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CNN International: Trump Defends DOGE Cuts; Jordan's King Abdullah II Meets With Trump; Trump Doubts Hamas Returning Hostages On Saturday; Marc Fogel Released From Russia; Sam Altman Says OpenAI Not For Sale; USAID Cuts Felt Far And Wide; European Commission Promises Response To Trump Tariffs; Haaland Scores First Goal Against Real Madrid. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired February 11, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: This is an area that, of course, we're monitoring for the potential of debris flows and mud flows because of the recent fires in and around Los Angeles, already a moderate risk of excessive rain that could lead to --
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world, and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Omar Jimenez.
Just ahead, U.S. President Donald Trump defends Elon Musk and the push to downsize the government saying. It's about ending, quote, "fraud and abuse." Jordan's King Abdullah pushes back on President Trump's plan to displace Palestinians. And a war of words among billionaires. Why OpenAI chief Sam Altman says he feels sorry for Elon Musk.
All right. President Trump and Elon Musk appeared side by side in the Oval Office today, defending their effort to slash government spending and jobs. Musk, the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, said the budget is out of control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELON MUSK, SPECIAL U.S. GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE: We've got a $2 trillion deficit, and if this -- if we don't do something about this deficit, the country's going bankrupt. I mean, it's really astounding that the interest payments alone on the national debt exceed the Defense Department budget, which is shocking because we've got a lot of -- we spent a lot of money on defense, but -- and if that just keeps going, we're essentially going to bankrupt the country.
So, what I really want to say is like, it's not optional for us to sit -- to reduce the federal expenses, it's essential. It's essential for America to remain solvent as a country. And it's essential for America to have the resources necessary to provide things to its citizens. And not simply be servicing vast amounts of debt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: And then, President Trump, who was sitting right next to him, also talked about legal challenges to his executive orders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: And it seems hard to believe that judges want to try and stop us from looking for corruption, especially when we found hundreds of millions of dollars' worth, much more than that, in just a short period of time. We want to weed out the corruption. And it seems hard to believe that a judge could say, we don't want you to do that. Well, so maybe we have to look at the judges because that's a very serious -- I think it's a very serious violation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: A lot to talk about here. I want to bring in CNN Political Analyst Jackie Kucinich, who joins us now. She's also the Washington bureau chief for the Boston Globe. So, let's talk about the legal challenges because, look, we've seen a lot of them so far. And to this point, Trump is saying he will always abide by the courts, but also that any appeals process takes time. I mean, what do you see in the future of that dynamic?
JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST AND WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, THE BOSTON GLOBE: So, we've seen -- this isn't Trump's first rodeo with court cases while he was in office. We saw this during the last administration as well. Certainly, the volume this early has increased.
You know, you've seen him complaining. You've seen J. D. Vance complaining. And they have him -- and you've seen other people call it unconstitutional. Right now, the fact that the president is saying that he will abide to it is a good sign for democracy. And certainly, it's early in a lot of these processes, these judges, this is happening so fast.
We're seeing a lot of pauses, right? These judges aren't saying, no, they're just pausing it. And as it starts to work its way through the courts, and you are seeing the courts really trying to keep up with the number of lawsuits that are, you know, flying at them. And that is by design. That is why we've seen so much happen in the last nearly four weeks of this administration.
So, that -- you know, they are able to make some of these changes that they really want to do. And everyone else is just trying to figure out what just happened.
JIMENEZ: And of course, we have seen with many administrations in the past, executive orders go out, they are challenged in courts, sometimes they are struck down, sometimes they move forward. So, from that standpoint, it is a relatively normal process, even if the pace has been so wild, I guess I'll call it, in the first two weeks of this administration.
We're just showing the images of Trump in the Oval Office. What do you make of Elon Musk being there right next to him as Trump is signing these executive orders with his son as well? I mean, it is about as close to the executive process as you can be. What do you make of that imagery? KUCINICH: Well, and the executive order that Trump was signing gives Elon Musk even more power over the federal workforce because his folks are going to be a part of this process of cutting within the agencies that they're not trying to all out dismantle, which we've seen over the last couple weeks.
This really -- the visual here is, you know, he has -- Elon Musk has the president's full backing. There's been a lot of criticism, particularly from the left, but you're starting to hear it a little bit on the right. But Trump is not having it. These -- he -- they are doubling down, even with all the court cases, even with all the pushback on the approach that DOGE is taking, whether or not it seems to be, you know, violating laws here and there and everywhere.
[18:05:00]
I mean, they've also removed the heads of the watchdog agencies that are supposed to vet some of these things. So, really, he couldn't -- you couldn't have a more, I guess, backing confidence than you could have in that picture.
Even down to Trump saying that, you know, we're going to look to -- we're not going to let Elon Musk do anything that would be a conflict of interest. And we've already seen lots of examples of that happening. It's very clear that it's not going to happen and that Elon Musk has his full backing.
JIMENEZ: And we're sort of seeing, I guess, the signature of this administration play out on a number of fronts whether it's DOGE, whether it's the framing of these legal fights that he's having, the pace of executive orders, but also, now, I -- look, you and I both work as reporters, the Associated Press is now saying the White House has blocked its reporters access over AP style guidance using the name Gulf of Mexico instead of Gulf of America, which obviously has been a key portion, I guess, of the administration's priorities, it seems, in these initial weeks.
But bottom line, what is your reaction to that? And do you anticipate this being an issue through this administration?
KUCINICH: About the Gulf of America situation?
JIMENEZ: Yes.
KUCINICH: Or just generally?
JIMENEZ: Both.
KUCINICH: Well, I mean, I -- the Trump -- the first administration also tried to push back against the free press, and that they didn't win that battle. And we'll have to see how they deal with this one. But certainly, again, standing next to Elon Musk, who purports to be a believer in the freedom of speech, this certainly goes against that. No question. And freedom of the press for that matter.
JIMENEZ: Both of them. Jackie Kucinich, really appreciate you being here. Thanks for the time and perspective
KUCINICH: Thanks, Omar.
JIMENEZ: Meanwhile, Jordan's King Abdullah says his country remains, maintains its steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians. And this comes after he met with President Trump at the White House, sitting side by side there. At their meeting, the U.S. president made no attempt to soften his plan to relocate Palestinians out of Gaza and redevelop the land.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I believe we'll have a parcel of land in Jordan. I believe we'll have a parcel of land in Egypt. We may have someplace else. But I think when we finish our talks, we'll have a place where they're going to live very happily and very safely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: Meanwhile, President Trump also says he doubts Hamas will meet his Saturday deadline to return hostages after Hamas threatened to postpone the next hostage release, accusing Israel of breaking the ceasefire deal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued this warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end and the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is completely defeated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: Jeremy Diamond is live in Tel Aviv. And Netanyahu's language mirrors a lot of what we heard from U.S. President Trump as well. But, Jeremy, look, it was already a delicate ceasefire agreement. Where do we stand now?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Omar, I think it's fair to say that this is the most precarious moment that we have seen since this ceasefire went into effect just over three weeks ago. And it's important to keep in mind, of course, that we've only seen 16 of the 33 hostages who were set to be released during that six-week period emerged from Gaza.
So, far, nine more living hostages, eight more deceased hostages still expected to be released. But that can only happen if this ceasefire goes forward, which right now seems very much in doubt.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIAMOND (voice-over): After three weeks of emotional reunions in Israel, and at long last calm in Gaza, the Israel-Hamas ceasefire now hanging by a thread. NETANYAHU (through translator): If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end and the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is completely defeated.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The Israeli prime minister piggybacking off this ultimatum from President Trump.
TRUMP: As far as I'm concerned, 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.
DIAMOND (voice-over): After convening his security cabinet, Netanyahu not going quite as far. With an Israeli official telling CNN Israel is demanding Hamas release nine living hostages in the coming days.
Hamas threatening not to release any hostages this weekend, accusing Israel of multiple ceasefire violations.
[18:10:00]
The Palestinian Ministry of Health says Israel has killed 92 people and wounded another 822 in Gaza since the start of the ceasefire. Israel has acknowledged several incidents during the ceasefire in which troops opened fire, saying Palestinians approached IDF positions in Gaza.
Humanitarian aid has surged into Gaza. But Palestinian officials say Israel is blocking the entry of some shelters, leaving many here exposed to the wind and rain. Israel called Hamas' accusations completely false.
The back and forth could not come at a more sensitive time in Israel after the release of three emaciated hostages shocked the nation. Those images driving a new wave of protests, demanding the government reach a deal to release all 76 hostages as several families learned more about the conditions their loved ones are enduring.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We heard that he was wounded. We heard that he was tortured. And that he didn't get medical care. And that he was starving.
DIAMOND (voice-over): In Israel's parliament, heated confrontations. Slaughtered and forgotten, disgusting, this woman shouts at former Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is among those calling for returning to war.
In Gaza, fear and anxiety about that potential return to war. I pray to God the war doesn't restart. It's enough how many victims we lost, how many homes were destroyed, this woman says. We are exhausted.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DIAMOND (on camera): And Omar, as we are hearing those sentiments of anxiety from people in Gaza about the precariousness of this ceasefire, what we are also hearing from them is a total rejection of President Trump's proposal to permanently displace Palestine -- Palestinians from Gaza, more than 2 million people who currently live in the Gaza Strip, the majority of them overwhelmingly making clear that they want to remain in Gaza, even in the rubble, even in the misery of war, Gaza is their home.
And so, while President Trump said today in the Oval Office, sitting next to King Abdullah, that Palestinians would prefer to be elsewhere, but they simply don't have an alternative to Gaza, if you actually listen to Gazans, that's just not true. Omar.
JIMENEZ: And King Abdullah is saying that that was a unified Arab position at this point. Jeremy Diamond, really appreciate the reporting.
For more on this, I want to bring in Aaron David Miller. He's a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, which, speaking of international peace, we just spoke about it there. President Trump today in front of Jordan's king, Abdullah, saying that the United States will have Gaza on the authority of The United States. I mean, is there any real road forward with that plan?
AARON DAVID MILLER, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: I don't think so, Omar. And thanks for having me. You know, I think -- look, this Gaza gambit, the president, in one fell swoop, tethered the United States to a proposal that at best could be considered forced transfer and at worst, Palestinians believe it's ethnic cleansing.
It's undermined American-Arab partners in the region, Jordan and Egypt. It's validated the fantasies of the Israeli right-wing. And it sent a very bad signal, frankly, to authoritarians everywhere, particularly President Xi and President Putin, that, you know, you can articulate a piece of territory you want and basically say you're going to take it without any kind of justification. And I think it's complicated and already extraordinarily complex Israeli-Hamas negotiation.
JIMENEZ: And, you know, you've also served as senior adviser for Arab Israeli negotiations under previous administrations at the U.S. State Department. And I bring that up because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Gaza ceasefire will end if Hamas doesn't release the hostages they are holding by Saturday at noon, which, of course, falls in line with what President Trump said, who he claimed all hell would break loose in Gaza if the hostages weren't released. Do you see any way back from the precipice that's now been set?
MILLER: I mean, I'd assert a foundational principle here, Omar. Number one, the reason this agreement, phase one, has succeeded is because both Hamas and the government of Israel, including the prime minister, obviously, believe that at least a phase one implementation is in their respective interest.
And despite all of the noise from the president, the Gaza gambit, and again, the notion that somehow Hamas must release all of the hostages, yes, Hamas should release all the hostages tomorrow, but in the realities back here on planet Earth, the president has taken a position which has prompted the Israelis to up their ante, which could result in no hostages being released on Saturday.
[18:15:00]
But I'd make a prediction that I don't like to do it. I still believe Saturday you'll see three hostages exchange for a determined number -- a symmetrical number of Palestinian prisoners. Beyond that and next week's exchange, I think it's very hard to imagine, Omar, that we will move from phase one into phase two, and we will see anytime soon an end to the hostage crisis, Israel's presence in Gaza, or the war between Israel and Hamas.
JIMENEZ: And, you know, at many points when King Abdullah was at the White House today, he deferred to other Arab states saying that there is all -- they also have plans that he wants to make sure their plans are in consideration before the United States moves forward with anything in regards to the Palestinians. But then, also you have the dynamic ongoing of a potential collapse of the ceasefire.
I wonder what you see the region's role here is in regards to the Arab world, for example, it's just start there, in trying to find a place for some of these Palestinians, but also maintain their land. I just wonder what you see the Arabs world and role is and trying to make sure that this doesn't completely fall apart.
MILLER: I mean, look, in reference to the president's proposal, it strikes me as, you know, straining credulity to the breaking point to imagine that somehow a forced transfer, either taken up by the United States or the Israelis is going to somehow depopulate Gaza, to use the president's own numbers, 1.7, 1.8 million Palestinians will simply disappear. It won't be able to come back and we'll find a nice, comfortable place for them.
It is an existential threat to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to absorb large numbers of Palestinians. And I'm (INAUDIBLE) Sisi of Egypt understands full well, because he's had problems with the Muslim Brotherhood before and Hamas is essentially began as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza. Neither of these Arab states are going to give up pieces of their territory in order to house Palestinians.
Because even if you could get beyond the security and political challenges in Jordan, Egypt, you cannot get beyond the signal that that's going to set. What that will mean is that Egypt and Jordan have acknowledged and participated in an effort to resolve the Palestinian problem by creating another refugee crisis. And I don't think Egypt, Jordan, Saudi, any of the Gulf states are going to play this game.
So, again, I think there is a huge role for the region to play. If you had a rational plan out of Washington to create a pathway to, at some point down the road, see Israeli Palestinian negotiations, responsible governance in Gaza, a security architecture that would replace the Israelis and prevent Hamas from resurging, all of these things are tough lifts, but they offer a far more realistic pathway forward than to try to, what, depopulate 2.3 million people who have suffered extraordinary pain and catastrophe over the last 15 months, and to play with the lives. Hamas is torturing and abusing hostages, but the rhetoric from the president today, I think, has frankly jeopardized the possibility of freeing three more hostages this Saturday. I hope that's not the case. I'm sure that's not what he intended, but that's what his words seem to have suggested.
JIMENEZ: It's going to be a crucial next few days to end this week. And of course, many around the region watching very closely to see what happens at the very least between Israel and Hamas, and if this deal holds. Aaron David Miller, really appreciate it.
MILLER: Thank you, Omar.
JIMENEZ: Meanwhile, the White House today racking up a diplomatic win by securing the release of Marc Fogel, an American teacher detained in Russia for more than three years. President Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, personally went to Russia to bring Fogel back. This is a picture of Fogel taken on his plane, leaving Russia.
U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz says the release was part of an exchange with Moscow, but we don't have those details. They didn't go into details at all. President Trump had this to say about Fogel's release.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Marc Fogel will be at the White House tonight at about 10:00. If you want to come over, you can say hello to him. All right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did the U.S. give anything in return?
TRUMP: Not much. No, they were very nice. We were treated very nicely by Russia, actually. I hope that's the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war and millions of people can stop being killed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[18:20:00]
And Fred Pleitgen reports from Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: After several years in Russian detention, American Marc Fogel is now back in the United States. Now, all this appeared to be shaping up throughout the better part of the day on Tuesday here in the Russian capital, when it appeared that a plane belonging to Steve Witkoff had landed in Moscow, coming directly from the United States.
The spokesman for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, he was asked about all of this in a regular scheduled call with journalists, and he refused to comment on it, saying that he had nothing further to add. Now, it was not until very much later in the day that it became clear that indeed Marc Fogel had been released by the Russians. The White House coming out with a statement saying that Marc Fogel was already on his way back to the United States.
A picture of Fogel on the aircraft was then later also published, apparently showing him relaxing inside that plane on his way back to the United States.
Now, in a statement, the Fogel family obviously expressed their gratitude and their joy at having Marc Fogel being released. They said, quote, "We are beyond grateful, relieved, and overwhelmed that after more than three years of detention, our father, husband, and son, Marc Fogel, is finally coming home. This has been the darkest and most painful period of our lives, but today, we begin to heal."
And it certainly was an ordeal for the Fogel family. Marc Fogel was a teacher here in the Russian capital. He was detained while arriving at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport in 2021 with 17 grams of marijuana on him. The Russians are claiming that this was obviously illegal. His legal team saying that this was for medical purposes.
Now, Fogel was convicted to 14 years in Russian detention, and he was later deemed wrongfully detained by the U.S. government. However, there was a big prisoner exchange, of course, that happened in the summer of last year and Marc Fogel was not part of that exchange. His family obviously voicing that they were very disappointed about that.
The Trump administration says that all of this was a negotiated release. It's unclear, however, with this exchange, as the Trump administration puts it, what exactly the Russians got in return for releasing Marc Fogel.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JIMENEZ: Thank you, Fred. Coming up, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is slamming Elon Musk's surprise bid for his company once again, and this time it's personal.
Plus, Greenland is seeing red over President Trump's offer to buy up the territory. CNN speaks to residents who just want the U.S. to leave them alone. We'll tell you about it coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:25:00]
JIMENEZ: Welcome back, everyone. OpenAI head Sam Altman took another swing at Elon Musk on Tuesday, one day after Musk and a group of investors announced a surprise takeover bid for his firm. Now, Altman is rejecting the offer outright and also offering a surprise assessment of his business rivals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM ALTMAN, CEO, OPENAI: OpenAI is not for sale. The OpenAI mission is not for sale. Elon tries all sorts of things for a long time. This is the late -- you know, this week's episode. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You take it seriously at all? What do you think he's trying to drive at with this?
ALTMAN: I think he's probably just trying to slow us down. He obviously is a competitor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think Musk's approach, then, is from a position of insecurity about xAI?
ALTMAN: Probably his whole life. His -- from a position of insecurity, I feel for the guy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You feel for him?
ALTMAN: I do, actually. I don't think he's like a happy person. I do feel for him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: Look, Musk and his co-investors are offering to buy OpenAI, the owner of ChatGPT, for more than $97 billion dollars. Altman, as you may have heard there, who has, let's call it a contentious relationship with Musk, told him on X, quote, "No thank you, but we'll buy Twitter for $9.74 billion. If you want." Yes, numbers not so big.
Lance Ulanoff you went off the editor at large at TechRadar joins me now. All right. So, let's talk the beef and let's talk the business because clearly, they're intertwined here. Why are Elon and Sam Altman personally going back and forth over what's next for OpenAI?
LANCE ULANOFF, EDITOR AT LARGE, TECHRADAR: Well, first of all, you have to remember that they were partners. They founded OpenAI together in 2015, and it really kind of fell apart by 2018. They just seemed to be going in different directions, couldn't agree, and ever since then, it's been a contentious relationship.
And one of the things that Elon Musk is really pressed on, and has even brought lawsuits against OpenAI for, is that they broke the sort of foundational agreement that this would always be open, it would always be free.
And, you know, OpenAI entered a very sort of hefty deal with Microsoft along the way, they got billions of dollars, lots of investment. Microsoft gets a first look at some of the tech. Elon did not like that at all. He's been fighting that and that I think kind of triggered his start of xAI and Grok, which is his competitor, which no one really cares about.
So, it has been constant and contentious. And what's really interesting is the White House just said they were going to, you know, commit $500 billion to OpenAI to help it develop. And. Elon Musk, which is really deeply embedded in the White House right now, actually kind of went after opening eye for that, and the White House kind of had to push back. So, it's a big mess, and they are not friends, they are competitors and Elon won't let it go. JIMENEZ: And you know -- all right. So, that's the personal side of things. Clearly, they have a history. There's no escaping it. We're probably not going to escape it in the near future. But on the business side of things, I mean, must did say he's leading a group of investors who have offered to buy OpenAI for almost $100 billion. And I imagine the board will have to consider that. But is that an offer you expect their board to take seriously at all?
ULANOFF: No, actually not. I mean, look, there's the whole idea of Elon Musk's track record, you know, he overpaid for Twitter, X, which is, you know, now valued at less. And, you know, I think that the reason that Altman offered $9.7 billion was a kind of a dig about that.
And also, I don't know that Open -- that would be enough for OpenAI. This is the leader in the A.I. race. This is the one that everybody has their eyes on. Now, I know that they have a lot of competition. We've got Google, we've got Microsoft, even just Copilot, even it's both -- it's friend and enemy, maybe.
So, it's a really tough space, but everybody recognizes the kind of incredible things that are coming out of OpenAI, the ChatGPT, it's marched toward general A.I., which, because, as Altman just recently said, A.I. development outstrips Moore's Law. So, this is all happening much more quickly than anyone anticipated, and I just think that OpenAI is probably worth a lot more.
JIMENEZ: And just quickly before we go, I mean, yes, this is making a lot of noise. Yes, the relationship goes back and forth, but, I mean, is there anything Musk can even do? It seems the A.I. arms race is much bigger than this relationship.
ULANOFF: No, no. I think he likes to be in the mix and he wants to draw attention to his business and his product. I don't see that he can do anything specific. But you know, Elon also likes technology pure play and would like to develop his own good stuff. So, he'll be in the mix for the long-term, but not without constantly needling Sam Altman and OpenAI.
[18:30:00]
JIMENEZ: I have a feeling we have not seen the end between these two. Thank you, Lance Ulanoff, editor at large at TechRadar, really appreciate it.
ULANOFF: Thank you.
JIMENEZ: All right. Coming up after the break, the reverberations of the Trump administration gutting USAID are spreading far and wide. CNN's Ivan Watson shows how a funding freeze can be felt in Asia.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JIMENEZ: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Omar Jimenez. Here are some more international headlines we are watching today. America's Central Bank says it's in no rush to slash interest rates anytime soon. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says the U.S. economy remains strong, and he made the remarks in testimony before the Senate Banking Committee, which is part of the semiannual monetary policy report.
Former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales has testified that he asked for permission before kissing female footballer Jenni Hermoso at World Cup celebrations in 2023. Now, Hermoso maintains Rubiales did not have consent to kiss her. Rubiales' sexual assault trial is taking place in Madrid with prosecutors seeking a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
And the Gulf of Mexico is now listed as the Gulf of America for U.S.- based users of Google Maps. The switch comes after President Trump signed an executive order honoring what he called American greatness. Now, users in Mexico will still see Gulf of Mexico on their maps, while everyone else will see both names. Google says its policy is to apply name changes when they're updated on official government sources.
The Trump administration is being warned that dismantling of USAID may have some unintended and dangerous consequences. The agency's independent Watchdog says a sweeping freeze on foreign assistance has made it harder to track potential misuses of taxpayer funded humanitarian help.
[18:35:00]
Now, the Watchdog warns the funds could end up going unintentionally to terrorist groups such as Hamas, ISIS or Hezbollah. Now, the impact of the U.S. aid freeze is already being felt as far away as the border between Thailand and Myanmar. And that's where we find CNN's Ivan Watson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what happens when the world's biggest aid donor suddenly stops sending money. Families ordered to evacuate their sick loved ones from this hospital in the mountains of western Thailand. Days later, the hospital deserted. Its front gate locked shut.
WATSON: This is a refugee camp for tens of thousands of people who fled the Civil War across the nearby border in neighboring Myanmar. The hospital here largely depended on U.S. government funding, which suddenly stopped, and now nearly two weeks later, there isn't a single doctor on duty for this community of more than 30,000 people.
WATSON (voice-over): It's a 30-minute drive from this sprawling refugee camp to the nearest Thai hospital. The director here shocked by the sudden closure of the camp hospital.
WATSON: Has this been stressful, these last two weeks for you?
DR. TAWATCHAI TINGTAWEESAK, DIRECTOR, THA SONG YANG HOSPITAL: Yes. Yes. Yes. I think so. Very dangerous.
WATSON (voice-over): His facility has to suddenly absorb some of the refugee camp's patients, and that includes 32-year-old Mary.
WATSON: Is this your first baby?
MARY: Yes.
WATSON: You're going to be a mama soon.
MARY: Yes.
WATSON: You're going to be a mother.
MARY: Yes.
WATSON (voice-over): Suffering high blood pressure, she was rushed to this maternity ward this morning and is now in labor, far from her family and home at the camp.
MARY (through translator): I just want to ask the U.S. government, why they have to stop helping the refugees?
WATSON (voice-over): On January 20th, President Donald Trump ordered an immediate 90-day pause in all U.S. foreign aid. He declared, the U.S. aid industry is not aligned with American interests and claims it serves to destabilize world peace. Years, Myanmar has been ripped apart by a brutal civil war, a military dictatorship that seized power in a coup in 2021 battling numerous insurgent groups. The conflicts forced more than three million people to flee their homes, and now aid organizations tell CNN they only have a month and a half of funding left to feed refugees along the Thai border with Myanmar, leaving smaller aid groups scrambling to fill the gap.
WATSON: You're going into Myanmar.
KANCHANA THORNTON, DIRECTOR, BURMA CHINDREN MEDICAL FUND: This is will go across the border. Yes.
WATSON (voice-over): Kanchana Thornton regularly takes food, infant formula, and medicine across the border river to desperate people in the conflict zone. The U.S. funding cut made matters worse.
WATSON: Why is it affecting you? You don't get money from Washington?
THORNTON: Well, patient come to us and asking us for help.
WATSON: Because they're not getting it from the original --
THORNTON: Yes, because they're not getting support that they should from the NGO that got the funding cut.
WATSON (voice-over): Everywhere we go in this poverty-stricken border region, we hear about basic services disrupted and aid workers being laid off.
WATSON: This clinic treats nearly 500 patients a day. It receives nearly 20 percent of its funding from the U.S. government. Washington has been sending money here for at least 20 years, but now all of that has stopped.
WATSON (voice-over): Uncertainty now felt by Rebecca and her nine- year-old daughter Rosella.
WATSON: Yes. Can you show me your favorite pictures?
WATSON (voice-over): The residents of the refugee camp who had to move out of the hospital when it shut down last month, even though Rosella was born with a bone condition. She needs oxygen around the clock. My daughter needs the hospital to be open, Rebecca says, and so do I, because I'm pregnant. The cut in U.S. funding means this pregnant mother no longer has access to a doctor, and she doesn't know how much longer her daughter's oxygen will last.
Ivan Watson, CNN, on the Thailand-Myanmar border.
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JIMENEZ: Thank you, Ivan. Coming up, President Trump's fast-paced policy moves are keeping leaders all over the world on their toes. The head of the International Monetary Fund tells Richard Quest about her priorities for struggling countries amidst the chaos.
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KRISTALINA GEORGIEVA, MANAGING DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND: What we do need is to offer a helping hand to these countries, and we need institutions to be an anchor of stability.
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[18:40:00]
JIMENEZ: Welcome back, everyone. The president of the European Commission is vowing a response to Donald Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs. Ursula von der Leyen calls the measures unjustified and says they will trigger firm and proportionate retaliation. Richard Quest spoke to the head of the International Monetary Fund earlier. He asked Kristalina Georgieva for her response to Donald Trump's tariffs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTALINA GEORGIEVA, MANAGING DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND: An evolving story, Richard. What we have are elements of trade policy that we expected would come, that was announced in the election campaign. But there are many, many unknowns.
And the most important thing we don't know is how would the reaction be, the reaction of consumers and businesses? How would countries respond? My answer to would be -- to you would be today, it's too early to say.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE AND CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: And I know that you've been concerned that the genie is not is either back in the bottle fully. Are you concerned inflation is going to resurge?
GEORGIEVA: Even on that, we just need to see how things evolve. Because if we are in a situation in which in some parts of the world, there is a slowdown, that may push central banks to bring interest rates down that may actually not be inflationary.
What we do know is that we have a situation in which the U.S. economy has been performing quite strongly, likely to continue to be strong that pushes the dollar up. What does that mean? That capital is moving much more forcefully towards the U.S. and a strong dollar, all other things equal, for majority of emerging markets and developing economies is trouble.
QUEST: So, if you layer on top of these underlying issues, you end up with a very fragile global economy that could become unstable.
[18:45:00]
GEORGIEVA: And that is where I would be careful not to draw a definitive conclusion. Because you're right, the world we had in the past is no more.
What guarantees winning in this new world? Well, three things. One, clear space for private initiative. Two, digitalize your economy. Three, diversify. You cannot anymore rely on one sector to drive your future.
So, I mean, I actually, give me this, give me -- I talked about that. I have three D's, three D's. Deregulate, digitalize, diversify.
QUEST: But I have a fourth D for you. It's very difficult to do those three D's if you've got a Donald.
GEORGIEVA: OK. That is a very fair point.
QUEST: And I worry about countries that can't adapt fast enough because the speed of which coming towards them, they don't have the agility. What then?
GEORGIEVA: I actually wake up in the middle of the night worrying about these countries. These are the most dramatical countries, either in conflict or coming out of conflict. And then, countries that have very weak governance and institutions and their performance is weak. What we do need is to offer a helping hand to these countries. And we need institutions to be an anchor of stability.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JIMENEZ: Fascinating conversation. Meanwhile, on Wednesday in Washington, a Senate Committee is planning to hold a hearing on Greenland's strategic importance to the United States. President Trump has long shared his intention to acquire Greenland, rich in minerals and energy resources.
House Republican Buddy Carter has gone so far as to introduce a bill to rename it Red, White, and Blue Land. But there's just one tiny snag, Greenland says it's not for sale. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan traveled to the world's largest island to hear what some of the people there think about the president's plans.
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QUPANUK OLSEN, GREENLAND ELECTION CANDIDATE: I really want this statue gone.
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Why?
OLSEN: Because why should he be up there? Why isn't it a Greenlander up there?
Trump wants to buy my country, Greenland.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): This is Qupanuk Olsen.
OLSEN: Today, Miko (ph) and I are having whale skin.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): She's known as Greenland's biggest influencer, and she's running in the island's upcoming elections. She's a native Greenlander, and for her, this statue of an 18th century missionary is a daily reminder of Denmark's control of her country.
O'SULLIVAN: So, you'd like to be independent of Denmark?
OLSEN: Yes.
O'SULLIVAN: But that doesn't mean you want to be part of the USA?
OLSEN: No. I don't want to become a part of the USA. I definitely don't.
O'SULLIVAN: You don't want to be an American?
OLSEN: No.
O'SULLIVAN: Why not?
OLSEN: Why should I? Why should we just be taken by another colonizer?
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Native Greenlanders, or Inuits, make up almost 90 percent of Greenland's population.
O'SULLIVAN: Is all this interest in Greenland because of Trump, is it a good thing or is it a bad thing?
OLSEN: In my opinion, it's a good thing. Because it's speeding up our independence process, so I see it as a good thing.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): When the Nazis took over Denmark during World War II, the United States stepped in to protect Greenland.
TOM DANS, FORMER U.S. ARCTIC COMMISSIONER: Americans died for this country. In my own family, my grandfather watched his shipmates die. O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Another sign of the U.S. here is Tom Dans, who was appointed to the U.S. Arctic Research Commission during Trump's first presidency.
O'SULLIVAN: When Trump first brought up Greenland, people treated it like it was a joke. People thought, that's crazy. But you're saying it's not so crazy.
DANS: It's not crazy at all. Greenland, due to its geographic position, is kind of the front door for North America.
O'SULLIVAN: And Greenlanders will go to the polls here next month in an election where Donald Trump and the United States is expected to loom large. So, much so that just last week, the parliament here fast- tracked new legislation and new law banning foreign political donations, very much seen as something in response to the renewed and intense interest in this island from the United States.
Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, Nuuk, Greenland.
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JIMENEZ: All right. Donie, thank you for that. Now, from Greenland to Haaland. Look, you're going to see what I'm talking about in a second. A thrilling night in the Champions League as Manchester City took on Real Madrid. We round up the goals next. Stay with us.
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[18:50:00]
JIMENEZ: To football now. It's been a clash of the Titans and the Champions League over the past few hours. Host Manchester City got an early lead against Real Madrid with a goal from Erling Haaland. It was his first ever against the Spanish side. But it was Kylian Mbappe who turned the tide with Real dominating in the last half of the game to win three to two. Elsewhere, a great day for Dortmund who beat sporting 3-nil in Lisbon. The teams will all square off again next week for the second leg of the knockout phase of the playoffs.
Don Riddell has been following all the action. All right. What happened here? Bring us the latest.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: A great night, Omar, and it was thrilling. You may know that European football's governing body, UEFA, has mixed things up quite a bit this season, and the knockout phase playoffs has introduced a major element of jeopardy for some of the best teams on the continent. But it gave us a terrific match at the Etihad Stadium, where the last two champions, Man City and Real Madrid, went head-to-head. Only one can progress.
City ahead, as you say, through their Norwegian star, Erling Haaland. A goal, by the way, that took four minutes to be confirmed by the VAR team. But for the City fans, it was well worth the wait. However, Madrid were back on level terms on the hour mark thanks to Kylian Mbappe. Probably didn't hit it quite how he would have wanted to. All that mattered though was that it ended up in the back of the net. That was by no means the end of it though.
In the 82nd minute, Phil Foden fouled on the edge of the area, handing City a penalty. Haaland gratefully dispatched it. But we have all learned by now, never ever to write off Real Madrid. And they had the last say as Brian Diaz (ph) tied it up at two-all, four minutes from time. And with their tails up, Madrid went for the kill, as Jude Bellingham scored the winner in the 92nd minute.
City's defensive woes coming back to haunt them yet again. Real Madrid in the ascendancy ahead of the second leg, which is going to be played next week. And honestly, Omar, it's pretty hard to see how City will be able to turn this one around.
JIMENEZ: What am I doing here? I should've been watching that match, right? I should've skipped work today. Look, other big news in the sporting world in the basketball world in particular. Tell us about Luka Doncic's debut for the Lakers.
RIDDELL: Yes, I think the whole NBA community was rocked just over a week ago when the Mavs traded Luka to the Lakers for Anthony Davis going in the other direction. I think a lot of people are still kind of struggling to process it. It doesn't yet quite feel real, but I think a lot changed when we saw Luka pulling on the purple and gold for the first-time last night. They actually handed out Luka 77 t- shirts to everyone in the crowd to celebrate his first game. Look at that. That's LeBron even putting one on.
First quarter, Luka with a step back three for his first bucket as a Laker. Second quarter, Luka backing in, hitting the fadeaway. Don't just -- though it didn't have a great shooting night, but it was his first game since Christmas, but he was showing off his floor vision. Rebound there, quick outlet to LeBron for the lay in. Luka finished up with 14 points five rebounds four assists in 24 minutes Lakers easily beat the Jazz by 132 to 113. Here's what Luka said about it afterwards.
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LUKA DONCIC, LOS ANGELES LAKERS GUARD: Being special the way they received me, everybody, it was amazing to see. I was a little nervous before. I remember when was the last time I was nervous before the game. So -- but once I step on the court, it was fun. And just being out there again felt amazing.
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[18:55:00]
RIDDELL: Omar, a lot of people have been wondering if it was going to be possible for these two mega stars to play together on the same court. Based on the evidence we saw last night, it could be pretty good.
JIMENEZ: Yes, so far so good. As LeBron said 77 plus 23 equals a hundred. So, maybe that's good tidings ahead. Don Riddell, really appreciate it. All right. Finally, all you need is love, but if you wanted to grab a ticket to see Paul McCartney perform a one-off gig in New York today, you probably need something closer to a miracle. The Beatles legend is performing this hour at the Bowery Ballroom in Manhattan, which if you don't know, it's a pretty intimate venue with a capacity of just 600 people, which is a far cry from the arenas and stadiums McCartney is used to.
He announced the concert on Instagram earlier today, saying only one ticket would be available per person directly from the venue. Surprise, surprise. It's sold out in around half an hour. McCartney will be sticking around in New York, though. You can catch him on Saturday Night Live's 50th anniversary special this weekend.
Thank you all. I didn't make you pay to be here. You were here on your own accord and we had a great time.
Omar Jimenez. Stay with CNN. More News ahead.
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