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European Union Delays Retaliatory Tariffs; Trump Continues to Blast Judges; President Trump Targets Education Department. Aired 1- 1:30p ET

Aired March 20, 2025 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:38]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Shutting it down, President Donald Trump about to deliver on a campaign promise to gut the Department of Education. He's signing an executive order to start that process just hours from now. We're going to break down the impacts for students.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Forum of fury, constituents demanding answers at town halls across the country. And this backlash is bipartisan. One town hall in Illinois got so ugly, police were called to the event.

And the timeline is filling in, new allegations from defense attorneys in the Idaho student murders case shedding light on what the surviving roommates may have been doing before they called 911.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SANCHEZ: President Donald Trump is about to take a big step in fulfilling a highly controversial campaign promise. He's set to sign an order this afternoon to start the process of dismantling the Department of Education.

We're told the president will direct Secretary Linda McMahon to take -- quote -- "all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of DOE and return education authority to the states."

This comes after the agency cut around half of its work force earlier this month. Federal dollars account for nearly 10 percent of all school funding. And the Education Department distributes billions on programs for low-income students, students with disabilities and federal loans and more, though administration officials say those programs will not be affected by this executive order.

Another big question, how are lawmakers on Capitol Hill going to respond? Because federal law states that only Congress can eliminate a Cabinet-level agency.

Let's take you now live with the White House with CNN's Alayna Treene.

Alayna, what are you learning as President Trump gets set to sign this order?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, as you mentioned, Boris, this is a long-held campaign promise of the president's.

And, because of that, we're told that he wants to have this executive order signing today, this event to really be a made-for-TV sighting. He's going to have many Republican governors there. He's going to have some officials from different state -- education officials, I should say, from different states, as well as many different students from all over the country.

So he's really trying to make this big -- this event today a big event, one with a message clear to his supporters that he's trying to fulfill this controversial policy. Now, as you mentioned, I think it's so important, we can't understate -- overstate it enough, is that it really to fully dismantle the Education Department, to eliminate it in the way that the president says he wants to do would require an act of Congress.

However, in my conversations with White House officials, Trump administration officials, they argue that they can effectively render it useless by withholding federal funding, as well as slashing staff. However, and you kind of touched on this, Boris, we did hear from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt today, who said effectively that some of the critical functions of the Education Department, those related to student loans or special education funding, would still continue to be funded by the department.

Take a listen to how she put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: When it comes to student loans and Pell Grants, those will still be run out of the Department of Education, but we don't need to be spending more than $3 trillion over the course of a few decades on a department that's clearly failing in its initial intention to educate our students.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, Boris, of course, many unions and others have been criticizing what Karoline Leavitt said there, but also what the Trump administration is trying to do with this order.

One union, the National Education Association, also warned about how the students who are going to be most affected by this are those who are underprivileged.

I want to read a statement from the president of the NEA, Becky Pringle. She said -- quote -- "If successful, Trump's continued actions will hurt all students by sending class sizes soaring, cutting job training programs, making higher education more expensive and out of reach for middle-class families, taking away special education services for students with disabilities, and gutting student civil rights protection."

So, despite all that, though, we are going to see the president, of course, barrel ahead with that order later this afternoon. I expect you will continue to hear some criticism from the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.

SANCHEZ: We will certainly be covering that as it happens live.

[13:05:00]

Alayna Treene at the White House, thank you so much -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Trump's move to shut down the Department of Education may have a larger impact on red states. A CNN analysis found that the top 14 states that relied the most on federal dollars for their public schools in 2022 voted for President Trump last November.

And while this funding could get redistributed to states directly, these federal dollars include financial assistance to schools with high populations of impoverished students. They fund special education programs, school improvements like classroom technology, after-school and summer programs, and mental health and counseling services for students, as well as teacher recruitment.

Randi Weingarten is with us now. She's the president of the American Federation of Teachers, which has about 1.8 million members, including educators from pre-K through 12th grade.

Randi, just tell us, what is your biggest concern when it comes to essentially shutting down the Department of Education?

RANDI WEINGARTEN, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS: So thanks for having me.

And the biggest concern is all the opportunity gaps that the federal government provides through the Department of Education. The federal education role is limited. There's no -- except for the Department of Defense schools, which are not run from the Department of Education, or the Bureau of Indian affairs schools that are not run by the Department of Education, it doesn't control any schools.

In fact, it's the states that control schools. So, if President Trump doesn't like what's happening in education, it's the states and local school boards that do it.

What the department does is, there's about $100 billion, so a kid who has disabilities, a kid who is poor, a kid who's going to Head Start, a kid who's in a rural area, kid who is in a career tech ed program, a kid who gets a Pell Grant, a kid who's limited English proficient,every single one of those kids, which are essentially most of our kids in public schools, they get -- basically, 10 percent of every dollar that's spent on them is from the Department of Education.

So that's what I am worried about.

KEILAR: You have these critical programs like Title I, IDEA funding, and we should note they were established before the Department of Education was established.

WEINGARTEN: Right.

KEILAR: Could they be administered by a different agency?

WEINGARTEN: Yes, Brianna, they can be.

And, in fact, just a little fun fact, my predecessor, Al Shanker, didn't want the creation of the Department of Education. They wanted it -- we wanted it to stay in HEW because we wanted families -- we wanted it to be intact with family.

So we did. So, of course, it could, but this is the problem. But the governors that are going to be with Donald Trump, the president, today, they have talked about block grants. So they're talking about taking this money away from kids and putting it into block grants and giving it as vouchers, which basically serve kids who are already in private schools.

So our concern is that you actually need somebody who knows what they're doing about education. And that's why the Department of Education is the right place for this to happen.

But I have another concern, which is this. A country's future depends on its education of its citizens. So, right now, we are cutting all the research grants to universities that go to help fund cancer research or fight or cut all these programs that help our youngest kids. What are we saying to parents? What are we saying to the public?

And that's part of the reason why six out of 10 people in America, independents, Republicans, Democrats say, don't do this.

KEILAR: And we have heard even in some cases from Republicans in some states who worry, as they look at the numbers of vouchers that have gone to people who are already in private schools. So there will be a question, of course, that they have to account for the achievement that may be lagging if they do change how some of these things are sent out.

WEINGARTEN: Exactly.

KEILAR: But I also want to ask you, Randi. I want to challenge you.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: I want to challenge you a little bit, Randi, because you know that teachers unions, especially yours, has gotten a lot of criticism in recent years, especially after COVID.

We saw, for instance the support of overly broad school closures. That's one of the big examples. And that has fueled a lot of animus towards the Department of Education, towards teachers unions.

[13:10:08]

Do you reflect on that? What are you taking away from that and the position that may have fueled sort of the support that allows President Trump to be in a position to do something that you find so problematic, like eliminating the Department of Education in all intents and purposes? WEINGARTEN: So, Brianna, COVID was a terrible time for us. And, as

you know, because I was on your show a lot and other shows, I wanted schools to be reopened as early as April of 2020.

The issue was the fear and the issue was the safety issues. But COVID has really hurt in so many ways. But this has been a Republican talking point for a long time. And, in fact, during the last couple of years, it was routinely put up in the Congress. And 60 Republicans voted against it the last time it was put up.

The real issue is, how do we make sure that kids have the funding that they need and we make sure that every single kid has a safe and welcoming environment and is one that is engaging and relevant? But I think we could all do a better job in terms of education. I'm just surprised that the president is not working with the teachers in classrooms throughout the country as represented by their union to make things better.

KEILAR: Yes. Are you really surprised, Randi, by that? I'm curious.

(LAUGHTER)

KEILAR: Randi Weingarten, thank you so much.

WEINGARTEN: I mean, look, look, let me just say...

KEILAR: Yes.

WEINGARTEN: ... we believe, like he does, in career tech ed. We -- I -- we think that we -- that high school should be more than college prep. We think that college prep is important, but high school should be career prep as well.

I mean, there's -- the question really becomes, is education important in this country? And, frankly, what you saw in the November elections is that, in the places where education was on the ballot, public education won over and over again, including in the states that voted for Trump.

So I think that this is an issue about vouchers...

KEILAR: Yes.

WEINGARTEN: ... much more than it is an issue about how we ensure that each and every child has the opportunity they deserve.

KEILAR: Randi Weingarten, thank you so much for your time -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: New developments now as President Trump tests the limits of his executive power.

A federal judge is yet again demanding answers about why the Trump administration reportedly continued to deport hundreds of migrants to El Salvador, even though he had blocked them from doing so. The president has intensified his criticism of that judge in the days following the order and says those who derail his plans should be impeached.

But even as the judiciary rules against some of Trump's agenda, we're learning that the White House is unfazed and now setting its sights on the Supreme Court.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz joins us now live with more.

And, Katelyn, the judge in the deportation case, gave the Justice Department an extension after an initial deadline yesterday. The new deadline was today at noon. Did DOJ respond?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, we can't see that because it may be under seal. So we don't exactly know. We're trying to get answers to see if that filing came in, if they complied with the judge's orders.

But there's a lot going on here in this case, Boris. It's worth watching. It's not just about answering those questions that Judge James Boasberg has been asking the administration to explain about those migrants flights that took off on Saturday, specifically two of them before he issued a written order, questions like, what time did the plane take off from U.S. soil?

What time did it leave the U.S. airspace? What time did it land in a foreign country? And was anyone on those flights before he issued his written order while the hearing was ongoing, while there was the possibility that this judge could be blocking the proclamation by Donald Trump to remove these migrants? Was anyone being removed from the U.S. specifically because of that presidential action?

Those are the questions. There's an option for the Justice Department to tell the court that these are state secrets, they can't reveal them. But the bigger question here is, would they defy him? Would they defy him in a simple way just by not filing a brief? We don't have any indication that that has happened, but that's why this is so closely watched.

There's a lot of political rhetoric, Donald Trump out there talking, criticizing this specific judge. There's even language in these court filings that are being made by the Justice Department really attacking the judicial branch and their authority. But would they actually not follow the order? Doesn't appear that they have violated it just yet -- Boris.

[13:15:07]

SANCHEZ: Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much for the update.

Still to come this afternoon on CNN NEWS CENTRAL: more fiery town halls, this time, police forced to end a Democratic lawmaker's event after several heated confrontations break out.

Plus, what caused a Delta flight to roll upside down during landing? A preliminary report has just been released. We will go through the details. And, later, new court filings help fill in the timeline surrounding

that quadruple murder of the University of Idaho students -- the latest details when we come back.

Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: It is getting uglier.

With Congress on break and lawmakers back home, the temperature is heating up at town halls across America. We're seeing chants, jeers, boos, and it's all getting louder as voters are sounding off.

[13:20:03]

Republican Congresswoman Harriet Hageman among the latest to get a lashing as she defended the Department of Government Efficiency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HARRIET HAGEMAN (R-WY): It's so bizarre to me how obsessed you are with federal government, but here's the thing.

(BOOING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Democrats are facing fire too. Police in Illinois had to step in and shut down Congressman Sean Casten's event after several heated moments, including when a pro-Palestinian protester stormed the stage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When my people are being slaughtered, and I want you to stop funding them...

REP. SEAN CASTEN (D-IL): If you would like to run for office, run for office.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. You are the most soulless piece of crap I have ever seen.

CASTEN: That's your opinion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Soulless. Soulless.

CASTEN: Sir, get off the -- sir, get off -- sir, get off the stage right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are soulless.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: The congressman shared his reaction to that moment with CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASTEN: The whole thing just makes me sad. We're going to have to be much more deferential to what the local police feel is a safe way to do the town hall. But I think it's important for us to continue to make sure that we have these avenues for civil discourse and disagreement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz is now with us.

Arlette, this is a bit of an escalation, certainly in the case of Congressman Casten's event there. How are both parties approaching this?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are very clearly feeling the heat from voters who are frustrated for a range of reasons.

As you heard first in that town hall with Wyoming Congresswoman Harriet Hageman, there's a lot of furor when it comes to the Trump administration's approach in cutting federal government, the DOGE cuts, and Elon Musk's role as well. But so far we haven't seen from those Republican lawmakers any real backing off.

Hageman and others like Mike Flood in Nebraska, they still stood by all of these cuts even as they were facing that voter backlash. And then you have, on the Democratic side, there's people who are upset about that, but they're also upset with Democrats for how they have handled their pushback against Trump, with some constituents going to town halls and simply telling them that they don't think that Democrats have done enough in this moment.

There was an interesting exchange yesterday with Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan. She's a moderate. And a constituent asked her, when are you going to do more to step up in the way that AOC and Bernie Sanders have done? And this is the answer she gave to them, saying that she's simply not AOC in this moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): All of those things require me to be more than just an AOC. I can't do what she does, because we live in a purple state and I'm a pragmatist. Everyone you mentioned has a lot of words, but what have they actually done to change the situation with Donald Trump?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: So she's saying that she's approaching this from a point of pragmatism. That highlights a lot of the debate that's been going on in the Democratic Party right now, as they are looking for ways to challenge Trump's actions effectively.

But, certainly, town halls are really a staple of American politics. This is something that we see often play out in the first year of an administration. You can think back to the Tea Party town halls for President Obama, also town halls in Trump's early term. So this is certainly something that will continue and lawmakers will have to grapple with how they respond to it as well.

KEILAR: And pragmatism does not always mirror the outrage that some voters are feeling and that will frustrate them, for sure.

Arlette, thank you so much for that. Appreciate it -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: We have some new developments to share with you in President Trump's ongoing trade war, this morning, the European Union saying it would delay its retaliatory tariffs against the United States, including a steep one against American whiskey.

The move gives Europe essentially more time to negotiate as the world braces for April 2.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEAVITT: I would encourage all of you to be here to cover the White House that day on April 2, because there will be big announcements when it comes to reciprocal trade. And the president will be highlighting the unfair trade practices, the ways in which America has been ripped off by every country around the world, quite frankly.

And there will be big tariffs that will be going into effect, and the president will be announcing those himself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has been tracking this story for us.

Vanessa, what do you make of this delay by Europe?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: It's a slight de-escalation in this trade war, but ever so slightly, because, essentially, they're just delaying their tariffs to go into effect a couple weeks from now.

Initially, the E.U. said that they would put tariffs on products like American whiskey, boats and motorbikes starting on April 1. That's now set to go into effect April 13. But just to give a sense of the timeline about what's been going on here, the E.U. initially said that these tariffs were going into place on $28 billion worth of goods because of the steel and aluminum tariffs that took effect on March 12 at 25 percent.

[13:25:06]

So because those tariffs were in effect, the E.U. retaliated and Trump threatened then to put a 200 percent tariff on French and Italian wine and champagne, but, today, the E.U. delaying those tariffs. However, we are still hearing, as you showed right there from the press secretary, that reciprocal tariffs are still going to go into effect on April 2, and that could, Boris, hit any country, including countries in the E.U. membership. We will see what will happen because we know that the E.U. delayed

their tariffs because there's conversations going on. Will those conversations have an impact on the president's tariffs on April 2?

SANCHEZ: Yes, a huge question there.

Also, Vanessa, some new economic data dropped on the U.S. economy. Tell us about that.

YURKEVICH: Boris, we just got an existing home sales. They were up 4.2 percent in February from the month prior. That's coming off of a decline in January of home sales. Homebuyers really are starting to slowly enter the market., not because of mortgage rates, but because there's more inventory freeing up.

Mortgage rates actually ticked up slightly today, 6.67 percent, snapping a seven week decline. But they are nowhere near where they were a year ago, when they were closer to 7 percent. But we're hearing from economist, Boris, that really mortgage rates for the foreseeable future are going to be between 6 percent and 7 percent and really not budge much.

So if you're sitting on the sidelines and you're comfortable with a mortgage rate in this area, that's probably what it's going to be. So it's either pulling the trigger or continuing to wait a little bit longer for those rates to fall -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Vanessa Yurkevich, thanks so much for the reporting.

Up next: Some federal judges believe impeachment is the least of their worries when it comes to threats from the administration. They worry their lives could be on the line. Unfortunately, our next guest knows potential risks better than most.

And new evidence in the quadruple murder of four University of Idaho students revealing what the suspected killer and surviving roommates were doing in the hours after the deadly attack.

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