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Isa Soares Tonight
Trump Holds First Official Cabinet Meeting and Confirms Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's Upcoming Visit to the White House; Musk Calls DOGE Tech Support in Cabinet Meeting; Zelenskyy Insists on U.S. Security Guarantees for Critical Minerals Deal. Israel and Hamas Ceasefire Remains Intact; Hamas to Return Remains of Four Israeli Hostages; Trump Promotes Gaza Takeover with A.I. Video; Trump Cabinet Meeting Fact Check; Voters Voice DOGE Concerns; World's Largest Religious Gathering Wraps Up. Aired 2- 3p ET
Aired February 26, 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]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello, and welcome everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, we are beginning with Donald Trump's first official
cabinet meeting of his second term. And what a cabinet meeting it was. This U.S. President speaking on a wide range of controversial issues from his
gold card immigration plan to Ukraine negotiations.
Earlier today, he confirmed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be visiting the White House this Friday, and is expected to sign an
agreement on natural resources as well as reconstruction. We'll have more on that in just a moment. President Trump suggested that European nations
will be largely responsible for security guarantees to Ukraine. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I'm not going to make security guarantees beyond very much. We're going to have Europe do that
because it's in -- you know, we're talking about Europe is their next door neighbor. But we're going to make sure everything goes well, and as you
know, we'll be making a -- we'll be really partnering with Ukraine in terms of rare earth. We very much need rare earth. They have great rare earth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Mr. Trump also had some harsh words for the European Union at today's cabinet meeting. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I love the countries of Europe. I love all countries, frankly, all different. But European Union has been -- it was formed in order to screw
the United States. I mean, look, let's be honest. The European Union was formed in order to screw the United States. That's the purpose of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, Mr. Trump also said everyone around the table must follow orders, and that's no exceptions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it your view of your authority that you have the power to call up any one of -- or all of the people seated at this table,
and issue orders that they're bound to follow?
TRUMP: Oh, yes, they'll follow the orders. Yes, they will.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No exceptions.
TRUMP: No, except -- well, let's see, let me think -- oh, yes, she'll have an exception.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Of course, no exceptions. You know that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And while not at the table, tech billionaire, the man right there, an adviser, Elon Musk, took the spot pretty early on. Over the weekend,
Musk blasted out an e-mail telling federal employees to explain their work or risk losing their jobs. One million federal workers have responded to
that e-mail after conflicting guidance. Here's what Musk had to say about the situation at today's cabinet meeting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELON MUSK, FOUNDER & CEO, TESLA & SPACEX: To be clear, like the -- I think that e-mail perhaps was best interpreted as a performance review, but
actually it was a pulse check review. Do you have a pulse?
(LAUGHTER)
MUSK: Do you have a pulse and two neurons? So, if you have a pulse and two neurons, you can reply to an e-mail. This is -- you know, I think not a
high bar, is what I'm saying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, the laughter in that room, a stark contrast to the reality, of course, thousands of federal workers are facing after having been placed
on administrative leave, laid off or issued immediate termination notification. Let's get straight to CNN senior White House reporter Kevin
Liptak live in Washington. And Kevin, he did cover a lot of ground in that 90 minutes. Just give us a sense of what stood out to you first and
foremost.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, I think, first of all, just the atmospherics and the visuals of this meeting really did give
you a sense of where the power center is in Donald Trump's administration. And it was not around the table. It is not within the Senate-confirmed
cabinet. It was in the man in the long black coat, sort of sitting in the dark in the corner, Elon Musk, billionaire, Donald Trump's largest campaign
donor.
Just looking at how this meeting was set up, Donald Trump essentially ceded the first several minutes of this cabinet meeting to Elon Musk, sort of
letting all of these other cabinet officials act something like set- dressing, sitting in silence listening to Musk talk about his effort to radically reform the federal government.
And of course, the backdrop had been these growing tensions between Musk and some members of the cabinet over his tactics. To be sure, most of them
share the goal of cutting down waste, fraud and abuse in the government. They agree with him that it needs to be reduced in size.
[14:05:00]
But for that e-mail that you mentioned over the weekend, really threw a lot of these cabinet members for a loop, and they were forced to put out their
own guidance to their employees. Today, what we saw was Donald Trump essentially putting them on notice that he is fully behind what Musk is
doing, and that they need to get along and go along for the ride.
And you saw him essentially put them on the spot when he was asked, does anyone around this table disagree with Musk? Is anyone unhappy with what he
is doing? And all he sort of generated was some nervous laughter and then he moved right on. You know, it wasn't until 56 minutes into this meeting
that the Vice President was actually allowed to speak, and he only spoke for 36 seconds.
So, I think it really does give you the sense of just how much power Musk has, but also just how much backing he has from President Trump. This is a
relationship that has proved much more durable than I think a lot of people in Washington were expecting. Just the fact that Trump allowed him to speak
like this in this meeting, I think was pretty notable.
But of course, there were all of these other topics that they discussed -- you know, I think the discussion of Ukraine and Russia was pretty notable.
Obviously, Trump confirming that Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be here in Washington on Friday. The other interesting thing that he said for the
first time in this meeting was that Russia would have to make some concessions as part of a peace agreement.
He didn't say what those concessions would be. And he -- when he was asked, I think it was the Vice President who said they weren't going to negotiate
in public. They weren't going to sort of strike this deal with the press as the mediators, which I guess is a reasonable position to take if they
hadn't already said specifically what Ukraine would have to concede as part of this deal.
They won't be able to join NATO. They'll have to make land concessions. So, this was an interesting moment in that meeting that will continue along
this week when we see Zelenskyy here on Friday.
SOARES: Indeed, Kevin Liptak breaking it all down for us there at the White House. Thank you, Kevin. I want to continue the discussion further.
Well, my next guest David Graham, who is a staff writer for "The Atlantic". David, welcome to the show.
I mean, I think Kevin picked out what really stood out for me as I listened to that whole 90 minutes of that cabinet meeting was the fact, besides,
first of all, some of the falsehoods, and there were many, was the fact that the first person that President Trump called to speak was Elon Musk,
an unelected and unaccountable government official. Why pick him first do you think?
DAVID GRAHAM, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: You know, it's very interesting. We've seen speculation that there might be cleavages between Trump and
Musk, and we've seen people sort of trying to sow discord. And what we see here is Trump showing that, that is not, in fact, the case. They are still
on the same page, and Trump is willing to share the spotlight with Musk in a way that I don't think we've seen with any other figure. So, that's
intriguing.
But I do read that as a voice -- as a vote of confidence, even for him to sort of validate this e-mail to federal workers, I think is a striking
moment, even as you see voters and some Republican elected officials starting to get a little bit edgy about Elon Musk.
SOARES: Yes, and what we heard, David, I mean, even President Trump there, he acknowledged that some cabinet members disagree a little bit, I think
were his words with Musk. Then he was asked this by a reporter, let me play it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Anybody unhappy with Elon Musk?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No --
TRUMP: If you are, well, throw him out of here.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Is everybody out here --
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Yes, they have a lot of respect for Elon and that he's doing this. And some disagree a little bit, but I will tell you, for the most part, I
think everyone is not only happy, they're thrilled.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: He was asked by a reporter whether he was happy with, you know, Elon Musk, I don't know why he was -- whether he was expecting anyone to
actually stand up and speak honestly there. I mean, just speak, first of all, before we talk about what we heard from Musk about the dynamics and
how you think he sees him.
GRAHAM: You know, this is a little bit reminiscent of some of the cabinet meetings in Trump's first-term where he had -- he'd go around the table and
ask the members of the cabinet to sort of -- basically to praise him. So, it's the same kind of ritual of loyalty. And here, he's sort of displacing
that loyalty to Musk. He's asking them to praise Musk, but obviously there's no way a cabinet official is going to get up in that setting and
say otherwise.
But you know, it's important to remember that these cabinet meetings are basically for public consumption. You know, the real business is taking
place behind closed doors. And this is a bit of a ritual and Trump likes that ritual, and he wanted that ritual to be in praise of himself and of
Musk.
SOARES: Let's speak to -- talk about what we heard from Musk, because besides calling DOGE tech support, which really make my eyes roll, he spoke
about the e-mail that was sent out -- asked about the e-mail that was sent out to federal employees, and he said, if you have a pulse and two neurons,
you can respond.
He also talked about the fact that, you know, if you're not responding, it's because maybe, you know -- there are people -- there are dead people
who are receiving paychecks. Is there any truth to any of this? And just how do you see this panning out? Just explain it to us, because already we
have seen so much of this being challenged through the courts.
[14:10:00]
GRAHAM: You know, he keeps changing his description of this. Initially, when he tweeted about it or he posted on X, he said that it would be -- if
you didn't respond, you would be fired. It would be taken as resignation. Then he said it would -- there would be no firing, but they wanted the
response. Now, he's changing what it is again. So, he keeps changing what this is.
And I think we should -- you know, we can't trust him because of that. There's also no evidence for what he's saying. There are dead people on the
payrolls. There are people in a lot of federal jobs who are doing jobs that don't allow them to immediately e-mail. There are people who are working in
the field, people who are back-country park rangers, any number of things.
And throughout this, Musk has not really bothered to learn how the government works before he speaks about it. And that was true when he spoke
about the claims that there are people born in 1875 on Social Security rolls, and it appears to be true here as well.
SOARES: How much then? Give us a sense, David, here, how this slashing of federal government workers, I mean, how is that seen by Americans to the --
approve of the way it's being done or is this just too distant for them because it's not impacting them right now?
GRAHAM: I think we're starting to see the impacts. And, you know, it's been very intriguing to me as we've seen meetings with, you know, town-hall
meetings with Republican members of Congress. You see, people come to the meetings who say they support slashing the government, but they're really
skeptical of Musk. They don't understand why he's doing it the way he is, and they don't trust him.
I think that's only going to increase as these cuts extend and affect people much more in their daily lives. But already I think you see public
opinion turning against that. And it's because, you know, American people can see him talking, and they see that he's sort of just BS-ing his way
through it and just to see whether he was in this meeting.
SOARES: Very well put. David Graham there for us, appreciate it. Thanks very much, David. Now, we want to go to Ukraine now to look at how the
Trump cabinet meeting and this potential deals are being received ahead of President Zelenskyy's visit to the White House. We will, of course, get the
reaction from Ukraine as Graham -- David Graham was there saying, as we heard from our Kevin Liptak that, you know, President Zelenskyy is expected
to visit D.C. on Friday, and really exalting there that minerals deal.
We will go to Ukraine after this very short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a draft deal with the United States on resources could be, quote, "a big success", but that
depends on talks with U.S. President Donald Trump.
[14:15:00]
The text of a deal seen by CNN stops well short of providing Kyiv with concrete security guarantees, something President Zelenskyy, as you well
know, had previously mentioned and demanded. Instead, it gives the U.S. access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals and other natural resources. We'll
go to that in just a moment.
But in return, Ukraine gets part of a joint-owned reconstruction investment fund. Mr. Zelenskyy set to visit the White House on Friday to sign the
agreement. And he stressed earlier, this version of a natural resources deal is a framework that can be part of future security guarantees. Have a
listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE (through translator): If we understand that the U.S. will be one of the countries or one of the leading
countries who give security guarantees, then this could be a success or the first step towards a sustainable, fair peace growth of the Ukrainian
economy. Or if it's just some sort of beginning without a vision for the end, we will make conclusions after my conversation with President Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Meantime, President Trump told his cabinet that he will not be making a security guarantees to Ukraine beyond very much. He said that
should fall on Europe. Want to go now to Ukraine and have a look at how the cabinet meeting, this potential minerals deals are being received.
Our chief international security correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh is live for us in Kyiv. And Nick, you and I have been speaking pretty much at this
time, every day this week, talking about this potential minerals deal. Now, it seems like we've got a draft here. Are both men on the same page,
because we know the security guarantees is something that President Zelenskyy has been demanding for some time. So, talk us through what's in
that draft agreement.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Yes, I mean, the two men are not on the same page, but this particular page is of the agreement
are trying to find the narrow path potentially between them to allow things to move forward and not fall apart. The document is interesting, in that it
talks about a 50 percent pass to the United States of revenues that are considered relevant to the agreement, and then essentially leaves the
complicated question of exactly what assets are allowed into this fund for a later agreement, called a fund agreement.
They start talking about as soon as this first document is signed, the key part, and this is the part that Zelenskyy was talking about during his
press conference, is point number ten, which he said made him more pleased about the kind of language around security guarantees. But it basically
says the United States will support Ukraine trying to get security guarantees, but doesn't say that they'll actually provide them.
And so, when Trump then says we won't be giving security guarantees beyond very much, and that the Europeans will do that, I think we're also seeing a
fudge here where it's likely that any peacekeeping force in the future would be European-led, European-based, but will rely upon and seems to be
essentially inviolable without United States backstop of logistical and other technical types of support.
So, it's a phenomenally-complicated place that we're in right now. But ultimately, that rare earth minerals deal has resulted in this framework
agreement. It doesn't appear to have particularly large amounts of detail in it. It's very short. It has some teeth, potentially, and that sides are
committing to moving forward in this relationship.
We don't at this point really know whether it means that continued U.S. aid is coming to Ukraine. And that's something that Zelenskyy said he wanted to
meet Trump to talk about. And there aren't security guarantees in that document either. Just a notion that U.S. would be OK if Ukraine looked for
them. And so, both sides potentially unhappy from this, but both sides potentially able to continue moving forward.
Really, Isa, what this is all about is whether or not Zelenskyy can travel to Washington and meet with Donald Trump on Friday, and that if the two men
can heal the relationship that's been torn apart by a week to ten days of acrimony. Trump calling Zelenskyy a dictator, Zelenskyy saying that Trump
lived in a disinformation circle.
Trump saying that Zelenskyy was asleep when his Treasury Secretary tried to get this deal looked at. Awful week of U.S.-Ukraine relations in freefall,
a lot of healing done by French President Emmanuel Macron. And now this document, which is edging forwards, certainly, Trump sounding very positive
about it for two days in a row, which you know, says something, and that's a consistent viewpoint.
And now confirming Zelenskyy is coming. Zelenskyy didn't really -- when we saw him speak earlier on today, seeing that immediately forthright and
convinced about it. But the ultimate question is, if Zelenskyy and Trump meet, which looks almost certain that they will, is that going to lead to
an improvement in Kyiv-Washington relations? And are we still going to see the same level of U.S. aid flowing to Ukraine as it did under the Biden
administration? Isa.
SOARES: Yes, and the healing potentially continuing tomorrow when we see Keir Starmer going to Washington. Nick, appreciate it, thank you very much
indeed. Let's get more on this. Anna Stewart joins me now in the studio with more details on Ukraine's mineral deposits. And, Anna, this is
something my team and I, we've been talking about how rich really is Ukraine with these rare earth minerals and mineral deposits, I should say?
[14:20:00]
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Well, the big question that people really want to know is what minerals are there?
SOARES: Yes --
STEWART: How easy are they to get out? And how much is all of this really worth? And you're all going to get a bit of a chemistry lesson here, I hope
you don't mind. But one of the things that we're hearing a lot from President Trump at least, is rare earth minerals. So, what are those? Well,
these are 17 elements, they exist in the earth's crust.
And they're really critical for the production of electronics, clean energy and some weapon systems. But actually, Ukraine doesn't have significant
amounts of rare earths. What they do have much more of is something called critical minerals. And we can see a few of these here. I mean, this is
something that is defined slightly different country-to-country, but one of the elements that's always kind of included is graphite, which is a part of
carbon.
Graphite is used in batteries, so, that's why that one is so valuable. We have things like titanium and zirconium, these are critical for defense.
And then another big one to consider is lithium. Lithium is used --
SOARES: Batteries, yes --
STEWART: For batteries, so --
SOARES: Yes --
STEWART: Your power back for your phone, for making electric vehicles, and that is why these are so valuable.
SOARES: OK, how -- do we have a sense of where they are in Ukraine, how expansive they are?
STEWART: Right, here we have the map of Ukraine. Let's have a look at some -- these are rare earth metals. There aren't many, as I said, quite small
deposits around the country. Then we get to graphite. You can see much bigger resources here, around 19 million tons of proven --
SOARES: Wow --
STEWART: Resources. So, that's quite significant. Titanium and zirconium, quite big reserves here. And actually, it's believed to be possibly one of
the biggest titanium reserves in Europe. And then, look, finally lithium. It looks tiny, so you can barely see it somewhere there in the middle. But
actually, this is considered to be one of the biggest deposits as well.
This hasn't been extracted, and this is some of the issues. Lithium has not been extracted, how much can actually be extracted? And then how much is
all of that --
SOARES: Yes --
STEWART: Really worth?
SOARES: I was going to say -- sorry to interrupt. I mean, how easy or how hard is it to extract these minerals, Anna?
STEWART: Well, a lot of its unproven, and also when you look at this map, so much of what we kind of know or think we know is based on Soviet-era
assessments. So, how much of this can actually be extracted? How much of it is of value? You also have problems like here. This of course is Russian-
controlled territory --
SOARES: Yes --
STEWART: Which has lots of the reserves. So, President Trump originally put a $500 billion price tag --
SOARES: Yes --
STEWART: On all of this. That has now disappeared from the deal. But also we really don't know, no one really knows how much all of this is really
worth.
SOARES: Let's try and get some answers. Anna Stewart, I really appreciate you breaking it all down for -- getting us some answers. Important
chemistry lesson, but something that we definitely needed answers to. Thank you. Let's get more perspective, let's go to Maria Avdeeva, a security
expert and Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
Maria, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us. You heard my colleague Anna Stewart there trying to break down --breaking down for us
some of the minerals that Ukraine has. Just speak first of all, to what you understand about this deal between the U.S. and Ukraine on rare earths. I
mean, how significant is it? And do you think that Ukraine has got what it's want -- what it's wanted out of this?
MARIA AVDEEVA, SENIOR FELLOW, FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE: What we've heard today, there were a lot more details about the possible deal
that will be signed most probably on Friday when President Zelenskyy will come to Washington. And what is most important, and that it seems that
Ukraine managed Ukrainian diplomatic work, managed to bypass the red lines that existed in that deal in the previous version of that deal.
And this means that Ukraine now must not pay off, pay back U.S. what was already given as a help, as a military help and military aid to Ukraine.
But we are speaking about the conditions on which U.S. military help will be provided in the future. And this is very important because President
Zelenskyy underlined today that he does what -- does not want to have a debt towards U.S.
He wants to have a clear understanding if Ukraine will get U.S. military support in the future and what will be the conditions. And this is what I
think will be the most important part, what both Presidents will discuss when they meet. So, this is what we have now -- what we have for now, and
then, also the security guarantees are missing at the moment from the deal.
But as this is a framework deal, probably we will see more in the further arrangements because there should be another deal which will be approved by
Ukrainian parliament, the Hope Narada(ph) and which will become a legislation obligatory in Ukraine. This is still to see after the very
important meeting will be held in Washington.
[14:25:00]
SOARES: Let me just pick up with that first point, because something -- and what I heard from our correspondent in Kyiv was that, for a while now,
President Zelenskyy has been calling for these security guarantees from the United States. It hasn't got them, from what I understand. So, does this
deal insinuate in some form that because it has an interest, then therefore it would be protecting those interests?
I mean, how do you interpret some of the language around this when we heard from President Trump just in the last what? Hour and a half or so.
AVDEEVA: This is the hope that people in Ukraine have that if U.S. has an economic interest in Ukraine, then probably this will guarantee more
security. Because actually, if we look at how this -- all of this appeared, it actually predict -- team of President Zelenskyy first brought it up half
a year ago, the whole idea of this deal.
So, this is not something bad in general. This deal might bring some positive things to Ukraine, but we still don't see what's inside in terms
of the security guarantees. And this is what is the most important for Ukrainians because, now people just look at it as we don't have U.S. as a
partner anymore. It's like more of a business --
SOARES: Yes --
AVDEEVA: Interest. So, what will be -- for what Ukraine will get back when the deal is signed. This is what people here are asking.
SOARES: It's more of a relationship based on a transactional nature is what you're saying, Maria. I mean, do you -- do Ukrainians trust President
Trump?
AVDEEVA: Well, they don't trust President Putin, this is for sure. And people here know that anything that comes out of Russia or out of Putin's
mouth cannot be trusted. And Russia violated all international norms for years. So, this is why security matters. This is why Ukraine says we want a
long-lasting peace, because we don't want Russia gets some time to be more prepared to develop their military capabilities and in some years attack
Ukraine again with much more power and with all the lessons they have learned from this war.
So, this is why we want it not to, you know, to be the same as happened with Minsk Agreements --
SOARES: Yes --
AVDEEVA: Which Russia violated from the very start, or with Budapest memorandum, where actually U.S. is one of the guarantors, as well as
Russia.
SOARES: And that's what we're seeing in Europe really push this charm offensive, I should say, from Europe in Washington, to try and get some
sort of backstop from the United States. Before I talk about that and the meeting that we're expected to see on Friday between President Trump and
President Zelenskyy, can I ask about the mineral deal -- in 2021 -- I think it was 2021, you can correct me, Maria, there was a memorandum with Europe
on minerals. What's happened to that?
AVDEEVA: Well, now it's like -- it's put aside as well as many other agreements and memorandums we had because the reality is now changed
completely, and the war -- the war is ongoing and this changes everything, including that memorandum with the EU. And you are completely right that
you now will have to step forward because President Trump has said it numerous times, that U.S is no longer -- will no longer be as present in
Europe as a security guarantor as it did before.
But the time is very short, and the EU must act very quickly. And this is what we will have to see because, you know, France and Germany, for
example, is one of the two biggest countries, will need to show what they can continue supplying Ukraine as a military help, because Russia does not
stop, Russia attacks daily.
SOARES: Yes --
AVDEEVA: And for that, Ukraine needs more ammunition, more shells, more air defense, and all of this needs to be supplied. And this is the critical
-- and this is critical also to hear from the U.S., will they still keep supplying Ukraine with military -- with military help --
SOARES: Yes --
AVDEEVA: Quite further, even if the deal is still not in place and is not working.
SOARES: Yes, that hasn't been clarified, hopefully we'll get some answers on that on Friday. But just on Europe, we saw Macron, President Macron
being in Washington trying to bring President Trump back into the frame when it comes to Ukraine. We're seeing a similar charm offensive tomorrow
with the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, before of course, President Zelenskyy starts.
What does Ukraine -- what is the message from President Zelenskyy to Europe? Besides being quicker, putting up more money, which is something I
have been hearing for the past two years. What clarity and decisions does Ukraine need to see from Europe right now, as of course, the United States
distanced himself -- distance itself from Ukraine?
AVDEEVA: Well, EU was the largest contributor of military aid to Ukraine, together with the U.S. And actually, it's very important to notice that
President Zelenskyy wants you to be at the negotiations table. When there will be the deal discussed between or possible peace deal between Russia
and Ukraine, because Europe is also very important player here. So, he wants it to be four sides, U.S., Europe, Ukraine, and Russia.
And this means that the role Europe has in here is huge. And actually, the neighbors, Ukrainian neighbors might be the next target of continuous
Russian attacks if we -- all of us fail to stop Russia now. Russia will go further and threaten -- is already threatening Baltic states, Poland and
others.
So, European countries, if not together, but on bilateral means they are supplying Ukraine a lot and they are helping a lot of military
capabilities. And actually, they help to build Ukraine our own defense capabilities. Ukraine tremendously developed drone production, production
of missiles. Through these three years, Ukrainian army grew really huge and developed.
And all of this means that our ties with E.U. will grow and youth role here in this -- in actually bringing peace closer will be even bigger.
SOARES: Maria Avdeeva, I really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. Thank you, Maria, joining us live from Ukraine in Kyiv there.
AVDEEVA: Thank you.
SOARES: And still to come tonight, the very fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains intact for now. Details of a new agreement as we
near the end of the first phase of that truth. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:35:00]
SOARES: And it was an absolutely heart wrenching moment shared by thousands of Israelis today. A national outpouring of grief to mourn the
loss of a mother and her two young sons killed in Gaza after being taken hostage by Hamas on October the 7th.
The funeral for three members of the Bibas family is a private one. So, many, as you can see there, lining the procession to pay their respects.
The remains of mother Shiri, nine-month-old Kfir, and four-year-old Ariel were returned by Hamas, if you remember, last week. Husband and father
Yarden Bibas was taken hostage separately and released earlier this month.
Well, about 90 minutes from now, sources tell CNN Hamas will return the remains of four Israeli hostages in return for the release of 620
Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Israel delayed the prisoner release, which had originally been set scheduled for last week, protesting what it
called humiliating ceremonies held during the release of Israeli hostages. The first phase of the ceasefire is set to expire this weekend, and then
talks to extend the truce have yet to begin.
Let's get more now from CNN's Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv. So, Jeremy, just talk us through what we're likely to see in the next hour or so, because
this was expected to happen tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's exactly right. And you know, over the last several days, since Saturday, there has been
considerable uncertainty over whether the release of the remains of these four Israeli hostages would even take place tomorrow. And that's because
Israel, since Saturday, has refused to release 620 Palestinian prisoners who were scheduled to be released on Saturday following the release of the
-- of four living Israeli hostages this past Saturday, Israel refused to release those prisoners, citing what they called humiliating ceremonies
involving hostages who were still being held in Gaza.
But just in the last couple of hours, we've learned that Israel and Hamas have indeed reached an agreement that will see the bodies of four Israeli
hostages, perhaps the last four Israeli hostage bodies set to be released during the first phase of this ceasefire agreement to be released around
4:00 p.m. Eastern time, 11:00 p.m. local time.
And this release will take place without any ceremonies as part of this agreement. Only once Israel has then identified the bodies of those four
hostages, confirming that they are indeed who Hamas says they are, will Israel begin to release those Palestinian prisoners.
The remains that we expect to be released are those of Tzachi Idan, Itzik Elgart, Ohad Yahalomi, and Shlomo Mansour, whose death was only just
confirmed in the last week or so by the Israeli military.
Today, Isa, we also saw these heartbreaking scenes of this funeral procession for Kfir, Ariel, and Shiri Bibas, the mother and the two
youngest Israeli hostages being held in Hamas captivity, whose deaths were only officially confirmed last week when their bodies were returned to
Israel by Hamas.
We heard today from Yaden Bibas, their father, who apologized to his wife and to his two children that he wasn't able to protect them on October 7th
when they were all taken hostage to Gaza. To Ariel, he said, I hope there are plenty of butterflies for you to watch in heaven, just like you did
during our picnics. To Kfir, he said, I'm sorry I didn't protect you better, he said, I miss nibbling on you and hearing your laughter. Isa.
SOARES: Incredibly moving scenes from -- there from Israel, from -- as people lined the streets there to mourn that beautiful family. Thank you
very much, Jeremy Diamond, with the very latest.
Now, staying in the region, an A.I. generated video shared by President Trump is getting a lot of reaction. The video appears to be a promotion of
the transformation of Gaza from a war-torn region into a glittering resort area. And it comes with the music that you're hearing.
The president has previously said he wants to remove Palestinians from Gaza and for the U.S. to take it over. Our Salma Abdelaziz has much more.
[14:40:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a bizarre, some would say downright offensive clip that's been posted on President Donald Trump's own
social media accounts. A 30-second A.I. generated vision of Gaza's future where you see that war-torn enclave somehow transformed into a golden gulf
paradise. And the music is jarring, too. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: And of course, the Donald himself in the center of it all. You may remember that President Trump shocked the world when he said that the
United States should own Gaza, turn it into the Riviera of the Middle East, and expel all 2 million Palestinians living there. This video appears to
show what that scheme looks like in President Trump's own mind, and it is shocking.
You have money being thrown up in the air, casinos filling the beaches of Gaza, a stark contrast to what's on the ground. And then, the real quick
kicker, Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump lounging, enjoying the A.I. generated luxury of it all.
Now, this may look comical, but it is no laughing matter. A ceasefire deal is set to expire this weekend that could bring war back to Gaza.
Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And still to come tonight, Elon Musk and DOGE have many Americans sharing their concerns to their congressional representatives. We'll see
what they're most frustrated about next.
Plus, U.S. President Donald Trump just held the first cabinet meeting of his second term. But how much of what he said was actually true? We're fact
checking it next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Let's get back now to the first cabinet meeting of President Donald Trump's second term. It's our top story where he covered quite a
wide range of topics, both foreign as well as domestic.
The president wouldn't comment when a reporter asked whether the U.S. would prevent China from taking Taiwan by force. And he said Washington wouldn't
give Ukraine security guarantees, but Europe would. And Kyiv can forget about joining NATO.
[14:45:00]
On the domestic side, Mr. Trump said his administration is setting records on the least number of illegal migrants crossing the border, and that
billions and billions and billions, his words, of dollars have been saved by DOGE without providing specifics.
Meanwhile, the man who has been leading the charge on slashing government spending, he's standing up there, Elon Musk was also in the room, even
though he's not a part of the cabinet. In fact, he was the first person to take questions and stand up.
Let's go to CNN fact checker Daniel Dale now to analyze more of what President Trump has been saying. As you were speaking, Daniel, I was trying
to press a button and fact check him in real-time, which I'm guessing that is your role, right? Just talk us through what stood out to you, the
biggest misgivings or lies that we heard from the president here.
DANIEL DALE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: It's hard to pick the biggest, honestly, because there are so many. But there are a bunch of big ones about Europe.
I'm sure you've heard him say a number of times in recent months that a U.S. wartime aid to Ukraine vastly exceeds European wartime aid to Ukraine,
he keeps using these figures. The U.S. has provided $350 billion, while Europe collectively has only provided $100 billion. Those numbers aren't
true. In fact, numbers from the Kiel Institute, a think tank in Germany that closely tracks this issue, show that it is Europe that has committed
and allocated more aid to Ukraine than the U.S. has.
He also made a claim that the European Union was formed to, quote, "screw" the United States. I've spoken to scholars about this, of course, they say
it's preposterous. E.U., European integration was done with the firm support of U.S. administrations. He claimed that the European Union doesn't
take our farm products. In fact, the E.U. is the fourth biggest export market for U.S. agriculture.
He repeated this claim that tariffs he imposed on Chinese imports in his first term brought in hundreds of billions in revenue, he said, from China.
In fact, we know that money is paid by American importers. They're the ones who make the tariff payments.
And it went on from there, claims that the U.S. ranks 40th out of 40 countries in education. In fact, it's far higher than that in OACD
rankings. Repeated false claims about immigration, about inflation. So, it really was quite a long list for a cabinet meeting, certainly.
SOARES: It kept you busy, but you know, what was astounding to me is that on the European side and how much Europe has contributed or not contributed
in his eyes, he was fact checked in real-time by President Macron, what, just two days ago as he tapped his shoulder and said no, no, no, we've done
more.
So, what is the White House saying about the, these lines? Where are these numbers coming from?
DALE: They don't -- so, he's kind of impervious to fact checking. He is occasionally fact checked to his face. He's frequently fact checked by
people like me, by, you know, major media outlets like CNN. He just keeps making the claim, I think partly because he knows that if he keeps
repeating it, he can outlast most media outlets. He knows that many of his supporters, his voters, excuse me, are watching, consuming this content
through outlets other than CNN, outlets that are not going to do fact checking.
And when you ask White House aides about them, they will either not respond or they'll send you some material that kind of proves a peripheral point,
but doesn't actually prove the specific point he's making. They know that these claims are not true, but they kind of make a valiant or non-valiant
effort to defend it in some way, even though it's persistently inaccurate.
SOARES: And, Daniel, we've got about a minute left. On domestic, he was talking about this gold card plan, which he says is going to sell like
crazy. He had some figures of trillions. I was trying to do the math as I was in makeup. Did you -- did that make any sense to you?
DALE: It doesn't. I -- that's a good point. I should add this to my fact check article. So, he wants to have these people invest -- is it a -- I
forget the specific amount, but it's, you know, wealthy people who can obtain permanent residency in the United States and a path to citizenship
by paying a sum in the seven figures U.S. dollars. And I think that the math makes no sense.
So, he suggested we could raise $5 trillion through that plan. I think that would require everyone in the world with a wealth of more than $5 million
to purchase one of these plans. So, the math just is nonsensical here.
SOARES: No, it is nonsensical. It did not add up as I was doing it on my head. Daniel, keep you busy for sure. Appreciate you taking the time. Thank
you, Daniel.
DALE: Thank you.
SOARES: Now, the fallout continues from a mass e-mail sent by Elon Musk telling U.S. federal employees to explain their work last week or risk
losing their job. CNN's Tom Foreman shows us some of the backlash to the moves made by DOGE.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you OK with the chaos being created?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you OK. Government employees are going to be let go, and that's just the reality of it.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Shouted down at town halls.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, hey, let's restore some order.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, yelling at me is not going to get any answer, OK?
CROWD: Do your job.
[14:50:00]
FOREMAN (voice-over): Protested on their way to work.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've lost 10 percent of our workforce.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shut up and let him talk.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will not, sir.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Republican lawmakers are being hammered by voters, including their own.
CROWD: Boo.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Over the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE, which is chainsawing federal jobs in blue and red states alike.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, I think we should just be using a scalpel.
FOREMAN (voice-over): And some elected leaders are now pushing back on DOGE's unelected cutter in chief.
SEN. JOHN CURTIS (R-UT): If I could say one thing to Elon Musk, it's, like, please put a dose of compassion in this. These are real people.
REP. RICH MCCORMICK (R-GA): When you have a president who can affect somebody's business or somebody's livelihood, it just needs to be done with
deliberation.
FOREMAN (voice-over): For weeks, the parade of departing workers has been growing from the FAA to the IRS, from health agencies to the Small Business
Administration, from Veterans Affairs to the National Parks and more. And when Elon Musk demanded this past weekend that all remaining workers
justify their employment in an e-mail or be fired, President Trump initially was all for it.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I thought it was great because we have people that don't show up to work and nobody even knows if they work for
the government.
FOREMAN (voice-over): But around a dozen departments in Trump's own administration effectively told their workers to ignore Musk. Trump
appeared to back down, leading party bosses to put the best face on a bad situation.
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: I think the vast majority of the American people understand and applaud and appreciate the DOGE effort.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Polls indeed show voters want less government waste, but a slim majority now think DOGE has gone too far. And by the hour, it
seems more GOP congressmembers are subtly backing the resistance.
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): If I were a Senate confirmed head of a department and I had somebody from the outside undermining my position and demonstrate
there's one leader in every department, I'd have a problem with it.
FOREMAN: To be sure, none of these Republican lawmakers want to directly oppose Donald Trump or his plans, but they do see that his plans are now
costing them in a way that many clearly did not expect.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And still to come tonight, 250 million more people showed up to the world's largest religious gathering than initially expected. And
authorities have been struggling to catch up. We'll have the details, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:55:00]
SOARES: Let me take you to Northern India, where the world's largest religious gathering is wrapping up. More than 600 million people have
attended a festival there over the last 45 days. Hindu devotees have been taking a holy dip in the confluence of three sacred rivers to wash away
their sins. But there were serious, deadly crushes during the festival. And earlier this month, India's Federal Pollution Board found that these waters
are highly contaminated.
And before we go, I want to tell you about a tourist destination in Central China that is trending today. Dog lovers are going crazy after a tourist
snapped this vacation picture on Valentine's Day, uncaptioned Puppy Mountain. The landmass, as you can see, is shaped like a dog's head, with
its snout resting next to the Yangtze River. The photo went viral and drew millions of views. It's absolutely beautiful.
That does it for us for tonight. Do stay right here. Newsroom with Lynda Kincade is up next. Have a wonderful evening. I shall see you tomorrow.
Bye-bye.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
