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Government Shutdown Looms With Funding Deadline Five Days Away; Wildfires On Long Island, New York; Interview With Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine; Crowds Pay Tribute To "Bloody Sunday" Civil Rights Protest; Ten Dems Join With GOP To Censure Rep. Green For Trump Speech Protest; Tonight: Canada Liberal Party Will Elect New Leader Amid Trade War; 300-Plus Syrians Killed In Clashes Since Thursday, Monitoring Group Says. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired March 09, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:39]

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

The clock is ticking on a potential U.S. government shutdown with a midnight Friday deadline quickly approaching. Lawmakers now have just five days to agree on a new spending bill.

This weekend House Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled legislation to extend government funding through September 30th. President Trump is telling all Republicans to support it.

But with a slim majority, Republicans will need Democratic votes in the Senate and potentially the House to pass it. And some Democratic leaders are already attacking the GOP plan.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is joining us right now with more on this. Julia, bring us up to speed on this new bill.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, lawmakers are preparing for a funding fight next week. And here's what we know.

They are up against a fast-approaching deadline, with a potential government shutdown looming on Friday, March 14th. And neither party wants to be blamed if there is a shutdown.

Now, House Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled a plan that would keep the government funded until the end of September. It's a stopgap measure known as a continuing resolution, and it's unclear if he has the support he needs to pass this in his chamber.

If he does not have support from Democrats, he needs almost every member of his own party to get on board.

And here's what Democratic leadership is saying in a statement. They are expressing that they have concerns, writing, quote, "The partisan House Republicans' funding bill recklessly cuts health care, nutritional assistance and $23 billion in veterans benefits. Equally troublesome, the legislation does nothing to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid while exposing the American people to further pain throughout the fiscal year. We are voting no."

And while Democratic votes are potentially needed in the House, they are definitely needed in the Senate like you mentioned. And if the House passes this, it puts a lot of pressure on members in the Senate to pass the same plan, just so close to that government shutdown deadline.

Now with speaking to CNN's Jake Tapper earlier today, Democratic Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey said that he would rather vote on a shorter extension, a 30-day extension, so that bipartisan talks about a long-term negotiated bill could continue.

But when he was pressed on if he would support this GOP -- House GOP bill, he left the door open.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ANDY KIM (D-NJ): It's not simple yet because we don't know what the House is going to do. So again, I'm going to see what happens with the House going first, and then we'll see what comes over to the Senate, if anything.

But I still do think that there's an opportunity here to try to push.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Republicans have control of the White House. They have control of the House and the Senate but slim majorities in both of those chambers. So this funding fight really provides a key test and maybe a glimpse at what things will look like going forward.

As you mentioned earlier, President Donald Trump is urging all Republicans to get on board with Johnson's plan, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Benbrook, thanks so much.

So as the budget battle heats up on Capitol Hill, President Trump is downplaying concerns about a possible recession in a new interview he did on Fox News. And he says some of his tariffs that are set to take effect April 2nd could be increased.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We may go up with some tariffs. It depends. We may go up. I don't think we'll go down, but we may go up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CNN's Betsy Klein is in West Palm Beach near Mar-a-Lago, where President Trump is spending the weekend. So he covered all bases about the potential. What more did the president have to say? BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well Fredricka,

unpredictability is really a hallmark of President Trump's strategy here. And we have seen that play out this past week with that dizzying back and forth on tariffs on Canada and Mexico.

So just to recap back on Tuesday, the president imposed 25 percent tariffs on both countries.

By Wednesday, he paused temporarily for one month auto tariffs.

Thursday, he backed off altogether on tariffs for Mexico and Canada for another month.

[14:04:50]

KLEIN: On Friday, he announced that he would be imposing tariffs on Canadian dairy and lumber products as soon as early this week.

But just this morning, we heard from his Commerce Secretary backing down and saying that those tariffs will not, in fact, go in place until April 2nd.

So pressed by Fox News' Maria Bartiromo on whether he could provide some clarity to the business community, the president said it depends. He said, we may go up. I don't think well go down, but we may go up.

Now, this uncertainty has rocked markets. There is so much anxiety among businesses and American consumers erasing so many of the gains made during Trump's first seven weeks in office.

And asked about the possibility of a recession, mixed messages from President Trump and one of his top lieutenants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK ANCHOR: Are you expecting a recession this year?

TRUMP: I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition because what we're doing is very big. We're bringing wealth back to America. That's a big thing.

And there are always periods of -- it takes a little time, it takes a little time. But I don't. I think it should be great for us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Should Americans brace for a recession?

HOWARD LUTNICK, U.S. COMMERCE SECURITY: Absolutely not. There's going to be no recession in America. Donald Trump is bringing growth to America. I would never bet on recession, no chance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Now, economic experts say it is too soon to worry about a recession. The U.S. economy continues to add jobs. Unemployment has stayed low and wages for now, Fredricka, are outpacing inflation. WHITFIELD: All right. Betsy Klein, thanks so much.

All right. Joining me right now to talk about all of these developments is Susan Page. She is the Washington bureau chief for USA Today. Susan, great to see you.

So let's start on this potential U.S. government shutdown. Speaker Johnson's bill would increase Defense funding (ph) by about $6 billion, while domestic spending would drop by about $13 billion.

Democrats are already saying they are not on board because, in their view and in their words, it recklessly cuts domestic spending programs.

That said, will all Republicans be on board as the president is urging, or will there be a government shutdown.

SUSAN PAGE, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, USA TODAY: Well, I think the president's made a really strong pitch to fellow Republicans to vote for this, even though he knows that a lot of them are not going to like it -- just to hold on, to get past the possibility of a shutdown.

Now he can lose two votes. That's not many votes to be able to lose. You really need a solid Republican Party.

You know, it's also possible that Democrats don't hang together on this one. The Democratic Party has really struggled to find a response to President Trump, as we saw in his speech to the joint session of Congress last week.

So this is really something, I think it's hard to predict, entirely possible well have a shutdown by the end of this week, but maybe the president will be able to squeak this through. He has been in a pretty commanding position when it comes to convincing Republicans to stick with him.

WHITFIELD: And if there is a shutdown, who gets the blame? Republicans or Dems?

PAGE: Well, you know, Republicans control the White House, the House and the Senate. Hard for me to believe they can find a way to blame this on Democrats.

WHITFIELD: President Trump seems pretty happy with the way things have been going overall. We just heard him, you know, whether it be on flip-flopping on tariffs or retreating on Ukraine. This as DOGE continues to slash, and reportedly, you know, the feathers of cabinet members get ruffled.

So is this the start of perhaps cabinet members soon asserting their authority?

PAGE: Man, that was a very interesting story "The New York Times" broke about the dissension within the cabinet and against Elon Musk. And the president did side with his cabinet members, saying they were in charge of these employee cuts. This is -- I mean, the question in Washington with President Trump and

Elon Musk is can this marriage last? And there are a lot of predictions that this is not a long-term marriage.

But you know, so far Elon Musk has done amazing things to disrupt and change the federal government in a way that Donald Trump likes a lot.

WHITFIELD: As early as this week, Trump may initiate steps, I mean serious steps to end the Department of Education. Ending an agency is supposed to be something Congress would be instrumental in.

So why is the GOP as convinced as Trump that the Education Department is, in Trump's words, the worst in the world?

PAGE: Well, you know, Republicans have opposed the Education Department since it was created in 1979, but since then, they have had trouble figuring out how to get rid of it because the traditional position has been that you need to pass a law in Congress to get rid of a department that Congress created.

[14:09:50]

PAGE: That is not something President Trump is acknowledging. He is acting as though he can dismantle this department by executive order.

And it's, you know, it's the secret of his success. The remarkable things he's been able to do in the opening of his -- of his term because he has ignored some of the norms, like you need to pass a law to do that and just gone ahead and done it. Presidential chutzpah, you could call it.

And the courts may weigh in over time and say he could do that, or he couldn't do that, but by then That policy will be in place and some of the repercussions will remain no matter what.

WHITFIELD: And now, to matters concerning Ukraine. This upcoming meeting in Saudi Arabia involving Ukraine. President Zelenskyy has said he's ready to sign a minerals deal.

But he did have, you know, a condition more than a week ago wanting some security assurances. Is Trump -- is the Trump camp willing to give Ukraine that?

PAGE: Not so far. The President Trump has made it pretty clear that he's not interested in any kind of significant U.S. role in guaranteeing Ukraine's security, which is why the European leaders have been stepping up.

This is, you know, this is of all the things that the Trump administration has done, this alignment with Russia on the issue of Ukraine just may be the most serious one. It risks reordering the kind of arrangements that have -- that have governed the globe since World War II.

And so Ukraine comes into these talks, I think, in a very weakened position without much leverage if they can't count on U.S. military and intelligence support.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much. We covered a lot of ground, Susan Page.

PAGE: We did.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much.

All right. Still ahead, a state of emergency declared in New York as firefighters battle wind-driven brush fires on Long Island. And this just in, what investigators say may have caused the fires.

Plus a rising death toll in Syria as violent clashes between opposing groups spiral out of control.

[14:11:56]

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WHITFIELD: All right. Fire crews are battling fast-moving wildfires for a second day on Long Island, New York. Large, towering plumes of smoke could be seen in Southampton as passersby captured images of the flames along the highway.

And we're just learning that authorities are investigating the possibility that arson was a cause. The fires prompted New York Governor Kathy Hochul to quickly declare a state of emergency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL, NEW YORK: This could be a multi-day event, and I'm also concerned about the air quality.

While there are no structures in harm's way at this moment, again this could shift in a moment, but the air quality is definitely compromised.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Suffolk County executive Ed Romaine is joining me right now. Great to see you. So what is it like there today?

ED ROMAINE, SUFFOLK COUNTY EXECUTIVE: Well, it's not as bad as it was yesterday. We had plumes of smoke. The fire started about 1:00, not too far from where I live in Center Moriches and spread to East Moriches, Eastport. And then went crazy in the Pine Barrens in West Hampton, around Gabreski Airport.

In fact, the fire jumped the road, and at one point, we thought we would have to evacuate Gabreski Air Station, where we have the 106th National Guard, and we have an industrial park.

We had two industrial buildings that suffered damage. We had a firefighter that got a second degree burn on his face, was airlifted to Stony Brook Hospital, and another firefighter that injured -- had injury and he was taken to Peconic Medical Center. So the good news is we had over 95 volunteer fire departments and EMS

agencies respond and was able to contain the fire.

Right now, the fire is -- after 24, 25 hours -- is about 80 percent contained. And we have trucks on the road trying to hose down the hotspots because the wind yesterday on Long Island was 35, 40 miles an hour, which was driving this fire. So really, really bad.

But we had so much help. Got a call from the White House, got a call from the governor, from Senator Schumer, from my neighboring county Nassau County, and from Mayor Adams in New York City asking for help. I've got to tell you, impressive.

WHITFIELD: Wow. I mean, these details and the images we're seeing, I mean, this is reminiscent of some of the things that we have seen out west in the wildfires. Just not very long ago, within the last month and a half or so.

So help me understand, how many fires are we talking about here in Long Island? I know you just mentioned 80 percent contained. Is that on all of them, or one in particular that you can think of?

ROMAINE: Yes. The smaller brush fires in the towns of Center Moriches, East Moriches and Eastport for the most part are contained.

And the bigger fire -- because let me tell you, it's the wind that drove this fire and drove it east.

[14:19:50]

ROMAINE: The wind as it hit Westhampton ignited in our Pine Barrens area. We have a lot of downed trees there and fire.

And we are concerned about how this fire started. The Suffolk County Police Department has put 25 detectives on this, because were concerned that maybe, maybe, and I say maybe, arson.

So we're taking a look at all the videos. We're taking a look at all of our 911 calls, and we're tracking it down, and we're working with our fire marshals to make a determination. And if someone is responsible, we will find that person and hold them accountable.

WHITFIELD: Now, perhaps unlike what we saw on the West Coast, are -- is there an experience of widespread damage to homes, or is this mostly brush forestry? Describe it for me.

ROMAINE: This is mostly brush and forestry. No homes were affected and that's a large part and due to all the firefighters -- these are all volunteers that showed up. It's also due to the fact that we have water mains in the area, and we maintain our hydrants. Unlike some in the west, we maintain them.

So we were able to have the tools to fight the fire, and the manpower -- the men and women, the firefighters, the volunteers, the emergency medical people -- all showed up and we had help from everyone. Everyone got on the phone and if we needed more help, all I had to do

was make a call and we would have more. But we had more than enough. We had so many people show up. I cannot say thank you. It's one of the reasons were winning this fight against the fires.

Right now, we're patrolling because these are hotspots. We have winds today of about 20, 25 miles an hour. Yesterday, 35 to 40 miles an hour. So we're still concerned that an ember might ignite and start this fire.

So, we have firefighters on the scenes going out. We have helicopters and drones. I want to thank the National Guard. They did water drops, which was very helpful. And we have helicopters and drones that are feeding real time information back to our firefighters, where the hotspots are.

The cooperation here has been tremendous. We worked as a team. I cannot say enough for all those who responded.

WHITFIELD: That's wonderful that you have all those resources and that kind of cooperation, even though today you do have some pretty high winds that, as you just described, could still pose a potential danger.

Suffolk County executive Ed Romaine, thank you so much and all the best in this continued firefight.

ROMAINE: Thank you. If we all work together, we can get things done.

WHITFIELD: Great point. Thank you so much.

All right.

The flurry of federal funding and staffing cuts has now reached America's first responders. FEMA has immediately canceled classes at the National Fire Training Academy in Maryland. The institution offered free training programs to firefighters, EMS providers and other first responders across the country.

FEMA says it's in the process of aligning programs and spending with Trump administration priorities. That's according to a notice sent to fire departments and students.

And this follows comments the president made while surveying California's wildfire disaster zones when he mentioned getting rid of FEMA altogether.

All right.

Right now, people are gathering in Selma, Alabama in remembrance of "Bloody Sunday", the march for voting rights that was met with shocking violence 60 years ago.

Coming up, I'll speak to Stacey Abrams about how the fight for civil rights and voting rights is taking shape today.

[14:23:38]

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WHITFIELD: An investigation is underway after the U.S. Secret Service officers shot a man who they say brandished a gun near the White House overnight. The Secret Service says it received information about a suicidal individual who was traveling to D.C. from Indiana.

Officials say when officers approached the man in a parked car, he pulled out a gun and an armed confrontation took place. They say the suspect was hit by the officers' gunfire and is now hospitalized. No Secret Service members were hurt.

President Trump was not at the White House at the time of this shooting.

All right.

Right now, people are gathering in Selma, Alabama marking the 60th anniversary of what's become known as "Bloody Sunday", when demonstrators for voting rights were met with state troopers' bully clubs -- billy clubs rather, and arrests.

Here's what it looked like at the Edmund Pettus Bridge just a short time ago, where today's crowd is represented by some members of Congress, civil rights activists and residents.

In recent years, Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden have attended commemorations there, locking arms with people of all generations and backgrounds.

CNN has reached out to the White House to see if anyone from the Trump administration is attending today.

There are continued challenges that persist from state to state concerning voting access, registration and eligibility.

Here with us now is former Georgia general assembly minority leader and Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia, Stacey Abrams. So glad to see you.

STACEY ABRAMS, FORMER GEORGIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY MINORITY LEADER: Thanks for having me.

[14:29:44]

WHITFIELD: I mean, you have been instrumental in helping to galvanize voter registration in Georgia and beyond, and you have largely been credited with helping to get Democrats registered to vote and actively voting, helping Biden win 2020 over Trump.

[14:30:01]

So, in your view, you know, how now is the fight for voting rights -- how has it evolved over the years? ABRAMS: Well, I want to separate out partisanship from patriotism.

Registering to vote is about being a patriot. It's about wanting to be a part of civic power, having your voice heard.

And that's not a partisan decision. What you do once you're in the voting booth may be partisan, but the act of becoming part of America's electorate should not be a partisan issue. And unfortunately, throughout our history, it has become something that is used for politicians to select their voters, as opposed to allowing voters to elect and select their leaders.

WHITFIELD: How -- how has that become either an obstacle or perhaps arsenal?

ABRAMS: It has become an obstacle because in recent years, and certainly since 2013, with the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, with the Shelby decision, we have seen states feel free to discriminate again. What the Voting Rights Act did was say you cannot discriminate based on race when it comes to the right to vote. And unfortunately, we've seen state after state take up the call to make it harder for people of color to vote, to make it harder for poor people to vote, to make it harder for young people to vote.

And as long as we are watching this erosion of voting, of our voting rights, we are also watching in real time the erosion of our democracy.

WHITFIELD: That may have been at the core of a movement or a moment that happened during the address to the joint Congress earlier this week.

I mean, we know that the late Congressman John Lewis, who, you know, was known as the conscience of Congress, who was just 25 years old, you know, when he led the march of about 600 people from Selma to Montgomery to help promote voting rights for African Americans, largely, he was attacked by state troopers and then -- and throughout, he has always said good trouble is necessary to promote and fight for democracy.

How would you, you know, define the fight for equality, democracy today, the need for good trouble?

ABRAMS: So let's talk about what democracy is. Democracy is about the ability to be a part of how society works. And what we are watching happen right now, led by MAGA Republicans, led by Donald Trump, but with complicity from other Republicans. Is this tearing apart of the fabric of who we are as people.

When veterans are being told that you're going to lose your benefits, when the disabled are being told we will no longer protect you, when what has been referred to as norms, but what are actually laws are being dismantled or ignored -- that's the erosion of democracy and the failsafe we have in this country is voting. It is the ability to say, no, we don't like this, and we want to come back and we want to say we want better people making these decisions. We want different decisions. But if you block access to the right to vote, you are blocking access

to the voice of the people and you're telling them to shut up.

WHITFIELD: And what about the act to speak out? Because yesterday I spoke to Representative Al green, who at the start of the president's joint address to Congress, he said he stood up and he was about to leave. But then, you know, the moment moved him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. AL GREEN (D-TX): I was about to make my departure. I had my coat and my cane, and as I was collecting my portable items, the president indicated he had a mandate. And I was then taken aback. It was a trigger. And I responded spontaneously to let him know that he didn't have a mandate to cut Medicaid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So ten Democrats voted with Republicans to censure him. At 77 years old, he is a longtime civil rights leader.

Is his version of good trouble relevant and respected today?

ABRAMS: I think what Representative Green did was say that decorum cannot stand in the way of calling out the decimation of our democracy, and what he did was take responsibility for it.

So I want us to be very clear. He not only made that statement during the speech, but he showed up the next day to take accountability. And accountability is what's missing from this president. It's what's missing from this administration. It's what's missing from the members of Congress who are allowing the president of the United States to declare himself king, to give himself a shadow oligarch, president, and to dismantle what they put in place.

I don't understand the abdication of governance that we are watching happen at the congressional level.

And Al Green said, I will not abdicate my responsibility. He also said I will be held accountable for the choices I make.

And I will call on every single American. We have to make the choice to demand better of our government. We have to show up at town hall meetings if they're willing to have them. We have to show up and show everyone that this is our country, and we will not cede it to anyone.

That's what marching across that bridge was. It was a march demanding that the right to be heard cannot be taken away. If you are a citizen of this country and you are eligible to vote, then you should have the right to do so.

[14:35:05]

WHITFIELD: And then I wonder, you know quickly how you -- what your reaction was or, you know, how you found yourself in the -- in the center point to in the address. And you have since come out and clarified that, you know, you did not make gains of $1.9 billion, which is what the president impressed upon during the address.

But I wonder, even you being singled out with, you know, what you have said is a falsehood. If there is a parallel here to the commitment you have to the ongoing fight for democracy, for the power of the vote.

ABRAMS: Absolutely. First of all, independent fact checkers have repeatedly said that what I was accused of is just wrong. It is false. It is not true.

But let's understand why. It's because I deliver for Americans. I do the work I believe I should do.

I lowered utility bills. I helped stand up programs that will lower utility bills across the country if this country does what it's supposed to do.

I registered voters not irrespective of party. In Georgia, you can't register people based on party. I registered them, they showed up and more people registered.

As long as we are active in our democracy, as long as we refuse to let anyone tell us that our citizenship is not sacrosanct, then we can save our country from whomever, be it in the White House or outside, tries to take it from us.

WHITFIELD: And for clarity's sake, you were an adviser on that Renewing America program, which went into place, what, nine months before the Biden administration, you know, handed over the White House to the Trump administration.

ABRAMS: It's a program that was that went through all of the requisite legal requirements. But I was an adviser to one of the partners, and I have not been paid by nor have I been involved in.

And please, I encourage folks to look, look it up. It's been debunked multiple times, but they're going to keep saying it because its easier to distract from people like me who are delivering and doing the work, than it is to be accountable for the work that's not being done, like lowering economic prices in this country.

WHITFIELD: That was helping to weatherize homes in rural communities, and many of whom might be households of Trump supporters in Georgia.

ABRAMS: Exactly. It's going to lower prices, which is what we say we want. But if we can't get the work done because the leadership of this country refuses to let it happen, then Americans have to demand that our prices be lowered, without our standards and our values being lowered.

WHITFIELD: Stacey Abrams, always great to see you. Thank you so much.

ABRAMS: Thank you so much, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, as President Trump escalates his tariff threats on Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is out of a job. Details on the vote to replace him taking place tonight. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:42:24]

WHITFIELD: All right. This evening, Canada's liberal party will elect a new leader to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Frontrunners Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland are centrist policymakers and vying for the job as President Trump wages a trade war against Canada.

CNN correspondent Paula Newton has more on tonight's election.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Canada will have a new prime minister in the coming days. We will find out who that will be on Sunday night, when the Liberal Party of Canada elects its new leader and Justin Trudeau's replacement.

Now, the frontrunners are Mark Carney, a former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor but a political novice. And the other frontrunner, Chrystia Freeland, Trudeau's former deputy prime minister and a longtime cabinet minister for Trudeau.

Now, top of mind for the party faithful will be who they choose as that new liberal leader in terms of who is the best candidate to handle the challenge of a new Donald Trump administration, and its near daily demands on Canada's economy. Now the winner, though, may not be prime minister for long, an election would be called in Canada within a matter of days or weeks.

Now, before Donald Trump set off a tariff war. Justin Trudeau's liberals actually seem poised, very close to losing any kind of a national election. The conservative party was way out in front in the polls, but before Donald Trump was inaugurated, the liberals had less than a 1 percent chance of winning.

Now, that's jumped to 37 percent chance of winning. Why? President Trump's threats and Canadians desire for an experienced hand to deal with them have helped raise the party's fortunes and make Canada's upcoming election much more competitive.

Paula Newton, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much, Paula.

In Syria, hundreds of people killed as violent clashes erupt between opposing factions. How Secretary of State Marco Rubio is responding, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:49:00]

WHITFIELD: New today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning the outbreak of violence in Syria, saying in part, Syria's interim authorities must hold the perpetrators of these massacres against Syria's minority communities accountable.

More than 300 people have reportedly been killed in fighting between pro-government forces and supporters of deposed dictator Bashar al- Assad since Thursday. Syria's interim president has only recently been trying to unify factions across a country scarred by years of civil war.

But armed fighters loyal to Assad remain, particularly in coastal areas populated by the Alawite religious minority.

Joining us right now is Aaron Zelin. He is a research fellow at the Washington Institute and founder of the jihadology.net website.

Aaron, great to see you.

So why are we seeing this kind of outbreak of violence right now?

AARON ZELIN, RESEARCH FELLOW, THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE: We've been seeing that there's been a greater push by former regime elements to try and start an insurgency, because they want to overthrow the new authorities so that they can get back in charge again.

[14:50:11]

And this is being sponsored by Iran and Hezbollah as well. But that still also doesn't excuse the massacre that happened against random Alawite civilians, either.

WHITFIELD: Syria's interim leader, who is a former jihadist himself, is imploring these different groups to unify. Can he do it?

ZELIN: He's been attempting to do this slowly over the last three months or so, but its easier said than done since the country has 50- plus years of totalitarianism, and there's a ton of trauma on all sides. And that's why it's more important than ever that transitional justice process has started. And truth and reconciliation committees are created, which the new government has yet to do.

WHITFIELD: You're an expert on ISIS and jihadism. Do they still have pockets of strength in and around Syria?

ZELIN: We see that the Islamic State has a low boil insurgency still going on in eastern parts of the country in terms of sort of the capital area. They -- they aren't very active. However, there have been a number of cells that have attempted terrorist attacks since the fall of the regime three months ago.

But the new authorities have stopped it. And some of the intelligence related to it actually has come from the U.S.

WHITFIELD: The Trump administration has been adamant that it won't be drawn into any conflict involving Syria. But does the danger remain that the U.S. could ultimately end up in some sort of related conflict? ZELIN: It's not so much that the U.S. would be involved in conflict,

per se. It's -- it's more of a question of whether the U.S. is willing to engage diplomatically with what's going on in Syria and trying to make sure that the sort of way that this transition goes is in a positive manner and creates safety and stability instead of one where there's currently a vacuum now and then outside actors like Iran, as well as others, might try and upset the apple cart.

WHITFIELD: What are your biggest concerns moving forward?

ZELIN: I think that the biggest concerns are that there's these outside spoilers, as well as remnants of the regime that are trying to destabilize things and making it more difficult, whether it's the Turks also backing a group of people fighting the Syrian Democratic forces that are trying to fight against ISIS, or Israel's continued bombing of different places and taking over some of the territory. You know, everybody needs to let the Syrians deal with their own problems themselves in many respects.

WHITFIELD: All right. Aaron Zelin, thank you so much.

ZELIN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: The U.S. government could shut down on Friday if Congress can't agree on how to fund the government. Details on what is in the proposed bill thus far that has Democratic leadership saying they will vote no.

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[14:57:49]

WHITFIELD: Today, iconic Westminster Bridge in London reopened to the public after police arrested a man on Saturday for scaling the world famous Big Ben clock tower. The activist was barefoot, holding a Palestinian flag and clung onto the side of the tower for several hours. More demonstrators gathered at Parliament Square in solidarity as emergency crews tried to close off the area.

The man in custody posted this dramatic video online as firefighters tried to lower him to safety. Palestine Action, a British-based activist group, has reportedly claimed responsibility for that protest.

Jake Tapper is back tonight with an all new season of United States of Scandal. And in this CNN original series, Jake revisits some of the most sensational controversies across politics, corporate America, sports and pop culture to take a fresh look at the impact that these scandals had on American culture through the lens of some of those closest to these stories.

Jake, what do you have for us in this new episode?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Thanks for having me, Fred.

This week, we're taking a look at one of the FBI's most controversial missions, a sting called Abscam, led by a convicted swindler named Mel Weinberg that exposed corruption at the highest levels of the government. The episode takes a deep dive into the questionable, sometimes even comical, methods that the FBI used to uncover a large network of corrupt politicians.

Here's a preview.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't investigate and convict criminals with angels.

TAPPER: So the FBI takes a gamble. They'll let this con man try to earn his freedom by conducting stings on white collar criminals. But they had no idea how far that would go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It started in a very humble way. The object was only to recover stolen art and securities. And to everyone's amazement, who was involved in the investigation, three years later, it resulted in the conviction of six United States congressmen and a United States senator.

TAPPER: As you can see, the Abscam operation was a precarious one.