it's tuesday, february 25th, it's tuesday, february 25th, 2025. this is "cbs news mornings." confusion and contradiction. elon musk's email deadline leaving federal workers in the lurch as the president and his administration offer differing responses. i smell something

electrical something. >> another scare in the sky. smoke fills a delta passenger jet minutes after takeoff. ♪ the first time ever i saw your face ♪ >> and remembering roberta flack. the tributes for the grammy-winning soul singer whose voice defined a generation. ♪ rose in your eyes ♪ good morning. i'm michael george. we begin with elon musk's directive to federal employees ordering them to list five accomplishments to keep their jobs. just hours after president trump called the plan genius, members of his administration backtracked. it comes as the president met with french president emmanuel macron at the white house to talk about ending the war in ukraine, while at the united nations, the u.s. is at odds with france and european allies.

cbs' jarred hill joins us now with the details. jarred, a lot to talk about here. first off, let's talk about elon musk and his threat to federal workers and this mixed message from this white house. >> yes, michael, what we're seeing here, president trump just acknowledged that this elon musk email is at least in part about sniffing out folks on the federal payroll who don't exist, although without offering evidence that's actually happening. now with the deadline to respond to doge's demand extended, there is some unclear messaging from the white house on who has to comply. from the oval office, president donald trump praised elon musk for his email to nearly two million federal workers, threatening terminations if they don't send in a list of five things they did at work last week. >> there is a lot of genius in sending it. we're trying to find out if people are working. >> reporter: hours before the monday deadline, musk ordered an extension, warning failure to respond a second time will result in termination. but then confusion after trump's office of personnel management sent a memo to federal agency heads saying it was up to them

to determine how to handle the doge directive. some have already told workers not to respond. the massive cuts of thousands of federal employees has sparked outrage. voters are confronting republican members of congress during town halls back in their home districts. >> obviously, people are mad, and we are mad too. >> reporter: the unrest at home comes as president trump met with french president emmanuel macron at the white house, expressing optimism that a deal to end russia's war in ukraine could be just weeks away. now three years after it all began. >> a lot of good things towards peace are happening. >> reporter: both leaders agreed to establish a peacekeeping force in ukraine if and when a deal is reached. but the president continues to split with european allies on blaming russia for the war. >> this is the responsibility of russia, because the aggressor russia. >> reporter: later, russian president vladimir putin signalled that a peace deal could be further away than trump's prosed timeline. president trump is set to host british prime minister keir starmer, another key european

ally later this week. and in a pretty dramatic shift in america's stance on the war under president trump, at the u.n. yesterday, the u.s. refused to blame russia for its invasion of ukraine, not one, michael, but three times on three different resolutions. >> all right. jarred hill, thanks for joining us. from the firing to the hiring. the president had chosen another media personality for a key position. dan bongino will be deputy director of the fbi. no senate confirmation necessary, and apparently no fbi experience necessary either. cs' scott macfarlane has more about him. ♪ >> reporter: dan bongino touts his army of followers. millions of talk radio and podcast listeners who share his devotion to president trump, his conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, and his pledge to own the libs. >> every kooky, lunatic, anti-trump swampy media left

wing progressive aoc bernie sanders type crazy person, taking over the world, listen. >> reporter: bongino confirmed he is trading his army for g-men. >> i'm committed to service. >> reporter: near bongino nor the new bureau director kash patel have ever served in the fbi, and both are maga loyalists who critics worry threaten an independent fbi. bongino's position was announced just hours after current agents asked patel to ensure an active special agent would get the post, as has been the case for 117 years. >> you want someone who can build faith. instead, he has chosen someone who is really a radical, a conspiracy theorist. >> reporter: greg nunziata is former aide to then republican senator marco rubio. >> you can see career professionals leaving. >> reporter: you think there will be resignations because of this? >> i do think. it will lead to that. it will be harder to recruit and attract the kind of people that the fbi requires. >> reporter: bongino steps into

the bureau amid turmoil. with agents who worked january 6th cases under scrutiny themselves. >> if you swore to uphold the constitution of the united states as an fbi agent and engaged in a tyrannical investigation against donald trump with partisan intent and not the constitution in mind, you do not deserve your job. >> reporter: scott macfarlane, cbs news, washington. terrifying moments on board a delta airlines when smoke filled the cabin minutes after takeoff from atlanta. the boeing 717 was headed to south carolina yesterday with 99 people on board when it was forced to return to the airport and make an emergency landing. passengers evacuated down exit slides. the good news, no reports of injuries. >> people start kind of saying smoke, fire, smoke, fire. kept saying it. and it took a couple of minutes, probably about two minutes into that, we were still climbing up, and it was getting worse, and the flight attendants came on and told us breathe through your jackets or your shirts and duck

low. >> and yesterday's incident comes after another delta jet flipped over last week when it landed in toronto in snowy conditions. and over the weekend, a delta plane headed to australia made an emergency landing in los angeles after smoke was detected on board. pope francis remains hospitalized in critical condition, but the vatican says he rested well last night, and his condition slightly improved, allowing him to even get some work done. cbs' chris livesay has the latest from roam. >> reporter: the vatican says pope francis' condition has slightly improved, and the kidney issue discovered over the weekend is not a cause for concern. doctors have not yet released a prognosis for the 88-year-old, who is suffering from double pneumonia and has been in the hospital since february 14th. >> he hasn't had any further respiratory crises. he has been able to reduce the amount of oxygen flow when he was using the nasal tubes.

they've been able to reduce that. >> reporter: pope francis was able to resume some work on monday inside rome's gemelli hospital, calling the parish of gaza something he has done regularly since 2023. ♪ doctors and nurses at the hospital prayed for his health during a mass while children being treated there made him get well cards. catholics around the world are keeping the pope in their prayers as he faces this latest health scare. >> you can't help but feel touched by him, and now you just want to feel a way we can just through prayer accompany him and his need right now. >> the voice of the pope is so important that the moment, the world is full of hatred. and he is a voice of love. >> reporter: the vatican started nighttime prayers for pope francis in st. peter's square, inviting the public to join with cardinals and other members of the clergy for an evening rosy.

rosary. chris livesay, cbs news, rome. a stunning admission from one of hamas' top officials. mousa abu marzouk, the head of the group's foreign relations office said in an interview with "the new york times" he would not have supported the october 7th attack if he had known of the havoc it would wreak on gaza. hamas issued a statement in response claiming his comments were incorrect and taken out of context. the interview was conducted friday before israel held up the release of hundreds of palestinian prisoners over hamas' staged hostage handover ceremonies, including filming two hostages being forced to watch others get released. hamas is expected to turn over the bodies of four more hostages thursday, but it's unclear if that will happen now. coming up, a '70s hit maker. the lasting legacy of grammy winning singer roberta flack. and the stunning spectacle. a famous waterfall looks like it's on fire, and the protest symbol spotted nearby. fire, an

symbol spotted nearby. the thousands of real people who go undiagnosed. people whose psoriasis can look very different depending on their skin tone. as the makers of tremfya®, we understand that everybody's moderate to severe plaque psoriasis doesn't look the same. so, we undertook a first-of-its-kind study of plaque psoriasis in every skin tone. like hers and his and yours. serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. ask your dermatologist about tremfya®. ♪ if you're frustrated with occasional bloating or gas, your body's giving you signs. it's time to try align. align probiotic was specifically designed by gastroenterologists to help relieve your occasional bloating and gas. when you feel the signs, it's time to try align.

(mom) let me see my new grand-dog! to help relieve your o(mia) say “hi grandma”!gas. (mom) you're feeding him, blue buffalo, right? (jack) nah, we got purina one. it's all the same stuff. (mom) not really. blue life protection formula's got deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, oatmeal, barley... (mia) well purina one has chicken, rice flour, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, chicken by-product meal... (jack) [laughing] looks like we're switching to blue! (vo) switch to blue. and feed your dog like family.

take a look at this. people are flocking to yosemite national park in california to catch a glimpse of what's called the fire fall. once a year for a couple of weeks, the elements are just right so the horsetail fall down el capitan glows orange like molten lava. also this year park workers hung an american flag upside down nearby to protest the trump administration's recent layoffs of hundreds of park service workers. a white house ban on the associated press continues, and the founder of theranos loses a legal battle. those are some of the headlines on the morning newsstand. "the san francisco chronicle" says a federal appeals court upheld the fraud conviction of elizabeth holmes. the founder of the blood testing company theranos was convicted in 2022 of defrauding investors with false claims that her start-up could diagnosis diseases and medical conditions with just a few drops of blood.

the court also upheld holmes' 11-year sentence and the $452 million restitution she and her former business partner must pay. npr says a federal judge is allowing the white house ban on the associated press to continue, at least for now. the news organization is appealing the trump administration's ban on coveraging events at the white house, on air force one and elsewhere over its decision to keep using the name gulf of mexico instead of president trump's gulf of america name. the judge, a trump appointee found there was not sufficient reason to issue a temporary restraining order and scheduled a hearing for next month to consider the motion. and the columbus dispatch says former republican presidential candidate vivek ramaswamy launched his campaign to become governor of ohio. the biotech entrepreneur held a rally in cincinnati yesterday. he said he wants to eliminate income and property taxes and institute work requirements for medicaid and welfare. ramaswamy backed president trump after dropping out of the race last year. he was briefly named co-chair of

the department of government efficiency, but left on trump's first day in office. coming up, the far side of the moon. a lander offers new dazzling lunar footage. new dazzling lunar footage. on medicare? living with diabetes? progress is having your coffee like you like it without an audience. ♪♪ [silence] the freestyle libre 3 plus sensor can help lower your a1c over time. covered by medicare for more people managing diabetes with insulin. ♪♪ this is progress. ask your doctor about the freestyle libre 3 plus sensor. ♪♪ home. it's where we do the things we love with the people we love. so, what if we lived tomorrow in the same place as we did yesterday? with help, we can. home instead. for a better what's next.

♪♪ did you take your vitamin today? that's my job. ♪♪ nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. when my doctor gave me breztri for my copd... things changed for me. breztri gave me... better breathing, symptom improvement, and reduced flare-ups. breztri won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. it is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition

or high blood pressure before taking it. don't take breztri more than prescribed. breztri may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain... mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating,... vision changes, or eye pain occur. ask your doctor about breztri. 's a loo here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ the blue ghost lunar lander sharing some amazing footage of the dark side of the moon. firefly aerospace posted this close up video on x of the moon's rocky surface that is not visible from earth. this is part of blue ghost's third and final orbit maneuver before it attempts to land on sunday where it hopes to collect

data for nasa. starbucks is making cutbacks while apple is planning some huge investments. here is carissa lawson with today's "moneywatch." >> reporter: the dow ticked up while other indexes fell once again on tariff talks. the dow gained 33 points. the tech heavy nasdaq stock sank by 237. and the s&p 500 lost 29. facing tariffs on chinese imports, apple announced the historic $500 billion investment in the united states over the next four years. the plan includes hiring 20,000 american workers, a massive manufacturing plant in houston, texas to make servers for the country's artificial intelligence services, and the creation of an educational academy geared towards innovation, and that would be in michigan. starbucks says 1100 workers will be notified today that they lost their jobs. the layoffs come amid sagging sales and a plan to streamline operations. the layoffs are not expected to affect staff at the stores. starbucks is also eliminating

30% of its food and drink menu, targeting items the company says are less popular and more complicated to make. and sweet news has dropped that chocolate is coming to ring pop. for the first time ever, there is now a chocolate version getting released, and just in time for the easter season. it's being rolled out in walmart stores and online next month. that's your cbs "moneywatch" report for this tuesday morning. i'm carissa lawson, cbs news, new york. up next, a miracle account, cat. a family pet that goes missing for three weeks, and you're not going to believe where they found her. ...a medication like humira or remicade? put them in check with rinvoq, a once-daily pill. when symptoms tried to take control, i got rapid relief with rinvoq. check. when flares tried to slow me down,... ...i got lasting remission with rinvoq. check. and many were in remission... ...even at nearly 2 years. and rinvoq... ...helped visibly reduce damage of the intestinal lining.

check. rapid symptom relief. lasting remission. and visibly reduced damage. check. rinvoq can lower ability to fight infections. before treatment, test for tb and do bloodwork. serious infections, blood clots, some fatal;... ...cancers, including lymphoma and skin;... ...serious allergic reactions; gi tears; death;... ...heart attack; and stroke occurred. cv event risk increases in age 50 plus... ...with a heart disease risk factor. tell your doctor if you've had these events, infection,... ...hep b or c, smoked,... ...are pregnant or planning. don't take if allergic or have an infection. put uc and crohn's in check... ...and keep them there. with rinvoq. ask your gastroenterologist... ...about rinvoq. my life is full of questions... how do i clean an aioli stain? use tide. do i need to pretreat guacamole? not with tide. why do we even buy napkins? thankfully, tide's the answer to almost all of them. —do crabs have eyebrows? —except that one. for all of life's laundry questions... it's got to be tide. still congested? nope! uh oh. mucinex 2-in-1 saline nasal spray. spray goodbye. aaaaaaahhhhh! mucinex 2-in-1 saline nasal spray with a gentle mist

and innovative power-jet. spray goodbye to congestion. 's comeback season!

redcross.org/cbs, or call 1-800-red-cross. here is a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. today's forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ ♪ strumming my face with his fingers, singing my life with his words ♪ ♪ killing me softly with his song, killing me softly ♪ >> grammy winning singer and pianist robert flack has died. she passed away yesterday in new york city more than two years after announcing she had als and could no longer perform. inaddition to "killing me softly with his song," flack had a string of hits in the '70s including "feel like making love." she became a star when clint eastwood used her song "first

time ever i saw your face" in his film "play misty for me." robert flack was 88 years old. and the secret service agent who leaped on to the back of president john f. kennedy's limo after he was shot has died. the images of clint hale jumping on to the back of the limo in dallas in 1963 are among the most famous in american history. he blamed himself for kennedy's death for decades, and in 1975 he broke his silence about the assassination in an interview with "60 minutes." >> if i had reacted just a little bit quicker, i could have, i guess. i live with that to my grave. >> clint hill was 93 years old. switching gears now, a colorado family couldn't believe it when their cat amazingly reappeared three weeks after

disappearing during a move from washington state. the hansen family thought they would never see sunny lou again when she vanished during the move. but when their furniture arrived, they heard a meow from inside a hide a bed sofa. the beloved cat had been trapped inside the couch without food or water for three weeks. sunny lou was weak and emaciated, but she is doing okay after receiving medical treatments. all right. coming up on "cbs mornings," "survivor" host jeff probst will be live in the studio with a preview of season 48 of the emmy winning cbs reality show. the s season 48 of the emmy winning reality show. of migraine with or t 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, like trouble breathing and rash. get help if you have trouble breathing, swelling of the face, mouth, tongue, or throat.

common side effect is nausea. when migraine takes your time, take nurtec. ask your doctor about nurtec odt. love your plug-ins but wish you had more scent control? introducing the new febreze plug scent booster. enjoy the same 50 days of continuous scent as febreze plug... including a cord for flexible placement options... and a boost button for extra scent. new febreze plug scent booster. ♪ lalalalala ♪ ugh, when is my allergy spray going to kick in? -you need astepro. -astepro? it's faster, bro. 8x faster than flonase. it's faster, bro! it's faster, bro! it's faster, bro! it's mom to you. astepro starts working in 30 minutes.

i guess what i'm looking for from you is, i mean, i know how the fire affected me, and there's always a constant fear that who's to say something like that won't happen again? that's fair. we committed to underground, 10,000 miles of electric line. you look back at where we were 10 years ago and we are in a completely different place today, and it's because of how we need to care for our communities and our customers. i hope that's true. [joe] that's my commitment. [ambient noise]

♪ trumpets on a tuesday as we welcome you to "cbs mornings." i'm gayle king. >> i'm tony dokoupil. >> i'm vladimir duthiers. >> nate is off today, but we're still here. let's go to today's eye opener. it's your world in 90 seconds. more chaos and confusion as president trump