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Trump's Tariff Sparks Chaos, Confusion and Uncertainty; Commerce Secretary: Too Many Imports Is A National Security Issue; Judge Orders Trump Administration To Return Man Mistakenly Deported; Aired 3-4p ET
Aired April 06, 2025 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: How do you see yourself? I mean you know a lot of people think you're a con artists. Do you see yourself like that?
ANNA DELVEY, CON ARTIST: Not at all. I think, if anybody bothers to look into my criminal case, I never planned to like, permanently defraud anyone of anything.
TAPPER: I mean, you did tell lies.
DELVEY: Yes.
TAPPER: Even if you thought that ultimately things were going to happen, you did tell lies about wire transfers and stuff.
DELVEY: Yes, but I think it is different had I like -- had I known that whoever I am talking to, they will never get their money back. That was never my mindset.
TAPPER: You thought it was all going to work out?
DELVEY: Yes. It is not like my project was something completely fantastical.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The more she got away with, the more she felt she could get away with it. She thinks, well, why can't I get $50 million? It is a megalomania of a kind, I guess. And also, somewhat justified.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Despite the theft, despite the deception, despite the lies, Anna and her story became famous or infamous, with many wanting to know how this 26-year-old woman was able to pull off a scam of this size and for this long, even long after her conviction. Anna continues to captivate the nation's attention as she turns her identity as a convict into something to be, dare I say, even admired.
Back to you.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Wow. That's fascinating.
Jake Tapper, thank you so much. An all-new episode of "United States of Scandal" with Jake Tapper, airing tonight, 9:00 P.M. only on CNN.
[15:01:28]
All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I am Fredricka Whitfield.
All right, the Trump administration is saturating the airwaves today touting the planned effectiveness of tariffs with more to come this week. Top Trump economic officials and Cabinet members fanning out across the Sunday talk shows.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROOKE ROLLINS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: I think we will see in short order really positive outcome from this.
KEVIN HASSETT, DIRECTOR OF THE COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS: It is not a strategy for the markets to be in crisis. It is a strategy to create the Golden Age in America for the American worker. That's the strategy.
PETER NAVARRO, SENIOR COUNSEL FOR TRADE AND MANUFACTURING: We are going to have the biggest boom in the stock market we've ever seen under the Trump policies.
HOWARD LUTNICK, U.S. COMMERCE SECRETARY: This is the moment that the United States of America takes hold of itself and Donald Trump has been talking about this his whole life. This is Donald Trump's agenda and we are all here to help him execute it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, despite that messaging of optimism, mass protests erupting in the U.S. and across the world yesterday in response to Trump's policies. And as of Friday, financial markets lost trillions of dollars in value, leaving the question of what markets might look like this week as Trump slaps additional taxes of up to 50 percent on dozens of countries on Wednesday.
CNN's Betsy Klein is joining us now from West Palm Beach, Florida, near where Trump was golfing today.
Betsy, great to see you again.
So what is the Trump administration saying today about these upcoming tariffs?
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Yes, the Trump administration is really offering very mixed messaging on the possibility of these tariffs and where there is room for negotiation or if they are indeed permanent.
Now they are framing this move as something that is a necessary economic reset, but at the same time really downplaying some of that severe market volatility. President Trump, for his part, views himself as a deal maker and has expressed openness to potentially cutting deals on these tariffs, but here is the reality as it stands, markets are spiraling. The Dow is down more than 10 percent from its recent high. The NASDAQ down more than 20 percent.
When the market closed on Friday, the Dow had posted its biggest back- to-back losses since March of 2020, when the pandemic was beginning. Economists are ratcheting up concerns about the possibility of a global recession, and Goldman Sachs analysts say that the growth that could be driven by the President's economic policies will not make up for the damage caused by these tariffs.
But the President's top economic lieutenants saying Sunday that the President is not kidding, and he does indeed plan to impose those additional reciprocal tariffs set to go into effect on Wednesday, April 9th.
Here is how his Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, defended the administration this morning on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROLLINS: The long term, the tariffs worked. I mean, the research shows that we had an increase in productivity, increase in jobs, et cetera, until, frankly, the Biden administration stopped enforcing some of those -- the deal once we left office in 2021.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KLEIN: Now, CNN has learned that there are active discussions underway on the possibility of bespoke tariff deals with Israel, Vietnam and India. President Trump set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tomorrow at the White House.
But on the mixed messaging, asked about this example of a deal potentially with Vietnam, his trade adviser, Peter Navarro said, "This is not a negotiation."
Notably, we did hear some openness from Rollins, the Agriculture Secretary, to providing some relief for the farmers in America who are really bearing the brunt of these tariffs. She indicated the White House could work with Congress to provide some support for them -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Betsy, how is the President spending his day while all of these members of his administration were, you know, trying to address the fallout from the tariffs?
KLEIN: Yes, as they hit the airwaves, the President spent about four hours this morning at one of his Florida golf properties, playing in the senior club championship. No word on whether he emerged victorious from that championship. But of course, such a remarkable split screen for this President hitting the golf course. Of course, senator Adam Schiff, Democrat of California, said the image of the President on his golf cart as Americans' retirement accounts are in flames may be one of the most enduring images of this presidency.
WHITFIELD: All right, Betsy Klein, thanks so much.
All right, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick laid out more of his case for President Trump's tariffs this morning. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUTNICK: We've got to realize this is a National Security issue. I mean, we don't make medicine in this country anymore. We don't make ships. We don't have enough steel and aluminum to fight a battle. Right?
All our semiconductors are made overseas, so every button we press when we try to start our car or even use our microwave, these are all semiconductors. They're all made elsewhere.
We've got to start to protect ourselves, and we've got to stop having all the countries of the world ripping us off. We have a $1.2 trillion trade deficit, and the rest of the world has a surplus with us. They are earning our money. They are taking our money, and Donald Trump has seen this, and he is going to stop it. So, it is going to be a big change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, joining us right now is Retired Admiral James Stavridis. He is a CNN senior military analyst as well and the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, and he is also a partner at global investment firm, The Carlyle Group.
Great to see you, Admiral.
ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST: Great to see you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: So do you agree with Commerce Secretary Lutnick that not producing and manufacturing in the U.S. is a National Security threat and that's why tariffs are important?
STAVRIDIS: Well, I think we have some work to do here at home and he mentioned ship construction, for example. You know, the Admiral is going to say this, we do build ships here. We build warships here. They are very good. We build commercial ships here. They are quite good. But our ship building industries broadly do need help.
But here is the problem, when you go at it, as we have thus far, with these very broad tariffs, you're actually risking our National Security. I will give you three very quick examples. Number one, you just hit on it. If we have a recession, huge cost. If we have inflation and we have to provide subsidies to farmers, huge costs, all of that will come at the expense of defense spending, for example.
Number two, all of this undermines our alliances, notably with NATO and the European Union. It also drives people into the arms of China, who will offer pretty good trade terms while we are in the process of conducting this massive tariff carpet bombing.
And then thirdly, look at Asia right now. A week ago, Fred, we saw Japan, South Korea and wait for it, China talking about coordinating their responses to our tariffs. That's an alignment we don't want. We want to hold our allies firm. We want to build the case against our opponents like China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
So all of this is very concerning to me from a National Security perspective.
WHITFIELD: So let's zero in on the European NATO alliances that you just spoke of. Have a listen to what the President of the E.U. said this week about retaliation against the newest tariffs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: We are already finalizing the first package of countermeasures in response to tariffs on steel, and we are now preparing for further countermeasures to protect our interests and our businesses if negotiations fail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So the U.S., already has a strained relationship with Europe and NATO allies. What more might this do now to what has always been a reliable relationship, but now kind of tenuous?
STAVRIDIS: Yes, you kind of feel that transatlantic bridge creaking a little bit under all of this stress and strain. Look, I know that woman very well. The leader of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen, she is German, a PhD, and before she was in this job, she was the Defense Minister of Germany.
[15:10:10]
The largest economy in Europe. She is extremely knowledgeable and knowing her on a personal basis, she is very determined and very serious, and I think that comes across in her comments.
What the Europeans could do, and this is yet another National Security dimension, Fred, is they could go after U.S. Services, U.S. technology, our big tech firms who provide services. Currently, there is no tariff on services. All of this conversation is about things we make and trade and grow. Services have been left out of this.
We enjoy a very big surplus in services that could be tariffed by the Europeans. And final thought, Defense spending. The Europeans, if they believe we are unreliable and these tariffs come across to them as though we are trying to break up this alliance, they'll do their Defense spending at home in Europe. That will be yet another cost to our National Security and our economy.
WHITFIELD: And then there is a whole another level here, because economists, including JPMorgan, are predicting a 60 percent chance of a U.S. recession. I mean, nobody wants to hear that, but we've got to hear it to prepare.
So would an economic recession impair the U.S.' security preparedness?
STAVRIDIS: Of course, it would, in every dimension imaginable, but the most obvious one is our U.S. Defense budget, which is quite large, appropriately so, given our responsibilities around the world. But it is a significant component of national spending.
If we go into recession and we have to provide propping up various aspects of our own economy to include subsidies for farmers, for example, which I would support, but all of that puts pressure on National Defense.
And final thought here, Fred, it is that combination of potential inflation which will come as a result of these tariffs almost undoubtedly, and that slower growth that's called stagflation. That's what we really want to avoid as the year goes on.
We are sailing into dangerous waters here.
WHITFIELD: Admiral Stavridis, thank you so much. Always enjoy and respect your point of view. Thank you.
STAVRIDIS: And right back. Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, new today, a federal judge is denying the Trump administration's motion to pause an order to bring back to the U.S., a man mistakenly deported to a notorious El Salvadoran prison.
On Friday, the judge ordered the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia by Monday. The Trump administration is appealing that ruling, even though DOJ lawyers admitted in court that Abrego Garcia was sent away last month due to a clerical error.
The government alleges Garcia is a member of the infamous gang, MS-13, something his attorneys deny.
Joining me right now, former Florida judge and current Law Professor, Jeff Swartz.
Jeff, great to see you.
So what do you make of this ruling today? Does the DOJ have any legal standing not to return Abrego Garcia?
JEFF SWARTZ, FORMER FLORIDA JUDGE AND CURRENT LAW PROFESSOR: They really don't. Fred.
They actually look at the practicality of it. They actually pay the El Salvadoran government to house these people. I think it was $6 million for the rest of the year.
WHITFIELD: Right.
SWARTZ: Okay. Number two, they transported those people there. That prison is being run at least partially on behalf of the United States government. All they've got to do is send somebody down there, put handcuffs on him. Whatever you want to do, put them on an airplane and bring him back.
There is no reason why they can't bring him back. The judges know it. Everybody knows it. WHITFIELD: Except we have heard from the -- right -- and the Trump administration or at least representatives have said we don't have the jurisdiction in El Salvador to retrieve him, but like you just underscored, if the U.S. paid that country $6 million then, I mean, it's a transaction, then there probably is a way in which to retrieve him or get in country to retrieve him, especially with this U.S. Court order.
SWARTZ: Precisely. The idea that the White House had that if they want the judge to have that order enforced, get on an airplane, go down there and tell the President of El Salvador that you want this person and see what happens. They don't have to do that.
If the United States can put them there, the United States can bring them back, especially when they're paying to house them down there, because we don't want to house them here.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
SWARTZ: That's all it is, and it is simple.
WHITFIELD: Yes, and then going back to the whole deportation, I mean, ICE testified that Abrego Garcia is a gang member. They provided no evidence, and he has not been convicted of any specific crime.
[15:15:08]
So how is that sufficient enough to actually deport him anyway?
SWARTZ: Well, first of all, there wasn't a basis to deport him. He had a protective order because you can't send him back to El Salvador because there was a possibility he would be killed if he was sent back there.
And so, he had protective status in the United States. They sent him anyway. That's the first problem with sending him there.
The second thing is they really didn't have probable cause that he was involved with any gang. If they just picked him up because he was from El Salvador and he was not here with a legal status other than protective status, and they wanted to be rid of him. There is absolutely no reason for having sent him in the first place.
And I just can't understand why they also fired the attorney for the Justice Department who actually admitted there was no basis, he was illegally sent there. I mean, and they fired him the next day just for telling the truth. I think that's what the Department of Justice is supposed to do. I may be wrong about that, but I kind of think that's the way it goes.
WHITFIELD: Right. Well, that attorney is now on leave. Attorney General Pam Bondi responded to that decision this morning in this manner. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PAM BONDI, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: It is a pending matter right now. He was put on administrative leave by Todd Blanche on Saturday. And I firmly said on day one, I issued a memo that you are to vigorously advocate on behalf of the United States. Our client in this matter was Homeland Security, is Homeland Security. He did not argue. He shouldn't have taken the case. He shouldn't have argued it if that's what he was going to do.
He is on administrative leave now. But yes, you have to vigorously argue on behalf of your client. As lawyers, we know that. That would be a defense attorney walking in, conceding something in a criminal matter, that would never happen in this country.
And so, he is on administrative leave now, and we will see what happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: What is going on here?
SWARTZ: Okay. That shows a basic misunderstanding of the ethics of the practice of law, and Pam Bondi knows better. She really does know better.
In this particular case, zealously representing your client doesn't include lying to the court or withholding information the court wants, or not answering the questions that the court puts before an advocate. Comparing this to a criminal case where a defendant has the right to remain silent and that lawyer would be violating the Code of Ethics in saying something he shouldn't say, that's not what happened here.
He represents the government, he has to zealously represent him, which he did up to that point. But when confronted with that question, he has the obligation to tell the truth. He can't lie to a court. And if Pam Bondi thinks that's zealously representing people, she needs to go back to law school and take an ethics course.
WHITFIELD: All right, we will leave it there. Jeff Swartz, thank you so much.
SWARTZ: Have a great day, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Okay. You too.
All right, this breaking news: Tornado watches are in place in parts of Alabama, Florida and Georgia as a relentless line of violent and deadly storms targets the Southeast, and a second child now in West Texas, now dead from measles as the outbreak there and in several neighboring states surpasses 560 cases.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:23:26]
WHITFIELD: All right, this breaking news: 17 people are confirmed dead across six states as a string of violent storms barrels across the Southeast. Twenty-two million people are at risk for severe storms, including a Tornado Watch for parts of Florida, Alabama and Georgia. The deadly system lingered over the Central U.S. bringing catastrophic flooding and tornadoes since Wednesday.
Over a foot of rain fell across the Mid Southern states, which is almost unheard of outside of hurricane season. And now, runoff from the heavy rainfall means flooding will still be a major threat as rivers crest over the coming days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MASON TAYLOR, BUTLER, KENTUCKY: This is something we've grown accustomed to, unfortunately. We will be at some point an island.
DREW CHANDLER, WOODFORD COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER: I've been an emergency manager in Woodford County for greater than 20 years, and I don't ever remember this much water.
TONY KIRVES, OWNER, SOUTHERN EXPOSURE: We definitely are very concerned that it could get a lot higher. We are just trying to do the best we can with maintaining this, but if we get more coming on, it is definitely, going to be a challenge to deal with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: CNN senior national correspondent, Ryan Young, is in Hardy, Arkansas with us now.
Where are you and what is about to happen?
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is a logistical nightmare, just to be honest, Fredricka.
We've been dealing with this for the past 48 hours ourselves as we've been talking to emergency crews and talking to citizens about how difficult it has been to move around.
You see these sandbags right here. I am holding this door because this Valero just sort of opened up to assess the damage, and as you can imagine, with the floodwaters coming in here very quickly, it sort of destroyed the middle of the store. I want to just give you a peek. We are not going to go all the way inside, but I just want to show you how this water just really ravaged the inside area.
[15:25:06]
The workers here tell me the inside is actually worse. We were here as they were moving some of the sandbags around. Look, as we will show you this video, even us dealing with the rapid water changes more than 18 inches in this area yesterday, as we show you this video, this is us trying to get around this area.
A lot of the times you're on back roads, those back roads are gravel. They're a mixture of sand. And what was happening yesterday is the water was flooding these roads faster than we could keep up. Add on the fact that a lot of the names on the roads have changed, even for first responders who don't live in certain areas, it was tough for them to get around.
Now back here live, we happened to see some of the emergency responders in this area, Fred, I knew it was going to be live with you, so I wanted to stop the mayor to have a conversation with him.
Mayor Barnes, how you doing, sir?
MAYOR ETHAN BARNES, HARDY, ARKANSAS: Great.
YOUNG: I know this has been tough for you guys over the last 24 to 48 hours. Can you explain where you are right now with the assessment of what the damage is?
BARNES: Right. We are starting right now with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management. We are working today on some preliminary studies. I've got my crew here with me. We are going out looking to see what residents have been affected.
Public infrastructure, of course, looking at city roadways. We've got an area here on North Spring Street right off of a railroad track, the city bridge going over the Spring River. Roads washed out. It is washed out.
Thankfully, the county has come in to give us a little bit of help right now trying to fix that. we are stretched thin here.
YOUNG: I have talked to some residents. I have also seen the National Guard here, but people say this is the fastest they've seen the water come up above the banks and do as much damage as it has done.
You've lived here for some time. Tell me what that was like.
BARNES: This experience is as fast as I've seen it in my lifetime. Of course, when the water is going up in a foot in a 15 to 30-minute segment at a time, it's insane. I mean, this water came up fast.
We knew it was coming. We prepared. That's what I am proud of, is that we worked ahead of time to alert our citizens, to alert the people who will be affected by this on their real property and the risk of their lives.
Thank God people were doing some evacuations, you know, as strongly suggested by city of Hardy. And if some people hadn't gotten out, we couldn't have gotten to them. We performed two rescues that were very dangerous this past event here. And thankfully, no fatalities at this time.
YOUNG: And I say thank you for especially getting everyone out. I know, I've talked to some people in town. They said everyone responded very quickly. So I just want to say, I appreciate it. Thank you for the time.
BARNES: Thank you. YOUNG: Thank you, guys. Well, I know you're the Fire Chief.
As we walk this direction, I want to show you one thing, Fred, before we leave, though, if you walk back here, this is a real story. As you look at those people in the distance there, they are trying to clean up. Everything inside their home has been lost.
As we walked over there, they were in tears as we walked over to talk about how fast this water had come up. The water line is about 4.5 feet. This is going to be a long project, we've shown you that washed out road before. We will continue to follow this and talk to these workers in this community that's been impacted.
But this is going to be a long road to getting things back to normal. In fact, right now, they're towing this car right here. All of those cars right there were flooded and underwater just yesterday.
So this has just been a big mess.
WHITFIELD: Yes, a lot of damage in a very little amount of time. And that's exactly how those floodwaters go.
YOUNG: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: Ryan Young in Arkansas, thank you so much. We will check back with you.
So climate experts warn coastal homeowners and vacationers to be ready for an active hurricane season, much like last year. That's when 11 hurricanes caused widespread damage and hundreds of deaths, with Hurricane Helene being the deadliest to hit the U.S. since Katrina in 2005.
CNN meteorologist, Allison Chinchar breaks down the climate factors behind this year's forecast.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Colorado State University's first official forecast for the Atlantic Hurricane Season is now out, and they are calling for a total of 17 named storms, nine of which are expected to become hurricanes and four to become major hurricanes, meaning a category three, four, or even five storm.
Now, compare this to an average year when you would typically have 14 named storms, seven of which would become hurricanes, three becoming a major hurricane.
Now, one of the main components to these forecasts is whether or not we are going to be an El Nino or La Nina conditions. This year is going to be a bit interesting, because most of the forecasts are actually calling for neutral conditions. So what a lot of forecasters are actually having to look at is sea surface temperatures elsewhere.
Take for example, the Atlantic, the Caribbean, or even the Gulf of Mexico, where right now those sea surface temperatures are well above average. If it continues to stay that way, we all know warm water is fuel for these types of storms and would likely enhance any tropical development.
Now, when we take a look at the names on the list for this year, you may notice one new one and that is "Dexter." This replaces Hurricane Dorian from back in 2019.
We are also looking at some other names that were retired from last year. The World Meteorological Organization this week releasing the names that they will be retiring, and that includes Beryl, Helene and Milton from last year's list.
Now, the new names that will be replaced several years from now will become Brianna, Holly and Miguel.
[15:30:14]
WHITFIELD: All right, Allison Chinchar, thank you.
All right, still to come, some Florida lawmakers want to let kids as young as 14 work overnight shifts, even on school nights. We will hear from both sides of this growing debate.
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WHITFIELD: All right, we've got breaking news out of Texas where an eight-year-old girl has died from the measles. This is the second death in the state linked to the ongoing measles outbreak. A Texas hospital official tells CNN, "We are deeply saddened to report that a school age child who was recently diagnosed with measles has passed away. It is important to note that the child was not vaccinated against measles and had no known underlying health conditions."
[15:35:22]
The first death in Texas was an unvaccinated child back in February. The outbreak has now spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma and possibly Kansas, with at least 569 reported cases, about 480 of those cases in Texas.
How young is too young to work long hours? It is a question that has ignited debate in Florida due to a recent bill in the State Senate. The bill lawmakers are advancing would loosen many restrictions on teen work hours in the state.
Ivan Rodriguez is here to discuss.
So how are Floridians reacting?
IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first off, this has been. Developing for quite some time now, Fred. Last year, the Republican led State Legislature passed a law allowing parents, guardians or school superintendents to waive the 30-hour work week limit for 16 and 17-year-olds during the school year.
Now, this new proposal aims to do away with even more child labor restrictions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RODRIGUEZ (voice over): Describing Lofty Pursuits in Tallahassee, Florida in one word isn't so simple.
RODRIGUEZ (on camera): Definitely smoother, right.
GREGORY COHEN, OWNER, LOFTY PURSUITS: Somebody once described "lofty pursuits" as a performance art project that happened to turn a profit.
RODRIGUEZ (voice over): From a classic American soda fountain to handmade candy, Gregory Cohen has captivated his customers for more than three decades.
As a business owner who has hired teenagers before, Cohen says certain parts of a proposed Florida bill aimed at deleting certain restrictions on minors could make sense in terms of flexibility. And when teen workers take breaks.
COHEN: Getting that half hour break exactly at four hours or exactly at the right time, so we don't violate is really hard to schedule when you don't know when the customers are coming in.
RODRIGUEZ (voice over): Still --
RODRIGUEZ (on camera): Is this really changing much?
COHEN: I don't know.
RODRIGUEZ (voice over): The bill would allow 16 and 17-year-olds to work more than eight hours in a day when school is scheduled the next day, and work over 30 hours a week during the school year without mandated breaks.
For 14 and 15-year-old who are home schooled, attend virtual school, or have graduated high school, the bill also removes restrictions on overnight work on school days.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis argues the change will help fill positions left by deported migrants.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): What's wrong with expecting, like our young people to be working part time now? I mean, like, that's how it used to be when I was growing up.
Why do we say we need to import foreigners, even import them illegally when, you know, teenagers used to work at these resorts.
RODRIGUEZ (on camera): Do you believe that this bill would have an impact on a child's development?
SADAF KNIGHT, CEO, FLORIDA POLICY INSTITUTE: Absolutely, because we already are seeing high levels of absenteeism.
RODRIGUEZ (voice over): Sadaf Knight with the Florida Policy Institute says right now, children who want to work longer hours can already do so through a waiver process involving parents, guardians, or a school superintendent.
KNIGHT: This bill would eliminate that process altogether. So parents are essentially being excluded from the process of the decision making around how long and how much their kids work.
RODRIGUEZ (voice over): Members of the Youth Action Fund, a nonprofit made up of high school and university students, rallied at the State Capitol.
CAMERON DRIGGERS, FOUNDER, YOUTH ACTION FUND: The lawmakers are trying to bring us back to the Gilded Age, and that cannot be more true.
This is going to target low income people. And obviously, as a result, Black and Brown Floridians who are more likely to have to rely on income from a young age to support their families.
CLIFF SHERRY, DOGGIE DAYZ DAYCARE OWNER: Good puppies. Good puppies.
RODRIGUEZ (voice over): For Cliff and Shannon Sherry, owners of Doggie Dayz Daycare, it is unnecessary to change the law since they've never had any issue hiring minors before.
SHANNON SHERRY, DOGGIE DAYZ DAYCARE OWNER: Come on girl.
RODRIGUEZ (voice over): Most importantly, they believe kids should be kids.
CLIFF SHERRY: We just hope it is not going to lead to kids having to make a tough decision as to whether they need to work, or they can do those things that everybody wants to do when they're kids.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RODRIGUEZ (on camera): The number of child labor violations in Florida has nearly tripled in recent years, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics.
Now, legislative analysis of the bill says it will increase opportunities to generate income for certain individuals and employers and could have a positive economic impact on the private sector. If passed, the law will take effect July 1st.
WHITFIELD: How about any amendments? Have there been any proposed?
RODRIGUEZ: This week, we actually did see some movement in that. For one, its gone through a committee where it is expected to go to another committee, but on the amendment front, one key change is an amendment to lower the working age.
Now, the text from the bill reads: "In accordance with federal law, a minor may be employed, permitted or suffered to work at the beginning of summer vacation of the calendar year in which he or she turns 14 years of age," meaning some 13-year-old could essentially work during the summer if they turn 14 before the year ends.
Now, in a statement, the Florida Policy Institute says in part "Because federal law says children cannot work under age 14 except in agricultural settings, this amendment only serves to change the age of Florida child can work on a farm from 14 to 13. This alarming development seemingly looks to our youngest teens to fill an agricultural labor shortage gap."
[15:40:27]
So, Fred, essentially, I mean, the debate continues as to whether these teens are filling those migrant jobs.
WHITFIELD: All right, Ivan, thank you so much.
All right, still to come, Republicans hoping to avoid a messy and expensive battle for an important Senate seat want President Trump to pick a candidate.
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WHITFIELD: All right President Trump is in the middle of a brewing Republican battle that has GOP leaders worried that it could upend the Senate map in the midterms.
CNN has learned that an intraparty feud is building over a primary challenge involving one of the longest serving Republican senators on Capitol Hill.
CNN's Manu Raju joins us now.
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: My new reporting with my colleague, Sarah Ferris highlights a growing GOP rift over veteran Senator John Cornyn's seat in Texas.
Behind-the-scenes, GOP leader John Thune has urged Trump to back Cornyn, with party leaders eager to avoid a protracted primary that could siphon away money from other critical battlegrounds.
But Texas Attorney General and MAGA loyalist, Ken Paxton is sending loud signals he plans to enter the race. Plus, we've learned about new signs that conservative Congressman Wesley Hunt appears to be moving closer to challenging Cornyn as they both tried to woo Trump.
For Cornyn, who has served in the Senate for more than two decades, he knows the Trump factor looms large.
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RAJU: Have you talked to Trump about getting an endorsement or do you expect a Trump endorsement?
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): I've talked to President Trump regularly, and I know he has got other things on his plate, and I am sure he will make an endorsement when he is ready. But I have a very good relationship, looking forward to supporting him and his agenda, as I always have. RAJU: Do you think that he will make a difference in this race?
CORNYN: I think his endorsement would be important.
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WHITFIELD: Manu, thank you so much.
All right, Republican sources fear a Texas State Senate GOP primary could end up costing their party more than $100 million, siphoning money from other critical battleground states.
All right, and we've got a new episode of "Have I Got News For You" with host Roy Wood, Jr. and team captains Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black. This week's guests, Representative Ro Khanna and comedian, Karen Chee.
You can watch the episode right now streaming on Max.
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WHITFIELD: -- this weekend in France to support the far right's leading politician, Marine Le Pen.
Last week, the Trump-backed leader was barred from running in the next presidential election. CNN's Melissa Bell takes us through what is being seen as a tectonic shift in French and European Politics.
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MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was a very fired up Marine Le Pen who spoke to her supporters here on Paris' Left Bank on Saturday in protest at the five-year ban seen handed down in the wake of a trial in which she was found guilty of embezzling nearly $5 million over the course of several years. Several members of her party condemned with her.
The sentence, which includes two years of suspended sentence and two years under house arrest also prevents her from standing and that of course, means that she is ineligible to stand in 2027, which was her great hope for finally winning the presidency.
Still, there will now be an appeal and the possibility that a court finds in her favor. This, some of the outrage being expressed by her supporters.
The crowds were not huge here at the Place Vauban in Central Paris, but then again, Paris has never been a bastion of national rally support. They are much more popular outside of the French capital.
We heard from Marine Le Pen, we also heard from the President of the National Rally, Jordan Bardella, who may be the future hope of the party should she not be able to stand. Both spoke of a political manhunt ran by the left. There are also, this Sunday in Paris, two other demonstrations, one being held by the far left, the other by the center, a reminder of how this judicial earthquake of the start of the week has really redrawn the political map and leads to a period of huge political and judicial uncertainty as we look ahead to the 2027 presidential election.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
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WHITFIELD: All right, Melissa, thank you so much.
Pope Francis made his first public appearance since leaving the hospital two weeks ago, where he received treatment for double pneumonia. The 88-year-old pontiff surprised crowds at the Vatican. He greeted them in a wheelchair and then used a breathing aid, but he appeared to be in good spirits.
The Pope was in the hospital for five weeks. His medical team said he came close to death during his hospital stay.
Straight ahead, are Trump's tariffs a negotiating tool, or are they just simply here to stay? What his administration is saying about it.
And record shattered, the historic NHL goal.
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WHITFIELD: Hockey history made just moments ago.
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SPORTSCASTER: Here is Ovechkin. Shoots. He scores. He scores. Number 895. Pretty amazing.
SPORTSCASTER: Right part of your screen, Tom Wilson finds him. Top of the circle.
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WHITFIELD: Okay, the Washington Capital's Alex Ovechkin just broke Wayne Gretzky's all time NHL goal record. Ovechkin rang in goal number 895 in the second period against the New York Islanders. It is a record Gretzky has held for at least, well, not even at least -- for the last 31 years now.
All right, and then there is "Saturday Night Live" poking a little fun at the tariff posters Trump used at the White House to announce a list of reciprocal tariffs against foreign countries. Take a look.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now it is time for the really big piece of cardboard. Howard, you want to bring that up, please? This is Howard. My Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, everybody. Look at him, let me get that giant cardboard. I love this. Here we go.
Oh, Howard, this is a Cheesecake Factory menu, Howard. This is for the luncheon after, okay. I am getting Bang, Bang Tacos. Give me this.
Thank you.
Look at it. It is beautiful. We spent so much time and frankly, millions of dollars on this piece of cardboard. And we listed the countries in an order that's neither alphabetical nor numerical for maximum confusion.
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