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Elon Musk Threatens Dismissal as Federal Workers Told to Justice Jobs; Zelenskyy Says He's Ready to Step Down to Bring Peace in Ukraine; Pope Francis Still in Critical Condition; Trump Administration Defends Its Cuts at FAA; Federal Job Firings; 100th World Cup. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired February 23, 2025 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:01:44]

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

All right. More than two million federal workers are on edge at this hour as they face a fast approaching deadline and a harsh ultimatum. Overnight, Elon Musk and the Trump administration ordered them to justify their jobs or face dismissal. Those federal workers received an e-mail on Saturday night and it says in part, quote, "Please reply to this e-mail with approximately five bullets of what you accomplished last week and CC your manager."

The deadline is tomorrow night. While the e-mail does not mention consequences, a social media post did. Elon Musk says if they don't reply by Monday's midnight deadline, it will be viewed as a resignation. The blunt e-mail sent shockwaves and confusion through a federal workforce already reeling from the termination of thousands of employees, with promises of more cuts to come.

CNN's Kevin Liptak is joining us right now.

So, Kevin, what more are you learning about this ultimatum?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you have to remember, this is a federal workforce that has already been completely rattled by the first month of the Trump administration. This injecting a whole new layer of uncertainty for them, not only for rank and file federal workers, but also for the senior managers. The leaders of some of these agencies who are now trying to discern, one, whether this e- mail is actually legitimate, and two, what exactly they should tell their workers on how to proceed.

Now, this all seems to originate from a social media post that Donald Trump put out yesterday, praising Elon Musk's work in the federal government, but encouraging him to get more aggressive. After that you saw Elon Musk post that federal workers would receive this e-mail asking them to recount their last week of work. If they don't respond, he said that they would be terminated.

And then only a few hours later, those e-mails hitting federal workers' inboxes saying that they had until 11:59 p.m. tomorrow night to respond with a bullet list of five points of what they accomplished last week. But certainly you've already seen heads of these agencies really kind of scrambling with how they should respond. Really, in the last hour or so, we heard from the Pentagon, who told their workers to pause any responses, that the Department of Defense was responsible for reviewing the performance of its own personnel, and that if and when required, they would coordinate the responses.

You've heard similar from Kash Patel, the new director of the FBI, saying that he, as the head of that agency, would coordinate the response to this e-mail. You've also heard the State Department say that it would respond on behalf of the department. Certainly, you have seen other agencies encouraging their personnel to respond, saying that they wanted the White House and the administration to have a better idea of what their workers were doing.

But what I don't think is clear to anyone is whether this threat from Elon Musk, that if workers don't respond, they would be fired, is actually operable. In fact, you've heard the union representing federal workers say it might actually not be legal. You've also heard from Republicans saying that Elon Musk and Donald Trump should probably sort of inject some more compassion into what they're doing.

[16:05:04]

Listen to what John Curtis, the Republican senator from Utah, said this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN CURTIS (R-UT): If I could say one thing to Elon Musk, it's like, please put a dose of compassion in this. These are real people. These are real lives. These are mortgages. It's a false narrative to say we have to cut and you have to be cruel to do it as well. We can do both.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: So you hear him saying to inject some compassion into all of this. But I think in the end that may be part of the strategy here by the White House, by Elon Musk, to eventually make the federal government such an unpleasant place to work for federal workers that they just depart on their own. Already you've seen them have some success here. 75,000 workers taking a buyout offer, many thousands more being laid off. Of course, now there is a new layer of uncertainty for the future of some of these federal workers.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kevin Liptak, at the White House, thanks so much.

All right. Joining me right now to talk more about these developments, Randy Erwin. He is the national president of the National Federation of Federal Employees.

Randy, great to see you.

RANDY ERWIN, NATIONAL PRESIDENT, NATIONAL FEDERATION OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: OK. So what are you advising more than two million federal workers who receive those e-mails to do?

ERWIN: Well, we advise our members, we have 110,000 federal workers that we represent nationwide. And we're advising them to forward that e-mail to their supervisors and seek guidance from them. If they don't get guidance from their supervisor, then we ask them to look for guidance from further up in their chain of command. And ultimately, we're reaching out to OPM and trying to clarify some guidance that we can inform our members, give further guidance tomorrow as the deadline is approaching if it comes down to that.

WHITFIELD: I mean, the deadline fast approaching. People are panicking right now.

ERWIN: True.

WHITFIELD: They're, you know, starting to reflect on, OK, five bullet points. How do I avoid certain trigger words or how do I even construct this? So, I mean, when people hear do this or lose your job, I mean, they're looking for, you know, an immediate response. They may not be getting any immediate responses from their supervisors.

ERWIN: True.

WHITFIELD: So what are -- what are the protections in place for the any number of these federal workers right now?

ERWIN: Sure. Well, I mean, this is panic inducing, like you say.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

ERWIN: But what they're doing is illegal. They cannot fire workers for not complying with this e-mail. The agency didn't even -- the e-mail didn't even come from their own agencies. It came from OPM. It's a sketchy e-mail that they are not required, that we're advising people that they are not required at this time to reply to. But they should seek guidance from their supervisors.

But in the Civil Service Protection Act, you can only, for federal employees who have gotten past their probationary period, the only reasons that they can be removed is for poor performance or not -- or, you know, disobedience or poor performance. And this is not either of those criteria. Trump -- Elon Musk doesn't have the authority to do the things he's saying he's going to do.

WHITFIELD: Mm. OK. Well, you say he doesn't have the authority, but, I mean, there are 75,000 federal workers who took the buyout, and that was Elon Musk's idea. That was his proposal. They did it.

ERWIN: Sure.

WHITFIELD: There are many others. I mean, we don't even know the official numbers, but there are many others who were fired. So I don't know if a whole lot of federal workers are believing that he doesn't have the authority to do it, because he's done it.

ERWIN: No, I mean, in the end, we may see a lot of compliance here. I mean, we've already seen big agencies, the Pentagon, State Department, FBI. There may be others that have said you don't have to comply.

WHITFIELD: NSA.

ERWIN: I mean, we could be revealing -- it's dangerous. This is not the way you operate the government. It is just really minor league, irresponsible to be doing things this way. And, you know, at some point, I mean, what this is, what is this? This is Elon Musk bullying workers, bullying, you know, middle class people into resigning their jobs. It's despicable. And, you know, it's really a shame that we're in this position, but federal employees are panicked for good reason.

WHITFIELD: Sure. So how do you allay the fears or concerns about workers who say, wait a minute, what about my benefits? What about pension? I mean, what do I -- where do I look to make sure those things are secured, if indeed I do respond to the e-mail?

ERWIN: Sure.

WHITFIELD: Give the five bullet points. The next thing I know, I'm, you know, getting a pink slip.

ERWIN: Well, look, they got to get guidance from their supervisors. OK? That's -- they got to follow their chain of command. Get that guidance. But you know those things. People's retirement, you know, their pay, their certain job security are spelled out into law. And it is just -- it is just unbelievable in this day and age that, you know, we have this administration not complying with the Constitution.

[16:10:07]

The president has to faithfully execute the laws of this country, and they are not even pretending to do that. And, you know, Congress really has to have a backbone and do something to rein in this out of control administration. And Elon Musk, who's just a bully, doesn't have a bit of decency. I mean, if you're going to be firing people, ruining some people's lives, about 100,000, it looks like is the estimates that we have right now, about 30 percent, 330,000 veterans in that group, and not a shred of decency. Not showing, not being contrite in the least.

Instead, he's going around waving around a big chainsaw and acting like he's some kind of hero. He's no hero. He's doing irreparable damage to our country with the things that he is doing. And it really has to stop. And really it falls on Congress because we haven't gotten the relief from the courts yet. And Congress is the only co-equal branch of government remaining to get something done. And they got to step in and do something immediately because there's no adults over there in the room.

WHITFIELD: So more than two million federal workers receiving these e- mails. You know, reading the posts on X, you represent, as you said, about 110,000 federal employees. Has your -- are more people inquiring with your union to either become members while they have a federal job right now or are they looking to you for support, even if they are not officially members right now but they are federal workers?

ERWIN: We have more engagement in our union than I have ever seen in my 25 years with the union. So that's good. That means people are waking up and, you know, you know, federal workers, they do incredible work for this country. And they love the work that they do. And it is just really criminal the way that they're being vilified and treated.

I mean, I saw a quote from the OMB director, Russell Vought. He wants, you know, so-called bureaucrats to be traumatically affected. When they wake up in the morning we want them to not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as villains.

Can you imagine your employer doing that when, you know, when you go to work every day for the American people, they take a 25 percent pay cut to work for the federal government and then your employer, I mean, this is -- what this administration is doing is consistent with that view. It really is just awful. And -- but, you know, federal employees, they care about the work. They care about caring for those veterans, keeping the military ready, caring for our forests and issuing passports and everything else.

The critical things that the American people rely on, and that's why they're sticking with their jobs, because they're not going to be bullied. And that ultimately, you know, people don't like it when a billionaire goes and bullies working people in this country and he's, you know, trying to make himself out as a hero. He's no hero. He's doing nothing but being a bully.

WHITFIELD: Randy Erwin, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, thank you so much.

ERWIN: Thank you for your time.

WHITFIELD: As Ukraine prepares to mark three years tomorrow since the Russian invasion, a dramatic offer from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): If you really need me to leave for the sake of peace, I am ready to do so. I am focused on security for Ukraine today. Not in 20 years' time. And I'm not going to hang around in power for decades.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: U.S. talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine have already begun. Talks that Ukraine hasn't even been invited to directly. The U.S. is also pressuring Ukraine to sign a deal for its mineral rights, as President Trump demands repayment for U.S. Military aid.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is in Kyiv for us.

And, Nick, you were at that press conference. You asked questions. What more did Zelenskyy say?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's important to put some context into his offer to essentially

resign if that brought peace to Ukraine or if that got Ukraine into NATO. Both of those things are quite remote prospects, specifically Ukraine joining NATO. Well, that isn't simply going to happen. The U.S. has been clear about that.

And indeed, if Zelenskyy did resign, then that would quite likely spell chaos, maybe even elections or an anointed successor of somebody. I don't even know how that would work, but that would not in itself guarantee peace. So the circumstances he outlines, they're remote. But I think also this is after a very tumultuous week for him to suggest even that there's circumstances in which he might step aside, shows you just quite how complex the position has got here specifically, really, between Washington and Kyiv, and his relationship with his American counterpart, President Donald Trump, who attacked him with a series of falsehoods over the past week, causing at one point President Zelenskyy to say that Trump was living in a disinformation circle when Trump suggested Ukraine started the war, something that we're hearing in various permutations more and more from senior Trump officials or that, you know, Russia was provoked in some way or other.

[16:15:08]

Key, though, in recent discussions has been this rare earth minerals deal, and a lot, it seems, now currently riding on that. Zelenskyy saying that the half-trillion dollar figure that appeared in original documentation is something he couldn't sign up to, suggested a significantly lower number and also disagreed with the idea that what they've received in the past was actually debt. He said it's grants, they were given by the Biden administration, approved by Congress. But here's what he said when I asked him about his relationship with President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATON WALSH: Do you think you can mend your relationship with President Trump? And secondly, have the American side spelt out to you what happens if you don't come to an agreement over this rare earth minerals deal in terms of what it means for U.S. aid?

ZELENSKYY: As I said, we want a successful agreement and if we will understand each other with partners, I hope that it will be. We will sign this first agreement or memo, memo, on which base we will, I mean, I will prepare other documents. So I hope that it will not have influence on other steps of the United States and they will not cancel or stop or freeze any support, especially military support, to Ukraine. This is crucial for us.

PATON WALSH: The president?

ZELENSKYY: My relationship with President Trump, it's never was in such best way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PATON WALSH: Now, awkward laughter there, but a stark reality. The relationship between those two men has frankly been in freefall over the past week and overshadowed the complex potential here in Ukraine. For Trump's envoy, Keith Kellogg, to start talking details about a peace plan, it's all been about this rare earth minerals deal. And in public, certainly the positions between both sides are acres apart.

The security guarantees and future promises of aid that Ukraine so urgently needs, both in the deal and in reality, not, it seems at this point appearing in a draft. And that makes the road ahead exceptionally complex, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nick Paton Walsh in Kyiv, thanks so much.

All right. Coming up, the Vatican says the Pope is in critical condition and now suffers from mild kidney failure. A live report from Rome next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:22:12]

WHITFIELD: All right, new details from the Vatican. Pope Francis is showing mild signs of kidney failure, and he remains in critical condition at a Rome hospital. The 88-year-old pontiff also needed more oxygen after suffering a, quote, "asthmatic respiratory crisis."

CNN's Christopher Lamb is following the Pope's condition for us.

Christopher, what are you learning?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, we heard from the Vatican this evening that the Pope remains in that critical condition, that he's still on high flow oxygen, which he needed when he had that asthmatic respiratory crisis yesterday, Saturday. But that has subsided. We did also hear that he has this mild initial kidney failure, although that is under control.

The concern is that the treatment and the condition of the Pope is it may cause other problems. Francis is 88 years old. He's been treated for pneumonia in both lungs. He has a history of respiratory infections and part of his right lung was removed as a young man.

Now, the Pope did not lead the Sunday Angelus today, but he did send a message to people. And he said in that, "On my part, I am confidently continuing my hospitalization at the Gemelli Hospital. Carrying on with the necessary treatment and rest is also part of the therapy."

Francis also thanked the healthcare workers at the Gemelli Hospital. He's been there since last Friday. We're also seeing people praying for the Pope, coming to the hospital to lay balloons and flowers. Also, prayers in the Vatican and across Rome today for Francis.

We are expecting another update from the Vatican tomorrow as we continue to monitor this situation of the Pope in a critical condition -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Christopher Lamb, thank you so much. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:28:31]

WHITFIELD: All right. The next day and a half will be nerve-wracking for more than two million federal workers. They face tomorrow night's deadline to justify their jobs or be fired. In an e-mail workers got yesterday, it asked them to document five things that they have accomplished in the past week or be terminated. One federal employee tells CNN they find it, quote, "absolutely mind blowing."

And this comes as hundreds of probationary employees at several agencies, including the FAA, were already fired this weekend, including employees who maintained critical air traffic control infrastructure.

With us now is David Spero, the national president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists.

Glad you be with us. Well, what are people saying and thinking after this latest blow?

DAVID SPERO, NATIONAL PRESIDENT, PROFESSIONAL AVIATION SAFETY SPECIALISTS: Thank you, Fredricka, for having me on. So it does seem to be a pattern of cyber-bullying, let's call it that. Randy was on earlier and said something similar. That's what it is, though. Folks are rattled. They're shaken. Tomorrow morning and today, by the way, our folks work 24-7 in these various facilities around the country. We represent 11,000 FAA employees, aviation safety inspectors, certified professional technicians, and all the staff personnel that support them.

Well, now, instead of concentrating on their jobs, we've got this chaos and panic going on about, am I going to get fired? Am I going to lose my position?

[16:30:00]

It's -- it doesn't seem to end and it seems like there's a playbook here that -- and we do this on the weekends. And make sure that we not only have people on the edge of their seat during the course of the week, but let's mess with them on Friday night and Saturday and Sunday and make sure that they can't even enjoy their time off. It's frustrating.

And, as you said, we've got -- right now, we still have 130 folks out there that are -- that were fired summarily by the agency who are doing support staff work, that help these frontline workers. These are -- this is what we like to call the aviation ecosystem. And we're disturbing it.

And every bit of work that these folks do to support our frontline workers, are certified professional technicians, our aviation safety inspectors, it's critical for them to have someone to be able to assist them in a lot of the duties that they need to do the job. So, effectively, by causing them to have to do this work, you're cutting the staff of the inspector workforce. You're cutting the staff of the technician workforce.

And among this group of people, we've got aeronautical information specialists who create maps and charts, identify obstacles, allow for procedures that air-traffic controllers need to utilize, and aviators. So, this is a very serious situation.

WHITFIELD: So, the Trump Administration, you know, has defended its cuts at the FAA. You know, saying safety-critical employees were not affected.

We understand that you told "Politico" workers were, quote, "targeted just like a senseless line item on an Excel sheet." And you also said, quote, that "to put it frankly, without our team, pilots would quite literally be flying blind."

Explain more. Are you talking about the maps and the charting that you just touched on or are there even more duties or tasks that imperil, potentially imperil, so much?

SPERO: I'm not sure those are both my quotes, but I can speak to the -- I can speak to that anyway. Let's talk about the work that our technician workforce does. They make sure that the navigational aids, the radars, automation systems, visual aids, those flashing lights you see when you're -- when you're landing at any given airport. We certify that, repair it, and maintain it.

The work that needs to be done to support all of that is work that all of these folks that were terminated were doing for us. And, at the end of the day, we work side by side with the air traffic controllers in the technical operations part of the FAA. And without us, you can't even turn on the lights. So, I think it's important to understand that.

Now, on the on the aviation safety inspector side of the house. That's -- those are the folks that oversee general aviation. The air carrier world. To make sure that the airplanes are airworthy. That the pilots are up to speed. That avionics are working in the aircraft. Even cabin safety. The folks that were terminated assist them in doing their jobs.

So, now, instead of being able to go and ramp airplanes and looking at maintenance that's -- that needs to be done, they're going to be -- they're going to be doing some of the support work that's going to take an enormous amount of time away from that.

WHITFIELD: Elon Musk, you know, leading this department of government efficiency, looking to, you know, cut costs. What do you say to air traffic controllers, FAA employees overall, who are fearing their jobs could be on the chopping block next?

SPERO: Well, it doesn't seem like there is any limit to what they want to do to cause federal employees to be afraid. And the type of work that the folks that we represent in the FAA is crucial and critical to air safety. It's important to the economy of this country, the commerce. And, quite frankly, it's unimaginable that we would want to scare these folks and have them not concentrating on the work, the important work, that they're doing every day for the American flying public.

WHITFIELD: David Spero, thank you so much for being with us.

SPERO: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk even further now about these federal layoffs overall. CNN Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein with us now. Brown -- Ron, sorry. Ron, I mean, what is happening, you know, at the FAA and beyond with these rattled nerves now? And just like, you know, Mr. Spero was saying, people are distracted or being distracted when they have very important, vital jobs. And now, they're worried about, you know, their rent, their mortgage, their kids in school, all of this.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (via Webex): Yes. Well, look, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are rapidly accumulating debts that they may have to pay off in the form of events down the road. I mean, you know, once you start slashing the workforce at federal agencies that do critical jobs for the American public, Fred, I think you are politically very hostage to events.

[16:35:00]

BROWNSTEIN: You know, you're cutting food inspections. And if there are outbreaks of foodborne illness down the road, there is going to be political blowback. You're weakening the CDC guidance or oversight.

And there are outbreaks of disease in schools, as we're seeing in Texas with Measles. There is going to be blowback. Certainly, if the -- all of the disruption at the FAA and other safety agencies that deal with rail safety and others, if there are accidents down the road, they're going to be a lot of very pointed questions asked by the voters.

You know, there has been even more reaction than I thought at the front end. I mean, that ABC -- that "Washington Post" poll this week, 60 percent said they're concerned about the level of layoffs. You're seeing energy at the grassroots on these issues in some of these Republican town halls, even if those may be voters that would never support them otherwise.

But I think the real political risk for the administration is down the road and the -- kind of the debts they are accumulating through these decisions that may come back to bite them if events turn against them.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Well, I mean, where is the greatness here? Where are the improvements that are being made? And we're hearing from, you know, Elon Musk to -- even the president, who are talking about cutting spending. But it seems like these are all very expensive cuts, ultimately. BROWNSTEIN: Well, there are a Couple of things. Extending the Trump

tax cuts for 10 more years with interest costs $4.6 trillion which is vastly more expensive than any of these cuts. And, you know, these cuts pale, if you just want to look on the spending side, next to the growth of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, about which they may be the next front in this battle. As Republicans in Congress try to slash Medicaid.

But, ultimately, you know, they seem to be operating on the belief that essentially, the federal workforce is primarily dead weight. But the federal workforce does things that people rely on. They may not always know that it's the federal workforce that is the underpinning of what they rely on.

But when you're flying in the air and you don't want the planes to bump into -- you know, collide with each other, you're counting on, you know, air traffic controllers. And when you're going to the grocery store and you're buying, with confidence on the assumption that what you purchase will not make you or your kids sick, you're counting on federal inspectors and federal standards.

So, you know, the tone of the -- of the Musk letter I thought was -- email was really revealing. It's, basically, like, what -- can you, you know, justify your life?

WHITFIELD: Justify your existence, yes.

BROWNSTEIN: Like, what have you done? Yes, what have you done to make yourself --

WHITFIELD: Worthy.

BROWNSTEIN: -- worthy? The assumption being that, for many people, there wouldn't be anything. And, in fact, you know, it's very much the opposite.

WHITFIELD: Right. I mean, there -- even with that email, or at least the vernacular there, there's still a complete misunderstanding, it seems, or lack of understanding of what it is. Any number of the jobs represent and how -- you know, how everyone and everything is to continue to function.

So, does this carry on until members of Congress, who have been getting an earful from their constituents, change their tune and, you know, press the president on taking a different approach?

BROWNSTEIN: You know, I -- there's very little evidence that the Republican majorities in the House and the Senate are willing to confront Trump on almost anything.

And, you know, you saw how the opposition melted away to some of the cabinet appointees that, early on, looked to be in trouble as Trump raised the threat of primary challenges. And there were reports that there were even physical threats against Republican members, senators. So, I don't really see a big pushback there. I think the question will be, one, are there any limits that the courts establish on this process? And, two, as I said, due (?) events. Subsequent events make this politically untenable in a way that forces Republicans in Congress, and maybe even within the White House, to reconsider this approach.

I mean, the scale of what is happening, I think, is kind of based on this assumption, as I said. That the vast -- you know, that most federal workers are, basically, not adding value.

And, certainly, you know, the federal government is a big institution. Every institution can be run more efficiently. But the question of whether this is really doing that or kind of stripping away what will ultimately be seen by the public as vital services.

I mean, you know, at the same time, we're talking about these cuts in the federal workforce, we're also talking about rollbacks of all sorts of consumer, environmental, occupational health, food safety, potentially, regulations and, you know, in kind of a coordinated way.

[16:40:00]

BROWNSTEIN: That is essentially saying we're going to take a big step back from overseeing private industry, private business. We're going to count on them to protect the public. And we'll see, as I said, if that bet pays off for Trump.

Because once you do all of this, if events go the other way, I think they're going to be a lot of people in the public that are going to have very pointed questions. And that might be the point at which Republicans in Congress find more nerve to challenge this.

WHITFIELD: Yes. You underscored the scale but also the brevity. All of this is happening so fast. So, at this juncture, what, if anything, can Democrats do to respond or get ahead of this?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Well, you know, I mean, look, Democrats are divided, right? I mean, there is a big contingent in the party who believes that they need to focus their messaging overwhelmingly on this issue of whose side are you on?

That, basically, Trump ran on solving your problems, but that his agenda is really about enriching his rich buddies and the biggest corporations. And there's part of the party that doesn't want to get drawn into all of the fights that Trump is precipitating on so many other issues.

But I think that the scale of this, as on many fronts, is kind of making that strategy which has -- you know, there are arguments for it, based on history. Like Bill Clinton with Newt Gingrich in 1995, 1996. That's how Clinton turned around his presidency, by focusing on the Republican budget that cut programs for the middle class (INAUDIBLE) on taxes for the rich.

There's an argument for that. But, really, the scale of what Trump is doing demands a response. And you're seeing, I think, in these town halls, as much as criticism of the Republican, criticism of Democrats demand that they do more.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right, thank you so much. I almost -- I almost introduced you like 007, like Brown Brownstein. Ron Brownstein.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: So, thank you, Ron Brownstein. I appreciate it. Good to see you.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Thank you. All right, we'll be right back.

[16:41:55]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: American skier, Mikaela Shiffrin, is making history with her 100th World Cup win in Italy. Today's victory comes just three months after a crash in Vermont that almost sidelined the career of one of the world's best downhill skiers.

CNN's Don Riddell reports on today's remarkable outcome.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS: Mikaela Shiffrin was just overcome with emotion after she became the first downhill skier to win 100 times on the World Cup circuit. And her accomplishment comes hot on the heels of some pretty intense personal struggles.

It's three months since her 99th win. And, since then, she's had to recover from a freak injury that punctured her abdomen. The physical scars might have healed but the mental recovery is taking a bit more work. Shiffrin says she has post-traumatic stress disorder. And, on Saturday, she actually failed to qualify for a second run in the giant slalom for the first time since 2012.

But her resilience is remarkable. The very next day, she skied in the slalom at Sestriere in Italy and dominated, finishing more than half a second ahead of Zrinka Ljutic. And, as it all sunk in afterwards, she was just overcome with emotion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKAELA SHIFFRIN, AMERICAN SKIER: Everybody's been so nice and so supportive. All of my teammates and competitors and coaches and the whole World Cup. And I'm so -- I'm so grateful. Thank you. And the fans. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: Our congratulations to Mikaela. You know, 100 World Cup wins is an unprecedented accomplishment for a downhill skier.

But that's not all. Her performance on Sunday means that Shiffrin also made history in another way. Her 155th podium finish has tied her for the record in that regard, with the Swedish great (?) Ingemar Stenmark. And that's a record that surely she will own outright very soon. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: That is killer. All right, Don Riddell, thank you so much. And we'll be right back.

[16:48:25]

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WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. Bill Gates turns 70 later this year. And the company he co-founded, Microsoft, turns 50 years in business. The tech mogul turned philanthropist is looking back on his life in a way he never has before in a new memoir called "Source Code: My Beginnings."

And he's also looking ahead, telling CNN's Anderson Cooper that the biggest technological advance in his lifetime is not the personal computer, but artificial intelligence. Here's a preview.

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BILL GATES, CO-FOUNDER, MICROSOFT: This is the most profound technical advance in my lifetime. It is greater than, you know, chips, personal computers, (INAUDIBLE), Internet.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Really? It's bigger than personal computers.

GATES: Bigger than all those things. Because its degree of matching and exceeding human intelligence. Both in a sort of for white collar- type activities, but also through robots for blue collar activities. It'll be a profound change agent.

And it is moving faster than I expected. This is pretty novel. And both exciting, in terms of taking the shortage of doctors and teachers and helping with that, but also reshaping how we think about jobs and work.

COOPER: Does it scare you at all?

GATES: Yes.

COOPER: What scares you?

GATES: There's a great meaning and purpose that comes from these jobs. As the computers get better and better, understanding what role they play versus humans. And, you know, do we shorten the work week? Do we let some people not work at all? It's pretty profound.

So, over the next five years, almost entirely good things. But as you get into the 10 years and beyond, it's so powerful that how we shape it and maintain, you know, purpose, values, coherency, it's -- this is a big challenge for humanity.

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WHITFIELD: Anderson Cooper's interview with Bill Gates airs on "THE WHOLE STORY" tonight, 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, right here on CNN.

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WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jessica Dean after the break.

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JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean in New York.

And tonight, confusion and chaos is spreading within a number of agencies across the federal government, as many scramble to respond to an email ordered up by Elon Musk. And that cryptic and unclear email sent to government employees asking, quote, "What did you do last week?" And then, asking them to respond with a list of accomplishments before Monday at midnight.