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Torrential Rain in Indonesia's Capital; Russia and Ukraine Signal They are Ready for Peace; North Korea Accuses Trump Administration of Stepping Up Provocations. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired March 05, 2025 - 04:30   ET

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

[0430:00]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Torrential rain in Indonesia's capital has caused catastrophic flooding, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes. And the forecast won't be offering much relief anytime soon. Derek Van Dam has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Indonesia's capital Jakarta struck by flooding following heavy rains since Monday. These were the scenes Tuesday as thousands of people were evacuated and transported on rescue boats.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I was going to work at around half past eight in the morning, and I saw the floods already high and inside these offices. The water level was at around my knee.

VAN DAM (voice-over): Indonesia's disaster agency reporting the torrential downpour has left more than 1,000 homes and many cars completely submerged in and around Jakarta. The country's weather agency warning, heavy rain is expected to continue through next week.

Thousands are being housed in makeshift shelters, including schools, mosques, and churches as the government works to quickly set up emergency shelters. Many people had to abandon their belongings.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The floods this time came pretty fast, and we were not able to salvage our stuff, especially in my shops, and all my belongings at home are gone.

VAN DAM (voice-over): The greater Jakarta metropolitan area is home to more than 30 million people and is no stranger to disasters like these, but local media reports say the flooding is the worst since the 2020 floods that killed at least 60 people.

Derek Van Dam, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issuing a mea culpa of sorts following Friday's heated Oval Office meeting, and according to President Donald Trump, Zelenskyy also sent the U.S. President a letter. The details from his address to Congress straight ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOLOMON: Welcome back to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world. I'm Rahel Solomon and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

U.S. President's first major address to Congress since his return to the White House was highly partisan. He repeatedly lashed out at his opponents and also tried to justify the dramatic changes he has made so far. Donald Trump claiming that his administration has accomplished more in 43 days than most others do in years. And he declared a new golden age for America has just begun.

More now from CNN's Jeff Zeleny.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: In the first primetime address to this presidency, Donald Trump declared America's back and went on to deliver the longest presidential message to a joint session of Congress in history, topping the previous record set by Bill Clinton by a bit. But it showed the deep divide in that chamber and indeed America.

There's no question President Trump going forward, pushing his agenda, calling for the extension of his tax cuts, calling for a litany of cultural issues he's already signed as executive orders.

Talking also about foreign policy, saying he received a letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signaling the fact that they will be signing, at least in his view, a rare earth minerals deal with Ukraine that could ultimately lead to a peace process with Russia.

Now, there was no question the divide between Democrats and Republicans was so clear in that chamber. Democrats rarely applauded at the very beginning of the speech. Al Green, a Texas Democrat, interrupted the president, was ultimately thrown out of the chamber, an extraordinary move we have not seen before.

But the evening was punctuated by personal stories. The people sitting in First Lady Melania Trump's box, one story after another.

But it was the story of Mark Fogel and his 95-year-old mother, Malphine. He was the American school teacher in Pennsylvania, released from a Russian prison last month that opened the door to a reset relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin that certainly captured the evening, the emotion, as well as some young cancer victims as well.

So now, as the president enters his 44th day of his presidency, there's no question he's going full steam ahead.

But the open question on legislation. Will Republicans in the House and Senate, so divided, will they be able to enact his agenda? Of course, that's what we'll see next.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House. (END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: In the war in Ukraine, also a notable touchpoint in President Trump's address to Congress in which he said that he is, quote, working tirelessly to end the fighting there. Just days after that explosive Oval Office meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy taking to social media to describe the fiery exchange as regrettable. According to Mr. Trump, he and Zelenskyy are still in communication. Here's what the U.S. president shared during his address.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Earlier today, I received an important letter from President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. The letter reads, Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians, he said.

My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump's strong leadership to get a peace that lasts. We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence.

[04:40:00]

Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it at any time that is convenient for you.

I appreciate that he sent this letter, just got it a little while ago. Simultaneously, we've had serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals that they are ready for peace.

Wouldn't that be beautiful? Wouldn't that be beautiful?

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: All right let's go to CNN's Clare Sebastian, who joins us live from London. Clare, Zelenskyy also saying that he is ready. He continues to be ready to sign a deal with the U.S. So where do things stand this morning?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that Ukraine is probably waking up this morning, Rahel, with a little bit more hope that the decision by the U.S. to pause all military aid could be reversed. I think this speech reinforces that that was a negotiating position. So President Trump said he appreciated the letter from President Zelenskyy where he said he was ready to sign the deal, where he expressed gratitude to the President and the American people.

I think they're waiting to see if that was a strong enough gesture to get this decision reversed. I think on the issue of whether Russia is ready for peace, Ukraine takes a very different view. We heard this morning from the presidential chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, who said Russia must stop its daily shelling of Ukraine and do so immediately if it wants an end to this war. In the last 24 hours, we've seen multiple attacks well beyond the front lines. It should be noted several civilians have been killed. The power went out in parts of Odesa.

So Ukraine is very much sort of of the opinion that Russia is not displaying any sign that it wants peace. On the contrary, Russia was very appreciative of the decision by the U.S. yesterday to cancel that military aid.

So there was another section of the speech that I want to focus on as well talking about the spending on the war in Ukraine, which President Trump has focused on.

Take a listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Europe has sadly spent more money buying Russian oil and gas than they have spent on defending Ukraine by far. Think of that. They've spent more buying Russian oil and gas than they have defending.

And we've spent perhaps $350 billion, like taking candy from a baby. That's what happened. And they've spent $100 billion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: So this is one of those fact checks that's a little more nuanced on the issue of whether Europe spends more on Russian oil and gas than it does on Ukraine's defense. If you look at the war overall, that may in fact be true because Europe was very dependent on Russian fossil fuels at the beginning and the energy sanctions that banned, for example, seaborne oil and oil products from coming into the EU. They only came into force at the end of 2022.

So if you look at the war as a whole, it seems that that is correct. But if you look at last year, which President Trump may be since there was a widely cited report on this, it's actually not true. And the amount that the EU spent on Russian fossil fuels was about half, if not less, of what they spent on Ukraine overall.

So I think that sort of shows that he's trying to bolster the argument that the war needs to end quickly, but these numbers require a lot more attention -- Rahel.

SOLOMON: Yes, it's an important distinction, and we appreciate you bringing it to us. Clare Sebastian, live for us in London. Clare, thank you.

While we're discussing here, let me now bring into the conversation Michael Bociurkiw. He is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, also a former spokesperson at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He joins us live from Odesa, Ukraine.

Always great to have you, sir. Let me just ask, Trump and Zelenskyy working both, it seems like, to lower the temperature, but the deal that was on the table before all of this started by many measures still less than ideal. No concrete security guarantees for Ukraine, a lack of specificity around how the profit sharing would work.

So even with this cooling off, where does this actually leave Ukraine with regard to future U.S. help?

MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, SENIOR FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Yes, well, let me start by saying, same Trump, different day. So good morning. I think what happened here is Mr. Zelenskyy did what he had to do. He had to bend over backwards for Mr. Trump and, you know, apologize for what happened. But, you know, I believe Mr. Trump said no one wants peace more than the Ukrainians. From here, people will tell you it seems that no one doesn't want peace more than the Russians.

And I'll tell you why is, you know, instead of focusing on that Trump bombast overnight, Ukrainians were sheltering in bomb shelters across the country. It's really the Russian Federation that's disrespecting Mr. Trump by not going for peace. Overnight, I mean, we had one of the most violent nights in Ukraine, almost 200 drones and ballistic missiles.

I have seen apocalyptic images from across the country, including here in Odesa. And, you know, that's what Ukrainians are worried about right now.

[04:45:00]

Because also if you read Ukrainian newspapers this morning, it's reminding everybody that that temporary suspension on U.S. weapons, weapon aid to Ukraine is still on. He did not revoke that.

SOLOMON: Yes, and to that point, I mean, we've seen before how damaging a pause can be to Ukraine's military, you know, back supplies. So, you know, when we're thinking about the first part of 2024. So how urgent, Michael, is it to get at least the earmarked aid flowing again?

BOCIURKIW: It couldn't be more urgent. We have a situation right now where there is U.S. military kit stuck on the Polish side of the border. It's literally frozen in its tracks because of that suspension.

It's estimated that Ukraine has a supply of Patriot missiles, the ones that can strike down those fast-flying Russian ballistic missiles, to last them until into April. And that's about it. More worrisome here is what would happen to things like intelligence sharing, whether the Starlink system owned by Mr. Trump's shadow, Elon Musk, will still be operational. And again, those air defense systems.

The worst case scenario that is feared here is that Mr. Putin, as he's well known to do, will exploit this pause, this void where there's no solid red lines enforced by the United States and go further.

If I can add one more thing, however, based on my discussions last night, Mr. Trump has done more for the popularity of Mr. Zelenskyy and more to reverse the sagging fortunes of the ruling Liberal Party in Canada than anyone else. Mr. Zelenskyy's popularity here is really, really soaring because he seems to have stood up to Mr. Trump. And that's something that he'll be very happy with.

SOLOMON: Yes, I mean, circling back to that point about the connections, if you might, between how Trump is handling Ukraine, how he's handling Canada, how are you seeing the relationship between the two and how he is treating both countries?

BOCIURKIW: Yes, well, you know, this is bad for both countries. You know, you have to wonder what are Ukrainians thinking when they see America's best friend, best neighbor, Canada, being attacked as if it's an enemy of the United States? They're wondering what else will happen in that relationship here.

So, you know, I think what this will also do is bring the two countries closer together. In fact, the Canadian opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre, I think, won the Ukrainian vote yesterday when he said we have to think long term. We have to think of how to defund the Putin war machine.

So he's talking about, for example, building new LNG terminals on Canada's east coast so that it can be shipped to Europe so that Europe doesn't have to buy Russian oil and gas. It's things like that that will put a more permanent solution in. But it's just absolutely mind- boggling.

One more thing. I mean, as I was telling friends here last night, Mr. Trump would love nothing more than for perhaps Ukraine to go back to Russia, as he suggested, or be thrown to the dark ages. And similarly, he'd like nothing more than to see Canadians going back to being fur trappers rather than the world-class global traitors that we are.

SOLOMON: Michael Bociurkiw in Odesa for us. Michael, as we just heard from our reporter there, Clare Sebastian, obviously Odesa dealing with some power outages this morning. We appreciate that you could be with us this morning. We appreciate the insights. Thank you.

BOCIURKIW: Thank you.

SOLOMON: All right, and during his speech, Trump took a moment to spotlight Mark Fogle, American teacher who was wrongfully detained for more than three years in Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Last summer, I promised his 95-year-old mother, Malphine, that we would bring her boy safely back home. After 22 days in office, I did just that. And they are here tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Fogle returned to the U.S. last month through a deal negotiated by the president and his advisers. His release marked the start of U.S. talks with Russia. Fogle was one of First Lady Melania Trump's 15 guests, all of whom represented key Trump administration policies and accomplishments. Now, there was no mention in Tuesday's address of North Korea, despite a prominent leader in Pyongyang accusing the Trump administration of provoking the country into stepping up its nuclear deterrence. Our Will Ripley has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A warning from Kim Jong-un's powerful younger sister just before President Donald Trump's congressional address. Kim Yo Jong, one of the most influential figures in North Korea, accusing the U.S. of political and military provocations. A response to the USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier docked in South Korea's port city of Busan.

South Korea's Navy calls it a show of force against North Korea.

[04:50:00]

Kim's sister says the U.S. deployment of military assets justifies Pyongyang's plan to indefinitely bolster its nuclear deterrence against North Korea. Kim's sister says the U.S. deployment of military assets justifies Pyongyang's plan to indefinitely bolster its nuclear war deterrent. That deterrent has only grown since Trump and Kim's last meeting at the DMZ in 2019. Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to set foot in North Korea, a whirlwind of historic diplomacy that ended with no deal.

TRUMP: I got along with him very well, as you know. I think I stopped the war.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Since then, North Korea's firepower has surged. Multiple tests since Trump returned to office in January. Some analysts believe North Korea's nuclear arsenal has skyrocketed to possibly 90 warheads, with the ability to produce even more.

And with growing support from Russia, some experts warn North Korea could even surpass the U.K. in nuclear warheads within the next 10 years.

TRUMP: And I got along with him.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Trump believes personal diplomacy with Kim still holds promise. Longtime career watcher Chad O'Carroll says Pyongyang has reasons to engage with the U.S.

CHAD O'CARROLL, FOUNDER, NK NEWS/NK PRO: It helps to just have someone else able to support you besides just Russia. North Korea has a history of playing foreign supporters off each other.

RIPLEY (voice-over): North Korea has seen what happens to nations that abandon nuclear weapons, like Ukraine.

TRUMP: You don't have the cards right now.

RIPLEY (voice-over): For Pyongyang, the strategy now is clear. Show strength. And the person delivering that message? Kim Yo Jong, the most powerful woman in North Korea, her brother's combative enforcer for years. Back in 2020, as diplomacy crumbled, she personally ordered the destruction of the inter-Korean liaison office. There's no doubt Kim and his sister are watching.

RIPLEY: But North Korea didn't get any clues about President Trump's North Korea policy during his congressional address on Tuesday night, even though it lasted about an hour and 40 minutes. There was no mention of North Korea. Pyongyang's latest statements, though, do make it clear that while they might see an opportunity with Trump 2.0, they are not interested in engaging unless there is a dramatic shift in policy from the previous Biden administration.

President Trump has said that he will engage and have some sort of connection with Kim Jong-un, who he describes as someone he gets along with.

Will Ripley, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: And in his historically long speech to the U.S. Congress Tuesday night, President Donald Trump claimed that voters gave him a mandate for bold and profound change, despite the fact that he won the election by one of the slimmest margins in U.S. history.

CNN's Daniel Dale gives us a fact check of the president's other statements.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL DALE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: President Trump was, believe it or not, marginally more careful with the facts tonight than he usually is. He was on script, so this was not like one of the usual ad-libbing rally speeches or debates with like 30 false claims, but by the standard of any politician in Washington who is not Donald Trump, that was still an extremely dishonest speech. I counted at least 13 flat false claims, and that is a preliminary count that doesn't include a whole bunch of additional misleading or uncorroborated claims.

He, for example, repeated his false claim that foreign countries like China pay his tariffs, though Americans make those tariff payments. He wildly exaggerated figures on inflation and immigration under President Biden. He claimed to have terminated something called the Green New Scam, even though the Green New Deal congressional resolution was never actually passed, and Trump has not repealed the big environmental law that President Biden did pass.

There's a lot more, as you said. You can read our full list on CNN.com. But now I want to go into detail on an important and eye- catching claim that was highly misleading.

The president talked at length about millions of people being listed as alive in a Social Security database, even though they're obviously dead. Listen. TRUMP: 3.9 million people from ages 130 to 139. 3.5 million people from ages 140 to 149. And money is being paid to many of them. Because it just keeps getting paid and paid and nobody does, and it really hurts Social Security and hurts our country.

And one person is listed at 360 years of age, more than 100 years older than our country.

DALE: I've spoken to conservative experts about this claim, and they've noted, Jake, that the president is leaving out something absolutely critical to understanding this issue. Here's what he failed to explain. These numbers are not the numbers of dead people who are actually getting paid Social Security checks.

Trump was referring to a legitimate problem with some deaths not being marked in the Social Security database, but that doesn't mean people listed as being 100, 50, 200, 300 are actually getting money. And that's because Social Security already has a system in place to automatically cut off people who are listed as being 115 or older.

Now, two years ago, an inspector general looked into this. She found there were about 19 million people, 100 or older, who were not marked as deceased.

[04:55:00]

But critically, she also found that only 44,000 of these people were actually receiving payments. And one conservative expert told me even those 44K are likely legit payments, since at the time there were about 86,000 living Americans age 100 or older.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: Our thanks to Daniel Dale there.

And that wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Rahel Solomon. I will be back with more news in just a moment.

END