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Russia and U.S. Exclude Ukraine and Europe from Talks; Hamas to Release 4 Deceased, 6 Living Hostages This Week; Jair Bolsonaro Charges in Attempted Coup; Toronto Runway Closed as Investigators Review Crash Site; New Video Shows Passengers in Overturned Delta Flight; Tests Show Pope Has Pneumonia in Both Lungs; Elon Musk Touts New Version of His Grok Chatbot. Aired 12-12:45a ET
Aired February 19, 2025 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Vladimir Putin's best day in years is also one of the darkest for Ukraine.
Hello. I'm John Vause. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They should have ended it three years. It should have never started it. You could have made a deal.
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VAUSE: They, as in Ukraine, started nothing. They were invaded by Russia in a war of Putin's choice. Now Moscow is out of the diplomatic cold after resetting relations with Washington.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Thursday really is going to be a very, very painful day for most Israelis.
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VAUSE: With Hamas set to release the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including the Bibas children, one 4 years old, the other nine months when they were taken. Also, this.
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JAIR BOLSONARO, FORMER PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL (through translator): Have you seen the details of the coup, by any chance? Have you seen the details of the coup? Haven't you? I haven't seen them either.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Well, now we all have. The details are public in a 272-page indictment accusing Jair Bolsonaro and his supporters of trying to hold on to power with an attempted coup after losing the presidency in Brazil in 2022.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
VAUSE: It may have been a slip of the tongue, maybe a moment of confusion. Could be Ukraine's worst fears coming true.
Just hours after an historic reset of relations between Moscow and Washington, as the U.S. president was talking to reporters about ending the war in Ukraine, Donald Trump falsely claimed Ukraine had started the war and, if they really wanted to, could have made a deal with Russia to end it during the almost three years of fighting.
During remarks at Mar-a-Lago, President Trump boasted to reporters that he could have made a deal long before now. He also announced he will probably meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin before the month's end. A dramatic thawing of relations compared to the previous Biden administration.
Earlier in the Saudi capital, senior U.S. and Russian officials met for the first time since the war began. Ukrainian and European representatives were not invited, and according to the U.S. secretary of state, there was agreement on four key principles, including reestablishing diplomatic missions in Moscow and Ukraine and appointing high level teams to work through the conflict in a way Marco Rubio had called, quote, "enduring and acceptable to all the parties engaged." Notably, he called it a conflict, not a war.
Ukraine is finding none of this acceptable. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on a visit to Turkey, vowed his country will not give in to Russia's ultimatums.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I am sure that for Ukraine, for Europe, for our region, it is fundamental that any negotiations on ending the war do not take place behind the backs of the key actors affected by the consequences of Russian aggression.
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VAUSE: Russia's senior diplomat called the Riyadh talks very useful, saying we not only listened but also heard each other.
CNN's Matthew Chance begins our coverage.
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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Russians are calling these first U.S. talks a huge accomplishment. After years of hostility, officials from both sides now chatting across a Saudi negotiating table.
The U.S. says it wanted to see how serious the Kremlin is about ending its brutal Ukraine war. MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I came away today convinced that
they are willing to begin to engage in a serious process to determine how and how quickly and through what mechanism can an end be brought to this war. Whether we can ultimately reach that outcome will obviously depend on every side in this conflict's willingness to agree to certain things.
CHANCE: For the past three years, Russia has been pounding the frontlines across Ukraine, seizing territory in a full-scale invasion estimated to have inflicted hundreds of thousands of casualties on both sides. Despite tough sanctions, though, and steep losses, the Kremlin has shown little sign of wavering. Even now briefing that the war is just one issue along with restoring economic ties and the possible normalization of relations with the U.S. under President Trump.
KIRILL DMITRIEV, CEO, RUSSIAN DIRECT INVESTMENT FUND: I think, again, in the previous administration, there was so much damage done to any communication, any dialogue, any understanding of each other.
CHANCE: The Biden administration.
DMITRIEV: The Biden administration. So I think we're starting from a very low base, and we have lots of road ahead of us. But I think the conversation was a dialogue trying to understand each other's position, respectful dialogue. And that already is a huge accomplishment. No ultimatums. Really understanding each other's positions.
CHANCE: But what's also striking in Riyadh is the absence of key players, not least Ukraine, whose embattled president vows he will not give in to Russia's ultimatums and express surprise U.S.-Russia talks are proceeding at pace.
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ZELENSKYY (through translator): Today Europe, NATO countries and the United States could give Ukraine hope. Strong security guarantees. Hope that Ukraine will become a NATO member. But today we do not hear such support from the United States. We know that they and several other European partners do not support a membership in NATO and I believe that this is Russia's great desire.
CHANCE: Another is Russia being back at the top table of international diplomacy and the Kremlin dream of shattering Western unity on Ukraine becoming a harsh reality.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
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VAUSE: Jill Dougherty is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, a CNN contributor, also former CNN Moscow bureau chief.
It's good to see you. It's been a minute.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hey, John.
VAUSE: OK, so for Vladimir Putin, Tuesday must have been like all his Christmases came at once. Let's start with the U.S. secretary of state. Here's Marco Rubio.
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RUBIO: I think there'll be some pretty unique opportunities to work with them on areas of bilateral geopolitical interests and some very unique economic opportunities. But we have to get the Ukraine situation resolved first in a way that's acceptable to everyone.
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VAUSE: So in that meeting in Riyadh, Moscow got a reset of relations with Washington. Rubio made no mention of any concessions from Russia for that. Notably, Rubio never seemed to use the word war to describe what Russia is doing by choice in Ukraine. He referred to it as the situation or a conflict, and that's language which is approved for use by the Kremlin, which must have been music to Vladimir Putin's ears.
DOUGHERTY: Yes to all three. Well, look, Vladimir Putin, just by the very fact that they are talking, that there was a telephone conversation a few days ago, and now you have this. He has gotten a lot of what he wanted because, you know, he wants to somehow deal with the war. I'm not going to say necessarily end it or whatever, but the big issue, what Vladimir Putin really wants is to be back on the stage and to be a decider, and to be, you know, at the table with the American president.
And that's what he's getting. In fact, when you listen to Rubio and he says there are some unique economic opportunities, I personally started thinking, what about the Western companies that have been nationalized by the Kremlin? You know, it's completely taken over and given to friends of Vladimir Putin. Is that a unique opportunity? And I think, you know, you have to be realistic.
That is not realistic. Perhaps they're trying to do, you know, carrot and stick, but, you know, reality would be useful here.
VAUSE: It would always be helpful when dealing with Russia and Vladimir Putin. Let's get on to the next Christmas gift for the Russian president. It comes from the U.S. president, Donald Trump. Here he is.
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TRUMP: I think I have the power to end this war, and I think it's going very well. But today I heard, oh, well, we weren't invited. Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it three years. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: He was referring to Ukraine. And you know, that's the Christmas gift which keeps on giving. There is an important correction here to make. Ukraine and NATO did not start the war. Russia is clearly the aggressor and we know that because we all saw the tanks and troops roll across the border in February 2022. And the other part of that statement about being able to end this war, yes, the U.S. president can end it by ending military and financial assistance for Ukraine, just like Joe Biden could do that. But there's a big difference between ending a war and making peace.
DOUGHERTY: True. And even I would kind of question the phrase I can end this war. There are other people involved in this. You have Zelenskyy primarily, and he really does have to agree otherwise even though Ukraine, you know, is in serious situation right now with many, many, you know, tens of thousands killed and wounded, but he could continue to fight as long as, you know, they have the will and the people.
And you need somebody to police, let's say, some type of ceasefire line. You need other countries just, you know, one person, even Donald Trump is not going to be able to solve this completely.
VAUSE: Over the weekend came another gift for Vladimir Putin. That was the U.S. ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine. And there's also a Ukrainian president who's been left to watch all of these negotiations from a distance as two major powers essentially could decide the fate of his country. Here's Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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ZELENSKYY (through translator): You can talk about anything, but no decision can be made without Ukraine on how to end the war in Ukraine. We were not invited to this meeting. The U.S.-Russia meeting in Saudi Arabia. It was a surprise for us as well as for many.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The big picture here is that the original Russian plan to take Ukraine involved a three-day dash of Russian forces to the capital Kyiv. It's now been almost three years, and it seems Putin finally has the upper hand in his war of choice.
DOUGHERTY: Yes. Again, once again. I think, you know, the problem for Zelenskyy right now is that he is in a situation of trying to come to the table, but you have the U.S. president, the U.S. trying to, you know, originally the idea was the U.S. would bring them together, kind of an honest broker. But what you have right now is the American president attacking Zelenskyy and actually really demanding nothing from Russia. So that Putin is getting exactly what he wanted, not only on Ukraine, but he's getting it on, again, restoring that relationship, which is really the thing that he wants the most.
VAUSE: If the Russians are happy now, they'll be happier in a couple of weeks from now if that meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump goes ahead.
Jill Dougherty, good to see you. Thanks so much for being with us.
DOUGHERTY: Thank you, John.
VAUSE: With growing criticism and legal questions over the role of Elon Musk and gutting the federal government, the world's richest man sat down for a joint interview on FOX with the world's most powerful man. Musk and Trump came across almost like a buddy act, both there for the other. Musk, though, was both defensive as well as filled with nothing but praise for the U.S. president, almost as much as Trump sycophant and interviewer Sean Hannity.
This comes as many Americans are in fear that Musk and his DOGE team are gutting critical federal agencies without regard for safety or privacy. Donald Trump refusing to clarify what Elon Musk's official government role actually is. On Tuesday, he said the billionaire could be called an employee, a consultant, quote, "whatever you want."
And confusing matters now further the Trump administration in recent court filings said Musk is not an employee or administrator of the DOGE team but a Trump adviser working as a special government employee. In the interview on FOX, Musk says he sees himself as -- and DOGE, rather, as a presidential enforcer.
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ELON MUSK, TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: One of the biggest functions of the DOGE team is just making sure that the presidential executive orders are actually carried out. And this is -- I just want to point out, this is a very important thing because the president is the elected representative of the people so he's representing the will of the people. And if the bureaucracy is fighting the will of the people and preventing the president from implementing what the people want, then what we live in is a bureaucracy and not a democracy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It seems they don't teach separation of powers in South Africa's civics classes.
Now, the interview aired hours after a U.S. federal judge ruled against a lawsuit seeking to block Musk and DOGE from accessing federal data systems.
Hamas says it will release the dead bodies of four Israeli hostages on Thursday and six living hostages on Saturday. The Hostages and Missing Families' Forum named all six of the living hostages, including two held in Gaza since 2014 and 2015, respectively.
CNN's Nic Robertson has more details on their release, as well as the return of the hostages who did not survive the conflict.
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ROBERTSON: Thursday really is going to be a very, very painful day for most Israelis. Everyone remembers those searing images of Shiri Bibas trying to shield her young sons, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months old, trying to shield them under a blanket as she was taken hostage.
And back in 2023, late 2023, Hamas said they had been killed. Israel could not get definitive information about their wellbeing. Now their bodies being returned Thursday back to Israel being repatriated. And Israel is so aware of the pain of this that Shiri's husband, Yarden, released just a couple of weeks ago, came back to discover that his wife and two sons are dead. It's a pain for the nation.
But what Hamas appears to be doing here by releasing on Thursday the remains of four hostages, releasing six living hostages Saturday, and releasing four other hostages -- remains of hostages sometime next week, they're accelerating the completion of the release of all 33 hostages they agreed to under phase one.
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Israel, on the other hand, several weeks late, is talking about entering phase two negotiations sometime this week. What we understand from Israeli government officials is what they'd actually like to do is really slow roll the phase two process, focus on extending phase one so that they can get more living hostages released.
But Thursday is going to be that really tough day here in Israel when those -- the youngest victims of Hamas, their bodies return to their home. A final journey.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Jerusalem.
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VAUSE: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. In a moment, charges against Brazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro, accused of plotting a coup to cling to power after he lost the presidential election. More on that in a moment.
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VAUSE: OPEC Plus is getting a little bigger with Brazil set to join the group which represents the world's biggest oil exporters. Government approval to join came Tuesday. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is behind a push for Brazil to become a major oil state, even though when he was first elected, he described himself as an environmental defender. Now, he argues revenue from oil exports would finance Brazil's transition to green energy.
And Brazil right now preparing to host the United Nations' Annual Climate Summit later this year.
And Brazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro, has been charged over an attempted coup plot after the 2022 election. That's according to documents filed at the Supreme Court by prosecutors on Tuesday.
Details now from Stefano Pozzebon.
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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, this is a story we were monitoring for quite some time that just broke late on Tuesday out of Brazil. The former president, Jair Bolsonaro, has been formally charged for his participation in an alleged coup d'etat around the beginning of 2023.
You might remember the images of Bolsonaro supporters storming the palaces of power in Brasilia on January 8th, 2023, to try to prevent the current president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, from taking office. This was the immediate aftermath of the election in Brazil in 2022, which Bolsonaro lost against Lula.
Now, the justice over the last -- the prosecutors in Brazil over the last two years have conducted their investigations, and they feel confident enough to present charges against Bolsonaro in front of the Supreme Court. Together with Bolsonaro, there are at least more than 30 other people have been charged, including the former defense minister Walter Braga Netto.
And our colleagues at CNN Brazil are reporting that Bolsonaro is being accused of criminal association. The attempt to overthrow the rule of law and, of course, the alleged coup d'etat for his participation in those criminal activities.
Now, this is not the first time that Bolsonaro gets in trouble with Brazilian justice. According to the CNN Brazil, our affiliates in Sao Paulo, and the rest of the country, Bolsonaro has been facing at least five different investigations. But this is, of course, the most serious one due to the nature of these charges.
We don't expect the Supreme Court to take on the matter and rule in a matter of days. It will probably take weeks, if not months, and it's a story that is just developing now. We'll bring you the repercussions of what's happening in Brazil over the next few hours and days.
For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.
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VAUSE: In a moment, new images and new details from a fiery crash landing in Toronto, which ended with the commuter jet belly up on the tarmac. All survived that crash. We'll have those new details in just a moment.
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VAUSE: Welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Major runway at Toronto international airport is expected to remain closed Thursday as investigations continue into the cause of a crash landing of a small commuter jet. The scorched and overturned aircraft remains on scene as new images emerge of the crash, including a recording from another pilot on board a plane not far from the runway, which could provide answers to exactly what went wrong to DL-Flight 4819.
CNN's Brian Todd has the very latest now reporting in from Toronto.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dramatic new video of the fiery Delta plane crash outside Toronto showing the moment of impact, the flames, the right wing tearing off and the left wing flipping the plane over. First the approach.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It does seem to be slightly right-wing low.
MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: There was no attempt to flare at all, which slows the plane down and put your back wheels on the runway first.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Why was that? Was there some sort of what we call wind shear?
TODD: The weather at the time? Cold. Some blowing snow and wind gusts up to 38 miles per hour.
JOHN NELSON, PASSENGER: It was routine, but like the winds were super gusty. The snow had kind of blown over the runways.
TODD: Then the impact.
PETE CARLSON, PASSENGER: It was just a very forceful event where all of a sudden everything just kind of went sideways. It sounded, I mean, it was just cement and metal, you know.
NELSON: When we hit, it was just a super hard, like hit the ground and the plane went sideways. And I believe we skidded, like, on our side and then flipped over on our back. Where we ended up, there was like a big fireball out this left side of the plane. We were being tossed around. I was just trying to hold on to everything at that point.
PETE KOUKOV, PASSENGER: We were upside down, hanging like bats. Some people were kind of hanging and needed some help being helped down.
TODD: Passenger Pete Carlson got a gash on his scalp.
CARLSON: I took my seatbelt off and as I took it off, crashed down onto the ceiling, which had become the floor because we were upside down.
TODD: Even as passengers evacuated, the danger was not over.
CARLSON: You could smell the gas. There was just liquid pouring over the, you know, the small windows.
NELSON: There was another explosion, but luckily the firefighters got out of there.
TODD: The fuselage doused in foam as passengers moved to safety.
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DEBORAH FLINT, PRESIDENT & CEO, TORONTO PEARSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: I cannot commend enough the -- the crew, the flight attendants, pilots, and our emergency responders for their quick and effective response.
TODD (voice-over): The injuries?
CORY TKATCH, PEEL REGIONAL PARAMEDIC SERVICES: Back sprains, head injuries. Anxiety, some headaches, nausea, and vomiting due to the fuel exposure.
TODD (voice-over): Another angle showing the impact in this video obtained by TMZ.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: It's extraordinary to see the collapse of that landing gear. That must have indicated a lot of impact, or maybe some problem with the landing gear itself.
TODD (voice-over): But officials not yet commenting on a possible cause.
KEN WEBSTER, SENIOR INVESTIGATOR, TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD OF CANADA: We've already removed the cockpit voice recorder, the flight data recorder, and we've sent them to our lab for further analysis.
At this point, it's far too early to say what the cause of this accident might be.
TODD: While officials are not saying at this point if weather was a factor in the crash, Deborah Flint, the president and CEO of Toronto Pearson International Airport, did say that on Thursday and on Sunday, right before that crash on Monday, that this area was experiencing extreme weather.
She said two storms, one on Thursday and one on Sunday, brought more than 20 inches of snow to the area around the airport. More snow than they had had all winter last year.
Brian Todd, CNN, Toronto.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The pope has been diagnosed with pneumonia, according to Vatican officials. The Holy Father has been in hospital since last week, and for now, it's not known how long doctors will keep the 88-year-old pontiff admitted.
More now from CNN's Christopher Lamb, reporting in from Rome.
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CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, concerning news about Pope Francis coming this evening at the end of his fifth day here at Rome's Gemelli Hospital behind me.
LAMB (voice-over): The pontiff has pneumonia in both lungs, which is concerning for an 88-year-old man who has in the past been vulnerable to respiratory infections.
As a young man, he had the top of his right lung removed, and he has in the past been hospitalized for bronchitis.
LAMB: Before he came to Rome's Gemelli Hospital, he was struggling to breathe. He couldn't speak for long periods of time.
LAMB (voice-over): The Vatican explaining that he has a complex polymicrobial condition that requires different kinds of treatments. They've changed the treatment on two occasions so far.
LAMB: The key thing here for Francis is how he responds to the drug therapy and treatment that he is receiving at the hospital.
LAMB (voice-over): People are looking in the Vatican for a sign that there is some kind of improvement. So far, we've been told the pope is stable, that he ate breakfast this morning. He read newspapers.
He's received some drawings from children in the hospital that have lifted his spirits. The Vatican say he is in a --
LAMB: -- good frame of mind, in good spirits. But of course, we are awaiting further updates in the coming days to hear about how the pope is responding to what is a serious infection.
Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.
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VAUSE: So Grok, ready to rock in a moment. At least that's the word from Elon Musk about his new A.I. chatbot. We'll take a closer look in a couple of minutes.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We, the jury in the above entitled action, find the defendant, Rakim Mayers, not guilty of the crime.
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VAUSE: A jury in California announcing the verdict in the assault trial of rapper A$AP Rocky. He's the longtime partner of singer Rihanna and father of her two children. She was in the courtroom to hear the verdict Tuesday.
Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, was charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm after a shooting incident in 2021 in Los Angeles. His legal defense was based on claims by his lawyers the weapon was a
prop gun used in a music video, and it fired only blanks. They argued Rocky carried it purely for his own security.
Elon Musk is rolling out a new version of his Grok artificial intelligence chatbot. He says Grok 3 can, in some cases, outperform other leaders in the A.I. industry.
Here's CNN's Anna Stewart with details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELON MUSK, FOUNDER OF XAI: The mission of XAI and Grok is to understand the universe.
ANNA STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Elon Musk's A.I. company has launched its latest model, Grok 3. Musk has claimed that this is the --
STEWART: -- smartest A.I. available. And of course, it comes at a time of fierce competition between the likes of Google, OpenAI --
STEWART (voice-over): -- and China's DeepSeek.
Musk has a big vision for Grok.
STEWART: And it aligns with his other businesses.
MUSK: If all goes well, SpaceX will send starship rockets to Mars, and with Optimus robots and -- and Grok.
STEWART (voice-over): Musk envisions a future where machine intelligence supersedes human intelligence and, combined with humanoids, leads to an era with an abundant workforce, potentially making money meaningless.
Now, this version isn't yet super intelligent, but early reviews suggest it is highly advanced. It's currently available for those with a premium X subscription, and will later be available on a Grok app --
STEWART: -- and website. The A.I. will keep improving, according to XAI --
STEWART (voice-over): -- and will soon be able to chat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you hear me? I'm so excited to finally meet you! I can't wait to chat and learn more about each other.
STEWART: Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Fertility issues were the focus of yet another presidential executive order on Tuesday.
[00:40:03] President Donald Trump signed an order to develop lower costs and expand access to in vitro fertilization, or IVF, as it's more commonly known.
Those recommendations are expected to come within 90 days.
The struggle to conceive comes at a huge emotional and financial cost, especially in the United States. IVF is often not fully covered by health insurance and can cost up to $25,000 per cycle. And then some.
What's worse: multiple cycles may be needed in order to fall pregnant.
A rescue operation underway off the coast of the Australian island state of Tasmania. More than 150 whales are stranded, according to authorities.
The state's marine conservation program says initial observations show at least 90 of the whales are alive. The agency says it's currently assessing the situation and coordinating a response with the state's wildlife service, and is urging the public not to approach the -- the animals, which appear to be false killer whales and also under a great deal of distress right now.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause, back with more news at the top of the hour. In the meantime, please stay with us. WORLD SPORT starts after a short break. See you back here in 19 minutes.
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