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U.S. Defense Secy.: Ukraine Joining NATO Is Unrealistic; Gabbard Sworn In As Director Of National Intelligence; Indian PM Modi In U.S. To Talk Tariffs, Trade, Immigration; Trump and Putin's Ties Back in the Spotlight; Protecting an Odd-Looking and Endangered Ocean Species; Inflation Continues to Rise Despite Trump's Promise; Up To 1,400 Possibly Killed in Bangladeshi Government Crackdown; Pope Francis Rebukes Trump's Immigration Agenda. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired February 13, 2025 - 01:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[01:00:26]

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Rafael Romo live in Atlanta. Ahead on CNN Newsroom, U.S. President Donald Trump details his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and touts their efforts to end the war in Ukraine. This as Mr. Trump's defense secretary throws cold water on Ukraine's hopes of someday joining NATO.

And India's prime minister visits the United States as President Trump prepares to announce reciprocal tariffs against just about every country.

The war in Ukraine did not end on Donald Trump's first day in office, as he promised, but the U.S. President is talking up his efforts to stop the fighting soon. He spoke by phone for 90 minutes on Wednesday with Vladimir Putin. Mr. Trump says the Russian president wants the war to end and predicted a ceasefire in the not too distant future.

A lengthy social media post outlined efforts for negotiations to start immediately at the Munich Security Conference, which begins on Friday. He also echoed comments from his defense secretary that it's not practical for Ukraine to join NATO. Mr. Trump says he hopes to meet with Russian President Putin soon, possibly in Saudi Arabia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's one thing he was very strong about, he wants, if it ends, he wants it to end. And that's President Putin said that he wants it to end. He doesn't want to end it and then go back to fighting six months later. We talked about the possibility, I mentioned it, of a ceasefire so we can stop the killing. And I think we'll probably end up at some point getting a ceasefire in the not too distant future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: President Trump also spoke by phone with Ukrainian leader -- leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who he seemed to suggest would have to make some concessions.

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday and he met with European and NATO defense leaders and he spoke about how the U.S. is going to be taking a big step back from supporting the European alliance as well as from supporting Ukraine, and requested that Ukraine commit that U.S. allies commit more to providing Ukraine with sophisticated weaponry as well as additional funding in a way that the U.S., he said, can no longer do because it has to focus more on its own internal priorities, including threats on the U.S. Southern border, which the U.S. military has surged assets to in recent weeks, as well as the threat posed by China, according to Hegseth.

He said that a main priority for the U.S. is no longer going to be European security, rather it is going to be deterring a possible war to China. So all of this to say that Secretary Hegseth made a couple stark points. He said that Ukraine, as a matter of ending this war finally with the Russians, cannot expect to become a member of NATO. He said that is not a realistic outcome of a negotiated peace settlement. Here's a little bit of what he told members of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group earlier on Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: The United States remains committed to the NATO alliance and to the defense partnership with Europe, full stop. But the United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages -- encourages dependency. Rather, our relationship will prioritize empowering Europe to own responsibility for its own security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERTRAND: Now, Secretary Hegseth also said in his remarks that the U.S. remains committed to being a member of the NATO alliance, to maintaining its alliance, of course, with the European Union. But the bottom line, he said, is that the U.S. can no longer support Europe and Ukraine in the same way that it has been. Now, it's unclear what exactly that is going to look like, whether the U.S. is going to stop providing the equipment and weaponry to Ukraine altogether, or if there is going to be some kind of deal worked out with the Ukrainians, perhaps in exchange for Ukrainian critical minerals, for example, that Donald Trump has been after to provide the U.S. with some kind of payment in exchange for its military support.

But this message that was provided to U.S. and -- and European and NATO allies at the NATO Summit on Wednesday was very, very clear, and it was that U.S. is no longer going to be playing a leading role in any of this and that Europeans need to be prepared to step up.

[01:05:05]

Natasha Bertrand, CNN in Brussels.

ROMO: Kira Rudik is a member of the Ukrainian Parliament. She joins me live from Kyiv. Thank you very much for being with us, Kira. And welcome to CNN Newsroom. After a call with Russian President Putin and President Trump said that their respective teams will start negotiations immediately, that's what he said. And then when he was asked if he considers Ukraine as an equal member of the peace process, he said that it's an interesting question followed by I think they -- and they, meaning Ukraine, have to make peace. What's your reaction to Trump's comments?

KIRA RUDIK, UKRAINIAN MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: Well, good morning, Rafael, and thank you so much for having me. It is clearly a violation of previous agreements and statements, nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. And of course, we are concerned about this here. However, all the talks and all the statements both by President Trump and Secretary of Defense that we hear these statements do not answer one critical question, who or what will ensure that Putin will keep his part of any kind of deal?

Because, you know, here in Ukraine we have been in this ceasefire agreement with Putin since 2014 and we know by fact that Russia would violate anything that they can potentially violate. And then there would be question, OK, so now what? And right now we hear about what Ukraine may have to concede and some details of the agreements, but we do not hear the key part is what are the security guarantees of this potentially ceasefire or a peace deal.

And before they have that, it doesn't make any sense for us in Ukraine even to discuss that because again, we have been through it already before and we know what makes a good deal is a way of ensuring that Russia will keep their part. And right now there is not any sign of that -- that has been considered or thought of.

ROMO: You mentioned the U.S. Defense Secretary and Hegseth ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine and said Europe must be responsible for the country's security. What does that mean for your country?

RUDIK: Well, it means that there will be more responsibility on European countries. Basically, the Defense Secretary has pushed the responsibility for ending the war on -- onto our European partners. However, we did not hear our European partners accepting this responsibility and stating their actions. And we will be waiting for that as well.

We know for sure that it will be incredibly hard, almost impossible to effectively fight back against Russia's brutal invasion without the U.S. support. And we have been very clear from the day one. However, we also understand that if right now we get into any kind of deals, then there would be the potential ceasefire and Ukrainian army will be dismissed and will go home and people start to go back to their normal life, then it would make very easy for Russia to get more of our land, to kill more of our people.

There is one more thought that President Trump said that he -- it's very clear that Putin wants peace. Now, Rafael, last night I was spending the majority of the night with my family in a bomb shelter because there were six ballistic missiles going on to Kyiv, 4 million people city at night. And the majority of them were -- were taken down. But how can you say that you want peace and at the same time attack peaceful city at night when people sleeping in their bed?

So this is one of the facts when we know that Putin is lying. And he will try to break any kind of the deals that these set there. And this goes absolutely against the promises of the President Trump to end the war through strength. How is it through strength to what Putin says he wants and delivering that to him?

ROMO: Yes, and since you mentioned it, I -- I was reading one of your tweets where you said that, quote, everyone involved in talks on Ukraine should see the consequences of Russia's war with their own eyes. What do you want them to see? What do you want the world to see exactly?

RUDIK: We want to see the cities that were flourishing before that are destroyed to the ground. We want people to get to Bucha in European and see exactly where people were massacred. We want to talk to the victim of the Russians sexual violence and we want to talk to the prisoners of war who were exchanged and returned here about the tortures that were -- they were under during -- during the imprisonment.

[01:10:01]

We want to talk to the families whose children were abducted and they are right now somewhere in Russia. We have no control over that and no good way to return them. We want them to sit in the bomb shelters with us talking about peace when there is definitely a huge piece of metal going from the sky to kill you or your loved ones. And this really changes your perspective on how you see things when you are not talking about this in, you know, in some virtual way, when you are talking about this in a very practical way.

This is what is happening every night. How do you make sure that Russia's missiles are not attacking us any longer? And I do not see that anyone in the world has a very good answer to that. So we keep fighting until there is a good answer. There is a solution.

ROMO: Kira Rudik in Kyiv, thank you very much for your perspective.

RUDIK: Thank you. And glory to Ukraine.

ROMO: Thank you.

A major win for President Trump with one of his most controversial cabinet picks now confirmed by the Senate. Tulsi Gabbard was sworn in as the new Director of National Intelligence on Wednesday. And in the coming hours, the Senate is set to vote on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services. CNN's Manu Raju has more.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump is seeing Republicans on Capitol Hill fall in line even behind his most controversial nominees. One of them, Tulsi Gabbard, to lead the direct -- to be the next Director of National Intelligence. She was confirmed on a 52 to 48 vote. That was because 52 out of 53 Republicans voted for her confirmation. One Republican voted no. That is the former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who said that the Senate should withhold its consent because of he -- his concerns over some of her past views, citing in particular her past support to see Edward Snowden's charges drop.

He, of course, is the infamous leaker of classified data. And also he raised concerns about her views about Russia. Russia she had sympathetic stances towards Russia she has sort of watered those down as she went through this confirmation process. But nevertheless, McConnell putting out a statement saying in part that the nation should not have to worry that the intelligence assessments the President receives are tainted by a director of National Intelligence with a history of alarming lapses in judgment.

He went on to call her a quote, unnecessary risk. But that was not the view of most Republicans. In fact, a lot of them ultimately fell in line because they were reassured by her statements both at the -- during the confirmation hearing and behind the scenes when they met one-on-one. So that is one major nominee that the fight is now over. She is now the next director of National Intelligence. But there is another big one that's coming down the pike and a vote that will happen in the Senate on Thursday. That is the vote to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the next secretary of Health and Human Services.

And at the moment he looks like he has assured that position because Republicans again are falling in line, despite several of them raising concerns about a number of his past positions like his vaccine skepticism and trying to link vaccine usage to childhood autism. During his confirmation hearings, he was hedged when asked about whether there was any sort of link or if he agreed with the science, saying there is no link. But he too was able to reassure Republican skeptics that he would not do anything to undermine the United States -- United States -- United States' promotion of vaccines, and that he would not discourage Americans from taking vaccines.

Those kind of commitments were enough to win over Senator Lisa Murkowski, another swing vote he in the United States Senate, Senator Susan Collins and Senator Bill Cassidy, they are all yes votes. But the one person will be watching during this Thursday confirmation vote, Mitch McConnell. Again, he has not said how he would vote, but if he is a no, that will not be enough to stop this nomination. In fact, it would probably be confirmed on a 52 to 48 vote, just like Tulsi Gabbard, mostly along party lines as Republicans fall in line. Democrats are opposed with so few swing votes in the Senate, meaning Donald Trump will get his cabinet in place.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

ROMO: Israel is warning Hamas not to delay the next hostage release set for Saturday as the fragile ceasefire agreement hangs in the balance. Israeli military vehicles were seen near Gaza on Wednesday and Israel has called up reservists in preparation for a possible resumption of fighting. Hamas had threatened to postpone the next release, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire deal. But Israel's defense minister had this ultimatum.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ISRAEL KATZ, ISRAEL DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): If Hamas stops the hostage release, then there is no ceasefire agreement and there is war. The new Gaza war will be of another intensity from the one before the ceasefire and will not end without the defeat of Hamas and the release of all the hostages. And it will also allow the realization of Trump's vision for Gaza.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[01:15:13]

ROMO: Meanwhile, negotiators are working to get the ceasefire agreement back on track. Hamas says a delegation is in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials. An Egyptian government linked news outlet says Egypt and Qatar are stepping up efforts to save the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. And there are reports that the president of the UAE told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the two state solution is the key to peace. But some Palestinians in Gaza say they are tired of the war and suffering.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Israel must release the prisoners and abide by the agreements and Hamas must also adhere to the agreements for the sake of the people. The people are in pain and sick. The people are completely exhausted. There is no country in the world that is protecting these people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: The Red Cross is also urging Israel and Hamas to stick to the ceasefire deal. They say it's imperative for preserving human life and dignity and has helped save countless lives over the last three weeks.

Just in, reports of a deadly blast at a shopping mall in central Taiwan. You can see all sorts of rubble falling to the street while cars sit in traffic. This happened in the city of Taichung. Reuters is reporting that at least five people were killed in what is thought to be a gas explosion inside a department store. And others are injured, the fire department says construction had been taking place where the explosion took place on the 12th floor of the building. Rescue operations are ongoing.

Yet another round of tariffs from Donald Trump appears to be imminent, and these could be the most sweeping so far. Ahead, the countries that could be affected and the potential fallout.

Plus, a war of words is escalating between the Pope and the Trump administration over the U.S. President's immigration policies. We'll have a report from Rome.

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[01:21:46]

ROMO: On the campaign trail, Donald Trump vowed to slap eye for an eye tariffs on every country that puts its own levies on U.S. imports. And his announcement about reciprocal tariffs could come at any time now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I may do it later on or I may do it tomorrow morning, but we'll be signing re -- reciprocal tariffs. The world has taken advantage of the United States for many years. They've charged us massive tariffs that we haven't charged them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: This latest threat comes the same week the Trump administration announced 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports starting a month from now. These actions are raising fears of a wider trade war and making inflation worse. President Trump's latest round of tariffs comes as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit the White House in the coming hours. The Trump administration has complained that India's high tariffs lock out U.S. imports. Modi's visit comes a week after Indian migrants were seen in shackles as they were deported from the U.S. More now from CNN's Kristie Lu Stout.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in the United States and will soon meet with President Donald Trump, a man he has called a, quote, true friend. So observers are looking out to whether their true friendship can help overcome concerns about trade and immigration and to see whether, as reported, Modi will meet with Trump's billionaire adviser, Elon Musk.

So far, India has escaped the threat of Trump tariffs and Modi wants to keep it that way. Now sources tell Reuters that Modi plans to meet Trump in Washington during his two day visit with tariff concessions in hand, concessions that could boost U.S. exports to India and avert a potential trade war. In the past, Trump has called India, quote, very big abuser on trade. But Modi is keeping the tone positive.

On Wednesday, he took to social media to post this, quote, landed in Washington, D.C. a short while ago. Looking forward to meeting POTUS Donald Trump and building upon the India-USA Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. Our nations will keep working closely for the benefit of our people and for a better future for our planet, unquote.

But it's not clear what Modi can offer in terms of migration, now the number of Indian nationals entering the U.S. illegally has surged dramatically in the last few years. That's according to U.S. government data. And last week, the U.S. Border Patrol chief posted this video of around 100 Indian migrants being deported in shackles. Several deportees are seen shuffling up a ramp with chains on their wrists and ankles.

Now this video sparked outrage and angry protests across India, with some protesters burning an effigy of President Trump. During his trip to the U.S., Modi reportedly is also set to meet Elon Musk, the world's richest man and, quote, special U.S. government employee. Sources tell Reuters that they are likely to discuss Starlink, that's Musk's satellite broadband service and plans to launch India.

It's not clear when Tesla's future India will also be up for discussion. Now, there is a lot at stake in the greater U.S.-India relationship. India is a strategic partner of the United States. It's a member of the Quad Alliance and a counter to China. It remains to be seen how Modi and Trump will capitalize on their friendship to reconcile their differences during this visit.

[01:25:00]

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

ROMO: Elon Musk defended his efforts to guide U.S. government agencies while speaking at the World Government Summit a short time ago. The tech billionaire who's leading Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency appeared virtually for the third and final day of the Summit in Dubai. Musk criticized the number of U.S. federal agencies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELON MUSK, DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY: Because there's roughly 450 federal agencies of one kind or another. That's -- that's more agencies -- that's almost -- that's almost an average of two agencies per year since the formation of the United States. So I mean how many agencies do you really need to run a country? Ninety-nine? Not 450, that's for sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Sources tell CNN ma -- mass firings have begun at some U.S. government agencies, with probationary employees fired at the Department of Education and the Small Business Administration. It's part of the effort by Musk and President Trump to dramatically shrink the federal workforce.

Donald Trump has suggested China could help end the war in Ukraine, but that could be complicated by the new tariffs is imposed on Chinese good -- goods. More on that just ahead.

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[01:30:43]

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN ANCHOR: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rafael Romo.

More now on our top story.

The U.S. president is pushing ahead to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. President Trump says negotiations to end the war will start immediately.

This comes after what he said was a productive call with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. The two leaders discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, artificial intelligence and other matters.

President Trump told reporters their conversation is a step in the right direction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think we're on the way to getting peace. I think President Putin wants peace. And President Zelenskyy wants peace, and I want peace. I just want to see people stop getting killed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: CNN's Brian Todd has details of the conversation, as well as the recent history of U.S.-Russia relations.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: We had a great call, and it lasted for a long time.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump sounding confident after a nearly 90-minute call with Vladimir Putin, saying he and the Russian president agreed to work together to try to end the war in Ukraine. And --

TRUMP: We expect that he'll come here and I'll go there.

TODD: Trump once again embracing a relationship fraught with potential danger.

RICHARD HAASS, PRESIDENT EMERITUS, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: The phase in which Vladimir Putin was a pariah from the American perspective, that seems to be over.

TODD: Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, had not even spoken to Putin in almost three years, and an American president hasn't set foot in Russia since Barack Obama went to a G-20 summit in Saint Petersburg in 2013. But Trump's approach to Putin has always been distinct.

EVELYN FARKAS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE MCCAIN INSTITUTE: We have seen time and time again that he has tried to somehow stay on the good side of President Putin.

TODD: That dates back to before Trump was first elected president, when he touted his ability to strike deals with the former KGB lieutenant colonel.

TRUMP: I think I'd get along very well with Vladimir Putin.

TODD: Part of that mindset, analysts say, stems from Trump's affinity for strongmen.

MAX BOOT, SENIOR FELLOW, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Trump has seemingly never met a dictator he doesn't like. And not just like, but he seeks to emulate, which is the scariest thing of all.

TODD: But many analysts believe Putin has played Donald Trump from the start with flattery and favors, deftly using his training as a spymaster.

SAMUEL CHARAP, SENIOR POLITICAL SCIENTIST, RAND CORP: He does, at least reportedly, employ some of the tactics he learned when he was in the KGB in terms of assessing, trying to find weaknesses in those who he's talking to and trying to exploit them.

TODD: Helsinki, July 2018 at a high stakes summit, Putin gifts Trump a custom soccer ball in front of the media.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Mr. President, I'll give this ball to you and now the ball is in your court.

TRUMP: Thank you very much.

TODD: When the ball was in his court, Trump in the minds of many, dropped it. He inexplicably let Putin off the hook for Russia's 2016 election meddling.

TRUMP: I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.

BETH SANNER, FORMER INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL UNDER TRUMP: That was the kind of thing where Putin was able, I think in some ways, to very craftily control the room.

TODD: Trump has denied being a mark for Putin's manipulations.

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: He'd rather have a puppet as president of the United States.

TRUMP: No puppet, no puppet.

CLINTON: And it's pretty clear --

TRUMP: You're the puppet.

TODD: How might Putin try to shape the relationship this time around?

FARKAS: I think that President Putin will try to convince President Trump that he doesn't need the international order, that they can just make deals, the two of them, and leave the rest of the world out of it.

TODD: Evelyn Farkas warns that if President Trump lets that happen, it will embolden other strongmen to take dangerous actions and simply try to negotiate it all with the president directly.

She specifically points to Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the provocative moves he could make with Taiwan and in the South China Sea.

Brian Todd, CNN -- Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMO: Last month, Donald Trump suggested that China could help stop the fighting in Ukraine and that the U.S. was willing to work with Beijing on it. President Xi Jinping would be an unusual ally. President Trump has

already ordered new tariffs on Chinese imports, and Xi is also very close to Vladimir Putin, which might strengthen his hand at the negotiating table.

[01:34:55]

RAJU: Let's bring in CNN's Simone McCarthy, senior news desk reporter covering China. She's with us this hour from Hong Kong.

Good to see you, Simone.

Trump has previously suggested that Xi Jinping could help the U.S. stop the war. Will Beijing play a role in the negotiating processes going forward?

SIMONE MCCARTHY, CNN SENIOR NEWS DESK REPORTER, CHINA: Well, that's exactly right, Rafael.

Trump has repeatedly suggested that Trump -- that China could play some kind of role in brokering -- in brokering a peace on Ukraine. That said, I think that right now what we're seeing is that Trump is moving ahead on his own.

First of all, he's complicated the China relationship by imposing those tariffs you mentioned earlier. And he's also started to speak with Putin and Zelenskyy. He's had -- he's mentioned that he may meet Putin in Saudi Arabia in the coming future.

So I think there's a question of whether or not Xi Jinping is sidelined in this. And if so, that may be a problem for Beijing, because certainly one aspect of that is that China has long sought to position itself as a peace broker in this conflict.

They want to be able to sit at that table. They want the optics there of being with Trump, being with Zelenskyy, being with Putin.

On the other hand, I think it's clear that Beijing may be concerned as well. If Moscow begins to tighten its relationship with Washington, then there's definitely a risk that that relationship could overshadow the relationship between Beijing and Moscow.

And that's been something which has been incredibly important for Xi Jinping. He really wants to be able to push back against the West with Moscow. He's worked to really cultivate that partnership. They have a -- they have a vision for a world order, which is -- which is favoring those countries and not Washington.

And so I think that that's something that may also be motivating Beijing, if it has an interest in joining the negotiating table, to be able to push the conversation in a way that's favorable for its own interests.

ROMO: Yes. Peace broker and power broker at the same time. Now, Defense Secretary Hegseth said the U.S. needs to shift its focus

to the threat from China. How do you think this -- this is going to affect Beijing? How are they going to interpret this?

MCCARTHY: Well, certainly, ears were perking up in Beijing when those statements were made. Hegseth was extremely clear that Europe and European security cannot be the focus of the United States. They really want to turn their focus to Asia. They said they need to focus on deterring a war with China.

I think in Beijing, they were really hoping that Trump would come in and he would actually weaken those alliances in Asia. I'm thinking about South Korea, Japan, the Philippines.

China really wants to be able to exert its influence in that region, to be able to assert its territorial claims over the South China Sea, over Taiwan, and not have a robust American presence there.

So I think the concern is, well, how is -- how is the U.S. going to change its posturing there? That's the concern coming from Beijing.

And they may be really looking to try and have more of a robust dialog between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump at this time. I think that leader to leader rapport, that may be something that Beijing looks to use as a lever to -- to make sure that there's not too much pressure coming on Beijing.

But whether or not that's feasible at this time, I think is really another question, Rafael.

ROMO: Simone McCarthy in Hong Kong, thank you very much and great to see you.

According to multiple sources, mass firings -- mass firings have begun at U.S. federal agencies as part of the Trump administration's plans to shrink the federal workforce.

Until now, employees across all agencies had only been placed on administrative leave. At the same time, their unions have taken the administration's so-called buyout offers to the courts.

But on Wednesday, a judge gave President Trump the green light to go ahead with those deferred resignation offers.

At least 65,000 workers had agreed to the exit package as of last week, before the deadline to accept the buyout or risk being laid off was paused.

Coming up, a first of its kind shark sanctuary in Costa Rica is giving hope to the long-term survival of one of the ocean's most peculiar creatures.

[01:38:56]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROMO: Protected areas are crucial in the conservation of wildlife, but it often takes years of research and gathering data before a case for protection can be made. Today on "Call to Earth", we visit the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, where two marine biologists did just that. And their work helped create a first of its kind sanctuary for one of the oceans most peculiar creatures.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In southern Costa Rica between rainforest and ocean sits one of the world's rarest sites. Golfo Dulce is one of the only tropical fjords in the world. And its warm waters provide the perfect breeding and nursing ground for a host of extraordinary marine animals, chief among them the endangered scalloped hammerhead shark.

ANDRES LOPEZ, CO-FOUNDER, MISION TIBURON: The scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini is a migratory species. The hammerhead has two stages, one in the coastal waters where these are juvenile, grow in the shallow waters with a lot of nutrients, with a lot of food.

When they grow, they make big, big movements like 1,000 kilometers. It's a big migration.

[01:44:44]

STEWART: Scientists estimate that the global population of scalloped hammerheads has fallen by more than 80 percent in the last 75 years.

And while thousands of baby sharks are still born in the nursing grounds of Golfo Dulce each year, overfishing and habitat degradation pose a serious threat to the species' long term survival.

In 2009, Ilena Zanella and Andres Lopez founded Mision Tiburon, a nonprofit that promotes ocean conservation through the identification and protection of critical shark habitats around Costa Rica.

ILENA ZANELLA, CO-FOUNDER, MISION TIBURON: We started with a dream, both of us, Andres and I. We are both marine biologists. We met at the university. And we saw a gap in the research and in conservation of this threatened species. So we decided to do something for them.

After several years of tagging sharks and onboard observation of fishing operations, with our data in 2018, the government of Costa Rica declared the shark sanctuary of Golfo Dulce in order to protect this important and unique nursery ground for the scalloped hammerhead shark.

STEWART: These government protections make Golfo Dulce the first shark sanctuary in the world to be focused on a nursing ground, and has helped to stem the tide of illegal fishing.

But there is still work to be done restoring the coastal mangroves, vital as birthing habitats for the hammerheads.

JAVIER RODRIGUEZ, FORESTRY ENGINEER, MISION TIBURON: This is important for the hammerhead sharks to have -- to have healthy mangroves because they use them on the -- on the first stages of life.

So, and it will help the sharks to get the size they need to get to the ocean.

STEWART: With the help of the local community, Mision Tiburon are cutting back other plant species detrimental to the forest's growth and planting new mangroves in their place.

ZANELLA: The involvement of the communities in our work is key. We have been involved, the community, stakeholders in all of our components from the research, education and restoration programs.

So for us, it is a great honor to have a lot of collaborators, volunteers and a lot of people engaged with our project.

STEWART: With their unique shape and 360-degree vision, the hammerheads may look like creatures plucked from another universe. But as the work in Golfo Dulce continues, Mision Tiburon are optimistic that these otherworldly predators will continue to exist as real and permanent residents of planet earth.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMO: Let us know what you're doing to answer the call with the "#Call to Earth".

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: So when I win, I will immediately bring prices down starting on day one. Together, we're going to cut your taxes and inflation, slash your prices, getting them back down.

Under our leadership, we're going to defeat inflation. Bring down prices.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Despite those promises from Donald Trump to bring prices down, they're actually going up. Many common goods and services in the U.S. got more expensive last month, driving inflation in the wrong direction to its highest rate since June of last year.

[01:49:53]

ROMO: More now from CNN's Ivan Rodriguez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The January Consumer Price Index coming in hot.

MARK HAMRICK, SENIOR ECONOMIC ANALYST, BANKRATE: On just about every metric, this was a miss with respect to what we were looking for in this main gauge of inflation at the retail level.

RODRIGUEZ: Egg prices shot up 15.2 percent from December to January, the fastest increase that index has seen since 2015, according to the report.

But it's not just eggs.

HAMRICK: You had food, you had energy, you have shelter. You have used cars, you have motor vehicle insurance.

This report indicates that inflation trends are worsening.

RODRIGUEZ: Inflation now moving in the opposite direction of the Federal Reserve's 2 percent target.

JEROME POWELL, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: We want to make more progress on inflation, and we think our policy rate is at -- is in a good place.

RODRIGUEZ: During two days of congressional testimony, Fed chair Jerome Powell said officials aren't in a hurry to reduce interest rates further. Not what investors and potential home buyers were hoping to hear.

POWELL: Once we lower rates and kind of rates return to a lower level, mortgage rates will come down. I don't know when that will happen.

RODRIGUEZ: Although the Fed doesn't directly control mortgage rates, it does influence them. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage now averages 6.89 percent, according to Freddie Mac.

For now, Bankrate's Mark Hamrick suggests Americans focus on saving.

HAMRICK: One of the benefits of a high-interest rate environment is that one can still command a decent return on savings in a high-yield savings account that surpasses the recent rate of inflation.

RODRIGUEZ: I'm Ivan Rodriguez, reporting.

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ROMO: The crackdown on anti-government protests in Bangladesh last summer may have left up to 1,400 people dead. That's from the U.N. Human Rights Office which says thousands of others were injured. The U.N. report says many victims were shot by security forces, often from a pointblank range, and in some cases, the security forces were engaged in summary executions and torture, often with knowledge of political leaders.

The top U.N. human rights official said this after the report was released on Wednesday.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are reasonable grounds to believe that certain crimes against humanity have been committed, directed against protesters and their supporters.

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ROMO: The protest was led by students angry over quotas for government jobs. They eventually forced former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina to flee to India.

About 14,000 undocumented immigrants have been arrested in the U.S. since Donald Trump's inauguration. That's according to the president's border czar, Tom Homan.

Speaking with 77 WABC radio on Tuesday, he said a vast majority had criminal histories, but did not provide details.

Homan said border crossings are down 92 percent in the same period. He revealed he will head to New York's New York City on Thursday to meet the mayor and discuss cooperation with its police force.

Pope Francis is speaking out in condemnation of the Trump administration's deportation push. On Monday, the same day he appointed a pro migrant bishop as archbishop of Detroit, the Pontiff wrote a letter rebuking Mr. Trump's plans.

CNN's Christopher Lamb has the details.

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CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: This is an unusual and significant intervention by Pope Francis, rebuking the Trump administration for their policy on deporting immigrants and instructing Catholic bishops in the U.S., the local church leaders, that this is the position of the Church.

Now, the Pope got some pushback from Trump's migration czar -- immigration czar, who told the Pope to stick to the Catholic Church and the problems in the Church.

But Pope Francis is determined, and in his letter, he said that the policy of deporting immigrants hurts migrants' dignity, that it will not end well. And he said it was wrong to assume that illegal migrants were involved in criminality.

Now the Pope also rebutted J.D. Vance -- Vice president J.D. Vance -- his theological justification of the immigration crackdown. Of course, J.D. Vance is a Catholic.

Now, more broadly, the Pope is showing that he is unafraid to criticize President Trump. That he is emerging as one of the most outspoken figures of opposition to the Trump administration on the world stage.

Francis, on the eve of President Trump's inauguration, said that the planned deportations of migrants were a disgrace. And he has appointed a Trump critic, Cardinal Robert McElroy, who's also been outspoken on the migrants question, to be archbishop of Washington, D.C. Francis may be 88 years old. He's had some health difficulties. But

he's determined to speak out on a matter that has been a hallmark of his papacy.

[01:54:52]

LAMB: Christopher Lamb, CNN -- Rome.

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ROMO: Friday is Valentine's Day, and there's no better symbol of love around the world than flowers. They're pretty, have an intoxicating fragrance, and some, well, don't taste too bad, either.

At a flower shop in Paris, the bouquets are safe to eat and locally sourced. The manager of Fleurivore, avoids importing flowers, which he says causes too much pollution. Instead, the shop sells lesser-known blossoms with spicy notes of clove, black radish and other flavors. But if you want basic red roses, the florist says, look elsewhere.

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BLANCHE PIAT, FLEURIVORE MANAGER: We tell them that there are many other flowers that are very beautiful and could celebrate passion and love as well, without coming from the other side of the world and laying waste to the earth.

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ROMO: Restaurants use flowers in some recipes and to decorate their food, and Fleurivore works with cocktail bars to elevate their drinks with a floral garnish or two.

Before we go, here's an update on Monty, the giant schnauzer, who was crowned best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Tuesday.

Monty spent Wednesday celebrating his victory in grand style. The five-year-old pup enjoyed a lavish steak lunch at New York's Bar Boulud, the restaurant's top chef hand-fed Monty, a meal of wagyu ribeye cooked rare.

Monty's handler and her husband could not stop gushing over their top dog.

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KATIE BERNARDIN, MONTY'S HANDLER AND CO-OWNER: I love everything about Monty. He's just a good dog.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe not when you're barking all the time.

BERNARDIN: Yes, maybe not when he's barking. That's my least favorite thing. But I just love how loyal he is.

You know, he is -- he loves his family. Not just me and Adam, but the people in our lives he loves people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Monty also toured the Empire State Building Wednesday. He beat out more than 2,500 other dogs to claim the top prize at the prestigious New York competition earlier this week.

Thanks for watching. I'm Rafael Romo.

CNN NEWSROOM continues with Kim Brunhuber after a quick break.

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