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One World with Zain Asher

Netanyahu Accuses Hamas Of Killing Three Hostages, Vows Revenge; U.S. Envoy Spends Third Day In Kyiv After Talks With Zelenskyy; Luigi Mangione Set To Appear In New York Courtroom Today; Child Dies By Suicide After Alleged Bullying, Deportation Threats; Far-Right Party Poised For Big Gains In Sunday's National Vote; U.S. To Import 15,000 Tons Of Eggs From Turkey; Healthcare Professionals Warn Against Drinking Raw Milk; Canada Beats USA 3-2 In Men's Hockey; Aired 12:00-1:00p ET

Aired February 21, 2025 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:29]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Brazen violation. Netanyahu vows revenge on the eve of the largest hostage release yet. ONE WORLD starts right now.

In cold blood, Israel accuses Hamas of killing the youngest hostages with their bare hands. And also ahead, we are live in Kiev and we'll bring you

the very latest from the ground.

And later, you can't take our country and you can't take our game. Justin Trudeau trolls the American president following Canada's stunning hockey

win.

Live from New York, I'm Paula Newton. Zain and Bianna are off today and you are watching ONE WORLD.

And we begin with several new developments in the increasingly fragile Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Now Israel has confirmed, it has received a list of six hostages due to be released Saturday. You see them there. Hamas says it expects more than 600

Palestinian prisoners freed in that exchange.

This is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls Hamas monsters and vows to make the group pay what he calls the full price for the group's

failure to hand over the body of hostage Shiri Bibas, as promised.

She was supposed to be returned yesterday along with the bodies of her two young sons and an elderly hostage. Instead, Israel says it received the

remains of a Palestinian woman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: All of Israel is united in grief. And as the Prime Minister of Israel, I vow that I will not rest

until the savages who executed our hostages are brought to justice. They do not deserve to walk this earth. Nothing will stop me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now Hamas has long claimed Bibas and her children were killed in Israeli airstrikes. It says it is investigating a possible error and

remains committed to the ceasefire.

The Israeli military is calling for global condemnation of Hamas, spokesperson reiterating Israel's belief that the Bibas children were

murdered in cold blood.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL HAGAN, IDF SPOKESPERSON: Ariel and Kfir were not killed in an airstrike. Ariel and Kfir Bibas were murdered by terrorists in cold blood.

The terrorists did not shoot the two young boys. They killed them with their bare hands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: CNN's Nic Robertson joins us now from Jerusalem. I mean, Nic, the grief is profound enough, but the region now has to deal with the political

fallout here. Is there a sense that the ceasefire talks here are in jeopardy, even though it does seem as if things are ready to go ahead for

that hostage and prisoner exchange?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTENTIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think there's a genuine fear among the families of hostages. And you could point to the Bibas

family here, that they fear that this could derail or has the potential to derail the ongoing hostage ceasefire talks and any further releases of

living hostages.

And it was a rare occurrence today when a member of the Bibas family spoke out, the aunt of Kfir and Ariel, the two young boys whose bodies were

returned that the IDF say were killed in cold blood with bare hands, not in an airstrike, as Hamas said.

And they spoke, the aunt spoke, about not revenge, but return. She said, you know, for the sake of Kfir, for the sake of Ariel, we need to focus on

getting as many of the living or all the living and the dead hostages back. Obviously, the family and the country dearly want Shiri's body returned.

So, yes, I think it's recognized that this -- the dual problems, not only of the failure to return Shiri's body, but the fact that the IDF says that

they were killed in cold blood. These are two things which are really going to potentially destabilize the talks.

Now, the prime minister and his office are clearly, they say, and have been, trying to pursue a release of as many hostages as possible. All the

hostages. This is -- this is what they talk about in phase one rather than phase two, although the foreign minister said they will get to phase two.

[12:05:06]

But as I'm discussing here, it sounds complicated, doesn't it? Because it is. Because phase one was the easy bit, phase two was the difficult bit,

politically, externally and internally.

These new developments throw a cloud, the path forward. It just makes it much more difficult, I think, Paula.

NEWTON: Yes. And before I let you go, Nic, I mean look, the U.S. envoy for hostages, Adam Boehler, told CNN yesterday that, in his words, Hamas must

release all the hostages or face total annihilation.

What do you think that means here now for the U.S. involvement in all of this?

ROBERTSON: Well, I think there's -- I think there are a couple of things going on here. And number one, this is the same language that President

Donald Trump has used. And as we've seen, people in his administration will look to him for leadership, have looked to him for leadership and will echo

his words.

So I think there's an echo of what Donald Trump has said in that. He has also -- Donald Trump has also sort of left it up to the Israelis as to how

they actually manage that situation on the ground.

But the threats are very clear. But it's hard to see how President Trump stated goal, how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated goal of

eradicating Hamas militarily and politically to get to the release by agreement in phase two of the hostage release, because that was what was

envisaged.

How that can actually happen, because Hamas hasn't gone, they prove they exist, and are saying that they're not going to go away. These are mutually

exclusive things at the moment. So the language is strong, but achieving it on the ground, 15 months of war, haven't done it so far.

NEWTON: In some very tense hours, again, yet ahead for the region, Nic Robertson, grateful to have you on the ground there. Appreciate it.

Now, Monday marks the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of its democratic neighbor. But despite diplomatic negotiations taking place

this week, the bombs, they continue to fall, with Kyiv reporting a barrage of new strikes overnight.

And as the rift between Europe and America grows ever wider over the war in Ukraine and the gap between Washington and Moscow seemingly closes, the

Trump administration is echoing a major Kremlin talking point.

Now, we're now learning the U.S. is even resisting a reference to the term Russian aggression in a planned G7 statement early next week. And that

comes after President Trump blamed Ukraine for being invaded.

Now, I want to point out that a short time ago, during a conversation with Fox radio, Donald Trump appeared to walk back, if even just a little bit,

but he still did blame the war, that the blame there rests with Ukraine and the former U.S. administration. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT FO THE UNITED STATES: When you say Russia was the attacker, yes, Russia was attacked. Russia attacked, but there was no

reason for them to attack. You could have talked him out. There was no reason that he should have attacked. That whole thing was going on for

years. There was no reason he was going in. It should have never happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, the U.S. president is also dismissing the Ukrainian president's relevance, saying he, quote, has no cards and is not important

enough to be in those meetings.

We go now to Nick Paton Walsh, who joins us live from the Ukrainian capital, a capital that, as you've told us every night now, since you've

been there, is continuing to be a target here.

I mean, what are you learning -- what are you learning about any possible deal now that Keith Kellogg still apparently remains there on the ground? I

don't have any clarity on that.

And do you believe, again, I keep asking you this question every time I see you, is he speaking for the Trump administration?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, I mean, we have minimal details, frankly, about what was said between

President Zelenskyy and the U.S. envoy, Keith Kellogg. We believe he is still in Kyiv. He tweeted just earlier from his personal account, not his

presidential envoy x.com accounts, that he'd had a long and intense day of meetings.

He had praise for what he called the embattled and courageous President Zelenskyy, a man who is bossed and called a dictator a matter of hours

earlier and said they had a talented national security team.

We understand from Ukrainian official that look, today negotiations have been ongoing around this rare earth mineral deal which seems to essentially

be utterly contingent on continued U.S. aid and support.

And it's really about resources being in U.S. hands to pay back old debt about aid given under the Biden administration. That seems to be something

that's being addressed today. There have been multiple drafts that they've gone through. Trying to get to a reasonable place the official told me.

And there is obviously a sense of urgency here. Trump keeps mentioning his national security team keep mentioning it. Trump also, in those statements,

expressed again though hi, it seems personal disdain or dislike for how Zelenskyy has handled this war.

[12:10:14]

Zelenskyy a man who initially famously said, he didn't need a ride, he needed bullets when asked if he wanted to escape Kyiv during the initial

phases of the invasion and rallied the country to its remarkable and successful defense.

Trump saying that this is a man who had no cards to play and how he was sick of it, sick of it basically, was Trump's phrase suggesting an

exasperation with Zelenskyy in general. And they say, he didn't need to be at the meetings.

It's this enmity between the two men or I should say of Trump against Zelenskyy more to the point that has overshadowed Kellogg's meeting here.

Kellogg initially stepping off the train on Wednesday, mild mannered, cheerful saying he was here to listen to talk security guarantees, well,

and this free-fall in U.S.-Ukraine relations began because Trump said Ukraine started a war.

Well, he's real back on that today, but Zelenskyy felt compelled to correct that and the idea that he had a four percent approval rating saying he

respected Trump and the American people, but he was living in a disinformation space. That sent Trump off to say he was a dictator, to say

he was refusing elections, to talk about aid being missing, three, all complete falsehoods.

Yes, Ukraine isn't having elections because of wartime here. But a relationship between Washington and Kyiv, very much in free-fall.

And just when we think things are getting re-stabilized by the tweets by Zelenskyy and Kellogg about how their meetings have been productive and how

hopeful they are, Trump again speaks on Zelenskyy. And it seems like we're seeing the relationship slide again.

NEWTON: Yes. And, of course, the stakes are so high because it will have some bearing on the negotiations if there are any negotiations going

forward in the coming weeks.

Nick Paton Walsh for us in Ukraine, appreciate it.

Alina Polyakova is the President and CEO at the Center for European Policy Analysis, and she joins us now from Washington.

You know, there does seem to be some pushback where it counts here in the United States, and that's with Republicans themselves who, for three years

now, have staunchly supported Ukraine. I do want to point out, I know that you may not be able to see it, you might have seen it already online, "The

New York Post," really more of a right-leaning publication saying, "THIS IS A DICTATOR" and showing the picture of Vladimir Putin. Really a strong

rebuttal there to Donald Trump claiming that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a dictator.

How engaged, and you're sitting there in Washington now, how engaged do you believe the Republicans need to be at this hour in order to have any

influence over the negotiations going forward?

ALINA POLYAKOVA, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CENTER FOR EUROPEAN POLICY ANALYSIS: Well, much more engaged than they have been so far. As you mentioned, there

has been broad bipartisan support, especially in the U. S. Senate for support for Ukraine. We have multiple supplemental funding packages of

multibillion dollar funding packages that were driven through by Republican senators and members of Congress. Where's that support now?

Are these members sending these messages quietly to the Trump White House saying that this is really unacceptable? Because we know who the real

dictator is, and that's the person sitting in the Kremlin, not President Zelenskyy.

And I wish that they would speak up more publicly if they are sending those messages privately as well.

NEWTON: Yes. Some Republicans, whether it has been in committee or on their social media posts, have been putting it out there and saying it very

clearly. Are you looking very closely, though, as to whether or not the White House is listening?

I'm not exactly sure. Just given what the president just said in this interview, that there is really any influence brought to bear.

POLYAKOVA: Well, you know, all we have is the first Trump administration to really be able to draw some patterns and inferences. And we know that the

president does respond to pressure, especially from his own party.

Of course, the difference now versus last time President Trump was in the White House is that the stakes are so much higher. We have a massive

military confrontation playing out in Europe as we speak that threatens our entire line structures.

And also, I think, threatens the U.S. competition with China, because China is certainly taking lessons from how the United States is approaching

Russia's war against Ukraine.

So this is not the time to hide heads in the sand. This is the time to have some courage and speak up. And we know that the President Trump, in the

past, has been very responsive to criticism, and he does change his mind. And I think this is the moment where we need more voices from his own

party, from his own caucus to make it clear that this is not -- these are not American values. This is not appropriate for you as president to be

comfortable sitting across the table from a war criminal while calling a democratically elected leader of a U.S. partner, an ally, a dictator.

[12:15:07]

NEWTON: Yes. And you just -- you have been very clear in the last few weeks that despite what goes on in Washington where you are, that what happens

next actually rests more with Europe than anywhere else.

Can you explain and what you're hoping that Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer might achieve when they come to Washington next week?

POLYAKOVA: Look, I have a lot of empathy and sympathy for our European allies. They have found themselves in shock. I was there at the Munich

Security Conference this past weekend where I can tell you the response was complete panic, anxiety, and a deep, I think, profound settling in that the

United States may not be there to defend Europe under this administration.

But at the same time, the Europeans had a lot of time to prepare for this moment. We had a first Trump White House where President Trump has remained

quite consistent in his criticism of NATO and his criticism of so-called free riding by Europeans and U.S. defense and security. And what have

European leaders done?

So now is the time for Europe to actually get it together. The era of complacency is over. Now is the time to actually find the money. The money

is there. Invest in defense and security. Support Ukraine. Release the Russian assets and use them for support of Ukraine, which Europeans have

not been willing to do.

So I'm hoping that when the British Prime Minister and President Macron are here, that they will bring some things to the table. Because at the end of

the day, if you want to be at the table, well, you have to fight for that.

They're not going to be given an open door with this administration. So what are European leaders going to put on the table in terms of their own

defense and security commitments that this White House will see as a good deal for the United States.

NEWTON: Yes. Again, another crucial week for the people of Ukraine as they continue to watch on at times helpless to really have any influence over

this.

Alina Polyakova from Washington, D.C., appreciate it.

Now, still to come for us on CNN, Luigi Mangione is back in court to face murder and terrorism charges for his alleged role in the murder of a

healthcare executive.

Plus, alleged bullying and taunts of family deportation at a Texas school days before an 11-year-old girl died by suicide. Her mother and one of the

girls' friends speak to CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:20:05]

NEWTON: One of the doctors caring for Pope Francis says the pontiff is expected to remain hospitalized, at least all of next week and is not out

of danger yet as he battles double pneumonia.

But in an update on the Pope's health a short time ago, medical staff also said he remains in good spirits and continues to read and sign documents.

And the Vatican says he is responding positively to his treatment.

Nuns and clergy have been gathering to pray for the Pontiff's health at Rome's Gemelli Hospital where the 88-year-old is undergoing treatment.

Now the man accused by police of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, on a busy Manhattan sidewalk, is due in court later today. 26-

year-old Luigi Mangione faces murder and terror charges in his New York state case.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state charges, but has yet to enter a plea on federal murder charges. He faces life in prison without parole if

convicted.

Kara Scannell is following this story for us. And, Kara, look, it is a story that has divided many Americans. What can we expect from his

appearance today?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, this is a routine hearing. It's a status conference. It's supposed to be relatively quick. But I can -

- I was just inside the courtroom, and there are already dozens of spectators lining the hallway, most of them young women, hoping to get a

seat inside the courtroom and hoping to get a chance to see Luigi Mangione.

This is the first time he will be back in court since he appeared here in December, entered a plea of not guilty to these 11 state charges, including

murder in the first-degree for allegedly gunning down UnitedHealthcare's CEO just before a healthcare conference.

The prosecutors have already said that they have thousands of hours of surveillance video that they will be turning over to the defense lawyers.

We may learn more about the scope of the evidence that they have in this case. And the defense may start to outline what some of their legal

arguments might be.

We're expecting the judge could set a motion schedule and set the timeline for how this case will play out, even potentially a trial date today. But

it is not expected to be a long hearing, although certainly has garnered a lot of attention as people are showing up, hoping to see Mangione come back

into court.

And as you said, he is also facing federal charges. He may be back in federal court in about a month. The grand jury returns an indictment in

that case where he would have to be arraigned on those charges. Paula?

NEWTON: Kara Scannell, appreciate the update.

Now, in the days before 11-year-old Jocelynn Carranza died by suicide, students at her school in Texas spread rumors that immigration authorities

would deport families of the students. The girl's mother says she was told daughter was being bullied because her parents are immigrants.

CNN's Ed Lavandera has our story from Dallas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are the videos Jocelynn Carranza's mother can't stop watching, a happy

young girl playing and laughing. These were the days before Marbella Carranza got the call that her 11-year-old daughter was being rushed to the

hospital.

Marbella says, in that moment she felt the world crashing down on her. Her death, she says, has left her broken and searching for why this happened to

Jocelynn.

Medical teams tried to save her life, but she died five days later. Marbella says several days after her daughter's death, a school official

told her that Jocelynn was bullied by a classmate at the Gainesville, Texas Intermediate School.

LAVANDERA: Marbella says that another student was traumatizing her daughter, saying that because her parents were immigrants that they were

going to be deported and that she was going to be left alone.

And the question she has is whether she took her life because she was afraid of being alone or if someone had told her to do that.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Marbella says Jocelynn was born in the United States. Multiple parents have told CNN that in the days after President

Donald Trump's inauguration, as news of ICE raids spread across the country, the immigration chatter and taunting spread through the school.

Jessi Noble says her daughter came home distraught fays before Jocelynn took her life.

JESSI NOBLE, PARENT OF GAINESVILLE ELEMENTARY STUDENT: People had been telling her friends that were Hispanic that they were getting deported, ICE

was coming for them and she was just terrified.

LAVANDERA: Were you surprised to hear this kind of talk among 10, 11 year olds?

NOBLE: 11-year olds. Yes, absolutely. It breaks my heart and it scares me that our kids are being bullied and our kids are afraid of being deported,

of their friends and their families being deported.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Parents say the chatter intensified. The school district sent a letter the week before Jocelynn's incident explaining the

protocols immigration officers must follow to access students. The letter said the school was committed to supporting you through this uncertain

time.

[12:25:13]

Jocelynn was one of Genessis Arnal's favorite friends.

GENESSIS ARNAL, JOCELYNN's FRIEND: When I heard that she was gone, I don't know, it just shattered my heart. It hurt me really bad.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Hundreds of people turned out for Jocelynn Carranza's funeral service on Wednesday.

ARNAL: It makes me feel sad because she didn't know how much people actually loved her before she passed away.

LAVANDERA: We reached out to the Gainesville school district for comment, they said that because of privacy laws, they're not able to comment on

specific cases, but that they take allegations of bullying seriously.

Jocelynn Carranza's mother also tells us that her daughter had been meeting with counselors at the school because of the bullying, but she says she was

not told about that until after her daughter had died.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: OK. Coming up for us, the German economy has hit a sour patch. How will that impact this weekend's election? We will preview the vote by

looking at Germany's candy business.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This isn't just a feast for the taste buds. It's a snapshot of global competition. And while chocolate and sweets

may take center stage at this fair, underneath the sugar coating lies something more serious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:03]

NEWTON: A warm welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Paula Newton in New York.

German voters head to the ballot box on Sunday and they are likely to bring sweeping change to their country. Polls show Friedrich Merz of the CDU in

the lead in the race to be chancellor, a move which would restore the party of Angela Merkel to power.

But far more attention is being paid to the party expected to finish in second, and that is the Alternative for Germany, AFD Party. Its far-right

nationalist agenda preaches Germany first. The party has been endorsed by Elon Musk and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.

Now, the SPD party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz is a distant third in the polls. The election comes at a make-or-break moment for the world's third-

largest economy. I mean, keep that in mind here. It is the world's third- largest economy. And some business leaders are calling for a complete overhaul.

CNN's Anna Stewart explains it's all happening amid a new threat from the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEWART (voice-over): From chocolate to popcorn, and even a flavor of algae ice cream.

STEWART: It's green.

STEWART (voice-over): Cologne has been taken over by sweets and snack firms from across the world. It's a chance to talk, to sell, and to try.

STEWART: Ooh. This isn't just a feast for the taste buds, it's a snapshot of global competition. And while chocolate and sweets may take center stage

at this fair, underneath the sugar coating lies something more serious. Two years into a recession and German businesses are craving change.

GUNNAR MUHLSTADT, CTO, ALGENWERK: I'm really struggling with the situation because I'm not happy with the situation.

SARA MARQUART, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, CHOVIVA: Like you notice the regulations, the bureaucracy, like energy prices are high. It's very

difficult to innovate as well because there's a lot of hurdles.

GUIDO HENTSCHKE, DIRECTOR, PROSWEETS: It's really a driven thing in regulations and it must stop, come on. It must stop.

STEWART (voice-over): A lack of investment, competition from China, and rising energy prices have hit the famed German manufacturing industry

particularly hard.

CARSTEN BRZESKI, GLOBAL HEAD OF MACRO, ING RESEARCH: I think the economy needs is a complete overhaul. And the answer might be that it's no longer

the traditional industrial powerhouses that we knew from the past.

STEWART (voice-over): And with a new threat of tariffs coming from the U.S., change is needed quickly.

BRZESKI: If they do not manage to get growth back, if they mess it up once again, they know who's going to win the next elections. And this would be

the far-right AFD. And I think this scenario alone could be actually the glue that brings together all parties involved and that could also be the

motivation for the parties to think a big bold win.

STEWART: Expectations for change are high at the Cologne Sweet Fair.

HENTSCHKE: I think it will change. The thing is how quick you can change things.

STEWART (voice-over): And change is what's needed to win the hearts of German business.

Anna Stewart, CNN, Cologne.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Time now for The Exchange. Joining me is one of the leading journalists covering European politics, Matthew Karnitschnig, the editor-

in-chief of "Euractiv."

And I thank you for being here as we continue to preview what will be a consequential election on the weekend. There's a lot at stake for Germany,

the E.U., geopolitics around the world.

But I do want to begin with voters' disenchantment with the economy. How has that weakness in the German growth really shaped this election?

MATTHEW KARNITSCHNIG, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, EURACTIV: Well, thank you for having me. And I think the economy is really central to what's happening in

Germany right now. And it's an issue that's often overlooked.

The German economy has been stagnant for the past five years, in fact, and it's been in recession for the past two years. And if you look at, say, the

economy in the United States over that period, you can see that it's grown by over 12 percent. So this is really a stark contrast.

And even though people on both sides of the Atlantic have been dealing with inflation and related issues around that, the weakness of the German

economy is on a whole different scale. And I think this is something that has really frustrated voters and pulled the governing coalition under

Chancellor Olaf Scholz down and the reason that they're most likely going to be voted out on Sunday.

And you can hear it in all the conversations that we're having with voters here. There's just deep frustration that the economy is as stagnant as it

is.

NEWTON: Yes. And it's got to be worrying, even for anyone observing this economy casually over the last few decades, it looked invincible. And now

German voters know the truth that it's not.

I do want to ask you, though, is it the economy or immigration that has really fueled the rise of the AFD, that far-right party? Something that we

should say really was unthinkable in German politics just a short time ago.

[12:35:01]

KARNITSCHNIG: That's right. And I would say it's a combination of the two. Migration is clearly the kind of jet fuel that is fueling the resentment in

Germany about all of the challenges around migration. But we're seeing the economic weakness is really making it even worse than it -- than it was

already.

And when people are feeling economically exposed, they tend to attack the other as it were. And I think this is what we're seeing in Germany now,

that people are worried about all of the resources that are being spent to deal with refugees, asylum seekers, and so on. It's about 50 billion euros

a year. That's about as much as Germany spends on defense, just to put it, you know, into perspective.

So these issues are linked, and it is something that the far right can easily use to, you know, really roil up voters and it's working. They're

now at about 20 percent, a little over 20 percent. And the establishment parties are the ones, you know, who get -- who get the blame for this.

NEWTON: And do you believe, given that, that they may do even better than predicted in the polls right now on Sunday?

KARNITSCHNIG: My sense is that they will. We don't have a huge amount of experience with this far-right party in national elections. They've only

been around since about 2013. So, you know, there's not a lot of data on how they do in these nationwide elections.

And I think a lot of Germans are still reluctant to acknowledge who they're going to vote for. So I wouldn't when it comes to the far right. So I

wouldn't be surprised if they do a bit better than people anticipate, especially because we've seen these terrorist attacks recently in Germany.

Many people probably remember the Christmas market attack in December. And we've seen another very chilling attacks, murders recently involving

migrants in Germany.

NEWTON: Yes. And you make such a good point there. People are reluctant to say they'll be voting for this party. We've seen that certainly in other

countries, so we'll have to wait and see.

Given, though, the outcome that we'll know on Sunday, a defined coalition government will be weeks away. But how do you believe the rise of the right

here will shape any future government, even if they really have no control over government in terms of an outcome?

KARNITSCHNIG: Well, this is a very good point, because even if they aren't part of the coalition that emerges, which I think there's a, you know,

almost zero percent chance of them being part of that, because all the other parties have ruled out working with them, the effect that they do

have is that they influence policy. And we've seen this across Europe, especially on migration, because the establishment parties become very

worried about the success that these parties are having. So we see that their policies, the establishment parties, the center right, the center

left, they have all moved to the right on migration. And that will likely continue.

We're already hearing much, much stronger rhetoric out of the center right, the CDU. You mentioned Friedrich Merz, who's expected to be the next

chancellor. Much, much harsher rhetoric from him on migration issues than we heard from his predecessor, certainly, but even from more conservative

members of his party just a few years ago. So the whole political spectrum is really moving to the right on migration, I would say.

NEWTON: I don't have a lot of time left, Matthew, but I have been arguing that this is a consequential election for Europe and beyond. What do you

believe people should be looking for on Sunday?

KARNITSCHNIG: I think they should be looking for what coalition comes out of this. It's clear that the far right is going to do well. How do the

German establishment parties respond to this? Will there be a center-left, center-right coalition, the so-called grand coalition in Germany? Or will

we see something more innovative, let's say? Will there be two parties or three parties? I think that's a very important question.

NEWTON: Matthew, a very insightful preview there to the elections and we look forward to the results on Sunday. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

KARNITSCHNIG: Thank you.

NEWTON: Now, and one last note on the German elections. Officials in Duisburg, Germany found an interesting way to boost early voting in their

city. They offered free beer and sausages to anyone who cast an early ballot known as postal voting. Duisburg had the lowest voter turnout in the

last German elections. Let's see if it works.

Up next, egg-cellent idea or not, the U.S. agrees to import millions of eggs from Turkey.

Also ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you blindly follow instructions that you see on social media or other sources where there's no liability, you could be

hurting yourself or your loved ones.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: You might want to just say no to raw milk. We'll tell you why many health professionals are warning against it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:40:31]

NEWTON: So the U.S. is turning to Turkey to help ease soaring egg prices caused by the avian flu outbreak. Between now and July, the U.S. has agreed

to import about 420 million eggs.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has been following this story very closely. You know, some people are going to wonder, OK, given everything going on, are

they safe? And will they actually bring down egg prices in the United States?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Right. That's the big question. Will it help consumers at the grocery store? Well, it

should help with the shortages a little bit. Just to put it into perspective, 420 million eggs, actually that's going to be through the end

of this year coming into the country from Turkey. Put that into comparison for how many eggs the U.S. produces every year, 7.5 billion. So you're just

looking at that scale right there.

So the U.S. businesses is essentially saying, we need more eggs. So they're looking to Turkey and Turkey is going to make this commitment to import 420

million eggs by the end of this year.

And if you look over time, this is really the most amount of eggs that we've gotten from Turkey. If you look at 2022, 2023, and 2024, look at

those numbers. The latest was 71 million imported in 2024.

I mean, this is just going to blow that out of the water. And it's sort of curious, I think, for consumers, oh, turkey for eggs. But actually, Turkey

is a major exporter of eggs. Falls right behind the Netherlands, the U.S., Poland, Germany. Turkey's number five on that list.

And you were hearing from the egg community here in the U.S., they actually welcome this because they know how hard it's been for farmers and

consumers.

We heard from the president of the United Egg Producers group. And they said that we support the temporary import of egg products to help ease the

strain on U.S. egg supply as we navigate this challenging time of continued highly pathogenic avian influenza detections.

And, of course, the reason we're talking about this is because the avian flu has just wreaked havoc on birds here in the U.S., so many of them,

millions and millions, have had to -- they have to have been killed. And that means that less egg laying birds, less eggs, higher prices. So this is

one way that U.S. businesses are looking to hopefully offset some of that pain both on the farms and for consumers, Paula.

NEWTON: You know, in terms of the price of eggs, that's just contributing to a lack of confidence among consumers. We had a consumer sentiment out

today, and it really seems to be falling fast.

[12:45:01]

YURKEVICH: It is. About a 10 percent decline in consumer sentiment in the month of February. And that was across all ages, income and wealth.

And we saw a really steep decline about nearly 20 percent in just how people were feeling about buying things, purchases, and that was because of

concerns that they had about tariffs.

And then when you look at how people felt about their personal income, that was also down about 10 percent.

And then inflation, that's something that Americans are indicating in this report that they are concerned about, both short-term, which is about a

year outlook, and long-term, 5 to 10 years out. People are feeling more and more concerned about the economic picture and inflation and what that means

for their bottom line.

They do look at political parties in this report, and they found that Democrats and independents were feeling worse. Republicans, unchanged. And

also Republicans, in terms of inflation, their sentiment about it fell slightly, meaning that they were not as concerned about the direction of

inflation. So maybe giving a little more grace to the president, President Trump, to see what he can do on that front.

Paula, as we know, he's been in office for about one month. But people, at least on the Republican side of things, in terms of the consumer outlook,

they're saying, OK, we'll give him a little more time to see if he can bring those prices down as he promised, Paula.

NEWTON: Yes. Still willing to give him a little bit more time, as you say. And they're all watching those prices in the supermarket, that is for sure.

Vanessa Yurkevich for us. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Now, the trend of drinking raw, unpasteurized milk has grown immensely on social media, as Americans push to eat less processed food.

Now, the FDA has called it one of the riskiest foods people can consume. And many healthcare professionals warn against drinking it. This all comes

as bird flu, as we were just discussing, is impacting dairy herds right across the United States.

CNN's Leigh Waldman reports.

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With his cows brushed and milking equipment thoroughly cleaned,

STEVEN VINCENT, DAIRY FARMER: We're ready to go.

WALDMAN (voice-over): Steven Vincent is ready to begin milking his dairy cows at Brookby Farm in Upstate New York. These specialized machines

collect approximately 300 gallons of raw milk weekly. It's then cooled and bottled on site. He and his wife Jamie sell it directly to customers in the

family farm store.

JAMIE VINCENT, DAIRY FARMER: I just feel like people have gotten to a point where they want to get back to more natural way of living and eating.

WALDMAN (voice-over): In the past few months, they say they've personally seen the demand for raw milk skyrocket.

S. VINCENT: We have families that come get it in five gallon buckets.

WALDMAN (voice-over): As bird flu becomes a growing concern, impacting dairy herds in states including California and Nevada, the Vincents are

back to COVID era protocols.

The barn isn't open to visitors. We had to wear protective foot coverings and the windows were covered to keep birds out.

J. VINCENT: New York has started testing the milk for that.

WALDMAN: Farmers in New York, like the Vincents, are required to have a specialized permit from the Department of Agriculture and Markets in order

to sell raw milk to people. It requires the animals and milk to be tested regularly.

But the Vincents wished there was a uniformed requirement for selling raw milk instead of varying from state to state.

S. VINCENT: Here, I have to sell it here on my farm. I cannot take it to a farmer's market to sell.

Connecticut is three miles away. They can bottle it and sell it in the grocery store.

WALDMAN (voice-over): On the West Coast, Bethany McDaniel buys her raw milk from a larger operation, RAW FARM, which recently had a bird flu outbreak.

BETHANY MCDANIEL, FOUNDER, PRIMALLY PURE: That gave me zero pause. There have been no confirmed cases of H5N1 from consuming raw milk.

WALDMAN (voice-over): For two years, McDaniel has consumed raw milk on and off because she believes it has improved her dairy sensitivity, her

children's immune system, and her gut health, though the FDA refutes all of those claims.

MCDANIEL: With proper standards in place, there's nothing dangerous or risky about it.

WALDMAN (voice-over): That's not the belief held by the medical community. Doctor Rabia de Latour, a gastroenterologist says prior to the required

pasteurization of milk, up to 25 percent of foodborne illnesses came from it.

RABIA DE LATOUR, GASTROENTEROLOGIST: People are getting sick from drinking raw milk because the process of actually getting milk from a cow into an

actual container for you to drink was fraught with different types of infectious sources.

WALDMAN (voice-over): Milk is pasteurized by applying high heat over a short period of time, which kills bacteria like E. coli, listeria, and

staphy aureuses (ph) without removing the nutrients found in milk.

Dr. De Latour warns against drinking raw milk and urges anyone interested to research the risks, rather than believing what they might see on social

media.

DE LATOUR: If you blindly follow instructions that you see on social media or other sources where there's no liability, you could be hurting yourself

or your loved ones. And so I wouldn't recommend that.

WALDMAN (voice-over): In New York, I'm Leigh Waldman.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: OK. Still to come for us, Canada beats Team USA in a thriller to claim hockey's 4 Nations Face-Off. And, of course, those bragging rights.

We'll tell you how the Prime Minister got into the action.

[12:50:45]

NEWTON: Canada defeated the USA in overtime to claim the NHL's first ever mid-season international tournament, the 4 Nations Face-Off championship.

And there was nothing friendly about the 3-2 thriller.

The contest played in a Stanley Cup-esque atmosphere amidst plenty of political tension off the ice. Our Andy Scholes has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament was supposed to just be an all-star exhibition, but it really

turned into an Olympic gold medal type of atmosphere. Both the U.S. and Canada wanting to win this game badly. And President Trump even calling

Team USA before the game to give them a little pep talk.

TRUMP: I'm a hockey fan. I love hockey. The talent, the skill that you have is crazy. And just go out and have a good time tonight. And I just want to

wish you a lot of luck. You really are a skilled group of people. It's an honor to talk to you. And get out there and there's no pressure whatsoever.

SCHOLES: And it was also a moment before the game in Boston as the crowd at TD Garden singing the national anthem together.

Now Canada would take an early lead, but Auston Matthews would find Brady Tkachuk for the equalizer. And the game would end up going to overtime,

tied at two. And the USA had a great chance to win it, but Jordan Binnington blocks Matthews. Then he snags Tkachuk's rebound shot.

Binnington 31 saves, none more important than those two.

And moments later, Connor McDavid proving why he's best player in the world with the game winner. He's certainly not the guy you want to leave wide

open in front of the net.

Canada wins three to two. They go nuts as they claim the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off title.

CONNOR MCDAVID, CANADA FORWARD: Just to see the reaction, just to know what it means to us. You know, I know it's just a quick tournament, you know,

and it's not an Olympic gold medal or anything like that, but it means the world to our group. As you can see, everybody battled so hard all week, so

that was special.

NATHAN MACKINNON, CANADA FORWARD: Well, Connor's the best player in our game. And for him to put it in like that, and in such an intense

atmosphere, obviously, in a hostile environment for Canadians was special. And, yes, hopefully he can do that again next year, too.

[12:55:02]

SCHOLES: And Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau celebrating the win on X afterwards saying, you can't take our country and you can't take our game.

There certainly was a lot of patriotism and politics surrounding this one.

But in terms of all-star events, the 4 Nations Face-Off was as good as it gets.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Andy Scholes there for us with the update.

And finally for us, if you have ever been stuck in a horrible traffic jam, you all have been. A California company may have the solution. Alef

Aeronautics, this week, showed off video of its prototype flying car. The company says it is the first car that can take off vertically and fly over

a parked vehicle. You're going to see the attempt right there.

It says it is still miles away, though, from offering the ultra-light vehicle to the public. And the cost right now would be prohibitively,

prohibitively expensive. But they do see this as a crucial first step and compared the demonstration to the Wright Brothers' first flight in an

airplane. "The Jetsons" real life scenario can't come fast enough for all of us.

That does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Paula Newton. Thanks for watching. "Amanpour" is next.

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END