cnn anchor victor blackwell is with us now on this story. and, victor, it's really hard to ignore the fact that trump's own executive order is changing how people observe. this month. >> you know, brianna, it's not. >> just inconsistent. >> it is a direct contradiction of what the president is doing through his executive orders. as his senior adviser, stephen miller, said today, pressuring the private sector as well to purge a diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. but let's talk about what's happening today. this was scheduled last week, but it was rescheduled because of inclement weather in washington. according to the associated press, some of the invited guests are south carolina republican senator tim scott, a michigan republican congressman john james, also alice johnson, who the president pardoned in his first term. rapper kodak black, who the president also pardoned in his first term. and rapper boosie badazz, who is online now asking for a pardon from president trump as well. um, why is the president doing this? i think people who

now i'm victor blackwell. thanks for being with us. here's what we're watching for you this morning. >> ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement. >> ukrainian president vladimir zelenskyy sends a strong message to president donald trump about trump's promise to end russia's three year war on ukraine. zelenskyy is telling european leaders their futures are on the line as well. that's ahead in a live report. >> thousands more federal employees learned this week that they are losing their jobs as part of the trump administration's purge of federal workers, including hundreds of employees who manage the nation's nuclear stockpile. the concerns now being raised by members of congress. >> the fbi is pushing back on the homeland security secretary's claims that the agency is corrupt. what the bureau has to say about that and the potential impact of this very public feud. >> plus, a woman who accused sean combs and jay-z of sexually assaulting her more than two decades ago has dropped her lawsuit against th

i'm victor blackwell. >> i think you jolted people awake. what? there are 31 days in february. i'm amara walker. good to be with you. here is what we're working on for you this morning. >> boom and the whole car just shook. >> i was in shock. i'm still in shock. like this is insane. >> a plane on a medical mission plunges out of the sky in philadelphia, sparking a massive explosion on the ground. all six people in the plane, on the plane, including a pediatric patient and her mother, are believed to be dead. we are live with what investigators are saying about what caused it all. >> breaking overnight, israeli-american keith siegel is among three hostages released by hamas after nearly 16 months in captivity. we have a live report from israel just ahead. >> and president donald trump's tariffs on canada, mexico and china are set to go into effect today. we're going to talk to an expert about the rising fears of a full blown trade war with three of america's key trade partners. >> and the trump administration is set to expand its purge of career law enforcement officials as a lo

i'm victor blackwell. >> it is the. >> first day of february. i'm amara walker. thank you so much for being with us. we begin this morning in philadelphia, where a medical jet carrying six people crashed into a neighborhood. and we warn you, the video may be disturbing to some. the jet had just taken off from a northeast philadelphia airport carrying a child patient and her mother, along with four crew members, a pilot, copilot, doctor and paramedic. at this time, authorities cannot confirm any survivors. >> you see the video here. the crash caused this massive explosion that affected homes and vehicles in the area. video obtained by cnn shows the moment witnesses saw the plane fall from the sky and then burst into flames. >> allahu akbar. >> allahu akbar. what the hell? what the hell? what the hell? >> there were several injuries reported with at least six people sent to a hospital. all are in stable condition. cnn's jason carroll is live in philadelphia. jason, it's far too early to know exactly what caused this crash, but i see the investigation is still going

i'm victor blackwell. >> hi, everyone.mara walker and here's what we're working on for you this morning. >> tariffs against against canada will put your jobs at risk. >> a stark message to america from canadian prime minister justin trudeau after president donald trump signed steep tariffs on canada, mexico and china. how the countries are retaliating and why they say americans will be the ones really feeling the pinch. >> plus, new information about the final moments before the deadly midair collision in washington, dc. what? the plane's black boxes are now revealing. >> and a medical breakthrough. 25 years in the making. we are going in-depth on the new potent painkiller. the fda says could be a game changer in the fight against opioid addiction in america. >> so some of these families that you visit haven't left their homes since trump took office? yes. >> and how one volunteer is helping migrant families in chicago who are afraid to leave their homes because of ice raids president donald trump slew of new tariffs go in

i'm victor blackwell. here's what's happening this morning. china, canada and mexico are all hitting back at the u.s. after president trump announced sweeping tariffs on goods imported from those countries. the impact this could have on the cost of products you buy. >> and there are new details in the deadly mid-air collision between an american airlines jet and a military helicopter. the action the pilots of the plane took just one second before the accident. >> president trump's allies are working to shore up support for rfk jr. and tulsi gabbard after the two faced some tough questions in their confirmation hearings. the steps they're taking to get both nominees across the line. >> and it's music's biggest night. but the grammys will look a little different this year. we're going to explain why. plus the question everyone wants answered who will win album of the year? >> beyonce. >> but we begin with president donald trump's slew of new tariffs going into effect tuesday, and the united states biggest trade partners are already fighting back

. >> i'm victor blackwell. thank you for joining us. we're following developments across several stories this morning. up first, the federal judge has temporarily blocked the trump administration's plan to put thousands of employees at usaid on leave and ordered that those who were suspended be reinstated. the reason behind the judge's order and what it means for the agency. >> president trump says he is revoking former president biden's access to classified information and stopping him from receiving daily intelligence briefings. the significance of the timing of the announcement next. >> three more hostages were released this morning as part of that hostage and ceasefire deal between israel and hamas. our jeremy diamond is live in hostage square with the latest. >> and it's super bowl weekend. and security around new orleans has been stepped up following last month's terror attack. and inside, look at the precautions ahead of the big game is next. reporter well, this morning a federal judge has put a hold on president trump's plan to

the head of the group spoke with cnn's victor blackwell this weekend and explained the change. >> the arab. >> americans for trump was created to help president trump win the elections. we wanted an end to the war in gaza, primarily, and the president also promised us a lasting peace in the middle east that is satisfactory to all parties. based on those two promises, we lent our the president, our vote. now, when he started suggesting that relocating gazans, which is against international law, against palestinian interests, against the continuity of a palestinian state between the gaza strip and the west bank, we could not come out with a statement under the title of arab americans for trump. first of all, we're not a cult. secondly, we want peace. we started supporting the president because we wanted peace. and as a result, we changed the name. >> several key arab nations, including jordan and egypt, have said they will not support trump's plan for gaza. hello again, everyone. thank you so much for joining me. i'm fredricka whitfield. at any moment now, president trump will land in n

. >> i'm victor blackwell. here's what we're working on for you this morning. >> i have never seen this level of security in the city of new orleans. and all of my years. >> super bowl sunday and security around new orleans is tight, one official tells cnn it rivals the inauguration. we'll talk about the plans in place to keep the fans safe in new orleans. >> 15 million people are under winter weather alerts as a fast moving storm dumps up to nine inches of snow across the northeast. we've got your forecast ahead. >> we can find out tomorrow whether the trump administration's so-called buyout deadline will remain paused or be reinstated. what to expect as both sides make their case to the judge. >> and it may be super bowl sunday, but one of the biggest competitions is all about the puppies. instead of the players, we are joined by the lead trainer from today's puppy bowl. later on cnn this morning. well, it's finally time for super bowl lix and security is tight around the caesars superdome dome in new orleans

the head of the group spoke with cnn's victor blackwell this weekend and explained the change. >> the>> americans for trump was created to help president trump win the elections. we wanted an end to the war in gaza,

. >> i'm victor blackwell. we're beginning this morning with breaking news. any moment. secretary of state marco rubio and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, they're going to hold a joint news conference in israel. we'll bring that to you live. but first. severe storms sweeping across parts of the eastern u.s. several areas are at risk of heavy rain. also, some snow in some areas. tornadoes. those are the ones we're watching most closely. and this morning, hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses from louisiana to virginia are without power. tornado watches are still in effect for several states overnight. at least one person in kentucky was killed after swept. they were being swept away by heavy flood waters. >> cnn meteorologist allison chinchar is here. she is following all the developments. what do we need to know? these were some really big storms. >> and i think that's the key point. it's not done. i want people to understand that. yes, it was bad last night, but these storms are still moving east. so there's other communities that are in the path of t

i'm victor blackwell. >> and i'm amara walker. good to be with you. here's what we're working on for you this morning. >> ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement. >> ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy sends a strong message to president donald trump about his promise to end russia's three year war on ukraine. why? zelenskyy is telling european leaders their futures are on the line as well. ahead, in a live report. >> for the first time in 16 months, three hostages held by hamas, including an israeli-american, are back in israel. we're live in hostage square in tel aviv, just ahead. >> also, president trump's government wide firing spree hits hundreds of workers in the department tasked with managing the nation's nuclear stockpile. we're going to go in depth on the latest concerns that the government purge is putting the country at risk. >> 20 million people from arkansas to pennsylvania facing a significant flooding threat today. meteorologist allison chinchar takes a look at the cities that could see as much

i'm victor blackwell. >> and i'm amara walker. good to be with you. we are following several developing stories this morning. a federal judge has temporarily blocked the trump administration's plan to put thousands of employees at usaid on leave, and ordered what those that those who were suspended be reinstated. the reason behind the judge's order and what it means for the agency. >> president trump says he's revoking former president biden's access to classified information, stopping him from receiving daily intelligence briefings to the significance of the timing of the announcement. >> and a new strain of bird flu that has been associated with severe infections in humans has been discovered in dairy herds in nevada. why some health officials are calling this an infection. inflection point as the nation works to contain the virus. >> it is super bowl weekend. you got your wings ready. your seven layer dip. will the chiefs make nfl history with a third straight super bowl win over the eagles, dashed their hopes of a three peat? coy wire is live from

i'm victor blackwell. >> good to have you with us. i'm amara walker thank you for being here. and here is what is happening this morning. >> i have never seen this level of security in the city of new orleans. and all of my years. >> it's super bowl sunday, and security around new orleans is tight, with one official telling cnn it rivals the inauguration. the plans in place to keep fans safe around the big easy. >> 15 million people are under winter weather alerts. fast moving storms are dumping up to nine inches of snow across the northeast. we've got your forecast just ahead. >> and we could find out tomorrow whether the trump administration's buyout deadline will remain paused or be reinstated. what to expect as both sides make their case to the judge. >> 120 million people are expected to watch the super bowl. and, of course, the commercials. an early look at the ads everybody is going to be talking about tomorrow. just ahead on cnn this morning finally, it's time for super bowl lix. we've been running that animation for about 15 days now. security is tight around caesars