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CNN This Morning
Zelenskyy Warns Ukraine Will Not Accept Peace Talks Without Ukraine Having a Seat at the Table; Democrats Push Back Against Trump Over Government Cuts; Trump Defends DOGE's Mission Amid Legal Pushback. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired February 17, 2025 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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MANU RAJU, ANCHOR, CNN THIS MORNING: It's Monday, February 17th, and right now on CNN THIS MORNING.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE: I will never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia about Ukraine.
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RAJU: Negotiating peace. U.S. and Russian officials prepare for high stakes talks in Saudi Arabia. But it is who is not invited that is raising alarms.
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SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): It is Republicans that are running the government. They better learn how to run it, because right now, it is pure chaos.
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RAJU: Fighting back from policy shifts to slashing the federal workforce. Can Democrats find a counterpunch against President Trump's government shakeup?
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PAM BONDI, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: If they don't rule in our favor, we will go to the United States Supreme Court.
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RAJU: A test of power. The Trump administration's first appeal lands on the doorsteps of the Supreme Court as the President pushes his bid to fire government watchdogs. Five A.M. here on the east coast, here's a live look at the Capitol Dome on this President's Day. Good morning everyone, I'm Manu Raju in for Kasie Hunt.
It's so wonderful to be with you. Talks between Russia and the United States are set to begin on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia. The goal is to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, but Ukraine is not invited. More on that in a moment. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security adviser Mike Waltz touching down overnight in Riyadh ahead of the talks. Now President Trump is confident Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready for a deal.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think he wants to stop fighting. I see that. We spoke long and hard. Steve Witkoff who was with him for a very extended period, like about three hours, I think he wants to stop fighting.
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RAJU: Now, the Trump administration says a, quote, "dual track of negotiations will be held in Ukraine this week. But President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine insists nothing meaningful can happen unless Ukraine gets a seat at the table.
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ZELENSKYY: So, I will never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia about Ukraine. Never. And our people, never.
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RAJU: Let's bring in Joel Rubin. He's a former deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs in the Obama administration. Joel, good morning!
JOEL RUBIN, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS: Good morning, Manu.
RAJU: It's great to see you. All right, talk to me about how you see these talks playing out. I mean, Ukraine --
RUBIN: Yes --
RAJU: Is not going to be part of these initial talks. Trump is saying they're going to be involved. We'll get -- we'll talk to them on a separate track. But they gave some concessions pretty early to Russia, which is giving some hope that Russia may come to the table, but it's raising alarms in Europe.
RUBIN: Yes, it should be raising alarms in Europe. First of all, the United States, we do not have the right nor the capacity to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine. Ukraine is a country that has been invaded by Russia, their people are the ones fighting the war. Their people are the ones dying. Their land is the one -- is the land that has been captured.
So, we can talk to Russia all we want. But ultimately, Ukraine is going to have to decide if they want to have an agreement with Russia. So, starting out talks right now without having them at the table really creates a very weak foundation for true talks that can have a sustainable solution.
RAJU: And there's this emergency meeting that's happening in Europe or in --
RUBIN: Yes --
RAJU: Paris right now among European leaders. There's some concerns --
RUBIN: Right --
RAJU: About the NATO alliance. How much concern is there that this -- their alliance is, you know, really at its shakiest moment since its conception?
RUBIN: Well, the last week landed like a thunderclap in Europe. Pete Hegseth, the Defense Secretary, Vice President Vance, they went out, they gave speeches that were incredibly MAGA, very strong speeches from the American perspective, but ones that sent Europe back. NATO allies are now questioning the reliability of the United States.
And to add in these talks, there is no European presence either. And Europe has put down half the money, they're the ones sitting there next to the frontlines of the war. They need to be at the table for a real negotiation with Russia.
RAJU: I want you to listen to how President Zelenskyy talked about this issue, talked about the negotiations, and talked about Trump and Putin.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think President Trump is negotiating in good faith?
ZELENSKYY: I hope so. I hope so, yes, I count on it. I count on it very much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is Putin capable of negotiating in good faith?
ZELENSKYY: No, you will see. Everybody will see. He will -- he will try to begin something new.
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RAJU: I mean, he says Putin can't negotiate in good faith. How do they get a deal when there's no trust? And obviously, so much as the history between these two nations.
RUBIN: That's the key question. What are the enforcement mechanisms? Any deal can be agreed to in theory. The question is how can it be executed in a way that is sustainable and verifiable? Who is going to do that? Is the United States going to do that? Are we now going to be the ones that are going to verify whether or not Vladimir Putin is living up to his agreement?
Which we know over the past decade, he has continued to break agreements, going back to 2014 with Ukraine. He has a bigger goal on Ukraine, which is to take over all of Ukraine. And that's the real problem here, is that President Trump thinks he's done with war. But based on what? What has shown Vladimir Putin to suddenly want to sue for peace?
RAJU: OK --
RUBIN: Nothing. It's just that Donald Trump thinks he can get a deal. But how can we verify that?
RAJU: I do want to ask you quickly about Israel, because there's obviously a lot of --
RUBIN: Yes --
RAJU: News about what's happening there over the weekend and this ceasefire that is holding at the moment. But there was -- Trump floated the notion that the U.S. would take over Gaza. Now, it seems to be something that is central to some of the -- at least, the belief in Israel about how this will proceed.
Then Benjamin Netanyahu said over the weekend, he said "the only viable plan to enable a different future for the people of Gaza, for Israel and for the region is this Gaza plan." How is that going to look? We are only in phase one of this deal to release some of the hostages. They've got to get to phase two. How much is it going to impact the ability to bring the rest of the hostages home?
RUBIN: That is the big fear, is that this concept of a plan is going to frighten Hamas and others from going forward on any more hostage releases. But there's no plan. And this is just a theory. This is just an idea -- striking as well is that President Trump basically has turned aside for more than five decades of American policy, he is no longer supporting a two-state solution.
He is calling for some idea of a plan, but has no actual numbers as to how many American troops would be required to implement it, how much American money would be required, who would pay for it? The Saudis don't want to pay for it, the Egyptians and the Jordanians don't want to see their territories -- this is just a fantasy plan.
And unfortunately, now it's becoming what people are talking about, which is a good way to distract from the hard questions of negotiations to get all hostages out, stop this war and rebuild Gaza with a government that will not threaten Israel again in the future.
RAJU: And you just see that banner very quickly as we wrap here. Netanyahu vows to finish the job with Iran, he said over the weekend. Where do things go from here with Iran?
RUBIN: I've seen that line many times over the years, finish the job. Look, Iran is provoking -- there's no doubt that they've been supporting militant groups for decades, and that Hezbollah and others have been struck, as they should have been. But the idea that somehow there is a way to finish this job, that Israel is going to bomb Iran and then it's going to be over is fanciful.
They need to find a way to get in negotiation with Iran that verifiably constrains their nuclear program and restrains their ability to fund these terror groups. Just bombing alone is not going to do the job.
RAJU: There's a lot of developments on the foreign policy front --
RUBIN: That's right --
RAJU: Thank you so much for sharing your insight --
RUBIN: Thanks, Manu --
RAJU: I really appreciate it, Joel. And straight ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, finding their lane -- how Democrats are grappling with how to push back against Trump 2.0. Plus, live from New York. "Saturday Night Live" legends reunite at "30 Rock" to ring in the show's golden anniversary. And New York City Mayor Eric Adams under the microscope as he plans to -- he announces his plans to allow ICE agents into Rikers Island, and that was shortly after the DOJ dropped those sweeping corruption charges against the embattled mayor.
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MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK STATE: Imagine him going inside saying that the only way Mayor Adams is going to assist in immigration, which I was calling for since 2022 --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right --
ADAMS: Is if you drop the charges, that's quid pro quo. That's a crime. Come on, this is silly.
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RAJU: New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams plans to sign an executive order that allows ICE agents into Rikers Island. A couple of days before, his corruption charges were dropped by the Justice Department. Now, the timing of all this has raised alarm bells. But Trump's border czar says the Rikers Island plan has been in motion for weeks.
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TOM HOMAN, TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S BORDER CZAR: This meeting, Mayor Adams met a couple of months ago, I think -- I think it was probably eight-nine, eight-nine weeks ago we met, we had the same discussion. And we talked about getting a presence in Rikers Island. We talked about how we can collaborate on public safety threats and finding the missing children.
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RAJU: CNN's Brian Todd explains how Adams is navigating his relationship with the President and his team.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayor, can you reassure New York --
ADAMS: Oh, wait --
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The embattled 64-year-old New York mayor being intensely scrutinized for cooperating with the Trump administration on immigration. Eric Adams, a Democrat, is allowing Trump's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to operate on Rikers Island, New York City's largest and most violent jail complex.
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It comes as Trump's Justice Department has moved to dismiss charges in a sweeping corruption case against the mayor. Adams denies a quid pro quo, telling "Fox News", while Trump border czar Tom Homan sat right next to him, that he simply not backing the Trump team on immigration like he claims the far left is.
ADAMS: Let's be clear, I'm not standing in the way. I'm collaborating against so many others that don't want to collaborate.
TODD: But Adams' coziness with the Trump team has caused upheaval in the Justice Department, where more than half a dozen senior officials have resigned after refusing to sign off on dismissing the corruption case.
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: It's a nice little arrangement all the way around, except for justice. This is not justice. You know, the scales of justice are going haywire here.
TODD: Adams wasn't always so chummy with Trump. In 2019, posting messages on Twitter and Facebook, slamming the President over his immigration policies, once saying Trump's hatred is bottomless. But since the corruption charges were brought against him in September, and with Trump's ascent to power, Adams has changed his tune.
TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, THE ATLANTA JOURNAL- CONSTITUTION: Since Donald Trump has been elected, Mayor Adams has worked even harder to firm up his relationship with the Trump administration.
TODD: Adams has recently praised Trump in public, praised Elon Musk, he made a pilgrimage to Florida to have dinner with Trump, greeted Trump at a UFC event in Madison Square Garden and skipped Martin Luther King Day events in New York to attend Trump's inauguration, following a playbook for ingratiating himself with the President used by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and a string of powerful tech billionaires.
MITCHELL: I think to get on Trump's good side, you've got to go down to Mar-a-Lago and kiss the ring. If you're a Democrat, you've got to be willing to not just criticize Democrats, but specifically criticize the Biden administration. You've got to feed into this kind of broey, alpha-male way swagger, if you will.
TODD: Trump said he would consider a pardon of Adams if he was ever convicted. Adams was asked in November by Wolf Blitzer if he's asked for one.
ADAMS: That is not on my agenda.
SABATO: It's possible for Trump and the Justice Department to bring these charges back in some form. So, only a pardon will solve his problems, and he may get a pardon if he continues to cooperate fully.
TODD (on camera): We asked analysts how might Eric Adams best navigate this relationship with Donald Trump moving forward? They said compliment Trump often in public. And if he ever gets to a point where he disagrees with Trump, think twice about speaking out about it because that could erase everything that Adams has so carefully built with the President. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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RAJU: All right, still to come on CNN THIS MORNING, just weeks after the deadly mid-air collision over Washington D.C., the Federal Aviation Administration is facing cuts as part of President Trump and Elon Musk's cost-cutting efforts. Plus, President Trump's second-term agenda is facing legal battles. He's now taking the first one of those to the Supreme Court.
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RAJU: All right, 21 minutes past the hour, so, here's your morning round-up. The Trump administration is firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration probationary employees. Now, the move comes less than three weeks after the deadly mid-air collision over Washington D.C. that killed 67 people. The FAA system that provides critical safety alerts failed days after the crash.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X that the DOGE team would help upgrade the aviation system. Department of Education has sent a letter to schools threatening to cut federal funding if they consider students based on their race, color or national origin. Now, the four-page document outlines a sweeping and controversial interpretation of current federal laws and how the department intends to assess compliance.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rudy, you're America's mayor. You're beloved all across the country. This is your big shot. What are you going to do with it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Simple, I am throwing away my shot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rise up, election conspiracy is going to rise up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll plant the seed.
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RAJU: And that's Lin-Manuel Miranda alongside former "SNL" cast member Kate McKinnon, reviving her Rudy Giuliani impression for last night's 50th anniversary celebration. A wide range of former "SNL" cast members, hosts and guests of the sketch comedy show made cameos in the three-hour long special.
Now, at least, ten people are dead following a powerful storm sweeping through the southeast. Kentucky, being the hardest-hit state. One driver showing those high flood levels on the street. Officials say over 1,000 rescues were performed by emergency responders. Thousands still remain with no power.
Now, the country is preparing for an arctic blast, which could bring another round of brutally-cold temperatures. CNN's meteorologist Allison Chinchar has more.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, METEOROLOGIST: The cold front that brought all of the flooding rains across portions of the Ohio and Tennessee Valley is now pushing out. But behind it, you've got some pretty significant cold air that's going to infiltrate portions of the central and the eastern U.S. And with that cold air in place as our next system begins to arrive, it's going to bring snow to some places that are pretty far south.
Here, you can see by Tuesday morning, you've already got snow and even some ice developing across portions of Texas and even Oklahoma. This system itself will continue to slide east so that by Wednesday morning, as many folks are headed out on their commute in Nashville, Louisville, even around Huntsville, Alabama, looking at some snow showers into the mix.
Further south, it's mostly going to be rain for places like Atlanta, Montgomery stretching down towards New Orleans. The system continues to spread eastward, eventually impacting portions of the Mid-Atlantic like Washington D.C., Baltimore, and even into the northeast like New York and Boston, bringing some additional snow there as well.
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Here you can see some of the spots, you are looking at pretty substantial amounts of snow. Lots of these locations across the central U.S. and even perhaps over the Carolinas in Virginia, could be looking at, at least half a foot of snow before this finally pushes back out of the area.
The cold air we talked about is also going to spread. So, even for the areas that don't necessarily get the snow per se, your temperatures are certainly going to drop. Look at Dallas for example, 57 for the high on Monday, looking at a high of only 28 on Wednesday. Their normal high would be in the 60s. They won't get there until the end of the week.
Similar scenario for Omaha. The average high is 39 degrees, they are looking at barely getting just into positive numbers. By the time we get to the middle portion of the week, they finally rebound once we head into next weekend.
RAJU: All right, coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, peace talks surrounding the war in Ukraine continue. Ahead, what Secretary of State Marco Rubio can expect as he arrives in Saudi Arabia this morning? Plus, new strategy Democrats are using to fight back against President Trump and Elon Musk as it prepares for a showdown over government shutdown.
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REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Republicans have consistently shut down the government in the past. There's a Republican President, a Republican House and a Republican Senate. They have a responsibility to make sure that government remains open and can function.
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