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E.U. Leaders Gather For Special Defense Council In Brussels; Trump Pauses Canada, Mexico Auto Tariffs; China Warns The U.S. It Is Ready For "Any Type Of War"; Trump Issues "Last Warning" To Hamas On Hostage Releases. Canada Urging U.S. to Back Off from Broader Tariffs; TSMC's $100B Investment in U.S. Raising Concerns Back Home; Lesotho Insulted by Trump Remark; Republicans Privately Push Musk for Control of DOGE Cuts; Beijing Pushing Back Against New U.S. Tariffs; Pope Francis Stable AS He Nears Three Weeks in Hospital; Eastern States Slammed by Strong Winds, Blizzards, Tornados; Scientists Engineer a Woolly Mouse with Mammoth Traits. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired March 06, 2025 - 01:00   ET

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

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[01:00:21]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom. European leaders make plans to better defend Ukraine and themselves after the Trump administration's about face on aid for Kyiv.

President Trump having a change of heart on auto tariffs from Mexico and Canada, delaying them for a month.

And China says it's ready for a tariff war, a trade war or any type of war with the U.S. after President Trump unveiled a major manufacturing deal with the Taiwan chip making giant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: European leaders will soon gather in Brussels for an extraordinary summit focused on defending Ukraine as well as strengthening defenses across all of Europe as they face the new reality of a U.S. administration that's no longer a reliable security partner.

A senior E.U. official says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be among those attending. And it comes at a critical time in his country's fight against Russia after the U.S. abruptly paused its military aid for Ukraine in the fallout over that heated Oval Office meeting last week between Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump.

Ukraine's president has since called their exchange regrettable and his top aide now says Ukrainian and U.S. officials have agreed to meet in the near future.

French President Emmanuel Macron says Europe is now entering a new era after the U.S. changed its position on supporting Ukraine. He also issued this stark warning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): I would like to believe that the United States will stay by our side, but we have to be ready if this isn't the case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And we're now learning the U.S. didn't just pause military aid to Ukraine, but also crucial intelligence sharing. It's a move that could have dire consequences for Ukrainian troops on the battlefield. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has the details from Kyiv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Again, whiplash here in Kyiv. It had seemed that pause in military aid that Kyiv would be moving to potentially fix that rift with the White House. Statements from Zelenskyy on video and on social media saying he found the Oval Office blow up to have been regrettable. And a letter that President Trump talked about Zelenskyy having written to him during his speech suggesting that Zelenskyy willing to sign the rare earths mineral deal at the White House's convenience and wanted to commit to peace.

But still the following day, Kyiv waking up again to more bad news with senior Trump security officials saying that aid intelligence sharing had been paused. Now that, according to CIA's Director John Radcliffe, was something that he thought he said might end up being reversed at some point resumed.

But the national security adviser, Mike Waltz, suggested that there needed to be further signs from Ukraine that it was willing to come to the negotiating table to sign on to a process. The big problem I think for Ukrainians and their European allies is it's not really clear what process the White House is hoping Ukraine will sign up to. Is it the one that the U.S. is negotiating with Russia without Ukraine or European allies? Is it the one the Europeans are putting together themselves, which has Ukrainian backing and may end up seeing a reassurance force boots on the ground to some degree inside of Ukraine if indeed there is a ceasefire? Or is it something else more general, a feeling that President Trump wants to have that Zelenskyy is more willing to negotiate? We simply don't know.

But the Europeans appear to be moving forwards relatively quickly. Public address from French President Emmanuel Macron, the head of key meeting in Brussels of European leaders, their second in just five or six days, which Zelenskyy will indeed attend. Macron suggesting that Europe needs to do better to defend itself. Saying that Russian aggression is unchecked at its own borders. Reminding French people that Russia is spending 40 percent of its GDP on defense at the moment.

Also saying that France might need to expand its nuclear umbrella to protect neighbor like Germany. A lot moving in the European sphere. A European official telling me that the British, French and Turkish may up contributing the significant part of this reassurance force if it is needed inside of Ukraine.

This European official saying without the possibility of American psychological or practical logistical assistance, it would be very high risk if not impossible to pull this off. But real questions as to whether the Trump administration fits in all of this.

Macron making it clear he feels Europe may have to go this alone, although they do urgently, except they need the U.S. onside during this.

[01:05:00]

All of this vacillation and at times, it seems, collapse in the transatlantic and Western alliances, leaving Ukrainians deeply worried about what support they can rely upon and indeed, for the moment when Russia may take advantage.

Just in the last hours, we've heard of a ballistic missile strike hitting one city in Ukraine, Krivyrikh, the hometown of Zelenskyy, in which two people have been killed and many more injured. Horrific scenes possibly because of the lack of air defense missiles that form part of U.S. aid. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: For more on all this, I want to bring in CNN European affairs commentator Dominic Thomas, who joins me now from Los Angeles. Good to see you again. So, just to start, are you surprised that the Trump administration has taken this particular step, the U.S. cutting intelligence sharing, especially as our correspondent just spoke about there, it's not clear exactly what Ukraine has to do to reverse this.

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: No, it's not. But I think it's inultimately, it's part of the foreign policy strategy of pushing partners or adversaries into a form of compliance that aligns with President Trump's new foreign policy goals, which are essentially protection in exchange for resources or extraction. And unless that is part of the equation, it's clear that President Trump isn't willing to support anything moving forward.

But I think there is the greater question here as to whether or not he really fully is supportive of a European solution that involves Ukraine, his own positions on how he sees Russia, which is very different from the ways in which European leaders, most of them anyway, Kim, actually see that adversary.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And before we get onto to what the European leaders are saying, I just want to go back to Zelenskyy because all of this is putting more pressure on the president since that devastating White House meeting. So give us a sense where you think things stand in terms of his efforts to repair the relationship with the Trump administration and maybe get that minerals deal done, which could be a possible first step then to getting that crucial U.S. support. THOMAS: So I think that moving forward, it's clear that Europe and the

united Europe, certainly, when it comes to U.S. support, feel that this is indispensable moving forward, because there was a genuine question mark over what it would mean to not have Trump support. In other words, the president not backing Europe means, what is he, a friend or a foe at that particular point.

And I think that for President Zelenskyy, that is part of this sort of broader equation moving forward, that he wants a lasting peace. Yes, the conflict has been going on for three years, but it's an outgrowth of a decades long struggle with invasion and incursions from Russia. And they want a lasting solution.

But I also think that President Zelenskyy is in a complicated situation because he's been fighting off and his people have been making sacrifices to fight off a Russian invasion of their territory and their land. And a peace deal that entails giving up a substantial portion of their country's resources in exchange for protection is also, I think, a complicated decision to make moving forward.

But yes, it's clear that he's been trying to restore that relationship with President Trump after the disastrous visit last week to the White House. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: So then focusing specifically on Europe and sort of a pathway to any type of solution, European countries are scrambling to boost their defense spending and maintain support for Ukraine. So does Europe have the necessary military capabilities and also the political will to provide the security guarantees that President Zelenskyy is asking for?

THOMAS: Yes, so that's the very big question. We do know, and there's been a lot of sort of false news around this, that Europe has provided billions of dollars of support to Ukraine thus far and just in the last three years has dramatically increase its spending in order to bring up high levels at NATO and so on. And there's a kind of compliance there with the expectations of President Trump, while also a deep realization of the unreliability and unpredictability of American support moving forward.

The big question, of course, is can their economies withstand ongoing ratcheting up of expenses and is there going to be electoral support for this when we know full well that there are members of Europe or the European Union that are soft on Russia like Hungary, Slovakia and so on too, and when we have a kind of withering and tiredness and fatigue when it comes to that support moving forward.

[01:10:08]

So as Nick Paton Walsh pointed out in the lead up here, the idea of going alone is possible. It's not the ideal solution. But when Emmanuel Macron starts talking about expanding that umbrella coverage as a nuclear power, that's an interesting way of thinking of a kind of NATO without the United States and of using that military support in a broader context of protecting Europe. The question moving forward, Kim, of course, is going to be which Europe is he protecting, given the fact that there are detractors from within.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, well, exactly that. Listen, I only have about a minute left, but I did want to sort of drill down on something you said there. I mean, we've seen here in the U.S. how public opinion on Ukraine can change so quickly and profoundly, especially if it means, let's say, higher costs or taxes in Europe.

So, so could we see a souring of support for Ukraine like we've seen among Republican voters here in the US?

THOMAS: So very quickly, yes, there's a fatigue when it comes to that. There are deep economic problems, the outgrowths of the yellow vats, declining economies, recession in Germany and so on. And it is absolutely clear moving forward that the other issue faces are the far right political parties that are on the fringes in Germany and in France threatening a kind of electoral and parliamentary takeover of sort. And there's nothing like economic, which is also linked, of course, to this conflict with Russia, economic downturns in the economy that provide the oxygen for these particular groups.

So these leaders find themselves at a crucial moment in European history and a crucial moment vis-a-vis their electorate. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, listen, really appreciate you breaking this all down for us. Dominic Thomas, thanks so much.

THOMAS: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Well, Donald Trump is putting the brakes on auto tariffs against Canada and Mexico for the next month. The U.S. president says he wants to protect U.S. lawmakers or automakers rather, from financial harm and give them time to start shifting production back to the US. CNN's Jeff Zeleny has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump often talks about imposing tariffs and he's often talked out of actually going through with them. That is exactly what happened at the White House on Wednesday, at least for the Big Three automakers who have been tremendously concerned about the unfair competitive advantage they said that they would be at with these new tariffs to Canada and Mexico.

Ever since the U.S.-Mexican-Canadian Trade Agreement was passed during the first Trump administration, there has been effectively free trade flowing from Mexico to the United States to Canada, which has benefited the automotive industry, which of course have suppliers in all three countries.

Well, giving a reprieve for the tariffs for one month at least offers some relief, but raises questions about what is to come. The market, of course, all week long the financial markets have been a key concern at the White House. The White House press secretary said this about the markets. KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: For folks on Wall

Street who may be concerned, look at what this president did for you in his first term. Wall Street boomed, stock market boomed. The president expects that to happen again. But most importantly, Main Street is going to boom. And that's why the President has this whole of government economic approach, which includes tax cuts, tariffs, regulation cuts and an energy industry that will bring down costs for American consumers.

ZELENY: Now, Leavitt said the White House is open to additional carve outs as well. They did not give any specifics on that. But could that be bourbon? Could it be syrup, could it be gasoline? Other things. The other tariffs are still scheduled to go into effect on April 2. Those are the broader reciprocal tariffs.

Now, all of this is coming as the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is trying to urge the White House to back off of those broader tariffs. The President of the United States said he is signing them to protect the U.S. from fentanyl. Of course, Canada is responsible for very little of the fentanyl that actually comes into the United States. More of that of course, comes from Mexico having all of this. The Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum, is scheduled to speak with President Trump Thursday. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: I want to bring in Christopher Clarke, who's a professor of economics at Washington State University. Thank you so much for being here with us. So as we heard, President Trump granted car companies a one month reprieve. So what happens a month from now? Obviously that's not very long if the president expects companies to move production to the US.

CHRISTOPHER CLARKE, PROFESSOR ECONOMICS, WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY: Well, the ask to have an entire supply chain that has been set up over the course of 30 plus years to just magically come into the United States over the course of a month is fantasy thinking. At most you can move a little things here and there, but there are long term contracts that have been signed and you can't just build a factory overnight.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, that's right. So you wonder whether this will just continue after that or whether he'll have to impose it.

[01:15:05]

A wider trade war would harm Canadian and Mexican exports. It'll also hurt, obviously, the U.S. economy. President Trump said there will be little disturbance, but we are OK with that. So how big of a disturbance are you expecting?

CLARKE: Well, the estimates have been put out that this will be a tax on the American family of well over $1,000 a year. If we keep these 25 percent tariffs for the duration of the year. This is a significant disturbance. We import a ton of produce from Mexico, lumber from Canada. This will make housing even more expensive to construct. It's not the end of the world. The estimates are GDP may fall by a half a percentage point. We're currently growing at two and a half percentage points. So just slow down in growth. But certainly living under our potential.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. It's so hard to know and to project because, you know, as some have observed, as often as Donald Trump talks about tariffs, it seems as though almost as often he's talked out of them. It's that sort of whiplash.

CLARKE: I know.

BRUNHUBER: That's creating so much economic uncertainty. What effect is that having?

CLARKE: Oh, this is huge. And this is part of the whole difficulty in trying to understand what's happening is one day you have a tariff and literally today, the next day it's lift for some of the economy. The economy that has a little more political connection to Washington. But we have 330 million people. $30 trillion of brand new goods and services are produced every year.

Part of the long run engine of growth is investment. And why do businesses take the risk? No one forces them to. They go out, they decide this is the future. This is the risk I'm going to take. I'm going to build this new business, I'm going to expand my existing operations. And that all requires a certain level of predictability. All of this uncertainty is harming that.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Now, we don't know exactly what effect that's having right now, but certainly over the last few weeks, there have been plenty of troubling economic data coming out. Hirings down, GDP forecast to fall, consumer confidence is down.

Now, the Trump administration argues this bad economic data is Biden data that Trump's only been in office for a couple of months now. Not long enough to turn around the economy. Does he have a point?

CLARKE: To an extent. Certainly a lot of the particular we can take the GDP now forecast coming out of the Atlanta Fed that shows a drastic decline. It's a forecast, it's a very light, very timely thing that comes out with immediate data and it's pretty volatile as new data comes in.

Another GDP now forecast from other feds are not showing such a dramatic decline. So it's kind of remained to be certain how quickly things are declining. We're not seeing huge effects in the labor market yet. The labor market is still fairly okay, so we're not seeing a dramatic decline yet.

My biggest worry is this chain of uncertainty and a chain of lower investment over the course of the next year. Five years or 10 years.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. So much unknown. But one thing we can be certain about is, as you say, the amount of uncertainty. Christopher Clarke, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

CLARKE: Thank you for having me. BRUNHUBER: All right. Still ahead, Donald Trump issues a stark new

ultimatum to Hamas and its leadership. Details on his message.

Plus, Republicans are pushing Elon Musk for control over the drastic cuts. The federal government want details on the closed door meeting between lawmakers and the unelected billionaire. Still ahead. Please stay with us.

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[01:23:09]

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. president has issued what he's calling a last warning to Hamas, quote, release all of the hostages now, not later, or it is over for you now. In his post on Truth Social, he also demanded the return of hostages who have died in Gaza, saying, quote, only sick and twisted people keep bodies and not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don't do as I say. Hamas said his threats could undermine the ceasefire.

And for what's believed to be the first time ever, the U.S. is negotiating directly with Hamas. This marks an abrupt change in policy for the United States, which for decades has refused to engage with groups it considers terrorists. The U.S. declared Hamas a terrorist organization in 1997. There hasn't been any comment yet from Hamas about the negotiations.

The White House press secretary explained why the Trump administration's breaking with precedent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEAVITT: The special envoy who's engaged in those negotiations does have the authority to talk to anyone. Israel was consulted on this matter. And look, dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what's in the best interest of the American people is something that the president has proven is what he believes is good faith effort to do what's right for the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: President Trump's threats came after he met in the Oval Office with some of the hostages recently released from Gaza during phase one of the ceasefire. Two others who were there had been freed during an earlier rescue operation. The group said Trump gave them hope and urged him to keep up the effort to bring every hostage home.

And President Trump is touting a major investment in the U.S. by a Taiwanese chipmaker. But in Taiwan, people are worried the deal could weaken their own security.

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[01:30:18]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back to all of you watching CNN NEWSROOM around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Let's check todays top stories.

An E.U. official says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be attending a critical European defense summit in Brussels, set to begin in just a few hours. E.U. leaders will be focused on continuing support for Ukraine as Kyiv faces a pause in crucial U.S. military aid. The group is also set to discuss boosting defenses across Europe.

U.S. officials say Washington has paused at least some of its intelligence sharing with Ukraine, but they suggest it could be short- lived if U.S. President Donald Trump is satisfied that Kyiv is taking serious steps towards negotiations with Russia.

President Trump is granting a one-month exemption to Canada and Mexico on auto tariffs. Now he says he doesn't want to hurt U.S. automakers financially. The White House says companies should take that time to start shifting production back to the U.S., where they won't pay tariffs.

And Canadian leaders are welcoming the one-month reprieve. But they say ideally they want zero U.S. tariffs and they're not going to budge.

CNN's Paula Newton reports from Ottawa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The one-month reprieve for the auto industry only was met with certainly some relief, a measure of relief here in Canada, but with skepticism as well.

Now, the Canadian officials, American officials continue to speak. They are trying to find other industries that might be subject to this so-called carve out for a month or longer.

Those would be industries that are already included in the USMCA. A reminder that that is a trade deal that Donald Trump signed with Mexico and Canada in 2020.

But the bottom line is Canada is looking for much more than a temporary reprieve, given the damage that these tariffs could do to its economy.

I'm going to quote the foreign minister, Melanie Joly, who said that, look, Canada can no longer put up with this so-called psychodrama in the Oval Office. And she called it quite chaotic.

I also want you to listen now to Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his reaction to the fact that there is a carve out only for the automobile industry and how he's reacting. Listen.

DOUG FORD, ONTARIO PREMIER: We will not relent. And I apologize to the American people. It's not your fault. There's one person, again to be blamed, and that's President Trump.

But we're going to go full steam ahead and we have to protect our families, our workers, our businesses.

NEWTON: So his attitude there really does reflect the attitude of the majority of Canadians who are just exasperated, even understanding that this will significantly hurt the Canadian economy.

They want to understand what the endgame is with President Trump. What do you want? And if you want to renegotiate a trade deal, Canada is saying, we can go to the table and renegotiate a trade deal.

But a trade war, the Canadian officials argue, will not just impact the Canadian economy, but it is already impacting American consumers.

Paula Newton, CNN -- Ottawa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: President Trump is touting a major deal with the world's largest chip maker. He says the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company or TSMC, will invest $100 billion to build more chips in the United States.

But the massive investment plan is raising concerns in Taiwan over their security as CNN's Will Ripley explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Trump got a lot of applause when he mentioned what TSMC says will be the largest foreign direct investment in U.S. history, a total of $165 billion to build new fabrication plants, advanced packaging facilities and a research and development center in the United States.

TSMC, of course, produces most of the world's advanced chips. And they have an ecosystem in Taiwan that they've been developing for decades.

It has taken Taiwan a long time to get people with the expertise, the knowledge and the military-like discipline to manufacture these chips at a faster and more efficient pace than pretty much anywhere else in the world.

Taiwan really is light years ahead and the Taiwanese people have long felt that TSMC provides their self-ruling democracy with a silicon shield, protecting them from the threat of Chinese attack because, frankly, the product that they're exporting to the world that powers things like cell phones and cars and laptops is just too important, a supply chain that cannot be disrupted.

They feel like if this technology moved to the United States, that could potentially put Taiwan's security at risk.

[01:34:45]

RIPLEY: The Taiwanese government and presidential office trying to dissuade those concerns. They put out a statement saying, quote, "the government will review the proposed investment in accordance with law to ensure the interests of shareholders and the nation and that TSMC keeps its most advanced production technology in Taiwan as it expands its footprint into the U.S.

But some in Taiwan's opposition parties are outraged. They say that this is going to put their island at risk. And that was a feeling and a sentiment shared by some people that we spoke with on the streets of Taipei.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trump is flipping the whole world upside down, and TSMC is Taiwan's treasure. I don't feel it's safe. I feel when the time comes, Trump is a dealer, right? He's a businessman. So he'll deal Taiwan -- Taiwan pretty soon, just like he said to Zelenskyy, you have no cards to play. And Taiwan not going to have cards to play. TSMC was the best card.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone wants to know the secret recipe of TSMC. If TSMC's confidential technologies are taken away by others, Taiwan won't have its edge, and that would pose a security problem for Taiwan.

RIPLEY: President Trump insists that this deal strengthens America and protects the supply chain, with more advanced chips being produced in the U.S.

Of course, for Taiwanese, that gives them little comfort because they feel like it could make their island and their economy all the more vulnerable, especially after watching what's been happening with Ukraine.

Will Ripley, CNN -- New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The foreign minister from Lesotho says he was shocked and insulted by comments about the African nation from U.S. President Donald Trump this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: $8 million to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Now, the minister said some local organizations supported by the U.S. embassy did work to support the LGBTQ community. But U.S. funding mainly goes to Lesotho's health and agriculture sectors.

Lesotho is home to about 2 million people and is entirely surrounded by South Africa. It has the highest average altitude of any country in the world, and is sometimes referred to as the kingdom in the sky.

Lesotho's foreign minister invited President Trump to visit his country sometime and see it for himself.

Republican lawmakers are privately pushing Elon Musk for control over sweeping cuts to the federal workforce and spending. The world's richest man met with congressional Republicans behind closed doors on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

One Republican said Musk acknowledged making some mistakes while carrying out the Trump administration's efforts to shrink the federal government. But another lawmaker said Musk blamed the widespread firings on federal department heads.

CNN's Manu Raju has the latest from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Elon Musk wrapped up two meetings on Capitol Hill on Wednesday in the aftermath of a number of concerns that members have had about really being out of the loop.

Republican members learning about cuts by those from their constituents, learning about cuts from the media or on social media, and then wondering about why some of these are being made and raising serious concerns about the impacts on their specific communities.

Well, what Musk tried to accomplish in these meetings was try to reassure members that he would speak to them. He would try to resolve problems that they had, and he did flatly acknowledge that they did make mistakes and that mistakes would be corrected once they are alerted to those.

So that was reassuring to a lot of the Republican members in this room. One Republican member, Derrick Van Orden, also told me that that Elon Musk said that the DOGE team was not in charge of all the firings that have happened across the federal government. He said that Musk put that on the administration, the rest of the administration, that has been trying to purge the federal workforce, that that was not a DOGE- inspired effort.

Now he -- one of the big debates that has been happening on Capitol Hill is to give lawmakers a vote on these cuts to codify this into law so Musk doesn't just do these things administratively.

That is another issue that has come up in these meetings. One of the things that they are now debating among Senate and House Republicans is to go forward with a package that would essentially allow them to pass these spending cuts and do it along straight party lines in the United States Senate.

That is something that is now being actively discussed behind closed doors. And when Elon Musk left an evening meeting, Wednesday night meeting, I asked him directly, I said, what about Congress getting a vote on those spending cuts? He said, well, Congress already has a vote, which of course they do.

But the question is, will they still try to do this without congress' approval? That is something that is still uncertain here at this point. But they ultimately may need Congress to codify these, given the fact that they are getting slapped down by the courts on a number of issues, including on the USAID funding freeze that went up to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, night and ruled against the Trump administration on that issue. [01:39:50]

RAJU: But no doubt about it, this was going a long way to try to loop in Congress to the -- to what Elon Musk and his team are doing. The question is, can they keep Republicans at bay?

Right now, a lot of Republicans, particularly on the House side, are supportive of what's going on. Some Senate Republicans, though, are concerned about what they're hearing back home.

Manu Raju, CNN -- Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: China is gearing up for a fight as a trade war with the U.S. escalates. Still ahead, we'll have a look at Beijing's bold economic plans as it faces new U.S. tariffs targeting its economy. Stay with us.

[01:40:25]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: As President Trump's new tariffs on China take effect, Beijing is fighting back. It announced additional tariffs of its own on Tuesday and says it's not backing down.

In a social media post, China's embassy in the U.S. says, quote, "If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we're ready to fight until the end."

China has set an ambitious goal for its economic growth this year, despite the new U.S. tariffs. And in the coming hours, Chinese officials will explain how they plan to achieve that at the Annual National People's Congress.

CNN's Marc Stewart has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: During his address to Congress, President Trump promoted the benefits of tariffs. Yet here in China, during the annual meeting of the rubber stamp legislature, the government was very skeptical of tariffs saying that they are a hindrance to the global stage.

China right now is involved in a back and forth with the United States involving tariffs. On Tuesday China retaliating with tariffs directed toward American farmers and agriculture workers. And at this point, no indication when Chinese leader Xi Jinping and President Trump will talk again.

As far as China's economy, during this meeting, a growth target of around 5 percent was set in line with what we saw last year. China's economy is growing, but at a much slower pace, as in years past.

Chinese officials also have expressed concern that the economic recovery right now in China is a bit unstable.

Also looking to the future, China has set an increase of military spending as well, but again, not necessarily as much as we have seen in years past.

And finally, we should acknowledge our presence here on Tiananmen Square, normally off limits to foreign journalists, but because this meeting is taking place, because it's so significant, we have been allowed to be here.

Marc Stewart, CNN -- Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. is cracking down on a group of Chinese hackers who reportedly caused millions of dollars in damage. 12 Chinese nationals were charged on Wednesday for allegedly targeting U.S. companies and government agencies.

Their reported targets also included critics of the Chinese government in the U.S. None of the suspects are in U.S. custody.

A separate indictment says China's security services are using a growing network of hackers for hire to pursue their goals. China denies conducting any hacking operations.

All right. Still ahead this hour. It's tiny, but this lab mouse could have a mammoth impact. The genetic breakthrough that scientists hope could one day solve the problem of earth's dwindling biodiversity.

Stay with us.

[01:47:53]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: The Vatican is expected to release an update soon on Pope Francis as he battles double pneumonia in the hospital. They last reported the Pontiff remained in stable condition after experiencing acute respiratory failure on Monday.

CNN's Christopher Lamb has details.

[01:49:46]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: So, an encouraging update about Pope Francis' condition on Wednesday. The Vatican saying the Pope did not have any respiratory crisis, that he spent the day in an armchair, that he did some work. He called the parish priest in Gaza.

And he took part in the Ash Wednesday service from the hospital. He received the ashes and the eucharist.

Now, Ash Wednesday is one of the most important days in the Catholic Church's calendar. It's the start of Lent, which is the 40 days of preparation for Easter.

The Pope, of course, did not take part in the main Vatican Rome service, which was led by a senior cardinal. This was only the second time he didn't take part in the Ash Wednesday service since his election as Pope.

However, this news that there were no respiratory crises is a positive sign. It is the 20th day that Pope Francis has been in hospital. He's battling pneumonia in both of his lungs. He's 88 years old. The Vatican, saying that his condition remains complex and the prognosis is reserved.

What we've seen from covering this over the recent days is that there are good days and bad days, but today, certainly an encouraging one for the Pope. There's obviously a lot of concern here in Rome and in the Vatican about the situation the Pope is in. There's a lot of anxiety, a lot of concern and worry.

And behind me here in Saint Peters, people have been gathering to pray for the Pope each night. They did so again on Wednesday.

We're obviously waiting to hear further updates from the Vatican and expecting another one tomorrow morning on Thursday.

Christopher Lamb, CNN -- Rome.

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BRUNHUBER: For the first time in 50 years, a rare southerly cyclone is threatening millions of people along Australia's eastern coast. Tropical cyclone Alfred is about 400 kilometers or 250 miles off the coast. It's moving west with destructive winds that are equivalent to a category one Atlantic hurricane.

The cyclone is on track to cross the coast just south of Brisbane early Friday. Officials say 20,000 properties there could face storm surge or flash flooding. People in Brisbane are filling sandbags to protect their homes. And officials in Queensland are urging residents near vulnerable coastal areas to follow evacuation orders.

More severe weather in the eastern U.S., where deadly storms have killed at least five people this week. The system has spawned strong winds, blizzards and tornadoes, leaving a trail of destruction.

CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam has more on what to expect this week.

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DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: This is what near hurricane force wind gusts can do when they're associated with a thunderstorm. This is coming out of an airstrip near the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

Check out that private jet that smashed right into a much larger airplane. Just incredible to see the fury of Mother Nature, especially when it comes together in the form of a straight-line wind. This is part of a larger storm system that brought havoc to much of

the southern and eastern parts of the U.S. We had over 225 severe weather reports from this one single system, many of which were severe wind reports.

But also we had confirmed tornadoes, parts of Oklahoma and into Texas, where you see those red dots. The blue dots, of course, indicating the wind reports, some of which caused damage.

We know that at the height of this storm, it actually knocked out power for over 400,000 customers. And with all the pent-up wind still wrapped around the backside of this system, it's going to be difficult to restore power for some of those hardest hit communities.

These wind gusts, by the way, they're equivalent to a category one Atlantic hurricane. Just incredible to see what took place from Oklahoma into Texas, as well as parts of the southeast.

The good news is that this system is quickly exiting off the eastern seaboard. Still, a lot of wind associated with this energy and the low-pressure system. So it will be a breezy day over the eastern third of the country. Wind gusts between 20, 30 miles per hour at times, could cause some delays, perhaps at the airport. So double check your flights.

But the flip side of this is that we only have one cooler day today, and then we start to rebound in those temperatures. Look at Atlanta by the weekend 72 degrees. Not too shabby.

Back to you.

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BRUNHUBER: Scientists have genetically engineered what they're calling a woolly mouse with the traits of a long-extinct mammoth. Researchers say the breakthrough could mark a big step toward saving the earth's dwindling biodiversity.

CNN's Allison Chinchar reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It doesn't take a scientist to recognize that these are mice, but one of these creatures is not like the others.

Whether you find them cute or creepy, these tiny golden creatures could represent a giant leap towards bringing back long extinct animals like the woolly mammoth.

Colossal Biosciences, a company dedicated to de-extinction, is calling them woolly mice.

[01:54:51]

BEN LAMM, CEO/CO-FOUNDER, COLOSSAL BIOSCIENCES: So we actually engineered a mouse equivalent of mammoth genes that we've identified on our quest to bring back the mammoth into mice in a healthy way, and produced what we believe is cold-tolerant, woolly phenotype-driven mice.

CHINCHAR: But Colossal isn't just trying to revive the ice age giants for nostalgia.

The earth is on track to lose up to 50 percent of all biodiversity between now and 2050. A crisis, the Texas-based company hopes to prevent.

BETH SHAPIRO, CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER, COLOSSAL BIOSCIENCES: We know that ecosystems that are more -- more biodiverse are more robust and resilient. And we hope that by reestablishing these interactions, by protecting species from becoming extinct, we will protect and preserve biodiversity that will help stabilize ecosystems and stop the loss of species today.

CHINCHAR: While you won't see any woolly mammoth at your local zoo any time soon, these genetically-engineered mice may be the first step in making the impossible possible.

Allison Chinchar, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Kim Kardashian is going big to promote her company's new swimwear collection. The company erected a giant 18-meter, 60-foot balloon of the reality TV star wearing a bikini in New York's Times Square on Wednesday. And as you can imagine, reactions from tourists and locals are mixed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, because I feel like it can only be like this in America because everything in America is really big.

So that's why I find it really funny.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I think it's something that can only happen in America.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do you say that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it's just funny. It's so big and some people seem to care, and a lot of people don't like they're just walking past. And I think it's very funny.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's typical of Times Square because they like to do things on a very big scale. And it's Kim Kardashian, of course and her Kim Kardashian's rear end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: What an angle there. Kardashian co-founded the company Skims in 2019. It sells loungewear

and shapewear through its online store and brick-and-mortar outlets. The new swimwear collection goes on sale in the coming hours.

All right. Thanks so much for watching. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

CNN NEWSROOM continues with Rosemary Church after a quick break.

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