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Protests Around the U.S. Over Trump Policies; Zelenskyy Says, Strike Killing 19 People Is An Act Of Russian Terror; Video Casts Doubt On Israel's Account Of Aid Worker Killings. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired April 06, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

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[03:00:00]

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to all of you watching here in the United States and around the world. I'm Brian Abel.

Ahead on CNN Newsroom, protests across the U.S. as the president and his surrogates defend his policies amid a financial market meltdown.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy denouncing what he calls an act of Russian terror as peace talk stall and Russia intensifies attacks on Ukraine.

And the new video of a worker's final moments is casting doubt on Israel's account of the killings.

U.S. President Donald Trump is telling Americans to hang tough while in the middle of a growing trade war. He's touting his tariff plan on social media, calling it an economic revolution after global markets plummeted on Friday. His critics say it's not going to be that simple, but the White House says to trust in Trump.

All of this comes as the Trump administration continues to impose mass federal layoffs. We are learning Elon Musk's DOGE team is expected to make major cuts across the Department of Homeland Security in the coming days. Sources tell CNN that includes the Secret Service, though no final decisions have been made. And the Trump administration is targeting USAID again. They canceled more funding for lifesaving programs that they had previously cleared to continue.

Many Americans are reacting to these Trump administration policies with anger. On Saturday, crowds of people joined mass demonstrations in every U.S. state and in Washington, D.C. It's part of the Hands Off protest movement, denouncing Donald Trump's attacks on democracy and on vulnerable communities.

CNN's Brian Todd spoke to protestors in the nation's capital, but, first, Julia Vargas Jones shows us the demonstrations in Los Angeles.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CORRESPONDENT: Thousands of people took to the streets in Los Angeles to make one message quite clear their discontent with President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Signs like these, we've been seeing a lot of Elon Musk, this one image of him making what looks like a Nazi salute that happened earlier this year. The only minority destroying this country are the billionaires, this one, a lot of messages about the people, we, the people, mentioning the Constitution.

The whole protest is based on hands off our Constitution, hands off the federal government, not just Elon Musk, but also protesting the Department of Government Efficiency as a whole, the dismantling of the Department of Education. Many signs out here saying protect our national parks, talking about the stock market.

All of this, of course, not only in Los Angeles, there are protests across the United States, about -- in all 50 states, 1,400 protests, as well as some abroad as well. Here in L.A. though, protesters kept this atmosphere quite light, very peaceful. It's basically a party that's been going on all day here. They marched throughout downtown Los Angeles, ending here at city hall, where organizer are making their demands.

This is Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Los Angeles.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Several thousand people have turned up. Out here today at the foot of the Washington Monument, one of the largest shows of resistance to what President Trump and Elon Musk are doing with DOGE, the federal government cutbacks, the layoffs, the downsizing. This is the voice and the look of the resistance movement to that. Take a look, thousands upon thousands of people here at the foot of the Washington Monument, speeches going on, music, chants, signs as far as the eye can see. This is clearly one of the biggest shows of resistance that we have seen anywhere in the country since President Trump took office on January 20th.

And we did speak to rally goers and members of Congress about what motivated them to come out here. Take a listen.

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TODD: What's your main message for coming out here and wanting to be part of this crowd and speaking here?

REP. DON BEYER (D-VA): It's just so encouraging and what's been a pretty depressing nine weeks to have, I don't know, hundreds of thousands of Americans show up here and across the country to say, we're not going to take this line down. We are fighting back. We are going to resist the evils of Trump and Musk. We're going to take back our country.

TODD: Your parents are both federal government employees.

JENNA SANTUCCI-FREEMAN, PROTESTER: Yes.

TODD: What are they going through right now?

SANTUCCI FREEMAN: Yes. My dad had to take the fork in the road deal.

[03:05:00] And so he had to leave the federal government after over 20 years. And my mom works for Health and Human Services right now and she's worried, you know, about her job security at this point

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TODD: And this not going on just here in Washington. Moveon.org and Hands Off have organized a whole system of rallies to take place today. And what they wanted, they want people to turn out in 1,300 cities and towns just across America, but also towns overseas, like London, Paris, Berlin, and elsewhere. This is, in their minds, a worldwide movement against what President Trump and Elon Musk are doing here in Washington.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

ABEL: And let's give a glimpse at what that worldwide movement looked like Saturday. Hundreds of protesters gathered at the Place de la Republique in Paris. Some of their protest signs said, hands off immigrants. And we can't decide who we hate more over pictures of Trump and Elon Musk.

That was the scene in London's Trafalgar Square. One activist explained his motivation for attending that rally.

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DAVID, CO-FOUNDER, INDIVISIBLE LONDON: The tariffs this week are announced just yesterday, I think hugely damaging to the world order hugely damaging to this country. So, that's just the most recent of a long set of attacks. But, you know, what he's doing to dismantle the federal government, what he's doing at the border, how he's sending people without due justice due process back to concentration camps in El Salvador. There's a long list of things. But, today, we really want to send a message of solidarity to our friends and families back in America.

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ABEL: Despite the anger growing around the world, President Trump's advisers are defending his tariffs.

CNN's Betsy Klein as more on that from Florida.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, we are witnessing a historic reconfiguration of the global trade order and so much economic upheaval as a result of President Trump's tariff policy, including a market selloff, a foreign retaliation, anger from corporate America, as well as skepticism from the chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve. But it was business as usual here in South Florida for President Trump, who hit the golf course on Saturday in Jupiter, Florida, and really a remarkable split screen as protesters took to the streets to counter his tariff policies.

The White House issuing this official statement, quote, the president won his second round matchup of the Senior Club Championship today in Jupiter, Florida, and advances to the championship round tomorrow.

But even as he arrived at his club, the president remained defiant, saying in a post to social media to, quote, hang tough. And his team overall is staying the course. Listen to what his trade adviser, Peter Navarro, told CNN on Saturday.

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PETER NAVARRO, TRADE ADVISER TO THE U.S. PRESIDENT: The market will find a bottom. It will be soon. And from there, we're going to have a bullish boom, and the Dow's going to hit 50,000 during Trump's term, the S&P 500 is going to have a very broad based recovery, and wages are going to go up, profits are going to go up, and life's going to be beautiful here in America. Trust in Trump.

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KLEIN: The Trump team maintaining that they are on the right track here, even as markets are spiraling, the Dow down 12 percent from a recent high, and the NASDAQ down more than 22 percent. And while the president acknowledges that short-term disruption to the markets is to be expected, the reality is they just don't know what is going to happen here.

The president himself has expressed some openness to cutting deals with different countries, and CNN has learned that there are active discussions underway on bespoke trade deals with India, Vietnam, and Israel. To that end, we do expect President Trump to host Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.

Betsy Klein, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

ABEL: It is time for you to leave. That was the message sent this week to some Ukrainians living in the U.S. under a Biden era humanitarian program. But that message was sent in error. In an email, the Department of Homeland Security writes, DHS is terminating your parole. Do not attempt to remain in the United States. The federal government will find you.

That email was sent on Thursday. One day later there was another, this one retracting the previous notice, calling it an error, telling the Ukrainians, quote, no action will be taken. The department says, uniting for Ukraine program has not been terminated.

Dramatic scenes out of Southern Ukraine on Friday and a warning these may be disturbing. This video shows the wounded being helped after a deadly Russian missile attack on a residential area, which included a playground. At least 19 people have been killed, nine of them children. A three-month-old baby is among the 72 people who were injured. And now the city of Kryvyi Rih is in mourning amid a conflict that shows no sign of a swift end.

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CNN's Ben Hunte has more.

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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): A makeshift memorial at a playground in Ukraine, a place that should be off limits to the ravages of war, but not here in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown, and not in this war with Russia that's still grinding on despite U.S. attempts to broker a peace deal. In one of the deadliest strikes of the year, Ukraine says A Russian missile struck a residential area in Kryvyi Rih, killing several civilians, including children.

Ukraine says Russian drones later attacked private homes in the city. Russia says it targeted a military gathering at a restaurant in a high position strike that killed dozens of military personnel. Ukraine says that's Russian misinformation, and the toll on civilians was high.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: My condolences to their families and loved ones. Many others have been injured and buildings have been damaged. The missiles struck an area right next to residential buildings, hitting a children's playground in ordinary streets.

HUNTE: Russia denies targeting civilians, but thousands have been killed and injured in the invasion. Residents of Kryvyi Rih say it's hard to watch the repeated attacks on their town, especially after the loss of so many children.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How could one adequately deal with it? There was a one-year-old child's birthday celebration in the cafe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are no bases, hangars, big garages or piles of equipment. The site that was attacked, I saw the regular cars of civilians that were damaged and burning.

HUNTE: Russia recently rejected a U.S. proposal for a full 30-day ceasefire that Ukraine had agreed to. On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he put Moscow on notice that a breakthrough on peace talks must come soon. Ukrainian and European leaders accused Putin of stalling as Russia tries to gain more territory. Rubio also says, Russia's actions, not words, will show if it's interested in peace.

On this playground now filled with stuffed animals, flowers, and shrapnel holes. That still feels a very long way away.

Ben Hunte, CNN.

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ABEL: And joining us now live from Bangkok, Thailand, is Michael Bociurkiw. Michael, thank you for joining us and providing your expertise. You're a global affairs analyst and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, and also the former spokesperson for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. So, I believe you are just the person to talk to about all this.

We are just getting word of new attacks on Ukraine this morning, and we just saw a video from Russia's deadly strike on Zelenskyy hometown, Putin clearly continuing to pressure Ukraine. So, what does this tell you about the state of the war at the moment?

MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, FORMER SPOKESPERSON, ORG. FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE: Sure. Good to be with you, Brian. Well, it's hard to believe, but about three days ago there was a headline saying Ukraine had zero Russian drone attack attacks over a 24-hour period. But then all of us thought, well, the Russians are probably stockpiling. And indeed, sadly, that's what's happening. Your report on Kryvyi Rih, the death there is around 20 now and the number of injuries trending to almost a hundred, so very, very bad.

And, yes, just a few hours ago, I was checking Ukraine Telegram channels, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko saying that three districts of Kyiv have major fires. There's been a major business center that is half destroyed. And there's also reports of strikes on Kharkiv in Eastern Ukraine. And, interestingly, Poland once again activated its missile defense systems and deployed fighter jets because the Russian strikes were happening so far into Western Ukraine this time. So, as things go over the past two or three days, very, very bad.

ABEL: Okay. I want to go back for a moment to the campaign trail, because President Trump then was saying that he can make a deal in 24 hours to end the war on Ukraine. Here we are some 75 days now into the second presidency, and what we are now hearing is negotiations are, quote, going well, yet Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the U.S. needs to begin to see real progress from Russia soon. So, has Mr. Trump found a deal he can't make here? And if so, what direction does this war go?

BOCIURKIW: Yes, it's hard to believe he made that promise. And he also -- to remind viewers, he promised to bring peace to Gaza, while going the other way in both theaters of conflict. And to make a matter worse for Ukraine, Brian, is we were shocked to read the other day during the liberation day tariff blitz that Ukraine and Moldova were each slapped with. I believe there were 10 percent tariffs, and a reminder that the US has the trade surplus with Ukraine.

[03:15:00]

So, that got a lot of it head scratching in Ukraine.

But the Russian side clearly does not show any interest in negotiating peace. In fact, President Putin has recently said, get rid of the Zelenskyy government and let's put in a U.N. transitional government, an absolutely absurd idea.

And I think, you know, one would think that Mr. Trump would be sitting there and saying, this is a sign of disrespect for Russia to keep on hammering Ukraine as it is showing, again, no signs of peace and no sign of giving up any territory.

So, one last thing, and I may sound like a broken record saying this, but it may be worth the Ukrainians turning to the Saudis and saying, okay, you guys negotiate instead of the Americans. Maybe there'll be more progress in that regard. ABEL: Well, maybe just answer my next question a little bit there with that statement. What kind of leverage, if any, does the U.S. hold over Russia at this moment that could move Putin closer to a ceasefire? What would it take for Russia to agree to that? And, really, what's Putin holding out for?

BOCIURKIW: Yes. Well, very little leverage. In fact, it seems Russia is the one that has the most leverage. In fact, two days ago at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand right here, there was a panel on Radio for Europe, Radio Liberty and Voice of America, and just journalists shaking their head, what is the U.S. doing cutting off funding to these very, very important entities that are so important, spanning the globe from nearby Myanmar here to Ukraine, to Russia. These entities, these U.S. funded broadcast outlets were the kind of digital Berlin Wall, if you will, against Russian disinformation.

And then we're also learning that the U.S. is making it easier for Russian members of Putin's circle to come into the U.S. and buy multimillion dollar properties. So, to kind of sum it all up, you know, it seems Russia is getting many, many concessions from the Trump team without giving much in return.

ABEL: All right. Michael Bociukiw, Michael, I appreciate your time and expertise. Thank you.

BOCIURKIW: Thank you for having me.

ABEL: Startling new video shows the final moments of 15 emergency and aid workers who were shot and killed by Israeli troops in Gaza. Their bodies later found in a mass grave. Ahead, why the video doesn't match what Israeli troops say happened before that shooting began.

Plus, countries like Croatia are making progress in eliminating the danger of landmines left over from past wars. But other nations are thinking twice about banning them now. More on that next.

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ABEL: There is new video showing the final moments of 15 aid and emergency workers who were shot and killed by Israeli troops in Gaza. Their bodies were found in a mass grave along with their vehicles and a United Nations vehicle. Israel claimed the emergency vehicles were, quote, advancing suspiciously and without lights. But the video, it tells a very different story.

CNN Jerusalem Correspondent Jeremy Diamond explains. But, first, we do have to warn you that some of the video and audio in his report is disturbing.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: New video footage has emerged of the deadly attack on a convoy of emergency response vehicles in Gaza. The video directly contradicts previous Israeli military claims about this attack and really collapses much of their narrative about how this attack unfolded. The Israeli military previously claimed that the ambulances in this convoy and one fire truck approached troops suspiciously without headlights or emergency signals. But you can see in this video that the vehicles are well lit, emergency signals are on, and these are clearly marked ambulances and a fire truck. And as soon as they get to the scene of a previous attack, Israeli troops opened fire.

Now, the gunfire continues for several more minutes. And as that is happening, you can hear the paramedic who filmed this video reciting the Shahadah, the profession of faith that Muslims recite when they are facing death. That paramedic, Rafat Ragwan (ph), he was killed along with 14 other emergency responders in that attack.

Now, the Israeli military said earlier this week that it would investigate this incident, acknowledging that Israeli troops had indeed carried out this attack and that they had also buried these individuals in a mass grave. The head of Southern Command will present the findings of this investigation on Sunday to the Israeli military's top general chief of staff, Eyal Zamir.

As for the claims about the lights of these vehicles being off, I'm told by an Israeli military official that that actually came directly from the Israeli troops who were involved in this attack, and those claims have clearly proven to be false based on this video. This investigation that the Israeli military is carrying out internally, it is also based on the review of aerial surveillance video of this attack.

The Israeli military has so far declined to share that video publicly citing this ongoing investigation. But we will certainly be pressing them to release that footage. The Israeli military is also still claiming that several of the emergency responders who were killed in this attack were Hamas members, but so far they have provided no evidence to back up that claim at all. And certainly in light of this latest contradiction, the Israeli military certainly facing questions about its credibility relating to this incident.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

ABEL: Meanwhile, Hamas has released new proof of life video showing two Israeli hostages. These photos are from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Hostage Bar Kupershtein is on the left of your screen. That's Maxim Herkin on the right.

[03:25:00]

Their families have asked that the Hamas video not be shown, and CNN is honoring that request. Both men were abducted on October 7th.

Anti-government protesters were on the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday. They are demanding the government do more to bring home the hostages Hamas is holding in Gaza.

Landmines have been a horrific legacy of the Balkan War's wage more than 30 years ago. And now Croatia is looking to declare itself free from those landmines in less than a year. But other countries fearful of Russian aggression may be opening the door to bringing landmines back.

CNN's Isabel Rosales has more.

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ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In Croatia, these workers are clearing landmines left from the Balkan Wars of the 1990s. Three decades later, those mines are still claiming victims.

DAVOR LAURA, HEAD OF OPERATIONS, MINE ACTION CENTRE: Since 1996, 610 people in Croatia have been victims of mines and explosive remnants of war, of which 207 died. 31 were under the age of 18 of which 6 died. And what we always want to emphasize is that 134 demining workers have been victims of which 40 died.

ROSALES: Croatia is one of over 160 countries that signed the 1997 Ottawa Convention, which bans the stockpiling production and transfer of anti personnel landmines, landmines that are designed to be hidden in the ground and detonate automatically when someone steps on them or passes nearby.

Such mines have killed or maimed tens of thousands of civilians around the world. But now, several countries are seeking to withdraw from the treaty. Last month, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania said they would withdraw due to the threats posed by Russia and Finland, which guards NATO's longest border with Russia. This week, Senate it also plans to quit the Ottawa Convention.

PETTERI ORPO, FINNISH PRIME MINISTER: The security situation of Europe and Finland has fundamentally changed. Russia is and will remain as a threat for to hold Europe. Finland and Europe need to evaluate all measures to strengthen our deterrence and defense capabilities.

ROSALES: Anti-landmine advocates worry about the consequences of these countries withdrawing from the treaty.

TAMAR GABELNICK, DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO BAN LANDMINES: There have been studies done by military officers and experts that have shown that there's actually very limited military utility to anti-personnel landmines. But what we do know for sure is that they will harm civilians during conflict and long afterwards.

ROSALES: She says 85 percent of landmine victims are civilians with 40 percent of them being children.

Back in Croatia, Emir Sefic still remembers when he was a child surviving an explosion from a detonator.

EMIR SEFIC, INJURED BY LANDMINE AT AGE 13: It was a huge explosion, a big flash, a fireball that opened up between my legs. I was wearing gym shoes, and it set my pants on fire, completely burned them. It tore a hole in the bed. You could see the tiles underneath.

ROSALES: Croatia has cleared nearly 300,000 landmines and other explosive devices so far, and hopes to be free of mine danger on March 1st, 2026. Across Europe, some countries are still working to remove landmines while others are opening the door to bring them back.

Isabel Rosales, CNN.

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ABEL: Still to come. We'll ask whether America can ever repair the damage Donald Trump's tariffs are doing to relations with its trading partner.

Plus, how companies across Mexico are shifting strategies and looking closer to home as Mr. Trump's trade war grows.

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ABEL: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is speaking out after an attack on his hometown, killed at least 19 people, including 9 children. He called the strike an act of terror and said, staying silent about Russia killing children is wrong and dangerous. Ukraine says, three people were injured in a Russian missile attack on Kyiv today.

U.S. President Donald Trump is telling Americans to hang tough in the middle of this growing trade war. He's touting his tariff plan on social media, calling it an economic revolution after global markets plummeted Friday. Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries warns the president's policies are crashing the economy.

Demonstrators in Europe and across the U.S. have staged a day of protest and resistance against Trump and Elon Musk. They're demanding an end to policies targeting immigrants, slashing vital social programs, and the, quote, billionaire takeover of the White House.

Natasha Lindstaedt, a professor of government at the University of Essex, she joins us now from Colorado Springs. Natasha, thank you so much for your time.

In the early days since President Trump's tariffs announcement, we've seen some warning lights from the market. Most economists and some of the countries targeted that are now giving back those retaliatory tariffs of their own. What in your estimation has the new tariff policy out of Washington done for international relations? And is any damage beyond repair at this point?

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: This new set of tariffs that Trump's announced has been catastrophic for U.S. relations particularly with U.S. allies who have just been dumbfounded that they're facing tariffs for really no reason other than there's some sort of formula that Trump came up with that where he was unhappy with the fact that there is a trade imbalance or that there was some kind of VAT on U.S. exports going into Europe or going in to some other, you know, allies that the U.S. has traded with for decades. And it really hurts U.S.'s reputation. The relationship with Canada, which has been one of the U.S.'s staunchest allies, has deteriorated to the point where former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thought that Trump was purposely trying to crater the Canadian economy in order to annex it. You have European allies that are now going to retaliate and I think you're going to see the U.S. increasingly isolated as other countries are seeing that it is not a reliable trading partner, it is not a reliable diplomatic partner, it can't be trusted and that it is working very unilaterally to promote its own agenda.

[03:35:06]

And I think what will come is other countries aligning together against the U.S. to isolate it further. So, even if countries don't put tariffs on goods that are coming in from the U.S., there will be consumers in Europe that just don't want to buy American products. And this could have a really long lasting effect.

ABEL: Well, in the States, some politicians in Trump's own party are showing skepticism about the tariff's success. Some senators providing an outright rebuke, others like Senators Maria Cantwell and Chuck Grassley, they're taking action with the bill to rein in the president's tariff power by requiring congressional approval, yet the White House continues that stoic stance that everything will be fine. And, Natasha, I kind of think of initial skepticism to sum up Trump's cabinet nominees when I'm thinking about this just to see Republicans end up falling in line on the Hill.

And is this moment different enough from that, that we could actually see Republican lawmakers hold their ground and successfully pressure the president to change course?

LINDSTAEDT: So, Republicans are in a tough spot because they know that if they don't fall in line with what Trump wants them to do, he will retaliate and it will make it more difficult for them to win their primaries. But they also know that many of their constituents are just not happy with these tariffs.

So, if you look at the state of Texas, which has an economy that is very dependent on international trade, you even have the likes of Senator Ted Cruz being critical of these tariffs because he knows it's going to hit his state hard, or Thom Tillis of North Carolina, another senator who knows that farmers can't really afford this rough spot, you know, this initial tough time that Trump has promised and that eventually there's going to be some sort of gain.

But I think the problem is that Trump isn't being very specific with the American voter, is what are Americans going to actually gain. And instead it looks like there's this self-inflicted wound that is really going to hit hard at many of Republican constituencies and particularly Trump voters who are already starting to change their tune on whether or not they can continue to support his economic policies. And you have his support for his economic policies, according to The Wall Street Journal poll, underwater, 52 percent disapprove and only 25 percent of Americans approve of the way he's handling the economy, and that used to be by far his best issue. ABEL: And let's talk a little bit more about Americans' reactions, because we did just see the protests around the country. President Trump did run and largely won in November on a message of bringing down too expensive prices on everyday items. And now instead of them dropping, we're very likely going to see them rise. So, what do you believe will be the consequences of that for the American electorate?

LINDSTAEDT: So, I think once the tariffs really start to bite and the American consumer sees that the cost of groceries, they're not getting lower, they're actually getting higher, I mean, that's where you're going to see the effect of the tariffs almost immediately. And as you mentioned, Trump promised that he was going to lower prices, that everything was going to be much better, but economists are projecting that the cost to the average American could be somewhere between $3,800 and $4,700. The average cost of a new car could be an extra $6,000. And it will affect the way Americans live their daily lives, particularly those that are coming from low income households that will not be able to really weather these tariffs that well.

And, eventually, there's going to be a groundswell of momentum against this. And we're going to see like what happened in 2018 when the midterms really hit the Republicans hard, they lost 41 seats to the Democrats, and I think Democrats are more angry this time than ever before. And the coalition is getting wider because it is affecting more Americans. The initial tariffs that Trump implemented in his first term, they really didn't have that big of an effect. And I think these tariffs are going to have a tremendous effect.

ABEL: All right. Natasha Lindstaedt, Natasha, thank you very much for joining us.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

ABEL: Elon Musk isn't sounding as enthusiastic about the Trump tariffs as other members of the administration. He said on Saturday that he wants to see zero tariffs between Europe and the U.S. just days after the president slapped 20 percent duties on goods from the E.U.

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ELON MUSK, TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: I am hopeful, for example, with the tariffs that at the end of the day I hope it is agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally, in my view, to a zero tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America, and also more freedom of people to move between Europe and North America, if they wish.

[03:40:00]

If they wish to work in Europe or wish to work in America, they should be allowed to do so, in my view. So, that has certainly been my advice to the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: As Trump's tariffs rattle the global economy, a Mexican company making car parts for the U.S. is now turning its attention home.

CNN's Gustavo Valdes has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is what it looks like inside a Mexican factory that's been making and sending car parts to the United States for more than 70 years. But that's changing. At MegaFlux in Mexico City, they produce water pumps, hydroelectric turbines, motors, and generators.

ROBERTO GOTTFRIED, CEO, MEGAFLUX: We make them upon request, we export more than half of our production to the United States and Canada.

VALDES: Now, this assembly line is also manufacturing electric cars and buses, which will mostly be used in Mexico amid fears that U.S. President Donald Trump's new tariffs could trigger a global trade war.

FELIPE GALLEGO, OPERATIONS DIRECTOR, MEGAFLUX: The best way to deal with tariffs is to buy locally. If you have an automotive industry and want to manufacture electric vehicles, sell them domestically, or look at South America.

VALDES: The company makes this bus called Taruk, which means road runner in the local Yacqui language. It's the first electric bus manufactured in Mexico, and it's expected to run in Baja, California.

It's part of Plan Mexico, a program launched by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, giving companies incentives to invest in domestic production and generate jobs.

GOTTFRIED: I think we're experiencing a situation that could also become dramatic, but having our own technology allows you to better manage your next steps as a country.

VALDES: Mexican companies now thinking of ways to expand domestically rather than across the border.

Gustavo Valdes, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: The Canadian government has updated its online travel advisory to warn U.S.-bound citizens that their electronic devices are subject to search. The advice urges Canadians to, quote, expect scrutiny when crossing the border.

It points out that this can include border officials demanding passwords to unlock devices for inspection. Travelers who refuse were on the risk of having their electronics confiscated and being refused entry.

French far right Leader Marine Le Pen plans to fight her ban for seeking office. Just ahead, how she and her party are about to dial up the volume and fight back.

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[03:45:00]

ABEL: In the U.S., the death toll from this week's severe storms has now risen to at least 16 people across five states. On Saturday, severe thunderstorms and heavy rain triggered catastrophic flooding across the Central U.S. Some of the areas had already been hit hard by days of storms and deadly tornadoes. As severe flooding hit Tennessee, a naval base ordered its residents in military housing to evacuate. Authorities have warned the water level could top the levee overnight.

People are gathering in Paris today for dueling demonstrations supporting and opposing Marine Le Pen's ban on running for office. The far right leader was the frontrunner for the 2027 presidential election when she was convicted of embezzlement and banned from public office for five years. Her party has called for a peaceful mass protest meant to build support against what they consider a political decision. Other major parties will stage counterdemonstrations.

With a light legal appeal likely to be decided next year in the presidential election set for 2027, it's far from certain how French politics will play out in the near term. And CNN's Melissa Bell has this report from the French capital.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Three times she stood for president, three times she lost, coming in second twice. But Marine Le Pen, who's 56, seemed certain that 2027 would be hers for the taking until Monday when a Paris court decided otherwise.

With an immediate five year ban on Le Pen standing in any election, the judges outlining how her far right party had embezzled more than $5 million over the course of 11 years, allowing it to become the political force that it is today.

But Le Pen stormed out even before the rest of her sentence had been read out. It includes a fine to try to get some of that money back and a prison sentence, two years suspended and two years under house arrest. Le Pen making her fury plain the very next day in parliament.

MARINE LE PEN, NATIONAL RALLY: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

BELL: The French prime minister also called on the judiciary to move swiftly on her appeal, and a decision is now expected in 2026, which means that Le Pen may yet be able to stand.

The question now, what this judicial saga will mean for a party that's always been about cleaning up the swamp.

VINCENT MARTIGNY, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITE COTE D'AZUR: The all events narrative about politics is that the elites are corrupted and that the event is the only party that has never been convicted of any crime, any offense, and this narrative has ended a couple of days ago. BELL: But the anger amongst Le Pen supporters is real. The judges involved in the decision are now under police protection and a protest is planned here on Paris' left bank on Sunday.

The real question now, how this political and judicial uncertainty plays out in the court of public opinion.

CHRISTINE OCKRENT, JOURNALIST: On the whole, public opinion thinks the judgment, the sentence, however harsh, is legitimate. The paradox is those very elected people are those who a few years ago insisted that these very laws, which have just been executed, become harsher starting with Marine Le Pen.

LE PEN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

BELL: There's also the wider picture of surging far right populism elsewhere, but Marine Le Pen's most vocal supporters may not be doing her any favors with the French electorate.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: That's a big deal. That's a very big deal. But she was banned for running for five years, and she's the leading candidate, that sounds like this country.

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That sounds very much like this country.

MARTIGNY: Those who support her are Trump Putin, Orban, most people think that all these guys are very dangerous, that they are the villains of international politics. And the fact that the R.N. is linked to them is not really good for the R.N.

BELL: The R.N., or National Rally, now has to figure out how it can remain what it's always been, a Le Pen family affair, even as it considers a plan B that could take the shape of Jordan Bardella, the 29-year-old who led the party to its first ever national victory in the European elections last year.

ROBERT WAELKENS, LE PEN SUPPORTER: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

BELL: Le Pen this week described Bardella as a formidable asset, but one she hoped the party would not need to deploy, quote, sooner than necessary.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

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ABEL: And we will be right back.

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ABEL: Now to U.S. college basketball where March Madness is reaching a fever pitch. For only the second time in tournament history, the Final 4 round was stacked entirely with number one seeded teams.

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The Florida Gators went punch for punch with Auburn's Tigers after falling behind six points, a second half comeback field Florida to victory, closing out the game 79-73.

Meanwhile, Duke had their hands full against Houston. The Blue Devils lost their lead in the final minutes after a late surge by the Cougars put Houston up by three. In the end, Houston kept that margin hanging on for a narrow 70-67 win. Houston and Florida now set to face off the National Championship Monday night.

And the National Cherry Blossom Festival remains in full flower this weekend in the U.S. Capitol. For one family, a photo shoot on Washington's title basin captured more than just the quintessential emergence of spring. How about a presidential photo bomb in between those lovely pink and white perennials with preschooler Bell Preston and her one-year-old brother, Thomas, caught in the background, there he is, former President Barack Obama on a casual stroll, it looks like.

The kids, who, of course, wouldn't be expected to know him anyway, were indeed blissfully unaware. As for their parents, that took a minute.

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PORTIA MOORE, CHILDREN PHOTOBOMBED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA: So, once they finished the shoot, I picked him up and I was like, what did you say? And he was like, that's President Obama. And I was like, oh my God.

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BELL: Quite the sight.

That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Brian Abel in Atlanta. CNN Newsroom continues next with Kim Brunhuber.

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