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CNN International: NATO Defense Ministers Meeting After Trump has Call with Putin to Jump-Start Talks to end Conflict in Ukraine; Hamas: Will Release Israeli Hostages as Planned; Make America Healthy Again: The Health Advocates Who Back RFK JR; Federal Judge Allows Trump's "Buyout" Plan to Move Ahead; Heavy Rain Raises Risk of Mudslides in Southern California; Dozens Compete in Annual Snowball Fight Contest in Japan. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired February 13, 2025 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and this is the CNN Newsroom. Just ahead, NATO members respond with caution after Donald Trump's phone call with Vladimir Putin, we'll have details. And Hamas says it will release more Israeli hostages on Saturday.
This after the group previously said it would postpone the release, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire deal. And a developing story in Munich, where several people have been injured after a car drove into a crowd just a day ahead of the Munich Security Conference.
And we begin with a major shift in American foreign policy and its approach to Ukraine and NATO. NATO Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels are stepping up efforts to support Ukraine after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the fighting in Ukraine and start peace negotiations immediately without Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. NATO, Secretary General, says peace talks have to involve Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK RUTTE, SECRETARY GENERAL, NATO: We all want peace in Ukraine rather sooner than later. We all want Ukraine to be in the best possible position when those talks start, to make sure that they can be concluded successfully. We cannot have Putin again trying to capture a square kilometer, a square mile of Ukraine in the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth is denying suggestions that Washington's new stance is a betrayal of Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: There is no betrayal there. There is a recognition that the whole world and the United States is invested and interested in peace, a negotiated peace, as President Trump has said, stopping the killing and so that will require both sides recognizing things they don't want to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: CNN's National Security Correspondent Natasha Bartra is joining us now from Brussels, Belgium. Natasha a reaction still coming in from NATO members to Donald Trump's comments last night. What does it mean for the rest of these meetings in Brussels?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is likely to be discussed during these meetings today. It is mostly a day that will be focused on numbers, including increasing NATO's overall defense spending. Pete Hegseth, representing the U.S., has said that these countries need to spend at least 5 percent of their budget on defense.
And also, of course, the question of how to get military aid and equipment to the Ukrainians, something that is a top priority for the Europeans and for NATO allies, but not necessarily anymore a top priority for the United States. As we heard Secretary of Defense Hegseth outline yesterday, saying that Europe needs to step up and really take the lead on providing security for Europe and for Ukraine.
But I think that we're going to continue to see a lot of reaction coming out today to that phone call that President Trump had with President Putin yesterday, as well as Hegseth's comments that Ukraine an eventual settlement between Russia and Ukraine likely will not involve Ukraine's membership in NATO.
And a lot of allies have already weighed in today, saying that they are concerned that the President of the United States and the Russian President might be coming up with a kind of peace deal or a negotiated settlement here that does not have sufficient input from the Ukrainians themselves. Here's a little bit of what the UK's Defense Secretary said about this earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN HEALEY, UK DEFENSE SECRETARY: There can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine, and Ukraine's voice must be at the heart of any talks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERTRAND: It's hard to overstate just how much of a monumental policy shift this is for the United States to now be engaging with Russia directly on this issue. It basically ends nearly three years of the U.S. trying to completely isolate Vladimir Putin on the world stage.
Now it seems as though they are not only bringing them into the fold, but they are actually having direct conversations with the Russians about a possible peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, something that has to concern President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, even though he did speak after that, Trump Putin phone call yesterday with President Trump directly Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Natasha Bertrand, keep us posted. Thank you so much. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is now joining us for live from Moscow. So, Fred, you know, how is Moscow responding to the events of the last 24 Hours? I mean, are they feeling positive, euphoric, that things are, you know, shaping up for them?
[08:05:00]
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I would say absolutely positive and absolutely euphoric as well. It was quite interesting, because there was just a conference call with the Kremlin Spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, and reporters here in Moscow, where he said that Moscow was very impressed by the Trump Administration's position on possible negotiations with the Russians.
The Russians obviously very happy that they are getting, or will get these one-on-one negotiations with the Trump Administration. In fact, what we're hearing here in Moscow is that they are already putting teams together and designating people for these possible talks.
At the same time, Fredricka, earlier today, I was able to go to a press conference from Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, and I asked him about that vibe, about whether or not the Russians feel that change within the U.S. and Russia is about to happen. And he absolutely ripped into the Biden Administration and ripped into the U.S.'s European allies, while also praising President Trump. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: Yesterday after the phone call between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Are you more hopeful now that there can be real and fundamental change and improvement in U.S. Russian relations?
SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: What struck me was that now the entire world is in a state of shock. Viewing the phone conversation and the news about it is something extraordinary. This shows to what extent the staff of the Biden Administration, led by their president and their European satellites have abandoned dialog and diplomacy as a method of communication with the outside world.
Opting instead for threats, sanctions and the arming of the regime in Kyiv to wage war against the Russian Federation. Judging by the surprise and shock caused by the phone talks between Trump and Putin, it seems that everything happening in Ukraine and the actions of Zelenskyy's Nazi regime have been taken for granted.
This is how you should communicate with Russia. Perhaps that is why many in the West, including the Leaders of the European Union, were shocked when a simple, normal conversation took place between two polite, educated individuals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: So, as you can see there Fredricka, the Russians very happy about that phone call that happened between President Trump and the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Also looking forward the Russian say to what they believe will happen in the future, which is obviously not just those possible negotiations between the U.S. and Russia. Very little talk here about the Ukrainians having any say in that.
But then, of course, also those planned meetings, face-to-face meetings between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin and possibly even President Trump at some point coming here to the Russian Federation Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Fred Pleitgen in Moscow thank you so much. All right, relations between Russia and the U.S. may be warming up, but the U.S. and Ukraine chillier. Ukraine's allies have pushed back against what we have heard from Washington in the last 24 hours. Germany's Defense Minister saying that has essentially taken away Ukraine's bargaining chips. What's been said out of Washington, that is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS PISTORIUS, GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER: It's regrettable, and I'm saying this too. This is part of the truth. The Trump Administration has already made public concessions to Putin before the negotiations have even begun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Sweden's Defense Minister says, hold up NATO membership is not yet off the table.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAL JONSON, SWEDISH DEFENSE MINISTER: I don't foresee the NATO membership as such being off the table for Ukraine. Our position is well known and communicated, and we stand behind what was said that the Washington Summit, of course, that Ukraine's future is in NATO when it leaves up all close to the conditions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Let's bring in now Dovile Sakaliene. She is the Minister of National Defense of Lithuania, and joins us now from Brussels -- up, and hopefully you can hear me. Are you able to hear me? This is Fredricka.
DOVILE SAKALIENE, MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE OF LITHUANIA: Yes, yes Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right.
SAKALIENE: I can hear you just well.
WHITFIELD: All right, very good. All right. Well -- you know European allies are saying -- you know Ukraine has to be at the table. It seems as though, right now, the table is set just for the U.S. and for Russia. How do you see? What do you envision for Ukraine, Zelenskyy to be at the table for the so-called negotiations for peace? SAKALIENE: Well, during the lunch of NATO Ukraine Council, we were also probably quite unanimously expressing the opinion that this is just the start of a very difficult process, and negotiations without Ukraine about Ukraine's future are probably not possible. Ukraine is the victim and United States through the voice of Secretary Hegseth expressed very clearly that we understand fully who the bad guys are and who the good guys are?
[08:10:00]
Ukraine is the good guy. So therefore, not having the good guy, who is being oppressed, who is suffering from aggression at the table would probably make no sense. So therefore, we not only have to have Ukraine, but also Europe has to stand not behind Ukraine, but beside Ukraine, because what will happen in Ukraine will define the next decade for Europe's future and globally.
WHITFIELD: And how do you see European allies stepping up to be more alongside Ukraine? Is it in terms of more arsenal? Is it simply speaking out more especially it pertains to NATO membership. What do you see has to happen?
SAKALIENE: Well, we probably all understand that negotiations with Russia can be only whilst you hold a gun in your hand. So therefore, we need to have enough guns and enough ammo, so boosting up our defense industry, investing in Ukraine's defense industry by for Ukraine, in Ukraine, also having our own opinions aligned on how fast and how much we need to invest in our own military capabilities.
This is one of the probably very urgent issues that will have to be resolved. And since we understand that what is happening in Ukraine is just the first stage of expansion of Russian Empire in this decade, that means that our ability to produce hundreds of billions for our defense and for Ukraine's defense, and not falling into the trap of billing that ceasefire, or so-called peace.
But I'm sorry this is so called peace. No real peace is actually in the horizon if we are not really muscled up militarily. So that will be the main issue for us very soon.
WHITFIELD: When the U.S. Defense Secretary says that Ukraine should not be a NATO member, does that impair Ukraine's chances of becoming a NATO member, or is there enough support to overwhelm the U.S. is position on that?
SAKALIENE: Well, the principle that every nation has a right to choose to which defense alliance it wants to belong to is not revoked. It cannot be revoked. It's one of the principles of the rules-based world order. And therefore, we are now in a situation just like before.
There was no full agreement within NATO among members regarding the future of Ukrainian membership in NATO, how it will happen, when it will happen. So currently we see one of the, well, extremely significant members of NATO, currently the most significant contributor to NATO, expressing their negative opinion. But we still are in a democratic process where opinions are different.
We feel those who are very close to Russia, who have endured terrible occupation by Russia. What is happening in Ukraine now? What's happening in Lithuania, in Latvia, Estonia, and other countries bordering with Russia, the same torture, the same absolutely horrible war crimes and et cetera.
So, we really know what is waiting for us if we give in into Russia's demands. Putin was demanding in 2021 that no NATO membership without his approval. So, if everybody around the table would say that, OK, we agree with Mr. Putin when he has won the war with NATO without even actually going into the battlefield with us.
WHITFIELD: Minister of National Defense for Lithuania, Dovile Sakaliene thank you so much for your time. All right, to the Middle East now, and Hamas says it will release more Israeli hostages this Saturday, as originally planned. A statement from the militant group says it held what it calls positive talks with mediators from Egypt and Qatar.
Hamas had threatened to postpone this weekend's release accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire deal. Israel responded by saying it would resume its war on Hamas if there was any delay. We're live in Tel Aviv now with CNN's Jeremy Diamond. Good day to you, Jeremy. So, we always knew this was going to be a fragile ceasefire continues to be so, but it seems this hurdle at least might have been cleared for this weekend.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it certainly seems like this ceasefire agreement, which just 24 hours ago, really seemed like it was hanging on by a thread, is likely going to be a back on track here. But I say likely because Israeli government officials have yet to officially respond to this assertion by Hamas that they will indeed release three hostages this coming Saturday.
[08:15:00]
I have spoken to a number of Israeli officials this morning, asking them for this response. They are declining to respond directly as of yet, but one Israeli official telling me that the government is optimistic, that there is a sense of optimism within the government about a deal being reached to avert the collapse of this ceasefire agreement, and that things all seem to be headed in the direction of three hostages being released on Saturday.
And the Israeli government honoring that ceasefire going forward, of course, this comes -- you know 48 hours, less than 48 hours after we saw Hamas say that they would not release any hostages this Saturday, and after the Israeli Prime Minister then responded to that by issuing an ultimatum, saying that if hostages were not released by noon on Saturday, then Israel would return to the fight in Gaza, resuming the war.
For now, you know, it's important to note that the Israeli Prime Minister was quite vague in his statement. He didn't say a specific number of hostages that would have to be released on Saturday. He certainly didn't say all of the hostages in the way that President Trump said when he issued his own ultimatum, and that gave the prime minister quite a bit of wiggle room here to try and strike a deal this week to avert the collapse of the ceasefire agreement this Saturday.
And indeed, an Israeli official telling me that there really isn't much appetite in the highest ranks of the Israeli government for this ceasefire to collapse at this moment. We still have the release of a number of hostages that are riding on the continuation of this ceasefire agreement.
WHITFIELD: All right, so how do we expect things will play out this Saturday? Will it be -- you know, a different sequence of events, or mirror what we've seen before?
DIAMOND: Well, every Saturday that we have seen releases of hostages, and then Israel releasing Palestinian prisoners in exchange, there is always the possibility of surprises, welcome and unwelcome ones. Of course, this past Saturday, what was so prominent and such a focus of discussion was the really poor health condition in which these three Israeli hostages emerged after 16 months of captivity.
Several of them had lost a lot of weight in their time in captivity and appeared quite frail as they finally emerged. And Israeli officials have been telling me that the assessment inside the Israeli government is that other hostages that are still set to be released will also likely be in similar condition. In fact, some of them may even be in worse condition. And that's certainly something that Israelis across the country here are going to be looking for.
Of course, what we will also have to see is whether, following this kind of bumpy road to the next release this week, whether Israel is going to start allowing the entry of additional shelters for Gaza, including these mobile homes, which Hamas says Israel has not allowed to enter at all throughout this ceasefire agreement, and that that was indeed part of Israel's commitment.
So, these are some of the things that we're going to be watching for. But if everything goes according to plan, we expect Hamas will release three hostages sometime Saturday morning, and Israel, within hours of that, will follow up with the release of the Palestinian prisoners being released in exchange.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much. All right, at this hour, 28 people are injured after a car plowed into a group of people in Munich, Germany. Local media report the crowd was taking part in a demonstration of some sort. A spokesperson says police have launched a large-scale operation near the city's central train station. Police say they have detained the driver.
And this comes a day before the Munich Security Conference is set to begin. U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are among those attending the event. CNN Producer Sebastian Shukla is joining us right now with detail. Sebastian, so what more do we know?
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Yeah, Fred. So, I'm stood at the crossroads of where this attack took place, and over my shoulder here you can see the white car which rammed into what we think at least 28 people, that white Mini Cooper there and has left this trail of destruction behind it, as you can see where I can from my vantage point, I can see leftover shoes.
I can see those tin foil blankets that are used in that emergency first aid assistance to keep people warm. And most disturbingly, if that's possible, in a scene like this, you can see a child's push chair as well. Details Fred are slowly emerging, as they often do in these instances, about who the perpetrator was.
And we now know -- we don't know his name but we know he's a 24-year- old Afghan asylum see -- asylum seeker here in Germany. And as the casualties, we know there have no -- not been any fatalities yet. That's what the police are telling us. But all of the injured are now in hospital, and some of them critically. And as we can see by that push chair, one of them, at least, appears to be a child.
[08:20:00]
And Fred, as you mentioned, this city has experienced this attack on the day before the Munich Security Conference, a major international gathering of heads of states, of governments, as you mentioned, Vice President J. D. Vance and the Secretary of State, Mark Rubio including others from the Middle East, from Europe, from India, from China, from even further afield, are coming here to gather to talk about international security issues.
So, the question remains, and we asked the president the police spokesperson here is the city safe? You know, he told us that 5000 police officers are here protecting Munich and the City of Munich, but the question will remain, how has this happened? And more importantly, on a more local context, questions will now start to circulate about how this was able to happen again?
But also, that another attack, third in the space of since Christmas has allowed to take place against the German people, and this issue of immigration, this Afghan asylum seeker, will bubble to the surface again, and it's becoming a very prominent, if not the most prominent, German election issue, and we are under two weeks away now from that election taking place.
And we will see how that will -- how this may galvanize the support of even the far right? That's an issue that is -- that's raising its head here ever more frequently on a daily basis. So, Fred, it's a very disturbing scene that you see behind me, and one that is very difficult for the people in the security services here to get their heads around. And we will start to see, hopefully more details and, more importantly, hopefully no fatalities Fred.
WHITFIELD: Yeah. All right, very unsettling. CNN Producer, Sebastian Shukla, thank you so much. All right, still to come, he is perhaps Donald Trump's most controversial cabinet pick or but in a matter of hours, Robert F Kennedy Jr., is expected to be confirmed for the top health post in the United States. And later, a federal judge gives the go ahead on Elon Musk's plan to slash the government work force. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Unless something dramatic happens at the last minute, Robert F Kennedy Jr., will be confirmed today as the next U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. The U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote on his appointment to the nation's top health post in just a few hours, and it doesn't look like Republicans will defy Donald Trump and reject Kennedy despite concerns about his controversial views on health, including his long-standing skepticism about vaccines.
So, one of the reasons RFK Jr., has made it this far is because of advocates who are counting on him to take action on additives and artificial ingredients in America's food. CNN's Dana Bash has more on the alliance Kennedy has formed with the so-called Maha Movement.
[08:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): October 2024, Battle Creek, Michigan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a monumental moment.
BASH (voice-over): An army of protesters delivered 400,000 petitions to Kellogg's Headquarters, demanding the company make good on a pledge to remove artificial dyes from its food.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm here for the mom, all the moms who struggle to feed their children healthy food.
BASH (voice-over): The Leader Vani Hari, a Food Activist known as the Food Babe, who says cutting out the processed and fast food of her youth not only helped her shed weight, but curb serious health struggles. She has a wellness brand and a massive online following.
VANI HARI, FOUNDER, FOOD BABE: I feel like my voice represents so many ordinary citizens, moms and activists and dads and so many people across the United States that have just had had enough.
BASH (voice-over): Hari volunteered for Barack Obama's presidential campaigns. She was a delegate at his 2012 convention, where she wrote Labeled GMOs on signs. She got disillusioned with politics and turned to activism, pressuring restaurants like Chick fil A and Subway to take some additives out of their food.
HARI: Why is it citizen activists like me and the people that follow me on all the grass roots movement holding these companies accountable? Why isn't there anybody in Washington doing this?
BASH (voice-over): She and others livid about the American food system, found common cause with Robert F Kennedy Jr.,
CALLEY MEANS, SAFE FOOD ADVOCATE: There's, I think, a real hunger for politicians across the aisle to be targeting this voter anxiety about, why are we getting so sick? BASH (voice-over): Calley Means and his sister, Casey, are well known
leaders in the so-called Maha Make America Healthy Again Movement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got a call from a Safe Food Advocate named Calley Means.
BASH (voice-over): He was a GOP Trump critic who turned supporter and helped broker the first call between Kennedy and then candidate Donald Trump last summer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't you want a president that's going to make America healthy again?
BASH (voice-over): With that endorsement, the Maha Movement came with him. Dan Pfeiffer, a Former Senior Obama aide says Democratic leaders missed an opportunity.
DAN PFEIFFER, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: We're not living in the same social media internet spaces that a lot of the public is where people talking about -- you know what to feature kids, what chemicals to avoid, long before he even decided to run for president 2024 RFK Jr., lives in those spaces.
BASH (voice-over): And when Trump nominated Kennedy for Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Maha Network went to work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was getting hundreds of messages a day personally and thousands through the office.
BASH (voice-over): Despite serious misgivings about Kennedy pushing conspiracy theories and regularly suggesting vaccines cause autism, which was scientifically debunked.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Cassidy.
BASH (voice-over): Republicans like Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, a medical doctor, saved Kennedy's bid for HHS Secretary.
SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): Vaccines save lives. They are safe. They do not cause autism. There are multiple studies that show this. Mr. Kennedy and the administration reached out seeking to reassure me regarding their commitment to protecting the public health benefit of vaccination.
BASH: Are you completely confident that none of those theories that RFK Jr., has and he's expressed many times over the years, will be part of America's public health, as he promised to Senator Cassidy?
MEANS: I am completely confident that Bobby Kennedy will come in with opinions, and believe those opinions do not matter. Bobby Kennedy is coming in to institute a process, and I know that many people on the left watching that can't stand Bobby Kennedy and stand President Trump.
I know they resonate with something that's happening. I know they resonate that there's a strain that we're touching on, childhood, chronic disease, and I would just urge them, there's a mass opportunity in society to support the Trump Administration on this sector.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much to CNN's Dana Bash. And in addition to the U.S. Senate vote on RFK Jr., two of Donald Trump's other controversial picks will also have big days on Capitol Hill today. The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on Kash Patel's nomination to be Director of the FBI. Democrats say Patel is eager to exact revenge on those who have investigated Donald Trump.
And Linda McMahon will testify today about her nomination to be Secretary of Education. She is likely to face tough questions about how she will preside over an agency that is likely to be gutted and perhaps even shut down under President Trump.
[08:30:00]
All right, coming up fears of a widening Trade War. President Trump preparing to meet with the Prime Minister of India, one of the countries that could be hit with new U.S. tariffs later on today and the firings have begun. We'll go to Washington, where Elon Musk's plan to shrink the federal workforce is in motion.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Donald Trump and Elon Musk plans to dramatically shrink the federal work force is going full steam ahead. Dozens of firings have begun at agencies like the Department of Education and Small Business Administration. It's a new phase of the administration's efforts to reshape the federal government.
CNN's Rene Marsh is tracking this story for us. Good morning to you, Rene. So, what are you learning?
RENE MARSH, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, indeed, a new phase as this Trump Administration and Elon Musk department of government efficiency really aim to shrink the federal work force. Until now, federal employees across the government agencies had only been placed on paid administrative leave.
And CNN obtained a letter sent to many employees at the Department of Education. It states the agency finds, that based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the agency would be in the public interest. Now, similar letters were sent to employees at the Small Business Administration on Tuesday.
And the full scale of the firings at these agencies are unclear at the moment, but we should note at the Small Business Administration, employees received first an unsigned draft letter of termination on Friday and some on Monday. Then later on Monday, the agency sent out another email advising that that draft notice was sent in error.
But then the next day, according to the union representing the employees, several employees actually were terminated and did receive that letter. So, lots of back and forth there. But Fred, it's worth noting that these firings are coming as a federal judge just yesterday allowed the Trump Administration's deferred resignation program to proceed.
And so far, roughly 75,000 employees have accepted the administration's buyout offer, which promises that if they resign, they would be paid through the end of September, Fred.
WHITFIELD: And Rene, is there a feeling that, you know, do people feel pretty confident that they are going to continue to receive payment after March, given, you know, the budget battle on Capitol Hill?
[08:35:00]
MARSH: The unions are warning, hey, don't necessarily take their word for it and there's lots of skepticism. I would say, although 75,000 have accepted that really still is just a sliver of the more than 2million person workforce. And in just interestingly enough, I was just texting with a Union President for the Department of Education, and she told me, at least in one case, one of those employees at the Department of Education accepted the buyout, and yet yesterday, he received a termination letter.
WHITFIELD: Oh my Gosh.
MARSH: Yeah, I know I had the same reaction. So again, there's a lot of skepticism, but there are still those 75,000 people who, you know, we don't know their situations. They may be close to retirement, and they've decided that that's the best decision for them, but the vast majority of the federal workforce had not taken the administration up on their offer so far.
WHITFIELD: Yeah. Wow. What a range of experiences here. Yeah. All right. Rene Marsh, thank you so much.
MARSH: Thanks.
WHITFIELD: All right, so for some analysis of what is happening with the federal work force. Let's bring in Tia Mitchell. Hello, Tia. She's the Washington Bureau Chief for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. All right, good morning to you. OK, so some federal workers went to bed with a job last night only to wake up now unemployed.
And then you hear that example of confusion that we just heard from Rene. So, who are many of these federal government workers?
TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF FOR ATLANTA JOURNAL- CONSTITUTION: Well, that's hard to say, because there's not a lot of transparency so far, especially with the breaking news overnight. We know it started out with targeting people whose jobs were associated with diversity equity and inclusion programs.
But then they started targeting people in certain departments, like USAID, like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. But now it's looking like it's expanding to other agencies, for example, the Department of Education, where we're not sure one group that has been targeted is probationary employees, those recent hires who are in those first few months of employment and could be fired for any reason.
So, a lot of questions still, and as you've mentioned, a lot of uncertainty about who's being targeted, why, and what their options are, if any.
WHITFIELD: So perhaps those who are not recent hires, but did receive notice, or, you know, are told they're no longer needed. What kind of recourse, if any, do some of them have? Because, except for, you know, the recent hires, usually, as a federal worker, there has to be some kind of documented causation to let them go. But you just said, not for the recent hires, but for everybody else.
MITCHELL: Yeah.
WHITFIELD: What kind of recourse might they have?
MITCHELL: Yeah, you know, it depends. I think a lot of this is going to be litigated. You know, there are civil servant protections, there could be union protections, there could be, quite frankly, contracts that people signed for high level positions. We don't know, and it will be on a case-by-case basis for a lot of people.
And I think a lot of people are also going to have to weigh the -- the benefits and the pros and cons of whatever package they're offered for example. You know, a lot of people weren't necessarily laid off. They were sent home to work, basically on paid leave versus being laid off.
So, so many different employees, so many different scenarios, so many different types of jobs, quite frankly. I think another thing people are going to have to weigh is, what are their options in the wider job market? And that'll be part of the calculus as to how they move going forward.
WHITFIELD: So, you know, we've heard from Republicans when who have said, you know, reducing federal government, cutting waste and abuse, or what voters elected in Donald Trump, Democrats accusing the Trump Administration of abuse of power with these fire rings. So where are the checks and balances right now?
MITCHELL: Yeah, well, right now, the checks and balances are mostly within the courts, because Republicans control Congress, and they, for the most part, have said they want to let Trump have his way, which is their right. Elections have consequences. I think one of the things that could change minds is if in the coming weeks and months, these layoffs start affecting level of service.
There could be some differences of opinion. It's a little bit too early to tell. It's also too early to say, what will be the impact on service levels. You know, government already wasn't considered the most efficient or customer service friendly, so by rejiggering the workforce, will that improve things or deteriorate things?
That's one of the questions we have. But if there is a perception among the population that service levels have deteriorated. We know that's probably going to have effect on Congress.
WHITFIELD: Sure. And in fact, because 80 percent of the federal workforce is actually outside of the Washington D.C. area.
[08:40:00]
So, members of Congress are going to start hearing, perhaps, from their constituents through phone calls about some of those frustrations of navigating the federal government, et cetera. Might that change minds in terms of the positions that some of these lawmakers are holding now? Might that change in a couple of weeks or months?
MITCHELL: Yeah, I mean, I think that's a big question mark. We have to know that 435 members of the U.S. House are on the ballot in 2026 which means they'll be ramping up their campaigns in just a matter of months, and the last thing they want is an angry base back at home.
WHITFIELD: All right. Tia Mitchell, always great to see you. Thank you so much.
MITCHELL: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. President Trump made reducing illegal migration the cornerstone of his campaign, but now critics say some of his moves to gut government agencies and eliminate their staff could work against that pledge. Stefano Pozzebon has the story from Cali, Colombia.
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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): It's lunch time in Alexandra's home. Today is chicken, but food is not always guaranteed for this family where she is the only provider for her two children, a younger sister and her mother. In 2019, Alexandra left her native Venezuela alone walking to Colombia with other migrants while her family stayed behind and joined a few months later. Now in Cali, she is looking to hit the road again.
ALEXANDRA GUERRA, VENEZUELAN MIGRANT: Other countries offer better opportunities. After six years, I still don't have a formal job here and now, with these decisions, it will be even worse.
POZZEBON (voice-over): These decisions are edicts from U.S. President Donald Trump that flipped Alexandria's life upside down, 2400 miles south of Washington. She was applying to a safe mobility program to legally moved to the U.S. after through interviews, UNHCR told her by email, the program was shut down.
10 days later, a tailoring course she was taking was also halted after a stop work order for USAID, the U.S. agency that was funding the course. This is our classroom now, sewing machines untouched. Nobody at these computers.
POZZEBON: All of these machineries were purchased more than 20 years ago with funds from USAID, and since January 27, it stays like this, still unused. Now the worry is that many of the migrants who are coming here to learn a job and find work will need to go somewhere else to find it, maybe to the United States.
POZZEBON (voice-over): The project director doesn't know if the courses will ever come back. The paradox, he says, is that these are the kind of projects the White House should fund if it really wants to reduce migration. Alexandra's classmates were mostly Venezuelans who settled in Colombia and here would gain qualifications to enter the job market, and now they're all weighing their options.
POZZEBON: What's most interesting about listening to these stories is that this place had become a community center. They would not only receive an education, but also access to psychologists, network of contacts, opportunities, social workers, that in the process of migration is key, and that's why they feel that all of that effort has now gone in vain.
AYARITH OLIMPIO, VENEZUELAN MIGRANT: My whole family hangs on this decision. This is personal. Migrants are not just a face you see on social media. We are people.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Feeling betrayed by the White House. Ayarith sees no future here and no good options ahead. Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Cali, Columbia.
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WHITFIELD: Still to come after devastating wildfires in January. Los Angeles County is now bracing for flooding and mud slides the weather forecast when we come right back.
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WHITFIELD: Evacuation warnings are in place for parts of fire ravaged. Los Angeles County, the scorched earth following January's wildfires is creating a high risk for flooding and mud slides. Southern California is bracing for significant rainfall in the next 24 hours. Let's get more now from Meteorologist Allison Chinchar at the CNN weather center. How is it looking, Alison?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, Fred. And the thing here is that even the areas that have not seen fires are still going to have the impact from flooding, just from the sheer volume of rain that is expected to come down in some of these areas. This is a live look at the radar.
Again, you can see all of that moisture surging into California, not just southern but Central and Northern California. All of this, both in the form of rain and snow, and we already have several of these areas under flash flood warnings, south of San Francisco, near the Santa Cruz area.
But the Flood Watches pretty much go up and down throughout the entire state, and are expected to stay that way through the day. We also have the snow. That's going to be a large component of this. You have the winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings in effect.
Some of these spots could see as much as eight feet of snow, not inches, eight feet of snow, and some of the highest elevations there, looking at the winds too. This is also going to be a concern, 60 to 80 mile per hour winds. That's going to take all of that snow and blow it around.
That reduces visibility and makes it near impossible to drive, especially on some of those mountain roads. The key thing here too is this, this is not a quick storm. This is going to continue to bring moisture throughout the entire day today, and really even into the first half of the day tomorrow.
So, it's that onslaught of non-stop moisture that's going to come through. So, you have the potential here for flooding, again, up and down the state. However, the bigger concern is going to be Southern California in those burn scar areas, because now that that landscape doesn't really have much for that water to hold on to, it just washes everything away.
So, you get that potential for the landslides, debris flows, mud slides, things like that. Widespread rainfall totals up and down the state of California, but even into portions of Oregon as well, you're looking at three to five inches, especially on the coast, you could even see a few inches higher than that, maybe as much as half a foot of rain.
When we talk about the snow, it's going to be highest in the Sierras. That's where we're talking about the potential for eight feet. But even some of the surrounding states likely going to be measuring that snow one to three feet, even higher than that. So again, you're talking really intense amounts of both rain and snow for a lot of these areas as we go through the next 24 to 36 hours.
And again, here you can see that system. It hits California first, but then it kind of races across the country. So even if you say, live on the east coast and you're paying attention, this system as a whole will continue to slide across the east and cause problems for other areas as we go through the rest of the week.
WHITFIELD: All right, that's a pretty rough week. All right. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much. All right. Donald Trump may have a rather awkward conversation later on. He's meeting with the Prime Minister of India, one of the key countries in his cross hairs for new trade tariffs. Details after this.
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WHITFIELD: In the coming hours, President Donald Trump will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House. The meeting comes on the same day, President Trump is expected to announce more tariffs. He said he will impose them on any nation that has levies on U.S. goods, and that includes India.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I may do it later on, or I may do it tomorrow morning, but we'll be signing 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.
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WHITFIELD: That's not the only meeting on Mr. Modi's agenda. He's also expected to meet with Elon Musk. All right. More now from CNN's Kristie Lu Stout.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in the United States and will soon meet with President Donald Trump, a man he has called man he has called a quote, true friend. So, observers are looking out to see 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 Advisor, 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. This video sparked outrage and angry protests across India, with some protesters burning an effigy of President Trump.
Out 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 in India.
It's not clear when Tesla's future in 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. Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.
WHITFIELD: All right, the CEOs of two of the largest U.S. auto makers are speaking out against Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico. The Leaders of Ford and General Motors say the duties would disrupt their operations and their profitability.
The tariffs are on hold at the moment, but automakers are preparing none the last. And talks on a merger that would have created the world's third largest car maker have been called off. Honda and Nissan announced they were in talks in December, along with their junior partner Mitsubishi.
The goal was to create a big enough business to stand up to growing competition from China. But according to Nissan, talks are now off. And in Japan, dozens of people turned the hassle caused by record amounts of snow into good, clean and cold fun. This isn't your standard snowball fight, of course.
This actually has rules. About 120 teams were whittled down to just two during the event, now in its 35th year. Oh my gosh, sleep less. Those two teams then had two minutes to throw as many snowballs as they could add other.
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Participants had plenty of ammunition. More than three meters or 10 feet of snow had accumulated in the region on the day of the event. That's pretty die hard. All right, and life can be more astonishing than any movie plot. As passengers on a New York subway found out yesterday.
A woman actually gave birth to a baby girl in a train car with a lot of help for the fellow passengers. Thank goodness. The conductor actually held the train at a station in midtown Manhattan after passengers raised the alarm, alerting them that she was in labor, some actually dialed 911, while others helped.
They pitched in. "The New York Times" says the young woman had been reported missing months ago by her parents in Florida. She and her baby daughter now were helped to the hospital, and they're both in great condition. All right, thank you so much for joining me here in this CNN Newsroom. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson is up next.
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