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Trump Stands By National Security Adviser Waltz Despite Chat Blunder; U.S Intel Chiefs Back on Capitol Hill Amid Group Chat Fallout; Impact of Trump's Tariffs on Americans' Hunt for Jobs. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired March 26, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: America's top intelligence officials back on the hill this morning after largely deflecting any questions about the Signal scandal. Are they ready to offer any clarity today? President Trump's cabinet -- President Trump is standing by his cabinet, but there are still serious questions over how this Intel breach happened, why it happened, and who's going to be held accountable.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And President Trump, who still claims he won the 2020 election, he didn't signs an executive order, which would upend how U.S. elections are run.

Plus, while they're in the water thieves are hacking into their bank accounts. The crime ring targeting California surfers.

I'm Sara Sidner with Kate Bolduan and John Berman. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: Doubling down and damage control. If you are waking up still asking the question what really happened on that Signal group chat, where military plans were released, you are not alone. The past 24 hours since the Signal scandal broke has really only led to more muddy water over how and why this intelligence breach could take place.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, he's denying any blame though he is the one who shared the timing and targets of the mission in that unsecure app. Here is the line that he is towing now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Nobody's texting more plans. I know exactly what I'm doing, exactly what we're directing. And I'm really proud of what we accomplished, the successful missions that night and going forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: This all comes to light after National Security Adviser Mike Waltz added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to this chat about the plans to strike Houthis in Yemen. Goldberg now saying, well, if it's not classified, as they seem to claim yet, still don't know, well, he says, then there's more information to come. So far, Donald Trump is standing by Mike Waltz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: What it was, we believe, is somebody that was on the line with permission, somebody that was with Mike Waltz, worked for Mike Waltz at a lower level, had I guess Goldberg's number or called through the app and somehow this guy ended up on the call.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Waltz, however, even seems to dispute that, saying now in an interview that he is -- the responsibility does lie with him, but he is also saying in the next breath, he doesn't believe in conspiracy theories. But --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL WALTZ, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Look, a staffer wasn't responsible. And look, I take full responsibility.

Have you ever had somebody's contact that shows their name and then you have somebody else's number there?

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: Oh, I never make those mistakes.

WALTZ: Right? You've got somebody else's number on someone else's contact. So, of course, I didn't see this loser in the group. It looked like someone else. Now, whether he did it deliberately or it happened in some other technical mean is something we're trying to figure out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: This all sets the stage for another combative day on Capitol Hill. The nation's top intelligence officials set to testify this time on the House side about global worldwide threats a day after they were grilled about this leak before the Senate Intelligence Committee, they repeatedly denied that classified information was disclosed in the chat and they tried to shift blame to the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny at the White House for us this morning. Where to begin? Where is this headed today?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Kate, good morning. There is far more talk of trying to change the subject rather than answer some of these questions that still remain. Now, the president yesterday was standing by a Mike Waltz, not only supporting him, but literally inviting him to his table as he met with some ambassador nominees showing his support for Mike Waltz. The president insisted that no classified information was disclosed in that group chat heard around the world, but he did not answer questions pointedly and repeatedly about how he knows that. Now, all of this, of course, is raising questions about the competence of this administration and those were front and center yesterday during the Senate hearing.

[07:05:03]

These fiery exchanges offer a prelude for that House hearing coming up today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are not T.G. on this group chat?

TULSI GABBARD, ODNI DIRECTOR: I'm not going to get into the specifics of the --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you refused to acknowledge whether you are on this group chat?

GABBARD: Senator, I'm not going to get into the specifics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are you going to get into the specifics? Is it because it's all classified?

GABBARD: Because this is currently under review by the National Security Control (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because it's all classified. If it's not classified, share the text now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So, that was Tulsi Gabbard, a former member of Congress, of course, and the director of the National Intelligence Agency. And she will be testifying on Capitol Hill on the house side today. But very interestingly, she repeatedly referred questions to the defense secretary and said it's up to the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, to talk about whether these conversations were classified. Of course, he is the one that entered the war planning information in the group conversation.

Now he is traveling on a trip to Asia. He was in Hawaii again yesterday and he said something very interesting. He says -- you know, he tried to explain his competence and he said, I know what I am doing. Well, that is certainly a question that many on Capitol Hill still have. So, he will have his time to be questioned as well.

But for now, at least, it's back to the House Intelligence Committee. There is no doubt the White House circling the wagons, Republicans not answering or not asking some of the questions about this, but Democrats certainly were yesterday and will again on the House side today. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Yes, that House hearing to begin in just a couple hours. We will be watching it.

Jeff, thank you very much for starting us off. John?

BERMAN: All right. And you heard the national security adviser, Mike Waltz, say he takes full responsibility for adding the reporter to the group chat, but it is that special kind of full responsibility where he still sort of blames the reporter for the fact that he was invited.

Let's get right to CNN's Zach Cohen. And Mike Waltz is going to lead the investigation into Mike Waltz and how he invited Jeffrey Goldberg.

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, John, on one hand, while acknowledging that the revelations about this group chat that he created and that he added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to are, quote, embarrassing.

But on the other hand, like you said, deploying a familiar playbook that we've seen Donald Trump and his allies use in moments of political crisis before, and that is to attack the media and specifically attacking Jeffrey Goldberg, who, again, was added to this group chat and who is the journalist behind these revelations.

Take a listen though to what Mike Waltz said yesterday in Fox News as he was trying to explain how he's going to get to the bottom of this whole incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTZ: I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but of all the people out there, somehow, this guy who has lied about the president, who has lied to gold star families, lied to their attorneys and gone to Russia hoax, gone to just all kinds of links to lie and smear the president of the United States, and he's the one that somehow gets on somebody's contact and then gets sucked into this group.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: So, Waltz obviously prefacing his attack on Goldberg with, quote, I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but.

But still, at the end of the day, this is something we've seen from Trump himself in the wake of this Atlantic story, this revelation about this group chat that has really set the Trump administration into a political -- state of political term turmoil.

Now, for now, as Jeff said earlier, Trump does seem to be standing by Michael Waltz, but sources telling our colleagues that the president also seems eager to move on. So, the more that this remains in the forefront, the more frustration, more questions about Mike Waltz's future that are going to come up.

BERMAN: Yes, and it is notable for all the claims, the allegedly non- conspiracy claims, which seem conspiratorial from Michael Waltz about Jeffrey Goldberg. Waltz still says he does not want the full text message exchange from Signal released, one would think if he has nothing to fear in it, he would say, release it.

Zach Cohen, thank you for your reporting on this. I appreciate it. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. We've seen markets wobble over President Trump's tear up threats, but now people looking for jobs are starting to feel the impact of the trade war. Why companies are holding off on hiring for now.

And brand new information in the tragic death of a teenage son of a former New York Yankees star. Why investigators are now ruling out their initial cause of death.

And a centuries-old temple, more than a thousand years old, destroyed by explosive wildfires. These stories and more ahead.

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SIDNER: New this morning, President Trump's aggressive tariffs may be hurting Americans who are looking for jobs right now. The new survey finds businesses are scaling back hiring plans because of uncertainty around Trump's trade war.

CNN's Matt Egan is joining us now. What are you hearing from business leaders on this issue of the trade war and how they're feeling about hiring employees?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Sara, listen, tariffs, the trade war, it's caused this deer in a headlight moment for companies. So, of course, it's a reason for them to tap the brakes on hiring, and that is backed up by this brand new survey out this morning that finds that 25 percent of U.S. firms are cutting, hiring due to tariffs. This comes from a survey by Duke University and a pair of regional fed banks.

And they asked CFOs whether or not various federal policies are going to cause companies to ramp up hiring or dial them back.

[07:15:08]

And far and away, tariffs, trade policy was the biggest headwind, even more so than regulation, which is something that companies always complained about, right?

CFOs were also asked, what's the number one concern facing their business. Now, before the election, tariffs were nowhere on this list. Now, they're number one by a long shot. In fact, the gap between the number one and number two issues was the most since they started asking this question 20 years ago. Again, why would tariffs hurt hiring? One it's that uncertainty that I talked about. It's also because tariffs could hurt demand, right? If firms have to jack up prices, maybe people buy less.

The other issue here is if companies absorb the tariffs, if they take the hit, that means they're less profitable. Either way, they're going to be hiring fewer people. Now, I reached out to the White House and a spokesperson pointed to, one, the number of companies that have been announcing investments in the United States. And the spokesperson also argued that the president used tariffs in the first term, and that job growth was strong and that inflation was low. But I would just tap the brakes on that, right?

What is being done this term is like Trump 1.0 on steroids, right? A trillion dollars of U.S. imports already face tariffs, more than double what was done during the entire first term. Plus, inflation is much more of a problem now, consumers, investors, everyone's a little bit more sensitive to price increases.

I also talked to a father of four in North Carolina. He was a Biden voter in 2020, he switched over to Trump in 2024. He owns a small business that imports from Mexico and he said, look, tariffs are not only increasing our costs right now. They're causing a lot of chaos, a lot of stress. He said to me, I'm losing sleep over tariffs. A president has never made me lose sleep before. And now, Sara, like other business owners, he's just kind of waiting for the next shoe to drop in this trade war.

SIDNER: That is a very stark message from somebody who is dealing with this, that they can't sleep because they're so worried about their business because of tariffs. We will see how this all plays out, but it can't be good for the economy if they're not hiring employees when we're seeing people being laid off as well.

All right, Matt Egan, thank you so much. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, with this intelligence breach, some are asking what is Signal? We have a new look at the messaging app now at the center of a colossal national security blunder.

And it sounds like point break, but in reverse. Police are now issuing a warning to surfers over a string of huge robberies, and they're now pointing to an organized crime ring.

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BOLDUAN: The New York Giants are set to sign a new free agent quarterback, and he is rocking Super Bowl bling. No, it is not. Aaron Rodgers.

CNN's Coy Wire joining us now. So, what's Russell Wilson doing this morning?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. How we feeling, Giants country? Let's ride or let's cry. How are you feeling about this team announcing they've agreed to terms with ten-time pro bowler, the self- proclaimed Mr. Unlimited, Russell Wilson. Reportedly a one year deal worth up to $21 million with a $10.5 million guaranteed. He's 36 years old. He posted this picture of MetLife Stadium saying been here before, can't wait to do it again. That is where he won his Super Bowl 11 years ago, Kate. Wilson went 6-4 in Pittsburgh last season. This is his fourth team in five years. The Giants still have that number three overall pick in the upcoming draft ever.

In a relationship where you went through a bad breakup, then you have to go to a party where your ex will be, Jimmy Butler back in Miami playing his former team for the first time, Kate, after a contentious split, sent him to the Warriors. The audio didn't work on the tribute video they played for him. So, fans started chanting, let's go Heat.

Oh, Butler got plenty of boos from the fans too.

BOLDUAN: Coy, you're projecting on that one. You are projecting on that one.

WIRE: It still hurts.

BOLDUAN: You had a bad breakup, and then just projecting a little.

WIRE: It hurts so bad, Kate. Jimmy Buckets did not do well. Just two points, 11 on the night total. Look at this. Everything went right for the Heat. Kel'el Ware loses the ball, mid air grabs it and puts it off the glass and in. I know Sara Sinder loves alley-oop. That was like a self-alley-oop. Heat win 112-86.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY BUTLER III, GOLD STATE WARRIORS GUARD: I'm very appreciative for my time here, the bonds that I've built here. And, you know, when you look down the road, I mean, this was a huge part of my career. So, I continue to say that I'm very grateful. I ain't spiteful for it towards nobody. I'm just grateful for the opportunity, a lot of fan base, it's not bad. It's not all bad.

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WIRE: The Great 8 had 888 goals heading into the last night's matchup with the Jets. Alex Ovechkin needing seven more to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record, make that six, the left circle wrister with just four minutes to go, tying the game at two sending its overtime, Kate. But with just a minute in then, Winnipeg's Nikolaj Ehlers' game winner. Jets clinch a playoff spot in an O.T. stunner between the teams with the two best records in the league. O.V. has 11 games left to score those six goals and make history.

We have an NHL on TNT double header. The Devils facing off against the Blackhawks, then Stars take on McDavid and the Oilers as the rush to the playoffs heat up tonight, 7:00 Eastern on TNT and MAX. Kate?

BOLDUAN: I'm not alone today, as I feel like I never am when I get to talk to you, because you have just -- I think, Sara, do you feel disparaged?

[07:25:05]

SIDNER: A little? You bring up my name. I'm not even there.

BOLDUAN: She was like giving this face when you were talking about some alley-oop. She's coming out. She's coming for you, buddy.

SIDNER: You know what, I know you --

WIRE: I've heard her say.

SIDNER: Yes, you are right. You're a football guy though. So, one day we're going to go and hit the courts and let's see who will win in basketball because I can tell you right now, alley-oop all over you. Bye.

WIRE: Oh, look at her feeling herself, the Florida Gator. She's got her team into the Sweet 16. She's on. Oh, yes, she's on one.

BOLDUAN: I know. All I play is volleyball. I'm out of this. I'm not good at any of the rest of it. John, what do you play? Coy?

BERMAN: Look I'm just glad we could help Coy work through his bad breakup parties.

BOLDUAN: We love you, Coy. We love you.

WIRE: Love you too.

BERMAN: Moving on. All right, quote, I know exactly what I am doing. The new message from defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which Politico notes is strangely non-reassuring if you have to say it out loud.

And brand new details into the death of a 14-year-old son of a former Yankees player. Why the investigation is now focused on food poison.

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