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President Trump Pulls Tariffs On Electronics Mostly From China; Grocery Store Prices Expected To Rise As Trump's Tariffs Kick In; Dozens At DHS Including Top FEMA Officials Face Lie Detector Tests; U.S. Special Envoy And Iranian Foreign Minister At Nuclear Talks In Oman; Judge Rules Menendez Brothers' Resentencing Hearing To Go Forward; Black Pilots Respond To Trump's Anti-DEI Message. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired April 12, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:54]

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Thank you for joining me. I'm Isabel Rosales in for Fredricka Whitfield.

We are following breaking news in President Trump's global trade war. In a major reversal, Customs and Border Patrol now say many electronics, including smartphones, computers and semiconductors, are now exempt from the White House's sweeping tariffs.

The decision comes just days after the U.S. imposed a 145 percent tariff on all Chinese imports. China hit back charging 125 percent tariffs on U.S. imports. China dominates electronics manufacturing, exporting tens of billions of dollars to the U.S. each year.

CNN's Kevin Liptak and Nathaniel Meyersohn are tracking all of the latest.

Kevin, let's start with you. What more is the White House saying about this?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, what officials are emphasizing this afternoon is that while the most sweeping tariffs, the 145 percent reciprocal tariffs, will no longer apply to these consumer goods and other electronics from China, that there still will be some tariffs applied to those products. And you'll remember President Trump as he's engaged in this tit-for-tat tariff war with China has been layering these duties on top of each other.

And so, for example, the 20 percent tariff that he applied on China for its role in the fentanyl crisis will still apply. But I think that the relief from those broader tariffs is still highly notable. It could have a significant effect on the global economy, particularly when it comes to inflation. And I think this does show that the White House does have a recognition of how much these tariffs could impact the cost on some of the most popular American consumer products that are coming into the United States.

So, for example, this will apply to smartphones, laptops, transistors, flat panel monitors, hard drives, semiconductors, all products that are for the most part not manufactured in the United States. This could really be a reprieve for American consumers that could have been facing higher costs. It also is a boon for some of the companies that make these products, Apple, Samsung, Dell, some of these companies that, by the way, have been working to cozy up to President Trump for the last several months.

And so all of this, I think the big question here is how long exactly this reprieve will last because when you talk to White House officials they do make note that the president has advocated in the past for more specific tariffs on specific products, so we could see down the line the president applying new tariff rates on these products. He has also, I'm told, by a White House official, ordered up a national security review when it comes to semiconductors. Those are those tiny computer chips that power so many of the American products that could eventually lead to tariffs down the line.

So it is clear that this is not sort of the last word in all of this. We did hear from the White House press secretary who said that President Trump has made clear that America cannot rely on China to manufacture critical technologies. She goes on to say that companies are now hustling to onshore their manufacturing in the United States as soon as possible. But of course, as soon as possible is a relative term here. It could potentially take years, even decades for these companies to move the supply chains that now exist mostly in Asia onto U.S. shores -- Isabel.

ROSALES: And Nathaniel, there's a lot of uncertainty on Wall Street and main street. Is this latest move from the administration helping to ease some of that anxiety?

NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isabel, it certainly could ease anxiety with tech companies and with electronics companies like Apple and Microsoft that are heavily reliant on China for their production. Take a look at Apple, for example. 90 percent of iPhone production is assembled in China, so certainly the exemptions for smartphones and computers will benefit Apple.

[15:05:02]

But we're still looking at just tremendous uncertainty, unpredictability and chaos for businesses right now with these on and off tariffs that are changing by the hour, by the day. It's really difficult for companies to plan their long term investments with such an unpredictable environment. And it's also really taking a toll on consumers. We've seen consumer sentiment plunge over the last few weeks. We've also seen the stock market plunge.

So even though we're seeing a reprieve right now for smartphones and computers, the broader environment is much more difficult. You know, we still have 10 percent baseline tariffs on all countries and still 145 percent tariffs on Chinese goods that aren't smartphones and computers. So businesses of all sizes are affected. And if you're not an Apple or a Microsoft, you're still in a really difficult spot right now.

ROSALES: Nathaniel Meyersohn and Kevin Liptak, thank you both. Well, food industry experts warn that President Trump's tariffs will

soon make your trip to the grocery store even more expensive. That is because supermarkets sell imported items in every section, from fresh and packaged foods to household basics. But just how much more can you expect to pay and which items will be hit the hardest?

Joining us to help tackle the real world impacts of the trade war is John Ross, the CEO of Independent Grocers Alliance, a chain of independent grocery stores.

Really appreciate you being here. This is so important. We all have to eat, right? What are you hearing from retailers?

JOHN ROSS, CEO, INDEPENDENT GROCERS ALLIANCE: Well, the retailers are confused. It's kind of a policy of the moment. And so they're picking up the phone and they're calling their suppliers and their wholesalers, and they're saying, what's going to happen to my cost of goods? What do I tell my shoppers? And of course, this comes on the heels of three to four years of unprecedented food inflation in the United States.

If you look at the average basket of groceries that a consumer here would have bought at the Kroger or the IGA or a Walmart back in 2019, it's 36 percent more expensive today than it was just a few years ago. And so anything that's going to put additional price pressure on that really harms American shoppers and it makes our retailers afraid.

ROSALES: Yes. And there are some data out from Yale University's Budget Lab that said that food prices will rise 2.8 percent overall from these tariffs, including 4 percent on fresh produce. Are there particular items of concern that you're seeing around your grocers?

ROSS: Well, it all depends upon, you know, which countries are in and which are out. And of course, those rules are changing by the moment. You've got a selection here. We don't grow bananas in the United States, and it's unlikely we ever would so obviously we'd be concerned about import products that can only be grown in other countries.

The other piece of this, too, you know, we've got to be worried about coffee. You have to be worried about tea. You have to be worried about shellfish, cocoa. Both coffee and cocoa are at all-time highs on the commodity markets. And that's already, and then you come in and you put policy in place which is likely to increase the cost to the consumer, and you start pricing the average grocery basket out of range for the average consumer. That's concerning.

ROSALES: Yes. Coffee in particular, and cocoa, that can only be grown in like the coffee belt around the equator. So this whole argument of we'll just grow it domestically doesn't really work with a commodity like coffee. I have heard from coffee shop owners, we only import about 1 percent of that domestically.

What do you tell people that are low poverty, that are now very concerned about their ability to afford fresh foods?

ROSS: Well, so, you know, the big question here is, how do we think about policies that can lower the cost of groceries versus ones that would likely increase those costs? And in order to figure out how you lower the cost, actually reduce costs, you have to get inside the supply chain. And simplistic answers don't often get there. So you got to look at the cost of transportation, the cost of labor.

Truck drivers are in short supply, and every time you touch a piece of food right out of the ground to the supplier, to the developer, to the wholesaler, like there's a truck moving that around. And so you talk about the cost of energy and the cost of the actual trucks themselves. And of course, the demand for drivers is so high because drivers are now delivering products to people's houses. With Amazon and all the online shopping. And so that's competition, which causes the cost of driver salaries to go up. That's why UPS drivers are making $150,000 a year.

So there's a lot going on already in terms of driving the cost of food. And then suddenly if you put incremental taxes on both the food themselves, but inside those food products, right? What about the cost of fertilizer? It's more than double what it was just a couple of years ago, up 40 percent this year alone. The cost of tractors and combines that are up over 100 percent.

The poor American farmer, now we're family owned grocers. We buy from family farms. And I'm as worried about the farmers as I am about the retailers because they not only depend upon U.S. domestic supply, but they're heavy exporters.

[15:10:01]

Every one of those products is -- except bananas obviously, we export to foreign countries and our two biggest trading partners, China and Canada, both of which have been hit heavily on this trade war.

ROSALES: I think it's lost on people the supply chain of an item, even if the item is grown or made right here in America, I was just speaking to a soybean farmer who talked to me about the price of fertilizer, the steel and aluminum parts that he uses, you know, for his tractor trailer, all of these concerns, and it really seems like there's a one-two punch here for imports and exports.

How long can we keep this up?

ROSS: Well, so I'm hoping that the pause allows some rational conversation. This isn't really politics. This is mathematics, right? You need to have a conversation about how tariffs actually work. And we know how they work. We've been using them for decades. And strategically they can be effective. But unfettered and kind of spray and pray pattern tariffs, we've never seen anything quite like this before.

I would hope that the administration would involve some experts who aren't just attorneys or hedge fund managers, maybe some people who know something about food. So get some food brokers, get some retailers, have a conference with the drivers that will lower the cost of food to Americans versus the policies we see right now, which are more likely to raise them. ROSALES: Amazing. Thank you so much. Good advice there. So many

Americans, you know, watching this quite closely. And it's a whiplash day by day. Appreciate your time, John.

ROSS: Thank you for having me.

ROSALES: Thanks.

Well, coming up, the U.S. and Iran hold nuclear talks in the Middle East as President Trump threatens to take military action if a deal is not reached. And dozens of Department of Homeland Security staff have to take lie detector tests. The Trump administration says it's trying to find the source of alleged leaks. Stick around.

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[15:16:23]

ROSALES: CNN is learning the Department of Homeland Security has administered lie detector tests to about 50 staffers in recent weeks. That includes FEMA's acting administrator and roughly a dozen officials at the disaster relief agency. Whistleblower groups are now raising concerns over the use of lie detector tests on federal workers accused of leaking non-classified information, warning that this practice could potentially be illegal.

CNN's Gabe Cohen has the brand new reporting.

What else are you learning, Gabe?

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, Isabel, the Department of Homeland Security is standing by these lie detector tests. A spokesperson sent me a statement saying DHS is unapologetic about its efforts to root out leakers that undermine national security. We are agnostic about your standing, tenure, political appointment or status as a career civil servant. We will track down leakers and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.

Now, to be clear, government agencies, past administrations, they have used lie detector tests to catch leakers before. But usually we are talking about classified, highly sensitive national security information. And so there has been this growing concern at FEMA where the tests are really primarily being issued because of alleged media leaks. Several of the officials who were tested failed their polygraphs, according to that DHS spokesperson, although she would not specify what information exactly they are accused of leaking.

One of them was placed on administrative leave, escorted out of FEMA's office this week. And we've also learned, Isabel, that FEMA's acting administrator, Cameron Hamilton, a Trump appointee, he was tested and then cleared just days after attending a closed-door meeting with top DHS officials to discuss the future of FEMA and potentially how to shut it down in the coming months.

We reported on that meeting, as did other outlets. And so all of this really creating an environment with a lot of tension at and fear at FEMA.

ROSALES: Yes. And what are their workers telling you?

COHEN: Look, the FEMA officials I have spoken with are using words like witch hunt and garbage to describe these tests. One official told me, quote, "I find it very, very hard to believe that within the normal course of business, any of these employees had their hands on classified material. They are trying to incite fear. They are trying to get rid of people."

Remember, President Trump and his allies have criticized FEMA for months now, calling the agency ineffective and unnecessary. And Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has promised to eliminate FEMA altogether. And there is a lot of concern about how these tests are being used there, Isabel. One whistleblower support organization that I spoke with, they raised concerns about the high volume that we're seeing of these tests. Again, 50 or so DHS workers, a dozen of them at FEMA.

That agency saying what used to be a sensitive or, excuse me, the whistleblower organization saying what used to be a sensitive, carefully considered, high risk decision is now a knee jerk reaction. And that, they say, is what's scary.

ROSALES: These are extraordinary developments.

Gabe Cohen, great reporting. Thank you.

COHEN: Thank you.

ROSALES: Coming up, a legal win for the Menendez brothers. New details on the status of their resentencing hearing. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:24:09]

ROSALES: New this hour. The White House says Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had direct communication with Iran's foreign minister during nuclear talks today. The talks have wrapped up but are expected to continue next Saturday. Iran's state media described the discussions as constructive and says that for most of the talks, each side was in a separate room with a messenger going between them. Iran is saying these talks could lay the groundwork for full negotiations.

Ali Vaez, I want to bring him in. He joins us now. He is the director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group. Both sides, of course, saying that today's meeting was positive.

Ali, thank you, by the way, for joining us. Do you see this as a big step forward?

ALI VAEZ, DIRECTOR, IRAN PROJECT, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: It's good to be with you. Look, I think the real measure of success in these negotiations would be that there would be a second round.

[15:25:01]

And the fact that the parties have agreed to meet again in a week in Oman indicates that there was enough common ground for them to decide that they're going to move forward. And both sides got a little bit of what they wanted. The Iranians could say that these talks started indirectly. The Americans can say that there was direct contact, which happened at the tail end of negotiations. And most importantly, I think they're on the same page in terms of the end game here, which is not a bunch of unrealistic maximalist demands.

ROSALES: Yes. From Iran's perspective, why come to the table now?

VAEZ: Well, the Iranians really need a deal. Economically, they're in really dire straits. They're literally struggling to keep the lights on. And the Iranian currency has lost about half of its value just since eight months ago, when President Pezeshkian assumed office. And there's also the risk of a military confrontation with Israel and the United States that is much more real than ever.

The U.S. has accumulated tremendous amount of military assets in the region. And Israel, for the first time, struck Iran directly twice in 2024. So the risk is real. And Iran really needs economic reprieve.

ROSALES: Yes. And President Trump has been direct about this. He threatened to bomb Iran if they don't accept a new agreement. Iran says, meanwhile, that it has red lines in its talks with the U.S. What are the consequences here, Ali, if they can't come to a new agreement?

VAEZ: Well, look, this is -- there is already a preordained timeline that if there is no deal that would freeze or roll back certain aspects of Iran's nuclear activities that are very problematic, like its high level enrichment, by this summer the Europeans have threatened to restore the U.N. sanctions on Iran. Iran has threatened that if that happens, it would withdraw from the foundational treaty in nonproliferation, which is what North Korea did in 2003 before it tested its first nuclear weapons.

And you can imagine a nuclear program has advanced as Iran's if it's not monitored, I think that would cross a red line for Israel, which is very likely then to take military action, dragging the United States into another disastrous war in the Middle East.

ROSALES: Is a potential deal now likely to be all that different than the previous agreement that Trump walked away from? Could we end up right back in the same spot we were?

VAEZ: Look, the reality is that the only deal that is achievable is a deal that would impose serious restrictions on Iran's nuclear program. Now, these could go further from what President Obama negotiated, and it would also bring a high degree of inspections and rigorous monitoring by the U.N. nuclear watchdog, which would be similar to the 2015 agreement. But I think what is different is that President Trump has the authority and the power to deliver on sanctions relief in ways that President Obama never could and President Biden never would.

And therefore, the deal, I think if it struck with President Trump, has much more staying power. And it could also open the door for U.S. companies to enter into the Iranian market, which would again create skin in the game and more staying power for a deal.

ROSALES: Yes, on both sides, especially from a former real estate mogul.

Ali Vaez, thank you so much.

VAEZ: My pleasure.

ROSALES: The commercial pilot workforce in the United States has long been dominated by white men. Coming up, we'll hear from black pilots about the escalating campaign against diversity in aviation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TEE FRISBY, STUDENT, LUKE WEATHERS FLIGHT ACADEMY: I called my dad. I was like, I'm in love. And he's like, who did you meet? I was like, no, with flying, I got to fly planes now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:36]

ROSALES: A hearing for the sentencing of convicted killers Eric and Lyle Menendez will take place next week. A Los Angeles judge has cleared the way for the proceedings to move forward, despite the L.A. County district attorney's attempt to stop it. The brothers were convicted of murdering their parents more than 35 years ago. The relatives say that they have admitted guilt and apologized.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANAMARIA BALART, COUSIN OF THE MENENDEZ BROTHERS: There's no way for us to predict how next week is going to go. We have great faith in the system. We have great faith that justice is going to prevail. We have great faith that this judge is acting based on the law. So that gives us hope because they've certainly earned it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: With me is former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani.

Really appreciate your time, Neama. The Menendez brothers are currently sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, and they could be resentenced to life with the possibility of parole. And that means that they could be immediately eligible for parole.

What are the chances that you see of that actually happening?

NEAMA RAHMANI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Isabel, I think the chances are good. And this is why. Yesterday's hearing was an important procedural hurdle, because Nathan Hochman, the current district attorney's predecessor, George Gascon, initiated resentencing. And under California law, it's not something the defense can do. A prosecutor or a judge has to initiate that resentencing request. Well, when Hochman took over, he tried to rescind or pull back that request.

[15:35:04]

And the judge says, well, that's too late. The train has already left the station. So next week we're actually going to get into the substance of the resentencing. And like you said, if they get sentenced to something like 50 to life, which is what George Gascon recommended, the brothers would be immediately eligible for parole because they're youthful offenders. And under California law, you serve half your sentence or 25 years, you're up for parole. And, of course, the brothers have been in for 35 years.

And Governor Newsom has already started that parole process by asking an expert whether the brothers pose an unreasonable risk to the public. So there's a very real possibility that Eric and Lyle Menendez are before the parole board in a matter of months.

ROSALES: Yes, this can all unfold very quickly here. The L.A. County district attorney issued a statement after the hearing, which reads in part, "Until the Menendez brothers finally come clean with all their lies of self-defense and suborning and attempting to suborn perjury, they are not rehabilitated and pose an unreasonable risk of danger to the public safety."

Now their family says that's not true. What do you make of this push and pull between the D.A., his predecessor, and the Menendez family?

RAHMANI: Nathan Hochman came out pretty aggressively both outside the courtroom at a press conference, and then his deputy yesterday inside the courtroom, saying that the brothers have not accepted responsibility because they lied about how the murders happened, saying that first, it was a mob hit and then that their father, Jose, was sexually assaulting one of their girlfriends. And now the story has changed over time.

I think the challenge is Nathan Hochman hasn't met directly with Eric and Lyle Menendez recently to get their position. Obviously, they're well into their 50s now, and the stories that he's talking about were when they were much younger, shortly after the murders and during the first and second trial.

What's also unique about this case, Isabel, is you rarely have the family members of the victims, and in this case, almost all the family members except for one notable exception that want the criminal defendants released. And that's what you have here, and that's why it's such a powerful case. Not to mention the really overwhelming support that the brothers have after the Netflix series "Monsters," which really shined a light on the sexual abuse that they suffered at the hands of their father and their mother either turned a blind eye or was complicit to it.

ROSALES: Right. And let's talk about another case now that has gripped America. Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO last year. Now his lawyers are asking a federal judge to block the Justice Department from seeking the death penalty.

Neama, how do you see this playing out?

RAHMANI: I think it's going to be tough. But here's another case where you have someone accused of murder, not convicted of murder like the Menendez brothers, but someone who's been charged with murder that has a lot of public support. So when you're talking about the defense that his lawyers are raising here, it's really a political prosecution or a selective prosecution defense because the feds came in and they charged him with murder on top of state prosecutors, and they're seeking the death penalty.

Isabel, that rarely happens where you have parallel or subsequent state and federal prosecutions. In fact, the DOJ has an internal policy where they say, you know what? Unless there's a compelling federal interest that isn't vindicated in the state case, we're not going to get involved. That's why, aside from George Floyd or Ahmaud Arbery, you normally don't see this. But obviously this is a new DOJ. And what they're doing is in blue states like New York where they don't have the death penalty, you're going to see the feds step in more and make these types of charges and bring death penalty cases, capital cases.

So what the defense has to do to prove that political prosecution is to show that it was motivated for a constitutionally prohibited reason. That is a very hard burden or hurdle for the defense to meet. We saw Donald Trump raised it unsuccessfully. We saw Hunter Biden raised it unsuccessfully. Unless the prosecution by the feds was motivated by race, religion, national origin, something like that, I don't think they're going to be able to get the death penalty off the table in that case.

ROSALES: Yes. And to your point, an unusual level of interest on the part of the federal government in this case.

I want to move on to Bryan Kohberger. He's accused of stabbing four Idaho college students back in 2022. We're expecting a decision on what evidence can or cannot be used, including his upcoming trial.

If you can keep it short here, Neama, how do you see this playing out? What do you see happening here?

RAHMANI: Well, the defense has a lot that they need to exclude. And the key evidence here, of course, is the DNA on the knife sheath that was found at the scene. They're admitting that it was Kohberger's DNA. And they're going to argue that it was transferred or planted.

But there's a lot of other evidence that's potentially problematic, including surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen, who described him having bushy eyebrows, the infamous bathroom selfie the day after the murders, his Amazon purchase of the knife sheath and the knife, and, of course, the search history after the murders.

[15:40:10]

So the defense has its hands full. They're going to try to exclude some of this evidence. If not, they have a real uphill battle when that trial starts in August.

ROSALES: A lot happening in the judicial system.

Neama Rahmani, appreciate your time.

RAHMANI: Thanks, Isabel.

ROSALES: Well, coming up, students hit hard by devastating fires are showing signs of hope and resilience. And a special surprise from Disneyland.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:13]

ROSALES: One Mississippi flight school founded by the organization of black aerospace professionals could be the key to fixing a pilot shortage.

CNN's Pete Muntean went to find out how students and their teachers feel amid the escalating federal campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: You're witnessing something pretty special here. The pilot of that airplane makes up a very small sliver of aviation. But here at this flight school outside of Memphis, they're on the cutting edge of changing that.

(Voice-over): They are training black pilot after black pilot. It is so critical to fixing a shortage of pilots nationwide.

Hey, that looked pretty good. How'd that feel?

FRISBY: It felt great.

MUNTEAN: Yes?

FRISBY: It always feels great. I like flying.

MUNTEAN (voice over): Tee Frisby is a flight attendant now, training at Luke Weathers Flight Academy to become a commercial pilot.

FRISBY: I had to go out there and find my community. You have to get a support system and meet people and have mentors, and that's made all the difference.

MUNTEAN: Did you know anybody coming up who was a pilot already, but beyond like meeting people at the airline like, did you see anybody like you?

FRISBY: No, no, didn't see anyone like me. Had never seen a black female pilot for, you know, well into my adulthood.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Nationwide, less than five percent of professional pilots are black, in a workforce that's dominated by white men.

This flight school was created by the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, founded nearly 50 years ago to promote diversity in aviation. Yet, DEI has been under attack by the second Trump administration from day one.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, to be clear, are you saying race or gender played a role in this tragedy?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It may have. I don't know.

MUNTEAN: What went through your head when President Trump said after the midair collision near National Airport that that was the direct result of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at the FAA? How did that make you feel?

TENNESSEE GARVEY, BOARD CHAIR, ORGANIZATION OF BLACK AEROSPACE PROFESSIONALS: It gives people the perception that DEI initiatives or DEI programs are compromising aviation safety, when the reality is they are not, because that's not what DEI is. DEI is all about allowing people access to certain opportunities. And right now, DEI has been weaponized, and, you know, anything that, you know, looks or feels or even smells like a diversity, equity, inclusion, it's under attack.

MUNTEAN: Do diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in hiring at the airlines, does that change anything when it comes to qualifications?

GARVEY: There is no changing of the standard. The training program for anyone, irrespective of your skin color, your background, complexion, your creed. Everyone has to go through the same training process.

MUNTEAN: And the airplane doesn't know the difference?

GARVEY: And the airplane definitely does not know the difference.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): 63 people are enrolled in this flight school that's turning out pilots. Since it opened six years ago, students have earned a total of 170 pilot certificates, all new workers bound for an industry facing a critical shortage of pilots.

ALBERT GLENN, CO-DIRECTOR, LUKE WEATHERS FLIGHT ACADEMY: The business community needs it, whether they say it out loud or not. They need a diverse workforce because that's where the market is going to come from. It can't be just left. I hope they show up.

They've decided they want to be airline pilots or military pilots or air traffic control. You don't want them to lose it because they hear that people are not wanting to work with them, that DEI is an issue, that under qualified and poor performance and all these things. They just want a fair opportunity to be able to get a job and live their life, and that's the way we teach them.

FRISBY: I took that first Discovery flight. I felt that feeling in my gut like I was in tears. I called my dad, I was like, I'm in love. And he's like, who did you meet? I was like, no, with flying. I got to fly planes now. And yes, I didn't really think about it, but it's -- I'm noticing how impactful my journey is because, yes, there is not a lot of representation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSALES: Fascinating and important story.

Pete Muntean, thank you.

Well, three months after the deadly Los Angeles fires, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have now cleared the debris from three schools within the city of Los Angeles that were burned. But the students and teachers who have now moved to other campus sites are still adjusting to the new normal and remembering what they lost.

One teacher, Elizabeth Lam, was known for a huge collection of Disney mouse ears that were left behind in her burned classrooms.

[15:50:01]

On Friday, Disney volunteers surprised her with a donation of more than 50 sets of ears. Look at that. She says the day of the fire she grabbed her students' hands and they evacuated, thinking that they would be back. Parents of Palisades Charter Elementary say they thought the same thing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH LAM, TEACHER, PALISADES CHARTER ELEMENTARY: We never thought that it would be the last time. I never dreamed that. I thought schools were kind of safe zones for fires.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very much like a death. Something that was isn't. And you are constantly reminded of that thing or person. So for me, it's just been this grieving process of, you know, initially you just have so much to do that you stay busy and you find peace in that. And then eventually all of those things kind of run out, and then you're kind of left to process. So we're getting there now, and the kids are doing that with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: The Dale family right there lost their home, their oldest daughter, who has a habit of sleeping next to a mountain of stuffed animals, she lost her beloved plush tiger. Disney bought a special friend, Tigger, to help replace it, and this was all part of a Disney field day with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, princesses, Avengers and Star Wars characters all to make the special and help celebrate the resilience of these young students and their teachers, who all have a long road ahead.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:56:14]

ROSALES: The green jackets and pimento cheese sandwiches are in their element this weekend, as the third round of play is underway at the Masters.

CNN sports anchor Don Riddell joins us live from Augusta, Georgia.

Don, it's a big day. How's the leaderboard shaping up?

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, I've got my pimento cheese sandwich, Isabel. So I'm certainly making the most of the weekend here.

ROSALES: You're prepared.

RIDDELL: Yes. The leaderboard is fantastic and it really is shaping up to be an absolutely fabulous weekend of golf. If you look at the leaderboard, there are big names, big games, and some really compelling story lines all over it. And of course, that is what the patrons want to see. That is what the viewers on television want to see, and it's what the players themselves really, really enjoy, knowing that they are going up against the best of the best right now. That is the competition they absolutely thrive on, and some of those players have been speaking about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU, TWO-TIME MAJOR WINNER: I'm going to keep it simple. I'm excited. Very excited for the weekend. This is what golf is about. We've got a lot of great names up there and looking forward to an unbelievable test of golf.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER, TWO-TIME MASTERS CHAMPION: We got a great golf course. Conditions should be really good, challenging, and we got some great guys on top of the leaderboard. So it should be a fun weekend.

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RIDDELL: So one of those players is Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, who has made an absolutely phenomenal start to the day. He is currently leading the tournament on 11 under par. He came out this afternoon and he went birdie, eagle, birdie. He was five under on the day through his first five holes. He's commenced his third round with six consecutive threes.

McIlroy would be a hugely popular champion here. He's the world number one, sorry, he's the world number two. He's been a fabulous player for pretty much his entire career. But he hasn't won a major for more than a decade. And the Masters is the only one he needs to complete the career grand slam.

Famously here in 2011, he was four strokes clear after his third round and he completely fell apart in heartbreaking fashion on the Sunday. So there's a lot of scar tissue with McIlroy, but he seems to have found a way to overcome that in more recent years. Right now, he is streaking ahead at the top of the leaderboard. If he can remain there through Sunday afternoon, he would be hugely popular.

But another man in hot pursuit is the American Bryson DeChambeau. He is eight under at the moment, one under for the day. He is the reigning U.S. Open champion and a really fascinating figure. They call him the scientist. He's a physics major. He's somebody who obsesses over the technicalities of the game, and it looks as though he's coming good in pursuit of what would be his first green jacket -- Isabel.

ROSALES: Don, it's moments like this where I think it hits you that you've got a dream job, you know, just casually, you know, reporting and anchoring from the Masters. No big deal.

RIDDELL: I know. I'm happy.

ROSALES: Don Riddell at Augusta, yes, you are. Augusta. Thank you so much, Don. Have a good one.

OK. An all-new episode of "HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU" is coming up tonight on CNN. Pollster and commentator Kristen Soltis Anderson and comedian Eugene Mirman joined the crew. Here's a quick preview as Roy Wood Jr. gets to the bottom of what's really motivating President Trump to enact these tariffs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROY WOOD JR., HOST: Hours before the tariffs kicked in, President Trump spoke at a fundraising dinner and bragged about ongoing trade war negotiations. What was his claim?

KRISTEN SOLTIS ANDERSON, POLLSTER AND COMMENTATOR: That he was not going to back off of them?

AMBER RUFFIN, CO-HOST: He did say that. He tripled down and was like, I'm doing it, I'm doing it. I'm really, really doing it. Cut to today.

WOOD: President Trump claimed everybody in the world was begging to make a deal with MAGA America.

TRUMP: I'm telling you, these countries are calling us up. Kissing my ass. They are. They are dying to make a deal. Please. Please, sir, make a deal. I'll do anything. I'll do anything, sir.

RUFFIN: Did you see how happy he looked when he was like, everybody is calling me.