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U.N. Security Council Adopts U.S.-Led Resolution That Fails to Call Russia the Aggressor; Europeans Abstain; Europeans Show Solidarity with Kyiv in G7 Conference; Vatican: Pope Still Critical, Showing "Slight Improvement"; Trump: Podcaster Dan Bongino to be FBI Deputy Director; Apple to Invest $500 Billion in U.S. as Trump Tariffs Loom. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired February 25, 2025 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): Donald Trump just blew up the Western Alliance.
JOHN BOLTON, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: We are on the path out of NATO.
DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENT: If you don't answer, you're sort of semi-fired or you're fired. A lot of people are not answering because they don't even exist. Everyone thought it was a pretty ingenious idea.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Bongino has been promoting far-right views on his podcast, promising retribution, saying that Trump is going to get revenge against his enemies.
STEVE MOORE, RETIRED FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: The one thing you do not want to do, day one, is lose the loyalty of the FBI.
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ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN Newsroom with Max Foster and Christina Macfarlane.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world. I'm Christina Macfarlane. It's Tuesday, February 25th, 9 a.m. here in London, 4 a.m. in Washington, where Donald Trump appears to be moving further away from Ukraine by the day and closer to Russia's Vladimir Putin.
During talks at the White House with French President Emmanuel Macron, Mr. Trump continued to blame his predecessor, Joe Biden, for the war and refused to call President Putin a dictator.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, you called 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well, Presidents Trump and Macron appeared to get along well, exchanging jokes and handshakes, but at one point in the Oval Office, Mr. Macron had to set the record straight on military and financial assistance for Ukraine.
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TRUMP: Europe is loaning the money to Ukraine. They get their money back.
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: No, in fact, to be frank, we paid. We paid 60% of the total effort: it was through, like the U.S., loans, guarantees, grants. And we provided real money, to be clear.
TRUMP: If you believe that, it's okay with me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well, there was also a significant shift at the U.N., where the General Assembly approved a resolution condemning Russia's war on Ukraine with the U.S. and Russia voting against it. The Security Council passed a U.S.-led resolution that failed to mention Russia's aggression or Ukraine's territorial integrity. A former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. says the realignment doesn't bode well for NATO.
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JOHN BOLTON, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: We are on the path out of NATO. Trump has already done enormous damage to the NATO alliance. Almost every time he talks about Ukraine, he does more. But that vote, with all of our allies on one side supporting Ukraine and condemning Russia's unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, with us on the side of Russia and North Korea and countries like that, that shows the NATO alliance is badly split already. And at this point, you take too many more steps like that, the actual withdrawal is just a formality.
MACFARLANE: Democratic Senator Mark Kelly agreed with that view.
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SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): Donald Trump just blew up the Western alliance, I mean, completely. It's very clear who the aggressor is. It's clear who the war criminal is.
And this vote today into the -- with -- in the U.N., where the United States of America is siding with the North Koreans and with Russia and Belarus, Donald Trump has aligned himself with Russia and not with our allies. We've had these allies since World War II. And it's the United States that is the anchor of this alliance. And Donald Trump is abandoning that.
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MACFARLANE: In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed world leaders marking the third anniversary of Russia's invasion. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh was there.
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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. Europe and beyond.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's also about having skin in the game.
PATON WALSH: 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.
[04:05:04]
PATON 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.
(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: 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: 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 the chance.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: 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.
PATON WALSH: 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. One yard run.
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.
PATON WALSH: Just add Macron to Trump, results in minutes.
TRUMP: He's a smart customer, I will tell you that.
PATON WALSH: 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 presidents 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.
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MACFARLANE: Well, cities across Europe showed solidarity with Ukraine on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion.
In the German capital, protesters marched through the city, stopping at the Russian embassy to give speeches and chant against the conflict in Ukraine. In Warsaw, protesters held up signs calling for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be jailed, with some criticizing the United States and President Donald Trump. Ukrainian refugees in Poland are calling for strength and unity.
And Paris showed solidarity with Ukrainians by lighting up the Eiffel Tower in blue and yellow.
Catholics filled St. Peter's Square Monday as the Vatican held its first nightly prayer service for Pope Francis, who was fighting double pneumonia in hospital. This is now his 12th day there, the longest hospital stay of his papacy.
CNN's Ben Wedeman is joining us now live from Rome. Good morning to you, Ben. What more are you hearing then, Ben, of his condition overnight?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Christina, we just got a one-minute video of a hotline statement from the Vatican press office saying that Pope Francis rested well all night. No further details this morning from the Vatican. But what we heard yesterday from the Vatican press office is -- yesterday evening, is that even though the Pope remains in critical condition, he is showing a slight improvement, that apparently he's continuing to receive oxygen after Saturday's asthmatic attack, but at a lower level and a lower concentration of oxygen, that even though he does have kidney issues, that they are not a cause for concern at this point.
Now, they said that he continues to eat well, that the Pope is not bedridden, and that he is, quote, "in good humor." That's what we heard yesterday. We also know that yesterday evening he was on the phone with the parish priest in Gaza, something he's been trying to do every night since the war there began.
Christina?
MACFARLANE: And, Ben, we've obviously seen millions of Catholics around the world paying -- praying rather, for the Pope's recovery, but how is -- how is it being felt there in Rome? What is the mood like?
WEDEMAN: Well, certainly his health is the top story in the Italian newspapers. Noting that thousands of people braved the rain and the cold last night to go out to St. Peter's Square to pray for his health. This is a man who's very popular in Italy, keeping in mind that even though he's from Argentina, he's of Italian origin, so many people here feel very close to him.
[04:10:04]
And also keep in mind that in this time where politics is increasingly nasty and divisive, this is a man who is focused on decency, kindness. He's very humble, so he's very well-loved here in Italy.
So, the -- for instance, the news broadcasts here always lead with updates on his health. People follow it very closely, and he is a genuinely well-loved person among ordinary Italians. So the level of concern is quite high. The hope is that even though this is his longest hospital stay, 12 days so far, that he will somehow improve and go back to functioning as a normal pope from the Vatican. Christina?
MACFARLANE: We will, of course, continue to follow this. But for now, Ben Wedeman in Rome. Thanks, Ben.
Now, a deadline has come and gone for U.S. federal employees to respond to an email demanding they submit detailed logs of their work or face termination.
Overseeing the effort is Presidential Advisor Elon Musk, who's doubling down on the threat and claiming they'll have another chance to comply. Musk tweeted this on Monday. 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 the confusion are these comments from President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) 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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MACFARLANE: More now from CNN's Laura Aguirre.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just chaos.
LAURA AGUIRRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This Seattle-based TSA agent is speaking out, anonymously, fearing reprisals. One of hundreds of thousands of federal employees who received this email from the Office of Personnel Management demanding that they reply with five job accomplishments from the past week by midnight. Or, as Elon Musk posted on X soon after, failure to respond would be considered a resignation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you're not going to get unemployment, because if it's a resignation, then you can't apply for unemployment.
AGUIRRE (voice-over): The Saturday email sparked confusion through several chains of command, leaders at multiple federal agencies directing their staffers not to reply, pending further guidance, hinting of a potential authority rift between newly confirmed agency chiefs and Musk. President Donald Trump weighing in today during an Oval Office sit-down with the French president.
TRUMP: 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.
REP. SEAN CASTEN (D-IL): This is a violation of labor contracts, labor law.
AGUIRRE: A group of federal unions filed an updated legal challenge in California Sunday to include the OPM emails demand, in addition to their previous filings related to the mass firing of workers. A hearing on that temporary restraining order is set for Thursday. The Transportation Department did order its employees to respond by OPM's deadline, including the FAA's air traffic controllers, many who, union leaders say, are working mandatory overtime six days a week.
I'm Laura Aguirre reporting.
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MACFARLANE: Musk's moves are causing a lot of backlash. Someone hacked the televisions at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, to play an AI-generated video of President Trump kissing Musk's feet. This is still image of that video.
Large white text reads, "Long live the real king." The video was posted on several social media channels and has received millions of views. The head of HUD said appropriate action will be taken.
Well, the idea of reining in government spending has caught the attention of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who, you'll recall, ran against Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination. DeSantis announced the creation of Florida's own government efficiency team. It will operate within the governor's office to curb what they consider unnecessary spending and other inefficiencies.
Here's the governor speaking about President Trump's actions so far.
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GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): I was very pleased to see the emphasis by the Trump administration on this Department of Government Efficiency, this DOGE, with Elon Musk leading the charge. They have exposed slush funds like USAID. They've rooted out hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts and grants that were intending to promote DEI, which we eliminated in Florida in our education years ago. But it's something that has been very pervasive in our country for the last few years.
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MACFARLANE: A state executive order requires all Florida agencies to establish an efficiency team effective immediately.
Now, disturbing news out of Paris. Prosecutors say an American teenager has been arrested in the French capital after her newborn baby was allegedly thrown out of a hotel window. The newborn was transported to emergency care but did not survive. The mother was taken to a hospital to undergo an operation after giving birth and afterwards was placed in police custody. The Paris prosecutor's office says it has opened an investigation into the homicide of a minor. A terrible development.
Now, Donald Trump has picked a right-wing podcaster for a key post at the FBI, a closer look at Dan Bongino. Dan Bongino ahead.
Plus, details on a record-setting cryptocurrency heist believed to have been carried out by North Korean hackers. And later, a drug bust like no other as police say they found cocaine hidden under a hairpiece.
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MACFARLANE: Welcome back. Former Secret Service agent turned right- wing podcaster Dan Bongino -- Bongino, sorry, has now been tapped to serve as the next Deputy Director of the FBI. It's an unconventional choice by President Donald Trump for a post traditionally held by a career FBI agent.
CNN's Brian Todd has the details.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 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 as a bonus. But this is -- this is going way out of the line of what the FBI's 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.
BONGINO: We had an election with unbelievably suspect behavior.
TODD: All the while earning admiration from President Trump.
TRUMP: 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 (on camera): As for how the FBI's rank-and-file feels about Dan Bongino, according to a mass e-mail 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.
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MACFARLANE: The Trump administration is halting its plan to house up to 30,000 undocumented migrants in tents at the military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Sources tell CNN the tents don't meet the standards set by Immigration and Customs Enforcement because they have no air conditioning or electricity. But migrants are still being placed in other facilities on the base.
This comes as new U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will be making his first trip to Guantanamo Bay in the coming hours. The Pentagon says he'll receive briefings on all missions operations, including the transfer of migrants to the base.
The -- with President Trump's tariffs threatening future Chinese imports, Apple is working to expand its supply chain in the U.S. On Monday, the tech giant announced it will invest $500 billion in U.S. facilities over the next four years. CNN's Clare Duffy has the latest.
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CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yeah, 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 AI servers starting next year. The company will be increasing U.S. production of Apple TV Plus 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% 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.
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MACFARLANE: North Korean hackers are believed to have stolen more than a billion dollars in a cryptocurrency in a single heist. Security experts say it's the largest crypto theft on record and took just minutes to pull off. The currency was stolen from the crypto exchange Bybit on Friday.
By the weekend, the hackers were reportedly laundering about $160 million of the loot. U.S. and South Korean officials say North Korea's hacking operation is a key source of revenue for the country. Investigators are now trying to intercept some of the stolen currency.
A U.S. appeals court has upheld the conviction of Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced founder of Theranos. The court rejected her claim 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 once valued at $9 billion. The court also rejected the appeal of Holmes' former romantic partner and president of the company, Ramesh Balwani.
Ahead, a somber remembrance and rare acts of dissent by Russians against the invasion of Ukraine. Stay with us.
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