it's friday, february 28th, 2025.

this is "cbs news mornings." mysterious deaths. hollywood icon gene hackman and his wife found dead in their home under what authorities are now calling suspicious circumstances. what the preliminary autopsy shows. face to face. president trump set to meet ukrainian president zelenskyy at the white house days after calling him a dictator and then offering him praise. the deal they're expected to sign. and growing concerns as measles spreads. new cases in new states following the nation's first death in a decade. good morning. i'm michael george. we start with the investigation into the deaths of oscar-winning actor gene hackman and his wife. the couple was found dead in their home in santa fe, new mexico. hackman was 95. his wife a classical pianist in her mid 60s.

authorities say a preliminary autopsy found no external trauma, and they don't expect foul play. so the question is what happened? bradley blackburn leads us off. i think we just found two -- one deceased person inside a house. >> reporter: as the investigation continues at the mountaintop home of actor gene hackman, authorities have more questions than answers. >> it's not normal to find two people deceased in the residence. that's concerning. there was a dog in a kennel that was also found deceased. >> reporter: on wednesday afternoon, the actor's body was found along with the body of his 64-year-old wife betsy arakawa and their dog. >> a male or female? >> a female and a male probably -- i don't know. seen somebody. >> reporter: officials said they may have been dead for some time. there were no signs of a gas or carbon monoxide leak, and no obvious signs of foul play. pills were found scattered near arakawa. >> i think the autopsy is going to be key, and the toxicology. >> it was a great, fun

experience. >> hackman was a hollywood mainstay for five decades, and there's been an outpouring of tributes to the oscar winner on social media from co-stars and collaborators including francis ford coppola. the prolific filmmaker directed hackman in the 1974 thriller "the conversation," calling the actor magnificent in his work and complexity. hackman first made a name for himself in the 1967 film "bonnie and clyde," winning a best visiting actor nomination. he got the award as he played a hard-edged city cop in "the french connection." he won a second oscar 20 years later for a role as a brutal small town sheriff. he proved his versatility in playing the mastermind lex luther in three "superman" films and played in the film "hoosiers." a right-wing senator forced to

dress in drag in "the bird cage." in 2000 he downplayed skills in an interview. >> i feel that in some ways that my efforts of being an actor are so all instinctive, and that i hadn't really maybe paid my dues in terms of my contribution. >> reporter: but many are now honoring hackman's lifetime of contributions to cinema. bradley blackburn, cbs news. now to washington where the pathway to peace in europe could run through 1600 pennsylvania avenue today. president trump will soon sit down with ukrainian president zelenskyy to discuss how to end the war with russia. the two are expected to sign a minerals deal despite a recent war of words. jarred hill with more. last week president trump called zelenskyy a dictator. this week he says "i can't believe i said that." is he walking back his statements? >> no, he's not walking back his statements in calling president

zelenskyy a dictator. and he also hasn't put the same label on russian president vladimir putin. now despite this increasingly contentious relationship between trump and zelenskyy, the president says he's confident that he can broker a war-ending deal. working to end a war. today president donald trump is set to host ukrainian president volodymer zelenskyy at the white house. >> we're going to get along well. >> reporter: the path to peace is unclear with trump refusing to offer solid security guarantees to ukraine to fend off any future russian invasion. instead presenting his own form of protection, a u.s. presence in the country to mine for rare minerals. today's face to face comes after the two have traded insults over the past few weeks with president trump at one point calling zelenskyy a dictator. >> did i say that? i can't believe i said that. >> reporter: it's the latest in a revolving door of world leaders at the white house. yesterday with british prime minister keir starmer president trump insisted russia's vladimir

putin would honor a peace deal but again held back on security specifics despite starmer's efforts. >> the uk is ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air to support a deal. >> reporter: not far from the white house, fired usaid workers were greeted with applause as they cleared out their offices. doge also terminated hundreds at the national oceanic and atmospheric administration, including weather forecasters. but there is relief for some of the recently terminated probationary employees. a federal judge ruled those mass firings likely illegal, ordering a partial pause for the white house. this does not apply to employees from every agency, and it's not clear what this means for folks who were already fired. though this decision from the judge comes down to the issue of jurisdiction. and i want to read what he said. quote, the office of personnel management does not have any authority whatsoever under any statute in the history of the universe to hire and fire employees at another agency.

now obviously the white house disagrees here. but the question is going to be what does the court say. there's another hearing scheduled for march 13th. >> we'll see how it plays out. thank you. more states across the u.s. are reporting measles cases after the nation's first measles death in a decade. an alert for the disease was issued in new jersey after three cases were confirmed. they're linked to an unvaccinated person who returned from an international trip. kentucky reported its first case in two yars. health officials say an infant with measles traveled through l.a. international airport last week. and in texas where there's been more than 120 cases, an unvaccinated child died. >> one person in an unvaccinated community can infect 12 to 18 people. >> it can produce very severe disease like pneumonia that can be fatal especially in young children. can also in a very small proportion of cases cause encephalitis or swelling of the

brain. >> health officials in the seattle area also confirmed the first measles case so far this year in an infant. mexico handed over 29 drug cartel figures to the u.s. it includes drug lord rafael caro quintero who was behind the torture and murder of an american dea agent in 1985. he spent 28 years in prison before a mexican court overturned his sentence in 2013. he was recaptured nine years later after returning to drug trafficking. the hand-over comes as mexican officials try to stop president trump's 25% tariff on mexican goods. there were no bombshells in the first group of government documents released related to the late sex offender jeffrey epstein. attorney general pam bondi first released a small batch of documents to a group of right-wing social media influencers before sharing them on line. they included copies of flight logs from epstein's private

plane, record which have long been available in multiple court cases, and a heavily redacted photo copy of an address book purportedly compiled by the financier and his longtime companion ghislaine maxwell. coming up, new bird flu fears where nearly two dozen dead birds have been found. and controversial influencer brothers land in florida. the governor's message to them. krista, it's time to fess up.. abooooouttttt? you're over 45 and still haven't screened for colon cancer! we all knew. this is like the third year she's turned 44... mmmmok. i wasn't ready! drink all that prep?! cancel brunch plans?! ask for cologuard®. it's a one-of-a-kind way to screen for colon cancer that's effective and non-invasive. no prep and you use it at home. false positive and negative results may occur. those at high risk should use colonoscopy. skip the drama. ask your provider or request cologuard online.

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removing gender identity protections from the civil rights code. [ chants ] >> hundreds of people opposing the bill protested yesterday at the state capitol. they say it could expose transgender people to discrimination. the bill now heads to republican governor kim reynolds who's expected to sign it. if she does, iowa will be the first state to remove gender-identity protections. the "sun sentinel" says influencer brothers andrew and tristan tate who face human trafficking charges in romania arrived in florida. the brothers, who have millions of online followers arrived in fort lauderdale yesterday after romanian prosecutors lifted travel restrictions. the dual u.s.-british citizens were arrested in 2022 and indicted on charges that they took part in a criminal ring where they exploited woman. the self-proclaimed misogynist

was also charged with rape. they ignore the allegations. >> we live in a democratic society where it's innocent until proven guilty. i think my brother and i are largely misunderstood. there's a lot of opinions, lot of things that go around on the internet. we have yet to be convicted of any crimes ever. >> and florida governor ron desantis said he wasn't aware the brothers were coming to his state until they landed, and they're not welcome there. and "newsday" says bird flu was likely found in about 20 birds on new york's long island. officials say ducks, geese, and other birds have been found dead on a beach. so far at least 128 birds in 37 counties across the state have been affected bird flu. at least 70 people have tested positive for bird flu in the u.s. during the current outbreak. coming up, travis kelce makes his decision. the chiefs' tight end announces if he'll be back for season 13. if he'll be back for season 13. i got the power of 3.

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the country. ♪ well, it's official -- kansas city chiefs' tighten -- tight end travis kelce confirms he will be returning to the nfl. kelce posted on x saying "it's time for year 13." the 35-year-old's future on the field has been in question since the chiefs lost the super bowl to the philadelphia eagles. apple unveils some new safety measures for kids, and a 24-hour economic blackout. here's jessi mitchell with today's "moneywatch." >> reporter: wall street looking to recover from a shock as tech stocks took a major tumble thursday. the dow dropped 193 points. the nasdaq down 530 points. s&p lost 94 points. retailers are bracing for a so-called economic blackout across america. an activist group is encouraging consumers to stop spending their

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host conan o'brien rolled out the red carpet. sunday the academy awards will recognize excellence in film. but this year when it comes to predicting winners, anything goes. >> we've watched all the other awards ceremonies. we've made our notes. we've compared winners and statistics. >> reporter: grae drake is an entertainment journalist and film critic. >> it could all get thrown out the window on oscar understand? . ♪ >> reporter: the netflix musical "emilia perez" leads with 13 nominations. but controversy surrounding star karla sofia gascon may keep it from winning big. the first trans woman nominated for best actress had to apologize for a series of older social media posts denigrating muslims, blacks, and co-workers. >> i actually think "emelia

perez" is going to hold a record that it does not want to hold which is the most nominated and least winning. >> reporter: "wicked" and "the brutalist" have ten nominations including best picture where there is no clear frontrunner. >> there is a real surge of support for "anora," and it's coming late in the season. that's the kind of support that will get you over that oscar finish line. the academy still has a certain kind of movie that they tend to like, and that movie's "conclave." >> reporter: demi moore, who's been racking up wins for her performance in "the substance" has her first oscar nomination in the best actress category. the best actor category is shaping up as a race between timothee chalamet for "a complete unknown" and adrien brody for "the brutalist." >> brody was so great, i fully support an academy award for this man. >> reporter: show producers say look for cynthia erivo, ariana grande, and others in

performances celebrating the filmmaking community. danya bacchus, cbs news, los angeles. coming up on "cbs mornings," actor helen mirren talks about season two of the "yellowstone" prequel "1923." i'm michael george. this is "cbs news mornings." prequel "1923." i'm michael george. this is "cbs news mornings." for more than a decade farxiga has been trusted again and again, and again. [crowd chant] far-xi-ga ask your doctor about farxiga. ♪♪ home. it's where we do the things we love with the people we love. celebrating, sharing—living. so why should aging mean we have to leave that in the past? what if we lived tomorrow in the same place as we did yesterday? what if we stayed home instead? with help, we can.

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