have to either be mentally ill or weak minded. you have some extraordinarily highly intelligent people here. that's what sets them apart from a lot of other cult members. the thing that doesn't set them apart, though, is whether it was the gender, gender fluidity issues or something else in their life where they were being isolated. they found each other and they found this leader. ziz, um, that brought them together in this common cause. >> and were they working? i mean, i guess there's more members out there. >> there are. and the question is, where does membership start and stop? you know, if you were a follower of the blog, if you were a fan, um, you know, what were you willing to do? how deep into it were you? are you a casual user or are you a hardcore member? but with the main members, which number is about seven, who are either dead or in jail? you see kind of a real dent in that leadership. we'll have to see where it goes. >> all right. the news continues

right here on cnn. >> it's wednesday. >> february 19th. right now on cnn this morning. >> a half baked negotiator could have settled this years ago. >> the blame game. president trump sets the table for a meeting with vladimir putin while falsely pointing the finger at ukraine for russia's invasion. it's false. plus, coming home hamas set to free six living israeli hostages on saturday, as well as the remains of four others on thursday and i think. >> president trump is a good man. >> i respect him, i've always respected him. >> side by side. the president sits down for a joint interview with first buddy elon musk. as questions mount about who's actually in charge of doge. 5 a.m. here on

the east coast live. look at the capitol dome early this morning. good morning everyone. i'm jim sciutto in again for kasie hunt. good to have you with us. we begin this morning with the latest developments from saudi arabia, where a delegation of senior u.s. officials, including the secretary of state, marco rubio, has been meeting with their russian counterparts. ending the war in ukraine is the goal. ukraine, we should note, not at the table. and following the talks between russia and the u.s., president trump criticized ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy, echoing russian talking points, including the quite false accusation that ukraine started the war with russia. >> i think i have the power to end this war, and i think it's going very well. but today i heard, oh, well, we weren't invited. well, you've been there for three years. you should have ended it three years. you should have never started it. you could have made a deal. >> been there for three years, which is to say they've been under a russian invasion for three years. cnn's matthew chance is in riyadh with the

latest. >> peter lavrov, president yury ushakov. >> the russians. >> are calling these first. >> u.s. talks a huge accomplishment after years of hostility. officials from both sides now chatting across a saudi negotiating table. the u.s. says it wanted to see how serious the kremlin is about ending its brutal ukraine war. >> i came away today convinced that they. >> are. >> willing to begin to engage in a serious process to determine how and how quickly and through what mechanism can end be brought to this war, whether we can ultimately reach that outcome will obviously depend on every side in this conflict. willingness to to agree to certain things. >> withdrawal. for the. >> past three years, russia has been pounding the front lines across ukraine, seizing territory in a full scale invasion estimated to have inflicted hundreds of thousands of casualties on both sides.

despite tough sanctions, though and steep losses, the kremlin has shown little sign of wavering. even now, briefing that the war is just one issue. along with restoring economic ties in the possible normalization of relations with the u.s. under president trump. >> i think, again, in the previous administration, there was so much damage done to any communication, any dialog, any understanding of each other. i think the biden administration. so i think we're starting from a very low base, and we have lots of road ahead of us. but i think the conversation was a dialog trying to understand each other, position, respectful dialog. and that's already a huge accomplishment. no ultimatums, really understanding each other's positions. >> what's also striking in riyadh is the absence of key players, not least ukraine, whose embattled president vows he will not give in to russia's ultimatums and express surprise u.s. russia talks are proceeding apace. europe today europe, nato

countries and the united states could give ukraine hope, strong security guarantees, hope that ukraine will become a nato member. but today we do not hear such support from the united states. we know that they and several other european partners do not support a membership in nato. and i believe that this is russia's great desire. >> how are you? this evening? >> another is russia being back at the top table of international diplomacy and the kremlin dream of shattering western unity on ukraine becoming a harsh reality. matthew chance, cnn, riyadh. in saudi arabia. >> joining us now, joel rubin, former deputy assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs in the obama administration. joel, good to have you this morning. >> great to be with you, jim. >> so we have a u.s. president stating falsely that ukraine is to blame for its own invasion by russia and endorsement of

russia's position here. is there anything that is holding trump back now from making a deal that is not just not in ukraine's interest, but also europe's interest? because europe, of course, greatly concerned about the russia threat? >> well, you know, jim, right now, uh, it looks like vladimir putin one donald trump zero. and maybe that could hold donald trump back to realize or for him to realize that he's getting nothing at the table. and this is the thing that's so troubling about what we just saw over the last day or so. uh, basically, vladimir putin's diplomatic isolation is over, and he gave up nothing to get that. so we got nothing in return. the united states. and there's a lot on the table here, not just the war in ukraine. there are issues related to nuclear security. there are issues related to china, europe. so i hope that donald trump looks in the mirror because right now, what he's doing, what he said yesterday, that press conference is very disturbing. and it is very concerning about what his goals are, which don't seem to be very clear for the united states. >> so i've been told by

republican lawmakers who are. pro ukraine that they don't believe trump would cave because they believe trump would not want to be characterized as the u.s. president who lost ukraine. i saw dan crenshaw say it quite similar on the air in the last couple of days. is that true? i mean, given his public statements now, his exclusion of ukraine from the talks and even more broadly from that, him telling europe this is your problem, right? >> yes. >> is that actually a backstop? >> you know, look, members of congress are going to have their hopes and their dreams. chairman wicker, as well, basically said he stands with ukraine. they're going to have to get that message across to the white house, because right now it's free sailing for donald trump and for this white house. we might see him meet with vladimir putin within days, and that will certainly shake things up here. but what do we getting out of this? you know, this is reminiscent to me, jim, of the

afghanistan negotiations, where basically president trump cut a deal with our adversary with the taliban without having our ally, the afghan government, at the table. we gave up. we let 5000 taliban terrorists out, set the table for a destruction of afghanistan, that disastrous withdrawal, which they always want to blame president biden on. it was the foundation was laid by that botched negotiation. and that's what we're seeing now here. so peace in our time is what keeps coming up in my mind, which is that this may be a negotiation for the near term, but he's not setting the table for stability in europe. >> you bring up afghanistan. and, of course, president biden was president when the u.s. withdrew. he, at a minimum shares responsibility. but but it is correct that trump started those negotiations and and was willing it seemed to walk away as well. the afghan war is something you hear from republicans consistently as a sign of american weakness. and even sometimes they make a connection between that withdrawal and the ukraine

invasion. say, you know, had had u.s. shown there, russia would not. um, but but setting that aside, could that potentially. convince trump that, well, look at the aftermath of the afghan withdrawal, the weakness. et cetera. do you want a second one on a much larger scale, frankly, right. >> i mean, that is the only ounce of hope that we can hold on to, which is the recognition that vladimir putin, he has played the united states for many years. this may be another reset, right. the third reset, where russia continues to get what it wants, and the recognition that he is not going to be stopped. and this is the problem, though, i have to say to the press conference yesterday, the misdiagnosis of the cause for this war is deeply concerning. ukraine did not start this war. ukraine is defending its territory. russia is the one that invaded. and now for the united states to be saying ukraine pay for the cost of the war. typically the

invader, the perpetrator of conflict, is the one that pays, not the victim. imagine if someone broke into your house and broke their leg and then asked you to pay them for their hospital bills. it's obscene. so hopefully these arguments behind the scenes when secretary of state rubio and adviser waltz get their say to him, look, we did a lot here. and you publicly can say that we're getting in touch with russia, but we got nothing for it. and it's going to look really bad for your legacy if you don't get more than just discussions. >> well, and then you have this other story where trump is apparently pressuring ukraine to give up its natural resources to some sort of payback for for u.s. support. joel rubin, thank you so much. appreciate you coming on. straight ahead on cnn this morning, growing concerns now about the health of the pope. the vatican confirms he has pneumonia in both of his lungs. plus, stunning new video of the moment a delta jet burst into flames and flipped over entirely. as investigators dig for exactly what went wrong

here. and president trump and elon musk trying to bring independent government agencies. that's right. they're intended to be independent under white house control. >> we are doing exactly what america mandated on november 5th. cleaning up waste. >> the fight to make sure that the working class of this country gets a fair shake. that is not going to be won here in capitol hill. it's going to be won by millions of people all over this country. >> it's the news. >> welcome back. >> but it's also. >> kind of not the news. >> we don't fact. check it. we don't care, man. >> why all the information. >> on this show so terrible? >> have i got news for you? saturday at nine on cnn. >> with fatigue and lightheadedness, i knew something was wrong. then i saw my doctor and found out i have afib. and that means there's about a five times greater risk of stroke. symptoms like irregular heartbeat, heart racing, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, or

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international airport. 19 of the 21 passengers who were hospitalized have now been released. just incredible. everyone survived. cnn's brian todd has the latest. >> dramatic new video of the fiery delta plane crash outside toronto, showing the moment of impact. the flames, the right wing tearing off and the left wing flipping the plane over. first the approach. >> it does seem to be slightly. >> right wing low. >> there was no. >> attempt to flare at all. >> which slows the plane down and put your back wheels on the runway first. >> why was that? was there some sort of what we call wind shear? >> the weather at the time? cold. some blowing snow and wind gusts up to 38mph. >> it was routine, but like the winds were super gusty. the snow had kind of blown over the the runways. >> then the impact. >> it was just. >> a very. forceful event. where all of a sudden everything just kind of went sideways. it sounded i mean, it was just cement and metal. you know.

>> when we hit, it was just a super hard light, like a hit the ground. and the plane went sideways. and i believe we skidded, like, on our side and then flipped over on our back. where we ended up, there was like a big fireball out this left side of the plane. we were being tossed around. i was just trying to hold on to everything at that point. >> being upside down, hanging like bats. some people were kind of hanging and needed some help being helped down. >> passenger pete carlson got a gash on his scalp. >> took my seatbelt off and as i took it off, crashed down onto the ceiling, which had become the floor because we were upside down. >> even as passengers evacuated, the danger was not over. >> you could smell the gas. there was just liquid pouring over the the, you know, the small windows. >> there was another explosion, but luckily the firefighters got out of there. >> the fuselage doused in foam as passengers moved to safety. >> i cannot commend enough the the crew, the flight attendants,

pilots and our emergency responders for their quick and effective response. >> the injuries., back. >> sprains, head injuries, um, anxiety, some headaches, nausea and vomiting due to the. fuel exposure. >> another angle showing the impact in this video obtained by tmz. >> it's extraordinary to see the collapse of that landing gear. that must have indicated a lot of impact. or maybe some problem with the landing gear itself. >> but officials not yet commenting on a possible cause. >> we've already. removed the cockpit voice. >> recorder. >> the flight data recorder, and. >> we've sent them to our lab for further analysis. at this point, it's far too early to say what the cause of this accident might be. >> while officials are not saying at this point if weather was a factor in the crash, deborah flint, the president and ceo of toronto pearson international airport, did say that on thursday and on sunday, right before that crash on

monday, that this area was experiencing extreme weather, she said. two storms, one on thursday and one on sunday, brought more than 20in of snow to the area around the airport. more snow than they had had all winter last year. brian todd, cnn, toronto. >> i was in montreal for that storm. it was big. still to come on cnn this morning. the verdict is in. a jury has decided the fate of hip hop star asap rocky, who is facing two felony assault charges. plus, hamas is set to release more hostages. sadly, not all of them are still alive. >> cookbooks, corporate fat cats. >> swindling socialites. >> doped up cyclists. then yes, more crooked politicians. >> i have a feeling we won't be. >> running out of those anytime soon. >> a new season of united states of scandal with jake tapper. march 9th on cnn. here's to. >> getting better with age.

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>> have i got news for you? news saturday on cnn. >> the latest now from the middle east. hamas says it will release the remains of four israeli hostages on thursday. six living hostages on saturday. all six of those living captives have been identified by the hostages and missing families forum. they include two who were held in gaza for nearly ten years now. cnn's salma abdelaziz has been tracking these developments. salma, are folks watching this confidence? confident that these releases will take place? because, of course, there had been some concern about hamas holding back. do we think these steps are going to move forward? >> i think there's. >> an expectation that they will. >> move forward. >> and that begins tomorrow. of course, jim, i think there's a sense of sadness that's really blanketing over israeli society because tomorrow, as you read, four remains of hostages and among those are the very youngest who were taken captive, ariel and his brother kfir. they were only nine months and four

years old, respectively, when they were taken captive. there was really horrifying video. you may remember it at the time of their mother, shira, as again she was taken into into gaza by militants. you could see her crying in the video with her two boys. the last time that they were seen. it was only a few months later that hamas announced that the family, the mother and the two children had been killed in what hamas called an israeli air strike. and in a very cruel twist, their father was made to record a tape while still in captivity, while still being held by hamas, in which he blamed israel for the death of his three family members. now, jardiance was later released alive and well. earlier this month, in fact. so you can expect that he could potentially be among those who are going to receive the bodies tomorrow, but prepare for a day of mourning across israel, because these two boys really became the face of

the hostages. for so many who have taken to the streets for months, calling for their return. >> yeah. so sad to see those little faces of those babies. some. some abdul aziz in london. thanks so much. is that 25 minutes past the hour? and here's your morning roundup trump administration cutting off legal services for unaccompanied migrant children. the latest in a series of actions stripping key resources from immigrants coming into this country. the department of interior sent the order to a nonprofit group, which has been helping thousands of children who crossed the southern border without their parents. a heartbreaking discovery by australian wildlife officers. more than 150 killer whales beached in tasmania. rough ocean conditions are making it impossible now to refloat them. officials made the painful decision overnight to euthanize 70 of the whales.

>> not guilty. >> to. >> that's the hip hop. >> artist and. >> actor a$ap rocky, celebrating in the arms of his partner rihanna, after a jury found him not guilty of two felony assault charges. the case stemmed from a shooting incident between the rapper and a former friend of his in los angeles. he later thanked the jury for, quote, saving my life. and coming up on cnn this morning, growing concerns about the pope's health, the vatican has released a new diagnosis about the 88 year old pontiff's condition. we'll have an update. plus, president trump and elon musk together on their favorite network. >> i know every businessman. i know the the good ones, the bad ones, the smart ones, the lucky ones. i know this guy is a very he's a brilliant guy, but you're much more than a technologist. you are that. but he's also a good person.

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president trump and elon musk heaped praise on each other, looking to show they are on the same page. as doge continues to slash and burn the federal workforce and federal agencies. i love. >> the president. >> i want to be clear about that. >> i don't care. >> about that. >> i know i love the i. >> love the president. >> i think i. think president. >> trump is a good man. >> elon called me. he said, you know, they're trying to drive us apart. i said, absolutely, you know, i wanted to find somebody smarter than him. i searched all over. i just couldn't do it. i couldn't, i couldn't. >> really tried hard. >> i couldn't find anyone smarter. right? >> the interview comes as the president works to gain even tighter control over agencies that, by design and legislation, are independent. a newly issued executive order now gives the white house more direct control over the operations of agencies such as the fcc and the securities and exchange commission. trump says musk is helping him with executive

orders, as well. >> he said that, he said, you know, when you sign these executive orders, a lot of them don't get done. and maybe the most important ones. and he would take that executive order that i signed and he would have those people go to whatever agency it was. when are you doing it? get it done, get it done. and some guy that maybe didn't want to do it, all of a sudden he's signing. >> joining me now to speak about this rick gorman, politics reporter at notice. reese, good to have you. it is worth noting these agencies are independent for a reason. sec. as an example, monitor the stock market so there's not fraud and it's independent of any political influence. trump is trying to upend that across the board. uh, what, if anything, is standing in the way? >> yeah, i mean, a lot i mean, the courts are standing in the way. from not well, the democrats wish the courts stand their way rather. i mean, what stand in the way of elon musk right now is nothing. he has the free rein to do really, whatever he wants. but they're saying

that he's not in charge of doge. but i mean, you saw in the interview right there where trump says that i signed executive order, elon goes and does what he wants, and he kind of is telling these people what to do. and so really not much is staying away. i mean, people are trying to like file these legal challenges and try to slow things up in the courts, but ultimately those aren't really proving successful all the time. and they really i mean, you saw what they did to usaid. they kind of just within a week they got it out, and now they're moving on to other agencies. so they're really going through this fast. >> the president was asked about conflicts of interest, given musk has so much business before this government, including enormous contracts with the defense department, both, perhaps predictably, brushed aside those concerns. have a listen. >> and if it comes up, how will you handle it? >> well. >> he won't be involved. >> yeah. >> i'll i'll recuse myself if it is. >> if there's a conflict, he won't be involved. i mean, i wouldn't want that. and he won't want it. >> right. and obviously i'm getting a sort of a daily proctology exam here. >> you know, it's not like.

>> i'm going to be getting. >> away from something. >> in the dead of night. >> welcome to dc. if you want a friend, get a dog. >> well. >> yeah. >> i do have a dog, but i also have friends. >> uh, what ensures that what they're saying there happens? what, if anything, ensures that. >> really, it's just. it's just them. i mean, we, the public does not have access to the kind of financial disclosure that elon musk filed. i mean, they're keeping it private. and so really, there's no kind of accountability. on to whether or not that elon musk is actually recusing himself from stuff like this. i know trump also said that elon won't have a hand in space policy. but again, i mean, if he's if doge is going to go into the dod and try to into nasa and work on these contracts or work on these agencies that elon has contracts with, i mean, isn't that just the definition of kind of him kind of influence in some agencies and the public doesn't actually know what's going on because we don't have access to his reports? >> have we seen any limit from republican lawmakers as to what they will swallow? right. i mean, we saw those limits

pushed, for instance, during the senate confirmation hearings, you had folks who had quite strong opinions against several of his nominees, and they folded or they folded. in the end. um, i wonder, do you see the makings of any voice willing to stand up and say, this goes too far for me? >> i mean, you get kind of your normal kind of. senator susan collins last night said that she thinks she stopped short of saying this is terrible. she she said they need to slow down. they made some mistakes. um. kind of referencing the what happened with the bird, the bird flu, the people that are investigating that, the people that were kind of the nuclear regulators. but she stopped short of saying any that they need to stop or anything more that they need to slow down. but those are the kind of voice you expect in the senate. is a susan collins like person who is more moderate, who is willing to stand up to trump, but at the same time, i mean, she also kind of voiced disapproval of some of trump's nominees and then in the end, voted for some of them. so that's a lot of people do seem to be falling in line more this time than last time, even

though even if they are expressing some kind of concern. >> they might say concern and then line up when the vote that matters happens. gorman, thanks so much. >> for having me on. >> pope francis, we're learning now, has pneumonia in both of his lungs. that's serious. the vatican announced that diagnosis yesterday. a ct scan and other tests revealed what they called a complex picture of the pope's health. tourists and members of the catholic faith gathered outside the hospital where the pope is now receiving treatment. >> i hope that he will get better. >> i wish for. >> him for. >> a speedy recovery and that he will have many strong years left in him. >> i feel. >> very sorry for him. it's really. yeah. we hope he will get better soon and recover. >> cnn's barbie nadeau joins us now live from rome. any updates on his condition this morning? and i just wonder, given his age, he's 88 years old. pneumonia in both lungs is quite serious. how serious are doctors taking this?

>> yeah. you know. >> i mean, we're getting a. >> little bit of mixed messaging. >> last night, we heard this sort of devastating diagnosis that he had this bilateral pneumonia. and of course, he has a compromised lung. he was missing part of his lung. it was removed when he was a young man. then this morning, a vatican source is telling us that he was able to get out of his hospital bed and sit in a chair. and so, of course, that makes people think, okay, well, he's maybe not as difficult a situation as we'd first thought. but we do understand that he had a peaceful night, that he ate breakfast and that, you know, he's he's under this therapy. this is the second time they've changed his course of therapy since since he's been here on friday. and, you know, this new diagnosis last night should give them a clearer picture of how to go forward and how to treat it. but we're not getting any indication that he's going to be getting out anytime soon, that he's going to be, you know, roaming around as he often does when he's in the hospital here visiting other wards. it seems a lot more serious than previous hospitalizations. and of course, everyone is hoping and as you heard those people say, praying for a swift and

speedy recovery. keeping in mind an 88 year old man with mobility problems. you know this is a difficult situation and a hard road ahead for sure. jim. >> no question. barbara nadeau, thanks so much for the update outside the hospital there in rome. ahead on cnn this morning, who will have a seat at the table on talks to end russia's ongoing invasion of ukraine? the trump administration's opening moves to restart diplomatic relations with russia, raising concerns not just in ukraine but all across europe. plus, tiger woods made an emotional return to golf following the death of his mother. we're going to have that in our cnn sports update. >> cooked books, corporate fat cats. >> swindling socialites. >> doped up cyclists and. >> yes. >> more crooked politicians. >> i have a. >> feeling we won't be running out of those anytime soon. >> a new. >> season of united states of

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first application, call the number on your screen. >> call 1-800-845-4316. >> i'm jason. >> carroll at. >> toronto's international airport and. this is cnn. >> closed captioning is brought to you by purple. greatest sleep ever invented. >> we've been. >> out of a job. >> that's because purple

mattresses are made with patented gel flex grid technology. >> do not. >> go to purple. >> com. >> do not visit a purple store. >> we were not invited to. >> this meeting. the u.s. russia meeting in saudi arabia. >> it was a surprise. >> for us. >> as well as for many. >> i don't want any coincidences. that's why i'm not going. >> to saudi arabia. >> not invited to peace. talks about ending the war on their own territory. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy speaking out on the reopening of diplomatic channels between the u.s. and russia. again, ukraine not at the table. this week's meeting in saudi arabia sparked concerns in ukraine, as well as across europe, that a deal to end russia's invasion might not include the country that was invaded. zelenskyy postponed a visit to saudi arabia this week in response. he says he'll now travel there in march. now, president trump is responding to criticism of the meeting by, quote, falsely blaming ukraine for the invasion and saying as well, that only he can bring

about an end to the war there. >> i think i have the power to end this war, and i think it's going very well. but today i heard, oh, well, we weren't invited. well, you've been there for three years. you should have ended it three years. you should have never started it. you could have made a deal. >> been there for three years, we should say. actually has been invaded. full scale invasion for three years. the president was asked about a specific detail in a rumored peace plan, which would force ukraine to hold presidential elections before russia agrees to any deal. >> we're hearing that russia. >> wants to force ukraine to hold new elections. in order to sign any kind of a peace deal. is that something that the u.s. would ever support? >> well, we have a situation where we haven't had elections in ukraine, where we have martial law, essentially martial law in ukraine. the people of ukraine have to say, like, you know, it's been a long time since we've had an election. that's not a russia thing. that's something coming from

me. >> joining me now is kira rudik, a member of ukraine's parliament. kira. good to have you back. thanks so much for joining. >> hello, jim, and thank you so much for having me. >> before we get to the elections question, i want to ask your reaction to president trump blaming ukraine for russia's invasion. as a ukrainian who has suffered through this war, had your life threatened by ongoing russian attacks, how do you respond to hearing an american president blame you, in effect, for russia's invasion? >> on behalf of ukrainian people? i think it is a false accusation, and it it is very painful that people of ukraine have to witness that we have done nothing wrong. we are fighting for our own freedom and for ability to live in our own country and define our own future. i think it's obvious to everyone who has participated in

supporting ukraine, and we are grateful to the ones who are standing behind us. >> when you hear president trump say he wants ukrainian elections, are you concerned that he has an issue with volodymyr zelenskyy specifically that he wants him gone? is that how you read that demand? >> um, yeah. it seems right now that president zelenskyy was standing up against vladimir putin and he made the claims that are the best to our country, and this is why he is, of course, um, an uncomfortable part of the negotiation. we understand that. but right now, the whole country stands behind him. and i'm wondering, why does president trump have nothing to say about how putin was elected and how the elections in russia were

conducted before they were, because they were obviously not acknowledged by many democratic states. >> is it possible that by targeting zelenskyy in this way, as well as blaming ukraine for russia's invasion, that trump might strengthen zelenskyy? >> that could be because, you know, today, um, even through parliamentarians, when we were discussing, uh, it amongst themselves, um, we, we were talking that, yes, all of us, we have, um, many questions and perhaps criticism to president and his party, but it is our internal matter and we are acting according to ukrainian constitution, and it should not be questioned by anyone. and i would state it again. anyone outside of our country, you know, ukraine is very good in, uh, telling our presidents if they are not welcomed or if they overstay their welcome or if

they are doing something, uh, that is not suitable for ukraine's nation. but right now we are standing united because we are fighting the external enemy. and, you know, jim, this is the main and key quality that kept us fighting for so long and ability to stand united against the aggression. >> can ukraine say no, in your view, if trump negotiates with putin, a deal that is not in ukraine's interest? can you say we're not going to sign it? we're going to keep fighting. >> absolutely, yes. you know, jim, in 2022, when there were not too many people believing in us and the majority of democratic world saying that we will go down in 2 or 3 days, we were in worse position that we are right now, and we still decided that we are not going to capitulate and we are going to keep fighting. so right now, when we have so many democratic states of europe who are supporting us, who are standing

with us when we understand that what we have seen in bucha, in mariupol, exactly what the peace deal with russia mean to us and what they are capitulating to russia would mean to us, we will keep fighting. we understand what's at stake, and we will not take the deal. that is not in the interest of ukrainian people. >> as i always say to you, i wish you safety. i know that you were on the air recently and there was more incoming fire from russia, so we hope you stay safe. >> thank you jim, and glory to ukraine. >> well, time now for a look at sports. tiger woods paid an emotional tribute to his late mother as he returns to competitive golf. carolyn manno has this morning cnn's sports update. tell us about that moment. good morning jim. well. >> tiger woods. >> withdrew from last week's genesis invitational, where he's the tournament host, saying that it was just too soon to play after losing his mother. and last night, the 15 time major champion returned for the

event, the indoor golf league that he helped. >> to create. three weeks ago, woods was in. >> the. >> stands to watch her son play before her sudden passing at the age of 80. >> this was. >> the last time she she ever watched me play, so it was a bit emotional coming in here tonight. she was very direct about her feelings and emotions and she let me know either way. um, but she was always so supportive of me going out there and playing and, uh, it was it was incredible. >> we wish him the best. elsewhere in sports this morning, hockey's four nations face-off is now down to two as bitter rivals team usa and canada get ready for tomorrow's championship game. the first game last saturday night between the pair was must see tv players scuffle three times in the first nine seconds of playing time, which ended a31 win for the u.s. this time, they'll square off on american ice in boston. >> it's a game seven, right? like it's it's for everything. and, um, yeah, i mean, i think it's a. you know, it's you're

going to see desperate hockey. you're going to see everything you saw in the first game and more. i imagine. >> when we started this tournament, this is the this is the game we wanted to be a part of. we wanted to be in this final game, and to be able to do it against canada makes it even more special. so, um, you know, last saturday was probably the most fun i've ever had in a hockey game, and i'm sure it'll repeat itself again here thursday. >> team usa defenseman charlie mcavoy will miss the matchup after being admitted to the hospital for an upper body injury. the 27 year old was injured during team usa's game against finland last thursday. mcavoy was shoved into a goalpost during the third period. head coach mike sullivan spoke about his star player, who also happens to be his son in law. >> i'm disappointed for him because, uh, you know, first and foremost, he's a he's a great kid. uh, he's and he's a terrific hockey player. and i know this meant a lot to him. so, um, under all the circumstances, he's in good spirits. um, i know he's disappointed he won't have the opportunity, the opportunity to

to compete in the championship game. >> so hockey fans certainly not going to miss this highly anticipated showdown. the puck drops tomorrow night at 8 p.m. eastern in boston. should be a raucous crowd. and finally this morning, jim in college hoops. tcu picking up a signature win after upsetting ninth ranked texas tech noah reynolds, scoring 16 points, including the last seven for the horned frogs in a 6966 win. so as a group, tcu improves their tournament resume with a really impressive defensive effort. they ended the night with 15 offensive rebounds that led to 17 second chance points, and with the loss, texas tech missing a chance to regain a share of second place in the big 12 standings. so the red raiders have lost each of their last five trips to fort worth. everybody jockeying to get in position march not too far away. at this point. i can't believe it. the season flew by. >> you know, i was at that usa canada hockey game on saturday night. the atmosphere was hot. were you going to? it's going to be hot on thursday too. i mean, just get ready. all i got to say. >> yeah. >> can't wait. carolyn, thanks

so much. ahead on cnn this morning, eric adams future in new york city is in danger as new york governor kathy hochul weighs the path forward for the embattled mayor. plus. >> he's a leader. yeah, he really is. he gets it done. >> best friends donald trump and elon musk insisting they're very much on the same page. >> on the count of three, name your favorite dinosaur. don't even think about it. just name it. ready? one. two three. velociraptor. what did we. >> just become? >> best friends? yep. >> this part. >> changed my life. >> superman is. >> is now the winner of the bafta award for best documentary. >> chris wanted to change the world. >> people are literally. >> walking because. >> of him. >> superman the christopher reeve story saturday at ten on cnn. >> sonia. irlene and marcia. >> are among the thousands. >> of real women living with metastatic breast cancer doing

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19th. right now on cnn this morning. >> i wanted to find somebody smarter than him. i searched all over. i just couldn't do it. >> a budding buddy bromance. president trump's first joint interview of his second term, not with his vice president, but first buddy, elon musk. plus. >> we weren't invited. well, you've been there for three years. you should have ended it three years. you should have never started it. >> that's trump speaking to ukraine, which was invaded by russia. trump blaming ukraine for the full scale invasion of their own country. and later. >> you could see kind of row by row or area by area. people were checking one another out. >> grateful to be alive. passengers recount the moment boy, a scary one. their plane flipped upside