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Trump Officials To Meet With China: Signaling Openness To Trade Negotiations; Cardinals Prepare For First Round Of Voting To Elect Pope; DOT Secretary: Working To Reduce Delays, Cancellations At Newark Airport. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired May 07, 2025 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:30:00]
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: This week a massive meeting is set in Geneva between top Trump officials and their Chinese counterparts to discuss the growing trade tensions between the world powers.
Ahead of the sit-down Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is already lowering the expectations of what might actually come out of this meeting, suggesting it's about de-escalation, not actually landing a trade deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: We have shared interests that the -- this isn't sustainable, as I said before, especially on the Chinese side. And 145 percent, 125 percent is the equivalent of an embargo. We don't want to decouple. What we want is fair trade.
My sense is that this will be about de-escalation, not about the big trade deal. And it -- but we've got to de-escalate before we can move forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: CNN's Alayna Treene is joining us from the White House. He talks about China not being able to handle this but there are a lot of business owners saying this is not something they can handle.
What are the realistic expectations to come out of this meeting?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well look, I think clearly, this -- these meetings are a good first step in the broader goal of, of course, as he put it, de-escalation, but trying to find an end to these trade war with China -- one, of course, that President Donald Trump himself has started.
Now, I'd remind you that even yesterday -- earlier Tuesday when Bessent was speaking before Congress, he acknowledged that they have not been -- Washington and Beijing had not been having significant and meaningful talks related to trade and these tariffs. And so this could really be a great first step and that's clearly how this White House and Bessent himself are trying to frame it. But just to get into the logistics here a little bit.
We know that Bessent, but also the United States trade representative Jamieson Greer -- they are headed to Geneva, Switzerland. They're going to be meeting with the Swiss president separately from their Chinese counterparts. Bessent said that they'll be meeting on Saturday and Sunday.
And I do just want to go back to some of what Bessent said in that interview because he also said that the United States and China have shared interests. He said that the current tariff war is not sustainable. And you're right, he keeps framing this, and we've heard this now repeatedly from the president's top economic advisers, that the war isn't sustainable for China. The 145 percent tariffs on China were going to make Beijing fold at some point.
But clearly, this is affecting the United States' economy as well, particularly as people are increasingly growing more concerned of a potential recession and about what these tariffs could mean for prices here in the United States.
And one other thing as well, Sara. We did hear from the president yesterday on this. He essentially said that China and the U.S. want to meet at the right time. They want to negotiate. We're going to have a meeting at the right time. That was when he was meeting with Canada's prime minister yesterday.
So clearly, we are starting to finally see the two sides recognize they need to come together. And again, hopefully, this will be a good first step in the broader goal of de-escalating this war -- trade -- tariff war.
SIDNER: Yeah. This trade is basically mutually destructive. So we will have to see what happens in this.
I do want to quickly move to another really -- speaking of mutually destructive, a really important development that we have seen when it comes to India and Pakistan. Tensions escalating. War -- on the brink of war.
What can you tell us about what the White House is saying about this?
TREENE: Yes, Sara. Obviously, this has been something that the White House has been monitoring very closely for roughly two weeks now. And they had said after the attack that essentially -- from what we've been hearing from senior officials, and this includes the vice president himself, that they recognize that there needs to be some sort of response from India -- that they supported that. But they also argued that whatever response India went with had to be proportionate and responsible.
Essentially, their main goal here is, of course, they don't want this to escalate into a full-on war without knowing when that would stop.
And so yesterday we did hear the president. He was asked about this when he was in the Oval Office with his aide Steve Witkoff. And he essentially said that it's a shame this -- what the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. He said, "I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past."
What we are hearing consistently from them is they are trying to figure out how the United States' response behind the scenes can help try to de-escalate what is clearly growing into a much broader conflict. Their big goal here is to make sure this doesn't escalate further.
We heard from Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday as well, who is now also national security adviser. Two big jobs on his plate while trying to deal with a situation like this. He essentially said that he echoed the president's comments and that he hopes this ends quickly and will continue to engage with both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peace resolution -- Sara.
SIDNER: Yeah. Two nations capable of nuclear war. No one wants this to escalate much further.
Thank you so much, Alayna Treene, for all your reporting there from the White House -- John.
[07:35:00]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, brand new this morning former President Joe Biden giving his first broadcast interview since leaving the White House. Listen to what he told the BBC.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, (D) FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the way we talk about now that well, it's the Gulf of America. Maybe we're going to have to take back Panama. Maybe we need to acquire Greenland. Maybe Canada should be a -- what the hell is going on here? What president ever talks like that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: All right, with us now CNN political commentator and former Trump White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin. And CNN political commentator and host of "Off the Cupp," S.E. Cupp is here.
S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, HOST, "OFF THE CUP" PODCAST: Hi.
BERMAN: Two things I want to talk about with former President Biden there because he was talking about foreign policy in general and President Trump's handling of it.
Politico's headline today is "World on Fire." Look, India-Pakistan.
CUPP: Yeah.
BERMAN: You have Russia still pounding Ukraine. You've got Israel taking the gloves off again perhaps in Gaza there. So when Joe Biden, the former president, is talking about this, what
do you think of his message, and then also what do you think of the messenger?
CUPP: The message is fine. The messenger is irrelevant, and that's hard to say and maybe hard for him to hear.
But listen, Democratic voters are over him. Democratic lawmakers are angry at him. And Democratic donors are over him. They're past him. They're done with him. They don't want him around.
And just practically, it's a very bad time for Joe Biden to pop up. Voters are just now starting to blame the economy on Donald Trump and less on Joe Biden. For him to pop up and remind people of the battle days is just -- it's bad timing.
He's got a great point of view on foreign policy, and he's earned it over many years, but he's an irrelevant figure in the party right now.
BERMAN: He's going to pop up tomorrow on "THE VIEW," I think with you, Alyssa -- former President Biden is.
Again, on foreign policy this is something that President Biden ran on before he dropped out, which we'll get to in just a second here.
Do voters -- how do voters feel about this message that this is all chaos?
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well, I suspect S.E. and I are getting similar texts this morning from Democratic operatives because this is the messenger no Democrat wants to see out there right now.
Listen, Joe Biden has a very mixed legacy on a number of factors. He deserves tremendous credit for holding the NATO alliance together I the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
But this is also a president who oversaw the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan that arguably has implications for the war between Israel and Gaza and other things that we see happening around the world. Something that I think has been really hard for allies and our adversaries around the world to forget about.
Listen, people are ready to move on with due respect to the former president. And most former presidents give their legacy some time to breathe.
I think of Jimmy Carter. When he lost, he did not go out there and do a lot of interviews. He gave his legacy some time. And a decade later he was one of the most beloved former presidents.
If I were giving advice to Joe Biden, it would be give your legacy some time to breathe.
Trump is actually getting --
BERMAN: Yeah.
GRIFFIN: -- some responsibility for what's happening right now. Let him own that.
BERMAN: And I'm sure you say that though excited about the booking on "THE VIEW" you have tomorrow. You're going to get a chance to talk to the former president.
GRIFFIN: But thank you for coming on.
BERMAN: Yeah.
Just one more quick bite of former President Biden then I want to move on to something else here. But he was asked a question that I think -- I know Democrats don't want to relive right now, which is should he have dropped out of the race sooner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK ROBINSON, BBC JOURNALIST: Mr. President, did you leave it too late? Should you have withdrawn earlier and given someone else a bigger chance?
BIDEN: Well, I don't -- I don't think it would have mattered.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUPP: Um.
BERMAN: And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have had that face there.
I mean, Alyssa, it may be the way he answered that question that answered the question.
GRIFFIN: It did. Listen, Kamala Harris had a 90-day stretch to run, by the way, at a time when the approval rating in the country -- the right track-wrong track -- only 28 percent of Americans thought that the country was on the right track.
You could be the greatest political candidate of all time, which the former vice president was not, and you're not going to be able to overcome that way that you're just carried down by the Biden administration.
It's also just not a feat we've ever seen in American politics --
BERMAN: Yeah.
GRIFFIN: -- where somebody's been elected in that short of a timeframe.
And to her credit, she raised a billion dollars. She set some major -- she outpaced some goals that she had.
But I think it's inarguable that more time for any other candidate on the democratic side would have been a good thing. BERMAN: All right. Quickly, S.E. --
CUPP: Um-hum.
BERMAN: -- an interesting back-and-forth -- or really just forth from former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg who did an interview last night. And look, he is out there now trying to establish what he is going to be and where he's going to go in the future.
[07:40:00]
And he was talking about an appearance from the current Education Secretary Linda McMahon. And just the context here. She was giving a talk that dealt a lot with AI (artificial intelligence) which she more than once referred to as "A1" --
CUPP: Right.
BERMAN: -- all right.
CUPP: Right -- a big (INAUDIBLE).
BERMAN: So listen to the back-and-forth here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDA MCMAHON, SECRETARY OF EDUCATION: There's a school system that's going to start making sure that first-graders or even pre-Ks have A1 teaching.
PETE BUTTIGIEG, (D) FORMER BIDEN TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: I love A1 steak sauce, but AI steak sauce is not one of the most important things confronting humanity right now. Artificial intelligence is. And somebody who doesn't understand that probably should not be leading an important federal agency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Pete Buttigieg, one of the more calculating -- calculated -- and not -- I don't mean it in a bad way --
CUPP: Yeah.
BERMAN: -- politicians out there in the world.
How do you think he's positioning himself? And how do you think -- I mean, how do you think Democratic voters hear this?
CUPP: I - well listen, he's scolding Republicans and Trump cabinet members, and that's a job to do. We do it, right? That's my job. I think that's not what's missing from the Democratic menu for voters -- scolding Trump voters and scolding Trump cabinet members.
What's missing is policy that works. And on the economy, immigration, and crime, Democratic policies were not working for enough Americans. American voters told Democrats that and Democrats said those aren't actually problems. They're made up.
So that's the deficiency that any Democrat, including Pete Buttigieg, is going to have to come up against. The scolding Trump and scolding Trump, that's taken care of. Check, check, check.
BERMAN: S.E. Cupp, Alyssa Farah Griffin, thanks so much for being with us this morning -- Sara.
SIDNER: All right. Happening right now it's the calm before the conclave. In hours, the centuries long and secretive process of choosing a pope begins and it ends with a stream of white smoke and the introduction of the next pontiff.
A group of more than 130 cardinals from around the globe will cast their first votes sometime this afternoon, and then we wait.
Joining us now is Father Thomas Reese, a senior analyst for the Religion News Service.
All right, let me just start here. What are the chances that a pope is chosen -- I know I'm asking a lot -- today?
FATHER THOMAS REESE, JESUIT PRIEST, SENIOR ANALYST, RELIGION NEWS SERVICE (via Webex by Cisco): The chances are pretty slim, but I've been wrong before. It's most likely that we'll see black smoke at the end of the day.
The cardinals are gathering in the Sistine Chapel, and the first vote will be an indication of which cardinals have support. And then they'll look around the room and say OK, this guy got more votes than I expected. Maybe he's the one -- or this one got fewer votes than I expected, so I guess he's not the one. So that's going to be what's going on after the first ballot.
SIDNER: Yeah, and I know that if you are a candidate, you shouldn't be trying to push your name out there because that can be looked upon as a no-no and could hurt your chances.
I know they've taken all of their electronics so they're really now in a place of having to concentrate on this very task.
I do want to ask you about something you were quoted in in The New York Times. You talked about the tragedy of Pope Francis. How his supporters wanted to see someone like him in their own parishes but were often disappointed.
He brought a more accepting mindset. A more liberal mindset to the papacy.
Do you think cardinals will think about this when they try to decide who should be the next pontiff?
REESE: I think that's a really, really good question because are we going to have another charismatic pope like Pope Francis or is it going to be someone who continues the legacy of Pope Francis but is not as charismatic? There's nobody like Pope Francis in the College of Cardinals, so he's a very hard act to follow.
But that's what the cardinals will be thinking about as they gather to vote.
SIDNER: I do want to ask you about this because Europe -- and there are some places, including Europe, that have seen a decline in Catholic populations while Africa has experienced a huge growth -- the greatest growth of Catholics.
How much does growing the church play into who gets the papacy? Who people decide to vote for?
REESE: Well, the College of Cardinals is very different from what it was, say, 50, even 100 years ago when the Italians dominated the college and the Europeans. Today we have more cardinals from the global south than we have from Europe.
When Francis was elected, one-fourth of the College of Cardinals was Italian. Today it's only 12 percent. That's just a little more than what the Americans have.
[07:45:00]
So it's a different college. A different set of voters. And the people from the global south have very different priorities from those in Europe and the United States.
SIDNER: Yeah, it's fascinating to sort of listen to you trying to figure this out because we all are.
The church, though, has endured some serious scandals and had to pay out tens of millions to victims of abuse. The church has money problems.
Is that part of the calculation as to who gets picked? Is it going to be someone that very much can deal with the business of the church as well?
REESE: Well, you know, the church is a huge organization -- 1.4 billion people. So you do need managers in the church, but it doesn't have to necessarily be the pope. If he has good judgment in picking people, he can pick someone who can deal with the finances. He can pick someone who can deal with the bureaucracy, but he's got to have good judgment in terms of who he picks.
SIDNER: Well, I must say the skies have finally cleared. It is a very beautiful day there at Vatican City. And I know, Father Thomas Reese, that you will be watching very closely to find out who the next pontiff is, as will all of we.
Thank you so much for coming on this morning and talking us through that. I really appreciate you. Have a great day -- Kate.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are following the latest on Newark's airport and its air traffic control system meltdown. What one air traffic controller tells CNN and calls it the most dangerous situation you could have that day.
And there's also new evidence in the Karen Read murder re-trial that a lot of people are talking about. A state trooper testifying that she called her police officer boyfriend 52 times after dropping him off on the night that he died.
(COMMERCIAL)
[07:51:30]
BOLDUAN: Newark Airport in New Jersey facing another day -- a 10th consecutive day of what has become cascading delays and cancelations. And still no fix really in place after that temporary radar and communications outage left air traffic control essentially blind with planes in the air.
And now CNN has new reporting and insight into that day this happened. An air traffic controller on duty telling CNN that it was "the most dangerous situation you could have." And according to the controller, the feed had gone down at least two times before. In talking about one of the previous incidents, the air traffic controller said, "It was just by the grace God that there wasn't another plane in his way."
Joining us right now is New Jersey State Senator Jon Bramnick. He's also running in the Republican primary for governor obviously there in New Jersey. Senator, thank you so much for being here.
You are calling for the FAA to, as you have put it in a statement I saw, take all necessary steps to resolve the staffing issues and the technology issues at Newark.
What answers have you received about how this is going to get fixed and if not fixed, at least better, at least?
SEN. JON BRAMNICK, (R) NEW JERSEY STATE SENATOR, NEW JERSEY GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE (via Webex by Cisco): Well first, air traffic controllers have gone out on trauma leave. Can you imagine being on a plane and you hear something, and you look at the flight attendant and she or he looks scared? So the public now is in fear, which means people will avoid Newark Airport. They'll avoid United Airlines, which is a hub.
So I reached out to all parties, including the Port Authority, the governor, the FAA, the DOT, and here is -- apparently, it's a multifaceted problem, so it's my understanding the DOT and FAA are going to release a statement.
But this involves technology lapses, it involves a runway construction project, it involves a shortage of air traffic controllers all coming together at the same time.
This is why people are so concerned about government. We just spent hundreds of millions of dollars on terminal A through the Port Authority. The most beautiful terminal in the world. It actually won awards around the world. Meanwhile, a wire breaks, and they can't land planes. This is why people lose confidence in government. So what we're trying
to do now is bring everybody, this week, together and develop a plan so the traveling public feels safe. As I said, going out on trauma leave? Let me tell you, there are people who fly every day and they're having trauma in their head.
We don't need -- we don't need the air traffic controllers or the federal government to say you know something. We have a serious problem. So hopefully, we're going to all get together and get answers very quickly.
BOLDUAN: Yeah. I mean, let me play -- on getting answers and getting something done, let me play for you what the Secretary of Transportation told my colleague Jake Tapper just yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN DUFFY, SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: Immediately, we're in the process of bringing together all the airlines that serve Newark and putting them in a room and having a conversation about how they reduce their capacity in Newark. So if you book a flight, you know it's not going to be delayed or canceled. You are actually going to get on that flight and it's going to fly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: That means -- it sounds like that means less flights in and out of Newark. I mean, what is your reaction to that if that's the fix? Is that an acceptable result here?
[07:55:00]
BRAMNICK: Well, it is if it means safety for the traveling passengers coming out of New Jersey. It's sad though that we got to this point. This didn't happen overnight. This is something where people didn't have their eye on the ball for years and all of a sudden this is a crisis.
So yes, you have to reduce the number of flights. Now, it's not because we want to. It's not that we like that. It's just that for safety reasons obviously the FAA and the Department of Transportation think it's necessary.
But this is such an important hub for the Northeast and it's very sad that government -- and I think I'd blame both administrations -- we're at that point. So hopefully now we're going to work to fix it. And one thing good about America is when they recognize a crisis, and sometimes they're a little slow to recognize the crisis, then we'll get something done.
So all eyes are now on Newark Airport and that is a really good thing in our country because when we really look at stuff, we can fix stuff. And when no one was looking for years, we ended up with a crisis, and that's pretty sad.
BOLDUAN: Yeah, but you're -- you are calling it a crisis and you can be sure that it is definitely getting a lot of attention right now as this -- sad though, as you say, that the deficiencies in the system have been known, I heard one expert tell us yesterday, since the '90s -- and then it's gotten to this.
New Jersey State Senator John Bramnick, thank you.
BRAMNICK: One last thing.
BOLDUAN: Go ahead.
BRAMNICK: Thank you so much, Kate.
BOLDUAN: Thank you. I really appreciate it -- John.
BERMAN: All right. New this morning the measles outbreak in the Southwest has reached more than 830 cases, the largest in 25 years. More than 700 of those are in Texas. Officials there have been urging people to get vaccinated. Throughout the United States there have been 935 confirmed cases this year and three confirmed deaths, including two children, all of whom were unvaccinated.
As of today, fluoride will no longer be added to public water -- drinking water in Utah. The mineral helps prevent tooth decay and has been added to public water systems in the U.S. since 1945. Other states, including Florida, are now moving towards similar bans despite experts predicting a rise in health complications, especially for children in low-income families.
This morning legendary Motown singer Smokey Robinson is facing sexual assault allegations made by four unnamed women who say they worked as housekeepers for Robinson and his wife at various times from 2006 to 2024. According to the complaint, each accuser said he resigned because of Robinson's "repeated sexual assaults and sexual harassment." They are seeking at least $50 million in damages. CNN has reached out to representatives for Robinson -- Sara.
SIDNER: All right. Thank you, John.
This morning a broken tail light, more than 50 phone calls, and eight voicemails -- all evidence during Karen Read's murder re-trial. Her own words were on full display in court. Prosecutors played those voicemails that she left for her Boston police office boyfriend John O'Keefe in the hours before his body was discovered in the snow.
CNN's Jean Casarez is following all of that. The prosecutor said that Read was in a drunken rage the night that O'Keefe was killed. What does she say in these voicemails?
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN REPORTER: Well, we're going to play some. We all know that Karen Read and John O'Keefe pulled up to the front of the house. We know John O'Keefe got out of the car. We know that she left. About two minutes after she left those calls began.
We want to play for you excerpts of two of them. There's a lot of profanity -- we've bleeped it out -- but take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAREN READ, ON TRIAL FOR MURDERING BOYFRIEND JOHN O'KEEFE: John, I'm here with your (bleep) kids. Nobody knows what the (bleep) you (bleep) pervert.
Yeah, it's one in the morning. I'm with your (bleep) niece and nephew. You (bleep) pervert. You're a (bleep) pervert.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: She's so angry right here. Both sides can use it -- the anger. The intent to commit a crime. The recklessness to commit a crime.
The other one is she's not saying she killed him. She wants him home.
Take a listen to another call.
SIDNER: Hmm.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
READ: John, I'm going home. I cannot babysit (MINOR 1). I need to go home. You -- you are (bleep) using me right now. You're (bleep) another girl. (MINOR 2) is sleeping next to me. You're a (bleep) loser. Go (bleep) yourself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: Yikes.
CASAREZ: So these calls and voicemails went to close to 6:00 a.m. in the morning. At 8:00 a.m., two hours later, John O'Keefe had been declared dead at the hospital.
A lieutenant got a call "we need to do a welfare check at John O'Keefe's home because we believe two children may be alone." He's in the squad car. His camera is on. They saved that footage. They happen to have it. I think we have a still photo.
He pulls up in the driveway. Look at that car. The jury saw it yesterday. They're going to have to decide. You see the red tail light on the left-hand side. On the right-hand side, if you look closely at it -- is that tail light intact? Law enforcement had not gotten that car yet. It was still in the possession of Karen Read.
