test. it's monday, february it's monday, february 24th, 2025. this is "cbs mornings." prayers for the pope. catholics around the world on watch as the 88-year-old pontiff remains hospitalized in critical

condition. his message to the faithful. musk's ultimatum. federal workers ordered to document their work or resign. the pushback even from some trump loyalists. and scare in the air. an american airlines flight from new york to india forced to divert to rome, escorted by fighter jets. good morning, i'm michael george. well, all eyes are on rome as pope francis remains hospitalized in critical condition. he's not only suffering from pneumonia in both lungs, but tests show the beginning of what doctors call kidney insufficiency. well wishers have gathered outside the hospital as the faithful around the world including here in the u.s. flock to sunday services to pray for his recovery. cbs' jarred hill joins us with an update on his condition. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the update from the vatican a little while ago on pope francis' condition it's not

much, but they say the night passed well. the pope slept and is resting. his doctors have described francis' condition as touch and go given his age and pre-existing lung diseases. songs and prayers of the faithful, well wishers gathered outside of a hospital in rome where pope francis remains in critical condition. the 88-year-old pontiff was admitted on february 14th to be treated for pneumonia and a complex lung infection. there are signs of early kidney failure. he's been given blood and is receiving oxygen through his nose. the vatican says pope francis remains alert and well oriented. he participated in a small mass in the hospital chapel with workers who have been taking care of him. this woman says her heart is with pope francis. her daughter drew this picture of the pope surrounded by children. ♪ catholics around the world have offered prayers for pope francis from his hometown in buenos aires, argentina, to here in the

u.s. including in st. louis, network, and -- new york, and boston. >> he's done a great job for the church. hopefully he continues to be with us a little bit longer. >> reporter: on x the official account acknowledged the outpouring, francis saying he's been struck by letters and drawings from children saying "thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers from all over the world." in new york, cardinal timothy doland mentioned that church leaders have not said publicly, that pope francis is, quote, probably close to death, although he did tell reporters that he is hoping that francis would, quote, bounce back. >> all right. jarred hill. thank you so much for keeping us updated. here at home, now confusion and chaos loom as millions of federal employees start their workweek today under threat of a deadline from president trump's cost-cutting chief elon musk. he's demanding they explain what they did at work last week or risk losing their jobs.

cbs' willie james inman reports from the white house. >> reporter: in an ultimatum posted on x, elon musk demanded federal employees write down what they accomplished last week adding failure to respond will be taken as a resignation. the government's office of personnel management said in a statement "individual agencies will determine the next steps," with no mention of resignations. this weekend president trump urged elon musk to get more aggressive to slash spending. >> and elon is doing a great job. we love elon. >> reporter: but not every agency is following through on musk's demand. fbi director kash patel is among those pushing back saying in an email obtained by cbs news that the bureau will conduct reviews, adding when and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. trump appointees at several other agencies including the state department and department of defense are telling employees to disregard the email. the ultimatum is the latest

confusion for federal workers who are already grappling with the trump administration's aggressive efforts to shrink the work force. >> we're removing all of the unnecessary, incompetent, and corrupt bureaucrats. >> reporter: some republicans are calling for compassion. >> if i could say one thing to elon musk it's like please put a dose of compassion in -- in this. these are real people. these are real lives. >> reporter: more job cuts are on the way as the pentagon moves to fire 5,400 probationary civilian workers this week. willie james inman, cbs news, the white house. and more bad news for workers at the u.s. agency for international development or usaid. as of today the trump administration put nearly all of the agency's worldwide staffers on leave and eliminated at least 1,600 u.s.-based jobs. it comes after a federal judge ruled friday the administration can move ahead with those cuts. today marks three years since russia launched its

full-scale military invasion of ukraine. it comes as russia sent a record number of attack drones into ukraine over the weekend. yesterday ukrainian president volodymer zelenskyy said he's willing to step down in exchange for peace and nato membership for his country. the comments follow president trump calling zelenskyy a dictator last week, echoing russian government talking points. zelenskyy also reported progress on talks with the u.s. over possession of ukraine's rare earth minerals. a potential $500 billion deal would give the u.s. access in exchange for aid. zelenskyy says he's holding out for u.s. security guarantees. israel and hamas are trading blame for cease-fire violations with the first phase of the deal set to expire this week. it comes after israel delayed the release of more than 600 palestinian prisoners until it says hamas stops what it calls the humiliating ceremonies at hostage hand-overs. prime minister benjamin netanyahu says israel is ready

to return to fighting, and the military increased its readiness around gaza. we're also learning new details about what the six hostages freed saturday were forced to endure. the families of several of the hostages say that they were isolated and shackled for months, starved, and left in complete darkness. they say hamas guards then overfed them to make them appear healthier. the families of the two held for more than a decade say their psychological trauma is far worse. meanwhile, israel moved tanks into the occupied west bank for the first time in decades. the government says it's in order to stamp out militancy amid a rise in attacks. palestinians call it a dangerous escalation. this is the worst flu season in 15 years, sickening hundreds of thousands of americans and putting a strain on doctors' offices and hospitals. cbs' elise preston has the story from burbank, california. >> reporter: severe and even deadly flu cases are surging across the country.

in what's shaping up to be the worst flu season in seven years. we're just halfway through flu season, but already 19,000 the cdc says more than had -- more than 430,000 have been hospitalized. what is driving this difficult season? >> there are probably a number of variables that are associated with this. lower vaccination rates, lower population immunity, and the strains that are circulating that are particularly virulent this year. >> reporter: these factors could be to blame for infections in children. 86 deaths reported in patients 17 and younger. fewer are getting vaccinated this season than last. >> we have the tools to be able to prevent further spread and to protect vulnerable populations, and we should definitely use those because that will save lives and keep people out of the hospital. >> reporter: you can still get the flu even if you're

vaccinated, but the vaccine will help you in reducing your severity. elise preston, cbs news, burbank, californa. coming up, security scare on a flight to new delhi. why italian fighter jets were called in. and a las vegas woman charged in what's being called a romance scam on steroids targeting older men. mucinex nightshift starts working at bed time to fight your worst night-time symptoms. how could you? and leaves your system fast. by the time you wake up, you're ready to take on the day. try it and feel the difference. mucinex nightshift, it's comeback season. mopping is hard work, but then i tried the swiffer powermop. it has a built-in solution that breaks down dirt on contact. plus, it's 360-degree swivel head cleans up along baseboards and even behind the toilet. bye, bye bucket. with the swiffer powermop. (man) what if she doesn't like it? (woman) this time is different. this has real chicken, sweet potatoes, and brown rice. (man) oh yeah, blue tastefuls is different.

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started realizing that this -- this may have been a bit more serious than we were initially hoping. >> flight 292 landed safely in rome after 14 hours. the plane was inspected by law enforcement and cleared to depart. the airline said the security threat turned out to be non-credible. an arrest and romance scam targeting older men, and a deadly boating accident off new york city. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." cbs new york says at least four people are dead, one hospitalized, and one missing after a boat sank between queens and staten island. coast guard officials say they got a call about a vessel taking on water around noon yesterday. rescuers pulled five people from the water. four of them were unresponsive at the time. the fifth person is in stable condition. the family of the victims say the men were on a fishing trip. it's unclear what caused the boat to sink. "usa today" says a gunman visited a york, pennsylvania, hospital days before the

shooting there that killed an officer and injured four people. authorities say diogenes archangel ortiz had visited a friend at upmc memorial hospital and had contact with the staff. they say he entered the hospital on saturday with a bag of zip ties and a handgun and took the icu staff hostage. police eventually opened fire killing him. officer andrew duarte was killed by gunfire, and it's unclear if he was shot by the suspect or friendly fire. the "las vegas review journal" reports on a woman the fbi says drugged and killed three people in what's described as a romance scam on steroids. authorities say aurora phelps used dating apps to steal from older men. in one instance a victim was found dead in the bathroom of his mexico home after a date with the suspect. phelps who has dual citizenship is in custody in mexico and has been charged in a 21-count indictment.

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solemn. here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ one what are the odds of this -- in france, thieves using a stolen bank card, bought a lottery ticket, and actually won. the jackpot more than $500,000, but they disappeared without collecting the fortune. get this -- the man whose card was stolen claims he wants to split the winnings with the thieves. his lawyer put out an appeal for them to come forward, but if they do, they may end up getting arrested. a call for an economic blackout, and frozen shakes linked to a deadly listeria outbreak.

here's matt pieper with today's cbs "moneywatch." >> reporter: wall street is hoping to bounce back today after the stock market had its worst day of the year on friday. the dow lost 748. the nasdaq was down 432. s&p losing 104. a recall of frozen shakes. they were sold to places like nursing homes and hospitals, but the fda says they've been tied to a years' long deadly listeria outbreak. they are under the brands lyons readycare and sysco imperial. at least 11 deaths have been linked to the frozen shake cartons. another 37 people have been hospitalized. that so-called economic blackout is this week. the call to action or inaction is asking that people refrain from making any purchase at major retailers on friday. some postings for the event created by online supporters have suggested a targeted boycott of retailers like ford, mcdonald's, meta, target, and walmart, that have ended their dei programs that comply with an executive order signed by

president trump. at the weekend box office, "captain america: brave new world" dives in its second weekend. it still came in on top with $28 million in sales, but it debuted last weekend at $100 million. the biggest new release was "oz perkins: the monkey," in second. $14 million. "paddington in peru" came in third with $6.5 million. that's your "money watch" report for this monday morning. i'm matt pieper, cbs news, new york. up next, demi moore does it again. the actor picks up her latest award for the movie "the substance." picks up her latest board for the movie "the substance." sboard for the movie "the days ruined by flare-ups substance." board for the movie substance." aboard for the movie substance." wboard for the movie substance." oard for the movie " substance." ard for the movie "t substance." rd for the movie "th substance." ard for the movie "t substance." and i noticed things changed. breztri gave me better breathing. ♪♪ starting within 5 minutes, my lung function improved. ♪♪

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rsvp yes today. here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ there's a lot -- >> this is a conclave, it's not a war. >> it is a war. >> well, hollywood's awards season is in full swing. the screen actors guild awards were handed out in los angeles last night. >> the winner goes to "conclave." >> that's the papal thriller "conclave" taking home the top award for best ensemble. the surprise win making an

already tight race for the 2025 oscars all the more unpredictable. timothee chalamet looked shocked when he was nominated for "bob dylan: the complete unknown." "the brutalist's" adrien brody was considered the favorite at the oscars. and demi moore scooped up another honor this season winning the s.a.g. award for her role in "the substance." try to catch her if you can. mikaela shiffrin is the undisputed ski queen. the two-time olympic gold medalist scored a 100th career world cup victory during a slalom event in italy. she hit the slopes for the first time since a serious crash in november, edged out her rival by .61 seconds to take the top spot. she fought back tears when talkin to a reporter afterward. take a listen -- >> everybody's been so nice and so supportive, all of my

teammates and competitors and coaches and the whole world cup. and i'm -- i'm so grateful. >> shiffrin is the first skier ever, male or female, to reach triple digits in world cup race victories. lakes rodriguez in the house, shooting this three-pointer for a student for $10,000 from half -- he banks it in! >> whoa! >> how about that -- check on the a-rod on the hardwood. the baseball legend celebrates ater sinking a half-court shot at the bucknell army game yesterday. that bucket earned $10,000 for one lucky student. blab. (♪♪) (phone dings) for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults, nurtec odt can provide relief in 2 hours which can last up to 2 days. (♪♪) don't take if allergic to nurtec odt. allergic reactions can occur even days after use,

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risk from our equipment by over 90%. that's something i want to believe. [skateboard sounds]

♪ we begin the week with trumpets as we welcome you to "cbs mornings." i'm gayle king. >> i'm tony dokoupil. >> i'm vlad duthier. >> nate's off, but we're still here. let's go to today's