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Putin Reacts to U.S. Ceasefire Proposal for Ukraine; U.S. Stocks Tumble as Trump's Trade War Escalates; Protestors Demanding Khalil Release Arrested at Trump Tower; Rape, Sexual Violence Against Children Soars in Eastern DRC; Police: Man Held Captive by Stepmom for Two Decades; Passengers Flee Burning Plane by Climbing onto Wing. Aired 12-12:45a ET
Aired March 14, 2025 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, welcome to all you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
[00:00:07]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I have reservations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Vladimir Putin throws cold water on the Ukraine ceasefire proposal, hoping to win more concessions before stopping the fighting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Now, there'll be a little disruption, but it won't be very long.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump tries to downplay sinking U.S. markets just as another key index enters correction territory.
And scary moments for passengers who are forced to evacuate onto their airplane's wing moments after it catches fire.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: Kyiv is moving to capitalize on Russia's unenthusiastic reaction to the U.S. 30-day ceasefire proposal for Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed reservations about the proposal after Moscow received it on Thursday. He raised so many questions about how it would work, he made it clear it doesn't go far enough.
Ukraine has already signed off on the plan, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the Kremlin of dragging its feet without saying "no" to it. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Now we have all heard from Russia. Very predictable, very manipulative words from Putin, in response to the idea of the ceasefire on the front line. He is actually preparing a refusal as of now.
Putin, of course, is afraid to tell President Trump directly that he wants to continue this war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: U.S. President Donald Trump reacted to the Kremlin's answer while meeting with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte. Trump said he still has leverage to turn up the pressure on Russia if needed, but he wouldn't say how.
He suggested Putin's response was a good start. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He put out a very promising statement, but it wasn't complete. And yes, I'd love to meet with him or talk to him, but we have to get it over with fast.
Thousands of people a week are dying, so we really don't have very much time. We have to make this fast. It shouldn't be very complicated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow with more on Russia's response.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Just hours after visiting his generals near the front lines in the Kursk region, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, back in Moscow, pouring cold water on President Trump's initiative for an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine.
PUTIN (through translator): I would like to begin with words of gratitude to the U.S. president, Mr. Trump, for paying so much attention to the settlement in Ukraine.
We agree with the proposals to end hostilities, but we proceed from the fact that this end should be such that it would lead to a long- term peace and eliminate the root causes of this crisis.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): In other words, the Russians want to hammer out a full peace deal before ending the fighting, even as the Trump administration says the shooting should stop immediately.
The U.S. president had hoped Putin would fully endorse his proposal.
TRUMP: Now we're going to see whether or not Russia is there. And if they're not, it will be a very disappointing moment for the world.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): This, as Russian forces say, they've been making major gains in the Kursk region, Ukraine's last small foothold on Russian territory.
Putin's soldiers are now patrolling the streets in small towns leveled by the battles.
"There was fierce fighting here," this soldier says. "Ukrainian troops brought in heavy equipment and shot at the building, point-blank. But the buildings are strong, the walls are strong. So, the defense held up."
Putin went on to say he has concerns that the Ukrainians will use a ceasefire to regroup and rearm if Moscow's troops take their foot off the gas now.
PUTIN (through translator): So, these 30 days will be used how? So that forced mobilization continues in Ukraine? So that weapons are delivered there? So that units undergo training?
Or if nothing of such sort will happen, then the question arises: how will the issue of control and verification be resolved? And how will we be guaranteed that nothing like this will happen?
PLEITGEN (voice-over): While the Ukrainians have fully signed off on the ceasefire proposal and say they're willing to implement it immediately, the Russians say they see little benefit in freezing the fighting, although Putin says he, too, wants to see the war come to an end.
PUTIN (through translator): I think that we need to talk about this with our American colleagues, partners. Maybe call President Trump and discuss it with him. But the idea itself, to end this conflict by peaceful means, is supported by us.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: And for more analysis, were joined by retired Colonel Cedric Leighton, who is a CNN military analyst.
Good to see you again. So, I want to start with Moscow's reaction to this ceasefire proposal. Putin saying the general idea is fine, but he has all sorts of conditions.
So, what do you make of where things stand right now? Is Putin just essentially playing for time here?
[00:05:04]
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, I think so, Kim. Good to be with you again.
This is one of those classic Russian moves where they will accept things in principle, and it will look good, you know, with them saying nice things. But now we're getting into a -- to a point where what you're actually seeing is the efforts to draw things out.
So, what Putin is doing is he's basically listing a few conditions that will be very difficult, if not impossible, for the Ukrainians to meet. And that will then really, I think, make it very hard for the Americans to come in and try to get a deal from Putin.
What -- we'll see, of course, what happens with Mr. Witkoff's trip to Moscow, see if that bears any fruit. But I think the idea that this will become a ceasefire that will last 30 days or so, that's going to take a while to get there, if it ever happens.
BRUNHUBER: So, as you say, we're waiting to hear of any outcome from -- from Witkoff's trip. Putin has got so much from Trump so far. Is it possible that he has no incentive to negotiate with anyone except for Trump, if at all?
LEIGHTON: Yes, I think that's -- that's actually quite key.
One of the things that's very interesting is when you look at what President Zelenskyy of Ukraine was saying in response to what Putin said in his press conference.
Basically, what you had is Zelenskyy was trying to interpret what -- what Putin had been saying. And the fact of the matter is, is that when you look at the way in which Putin is dealing with this, he believes that the only interlocutors, people that he can talk to, are basically Trump and -- and the American team.
That's going to be, I think, very difficult for the Ukrainian side, because they will be, I think, concerned -- and rightly concerned -- that the U.S. will give away too much when it comes to working with the Russians.
And that's -- that's something where we will see potential territorial issues come about; where Ukraine will possibly be forced to give up territory.
There will also be demands, perhaps, on NATO itself. Certainly, the idea that Ukraine would not become a member of NATO, that might be something that shows up.
And we also will perhaps see a demand that the Russians don't want NATO to be posted, as -- have its troops posted as far East as they currently are.
So, we'll see what the -- what the Russians do. Hopefully, the right moves will be made by both the United States and by Ukraine, but it is definitely a difficult situation that we're entering into at this point.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. All that still to be determined.
You talked about territory. So on -- on the battlefield, it looks more and more like Russia will recapture all of what -- what it lost in Kursk.
Kursk -- Kursk was expected to be used by Ukraine as a bargaining chip in these negotiations with the Kremlin. So, if Russia does reclaim it all, what would that mean tactically and politically for both sides?
LEIGHTON: Yes, tactically, of course, it's going to be hard for the Ukrainians to maintain their presence in Kursk, especially if reports are accurate that about 86 percent of the territory that the Ukrainians had captured is now back in Russian hands.
So, that really limits their leverage. In essence, they have no leverage using that particular territory that they had taken back this past summer.
But the other part of it, you know, being the more -- more political part of it, you're looking at, I think, a very difficult effort by the Ukrainians to not only run the negotiations that way, but from a military standpoint, to hold territory in the adjacent parts of Ukraine.
So, this means that the Sumy region, which is just South of the Kursk region, that is going to be something where the Ukrainians will have to make sure that they have enough of a -- a force there that can keep the Russians on their side of the border. So that's going to be key for the Ukrainians.
And we also have to, of course, watch what the Russians are doing with Belarus, because the meeting that Putin had today with President Lukashenko of Belarus, that really shows that there is a deepening alliance between the two countries.
And we can't forget that Belarus was one of the jumping off points for the invasion that occurred back in February of 2022.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, so much in the balance right now, both militarily and diplomatically.
Always great to get your analysis. Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you so much.
LEIGHTON: You bet, Kim. Any time.
BRUNHUBER: All right.
U.S. Stocks plunged Thursday as President Donald Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on European allies. Have a look at this.
The Dow fell 537 points. The NASDAQ dropped around 2 percent. And the S&P tumbled into correction territory, down 10 percent from its record high last month.
[00:10:08]
Now, the sell-off extends a rout in the U.S. markets, driven by uncertainty around Trump's tariffs. But Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says he's not worried about what he called a little bit of volatility. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: What we're focused on is the -- we're focused on the real economy. Can we create an environment where there are long-term gains in the market and long-term gains for the American people?
I'm not concerned about the -- a little bit of volatility over three weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: President Trump is now vowing to slap a 200 percent tariff on wine, champagne, and other alcohol products from Europe unless the European Union removes a tariff it put on U.S. whiskey.
In a social media post, he called the E.U., quote, "one of the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the world."
European Commissioner Michael McGrath told CNN the escalating trade war will cost jobs and hurt businesses. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL MCGRATH, EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER: We will respond in a firm but a proportionate way. But this is not where we want to be. Tariffs are, ultimately, a tax on consumers here in the United States and in Europe. And they will hurt businesses, and they will cost jobs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: CNN's Jeff Zeleny is following the latest developments at the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As President Trump ends another week here at the White House, the financial markets have been roiled once again, reacting to the trade war and the tariff policies that have really driven down stocks and have raised questions about this administration's policies.
But the president on Thursday saying he's taking the long view.
TRUMP: We're not going to bend. We've been ripped off as a country for many, many years.
We don't need their cars. We don't need their energy. We don't need their lumber.
Now there'll be a little disruption, but it won't be very long. But they need us. We really don't need them.
ZELENY: The president saying it won't be very long. But that, of course, will be one of the metrics to which he is judged going forward.
Will the markets still continue to have an adverse reaction to what these policies are doing?
Now, the White House says, look, the market goes up, the market goes down. But it is clear the uncertainty that the trade war has signaled is really sparking uncertainty in the markets.
The president, though, embracing this policy, is looking ahead to even more tariffs when the reciprocal ones go into effect in April.
The bottom line to all of this, the White House saying, look, judge the president by what he did in his first term. But the reality is he's now being judged by his policies of the second.
Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is defending his decision to support a Republican spending bill which would avert a government shutdown.
His announcement surprised many Democrats who were ready for a fight against President Trump and congressional Republicans. But Schumer says a shutdown would put every part of the government at Trump's disposal. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): I have said many times there are no winners in a government shutdown, but there are certainly victims.
I believe it is my job to make the best choice for the country, to minimize the harms to the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: House Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez still plans to oppose the bill. She says some members of her party feel betrayed by Schumer.
A source says some Democrats are so angry they're encouraging her to challenge him for his Senate seat.
The Trump Tower lobby in Manhattan overwhelmed by protesters, many of them arrested as they demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate detained for his on-campus activism. That's next.
Plus, dramatic video of passengers escaping a burning aircraft by evacuating onto its wing. We'll have much more on that and more coming up. Please stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:18:22]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Protesters filled the atrium at Trump Tower in New York on Thursday to denounce the arrest of Palestinian activist and U.S. resident Mahmoud Khalil.
Demonstrators chanted "Free Mahmoud Khalil" and unfurled banners that read "Never again for anyone."
Ninety-eight people were arrested.
Khalil remains detained by immigration authorities over his involvement in last year's protests at Columbia University against the war in Gaza.
CNN's Omar Jimenez has details on the Trump Tower protests.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A little less than 100 protesters were arrested in total for demonstrating inside Trump Tower in support of Mahmoud Khalil, the now former Columbia University student who last year was one of the leaders who helped lead some of the protests we saw happen on that campus.
He's currently being held at an ICE detention facility in Louisiana.
But as for the protesters here, they entered the Trump -- they entered Trump Tower with jackets and coats on, as we understand from a law enforcement source. And then opened those jackets and coats up to reveal those red shirts. That's when the chanting began.
Law enforcement showed up not too long after, asked them to leave, which some did. But then others did not, and many were then zip-tied with their hands behind their backs before they were put onto busses to then face what we understand to be some minor charges.
Now as they were being led out, a group started to form in the area outside of Trump Tower. And we heard chants, things like, "Fight Nazis, not students," of course, in reference to Khalil.
The group that organized these protests, known as Jewish Voice for Peace, they describe themselves as a grassroots organization, but they do typically support many Palestinian causes.
[00:20:11]
Take a listen to what one of the leaders of that group told me about some of why they wanted to be here.
SONYA MEYERSON-KNOX, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE: We ourselves are Jewish, and we know what happens when a government, be it the Israeli government or our own government, when an authoritarian government starts scapegoating, and targeting, and making threats and/or genocidal actions against people. We know where that leads. As Jews, we know our history, and we are here to say, "Never again."
JIMENEZ: Now, she also said they believe President Trump and the Trump administration are infringing upon Khalil's civil rights.
The administration has equated Khalil's protest activity to terrorism. At least the president has on social media: supporting terrorism.
And the deportation efforts come under a broad range of power that the secretary of state has to deport someone who may have adverse effects on United States foreign policy interests.
Regardless, Khalil's attorneys have argued that all of this is just retaliation for protest activity and infringing upon Khalil's First Amendment rights, which green-card holders generally do have.
Omar Jimenez, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: A new report by a U.N. commission accuses Israel of carrying out, quote, "genocidal acts" against Palestinians in Gaza.
The report, published Thursday, says Israeli authorities partially destroyed the reproductive capability of Palestinians in Gaza as a group through the systematic destruction of sexual and reproductive healthcare facilities.
The commission also cited the growing proportion of female deaths and the targeting of women and girls in Gaza, which the U.N. says is meant to terrorize Palestinians.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS SIDOTI, MEMBER OF U.N. INDEPENDENT INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION: The frequency, prevalence, and severity of sexual and gender-based crimes perpetrated across the occupied Palestinian territory leads the commission to conclude that sexual and gender-based violence is increasingly used as a method of war by Israel to destabilize, dominate, oppress, and destroy the Palestinian people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The Israeli mission to the U.N. said Israel categorically rejects what it says are unfounded allegations.
And according to another new report from the U.N., rape and sexual violence against children is skyrocketing in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The horrifying attacks come as violence in the Eastern region of the DRC reaches its most serious point in more than a decade of conflict. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz brings us some of the accounts, as told by the
survivors themselves.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A crisis of rape and sexual violence against children is unfolding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
There, aid workers tell us hundreds of children have been raped, most by armed men, according to UNICEF.
Now, we have testimonies from two survivors. But before I read them, I want to give you a trigger warning. We're also going to keep the identities of these victims anonymous for their protection.
These are the words of a 14-year-old girl.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have no mother, no father. My grandmother is the only family I have left. She has cared for me all my life, despite her old age and fragile health.
On the night of January 26th, around 9 p.m., during the armed clashes, two men with guns entered our home. My grandmother could do nothing but watch as they raped me. She cried, but she was powerless.
We kept it a secret. I didn't tell anyone. My grandmother was too ashamed and afraid.
ABDELAZIZ: Now one of the most dangerous things for a child to do in the Democratic Republic of the Congo today is to draw water from a well. That's how this nightmare began for a mother of two.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): "My two daughters, ages 15 and 13, became victims of rape this morning. They were going to draw water when six armed men isolated them and raped them, in turn.
"I wanted to intervene, but I had just escaped death after being shot at twice.
"My daughters are in very critical condition. Please pray for them. We need your support and help."
The fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to escalate. And aid workers say they are receiving cases of children raped by armed men on a near daily basis.
Salma Abdelaziz. CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The man who says his stepmother held him captive for more than 20 years. We'll share his story and how he risked his life to finally escape. That's next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [00:29:25]
BRUNHUBER: Welcome back, to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
Emergency crews in the U.S. state of Connecticut made a disturbing discovery last month while responding to a house fire.
At the property, they found a middle-aged woman and her 32-year-old stepson, who claimed he'd been kept secret his entire life and revealed startling allegations of abuse.
CNN's Jean Casarez has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHIEF FERNANDO SPAGNOLO: Thirty-three years of law enforcement. This is the worst treatment of humanity that I've ever witnessed.
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When authorities were called to a home on fire, they were looking for anyone who may be trapped inside.
SPAGNOLO: Officers and fire investigators quickly realized that there was a room in the house that appeared to have locks on it from the exterior portion of the house.
CASAREZ (voice-over): A 32-year-old man was locked inside that room.
SPAGNOLO: They began to speak to the male victim, who disclosed that he was being held captive in the house for an extended period of time.
CASAREZ (voice-over): The man was treated for smoke inhalation, and police say he admitted to setting the fire to gain his freedom.
He also told them he'd been held captive for more than 20 years by his stepmother, since he was about 11 years old. He said he was only fed two sandwiches and two cups of water a day.
Authorities say he was held in an eight-by-nine-foot storage room with no heat or air conditioning, and he suffered serious physical consequences.
According to a police affidavit, the 32-year-old is five feet, nine inches tall and just 68.7 pounds.
SPAGNOLO: There's a lot of physical therapy that he'll have to go through. There's a lot of healing that he'll have to go through.
CASAREZ (voice-over): According to law enforcement, authorities went to the home twice in April of 2004. The first visit was a welfare check requested by the Department of Children and Families.
SPAGNOLO: Officers went to the house. The house was clean. It was lived in. They spoke to the -- the victim at that point in time, and there were no cause for any alarm. CASAREZ (voice-over): Later that month, the family attempted to file
harassment charges, because the school district continued reporting the family to DCF. The affidavit says after that, his stepmother pulled him out of school.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just unfathomable that anyone could treat someone this way.
CASAREZ (voice-over): The alleged victim says he wasn't allowed to use the bathroom and instead had to use bottles and newspaper.
His stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, was arrested on charges of assault, second-degree kidnaping and first-degree unlawful restraint. Her attorney says the allegations against her are not true.
IOANNIS A. KALOIDIS, KIMBERLY SULLIVAN'S DEFENSES ATTORNEY: Absolutely not true. He was not locked in a room. She did not restrain him in any way. She provided food. She provided shelter. She is blown away by these allegations.
CASAREZ (voice-over): Jean Casarez, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Scary moments at the Denver airport. An engine on a plane caught fire, and passengers were forced to evacuate, walking onto the wing of the aircraft. That's next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:37:15]
BRUNHUBER: Well, there was a shocking scene at the airport in Denver, Colorado, on Thursday as dozens of airplane passengers were forced to evacuate a burning jet by climbing onto its wing.
CNN's Pete Muntean has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: The images are dramatic, showing a commercial flight on the ground, on fire, and the successful evacuation of its passengers, according to American Airlines.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): It says its Flight 1006 had just landed at Denver International Airport after diverting there only moments before. The flight was on its way on Thursday from Colorado Springs to Dallas-Fort Worth when the crew, according to the FAA, apparently reported an engine vibration and decided to divert to Denver.
The FAA says the flight taxied to the gate where the right engine caught on fire. You can see in the images the response from first responders there at the airport trying to put this fire out, and passengers deplaning from the overwing exits onto the left wing of this plane, a Boeing 737-800, not a 737 MAX. It uses engines from CFM. That's a French-American conglomerate.
Investigators from the FAA will no doubt want to look at the engines and figure out what caused this fire to happen.
Still, some major questions here.
MUNTEAN: And some major questions about the evacuation. Passengers waiting for other flights in the terminal there at Denver International Airport said they had to watch helplessly as these passengers evacuated. They said they looked onto this terrified.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The two astronauts stuck on the International Space Station will have to wait a bit longer to return home. Their replacements' launch was scrubbed on Wednesday and is now scheduled to take off on Friday.
NASA's Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been on the ISS for nine months. They were only meant to be there for several days.
NASA says a ground issue was to blame for the launch delay. When the SpaceX rocket does launch, it will carry astronauts from the U.S. and Japan and a Russian cosmonaut to the ISS.
Well, outrage and disbelief in Australia after video purportedly showed an American tourist picking up and running off with and then releasing a wild baby wombat. And on the background, you can see the joey's distressed mother chasing after the woman and then hovering near the car.
Wombats are marsupials native to Australia and protected by law. Australia's prime minister had some choice words for Sam Jones, the woman in the video. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: They are gentle, lovely creatures. To take a baby wombat from its mother and clearly causing distress from the mother, is just an outrage.
And, you know, I suggest to this so-called influencer maybe she might try some other Australian animals. Take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: So, we understand now that Jones has left Australia. Officials said they'd review her visa and could cancel it if immigration laws were breached.
CNN has reached out to her for comment but hasn't received a response.
I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM. But first, WORLD SPORT starts after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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(WORLD SPORT)
