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Trump Tells Putin To "Stop" After Russia Deadly Attack On Kyiv; Modi Vows To Bring Terrorists To Justice; Tens Of Thousands Pay Final Respects To Pope Francis; China Calls Claims Of U.S. Trade Talks Fake News; U.S. Envoy Witkoff to Meet with Putin in Moscow; The Rapid Rise of a Marine Officer to Hegseth's Inner Circle; Cubans Hold Mass to Say Goodbye to Pope Francis; Artist Crafts Team Logos From Old Furniture for 2025 Draft; U.K. Company Turning Ocean Waves into Electricity. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired April 25, 2025 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:00:23]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: From Donald to Vladimir. Stop. I'm not happy. Ahead on CNN Newsroom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I didn't like last night. I wasn't happy with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And what some describe as a rebuke of the Russian president. Donald Trump criticizes a deadly Russian strike on Kyiv as unnecessary, says the timing was very bad.
After a terror, a deadly terror attack in Kashmir, relations between Pakistan and India go from bad to really bad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NARENDRA MODI, INDIAN PRIME MINSITER: We will pursue them to the end of the hour.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: India's prime minister vows to catch the gunman mid tit for tat diplomatic sanctions. Also, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just talking about talking is giving some investors hope here on Wall Street.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: But are they really talking? The U.S. President says direct trade talks with China started days ago. Officials in Beijing say that's fake news.
UNDIENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: We begin with the fallout from the deadliest Russian strike on Ukraine's capital in nine months. At least 12 people were killed, about 90 others wounded. Multiple residential buildings were left badly damaged during the hours long barrage of missiles and drones.
But it's the timing of the attack. Both sides locked in ceasefire talks which has sparked the most anger. The Ukrainian president described it as one of Russia's most outrageous attacks. Even U.S. President Donald Trump publicly called out Russia on social media. He wrote the airstrikes were not necessary. The timing was bad and he pleaded with Vladimir, a reference to the Russian president, to stop.
President Trump warned Putin of unspecified consequences if the strikes continue. And when asked why the U.S. has not applied more pressure on the Kremlin to agree to a ceasefire, he pushed back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENIFIED FEMALE: Why are you not putting more pressure on Russia? I know a lot of Europeans --
TRUMP: Putting a lot of pressure. You don't know what pressure I'm putting on Russia. They're dealing. You have no idea what pressure I'm putting on Russia. We're putting a lot of pressure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Despite vague threats and public declarations of unhappiness from the U.S. President, his special envoy, Steve Witkoff is still scheduled to hold talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow later Friday. This will be their fourth face to face meeting. Notably, Witkoff, a former real estate developer, has never met with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
For more than 11 hours families in Kyiv huddled in fear, taking cover in bomb shelters and safe rooms as the predawn hours were rocked by the sound of Russian airstrikes. CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports now on a night of terror, death and destruction in the Ukrainian capital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNAIOTNAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): It was one of the most brutal aerial blitzes since the start of the war. First responders frantically continue the search for possible survivors. Dozens confirmed killed or wounded, Kyiv says. I don't see strong pressure on Russia nor new sanctions packages against the aggression of the Russian Federation, he said. President Trump reacting, saying he's not happy about the strikes. TRUMP: I didn't like last night. I wasn't happy with it. And we're in
the midst of talking peace and missiles were fired and I was not happy with it.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): But Russian state TV in full breaking news mode claiming the strikes targeted military infrastructure in locations across Ukraine. These videos show the unsuccessful attempts of Ukrainian air defense to shoot down Russian missiles, the anchor says. At the moment, there's no specific information about which objects in Kyiv were the target.
The attacks come just hours before President Trump's special negotiator Steve Witkoff is expected back in Moscow for another possible meeting with Vladimir Putin. Witkoff recently telling Tucker Carlson he trusts Russia's leader.
TUCKER CARLSON, FORMER FOX NEWS HOST: What did you think of him?
STEVE WITKOFF, UNITED STATES SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE MIDDLE EAST: I liked him.
CARLSON: Yes.
WITKOFF: I thought he was straight up with me in the second visit that I had. It got personal. The -- President Putin had commissioned a beautiful portrait of President Trump from the leading Russian artist and actually gave it to me and asked me to take it home to President Trump, which I brought home and delivered him.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): CNN recently got an exclusive look at that portrait from the Russian artist the Kremlin commissioned to paint it. He said he was told it could help improve U S.-Russia relations as Moscow remains firmly in control of the pace of negotiations towards a possible ceasefire with Ukraine.
[01:05:09]
The Kremlin saying they want a peace agreement, but on Russia's terms. We and President Putin are in favor of achieving peace while ensuring the interests of our country, the Kremlin spokesman says. This is a mandatory condition.
And a senior senator in Moscow tells me Russia's leadership will not be pressured into a deal.
PLEITGEN: Trump has threatened massive sanctions if this doesn't work out.
ANDREY KLIMOV, RUSSIAN SENATOR: Sanctions cannot change Russian national interests and our possibility to follow our interests. It is not possible.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): And the Russians believe they have a good chance to get their way both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Coming up to six minutes past eight on a Friday morning in Kyiv, and joining us out live is Inna Sovsun, an elected member of the Ukrainian parliament. Thank you for being with us.
INNA SOVSUN, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Good morning to you.
VAUSE: How would you describe the airstrikes on Kyiv early Thursday morning? What was your experience like? And can you explain how this barrage of Russian missiles and drones was different to other attacks which you've been through and survived?
SOVSUN: I've stayed in Kyiv throughout all the big war, as we call it, and this was the most terrifying night I have experienced. I could literally hear the drone flying above my house while I was hiding with my son in the corridor so that we're not near the windows, at least.
I could hear very loud explosions which were -- I could hear my windows trembling in the apartment. So that was terrifying. That was the most terrifying experience I have had throughout the war altogether.
VAUSE: Publicly, the Russian president talks about wanting a ceasefire, that he's willing to negotiate, but what he actually does is very different. We saw that Thursday. We now have this statement from the U.S. president calling out Russia for the attack. He acknowledges that, you know, from a Ukrainian point of view, what do you see here is lacking? What else would you like to hear come from the president, the U.S. president?
SOVSUN: Well, we appreciate him saying that Putin should stop. The big question is he does not explain what happens if he doesn't stop. So let's say he doesn't stop and he continues the attacks. What will the U.S. do then? Because if that part of the sentence is not there, then for Putin is as good as nothing. He can continue doing what he has been doing not having any punishment, not having any, you know, nothing changed for him after he launched this terrifying attack on the capital of Ukraine. The statement is good, but it's not enough to change Putin's behavior.
VAUSE: There's Sort of been this whiplash, if you like, in Ukraine policy in the White House is now a very much a pro Russia president there. How difficult has it been to hear Kremlin talking points coming from Donald Trump accusing Ukraine of starting the war while these Russian attacks continue, especially on civilians and civilian infrastructure?
SOVSUN: Yes, that was very difficult experience because on the one hand, we do believe that both us and the United States, we do share much more, we do have much more in common than the U.S. does with Russia. As societies, we both believe in democracy, human rights, respect for human dignity.
Yet at the same time, we are hearing those basically Russian narratives, the narratives of the Russian propaganda coming out of the leaders of the administration in Washington. And that's something difficult to believe, difficult to accept. And I think people are. Well, majority of people are just angry. They don't understand. How is that possible?
How is it possible that after three years of all the terror we have been through, after all the death, the sufferings that we have experienced, we are being blamed for causing this, for not wanting this to stop, and so on and so forth?
Even now, over the last 24 hours, I've read multiple comments on Twitter, on other social media, from people who are closer to Trump ideologically, who are all saying that it's all Ukrainians who want this to continue. It's just impossible to accept that people truly believe that.
I like hiding in the bathroom or in the corridor in the shelter with my son when I'm hearing drones flying over my house. It's impossible to believe to what extent Russian propaganda can penetrate even democratic societies.
But we still want to be open for dialogue, and we still believe that at the very core of things, we still share basic values together with the Americans.
[01:10:03]
VAUSE: It has to be stomach churning to read that kind of garbage on Twitter, you know, and in other social media platforms. You know, for more than three years, this war has ebbed and flowed after this huge attack by Russia. And with this very pro-Russian ceasefire proposal now on the table, what is the feeling among Ukrainians about their future?
SOVSUN: Well, I think we got used to the feeling of uncertainty. We never know what is going to happen next minute. Literally, the air raid alert might start blaring right now and I can hear a drone flying over my house again.
But now we are in a situation of strategic uncertainty. So it's not just military uncertainty. And this is something that is very difficult to live in. People don't understand what is to happen. People understand what our interests are. And our interests are to make sure that we don't end up in a situation where we have the ceasefire for a month or a couple of years even. But then Russia, without any sanctions, will increase its military potential and will attack us again.
As a mother, there is one thing I'm scared more than living through this terror right now, I'm very much scared that in a couple of years, when my son is old enough to serve, he will be called to serve again because Russia will have military capacity to attack us again in a couple of years.
VAUSE: And the Russians have proved that time and time again. That's exactly what they do. Inna, thank you so much for being with us. Please stay safe. I wish you the very best.
SOVSUN: Thank you so much.
VAUSE: Just gone 11 minutes past 7:00 a.m. at the Vatican and the doors to St. Peter's Basilica have reopened, allowing thousands more mourners to pay their respects to Pope France. 6:00 a.m. an hour early. The Vatican says more than 90,000 people have passed by the pontiff as he continues lying in state ahead of his funeral on Saturday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And now I had the chance to go there and see the Pope. Either he was dead, but I saw him and I could say goodbye.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's kind of just a mixture of emotions. I mean, I'm anxious a lot walking in. It's such a surreal place and it's very holy. And seeing the body and just remembering everything that he stood for is very important.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: 50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs are expected to attend the Pope's funeral. That includes U.S. President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Security, as you imagine, will be tight. Authorities in Rome say more than 2,000 police will be deployed, including sharpshooters and specialist forces.
Those who knew the man who eventually became Pope Francis are reflecting on his legacy. CNN's David Culver reports from his hometown of Buenos Aires in Argentina.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A familiar voice to the world, but deeply personal for Ana Maria Cariaga.
CULVER: WhatsApp. No, see, using WhatsApp, which I didn't know, the Pope used WhatsApp, but it sent a voice message for Ana Maria.
CULVER (voice-over): Ana Maria knew Pope Francis long before he was pontiff. They met through her mom, Esther.
CULVER: So he was in technical school, he was in a laboratory doing work, and her mom was his boss. There was a moment that Pope Francis, as just Jorge Bergoglio, turned in some work and her mom noticed, well, you did that really quickly. And he said, well, I just copied. They're all the same. And she said, no, take it back. You need to redo it and do it right. And in this way, the Pope has often referred to Esther as the person who taught him work ethic.
CULVER (voice-over): The Pope shared that story in his final book, Hope, writing that Esther taught me to think, by which I mean to think about politics. It was in this back room of Santa Cruz Church that Esther and fellow dissidents, including members of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, gathered to plan political protest during Argentina's so called Dirty War, the government's brutal campaign against suspected dissidents.
But in June 1977, that resistance became personal. Soldiers took Esther's daughter Ana Maria into custody. She was just 16 and three months pregnant. Francis would later write, quote, she described how she had been kept in chains, hooded, stripped naked, beaten, her face suffocated by plastic bags, her body burned with cigarettes. Four months later, Ana Maria was released. But the regime soon turned its focus to her mother.
CULVER: December 8, 1977. After her mom and a few others were meeting here in this church, they walked out. And as soon as they stepped out, 12 of them were taken into custody.
CULVER (voice-over): The Pope wrote how his dear friend Esther was tortured, drugged and thrown alive from a plane into the ocean. One of up to 30,000 people killed or disappeared during Argentina's darkest days. Her remains weren't identified until 2005.
[01:15:07]
Francis, then Cardinal Bergoglio asked that she be laid to rest at Santa Cruz Church, where her fight for justice began. He never forgot her. Esther's portrait hung in his private study at the Vatican, and he stayed in touch with Ana Maria over the years.
Last August, Ana Maria's daughter, the child she carried in captivity, met with Pope Francis at the Vatican.
CULVER: Recorded a video message for her just last year, not even a year ago. And part of his message that he sent out to her was to maintain in your mind the memories and to keep present what happened. Basically to never forget.
CULVER (voice-over): Remembering so as to not repeat a painful past.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: We have this programming note here. Please join CNN for our coverage of Pope Francis funeral this Saturday. Our special coverage begins at 8:00 a.m. in Rome, 7:00 a.m. in London and 2:00 a.m. on the U.S. East Coast.
In a moment, relations between India and Pakistan at their lowest level in decades as these nuclear armed neighbors take tit for tat diplomatic sanctions after a deadly terror attack kills tourists in disputed Kashmir.
Also ahead, look who's talking or not talking. The he said, she said of U.S.-China trade negotiations.
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[01:20:55] VAUSE: Ties between Pakistan and India are cratering after the deadly attack in disputed Kashmir which left 26 tourists dead. On Thursday, Pakistan suspended trade with India, closed its airspace, canceled visas for Indian nationals and expelled Indian diplomats.
The actions are retaliation for similar measures from India a day earlier. New Delhi also suspended a crucial water sharing treaty for the first time and shut a key border crossing. India says the measures are in response to Pakistan's alleged support for cross border terrorism. India's prime minister Thursday vowed to pursue the attackers to the ends of the earth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MODI: Today from the soil of Bihar, I say to the whole world, India will identify, track and punishment every terrorist and their backer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Kashmir police have named three suspects allegedly involved in the terror attack but did not say how they were identified. Two of the three Pakistani nationals. Pakistan denies any involvement.
Officials in Beijing have accused the U.S. President of spreading a little fake news, in particular his repeated claims that talks between both countries are underway to try and end their weeks lately long trade war.
The Foreign Ministry in Beijing says there are no talks, no consultations and no agreement in sight. President Trump has talked of his optimism of reaching a deal that will lower tariffs on Chinese imports from the current rate of 145 percent. And again on Thursday, President Trump insisted those high level talks are being held. There's a mysterious group called they.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you clarify whom the U.S. is speaking with China? They're saying it's fake news that trade talks are happening
TRUMP: Well, they had a meeting this morning so I can't tell you. It doesn't matter who they is. We may reveal it later but they had meetings this morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: They are. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent seated next to President Trump there in the Cabinet Room. He said a trade deal with South Korea could come as soon as next week or not.
The he said, she said debate over trade talks hasn't faced Wall Street. Just the suggestion of negotiation sent stocks rallying for a third day in a row. CNN Vanessa Yurkevich reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's been some confusion about whether the two sides are actually talking. But just talking about talking is giving some investors hope here on Wall Street. But certainly investors are watching the news very closely. And any news lines that show an escalation in this trade war would not be good. Things are certainly not settled yet, though.
Investors and analysts I've been speaking to for weeks now really want to see concrete deals. Yes, it is good that the Treasury secretary says that they've made progress with South Korea, but that is not China. And China is sort of the biggest country that investors on Wall Street are most nervous about.
But it's worth noting, though, that investor sentiment has improved. Investor sentiment moved out of extreme fear to fear. OK, so fear year is not great, but it's better than where were and we're still there. That is where we still are. So not getting worse here on Wall Street.
But it does not really erase all the damage that has been done in the volatility that we have seen here in the past several weeks. We know that market value has dropped by six and a half trillion dollars since February and two and a half trillion dollars since April, around the time that President Trump announced those reciprocal tariffs that he then pulled back.
But ultimately, because investors are following the news so closely, there will be volatility again based on what the president says, based on what China says. But here on Wall Street, sort of a more hopeful picture that at least the president and the administration are talking about China in a way that signals that maybe, maybe there will be some discussions with that country in the future.
[01:25:07]
That'll certainly help to relieve investors' fears as we move forward.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Still ahead here on CNN, why the art of the deal may work for real estate sales and selling Trump stakes not so much international diplomacy.
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[01:30:32]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is expected in Moscow in the coming hours for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This will be Witkoff fourth face-to-face meeting with Putin to try and end the war in Ukraine.
Notably, he has not met with the Ukrainian president, which may explain why many believe the U.S. proposed peace plan is overwhelmingly pro-Moscow and an agreement for surrender for Ukraine.
The talks come after the deadliest Russian strikes on Kyiv in months, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more.
CNN's Brian Abel has more now reporting in from the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN ABEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The prime minister of Norway arriving at the White House at a critical moment in peace talks to end the Russia-Ukraine war. President Donald Trump on Truth Social condemning the deadliest attack on Ukraine's capital in nine months.
The president posting, quote, "I am not happy with the Russian strikes on Kyiv. Not necessary and very bad timing. Vladimir, stop."
The attack came hours after Trump accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of prolonging the war by refusing to cede illegally-annexed Crimea to Russia. And the strikes on Kyiv were launched the day after leaders from the U.S., Ukraine, the U.K. and European Union met in London to try and inch closer to a ceasefire agreement.
The NATO secretary general in Washington this week set to meet with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who bowed out of the London talks near the last minute, leaving a lesser official.
In the cabinet room of the White House, Trump was asked if he believes that Putin is serious about peace.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are thinking that -- very strongly that they both want peace, but they have to get to the table.
We're waiting a long time. There's a lot of hatred there. There's a lot of very bad blood, a lot of distrust. But I think we're going to -- I hope we're going to get there for the sake of a lot of young people that are dying.
ABEL: All of this happening as the U.S. has ramped up pressure on both Russia and Ukraine. Vice President J.D. Vance saying this week if the two countries cannot come to a peace agreement, it will be time for the U.S. to walk away from the process.
At the White House, Brian Abel reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: David Cay Johnston is a professor of law, journalism and public policy at Rochester Institute of Technology. He's a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist and author of a number of books on the president, including "The Making of Donald Trump", "Trump", and "Big Cheat".
Thanks for being with us. It's good to see you.
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON, ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: Good to be with you, John. VAUSE: Ok. So for weeks now, the U.S. [resident has provided a sort of
blow by blow running commentary of ceasefire negotiations like this. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We hope that we're going to be able to make a deal relatively soon with Russia and Ukraine to stop the fighting.
You're going to be finding out pretty soon. You know, there's a point at which you just have to either put up or shut up and we'll see what happens. But I think it's going fine.
I think we're going to make a deal. And if we make a deal, that will be wonderful. I think we're getting very close.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know, reporters will ask the question, but that doesn't mean he has to answer. Is there any tangible benefit from doing this sort of commentary in terms of the overall peace process here? And if there isn't any real benefit, why does he keep doing it?
JOHNSTON: I don't think there's any benefit here to the peace process at all. A fundamental of negotiations is figuring out what each party wants and how to make it in their interests to go where you want them to go.
The problem is, Donald has made it clear he's on the side of the Kremlin. He wants the Ukrainians to give up large parts of their territory forever, including Crimea. That's not going to fly.
And none of that fits with Donald's promise that on day one, he would settle this war. It's not going to happen under the circumstances Donald has laid out. The Ukrainians, after all of this, are not going to just give away a large part of their land to Vladimir Putin.
VAUSE: Well, you did say the day one promise. And so that was 94 days since the second inauguration of Donald Trump. So this peace deal to end the war is 93 days late.
Here's a reminder of all those promises. Listen to this.
[01:34:49]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine totally settled. I'll have it done in 24 hours.
I know Zelenskyy, I know Putin. It will be done within 24 hours, you watch.
I'd have that thing done in 24 hours.
That is a war that's dying to be settled. I will get it settled before I even become president.
Before I even arrive at the Oval Office. Shortly after we win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Is there any logical explanation as to how Donald Trump would think that was even possible? And does it just come down to a lack of understanding of how international diplomacy works, as to how complicated and difficult it really is?
JOHNSTON: Well, it certainly requires some knowledge of international matters. And Donald, you should remember, is appallingly ignorant. He thought that Finland was an oblast of Russia, that's a state or province, basically. He didn't know what happened at Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. And many, many other things. Donald is just appallingly ignorant.
And he doesn't actually have any negotiating skills, despite that title of a book, "The Art of The Deal". If you read it, it's really one case of con artistry and fraud after another, tricking people and deceiving people. And that's always been Donald's fundamental way of doing business.
He lies to people. He makes promises he has no intention to fulfill, and he cheats them not by threatening them in physical fashion, but with contracts he doesn't honor, breaking his word, taking delivery of goods and then saying, oh, I don't like them, so I'm not going to pay for them.
And that just doesn't work when you're talking about international diplomacy.
VAUSE: That's a good point. Actually, political reporter Hans Nichols, he explained why this Trump approach of sort of publicly putting all the details out there of what's happening with these talks, why it hasn't been tried before. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANS NICHOLS, AXIOS POLITICAL REPORTER: In general diplomacy we can all look back to our historical examples. Diplomacy gets incredibly difficult towards the very end. But it's usually in private. And this is all playing out in public which is truly remarkable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It also seems to be the sort of top-down approach, like the first meeting with Kim Jong-un of North Korea during Trump's first term.
Usually, talks will begin at a working group level. They would move up the ladder, issues are resolved. So by the time both leaders are ready to meet, the deal is almost done. That never happened in the case with Kim Jong-un, which is why it was
a total diplomatic failure. Is Trump now doing the same thing here with Russia and Ukraine?
JOHNSTON: Oh, he's playing the same card because it's the only way Donald knows how to play. You know, he met with Vladimir Putin with no one else in the room from the American side for a period of several hours.
Normally you go into a meeting with a foreign government that's even a friendly government, with a host of people on your side who are doing everything from taking incredibly detailed notes to noting the body language of people on the other side of the table and making sure that you don't inadvertently say something or give away something you didn't intend to do.
But Donald really believes, and I've known this for him for the whole 37 years I've known and covered Donald, that he's special. He is the only person who can do these things.
There's no one else, John, in the world who should be running the United States of America. The rest of us are all idiots. And he often says that about his own people. You know, he says, I only hire the best people. And then when he gets rid of them, oh, that person was terrible.
I negotiated a great contract to replace NAFTA with Mexico and Canada. And then he gets in a second term, he says, what idiot brought this deal about? There's no memory to it and there's no logic or inconsistency.
I mean, Donald is, if he weren't president of the United States, I would tell you he suffers from delusions of grandeur.
VAUSE: Professor Johnston, thank you for being with us, sir. We appreciate your insights and your experience. Thank you.
JOHNSTON: Thank you.
VAUSE: President Trump has agreed to sit down with an interview with the reporter who was mistakenly included in a Signal chat group of senior White House officials, and who went on to expose a possible breach of national security.
"The Atlantic" editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg and two other writers were seen leaving the White House Thursday afternoon. Trump posted on social media he's agreed to the interview out of curiosity, and what he says is a competition with himself.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials in that chat at first denied the allegations of sharing classified material. That is, until Goldberg shared screenshots from that chat.
And now comes word of another Signal chat controversy and more details are emerging about Hegseth's use of the Signal app, the unauthorized app, and the person who tried to clear the way for him to use it inside his Pentagon office. That office is so secure that even cell phones are not allowed.
CNN's Brian Todd has the story.
[01:39:45]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning. How's life?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good, sir.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In a line to greet NATO'S secretary general, a man who's made a rapid rise to become a critical figure in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's shrinking inner circle.
He's Colonel Ricky Buria, a marine with several combat deployments who served as a junior military assistant to Hegseth.
CNN's sources say in a few short months, Ricky Buria has become one of Hegseth's most trusted advisers, as the secretary has grown more paranoid about leaks. One Defense official says Hegseth likes Buria's, yes-sir attitude.
Multiple sources tell CNN, Buria has access to Hegseth personal and government phones. He's been seen working out with Hegseth in photos posted on X, appears in a photo laughing with Elon Musk when Musk visited the Pentagon. And he's even sat in on meetings with foreign leaders.
When he worked for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during the Biden administration, a former senior Pentagon official says Buria was essentially a body man for Austin, often seen carrying his bags.
Now, CNN sources say, as Buria puts in for his retirement, Hegseth is considering appointing him his chief of staff.
ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS, FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: One distinct problem would be the fact that as a retired colonel he would be, in effect, outranked by all of the admirals and generals in the Pentagon. And it would make it very difficult for him to undertake the responsibilities of that position.
TODD: Multiple sources tell CNN that weeks before "The Atlantic" reported that Hegseth used Signal to discuss detailed military plans, Buria pushed to get Hegseth an extra desktop computer in his office with Signal on it, so Hegseth could text friends and family.
Those sources tell CNN that after "The Atlantic" story broke, Buria asked the Defense Department's chief information officer if Hegseth could be granted an exception to use Signal more freely at work, a request that raised eyebrows among senior officials. It's also surprised a former Trump administration official.
KEVIN CARROLL, FORMER SENIOR COUNSELOR TO THEN-SECRETARY JOHN KELLY: Asking for the authorization was crazy. I mean, why would you put an insecure commercial app that can be hacked by a foreign signal intelligence service on any communications device related to the Secretary of Defense especially when he has the most robust communication staff of anybody in the government beyond the president.
TODD: The Defense Secretary's office is considered a secure space. Cell phones usually not allowed. It's not clear if Hegseth was ever given the exception to use Signal freely, or if he's continued to use it to discuss military planning. He dodged a question on that on Thursday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Secretary you're still using Signal for work purposes?
PETE HEGSETH, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Get to work, which is what we do.
TODD: The Pentagon's chief spokesman tells CNN the secretary has never used and does not currently use Signal on his government computer. But the spokesman didn't say why Hegseth had another computer set up with Signal installed on it.
Even during the Biden administration, the government cybersecurity agency said that highly-targeted officials should use Signal to communicate. But Pentagon rules say Signal cannot be used to transmit nonpublic military information.
Ricky Buria did not respond to CNN's repeated request for comment about his growing influence in Pete Hegseth's inner circle, including his role in helping to facilitate Hegseth's use of Signal inside the Pentagon.
Brian Todd, CNN -- Washington.
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VAUSE: In communist Cuba, a powerful show of faith and unity as mourners gather to grieve the death of Pope Francis. More on that after the break.
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VAUSE: The Vatican is expecting another busy day of big crowds ahead of Pope Francis' funeral on Saturday. More than 90,000 mourners have already paid their respects as the Pope lies in state at Saint Peter's Basilica.
The Vatican says 50 heads of state and ten reigning monarchs will attend his funeral.
In many ways, Francis was a global pope, traveling the world, reaching out to those on the margins in far-flung, forgotten places. He also made an historic trip to Cuba in 2015. And on Thursday, Cubans gathered at a cathedral in Havana to say goodbye to Pope Francis with a mass held in his honor.
And CNN's Patrick Oppmann was there. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some people are beginning to arrive to Havana's cathedral for a mass that is going to be held for Pope Francis. He was a pope that left a mark on Cubans. He visited as Pope this island on two occasions.
But even more than that, he played a major role in the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, actually holding some of those secret negotiations at the Vatican.
When he came to this island, something I covered, he traveled across the island with Cuban leader -- then-Cuban leader Raul Castro at his side, and they struck up something of a friendship, according to both of the men, that was somewhat unexpected.
This, of course, was an atheist country throughout the first decades of the Cuban revolution, and only in the last several decades has relented and allowed more religious freedom.
Pope Francis, though, was able to crack the door open even further. He pushed throughout the years for the release of people considered to be political prisoners. And actually, just in January, hundreds of them were released at the specific request of Pope Francis.
So he really showed that this kind of quiet diplomacy, this contact that he had with the upper Cuban leadership, that it paid dividends.
But as someone who was, of course, Argentine, spoke Spanish fluently, he really connected with the Cuban people.
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OPPMANN: And that is why we're seeing people coming here to attend this mass where they will say goodbye to this pope who had such an impact on Cuba.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN -- Havana.
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VAUSE: A programing note now. CNN will have special coverage of Pope Francis' funeral Saturday, starting at 8:00 a.m. in Rome, 7:00 a.m. in London. That would be 2:00 a.m. here on the U.S. East Coast.
When we come back, powered by the sea. How a U.K. company is turning ocean waves into electricity.
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VAUSE: This year's NFL draft is underway, and here are the top choices from Thursday's first round. First pick in the draft, the Tennessee Titans selected quarterback Cam Ward. Ward set an NCAA Division One record after throwing for 158 touchdowns in college.
Second pick the Jackson Jaguars chose Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. He could become the first full-time, two-way player in NFL history. He excelled at both wide receiver and cornerback in college.
And "The New York Giants" picked third. They selected Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.
Second round happens tonight. In the meantime, CNN World Sport's Coy Wire has a look at this year's one-of-a-kind art installation for the NFL draft.
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COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: Green Bay, Wisconsin hosting this year's NFL draft and while one name won't be called on stage, his hard work will be on full display.
IKE WINTER, ARTIST: My name Ike Winter and I got commissioned by the NFL to bring all 32 NFL teams logos to life.
WIRE: Ike winter's artwork lines the very path future stars walk after hearing their names called. A Milwaukee native, he spent more than 600 hours building logos for all 32 teams entirely out of furniture he found on the side of the road.
WINTER: I have yet to stain or paint or buy a piece of wood for my art. When they kind of gave me the green light to start on the project, I just kind of started disassembling all this furniture and it's all from alleys and the side of the road.
WIRE: No paint, no stain. Just raw materials, repurposing more than 50 pieces of discarded furniture for every three-by-three-foot work.
This year's draft theme is "Built by Community".
Winter says using Wisconsin's castoffs without altering their natural beauty was important.
WINTER: What is always the one thing getting tossed? So instead of just tossing it one day, I literally just made the conscious effort to bring the wood home and use a couple of saws in my garage and just cut it up, truly out of curiosity and for fun and as an art project.
WIRE: While he's already created pieces for. Heavyweights like Mike Tyson, he calls this project the coolest of his life.
To make the moment even more special, when the NFL came knocking, they had no idea they were tapping into a family legacy. Winter is the grandson of Ray Cuffel, who was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1944.
WINTER: I'm glad that my grandfather's story gets to be, you know, revisited through this whole journey. I'm glad that my art is, you know, more publicly known through this journey.
Whatever tomorrow brings, as long as I get to sit in my studio and cut wood and listen to music, I'm on a good journey, you know?
WIRE: Wisconsin's trash reimagined into treasure. A reminder that not all legacies are written in stats. Some are built in sawdust. Coy Wire, CNN.
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VAUSE: In a world where demand for energy continues to soar, renewable sources like solar or wind are already very popular. But one company in the U.K. is now hoping to pioneer another form of green energy, one which harnesses the power of ocean waves.
CNN's Max Foster introduces us to tidal energy.
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MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For months now, I've been investigating the technologies that could underpin society in future, from health to space exploration, transportation, even undersea habitats.
But what I found is that there's one thing that underpins all of this really, and that is energy. And we've discovered one form of energy that's clean, renewable, predictable, and its invisible.
It's tidal energy. And Nova Innovation in Edinburgh is one of the U.K. leading firms in the field.
Hi John, thank you for doing this.
So the idea of tidal energy as a sustainable source does sound incredible, but how far are we with it?
JOHN MEAGHER, DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, NOVA INNOVATION: We have proven it's possible. The unique thing about the tide is its predictability. It runs like clockwork. And tidal energy gives us that backbone which improves our energy security.
Foster: Nova innovation built the world's first offshore tidal array in the Shetland Islands in 2016. It comprises of three 100-kilowatt turbines, each of which produces enough energy to power as many as 60 homes.
Their next array will feature turbines capable of generating five times that power, creating a four-megawatt system in the Orkney Islands.
What's the thing holding you back?
MEGHER: The key focus now is on driving down the cost to make it more competitive.
FOSTER: The U.K. is particularly well placed for tidal energy. It sits on the Atlantic Ocean continental shelf, a position that exposes it to 50 percent of Europe's tidal resources.
Although the technology is still nascent, the U.K. is the world leader in its development and installment. With 130 megawatts of tidal stream capacity set to be deployed by 2029.
MEAGHER: It's a home-grown resource which helps us to meet our net zero ambition as well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm John Vause.
Please stay with us. The news continues after a very short break with Kim Brunhuber.
I'll see you right back here next week. Have a good weekend.
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