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98 Arrests After Activists for Khalil Storm Trump Tower; Trump Meets With NATO Chief as Putin Voices Ceasefire Reservations; Putin Makes Surprise Visit to Kursk as Trump Says Peace is Up to Russia Now; Threats of Global Trade War Knock S&P 500 Into Correction. Aired 2- 2:30p ET

Aired March 13, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:18]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": We begin this hour with breaking news. Officials have arrested nearly a hundred people after a crowd of protestors stormed the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City. They're demanding the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist, a graduate student at NYU, or rather at Columbia University.

He is at risk of being deported after he helped lead protests against the war in Gaza at the university last year. Homeland security officials have accused Khalil of being a Hamas sympathizer. Let's go right now outside, live at Trump Tower with CNN's Omar Jimenez, who is on the scene. Omar, give us the latest.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, so Boris, about a hundred people were arrested as part of this protest that took place inside Trump Tower, behind me, on multiple levels, two different levels of that main sort of lobby entrance to the tower here, as we understand from police. And they were protesting on behalf of Mahmoud Khalil. Jewish Voice for Peace was the group that was leading these particular protests that we saw.

And when we first got to the scene, we saw dozens of protesters in zip ties being loaded onto buses, where they were taken to central booking, as we understand from New York Police. But the chance that we heard from supporters that even gathered on the outside of some of these barriers that police put in place to keep crowds sort of at bay were things like, 'Fight Nazis, not students,' and protesting on behalf, again, of Khalil who is still being held in ICE custody as those legal proceedings play out as well.

We spoke to one of the organizers of Jewish Voice for Peace about why they wanted to come out here. And to them, they said they wanted -- they did not want the First Amendment entrenched on, which is what they believe Khalil was doing over the course of leading some of the protests we saw out of Columbia University, but also they wanted to show solidarity from the Jewish people as well -- those were the words that one of the organizers told me as we spoke to her, as some of her protesters were being loaded onto these buses. There were no violent incidents in regards to the arrest themselves. Once they were taken into police custody, there did not seem to be any resistance. We did not hear of any resistance from police as well, but definitely, a protest that grew to over a hundred, as we understand, from both organizers and police took place inside Trump Tower, organized in just a matter of hours and happened very quickly. As we understand from a law enforcement source, the protesters initially walked into the building with jackets on, and then when they undid their jackets, it revealed the red shirts that represented the Jewish Voice for Peace.

But again, a protest that resulted in about a hundred arrests, no serious charges expected outside of things like trespassing, of that nature. But again, a moment where organizers tell us they wanted their voices to be heard in support of Mahmoud Khalil.

SANCHEZ: Omar Jimenez, live for us in Manhattan. Thank you so much, Omar. Brianna?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Joining us now, CNN Senior National Security Analyst, Juliette Kayyem. So Juliette, over 120 people entering Trump Tower, a law enforcement official telling CNN at the height of this, tell us a little bit about that security setup there, now that it's not Trump's official residence.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yeah, so it -- I'm surprised by this. I would've assumed that just given the public nature of Trump's commercial activities, it would be very difficult to have a hundred people come in. It was clearly a secretively planned protest. And they were arrested as they should be, they trespassed. But they were also non-violent. And this country has a long tradition of non-violent protests. We'll see what happens in the courtroom or what's decided about them.

I have no doubt that there will be increased surveillance and security around Trump's commercial entities. And this is -- this is the interesting thing about Trump, without getting into whether he should or shouldn't do it. One, and we saw this with Elon Musk, with the Teslas, because they've broken down the distinction between their public roles and their private commercialization monetization roles, you are seeing these protests touch them in their commercial space.

We saw this with Elon Musk and attacks on Tesla, as well as now this protest. Donald Trump cannot close down Trump Tower. It's a commercial space, it's a residential space. And so, they are sort of dealing with, I think in some ways, the consequences of that merger of monetization and policy and the First Amendment.

[14:05:00]

KEILAR: So these arrests, charging people with obstructing government administration, for failing to move when the dispersal order came because the location is private property, and in certain cases, resisting arrest. Tell us about those charges. KAYYEM: Yeah, so those charges will -- I mean, it's going to depend on each individual and what they did at the moment. So, there's recordings, there's going to be police reports. Do they have past criminal activity? For some of these people, it may be a fine, community service, you know, a guilty plea, and nothing much happens. I have no doubt Donald Trump will ratchet it up at least publicly in -- of his criticism of this kind of activity.

The interesting thing about this is, this was organized by a Jewish group. So the narrative of, well, you know, sort of pro-Hamas, pro- Palestinian equals pro-Hamas, Arabs that is often used and it was used in Mahmoud's case, Khalil's case, is harder to make against Jewish organizations. I have no doubt that that's why they did it because there's great diversity within the Jewish American population about what's going on, divisions amongst them, and I think that's a very important part of this narrative of who it was organized by and why.

KEILAR: All right. Juliette Kayyem, thank you so much for taking us through that. And actually, what do you expect moving forward? As we heard these, obviously, the security folks who were there had called for additional units. Do you think that's probably something they're going to have in place temporarily for a while?

KAYYEM: Yes, I think so. I think, as this case in particular touches on, you know, New York specifically because it's Columbia, and a very animated community in New York amongst the sort of, I would say, the Israeli and Palestinian (ph) constituencies, they could -- there's diversity within those constituencies, as I was saying, is going to get played out in New York and that's where a number of Trump's properties are. And this is -- this is a difficult issue for the NYPD because of the commercial demands of Trump Towers. He needs them to be open. You can't close them.

I mean, those are -- as you know, those are retail spaces on the top, on variety of floors, or people come in and out and that's the commercial part of it. And it is -- we've never dealt with this before because we never had a president who had commercial activities consistent with or parallel with his political position, president of the United States, or in Elon Musk's case, the selling of Teslas. That merger is a challenge for public safety because, you know, people -- commercialization is open, you can't close it down. But we do need to protect people within the towers and protect the rights of those who want to go into these places or buy a Tesla or whatever else.

And I think we're not quite built for that. I think there'll be more aggressive security by the NYPD around Trump properties. But this, just to take a step back, there's a long tradition of protests. There's a long tradition of arrest and trespass around that. It sounds like that's what happened. We're not hearing about violence; we're not hearing about terrorism. This is not, you know, burning cars or looting or anything. This is a First Amendment activity, that was a trespass. There should be a punishment. That will be determined on a case by case basis.

But, I don't think that -- you know, this is not one of those things where it's like domestic terrorism or anything like that, though I doubt -- though I highly believe that Donald Trump wants to increase the focus around this arrest for reasons that have almost nothing to do with anti-Semitism or even immigration at this stage.

KEILAR: All right, Juliette, thank you so much for that. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Just moments ago, we heard from President Donald Trump at the White House as he meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Trump told reporters he'd like to see Russia agree to the U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal for Ukraine, but Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has reservations about that plan. Let's get right to CNN's Jeff Zeleny, who's at the White House for us. So Jeff, what more did Trump say about this ceasefire and about NATO overall?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well (ph), certainly a high-stakes meeting coming at a time of deep tensions between the United States, the European allies, and of course Russia and Ukraine as well. But the president, the U.S. president saying that he is hopeful for a deal with the Russia.

[14:10:00]

He's hopeful that Vladimir Putin reaches some type of a ceasefire. He said, if he does not, it would be disastrous for the world. But he had cautious optimism as he spoke.

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DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We know where we are with Ukraine and we are getting good signals outside of Russia as to where we are with Russia. And hopefully, they'll do the right thing. It's really humanity, we're talking about humanity. We're not talking about the money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So hoping Russia will do the right thing, a very neutral set of words there perhaps for something. We've heard this president really over the last, just about a month or so since the relations have been reset with Russia, hoping that Vladimir Putin will do the right thing. But, we should note that one of the president's top envoys, Steve Witkoff, is in Moscow. He is scheduled to meet with Vladimir Putin to talk about this ceasefire. We shall see if that progresses.

The President also talking significantly about Greenland, talking about the need for the United States to acquire Greenland. Of course, that has been remarkably controversial. The NATO official there not really responding all that much to that. But the President repeating his claim for that, even as a global trade war continues to intensify. But the President not making any signs of backing down from that at all.

He said there will be disruption, there could be some short-term pain, but that is the question. What is that short-term pain? Even as these retaliatory tariffs are going day after day, the president now threatening some 200 percent of a tariff on a lot of alcohol coming into the U.S., champagne and other products. So certainly, this has intensified. The stock market, once again, is not looking at any of this with a glee, falling again today, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Jeff Zeleny live for us at the Wine House. Thanks so much for breaking that down for us, Jeff. Let's discuss this and more with Former Defense Secretary and CIA Director under President Obama, Leon Panetta. Secretary, thanks so much for being with us. First, I want to get your general reaction to what you heard today from Vladimir Putin reflecting on this ceasefire proposal, and then President Trump saying that he hopes Russia will do the right thing.

LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, you know, first of all, I think the United States deserves a lot of credit for the negotiations that produced this possibility of a ceasefire. Secretary Rubio, the National Security Adviser, worked out a very good deal that provides for a clean 30-day ceasefire that can end the killing and the fighting.

What's happening is that Russia now is hesitating to accept the ceasefire. And from my perspective, Putin is trying to set a trap, and the trap is that he wants to negotiate a lot of other issues that should be left to negotiations once you get a ceasefire. But if he's going to start negotiating on those issues now, then I think this ceasefire approach is going to collapse.

SANCHEZ: When you're talking about negotiating on those issues, do you specifically mean land and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant as Trump was discussing? Or you're referring to a broader slate of issues?

PANETTA: Well, you know, obviously, Putin is going to raise those issues. He wanted a more permanent ceasefire. He wants to talk about the NATO issue. He wants to talk about territory. He wants to talk about, you know, the power plant. There are a lot of issues, obviously, that have to be discussed, but you have to get a ceasefire first. You've got to put a clean ceasefire in place. If you try to start negotiating those issues now, then you're going to run into a lot of trouble with the parties.

You're going to run into trouble with Ukraine; you're going to run into trouble with NATO. Get the ceasefire, I think this is a moment where the president has to really be strong, that what we need is a clean ceasefire. He's being tested right now by Putin. Hopefully, he will come out taking a strong position in favor of a clean ceasefire.

SANCHEZ: To that point, Secretary, Trump was asked specifically whether he has leverage on Putin? And he said that he does, though he didn't want to get into specifics and talk about that. I do wonder though, whether the leverage is all on the Kremlin's side because Russia is making advances, specifically in Kursk. The Kremlin is saying that they've recaptured the largest town that Ukraine had occupied there. Is it the case that Putin is likely to wait and see what the United States is willing to give up?

[14:15:00] PANETTA: Well, this is Putin's game. This is the way he always behaves. And the key to Putin is to make clear that if he doesn't accept this ceasefire, the United States is going to provide military aid. We're going to provide intelligence. We're going to provide support to Ukraine, so that they can continue the fighting, and Russia will pay the price for that. That's the hand that the president has.

SANCHEZ: Do you think --

PANETTA: And hopefully, he'll exercise that because that is leverage.

PANETTA: Yeah. I wanted to ask you about that specifically. You said hopefully he will exercise that. Given Donald Trump's history with Vladimir Putin, I don't think there's been a U.S. president since Putin has been in power that has been friendlier with the Kremlin. Do you think he would go ahead and exercise that kind of pressure to get the Kremlin to make a deal?

PANETTA: Look, this is a test for the president. This is a test for the president. Whether he is going to stand strong for doing the right thing or whether he caves in to Putin, that's going to be the issue. And I hope he stands strong. He's been able to negotiate the possibility of a clean ceasefire. That's to his credit. He can't now suddenly engage in a series of negotiations on a bunch of other issues that ultimately have to be left to the parties.

If you start that process now, you're going to undermine your ability to get a ceasefire now. That's going to be a -- what the president has to make clear to Putin is that he has a chance to accept a ceasefire now that will stop the killing. Let's do that and then let's negotiate on the longer -term issues. SANCHEZ: Leon Panetta, thank you so much for sharing your

perspective. Thanks for joining us.

PANETTA: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Still to come, a key stock market index enters correction territory after President Trump issues new tariff threats. Plus, with the government shutdown deadline just one day away, why one Republican lawmaker thinks Democrats will ultimately give in and support the Republican funding bill. And later, a fire uncovers a house of horrors after police find a 32-year-old man weighing just 68 pounds trapped inside. He claims to have been held captive for more than 20 years. That and more, coming up in just a few minutes.

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[14:22:05]

KEILAR: We're keeping an eye on Wall Street. The Dow is down more than 500 points right now as President Trump's escalating trade wars pushing stock sharply lower again, driving the S&P 500 into correction territory. That's down more than 10 percent from its record high in February. And today, Trump threatened a 200 percent tariff on French champagne, Italian red wines, and all alcohol from countries in the European Union. So, try to follow along here. Trump says the new levy is because the E.U. hit American whiskey with a tariff, but the E.U. did that to retaliate against new U.S. duties on steel and aluminum.

It shows you how trade wars can quickly balloon and ping pong when each side keeps going tit for tat. In the meantime, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is meeting with the Premier of Ontario, Canada to talk about possibly renegotiating the U.S. Mexico Canada Trade Agreement. CNN's Matt Egan is with us now live with more on this. OK, Matt, these have been some pretty steep losses for stocks that we've been watching here over the past few weeks. What are you looking at?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Brianna, every time trade tensions have gone up, the market has gone down. It's really been that simple. We're seeing it play out again today with the Dow about 500 points, a little bit more than 1 percent, lower. The S&P 500 earlier entered into correction territory, which signals a 10 percent decline from those record highs that were hit just three weeks ago. It's hovering right at that correction level. We'll have to see whether or not it closes in an official correction.

The NASDAQ's already in a correction, down about 14 percent from the previous highs. And the issue of course, is that investors and CEOs, they crave stability and clarity, and they're not getting that, right? They're just getting chaos and confusion and a whole lot of escalation. I mean, think about what has just happened in the last 24, 48 hours, the president's 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum kicked in. The E.U. announced a retaliation on goods that are made in America, including whiskey. And then this morning, the president fired back and threatened this 200 percent tariff on wine and champagne and other alcohol that's made in Europe.

Of course, this just so shows how escalatory everything has gotten, right? It could get really out of hand quickly and for consumers, there's an impact, right? It could mean higher prices. If there's tariffs of 200 percent on European alcohol, it is so high that a lot of liquor stores probably wouldn't even sell European alcohol. People would have to get more wine and other alcohol from other states in the United States like California, but there might not be enough supply right away. So, you could see domestic prices rise quickly as well. It's just another reminder here of all the different impacts of tariffs. Brianna?

[14:25:00]

KEILAR: And there's some brand new CNN polling, Matt, that shows Americans are increasingly worried about the economy since Trump returned to the White House. Break down some of the numbers that we're seeing.

EGAN: Yeah. Well, Brianna, inflation is arguably the issue that got the president elected in November. But he is underwater on inflation. Only 44 percent of Americans in this new CNN poll approve of his handling on inflation or the economy. 43 percent approve of his handling of helping the middle class. Just 39 percent approve his handling on tariffs. That is the lowest of any of the 11 issues that CNN polled here, and that's something that obviously the president is leaning into very much. Look, the other question here that was really significant is whether or not people think that Trump's policies are helping. And the answer there is no, right? This poll found that 51 percent of those polled say that Trump's policies have worsened economic conditions. Only 28 percent think that his policies have helped. Look, it's early, right? We need to see how these policies play out, but a lot of economists have warned that tariffs are going to make inflation worse, and these poll findings suggest that a significant number of Americans share that concern. Brianna?

KEILAR: All right, Matt Egan, thank you for that report. Next, the White House pulling its nomination for CDC Director just hours before his confirmation hearing was set to begin. We have some new details on what is behind this about face. Plus, Pete Buttigieg's latest move could be the biggest clue yet that the former transportation secretary is considering a presidential run. What he just did, coming up.

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