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Soon: Trump to Host Zelenskyy at White House; Congress Faces Looming Government Shutdown Deadline; Police Investigating Mysterious Deaths of Gene Hackman and Wife. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired February 28, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: It is Friday, February 28, right now on CNN THIS MORNING.

[05:59:40]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, do you still think that Mr. Zelenskyy is a dictator?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Did I say that? I can't believe I said that. Next question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Face to face. After weeks of turbulence, presidents Trump and Zelenskyy will go one-to-one today in a high-stakes meeting that could very well shape the future of Ukraine.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we have to be realistic about the impact of these cuts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got to be very clear that we expect to see the results of what we're -- what -- what DOGE is doing and what the administration is doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Choppy waters. How to push -- how the push to include DOGE cuts in the GOP's budget bill is complicating competing plans between House and Senate Republicans.

And --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It's ten -- It's ten plus ten.

Ten plus ten. It's a second ten. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: The "T" word. President Trump doubling down on his push to levy tariffs on some of America's largest trading partners in less than a week. Representative Ryan Zinke will join us live in just a little bit.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): We do not retreat. We are the damn United States of America. We lead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Rebutting Trump. Democrats tap freshman Senator Elissa Slotkin to give their party's response to the president's joint address next week.

It is 6 a.m. here on the East Coast. A live look at the Statue of Liberty on this last Friday in February.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean, in for Kasie Hunt today. It is wonderful to have you with us.

In just a few hours, a critical meeting that could very well determine the future of Ukraine will unfold at the White House. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arriving in Washington today to sign an agreement on national -- natural resources and reconstruction for his war-torn country.

Ukraine was also top of mind at the White House Thursday, when the British prime minister traveled to Washington, and for the second time this week during meetings with European leaders about Ukraine, a fact check was required in the Oval Office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You know, they -- they get their money back by giving money. We don't get the money back. Biden made a deal. He put in $350 billion. And I thought it was a very unfair situation.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We're not getting all of ours. I mean, quite a bit of ours was -- was -- was gifted. It was given. There were some loans, but mainly, it was gifted, actually.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: The meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy comes after a dramatic back and forth a week ago when the U.S. president called Ukraine's leader a, quote, "dictator."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think the president and I actually have had a very good relationship. It maybe got a little bit testy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, do you still think that Mr. Zelenskyy is a dictator?

TRUMP: Did I say that? I can't believe I said that. Next question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: President Zelenskyy is also expected to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill while he's in town.

And joining us now to discuss all of this, CNN senior White House correspondent Kevin Liptak; and CNN chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh from Kyiv.

Kevin, let's start first with you.

This has been a big week. It's marking three years, of course, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. For European leaders in D.C., they have come to visit President Trump there in the White House.

First it was French president Macron on Monday, then Keir Starmer yesterday. Now we have this meeting with Zelenskyy.

Walk us through how we got to this moment and what we're expecting to see today.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And that parade of foreign leaders was very intentionally choreographed leading up to today.

But I think, of all of the leaders that we've seen arriving over to the West Wing, today's will be the most consequential. You know, I don't think its overstating it to say that Zelenskyy will be here at the White House to plead his case for the future of his country to a counterpart who, at best, is openly skeptical and, at worst, is openly hostile to Ukraine's future. So, the stakes really could not be higher.

When you listen to how White House officials are framing it, they say it's very much about signing this minerals agreement. President Trump has framed this as essentially back payment for previous U.S. support for Ukraine.

But it doesn't contain any future commitments, financial or otherwise. It doesn't contain any security guarantees.

And that is part of why Zelenskyy balked at it initially when it was presented to him. And that is why that rift grew between himself and the president.

Now, the way American officials are framing it is -- is this is a type of security agreement. That if the U.S. and Ukraine are so financially intertwined, then that will be incentive enough for you or for Russia not to further its aggression. But certainly, that is not what Zelenskyy is looking for. He wants some military commitments, some military guarantees.

So do the Europeans. They want, if they are pledging their own troops to go into Ukraine to keep the peace, they will need some backing from the United States.

So, there's still a gulf there for these two men to discuss. I think, you know, if you're looking at this from Zelenskyy's point of view, you are seeing something you like. He is meeting with President Trump before Trump meets with Putin in Saudi Arabia.

You did hear the president soften his tone on Zelenskyy somewhat heading into these talks.

But I think it's what he said about Putin that is causing some alarm. It was a remarkably credulous take on the Russian president, saying that he trusted him, that he thought that he would uphold any kind of deal.

[06:05:09]

And I think that is what sends so many chills down Europeans' backs as they look at how all of this is unfolding.

DEAN: And Kevin, thank you so much for that.

I want to go to Nick now in Kyiv. And Nick, there's been a lot of discussion about this deal for rare earth minerals. And President Trump has been insisting on the U.S. getting a cut of these revenues.

But I know you've been investigating what that actually might practically look like on the ground. What have you found?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, look, it's obviously an industry in wartime at the moment, where were one titanium mine we were at, they only get three hours' power a day, and they need electricity to power the vast excavators that they use.

So, they're hobbled, frankly, by the wartime climate and by years of underinvestment. So, they will welcome American money. Certainly. But they didn't get the sense their titanium being a key thing.

Even Trump has mentioned that they're suddenly able to get near the half trillion dollars that he thought might be extracted from Ukraine.

So, the reality and the sort of fantastical future held up by this framework deal are two very different things.

But I should point out, Zelenskyy is really going there to sign a deal that is -- I wouldn't say toothless, but it essentially is a very symbolic statement of future intent.

It admits, by itself, that the relevant resources that it impacts will be left further described in a fund agreement that will be negotiated the minute this first agreement is signed. And this first agreement doesn't contain security guarantees, just the U.S. Saying it would support Ukraine trying to obtain them.

So, a lot missing. But look, you've got to remember: this is all about healing a relationship and getting Trump on Ukraine's side. He wants a deal. This is close to that or gets them on a path towards that. And Zelenskyy urgently needs a meeting where he can try and heal this relationship after a horrific ten days.

You can see, really, Trump at times quite flippant about the consequence of the statements he's made over the past ten days or so. Can I -- "I can't believe I said" that about calling Zelenskyy a dictator. Well, it, you know, sent shockwaves through Kyiv here.

And just to remind people, you know, every night we've had over 100 last night, over 200 drones fired at Ukraine by Russia. Civilian casualties mounting throughout the week.

There is a very real, urgent reason why Zelenskyy needs to meet Trump and why they need to try and heal that relationship. Why he needs to get this rare earths deal to a position where Trump feels he's getting back what he wants, and also, too, hear the assurances of future aid.

The Europeans, clearly moving forwards with their peace plan. We heard the U.K. prime minister, Keir Starmer, talk about planes in the air from the U.K. yesterday. That's moving ahead at pace to take over the sort of reassurance element of any peace deal.

But, as Trump said himself, getting the deal is the hard part. He thinks what comes after will be softer. I have to say most European officials disagree. They just don't trust Moscow to keep a peace.

Back to you.

DEAN: All right. Nick Paton Walsh in Kyiv. Kevin Liptak at the White House this morning. Thanks so much for your reporting.

Still ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, new details about the death of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman, his and his wife Betsy. Why officials are now calling the circumstances suspicious.

Plus, pro-Palestinian students clashing with Barnard College staff, sending one employee to the hospital.

And a government shutdown deadline now in sight. How Democrats are trying to stand their ground against the Trump-Musk agenda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Elon Musk has about $8 million in federal contracts per day.

Elon Musk and House Republicans are interested in identifying waste, fraud and abuse. Start with his contracts.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:12:53] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO): There's a lot of unknown here. I think we're -- we're a ways from having --

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I mean, it's only two weeks to a shutdown.

HAWLEY: Exactly. And we're a long way qualitatively.

RAJU: Are you concerned it might be a shutdown?

HAWLEY: Well, I don't think there's any reason for there to be a shutdown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Well, but the clock is ticking. Congress has roughly two weeks to prevent a government shutdown, but recent efforts by DOGE to dismantle government agencies is throwing a wrench into what are already complicated conversations, as Republicans grapple with how to fund those very agencies.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has suggested codifying Musk's cuts as part of a stopgap funding measure. But Democrats and some Republicans are pushing back against that idea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS (R-NY): It's going to need to be bipartisan. I think some of my colleagues in the Republican conference don't recognize that. And as soon as we try to work with Democrats, they want to -- they don't want to vote for it. And I think that that's really what puts us at risk at -- for a shutdown right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Joining us now to discuss: CNN political analyst and Washington bureau chief for "The Boston Globe," Jackie Kucinich; former chief of staff to DNC chair Jaime Harrison and former regional communications director for the Biden 2020, Hyma Moore; and CNN political commentator and Republican strategist Brad Todd.

Good morning, everyone.

JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.

DEAN: How are we doing?

KUCINICH: Good. It's Friday.

DEAN: OK. It is Friday. We have about two weeks before a potential government shutdown. And President Zelenskyy is coming to town. So we have a lot to talk about.

Jackie, I want to start first with you. We heard from Nicole Malliotakis there. She's talking about how it needs to be bipartisan to get through. But just a lot of her colleagues' resistance to even talking to the other side.

How do you see this kind of coming together in the next couple of weeks?

KUCINICH: I mean, even Mike Johnson knows he's going to need Democratic votes to get this across the finish line. How that happens -- I think two weeks is a lifetime on Capitol Hill, particularly in the current balance of power.

But, you know, with these -- with the speculation that DOGE cuts are going to end up in a C.R., that's going to -- I mean, I don't know any Democrat that that's not going to be a hard no for at this point.

DEAN: Yes. And so, Brad, how do they -- how do they navigate that?

BRAD TODD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, you know, the Republican conference has always had 4 or 5 knuckleheads who don't really cooperate with the leadership. It's just now 4 or 5 is too many to pass anything.

[06:15:04]

DEAN: Now that really matters, right? Yes.

TODD: And so, I -- there are two ways to do this, right? There are 13 Democrats who sit in districts Donald Trump carried. They need to find a way to cooperate with him on something. And the budget might be a thing they could cooperate on.

It's not a culture issue where there's starkly different viewpoints. So, you can do it with some of that 13, or else then we hit a shutdown and you do it with a lot more, and everybody is unhappy.

But Hyma might know who in the 13 could be --

DEAN: Yes, I do want to know, Hyma, just from a Democratic perspective, what is their strategy?

HYMA MOORE, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO DNC CHAIR JAIME HARRISON: And I think Brad is right. Look, you think -- I saw Hakeem Jeffries a few weeks ago at an event. I think he's very practical. He understands that he wants to win the House back.

I think Democrats have a clear vision of two years from now winning the House back. And so, there's several Democrats, to your point, in these Trump districts who are going to try to make some sort of concession around the budget or tax the tax bill or whatever it is to prove that they are not the sort of firebrand liberals.

And so, I think you look in New York, you look at California, you look at Pennsylvania, those three states, you're going to see some members there start to move a little bit closer to saying yes, maybe, on some of this budget stuff, particularly not to shut down. Democrats who do not want to be the shutdown party. And so, I think to

Jackie's point, some of them want to say, look, this is the Republicans' problem. Let them shut down. But the reality is for politics, they want to win the House back in two years. And so, they've got to have some Democrats say yes in order to get this thing across the finish line.

DEAN: And so, while we watch that kind of percolate and see how that goes, you also have to watch the Senate Republican, House Republican --

MOORE: Right.

DEAN: -- dynamic that's playing out and how they're going to get through kind of what -- what they want to do with reconciliation and the blueprint.

Jackie, Medicaid obviously keeps coming up. Potential cuts to that. You have senators like Josh Hawley who are like, that's an absolute no for me. And his word he doesn't want to punish working people. He's not exactly a moderate Republican. So, they have they're going to have to bridge some gaps there.

KUCINICH: Well, and I think Democrats are going to keep the pressure on. Right? Like the Republicans that don't want to cut Medicaid. And that is going to be -- you're talking about what's going to be a very kind of long negotiation at this point and why Thune and Johnson really have their work cut out for them. Because while there are a lot of things that the House and Senate agree on, its things like that that really, it's going to take a lot of time to be able to get that -- something that can pass both chambers.

DEAN: And Hyma, do Democrats just keep banging the drum on that?

MOORE: Well, I mean, I think Democrats are trying to figure out what the thesis of their argument is right now.

DEAN: What is the thesis?

MOORE: I mean, I think -- look, I think my -- like my friend Ken Martin, the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee, he's a very practical guy from the Midwest. And so, he's -- I talked to him yesterday.

He said, look, they're trying to figure out, you know, what the right message is to not only oppose Donald Trump, but to go back and get voters.

And so, this is not just about what's happening right now over the next couple of weeks. This is about what happens for the next two years, the next four years. So, they're very clear-eyed about it.

But I think the -- the rationale right now is Donald Trump is doing things to wreck your government, but not to make your lives better. So, I think that's their argument right now. They're trying to figure out. I'm not sure if it's landing, Brad, but that's the argument. TODD: Well, you have this juggling, right? Right. Donald Trump is

still popular right now, especially among swing voters. What he's doing is popular. Cutting government is popular. Cutting waste is popular.

And so, there are some Democrats who need to show that they got the message from the election, and they're on board with that program.

Certainly, we're not going to see Hakeem Jeffries do that. But there are Democrats, rank and file. And so, we're about to hit the phase where it's time for the sales pitch.

Trump has an easy time selling the Republicans. He's got to find two or three Democrats to start selling and start showing a little olive branch that he's willing to cooperate with just a couple. He just has to have a few.

MOORE: Look, and these Democratic governors, like, I think the biggest opposition comes from the Democratic governors. All of them want to be president, and all of them want to have their own thesis.

DEAN: And they want to be the one that's the prime foil. Right?

MOORE: Correct. But I think for Democrats, it's about good governance. It's not about opposition.

KUCINICH: But there's also a lot of pressure on them from -- from their base --

MOORE: Yes.

KUCINICH: -- from -- from their voters to do something, to -- we hear it all the time: to get out there and to show -- look like they're opposing some of the things that a lot of that -- that Democratic voters don't like.

So, there's that push and pull, for sure.

DEAN: All right. Stay with us, everyone. Still ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, Congressman Ryan Zinke of Montana is joining us to talk about the Trump administration's new policies on tariffs and immigration.

Plus, new developments as police investigate the mysterious deaths of iconic Hollywood star Gene Hackman and his wife.

And as we go to break, we want to show you some pictures out of Greece. This is in Athens. Thousands are protesting on the second anniversary of the nation's worst train disaster.

Thirty-eight people were killed in that 2023 crash, and their families are still waiting for investigators to provide them with answers. We're going to monitor these protests. We'll bring you updates throughout the morning.

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[06:29:10]

DEAN: An investigation is underway into the mysterious deaths of Hollywood icon Gene Hackman, his wife, and their dog after they were all found deceased at their sprawling New Mexico estate Wednesday.

Foul play is not suspected, but circumstances are being called suspicious.

The 95-year-old was last spotted in public walking out of a convenience store in 2024. CNN's Josh Campbell has the latest now from Santa Fe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GENE HACKMAN, ACTOR: I don't have a lot of fears. I -- I have the normal fear of -- of passing away. You know, I guess we all think about that.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, an investigation is underway into the death of two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman.

SHERIFF ADAN MENDOZA, SANTA FE COUNTY: They're going to work this case. They're going to look at every aspect and -- and figure out -- try to figure out the exact cause.

And again, I think the autopsy is going to be key. And the toxicology. But again, in my experience, you know, that -- that could take a while.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): The 95-year-old Hollywood icon was found dead Wednesday inside his New Mexico home, along with his 65-year-old wife, Betsy Arakawa, and a dog, according to officials, circumstances which the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office called "suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation."

[06:25:16]

MENDOZA: It's concerning that every -- every -- everyone in the house, including the dog, is deceased.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): Deputies were called to Hackman's house on a welfare check request made by two maintenance workers, according to a search warrant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, dude. They're not moving. Just send somebody out here really quick.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): Inside, deputies found the couple's bodies in different rooms and say they appeared to have been there for some time: Hackman in a mud room, his wife in a bathroom near a space heater with an open prescription bottle on the counter and pills scattered around.

Deputies say she had obvious signs of death and body decomposition.

Two healthy dogs were also found on the property, with a third found dead near Arakawa's body.

Officials did not find any signs of forced entry, and the fire department and gas company didn't find any obvious signs of a gas leak or carbon monoxide.

A sheriff's office spokesperson says the cause of death has not been confirmed, but it is not believed to be foul play.

CAMPBELL: And here in Santa Fe, New Mexico, sheriff's officials behind me are involved in yet another high-profile investigation.

This was the same team that conducted the investigation into the fatal shooting on the set of the movie "Rust" that involved actor Alec Baldwin.

Now, we did get some new information from the sheriff's department. They say that autopsies have now been performed on both Gene Hackman, as well as his wife. Initial findings indicate that there was no external trauma to either individual.

Sheriff's officials say that carbon monoxide and toxicology tests have been ordered as this investigation continues.

And it's important to note that this will likely take time until we know the cause of death. Medical examiner investigations can take weeks, sometimes months, to conclude.

Josh Campbell, CNN, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Josh, thank you.

And coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, a new suggestion from Elon Musk. He wants one of his own companies to take over the nation's air traffic control systems.

Plus, Democrats tapping Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin to respond to President Trump's joint address to Congress next week. We'll take a look back at some memorable rebuttals from years past.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE; Nothing has frustrated me more than false choices like the one the president laid out tonight. The choice isn't just between big government or big business.

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