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One World with Zain Asher
CNN International: UK PM Speaks To Lawmakers Amid Push For Action On Ukraine; Europe Moves To Talk Control Of Ukraine Peace Talks; Zelenskyy: U.S.-Ukraine Relationship "Will Continue". Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired March 03, 2025 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: -- this more often.
SIR LINDSAY HOYLE, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS: Alex Sobel.
ALEX SOBEL, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, UNITED KINGDOM: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At first, well, I thank the Prime Minister (inaudible) he has shown pulling
together our allies yesterday in London and acknowledging the bravery and sacrifice of the people of Ukraine. I was in Ukraine last week. I met with
the mayor of Kharkiv, a frontline city of two million people undergoing daily attacks and blackouts from Russian forces. He told me that they had a
power project that had been canceled at short notice, funded by USAID, generating 11.2 megawatts, which would shore up their energy pipeline.
Where others have stepped back, will we step forward and support projects like that, either from Russian assets or our own aid budget?
STARMER: The whole power supply is hugely important in Ukraine. Let's face it. Power and energy has been weaponized by Putin. That is why he is
attacking the power supplies to communities across Ukraine, and of course, we will work with them to ensure they have the security and the power
supplies that they need, as we go forward.
HOYLE: Father of the House, Edward Lee.
EDWARD LEE, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, UNITED KINGDOM: Our enemies should know that our Prime Minister has 100 per cent support from us. I noticed in
Moscow, they are referring to the small size of British Army. Perhaps the Prime Minister could remind them of what the Kaiser said in 1914 about the
contemptible little British Army, and will he tell the President Putin and other tyrants that our army, the most professional in the world, is quite
capable of giving as good as it gets. But, to continue the historical illusion, as in 1939, if we do stand up to the mark with the French, it's
best to have a security guarantee from the Americans.
STARMER: Well, I thank him for his unity, because that is really important, and I think I speak for the whole House in saying we are very proud of our
armed forces in everything that they do. They are at the leading edge. They are playing a key part in Ukraine, and they will continue to play a key
part in the security and defense of Europe.
HOYLE: Dr. Rosena Allin-Khan.
ROSENA ALLIN-KHAN, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, UNITED KINGDOM: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Can I congratulate the Prime Minister on bringing
European leaders together at the weekend and for setting the record straight with J.D. Vance on the issue of free speech? President Zelenskyy
is resilient and brave, just like the nation that he represents. And in the second week of the war, when I went to Ukraine with my medical team, we
could see firsthand that there was absolutely nothing that the Russians will not do. So, can the Prime Minister promise that our support will not
waver and he will continue working closely with our European allies to make sure that we bring about peace in Ukraine?
STARMER: I can give her that assurance. We will not wave her. We will work with our allies.
HOYLE: Munira Wilson.
MUNIRA WILSON, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, UNITED KINGDOM: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I welcome the Prime Minister's statement and his unequivocal
support of the United Kingdom, for President Zelenskyy, and Ukraine. But, in view of his cuts to aid, but the aid budget, but also with the eyes of
the world focused on Zelenskyy, Ukraine and Russia, could he please reassure the House that he will not forget about the Middle East, and in
particular the decision by Netanyahu's government to block aid to Israel, and what representations is he making on behalf of the government to
reverse that? It's a breach of international law.
STARMER: Let me be really clear, the decision to block aid into Gaza is completely wrong and should not be supported in this House. On the
contrary, what we need is more aid going into Gaza, desperately needed aid at speed and at volume, and we are making those representations.
HOYLE: Cat Smith.
CAT SMITH, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, UNITED KINGDOM: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can I congratulate the Prime Minister on his strong leadership in his
response to the fast-moving events of the weekend, and ask whether or not he will recommit to increasing international aid spending to 0.7 percent
when the fiscal circumstances allow?
STARMER: Yes. I do want to restore aid and development funding as soon as fiscal events allow. It is a principle I believe and I am proud of what we
have done. In the meantime, I want to explore with others what other levers we can have to increase aid and development without necessarily increasing
the spend within the government budget.
HOYLE: Stephen Flynn.
STEPHEN FLYNN, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, UNITED KINGDOM: Mr. Speaker, there are many issues on which the Prime Minister and I will passionately disagree.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, HOST, "ONE WORLD": All right. Welcome to the new two-hour edition of our show live from New York. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ZAIN ASHER, HOST, "ONE WORLD": And I'm Zain Asher. This is One World. Two hours, two friends.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. More fun for us.
ASHER: So much to get to. But, I just quickly want to wrap up what we were just watching there. We were watching British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
addressing House of Commons just a moment ago, where he was really talking about just the fact that this has been a weekend of intense diplomatic
activity for the UK, especially after the extraordinary scenes that played out in the White House, in the Oval Office, on Friday between Zelenskyy,
J.D. Vance and Donald Trump.
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A lot of members of the opposition essentially saying that, look -- listen, we clearly cannot trust the U.S. as a reliable partner anymore. What is
Europe, and particularly what is the UK doing, to step up to the plate here? Keir Starmer, however, he spoke earlier, and he said that Donald
Trump's commitment to Ukraine is sincere, but in his words, the UK and the rest of Europe essentially must avoid the past when dealing with Russia,
must avoid the pains of the past and the lessons that have been learned in the past when dealing with Russia.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted Zelenskyy over the weekend. They actually had move that meeting up by 24 hours, given what we saw play out
in the Oval Office. He also had an audience with King Charles as well. He also said that the military aid must continue. That includes a $2.2 billion
loan to Ukraine. In addition, you and I were talking about this last week, that $13 billion additional defense spending that the UK is spending, and
that money obviously going towards Ukraine, that money being taken out of overseas development budgets as well. But, yeah, a real sort of flurry of
diplomatic activity, and a lot of people are saying that Keir Starmer, the British Prime Minister, has really stepped up to the plate in terms of his
leadership role now.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and putting together a coalition of the willing there among European countries, and still trying to navigate a five line -- a
fine line of maintaining close ties to the United States, which he reiterated was crucial to the support of Ukraine and against Russian
aggression, and perhaps trying to mend some of those frayed relations that we saw unbelievably coming out of the White House, scenes that have never
been seen between President Trump and President Zelenskyy.
Clare Sebastian is monitoring all of this from London for us, and really to see the British Prime Minister stepping up to the plate here as the one who
is rallying all of the European nations, not just for words of support, but actions too.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Look, the UK is clearly now stepping into what it certainly sees as a position of leadership, and I
think you can see very clearly that this has brought a level of unity between the different political parties there in the House of Commons. The
former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly just said to Keir Starmer that he didn't think -- he put a foot wrong over the weekend. He got a lot of
support from politicians of all different parts of the spectrum there.
In terms of what was new in this, I mean, we got a lot of him reiterating what we heard over the weekend. He is laser-focused on continuing to walk
this delicate tight rope, as you say, of keeping up ties with the U.S. He said, I want to be crystal clear, we must strengthen our relationship with
America. We will never choose between either side of the Atlantic and of course, supporting Ukraine. He was very clear in emphasizing that they plan
to work very closely with Ukraine on this plan that they are crafting with France and other European allies to stop the fighting in Ukraine. He talked
about the cheer on Whitehall when, here in central London, when Zelenskyy arrived over the weekend, saying that the crowd was speaking for the whole
country.
Now, in terms of other sort of elements of the move towards peace that we are getting here, I thought a couple of things I want to highlight. There
is clearly now increased discussion around those Russian frozen assets, the $300 billion in sovereign assets that were frozen at the beginning of the
war. We know that the proceeds, the windfall profits on those assets, are already being used to back a G7 loan to which the UK and others have
already contributed. There is now discussion around the actual seizure of those assets. Keir Starmer said that those discussions are happening. They
are looking at possibilities, along with other countries. He won't pretend it is simple or straight forward. This has been a conundrum throughout this
war, of course.
And he also talked, interestingly, about sanctions. We know that the Russia-U.S. talks, there has been some suggestion in those around lifting
sanctions as part of a settlement. In the end, we know it's a key priority for Russia, whose economy is struggling. He said sanctions must not be
lifted just because there is a cessation in the fighting. They must be kept in place as a vital part of our armory. He sees that as part of a future
security guarantee for Ukraine.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Clare Sebastian for us live from London. Thank you so much.
ASHER: Well, let's bring in Nick Paton Walsh, joining us live now from Kyiv. So, I think the big question among Ukrainians, obviously, after what
played out in the Oval Office on Friday is, can the relationship between the U.S. and Ukraine at this point, Nick, be salvaged? Walk us through
that.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. I mean, a lot of this is going to depend upon the relationship between
Zelenskyy and Trump ultimately, two presidents who were at the heart of that massive falling out in the Oval Office. Zelenskyy obviously upset, I
think is fair to say, by his response in a wide-ranging press conference yesterday by his treatment. He was asked then if indeed he was willing to
apologize. Didn't take that opportunity.
[11:10:00]
Second time in about 24 hours, in fact, he'd chosen not to do that. So, I think there are -- those around the Ukrainian President and those here in
Ukraine that are still outraged at what they consider to have been his poor treatment in that meeting indeed. And also at the same time, there are
Trump officials who are very stridently suggesting that maybe Zelenskyy isn't the man to lead Ukraine forward in the coming weeks or months.
Now, I should just point out to anybody watching here, replacing a wartime President is not an easy idea. It's exceptionally complicated. You can't
have elections under martial law in wartime. So, you would essentially need the war to stop for that to even be an electoral question, and then
officials we've spoken to talking about six months preparatory work before a legitimate, viable election that meet international standards. It doesn't
contribute to a Moscow narrative that essentially there is some legitimacy here in the Kyiv government force as it is.
So, the idea of replacing Zelenskyy, frankly impossible. I think he touched on that a little in his press conference in London, where he was asked
about the concept of his resignation. He said, look, if you want elections, you have to stop me from running in them, because he essentially thinks he
would win, and that means you have to negotiate with me, and my price for not standing is that you put Ukraine in NATO. Now, we know that's not going
to happen. The U.S. has ruled that out. But, he said, look, that's my ultimate goal anyway.
And so, I think there is an element of defiance from Zelenskyy, continued a sense of agreement from Trump senior officials. There are some suggestions
that they might be meeting at some point in the coming hours on a higher security cabinet level to talk about next steps. And of course, one of the
issues here is the commitment of the Trump administration to future U.S.- Ukraine aid.
So, I think for the U.S.-Ukraine relationship to be fixed, well, we need what Zelenskyy said he was still willing to do, and that's the rare earth
minerals deal to be signed. That's something that the Treasury Secretary of the United States, Scott Bessent, hinted. It was not at present on the
table. So, that needs to be rectified. And of course, we need this personal healing between Zelenskyy and Trump. That may put things back on track.
But, I sense a fissure here that may be reorientating White House policy potentially in the longer term. Maybe the Europeans can salvage that. They
did just a week ago. But, the seesaw here, the whiplash, I think, is leaving many perturb that we're seeing a longer-term realignment here.
ASHER: All right. Nick Paton Walsh live for us there from Kyiv. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Kevin Liptak joins us now live from the White House. And Kevin, the White House team, those around the President, from the Secretary
of State to the National Security Advisor, taking to the airwaves over the weekend, really defending the President's actions over the weekend at that
press conference, or the meeting there at the Oval Office in front of the press that quickly evolved into a shouting match between the Vice
President, the President, and President Zelenskyy, and now just getting word from National Security Advisor Mike Waltz in an interview with Fox
News, saying that that meeting on Friday put up in the air whether Zelenskyy should be the one negotiating, and that goes back to the question
of whether or not President Trump thinks that President Zelenskyy should no longer be leading the country.
He has raised the fact they don't -- haven't had an election in years, given the fact that the country is under martial law. Is this a serious
talking point now from the administration?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. It very much is. They've all stopped short of actually saying specifically that Zelenskyy
should resign. But, in their words, they're making very clear that they do not have a lot of faith in his leadership of Ukraine, which I think is
highly notable, just given that that is also the position that the Kremlin and that Putin have taken throughout the course of this war, which is that
Zelenskyy should resign. So, it is notable certainly the ill will between this White House and Kyiv is still very strong. You heard it just this
morning from Mike Waltz, who said that they needed to see an expression of regret from Zelenskyy before, in his view, these issues can be reconciled,
and talks between the U.S. and Ukraine on this mineral deal can restart again.
But, at the same time, he did say that this was not off the table. They do say that the door is still open for Zelenskyy to come in and to resume
these talks with President Trump, that they say that they're ready to have these conversations and engage in what he called shuttle diplomacy,
because, at the same time all of this is progressing on the Ukrainian side, the U.S. is still moving full speed ahead with these efforts to try and get
Trump and Vladimir Putin to a negotiating table at some point, potentially in Saudi Arabia. That is still progressing at a rapid pace, including
potentially talks between the two sides this week to continue those efforts to set that meeting up.
So, that will be an interesting progression to see if that meeting occurs while the situation is still so bad between Trump and Zelenskyy.
[11:15:00]
We haven't necessarily heard from Trump himself in a while on this issue, whether his sort of mood has eased somewhat. I don't think it's necessarily
the case that Trump feels any good will towards Zelenskyy at this point, but potentially with these talks with the Europeans progressing over the
weekend, with those photos of Zelenskyy standing with King Charles at Sandringham House, it could potentially lead him to a place where he wants
to re-engage with Zelenskyy going forward.
The other notable thing that we heard from Mike Waltz this morning was an openness to this European plan, this British-led plan, to try and come up
with some kind of peace agreement in Ukraine. That is something that they're welcoming. But, what they haven't said they're willing to do, and
what they have not put any specificity around, is what U.S. commitments could be made to help make that plan work. At the end of the day, no one
believes that the Europeans will alone be able to guarantee security in Ukraine. It will require this backstop, which American officials have not
been able to say so far what exactly they're willing to do.
Now, all of this, I think, will culminate somewhat in this speech that the President is planning to give tomorrow. It's the equivalent of a State of
the Union speech. It's not called that, because this is the President's first year in office. It was only a year ago that the Biden administration
tried to get Zelenskyy's wife to Washington to attend his State of the Union speech. And I don't think anything illustrates better the complete
180 in ties between Washington and Kyiv than that one little fact.
GOLODRYGA: That is absolutely true, what a difference a year can make, though -- even though, a year ago, President Biden was pretty clear and
concerned about the amount of funding that was available that Republicans, in particular, were willing to allocate to Ukraine. That was a year ago,
and obviously, a lot has changed now with concerns about what additional support from the U.S. would look like.
Kevin Liptak, thank you so much.
ASHER: Yeah. Just thought to let you at home now we're going to have much more on Ukraine and what the British Prime Minister is calling a crossroads
in history for the West. Oleksandr Merezhko heads the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Ukrainian parliament, and we'll speak to him in the next
hour.
GOLODRYGA: And still to come for us, we will take you inside the obscure government agency that has become the center of efforts to shrink the size
of the federal government.
ASHER: Plus, we're also going to be looking at the local impact of Elon Musk slashing federal jobs, how two communities are dealing with a
government that does less.
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[11:20:00]
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ASHER: Well, Washington is certainly a city on edge, as federal workers wonder what agency will be next for widespread layoffs by Elon Musk's so-
called Department of Government Efficiency.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. Last week, it was the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration which got the hit, with as many as 800 people laid off.
Remember, hurricane season, it's just a few months away. Experts say that the move could have a major impact on the tracking of those hurricanes and
storm predictions in the U.S.
ASHER: Right. Most of these moves are coming through an obscure government agency called the Office of Personnel Management, and that's where Musk's
DOGE team has taken up residents, and it is from there that they are count -- cutting, rather, thousands of government workers.
GOLODRYGA: And with some exclusive reporting about what is happening inside of the Office of Personnel Management, here is CNN's Rene Marsh.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, current and former OPM employees describe an agency captured by members of Elon Musk's Department of
Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and some of those DOGE appointees have deep, decades-long ties to Musk and his businesses, and those are the
individuals calling the shots at the agency. We're told DOGE members have isolated themselves on the fifth floor. They arrived at OPM on Inauguration
Day, and soon after, top career officials had their admin authority on key data systems related to the personal information of more than two million
federal workers revoked, and the emails that have been sent directly to federal workers asking things like, what did you do last week? Or offering
a buyout if they resigned.
I am told that career staffers at OPM had nothing to do with these communications. They're actually coming from members of DOGE. Career human
resources officials weren't even aware of the email communications, I'm told, until they either heard about it on the news or heard about it from
other employees who had received it. A recently departed OPM employee tells CNN that the federal workers at OPM don't even know what's going on, and
they are getting blamed for allowing Elon Musk and DOGE into OPM. The source went on to say it is very well known within the agency that it's the
shadow OPM, not the career employees pushing the buttons. Not only is OPM ground zero for Musk and his vision for the federal government, but it's
also the testing ground for many of those actions before they apply them government-wide.
So, just one day after inauguration, we were told that members of DOGE asked career employees to do an exercise in which they would cut 70 percent
of their workforce. And just last week, OPM sent out a memo to many agencies, along with OMB, essentially instructing them to plan for large-
scale reductions in its workforce. Agencies like Social Security have since announced that it plans on cutting some 7,000 jobs, roughly 12 percent of
its staff.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Q: Thanks to Rene Marsh for that report.
As you know, we've been spending a lot of time lately looking into how Donald Trump and Elon Musk are remaking Washington, but the cutbacks and
layoffs are also having a big impact across the country.
ASHER: Yeah. Joining us now to discuss the local impact of all of this, Kurt Nagl and Lilly Knoepp. Kurt is a reporter for the Crain's Detroit
Business, and Lilly works for Blue Ridge Public Radio in North Carolina.
Kurt, let me start with you, since you're in Michigan. I mean, when you think about just sort of the headlines that we've gotten out of the Trump
administration in just the first couple of months, I mean, it's everything from God knows how many executive orders that have been signed so far, but
also immigration policy has been a massive headline too. Then, of course, the huge cutbacks we're seeing in the federal government, with a lot of
people with so much uncertainty, and a lot of people losing their jobs as well, and then tariffs. The Trump administration is getting ready to
announce additional tariffs on China tomorrow.
Just explain to us how all of that is factoring into the viewpoint of the people who voted for Donald Trump in your state. Are they happy with him?
KURT NAGL, CRAIN'S DETROIT BUSINESS REPORTER: Well, certainly there has been a lot of whiplash in the past few weeks. I think that no topic is more
top of mind for Michiganders than the tariffs that you alluded to. Michigan, as you know, is automotive-centric. The economy is tied to
automotive, and the supply chain, more than 150,000 jobs tied directly to vehicle manufacturing. And frankly, with taxes of this proposed magnitude,
there could be layoffs. There could be cuts. There could be real damage here.
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I think there is still a lot of uncertainty as to what actually takes place between now and tomorrow, when these tariffs are supposed to be enacted.
So, there is a lot of wait and see. As you mentioned, Michiganders voted Trump into office. So, there is still, I think, a strong sentiment that
Trump will not betray them, and he actually will be good for Michigan and boost manufacturing and improve livelihoods, but the jury is still out on
that at this point.
GOLODRYGA: And Lilly, North Carolinians also voted Trump into office, a majority in that state, and we spent a lot of time talking to reporters
going into the election about some of their top concerns, and first and foremost was the economy. Obviously, immigration a big component as well.
But, this is a President that had campaigned on lowering inflation, on lowering prices at the grocery store, and that has yet to happen. In fact,
has is come out and said that that may actually be a bit more difficult to start to see go down at this point, though he is working on it, also
suggesting that consumers may have to pay a price, a painful price, at the beginning, to get the rewards that he is promising. I mean, quite a
difference from a golden age of America, as he promised at his inauguration speech.
How are North Carolinians adjusting to the fact that they are still paying higher prices, they're still seeing inflation, and they may actually be in
for a bumpier ride in the months ahead?
LILLY KNOEPP, SENIOR REGIONAL REPORTER, BLUE RIDGE PUBLIC RADIO: Yeah. I think what -- I appreciate that North Carolinians did vote for President
Trump. And so, I think, just like the other reporter said, there is a hope that things will change in their pocketbooks as far as inflation goes.
But, two of the most important things here in western North Carolina is that the region is really still recovering from Hurricane Helene. You know
that happened right at the end of September, and it is supposed to take about $60 billion to be able to recover from that, and that was across the
entire region. Over 100 lives were lost. And so, folks have not been in a good place economically anyway, on top of the additional place that we're
at now. And so, really just trying to rebuild from that. Folks lost their homes. So, there were a lot of lost jobs.
And then as far as federal workers go, this part of western North Carolina has over a million acres of national forest. And so, those federal workers
are the ones that manage that land. And so, there really is just so much uncertainty now about what this is going to mean, as there continues to be
federal layoffs, the potential for federal reductions, and it's really unclear how many people have been terminated here in North Carolina. We've
-- I've even heard of some people who had their terminations rescinded because they realized they were, for example, the only wildlife biologists
in one of the national forests. And so, it's really, I think whiplash is a very good word to describe it.
GOLODRYGA: And we'll see how the President addresses it tomorrow in his first address before a joint session of Congress as well. Thank you both
for joining us.
We want to also tell our viewers that this is going to going to be a segment that we are going to be covering throughout our new, extended, two-
hour show.
ASHER: Two hours.
GOLODRYGA: I'm really getting a pulse of how Americans are feeling in different states throughout the country.
Still ahead, though, for us, a delicate truce between Israel and Hamas hanging by a thread after Israel blocks humanitarian aid into Gaza. We'll
break down these new developments with a former U.S.-Middle East negotiator.
ASHER: Plus, a Vatican source tells CNN, Pope Francis has been taken off his breathing machine and is stable after last week's respiratory incident.
The latest on the pontiff's health after this short break.
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ASHER: All right. Welcome back to One World. I am Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. Here are some international headlines we are watching today.
ASHER: The Vatican says Pope Francis is stable following a restful night. According to Vatican sources, the 88-year-old pontiff is continuing to
receive treatment for double pneumonia, but no longer requires mechanical ventilation. He is, however, still receiving oxygen after suffering an
incident of respiratory difficulty on Friday.
GOLODRYGA: And warning lights are going off about the health of the U.S. economy, just hours before President Trump is set to impose new tariffs on
imports from Mexico, China and Canada. Recent weeks have seen layoffs in the U.S., a drop in consumer spending, continuing high inflation and
sliding stocks. Mexico and Canada have both promised retaliatory tariffs against the U.S., igniting fears of a potential trade war.
ASHER: And at least one person has been killed and several others injured after a car rammed into a crowd of people in southwestern Germany. The
incident happened in the city of Manheim shortly after midday local time. Police say a suspect has been arrested, and a large scale police operation
is underway.
GOLODRYGA: Israel says that it will block the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza until Hamas agrees to new terms for an extension of the first
phase of the ceasefire, which expired Saturday. Israel says the U.S.- proposed extension could run through the end of both Ramadan and Passover next month.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us now live from Jerusalem. Jeremy, a lot happening in the region there as well. We noted the expiration of phase one
here with this deal. Prime Minister Netanyahu saying now that no aid will go into Gaza as a result of Hamas not agreeing to the extension of the
U.S.-proposed deal of phase one through the end of the month. And we also know that there was a terror attack in Haifa as well. Just walk us through
all the dynamics and what's at play this week.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Make no mistake, this step by the Israeli government to cut off humanitarian aid in Gaza is
designed to pressure Hamas into accepting new conditions in order for this ceasefire to continue. But, it will also undoubtedly have a devastating
effect on the civilians who live inside of Gaza. And already, we are hearing such serious warnings from the United Nations and many other
humanitarian organizations who are accusing Israel of violating international law by using this humanitarian aid, blocking the humanitarian
aid from going in as a negotiating tactic.
What Israel is looking to accomplish here is effectively to get more hostages out of Gaza by extending the first phase of this ceasefire
agreement, without making the difficult decisions relating to the end of the war, withdrawing all Israeli troops from Gaza that would be needed in
order to reach phases two and three of the ceasefire, as it was previously agreed to.
[11:35:00]
And that's why we are hearing not just Hamas, but also Egypt, for example, one of the key mediators in these negotiations here, accusing Israel of
using humanitarian aid as a tool of blackmail to accomplish its aims here. The Israeli Prime Minister has said that this was actually a proposal by
Steve Witkoff, President Trump's Middle East envoy, that would see half of the remaining Israeli hostages, both living and dead, released in exchange
for about a seven-week extension of this ceasefire that would take us through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, as well as through the Jewish
holiday of Passover into effectively mid-April.
The United States, for now, seems to be standing by what Israel has done here by blocking humanitarian aid until Hamas agrees to its terms, with the
National Security Council spokesman saying, we support their decision on next steps, given Hamas has indicated it's no longer interested in a
negotiated ceasefire, Hamas, of course, insists it is interested in pursuing the ceasefire, but it wants to do so along the previous terms of
the agreement, meaning reaching an agreement over phase two to end the war in Gaza, withdraw Israeli troops, and in exchange, see the remainder of the
hostages released. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Jeremy Diamond too, and we should note that there are six released hostages that are planning to come to Washington tomorrow to
meet with President Trump as well, and I believe some will be sitting, actually, in the gallery there at the joint session of Congress tomorrow
while he gives a speech. Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much.
ASHER: Well, let's bring in Aaron David Miller, a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is a former U.S. State
Department Middle East negotiator. Aaron, thank you so much for being with us. So, as you know, Israel, along with Steve Witkoff, has essentially
proposed extending the first phase of the six-week ceasefire deal instead of going to phase two. What happens if Hamas, as it's is doing now, does
not agree to that? What are the consequences?
AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER U.S. STATE DEPT. MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: First of all, Zain and Bianna, thanks for having me. Look, there was no way phase
two was ever going to be implemented. I think even the negotiators in the Biden administration understood that the best they could hope for was phase
one and maybe, just maybe a ceasefire humanitarian assistance in Gaza and return of hostages would create public pressures on both the Palestinian
and Israeli decision makers to go to phase two, but phase two is not going to happen, number one.
Number two, it's an American proposal, but it is very strange, perhaps not so strange in this administration, that it was the Prime Minister of
Israel, apparently, who announced it. You see no details, and really, and other than a couple dates and references in exchange, what the reciprocal
requirements are in the Palestinian side from the Israelis.
Number three, I think this -- what this reflects is a fundamental change in a three-phase deal that probably could never have been implemented. And the
Prime Minister of Israel and the Trump administration is now upping the pressure in an effort to persuade Hamas to release more hostages in what
would essentially be an extended phase one. If there is no release of additional hostages, I think you know what the alternative is. The new
Israeli Chief of Staff this week, a very aggressive plan, I'm told, for resuming military operation.
So, it's pressure on Hamas. Hope, in fact, that the pressure somehow worked, get a few more hostages out, but then I think we're talking about a
resumption of the conflict.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and that seems to have been inevitable, even supported by some of those who are closer to the Netanyahu government there, Netanyahu
himself, and his advisor, Ron Dermer, meet Siegel, a reporter who seems to be described as a Netanyahu whisperer, had said as much in an interview
that Netanyahu's ultimate goal here is to try to extend phase one, see the return of as many hostages as possible, but inevitably go back into Gaza.
Aaron, in the previous U.S. administration, that would have been faced by pressure from President Biden. If we don't see that here from President
Trump or Steve Witkoff at least right now, in fact, they seem to be supporting it, even though you say the roll out of the announcement of
whose plan this really is, is a bit questionable, what about the pressure that Netanyahu faces at home? Because these hostage families, Israelis to
this day still support the majority of them, seeing all of the hostages return now, and if Israel needs to go back into Gaza later to defeat Hamas,
they can do that, but they are firmly in line with the hostage families and the pursuit of seeing every hostage come home.
MILLER: And Bianna, all of that is true. Every public opinion poll I've seen basically reflects the fact that in terms of priorities, the vast
majority of the Israeli public wants Prime Minister and the government concentrate (ph) on the redemption of the living, rather than avenging the
dead, avenging the dead and preventing another October 7.
[11:40:00]
It's critically important, making sure Hamas can never do this again. But, it is the redemption of the living, it seems to me, that most Israelis
want. But then, again, pressure, you have 60 plus in Netanyahu's case two, and the prospects that Itamar Ben-Gvir will rejoin the government because
the war is going to resume, which will mean that this is a government, assuming they passed the budget and the ultra-Orthodox conscription bill
goes through, this government is a keeper for quite some time, and there is going to be no pressure from the Trump administration.
If you look at the first five months, excuse me, five weeks of Donald Trump's relationship with Israel, they have consistently done almost
everything that the Israelis wanted from the Gaza gambit, which has validated the fantasies of the Israeli right wing to releasing the shipment
of 2,000-pound bombs, to canceling the sanctions on and institutions on Israeli settlers of the West Bank, to acquiescing in additional Israeli
settlement activity, to acting against the ICC and defending Israel international force. So, I don't think Trump's calculation is going to
change. Could they change? What would change them? Another humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, pressure from the Arab states. I'm not sure that is
going to be enough.
What could change this, guys, if, in fact, the President of the United States decided, he wanted an Israeli-Saudi normalization agreement, and
changing the pictures in Gaza and getting something for the Palestinians is what MBS wanted. That could -- because it's something Donald Trump wants,
just like the train wreck in the Oval with Mr. Zelenskyy. Every American ally, partner and friend should look at that meeting and conclude that when
Donald Trump wants something and he is opposed by an American friend, partner and ally, he can do all kinds of things in order to get it. So,
that could change his mind. But, short of that, I think we're looking at a resumption of the war with full American support.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. A friend of the show, Amir Tibon, made that same point --
ASHER: Right.
GOLODRYGA: -- in an article in Haaretz that Prime Minister Netanyahu should really look at that Oval Office meeting on Friday and question whether he
could find himself in a similar position somewhere --
ASHER: Yeah. Yeah.
GOLODRYGA: -- down the line.
Aaron David Miller, thank you so much.
MILLER: Thank you.
ASHER: All right. Still to come, and hot, dry winds are fueling wildfires across North and South Carolina. We are live with an update on that
situation next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: At this hour, crews in South Carolina are fighting more than 175 fast-burning fires across the state.
ASHER: The fires are threatening some of the areas still recovering from the disaster left behind from Hurricane Helene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, it's bad enough from Helene, but now we've got this. And -- I mean, the forest, it's just -- it's going to be really bad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: And take a look at this fire near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It's burned about 1,600 acres. That is nearly 650 hectares. Residents who
were evacuated were allowed back to their home Sunday evening.
ASHER: Several fires were also reported in North Carolina. Fortunately, the forecast calls for more humidity and less wind.
Speaking of forecast, Derek van Dam joins us live now with a look at some of this extreme weather that's making its way across the U.S. So, just walk
us through where things stand now, because you've got dozens of wildfires burning across the state. Some of them obviously have been contained. But,
where do things stand now, Derek?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. So, now our focus is on a new extreme fire scenario unfolding today across parts of New Mexico and Texas.
But then there is also a multi-day severe weather setup that will impact the Deep South. The graphic you're looking at directly behind me is
actually for tomorrow. That's when we have our greatest probability of severe weather. But, again, this starts today, and it lasts through the
middle of this workweek.
So, we have a long stretch ahead of us where we will anticipate severe weather and a multitude of weather actually unfolding across the nation's
mid-section. So, here it is. We've got ongoing blizzard conditions across the plains. The severe storms that I said just a moment ago, it's starting
to fire up later today, really focusing into tomorrow, and then our extreme fire risk that is ongoing across parts of New Mexico and Western Texas.
So, let's talk about the winter storm alerts. You can see the millions of Americans millions under winter storm watches, blizzard warnings, where you
see that shading of red. This extends just east of the Denver area. And there is also a lot of wind associated with this. Remember, we've got Mardi
Gras celebrations in New Orleans coming up tomorrow and through the week. So, a lot of wind anticipated throughout this area. It could gust over 60
miles per hour with some of the latest updates we're seeing, and then with all of this wind and energy and the dry conditions that are in place, this
could fuel some erratic and extreme fire behavior as well, particularly across this shading of purple, Albuquerque, Roswell, all the way to El
Paso, Texas.
So, what's the culprit? It's this deep cold front that is moving eastward across the country. Look how it is, the harbinger of these thunderstorms
that will fire up from Little Rock to Shreveport in New Orleans. This area here that we've highlighted in hash between Shreveport and Jackson, we get
winds over 111 miles per hour with any tornados that actually develop within that area. But, just to give you an idea how the storm moves
eastward, storms, thunderstorms that could be severe move to the East Coast by Wednesday. So, here it is, Zain, Bianna, three days of severe weather
anticipated across the eastern two thirds of the country. Very, very busy.
GOLODRYGA: And busy and wet and potentially dangerous week there.
Derek Van Dam in our very snazzy and sophisticated there --
DAM: Yeah.
GOLODRYGA: -- at weather studio.
DAM: That's right.
GOLODRYGA: We like it, Derek.
DAM: Brand new.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you.
DAM: Lots more to come.
GOLODRYGA: Great. Thanks.
ASHER: All right. Still to come, how a small independent film that just cost $6 million to make managed to beat all the big shots and win at the
Oscars. That story and other highlights from Hollywood's biggest night coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Everyone said it was going to be a wild unpredictable night at the Academy Awards.
GOLODRYGA: And it turned out to be a wild unpredictable night. It turned out to be the Anora show, actually. A small independent film about a
stripper who marries the son of a Russian oligarch sept Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and more, as it won five Oscars total. The most
nominated film, Emila Perez, only managed two wins for Best Original Song and for Best Supporting Actress, Zoe Saldana.
ASHER: Let's bring in CNN Entertainment Correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister with more. So, some great moments. Obviously, everyone is talking about
Anora. Bianna and I haven't seen it, but I'm going to see it this week, I promise, because it did so well, the little sort of film that could. But,
there were some other great moments. I mean, that kiss with Halle Berry and Adrien Brody on the red carpet recreating what we saw 20 years ago.
GOLODRYGA: Which, by the way, she hasn't aged. I don't know her age.
ASHER: I understand it. I love that. I was saying earlier that I loved that his girlfriend just watched and just clapped, as the most beautiful woman
in the world is kissing my man, I'm just going to clap.
GOLODRYGA: It's acting. I'll sure go with that.
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: She knew that we needed this pop culture moment. That's why Georgina Chapman said, it's OK.
You can go kiss him. But, for those who may not understand this pop culture reference, one of the most infamous moments in Oscar history was back in
2003 when Adrien Brody won his first Oscar and Halle Berry presented him, there we see it, and he planted a big kiss on her lips on stage, and she
was shocked. It didn't go over so well in the moment more than 20 years ago, but clearly, everything is good now. They had a lot of fun on the
carpet. You both have to see Anora.
But, for now, let's take a closer look at some of the big winners and some of the other big moments from last night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anora.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): It was Anora's night, the (inaudible) R-rated story of a sex worker who falls for the son of a Russian oligarch and
battles his disapproving family, took five awards, including Best Picture.
SEAN BAKER, WTITER/DIRECTOR, "ANORA": I want to thank the sex worker community. They have shared their stories. They have shared their life
experience with me over the years. My deepest respect.
MIKEY MADISON, BEXT ACTRESS, "ANORA": Wow. This is very surreal.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): The film star, Mikey Madison, winning Best Actress, depriving industry veteran and frontrunner Demi Moore of her first
Oscar.
CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, OSCARS 2025: You know, Anora is having a good night.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): The film leading to host Conan O'Brien's only political joke of the night.
O'BRIEN: guess Americans are excited to see somebody finally stand up to a powerful Russian.
ADRIEN BRODY, BEST ACTOR, "THE BRUTALIST": I pray for a healthier and a happier and a more inclusive world.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Calling out antisemitism and racism, Adrien Brody became the 11th person in Oscar's history to win twice for Best Actor,
beating Timothee Chalamet, who won the SAG award a week ago.
ZOE SALDANA, WINNER, BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: My mom is here.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Zoe Saldana completed her award season sweep, taking Best Supporting Actress for Emila Perez and honoring her immigrant
parents.
SALDANA: And I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award, and I know I will not be the last.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Saldana's co-star Karla Sofia Gascon attended the Oscars after a series of offensive tweets from years ago derailed her Best
Actress campaign.
[11:5:00]
O'BRIEN: And Karla, if you are going to tweet about the Oscars, remember, my name is Jimmy Kimmel.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): O'Brien getting rave reviews for a hilarious monolog.
O'BRIEN: We have some footage of Amazon Chief Jeff Bezos arriving tonight on the red carpet. This is great. Let's see if we can get out there, and
here he comes. And yeah, there he is.
WAGMEISTER (voice-over): The night kicked off with a wickedly good performance. Nominees Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande may not have won
Oscars, but their voices certainly struck gold.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WAGMEISTER: I mean, that note, I just get the chills every time. Cynthia Erivo's voice is absolutely incredible. Now, another powerful moment was
during Adrien Brody's acceptance speech last night. He called out antisemitism and hate and racism. And what's really interesting about this
is, when he won his first Oscar more than 20 years ago for "The Pianist", he played a Holocaust survivor, and in "The Brutalist", he also plays a
Holocaust survivor. So, some important representation there in both films and two decades apart, but also him really taking a stand when he got to
that podium.
ASHER: I mean, he still got it.
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
ASHER: Just -- you remember The Pianist". He was amazing in that and then two decades later to come back and to dominate yet again and -- yeah, you
were right, Elizabeth. I mean, his speech was really moving and really touching, especially when you consider what's going on in the world.
Elizabeth Wagmeister, we have to leave it there.
GOLODRYGA: We will work on being cultural voids. We will watch Anora --
ASHER: But watch Anora.
GOLODRYGA: -- and all the other movies. We don't want to disappoint you, Elizabeth.
(CROSSTALK)
ASHER: Did you watch all of that, Elizabeth?
WAGMEISTER: Well, I mean, of course.
ASHER: Did you watch all of them --
WAGMEISTER: Of course.
ASHER: -- all the nominations? It's your job, I guess.
WAGMEISTER: I have to and I write too.
(CROSSTALK)
GOLODRYGA: You looked amazing last night too, Elizabeth. Thank you.
ASHER: Thank you, darling.
WAGMEISTER: Thank you so much.
ASHER: All right. Still ahead on One World, as U.S. officials step up their defense of President Trump following that really difficult, that
understatement, Oval Office meeting with President Zelenskyy, a new poll shows that more than half of Americans are backing Ukraine in its fight
against Russia. Next hour on CNN, Harry Enten breaks down the poll and shows us how public opinion has shifted since the conflict started.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (Interpreted): If I am to be changed and I'll hear, how can I put it, with what's happening with the
support, it will not be easy, because it is not enough to simply hold elections. You would have to prevent me from participating in the
elections, and it will be a bit more difficult. You will have to negotiate with me, and I said that I am exchanging it for NATO membership, and then
it means I have fulfilled my mission.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: We'll speak with CNN Senior Military Analyst and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, James Stavridis, about the fallout from that
shocking White House meeting and what it means for the future of Ukraine and NATO perhaps. Stay with us. One World will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
