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Tariffs on Foreign-made Cars Take Effect April 3; U.S. Homeland Secretary Visits Salvadoran Prison; Former Brazilian President to Stand Trial on Coup Charges; Prince Harry Quits Sentebale over Internal Disputes. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired March 27, 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.

President Donald Trump escalating the trade war, what to know about the new tariff set to hit the auto market.

Deflections and denials from the Trump administration after high security information was accidentally shared with a journalist. We will dig into the fallout of the Signal group chat.

Plus, we'll hear from one doctor about her experience in northern Gaza during the short-lived ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

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

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us.

U.S. President Donald Trump escalates his global trade war with the announcement of new 25 percent tariffs on all foreign-made cars. They are set to take effect in one week on April 3rd and are aimed at boosting American auto manufacturing.

But experts warn the cost of new cars could rise by thousands of dollars for U.S. consumers. The tariffs will apply not just to imported cars but also to car parts, with some exceptions no later than May 3rd.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: This is something that people have wanted to do, presidents have wanted to do for a long time. A lot of them didn't understand it. It wasn't a priority for them.

But foreign countries understood it very well. And they've really ripped us off at levels that nobody's seen before. But that's not going to happen. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The European Commission president condemned the new tariffs, writing, tariffs are taxes, bad for businesses, worse for consumers in the U.S. and the E.U. Ursula von der Leyen said Europe will wait to announce any retaliatory actions. Canada, on the other hand, is ready to push back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: And this is a direct attack, to be clear, a direct attack on the very workers that I stood in front of.

We will defend our workers, we will defend our companies, we'll defend our country. And we'll defend it together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Kristie Lu Stout reports on how these new auto tariffs will impact U.S. allies in Asia, home to some of the biggest carmakers in the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The potential impacts could be huge with the Japanese Prime Minister saying now that, quote, "all options are on the table" after U.S. President Donald Trump announced these new auto tariffs of 25 percent to be applied on all imports, targeting the world's biggest auto suppliers, including key allies here in the Asia-Pacific region, Japan and South Korea.

Now, these new auto tariffs will kick into gear next week with collection beginning on April the 3rd. It will apply to cars, it will apply to trucks. As for auto parts, and that includes stuff like engines, electronic components, transmissions, that will be subject to an up to one month reprieve.

We've been monitoring investor activity and reaction ever since the news broke, and shares in South Korea and Japan have been skidding this day. And it comes as a surprise to many. I mean, just a couple of days ago, Hyundai, the South Korean automaking giant, announced plans to invest 20 billion U.S. dollars in the United States.

And earlier this month, Honda, the Japanese auto giant, said that it was planning to move the production of the Civic from Mexico to the U.S. state of Indiana to reportedly avoid potential tariffs.

Now, we did hear from the Japanese prime minister earlier today. He addressed the tariffs in a session of parliament. We have a quote from him here.

Let's bring it up to you. This is what you heard from Shigeru Ishiba, who said this, quote, "Japan is a country that is making the largest amount of investment in the United States. So we wonder if it makes sense for Washington to apply uniform tariffs to all countries. That's a point we've been making, and we will continue to do so."

Now analysts say that these tariffs will deal a heavy blow to the Japanese economy and to the South Korean economy as well. We heard this from a senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations who posted this on the social media platform known as X in regards to the auto sector.

This is what we heard from Brad Setzer saying this, quote, "imports from Korea have been growing strongly and now top 35 billion dollars or 2 percent of GDP. So Korea is more exposed relative to the size of its economy than either Germany or Japan," unquote.

Last year, in 2024, the United States imported some $474 billion worth of auto products.

[03:05:01]

And if you bring up the list of top global suppliers, let's bring it up on the screen right now, you will see the following nations. You will see Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Germany. Every nation on this list is a close ally of the United States.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Despite another day of denials and deflections from President Trump and his administration on the Signal Gate scandal, "The Atlantic's" Jeffrey Goldberg is bringing the receipts.

The magazine published text messages from the group chat on a commercial open source app laying out plans to attack Houthi rebels in Yemen. They include the type of aircraft, drones and missiles and what time they would strike. The Pentagon acknowledges Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared the details while the operation was underway.

Hegseth, on a tour of Hawaii, Guam and the Philippines, continues to push back, now splitting hairs over semantics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Nobody's texting war plans. There's no units, no locations, no routes, no flight paths, no sources, no methods, no classified information.

SEN. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): Whether it's considered quote classified or just highly sensitive, it was too detailed. And whether you call it a war plan or not, it's just too detailed to pretend it wasn't a big deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Multiple current and former defense officials tell CNN discussion of the timing targets or weapon systems to be used in an attack is always classified. Because of the potential risk to U.S. service members.

And CNN's Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju has reaction from Capitol Hill.

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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Republicans are divided in the aftermath of two days of testimony from top Trump officials and all the questions that emerged over that Signal group chat.

Of course, now that now-infamous group chat that was started by the National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and that included Pete Hegseth, the Defense Secretary, including detailed battle plans, detailed attack plans for the U.S. involvement going after the Houthis in Yemen, actually putting out information about those attacks on that unsecure platform that included, inadvertently, the journalist Jeffrey Goldberg and ultimately came out publicly over the last several days, including the hours before the House Intelligence Committee heard testimony from two participants in that group chat: Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, and John Ratcliffe, the CIA Director.

In the aftermath of that, the Republicans were on different pages. Some, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, are defending the Trump team, said that there's nothing to see here, essentially. And Pete Hegseth and the like, they say that there was nothing that was actually revealed that undermined the U.S. operation, defended the U.S. operation against the Houthis and said that there was no sources or methods disclosed.

And then there are other Republicans who are deeply concerned, who are worried about the implications of having such communication, such sensitive communication. They believe it was classified information. Even the White House says it was not classified information.

They say it should not have been discussed in such a platform like that that could be accessed by American adversaries like Russia, like China, and others around the world.

Now, the aftermath of this, some Republicans are calling for an investigation, and the Republican leader of the Senate, John Thune, told me that he believes that the administration should at least own up to its mistakes.

SEN JOHN THUNE (R-SD): It was obviously a mistake for me, and I think we just have to acknowledge that, talk about what they're going to do to correct it and fix it so it doesn't happen in the future.

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): It appears that Mr. Waltz has accepted fault for it. I don't know.

RAJU: Yes, but Hegseth had all those battle plans he discussed, and is that going to happen?

MURKOWSKI: Does it concern me? Hell yes. RAJU: Now, there does appear to be some appetite for investigation

among Republicans on some of these key committees. One of them, Senator Roger Wicker, who is the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined with the top Democrat on this committee to send a letter demanding an inspector general investigation into all of this.

We'll see how that ultimately plays out, and we'll see if the Senate committee plans to press ahead with its own probe as we're seeing Republicans split on how to proceed, and Democrats saying that Hegseth should resign or be fired in the aftermath of this controversy.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: New reporting from "Der Spiegel" shows the private data of top U.S. security officials is freely accessible online. The German magazine found mobile phone numbers, email addresses, and in some cases passwords belonging to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

[03:10:02]

All three were part of the Signal group chat discussing plans to attack Houthi rebels in Yemen. Most of the information found by "Der Spiegel" was still in use, and some connected to social media accounts including Instagram and LinkedIn.

No country should have to go through this. Those words from the Ukrainian president after what authorities call a massive drone attack on a residential area of Kharkiv. Emergency personnel say at least nine people were injured, including a 12-year-old girl.

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Paris right now for a meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, a group of Western nations that have pledged to help defend Ukraine against Russia.

Any moment now, European leaders are expected to begin arriving at the Elysee Palace. The French president criticized the Kremlin on Wednesday, saying it should not dictate the conditions for peace after Russia demanded some sanctions be eased before halting military force in the Black Sea.

At a news conference with President Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron added there is only one aggressor, and that is Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): While you, Mr. President, were able to take a risk for peace by proposing and accepting this 30-day ceasefire in the air, at sea and on civilian infrastructure, today Russia has not brought forward any solid response. And through its acts, it has shown its desire for war and to continue the aggression.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Ukraine's president says sanctions against Moscow must stay in place as long as Russia is occupying Ukrainian territory. And he hopes the U.S. will be strong enough to force Russia to an unconditional ceasefire. A Kremlin spokesperson says Moscow does not believe President Zelenskyy has fully grasped the changed nature of U.S.- Russia relations.

And CNN's Sebastian Shukla is following this live from Berlin. He joins us now. Good morning to Sebastian.

So what is expected to come out of this Paris summit and what's the latest on those new strikes in Ukraine overnight?

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Yes, Rosemary, this summit, dubbed the Coalition of the Willing, is going to bring together some 30 world leaders, Western leaders, heads of state, ambassadors and heads of major European institutions, including NATO and the European Council.

So what we'll start to see today is a little bit more discourse and flesh on the bones about what support Europe is going to be able to give Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. And what the Elysee Palace was saying in the days leading up to this event is that there are four buckets, essentially, that the summit is going to cover.

One is aid to Ukraine, that immediate financial and humanitarian assistance, the continued support of the Ukrainian army with weapons and ammunition that it needs to stave off waves of Russian advancing troops. And then the third of them will look at what the ceasefire will look like, the monitoring and implementation. And then most importantly and most headline grabbing is this issue around a peacekeeping force or what was called a peacekeeping force initially.

That rhetoric has changed very slightly now to be called more of a reassurance force. That's a toning down of what exactly this European contingent may look like in Ukraine. And the questions are now also abounding. Does that even mean boots on the ground or does this perhaps mean intelligence from the skies or is this monitoring at sea?

So we'll start to see Rosemary a little bit more today about the detail that these European nations and Western partners will put forward.

But you're right as well that yesterday evening, President Zelenskyy arrived ahead of the summer and he spoke and met and had dinner with President Macron, where at that briefing that they gave to journalists just before that we got a little bit of a sense of how President Zelenskyy is viewing this ceasefire that he has agreed on the Ukrainian part, but how he views and what he thinks the Americans need to be doing and listening to when it comes to what the Russians are saying.

Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We expect the American side to secure the unconditionality of silence in the sea. This is not the time to reduce pressure on Russia or to weaken our unity for peace. We need more strong joint steps to ensure that there will be peace, just peace, durable peace. Sanctions must remain in force on Russia and must be increased as long as Russian occupation continues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:15:01]

SHUKLA: And so we're hearing that President Zelenskyy they're saying that sanctions must be increased in order to push Russia towards a ceasefire. What the Americans say they have agreed with Moscow is that there will be a lifting of sanctions.

And there is a particular Russian bank, an agricultural bank, that has said it would like it's sanctions lifted and also the readmission to SWIFT, the SWIFT banking system to Russia. But that is a unilateral agreement between the United States and Europe.

But it's not something that is in the U.S.' gift to give. Unfortunately, that is a European decision that needs to be made centrally in the heart of Europe in Brussels, particularly when it comes to the banking systems.

And obviously, Rosemary, we've seen another wave of attacks overnight, this time at the northern, north eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv right on the border with Russia. So those waves of attacks do not appear to be stopping, despite these supposed ceasefire agreements being in place to certain extents. Rosemary.

CHURCH: Many thanks to Sebastian Shukla bringing us that live report from Berlin. I appreciate it.

Well, the European Commission is stressing the need for European citizens to be prepared for any crisis in the face of the war in Ukraine, increasing challenges and geopolitical tensions. The commission's new guidance urges member states to shift their mindset and foster a culture of preparedness and resilience. Among the recommendations for citizens, stockpile enough food and other essential supplies to last at least 72 hours.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, quote, "New realities require a new level of preparedness in Europe. Our citizens, our member states and our businesses need the right tools to act both to prevent crises and to react swiftly when a disaster hits."

Israel's prime minister is trying to turn up the pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages. He says if the group doesn't, Israeli troops will be in Gaza for the long haul. Details on that just ahead.

Plus, Hamas is facing backlash from inside Gaza. Why Palestinians say enough is enough.

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CHURCH: Israel's Prime Minister doubles down on a threat that the IDF will continue to hold territory in Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu made the statement during the sometimes chaotic session in the Knesset on Wednesday.

His defense minister had suggested earlier that Israel may permanently hold onto parts of Gaza as a security measure. Mr. Netanyahu said that's on the table if Hamas does not release the remaining Israeli hostages.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The more Hamas continues in its refusal to release our hostages, the more powerful the repression we exert will be. And I say to you, members of the Knesset, and I say to Hamas as well, this includes seizing territory and it includes other things that I'm not going to specify here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Mr. Netanyahu spoke as a Palestinian pushback against Hamas appears to be picking up steam. Large crowds held rallies in northern Gaza for a second straight day Wednesday, protesting against both Hamas and Israel's war. The demonstrations appear to be the largest against the militant groups since the conflict began.

Some protesters told CNN their message to Hamas is enough is enough and it's time to give others a chance to rule, and to Israel's military to stop the bloodshed. Hamas claims the protests don't reflect the general position of the Palestinian people.

Well, after a two-month ceasefire in Gaza ended, the humanitarian situation in the enclave has got worse, according to the aid group Doctors Without Borders. It says Palestinians in Gaza could face food and water shortages again, along with the risk of disease outbreaks due to the lack of basic medical facilities.

Sarah Vuylsteke is working for Medecins Sans Frontieres as a project coordinator for Northern Gaza. She recently returned from there and joins me now from Belgium. I appreciate you being with us.

SARAH VUYLSTEKE, PROJECT COORDINATOR FOR NORTHERN GAZA, MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES: Good morning. How are you?

CHURCH: Good. So how would you describe the conditions of many of the medical facilities in northern Gaza that you visited?

VUYLSTEKE: Well, I think it's hard to say because we found when we did our assessment of northern Gaza that there are actually no medical facilities essentially left. Every single primary health care facility that we visited had been flattened. And the three hospitals that are in northern Gaza were either destroyed like Kamal Adwan or severely damaged and need significant work to become functional again.

CHURCH: And what services have you been able to provide with the mobile health clinics that Medecins Sans Frontieres is operating? And how are those services being impacted by this renewed Israeli bombings? Has it just brought that to an end?

VUYLSTEKE: Unfortunately, the resumption of facilities has meant that we have been forced to end the mobile clinics in northern Gaza. These clinics were providing primary health care, basically consultations, wound care, care for pregnant women. And we were seeing hundreds of people a day in both Beit Hanoun and in Jabalia.

[03:25:07]

And unfortunately, since the fighting has restarted, it has become too unsafe and we have been forced to end that activity.

CHURCH: And can you talk to us about what impact these renewed Israeli strikes and of course the shutting down of aid has had on already bad humanitarian situation across northern Gaza?

VUYLSTEKE: Well, I think the situation across Gaza, not just in northern Gaza, is disastrous at this point in time. We have seen in the past week over 700 people being killed, over 1300 injuries, 20 percent of those are children.

You know, people are reporting that they are trapped. There are hundreds of thousands of people being displaced. And one of the main concerns that is currently there is that a lot of people who are sick, who are elderly, who are disabled are unable to comply with the evacuation orders and need guarantees of safe passage and an enabling manner for them to be able to move.

Of course, we are also deeply concerned about the attacks on the health care. There was the attack on Nasser. There was a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance convoy that was targeted a few days ago.

All of this means that we are seeing more people with injuries coming back into hospitals as health facilities are being targeted. And at the same time, we are again being overwhelmed with countless injuries of women, of children, of elderly. And we are struggling to not only address that volume, but we are also struggling because medical supplies are running out as the blockade has been in place for the past three weeks.

CHURCH: And Sarah -- sorry, Sarah, your organization is calling for the immediate restoration of the ceasefire and for the resumption of the entry of essential aid and basic supplies. How likely is it, do you think, that your organization will see this happen and how critical is it that it does happen?

VUYLSTEKE: It is extremely critical. The shortages across Gaza are getting more pronounced every single day. At this point in time, I have been informed that there is only one week left of flour availability.

If that runs out, we will see a spike in food insecurity. None of the bakeries will be able to work. We also have to take into account that it's not just food and medical supplies.

The water infrastructure was already severely damaged before the ceasefire took place. With the cuts of electricity by Israel and the refusal to allow fuel in, we're also seeing that there's just not enough access to water at this point in time, especially safe drinking water. So it's absolutely critical that this is restored to enable us to provide basic services and for people to survive.

Will we see this? I think that is a very good question. We are hopeful that people will allow aid to come in and to adhere to international humanitarian law obligations to allow for aid to come in.

And we really do hope that both Israel and allies of Israel will enable this to happen in the very near future. Otherwise, the consequences will be abstract.

CHURCH: Sarah Vuylsteke, thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate it.

VUYLSTEKE: Thank you very much for having me.

CHURCH: And still to come, El Salvador agrees to continue taking deported migrants from the U.S. deemed a threat. We will take you inside the massive facility holding them.

Plus, surveillance video shows the moment a Turkish student was arrested by federal agents in Massachusetts. The details just ahead.

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[03:30:00]

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

European leaders are gathering in Paris right now for a meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing. The group will discuss how to best support Ukraine in its war with Russia as well as the potential for a, quote, "reassurance force in Ukraine in the future to help safeguard any potential ceasefire."

Denials and deflections from the Trump administration amid questions about how a journalist got access to a private group chat involving top-level officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Pentagon now acknowledges Hegseth shared details about a military operation that was underway without knowing the journalist had access. But President Trump claims Hegseth had, quote, "nothing to do with it."

[03:35:03] Well meanwhile, President Trump is escalating his global trade war

with new tariffs on imported cars and car parts. The 25 percent tariff on vehicles is expected to take effect in one week with the goal of boosting American auto manufacturing.

El Salvador will continue to accept deported migrants from the U.S. accused of belonging to violent Venezuelan gangs. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made that announcement on Wednesday as she toured the mega prison where those migrants are being held.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTI NOEM, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: The President today indicated that he would be open to working with us in the future on still continuing to receive TDA members and MS-13 members and so we are grateful for that. We recognize that we still have thousands of these terrorist organization members in our country and that we want to get the worst of the worst out so that we can bring more security to the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: She didn't directly answer whether migrants would remain there or be sent to Venezuela or whether there's any process to bring them back to the U.S. amid continuing legal challenges to their removal. Noem simply said and I'm quoting here, "we're going to let the courts play out."

Well the prison is called the Center for Terrorism Confinement. It's known for holding drug dealers, gang members and mass murderers and CNN's David Culver and his team were granted access to it just a few months ago. Here's what they saw.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The prison sits like an isolated fortress nestled in mountainous terrain about an hour and a half drive from the capital. Even with government officials on board with us, we're stopped a mile out.

CULVER: Okay, he's going to inspect bags now too. Okay, we're clear to get back in.

CULVER (voice-over): Only to hit another checkpoint.

Approaching the main gate of El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center, also known as CECOT, cell signal vanishes.

CULVER: Want to do a full search on us before we enter.

CULVER (voice-over): CECOT's director, Belarmino Garcia, greets us and takes us through a rigorous security check required for every person who enters, no exceptions.

CULVER: So this is like airport security on steroids. Anything that we're carrying with us. Okay, anything we're carrying with us has to go there and then there's a body scan that continues on the other side.

Okay, shoes off. This one back on. Gracias.

CULVER (voice-over): Once cleared, we tour the vast campus, starting with the armory.

CULVER: He says they have to constantly remind themselves that they're dealing with essentially the worst of the worst. And for that reason, they need to be ready for whatever risks they might face.

CULVER (voice-over): More than a thousand security personnel, guards, police and military are stationed on site, living in barracks-like sleeping quarters. It's all kept meticulously clean.

The campus is estimated to be about the size of seven football stadiums. At least three visible rings of security encompass the complex. The outermost? An 11-meter-high concrete wall that extends three more meters with electrified fencing.

UNKNOWN: 15,000 volts.

CULVER: 15,000 volts.

CULVER (voice-over): Inmates are assigned to one of eight sectors, each roughly the size of an airplane hangar. Basically, prisons within the prison.

Once inside, it's said to be a life sentence. They'll never leave their assigned sector.

CULVER: All right, I'm going to go in here.

CULVER (voice-over): We go inside sector four.

Immediately, you're hit with the piercing gaze of dozens of inmates locking onto you.

Each sector holds more than two dozen large cells, roughly 80 inmates per cell, but that can fluctuate. Officials refuse to give us the exact prison population, but sources tell us it's between 10 and 20,000, with the capacity to hold up to 40,000 prisoners.

Inside each cell, toilets, a concrete basin for bathing and a barrel of drinking water, several rows of metal bunk beds, no mattresses, no sheets, no privacy.

Most bear the markings of the gangs that held this nation hostage for decades, unleashing brutal violence.

One gang member tells us he's lost count of how many people he's killed, somewhere between 20 and 30. Officials say others raped, tortured and extorted innocent residents for years.

The terror gangs brought to El Salvador is why Garcia says CECOT exists. The luxuries once afforded to prisoners in this country, from cell phones to lavish parties, all stripped away under President Nayib Bukele.

Prison officials say basic nutrition needs are met with three daily meals, usually beans, rice and tortillas. Meat is never served.

[03:40:04]

For 30 minutes a day, they're let out of their cells for brief exercise or Bible study, but still kept inside the sector. There are private rooms for inmates to attend court hearings or meet with attorneys virtually.

No other visitors or messages from the outside allowed in. There's also a clinic in each sector for medical visits.

For inmates who get violent with other prisoners or guards, --

CULVER: We're going to close the door. I just want to give a sense of-- wow.

CULVER (voice-over): -- solitary confinement awaits. They can be in here for up to 14 days, with only a sliver of light from the outside seeping in.

Critics warn that many here haven't seen a trial, let alone a conviction. Others point to the prison's strict control and isolation of inmates, calling it a violation of human rights.

Officials, and most residents of El Salvador, disagree. CECOT, as they see it, symbolizes new found freedom in a country where terror once reigned.

CULVER: And following her visit to CECOT on Wednesday, Secretary Noem seemed to be endorsing the Supermax facility, especially for its use of those who commit crimes against the U.S. She was seen recording a social media video in which she considered the prison to be a tool in the toolkit that can be used should folks decide to, as she put it, commit crimes against Americans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: For now at least, the Trump administration is not permitted to use a centuries-old wartime law to justify deporting migrants to that prison. Appeals court judges maintained a lower court's temporary block on how the White House has been using the Alien Enemies Act to deport migrants believed to be members of a Venezuelan gang.

President Trump is so dissatisfied with James Boasberg, the judge who issued the original orders, he even called for his impeachment. The Trump administration is expected to appeal the latest ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Well another international student has been transferred to an immigration detention center in Louisiana after being arrested by federal agents. This video shows the moment the Turkish national was arrested while walking near her home in Massachusetts on Tuesday. She's now the third international student known to be sent to Louisiana after being detained.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson says the student, quote, "engaged in activities in support of Hamas" but did not provide any evidence. She had co-written an opinion piece in her college newspaper last year criticizing Tufts University's response to the pro-Palestinian movement.

A former president will face charges for his part in a January riot that attempted to overturn an election result. We're talking about Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro. The latest on the case against him, just ahead.

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[03:45:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone.

Brazil's Supreme Court has ruled former president Jair Bolsonaro will stand trial for his alleged role in a failed coup attempt after the 2022 election. Stefano Pozzebon has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is claiming he didn't do anything wrong after the local Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that he should stand trial on charges of attempting a coup d'etat that date back to 2023.

Bolsonaro could face up to 28 years in prison according to our affiliate CNN Brazil on these charges. But speaking outside the senate on Wednesday he said that an eventual conviction could raise the political tensions in Brazil even further.

JAIR BOLSONARO, FORMER BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): If I had done anything wrong I wouldn't be here. On January 8th I was in the United States and thank God because if I had been here today I would still be in jail or even dead which I know is a dream for some people. If I went to jail I would cause trouble.

POZZEBON: At this point it's unclear when Bolsonaro would actually stand trial. The prosecutors are accusing him of starting to plot this alleged coup d'etat as early as in 2021 while he was president and that the plot culminated in the riots of January 8th 2023 when Bolsonaro supporters stormed the palaces of government in Brasilia in an attempt to reject the results of the 2022 presidential election.

The former president has denied any involvement with those riots multiple times but a new high-profile controversial trial could escalate the tensions between his supporters and the Brazilian judiciary system.

[03:49:49] The trial could also have widespread international implications if U.S. president Donald Trump who is another right-wing populist leader who is also clashing with his own country's judiciary system took a position in support of Bolsonaro who at some point was even dubbed the Trump of the tropics due to the similarities in their ways of doing government and political rhetorics in years past.

Because of these legal battles Bolsonaro was unable to travel to Washington and meet Trump when he took office in January and that is in inauguration but the two maintain very close political links to this day.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The search for four missing American soldiers is ongoing in Lithuania after their armored vehicle was found submerged in water. Officials say the soldiers were from the 1st Brigade 3rd Infantry Division.

They had been conducting scheduled tactical training on Tuesday near Lithuania's border with Belarus. Their vehicle, an M88 armored vehicle like the one seen here, was found in a training area. The U.S. army, Lithuanian armed forces and other agencies are taking part in the search.

We are following new developments out of South Korea where the death toll from the devastating wildfires has now climbed to at least 26. More than two dozen others have been injured in the fires which have been fueled by dry air and strong winds in South Korea's southern regions. The interior safety ministry says several historic sites are also being threatened by the flames.

Stay with us on CNN. We will be right back.

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CHURCH: The U.K.'s Prince Harry has stepped down as the patron of an HIV/AIDS charity he co-founded amid ongoing disputes with the board's chair. Now the future of the organization is in question.

CNN's Max Foster has more on how each side says the breakdown came about.

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MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been a labor of love since the beginning.

PRINCE HARRY: It's a way that both me and Princess can relate to our mothers who are both in sort of the same jobs.

FOSTER (voice-over): A way for Harry to champion his late mother and her barrier-breaking work with orphans and HIV/AIDS. Even naming the charity after her favorite flower, Sentebale, translating into forget me not.

Now Harry leaving the organization he co-founded nearly 20 years ago. In a statement both the Duke of Sussex and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho announcing their resignation from Sentebale in support for the board of trustees who had also quit over a dispute with the chair.

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"It's devastating that the relationship between the charity's trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation," they wrote. "What's transpired is unthinkable. We're in shock."

The chair in question is Dr. Sophie Chandauka, a lawyer appointed to the board in 2023. She released her own statement saying "There are people in this world who behave as though they're above the law and mistreat people and then play the victim card. They use the press they disdain to harm people who have the courage to challenge their conduct."

Chandauka reporting the trustees to the U.K. Charity Commission. She says to blow the whistle, an extraordinary public spat, putting the future of Sentebale in jeopardy.

But in an area with some of the highest HIV rates in the world, the organization's work has been life altering for many in Lesotho. Set up after Harry's visit to the small kingdom back in 2004, it's a cause that he's held onto through trial and tribulation, building on his mother's legacy.

PRINCE HARRY: When my mother held the hand of a man dying of AIDS in an East London hospital, no one would have imagined that just over a quarter of a century later, treatment would exist that could see HIV positive people live full, healthy, loving lives.

FOSTER (voice-over): Even after leaving his royal role.

PRINCE HARRY: I will continue to be the same man who holds his country dear and dedicates his life to supporting the causes, charities and military communities that are so important to me.

FOSTER: Prince Harry's office isn't reacting to the allegations made by Dr. Sophie Chandauka. But tonight I did speak to a source familiar with this matter.

And they say the organization did have stable finances until she took control of the organization. And that's why ultimately she was asked to resign.

When she didn't, the trustees stepped down. And they said that was ultimately a matter of conscience.

Max Foster, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: A stunning sight in the night skies above several European countries. This slow moving, glowing spiral left spectators on Monday wondering if this could be the work of extraterrestrial visitors. But the explanation is actually much closer to home.

The extraordinary event is believed to be the result of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch. The blue spiral likely formed by the rocket's exhaust interacting with the atmosphere.

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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