Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Global Markets in the Red as Trump's Sweeping Tariffs Take Effect on Liberation Day; 1700 People Died in the Powerful 7.7 Earthquake in Myanmar; German Company Demonstrates Prototype Drone to Detect Wildfires; All Top-Seeded Teams Battle for NCAA's Final Four. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired March 31, 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]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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.
As U.S. President Donald Trump teases tariffs set to go into effect this week, global markets take a tumble.
Still searching for survivors. Families hold out hope that their loved ones could be pulled from the rubble three days after the Myanmar earthquake.
And an interaction between a passenger jet and a kite reignites safety concerns at Reagan National Airport in the U.S. capital.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: I appreciate you joining us.
U.S. President Donald Trump is gearing up for what he's calling Liberation Day on Wednesday. That's when he plans to impose sweeping new tariffs on countries around the world. It includes a 25 percent tariff on imported cars and car parts, as well as reciprocal tariffs.
Earlier, the president told reporters on board Air Force One that tariffs will target all countries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: The tariffs will be far more generous than those countries were to us, meaning they will be kinder than those countries were to the United States of America over the decades. They ripped us off like no country's ever been ripped off in history. And we're going to be much nicer than they were to us, but it's substantial money for the country, nevertheless.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: As we start the week, global markets are seeing declines amid worries of a growing trade war. Right now, markets are down across the board in Asia. You see Japan's Nikkei down more than 4 percent.
As for the U.S. futures: the Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 are also all in the red just hours before the opening bell on Wall Street.
CNN's Betsy Klein has the latest details on President Trump's tariff plan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, President Trump has long viewed tariffs and particularly the threat of tariffs as a key negotiating tactic. And we should expect all of that to play out on April 2nd when the president imposes those promised 25 percent tariffs on autos and auto parts. So even if you're not shopping for a new car, it could become more expensive to fix your existing car.
And when the president said in an interview with NBC News that he, quote, "couldn't care less," end quote, if car prices go up because of tariffs. His goal here is two-fold: number one, he wants Americans buying more American-made cars, and two, he wants to pressure automakers to make more cars and car parts here in the U.S. Of course, we should note that even American automakers use Canada and Mexico to manufacture certain parts of cars.
We should also note that after that NBC News interview, an aide to President Trump clarified that the president was referring specifically to foreign car prices.
Now, more broadly, the president is planning sweeping reciprocal tariffs starting April 2nd. And Americans won't necessarily feel the effects of those tariffs right away.
But the import taxes could raise prices on just about everything. Over 40 percent of the goods America imported in the last year came from some of the countries that the president is targeting here.
I want you to listen now to remarks from Peter Navarro, the president's tariff advisor, when asked about concerns from Americans about rising prices.
PETER NAVARRO, WHITE HOUSE SR. COUNSELOR FOR TRADE AND MANUFACTURING: Trust in Trump. We have the example from the first term.
We know that we imposed historically high tariffs on China. We imposed aluminum and steel tariffs. We imposed on washing machines, on solar.
All we got out of that was prosperity and price stability. And the reason why we're not going to see inflation is because the foreigners are going to eat most of it. They have to.
KLEIN: Trust in Trump, of course, may be cold comfort amid that significant market volatility and so much uncertainty for investors, businesses and American consumers. Betsy Klein, CNN, traveling with the President in West Palm Beach,
Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[03:05:00]
CHURCH: Time is running out for rescuers to find more survivors three days after that catastrophic earthquake hit Myanmar. At least 1700 people are confirmed dead and the true death toll could take weeks to emerge.
Dozens have been rescued across the region at the heart of the quake. But the road to recovery will be long for thousands of survivors who've lost their homes amid the epic devastation.
CNN's Will Ripley has more from Bangkok.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If hell had a name, it might be Sagaing, ground zero of Myanmar's worst earthquake in more than 100 years. Stories and images are just now beginning to trickle out. The destruction, as awful as we imagined, may be worse.
The heroes are everyday people like Po Po, a kindergarten teacher. She was with her students when the massive earthquake hit.
PO PO, KINDERGARTEN TEACHER IN MANDALAY: On the day of the accident, we were able to evacuate all the children. Many children and teachers in some schools lost their lives due to the earthquake.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Po Po's school is in Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city. Her home is across the river in Sagaing, a historic city known for ancient pagodas and monasteries, many of them now in ruins. She says 80 percent of the city is gone.
The old Sagaing Bridge collapsed, cutting off aid, leaving survivors to fend for themselves. Even first responders are powerless.
The fire station flattened. Trucks crushed beneath the rubble.
About 200 miles away, Myanmar's famed Inle Lake, almost unrecognizable. Entire villages submerged. So many iconic homes on stilts collapsed into the water.
Some here wonder if the world has forgotten them.
In Mandalay, near the quake's epicenter, a moment of hope.
Big brother, we are coming for you, he says. We found you, your heroes are here. After this, we will sit and sip tea.
Against all odds, one life saved. Not everyone is so lucky.
Minutes later, another powerful aftershock. The remaining structure gave way.
Just like that, gone.
In the capital, Naypyidaw, a small miracle.
44 hours after the quake, rescuers from Singapore pull a survivor from the rubble. A rare bright spot in the grim search for any sign of life. Hope of finding more buried survivors, all but gone.
Back near ground zero, Po Po says no rescues are happening. Sagaing is almost totally cut off.
Survivors are desperate for food, clean water, medical supplies. Every passing hour brings more uncertainty, more heartbreak.
RIPLEY: So much pain being felt right now in Myanmar and here hundreds of miles away in Bangkok, where the around-the-clock search through that pile of rubble continues. People are here holding out hope that maybe, just maybe, they'll find somebody who's still alive in all of that. Even though as each hour passes, that becomes less and less likely.
Will Ripley, CNN, Bangkok.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And CNN's Mike Valerio joins us now live from Seoul. So, Mike, what is the latest on rescue and recovery efforts in the aftermath of this deadly earthquake?
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, we're going to pick up right where Will left off.
So he was speaking to us, filing that report just in front of the concrete rubble where that 33-story building collapsed. So at this hour, the last update that we got from Thai authorities says that they anticipate more than 70, Rosemary, more than 70 people are believed to be under that rubble.
So at this hour, we had a sound bite last hour. We're going to show you two of them from relatives who are waiting to see what has happened to their loved ones, if they can be found underneath that rubble. So let's listen to both of those sound bites right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (through translator): He's the head of our family, the one who provides for us. He is our family's hope. Without him, I don't know what will happen to us, I just want him to be safe.
UNKNOWN (through translator): May a miracle happen. May the rescuers find them soon and find them easily without struggle. If they're still alive, I hope the team hears a heartbeat or pulse.
And if they're gone, may there at least be a scent so they can be found quickly and given a proper religious farewell. (END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:09:51]
VALERIO: And in terms of how they're being found, we have new reporting today that shows that there are machines with heat-detecting technology that are going up and down that concrete pile of debris, just looking for heat signatures of anybody who may be underneath that pile of rubble. Ditto that for canine teams that are also searching that pile.
Now as we move on to Myanmar, to Sagaing, that is the epicenter of the earthquake in Myanmar that Will was showing us in his report. So the latest figures that we have that were filed late on Sunday, 36 people were able to be pulled from rubble, like we saw in the story that just played about a minute, a minute and a half ago.
So we are now past the three-day mark, and there are estimates from the USGS, the U.S. Geological Survey, that have looked at the damage, they've looked at the P and the S waves, primary and the secondary wave, and the U.S. Geological Survey has perhaps anticipated that we could be looking at a death toll that may, stressing the word may, eventually top 10,000 people. That is the estimate, the latest one that's come in from the modeling of the USGS.
And to just point this topic, put a point on this topic before we go Rosemary, there's another estimate that says that the devastation here and this severely poor country could be so bad that the cost of this magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Myanmar could overtake its entire economic output for the entire year, because it is in the middle of a civil war, a civil war that by some accounts have been paused as relief efforts are starting to come in, but that hope may be tenuous since the fighting has been going on for so long since February 2021, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Those numbers are horrifying. Mike Valerio, we thank you for that report. I appreciate it.
Michael Dunford joins us now from Myanmar, where he is the World Food Programme's country director. Appreciate you being with us at this time.
MICHAEL DUNFORD, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME COUNTRY DIRECTOR FOR MYANMAR: The pleasure. Thanks very much for having me.
CHURCH: Of course. So as Myanmar works against the clock to search and rescue any survivors in the wake of this earthquake, your job, of course, is to get relief aid to those most in need. How is that progressing right now and what are the many challenges that you're facing?
DUNFORD: Thanks very much. So enormous challenges, certainly, as indicated in your report. This country has been in civil war for the last four years, so it's difficult to scale an operation quickly.
But that's what we need to be doing. And that is, in fact, what the World Food Programme and others are doing. We did our first distributions yesterday, 48 hours after the earthquake itself.
We've got distributions ongoing in another three locations today. I'll travel up to Mandalay tomorrow to see for myself exactly how severe the damage is and start to guide how WFP will be responding to the needs of the people who have survived this terrible quake.
CHURCH: And how is the military junta distributing the aid that they're receiving? And, of course, in the midst of Myanmar's civil war, what efforts are being made to ensure everyone impacted by this earthquake is receiving aid, including the government in exile and, of course, resistance groups and armies?
DUNFORD: So the U.N., for the last four years, has been calling for an end to the conflict, has been calling for humanitarian access and for us to be able to reach the populations most in need. This is even more so given the current crisis.
I've been working with a number of the different U.N. agencies. We've got a plan that we want to present to the authorities. We're optimistic, given the severity, that we will be allowed and given the approvals to do so.
But we will also need to overcome many of the obstacles -- the physical obstacles, the remoteness of the locations, the fact that much of the transport links have been damaged, the fact that the communications in this country is very poor.
But if we can, then there is capacity, provided we have the levels of funding that we will need from donor communities and from the private sector to be able to launch a response of the scale required.
CHURCH: Right. And, of course, that scale must be enormous. What additional aid supplies are needed there in Myanmar, do you think?
DUNFORD: Well the sectors that are being hit and will be required, of course, is food, nutrition, water and sanitation, health and shelter. Many people are sleeping out because their homes are damaged. Their homes have been destroyed.
Others are sleeping out because the tremors continue and they're fearful of going back. Hopefully that will see shortly.
[03:15:00]
And then it will be a massive effort to try and scale the response, because, as your report indicated, there are tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people who have been affected by this devastating earthquake.
CHURCH: And just returning to the civil war and the challenges that that brings to this, because it obviously complicates your job compared to any other part of the world. How do you cope with that? How does your organization deal with that?
DUNFORD: Well, we're trying to reach populations. We have an effective footprint, but the point is that we need to be able to reach populations, people we're talking about, on all sides of the conflict. We can't simply operate in one area or another, it's how do we reach all of these resources, we need the authorizations to move into these areas. We need ultimately the resources.
With the resources, so much more can be achieved. The World Food Programme was in the process of actually scaling back our operations. When the earthquake took place on Friday, I was actually in a meeting discussing how we were going to reduce the support we were providing.
Hopefully now, with this earthquake, Myanmar is back at the center of attention and the international community will respond positively.
CHURCH: Michael Dunford, thank you so much for joining us and for all the work that you and your organization do. We appreciate it.
DUNFORD: Thanks very much.
CHURCH: Of course.
Well Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed Ukraine over the weekend and it came as Mr. Trump took a rare critical stance against Vladimir Putin. The details just ahead.
Plus, Egypt proposes a new ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, but only one side has accepted it. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke on Sunday. Downing Street says they discussed Ukraine and a possible U.S.-U.K. economic agreement.
A U.K. statement also says the two agreed on the need to keep up the collective pressure on Vladimir Putin. The call comes more than a month after Starmer visited the Oval Office. That trip was said to be an effort to pull Trump away from Putin's influence and to get security guarantees for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, President Trump had harsh words for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over a rare earth minerals agreement with the United States. And in a rare move, he criticized Russia, mentioning a deadline for Putin to agree to a ceasefire deal with Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It's a psychological deadline. If I think they're tapping us along, I will not be happy about it.
I think Zelenskyy, by the way, I see he's trying to back out of the rare earth deal. And if he does that, he's got some problems. Big problems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: President Trump is threatening to bomb Iran and to impose secondary tariffs on that country unless an agreement is reached over its nuclear program. Here's what he told reporters Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I can't imagine them doing anything else but making a deal. I would prefer a deal to the other alternative which I think everybody at this plane knows what that is. And that's not going to be pretty and I do not prefer that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: In his first term, President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 deal, which imposed strict limits on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Since then, Iran has rapidly developed its nuclear capabilities. On Sunday, Iran's president said the Islamic Republic will not engage in direct talks with Washington, but he did leave the door open for indirect talks.
In southern Gaza, a deadly start to the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Israeli airstrikes killed at least ten people, including five children Sunday. The strikes are said to have hit a tent and a home housing displaced people, one official warns the death toll will likely rise.
Meanwhile, Hamas says it's agreed to a new Egyptian ceasefire proposal. A Hamas source tells CNN that under the agreement, the group would release five hostages.
A senior Israeli official tells CNN that Israel wants more than that. It wants Hamas to release 11 living hostages and half of the deceased hostages. In return, Israel would agree to a 40-day ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he plans to continue military action in Gaza until there's an agreement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Military pressure is working. It works because it operates simultaneously. On one hand, it crushes the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas, and on the other hand, it creates the conditions for the release of our hostages. This is exactly what we are doing.
Last night, the cabinet convened and decided to intensify the pressure, which was already high, in order to further crush Hamas and create the best possible conditions for the release of our hostages.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: French far-right leader Marine Le Pen could learn in the next hour if she'll be barred from running for office, which could upend the French political scene. The verdict in Le Pen's embezzlement trial is expected about one hour from now. [03:25:06]
Le Pen and other officials from her populist National Rally Party are accused of embezzling money from the European Parliament, using it to pay for staff in France. Le Pen denies any wrongdoing and says the funds were used legitimately.
Prosecutors are demanding an immediate five-year ban from running for public office. She currently tops the polls for the 2027 French presidential elections.
The chairperson for an HIV/AIDS charity co-founded by the U.K.'s Prince Harry says his public exit last week was an example of the quote, "harassment and bullying she's experienced while working for the organization."
CNN's Clare Sebastian shares her side of the story, as well as the fallout from the Prince's announcement.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well the public spat has now escalated between Prince Harry and the chairwoman of Sentebale, the HIV and AIDS charity he co-founded.
Sophie Chandauka gave a wide-ranging interview to Britain's Sky News Sunday, claiming that the Duke of Sussex had tried to oust her for months as chairwoman of the board, accusing him of bullying and harassment, something a source close to the former trustees of the charity told Sky News was quote, "completely baseless."
Well Chandauka also claimed that donors had pulled out of the charity after the Duke left the U.K. and stepped down from royal duties in 2020, but no one at the charity, she said, felt able to talk to him about the risk his reputation was posing to the organization.
Last week, Prince Harry and his co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, announced they were quitting until further notice because their relationship with Ms. Chandauka had broken down, quote, "beyond repair." Ms. Chandauka said Sunday she had no prior warning of this announcement.
SOPHIE CHANDAUKA, SENTEBALE CHARITY CHAIR: At some point on Tuesday, Prince Harry authorized the release of a damaging piece of news to the outside world without informing me or my country directors or my executive director. And can you imagine what that attack has done for me, on me, and the 540 individuals in the Sentebale organizations and their family? That is an example of harassment and bullying at scale.
SEBASTIAN: Neither the Duke of Sussex nor Sentebale have commented on this interview, but a source close to the trustees and patrons of the charity told CNN on Sunday they, quote, "fully expected this publicity stunt and look forward to the adjudication of the truth."
A source familiar with events also denied Chandauka's assertion that the press had been informed about the departures before the charity made the announcement last week, saying they sent her a resignation letter on March 10th.
Well as for the charity that Prince Harry, of course, set up in 2006 to continue his mother Princess Diana's legacy and help children and young people in Lesotho and Botswana living with HIV and AIDS, well, Ms. Chandauka said its work will continue.
Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Elon Musk is putting his money into Wisconsin's state Supreme Court race and he's giving some voters million-dollar checks, despite critics who say he's buying votes. The latest on the election and the controversy coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check today's top stories for you.
Time is running out in Myanmar. Rescuers are looking for more survivors amid the rubble three days after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake. Dozens have already been found as the death toll climbs to 1700.
U.S. President Donald Trump says new tariffs he's imposing this week will target all countries. He's also planning for 25 percent tariffs on all imported cars and car parts. The announcement is expected on Wednesday on what President Trump is calling Liberation Day.
Donald Trump is mulling ways he could pursue a third term as president. He told NBC News there are methods to make it happen. He's repeatedly teased the idea even though it would violate the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution, but he says he's not joking.
President Donald Trump is calling on voters to back the conservative candidate in Wisconsin's state Supreme Court race. Elon Musk is too after handing out million-dollar checks to some Wisconsin voters.
CNN's Arlette Saenz has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Elon Musk handed out $1 million checks to two attendees at an event here in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he urged Wisconsin voters to support the conservative candidate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, Brad Schimel.
[03:35:06]
Now, Musk spoke in very stark terms about the importance of this race, as he said the future of civilization hinges on this election. He also really keyed in on the potential for redistricting the redrawing of congressional maps here in the state if the liberal candidate, Susan Crawford, were to win. Take a listen.
ELON MUSK, PRINCIPAL DONOR, AMERICA PAC: What's happening on Tuesday is a vote for which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives. That is why it is so significant. And whichever party controls the House, to a significant degree, controls the country, which then steers the course of Western civilization. So it's like, I feel like this is one of those things that may not seem that it's going to affect the entire destiny of humanity, but I think it will.
SAENZ: Now, Musk reprised a controversial tactic that he and his super PAC, America PAC, used in the 2024 presidential election. He handed out those million-dollar checks here at this event just hours after the state Supreme Court declined to step in after the state's attorney general, Josh Kahl, had filed a lawsuit trying to stop this cash giveaway. It all highlights the very intense efforts that Musk has underway here in the state.
He has poured over $20 million of his own personal fortune to help back the conservative candidate. The liberal candidate and her Democratic allies have really tried to use that to their advantage, trying to argue that Musk is buying a seat on the Supreme Court. Democrats are hoping that that's something that will mobilize voters who are frustrated with the big spending and his efforts to slash the federal government through DOGE in the Trump administration.
But all eyes will be on that Wisconsin race on Tuesday night, as these two candidates are vying for a single seat on the Supreme Court. The race will determine the ideological balance, whether it stays in the liberal majority or if it flips to conservative control. This will all be a big test, not just for Elon Musk's political operation, but also for President Trump, who has backed the conservative candidate in these early months of his presidency.
Arlette Saenz, CNN, Green Bay, Wisconsin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Ron Brownstein is a CNN senior political analyst. He joins us now from Los Angeles. Good to have you with us.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST, AND SR. EDITOR, "THE ATLANTIC": Hi, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So President Trump claims he's not joking when he says he's not ruling out a third term, claiming there are methods available to do this. So how possible is this, given the 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prevents this from happening?
BROWNSTEIN: First of all, people should not brush it aside. You know, one thing about Donald Trump is he doesn't have much of a filter. And what he's saying in public is often what he's thinking in private.
He is obviously thinking about ways to evade the constitutional prohibition on more than two terms. And given what we've seen in the first two months, the broad based attack on traditional constitutional principles limits on presidential power. I don't think anybody should rule this out. And I don't think anybody
should rule out Republicans in Congress trying to find a way to make this possible.
CHURCH: And how much of this third term chatter is about creating a political distraction from the monumental intelligence blunder Trump's team created with their group chat on Signal? And are all these shiny objects being tossed out by Trump in an effort to distract us from this intelligence mistake?
BROWNSTEIN: No, I don't. I don't think so. I mean, it's something he's talked about before that. He's going to talk about it after that.
I think this is better understood in the context of all the steps that Trump is taking against law firms, universities, media organizations to systematically try to hobble the sources of opposition to his presidency.
And this is another way in which he is beginning to float ideas that obviously have been beyond the pale historically in American politics and to begin to kind of test the water about how far he can push, particularly the Republican Party, in this direction without hearing any pushback.
CHURCH: And meantime, a high stakes election on Tuesday is set to be the first big test of Donald Trump's new presidency. The Wisconsin Supreme Court race, the most expensive judicial contest in U.S. history, has seen billionaire Elon Musk tip in more than $20 million of his own money to back a conservative judge against his liberal opponent, smashing spending records. So how likely is it that this effort to buy votes will work?
BROWNSTEIN: It's really important and interesting. I mean, first of all, we are seeing the long-term results of John Roberts' decision, you know, 15, 18 years ago in the Citizens United case where the Supreme Court basically, you know, lifted all the limits on spending in political races.
[03:40:00]
And you're seeing Musk put in really unprecedented sums for an individual with these very unseemly lotteries, you know, giving people a million dollars or signing a petition.
Democrats have had an advantage in off-year elections in modern politics. Democrats are now the party that does better among the most habitual voters. And usually the party in the White House suffers in these off-year elections as well.
So Democrats should be favored. They won this 23-state Supreme Court election in Wisconsin by double digits. If Democrats win, it will be a sign of gathering opposition and resistance to Trump.
If they don't win, I think it'll be a pretty ominous sign for them, given that this is the kind of race they've excelled in in the Trump era. CHURCH: And also in Florida, we're watching two special elections in
districts seen as deep red. How will these two House races likely play out as a test to Trump's early days back in office?
BROWNSTEIN: Yes, you know, I mean, look, these are extremely difficult races for Democrats to win. These are very deep red Republican-leaning districts.
One of them in particular is much closer than expected. I suspect that Republicans will hold on to both, but that at least the one will be much closer than it has been in the past.
And that will be a sign that what we've been living through in the Trump era may be continuing, which is that, as I said, as we've had this kind of class inversion among the parties where Republicans have become the party of non-college voters and Democrats increasingly the party of college-educated voters, Democrats are doing better in midterm elections because those tilt more toward college voters who are more regular voters.
That wouldn't necessarily say that Democrats are on a track to recover in the presidential year in 2028. But a strong showing by Democrats, I think, in these two, at least even one of these Florida races would be a pretty good sign for them that they are on track to be in a strong position to win back the House in 2026.
CHURCH: Ron Brownstein, many thanks for joining us. I appreciate it.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.
CHURCH: Still to come, new concerns at Washington's Reagan National Airport. Hear what happened when pilots spotted kites flying near a busy runway. Back with that in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Pilots landing at Washington's Reagan National Airport. Notice something unusual over the weekend. First one, then a second kite, both flying near the end of a runway, and one of those kites actually struck an approaching flight.
CNN's Brian Todd reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: About two months after that deadly collision over Reagan National Airport, after congressional hearings on that incident and following the banning of military helicopters from flying near Reagan as a result of that incident, things still keep happening around Reagan National Airport.
The latest is this. United Airlines telling CNN it is aware of reports that a kite struck one of its incoming planes coming into Reagan National Airport on Saturday afternoon.
This was United Flight 654 coming in from Houston. This would have occurred as the plane was landing at Reagan at about 4:15 p.m. on Saturday. The pilots there were warned about this in the cockpit.
We have to say that the plane landed safely, that people deplaned in a safe manner and that there was no damage done to the aircraft.
But we did pick up air traffic control sound of warnings that there were actually two kites being flown around Reagan National Airport at about that same time. Take a listen to the controller's warnings.
UNITED PILOT: At the beginning of the runway, there is a kite being flown. United 654.
DCA TOWER: Use caution for a kite around short final.
ALASKA PILOT: Alaska 8, thanks.
DCA TOWER: Alaska 8. That kite is about 100 feet right somewhere along the final approach path.
ALASKA PILOT: Alright. We'll be looking. Alaska 8.
DCA TOWER: Ok. Bluestreak 5388, we just got a report there is two of them. One is like a bright yellow one.
BLUESTREAK PILOT: Even better. Thank you. Bluestreak 5388.
TODD: So, warnings of two kites actually being flown near Reagan at about that time at about that same spot around a gravelly point right next to the airport. That is a place where kite flying is not allowed because of so much low flying traffic coming into Reagan.
Now, the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority tells CNN that its police responded to reports of kite flying on Saturday at gravelly point. Officers actually confiscated a kite at that time, briefly confiscated a kite and then gave it back. No charges were filed.
But then on Sunday, about 24 hours later, one of our CNN photojournalists actually went back to gravelly point and filmed another person being accosted by a police officer as he was trying to fly a kite at gravelly point right there at Reagan National Airport. Low-lying aircraft coming in right at about that time that that officer accosted that gentleman on Sunday afternoon. So, these incidents keep happening at Reagan.
And this comes just after we get word of another close call between two aircraft around Reagan National Airport. This happened on Friday afternoon with Delta Airlines flight 2983 just after it departed Reagan National Airport at about 3:15 p.m. Eastern time on Friday. Alarms actually sounded in the cockpit of that jet, and the air traffic controller guided the pilot to adjust their course.
Tracking data shows that an Air Force T-38 fighter jet was flying near the Delta plane as that fighter jet was flying around Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover. The FAA is investigating that incident.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[03:50:07]
CHURCH: As wildfires grow more dangerous around the world, one company is developing an early detection system to help give firefighters an upper hand. Coming up, the latest on their A.I.-trained drone technology.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.
As wildfires spark devastation around the globe, a German company is developing an A.I. drone system to help firefighters stay one step ahead of them. CNN's Nick Valencia has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Over the past two decades, extreme wildfires have become more frequent, more intense and larger, according to NASA. Now, a wildfire detection company in Germany is developing a drone that uses artificial intelligence to help firefighters suppress wildfires in their early stages.
This week, Dryad successfully demonstrated its first fully functional prototype, called Silvaguard. The drone system detected a controlled fire's location and size using A.I.
CARSTEN BRINKSCHULTE, CEO, DRYAD NETWORKS: It provides ultra-early detection of wildfires within minutes from ignition using A.I.-driven sensors that are electronic noses, and they can detect fires much faster than cameras or satellites.
VALENCIA (voice-over): The idea is to allow firefighters to respond before flames spread. The drone can capture infrared imagery and provide an overhead view for firefighters.
BRINKSCHULTE: The importance of Silvaguard is that it is the first autonomous end-to-end system that detects using artificial intelligence and then uses autonomous drones to fly to the location of a fire without a pilot being involved in delivering precise information about the size and threat of a fire.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Dryad's new technology, if used widely, could also have an impact on carbon emissions. From 2001 to 2023, wildfires caused a loss of more than 138 million hectares of tree cover worldwide, according to Global Forest Watch. That's larger than the country of Peru.
Researchers found that carbon emissions from forest fires increased by 60 percent globally during that time. Dryad hopes its efforts will help prevent 1.1 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions by 2030. The European Union is co-funding the Silvaguard project with 3.8
million euros, or $4.1 million. The project's next step will be to add fire suppression capabilities and eventually real-world deployment.
[03:55:05]
BRINKSCHULTE: What we actually need to achieve is we need to detect and extinguish fires within 10 minutes from ignition. That's our mission, that's our vision, and Silvaguard demonstrated here today is a big milestone towards that vision.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Nick Valencia, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: French far-right leader Marine Le Pen arrived at court in Paris just moments ago. She is expected to learn in the next few minutes if she'll be barred from running for office, a verdict which could upend the French political scene.
Le Pen and other officials from her populist National Rally Party are accused of embezzling money from the European Parliament, using it to pay for staff in France. Le Pen denies any wrongdoing and says the funds were used legitimately. We will bring you more on that verdict when it happens.
Reece Howden secured his third World Ski Cross title in style on Sunday. The Canadian skier came from behind to win the final race of the season in Sweden, right on the finish line.
With his closest rival trailing in third, it gave Howden his third World Cup title. Howden won seven of the 17 races this season.
Meanwhile, in the women's events, Switzerland's Fanny Smith won the final race for her own victorious season. She had already clinched victory in the overall standings on Saturday.
Well now to March Madness and an historic final four in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. There are no Cinderella stories this year, for just the second time in the tournament's history, the final four will feature all number one seeds.
That includes Houston, which battled second-seeded Tennessee on Sunday. And the Cougars dominated from start to finish, holding Tennessee to just 15 points in the first half, Houston wins easily 69- 50. They'll now face top-seeded Duke in their final four matchup.
Sunday's other Elite Eight action saw number one seed Auburn taking on the two-seeded Michigan State. And the Tigers got a scare in this one when their star Julen Broome, the SEC player of the year, landed awkwardly in the second half. He left the game for x-rays, which came back negative and Broome would later return, leading Auburn with 25 points, and the Tigers move on, winning 70-64.
They'll face their conference rivals, the Florida Gators, in this Saturday's final four. 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, 10 a.m. in London. Have a great day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
