin and that he and Putin have spoken.

Let's go more now with Simon Shuster. He's a senior correspondent at TIME. He's also the author of the book, The Showman, about Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the War in Ukraine. Great to see you, Simon.

So why would the Kremlin not confirm that the two might've spoken?

SIMON SHUSTER, AUTHOR, THE SHOWMAN: They've been very cagey about this for some time. I remember on the campaign trail President Trump, then- Candidate Trump, was repeatedly asked whether he had been speaking to President Putin and he said things to the effect of I can't comment on that. I can't talk about that. So, they are quite cagey about their conversations.

But one thing we know for sure is that these two leaders, now President Trump again and President Putin are preparing to talk, and the fear in Ukraine and Kyiv is that they're going to be talking about Ukraine without Ukraine in the room.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I mean, that seems like a legitimate concern. And then a short time ago, Ukraine's Zelenskyy said that he was willing to negotiate with Putin as long as the U.S. and Europe provide security guarantees. So, what do you think that means?

SHUSTER: Well, it's been quite an evolution in President Zelenskyy's rhetoric and his position, really, with regards to possible negotiations with Russia. Whereas a few months ago, certainly a year ago, he was still talking about Ukraine aspiring to reclaim all of the occupied territory from Russia, now he talks about security guarantees. It's a lower bar for success in possible negotiations. What he means by that is some promise, some strong reason to believe that Russia will not simply invade again in six months, a year, if they do achieve a ceasefire.

What that looks like is a big question. There are a lot of options on the table, but really nobody knows at this point.

WHITFIELD: Okay. And then let's show people the cover of TIME's current edition showing Elon Musk behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. You and your colleague, Brian Bennett, wrote the piece behind this cover story.

[16:40:01]

Now, of course, this isn't an actual picture. TIME created this image. But your story supports the inference here of Musk's existence executive power. Why did you go there?

SHUSTER: I mean, I think it's an image that consciously or unconsciously a lot of Americans have had in mind as they've watched Elon Musk work in the last days, just since the inauguration. I mean, he's deployed his team from the Department of Government Efficiency throughout the federal bureaucracy. And in many ways, he's wielded power on a level close to that of President Trump, which has left, I think, a lot of Americans thinking, who's the real president here, who's really wielding the power. That's why we have that image.

WHITFIELD: So, Musk is also, you know, looking beyond the U.S., right? He's weighed in on Germany's upcoming elections. How involved do you think Elon Musk may be?

SHUSTER: He's really trying to export the success of his support for Donald Trump. You know, he supported Donald Trump's campaign to the tune of $290 or so million. He had a huge get out to vote campaign. And I think he also provided what a lot of people have called a permission structure for people who wouldn't have voted for Trump originally to go ahead and vote for him. He's trying to do the same thing in many parts of Europe. In the U.K., in Germany, as you mentioned, he's encouraging voters in those countries to vote for the parties or candidates that Musk prefers.

What's behind that? What is the kind of overarching ideology? We don't really know. Those candidates tend to be right of center or even nationalist. Certainly in Germany that's been the case. But we see him exporting the style of political influence that he deployed to great effect in helping Trump.

WHITFIELD: So, for Elon Musk, is there only gain here or does he risk anything?

SHUSTER: I think there's a lot of risk. But, ultimately, the biggest risk is if he goes too far in hogging the limelight and eclipsing Donald Trump. You know, it's another thing that we were trying to get at in that cover image in the last issue of TIME Magazine. You know, I think his greatest worry is not crossing Trump. These are two men with big egos. Both of them are used to being in charge. Both of them are not used to sharing the limelight.

So, I think one thing that Musk should really be careful with is, you know, not stepping too far and crossing the president. I think that's very possible. It's something we'll see in the coming days and weeks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Simon Shuster, great to see you. Thank you so much.

SHUSTER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, planning a trip, perhaps? Have you considered North Korea? Why the hermit kingdom is making a pitch for tourists.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:45:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. If you're planning a vacation, Kim Jong-un wants you to consider North Korea. He's begun efforts to transform a remote town near the border of Russia and China into a must-see vacation destination.

CNN's Senior International Correspondent Will Ripley takes a look at the secretive country's tourism plans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Even by North Korean standards, Rason is not exactly a tourism hotspot, a remote economic zone closer to China and Russia than the capital, Pyongyang.

Rason is known for its shoe factory and banking system. There's also textile factory and sea cucumber breeding farm. A typical workday includes outdoor exercise, weather permitted.

In almost any other place, tourists probably wouldn't be lining up for the chance to open a bank account. But this is North Korea. The secret state has chosen Rason as its first post-pandemic destination for western tourists, allegedly.

SIMON COCKERELL, G.M., KORYO TOURS: Will it happen next week? Entirely possible. But will it be delayed? Entirely possible?

RIPLEY: Longtime tour operator Simon Cockerell knows there are no guarantees when it comes to North Korea. Simon's made nearly 200 trips. He says traveling there is not for everyone.

COCKERELL: You're choosing a highly restricted time in a very complicated country on a trip that your family will be worried about.

RIPLEY: And some say for good reason. American college student Otto Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor, accused of stealing a propaganda poster from his Pyongyang hotel. After 17 months in detention, he returned home in a persistent vegetative state and died days later.

The State Department has banned U.S. tourists from visiting North Korea ever since.

What's the number one thing you tell people not to do when they visit North Korea?

COCKERELL: Don't proselytize religiously. It's illegal. Don't break any law regardless of whether you agree with it or not, simple as that.

RIPLEY: Not as simple, for some anyway. The question, should tourists go?

What do you say to critics who argue people's money is basically supporting a regime and its illegal nuclear program? COCKERELL: It's not really supporting any of those things because the state of North Korea does not stand or fall on tourism revenue.

[16:50:00]

If it did, it would no longer exist.

RIPLEY: For the past year, North Korea has only allowed Russian tourists to visit. Soon, maybe, a handful of visitors from the West, arriving just in time for one of North Korea's biggest holidays, the late Kim Jong-il's birthday.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY (on camera): For now, only a handful of Western tourists are expected to be allowed back in if this happens. And we don't know if this is the beginning of a wider reopening or perhaps just an extremely limited test run, thus putting them in such an isolated city.

But one thing that we are noticing is that Chinese tourists have yet to return, which is interesting because you have a lot of Russian visitors, but no Chinese tourists back yet since the pandemic. Some say that may be a sign of Beijing's growing displeasure with Pyongyang's deepening ties with Moscow.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

WHITFIELD: Okay. So, now it's time to get your television watching snacks ready. We're just two hours away from the Super Bowl. And you know what that means, it's time for some funny and entertaining commercials as well, sometimes inspiring too.

We'll discuss next.

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[16:55:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. This happening just moments ago, President Donald Trump arriving in a rainy New Orleans just ahead of the Super Bowl. He says that the Chiefs are going to win the big game. That's his prediction.

All right, so no matter who you're rooting for, a lot of us will be glued to the television set in less than two hours for the game, of course, but we're also watching it for the ads. Some people are more excited about the Super Bowl ads than the game itself. This year's lineup of commercials hitting on everything from that intriguing seal right there to flying mustaches.

Okay, it seemed like a cute idea, but that's kind of ew.

Brian Steinberg, the senior T.V. editor for Variety is with us now. I thought it was going to be cute, but that's kind of creepy, that mustache thing. All right, so Fox scored big, this Super Bowl, right, because the company says it sold out of its ad spots, at least ten of those celebrity-filled 30-second commercials cost advertisers $8 million, oh my gosh. Will it be worth it in the end?

BRIAN STEINBERG, SENIOR T.V. EDITOR, VARIETY: It's a great question. You know, every ad has its own creative concept, its own way of taking to consumers. Some will upset people, some will offend, some will be heartwarming, some will be inspiring. And they're really looking for how much will this sell after every commercial, how much of the stuff will sell stuff in the stores.

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. The Clydesdale commercials always feel good, always inspiring. That always seems like a winner.

So, you wrote a piece in Variety about the Instacart commercial. It features a bunch of different characters, like the Energizer Bunny, the Kool-Aid man. All right, so how did they make this happen?

STEINBERG: You know, this is actually a more complex work than you might think. Every one of these characters, Mr. Clean, the Kool-Aid man, Green Giant, comes from a different company. You have to kind of adhere to all their brand bibles, the rules of what each character can say and speak, lots of little rules about how this stuff works out.

WHITFIELD: Okay. And in the Variety article, you also talked about tagging. What's that all about?

STEINBERG: Tagging is when you take a character or a thing from another advertiser and put it in your commercial. The networks don't like it because you're kind of giving a free ad to somebody who's not paying for it really, kind of a sneaky way of doubling up on your commercial and what's inside of it.

WHITFIELD: Do you have any favorites? I mean ones that you really think people will latch onto, gravitate toward, that'll be the real hits?

STEINBERG: I kind of like this Hellman's Mayo ad, when Harry met Sally, bringing Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan back, to bring their characters back after 35 years. Will younger viewers get it? I don't know, but for some it's going to be kind of heartwarming to see them recreating a famous scene from the movie.

WHITFIELD: Oh, right. I forgot that. That's one, you know, to look forward to. I think at first when people, you know, heard that they had kind of reunited, they were thinking, wait a minute, another When Harry Met Sally? But no, it's not. It's just commercial and it sounds so cute.

STEINBERG: Yes.

WHITFIELD: It must've been fun for them to make too.

STEINBERG: I think so. WHITFIELD: Okay. I can't wait to watch that one and, of course, listen for it too, because it's all about what you hear with that When Harry Met Sally scene.

Okay, so, you know, a lot of folks are you know coveting their tickets. They're in there in the game. Are they going to get a chance to see any of these commercials?

STEINBERG: They will not. I mean, look, if there's a seat of the nationals a Fox somewhere on the same shore but that jumbotron's going to have other stuff going on, so they will not see the commercials.

WHITFIELD: Okay. Brian Steinberg, thank you so much. We'll all be watching. It looks like a lot of fun.

STEINBERG: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. And thanks everyone for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

The CNN Newsroom continues with Jessica Dean right now.

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