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Trump To Address Congress After Whirlwind Start To Second Term; Interview With Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA); Interview With Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL); Europe Seeks To Take Control Of Ukraine Peace Negotiations. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired March 02, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

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

All right, President trump is set to outline his thoughts on everything from the border to Ukraine this week when he speaks to a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday. CNN's senior white house producer, Betsy Klein is with me now.

The first month-and-a-half of Trump's second term has been a whirlwind, as the White House and congressional Republicans move swiftly to implement the President's agenda.

So what sort of tone might we see in Tuesday's speech?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, I think whirlwind is absolutely the right adjective, Fredricka, as we prepare for the speech, we will be watching his tone and tenor quite closely. But as you mentioned, the first six weeks of President Trump's term, we have seen him expand and reimagine the use of executive authority. We have seen him transform the size and scope of the federal government, and we have seen him change the role of the U.S. in the world, as well as his approach to key alliances.

But so far, we are starting to see how Americans are viewing those changes he is making to the federal government in his new role in the second term. According to a brand new CNN polling out just a few hours ago, a narrow majority of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling his job as President so far in his second term, 48 percent approve of Trump, while 52 percent disapprove of the President.

And we've learned that a majority of Americans, according to that same CNN poll, say he does not have the right priorities. Forty percent say yes, he does have the right priorities, while 52 percent say he does not.

Now, we do expect the President to highlight some of his accomplishments, the White House very confident with what he has gotten done so far; executive actions on things like ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs, his efforts on women's sports, as well as trade deals, and building out his Cabinet. Some of those top officials taking their oaths of office so far.

But Jason Miller, a top outside adviser to the President, offered this preview on what to expect on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON MILLER, PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP SENIOR ADVISER: We have to tackle Bidenflation. Joe Biden left us in a really bad spot, but by getting energy prices down and then also making sure that we stop this wasteful spending, that's going to be a big component. Getting this one big, beautiful tax bill done that the House has already made some great steps.

We need more money for the border to keep it permanently secure, and then here is the key thing, and you also touched on this, making sure that we continue to bring peace and stability around the world, but we have to do it with respect and strength. Those are the two keys that President Trump is going to go into.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Now, Miller also suggested that the president would talk about artificial intelligence, the prospect of sending Americans to Mars, as well as energy issues.

But all of this comes, of course, Fredricka, after that explosive Oval Office meeting between President Trump and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine that took such an extreme turn, about 40 minutes in.

This, as our colleague, Matthew Chance reports from Moscow that plans for top Trump officials to meet with their Russian counterparts a second time are in progress.

All right, Betsy Klein, thank you so much.

All right, joining me right now is Democratic Congresswoman and former DNC chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and Democratic Congressman Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania. Good to see both of you.

You both have been very outspoken about ongoing efforts by DOGE. We will get to that specifically in a moment.

So kind of roll with me, because we've got a lot of things to kind of cover, you know, today, so much has happened. So for one, the President is invited to address joint members of Congress by focusing on his America First agenda.

Congressman Boyle, you know, how are Democrats preparing to respond? Aside from Senator Elissa Slotkin who is delivering the formal Democrats response?

[15:05:10]

REP. BRENDAN BOYLE (D-PA): Well, as always, we will be respectful of the presidency, even if we strongly disagree with the person who currently occupies it. I will be there, as will my colleague, Debbie and all my other Democratic colleagues, I believe, to best represent the folks who elected us. I have always said that for myself, I am willing to work with this administration in areas where we can agree, but I am also bluntly honest that in most areas, we will not be able to reach agreement. The reality is, what we saw in the Oval Office on Friday was truly a humiliating moment for all Americans. I never thought I would see anything like it.

And those sorts of things actually only makes it more difficult to deal with this White House.

WHITFIELD: And I wonder, Congresswoman, you know, Nancy Pelosi is recommending to Democrats at this joint address to Congress to essentially have a poker face. You know, if you're thinking something or even refraining from, you know, facial expressions or overt expressions that might eventually be used against you. Is that something that most Democrats are going to be able to adhere to?

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): Well, I mean, as someone who normally in my life has a difficult time keeping my emotions off my facial expression, I am not sure I can commit to that. But what I can tell you is that, along with making sure that we can really unite as a caucus with a strong visual message of unity, we are also each bringing a guest to the joint address, mine -- that represents some of the worst impacts of the outrageous decisions that are coming out of this White House, including the devastating cuts and firings, the targeting of Medicaid, the cutting of veterans from not only the VA, but from the entire federal government.

And Fredricka, a third of our federal employees are veterans. If the DOGE-bags that are working on slashing all of those jobs are successful, they want to cut 75 percent of the federal workforce, that's 500,000 veterans. I am bringing a veteran with me, a 30-year veteran who is also a Social Security employee, and they are talking about cutting Social Security employees in half.

There are already two to four-hour wait times on the call line for Social Security to respond to Social Security beneficiaries about their questions, and I can tell you disproportionately, my Florida constituents, who we have the highest population of seniors and the highest percentage of seniors in the country, would be devastated by that, and there is no question that they will feel that in their cuts to their benefits.

WHITFIELD: I mean, so far, more than 70,000 federal workers have lost their jobs and DOGE says another 7,000 more could be cut from Social Security as you mentioned, possibly 6,000 at the IRS.

House Speaker Johnson was asked this morning right here on CNN if he has met with Elon Musk about these cuts and this is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): He has shown me many of the examples of the outrageous abuses, and I am telling you, Dana, when the American people understand what has been happening with our taxpayer dollars, that Congress has been unable to discern, even with our best oversight efforts, Elon has been able to crack the code.

He is inside the belly of the beast of the bureaucracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, you know, you're on the Oversight Committee and Reform Committee, is it a case of Congress not being able to see the waste to cut, but Musk can see the waste, and how will he be, I guess held to account to define what is waste?

SCHULTZ: Quite honestly, Speaker Johnson himself is utterly lacking in governmental experience. I mean, he has been Speaker for about five minutes and you know, what is happening with Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, his DOGE effort, he is rifling around in Americans' personal private data.

He is rummaging around our personal private data in the IRS and Social Security and Medicare, places that are unlawful for him to be accessing that information, and they are preparing to weaponize it, particularly the IRS information and that is deeply concerning, because the law prohibits access to peoples' personal, private information, including their addresses and their taxpayer identification numbers.

We have to make sure that we protect people from the onslaught coming from DOGE because they are going to use it against Americans, and they are going to use it to create enough room by dramatic, unlawful cuts that are the responsibility of Congress' decision making and that is all in service of making enough room to give massive tax cuts to millionaires, billionaires, and corporations.

[15:10:15]

And by the way, they've done to lower prices and make families lives' more affordable, which is what the president committed to during his campaign. Where is that?

WHITFIELD: Congressman Boyle, you're on the Budget Committee. You know, will you and other members of Congress demand more transparency and clarity on what DOGE considers bloat? Or, in the words of the House Speaker Johnson, outrageous abuses?

BOYLE: You know, I think we have to be careful not to get distracted by shiny objects. So what the Elon Musk led effort and this White House is attempting to do is to throw out a couple of anecdotes that may or may not have a basis in accuracy to distract from the fact.

Just this past week, House Republicans passed a budget that cuts $880 billion from Medicaid, the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history. Why? Also, they can pay for more tax cuts, 83 percent of which go to the richest one percent of Americans. That's really what their agenda is about.

So they will try to come up with all sorts of little shiny objects, to try to get people to be distracted from the trillions of dollars that are about to be taken away from programs that people have paid into, and that they need.

WHITFIELD: Okay. Congressman Boyle, you mentioned at the very top, it is hard to forget what happened in the Oval Office. And today, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy signed an agreed upon $2.8 billion loan from the U.K. Britain and France believe they can help craft a peace deal, that they will then propose to the U.S. All of this, after that humiliating Oval Office debacle.

And Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski described it this way in her tweet, saying this: "This week started with administration officials refusing to acknowledge that Russia started the war in Ukraine. It ends with a tense, shocking conversation in the Oval Office and whispers from the White House that they may try to end all U.S. support for Ukraine. I know foreign policy is not for the faint of heart, but right now I am sick to my stomach as the administration appears to be walking away from our allies and embracing Putin, a threat to democracy and U.S. values around the world."

So I wonder if I can hear from both of you, if you believe this is the start of more Republicans feeling inclined to criticize out loud President Trump's handling of Ukraine.

BOYLE: Well, you know, first I would like to associate myself with Senator Murkowski's remarks. I am glad that she spoke out. I am not exactly going to hold my breath expecting more elected Republicans in Congress to stand up to this President.

You know, I happen to be a part of the bipartisan U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliament. I was there in Brussels just two weeks ago, meeting with colleagues of mine who serve in their respective Parliaments, U.K., France, Germany, et cetera. It was at that moment two weeks ago that Donald Trump issued his tweet or whatever social media platform he uses these days, when he called Zelenskyy a dictator.

He is doing permanent damage to the Transatlantic Alliance, something that was always a bipartisan achievement, whether it was presidents like Harry Truman or Dwight Eisenhower or Ronald Reagan, or all the way through to Barack Obama.

Donald Trump is breaking that, and Americans will be worse off for it.

SCHULTZ: Fredricka, he is also making America the lap dog of Vladimir Putin. The news just broke that the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, actually ordered the halting of offensive cyber operations against Russia. That is breathtaking, that we are no longer going to engage in the kind of espionage and cyber operations so we can get a look into what Putin is planning and treating him like the enemy and the terrorist that he is.

There is a massive pattern going on here where the Oval Office debacle, this order from Secretary Hegseth and the idea that we were going to abandon, and now, Speaker Johnson even suggested that perhaps Zelenskyy should resign. They are a democratic country. Their voters decide on who is President, not the United States of America and they certainly shouldn't be bowing and scraping to the United States. What we should be doing is treating them as the important partner that they are so that we can make sure we protect and preserve democracy and maintain our commitment to our NATO allies in Europe, who, thankfully, are stepping up in the gaping hole that Donald Trump is leaving.

[15:15:10]

WHITFIELD: All right, we will leave it there, so great to have you both, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Congressman Brendan Boyle, appreciate it. Thank you.

BOYLE: Thank you.

SCHULTZ: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Coming up, more than 50 million people are at risk for severe weather as a powerful storm system barrels toward the East Coast.

Plus, new developments from London as Ukrainian President Zelenskyy gathers with European leaders at a Summit for a plan to end the war with Russia.

And Israel is blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza until Hamas agrees to extend the ceasefire deal.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:20:20]

WHITFIELD: All right, we continue to follow significant developments from London, where Europe is moving to take control of Ukraine peace negotiations.

Today, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy gathered with European leaders at a Summit in London to help craft a plan to end the war with Russia. U.K. Prime Minister Starmer telling his European counterparts today that the West is at a "crossroads in history" and must act now to bring peace.

This high stakes meeting comes just two days after Zelenskyy had a tense visit with President Trump at the White House. The heated exchange and Trump's pivot towards Russia have alarmed European leaders. Those allies are now rallying around Ukraine and offering more military aid.

They are also now taking the lead at the negotiating table, but making it clear Europe needs the support of the U.S. for any deal to go forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The discussions we have had today, particularly the coalition of the willing, is on the basis that this is a plan that we will work with, with the U.S. and that it will have U.S. backing, so that is the purpose of the plan, and that is why I spoke to President Trump last night before we develop to work on this plan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: We have a team of correspondents covering today's developments. Nick Paton Walsh is in Kyiv, and let's begin with Nic Robertson in London, where this key Summit just wrapped up.

Nick, tell us more.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, I think, look, we went into the weekend -- everyone went into the weekend with this sense of calamity, of crisis, of this fractious meeting with President Zelenskyy and President Trump in the Oval Office.

I think where we are at on this Sunday is a sort of an outgoing, a sort of letting out of the breath, if you will, a sort of an easing and a calming of what was in the air, the uncertainty that was in the air.

The Europeans have laid out their position. It lacks a certain amount of detail. It lacks a certain amount of clarity. But there are some things about it that are very, very clear.

You heard the British Prime Minister there talking about a coalition of the willing, those countries that are able and ready to support security guarantees going forward. He spoke a lot about the need to make sure that Ukraine has the military and economic wherewithal to fight the war today, that was a very core piece of the message.

But I think this calming is that Europe has a position. Starmer, along with Emmanuel Macron, the French President, along with Zelenskyy, will work together to get this concerted European plan and then bring it to the White House.

There is a level of insulation for President Zelenskyy. He is not going it alone, going into the White House alone, getting into a fractious circumstance. There will be a carefully brought together plan so that outlet of breath, if you will, is getting that articulated.

And Keir Starmer gave a few more details about it. Here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STARMER: Not every nation will feel able to contribute, but that can't mean that we sit back. Instead, those willing will intensify planning now with real urgency. The U.K. is prepared to back this with boots on the ground and planes in the air, together with others. Europe must do the heavy lifting, but to support peace in our continent and to succeed, this effort must have strong U.S. backing.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTSON: So we heard as well from the NATO Secretary General saying absolutely around that table, it heard commitments from other nations, European nations and others about contributions for security guarantees and also about stepping up their defense spending, all very important for the White House.

And he gave a kind of interesting analysis here that I think is sort of very valuable at the moment. It is part of that sort of here is where we are at picture. He said, look, the United States is saying we can't really talk about security guarantees until we get a peace deal.

And Mark Rutte said, look, and the European position on this is sort of we are working in parallel, not against with, in parallel. We are kind of getting ready with security guarantees for when that peace deal is there.

So sort of two parallel approaches is how he described it.

So I think there is this collective sense of we know where Europe is at, and there will be something coming forward to the U.S. on that soon.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right, Nic Robertson, thank you so much.

Nick Paton Walsh now in Kyiv.

How are these developments being received there?

[15:25:07]

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I think this is about a sense of providing Ukrainians a bit of rehabilitation, a little bit of comfort after the extraordinary scenes in the Oval Office, seeing Volodymyr Zelenskyy alongside King Charles III. Certainly that puts him potentially in the same kind of company that Donald Trump was eagerly trying to accept during Keir Starmer's offering of a second state visit when he went to the White House on Thursday. I think also that huge show of European leaders. Few countries missing, but pretty much all of NATO apart from the United States there in London.

And I think also while Keir Starmer was very light on the details of where they are going, it is clear that they want to try and pull together some kind of staged plan or procedure they can present to the United States, and probably don't want to put those details too public before they get the U.S. on board.

Also, Starmer clear that he has spoken to Trump twice since that flare up in the Oval Office, one on the day itself and one he said yesterday, Saturday night, he said.

So a lot of back and forth with the White House to potentially be sure that they are fully informed of this European plan. It fits to some degree with the American desire to see Europe do the heavy lifting, as Starmer said. And we also just heard from the Ukrainian presidency, a small detail which may potentially be part of this European thinking, saying that as a confidence building measure, the first thing potentially Russia could do would be release prisoners of war and return many of the children who were forcibly deported from occupied areas and have been taken to other areas in Russia that forms part of the International Criminal Court's war crimes complaint against Vladimir Putin and one other of his officials.

So a potential indication, perhaps there, of what might be being mooted at this stage. But there is also on the downside, growing noise amongst Trump's upper circle, the Cabinet, other allies questioning Zelenskyy's position, whether he is the guy to lead Ukraine forward.

We heard from Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary, that the rare earth minerals deal, which was at the heart of all of this, supposed to be the signing ceremony in the White House on Friday, that is now off the table, "it is no longer on the table," I should say, to quote him exactly.

And we are also, of course, hearing suggestions that maybe Zelenskyy isn't the guy to lead Ukraine into this peace deal. I just have to tell you, the practical aspect of some kind of leadership change here in Ukraine in wartime, absolutely impossible to imagine or conceive and would simply feed the Russian narrative, false as it is, of the legitimacy of Ukraine's President.

So a very complex narrative being pushed by Trump's Cabinet, which will certainly discomfort many here, while at the same time seeing the show of European solidarity, breathing some element of relief.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nick Paton Walsh in Kyiv; Nic Robertson in London, thanks to both of you.

All right, Israel today began blocking all humanitarian aid into Gaza until Hamas agrees to extend the phase one of the ceasefire deal after that phase one expired yesterday.

This was the scene earlier today at the Rafah Border Crossing, where trucks carrying aid lined up on the Egyptian side, blocked from entering Gaza.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, backs a U.S. proposal to temporarily extend the ceasefire during the Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan and the Jewish Holiday of Passover. Hamas rejected that proposal, calling Israel's blockade, and I am quoting now "cheap blackmail" and a war crime.

Egypt is criticizing Israel for the blockade, warning of catastrophic consequences.

Coming up, a day after announcing he is running for Mayor of New York City, former Governor Andrew Cuomo hits the campaign trail.

And a milestone moment in space travel as Firefly's Blue Ghost touches down on the moon. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:14]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back.

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, hits the campaign trail just a day after taking to social media to announce he is running for mayor of New York City.

Cuomo's entry into the race marks the first step in a possible political comeback following his resignation as New York Governor in 2021. He was accused of sexual misconduct by 11 women, allegations he denies.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is following this for us.

Gloria, Cuomo's campaign appearances are the first since yesterday's announcement. What kind of reception was he getting?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, he got a very warm reception here today. We are standing outside of Union Headquarters for the carpenters local union here in New York City, and this is the first labor group that's coming out to endorse the former Governor.

They gathered here at their offices to not just launch his campaign, but to announce their support for his candidacy. We saw Cuomo basically come out and make what is going to likely be his stump speech for the next four months as he embarks on this attempt at making a political comeback and pitching himself as the next Mayor of New York City.

He is running against the incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, and making the case that it is time for him to come back. Now, as you mentioned, he has weathered significant scandal while in office, sexual harassment allegations, including from two former aides. There was the scandal that resulted from his handling of the pandemic and his decision regarding nursing home residents. So all of that is going to be dredged up.

And we saw that today, there are some of his opponents who were ready to do that. First, I want you to hear directly from the former Governor, because he is pitching himself as a leader with experience and the managerial skills required to run the city in this time, and he spent a lot of time talking about quality of life issues and public safety. Take a listen.

[15:35:14]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: We need more police in our subways, more police in our high crime areas, more police to stop the number of recidivists because nothing works if people don't feel safe and public safety is still job one. (END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: So public safety is going to be a central message that Cuomo is going to be running on. You'll remember that it is the current Mayor Eric Adams, who ran on a very similar message.

There were people here to support Cuomo, especially those union members who said that it is important to them that he has been a union supporter in the past, but there are also people here who are going to oppose his campaign, namely some women who said that they are not willing to support Cuomo and that they have not forgotten his record, and what happened while he was in office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANA MARIA ARCHILA, CO-DIRECTOR, NEW YORK WORKING FAMILIES PARTY: We remember Andrew Cuomo's records and we refuse to accept his rewriting of history. We refuse to accept this collective amnesia of the political class, and we are here to say hell no to Andrew Cuomo.

A lot of the crisis that we are facing is a crisis that he helped create. And in his video yesterday, he talked about this crisis as if he had had no hand in it.

He maybe wants to rewrite history. I am sure he needs it for himself, for his own soul, but we are not stupid, we remember.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: This, so we will see what happens over the next several months, Fred.

There is a few months until the June primary here in New York City that is essentially the election, because the Democratic enrollment here in the city is so overwhelming. The general election is in November, and we will see just how he makes the case this time to New Yorkers that not only should they bring him back into office, but that he is the right person to lead the city at this time and we will see just how the current Mayor Eric Adams, responds to that challenge -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Gloria Pazmino, thanks so much.

And this reminder to catch one of the smartest takes on the news of the week, served with a side of humor. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and comedian, Dave Foley joined Roy Wood, Jr., Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black on a new episode of "Have I Got News For You," now streaming on Max.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, touchdown confirmed. A robotic lunar lander built by Texas-based Firefly Aerospace successfully landed on the moon early this morning, making it the second private company ever to achieve a soft lunar landing.

But unlike last year's attempt by a Houston-based venture, Blue Ghost, as it is known, stuck the landing and did not tip over. Engineers credit its short and squatty design, and it is already sending back data.

They plan to spend the next two weeks testing the lander's GPS capabilities, gather samples and capturing high definition video of a phenomenon known as a Lunar Horizon Glow last seen by astronauts on Apollo 15 and 17.

The road to the Oscars ends tonight, and the question of who will walk away with the top honors is a bit tricky this year. Will tonight's big winner be "Anora" or "Conclave"? Or could "Wicked" pull off an upset and take home Best Picture?

Timothee Chalamet and Adrien Brody are the favorites in the Best Actor category. Or will Demi Moore finally win her first Oscar? Lots of questions.

CNN entertainment correspondent, Elizabeth Wagmeister is live on the red carpet.

Glad to see that red carpet back.

So, Elizabeth, it looks like a real party that's getting underway. Lots of people there. Tell me what's happening.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: As you hear, there are some fans right behind me, Fred. The party is just getting started. We are just moments away from all of the A-Listers arriving on the red carpet ahead of the 97th Annual Academy Awards.

Now, earlier this week, I sat down with the CEO of the academy and asked him what we can anticipate in tonight's show. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WAGMEISTER (voice over): From the Will Smith slap --

JORDAN HOROWITZ (Movie producer): There's a mistake. "Moonlight," you guys won Best Picture.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): To the envelope mix up, the Oscars are no stranger to unexpected drama.

DAVID NIVEN, ACTOR: The only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings.

WAGMEISTER (on camera): Youve had some wild and crazy moments.

BILL KRAMER, CEO, ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES: We have.

WAGMEISTER: Especially in recent years.

KRAMER: That's right.

WAGMEISTER: It is safe to say Academy CEO, Bill Kramer hopes the drama comes from the Oscar races themselves.

KRAMER: There are going to be incredible surprises on the show this year. As always, an amazing celebration of cinema.

STEVEN SPIELBERG, MOVIE DIRECTOR: I'm the King of the world.

WAGMEISTER: We caught up with Kramer as he helped plan this year's show on the heels of Los Angeles' devastating wildfires.

KRAMER: We will be celebrating our community, not just our community of filmmakers, but the community of Los Angeles.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): Moments before our interview, a source told CNN that best actress nominee, Karla Sofia Gascon would attend the ceremony amidst a scandal that saw the "Emilia Perez" star apologizing for offensive tweets overshadowing her historic moment as the first out transgender person nominated for acting at the Oscars.

[15:45:18]

WAGMEISTER (on camera): Was there ever a discussion of rescinding that nomination?

KRAMER: All of our nominees are invited to attend the Oscars. I think what's so important this year, we have over 200 nominees. We need to celebrate all of our nominees.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): Kramer also insists the Oscars shouldn't get political.

WAGMEISTER (on camera): Is that something that throughout the night, you want to steer clear of?

KRAMER: Absolutely. We do talk to them about keeping things focused on the work, but this is really a moment for the artist to have for themselves.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): The day of our interview, Kramer made a wickedly big announcement.

KRAMER: We have incredible performances lined up: Doja Cat, Issa Rae, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Queen Latifah, Oscar nominee.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): Those superstars will replace the tradition of Best Original Songs performed on stage. Those nominees will be celebrated in a pre-produced segment.

WAGMEISTER (on camera): There are so many categories that are televised, is that something that needs to be addressed?

KRAMER: Last year, we had all of the awards on the show and we came in under time. We were under three hours and 30 minutes. It is possible to do this in a way that's entertaining. WAGMEISTER (voice over): Speaking of entertaining --

CONAN O'BRIEN, COMEDIAN: Other award statues think I'm funny.

WAGMEISTER (voice over): Conan O'Brien is hosting the Oscars for the first time.

KRAMER: He's a lovely person, number one. He is a humanist. He is apolitical. He invites everybody in to enjoy.

O'BRIEN: He is trolling the door naked at 2:00 A.M. It was our anniversary.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WAGMEISTER (on camera): Now, a lot of the main categories, Fred, really are a wide open race this year. I am usually pretty good at predictions, but this year, even the most esteemed Oscar pundits aren't sure who is going to win for Best Actress, for Best Picture, so that makes the race exciting.

Now, something else that we are anticipating is a tribute to Gene Hackman. He was nominated for five Oscars, won two throughout his career and I have a source who does tell me that he will be honored tonight.

So lots more to come in the next few hours. The red carpet again is just heating up. The stars should be here soon -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh, fantastic. We will be watching. Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you so much.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:52:18]

WHITFIELD: This hour, some legendary figure skaters are paying tribute to the victims of January's mid-air collision that killed a number of rising stars and respected coaches in their sport.

"Legacy on Ice" got underway earlier this hour at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. to honor the 28 members of the figure skating community who died when a helicopter collided with a passenger jet near Reagan National Airport.

Leading up to today's benefit, I spoke with 2014 Olympic bronze medalist Gracie Gold, who coached the last class many of those skaters attended in Kansas. Here is part of what she told me.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRACIE GOLD, 2024 OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALIST: The last class of the day was mine.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh.

GOLD: And on ice class, and then Q&A they did with me. Those were the last two things on that fateful -- on that fateful day.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. And it is such a special experience for a lot of the skaters to have been part of that, and then when you learned that this crash occurred and so many of those skaters that you had just interacted with were on that plane, I mean, what have you been going through?

GOLD: I think what a lot of people in the skating community have been going through, I saw so many of them at the airports and to know that there weren't that many flights out of Wichita left that day, I connected through Chicago.

Just a few gates down was the one connecting, you know, through DCA, and to know that those skaters aren't there anymore, you know, I spent most of the time before I boarded my flight, which took off an hour earlier, uh, speaking with Spencer Lane's coach, you know, just about the future he had in the sport and how far he has come.

You know, my last TikTok notification is that Spencer Lane followed me on TikTok and so I haven't opened that app in a while.

The last -- I used to live in Delaware, where Angela and Sean are from, not a lot of people from that state, not a lot of skaters. And the last thing that Angela, the young dance team she danced with, Sean, the last she drew on the last day, a picture of her, her best friend who skates at Ice Works and me, she drew a picture of the three of us, because she just had such a wonderful time at the camp and I was her role model.

And so just to know that they're not here with us anymore is -- sorry, it is really difficult.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:55:02]

WHITFIELD: That was Olympic medalist, Gracie Gold sharing very tender thoughts and memories.

Among those taking part in today's show are the people you see right here Peggy Fleming, Kristi Yamaguchi and Brian Boitano. Proceeds will benefit the victims' families and first responders.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, leave it to "Saturday Night Live" to find humor in even the most heated political moments. Last night, the cast and crew put their spin on that contentious Oval Office meeting between Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy. They also brought back a famous alum as a special government employee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd like to welcome President Zelenskyy here to this incredible trap. It is going to be a big, beautiful trap, and we are going to attack him very soon for no reason, right, JD?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Watch out, because this kitty has got claws.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, with all due respect --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excuse me. I'm sorry. What? I'm sorry. I have to jump in here because that's how we planned this. What happened to thank you? Okay. Remember? Thank you. You haven't said thank you to us once in the past 15 seconds, I've been yelling at you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not even wearing a suit. It's disrespectful. Who shows up to the White House in a t-shirt and jeans like a garbage person?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald, what are you doing in my office? You know, I'm the President now, right? I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Okay. Maybe not. Maybe not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACDONALD: All right, comedian and former "SNL" star, Mike Myers making his appearance there as Elon Musk wielding what the billionaire previously called the chainsaw for democracy.

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