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Trump's Security Team Tackles Yemen's Military Strikes on an Unclassified Group Chat; Sudan's Military Reclaims Presidential Palace; More than 1000 Protesters Detained for Illegal Protests in Turkey; Greenlanders Reject Idea of a U.S. Takeover. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired March 25, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead.

The U.S. expressing optimism after high-stakes talks with Russian officials, the Kremlin taking a more reserved approach. What Russia says it needs before securing a blanket ceasefire deal?

Secret U.S. war plans revealed in a group chat. We'll look at the stunning breach of national security involving top officials of the Trump administration.

And the Sudanese army recapturing key territory from rival forces in Khartoum. We will speak to a "New York Times" journalist stationed in Sudan's capital where army forces are pushing back rebels.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us.

A partial temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine appears to be inching closer after two days of talks in Riyadh. U.S. and Russian officials met for more than 12 hours Monday.

A day earlier, the U.S. held separate talks with the Ukrainian delegation. The White House says progress is being made on a maritime truce in the Black Sea and a positive announcement should be coming soon.

President Trump also says a deal over access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals is almost done. But any diplomatic progress seems to be overshadowed by a surge in military strikes.

CNN's Sebastian Shukla is following developments and joins us now live from Berlin. Good morning to you, Sebastian. So what more can you tell us about what came out of these talks and likely next steps? SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Rosemary, what we know at the

moment is very little, actually. After those talks concluded in Riyadh yesterday, which went on for some 12 hours, both the parties kind of separated and we haven't heard a huge amount about what they discussed. However, we are expecting that to change in the coming hours with Russian state media reporting, citing CBS, that there will be some sort of joint announcement or statement about the outcome of these talks.

So that will give us a bit more an indication about what exactly the two sides have negotiated here. And also remember, Rosemary, that the Ukrainians, although not part of the direct talks between the Russians and the U.S., have also been around these talks and forms of shuttle diplomacy have been taking place too.

Telegraphed ahead of these talks, though, was the talk around the Black Sea grain deal initiative being re-established. That was something the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, President Putin's spokesperson, was very clear to make one of the key outcomes of this, as well as potentially any further agreements and substance on the 30-day infrastructure ceasefire, which would see both sides are topping oil refineries and national grids and the like.

But when it comes to the Black Sea, Rosemary, I think that's particularly important because although Ukraine, the breadbasket of Europe, exports grain through that corridor in the Black Sea to the rest of the world, that will actually be more of a benefit, I think, to Russia than it is to Ukraine, because the Ukrainians have managed to drive out the Russian Navy from there, incredible really for a nation that doesn't really have a major naval force, to drive the Russians out of the Black Sea in almost its entirety.

You know, they used a drone, those sea drone attacks, to drive them out. They have managed to hit Russian vessels in ports in Crimea as well. So the fact that Ukraine may have to adhere to a ceasefire of some form there will basically allow Russia to rearm, take strategic maneuvers into account, and also feel more safe and secure in their own ports as they potentially look to regroup.

But crucially, Rosemary, at the moment, what is still missing is that full ceasefire, right, that ceasefire on land, and those attacks seem to be happening, and territory seems to be being gained and lost on almost every day at the moment, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Our thanks to Sebastian Shukla joining us live with that report from Berlin. I appreciate it.

The Trump administration is on the defensive after a shocking breach of protocol that could have threatened the lives of U.S. service members and a critical military operation.

[03:05:01]

Top U.S. officials mistakenly included a journalist in a group chat on the commercial app Signal discussing plans for an attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen. Among those in the chat, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Hegseth denies anyone was texting war plans, despite the administration acknowledging the messages seem to be authentic. According to "The Atlantic," the messages revealed information on Houthi targets in Yemen, which U.S. weapon systems would be deployed, and the sequence of U.S. attacks.

"Atlantic" Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg says he was stunned to be included.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY GOLDBERG, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "THE ATLANTIC": Nobody raised the question, why are we talking about this over Signal? And nobody said, hey, who is J.G.? You know, because you show up in a little bubble as your initials.

And no one at any point said, who's J.G.? And when I withdrew from the group, you formally remove yourself, you hit a button. It says J.G. has removed himself from the group. I assume that somebody would say, hey, who just removed himself from the group? Nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: More now from CNN's Jeff Zeleny at the White House.

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JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: President Trump saying he is the utmost confidence in his national security advisor, Mike Waltz, after a day-long series of recriminations and revelations about the national security advisors here at the White House having a discussion about military planning for the bombing of Yemen with a reporter from "The Atlantic" magazine who was invited into this group chat. On Monday, the president said this.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't know anything about it. I'm not a big fan of "The Atlantic." To me, it's a magazine that's going out of business. I think it's not much of a magazine, but I know nothing about it.

ZELENY: But whether the president knew it or not is not the central question here, because White House officials are reviewing the use of this encrypted app that these conversations were taking place. Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill raising questions about how highly sensitive, perhaps even classified information could be discussed in this manner with so many administration officials, including the vice president, who raised questions about the attack in Yemen, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, the CIA director, the director of national intelligence.

Tuesday on Capitol Hill, senators will be questioning the CIA director and the DNI director, asking them about this and other worldwide threats. Now, there is no question this is one of the biggest security breaches we have seen, at least in modern technological times here, when the editor of "The Atlantic" was invited into this group chat. He removed himself from that and did not disclose the security information.

Now, the White House has launched some attacks against him. He's long been a top critic of this president, but there is no doubt this is just the beginning of this conversation. Certainly extraordinary day in Washington.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: I spoke earlier with CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, John Miller, and I asked him about the likely consequences of this incident and whether heads will roll.

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JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: You know, Rosemary, if this was, you know, a colonel and a couple of majors and somebody else who were behind this, they'd all be fired or court-martialed or severely disciplined or demoted.

The problem here is you have half of the national security cabinet of the administration there. So, I doubt anything is going to happen to anybody except there'll be a review and they'll say don't do it again.

Signal is an encrypted app. It's a secure app, as far as we know. In fact, in the Biden administration, in the waning days, a December 22nd memo from the Homeland Security Infrastructure Protection person warned government officials to get off your text messages and get onto apps like Signal. But that was for government business that might be sensitive, not classified, not targeting, timing, sequencing weapons, you know, for what is supposed to be a surprise attack against a designated foreign terrorist organization.

That is the kind of thing that's supposed to happen on classified government systems through the National Security Council and the White House Signal Corps, which is very professional about how to do this and also how to record it.

CHURCH: Yes, I mean, it is a shocking mistake, isn't it? But President Trump says he was not aware of this story but supports all those officials involved. He also mocked the journalist and the magazine, as did Hegseth, who also refused to take responsibility for the leaked war plans.

The Democrats are calling for a full investigation into how this happened. How important is it that this investigation gets done and how likely is it that it will be done?

[03:10:06]

MILLER: I am sure that this will be tied up in the smoke and thunder of politics for a number of days. And, you know, there may be some congressional investigation. But the point is, since we're pretty sure nobody's going to get fired on this level over this, that they need to clean up their act and get back to using the structure. And, you know, Mike Waltz, the National Security Advisor, should know

this. He's a former Special Forces operator. He's been involved in the National Security Council. He knows how these wheels are supposed to turn.

And get back to a discipline where you handle sensitive operations the way experienced people would, as opposed to a Secretary of Defense who, right before that, was a T.V. host and a soldier in the field, and a Director of National Intelligence who was a member of Congress who didn't work in this system.

Let the people who are the professionals in this system, and I say this as a former Deputy Assistant Director of National Intelligence myself, you know, when you're new at the job, you rely on the pros, the career people who have been there, to show you how it's done. Because whatever the mistakes you're about to make, they probably made them before, which is why they know what they're doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Sudan's army is celebrating its success over the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum days after they recaptured the presidential palace.

The Sudanese Armed Forces have been fighting the RSF for nearly two years, triggering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, according to human rights groups. More than 28,000 people have been killed and some 11 million forced to flee their homes. This month, UNICEF outlined a new report of atrocities by the SAF.

Meanwhile, despite the Sudanese army's progress in Khartoum, the RSF continues to consolidate control in Western Sudan, and the war shows no sign of ending anytime soon.

Declan Walsh is the "New York Times'" Chief Africa Correspondent. He joins me now from Khartoum. Appreciate you being with us.

DECLAN WALSH, CHIEF AFRICA CORRESPONDENT, "NEW YORK TIMES": Good morning, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So what did you witness and experience as the first Western journalist to visit Sudan's capital Khartoum since the start of the war?

WALSH: Well, we were certainly the first journalists who crossed into the city center in that area around the presidential palace, the business district where the government ministries are and so on, since this war started. We got there a couple of days after the RSF had been pushed out by the army.

And what we saw, Rosemary, were these scenes of utter devastation, all the sort of symbols of the state of power in Sudan absolutely destroyed from the army headquarters, government ministries, and of course the palace itself that, you know, in places was barely standing. And when we arrived there, there were several hundred soldiers clustered inside who were gathering themselves up to go out into the city and continue pressing out the last pockets of RSF resistance in that part of Khartoum.

CHURCH: And as you mentioned there, I mean, it was a day after the Sudanese Armed Forces took full control of the presidential palace that the army also seized control of the country's central bank headquarters. How significant are these gains and what could it potentially mean for the army's two-year conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, also referred to as RSF?

WALSH: I think there's little doubt at this point that this is a significant turning point in the war. We're now seeing the prospect of the RSF being run entirely out of Khartoum. Just last night there were new reports that the RSF has started to withdraw from other positions in the city, and they're leaving it to the south.

So that raises this prospect that the war or the center of the war will now shift from the capital Khartoum to the RSF's stronghold in the west of Sudan. It means that the army will now be able to retake, reestablish its control over the capital. But it certainly doesn't mean in any -- nobody believes that this war is going to end anytime soon.

At least there's no sign of that. Even after the army had captured the palace, we saw drones circling overhead that were operated by the RSF. They fired a missile that killed a local T.V. crew, as well as two army officers.

And that was really a sign that even if the RSF have withdrawn from the city, they maintain -- or are withdrawing from the city, they maintain the capacity to strike it, and they continue -- they aim to continue to prosecute this war.

[03:15:08]

CHURCH: Yes, and the RSF is trying to set up a parallel government, isn't it, in areas it controls in the west, essentially trying to petition the country. How likely is it that they'll achieve that goal?

WALSH: Well, they've certainly got quite a lot of support in the region. They launched the declaration of this parallel government in Kenya. They still enjoy strong military and financial backing that our own reporting has showed from the United Arab Emirates, that Gulf power, which has been supplying them with weapons for at least the last year and a half. There's no sign that that is stopping.

So certainly the RSF has considerable reserves of less-killed capital at this point to try to launch that parallel government. But of course, losing the capital is a significant blow to the RSF.

Really, that had been the victory they had scored that showed what a serious force they were. And only six months ago, you know, there was still a serious prospect that they could take the whole country.

CHURCH: Declan Walsh in Khartoum, many thanks for joining us. We appreciate it.

WALSH: Pleasure. CHURCH: Israel is planning a massive new ground offensive in Gaza just

ahead. Details of the potential scenarios being considered by the IDF.

Plus, Turkey's president is doubling down against demonstrations in the country. What he's saying is massive crowds protest the jailing of Istanbul's mayor. Back in just a moment.

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[03:20:00]

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CHURCH: The United Nations says it will reduce its presence in Gaza after Israel renewed its attacks on the enclave. The announcement comes after one U.N. staffer was killed and several others injured in an Israeli strike last week.

Meantime, sources tell CNN the Israeli military is contemplating a massive new ground offensive. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has the latest from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, as the war in Gaza renews once again, Israel is making plans for a potential major ground offensive in the Strip. This plan, which is currently being crafted, could involve sending tens of thousands of Israeli troops into Gaza to clear and then occupy large swaths of land. This is according to an Israeli official and a source familiar with the matter.

It is important to note that this is just one possible scenario currently being considered. And in fact, one of the sources told me that this information is currently being leaked in order to try and pressure Hamas further at the negotiating table as the mediators try and revive the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

But this is a real plan that Israel is considering. It would involve as many as five divisions of Israeli troops or about 50,000 soldiers as part of this offensive. Unlike previously, when Israel has carried out ground offensives and cleared certain areas of Hamas only to then retreat from those areas, Hamas reemerged because of a lack of an alternative governance, the lack of Israeli troops in the area as well.

And that then resulted in Israeli troops going back into Gaza, back into those very same areas that they had previously cleared of Hamas militants. And so this time Israeli officials are envisioning a long- term occupation of some of those areas, which could, according to military experts, bog down the Israeli military in a month's long or even year's long fight against insurgencies and a long-term occupation of large swaths of the Gaza Strip.

It's not clear that the Israeli public has an appetite for such a large-scale return to war though. In fact, numerous polls have showed that a majority of Israelis would prefer to see a hostage deal that also ends the war in Gaza rather than a return to this kind of an all- out war.

But the Israeli prime minister's priorities may be in a different place. His right-wing governing coalition, key figures in it, have been pushing for exactly this kind of a large-scale ground offensive in Gaza, long-term occupation of the Gaza Strip as well.

But even before any kind of large-scale ground offensive happens, we've watched as Israeli troops have begun to carry out some ground operations in both northern and southern Gaza and also those airstrikes very much still continuing.

Two Palestinian journalists were in fact killed by Israeli strikes on Monday according to several Gaza journalist unions. This is the latest attack on journalists that we have seen play out in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military previously claimed that Hossam Shabbat, one of those journalists, was affiliated with Hamas but provided no verifiable evidence that he was actively involved with the group. CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for additional comment.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The family of Elkana Bohbot, an Israeli man held hostage in Gaza for about a year and a half, are begging Israeli and U.S. leaders to quote, "imagine this is your son and secure his immediate release." This comes after Hamas released video showing Bohbot under duress pleading for a ceasefire.

The video showed him with Yosef-Chaim Ohana, another hostage. The families of both hostages say they fear for their loved ones who appear to be starved in a poor physical condition.

[03:25:06]

The U.S.' talks with Russia over a possible temporary ceasefire with Ukraine are going well. But what progress has actually been made? Our national security analyst weighs in, just ahead.

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[03:30:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church. Let's check today's top stories for you.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claims nobody was texting war plans in a commercial messaging chat group. "The Atlantic" magazine's editor-in-chief, who was mistakenly included, says Hegseth revealed plans for a U.S. attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen earlier this month.

Attorneys for the U.S. Justice Department argue President Trump had full authority to use a centuries-old wartime law to deport more than 200 Venezuelan migrants earlier this month. They made their case before a federal appeals court on Monday. The American Civil Liberties Union and others say the law being used does not apply.

The White House says there's progress on a potential temporary maritime truce between Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea, following two days of talks in Saudi Arabia. American and Russian officials met for 12 hours Monday in Riyadh, a day after the U.S. held separate talks with Ukraine.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is following all the developments from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Despite unrelenting fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces on various fronts, and Moscow saying its troops continue to make headway, President Trump's special negotiator saying he trusts Russian President Vladimir Putin has no further ambitions in Europe beyond Ukraine.

STEVE WITKOFF, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE MIDDLE EAST: I just don't see that he wants to take all of Europe. This is a much different situation than it was in World War II. In World War II, there was no NATO.

So you have countries that are armed there. To me, I take him at his word in this sense.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): But the Ukrainians say Russia is continuing an aerial blitz with drones and missiles, a strike in the northern Sumy region leaving dozens injured, Kyiv says. And Moscow accuses Ukraine of stepping up attacks on Russian energy installations, despite an agreement with the Trump administration not to do so, even though Kyiv denies the allegations.

The Kremlin seemingly pushing the brakes on talk of a possible imminent full ceasefire.

Of course, there are still many different aspects related to the settlement that need to be worked out, the Kremlin spokesman said.

As U.S. and Russian negotiators met in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, to try and hammer out some of those details, Steve Witkoff says the last time he met Putin, he saw a special relationship between the Russian leader and President Trump developing, Witkoff told Tucker Carlson.

WITKOFF: It got personal. President Putin had commissioned a beautiful portrait of President Trump from the leading Russian artist and actually gave it to me and asked me to take it home to President Trump, which I brought home and delivered to him. It's been reported in the paper, but it was such a gracious moment and told me a story, Tucker, about how when the president was shot, he went to his local church and met with his priest and prayed for the president, not because he was the president of the United, he could be become the president of the United States, but because he had a friendship with him and he was praying for his friend.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Those words reverberating on the streets of Moscow.

PLEITGEN: He said that President Putin had ordered a portrait of Donald Trump. What did you think about that?

UNKNOWN: I don't know. It's maybe a symbol of growing relationships. I don't know what to think about that.

PLEITGEN: Do you think they're friends? Witkoff said that he was praying for a friend.

UNKNOWN: Yes, he said so, but I don't know. Maybe.

UNKNOWN: I believe they have a quite good relationship between them. So I believe that everything will be fine.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): The Trump administration also says they believe things will be worked out, even as the Kremlin cautions many tough issues still need to be solved to end the fighting in Ukraine.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: David Sanger is a CNN political and national security analyst. He's also the author of "New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West." Good to have you with us.

[03:35:04]

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, AND CHIEF WASHINGTON AND NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, "NEW YORK TIMES": Great to be back with you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So after more than 12 hours of talks between U.S. and Russian delegations in Riyadh Monday, we don't know at this stage, of course, how much progress was made, but what are they likely to say in the hours ahead about efforts to reach a ceasefire here?

SANGER: Well, these are medium level talks. You notice that the U.S. didn't send Steve Witkoff, the chief negotiator for the U.S., or Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, who had participated in the first round.

So these are intended to see if they could extend beyond the ceasefire on energy targets, which has only been sort of observed episodically, and extend that to a ceasefire in the Black Sea, where, of course, Ukrainian drones and air and other weaponry have managed to basically chase the Russian fleet out of the area.

CHURCH: The Kremlin is cautioning that a full 30 day ceasefire is still a long way off due to fundamental issues yet to be worked out. So how much is this about Putin delaying making a deal until he gets more territorial gains on the battlefield and therefore more leverage?

SANGER: I think he wants more than territorial gains here. He knows he's going to get the territory that he's now occupying. I think he wants a guarantee that the peacekeepers aren't deployed to Ukraine. Ukrainians could take the position that that's none of his business, that they could let in troops from any country that they wanted to.

I think he wants to make sure when he says fundamental issues that the United States and other countries go back to where they were in the mid-1990's. So, in other words, not have American or NATO troops sitting in sort of a frontline former Soviet states, perhaps including Poland.

So he wants to do many big things. And the way he's trying to wear the president down, President Trump down, is by saying, oh, yes, I agree with the idea that we need a ceasefire, but you just have to address my fundamental issues.

CHURCH: And Ukraine is, of course, concerned about how much land might be surrendered to Russia in the end by Trump in his haste to make a deal. And they worry about how the U.S. will enforce any peace deal if that is eventually made, given Russia's history of breaking ceasefire commitments. So how will all of this be addressed? Will it be addressed?

SANGER: I'm not sure all of it will be addressed. I think that the view that President Trump is likely to take of the security guarantees is the U.S. won't participate.

If the French, the British, the Germans want to go do that, well, good luck with that. And if they get attacked, it will not be viewed as an attack on NATO forces. It will just be on individual nations' forces.

I think that for President Trump, getting past Ukraine is important, chiefly, because he wants to rebuild a normal relationship and a normal trading relationship with Russia. You heard Mr. Witkoff say, imagine what we could do in the future. We could cooperate on energy- related issues, on artificial intelligence, and so forth.

What's missing from this is any sense that Russia needs to pay a price for seizing land. In fact, if they get the land, which I'm sure they will, and probably would have even under President Biden, that it will send a message to the rest of the world that such aggression against small democracies ultimately works.

CHURCH: So, David, what happens now? What's the next move?

SANGER: Well, we'll see how these negotiations go in Saudi. I'm sure that those teams will go back to their capitals.

They'll report to each other, to the Ukrainians. It's galling to the Ukrainians that the fate of their country is being decided without them at the table. It seems sort of like Yalta when FDR and Stalin and Churchill divided up Europe.

And my guess is we'll go a few more rounds of these before President Putin and President Trump meet, perhaps in Saudi Arabia. That's been the discussed locale.

[03:40:05]

And if they do that, then maybe they will work out the territorial and other arrangements themselves.

CHURCH: David Sanger, many thanks for joining us. I appreciate it.

SANGER: Great to be with you.

CHURCH: Turkey rocked by massive protests as crowds filled the streets Monday for a sixth night running. More than a thousand people have been detained and Turkey's president is calling the protests evil and a movement of violence.

CNN's Nada Bashir has more on the ongoing demonstrations.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Turmoil in Turkey. Thousands of demonstrators gathering across dozens of cities in protest against the jailing of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

Only to be met by a violent crackdown by riot police, with more than a thousand people detained in just six days. Also detained, Imamoglu, considered to be the most serious political rival to Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Arrested on the very same day, his secular Republican People's Party nominated him as their next presidential candidate. Erdogan has been Turkey's president for over 20 years, favored by the likes of Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.

TRUMP: I'm a big fan of the president.

BASHIR (voice-over): And accused of pushing Turkey further towards authoritarianism. Now having his government formally charge his rival, Imamoglu, with corruption.

RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (through translator): A country like Turkey has a main opposition party that is too small, too primitive and too weak in terms of foresight, vision and quality. It has become apparent once again that they cannot be trusted to run a country, let alone local government.

BASHIR (voice-over): Imamoglu has denied the allegations against him, describing his arrest as a dark stain on democracy. What began with a successful attempt to strip him of his university degree, effectively barring him from running for president, has since expanded to allegations including extortion and bribery.

Critics have warned that Imamoglu's arrest could signal a dangerous shift in Turkey's already stifled democracy. With fears Erdogan may have been emboldened by backers further afield, including in the U.S., where President Trump has previously praised the Turkish leader's strongman tactics. TRUMP: We've had a great relationship and we will make it even better.

He's a hell of a leader and he's a tough man, he's a strong man.

President Erdogan is a friend of mine, he's a guy I like, respect, I think he respects me also.

BASHIR (voice-over): That mutual respect seemingly still strong, despite past differences. Bloomberg has reported that Erdogan is working to secure a meeting with Trump at the White House in the coming weeks, citing Turkish officials.

President Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, meanwhile, recently told Tucker Carlson on his podcast that the two leaders remain in close contact on regional affairs.

WITKOFF: I think the president had a great conversation with Erdogan a couple of days ago. Really transformational, I would describe it.

BASHIR (voice-over): Nada Bashir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, anger and frustration in Caracas after the U.S. deported alleged Venezuelan gang members. More on the legal fight over the 18th century wartime law used by the White House to make it happen. Back with that and more in just a moment.

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[03:45:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

In Venezuela, anger is growing at both the U.S. and El Salvador, with protests by families who believe their loved ones were part of a mass deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members by the Trump administration earlier this month.

Those protesting in Caracas Monday say they only know their loved ones were among those deported after seeing reports in the news and from El Salvador's government. Neither El Salvador nor the U.S. have confirmed the names of any of the migrants in question.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz has more on the court battle over the Trump administration's use of an old wartime law to make these deportations happen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The Justice Department was in court for several hours and the ball really shifted during this hearing. It was before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals over this Venezuelan migrants' flight that the court had previously said you can't use the law that Trump wants to use to take people out of the country and give them to a Salvadoran prison.

The Justice Department initially argued that the courts shouldn't have any role, that this was a national security concern, and so the courts really should step away and let Donald Trump use whatever means he needs to to protect the United States and take Venezuelan migrants, put them on a plane, send them out of the country.

But the courts are now looking at a different question, a question about whether the men who were rounded up and were initially put on a plane and the administration wanted to take out of the country, whether they had due process. Should they have a hearing? What type of hearing should that be before a court system?

[03:50:02]

Because they say they're not from the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. They say that they should be able to be heard on that before a judge, and there's quite a bit of arguments over that. It did get heated at times.

Judge Patricia Millett especially had very hard questions for the Justice Department asking them over and over about the ability of a president just to take people out of the country or officials lower down the totem pole from the president himself. Here's a little bit more from Judge Millett speaking to the Justice Department attorney Drew Ensign.

PATRICIA MILLETT, JUDGE OF THE U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE D.C. CIRCUIT: There were plane loads of people. I mean, it was also -- it's a class action. There were plane loads of people. There were no procedures in place to notify people.

Nazis got better treatment under the Alien Enemy Act.

DREW ENSIGN, ATTORNEY FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE: Well, Your Honor, we certainly dispute the Nazi analogy.

POLANTZ: So that was a really sharp questioning from Judge Millett, but she's only one person on this panel of three judges at the D.C. Circuit. She's going to be weighing in. She is an Obama appointee, someone with a lot of experience in international law who asked a lot of the questions today at the hearing.

Another judge asking questions, Judge Justin Walker, appointed by Trump, and then the third judge on the panel, the person who would be the swing boat conceivably here, that's Judge Karen Henderson. She's been on the D.C. Circuit for quite some time. She's a Republican appointee originally, but she asked nothing of substance today that would tip her hand to see which way this case goes, at least at this court.

Of course, at the end of the day, it always could be landing, though, before the Supreme Court, as the Trump administration has made clear they will appeal and appeal and appeal until they get a final answer. Back to you.

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CHURCH: U.S. officials are gearing up to visit Greenland this week, but the island doesn't seem too keen on welcoming the delegation. Coming up, what Greenlanders are saying about the trip.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Despite backlash from Greenland's prime minister, President Donald Trump says an upcoming visit to the island by U.S. officials is meant to be a gesture of, quote, "friendliness." CNN's Tom Foreman has more on what Greenlanders are saying about the trip.

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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Teeth are showing at Greenland's national dog sled race, with the prime minister slamming a pending visit to the contest by U.S. government dignitaries as highly aggressive and adding "the only purpose is to demonstrate power over us and fuel American belief in Trump's to take over the world's largest island."

[03:55:07]

TRUMP: This is friendliness and provocation.

FOREMAN (voice-over): President Trump is racing to defend the trip by Second Lady Usha Vance, a likely visit by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and possibly a stop there by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, too.

Vance is soft-selling her visit.

USHA VANCE, U.S. SECOND LADY: I'm also coming to celebrate the long history of mutual respect and cooperation between our nations.

UNKNOWN: Here as tourists, seeing it looks like an incredible place.

FOREMAN (voice-over): But these are not the first visits from Team Trump, which for months has pushed the notion that annexing Greenland is critical to U.S. interest as America, Russia and China vie for commercial and military control of Arctic waters.

TRUMP: We need that for international security, not just security, international. We have a lot of our favorite players cruising around the coast and we have to be careful.

J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Denmark, which controls Greenland, it's not doing its job and it's not being a good ally.

FOREMAN (voice-over): And the point person on that argument is the Second Lady's husband, Vice President J.D. Vance. J.D. VANCE: If that means that we need to take more territorial

interest in Greenland, that is what President Trump is going to do because he doesn't care about what the Europeans scream at us. He cares about putting the interests of America's citizens first.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Greenlanders clearly don't like that talk. A January poll commissioned by Danish and Greenlandic newspapers found 85 percent oppose joining the U.S. and many consider Trump's designs a threat even after years of cooperation, including hosting a big American military base.

"Things have turned upside down now with the current president in the USA," the prime minister says. "We must face the seriousness of the situation and acknowledge that every minute counts to ensure that the Americans' dream of annexing our country does not become a reality."

FOREMAN: And while President Trump insists there's a lot of enthusiasm there for the takeover, Denmark itself, which has overseen this autonomous nation for hundreds of years, says it's not for sale, meaning the dogsled delegation may be on thin ice even before it arrives.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And just this reminder for airline pilots flying overseas, don't forget your passport. A United Airlines pilot did just that, forcing a flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai to turn around over the weekend.

The plane landed two hours after takeoff in San Francisco, according to the website FlightAware. The airline says it arranged for a new crew and gave passengers meal vouchers and compensation. The flight made it to Shanghai six hours behind schedule.

Thank you so much for spending part of your day with me. I'm Rosemary Church.

"The Amanpour Hour" is next, then stay tuned for "Early Start" with Rahel Solomon, starting at 5 a.m. in New York, 9 a.m. in London. Have a great day.

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