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Now: Zelenskyy Meeting With U.K. Leader Starmer In London Following WH Clash With Trump; Rubio: Zelenskyy Should Apologize For Creating "Fiasco"; Zelenskyy Says U.S. Remains "Strategic Partner" Despite Clash At WH; Pope Francis In Stable Condition After Quiet Night In The Hospital; Former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo Enters Race For New York City Mayor. Former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo Enters Race For New York City Mayor; Federal Workers Receive 2nd "What Did You Do Last Week" Email; West Texas Measles Outbreak Grows To Almost 150 As Vaccine Rates Decrease; HHS Silent On Whether RFK Jr Recommends Measles Vaccine; FDA Flu Panel Has Meeting Called Off; What To Expect At The 97th Academy Awards Tomorrow. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired March 01, 2025 - 13:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:02:27]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin this hour with this breaking news. Just moments ago, a hug and handshake there between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer arriving there at 10 Downing Street for a meeting together. Zelenskyy is there to shore up support with one of Ukraine's strongest allies.

It follows a dramatic collapse of diplomacy when a meeting at the White House Friday turned into a heated exchange between Zelenskyy, President Trump, and Vice President Vance. Zelenskyy posting this, this morning that he still believes the U.S. remains a strategic partner despite the incident. He also defended his actions at the White House and says it doesn't have to be a deal breaker.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Do you think your relationship with Donald Trump, President Trump, after today can be salvaged?

PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE: Yes, of course, because it's relations more than two president. It's the historical relations, strong relations between our people.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

WHITFIELD: Republicans quickly coming to Trump's defense. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was in the room in the Oval Office there, told CNN that Zelenskyy is fully to blame for the breakdown. (BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: He said he does not think that he owes President Trump an apology for what happened inside the Oval Office today. Do you feel otherwise?

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: I do. I do, because you guys don't see -- you guys only saw the end. You saw what happened today. You don't see all the things that led up to this.

COLLINS: But what specifically do you want to see President Zelenskyy apologize for?

RUBIO: Well, apologize for turning this thing into the fiasco for him that it became. There was no need for him to go in there and become antagonistic.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson is in London, Senior White House Producer Betsy Klein is with the president in Florida. So, Nic, to you first. I mean, the greeting was very warm and welcoming. What have we learned about what they're meeting about?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, very carefully choreographed right in front of the cameras. A lot of cameras here today. Not so often you get so many. And Keir Starmer came right out of Downing Street.

And that big hug is not something that he normally gifts on on just any leader that arrives here. In fact, he doesn't really gift it on many people. It's not given to doing that sort of thing. Inside Downing Street, the tone of the meeting, clearly very different to the one that President Zelenskyy was having yesterday.

Keir Starmer talking to Zelenskyy, telling him about the huge support that Ukraine and the president have here in the U.K. This is what he told him.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

[13:05:11]

KEIR STARMER, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: Well, let me just say that you're very, very welcome here in Downing Street. And as you heard from the cheers on the street outside, you have full backing across the United Kingdom. And we stand with you, with Ukraine, for as long as it may take.

And I hope you heard some of that cheering in the street. That is the people of the United Kingdom coming out to demonstrate how much they support you, how much they support Ukraine.

And our absolute determination to stand with you, unwavering determination, and to achieve what we both want to achieve, which is a lasting peace, a lasting peace for Ukraine. (END VIDEOCLIP)

ROBERTSON: Yes. And President Zelenskyy said that he'd heard the cheers, was very grateful to the prime minister, to the people of the U.K. for all the support. And that support is what Prime Minister Keir Starmer will build on in London tomorrow with a meeting of more than a dozen, perhaps 15 or so European leaders coming here to figure out what their next moves are, how to support Ukraine in the immediate term with the security it needs immediately, and in the medium and longer term, the future plan for making sure that there are guarantees, making sure that Ukraine gets a just and right peace at this time.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nic, thank you.

Betsy, Republicans in this country have been very quick to fall in line behind Trump and defend him and his words and his actions at the White House. What more are they saying?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Certainly. Well, such a dramatic difference from the finger-pointing, the crossed arms and the raised voices in the Oval Office yesterday. And just stepping back, President Trump campaigned in part on ending this war between Russia and Ukraine. He views himself as a dealmaker, a peacemaker.

He would like to be part of those negotiations. So we saw him start those talks unilaterally with Russia's President Vladimir Putin earlier this month, of course, without Ukraine at the table. Taking steps toward ending that war.

And then welcomed President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, a longtime U.S. ally, into the Oval Office on Friday. That was supposed to be about securing a critical minerals deal as well as Zelenskyy's own efforts to shore up U.S. security assurances for his country.

Of course, all of that devolved as President Trump and Vice President Vance began to berate Zelenskyy for not being grateful enough, promoting some Russian talking points. All of it really just deteriorating about 40 minutes into the otherwise friendly exchange in the Oval Office.

Now, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz was dispatched by Trump after that meeting, as they were holding in separate areas of the West Wing, to tell Zelenskyy and his team they were no longer welcome. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

MIKE WALTZ, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: His ambassador and his adviser were practically -- I mean, they were practically in tears wanting this to move forward. But Zelenskyy was still argumentative. And finally, what I said, I said, look, Mr. President, time is not on your side here.

Time is not on your side on the battlefield. Time is not on your side in terms of the world situation. And most importantly, U.S. aid and the taxpayers' tolerance is not unlimited.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

KLEIN: Major questions now about whether this relationship can be salvaged in the future of U.S. aid to Ukraine. And Waltz, for his part, in a recent interview with Breitbart moments ago, compared Zelenskyy to an ex-girlfriend that just wants to argue, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my. OK.

Betsy Klein, Nic Robertson, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

Let's bring in now Matthew Chance in Moscow. Matthew, how is this being viewed in Russia?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, look, privately, the officials I spoke to were pretty gobsmacked by what they saw with this spat in the Oval Office. Publicly, though, the messaging has been, you know, very supportive of the White House, basically saying that it was President Zelenskyy alone who was who was disrespectful to the U.S. leadership and basically said what he got.

The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, saying that she was surprised that Trump and Vance didn't slap him for the way he acted. There have been various other sort of responses along that vein. Kirill Dmitriev, who is an envoy of the Russian president to U.S. Russian talks, is also the head of the National Wealth Fund, Sovereign Wealth Fund, he called the scene historic.

And I think that's -- that points to this idea in Russia that this scene wasn't just about three individuals falling out in a room in front of the live cameras. It is also about a sort of historic repositioning of the United States vis-a-vis Ukraine, but also towards the Western allies and towards Russia as well.

[13:10:14]

Certainly, that's -- you know, if the Kremlin are rubbing their hands with glee about this, it's because of what it represents, a potentially historic shift towards their position and away from America's traditional alliances.

WHITFIELD: All right. Matthew Chance in Moscow, thanks so much.

All right, let's continue this conversation with Jill Dougherty. She's a CNN Contributor and a former CNN Moscow Bureau Chief. Good to see you.

So Zelenskyy is in London right now. Tomorrow he'll be meeting with other European allies. And, you know, I wonder in your view, European allies seem to be kind of on one accord right now supporting Ukraine, saying that if Russia gets away with invading Ukraine, then they could very well be next.

So to what extent, you know, is Russia able to, I guess, feel more emboldened now just because of that display in the Oval Office? JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think, as Matthew just said, they're gleeful and it plays into their hands. I mean, let's look at it objectively. You know, a month or so ago, I began tracking what President Putin was saying about Zelenskyy and he was saying, you know, he's not really a legitimate president because he hasn't had an election. Therefore, we don't have anybody to negotiate with because there's nobody legally there.

And, you know, I noted that and I kept thinking, what -- where is this going? And then within about a week or two, I began to hear a very similar thing from President Trump. So I think what you know, what we're hearing now is the Europeans running to try to help Zelenskyy and, of course, Ukraine.

But the problem is, if the White House cuts off Zelenskyy, then it becomes very difficult to help Ukraine. And maybe they don't want to help Ukraine anymore. As we've just heard, some of those indications, well, you know, we could -- the taxpayers are getting tired of paying for this.

So Zelenskyy, even though it's just one person, it's a crucial person. And if he is not allowed to be kind of, you know, the person at the table, then Ukraine has a big problem. So it's personal. But also, you know, we can talk more about this.

I think it is big picture. It's Russia and the United States in one, you know, corner of this discussion and Ukraine kind of separate from that. It's a much bigger deal than Ukraine.

WHITFIELD: Zelenskyy was asked in that Fox interview if the relationship between he and Trump is salvageable. He says yes. What do you think?

DOUGHERTY: Well, judging by that conversation yesterday, I'm not so sure. And what disturbed me, what I think was a disturbing sign was the personal nature of it and the peak on the part, especially of President Trump, who just jumped on Zelenskyy when Zelenskyy said, you're going to feel this, too.

I mean, don't forget, their relationship goes back, goes back to the impeachment of President Trump. There's a lot of personal animosity. Obviously, Trump does not like him because of that. And so the personal nature of this could, you know, overwhelm the bigger issues.

And I think it's always a question right now, is President Trump trying to negotiate, you know, be a tough negotiator? Or is this real or where are we going? And it's never quite clear, but it sounds really personal.

WHITFIELD: How do you see Russia potentially seizing on this now weak spot?

DOUGHERTY: Well, I think they -- number one, they want Zelenskyy gone, right? I mean, they actually tried to kill him. So they want him out of there. And so I think as long as they see that President Trump is continuing to, let's say, you know, keep Zelenskyy off to the side or not have any relations, then it plays in their favor.

They can just sit there and wait. And then eventually, if there's no more aid for Ukraine, then it's a free for all for Russia. So I think they kind of wait. We have to remember that Putin is at this point never quite sure what President Trump is exactly going to do.

So, you know, sometimes he sounds like he's supporting things, but I think they're careful in the Kremlin, but overjoyed with what maybe unexpectedly happened on just yesterday.

[13:15:07]

WHITFIELD: All right. Jill Dougherty, we'll leave it there for now. Thanks so much.

DOUGHERTY: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right. In this breaking news now, an encouraging update on the Pope's condition. The Vatican says he is now in stable condition. We'll go live to Rome.

Plus, the measles outbreak in West Texas continues to grow, now reaching nearly 150 cases. What you need to know about the rising cases.

And a terrifying scene in New York. Two window washers dangling dozens of stories in the air after their scaffolding swings out of control there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:20:20]

WHITFIELD: All right. An update from the Vatican moments ago. Pope Francis is in stable condition after being placed on a breathing machine Friday. The Pope had breakfast and read the newspaper this morning following a quiet night in the hospital.

CNN's Christopher Lamb is in Rome, where a spokesperson noted the Pope is not considered out of danger, however.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, that's right. The Pope is still not out of danger, but a more encouraging update from the Vatican tonight on Saturday, saying that the Pope has remained in a stable condition today, that there were no respiratory crises, as we were told of on Friday and as there have been in the past during his hospitalization.

The Vatican saying that he's still on high flow oxygen and alternating between that high flow oxygen and this breathing device, which we understand is coming through a mask of oxygen -- for the Pope is coming through a mask attached to a machine.

Now, the Pope has been in hospital now since the 14th of February. It's the longest hospitalization of his pontificate. He has pneumonia in both of his lungs and he's 88 years old. And really the last few days we had heard of improvement. But then on Friday we heard about this bronchial spasm, which required this extra oxygen therapy that the pope has been receiving.

Of course, there's a lot of anxiety and concern in the Vatican. People are gathering to pray for the pope tonight. There'll be prayers led by Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, who is in charge of the Eastern churches for the Vatican relations with the Eastern churches. He'll lead that prayer in St. Peter's Basilica behind me.

The Pope will not tomorrow, Sunday, lead the Angeles prayer from hospital for the third Sunday in a row. A pre-prepared text will be released by the pope. But we will not -- we are not expecting, at least, to see the Pope from the balcony at the Gemelli tomorrow. We are expecting a further update from the Vatican on Sunday morning. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: OK. And then, Christopher, we also, you know, just witnessed hospital staff from the facility treating the Pope, offering prayers for the ailing pontiff. What is the overall mood like there? Even though I see the storming behind you, but there are still some people in the square.

LAMB: Well, there's a lot of people in Rome because there's a jubilee year taking place here. It's a once in every 25 year event for people to come to Rome on pilgrimage, for receiving forgiveness and to visit the main basilicas in Rome. So there's a lot of people here already.

But we are seeing big numbers turn out every evening to pray for the Pope here in St. Peter's, but also up at the hospital where large numbers have been gathering around a statue of St. John Paul II in the piazza of the hospital, where people are leaving candles and balloons for Pope Francis.

So there is a real outpouring of prayer and good wishes for the Pope as he continues his treatment at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome.

WHITFIELD: All right. Christopher Lamb, keep us posted. Thank you so much.

All right, coming up, federal employees receive a second email requesting that they report what they did at work over the past week.

And this just in to CNN, Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo just announced that he is running for the mayor of New York City.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:28:27]

WHITFIELD: All right, we're following breaking news out of New York. Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has just announced that he is running for mayor of New York City. CNN's Gloria Pazmino is joining us now with more on this announcement. Gloria?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, we had been anticipating that this was going to happen for the last several weeks here in New York City. There's been increasing, increasing anticipation that we were going to hear an announcement from the former governor deciding to jump into the already very crowded yet race for mayor. And now he's officially doing it.

You're seeing it there. He made the announcement via video, which is posted on a brand new campaign website. This is a 17-minute long video where Andrew Cuomo goes on to detail the current state of the city. He describes a city in crisis.

Then he goes on to detail his very long career in government, his accomplishments while he was governor of the state of New York. He also talks about his time serving in the Clinton administration as housing secretary.

And then he talks about everything he believes he can accomplish for the city of New York should New Yorkers elect him mayor in the upcoming June primary. It is a long video with a lot of ground to cover and even some ideas that he seems to throw out there as possible solutions for the, quote unquote, "crisis" that he says is unfolding here in New York City.

Now, I just kind of want to talk about the politics of it all. Of course, this is the former governor of the state of New York who, as we know, stepped down from office in 2021 amidst a sexual harassment scandal after he was accused of sexual misconduct by 11 women.

Andrew Cuomo has denied those allegations. The allegations were confirmed in a report by the state attorney general at the time.

But Cuomo has insisted and maintained ever since the accusations came to light that he did not sexually harass anyone and that everything was essentially a big misunderstanding. He did apologize at the time.

And even in the video, he appears to acknowledge the mistakes of the past, saying, quote, "Did I make mistakes? Some, painfully. Definitely. I believe I learned from them and that I am a better person for it. And I hope to show that every day."

He could be referencing the sexual harassment scandal. But, Fred, as you also likely remember, the other big scandal at the time was the Covid deaths and the Covid nursing home policy that the governor put into place during the pandemic.

That's the other big thing that everyone likely remembers Andrew Cuomo for, his very prominent role during the pandemic with those televised briefings.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: And then, Gloria, you know, how might this complicate things for the current New York City mayor, Eric Adams?

PAZMINO: So, Fred, that was really the other big question that we were contemplating this entire time. Was he going to jump in or not?

And it was because of the current mayor, Mayor Eric Adams, who the two men for many years have been friendly, and there had been a question about whether or not Cuomo was going to challenge Adams in the primary, given that relationship.

And perhaps, most importantly, that the voters, these two men would likely go after are very similar. A moderate Democrat who is concerned with public safety.

Black and brown New Yorkers, black voters in Queens and Brooklyn are going to be essential for either of these two men in order to be able to win elections. So that's a complicating factor.

But I've been speaking to my sources who are close to Cuomo and who have been speaking with him recently, and he believes that he has an opening, especially because of the ongoing political scandals that Mayor Eric Adams is facing. He believes that there is an opening there.

We should mention he does not call the mayor out by name in that video, but he does say that there's a lack of leadership and a lack of governing right now. And that is obviously a reference to the current administration -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, new concerns for federal employees as they receive a second email requesting they report what they did at work over the past week. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:37:41]

WHITFIELD: Federal workers across multiple agencies received a second email overnight, telling them to report what they did at work over the past week. The email also told those employees that documenting their work will now be a weekly requirement.

CNN correspondent, Arlette Saenz, is following this for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, it's round two for these federal workers who are once again being asked to detail their accomplishments for the week.

The emails started to go out on Friday night. And we know of at least nine agencies and departments where employees received this email. They're being asked to submit a list of five bullet points of what they accomplished and to copy in their managers.

Now, this email is actually saying that this will be a weekly requirement, with people expected to submit their accomplishments by 11:59 p.m. Eastern each Monday night.

Now, it comes after that initial email that went out last Saturday caused mass confusion for federal workers and agencies. Elon Musk had posted on X that failure to respond to that email would result -- or would signify a resignation. But just hours before the last deadline this past Monday, OPM released

guidance saying that it was simply voluntary.

Now, we know of at least one agency that on Saturday morning sent out an email to staff instructing them not to respond.

The State Department, in an email to their staff Saturday morning, said that "State Department leadership will continue to respond on behalf of its workforce and employees until otherwise rescinded."

The State Department was one of several departments that instructed their employees not to respond to that initial email.

But there is an agency that is shifting their tactics. The Pentagon was one of those agencies, along with the State Department, who told staff not to respond.

But on Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent a memo saying that all civilian employees will be required to respond to this email when they receive it.

So there's a lot of different information, a lot of different instructions out there for various federal workers as they're trying to determine exactly how they should approach this ask from the federal government -- Fred?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Arlette Saenz, thank you so much.

All right. The federal layoffs are now sparking international security concerns. CNN has learned foreign adversaries, including Russia and China, are attempting to recruit fired federal workers.

[13:40:07]

Sources telling CNN the foreign governments are particularly interested in fired workers with security clearances and those with valuable information on U.S. critical infrastructure and vital government bureaucracy.

The sources tell CNN at least two governments have already set up Web sites targeting fired federal employees on LinkedIn.

Coming up, the measles outbreak in west Texas has expanded to nearly 150 cases. A physician joins us to discuss vaccinations and who's most at risk.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:45:19]

WHITFIELD: All right. The measles outbreak in west Texas has now grown to almost 150 cases. Most of the cases involve unvaccinated children between the ages of 5 and 17 years old.

However, the state's health services commissioner tells CNN that number is likely higher.

Joining us now is Dr. Rob Davidson. He's an emergency room physician and executive director of the private advocacy group, Committee to Protect Health care.

Great to see you.

So as -- as someone who is on the health care front lines, how concerned are you about the speed of the spread of measles?

DR. ROB DAVIDSON, EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COMMITTEE TO PROTECT HEALTH CARE: Well, measles is terrifying, right? We know that it spreads so fast an average infected individual will spread it to about 18 people pretty quickly.

And it's really a disease of unvaccinated people. I think the data I have seen said 95 percent of the cases are in unvaccinated people.

You know, people who are vaccinated even before 1989 who only got one dose of vaccine could be more at risk. People who have immunocompromised status, pregnant women, people on chemotherapy, elderly people.

And so it's terrifying to know there's this disease that has now killed one kid that is just completely preventable. This really could have been avoided.

WHITFIELD: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr says his department is supplying 2,000 doses of the MMR vaccine, but he's not explicitly recommending that people get the vaccine.

You're shaking your head. You have a problem with what part of that or all?

DAVIDSON: Yes. I mean, it's just -- I mean, this -- you know, Bobby Kennedy has built a career and a fortune, truly, on anti-vax rhetoric, on -- on spreading disinformation, particularly about the MMR vaccine.

I mean, the original study in England by Dr. Wakefield that suggested a link between that and autism was completely debunked. He admitted it was fake. It was made up data. And lost his medical license and couldn't practice medicine.

Yet, Bobby Kennedy has built a career spreading the disinformation. And so he and others, his Children's Defense Network, are as much to blame for this as anybody else.

You know, parents who get legitimate medical information from their primary care doctor understand that, you know, MMR vaccine is safe. It's effective. And it's really necessary so we don't have these unnecessary outbreaks

and deaths.

WHITFIELD: Separate from this, the FDA panel that advises on flu vaccines has had its next meeting called off. They were set to discuss what next fall's flu vaccines were going to target. What's the potential fallout from this group not meeting now? And how

concerned are you?

DAVIDSON: I mean, that is almost equally or maybe even more terrifying. Influenza is a very serious illness in -- in a lot of people, right? People who have, you know, underlying lung disease or diabetes or particularly the elderly.

We are experiencing in, in my area in Michigan, and I think in many areas, a massive flu outbreak right now. We have people boarding in our hospital for 20 to 40 hours, waiting to be transferred to other hospitals or waiting to get a bed in our hospital because the capacity is just gone.

This season, the flu vaccine was not as effective. But still, the people we're seeing who are extremely sick are the ones who didn't get vaccinated.

I get vaccinated every year. I think I probably had the flu a couple of weeks ago. I had about a day of just not feeling well and -- and then it was OK.

And so even if it doesn't completely prevent it, it will lessen your symptoms. It will reduce the likelihood that you get really sick.

And so if they don't get, you know, on board and get us the appropriate vaccines for next season, like this is just going to repeat itself and get worse over time. More people are going to suffer, more people will die.

And the fallout for the rest of the health care system is real. People having heart attacks are waiting for beds because of all the beds being filled with people with flu.

WHITFIELD: How far in advance do these groups need to meet to have the most current, you know, flu vaccine under ordinary circumstances? If they're missing this upcoming meeting, are we saying there's still plenty of time in which to regroup?

DAVIDSON: There is some time, but the earlier the better. And we look at data from the flu season in the southern hemisphere to inform what we might expect in the northern hemisphere.

And they pick the most likely variants that they, you know, should immunize against. And that's kind of -- that's what we go with.

And so the longer they wait, the higher the chances that we're going to be behind the eight ball and not be on time.

[13:50:00]

And the fact that we've pulled out of the WHO, you know, all the actions that have been taken just put us in a more precarious position.

And so, yes, we really hope they get this thing scheduled and they get us, physicians, the ability to protect our communities and protect our patients, because that's really all we're asking for is, is the ability to do what we know to do.

WHITFIELD: Dr. Rob Davidson, always great to see you. Thank you so much.

DAVIDSON: Thanks, Fred. Bye-bye.

WHITFIELD: All right. Pretty frightening moments here. Two window washers, they're pretty lucky to be alive now, too, after their scaffold swung out of control and then crashed into a high-rise apartment building in Manhattan. You see it right there.

The terrifying ordeal caught on camera yesterday with the platform dangling a terrifying 78 stories above the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. NICK SCHNEIDER, NEW YORK FIRE DEPARTMENT: The scaffolding wasn't attached, and it was swinging around and smacking into the building. It was a high-wind factor blowing into the building. There's glass pretty much raining all over the sidewalk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Firefighters stabilized the scaffold with ropes. And notice that the workers weren't even secured to safety lines. Both workers were brought to the hospital and are in stable condition.

All right. Coming up, a pacemaker is helping investigators learn how long actor, Gene Hackman, was likely dead before he and his wife were found in their home. The latest on the investigation next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:56:02]

WHITFIELD: All right. we're learning new details as authorities in New Mexico investigate the mysterious deaths of actor, Gene Hackman, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.

Investigators have not yet determined whether the couple died at the same time, but data from Hackman's pacemaker shows that he was likely dead for nine days before he was found.

Officials say there are no immediate signs of foul play, though the circumstances are suspicious enough to warrant an investigation. Officials also say they were unable to find signs of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning, according to the affidavit.

Meantime, the red carpet is ready, the statuettes are polished and, tomorrow, the 97th Academy Awards will be handed out in Los Angeles. The Oscars typically feature lots of glitz and glamor, as well as the surprise moments that come with live television.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister spoke one-on-one with the head of the Academy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the will Smith slap --

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: There's a mistake. "Moonlight," you guys won best picture.

(CHEERING)

WAGMEISTER: -- to the envelope mix up, the Oscars are no stranger to unexpected drama.

DAVID NIVEN, ACTOR: The only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings.

(LAUGHTER)

WAGMEISTER (on camera): You've had some wild and crazy moments --

BILL KRAMER, CEO, ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARMS & SCIENCES: We have.

WAGMEISTER: -- especially in recent years.

KRAMER: That's right.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): It's safe to say, Academy CEO Bill Kramer hopes the drama comes from the Oscar races themselves.

KRAMER: There are going to be incredible surprises on the show this year. As always, an amazing celebration of cinema.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I'm the king of the world.

WAGMEISTER: We caught up with Kramer as he helped plan this year's show on the heels of Los Angeles devastating wildfires.

KRAMER: We'll be celebrating our community, not just our community of filmmakers, but the community of Los Angeles.

WAGMEISTER: Moments before our interview, a source told CNN that best actress nominee, Karla Sofia Gascon, would attend the ceremony amidst a scandal that saw the "Emilia Perez" star apologizing for offensive tweets.

Overshadowing her historic moment as the first out transgender person nominated for acting at the Oscars.

WAGMEISTER (on camera): Was there ever a discussion of rescinding that nomination?

KRAMER: All of our nominees are invited to attend the Oscars. I think what's so important this year, we have over 200 nominees, we need to celebrate all of our nominees.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Kramer also insists the Oscars shouldn't get political.

(on camera): Is that something that, throughout the night, you want to steer clear of?

KRAMER: Absolutely. We do talk to them about keeping things focused on the work, but this is really a moment for the artist to -- to have for themselves.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): The day of our interview, Kramer made a wickedly big announcement.

KRAMER: We've incredible performances lined up, Doja Cat, Litsa Ray, Cynthia Erivo, Arianna Grande. Queen Latifah, Oscar nominee.

WAGMEISTER: Those superstars will replace the tradition of best original songs performed on stage. Those nominees will be celebrated in a pre-produced segment.

(on camera): There's so many categories that are televised. Is that something that needs to be addressed?

KRAMER: Last year, we had all of the awards on the show and we came in under time. We were under three hours and 30 minutes. It's possible to do this in a way that's entertaining.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Speaking of entertaining --

CONAN O'BRIEN, COMEDIAN: Other award statues think I'm funny.

WAGMEISTER: -- Conan O'Brien is hosting the Oscars for the first time.

KRAMER: He's a lovely person, number one. He's a humanist. He's apolitical. He invites everybody in to enjoy.

O'BRIEN: We stroll in the door naked at 2 a.m. It was our anniversary.

[13:59:51]

WAGMEISTER: Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. We begin this hour with this breaking news. Just moments ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy getting a hug and a handshake there --