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Terror Attack in Israel as Three Buses Explode Near Tel Aviv; Body Returned by Hamas Not of Shiri Bibas; President Trump Frustrated with Zelenskyy's Rejection; Germany to Elect New Government; Pope Francis Improving Slightly; U.S. Senate Confirms Kash Patel as FBI Director; Judge Says White House Violating Order To Resume Foreign Aid; Hegseth Orders Military To Prepare For Major Budget Cuts. Aired 2-2:45a ET
Aired February 21, 2025 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom." Disturbing news about one of the bodies Hamas returned to Israel. We'll have a live report with details on what this could mean for the ceasefire.
The rift between Ukraine and the U.S. appears to be getting wider, even as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with the Trump administration's envoy in Kyiv.
And the jobs of senior U.S. defense officials could be soon on the chopping block. What's behind the cuts at the Pentagon?
We begin this hour in Israel where police are investigating a suspected terror attack. Israeli authorities say bombs on at least three buses exploded on Thursday night in Bat Yam and Holon. They say the bombs were put on the buses while they were empty. No injuries have been reported. Officials ordered all buses and trains to stop running across the country, with the incident prompting a massive security response. Israeli police say they're searching other buses to rule out any further threats.
Following the blast, the Israeli military said it would deploy three additional battalions to the West Bank on Friday morning. Meanwhile, authorities in Israel say a body handed over by Hamas isn't Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas. The 32-year-old wife and mother was supposed to be among four deceased hostages turned over on Thursday. Israel says the remains don't match any known hostage. Authorities did confirm the identities of 4-year-old Ariel Bibas and 9-month-old Kfir Bibas, as well as 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz.
Israel says evidence suggests they were murdered. Hamas claims they were killed in Israeli military strikes. The Bibas boys, with their bright red hair, became some of the most recognizable victims of the October 7 terror attacks. CNN's Paula Hancocks joins me now from Abu Dhabi. So Paula, what more do we know about that incident and the repercussions?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, there has been a statement just now by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, responding to the fact that Shiri Bibas' body was not part of the four hostage remains or three hostage remains that were brought back from Gaza yesterday. Now, in this statement, he has said that the three were murdered in terrible cruelty, also saying that the cruelty of Hamas's monsters does not have any limit.
There is anger in Israel at this point given what has happened and there is also devastation that the positive identification has happened of the two young Bibas boys. We have had reaction across the board, we've had reaction for example from the Israeli military. I'll read you part of their statement where it says, "This is a violation of the utmost severity by the Hamas terrorist organization, which is obligated under the agreement to return four deceased hostages. We demand that Hamas return Shiri home along with all of our hostages."
At this point, and this was clarified by the Prime Minister as well, they are going to continue with this -- the hostage deal, so it doesn't appear to have derailed anything in the short term. We understand that there will still be a hostage release happening tomorrow on Saturday. There are expected to be six live hostages released by Hamas and in return a number of Palestinian prisoners being released from Israeli jails as well.
But there is certainly anger at what has happened. We also heard reaction by the hostage special envoy for hostage affairs of President Donald Trump. Let's listen to what he said to CNN.
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ADAM BOEHLER, U.S. ENVOY FOR HOSTAGE AFFAIRS: It's horrific. It's a clear violation. And if I have one piece of advice for Hamas now, it's not only do you need to release her body immediately, but we have the bodies of four Americans that are still there and we have one American, Edan Alexander. I think you know his family well and you've done a great job reporting on it. He needs to come home. And if I were them, I'd release everybody or they're going to face total annihilation right now.
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HANCOCKS: That's really in keeping with what we have heard from the U.S. president as well. We did hear a response from the forum that represents the families of those hostages and they spoke of their profound sorrow and unbearable pain. We also heard from the U.N. Secretary General condemning Hamas for what it has done. Kim?
BRUNHUBER: All right. Appreciate those updates. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi. Thanks so much.
The rift between the U.S. and its allies over Ukraine is only getting wider as the war with Russia approaches its third anniversary. Officials say the U.S. is now opposed to calling the war a Russian aggression in the upcoming G7 statement marking the occasion. That's happening after U.S. President Donald Trump blamed Ukraine for the war and started talks with Russia.
Western intelligence says there's no evidence Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready for a serious peace talks. That is, as long as he believes he can get what he wants on the battlefield. That's according to sources familiar with intelligence reports.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's president says he rejected a proposal that would give the U.S. access to half of his country's rare earth minerals. He says the proposal does include any future security guarantees for Ukraine. As Jeff Zeleny reports, the Trump administration isn't happy.
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JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: President Trump remains very frustrated in the words of one of his top advisors with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Over Zelenskyy's refusal to accept a deal the U.S. is offering in exchange for peace negotiations. That deal would be having access to some of the rare earth minerals found in Ukraine as a payback for some of the foreign assistance that's been given over the last three years. Now National Security Advisor Mike Waltz is telling reporters on Thursday the president remains defiant.
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MIKE WALTZ, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: His frustration with President Zelenskyy is -- that you've heard, is multifold. One, there needs to be a deep appreciation for what the American people, what the American taxpayer, what President Trump did in his first term, and what we've done since. So some of the rhetoric coming out of Kyiv, frankly, and insults to President Trump were unacceptable.
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ZELENY: But that rhetoric certainly has been going both ways with President Trump calling Zelenskyy a dictator. Of course, that would be Putin. Zelenskyy was elected by a popular vote. Now there is no question as the first month of this Trump administration ends, this Russia-U.S. relationship has been reset. The question is for what and how. Leaders still would like to meet at some point. We shall see if that happens in the future, but there is no doubt the relations between the United States and Ukraine certainly fraught. President Trump is playing hardball. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House.
BRUNHUBER: Now, in the midst of that dispute, President Trump's envoy, Keith Kellogg, headed to Ukraine for talks with President Zelenskyy. They met in Kyiv on Thursday, just days after Trump's comments that blamed Ukraine for the war and called Zelenskyy a dictator. The Ukrainian president said his U.S. counterpart, in his words, lives in a disinformation space. Now, despite that exchange, Zelensky said he was encouraged by Thursday's talks. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translation): General Kellogg, our talks restore hope. We need strong agreements with America, agreements that will really work. I gave instructions to work fast and very much even-handedly. Economic interests and security interests should always go hand in hand. And the details of the agreement are important. The better the details are drafted, the better the result. We spoke with General Kellogg about the front line, the need to free all of our prisoners of war who are held in Russia, and also the necessity of a reliable and well-defined system of security guarantees so the war doesn't return and Russians are no longer able to maim life. We all need peace. Ukraine, Europe, America, everyone in the world.
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BRUNHUBER: CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more on that meeting from Kyiv.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the closest Ukraine has got to President Trump's noisy push for peace. President Zelensky has wanted to meet U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg for weeks, just not on a day like today, with the U.S.-Ukraine relationship crumbling around them, making what they actually discussed matter less and less.
(On camera): We're now leaving the presidency after being told that we're not expected to get a press conference or statements. Not a suggestion that either man looking for publicity. Now we are being told that that format is the request of the American side.
(Voice-over): The last 48 hours have seen Ukraine standing with its main backer in free fall. But their fight against an advancing Russian aggressor has not stopped, even if the garish rhetoric around it seemed to drown the dying out.
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Trump falsely saying Ukraine started the war and its leader was deeply unpopular, refusing elections.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: A dictator without elections, Zelenskyy better move faster, he's not going to have a country left.
WALSH (voice-over): And then adding Zelenskyy was asleep when he was meant to meet Trump's Treasury Secretary in Kyiv.
TRUMP: Essentially, they told him no and Zelenskyy was sleeping and unavailable to meet him. He traveled many hours on the train, which is a dangerous trip.
WALSH (voice-over): For clarity, here is Zelenskyy meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during that visit, both visibly awake. And here they are again, neither apparently asleep. But the litany of untruths from Trump continues. Perhaps designed to press Ukraine into a deal over rare earth minerals
that Bessent brought with him. Trump's national security advisor pressing again the need for a deal.
WALTZ: The war has to end and what comes with that? What comes with that should be at some point elections. What comes with that should be peace. What comes with that is prosperity that we've just offered.
WALSH (voice-over): Two presidents, one in dire need of the other's help. The other apparently keen to leave him that way. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.
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BRUNHUBER: Vladimir Milov is a former Russian deputy energy minister and was an advisor to late opposition leader Alexei Navalny and joins us from Vilnius, Lithuania. Thank you so much for being here with us. So we have President Trump sort of parroting President Putin's talking points that Ukraine started the war, that Zelenskyy is a dictator who's unpopular, that half of Ukraine aid has gone missing, as our correspondent Nick Paton Walsh put it.
Putin's army of propagandists are being outwritten on Pennsylvania Avenue. So even knowing that Trump's support for Ukraine was tepid, many European leaders and officials seemed shocked by the flurry of blows that Trump landed on Ukraine and Zelenskyy specifically. Were you as surprised as many seemed in Europe?
VLADIMIR MILOV, FORMER RUSSIAN DEPUTY ENERGY MINISTER: No, not me, definitely. And this obviously reflects Trump's total lack of interest in this war and actually in this part of the world, in Eastern Hemisphere. He clearly, during his inaugural address, he clearly was looking like he's back 200 years from now, and he was speaking something more resembling of a Monroe Doctrine, where U.S. is focusing on western hemisphere and embracing this whole idea of dividing the world into zones of influence of great powers, which is an idea very familiar and very dear to Vladimir Putin.
So I think that was all in the making. It was visible that some major concessions on Trump's part to Putin are coming, and Trump's really not interested in getting involved in the -- in the words of former U.K. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain back in 1938, so why should we care about the quarrel in the faraway land between the people who we know nothing of?
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, certainly there have been plenty of parallels drawn between Neville Chamberlain and Donald Trump in recent weeks. So knowing the Russian government, as you do, how is this being greeted by the Kremlin and by Putin?
MILOV: From what I hear, it absolutely exceeded their expectations because Russia generally expected that Trump would come up with a certain set of demands. This is what the commentators and pundits have been saying all along, that before giving concessions, Trump would demand something from Russia, and Russians were preparing sort of some offers here and there to make what they call a deal. I see that everybody in Moscow is totally astonished by now that they
were given all the concessions they wanted even before the negotiation started. This is a shocking result even by Vladimir Putin standards, and you see Moscow demands accelerating in the past few days. They now demanding that all the NATO troops being pulled out of the new member states that have joined in the past quarter of a century, joined the NATO alliance. These demands already go well beyond just Ukraine and so on. So Moscow is clearly encouraged by Trump's lack of willingness to impose any conditions on Russia.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, you could imagine why. I mean, if Trump and Putin are playing a game of poker here it seems by putting all the pressure on Zelenskyy and none on Putin, Trump has just weakened his own hand essentially. But looking at the state of the Russian economy and military right now after almost three years of war, how strong are Putin's cards, really?
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MILOV: Russia is extremely exhausted after these three years, and there could not have been a more unfortunate moment to give away all these major concessions to Putin, because Putin's budget deficits are exploding because of extreme rise in military spending. He's almost out of money in the government's rainy day funds. He cannot calm down inflation, which is one of the worst in the world and is a product of Western sanctions.
And his military factories are running in three shifts, and at their 100 percent production capacity, they cannot expand. So I can go on, but clearly, we see that Putin has reached many limits on different fronts, and at the very same time he had been receiving this major gift from Trump.
BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll have to leave it there. I always appreciate your analysis. Vladimir Milov, in Vilnius, Lithuania. Thank you so much.
MILOV: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: German voters are getting ready to head to the polls, and the next government could make all the difference as Europe's largest economy tries to get its finances back on track. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Germans will go to the polls on Sunday to choose a new government two months after Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for and lost a confidence vote. The polls show the center-right CDU is on track to become the largest group in parliament. Meanwhile, its leader, Friedrich Merz, will likely become Germany's new chancellor. Merz says he's worried the U.S. is headed towards a long period of instability. He says Germany and Europe must be ready to step up and defend themselves in case the U.S. slides into a, quote, "authoritarian populist system." Germany's struggling economy is a major concern for voters. The country's GDP dropped in both of the last two years and the IMF predicts it will grow by a paltry 0.3 percent this year. CNN's Anna Stewart shows us how Germany is trying to sweeten the future of its economy.
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ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From chocolate to popcorn, and even a flavor of algae ice cream.
(On camera): It's green!
(Voice-over): Cologne has been taken over by sweets and snack firms from across the world. It's a chance to talk, to sell, and to try.
(On camera): Ooh! This isn't just a feast for the taste buds. It's a snapshot of global competition. And while chocolate and sweets may take center stage at this fair, underneath the sugar coating lies something more serious. Two years into a recession and German businesses are craving change.
GUNNAR MUHLSTADT, CTO, ALGENWERK: I'm really struggling with the situation because I'm not happy with the situation.
SARA MARQUART, CEO, CHOVIVA: Like you notice the regulations, the bureaucracy, like energy prices are high, it's very difficult to innovate as well because there's a lot of hurdles.
GUIDO HENTSCHKE, DIRECTOR, PSKIROSWEETS: It's really a driven thing in regulations and it must stop, come on. It must stop.
STEWART (voice-over): A lack of investment, competition from China, and rising energy prices have hit the famed German manufacturing industry particularly hard.
CARSTEN BRZESKI, GLOBAL HEAD OF MACRO, ING RESEARCH: I think the economy needs is a complete overhaul. And the answer might be that it's no longer the traditional industrial powerhouses that we knew from the past.
STEWART (voice-over): And with a new threat of tariffs coming from the U.S., change is needed quickly.
BRZESKI: If they do not manage to get growth back, if they mess it up once again, they know who's going to win the next elections. And this would be the far-right AFD. And I think this scenario alone could be actually the glue that brings together all parties involved and that could also be the motivation for the parties to think a big bold win (ph).
STEWART: Expectations for change are high at the Cologne Sweet Fair.
HENTSCHKE: I think it will change. The thing is how quick you can change things.
STEWART (voice-over): And change is what's needed to win the hearts of German business. Anna Stewart, CNN, Cologne.
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BRUNHUBER: Vatican says the slight improvement in Pope Francis's condition indicates he's reacting positively to his treatment for pneumonia. In fact, we just heard moments ago that he had a third peaceful night in hospital and got up to eat breakfast. A spokesperson earlier said that Pontiff's heart is holding up well and he doesn't have a fever. He's also breathing on his own but receiving oxygen to assist him.
The Pope has been in a Rome hospital since last week and was diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs. Still, the 88-year-old pontiff is said to be devoting himself to work activities. Catholics in Rome and far beyond have been praying for his swift recovery.
All right, after the break, despite controversy, the U.S. Senate confirmed a new FBI director. The latest in U.S. politics, next.
Plus, the U.S. military is preparing for major budget cuts and senior generals and admirals could lose their jobs.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom." Another approval for the Trump White House. The U.S. Senate has confirmed Kash Patel as the new FBI director, but there was a lack of solidarity within U.S. President Donald Trump's party. The vote for Patel was 59 to 41, with two Republican senators siding with Democrats.
The nomination faced intense scrutiny from Senate Democrats. They warned Patel is poised to seek retribution against Trump's perceived political enemies. During his confirmation hearing, Patel said there will be no acts of retribution at the FBI.
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A federal judge says the Trump administration is violating a court order to resume foreign aid, but the judge says he won't hold the administration in contempt. The judge said on Thursday that the White House could make individualized assessments about whether certain aid agreements can legally be paused. A group of nonprofit organizations brought the case after the administration froze all foreign aid.
We're learning that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth could soon fire more than half a dozen senior leaders, a source tells CNN. A formal list of those who could be let go was recently shared with Republican lawmakers. Now it comes after Hegseth ordered the military to slash its budget.
CNN's Oren Liebermann has more.
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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is looking for massive cuts across much of the Defense Department, instead trying to use that money towards what he lists as his high priority items. He's looking for billions in savings here across much of the Defense Department.
In a memo sent out to senior military leaders, the commanders of -- the combatant commands and other Defense Department agencies. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he's looking for proposals for 8 percent in cuts each year over the course of the next five years, a number that would amount to billions of dollars a year.
Instead, he wants to take that money away from what he calls the wasteful spending on DEI, and efforts to address climate change, and instead put it towards his high priority items. Perhaps it's no surprise that at the top of that list, in a memo obtained by CNN, is the southwest border. That has been a priority for Hegseth, of course, as well as the Trump administration.
And then there are a list of about 16 additional high priority areas that includes the Pentagon audit. That's been a big focus of Pete Hegseth, as well as Virginia fast attack submarines. Those are the newest class of attack submarines. Those will be exempt.
But the rest of DOD has to come up with proposals for 8 percent budget cuts, and they have to do it within one week, according to Hegseth's memo. The Pentagon says this will look to save some $50 billion that will then be used to address the high priority areas. Of course, with those levels of budget cuts to much of the Defense Department cuts, which haven't been seen in more than a decade, there are concerns about how it would affect military readiness and how the Defense Department, which has about an $850 billion budget, will cope with some steep cuts.
Calls for these 8 percent cuts are also likely to meet a tremendous amount of resistance from Republican lawmakers, many of whom have called for an increase in defense spending, not wide cuts across the DOD budget.
Oren Liebermann, CNN in Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says he won't run for reelection next year. McConnell made the announcement on the Senate floor Thursday morning on his 83rd birthday. He says representing the state of Kentucky has been the, quote, honor of a lifetime. But he won't pursue an eighth term.
After his announcement, fellow senators gave McConnell a standing ovation. Before he goes, the GOP senator argues that he still has unfinished business to attend to, including national security priorities. McConnell has served in the Senate since 1985.
All right. Still to come, one of the world's most active volcanoes is at it again. We'll get a closer look at the eruption and its impact on the region.
Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Have a look at this. Hawaii's Kilauea volcano has erupted again, shooting lava more than 120 meters, or 400 feet into the air on Thursday. Now, this is the 10th eruption since late December, according to the U.S. geological survey. Those eruptions can last anywhere from 13 hours to eight days, according to the Hawaiian volcano observatory status report. Officials say it isn't a major threat to people outside the volcanoes national park on the big island of Hawaii, but could impact air travel in the region.
And another one of the world's most active volcanoes is drawing thousands of curious sight seekers. Sicily's Mount Etna has experienced spectacular lava sprays for more than a week, but officials are now warning that the sudden influx of tourists has become a safety risk. They are blocking rescue workers from doing their jobs. On Monday, eight people who were hiking up the mountain without a guide got lost for several hours before rescuers were able to reach them.
Police in Italy seized dozens of fake paintings attributed to famous artists, including Picasso and Rembrandt. Police say they uncovered a clandestine painting laboratory in Rome workshop. Officers from Italy's art and cultural police say they found 71 fake paintings. Investigators say the suspected forger has likely sold hundreds of counterfeit works of art. No arrests have been made yet.
British super spy 007 will soon have a new boss to report to.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I admire your luck, Mister --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bond, James Bond.
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BRUNHUBER: There he is. Amazon MGM Studios is taking creative control of the James Bond franchise. The new deal comes after 27 movies over more than 60 years. Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli will remain co-owners of the movies based on Ian Fleming's books. Amazon and Jeff Bezos bought MGM in 2022 for $8.2 billion. The Bond series is the studio's most lucrative movie franchise.
And a new lead spy may soon be announced as Daniel Craig is stepping down. Bezos has already asked his social media followers who they would pick as the next James Bond.
All right, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
"WORLD SPORT" is next. I'll be back in 15 minutes with more news. Please do stay with us.
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