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raising alarms after president trump fired more than a dozen independent government watchdogs in a late friday night purge. the inspector general receiving an email from the white house office of presidential personnel saying, quote, changing priorities led to their termination. this decision clears the way for trump to install his own picks for the roles, which are meant to operate independently. cnn's annie grier is live now on capitol hill, with more reaction from lawmakers. annie, i know they were in for a special session to confirm some nominees. we'll talk about that in a minute. but you were able to catch up with some of the lawmakers, some of those senators today. what were they saying? >> well, jessica, there was really mixed reaction on a bipartisan basis, because what trump did is really unprecedented. he got rid of individuals that run independent agencies that do oversight of the federal government to make sure that there is no waste, fraud and abuse going on. and by eliminating those individuals, he opens the door to install his own picks for those. independent roles. and the biggest issue

here is that trump did not give congress a 30 day notice, which is required by law, and that left some lawmakers very frustrated. so first, senator chuck grassley, the republican senator from iowa, who leads the judiciary committee, and he has worked very closely with these independent watchdogs over the years. he issued a statement this morning raising questions about trump's decision. i'm going to read you his statement. he said, quote, there may be good reason the ig's were fired. ig's meaning attorneys general. i mean, inspectors general, we need to know that if we need to know that, if so, i'd like further explanation from president trump. regardless, the 30 day detailed notice of removal that the law demands was not provided to congress. now, beyond just grassley, i spoke with senators murkowski and collins, and they were very concerned about this move. but the majority of senators i spoke to honestly didn't even know that this had

happened because it happened overnight. and i was actually telling them about it in real time. and then there was another group of republicans who were just quick to support anything that trump does and did. so again, with this move, trying to offer him the president's support. but i want to play you what the top democrat in the senate, chuck schumer, had to say about donald trump's move. >> yesterday in the dark of night, president trump fired at least 12 independent inspector generals at important federal agencies across the. administration. this is a chilling purge, and it's a preview of the lawless approach donald trump and his administration are taking far too often as he's becoming president. >> so that's schumer calling it a, quote, chilling purge. and this is definitely not the last we're going to be hearing about this move from lawmakers on capitol hill. >> and annie, there's been a

flurry of activity up there on the hill over the last 24 hours, with the senate confirming two of trump's top cabinet picks. kristi noem for secretary of homeland security pete hegseth as secretary of defense. and it appears these lawmakers, they're even working on a saturday, which we know they don't often do quickly to get these confirmations through. >> that's right. republicans in the senate are trying to move as quickly as possible to deliver trump as many wins for his cabinet as possible. and they they cleared a huge hurdle with pete hegseth on friday night because he had a very rocky confirmation process, as you know, from allegations of sexual misconduct of women to excessive drinking to misuse of funds for some of his previous jobs. now, hegseth denied all of those allegations, and trump stood with him the entire time. so it's a huge win for trump that his pick to lead the department of defense actually made it through congress and got confirmed.

there were three republicans who voted against hegseth nomination, though, which made it a real nail biter, including mitch mcconnell, who has a long history of bad blood between him and trump. so vice president vance had to come in at the last moment to deliver that hegseth victory. and kristi noem's nomination vote this morning went off pretty much without a hitch. in fact, seven democratic senators joined republicans in confirming her. but of course, for both hegseth and noem, the hardest work is yet to come. >> all right, annie greer, thanks so much. and we just got some news, too, that president trump has accepted an invitation from house speaker johnson to speak to a joint session of congress on march 4th. so we put that on our calendar march 4th. we will see that unfold. let's turn to develops now developments now on president trump's new immigration policies. the first deportation flights have started with the white house press secretary sharing images last night of migrants lined up, handcuffed

and boarding a military aircraft. guatemalan officials are confirming 264 guatemalan nationals have been deported from the u.s. on military flights back to their home country. cnn's rafael romo is joining us now. rafael, you've been tracking this. what more are you learning tonight? >> well, jessica, guatemalan officials have been trying to put a brave face to weather this storm. they have chosen to seek cooperation with the trump white house so that they can prepare for what could be a large number of guatemalan citizens returning to their country. santiago palomo, press secretary for the guatemalan president's office, told us several key things regarding the deportations. number one, the government of guatemala has been in what he described as permanent communication with the white house. palomo also confirmed that what you mentioned before, that 264 citizens of this country were deported on u.s. military flights on friday to guatemala, including six children. and number three, jessica. this official also said that guatemala is ready to handle around 18 weekly flights

of guatemalan citizens deported from the u.s. the issue of deportations seems to be a top priority for the government of the central american nation. guatemalan vice president karen herrera personally welcomed back to her country some of the migrants deported this week, greeting them at a guatemalan air force base just outside the capital. meanwhile, the official we spoke with says the deportations were not a surprise for his government. >> authorities in the united states, led by ambassador hugo becerra, were in communication this week with senior officials in the donald trump administration. the communication was very fluid. we had fairly detailed information about the flights that they were expecting friday. >> jessica, to put the issue of deportations of guatemalan citizens in perspective. the u.s. deported more than 66,000 back to their home country in fiscal year 2024, according to data from u.s. immigration officials. that's nearly a

quarter of all non-citizens removed by the u.s. that year. the guatemalan official we spoke with said those returning to guatemala are being treated in a dignified way through a government assistance program spearheaded by president bernardo arevalo called returning home. and probably that's what's going to happen in the next few weeks and months. jessica. >> wow. i'm really struck by that. they're counting on 18 flights a week. wow. all right, rafael romo, thank you very much for that reporting. joining us now, former nato supreme allied commander, general wesley clark. general, thanks so much for being here with us. i do want to get your thoughts on those military planes being used to deport migrants in a moment. but but first, i do want to go back to the pentagon. it now has its new leader in place, defense secretary pete hegseth. he has to get to work. now. what do you see as what he needs to be doing and what he needs to be focusing on? >> well. >> he's got some big challenges ahead. >> and he'll have the support of the men. >> and women in uniform. >> and he's got to prove

himself. >> but they're going to automatically support him because he's the secretary of defense. he's got to work the budget. that's the first thing he's got to participate in policy decisions. foremost on what to do about the aid to ukraine. and and also assistance to taiwan. he's got to participate as the president's directing him in sending troops to the border. he's got to look longer term at how he reforms the u.s. defense acquisitions process. we're way behind in terms of being able to repair our ships in terms of getting new equipment out there, in terms of the way we do contracting. there's a whole lot of legal stuff on this. and of course, the budget. now, senator roger wicker, who's the chairman of the senate armed services committee, wants to double the defense budget. so what's that money going to go into? how quickly can we get it in there? what about the strength of the armed forces and recruiting the army's down to 435. it's the lowest it's been. we know it's hard stretch to cover asia and europe and

whatever's going to be required in central america and on the border. so we've got multiple problems here. he's going to have some able assistance not only from the uniform but from the service secretaries and the deputy secretary of defense. but it's going to be a very steep learning curve. it's going to be tough. >> yeah. and he says he wants to bring peace through strength while he leads the pentagon. we have heard that from military officials before. but what do you think that means under the trump administration? peace through strength. >> i think it's going to be a real challenge because the there are many in congress, including mitch mcconnell and roger wicker, who believe you should double the defense budget. now, the democrats haven't supported this in the past. but if you also want to put in massive tax cuts or even extend the tax cuts that are supposed to expire next year that were put in by president trump, uh, what about the national debt? people are worried about the debt. well,

what about social safety programs? how is all this going to work out inside the budget? and i think that's one of the real challenges that that that secretary hegseth will face. and also president trump. >> and now i do want to go back to what our colleague rafael romo was reporting on these deportation flights. and we saw the photos coming from the trump administration. um, what is there are deportation flights. people are lined up that way. but but what was striking about this was the military planes that they were boarding. um, what do you think about that? >> well, i think it's probably not necessary, but it was a strong picture. and if you wanted a symbol to say, okay, the military is going to get in there, we're going to get these people out. that was the symbol. but in fact, normally you contract commercial aircraft and it's cheaper. and the military aircraft are they're more expensive and they're in scarce supply. and and they need

maintenance. so i hope we'll move away from using the military aircraft for this. there's plenty of civilian aircraft that are available just have to be contracted for. >> and what role does the military typically play when it comes to immigration? what's customary? >> well, you might send military troops down to the border and they might provide logistics support, intelligence collection back up to the border patrol. but they're not going to be out there. traditionally intercepting people trying to get across the border, because that violates the law that was put in after the civil war called posse comitatus. so without the insurrection act being invoked, the military is not legally able to go in and do police work or border work that's actually involved in the apprehension of civilians. so i understand there's 10,000 troops being mobilized right now. it seems that they're going to back up the customs and border patrol. they're going to do logistics. they're going to take some of

the administrative load, intelligence, load off the customs and border patrol. but that's the limit of it thus far. >> yeah. all right. more to come on this. general wesley clark, thanks so much for your analysis. we appreciate it. >> thank you. jessica. >> as israeli hostages freed from gaza tearfully reunite with their loved ones, we're seeing similar scenes of emotion among palestinian prisoners released as part of the same deal. how one mother, who's been locked up for close to a year for social media posts, describes her time as an israeli prisoner. >> kobe believed in himself. >> at the youngest possible age. >> it's one of the most remarkable stories in sports history. >> i don't want to be remembered as just a basketball player. >> kobe premieres tonight at nine on cnn. >> thinking of updating my kitchen? >> yeah. >> yes. >> this year. >> we are finally updating. >> our kitchen, doing subway.

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>> you can. >> cancel the ones you don't want right through the app, and. >> it can even help. >> you try and get a refund. >> lockerbie, february 16th on cnn. >> for female israeli soldiers held captive in gaza for 15 months are back home safe in israel tonight. karina ariev daniella gilboa naama levy and liri albag were all released by hamas today. and here's the moment when they were reunited with their families. >> are you? >> really? >> they were part of the second round of releases under the israel-hamas ceasefire and hostage agreement. israel believes 90 hostages are still

being held in gaza, although it's unknown how many of them are alive. another 26 hostages are expected to be handed over in phase one of this deal. israel's prison service, saying it released 200 palestinian prisoners today as part of that deal. some of those released were serving life sentences, and they were welcomed by thousands of palestinians in the israeli occupied west bank. it comes less than a week after the first group of prisoners were freed, and among them a journalist who was jailed for her social media posts. but after ten months behind bars, she's now back with her family and a young daughter who barely knows her mother's face. cnn's nada bashir has more on this. >> little al-sharaa is still. >> adjusting to finally. >> having her mother back home. >> rula hassanein, a palestinian journalist from the occupied. >> west bank. >> was arrested. >> by. >> israeli security forces when her daughter was. >> just nine. months old. >> when. >> mama. >> mama mama. >> hey, mama! mama. >> now, after ten

months in detention. >> she is among. >> the first palestinian. >> prisoners to be. >> freed as. >> part of. >> the israel-hamas. ceasefire agreement. >> i cannot. >> evenity wu xiujie alina habba. in any. >> fear and. >> ramadan. >> lee elia. ardani wolf blitzer. >> all i'd. >> like to iron wall. vikram. elia. >> this was the moment rula was reunited with. >> her daughter and husband last. >> week. >> having suffered. >> from health. >> complications in the first few months of life. >> rula says. >> it was a relief to see her daughter doing well after almost a year of agonizing separation. but rula herself has also been through unimaginable suffering while in detention. >> lamb. lamb. lamb.

>> natalie dale. tom. >> lamb. el-hammam. >> lamb. >> rula says that the day she and 89 other prisoners were transferred for release as part of the ceasefire deal, they were subjected to hours of psychological and physical abuse. she recalls that they were pushed down to their knees, dragged across the ground while handcuffed and dressed only in thin layers. while out in the cold. they were then made to watch hours of israeli propaganda video before being released. but like so many other palestinians in israeli jails, abuse and harassment had become a daily occurrence for rula. what were the conditions like inside the prison? >> it was a that abu al de la taha haq al ashraf al amor.

al qalqilya, al l al asr can you? tahrir al al el gezira tahrir. i sat in leana wen. i cannot in qatar gaza andrew mccabe yani nahum al adamson cannot be fi al sharia cannot be khalil al-hayya can alaihim wa by him. >> the israeli prison service has told cnn that they are not aware of any such claims, but the harsh conditions faced by

palestinians in israeli jails has been widely documented. in a report published in july 2020 for the un human rights office said palestinian detainees are subjected to systematic beatings, humiliation and threats, in addition to severe restrictions on food, water and essential hygiene products. like many palestinians, rula was tried before a military court rather than a civil court and later charged with incitement on social media over posts shared where she had expressed frustration over the suffering of palestinians in gaza. >> kevin hassett al and hassab filastin a allah. allah. kitab. kitab al maqalat. andrew meijers jack reed alaa, a social media ferula. >> it is impossible to forget the suffering that she and other palestinian detainees have been forced to endure, but she says her focus now is on enjoying each moment with her daughter and husband. nada bashir cnn in bethlehem. >> and we'll be right back hi, everybody. >> you see. >> people from. >> radically different. >> views in. >> the. same conversation. >> we're going in. >> let's have some real talk.

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both talking about what he's doing in the future and going backward and attacking, continuing to attack. now, former president biden. >> that's right jessica. donald trump, going through many of his first week actions, including his new plan to. pause aid to foreign countries. this will. >> be a. 90 day. >> moratorium that his administration will put in place. and during that time, they will look, they will look to determine. which countries deserve aid, which countries align with the u.s. interests. of course, all that will be under donald trump's decision as to determining that alignment. and just one of many areas that he covered in what was essentially an extended victory lap for donald trump in las vegas, where he walked through many of his political accomplishments and his accomplishments during the first week, including his decision to pardon some of the violent

january 6th rioters. take a listen. >> i pardoned hundreds of political prisoners who had been viciously persecuted by the biden regime. hundreds of people were persecuted, including christians, pro-life activists to washington, d.c. police officers. just yesterday whose lives were destroyed from chasing down a dangerous illegal alien criminal. and of course, i was very proud to pardon the j6 hostages. >> trump also reiterated his promise to this vegas audience to get rid of taxes on tips. although we have yet to see how that will materialize in the republican tax package that we expect to be part of this massive reconciliation bill that will potentially extend the trump tax cuts. we don't know yet if all republicans are on board with limiting taxes on tipped wages, as trump has promised he would do. jessica.

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rates. president trump says he's tackling the issue or tackling the issue as one of his many executive orders this week. it's called for, quote, emergency price relief, but with few details on how that would work. analyst says his plans to deport undocumented migrant workers and put tariffs on imports would likely drive up the cost to build more homes. and joining us now, columbus, ohio mayor andrew ginther. he's also the president of the u.s. conference of mayors. mayor, thanks so much for being here with us. we appreciate it. >> thank you so. >> much for. >> having me. >> you have called on the president and for congress to act. what could they do to help with the housing crisis in this country? >> well, we have under-built. >> in america's. >> cities since before the great recession. >> and that's. >> an issue that's just. compounded over. >> the. >> last. >> 12 or 14 years. >> we know where. >> several million housing units short right. >> now in.

>> america. and based. >> on. our data. >> data and survey results. >> we think that. >> gap is going to grow by maybe up to 2 million over the next. five years. so we're we're calling for a marshall plan. we're asking the federal government to step up and invest in housing the way. we have infrastructure and other things. over the last several years. we know that the best way for us to tackle this housing crisis. is to deal. >> with the. >> supply crisis. >> that's going on right now. we know median rents and home prices have grown far faster than wages. we know that a record number of folks across our country are spending upwards towards 50% of their income toward housing. we know this isn't sustainable, and that's why we want to work with the administration and the congress to make sure that they're safe, affordable housing for folks in our communities all across the country. this is the most important issue facing american cities. >> yeah. and you're you're you and the council of mayors are waving your hands. i feel like

the american people are trying to wave their hands as well. this is an issue that time and time again when they are polled, it's the it's the cost of living. but it's, it's it's housing. that's that is what is driving it for so many people is not even being able to find an affordable place to live. do you feel like there is a disconnect between your local government, what you're seeing, talking to your constituents and what's going on in washington, dc? >> we think there's a great. opportunity for. >> partnership here. you know, we we are working very closely with our private sector, major employers here in central ohio. we need about 200,000 units here in central ohio over the next ten years to deal with the supply crisis here. as we grow in the next 30 years, as much as we did in the last 75. but this is really an issue north, south. east. west. red states, blue states. all of our communities are struggling with this housing issue. i think there's an incredible opportunity to work with the administration and the

congress to focus on housing. we know economic safety and security are some of the most important issues facing the country, and housing truly is a foundational part towards economic safety and security. >> yeah. and have you had any contact with the new administration? i know there are only five days old at this point, but have you been able to talk with them at all about maybe some solutions here? >> yeah. >> we've had some great initial conversations with the trump white house. the inter governmental office there, and we also were very inspired by the words of the hud secretary nominee, his the language and what he shared during his testimony. you probably would have heard the same types of words and messages at our u.s. conference of mayors winter meeting a week ago in washington. we think there's great opportunity for us to work together here, but we've got to stand up and deliver for the american people if we want to continue to move our economy,

our nation and our great american cities forward together. >> and how much of this, too, is about regulations kind of cutting through the proverbial red tape as it is? >> well, there are a couple of different things. first of all, america's mayors have already been leading the way. we just updated our zoning code here in columbus for the first time in 70 years. you think about that. our city was less than half the size it is today. when that code was put in place. and oftentimes archaic zoning codes are albatrosses or barriers from moving forward and building the type of housing we need to. we also need some more innovation and disruption in this space. you know, different ways of bringing more housing online faster. and we also belhaare ma federal housing programs that create a great deal of burden o private partnerships from putting them in place. so we think there's another opportunity to make sure that the federal housing programs

that currently exist make them more flexible, responsive and nimble in working with local leaders, with mayors across the country. >> all right. mayor andrew ginther, thanks so much for being here. we really appreciate it. >> thank you so much. have a great week. >> you too. ahead, how far will a mother go to find her child you know. >> austin has been held by. >> the syrian. >> government. all this time who? who is holding him now? >> where is he? >> we'll meet the american mother who traveled to syria to get answers about her son, who has been missing for more than 12 years now kobe believed in himself at the youngest possible age. >> people who may never even know what a basketball looks like felt his presence. >> he wants the opportunity to make his own mistakes. he's going to end up making them.

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>> maybe i can help. >> yes. can i get some oat milk sometimes? >> great talent is right under your nose. >> super man. the christopher reeve story february 2nd on cnn. >> a mother's desperate search for her missing son, american journalist austin tice, vanished in syria in 2012. this is the last known video of him recorded in august of that year. the u.s. believes the regime of syria's former dictator, bashar al-assad, abducted him. since his disappearance, tice's mother has gone on a long journey to find him, a journey that has brought her all the way to syria's capital. and she hopes the fall of assad's government will finally bring some answers about where her son is. cnn's clarissa ward has this story. >> this is the story of the lengths. >> a mother will. >> go. >> to to find her son. >> it's the story of so many

syrian. mothers and one american for. 12.5 years. >> deborah tice has not stopped looking. >> for. >> u.s. journalist austin. >> tice. >> taken at a regime. >> checkpoint in syria in 2012, he has been. >> missing ever since. one of many thousands. who disappeared. >> in the prisons. >> of syrian dictator bashar al-assad. six weeks after assad's ouster. deborah is now going back to damascus, joined. >> by the head of. hostage aid worldwide. nizar zakka, who. >> was coordinating the search. >> almost ten years. >> when was the last time.? >> which was the last time i. >> was here. >> was in 2015. >> in may. >> wow. >> at the hotel in damascus, a group of journalists eagerly await. >> her arrival. >> but for now, there are more questions than answers. it's hard for me to think about how how what is my way

forward. >> here? >> you know, austin has been ld all this time. who who is holding him now? where is he? how what is the approach? i mean, it's like it's first grade again. and where where. do you think. >> he is? >> what do. >> you know? what can. >> you share? i feel like he is still in syria. and i do think it's most likely he's in a safe house. are you saying that based. >> on. what you. >> feel or what you know? there's some of each. there's some of each. faith has played a vital role in deborah's journey. first thing sunday morning. >> she heads. >> to saint anthony's. >> church. the place she came to pray. >> on an almost. daily basis. when she first visited damascus in 2014 and ended up staying

three and a half months trying. >> to gain. >> austin's release. prayers are needed by so many here dotted around. >> the city. >> fliers with photos. >> of those who. >> disappeared under the assad regime, leaving devastated families desperately looking for answers. for deborah and nizar, the prisons where they believe austin was detained hold important clues. they visit. al-khatib prison, where nazar's team has discovered some graffiti that the tice family is convinced was written by austin. deborah has been stealing herself for this moment for weeks and is intent on seeing it for herself. >> okay. >> take a. >> minute, take a minute, take a minute. >> okay. take a minute. okay.

>> okay. >> okay. >> you want to. >> hold. that for me? >> okay. >> i'm going to. >> take this. hold the light for you. >> yes yes. >> yes, yes. >> i. >> hold the light for you. >> okay, okay. i'll go in first. >> okay. >> it's very small in here. >> okay. >> okay. >> the tice family asked us not to show the graffiti itself out of respect for their privacy but they gonna stay in here for a minute, okay? >> okay. >> okay. i just want to be here. in here for a minute. just for a minute? >> sure. >> i hardly even. >> know. >> what to say. >> about that experience. >> it was beyond anything i could have imagined. >> these pictures. >> don't even.

>> begin to tell you how. >> unbelievably, unbelievably horrible, awful. >> terrible nightmare. >> they are. >> at a press conference the next day. >> deborah talks. >> about her experience visiting the prisons. >> for all the mothers. >> whose sons were disappeared in these dungeons. >> our hearts. >> are joined. for all. >> those looking now. >> for answers. >> about their family members, i am here with you in solidarity. >> we share. >> unlike those syrian mothers, deborah and nazar were able to meet with syria's new leader, ahmed al-sharaa, who offered support and confidence. >> he believes, like all of us. >> that austin is. >> alive and he's going to be joined with his mom. and we promised him that when he's back, we're going to come visit shara again with austin. >> a lot. >> of people will think after the fall of the assad regime,

after the prisons were opened, more than a month later, the fact that austin doesn't turn up hasn't turned up is not a good sign. and there are many people who assume that he was likely killed. how do you know? or do you know with conviction that he is alive? >> we have enough information collected that austin is alive and is in a safe house, is controlled somehow by the regime. everybody we are receiving this information from the highest sources, confirming what what we believe in. so we don't see any reason. any reason to to think differently. in fact, we didn't have one thing. no, ever. nobody provided one single evidence that austin is not alive. >> it's monday afternoon, the day of the inauguration of president donald j. trump. have you been in contact with the trump administration? do you feel optimistic?

oh, i feel hugely optimistic. and one of the main things. is that his people reached out to me. i mean, they are in they are ready. they want to go with it. they want austin home. looking out at the city as the sun starts to fade, deborah's hopes are high. you remember the feeling of the baby almost due. you know, that kind of thing of just waiting, you know? when are we going to be together again? i have very much that kind of feeling. do you feel when you look around that you're closer to him? yes. i feel like i'm closer to him. i feel like he knows that i'm here. >> all right. >> the next morning, it's time to leave. but deborah is certain she will be back. and soon. >> i just. >> needed a. >> welcome back. >> i've got news for you returns february 15th on cnn.

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climbing exploits. zoo officials say. >> and we. >> caught her doing her thing. >> there she is. >> and we. saw her male. counterpart pushing his oversize ball. exciting and. >> heartwarming moments. >> for zoo goers who've. waited more than a year to see pandas again. >> it's so exciting. >> that. >> they're back at the. >> zoo, and. >> i'm. >> just here to support them. >> in november 2023, the national zoo's previous set of pandas, tian tian and mei xiang and their cub were sent back to china as a loan agreement expired. these new pandas will be in washington for ten years, with the goal of getting them to breed. they won't start doing that for at least a couple more years. and hey, no pressure. but they only have about a 48 hour window each year to breed. >> yes, that's correct. >> so a female only comes into estrus once a year? >> ovulates that one time. >> and so. really it is, you. >> know, us. >> against the clock to make sure that we put them together at the optimal time. >> in the meantime, bao li and xing bao, who are considered the equivalent of teenagers, now need to grow. that means a

constant diet of bamboo. lots of it. >> we offer. >> over. >> 100 pounds of bamboo to each panda every day. they're bringing truckloads five 600 pounds, three times a week back to us. >> the two pandas are kept in separate areas. have had three months to acclimate to their habitat here. and zoo officials say they've developed distinct personalities. >> bao sees. >> our female. >> and. >> she is. >> i'll say, a little more independent. she kind of likes to do her own thing. bao li definitely loves people. he loves his keepers. he talks to them all the time. >> they're part of a diplomatic and scientific cooperation with china that's been around for more than 50 years. since the first pandas, ling ling and sing sing, arrived at the national zoo in 1972. a conservation pact that's brought the pandas back from the endangered list. >> they are still in trouble. >> but it. >> is a success. >> story and a wildly popular story. zoo officials tell us 95% of the 2 million visitors this zoo gets every year come to see the pandas, like three month old erin thompson dressed for the