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Musk: Fed Workers Face Firing If They Don't Justify Jobs In Email; Trump To Fed Employees Working From Home: Show Up Or Get Fired; Pope Francis In Critical Condition After Suffering "Asthmatic Respiratory Crisis"; Officials: 1 Dead After Gunman Holds Hospital Staff Hostage; Woman Accused Of Drugging, Robbing Older Men. Russia Launches Record Number of Drones at Ukraine; Screen Actors Guild Awards Tonight; Harris Wins Chairman's Prize at NAACP Image Awards; Harris' Message to America. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired February 23, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

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[07:00:50]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: You are starting your Sunday early. I am glad to be a part of it. Welcome to CNN This Morning. It is Sunday, February 23rd. I'm Victor Blackwell.

Any moment now, we're expecting to hear from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He'll give a speech marking three years since the start of Russia's invasion. Will he also address, though, his relationship with President Trump? We'll bring that to you live when it happens.

The Trump administration issues an ultimatum to federal workers. Explain what you did at work last week or risk being fired. The reactions, the questions surrounding the threat, we'll get into all that.

And there are new details this morning on the Pope after doctors revealed the pontiff is in critical condition. The new statement coming from the Vatican a short time ago.

The Trump administration just gave federal employees that ultimatum justify your job or risk losing it. This is the email that some federal workers got yesterday. It says, in part, quote, "Please reply to this email with approximately five bullets of what you accomplished last week and CC your manager. The deadline is tomorrow night".

Now, that email does not mention the consequences. But in a social media post, Elon Musk says if they don't reply, it will be viewed as a resignation. And these emails started popping up in inboxes Saturday as President Trump and his administration took a victory lap at CPAC. They touted success with the federal crackdown and with those tariffs.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to have so much money coming in from tariffs. Oh, you're going to say your senators and your congressmen are going to say, please, sir, please. You're making us look so bad. We have so much money coming in. I didn't know this was going to happen.

Please don't do this to us. We look very bad.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now, the president also met with Polish presidents and the Argentinian presidents during this event.

With me now, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and Red Clay Democrats Board Member Andrew Comstock. Welcome to you both.

All right. Let's start here, Brian, with you and these emails. It doesn't seem that it's well organized. The FBI already telling their folks, don't reply to that. What's the purpose?

BRIAN ROBINSON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I think we've seen from the very beginning a move toward just reducing the size of the federal workforce. Now, I think -- here's a strategy that I think is happening. There is probably a more strategic, more scaffold like way to go through the federal government and right size it if that's how you see it.

I think the reason why they're doing the lop off or the mallet approach to, you know, we're going to take off the first, you know, 10 percent or whatever who just came in the door is because they want to get as much downsizing done as possible before the opposition can get on its feet and organize and try to stop it.

Before the stuff starts going to the courts, they want to get as much done --

BLACKWELL: But they also get through the people that they shouldn't because they've got to find them and hire them back.

ROBINSON: Well, there's been some of that. And look, the American people are watching. And the Trump administration, I think, for its own good, needs to be able to have a rational process that people can trust. And I think right now they're prioritizing speed over accuracy in some ways.

They want to get as much done as possible. I think in two or three months they're going to stop, reassess and look at where we are. That's what I think is going to happen because I think that's what's going to have to happen.

BLACKWELL: Speed over accuracy, Andrew.

ANDREW COMSTOCK, BOARD MEMBER, RED CLAY DEMOCRATS: All I can think about are unintended consequences of this action. I mean, this is no way to run a country. This is no way to run a company. There are many ways to shrink the federal workforce if that's what's needed. But the way they're going about it is just going to lead to a lot of pain and a lot of needless suffering, both for these federal employees and for the American people. BLACKWELL: Do we have the Tina Smith tweet that we can put up? If not, I can summarize it. Tina Smith tweeted out that this is a D, tweeting of a piece of anatomy, boss move. And Elon Musk is not the boss. He's just a D.

Democrats want some fight from the Democrats on Capitol Hill. Is that what they want? Is this part of the strategy in the resistance, the fight that they appreciate?

[07:05:08]

COMSTOCK: I think the Democrats are still caught on the back foot in terms of dealing with everything that's been going on for the last 30 days. This is outside the bounds of normal politics and outside the bounds of normal workings of a normal administration. So I think Democrats are still trying to come up with the correct response. But in the meantime, all that they can do is just focus on protesting and delaying and stopping what they can stop.

BLACKWELL: Go ahead.

ROBINSON: Well, you know, I think Democrats are going to make a big mistake if they think that the American public is going to be overly sympathetic to a federal workforce. That is much more protected in their jobs than most Americans are.

1.5 million Americans are laid off in the private sector every month. There's always a lot of churn. Job performance reviews, showing your boss what you accomplished over the last week, the last month, that is something people in the private sector do all the time.

BLACKWELL: Yes, but Brian, that's different than give me 2 million emails. And if you don't send it in, you're going to lose your job. It really doesn't even matter, at least in the way that the letter was written and the tweet from Elon Musk, if they agree with the bullet points, it's first digits in the email, that's a resignation.

And who are -- who's reading these to determine if those bullet points match your job description? What about the people who are on vacation? If they don't hit the deadline tomorrow, they give up their jobs?

ROBINSON: Well, and what about people who were on tour in, you know, other parts of the world in the military or people who work in national intelligence and can't talk about what they did last week in an email and send it? I do think that there's going to be some accommodation for that. There were a few amendments in the Elon messaging about, you know, don't --

BLACKWELL: Classified information. Yes.

ROBINSON: Yes, don't do that. So that shows that there is some nuance to this and that this could be determined agency by agency. As you mentioned, even the FBI was like, no, you know, we're opting out of this. We're not doing this right now. So, you know, obviously, this does not apply equally to everybody and to every agency. BLACKWELL: You mentioned the Democrats being on the back foot. CNN has a poll out this week that shows 58 percent of Democrats and Democratic leaning independents believe that the party needs to be completely reformed or needs major change. What do you do with that number?

COMSTOCK: I mean, it just shows that there is an opportunity for people who are willing to build new coalitions and willing to take up the mantle of Democratic Party in the next generation. You know, we've seen a lot of holdovers from the previous administration going all the way back to the Obama administration. There is an opportunity for a new generation of leadership to sort of bubble up and channel these energies into positive action.

BLACKWELL: And that is a positive spin on it. I mean, the numbers have not been this bad in 30 years. And it's not just because Republicans have unified control. They've got the White House, the House and the Senate.

They had that at the beginning of Trump's first term. They had it at the beginning of President George W. Bush's second term. And the numbers were not this bad. So why is it so bad for Democrats right now?

I wish I had another narrative here of what the Democrats are doing. But this is what we're hearing from Democrats and seeing in the polls. Why so bad now?

COMSTOCK: I think it just really drives home how serious of an election loss it was. These are the consequences that we are facing when you organize your party based on being anti-Trump. The party needs to really --

ROBINSON: I agree.

COMSTOCK: -- get back to its values and what they stand for and live out those values every day. So I actually think Bernie Sanders is doing a really great job hosting these -- what are turning out to be enormous town halls all across the Midwest, trying to explain what is going on, where he stands on these issues and where Democrats need to be.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

ROBINSON: You know, the Republican Party revolves around Trump. The problem that the Democrats have had for the last 10 years is that they revolve around Trump. They've got to be a reaction to him in every way. They must be really deliberative in how they respond to these first few months of the Trump administration.

There are opportunities and there are traps and they've got to be very careful about not stepping in traps. Like I was mentioning about assuming that all Americans think that federal workers should be protected class forever and not treated like people in the private sector are.

So what they've got to figure out is what they stand for outside of Trump and communicate that message. The Republicans know what they stand for and it is guided by what Donald Trump says, that the soldiers fall in line with Trump. The Democrats don't have a leader today whom the soldiers fall in line behind and they've got to find that person.

BLACKWELL: Well, talk to me about what we're seeing from these town hall meetings with Republican members of Congress that are hearing from their constituents who are shouting them off the stage, booing them in response to DOGE, in response to the firings, in response to the executive orders.

So while the soldiers might be following the leader in Congress, some of those in the ranks as those constituents don't like what they're seeing.

[07:10:02]

ROBINSON: Well, that does go to some degree to what I said at the beginning of the segment about why Trump people are moving so fast. There are things they want to get done --

BLACKWELL: Yes.

ROBINSON: -- before this opposition coalesces. And the places you're seeing that happen, right here in Georgia, in Roswell this week. Congressman Rich McCormick --

BLACKWELL: We just had the video of -- yes.

ROBINSON: -- was booed. And look, that is the southern part of that district is the more purple blue part of his district.

BLACKWELL: That's one town hall of a spate that we saw across the country.

ROBINSON: But that one particular, I think, is probably telling because it is very suburban. It's highly wealthy, highly educated district. Those are going to be the places that have used to be Republican that have peeled off during the Trump era.

So you're going to see this in the suburban and exurban districts with these highly educated populations. That's something Republicans have got to have a strategy for. This is going to happen.

When you break things and move fast, there's going to be a reaction. Republicans have to go into that eyes wide open, right? This is going to come. What is the plan? What is our response?

BLACKWELL: Yes.

COMSTOCK: I got to say, I disagree with Brian here just because if you look at that town hall and the anger towards Rich McCormick, towards that town hall, towards his audience, people did not vote for this chaos. Moderates, Republicans, they voted for Donald Trump, but they wanted lower egg prices. So what does firing this legion of federal workers, park rangers, cancer researchers, what does that have to do with the price of eggs in this country? So I think that backlash is going to be felt not just in purple districts, but all over the country.

BLACKWELL: All right, Andrew, Brian, thank you.

And tune in for a conversation with House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. That's at 9:00 on State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.

Catholics around the world are praying for the Pope as he is in the hospital. Still to come, what his doctors are saying about his condition this morning.

And a Nevada woman is facing dozens of charges linked to what investigators call romance scams. Coming up, how they say that she tricked, drugged, robbed her alleged victims.

And California wants $40 billion in federal aid for wildfire recovery. We have the latest on those efforts.

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[07:16:49]

BLACKWELL: This morning, Pope Francis is in the hospital. He's now in critical condition. The Vatican confirmed that he suffered an asthmatic respiratory crisis yesterday. We're told that the pontiff is alert, but there are questions about his recovery timeline, the stability of his health and the future of his papal duties.

CNN Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb is live in Rome. You got an update on the Pope's condition. What did you learn?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, we learned from the Vatican this morning that the Pope had a peaceful night, that he rested, but the language from the Vatican is changing because in previous days we were told that the Pope would get up and have breakfast sitting in a chair.

Clearly, the pope is in a critical condition. He's still receiving high flow oxygen to deal with his breathing difficulties. He obviously had that asthmatic crisis yesterday. He also received blood transfusions yesterday because of a low platelet count. He's been in the hospital now at the Gemelli behind me since last Friday.

The context is, of course, that Francis was working so hard. He was expending every ounce of strength he had to continue in his role and to meet people, have public events. In fact, I saw him on the day he was hospitalized, and it was clear then he was having difficulty speaking and breathing.

Look, the Pope could have maybe stepped down to a comfortable life, but he's decided he wanted to keep going, and he is now in the hospital receiving treatment for pneumonia in both lungs. It's an unclear picture. We're hoping for a further update from the Vatican later today, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Christopher, much of what you described was the element about his health, but what's the Vatican saying about the uncertainty about his being able to continue the duties?

LAMB: Well, Francis has always said that he believes that papacy is a job for life, and he's been all in on that since the word go. But he's also never ruled out the possibility of resignation. And when he took on the role in 2013, he signed a letter that if he was incapacitated for any reason, there would be contingency plans.

And he has said in the past that if there were health difficulties, resignation is a door that's open. Of course, Pope Benedict XVI in 2013 became the first pope in almost 600 years to resign. That set a precedent for some that there could be future resignations.

It's not clear, though, how Pope Francis views this. From what I understand from people I've spoken to, the Pope is determined to continue. But, obviously, so much depends on the Pope's health prognosis, which we're told is reserved. In other words, it's too soon to tell. Victor?

BLACKWELL: All right. Christopher Lamb for us there in Rome, thank you.

Still to come, a Pennsylvania hospital's intensive care unit was the scene of a deadly police standoff on Saturday. We have details for you.

And the FBI has arrested a woman they say lured, drug, stole from several older men. What we're learning about alleged romance scams.

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[07:24:31]

BLACKWELL: A hostage situation turned deadly at a Pennsylvania hospital. A police officer died. Several others are hurt.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino explains why or rather what we've learned about the suspect who was killed in a shootout with police.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On Saturday right before noon at UPMC Memorial Hospital, that's in New York, Pennsylvania. And it happened inside the hospital's intensive care unit. A frightening ordeal for patients and staff and for the police who responded after a man armed with a pistol and zip ties entered the ICU and took the staff there hostage.

[07:25:10]

Now, the man has been identified as Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz. He was 49 years old and he was killed by police after he exited the ICU, entered a hallway while pointing his weapon at one of the staff members. Police at that point opened fire and killed him, according to law enforcement officials there. Now, the York County District Attorney said that the incident is now under investigation. But he revealed that so far it appears that the suspect had been in contact with the ICU facility in recent days regarding medical treatment for another individual. And so far at this early stage of the investigation, police believe that he targeted the individuals inside that ICU. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

TIM BARKER, YORK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: When he came out, Mr. Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz came out holding at gunpoint a member of the UPMC staff who was also had her hands tied with the aforementioned zip ties, holding her at gunpoint, coming out into the hallway, the officers, left with no recourse, did open fire and did shoot and kill Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

PAZMINO: And we've spoken to some of the visitors that were inside that hospital at the time of this shooting, including a woman who was visiting her elderly mother, who said that there was an announcement that came over the PA speaker telling people to go into lockdown.

She could see as police cars and sirens were outside of the hospital as police began to respond. We have some of that video that she shared with us from after she shot it on her cell phone. She said she crouched down into the floor for safety. The entire time her mother was asleep while this whole ordeal unfolded, it was finally a text message from the woman's daughter who let her know that the suspect had been taken down by police.

Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania also commending the way that medical staff responded, making sure that everyone in the hospital was safe. Unfortunately, that police officer was killed during the shootout.

Also, four staffers at UPMC Memorial Hospitals were injured, including a doctor, a nurse and a custodian, as well as two other officers who were also shot and wounded during the attack.

I'm Gloria Pazmino in New York. Back to you.

BLACKWELL: Gloria, thank you.

California Governor Gavin Newsom is asking the federal government for almost $40 billion to help with wildfire recovery. And that request came in a letter sent to members of Congress. And in it, Governor Newsom said the money would go toward immediate and long term recovery work. At least 29 people died from the wildfires in Southern California. More than 16,000 structures were destroyed.

Voters are heading to the polls today in Germany's national election. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz cast his ballot today. He's hoping to keep his seat. Opinion polls suggest he and his party, the Social Democratic Party, are in danger of losing. Mass migration, the country's flagging economy, they've surfaced as top issues. The world's richest man and Trump presidential adviser Elon Musk has weighed in on the elections. He's thrown his support behind the far-right Alternative for Germany Party or AFD.

A 43-year-old woman is in jail in Mexico for what the FBI describes as romance on steroids. Aurora Phelps is accused of luring her victims in a dangerous scheme, drugging them and stealing thousands of dollars. In a particularly, she alleged -- she was allegedly, rather, she went as far to push a man in a wheelchair across the U.S.-Mexico border after drugging him.

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones has more.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A woman is facing dozens of criminal charges after allegedly luring older men into dangerous and deceitful romantic encounters. Aurora Phelps, 43 years old, of Las Vegas, is accused of using online dating platforms to target lonely older men and then drugging them, stealing their money and their assets.

The FBI says this deadly romance scam spanned over two years with at least four victims, according to a federal indictment. Three of the four victims identified in the indictment are dead, the FBI said, though the charges implicate Phelps in one of the deaths.

Phelps allegedly used prescription sedatives to incapacitate her targets, allowing her to empty out their financial accounts. At a press conference on Friday, the FBI called this a romance scam on steroids, said they had never seen one as nefarious and sinister as this, at least not in recent memory.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

SPENCER EVANS, HEAD, FBI LAS VEGAS: Two were residents of the state of Nevada when they encountered Phelps and were drugged by her. We believe Phelps kidnapped one of these victims by heavily sedating him and pushing him across the U.S.-Mexico border in a wheelchair due to his inebriated state. Phelps then took him to a hotel room in Mexico City. where the victim was found dead a few hours later.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: The FBI claims she exploited her victims' vulnerabilities after establishing a supposed romantic connection with them. They believe she tried to withdraw cash from their bank accounts and use their credit cards to purchase luxury items and even gold, and even tried to access their Social Security and retirement funds.

Phelps is now in custody in Mexico, and she faces up to 21 criminal charges that include that wire fraud and kidnapping, as well as identity theft. If she's convicted of all the charges, she could face life in prison. The FBI also continues to search for additional victims, so those who think they or a loved one may have been targets of this scheme are encouraged to come forward.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Julia. Tomorrow marks three years since the start of Russia's war on Ukraine, and tensions between Kyiv and Washington are high. How his ongoing feud with President Trump could impact the war with Russia.

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[07:35:00]

BLACKWELL: As the anniversary of Russia's war on Ukraine approaches, Russia is not letting up. Ukraine says Russia launched a record number of drones across five regions of Ukraine overnight, killed at least one person, as Zelenskyy is facing mounting pressure, not only from the frontlines, but also from the Trump administration.

Joining me now to discuss is CNN Global Affairs Analyst Kim Dozier and CNN Military Analyst, retired Major General James "Spider" Marks. Good morning to you both.

General, let me start with you. Off this record number of drones that Russia has launched, right before the inauguration, the narrative was that Ukraine was increasing its attacks deeper into Russia. The Biden administration allowed them to use U.S. supplied weapons to attack Russia deeper into that country. How do the negotiations or the talks about potentially a summit between Trump and Putin impact how Ukraine fights the war as it goes on?

MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST, U.S. ARMY (RET.) AND HEAD OF GEOPOLITICAL STRATEGY, ACADEMY SECURITIES: I think what we're seeing right now, not surprisingly, is that both sides are trying to do as much damage, if you will, as they can in advance of some inevitable talks that they anticipate are going to take place.

It's kind of like locking in the rates, we don't know what it's going to look like. Let's take as many shots as we can so that when there is some agreement on both sides that there will be a cessation of hostilities, whether it's just a brief or not, don't know, but at least both sides can say they've done their very, very best to make it more painful for the other side. And that also gives them an opportunity to then give something up. If negotiations are going to move forward.

BLACKWELL: On the negotiations, Kim, let's talk about this rare earth minerals deal. The national security adviser says that Zelenskyy will have to take the deal. Sources say that in its current form, Zelenskyy will not take the deal. Do you think he can get a better one? The president says that he doesn't have any cards to play, does he?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, he does have European support and European leaders quietly telling him don't get rolled, don't get bullied by Trump. But I think what Trump's national security team has been trying to signal Zelenskyy is, look, this is the way we've gotten our commander in chief's attention. We need to do some sort of deal, so he can call this a win.

One of the things I've heard from a Ukrainian official in the past couple of days is that Russia, in areas that it controls that have these rare earth minerals, is already reaching out to China to allow China to access those areas. So, you can be sure Ukraine is explaining that to the White House negotiators saying, look, we do want to develop these areas, but part of them are in places that Russia controls, we need your help and support to drive Russia out so we can develop this together.

But they also are trying to correct some of the fallacies that Trump seems to hold, the loans, for instance, that Europe has given to Ukraine are guaranteed by $300 million in -- gosh, it might be $300 billion with a B, in frozen Russian assets, and that's not -- it's not being guaranteed by Ukraine, which is something that Trump is now requiring.

BLACKWELL: A source says that the current deal, this rare earth minerals deal is for past support, past weapon supplies, General, to Ukraine. It is not for future assistance. Is a security guarantee or security assistance without the U.S. worth anything? Does it deter Putin at all if only Europe's on the table?

[07:40:00]

MARKS: I don't think so. I think many would say, I know Kim would probably describe this quite well, that we don't know what external pressures will deter Putin. I think he has his own perspective and objectives that he wants to achieve irrespective of what might face him.

The notion of the United States not being a part of security guarantees as established through NATO, I can't imagine that NATO nations individually, separate from the overall NATO umbrella, would provide those guarantees. In other words, NATO is going to come forward and provide the security guarantees for Ukraine. And I can't imagine the United States not being in a significantly lead position.

And to the point of rare earths, I think, obviously, look, rare earths are not rare, they're just rare in the United States. We've just got to go out and find them and be able to take advantage of those because that is absolutely essential for our defense industrial base. And that is -- has everything to do with capacity of all nations moving forward. So, I think those are completely tied to what the negotiations are going to look like and what those security guarantees are going to be going forward.

BLACKWELL: Kim, what should we expect from this meeting between the president and Macron -- President Macron of France, and also the prime minister who's coming -- British prime minister who's coming later in the week, what should we expect?

DOZIER: This is a full court press by the European leaders or countries that Trump has in the past been closest to. They will be stressing that Europe is ready to step up and take its own -- take responsibility for its own security. I got that from one European official. The British prime minister will be stepping up with an actual offer of troops, which France has also been discussing about matching a sort of peacekeeping force, perhaps under the banner of the U.N. that would stay behind in Ukraine after any peace deal as a guarantor that Ukraine won't get invaded by Russia again, as it has in the past after giving up its nuclear weapons in 1991 for peace with Russia and after a later peace deal that was followed by Russia's invasion and seizure of Crimea.

BLACKWELL: But what's that guarantee worth? I mean, you just mentioned that they gave up their nuclear weapons for the guarantee. This was in 1991. But of course, we all watch what happened three years ago tomorrow.

DOZIER: Yes. Oh, well, one of the things that has been discussed as being included as part of this peace deal is that if Russia tries to invade again, there would be an automatic entry of Ukraine into NATO. Plus, those European troops on the ground would serve as more than a speed bump. Attacking Ukraine would, at that point, be attacking NATO because of those troops on the ground.

BLACKWELL: All right. Kim Dozier, General Spider Marks, thank you both.

Still to come, former Vice President Kamala Harris, she made a first major public appearance since leaving office. Coming up, her sobering message at last night's NAACP Image Awards.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:45:00]

BLACKWELL: The Screen Actors Guild Awards are tonight in Los Angeles and the year that -- the theme this year is a love letter to L.A. in what has been so far an unpredictable award season. The SAG winners could give some final clues as to who will take home an Oscar next week. The awards will be hosted by actress Kristen Bell. And for a second year in a row, it will be streaming live on Netflix.

With me now is CNN Entertainment Reporter Lisa France. Good to have you in.

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Thank you. Good to be here.

BLACKWELL: OK. So, what should we expect tonight?

FRANCE: I think we should expect to see a lot of love towards Los Angeles. And also, we may see some political stuff. With any award show, with everything that's going on with the chaos in the country, you know, a lot of times celebrities want to step up and have something to say. And so, a lot of times they've been, in past award shows this season, people have been talking about unity and things like that. So, I think that's what we can expect to see. And of course, people want to see who's going to win best picture. "Wicked" is the most nominated. I think there's going to be a big race between Adrian Brody and Timothy Chalamet for best actor. But in that category, I want to see what Coleman Domingo wears because we are always here for the --

BLACKWELL: Oh, yes, yes, yes.

FRANCE: And then, on the TV side, of course, people want to see "Shogun" if it continues being the darling of the award season that it's been thus far.

BLACKWELL: So, of course I mentioned Oscars next week. How much does SAG tell us about what we should expect of that show?

FRANCE: So, SAG Awards includes everybody in Hollywood that is like from actors to stunt people to puppeteers. But there's some crossover when it comes to the actors who vote in SAG with those who vote for the films in Oscars. So, people feel like it is sometimes a really good predictor as to who might win.

BLACKWELL: OK. The NAACP Image Awards were last night.

FRANCE: Yes.

BLACKWELL: And former vice president Kamala Harris, she received the Chairman's Award.

FRANCE: She did. And people have been saying consistently, where's Kamala Harris? Why is she not saying anything? Where she is being a private citizen because people did not put her in the White House. So, that happened.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

FRANCE: But, you know, she had a really powerful speech and people have been talking about it ever since it happened. She got a standing ovation. We have a little bit of that. Let's take a listen to what she said.

BLACKWELL: OK.

[07:50:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: And while we have no illusions about what we are up against in this chapter in our American story, this chapter will be written not simply by whoever occupies the Oval Office, nor by the wealthiest among us. The American story will be written by you, written by us, by we the people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCE: People felt that it was very empowering, that it meant the moment, and folks cannot stop talking about it. They just felt like it was an incredibly powerful speech. One of my friends said it felt like she took the room to church. And people just felt like they really needed to hear from her because they went from what was a very joyous campaign for her to a crushing defeat for people who supported her. So, to have her come and say, you know what, we've seen these times before, we met the moment before, and it's on you to meet the moment yet again.

BLACKWELL: And we'll see if we hear more from the former vice president as now, as you said, a private citizen, if she chooses to continue to speak out.

Keke Palmer.

FRANCE: Yes.

BLACKWELL: A big win for her.

FRANCE: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Excited for her. She's had a really good year.

FRANCE: She has. We love Keke. Keke's like everybody's favorite little cousin.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

FRANCE: So, you know, congratulations. She won entertainment of the year -- Entertainer of the Year. So, we love it for her.

BLACKWELL: All right. Lisa France, thank you.

FRANCE: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:55:00]

BLACKWELL: Minnesota Timberwolves forward Terrence Shannon Jr. was at the center of a viral moment last weekend. Coy Wire is here with this week's Difference Maker.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, a story about the power of a positive attitude when tough times or awkward moments happen. So, Terrence Shannon Jr. is drafted last year in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He's been celebrated as alma mater, the University of Illinois. They retired his jersey.

At his jersey retirement ceremony, Victor, this happened. The school displayed his jersey and banner upside down. It's embarrassing for Terrence, his mom, the school. But here's why Terrence Shannon Jr. is today's difference maker. He used that awkward moment to do something awesome for kids. He's making shirts that say, when life has you upside down, turn it around. Proceeds will go to the local Boys and Girls Club where he volunteered in college. Here's his former head coach, Brad Underwood, on how proud he is of Terrence.

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BRAD UNDERWOOD, ILLINOIS HEAD BASKETBALL COACH: We messed it up. And for the character of that young man to come out and do what he did today, made a shirt, if you haven't seen it, you know, when life turns your world upside down. And I challenge every business in Champaign, I challenge every alum, go buy it. Because it's all going to the Boys and Girls Club. He's not out trying to profit off of it. Man, I couldn't be any more proud of the way that young man handled that situation. His moment. His moment. All the work that went into that, his moment, and then to turn it around and give it all to charity speaks volumes.

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WIRE: When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade.

BLACKWELL: Is that an embarrassment for him, though? I don't think so.

WIRE: It -- well, you know, the A.D. apologized to him and his mom and said, you know, we got this one wrong. Everyone who was there and even the people in the stands kind of were embarrassed for him, right?

BLACKWELL: Oh, no. I didn't take it that way at all.

WIRE: I mean, this is his moment. Yes. And he seemed to take it all in a stride, right? And obviously, he uses that as a powerful message now, turning that into a positivity. So, you know, it's not what happens to U.S. in life, it's how we go through it that matters most. So, that is why Terrence Shannon Jr. Is today's difference maker.

BLACKWELL: Well, good work for him. Coy, thank you.

WIRE: You got it.

BLACKWELL: Bill Gates turned 70 later this year, and the company that he co-founded, Microsoft, marks 50 years in business. The tech mogul turned philanthropist is looking back on his life in a way he never has before in a new memoir called "Source Code: My Beginnings." He's also looking ahead, telling CNN's Anderson Cooper about the biggest technological advance in his lifetime. Watch.

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BILL GATES, AUTHOR, "SOURCE CODE": This is the most profound technical advance in my lifetime. It is greater than, you know, chips, personal computers, phones, internet --

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Really, it's bigger than --

GATES: Bigger than all those things. Because it's degree of matching and exceeding human intelligence, both in a sort of for white collar type activities, but also, through robots for blue collar activities, it'll be a profound change agent. And it is moving faster than I expected. This is pretty novel and both exciting, in terms of taking the shortage of doctors and teachers and helping with that, but also, reshaping how we think about jobs and work.

COOPER: Does it scare you at all?

GATES: Yes.

COOPER: What scares you?

GATES: There's a great meaning and purpose that comes from these jobs. As the computers get better and better, understanding what role they play versus humans. And, you know, do we shorten the work week? Do we let some people not work at all? It's pretty profound.

So, over the next five years, almost entirely good things. But as you get into the 10 years and beyond, it's so powerful that how we shape it and maintain, you know, purpose, values, coherency, it's -- this is a big challenge for humanity.

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BLACKWELL: Anderson Cooper's interview with Bill Gates airs on "The Whole Story" tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, right here on CNN. And thank you for joining us this morning. I'll see you back here next Saturday. Inside Politics Sunday with Manu Raju is next.

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