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Trump Dispatches Top Aides To Saudi Arabia For Russia-Ukraine Talks; Marco Rubio Travels To Israel; Trump Makes First Supreme Court Appeal To Fire Government Ethics Watchdog; Powerful Southeast Storm; SNL Celebrates 50 Years; NBA All-Star Weekend. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired February 16, 2025 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to wait. We have to go.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: So much changes fast in this war, but the shelling seems like it could go on forever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Fire!

PATON WALSH: Massive guns hiding from tiny $500 machines here. Extraordinary change.

(Voice-over): Little geopolitics here. Just practical skepticism and hard numbers.

Do you think there could be a ceasefire here that could last?

VIKTOR, 66TH MECHANIZED BRIGADE (through translator): What percentage for the implementation of a ceasefire?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): About 30 percent.

VIKTOR (through translator): Because of the situation on the front it doesn't look like there will be a truce. It's very hard.

ANDY, 66TH MECHANIZED BRIGADE (through translator): It's about 40 percent. The other side is winning, taking territory. And we, by and large, have nothing to say.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. We begin this hour with the Trump administration dispatching top U.S. officials across the globe to try to end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is meeting with Israel's prime minister in Jerusalem as he made clear the Trump administration's Middle East strategy is focused on Iran. The president is also sending Steve Witkoff, his special envoy to the Middle East and national security advisor Mike waltz to Saudi Arabia, to begin talks aimed at ending Russia's war with Ukraine.

Trump's decision to not include Europe in the Ukrainian peace negotiations has European leaders feeling isolated and uneasy, and they are holding an emergency summit on Ukraine tomorrow in Paris.

CNN's Betsy Klein is near Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

Betsy, good to see you. Walk us through what we know about the president's plans to try to end the fighting in Ukraine. And as I'm asking you this, I want to take you -- I want to go now to the tarmac where President Trump is just arriving, and let's listen in to what he had to say.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Daytona was fantastic. The crowd was amazing. The people love that sport, and they're wonderful people that run it. And they had a little rain delay but we'll go home and watch it, I guess. Some of you will and others will try and create peace throughout the world. Do you have any questions, please?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sir, did you speak to Secretary Rubio this morning?

TRUMP: I did.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What is the latest with the negotiations in Saudi Arabia?

TRUMP: We're moving along. We're trying to get a peace with Russia and Ukraine. And we're working very hard on it. It's a war that should have never started.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you expect Zelenskyy to be involved in these conversations? What will his role be?

TRUMP: Yes, I do. I do. He will be involved. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, would you allow the Europeans to buy U.S. made weapons for Ukrainians?

TRUMP: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sir, Zelenskyy said today that Russia is going to wage war on NATO. Do you agree with that? Do you have any concerns?

TRUMP: No, I don't agree. I don't agree with that. Not even -- not even a little bit.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Vice President Vance said that the United States would potentially take military action against Russia if they won't come to an agreement. Do you agree with that stance?

TRUMP: I don't know if that's what he said. I don't think he said that.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sir, based on your conversations, based on your conversations with President Putin, what do you think he wants ultimately in Ukraine?

TRUMP: I think he wants to stop fighting. I see that. We spoke long and hard. Steve Witkoff was with him for a very extended period, like about three hours. I think he wants to stop fighting. They have a big, powerful machine. You understand that? And they defeated Hitler and they defeated Napoleon. You know, they've been fighting a long time. They've done it before. And -- but I think he'd like to -- I think he would like to stop fighting.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you think he wants the whole of Ukraine or just -- like, what do you think he wants in terms of --

TRUMP: No, I think he wants to stop. That was my question to him. Because if he's going to go on, that would have been a big problem for us, and that would have caused me a big problem because you just can't let that happen. I think he wants to end it and they want to end it fast. Both of them. And Zelenskyy wants to end it, too.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sir, when do you think that can actually happen? When do you think the fighting can stop?

TRUMP: Well, we're working to get it done. I mean, you know, it's too bad it started. It would have been a lot easier to end it before it started. Right? But it started because we had an incompetent president that he didn't know what he was doing. That should have never started. That war was so easy to stop. Remember this, under Bush they took a lot.

[16:05:02]

Under Obama, they took a lot. Under Biden, they're trying to take the whole thing. And under Trump, they took nothing. Nothing, nothing was gone. Not even a little bit. So it's too bad. It's really too bad. A lot of people are dead right now that should be alive. And a lot of cities are destroyed that can never come back like they were those beautiful golden domes and all of the multi-colored domes that were a thousand years old. They're all laying in, you know, just shattered. So it's very sad. They ruined the culture.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: They're beginning phase two of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. What's going on there? Have you been briefed on the latest relating to that?

TRUMP: Well, I tell you, I have been briefed. I told Bibi, you do whatever you want because, you know, my statement was they got to come back. Now, the reason I made that statement, because they said they weren't going to deliver, they were not going to deliver the people that they said they were going to deliver, that they agreed to deliver. And they did agree to do that. But they broke that agreement.

When I made the statement, they delivered everybody plus an American. Now, the good news is they look like they're in pretty good shape because the people from the week before didn't look like they were in good shape. They looked like holocaust survivors, frankly. Horrible. Whatever happened to them was horrible. But that will be up to Israel what the next step is, in consultation with me.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) supposed to use these weapons for that you've now allowed to be shipped. Given the fact that there's been a ceasefire supposed to be in effect, why send those big bombs?

TRUMP: Peace through strength. You understand that, right? It's called peace through strength. You know, they contracted for those weapons a long time ago. And the Biden administration, and then Biden wouldn't deliver the weapons. But I look at it differently. I say peace through strength. They were sitting there. Nobody knew what to do with them. They bought them. But I believe in that very strongly.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sir, do you have any update on --

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: On the E.U., the European Union has been talking about banning food imports from the U.S., kind of along the lines of reciprocal tariffs.

TRUMP: Why is that? Why?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Reciprocal Tariffs. They don't like --

TRUMP: That's all right, I don't mind. Let them do it. Let them do it. They're just hurting themselves if they do that. I can't imagine it. But it doesn't matter. We're having reciprocal tariffs. Whatever they charge, we charge. Very simple. If a certain country like India, which is very high tariff, if they charge us X dollars, we charge them X dollars. It's all right. It's a fair thing to do. Even the media said it was fair. And it's going to be very good for the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) on your timing of your meeting with Putin in Saudi Arabia?

TRUMP: No, no time set. But it could be very soon.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Like just this month or?

TRUMP: Well, it will be soon. We'll see what happens. But they're meeting right now and that's more. I mean, this should have been done four years ago, three years ago before it started, but it should have been done immediately after it started, as opposed to now, three years later.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sir, egg prices have reached an all-time high. What's your --

TRUMP: Which is what?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Egg prices have reached an all-time high.

TRUMP: Well, there's a flu. Before I ever got here, it was at an all- time -- these things, remember, I've been here for three weeks. And when you saw the inflation numbers, I've been here for three weeks. I have had nothing to do with inflation. This was caused by Biden. I had four years of virtually no inflation. So I'm just taking over. But I'll tell you what. This country has made more progress in the last three weeks than it has made in the last four years.

WHITFIELD: All right. You're listening to President Trump there arriving back from Daytona. He was at the Daytona 500 earlier today. He's just now arriving back there in Florida.

Betsy Klein back with us now. So we heard the president talk about a variety of things, everything from, you know, inflation numbers to reciprocal tariffs. Talking about, you know, what should have happened four years ago, which was some kind of conversation involving Putin. And he said, as of now, they are moving along with peace plans on Ukraine. But then he underscored and reflected on a conversation he had with Putin for about three hours.

And he says he wants to stop fighting. I see that he wants to end it fast. In fact, both of them do. Talking about Zelenskyy as well. What more can we talk about? What is the plan ahead with meetings in Saudi Arabia? Ukraine is not there, but U.S. representatives and Russian representatives are planning to be there.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: That's right, Fred. President Trump really addressing reporters at a very critical moment for conflicts abroad in the Middle East as well as in Ukraine, which is on the cusp of that third anniversary of Russia's invasion. But all of this comes as President Trump is dispatching three of his top aides to Saudi Arabia for high-level talks with senior Russian officials.

[16:10:01]

So we know that special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, along with National Security adviser Mike Waltz, are headed to Saudi Arabia tonight. That's according to Witkoff. They will meet up with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is already traveling in the region for previously scheduled meetings. And there they will be meeting with a group of Russian officials assembled by the Kremlin. That's going to include political, economic and intelligence officials.

Really, what U.S. officials are characterizing as an initial first step following President Trump's critical conversation earlier this week with President Putin, so really a moment for them to assess whether Putin himself is serious about ending this war. Steve Witkoff described this as a moment of trust building. And here's what Rubio had to say about what he expects.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: President Trump spoke to Vladimir Putin last week, and in it, Vladimir Putin expressed his interest in peace, and the president expressed his desire to see an end to this conflict in a way that was enduring and that protected Ukrainian sovereignty, and that was an enduring peace. Not that we're going to have another invasion in three or four years. That's a good call.

Now, obviously, it has to be followed up by action. So the next few weeks and days will determine whether it's serious or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KLEIN: Now, very high stakes talks ahead. And Rubio said that if they progress in the right direction, Ukraine is going to have to get involved in these negotiations as well as Europe also having to get involved. Now, all of this comes just moments ago, President Trump mentioned that he himself could be meeting with Putin soon. He said it could be very soon. We'll see what happens. That meeting could happen in Saudi Arabia -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Betsy Klein, let us know when you hear more. Thanks so much.

All right. For more now on what the Russians are saying about these peace talks, let's bring in CNN's Fred Pleitgen in Moscow.

So, Fred, what are you hearing from Russian officials?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Fredricka. Well, first of all, we heard President Trump there saying that he believes both Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Putin of Russia want peace. Today was actually the day with the highest number of combat engagements in the Ukraine war in this entire year. So in the first two months of this year. So clearly the front lines right now very hot. The two sides going at it against one another.

Nevertheless, here in political Moscow, you do hear a lot of optimism on the part of Russian officials that they believe that all of these talks certainly could lead to better relations between the U.S. and Russia, and then possibly also an agreement to end the war in Ukraine on terms fairly favorable to Russia as well. The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, he came out earlier today and he said that he believes that this is an era of dialog with President Trump in office now, that the U.S. and Russia are going to be talking about peace rather than conflict going forward.

And he also believes that the way that President Trump sees things is things that every sane minded person should endorse as well. So clearly, President Trump has struck a nerve with various Russian officials here, and they really are kicking into high gear. I mean, one of the things that we have heard over the past couple of days they are putting a team together to go to Saudi Arabia.

And what we're also hearing from the Russians, Fredricka, is that they obviously want this meeting to take place between President Trump and the Russian president in Saudi Arabia, but they are also eyeing more than that. They're eyeing more than just an end to the fighting in Ukraine. They also want sanctions relief on a very large scale. They want economic cooperation with the United States. And they also want diplomatic cooperation as well.

So these are all things where the Russians really believe that they could be heading into a new era, if you will, of U.S. Russian relations. They certainly believe that President Trump has heard what Vladimir Putin was saying. I think we heard that as well in some of President Trump's comments there that he just gave. But they also say that the negotiations, of course, won't be easy and that there are a lot of red lines for the Russians as well, especially pertaining, of course, to the territory that they've already taken in Ukraine, where they say that there's new realities on the ground.

But then, of course, also that territory that the Ukrainians still hold on the Russian side of the border, where the Russians have said they want to oust the Ukrainians from there, rather than have that territory be part of any negotiations, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Fred Pleitgen in Moscow, thanks so much.

All right. Joining me right now to talk more about the efforts to end Russia's war with Ukraine is Daniel Fried. He is a former U.S. ambassador to Poland and a former assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs.

Ambassador, great to see you again.

DANIEL FRIED, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO POLAND: Good afternoon.

WHITFIELD: All right. So you just heard a little bit of what the president just said as he landed on the tarmac there in South Florida. And he says in his conversation with Putin, which was about three hours long, he says Putin wants to stop fighting. I see that, and he wants to end it fast. Both of them do, meaning Zelenskyy as well.

Should Putin be trusted? Should the president feel that he knows how Putin is feeling about this whole peace talks process?

[16:15:08]

FRIED: Of course Putin should not be trusted. Putin may want to end the war in Ukraine because Russia isn't doing all that well. Russia is under pressure. Huge losses, a weak economy. They're in trouble. They may want a deal. But Putin and his people are going to try to talk, threaten or flatter the U.S. into offering the Russians a bad deal for Ukraine. They're going to insist on what is -- what amounts to a disarmed Ukraine, a vulnerable Ukraine, Ukraine that is just waiting for Russia's next attack.

Now, President Trump talks about peace through strength. And if he means it, if that's the approach he and his people have with Putin and his people during these talks in Saudi Arabia, this could come out all right. We know the outlines of the administration's plan. It's basically a ceasefire in place and security for Ukraine. That's security for Ukraine is critical. The Americans have said that Europe has to put up some troops in Ukraine.

Well, the Europeans aren't going to put up troops unless the U.S. Military has their back. Not necessarily by deploying troops boots on the ground in Ukraine, I don't see that happening, but air power and other forms of support. So if Trump -- if President Trump and his people push hard and push through Putin's threats, his bluster, his flattery, his nonsense, all of which we can count on, this could end well but we're not there yet.

WHITFIELD: For now, this seems a little disjointed. But you're the diplomat, not me. You're the ambassador, not me. And I wonder, by hearing that there will be European leaders that meet in Paris about, you know, some sort of deal involving Ukraine, and then separately in Saudi Arabia, you've got U.S. representation, you've got Russian representation meeting. But Ukraine is not part of that Saudi Arabia group.

At what point should Ukraine be included in these discussions of some sort of peacemaking making deal?

FRIED: Ukraine needs and the Europeans need to be brought in immediately after these initial talks with the Russians. If it were up to me, I would have somebody from the U.S. delegation in Saudi Arabia fly to Brussels, take the train to Kyiv and brief the Europeans, brief the key stakeholders, brief the Ukrainians, and decide on next steps.

The Europeans are meeting because the Trump administration has said to them, you've got to put up the troops. The Europeans are probably going to decide what their conditions are. And like I said, they're going to insist on American backup. Now, this could all work or it could fall apart badly if the U.S. delegation allows itself to be suckered by the Russians.

I know one of the Russian likely delegates, Yuri Ushakov. I worked with him when he was Russian ambassador in Washington. He's a capable diplomat. Putin loyalist. But he's not -- he's no fool. He will push hard for a bad deal for the United States, and we shouldn't take it. We need to push back. And we have cards to play. The Russians are not winning the war by all that much. They're pushing back the Ukrainians, but only slowly and at a very high price.

The Ukrainians are fighting on. We need to help the Ukrainians, and we need to keep the pressure on the Russians so that our hand is strengthened. President Trump says he likes winning, and a win is possible if we show the stomach to get past what is going to be a very rough session with the Russians.

WHITFIELD: Ambassador Daniel Fried, love hearing from you. Thank you so much, and thanks for taking the time. I know you're getting ready to board a flight. You're in a busy airport right now, so safe travels.

FRIED: Headed to Europe for talks about this very subject.

WHITFIELD: OK. We'd love to talk to you when you are able to talk about it further.

FRIED: Any time.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much.

All right. Now to the Middle East, where Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem today. The two giving joint statements saying they are together and confronting the main threat to the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: The common theme in all of these challenges is Iran. It is the single greatest source of instability in the region. Behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence, behind every destabilizing activity, behind everything that threatens peace and stability for the millions of people who call this region home.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We agree that the ayatollahs must not have nuclear weapons.

[16:20:04]

And we also agree that Iran's aggression in the region has to be rolled back. Over the last 16 months, Israel has dealt a mighty blow to Iran's terror axis. Under the strong leadership of President Trump and with your unflinching support, I have no doubt that we can and will finish the job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Rubio also warning Hamas against, his words, playing with fire as the ceasefire agreement remains fragile. An Israeli delegation is expected in Cairo this week for talks on Gaza.

CNN's international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is in Jerusalem for us.

So, Nic, is this a solid show of support for Israel by the Trump administration?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, it is. And we heard I think President Trump speaking about that on the runway as he was getting off the plane there briefly, again, reaffirming that that commitment, that commonality of view. And that's, again, what we heard from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying, you know, a common and coordinated strategy that the two countries have together.

But it does seem, you know, if you look at just today even in the terms of that relationship, there's a full court press on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu really get to get a speed up on getting to the phase two negotiations. Now, the phase one, that's the first six weeks with two-thirds of the way through it, less than two thirds of the agreed number of hostages released so far. But the phase two is by far the harder phase.

That's the one that could lead to an end to a war. That could be a political price on that for Prime Minister Netanyahu because there are people in his government that want the war to continue. All of that makes it difficult. It's made difficult because both the United States and Israel say that Hamas has to be completely destroyed. Hamas still think they're in the game, still want to say inside of Gaza. So all of that is really difficult. And it seems that there's been a bit of a slow roll on that on the Israeli front. Now, Prime Minister Netanyahu would reject that notion. But today you've had both Marco Rubio, secretary of State, and President Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, both talking with Prime Minister Netanyahu and adding to that sense of urgency.

So the commitment today from Prime Minister Netanyahu sending delegates tomorrow to negotiate in Egypt on phase one. Tomorrow also he has a security cabinet meeting. They'll discuss phase two. After that, he says that he'll instruct those delegates in Cairo that they can negotiate on phase two. A lot of people here are saying, OK, who are those delegates that are going? Are they your top delegates? Are they the head of the intelligence services? Are they your top negotiators or are they sort of lower place holding figures?

So this is -- this seems to be where we're at. Phase two hugely important. Commonality, but a real effort to speed Israel up in getting to phase two talks meaningfully.

WHITFIELD: Nic Robertson in Jerusalem, thanks so much.

All right. Coming up, a deadly storm topples trees and floods and lots of homes are damaged as it races across the eastern U.S. What the Kentucky governor just told us on storm recovery.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:27:54]

WHITFIELD: President Trump is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to allow him to fire the head of a government ethics watchdog agency. A lower court ruling on Saturday keeps the leader of the Office of Special Counsel on the job for now despite Trump firing him. The DOJ is calling the court's ruling an unprecedented assault on the separation of powers.

Joining me right now is Lynn Sweet, the Washington bureau chief for the "Chicago Sun-Times."

Lynn, great to see you. So let's start with this, you know, Trump-Musk mission, which is pretty clear, upend the federal government with massive layoffs and firings. Trump claims, and I'm using his words, that it's corrupt, meaning the federal government.

Do you expect the GOP-led Congress to continue to allow all of this to happen?

LYNN SWEET, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Hi, Fred. Thanks for having me. So the analysis is seems to me obvious now that there -- the Republican members of Congress, the House and Senate members have abdicated any of the oversight responsibilities that they have.

This really, in my analysis, has nothing to do, Fred, with whether or not it's good or bad idea to shrink the government. The process is such that these members have rendered their positions meaningless as they just are observing the powers, the empowerment that Trump has shown us as possible over these, what, three, three weeks now that he's been in power?

So that to me is part of the maybe perhaps underreported part of this story is how the Republican resistance, even to doing things in a way that is orderly, or maybe let them pick and choose perhaps what cuts should be made, all that's out the window. And also, I hope everybody understands that labeling everyone and everything corrupt just defies common sense, which I always urge people to bring to the table.

WHITFIELD: I mean, federal workers have called this whole method cruel. You know, domestically people say they are receiving ominous e- mails. It makes them feel uneasy about do they have a job, do they not, what's about to happen?

[16:30:10]

Or federal workers abroad have said, you know, to reporters that they are told to return to the U.S. immediately with no support. And they may be coming from dangerous places, as they try to collect their family members and their possessions.

So, how is all of this efficient?

SWEET: Well, it's messy. It's also -- it's also efficient for Trump, in terms of being able to slash and burn. Because here's what the reality is. Once these eggs are broken, they can never be put together again.

It is cruel. Who among us, to everyone who's listening, if your fate is to be laid off, you just don't want an email. You want to talk to H.R. Get your package. Find out about health benefits. Maybe have a few weeks before you go, just so you can make sure you pay your rent or mortgage and make arrangements.

This -- there is a right way and a wrong way to shrink government. That's not what this is about. It's about, I think, ending government, as we know it, to rebuild. Which, if done in an orderly way, that's the implicate -- that -- elections have consequences. We know that.

Shrinking government can be done. But I think you don't -- as you have said, Fred, you don't have to do it in a way that's cruel and strand people overseas with few options of how to come home.

WHITFIELD: All right, Lynn Sweet, we'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much.

SWEET: All right, thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up. Over 10 million people under flood warnings or flash flood emergencies from Ohio to Mississippi, as a powerful storm races across the Eastern U.S. A live report next.

[16:31:52]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: More on this breaking story. That powerful storm that slammed the Southeast U.S. overnight, killing at least eight people in Kentucky and one in Georgia.

Right now, emergency responders are carrying out search and rescues in flooded areas. More than 10 million people are still under flood alerts from Mississippi to Ohio. CNN's Danny Freeman is joining us now, live from Salem, Virginia, where rescue teams are working around the clock. Danny, what are you hearing about the response teams?

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, listen, we just got on the ground here in Salem, Virginia. And I've just got to say, we've been driving, frankly, from Pennsylvania down through West Virginia. Here in Virginia today.

You've spoken to the governor of Kentucky. A lot of this area has been experiencing some pretty intense flooding over the past 12 to 24 hours.

And this area of Salem, Virginia, just outside of Roanoke, is no exception. You can see this park behind me. Clearly, the river here coming up over where it should be and getting in the way of much of this particular area.

I should say that I just actually spoke with a family who was in this area looking for their dog. They live across the street. And they said that their dog, amidst the chaos of the flooding, ran across the street last night. And they feared that their dog may have been swept away in the river here because of this flooding. Again, just a bit of a human element to show you what has been going on here and in this larger region.

We just actually got some new information, Fred, specifically about Virginia. I know we've been talking a lot about Kentucky for the past few hours. Governor Glenn Youngkin, he actually just submitted a request for an expedited major disaster declaration here in the commonwealth.

He said that there have been 150 swift boat water rescues just today in the commonwealth. And that there are some areas, specifically to the west of us where we are right now, that have experienced catastrophic and historic flooding.

The governor of Virginia, noting that it's been difficult, especially in areas, frankly, that are still recovering from Hurricane Helene and the remnants of that powerful storm.

So, we just got on the ground here, Fred. We're going to keep on reporting on just what the scope of this damage is in this area of the country -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Keep us posted. Danny Freeman, thank you so much.

All right, coming up. Tonight, Saturday night live celebrates a very special anniversary with its favorite comedy stars. We'll look back at some of the iconic skits next.

[16:38:35]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHEVY CHASE, ACTOR: Live from New York. It's Saturday night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Fifty years ago, America was introduced to "Saturday Night Live." The live sketch comedy and variety show has reached icon status over decades now, catapulting comedians into celebrity status and showcasing musical artists from all genres. I mean, it is the complete package.

Tonight, at the SNL 50th anniversary special, airs on NBC, featuring many of the cast members and celebrity hosts who have made the show a part of the American zeitgeist.

So, here with us now to reflect and indulge, T.V. critic and media analyst for NPR, Eric Deggans. Eric, great to see you.

ERIC DEGGANS, TV CRITIC AND MEDIA ANALYST, NPR (via Webex): Yes, thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: So, 50 years. I mean, where did the time go? Such an accomplishment. Why has SNL been able to withstand the test of time like this?

DEGGANS: Well, actually, I have a story on NPR.org, where I talk about this. And I think two really important decisions were that, initially, they had asked comic Albert Brooks, who was then a rising star, to be host of the show. And he turned them down and suggested they have guest hosts instead.

And so, it became an event, particularly at a time when we didn't have VHS tapes, and we didn't have streaming. So, you could only really see the show when it aired on NBC. So, it made it much more exciting to know that one week, Candice Bergen is hosting. And the next week, Milton Berle might be hosting.

The other thing that happened was that executive producer, Lorne Michaels, decided not to host weekend update, that long running satire of a newscast that has always been on the show.

[16:45:00]

DEGGANS: Instead, he had Chevy Chase do it.

And, you know, because that show -- because that segment's on the show every week. Chevy Chase became the first huge star to break out from "Saturday Night Live" which spread the reputation of the show. And it allowed Lorne Michaels to focus on running the show from behind the scenes.

WHITFIELD: How incredible. I mean, so many comedians, you know, getting their start or at least their careers being catapulted. Like you mentioned, Chevy Chase, because of SNL. Eddie Murphy. I mean, Will Ferrell. Tina Fey. You got any favorite performers, you know, from the last five decades? DEGGANS: Well, you mentioned Eddie Murphy. And, you know, arguably, he

is the biggest star to come from Saturday night live. And, curiously, he was hired at a time when Lorne Michaels, the executive producer, was not running the show.

There was five years where he had left "Saturday Night Live." Eddie was hired by a different team of producers. And he was a breakout star who, I think, probably saved the show from cancellation at a time when it was being criticized a lot. And people didn't know if it had a direction, after Lorne Michaels had originally left.

But I also love -- I mean, Bill Hader, you know, a thousand impressions that were really, really funny. Tina Fey, who amped up female performers on the show and provided a showcase for, you know, talents like Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler, who were also amazing. Kate McKinnon, who seemed like she could play anyone --

WHITFIELD: Anyone.

DEGGANS: -- on that show.

WHITFIELD: A man, a woman, anything. Right.

DEGGANS: From the New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani, to some woman who saw a UFO in her backyard. Right on down to Thompson, the longest running cast member. And Bowen Yang, who's a breakout star in modern times.

WHITFIELD: Wow. I mean, and it's not just about comedy. Like, you know, Eddie Murphy. Like Gilda Radner. Funny. You know, Roseanne Roseannadanna. I mean, that was the funniest thing. But, you know, poking fun at political figures and politics from the Clintons to Trump.

I mean, how did SNL go from, you know, taking a stab at politics to, now, the expectation is that SNL will parody politicians?

DEGGANS: Well, I think that expectation has been there for a long time. I mean, the show debuted in 1975. And, right away, it satirized Nixon. It satirized Watergate. It satirized President Ford. Again, Chevy Chase had this impression of Gerald Ford that mostly consisted of him stumbling over things. Right.

But Tina Fey came along when Sarah Palin was named a vice-presidential candidate.

WHITFIELD: Right. I can see Russia.

DEGGANS: And, you know, a lot of people --

WHITFIELD: Right. Sorry, I remembered that.

DEGGANS: -- didn't know much about Sarah Palin. Tina Fey's, you know, performance as Sarah Palin kind of helped define how we came to understand Sarah Palin. And that also happened with Al Gore. You know, Darrell Hammond's, you know, impersonation of Al Gore is this sort of stiff guy who is overly focused on minutia. Kind of, you know, I mean, you know, I've always heard this story reported in "The New York Times" that Al Gore's advisers had him watch Darrell Hammond's satirization of him, so he would know what not to do in the next vice-presidential debate.

So, these impressions could be very powerful. But now, we have a president in Donald Trump who's very adept at creating his own imagery. And I think this show has sort of struggled to deal with a president who, in real life, often seems so outrageous. He's very hard to parody.

WHITFIELD: Wow, interesting. Well, SNL, we love them. And we've loved them all these years.

Eric Deggans, we love you too. Thank you so much.

DEGGANS: Oh, thank you so much. It's so much fun to join you.

WHITFIELD: Always great to have you. All right, comic trio. Roy Wood Jr., Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black are back for a brand-new season of "Have I Got News For You." With guest comedian and actor Andy Richter and attorney, George Conway. You can stream right now on CNN Max.

[16:48:56]

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WHITFIELD: All right. It's NBA all-star weekend. And for the first time ever, tonight's game will be a mini tournament. CNN's Andy Scholes is in San Francisco. Andy, tell -- oh, you've got a guest with you. What's it all about?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're joined by Kyrie Irving, the first player to arrive here for the all-star game. He's extra excited. And, Kyrie, we've got the new format this year. It's a mini tournament. Do you think that's going to bring back some competitive spirit to the event?

KYRIE IRVING, POINT GUARD, DALLAS MAVERICKS: I mean, the competitive spirit was there, but we just needed to have a good group of guys that, you know, will go out there and put their pride aside and not be afraid to be embarrassed and just have some fun competing against each other. That's what it's about, man.

I always think about my predecessors, the ones who came before me, just making sure that the integrity of the game is passed on to the next generation the right way. So, it's up to us.

SCHOLES: Now, you're on Shaq Ogs team. There's -- you know, teams are draft -- all the all-stars were drafted under three different teams. And you're getting to play with some of your old teammates. What's it like be --

IRVING: (INAUDIBLE) together.

SCHOLES: -- what's it like being back with the likes of, you know, Lebron, K.D., Tatum?

IRVING: No, it's great. It's great, man. I think, you know, time has been friendly to all of us. We've all kind of done our own things and accomplished some amazing things. Some of us are still trying to do that get to the top of the mountain and, you know, cross that finish line as a champion. So, it makes it healthy competitor-wise.

But I think, overall, it's just good to have that brotherhood still existing.

SCHOLES: And Shaq Ogs, your team, is playing up against the team that won the Rising Stars on Friday.

[16:55:02]

IRVING: Yes.

SCHOLES: You all feeling any pressure to make sure not to lose to the guys that aren't even the all-stars?

IRVING: No, man. No, not at all, man. But we know we've got to take them serious. And we've got to put our best foot forward.

SCHOLES: All right, Kyrie.

IRVING: Yes, sir.

SCHOLES: Good luck. Have a -- have a good night tonight. All right, there we go, Kyrie Irving. And, Fredricka, this is going to be the last all-star game on TNT. Be sure to tune in, starting at 8:00 Eastern.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's going to be fun. Kyrie cool as a cucumber. All right, Andy Schultz, thank you so much. Have fun.

All right. Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN NEWSROOM continues with Paula Reid after this.

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