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British Prime Minister Vows To Increase Defense Spending In Wake Of Shifting U.S. Stance On Ukraine; Trump Says He Could Meet Zelenskyy Soon, Finalize Deal For U.S. Access To Ukraine's Rare Earth Minerals. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired February 25, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:39]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST: It is 8:00 p.m. in London, 3:00 p.m. in Washington. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Thanks so much for joining us on CNN NEWSROOM.

Let's get you right to our top stories.

Europe's longtime rock solid transatlantic relationship with the United States now showing major cracks as the West looks to end Russia's war in Ukraine. Europe is preparing to move forward without the U.S., if necessary. A short time ago, the British prime minister announced his nation will hike defense spending in the next few years. The announcement coming ahead of Keir Starmer's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington.

Mr. Starmer says Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions in Ukraine must be met by a show of strength.

(BEGIN VIIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Unless Ukraine is properly protected from Putin, then Europe will only become more unstable and that will hurt us even more. Furthermore, the great lesson of our history is that tyrants like Putin only respond to strength. So today I have announced the biggest sustained increase in defense spending since the end of the Cold War.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, on Capitol Hill, a top Senate Republican is sharply breaking with the Trump administration over its decision to side with Russia on a U.N. resolution condemning Moscow in its war against Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. THOM TILLIS, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: Russia was clearly the aggressor. If I was casting the boat, I would have voted in favor of it.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you disappointed by the administration's actions? TILLIS: There could be something more to it in terms of negotiations,

but on its face. Putin continues to be a murderer and responsible for the kidnap, rape, torture and murder of tens of thousands of Ukrainians. I consider that an aggressor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, Mr. Trump says he believes the U.S. and Ukraine are very close to a deal that would give the United States some of Ukraine's mineral wealth. He's pushing Kyiv for an economic agreement to help repay at least some of the billions in U.S. aid, and, says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may visit the White House soon to finalize the agreement.

Well, more now on the British prime ministers defense spending announcement from our international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: This was an absolute pitch to the British public, putting the story in their living rooms, beginning by saying, imagine this scenario you're walking your child to school, you're on the way to work, you hear the crashing of the bombs and the missiles, and it's not in the distance. It's not on the television, but it's actually close to you. It's affecting your life.

He wanted to make this real. He wanted people to understand why he feels that the country has come to this point, a decision three years in the making, he said. And what really turned him about? Journalists sort of trying to have him say that this was under pressure. And President Trump, in effect, to have him appear as if he's on the back foot, as if he is weak, as if the decision has been taken out of his hands, as if its President Trump that's dictating how the British governments budget should be divvied up.

That's -- that's, in essence, the thrust of it. And his push back on that was very clear. War has changed. Russia is acting in British skies, in British seas, in British cyberspace and on British soil -- the Novichok poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in 2017.

The point that he made was I have been there to Ukraine, I've seen it with my eyes. This is different. This is not the war of 2022. This has changed. I see the reality. I've made the decision. It's a decision that's been coming over a long period of time. And this is not the pressure of Donald Trump.

Keir Starmer here is doing something that is huge, in essence, in a way telling the country that it is sort of going to a more serious war footing. We need to take money from other places. It's a serious, big decision.

It is very hard for governments in an incremental war, like the three year war in Ukraine, to explain to people why they're making such a significant change. That's what he's doing here right now. That's the thrust, not to show weakness in the face of President Trump.

[15:05:00]

These are decisions he has come to in national security interest. There must be benefits. He played up how, for example, this could benefit the economy, benefit jobs. He would make sure that this defense spend is money spent in the U.K.

These are important sells. This is not going to be easy for him to push this concept over the line with the British public. They're receptive to it. But he's a politician making tough choices, taking a step, signaling a step change from the end of the cold war, saying, we must do this if we want our children to have the peace and stability we have had over the past 80 years, since World War II. This is a significant speech.

He is saying we now need to step back to a time past we didn't have to expect to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Our thanks to Nic Robertson there.

Well, CNN's chief international security correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh joins us now from Kyiv with more.

Good to have you with us, Nick.

So the U.K. prime minister said that tyrants like Putin only respond to strength in announcing this massive increase in defense spending. He also had to push back on accusations that Trump is forcing his hand, that the U.S. is dictating U.S. government -- U.K. government policy. How will this spending impact the war in Ukraine? And will other nations in Europe follow suit?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It's hard to tell about the other European nations. This spending in itself. I'm not sure it will immediately change the course here, but at the same time we have in the past few days seen many European nations pledge billions of increased assistance for Ukraine. And indeed, as Macron corrected, Donald Trump in their meeting in the oval office, to say its Europe, that the majority of the aid so far for Ukraine.

But the Starmer position is one really, I think that builds on the United Kingdom being one of the most sort of strident supporters of Ukraine, one of the more hawkish ones, to be honest, since the beginning. And it's definitely a bid to answer the statements by U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegseth that they needed to get to 5 percent defense spending. And that's not even something the United States does. Very few nations around the world even go there apart from Russia right now.

And a bid to -- to -- ahead of his meeting on Thursday with Trump to show that they're doing the best that they can. It's important to point out that in both what we've heard from Starmer

and from Macron, the French president, that they're not saying they don't need the United States, quite the opposite. They're trying to step forward to suggest that they're willing to do the things the United States needs them to do in order to keep the United States in the game here.

And certainly, Starmer has always said that they need a U.S. backstop of logistics and assistance just to get any peacekeeping force the U.K. might contribute to inside of Ukraine off the ground. And Macron described any French contingent there as being not in danger but being credible.

And so, they're trying to suggest that if there is a security guarantee that can be offered to Ukraine, its one that's likely to involve Europeans in the implementation, being the boots on the ground, doing a lot of the legwork inside of Ukraine. But they're very clear that they can't really do this, they say, without the backdrop of a U.S. deterrent, without the United States somehow being involved in part of that.

And it seemed to be from Emmanuel Macron speaking alongside Donald Trump. And he spoke at great length in French, at times it seeming trying to phrase the U.S. position in such a way that might Trump might be comfortable with it.

He talked about U.S. solidarity with the French plan and position, and how they needed to restore the deterrence of the U.S. being behind their European allies. I paraphrase here, but essentially suggesting that without the notion that the U.S. is somehow involved in facing up to Russia and assisting Ukraine, it's going to be very hard to convince the Russians to come to any kind of deal at all.

But it does appear also to from listening to Macron and from Starmer here, that there is a lot of staged discussion here. The Europeans are moving forward with what they think could be some sort of peace plan that might eventually cause a proper, lasting peace here in Ukraine. But there is still this ultimate broader concern, as does Russia even want this given right now they're winning on the battlefield and simultaneously on a separate track, it seems, making headway in their bid to get the Washington-Moscow relationship back on track.

Ukraine's piece, part of that, and the original reason Trump says why he went to that negotiating table. But it seems to have slid down their agenda. One more thing we should say, increasingly positive signals about this rare earth deal that Trump's secretary of treasury called yesterday at the one yard line. And so I think what's incumbent now is the Trump administration to make it clear they're going to accept that deal and invite Zelenskyy to the White House like they said they were going to.

KINKADE: All right. Yeah, we'll have much more on that coming up in a conversation later this hour. Nick Paton Walsh, good to have you with us. Thank you.

Well, European Council President Antonio Costa plans to hold a special summit on Ukraine next week.

[15:10:04]

And in the meantime, the U.S. continues to pressure Ukraine to accept that drafts mineral deal, all while the question of NATO membership remains up in the air.

CNN's Clare Sebastian explains what's at stake.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ukraine has been very clear that the best security guarantee of all would be this -- an invitation to NATO. But even before this comment from the new U.S. defense secretary --

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome.

SEBASTIAN: -- NATO was not an imminent prospect for Ukraine. Well, right now, what does it have? It has a commitment from NATO, but with no time frame.

MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Ukraine's path to membership is irreversible.

SEBASTIAN: Now, if we shade this map in a different color, you can see that most NATO allies, 29 in total, have signed ten-year security agreements with Ukraine. Those are the countries shaded there. Those agreements promise ongoing military support, but no mutual defense clause.

So Europe needs now to bridge the gap between this and, of course, the biggest prize of all, which is NATO membership with a deterrent that will actually work.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: We cannot just agree to a ceasefire without real security guarantees, without a system to keep Russia in check.

SEBASTIAN: Well, if we zoom in on the European countries that have these bilateral security agreements, the big focus now is the possibility of European boots on the ground. Now the U.K. and France have said they could front a so-called reassurance force of around 30,000 troops, along with other partners, which could include Sweden and Switzerland.

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: These would be peaceful deployments of troops, not for combat.

SEBASTIAN: Some of Europe's biggest armies, like Poland, for example, are not on board with sending troops, while Italy remains skeptical.

But there are other things that countries could contribute to logistics, perhaps even air defenses. Germany has been the top contributor to Ukraine so far when it comes to those. MATTHEW SAVILL, DIRECTOR OF MILITARY SCIENCES, RUSI: It sounds like

they would need quite a lot of additional support from the U.S. to make it viable. Europe doesn't have in large numbers the kind of air power that you would need to essentially push back Russian ground forces and Russian air defenses. A lot of that rests in the U.S.

SEBASTIAN: And, of course, there's another club Ukraine could join, the European Union. Membership in this would come with its own mutual defense clause.

ANTONIO COSTA, EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT: Accession to the European Union will be the most important security guarantee for the future of Ukraine.

SEBASTIAN: That would probably still take years. So the bottom line is that Europe cannot afford to lose U.S. support.

STARMER: There must be a U.S. backstop.

SEBASTIAN: Even as the U.S. effort to reset ties with Moscow leaves that country emboldened --

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): But no one can demand anything, especially from Russia.

SEBASTIAN: And the NATO alliance in uncharted territory.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Thanks to Clare Sebastian.

Well, let's bring in CNN's global affairs analyst, Kimberly Dozier, who joins us live in Washington, D.C.

Good to see you, Kimberly.

So I want to start off with the British prime ministers announcement today to increase defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027, 3 percent by the government's next term. And Britain essentially funding this by cutting overseas development aid, pretty much mirroring Trump's move to cut foreign aid. Is this going to curry favor with Trump?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Absolutely. He will arrive at the White House carrying the gifts of the offer of putting peacekeeping troops on the ground in Ukraine to guarantee Trump's peace negotiations and the ultimate deal we all hope for. And he's also listening to Trump's call to meet and -- and go above the 2 percent NATO guarantee, NATO pledge to put 2 percent of your gross domestic product invested in your own self defense.

So this is a one-two punch of the French President Macron and then the British Prime Minister Starmer, charming, cajoling, flattering Trump, hopefully back to their way of seeing things and being careful to say that, you know, while the E.U. and Britain could cut a side deal with Ukraine if the U.S. just decides to side with Russia, they don't want to go that way.

They need U.S. support for whatever peacekeeping mission they're going to have, and they don't want Trump to turn into an enemy, which would be the worst possible outcome.

KINKADE: Yeah, exactly. As Starmer also said, the threat from Russia doesn't end in Ukraine. I just want to play some sound from that press conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STARMER: The reason for this is straightforward. Putin's aggression does not stop in Ukraine.

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Russian spy ships menace our waters. Russian planes enter our airspace. Russian cyber attacks hit our NHS. And just seven years ago, there was a Russian chemical weapons attack in broad daylight on the streets of Salisbury.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: I mean, right now, relations between Europe and the U.S. are pretty strained, especially when it comes to how the nations view Ukraine and Russia's war there.

Is Europe going to step up to fill a void? If the U.S. really does take a massive back step here with regards to security in Ukraine?

DOZIER: Well, it's going to have to. I mean, that's what the incoming presumed German Chancellor Mertz said, that, you know, it's time to go it alone, or at least plan to go it alone. But you don't want to say that you don't want to play hard ball with President Trump or this particular White House, because the vengeance will be swift and ugly.

So they're trying to go in saying, lets do this all together, win, win. But quietly, the E.U. is also talking to Ukraine about a rare earth minerals deal. So it doesn't feel like the U.S. is its only option. You also saw that Russia popped up offering to develop rare earth minerals with U.S., and also to let the U.S. exploit those minerals that are in areas of Ukraine that Russia now controls.

So you really do have a sense for this deal-making going on. But the quiet conversation inside Europe and through the Baltics and the Nordic nations and Britain is this is a White House that has turned fickle. We don't know what kind of president the American public is going to give us every four years. And if were going to have flip flops like this, we have to stand on our own.

KINKADE: And I want to ask you more about that. Rare earth minerals deal, because we heard from Donald Trump saying that it's close to being finalized. It's close to Zelenskyy signing that deal. Some Ukrainian officials have reportedly said, you know, this is not a negotiation. It's extortion. And as you pointed out, Vladimir Putin has also offered up the rare earth minerals in Ukraine that are currently under Russian control.

And we're hearing from Europe, the European commission industry chief who now wants to be part of this deal. Is Ukraine going to be squeezed here?

DOZIER: Well, look, from the Ukrainian perspective, the major weapon systems on the ground that it needs to keep operating, like the patriot missile batteries to repel the Russian advance. That's -- the majority of those munitions are provided by the United States. A lot of the systems that they really need are provided by the U.S. and that is one of the main reasons that President Zelenskyy has said the U.S. is the key guarantor of this deal. We cannot escape that.

So they do feel squeezed no matter how much Europe is trying to reach out to them. So at this point, the deal seems to be a pretty wide open draft memorandum. We don't know what's going to ultimately be in it. If its some sort of overarching blue sky deal that doesn't have specifics, and all the specifics are be to be determined later, then perhaps Zelenskyy can sign it and give Trump the win he wants without consigning, as the terms of the deal in one of the drafts I saw are written, basically, Ukraine would have to pay $500 billion to pay the U.S. back for a promise of $183 billion, of which only about half has been delivered.

So it's -- at this point also, it doesn't have security guarantees in it from the U.S. but if Kyiv can get Trump to convince Putin to allow those NATO forces into his country to make sure Ukraine doesn't get invaded again, well then, that's a win for Kyiv.

KINKADE: All right. Kimberly Dozier, great to have your analysis. Thanks for joining us.

DOZIER: Thanks.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

KINKADE: You're listening there to the Ukrainian freedom orchestra as it wraps up a special concert in Warsaw, Poland. The group is performing a Ukrainian language version of Beethoven's ninth symphony to mark three years since Russia invaded Ukraine.

And later in the show, the conductor will join us, for more about this group of musicians and its unique mission.

Well, still to come, CNN visits a west bank refugee camp to get a firsthand look at the destruction amid a major Israeli military offensive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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KINKADE: Welcome back.

The first phase of the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas is set to expire within days. But an Israeli source tells CNN that Israel is trying to extend it as long as possible in the hopes of seeing more hostages released, even as it prepares for a possible return to war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his troops are ready to resume intense combat at any moment in Gaza. The second phase of the ceasefire agreement is meant to broker a permanent end to the war, and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops.

In the occupied West Bank, bulldozers are demolishing more homes and infrastructure in the once crowded Jenin refugee camp, now cleared of its inhabitants. Its part of a major military operation that Israel says will continue across the West Bank for at least the rest of the year.

Our Jeremy Diamond visited another refugee camp in Nur Shams for a firsthand look at the destruction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: As the Israeli military expands its military operation here in the occupied West Bank, we are getting a firsthand look at some of the destruction that's been wrought in the Nur Shams refugee camp.

You can see all around me, really, this entire area has been dug up by those d9 bulldozers, and were also seeing evidence of powerful blasts that have ripped open, for example, the front of this residential building.

The Israeli military began its expanded operation in the West Bank over a month ago, but it expanded it here to Nur Shams about two weeks ago. And you can see here, for example, this used to be a pharmacy, and this kind of destruction is happening increasingly frequently in the West Bank, resembling the type of military operations that the IDF has been carrying out in Gaza.

You also don't hear any people around me.

[15:25:01]

We haven't seen many civilians in the area, and that's because of the displacement that has been happening here in the Nur Shams refugee camp and Tulkarem and the Jenin refugee camp as well, where overall, about 40,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.

We spoke to some of those people earlier today who said that they really don't know when they're going to be able to return home. That's because the Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, has said this military operation could last for over a year, and that until that operation is over, the residents of camps like this one, they will not be allowed to return home.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Nur Shams refugee camp in the West Bank.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: We are tracking a gruesome story out of Paris, where a young American mother has been arrested after the death of her newborn baby. The 18 year old is being held by French police for suspected homicide. According to prosecutors, she threw her baby from a hotel window.

CNN's Saskya Vandoorne reports from Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SASKYA VANDOORE, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: An American teenager was arrested Monday after she allegedly threw her newborn baby out of the second floor window of this hotel here. According to local officials, the baby was then taken and placed in a trash can nearby before being found by authorities. The baby was rushed to an emergency room at the children's hospital, the Necker, but died shortly after being admitted.

Now the young mother was taken to a different hospital where she underwent surgery after giving birth. Now we know that an investigation for homicide has been opened by the Paris prosecutor's office, who told us this morning that they believe the young woman may have been in denial about her pregnancy.

Now, what do we know about the young woman? Not much. We know, of course, that she's American. That she's 18 years old. And that apparently she had been staying at this hotel for roughly a week with a group of young friends, and they were traveling in Europe.

We spoke to neighbors here in this area where in the 20th arrondissement. It's east of Paris. It's not a very touristy area. And the neighbors were telling us this morning that they awoke Monday to the sound of sirens of police cars, and that when they discovered what had happened, they were deeply shocked.

The U.S. embassy released a statement a few hours ago, saying that they were saddened by the loss of this young life.

Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, still ahead, they were supposed to help in Elon Musk's push to overhaul the federal government. But now 21 employees are walking off the job in protest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:31:01]

KINKADE: We've got some breaking news just in to us. A federal judge has now indefinitely blocked the Trump administration from freezing federal grants and loans, calling the move irrational and imprudent. The ruling is a significant blow to the Trump administration, which is facing a number of legal challenges after the White House ordered a pause on all federal grants and loans, leading to confusion over critical funding.

The U.S. President Donald Trump's own administration can't say who is in charge of DOGE. It's, of course, the apparent tech billionaire, Elon Musk, and he will be attending the first official cabinet meeting of the new administration tomorrow. The White House says Musk will be talking about DOGE's efforts during Wednesday's event.

Well, the clock is ticking for millions of federal employees threatened by Musk with termination if they don't respond to an email listing what they accomplished last week. That directive triggered confusion and chaos as a growing number of agency heads told their employees not to respond.

Hours before the original deadline was set to expire, Musk said workers would be given a second chance, but failure to comply then would result in termination.

Well, as the jobs of U.S. government workers remain in limbo, another sign of the growing backlash against the mass layoffs. CNN has obtained a letter signed by 21 digital service staffers who were part of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, all are resigning. A source says they're stepping down in protest.

Well, CNN Washington correspondent Sunlen Serfaty is covering the story and joins us now.

So these staffers were part of DOGE under the directive of Elon Musk.

Just how senior were they and what sort of percentage of the workforce do they -- do they represent?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Lynda, this is significant. These are very senior workers. They're highly skilled workers in the federal government that has taken place and been a part of the federal government for many, many years. Their agency, the U.S. Digital Service, that became DOGE.

So they under the executive order signed by President Trump after inauguration day, they became part of DOGE. And for the most part, many of them have been sticking around to see how it works out.

But it is quite the statement today that you have 21 technology staffers with in this department resigning in mass. Now, who does this mean? This is engineers, designers -- designers, data scientists and product managers, people who have very important roles in many critical projects of the U.S. government, and whose role, frankly, right now they are the only ones that know how to do this. We obtained the resignation letter, and its very clear that this is indeed a protest.

They say in part in this letter, quote, we will not use our skills as technologists and compromise core government systems, jeopardize American sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services. They go on to say: We will not lend our expertise to carry out or legitimize DOGE's actions.

So those very strong words, and they make it clear that they first started seeing some signs of what DOGE was doing. They say last Sunday, they said then they saw them mishandling, in their words, sensitive data and breaking critical systems so that they could not stay in these jobs. They believe for -- in essence, for their own conscience. It seems and they -- they said I talked to a source, and many of them in the room said that they, for the first time observed DOGE employees leading their staff meetings Tuesday of last week.

And the -- the real mission that was communicated, then, Lynda, was let's turn the page on all this. I know this has been a tough time. I know there are a lot of changes, but lets go forward. But very clear that these employees said, that's not good enough. We need more. We're not comfortable with the direction that this is going. So you have now today, very significant. It's 21 employees that have been in as part of the federal government for years now, quitting in mass -- Lynda.

[15:35:08]

KINKADE: Wow. And certainly, Sunlen, there's a lot of confusion over Elon Musk's directive to federal workers to say what they accomplished last week in an email or essentially resign. He's now extended that deadline. Do you know when the new deadline is and how many are likely to respond?

SERFATY: Yeah, there are. There is a mass confusion, and it still remains now more than 72 hours after that first email that instructed federal workers to really account for what they had done in the previous week. Name bullet points, five bullet points of what you got done.

This just really set off confusion, chaos, conflicting messages coming from many different branches of government. It was interesting to see how different agencies, really approached this and how they instructed their staffers to respond. Some agencies said, don't -- don't respond. Let your managers do it. Others gave a different message.

Then a message came last night from OPM saying that this is voluntarily voluntary. So you have federal workers who are still not aware whether they need to do this. Should they do this, will they risk being fired if they don't do this? And that still is -- still remains. And it's quite clear there are still a lot of questions going forward on how they will clear this up.

KINKADE: Sunlen Serfaty, a lot to stay across. Good to have you with us. Thank you.

SERFATY: Thanks.

KINKADE: Well, the Trump administration's efforts to lay off federal workers is fueling protests. Republican lawmakers have had to answer questions about the abrupt cost cutting measures at tense town halls. Many in attendance said the layoffs will hurt families and local economies, and are singling out Elon Musk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Elon Musk has contracts with the federal government.

CROWD: There you go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, but he is also, I think, doing an effective job. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Conflict of interest.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Show me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of people --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Show me!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- want to see waste, abuse and fraud weeded out some of them here today. I don't want him in charge of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, the federal government is the nation's largest employer, but its 3 million person civilian workforce covers a small fraction of the total labor market.

Well, inflation and potential tariffs have Americans worried about the economy? That's according to the February conference board consumer confidence index. Now, that index fell for the third straight month, the largest monthly drop since August 2021. The index shows consumers are increasingly pessimistic about business conditions and future income. A university of Michigan consumer survey for February also showed similar results.

With top Republicans are working to get the votes to pass a budget blueprint for House Republicans have said they will vote against the current bill if its brought to a vote today, at least a dozen other Republicans say they have concerns. Congressman Jason Smith told CNN he believes this is the only chance Republicans have to advance Trump's agenda for tax cuts.

House Speaker Mike Johnson also spoke of the need to pass the bill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The objective in our commitment has always been deficit neutrality. That's the goal here, if we can reduce the deficit, even better. But here's another thing everybody needs to consider. Not only are we working to find savings for the American taxpayer to -- to find a better, more efficient, more effective use of their dollars, which we are morally obligated to do. We also have a moral obligation to bend the curve on the debt. All of your children, all of our children and grandchildren are going to be saddled with the debt that we are spending right now.

It's $36 trillion federal debt. The deficits have ballooned. We have to change that trajectory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, still ahead, the latest on a near miss at a U.S. airport and the go around maneuver put off by a commercial airline pilot.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [15:42:01]

KINKADE: Welcome back.

A close call at a Chicago airport. Federal aviation investigators say a private jet entered the runway at Chicago's Midway without authorization. The crew of a Southwest Airlines plane then had to initiate a so-called go around, according to the FAA, to avoid a possible collision.

CNN's Pete Muntean reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: This was an incredibly close call involving this Southwest Airlines Flight 2504 from Omaha, Nebraska, and this private jet operated by a company called FlexJet. The plane, a Bombardier Challenger 350, was apparently told by air traffic control, according to the recordings that we have accessed to come up to and hold short of the same runway that the Southwest flight was landing on Runway 31 center there at Chicago's Midway Airport. But that flight just kept on taxiing, and the Southwest crew apparently had to abort the landing only feet away from touching down on the runway.

I want you to listen now to the exchange here between the pilots of the Southwest plane and the air traffic control tower there at Chicago midway, in which the pilots asked, how did that happen?

SWA2504: Tower, Southwest 2504, how'd that happen?

ATC: Southwest 2504, climbing 3,000. Contact Chicago Approach, 128.2.

MUNTEAN: The Southwest crew aborted this landing unprompted, with no direction from the air traffic control tower, at least according to the recordings that we have listened to. The big statement now indicts the pilots of the private jet, according to the FAA. They say it entered the runway without authorization.

Big questions now about what investigators will find here in the national transportation safety board has investigated these type of incidents, called runway incursions, where an airplane is on the runway, where it shouldn't be at major airports. Since the start of 2023, 13 of them in total JFK, Austin, Boston and Burbank. We will see if National Transportation Safety Board investigators look into this case as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Our thanks to Pete Muntean there.

Well, this hour, people in Vatican City are gathering at St. Peter's Square to pray for Pope Francis's recovery. The 88-year-old pontiff remains in hospital in a critical condition with double pneumonia. In a new statement from the Vatican, it says the pope did not experience any, quote, acute respiratory episodes and that he had a scheduled CT scan.

The Vatican also says on Monday that Pope Francis met with senior officials to move ahead a number of decrees about sainthood.

Our Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb joins us now live in Rome.

Good to have you with us, Christopher. So people are in Rome and around the world are praying for the pontiff's recovery. What's the latest on his condition?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, that's right. People have been praying. There's a service behind me that's just concluding now to pray for Pope Francis's health. What we're hearing from Vatican sources is the pope still needing oxygen? He did not meet anyone today.

[15:45:01]

But as the statement said, he's in a critical but stable condition. There are no more respiratory crises. He had a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis on Saturday, and that has been resolved. A CT scan has been carried out on his lungs. Of course, the pope is suffering from pneumonia in both of his lungs.

But the message, I think, from the pope and the Vatican today is that the pope is still in charge and still taking decisions. He met with those senior aides, Cardinal Parolin and Archbishop Pena Parra, on Monday. He released these rulings. The promulgation of of sainthood causes.

He also sent a message for lent and made bishop appointments. So a clear message there that he is trying to continue to lead the church from his hospital room. He's been in the Gemelli hospital in Rome since the 14th of February. It's the longest hospital stay of his pontificate.

Of course, many people are concerned in Rome and across the world. They're praying for the pope, sending him good wishes. Not just Catholics, but people of other faiths out showing their concern for the pope.

Now we are expecting a further update from the Vatican on Wednesday morning, and, of course, we'll bring those updates as soon as we get them -- Lynda.

KINKADE: All right. Thanks so much for that update. Christopher Lamb, we appreciate it.

We do wish the pope all the very best.

We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Earlier this hour, the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra wrapped up a

special concert in Warsaw, Poland, marking the third anniversary of Russia's full scale invasion.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

KINKADE: Absolutely beautiful. The group performing a Ukrainian language version of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, is made up of leading Ukrainian musicians both inside and outside of Ukraine. The group aims to defend Ukraine's cultural legacy as the country fights for its freedom. But the conductor of that performance joins us now, just minutes after putting down her baton.

Keri-Lynn Wilson is the founder and music director of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra.

[15:50:03]

Good to have you with us.

KERI-LYNN WILSON, FOUNDER AND MUSIC DIRECTOR, UKRAINIAN FREEDOM ORCHESTRA: Thank you so much for having me.

KINKADE: That was just a beautiful performance. The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra on the day Ukraine entered the fourth year of this war since Russia invaded Ukraine.

How did it feel performing today?

WILSON: Well, as it always feels, its incredibly inspiring to perform with these incredibly courageous and dedicated and resilient musicians who are fighting for the very freedom their country is under attack. And for the last three years, we've joined together to fight and defend Ukraine on the cultural front and fight for its freedom. And as we are musicians, we can't pull apart our weapons. But we have instruments.

And I had my baton, and that's why I founded this orchestra. I was inspired by my cousin who is still fighting in the battlefield in Bakhmut region. My baton is my weapon and it's the one way I can contribute to fighting on behalf of Ukraine for a better world, for a free world for them, and for the future of a Democratic culture.

KINKADE: And, of course, Keri-Lynn, you founded this orchestra and you've led this company on three international tours. But you are Canadian. Talk to us more about your connection with Ukraine.

WILSON: Well, I grew up in Winnipeg, Canada, which has the largest Ukrainian community in North America and was very fascinated by my roots. But I didn't go into Ukraine until I performed there about 20 years ago.

And of course, I have cousins there, so I've been horrified by since the start of the invasion as what was happening. It was like it was my homeland was being attacked. So I felt compelled to do something. And like I said, it's -- it

really is a fight. I consider my musicians, my soldiers of music, and together, we're fighting for justice and the freedom of Ukraine.

KINKADE: Yesterday, we heard Donald Trump describe Ukraine as a demolition zone, saying the culture has been wiped out. Why is it important to defend Ukraine's culture and keep it alive in this way?

WILSON: No, I would completely disagree. If anything, Ukrainians culture is thriving more than ever because the good people of this world want to empower them to be able to express themselves through their art, through their poetry, through their words, through their music and their language. And that's actually why I performed with this orchestra.

We created the Ukrainian language version of Beethoven's 9th Symphony to show to Putin, to show to all oppressors and regimes that you cannot silence beauty in this world. You cannot silence the Ukrainian language. And so we are here to fight until the end, until Ukraine is liberated, and to also show to the world that the resilience and the strength of this country is something that should be a symbol to all, as we all are fighting for a weakening democratic world.

KINKADE: It's so beautiful listening to your orchestra. You formed it in 2022. Just talk to us about the kind of feedback, the reaction you've had from around the world as a result of these performances.

WILSON: Yes, well, our performances are meant, of course, to give inspiration and hope to the musicians that they are, feel like they are supported and -- and they get to express themselves on stages on the most prestigious stages throughout the world. But our goal is to show the greatness and the strength of Ukrainian artists.

And our mission, of course, by performing, is to galvanize audiences. Our message is to fight the good fight. Like Beethoven's message of his 9th Symphony is that good wins over evil.

So our message and our playing together is an emotional engine that is stronger than any orchestra I've ever conducted, because it's not only a group of extreme, brilliant talent, but it also is unified and in solidarity with one another and empowered by our willingness to make a difference in this world and to fight for our homeland.

KINKADE: And your orchestra partners with the New York metropolitan opera. How did that partnership come about, and where will you be touring this summer?

WILSON: So, it's a long story of this orchestra was formed. But like I said at the beginning of the invasion, I had to do something. So I had this dream of forming an orchestra of refugees as I saw everybody flowing out of Ukraine.

[15:55:01]

This dream was turned into a reality by my husband, the general manager of the metropolitan opera, Peter Gelb, who also asked for the collaboration with his colleague of the Polish National Opera, Waldemar Dabrowski. And with the help of the Ukrainian and Polish ministers of culture, we all came together and within a few months we were embarking on an international tour of the most prestigious stages to galvanize audiences, and we thought it would be one year only.

But here we are. We have not won yet -- yet. So we're going to be embarking on our fourth summer tour this summer, and it will include prestigious stages in Europe, Amsterdam. We have yet to announce it, but this time, we're not coming to America. But I certainly hope we will next year as our last performance in America was Kennedy Center last summer and we were so warmly welcomed there, and I look forward to being welcomed there again.

KINKADE: No doubt you will be. Such a beautiful orchestra.

Keri-Lynn Wilson, founder and music director of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, thank you so much for your time and all the work that you do.

WILSON: Slava Ukraini. Thank you so much.

KINKADE: And thank you all for joining us today. I'm Lynda Kinkade. I will be back tomorrow.

Stay with CNN. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is next.