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Trump Wins South Carolina Republican Primary; U.S. Military Aid Package Held Up In Congress; U.S. Conducts New Strikes On Houthi Targets; Trump Allies Launch Super PAC To Help Fund Campaign, Legal Bills; China Returning Pandas To San Diego Zoo. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired February 25, 2024 - 05:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:00:37]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST: Hello, and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But now there's a spirit that I have never seen. We ran two great races --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump delivered a huge blow to former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley in her own backyard. We'll look at what the exit polling tells us about Haley's home state loss.

And a U.S.-led coalition launches a fourth round of strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. We'll have the latest on these attacks from the Pentagon.

Plus, panda diplomacy is alive and well. A pair of giant pandas may soon be heading to an American zoo courtesy of China. I'll speak to a representative of the zoo on what it means for them, the pandas, and maybe the rest of us.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: We begin this hour focused on the U.S. Republican presidential race as Super Tuesday looms in just nine days. Michigan will hold its GOP primary on Tuesday. But the big event is on March 5th, that's when Republicans in 15 states, plus the territory of American Samoa will hold nominating contests.

Around a third of the delegates needed to secure the presidential nomination will be distributed. Donald Trump scored a resounding victory Saturday in South Carolina, with an estimated 99% of results in.

Trump has just under 60% of the vote, while Nikki Haley has more than 39%. Sources tell CNN that Trump's team now wants to focus on the general election campaign. He took shots at President Joe Biden in his victory speech. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're going to be up here on November 5th, and we're going to look at Joe Biden, and we're going to look him right in the eye. He's destroying our country, and we're going to say, Joe, you're fired. Get out. Get out, Joe. You're fired.

(CHEERING & APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now, despite being defeated in her home state, Haley's results were still better than the margins she'd received in recent polling. She says she's staying in the race until at least Super Tuesday, warning that Republicans will lose if Trump becomes the GOP nominee. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need to beat Joe Biden in November.

(CHEERING & APPLAUSE)

HALEY: I don't believe Donald Trump can beat Joe Biden.

(CHEERING & APPLAUSE)

HALEY: Nearly every day, Trump drives people away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN has a team of reporters across South Carolina covering all the latest details this morning from both Donald Trump and Nikki Haley's campaigns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Advisors to former President Trump tell me to expect the campaign to pivot to a general election after the South Carolina primary, despite the fact that Nikki Haley is going to remain in the race. They had hope that a resounding win in South Carolina filed following three other resounding wins would help bring Republicans off the fence, would help bring in some of those holdout donors and would also potentially put pressure on Haley to drop out.

But as that isn't the case, I am told that they're going to start having conversations about how to expand their campaign staff, particularly in these critical swing states. And we're talking about states like Michigan, Georgia, Arizona.

I'm also told that there has been a number of efforts to try to get Donald Trump, who is still completely annoyed that Nikki Haley is staying in the race, to focus his ire on President Joe Biden. Now, a senior adviser did tell me they believed that that could be

difficult since they themselves had had to tell Donald Trump multiple times to just ignore her.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nikki Haley telling her supporters on Saturday night that she is a woman of her word that she's going to keep her campaign alive despite losing in South Carolina, her home state. She said her expectation is that she'll get about 40% of the vote in the state. She knows that's not 50%. But she said it's not a tiny amount, that there were voters that were with her. And she also had a bit of a somber tone, saying that South Carolinians are frustrated about the direction that the country is headed in. And she said that she also has those frustrations.

But she said that America will come apart if we make the wrong choices. And she committed to giving the voters on Super Tuesday states the ability to have an option in front of them.

[05:05:08]

We also know according to a campaign email that was sent to donors that she'll be having donor events in every single state that she is visiting as she tries to raise money while she prepares for Super Tuesday. Kylie Atwood, CNN, South Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: So Donald Trump does appear to have a stranglehold on the Republican Party. According to exit polls in South Carolina, well over 85% of Donald Trump voters in South Carolina say they are part of the MAGA movements.

Meanwhile, more than 85% of his voters are calling themselves very conservative. About 75% of Trump voters in the state are white evangelical or born-again Christians, a higher share of the electorate than in either Iowa or New Hampshire. And most South Carolina GOP primary voters like their chances in November, regardless of who's nominated.

Abe Kenmore is a reporter for the South Carolina Daily Gazette and he's in Columbia, South Carolina.

Thanks so much for being here with us early in the morning. So polls showed Donald Trump with a huge lead going into this. For you, any surprise about how he performed last night?

ABE KENMORE, SOUTH CAROLINA DAILY GAZETTE REPORTER: Good morning and thanks for having me. Honestly, not really. Certainly, Donald Trump did a little bit worse than expected or probably more accurate to say Haley did a little bit better than expected.

She was pulling about 36 points down and came out about 20 points down. That's a larger gap than she had in New Hampshire. And she did come into the state saying we have to do better. But she also never promised a victory for her supporters in South Carolina. So coming out of this with 40% of the vote, I think is pretty much

what everyone expected is maybe a slightly better result for Haley than we might have anticipated.

BRUNHUBER: Let's dive into the numbers. I want to take advantage of your regional expertise here. Many eyes were on the independence, so this was an open primary, meaning Democrats and independents could cast ballots. Did we get any insight into whether Trump has done anything to help his cause with these potential swing voters in the general election?

KENMORE: In the events that I saw Trump doing -- I didn't see a whole lot of appeal to swing voters. And in speaking to pollsters and others, I don't see a whole lot of evidence that there was a huge crossover.

There was absolutely an effort to get people who did not vote in the Democrat primary, which had a very small turnout because Joe Biden picked up 96% of the support with almost no effort. There was some effort to get people who didn't vote in the Democrat primary to vote in this primary and get those people to vote specifically for Nikki Haley, presumably more moderate voters, or even liberal voters who simply don't like Donald Trump.

Was there some of that? Probably, particularly given that the polling was focused on likely Republican voters and showed her with a larger gap than she ultimately came out with. Did it really impact the results? Not significantly.

BRUNHUBER: A lot of the focus was on two counties, specifically Charleston and Richland counties, urban counties. We don't have the full picture yet. But did we learn anything about how much support there is for Trump there, which might make a big difference in the general?

KENMORE: To be honest, I have not seen the in-depth numbers yet for either of those counties. So I don't want to speculate. I will say I'm in Richland County in Colombia. I've spoken to people, you know, ran into a decent number of Haley's boards, ran into a lot of hardcore Trump supporters. I think it's -- you've got a mix all across the state. And, you know, Trump keeps saying South Carolina is Trump country. I think that probably holds true most places you go.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. All right. So let's turn to Nikki Haley aside from, you know, her obvious ties to South Carolina as her home state. She spent a lot of time, a lot of money there. Are you surprised by her showing and where do you think she goes from here? Is there any chance that she would make either a Trump Vice President unlikely or a third party run maybe?

KENMORE: I haven't seen any evidence of that. Trump has had several events in South Carolina, but he hates any idea of her as vice president. And she said, I'm not running in this to be vice president. I think that whole notion is pretty unlikely. Particularly because she stuck it out a lot longer than some other people. Senator Tim Scott is another question, but we may get into that later. BRUNHUBER: Well, OK, you raised it, so let me ask you about that

because, I mean, you know, he might be the real winner here. He seems to be pretty openly making his case for vice president. Donald Trump has certainly extolled his virtue as a surrogate and as a hype man throughout the election there so far. Do you think he has a shot?

[05:10:13]

KENMORE: Absolutely. And Trump held a town hall with Fox News on Tuesday in Greenville, South Carolina, and was asked, Tim Scott was there. He was asked about Tim Scott potentially being on the list along with some other top names, Kristi Noem, I want to say, Ramaswamy, some other people.

And he said, yes, all, you know, we're considering all those people. So is Scott in the running? Absolutely. But also Trump kind of hedged on when he would make that pick or if he's going to make that pick. I know Governor McMaster, who's a longtime Trump supporter here in South Carolina, yesterday was asked about Tim Scott and he sort of said, well, I haven't had any questions -- conversations with the president.

So Trump and his supporters seem to be still hedging their bets. But it's absolutely, Tim is absolutely on the table.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. Well, we'll get a lot more answers, I expect, in Super Tuesday coming up, but really appreciate getting your analysis from South Carolina. Abe Kenmore, thanks so much for joining us.

KENMORE: Thank you for having me.

BRUNHUBER: And the Biden campaign wasted no time to use Trump's primary win in South Carolina as a fundraising opportunity, saying Donald Trump is, quote, "clearly positioned to become his party's nominee."

Now, the fundraising email reads, "We know who Donald Trump is and we know what he does. Heck, we know that he is willing to sacrifice our democracy to put himself in power."

And the Biden administration, the Biden campaign, rather, hasn't formally weighed into the results yet.

Ukraine is now officially into year three of its brutal war with Russia. In Kyiv on Saturday, flags waved to remember those killed or wounded. Residents show their patriotism to war their country and joined in the hope that the war will end soon.

Of course, one big factor in the war ending anytime soon is getting desperately needed military aid from Western nations. So as it stands now, ammunition and equipment is in short supply, even as fighting rages.

So as the country marked the grim two-year anniversary of Russia's all-out invasion, a number of Western leaders went to Kyiv to show their solidarity and pledge their support. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: Ukraine must have the means to defend itself today. But also for tomorrow, Ukraine needs the capabilities to deter future attacks by Russia. This is crucial for your security, and of course for the security of Europe as a whole.

We will open a Defense Innovation Office here in Kyiv. And finally, we keep on working on security commitments, as we just heard for Ukraine, all in close cooperation with G7 partners. Of course the best security guarantee will be the membership of the European Union.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: In a virtual meeting of G7 leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made it clear that Ukraine needs support from its allies to sustain the war effort. G7 leaders including President Biden insured Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people that they will support Ukraine, quote, "as long as it takes."

Meanwhile, Russia has handed over the body of opposition leader Alexei Navalny according to a spokesperson for the Kremlin critic. Funeral arrangements are still pending. The spokesperson earlier accused a Russian investigator of pressuring Navalny's mother to agree to a secret burial.

And at least 49 people have been detained following a series of protests in Russia according to a human rights group. The demonstrations ranged from protesting the war in Ukraine to commemorating Navalny. The anti-corruption campaigner died February 16th at a prison colony north of the Arctic Circle.

CNN's Sebastian Shukla is in Berlin. So, I mentioned President Zelenskyy talking about Ukraine's need for support from Western partners. Are they delivering?

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Yeah, Kim, the top of President Zelenskyy's inbox right now is aid and ammunition, which his forces are severely depleted by at the moment. They are having to resort on the front lines to what they call active defense, which is essentially trying to inflict as much damage on the Russians while protecting themselves as much as they can.

Now, there is aid that is forthcoming. European leaders have pledged 50 billion dollars, but the main tranche, the biggest tranche, the most important is going to come from the United States, where 60 billion dollars of aid is still stuck in Congress and -- that is being held up by Republicans. And whilst that bill is still stuck there, no ammunition will flow between the United States and Ukraine, which will have and will hamper Ukraine's ability to make any changes on the front line. Kim.

[05:15:11]

BRUNHUBER: All right, and Seb, what more are we learning about anti- Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's body being handed over to his mother?

SHUKLA: Yeah, so Alexei Navalny's body who died -- he died in that Arctic penal colony last Friday, has now returned or is now in the hands of his family. Details about what will take place now, you know, vis-a-vis a funeral are yet to be forthcoming.

But before Navalny's body was handed over, his wife, Yuliya Navalnaya, made an impassioned video statement where she called on the hypocrisy of President Putin, somebody who likes to portray himself as having deep Christian values.

And she said that no Christian would do this. She referred to the way the Kremlin had kept Alexei Navalny's body as Satanism. And so now the focus will turn, though, to where Alexei Navalny will be buried. We believe it will be somewhere in Moscow. There were two places, two cemeteries where discussions based around where he would finally be laid to rest. We know one of them was ruled out. But the issue will be for the Kremlin, they have tried to suppress any public support or outpourings of grief in Russia. Will they allow a more public funeral to take place? But because that is the one thing that Navalny's family and his aides have said, people need to be able to say goodbye properly to the former Russian dissident leader.

BRUNHUBER: All right, thanks so much. Sebastian Shukla in Berlin. Appreciate that.

Any round of U.S. and U.K. airstrikes in Yemen and a message about them from the U.S. Secretary of Defense, we have the latest just ahead.

Plus, more than a dozen anti-government protesters have been arrested in Israel, as calls for Prime Minister Netanyahu's resignation grow more fervent. That's all coming up.

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[05:21:08]

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. and the U.K. have carried out a fourth round of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. U.S. officials tell CNN the strikes hammered dozens of targets in multiple locations. And the U.S. Defense Secretary says Houthis, quote, "will bear the consequences if they continue attacking commercial shipping in the region." CNN Pentagon Correspondent Oren Liebermann has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. and the U.K. carried out another round of strikes -- coalition strikes, against Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday night, Yemen time, after a number of recent attacks from the Houthis have hit ships associated with the U.S. and the U.K.

In this case, the U.S. and the U.K. struck 18 different targets across eight different locations. Those targets included weaponry used by the Houthis, underground storage facility for that weaponry, radar sites, and more.

The goal here, as it has been now for several months, is to try to degrade and disrupt the ability of the Houthis to attack commercial vessels. These attacks carried out by aircraft and perhaps other assets as well.

In this statement we saw from the coalition that took part in this, that includes the U.S., the U.K., Canada, the Netherlands, Bahrain, and others, it specifically lists some of the ships that were hit recently, including the Rubymar. That's a ship associated with the U.K. that's now anchored in the Red Sea. It is apparently the first ship whose crew had to be rescued and abandoned ship. Because it was struck by a Houthi attack, it has now left an 18-mile oil slick as it poses an environmental hazard and sits there because U.S. officials say it's not safe enough to go rescue it because of the threat of more attacks from the Iran-backed rebel group.

Part of the challenge here is that U.S. officials have acknowledged the ongoing strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, the attempts to degrade their weaponry and take some of that away, have been unsuccessful and haven't changed the Houthi's direction here. They continue to launch these attacks. And what makes it difficult is that the U.S. doesn't have a great sense of how much more weaponry and equipment the Houthis have. That's because Iran continues to try to resupply them.

Still, the Biden administration has made clear, as has the Pentagon, that if the attacks on commercial vessels in one of the world's most critical waterways continue, so too will the U.S. strikes and the U.K., as we now here see this fourth round of coalition strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. Oren Liebermann, CNN, at the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Pressure is mounting on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to secure the freedom of the hostages.

You see, there are thousands of anti-government protesters turned out in Tel Aviv on Saturday where at least 18 people were arrested, say Israeli police. Many of the demonstrators are calling on Netanyahu to resign and are accusing him of not taking responsibility for security lapses around the October 7th Hamas attacks, among other issues. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TALI OSTROWSKY, SOCIAL WORKER: We need a responsible government in the security. We need a government that works with international countries to create something different in Gaza, something in which the Gaza people can live, not through Hamas. They can have a life and that we can have a safe border.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And while those protests were taking place, thousands of people were also holding a vigil in Tel Aviv on Saturday night in support of the hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza. According to Israel's tally, 253 people were taken hostage during the October 7th Hamas attacks, with more than 100 still being held.

And Netanyahu said Saturday he was expecting an update on negotiations for hostage releases and a cease-fire in Gaza. A group representing families of most of the hostages says there are credible reports that the deal is being hammered out and the government needs to act without delay.

[05:25:01]

Now, CNN can't independently verify the reports of a deal. Israel's head of national security says the negotiators proposed the meeting, which makes him think they, quote, "Did not come back empty-handed from the talks in Paris."

Former U.S. State Department Middle East Negotiator Aaron David Miller has taken part in similar negotiations in the past, and he tells CNN he thinks Israel and Hamas could be close to some kind of agreement. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: I think, though, that those negotiations are being driven by a couple of other factors, which right now are more important to Hamas. Will the Israelis release an asymmetrical trade, probably hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, security prisoners, presumably prisoners who have committed acts of violence and killed Israelis?

And what is the duration of the extended pause or temporary cessation of hostilities? Those are the key issues, in addition to surging humanitarian assistance. So I think there's -- I think the best chance we've had since November, since that limited exchange, to release these hostages, in fact, we may be on the cusp of some sort of an erasure and some sort of a deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right, just ahead here on CNN Newsroom, we'll take a look at the U.S. presidential race after the South Carolina Republican primary as Trump continues to sweep contests. Is there a path for his rival Nikki Haley?

And no bond for a man suspected of killing a nursing student who went out for a jog and never came home. We'll have that story still ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

[05:30:02]

U .S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is cruising towards the GOP nomination while rival Nikki Haley insists she isn't bowing out. Trump won big Saturday in South Carolina's Republican primary with an estimated 99% of results in. Trump has just under 60% while Nikki Haley has more than 39%.

Despite the loss in her home state, Haley says she's staying in the race through Super Tuesday on March 5th. That's when a third of the delegates needed for the GOP nomination will be distributed.

Meanwhile, Trump is projecting an air of confidence and already focusing on his rival in the general election. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're going to be up here on November 5th, and we're going to look at Joe Biden, and we're going to look him right in the eye. He's destroying our country, and we're going to say, Joe, you're fired.

HALEY: In the next 10 days, another 21 states and territories will speak. They have the right to a real choice. Not a Soviet-style election with only one candidate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now, despite Haley's loss, the former South Carolina governor has no intention of dropping out just yet. That Super Tuesday is just over a week away. CNN's Julia Benbrook has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The former president has swept all GOP-nominating contests to date, and this projected win delivers a big hit to his primary opponent, Nikki Haley, in her home state.

(Voice-over): Just minutes after the polls closed in South Carolina, Trump was projected the winner.

TRUMP: This was a little suitor that we anticipated.

(CHEERING & APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: An even bigger win than we anticipated.

BENBROOK: The former president gave a victory speech surrounded by top GOP elected officials who supported his campaign.

TRUMP: I have never seen the Republican Party so unified as it is right now.

(CHEERING & APPLAUSE)

BENBROOK: Among those standing with him was Senator Tim Scott, whom Trump is considering as a potential running mate if he secures the nomination.

SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): Is South Carolina Trump country? BENBROOK: This victory in former Governor Nikki Haley's home state

leaves his last remaining opponent considering her dwindling options. But after the loss, she made it clear she will continue on.

HALEY: I said earlier this week that no matter what happens in South Carolina, I would continue to run for president.

(CHEERING & APPLAUSE)

HALEY: I'm a woman of my word.

(CHEERING & APPLAUSE)

BENBROOK: Despite her narrow path to the nomination, Haley continues to make the case that she has the best chance to beat President Joe Biden in the general election.

HALEY: I'm not giving up this fight when a majority of Americans disapprove of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

(CHEERING & APPLAUSE)

BENBROOK (on camera): The next stop on the GOP nominating calendar is Michigan on Tuesday. Then after a few scattered nominating contests, March 5th will bring Super Tuesday. That's when the most delegates are up for grabs. Reporting in Columbia, South Carolina, I'm Julia Benbrook.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Despite a convincing win for the former president, his allies aren't taking any chances. They've created a new super PAC to raise money for his campaign and his mounting legal bills. The organization, "Right For America," is being led by Trump ally Sergio Gor, who will serve as CEO.

MAGA incorporated, the other Trump-aligned super PAC will also continue to operate and fundraise, though, it's not readily clear how the two will differ.

All right, I want to get some other stories we're following here at CNN Newsroom this morning. The Governor of Mississippi has identified the two National Guardsmen who died in a helicopter crash. Chief Warrant Officer Derek Abbott and Bryan Zemek were killed after their helicopter went down during a routine training flight on Friday. The accident is under investigation, according to the Mississippi National Guard.

President Biden on Saturday expressed his condolences to the family. Now, that crash is the latest in a recent string of fatal U.S. military aviation incidents. Earlier this month, five Marines died when their helicopter went down in Southern California. And in December, eight airmen died after their helicopter crashed off the coast of Japan.

The suspect, in the death of a nursing student in Athens here in Georgia, has been denied bond, according to jail records. Authorities say Jose Antonio Ibarra didn't know the victim and didn't go to the same school. The 26-year-old Ibarra was taken into custody on Friday, a day after nursing student Laken Riley was found dead.

Riley was a junior at the Augusta College of Nursing, who had gone jogging on Thursday before she disappeared. Police say it appears to have been a crime of opportunity, and that an examination revealed she died from blunt force trauma.

[05:35:00]

A Migrant Welcome Center in San Diego, California, is now closed due to a lack of funding, says the Nonprofit Operating Center. The center assisted some 81,000 adult migrants who were processed and released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The county, which had allocated $6 million to open and operate the center, said it could no longer provide the resources to keep it running. San Diego County and its supervisor released statements calling on Congress to address the crisis.

Heat records could be broken this week in the U.S. The warmth is expected to build in the central and eastern United States to potentially record-breaking levels. Forecasters say more than 340 heat records could be tied or broken.

Dallas, Texas is expected to reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit, which would tie the record set in 1917. The average temperature for this time of year there is 63 degrees and Wednesday could be the warmest day for the east coast. Cities including New York and Boston are expected to be 15 to 20 degrees warmer than usual.

Stratolaunch says it's one step closer to developing a reusable hypersonic vehicle. The U.S. company revealed on Saturday it conducted its second captive carry test flight of the Stratolaunch Talon-A, which was carried aloft by the spirit of Mojave, a modified Boeing 747-400.

Hypersonic weapons are being touted as the next generation of arms, their speed and ability to evade defenses and to make them the focus of increased funding. Defense contractors are focused on not just building these weapons, but developing new systems to detect and defend against them. Stratolaunch says it hopes to complete development of the reusable Talon-A this year.

All right, still to come, it's become known as Panda Diplomacy. Now, China is looking to send more pandas to the U.S. for the first time in decades. We'll have the details just ahead. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:40:03]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAO NING, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): We look forward to a new round of international cooperation in the protection of giant pandas with the relevant countries. It will further expand the scientific research achievements in the protection of endangered species such as giant pandas and promote people-to- people communication and friendship.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The first time in more than 20 years, more pandas on loan from China could be headed to the United States. Officials say two giant pandas will soon call the San Diego Zoo home. It marks a big step forward for panda diplomacy with the Chinese president calling the animals envoys of friendship.

Beijing's panda diplomacy with Washington started back in 1972, but the number of loans has dropped in recent years amid strained U.S.- China relations. There's no official timeline yet on when the pandas will make their journey.

And joining me now from the Loisaba Conservancy in Kenya is Megan Owen. She's the Vice President of Wildlife Conservation with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, and she's been working all over the world to try to protect species like pandas.

Welcome. Thanks so much for being here with us. First off, it must be hugely exciting for you. So tell me about the buzz around the zoo once word got out.

MEGAN OWEN, VICE PRESIDENT, SAN DIEGO ZOO WILDLIFE ALLIANCE: Well, first off, thank you so much, Kim, for having me on today. I'm always excited to talk about giant pandas. It's an incredible feeling that San Diego Zoo has a long history with giant panda conservation. And in 2019, when a few of our pandas went back to China, you know, will be, we're not sure whether they would return. And so being at this point in time and being on the cusp of having pandas return to San Diego is incredibly exciting.

BRUNHUBER: So how did you get them back? Why now?

OWEN: Well, we felt it was really important from a conservation standpoint to -- to re-initiate discussions with our Chinese colleagues around Panda cooperation. And so we have just made it very clear that that panda conservation is an important part of our conservation objectives. And we just initiated communication.

BRUNHUBER: All right, so logistically, what happens next and how do you prepare to get these giant pandas?

OWEN: Yeah, so we have signed an agreement, a cooperative agreement with our Chinese colleagues, and we are working on renovations to our panda habitat just to ensure that the pandas have everything they need to thrive in our care. And so there's lots of preparations going on. And we are lining up all of our resources behind this. We have an incredibly experienced team of wildlife care specialists, wildlife health professionals, and conservation scientists who will all work together to ensure that we are able to realize our conservation objectives for giant pandas. BRUNHUBER: All right, so, you know, getting pandas at your zoo, I

mean, it's good business. It's great marketing to bring visitors in. But what else are you hoping to gain from this, from a scientific and research point of view?

OWEN: But I think the most important thing is the conservation objectives. But part of that too is connecting with people and, you know, conservation fundamentally is about people and giant pandas are incredibly charismatic, as we all know, and they have a way of opening people's eyes to the health of the natural world and our important role in ensuring that.

So we're excited, you know, to share those stories with -- with the visitors that come to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and those that, that we get to connect with through our virtual platforms as well. And just share that incredible story of hope with the world.

BRUNHUBER: You're obviously not a politician, but pandas and politics have been inextricably linked in this country, hence the term panda diplomacy. So how important is this international cooperation from your point of view, forging ties like these that might help not only pandas, but people as well?

OWEN: Oh, it's so important. I think panda diplomacy is an incredibly important concept. Basically, you know, it demonstrates that we have more in common than we have then that is different amongst us. It reminds us that we're all connected and that the health of the planet is something that's important for all of us.

BRUNHUBER: Finally, there are still only fewer than 2,000 giant pandas in the wild. How optimistic are you about their long-term future?

OWEN: You know, 2000 giant pandas doesn't sound like a lot, but it's actually about twice as many giant pandas as were estimated just over 20 years ago. And what that represents is how much we can achieve when we all work together towards the same conservation outcome.

[05:45:02]

The Chinese government has set aside over 70 protected areas for giant pandas and has recently established a giant panda national park which connects all of these protected areas providing more capacity for gene flow and connectivity and corridors. You know, a number of factors that really contribute to the health of large mammal populations. So I'm feeling pretty optimistic. We're excited to continue to contribute to their continued recovery.

BRUNHUBER: Well, listen, I've always enjoyed my visits to the San Diego Zoo, so hopefully we'll be able to see the giant pandas there one day. Megan Owen, thank you so much for being here with us, really appreciate it.

OWEN: Thank you so much.

BRUNHUBER: All right, ahead here on CNN Newsroom, the NBA-leading Boston Celtics cruise past New York next Saturday night. CNN Sports' Coy Wire joins me next to break down the blowout on the court. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: The NBA season is hitting the home stretch and right now the Boston Celtics are by far and away the best team in the league.

[05:50:01]

CNN Sports Coy Wire joins me. So Coy, Boston beat the Knicks on Saturday night for their eighth straight win, right?

COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah, they're looking good, Kim. And we've seen this story before with the Celtics among the best teams in the league during the regular season before they fizzle out a bit in the playoffs. We'll have to wait and see if they have what it takes this season.

One thing is for sure. Boston's starting lineup is elite, and Saturday night, was Jaylen Brown's turn to lead the way. The three-time all- star scoring 20 of his team high 30 points in the first half in New York.

Former Knick Kristaps Porzingis terrorizing his old team scoring 22. It's a 116-102 win for Boston, extending their league best record in a 40 to 45 and 12.

Now, Knicks, on the other hand, they've fallen to fourth in the East, and they've now lost six of their last eight games with injuries plaguing several of their top players in recent weeks.

It was a magical finish to the Magic-Pistons game, tied with just seconds to go. Paolo Banchero hitting a circus shot to win the game with just eight-tenths of a second left on the clock. The 21-year-old was battling illness and struggled all night, but he came up clutch and was overcome with emotion afterwards.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAOLO BANCHERO, ORLANDO MAGIC FORWARD: And it was important. (BLEEP). It's just been tough, man. I've been feeling terrible. I played terrible. And I just give credit to my teammates, man. They lifted me up the whole game. So I don't know why I'm (BLEEP) crying right now. I don't know why I'm crying right now. It was a hard game, and I'm proud of my team for sure.

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WIRE: NHL now because I know my Canadian friend Kim loves his hockey. And how about this fight, Rangers rookie Matt Rempe starting off with the fight of the year with forward from the Flyers Nicolas Deslaurier. Deslaurier 6-1, Rempe 6-7, both guys land and haymakers coming away with some red marks and black and blue memories. But Rempe gets to throw his hands up again. This time in celebration getting his first career goal in the third period and it's the game winner. Rangers win 2-1 their tenth in a row and the rookie he's having a ball.

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MATT REMPE, NEW YORK RANGERS FORWARD: Probably the ugliest first goal in NHL history, but I'll take it. It was, oh, this is unreal. I'm having a blast. I'm loving it. I want to bring that physicality, that edge, that edge of the team, bring speed, fly in there, bang bodies, go to net. And I think I'm doing that, and I'm having so much fun.

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WIRE: The MLS season officially in full swing Saturday, starting with a capital offense, rather capital offense in Washington with D.C. United forward and Belgian National, Christian Benteke, scoring a hat trick in a 3-1 win over New England. It's been a long journey for Benteke, the 33-year-old born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, played for eight teams across 15 years in Europe. Now fitting in just nice in his third season in D.C.

All right, the Toronto Blue Jays, they made their pitcher Tim Mayza wear the number 4 and 10 on his jersey at spring training as punishment for finishing last in his fantasy football league with a 4 and 10 record. And what's more embarrassing, he had to be bad boy for a day while wearing his shame for all to see.

All right, now the head coach of Duke University's basketball team is calling for a ban on students storming the court at the end of games. Duke sophomore, Kyle Filipowski, injured when fans stormed the court at the end of Wake Forest's upset win over Duke on Saturday. Duke Coach Jon Scheyer says Filipowski suffered a sprained ankle. Wake Forest University releasing a statement saying they sincerely regret the unfortunate on-court incident. Kim, this has happened in several weeks. The top women's player in the game had a scare just a few weeks ago. And one major conference has already banned court storming, fining university in the hundreds of thousands of dollars range for this particular thing, something clearly needs to be done.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. I'm surprised that that, you know, injuries don't happen more often, but I wonder whether banning it will actually do anything because the fans just get caught up in the emotion and they get swept away. And unfortunately, what you see, that's what happens.

WIRE: Yes, sir. Yeah, it's -- well, sometimes you tell someone not to do it. As a father of a five-and three-year-old daughter, and they go and do it even more.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I hear you for sure. Listen, Coy Wire, thank you so much for being with us. Really appreciate it.

All right before we go, one Florida man has decided to celebrate his community with a unique competition. Inaugural Florida man games took place in St. Augustine on Saturday where competitors from all over the Sunshine State duke it out in sumo wrestling matches with beers in hand and noodle mud pool fights is that right? Yeah, I guess so, there you see it there. Here's organizer Pete Melfi on what inspired him to bring this event to life.

[05:55:00]

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PETE MELFI, ORGANIZER, FLORIDA MAN GAMES: So I've lived in Florida my entire life. I've had the privilege, I guess, you would call it, to know a couple of definitely Florida man-worthy people and I wanted to do an event where you could live a day in the life of a Florida Man without going to jail for it. So this is it the Florida Mann games.

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BRUNHUBER: Melfi says the Florida Man game succeeded beyond his wildest dreams and he hopes it will become an annual tradition.

All right, well, it was another glittery night for Hollywood this time for the celebrated award show where only actors vote for their peers to be recognized.

The 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were in Los Angeles Saturday in the star-studded ceremony shine the spotlight just ahead of the Oscars and, while no surprise, which film won Best Picture?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last award tonight, too.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is, and we're milking it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, not, no, no I wouldn't say that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oppenheimer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Well, the biggest surprise maybe was Pedro Pascal winning for outstanding performance by a male actor in a drama series for "The Last of Us" and here's his reaction.

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PEDRO PASCAL, ACTOR: Jeez, Louise. I'm making a fool of myself, but thank you so much for this.

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BRUNHUBER: Now, this year's SAG Awards also managed to bring together presenters who've shared the big screen before. See who they're talking about here.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So sorry, Miranda. I actually think the tales of your incompetence do not interest me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who's that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody.

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BRUNHUBER: Well, you recognize them. "The Devil Wears Prada" stars Meryl Streep and Hathaway and Emily Blunt and the three hit the SAG Award stage to present the award for male actor in a comedy series to The Bear's Jeremy Allen White.

Now this reunion comes 17 years after the trio front of the 2006 comedy hit about an up-and-coming journalist working as an assistant to a cut-throat fashion editor. One of my favorites.

All right, that wraps this hour of "CNN Newsroom." I'm Kim Brunhuber. For viewers in North America, "CNN This Morning" is next, for the rest of the world, it's "Skylines."

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