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Laura Coates Live

Musk Reinstates Controversial DOGE Aid; Judge Reinstates 500 Suspended USAID Employees; Altadena Family Struggles to Survive the Wildfires; Ledisi to Perform the Black National Anthem at Sunday's Super Bowl. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired February 07, 2025 - 23:00   ET

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

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LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR AND SR. LEGAL ANALYST: Well, tonight, Elon Musk gets a new mission, a long leash, and the return of his most controversial, DOGE aid.

Plus, even after they won a legal victory, Trump says he's still going to fire FBI agents, some of them at least. The lawyer who plans to stand in his way will join me tonight.

And she will lift every voice and sing at this year's Super Bowl. Lettice joins me to preview her performance of the Black National Anthem tonight on "Laura Coates Live."

Alright. At this point, we may need an auctioneer to speed read for everything that Trump has actually done. I mean, just in the last few hours, he terminated President Biden's security clearance. He fired the national archivist. He appointed himself chairman of the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.

Yes. You heard that right. All the while, he's letting Elon Musk's leash get longer and longer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Is there anything you've told Elon Musk he cannot touch?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Well, we haven't discussed that much. I'll tell him to go here, go there. He does it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: It's that easy. Well, Democrats aren't so sure that it's actually Trump signing him to go here and there, and then he does just that. And then "Time" magazine fanned their flames with this cover casting Elon Musk as the president, oval office desk, and all.

In a moment, I'll talk with the journalist who wrote that cover story.

Shockingly, it looks like Trump isn't smiling about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REPORTER: Do you have a reaction to the new "Time" magazine cover that has Elon Musk sitting behind your resolute desk?

TRUMP: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Well, for six seconds, Trump waited for the Japanese interpreter to finish translating, staring at the ground before he shot back with this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Is "Time" magazine still in business? I didn't even know that. Elon is doing a great job. He's got a staff that's fantastic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Fantastic. That must mean something different these days.

Remember the 25 year old DOGE staffer we told you about last night? The one who resigned after racist posts resurfaced? Well, just like that, Musk put him back on the team.

All it took was vice president J.D. Vance's approval. And while Vance disagreed with some of the posts, he, quote, "doesn't think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid's life," unquote.

I'm curious how well that assertion is going to age over time. Trump, he was cool with it too.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: One of the DOGE engineers was fired for some inappropriate posts. The vice president says bring him back. What do you say?

TRUMP: 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)

COATES: So now that Elon has his DOGE Squad back to full speed, he's getting orders to get his cost cutting pause into other parts of the government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And, I've instructed him to go check out education, to check out the Pentagon, which is the military.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Yes. The military. You know, the one that sends Musk billions of dollars to his SpaceX company. That one. Raise your hand if you're feeling safer already. A fair question to ask tonight is if Musk will be as ruthless with the

Pentagon as he was with USAID. The sign on the agency's D.C. headquarters was literally dismantled today, a visual reminder of what Musk has been doing to the agency or maybe did to the agency.

Except the courts did get in his way. A judge stepped in to temporarily save more than 2,000 workers who were about to be placed on leave.

In a moment, Bakari Sellers and Scott Jennings are going to debate all of this. Buckle up, my friends.

But first, insight from Simon Shuster, the reporter behind that must- read "Time" cover story, Musk's war on Washington.

Simon, glad to have you here. You know, Musk is taking quite the bulldozer to the federal government as we now see it. Trump says he's telling him to go here, go there, and he does it. Is there anything though realistically constraining his power that you have seen?

SIMON SHUSTER, SR. CORRESPONDENT, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Well, there -- I think it's not quite right to call it a bulldozer. It's much smarter and in many ways, more subtle than that, and in some ways, more pernicious.

I mean, what we found when we were reporting on this story is, DOGE, Elon Musk's team, they're sending their operatives into various branches of the bureaucracy to really get into those systems, especially their computer systems.

[23:05:03]

They understand that that is the circulatory system of the government. And once they get in there, get access to the data, get access to those computer systems, those are the systems they're using to make their control and influence over those government systems lasting.

And they're going to be hard to remove if even if courts decide to try to chuck them out, it's going to be tricky. I think there's going to be the same approach with the Pentagon. As you just mentioned, they're going in there next.

COATES: And on that very point, if one's hooks are inside of the system and Congress has not been the most adept at keeping pace with technological advances, I mean, I think they still call it at times the World Wide Web with anything else.

For that reason, how are they going to be able to either regulate or remove? Is there been any thought given to how they're going to have oversight?

SHUSTER: Yes. It's been an interesting thing to see. I mean, we started working on this story only on Monday. We published it on Friday, and it was interesting to see the wave of disgust and blowback building among the Democrats. A lot of it has been hot air. They've been out there in the streets

and demonstrations, you know, giving loud statements and pontificating against Trump, against Musk, of course, as one would expect. But we haven't seen that materialize yet into anything, very substantive.

I think and what we've seen already in these last few days, the judicial branch, the courts are going to be the ones that really make a difference at least in this early stage because I don't see the Democrats mustering the kind of, you know, institutional might to challenge what Musk is doing. They just haven't faced something like this before.

COATES: You know, you obviously have heard what Trump's response was to seeing that cover. It's quite provocative. He was also named, I mean, Time's Person of the Year two months ago.

He knows he's still in business. You obviously knew they were going to get a reaction. What'd you make of it?

SHUSTER: Yes. It was fascinating to see. I mean, I guess it's the reaction that a lot of people expected that it would sting him. But I thought that he would be a bit better in controlling, you know, the way that he looked while responding to this.

I mean, it was quite clear from his body language and what he said that it irked him to see this. And I think it speaks to the nature of his relationship with Musk. A lot of people have predicted that that relationship would be rocky, that these are two men with large egos who are used to being in charge. So we'll see how long it lasts.

But, yes, this time, I think it was the first time I saw Trump really demonstrate that he doesn't like being eclipsed by anyone, Musk or anyone else.

COATES: Speaking of what might be fleeting, I understand that you're hearing from people who have some kind of buyer's remorse of what they have been saying. There's a lot of chaos, a lot of disruption. Certainly, they talk about a mandate, but what are they telling you?

SHUSTER: I mean, the mandate was clear. We have to be honest about that. You know? I think a lot of the people who voted for Trump, voted for him because of his promise to go in, reduce government spending, gut the deep state and these kinds of promises that he made.

And I think there are great many supporters of Donald Trump who are still watching what Musk is doing and seeing that as Trump keeping his promise. But still, what we see now, is the rubber hitting the road in the sense of real people's lives being affected.

And I think, even some people who voted for Trump, inside the federal bureaucracy, government workers, civil servants, they're now seeing that, hey, they're coming after us. They're really coming after the workers in the government.

And I think, you know, once you see people out there getting kicked out of their jobs, you know, that's different. It's not abstract anymore. It's real. It's people's lives.

COATES: Simon, really compelling piece. Thank you so much for joining this evening.

SHUSTER: Thank you.

COATES: I want to continue our conversation with two of our political commentators. Scott Jennings and Bakari Sellers are here.

Let's begin with you here, Scott. Musk says that he is rehiring that 25 year old DOGE staffer who had resigned after some very frankly recent racist social media post emerged. As I said, vice president Vance, president Trump, they both went to bat for him. Why?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SR. POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I tend to agree with J.D. Vance, some of his comments today that social media posts should ruin some kids' life. I think that's absolutely true. So a lot of Republicans feel that way.

Number two, I would like to think if you vouch for someone in the way that some people in the government did today, that maybe they've talked to him and have a better understanding of what he's all about than what you might see in a social media post. I'm not really accustomed to, you know, going on television and either slandering or absolving someone based on social media posts when I don't personally know them.

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I hear a lot of people doing that right now. So they're vouching for him. It's their organization to vouch for. I hope they're right.

But I do think Vance is on to something. This idea that a couple of social media posts can ruin the rest of your life. There's a there's a there's a lot of undercurrent of that going on out there right now, and certainly Vance gave voice to it today.

COATES: Bakari, what's your reaction?

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean, I think that the underlying thesis is correct. That one or two social media posts, something you do while you're a child, something you do while you're younger, particularly in this new age of ultra transparency, should not dictate or ruin your life and opportunities going forward.

The difference is this kid has access to trillion dollar systems. This kid is someone who is not a legislative assistant or a page. He is someone who is actually going in the highest levels of our bureaucracy and having access to some of our classified and, most secure secrets.

And so, no, he does not deserve to be rehired back because this is not a menial task or some job that is the equivalent of doing something else. Should he have a career? Should he be able to go to college or get another degree or whatever it is? Yes.

But should he be able to do the things he's been doing? The answer is no. And I wish we got to the point where we no longer tolerated racism in this country. And I wish we got to the point where we no longer tolerated and understood that even one racist is too much.

And I think that because we just alleviate that burden, because we allow that to be pervasive, it builds this distrust and drives us further apart and becomes more divisive. So, no, he don't need his job back. He does need a lesson and understanding that we're all in this thing together.

COATES: To be clear, this is a 25 year old. These are recent posts. This is not somebody who's looking in the far rearview mirror and had some epiphany because of a long term evolution. That, I think, is a central issue here.

But, Scott, let me turn for a second to what the power might be, the directives coming from Trump, he says, to Musk, who is then going to be going for the Pentagon and the military soon.

I seem to remember a time, speaking of youth, I'm young enough and old enough to remember that touching the military and having anyone's hands on it and anyone's eyes into it was problematic. Are Republicans going to support that?

JENNINGS: Well, I think certainly Republicans are going to support what effectively amounts to the most aggressive and needed government audit we've ever had, no matter what agency it is. So, yes, I think the party is by and large going to support this.

And I think the Pentagon is an agency that absolutely should be looked at like any other. I don't want Elon Musk or anyone else going in and saying, we need to shrink the size of our military or somehow reduce our national capacity to wage war, defend the nation.

But you can't look at a bureaucracy this size and tell me that there is not waste, fraud, and abuse that could be ferreted out if somebody like Elon Musk and his team were willing to go in and do it. Of course, they're going to find things. They'll find things in every single agency.

And I think the American people are asking for that. And I have no doubt that you could get rid of some waste, fraud, and abuse in the Pentagon and have no impact on our national security whatsoever.

And in fact, maybe you might enhance our national security by getting rid of some duplicative bureaucracy or some things where money is being spent on things that shouldn't be spent on, maybe redirect those things to more, mission critical items.

COATES: I mean, is it a little disconcerting if you're a member of congress, Bakari, and Elon Musk is somehow being given the carte blanche to do that which your oversight is supposed to do?

Is it Congress seeding this and saying, you know what, it didn't work for us, so go ahead and you try? I thought the founding fathers had a very different notion of the people who were supposed to have these roles and that power of the purse. SELLERS: Yes. I'm not honestly, not sure what congress is doing. Mike

Johnson is fundamentally irrelevant, and Democrats are trying to find their sea legs, as if they were surprised by what would happen. So I'm not even sure if there is a necessary relevance of either Democrats or Republicans in the house or senate.

With that being said, I mean, the fact that he's going into the Pentagon, if you want to find waste and fraud, you can start with Pete Hegseth who's asking for a $49,000 emergency paint job for a government funded home where he made $4 million a year last year.

JENNINGS: Bakari, this was already in the works. This was already in the works. This is a disingenuous impact. You know it. This was already in the works.

SELLERS: Oh, no. I mean well, I mean, let -- let's round out the attack then. Why does Pete Hegseth need a government funded home if we're talking about, if we're talking about government waste? I mean, why does he need that? But it goes even further than just that.

I mean, if you want to talk about what's actually happening with Elon Musk, this is about petty grievances. This isn't about some larger I want to trim government and bureaucracy.

[23:15:00]

Look at what he did at USAID. It's an agency that was investigating him because, who was a beneficiary of USAID grants? Who else but Elon Musk and Starlink? If you look at what he did with the FAA, it was a bitter dispute over the fact that he got a fine from the FAA, so he wanted that chief to be excommunicated.

If you look at what happened with the federal trade, etcetera, and the chief over there, and you saw the way that they clashed, that is what this is about. Elon Musk today got the president of the United States to help dictate policy and stop foreign aid to South Africa while allowing Afrikaners to come into this country and have priority.

This is not some larger mission to trim bureaucracy. This is not some America First. We are going to go out and be and restore our prestige. This is Elon Musk doing what Elon Musk wants to do, and that's unfortunate.

COATES: Scott, respond to that notion of why this, you believe, is indeed America First policy, or is it not?

JENNINGS: Look. I think this is absolutely America First. It's needed policy, and it's what people have been asking for years. And, honestly, politicians have talked about doing this for a very long time.

The only difference is they never do it. You've had presidents from both parties say, I'm going to make the government smaller. I'm going to go in and look at the bureaucracy and make it more efficient. I'm going to trim where I can, trim the fat. No one ever does it. Reports are written, committees meet, people have phone calls, press conferences are held, and nothing ever happens except the government gets larger and larger.

Lo and behold, Donald Trump shows up and throws out the sledgehammer, the instrument of destruction, Elon Musk, to actually do it and do it at lightning speed. This is precisely what voters have been demanding.

Is he going to break a few eggs along the way? That's fine. They'll have plenty of political latitude to do it because the action is what's wanted by the American people.

COATES: But we'll see who actually owns the eggs that are broken and how they feel about it. Thank you both.

SELLERS: They're too expensive. Ain't nobody owning eggs right now. They're too expensive.

JENNINGS: I got plenty.

COATES: I knew it.

JENNINGS: Come right out of my coop in the backyard. They're coming right out of the coop.

COATES: We went from HGTV and a home makeover to now the Food Network. You got to love Mac's programming. Alright. Up next, thank you.

President Trump says it out loud. He will fire some FBI agents even after they won a legal ruling today meant to protect them. The lawyer defending the bureau's agents joins me next.

And later, the Trump team keeps saying their immigration efforts are only about targeting quote unquote "the worst first." But three weeks in, we're going to put that claim to the test.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COATES: Well, it's been a roller coaster of a day to say the least for FBI personnel who worked on January 6 cases. Really roller coaster week.

They actually had a win in court, and an important one. After complying with an order to turn over the names of some 5000 FBI agents involved in January 6 cases, the FBI feared they would be released to the public, putting their agents and their analysts possibly in danger.

Well, today, FBI employees and the DOJ agreeing to a court order barring the release of the names publicly without at least two days' notice. Okay?

So for the FBI agents, that was good news. But here's the bad. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Are you planning to fire the FBI agents who worked on those investigations?

TRUMP: No. But I'll fire some of them because some of them were corrupt. I have no doubt about that. I got to know a lot about that business, that world.

I got to know a lot about that world, that we had some corrupt agents, and those people are gone or they will be gone, and it'll be done quickly and very surgically.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: I want to bring in Mark Zaid. He's a national security attorney who is representing the FBI agents in this legal battle.

Also here with us, Daniel Brunner. He's a retired FBI supervisory special agent and co-founder and president of the Brunner Sierra Group.

Thank you both for being here. Mark, I'll begin with you. You've got your work cut out for you and the volume at the very least, but you just heard Trump there. Will you be able to stop these agents from getting fired?

MARK ZAID, NATIONAL SECURITY ATTORNEY: Well, so it's not just agents. It's analysts. It's forensic examiners, you know, a lot more than just agents who did work. Really, literally, the people who signed leave requests for agents to travel, we're on this five to 6000 person list.

We will be able to stop firings in advance. Look. You see how surgically and quickly things go without precision. We will, I guarantee you, I assure everyone, we will sue the U.S. government to reinstate all those who are fired, especially without due process, which is what we're certainly most concerned about.

But listen. What he said, the corruptness. I have sued the U.S. government, including the FBI, for over 30 years. I'm all for getting rid of corrupt FBI personnel. They take bribes.

Robert Hanssen disclosing classified information to a foreign adversary. Let's do it. Absolutely.

But working on the January 6 cases, if that means they're corrupt or partisan let me just very quickly give this kind of sketch out.

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Do we really believe an FBI agent who probably found the evidence by social media posting of camera footage that the January 6 people put out themselves, somehow opened the case on their own, somehow investigated it all on their own, somehow brought the case to the U.S. attorney's office all on their own, got a grand jury convened all on their own, got the prosecutors to prosecute them, and a federal judge to convict them all on their own?

Somehow they're the corrupt ones who should be fired? I mean, give me a break.

COATES: Daniel, I know a rhetorical question when I hear one, and I just heard a lot. There's only one answer, I think, for most of those indeed, and you served in the FBI. So what is this doing? What is the impact of these threats, number one, not only on morale, but the actual operation of an organization, critical on cases that have nothing to do with even this discreet date?

DANIEL BRUNNER, RETIRED FBI SUPERVISORY AGENT AND CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, BRUNNER SIERRA GROUP: Absolutely. And that's exactly what you said. There's ramifications, and what it's doing is there's earthquake going across the bureau around the world.

There's agents and embassies overseas that they're putting forth. They're, you know, enforcing the constitution and the law set forth by congress. But this is putting a break on everything, on everyone.

Even people who aren't associated with any of these investigations, they're now nervous. They're now looking over their shoulder.

And it was causing hesitation, and it's taking them away from doing their work. That's all agents want to do is conduct their investigations, support the constitution, and enforce the laws that are put forth before them.

And I absolutely agree with Mark. If an agent is found to be corrupt or if he's breaking a law, I think there should be an investigation and that agent should be dealt with appropriately. But most of these, if not all of them, all of these 6000 employees, and like you said, not all agents.

There's a lot of professional support employees who are just supporting the investigation. They're being unduly investigated and put pressure.

Now a lot of these people may be close to retirement, and but more importantly, what's dangerous is if their names are released, the possibility of them getting doxxed or getting threats, or more importantly, their families getting threatened for something that they are allegedly have been, have done. So I think it's a very difficult situation all around.

COATES: So, Mark, will the two day lead time be enough to try to counteract what you just described, the potential for what happens if it's released?

COATES: Well, we'll see. I mean, you know, we made it two business days because what we were expecting with two days is, you know, 11:00 at night on a Friday or Saturday, we'd get notification, and you could imagine how difficult it would be to respond.

So at least two business days. I think that would be long enough. I mean, the government was arguing when we were in court yesterday that this was speculative injury, that there was nothing imminent.

Well, that two day window, if we are received if we receive notification, what more could be imminent if they're telling us they're going to disclose something, you know, to whomever, to the public particularly. But we were fighting in particular about the wording.

At first, they just wanted it to say the Department of Justice. And, you know, your last segment about Elon Musk and SpaceX and, everyone and DOGE, you know, that's a concern that somehow information would get to a non-party, a non-governmental party, and just be released.

You know, the privacy act and others don't apply. That some statues don't apply to the White House. So what we want to do is bind all the executive branch employees to make sure the information doesn't frankly go to the President of the United States, so that it can't be released, at least not improperly.

Hey, if it could be properly released and follows the law, we're okay.

COATES: The met the megaphone that would be handed over would be enormous. I appreciate the risk. Thank you both.

ZAID: Thank you.

BRUNNER: My pleasure.

COATES: A sanctuary city no more? A memo sent to New York City Workers has immigration advocates up in arms. As the White House pressures ICE to increase the arrests, the question is, is that pressure leading to non-dangerous immigrants getting swept up in those apprehensions?

Congressman Espaillat is standing by.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COATES: Well, since taking office, president Trump and top immigration officials vowed to arrest the, quote, "worst immigrants first," those who committed violent crimes. More than 8000 people accused of being in The U.S. illegally have been detained since Trump took office.

But a closer look at the numbers raises questions about who is being targeted.

Take the case of Dante Lopez. The undocumented father has lived in South Florida for 14 years while seeking asylum from violence in his native Peru. He admits he is here illegally, and he says he was deported once, but he crossed the border again.

Lopez says he has no criminal record. He self-reports to ICE every day, and he uses his monitoring device. But this week, he was detained by federal agents before his next asylum interview. His daughter left asking why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMILLA LOPEZ, FATHER DETAINED BY FEDERAL AGENTS: They sounded like mad. They sounded mad. They were yelling. They were screaming at my dad. I saw my dad. He was in fear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Other families are asking the same question. A Texas family told NPR their 18 year old son was arrested by immigration agents. They say their son arrived from Venezuela Last November and was using the CPB one app to seek asylum, but the app was shut down minutes after Trump took office.

While the 18 year old's family says he crossed the border illegally, his father says he's not a criminal.

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Quote, "We have behaved. We have done things the right way, and that's why we didn't fear we were going to go through this."

But the Trump administration, they're still a criminal. It's a message that has been telegraphed time and time again since Trump took office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S BORDER CZAR: When we find him, he may be with others. Others that don't have a criminal conviction are in the country illegally. They will be arrested too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: With me now, New York Democratic congressman, Adriano Espaillat. Thank you so much for joining us this evening, congressman. About a hundred people, I understand, have been detained in New York City. Have you heard of undocumented migrants or immigrants without a criminal record being detained as well?

REP. ADRIANO ESPAILLAT (D-NY): Absolutely. We have heard of even citizens and a veteran being temporarily detained in question. This is a wide net that's being cast out there.

I don't think anyone is in disagreement that if someone committed a violent crime, they should be arrested. They should go to trial, and if found guilty, they should be deported. The laws are already on the books for that.

What we are concerned is that a wide net is being cast out there, to capture or arrest people that haven't committed a violent crime. Even folks that have may have committed a nonviolent offense, what is called an offense of moral turpitude, which is nonviolent.

And, we're very concerned that this is sending out a chilling effect in the community. You see it in the streets. The sidewalks are empty. COATES: You know, it would appear that President Trump thinks that he's working to his exact plan then. And the idea that they are saying if you have crossed the border illegally, that's enough of a criminal offense to warrant deportation. What do you say about this push to distinguish between violent crimes after crossing and the act itself?

ESPAILLAT: Well, we're not for anybody that's either committed a violent crime before they came here in their country of Oregon or someone that has committed a violent crime while being here. We understand that the laws should be applied, and, in fact, they are being applied.

What we are concerned is that families will be split up, and we're very supportive of dreamers. Dreamers on the average have been in the United States for 25 years or more. We're also very supportive of farm workers. Half of the farm workers are undocumented, and we want to make sure we keep families together.

COATES: You know, the pacing of the administration says more than 8000 people have been arrested since inauguration day about three weeks ago, as you know. But sources say the White House wants agents to actually pick up the pace of these arrests. How do these comments add to the level of fear for any immigrants?

ESPAILLAT: Well, this fear of sending kids to school, this fear of a senior going to the doctor, for his or her doctor's appointment, this fear of a woman who may be a victim of domestic violence to go to the local precinct and report the batterer.

And so this is not what we're about. A sanctuary city is a safety net for those that are in need. It's not harboring hardened criminals. That's not what it does.

In fact, it provides a safety net for that mom, that senior, or that child that's going to school.

COATES: I will tell you as a former prosecutor, there is a chilling effect if people believe that reporting crimes that they themselves will be victimized or they themselves would in fact be deported, which leads to a whole Pandora's box being open of not being able to actually pursue cases in the long run-in some instances.

Congressman, we're learning that New York City has a new policy that specifically instructs city workers to comply with an officer's request if that employee feels, quote, "threatened or if the worker fears for their safety." New York City, as you said, is a sanctuary city. Is this the right move by New York City?

ESPAILLAT: Well, in the past administration, administratively put into motion a bill that I have, which is a sensitive location bill that says that race should not occur in schools, in funeral homes, in churches, of course, in places of worship. And this is a backdoor way to get around that. In fact, we submitted the bill, just yesterday, with Senator Blumenthal.

And then we're hopeful that people would understand that a church is not a place to have a rate, that a school is a sacred place for learning and nurturing for children, that an emergency room should not be a place where someone goes to fearing that the nurse is going to turn them in.

[23:40:04]

This is not what we're looking for. We want to make sure that these places are sacred, that they're not part of the aggressive action that often occurs when a place is raided.

COATES: Congressman Espaillat, thank you so much for joining us this evening.

ESPAILLAT: Thank you, Laura. Thank you for having me.

COATES: Well, just in, some more relief for the embattled workers of USAID. A judge has now ordered the agency to temporarily reinstate 500 workers who had been suspended. That's in addition to the ruling that delayed plans to place thousands of staffers on leave.

The judge also said that no USAID worker can be removed from their host country before February 14 and that they must get paid through that date, all while the legal challenges play out.

Well, one month since the fires that consumed California communities, one month since I last spoke to the Storc family after their home burned down. They join me with an update next.

Plus, she is singing in front of the world on the Super Bowl Sunday. Ledisi is here to talk all about it.

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[23:45:00]

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COATES: You know, it's been nearly a month since the Eaton fire devastated Altadena, California, and I can hardly believe that it was just only last week that the blaze was then fully contained.

The fire, it burned over 14,000 acres. It took the lives of at least 17 people, countless families losing their homes and everything they owned.

One of those families is the Storcs. This was their home before the fire. It was known as a kind of haven to their community. They would often host family and also neighbors at that home.

But after the fire, the home was reduced to rubble. Most everything they owned turned to ash. Just look at this. This was their car. Now only the actual frame remains.

I want to bring in Michael and Ruth Storc. Remember that I spoke to them about a month ago in the immediate aftermath of the fire. You both have been on my mind ever since. I was wondering how you and your kids were doing.

How have you been? What is the last month been like for all of you?

RUTH STORC, LOST HOME IN CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE: Well --

MICHAEL STORC, LOST HOME IN CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE: Busy.

R. STORC: -- and it has feels like it's been five months. But, we spent a little time with family, when we last spoke to you. We were in the Bay Area.

We came back down because we really wanted to be with the community and be in the place where there's all the people were there to help and help us figure out what the next steps were. There has been so much aid and so much outpouring from the whole city. It's been actually extremely moving.

COATES: And when we last spoke, you weren't both of you weren't entirely clear if you were going to go back, if you were going to rebuild eventually. You were thinking, unless the community that you love so much was returning, you weren't sure, but now you decided to go back.

M. STORC: Well, we both thought it was important that our kids go back to school and be with their friends as much as possible. My daughter, especially at her school, most of her friends lost their homes as well.

So them all being together and being able to share that experience was really important to us and to get them back to kind of as normal a life as they could have considering.

R. STORC: Yes. We did not want to put trauma upon trauma by, you know, losing their home and losing their friend group and losing their school.

COATES: How have your kids talked about this with you? I can't imagine what they must be talking to themselves and their friends about.

M. STORC: It's, you know, it gets more matter of fact for them with each conversation. We hear them talking about it and they're coping, you know, they're strong and they're learning to adapt to the new situation. It's definitely odd and there's definitely strain moments for sure.

And, you know, for all of us, it's just like you go on with life, but then all of a sudden you'll remember something and it just kind of hits you, and that's -- they go through that too.

COATES: Is there something in particular that you have really been missing since you've lost your home?

R. STORC: I would say for me, it is just a sense of safety and security. There's so many questions now.

Does it make sense to rebuild here? Does it make you know, does it -- what will -- I mean, if you look at it, these images, you know, it is a graveyard of houses. And so, there is a big strong movement in Altadena that Altadena is not for sale, that we are stronger together, and we are definitely part of that movement.

But it's also really overwhelming, to not know you know, I'm sure, like, our insurance prices are going to go crazy now and our and the cost of building materials is going to go up with this many houses to build. So there's a lot of question marks, and we are just feeling our way through.

M. STORC: Yes. It's hard to watch the pictures that we're talking because it is, like, so, you know, it's hard to see. It's hard to be there. It's hard to see what it's become, and it's you don't you can't even there's such cognitive dissidents to the images and what you're in your mind you think of when you're home and how it just isn't what it was anymore.

[23:50:07]

R. STORC: At least for the time being.

M. STORC: Yes.

R. STORC: Yes.

COATES: At least for the time being. Ruth and Michael Storc, thank you.

R. STORC: Thank you.

M. STORC: Thank you.

COATES: Well, what will you be doing on Super Bowl Sunday? My next guest likely has better plans than all of us because she'll actually be singing at the game. Ledisi is here after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:54:55]

(VIDEO PLAYING)

COATES: Well, that's Alicia Keys performing the iconic song "Lift Every Voice and Sing." It's also called the Black National Anthem for its lyrics appealing for the liberty of black Americans.

This year marks the 125th anniversary of that song. And since 2021, it's been performed before the Super Bowl.

Well, this year, Grammy award-winning singer, Ledisi, will have the honor of performing it with president Trump and many others, of course, in attendance. It's an extra special performance for Ledisi. She's from New Orleans where the big game will be played, and Ledisi joins me right now.

Ledisi, it's such a treat to have you here. I'm a huge fan, and so many people cannot wait to hear you sing. Are you excited for this?

LEDISI, GRANNY AWARD-WINNING SINGER: I'm beyond excited and to be home singing this song, but I'm also afraid. But we're going to have fun with it.

COATES: I don't know how you could possibly be afraid. We've heard you sing. The vocal cords, you had nothing to be afraid of. Why are you afraid?

LEDISI: Well, it's such a big event. You know? I'm at home, and all my family's watching. They're like, you know, make us proud, you know. So I just want to represent NOLa really well. So I'm excited.

COATES: Well I have no doubt you've won a Grammy. You performed all around the world. We've all been blessed to hear you, and here you are in this particular moment.

And this song is iconic. I mean, it's the 125th anniversary of its first performance. You're going to be joined by a 125-member choir, made up of high school vocalists from all across the city. And you said you're going to sing the mess out of this song, which is, of course, what I expect from you.

But give me a sneak peek at what you would expect.

LEDISI: Well, I'm going to, of course, be myself, and I'm going to represent my beautiful city. And having these wonderful children here of the performing arts with me performing this song is just I can't wait till everyone sees it.

It's going to your heart, is going to make you cry. I was -- we were -- we just did rehearsal, and I just couldn't hold it together. Towards the end, I just started bawling. It was so amazing to have this moment and share it with all the children.

You know? It's really beautiful. You'll see. You'll see.

COATES: Well, so now I cannot wait. I couldn't wait before.

Now I really can't wait. What does the performance of this song in particular? I mean, the Black National Anthem, you can't help but have your heart swell when you hear it. The lyrics, they're beautiful. They are, I mean, just the way it's performed for me it is -- it feels like a hug frankly.

But there are those who might question whether it belongs at the Super Bowl or in sports, but when you hear the song and the lyrics, what does it mean to you?

LEDISI: When I'm thinking of my reasonings for what why I love music so much, it's the universal language that goes and touches everyone across the world. And to be from the birthplace of jazz and Mahalia Jackson and like Miriam Anderson stepping into a moment to, just show the world why music exists, to make us feel better, to ignite us, this is American culture. Whether some believe it or not, it's part of our history, and I'm so

honored to be chosen. I can't believe I'm chosen to step in this moment and remind us all why music is a beautiful language for us to come together.

So it's not -- it's bigger than me. It's my voice is chosen for it, but it's -- this is about all of us, not just one. But yes. But, you know, my ancestors are all in through this, so I'm honored to be a part of it. Yes.

COATES: Wow. I got to tell you, it was your voice that was chosen, so you better go ahead and lift every voice and sing until you know the rest. Earth and heaven ring, my friend.

And, well, I can't sing, but I can vocalize it for you? I can just speak the words. That's all I'm going to do, but I'm going to be cheering for you.

Congratulations. It's quite an honor. I'm glad it's you.

LEDISI: Thanks for having me. I'm so proud of you. Thank you for all the work you do for us, and you're amazing. I watch you every night, so thank you.

COATES: Well, thank you. We'll get some sleep because we're going to be watching you. I will have my hands covered in buffalo wing sauce, but I'm going to be cheering you on anyway.

Okay. Ledisi, thank you so much. I'm rooting for you.

LEDISI: Thanks so much. Thanks for having me.

COATES: Hey, thank you for watching. "Anderson Cooper 360" is next.