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Secretary Of State Rubio In Israel To Meet With Officials; Netanyahu: Trump And I Are Working In Full Cooperation And Coordination On Gaza; Israel Receives U.S. Heavy Bombs As Trump Ends Biden Policy; Severe Storm Sweeps Across Eastern U.S.; Source: CDC Cuts Include Unit Investigating Public Health Threats; Sources: Trump Dispatches 3 Aides To Saudi Arabia For Russia-Ukraine Talks; U.K. PM Starmer To Join Emergency Summit On Ukraine In Paris. Pope Francis Hospitalized; Battle Over Ban on Nonstock Cookware; Canadian Fans Boos U.S. National Anthem in Hockey Game; U.S. Severe Weather. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired February 16, 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]

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: -- trying to present that daylight, that they're not speaking about the people of Iran. But this is something against the ayatollahs of Iran, they will not be allowed to get a nuclear weapon, something that they could use as leverage, Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, went on to say.

So there was joined up absolute clarity on Iran, and a line drawn that says very clearly that Iran is behind the instability in Lebanon, the instability in Syria, Hamas, other groups, Iran as well, the West Bank, Marco Rubio talked about that as well. And that this was something that Iran could not be allowed to do in the future.

On Syria, both of them saying that Syria, the former regime, could not be replaced by something else that would be then used as a base to attack Israel. On Hezbollah, in Lebanon and the ceasefire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that he was disappointed that Hezbollah, as he said, had yesterday torched the vehicles belonging to the -- some U.N. workers from UNIFIL who were headed to the airport there.

He said that was disappointing. He said Israel committed to the ceasefire, but being no doubt, in Lebanon, if Israel is under threat from there, they will take action. In Syria, if Israel is under threat there from aggressors, they will take action there.

So, this was, to me, a very joined-up conversation or press report, as they gave it on Gaza. Again, the takeaway that everyone was looking for on Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying, we are in lockstep, we are joined up, we have a common strategy.

I may not be able to speak about it all the time, he said publicly, the strategy, but we are joined up with President Trump. We are working on ways to implement his vision, a vision that President Trump has set out, that Gaza, that the Palestinians, the 2.1 million Palestinians there, would leave, that they would be rebuilding a sort of a city. A Riviera (ph) on the Mediterranean is one way that President Trump's remarks have been interpreted.

So, the conversations, and Marco Rubio has been meeting all morning here, and extended meetings, one-on-one with the Prime Minister, then with an extended meeting with other Cabinet members with the Prime Minister, running overtime, this press conference itself, an hour behind schedule.

So more than three and a half hours of meetings today, a very clear signal of being joined up and a very clear finger pointed at Iran not being able to get nuclear weapons.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Nic, let me ask you about where the men started and ended, and with Iran. CNN has reporting from sources that says that the Saudis are open to mediating a potential future nuclear deal between the U.S. and with Iran. What's the plausibility of that?

We heard some remarks from the Ayatollah not too long ago talking about it wouldn't be smart to talk to the U.S. Is that something that is on the table and could happen?

ROBERTSON: Look, I think that picture of Saudi helping the Iranian perspective is something that's sort of been in the works and on the table for a while. If you go back to the year before last, China helps Saudi Arabia and Iran, arch rivals have a diplomatic rapprochement.

If you go back to late last year when Israel was looking at the possibility of potential strikes again at Iran's nuclear facilities, Saudi Arabia was the one along with saying that there must be a Palestinian state. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also warning Israel against military strikes against Iran.

So it is very clear that Saudi Arabia's vision and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's vision is for more stability in the Middle East. And he doesn't believe that attacking Iran is a way forward. So having Iran involved in those negotiations -- having Saudi Arabia involved with those potential negotiations with Iran has plausibility because it has recent history and it has diplomatic movement on it already.

AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: Nic Robertson, thank you so much for your analysis.

Let's talk more about this with CNN Global Affairs Analyst Kim Dozier. And as you heard there from Nic, I mean, this, you know, this news conference did send a clear signal of this full cooperation that we're going to see between the U.S. and Israel.

We also heard the Israeli prime minister say that they discussed this bold vision, as they called it, Trump's bold vision for Gaza's future. What does that mean then moving forward? I mean, this bold vision they -- I assume they're talking about is Trump's plan to relocate apparently -- forcibly all the Palestinians and also taking control of Gaza. KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes, that proposal is a non-starter for every Arab and Gulf leader. That's something that they think would lead to massive unrest, all 2 million plus Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank revolting against any move to push them out by force.

[07:05:14]

So what it does, when you couple that, the fact that the two men are sticking to that Trump proposal, haven't softened it at all, plus they added that Hamas cannot be permitted to lead in Gaza, the pressure will now be on Arab and Gulf leaders to come up with some sort of palatable alternative, which also puts the pressure on them in negotiations with Hamas to convince Hamas that they must abandon the leadership of Gaza and leave Gaza to someone else.

Because if they don't come up with something alternative that can maintain stability in Gaza, then this Atlantic city in Gaza and the expulsion of the Palestinians, just like another Nakba, the 1948 expulsion of Palestinians in the war of the Arab states against Israel then, will occur.

So that I see as possibly a negotiating tactic, but it's totally unacceptable to Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, where U.S. officials will be headed to discuss these proposals.

BLACKWELL: Yes, it'd be interesting to hear what the Emiratis believe or think about this plan to relocate the Palestinians. And as the president says, take Gaza and Israel will give it to the United States.

Kimberly, let me ask you about this element of this plan from the president, because what we heard from Secretary Rubio just a few days after the president surprised the world with this Riviera of the Middle East, Rubio said that this was to stir, that this was to get a reaction from Arab leaders in the Gulf states.

And now he's saying full-throated endorsement that this is the plan. What do you make of this shift that we're hearing that even if it is the strategy to stir, that he's now, I guess, as the role of the secretary of state speaking through the voice of the president or backing him up fully?

DOZIER: They're doubling down and embracing the stirring. I've talked to Trump officials before who've said sometimes Trump says crazy things and is also willing to do the unthinkable. And we use that in negotiations with the opposition, whoever they may be.

We tell them, look, we just don't know what he might do unless you do X, Y, Z. So I very much see that in this situation that they're pressing forward with, you know what, if you all don't come up with a solution that you own, to keep the peace in Gaza, perhaps volunteering your own Emirati or Qatari or Saudi troops to keep the peace on the ground in Gaza, then we're going to move forward with something like this because Israel can never again be threatened with an October 7th. And now the ball is in your court. What are you going to do? WALKER: What about the future of this wider agreement when it comes to the ceasefire and hostage deal? I mean, we heard Netanyahu say, you know, that the gates of hell will open if all the hostages are not released, and that the U.S. and Israel are fully cooperating on this. Does this inject a bit more uncertainty into even heading into phase two?

DOZIER: Well, the fact that the Trump administration just sent a shipment of those 2,000 pound bombs that had been used in Gaza until the Biden administration stopped sending them, saying that there'd been too many civilian casualties, that shows that the White House is saying we are perfectly prepared for Israel to go back to war in Gaza if the phase two of these ceasefire talks doesn't go ahead to our liking.

So that also puts pressure on the Hamas negotiators, on the Qataris, the Egyptians, who will all be meeting this coming week, I believe, to discuss a way forward in general. But, you know, the Israelis prior to this had only sent a low-level negotiating team to negotiate phase two.

So those that I spoke to on the Arab side who were part of these talks, they need to see a high-level Israeli negotiating team now come forward to talk about phase two and all the really difficult problems in phase two, which include who governs Gaza next and a withdrawal of the Israeli forces, at least from the Philadelphia corridor between Gaza and Egypt, and eventually from the whole strip.

WALKER: Kim Dozier, appreciate the conversation. Thank you very much.

BLACKWELL: All right, we're still watching the breaking news, flooding, tornadoes, even snow slamming some parts of the U.S. You see the warnings here. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking it all, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:14:48]

WALKER: We're following breaking news this morning. Right now, tornado watches are still in effect for several states as a severe storm sweeps across parts of the eastern U.S. This morning, hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses from Louisiana to Virginia are without power.

[07:15:02]

Severe flooding has been reported in Kentucky and Tennessee. And in Atlanta, one homeowner says his nephew was taken to the hospital. After this, a tree came crashing through their roof as strong winds in Alabama have decimated some towns.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

MAYOR WILLIAM FOSTER, TUSCUMBIA, ALABAMA: We have a lot of damage downtown. You can see behind me, roofs are blown off most of our buildings downtown. We lost one of my middle school, R.E. Thompson. The roof blew off a bit. There's businesses galore. A lot of the residents as well. We've got a lot of wind damage.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BLACKWELL: CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is following all of this. Where is it worst right now?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. So that kind of depends. Are you talking flooding or are you talking severe thunderstorms like tornado warnings? Because they're kind of in two separate areas.

So let's break that down. So let's take a look at the radar. And you can see the northern side. This is where we're having more of the flooding concerns. All of these red colored boxes, those are the flood warnings, flash flood warnings, flood emergencies. You've got a lot going on there.

And then on the south side, this is where you have more of the severe component. You're talking the damaging winds and also the tornado warnings. And you've got several severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings in effect right now.

Now we zoom in a little bit closer to the flooding because this is where we've just had a tremendous amount of rain, widespread totals of 3 to 5 inches, but you've had isolated spots pick up at least half a foot of rain in just the last 24 hours. And that includes these areas here where you've got these flash flood emergencies in effect.

Swift water rescues taking place in those locations. Farther to the south, the concern here is this strong but very skinny line of very intense thunderstorms. You have severe thunderstorm warnings and even a couple of tornado warnings in effect off and on throughout much of the day.

There is still a tornado watch in effect and that is still going to linger for several more hours as that line continues to push eastward. So keep that in mind. Even if the worst is not to you yet, it is likely on the way. On the northern side of this system, we have the snow, we have the ice, that cold air component to it.

But you'll notice the system itself finally exits most of these areas by the time we get to tonight. So it should finally begin to spread back out. In the short term, though, you're still dealing with all of that water, but also the winds.

Look at this, over 600,000 people without power across many southeastern states. And then on the northern side, we may start to see the power outage numbers go up in these areas because winds are expected to take up not just later today, but a lot of these warnings are valid through Monday.

So keep in mind, a lot of these areas of the northeast and the mid- Atlantic, you're looking at those wind gusts up around 50 to even 60 miles per hour. And that could lead to some increase in some of those power outage numbers. Here's a look at the forecast. Most of these areas rain-wise are only going to get an extra inch, but you have to keep in mind, an inch on top of half a foot of rain is just going to exacerbate those flooding concerns.

BLACKWELL: All right, Allison Chinchar, thank you.

WALKER: Thank you, Allison.

Now, the job cuts don't stop. A source tells us the Trump administration is targeting the CDC with hundreds of employees in the crosshairs.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Rafael Romo has more on who's out of a job and who could be next.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Amara, there's a lot of fear and anxiety, especially given what one CDC employee who would like to remain unidentified for obvious reasons told me, that this may only be the beginning and that the cuts may be deep and widespread. At the CDC alone, about 1,300 employees may have lost their jobs.

According to a CNN source, one of those departments is a unit that has investigated public health threats here in the U.S. and abroad, including COVID-19. We have also learned that at least one member of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency visited the Internal Revenue Service offices in Washington on Thursday as part of its mission to downsize government agencies.

Trump administration officials fired more than 300 staffers Thursday night at the National Nuclear Security Administration, the agency tasked with managing the nation's nuclear stockpile, although an Energy Department spokesperson disputed the number of personnel affected, telling CNN that less than 50 people were dismissed.

The terminations were rescinded Friday after the full scope of their critical mission became clear. For obvious reasons, many federal employees we got in touch with are afraid to speak on camera about what they're going through. But earlier, we had a chance to speak with someone who has already received the fork in the road email and wanted to make clear that she was talking to us in a personal capacity and not on behalf of any agency or union.

Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

MT SNYDER, FIELD EXAMINER, NLRB: Well, so I was one of many workers who received an email from the Office of Personnel Management that said, resign now or get fired later. That's not a choice. That's a threat. That's a coup. That's a hostile takeover of the government by billionaires.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ROMO: We have obtained several internal emails from the CDC about the layoffs. Some deal with the terminations, but others target diversity, equity and inclusion programs that the Trump administration is terminating.

[07:20:04]

One message, it's a not so veiled threat against some workers. It reads in part, "We are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language. There will be no adverse consequences for timely reporting this information. However, failure to report this information within 10 days may result in adverse consequences".

There has been no comment so far from the CDC. On Tuesday, Elon Musk defended his actions by saying that, quote, "The people voted for major government reform, and that's what people are going to get".

Victor Amara, back to you.

BLACKWELL: All right, Rafael Romo. Rafael Romo, thanks so much.

We have an update on Pope Francis's health. He's recovering from bronchitis in a hospital. We have a report from Rome, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:20]

BLACKWELL: We're just a few moments ago from the secretary of state of the U.S. and also prime minister of Israel about how to end the Israel Hamas war. But President Trump also trying to end Russia's war with Ukraine.

WALKER: But Europeans apparently wouldn't get a say in those negotiations. CNN's Betsy Klein explains who will get a seat at the table.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, Victor and Amara, shortly after his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump said that he wanted talks to end Russia's war in Ukraine to begin, quote, "immediately". And to that end, two sources familiar with the plans tell us that President Trump has dispatched three top aides to travel to Saudi Arabia in the coming days to begin those talks.

That includes, according to sources, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, as well as Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who will be in Saudi Arabia over the coming days to begin these talks with senior level Russian officials.

Now, our colleague Matthew Chance has reported that the Kremlin has begun assembling those senior Russian officials, and they will include top political, intelligence and economic figures. Now, President Trump also told reporters that he expects that he could also be meeting himself personally with Russian President Putin, and he said that that could take place in the, quote, "not too distant future", and would also potentially be happening in Saudi Arabia. He's also indicated that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman could be part of those discussions. Of course, the Crown Prince has been a key interlocutor between the U.S. and Russia.

Now, one party that won't be at the negotiating table, according to Special Envoy to Russia and Ukraine General Keith Kellogg, is the Europeans. Kellogg did say, however, that the Ukrainians would have a seat at the negotiating table, and he also suggested that Russia could have to make some concessions. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

KEITH KELLOGG, RUSSIA-UKRAINE ENVOY: To me, there's going to have to be things like territorial concessions as well, OK? Some of it is unrealistic to expect where you'd want to go to, but it's sub- territorial. It could be the engagement of refusing to use force, renouncement of the use of force into the future from a political side.

He's not going to downsize his military forces, hopefully get rid of them. What we're going to try to do is basically force him into actions, and what you want to do is force him to actions maybe he's uncomfortable with.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

KLEIN: We are seeing President Trump dramatically reshape U.S. foreign policy as it comes to Russia and Ukraine, and also attempt to rebuild those relations with President Putin, but certainly very critical talks in the days ahead. We'll be watching quite closely, Victor and Amara.

BLACKWELL: All right, Betsy Klein, thank you very much.

Meantime, an emergency summit is being hastily called in Europe by French President Emmanuel Macron.

WALKER: The summit is in response to European leaders' alarm over President Trump signaling that they will not be including them in the Ukraine-Russia peace talks.

CNN Senior International Correspondent Melissa Bell joining us now from Paris with the latest developments. Tell us more about how this is all coming together, and what these European leaders are saying, the fact that they're being left out of these talks about a war that's happening on their continent.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And that couldn't impact them more directly, nor could they have been more implicated in the funding of that war so far. So a great deal of concern amongst European allies by what not just JD Vance had to say over the course of the weekend in Munich, but those comments we just heard from Keith Kellogg.

There are questions here in Europe about tactically how the United States are going into these negotiations, giving away, many Europeans feel, too many concessions already to Vladimir Putin, and the fact that they're simply not going to be at the table.

Have a listen to what JD Vance had to say in Munich over the weekend. There really set the alarm bells running here in Europe.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

JD VANCE (R), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values. And unfortunately, when I look at Europe today, it's sometimes not so clear what happened to some of the Cold War's winners.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BELL: Essentially, the American vice president making the case that morally NATO from within doesn't make as much sense as it did by explaining that European governments now in control have left behind the values of World War II is an extraordinary series of pronouncements that really left the public speechless.

Hence the meeting tomorrow, we've now had it confirmed from France's foreign minister. They're going to be looking, the Europeans, at this hastily convened meeting at how they can ensure that their voices are heard, and what guarantees they can give to Ukraine, even as these negotiations start without them.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Melissa Bell, thank you very much.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis will not lead this morning's prayer. He's 88 years old. He's in a hospital. He's being treated for respiratory tract infection. He was admitted to the hospital Friday for bronchitis. And the Vatican says that it is unclear how long he will stay.

CNN's Christopher Lamb joins us live in Rome. So, what more can you tell us first about the pope's condition?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, I saw the pope on Friday just before he was admitted to the Gemelli Hospital behind me in Rome. And when I saw him, it was clear that the pope was really struggling to speak for long periods because of these breathing difficulties. He's been suffering from bronchitis for over a week. He's been asking aides and assistants to read out his reflections.

And it is clear that the pope is vulnerable to these respiratory infections. The doctors have now told him he has to rest and that is what is taking place at the moment. He is undergoing treatment for this respiratory tract infection. As you say, the Vatican do not know how long the pope is going to be in hospital. It all depends on how he responds to this drug therapy.

Now, we heard from the Vatican spokesman earlier today, he said that the pope had a good night. That he read some newspapers, that he had breakfast. But obviously, this is something that has to be monitored very closely and we're hoping for further updates later today, Victor. BLACKWELL: Christopher Lamb for us in Rome. Thank you.

WALKER: All right. So, they come the battle over a ban on nonstick cookware, well, it includes nonstick cookware in Minnesota. We're going to talk to a state senator on why the government is saying no to some chemicals that are used to make these utensils and cookware.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:35:00]

BLACKWELL: Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson released a statement on a new website created by his attorneys ahead of his court appearance scheduled for Friday. In the statement, Mangione said that he's grateful for the report -- the support that he's received. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges. He's not yet entered a plea on federal murder charges.

Vivek Ramaswamy says that he will officially launch his campaign for Ohio governor next week, February 24th. Of course, he ran for the Republican presidential candidate -- nominee -- nomination, I should say, in 2024. He filed preliminary paperwork with Ohio secretary of state Friday to begin this run. He was chosen for a few days, maybe weeks to help lead Elon Musk's DOGE, but stepped aside last month to focus on a race for governor.

Country singer Eric Church says that he's making progress on his plan to provide homes for Helene victims. According to our CNN affiliate WSOC, his nonprofit Chief Cares bought land in Avery County, one of the hardest hit areas in North Carolina, where he plans to build up to 40 homes. Delays from winter weather pushed the timeline past Easter. Meanwhile, cleanup is happening now, and the first modular homes are being expected to be placed there by June.

WALKER: All right. Thomas, listen up. Yes, I'm talking to you, husband. So-called forever chemicals can be found in almost everything, even your body. The chemicals can be linked to a list of harmful health effects, including several types of cancer and even infertility. And they've recently gained attention for being used in some types of cookware, that many of us, including myself and my husband, still have at home. The State of Minnesota just became the toughest state in the country for trying to crack down on their use.

Minnesota State Senator Judy Seeberger joining me now. Thank you so much for your time. First of all, talk to me about where we are finding some of these forever chemicals.

STATE SEN. JUDY SEEBERGER (D-MN): Yes, you know, they're really in everything. The more I worked on this legislation, the more I discovered that the PFAS chemicals are found in pretty much every consumer good out there. They're in dental floss. They're in menstrual products. They're in cookware, like you mentioned, they're in ski wax, microwave popcorn. So, just about everything that you use in your everyday life probably has some connection to PFAS. WALKER: Including non-stick cookware, right? I mean, this is just one of the many products in our homes where we can find these forever chemicals. So, tell us more about the dangers of these chemicals, because there were some lawsuits that were filed as a result and a law passed in Minnesota as a result.

SEEBERGER: Yes. So, the use of PFAS has been linked to a number of different health conditions, fertility issues, some cancers, and the long-term effects really aren't well known. But I think there's enough research out there and enough links in the medical community to give us great concern to the ubiquitous nature of these products and the fact that they bioaccumulate, which means that once they're in your body, they tend to build up over time. We don't get rid of them.

WALKER: So, what made you so passionate about this law? Because as of January 1st of this year, the sale of these products that intentionally contain these forever chemicals are now banned. What was the impetus for you?

[07:40:00]

SEEBERGER: Well, the impetus really came because where I live is sort of the epicenter of PFAS contamination in the Eastern Metro area of the Twin Cities of Minnesota. I live in a town called Afton. And we are on a well for our water, and our well is contaminated with PFAS. There's a plume that started in a nearby city and kind of traveled through the aquifer. And so, now, we have big filters in our basement to filter the water. And it's something that we've known about in my community for quite some time.

We've been following the PFAS contamination in our area for a number of years. And like I said, the more I looked into it, the more I saw that PFAS was everywhere. And it was quite alarming.

WALKER: Yes, it really is alarming when you read just the list of all the items that contain these chemicals. Just curious, have you gotten any pushback about the law from other lawmakers, maybe business owners or constituents?

SEEBERGER: I haven't heard from any constituents with regard to the law in a negative connotation. Most folks are really supportive of it and grateful that we are doing something to combat the introduction of additional PFAS into our environment.

I have heard from a dealer of power sports who has some questions about whether youth ATVs and minibikes are included in the ban that we put on intentionally at a PFAS to juvenile products. So, I've been working with the dealers on that issue and in the manufacturers to ensure that folks can still ride their ATVs, but we're not introducing these harmful chemicals into our environment.

WALKER: Logistically, though, how would it work? I mean, will stores have to go through their inventories or will the manufacturers have to tell the retailers to pull these things off their shelves as a result?

SEEBERGER: There should have been plenty of lead time. This law was passed in 2023. Industry was well aware of the law when we passed it. They were involved in the discussions. They were watching very closely what we did. So, there really shouldn't be any reason why a retailer down the chain shouldn't have had adequate notice that some of their products would be unable to be sold in Minnesota as of January 1st of this year.

To the extent that that happened, I'm hopeful they can work with their manufacturers. And certainly, I'd be willing to listen from anybody who may be negatively impacted by this law.

WALKER: And perhaps this law will catch on to other states. Minnesota State Senator Judy Seeberger, thank you for your time.

BLACKWELL: Tensions between the U. S. and Canada are growing, but we're talking sports this time, not politics. How their hockey showdown turned into this, a boxing match, just seconds in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:45:00]

BLACKWELL: The NBA's best will face off in the first ever four-team All-Star game tonight. But before then some history being made in the slam dunk contest.

WALKER: Oh, I love the slam dunk contest. CNN's Carolyn Manno is here to tell us about it all. Carolyn.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you both. A lot of people love the slam dunk contest, and Mac McClung has only played in five NBA games in the last four seasons. He spent most of his time in the G League. But when it comes to this, there is nobody standing in his way right now.

The 26-year-old became the only player to win three straight dunk contests. He started off his night jumping over a car. All four of Mac's dunks, earning a perfect score of 50 from the judges, a score impressive enough to knock off the Spurs' rookie, Seth Castle. final and our Andy Scholes caught up with the dunking afterwards.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAC MCCLUNG, THREE-TIME NBA SLAM DUNK CHAMPION: I feel like an imposter, man. I don't know. It just bless. I mean, like I was saying, this doesn't happen without all the help of my friends. People who are letting me use their cars and try to jump over it, man. Like I just had a lot of help from Chuck and everybody. Like it genuinely doesn't have without standing on a lot of people's shoulders and I'm -- this is such an honor for me.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Are you now the greatest dunker of all time?

MCCLUNG: That's not for me to say at all. I'm just happy to be here, man. And however, this story goes, I don't know, it's mine and I embrace it. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: Damian Lillard had a chance to win his third straight three- point title but fell short in the first round. The Heat's Tyler Herro taking home the crown, beating Buddy Hield and Darius Garland in the final of that contest. Garland's Cavalier teammates, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, won the skills competition, but that might have been overshadowed by the Spurs duo of Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama, trying to race through the course, heating up shots as quickly as they could. That is a no, no, and they got disqualified. Hopefully, we won't see much of that in the All-Star game, Team Shaq, Chuck, Kenny, and Candace all competing for top honors in San Francisco tonight. And our coverage begins at 6:00 Eastern on TNT, True TV, and Max.

In college shoots now, Auburn and Alabama facing off in the first one versus two matchup on the men's side of more than three years. And in the end, the top rank Tigers came out on top against our in state rivals. National player of the year candidate Johni Broome had 19 points and 14 boards in the nine-point. Tigers win. And these two will meet again on March 8th and then maybe in the SEC and NCAA tournaments.

And finally, this morning this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: Canadian fans booing the U.S. National Anthem before their NHL Four Nations face off in Montreal. Similar to the scenes we've seen at NHL games recently as political tensions between the two nations have been heightened, and that tension seemed to spill over to the ice as well because three fights broke out within the first nine seconds of this game. The U.S. would go on to win 3-1 in the end, earning a spot in Thursday's Four Nations title game.

Canada needs to beat Finland, guys, on Monday to make the final. If they do that, the game will be in Boston. So, there might be a little payback from the hometown fans there should these squads and meet again. I think a lot of hockey fans hoping for that, but might get a little bit rough.

WALKER: Yes. It's sad to see the political a spilling over onto the ice. Carolyn Manno -- yes. Kind of gets rough out there. Good to see you. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Can't we all just get along?

WALKER: Yes. We can.

BLACKWELL: Yes, we can. New CNN original series "Lockerbie: The Bombing of Pan Am 103" delves into the mysterious circumstances behind the deadliest terror attack on the United States before 9/11 The first two episodes premiere tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:55:00]

WALKER: We are following breaking news this morning. A severe storm is pummeling parts of the Eastern U.S. right now. Tornado watches are still in effect for several states.

BLACKWELL: CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is with us now. Some new warnings popped up since we saw you last.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and we have more than two dozen warnings in various different states. But North Carolina now starting to see some of those severe thunderstorm warnings begin to pop back up.

But we've got them even farther south. You also have flash flood warnings, flash flood emergencies. We've got a lot going on this morning. So, here is that main line that you can see right through here. And on the northern side, you've got snow and ice in the northeast and in the Midwest. But down south, this is where we've been talking about those damaging winds and the potential for tornadoes.

Flooding has been the biggest concern across the Ohio and Tennessee Valley. Widespread totals of three to five inches, but we've even had a couple that have exceeded six inches total. That's why you've got some of these flash flood warnings. And then, these two right here, these white boxes, indicating the flash flood emergencies.

Farther down to the south, the severe, you can see all these orange boxes, that indicates severe thunderstorm warnings. We've even had some tornado warnings mixed in off and on throughout the last several hours. That potential could continue throughout the morning. So, you can see the red box here, that's a tornado watch in effect for several more hours and the brand-new severe thunderstorm watch that's in effect just to the east of that. Again, just indicating that the severe threat is still going on and it's just going to continue to move eastward.

In the short-term because of those severe thunderstorms, we've had a tremendous amount of people lose power, over 600,000 people just in the southeastern states alone. Now, those numbers will likely go down throughout the day, but we may see the numbers go up in a different portion of the country, the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic. You've got a lot of these winds that are going to be taking up throughout the day and they will actually last through the day Monday. So, that's not just a Sunday concern, it's also going to last into Monday.

These wind gusts and all of these spots could be 50, even 60 miles per hour. That is plenty to bring down some trees and power lines, especially when that ground is saturated. It doesn't take quite as much for those winds to pull down some trees.

So, here's a look at the system again. You'll notice it's going to continue to spread eastward. But by the time we get to tonight, we finally start to see an end to a lot of these showers and thunderstorms. The only thing that's really going to linger tonight is going to be a little bit more of that snow across portions of the northeast.

BLACKWELL: All right. Allison, thank you.

WALKER: Thank you, Allison.

BLACKWELL: And so we have some news of our own this morning. Amara?

WALKER: Thank you, Victor. Well, today marks the end of my 10-year run at CNN. Prompter, please. Yes. Scroll up. Today marks the end of my 10-year run at CNN. To my viewers in the U.S. and around the world, thank you for entrusting me to bring you the news. It has been an incredible privilege.

To my CNN Weekend team, thank you for inspiring me with your dedication, waking up while others are sleeping, working while your family and friends are enjoying their weekends. You make these sacrifices because you believe in journalism. The hours may be grueling, but the work is always rewarding because the truth matters.

And thank you to the CNN leadership, past and present, who supported me along the way for opening the door to this daughter of Korean immigrants who was often reminded through life that she was different and that she didn't belong. She does belong. And so do you.

No matter what you see happening around you, don't let anyone make you believe otherwise. I am deeply proud to have been the only Asian American anchor on a daily news program at CNN for quite some time. Your voice matters. So, speak up. You will be hearing from me and seeing me soon.

BLACKWELL: Well, you will certainly be missed. And as I signed on your card today. Listen, there were so many people who signed this card that I had to -- I was relegated to the overflow insert to write my note. But we've been together for two of those 10 years and you have made it easy to do this job.

WALKER: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: And so, from our first breakfast that we had where we talked about, you know, be as generous as we both can, we have both kept that and you've made this job very easy. So, you will certainly be missed.

WALKER: I appreciate that you have made this job easy as well. And you've also been quite generous as a co-anchor, but also as a friend. And I don't know that people at home realize that, you know, there are some teams that may not get along. We actually really like each other. We also -- I mean, the entire floor, the production team as well. And I'm just so grateful to have had this team and to be able to call you all my friends.

And this is not a goodbye, this is a I'll see you later, and I'll be calling you for it, you know. Is this -- this is going to go well with my outfit or should I buy this tile for my bathroom? I'll be seeking out advice.

BLACKWELL: Which is sometimes what's on our laptop. Honestly, let's just be real. Sometimes I look over and she's like, this jacket.

WALKER: No, I would never. I would never do that.

BLACKWELL: But no, you will certainly be missed.

WALKER: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: And thank you for these two years together.

WALKER: Thank you for these two years together and for your friendship. And thank you, finally, for sharing this morning with us. Inside Politics with Manu Raju starts now.

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