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Fragile Ceasefire Put to the Test; Mass Protests in Turkey; Pope Francis to be Released from Hospital. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired March 23, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

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[03:00:00]

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all our viewers watching from around the world. I'm Isabel Rosales in Atlanta.

Ahead on CNN Newsroom, a fragile ceasefire put to the test. Israel hits militants in Lebanon with deadly airstrikes.

Thousands in Turkey take to the streets to support Istanbul's mayor. He's facing trial on terrorism and corruption charges.

And Pope Francis is set to be released today, the longest day in hospital of his papacy.

Israel says it has just intercepted a missile launched from Yemen. It is the fifth to target Israel since the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire. In Gaza, Hamas says, an Israeli airstrike killed one of its leaders, Salah al-Bardawil. This comes as hundreds have already been reported dead since Israel shattered the truce in Gaza with its renewed offensive.

Israel is vowing to attack Hamas even more intensely as protests demanding the release of hostages sweep Tel Aviv.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAAMA WEINBERG, ISRAELI PROTESTER, COUSIN OF SLAIN HOSTAGE: All our hostages must be released in one step and the war must be ended. Without that, there can be no recovery for the state. The vast majority of the public understands this and yearns for it.

Netanyahu, however, has chosen to return to war for his personal interest, not for the interest of the state of Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And now the other fragile ceasefire, this one between Israel and Hezbollah is being tested. The Israeli military has targeted the militant group's infrastructure with deadly airstrikes across Lebanon. Israel says it is retaliating over intercepted projectiles fired from Lebanon. But Hezbollah denies any involvement and says it is committed to the ceasefire.

CNN's Sebastian Shukla has more.

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN INTERNATIONAL PRODUCER: And this is most certainly the most significant violation of that ceasefire that's taken place since it was signed in November, 2024, between Israel and its northern neighbor, Lebanon. And it came after that period of very intense and brutal fighting that took place in September and October last year, which was the main reason of which was to root out Hezbollah from Lebanon and began with those incredible pictures of those exploding pagers and obviously Hezbollah being the Shia -- the Iran-backed Shia militia hell bent on the destruction of Israel.

This attack though began around 7:00 this morning. And I want you to take a listen to the defense chief of one of the towns affected by this in Metula.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLAZER YOSEF, ISRAELI HEAD OF SECURITY FOR TOWN OF METULA: Around 7:30 in the morning, we woke to a number of incoming rockets. There were sirens, and then the Iron Dome system intercepted a number of rockets that were fired from Lebanon. We were able to see two fall inside Lebanon, and we immediately got the residents into the shelters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUKLA: Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed robust actions against terror targets, and that retaliation has now already taken place by the Israeli Air Force. This obviously comes at a time where the ceasefire negotiations with Gaza have fallen apart and have come to an end. And we've seen this week hundreds of people killed in the Gaza Strip, as Israeli forces have gone back into offensive operations there.

ROSALES: And back in Gaza, Israel is warning it plans to intensify pressure on civilians. People already grappling with the weight of conflict, like this one little Palestinian girl. Here's her heartbreaking story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAMA TUBAIL, EIGHT-YEAR-OLD PALESTINIAN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At just eight years old, Sama Tubail has not only lost nearly all of her hair, but also a part of her childhood. Doctors say Tubail's hair fell out from nervous shock triggered by the trauma she endured, especially after her neighbor's house was struck in Rafah in August last year.

[03:05:00]

TUBAIL: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In this displacement camp Khan Younis, she tells her mother about the teasing she faces by other children whenever she goes outside.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sama is not alone. UNICEF says nearly all of Gaza's 1.2 million children need psychological support especially those exposed to repeated trauma. And after the ceasefire was announced in January, a U.N. official told the security council a generation had been traumatized by the war in Gaza.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSALES: Ukraine's capital came under Russian drone fire just hours before new ceasefire talks were set to begin. Officials say three people were killed overnight, including a five-year-old child. The drones caused a fire that engulfed a residential building, while the debris from drones hit by Ukrainian air defenses rained down on the city. Eight people were injured.

All of this is happening as negotiators are preparing for talks on a partial ceasefire in Saudi Arabia. Sources tell CNN U.S. diplomats will meet with the Ukrainians in the coming hours before talks with Russians on Monday. More meetings are possible after that. The diplomats will focus on a proposed ceasefire on energy targets and in the Black Sea.

Ukraine was also hit with a barrage of drone attacks on Friday and Saturday, which killed eight people across the country. Officials say 40 others were wounded.

Well, the world will get to see Pope Francis in person today for the first time since he was hospitalized last month on February 14th.

CNNs Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman is live in Rome. Ben, hows the pope doing?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, according to his doctors, over the last two weeks, his situation has stabilized. And, in fact, the pope, they say, has been bothering them, demanding that he be able to leave the hospital as soon as possible.

And so if you look at the timeline, its quite interesting. On Friday, Friday evening, the Vatican press office said that there would be no medical bulletin, at least until Monday, if not after that. Then yesterday morning, out of the blue, they announced that the pope would be coming out to greet the faithful from a balcony here at Gemelli Hospital. And then just with two hours warning, they said that the doctors leading the medical team treating Pope Francis would be giving a briefing. And at that briefing, they made this announcement.

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DR. SERGIO ALFIERI, DOCTOR TREATING POPE FRANCIS: The Holy Father will be discharged tomorrow, as we said before, in a stable clinical condition with a prescription to partially continue drug therapy and convalescence and rest period of at least two months.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEDEMAN: And, of course, today we will -- we believe we will see the pope for the first time in public since 38 days. He's been in this hospital for 38 days. Now, two and a half weeks ago, the Vatican press office did publish an audio from him, a very brief audio message. Last weekend, they put out a picture of him celebrating mass, but it was a picture shot from behind, so you don't really get a clear view of him. So, hopefully, today we will see him better.

Now, he's going to go back to his residence in the Casa Santa Marta. That's basically the Vatican's hotel, where he'll be going back to room 201 on the second floor, a very modest 90-square-meter apartment where the medical staff say he will continue to receive treatment and that there is emergency services available around the clock in the event that he should need it.

[03:10:01]

Isabel?

ROSALES: Hey, this is such welcome news. So many of the faithful have been praying for his recovery all over the world. Ben, does the pope intend to remain in his post despite these health scares.

WEDEMAN: Certainly the signs point to that. His intention is to stay in his position. He recently signed and approved a document for a three year reform process within the Catholic Church.

Now, in the immediate future, it's not clear what his activities will be. We don't know if he's going to participate, for instance, in eastern mass, and there was talk that he might be going to Turkey in late May. There's no word from the Vatican whether that trip is going to go ahead. But, obviously, he's going to have to curtail his normally fairly busy schedule as the doctors have told him he needs to rest for the next two months. After that, we shall see. But he doesn't seem to be sending any signals that he intends to resign as his predecessor, Pope Benedict the 16th, did back in 2013. Isabel?

ROSALES: Ben Wedeman in Rome, thank you so much.

Well, Columbia University is caving to President Donald Trump's demands. Ahead, the policy changes the school is making after Trump ordered a $400 million cut to their funding.

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ROSALES: Columbia University is making dramatic changes to its policies regarding protests, curriculum, and disciplinary procedures. They come after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered his administration to withhold $400 million in federal funds. The reason, Trump's opinion of the massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the Ivy League University last year. CNN's Gloria Pazmino reports.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. It's a remarkable concession from Columbia University, one of the country's most elite educational institutions, essentially conforming to Trump administration demands after the administration said it would cut more than $400 million in federal funding for what they say is the university's failure to address anti-Semitic violence and harassment on its campus.

So, what we're seeing here is the university responding to some of these demands, and they're doing so by changing its policies significantly, including putting specific rules in place about how students will be allowed to protest and how those protests will be policed.

Now, this is all a part of the long fallout we are seeing after protests last year. The Columbia University campus became sort of the epicenter for these protests against the Israel-Hamas War. Protests at Columbia led to several disruptions, including the cancelation of in- person classes, the disruption of graduation ceremonies, and ended with a significant standoff between student protestors who barricaded themselves inside of a building and members of the NYPD and university officials who for days struggled to keep the protest under control.

Now, here's how the university is changing its rules. They are hiring additional police officers who will have the power to arrest protesters. The university is going to require university I.D. in order to participate in demonstrations. No face coverings will be allowed at the protests. Protests will not be allowed in or around academic buildings. And there will be new anti-discrimination policies. One of the most controversial changes is that the university will be appointing a senior vice provost who will be in charge of overseeing the Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African studies department.

Now, the question is how the student body and the rest of the faculty will react to the changes in policy. The university is currently in the middle of spring break, but students are expected to return next week. In the meantime, we are getting the first public signal of support. The board of trustees issued a letter this week to the academic community saying that they were standing behind the decision to change these rules.

They said in part, quote, we have and continue to support Interim President Armstrong's approach. The trustees also wrote, we are grateful for her principled and courageous leadership during this unprecedented time and for the steps she has and is taking to strengthen our institution.

So, the board of trustees has an incredible amount of power at the university. They're in charge of picking the president, they oversee the budget and the endowment, and they also oversee university operations and their properties. So, this is very much a public signaling that at least from this letter, we can assume that the board is fully behind these changes. The question is whether or not this is going to be enough for the Trump administration and whether or not the funding will in fact be restored.

Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.

ROSALES: Joining us now is Michael Genovese, political analyst and president of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University. He is also the author of The Modern Presidency, Six Debates That Define the Institution. Michael, thank you so much for being on the show. I really appreciate your time, your perspective in all of this.

Let's start with that remarkable concession by Columbia University caving into the Trump administration's threats. We saw all those changes, restrictions on demonstrations, new disciplinary procedures, the review of the Middle Eastern curriculum. That's a lot that's going on there.

[03:20:06]

What's at stake here on college campuses to what many are calling an assault on academic freedom?

MICHAEL GENOVESE, POLITICAL ANALYST: It is an assault on academic. There's no question about it. And of all the things that you want to attack, you're attacking the university's system, which is the finest in the world. 70 percent of the top universities in the world are in the United States. So, we should be celebrating our university system. Our higher education system is by far the best.

So, why are we attacking it? We're attacking it because it's an independent source of information, because it doesn't bow to the administration. And so the administration taking a page right out of the authoritarian playbook is trying to get universities to bow.

And how are they doing it? They're using two different things, money and speech. Money, they're withdrawing funds. They're threatening to withdraw funds from universities. Huge amounts of monies, Columbia, $400 million. I've already had at my university. Several grants that have been already issued and given out are being pulled back.

So, it's all designed to instill fear and intimidate the university so that they will be what they call obedience in advance.

ROSALES: All right. Let's turn now to the Paul Weiss law firm. One of the firm's top partners actually helped Vice President Kamala Harris prepare in her debate against Trump. The firm also did work for Biden. Then came this threat from the Trump administration of pulling the law firm's security clearances if they didn't comply, but they did, promising $40 million in pro bono work, to support the administration's initiatives. What would it mean for a top law firm to have its security clearances pulled and how do you view this acquiescence?

GENOVESE: Well, again, like the universities Trump has gone after three major private law firms in an act of what everyone is calling revenge. These are democratically-oriented law firms. And so, you know, Donald Trump won the election. Now, he's using the power of government to smash his opponents.

It's kind of like a cheap mobster whose extorting funds, you know, if you don't play the game according to my rules, I'm going to take your money away or I'm going to do something to you, I'll punish you. And the question is, why did the law firm back away? Why did they cave in? Well, the answer, like the previous question you asked me, is money. The bottom line is the bottom line.

And the law firm recognizes the golden rule that whoever has the gold makes the rules, and Donald Trump is using that as a leverage to try to instill fear in the law firms so that they might not take on Democratic candidates or they would be very careful in trying to take on the administration. But it looks like really a bad made for T.V. mob movie.

ROSALES: Yes, and it seems like this is just the beginning. We've seen the Trump administration pull the security clearances, revoking them against Kamala Harris, against Hillary Clinton. And then on Friday, Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to review the conduct of the lawyers and law firms that the administration considers to have filed frivolous lawsuits against them or attempt to block immigration initiatives. What do you see coming ahead from this administration?

GENOVESE: More of the same. And I think, you know, it's worked so far. He's been able to get some things that he wanted. He's been able to punish some of his enemies and there's no one stopping him. The Republicans in Congress have just disappeared. They're giving Donald Trump everything he wants. Democrats don't feel that they have the power to do anything.

There is a big response in terms of lawsuits and bringing the president to court, that's what this is designed to prevent and designed to end so that you will not issue a law challenge to Donald Trump. And so we're going to see a lot more of this. He thinks it's work, he thinks it's makes him powerful and he thinks he can get his enemies.

ROSALES: And let me get to this point. We're seeing a decline in civility across the political spectrum, whether it's the shouting matches from constituents at Republican town halls, Democratic town halls as well, to vandalism against Tesla cars and the increased use of -- public use of foul language by the president. What does this suggest about what is happening in American politics right now?

GENOVESE: Well, you used the right word, civility. There's a declining civility. We're getting harsher and uglier towards one another. We've been hyperpartisan for a long, long time. But why now? Part of it is Donald Trump because he has a very aggressive style, an attack style. He goes through the jugular. He uses language that is, let's say, colorful in public, which presidents should not use. It's a very bad example for us. But what I think we're seeing is that more and more people are scared. They're nervous, they're anxious. We're in a world of change, even hyper change.

[03:25:00]

And you know the old saying, the only person who likes change is a wet baby.

So, people are really scared, they're nervous, they're anxious. And so, you know, with Donald Trump and Elon Musk, they're into the shock and awe policies. They like to break things and they're bringing about chaos. People are uncomfortable and they don't like chaos, and so sometimes they'll lash out. And incivility is one of the manifestations of that, sadly.

ROSALES: Michael Genovese, it's great to have you on the show. Thank you so much for your perspective, your time.

GENOVESE: Thank you, Isabel.

ROSALES: Thanks.

Breaking news just into CNN, moments ago a Turkish court granted prosecutor's request to jail, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu ahead of his trial on terrorism and corruption charges. That's according to CNN affiliate, CNN Turk. Four of his aides who are facing charges will also be in prison.

These are live images right now outside of the courtroom. You can see that line of police, the shields right there. This is, again, outside of the court in Istanbul, where tens of thousands have taken to the streets, more than a dozen cities nationwide. Largely they've been peaceful demonstrations. Despite that, over 300 protesters have been detained.

Now, Imamoglu's detention has sparked days of protests. His party, the leading opposition block in Turkish politics, calls the charges politically motivated and vows to bring an end to Erdogan's decades- long tenure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OZGUR OZEL, LEADER, REPUBLICAN PEOPLE'S PARTY (CHP): We will come tomorrow. We will choose. We will go down in history. We know who will be going. We are running to the ballot boxes to determine the name of the candidate that will unseat him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And we'll have much more on that story as it develops.

In the coming hours, Canada's new prime minister is expected to call a snap election. Mark Carney recently replaced Justin Trudeau as P.M. and as leader of Canada's Liberal Party. And the voting will likely take place in hundreds of constituencies at the end of April. That's according to two government sources.

Polls show Carney's party has rebounded in popular support as U.S. President Donald Trump imposes a catastrophic trade war and vows to turn Canada into, quote, the 51st state, which polls show most Canadians flat out reject.

Carney hopes to remain as prime minister against the conservative party. He's promising to protect Canada against what many in Canada call its newly unreliable southern neighbor.

Now, earlier, I spoke with Tari Ajadi, and assistant professor of Political Science at McGill University. I asked him what he thought about the stakes of this election. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TARI AJADI, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, MCGILL UNIVERSITY: For us, this is an existential crisis. Our economy, of course, is deeply integrated with the United States. But the prospect of annexation here is really driving up nationalist sentiments and people are really kind of digging into what it means to be Canadian and standing very proudly behind that fact. And so this election will determine which leader really helps to kind of catalyze that kind of sentiment.

ROSALES: Yes, an existential crisis. That's an interesting way to put things.

Now, Mark Carney has never held an elected position but he's spoken loud and clear about protecting Canada and he broke from tradition by visiting Europe instead of the United States as his first foreign trip as the country's leader.

How do you think his approach to Trump will be, and does it differ from his predecessor?

AJADI: So I think that Mark Kearney is in a uniquely strong position in one sense. Being a former governor of the Bank of Canada and governor of the Bank of England, he walks into this kind of election with an instant form of credibility. He has a kind of gravitas that befits someone that has been, you know, a significant figure in two G7 countries. And so I think that he's going to lean into that kind of previous experience, lean into the nationalist fervor because the Liberal Party in Canada really is kind of the party of nationalism and he's going to be able to speak declaratively to the Trump issue and to Donald Trump from the perspective of someone that, you know, has been there before. So, he's going to act as if he has a lot of experience dealing with folks like Donald Trump.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSALES: The Trump administration's immigration crackdown is leaving many families looking for answers. Just ahead, what migrants need to know if they're at risk of deportation.

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ROSALES: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Isabel Rosales. Let's get a check in on today's top stories.

The fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah is under intense pressure. On Saturday, the Israeli military targeted the militant group with deadly airstrikes. Israel says it retaliated over, intercepted projectiles fired out of Lebanon. Hezbollah denies being involved.

Moments ago, a Turkish court ruled that Istanbul's mayor and four of his aides would be jailed pending a trial on corruption and terrorism charges. The mayor's party, a key opposition block in Turkish politics, says those charges are politically motivated.

Pope Francis is set to be discharged from the hospital in the coming hours. He's been receiving treatment for double pneumonia for over a month. The plaintiff has -- his condition has stabilized and he'll now continue to rest and recover at his home in the Vatican.

For many families, uncertainty lies ahead for their loved ones deported from the U.S. The White House deported more than 200 alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador, a move that has been met with criticism and controversy. Many families now left in the dark as they try to track down their missing loved ones.

Our Priscilla Alvarez met with one woman who has been desperately trying to track down her brother.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She wants to just confirm one more time that she was -- I'm sorry, that her brother, who's a number we have provided was deported to El Salvador on March 15th.

YURILANA CHACIN, SISTER OF VENEZUELAN DEPORTED TO EL SALVADOR: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

ALVAREZ: Did you hear her? Okay.

CHACIN: I just think it's their laws. But you can't judge in prison or jail an innocent person based on your laws.

[03:35:00]

They had to investigate thoroughly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: In another case, a lawyer representing a Venezuelan deportee to El Salvador tells our Ben Hunte her client was targeted as a gang member because of his tattoos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARGARET CARGIOLI, DIRECTING ATTORNEY OF POLICY AND ADVOCACY, IMMIGRANT DEFENDERS LAW CENTER: He was wrongfully sent to El Salvador because he was judged based on tattoos that he has on this person. He was, what we understand, you know, a kind person from the time that we knew him since he came to the United States over one year ago to seek asylum through the United States southern border. We've spoken to his mother who is pleading with anyone and everyone who cares about justice to please help free him.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROSALES: Joining us now is David Leopold, an immigration attorney and chair of immigration for the Law firm, U.B. Greensfelder. David, great to have you on with us, I really appreciate your time here.

It seems like there's been a realization here over the last couple of days that immigration status, and the U.S. can really be challenged or even taken away outside of the normal process of immigrant of the immigration court system, and it's having serious consequences on these migrants and their families. Can you talk about how you help protect your clients and what some are calling uncharted waters?

DAVID LEOPOLD, IMMIGRATION LAWYER: Well, I mean, when we talk about outside the immigration system, I think you mean people coming into the United States from outside the United States, and folks who come into the United States on visas who are not permanent residents and not citizens, they can always have their visas revoked at the port of entry. People inside the United States, if they're green card holders, or they have visas, they're visiting or they're working, they can also have their status revoked. That means they have to go before an immigration court. And before the immigration court, the government has to prove that they have committed some sort of an immigration violation in order for them to be removed from the United States.

ROSALES: Can you talk a little bit more about what rights these asylum seekers, these migrants have once they are detained? And what do you tell your clients that they should do if ICE shows up?

LEOPOLD: Well, look, if somebody's detained by ICE, they do have the right to an immediate bond hearing. So, if ICE arrests somebody off the street or if they come to their home, they do have the right to go to an immigration judge and ask for a bond even if they haven't been charged.

Now, what do I tell clients when ICE comes to their home? Look, they have the same protection. Immigrants in this country, whether they're documented or whether they're permanent residence, have the same constitutional rights as everybody else's citizens do too. So, if ICE comes to the house, ICE cannot enter without a signed judicial warrant from a judge or a magistrate.

Usually, what happens is ICE shows up with administrative warrants signed by an ICE officer, and those are not the same. Those do not give ICE the power or the authority to enter somebody's home. The only thing that can give ICE the authority to come in is a proper judicial warrant.

ROSALES: Let me talk about this business of the Aliens Enemies Act. The U.S. recently designated Tren de Aragua, that Venezuelan gang and others, as a foreign terrorist organization. This was the basis for invoking the Aliens Enemies Act with the U.S. officials claiming that the country was under invasion by this gang at the direction of a foreign government being Venezuela. What do you say to this?

LEOPOLD: Well, it's a fallacy. I mean, as far as I can tell, there's no invasion. There's no irregular war, there's no declared war. So, I believe that it is an abuse of a very powerful wartime powers act that's entrusted to the president, and that requires that there be an invasion. So, here we have no invasion.

And, in fact, what we have are people disappearing. These people have been picked up. It's not clear who even. We don't know who, because the government, the Trump administration has thus far refused to give us the names of the people that they have removed to El Salvador and put in a horrible prison down there that is there to house terrorists. And a lot of these folks have just been disappeared. Their families don't know where they are. Some of them, we understand, are not even -- have no criminal history either in the United States or in Venezuela,

ROSALES: What sort of legal recourse do these individuals have because they're no longer in U.S. custody and they're not in their country of origin?

[03:40:00]

LEOPOLD: Well, you know, that's a really, really interesting question, Isabel, because, first of all, even with the Alien Enemies Act, that doesn't mean that the laws of the United States simply go away. And we have two laws in specific that could govern this situation. Number one, you have a law against an enthrallment (ph) or returning somebody to a country where their life and their freedom may be in danger.

We also have -- we are a signatory, the United States is, to the convention against torture. And it's clear from the reports that this prison in El Salvador that they've been sent to is known, is infamous for horrible conditions in torture. So, that's a law that looks to me was probably violated right off the bat in addition to everything else.

So, how do we get those people out? I think we're going to have to look to Judge Boasberg in Washington, D.C., who's got this case, who's presiding over this case, and I think there will be other litigation about bringing these folks home.

ROSALES: The Trump administration has acknowledged in court documents that many of these deportees that it accuses of being Tren de Aragua members don't even have criminal records here in the U.S. We've also, David, have heard from some of their attorneys who say they haven't even been able to speak to their clients. Is that a violation of their due process rights?

LEOPOLD: If they're in U.S. custody or in de facto U.S. custody, absolutely. We have the right as lawyers to speak to our clients. That's a cornerstone of the American judicial system. People have the right to an adequate -- to a rigorous defense. They have the right to counsel. And if they're not allowed to speak to their attorneys or their families, and they can't even be found, then this violates the core principles upon which our country is based.

ROSALES: David Leopold, I appreciate your time. Thanks.

LEOPOLD: For sure. Thank you. ROSALES: Still ahead, relatives of missing people in Mexico flock to a place local media is calling the ranch of horror. Ahead, why they're hoping to find clues there about what happened to their loved ones.

You're in the CNN Newsroom.

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[03:45:00]

ROSALES: Welcome back. Three people were killed and 15 others injured in a mass shooting in the US on Friday. Police say it happened at an unsanctioned car show in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and started as a dispute between two groups. Now, video right here shows people running as those shots were fired. No one's been arrested, but police say they are following leads. This is the country's 53rd mass shooting of 2025.

On Saturday, the mayor of Las Cruces said he was mourning with his community,

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ERIC ENRIQUEZ, LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO: But I want to ask the community to gather together to stand strong and united as we try to heal and face this tragic event that took place in our city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: This week, families of some missing people in Mexico were allowed into what local media is calling the ranch of horror. One activist group says it was an extermination camp. Investigators say drug cartels used the site to kill and then cremate their victims.

CNN's Valeria Leon went to the ranch in the state of Jalisco.

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What I've seen here is pretty shocking. I'm in the abandoned ranch in (INAUDIBLE) Jalisco, Mexico, where human remains were found by a collective of searchers looking for their missing ones.

I want to show you around. This is a rectangular lot surrounded by these concrete walls. And here today, they're families of the victims, one of them who she came here looking for her son.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

LEON: Karina. (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

LEON: Okay. Since when you're looking for your son, (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE). LEON: Okay, five years ago. And why did you come here? (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

LEON: Okay. So she was part of this collective that found this place back in March 5th. And she said in these rooms they found different personal belongings, such as clothes, backpacks, and even different identifications.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

LEON: Gracias, senyora.

Also the families found here, not just the rooms, but what they allegedly said, these were crematoriums over there, that it's -- well, this area is already being investigated by the attorney's office, by the federal attorney's office, before there were local authorities conducting interviews and also investigations in this lot.

And the more than a thousand personal belongings found in here kind of it's a key for many of the number of people who might have died in here despite all the horrors of the families of many Mexicans see this gristly discovery as I hope to try to find finally their (INAUDIBLE) ones.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Jalisco.

ROSALES: We'll be right back.

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ROSALES: The Acropolis of Athens, the most famous landmark in Greece, went dark on Saturday night for 60 minutes. All of the lights illuminating the Parthenon Temple and other ancient buildings were switched off to mark Earth Hour. They were joined by Greece's parliament building, as well as other landmarks and capitals around the world.

Earth Hour was created by the Worldwide Fund for Nature nearly 20 years ago, all of it to raise awareness of climate change and to inspire people to protect the environment.

Well, a fisherman stranded at sea alone for months is now sharing how he was able to survive.

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ROSALES (on camera): Thank you, God, this man says, for giving me another chance. Tears flowing as he embraces his brother, a long sought moment for this fisherman turned cast away.

MAXIMO NAPA CASTRO, FISHERMAN: I stick my head out like this. When I saw the helicopter, it was something sensational. I said, okay, okay.

ROSALES: For 95 grueling days, Maximo Napa Castro or Gaton (ph) was stranded at sea. It was supposed to be a month-long trip, that is until the boat's motor failed. As his food rations dwindled, so did his hope. Then came a choice, to survive by any means necessary.

CASTRO: I was eating roaches, which also ran out. There was nothing. Then came the birds. They started to rest on my boat around 1:00 or 2:00 A.M. they fell asleep there, and at that hour I had to hunt them. Didn't want to do it, but I didn't have a choice. It was my life.

ROSALES: Eventually, Napa Castro even resorted to hunting a turtle, not for its meat, but to drink its blood.

Now, a week after his rescue, he tells CNN's Jimena de la Quintana. He lived each day just hoping for nightfall again. Sleep his only peace as living became unbearable.

CASTRO: I even got a knife three times. Three times I got the knife because I couldn't take it anymore. But I told myself, calm down, Gaton. You can do it. You can do it.

ROSALES: One night, as Napa Castro waited for sleep to take him away, a loud voice screamed his name, a rescue worker in a helicopter.

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Then an hour or so later, the lights of a boat, a light at the end of the tunnel, the cast away now a survivor.

CASTRO: What motivated me, what saved me was my faith. First of all, I believe it was my faith in God, because for several days I spoke to him, because I let him know how important my family was, my mother, my children.

ROSALES: The first video call a moment the fisherman once feared may never come, a teary reunion for a man who says he has a newfound appreciation for life.

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ROSALES: Wow, an incredible story there of survival.

All right, now to U.S. college basketball, where March Madness is certainly living up to its name. Despite a late game comeback yesterday by number two seed St. John's, the tenth seeded Arkansas Razorbacks held on to win 75-66 Arkansas advances to the tournament's Sweet 16 for the fourth time in five years. Their coach, the legendary John Calipari, now holds the most NCAA tournament wins among active coaches in the league. On the next round, the Razorbacks will tip off against number three seed Texas Tech.

Well, thank you for joining us. I'm Isabel Rosales in Atlanta. There's more CNN newsroom with Kim Brunhuber just after this break.

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