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Isa Soares Tonight
Hamas Postpones Hostage Release, Accuses Israel Of Violating Ceasefire Agreement; Trump Set To Announce 25 Percent Tariffs On Steel And Aluminum In Latest Trade Salvo; Zelenskyy Cites He Is Prepared To Negotiate Under Certain Conditions And End War; Judge Reviews Trump's Federal Workers "Buyout"; A.I. Summit In Paris; Christie's A.I. Art Auction; Philadelphia Eagles Win Super Bowl LIX. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired February 10, 2025 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Lynda Kinkade in for Isa Soares. Tonight, tensions are
escalating between Israel and Hamas as both sides accuse the other of violating the ceasefire agreement. We'll go live to Tel Aviv for the
details.
Then Trump's tariff war threatens, ramps up. The U.S. President now preparing to hit all steel and aluminum imports in the U.S. Plus, Ukraine
says under certain conditions, it is ready to negotiate an end to the war. As the U.S. President says he's spoken to Vladimir Putin without providing
any details.
But we begin with breaking news. A fragile ceasefire in crisis. Israel and Hamas are accusing each other of violating their truce. Now, Israel's
Defense Minister says he's ordered troops to be on the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza. Things are spiraling fast after
Hamas announced it would postpone the next hostage release, which was scheduled for Saturday.
These pictures show Israelis taking to the streets of Tel Aviv protesting the news. Hamas has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire terms,
including targeting Palestinians in Gaza with shelling and gunfire and failing to allow in enough aid. Israel, in turn, has accused Hamas of
failing to stick to the hostage release agreement.
An Israeli official says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now meeting with his security leadership team. The families of the hostages still held
in Gaza are urgently asking mediators to step in and help ensure that the deal stays on track. Well, the ceasefire was already on shaky ground after
U.S. President Donald Trump proposed turning Gaza into the Riviera of the Middle East.
He's now going even further, saying explicitly that Palestinians would not have the right to return to their homeland if they leave. Mr. Trump says
Gaza should be considered a real estate development project. He wants the U.S. to take ownership of it from Israel after the war, even though it's
not Israel's to give away.
Mr. Trump says he will build a permanent place for Palestinians elsewhere, which would crush their longstanding dreams of an independent state. Listen
to what he said aboard Air Force One.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think that it's a big mistake to allow people, the Palestinians or the people living in Gaza to
go back yet another time. And we don't want Hamas going back and think of it as a big real estate site. And the United States is going to own it and
will slowly, very slowly -- we're in no rush to develop it. We're going to bring stability to the Middle East.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, we want to bring in Jeremy Diamond for more on all these developments from Tel Aviv. Good to have you with us, Jeremy. So, pressure
from loved ones held in Gaza is growing, and now we know that next week's hostage release has been delayed. To explain more about the reasons for
that and how Israel is expected to respond.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a very significant threat by Hamas coming at a very delicate moment for the
families of the hostages, and really for the Israeli public at large right now. Over the weekend, we saw those images of those three newly-released
Israeli hostages emerging from 16 months in captivity, looking emaciated and in poor physical health.
And that has really sparked a sense of urgency to return all of the remaining hostages and to extend this current ceasefire agreement. And now
into all of that, you have Hamas injecting this threat to delay the release of three Israeli hostages slated to be freed this coming Saturday.
Hamas says that it is doing so because Israel, they say, has violated the terms of the agreement by delaying the return of Palestinians to northern
Gaza, which happened a couple of weeks ago, and also by, they say, not allowing in certain aid supplies to get in. In particular, we know that
Hamas has complained about the lack of sufficient tents and a pre-made mobile homes that were supposed to enter Gaza during this phase of the
ceasefire agreement.
We haven't gotten a response from Israel to those specific claims, but we know that Israel has in the past accused Hamas of violating the terms of
this ceasefire agreement by the manner of the releases.
[14:05:00]
Some of those unruly crowds that we saw, the delays that Hamas has had in submitting the names of the hostages -- now, in light of all of this, we
know that the Prime Minister is currently holding security consultations, and he's moving up a planned security cabinet meeting tomorrow. The Israeli
Defense Minister Israel Katz says that he's ordered the Israeli military to go to its, quote, "highest level of alert for any possible scenario in
Gaza, saying that Hamas' statement amounts to a, quote, "complete violation of the ceasefire agreement."
And as you said, the hostages and missing families forum is simply pointing to the urgency of the situation. They are calling on the mediators, Qatar
and Egypt to urgently try and address this situation. And they are emphasizing that all of the hostages must be urgently rescued from this,
quote, "horrific situation", pointing again to those images that we saw of those hostages who were released over the weekend.
KINKADE: And just as you were talking, Jeremy, we're seeing those live pictures of those protesters on the streets of Tel Aviv, good to have you
there for us. Thanks very much. We are going to stay on this story, I want to welcome Khaled Elgindy; he's an adjunct Professor at Georgetown
University Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, as well as the author of "Blind Spot: America and the Palestinians, from Balfour to Trump". Good to
have you with us.
KHALED ELGINDY, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ARAB STUDIES: Thanks for having me.
KINKADE: So, there's been this drip-drip release of hostages over the past few weeks, that's no longer happening this weekend. Hamas says it's
postponing it because Israel has violated the terms of the ceasefire. Does that all but guarantee an uptick in violence?
ELGINDY: Well, I don't know that it guarantees a return to the same level of violence, but it's certainly not a promising sign. Here we are just a
few days away from the scheduled release on Saturday. But it's -- there's still time. I mean, it's not clear whether this is a kind of calculated
crisis in order to compel the mediators to intervene and bring Israel into compliance.
There's no question that Israel is violating the terms of the agreement. They are not delivering the agreed-upon almost every category, whether
we're talking about food or temporary housing, temporary housing hasn't entered at all. Even though they were supposed to be something like 60,000
of these mobile home units, nothing has entered in that regard.
And then the amount of food aid is also a more significant, but not what was agreed. And there are also things that could be said that Hamas has
done that could be considered violations. But there are degrees, at the end of the day, what Hamas has delivered as unseemly as the specter of the
released hostages has been in these rallies that are very ginned up and quite unpleasant to watch, and the conditions that the Israeli hostages
appear to be in, it's not the same thing, doesn't rise to the same level as not allowing food and housing and other assistance.
KINKADE: Yes, and as you say, and you point out, we're seeing those pictures right now on the three hostages that were released on Saturday,
obviously looking very frail. It doesn't -- you know, it certainly diminishes the hope for other family members who have loved ones being held
by Hamas in Gaza. What do you expect mediators to do in the next few days to try and get this back on the table by Saturday?
ELGINDY: Yes, I think the aim probably here is to try to create some more urgency for the mediators, particularly the Qataris and the Egyptians. I
don't think Hamas has a lot of faith in the United States role in this process, to try to convince Israelis to meet their unmet obligations. The
problem is very easy to miscalculate.
And if you already have forces inside the Israeli coalition that are eager to restart the war, you know, if there's a delay or a cancellation of the
release of these hostages, that could very easily play into their hands, and we could be back to the kind of mass bombing and death and destruction
that we saw over the last 16 months. That would be disastrous, I think for everyone, including the remaining Israeli hostages as well as the
population of Gaza.
KINKADE: And in the midst of all this, Donald Trump has expanded on his plan for the U.S. to take control of Gaza. You wrote in a foreign policy
magazine that this, in effect, is a U.S.-sponsored plan of ethnic cleansing, ill-conceived, radically destabilizing.
[14:10:00]
Trump initially said that the people of the world would take up residence in the Gaza Strip along with Palestinians. Now, he's saying that
Palestinians would not have the right to return if they leave. What's your reaction?
ELGINDY: I mean, I think it's not surprising. It's exactly what Palestinians feared. It's exactly what many expected. When he first
outlined the plan, despite attempts by his administration to walk it back and to say that, you know, they would temporarily be relocated until Gaza
could be reconstructed. And now we know exactly what he has in mind, which really is a U.S.-sponsored plan for ethnic cleansing.
There's really no other word for it. And it would be illegal. It would be immoral. It would be incredibly destabilizing. The fact that the President
talks about this as some way to achieve peace and security is bizarre. It completely ignores the hundred-year history of this conflict. It was
precisely the destruction of hundreds of Palestinian villages and towns in 1948 and the dispossession of most of its population that led to this
crisis, that led to this conflict over the last 80-some years.
So, doing more of that will just create more instability, more human suffering, and frankly, will destabilize even those Arab neighbors of
Israel that have peace treaties with Israel. It's in nobody's interest at all.
KINKADE: Khaled Elgindy, we appreciate your time and perspective. Thanks so much for joining us.
ELGINDY: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, an Israeli human rights group is condemning the arrest of two Palestinian bookkeepers in Jerusalem, accusing the Israeli government
of persecuting Palestinian intellectuals as part of a broader war on the Palestinian people. Israeli police raided two of the areas, best known
bookstores over the weekend, confiscating books and detaining one owner and his nephew.
Police say they found numerous books containing what they call incitement material with nationalist Palestinian themes. They say those books support
terrorism. Well, still to come tonight, could we soon see peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine? Details ahead in what U.S.
President Donald Trump is saying about that conflict and the obstacles to a ceasefire. Also, just one week after getting a reprieve, Canada and Mexico
are again facing the immediate threats of U.S. tariffs.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:15:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back, I'm Lynda Kinkade. U.S. President Donald Trump says he spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, but he did not say
when that conversation happened. The Kremlin says it can't confirm nor deny that claim. Mr. Trump says he hopes the conflict in Ukraine is over fast,
after previously boasting during his campaign that he could end it within 24 hours of taking office.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he's ready to negotiate with his Russian counterpart, but only under the right conditions. Take a listen
to what Mr. Zelenskyy told British broadcaster "ITV News".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE (through translator): If I had an understanding that America and Europe would not abandon us, and that they
would support us and provide security guarantees, I would be ready for any format of negotiations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is tracking the conflict and joins us now from Moscow. Good to have you there for us, Fred. So, Donald Trump
claims he has spoken to Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin won't confirm or deny. Why is this so unclear?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Russians certainly are remaining coy about all this. One of the interesting
things that we're hearing from the Russians, and this doesn't just come from the Kremlin, Lynda, is that they are saying, yes, we can't confirm or
deny whether or not any direct talks have taken place between the U.S. President and the Russian President.
But they do say that there are increased contacts between the Kremlin and the White House, and then also between other levels of the U.S. and the
Russian government's most -- clearly meaning the Foreign Ministries first and foremost. So, the Russians are saying that these contacts are
intensified, even though they're not confirming that the two leaders have spoken directly.
At the same time, the Russians are saying, look, these negotiations are not going to be as easy as President Trump may think that they are once again
on Air Force One. Of course, this weekend, President Trump said that the conflict needs to be ended, the war needs to be ended as fast as possible.
Certainly, the Russians are saying they're ready for talks, but they're also saying that they are going to have some pretty steep demands as well,
things that they consider red lines. And I asked the deputy Foreign Minister about all of this today, what the Russians would be willing to
give, what they would want in return. And here's what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: So, there you see the Russian deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov earlier today, essentially telling me the Russians not willing to
make any compromises as far as the Kursk Oblast is concerned, of course, where Ukrainian troops still hold some of that territory also as far as the
Donbas region is concerned as well, where Russia has not advanced as far as it would like to.
And then also as far as NATO membership for Ukraine is concerned as well, and that's, of course, where we get back to the Ukrainian point of view
where Volodymyr Zelenskyy did say that he wants serious security guarantees, not just from the Trump administration, but from European NATO
powers as well, to make sure that if there is some sort of agreement that Ukraine would not be attacked once again in the future. Lynda.
KINKADE: And Fred, given that Ukraine seems more willing to negotiate right now, what do we know about what Ukraine is willing to concede?
[14:20:00]
And given the spate of meetings that are going to happen later this week regarding security in Ukraine, what are the expectations for something that
can be achieved?
PLEITGEN: Well, you know what? I think it's a very difficult situation right now for the Ukrainians, for Kyiv, and certainly for Ukraine's
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, because of course, any sort of ceding of territory, giving up any sort of territory is definitely something that
will not only be unpopular, but of course, could also be existential to him politically as well.
So, in that regard, it is something that would make it extremely difficult for the Ukrainians going into these negotiations in the first place. At the
same time, the Russians said today, and this was also the deputy Foreign Minister, that, of course, right now, there are certain realities on the
ground where the Russians do still hold a considerable amount of Ukrainian territory in the east and in the southeast of the country.
And we haven't even begun talking about Crimea, for instance, in all of that as well. So, right now, the Ukrainians most recently had said that
they understand that under the current circumstances, at least in the near future, they're not going to be able to take back all the territory that
they've lost. However, they're not willing to concede that territory as well.
So, definitely, a difficult starting point for negotiations, but right now, with the way that things are going on the battlefield, also with some of
the manpower shortages that Ukrainians have, you're absolutely right. It does appear as though Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready for negotiations. The
Russians have said they're ready for negotiations.
But whether or not these two sides are going to get to the table very quickly is definitely something that will still be a steep task for the
U.S. President. Lynda.
KINKADE: Absolutely. Frederik Pleitgen, great reporting from Moscow, good to have you there. Thank you. Well, several questions remain over what a
deal between Russia and Ukraine would entail as we were just discussing. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh spoke with citizens and soldiers in Ukraine about
what a possible ceasefire would mean to them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice-over): A sound they long for here, of peace, of normal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WALSH: Ten years ago, the war began here in an eastern town like this, Sloviansk. We were there to see ceasefires fall apart or used by Russian
separatists to just take more ground, a memory and distrust that endures.
(on camera): Rarely do they move further into the town or just stay in this positions. That Russian-fueled unrest, now a decade later, transformed into
an ugly conflict that's now entering into its fourth year.
(voice-over): Hundreds of dead or injured daily. But this drone war can feel here like high stakes gaming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WALSH: For those below, a petrifying scramble in the frozen mud, the tiny buzz of death above --
(on camera): This very remote world of chat groups and drone cameras so removed from the absolute horror of what's going down on the ground there.
Both sides torn apart in trench warfare, not been seen for a century in some places.
(voice-over): Vladimir(ph) is a week or so shy of his decade anniversary fighting Russia, joining in 2015 when Moscow seized the nearby town of
Debaltsevo, literally during a ceasefire. You better really mean it if you talk peace here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WALSH: So many Ukrainians suggesting now that if NATO wants the war to stop, it should put its troops between them and the Russians as
peacekeepers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WALSH: One certainty as we head out to see the front is this same drone setup and carnage is being mimicked by the Russians not far away. Dusk can
bring a brief break in Russian drones in the skies, but this red dot means there's one above us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The sky is dirtier.
[14:25:00]
We have to wait.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to go.
WALSH: So much changes fast in this war. But the shelling seems like it could go on forever.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(ARTILLERY FIRE)
WALSH (on camera): Massive guns hiding from tiny $500 machines here. Extraordinary change.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WALSH (voice-over): Little geopolitics here. Just practical skepticism and hard numbers.
(on camera): Do you think there could be a ceasefire here that could last?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WALSH (voice-over): Just down the road, the Russians are coming yet again, but the prize here is only victory itself. The rest is ruins.
(on camera): Now, here it is, the sort of Soviet prize in the man of the railway hub here, a place that the Russians took, that they were kicked out
of by the Ukrainians, and are now closing in on again, just a symbol of the relentlessness of this war. Larysa(ph) has never left. Never will.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WALSH: It's certainly through Putin.
(voice-over): Far back, Ukraine is making the bare minimum preparations for a worst case scenario. They've always needed the world's help to stave off
disaster, just now hope it doesn't come disguised as peace. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Lyman, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, Romania's outgoing President has resigned rather than face impeachment. President Klaus Iohannis is a centrist who has been facing
hard-right opposition. He was supposed to stay on until his successor was elected in a May election rerun. Last year, Romania was thrown into chaos
when a little known far-right NATO critic won the first round of the presidential election.
The election was surrounded by accusations of Russian interference. Romania's top court voided the election, but parliament's hard-right
opposition parties recently filed a motion to impeach the President, with some of their supporters clashing with police. Ecuador is heading to a
runoff election in April. The incumbent President Daniel Noboa pulled ahead of more than a dozen other candidates in the first round of voting on
Sunday, according to Ecuador's official election website.
But the center-right President will have to face off with leftist Luisa Gonzalez after neither candidate was able to secure the outright majority
needed to win Sunday's election. Both have promised to crack down on crime and drug-related gang violence that have sparked a security crisis. Still
to come tonight, President Trump threatening a new round of tariffs that would hit U.S. friends and neighbors the hardest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:32:23]
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Good to have you with us.
Well, the week is starting with another whirlwind of moves from the Trump administration. Any moment now, President Trump is expected to sign another
series of executive orders. Mr. Trump is also launching a new round of tariffs that will hit U.S. neighbors the hardest.
Later today, the White House will announce a 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports. Canada and Mexico have two of the largest exporters
of steel to the U.S. The president is also promising to reciprocate tariffs against China and other countries later this week.
Well, we want to go now to the White House and CNN's Kevin Liptak, who joins us now live. Good to have you with us, Kevin. So, just a week after
U.S. researchers revealed that microplastics are being found in people's brains at unexpectedly high levels, we understand Donald Trump will soon
sign an executive order to overturn the ban on single use plastics, the type of plastics that are found in our food chain. Just explain why.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and I should just say this has been a massive cultural issue in the United States for the last
decade or so, President Trump really fixated on this idea specifically about plastic straws. He sort of has used it on the campaign trail back
during his 2020 run for president. He was selling plastic straws, saying to get rid of the liberal paper straws. And now, that seems to be culminating
in this executive order that he plans to sign today.
And I should say that the details of this, we don't have them yet. We don't have the text of the executive order. So, it's not clear specifically what
his authority will be, but the thinking goes that he will overturn what the Biden administration had tried to do, which was end the use of single use
plastics in the federal government.
The American federal government is the largest consumer of those kinds of goods really in the entire world. And the hope among the Biden officials
was that by doing that within the federal government, it could prompt larger industry wide changes. Now, Trump seems to be saying that that's
going away.
He has specifically talked about straws. He hasn't talked about the other types of single use plastic that this order applies to. So, we'll have to
see exactly what the text says. But I think this is clearly meant to sort of rally his own supporters and rally his base who, in his words, were sick
of using the disgusting paper straws that dissolved in your mouth when you were trying to drink. That has been sort of his rationale as he moves
forward this. But we'll have to see exactly what he signs later today.
KINKADE: And of course, we are expected to hear, Kevin, about his 25 percent tariff on metals, which of course will hit the U.S. neighbors,
Mexico and Canada, just really the hardest. And the timing of it is interesting, just a week after saying that he'd put on hold all the other
blanket tariffs that he'd announced a week ago, put on hold those ones for a month, right?
[14:35:00]
LIPTAK: Yes, and just when Canada and Mexico thought that they had had a reprieve from these Trump-era tariffs, now it seems as if they will be
applied on some of their biggest imports, particularly for Canada, which is the largest importer of steel and aluminum into the United States. We'll
have to see exactly what they say now.
During Trump's first term, he also applied tariffs on metals. They were at something of a lower rate. But what he did back then was allow countries to
apply for exemptions. And in fact, Canada and Mexico both received exemptions when he signed a broader North American Trade Agreement. What's
not clear this time around is whether any countries will be exempted.
I think what Trump's trying to do here is bolster what has been a key constituency for him. You know, the American steel industry, it's
headquartered in Pennsylvania. That's a critical electoral battleground. That's a place that the president campaigned very heavily last year. And
certainly, this is all tied up in some ways into the politics of the United States.
I think the other sort of indirect target here is China. China won't be directly affected by these in any major way. China is not a major import --
or exporter of steel or aluminum to the United States. But part of what the administration is trying to do here is counter what they say has been
overcapacity issues with Chinese steel.
China essentially flooding the world with its own inexpensive steel, which has caused prices of American steel to plummet. Part of what Trump is
trying to do here is to rewrite the entire global steel trade to focus on the United States Steel workers. And certainly, we'll hear him talk more
about that later today.
KINKADE: All right. Kevin Liptak at the White House, keeping very busy for us. Thanks so much. Well, we're going to look at the wider geopolitical
implications with CNN economics and political commentator Catherine Rampell. She is also an opinion columnist at The Washington Post. Good to
see you, Catherine.
CATHERINE RAMPELL, CNN ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Great to join you.
KINKADE: So, Donald Trump claims tariffs are the way forward. He says he loves tariffs. Other nations say tariffs simply hurt consumers. He has
promised, certainly through his campaign, to bring down the cost of living. But don't tariffs risk raising prices and fueling inflation?
RAMPELL: Yes, these objectives are definitely in tension right now. If you look at what happened during Trump's first term, where he did apply a
relatively wide array of tariffs for the time, but relatively narrow by today's standards, given what he's levying or considering at the moment,
there have been tons of studies that have done looking at who bore the cost of those taxes, because tariffs are a form of taxes.
And for the most part, they have found that those tariffs were born either entirely or predominantly by Americans in the sense that American consumers
may have had to pay higher prices and/or American businesses throughout the supply chain had to absorb those higher costs and take margin hits. Maybe
they -- you know, the businesses themselves took a little bit of a margin passed on some of the costs, but in any event, the pain was born
predominantly by Americans.
Not to mention the retaliation -- the retaliatory tariffs. that you have also been discussing that other countries levied in response. Those
targeted not U.S. consumers per se, but a lot of important U.S. businesses. Farmers, manufacturers, you know, motorcycle manufacturers, producers of
orange juice, peanut butter, all sorts of iconic American products, including those situated in red states, that may be more politically
sensitive to Donald Trump.
So, if he is trying to bring down costs, or at the very least get inflation to plateau, these measures are extremely unlikely to have that effect, and
in fact, it in fact may, you know, backfire --
KINKADE: Have the opposite effect. Exactly. Catherine, I want to play some sound from Donald Trump in an interview he gave Fox News on Sunday when he
was asked exactly that, about his promise to lower the price of groceries. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS HOST: If all goes to plan, when do you think families will be able to feel prices going down, groceries, energy, or are you kind
of saying to them, hang on, inflation may get worse until it gets better?
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: No, I think we're going to become a rich nation -- look, we're not that rich right now. We owe $36 trillion dollars.
That's because we let all these nations take advantage of us. Same thing, like $200 billion with Canada, we owe 300 -- we have a deficit with Mexico
of $350 billion dollars. I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to let that happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:40:00]
KINKADE: So, Catherine, he completely sidestepped the answer. He certainly didn't talk about the price of eggs. What does that tell you?
RAMPELL: I think it tells you that whatever mandate Americans thought that they voted for when they put Trump in office, it is being disregarded.
Again, Trump ran on this promise to lower prices on day one. I have been saying quite consistently that presidents have very -- disposal to bring
prices down.
But in his particular case, again, he seems to be doing the opposite. When he is asked about this point blank, as you note, he deflects, he changes
the subject. And a lot of the numbers, by the way, that he invoked in that particular interview were bogus. That's not -- those numbers do not
actually reflect the size of our trade deficits with Canada or these other countries. And even if they did, that tells you nothing about the, you
know, living standards here in the United States. It just means that we're buying a lot of stuff from abroad, and Americans get to keep that stuff,
and we get to send these other countries cash or paper of various kinds in exchange.
So, I think that Americans have a right to be very frustrated by the fact that he seems to be abandoning the promises that he made. And perhaps
worse, making the problems even more painful.
KINKADE: Catherine Rampell, always good to have you on the program. We will chat again soon, no doubt. Thank you.
Well, three weeks into his presidency, Mr. Trump isn't just arguing with America's largest trading partners. He's also shaking things up in federal
agencies, as he and Elon Musk try to slash the size of the government workforce.
This hour, a federal judge in Boston is considering the Trump administration's offer to buyout roughly 2 million federal employees. The
judge is hearing arguments in a lawsuit brought by workers unions. They're challenging the so-called fork in the road plan put forward by Musk and his
allies.
Last week's Thursday's deadline for employees to accept the deferred resignation offer was paused as the legality of that program is worked out.
Well, still to come tonight, France is hosting global and tech leaders for an A.I. summit. We're going to take you live to Paris next.
Plus, a sign of the times. Christie's announces its first auction dedicated entirely to artwork made with A.I. Stay tune.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. World leaders and entrepreneurs are in Paris for a two-day artificial intelligence summit. U.S. Vice
President J. D. Vance is among those attending. Ahead of the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron announced more than $100 billion in private
sector investments in artificial intelligence. He told CNN's Richard Quest that it is important for France to be competitive in A.I.
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EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: Europe is lagging behind, but in the current situation, France is number one in Europe. So, for me, the
objective of the summit is to give an impetus and to have this wakeup call with new decision and acceleration of investment in order to bridge it.
Having said that, our view is very clear, we want the best of the world. So, we want our own research, our own startups to grow up and scale up. But
we want to team up as well with American, Indian, Gulfian, Chinese players. Alibaba and Google will be here at the summit.
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KINKADE: Well, joining us now from Paris is CNN's Melissa Bell. Good to have you there for us, Melissa. So, since that interview, Emmanuel Macron
did speak at the summit about that private sector investment in artificial intelligence, what else did he have to say?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, his message tonight at the closing of the first day of the A.I. summit, which was held
in Paris' rather Grand Palais, was in answer to Donald Trump's campaign pledge of drill, baby, drill. His was, plug, baby, plug. His idea is that
given France's nuclear energy and the fact that it is an exporter of energy, it can play an important role in powering this energy hungry new
innovation that involves A.I.
And part of that 109-billion-euro package that you mentioned, you're right, private funds that come from companies both within France and elsewhere,
there are Emirati firms, for instance, involved from other countries as well, is that some of that money is going to be built to us build -- used
to build France's first data park.
Now, this is the kind of infrastructure that is crucial to the development of A.I. And this was a summit that was organized because there were fears
here in Europe that Europeans would end up being simply consumers of A.I. rather than drivers of its innovation.
Whether Europe can catch up with the United States or China, of course, is an open question. But this is very much about putting Europe on the map
that it can play its part as well. Mistral, of course, the French startup, has proven that there is room for a competitive European company. The
question now how the European Union goes ahead.
And of course, investment was a crucial part of that, as was Emmanuel Macron's messaging. He put out this video ahead of the summit, widely
shared on social media, showing speaking to some of the dangers of deep fakes, using deep fakes that have made the rounds on the internet of
himself to say, look, this is the kind of fear that we've had, the danger that A.I. presents, but it also brings opportunities.
I mean, for instance, we were hearing today from the vice president of Amazon, saying that they're looking at technology that will allow ordinary
consumers to be able to understand and identify deep fake. So, the idea of the summit is very much to wake up ordinary people to the promise of A.I.,
rather than simply to its dangers, and to look ahead to a time when perhaps A.I. will be something that ordinary people can get involved in, and
ordinary people, whether they're doctors, teachers, or any other professionals can use them in a way that is productive and useful to them,
Lynda. That's been very much the message at the heart of day one. Day two, we'll be hearing a lot more from global leaders, and what hope there might
be for global A.I. governance.
KINKADE: It's quite remarkable seeing all those deep fakes of the French president and so crucial for people to be able to identify what's true,
what's false. Good to have you with us. Melissa Bell from Paris, Thank you.
Well, Christie's is set to hold its first ever auction devoted exclusively to art created using artificial intelligence. But it's not an announcement
everyone is happy about. The auction is titled Augmented Intelligence and will feature digital artists from various countries, and it could generate
some pretty big dollars.
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KINKADE (voice-over): Striking and thought provoking, it's not unusual for art to be critiqued, pondered, and sold to the highest bidder. But an
upcoming auction of Christie's New York is pushing the boundaries of the art world, featuring only works created with artificial intelligence.
The art sale, called Augmented Intelligence, consists of about 30 pieces that have been created or enhanced using A.I. tools, which Christie's says
is a sign of the times.
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NICOLE SALES GILES, VP AND DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL ART SALES, CHRISTIE'S: So, A.I. art is such an interesting topic and an interesting category now.
It's really been surging in demand. We have clients that are interested from the blockchain and crypto community, but we also have a lot of --
we've also seen a lot of demand from more high net worth individuals in the tech community.
KINKADE (voice-over): According to Christie's, many of the works are expected to sell for tens of thousands of dollars apiece. Last year, a
painting by an A.I. robot of World War II code breaker Alan Turing sold for over a million dollars at Sotheby's, surpassing initial estimates of
$120,000 to $180,000.
That's a lot of money and potential interest in a medium where there are still many questions over what role A.I. should have in art. Christie's
says its auction will feature many top A.I. artists, some who describe their work as a collaboration with A.I. but not driven by it.
GILES: It's definitely not a substitute for agency and it is not a way to create more mediocre art quicker. It is a way to enhance what the artist
can do and even push the boundaries of art and creativity into a completely new dimension.
KINKADE (voice-over): It's cutting-edge creativity in the spotlight, where at least in this exhibit, code is a tool just like a paintbrush. The online
auction runs from February 20th to March 5th.
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KINKADE (on camera): Well, still to come tonight, the Philadelphia Eagles have put an end to the Kansas City Chiefs dream of a three peat. We'll have
more on last night's Super Bowl championship, next.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. The Philadelphia Eagles soared ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs to win the Super Bowl on Sunday, beating the reigning champs 40
to 22.
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KINKADE: And Rapper Kendrick Lamar also took a victory lap at the halftime show, performing his Grammy award-winning diss track, "Not Like Us." It was
another twist in the ongoing feud between Lamar and Drake.
The two rappers have been taking swipes at each other for years. Attacking each other's talent, parenting, race, and more. Last month, Drake sued his
own record label, which he shares with Lamar, for defamation over that song. But that didn't stop it from taking center stage during the biggest
night in American television.
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Well, celebrity cameos dominated commercial spots on Sunday. This year's Super Bowl ads were all about fun and familiar faces like Dunkin Donut's
favorite pitchman.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Matt and Tom?
BEN AFFLECK, ACTOR: Forget them suckers. Matt Damon and Tom Brady don't have the heart of a champion. We got a new squad. Dunking sequel. Affleck's
and Belichick. Dunkings.
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KINKADE: More than 120 million viewers were expected to tune in, and some 50 brands shut out big bucks to showcase their products in front of the
potential record-breaking audience. The Fox Network sold at least 10 of its 30-second slots for upwards of $8 million each.
All busted for busking, Ed Sheeran gave a surprise performance on a busy street in the Southern Indian City of Bangalore this weekend before police
pulled the plug. Sheeran was in the middle of singing one of his more famous songs, "Shape of You," when officers in khaki uniforms yanked out
his guitar and microphone cables. Local police say Sheeran was previously denied permission to busk in that area. The singer later said on Instagram
that he did have permission to play.
Well, that does it for this edition of Isa Soares Tonight. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Stay with CNN Newsroom with Erica Hill is next.
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