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CNN This Morning

Ukraine's Pres. Zelenskyy Speaks At Munich Security Conference; Thousands Of Government Employees Fired; Federal Judge Extends Temp Order Blocking Elon Musk's Team From Treasury Payment System; Three Hostages Released From Gaza, Now Back In Israel; Accuser Drops Sexual Assault Case Against Jay-Z And Sean Combs. Steph Curry Fulfills Pledge To Rebuild Courts, Communities. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired February 15, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: -- certificate showing a close up of the pile. And you can present that to your ex or really anybody if you choose.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm sure people would just post it on social media.

BLACKWELL: I had a -- I had a bad breakup once after Valentine's. It was like two days after. I was doing this show.

WALKER: No.

BLACKWELL: And received a text live while I was anchoring.

WALKER: Thank you for that fancy dinner --

BLACKWELL: Getting a break up.

WALKER: -- and the nice wine --

BLACKWELL: Oh, no, it wasn't all that. It was just like, I don't think this is working anymore. I was on live television, and I was dumped in a text.

WALKER: Can we get that show and put it back on the air and see? Now that we know, you can see how the eyes are --

BLACKWELL: I was a little sweaty but nobody at home could tell.

WALKER: That is cruel. That is really bad.

BLACKWELL: Yes, it was. Yes, it was.

WALKER: Do you want to name him? No, I'm kidding.

BLACKWELL: I won't.

WALKER: The next hour of CNN THIS MORNING starts right now. WALKER: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. The more

I get to know you, some good stories. Saturday, February 15th. I'm Amara Walker.

BLACKWELL: That's going to be on my head and heart all day now.

WALKER: I bet.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Thanks for being with us. Here's what we're watching for you this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE: Ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs without our involvement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sends a strong message to President Donald Trump about Trump's promise to end Russia's three-year war on Ukraine. Why Zelenskyy is telling European leaders their futures are on the line as well? That's ahead to live report.

WALKER: Thousands more federal employees learned this week that they are losing their jobs as part of the Trump Administration's purge of federal workers, including hundreds of employees who manage the nation's nuclear stockpile. The concerns now being raised by members of Congress.

BLACKWELL: The FBI is pushing back on the Homeland Security Secretary's claims that the agency is corrupt. What the Bureau has to say about that and the potential impact of this very public feud.

WALKER: Plus, a woman who accused Sean Combs and Jay-Z of sexually assaulting her more than two decades ago has dropped her lawsuit against them. How attorneys for both men are responding, coming up on CNN THIS MORNING.

This morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenslyy issued a wake-up call of sorts to Europe, calling for a united Europe to face the threat of Russian aggression. In his early morning address, Zelenskyy said Ukraine could never accept peace talks without Kyiv's involvement, a message meant for President Trump.

He called a meeting between Trump and Putin without the presence of Ukrainians or Europeans dangerous.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY: Some in Europe maybe frustrated with Brussels, but let's be clear, if not Brussels, then Moscow. It's your decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Zelenskyy also took questions from our own Christiane Amanpour. He talked the mixed messages from Washington and also the need for continued dialogue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: Do you understand what America's position is?

ZELENSKYY: Yes.

AMANPOUR: Which is?

ZELENSKYY: I think to my mind, they're preparing the atmosphere for their dialogue.

AMANPOUR: For their dialogue, which will be?

ZELENSKYY: For the dialogue between Trump and Putin. And I think this is -- I mean, this is up to them, but they can discuss everything they want, but not about Ukraine without us. And that's why, in this case -- that's why, especially in this case, I think it's a little bit dangerous. That's why I said that we need to talk more with the president and to talk more with his people, with his teams. Yesterday, as you said, we had -- we had good conversation. And I think that I opened some new details for Vice President. That's why I said, I -- we need -- it's not waste time. It's really very important, I think, diplomatic investment for the future just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

You.

AMANPOUR: Yes, sorry. Yes, I thought you were going to say some more things.

ZELENSKYY: Your order.

AMANPOUR: Yes, yes, yes. You just sort of -- yes, I suddenly go from --

ZELENSKYY: I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

AMANPOUR: You said Putin doesn't want peace. I mean, you just said it loud and clear.

ZELENSKYY: Yes, that's true. That's true.

AMANPOUR: So, what is the dialogue? And have you convinced the Americans that A, Ukraine has to be at the table and B, I guess the Europeans have to convince them? Did you get a commitment from President Trump that you would meet with him first? Do you have a plan to meet with the president?

ZELENSKYY: No, we have our plan, of course. It's our country, and that's why it's our plan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: All right, let's go now to CNN's Chief National Security Correspondent Alex Marquardt. Alex, in his remarks, Zelensky said it would be dangerous for President Trump to meet with Putin before him. Also talked about this army for and of Europe. Give us the headlines.

[07:05:14]

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think both those things, Victor, really speak to the uncertainty and fear that the President Zelensky has about the United States right now, particularly when he sees President Putin cozying up to President Trump and mixed signals, frankly, from different members of the Trump Administration.

So, this was a really striking set of remarks from President Zelenskyy, both his own speech and in that interview with Christiane Amanpour. It was, for lack of a better description, a call to arms, both literal and figurative. I mean, he said in no uncertain terms that Europe cannot count on the U.S. anymore, that the relationship with the United States is evolving, and there may come a time when the U.S. simply says no to Europe.

He pointed directly to the speech by the American Vice President, J.D. Vance just yesterday. Zelenskyy saying that -- basically paraphrasing Vance, the decades of this old relationship between the United States and Europe is ending, and that Europe needs to adjust to that.

Here's a little bit more of Zelensky said earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY: I mean, Europe may not fully understand what's happening in Washington right now, but let's focus on understanding ourselves right here in Europe. We must give trends to Europe first. Does America need Europe as a market? Yes. But as an ally, I don't know.

A few days ago, President Trump told me about his conversation with Putin. Not once did he mention that America needs Europe at the table. That says a lot. The old days are over when America supported Europe just because it always had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: And so, Zelenskyy called on Europe to band together and defend their own interests. And he said it should be done through European armed forces. He literally called it an armed forces of Europe so that Europe's future depends on European needs and European priorities.

Victor and Amara, of course, there are major questions about the state of these negotiations, which haven't even started yet, but there have been accusations that the Trump Administration has already been giving concessions, has already been doing favors to President Putin. We heard the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth say a couple days ago that American forces would not go into Ukraine, that NATO -- that Ukraine would not be a member of NATO. That's something that has been echoed by the President himself. So, there were a lot of questions for J.D. Vance when he got here to

Munich from the Ukrainian side, from European officials. He kind of equivocated yesterday in Vance's meeting with Zelenskyy. He said that he wanted to keep all options on the table, that he was preserving optionality for President Trump. So, certainly a lot of concern among the Ukrainians, among the Europeans. These negotiations are just getting started and Ukraine wanting to make sure that they are at the table when the fate of their country is really what's in play here. Victor and Amara?

BLACKWELL: Alex Marquardt there in Munich for us, thank you.

Let's bring in now former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder. Mr. Ambassador, good to have you back. Let's start here from the framework of President Zelenskyy's remarks saying that Europe needs its own alliance. We must build the armed forces of Europe so that Europe's future depends only on Europeans, saying that the U.S. doesn't appear that they really need the Europe as allies. What was your reaction as former Ambassador to NATO of that framework from Zelenskyy?

IVO DAALDER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NATO: Well, my reaction was one of sadness, though I think he is also correct. I do think that the United States in the past few weeks has behaved in ways that make it incredibly hard for Ukraine, which is at war for Europe, which is living on a continent at war to rely on the United States. The United States is proving not to be a very reliable ally.

And the two things that are most shocking over the past week are, one, the fact that the President of the United States decided to get on the phone with Vladimir Putin without talking to Europeans or without talking to Ukraine to promise a peace conference and a peace conversation that would take place between Washington and Moscow, even though Moscow is the aggressor, and Kyiv is the victim and not make them part of it.

And then secondly, the lecture that we heard here from the Vice President about the nature of democracy coming from a vice president who still does not recognize that in 2000, Donald Trump lost the election and Joe Biden won, was not taken well by people here.

And so, there is this question that President Zelenskyy put on the table. Are we really still capable, and able to rely on the United States, or should we rely only on ourselves?

[07:10:24]

BLACKWELL: And even in that context, President Zelenskyy said today that there would have to be some security guarantees to agree to peace with Russia. There are already security guarantees from the 1991 independence after the Orange Revolution. So, who would have to offer those guarantees? Would that be the U.S. again considering the situation Ukraine finds itself in now or would those have to be guaranteed by Europe?

DAALDER: Well, I mean, I personally would argue that those guarantees would have to include membership in NATO for Ukraine, which is how we traditionally have dealt with the insecurities on the continent. This is a continent that only had 12 countries as members of NATO and now has 32. And the reason is because certain parts of Europe have founded better and more secure to be part of NATO than not be part of NATO, as we found with Finland and Sweden.

But the president has ruled that out. He has taken the Russian mantra that the war was caused by the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO. That is, of course, absurd. The war was caused when Russia invaded Ukraine. And we had Pete Hegseth, his defense secretary, ruling out not only NATO membership, but US participating in any security guarantee.

So again, I think what President Zelenskyy is saying is we can't rely on the United States. We have to rely on Europe. And now is time for Europeans to do more, not only to defend their continent, but also to help and secure Ukraine's future. It's a tough task for Europe. It doesn't have the forces at the moment. It is not spending enough in order to get those forces.

But I see him in Munich here awake up call among Europeans to say we would like to do it with the United States. We would prefer to do it with the United States. But we've got to do it, even if we can't do it with the United States.

BLACKWELL: You know, that's interesting. You say you see a wake up call there because former President Biden used to tell stories about the former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the questions about U.S. leadership and abdicating its position on the world stage. Do you think what happened this week, the pairing of what we saw from Vice President Vance and the reaction in the room and what happened today with President Zelenskyy is a pivot point for Europe?

DAALDER: Yes, I think it's a pivot point. You know, it's not only what happened here today and yesterday, it's also what happened this week. The phone call that the President made with Vladimir Putin, the tariffs that have been imposed on aluminum steel imports to the United States, the reciprocal tariffs that are about to be imposed.

The United States, under Donald Trump, has a tendency to turn friends into enemies and enemies into friends. That's not the way in which most Europeans think the world ought to be run. And as a result, they're going to have to figure out a way to deal with the world as it is without the United States and at times even have to oppose it.

I do think that the first three weeks of the Trump presidency is making it very real for Europeans that the day in which they can rely on the United States, the day that the United States will not only uphold but help create a rules-based order, those days are over. After all, President Trump threatened a NATO ally, Denmark, with invading one of its territories, Greenland, very seriously and continues and hasn't walked away from that.

Under those circumstances, the Europeans are getting the way to go call that unfortunately, unfortunately, because I -- as someone who believes in the transatlantic relationship, would like the United States to be engaged, but I don't see that happening. BLACKWELL: Former U.S. ambassador to NATO, Ivo Daalder, thanks so much for being with me.

WALKER: More shakeups in Washington. Thousands of federal employees just got the axe as the Trump Administration pushes widespread layoffs. How the latest round of cuts impacts services Americans rely on?

Also, another setback for the world's richest man and his DOGE team. Inside the latest ruling about access to a key Treasury payment system.

Plus, Jay-Z and Diddy just scored a big legal win. A civil lawsuit accusing them of assault has just been dismissed. What this means for Diddy's ongoing legal saga?

[07:15:07]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Firings are continuing at the federal level. Officials are now aiming at probationary workers. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, more than 200,000 people have worked in those roles within the government for less than a year.

WALKER: CNS Renee Marsh has more on the agencies gutted by the Trump Administration.

[07:20:02]

RENE MARSH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Amara and Victor, labor unions representing federal employees are still trying to get their hands around the full scope and scale of the Trump Administration's government-wide firings. But so far, we know, more than a thousand were fired from Veterans Affairs. Trump's V.A. Secretary Doug Collins said it would save the agency $98 million a year.

2000 were dismissed at the Energy Department, nearly 1,300 at the Centers for Disease Control, 2,200 at the Interior Department, and 3,400 at the Forest Service. And that's an agency that manages the nation's public forest and grasslands to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

Now, Trump has talked a lot about clearing forest floors to combat wildfires. And while the firefighting unit of the Forest Service was not laid off, employees with desk jobs and those who clear trails were.

And at a time when wildfires have become more frequent and intense, those employees often serve as reserve crews, that the agency can tap into when they need more manpower. One Forest Service source tells me, now they may likely have to rely on backup from private contractors, which comes at a much higher cost.

And at the VA, one of the employees fired worked at a vet center. That's a community-based clinic that helps vet seeking mental health care. And at the Department of Energy, hundreds of staffers at the National Nuclear Security Administration, the agency tasked with managing the nation's nuclear stockpile, were also dismissed. But the agency made an about-face and began rescinding terminations after senators expressed concerns about the critical nature of these employees and the impact on national security. Amara and Victor?

WALKER: Rene Marsh, thank you for that. Now, Elon Musk's Government Efficiency team will have to wait longer to get their hands on a critical Treasury Department payment system. A federal judge extended a temporary order to block them. That system distributes American tax returns, Social Security benefits, disability payments and federal employees' salaries.

The suit from 19 state attorneys general says Musk's team got access unlawfully. CNN Legal Analyst Joey Jackson joining us now. Hi, good morning, Joey. Obviously, another temporary win for these Democratic attorneys general who filed this lawsuit. Talk to me about what they argued in this hearing.

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Amara, good to be with you. And so, I think the basis of it is that there's a process. Now, let's talk about two things. The one thing is the political. I think that there certainly is widespread agreement with respect to trimming government and ensuring that government runs more efficiently.

That being said, the process to your question in terms of what the arguments are. Number one, who should be at the helm of doing it? Should it be an unelected official who's only accountable to the President? There are in this world something called principal officers. There's an appointment clause in the Constitution not to get to in the weeds, but that's the legality of it.

If you want someone at the helm to do something that is so earthshaking, they should be certainly appointed by the President, confirmed by the Senate. In addition to that, Amara, the person in charge you look to see who should have authority to do this. Should it be a unilateral action by the President? Or to the extent that these agencies were created, you know, by Congress particularly when you're looking at the Treasury and all the things the Treasury does, should Congress not be involved, and should it not be enacted through legislation, through a healthy debate, through what's the process of doing it? And should that be the manner in which it's implemented?

And so, it relates to the president doing something unilaterally to cut and slash agencies or the involvement of the legislative branch of government to collectively through it, do it through the democratic process. That's the essence of the argument.

WALKER: Got it. So, what happens next, Joey? I mean, could DOGE be permanently banned from accessing this payment system?

JACKSON: You know, so we'll see, right? There's a lot of implications here. And what are those implications, Amra? They are the Treasury Department. We're talking about $5 trillion that go through the Treasury Department with respect. And we saw that you had it there before. That is the graphic that talked about Medicare and Medicaid and veterans benefits and certain payments and tax refunds. And so, the Treasury Department does an awful lot.

And so, in terms of whether or not this is lawful or unconstitutional, I'm speaking about the President's authority to just restructure the workforce without the involvement of Congress. I think there's a lot of concerns.

One other point, Amara, and that's this. History is often a guide when you talk about law and you talk about things in general relating to our government. Bill Clinton restructured the federal government significantly 30 some-on-years ago when he was in office in the 90s and he involved Congress in doing it. And they certainly cut out waste fraud and efficiency. There was a healthy debate. It was done through the course of time. There was an agency appointed or excuse me, a committee appointed. They made almost 400 recommendations with respect to how to do it.

And so, the future is unclear. We know, of course, that it will go, these challenges to U.S. Supreme Court. And the ultimate issue is whether or not this conservative proof majority, right, six to three, many of whom Trump appointed, will just say, hey, let's expand executive power and let Trump do anything, or whether or not we should look at this in the way in conformance with the constitutional, really provisions of the law and whether or not there should be this separation of powers where you have authority that is shared between branches and not just controlled by one.

[07:25:40]

WALKER: Yes, we're not seeing much of that sharing right now, are we? Well, I guess right now in this particular case, we are. There is this audit as well, Joey, that's been launched by the Department's Office of Inspector General into the Treasury Secretary's decision to allow DOGE to access this payment system. What is this audit going to look at?

JACKSON Well, I think again, there's certainly a concern and I think there's probably bipartisan support for the issue of waste and fraud, et cetera. And there's an argument where I talked about $5 trillion. Government has many contracts that are out there.

And should this waste and fraud be uprooted? Certainly, it should. And any audit is done to really detect that as the money being spent in a way that is supported with the rules and regulations and if not, it should be cut. I think ultimately it's the manner of what you do it.

We've seen certainly that this administration has taken down inspector generals, which are watchdogs, on agencies, watchdogs on what's happening, how things are implemented and done. And so, the audit is one thing. Again, it's just the implementation and who should have authority and how it should be administered I think that raises a lot of concerns. We have as a democratic government, a process. And should we have one person unilaterally doing it or should everyone collectively do it after a healthy debate, discussion, and through law? WALKER: Joey Jackson, always great to have you, thanks.

BLACKWELL: Three more Israeli hostages are finally free after nearly 500 days in captivity. We'll take you to Hostages Square in Tel Aviv as the ceasefire deal is still on shaky ground.

A heated clash between the FBI and Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem. Why the Bureau is calling her new accusations deeply irresponsible.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:31:53]

WALKER: We now turn to breaking news out of the Middle East. Three Israeli hostages have been released from Gaza and are reunited with their families, now back in Israel.

BLACKWELL: We have new video of the Israeli American hostage, Sagui Dekel-Chen. Look at this. Reuniting with his wife and family after being held captive for almost 500 days.

CNN's Nic Robertson is live in Tel Aviv.

It is emotional video every time we see it, every weekend now, every Saturday morning. Almost didn't happen after this dispute between Hamas and Israel, and the threaten to derail the ceasefire early this week.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, and I just have to talk more about that video of Sagui and Avital, meeting and hugging there.

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: Yes.

ROBERTSON: I was just talking with our producer, Donna (PH) here, who was taking me through what they were saying. And we know we were talking about this before, right that they have had a third child while Sagui was in captivity, a third daughter.

And in -- when they're hugging there, you can hear -- you can hear her, Avital, Sagui, what did you -- what did you call her? Or -- and he was -- he was saying, Mazal, and she said, that's what we called her luck. It means luck. And there is that beautiful moment.

As he is learning what his third daughter's name is from his wife in that hug. But look, it's an emotional moment. There were -- there were other hugs as well. Other hugs for others -- of the three who were released. The Argentinian Israeli, 46 years old, Iair Horn.

Getting to meet his mother again, getting to meet one of his brothers -- one of his other brothers, by the way, is still in captivity.

And then -- and then, Sasha Toranov (PH). He also -- Troufanov, also meeting with family members. Very emotional moments for them.

But as you say, it almost didn't happen, because less than a week ago, Hamas said they were not going to release any of the hostages. President Trump said, you release all of them by noon today, or all hell will break out.

The Israelis went along when Hamas finally said that they would do it, and the Israelis today also releasing 369 or in the process, releasing 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. 36 of those were serving life sentences in jail.

By the way, 24 of those will be expelled from the country.

WALKER: Just so moving. There is a story behind every person that is being released. Nic Robertson, thanks so much.

BLACKWELL: An accuser dropped a lawsuit against Jay-Z and Sean Diddy Combs.

WALKER: Why can't be refiled ever again?

[07:34:32]

And what's next for Sean Combs as he is still behind bars?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: A woman who accused Sean Combs and Jay-Z of sexually assaulting her 25 years ago has now dropped her lawsuit against the two men.

WALKER: Her attorneys withdrew the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning, it can't be refiled in the future.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has more.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: A Jane Doe who alleged she was raped by both Sean Diddy Combs and Jay-Z more than 20 years ago, when she was 13 years old, has dropped her case against both of the music moguls.

In a notice of voluntary dismissal filed on Friday, Jane Doe's attorneys dropped the case with prejudice, preventing it from being refiled in the future.

Tony Buzbee, an attorney for Jane Doe declined to comment when I contacted him.

[07:40:02]

He also declined to comment when I asked if a settlement agreement was reached between Jane Doe and any of the defendants.

Now, Jay-Z's attorney Alex Spiro told CNN in a statement, "The false case against Jay-Z that never should have been brought has been dismissed with prejudice. By standing up in the face of heinous and false allegations, Jay has done what few can -- he pushed back, he never settled, he never paid one red penny, he triumphed and cleared his name."

Now, Jane Doe initially filed her lawsuit against Combs in October of 2024. She alleged that she was drugged and raped by Combs, along with two other celebrities at an after party for the MTV Video Music Awards in the year 2000 when she was just 13 years old.

Jane Doe, then filed an amended complaint, naming Jay-Z as one of the celebrities she accused of raping her.

Jay-Z vigorously denied the allegations and fought back fiercely against Jane Doe's allegations, calling them heinous.

His attorneys made numerous attempts to get the case thrown out, prior to Jane Doe now dropping her own case.

In December, a judge had denied Jay-Z's request to dismiss the case. Jane Doe had previously acknowledged inconsistencies in her recollection of the events from the alleged assault in 2000, but she always stood by the allegation that she was raped.

Her attorney had previously told CNN, "Our client remains fiercely adamant that what she has stated is true to the best of her memory."

Attorneys for Sean Diddy Combs told me that Jane Doe, dropping her case is "confirmation that these lawsuits are built on falsehoods, not facts."

Combs, still faces more than 40 sexual assault lawsuits. He was indicted last September on sex trafficking, racketeering, conspiracy, and prostitution-related charges. Now, he has pleaded not guilty to all three charges, and his attorneys say that he has never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone.

Combs is currently in jail awaiting his criminal trial that is set to begin this may. Back to you.

BLACKWELL: All right, Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you.

The FBI is publicly, now pushing back against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

WALKER: The comments the bureau is taking issue with, and the impact this public fight can have on the rank-and-file, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:46:54]

WALKER: The FBI is firing back against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's allegation that FBI agents are, "corrupt" after she says details of an immigration raid were leaked.

The public feud has escalated, with the FBI National Press Office, issuing a statement, and part of the statement says that Noem's allegations are not only, "deeply irresponsible," but also, not supported by any evidence to date.

We're joined now by CNN senior law enforcement analyst and former FBI deputy director, Andrew McCabe. Andrew, good morning to you.

I mean, the fact that you have the DHS secretary, publicly accusing another agency of corruption without any evidence. What's your reaction and what are the consequences of that?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Amara, this is, I mean, obviously, totally unprecedented. This isn't the kind of, you know, back and forth baseless allegations. You don't see that typically coming from Cabinet secretaries, aimed at their partners and fellow law enforcement agencies.

So, I can't even fathom what Secretary Noem was thinking when she posted this on social media. But the impact is really serious.

The fact is that the FBI has to work very closely with DHS in a number of mission spaces. The most important, of course, being in the counterterrorism area.

The relationship between the two agencies has not always been smooth. There is a lot of rivalry, there is a lot of competition for areas of their jurisdiction that both overlap. And so, over the -- over the decades, since 9/11 a lot of work has been done to link the two agencies up and to try to work more productively together.

And that's done first and foremost by having the leadership of those two entities working very closely.

When I was deputy director, I was very close with the then-deputy of DHS, who is later Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and it was our friendship and our ability to interact that made us productive together.

So, it's sad to see that sacrificed here by an impertinent social media post.

WALKER: Yes. And if you will, Andy, I do want to make the pivot and talk about the CNN original series about the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, It premieres tomorrow on CNN, and I want to first show a preview here. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't want to see her when she had been killed. I wanted to remember her as I had last seen her full of life.

She was everything that a parent could wish for. Beautiful, bright, lively, intelligent, yes. And we were very proud of her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: I mean, the clip, as you heard there, shows the human loss of the bombing. Andrew, what can you tell us about how that investigation became global and revealed all these twists and turns? [07:50:07]

MCCABE: Yes, Amara. It's such an important case. And really one that in many respects, brought the catastrophic impact of terrorism to the public awareness. Right?

This is 1988. December 21st, 1988, about 40 minutes into the flight. Pan Am 103, suffers an explosion that emanated from its cargo hold, just after the flight crossed into Scotland.

300 tons of wreckage spread over 800 -- over 800 square miles of essentially crime scene. 270 people killed, 257 on the plane and 11 people on the ground.

I should say 190 of those -- of those deaths were Americans, many of them young people coming home for Christmas, having spent the semester abroad at college.

That's what started this massive international investigation that literally stretched over decades. We had the first two main actors in the case indicted in 1991. They notoriously went on trial. One was convicted. Megrahi was convicted, and FEMA, his associate, was acquitted.

And then, of course, in 2020, we were able to arrest, indict, and return -- ultimately, return to the United States to face trial an additional subject, someone who was instrumental in assembling and arming the bomb that brought the plane down.

So, an incredibly challenging investigation, but one that shows the commitment of the FBI and its law enforcement partners in never letting an act like this go uninvestigated and unpunished.

WALKER: I really looking forward to seeing this series. Andrew McCabe, thank you so much. And the two-part premier of "LOCKERBIE: THE BOMBING OF PAN AM 103" airs tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, only on CNN.

BLACKWELL: Still ahead, it's NBA All-Star Weekend in the bay.

WALKER: And Warrior's star, Steph Curry is stepping up in a big way to help his community. Hear why it's so special to him. Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:56:27]

BLACKWELL: Well, just hours into the NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco, already, history has been made.

WALKER: CNN's Carolyn Manno has more. Tell us more about it, Carolyn.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, you guys.

It was quite a night by the bay. One that Steph won't forget. Steph Castle. That is the 20-year-old led UConn to a national title a year ago. And now, in his rookie year, he led his Rising Stars team to a spot in the All-Star Game.

This first guard, pouring in 11 points on Friday night. He is also credited with the assist on Keance (PH) Georgia's game-winning shot after winning the rising stars challenge. Castle's Team C advancing the Sunday's All-Star game as one of four teams competing for the crown.

The Warrior, Steph Curry will play on Team Shaq, Sunday, alongside LeBron James and Kevin Durant. And Curry is a superstar on the court. We know that. He is also won off of it as well, making good on a promise to build 20 courts in the Oakland Community in an effort to create safe places for kids to play.

Our Andy Scholes, talk to Steph about the special way he is giving back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: All right, Steph, the court here at McClymonds High School in Oakland, the 20th court Curry brand has refurbished. Bill Russell wins the school here is now named after him. This is pretty cool, but it's a culmination of this years of work by your brand, your 15,000 coaches trained 125 groups supported, impacting more than 300,000 kids around the world.

When you hear those numbers, like, how does that make you feel?

STEPHEN CURRY, GUARD, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION: Super blessed, and basketball has done so much for me in my life. Obviously, you know, I've been playing since I was 5, watching my dad play, and never in my wildest imagination what I thought my career would have been what it is, and to be able to leverage that into creating amazing opportunity on and off the court, through curry brand and through what we're doing in order to change the game for good, as we call it.

So, super excited that it's had the impact that it's had, and anytime somebody walks on any of the courts that we've refurbished or any of the programs that we've helped establish, that you're giving kids an opportunity to find that for themselves.

SCHOLES: And you, your wife, are always doing so much great work in the community. Why is that so important to you?

CURRY: As the spirit of my parents taught me when I was a kid, like, you know, doesn't matter what scale you are doing, is he can affect somebody's life, and you're doing God's work, and for me and my wife to be able to understand how blessed we've been to play in front of an amazing community and fan base here in the Bay Area for these last 16 years, and find a unique and authentic way to give back.

One, it's leveraging resources in the right way. Two, we're teaching our kids the same thing as they come into their own. And you know, you want to get back to the community that supported you, and that's what we're doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: You know, when the Warriors drafted Steph back in 2009, he admittedly did not know much about the Bay Area, but then, Oakland became something of an adopted home for him and his family. So, it's great to see him still be rooted there, continuing to make a difference.

WALKER: Yes, he is really an incredible human being.

Carolyn, good to see you. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Thanks.

WALKER: And "FIRST OF ALL", with Victor is up next. What you have?

BLACKWELL: Packed show. So, Democrats are trying to figure out how to fight back against Donald Trump now in his second term. Question, does a blue state have the blueprint?

Deb Haaland is running to be the next governor in New Mexico. She is the first former member of the Biden administration to jump back into politics. She'll join us to talk about that.

Plus, D is for diversity, but apparently, it's a scary word at PBS. This place that we know for shows that prize diversity. Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow now making a change to their leadership, and their mission statement that I found online.

[08:00:03]

We'll share that with you.

Sesame Street legend Maria, actress Sonia Manzano will be here to react.

Also, I speak with a lawmaker in a city with a large Venezuelan population, who Trump supported -- or supported Trump I should say, for president, now, they're asking the president to reconsider a recent decision impacting thousands of migrants.