Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Merz Claims Win For Conservatives In Snap Election; Trump Envoy Predicts Minerals Deal To Be Signed This Week; Catholics Around The World Pray For Pope's Recovery; Musk Threatens to Fire Federal Workers Who Don't Justify Jobs; Republican Lawmakers Face Voters Angry about Government Overhaul; At Least 21 Dead after Floods, Damaging Winds Hit Kentucky; Hamas Talks with Israel Contingent on Prisoner Release; Thousands in Beirut Mourn Slain Hezbollah Leader Nasrallah; Selfie Links Burglars to High-Profile U.S. Robberies; Mikaela Shiffrin Claims Historic 100th Victory. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired February 24, 2025 - 01:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:26]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, wherever you are in the world, you are now in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you with me.

Coming up on the show, a win for the conservative opposition after Germany's center-right bloc clinches power in the snap election, the new leader's pledge to pivot from the U.S.

And a global outpouring of love, support, and prayer for Pope Francis as his condition remains critical. The latest update from the Vatican ahead.

Plus, from the mass firings to controversial executive orders. President Trump has been busy, and now GOP lawmakers have to answer for his actions.

The head of Germany's opposition, a conservative, says his absolute priority is to strengthen Europe and achieve independence from the United States. That pledge from Friedrich Merz comes as preliminary official results show his center-right bloc will win the country's snap election, meaning he's now on track to become Germany's next chancellor. Sunday's vote also saw a strong second place showing for the far-right alternative for Germany party, followed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats in third. Merz says he plans to get straight to work on building a coalition government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDRICH MERZ, CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC UNION LEADER (through translator): It's important that we get a government for Germany that is able to act with a good majority in parliament because, dear friends, the world outside is not waiting for us, and it's not waiting for long-lasting coalition negotiations. We need to be able to act very soon so that we can do the right things domestically, so that we are present in -- in Europe, so that the world takes notice and sees that we have a reliable government in Germany.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: CNN correspondents are of course following all of the developments. Melissa Bell reports on the surge of support seen on Sunday for the far-right party. But first, we begin with Frederik Pleitgen in Berlin with more on the results from the snap election and what comes next.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The German election has produced a clear-cut winner but not necessarily a stable government going forward. The Christian Democratic Union under Friedrich Merz, their main candidate, has won the largest share of the vote by far. Friedrich Merz is a conservative who says that he wants to jumpstart the economy. He wants to get tougher on migration as well.

At the same time, this is a devastating defeat for the Social Democrats, which so far have had the Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The Social Democrats have acknowledged this defeat, one of the worst in the party's history. And Olaf Scholz has acknowledged it as well. But that's where the difficulties begin.

Now what has to happen is that a coalition to govern the country needs to be formed. The Christian Democrats can't do that on their own, they need coalition partners. And as things stand right now, Friedrich Merz says he's not going to do that with the far-right AfD.

He says that he's putting a firewall around them and will not cooperate with them or form a government with them either. That leaves the Green Party and the Social Democrats. The big problem is, is that these parties all don't really see eye-to-eye on a lot of the main issues when it comes to migration, when it comes to the environment, in part also when it comes to the economy as well.

So forming a government might be possible, but will it be a stable government? That's going to be the big question. Voters here in this country though have spoken very clearly. They understand that this country has a lot of problems and they want those problems to be solved.

The economy first and foremost, migration certainly as well, but the other thing that looms also here in Europe and certainly for one of the largest countries here in Europe is the war in Ukraine and how that is going to move forward in the future.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A historic victory for the far-right AfD tonight in Berlin, doubling their score on the last time they stood in federal elections and furthering their argument that the traditional firewall that has existed in German politics since World War II that essentially has prevented the established sitting parties from forming coalitions or seeking the support of the far-right having been weakened at regional level might now -- might now be challenged at the national level too.

Certainly on the question of immigration, this is a party that has proved increasingly radical. It began, of course, very Eurosceptic, has radicalized into 2025 since its beginning in 2013. I had the opportunity of asking one of the leading figures of the AfD earlier about the idea of re-migration. There had been questions about how far the party was going with that.

[01:05:20]

Was it simply those who were here illegally or those who had already achieved German nationality that might be expelled? This is what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEATRIX VON STORCH, GERMAN BUNDESTAG MEMBER: We have to get rid of all those people who are illegally under German law in Germany firsthand. And then we have to get everyone out who came in from Syria fleeing Assad and then celebrating the fall of Assad in the streets of Germany. So they have to go voluntarily. If they won't leave, we will help them out. And same with those from Afghanistan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: Still, this is a party that is very radical in many of its positions. It believes in an orderly leaving of the Euro, a stark difference with many of the other German parties, also in ending aid to Ukraine. So a position much closer to the position of the current administration in the United States.

The next few weeks, then, will be very interesting, not just in terms of whether that firewall holds, but whether these arguments that are being made in so many European countries right now by the far right will or not mean that Germany changes not just from its past so far, but also from its future within the European Union.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Berlin.

HUNTE: Chancellor Scholz said he'll never come to terms with the historic second place showing for the AfD. He called the election results a bitter defeat for his Social Democrats, but said he's proud of his government's track record.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): This legislative period has been marked by enormous challenges. Two flight hours from us, a terrible war is taking place, which Russia continues to wage against Ukraine. And every day, people die, streets are destroyed, railway lines, villages and towns are destroyed. People die, and there is still no end in sight.

Through this time, we and the government, led by me, have guided Germany safely as a supporter of Ukraine, but also as someone who ensures that the war does not expand. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: The war in Ukraine will be on the agenda when French President Emmanuel Macron sits down with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington in the hours ahead. The meeting comes on a somber milestone marking Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. CNN's Kevin Liptak has more from the White House.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Monday's third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine will mark the start of an intensive week of diplomacy here at the White House as President Trump works to rapidly end the conflict there and as European leaders rush to Washington to try and salvage transatlantic ties.

On Monday morning, President Trump will join a meeting of the G7 that comes against quite a strained backdrop. Of course, Trump has said that Russia should be permitted to rejoin the G7 after it was ejected from what was then the G8. U.S. officials ahead of this meeting had also resisted inclusion of the words Russian aggression in a final communique. So how all of that resolves remains to be seen.

Later in the day, President Trump will meet with the French President Emmanuel Macron who is coming to Washington after hosting emergency summits of European leaders at this watershed moment. I understand that Macron will try and use his longtime personal relationship with Trump to try and apply pressure on him. He said before departing Paris that he planned to tell Trump you can't be weak in the face of Putin, but of course it's entirely unclear how much success he will have in moving the president off of his positions.

Later in the week, the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be here at the White House. He has been working on a blueprint that would include sending up to 30,000 European peacekeepers to Ukraine. Of course, that plan would require some U.S. support.

Of course, right now there is no peace to be kept and that is part of why you see American officials continuing to apply pressure on Ukraine to agree to this deal that would provide the U.S. up to 50 percent of Ukraine's mineral revenues as part of back payment for past U.S. assistance. This is a plan that the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had rejected when it was presented to him last week, but now American officials say that he could be prepared to sign on the dotted line.

Steve Witkoff, President Trump's friend and foreign envoy, said on CNN Sunday morning that he expected a deal to be signed this week. But when you listen to Zelenskyy, it's clear that he hasn't made up his mind yet and he has not agreed to a final agreement saying that any plan would require security guarantees for Ukraine going forward, saying that he was not signing something that 10 generations of Ukrainians will have to repay.

[01:10:04]

I think all of this underscores President Trump's intent to try and end this war very quickly. Of course, he promised as a candidate to end it within 24 hours of taking office. That deadline has come and gone, but it is clear that he intends to move very quickly. What isn't clear so far is what concessions the U.S. expects Russia to make as part of this settlement to end the conflict.

It has already said what it plans Ukraine to concede, including some territorial concessions of land that Russia has seized. It's not clear yet what it expects Moscow to concede as part of Trump's plan to end this conflict.

Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.

HUNTE: Zelenskyy says he would resign if it meant peace or NATO membership for Ukraine. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more on that from Kyiv.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: It's important to put a bit of context around the comments by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he would resign if it brought peace to Ukraine or if Ukraine became a NATO member.

Firstly, Ukraine isn't likely to become a NATO member anytime soon. The U.S. has been set against it, and of course they probably wouldn't get that membership while they're at war. So that's highly unlikely to happen.

And secondly, if Zelenskyy did step aside, while that wouldn't really bring peace necessarily, it would usher in elections or some anointed successor. I'm not even sure how that would even necessarily work. I think the chaos there would leave Ukraine probably further away from peace.

So he's outlining circumstances that are probably quite remote, but I think it's a reflection of the awful week that's been had, and Zelenskyy's desire not necessarily to cling on to power personally indefinitely. He sort of laughed when he was asked if he was offended by being called a dictator by President Donald Trump and said that if he was a dictator, he'd be offended. But he's not, so he wasn't.

And I think this is really a sign of how the two men's relationship has begun to overshadow so many of the complex tasks between the United States and Ukraine that have urgently been on the table over the past week, particularly the rare earth minerals deal. I asked the president himself whether or not he felt that if they failed to sign that, it could impact future USAID and also about his relationship with President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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 USAID?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: As I said, we want successful agreement. And if we will understand each other with partners, I hope that it will be, we will sign this -- the 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 that's crucial for us.

WALSH: Yes, the president?

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: Now, the awkward laughter in the room there, I think a reflection of the ugly reality of what we're dealing with here. The free fall in relations between Trump and Zelenskyy has overshadowed so much of this week. And in public, the two sides are so far apart, it seems, on this rare earth minerals deal. Zelenskyy rejecting the half trillion dollar demand from the Trump administration that appears to have been in earlier versions of the agreement may still be in the current document under discussion.

Negotiations, indeed, continue today. He rejects the notion that this previous aid was debt accrued by Ukraine, calling it grants. That's true. The Biden administration did not necessarily suggest the money would have to be repaid. But the current draft, as far as we know publicly, does not contain the security guarantees or promises of future aid that Ukraine so urgently needs.

So that's an enormous hurdle, and one that the acrimony, frankly, we've seen on display in the past week between Trump and Zelenskyy is certainly not helping. So, yes, awkward moments, perhaps, a wry laugh from the Ukrainian president when asked about his relationship with Trump, but a reflection, I think, of the exceptionally complex and unprecedented times that we're in.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.

HUNTE: Let's dig into all of this with CNN European affairs commentator, Dominic Thomas. Thank you so much for being with me, Dominic. How are you doing?

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: No, I'm doing good. Thank you so much, and nice to be on your show, Ben.

HUNTE: Oh, you're so welcome. Thanks for being here. Let's start in Germany. So I was looking at the polls from a few days ago, and they do seem to reflect what's played out. Have you been surprised by any of the results or projections that we've seen so far?

THOMAS: Not so much with the projections, because I think the polls did a -- did a great job, but what they did is confirm a seismic transformation that's been in the makings, really, since the end and the last years of the -- of the Merkel era. And I think one thing that was really interesting is that the turnout, from what I can tell, was certainly the highest in the last 35 years, which shows just the extent to which the German population was galvanized around the stakes of this election.

[01:15:17]

But I think ultimately what this confirmed was for the first time since German unification in 1990, the CDU-SPD did not share poll position, in other words, one and two. And you have here the AfD coming in and imposing itself as the second largest party, a similar trend to things we've seen develop in elections recently in France as well, for example.

So we see a sort of erosion of these mainstream parties, and I think the most disconcerting aspect of it moving forward when it comes to this system and creating a coalition is that all three coalition partners that went into this early election lost seats, and in the case of the FDP, it looks like they won't even enter Parliament, whereas all the opposition members gained seats. And in some areas significant in terms of the left that hadn't done that well in 2021.

So I think entering into a coalition in this volatile environment, given the stakes and given the state of the -- of the German economy and the position on the international board, it's a high order to try and create a government here moving forward Ben.

HUNTE: Yes. And Trump is actually meeting with Macron later today. They have a longstanding relationship. What do you think is going to be brought up in that meeting?

THOMAS: Right. Well, of course there are issues, right? For example, you know, trade agreements, tariffs, the situation in the Middle East. But the primary focus of this meeting is around the conflict in Ukraine and achieving peace. It's clear that the European Union have been significantly disturbed by the return of Trump to the White House and his particular way in which he has talked about far-right parties, his relationship to Europe, and his reluctance to move into multilateral agreements.

So we know that Emmanuel Macron historically has a close relationship with him, but it hasn't always translated into convincing President Trump to follow along. We have the Paris Climate Accord, the Iran nuclear deal as an example. In this particular case, I think both the U.K. prime minister and Emmanuel Macron are eager to try to get President Trump to understand the importance of an E.U., NATO and United States solution to this situation.

And if that means President Trump takes credit for it, they're happy with that. My feeling is that President Trump's alignments and alliances in Europe and the world have shifted towards a more sort of monolithic, singular way of dealing things, and he's much closer to some of the detractors in Europe like Hungary, Slovakia and so on, and to Russia than his predecessor. And I'm not sure that Emmanuel Macron is going to be able to convince him of the danger that President Putin continues to represent to Europe and the European Union then.

HUNTE: I wonder if I can get your really quick thoughts on President Trump praising these elections in Germany and actually congratulating himself too. I was reading through his post where he said, this is a great day for the United States of America under the leadership of a gentleman named Donald J. Trump. Why do you think this is such a good day for him?

THOMAS: Well, I'm not sure. You know, of course he's appropriating the performance here of the AfD, but the fact is for the last two years, the AfD have been doing very well and in the polls, and I'm not sure that either him or his surrogate, Elon Musk interference, has translated into really tremendous support for the AfD.

I think if anything, the German public that voted 80 percent not for the AfD are very concerned about this sort of false attempt to bolster the far right in Europe. They've seen the situation unfold in other areas. They're concerned about the decisions that have been made in the White House thus far. And I think that ultimately, the disruption to the Atlantic relationship and the relationship with Europe and foreign policy is what concerns them the most.

HUNTE: Yes.

THOMAS: And I don't see the AfD moving forward, you know, maintaining that power structure that it has here then.

HUNTE: Well, thank you for your analysis. I appreciate it Dominic Thomas. We'll speak soon.

THOMAS: Thank you.

HUNTE: Around the world, Catholics are praying for Pope Francis as he remains in hospital, struggling with serious health issues. The latest on his condition just ahead.

[01:19:35]

And a flight heading from New York to India landed in Rome instead. Coming up, we'll tell you why the American Airlines flight got an escort from the Italian Air Force.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: Welcome back. Pope Francis is now experiencing mild kidney failure, according to the Vatican. And while they say it's under control, it's another unwelcome health complication for the 88-year- old. He's still in critical condition as he fights double pneumonia in hospital. The Vatican says he's still on oxygen, but has not suffered another acute respiratory crisis, as he did on Saturday. While he missed delivering his second straight Angelus prayer on Sunday, Pope Francis did take part in Holy Mass inside a medical center, joined by those who were caring for him.

Catholics around the world are anxiously waiting for the latest updates on the Pope's health. Our Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sunday Mass at St. Peter's Basilica, where concerns for the Pope's health are center stage, even as he remains in a Rome hospital, battling double pneumonia.

[01:25:12]

ARCHBISHOP RINO FISICHELLA (through translator): We feel Pope Francis close to us, even though he is in a hospital bed. We feel his presence among us, and this compels us to make our prayer even stronger and more intense, so that the Lord may support him in this time of trial and illness.

LAMB (voice-over): The faithful have been gathering outside Rome's Gemelli Hospital, keeping vigil underneath the statue of former Pope John Paul II, and waiting for word on the patient being treated on the 10th floor.

Over the weekend, the Vatican says the pontiff's condition remains critical. New blood work shows mild signs of kidney failure, which is said to be under control. And he's still receiving high flows of oxygen, after suffering an asthmatic respiratory crisis, disheartening developments for those praying for a speedy recovery.

NORMANDO BIZERIA, CATHOLIC FROM BRAZIL: I came here for the Pope, and it's a -- it's a symbolic time, and I think that all the prayers and the support that he can get, we -- we must -- we must -- we must support the Pope at this moment.

LAMB (voice-over): That support, in the form of prayers, get well wishes, and masses, is spreading throughout the world.

In Buenos Aires, the city where Pope Francis was born and served as Archbishop, a special service was held for the Pope that moved some parishioners to tears.

IVETTE RODRIGUEZ, CATHOLIC PARISHIONER (through translator): For me, he is an idol, between these people who spread good, kindness, and love for others. Why do these idols have to go? These are true idols, who give so much, who dedicate their lives to others.

LAMB (voice-over): Another mass for the Pope was held in Nairobi, Africa having one of the fastest growing Catholic populations in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our prayers to God for Pope Francis.

LAMB (voice-over): And in the Philippines, where about 80 percent of the country is Catholic.

A global outpouring of care and concern for the Pope. And in a written message on Sunday, the Pope acknowledged those prayers, saying he was grateful for all of them. Prayers, if not affecting his physical condition, seemingly lifting his spirit.

Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HUNTE: Millions of U.S. government workers are being warned to justify their employment or face dismissal. And thousands more have just gotten laid off overnight. The latest on the federal purge, next on CNN.

Plus, backlash over federal layoffs. More on why a Republican lawmaker got booed by a crowd of angry voters who were asking him to stand up for them. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:32:15]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Millions of U.S. government workers are facing a new deadline that could cost them their jobs. A mass email sent to federal employees by the Office of Personnel Management demanding they respond with five bullet points detailing what they did on the job last week by 11:59 p.m. on Monday.

The email doesn't mention consequences, however, a tweet from Elon Musk does. The man heading the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency said if workers don't respond in time, it will be considered their resignation.

Several agencies, including the FBI, the State Department and the Department of Defense are pushing back, telling their workers not to respond to the email at all.

In just the last hour, the U.S. Agency for International Development began cutting its ranks. The agency told 2,000 employees by email on Sunday they would be laid off just before midnight Eastern Standard Time, with most remaining USAID staff being put on administrative leave.

A small number of employees will remain in their jobs to keep working on the few humanitarian projects deemed essential by the Trump administration.

More than 2.200 workers at the Interior Department, which includes the National Park Service, were dismissed a little over a week ago.

That includes Yosemite National Park employee Andria Towns, who specialized in endangered species. She explains how the layoffs will impact the parks and describes how she was fired.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRIA TOWNS, FORMER YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK EMPLOYEE: Friday afternoon, and I was at work. I was actually doing overtime, like I often do, like many of my colleagues do in public service.

And I -- I mean, I read the email, I sent it to my supervisor. She was really upset right along beside me. I'm also a supervisor and one of my employees was terminated. So I was dealing both with, you know, my own termination and then someone who I also care about and dealing with their termination. So it was a lot to take on all at once. And yes, I just packed my

stuff up and left the office and that was the end.

You know, the impacts are just that. It really disrupts our program to have first my termination as well as someone else on my team. And it just makes a lot more work for them to do. It makes, you know, coming to work every day a lot harder for them.

And you know, direct impacts to the park are being felt because we've lost maintenance workers. We've lost our only locksmith, you know, the people who make this park what it is and keep it running for people who visit or have lost their jobs.

[01:34:54]

TOWNS: And that is going to have, you know, huge effects not only on the park, but in their lives as well, in terms of, you know, stability. Some of these people have park housing that they're now having to move out of.

So the impacts are, you know, both to the park, to the wildlife and to the communities that live here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: U.S. President Donald Trump's actions in Washington are impacting people across the country, and many voters aren't pleased with some Republican lawmakers facing angry crowds at town hall meetings in their districts.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, perhaps these are signs that the Republican honeymoon may be over as some of these lawmakers are back in their districts during a recess from Congress for the next several days.

Many of them have been holding town halls in their communities where they are getting an earful not just from Democrats, but also Republicans, who are frustrated about the way that the Trump administration has been enacting its agenda.

Also the role that Elon Musk is playing in the federal government and a lot of questions about the federal layoffs and whether or not there will be cuts to some benefits, such as Social Security.

Now, these town halls have been taking place all across the country here in New York, Wisconsin, Georgia and Saturday night in Trinity, Texas, where Congressman Pete Sessions was prepared to deliver what he thought was going to be a routine update about the work that he's been doing in Congress.

Instead, he got a barrage of questions and accusations from his constituents regarding the role of Elon Musk, the federal layoffs, as well as Social Security benefits.

Now, according to "The New York Times", there were several attendants in this town hall who got up and questioned him. At one point, one woman saying, "When are you going to wrest control back from the executive and stop hurting your constituents?" She was talking about the mass layoffs and agency closures, which she believes are unconstitutional.

Then there was another gentleman who asked about Social Security. He said, "Will you be courageous enough to stand up to them?"

Now, this is something that both Elon Musk and President Trump have said that they are focused on, Social Security Administration and whether or not changes need to be made to that program.

Now, many of these lawmakers are holding town halls in person, which means that constituents can come out and sort of confront them. And that's why we're getting a lot of these videos where constituents are booing and shouting down their lawmakers.

Other lawmakers are having these town halls either virtually or on the phone. That allows for perhaps a little bit more control, crowd control, trying to filter the type of questions that they're getting. But even there, they're getting a lot of pushback and criticism.

I want you to take a listen to a Republican, retired U.S. Army officer. This is what he had to say to Congresswoman Stephanie Bice in Oklahoma.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How can you tell me that DOGE with some college whiz kids from a computer terminal in Washington, D.C., without even getting out into the field, after about a week or maybe two has determined that its ok to cut veterans benefits?

REP. STEPHANIE BICE (R-OK): Did you know that the V.A. was in charge of payments for illegals for housing? Basically the V.A. --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I'd like -- I'd like for you to send to me. Could you send me that reference so I could research that? Because no, I'm not aware of that.

And I would tell you that that's a red herring, a false flag.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: He was not the only frustrated caller at that town hall. A lot of questions about Social Security, about federal funding cuts and about mass layoffs and about Elon Musk.

We are expecting to see many more of these town halls into the following week in Illinois, Missouri, Pennsylvania, just to name a few.

There are town halls that are scheduled, and the question will be whether or not we continue to see this pattern of criticism, both from Republicans and Democrats, and whether or not lawmakers take those concerns back to Congress when they're back in session.

Gloria Pazmino, CNN -- New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Let's discuss this now with Shermichael Singleton, CNN political commentator and Republican strategist. How are you doing?

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hey, I'm doing well, man. Thanks for having me.

HUNTE: You're so welcome.

There's obviously so much we could talk about right now, because everything seems to be happening in America.

But let's chat about the polls first. Trump is actually doing quite well in polls compared to his previous numbers. But the mass layoffs are where he's currently falling a bit short.

[01:39:49]

HUNTE: A majority of Americans don't agree with the mass firings at all. And some people are being laid off and they're Trump supporters. How is all of that working?

SINGLETON: Well look, I understand wanting to move expeditiously. The president campaigned on wanting to shrink the size of government; wanting to find waste, fraud, abuse; make government run more effectively, more efficient. Most Americans, Democrats, Republicans alike would actually agree with that.

In this particular case, I think a part of the conundrum that we're starting to see in some of the polling data where they're letting off people by accident then they have to go back and rescind some of those layoffs, is because they're not sort of going line by line to be more surgical in the jobs that they dismiss versus the roles that they keep.

And so I think if Musk were to be a little more diligent in his expeditious process, then I think most people would say, ok, this is more organized, its more orderly. They're actually laying off people that aren't necessity -- necessity in terms of their job roles.

They're laying off individuals that where those roles could sort of be moved into or merged into two or three. They're using technology to sort of replace certain roles and divisions.

So if you can sort of articulate that to the American people, then I think most people would agree that this is an effective well-running machine, that being DOGE.

My only caution to Elon Musk is that you run the risk of increasing disapproval ratings, which in turn will ultimately impact President Trump. And that's certainly not what you want, particularly when you have midterm elections coming up next year. Republicans only have a three or four-seat majority. And there's just

a lot of political things -- variables that I'm thinking about as a strategist that Musk may not be thinking about right now. But in six months, we may begin to really see some movement in that regard.

So again, I don't have an issue with moving quickly. I think they're doing the right thing by looking for inefficiencies, trying to make things run more effectively, trying to figure out ways to save more money.

But I think they have got to be more surgical in their approach, or you're going to see more mistakes, such as firing nuclear scientists, which was obviously not purposefully done, that was a mistake.

But it could have been avoided if they were more precise in who they were letting go and why they were letting those people go.

HUNTE: I'm so surprised that Trump is focusing on other random things, rather than bringing down the price of daily life here. And when I was here during the elections, it was something that people were talking about, the fact that Kamala wasn't going to be doing enough to bring down the price of eggs. The price of eggs is still crazy.

So is it surprising to you that he's not focusing more on daily life for the average American person?

SINGLETON: Yes. So this is a bit of a fascinating conundrum for the president, right? Because if you look at some recent data, 70 percent of Americans say they think Donald Trump is delivering on his campaign promises that being trying to shrink the size of government, trying to save taxpayers more money.

Conversely, when you ask them about the cost of living, gas, inflation in general, you're starting to see those numbers shift away from the president.

So before you saw, I think it was around 54 percent of young voters and Hispanics who thought Donald Trump was doing a really great job. That number has now dropped down to, I believe, 43 percent, I could be off by a point or two.

And then even with black voters, their support was around 30 percent. That's now dropped to around 24 -- 23 percent.

So you are seeing some marginal decreases in his overall support, in part because a lot of those very key demographic groups that obviously helped him get to the White House are saying, look, we get what you're doing and we think this is important, but you really, really promised us that you were going to be better on the economic front, which is why we ultimately voted for you. We need to see some action there.

And so I think the president is going to have to balance all of this while really, really delivering on that cost of living, which is what most people expect him to be strong on.

So I would give him six months to focus on the economy and inflation. If he doesn't really address it, then I think Republicans in general are going to have a problem.

And that's something that, as a strategist that I absolutely don't want to do. I want to give Republicans in the House the opportunity to go to their districts and say, look at what we have accomplished for you as pertains to cost of living and the economy in general. I don't want them to have to defend why we haven't addressed those issues.

HUNTE: Yes. And what I heard there --

SINGLETON: It's not good politics.

HUNTE: Well, what I heard there is I've got another six months of these ridiculously expensive bills and high-cost eggs. Boo.

But anyway, thank you, Shermichael Singleton. Appreciate you being with me. See you soon.

SINGLETON: Thanks, man.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ICE is not welcome in this neighborhood or in any neighborhood. You guys are all terrorists that should be ashamed of yourself for doing this for a living.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: U.S. Immigration officials launched a new round of enforcement operations in the L.A. area on Sunday.

Videos posted on social media by community activists show what appear to be federal agents outside a residence in Alhambra, California. Activists can be heard using megaphones telling residents not to open their doors.

[01:44:49]

HUNTE: The agents eventually left the area that you see here. It's not clear how many arrests were actually made on Sunday. The operation comes after similar crackdowns in Chicago and New York.

An American Airlines flight got an Italian Air Force escort when it was diverted to Rome on Sunday. Two Air Force jets were dispatched due to a potential security concern on the flight. It was ultimately deemed non-credible. The flight was headed from New York to Delhi, India when it was diverted.

American Airlines says the flight landed safely in Rome and law enforcement inspected the plane for re-departure, which is set now for Monday.

The death toll in Kentucky has now jumped to at least 21 victims after a powerful storm brought widespread flooding and damaging winds across parts of the U.S.

Kentucky has borne the brunt of that severe weather system. More than a month's worth of rain drowned much of the state in less than 24 hours, bringing water levels to historic highs and setting into motion deadly floods.

Kentucky, unfortunately, is no stranger to natural disasters. Just over two years ago, catastrophic floods killed 43 people and devastated parts of the state.

When we return, what Hamas is now saying about Israel's delayed prisoner release and how it could impact the next phase of the ceasefire deal in Gaza.

[01:46:18]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: A senior Hamas official tells CNN any future peace talks with Israel are contingent on the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners. They were meant to be freed after Hamas handed over six Israeli hostages on Saturday, but Israel says it won't release the prisoners until Hamas guarantees the end of humiliating ceremonies during hostage releases.

As the first phase of the ceasefire deal in Gaza comes to an end, Israel's warning that it could resume intense fighting at any moment. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has military plans ready to go if needed.

The IDF says it's ramping up operational readiness around Gaza after what it described as a situational assessment.

Israel is moving tanks into the West Bank for the first time since the end of the second intifada more than 20 years ago. Palestinian authorities are slamming the move as an escalation of aggression.

The Israeli defense minister says his country's military is expanding its operation in the Palestinian territory. He's telling troops to remain in some refugee camps for the coming year after about 40,000 people were evacuated.

Several Palestinians told CNN the Israeli military made them leave and they don't know when they'll be allowed to return.

Mourners came out en masse in Beirut on Sunday. Tens of thousands flooded the streets of Lebanon's capital to take part in the long- delayed funeral of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

A formation of Israeli fighter jets flew just above the event, in what the IDF called, quote, "a clear message to the Iranian-backed proxy group".

Meanwhile, the Israeli military released what it says is video of Nasrallah's assassination. Nasrallah was killed nearly five months ago in a massive Israeli airstrike in the suburbs of Lebanon's capital.

From setbacks to sheer success, coming up, how an American alpine skier has overcome hardship to make history in the World Cup. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: The FBI has cracked an international crime ring operating in the U.S. with a selfie. Burglars targeting the homes of pro athletes have evaded U.S. law enforcement for months.

[01:54:47]

HUNTE: That is, until a photo showcasing the crime scene emerged shortly after a break in at an NBA player's house. Using GPS, iCloud and cell phone data, the FBI were able to use the image to link the suspects to nearly $3 million worth of stolen goods.

According to an unsealed federal criminal complaint, seven Chilean men have now been charged with felony crimes and accused of trying to sell the stolen goods across state lines. If convicted, they could face up to ten years in prison each.

In an incredible show of resilience, American alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin has claimed her 100th World Cup victory in Italy. Her historic win comes after a string of injuries that had hampered her success on the slopes.

CNN's Don Riddell has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: 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 Lutnick. And as it all sunk in afterwards, she was just overcome with emotion.

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

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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. It's been real. Let's do it again next weekend.

CNN NEWSROOM continues with Rosemary Church after this quick break. See you later.

[01:57:20]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)