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Global Markets Off To A Jump Start As Electronics Exempt From Tariffs; Suspect Arrested For Setting Fire At Pennsylvania Governor's Home; Pope Francis Surprisingly Appears At The Palm Sunday Mass; Rory McIlroy Bags The Masters Title And A Career Grand Slam. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired April 14, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, mixed messages from the White House on tariffs and what items are exempt. We'll have the latest on how the markets are reacting and the political fallout from President Trump's trade war.

The home of a U.S. governor is set on fire in what's described as an arson attack. Details on the investigation and what the governor is saying.

And President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers a forceful response after Russia launches its deadliest attack on Ukraine this year.

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

CHURCH: It's a new week and so far at least global markets are looking up after the Trump administration appeared on Friday to exempt many electronics from its sweeping tariffs. U.S. futures are in the green hours before Wall Street opens and in the Asia-Pacific region markets are also on the rise.

But comments from White House officials over the weekend are now adding even more confusion to these tech exemptions. The U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says there's only a temporary reprieve for electronics like smartphones and laptops and that new tariffs will be announced in a month or two.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD LUTNICK, U.S. COMMERCE SECRETARY: President Trump has called out pharmaceuticals and semiconductors and autos. He called them sector tariffs and those are not available for negotiation. They are just going to be part of making sure we reassure the core national security items that need to be made in this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: President Donald Trump says nobody is getting off the hook. He defended his tariff policies while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We have a tremendous country. We have a country that's much richer today than it was a few months ago. We have a financial system that's very respected and we're going to do great.

And we were taken advantage of and ripped off by every country all over the world almost just about. They laughed at us, we were run by foolish people and they took advantage of our country. And we're just not going to let that happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, the European Union's trade commissioner is expected to meet with U.S. counterparts in Washington later today. An E.U. spokesperson says he hopes to secure a tariff deal with the U.S.

Amid the recent market volatility and uncertainty over tariffs, China's President Xi Jinping is visiting Southeast Asia with a message of economic stability and cooperation. He's beginning his trip in Vietnam, followed by Malaysia and Cambodia, three nations targeted by Donald Trump with high tariff rates before the temporary pause.

And CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins us now live from Hong Kong. Good to see you again, Kristie. So, what more are you learning about President Xi's agenda? Of course, the significance of his visit?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, today, Rosemary, the Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Hanoi. He is calling for deeper trade relations with Vietnam, even as the U.S. President Donald Trump pushes on with this trade war.

You know, in Xi Jinping's first overseas visit since November, he is making the state visit to three Southeast Asian countries. Today and tomorrow, he has a state visit with Vietnam, followed by state visits in Malaysia and in Cambodia.

Now earlier today, the Chinese president issued a signed letter calling for deepening trade ties with Vietnam. Let's bring it up for you.

This is what she said, saying this, quote, "Our two countries should resolutely safeguard the multilateral trading system, stable global industrial and supply chains and open and cooperative international environment," unquote.

Now Xinhua reports that Xi Jinping will be meeting with the leadership of Vietnam, including the Vietnamese president. And Reuters, citing a senior Vietnamese official, says that both Vietnam and China are set to sign some 40 deals, including deals involving defense, security and involving rail links. Now, observers have been watching this very, very closely and want to share with you some sound from an interesting analyst, Taipei-based nonresident fellow of the Atlantic Council, who said with this trip, Xi Jinping is showering love with Southeast Asia, quite in contrast with the animosity from Donald Trump. Watch this.

[03:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WEN-TI SUNG, NON-RESIDENT FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL'S GLOBAL CHINA HUB: Xi's going to show them love, maybe some souvenirs along the way, a visit there, e.g., perhaps signing some new trade deal with these countries, perhaps some new upgrades in their strategic partnership agreement. All these are a way for China to kind of show that I'm on your side. It's safe to hang out with China, especially if you're concerned about the U.S.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, Southeast Asia, as a regional trading bloc, has very deep trading relations with China as well as the United States, so it needs to tread very carefully here. As you recall, countries like Vietnam, like Cambodia, are among the countries who are the hardest hit in Donald Trump's reciprocal tariff list.

If we bring up the list for you, this is before the 90 day pause. They were facing a reciprocal tariff rate of, in the case of Vietnam, 46 percent, Cambodia 49 percent, Malaysia 24 percent. All these countries are pursuing trade talks to get some trade relief with the United States.

But all lies today and tomorrow on Vietnam as it rolls up the red carpet for the Chinese president. It's willing to accept any sweeteners, new trade deals from the Chinese president, but also does not want to displease Donald Trump. Back to you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Alright, our thanks to Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong for that report.

Well, earlier I spoke with Justin Wolfers, a professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan, and I asked him how this tariff whiplash is impacting the global economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN WOLFERS, PROF. OF ECONOMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: It's just absolutely bonkers, even on my worst day, my moods don't go up and down like this.

The tariff on semiconductors went from 85 percent a couple of days ago to 125 percent. But then I actually remembered when they said 125, they meant 145. Then he got rid of them and then he said they're coming back awfully soon.

Boy, that feeling is whiplash. And the thing is, these are tariffs not just on smartphones, but on semiconductors, which are a vital input into car manufacturing, into drones, into defense equipment and so on. And so what you have is companies all around the country and around the world having to literally rewrite their business plans day by day and sometimes several times in the course of a day.

It's enough to make you say, if you're a CEO, hold on, I'm just going to pause for a while. I'll see how all this shakes out and maybe when things calm down, I'll get back to business.

CHURCH: Yes, it's extraordinary strategy, isn't it? And White House officials are saying they expect deals will be reached in the next few weeks with various nations, including Japan, Vietnam, South Korea and Israel. What might some of these deals look like, do you think, for dozens of countries trying to avoid Trump's steep tariffs while his 90 day pause remains in place for most nations, except China, of course?

WOLFERS: So many of these countries, in fact, already charged the United States either zero tariffs or awfully close to zero. So that was before Trump starts a trade war and says, I want a better deal. The problem is tariffs can't go below zero.

That means that he's basically going to get us back to where we were. So expect a lot of rosy announcements in the Rose Garden as Trump brings world leaders in and says, isn't it extraordinary? I've created close to free trade between this country and the United States. The reality and the thing we all need to remember is that's where we were three weeks ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Pennsylvania police say a 38 year old man is in custody in connection with an arson attack at the home of the state's governor. Although firefighters were able to put out the flames, the house was significantly damaged.

Governor Josh Shapiro's family was woken up by police and evacuated. The governor says this type of violence needs to stop.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): Lori and I are --

Lori and I are overwhelmed. By the prayers. And the messages of support that we've received from all across Pennsylvania and all across the United States. But we do know that this attack was targeted.

We don't know the person's specific motive yet. But we do know a few truths. First, this type of violence is not OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Danny Freeman has more from Philadelphia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was an extremely troubling and frightening night in Pennsylvania's capital after Governor Josh Shapiro's mansion, the governor's mansion residence, was set on fire intentionally, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

The main headline that we learned Sunday afternoon is that there was a suspect taken into custody. 38-year old Cody Balmer will be charged with attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault. That's according to the Dauphin County District Attorney.

But here's a little bit of a timeline of the best that we understand as to how this all unfolded.

[03:10:09]

On Saturday evening, Governor Josh Shapiro was holding a Passover Seder for the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover. He was with his family. He had guests over at the governor's residence as well.

They all then went to sleep. And then at some point in the middle of the night, just before 2 a.m., Pennsylvania State Police say this man, Balmer, jumped a fence at the governor's residence, evaded state troopers who at that time actually realized that there had been a breach.

The man was then able to break into the residence, set fire to the residence, escape then by jumping back over the fence. He had homemade incendiary devices on him, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

Then at 2 a.m., Governor Shapiro said that he and his family and some of his guests who were staying over were woken up by bangs on the door because first responders were alerting him that part of the residence was on fire.

Thankfully, though, the fire was in a different part of the building from where the governor, his wife, family and guests were. And first responders were able to knock that fire down. Amazingly, no one was injured.

But again, now there is a multi-agency investigation ongoing into exactly what happened here. The investigation being led by the Pennsylvania State Police, but also being assisted by the FBI.

And I just want you to listen to how Governor Shapiro characterized what he was feeling after this entire incident, clearly overwhelmed by the level of support that he's received from so many across the country after this incident. But also, he said that he will not be deterred by violence from doing his job or by practicing his faith.

SHAPIRO: This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society. And I don't give a damn if it's coming from one particular side or the other. Directed at one particular party or another or one particular person or another, it is not OK.

FREEMAN: Now, Pennsylvania State Police investigators say that this investigation is ongoing and they're also reviewing security protocols at the governor's residence. At this time, CNN has not been able to get in contact with an attorney for Balmer.

Danny Freeman, CNN, Philadelphia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: This attack is just the latest in a series of incidents targeting elected officials. CNN law enforcement analyst Jonathan Wackrow explains why this is happening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: What this attack, this brazen attack really does is it underscores the increasing threats that are faced by our political leaders today and those attacks, those political leaders, it's across the entire political spectrum, not just one side or the other.

Why is this happening is because there's a convergence right now. We saw this recently with the attacks on President Trump and other political leaders. There's really a convergence of political polarization, online radicalization and really this declining trust in democratic institutions.

So for political leaders today, there's a basic calculus. If you have heightened visibility and prominence or are associated with a specific political agenda, you inherently increase your risk.

You are more attractive. You become a more attractive target for individuals with malicious intent. And we saw that directly with the governor and his family.

That's why I have said enhanced protection of our political leaders is no longer a luxury. It's an absolute necessity.

So understanding why this attack took place, the after action, the intent and really the motivational factors of this aggressor are really important, because what I am concerned with is that this was a successful attack.

This individual is able to evade law enforcement and attack the inside residents of one of our political leaders. I am worried about a copycat attack. So really understanding those motivational factors is important to get it out to the broader law enforcement community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Our thanks to Jonathan Wackrow for his analysis there.

Well, as the Kremlin intensifies its attacks on Ukraine, President Zelenskyy is calling on the world to put pressure on Moscow. Just ahead, the latest on Russia's deadliest strike so far this year.

Plus, Gaza City's last fully functioning hospital paralyzed after an Israeli airstrike. We'll have the latest on Israel's military operations in the enclave.

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[03:15:00]

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CHURCH: A Russian drone strike has injured at least seven people in Odessa, Ukraine, the attack damaged civilian infrastructure and a medical facility as firefighters are now battling multiple blazes across the city.

Now, this comes after Ukraine suffered the single deadliest Russian attack since 2023 on Palm Sunday. Two ballistic missiles hit the northern city of Sumy, leaving at least 34 people dead and more than 100 injured.

President Trump says he was told Russia, quote, "made a mistake following the strike on crowded residential areas." But in an attempt to push Ukrainian forces further from the border of Russia's Kursk region, the Kremlin is clearly intensifying its aggression in the north.

Joining me now live from London is CNN's Salma Abdelaziz. Good to see you, Salma. So what more are you learning about these Russian missile attacks on the city of Sumy and of course, their aftermath?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What's particularly horrifying about these attacks, Rosemary, is that Ukrainian officials are accusing Russia of deliberately targeting civilians.

[03:20:03]

Ukraine saying that Russia knew it was Palm Sunday, knew that the city center of Sumy would be busy and that that is why they struck. According to Ukrainian officials, also cluster munitions were used. You'll remember, of course, that these are munitions that are packed with lots of tiny explosives, rather, that could spread out across the size of a football field and can present many dangers later on.

One military official describing this as a two pronged attack, saying the second of the two missiles likely filled with munitions that exploded midair to inflict maximum damage.

President Zelenskyy shared images of the aftermath of this attack, which are absolutely nightmarish. Rosemary, you can see bodies strewn about in the streets, people screaming as rescue workers try to respond to these multiple incidences. And President Zelenskyy was quick to turn to President Trump's peace efforts and point to President Putin as a bad faith actor. Take a listen to how he put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Wars end only when criminal wars are not forgotten and when there is a pressure on the aggressor. This is not happening now. Last Friday, one month had passed since Russia rejected the American proposal of a full unconditional ceasefire. They feel no fear. And that's why there are missiles, that's why there are 100 combat drones each night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Now, President Trump has said repeatedly that he wants to see this war end and end quickly. His negotiators were actually in Russia just a few days ago speaking directly to President Putin. But for President Zelenskyy and the people of Sumy, those peace negotiations seem very far from the reality on the ground, which is an intensification of attacks by Moscow.

As you mentioned, the Sumy region is right up near the border where Russian troops are trying to regain and seize territory from Ukrainian forces. So you're seeing more attacks, more hits and strikes at the Sumy region.

President Zelenskyy was also in an interview yesterday asking President Trump to come to Ukraine and see this for himself. He is urging American negotiators essentially to really take a look and assess the damage that you see there at Sumy and really make a measurement of President Putin's intentions and efforts in these talks.

CHURCH: Our thanks to Salma Abdelaziz, joining us live there from London with that report. I appreciate it.

The Israeli military is pushing its ground operations deeper into Gaza. Officials say Israel now has the southern Morag corridor completely occupied. This essentially isolates the city of Rafah from the rest of the enclave and makes the area part of the expanding Israeli security zone.

Meanwhile, Houthi rebels in Yemen are claiming responsibility for two missiles fired at Israel on Sunday. They appear to have targeted a military base and Israel's international airport, though the Israeli military said it had likely intercepted one of the two missiles and no damage was reported.

Amid all of this, the last fully functioning hospital in Gaza City is now incapacitated after an Israeli airstrike.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now live from Abu Dhabi. Good to see you, Paula. So what more are you learning about the Israeli strike on the Gaza hospital?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, this was the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza City. As you say, it was the last functioning hospital in this area for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who are still in northern Gaza.

Now, according to the Anglican Church in Jerusalem, which runs this hospital, they say that the doctors were given about 20 minutes warning by the IDF that it was going to come under attack and they then had to try and evacuate all of the patients. We understand from the church that one boy with a head injury died during that rushed evacuation due to a lack of oxygen and severe cold.

Now, parts of the hospital were destroyed. We know that the emergency room and the reception area were extensively damaged.

We also heard from one patient who underwent one of those evacuations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (through translator): All night I was in the hospital, terrified. The scene last night was terrifying. In the middle of the night, where is the patient supposed to go? Where can they go or escape to or how can they manage?

The scene was scary from night until now. I haven't slept a single minute out of fear. All night, glass was shattered at us inside.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, the IDF says that it was targeting a command and control center of Hamas, which was in the hospital, something which Hamas denies.

[03:25:03]

They have not offered any proof of this claim at this point, but they say that they did what they could to mitigate harm to civilians. Now, apart from that one boy that was that died during the evacuation, no casualties were reported, but extensive damage. The Ministry of Health says this hospital is effectively closed now and cannot function.

Now, we are seeing this increasing, extending ground operation by the IDF into Gaza. They're trying to create this buffer zone between Gaza and Israel on the Gazan side of the border, on Gazan territory. So effectively pushing tens of thousands of Palestinians into a smaller area within Gaza itself.

The U.N. says them 400,000 Palestinians have been ordered to move over the past few weeks.

And remember, this also comes at a time when there is zero humanitarian aid getting into Gaza. That has been the case for some six weeks now. No food, water or medical supplies. Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Paul Hancocks, brings that live report from Abu Dhabi. I appreciate it.

When we return, we will break down the latest on President Trump's tariff war and how it's impacting his approval rating.

Plus, the Trump administration is pushing back on a federal court order to bring back a man mistakenly deported to El Salvador. Their explanation just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [03:30:00]

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

Police have a suspect in custody after an arson attack at the Pennsylvania Governor's House. Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were not hurt in the incident, which occurred early Sunday morning. Police say potential charges for the suspect may include attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and more.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has begun an official visit to Southeast Asia, starting in Vietnam, followed by Malaysia and Cambodia. He is hoping to strengthen economic ties with partners in the region, emphasizing stability and cooperation in the face of the Trump administration's tariff uncertainty.

U.S. stock futures are up after the White House announced a temporary reprieve from tariffs on electronic imports. But officials are warning the exemption won't last long. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says new tariffs targeting certain tech products will be announced in a month or two.

Larry Sabato is the director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. He joins me now from Charlottesville. Always good to have you with us.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA-CENTER FOR POLITICS: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Well, the big story of the day, of course, is Donald Trump's turnaround on tariff exemptions. Now he's saying iPhones and other electronics won't be permanently excluded from his tariffs. What impact is all this confusion having on his political fortunes and approval ratings?

SABATO: Chaos does not help you, especially when so many experts are predicting that we're heading toward a recession and almost certainly toward a slowdown in the economy. So I think basically the image being projected by Trump and his minions is that this was not well designed, not well planned and not being well executed.

And, you know, supposedly Trump has thought about this for 40 years. So it's hard to understand why it's so disorganized.

CHURCH: And how much pressure would Trump be feeling right now, do you think, from GOP members of Congress and, of course, billionaire donors who supported him during the election to stop the chaos that these tariffs are causing?

SABATO: I've noticed that the disagreements behind the scenes are becoming louder, but they're not breaking through publicly because the members of Congress particularly are still afraid of the effect that Trump can have in drawing opponents for them in the next election. But that's changing. He's got some months.

I suppose he can pull these tricks for a while, though, if the markets really melt down. I think the opposition to him will intensify earlier. But potentially he's got weeks or months to get it together.

But as we approach 2026 and the elections in November or the primaries really in May through September, he's going to find that the old Trump magic doesn't work anymore.

CHURCH: So what do you think is behind this chaos, this indecision and turmoil? What's going on in the White House with all these mixed messages and changing policies? Is it ineptitude? Is there a plan here? Is this to divert and eventually come out with a victory lap?

[03:35:08]

SABATO: You never can tell. Things might come together for him, but it's hard to see how it will. It would be purely accidental if it did. I do like the word ineptitude because I think that applies here.

There are so many different advisers who seem to have a voice in this process and they all speak with different voices.

They're all coming up with different plans. They're all saying different things. Do they ever attend a meeting together? Do they get a morning planning memo? I don't think so, based on what I'm hearing.

CHURCH: And last week, American billionaire Bill Ackman, along with other high profile businessmen, called for a pause on tariffs. Trump did that Wednesday, but since then has injected even more confusion into the process with these exemptions coming on and then going off.

So who's Trump listening to right now? Is it the lawmakers or the billionaires?

SABATO: As they've always said about Trump, he listens to the last person he talks to. That may be part of the problem. The chief-of- staff may have to start regulating the telephone if it's possible.

You know, Trump keeps his own phone and he makes calls and takes calls as he wishes. There's no filter whatsoever.

And that's part of the problem. But I do think he's going to be hearing more from the billionaire sponsors.

Many of them spent a ton of money to get him elected. They have financial interests. Their bet was always that whatever they spent for Trump, they would make many, many billions more by influencing his economic policies.

It isn't turning out that way. And rich people, the billionaires, are not happy unless they're making more billions.

CHURCH: And let's just quickly take a closer look at the latest CBS News/YouGov poll that shows 53 percent of Americans think the economy is getting worse under Trump. What will be the likely political fallout for the president if he continues down this chaotic path of on again, off again tariffs as voters watch their life savings disappear?

SABATO: Yes, if that continues and if people see their 401ks declining and see their bank accounts declining and most important, they can't see their retirement date coming. They'd hope to retire at 65 or they'd hope to retire at 70 and they realize it's not possible.

Believe me, you will have a meltdown in Trump's ratings. They may like Trump personally. They may have voted for him all three times, but they're not going to let him get away with destroying their retirement future.

CHURCH: Larry Sabato, great to have you with us. Thank you so much.

SABATO: Thank you, Rosemary. Thank you.

CHURCH: The State Department has found no ties between a detained Tufts University student and anti-Semitism or terrorism, according to "The Washington Post."

Rumeysa Ozturk was snatched off the street by masked agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, in March. The U.S. government accused her of supporting Hamas, but a report in "The Washington Post" says a State Department memo outlined a lack of evidence supporting that claim.

Later today, a judge will hear arguments on the legality of Ozturk's detention at this facility in Louisiana. Ozturk has called the facility unsanitary, unsafe and inhumane.

Well in the coming hours, U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele at the White House. The Trump administration has deported hundreds of migrants it claims are gang members to El Salvador's CECOT Mega Prison.

On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced it had sent 10 more alleged gang members there. President Trump denies there may be human rights violations at the Mega Prison.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think he's doing a fantastic job and he's taking care of a lot of problems that we have that we really wouldn't be able to take care of from a cost standpoint. And he's doing really -- he's been amazing. We have some very bad people in that prison.

People that should have never been allowed into our country. People that murdered drug dealers. Some of the worst people on earth are in that prison.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meantime, the Trump administration is refusing to comply with a federal judge's directive to facilitate the return of a migrant mistakenly deported to El Salvador. Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a migrant with protected status. The Trump administration insists it's not required to work with Salvadoran officials to secure his return. The Justice Department says federal courts have no authority to direct the executive branch on how to conduct foreign relations. And officials have a duty to only, quote, "remove any domestic obstacles to Abrego Garcia's return to the U.S."

[03:40:08]

Ecuador's presidential runoff defied expectations on Sunday. Incumbent Daniel Noboa had no trouble winning a new term, but his challenger is rejecting the official results.

CNN en Espanol's Fernando Del Rincon is in Quito and has more on the race.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FERNANDO DEL RINCON, CNN EN ESPANOL ANCHOR: It was expected to be a tight race, but with over 90 percent of votes counted, Ecuador's conservative incumbent Daniel Noboa will hold office for four more years after beating leftist candidate Luisa Gonzalez on this Sunday's runoff election.

Noboa will now have the opportunity to continue his war against criminal groups that turned this once very peaceful nation into the murdered capital of Latin America.

Noboa has been pushing for help from the international community to fight the violence and is even trying to change the constitution to allow the presence of foreign military bases.

The big questions now are, will the ban be lifted and will U.S. troops return to Ecuador after exiting the country in 2009?

Shortly after the results started coming in, challenger Gonzalez questioned the results, saying that polls have very different numbers and said she will ask for a recount.

However, the numbers are clear. Noboa has over one million votes more than Gonzalez, according to the official data from the country's electoral council.

Noboa is set to be sworn in on May 24 to serve his first full term, where he will seek to improve security and reactivate the nation's struggling economy.

Fernando Del Rincon, CNN, Quito, Ecuador.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Coming up, researchers are hoping to prevent wildfires by pinpointing in advance exactly where they might break out. We'll explain when we come back.

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[03:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: The New York tour company involved in the deadly helicopter crash last week will shut down immediately, that is according to FAA officials. The chopper plunged into the Hudson River on Thursday. Six people on board were killed, including the pilot and a family from Spain with three young children.

New York Senator Chuck Schumer says no flights from New York helicopter tours should take off while the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the crash. The company has been involved in two previous safety incidents.

Warm weather and dry conditions have sparked wildfires across Scotland in recent days. This drone video shows the scorched land on the Scottish Isle of Bute after wildfires burned there for a week.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says the danger is not over and has issued an extreme wildfire warning. They're advising people in rural areas to exercise caution ahead of the Easter holiday.

Well wildfires can be unpredictable, of course, but a European climate research facility is working to understand where and when a wildfire could start with the help of artificial intelligence.

CNN's Derek Van Dam has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Researchers in Europe are using the power of A.I. to predict where wildfires will break out before the first ember even ignites.

Using machine learning, the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts has developed a new model that takes into account a variety of factors to determine areas at risk of wildfires.

JOE MCNORTON, ECMWF CLIMATE SCIENTIST: So historically, for fire forecasting, we use what's called the fire weather index. And this is a simple physics-based model where we use four weather variables, temperature, wind, precipitation and humidity, to forecast the chance that if a fire does occur, how intense it will be.

So what we know from that is that it doesn't account for a lot of things. It doesn't account for fuel, it doesn't account for ignition sources and things like that. So what we try to do here is we try to incorporate more data into a machine learning framework.

VAN DAM (voice-over): For example, in the recent L.A. wildfires, unusual wet weather conditions leading up to the fires caused ample vegetation growth that was then made flammable by exceptionally dry weather and winter. This new model would be able to take those factors into account and find the specific areas most at risk.

FRANCESCA DI GIUSEPPE, ECMWF PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST: This new method, the probability of fire, having the memory of the fuel abundance in their formulation, allows to really identify those regions that could be much more affected compared to simpler methods that only consider weather. And this is why our prediction in this case was much more precise and pinpointed the exact location when very close to Los Angeles where fire really occurred.

VAN DAM (voice-over): The danger wildfires pose is growing. Just last year, wildfires forced the displacement of 800,000 people, the highest numbers since records began back in 2008.

[03:50:02]

Researchers hope the model can be used by fire officials to identify areas at the most risk of fires and prevent them before they start, saving lives and homes in the process.

Derek Van Dam, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, it was a rollercoaster final round at Augusta. Rory McIlroy finally captures his first green jacket in dramatic fashion and with it a place in the record books among golf royalty. We'll have the highlights from The Masters just ahead.

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CHURCH: Peruvian-Spanish author Mario Vargas Llosa has died at the age of 89. His family says he died peacefully at home in Lima. Vargas Llosa was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010. The Academy said it was for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant (ph) images of the individual's resistance, revolt and defeat.

The author was known for his novels, but also worked as a journalist and broadcaster. In 1990, he ran for president of Peru, but moved to Spain after losing, where he won the Cervantes Literary Prize.

Well Pope Francis made a brief visit to St. Peter's Square on Sunday, where worshippers were celebrating Palm Sunday as part of the Christian Holy Week. He would normally be leading the services this week, but his medical team has urged him to rest as he continues to recover from double pneumonia, which kept him hospitalized for five weeks.

Despite his health setbacks, the Pope has made several unannounced appearances recently. On Saturday, he visited a basilica in Rome to pray, arriving in a wheelchair and with supplemental oxygen.

Golfer Rory McIlroy has won his first Masters tournament and is now just the sixth player ever to complete the career Grand Slam, winning each of the sport's four majors. But his elusive green jacket did not come easy.

"World Sports" Don Riddell was there to see it all.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: I've been covering golf on CNN for more than 20 years and I've been a fan of the game for my whole life, and I don't think I've ever experienced as much nerve-jangling drama and pure edge-of-the-seat entertainment as this 89th Masters. Here on Sunday, we quite literally saw it all.

[03:54:55]

At stake for Rory McIlroy, a place in the history books. The first green jacket and the chance to enter the pantheon of greats alongside Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only men to win all four of the major tournaments.

Standing in his way, that weight of history and the psychological scar tissue of a catastrophic meltdown here in 2011 when McIlroy blew a seemingly comfortable third round lead of four strokes.

There were moments of madness, a double bogey on the opening hole with which McIlroy's two-shot lead evaporated immediately. Another double on 13 seemed like it might derail him completely.

Several times during the afternoon, his body slumped under the intolerable weight of expectation and he sometimes looked to be on the verge of tears. And yet, he kept bouncing back, producing a series of career-defining shots to stay in the fight.

But with history in the palm of his hand, there was yet another misstep on 18 as he bogeyed the hole, setting up a playoff with Justin Rose who'd come from seven shots behind. But once again, McIlroy recovered his composure, sinking a birdie putt on the first extra hole to win the tournament and complete one of the most emotional and extraordinary narrative arcs in all of sports.

RORY MCILROY, 2025 MASTERS CHAMPION: It feels incredible. You know, this is my 17th time here and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time.

And I think, you know, the last 10 years coming here with the burden of the Grand Slam on my shoulders and trying to achieve that, Yes, you know, I'm sort of wondering what we're all going to talk about going into next year's Masters.

RIDDELL: It would be hard to overstate the magnitude of this accomplishment and how hard it was to pull off. McIlroy is the first Masters champion who made four double bogeys in the tournament and whereas the other Grand Slam golfers completed the set at either the first or the third time of asking, McIlroy needed 11 attempts.

That's why his emotion was so unbridled. This truly has been the most epic tournament to witness and experience here at Augusta National. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well done, too. All right. So later today, a star-studded group of female space

tourists is set to rocket into history as they take off on Blue Origin's New Shepard 31.

The crew is made up of six women, including pop star Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez, the fiancee of Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos. Also on board will be two scientists and a film producer.

The women will soar just over 100 kilometers, crossing the boundary into space. They will get a few minutes to unbuckle and experience weightlessness before returning to Earth about 10 minutes after takeoff. Good luck with that.

Thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day.

"The Amanpour Hour" is coming up next. Then stay tuned for "Early Start" with Rahel Solomon starting at 5 a.m. in New York, 9 a.m. in London.

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