Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
CNN International: Macon's Message on Ukraine; Trump and Macron Meet at the White House; World Leaders in Kyiv to Mark Third Anniversary of Russia-Ukraine War; Getting Companies to Diversify Out of China in the Philippines; Exploring Manila's Past, Present, and Future; Pope Francis Remain in Hospital in Critical Condition; The Sky's Not the Limit for Lingokids; Screen Actors Guild Awards. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired February 24, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Just ahead, peace must not mean surrender. French President Macron's message on Ukraine as he meets Donald Trump at the White House. Prayers for Pope Francis who remains in hospital in a critical condition.
And --
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE AND CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: And I'm Richard Quest, this morning live in Manila, where I've been speaking to the Philippines finance minister about getting companies to diversify out of China. Also, why he's not worried about the United States turning its back on his country.
KINKADE: But first, we begin in Washington, where U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron are vowing to secure peace in Ukraine. It comes on the third anniversary of Russia's full- scale invasion of its neighbor. President Trump suggested there would be a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as early as this week to sign an agreement giving the U.S. a share of Ukraine's rare earth minerals. At a joint news conference, Mr. Macron emphasized the need for security guarantees.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): This peace must not mean a surrender of Ukraine. It must not mean a ceasefire without guarantees. This peace must allow for Ukrainian sovereignty and allow Ukraine to negotiate with other stakeholders regarding the issues it affects.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, President Macron also stated the case for a unified Europe at a time when transatlantic ties are deteriorating. And there was this extraordinary moment when the French leader attempted to correct President Trump about the nature of European support for Kyiv.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACRON: I support the idea to have Ukraine first being compensated because they are the one to have lost a lot of their fellow citizens and being destroyed by these attacks. Second, all of those who paid for could be compensated, but not by Ukraine, by Russia. Because they were the one to aggress.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Again, just so you understand, Europe is loaning the money to Ukraine. They get their money back.
MACRON: No, in fact, to be frank, we paid 60 percent of the total effort. And it was through -- like the U.S., loans, guarantee, grants, and we provided real money. To be clear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Our Stephen Collinson joins us from Washington. Good to see you, Stephen. That was such an interesting moment. Throughout the entire day, we saw a lot of back slapping, knee grabbing, hand holding, but then to see Macron call out Trump like that, how did that go down?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: It was very interesting. I think it suggests that they do actually have a reasonable relationship. Macron showed a great deal of respect to Trump during his first term.
That said, I remember when Macron and Trump met early in Trump's first mandate and they were very friendly and things quite quickly soured when they weren't together. They're on opposite sides of the Atlantic and their goals diverge. So, I don't think we should put too much into that.
What is interesting about that comment though, is that Trump has been frequently inflating the amount of the billions that the United States sent to Ukraine. And many of the -- much of the U.S. aid was in the form of armaments, weapons systems, ammunition, which came from U.S. stocks. And then, the U.S. Congress appropriated money for the United States to replace those stocks through American factories. So, the idea that the U.S. just gave hundreds of billions of dollars in cash to Ukraine is not quite right. But politically, I guess, that phrase and that point does the job for the president.
KINKADE: And also, it's interesting how they differed when talking about dealing with Russia and Putin. We heard Donald Trump speaking about the fact that they should make a great deal for Russia. But Macron spoke about trust. He spoke about how Putin has violated peace agreements in the past and the need for security guarantees. What else did he say about that?
[18:05:00]
COLLINSON: I think there's a real clear difference here. Trump appears to want a deal more than anything else. He doesn't seem to really have a great deal of concern about what that deal would look like, whether it would sow the seeds for future conflict, what it would mean for Europe's security. Europe is very, very worried about that, and to some extent they're working on different clocks.
I think what Macron is trying to say is that the deal you get with Putin will sully your legacy and your reputation and it will make you look bad if it's a weak deal and it sets the whole situation up for future conflict or allows Putin to destabilize Ukraine in another way. And I think that is the major difference here between the U.S. and the Europeans.
The Europeans say, you have to have security guarantees, and there has to be a backup from the U.S. for those security guarantees to Ukraine. Otherwise, Putin will just invade again in a few years' time. It's not clear, and Trump didn't say publicly that he would be willing to provide those security guarantees from the U.S. perspective. He wants Europe to do all the work.
Would he be there as a backstop, as Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, wants? He hasn't said that. Perhaps that's because he wants to meet Putin in the coming weeks and doesn't want anything to mess up that meeting, or to anger the Russian president, or to stop him coming from the table, or it could be that he's just against it, doesn't want to send any U.S. troops anywhere near Ukraine, and his brand, after all, has been getting troops out of conflict situations rather than into them.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. Well, Macron certainly delivering a strong message on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Stephen Collinson for us in Washington. Thank you.
COLLINSON: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, other world leaders were in Kyiv to mark the third anniversary of the war. President Zelenskyy led them in a tribute to Ukraine's fallen soldiers. And he expressed hope that Washington continues to support his country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: We spoke about it and we hope that United States will continue support like all the partners. All the partners do it and we need also not to lose this unity between Europe and United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, after meeting with G7 leaders, Zelenskyy said today, we discussed the need for security guarantees for Ukraine and real ways to ensure an end to this Russian aggression. Well, President Trump and President Macron both attended that meeting virtually from Washington. Out Nick Paton Walsh has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They came to honor, mourn, in unity, with the hope the war could stop in this, its fourth year.
But in truth, the past week has elevated Ukraine's bitter conflict, where Russia is still advancing into an unprecedented crisis for all of them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's also about having skin in the game.
WALSH (voice-over): The words, the pledges of aid and sanctions were familiar.
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: We need to make sure that might no longer makes right.
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The U.K. is ready and willing to support this with troops on the ground.
WALSH: A show of solidarity, but really key here is the absence of senior figures in the Trump administration. The change in that alliance hanging over this key show of unity.
WALSH (voice-over): But then, the whiplash that's left U.S.-Ukraine relations in free fall suddenly got a reprieve. Perhaps due to this man, siding up to President Donald Trump during a G7 video call.
TRUDEAU: There he is. Emmanuel is on his --
WALSH (voice-over): French President Emmanuel Macron seeking to bring Trump onto Ukraine's side.
TRUDEAU: Olaf, good to have you here. I know it was a tough day yesterday.
WALSH (voice-over): A lot of change here. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leaving Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz voted out too. But this is day by day for Ukraine, who welcomed a chance.
ZELENSKYY: I mean, that's what Donald Trump -- now we had a conversation, it was a very good conversation. Thank you very much, Justin, for organizing this meeting.
WALSH (voice-over): Some minutes later, the world seemed to change again. The key U.S.-Ukraine resources deal close to done.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I think we're very close. Do you have something to say about that, Scott?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are very close. One yard run.
TRUMP: I will be meeting with President Zelenskyy. In fact, he may come in this week or next week to sign the agreement.
WALSH (voice-over): Just add Macron to Trump, results in minutes.
MACRON: He's a smart customer, I will tell you that.
WALSH (voice-over): Ukraine urgently needed good news in a brutal fight. A source telling CNN a final draft of the resources deal left the tough staff to later talks, removed the worst parts for Kyiv, but also the security guarantees they needed. That might be something for the presidents to discuss later.
[18:10:00]
Yet, the madness has one winner, the Kremlin head surely seeing a telenovela plot of a week, leaving the West in panic, trading dictator insults, but not at him, and then suddenly healed. Next week could well be different again.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, for more on this, Steven Pifer joins us. He's an affiliate of Stanford University and a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Good to have you with us.
STEVEN PIFER, AFFILIATE, STANFORD UNIVERSITY AND FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Thanks for having me.
KINKADE: So, Ambassador, today marks three years since Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia currently controls some 20 percent of Ukraine, and I understand you visited the country since this invasion. How would you describe the state of the nation right now?
PIFER: Well, I think what we've seen over the past three years is that the Ukrainians are determined, they're defiant, and they've been resilient. I think few people would have predicted back in February of 2022 that the Ukrainians would have really fought the Russians to a standstill as they have.
KINKADE: And of course, today we saw Donald Trump meeting with the French president, Macron. And in short, we heard the French president say, Putin can't be trusted, there need to be, you know, some sort of security guarantees to ensure that any peace agreement is sustainable. But we also heard Trump, on the other hand, say that Russia wants a deal. I just want to play some of that sound.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The whole culture is destroyed. When you rip down some of those ancient -- really ancient or near ancient buildings, it's so sad to see. But I think it's very much to the benefit of this tremendous distrust on both sides. That's why it's good that I'm coming in now. But I think it's to the very much benefit of Russia to make a deal and to go on with leading Russia in a very positive way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: I mean, he spoke a lot about leaving Russia in a positive way, making a great deal for Russia. It certainly didn't call out Russian aggression and spoke about mistrust on both sides. Why is Trump, in contrast to every other U.S. president, seeming to pivot towards Russia, to repeat Russian propaganda? PIFER: I wish I fully understood that. No, there really is a difference with President Trump. And I worry that he is very obviously eager to rebuild some kind of a relationship with Vladimir Putin. If you look over the last two weeks, you've seen a whole variety of diplomatic wins for Russia. President Trump agrees or says, well, Ukraine cannot get all of its territory back, cannot join NATO. Why do you say that before the negotiation even begins?
President Trump agrees to meet Putin when Western leaders for three years have avoided those meetings. President Trump says Russia should come back into the G7 and return the G8, and the first big engagement is not with the Ukrainians, but with the Russians. That's four wins, and the Russians got another win today, where the United States and the United Nations voted with Russia against a resolution calling for a lasting and just peace put forward by the Europeans and Ukraine, and the American objection was because it cited Russian aggression.
And what I worry about here is the Russians see these wins and it doesn't put the Russians in the mind to make concessions. They're just going to sit back and wait for more concessions. So, I believe that the president really is mishandling this engagement. And it's not the way you deal with the Kremlin.
KINKADE: And the Trump administration claims that they're getting very close to a minerals deal where they would get access to the revenue from rare minerals in Ukraine in exchange for either past aid or potentially future aid. Would that provide any sort of security guarantee to a ceasefire or a peace deal? Is Russia less likely to invade again if there is some sort of major economic investment by the U.S.?
PIFER: Yes. Well, first, let me just say about the assistance that the United States provided during the Biden administration. That was not a loan. That was a grant to Ukraine, and it was done by the Biden administration because they correctly calculated that helping Ukraine win and contain Russia was in the American interest.
Now, I do think that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is prepared to do a deal that would allow America access to Ukrainian rare earth minerals, but I also expect he's going to want to have some kind of a security commitment, a security guarantee, because he's very worried that if he does do a settlement now, what prevents the Russians from regenerating their military and then Putin invading again, three or four years down the road.
[18:15:00]
So, my guess is the Ukrainians are going to want to tie that minerals agreement to some kind of security commit from the United States, and that could be a very key element of that discussion between Washington and Kyiv.
KINKADE: And, Ambassador, you wrote an interesting article titled "President Trump's Masterclass Blundering a Ukraine Peace Deal." You pointed out that the U.S. and Ukraine have been partners for some 30 years, and yet, you know, Donald Trump reached out to Putin first to have the first conversation about any sort of ceasefire or peace plan going forward instead of the Ukrainian president. Was that one of the biggest mistakes?
PIFER: No, I think that was a mistake. I think the President should have first had a conversation with Zelenskyy because before he goes too far with the Russians, President Trump needs to understand where Zelenskyy has flexibility and where he doesn't have flexibility.
Next, he should have talked to key European leaders because the Trump administration's plan envisages a major role for European military forces in implementing the agreement. He needs to know exactly what the Europeans are prepared to do.
And then, there was one last thing I believe that President Trump should have done before talking to Putin, and that was build some leverage with Putin. The United States has lots of leverage with Ukraine because they're most dependent upon us for assistance and military help. But with Russia, he needed more, and he could have done things like ask the G7 to move to seize the $300 billion dollars in Russian frozen central bank assets and turn that into a fund to Ukraine.
He could have asked Congress for more money for Ukraine. He could have taken steps to tighten the sanctions on Russia, all of these steps would have given him greater leverage with Putin, unfortunately, did none of them.
And so, I'm really -- I think, in a way, he's inadvertently sabotage his own effort to try to broker a lasting and durable and just agreement. Because at the end of the day, the Ukrainians have to agree to the terms as well as the Russians.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. He makes some great points there. Steven Pifer, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, appreciate your time. Thank you.
PIFER: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, still ahead, Richard Quest takes us inside one of the most dynamic economies in East Asia, the Philippines. Why the country's young workforce will help drive economic growth there for years to come. He'll join us live from Manila, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:20:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back. And mostly lower close on Wall Street Mondays. Investors kicked off the last trading week of February. Stocks losing ground late in the day after U.S. President Trump said tariffs on Canada and Mexico are still on track to take effect next month.
To CNN Business Fear and Greed Index, which measures the sentiment of investments, investors reflect the defensive mood. It's firmly in fear mode today. One of today's stock winners was Starbucks. Here was coffee chain rising after announcing that it will lay off more than 1,000 corporate employees. It's also discontinuing some drinks that either underperform or are complicated to make, including some Frappuccinos, it's Royal English Breakfast Latte, and it's White Hot Chocolate Drink.
Well, that sounds delicious. It is Tuesday morning in Asia, where millions are just waking up and reaching for their favorite morning beverage. Our very own Richard Quest is in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, which is enjoying a piping hot economic resurgence. Have you already had your coffee this morning, Richard?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE AND CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: Oh, it is quarter past 7:00 in the morning here. So, we are well caffeinated over some several hours.
Thank you. I am in Manila, which is the capital of the Philippines. The 62nd floor of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which gives us this magnificent view of the Philippines capital out towards the Manila Bay.
Here, of course, it is the epicenter of one of Asia's most Dynamic economies. It has a large and mostly young population, and whichever way you look, despite infrastructure challenges, the country has positioned for growth and a new chapter bearing in mind the history, which has been somewhat complex.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST (voice-over): When you hear the honk of the jeepney, you know you are in Manila, these colorful transport vans, a key for locals to get around one of the most densely populated cities in the world. More than 13 million people live in Metropolitan Manila. A melting pot marked by Spanish colonialism, U.S. rule, and Japanese occupation in the Second World War. Now, an independent democracy, birthed from the rubble of World War II.
The decades that followed bred a center of culture. The thriller in Manila, fashion pageants, and shows from Beatles to Harry Styles. Its port, ushering the flow of billions of dollars' worth of exports of electronics, machine parts and minerals. Manila's modern age brings with it very modern issues.
Glaring wealth inequities are everywhere. Existential threats from China in the South China Sea. Extreme weather and climate change are never far away. And corruption hangs over institutions meant to chart the country's course for the future. The Philippines scored just a 33 out of 100 on the Corruption Perceptions Index last year.
Midterm elections in May will act as a barometer. A kind of referendum on what's become a fractured political scene. Defined by the current president, Bongbong Marcos, the son of a former dictator, Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda. And Vice President Sara Duterte. Her father served as president until 2022. His role was defined by a controversial and violent war on drugs during his administration. The appointment of his daughter was meant to help breach the political divide. QUEST: And throughout all these trials and tribulations, Manila continues to grow to be the Metropolitan Manila you see around me now. And underpinning all of this, the Filipino spirit of determination and resilience. It's created an economic success that is today's Philippines.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST (on camera): Now, of course, the vice president is also undergoing some impeachment proceedings at the moment, which has fractured the domestic unity that the president had hoped to achieve. In addition to which, of course, the new administration in Washington and the across -- the prospect and tariffs against all trading partners.
[18:25:00]
Now, here in the Philippines, they may be not so concerned about tariffs. And the Philippines finance secretary told me he's not worried about the U.S. turning its back on his country, particularly when it comes to a defense pact, which the U.S. has had for many decades. I sat down with Ralph Recto here in Manila, and I asked him if he thought President Trump's protectionists policies would ultimately hurt the Philippine economy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RALPH RECTO, PHILIPPINE FINANCE SECRETARY: Our economy is 70 percent domestic driven. 70 to 75 percent is domestic driven. Unlike, let's say, China and Vietnam, which are more -- or even our neighbors in Southeast Asia, more export oriented driven.
We earn foreign exchange from OFW remittances. We have a trade deficit when it comes to goods. We have a robust BPO industry, and we feel that that will continue. In fact, there are more interest in investing in the Philippines, the BPO industry. Then you have tourism as well. Then, of course, FDIs.
Hopefully, maybe Apple, if our Western companies invest in China will probably move also to the Philippines and we have our -- a new law create more for that purpose.
QUEST: So, you're targeting, aren't you?
RECTO: Yes.
QUEST: You're targeting those companies that have to move out of China or choose to move to a more favorable jurisdiction.
RECTO: That's correct. That's correct. We have -- we're now working on a free trade agreement with the European Union. I suppose, we can impose lower tariffs on U.S.-made cars. We're open to a free trade agreement also with the United States.
QUEST: The --
RECTO: and I would -- for a reduction in tariff and U.S. vehicles.
QUEST: Would you be delight -- they'd be delighted or not?
RECTO: Sure.
QUEST: Let's talk about then about the security aspect of it.
RECTO: Yes.
QUEST: Because you are part of a mutual agreement, mutual defense treaty with the United States.
RECTO: Yes.
QUEST: The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has reaffirmed that commitment --
RECTO: That's correct. Correct.
QUEST: -- to that.
RECTO: In the first week of the Trump administration.
QUEST: At the Munich Security Conference?
RECTO: Yes. In the first week, Secretary Rubio called our foreign affairs secretary, met also with our defense secretary, together with your new national security adviser. I understand that they also met with the new defense secretary. And then, in Munich, recently, there was also a meeting. Yes.
QUEST: That must be very reassuring. Because the --
RECTO: Or in the first 30 days of the Trump administration.
QUEST: Right. But the shift in policy in Europe has led many traditional allies to question the reliability Yes. Of the United States as an ally.
RECTO: Yes.
QUEST: That must have been a moment when you doubted, or you had a moment to pause, but are you -- are you now reassured?
RECTO: Yes, we're reassured. Reassured based on the pronouncements made by these U.S. officials. Including the aid that will continue for our security.
QUEST: Do you see that there will be trade shifts to avoid trading with the United States? Not for any meanness, just because you're looking for new neighbors who might be more friendly to trade with.
RECTO: Of course, of course. I think everyone will be wanting to trade more with all countries in the world, right? So, like I said earlier, the Philippines, and I'm sure the European Union is interested to invest or trade with Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia being the fastest growing region in the world today.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST (on camera): Now, one of the most serious disputes that the Philippines is facing at the moment, of course, is with China, and it concerns what here they call their nation's exclusive economic zone around, of course, the West Philippine Sea, as it's known here, otherwise called the South China Sea by large parts of the rest of the world.
The finance secretary told me that China is disrespecting the nation's exclusive economic zone by sending warships into the region. And he believes diplomacy is the better approach.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RECTO: In the past we had very good relations with China. The only problem recently, in the last few decades, would be their non-respect of our exclusive economic zone. So, that's where the problem lies on the security aspect.
We've been the longest treaty ally of the United States. We -- I think, we're the first in Southeast Asia. There are only few mutual defense treaties with the United States, and the Philippines is one of them.
QUEST: But with that treaty, and for example, with the islands and the exclusion zone, at some point, the worry is China is going to put everybody to the test.
[18:30:00]
RECTO: Well, we're not the aggressors here. That's for sure. The policy of the president is to be friends to everyone and enemies to none. Unfortunately, the Chinese government is disrespecting our exclusive economic zone, and that's where the problem lies. And then, there is no conduct yet agreement in the West Philippine Sea. Code of conduct, right?
So, if I were the Chinese government, maybe they should treat the Philippines exclusive economic zone. I mean, there's something we can all discuss and benefit from later on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST (on camera): That's the finance secretary. What, of course, Lynda, nobody really knows is how the Trump administration, which, of course, has now reaffirmed its security guarantees, but what China will do, how far will they go to keep testing the exclusive economic zone, the Spratly Islands, if you will, to see just how Donald Trump responds. If it wasn't so serious and potentially so dangerous, it would be so fascinating.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. All right. Interesting interviews there, Richard. What's on the cards the rest of the day in Manila? QUEST: Oh, out and about with the jeepneys. The famous jeepneys that they use as a form of public transport. You'll be able to see me battling a jeepney on the next World of Wonder.
KINKADE: I love it. Sounds great. Good to have you there, Richard. Thanks so much. Richard Quest. We're going to take a quick break. Much more news in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Here are more international headlines we're watching today. U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron are promising to secure peace in Ukraine. The pair held a news conference at the White House just a few hours ago, as Ukraine marked three years since Russia's full-scale invasion. The presidents discussed Europe's willingness to provide peacekeepers in the event of a ceasefire.
[18:35:00]
Federal workers in the U.S. continue to face layoffs. Some are now being told that an e-mail from the Office of Personal Management asking them to respond with what they did last week or resign is voluntary, not mandatory. That's according to an e-mail obtained by CNN.
Earlier, Elon Musk, who oversees the Department of Efficiency, posted on social media that failure to respond will be taken as a resignation. There's already a legal challenge by a federal union saying the demand is unlawful.
Well, the Vatican says Pope Francis is showing slight improvement as he fights pneumonia in both of his lungs. His condition is still being described as critical, though he is said to be mobile, eating normally, and getting some work done. He's been in hospital since February the 14th. Here's CNN's Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, reports of an improvement in Pope Francis' condition tonight from the Vatican. They say that the pope has been doing better. He has been able to call the parish in Gaza and also to do some work activities. We're told that the potential kidney failure that the pope might have had is now no longer a concern. He's still receiving oxygen, but at a slightly lower rate.
Clearly, it's a complex medical picture for Francis, and we are told he is still in a critical condition. It could go either way. Francis has been in hospital since February the 14th. It's the longest hospital stay of his pontificate. And there is obviously concern here in Rome and at the Vatican, behind me in St. Peter's Square, there was a prayer service this evening led by Cardinal Pietro Parolin and other cardinals from Rome were gathered in the square to pray for Pope Francis. There's been an outpouring of prayer and well wishes for the pontiff, as he struggles with this health condition, this health crisis, he has pneumonia in both lungs. We're hearing of prayers being said for the pope across the globe and by non-Catholics. The Grand Imam of Al Azhar, the leader of Sunni Islam in Egypt, has been praying for the pope. We are expecting further updates from the Vatican in the coming hours.
Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, coming up after the break, making learning as easy as ABC. Why Lingokids is carving up a chunk in the ed tech space and its partnership with NASA in outer space.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back. Turning now to the announcement of yet another multibillion-dollar tech investment in the U.S. Apple announcing Monday that it will sink some $500 billion dollars into its U.S. operations over the next few years. That matches, if you remember, the investment in U.S. A.I. infrastructure announced by OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle back in January during an event with President Trump. Apple's commitment is a tad anticlimactic after Mr. Trump teased the news during a meeting with U.S. governors on Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Tim Cook in the office from Apple. He's investing hundreds of billions of dollars. I don't know. I hope he's announced it. Hope I didn't announce this. But what the hell? All I do is tell the truth. That's what he told me. Now, he has to do it, right?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, Apple shares finishing Monday session a little more than half a percent higher. Our Anna Stewart has more now from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the president beat Apple CEO Tim Cook to this news on Friday, announcing the company would be investing hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S. And on Monday, Apple gave more detail. The half a trillion dollars will be invested over a five-year period, creating 20,000 jobs in the U.S. The investment includes a manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas, to make servers supporting Apple Intelligence, which is the company's A.I. It will also expand data centers in a number of states, grow its R&D, make Apple TV Plus shows, and create a new academy to train small and medium businesses on implementing A.I.
The president responded on Truth Social saying the reason for the investment is faith in what we are doing without which, he says, they wouldn't be investing 10 cents. Of course, it is possible Apple would have made this investment regardless of the new administration. The company actually announced a $430 billion investment in the U.S. in 2021 and a $350 billion announcement in the U.S. in 2018. And all these investment announcements have been for a five-year time period.
What Apple hasn't announced is if it's shifting any manufacturing from elsewhere in the world to the U.S. That is despite the new 10 percent tariffs on imports from China, which is where the vast majority of iPhones are still made by Foxconn.
Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, making learning fun is the holy grail for successful education apps. And judging by user growth of 20 percent year on year, perhaps Lingokids is learning that lesson. So, far this year, the app, which offers academic and modern life skills to kids ages two to eight, has picked up awards from Parents Picks and Mom's Choice. It's also collaborating with the likes of NASA, Oxford University Press and Moonbug Entertainment.
I'd like to welcome to the show, the founder and CEO, Cristobal Viedma. Good to have you with us, Cris.
CRISTOBAL VIEDMA, CEO, LINGOKIDS: Hi there. Very nice seeing you.
KINKADE: So, I have three children aged four to eight. They enjoy various educational apps. There's a few on the market. Yours reaches some 168 million families. How is your app different to others on the market?
VIEDMA: Yes. So, the way do you ask, like -- by the way, I'm also a parent of three kids, all under five. I'm eating my own dog food, basically.
KINKADE: Oh, busy, busy.
VIEDMA: So, I mean, basically what we have is like a learning platform where like kids can enjoy everything from math to mindfulness through games, videos, songs, podcasts, all your content, everything on the one roof, one application that doesn't have advertising is safe, is curated, the content. So, it's a good alternative for parents and we are partnering with companies like -- as you mentioned, like NASA for creating some lessons around the space exploration or Oxford University Press to create lessons around English learning. And even bringing the IPs that kids really love like Blippi from Moonbug.
So, having all that together, a safe environment where the kids can have fun, learn, and the parents can have a peace of mind has put us in a place where we are today the number one interactive app worldwide and in the U.S. with over 160 million families reached to us. And some days we have been half over a million daily active users. So, that's a million kids on one single day using a learning platform to learn through us.
[18:45:00]
KINKADE: Wow. And you are achieving this 20 percent year on year growth, which is quite incredible. I'm guessing that you use the platform with your own kids. How has it changed since you first created it?
VIEDMA: Well, I mean, it's a long journey, right? I started the company even when I didn't have any kids. I started because of my niece. Like, my sister had a daughter. My niece, she was two years old and she asked me to help her learn English to give her more opportunities in life, right? Like, to be able to travel, to work and so on.
So, I started looking for products like that would help a two-year-old to learn English. And, you know, Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, all these applications, they are obviously for adults and like a person that doesn't know even how to read or write couldn't use it.
So, I -- basically, I'm a software engineer. So, I started developing something for my niece and eventually put it on the App Store. Got some traction. I started looking at the numbers and realizing like, well, we have 8 billion people in the world and 1 billion of those are under eight years old. So, one-eighth of the world population is under eight years old. And there is not a lot of serious companies trying to create something that is really good for them. So, I thought that was a beautiful mission and started with doing that.
KINKADE: Yes, that's a big, big market to tap into. And you've also got some incredible partnerships. You've partnered up with NASA. How did that come about and how do kids benefit from it?
VIEDMA: Yes. So, most of the content that we have is -- as I say, it's a variety of formats, but it's unstructured. So, they can like pick and choose their own activities and so on. But we realize that some subjects like you do need to learn them in some type of order and progression, right?
So, that's when we introduce something called the lessons. And these lessons to kick them off, we decided to, OK, we're going to do lessons around literacy. Obviously, it's a big problem worldwide and in the U.S., around math and so on. But we wanted also to create some more inspirational lessons. And one of them was about space exploration.
So, we reached out to a few companies among them, like obviously NASA. And to our surprise, they were very interested in working with us and helping us create this lesson for children. So, we started partnering around, like how do we use their content that they have, the content that we have, what's the right curriculum, what's the right order to learn about things and so on. And that's how we come up with this lesson and we launched it a few weeks ago.
KINKADE: So, your eldest child is five. And currently, this app caters for kids up to the age of eight. Do you see you expanding the offerings you've got on the platform for older children?
VIEDMA: Not for the time being. I mean, as I said, like, we think the market is large enough. There's a billion people worldwide under eight years old. Obviously, internet communication (ph), smartphone penetration communication (ph), computer communication (ph) is like, is increasing. So, we see a lot of work to do there.
And since we cover everything from math to rightfulness, literacy, communication, critical thinking, even on kids with neurodiversity, like problems with speech development, like autism, dyslexia, there is still a lot of work to do. And I am rather of the opinion of like doing something really, really good before expanding into adjacent markets.
KINKADE: Cristobal Viedma, congratulations on all your success. Appreciate your time today. Thanks so much.
VIEDMA: Thank you so much for having me. Cheers.
KINKADE: Well, still to come. There were plenty of surprises at Sunday's SAG Awards. We're going to tell you who won big and what's to expect and what you can expect at next week's Oscars. Stay tuned.\
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) d mixer for only 56. I got this barbecue smoker for 26. If you want to
find great deals on great items,
[18:50:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Hollywood A-listers showed up for the Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday night, celebrating the best performances of 2024.
"Shogun," a historical epic set in Imperial Japan, had a huge night winning Best Ensemble in a Drama Series. And "Conclave," about the fictional election of a new pope, won Best Ensemble in a Film. The night's winners could be a preview for the Oscars, which take place this weekend.
Well, for more, I want to welcome entertainment journalist, Shagun Odewulu. Good to have you with us.
SEGUN ODUOLOWU, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Good to be here, Lynda. Thank you for having me.
KINKADE: So, this -- it was an unusual, unpredictable awards night. I mean, we even heard from Selena Gomez who was part of the winning ensemble in the comedy series "Only Murders in the Building," who said. This is weird. We never win. So, what's happening?
ODUOLOWU: Well, she's right. They never win because usually "The Bear" wins for comedy when it comes to television, but I think there was pushback that "The Bear" is more drama than comedy and even Martin Short beating out the lead actor for "The Bear" winning for, you know, there's "Only Murders in the Building," I think that kind of set the night for us to expect, right? It was absolutely on its head.
I was shocked when Demi Moore won for "The Substance" over Carlos Sofia Gascon for "Emilia Perez" because to me, that is -- that's going to go into the Oscars as a tremendous shocker. Although, when you think about it, the Screen Actors Guild, Demi Moore in a room full of actresses and actors that are so familiar with her body of work, everything from "G.I. Jane" to "Ghost" to "Indecent Proposal," I think this was a coronation of a favored daughter of SAG, of Screen Actors Guild of acting in general. But when it gets to the Oscars, I think Sophia -- I think "Emilia Perez" is going to be the one that takes home the golden statue at the Oscars.
And that wasn't even the rest of it. "Shogun," as you mentioned, just continued hauling in trophies as it's been doing since the Golden Globes. My biggest bone to pick and listen, I am not anti-Timothy Chalamet, I am not, but Timothy Chalamet beating out Adrian Brody for "The Brutalist," beating out Coleman Domingo for "Sing Sing," I'm sorry. I -- Hollywood. I know you have this formula where if someone plays a real character, in this case, he was playing Bob Dylan, whenever someone plays a real character, we saw Jamie Foxx in Ray we saw Eddie Redmayne play Stephen Hawking, it seems like it's a shoe in for the trophies. I still think Coleman Domingo in "Sing Sing" -- that is my favorite going into the Oscar season.
KINKADE: Right. And of course, "Wicked," one of the most talked about films last year, it had five nominations. It had zero wins. The film, of course, losing outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture to "Conclave," right?
ODUOLOWU: Yes, "Conclave" -- now, there has been issues with the pope in the news. I don't know if that influenced it at all or maybe we're just tired of musicals. Look, Cynthia Erivo has been --
KINKADE: No, that's not the case.
ODUOLOWU: Cynthia Erivo has been everywhere. She's fantastic. But look, "Conclave" is one of those movies where it's for actors, right? It's actors acting at their highest-level, Ralph Fines is there, John Lithgow is in it. You know, you've got these actors and they're just chewing up scenery. So, maybe the special effects and all the singing of "Wicked," maybe, you know, green -- maybe they're green with envy, right?
KINKADE: They are green with envy. Maybe we'll see some wins for them at the Oscars. But I have to ask about the politics. We didn't hear a lot of political statements last night, but we certainly heard some from Jane Fonda who, of course, won the Lifetime Achievement Award. I just want to play some sound.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANE FONDA, ACTRESS AND ACTIVIST: Worker's power is being attacked and community is being weakened. Make no mistake, empathy is not weak or woke. And by the way, woke just means you give a damn about other people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[18:55:00]
KINKADE: I mean, she was on fire. 87 years old. She's been an activist for a long time, right? How was that message received?
ODUOLOWU: Oh, it was received as it should have been, right? This is Jane Fonda. This is Jane Fonda who sat on a tank and was antiwar. This is Jane Fonda who has been in our public conscious for decades, right? For more than half a century, Jane Fonda has spoken up. She has spoken out and she's never been afraid. And on that stage, I loved that it was one of our senior stateswomen who galvanized the crowd where nowadays, people aren't willing to go out on a limb and speak up like they used to.
I think we as -- we in the business, anyone that has a camera in front of them, a microphone or walks across the stage has a platform where they should use it to speak out against injustice if they feel something needs to be said. And I love Jane Fonda fits these two care categories. She has something to say and she wants to be heard. And with those two things in mind, she was fabulous.
KINKADE: Exactly. 87 years of age still got that fire in her belly. Segun Oduolowu, we will be watching the Oscars. We might chat after that. Good to see you. Thanks so much.
ODUOLOWU: Thank you, Lynda.
KINKADE: And thanks so much for joining us. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Stay with CNN. Much more news to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
