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Government Shutdown Looms With Funding Deadline Five Days Away; Winds Fuel Long Island Brush Fires, Arson Possible Cause; DOGE And Pentagon Aim To Cut Climate-Related Programs From Military. Aired 3- 4pET

Aired March 09, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

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[15:00:28]

All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, the deadline to keep the U.S. government from shutting down is quickly approaching. Lawmakers have until midnight Friday to agree on a new spending bill and avert a potentially devastating government shutdown.

With just five days to go, House Speaker Mike Johnson has 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 the legislation, and some Democratic leaders are already attacking the GOP plan.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is joining us right now.

So where do things stand -- Julia.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are preparing for a funding fight next week with that potential government shutdown just five days away now. And House Speaker Mike Johnson has unveiled a plan that would keep the government funded through September.

It is a stopgap measure known as a continuing resolution, but it is unclear if he has the votes to get it out of his chamber. If he does not have support from Democrats, he will need almost every member in the Republican Party to support it there in the House, and some of those members have already expressed some concerns. Democratic leadership outlining that they have concerns of their own.

In a statement, they said: "The partisan House Republican 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."

Now, Johnson is expected to bring this to the House floor for a vote, this 99-page bill, in the coming days, likely on Tuesday. And while he may need Democratic support in the House, they definitely need Democratic support in the Senate and this puts a lot of pressure on senators there if the House passes this just days before the shutdown.

We are hearing from at least one Democratic senator who says they will support the stopgap measure, that is Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who told CNN that he would support this stopgap measure that many in his party oppose, warning his fellow Democrats not to burn the village down.

He went on to say, "I'm never going to vote or withhold my vote as part of shutting the government down. I don't know why any of my colleagues might try to threaten they are going to be shutting down the government. That's chaos. I will never vote for chaos," he added. "That's one of our core responsibilities to keep the government running."

Now, President Donald Trump has supported Johnson's plan and he is calling on lawmakers to support it. Republicans have control of the White House, the Senate, and the House. So this is a key test. This budget battle could give us an idea of how things are going to go in the coming months, as Republicans try to enact parts of Trump's agenda -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Julia Benbrook, thank you so much.

Joining me right now to talk about this possible government shutdown and more is Stephen Neukam, a congressional reporter for AXIOS, also with me is Mychael Schnell, a congressional reporter for "The Hill."

Great to see you both.

All right, Stephen, you first. Do you think Senate Democrats are willing to shut down the government over this, or is this, you know, kind of a tough stance, a negotiating tactic in order to get Republicans to the table and make some adjustments?

STEPHEN NEUKAM, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, AXIOS: Yes, Well, look, the time to get to the table and make adjustments is almost gone, right? I mean, we have until the end of this upcoming week to get this done. I will say that the commitment to keeping the government open, that we've heard publicly from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, that is a commitment that he has held privately.

He does believe that a shutdown does not help the party. It is not good politics. They shouldn't talk about wanting a shutdown, and there are, I think, a number of Senate Democrats who at this point, if this bill were to make it over from the House, would support the measure.

The question is, is if they can get to seven, eight, nine Democrats that Republicans may need, you're going to lose the vote of Rand Paul, most likely in the Senate. So you're going to need at least eight Democrats on the Senate side to get this Continuing Resolution through the chamber and signed into law.

WHITFIELD: Mychael, House Republicans have a very slim majority and can't afford to lose many votes. And in the Senate, they'll need some Democratic support to get the 60 votes needed to pass this funding bill.

[15:05:10]

So how do you see this week playing out? Five days, it doesn't sound like much, but at the same time, it is also seemingly an eternity -- time to work things out.

MYCHAEL SCHNELL, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, "THE HILL": Yes, Fred, this week is going to be a key test for Speaker Mike Johnson to see if he can get this stopgap over the finish line in his chamber alone. As you laid out before, Democrats are expected to oppose this legislation, at least in the House, in large droves, if not unanimously, which means it is going to be on Speaker Johnson and Republicans to get it over the finish line.

Now, we are expecting Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, to vote against this. One of the parameters that he had negotiated two years ago did not make it in the bill, which is likely to prompt his opposition, which means after Massie, Johnson is going to have zero room for error, assuming all Democrats vote no and there is full attendance.

Now, we know it is difficult to get Republicans on the same page in the House for anything, but when you're talking about something like a government funding bill, it is that much more difficult.

Now, there is still a possibility that we could see maybe some moderate Democrats get on board in the House, but that's looking unlikely.

My colleague spoke to a few last week, asking in advance of the stopgap being released if they could see themselves supporting a clean Continuing Resolution. They said no, they're holding out hope for these bipartisan negotiations and language in the funding bill to ensure that Trump directs the funding as is appropriated by Congress.

So if Johnson can get this bill out of his chamber this week, it is a good sign for him and for the possibility of averting a government shutdown. But if not, were likely back at square one.

WHITFIELD: And, Mychael, just to follow up on Pennsylvania Democrat Senator John Fetterman, who we just heard the comments in Julia Benbrook's reporting that he does not want a government shutdown, that he is going to support this stopgap measure. So, is he demonstrating to be kind of the new West Virginia Joe Manchin, meaning that he is willing to defy Democratic consensus?

SCHNELL: I think it is still something to keep an eye on. Fetterman has absolutely been a fascinating figure to look at. Just the fact that he was seen as this progressive stalwart on the campaign trail and has said -- had come -- has come to Washington and been one of the more moderate voices. Though I will note, it is not out of the ordinary to hear from Democrats, in fact, it is usual to hear from Democrats that they don't want a shutdown, that a shutdown does not behoove anybody. That's, of course, always the Democratic talking point.

But I think that, again, you mentioned we are still five days out, which sounds like we are close to the deadline. But in Washington, that could be an eternity. We could see some of these Democrats still posturing, hoping for some last minute concessions, seeing what Republicans could do first, and then at the end of the day, maybe come to the table, support this or something else to avert a government shutdown.

But absolutely, John Fetterman's position is quite interesting, and it will be fascinating to see if any other of these moderate swing state Democrats join the fold. For example, we heard from Elissa Slotkin this morning who is the Democrat from Michigan, she suggested that she wouldn't vote for the stopgap bill because it doesn't include that language to ensure that funding is directed as Congress appropriates it. Will that change? Maybe, but that's her position right now.

WHITFIELD: And then, Stephen, let's shift gears a little bit to tariffs now. This back and forth whiplash from Trump on this issue is causing uncertainty in the financial markets and the economy overall. So how might this unpredictability impact Republican lawmakers going forward?

NEUKAM: Yes, obviously I think the tariffs are really affecting, you know, a number of Republicans from specific states, particularly Middle America, affecting farmers.

Look, they are going to give the President as much grace and time as possible to sort of enact the agenda that he was elected to enact, and these were a lot of the things that he talked about on the campaign trail.

So I think they are going to give him a little bit of a cushion here, some room, but the runway is only so long. And November 2026 comes really quick. Republicans are a razor thin majority in the House, a little bit more of a buffer in the Senate. But politically, those headwinds are going to come home next November, and they've got to face voters.

So, you know, they want to see some of the higher prices, the sort of the blunt force trauma of these tariffs go away sooner rather than later.

WHITFIELD: Mychael, Republicans have seen a whole lot of pushback from voters in town hall meetings over Elon Musk's and DOGE's massive job cuts at federal agencies. Trump said this week that he is putting limits on Musk's authority, and then staffing decisions will be now up to Cabinet heads. Do you think that that sort of shift is going to make a difference and impact?

[15:10:03]

SCHNELL: It could, but I think that one of the aspects of these town halls that we've seen was concerns with Elon Musk's power and what he had been doing with the federal government. But there were still scores of other things.

For example, rising prices, the unpredictability of the tariffs, for example, concerns about potential cuts to Medicaid and other social safety net programs. So while the Elon Musk change and shift from Trump could help curb that, one part of constituents' concerns, I think that we are still seeing things from a number of different areas, and this reflects a decision that was made by House Republican leaders this week to urge their members that have more tele-town halls, have more virtual conversations with their constituents, rather than in person, underscoring that they are very aware of the image that these protesters and concerns at town halls creates.

And to Stephen's point, 2026 is always just around the corner. These lawmakers are going to have to face their constituents at the ballot box soon enough. So the fact that we're already seeing leadership and even President Trump trying to change the narrative and change some things based on these or in light of these town halls is fascinating and shows that they could see it as a potential political problem.

WHITFIELD: Indeed. All right, Mychael Schnell, Stephen Neukam, great to see you both. Thank you.

NEUKAM: Thanks.

SCHNELL: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, windy conditions today could elevate the risks of fires again on Long Island, New York, just a day after brush fires sent large plumes of smoke into the air and shut down a highway.

Plus, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio heading to Saudi Arabia to meet with Ukrainian counterparts for talks on ending Russia's war on Ukraine.

And President Trump hints next month's tariffs could go even higher. We will tell you how those taxes could raise lumber costs as California tries to rebuild after the state's devastating wildfires.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:16:27]

WHITFIELD: All right, we are getting new details on those brush fires on Long Island, New York. Investigators are working to determine if arson could have been a reason why hundreds of acres have burned. Just a short time ago, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine gave us an update.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED ROMAINE, SUFFOLK COUNTY EXECUTIVE: Right now, we are patrolling because these are hotspots, we have winds today of about 20 to 25 miles an hour. Yesterday, 35 to 40 miles an hour. So we are still concerned that an ember might ignite and start this fire. So we have firefighters on the scene.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Gloria Pazmino is covering the latest developments.

Gloria, what are you learning?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, that factor that the executive was describing there, the wind factor is what is keeping officials on their toes this afternoon, because although the fire has been knocked down, there are still a couple of hotspots throughout Long Island's east end where this fire broke out yesterday, and as the wind kicks up, the possibility that those hotspots and embers that fly through the air might create another fire. This remains still very much a concern.

Governor Kathy Hochul declared a State of Emergency on this yesterday, releasing additional resources to fight the fire. And today, officials continue to patrol the area. Now, they are moving on to the investigation portion of this, trying to figure out exactly why the fire started and if there is any sort of criminality attached to it.

I want you to take a listen to the executive, just once again describing that part of the investigation. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D-NY): This could be a multi-day event and I am 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.

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

So we are taking a look at all of the videos. We are taking a look at all of our 911 calls, and we are tracking it down, and we are working with our Fire Marshals to make a determination.

And if someone is responsible, we will find that person and hold them accountable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: So Fred, that investigation is still in the very early stages. There are dozens of detectives that have been assigned to this. They are also using air capabilities, drones as they investigate the burn areas to try and investigate what originated this fire.

You also heard from Governor Kathy Hochul there. She was speaking to us yesterday about how this could be a multi-day event.

Now, although the primary fire has been knocked down, again, the wind factor in all of this continues to be a concern as they fight the hotspots that remain and continue this investigation to determine how the fire started.

WHITFIELD: And Gloria, how about any damage to property?

PAZMINO: So that was thankfully the good news out of all of this. The fire was primarily burning in a nature preserve that is located on the eastern end of Long Island. So there was damage to the preserve, but it did not affect any major property.

No homes were damaged in the fire. There were two structures that were damaged and two firefighters did sustain injuries while fighting the fires, but they have since recovered and been released from the hospital, so no significant damage to property, which is good news -- Fred.

[15:20:10]

WHITFIELD: All right. Very good. Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much.

Elon Musk's DOGE team is also looking to cut climate related-programs at the Defense Department, but officials and experts warn that slashing these programs may put U.S. troops and military operations at risk.

Joining me right now to explain is CNN national security reporter Haley Britzky.

Haley, good to see you. So what are you hearing from The Pentagon about these new cuts?

HALEY BRITZKY, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY PRODUCER: Yes, Fredricka.

So, civilian leadership at The Pentagon to include Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that cutting these programs is going to be a priority for the department, and while they are looking at wasteful spending that they want to get rid of in partnership with DOGE, acting Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Salesses said weeks ago they are looking to cut funding for, he said so-called climate change and other woke programs.

So they are including this really in a -- you know, this category of woke efforts by the past administration and Pentagon Spokesman John Ullyot in response to a series of questions sent about this reporting, confirmed that they were looking at cutting some of this spending, saying that climate zealotry and woke chimeras of the left are not a part of DoD's mission.

So we know that they are going to be looking at more places where they can make these cuts. They've already begun, in some instances, cutting research funding for projects, looking at the impacts of climate hazards around the world, some in which the professors who were leading these efforts told me that, you know, these are directly linked to security issues.

One of them was looking at how ISIS takes advantage of climate hazards in Mozambique.

So, I mean, this is a big concern for people who study this issue, and certainly something The Pentagon is being very open about wanting to continue to do.

WHITFIELD: And then what impact would slashing climate related programs in the Department of Defense have on U.S. military operations?

BRITZKY: Yes, so that is the main concern among so many officials and experts who are looking at this, saying that, you know, while some of these efforts may be technically tagged as climate related, they are directly linked to the military's ability to operate around the world successfully. They say we are already seeing impacts of climate change and changing climate.

When we look at, you know, millions and millions of dollars' worth of damage to U.S. installations due to flooding and hurricanes, the impact that wildfires of increasing frequency are having on the military's ability to operate.

And, you know, sources also pointed to the fears of how this could impact the U.S. military's ability to operate around the world and their relationships with allies and partners, particularly when we look in the Pacific and the Pacific, some of these island nations, I mean, climate is one of their main concerns when they look into their futures.

And so sources were saying, you know, if we step back from this, if the U.S. steps back and says this is not a priority for us and we are not willing to work with these nations on these issues, they say that China is going to be more than willing to step in, potentially putting the U.S.' footprint in that part of the world at risk.

So it is something that experts are really warning against, and we are left to see if The Pentagon is going to be listening or looking into how these operations really could be impacted.

WHITFIELD: All right, Haley Britzky, thank you so much.

BRITZKY: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Coming up, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to Saudi Arabia tomorrow for peace talks on ending the war in Ukraine. A live report from Paris next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:27:54] WHITFIELD: All right, new this hour. Russia's military posting a video that it says shows strikes on a Ukrainian military column in the Kursk Region of Russia. Kursk remains the key bargaining chip for Ukraine since its surprise incursion there back in August.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles from the conflict, U.S. and Ukrainian delegations are preparing to meet in Saudi Arabia this week. They are trying to lay the groundwork for a peace deal with Russia.

CNN's senior international correspondent, Melissa Bell, is following the developments.

Melissa, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also set to be in Saudi Arabia. What can we expect from these talks?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that he is going to be meeting in Saudi Arabia with that Ukrainian delegation with the aim, we understand from his entourage of furthering President Trump's goal of achieving peace in that region as quickly as possible. The trouble for the Ukrainians, of course, is that they head to Saudi Arabia for those talks, Fredricka, in a decided position of weakness.

We've been hearing, first of all, a bit more about the strikes that you and I were talking about yesterday on Dobropillya, that town in Eastern Ukraine, with President Zelenskyy saying tonight in his nightly address that this was, in fact the scene of the famous Russian double tap. That is the first missile strike, once emergency services are on the ground, a second strike then targets emergency workers. One of the 11 people who died we understand, was one of those emergency workers.

So a particularly cynical move that we've seen repeatedly over the course of the last three years, really aimed at targeting civilians and sowing fear amongst ordinary Ukrainians.

But the real position of weakness that they head into these negotiations with is born of, first of all, the fact of the pause in American military aid and intelligence sharing, but also mainly what has happened in Kursk. You just mentioned that video.

What we understand from both Ukrainian and Russian military bloggers, who have been fairly accurate throughout this conflict in bringing us the details from the ground, is that Ukrainian forces are having a really hard time holding on to what had been a key territorial gain last August inside Russia, but also one of the principal bargaining chips with which the Ukrainians entered potential negotiations over a ceasefire.

[15:30:12]

What we understand is that they are in a lot of trouble there, with Russian forces aiming to cut off a key supply route. We understand also that there was this very daring assault on a key town inside Kursk, where the Russian troops entered through a disused pipeline. Now, that, of course, is problematic for the Ukrainians, and remember that what it is they're going to be talking about in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, we understand, is a potential partial ceasefire.

The problem for the Ukrainians is that they know that the American pressure is such that they are going to be under a great deal of pressure to come up with an agreement for that partial ceasefire, something that President Zelenskyy agrees with now. But that essentially would just be a first step to consolidating a greater ceasefire across the whole frontline -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Melissa Bell in Paris, thanks so much.

All right, coming up, President Trump hints tariffs scheduled to go into effect next month could go even further than originally intended. Next, a live report from Florida on what he said.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:35:54]

WHITFIELD: All right, President Trump is downplaying the potential impact of his tariffs on the U.S. economy. Last week, less than 24 hours after pausing his sweeping tariffs on Canada and Mexico until next month, Trump issued a new threat on Canadian dairy products, a massive 250 percent increase.

In a new interview with Fox News, Trump defended his use of tariffs against allies and said they could go even higher.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We may go up with some tariffs, it depends. We may go up. I don't think we will go down, but we may go up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Betsy Klein is in West Palm Beach, near Mar-a-Lago, where President Trump is spending his weekend. So, Betsy, what more did the President have to say?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Fredricka, President Trump has used the threat of tariffs and tariffs as a key negotiating tool and we are also seeing him lean in to the uncertainty and unpredictability of it all. That played out this week as he is launching tariffs against Mexico and Canada, America's neighbors, something that his top economic adviser says is aimed at cracking down on fentanyl.

He says it is a drug war, not a trade war. So just to recap, this past week, the whiplash, on Tuesday, the President issued those 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada. Wednesday, he paused the tariffs on autos. Thursday, he paused all tariffs on Mexico and Canada for one month. By Friday, he announced new tariffs on Canadian dairy and lumber, and just this morning, his Commerce Secretary said that he was pausing those Canadian dairy and lumber tariffs for another month to April 2nd.

Now, President Trump was pressed by Fox News' Maria Bartiromo in that interview that aired this morning on whether he could ensure some clarity for business leaders struggling with some of the uncertainty here. He was really unable to do so, he said, it depends.

We have seen all of these actions taken together rock U.S. markets and really install a lot of uncertainty for American businesses and consumers. But really erasing some of those gains made during the first seven weeks of the Trump administration.

But pressed today on whether Americans should be concerned about a recession, the President and his top lieutenant offered mixed messages.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK HOST, MORNINGS WITH MARIA": Are you expecting a recession this year?

TRUMP: I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition because what we are doing is very big. We are 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 think it should be great for us.

KRISTEN WELKER, NBC NEWS: Should Americans brace for a recession?

HOWARD LUTNICK, U.S. COMMERCE SECRETARY: Absolutely not. There is 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: -- about a recession. The U.S. economy continues to add jobs. Unemployment remains low, and Fredricka, wages for now are still outpacing inflation.

WHITFIELD: All right, Betsy Klein, thank you so much.

All right, President Trump is also threatening new tariffs on Canadian lumber products that may go into effect as soon as tomorrow.

The United States relies on Canadian softwood lumber as a critical resource for its home building industry. Trump's latest tariffs on lumber may impact the reconstruction efforts in California, after thousands of homes were destroyed from the recent Los Angeles wildfires.

CNN' correspondent Marybel Gonzalez is in Altadena, California. So, Marybel, what are you hearing about these concerns about these tariffs, how it might impact the rebuilding of communities? MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, definitely a concern. And as you can see, we are knee deep in the cleanup process. So many homes here in hard-hit Altadena look like this, burned to the ground, debris scattered everywhere.

We are hearing crews right now helping with the debris removal process, including the Army Corps of Engineers.

[15:40:10]

And while that will take some time, of course, the next step is rebuilding and lumber is critical to that. The homeowners here say they are concerned about those tariffs possibly increasing the price of their rebuilding. I think we have a photo of what the home used to look like and what they're hoping they can reconstruct, but they are worried about those prices going up.

We also spoke to several local contractors who echoed that sentiment. Some of them saying their construction materials are already up in price as it is. But of course, we know President Donald Trump has been long critical of tariffs, Canadian tariffs on U.S. dairy and lumber, and he says that we have enough lumber here. We should be doing the same to them, charging them for this material. We have enough here in the U.S. to sustain us, and we don't have to rely on Canadian lumber.

However, economists we spoke to say it is simply not that straightforward. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANJAY SHARMA, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: U.S. has a lot of forests, but it takes years to build the supply chain. You need more sawmills. You can't build sawmills tomorrow. You can't just say, you know, these sawmills are not lying idle right now. You can't just say, let's make some, you know, let's -- we have an executive order to produce more lumber, it takes time, it takes investment, it takes manpower.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GONZALEZ: Now, of course, as we know, these tariffs that he threatened the new tariffs, he said they could go into effect as soon as last Friday. We did not see that happen. However, we will just have to wait and see what happens next, especially, Fredricka, given that the U.S. sources about 30 percent of the softwood lumber it uses annually from Canada.

WHITFIELD: It is a significant number. Marybel Gonzalez, thank you so much.

All right, coming up, as deadly wildfires ravaged Los Angeles earlier this year, President Trump falsely claimed that they were the result of the state's water policies. CNN investigates what happened when a pair of DOGE agents flew to California to try to turn the water pumps on themselves.

And remembering Bloody Sunday and the push for equal voting rights 60 years later. My conversation with Martin Luther King III, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:47:01]

WHITFIELD: Today marks the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, a watershed moment in the Civil Rights Movement when voting rights demonstrators were beaten up and arrested while peacefully assembling in Selma, Alabama.

Earlier today, a large crowd marched along the same path as those demonstrators six decades ago, making their way across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Members of Congress, Civil Rights activists and residents taking part in today's events.

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.

Joining me right now live from Selma, Civil Rights activist, global humanitarian and chairman of the Drum Major Institute, Martin Luther King, III.

Great to see you.

Tell me what you're feeling today after events today and really all week long leading up to today.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, III, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST, GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN AND CHAIRMAN OF THE DRUM MAJOR INSTITUTE: Well, I am feeling that there is so much work that still has to be done. As you know, the Voting Rights Act was eviscerated in 2013, but the nature of what it was meant that every so many years you had to vote up the Act again.

And so the late Congressman John Lewis did get to write up a bill before his passing, and yet Congress has not so far passed it. So I feel that historically, we've still got a long way to go to ensure that everyone can vote with no encumbrances.

And that bill, that John Lewis Bill, I believe has to be passed. I do not believe it can happen in this climate.

Sixty years after the initial march, many came today from around the nation and maybe even parts of the world to commemorate, but we must stay engaged. We must never give up. We must never give in. We must never give out until the right to vote is protected and preserved for all citizens.

WHITFIELD: Let's help people understand the journey of really just that year, just in a matter of, you know, weeks and months, 1965, after a Bloody Sunday, two days later, Turnaround Tuesday. Your dad, Martin Luther King, Jr. helped lead 2,500 marchers to Selma. They didn't cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge because they would have defied President Johnson's wishes and federal restraining order at that time. But what have you learned about that decision making that your dad had to exercise, you know, to refrain from actually crossing, but still gathering peacefully with people?

[15:50:00]

KING: Well, again, it is relentlessness and constructive and creative, which created the change ultimately so that President Johnson, after they did march from Selma to Montgomery because there were three or four marches before they actually made that trek.

And when they did get into to Montgomery several days later, ultimately, President Johnson did sign the Voting Rights Act, even stating we shall overcome. A very, very powerful moment.

Now, again today, here we are, 60 years later, and we need permanent voting rights bill. That's what the John Lewis Bill says. Today, you know, I thought about the late, Great Reverend C.T. Vivian. I thought about Amelia Boynton. I thought about, of course, Congressman Lewis, certainly thinking about my dad and mom who were both there in '65 and so many other unsung heroes and heroines, that made a difference in this country.

But we just aren't there yet. I mean, and the country as a whole, somehow we've got to find out how do we bring civility back to the political space, the political discourse. We will never survive if we are at each other's necks and at odds. It doesn't mean we are going to agree on everything, but what it does mean is we can do this in a civil fashion so people can be treated with dignity and respect. That has to be brought back. It is not there at this particular moment.

WHITFIELD: You help remind people there were three marches. You know, this 59-mile walk from Montgomery to Selma, and if you do it today, or at least traverse that highway, you just might see that museum, one that I saw, you know, during one of the anniversaries, too, where in that museum, not far from the bridge, you'll see people's shoes, the clothes that they were wearing -- all of that is on display. The stories of how marchers were sleeping on the side of the road. Some were invited into people's homes.

I mean, what do you want people to understand about, really, the hardships of the fight to secure voting equality at that time, and as you just underscored, you know, we are still not there yet. And how some real permanency to the Voting Rights Act, you know, would be nice, that crafted most recently by the late John Lewis.

What do you want people to understand about what happened 60 years ago and what continues in terms of the fight?

KING: Well, history is interesting because oftentimes, it is said that the people that do not remember their history are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. Unfortunately, we don't need to repeat things that were moving us backward. We need to figure out how do we move forward constructively with everyone engaged.

I was so happy today to see thousands of young people from colleges and universities and high schools, and they were very excited to be there to participate, although understanding we just have not arrived yet and we must continue to engage in some level of activity.

We need to be calling our congresspersons, calling our United States senators, that is the responsibility of all of us, not just calling them. We need to text them, we need to use every form of technology to bring about change that is available as an option, inundate our elected officials. And ultimately, they will make the decisions because they represent us.

WHITFIELD: Your dad famously has said in many iterations, but that a shared goal of Americans is freedom. Does that still ring true today? Is that the shared goal of Americans?

KING: Well, it should be, and I think we have to create that climate because it does not feel like freedom exists as much as it should, because, again, we don't have voting rights for everyone. There are so many areas where we are afraid to address these issues, and we've got to find a constructive way to talk about these issues.

As I said, my dad would say nonviolence is the key, and he would say that we must learn nonviolence, or we may face nonexistence. Now, I don't want to embrace or say that, but what I am saying is that that way is still the truth. That is the light, that is the direction we must go into as a nation. Collectively working together to navigate through issues, but issues that should bring us together, that should not create division.

In fact, we've launched an initiative called the Realize the Dream Initiative for 2029. Dad's hundredth birthday. That's 100 million hours of service to observe Dad's birthday, which equates to about $3 billion of engagement. And that's again, 100 million hours by 2029, bringing young people together, bringing middle aged people, bringing seniors, bringing corporations.

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It is about turning to each other and not turning on each other.

WHITFIELD: All right, a beautiful way to punctuate this conversation.

Thank you so much, Martin Luther King, III. Great seeing you.

KING: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.

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