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CNN This Morning

Judge Halts Trump's Plan To Put USAID Workers On Leave; Three Israelis Formerly Held Hostage Now Back In Israel; Trump Revokes Biden's Access To Classified Information; Trump Plans To Gut Board Of Kennedy Center, Appoints Himself Chair; Groups: Dismantling USAID Means Deaths Are "Inevitable; Nevada Dairy Herds Infected With New H5N1 Strain Linked To Birds; Trudeau Says Trump Is Serious About 51st State Idea. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired February 08, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: But he was then fined more for not paying it on the spot. He now has hired a lawyer to contest it.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, on the spot.

BLACKWELL: Now -- so yes, I don't agree so much with having to pay it on the spot, but let's find people for just being on FaceTime at the grocery store.

WALKER: Yes.

BLACKWELL: It's so annoying.

WALKER: I don't want to hear all your business. Yes, and it's loud. Yes, I'm with you.

BLACKWELL: I mean, we have the convenience of putting the phone up to your ear. And it's just me that I'm annoyed that people walk around with this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Earpieces -- there's so many earpieces you can use now.

BLACKWELL: Right.

WALKER: Yes, yes. But making them pay the fine on the spot --

BLACKWELL: Yes, that -- yes.

WALKER: It will -- that -- it --

BLACKWELL: That's a little shame.

WALKER: It feels a little spiteful, right?

BLACKWELL: Yes.

WALKER: I kind of like it. Well, the next hour of CNN THIS MORNING starts now.

BLACKWELL: Good morning. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is Saturday, February 8th. I'm Victor Blackwell.

WALKER: And I'm Amara Walker. Good to be with you. We are following several developing stories this morning. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump Administration's plan to put thousands of employees at USAID on leave and ordered what those -- that those who were suspended be reinstated. The reason behind the judge's order and what it means for the agency.

BLACKWELL: President Trump says he's revoking former President Biden's access to classified information, stopping him from receiving daily intelligence briefings to the significance of the state and the significance of the timing of the announcement.

WALKER: And a new strain of birth flu that has been associated with severe infections in humans has been discovered in dairy herds in Nevada. Why some health officials are calling this an infection -- inflection point as a nation works to contain the virus.

BLACKWELL: It is Super Bowl weekend. You got your wings ready, your seven-layer dip. Will the Chiefs make NFL history with a third straight Super Bowl win over the Eagles dash their hopes of a three- peat? Our Coy Wire is live from New Orleans. That's coming up.

New this morning, a federal judge has put a hold on President Trump's plan to lay off thousands of workers at the U.S. Agency for International Development. The President's executive order would have left the agency with fewer than 300 employees. Hours before the ruling, crews were seen removing signage from USAID headquarters.

WALKER: Now, the judge's ruling prevented more than 2,200 people from being placed on administrative leave. He also ordered the government to reinstate the hundreds who have already been placed on leave.

CNN's Alex Marquardt has more.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor and Amara. A bit of good news for USAID, which has really taken a battering this week as the Trump Administration has tried to hollow out the agency as well as stripping it of its independence.

A federal judge here in Washington, D.C., who was actually named by Donald Trump, issued a temporary order blocking the Trump administration's efforts to put almost all of its staffers on leave as of late Friday night.

Now, that came during a legal hearing closing out this week in which the acting leaders of USAID had said that all direct hires, as they're known, would be put on leave except for essential personnel, numbering in the hundreds out of a workforce of some 10,000, which also includes thousands of contractors, many of whom have already been furloughed or laid off. On Friday, workers took down the signage at the USAID headquarters

here in Washington, D.C., and also covered up the agency's seals. The lawsuit was brought by USAID staffers against Donald Trump and his secretaries of state and treasury. They accused the administration of acting illegally, something that Democratic lawmakers have also alleged.

The suit said that the administration was not just throwing public servants into chaos and uncertainty, but also creating a humanitarian crisis. This is a little bit of what they said in their suit. Deaths are inevitable. Already 300 babies that would not have had HIV now do. Thousands of girls and women will die from pregnancy and childbirth. Without judicial intervention, it will only get worse.

Well, judicial intervention did come on Friday, and though the USAID staff who I have spoken with were relieved at the ruling, they do recognize that this is a temporary move and there's still much to come as Trump tries to dramatically scale back both the agency's staff and its operations all around the world. Victor, Amara?

WALKER: All right, Alex, thank you for that.

President Trump is moving at breakneck speed to put a stamp on Washington and the U.S. government. Last night, the president announced plans to gut the Kennedy Center, firing several of its board members. In the announcement, he also said he planned to replace the current chair with himself. Last week, the center's president announced plans to step down.

BLACKWELL: He also followed through on his plan to replace the National Archivist. Colleen Shogan was nominated by former President Biden. It was the first woman to serve in the role. Trump has been critical of the office since the previous archivist asked the Justice Department to investigate Trump's handling of White House records. That was in 2022.

[07:05:00]

There was one notable hire -- rather, rehire. Elon Musk said that he would bring back a DOGE staffer who resigned after being linked to racist social media posts. Vice President Vance said that he would support the rehiring of that individual and President Trump agreed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: President Trump is once again using the power of his office to punish his perceived enemies.

WALKER: Yes. Last night, the president announced he is revoking former President Biden's security clearances. And as CNN's Jeff Zeleny reports, the timing may not be a coincidence. Jeff?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Amara, it's become clear that former President Joe Biden is clearly on the mind of President Donald Trump. It became apparent again on Friday night, as President Trump was flying down to Mar-a-Lago. He out of the blue seemed to revoke the security clearance and the daily intelligence briefings of former President Biden.

Now, this comes exactly four years after President Biden effectively did the same thing to President Trump. Of course, that was in the wake of the January 6th insurrection. At the time, President Biden said that Donald Trump's behavior is erratic and he does not need those briefings.

Well, President Trump, as he continues to have President Biden on his mind, basically did the same thing Friday night, but took it one step further. He said that President Biden will also not have a security clearance. I am told, however, that former presidents do not have security clearances. They can receive security briefings, intelligence briefings and here is why. As they travel around the world or give speeches, they like to be read in on what is going on in certain regions of the world. And they often bring information back to the U.S. intelligence community.

I think Jimmy Carter, for example, he traveled for decades after leaving the presidency. He was read in with the latest intelligence information and then would share it once he returned to the U.S. But Donald Trump clearly in a tit for tat moment said that Joe Biden does not deserve this security briefings and he made that on Friday night.

But again, this comes four years to the time when President Biden did the exact same thing on Super Bowl weekend. So, you have to wonder if President Trump had that in mind. Victor and Amara?

WALKER: Jeff Zeleny, thank you.

And President Trump said Friday that he plans to fire some of the FBI agents who worked on investigations into the January 6th Capitol riot.

BLACKWELL: In the meantime, FBI employees and the Justice Department reach an agreement that bars the DOJ from releasing the names of FBI employees who worked on those cases. CNN's Paula Reid has more from Washington. Paula, good morning.

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Amara and Victor. Well, on Thursday, the Justice Department received the names of investigators who worked on cases related to January 6th from the FBI. Now, the previous week they had received some identifying information, but they were only employee identification numbers. And the Deputy Attorney General said that was not enough information and demanded this list of names. But agents and their union have concerns that this list could leak out resulting in safety risks. This all resulted in a lawsuit. And on Friday, the agents and the Justice Department came to an agreement that the list would not be released publicly without two days' notice to agents. And agents say their biggest concern really is that this list will be shared either with DOGE or the White House and then released publicly. There's this fear of doxing.

But at this point, the Justice Department says it has no interest in releasing this publicly, but agents have a lot to be worried about here. Not only concerns for their safety, but also concerns that on Friday, President Trump says that he does expect some of the individuals related to this investigation that they will be fired even though there's no evidence of wrongdoing. Amara, Victor.

WALKER: All right, thanks so much.

And new this morning, Israel is calling the appearance of the three Israeli hostages who were released by Hamas just hours ago, shocking and is condemning their conditions.

BLACKWELL: Look at these pictures. These are the before and after pictures of Ohad Ben Ami, Or Levy, and Eli Sharabi following their release as part of the ceasefire exchange in the Israel-Hamas war. CNN's Jerusalem Correspondent Jeremy Diamond joins us from Tel Aviv, Israel with the latest.

And Jeremy, of course, there was the excitement and the relief to have them home. But I'm sure that was tainted a bit by the condition that these men appear to be in.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Without a doubt. This was an emotional roller coaster today at Hostages' Square as hundreds of Israelis gathered here to watch as these three Israeli hostages were released after 491 days of captivity.

[07:10:03]

Initially, yes, there was that sigh of relief to see them alive. There were cheers. There were applause as this crowd saw these men emerge as they have watched over the course of the last several weeks every Saturday as men and women have been released from Hamas captivity. But today, as they got a closer look at the condition of these men, there was a different more pained look on the faces of many here. And that's because of how emaciated some of these men did indeed look.

All three of them appearing quite thin and frail as they emerged from captivity. But one in particular caught my attention, and that was Eli Sharabi, a 52-year-old who clearly had lost a lot of weight in his time in captivity. And of course, he is returning to a very different reality. His wife and his two daughters were killed on October 7th. His brother, who was taken hostage, also died in captivity, killed likely by an Israeli air strike according to the Israeli military. All three of these men now firmly back on Israeli soil meeting once again with their families after so long apart. We have also watched as 183 Palestinian prisoners are beginning to be

released in exchange for those three hostages. It's important to note that 18 of them are serving -- were serving life sentences. Seven of those 18 will be deported to other countries. 111 of them were also detained in Gaza since October 7th. Important to note that Israeli troops operating in Gaza have been detaining Palestinians there. Many of them being held without charge, without trial. 111 of them are now indeed being released back into Gaza as part of the ceasefire agreement.

But just a note as we wait to see what happens after this six-week ceasefire. There were chants here for the other hostages, the remaining 76 hostages still held in Gaza to be released now, and calls for this six-week ceasefire to be extended into a fuller ceasefire. And there's no question that the images of those hostages who were released today is driving an additional sense of urgency here in Israeli society to push the Israeli Prime Minister to extend this ceasefire agreement to reach a deal with Hamas to end the war and to bring all the hostages back home.

BLACKWELL: Jeremy Diamond for us there in Tel Aviv, thank you.

There's relief across USAID after judge's order to temporarily stop the Trump Administration from suspending thousands of workers.

WALKER: Yes, but the relief may be short lived. We are joined by one of those employees next. Also, President Trump makes sweeping changes to the federal government. There are questions over whether the Democrats have a plan to counter Trump's actions. We will discuss.

BLACKWELL: Plus, a new bird flu variant has been detected in dairy cows and it's raising concerns about potential transmission to humans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:17:28]

BLACKWELL: President Trump is further severing his predecessors connection to the Oval Office. He announced yesterday that he revoked former President Joe Biden's security clearance and stopped his daily intelligence briefings. And it's worth noting that former presidents don't typically have security clearances. It's just the access to classified information anyway. But Biden did the same thing to Trump in the wake of the 2021 Capitol riots.

With us now, Punchbowl Congressional Reporter Max Cohen. Max, good morning to you. Big headline. Is this a surprise though?

MAX COHEN, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS: Frankly, I don't think this is much of a surprise if you've been paying attention to what President Donald Trump is doing in his second term. He is seeking vengeance against his enemies. And he's saying, look, Joe Biden, I just defeated the Democratic Party, you should not have access to the information anymore.

Now, this is not, in my opinion, a huge deal in the grand scheme of what Trump is doing across the government. There are a lot more actions that he is taking that are affecting the lives of the American people at this moment. But certainly, the symbolism is important. And it's Trump saying to Biden is, you know, longtime political foe, you deny me this privilege, I'm doing the exact same to you.

BLACKWELL: Let's just talk more about this symbolism because also overnight the White House has dismissed the National Archivist, Colleen Shogan. And of course, the National Archives had a big role in the classified documents case. But she was not the archivist at the time of the search at Mar-a-Lago, at the time that that case was launched.

Is this just more of that symbolism that he's just frustrated and angry about the case or is there more to this dismissal?

COHEN: I think it is exactly part of his, you know, overall anger at the federal bureaucracy, which is animated Trump's first month and his second term, right? This is part of a larger effort to reshape the government with figures that he deems are loyal to him. And I think, as you mentioned, right, this archivist was not a central figure in what has angered Trump so much about the organization. But frankly, I think he probably sees National Archives overall as an institution not friendly to him.

And his take is and what his advisors say, he is a president. He has the power to reshape the executive branch in his image.

BLACKWELL: Also, Max, overnight -- Friday nights are busy in a Trump Administration. I remember this from Trump 45, the first term, that you know, Friday nights the world changed. He gutted the board of the Kennedy Center and has now appointed himself chair. And the president appoint members on a rotating basis, but nothing like this.

What is the point? I mean, voters who voted for President Trump, the economy was their issue. Of the third or so of voters who said that it was the most important issue, four to one they chose Donald Trump to be president. When is the economic messaging coming? He's focused on the Kennedy Center and the National Archives. It seems in conflict with what voters actually want him to do primarily.

[07:20:42]

COHEN: Yes, I mean, look, the Kennedy Center aspect, Trump has long been obsessed with pomp and circumstance with the ceremonial aspects of Washington. And the Kennedy Center, the board is where top political allies, they -- they're named there, right? So, this is also, I think, another vengeance play by Trump to say, let me remove some board members who Biden appointed. I mean, put myself as a chair and hey, the Kennedy Center, this jewel of American musical artistic scene, I want to lead it. I think that's very in concert with his obsession with this kind of pomp and circumstance, right?

But you brought up the economics. It's a good point. No voter is going to care about the Kennedy Center, frankly, unless that voter was on the board. But I think he's trying to do that with tariffs. That was an animating discussion of just last week. But you make a good point. The news cycle is so hectic that even what the Trump Administration wants in the headlines, they will change that headline just a day later with Gaza or DOGE or USAID. The tariffs feel a very long time ago.

BLACKWELL: Yes. And those -- where are those tariffs now? You know, you're the congressional reporter for Punchbowl News. USAID, not fully, not totally, but largely their employees work in the DMV, the DC, Maryland, Virginia area and overseas. But if we look at this Doge work and the president saying that they can go anywhere and look at anything, federal government says that 83 percent of federal employees work in the U.S., but outside of the D.C. area.

So, at some point, this is going to start to get Congressional districts. It's going to start to challenge the narrative for some of these Republican congressmen. Are they concerned about the DOGE impact that the local federal offices where they are and hitting their constituents?

COHEN: It's a really good point that it's very easy to talk about political rhetoric when it's focused on the seat of the federal government. But when these changes hit close to home and suddenly it's your own constituents feeling it, well, then it's a very different story. But at this moment in time, I speak to congressional Republicans every day and very few are saying anything to get in the way of DOGE.

The two senators I've heard the most criticism from of DOGE are Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Of course, those who followed the first Trump Administration know those two moderate female GOP senators often provided the most pushback. But by and large, this current Republican Party is the party of Donald Trump. And that means criticizing him is a very rare exercise.

So, as you mentioned, this might get a little bit different. But as we stand here now, most Republicans are going along with this and they say, look, Trump campaigned on cutting stuff. Now, he's cutting stuff.

BLACKWELL: All right, Max Cohen, good to have you. Enjoy the Saturday.

BLACKWELL: All right, still ahead, thousands of USAID employees are still on the job after a judge blocks a Trump administration's plan to put thousands of them on administrative leave. But how long will that last?

Also, the latest jobs report is out revealing shifts in hiring and unemployment. What it means for the economy and your wallet?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:28:10]

WALKER: Thousands of workers for the U.S. Agency for International Development or USAID are still on the job this morning. And that is after a federal judge temporarily paused President Trump's plans to gut the agency by firing or placing many of them on indefinite leave, and the vast majority -- of the agency's employees. Take a look at the right side of your screen.

That is what it looks like after the Trump Administration ordered the sign of the USAID building in Washington, D.C. removed. The judge issued the emergency order after labor groups representing the employees sued.

Joining me now is Randy Chester. He's the vice president for USAID at the American Foreign Service Association. Randy, I really appreciate you joining us this morning. Thank you for your time. I want to first get your reaction. This ruling obviously is temporary. So, it's paused the deadline to put these 2,000 employees of USAID on administrative leave. Are you feeling relieved or not because it's just temporary?

RANDY CHESTER, VICE PRESIDENT FOR USAID, AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION: It's temporary, but it's good. It's a good signal. We're very hopeful. It's always good to have a little bit of hope in your lives. And this weekend, I woke up feeling really good and refreshed. But we have a hearing now on February 12th. And then we'll find out on February 14th what our status will be.

WALKER: Tell me more about this hearing because you did say a few days ago that you guys were thinking about legal action. So, specifically what is this about?

CHESTER: So, the lawyers have brought a case based on the legality of the actions that the Trump Administration has taken. And I myself am not a lawyer, so I can't get too much into the details of it. But it's really what we're asking for is that any procedures to shut the agency down, follow the law. And legislatively, Congress is the one that created USAID and Congress are the -- is the one that can remove it, have it folded under State Department, but it's up to Congress.

[07:30:11]

And the state department must coordinate, inform, and consult with Congress before it takes any action. And to our knowledge, to date, there has been no consultation. There is certainly been no consultation with us.

WALKER: So, no official communication thus far, still.

CHESTER: There is been no official communication between agency leadership and the American Foreign Service Association.

WALKER: Yes.

CHESTER: And we are the union that is recognized by the federal government to act for on behalf of all foreign service officers, including foreign service officers at USAID.

WALKER: Randy, could you walk us through what the last few days have been like for you and for your colleagues, especially those who are posted overseas, and many of them in these dangerous hot spots, and how their lives have been up ended these last few days?

CHESTER: The stretch levels are off the charts. I mean, for my colleagues overseas, when they found out midweek that they could, as early as this weekend, have been boarding planes to return to Washington, D.C., I'm sure you can imagine the emotional turmoil that, just like brought to them and their entire families.

I mean, it's important to remember that we serve with our families overseas. So, many of our officers have spouses, they have children, and to throw into chaos your entire life and not know where you're going to be in three days or 30 days is incredibly troubling. And it's borderline cruel and heartless, and it's just a shame to be treated in this manner.

And here in the -- in the D.C. area, people just didn't know what to expect. They didn't know what they were going to be doing come Friday afternoon. We don't understand what it means to be on administrative leave indefinitely. There is just so much unknown, and it would behoove the administration to say what the plan is, and have some process to discuss and dialog, not just with us, but with the entire agency staff.

WALKER: On that note, of you calling it cruel and heartless, some of these employees, I mean, they've been locked out of critical agency systems that alert them if there are security threats. I mean --

So, people's safety, their lives could be impacted by this.

CHESTER: Yes, that's very true. I mean, overseas, we rely on our security apps to notify us of impending natural disasters, civil unrest or other just basic alerts that we receive from our regional security office. So, that's very troubling.

And to be locked out of the financial systems is also difficult now for officers who have outstanding payments for money that the agency owes them. They can't submit payment requests, and they are not receiving reimbursements for official duties that they've performed that require the agency to reimburse them.

WALKER: From what we understand, you know, Trump and Musk's plan is to keep only a few 100 of these 10,000 strong workforce.

We've heard from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said that he continues to -- plans to continue to provide foreign aid through USAID. But again, with just a fraction of you know what this force has been.

If they are successful in purging USAID, what do you think will be -- what will the implications be for all the work that USAID is being -- doing around the world, including poverty and tackling infectious diseases and food security?

CHESTER: So, it's important to understand that as Foreign Service officers, we implement the policies of the president and the secretary of state. And we do this regardless of party or political affiliation. That's our jobs, is we implement the policy of the sitting president.

So, if a president or secretary of state wants to roll back foreign assistance and change foreign policy, that's fine. That's what we're here to do. We're here to implement their policy. But it's important that they understand the implications of those rollbacks.

So, what we do overseas, what we've been doing for nearly six-day decades, is helping develop other nations, increasing the private sector linkages between American companies and foreign companies, that's increasing economic growth, both overseas and at home. We're increasing labor opportunities for Americans here in the states, as well as labor opportunities overseas that prevent migration.

And then, when you come to humanitarian assistance, this is one of the things that USAID and the American government do best. We provide food to people in need, and we provide shelter as well. But that food feeds people who otherwise may die of hunger or be impacted by severe malnutrition.

WALKER: Yes, yes.

(CROSSTALK)

CHESTER: When you take away our ability to implement those programs, you're taking away potential life-saving efforts.

WALKER: Yes, and lifelines for many people.

[07:35:01]

Randy Chester, we'll leave it there. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: A newly discovered bird flu variant in dairy cows is sparking concerns over possible human transmission.

Still ahead, we'll tell you what you need to know.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:40:00]

BLACKWELL: A new strain of the bird flu has now been detected at, at least six herds of dairy cows in Nevada.

Now, this is the first time the bird flu has been found in dairy cattle. Meaning, these cows caught it from wild birds rather than another infected herd.

Experts are concerned the virus could be a serious threat to humans, are now studying the new strain to understand how it's spreading so aggressively.

Joining me now. Dr. Richard Webby, influenza expert at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Dr. Webby, good morning to you. I read that you said, when this strain was discovered in -- bird flu was discovered in a dairy cow, bird to cow, that it was, "a little bit of a wow," to you. Why?

DR. RICHARD WEBBY, INFLUENZA EXPERT, ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL: Yes. Good morning, Victor. The reason is, you know, we think of all the different hosts that influenza viruses, at least, this type of influenza virus can infect, and cows were never on that list. It was always thought that, you know, as an animal, they were pretty recalcitrant to infection with flu viruses.

So, the fact we had one infection sort of was a little bit of head scratch for us all, and something we weren't expecting.

BLACKWELL: So, what is it about this strain that is causing additional concern?

WEBBY: Yes. So, as I said, that we've had the first introduction of a virus from birds into cows was that -- was that wow. What we've now seen is that a second version of the virus, and this particular version of the virus, the one that we call the D1.1 virus, pretty unimaginatively.

But this was one that we think that emerged somewhere, perhaps, Canada may be further, a little bit further north, over the past few months, the end of last year.

And this was one that's exploded through a lot of the U.S. over the past few weeks. As the migratory birds have come down, they bought that particular strain of the virus with them. So, all of the poultry outbreaks, a lot of the die offs and wild birds, over these past few weeks have almost exclusive and been caused by this particular form of the virus. And it's that form that we've now actually seen enter into cow.

So, the second time we've seen this very, very rare event happening, which suggests perhaps it's not that rare after all.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Do you believe, as you say, that it's -- maybe not that rare after all, that th4is is now reached endemic stage?

WEBBY: Yes, that's my concern, right? I think, if it was a very, very rare event, we've had one introduction into cows. You know, there is some hope, right?

If, you know, maybe through immunity from prior exposures in the cows, maybe, you know, some down the line vaccination, maybe some sort of enhanced management controls.

There was that hope that perhaps we could get rid of the H5N1 virus out of cows, and, you know, we could get rid of the threat. What the second event tells me is, even if we were successful in doing that, this virus is just going to come back again as well.

So, from my perspective, I see this as now being, you know, I think, a much longer-term problem for, you know, at least the dairy industry, because these viruses are coming from wild birds, and control of the virus and wild bird populations. You know, there is not a whole lot we can do at this stage, unfortunately.

BLACKWELL: Is there any -- you know, I'm thinking about Louise, sitting at home, having her breakfast. She is not involved with the dairy industry, not really expecting to be near a farm.

Is there any greater threat to humans? Is there a greater threat to dairy itself? I mean, how close is this going to get to people who are nowhere near the industry?

WEBBY: Yes, that's a great -- and it's a great question. And, yes, I'm fully supportive of the, you know, the messaging that comes from the city, that comes from, excuse me, WHO that, you know, right now, for the person at home waking up, having a cup of coffee, you know, the threat from this virus is really, really low.

If we look at the virus that's in the wild birds, we look at the virus that's in the cows. We look at the viruses that are in live poultry markets in Cambodia. These are still very much bird viruses. They don't want to infect humans. They don't infect humans very well.

So, if you're not in that really hot zone where you're interacting with these infected animals, either, perhaps, milking an infected cow, working in a poultry operation, the risk is, you know, it's essentially zero at this stage.

All the human infections we are seeing are in those people at the coalface with no onward human transmission. So, threat to general public yet is low.

Yes, of course, the concern is these are viruses, they change all the time. So, that could change tomorrow.

BLACKWELL: All right. Dr. Richard Webby, thanks for helping us understand it.

[07:44:48]

We'll take a quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: President Trump's comments that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state was originally brushed off by many as a joke.

BLACKWELL: We have a Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he doesn't think it's so funny. He was overheard telling a business gathering on Friday that Trump is serious.

CNN's Paula Newton has more for us.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: While many considered this a hot mic moment, in true fact, the prime minister has been warning people since he visited Trump in November, after he was re- elected that the president is serious.

He doesn't understand why Canada can't just become the 51st state, and he will continue to try and press that argument.

Now, this was a conference, a business, and labor leaders, where they are all getting together to try to really formulate a plan and how to fight a proposed American tariffs.

[07:50:08]

But I want you to listen now to Justin Trudeau, as he was addressing that room when he thought the media had left. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA: Mr. Trump has it in mind that the easiest way to do it is absorbing our country and it is a real thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, when he says it's a real thing, he is saying, look, the president is clear that this is a threat that you come to the table, you negotiate a new trade deal with us along terms that we have asked for, or we will continue to push for this.

And how does the Canadian government believe the American government will now push for this? By basically driving a very hard bargain economically, by punishing Canada economically, so that the only option left for Canada is to join the United States as a 51st state.

I was speaking to people who were in the room as Trudeau was making this kind of an announcement, and really trying to find a way to make sure that there is resolve from business and labor leaders in the room. They described the meeting as collaborative, but also that many people are now focusing on this in Canada and understanding that it is a real worry.

Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.

BLACKWELL: All right. The countdown to Super Bowl LIX, we are clicking through the hours. Chiefs, Eagles, New Orleans. Coy Wire is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:56:22]

BLACKWELL: Super Bowl weekend is here. Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, tomorrow night in New Orleans.

WALKER: Yes, the Chiefs could become the first team ever to win three straight Super Bowls. The Eagles are trying to stop them.

Coy Wire is live outside the Superdome. Morning. Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Good morning, Amara and Victor.

Look, the Superdome in front of the Superdome. Victor knows what I'm talking about.

BLACKWELL: I got you.

WIRE: Look, you got me a. Hey, look, can these Chiefs be stopped? That's the question. The Eagles, they have one heck of a defense and one heck of a defensive leader, an Eagles player who reminds us that you never give up.

Zack Baun, their linebacker, played four seasons for the Saints right here in New Orleans, and last year, he was a backup. He said there were times he'd go home and cry after games. Thought he wasn't good enough anymore, but in his first season, with his new team in Philly, he has become one of the best defenders in the league, making first team all pro, playing in the Super Bowl in his former home stadium. Here he is on his incredible journey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZACK BAUN, LINEBACKER, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: I'm proud of myself. I'm proud of this defense, this team, because I couldn't have done it just by myself. Football is such a team sport. I can't do anything by myself. So, credit to a lot of people.

I truly think I got to write a book about my journey, just from Yes, I think, I got to write a book. I'm just so proud of myself for sticking it out through tough times and persevering and fighting adversity the way I have throughout this whole thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: So many bald heads on this broadcast this morning. Hey, let's talk about those Chiefs again. A couple years ago, when the Chiefs beat the Eagles in the Super Bowl, many were touting Kansas City as the new Americas team.

Brothers Travis and Jason Kelce playing in the Super Bowl. Mama Donna Kelce, making them soup. Taylor Swift and all the Swifties were swoon in, right. Well now, ahead of this Super Bowl rematch, many feel the chiefs are like public enemy number one, their defensive superstar Chris Jones could not care less about being called a villain. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS JONES, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS DEFENSE: Every good story has to have a villain. And, you know -- and people hate success. You know, over time, people like to see something different. They don't like to see the same people winning. They don't like to see the same type of success. People love something new.

It's OK. Yes. I'd rather be a villain. It's no bad feelings. I get it. From a fan standpoint. I completely get it.

If I was on the outside looking in, I'll be saying the same thing. I'm sick of the Chiefs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Shot in Florida. All right. All -- you love them or hate them, Amara and Victor, but they've already won back-to-back. They are going for a first ever three-peat in the Super Bowl here, and they had the shortest of off seasons. They take every team's best shot, because taken down the chances all those teams want to do, they are still finding ways to win. We'll see if they can keep it rolling right here in the Super Bowl.

WALKER: All right, Coy, from one dome to the next. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: All right. OK.

WALKER: From one dome to the next. A nice dome. You know, what I said before?

"FIRST OF ALL" with victor is up next. Victor, what do you have?

BLACKWELL: OK. So, this week, a group went from being for-Trump to being for peace.

I'm going to speak with the leader of an Arab American group that changed its name over the president's controversial comments on Gaza this week.

Plus, could a lawsuit stop President Trump's dismantling of federal agencies? Gwynne Wilcox is suing the administration after being removed from her post at an independent agency that protects private sector workers.

So, she is going to join us to explain the fight, and also, we know that this could make its way up to the Supreme Court.

Plus, a story that an official in Milwaukee calls disgusting and detestable. County leaders wanted to helped the mother of a murder teen, raise money to set up a memorial at a park, but then, racist e- mails started coming in.

[08:00:08]

Sade Robinson's mother joins us on what the impact has been.

WALKER: All right. Interesting show. We'll be watching.