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U.S., Russia to Hold Talks in Saudi; Israeli P.M. to Call a Meeting for Phase Two Ceasefire Deal; West Texas Struggles with Measles Outbreak; Pope Francis in Stable Condition as he Battles from Bronchitis; Team Shaq Wins NBA All-Star Game. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired February 17, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world and also everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, U.S. and Russian negotiators will meet in Saudi Arabia with an eye on ending the war in Ukraine, but European leaders will have their own meeting after they were left out of the process.

More firings from the Trump administration, this time targeting employees of the Federal Aviation Administration, just weeks after a deadly air collision in the nation's capital.

And millions are still under flood warnings in the U.S. after deadly storms ripped across the eastern part of the country on Sunday.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: I appreciate you joining us.

Saudi Arabia is preparing to host critical talks between the U.S. and Russia on how to end the war in Ukraine. Sources tell CNN those negotiations will begin on Tuesday.

The U.S. delegation includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He is expected to arrive in Riyadh after a two-day trip to Israel. He says the next few days and weeks will determine whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is serious about ending the conflict.

The U.K.'s Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, says he is willing to put British troops on the ground in Ukraine to enforce a peace deal if necessary. He is among the European leaders who are holding an emergency summit in Paris today.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz and Clare Sebastian are following the latest developments for us from London. They join us now.

Salma, I want to go to you first. What is the latest on these critical peace talks planned for Saudi Arabia and what are the expectations?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so Secretary of State Marco Rubio just a short time ago took off for Saudi Arabia for Riyadh from Tel Aviv.

It is head-spinning, Rosemary, the pace at which these events are taking place. It was only a few days ago that President Trump shocked world leaders by saying he'd had a 90-minute conversation with President Putin and that negotiations would begin immediately.

He's clearly followed through on that and I want you to hear directly from President Trump how he hears these talks. This was from yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

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

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

I think he wants to end it and they want to end it fast, both of them, and Zelenskyy wants to end it too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: It is, of course, the most important question out of that is, is Ukraine going to be involved in these talks? And, shockingly, the answer is no, Rosemary. President Zelenskyy said on Saturday he was not even invited to this conversation in Riyadh.

Instead, the U.S. is saying it's going to carry out a dual track of conversations. So, Trump's special envoy to Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, will be in Ukraine discussing alongside with Ukrainian officials, while others, of course, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are in Riyadh speaking to Russia.

The other question here is, are Europeans involved? You're going to hear more on that from our Clare, but I want you to know the answer on that as well is no.

Some stunning comments from U.S. officials just a couple of days ago, essentially saying that Europe failed during the Minsk agreement in 2014 to stop that conflict, and that while their opinion will be considered, they will not be part of these talks.

So, absolutely lightning speed developments here while these negotiations begin in earnest tomorrow in Saudi Arabia without Ukraine and without Europe.

CHURCH: All right, let's look at that. Clare Sebastian also in London joining us now. So, Clare, Europe feeling very much out in the cold, and so they've set up this emergency summit in Paris.

What's expected to come of that as they watch for Tuesday to see what happens with these negotiations just between the United States and Russia?

[03:05:00]

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Rosemary, as Salma said, things are moving extremely fast. This is a hastily convened meeting. Not all of Europe is involved.

A handful of countries, as well as the Secretary General of NATO and the President of the European Commission, it was only confirmed that it was happening by the Elysee Palace on Sunday night.

So, things are moving really quickly, and this really is about Europe trying to project its own authority here in the face of the U.S., which has said pretty clearly that it doesn't think at this point that Europe is going to have a seat at the negotiating table, although, of course, we have seen inconsistencies emerge in that, among other things that we've heard from U.S. officials over the past week, this week of political whiplash that we've seen playing out.

Now, look, the U.K. Prime Minister, as you said, says that he's ready and willing to put troops on as part of security guarantees. That will, of course, be very welcome news to Ukraine, but President Zelenskyy has said in the past that he doesn't think security guarantees will be effective without the U.S.

But I think Europe will be here to try and show that it is, look, it is a crucial partner here. It is the biggest donor to Ukraine. It has multiple sanctions on Russia, which, of course, could not be on the table as part of a negotiation with Russia without European participation.

But there are risks here. We do see that this meeting has been convened by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, not by European leadership. It does not, as I said, involve all of Europe.

So we may see some jostling here. And this is yet another way, I think, in which the Trump administration's sort of unilateral actions on pushing towards peace negotiations has played somewhat into Moscow's hands.

Now, risks looking like not only are there risks in the transatlantic alliance, but within Europe as a whole. And, of course, fears do persist in Europe as they move towards this summit today of what the Europe's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, called a dirty deal, the concerns around a potential quick fix that the U.S. may engineer that could only benefit Russia.

CHURCH: All right. Salma Abdelaziz and Clare Sebastian, joining us live from London. Many thanks to you both.

Matthew Karnitschnig is the editor-in-chief at "Euractiv" and he joins us now from Berlin. Good to have you with us. MATTHEW KARNITSCHNIG, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "EURACTIV": Good morning.

CHURCH: So top Trump aides are set to meet with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia Tuesday without Europe at the table and without Ukraine, although U.S. envoy General Kellogg says the dual negotiations will take place in Kyiv this week.

But how is a peace deal possible if the U.S. and the E.U. are not working together on this and where does it leave the transatlantic alliance?

KARNITSCHNIG: Well, the reality is that a peace deal probably is possible because the U.S. has all of the leverage here and the U.S. is really the interlocutor that Russia wants to speak to. Putin wants to speak directly to Donald Trump, as it were.

It's really not in Europe's interest, because they're the ones who are going to have to deal with the aftermath of this deal. And Trump and his advisors have already made clear that it's going to be the Europeans who are going to have to provide the troops for the peacekeeping mission that would come out of a peace deal if an agreement is reached.

So the Europeans really feel like they've been left out in the cold here because they're going to be not just sending these troops probably, but they're also going to have to pay for it. And if you look at past situations where peacekeepers have been sent into conflicts like this, this can be a decade's long engagement.

So the Europeans really feel like they've been kind of locked out of these negotiations, even though they're the ones with the most at stake here, aside from the Ukrainians.

CHURCH: Indeed, I mean, they are so concerned about being cut out of the talks that they're holding an emergency summit Monday in Paris to discuss the issue. And U.K. Prime Minister Starmer, as we've mentioned, says he's ready and willing to put British troops on the ground in Ukraine to enforce any peace deal.

Consequently, he wants the U.K. to be part of these talks. Why is the U.S. leaving Europe and the U.K. out in the cold?

KARNITSCHNIG: Well, I guess the short answer is because it can. And Trump has never been a big fan of either the E.U. or many of the European governments, especially the German government. And I suspect that in Washington, the feeling is that if they want to get a deal with Putin, it would be much easier, much quicker to not include the Europeans.

Now, the Europeans have also provided a lot of military aid to Ukraine, not as much as the U.S. But it's not as if they haven't played their part here.

But the reality is that the U.S. is the key player for the Ukraine. Without U.S. aid, Ukraine wouldn't be able to continue on. And at the same time, the U.S. is the guarantor of European security still through NATO.

[03:10:08]

So the U.S., the Trump administration has a lot of leverage here. This is obviously a departure from the Biden administration and from the American tradition, really, of transatlanticism, bringing all of the NATO partners around the table together and making joint decisions.

So it's quite shocking to Europeans at the moment, even though I think many suspected this was going to happen when Trump was reelected, because he telegraphed as much over the past months that he was going to take a much harder stance on Europe.

CHURCH: And U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is threatening sanctions and military action to push Russia's President Putin into making a peace deal with Ukraine. And Trump's Special Envoy General Kellogg says Russia must make concessions to help end the war. But what would those concessions look like?

KARNITSCHNIG: Well, this threat of sanctions is interesting because Russia is already facing a lot of sanctions and so far they haven't forced Putin to the table. And it does feel like he now has the initiative on the battlefield.

That said, Russia's lost a lot of men in this war. It has strained its resources pretty considerably. So I think in terms of concessions, they're probably going to have to give back at least some of the territory they've taken.

They're going to have to signal to the West that they're not going to try to move into the Baltics, for example, to Estonia or Lithuania, Latvia. These are big concerns within NATO that if there is a deal here that is to the disadvantage of Ukraine, that Putin will quickly rebuild his army and move in on the next target.

So there are going to have to be security guarantees basically that assure the U.S. and NATO that Putin is not going to try and go further here.

CHURCH: Matthew Karnitschnig, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

KARNITSCHNIG: Thank you.

CHURCH: CNN has learned that Saudi Arabia is open to mediating a new nuclear agreement between the United States and Iran. The Kingdom is concerned Iran may be more inclined to pursue a nuclear weapon now that its regional proxies have been weakened.

The U.S. Secretary of State blasted Tehran during a meeting with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: 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 is Iran.

And by Iran, I mean the Ayatollahs. By Iran, I mean its regime. A regime who, by the way, its people don't support.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: U.S. intelligence agencies say they believe Israel will likely attempt to strike Iranian nuclear facilities this year. And now Mr. Netanyahu is vowing to, quote, "finish the job against Iran."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

CHURCH: Turning now to Gaza, Benjamin Netanyahu's office says an Israeli delegation will head to Cairo to phase one of the Gaza ceasefire deal, while the Israeli Prime Minister holds a Security Cabinet meeting in the coming hours to discuss the deal's second phase.

Well let's turn to Iran. It appears Israel's willingness to use military force runs counter to U.S. President Donald Trump's current desire for a peace deal with Tehran.

Earlier I spoke with the former Israeli Consul General for New York about whether Mr. Trump wants to play any part in an attack on Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK: Mr. Netanyahu sure as hell wants to drag Mr. Trump into a war against Iran. But Mr. Netanyahu could also go at it alone. But that requires a broader perspective here, because there are four major actors here, Iran, Israel, the U.S., obviously, and Saudi Arabia.

Now, the Iranians are facing a simple, well, it's not simple, but a major critical dilemma.

[03:15:00]

Do we negotiate under unfavorable conditions, because the Iranians realize that they have been weakened geo politically and militarily in the last year, and they are to a large extent isolated? So do we negotiate a deal and abandon a nuclear option, a military

nuclear option, or do we go full steam ahead with the option and risk war?

Israel, on the other hand, is trying to, as I said, lure the U.S. into this, but can go at it alone because a deal, which seems to be what President Trump is going for, and he said that in his own voice, a deal would not be received well in Israel.

The Americans face a similar dilemma. We use coercive diplomacy, we impose even more sanctions, but we want a deal. The question is what kind of a deal. And the Saudis, in one sentence, the Saudis, they want stability.

And so I think that the Saudis who have a major sway on Trump way more than Mr. Netanyahu would dream of having, the Saudis may end up driving or impelling Trump to negotiate with Iran.

CHURCH: OK, so you seem to think that Israel would go it alone if the U.S. doesn't overtly support an attack on Iran. But that seems extraordinary, doesn't it? I mean, to go ahead without U.S. support or approval.

PINKAS: Yes, absolutely. Here's the thing, Rosemary. Israel lacks the capability, both in terms of munitions, the required bunker buster bombs, you know, those 30,000-ton -- I'm sorry -- 30,000-pound bombs, and it lacks the ability for an aerial, sustainable aerial attack.

So by definition, an Israeli attack would be limited and the repercussions may be very difficult. And Israel may go at it alone, even in a limited way, only if it gets a green light or some kind of an implicit consent from the U.S., even without American involvement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The Trump administration is pressing ahead with its attempts to gut the federal workforce. When we come back, the latest casualties.

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CHURCH: The Trump administration has started firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration probationary employees. They are part of the workforce that maintains radio and computer systems and develops new flight procedures. The firings do not include air traffic controllers.

The union says several hundred workers began getting notices on Friday. It's been less than three weeks since a mid-air collision over Washington D.C. killed 67 people.

Meanwhile, 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.

The Trump administration's Department of Education is threatening to defund schools that don't cancel diversity and inclusion programs. The department's Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights wrote a letter Friday directed toward all schools that receive federal funding.

The letter says schools have, quote, "toxically indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon systemic and structural racism and advanced discriminatory policies and practices."

Republicans have long argued that white Americans, particularly white men, are losing their rights to minorities and women.

Larry Sabato is the Director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. He's also the editor of "A Return to Normalcy? The 2020 Election that (Almost) Broke America."

Good to see you. Thanks for joining us.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA-CENTER FOR POLITICS: Nice to see you too, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So President Donald Trump's rapid push to downsize federal government is now being questioned by those on both sides of the political aisle.

In response, Donald Trump says he can't be accused of breaking the law if he's working to save the country. Posting on Truth Social, quote, "he who saves his country does not violate any law." What's your response to that?

SABATO: That is one of the most disturbing posts he has ever made.

And remember how many disturbing posts he's made. That really, if you read it literally, it suggests that he who is saving the country, meaning Donald Trump, can violate any law. And it isn't really a violation because the means justifies the end.

Now, look, Donald Trump trolls us a lot. He always has. This could be just another troll, or it could be the introduction to a completely new approach to the presidency and an approach that will diminish democracy at the very least.

CHURCH: And of course, President Trump is continuing to flood the zone with a multitude of changes, including these federal government cuts, but also the way the U.S. is dealing with Ukraine, the Middle East, the Panama Canal, Greenland, renaming the Gulf of Mexico, arresting migrants, legal challenges, and so much more. But the majority of Americans voted for Trump because he promised to

bring down prices on Day 1 of his administration. But instead, prices have gone up, particularly eggs. So why is there so little outcry over his failure to address price gouging head-on?

SABATO: Mainly because the Democrats have done a terrible job, so far at least, of mobilizing opposition to Trump. They really are in desperate shape, and they recognize it. They're trying to do something about it.

But you need leadership on the out-of-power party, not just in the Trump administration.

[03:25:02]

You need someone who is organized and knows how to oppose a president like this, and they're simply not doing it to this point. It is interesting what you just said, though, Rosemary, because I keep hearing people say, that is, people from the Trump administration, well, the American people voted to support this dramatic overhaul of American government.

No, they didn't. There may have been a portion that voted that way, but a large majority of the people who voted for Trump simply wanted inflation to be whipped.

That's a very different thing than what we're seeing from Elon Musk and Donald Trump today.

CHURCH: Yes. And of course, you mentioned the Democrats. What more should they be doing to confront President Trump over higher prices and, of course, a rapid downsizing of the federal government?

SABATO: Well, it would help if they all had the same message. Have they learned the practice of emailing talking points early in the morning? Do they read them? Would they be willing to communicate them throughout the day? Sometimes, I think they're still in the carrier pigeon era.

There are just so many things they should be doing and could be doing and are not doing. They're just flummoxed. It's so different than the first Trump administration when they knew they had to conduct the resistance.

CHURCH: And of course, alarm bells are going off with news of the increased access that billionaire Elon Musk and his DOGE team have been getting to critical government systems. Now, Musk wants access to personal taxpayer data, which is raising concerns, of course, at the IRS.

And this comes as President Trump disputes that there's a rift growing between him and Musk. How concerned should we all be about what's happening here?

SABATO: Well, I don't think there's a rift, at least not yet, because Elon Musk contributed $288 million to Trump and to other Republicans in the past election cycle. It's shattered all prior records for contributions. So that will buy him a lot of grace, even with Donald Trump.

But people ought to be concerned about what's going on, not just with what Musk is doing directly, but what his team of very young, inexperienced people are doing in these agencies. Getting into basic IRS data, personal tax information. Let's hope it isn't as serious as some have reported.

CHURCH: Yes. And of course, meantime, a looming government shutdown is just weeks away. How might that be averted, do you think?

SABATO: That's up to the Republicans. They control everything. The Democrats may finally, finally do something dramatic.

And that dramatic something is by voting against whatever the solution is put together by the Republicans in the House and Senate, agreeable with the White House. Because I'm not sure they could get the votes to do what they need to do, particularly in the House, but maybe also in the Senate.

So as long as Democrats don't have their fingerprints on this, they can make the Republicans own it. And if there is a government shutdown, it's pretty clear who's responsible. It's going to be the Republicans.

And Trump suffered from this in his first term. That was the longest government shutdown in 2018 that we've seen in the modern era.

It was not good for Trump. It was not good for the Republicans. And this one won't be either if we have it.

CHURCH: Larry Sabato, always great to get your political analysis. I appreciate it.

SABATO: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Still to come, a look at the devastation left behind after a deadly storm system slammed the eastern parts of the U.S. this weekend.

Plus, West Texas is grappling with a measles outbreak. We'll have the latest on that, next.

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[03:30:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: All right, just moments ago U.S. Secretary of State, you see there, Marco Rubio, arriving in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and sources telling CNN critical talks between the United States and Russia over the war in Ukraine will begin Tuesday to find a path to peace in Ukraine, with Saudi officials playing a key mediation role. A Ukrainian official says they will not be present at the talks,

though the Trump administration's Russia-Ukraine envoy is expected to be in Kyiv this week and says there will be talks there with Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump has said the Ukrainians will be part of the negotiations.

Well millions across the eastern U.S. are still under flood warnings after a powerful storm swept through eastern United States this weekend. At least 10 people, including one child, are dead, and officials say emergency responders have rescued dozens of people.

Water levels reached historic highs in Kentucky, and the state's governor believes the death toll will rise as the severe weather event is expected to continue for several more days. Thousands across the region are still without power, and officials are warning people to stay off the roads as several of the deaths from this storm have been attributed to motor vehicle accidents.

Well the severe weather threat is far from over, of course. And our meteorologist Allison Chinchar has the latest on the incoming arctic blast that could break dozens of record low temperatures this week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The cold front that brought all of the flooding rains across portions of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys now pushing out, but behind it you've got some pretty significant cold air that's going to infiltrate portions of the central and the eastern U.S. And with that cold air in place, as our next system begins to arrive, it's going to bring snow to some places that are pretty far south.

Here you can see by Tuesday morning you've already got snow and even some ice developing across portions of Texas and even Oklahoma. This system itself will continue to slide east so that by Wednesday morning, as many folks are headed out on their commute in Nashville, Louisville, even around Huntsville, Alabama, looking at some snow showers into the mix.

Farther south, it's mostly going to be rain for places like Atlanta, Montgomery, stretching down towards New Orleans. This system continues to spread eastward, and eventually impacting portions of the mid- Atlantic like Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and even into the northeast like New York and Boston, bringing some additional snow there as well.

[03:35:08]

Here you can see some of these spots you are looking at pretty substantial amounts of snow. Lots of these locations across the central U.S. and even perhaps over the Carolinas and Virginia could be looking at at least half a foot of snow before this finally pushes back out of the area.

The cold air we talked about is also going to spread. So even for the areas that don't necessarily get the snow per se, your temperatures are certainly going to drop. Look at Dallas, for example, 57 for the high on Monday, looking at a

high of only 28 on Wednesday. Their normal high would be in the 60s. They won't get there until the end of the week.

Similar scenario for Omaha. The average high is 39 degrees. They are looking at barely getting just into positive numbers. By the time we get to the middle portion of the week, they finally rebound once we head into next weekend.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Western Texas is grappling with a health crisis as officials struggle to contain a measles outbreak. Cases have doubled in the last week, they're now at 48. And a majority of them involve children five to 17 years old.

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This outbreak started in Gaines County in West Texas, but has now spread to neighboring counties as well. Wayne, Terry and Yoakum counties now are part of this outbreak.

They have vaccination rates lower than the recommended threshold for this area. Experts say that the risk of further transmission remains high, but they are putting in measurements to try and curb the spread of this virus. Clinics have been open now in extended hours, seven days a week.

And last week, about 80 people got their MMR shots, their measles, mumps and rubella vaccines. But this area in one in about five kindergartners is not vaccinated against measles. That is the highest exemption rate in the county, about 18 percent, according to the Texas Department of Health.

Measles is an extremely contagious virus that spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. And in some cases, it can lead to blindness, pneumonia and swelling of the brain.

And it can be deadly, especially for those unvaccinated people or under vaccinated, those who haven't completed their second dose of the vaccine and for children under the age of five.

The CDC warns that once an outbreak starts in an area with low vaccination rates, it is extremely difficult to contain it. And now the virus spreading over to New Mexico after two adults were diagnosed with the virus after a teenager, unvaccinated teenager, was also diagnosed in Lea County, just across the border from Texas.

Authorities nationwide are warning parents to make sure that their children are vaccinated to check those vaccine cards and help curb the spread of this virus so it doesn't go even further.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: One public health expert stressed to CNN on Sunday the importance of vaccinations and says she sees this emerging crisis as an opportunity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIELE FALLIN, DEAN OF PUBLIC HEALTH, EMORY UNIVERSITY'S ROLLINS SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: This is a good opportunity to remind ourselves of the success of vaccination. And prior to having vaccines in this country, we had millions of people affected every year and the resulting illness and hospitalizations and unfortunately, maybe even death due to measles alone.

But since that time, we have less than 200 a year. So just a dramatic success story of how vaccines can change our childhood experiences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A bird flu vaccine for chickens has been conditionally approved here in the United States as the virus ravages poultry stocks in the country. Unlike other nations until now, the U.S. had chosen not to vaccinate chickens.

Instead, the U.S. normally culls flocks of birds when it detects bird flu. But the impact is sending the price of eggs soaring, forcing the

country to consider another strategy. Over the last year, about 70 cases of bird flu were confirmed among people in the U.S. Authorities say the risk to the general public remains low.

Coming up next, an update on the health of Pope Francis as he recovers from bronchitis in the hospital. Back with that and more in just a moment.

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[03:40:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Germans will vote next Sunday in a closely-contested election. Immigration and the economy are two of the top issues. The country's four main candidates for Chancellor debated for the first time Sunday.

The conservative Christian Democratic Union Party leads the polls. Its leader, Friedrich Merz, says he will move Germany further to the right.

He's also promising to crack down on immigration and lower taxes. But he rejects the hard-line positions of the far-right Alternative for Germany party. The AfD is second in the polls.

Well the Vatican says Pope Francis is in a stable condition as he remains in hospital. The 88-year-old pontiff was admitted to hospital on Friday and has been undergoing treatment for bronchitis. Pope Francis had been suffering from the respiratory illness for a number of days.

So let's get more on this from Rome. We turn to CNN's Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb.

Good to see you, Christopher. So what more are you learning about the Pope's condition?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, we're heading into the fourth day of Pope Francis' stay at the Gemelli Hospital behind me in Rome as he continues to have treatment for this respiratory infection.

The Vatican cannot give a timetable for how long the Pope is going to be staying in hospital. It all depends on how he responds to treatment. Now, the doctors have told the Pope he has to have a complete rest.

And yesterday, for only the second time in his almost 12-year pontificate, the Pope did not lead the Sunday Angelus prayer that he does each week. He is stopping all activity so he can battle and try and overcome this infection.

Now, the 88-year-old pontiff was going at full pelt before his hospitalization. He was meeting a huge number of people and having public events. In fact, I saw him on the morning before he was hospitalized.

And it was clear then when I met him that he was struggling to breathe and struggling to talk. And that's been the case for a number of days with this bout of bronchitis that the Pope has been suffering from.

He's been asking assistants to read his speeches because he simply doesn't seem to have the lung capacity to speak for long periods of time.

[03:45:04]

This is a case of monitoring very closely how the Pope responds. We are expecting further updates from the Vatican later today and will be following that very closely. Rosemary.

CHURCH: Christopher Lamb, many thanks for joining us. I appreciate it.

Argentine President Javier Milei is facing calls for impeachment after he appeared to endorse a cryptocurrency whose price soared, then sank. When the price dropped, thousands of investors lost money.

Milei mentioned the currency in a social media post, then deleted the post hours later. Opposition lawmakers are accusing him of scamming his 3.8 million followers.

Milei's office tells CNN the incident was a mistake. They also say Argentina's anti-corruption office will investigate. An NBA All-Star game like no other with an MVP performance from Steph

Curry and a new format that's garnered mixed reviews. We'll take a look. Stay with us.

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[03:50:00]

Brazilian beachgoers swarmed the surf at Macumba Beach in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. With the summer heat soaring, high temperatures have reached dangerous levels in this part of the hemisphere. It's prompted the government to provide primary care to people most at risk, including children, the elderly and pregnant women.

In the Czech Republic, a group of skiers took a trip back in time to celebrate the sport's history. On Saturday, skiers hit the slopes in vintage-style donning wooden skis.

The event is meant to recreate the arrival of skiing in the country more than a century ago. Participants were seen using old-fashioned gear like wool sweaters, hats and ski poles. The event began about 30 years ago with just a handful of people.

Well the stars were out in London for the BAFTA Film Awards Sunday night. Among the big winners were "The Brutalist" for leading actor Adrian Brody and director Brady Corbett, and "Conclave" for Best Film.

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But heading toward the Oscars, predictions are still looking difficult. In addition to the favorites, there were some surprises.

A Real Pain's writer-director, Jesse Eisenberg, took the Best Original Screenplay award. He spoke to CNN's Max Foster and summed up what he thought might account for the broad appeal of an unusual movie.

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JESSE EISENBERG, WINNER, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY, "A REAL PAIN": I guess the unusual thing about it, but I can't even parse it because it's my own thing, is that perhaps it takes the kind of well-worn theme which is like Holocaust-themed movies and maybe comes at it from an angle that feels a little, I don't know, newer or more modern, more welcoming, less sanctimonious than a lot of the movies made on a similar theme. So maybe that's why.

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CHURCH: And in the Best Actress category, Mikey Madison edged out the favorite Demi Moore, who's been riding high on her comeback performance in "The Substance." Madison spoke to Max about the film she stars in "Anora."

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MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: Why do you think the film hit a nerve? Have you got any feeling for that?

MIKEY MADISON, WINNER, LEADING ACTRESS, "ANORA": I mean, I think Sean makes films about humanity and touches on really interesting subject matter. And I don't know. I mean, I think that there is just something really special in the air for me to make this film.

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CHURCH: "Captain America: Brave New World" is the number one movie at the U.S. box office.

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This is Marvel Studios' fourth Captain America film. It's expected to take more than $100 million over America's Presidents' Day long weekend. That would make it the fourth highest grossing movie for the holiday.

The top three Presidents' Day weekend money makers are also Marvel films, with 2018's "Black Panther" leading the way. "Captain America: Brave New World" stars Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford.

William Byron has won NASCAR's Daytona 500 for the second time in a row. The 27-year-old took the checkered flag after a series of wrecks on the race's final lap. Byron is the first back-to-back Daytona winner since 2020.

Team Shaq won the NBA's first all-star mini tournament on Sunday night. Steph Curry was the game's MVP, helping Team Shaq post a 41-25 win over Charles Barkley's Team Chuck. CNN's Andy Scholes has more.

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ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, for the very first time, the NBA all-star game was a mini tournament, and let's just say it delivered mixed reviews.

Now, the night started with Charles Barkley's Global Stars taking down Kenny Smith's Young Stars, 41-32, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way with 12 points.

And during the intermission, Mr. Beast came out and he offered this kid $100,000 if he could make one deep three before Damian Lillard made three of them. It wasn't looking good after Dame made two, but then the kid banked it in.

Shaq and all the mascots ran to him to celebrate. It certainly was a fun moment.

And then it was time for Shaq's O.G. squad to take on the Rising Stars winners from Friday. Now, LeBron's sitting out with an injured ankle. It's the first all-star game he's missed in 20 years.

And the Rising Stars battle made it close, but in the end, it was Dame time as Lillard made the game-winning three.

So it was Shaq's OGs taking on Chuck's Global Stars in the finals, and this one was a rout.

Jason Tatum poured in 15 for Shaq's squad. Steph Curry, he scored 20 across both games, and he was named the all-star MVP as Shaq's OGs were victorious.

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STEPH CURRY, 2025 ALL-STAR GAME MVP: It's just a celebration of a lot of great things happening in basketball to be playing with these guys for as long as we have.

It's obviously our responsibility to come out and put on a show, and I thank them for helping me do that in Golden State because a lot of history has happened out here, but the competition and the camaraderie and the legacies that we all create is what it's all about. So I'm happy to be a part of that celebration.

SCOLES: Now, the games did have a more competitive feel to them compared to the last few years, but the new format did receive mixed reviews from the players.

DAMIAN LILLARD, TEAM SHAQ; I wasn't mad at it. You know, I think, like I said, I'm more of a fan of the just straight up East versus West, two halves of basketball, and then that's it.

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS, TEAM CHUCK: I thought it was great. I thought the competition was definitely huffed, and I think that we did a great job getting the fans a show. I hope the fans appreciate it.

It was a work in progress. I think East and West is my preferred thing, but you know, it's all about trying to make the experience better for your fans.

TRAE YOUNG, TEAM CHUCK: I didn't like it at all, to be honest with you. I don't know what the fans' reaction is yet and things like that, but I think it's like too many breaks, you know what I'm saying?

It's too long of a break, and guys are over there, like, I mean, ready to play and stuff like that. I thought it was very competitive at the beginning, but then as the games kept going on, I think it was just too long of breaks, for sure.

SCHOLES: And we'll wait and see if they continue with this mini tournament format in the future or possibly switch to The USA versus The World, which has become a very popular idea and is used by other professional leagues.

At the 74th All-Star Game in San Francisco, Andy Scholes, CNN.

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CHURCH: And thanks so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues next with Christina Macfarlane in London.

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