won the super bowl. it would have been amazing. your victory parade is set for this friday in philadelphia. tell us what you're expecting and are you planning to go? no. >> i am not planning. >> to go. >> because i've got too much work on. my plate getting ready for my cnn program on saturday. but let me do your viewers a favor. you and i are both political junkies. we've watched so many political speeches, and yet, wolf, the greatest. speech of all. >> time. >> bar none. all categories. jason kelce in 2018, when the eagles last won the lombardi trophy. watch it. he's in full regalia. that's a local thing. and he delivers the ultimate takedown of every opponent and naysayer of the philadelphia eagles. and he exhibited such a gift for the spoken word. and now you see with his brother the success of their podcast, if we get anything like that, it will be superb. >> michael smerconish, thanks very much and to our viewers, be

sure to watch smerconish saturday mornings, 9 a.m. eastern only here on cnn. thanks very much for watching. erin burnett out front starts right now. >> outfront next. >> the breaking news, trump's plans to upend the federal government, halted by two federal judges tonight as his closest allies suggests judges are their next targets. plus, with friends like trump, who needs enemies? >> i mean. >> here what the president says when he's asked if j.d. vance, his vp, is his successor. whether he'd even endorse him in 2028. and he's taking on musk in court. so far, he's been winning one of the nation's top attorneys general is my guest tonight. let's go. >> out front. >> and good evening. >> i'm erin burnett. outfront tonight, we begin with the breaking news. three judges taking on trump tonight. the president facing four major blows today in federal court again and again. the headlines today read the same judges stopping trump's attempts to

upend the government. first, there was trump's plan to slash the federal workforce by midnight tonight. that has been halted yet again. a federal judge saying he needs more time to decide whether to allow elon musk inspired so-called buyouts to 2 million federal workers to proceed. next, in massachusetts, a federal judge there pausing cuts that trump made to funding public health research. that was $4 billion in cuts for everything from curing cancer to addressing chronic health conditions, including diabetes and heart disease, that put on pause. in rhode island, third, a federal judge accusing trump's administration of disregarding prior court order to unfreeze billions of dollars in federal aid. and of course, the day is not even over yet. things coming literally just in a few minutes here before we came to air. today's judge is joining a long line of judges who do not believe that trump is following the law in this swirl of executive orders and mandates, at least ten judges have stopped what trump is doing or has been trying to do in the past three weeks. and therefore, it may not surprise you to know that team

trump is making it clear that their next targets are going to be the judges themselves. vice president jd vance today posting, quote, judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power. elon musk writing, quote, it's time. in a post in reply to a post about impeaching judges. of course, it is alarming whether it's bluster or not, words matter because there isn't any modern day precedent for a president to ignore or defy court orders. in fact, senator ted cruz, right, who talks about being a constitutionalist and a man completely dedicated to the constitution and to upholding it, warned about this very problem. >> the precedent of the president picking and choosing what laws to follow is a dangerous precedent. and, you know, to be honest, i think a lot of folks in the media have given him a pass on this. there's going to come another president, a republican president. and if you have this power for the president to say, i don't agree with this tax law, this environmental law, this labor law, so i'm just

going to change it. that threatens the liberty of every american. it ought to concern all of us republicans, democrats, independents or libertarians that much power in the president's dangerous. >> that was ted cruz in 2014. and, you know, it was. so he laid it out so perfectly. and he said, and then will become a republican president, right. that that needs to be called out then. so you might say, well, where's ted cruz today? guess what. he spoke today. he did. he spoke out. here's what he said. >> we're 20 days. >> into the trump presidency. and what. >> a three. >> weeks it has been. shock and awe. executive orders trump, elon musk and doge. >> so was it all words then? i mean, it's really amazing. the contrast here obviously speaks for itself. jeff zeleny is outfront live outside the white house. so, jeff, is the trump team planning to follow the rulings that have come out thus far?

>> erin, that is the central question that may well define this trump presidency, at least the beginning of the trump presidency. and we do not have an answer for it. but we are just seeing, i mean, as fast as this action is coming, as fast as the president is intentionally trying to flood the zone, the the illegal rulings and the legal opinions are also coming in, but in real time. it is unclear exactly if they will all be treated the same. if the messages from jd vance were speaking for the administration there, it is unclear. the president has not specifically said exactly what his instructions are for his team, but we certainly know he dismissed some of the judge's rulings yesterday when he was talking with the reporters. he was not asked about it this evening when he was signing a raft of executive orders. but it is clear just what this the white house is doing across the government. as we enter only the fourth week of this new presidency. here we see sort of where this is going. but in terms of what this

administration intends to do, if it will, a disregard rulings. we don't know the answer to that. but the answer, i think, will determine if there is a constitutional crisis or not. several republican senators, chuck grassley, the chairman of of the judiciary committee, does not sound concerned tonight. he's telling our reporters that, you know, these branches of government are separate for a reason. but we will see what the president says. and again, it's not an overstatement to say that this could well define the trump presidency. >> it could. well, and i guess, in the words of ted cruz in 2014, the press, the president picking and choosing which laws to follow is a dangerous precedent. all right. thank you very much, jeff zeleny. i want to go now to the democratic congresswoman pramila jayapal. she sits on the house judiciary committee, and i appreciate your time very much. congresswoman. so, senator, republican senator john cornyn was asked directly today whether he was concerned trump would ignore decisions from federal courts. and he replied, and i quote him, i don't think that's a risk. i honestly don't. what do you think? >> i think it's. >> very dangerous, erin. it's exactly what you said.

>> that, you know. we i mean, clearly. >> the vice. >> president needs to go. >> back to grade. >> school because every. >> fifth grader. knows that there are three branches. >> of. >> government, and that is part of our checks. >> and. >> balances system. so if. >> the president. >> if the vice. >> president, if others in the administration say, we're just. >> not going to. >> listen to. >> what the judicial. >> branch says. >> that is a constitutional crisis. >> that is a. >> crisis for our democracy. >> and it's also incredibly. >> dangerous. >> because this is. >> how dictatorships happen. >> somebody gets into office and they literally seize power. of all. >> the institutions, and. >> they do not listen to any of the checks and balances. >> that are out there. >> clearly, he's already doing that with congress. he's trying to undermine our power by freezing funds that he is not authorized to do. we have article one powers that give the power. >> of the purse. >> to congress. and so that's exactly the the danger that we all see. and if republicans like cornyn and others refuse to

stand up and actually fight for our constitution, they are the ones who are allowing, not just allowing, but giving license to the president to do, to do exactly this. >> so, i mean, obviously, trump has made his frustration with the courts clear, as you know, as well as some of his allies. i mean, the speaker, mike johnson, said this today. here he is i wish the courts would allow the executive and. >> the legislative branches to work. >> but we'll. >> see how all that develops. >> he's implying that it's a matter of give him some space. jd vance then posted, judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power. again, trying to say this is about legitimate power. so are you worried about their their rhetoric here? i mean, obviously they're careful with their wording, but is that really the message they want people to hear? >> i think they are trying to undermine the confidence in any institution that stops donald trump from doing things that are about seizing power

illegitimately. and what's interesting here is that, you know, they don't argue with the supreme court. you know, they're not saying that the supreme court sees power illegitimately or interfered with the wishes of the executive when it's a decision that they like. so they are deliberately picking and choosing. and it's what ted cruz, you know, what the clip that you had of ted cruz, this is if you just pick and choose when you want to believe the judiciary, that is not equal branches of government. you have to respect the judiciary and you have to respect congress. and right now, donald trump is showing that he's not doing that. one other thing i will say is that these executive orders that are being temporarily anyway, stopped by the courts, these judges, many of them are republican judges. they are judges who were appointed by george w bush, by ronald reagan. and they are saying this is unconstitutional, what he's doing. so i think it's very important that people pay attention to this, because this is how dictatorships, how

democracies crumble and how dictators win in the end. >> you know, the leader of your party, hakeem jeffries, said, i mean, just he was just being practical. he said, well, look, democrats have to face the reality that that republicans have both houses of congress, right? that that that control is all republican right now, in a sense. what can democrats really do? some of your colleagues, congresswoman, have threatened to shut down the government if trump doesn't stop slashing things. do you think that's the right way to handle this, or what do you think democrats should do? >> well, let me be clear when we say that republicans control the house, the senate and the white house, it means that they are responsible for keeping the government open. democrats don't have the option to shut down the government. that is a republican decision. if they can't get their party together to agree, then it's on them. they shut the government down. and, you know, so i think that's the first thing. i think the second thing to remember is we as democrats cannot be complicit in voting for things

that are stripping the american people of critical benefits and services. and so that that absolutely, democrats should not be complicit in that. and we won't be. and the leader has said that very clearly, leader jeffries, but it is on them to figure out how to govern. and if they want to do these crazy things and if they can't get it their own party to do it, they will be shutting down the government. >> all right, congresswoman jayapal, i appreciate your time, and thank you very much. also breaking just a few moments ago, president trump refusing to say this was pretty stunning, refused to say that his vice president is his successor. i mean, this is the person where if trump falls down dead, would be the president in that moment. right? but he is refusing to say that jd vance would be his successor or that he would endorse him in 2028. >> do you view. >> vice president jd vance as your successor. >> the republican nominee in 2028? >> no. >> but he's very capable. i mean, i don't think that it you know, i think you have a lot of very capable people so far. i

think he's doing a fantastic job. it's too early. we're just starting. >> except for, again, if something happened to him, jd vance would be the president because he's the vice president of the united states. van jones is outfront now, former special adviser to president obama, tim pawlenty is the former republican governor of minnesota. and i so much appreciate having both of you here. we need the wisdom and the counsel and the gravitas. so van, just in this moment, why do you think trump would hesitate? i mean, i know it sounds kind of stupid what i'm saying, but it is true. if something were to happen to trump, he has picked jd vance to be the president of the united states in that instance. so he should be happy to say he's his successor. >> well. >> the constitution. >> says he's a successor. >> so trump. >> so trump might want. >> at least a fair. >> point. >> but obviously. >> going along with the constitution isn't his strong, strong suit. >> look, but that's that's that's donald trump. he likes for people. to to vie. >> and contend for. >> his affections. >> on a daily basis. >> so he's never going to give. >> anybody whose. >> last.

>> name isn't trump. the permanent imprimatur. >> that's just not his style. >> so again, he's the king. he's not the president. >> i remember in his. >> mind he's the. >> king. >> and he has a court of courtiers. and jd vance is just another courtier. the fact that he's the literally. >> the lawful. >> successor to the president is not going to. >> bother donald trump. >> um, governor pawlenty, i mean, who do you think trump sees as his successor? why would you answer a question in that way? it doesn't it doesn't it doesn't give confidence for those who follow trump in the guy that he has chosen as his vice president. >> well. >> a couple. >> of things, erin. >> first of all, it's tactically, i think, very. >> smart for. >> trump to play it this way because. >> a third or more of the congress. >> thinks they're future presidents. and if you need. them to pass your. >> legislation, work. >> with you. >> you don't. >> want. >> to slam the door to their. >> future aspirations. >> as delusional as. >> they may be. and as somebody who ran. >> unsuccessfully, i. >> can speak to those. >> kinds. of things. >> um. >> but by. >> the way, and then secondly,

he may have other plans, and i think he's saying it's too early. we can't make an early judgment on vance in terms of the party. and secondly, what if he has a family member or somebody else in mind that he wants to keep in the bullpen? so there could be a lot of chess pieces on the board here that he's thinking about that we don't see. >> yeah. well, interesting. you both bring in the issue of family members and this comes as again, trump is musing that he could go for a third term. now this is this is not the first time. it's not the second time. it's not the third time. i think it might be at least the fourth. right. so it keeps coming up. here's here's at the national prayer breakfast last week. and in doral. >> and i do that despite the fact that they say i can't run again. that's the expression, sir. then somebody said, i don't think you can. oh. i've raised a lot of money for the next race that i assume i can't use for myself, but i'm not 100% sure because i don't know. i think i'm not allowed to run again. i'm not sure. am i allowed to run again? mike, i better not get you involved in

that argument. >> what's the purpose of this? >> i just think he likes to. >> off liberals. more than anything else. >> but i also don't. >> think that he. >> has closed the door on his own mind. don't forget putin, his you know, his. >> his love idol. >> putin figured out a way. to sneak back in. he let somebody else, you know, kind of be the president to be in charge. some people are saying he's going to let vance run for president, but trump will run as vice president, you see. >> oh, well, that would be the putin medvedev. >> exactly. yeah. so so i don't think that trump has accepted this is his last election. the constitution says he can't run for president again. but he might say, well, i can run for vice president. so you never know with this guy. but i think the main thing he likes is us talking about this and not all the other unconstitutional, illegal and horrible things he's doing. >> so can i ask you, governor pawlenty, you know, senator ted cruz in 2014, right? the precedent of a president of picking and choosing which laws to follow is a dangerous precedent. there's going to come another one, he said, you know, might be a republican, right. and that he's going to stand up

to that because that is the right thing to do. it ought to concern all of us that much power in the president is dangerous. um, and then he came out today and he did that little tiktok video type of thing, talking about shock and awe and laughing. and he was giddy and as if he had never said any of those things. and i want to make this about ted cruz, but i just want to ask you, are you surprised that people could be so firm on principle and then suddenly be doing such an about face? he's certainly not alone in that. >> erin. >> if you can show me. >> the member of congress. >> who hasn't flip flopped on. >> a. >> substantial issue or statement from the past, i'll give you $1,000. they all do it all the time. it's, you know, they they live and breathe. they flip flop. so that's what they do. so i'm not too startled by that. but beyond that, um. >> you know. >> we are in a phase where everybody should take a breath. most of these court decisions are just to buy the court some time to get proper briefing, proper input from the parties. then they'll make a substantive decision. then there's going to

be appeals. and then maybe if trump doesn't follow the court rulings, ultimately, then it's a different discussion. but for now, everybody be saying he's just going to ignore them and violate the law, violate court orders. it's premature at the most. and it may be alarmist. we'll see whether he abides or not. he should. but there's a lot of process, due process to be in front of us before that happens. >> which is absolutely a fair point. i do wonder, though, van, if no one were saying anything about it, right? as if it weren't happening. right. and, you know, just just to challenge what the governor just said, understanding his point that we have a long way to go in the court process. but that is the sound out there. the noise, does it have an impact on how he will handle it? >> look, i mean, the body language is i'm not going to respect the courts. i mean, when you have jd vance and you have elon musk saying what they're saying, the body language is alarming. now, whether he's actually going to follow through with disobeying court orders and putting us in a real

constitutional crisis that we don't know, but it would be nicer if the vice president said, of course, we respect the judiciary, the judicial branch. of course we want to hear from the judges and we will cooperate. that is not what the vice president is saying, and that's what people are concerned. >> all right, van, governor, i appreciate both of you, as always. and next, the breaking news. trump moments ago with a warning that the gaza cease fire should be off if all the hostages aren't released within the next couple of days. he says. >> i would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out. >> plus, breaking news trump's justice department moving tonight to dismiss the bribery case against the new york mayor, eric adams, someone who visited with trump and attended his inauguration and edward coristine, the 19 year old aide to elon musk, who goes by the online nickname big balls, now has a role in the state department and the state department, according to the washington post.

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>> to you. >> call one( 800) 269-9522. that's one( 800) 269-9522. >> anderson cooper 360. >> tonight at. eight on. >> cnn. >> the breaking news and i quote all hell is going to break out. that is the quote from president trump who gave that warning to hamas after it threatened to

postpone the next hostage release, claiming that israel broke the cease fire agreement. here's the president. just moments ago. >> if all of the hostages aren't returned by saturday at 12:00, i think it's an appropriate time. i would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out. saturday at 12:00. and after that, i would say. uh, all hell is going to break out. >> well, that came after president trump said the palestinians would not have a right to return home to the gaza strip if he succeeds with his push for the united states to take over and own the gaza strip. >> with the. >> palestinians. >> have the right to return. no, they wouldn't, because they're going to have much better housing, much better. in other words, i'm talking about building a permanent place for them.

>> that was a very clear and unequivocal no up front. now, the attorney general of minnesota, keith ellison. i also want to make sure everyone knows he was also the first muslim ever elected to congress. so, attorney general, thank you very much. and i want to ask you first about this news from the president, because you've pushed the democratic party and during the election you did, to talk more about what was happening in gaza. now, president trump says all hell is going to break out if hamas doesn't release the remaining hostages by saturday. and then you heard him say palestinians would not have the right to return to gaza. no, they would not. he says think of gaza as a big real estate site. what what do you say to this when he says that it categorically. that's it. palestinians not returning to gaza? >> gaza is. >> their home. >> it is the willful ethnic, ethnic cleansing. >> of a. population. >> it is an outrage. in international law. >> to. >> take a. >> population that has occupied. >> an area for literally. thousands and.

>> thousands of years. >> and then tell them that they. >> must leave. >> forcibly. >> it's every american should. >> be disturbed by. >> this. >> and it's. >> what we were. >> trying to warn people about. >> during the election. quite frankly. >> so now you and about 20 other democratic attorneys general sued, basically, and attorney general who, correct me if i'm wrong, but saying elon musk and doge shouldn't have access to the treasury department's payment system. that's the system that processes those trillions of dollars in payments to americans. and i want everyone to know a judge did temporarily side with you as this is being adjudicated and moving through the courts. trump's team tonight has filed attorney general a plea to reverse that stay. how concerned are you that that access to those treasury department systems by musk and doge will be restored? >> well. >> i'm confident. >> that the rule of law is. >> going to prevail. the judge ruled properly in favor of the attorneys general, along with myself and many others. they ruled the right way, and i think

the judge is going to stick with the rule of law. look, if you want to. change the rules. around how the treasury. >> operates and. >> how privacy. >> operates and how personal information operates, then you go to congress, you introduce a bill, you pass it through congress, and then that's how you do that. you don't just give people's private personal information over to a private citizen who. >> has been. >> not been vetted for. >> their conflicts. >> of interest, for their interest. >> in an outcome. >> for their financial stake, and has not been gone through any kind of confirmation proceeding. this is really outrageous. it's completely unprecedented. >> and i. >> believe that the court's. going to make the right decision. >> so the big pushback from the trump side has been, well, look, doge didn't have all this access to the treasury department systems. they could just look at it. i mean, essentially the top doge employee involved, who in this case is not an early 20 something or a teen. this is a tech executive with a lot of

experience. he told the judge that he never had direct or personal access to the payment system. he said it was basically, um, over the shoulder. those were the words he used. it was over the shoulder, right? it was the quote, unquote read only. is that how you understand it well. >> read only. >> is too much. >> this. >> who is this guy to have personal information, access to our personal information. read only or otherwise. the fact of the matter is, americans expect that when their private information is in the hands of a trusted government entity, that is where it will stay. not somebody who donald trump sort of chums around with and his buddies with. this is not this is not. how the law works. this is unprecedented and it's wrong. and americans don't like it. and i believe the court will say, not good enough. you have no access to this information. >> so the white house, in response to your lawsuit and others. right. because there have been a lot of challenges, as we were just laying out, many

of which have been upheld at this point in the process. but they said, and i quote them, these frivolous lawsuits are akin to children throwing pasta at the wall to see if it will stick. what's your response to that? attorney general? >> well, i think that these lawsuits are very serious, which is why courts all over the country are upholding them. uh, courts all over the country are freezing the administration's effort to freeze, um, congressional moneys that have already been appropriated have put a tro in place on the birthright citizenship are granted relief on the nih invasion and cuts. so we're winning. and i think that's something to be taken seriously. >> all right. well, attorney general ellison, we appreciate your time. and thank you. >> thank you. >> all right. also tonight that washington post reporting that i referenced, that's that 19 year old who goes by the online nickname big balls, now has a role inside the state

department. the post reports that edward coristine that is his real name is the recent high school graduate is now listed as a senior adviser within the state department. a senior adviser within the state department at 19. the recent high school graduate works as a software engineer in doge. of course, the musk agency. outfront now, katie drummond, the global editorial director at wired, which first reported on edward coristine. so, katie, he was um, so this person is now listed as a senior advisor at the state department? correct. at the state department, age 19. he was at the office of personnel management. he was at the gsa. yep. this is this is only three weeks into an administration. that's very busy. this person, whatever their talents and abilities may be, is 19 years old. um, so how quickly does a person like this move around? well, from what we can tell and what our reporting has shown us so far is that this 19 year old is is not an exception. this is more the rule

than the exception that, you. >> know, people. >> working for doge within federal agencies. >> are often. >> being deployed to work within multiple agencies. at the same time. >> they often. >> have multiple email addresses. they are listed on directories for a variety of agencies and bureaus simultaneously. so that is certainly edward coristine is notable. >> for for many reasons, right? >> one, of course, being that he's 19. >> certainly information about his background that has. >> surfaced in recent weeks, but he is certainly not the only. >> doge operative or doge. >> worker to be in a position like this one. okay. and that really is the question. i mean, to move if if you're trying to understand the whole point of doge is to understand what's wrong, where the spending is, you know, to take a hard look at it and evaluate what should or shouldn't be cut right. if doge is to succeed in a way that many people would hope it could succeed, how does that fit with being three different jobs in three weeks? well. >> it certainly calls into question.

>> sort of the the amount of rigor. >> and sort of. >> time spent in. >> the details here. right. but you have to. >> think about who. you're who you're dealing with. this is elon musk. this is again, we come. back to this idea of the musk playbook. we have seen this before. how many companies does elon musk run. simultaneously at any given time? i mean. >> he's a. >> very busy person. so this to him i could certainly imagine just sort of being table stakes. like it would be a very normal thing to have multiple roles concurrently at any given moment. okay. and in multiple roles, he has a lot of things going on, at least if we can even see from his posts on his own social media site. okay, he's got a war going on now with one of the founders of the whole concept of a.i., sam altman. so he's been posting about this. he has put together an investment group while he's doing these other things to buy openai for $97.4 billion. correct. so so let me just say sam altman does not like this idea. he's the one who found that openai said, no, thank you, but we'll buy twitter for 9.74 billion if you want a dig at

obviously what fidelity values x to be versus what musk paid for it, which was $44 billion. musk then responds scam altman. that is correct. >> and this has all happened sort of in the last several hours. i mean, these guys have more time to. >> post on the internet than i do to. just put it plainly. so elon musk. >> has. >> has taken issue with sam altman and openai for a very long time. they co-founded. >> the company together. >> many years ago. musk takes exception with how openai is. >> structured and. >> his belief. >> that it has drifted from its its. >> stated goals. right to be. >> you know, ultimately. >> for the good of humanity, for humanity, which sam has said. >> what i will say is we're sort of. >> reporting this out at wired. >> in real time. >> as as this news has just broken. >> you know. >> everything we are hearing. >> internally from people. >> inside openai. is that, you know, this is being met. >> musk's offer. >> is being met. >> with with laughter and. jokes in slack. right. >> this is not this is as. >> of now, not being taken seriously. >> that said. >> you know, any time elon. >> musk's name comes up. it's

probably a good idea to really. >> interrogate exactly. >> what's going on, because look at where we are now, right? right. and he's obviously taking this seriously. he's taking the time to, you know, post whatever, whatever. you know, you think about responding to someone with sam altman as a response. he's doing it. he did do it. all right. thank you very much, katie. thank you. and next, breaking news. trump's justice department to drop the corruption case against new york city mayor eric adams. we have just obtained the doj's memo. plus, trump pardoning disgraced governor rod blagojevich, who tried to sell obama's senate seat. >> i've got this thing, and. >> it's. >> golden. and i'm just not giving it up for nothing. did you take your vitamin today? >> that's my job. >> nature made.

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think you will too. >> i can feel the winds of change. >> on rafael romo. >> at the. >> georgia state capitol. >> in atlanta. >> this is cnn. >> the breaking news. president trump's justice department moving to drop the federal corruption case against the new york city mayor, eric adams. this is according to a memo which we've just obtained here at cnn. it reads in part, quote, the justice department has reached this conclusion without assessing the strength of the evidence or the legal theories on which the case is based. the charges against the democrat were brought by then president biden's justice department last year, marking the first prosecution of a sitting mayor in the modern history of new

york city. all right, let's go straight to paula reid. paula, um, it's pretty stunning here. what they're saying they reached this conclusion without assessing the strength of the evidence or the legal theories on which the case is based. that's just a sort of, you know, makes you stop in your tracks for a second. it does come after adams attended the president's inauguration, he met with trump at his florida golf course. what more can you tell us about this decision by trump's justice department? >> yeah, i want to get into the language in the memo, but i will say this is not much of a surprise because trump has said publicly that he would be open to pardoning adams. he's tried to really kind of downplay the significance of the charges that were filed against him. and as you just noted, the two have been seen in social settings multiple times. so we knew something like this was in the works. even though this is not a pardon, it's a dismissal. but what's fascinating is how much they packed into this two page memo, including you said they didn't assess the facts, but they were also really careful here not to throw stones at the career prosecutors because as we know, there is a firestorm at doj and the fbi right now,

concerns that the trump administration is trying to purge the agency of career prosecutors. they say this in no way calls into question the integrity and the efforts of line prosecutors responsible for the case. that is definitely a deliberate inclusion there. then they pivot to echoing what adams has said. he has argued that he was only charged because he criticized the biden administration's immigration policy. and they lay that out and say the reason that they want to dismiss this case is so that adams can apply more energy towards immigration enforcement. they say, quote, accomplishing the immigration objectives established by president trump and the attorney general is every bit as important, if not more so, as the objectives that the prior administration pursued. so on its face, i mean, this could look like kind of a quid pro quo. you help us with immigration, we'll get rid of that pesky case in a footnote in this memo, they note that the acting deputy attorney general clearly stated to defense

counsel during their meeting that the government is not offering to exchange a dismissal of a criminal case for adams assistance on immigration enforcement. so they are clearly aware of this. a source familiar with their thinking insists this is not a quid pro quo. but clearly president trump has earned himself an ally in new york city. >> all right. thank you very much, paula. so i want to go now to retired federal judge nancy gertner. she's also one of the lawyers suing the trump administration on behalf of fbi employees who worked on january 6th, the cases. so, judge gertner, let me just ask you your reaction to this. i mean, certainly, mayor adams, you know, has spent time with trump. i mean, it's been clear, right, that he was working on that relationship. he was there at inauguration. he's been with his family multiple times. but when you hear something like this, the justice department reaching this conclusion without assessing the strength of the evidence or the legal theories on which it is based, is that odd to dismiss a case when you have not assessed the strength of the case, or the legal theories on which it is based? >> yes, it's.

>> very odd. >> and i mean, it. >> sounds like that to a layperson. >> yeah. >> right. it sounds. >> like they're continuing to dangle the possibility. >> that this case could. >> continue. because they're not saying. >> he didn't. >> do anything wrong. >> and it's not a pardon, and it really is. it sounds like. >> it's a dismissal. >> because in part because they want him to line up on the. >> immigration issues. >> but also it sounds like. >> they also suggested that this was too close. >> to an election. >> and of course, that the charges. >> were. >> begun months. >> and months. >> and months ago. >> it feels. >> contrived is. >> what. >> it feels like. >> the judge who's. >> hearing this probably will not, probably will have to dismiss if the prosecutor says that, that they don't want. >> to. >> continue with the case, but they couldn't be more equivocal, it couldn't be more wishy washy. we don't believe you're innocent, but. >> we're going to. >> dismiss what? right? i mean, it i mean, it just makes you believe. i mean, obviously, you know, when they say, well, his views on immigration, they say, oh, but footnote we're not doing a quid pro quo. i mean, you know, i also asking you, judge

in the context of that, you are suing the trump administration on behalf of fbi employees who were involved in the january 6th cases. what does a dismissal like this do to the career politicians who spent months working on it? and indeed, as you point out, filed this months ago, nowhere in proximity to a democratic primary, which is still several months away. now. >> i mean, what it. >> does, it sort of it sort of. >> exhibit a to what trump has. >> been. >> trying to do to. >> the department of justice. exhibit a, meaning. that the the. cases will be brought, investigations will be had not because it's right. to do. >> but because. >> it suits trump's agenda. >> and this is. >> sort of an it could not be more explicit. this is suiting trump's agenda and not necessarily saying anything about whether adams did anything wrong. it's what we will be seeing in a department of justice that has become politicized. >> so, i mean, i understand, right, that they say in their in their footnote there, you know, as paula points out, that this is not a quid pro quo, but they did say that the prosecution of

mayor adams judges quote hurting i'm sorry hurting his quote. let me be accurate here. ability to devote full attention and resources, end quote, to the issues of crime and immigration. right. so they're very clear, right? he can't be focused on crime and immigration because of this case. i mean, there is no ambiguity. does it surprise you that they put it out there front and center like that? >> does it? well, i you. >> know. >> i want to say at this point, after three weeks of this administration, nothing surprises me. so i can't. but but it really does reflect when you think about it. they're saying it's not that this is was a problematic prosecution, not that there was anything wrong with the legal theory, not that there was anything wrong with the facts. it's just distracting. i mean, that really is quite extraordinary and sort of makes it clear that it's almost as if this is transactional, this is distracting. and so therefore we'll get rid of it, not because it's right to get rid of it.

>> and is there anything that the judge at the southern district of new york or anyone else can do? or is this, in your view, now a done deal? >> you know, i'm reminded of what your previous segments, when you had jd vance talking about, you know, federal judges shouldn't interfere with the legitimate orders of the government. there's a difference between legitimate orders and illegitimate. clearly, when a prosecutor says, i don't want to prosecute anymore, that's in the legitimate category. no judge can do anything. all the other orders that have come down since january 20th are not in the legitimate category. >> all right. well, judge gertner, i very much appreciate your time and thank you so much thank you. and next, breaking news, president trump just pardoning the former governor, rod blagojevich. he is the one who tried to sell president obama's former senate seat i think he's a just a very fine person. >> and this shouldn't have happened, and it shouldn't have happened to him.

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minutes before putting them back in. eye redness and blurred vision may occur. >> i. >> go ask your eye doctor about prescription. my bow. >> welcome back. >> have i got news for you? saturday at nine on cnn. >> breaking news. trump just signing a pardon for the former illinois governor, rod blagojevich. >> it's my honor to do it. i've watched him. he was set up by a lot of bad people. some of the same people that i had to deal with. i think he's a just a very fine person, and this shouldn't have happened, and it shouldn't have happened to him. and let him have a normal life and let him go out and do what he has to do. so i'm signing this as a full pardon. rod blagojevich. >> all right. blagojevich, of course, was found guilty of trying to sell president obama's senate seat in 2008. here is blagojevich, in his own words, on an fbi wiretap i've

got. >> this thing. >> and it's golden. and i'm just not giving it up for nothing. >> trump has always been a fan. one year after blagojevich was arrested, he appeared on celebrity apprentice. his appearance, though, was though short lived. >> i have great respect for you. i have great respect for your tenacity, for the fact that you just don't give. >> up. >> but rod, you're fired. >> and while it's not clear if trump will eventually hire blagojevich for a job in his administration, the president has named other convicted felons to coveted positions. for example, charles kushner, the father of trump's son in law, jared. charles kushner spent time in federal prison for tax evasion, witness tampering and illegal campaign contributions. it was a case that chris christie tried as a former federal prosecutor, christie calling it the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that he ever prosecuted. but trump has now appointed kushner to be the ambassador to france, one of the

most coveted diplomatic posts, of course. jeff zeleny is at the white house for us. and, jeff, of course, you know, it's worth reminding people blagojevich was actually a democrat. right. and now you've got eric adams. also, with those charges being dismissed by by the justice, by the prosecutors, there also a democrat. what is trump's thinking behind the blagojevich pardoning? as you understand it? >> well, look here, i mean, at the moment that donald trump was on celebrity apprentice there, he too was a democrat. so looking back at the history of all this, it is so remarkably rich. i'm thinking back to governor blagojevich at the time when prosecutors were going after him, they said that the level of corruption was so extensive it would make abraham lincoln roll over in his grave. of course, he's from illinois, but i am told that a lot of this does not really have as much to do with rod blagojevich at all. there are the people who are in charge of this have a lot of overlap with the donald trump thing. robert mueller, for example, who of course, led the

russia investigation. he was the fbi director at the time here. james comey was not involved in this, but patrick fitzgerald was the u.s. attorney at the time of this conviction. and he went on to represent james comey. so you heard in the oval office just a couple hours or so ago, the president talking about some of those same guys that went after me. so that is what this is about. also, not just about pardoning blagojevich, which of course is important to him, but so many illinois republicans at the time were so offended by this level of corruption. and now to see this pardon certainly is so full circle here, but it's all about rod blagojevich. but also those people who brought him to justice. yeah. >> all right. jeff zeleny, thank you very much. and next, trump says he has spoken to putin, but the kremlin will not confirm it, which is unusual. and we're going to go live to moscow. >> until this week, my dad did not know where he was from. it means the world to share

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>> cost to you. >> call one( 800) 269-9522. that's one( 800) 269-9522. >> anderson cooper 360. >> next on cnn. >> tonight on the brink of collapse. a top russian official warning relations with the u.s. are at a tipping point. the kremlin not even confirming president trump's claim that he's already spoken with vladimir putin in an attempt to negotiate an end to the war in

ukraine. fred pleitgen is out front tonight in moscow. >> i see. what you. >> saw. >> thank you soldier. >> the song goes, the crowd chiming in at an event in support of russian veterans and troops fighting in what moscow still calls its special military operation in ukraine. al-awda valentine fought for the now defunct wagner private military company and says he's not unhappy. president trump is in office and biden is out. >> joe biden biden. >> i don't want to. offend him, of course, but my personal opinion is that he was like an oddity in the country. like the u.s., trump is a commercial man. he's a businessman. he does everything for his own benefit. >> nina wears. >> a team putin t shirt, but also likes what she's hearing from the new u.s. president. of course i like him, she says. you have to be tough and have discipline in everything so

people can live well without wars. do you think he can help resolve the conflict with ukraine? i ask? it's long overdue, she says. he promised it and we're waiting for it. hurry up. don't waste time. people are dying. >> our grandfathers once. >> saved the world. >> russian intelligence following up with a very open influence operation targeting americans. this slick ad showcasing soviet and u.s. troops defeating nazi germany together. >> don't trust those who would. >> divide us. >> remember. >> we all fought together for the truth our grandfathers flags matter. >> urging americans not to support further military aid for ukraine. at the end, the symbol of russia's foreign intelligence service, the svr. all this as president trump this weekend claimed he's already in talks with russian leader vladimir putin to end the war.

>> and i want to stop it just because i hate to see all these young people being killed. the soldiers are being killed by the hundreds of thousands. >> while russia says its forces are making steady progress on the battlefield in ukraine, the costs are high. the ukrainians publishing this video allegedly showing a russian warplane crashing during battle in the same area. the russians won't confirm or deny whether president trump and the russian leader have already spoken directly. and russia's deputy foreign minister making clear that peace talks with moscow will be tough. when i asked him at a press event. there is no hidden agenda or purpose in our position, he says. there's no element of grandstanding. our position is derived from a full understanding of internally felt and deeply experienced tragedy and seriousness of what is happening to the national interests of our country. music to the ears of those attending

the veterans event in moscow, vowing to fight on as long as the kremlin says. and aaron, tonight, the russians going a step further, as the ukrainians say they need security guarantees from the trump administration. if there is going to be a ceasefire agreement. tonight, russia's foreign minister, sergei lavrov, saying that any talks need to take what the russians call their legitimate national security concerns into account. erin. >> all right, fred, thank you very much. just incredible, though, just how unusual it is for the kremlin not to confirm this. even though trump has made it clear he's a conversation with putin. he says to talk about ending the war in ukraine. all right. well, thanks so much to all of you for joining us. as always. we'll see you back here tomorrow night. it's time now for ac360 with anderson cooper, which starts right now. >> tonight on 360. >> a federal. >> judge