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Zelenskyy Remains Defiant: No Option But To Win Fight Against Russia; Top US Humanitarian Official To Travel To Middle East This Week; Hijacked At Sea. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired February 25, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin in Ukraine where the war is now in its third year. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remaining defiant and telling the world that there is no option but to win the fight against Russia.

And in a rare admission, Zelenskyy said 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died since the war began. CNN cannot independently verify that figure, but US officials estimate that the death toll could be much higher, closer to 70,000 soldiers.

On the frontlines, Ukraine's weapons and ammunition are running desperately low and right now, there doesn't appear to be much hope that more US aid is coming quickly.

At a press conference earlier in Kyiv, CNN's Kaitlan Collins asked Zelenskyy about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It has been two years now obviously since this war started, but for the first time since Russia invaded, US aid to Ukraine is seriously in doubt, that a total standstill in Congress. Do you still have faith in the US Congress?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Well, we do have hopes for the Congress. I am sure there will be a positive decision because otherwise, it will leave me wondering what kind of world we are living in, because of that, we do count on Congress support.

We do know, we need this support within a month. I met the leader of both parties in different formats and the president, those with power, those in the positions know it. They know that our request has been to get this assistance in a month. They know that.

As regards to aerial defenses, we do know -- they don't know we need more. If we speak about that today. But well, anyway, most of the money will be left in the US with companies producing the types of weapons we need, so let us not forget about that. This is not about price.

Regarding the Congress, the war in Ukraine, there are certain steps like security guarantees where some very specific concrete things. There is a very serious specific, concrete things about money and we do see the challenges in the US, but we do count on the US remaining the leader of the democracy worldwide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, we've got full coverage of today's developments. Let's get started with Kaitlan Collins.

Kaitlan, after that press conference, you had a one on one with President Zelenskyy. What did you say?

COLLINS: Yes, we went further into that conversation about US aid because there are so many conversations here at this moment that they had, of course, marking two years since Russia invaded Ukraine. Obviously, a lot of different dynamics at play when it comes to the mobilization of the draft here, what their next tactic is on the battlefield.

Zelenskyy replacing his top general with someone new, a new commander- in-chief, but really everything has centered on this conversation about US aid and what is going to happen because Zelenskyy obviously has been to Washington many times. He has made these appeals to the US Congress, but what we know is the reality on the ground in Washington is that right now, it's at a total standstill, and that $60 billion, it was in the package that was passed by the US Senate has gotten nowhere in the House and the House is on a two-week recess still as of this moment, and so it hasn't shifted at all. Speaker Mike Johnson hasn't made clear what he's going to do with it.

And so we talked about some of the claims that were made by lawmakers here, including one by a US lawmaker who I should note, voted against this aid package, and this is what Zelenskyy said in response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Senator JD Vance, who was in Munich at the security conference, but didn't meet with you. He said that even if you got the $60 billion in aid, it is not going to fundamentally change the reality on the battlefield. What's your response to that?

ZELENSKYY: I'm not sure that he understands what's going on here and we don't need any rhetoric from people who are not deeply in the war. So to understand that is to come to the frontline to see what's going on, to speak with the people, then to go to civilians to understand what will be with them and that what will be done without this support and he will understand that millions of people have been killed -- will be killed.

COLLINS: So, he doesn't understand it.

Zelenskyy Because he doesn't understand it. Of course, God bless you don't have the war on your territory. (END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:05:06]

COLLINS: So, that is his response to a senator who is against sending any more aid to Ukraine, Senator JD Vance, obviously. But one thing that Zelenskyy has also been contending with is he has been meeting with lawmakers who do support sending more aid to Ukraine.

Senator Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate was just here in recent days, Fred, so have been Republicans in the House like Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania who has introduced his own bill to try to get aid to Ukraine passed.

And so Zelenskyy says he is relying on those kinds of conversations when he says he does have hope for the US Congress, that there will be more US aid, but what he is also making very clear are the implications and what is going to happen on the battlefield if they don't get any more US aid, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Right. He is making it very clear. While he doesn't wish this on anyone, he also seems to understand that unless you're in his shoes, do you really -- or any of the Ukrainians' shoes do you -- can you sometimes really understand what they're going through?

Well, he is making his pleas loud and clear in so many ways. Thanks so much, Kaitlan. Of course, we're going to continue to watch and look forward to seeing your entire one-on-one interview with President Zelenskyy tomorrow night at nine Eastern on "The Source" with Kaitlan Collins.

All right, let's talk more about this. Priscilla Alvarez is at the White House.

So Priscilla, what kind of response is coming from the White House?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, the White House is continuing to ramp up its pressure on Republicans and particularly putting a focus on House Republicans because as you heard there from Kaitlan, the Senate passed a foreign aid package with those $60 billion in additional aid to Ukraine, but it remains stalled in the House which has been on recess.

But today, the National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan went a step further and called out House Speaker Mike Johnson by name.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The reality is that Putin gains every day that Ukraine does not get the resources it needs, and Ukraine suffers and there is a strong bipartisan majority in the House standing ready to pass this bill if it comes to the floor and that decision rests on the shoulders of one person, and history is watching whether Speaker Johnson will put that bill on the floor. If he does, it will pass. We'll get Ukraine what it needs for Ukraine to succeed. If he doesn't, then we will not be able to give Ukraine the tools required for it to stand up to Russia and Putin will be the major beneficiary of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: Now, the White House asked for this $60 billion in additional funding last year. And since then, over and over, President Biden has framed this not only as support for Ukraine, but also as a matter of national security for the United States.

And in recent days, White House officials have been linking battlefield losses in Ukraine directly to congressional inaction, especially last week when Ukraine had to pull out of a town because they were low on ammunition. So the US making clear here, what happens if this aid doesn't get to Ukraine. Of course, the White House is limited and what they can do, what they have been doing over the course of the weekend, the president in particular is reaffirming US support for Ukraine in talks with US allies.

But here at home, the pressure this week is still on House Republicans, the White House trying to get them to take up that bill.

WHITFIELD: All right, Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much.

We're also following major new developments today out of the Middle East, hostage negotiations are now scheduled to resume tomorrow in Qatar after positive talks in Paris.

The White House says negotiators have come to an understanding on some basic contours of a deal to bring Israeli hostages home from Gaza.

Hamas has not yet signed off on the potential deal, and officials warn that there are still key hurdles to clear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SULLIVAN: The representatives of Israel, the United States, Egypt and Qatar met in Paris and came to an understanding among the four of them about what the basic contours of a hostage deal for temporary ceasefire would look like.

I'm not going to go into the specifics of that because it is still under negotiation in terms of hammering out the details of it. There will have to be indirect discussions by Qatar and Egypt with Hamas because ultimately they will have to agree to release the hostages. That work is underway, and we hope that in the coming days, we can drive to a point where there is actually a firm and final agreement on this issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: As negotiations continue, the US is sending its top humanitarian aid official to the region. There, she will meet with Israeli, Palestinian Authority members, and Jordanian government officials to discuss the urgent need for critical supplies in Gaza.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is tracking all of the latest. Jeremy, what are Israeli officials saying about these hostage negotiations? Are they more hopeful than any other time?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is certainly clear that we are in a very different place that we were at the beginning of last week, Fred, when it seemed like we were at a standstill in these negotiations.

Now, there is at least some real discussion happening, several of very serious meetings including that latest summit in Paris and it appears that the Israeli delegation that traveled to Paris on Friday returned to Israel yesterday with at least a guarded sense of optimism feeling like they didn't come back empty handed.

[15:10:13]

DIAMOND: The Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi saying that he felt like it might be possible to move forward. That was based on the impressions of that negotiating team.

The Israeli prime minister for his part says that he believes that a deal can be made, but that it depends on Hamas moving off what he has described as Hamas' delusional demands.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We're all working on it. We want it, I want it, because we want to liberate the remaining hostages, we have already brought half of them back. And I appreciate the effort, the combined effort of Israel, the United States to bring back the remaining hostages.

I can't tell you if we'll have it, but if Hamas goes down from its delusional claims, and goes down in bring them down to earth, then we'll have the progress that we all want.

Hamas started out with just crazy demands and you know, it's too soon to say if they've abandoned them, but if they do abandon them and get into what you call the ballpark, they are not even in the city, they are in another planet. But if they come down to a reasonable situation, then yes, we'll have our hostages, I hope so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: So not a lot of detail there from the Israeli prime minister, but there is clearly some momentum here. Israeli set to send the delegation to Doha, Qatar tomorrow to continue these negotiations.

We understand that it will be a working level officials, working on some of the technical issues of this deal, but the Israeli prime minister also making very clear that if there is not a deal in the coming weeks, that Israeli forces will move into that southernmost city of Gaza of Rafah where one-and-a-half million Palestinians are currently sheltering. The Israeli military currently reviewing plans for a military offensive there and also to evacuate the civilians there, something the Israeli prime minister says he is committed to doing -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes, lots of things hanging in the balance there.

Jeremy Diamond and Priscilla Alvarez at the White House as well, thanks to both of you.

Let's talk more about the situation again in Ukraine, where we heard in an interview with our Kaitlan Collins that President Zelenskyy is saying it's imperative to try to get more US aid.

Steve Hall is a CNN national security analyst and a former CIA chief of Russia operations.

Steve, great to see you.

So let's begin with Zelenskyy's comments, not only making the plea to the Western community, including the US for more aid, but he is also saying that the losses have been great, some 30,000 soldiers have been lost, but US officials are claiming that number is much higher, maybe even double somewhere around 70,000.

Either way, it's a significant loss to that country, but they seem to maintain a hopefulness that they actually can win against Russia. What do you think?

STEVE HALL, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: You know, all of us have been talking about this, Fred, for the past couple of years. And you know, every Russia watcher that I know, has been wildly off about something. So it's really, really hard to predict.

You remember, at the beginning of this, we were all like, oh, geez, you know, Moscow is going to overrun Kyiv here in a number of days, and then that didn't happen, it was very embarrassing for the Russians.

So this is going to be a long war. It is going to go back and forth, back and forth. But one thing that Zelenskyy is absolutely right about is if they do not receive the aid and the assistance from the West and more specifically from the United States, it is going to be either very, very difficult or almost impossible for them to actually protect territorially all of Ukraine, and I think that's what has Zelenskyy worried, not to mention, at least some Western and US politicians.

WHITFIELD: Yes, Putin is watching this. And of course, he's finding -- he is going to look for moments in which to gain some momentum or take advantage of this kind of public discussion about the deficit that Ukraine is feeling.

So how is Russia pivoting? You know, changing its strategy on a dime on a constant, as the world talks about what aid is or isn't going the way of Ukraine?

HALL: Well, first of all, this has been a very good couple of weeks for Vladimir Putin. I think we can see that just in his demeanor, in what he has done and said.

I think Vladimir Putin is now beginning to be able to tell all of those doubters and by doubters, I don't mean people in the streets who might be protesting, I mean, those around him, you know, his innermost circle who might have said, geez, is this really going to work?

Initially, he was essentially saying, look over the long run, if we hold in there, the West and the United States specifically will lose focus, they'll lose their nerve, they will stop supporting Ukraine one way or another, just have patience. Well, now two years later, he can say look, the patience is beginning to pay off. It's up to the West again to show him that he's wrong, but I think he's feeling very good about things and will continue along the same path that really, he has been continuing since the very beginning.

WHITFIELD: And Put has reason to believe he should feel good leading up to elections, which are just coming up in a few weeks?

[15:15:11]

I mean, obviously he has no challengers, but what is his disposition here?

HALL: Again, I think very positive.

You know, elections are election in name. It is ridiculous in Russia, it is already -- it is all predetermined. It is just pageantry. That said, it is also politically sensitive because people can come out and protest and so forth.

That said, who is left to come out and protest? Who is going to lead that? Navalny? No. He is dead. All the other oppositionists, the serious ones, he has either taken off the chessboard by killing them or just marginalized them and managed to penetrate the organization so they can't be effective.

So again, I think he is feeling very, very good about that, and again, he has no problem whatsoever sending hundreds of thousands of young Russian men to their death so that they can win Ukraine, and until Russian society says were not going to put up with that, it is looking very good for Vladimir Putin personally as well as how it is going in Ukraine.

WHITFIELD: All right, Steve Hall, we will leave it there. Thanks so much.

HALL: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right, very frightening, an American couple is believed dead after their boat was allegedly hijacked by three prison escapees.

Coming up, what investigators are saying about the case.

And a migrant welcome center in San Diego has closed its doors after running out of funds. Still ahead, the chaos it has created for the community and the migrants looking for a better life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:20:51] WHITFIELD: A Virginia couple may have been killed after their yacht was allegedly hijacked in Grenada by three escaped prisoners. Police in Grenada say the suspects are back in custody and cooperating with the investigation.

Joining me right now is CNN correspondent, Polo Sandoval. What do we know about what happened?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So you know, Fred, there are still a lot of information missing coming from authorities. So we've actually reached out to the family of this couple that authorities fear may have been killed recently, and here is what I can tell you about Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry according to their sons, who I had a chance to speak to a few moments ago, Kathy and Ralph had been preparing and saving for years to go on what's been described as an adventure sailing their catamaran from Virginia to the Caribbean.

In fact, they had sold their home -- this ship, this vessel rather, was their home, according to Nick Buro, Kathy's son, everything they owned was on this vessel. And according to what they have been told by authorities, they were in Grenada, that is when authorities believed that three individuals that were in custody on a nonrelated case, apparently escaped custody. Authorities believe that they then hijacked Kathy and Ralph's vessel.

And it wasn't until this past Wednesday that they've located that catamaran on or near St Vincent, and those three individuals that are in custody and we are told are speaking to authorities right now.

This map will give you a sense of where the Simplicity was found, and according to Kathy's son, they had again been preparing for this. The family still holding on to hope, the family has been told that there is still an ongoing search in and around St. Vincent for any possible signs of Kathy and Ralph.

However, they are also coming to terms with the possibility and based on what they've been told by investigators there in the Caribbean, that this may have a negative outcome, a tragic one that they may no longer be alive, and here are the two key reasons why their sons tell me that they believe that that might be the outcome here.

Not only were items reportedly taken from the boat and found on these individuals that are in custody, but also there was blood that was located on that catamaran and possible signs of violence, a struggle, a clear indication that their parents may have been injured.

So again, they're holding on to hope, but they are certainly preparing for the worst possible outcome for this Virginia couple that is currently still missing, presumed or feared, I should say dead in the Caribbean.

WHITFIELD: How awful. All right, Polo Sandoval, thank you.

SANDOVAL: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: A San Diego migrant center closes after running out of funding. Adult migrants released by Border Patrol would use the center to make travel arrangements to other destinations. And now, San Diego County says after spending $6 million in five months, they can no longer keep the center open.

I'd like to bring in now CNN national correspondent, Camila Bernal. Camila, what happens now?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred, so now that the Migrant Welcome Center is closed, what happens is that Border Patrol agents go back to doing what they were doing before it was opened, and that is dropping off these adult migrants at a Transit Center in San Ysidro, California.

But this exposes the problem and it has been criticized and people are wondering, you know, who then is responsible for these migrants after they're processed and released by Border Patrol agents? There are some that have said that it is not safe to have these migrants being dropped off at the transit center, especially when you're talking about dozens and dozens of migrants dropped off at the same time.

Now, keep in mind those $6 million came after the County of San Diego declared a humanitarian crisis because of an influx of migrants crossing in this area and the nonprofit groups that we've talked to have told us, yes, they've seen an increase, they saw a decrease at some point and have again been seeing those numbers go up.

It takes about a million-and-a-half dollars to run a center like this every month. That's according to the nonprofit that ran the Welcome Center. This was an area where migrants would just go for a couple of hours. They would maybe have a meal, Wi-Fi, and make those travel arrangements to go somewhere else in the US, but now, what they're saying is the more migrants you have, the more money it takes to accommodate them, and they do not have the money.

[15:25:14]

The County of San Diego says that they've exhausted all of their options. They're asking the federal government for help, but have not received a response.

So if San Diego is not paying for it, if the federal government is not paying for it, well, then it has to remain closed because there is no money.

So it, of course impacts the County of San Diego, but it also impacts the migrants who now don't have those resources after they are released from Border Patrol custody, but they will, of course, have to go through that asylum process, so it not just releasing migrants that crossed after or after they've crossed. They do have to go through that process and they have been processed by Border Patrol -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Camila Bernal, thanks so much.

BERNAL: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Straight ahead, Republican presidential candidate, Nikki Haley is looking to Michigan with hopes of turning her campaign around. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:12]

WHITFIELD: All right, Donald Trump's march toward the GOP presidential nomination continues following another landslide primary win.

The former president easily defeated Nikki Haley in her home state of South Carolina winning by 20 points. He has now swept all of the GOP nomination contests to date.

Trump's overwhelming victory last night gave him even more of a decisive lead over the former South Carolina governor, but Haley is vowing to continue her campaign fight at least through Super Tuesday, which is nine days from now.

Joining me to talk about all of this and more is Sabrina Siddiqui. She is a White House reporter for The Wall Street Journal.

Also with me is Mychael Schnell. She is a congressional reporter for "The Hill." Great to see both of you.

So Sabrina, you first.

As expected Trump, you know, won big in South Carolina, but Nikki Haley is vowing to you know, push on. This must be welcome news for the Biden campaign, right, to see Haley continue to attack Trump and sometimes splitting Trump's focus?

SABRINA SIDDIQUI, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": Absolutely, because it is otherwise not clear what former Governor Haley's path to the nomination is. And in fact, the voters that she is seeking to appeal to, more moderate Republicans or Independents are the types of voters who the Biden campaign would also hope to secure support from in the November general election and that's actually been the primary challenge for Haley that primaries are not typically decided by the voters that she is garnering support from. They are usually determined by the Republican base, which as we've seen, is firmly behind former President Trump.

I mean, you mentioned that he has swept virtually every early nominating contest so far. He is favored to win going into the Michigan primary as well as most of the Super Tuesday states. So, it is not really clear that Nikki Haley has a path and it very much seems the writing is on the wall, even if to Trump's frustration, she refuses to drop out.

WHITFIELD: And Mychael, the race in Michigan, you know, well, Biden has his own challenges, right? Some Democratic politicians, activist groups, unhappy about Biden's position on the Israel-Hamas conflict are pushing for Democratic voters to choose the option "uncommitted" on Tuesday's ballot. How much of an impact might this make for Biden?

MYCHAEL SCHNELL, "CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, "THE HILL." Yes, we saw Congresswoman Tlaib saying that in her home state, urging folks to vote uncommitted and not for the president. Of course, they have had their fair share of battles, particularly in the past few months since the October attack Hamas against Israel.

Look, this is not something that Biden campaign wants, obviously, as the incumbent, they would want an easy glide to the nomination without these difficulties left and right. But at the end of the day, I don't think it's going to really have a big effect.

Biden, of course, is the incumbent. He has support from a wide majority of the Democratic Party. There may be some outliers here and there who are voicing concern with his policy and how he has acted on certain issues, particularly this issue of the Israel-Hamas war.

But at the end of the day, I think that Biden is going to be fine. He is going to have plenty of support there in Michigan, and his eyes will then be -- the focus will be on November when those states weigh in against whoever the Republican nominee is, of course, the expectation it will be Trump.

WHITFIELD: And, Mychael, while I have you, let's shift gears to Capitol Hill. Lawmakers facing another Friday deadline to avoid a government shutdown. Does it appear House Speaker Johnson can once again find a last-minute compromise and avoid a catastrophic government shutdown?

SCHNELL: Yes, Fred, we're back here again. This is the fourth time this Congress that lawmakers are finding themselves up against this government funding deadline, the potential for a partial government shutdown on Friday.

Look, some folks thought that we could maybe see those compromise government funding bills be released today, but I've been talking to sources throughout the day. The expectation is that we will not see those pieces of legislation today, which is not a great sign for the race to fund the government by Friday.

We need to see those bills, see how much support they have, and then we have to see House Speaker Johnson handles them in the House. So the longer that we take to actually see this legislation, it does no favors for staving off a shutdown. But look, on those three previous times, we found ourselves up against a deadline.

Congress has found a way to fund the government. Oftentimes you don't see too much movement until you're right up against that deadline in Washington. The week is plenty of time to get something done. But right now, lawmakers are definitely behind the eight ball and there's still plenty of work to be done.

WHITFIELD: Okay, and Sabrina, abortion was already expected to play a major role in the November election, and now this, I mean this week, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children under state law so what are you hearing from lawmakers and the Biden campaign about how this divisive issue might impact the general?

[15:35:15] SIDDIQUI: Well, I think that abortion and just reproductive rights more broadly is going to be a centerpiece of the Biden campaign's messaging, as well as the messaging for the Democratic Party. It's an issue they do really well on you.

We saw that, of course, in the 2022 midterm elections when abortion is a key reason why Democrats outperformed expectations and Republicans are all over the place on this issue.

I mean, we've seen them dance around, you know, at what point would they support a ban on abortion? And now you have this issue of IVF, where you've already had some Republicans walk back statements on the ruling in Alabama, because, you know, IVF is how millions of people have become parents across the country, so it runs counter to the pro- life messaging within the Republican Party to suggest that you would support any policy that would crack down on access to IVF treatment.

So this is something that I think the Republicans would much rather not be a focal point in the campaign season. But Democrats, I think you could absolutely expect them to really hammer the GOP on this issue and for abortion to be a feature of their campaign.

WHITFIELD: All right, we'll leave it there. Sabrina Siddiqui, Mychael Schnell, great to see both of you. Have a great week.

SCHNELL: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, so Michigan voters are planning to protest the war in Gaza with their votes. Coming up, how these voters are using Tuesday's primary to send President Biden a warning. More on that, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:40:58]

WHITFIELD: Ahead of Tuesday's primary in Michigan, more on that movement asking Democrats in Michigan to vote "uncommitted." It's designed to send a message directly to the White House of an opposition to Biden's support of Israel in its conflict with Hamas.

This morning, Governor Gretchen Whitmer addressed that growing movement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): Any vote that's not cast for Joe Biden supports a second Trump term. A second Trump term would be devastating not just on fundamental rights, not just on our democracy here at home, but also when it comes to foreign policy.

This was a man who promoted a Muslim ban. This is, I think, a very high stakes moment I am encouraging people to cast an affirmative vote for President Biden.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: Muslim-Americans helped President Biden win Michigan in 2020. And now his response to Israel's military campaign in Gaza leaves their support up in the air.

CNN's Dianne Gallagher has more on their grassroots effort.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(PROTESTERS changing "Free, Free Palestine.")

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A pivotal November battleground.

LAVORA BARNES, CHAIR, MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY: The road to the White House runs through Michigan, you don't win without Michigan.

GALLAGHER (voice over): But some Democrats are using Tuesday's primary to put President Joe Biden on notice.

LEXI ZEIDAN, PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN ACTIVIST: A warning to Biden and his administration that they need to hear our calls and heed our demands and respond to what it is that we're asking for which is an immediate and a permanent ceasefire.

GALLAGHER (voice over): Using their ballots to protest the president's handling of the war in Gaza by voting "uncommitted" in the Democratic primary.

LAYLA ELABED, CAMPAIGN MANAGER, LISTEN TO MICHIGAN: It's a humanitarian vote. It's a protest vote,

GALLAGHER (voice over): The grassroots Listen to Michigan campaign --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Vote uncommitted.

GALLAGHER (voice over): Launched by members of the state's large Arab- American community just three weeks ago has expanded to count progressives and young voters among its supporters, like Pontiac City councilman, Mikal Goodman.

MIKAL GOODMAN PONTIAC CITY COUNCILMAN: Because we are often told many times that the power that we have as citizens

in the US is through the power of the ballot, and this is us using that power.

No one who is voting uncommitted wants Trump. They want what's happening in Gaza to stop.

GALLAGHER (voice over): More than 30 state and local elected officials endorsed the campaign, as did Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian- American woman to serve in Congress.

REP. RASHIDA TLAIB (D-MI): IF you want us to be louder, then come here and vote uncommitted.

GALLAGHER (voice over): Organizers say for most, today's message is about the primary, but there is lingering warning.

ABBES ALAWIEH, SPOKESMAN, LISTEN TO MICHIGAN: We need to call for a ceasefire, because it will save lives, and because it is the necessary thing to do politically, otherwise, you, President Biden will be handing the White House to Donald Trump.

GALLAGHER (voice over): The Biden campaign has acknowledged Michigan's importance in this election, but allies of the president aren't quite sounding alarms over the uncommitted primary strategy, yet.

BARNES: I'm hoping and expecting that these folks will come vote for Joe Biden in November. But right now, they have an issue they want to draw attention to and it's working. That's why we have an early presidential primary.

GALLAGHER (voice over): The uncommitted campaign's goal is modest.

ELABED: Our threshold is 10,000 uncommitted votes, because that strategy is based off of the numbers that Trump won in 2016 against Hillary Clinton.

GALLAGHER (voice over): In 2020, Biden won Michigan by more than 150,000 votes. But some Biden supporters like former Congressman Andy Levin, say the President's prospects this November are uncertain.

ANDY LEVIN (D), FORMER US REPRESENTATIVE: I mean, I'm going to do everything I can to get him elected in November. All I'm saying is I don't know if we can succeed unless we change course, and by the way, it's the right thing to do.

GALLAGHER (voice over): He says he voted uncommitted in the primary, not because his support for the president is wavering.

LEVIN: Well, I think the great danger for Joe Biden here in the Michigan primary is that he would win with no indication that he has a problem, with no visibility of how angry people are.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Dianne Gallagher, thank you so much.

Still to come, Hollywood's biggest names honored their own at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The moving tribute to one of our favorite funny girls after the break.

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[15:49:37]

WHITFIELD: Oh the stars were shining on the red carpet at the first Screen Actors Guild Awards since the actors strike ended last November. The show is different from others and that there were no commercials, no bleeps, and plenty of time for acceptance speeches because it was streamed on Netflix.

Last night's biggest winners included "Beef," "Oppenheimer," and "The Bear."

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has a look at some of the must see moments.

[15:50:07]

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: We are here on the carpet at the Screen Actors Guild Award where the best in film and television is honored and voted on by the actors themselves, and what a night it was.

Barbra Streisand honored for Lifetime Achievement presented by none other than Jennifer Aniston. Let's take a look at that moment.

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JENNIFER ANISTON, SAG NOMINEE: "Barbra," that's all you have to say and you know. You know. Right? That face, that voice, that talent.

It is a once in a lifetime talent and how lucky that it is in our lifetime.

BARBRA STREISAND, SAG LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER: And to say to my fellow actors, and directors, I've loved working with you, playing with you, and inhabiting that magical world of the movies with you.

And most of all, I want to thank you for giving me so much joy, just watching all of you on the screen.

Thank you for that.

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WAGMEISTER: There was even a reunion with "The Devil Wears Prada" with Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt taking the stage together.

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MERYL STREEP, ACTRESS: It's an age old question, where does the character end and the actor begin?

EMILY BLUNT, ACTRESS: Well, as we've just seen, Meryl and Miranda Priestly are sort of like twins. Right?

STREEP: I don't think I'm anything like Miranda.

ANNE HATHAWAY, ACTRESS: No, no, no. That wasn't a question. It is cute, to be honest.

BLUNT: By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me.

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WAGMEISTER: This is the first major award show to air on a major streaming service with Netflix streaming the SAG Awards globally. That of course, comes on the heels of the SAG strike where actors were fighting for better streaming residuals.

On the carpet, just before the show started, we spoke to SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher about why this night is so momentous. Let's take a look.

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FRAN DRESCHER, PRESIDENT, SAG-AFTRA: It was a very arduous year, unrelenting stress. It demanded a great deal of courage and perseverance and we rose to the occasion.

We held out, we hung in, and we ended victorious. So all's well that ends well. And now, we can celebrate ourselves, and also being on Netflix, where people can see this around the world, which is actually a first.

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WAGMEISTER: Now of course, the SAG Awards are the final Awards show before the Oscars, which is just weeks away.

Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, Los Angeles.

WHITFIELD: Oh, exciting. Thanks so much, Elizabeth. Thank you so much. We'll be right back.

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[15:57:31]

WHITFIELD: His wife had cancer and he had a baby with his girlfriend, all while running for US president.

Jake Tapper has a preview of the shocking story of John Edwards' affair on "United States of Scandal."

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Fred.

This week we're going to take a look at the scandal that brought down former North Carolina Senator and two-time presidential candidate, John Edwards.

Edwards was a crusading trial attorney and family man, once the biggest rising star in the Democratic Party, kind of this John Grisham character comes to life, until an article in a supermarket tabloid revealed that he had an extramarital girlfriend and she was pregnant. And then of course, potential federal campaign violations.

Tonight, you're going to hear from the woman at the heart of it all, Edwards' former girlfriend, Rielle Hunter. This is just some of what she told me. This is what she said about how she first crossed paths with then Senator Edwards.

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TAPPER: You're at the Regency Hotel. RIELLE HUNTER, AUTHOR: Oh, God.

TAPPER: In 2006. Were you there to meet him?

HUNTER: Being there was a fluke.

TAPPER: Was he by himself?

HUNTER: No, he was in a business meeting. I was with my friend. We are at a table and John Edwards was behind her. And he kept looking at me as though he knew me as well, and then we got up and left.

And when we were standing on the corner, John Edwards, turned the corner and saw me there, and he literally like almost jumped into my arms.

And my response, what came out of my mouth was "You're so hot."

TAPPER: And what did he say back?

HUNTER: Well, "I thank you." I said, I can help you. And he said, I want to hear. He said, could -- you know, can you come over?

TAPPER: So you went up to his room?

HUNTER: Yes, I did. Because then, I didn't feel like it was sexual either.

TAPPER: You didn't?

HUNTER: No. I did not.

TAPPER: Because it sounds like there was an attraction. You said, "You're so hot."

HUNTER: I know. I know.

TAPPER: I mean, that's ...

HUNTER: No, I get it. No, I --

TAPPER: ... inherently a little sexual with that.

HUNTER: No, I get it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: You're going to hear more from Rielle about how the relationship unfolded, and then it all came crashing down, taking Edwards' political career with her and with them.

Tonight on "United States of Scandal" -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Big new developments today in the ongoing efforts to bring Israeli hostages home from Gaza.

Sources tell CNN negotiations are set to resume tomorrow in Qatar following progress made during talks in Paris this weekend.

The White House says negotiators have come to an understanding on some basic contours of a deal to bring the hostages home.