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U.S. Joins Russia To Vote Against U.N. Resolution Condemning Russia's War Against Ukraine; Federal Workers Confront Mass Confusion As Musk's Deadline Looms; Daily Rosary For Pope's Health To Begin In St. Peter's Square; China's Xi Stresses Strength Of Russian Ties In A Putin Call; Marking Three Years Since Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine; Israel Sends Tanks To West Bank For First Time In 20 Years; Merz Says He Want So Form Coalition Government With SPD; Trump: Podcaster Dan Bongino To Be FBI Deputy Director; Apple To Invest $500 Billion In U.S. As Trump Tariffs Loom. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired February 25, 2025 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN HOST: While Europe stands with Ukraine at the U.N., the United States vote Russia and China. Hello, I'm John Paul. Ahead here on CNN Newsroom.
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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: My administration is making a decisive break with the foreign policy failures of the past administration.
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VAUSE: And how that change in White House policy towards Ukraine could have global implications for decades to come. What did Elon Musk do last week?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think everyone thought it was a pretty ingenious idea.
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VAUSE: In practice, though, the email to federal workers was contradicted, rescinded and resent after causing mass confusion and seemed very inefficient. Doctors reporting Pope Francis showing a slight improvement.
As nightly prayer services begin in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican for the improvement for the pontiff.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: The real world implications of a stunning change in U.S. policy on Ukraine played out in real time at the United Nations and the White House Monday. For more than three years, Ukraine received billions of dollars in military and financial assistance from Washington. But now not in the Trump White House, which is also trying to rewrite history.
On the third anniversary of Vladimir Putin ordering a full scale invasion, the U.S. voted with Russia against a U.N. General Assembly resolution because it blamed Russia for starting the war. Also condemned Russian actions since.
Well, at the Security Council, the U.S. pushed through its own resolution which made no mention of Russian aggression or which country actually started the war. Five European countries, all U.S. allies, abstained and that includes the UK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA WOODWARD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: There can be no equivalence between Russia and Ukraine in how this council refers to this war. If we are to find a path to sustainable peace, the council must be clear on the war's origins.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And at the White House, French President Emmanuel Macron insisted U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine were key for a lasting peace agreement to end the war. President Trump, though, said nothing about security guarantees, but he did greatly exaggerate the amount of U.S. financial support which Ukraine has received. And again, he blamed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for the war and also refused to call Vladimir Putin a dictator.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mister President. You call Zelenskyy a dictator. Would you use the same words regarding Putin?
TRUMP: I don't use those words lightly. I think that we're going to see how it all works out. Let's see what happens. I think we have a chance of a really good settlement between various countries. And, you know, you're talking about Europe and you're talking about Ukraine as part of that whole situation. The other side has a lot of support also.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Well, both the French and U.S. presidents have a history of good relations, described as a bromance by some. There were moments of tension between them, especially about Ukraine's future. More now from CNN's Jeff Zeleny. Reporting in from the White House.
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JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: On the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron spending hours together at the White House on Monday. The French president trying to keep his American counterpart aligned with the Western alliance, trying to make sure there are security guarantees in any peace negotiations with Russia and Ukraine. But Donald Trump made clear he's a dealmaker, and he said he sees this like that.
TRUMP: I've spoken to President Putin, and my people are dealing with him constantly and his people in particular, and they want to do something. I mean, that's what I do. I do deals. My whole life is deals. That's all I know is deals. And I know when somebody wants to make it and when somebody does it.
ZELENY: Macron was clear saying the peace cannot be a surrender of Ukraine. Now, of course, it was a very friendly meeting throughout the day on Monday, very intense handshakes, very friendly maneuvers, even a private lunch.
But one thing was uncertain as Macron left the White House for the day. What guarantees, in fact, does Donald Trump have in mind for a security guarantee? Now, the U.S. is much closer to striking a deal with Ukraine on those rare earth minerals that could essentially pay back the U.S. for some of its foreign assistance.
[01:05:07]
But Macron was clearly trying to keep the American president away from Putin, sort of tug him back a little bit toward the middle. His visit is going to be amplified later this week on Thursday when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer comes here to the White House as well to make the case for this transatlantic alliance that certainly seems to be fracturing. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House.
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VAUSE: The Reuters news agency is reporting that within the past few hours, much of Ukraine was under air raid alert from a possible Russian missile attack. A reminder that while the politics may change, Ukrainians remain under constant attack.
Just a day earlier, more than a dozen leaders from Europe and Canada stood shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainian president to mark three years of the war. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh was there.
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NICK PATON WALSH, 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, Europe and beyond.
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, 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 sidling up to President Donald Trump during a G7 video call.
TRUDEAU: There he is. Emmanuel is on --
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 two. But this is day by day for Ukraine who welcomed a chance.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: I mean that's what we're Donald Trump now. We had conversation. It was very good conversation. But 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.
TRUMP: I think we're very close. Do you have something to say about that, Scott?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are very close to one yard line.
TRUMP: All right. 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.
TRUMP: He's a smart customer, I will tell you.
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 stuff to later talks removed the worst parts for Kyiv, but also the security guarantees they needed. That might be something for the president to discuss later.
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)
VAUSE: Live now to Kiev and Tymofiy Mylovanov, who served as minister for the economy in the Ukrainian government. He is now president of the Kyiv School of Economics. Tymofiy, thanks for being with us. TYMOFIY MYLOVANOV, PRESIDENT, KYIV SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: Thank you.
VAUSE: So in the days before the full scale Russian invasion, many in Ukraine and in the west seem to be unable to believe that something so devastating could actually happen. That was despite all the evidence that was out there.
Is this kind of a similar dark moment of disbelief to Ukrainians at least have they grasped the possibility that a U.S. president could sell them out and cut a deal with Russia, which is not in their interest, but rather favors the US.
MYLOVANOV: The mood is in Kyiv that we're being sold out. I personally disagree with that. I'm somewhat more optimistic. But I also was wrong three years ago when I thought Russia wouldn't invade. So the mood is, especially after yesterday's vote at the United Nations. The U.S. didn't have to vote against the resolution. They could have simply abstained like China did. But they made a point and they made a point of siding with Russia in everyone's face. So that sent shields through Kyiv, through Ukraine.
VAUSE: We also heard from the U.S. president Monday. He revealed some details about a conversation he had earlier this month with the Russian president. This is what Donald Trump told reporters. Here he is.
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TRUMP: When I got here, one of the first calls I made was to President Putin. And we were treated with great respect. And they want to end this war.
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VAUSE: What he didn't say is that Russia wants to end this war on their terms. And if you look at the number of peace deals which Russia has made and broken with Ukraine all the way from the mid-90s Minsk 1 minutes to all the rest of it, will any peace plan work if it doesn't come without U.S. security guarantees?
MYLOVANOV: Oh, it won't, absolutely. There is nothing which Russia will take credible unless the U.S. commits to preventing Russia from moving in. Russia doesn't take Europe seriously. And Russia will test any peace deal, any security guarantee that will be there.
But in Ukraine, we are worried about something much worse. Recently, special envoy Witkoff mentioned the Istanbul agreements as a framework that will be used. Now, that framework required Ukraine to decrease its military essentially to disarm. It's not just neutrality. It's just a prohibition to have an army. And that's something Ukraine will not do. And so we are worried that there might not be much room for peace, actually.
VAUSE: Yes. Some have suggested that Trump's insults, calling Zelenskyy a tyrant, as well as all the blatant false claims accusing Ukraine of starting the war, not mentioning Russian aggression, it's all just negotiating tactics. Here's what the French president had to say about that.
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EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: I think the arrival of President Trump is a game changer, and I think he has the deterrence capacity of the U.S. to reengage with Russia.
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VAUSE: Is the best case scenario, you touched on this a short time ago, is it somehow Donald Trump is all bluff publicly and will ultimately defy the worst of expectations and some peace plan that will come up out of Donald Trump and Russia, it'll actually be in Ukraine's interest. Is that even believable after how the U.S. voted in the UN on Monday?
MYLOVANOV: Well, it was livable before, but this vote definitely put it in doubt. There is definitely a theory that Trump is trying to sort of butter up or flatter Putin and that the Russians are responding with this, that it's a little bit too good to be true. So as they're skeptical and, you know, as some people put it privately to me, you know, before punching, he has to relax the opponent.
Now after the vote, I think those people are not as confident in their assessment. So we really downgraded the future scenarios which are not favoring Ukraine right now.
VAUSE: Ukraine refused to cede territory to Russia even during the darkest days when this war began. How much longer are Ukrainians able to hold out, especially if they do not have the support of the United States, from a financial and military point of view, what does this war look like moving forward, should that happen?
MYLOVANOV: Well, we are losing territory. We, however, have been able to hold the country even in 2014, when most of our formal regular military switched side and joined Russia, and that was a devastating blow to Ukraine. Yet we lost some territory then in Crimea, but we held the country.
The same was true in 2022 when Russia invaded without, you know, any advanced warning, and our military was not ready. So the mood in Ukraine is that it's going to be tough. A lot of people will die, but Ukraine will hold. Ukraine will continue to exist, and we're sort of resolving ourselves to the world in which, at the very least, the United States is not a reliable partner.
VAUSE: Tymofiy Mylovanov in Ukraine, thank you for being with us.
MYLOVANOV: Thank you.
VAUSE: The deadline has gone for U.S. federal employees to respond to an email demanding they spit detailed logs of their work or face termination. Overseeing the effort is presidential adviser Elon Musk, doubled down on the threat and claiming they'll have another chance to comply. On Monday, the Office of Personnel Management claimed it would be
voluntary for government workers to respond to the mass email about justifying their jobs. But a short time later, Musk tweeted, subject to the discretion of the president, they will be given another chance. Failure to respond a second time will result in termination. Adding to all the confusion were comments from President Trump.
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TRUMP: The last email that was sent where he wanted to know what you did this week. You know why he wanted that, by the way? I thought it was great because we have people that don't show up to work and nobody even knows if they work for the government.
So by asking the question, tell us what you did this week. What he's doing is saying, are you actually working? And then if you don't answer like you're sort of semi fired or you're fired because a lot of people are not answering because they don't even exist.
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VAUSE: The email what did you do last week has caused a rift between some agency heads and Musk with the FBI and State Department among those telling employees not to reply to the email.
Still to come, after 11 days in hospital, Pope Francis now showing a slight improvement as he continues to battle double pneumonia.
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VAUSE: Nightly prayer services for Pope Francis now underway in St. Peter's Square on day hundreds gathered to pray for the Holy Father as he battles double pneumonia. Vatican says there are signs of slight improvement, that Francis is not entirely bedridden. He's eating well and remains to be in good humor.
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CNN Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb has the latest.
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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 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.
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 Hazar, 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.
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VAUSE: Christopher Bellitto is a history professor at Kean University in New Jersey. He is also a widely published author. His latest book is "Humility: The Secret History of a Lost Virtue." Professor, thank you for being with us.
CHRISTOPHER BELLITTO, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, KEAN UNIVERSITY: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Well, in the same week that Pope Francis was admitted to hospital, despite his ill health, he took time to speak out against the U.S. crackdown on migrants and their mass deportation. He described it as a major crisis in the United States. He was also critical of leaders of the Church in the U.S. for staying silent on that matter. He also schooled the U.S. Vice President, J.D. Vance in what some have called his hip hillbilly theology.
We know all of these issues over the years have been important to Pope Francis, among others. Do we now have a much better understanding of just how important they really are?
BELLITTO: Right. Well, Francis, like John Paul II, is very much a prophet against this global indifference to the people who fall to the side, the people who are left out. I think people forget that John Paul II was as much a critic of capitalism as and the poverty that it created as Francis is.
And so the fact that Francis, in this moment, where around the world authoritarianism is gaining, there is this global indifference against the people that Francis really cares about. He's very much been a Pope of the peripheries. He came from the global south, the first Latin American Pope. He often talks about the people who are left out geographically, but also the people who are left out of the society, the immigrants, the refugees, the poor, the widows, the orphans.
And so the fact that even though he's so sick, he's standing up to this, I think he really sees and what obviously is going to be, you know, toward the end of papacy, whenever that time comes, that he wants to make sure that what he began talking about, he continues to talk about at the end. The very first visit he made after his election in 2013 was a visit to a refugee camp and a little island off the coast of Italy called Lapidusa.
VAUSE: Clearly, everyone around the world is hoping that the Pope has a very speedy recovery. Here's what some people are saying in Rome. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE MULLEN, CATHOLIC FROM SCOTLAND: They've been very modern Pope, I would say, so he has, which has been good for the Catholic Church. So it'd be a bit of shame to lose him. But let's hope that the next Pope carries on his legacy.
ANDRES ALOY, BUENOS AIRES RESIDENT (through translator): I'm worried because he's a very important figure. I think since he took office in 2013, he's given another perspective to the Church. I'm worried about thinking he's nearing the end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And to your point about the Pope being a reformer, there is admiration from many, or at least grudging recognition that the Pope has made changes. And in many ways, unlike Pope Benedict, there now seems to be this real concern that if he is not there in the event of his death in the church after Pope Francis, that they may, in fact backslide on many of these changes. Do you see that happening? Are they real concerns?
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BELLITTO: Well, we don't know what's going to happen. I'm an historian, not a prophet. I think though that in this moment Francis approach becomes very important and something on which to build. He was very much a Pope of a culture of encounter. He talks about meeting people where they were, he talks about humble listening. And he very much wanted a decentralized church, a church that wasn't clerical. That is to say that the hierarchy of priests, bishops, cardinals, and ultimately pope didn't lord it over people.
In fact, he called clericalism a scourge, a scar. And he railed against a kind of macho and dictatorial top down way. He was very much a person who empowered rather than commanded. And I think that stylistic approach is very appealing in a world that's going toward authoritarianism.
VAUSE: Late last year, Pope Francis appointed 21 new cardinals, which means he created 110 of the 140 cardinals who are under the age of 80, making those cardinals eligible to vote in a conclave. Is that as close as it will get to any kind of guarantee that Pope Francis may have that his legacy will be intact once he is gone with the election of a new pope?
BELLITTO: Well, not if history is any indication. We had 35 years of the papacies of John Paul II and Benedict XVI, very different style. And bang, you got Bergoglio. The notion that he's been stacking the deck is just false. All presidents, CEOs, principals, chief executives will surround themselves with like-minded people, but you never know what's going to happen. And so conclaves are kind of very interesting places.
What's interesting in the statistical breakdown is that now you have about 140, I think it's 138 at the moment cardinals who can vote. Half of them are north of the equator, 70, where the church is faltering. Half, 68, are below the equator in the global south where the church is flourishing, it's still a tremendous disproportion in terms of representation.
And of course 140 people can't adequately represent 1 billion Catholics, especially when not one of them is a woman.
VAUSE: And that is a good point to finish on. Professor, thank you so much for being with us. Very much appreciate your time, your insights. Thank you.
BELLITTO: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: When we come back on CNN, Moscow has paid a staggering price for its war in Ukraine. Now three is on some rare signs of Russian descent.
Also, Israeli tanks deployed to the West Bank, not seen in decades amid this intense military operation around Jenin. All that and more just ahead.
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VAUSE: Welcome back everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
The president of Russia and China spoke by phone Monday with talk of enduring friendships and lasting ties. Xi Jinping, in particular, warns the westerners, Beijing's relationship with Moscow cannot be shaken.
Not only that, China and Russia, he says, are good neighbors that cannot be away from one another. And without mentioning Donald Trump by name, Xi says relations with Russia will not be influenced by any third party.
The Kremlin described the call as warm and friendly, but did not elaborate on the strength or the closeness of their ties.
It's been three years now since Russian tanks and troops rolled into Ukraine in what we now know was meant to be a three-day dash to the capital, Kyiv, to topple the government of Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
But Russia's invasion stalled in the face of an unexpected defiance by Ukrainians, which their president praised on Monday as absolute heroism.
And in Russia, despite strict media controls and harsh punishment for anyone who speaks out against the conflict, three years on, there are rare signs of dissent.
Images Monday of Russians leaving flowers at Ukrainian monuments, almost as quickly as the flowers were placed down during the day they were then taken away. A demonstration as well, calling for the very nonspecific peaceful resolution of conflicts.
And three years on, the staggering cost to Russia, continue to mount.
CNN's Matthew Chance has our report and a warning. It contains images many viewers will find disturbing.
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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Three years into this bloodshed, and the front lines remain hellish and brutal.
There may be talk of peace. But every day in the war zone, the ultimate sacrifice is being paid.
Across Russia cemeteries are now burgeoning with fresh graves. The grim reality of the Ukrainian meat grinder can no longer be hidden or denied
"This monument was put up so people would know there is a war going on," says Viktor, the head of a local veterans organization. "It's not just some kind of operation," he says. "People are dying."
It wasn't meant to be this way.
He's a Russian -- you can tell they're Russian. I've spoken to them already.
Back in 2022, as the full-scale invasion began, CNN encountered Russian troops sent on what became a suicide mission to capture the Ukrainian capital.
[01:34:55]
CHANCE: The Kremlin still calls its special military operation was meant to be over in a few days.
Instead, Russian troops were forced to withdraw, leaving behind them a trail of devastation. And in places like Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, allegations of human rights abuses too. All denied by the Kremlin.
Now President Putin is still pinning medals on veterans before toasting their fallen comrades at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
"How many unknown soldiers there have been? No one even knows," Putin says. "But thanks to their efforts, courage and extreme hard work at the front, we have Russia today," he adds.
And after three years of fighting, Russia also has the Ukrainian territories it's captured and occupied like the ruins of Pisky and countless others, where former residents are now returning to their destroyed homes and trying to claim compensation from the Russian authorities now in charge.
"I don't think there'll ever be a peace agreement," Yekaterina says. "How can they agree on who will fix all of this," she asks. Three years on and there are doubts buildings or lives can ever be
rebuilt.
Matthew Chance, CNN -- Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer is among many who are critical of how the U.S. President is dealing with Russia.
Here's part of our conversation from last hour.
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STEVEN PIFER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: I worry that President Trump is making some serious mistakes. He says he would like to broker a just and lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine and that's the right objective.
But in the steps he's taken in the last two weeks, he's made some errors. So he talks about Ukraine cannot recover all its territory. Ukraine can't join NATO.
He's making concessions right off the bat to the Russians. He agrees to meet with President Putin, even though for the last three years, western leaders have had a position that they would not meet with Putin.
And then today, the United States joins with Russia in the U.N. General Assembly voting against a resolution proposed by the Europeans and Ukraine that calls for a lasting peace. And the reason the Americans voted against it, because it said the Russians were the aggressors.
The whole world saw three years ago that the Russians are the aggressors. And my fear is that in the eyes of Moscow, in Putin's eyes now, Trump looks weak. And that's not going to encourage Putin to be more accommodating. He's going to just sit back and see if he can elicit more concessions from the Americans.
This is not the way to deal with the Kremlin. It's a mistake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine speaking earlier on CNN.
Well, for the first time in two decades, the Israeli military has deployed tanks in the West Bank as it scales up Operation: Iron Wall, which began two days after the Gaza ceasefire went into effect.
Israel says it's a counterterrorism operation in the northern part of the West Bank. So far, dozens of Palestinians have been killed and tens of thousands of residents displaced after their homes destroyed.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: For the first time in more than two decades, the Israeli military deploying tanks into the Occupied West Bank.
This video taken from Jenin in the West Bank shows several of those tanks that entered that refugee camp, which has been the focus of a major Israeli military operation over the course of the last month and a half.
But now, the Israeli military is further expanding those military operations in the West Bank which have already resulted in the displacement of some 40,000 Palestinians, not only from Jenin refugee camp but also from Tulkarm and Nur Shams.
The expansion of Israeli military activity in the West Bank comes following those three bombs that exploded on buses in the suburbs of Tel Aviv.
While no one was aboard those buses, they were parked at depots in the suburbs of Tel Aviv, it certainly jolted the Israeli public, taking them back to the bus bombings of the second intifada and prompting calls including from the Israeli Prime Minister for an expansion of military operations in the West Bank.
And now Israel Katz, the defense minister of Israel saying that Israeli troops should be preparing for a quote, "prolonged presence" in those Palestinian refugee camps for the coming year.
[01:39:45]
DIAMOND: And saying that those 40,000 Palestinians who have been displaced from those very same areas will not be allowed to return until the conclusion of those military operations.
We know, of course, that the Israeli military says they are going after Palestinian militants in these three refugee camps and the surrounding area but already we know that at least 27 people have been killed in Jenin, 70 across the West Bank, many of whom are not militants, but rather civilians.
As all of this is happening, still questions over whether or not the ceasefire in Gaza will be extended. Israel has been delaying the release of some 620 prisoners, who were set to be released on Saturday, following the last release of living hostages from Gaza.
Four bodies of hostages are scheduled to be released on Thursday but Hamas for now says that it will not engage in negotiations over the second phase nor release those bodies until Israel releases those 620 prisoners, calling it a violation of the deal so far.
We know that Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy for the Middle East, he is set to arrive in Israel on Wednesday and travel throughout the region to see whether or not a deal can be reached to extend phase one and get into phase two of this fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Jeremy Diamond, CNN -- Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Coalition talks are underway in Germany as the man likely to be the next chancellor appears ready to turn his party's longtime rival to form a government.
Friedrich Merz is the center right bloc -- in center right bloc, rather, came out on top in Sunday's snap election. That was followed by a strong second place showing by the far right AFD Party.
But there is a firewall between any coalition, between mainstream parties and the AFD, which means the center-left Social Democrats, who came in third, essentially (ph), basically with those two parties together, they have enough seats to form a winning coalition partnership.
Merz has already expressed concern over ties between Europe and the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRIEDRICH MERZ, LEADER, CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC UNION (through translator): I would never have believed that I would ever have to think something like this, let alone say it. But all the signals we are getting from the U.S. indicate that their interest in Europe is clearly waning, and the willingness to get involved in Europe is decreasing.
Nevertheless, I hope that we can convince the Americans that it is in our mutual interest that we continue to have good transatlantic relations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany, told CNN she wants the Trump administration to be very good partners. She said she actually missed a couple of calls from the United States, including one from Elon Musk, who rang to congratulate her, as well as AFD, on their strong showing in the election.
Well, the new U.S. Defense secretary will soon travel to Guantanamo Bay as the Trump administration pauses its plans to house migrants in tents at that military base.
We'll have those details after the break.
[01:42:32]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Donald Trump's plan to house up to 30,000 undocumented migrants in tents at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba appear to be on hold. Sources tell CNN it's all about the tents. They don't meet the standard set by Immigration and Customs Enforcement because they're not equipped with air conditioning or electricity. But migrants are still being placed in some other facilities at the military base.
And the new U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will be making his first trip to Guantanamo Bay in the coming hours. There, he'll receive briefings on all mission operations, including the transfer of migrants.
Former Secret Service agent turned right-wing podcaster Dan Bongino has been tapped as the next deputy director of the FBI. His appointment is seen as unconventional at best. This post is traditionally held by a career FBI agent. Bongino's lack of experience at the FBI and his media background are now raising some concerns.
Details from CNN's Brian Todd.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump now has two of his most loyal MAGA champions heading the FBI -- Kash Patel as director and now 50-year-old Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent turned right wing podcaster, as deputy director.
DAN BONGINO, NEWLY-NAMED FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR: I got a call from the president and it couldn't have been nicer. Folks, it's a lot to walk away from.
TODD: And a lot to walk into, according to former FBI officials who spoke to CNN, who believe the hiring of Bongino will be controversial.
STEVE MOORE, RETIRED FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: And putting somebody in who's never been an FBI agent is potentially troublesome. I have no problems with Dan Bongino's intelligence or his -- the fact that he had served with the Secret Service is a bonus. But this is going way out of the line of what the FBI has done in the past.
TODD: That's partly because Bongino has spent considerable time on the air slamming the FBI for its investigations of Donald Trump.
BONGINO: Folks, the FBI is lost. It's broken, irredeemably corrupt at this point.
TODD: Bongino, who served as a New York City police officer in the 1990s, later joined the Secret Service and served on President Barack Obama's protective detail.
I interviewed Bongino when he left the Secret Service in 2011 to run for the Senate as a Republican from Maryland, asking him about his newly revealed political loyalty on the opposite side from the president he'd guarded with his life.
BONGINO: I want to say personally that I have enormous respect for him, but I just disagree with the ideology. It's a simple ideological play, that's it. The country's going on the wrong path.
TODD: Since that failed bid for the Senate, Bongino's media profile has skyrocketed, becoming a star and a regular on Fox News, hosting his own hugely-popular radio shows and podcasts. While he did scold the January 6th rioters, he's also supported President Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
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BONGINO: We had an election with unbelievably suspect behavior.
TODD: All the while earning admiration from President Trump.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Bongino, how about Dan Bongino?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Bongino's been promoting far right views on his podcast, promising retribution, saying that Trump is going to get revenge against his enemies, and saying that Trump should just ignore court decisions that he doesn't like.
TODD: Now, as the hands-on official handling the bureau's daily operations, Bongino has a unique challenge.
MOORE: The one thing you do not want to do, day one, is lose the loyalty of the FBI. When they see their own management appearing to go off the rail, you lost them.
TODD: As for how the FBI's rank and file feels about Dan Bongino, according to a mass email obtained by CNN that was sent to its members just before Donald Trump posted that Bongino had been selected as deputy director, the FBI Agents' Association, representing thousands of agents, said it had been told by Kash Patel that the new deputy director would come from within the ranks of the FBI.
Contacted by CNN, the Agents' Association declined to comment on the appointment of Bongino.
Brian Todd, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: A Trump-appointed federal judge has declined to restore on a temporary basis White House access for the Associated Press. The decision Monday upholds a ban imposed by President Trump earlier this month, which is intended to punish the AP for their continued use of the phrase "Gulf of Mexico" instead of Trump's label, "Gulf of America".
AP is currently prohibited from accessing some of the president's events. They're also barred from entering the Oval Office, as well as Air Force One.
Although the judge has denied AP's request to lift the restrictions, he has scheduled a hearing in March for argument on the legality and the scope of the ban.
U.S. Appeals Court has upheld the conviction of Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced founder of Theranos. The court rejected her claims that there were legal errors at her trial in 2022. The one-time darling of the biotech world was convicted of defrauding
investors in the failed blood testing startup, which was once valued at $9 billion.
The court also rejected the appeal of Holmes' founding romantic partner, former romantic partner, I should say, and president of the company, Ramesh Balwani.
Well, as Trump's tariffs loom over Chinese imports, Apple is looking to dodge the supply chain price hikes. In a moment, the latest on the company's $500 billion investment in U.S. infrastructure.
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VAUSE: North Korean hackers are believed responsible for the theft of more than $1 billion in cryptocurrency in one heist. The largest crypto theft on record, according to security experts, took just minutes and was stolen from the crypto exchange ByBit on Friday.
By the weekend, the hackers reportedly had laundered about $160 million. North Korea's hacking operation is seen as a key source of revenue for Pyongyang.
Well, President Trump's tariffs threatening future Chinese imports, Apple is working to expand its supply chain in the United States. Monday, the tech giant announced it will invest $500 billion in U.S. infrastructure over the next four years. And CNN's Clare Duffy has details.
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CLARE DUFFY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Quite a wide-ranging investment in terms of where this $500 billion are going.
Apple, for example, says it will be opening a new factory in Houston, in partnership with a contractor to produce A.I. servers starting next year.
[01:54:52]
DUFFY: The company will be increasing U.S. production of Apple TV+ shows, growing U.S. data center capacity.
All of this expected to create 20,000 jobs. And all of this, of course, coming as President Donald Trump has announced a 10 percent tariff on all goods imported from China, which is where Apple makes many of its products, most of its iPhones. So this does appear to be an effort to get around those tariffs.
But of course, these new facilities won't necessarily be up and running overnight. And so I think what Apple is likely doing here is seeking to gain favor with Trump and potentially seek an exemption to these tariffs, which is something the company did during Trump's first term.
We also saw Apple make similar U.S. investment announcements during Trump's first term, as well as during Biden's presidency. But Trump was quick to take responsibility for Apple's announcement today, saying that it shows faith in his policies.
Clare Duffy, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Expect a lot of performances for the upcoming 97th Academy Awards. The new list includes Queen Latifah, Doja Cat, Blackpink's Lisa but possibly the most anticipated performance of all will be Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, fresh off their performances in the Oscar-nominated musical "Wicked".
But notably, "Wicked" didn't actually receive any nominations for best song this year. Never mind. The academy says, instead of the performances, we'll celebrate the filmmaking community and some of its legends.
You can tune in live and watch if you wish, this Sunday night on CNN.
Brazil is now getting ready for the biggest party season on the planet. Carnival officially begins Friday. Six million people are expected to attend the massive parade and the smaller street parties all across Rio de Janeiro.
This market already hopping with people buying costumes, hats, masks and other props in anticipation of partying all day and all night, then all day, then all night. And then straight through until March 8th. May god have mercy on their souls.
Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.
Please stay with us. CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague, Rosemary Church.
See you back here tomorrow.
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