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Government Shutdown Looms With Funding Deadline Five Days Away; Trump Downplays Tariff Impacts; Winds Fuel Long Island Brush Fires; inside Trump And DOGE's Chaotic Effort To Release Billions Of Gallons Of Water; Marco Rubio To Travel To Saudi Arabia To Meet With Ukrainian Counterparts; Canada's Liberal Party To Elect New Leader Amid Trade War; Abrams: Accountability Is Missing From White House & Congress; Trump Envoy: Hostage Release Deal "Could Come Together Within Weeks". Aired 4-5p ET

Aired March 09, 2025 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:18]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: A new CNN Original Series follows the creation of one of the most well-known social media platforms of all time, Twitter. In 2006, a group of tech visionaries came together to create this social media app, and in just a short few years, a few short years rather, transformed the way people all over the world communicated with each other.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twitter. That's a great name. Jack --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were the most social people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is your mind blown?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the most emotional company and its founders were neurotic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twittering is all the rage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Twitter guys made up a thing out of thin air.

TYRA BANKS, SUPERMODEL: I am obsessed with Twitter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is billions of dollars.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're clearly offering something that people want. Boom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twitter was running the public square.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It shaped the way that we receive and view news. Feelings are getting hurt. Relationships are getting severed in ways that end up becoming irreparable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In this industry if you stop growing, you die.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot going on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one could possibly have understood where it was going.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The thing that creates traffic is anger, enragement equals engagement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fifty million accounts are tweeting, re-tweeting and re-posting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So are we the bad guys?

ANNOUNCER: "TWITTER: BREAKING THE BIRD" premieres tonight at 10:00 on CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. The countdown towards a potential U.S. government shutdown is underway. 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 narrow majority, Republicans will need Democratic votes in the Senate and potentially the House to pass it. And some Democratic leaders are already pushing back against the current GOP plan.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is covering these developments for us.

Julia, bring us up to speed on this new bill and its chances.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, House Speaker Mike Johnson has unveiled a stopgap measure known as a continuing resolution, that will keep the government funded until September 30th. But it's still unclear where he's going to get the votes for this, because in the House, he needs almost every member of his party to get on board to pass it without Democratic support. And there are some House Republicans already expressing concerns.

Democratic leadership in the House is outlining concerns of their own. In a statement, they said, quote, "The partisan House Republican funding bill recklessly cuts health care, nutritional assistance and $23 billion in veterans' benefits. Equally troublesome, the legislation does not -- does nothing, excuse me, to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, while exposing the American people to further pain through this fiscal year, we are voting no."

And while they may need some Democratic votes in the House, they are definitely going to need Democratic votes in the Senate. And if the House passes this, it puts a lot of pressure on members there to get on board with that same plan with just five days to go now until that government funding deadline. Now, while speaking with CNN's Jake Tapper earlier today, Democratic

Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey said that he would rather look at a short-term extension, something like 30 days, so that bipartisan talks could continue for a more long-term negotiated bill. But when he was pressed on if he would support the GOP House bill if it comes to the Senate, here's what he said.

(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: So many Democrats still leaving this a bit open. And Republicans right now, they have control, of course, of the White House, the House and the Senate, with narrow majorities in those two chambers. But how this budget battle plays out is going to give us some insight into what the next couple of months are going to look like as Republicans work to enact Trump's priorities.

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

All right. All this as President Trump is renewing his push to impose tariffs on some of America's largest trading partners, Canada and Mexico, even as he downplays the role tariffs might play in a possible recession. The White House says reciprocal tariffs would go into effect on April 2nd after issuing a one-month delay last week.

[16:05:05]

CNN's Betsy Klein is near Mar-a-Lago, where President Trump is spending the weekend.

Betsy, what more is the president saying about all of this?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Yes, well, the president's team really views this as a measure aimed at cracking down on fentanyl. And his top economic advisor, Kevin Hassett, said this morning in an interview that they are launching a drug war, not a trade war. And the tariff whiplash we've seen over the past few days is a sign that U.S. pressure is working.

So just to step back on how we got here. On February 1st, the president signed an executive order imposing 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada, backing off two days later for a 30-day pause. That got us to the unpredictability that we saw this week. On Tuesday, imposing 25 percent tariffs back on Mexico and Canada. Wednesday, lifting those tariffs on auto makers.

Thursday, pausing tariffs for a month on Mexico and Canada. Friday, announcing new tariffs on Canadian dairy and lumber. And then just this morning, his Commerce secretary announced that the Canadian tariffs on dairy and lumber would not go into effect until April 2nd.

President Trump was pressed in that FOX News interview to offer some clarity to the business community. Here's what he said.

(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 well go down, but we may go up. And -- but you're going to have -- they have plenty of clarity. They just use it. That's like almost a sound bite. They always say that, we want clarity.

Look, our country has been ripped off for many decades, for many, many decades. And we're not going to be ripped off anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Pressed on earlier today on whether Americans should be concerned about a recession, President Trump declined to say. But his Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said emphatically no, there is, quote, "no chance, absolutely not," of a recession. Of course, economic experts say it is too soon to be worried about a recession. U.S. jobs are up, unemployment is down, and Fredricka, wages for now are still outpacing inflation.

WHITFIELD: All right, Betsy Klein, thanks so much.

All right. We're also 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)

ERD ROMAINE, SUFFOLK COUNTY EXECUTIVE: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

Gloria, what are you learning?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the most important thing to highlight right now is that the fire has been 100 percent knocked down. But because of the threat that the county executive was describing there, it does not mean that Long Island is fully out of the woods just yet on this fire.

There are hotspots that still remain in the eastern end of Long Island, where this fire first broke out yesterday, and that's a primary concern for firefighters that want to make sure that the hotspots are put out because windy conditions are expected to continue throughout the day. And the possibility of that fire spreading or an ember, as he said, carrying and starting another fire elsewhere remains a concern.

Now the investigation has started to try and determine how this fire started, where it started and why it started. There are at least a dozen detectives that have been tasked with investigating, and they have also deployed air resources to try and look over the hotspots to see if they can figure out how the fire started.

Now the county executive has not ruled out the possibility that arson might be behind this. Take a listen to him explaining this part of the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMAINE: We are concerned about how this fire started. The Suffolk County Police Department has put 25 detectives on this because we're 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Fred, Governor Kathy Hochul deployed emergency resources yesterday. She also declared an emergency declaration, state of emergency, yesterday when the fires began burning to make sure that resources could be deployed to fight the fires. And now, as we move on to this investigation phase, as I said, officials really paying attention to the weather and the wind, which is expected to continue to pick up in the next several hours.

[16:10:08]

WHITFIELD: And, Gloria, what kind of damage are we talking about?

PAZMINO: So really important, Fred. The fires were burning in a nature preserve area of the eastern end of Long Island. So that's good news in the sense that it did not happen in an area that's very populated or where there was a lot of property. No major damage to homes. There were two structures that were burned, and there were two firefighters that sustained injuries while fighting the fire.

But both of them have recovered and have been released from the hospital. So overall, not a lot of damage. And certainly the fact that the fire did not jump and spread into the more populated areas, especially in Westhampton, the Hamptons, where there are many homes and businesses, is a good thing.

WHITFIELD: Yes, a slice of good news there. All right, Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much.

All right. Now to a CNN investigation into the Trump administration's actions following the recent wildfires in Los Angeles. CNN has learned in late January, a pair of DOGE representatives pressured the acting head of a federal water management agency to release billions of gallons of water from a California dam south toward Los Angeles, even though the water would never have made it to the fire ravaged area.

CNN climate reporter Ella Nilsen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELLA NILSEN, CNN CLIMATE REPORTER: In the first weeks of the Trump administration the president falsely claimed there were major water shortages during the Los Angeles wildfires. Trump was laser focused on releasing more California water, but the water he directed to be released never made it to L.A.

Through our reporting, we now know that two representatives from DOGE repeatedly pressured the acting head of a federal agency that manages dams to open water pumps at a federal facility in central California even though that facility couldn't physically do so because of planned maintenance.

The two DOGE agents said they had an order from the president to do this, even though one of them was not actually a government employee at the time. When the acting head of the Bureau of Reclamation did not relent, the DOGE agents flew to California with the goal of turning the pumps on themselves in what people familiar with the incident characterized as a stunt for a photo op.

People familiar with the incident told me that the two DOGE agents seemed fixated on getting a photograph of themselves turning these pumps on. One person familiar told me, quote, "They didn't get their photo op."

Now, I should mention that this facility also does not send water to Los Angeles. Through our reporting, we also know that days later the White House directed the U.S. Army Corps to release more than 5.6 billion gallons of water through two separate dams in the San Joaquin Valley, which could have flooded downstream communities and endangered lives and properties.

Ultimately, 2.2 billion gallons flowed out of the two dams into a dry California lake bed before panicked local water managers and Republican and Democratic lawmakers beseeched the Army Corps to shut it down. For context, that's enough water to irrigate 6,000 acres of thirsty almond crops for an entire year.

We sent the White House, DOGE, and federal agencies a detailed list of questions, including who paid for flights for the two DOGE agents to go to California. They did not answer our questions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, Ella Nilsen, with that incredible reporting, thank you.

All right. Still ahead, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to Saudi Arabia tomorrow to meet with Ukrainian officials about ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. What those talks could look like. Plus, new tariffs on Canadian lumber by the Trump administration could make it more expensive to rebuild homes in California after those devastating wildfires. And hundreds gather in Selma, Alabama, to remember the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the fight to secure equal voting rights in America.

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[16:18:40]

WHITFIELD: Live pictures right now out of Saint Peter Square in Rome, where the Catholic faithful are gathered in prayer for Pope Francis. The Vatican says the pontiff attended mass today at the hospital in Rome, where he has been now for three weeks. He also took part via video feed in spiritual exercises for Lent that were taking place at the Vatican. The Pope's medical condition remains stable as he battles double pneumonia.

And now to the war in Ukraine, where Russia's military says a video shows its forces striking on Ukrainian troops in the Kursk Region of Russia. We're also seeing new video of a soldier raising the Russian flag in Kursk. The area remains the key bargaining chip for Ukraine since its surprise incursion 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're trying to lay the groundwork for a peace deal with Russia.

CNN senior international correspondent Melissa Bell is following these developments from Paris.

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: He'll be making a couple of trips this coming week, Fredricka. First of all, to Saudi Arabia, then on to Canada to meet with G7 partners to further, say his spokespeople, American interests, but also to talk about both conflicts, the one in Ukraine, but also about the Middle East.

[16:20:12]

As to the Saudi negotiations, he and his delegation will be meeting with Ukrainian, a Ukrainian delegation, we know, to work on the outline and potential for that partial ceasefire that we understand President Zelenskyy now supports.

That would be, Fredricka, a ceasefire that would apply to the air, land and critical infrastructure. So the fighting on the front lines would actually continue until an altogether final framework could be found for a ceasefire. But of course, what we know is that President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian delegation that will also be in Saudi Arabia this week goes into these negotiations in a decidedly weakened position, having lost both U.S. military aid that is paused, but also, perhaps more importantly, American intelligence sharing.

You mentioned those events in Kursk, that flag being raised by Russian forces on that key settlement outside of Sujaya, there are growing fears that the Ukrainian position in this key territory that had been captured last August inside Russia, is increasingly weakened. They're on the back foot and under a great deal of pressure, specifically from the 12,000 North Korean troops we understand have been helping those Russian forces to try and reclaim the territory.

Now, Ukrainians have always said their plan was not to annex this territory permanently, but it had provided a key bargaining position for them entering these negotiations. One part of Russia that they held, even as they tried to argue for parts of their country back from what is currently being held by Russia. That looks increasingly fragile as a bargaining chip.

So what we will likely see are Ukrainians having to go a long way towards the American position of bringing this war to an end quickly. We've heard from President Zelenskyy tonight in his nightly address, speaking more about the events of the weekend, that dreadful strike that killed 11 in the east of Ukraine, a double tap, we understand, that then targeted emergency services.

This was, he said, further proof that Russia was not after peace, but rather capturing and destroying as much Ukrainian territory as they could.

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

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: Coming up, tariffs on steel and aluminum imports could negatively impact the nation's craft brewers and what you pay for a six pack. We'll talk to a founder of a brewing company next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:28:44]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back.

President Trump flipped his stance and threatened reciprocal tariffs on Canadian lumber. And now we're learning those tariffs will start on April 2nd. This was confirmed by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick during his appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press." The president has been critical of Canadian tariffs on U.S. lumber for weeks, and in an executive order signed on Saturday, he said, America has, quote, "an abundance of timber resources," end quote. But industry experts say it's not that simple.

Marybel Gonzalez joining me now from Los Angeles, where tariffs could hamper rebuilding efforts after those wildfires -- Marybel.

MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, and as you can see, we will need a lot of that. Now right now we are deep into the cleanup phase. So many areas like here in Altadena look like this, right? Homes burned to the ground, debris scattered everywhere. The good news is that cleanup is underway. We saw crews at different properties helping with that process, including the Army Corps of Engineers.

However, we know that in this rebuilding and the scale of this rebuilding will require a lot of lumber. So homeowners like the one we spoke to at this property say they're worried about the possible increase in their rebuilding and how this may complicate those efforts.

[16:30:07]

We also reached out to several contractors in the area who echoed those same sentiments, some of them saying they're already seeing a hike in prices of construction materials overall.

Now, as you mentioned, President Donald Trump says we have enough lumber here to be able to not rely on that Canadian lumber. And he's right. We do have about 300 billion trees. However, economists say it's simply not that straightforward, especially given that 30 percent of the soft lumber with U.S. uses, it's sourced from Canada. Let's take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANHAY SHARMA, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: There's a lot of forest. There's, you know, a lot of forests that can turn into lumber. That is true. But to convert the forests into lumber is a process. You can't just give a tree to a homemaker, a home builder and say, hey, you figure it out, or you have this forest, go and bring the wood.

The problem is that that has to become part of the supply chain, a consistent part of the supply chain. And that is the problem is like sawmills are not created. You know, just like tomorrow we might have 100 more sawmills. It takes time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GONZALEZ: Now, the volatility in these tariff announcements is also a concern. Economists say that's because investors may be dissuaded from pursuing infrastructure, such as those sawmills, those lumber mills, because they don't know if these tariffs will be permanent and if they go away, their investments may not pay off -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, Marybel, when does the president say this could go into effect?

GONZALEZ: Yes. So we heard last week about the possibility of these new tariffs, just a day after he offered a one month reprieve on other goods from Mexico and Canada last week, he said these could go into effect as soon as Friday. However, that did not happen, so were waiting to see what he decides next.

WHITFIELD: Uh-huh. All right, Marybel Gonzalez, thanks so much.

All right. Trump's tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports are expected to have major impacts for American craft brewers by driving up the cost of materials needed to brew, house and serve beer.

Joining me now is Sterling Steffen, the co-founder of Trademark Brewing.

Sterling, great to see you.

Can you take us through the process on how your company uses steel and aluminum every day to brew beer?

STERLING STEFFEN, CO-FOUNDER, TRADEMARK BREWING: Certainly. So our this place is, first of all, built out of stainless steel. You can see behind me. It's a mausoleum of steel, right?

WHITFIELD: Uh-huh.

STEFFEN: Our kegs are steel and our cans are aluminum. And we buy these by the truckload. And they come in many different formats. Most of these are actually manufactured within about a 100-mile radius. Not all of them, most of them. And the recycle rate is very, very high. But obviously, we rely on some raw materials. We live in a global

marketplace, and the issues that we're talking about here go beyond just steel and aluminum. It's actually going back one segment to even timber. I can talk about that as well if you'd like.

WHITFIELD: Well, sure. Why not? Because that too is going to be facing some tariffs, particularly that from Canada.

STEFFEN: Precisely. So every year, we buy a couple hundred of these tap handles. They're made out of wood. This is made out of poplar I believe. And when we go into this contract process with our supplier we say we want to deliver Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, our supplier has declined large contracts because they're worried about the volatility of the price of lumber for something this small.

That's how big a deal this is. This means I can't plan, I can't predict.

And I'm experiencing the exact same issue with my aluminum. I'm experiencing the exact same issue with my malted barley, the vast majority of which that is used in craft beer actually comes from Canada, simply because they have ideal growing conditions.

WHITFIELD: So you can't plan right now. So how much of a setback is this for you in time and money?

STEFFEN: It's a risk. It's a big gamble. We're wasting so much time. There have been entire weeks I've blown talking to suppliers, trying to get them to make agreements with me, trying to line up the rest of my year. And it kind of goes back and forth because were watching the yoyo effect of what these tariff talks really mean.

So that's only our little slice of the world and dealing with the time I personally put into this and seeing the prices go up, it's very, very difficult. And to even go one step further, we're fortunate enough to have beer and the major chains. However, I have to give them price notifications 90 days in advance.

So do I raise prices now in anticipation of my next truckload costing more, and take that risk that a chain might drop me? Or do I just accept that I might have lower margins? Or what do I do at all?

WHITFIELD: What's the answer to that? Because the clock is ticking. You do have to make a decision on whether you raise the prices or not.

STEFFEN: Right now, we're waiting. We're in the wait and see mode. I think that some of our suppliers have been -- everyone is in the exact same problem, though. We're not alone in this.

[16:35:01]

And it's not like our -- our major grocers, we're not the only person that's having this conversation. Coca-Cola is having this conversation as well, right? They have and they live on smaller margins than we do in some regards. So, you know, we're all in this together. And it's just -- it's

incredibly disruptive. It's a huge waste of time for businesses our size. We've got a couple dozen employees for, you know, one half of the ownership circle to spend an entire week trying to get a barley contract that typically would have been very easy, isn't a good use of time. It makes it very difficult for us to plan our business. And at this point, we're crossing our fingers.

WHITFIELD: Are you giving yourself days or weeks before you have to just make a decision?

STEFFEN: At this point, I actually can't, simply due to circumstantial timing. So when it comes to raising prices, remember that 90-day lead time?

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

STEFFEN: It goes on a rolling quarter basis. So even if I decided today it wouldn't actually have any impact. So in a way, I have a moment of reprieve to kind of think about it and decide what I want to do, because I couldn't actually put it in effect tomorrow if I wanted to. Beyond the 90 day notice, I have to give them, they only will accept the information at certain intervals.

WHITFIELD: And I know there's a lot of uncertainty, but I wonder, too, as a businessperson who likes to have a plan and execute your plan, are you starting to make plans or try to calculate what kind of losses you can afford to endure?

STEFFEN: It's going to take a hit on margin. There's no question of that. And there is definitely an area where were in a growth phase.

We're a fortunate brewery. We've experienced great growth in the last year, and we're looking forward to a banner year. However, if we get to a stage where hey, to -- to hit the next stage of growth or to hit the next stage of demand, we have to buy an extra brewing tank that now costs an undetermined amount more. Or I'm reluctant to purchase because by the time it actually actualizes you know, these tanks take three to six months to get, right? So when do I actually start paying for these things?

Those are the types of things that I'm definitely going to pump the brakes on right now, because I can't accept that level of risk. I'd rather have to just, you know, throttle back my growth ambitions, stay in my lane for a little bit longer, see what happens next quarter, next year, next administration before I'm willing to go into any big CapEx to grow my business further.

WHITFIELD: What are you trying to convey to your customers?

STEFFEN: The customers I'm most worried about are really our B2C, like, you know, sorry, B2B like dealing with my wholesalers and dealing and accounts, my grocers, my bars, my restaurants, they're pretty understanding. They're dealing with the same problems, the restaurants, the bars. In some ways, they're getting crushed even worse because they're

dealing with the same problems. The volatility of -- of produce that might be coming in from Mexico because it grows four seasons there, right? Things like that.

They all feel it, too. And they're sympathetic and they're just along for the same ride as us. I feel like that's kind of the state we're in. We're all on the same roller coaster. If you remember the sensation of going over the top of the roller coaster, if you're at the back, it feels faster because it's already accelerated.

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

STEFFEN: We're all in the same car together. It's just a matter of you're the beginning, the end or the middle or -- and how tight is your seatbelt?

WHITFIELD: Right. And then everyone has that woozy feeling in their stomach, too, at the same time.

All right. Sterling Steffen, all the best to you. Thanks so much for being with us. Keep us posted on the progress, the kinds of decisions you're going to have to make along the way.

STEFFEN: Will do. Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the fight for equal voting rights and where we are today. My conversation with Stacey Abrams, next.

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[16:43:06]

WHITFIELD: 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.

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

Well, today people are marching in Selma, Alabama, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday voting rights protest. Hundreds walking the same path across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where a violent crackdown happened on a peaceful voting rights demonstration back in 1965. It marked a turning point for civil rights in the U.S., and now civil rights activists, including Martin Luther King III, who we just talked to in the last hour, are saying voting rights, among other things for which many sacrificed their lives, are under fresh attacks today. Just last week, activists worry about the erosion of protections for

free speech after the U.S. House voted to censure Congressman Al Green following his removal from President Trump's joint address. Green speaking out against cuts to Medicaid.

Earlier today, I spoke with former Georgia Democratic candidate for governor, Stacey Abrams, about the Bloody Sunday anniversary and Congressman Green. And here are some of our conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STACEY ABRAMS (D), FORMER GEORGIA HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: 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.

[16:45:02]

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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Stacey Abrams.

All right, coming up, a look at life in Gaza as Israel shuts down the flow of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave.

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[16:50:56]

WHITFIELD: Today, the iconic Westminster Bridge in London reopened for 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 on to 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.

New today, Israel says it has now cut its last flow of power into Gaza, following an order from the Israeli government. Hamas is downplaying the move, saying since the start of the war, Gazans have largely relied on generators and solar power.

And in another twist, a Hamas-affiliated TV report says the terror group does not oppose releasing Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander as part of negotiations to end the war in Gaza.

Today, President Trump's special hostage envoy told CNN he is optimistic a truce is within reach.

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ADAM BOEHLER, U.S. HOSTAGE ENVOY: I think something could come together within weeks. I will say that I believe there is enough there to make a deal between what Hamas wants and what they've accepted, and what Israel wants, and it's accepted. And I think it I think there is a deal where they can get all of the prisoners out, not just the Americans.

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WHITFIELD: An end to the fighting would be a welcome relief for the roughly 2 million Palestinians still living in Gaza. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more on their struggle.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the desolate ruins of northern Gaza, Hala assembles scraps of wood and chunks of foam to build a fire. Proper housing and basic infrastructure are nowhere to be found. But for now at least, there is flour, water and oil. And Hala's mother can make bread.

The food aid is what's keeping us alive, she explains. Like so many others, Umm Mohammed and her family of 11 are surviving thanks to the tens of thousands of aid trucks that entered Gaza during the first six weeks of the ceasefire.

We eat and drink for the whole month from aid. Without that, it will be very difficult. Food and drinks are very expensive, especially when crossings were closed. We couldn't buy sugar or flour, she says. Aid makes us live.

That lifeline is now under existential threat. Israel is laying siege to Gaza once again, shutting down the supply of food and other humanitarian aid in a move decried by the United Nations and human rights groups as a violation of international law.

Israel says it is trying to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages, and accuses Hamas of profiting from the aid, to quote, rebuild its war machine, a claim Hamas calls a baseless lie. It is also threatening to cut off water and electricity if Hamas does not give in to new conditions.

And a return to war could also be on the horizon. In Gaza, where markets have only recently begun to come back to life, Israel's renewed blockade is already driving up prices, and aid groups say minimal stock piles of aid are beginning to dwindle. Without more aid, the World Food Program says bakeries and soup kitchens will likely shut down in less than two weeks.

For those living amid the rubble, aid running dry will revive the threat of famine and spell an end to what little they can still rely on.

We are so happy when aid keeps coming, Ibrahim says. We have no work. Our lives are on hold. Our businesses and homes are gone. So, when aid comes, the children are happy, whether it's food, drinks, cleaning products, this is the only way we can live.

[16:55:00]

For some, the aid blockade already feels like a return to war. They are fighting us through food, Abu Muhammad says. Netanyahu is now publicly saying, I will close the crossings and starve you. No one is standing against him. He wonders who will stand with the people of Gaza and how he will feed his children when the aid runs dry.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

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