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Trump's First Cabinet Meeting Includes Non-Cabinet Musk; Israel Confirms Airstrikes on Southern Syria; UAE Official Says Gaza Reconstruction Cannot Take Place without Clear Path to Palestinian State; Ukrainian PM Announces "Final Version" of Resources Deal with U.S.; Power Returning to Chile after Massive Blackout; Economic Uncertainty Rising in U.S.; Monica Lewinsky Says Bill Clinton Should Have Resigned. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired February 26, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to our second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London.
U.S. president Trump will hold his first cabinet meeting next hour with billionaire Elon Musk in attendance.
Meanwhile, Ukraine says it has agreed with the U.S. on terms to a new deal focused on natural resources.
And mourners gather in Israel to commemorate the lives of two Bibas family children and their mother.
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MACFARLANE: Donald Trump has a cabinet stacked with unorthodox choices. And they were brought up, brought in to shake up government and carry out
the president's agenda. And next hour, they'll be huddling with the disruptor in chief at the White House.
Mr. Trump holding his first official cabinet meeting of this presidency, including one unofficial department head, whose austerity measures have
already run roughshod through multiple government agencies. Kevin Liptak joining us now from the White House Briefing Room to discuss.
And, Kevin, we understand Elon Musk will have a seat at the table today.
How is that expected to go over with the actual members of Trump's cabinet?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll say he'll be in the meeting. I don't know that he'll actually have a seat at the physical
table. And I think that's actually quite an important distinction.
These cabinet meetings, typically, you have members, Senate confirmed members of the cabinet sitting around the table in the Cabinet Room. It's
actually quite a small room. It's just on the other side of that wall.
Staffers typically sit along the wall. There are chairs along the windows and all along the wall. So for example, in the first administration, that's
where you would see Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. Sometimes that's where you see other senior advisers who work in the West Wing.
So it will be interesting when we head into that meeting at 11 am Eastern time whether we see Musk at the physical table, pulled up right next to the
other Senate confirmed members, or whether he'll be along the wall. That's kind of the first indication we'll get of exactly what the tone of this
meeting is.
But certainly I think it, you know, is -- it's certain that Musk is now the most powerful advisor to president Trump. He is orchestrating this effort
to reform the entire government. And it has put him at the crosshairs with some of these cabinet members.
Just over the weekend, at Musk's directive, when the personnel office sent all federal employees this email, asking them to recount their last week at
work or risk termination, that caught a number of cabinet members off guard.
And it prompted them to relay their own guidance to their staffs, not to respond. So it will be interesting to see them all kind of coming face to
face in this meeting.
But I do think, you know, it is clear these members of the cabinet, even if they're not necessarily on board with every single one of Musk's tactics,
they do support this overall effort to dramatically reform the federal government.
We were just talking to the Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, out on the driveway here at the White House. She says she's fully on board with
DOGE, even if that could potentially mean greatly reducing the number of staff at her agency while they confront various crises like the bird flu
crisis.
So this will have an effect on each one of these government departments at a moment when Trump is really trying to do a great deal. So how they kind
of confront that and reckon with that, I think, will be interesting.
Now if past is any precedent, this cabinet meeting will be kind of made for television. During Trump's first term, he brought these people into the
Cabinet Room.
He delivered some opening remarks and then they all kind of went around the table, both to recount what their agencies and departments were doing but
also to really lavish praise on Trump for his presidency, for his administration.
So I think it would probably be expected that we would see something similar this time around. But certainly the new factor is the Musk factor
and that will be very fascinating to watch as it unfolds.
MACFARLANE: Yes, I'd love to be a fly in the room with this one. We will wait to see that meeting set to take place at 11:00 Eastern. Kevin, thanks
very much for now.
Israel's defense minister now confirms that the Israeli air force carried out strikes on military targets in southern Syria.
[10:05:04]
Residents tell CNN they could hear warplanes all around the capital in Damascus. The attacks come just days after prime minister Benjamin
Netanyahu demanded the complete demilitarization of territory south of Damascus, a new policy that Israel is now pursuing.
Just hours before the strike, Syria's new leadership demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Israeli forces in Syrian territory, calling
it a blatant violation of sovereignty.
We move now to Israel, where the funeral for Shari, Ariel and Kfir Bibas has taken place in Tel Aviv. In a eulogy, Shari's husband, Yarden,
addressed her and their two sons in turn. Here's how he remembered his youngest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YARDEN BIBAS, SHIRI'S HUSBAND (through translator): I didn't think our family could be more perfect. And then you came and made it even more
perfect. You brought more light and happiness to our little home. You came with your sweet, captivating laugh and smile. And I was instantly hooked.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: The family was taken hostage in the Hamas led attack on Israel on October 7th. The three bodies were returned last week as part of a
ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Jeremy Diamond was at the funeral procession a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Behind me is indeed that funeral procession for Kfir, Ariel and Shiri Bibas, who were killed in
Hamas captivity. You can see hundreds of Israelis at this very junction, but thousands of Israelis have been lining this entire procession.
As we now see, these vans coming through, carrying the bodies of Kfir, Ariel and Shiri Bibas, their mother. They were both -- they were all three
taken hostage from kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7th, and for 16 months, so many who we've spoken to here have held out hope that perhaps they would
return alive.
But instead, this is a very somber moment where so many Israelis are now devastated, as they learned last week, that they indeed returned dead from
Hamas captivity.
Hamas has claimed that they were killed in an Israeli airstrike. The Israeli government says that they were killed by Hamas captors with their
bare hands. But right now, just very somber, very emotional scenes as we watch, as people bow their heads in grief and in solidarity with the Bibas
family.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: As Gaza's fragile ceasefire holds, the outlook for postwar Gaza remains unclear. Donald Trump's proposal for the U.S. to take it over
and move its civilians out has drawn pushback from Arab leaders, who are working to agree on a different way forward.
Our Becky Anderson discussed that earlier with Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the president of the UAE, at a conference in Abu
Dhabi. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Can I ask you very specifically to explain what it is that you, along with other Arab partners, are crafting as a day after
policy for Gaza to ensure the social and political stability of that part of this region and security going forward?
ANWAR GARGASH, DIPLOMATIC ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Well, I think -- I refer you back to the statement that came out from the
president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, a meeting with the American secretary of state. I think it encapsulates a lot what you said.
I think their mention is basically three things that are very clear. And I think the -- basically chart, the UAE's course. I think number one, it's,
you know, a resilient position against any plan to move the population of Gaza into other parts of the world.
And I think, in that position, of course, Egypt and Jordan and Saudi Arabia and all Arab countries are also with us in that position. So clearly that
is part of it.
I think the second, you know, affirmation here is that Gaza does need a reconstruction plan, a massive one. But that reconstruction plan cannot
really take place without a clear path to a two-state solution. So clearly here you need the political stability of a roadmap in order for these big
investments to come place to come into place.
[10:10:00]
I think the third part is more regional, also in the same statement. And that regional part is we all have to work together to de-escalate. I mean,
the region in the past year-plus has gone through what is a geopolitical earthquake.
We will need time to absorb what that means for us. But clearly, the damage that we see in Gaza, the damage we see in Razad (ph), that we see in south
Lebanon, plus, of course, the Syrian situation after, you know, 13 or 14 years of civil war and crisis, all this needs for us to take stock of.
And clearly, you know, understand that the path forward is de-escalation but the path forward is a clear reconstruction but with political clarity.
You know, it's -- you can't just go and sort of invest billions without that political clarity and come back to see yet another conflict. I think
that position is very clear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Now a meeting between the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents appears set to happen in Washington, after Ukraine's prime minister
announced the two countries had prepared a final version of a natural resources deal.
That deal is expected to grant the U.S. access to Ukraine's prized rare earth minerals and to provide a reconstruction fund for Ukraine. You can
see the type of minerals and their locations here on this map.
One thing apparently not included, security guarantees sought by Kyiv, tied to any deal to end Russia's war on Ukraine. Those would be worked out at a
later date.
Well, with this deal on the table, Donald Trump says Volodymyr Zelenskyy may visit the White House as soon as Friday. Just last week, president
Trump falsely labeled Mr. Zelenskyy a dictator. Nick Paton Walsh is joining us back this hour live from Kyiv.
And, Nick, I understand you have seen a copy of the latest version of this natural resources deal.
What does it say?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, key is point 10, referred to by president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a press
conference earlier today as language, which was more specific about Ukraine's security guarantees under this deal.
But the version we have, which, we're told by a source familiar with negotiations, was current as of this morning, point 10 has a second
paragraph, which I think is what he was referring to, which says, "The government of the United States of America supports Ukraine's efforts to
obtain security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace.
"Participants will seek to identify any necessary steps to protect mutual investments, as defined in the fund agreement."
Now that clearly is the U.S. saying that they're OK with Ukraine trying to seek security guarantees and would indeed support them in that effort but
does not spell out the fact that the United States would guarantee Ukrainian security in some way.
So it does appear that Ukraine is still at some distance off the explicit language it was hoping for in this document. The document does also go on
to, really, as we've been reporting for the past three days, spell itself out as a framework agreement for Ukrainian reconstruction.
And talks about how half of relevant resources will be invested into the revenues from -- relevant resources will be invested into this fund, to be
spent, it seems, with the joint consent of the United States and Ukraine.
Now it's important, this document, because it also spells out how a lot more of the meatier discussions about precisely which assets, how much,
when and where it will be dealt with in a subsequent fund agreement, that's going to be discussed after this first agreement has been signed.
It also makes reference to how Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons and wants that acknowledged as something it didn't receive security guarantees
for. But it is really an overarching statement of intent, it's fair to say, between the two countries about how they intend to cooperate financially,
going forward.
And the language around security guarantees a little weaker, I think, than Kyiv would want it to see. Also, it's important to point out, Christina, in
the press conference we just heard that President Zelenskyy was emphatic that he would not accept the repayment even 10 cents of the past aid the
United States has given Ukraine.
I can't see in the draft document -- I've seen the suggestion that Ukraine is obliged to repay debt. So it appears that concession has indeed been
made. But all of this, really, including the statements we heard from president himself today here in Kyiv, hinge upon a meeting between Trump
and Zelenskyy.
That is not something which is concretely in the White House public calendar as far as we know at this stage. And it is something that clearly
Zelenskyy wants. He even suggested he'd be going to see people in London on the way back after that particular trip.
So it's moving exceptionally fast here. But it seems like this rare earth minerals document is really a bid to try and step over this hurdle in their
relations.
[10:15:06]
Zelenskyy saying, too, he wanted to talk to president Trump more about security guarantees and also be sure, in that conversation, that the U.S.
would continue aid for Ukraine. So much hinging on this interpersonal exchange between the two presidents after, frankly, a horrific two weeks in
Ukraine-U.S. relations. Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yes, and very briefly, Nick, how is this deal, this potential meeting between Zelenskyy and president Trump being viewed by people in
Ukraine?
WALSH: I think there's an element of shock that, what was once the central plank of support for Ukraine, the U.S. financial and military, suddenly
that relationship has turned into a week of acrimony between the two presidents, much of it falsehoods levied by the U.S. president at his
Ukrainian counterpart.
And also to a very transactional deal here; there's a lot of aspirational, optimistic language in this deal that we've seen about their future
reconstruction relationship. But ultimately it puts 50 percent of some Ukrainian revenues in U.S. hands if Trump gets what he wants out of this.
But we also see a very transactional side of his foreign policy. Christina.
MACFARLANE: Nick Paton Walsh there live for us in Kyiv this evening.
Thanks very much, Nick.
Britain's prime minister has announced big increases in defense spending ahead of this week's meeting at the White House. He described it as the
biggest boost to the defense budget since the end of the Cold War.
To help fund it, the government plans significant cuts to international aid, which charity groups are condemning. More now from CNN's Nic Robertson
in London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: This was an absolute pitch to the British public, putting the story in their living rooms,
beginning by saying, imagine this scenario.
You're walking your child to school. You're on the way to work. You hear the crashing of the bombs and the missiles. And it's not in the distance.
It's not on the television, but it's actually close to you. It's affecting your lives.
He wanted to make this real. He wanted people to understand why he feels that the country has come to this point, a decision three years in the
making, he said.
And what really turned him about journalists sort of trying to have him say that.
This was under pressure of President Trump, in effect, to have him appear as if he's on the back foot, as if he is weak, as if the decision has been
taken out of his hands, as if it's President Trump that's dictating how the British government's budget should be divvied up.
That's -- that's, in essence, the thrust of it. And his push back on that was very clear. War has changed. Russia is acting in British skies, in
British seas, in British cyberspace and on British soil. The Novichok poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in 2017.
The point that he made was I have been there to Ukraine. I've seen it with my eyes. This is different. This is not the war of 2022. This has changed.
I see the reality. I have made the decision. It's a decision that's been coming over a long period of time. And this is not the pressure of Donald
Trump.
Keir Starmer here is doing something that is huge, in essence, in a way telling the country that it is sort of going to a more serious war footing.
We need to take money from other places. It's a serious, big decision.
It is very hard for governments in an incremental war, like the three- year war in Ukraine, to explain to people why they are making such a significant
change.
That's what he's doing here right now. That's the thrust, not to show weakness in the face of President Trump. These are decisions he has come to
in national security interest.
There must be benefits. He played up how, for example, this could benefit the economy, benefit jobs. He would make sure that this defense spend is
money spent in the U.K.
These are important sells. This is not going to be easy for him to push this concept over the line with the British public. They're receptive to
it.
But he's politician making tough choices, taking a step -- signaling a step change from the end of the Cold War, saying we must do this if we want our
children to have the peace and stability we have had over the past 80 years, since World War II.
This is a significant speech. He is saying we now need to step back to a time past. We didn't have to expect to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Well, still to come, electric power is returning in Chile after the -- most of the country was plunged into darkness for hours. We're
following those developments.
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MACFARLANE: Welcome back.
The fallout continues from that mass email sent by Elon Musk to the Office of Personnel Management, threatening the jobs of U.S. federal employees.
When asked to clarify the matter, here's what the president had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Can you clarify, hopefully once and for all, what your expectations are with this email to federal employees?
What are you going to use that information for?
And do you see it as voluntary, like OPM has said, or mandatory?
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Well, it's somewhat voluntary but it's also, if you don't answer, I guess you get fired.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Meanwhile, the public outcry against the move is growing louder. CNN's Tom Foreman has details on the backlash.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you OK with the chaos being created?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Government employees are going to be let go. And that's just the reality of it.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Shouted down at town halls.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, hey, let's restore some order.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So yelling -- yelling at me is not going to get any answer. OK?
FOREMAN (voice-over): Protested on their way to work.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We lost 10 percent of our workforce.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shut up and let him talk.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will not, sir.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Republican lawmakers are being hammered by voters, including their own --
(BOOING)
FOREMAN (voice-over): -- over the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE, which is chain sawing federal jobs in blue and red states alike.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, I think we should just be using a scalpel.
FOREMAN (voice-over): And some elected leaders are now pushing back on DOGE's unelected cutter in chief.
SEN. JOHN CURTIS (R-UT): If I could say one thing to Elon Musk, it's like, please put a dose of compassion in this. These are real people.
REP. RICH MCCORMICK (R-GA): When you have a president who can affect somebody's business or somebody's livelihood, it just needs to be done with
-- with deliberation.
FOREMAN (voice-over): For weeks, the parade of departing workers has been growing from the FAA to the IRS, from health agencies to the Small Business
Administration, from Veterans Affairs to the national parks and more.
And when Elon Musk demanded this past weekend that all remaining workers justify their employment in an email or be fired, President Trump initially
was all for it.
TRUMP: I thought it was great because we have people that don't show up to work and nobody even knows if they work for the government.
FOREMAN (voice-over): But around a dozen departments in Trump's own administration effectively told their workers to ignore Musk. Trump
appeared to back down, leaving party bosses to put the best face on a bad situation.
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: I think the vast majority of the American people understand and applaud and appreciate the DOGE effort.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Polls indeed show voters want less government waste but a slim majority now think DOGE has gone too far. And by the hour, it
seems more GOP Congress members are subtly backing the resistance.
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): If I were a Senate confirmed head of a department and I had somebody from the outside undermining my ability to manage and
demonstrate, there's one leader in every department, I'd have a problem with it.
FOREMAN: To be sure, none of these Republican lawmakers want to directly oppose Donald Trump or his plans but they do see that his plans are now
costing them in a way that many clearly did not expect -- Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[10:25:00]
MACFARLANE: More than 250,000 Canadians have signed on to a petition urging the government to revoke Elon Musk's citizenship and passport.
The parliamentary petition says Musk's close association with U.S. president Donald Trump is against the national interest of Canada, claiming
the tech billionaire is a member of a foreign government that is attempting to erase Canadian sovereignty.
President Trump has frequently voiced his desire to annex Canada and make it the 51st U.S. state. He also plans to impose a 25 percent tariff on all
Canadian imports next month.
Musk responded to the petition on his social media platform X, writing, "Canada is not a real country."
One expert said the Canadian government cannot revoke Musk's legally obtained citizenship. The author of the petition says it should be seen as
a call to accountability.
In Chile, officials say 90 percent of homes and businesses affected by a massive blackout across the country now have their electricity restored.
Some 8 million homes were impacted and daily life across much of Chile came to a standstill when the power outage struck Tuesday afternoon.
I spoke with CNN's Patrick Oppmann last hour about this developing story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is under investigation at this moment. All we know at this point is that a high transmission line in the
Atacama Desert that supplies electricity to the capital Santiago apparently had some sort of disruption.
We don't know what caused that. Officials have not been able to determine that just yet. They say they are trying to figure out exactly how this took
place that led this virtually nationwide power out, that led to these really surreal scenes over the last 24 hours, of people in Chile trying to
drive on the streets without traffic lights.
People being stuck in elevators, people being stuck in shops, where, you know, they use electric doors to get in and out. Of course, those were
working, and this had a massive, massive impact across virtually the entire country.
So while power is being restored, you can certainly understand why trains would be so upset at one of the largest, if not the largest power outages
ever to take place. The government officials are blaming local power companies.
But of course, everyone is going to be under a lot of pressure to figure out what happened, what caused Chile to essentially go for hours and hours,
virtually the entire day, most of the day on Tuesday, to be without power.
And then, you know, now that it's been restored, exactly how are they going to prevent this from happening again in the future?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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MACFARLANE (voice-over): Well, let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now.
Donald Trump says he'll offer a new path to U.S. citizenship as long as you're prepared to pay $5 million for it. He said Tuesday the U.S. would
soon begin selling a gold card to wealthy foreigners, a $5 million permit to live and work in the United States.
The White House says the gold card would replace the government's immigrant investor visa program.
Pope Francis spent a peaceful night in hospital and is sitting up in an armchair today, according to the Vatican. The 88 year old was admitted to
hospital 13 days ago and has been diagnosed with double pneumonia. While his health is said to have improved slightly, he is still considered
critical but stable.
Coming up:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uncertainty is rising. People don't know if they'll have a job or if someone that they know will have a job.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): American consumers are feeling uneasy. We'll take a look at what is driving that trend and if any relief is on the way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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[10:30:00]
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MACFARLANE: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Christina Macfarlane. Here are your headlines.
In the next hour, Elon Musk is expected to attend the first cabinet meeting of Donald Trump's second term, even though he is not officially part of the
cabinet. The White House says Musk's cost cutting efforts span multiple departments, so it makes sense for him to join discussions with leaders of
federal agencies.
Ukraine's prime minister says his government and the U.S. have prepared a final version of a natural resources deal with Ukrainian president.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to fly to Washington in the coming days to sign the deal with U.S. president Donald Trump.
It reportedly grants the U.S. access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals but does not offer specific security guarantees.
In Israel, mourners lined the streets earlier for the funeral procession of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, who were taken hostage in the Hamas-led attack
on Israel on October 7th, 2023. Their bodies were returned last week as part of the deal between Israel and Hamas. At just 9 months old, Kfir was
the youngest hostage taken.
Consumer confidence in the U.S. tumbled last month, showing its biggest drop in 3.5 years. Tuesday's survey pointed to fresh anxiety about the cost
of living, especially with egg prices at record highs. CNN's Brian Todd looks at why Americans are saying they're worried about the future.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sticker shock at the car dealership, a line down the street in New York for a free egg giveaway as
prices for eggs continue to spike.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Time like this, we felt it was our duty and responsibility to just make eggs accessible.
TODD (voice-over): Meanwhile, Denny's has reportedly become the latest restaurant chain to impose a new surcharge to meals made with eggs. This
all comes as more Americans are getting nervous about the economy.
According to the nonpartisan research group the Conference Board, consumer confidence dropped for the third straight month in February and it's the
largest monthly decline since August.
JOSEPH GAGNON, PETERSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS: Uncertainty is rising. People don't know if they'll have a job or if someone that they
know will have a job.
TODD (voice-over): This is a sharp reversal from a short burst of consumer optimism that showed up after President Trump was elected in November.
Some analysts believe the effort by Trump and Elon Musk to slash the ranks of the federal government, while it may cut waste and save money, is a big
driver of the drop in consumer confidence because those job losses don't affect just the Washington, D.C., area.
MICHELLE SINGLETARY, PERSONAL FINANCE COLUMNIST, "THE WASHINGTON POST": The majority of federal workers work across the country.
And if you have a concentration of unemployment in these communities, if people can't pay their mortgages, that's going to hurt the lenders in that
area, the businesses that cater to those people.
You've got a house, you want to buy furniture, you want to improve it, you want to maybe upgrade your bathroom. Those businesses are going to be
impacted. So this is not a D.C. problem. This is a U.S. problem.
TODD (voice-over): Another huge factor affecting consumer confidence, analysts say President Trump's plan to impose tariffs, taxes placed on
imported goods and services. The president says his plan to levy tariffs on Canada and Mexico is moving forward.
TRUMP: It'll be very good for our country. Our country will be extremely liquid and rich again.
TODD (voice-over): But it will likely also raise prices for big ticket items like cars. And that could be fueling the dip in consumer confidence.
GAGNON: The U.S. auto industry is incredibly integrated with Canada, Mexico. Tariffs, even 25 percent tariffs on products that go back and forth
across the border multiple times as you make the car would add enormously to the price of cars made in North America.
TODD (voice-over): In 2022, even as consumer confidence was at record lows and inflation was its highest in four decades, Americans continued to spend
money. Will they do that now?
SINGLETARY: What's different right now is that even if you are not impacted by the cuts in the federal government, it induces a lot of anxiety. And
when people are anxious, they tend to pull back.
TODD: As for some practical advice for consumers regarding the drop in confidence, analyst Michelle Singletary says first, do the most thorough
and honest assess you can of where your job stands.
If your job is fairly secure, she says, and you're thinking about buying a car, try to do that soon before tariffs push car prices higher. But if your
job is not quite as secure, you might want to hold off on those big purchases for a while -- Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[10:35:05]
MACFARLANE: Turning now to a close call Thursday at Chicago's Midway Airport with a Southwest Airlines flight forced to abort a landing to avoid
a collision with a private jet, which was in the wrong place.
It comes after a string of aviation accidents in a short space of time, raising questions about safety standards. More on this from CNN's Pete
Muntean.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: This is yet another near collision involving a commercial flight on or near the runways of a major
airport.
Those incidents really took off coast to coast at the start of 2023 but tapered off last year. The NTSB started major investigations into
collisions at JFK, Austin, Boston and Burbank.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Now add Chicago Midway to the list.
This incident happened around 8:50 Central Time, 9:50 on the East Coast. Air traffic control cleared Southwest Airlines Flight 2504 from Omaha to
land on Midway's Runway 31 Center.
A Challenger 350 private jet was taxiing for takeoff and was told to stop just before that runway, something called hold short. But for some reason,
the private jet just kept on taxiing and right in front of the Southwest flight.
The Southwest crew admirably aborted the landing --
MUNTEAN: -- mere moments before touchdown.
I want you to listen now to the exchange with air traffic control when the Southwest crew spotted that collision brewing in front of them and
performed a go around, unprompted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Southwest 20 --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Southwest 2504 going around.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Southwest 2504, roger that. Climb, maintain 3,000.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Southwest 2504, up to 3,000.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- west 2504, when able, turn left, heading 220.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Left, heading 220, Southwest 2504.
And tower, Southwest 2504, how'd that happen?
MUNTEAN: The Federal Aviation Administration has an explanation. It says in a new statement that the private jet pilots taxied the plane onto the
runway without authorization. It is investigating this incident.
And now the National Transportation Safety Board has launched its own investigation, as well.
The NTSB has investigated 13 other so-called runway incursions since the start of 2023. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy just said that the pilot
should be punished, though more often pilots in these cases are forced to take retraining and could fly again.
But the human consequences here are clear. The midair collision over the Potomac River happened only last month, 67 lives lost.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Now British media is reporting that the seabed exploration firm Ocean Infinity is resuming the search for missing Malaysia Airlines
Flight MH370. The Malaysian government hired the firm in 2018 to search in the southern Indian Ocean.
Over the weekend, they began searching a new zone, nearly 2000 kilometers off the coast of Perth, Australia, for wreckage of the plane. This past
December, Malaysia agreed to resume the search for the doomed flight after new data on a possible location had been assessed.
The Boeing 777, along with 227 passengers and 12 of its crew, vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March of 2014.
Now just ahead, Monica Lewinsky is revisiting events involving Bill Clinton in the '90s. What she is saying now about the treatment of other women when
she was under such intense scrutiny.
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[10:40:00]
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MACFARLANE: Welcome back.
Monica Lewinsky says Bill Clinton should have resigned as U.S. president when a political scandal erupted over their affair. It was 1998. Lewinsky
was a White House intern and Clinton was the most powerful man in the free world.
In a new interview with Alex Cooper, the world's most listened-to female podcaster, Lewinsky is offering her view of how the White House and the
media should have handled the news of her relationship with Clinton.
Let's go live to CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister.
I understand this episode has dropped today, Elizabeth. In it, she said Bill Clinton should have resigned as U.S. president.
What else did she say?
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is the first time that Monica Lewinsky has so clearly said that she believes that
he should have resigned at the time of their affair. She says that, if he didn't make the choice to resign, that she at least wishes that he didn't
lie about their relationship.
We all remember that televised moment, when then president Clinton said, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman."
Obviously, that turned out not to be true. Let's take a look at what more Monica had to say on this podcast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX COOPER, PODCAST HOST: When you look back once the news broke and how everything was handled by media and the White House, how do you think it
should have been handled?
Have you thought about that?
MONICA LEWINSKY, FORMER WHITE HOUSE INTERN: Oh, my gosh. Good question.
I haven't been asked that before. So, I think that the right way to handle a situation like that would have been to probably say it was, you know,
nobody's business, and to resign, you know, or to find a way -- to find a way of staying in office that was not lying and not throwing a young
person, who is just starting out in the world, under the bus.
I think there was so much collateral damage for women of my generation to watch a young woman to be pilloried on the world stage, to be torn apart,
you know, for my sexuality, for my mistakes, for my everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WAGMEISTER: So you see there, Monica Lewinsky talking about the impact that she believes that her treatment in society and by the media had on
other women.
And what's interesting about her sitting down with Alex Cooper on the podcast, "Call Her Daddy," as you said, Alex Cooper is the most listened-to
female podcaster in the world. She has a massive reach, particularly to young women.
Many of those young women may have never heard about Monica Lewinsky's story. It seems crazy to think that there's anyone in the world who doesn't
know this story. But for many Gen Z listeners and viewers, they weren't born yet at this time.
So Monica said to Alex Cooper that she hopes that there is less shame for women today in the world. And I have to tell you, a few years ago, I
actually interviewed Monica Lewinsky and I asked her, did she think that, in a post #MeToo era, would things have been different?
And she says she hopes that there would have been less blame on just her and not the man in the situation.
But she also said, I don't know how different things actually would be now.
MACFARLANE: Yes. I mean, it's important to note we are in an entirely different generation. This happened, what, nearly 30 years ago now.
I noticed in the interview, Lewinsky said that she's trying to see this as a new chapter for herself, to reclaim her voice.
What is now in her future?
I know she's launched her own podcast to kind of rewrite the script.
WAGMEISTER: That's right. And that is why she went on this podcast with Alex Cooper, was to promote her new podcast. And it is called "Reclaiming."
Obviously, that is a nod to reclaiming her own narrative, reclaiming her name.
Now Monica Lewinsky has been an anti-bullying advocate for years. And with her new podcast, she is hoping to continue on that mission again, to take
away the shame and to take away the blame and to eradicate bullying.
But I think it is so interesting to look at what happened in the '90s through the lens of today. Like you said, everything is so different and
the whole world of media is different.
[10:45:00]
At the time, every newspaper, every tabloid in the world was covering this. Monica said on the podcast, one publication had over 10 stories per day.
But it's interesting because, when I spoke to Monica a few years ago, I asked her, do you think that things would be better or worse today in the
age of social media?
And she said, on one hand, you can own your own narrative with your own social media platform. On the other hand, the online abuse is 24/7 and you
can't escape it. So it is so interesting to look at her story through the lens of the '90s and also through the lens of today.
MACFARLANE: Yes, how different things are today. Elizabeth, fascinating. I will definitely take a listen. Thanks very much for that.
Now Taiwan is investigating whether a Chinese crewed cargo ship deliberately cut an undersea internet cable. Taiwan's telecom company
detected the cable was disconnected shortly after this ship dropped anchor off Taiwan's southwestern coast.
On Tuesday Taiwan's Coast Guard intercepted and detained the ship and its Chinese crew. But Beijing is accusing Taiwan of political manipulation.
CNN's Will Ripley has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We know this ship, the Hong Tai, is registered in Togo, which is a small West African nation often
called a flag of convenience because you can bypass a lot of regulations by flying a Togo flag.
That nation also happens to receive a lot of Chinese funding. And on board that ship unsurprisingly perhaps eight Chinese crew members.
Now that crew is being detained right now in the southern Taiwanese port of Tainan as prosecutors investigate whether this ship, which apparently
lingered near an undersea communication cable for days, ignoring Coast Guard warnings.
And then dropping anchor and cutting that cable, severing this communications cable, which is vital to the Penghu Islands, the outlying
islands of Taiwan.
Authorities say they're now looking into whether this was a possible Chinese gray zone operation. Now, this has been suspected in the past,
although never explicitly proven.
What we do know is that Penghu, the island itself, did not, in this case, experience severe service disruptions because the service was rerouted to
other cables and back up microwave transmission links.
But of course, this incident underscores the vulnerability not just of Taiwan's outlying islands, but Taiwan's main island itself, which, like
much of the world, relies on these crucial undersea cables for much of its internet and cellular communications.
So if the cables were cut in a coordinated manner, theoretically, this entire island of Taiwan could be plunged into darkness, which, of course,
is a major national security concern given the decades of ongoing tensions with China and the reliance of Taiwan like most other countries on being
connected.
Connectivity is crucial here, as in most places.
This pattern of undersea cable damage near Taiwan, the government here in Taipei has been trying to shine a light on it.
There have been incidents just in the last two years, including an incident at the Matsu Islands back in 2023, where a cable was cut, which resulted in
essentially for the residents of the Matsu Islands in a total internet and cellular blackout for weeks.
This time around, not as bad of a situation, but nonetheless Taiwan sounding the alarm about this -- Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: All right, still to come, U.S. president Donald Trump convenes his cabinet for the first time with a notable guest, Elon Musk.
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MACFARLANE: Next hour, all eyes will be on the White House as president Donald Trump assembles his cabinet for the first time in his second term.
Among those attendees, Elon Musk. Even though he's not a member of the cabinet, it's another sign of the growing influence the tech billionaire
holds in the Trump administration.
CNN political analyst Jackie Kucinich joins us now with her perspective.
Good to see you, Jackie. That meeting expected to convene in about 10 minutes from now. And as I was saying there, the fact that Elon Musk is
going to be in the room for this cabinet meeting is a reflection of his current powers within this administration.
But no doubt there's going to be a degree of friction, given the disruption that Musk has brought to federal departments in recent days. In many ways,
it's going to be must-see viewing.
What are your expectations for what we're going to see?
JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think where he is sitting is.
Going to.
Be very interesting.
Because there are -- I mean, he's technically a special advisor to the president. He's a special government employee. And, you know, sometimes
those people are in the room; they're in chairs. No one really notices them.
I think the expectation is that Elon Musk is very much going to be at the table with the rest of the cabinet and is there to talk about DOGE. Now the
White House has made clear that he is not the head of DOGE, even though I think that there's an assumption out there that he was.
But in fact, he -- but, you know, he is the one sending those emails to government employees and, as you mentioned, has caused some internal
friction among cabinet members.
Will we see that at that table today?
I would be surprised if we see it overtly, you know, on the cameras. The last time in -- the last time, in 2017, when the first cabinet meeting,
everyone just kind of went around the room, the circle of the table and talked about how much they liked Trump and how glad they were to be there.
It wouldn't surprise me if that's what we saw again this time. But you know, we'll see. Elon Musk kind of does what he wants to do. And if Trump
allows him to have the floor during that meeting, he'll have the floor.
MACFARLANE: So do you expect -- because I was going to ask you, I mean, we all remember that cabinet meeting during the first term, where it was kind
of a bit of a love-in for Donald Trump.
Do you expect we're not really going to see, then, much policy or much discussion of policy during this meeting?
KUCINICH: Traditionally, no; this is more of like a kind of a photo op/ as you mentioned, a Trump love fest if the last administration is any guide.
But with -- you never really can guess when it comes to president Trump.
He does things differently. If they end up just having a discussion in front of the cameras before they usher everybody out, then they'll do it.
you know, I wouldn't -- I wouldn't venture to guess -- I've been wrong too many times -- when it when it comes to president Trump.
So we'll have to wait and see. I would be surprised if, again, if there's any sort of tit-for-tat between cabinet members during this particular
meeting in front of the cameras.
MACFARLANE: Yes. There is an element of sort of good cop/bad cop emerging in the dynamic between Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
But how much political capital do you think Trump is willing to invest in Elon Musk, especially given, as we've been saying, he's been becoming
increasingly unpopular with, you know, his moves to gut federal government in recent days; the way he kind of is seen to, in some senses, throw his
weight around with regard to his position?
KUCINICH: So I've seen the good cop/bad cop analysis. But I also -- that would imply that president Trump is saying, oh, Elon just went too far.
He's actually been encouraging him to go even farther throughout this period, where they've been cutting government employees.
So it really seems like he's willing to invest and take a lot of responsibility for what is happening right now.
Will that change if this starts to turn politically against him in any meaningful way?
Potentially it could; that's always a possibility. And Elon Musk really has -- he has given him ownership of this particular part of the initial Trump
administration salvo, within the federal government.
MACFARLANE: Do you expect that the loyalty, split loyalty issue here is going to become an issue for Donald Trump?
As you know, DOGE continues to make inroads on these cuts and as his own cabinet, who are going to be sitting around the table with him in 10
minutes' time, start to question and ask for him to step in?
KUCINICH: Whether he intervenes -- you took the words right out of my mouth. The question will be whether he intervenes, because we know that
some of these cabinet secretaries, recently confirmed, have taken over these organizations.
[10:55:04]
Are giving instructions, saying, don't reply to these emails. This doesn't apply to you, that sort of thing, once the, you know, say, what, five
things you did this week, that, when that email came out over the weekend.
Whether they're able to get Trump to intervene or even, you know, the White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, that will that will remain to be seen.
We haven't seen that quite yet. But a lot of this just started. It was very -- it's easy to forget how early we are in this administration. It's been
barely a month.
MACFARLANE: Well, we are hearing that the members are sitting down for that cabinet meeting as we speak, so we shall watch to see how this
unfolds. But for now, appreciate your analysis. Thank you so much.
And that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "NEWSROOM" is up after this quick break.
END
