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One World with Zain Asher
Japan's PM Ishiba Meets With Trump In Washington; Labor Groups Sue To Halt The Dismantling Of USAID; CNN Investigates How USAID Cuts Affect Programs In Africa; Hamas Reassesses Names Of Three Hostages Set For Release Saturday; Excitement Building Ahead Of Chiefs-Eagles Rematch; U.S. Sending Migrants To Military Base In Cuba; 102 Venomous Snakes Found In Australian Man's backyard; Aired 12:00-1:00p ET
Aired February 07, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:37]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching ONE WORLD.
We begin at the White House, where the U.S. president just welcomed Japan's Shigeru Ishiba, the prime minister of the world's third biggest economy. Of
course, we're talking about the prime minister of Japan.
We're also looking ahead to their news conference in the next hour, when we're likely to hear what they'll be discussing. The topics are expected to
include defense and economic agreements. Mr. Ishiba saying earlier that he hopes to, in his words, build trust with Donald Trump.
And later today, President Trump is also planning to have a phone conversation with Panama's president. Now, this comes as the Trump
administration ramps up pressure on Panama over who controls the canal.
Let's begin the hour with CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak who joins us from Washington.
And, Kevin, President Trump had a close relationship with late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but Prime Minister Ishiba seems to be very well versed
in how to appeal to the president at this point is expected to speak to the close military and economic ties between these two countries.
Give us a preview of what we can expect.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: You're -- And you're right that the shadow of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is kind of looming
over these talks, just given how close he was to President Trump, but also how skilled he was in managing Trump when he came into office back in 2017.
There was really no leader who just sort of figured out the mercurial ways of Donald Trump better than Shinzo Abe.
And I think now, as Prime Minister Ishiba is here at the White House, I think he is probably using that as a model as he looks to deepen ties
between himself and Trump. And there are a lot of questions as he enters these talks.
You know, one of the questions is trade. Donald Trump has not necessarily mentioned Japan as a target of his tariffs, but that's not to say that he
isn't thinking about the trade relationship going forward and that's something that the two men will talk about in the Oval Office.
The other is sort of the place of Japan in the United States' broader strategy in Asia. The Biden administration had worked very, very hard to
strengthen relationships with Tokyo. President Biden sort of reinvigorated the relationship between Japan and South Korea after decades of sort of
historical animosity. He also reinvigorated the Quad Alliance, which includes Japan.
And I think a question going forward for Japanese officials is how Trump plans to approach this now that he is in office, particularly as the United
States looks to become a counterweight to China in the region. Does it rely on Japan in part to do that? And what role will American troops, the heavy
military presence that the United States has in Japan, play in that going forward?
Of course, Donald Trump has been somewhat skeptical of these massive military deployments overseas, whether it's in Japan, whether it's in South
Korea. And I think what Prime Minister Ishiba is looking for in this meeting today is to get some clarity on how the president sees this all
going forward.
But certainly, I think his approach to this will be reflective of an intensive strategy that he has been deploying over the last couple of
weeks. There has been what they call a Trump Strategy Council in Tokyo trying to sort of have determined the best approach to Trump going forward.
He has been guided in part by the history with Prime Minister Abe and also by Prime Minister Abe's widow, Aki Abe, who is here in Washington for
Donald Trump's inauguration about three weeks ago.
And so this will all be an important moment for the Japanese as they look to solidify this relationship going forward.
But there are now a host of foreign leaders who are coming to Washington to try and get in front of President Trump to try and advocate for their
countries going forward.
We'll also see the King of Jordan here next week. And as well as the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be here in Washington. Both of those
men have sort of established relationships with Trump going back to his first term. But this will be the first time that President Trump meets with
Prime Minister Ishiba as they sit down in the Oval Office right now.
[12:05:01]
GOLODRYGA: And we will take that news conference and bring it to you live when it begins shortly.
Kevin Liptak, thank you.
Well, at midnight tonight, thousands of USAID workers will be on leave. The Trump administration accuses the U.S. agency for international development
of corruption and misusing taxpayer dollars.
Sources tell CNN just 300 of the agency's 10,000 workers will be retained. Now, that's prompted a lawsuit from two labor groups representing USAID
workers. The vice president of one of the groups put the situation in perspective.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDY CHESTER, USAID VICE PRESIDENT AT AFSA: We will be effectively closed. We will not be able to do any work that we have been doing for the last 60
years since USAID was founded. Humanitarian assistance will stop. Food aid will stop being distributed. Medication to fight HIV will stop.
Immunization programs will stop. Programs that support the private sector development and create jobs in countries overseas will stop.
Our partnerships with American companies will stop. And not only that, in addition to the 10,000 USAID employees, the private sector and the
nonprofit sector will also face tremendous layoffs as they are forced to reduce their staff because they no longer have funds from the U.S.
government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: And as our Alex Marquardt reports, that lawsuit, and even Congress, may change things.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: They are hoping to put a stop and reverse essentially what the Trump administration has
been doing over the course of the past few weeks, which is essentially gutting USAID and moving it into the State Department.
So this lawsuit was filed yesterday in federal court here in Washington, D.C. Two different labor groups representing these USAID staffers,
essentially accusing President Trump, the secretary of state, the secretary of the treasury and their departments of doing something that is illegal,
that they're not allowed to do under their executive authority.
This is something we have also heard from democratic lawmakers, saying that only an act of Congress can actually do what they are doing to USAID. And
that's essentially having it absorbed by the State Department. As you noted, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is now the acting administrator
of USAID.
And at the same time, we are learning about a dramatic slashing of the USAID staff. All of the direct hires, so the U.S. government employees who
are not contractors, are to go on leave as of midnight tonight.
We are told by multiple sources that some 300 essential personnel around the world will be kept. So that, of course, is a small portion of the
around 10,000 global staff of USAID.
Now, the former USAID Administrator, Samantha Power, under President Joe Biden, she spoke with CNN just last night, and she put it this way. Take a
listen.
SAMANTHA POWER, FORMER USAID ADMINISTRATOR: If we did this to military families, just summarily told them to pack their bags and leave a place
that they had been deployed, there would be broad bipartisan outrage.
And that is what we are doing to public servants who have also given their lives, serving alongside our military in really hazardous places. This is
no way to treat public servants. And it is no way to advance America's interests.
MARQUARDT: The directive that has gone out to those direct hires around the world is essentially you have 30 days to get home. They're not ordering
them home necessarily, but if they want their expenses paid for, then they essentially have 30 days to figure out.
And then you have thousands of contractors here in the U.S. around the world who are being furloughed or put on leave, blocked out of the system.
But it is just a dramatic reduction in both the workforce and the scope of USAID.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to Alex Marquardt for putting that into perspective for us.
Well, as you just heard, the world's poorest countries will likely be hit hardest by the gutting of USAID. Nowhere is that more evident than in
Uganda.
Our Larry Madowo is in Kampala and filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I've been hearing from USAID staff, local contractors across Africa, but also from beneficiaries of projects up and
down the continent. And this news has led to confusion, chaos, panic, and anxiety about the future of these projects.
Now, you've got to understand, about a third of USAID funding comes to the continent of Africa. For instance, Uganda is the third largest recipient of
just health funding. A lot of that money goes into humanitarian causes or to health care.
And just in this region alone, there is so much happening. We have the situation in Goma and the Eastern DRC, where a rebel group has taken over a
major city of two million and already hundreds of thousands of people were displaced there. USAID funded the shelters, the food, the medicine for
these people there.
Here in Uganda, there is a lot of refugees that depend on USAID to eat, for where to sleep. There are 1.4 million people in Uganda who are on
antiretroviral therapy. These are people living with HIV who depend on money from USAID for their regular treatment. That's what keeps them alive.
[12:10:12]
And all of them now are afraid that when they run out some of them already have stock outs. They don't know if there's going to be -- there's going to
be more coming.
And all these things from USAID come in these boxes branded USAID from the American people. And right now, so many of them on the continent are
telling me surely one percent of the U.S. budget, the American people can afford that.
But there's a counterargument here. I spoke to Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, who says he's a beneficiary of U.S. funding and foreign aid, but he
agrees with President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL KAGAME, RWANDAN PRESIDENT: President Trump's unconventional ways of doing things, I completely agree with him on many things.
MADOWO: Even though it will hurt you as Rwanda, which depends on some U.S. aid to find your healthcare and development.
KAGAME: I think from being hurt, we might learn some lessons to, you know, to do things we don't do that we should be doing. This is why I'm saying,
yes, this aid thing, which I've never been a friend of it, much as I've been a beneficiary.
MADOWO: It's extraordinary to hear President Kagame say that. It's a thought that there are many on the continent that share. They say, for
instance, so much U.S. foreign aid is just stolen here, or it goes into administrative costs, buying people big cars and fancy lifestyles, not
going to the people that need it.
But two, that African countries, those that depend on this funding, need to learn to be self-sufficient. They can't be relying on the generosity of
others forever.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: In other news, Russell Vought was confirmed as director of the Office of Management and Budget Thursday after Democrats gave speeches for
30 hours in a row opposing his nomination.
Vought is one of the architects of the controversial Project 2025, a document which lays out how to remake the government and put almost all
power in the hands of the president.
Well, with Republicans in control of both Houses of Congress, the courts appear to be the best way for Donald Trump's adversaries to slow down his
agenda.
On Thursday, a federal judge hit pause on the effort by President Trump and Elon Musk to shrink the federal government. Federal workers were facing a
deadline of midnight Thursday to accept a so-called buyout offer.
The judge says he wants more briefings on whether it should be blocked. And separately, the Trump administration is also turning to the courts for
help, especially when it comes to its immigration crackdown. The Department of Justice filed a suit claiming the state of Illinois and the city of
Chicago are deliberately getting in the way of efforts to round up undocumented migrants.
Well, let's help us understand a bit more about all of this. We are joined by CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams, a former federal prosecutor. So much
to get into, Elliot. Good to see you.
Let's start with the what we mentioned earlier in the hour, and that is that two unions representing USAID and other federal workers have filed
lawsuits against the Trump administration for their actions to drastically reduce the number of workers in that organization.
And they're accusing the administration violating a constitutional law. They're arguing that the reduction in personnel and cancellation of global
aid contracts is unconstitutional and a violation of the separation of powers.
Do they have a strong case here?
ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I think they do. And it's important just to understand how American government works here. Yes, the president
is the head of state, the head of government, but spending comes from Congress. And things like salaries, how employees are paid, when they're
paid, when they're hired and fired, that's a spending question. And it's really, and probably most likely, Congress' decision to make here.
Now, certainly the president can set his agenda and his priorities, but these questions, these big questions about how salaries are going to work
and how many employees can and should be employed by the government, it's really Congress' purview here. And I do think they have a strong argument
to go into court with.
GOLODRYGA: And we know that the president has really favored, even in his first term, impounding powers. And given that this is money that has been
appropriated by Congress, I mean, is this an issue that you think could have the opportunity to finally be addressed at this point as well, his
control over money that is appropriated by Congress?
WILLIAMS: I do think so for a couple of reasons. Number one, there are a number of Supreme Court justices currently. There's -- in the United
States, there's nine of them. And a number of them have a very strong view of presidential power, the strong view of the powers of the executive,
particularly with respect to spending, number one.
And number two, President Trump has made no secret about, as you said, Bianna, no secret about his notion of American presidential power.
[12:15:03]
So, yes, this could be an opportunity to either clarify this issue or take American government in a direction that it really hasn't gone before, but
that's really, you know, that's why we have a Supreme Court here in the United States for sorting out questions like this.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Another question for you and something that that's a bit more in your wheelhouse hits closer to home. The FBI finally, after a week-
long standoff, has handed over the names of Justice Department officials, thousands of workers actually that were involved in the January 6th
investigation in cases that resulted from that. We've seen a similar move from the CIA as well.
What happens now? I mean, what is the implication for the FBI and agents that are currently employed by the institution?
WILLIAMS: Well, the implication -- yes. The implication's not good. And ultimately, what the president has done, in effect, is put a loyalty test
on members, people who work for the FBI. These really are civil servants. They are law enforcement officers who swear an allegiance, quite frankly,
to the Constitution of the United States and not one president or another.
When you start trying to root out names of who is and is not loyal to the president, Bianna, you really start tiptoeing up to almost loyalty tests or
purity tests or even political tests, ideological tests on people who should be law enforcement officers.
It doesn't smell great, what we're seeing here with the FBI. And quite frankly, many of them, I think if they end up getting terminated or fired,
can sue the government for the loss of their jobs, if in fact they were fired for being seen as being quote, too disloyal or not politically
aligned with the president.
So this is not the end of this question. There are serious privacy and free speech questions here that are implicated whenever you start talking about
firing law enforcement officers.
GOLODRYGA: And to add to that, the Justice Department said that it will not fire agents who acted in a quote ethical manner. How do you even make sense
of that? How do you describe and qualify what an ethical manner is?
WILLIAMS: Yes. How do you describe what an ethical manner? How do you describe the other language they've used is I think disloyalty to the
president or whatever else. What does that even mean? Those are subjective terms inherently.
There is a standard and a process for determining whether someone has broken the law. And if they have, and if they have behaved in a manner that
sort of does not comport with their oath to the constitution or has broken the law, of course, they should be terminated and fired. But that hasn't --
there's no credible evidence that that's really happened here.
And so because of the fact that the White House has put these fuzzy standards on, there's a tremendous risk that people who are apolitical,
righteous servants of the government are really going to get swept up here. And it's a dangerous road to go down for the FBI.
GOLODRYGA: Not -- and not to mention a threat to national security down the road as well here for every single American who's wondering how this
impacts them directly.
Elliot Williams, always good to see you. Please come back soon.
WILLIAMS: Of course. Take care.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you.
And this breaking news just into CNN. Hamas has released the names of three Israeli hostages set to be released from Gaza on Saturday. All three are
male. And the announcement comes nearly three hours after it was expected. Israel will release Palestinian prisoners in exchange.
Jeremy Diamond joins us now live from Tel Aviv. And, Jeremy, tell us more about the names on this list. It's becoming quite a repeat here again of
the delays in these names being announced. But finally, we know who they are.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. And the Israeli government has now confirmed that the list of names provided by
Hamas is correct and is acceptable to the Israeli government.
We are expecting three men to be released tomorrow who have been held hostage by Hamas since October 7th. They include two who were taken hostage
from Kibbutz Be'eri. They are Eli Sharabi, who is now 52 years old. His wife and his two children were killed on that terrible day of October 7th
by Hamas in their attack. He was taken hostage.
His brother, also a resident of Kibbutz Be'eri, had also been taken hostage by Hamas, but he was likely killed in an Israeli airstrike in mid-January
of last year, according to the Israeli military.
Ohad Ben Ami, a 56-year-old from Kibbutz Be'eri, is also expected to be released tomorrow. His wife, Raz Ben Ami, was also taken hostage alongside
of him from Kibbutz Be'eri, but she was released last -- in that November 2023 ceasefire.
And since then, she has made it her mission, like so many other former hostages, to advocate for her husband and the others who were left behind.
[12:20:01]
The last hostage we expect to be released tomorrow is Or Levy, a 34-year- old who was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival. He will be returning to his 3-year-old son, who has been waiting for 15 months for his father to
return.
Sadly, that little boy's mother, Or Levy's wife, Einav, was killed on October 7th at that Nova Music Festival.
In exchange for these three hostages, we expect that 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees will be released from Israeli prisons, 18 of them
are serving life sentences, 111 of them were detained in Gaza since October 7th. Bianna?
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Bittersweet to see these hostages come home knowing that, or at least two of them, their families had all been murdered on October
7th. Nonetheless, a relief for so many in Israel to see more hostages coming home.
Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv for us. Thank you so much.
And still to come for us, the numbers tell the economic story. The first U.S. jobs report of President Trump's second term is out. We'll bring you
the details, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Well, the numbers are in. The first U.S. jobs report of the new presidency. The American labor market continued to grow in January, but not
as much as economists had expected.
Employers added 143,000 jobs last month. The economists were looking for, 170,000. And the unemployment rate dipped to four percent, according to
data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The White House is pinning the blame for the slower-than-expected hiring on the previous Biden administration.
Well, it will be a three-peat. Will it be a three-peat? Maybe I just announced the results of the game for the Kansas City Chiefs. Or will the
Philadelphia Eagles be flying high over New Orleans? Even if you don't like sports, there's the commercials, there's the halftime show.
CNN's Coy Wire joins us from New Orleans. And he's going to tell us exactly what's going to happen at Super Bowl LIX. Maybe I just announced the win
myself, Coy.
I have to say, I slightly am preferring a Kansas City win again. I may be an outlier in my household, but boy, will just be fun to watch.
COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Yes. Some Eagles fans over here watching you on this T.V.
GOLODRYGA: Oh, no.
WIRE: And I don't think they're too happy with you.
GOLODRYGA: Oh, no.
WIRE: Listen, those Chiefs, they have so many incredible story lives for Kansas City, right? Will they further solidify themselves as one of the
greatest dynasties of all time? Will Patrick Mahomes, their star quarterback, win a fourth Super Bowl title in seven seasons?
[12:25:07]
But on the other side of the ball, your opponents, Bianna, the Eagles, they have perhaps the most remarkable journeys to this big stage.
And it's the big man, Jordan Mailata, he'll be tough to miss on Super Bowl Sunday. Six-foot-eight, 365 pounds paving the way for the best running back
in the league, Saquon Barkley.
And he started in Australia, 10,000 miles away. And his dream was to play pro rugby. And to make that dream happen, he had to take all kinds of odd
jobs, grueling work, getting up at 4:00 in the morning.
And so I asked him about those early tough days in his athletic career. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JORDAN MAILATA, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES' OFFENSIVE TACKLE: I did stage building for a little bit, demolition, scaffolding. Really just any odd job just to
pays from -- pay the bills really.
The routine of it all kind of was pretty gruesome just waking up at 4:30 in the morning, get my day going and then, you know, having to work to then go
to training. That's probably like the hardest part of it is just trying to get into that routine. And I think it kind of helped a lot with my
transition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: So Jordan was told that he wasn't good enough. From $4,000 contracts with the National Rugby League to now one of the highest paid offensive
linemen in the NFL, Jordan Mailata is the perfect example of bet on yourself.
Now, speaking of bet, the Super Bowl every year, is one of the most bet on sporting events in the world. I caught up with FanDuel CEO, Amy Howe, to
ask her about all of the fan engagement ahead of this year's big game. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDY HOWE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, FANDUEL: So it's pretty evenly split. If you look at the handle, slight edge towards the underdog, the Eagles.
Bet count actually skews even more towards the Eagles. But, you know, we'll see how it goes, but there's a -- there's a lot of excitement.
This NFL season, we had almost 50 percent of our users, so 3.5 million users, who were using our My Spend tool, right? It gives you very detailed
analysis of your betting activity, your deposit activity, which is great because it means that, you know, it's a mainstream tool. We want everybody
to use it have a budget to stay within that budget.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Tools to help managing your wagering responsibly. Smart.
Amy Howe also told me about the Kick of Destiny, which goes on during the game. And this year, it features Peyton Manning and his brother Eli Manning
in a field goal kicking competition. So you know that is going to be quite the entertaining event.
And fans can get involved with that, make their pick, see who they think is going to win that competition. I'm going to go with Eli because Peyton
Manning, he's kind of like me. I have a really big head, a little top heavy, and I think that might get in the way of his kicking motion.
But we'll say, hey, I'm going to hold you to that truth prediction.
GOLODRYGA: Don't leave Peyton. Hanging. Don't leave --
WIRE: Because I'm going to go Eagles.
GOLODRYGA: You're going Eagles? Oh, wow. OK. Now we're onto something.
Listen, Jalen Hurts is from Houston, like I am too. So I do have a little bit of Eagle fan in me as well. So I won't be upset either way.
Before we leave, Coy, you look like you're standing in the middle of a kaleidoscope of just football videos.
WIRE: Right.
GOLODRYGA: Tell us where you are.
WIRE: Yes. We are at the NFL experience. Fans from all over the world come here and they open here in just a couple of hours. And, yes, this is like a
locker room feel. You get to see what real players locker rooms look like. There is a 40-yard dash competition where you can see virtually what a
Saquon Barkley runs in the 40-yard dash. Can you keep up with him?
There's a bench pressing. There's field goal kicking, all sorts of fun. I'm like very selfish picking this location because after I'm done talking to
you, I get to go have some fun and see if I still got it.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. You got the worst assignment out of all of us, Coy. I do pity you, my friend.
I'm just kidding.
WIRE: Come on down, girl.
GOLODRYGA: Have so much fun. And we'll see you on Monday. Either way, it's going to be a great game. No doubt.
WIRE: No doubt.
GOLODRYGA: Thanks, Coy Wire.
And we'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:30:39]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is expected to visit the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba today. She'll visit the Migrant
Operations Center as the Trump administration moves forward with its plan to dramatically expand the number of migrants being held there.
U.S. military flights have already started, transporting at least 23 migrants to the island. Our Patrick Oppmann looks back at the history of
the base.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the oldest overseas U.S. military base, and throughout the years, no stranger to controversy.
The U.S. Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba or Gitmo was first leased from Cuba in 1903, a year after the end of the U.S. occupation of the
island. Following the 1959 revolution, which aligned Cuba's government with the Soviet Union, the U.S. base was no longer welcome.
Then-Cuban leader Fidel Castro cut off water to the base, and tens of thousands of explosive mines were placed along the base's fence line by
both the U.S. and Cuban militaries.
The base became all but inaccessible except by boat or plane, which made Gitmo well-situated in the 1990s to house thousands of Cuban and Haitian
migrants trying to reach the U.S. by boat and to indefinitely imprison terror suspects following the September 11th attacks.
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These people are being treated humanely. There's very few prison systems around the world
that have seen such scrutiny as this one.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Despite those assurances, Guantanamo became synonymous with detainee abuse.
Upon taking office, then-President Barack Obama vowed to close the base's prison.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have ordered the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay and will seek swift and
certain justice for captured terrorists.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Closing Guantanamo for Cubans has a different meaning. In 2018, CNN was given rare access to Caimanera, a usually off-
limits town just across the bay from the navy base.
Residents here said, they hear the gunfire and explosions of military maneuvers from the base, and enjoy the yearly July 4th fireworks show. But
otherwise have no contact with the U.S. naval presence that their government says should not be here.
OPPMANN: Each year, the U.S. government sends Cuba a check for just over $4,000 to lease the base, which Cuban officials say they don't actually
cash. What they want is for the U.S. to return the base to Cuba.
[12:35:09]
But as under the original treaty, both governments have to agree to any changes to the base. It is unlikely to go anywhere anytime soon.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Ultimately, neither the Obama nor the Biden administrations were able to close the detention center for terror
suspects, instead transferring most of them to other countries. Now, only 15 detainees remain.
For the U.S. marines and civilian employees stationed here. Gitmo has the feel of a small town with a bowling alley for entertainment and Cuba's only
McDonalds and Starbucks.
But under the Trump administration, the base may be busier than it has been in decades.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today, I'm also signing an executive order to instruct the Departments of Defense and Homeland
Security to begin preparing the 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay. Most people don't even know about it.
We have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens.
OPPMANN (voice-over): It's not clear how long the migrants will remain or how they would be repatriated to their countries of origin.
Despite those questions, the migrants that the Trump administration calls the worst of the worst have begun to arrive at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for
the foreseeable future their new home.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to Patrick Oppmann for that report and history on the base there in Guantanamo Bay.
We are just seconds away from taking you to the White House, where President Trump and the prime minister of Japan made remarks ahead of their
meeting. This is a crucial meeting, obviously, the second head of state to visit President Trump in his second administration here following his
meeting with the prime minister of Israel. And so this is something that the president and the Japanese public had been anticipating.
Here are some of their remarks to the press from the Oval Office just a few minutes ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you discussed North Korea today, sir?
TRUMP: Well, that'll always with topic, especially with Japan. We will be discussing North Korea and many other things, me spending pretty much the
day. And -- but that's always a topic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, have you changed your mind about the sale of U.S. deal?
TRUMP: No. I think we're going to be discussing that today. No, I haven't. And I will have some pretty good information on that. You might want to go,
please.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Have you? OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are tariffs an option if the deficit doesn't get to equilibrium or to equality?
TRUMP: Yes, they are.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, can you discuss what your plan is for reciprocal trade? Are you signing an EO on that today?
TRUMP: I'll be announcing that next week. Reciprocal trade, so that we're treated evenly with other countries. We don't want any more or any less. So
I'll be announcing that next week. And many other things having to do not even with trade but other things.
But I'll be talking about reciprocal trade sometime next week. We'll have a news conference and we'll lay it out pretty simple.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) every single country?
TRUMP: It affects everybody. Reciprocal, yes. We'll be talking about that next week.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are your thoughts on that?
[12:40:14]
SHIGERU ISHIBA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I understand that the key point in this regard is to make that for mutually beneficial.
That means that would benefit the development of the United States, as well as the development of Japan.
And I do hope that whatever measures and actions should meet this criteria, meaning that serving the interest of both countries. But as to specifics, I
understand that we are going to have further discussion.
TRUMP: Correct.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, are there any specific concessions that you will be asking for from Japan that you can share?
TRUMP: I will be having. I think it'll be very easy for Japan. We have a fantastic relationship. I don't think we'll have any problem whatsoever.
They want fairness also.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, do you have any reaction to the new "Time Magazine" cover that has Elon Musk sitting behind your resolute desk?
TRUMP: No. Is "Time Magazine" still in business? I didn't even know that.
Elon is doing a great job. He's finding tremendous fraud and corruption and waste. You see it with the USAID, but you're going to see it even more so
with other agencies and other parts of government.
He's got a staff that's fantastic. He's wanted to be able to do this for a long time. And everybody else knew it was existent.
But I think never so much. When you look at USAID, that's a -- that's a fraud. The whole thing is a fraud. Very little -- very little being put to
good use. Every single line that I look at in terms of events and transactions is either corrupt or ridiculous.
And we're going to be doing that throughout government. And I think we're going to be very close to balancing budgets for the first time in many
years. I think we're going to be very close to -- in addition to moneys coming in from tariffs, et cetera, et cetera.
But, you know, he's doing a very good job. I'm very happy with him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you put Elon Musk up on the podium for us to ask him some questions, Mr. President? At any point?
Will you put Elon Musk up on the podium for us to ask him some questions?
TRUMP: Oh, sure. He'll be. He is -- he's not shy. Elon's not shy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any further deliberations on Gaza, sir? The timetable for a takeover?
TRUMP: No, no deliberations. It's been very well received where basically the United States would view it as a real estate transaction, where we'll
be an investor in that part of the world. And no rush to do anything. We wouldn't need anybody there. It would be supplied and given to us by
Israel. They'll watch it in terms of security. We're not talking about boots in the ground or anything.
But I think we'll -- the fact that we're there, that we have an investment there, I think would go a long way to creating peace.
We don't want to see everybody move back and then move out in 10 years. This has been going on for 50 years, much more than that. We just want to
see stability. That would be having us have that particular peace in that particular location.
I think with the great stability and would lead to great stability in the area for very little money, very little price. And we wouldn't need
soldiers at all. That would be taken care of by others. And the investments are taken care of by others also.
So -- and for no investment, I mean virtually no investment whatsoever. It would bring stability to the area. And others can invest in it later on.
But we're in no rush on it. There's absolutely no rush.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Trump, do you believe DeepSeek is a national security threat? And how do you plan to collaborate on AI initiatives?
TRUMP: On where?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: DeepSeek. Do you believe it's a national security threat?
TRUMP: No. I think it's happening. I mean, it's a -- it's a technology that's happening. It's very -- it's -- actually, I think it's -- I think
we're going to benefit if it's correct, what's going on now, that it'll be a lot less expensive.
The AI, we're talking about, will be a lot less expensive than people originally thought. That's a good thing. I view that as a very good
development, not a bad development.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, on autos, specifically, in your first term, you tried to tariff autos. Is that on the table still? Are you trying
to do that in your second administration?
TRUMP: Auto tariff?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Auto tariff.
TRUMP: Oh, yes, sure. That's on the table. That's always on the table. It's a very big deal. Because we are -- you know, we have cases where we don't
supply autos and other countries do. And, you know, we have to equalize it. We have to stabilize it and equalize it.
[12:45:07]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you have Vice President Vance meet with President Zelenskyy next week while he's in Europe?
TRUMP: I will probably be meeting with President Zelenskyy next week. And I will probably be talking to President Putin. I'd like to see that war end.
For one primary reason, they're killing so many people. You're losing millions of people on a battlefield.
In this case mostly the battlefield. You have 800 or 900,000 Russian soldiers are dead or -- and very badly wounded. And the same thing with
Ukraine. You have probably 700,000 with Ukraine. The numbers they gave are a little bit lower than that, but I believe those numbers aren't correct.
I'd like to see it end just on a human basis. It's terrible what's going on. They have open fields with no protection. The only thing a bullet can
hit is a human body, and the human body dies as soon as it gets hit.
Now, I'd like to see that end. It's a ridiculous war. It would have never started if I were president. That war would have never started. Putin would
not have started that war if I were president.
And by the way, you wouldn't have had October 7th if I was president either. That mess would not have started.
But no, I would very much like to help out. One of the things we're looking at with President Zelenskyy is having the security of their assets. They
have assets underground, rare earth and other things, but primarily rare earth.
And we want to have security. Really, we want security because, as you know, Europe is putting up much less money than us. Much. NATO, Europe.
Call it whatever you want. And we're at probably 300 billion plus, and they're at probably the real number is 100 billion. That's a lot of money,
but it's 200 billion less than us, and there's an ocean in between. They need it more than us.
So we're asking them to equalize and get even. But we're also asking President Zelenskyy for the security of, you know, putting all this money
up, and we're saying, where does it stop? And yet, we want to see it out to an end. We want to see it end.
But we are going to be asking for the security, and we've already told him of an equal amount of something where our money. I mean, the American
taxpayers in for $300 billion. Biden never negotiated. He never told Europe to put in more money. And it got out of hand.
Just like NATO. NATO, we were in -- we were paying almost 100 percent of NATO when I first came in. Everybody was taking advantage of the good old
United States, but not anymore.
So what? And now, if you speak to the secretary general of NATO, who was very nice when he was here two weeks ago, he said what Trump did was
amazing. He got everybody to pay. And to do that, you have to ask and Biden never asked.
So we're in for probably close to $200 billion more than Europe and yet obviously, it affects Europe much more than us.
So we would like them to stay -- to equalize. They have to go more. And from our standpoint, we do want security and all this money that we're
putting up. OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) next week, sir? Is that what you said?
TRUMP: He may -- he may meet next week. Yes. Whenever he'd like. I'm here. I'm here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will he come to Washington?
TRUMP: It could be Washington. Well, I'm not going there. It's --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you planning to meet with President Putin? Or are you just planning a phone call?
TRIMP: It could be -- it could be. We -- we've always had a good relationship. President Putin and I have always had a good relationship.
That's why it's so sad that it happened. This would have never happened if I were president. It's so sad to see it happen. So many dead people.
By the way, so many cities are demolished. And like you talk about Gaza, well, take a look at Ukraine. So many of those cities are demolition sites.
Demolished. So sad. Should have never happened.
All those beautiful golden domes, but much more importantly all those beautiful people are dead. And it should have never happened. Thank you
very much everybody.
(CROSSTALK)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: All right. You've been listening to President Trump there ahead of his meeting with the prime minister of Japan, addressing some questions
from reporters in the Oval Office.
He touched on a number of issues, starting with news that he will be announcing more tariffs as soon as next week. He was asked about Elon Musk
and his role at DOGE and really gutting some federal agencies, in particular USAID, as well as the president's thoughts on him being the
cover of "Time Magazine" today, sitting behind the resolute desk. The president suggesting he's still doing a great job. And his opinion is that
he's very happy with Elon Musk. And reiterating his comments about USAID, calling it a great fraud.
[12:50:02]
I want to bring in Kevin Liptak, because, Kevin, a number of things we heard additionally from the president in terms of Gaza and his plan to --
for the U.S. to take over Gaza and have Palestinians leave the enclave, which is theirs and obviously has been received with condemnation from
virtually everyone.
The president said that there is no rush now for that and that he views it as a real estate transaction.
LIPTAK: Yes. And I think --
GOLODRYGA: No boots on the ground.
LIPTAK: Yes. I thought that was interesting when he said that he didn't think it would require American troops because at that press conference
earlier in the week, he declined to rule out sending boots on the ground to Gaza to secure what he calls a long-term investment. So that was a
significant moment in there.
I think but when he talks about everyone loving this plan, I don't think that that is true, to be sure. Certainly players in the region of staunch
American allies have said that this isn't a workable or feasible solution to permanently remove the Palestinians from Gaza.
The other foreign policy area that was so interesting to hear him talking about was Ukraine. I think he misheard the question. Someone asked if J.D.
Vance would meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy next week when they're both attending the Munich Security Conference.
The president said that he would like to meet Zelenskyy. Trump would like to meet Zelenskyy. So it's not clear that that's actually a meeting that's
on his schedule. But he did sort of emphasize this plan that he has been conceiving to try and exchange Ukrainian rare earth minerals, things like
lithium that the United States would need, in exchange for continued U.S. assistance to Ukraine.
But he did say significantly that the U.S. assistance would be sustained. He said, we want to see this out to the end. He seems to be saying that the
United States just needs something in exchange for its continued support.
So I think over the next week, particularly as that conference in Munich develops, we will hear more about this -- President Trump's plan to bring
that conflict to an end. But it's interesting to start to see the contours of that come together as the president sort of continues in his second
administration.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And the transactional standpoint that he as a businessman has been known to prefer.
He also noted that he would like to speak with President Putin as well and reiterated a line that he has said throughout his campaign and now in the
early days of his administration that neither October 7th nor the war in Ukraine would have happened if he had been in office at the time.
Kevin Liptak, thank you for sticking around. Appreciate it.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:55:17]
GOLODRYGA: In Sydney, Australia, a man says he wasn't surprised to find snakes in his backyard, but he was shocked to find more than 100 venomous
red-bellied black snakes were actually hanging out in his mulch. David Stein says his wife figured out what was really going on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID STEIN, HOMEOWNER: My wife Googled why so many snakes, black snakes are together. And it turned out that their pregnant females, they
congregate to give birth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: In the end, a reptile expert recovered five adult snakes and 97 newborns. Oh, my God. But then one of the pregnant snakes delivered more
babies during the removal process. I'm sorry if any of you are eating lunch right now.
Reptile experts say their snakes will be relocated to a national park. That is really gross.
OK. Well, that does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thanks so much for watching. "AMANPOUR" is up next. And have fun watching
the Super Bowl.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
