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Markets Open after Inflation Report; Count Hearing for Palestinian Activist; Terry Virts is Interviewed about Williams and Wilmore Returning from ISS. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired March 12, 2025 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[09:30:00]

MICHAEL MISSAL, FORMER VETERANS AFFAIRS INSPECTOR GENERAL: And if they continue to be silent as DOGE is doing whatever they're doing in terms of firing people and cutting down the government, then an important checks and balance of our country is just not going to be there.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Larry Turner, Michael Missal, thank you both so much. And we'll be checking back in with you as you go through the machinations of trying to figure out, first of all, why you were fired, and, second of all, whether or not you can get your jobs back. I know you are trying to - to do that as we speak. We really appreciate you taking the time this morning with us.

Kate.

MISSAL: Thanks so much.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are moments away from today's opening bell. After two days of heavy losses, things are looking up right now. You're looking at the Dow futures - wait, what time is it, everyone? It's just open. Thank you. I'm like looking. I'm like, I'm sorry, hasn't the market opened? We're now looking at the opening of the market. Welcome to actual current reality, everyone. We are live. We're going to continue to track this and see what's happening in these first moments, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:35:23]

SIDNER: Moments ago, the opening bell ringing on Wall Street after better than expected data showed inflation going down, cooling slightly last month. But there is a big question here, could Trump's tit for tat trade war make that progress short lived?

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich back with me now.

It is nice to see some green. Nice to see things going up. But this might just be because they're happy with the inflationary number.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: The day is young. Yes, the day is young. Investors are digesting two pieces of news today.

SIDNER: Yes.

YURKEVICH: The inflation report, which was good. Showed that inflation is cooling month over month and year over year. That's breaking a four-month streak of inflation rising both monthly and annually. So, investors encouraged that they're seeing prices falling. They are not taking into account, however, the fact that there's only the 10 percent tariff on China accounted for in that report.

And you can see consumer prices were actually on the rise. And then now they're starting to come down a little bit.

SIDNER: Yes.

YURKEVICH: So, investors looking at this picture and liking what they're seeing.

Of course, though, we have this in the forefront of the trade war that's happening right now that just escalated globally. So, we have those 25 percent tariffs on aluminum and steel on all imports coming into the country. And then we have a quick retaliation by the unite - by the EU, who put in place their own tariffs on $28 billion worth of goods.

However, it could have been worse. And maybe that's also why you see markets ticking up a little bit. Maybe they were bracing for something more. But the day and the week is young. Other countries are probably going to respond in kind. We are waiting to hear from them on what they may do about these tariffs that went into effect at midnight.

SIDNER: I'm sorry, and the EU, I think, has said, look, we're going to give it a month before these go into effect. So, the market's sort of looking at, OK, whether or not Trump will sort of pull back and Europe will change its mind.

There are a lot of things, but usually uncertainty is not something that the markets love. So -

YURKEVICH: Yes. There's a lot of time to change minds.

SIDNER: Right.

YURKEVICH: For many people to change their minds. But that, obviously, doesn't bode well for the markets.

SIDNER: Vanessa Yurkevich, it's a pleasure. Thank you so much.

YURKEVICH: Thank you so much. Thank you.

SIDNER: All right, tensions are rising over Palestinian activists Mahmoud Khalil. The Trump administration's lawyers won't return him to New York without a judge's order. Will today's hearing in court change that? That story and more, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [09:42:13]

BOLDUAN: This morning, a hearing in New York is about to take place for the Palestinian activist who led anti-Israel protests at Columbia University last year. Mahmoud Khalil was arrested in New York on Saturday, sent to an ICE detention facility in Louisiana, and the Trump administration has revoked his green card - green card, accusing him of distributing, as they say it, Hamas propaganda. There's a lot more here.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is outside the court in New York for us right now.

And, Gloria, what is expected to happen today? What are you hearing?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, it's the first time that we are presumably going to hear the Trump administration's justification for detaining Khalil. Remember, Khalil has not yet been accused of any crime, but Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have all pointed to this alleged activity that Khalil was involved in, in support of Hamas.

Now, they have referenced fliers that were distributed on the campus of Columbia University during protests there last year. But so far we have no specific charge against Khalil.

Now, the judge in this case today has the power to release him, but we do not know yet if he is going to go that far. The government is expected to make an argument here today that New York does not have jurisdiction over the case.

Now, remember, he was arrested here in Manhattan at his home. Then he was transferred to a facility in New Jersey. And then he was transferred again to an ICE detention facility in Louisiana.

Now, lawyers for Khalil have told me that their primary goal here today is to bring him back to New York, back to his eight month pregnant wife, and back to his lawyers right here at home.

Now, if we can just kind of take a step back because since the arrest on Saturday, we've heard from Democrats and Republicans and constitutional scholars and people who agree with Israel's actions in Gaza and those who do not agree with it. And no matter which side of the argument you're on, everyone has said that there's a real concerning question here about the right to free speech, the right to protest and political speech, all of it which is protected under the First Amendment, something that everyone in the United States is protected under, including people like Khalil, who was a legal resident and a green card holder.

So, that's the reason why today is so important. It's a test for the Trump administration, for the court and for the administration, which has made it clear that they plan to crack down on these kinds of protests. So, the focus here today for Khalil's attorneys, to bring him back home, and for us, to learn whether or not the government is going to provide any justification for why they are holding him. Kate.

[09:45:01]

BOLDUAN: All right, Gloria, thank you so much for setting us up for that.

Sara.

SIDNER: My, how things have changed in five years. In the latest power flex by President Trump and his allies, crews are working to dismantle the Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House. GOP lawmakers had been threatening to withhold funding from Washington if D.C. did not get rid of the mural. The two-block mural was constructed in 2020 following the police killing of George Floyd. An artist who worked on it said it was meant to be inspirational.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEYONNA JONES, ARTIST WHO HELPED PAINT BLACK LIVES MATTER MURAL: We changed the whole vibe. The chaos went away. Art saved lives. It changes the energy, and that's what we did. And that - you can feel the energy changing now. Now that the art is being taken away, you can feel the vibe leaving as well.

It hurts. It's very physical. Even when we painted it before it was made a permanent space, all these things weren't here. Like the physical parts, the cobblestone and all of that. So, seeing it like literally being ripped up, it hurts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: The artist adding she will never stop making her voice heard.

All right, ahead, after nearly ten months stuck in space, American astronaut Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore finally about to come home. So, how rare are extended stays on the International Space Station anyway, and what safety measures are in place to make sure that the astronauts are kept safe in space? That's ahead.

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[09:50:52]

BOLDUAN: A homecoming is just around the corner for American astronaut Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. And if you can even believe it, they are finally coming home. Because what was supposed to be a week-long trip to the International Space Station in June, remember, it turned into a nearly ten-month stay after safety concerns and a whole lots of things delayed their return.

Tonight, the SpaceX Dragon capsule is set to launch, bringing a new crew to the ISS, which will then allow - allow them to bring home Williams and Wilmore.

Joining us right now for some perspective on what this means is NASA - retired NASA astronaut and Air Force Colonel Terry Virts.

It's good to see you. Thank you so much for being here.

Let's talk about what is actually going to happen. Everyone wants to see and hear from Suni and Butch when they return, but this is kind of part of normal crew rotation, since I know so much about it.

COL. TERRY VIRTS, RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT: So I don't have any sound right now.

SIDNER: Oh, no.

BOLDUAN: Oh. Colonel, can you hear me?

SIDNER: Shucks.

BOLDUAN: One second. We'll get it corrected.

SIDNER: Well, let's just discuss what we would do in space, girl. What would we do?

BOLDUAN: What would you do in space?

SIDNER: Let me tell you something, I would dance. I'd do all the things I'm not supposed to do. I'd be like, launch me out there. I want to check out the world outside of the capsule.

BOLDUAN: OK, so - so that is not allowed. You're not just allowed to be launched out there. But it has - it really has been amazing -

SIDNER: It is, truly.

BOLDUAN: To, one, watch what they've been able - they've been taking part in all of the research that the existing crew has been doing up there.

SIDNER: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Now up there for ten months. I can just - I keep thinking about what it all - what all they want to do once they get back down to earth, which will now be, I mean, maybe a few weeks out.

SIDNER: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Colonel, can you hear us now?

VIRTS: I got it.

BOLDUAN: Perfect.

VIRTS: I got it now.

BOLDUAN: Thank you so much. Perfect. Thank you so much for joining.

It's as if we're trying to connect to the International Space Station. Welcome to trying to get on live TV sometimes. Talk to - talk to me about what is going to happen. This new crew goes

up. They're going to be swapping out. What does normal crew rotation entail?

VIRTS: Yes, well, hopefully they'll have better luck with the sound system. But they have these astronauts coming up, so it'll be too many people, like having your in-laws for Christmas. So, normally there's a crew quarters that you can live in, you know, for six months or however long. But a few of them are going to have to find a wall or a ceiling and put their sleeping bags on.

So, they'll have like too many people there for a few days. They'll be getting the old crew quarters ready for the new folks to come back. The astronauts that are coming back are going to be packing. You know, you're - you basically have this one chance to pack and you can't go back if you forget something. So, that's a big deal.

And actually fluid loading. There's something called fluid loading, where you drink basically sugary water, like Gatorade or I had chicken soup, that's important for the guys coming back to earth to get their bodies ready for gravity again.

SIDNER: I was wondering what happens to your body when you're in space for an extended period of time. I know there are changes that happen, correct?

VIRTS: There are, yes. I actually grew five centimeters, so about two inches. So, I was finally six feet tall when I was in space. But it didn't last. You know, when I got back to earth, the doctors told me a few hours later I was back to 5'10".

But the biggest thing is, you know, bones and muscles get weaker. I was very - I did a lot of exercise. NASA has a great protocol of exercise that we do. And I actually lost 0 percent of my bone density. But if you don't do that exercise, you're going to be hurting.

And the other big thing that you affect - you know, radiation is obviously a big problem for cancer in the long run.

SIDNER: Right.

VIRTS: But when you get back to earth, you feel heavy and dizzy. So those are kind of the two big things that you feel after landing.

BOLDUAN: It's one thing to be up and - for an extended stay and then up for kind of a somewhat unplanned extended stay at the International Space Station. I mean, you kind of wonder, like what all - what all now getting back to kind of regular order for two amazing astronauts like Suni and Butch, what that's going to mean coming back down.

I mean you've spent a significant time in space, and just kind of what that all feels like after you come down.

[09:55:02]

VIRTS: Well, I think it's going to mean, you know, the plumbing needs to be fixed and the car inspection needs to be done and there's -

SIDNER: Boo.

VIRTS: There's a lot of daily stuff.

But the big thing, you know, the big thing when you come back from space is rehab. So, I was very diligent. You know, I think some astronauts do it more than others. But I was in the gym every day for a long time, and it was super painful, super - you know, you can barely walk the first couple days, you're very dizzy. I could walk, but it was very dizzy. But that physical rehab is really important.

BOLDUAN: It's really amazing. I think in an interview I heard Butch talking about how, when you come back down and you're finally back in gravity, it's like an effort to use a pencil because you hadn't even felt the weight of a pencil when you're up in space.

SIDNER: (INAUDIBLE), right, yes.

BOLDUAN: Colonel, it's great to have you on. Thank you so much for joining us and dealing with our technical gremlins. We really appreciate it.

SIDNER: And for the record, I like it when my in-laws come on Thanksgiving, just in case I can avoid any sort of arguments or fights.

BOLDUAN: Has been noted. We all love our in-laws. That is the takeaway today.

SIDNER: Colonel Virts is not getting me in trouble today.

Thank you so much for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "THE SITUATION ROOM" is up next.

BOLDUAN: He's like, what?

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