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Pope Francis In Critical Condition; Federal Workers Told To Justify Their Jobs; Germans Head To The Polls. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired February 23, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

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[03:00:00]

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of our viewers watching in the United States and around the world. I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong.

Ahead right here on CNN Newsroom, a new update from the Vatican on the health of Pope Francis. We will have a live report.

And U.S. federal employees receive an ominous email telling them to justify their jobs. This post from Elon Musk suggests the consequences of not complying.

And Germans head to the polls to decide who will govern their country.

Pope Francis remains in critical condition after a difficult day, but a peaceful night in hospital. That's according to the Vatican, which says the 88-year-old pope suffered an asthmatic respiratory crisis early on Saturday. He received oxygen. He also received blood transfusions for anemia.

Pope Francis will miss the weekly Angelus prayer for the second Sunday in a row and for only the third time in his nearly 12-year long papacy. Catholics around the world are praying for his recovery.

Our CNN Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb joins me now live from Rome. And, Christopher, it is now morning in Vatican City. What is the latest information you have about the pope's condition?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, we received an update from the Vatican this morning. The pope rested, that the night passed peacefully, but clearly France is still in a critical condition. The language of the Vatican statement is interesting, because in previous updates, we were told that the pope had breakfast, that he sat in a chair in the morning. This time, we're simply being told that he rested and that the night passed peacefully.

Now, the pope has been here at the Gemelli Hospital behind me since last Friday. He has of course, pneumonia in both his lungs. He's 88 years old and has a history of respiratory infections. But the wider context here is that before the pope was hospitalized, he was working at a frantic pace. He was keeping up an incredibly intense schedule of meetings and events, which some of his people -- some of the people who knew him described it as crazy. I saw him on the day that he was hospitalized, and it was clear then that he was struggling to speak for long periods because of his breathing difficulties.

The pope, as a pontiff, has been a 100 percent pope. He's all-in on the job. He's essentially worked himself into the hospital, sacrificing his health for his desire to serve the church. We are expecting further updates from the Vatican later today. Kristie?

STOUT: Christopher, deep concern for a tireless Pope Francis outside the Vatican. Have you seen well wishers, people gathering there to pray for his recovery?

LAMB: There have been people gathering at the hospital in the piazza behind me. There's a big statue of Saint John Paul II and there are candles with Pope Francis' face on them. There have been people gathering to pray there, and obviously people across Rome and in the Vatican are very concerned and alarmed and are calling for prayers at this time with Pope Francis in this critical state.

STOUT: Yes, deep concern there across Rome and across the world for the pontiff.

Christopher Lamb joining us live from Rome, thank you.

Now, President Donald Trump celebrated his first month in office at an annual conservative gathering on Saturday. He addressed a cheering crowd highlighting the dramatic change he's making in Washington. And this comes as Mr. Trump and Elon Musk ramp up their campaign to slash the federal workforce.

Our CNN's Betsy Klein has more from the White House.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: President Trump taking a victory lap to a friendly crowd at CPAC on Saturday, ticking off some of his accomplishments, taking aim at his political rivals, and saying that he believes he has, quote, a mandate for dramatic change in Washington.

[03:05:05]

Now, to that end, we have seen President Trump take steps toward dramatically reshaping the size and the scope of the federal government. And he has dispatched Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency to find ways to dramatically slash federal spending and trim the federal workforce. So, Trump at CPAC said that Musk was doing a great job, called him a patriot.

But during that speech, Musk himself announced a new ultimatum for federal workers, saying, tell us what you did or you'll be fired. In a tweet he posted, he said, consistent with President Donald Trump's instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.

Now, CNN has obtained multiple copies of that email sent to federal workers. It includes the very stark subject line, what did you do last week, and asks those workers to respond with roughly five bullet points replying to that email and CCing their manager with an 11:59 P.M. deadline on Monday.

Of course, there are federal workers who don't have access to a computer between now and Monday at 11:59 P.M. There may be federal workers who are on vacation, and there may be federal workers who, frankly, are doing work that is classified. They cannot put in writing what they accomplished. But, certainly, President Trump, for his part, also taking aim at federal workers who are working remotely. Take a look.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: If you don't report for work, we're firing them. In other words, you have to go to office, right? Right? Look at them. If you don't report to work -- you know, that's another scam. You know, who the hell -- if I'm staying home, I'm going to -- let's see, my golf handicap would get down to a very low number. You'd be shocked if I told you the real number. But I would be so good, I'd try and get on tour. I would be so good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Of course, we should note that President Trump himself worked remotely this past week. He was also on the golf course on Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of last week.

But taken together, really a dramatic effort to reshape the federal workforce.

Betsy Klein, CNN, the White House.

STOUT: Now, the email to federal workers to justify their work accomplishments has led to some confusion. Now, some agencies, like the Secret Service, have told staff to comply with the request, while the FBI director, Kash Patel, told Bureau employees not to immediately respond. In fact, in an email, he said this, quote, the FBI, through the office of the director, is in charge of all of our review processes and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures. When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses, end quote.

Now, one month into office and Donald Trump's approval rating is on the decline. CNN's Harry Enten breaks down the latest polls.

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HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: This is his net approval rating. These are polls, four of them released over the last week. And you might notice there's a lot of red on the screen and a lot of negatives. Trump is underwater in all these polls. His net approval rating, look at this, minus five points in the CNN poll, minus six points in Gallup, minus seven points in Ipsos, minus four points in Quinnipiac, negative, negative, negative and then negative. He is underwater in all of these polls. As I said earlier this week, he's a little bit like the Little Mermaid, underwater. (END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Joining us now is Richard Johnson, lecturing U.S. politics at Queen Mary University of London. Richard, welcome back to CNN. It's good to see you.

Now, Donald Trump, he is on a drive to slash the federal workforce. At CPAC, we saw that video of him celebrating the mass firings earlier. Elon Musk wielded that very symbolic chainsaw. But we know the top unions are pushing back. So, what's going to happen next? Will Trump and DOGE get their way or not?

RICHARD JOHNSON, LECTURER IN U.S. POLITICS, QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON: Well, it seems that Elon Musk is trying to do what he did when he took over Twitter, which was to embark on mass firings as a way of streamlining the organization, although then, in some cases, that turned out to be a false economy because there were all kinds of problems that then emerged with Twitter.

But the U.S. federal government is not Twitter, Elon Musk is not the CEO of the U.S. federal government and the email (INAUDIBLE) personnel management over the weekend does not, as far as I can see, carry the force of a CEO's instruction to a company. So, the people who ultimately would be in charge of these questions about people being fired cannot be Elon Musk.

[03:10:01]

They have to be the heads of the different agencies.

And so the real test will be is, are the people that Donald Trump has installed to lead these agencies sufficiently independent of mind to push back or to ignore what Elon Musk is saying, or will they be supplicants to Elon Musk?

STOUT: That remains to be seen. Meanwhile, more firings at the very top of the Pentagon, Trump has fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He has pushed out five other admirals and generals. How unusual is this and what kind of impact could it have on the U.S. military?

JOHNSON: It's, of course, very dramatic. It's not without precedent. Probably the most dramatic example of a president pushing out a senior military commander was when Harry Truman removed Douglas MacArthur from the command over the Korean War in 1951. That was a move that was politically risky for Truman because MacArthur was actually very popular in the United States and some thought MacArthur might even run for president the following year.

But Truman took that decision because MacArthur was clearly defying in statements the statements that Truman had made about the scope of the Korean War, and basically MacArthur was keen to draw China much more into the conflict, which Truman didn't want to do.

This is not the situation with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This seems to be from what I can read of it, it's something almost of a personal vendetta that Pete Hegseth has had about certain Biden appointees who are racial minority or women. And Hegseth has claimed without evidence that they were put in that position because they had that characteristic. And that seems to me much of the basis of this removal.

STOUT: And what appears to be personal vendettas, these mass federal firings appear to be weighing on Donald Trump's poll numbers, as CNN's Harry Enten was reporting just a beat ago. You know, we're only just a month into his presidency 2.0 but it appears that Americans are negatively taking in Trump and his expressions of presidential authority. What's your read on the polling?

JOHNSON: Well, there's always a sort of cost of governing effect. And so it's not unusual that when people are elected, they start on a high and then they atrophy in their support. Of course, these days, presidents don't start at quite as high a level of support as they used to. Presidents used to come in and they might get 55 percent approval, but these days they're lucky to get above 50 percent.

Of course, Donald Trump didn't quite win 50 percent of the popular vote in the presidential election. So, there were more Americans voting against him in the presidential election than voting for him.

So, I'm not terribly surprised that he's already, what we'd say, underwater with respect to his approval ratings. I think the question will be, if he dips below -- if he's in the 40s range, that's sort of okay for him. If he dips below 40 percent, that then can be very troubling, particularly from the perspective of the Republicans about the, dare I mention them, the midterm elections.

STOUT: Stating the obvious here, it's still very early days in the Trump 2.0 presidency, even though it is felt far longer than just over a month.

Richard Johnson, thank you for joining us. I appreciate your insight. Take care.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

STOUT: Now, right now, Germans are heading to the polls. The polls are open across Germany, and they are there to choose a new government three months after the incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz called and lost a confidence vote. You're looking at live pictures on your screen of a polling station that's currently open.

Now, the Christian Democratic Union, or CDU, seems likely to become the country's largest political party, returning itself to the helm of German leadership after three years in opposition. The AFD party is on track to become Germany's second largest political group, the first time the far right has done so since the Nazi era.

Now, CNN Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen joins me now live from Berlin. Fred, good morning. It's good to see you. You know, this has been election dominated by concerns over immigration. But when you talk to voters, what's driving them to the polls this morning? FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that the voters here certainly believe that this is a very high stakes election for Germany.

You already see the turnout here. We're in the polling station here in Central Berlin. The turnout has been quite high. We do have a steady stream of people who have been coming, especially in the past couple of minutes. And I think one of the things, if I get out of your way for a second, is that you can see one of the things, of course, that is so important for democracy is the volunteers who are spending their Sunday here making this election work. And I think that's something that really shows democracy at its best here in this country right now.

[03:15:03]

But it is, of course, a very high-stakes election.

And one of the interesting things about German elections, by the way, is the fact that you have two votes when you vote in a German election. You have the first and the second vote, and one is for your direct candidate, and one is for the party that you would like to see have the majority in parliament. So, for instance, if you would like Olaf Scholz's party to have the chancellor, that is your second vote, but if you like your local candidate from the conservative party, you would give him your first vote.

As far as the issues are concerned, and I think this is something where a lot of Germans really feel that this is an election where there is a lot of stake. You talked about migration. That was definitely one of the big issues. But one of the things that we have to keep in mind is that this country has also been in recession for two years now. And the economic situation is also definitely something that's weighing on people as well.

We have had some people who have come in here and said, look, we don't want extremists, for instance, to be part of the government. We don't want them to take over the government. And I think that's something that really goes to the core of concern that many people have also, as far as the new U.S. government is concerned, the government of Donald Trump, is that you have had, for instance, Elon Musk getting involved in the electoral process here as well. You had J.D. Vance, the vice president, call out the Germans in his speech at the Munich Security Conference. And I do think that is also something that definitely weighs on a lot of people's minds, especially with Elon Musk very much on the side of the right wing AFD showing up at one of their main campaign events and tweeting that he believes that only the AFD can save Germany. That is something that has had a lot of German politicians very angry, for instance, the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, who has said that he believes that something like that is unacceptable, as he put it.

But in total, right now, you do notice that a lot of the people who are coming here feel that this is a very important moment for this country as far as defining its path, as far as the society is concerned when you regard, for instance, immigration by those societal issues, but then also as far as the economy is concerned to try and lift Germany out of that, especially in an international environment where a lot of people here believe that the government in Washington, the U.S. government, might not be there for Germany and for Europe as it has been in the past, for instance, as far as security is concerned. One of the other things, of course, that has a lot of people here very concerned on the ground in Germany is the relations that they're sort of trying, that they're seeing form between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, as far as Ukraine is concerned.

So, a lot at stake here, and you do notice that with a steady stream of people coming here to this polling station, Kristie.

STOUT: Yes, a lot at stake. Interesting to hear the issues weighing on voters' minds as you just laid out, migration, the economy, relations with the United States as well. This is a defining day for Germany.

Frederik Pleitgen reporting live from a polling station in Berlin, thank you, Fred.

And we do have a programming note for you. CNN will have special coverage of the German election as the results come in starting 6:00 P.M. Berlin Time. That is 5:00 P.M. in London.

Now, Palestinians are waiting for Israel to release hundreds of their loved ones as part of the ceasefire deal in Gaza and why that is now being put on hold after the break.

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STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, Israel says it will delay releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners until Hamas guarantees the release of the next hostages and stop the, quote, humiliating ceremonies. Hamas is accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire deal after it handed over six Israeli hostages on Saturday.

Nic Robertson has more.

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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice over): Shaky on his feet, 40-year-old Tal Shoham, also looking weak, Avera Mengistu, nearly 11 years a hostage. Hamas as ever in force and in control of the propagandized handover. This day, the last of the planned and agreed living hostage releases.

Avera's friends bursting into song as they watch his release. Tal's family greeting his freedom from 505 days in captivity with tears. And then the real deal, Tal waving to the crowds hugging his son. Meanwhile, in a crowded hostages square in Tel Aviv, anticipation for the other releases growing. Cheers rising as Avera hugged his family.

And then the big moment, Eliya Cohen, followed by Omer Shem Tov and Omer Wenkert, all three of them noticeably thinner paraded in Hamas's last scheduled public planned live handover.

Away from the cameras, Hisham al-Sayed, hostage for a decade, too ill for the stage, quietly handed over too, as their families began celebrations.

Each of the hostage releases bringing hope to those still waiting. Yael Alexander, mother of Edan, the last living American hostage, still held by Hamas.

YAEL ALEXANDER, MOTHER OF HOSTAGE EDAN ALEXANDER: We heard a lot of stories that Idan was standing up for people and trying to help them. And they gave us a lot of strength to continue. To do the fight and to make sure that every American understand that there is still one American hostage in Gaza and he's alive.

ROBERTSON: Families of Palestinian prisoners and detainees kept waiting for their loved ones while the Israeli prime minister held a security consultation, a violation of the agreement, according to Hamas. Frustrations mounting through the evening.

AMAL ABU MAGHADIB, MOTHER OF GAZAN DETAINEE: I have been sitting here waiting for my son since noon, and I still don't know if they will bring him or not.

I will stay here waiting for him. I miss holding him in my arms. Not a day goes by without my crying for him.

[03:25:02]

I want to hug him.

ROBERTSON: The expectations had been more than 600 Palestinians would be released, including life and long sentence prisoners, as well as over 600 people detained in Gaza since October 7th.

Moments of reflection this day too for those Israeli hostages who didn't make it home alive, the Bibas family an Oded Lifshitz. His grandson, Daniel, hoping talks and releases can be extended through Islam's Holy Month, Ramadan.

DANIE LIFSHITZ, GRANDSON OF ODED LIFSHITZ: If we will make sure there will be a release on the first day of the Ramadan of at least, let's say, 20 hostages, we can have 30 days to have secure conversations about getting to that point.

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ROBERTSON (on camera): There's a real hard and somber reality here in Hostages Square as people begin to drift away. They know this may be the last live hostage release, so they get to come here and witness. No others are scheduled. There's certainly hope for, but it hasn't happened. There's an agreement yet, and that's a big, big issue right now.

Nick Robertson, CNN, Tel Aviv. STOUT: Well, thank you for joining us. I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And for international viewers, African Voices Changemakers is next. But for viewers in the United States and Canada, I will be back with more CNN Newsroom after this short break.

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STOUT: Welcome back. Now, US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau say they're looking forward to Monday's virtual G7 gathering. It appears the two leaders shared a phone call ahead of the meeting, which will mark the third anniversary of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine. The White House says Mr. Trudeau echoed President Trump's desire to see an end to the war and acknowledged that President Trump is the only leader who can push through a lasting peace.

However, a new draft deal over rare earth minerals could further damage relations between Trump and Ukraine's President Zelenskyy. The U.S. wants access to Ukraine's natural resources, but a White House official has warned that the deal is not a guarantee of future U.S. military aid. And a source familiar with the negotiation says that the current proposal is, quote, not the one that President Zelenskyy would accept.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more from Kyiv.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Intense discussion and scrutiny around the rare earth mineral deal that has become really the central plank of United States-Ukrainian relations moving forwards. We're hearing from a source familiar with the negotiations that the current draft, certainly as of Saturday morning, is not acceptable to the Ukrainian presidency. Volodymyr Zelenskyy apparently concerned that within that there are many concessions to the United States in terms of the availability of rare earth minerals, metals and natural resources inside of Ukraine, but few security guarantees or even security elements, as one Ukrainian official described it to me, in Ukraine's favor.

On the other side, a U.S. official familiar with the negotiations describes the deal in different terms, suggesting that this is essentially for the United States, a way to be less dependent on China for many of these resources and also a way of incentivizing Washington when it comes to Ukraine's defense, kind of a win-win, in their perspective. And they stress that in the time in which the U.S. envoy to Ukraine and Russia, General Keith Kellogg, was in Kyiv, the deal moved forwards significantly.

But we're into a very difficult moment here because it is clear from listening to the past week of President Trump talking that his personal warmth towards Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy is significantly diminished. He's at times used falsehoods and insults to push Zelenskyy into a corner and the debate over how this deal is indeed signed continues to rage with Zelenskyy often having to defend Ukraine about simple facts about the fact that Russia invaded and his own personal popularity.

It does appear that this is the one key sticking point to future aid, without which it will be exceptionally hard for Kyiv to fend off future Russian aggression. So, a clock ticking, certainly most Ukrainian officials we speak to saying this is an urgent task, certainly, but the outstanding points, clearly ones that are being debated hour by hour and so much hanging in the balance here for many Ukrainians on the frontlines and clearly a very transactional approach towards this relationship from the Trump administration.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.

STOUT: Joining me now is Kira Rudik. She is a member of the Ukrainian parliament and joins us now live. Thank you for joining us here on CNN.

Donald Trump, he continues, as we've seen quite vividly this last week, in the last few days, he's been bashing President Zelenskyy. Now, he's pressuring him into this minerals deal, one without security guarantees. How is all this going down there in Ukraine?

KIRA RUDIK, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Hello, Kristie, and thank you so much for having me. Well, indeed, people are really worried, especially the military who are fighting at the front line, because it is unclear on what's going to happen. And the main question that we do not have answered right now is how anyone would make it that Russia would stop fighting us. Because this night, we spend the majority of the night in the bomb shelters or under the stairs for me and my home because there were 267 drones and missiles coming our way and we had to fight that back. So, no peace in foreseeable future, at least how we see that, from Russian side.

Second question, of course, is that we already have been burned in 1994 when Ukraine have signed Budapest Memorandum.

[03:35:03]

We have given up on our nuclear arsenal, which was the second largest arsenal after Soviet Union collapse. And there were no security guarantees there as well. And right now, we are in this situation, as we are, without the support and with Russia attacking us every single night.

STOUT: Russia is attacking you. Missiles are coming down your way, as you vividly described just now. We're nearing the three-year anniversary of the conflict. And we have Donald Trump giving mixed messages, but still parroting Russian talking points. You know, on Friday, he said Russia did, in fact, invade Ukraine, but suggested it was Ukraine's fault. How do you interpret that?

RUDIK: I interpret that at first as Ukrainian politician who represent Ukrainian people and I can tell you it's very painful to have to constantly explain to people what did President Trump mean and especially to people who are fighting at the frontline or people who paid an ultimate price, who have lost their relatives, who came back from Russian imprisonment and who have been prisoners of war and who have survived tortures.

You know, we are a free sovereign country. We didn't do anything wrong. And we understand that there is some negotiation going on and perhaps this is a negotiating technique, but it is really painful for people to hear that.

STOUT: And if you can put aside the propaganda and the pressure tactics and the pain caused by Trump's words and actions, I mean, peace is the goal here. But is there -- do you envision any sort of U.S.-led action under Donald Trump that Ukraine can engage with?

RUDIK: We are the nation that wants peace the most, right, Kristie. And we were clear about that because it's our people who are dying every single day. However, we think that right now there is this illusion that Russia wants peace.

Again, we know that for a fact that they don't because we are suffering through that, but also because we have been in so-called ceasefire with Russia since 2014. And there was not a single day when they would be honoring the ceasefire.

So, we want to see when we are getting into any kind of deals with the United States. We want to see what would be the practical way of stopping that. And this is what is missing right now for all of these deals and negotiation.

STOUT: And your thoughts on the impact of Trump's words and actions on not just Ukraine, but Europe. Do you think it is actually mobilizing Europe to step in and better support Ukraine in this conflict?

RUDIK: I think it's actually working on in that direction. We have seen our European allies taking on more responsibility and get understanding that the Europe continent security will be Europe's responsibility. So, we hope that, again, these discussions and this understanding will become practical matters. And we were told that after the Germany elections, there would be discussions about special funds and additional resources that would be directed Ukraine's way, but also into Europeans' defense, as well.

STOUT: Kira Rudik, Ukrainian M.P., we thank you for joining us. We thank you for sharing your voice here on CNN. Take care.

RUDIK: Thank you. And glory to Ukraine.

STOUT: A very distressing story, there were scenes of terror and panic at a hospital in Southern Pennsylvania on Saturday morning. An armed man took medical staff hostage and opened fire, killing a police officer and wounding five others.

Our Gloria Pazmino has the details.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On Saturday, right before noon at UPMC Memorial Hospital, that's in York, Pennsylvania, and it happened inside the hospital's intensive care unit, a frightening ordeal for patients and staff and for the police who responded after a man armed with a pistol and zip ties entered the ICU and took the staff there hostage.

Now, the man has been identified as Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz. He was 49 years old, and he was killed by police after he exited the ICU, entered a hallway while pointing his weapon at one of the staff members. Police at that point opened fire and killed him, according to law enforcement officials there.

Now, the York County district attorney said that the incident is now under investigation, but he revealed that so far it appears that the suspect had been in contact with the ICU facility in recent days regarding medical treatment for another individual.

[03:40:07]

And so far at this early stage of the investigation, police believe that he targeted the individuals inside that ICU. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM BARKER, YORK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: When he came out, Mr. Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz came out holding at gunpoint a member of the UPMC staff who was also had her hands tied with the aforementioned zip ties, holding her at gunpoint, coming out into the hallway, the officers, left with no recourse, did open fire and did shoot and kill Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: And we've spoken to some of the visitors that were inside that hospital at the time of this shooting, including a woman who was visiting her elderly mother who said that there was an announcement that came over the P.A. speaker telling people to go into lockdown. She could see as police cars and sirens were outside of the hospital. We have some of that video that she shared with us from after she shot it on her cell phone. She said she crouched down into the floor for safety. The entire time her mother was asleep while this whole ordeal unfolded. It was finally a text message from the woman's daughter who let her know that the suspect had been taken down by police.

Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania also commending the way that medical staff responded, making sure that everyone in the hospital was safe. Unfortunately, that police officer was killed during the shootout. Also, four staffers at UPMC Memorial Hospital were injured, including a doctor, a nurse and a custodian, as well as two other officers who were also shot and wounded during the attack.

I'm Gloria Pazmino in New York. Back to you.

STOUT: Another alarming update for you, at least 11 deaths have been connected to a listeria outbreak in the U.S., all linked to frozen supplemental shakes. The bacterial infection has caused dozens of illnesses, with at least 37 people hospitalized now.

Now, the FDA traced the outbreak to shakes distributed in healthcare facilities across 21 states. Those products have been recalled, and officials are still investigating the outbreak of.

The world is warming, and last month was the warmest January on record globally. But despite that, the U.S. has seen temperatures plummet. In fact, January was the coldest among the mainland states since 1988. And that frigid weather has stretched into February as well.

Now, Meteorologist Allison Chinchar explains what's to blame here.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: If you went outside at all earlier this week, you likely noticed how cold it was. But it wasn't just this week. If we go back to January of this year, you'll notice much of the lower 48 was below average for temperatures. But we were really one of the few. In fact, if you look elsewhere globally, a lot of other places were warm, quite warm, to be exact, dealing with the warmest January on record. But this can happen where you have one area that's dealing with extreme temperatures on one side and many other areas dealing with the opposite.

So, now let's take a look at earlier this week. This was all the cold air that surged across the lower 48 and you likely felt it, except maybe if you lived in Tucson, or maybe Miami, where it actually didn't feel all that bad, because this is what can often happen. When we look at the more long-term trends, look at this for February, all of these light blue dots indicate the top ten coldest February to-date. Dark blue top five and all of these purple dots indicate the coldest February to-date on record.

So, why is this happening now? Well, a lot of it has to do with the polar vortex. Normally, a very strong polar vortex stays up north where it belongs, but sometimes it can elongate and stretch farther south, bringing with it incredibly cold temperatures. But it also will affect the jet stream that surrounds it and that impacts more of our day-to-day weather cycles.

However, even though you get these brief cold blasts that will come and go, overall, winter is actually warmer. And especially if you look at the eastern half of the country, it has warmed quite a bit over the last several decades by as much as five degrees warmer for all of those seasons.

Now, in the short-term, we are also going to see temperatures warming back up as we head into next week. Finally, most of the U.S. is seeing those temperatures above average instead of on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Take New York, for example, the high on Sunday, 43 degrees, jumping all the way up to 54 by the time we get to Tuesday, Atlanta looking at a high on Sunday of 58 degrees but back into the 70s by the time we get to Tuesday,

STOUT: Up next, a sobering reality. What it could mean for your margarita when tariffs go into effect on Canada and Mexico on March 4th, the height of Mardi Gras.

[03:45:04]

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STOUT: Welcome back. You're watching CNN Newsroom.

Now, for now, tariffs on products from America's neighbors, Mexico and Canada, are scheduled to begin next month. And the impact will be felt by consumers and businesses alike.

CNN's Isabel Rosales reports.

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ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPOINDENT (voice over): If you enjoy a margarita every once in a while, frozen or on the rocks with lime juice and tequila, you're not alone. In fact, tequila is the second most popular spirit by revenue in the U.S., just behind vodka. And the U.S. brings in more of it than any other nation.

But soon, your spicy Marg could get pricier. Tequila, Mezcal, and your favorite beer brands like Modelo and Corona, all of them are made in Mexico. But Mexico, along with Canada, is a prime target of President Trump's recent tariff barrage. And while for now it's mostly talk, their businesses are already feeling the weight. A plan to impose 25 percent duties on Mexican and Canadian imports is currently in the midst of a month-long pause while negotiations take place.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: President Sheinbaum is a woman. I like her very much. They've agreed to put in 10,000 soldiers permanently, like forever, 10,000 soldiers at their side of the border, and stop fentanyl and illegal aliens from coming into our country.

We haven't agreed on tariffs yet, and maybe we will, maybe we won't.

ROSALES: But at this Mexican distillery, the delay on a tariff decision is hardly good news. While the North American nations talk it out, woman owned and operated Azteca wines and liquors is stuck in a holding pattern. Because owner Melly Barajas has to plan everything from sourcing to hiring months in advance, she's left to play a waiting game.

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MELLY BARAJAS, AZTECA WINES AND LIQUORS: We were put on hold until March, do you get me? The uncertainty is affecting the girls, the whole production system, everything we have worked for during so many years because of a tariff.

ROSALES: While operations like Aztecas are on hold, other alcohol companies with Mexico and Canada-based products are looking at expediting their exports before the tariffs actually hit.

But it's a short-term solution to what could become a permanent problem. And for Barajas, her business cannot function in the uncertainty.

BARAJAS: I wish they would let us work, that they let us bring that bread to our homes, and that the people who are our leaders sit down to make agreements. They are agreements that must exist in societies, in companies, in marriages. So, sit down to negotiate. Let us work.

ROSALES: With Trump's delayed tariff decision deadline quickly approaching businesses like Azteca Wines and Liquors can only hope they won't soon be forced to pay the price.

Isabel Rosales, CNN.

STOUT: Up next, it is a celebration of music, dance, and culture. We take you to Bolivia, where carnival season is now in full swing.

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STOUT: Cymbals, trumpets and drums have been playing loudly in Bolivia, where the Oruro Carnival opened in full swing on Saturday. The 23rd edition of the event has brought together more than 5,000 musicians to celebrate the country's bicentennial in a vibrant display of regional rhythms and color.

But this is just the beginning. Now, the main events of this UNESCO World Heritage happening will fill Bolivian streets with even more music and dancing on March the 1st.

Our fans in their Miami pink and Argentina blue and white number 10 shirts turned out in force for the season home opener of Inter Miami and Lionel Messi on Saturday. Miami were up against NYCFC and they started strong with Tomas Aviles scoring from a Messi assist. But two New York goals and regulations saw Miami falter until extra time when Messi again assisted, this time for an equalizer from Telasco Segovia. And that made the final score a 2-2 draw.

Forever Young narrowly beat Romantic Warrior to win the Saudi Cup in Riyadh on Saturday. Romantic Warrior was looking strong, but jockey Ryusei Sakai managed to edge his charge ahead in the closing strides, giving Forever Young the victory. This was the sixth running of the world's richest horse race with $20 million in prize money at stake.

And that wraps it up for our coverage this hour. I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and CNN Newsroom with Ken Brunhuber in Atlanta is next.

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