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CNN This Morning

Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) is Interviewed about Ukraine and NATO; Kevin Frey is Interviewed about Andrew Cuomo; Alexander Vindman is Interviewed about Trump and Zelenskyy; Melania Trump Combats Deepfakes. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired March 03, 2025 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Here's what's happening right now.

Europe steps in after the Oval Office blowup between President Trump and Zelenskyy. The leaders of Britan and France are promising to come up with their own peace plan to end Russia's war on Ukraine.

Israel is now stopping all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza as the first phase of the ceasefire agreement expires. Israel's prime minister pushing for an extension to phase one of the deal. Hamas rejected that proposal, leading to the stoppage of aid altogether into the Palestinian enclave.

And today, the Pentagon reveals how deep the DOGE cuts will go at the Defense Department. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says 8 percent of the budget, roughly $50 billion, will immediately be pulled from non- lethal programs. More than 5,000 probationary workers are also expected to lose their jobs as a result.

Elon Musk and his DOGE chainsaw may be cutting a little too deep for some of you, regardless of your party. Republican Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, for example, just held a town hall over the weekend where he took a lot of heat. And, in fact, he just got up and left.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A huge percentage of those people, and I know you care about the veterans, are veterans.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that is a damn shame.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

SEN. ROGER MARSHALL (R-KS): I do got two more commitments today. Appreciate everybody making the drive out. And God bless America. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) hour.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're not done.

(INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: The question for Democrats, how do they harness that growing anger and resentment?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): Republicans flood the zone. Democrats have to flood the zone. They flood the zone with lies. We flood the zone with truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: I want to bring in Democratic Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey, formerly served as part of the National Security Council.

I want to get to some of the reaction for Democrats in a moment. But first I want to ask you quickly about that conversation with Ukraine's president on Friday. You now have, over the weekend, European countries basically gathering together and saying, look, we can't count on American deterrence. Do you think that is the message that has been sent going forward?

SEN. ANDY KIM (D-NJ): Well, I was at the Munich Security Conference where Vice President Vance gave one of the most shameful speeches I've heard in person about just basically the withdrawal of America from the world. And I had a European leader ask me if - if Russia were to attack a NATO country, would America fulfill its Article Five collective security defense. And -

CORNISH: Which is almost the point of NATO.

KIM: Yes. And the only time it's ever been invoked was for the defense of the United States after 9/11. And I don't have an answer to that right now. In fact, I felt like what we saw in the Oval Office with Zelenskyy was an answer to that. I don't think America would actually fulfill its NATO requirements, especially as we see now Elon Musk and others talking about, you know, America - pulling America out of NATO.

I mean this is something that, you know, the fact that this all happened in the Oval Office, right in front of a of a bust of Winston Churchill, that Trump so proudly puts in the Oval Office, I mean it just shows how detached he is.

CORNISH: Yes.

KIM: You know, the - the idea that he's literally turning his back, destroying the transatlantic alliance.

CORNISH: But right now you don't have - for instance, sanctions haven't been canceled on Russia, as far as I know. Like, what's the difference between policy and rhetoric? And is there an opening there to have a more robust conversation in the Senate, where there are still Republicans who are kind of Russia hawks?

KIM: Well, I hope so. But it - I have to say, it's a sad thing when we have a commander in chief whose rhetoric we can't necessarily take as policy because he is so unpredictable and so rash.

But, yes, there are senators that I've talked to, including some that I went to Munich Security Conference with.

CORNISH: Republicans? Democrats?

KIM: Republicans.

CORNISH: OK.

KIM: That - that still believe in the transatlantic alliance, you know, have deep concerns about Russia and are uncertain why it is we're making so many concessions. I mean, Russia is - you know, has a - it has a GDP the size of Spain with three times the population of Spain. They are not a superpower.

CORNISH: Yes.

KIM: We should not be bowing down and doing whatever Vladimir Putin wants us to do.

CORNISH: Now you're here in part because I think Democrats are trying to get out there more and have a counter message to Trump. And we heard earlier Senator Murphy saying, all it takes to combat, for instance, DOGE in the defense - in the government efficiency cuts in the Trump administration is to flood the zone with truth.

Now, as someone who's a journalist and watched several years of people to do fact checking and misinformation basically be vilified, is that true? Like, is that what Democrats need to do?

KIM: Well, what we - I do think we need to make sure we're engaged deeply. And what I would say is, is, we've got to go out and talk to the American people.

You know, I was back in New Jersey this past weekend. You know, I had an event raising the concerns about Medicaid cuts, raising the concerns about, you know, cuts to NIH, health care spending.

[06:35:02]

I went to talk to community of people with disabilities that are worried about, you know, those types of cuts.

CORNISH: Yes, and you love a town hall.

KIM: Yes.

CORNISH: We've talked in the past about talking to people one on one. KIM: Yes, well, look, I mean -

CORNISH: Yes.

KIM: And I'm glad to see that the American people are giving the earful to some of my Republican colleagues at town halls.

CORNISH: Republicans are saying those people are just sort of organized protest.

KIM: Well, yes. I mean, look, they said the same thing in 2017 when there were all these protests against their efforts to gut the Affordable Care Act. But that works. That matters. It's important for people to see constituents standing up to their elected leaders, and also trying to make sure we can channel that energy.

Not only did I, you know, do events about Medicaid cuts, but I also helped moderate a forum, like a town hall forum, for gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey.

CORNISH: Yes.

KIM: We have an election coming up in New Jersey.

CORNISH: Is that what resonates? Because I feel like the complete and total lack of sympathy for federal workers has been building for more than a decade, and it's just sort of a hard argument to make, to say, look, feel bad for the people in the capital city that has been, you know, wealthy districts for all this time. There's like a little bit of antipathy there.

KIM: Well, you know, I think what we focus in - in on is - is not just - you know, we need to make sure that the Democratic Party is not a party that's trying to defend the status quo. You know, the American people believe that politics and governance is broken. So do I. I mean, I think that there's a lot of problems out there. What we have to show is, yes, we want to see change. But what we're seeing from Trump is going to make us less secure, less prosperous as a nation. These tariffs that are going in, 62 percent or more Americans, percent of Americans, believe that the tariffs are going to raise prices because it's true. You know, when Trump says, we're going to have these tariffs and you're not going to have to pay a dime towards it, that's the same thing as what he did with saying Mexico is going to pay for the wall. You know, this is a lie that he's telling the American people, and they're starting to see through it.

CORNISH: Before I let you go, President Trump is going to address the - Congress in a joint session. Democrats are planning to bring some federal workers with them, some laid off federal workers. This is a little different from trying to, like, do a boycott, et cetera. What do you think the response needs to be? What do you think the behavior needs to be in the room?

KIM: Well, right now, I mean, I will be attending. I will bring, as my guest, someone from my - my home county that has disabilities. Someone who is dependent upon Medicaid for so much of his ability to survive. And I really think that that's where we need to hone in on. You know, I really do think that what we see with this reconciliation bill is disastrous for the Republicans ahead. And we have to show the American people the damage and the harm to them. And I'm hopeful that we'll be able to get that message out there.

CORNISH: Well, Senator Kim, thank you so much for spending the morning with us.

KIM: Thanks for having me this morning.

CORNISH: Yes. Appreciate it.

So, will New York City go with the former governor who left office because of a sexual harassment scandal, or maybe the sitting mayor who faced federal corruption charges? Or will New Yorkers throw a curve ball and pick someone else? The New York City mayor's race is now heating up. And Andrew Cuomo is officially in the running. After leaving office in disgrace in 2021, he's now the favorite.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW CUOMO, FORMER GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK: We need more police in our subways, more police in our high crime areas, more police to stop the number of recidivists, because nothing works if people don't feel safe.

We're here today for one reason. We are here because we love New York. And we know New York City is in trouble. You can feel it. You don't need to read statistics. You can feel it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Cuomo's comeback sets up a clash with current Mayor Eric Adams. Adams is facing intense scrutiny after the Trump led Justice Department directed prosecutors to drop corruption charges against him.

Kevin Frey is here. He's the Washington correspondent for Spectrum News New York One.

Kevin, did I say your last name right?

KEVIN FREY, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, SPECTRUM NEWS NY1: Frey, but -

CORNISH: OK, good, it's Kevin Frey. I knew it. I was, like, Kevin's mom's going to come for me.

OK, so I feel like, what a difference five years makes, right?

FREY: Yes.

CORNISH: Post-pandemic. Here we are coming up on that anniversary in March. And I feel like the Cuomo name -

FREY: Yes. CORNISH: Became a household name, in particular as a result of that time. But the fall was pretty dramatic, and it related - well, let's just call the Me Too allegations, right?

FREY: Yes.

CORNISH: Sexual harassment. So, is it really fertile ground for him to return? What's the opening he sees?

FREY: Right. So, I mean, it's like which version of Andrew Cuomo do people remember? Is it the Cuomo that, during the pandemic, when everyone was in chaos, and the White House was providing a lot of mixed messaging, to put it delicately, Andrew Cuomo provided a lot of, shall we say, reassurance with his daily press conferences that were flooding the zone across the entire country, aired here on CNN, other major networks. Or do they remember the one that fell in disgrace with the various allegations of sexual harassment, with various questions about how he handled particulars of the pandemic when it comes to nursing.

[06:40:08]

CORNISH: Yes. And just as an aside, I feel like New York is where the vibe shift happened on Me Too.

FREY: Yes.

CORNISH: Like, post Al Franken stepping down, the backlash from Democratic donors, et cetera, to Kirsten Gillibrand, who called for him to step down.

FREY: Yes.

CORNISH: Like, if there was ever a sort of little corner of Democratic politics that started to be like, it's not a big deal. Maybe we - you know, we're getting rid of good guys.

FREY: Yes.

CORNISH: Like, it's New York.

FREY: Yes. And on top of that, I think it's worth noting that, look, New York has seen, and this is kind of why I think Cuomo sees an opening, there's a lot of chaos just in the political sphere because of what's going on with Eric Adams. So, to have a reassuring, familiar face -

CORNISH: Right.

FREY: That can dominate and run roughshod over the, I don't want to say second tier candidates, but second tier candidates that are less of a recognizable name.

CORNISH: Yes. Because there - a lot of people jumped in when -

FREY: Correct. CORNISH: Let me play for you a clip of Eric Adams. He's, obviously,

mired in this scandal for the idea that charges were dropped against him, basically because he told the Trump administration he'd play ball on their immigration rules.

Here's his reaction to facing Cuomo in New York's June Democratic primary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, NEW YORK: I don't know what - who said it, but it's a famous quote, come one, come all. You know, we all got to come out. We can't hide in the shadows. We've got to come out and give our real positions. And so, I'm looking forward to it. This is campaign season.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: It is campaign season.

FREY: I mean that, to me, I don't - I mean that's, you know -

CORNISH: Yes.

FREY: I'm showing that I'm fine.

CORNISH: But you soke to Hakeem Jeffries of the House.

FREY: Yes, I spoke to Hakeem Jeffries. And - and part of it is that. So, Hakeem Jeffries, top Democrat in the House, represents part of Brooklyn. He told me that people might be interested in hearing from Andrew Cuomo. And when I asked if it would be good for New York, that's kind of what he pivoted to. He wouldn't say one way or the other. He was basically riding the fence.

Part of this is, I think he sees, in his own backyard, in Brooklyn, as well as in Queens, the potential for Cuomo to take up some of the votes that may be shifting away from Eric Adams, which would be those black voters in those constituencies that Adams -

CORNISH: Yes, which is a very '90s vibe, the kind of law and order, black Democrat.

FREY: Right.

CORNISH: I feel like we're seeing that return robustly in New York.

FREY: Right. And so, if he can siphon off a fair percentage of those in a primary that is a wide field, and on top of that, there is the component of this being a ranked choice voting sort of situation where people can give their second and third tier options, that could, if you have a big name that everyone knows, and he has name ID that's across the board, that could benefit him in the end.

Now, there are other complicating factors. Could the council speaker get in, Adrienne Adams, who might also appeal to the same black voters. CORNISH: But just people New Yorker voters know.

FREY: Yes.

CORNISH: That we may not know out here, but may have some real appeal.

FREY: Perhaps. And the question is, does her name ID resonate quite as far? And, quite frankly, the answer is no from the get go.

CORNISH: OK. All right. Well, hold on Frey, we'll see.

OK, Kevin, thank you so much for joining us.

After the break on CNN THIS MORNING, a known vaccine skeptic advocating for vaccines. RFK Jr.'s plea as the measles outbreak spreads.

Plus, revenge porn. Didn't think we'd be talking about that at 6:00 a.m. in the morning. Up next, how Melania Trump plans to use her platform to shine a light on the victims.

We're going to talk about all that and more, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:47:26]

CORNISH: Ukraine's president undergoing some damage control following Friday's disastrous Oval Office meeting with President Trump. But as he wrapped up his whirlwind visit with European partners in London, Zelenskyy publicly remains confident in the U.S. relationship going forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): As regards to salvaging the relationship that you asked about, I think that our relationship will continue because this is more than relationships. However, everyone can see how Ukraine is fighting for its independence and freedom, and we are grateful to the people of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: However, Trump allies on Capitol Hill seem to be casting doubt on whether or not Zelenskyy can remain as Ukraine's leader after the public blowup.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Well, something has to change. Either he needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude, or someone else needs to lead the country to do that. I mean it's up to the Ukrainians to figure that out.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CORNISH: Cheering on the fallout from all of this, Russia's leaders. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling Russian media this on Sunday, quote, "the new U.S. administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations. This largely coincides with our vision."

Joining me now to talk about this, Alexander Vindman, retired lieutenant colonel and former director for European affairs on the National Security Council. He's also the author of a new book, "The Folly of Realism: How the West Deceived Itself about Russia and Betrayed Ukraine."

So, Lieutenant Colonel Vindman, thank you for being here.

We all know your name because you reported on the phone call between Trump and Zelenskyy during his first administration. And that led to impeachment hearings. What was familiar to you about their interaction on Friday?

LT. COL. ALEXANDER VINDMAN, U.S. ARMY (RET.), AUTHOR, "THE FOLLEY OF REALISM" AND FORMER DIRECTOR FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: There was a significant element of deja vu, frankly. I put myself in this - back in the seat in the White House and thought about the damage control that all the professional staff, frankly, even the political staff that were not entirely aligned with the president, were - were going to have to undertake. Frankly, this administration is also very different. Last time around, there were - there was wise counsel saying, Mr. President, we need to adjust this - this - this is - this is not going to be good for you. Now you have basically folks toadying up to Donald Trump and - and catering to him and, frankly, feeding his sense of impunity, feeding his sense of emboldening him so like he - he continues to act aggressively.

CORNISH: Yes.

VINDMAN: But I felt a lot of that, you know, visceral reaction from just the sheer chaos of that moment. It was gut wrenching to watch.

CORNISH: OK. Some people say chaos is a ladder. So, I'm going to move on to what Europe is trying to do. The British ambassador actually spoke about the deal falling through.

[06:50:00]

He's now urging Zelenskyy to go back to Trump.

VINDMAN: Yes, I think the fact is -

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER MANDELSON, BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO UNITED STATES: After what happened on Friday, we - it's clear that we need to bring the United States and Ukraine back together again. And I think the first thing that President Zelenskyy can do is to make clear his commitment to the initiative that President Trump is taking. And yes, I do think it would be a good idea if he signed the economic and commercial deal put forward by the United States. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: You've said you support the idea of this minerals deal. Zelenskyy says he wants to sign the deal. But now you've got Republicans out there saying, hey, maybe he should resign. Who comes to the table first and under what conditions? Is it as simple as an apology?

VINDMAN: I don't know if this is going to play out in the course of days. If it plays out over the course of weeks or maybe even months, that's not necessarily a bad thing, that some of the tempers could simmer down.

The reality is that this is a deal that's good for the U.S. It is good for - the U.S. wants this deal. We want the rare earths. We also want the hook of having something to do with Ukraine that's more than just, you know, advancing the cause of democracy. The Ukrainians want the same thing because they want the U.S. involved.

The reason this blew up is because the personalities. It blew up because of hotheads, not on the Zelenskyy side, who was cool, calm, collected. It was J.D. Vance spewing lies about who the aggressors were, what the roles were - of the parties were, and Zelenskyy couldn't do that. He couldn't accept that rhetoric. He couldn't accept that line. Why? Because he's - his most important constituency is at home. His most important constituency are the soldiers fighting on the front lines that need to see that their president is strong in defending their interests. It's also crossed the border and Putin. That Putin needs to know that this is an iron unbreakable will for the Ukrainian people, demonstrated by Zelenskyy.

CORNISH: But they - he's not seeing that now, right? He's seeing a break. You're talking about personalities. Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying that President Trump is, in fact, the only man who can bring Vladimir Putin to the table.

VINDMAN: Yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: How does it end? It's very simple. The only way it ends is if Vladimir Putin comes to a negotiating table. And right now, President Trump is the only person on earth who has any chance whatsoever of bringing him to a table to see what it is he would be willing to end the war on. Now, maybe their claims are what they want, their demands will be unreasonable. We don't know. But we have to bring them to the table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Look, your family is from Ukraine. They fled the Soviet Union in 1991. Do you see this ending with Ukraine still being a sovereign, independent nation?

VINDMAN: Absolutely. My family fled in '79, when I was four years old. So, (INAUDIBLE) - CORNISH: Even with this Trump relationship?

VINDMAN: I think so. The thing is that there is a misunderstanding about the relative power on the ground in Ukraine. Russia does not have all the advantages. Russia is having an enormous challenges on the battlefield that, over the long term, are not sustainable. They still have some advantages in the short term because of their size, because of their economy. But the Europeans are going to step up and they're going to be there.

The folly of realism is the fact that we keep making the same mistakes over and over.

CORNISH: Yes.

VINDMAN: We keep thinking that, you know, we - we needed - we need to somehow convince Russia by appeasement, by accommodation to come to the table. That's not what's going to happen here. That type of approach has resulted in failure and have - had Russia escalate from just mischief making, to hybrid warfare, interfering in elections, to outright aggression. And repeat - repeat - where it's almost as if none of the lessons of the past have come through this administration.

CORNISH: Yes, but we are - your saying - your book is called "The Folly of Realism," but the truth is, we are in a realism moment, or some have said a transactionalism moment. So, is there - is there anything here you kind of agree with, with the Trump administration?

VINDMAN: I - I hope that - I keep trying to puzzle through if there is any chance that this approach is going to work. And fundamentally what I see is Russia's hand being strengthened, Ukraine's and Europe's hand being undermined. I don't see how that brings Russia to the table. It means Russia banks what it gets and doubles down. This approach from the Trump administration may be the only way it could work is because Trump is doing so much damage on his own, breaking these alliances on his own, that Putin believes he has got time to - to muck around, you know, two years in, or three years into the administration and really take another bite at that apple after he strengthens himself.

But, to me, it doesn't make sense.

CORNISH: Yes.

VINDMAN: This approach, when you have Russia saying explicitly that the interests are converging, you know, applauding the Trump administration, that - that can't be a good thing.

CORNISH: Well, Lieutenant Colonel Vindman, thank you so much for - for being here. This is great context.

Be sure to check out his new book. It's called "The Folly of Realism: How the West Deceived Itself and Russia and Betrayed Ukraine."

It's 54 minutes past the hour. I want to give you your morning roundup of some of the stories you need to get your day going.

Catholics from around the world flocking to Rome to pray for Pope Francis.

[06:55:02]

The 88-year-old pontiff is now off of a noninvasive mechanical ventilation. He's now just hospitalized, where he's been for the last two weeks. Sources from the Vatican telling CNN that while the pope is in stable condition, a, quote, "risk of crisis remains."

And HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., vaccine skeptic, penning an op-ed asking people to get their measles shot amid an outbreak. While he says it is a personal decision, he also writes, "vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons."

And there's this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, they're saying I'm firing people with no cause. But I do have cause. It's cause I feel like it. Ha, ha, ha, good one (ph).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Another member of the Trump administration is getting the "Saturday Night Live" treatment. Yes, that is "SNL" legend Mike Myers donning a tech support t-shirt and crashing the Oval Office as Elon Musk. Myers has now appeared twice this season on "SNL" after a 20 year absence from the show.

Jonah, is that the right accent?

JONAH GOLDBERG, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's a weird accent, so it's close enough, you know.

CORNISH: OK.

Now you may have heard of the term deepfake. It's a fake image or video made using artificial intelligence. But what if someone took that a step further? And they do. Using AI to make pornographic images. Prominent women like Taylor Swift have been the target of this. It's even targeted, frankly, kids in high school.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCESCA MANI, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: I'm not going to lie. After I left the office, I was crying. And as I was walking the hallways, I saw a group of boys laughing at a group of girls who were crying. And that's when I realized I shouldn't be sad but I should be mad. So, I came home and I told my mom, and I said, we need to do something about this because this - this is not fair to the girls and this is not OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Today, First Lady Melania Trump highlighting legislation aimed at protecting people from deepfake and revenge porn. This will be First Lady Melania Trump's first public speaking engagement since President Donald Trump returned to office. Her last platform was Be Best, which was focused on cyber bullying.

So, I want to bring back my panel to talk about this for a minute. We're in a moment where comedy about a sex worker just won an Oscar, so people are not prudes. Can I start with you, Lulu, though, about the first lady taking this on?

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think it's a good thing. I think it's -

CORNISH: IT's surprising, frankly.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: It's surprising. The devil's in the details. What will this legislation actually look like? What will it do?

But what we've seen over and over again is that we don't really have legislation that's robust. This is a real issue. I have a young daughter who's 12 years old, in middle school, and, you know, we've seen AI sort of flood the internet and it is being used specifically by young kids to target other young kids.

CORNISH: Yes. And the first lady has been the subject, frankly, of images - images sharing from her past.

ASTEAD HERNDON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, it does feel like an extension from the Be Best platform. And it does seem like a legitimate issue. I think - I cannot imagine the scope of horrors it is to raise a child in this type of environment. And these are things that have only progressed in terms of their seriousness. So, to me, it makes sense. A lot of reasons she's taking it on. And I think there'll be a lot of goodwill for it, honestly.

CORNISH: Very quickly, what are you keeping an eye on the rest of today, tomorrow, Jonah? What are you listening for? Not on this topic, on any topic.

GOLDBERG: On whether or not basically the breach with Ukraine can be, at least in some face saving way, mended. Europeans are scrambling for -

CORNISH: So you're listening for either an apology or a -

GOLDBERG: Something that looks like an apology, or something that looks like a deal that everyone can sort of say, aha, we're back at it.

CORNISH: Yes.

OK, Astead Herndon, "New York Times," tell me, what are you listening for, keeping an eye on the rest of today and tomorrow?

HERNDON: I'm going to steal Jonah's. Just any sort of progress or change on that type of situation. I think what the Trump administration has chosen to do was to thumb their nose in the kind of public way. What's the fallout of that? If there is a path to peace, that should fall out from - in this kind of week, and we should see a shift on that front. So, I think any type of tangible move on - in terms of Zelenskyy and Trump will be what I'm looking for.

CORNISH: Lulu Garcia-Navarro.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I'm glad I got to go number three, but I'm not going to repeat that because I've had time to think about it. So, I would say actually two things. We're going to have Trump speaking.

CORNISH: Yes. Yes.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I'm interested to see how the Democrats rebut what he is going to say.

CORNISH: And it's going to be -

GARCIA-NAVARRO: First of all, what tone.

CORNISH: I think Congresswoman Slotkin from Michigan is going to rebut.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Right. Exactly. And I want to see what kind of tone, first of all, he adopts, what his messaging is, and then what the Democrats do in response. So, that's the first thing.

And the second thing is, what's happening in the Middle East. Very important. Right now we have a breakdown of the ceasefire between Gaza and the Israeli government. What is that going to look like going forward? Will it plunge the region into an extension of the war?

CORNISH: Yes. Yes.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And that will have ramifications here.

CORNISH: But seriously, Arab countries getting together and talking about their own potential proposal for who should govern Gaza going forward.

[07:00:00]

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Lots of things happening there that - that I think we should keep our eye on.

CORNISH: The thing I'm obsessed with, frankly, are images from town halls.

HERNDON: Yes.

CORNISH: I came up as a reporter in the era of the Tea Party movement. We still have lawmakers born from that movement, right? Like a Ted Cruz, et cetera. So, it will be interesting to see who's activated among people out there.

I want to say thank you to our panel. Thank you for being here, waking up with me for my first show. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yay!

CORNISH: I'm Audie Cornish. "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" is going to start right now.