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Trump-Zelenskyy Tensions Explode in Oval Office Clash, World Leaders React; U.N. Chief Says Gaza Ceasefire and Hostage Deal Must Hold; Gene Hackman "Likely Dead for Nine Days" Before Being Found; FAA Clears SpaceX for New Launch; White Tracks Keep Trains Cooler and Safer. Aired 3-3:45a ET
Aired March 01, 2025 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our live viewers watching from around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, an explosive White House meeting for the world to see.
How could it impact the future of Russia's war in Ukraine?
Pope Francis is placed on a breathing machine. We will go live to Rome for the latest on his health.
And new details in the mysterious deaths of Oscar winning actor, Gene Hackman, and his wife, Betsy. What investigators are telling us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.
KINKADE: "You're gambling with World War III."
Those words from U.S. president Trump to the Ukrainian leader at the Oval Office during a heated confrontation. It was an unforgettable meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy that turned into a shouting match.
The situation went downhill quickly when U.S. vice president JD Vance criticized President Zelenskyy's request for security guarantees as part of a peace deal with Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: I signed with him, Macron and Merkel, we signed ceasefire. He broken the ceasefire. He killed our people and he didn't exchange prisoners.
We signed the exchange of prisoners but he didn't do it. What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about? What do you mean?
J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm talking about the kind of diplomacy that's going to end the destruction of your country.
ZELENSKYY: Yes but if you are not strong --
VANCE: Mr. President, with respect. I think it's disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, things got much worse from there as presidents Trump and Zelenskyy raised their voices and talked over one another.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We gave you military equipment. You and your men are brave. But they had to use our military equipment. If you didn't have our military equipment --
ZELENSKYY: You invited me to speak --
TRUMP: If you didn't have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks.
ZELENSKYY: In three days, I heard it from Putin, in three days.
TRUMP: Maybe less.
ZELENSKYY: This is something -- two weeks, of course, yes.
TRUMP: It's going to be a very hard thing to do business like this, I tell you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, CNN's Jeff Zeleny is in Washington with more on the diplomatic disaster.
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JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: The outburst from inside the Oval Office still reverberating here in Washington and indeed around the world as the prospect of a deal between the United States and Ukraine broke down in spectacular fashion on Friday.
But president Trump, as he left the White House Friday evening, placed the blame on Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He said he is not a man who wants to make peace.
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TRUMP: He is dealing with a very strong set of cards and then he doesn't want to make peace. So that's where we are. It's very simple. I'm not looking to get into anything protracted. I want immediate peace.
President Putin is going to want to make and he wants to make, he wants to end it. And you saw what I saw today. This is a man that wants to get us signed up and keep fighting. And we're not doing that. Not for this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: Of course, that is not the full picture. Zelenskyy was pushing back against the idea that Putin can be trusted, as president Trump has repeatedly said.
Zelenskyy also pushing back against the fact that he needs and wants some type of a security guarantee, some type of a backstop, that the U.S. would essentially have the back of European forces in Ukraine, should Putin decide to invade once again.
Now the deal that Zelenskyy came to the White House to sign over the rare earth minerals, to share some of the minerals, to get some economic cooperation going, that did not even get signed or discussed.
There was, though, a signing table in the East Room of the White House. The table was set up, flags from the Ukrainian side, the American side on display. A lunch was ready to be served as well. All that was canceled.
The White House has sent Zelenskyy out of the office and he was simply left to wonder what is next for this relationship. Before leaving Washington, Zelenskyy said in a FOX News interview that he regretted how it played out but he did not apologize for what he said.
The question now, can this diplomacy be reopened? -- Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House.
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KINKADE: Well, Zelenskyy says Friday's clash doesn't have to be a deal breaker. He told FOX News that he believes his relationship with Mr. Trump can be patched up.
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BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Do you think the public spat in the Oval Office in front of the media, served Ukrainians well today?
ZELENSKYY: I think this kind of this kind of spat is -- is -- I mean, this -- we have -- I mean, this is not good for both sides.
BAIER: Do you think your relationship with Donald Trump. President Trump after today can be salvaged?
ZELENSKYY: Yes, of course, because its relations more than two presidents in the historical relations, strong relations between our people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, the U.S. secretary of state was in the Oval Office meeting, sitting next to the U.S. vice president.
And speaking with CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Marco Rubio criticized President Zelenskyy for discussing security guarantees before getting a ceasefire agreement. He says president Trump wants to stop the fighting in Ukraine, while Zelenskyy said Putin can't be trusted.
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MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: What are the Russians needs?
What do they need to see in order for them to stop fighting?
What do the Ukrainians need in order to stop fighting?
And then once you have that in place, then you can decide the next step, which is -- and what do we need to do to make sure this never happens again, that it doesn't happen in two years, three years, five years.
I don't think President Trump is interested in a one-year ceasefire. I don't think he's interested in a six-month ceasefire. He wants this thing to end. He has said that repeatedly.
But again, he's not going to use the kind of language that maybe plays well in the public sphere or in the political sphere for people that want to take shots at him but it's not going to allow us to have a negotiation or even to explore a potential negotiation.
President Donald Trump is a man who has made deals his entire life in business and he's bringing those principles to government and he's the only one in the world that has any chance.
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KINKADE: International leaders have rallied behind President Zelenskyy after the Oval Office clash. Canada, Britain, Germany, Spain are just some of the countries that made it clear that they're standing by Ukraine. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese was on the same page.
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ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: The people of Ukraine have suffered greatly in defense of their nation and their national sovereignty. And Russia has acted like a bully, a big country seeking to invade and to take over territory from another sovereign nation; in this case, Ukraine.
And like the rest of, overwhelmingly, countries around the world, we have stood with Ukraine and we will continue to do so.
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KINKADE: CNN's Larry Madowo joins us now from Paris with more on how Europe is reacting to that meeting.
Good to see you, Larry. So we just heard from the Australian prime minister there. Also Canada, New Zealand and plenty of European leaders certainly rallying around Zelenskyy, issuing words of support. Take us through that reaction.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lynda, all these leaders from around the world say one thing, that their support for Ukraine is unwavering. It's steadfast. And many of them, like Justin Trudeau, also pointing out that Russia began this war. They were the ones that provoked this and not Ukraine.
As president Trump and the White House have sometimes said, which Zelenskyy has dismissed as essentially sharing some Russian disinformation. But here in Europe, leaders rushed to support Ukraine and President Zelenskyy, saying that they will always stand with him.
After that extraordinary scene at the White House, where essentially these two leaders degenerating into a shouting match, Zelenskyy very clear on how brave the people have been and how much support and grateful, how grateful he is to the U.S., for Europe, for what they've done for him.
One of the most extraordinary statements came from French president Emmanuel Macron, who was himself at the White House and gently corrected president Trump but otherwise really ingratiated himself to president Trump after that dustup. This is what he told the press.
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EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): We all know the situation. There is an aggressor and that is Russia. There are people attacked who are from Ukraine.
We were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago and to continue to do so. And when I say we, I'm talking about the United States of America, the Europeans, the Canadians, the Japanese and many others. And that's it.
Therefore, we must thank everyone who has helped and we must help those who, from the beginning, have been fighting, because they fight for their dignity, for their independence, for their children and for the security of Europe. These are important things that we must remember in these moments.
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MADOWO: These are leaders from all across Europe, essentially supporting Ukraine and President Zelenskyy.
There was one side that stood with president Trump, predictable. That was from the Hungarian leader, who is a right wing populist and key Trump ally in the region. He said in a tweet, "Strong men make peace, weak men make war.
"Today, president Trump stood bravely for peace, even if it was difficult for many people to digest. Thank you, Mr. President."
So he's a lone voice in this region really.
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KINKADE: Yes. And, Larry, we saw the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, meet with Trump at the White House earlier in the week. He has since scheduled a meeting with some European leaders for this Sunday.
Who's expected to attend?
And what does Europe want from the U.S.?
MADOWO: Keir Starmer also did meet with the president. Trump ingratiated himself as well, offered a state visit, a letter from the king and he is trying to be that ally, that bridge between Washington and Kyiv, between Europe and Washington.
He had already invited president Macron, the leaders of Germany and Denmark and Turkiye. He invited eight more leaders after that meeting at the White House. More than a dozen world leaders are expected to be there now, including the leaders of the European Commission and Council.
And this is a key part. What they want from the U.S. is security guarantees in any ceasefire deal. This is essentially what President Zelenskyy was trying to make in that Oval Office meeting that degenerated and eventually ended with him getting kicked out of the White House.
And what the U.K. is hoping to do with these European leaders is to get the White House to commit to some security guarantees that might include air cover. That is a big ask, even in the best of times.
But with president Trump, JD Vance and the rest of the leadership of the U.S. being very uncertain about their support for Ukraine, that's going to be a very tall order. So this meeting Sunday will be critical, Lynda.
KINKADE: All right. We will catch up again with you soon. Larry Madowo live for us in Paris, thank you.
Well, support for President Zelenskyy appears to be solid at home in Ukraine, despite the public falling out with Mr. Trump.
A senior parliamentary member says the legislature is firmly behind Mr. Zelenskyy and some military members told CNN that they didn't have much faith in Mr. Trump's peace efforts. As for ordinary Ukrainians, some say the issue is whom they can trust.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Neither Trump nor Putin can be trusted but our president can. No question about that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): What will be, will be. Maybe we will have tighter relations with Europe. But I would not give up on our ally, the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This is what is most hurtful, that the agreement has not been signed. To lose such a valued ally like the U.S. is really stupid, however bad the relations are.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We are disappointed with what happened. We were hoping for a positive result of this meeting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, Zelenskyy's public spat with Trump was welcome news in Russia. Some officials privately say they were gobsmacked by what played out at the White House. Official statements sided with the White House and slammed Mr. Zelenskyy.
The Russian foreign ministry said it is a miracle Mr. Trump and his vice president didn't slap the Ukrainian leader, while former president Dmitry Medvedev, a close Kremlin ally, called Mr. Zelenskyy "a pig" that got what he deserved.
Earlier, I spoke with an expert on Russia about this diplomatic disaster and he says it appears everything has fallen apart.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIGEL GOULD-DAVIES, SENIOR FELLOW FOR RUSSIA AND EURASIA, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES: It's pretty disastrous and it's hard to think of any precedent for a public falling out quite as dramatic and unexpected as this.
And, of course, it takes place at a very important moment. Until now, it had been a pretty good week for Europe, that had been shell shocked by the series of statements that president Trump had made, that Pete Hegseth had made and JD Vance and so on.
Struggling to come to terms with all of that and understand what that meant for Europe's future relationship with America. And then the two visits of president Macron and prime minister Starmer had seemed to be pushing things in a much better direction. And president Trump, very affable, cordial, warm to them both.
So it seemed we had a glide path back to something that we could all have some more confidence. And the crucial moment, of course, the visit of President Zelenskyy, is all falling apart now.
And it creates very difficult questions once again, not only for the future of American diplomacy and support for Ukraine but also for Europe.
How does Europe respond to this without being seen to side against Trump and for Zelenskyy?
KINKADE: Yes, exactly, because Zelenskyy was told, without American support, your nation would have already lost. You've got no cards left to play.
Is Trump and Vance effectively also telling Europe, you're on your own?
GOULD-DAVIES: That has been at least a big part of the mood music and various statements coming from the White House for the past few weeks. You go back to what Defense Secretary Hegseth said in Brussels. He said Europe must now take responsibility for the overwhelming share of its defense.
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Ruled out the prospect that the United States would provide any guarantee or support for a post-conflict peacekeeping or guaranteeing force of European soldiers in Ukraine.
So there are these profound concerns that the realignment of American foreign policy goes far beyond the specific, albeit important, question of how it will engage with Ukraine and over the war and much further toward a reappraisal of the entire transatlantic relationship over the past eight decades.
But again, this has been such a turbulent and unpredictable few weeks.
Who's to say where we will be in a week's time?
In two weeks' time?
In a month's time?
There is a sense of kind of fluidity to this situation and where there is fluidity, there are possibilities for diplomacy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, the Vatican says Pope Francis is resting after a peaceful night following a medical setback in hospital on Friday. He had a sudden respiratory episode. The Vatican said he was alert but not out of danger. Let's get more now from CNN's Barbie Nadeau. She joins us live from Rome.
Good to have you there for us, Barbie.
So what are you learning about the pope's condition?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, we got our usual sort of one line note from the press office this morning that said the pope passed a peaceful night and that he's resting this morning.
But you know, we tend to get a more detailed bulletin that comes in late afternoon here in Rome. And we learned last night that the pope had this, what sounds like another respiratory crisis. He suffered that a week ago on Saturday as well.
And it ended up in a bronchospasm that ended up in him vomiting and that had to be aspirated. And he then was given this mask, respiratory mask, which is helping him get his oxygen now. But we understand that he was alert and, as I said, cooperative, which means that he was probably not latent during that episode.
It was during a physiotherapy session. So you know, all of these things point to them working toward his recovery. If he's getting physical therapy and physiotherapy and those sorts of things, you know, we've been hearing all week long incrementally that he had been improving.
And so this while it seems to be a setback, I guess we'll wait until we hear later this afternoon just what more details we have in terms of the new medical report. Lynda.
KINKADE: All right. Barbie Nadeau, good to have you there for us. Thanks so much for that update.
Well, the next phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas remains uncertain. Saturday was meant to be the end of phase one but talks with phase two are only just begun. We'll have the latest on the fragile agreement next.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Israeli officials are expected to resume ceasefire and hostage negotiations remotely in the coming hours for the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire uncertain.
A senior official tells CNN that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency consultation to discuss how to advance negotiations late Friday after a delegation returned from talks in Cairo.
The first phase of the ceasefire was scheduled to end today but the agreement with Hamas stipulates that the truce can continue so long as negotiators are talking. So it may stretch on.
An Israeli source tells CNN that Israel is trying to prolong the first phase by as much as possible, in the hopes of securing the release of more hostages held in Gaza. Hamas says it is committed to the ceasefire.
And the U.S. envoy for the Middle East says the Trump administration hopes to get an extension of the first phase in order to negotiate phase two. Let's bring in Gideon Levy, a columnist for the Israeli newspaper,
"Haaretz." He joins us this hour from Tel Aviv.
Thanks so much for your time.
GIDEON LEVY, COLUMNIST, "HA'ARETZ": Thank you for having me.
KINKADE: So around this time, week after week, we've been seeing hostages released in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. But not this weekend. This is the first phase of the ceasefire coming to an end.
What now?
LEVY: Well, now, all this time, I kept on saying, also in your programs, that Netanyahu will do anything possible to prevent the implementation of the second phase because he wants the war to continue.
And he does not want to see a withdrawal of the Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. Second phase means to do all this. And Israel wants to continue the war. This is crystal clear. And this will accompany us now and guide the future.
The only factor which is unknown right now is how devoted is the American administration to push Israel to go for the second phase. If they are devoted enough, there will be a second phase. If they leave it to Israel, there will not be a second phase.
KINKADE: We are hearing, obviously, that Israel is refusing to withdraw from that corridor along Gaza's border with Egypt, despite the fact the ceasefire agreement explicitly calls for the withdrawal to start from this weekend.
How could that further jeopardize any next phase?
LEVY: The idea jeopardizes, as much as possible, any progress. I mean, all this idea that Philadelphi corridor is an existential threat to Israel. If Israel is not there, it's obviously a fiction.
And like other fictions, they all are aimed to enable Israel to find good enough excuses to continue the war. Because if we are frank, the ultimate victory, the so-called ultimate victory, was not achieved. Hamas is still alive and kicking and I'm not sure that another 15 months of killing and destructions will bring the ultimate victory.
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As a matter of fact, I'm sure that not. But Israel wants to continue.
KINKADE: Just having some technical issues here.
One key objective is to degrade and destroy Hamas. That is what Netanyahu said from the beginning. But during each hostage release, Hamas looks very much in control, having recruited more soldiers.
What do we know about their viability?
LEVY: We know what we see and we see that they are the only meaningful factor which runs Gaza. There is no one else. And it can't be anyone else because nobody bothers to prepare any kind of infrastructure for the day after.
And therefore Hamas is there, alive and kicking. As I said, his military force is obviously severely damaged. But this can be rehabilitated and reconstructed. And we have to face it. Hamas is the governing government of Gaza. As long as there is no other factor, it's a matter of fact. And no more killing and destruction will change it.
KINKADE: Of course, there are still 59 Israeli hostages held in Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to be alive -- sorry -- according to the Israeli government. Their fate, of course, hinges on the future of a ceasefire agreement.
How much more challenging is it going to be to get all these sides together, the U.S. Egypt, Qatar, to kind -- to push this forward, to get Netanyahu on board?
LEVY: To get on board is very easy for the White House. It's impossible for all the rest. The White House has the leverage to put pressure on Netanyahu to go for the second phase.
What we were witnessing last night in the White House with President Zelenskyy is a very, very good lesson to how the United States can treat other allies or its allies when they don't obey to the United States. So if the Americans really want to see the second phase, they know very well how to push for it. I'm not sure that this is the case.
KINKADE: And finally, I just want to ask you about Israel's operations in the West Bank. The U.N. has said it's left tens of thousands of people internally displaced.
What is the objective there?
LEVY: I'm very happy you're asking. I was, this week, like every week in the West Bank, you will not recognize the West Bank. What is happening there, under the cover of the war in Gaza, when all the focus is over Gaza, is unprecedented.
It's not the U.N. saying the Israeli government, it means that they already evacuated 40,000 people from three refugee camps. They are going to continue to do so. That's a real transfer.
If you think about ethnic cleansing, you may do it, obviously. And they have a plan to continue and to destroy all the refugee camps in the West Bank after they are destroying all around (ph). Obviously, this was the first stage.
Someone has to stop it because those people have nowhere to go. Those are refugees, second, third and fourth generation. They have no place to go. And you know, the world is so busy with other things and Israel is taking advantage of it. KINKADE: Yes, it's shocking to see. Gideon Levy, we appreciate your
time. Thanks so much.
LEVY: Sure. Thank you for having me.
KINKADE: Well, there is new information as investigators work to build a timeline in the mysterious death of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy. I'll have more on that story next.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. We're learning more about the puzzling deaths of Oscar winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife. CNN's Josh Campbell runs through some of the preliminary findings of the investigation.
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JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Significant new details tonight in the death of Hollywood icon Gene Hackman and his 65-year-old wife, Betsy Arakawa, after their bodies were discovered inside their New Mexico home.
Investigators now say it is very likely the 95-year-old actor died over a week before he was found.
SHERIFF ADAN MENDOZA, SANTA FE COUNTY: An initial interrogation was conducted of Mr. Hackman's pacemaker. This revealed that his last event was recorded on February 17th, 2025.
CAMPBELL: The Santa Fe sheriff says tests have also confirmed that Hackman and Arakawa both tested negative for carbon monoxide.
There's also new information released about several items seized by police from Hackman's home. Two green colored cellular devices, three medicines, a thyroid medication a medication used to treat high blood pressure or chest pain and Tylenol.
Also, records from MyQuest, a medical diagnostic service and a 2025 planner.
MENDOZA: We'll be analyzing cell phone data, phone calls, text messages, events, photos in the -- in the cell phone to try to piece a timeline together and then hopefully make a determination, what may have happened to -- to both the individuals.
CAMPBELL: Their bodies were discovered Wednesday inside their Santa Fe, New Mexico home. Deputies considered the circumstances suspicious enough to warrant a thorough investigation.
MENDOZA: I think I'm pretty confident that there is no foul play, just based on the lack of -- of evidence of foul play. But we, of course, we're not ruling that out.
CAMPBELL: Deputies found them during a welfare check request from two maintenance workers who told police they had not been in contact with the homeowners for about two weeks. Investigators say the 95-year-old actor was found on the ground in a mud room.
Arakawa was found on the ground inside a bathroom next to an open prescription pill bottle, with pills scattered around.
A German shepherd dog was also found dead near her body inside a crate. Officials say a toxicology report could take some time.
MENDOZA: It could be a month or three months or longer, in my experience.
CAMPBELL: In addition to waiting on toxicology reports, investigators are also waiting to get into the cell phones they seized at Gene Hackman's home.
They say that could contain critical information to help them build this timeline about when the couple actually died. They say they may have to reach out to other agencies in order to try to get into those devices -- Josh Campbell, CNN, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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KINKADE: Well, still ahead, SpaceX gets the go ahead for its next test flight. The last one ended with an explosion, scattering debris across the Caribbean. We'll have new details after a break.
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KINKADE: U.S. federal regulators have cleared SpaceX to launch another test flight of its Starship spacecraft, just weeks after the last one exploded 10 minutes after liftoff. The new flight was planned for Friday but it has been pushed back to Monday.
January's explosion over the Atlantic caused flight disruptions and scattered debris across the Caribbean. One environmental group says residents in the Turks and Caicos are still finding debris in the water and beaches.
Well, staying in space and soon there will be an all female crew flying into space later this year, which includes singer Katy Perry and TV personality Gayle King. The Blue Origin mission is being touted as the first all-women space flight in more than 60 years. Female scientists are going, too.
Aisha Bowe is an aerospace engineer and former NASA rocket scientist, who will be on that flight. She spoke with our Becky Anderson earlier. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AISHA BOWE, FORMER NASA ROCKET SCIENTIST: Over the past decade, there have been a lot of advances in commercial spaceflight, and being able to be here on the cusp of something so
extraordinary, with the ability to work with nonprofits and organizations to advance science is just absolutely thrilling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: So exciting.
With train lines overheating amid an ongoing heat wave in Brazil, a train operator is getting creative. One company in Sao Paulo is painting tracks white to reduce the amount of heat being absorbed.
The environmentally friendly white paint also keeps the tracks from buckling. The company says the strategy reduces rail temperatures by at least 6 degrees Celsius or 11 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Several European countries have successfully used the method to protect their rail lines from heat damage.
Well, it's Carnival time in Brazil. The celebration kicked off in Rio de Janeiro Friday. It attracts millions of people. One must-see element is the Carmelitas. The block party celebrants wear nuns' habits, some of them so scantily clad they would never be allowed near a convent.
Participants cut loose with a little debauchery, singing, dancing and enjoying themselves before reality bites with some more solemn holy days of Lent.
Finally, a new, unearthed large-scale painting in the ruins of Pompeii offers a rare glimpse into the mystery of ancient Rome.
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KINKADE (voice-over): Take a look at these scenes of a wild cult ritual, once lining a spacious banquet hall, entertaining guests in the 1st century B.C.
The excavated artwork depicts the procession of Dionysus, the Greek God of wine. Life-size images reveal practices meant to help people shed inhibitions. Pompeii's archeological park says the frieze is crucial to understanding classical Mediterranean life. They plan to open it up to the public immediately.
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KINKADE: Well, thanks so much for joining us for this edition of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade in Atlanta. "WORLD SPORT" is coming up next. And then there's much more. CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber in about 15 minutes.
