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Extreme Weather Conditions Threaten Millions of Americans; Trump Attacks Political Foes in Partisan DOJ Speech; Starmer Aims to Ramp Up Economic Pressure on Russia; Stocks and Confidence Down During Volatile Week; U.S. Senate Passes Trump-Backed Government Funding Bill; Hamas: Prepared to Released American-Israeli Hostage; New Details About Missing U.S. College Student in Punta Cana. Aired 5-6 am ET

Aired March 15, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:31]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

A level five threat: Why meteorologists say the storm system rolling across the southeast is particularly dangerous. It's a new era at the Department of Justice as Donald Trump declares himself the chief law enforcement officer. We'll have the president's message to his perceived personal enemies.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party could be due for some soul searching amid divisions over that Republican funding bill. We'll dig into the debate.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: Millions of Americans are facing dangerous weather conditions as a storm system roars across the Midwest and the South. Wildfires started popping up in Oklahoma and Texas on Friday afternoon, forcing evacuations. Strong winds and bone-dry conditions are feeding those flames.

Numerous tornadoes and hurricane force winds have been reported across the southern plains and weather officials say more are on the way. One man in Missouri came about as close to a tornado as you would want to when it touched down near a gas station where he was parked. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God. Tornadoes in this. Is this coming? Oh, it's here. It's here. Look at all that debris. Oh, my God. We are in a tornado.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: It's part of a major low-pressure system that's pounded the central U.S. with strong winds and is soon to take aim at the southeast.

CNN's Derek Van Dam has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yesterday's weather was the appetizer for the main dish that will be served up in the form of a potential severe weather outbreak across the deep south today. Just to give you an indication of how severe the storm has been, look at this video coming out of Stillwater, Oklahoma. These are people fleeing from a brush fire, fleeing from their homes.

Also, take note of the orange hue in the sky. This is actually dust mixing in with the smoke from the surrounding fires, and that is being whipped around by winds in excess of 75 miles per hour. There was one brush fire in the Texas Panhandle that burned the equivalent of a football field every two seconds.

Again, it's all thanks to the strong, very powerful winds that have the potential to bring damage through this region. Fortunately, they are starting to die down, but this satellite image really tells you a lot. That Stillwater fire, there it is, erupting just north and east of Oklahoma. This light shading of gray, that's actually the dust that was picked up by those hurricane force wind gusts.

So, this is all part of a large storm system, very powerful and dynamic spring-like storm that will bring the potential for a major, significant tornado outbreak through the course of the day today.

So, this area here that you see in the shading of pink, that's known as a high risk. And just to give you an example of how confident the Storm Prediction Center is in a major outbreak of severe storms. This is only the third time in history that they've issued that high risk this far in advance. So, that's really saying something about their confidence in what's going to unfold through the course of the day.

So, we will be waking up to the tornado threat across Mississippi this morning, and then that advances eastward by midday, nearing the border of Mississippi and Alabama. Heads up this evening, Birmingham, you have the potential for stronger thunderstorms. By the way, the severe weather threat extends further north into Cincinnati as well as Nashville. And then as we head into the overnight hours, we're talking early Sunday morning, this will move into the greater Atlanta metro region.

So, that time frame of 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. has the potential for nocturnal tornadoes, which of course are extremely dangerous. You and I will be sleeping. You need to have multiple ways to receive emergency notifications. Do not rely on a tornado siren to wake you up in the middle of the night, thanks to impending severe weather.

This hatched area, by the way, from the Storm Prediction Center, which encompasses a large part of the deep south, that is the potential for EF2 or stronger tornadoes within this hatched region. So, we're talking 111 miles per hour. That storm system moves east on Sunday. This is our severe weather threat, not as widespread, not as severe, but still something to consider. Roanoke, Charlotte, all the way to Tallahassee, Florida.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[05:05:08]

BRUNHUBER: President Trump is vowing to use the U.S. Justice Department to target his own perceived enemies. The threats came in a campaign-style speech inside the department's historic Great Hall. U.S. presidents traditionally distance themselves from the DOJ so that its work will not appear political. But on Friday, Trump called himself the country's, quote, "Chief Law Enforcement Officer," a title usually reserved for the U.S. Attorney General.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENT: We're turning the page on four long years of corruption, weaponization, and surrender to violent criminals. We must be honest about the lies and abuses that have occurred within these walls. They tried to turn America into a corrupt communist and third-world country.

But in the end, the thugs failed. Our predecessors turned this Department of Justice into the Department of Injustice. But I stand before you today to declare that those days are over, and they are never going to come back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The President also promised to remove what he called rogue actors and corrupt forces from the government.

CNN's Paula Reid reports from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Trump has made no secret of the anger and bitterness that he has towards the Justice Department, given that for nearly a decade he has been facing federal criminal investigations from this very institution.

So we weren't quite sure what to expect when he took the stage Friday. But during his speech, he certainly aired his usual grievances about prosecutors, both federal and state, who have pursued charges against him. He also called out investigators like Jack Smith and other people like James Comey, who he believes targeted him intentionally. But there really wasn't a lot that we hadn't heard before. This could have been a real barn burner of a speech. But for the most part, Trump stuck to his teleprompter. This was supposed to be a speech, according to the White House, about restoring law and order in America. He did touch on many of those themes, though the bulk of this speech was partisan and was focused on attacking the investigators who have targeted Trump specifically.

Now, it is not common for a sitting president of the United States to address the Justice Department, but it does happen. I was here a decade ago when President Obama gave a speech in this same hall. Now, you can see on the stage it's being carried away. But right here, there are some props that are supposed to represent Fentanyl. Trump did talk about Fentanyl at the end of his speech.

But overall, while it is highly unusual for someone to come and rail against the Justice Department inside the Justice Department, never mind a sitting president, when it comes to President Trump specifically, these are mostly things that he has said publicly.

Some he has been raised in courtrooms when he has been frustrated with the criminal justice process. So, overall, the speech seemed somewhat subdued. It could have been a lot more scorched earth than it was.

Again, up against regular norms, yes, this is unusual. Some people might find it offensive, but it was really nothing new for President Trump.

Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. Senate passed a spending bill on Friday avoiding government shutdown, with hours to spare. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and nine others are now facing backlash after joining with Republicans to get it approved. Democrats are grappling with how to move forward after the vote exposed deep rifts within the party. But Senator Schumer says he's confident he did the right thing. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY) U.S. MAJORITY LEADER: I felt, and those who voted with me felt, that as bad as the CR was, and I know a lot of members didn't like the CR, the government shutdown would be far worse. My job as leader is to lead the party, and if there's going to be danger in the near future, to protect the party. And I'm proud I did it. I knew I did the right thing, and I knew there'd be some disagreements.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: President Trump praised the senator, saying it took guts and courage to back a Republican-led bill.

Russia could face more economic pressure to negotiate a peace deal with Ukraine. In the next hour, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host a virtual meeting with about 25 other world leaders. His office says he plans to urge them to use more economic leverage to force Russia to negotiate. President Vladimir Putin gave an unenthusiastic response to the U.S. cease-fire proposal earlier this week. He said he agreed with it in principle, but added a list of conditions and demands from Ukraine.

The U.S. envoy met with Putin in Moscow on Thursday, and the U.S. President Donald Trump is still optimistic about the message from the Kremlin. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: So we'll see what happens with regard to all of it. But I'm getting, from the standpoint about a ceasefire and ultimately a deal, some pretty good vibes coming out of Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Nic Robertson is monitoring developments in London, and he joins us live. So, Nic, take us through what kind of pressure on Russia we can expect from these leaders.

[05:10:01]

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, and I think the tone that you're going to hear from the British Prime Minister and from some of the others who will be joining him in this virtual meeting today is rather less the belief that there are some good vibes coming.

In fact, some of the things Keir Starmer is likely to say is going to say that President Putin is playing games with President Trump's peace deal, that President Putin is, in essence, prevaricating creating these other issues and saying he's going to have a complex study of the negotiations and the deal that's on the table.

So I think the push that you're going to hear, the sense you're going to get from the British Prime Minister, from the others coming from this virtual conference, which is a follow-on of so many meetings that have been had at this very, very senior leadership level over the past few weeks, is one that's going to call for Putin to get on with it, to do what was requested, to sign up to this deal without complaints, without pulling it apart, without asking for additional items and wanting specific requests, all of that, and what the Prime Minister is also going to talk about with the 25 or more different leaders who will be joining him. There will be European leaders. This is a coalition of the willing, if you will. Different European Union leaders, different European leaders, the NATO chief, the Canadian Prime Minister is expected to be on the call, the Australian, the New Zealand as well.

So this really is a sort of a global reach, and part of the message from Keir Starmer will be, as leaders, you need to be ready. Your country's need to be ready. We need to figure out what we can do, if a ceasefire is called, to monitor that ceasefire. So there's a real, very real pragmatic element to trying to sort of enable President Trump's peace deal, if and when President Putin signs up to it, and then, of course, the practicalities of what all these different countries are doing to support Ukraine.

We've heard as well, you know, not just from President Trump, not just from President Putin, but President Zelenskyy yesterday was speaking again about how Ukraine has accepted the terms of the deal and wants strong pressure to be brought to bear on President Putin to sign up to it. This is what President Zelenskyy said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): A lot of diplomacy, a lot of negotiations that can bring peace closer. Now on the table is the American proposal of unconditional silence in the sky, at sea and on the front. Ukraine accepts this proposal, rapid movement towards guaranteed security, towards the end of this war, towards a reliable peace. Our teams worked very well at the meeting in Saudi Arabia. Contact with the American side are ongoing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: A sort of prevarication from Putin, a sort of a pause over the weekend from President Trump, but a real sense of frustration by the Ukrainians and their European allies. And if anything, what Putin is doing here, not just tries to drive a wedge between Ukraine and the United States, but tries to drive a wedge almost between Europe and the United States over this issue.

BRUNHUBER: Let's expand on that. You know, the media in Moscow are claiming that President Trump and Zelenskyy have been outplayed by Putin in this latest round. The concessions that Russia are asking for are likely ones Ukraine wouldn't be able to accept. So aside from driving a wedge between allies, what do you think Putin's aim is here in terms of stalling on a ceasefire?

ROBERTSON: I don't think Putin's aims have changed at all from what they were in the invasion and what he stated in his document the summer before the invasion, which is he wants to take control of Ukraine. He believes Ukraine is part of the greater Russia. In essence, what he would settle for is a very weak Ukraine that's outwit beyond the sort of scope of European diplomacy, European military support, one that's weak because its economy is crippled, because Russia has access to some of the better parts of the possible, you know, areas of agriculture, in particular industry, mining, all those sorts of things in Ukraine.

This is what President Putin always wanted, and none of that has changed, and what he will look for in the terms of the deal will be to make sure that's enshrined, that all the gains on the battlefield are held, and it's very likely to say, look, we have a claim over the whole of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, and we're going to want to keep all of it.

Now, he may settle for a fraction less, but he's certainly not going to settle for less than he's got already. Those are the red lines, but I think there are red lines for the Europeans there as well. President Putin has talked about not arming Ukraine, about stopping the flow of weapons, about stopping their military training. Well, I was listening to a European diplomat yesterday who was echoing

what Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, said two weekends ago. She said, we need to turn Ukraine into a steel porcupine so it can't be swallowed by Russia.

[05:15:00]

The Europeans are absolutely committed to that. They're going to spend more money to do it, to continue to give the military support aid training weapons that Ukraine wants. Putin's already saying, as part of the deal, he doesn't think that can be -- he doesn't think that can be part of it. This has, in its broadest terms, has such a long way to go.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, it doesn't sound as close as perhaps Donald Trump is making it seem.

Really appreciate getting your insights in all of this. Nic Robertson, thanks so much.

Well, Donald Trump has been threatening to make Canada the 51st state. Now, Canada's new Prime Minister is dismissing that threat, calling it crazy.

Plus, trade tensions are fueling fears and affecting markets. We'll look at the details of that, and later we'll have more on the funding bill that averted a U.S. government shutdown as divisions grow among Democratic lawmakers. Stay with us.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: We will never, ever, in any way, shape or form, be part of the United States. America is not Canada.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Well, that was Canada's new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, responding to a question about U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to annex Canada. Within minutes of taking the oath, he dismissed Trump's talk as crazy. The former Bank of Canada Governor replaces Justin Trudeau, who formally stepped down after nearly a decade in power.

[05:20:07]

Carney said he doesn't have plans yet to visit the U.S., although he will hold talks with the French and British leaders.

Now, he takes office as Canada is embroiled in a tariff war with its largest trading partner, the United States, after the U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports went into effect on Wednesday. Canada and the E.U. responded with their own tariffs.

Uncertainty is affecting U.S. consumers and investors, with indices ending the week lower despite a rally on Friday and American consumer sentiment at its lowest level since November 2022.

CNN's Anna Stewart has more on the effects of market volatility.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Well, it's been a week that many investors may like to forget. The Dow Jones closed down more than 400 points in three of the five sessions and the S&P 500 entered correction territory, falling more than 10% from its record high just last month.

So what's been fueling all the volatility? Well, early in the week, markets were rattled when President Trump didn't rule out the possibility of a recession in an interview on Fox News.

TRUMP: I hate to predict things.

STEWART: And then came the barrage of tariff news. On Tuesday, the premier of Ontario in Canada said he would place a 25% surcharge on electricity exports to three U.S. states and warned he could go further.

DOUG FORD, ONTARIO PREMIER: If the United States escalates, I will not hesitate to shut the electricity off completely.

STEWART: Trump responded in a lengthy Truth Social post threatening an up to 50% tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum and suggesting, once again, that Canada would become quote, "our cherished 51st state." The Ontario Premier backed down and so did Trump.

Then on Wednesday, Trump imposed 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, measures he had previously outlined. The E.U. responded with tariffs on $28 billion worth of U.S. goods.

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: The countermeasures we take today are strong but proportionate.

STEWART: The President wasn't pleased, making his position clear at a bilateral with an Irish Prime Minister.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you respond to their retaliation?

TRUMP: Of course I'm going to respond.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You will retaliate with more tariffs.

TRUMP: The problem is our country didn't respond. Look, the E.U. was set up in order to take advantage of the United States.

STEWART: And Trump followed through, the next day threatening a 200% tariff on European alcohol if the E.U. doesn't back down.

Now, Trump is still bullish about the economy. But the on-again, off- again nature of the tariffs and their rapid escalation has investors on edge. What was a Trump bump for markets earlier in the year is now a Trump slump.

Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And for more on this, we go live now to Paul Donovan, Chief Economist of UBS Global Wealth Management. He's in Wiltshire, England.

Thank you so much for being here with us. So I want to start with that escalating trade war with the E.U. So if all of these tariffs actually are applied, I mean, what then? No one really wins in a trade war like this, do they?

PAUL DONOVAN, CHIEF ECONOMIST, UBS GLOBAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT: No. I mean, you know, a tariff is a tax on domestic consumers. So what is happening, of course, is that on the U.S. side, President Trump is increasing the cost of living, increasing the taxation that the U.S. government is demanding from its consumers. And at least with some of the retaliation so far, you are seeing the same thing happen on the other side of the Atlantic.

So this is going to be raising costs and lowering living standards on both sides of the Atlantic. I think the question is to what extent do we see other measures coming through, things like the boycott of American goods that is happening voluntarily in Canada, for example, the boycott of Tesla that we've seen in Europe. Those sort of additional effects do additional economic damage, not formally government policy, but related to the current conditions.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. And even though some of the tariff talk might be saber rattling, all of this has real world effects. And we saw the market chaos we saw this week. I mean, do you get a sense that the panic will stabilize or will all of the uncertainty about these sort of on again, off again tariffs mean markets will be on a wild ride for the foreseeable future?

DONOVAN: Well, I think we have to start by remembering that the United States and indeed most industrialized economies started this year in a strong fundamental position. So the economy was in a good place at the start of this year. And that's important because that gives us a foundation for growth. And yes, we may now see that be eroded, but we started in a good place.

[05:25:02]

Now, I think what is happening is, firstly, there are direct consequences for individual companies coming out of trade taxes, coming out of consumer boycotts. But then there's the more general issue about uncertainty.

And the thing is, if there is uncertainty, consumers may be reluctant to spend, particularly on bigger ticket items, and companies may be reluctant to invest. And that challenges growth.

So if we get a period of policy certainty, if things calm down a bit on the policy side, we reduce that uncertainty, then I think we look back to the very strong foundations of growth that we had coming out at the end of last year. BRUNHUBER: You talked about consumers maybe not wanting to spend. We saw that Americans, according to the latest polls this week, are getting more pessimistic about the economy. And we saw that several Wall Street banks and analysts have downgraded growth forecasts for the U.S. So even, you know, we heard there in that clip, the President hasn't ruled out a recession. So where do you think we're headed?

DONOVAN: So I think we're heading towards slower growth. Now, the first thing to say is survey evidence, particularly sentiment evidence, whether it's consumer or corporate, it isn't really reliable. People don't tend to fill in surveys or answer questions these days. So it's not a very reliable measure.

The other thing is that in the case of the United States, it's not that necessarily Americans are pessimistic. Republicans remain quite optimistic. Democrats have become a lot more pessimistic, and independents somewhat more pessimistic. So we've got a real polarized economy. And that makes it problematic because how much of this drop in sentiment is just due to political polarization and how much of it is actual genuine fear about the future and genuine uncertainty?

I don't think we are yet experiencing, you know, a real attack on consumers' sentiment and willingness to spend. I think that's a very clear risk, but I don't think we're quite there yet because, after all, the trade taxes that would affect consumers very directly, President Trump has done a very rapid retreat from those. You know, coffee is not being taxed. Avocados are not being taxed. Gen Z is safe. Their avocado on toast is not going to be going up in price just yet.

All of that means that the consumer is not yet in a difficult position, but that clearly is the risk, and that's what markets are going to keep focusing on.

BRUNHUBER: I like avocado on toast as well, so I'll defend that here.

Paul Donovan, I really appreciate your analysis. Thanks so much.

DONOVAN: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, still ahead, President Donald Trump targets his political opponents in a rare speech at the Justice Department. What he's pledging to do next.

Plus, as the U.S. Justice Department cracks down on pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University. We're seeing the first video of the arrest of student activist Mahmoud Khalil. Details just ahead. Please stay with us.

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[05:31:28]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom. President Donald Trump is promising to remove what he called rogue actors and corrupt forces from the U.S. government. In a rare and scathing speech at the Justice Department on Friday, he criticized the courts, railed against his political opponents and the media, and threatened retribution. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We begin a proud new chapter in the chronicles of American justice. We must be honest about the lies and abuses that have occurred within these walls. A spy to my campaign launched one hoax and disinformation operation after another, broke the law on a colossal scale, persecuted my family, staff, and supporters, raided my home, Mar-a-Lago, and did everything within their power to prevent me from becoming the president of the United States.

The thugs failed, and the truth won. Now, as the chief law enforcement officer in our country, I will insist upon and demand full and complete accountability for the wrongs and abuses that have occurred.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: President Trump's public airing of grievances was unprecedented since U.S. presidents traditionally distance themselves from the DOJ so that its work won't appear political.

The U.S. Senate averted a government shutdown after passing a spending bill on Friday, but Democrats are grappling with how to move forward after the vote exposed deep rifts within the party. CNN's Lauren Fox reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: After a tumultuous week on Capitol Hill, a government shutdown was averted on Friday night with nine Democrats, one independent, joining with Republicans on a key procedural vote that advanced this bill. Ultimately, a lot of those same Democrats who were willing to advance the legislation voted against it, but by that point, the vote only required a simple majority. That means Republicans were able to carry it.

And it's been a really hard week for Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who has argued repeatedly that he saw no off-ramp if Democrats went over this spending deadline, arguing that at that point they would be at the mercy of a Republican-controlled White House, Republican- controlled Senate, Republican-controlled House to get out of it. His argument, Democrats have lost a lot of leverage given the fact that they do not have control of any of those chambers. But that has really infuriated a lot of House Democrats who were largely unified in bringing and voting against this bill in the House of Representatives.

House Republicans carried this largely on their own. They were able to send it to the Senate, and ultimately it was just up to a handful of Democrats to keep the government open over the weekend and into the next several months.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And joining me now is Thomas Gift, Director of the Center on U.S. Politics at University College London.

Great to see you again. So, shutdown averted, good news for the country, but for Democrats, you know, not using their leverage at this critical time, House Democrats attacking Senate Democrats, progressives are furious.

Have a listen to a taste of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): If you do nothing, you sit back and say it is going to be terrible, and that's right, a shutdown will be terrible. But our job is to put the onus on the Republican president, the Republican House, the Republican Senate, the people who control the government. They are responsible.

SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): They can yell and fundraise off of that, but I'll be the only Democrat that's going to tell America the truth about shutting the government down, and that would be a f(bleep)ing disaster.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:35:08]

BRUNHUBER: So, as you can see there, I mean, the party seems really divided. Where do they go from here?

THOMAS GIFT, DIRECTOR, CENTER ON U.S. POLITICS, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Absolutely, Kim. Thanks so much for having me.

You know, Schumer said that a shutdown would be DOGE on steroids. And I think that he's right. But the one thing that we can definitely say is that Democrats clearly aren't in lockstep about how to confront Trump. That's true on this particular bill, and it's true generally. Half the party seems to want to go into full-on resistance mode. Half the party fears looking obstructionist and hypocritical even for engaging in the kind of brinkmanship that they'd accused Republicans of under Joe Biden.

So, Schumer coming out in favor of this stopgap bill did serve as kind of a permission slip for other Democrats to vote yes, but you could argue that, you know, Schumer really had no other options. Democrats say that this bill will slash spending by about $7 billion. Importantly, it also doesn't stop Elon Musk from trying to stall a congressionally mandated spending, but the alternative, I think, Democrats being held responsible for a shutdown would have been politically even worse, and I do think that it would have ratcheted up some of these spending cuts.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, and you talked about Elon Musk there. I mean, some Democrats are saying they really missed an opportunity to hold their Republican colleagues to account because they basically just rolled over and ceded all of their constitutional power basically to the executive branch and to Elon Musk.

GIFT: No, you're absolutely right. I mean, this is Trump's government, and Republicans in Congress are essentially just along for the ride. In the Federalist Papers, the American founders were very concerned about tyranny by Congress, but instead what we're seeing in modern-day politics is kind of Congress forfeit much of its authority to what some have called an imperial presidency.

So Republicans aren't exclusively guilty. I think you can trace this back to Nixon in the 1970s, but what we're seeing right now is not a system of checks and balances between co-equal branches of government, Congress, the Supreme Court, and the executive. Instead, we only have checks and balances across political parties.

Right now, Republicans on Capitol Hill are simply partisan cheerleaders for Trump, and Trump, to a large extent, is just acting on the whims of Elon Musk. So there's really no accountability here.

BRUNHUBER: Now, part of the anger from many progressives was that, you know, Chuck Schumer seemed to be operating from a position of weakness in terms of Democrats being in the minority, but in fact, their argument is they should have seen themselves as being in a position of strength because so many of the things that the president and Elon Musk and DOGE are doing are unpopular right now, and you just have to sort of look at what's going on in some of the town halls to see it playing out.

GIFT: No, I think you're absolutely right there. If you look at polling numbers, support for Donald Trump has more or less remained constant. Support for DOGE has considerably dropped since the inauguration. Support for Elon Musk is certainly under 50%, so you might have thought that Democrats did have some leverage here.

But, you know, I think that the alternative really would have been worse, especially if a government shutdown would essentially have allowed Elon Musk and Donald Trump to cut even more spending from places like the National Institutes of Health, from even the Pentagon and so on, from Social Security and entitlement programs. So, you know, I think it was essentially a catch-22 position for Democrats.

There wasn't a good way to turn. There wasn't an off-ramp, as he described it. And so I think Chuck Schumer did what he felt he needed to do, but I do think it was notable that Nancy Pelosi actually came out very explicitly and said that she didn't want Democrats in the Senate to vote for this bill.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. All right, before we go, I just want to turn to Donald Trump's DOJ speech. I mean, some of the headlines were sort of saying that the speech broke all norms, as if that was surprising at this point. But what did you make of it?

GIFT: Well, it was a really remarkable speech, Kim. It denounced judges, prosecutors, members of Biden's DOJ as corrupt. It was imbued with the kind of grievance politics that we've grown so accustomed to with Trump. But this wasn't just a campaign speech. This was at the Department of Justice, which I think is so extraordinary, and it comes against the backdrop of concerns that Trump is just starting to consider ways to weaponize the legal system, to go after political enemies, to exact retribution, to call for accountability for what he calls wrongs and abuses that have occurred. So this is really what Trump's competitors, his rivals have worried about, and Donald Trump is providing no indication that his words are just empty threats.

BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll leave it there. Always great to get your analysis. Thomas Gift in London, thanks so much.

[05:40:02]

GIFT: Thanks, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Well, we're seeing the first video of Columbia University student and activist Mahmoud Khalil's arrest by plainclothes agents last Saturday, and it was recorded by his wife. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to be under arrest, so turn around, turn around, turn around, turn around. Stop resisting. Stop resisting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, OK, he's not resisting. He's giving me his phone, OK? He's not -- I understand. He's not resisting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn around. Put your arm behind you.

MAHMOUD KHALIL, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY STUDENT & ACTIVIST: There's no need for this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have you. You're going to have to come with us.

KHALIL: Yeah, I'm going with you don't worry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one's getting worked up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Khalil's U.S. green card, a residency permit, has also been revoked over his involvement with the pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the university last year. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating whether the protesters violated federal anti-terrorism laws.

Meanwhile, lawyers for Khalil and the Trump administration filed a joint letter Friday to a federal judge in New York outlining next steps in the immigration case. Khalil remains in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, often referred to as ICE. His attorney spoke to CNN about efforts to get him released.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRAD PARKER, ATTORNEY FOR MAHMOUD KHALIL: So we're fighting right now to bring Mahmoud home, back to his family, and to have him released from detention because this is, you know, a clear case of an individual being targeted and retaliated against for constitutionally protected speech, political dissent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The Trump administration is warning Hamas, take the Gaza ceasefire extension on the table or else face the consequences. We'll have the latest in a live report from the region right after a quick break.

Plus, new details emerge about what may have happened on a beach in the Dominican Republic the night a U.S. college student went missing. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Back to Gaza where a hospital official says an Israeli strike on Friday killed four children. The official says the children were out collecting firewood southeast of Gaza City when they were killed by an Israeli drone. Gaza's civil defense spokesperson said four people were killed in an Israeli strike in the area but didn't provide further details.

[05:45:12]

The Israeli military has denied carrying out any strike in the area during the time of the reported incident.

The U.S. is warning Hamas to accept its proposal to extend the Gaza ceasefire or face the consequences. But the militant group has set out the conditions for the release of an American-Israeli soldier as well as the bodies of four other dual nationals.

We go live now to CNN's Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi. So, Paula, we just got an update from Hamas. Take us through what they said.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kim, what we've heard from Hamas is that they would be willing to release the Israeli-American soldier, Edan Alexander, also saying that they would be willing to release the bodies of four dual nationals as well.

Now, they haven't given the nationalities of those particular deceased hostages, but what we have heard is that they do have conditions to this offer. They say that this is an exceptional deal, but if they do, in fact, release this hostage along with the four bodies, they want to make sure that negotiations simultaneously start on the second phase of the three-phase deal.

This is the original deal that Hamas and Israel had agreed to with the help of mediators to ensure that the temporary ceasefire became permanent and also to ensure the end of the war in Gaza, the full release of all hostages, along with some Palestinian prisoners, which has looked increasingly fragile in recent days. One of the other conditions they have is that they want to see all border crossings open into Gaza and humanitarian aid to be allowed in. Now, Israel hasn't allowed anything into the Gaza Strip, but for

almost two weeks now, they're trying to put pressure on Hamas to agree to an extension of the temporary ceasefire.

Now, the U.S. deal, the deal proposed by Steve Witkoff, the Middle East Envoy, is to extend that temporary ceasefire through the holy month of Ramadan, the Jewish Passover holiday, and to release a handful of living hostages. This is a deal that Israel has agreed to and it has accused Hamas of manipulation and psychological warfare by referring to a different version of the deal, if you like. All this shows just how fragile these negotiations are and it shows just how far apart the two sides are at this point as well.

Now, the Israeli delegation has left Doha, where they have been negotiating this week. We understand that tonight, this Saturday night, there will be a cabinet meeting between the Israeli Prime Minister and certain Israeli ministers where they will be briefed on exactly where the status of these negotiations is and also how they will move forward with this.

But we are seeing as well from the Trump administration frustration that Hamas is not agreeing to its version of this ceasefire deal to try and secure the release of as many hostages as possible.

Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, I appreciate you keeping us up to speed. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi. Thanks so much.

The U.S. and Iraq have announced that a high-profile leader of ISIS has been killed. Iraq's Prime Minister shared the news on Friday, though the AP cited one security official who says the operation took place Thursday night but the death was confirmed on Friday. The ISIS global number two was killed in an airstrike carried out by members of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service along with U.S.-led coalition forces.

And U.S. President Donald Trump took to social media to tout the killing. The operation comes at a time when officials are anxious about a resurgent ISIS while Syria's new rulers are still establishing control.

Well, no news is good news as we await word from the Vatican on Pope Francis' condition. We'll have the latest just ahead. Stay with us.

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[05:53:08]

BRUNHUBER: We're learning more about what may have happened to an American college student who disappeared while on spring break in the Dominican Republic. The man last seen with the missing woman says he rescued her from rough seas before she vanished. CNN's Jessica Hasbun has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JESSICA HASBUN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. As the search intensifies, on the eighth day of Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance, authorities are ramping up their efforts by air, sea, and land. The man who was last seen with the University of Pittsburgh student before she disappeared from a beach in the Dominican Republic has provided details to the local prosecutors about the last time he saw her, according to the Dominican news agency Noticias SIN.

The 20-year-old disappeared on the beach of the Riu Republica Hotel in Punta Cana in the early morning of March 6. The man who accompanied her on the beach, identified as Joshua Steven Ribe, told the prosecutors that he and Konanki were hit by an intense wave. He said that they were both dragged out to sea when the water returned.

According to Noticias SIN, it is important to note that at this time, Ribe is not considered a suspect in the case and has not been charged with any crime.

During his interview with prosecutors, Ribe described his attempt to save Konanki after being shaken by the wave in an interview on March 12, six days after Konanki was last seen. Ribe said that it took a long time to get her out of the water, according to Noticias SIN, and that he swallowed a lot of water and that he could have lost consciousness several times. He said that both of them made it out to land and that he held her in front of her.

He added he was a lifeguard at pools, but not at the beach. He said that the last time he saw Konanki, she was walking with water up to her knees. Ribe said he began to feel sick from the water he had swallowed. He said he thought she had grabbed her things and left the beach.

[05:55:03]

He went on to say that he fell asleep on a beach chair. Ribe's aunt, Teresa Ribe, issued a statement on Thursday to the Minnesota Star Tribune asking for privacy. "Our family is going through a very difficult time and we are experiencing a lot of sadness and pain," the statement read. "As of now, eight days after Konanki's disappearance, authorities continue their search.

From Santo Domingo, Jessica Hasbun, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: We're waiting for an update on Pope Francis' condition as he battles a lung infection for more than a month now. Vatican officials issued positive news on Friday saying the 88-year-old pontiff had a peaceful night, but doctors decided not to provide an update due to the stability of his condition, citing there's been no new developments over the past few days. The Vatican also added the Pope's release from the hospital isn't imminent, though he remains in stable condition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: SpaceX, go NASA crew 10.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Copy, one Alpha. Vehicles pitching downrange.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: SpaceX and NASA have successfully launched what could be called a crew swap mission to the International Space Station. Once this rocket's four-member crew arrives at the ISS, which is expected tonight, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Willmore will be able to return to earth on a different capsule. The pair have been held up on the orbiter for nine months longer than expected. Their extended stay followed multiple issues with their spacecraft. It's still not clear when they'll be back on solid ground.

Well, that wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. For viewers in North America, CNN This Morning is next. For the rest of the world, it's African Voices Changemakers.

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