the president of the united states says he will skip the white house course opinion dense dinner and democrats have a new leader. the term radical islamic terrorism, he says is not useful. >> we speak to a syrian refugee mother who will be watching the oscars to see if the documentary about her family wins. live from cnn world headquarters, welcome. to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm george howell. "cnn newsroom" starts right now. it is 5:00 a.m. on the u.s. east

coast. good to have you with us. fair to say, this will be a very busy week ahead for the u.s. president, donald trump. mr. trump speaks before a joint session of congress tuesday night. this will mark his first address as president. the white house is set to roll out a revised executive order. there is an event in april the president is declining. without explanation, i will not be attending the white house correspondents' association dinner this year. please wish everyone well and have a great evening. after losing big to the president in november, the democrats now are regroups under new leadership. on saturday, democratic party officials meeting in atlanta, georgia, elected former u.s. labor secretary, tom perez, as chairman of the democratic

committee. ryan nobles has more. >> reporter: democratics have a new chairman. perez fell one vote short on the first ballot but gathered enough support to win on the second. there was still a major part of the party, the progressive part, that wasn't happy with his victory. he brought up keith elslison an named him his deputy chair. >> i would like to begin by making a motion, a motion that i have discussed with a good friend, and his name is keith ellison. the motion i would like to make to the body is a motion suspending the rules, if i may, to appoint keith ellison, deputy

chair of the democratic national committee. tell me the phrase i'm supposed to utter. that was fine. did i hear a second? all for? opposed? . the silence is deafening. the motion passes. >> tom perez and keith elson, for that matter, now have a big job in front of them bringing together all these factions of the democratic party with the goal of being a true check on president donald trump. they have minorities in both the house and senate in washington. they own far fewer legislative seat as cross the country and far fewer governships. he promised to get the house back in order and become the democratic party their supporters hope they can become.

ryan nobels, cnn, atlanta. the former u.s. president, barack obama, congratulated the new democratic leadership with this statement. i am proud of all the candidates that ran and who make this great party what it is. what unites our party is a belief in tuntopportunity. the idea that however you started america is the place where you can make it if you try. from former democratic presidential candidate, hillary clinton, tweeting this. congrats to dnc chair tom perez and deputy keith elson excited for strong, unified party, stand forg be standing for best into our future. the u.s. president offered this backhanded compliment. congratulations to thomas perez, who has just been named chairman of the dnc. i could not be happier for him or for the republican party. perez then fired back on twitter. call me tom and don't get too

happy. keith elson and i and democrats united across the country will be your worst nightmare. >> they will need to reach out to a lot of voters who rejected their message earlier and responded instead to president trump's promise for jobs ha. that promise is already being put to the test. in ohio, some residents are asking president trump to not only save their jobs but to save their entire town before it is too late. martin savidge has this report. >> in ohio, it is hard to find an area more remote or more red than manchester where two of every three votes were for donald trump. >> donald trump. >> trump. >> trump. >> trump. >> reporter: the tiny town sits along the bu colic banks of the

ohio river. >> something about the water here. you get it in your blood and you don't want to leave. >> reporter: folks can tell you when the town started, 1791, and when they believe it will die. >> 2018. >> june of 2018 is the last i heard. >> reporter: that's when two large coal-fired plants are projected to close. the news broke just after the election. >> it was definitely a shock to myself and friend and co-workers, family, people in the local community. some people are still in shock. >> as it stands now, the union says about 700 jobs will be lost in a town of just 2000 people. the coal supplier says it will cut an additional 1500 jobs, tax revenues and property values will plum net. wh what about all those rallies and promises of jobs and reeninjur reenergizing coal?

>> jobs, jobs, jobs. >> reporter: if he is the energy coal president, why are coal plants still shutting down? >> i don't think it is 100% up to trump. to me, it is poor business decisions. >> the major agrees, it is not trump's fault. he blames plant owners and management. >> men in overalls have built this country. men in suits have destroyed it. >> he has touched the working people and stood up for the working people. >> did you vote for trump hoping he would save your job? >> that is not the only reason i voted for him. i like the way his views are on stuff and i like the way he don't try to be all political correct on everything. >> he was very positive towards coal where others weren't. >> you don't feel like despite all this talk of coal, bring the jobs back? >> i personally don't feel let down but i personally hope that he will work with this part. >> let's rework this coal industry. >> reporter: these trump voters

are trying to convince now president trump to keep his promises about jobs and coal. >> if he can't, if he doesn't. >> i'll see what the future holds. i won't hold it against him, more of a disappointment. >> if they were just empty promises, manchester and other towns, futures once so bright will soon face much darker days. >> martin savidge, cnn, manchester, ohio. >> martin savidge, thank you. >> to talk more about this, let's bring in scott lucas, live in birmingham, england, as a professor of international politics at the university of birmingham, good to have you with us, scott. let's talk more about what we just heard in martin savidge's report. this is the heart of america talking about coal country. for many people who voted for the president of the united states, they were hoping he would save their jobs and bring more jobs, bring in new jobs. we are just a little more than a month into this new

administration. certainly, we are just in the beginning here. given this snapshot right now, the hopes, the aspirations of so many americans, where do you put the president as far as delivering his promises? >> the president was hoping he could just deliver with slogans. he hasn't projected coherent economic policies as you heard in the clip. jobs, jobs, jobs, blame problems on foreigners like the mexicans and the chinese and somehow i will bring an economic program that will save you. we haven't seen that economic program. it is going to be difficult. let's take coal. the issue regarding coal is that we have had changing patterns of energy including nuclear power and new forms of power like solar power. that coal has been on the back foot. we saw it in britain a generation ago with the turn awhich from coal. trump is not going to be able to remedy that. a lot of issues regarding

changing economic patterns and employment has to do with technology, not to do with foreigners ripping us off. none of trump's proposed policies deal with the issue of changing technology. i think we are going to see a long time of uncertainty. >> let's also talk about disappointment. maybe you should call it surprise by many of the journalists that cover the white house. the president tweeting that he will into the attend the white house correspondence association dinner. this, as you know, an annual dinner, where the president of the united states is the guest of honor, typically the butt of jokes in many cases. so many presidents before mr. trump have taken part in this annual tradition. president trump saying that he will not have a part in it this year. your thoughts on that? >> i don't think you should be surprised. president trump is saying, if you give us good press, we will

treat you as friends as they did with the gaggle where they shut out others. if you don't give us press and you run reporting that is challenging us, then we will hit back at you and we will keep hitting back at you. trump's tweet is just latest and just symbolic, albeit one that is interesting, the first president since 1981 to not appear at this dinner. what is going to be important on monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday of this week, that's how they keep rolling out fake news and who they attack with it. will it be cnn, "new york times," nbc. let's be clear here, they are trying to intimidate the media to back off stories regarding the alleged trump administration links with russians. they fear what might come out. the way to try to overcome what might come out is to say it is all fake. it is all this liberal media who are attacking us. >> it is not the job of journalists to be friendly with politicians. you can certainly have friendships but our job is to dig for the facts, to ask

questions and we will continue to do that. there noise way the press will be intimidated in that passion. let's also talk about this coming tuesday, a very important day fort president of t the pre united states. he will be addressing congress. what do we expect to hear? obviously, a new travel ban and very important items on the president's agenda. >> i don't think he will hear much in terms of specific substance. it still doesn't have its plan in place. you may get a new version of the muslim ban which was struck down by the courts and some old one-liners. we will build the wall in mexico. we will maek amerike america sa. my question is whether you get

the trump we have grown to see, love or hate, or who is almost off the wall in what he says. look at how big my inauguration was or my electorate was. or do we get a more subtle trump recognizing he will need congress to get his legislation through? >> it will be a very important address. the world will be watching as the president speaks on tuesday. scott lucas, live in birmingham, thank you so much for your insight and perspective. i'm going to tell you about a situation in new orleans. festivities turned tragic there at at a mardi gras parade. a pickup truck slammed into victims. the police say the suspect appeared to be highly int intoxicated. a witness told our affiliate that the truck barreled into a

group of people. >> when i heard the impact, i seen the truck hitting the people on the ground, coming through the crowd. they ricocheted off one car to another one and hooked a hard le left. that's when he headed over here. everybody was trying to help one another and trying to get them to make sure everybody was all right. >> a witness to the truck crash in new orleans speaking there. the city police chief says that there is no indication at this point that this crash was a terrorist act. still ahead here on "newsroom," malaysia says you are safe at their airport. more information into the poisoning death of kim jong nam. another trump official appears to break with the president. details ahead as "newsroom" continues. ♪ (music pla♪ throughout) announcer: get on your feet for the nastiest bull in the state of texas.

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does your makeup remover every kiss-proof,ff? cry-proof, stay-proof look? neutrogena® makeup remover does. it erases 99% of your most stubborn makeup with one towelette. need any more proof than that? neutrogena. welcome back. >> officials are responding to the murder details of kim jong nam. kuala lumpur airport was swept two weeks after the estranged half brother of the north korean leader was apparently poisoned with a banned nerve agent. we are following this story live. cnn's alexandra field joins us this hour. let's talk about this. the airport wants to make sure that people traveling through

that very busy airport, that they know that if is safe. >> reporter: with good reason. they say he was attacked with this lethal and potent vx nerve agent. the fact that this airport has been open and this terminal has been filled with travelers going in and out for almost two weeks certainly did raise alarm among the public after authorities came out and said that the vx agent had been found on the face and in the eyes of kim jong nam. they went in overnight. police sent in teams of forensic investigators along with the fire department and atomic energy crews. they say the entire terminal came up clean. they also say that they have sent all of the staff members who came into contact with kim

jong nam for medical checks. everyone has checked out. no illnesses reported. they are sending a strong message saying that the terminal is safe to be in, george. >> so many angles to cover here. that's the airport. let's talk about the investigation, alexandra. is there anything new to report at this point? >> reporter: we are hearing more from the two women that remain under arrest that police say attacked kim jong nam armed with that poison. both of them have told diplomat tick officials that they thought they were participating in some kind of prank. there have been a lot of questions about how these women would be able to handle something like vx nerve agent and not themselves suffer any symptoms. we know that the indonesian woman did throw up in the taxi cab after leaving the airport following the attack. both are reportedly in good

physical condition which is why police say they are looking at the possibility that the women may have been given some antidote or trained to protect themselves against the deadly chemical. officials still trying to talk to as many as seven north korean citizens who they believe are connected to this attack. >> alexandra, to get a sense of the situation between malaysia and north korea, they don't want this investigation to happen? >> reporter: they have vehemently denied any connection with the poisoning of kim jong nam. they have gone so far as to blame the government saying the malaysian government is responsible because he died in their land. they are putting a lot of pressure to track down these seven suspects. on thursday, we are learning that police raided an apartment in kuala lumpur.

that it had been raided by the suspects that provided that. they fled the country right after the attack. >> very complicated investigation mystery. in germany, terrorism is not suspected after a man rammed his car into a group of people killing one of them and injuring two others. bliss say that t police say the suspect was armed with a knife and tried to run from the scene in heidelberg. officers then shot him. no motive. in russia, opposition is holding a march to mark the second anniversary since the kremlin critic, boris nemtsov, was murdered. we are live in the capital with more. matthew, i see a crowd has grown behind you there? >> reporter: yes. there are a lot more people here. this is what was expected would happen. several thousand arriving in the

center of moscow to demonstrate on the second anniversary of the death of the killing in central moscow of boris nemtsov. there are many people that arrived here in the course of the past hour or so. some of them waving russian flags and banners with various opposition slogans bearing the image of boris nemtsov. of course, it is still a very live political issue in this country. five people of chethe origin of chechnya. they fear that the people that ordered the killing of boris nemtsov may never be brought to justice. it is a big issue at the moment.

another man close to boris nemtsov was recently poisoned. they issued a statement on facebook calling on the people of russia, whether or not they supported the politics of boris nemtsov, calling on them to come out and protest for freedom of speech, which is what opposition figures say boris nemtsov really stood for. why he was silenced in that brutal fashion on a bridge as he walked home from dinner with his girlfriend two years ago. he was killed by four shots. >> matthew, just put it in perspective for us. our viewers here in the u.s. and around the world, they are seeing these images behind you and we had a wider shot showing the larger crowd that has gathered there. many times, people hear the stories about vladimir putin and the extreme popularity in that nation for him. rarely, do they see events where there are protests. put it into context for us.

is it welcome to see protests like this? how big are these protests, in fact? >> if is certainly true to say that the opposition has a tiny minority of support in this country. vladmir putin is the most popular political figure here with approval ratings in the mid-80s in terms of percentage points. na hasn that hasn't changed. one of the reasons is because the kremlin controls the news media. that's dangerous. that's what boris nemtsov was victim of. it is important to make the point that even the family members of boris nemtsov don't accuse the kremlin of ordering his killing. vladmir putin has said he wit w violent, cynical act. they do accuse vladmir putin of proceeding over a country where political killings are common place. boris nemtsov is one in a line

of kremlin critics who has met this untimely death. >> matthew chance, live in moscow. thank you for the reporting. we will stay in touch as the crowds there continue to gather. now, to france. tensions there are rising ahead of the nation's presidential election. riot police and protesters slash in the u.s. our paris correspondent, melissa bell, filed this report on saturday. >> the sign of the fact that this is a presidential race that is. >> heating up with just eight weeks to go. far left and anti-fascist organizations have gathered to show enter anger that the far right leader currently leading in the polls is to be in the city to hold a rally. they vowed to try to keep parts of the center closed ahead of

the rally. fear gas was fired today. they said they will do all they can to prevent tomorrow's rally going ahead. they will do all that is necessary to insure it does go ahead. the man immediately behind her, the independent centrist, who is now hoping to be the man to face her off in the second round of voting, that's what the polls suggest will happen. he is hoping to keep up the momentum in order that he can be the one to take on the far right in the second round of voting on the 7th of may. melissa bell, cnn, paris. still ahead, american boxers might have a fight on cuban soil. what the fight might mean for u.s./cuban relations. ahead. more tense moments at town

halls across the united states. why constituents are angry and what they want from their elected officials. it is 5:26 a.m. in atlanta, georgia. we are live across the united states and around the world this hour. you are watching cnn, "newsroom." the new 24k nudes palette... from maybelline new york. 12 pigment-rich shades... from gilded gleams, to precious metals. maybelline's the 24k nudes. make it happen ♪maybelline new york before you set out, you plan to capture every moment. ♪ but what you really can't plan for is when the moment captures you. marriott now has 30 brands in over 110 countries. so no matter where you go, you are here. join or link accounts.

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a warm welcome back to our viewers. you are watching "cnn newsroom." it is good to have you with us. i am george howell with the headlines this hour. kuala lumpur international airport has been declared safe after being swept for toxic chemicals. kim jong nam was fightlely poisoned there. the estranged half brother of north korea's leader was killed

with the vx nerve agent. malaysia's health minister said he died within 20 minutes of being poisoned. at least 28 people are killed after a truck ran into people saturday during a mardi gras parade. the suspect is in custody. they say he appeared to be highly intoxicated. new orleans police chief said there is no indication it was an act. tom perez, a new leader of the democratic national committee. perez won the chairmanship on saturday in a tight race against keith elson. his biggest job will be to rebuild the democratic party after hillary clinton's loss to the president of the united states in november. the president says he will not be attending the annual white house correspondents' dinner come april 29th. this is a break in tradition as the president is usually the guest of honor there. mr. frtrump has a rocky relationship with the media

referring to it as an enemy of the american people. they are calling for a special prosecutor to lead the investigation of the russian involvement in the presidential election. darryl isis says jeff sessions she recuse himself. law enforcement officials have told cnn that trump aides were in constant communications during the campaign with russians known to u.s. intelligence. an apparent disconnect fw n between mr. trump and his new national security adviser over the phrase radical isla i mick terrorism. o

o officials say his arrival and miss discussions with staff are really boosting morale, which was sinking under flynn. we will have to see whether his views will carry the day. elise labott, cnn, washington. >> thank you for the reporting. another weekend and another round of angry town halls. u.s. voters have not been shy about making their voices heard. they want to meet with their elected representatives to get answers on health care. the trump administration and the question about russia. where we have seen a wave in town halls. on sa on saturday, republican gary palmer was booed following

climate change. >> why are you not doing something? >> because the science is not settled on if. >> reporter: moments like those are making some lawmakers reconsider holding town halls at all. peter king said on friday that he won't hold town halls if they are just going to evolve into a, quote, screaming session, saying that angry town halls trivialize it. some democrats particularly in states that went for trump in 2016 in vulnerable positions and up for re-election in 2018, are also shying away from town halls to avoid a possibly contentious situation. there is another reason some democrats might want to hold off on a town hall right now. i talked to one strategist. he sprained it. >> . >> i think they are avoiding stepping on the anti-republican story. it is the republican town halls that have become very

controversial. it is video clips from those town halls that have made it on the national news night after night. if a democrat holds a town hall and it turns messy, that steps on the story. that makes it a bipartisan story, probably less interesting or less potent politically sfwchlt cl . >> to be fair, many are holding events, not the traditional town hall. senator jon tester opted for a face look live, a much more controlled environment. democratic strategists are telling me the traditional town halls are simply too risky right now. any see no up side in putting themselves in a position where an exchange with an angry protester could end up going viral. sarah gannon, cnn, new york. >> improve obamacare, don't destroy it. that was the rallying cry at more than 100 marches across the united states including the one you see here in los angeles,

nevada. republicans are planning to dismantle obama care, critics aren't so sure. >> reporter: a number of these gatherings and rallies were slated to take place today, february 25th. a call had been issued by shuch schumer and bernie sanders. this is a crucial weekend coming at the end of the town halls that took place during the recess. organizers sensed a unique opportunity. the democratic national committee holding their meetings and electing a new chairman. the 1 1/2 mile march went past the hotel here in downtown atlanta where those meetings were taking place. they had a message for both parties out of all this. the supporters of the affordable care act saying to democrats, fight harder and to republicans,

don't repeal the a.c.a. without a replacement and saying to both of them, try to work together a little bit harder. this has been a very polarizing debate on capitol hill. lawmakers have had an earful from their constituents putting a personal side on all of this and in the crowd of marchers, did you see some signs today with people referring to what the affordable care act, what obama care has meant to them and what it would mean if any did not have it. as they return, certainly, a lot to take back with them as this debate continues to go on. cnn, atlanta. >> thank you. one family's dangerous journey escaping syria is captured in an oscar-nominated documentary. why the academy awards mean so much to them after the break. by willie nelson ] in" ♪ on the road again [ rear alert sounds ] [ music stops ] ♪ just can't wait to get on the road again ♪

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welcome back. the u.s. president has threatened to roll back the diplomacy with cuba. patrick ottman has more on their story. >> reporter: it may not look very friendly. this is u.s./cuban diplomacy in action. nine am fewer boxers from pittsburgh, pennsylvania, were able to fight in cuba was further prove of the falling relation between the u.s. and

the communist island. it allows athletes competing on the island to skirt the american travel ban. for the american boxers in their teens and early 20s, it was a chance to face seasoned opponent zs they are probably the toughest fight ners the worlers. you are not going to get anything like them in the ring. trainingwise, it is phenomenal. >> it may be just 90 miles from florida but for the u.s. boxers, it seemed a world away. >> they are saying how great the trip is. they are impressed with the people, the architecture of the buildings, the weather. they are all-around impressed with everything. >> this was the second boxing tournament between the u.s. and cuba. in 2016 american fighters faced cubans on their home turf in pittsburgh. the fights organizers say are meant to unite athletes from two

countries long divided by politics but would share a common passion for boxing. the thaw in relations is much easier for the u.s. and cuba to cooperate on exchanges like this one. president trump has promised to take a tougher stand from cuba. many worry that activities designed to bring the two countries together will once again become a thing of the past. >> despite the many differences between the u.s. and cuban governments, there should continue to be exchanges and cuba hopes to host professional boxers from the u.s. we are studying the possibility of having a match. cuba's top boxes official says. even though the 1959 revolution banned professional sports, cuba has remained a boxing powerhouse. while the cubans swept the

tournament, 6 matches to 3 for the americans that beat opponents, victory was tweet. >> in the end, success wasn't based on jabs or knockouts but in bringing young athletes from very different places together. patrick ottman, cnn, cuba. >> patrick, thank you. now, to talk about a solar eclipse that will be visible in parts of the planet. derrick van d derek van dam is hear to tell us about it. >> two dozen countries, three continents. millions of people going to be awarded a nice surprise in the next three to four hours depending on where you are located. let's show you what a solar eclipse looks like. this is not the one about to occur. this is from indonesia in 2016. i wanted to give you a preview if you are tuning in. you are in the path of totality. check my graphics behind me that

will explain what a solar eclipse actually is. we know the sun emits the light rays. every once in a while, the moon blocks the sun rays and casts a shad do i rig shadow right on our planet. that can be aligned to block out the sun. a total solar eclipse is an incredible sight to see. what's even mr uniqore unique i is known as an annular solar eclipse. this has consequence ons how s r the moon and the earth happen to be much we will see the ring of

fire, as the shadow is cast across the star. here is a look at the path of the eclipse. if you are watching from south america, prime viewing spot right across patagonia, argentina, into southern chile. we have upwards of 90%-99% visibility. if you are located in angola, botswana, parts of south africa, for my friends in cape town, you have the potential, between 50% to 60% of blockage across the sun. get outside. check it out. of course, use protection with your eyes. don't ever look directly into the sun to see a solar eclipse a little hit there. i want to take you to antarctica. scientists have found something incredible. what we have noticed is that there is a new iceberg the size of delaware, half the size of

jamaica, three times the size of london just about ready to break off into the ocean. this is an aerial shot that scientists have found. there is the ice shelf attempting to break off. it is 1900 square miles, 100 stories deep. when it breaks off from the larson ice sea shelf, it will be one of the largest recorded. still ahead, an academy award documentary captures the dangerous journey one family went through. why the oscars hold a special place in their hearts. straight ahead. what's the best way to get

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atika shubert has the story. >> reporter: it is not the gun battles or violence that draws you into the film. it is the quiet rhythms of life in the midst of war. this woman and her family lived on aleppo's front line. before them, the relentless snipers of the syrian regime and behind them, the death squads of isis. her journey from aleppo to turkey to germany was captured in the documentary now up for an oscar. hala had tickets and a u.s. visa. when she heard that syrians would be banned from entering the u.s., she was worried. >> at first i was so sad when you want to visit somebody and he close the door in your face.

>> reporter: president donald trump's order has left tens of thousands in flux if only for that. >> we haven't any problem with him. we want to speak to the people in u.s. i want to send message to the world that there is lot of family, a lot of children in syria have this. i want to look for this story as a fact, as a truth, what happened in syria, what happened to these people, to come here to europe. >> reporter: despite the daily shelling and gun battles, the family refused to leave for years, until their father, a

rebel commander with the free syrian army, was captured by isis. >> reporter: the film shows the children offering tearful good-byes as they leave the destroyed streets of aleppo and how they keep their resolves in tented camps at the turkish border. the youngest, sarah, still running in fear from planes. the camera follows them to the cobblestone streets of germany where the family lives now. the children have quickly made friends in their new home. hala cried when the oscar nominations were announced. she shows us photos of her celebratory breakfast with filmmaker and explains her husband, abu ali, always stayed up late to watch the oscars. >> reporter: so he loved move

vies, he loved films? >> yes, and he know that. >> reporter: hala knows that her husband is probably dead but she still searches through photos of bodies for proof. the children, specially the younger girls, still believe or hope that one day he may arrive at their door. for now, hala only hopes that people will see the film to understand what she and millions of other syrians have endured. atika shubert, cnn. >> we at least know this part of story has a happy ending. we just learned that hala has arrived to los angeles safely and she will be watching the oscars in person there as opposed to being away. thanks for being with us for this hour of "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell. for our viewers in the united states, n"new day" is next. for our viewers, a check of the headlines.

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you're a funny guy. best of the oscars. funny how? how am i funny? scorsese finally wins. could you double check the envelope? show me best picture. what's the difference? show me best actor. i do not take tonight for granted. thank you so very much. get all the greatest scripted and unscripted oscar moments on xfinity x1. the oscars, live sunday, february 26th 7eâ4p on abc.

i saw a dark truck run a white car off the road, serve, losing control and just run, and it's like 100 people. >> we suspect the subject was highly intoxicated. >> mr. trump revealing via twitter he will not be at this year's annual white house correspondence dinner. >> they are very dishonest people. >> this is not the time to toast somebody who calls you an enemy