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Talks Between Ukraine, Russia And U.S. To Resume In Abu Dhabi; Donald Trump Addresses Iran's Ayatollah, Protesters, Nuclear Sites; Palestinians Describe Interrogations Searches At Rafah Crossing; African Men Say They Were Duped Into Fighting For Russia; African Men Say They Were Duped Into Fighting for Russia; EPA Chief Hold Roundtable With Victims of Palisades Fire; Trump Administration Officials Visit California, Tout Federal Permits; Curling Kicks Off Competition Ahead of Opening Ceremony of Winter Games; Host Italy to Feature Largest-Ever Winter Olympics Team; Imane Khelif is Willing to Take a Genetic Test; Waist-Deep Floods Hit Portugal Town Following Storms; Angel Resembling Italian P.M. Painted Over After Complaints. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired February 05, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:34]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, a second round of peace talks are underway as Ukraine grapples with freezing temperatures and a battered energy infrastructure. Also:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need to escape or you die. There's only two ways.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN investigates the tactics Russia is using to recruit African men into its armed forces.

And later, fighting back. Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif speaks exclusively to CNN about what she plans to do after being thrust into a culture war.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Appreciate you joining us, and we begin in Abu Dhabi, where peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States are set to resume in the coming hours. Ukraine's top negotiator says the trilateral talks on Wednesday were substantive and productive. They focused on specific steps and practical solutions, including a possible demarcation line. The U.S. was represented by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President

Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

The Kremlin says Russia will continue its so-called special military operation in Ukraine until Kyiv, "Makes the appropriate decisions in the negotiations."

Meanwhile, Ukraine's Air Force says Russian drone strikes killed at least 12 people and wounded 50 others on Wednesday. The country was already reeling from Russian attacks the day before.

Ukraine says it wants a dignified and lasting peace. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow with more on the Russian side of the talks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think for the Russians, those security guarantees are also an issue as well. The Russians, of course, have for a very long time said that they believe that the root causes of what they call their concerns around Ukraine need to be addressed in any sort of final agreement.

And of course, those security guarantees for Ukraine are things that could be interpreted by the Russians as encroaching on their own security.

So, the Russians will certainly want to have a say in that and how that goes forward. What kind of security guarantees, for instance, the United States could buy -- provide to Ukraine, also other allies as well.

Of course, one of the things that the Russians have said they would be very averse to would be any sort of NATO troops or European troops on Ukrainian soil. So, those are certainly details that would have to be worked out.

But definitely one of the things that seems the most tricky in these negotiations appears to be the territorial question, that of -- what sort of concessions the Ukrainians would have to make as part of any sort of agreement, what the Russians maybe would be willing to give back to Ukraine of land that their troops currently stand on. All of that definitely issues that could be quite difficult to reach an agreement on in these negotiations.

Nevertheless, the Ukrainians are saying that they believe that the fact that these talks have now been extended to another day are going to take place on the fifth of February as well is already a good sign. The chief negotiator for the Ukrainians, Rustem Umerov, he came out after the negotiations, and he said that they were, as he put it, "Substantive and productive with a focus on specific steps and practical solutions."

So, already in a stage where they're talking about practical solutions. Nevertheless, of course, both sides acknowledging there are still big hurdles to overcome, and the Russians, of course, also saying that they are going to continue what they still call their special military operation, meaning, of course, their war efforts in Ukraine until a final agreement is reached.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: William Taylor is a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Thank you, Ambassador, for joining us.

WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Rosemary, thanks for having me so.

CHURCH: Trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi will resume in the coming hours, but what all was achieved on day one with Ukraine calling the talk substantive and productive, while the Kremlin vowed to continue what it calls its special military operation until Ukraine, "Makes the appropriate decisions in the negotiations?"

TAYLOR: Well, I think what we hear from the Russians is that they're not serious about peace. They're not serious about these negotiations. Yes, they're showing up in Abu Dhabi. They're sending military people and military intelligence and others to special services, but they're not sending their diplomats or even the people right around Putin, unlike Ukrainians who have sent people the National Security Advisor, the Chief of Staff to President Zelenskyy.

[02:05:21]

You know, so, the Ukrainians are clearly serious. They clearly want to end this war. They want this war to end. The Russians don't.

CHURCH: So, given that, what all do you think these trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi will actually achieve in the end?

TAYLOR: Well, they might be able to make some decisions on specific arrangements. That is, if there is a cease fire. If there were to be a cease fire, then they will need some agreements about who is going to monitor, how they are going to monitor, how far back forces will pull from the contact zone. Those are useful conversations to have if there's ever to be a cease fire.

The issue is one or two levels up. There are some substantive issues that they haven't addressed, which these folks on the Russian side can't but then there's a top-level decision, which is Putin's, does he want to end this war? And as I said earlier, I don't think he does.

CHURCH: So, Ambassador, what needs to be done then to force Putin's hand and end his war in Ukraine? And what more could President Trump be doing to pressure Putin to agree to a cease fire?

TAYLOR: Rosemary, you put your finger exactly on it. Putin has to be pushed. He's going to have to be pressured. Without that pressure, he's not going to go for a cease fire. He's not going to negotiate seriously.

And you asked the right question, what can -- what can President Trump do? A lot, it turns out.

Turns out, President Trump has a lot of leverage over Putin, and Putin knows it, Rosemary. Putin is very aware that President Trump can do a lot of pressure on him economically through cracking down on the shadow fleet that is evading the Russian sanctions, the Russian export of oil, getting around those sanctions. President Trump has demonstrated he can go after those tankers, even if there's a Russian submarine right next to it. He's gone after them. So, that's number one. Putin knows that.

The second thing I think Putin knows this, Trump can put pressure on Putin militarily. That is President Trump has thought carefully and considered seriously providing Tomahawk missiles to the Ukrainians. He's not done that yet. Putin knows he hasn't done that. Putin talked him out of it earlier. Trump can do that. Trump has leverage, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, Ambassador, given President Trump has this considerable leverage, why isn't he using it?

TAYLOR: Rosemary, he is. He knows he can use it. He knows that he will only put pressure on Putin to win this war and to come out as a winner. He has not come to the conclusion yet, President Trump hasn't come to the conclusion yet that he can use that leverage to force Putin to do this.

I think he's getting close. I think President Trump understands that President Putin has been playing him along, and he has not used that leverage yet. He can. He should. If he wants to win the prize, he's going to have to put pressure on Putin.

CHURCH: And of course, it's worth noting that just ahead of these trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi. Russia attacks civilian infrastructure and power plants and a massive strike on Ukraine, and it's continuing those attacks, and has said it will continue those attacks. So, what does that signal to you about President Putin's desire to end this war?

TAYLOR: Rosemary, the question answers itself. Putin is not interested in answering and ending this war. He has made it very clear in all of his actions, in all these attacks on the Ukrainians during the dead of winter, when it's the coldest it's been in four years, and Putin attacks the energy to make Ukrainians suffer cruelly. He's not interested in peace. He's interested in dominating Ukraine, and so he's made that very clear.

CHURCH: Former Ambassador William Taylor, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

TAYLOR: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And later this hour, a CNN investigation uncovers how African men say they were lured into Russia with promises of jobs, money and citizenship, only to then be forced into the military and sent to the front lines in Ukraine.

Well, a nuclear weapons treaty between the U.S. and Russia is set to expire on Thursday. Russia says it's prepared to counter any potential threats in the meantime, though, it remains open to talks. [02:10:03]

The new star treaty was signed in 2010, it limits the number of long- range nuclear warheads both countries can deploy. Russia says the U.S. has not responded to its proposals to extend the treaty. President Trump has previously brushed off the treaty's expiration, suggesting a better deal may eventually be done.

Ukraine accuses Russia of trying to manipulate the issue, to intimidate with threats of nuclear escalation to weaken support for Ukraine.

The U.S. president had a lot to say about Iran during a wide-ranging interview with NBC News, and that included an ominous message about its supreme leader. Donald Trump said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should be very worried. The warning comes just days before the U.S. and Iran are expected to hold nuclear talks in Oman.

CNN's Kristen Holmes has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump, on Wednesday, said that he had heard Iran was looking to rebuild their nuclear program and leveled a threat at the Supreme Leader.

TOM LLAMAS, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: Should the supreme leader in Iran be worried right now?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would say he should be very worried, yes, he should be. As you know, they're negotiating with us.

LLAMAS: I know they are, but the protesters have said, you know, where are the Americans? You promised them we would have their back. Do we still have their back?

TRUMP: We've had their back, and look, that country's a mess right now because of us. We went in, we wiped out their nuclear. So, I didn't take out, you know, we have peace in the Middle East.

HOLMES: Now, this kind of rhetoric is the way President Trump has approached foreign policy. We also know that they have built up this Armada outside of Iran and they are continuing to use the threat of U.S. military as they go into talks on Friday between U.S. officials and Iranian officials.

Now, we are told that President Trump has all options on the table, but right now he is still looking to go the diplomatic route.

So, of course, this, again, does appear to be some kind of posturing from the president, similar to what we saw in Venezuela in the months leading up to the actual capturing of Maduro, using the weight of the U.S. military the power of the United States to threaten as part of a negotiating tactic just days before these talks.

Kristen Holmes. CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: As the U.S. is preparing to talk to Iran, a top human rights activist is pushing back against the regime from behind bars. The family of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Narges Mohammadi says they've received reliable information that she has started a hunger strike. She's reportedly protesting her unlawful detention and her prison conditions. The family is concerned because she has a history of medical issues, including heart attacks.

Well, just ahead, the difficult journey home, Palestinians describe being searched and blindfolded as they cross back into Gaza. The details on the checks Israel appears to be imposing in Rafah.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:17:29]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The Trump administration is signaling its intent to dial back its immigration enforcement tactics. Border czar Tom Homan says he is withdrawing 700 personnel from Minneapolis with around 2,000 federal agents to remain in the city. He says a complete drawdown would depend on several factors, including cooperation with state and local law enforcement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, WHITE HOUSE BORDER CZAR: Let me be clear, President Trump fully intends to achieve mass deportations during this administration, and immigration enforcement actions will continue every day throughout this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: In an interview with NBC News Tom Llamas, President Trump says he still wants federal agents to go after criminals, murderers, rapists and drug dealers, but in a broader sense, their tactics might change.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch, but you still have to be tough. These are criminal, we're dealing with really hard criminals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The president also said the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good should not have happened, adding that neither one was an angel, and no one feels worse about it than the people of ICE.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he regrets appointing Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington. Mr. Starmer is under fire for appointing Mandelson after his ties to Jeffrey Epstein were made public. Mandelson, who was fired last year, is now under criminal investigation for allegedly passing government information to the late sex offender.

British lawmakers have agreed to release their own files relating to Mandelson's appointment. On Wednesday, Mr. Starmer told parliament Mandelson lied about his Epstein connections after some MPs called the Prime Minister's judgment into question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEMI BADENOCH, LEADER, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE PARTY: The whole house will be disgusted by the latest revelations about Jeffrey Epstein. All of us want to see his victims get justice. But the political decision to appoint Epstein's close associate, Peter Mandelson, as Britain's ambassador to Washington goes to the very heart of this prime minister's judgment.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Mandelson betrayed our country, our parliament and my party. Mr. Speaker, he lied repeatedly to my team when asked about his relationship with Epstein before and during his tenure as ambassador. I regret appointing him. If I knew then what I know now, he would never have been anywhere near government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:20:14]

CHURCH: Officials say the documents about Mandelson's appointment will be released as soon as possible.

The death toll from Israeli strikes keeps rising nearly four months into a cease fire in Gaza, medical officials say at least 21 people were killed on Wednesday, including three children and a paramedic.

Israel says the strikes were a response to an attack that left one of its soldiers wounded and that one of the targets was a Hamas militant who took part in the October 7th 2023 attacks. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since the cease fire went into effect in October.

Well, the cease fire deal includes the reopening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. The crossing was partially reopened on Monday, after all, the hostages were returned to Israel, but Egyptian state media reports that initially, only 50 people per day will be allowed to cross both ways. And as Nic Robertson reports, it's not been an easy experience for those returning home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Stop. Stop here, she shouts. Emotions overflowing. Iman Rashwan (ph) desperate to see her mother, she hopes is on the bus, but so much excitement. U.N. workers waving the crowds back as the first war evacuees to return to Gaza from Egypt through the newly opened Rafah border crossing arrived.

For Iman anxiety becomes relief. Her mother, who left for medical treatment a year ago, the first off, finally in her arms. But all is not well. The next returnee off the bus, Um Omar (ph)

begins screaming, no one cross the border, she says, the Israelis treated us terribly.

I was handcuffed, blindfolded and interrogated by the Israelis. They told us we could only bring one bag. We had to leave a lot of clothes behind. And they told a little girl her toy was forbidden, and took it away from her.

It turns out she wasn't the only one with a bad border experience. They searched every blouse and every pair of trousers, very precisely, she says. They left nothing unsearched, and they took many things from us.

Iman's mother also says she had a hard time crossing. Today was a piece of hell, the Egyptians treated us very well, she says, but the journey became difficult when we reached the Israelis. They interrogated us for several hours.

The following night, more jubilant returnees, all with similar reports of distress during IDF checks on both days, the numbers crossing much lower than expected.

Unclear if these are just teething troubles after 20 months of closure or a tougher version of robust security checks Palestinians routinely face at Israel's borders.

The IDF says it is acting in accordance with the cease fire agreement and no incidents of inappropriate conduct, mistreatment, apprehensions or confiscation of property by the Israeli security establishment are known.

For these returnees, it's an experience they don't wish to repeat. Nic Robertson, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Next on CNN NEWSROOM, you escape or you die. Those are the words of a man from Kenya who says he was among other Africans tricked into serving in the Russian military. Our CNN investigation uncovers new details around Moscow's recruiting tactics. Back with that and more in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:29:07]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. A CNN investigation is revealing the strategies Russia is using to lure African men into joining its army. Many are job seekers who were given rosy promises, only to find themselves sent to the front lines in Ukraine with almost no training. CNN's Larry Madowo has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your name? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Francis.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This disturbing video appears to show an African recruit in the Russian army with a land mine

strapped to his chest. He is being ordered to storm Ukrainian positions on the front lines.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) suck. You are a piece of coal. (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

MADOWO (voice-over): A Russian speaker hurl to racist insult to the man saying he is being used as a can opener to breach an enemy bunker.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't see it is so traumatizing. Francis, my -- is my son.

MADOWO (voice-over): CNN traced the man's mother to Kenya. She hasn't been able to reach her son since October 2025, but she recently received another video of him from an unknown Kenyan number.

[02:30:00]

FRANCIS NDARUA, RUSSIAN RECRUIT: Be careful you guys, because, people are being taken there and you end up being taken to the military, and you are taken in front-line battle. And there are -- there is true killings.

MADOWO (voice-over): Francis is a trained electrical engineer who was promised a civilian job in Russia. But his family says he was forced into the Russian army and to the front lines in Ukraine.

MADOWO: How long was the training?

ANNE NJERI NDARUA, MOTHER OF FRANCIS NDARUA: Three weeks.

MADOWO: They had only three weeks of military training?

A. NDARUA: Only three weeks of military training.

MADOWO: Had he ever been in the police or in the army in Kenya?

A. NDARUA: No, no, no.

MADOWO: Do you know where Francis is?

A. NDARUA: I don't know where he is. I was told he is in Ukraine, but I don't know specifically whether he is there or not.

MADOWO (voice-over): Francis is among a growing number of African men currently fighting for Russia, though exact figures are unknown. Some Africans in the Russian army glamorize their life on social media, encouraging their countrymen to join.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For those of you in Africa, in Nigeria, that want to come and join the Russian army, it's very, very easy and very good. No stress.

MADOWO (voice-over): This Kenyan man posts dance videos and brags about how much money he makes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My salary can feed your father, can feed your mother, can feed your family for like two years, three years, my salary.

MADOWO: Where are you now? Can you say where you are?

MADOWO (voice-over): CNN spoke to a dozen African fighters currently on the front lines in Ukraine. They described being forced into a deadly war, racism from Russian commanders, and unpaid salaries. Many say they were made to sign military contracts in Russian without lawyers or translation. Nearly all told CNN they were desperate to escape but felt trapped.

Patrick Kwoba is one of the lucky few. He has made it back to Nairobi after escaping the Russian military. He is still carrying shrapnel in his body from a Ukrainian drone ambush.

PATRICK KWOBA, KENYAN INJURED IN UKRAINE (through translator): It hit me down here, but my food backpack saved my life. I didn't get burnt in my back because of my armor vest, but it tore my pants and burnt my buttocks and legs.

MADOWO (voice-over): Patrick is a carpenter who says he was only given basic military training.

KWOBA (through translator): I asked my Russian partner for first aid, but he turned hostile.

MADOWO: So after you've been hit by a drone --

KWOBA: Yes.

MADOWO: -- and the grenade --

KWOBA: Yes.

MADOWO: -- you asked for help from your partner?

KWOBA: Yes.

MADOWO: And he sent you away?

KWOBA: Yes, he wanted to kill me. I have to run, my brother.

MADOWO (voice-over): Patrick fled to the Kenyan Embassy in Moscow while on leave to recover from his injury.

MADOWO: So the only way to leave is to escape?

KWOBA: You need to escape, or you die. There's only two ways.

MADOWO (voice-over): CNN has seen adverts, messages and recruitment documents aimed at foreign fighters. They offer Africans sign-on bonuses of $13,000, salaries up to $3,500 a month and Russian citizenship after a year.

CHARLES NJOKI, ESCAPED FROM RUSSIAN MILITARY: They are lying to people. The money that they tell people they are paying, that is not true.

MADOWO (voice-over): Desperate for work and with a baby on the way, photographer Charles Njoki signed up to the Russian army hoping to avoid active combat. He believed his skills as a drone operator would keep him at a safe distance. Instead, Charles says he was pushed onto the front lines and was wounded by a Ukrainian drone. He says a rescue team refused to come, forcing him to drink his own urine to survive.

MADOWO: You feel that the Africans were being sent to the front deliberately?

NJOKI: Yes.

MADOWO: So you didn't get the money?

NJOKI: Yeah.

MADOWO: You didn't get the citizenship?

NJOKI: Yeah. I'm here suffering. I have an issue at my spine right now. There's a mortar (ph). I need to go and be removed.

MADOWO (voice-over): Russian recruitment networks in Africa have gone underground after recent crackdowns. But despite growing suspicion from locals, recruits are still signing up.

Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": The Russian government has openly acknowledged recruiting foreign fighters, including Africans, to serve in its army to fight in Ukraine and has publicized cases in which some were granted Russian citizenship after their service. However, Russia's defense ministry and foreign ministry did not respond to CNN's request for comment on allegations that some African recruits were misled or coerced into fighting.

A couple of weeks ago, President Trump appointed Lee Zeldin, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to oversee California's response to last year's deadly wildfires. Zeldin was in Los Angeles on Wednesday to meet with some local leaders and survivors, but he did not meet with California Governor, Gavin Newsom, who's asking for $35 billion in federal funds.

Elex Michaelson spoke with Zeldin one-on-one in a neighborhood that was destroyed by wildfires.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR, "THE STORY IS": When you look at lots like this, what goes through your mind?

[02:35:00]

LEE ZELDIN, U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR: Each of them have a story. The first thing I see is a house that was here, lives, pictures, the sentimental stuff you lose, you can't ever get. I think of the fact that it's been a year and the house isn't rebuilt, makes me wonder why not.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin visits the Pacific Palisades not long after President Trump tapped him to oversee the federal response to California's wildfires.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: During the fires, we lost our house.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Zeldin and SBA Administrator, Kelly Loeffler meets with the victims in the disaster zone and during a roundtable discussion. Both were also here in the days following the fires.

ZELDIN: It felt apocalyptic.

MICHAELSON: More than a year later, you can still smell the smoke in the air in these lots, which still need to be rebuilt.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): More than 16,000 structures burned in California's wildfires, which started on January 7, 2025. A year later, Fire Survivor Network says 70 percent of fire victims are still not in their homes, many blaming insurance companies.

ZELDIN: Victims have to go through a long process, producing so much information, having to relive this worst experience of their entire lives. And then at the end of the day, they're still not getting paid everything that they're owed.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Zeldin says President Trump's personal friends lost their homes and call his cell phone often to complain about red tape in rebuilding.

MICHAELSON: They call him all the time, and then he calls you.

ZELDIN: Yeah. Sometimes the president could be getting a phone call and somebody is saying that they heard from someone who heard from someone. But it's a little bit different when somebody calls and it's a person who actually lost their property, who has not yet been able to rebuild.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): California Governor Gavin Newsom has asked Congress and the White House for $35 billion for federal disaster relief.

ZELDIN: For funding.

MICHAELSON: He wants $35 billion for funding, right? And they say they need that money. And you say what?

ZELDIN: Yeah, so a few things I would say as far as strategy. One is when you're asking for money, you ask for as little as you need. That's a pass, a common sense smell test. And everything that you view as being legitimate and essential and necessary needs to actually be vetted out that way.

And in this case, you have asks at the county level, you have asks at the city level, and the governor comes in over the top and adds a whole lot of billions on top of what the locals are asking for. And my message to the locals was, and again unsolicited, is that it would be helpful for them to go through their current ask and to sort out what they view as legitimate and essential, what's needed, and what's aspirational.

If you're going to come up with a massive ask that includes an aspirational, astronomical figure, it probably isn't best to bury that ask in the middle of a day that is filled up with whatever kind of quips, insults of the day you could come out with the guy who you're asking for the money from. But that's just me as one observer from the outside.

MICHAELSON: But you -- so you say that about Governor Newsom, and obviously, it goes back and forth with the president. We know the president. He throws some insults out there, too. I mean --

ZELDIN: The wildest thing, I'll give you an example. I was coming out to L.A. for the first time, and I am about to board the plane, and the president calls. And he has Governor Newsom in the Oval Office.

MICHAELSON: Right.

ZELDIN: And fortunately, I made the flight, barely.

(LAUGH)

ZELDIN: And the two of them are like having this great conversation. I'm on the phone, and the two of them are just hammering things out, and they're getting along, and they're working through all sorts of ways to be as responsive as we can in response to the wildfires. And then maybe the next thing you know, you open up the governor's social media, or the president says something in response, and they have that back and forth.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): President Trump has suggested possible conditions be placed on California's disaster aid, which has never happened before for disaster relief.

MICHAELSON: But, you know, traditionally, there's been a back and forth between leaders of different parties that the president throws his insults to, and then usually they work together on disaster funding. That's certainly what happened during the first Trump administration with Newsom and Trump. Why not now? I mean, where -- because folks here are saying, we need the money, we need federal help, but -- a lot of Republicans are saying that.

ZELDIN: Yeah. So, again, I would definitely, if I was the governor, be going through the list and sorting out what he actually feels is essential, legitimate, necessary, and what is just aspirational. MICHAELSON: Because they cut down $5 billion out of the list.

ZELDIN: Yeah.

MICHAELSON: Because at first, they asked for $40 billion, and then they said $35 billion.

ZELDIN: Yeah. And then I would also say, you know, it probably would be helpful to go through statewide policies because that is all over the radar from conversations that I've had with members of Congress.

MICHAELSON: Zeldin says California's fire funding ultimately is not up to him.

[02:40:00]

ZELDIN: I'm not going to speak for, you know, Congress or the president as to what a final bill could look like, how much it would be --

MICHAELSON: Sure.

ZELDIN: -- when it would pass. But I would imagine there would be intense scrutiny on the amount.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): President Trump just recently signed an executive order promising federal permits to cut through red tape.

KELLY LOEFFLER, U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATOR: Essentially, President Trump's executive order helps residents bypass permitting that has been backlogged for months and months. So if you've had a permit on file that meets the contours of the law, you can self-certify.

There's two forms on the SBA.gov website that homeowners can download and submit with their builders, self-certify, and the check and balance on that will be inspections. So this is not a free pass to break the law.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Zeldin says the Trump administration is committed to long-term recovery.

ZELDIN: All I care about is that as I look -- I look at you, by the way, and I see a lot of empty sites behind you.

MICHAELSON: Yeah. Right.

ZELDIN: And I want nothing else.

(CROSSTALK)

ZELDIN: I'd RSVP right now to be able to stand here with you months from now --

MICHAELSON: Yeah. ZELDIN: -- and be able to look at just rebuilding everywhere. And the president's a builder, he loves this. He loves the challenge of building. And as you pointed out earlier, he hears from people who live in this community, who lost their homes. He wants to do it for them, for their neighbors, and whatever we can do to help.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: An Olympic gold medal boxer is responding to attacks from Donald Trump and others. She wants them to stop exploiting her in their political agendas against transgender athletes. CNN's exclusive interview with Imane Khelif is just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:46:20]

CHURCH: The Winter Olympic torch is nearing its final destination in Milan, and rapper Snoop Dogg joined the relay ahead of Friday's opening ceremony. He was appointed Team USA's first-ever honorary coach in December. The Olympic flame passed through several Italian cities on Wednesday before arriving in Monza.

Competition is already underway at the Winter Games. Britain scored an early win in the Mixed Doubles Curling Tournament. Canada, Sweden and Switzerland were also winners in that event. U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn says she will compete at the Games despite rupturing a ligament in her knee during a race last Friday. CNN's Amanda Davies is in Milan with more.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: So many people here talking about trying to process just how exactly she'll fare, trying to compete with that ruptured ACL in her knee. And let's not forget, it's not only a ruptured ACL in her left knee, but she's also got that titanium knee replacement in her right after her surgery during her time away from the sport.

DAVIES (voice-over): Her head coach, Chris Knight, has said she's been doing box jumps and that he's pretty confident she can still pull off the dream. But with Thursday's first official downhill training session cancelled because of the weather, we'll need to wait to see the reality.

DAVIES: But ahead of that, the men have been in action. In Bormio, about a three-hour drive from where we are here, where Ryan Cochran- Siegle said he's been taking inspiration from his 41-year-old American teammate as he topped the timesheets in the first training runs ahead of the men's downhill.

The U.S. figure skating team are expected to be leading the way over the next couple of weeks as well, being talked about as perhaps the greatest ever, with Ilia Malinin leading the way into the event that could be the climax of an epic four-year cycle for the 21-year-old reigning world and U.S. national champion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ILIA MALININ, U.S. FIGURE SKATER: Starting from a young age, coming here to the Olympics was such a dream of mine and something that both also runs in my family, and it's so nice to keep that tradition up. But being just here with everyone and part of this team is so incredible, and they all give me the support and the help I need to really stay focused and really stay under that perfect sweet spot for what I need to perform my best out here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIES: Representing your country at a home Olympic Games is another level still though. Italy have named their biggest-ever Winter Olympic team this time around, and for speed skater, Arianna Fontana, it brings the country's most decorated Winter Olympian full circle at her sixth Games, back on home soil just like her first at Turin in 2006.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARIANNA FONTANA, 11-TIME OLYMPIC MEDALIST: I'm really fortunate because a lot of athletes, they go to the Olympic Games, but they don't really get a chance to compete in their own country. And I get to do it twice in my career, so I feel really fortunate and also proud of everything I accomplished, and what I went through and allowed me to have such a long career.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIES: Fontana and her teammates hoping for a perfect ending at a Games only just beginning for all of us here in Milan and Cortina. I hope you're looking forward to the next few weeks as much as we are.

Amanda Davies, CNN, Milan.

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CHURCH: Olympic gold medal boxer, Imane Khelif tells CNN's Christina Macfarlane in an exclusive TV interview that she's willing to undergo a controversial genetic test to confirm she's eligible to compete. Khelif opens up for the first time about private details of her troubles and her plans to fight back.

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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN SENIOR SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An Olympic champion banned from her own sport, caught in a culture war about what it means to be a woman.

Mocked by the world's most powerful man, and now gold medal boxer, Imane Khelif faces an ultimatum. If she's to compete again, she must confirm she is female.

IMANE KHELIF, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL BOXER (through translator): The truth is I have nothing to do with transgender. I know myself. I was born female. I was raised as a girl. I went to school as a girl. I played sports as a girl. I have always been female. MACFARLANE (voice-over): For the first time, she opens up about private details of her troubles and her plan to fight back. We meet in Paris where 18 months ago she clinched the Olympic victory.

MACFARLANE: What's it like to be here again and to have all those memories?

KHELIF: Yeah, Paris, for me, it's my story in Olympics 2024.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): It made her an icon in her home country of Algeria, where as a child she sold scrap copper to pay for her training.

KHELIF: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congratulations.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're so beautiful.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): But then, boxing's ruling body banned her last year, saying she needed to take a controversial so-called sex test to prove she is eligible to compete. False and hateful rhetoric continues to this day by U.S. President, Donald Trump.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: You won the gold medal. There were two transition people. They both won gold medals. The whole thing is ridiculous.

KHELIF (through translator): It is really hurtful to see the president of a country talking about you like this. I want to explain one thing. I have nothing to do with transgender.

MACFARLANE: The president has repeatedly referenced your Olympic victory as a landmark case to support his push to ban transgender women and girls from women's sports in America.

KHELIF (through translator): I want to clarify to people, to the president, and to all the politicians who are exploiting my image as if I'm transgender, that I have nothing to do with transgender. I'm just an athlete. My dream is to play sports. Please do not exploit me in your political agendas.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): If she wants to compete at the 2028 Olympics in L.A., she may have to submit to that test for Games in Trump's America. Experts have called the test misguided and recently, the IOC vowed it would not bring back a practice it had dropped nearly 30 years ago.

MARK ADAMS, INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE SPOKESPERSON: We're not calling for people to go back to the bad old days of sex testing, I think, which was a terrible, terrible thing to do. And I'm sure we all agree that that is not the way forward.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Despite that, she tells me she is ready to face a test, but only if the IOC run it. KHELIF (through translator): Of course, I have the highest confidence in the International Olympic Committee. It is the top body mandated to settle such a matter. Of course, I would accept doing anything I'm required to do to participate in competitions. They need to understand that while protecting women, they shouldn't hurt other women.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Christina Macfarlane, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Just ahead, controversy over a church cherub. A newly restored painting in Italy gets covered after complaints it looks like the country's prime minister. More on that after the break.

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[02:56:29]

CHURCH: Intense flooding hit a town in Portugal on Wednesday. People had to wade through waist-deep water with streets completely submerged. A nearby river had flooded after two successive storms rolled through. Portugal's alert level is at the maximum until at least Friday, as authorities warn more rivers are at high risk of flooding.

In Italy, the face of an angel in a newly restored fresco has been painted over, following complaints that it resembled the country's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. The controversy surrounds restoration work on this wall painting at a church in central Rome. Italy's Minister of Culture has ordered an investigation into whether the restorer intentionally added Meloni's face.

Side by side, images show a striking resemblance. The Italian leader has weighed in on social media, saying she definitely does not look like an angel in a post accompanied by a laughing emoji.

I want to thank you so much for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more "CNN Newsroom" after a short break. Stay with us.

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