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Trump Questions Whether Putin Wants Peace After Meeting With Zelenskyy At Pope's Funeral; Trump's Consequential 100 Days In Office; Former New Mexico Judge, Wife Arrested Accused Of Tampering Evidence; Pope Francis Laid To Rest After 250,000 Attend Funeral Service; Argentina Remembers Native Son Pope Francis; Canadian Voters Weigh U.S. Relationship in Upcoming Election; Trump Loops Large Over Monday's Election in Canada; White House Correspondents' Annual Dinner Is Tonight. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired April 26, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:55]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I am Jessica Dean in Washington, D.C.

President Donald Trump tonight back in the U.S. after making his return to the world stage standing shoulder to shoulder with dozens of world leaders at Pope Francis' funeral.

But on the sidelines, Trump meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The two leaders, as you see right there, seated right next to each other, knee to knee, speaking for about 15 minutes. And shortly after that meeting, Trump questioned Russian President Vladimir Putin's willingness to end the war.

Now, this was quite a shift in tone compared to just a few days ago, when the President was asked what concessions Russia needed to make to reach a peace deal. Here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: What concessions has Russia offered up thus far to get to the point where you're closer to peace?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Stopping the war. Stopping taking the whole country. Pretty big concession.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: CNN's Kevin Liptak is live for us tonight.

Kevin, what are you hearing about the aftermath of the President's meeting with Zelenskyy and this shift in tone that we did hear from him today?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, and the President gave us a pretty good window into how he is feeling about this conflict in that Truth Social post that you mentioned. You know, he has been frustrated, really, in the lead up to the 100- day mark of his presidency that he hasn't been able to bring this conflict to a resolution. Remember, he said he would be able to do it within 24 hours of taking office.

Now, it is clear, he has told his advisers that this is a much more difficult than perhaps he had been expecting and this meeting with Zelenskyy inside Saint Peter's Basilica was so striking because the President, even up until last week, had been really open in his dislike, really, of Zelenskyy. He said that he was not a fan.

Today, it is 57 days since that Oval Office blowup that ended essentially in the President evicting Zelenskyy and his delegation from the White House. And so it was so notable to see them there perched on the chairs inside the Basilica, talking very intently, it appeared from those photos about this conflict. And then to hear the President as he flew back here to New Jersey, in quite a stern rebuke of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, for this bombardment of Kyiv that we saw last week.

It was the worst aerial assault that Russia had carried out in the Ukrainian capital since last summer and the President wrote there was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns over the last few days. The President went on to say, it makes me think that maybe he doesn't want to stop the war. He is just tapping me along and has to be dealt with differently through banking or secondary sanctions.

The president there is essentially lending voice to the concern that many European leaders have had, that Putin may just be trying to play for time here. He thinks that he has time on his side as this conflict continues to grind forward and the President here suggesting that he may be just stringing him along as he tries to bring this conflict to a resolution, and it is a change in tone for the President.

You know, just last week, the president said that he thought Putin was serious about a peace deal. I asked the President in the Cabinet room whether he thought this was still possible after the assault on Kyiv, and he said yes. He thought both sides were serious about bringing this conflict to an end.

Now, the President is saying something very different, much less certain that Putin could essentially be on the up and up when it comes to his assertations that he wants to see this come to an end. And so I think its notable there, the President saying that and we will have to see how this proceeds.

Of course, you can never take anything that the President says on any given day about the conflict too seriously, because it changes so frequently. But as we head up to this 100-day mark, I think it is notable that this is where the President's head is at. He is frustrated that the conflict isn't over, but he is directing his frustration today, at least directly towards Vladimir Putin -- Jessica.

[18:05:15] DEAN: All right, Kevin Liptak with the latest there from New Jersey. Thank you so much for that.

And joining us now is, Rahm Emanuel. He is also a former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, served as President Obama's White House chief-of- staff and former Mayor of Chicago.

Rahm, it is great to have you here with us.

RAHM EMANUEL, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Thank you.

DEAN: I first just want to talk about these first 100 days we are about to mark. This administration has been historically disruptive, and they have used executive power in far reaching ways. According to a new poll from the AP, most Americans say this is kind of what they expected. How would you assess these first 100 days?

EMANUEL: I am not -- there is a difference in that question, because I think that's a core question and when you look at the data, the most important part of that data is the fact that his -- the President's approval is at 29 percent among Independents. And when you fast forward to the midterm election, that is a very troubling sign flashing yellow to flashing red light to the Republicans.

And if I was in the Democratic Party right now, the message I would be focusing on is that we do, not cannot afford a rubber stamp Congress. Donald Trump is going to be in the midterm, a referendum on his candidacy, on his tenure, rather. And right now, there is very deep concern among both Democrats, Independents and even some Republicans about the chaos. Yes, he is pushing the boundaries, but it is not a political free choice, it comes with actually cost and it has actually affected where Independent and other type of Republicans are now rejecting that type of unchecked power.

So it is not exactly a total win. In fact, it comes with a lot of cost to him and to the Republicans.

DEAN: Well, and to your point, it is these Republican members of Congress who are going to be on the front lines of this when the midterms happen. Donald Trump isn't going to be on the ballot himself.

EMANUEL: Yes.

DEAN: As you say, it will be a referendum on him.

EMANUEL: Exactly.

DEAN: But they are going to have to face the consequences. How do you -- yes, how do you see that playing out? And how do the Democrats actually make the most of that?

EMANUEL: Well, there are a couple of things that I think are very, very relevant. One is if you have a midterm where the independents are already swinging against the President, that means that he has got the -- he, the President has the Republicans in a headlock. They go against him, they get a primary. They go with him, they get to lose the general election. That's where the Republicans are.

If I were the Democrats, I would be recruiting in a broadened field because this has all the makings of a wave election. You're going to know that in 2025, both New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races.

Third, which I think is most telling. Leading up to 2024, Democrats were winning specials with low turnout, not high turnout. Every election since the presidential of 2024, Democrats are winning in high turnout, meaning their expansion of potential voters is greater today. That is a big flip in just one year.

So my message and what I would focus on if I were in the Democratic Caucus, the end of a rubber stamp Congress. If you had had Congress doing their job, we would have no tariffs and you would have no loss in your 401(k). If Congress was doing its job, you would not have the end in aid for troubled communities that have been affected by FEMA, meaning no assistance like to Arkansas.

I would very much run against a rubber stamp Congress that has allowed this chaos by Trump, the tariffs by Trump, the lack of focus on groceries versus Greenland. That is where you put the Republicans squarely under the burden of having a Trump presidency and being very loyal to Trump.

DEAN: And listen, the people don't seem happy with these tariffs. They are really concerned about them. Everyday Americans, to your point in this polling that were starting to get that it is starting -- this messaging and the real consequences of this are starting to reach people across the country, and when you look at this polling from Fox News, 33 percent approve, 58 percent disapprove of his handling of tariffs. How much of a of a political liability is that?

EMANUEL: Well, it is a massive political liability because he has made himself politically and domestically, let alone across the globe, the focal point of economic distress. That's on top of the fact that people thought he had already lost focus by talking about Greenland, talking about the price of Greenland rather than the price of groceries.

So not only was he not focused, when he was focused, he was creating true damage to the public for their basic standard of living. I will give you one example to illustrate this.

Last week, they were starting to talk about how to encourage people to have children and have families, yet, the prices for basic things to have a family -- strollers, cribs, car seats -- all the things for children went up.

[18:10:04]

So you can't -- and people know instinctively that these tariffs are directly affecting the family budget, and I would brand it Trump's tariff tax and make it and own it and the fact is, the rubber stamp Congress, had they done their job, they could have stopped this dead in their tracks and they didn't. So this is a Congress that is going to keep going along and that's a huge political opportunity, let alone the public figured out that these tariffs directly affect the family budget.

DEAN: I think you also, I would be curious your thoughts, just as a former ambassador to Japan. Obviously, you lived there. You spent a lot of time with Japanese officials, the Japanese people, a big ally of Americas who are now dealing with the fallout from these tariffs. How would you advise them to kind of navigate this? And then, conversely, I am sure you've been asked and how would -- you know, how would you advise the Trump administration to be dealing with a country like Japan?

EMANUEL: Well, let's step back and take a wider lens view. The tariffs have treated allies like adversaries, and then on the political side, as it related to Putin and to Xi and to others, he is treating adversaries like they are allies. So he has got the world upside down, that's number one.

Number two, the largest foreign direct investor in the United States for the last four years has been Japan. A million Americans work for Japanese companies, nearly half of them in manufacturing and industrial. So you're affecting Americans, not just the investment and so Japan has been a consistent number one leader across the globe.

Lastly, there is nothing in that region since Japan has the largest military footprint in any single country by the United States. Nothing in the Indo-Pacific as it relates to the South China Sea, the Japanese Sea, et cetera is done outside of our alliance with Japan. That partnership, the number one economy in the world, the number three economy in the world, the number one defense budget, the number three defense budget in combination has China isolated. But by literally throwing them off side and off balance, you have taken your ally and made them second guess your leadership.

So think of it this way, basically our economy now is unstable. Our alliances are under tremendous stress and the American brand and its strategic competency is shattered. When you look at that, an ally has -- you're asking an ally to stand with you against China. They don't know where you're going to be tomorrow morning.

So my advice to them is to say, look, we are your investor. We own more Treasuries than anybody else. A million Americans work for us, and you're actually treating us in a way that you would treat China. Either we are allies or we are not. And I would put -- force the question back rather than try to answer it yourself.

DEAN: It is interesting, you said the American brand. We heard from Ken Griffin, of course, a billionaire Trump supporter, has been very supportive of the President, but he said that he really sees America as a brand and that that brand is being harmed right now, there is real damage being done to the to the brand.

You clearly agree with that.

EMANUEL: There is no -- DEAN: Yes, can we come back from it though? Like is it fixable?

EMANUEL: I agree with it both that domestically and internationally, but look, I mean, one of the things that I am a little surprised at is how kind of silent corporate America has been.

They trade on the American brand. They trade on the fact that the United States is a country based on rules, not a rule set by one person. They trade on the fact that we have the most liquid markets, where now people are pulling money from across the globe out of the United States. I am surprised, given how much they rely on things that are institutional structure. They have been willing to fritter away for the United States, and it is coming directly at their cost, not just the tariffs.

They wanted basically tax cuts and regulations. What they've gotten is tariffs. They've gotten an attack on the liquidity of the U.S. market. They have gotten an attack on the Federal Reserve. They've gotten an attack on the institutions, on the rule of law of the United States. All the things that have attracted investment -- people, talent, ideas and the ability -- and I do think the American, not just its brand, there is real doubt about the competency of the United States.

When you look at the Secretary of Defense and the way he is running the Pentagon. It is not an accident that they look at that, two things you talked about the region. Already, China has done certain things to Taiwan and the islands off of Taiwan between Mainland China and Taiwan that they have never done before. They just the other day occupied another piece of the South China Sea near The Philippines, even while we were doing exercises with The Philippines, with Japan and Australia, in part.

[18:15:10]

They would never have done that. But China is now pressing, seeing weakness, seeing total distraction by the U.S. Armed Forces under the Secretary of Defense and the leadership out of the White House, things that they never would have done and didn't do until just this last week. And trust me, it is not a coincidence.

DEAN: Before I let you go, I do want to ask about the Democrats in these first 100 days. It has been difficult for them to, as they've tried to kind of get their bearings, and I think there has been a lot of Democratic voters who have been frustrated with lack of leadership or leadership or whatever you want to call it.

EMANUEL: Sure.

DEAN: We have seen quite a response to Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez going out, doing these rallies. Obviously, they are the more progressive brand of Democrat. It is the Fight the Oligarchy Tour. It has been drawing big crowds.

Do you think that their progressive politics is the way forward for the Democratic Party? EMANUEL: Well, look, I think on economics and let's get back -- I am not sure, Jessica, by the whole premise. Yes, you're kind of a reflection in the sense of Washington may be right, but the Democrats just won every special election except for Florida and they outperformed it.

DEAN: I hear you. Yes. They do. Yes, yes.

EMANUEL: So that's one. So wait, that's part of the analysis. The Democrats are actually doing quite well electorally. Second, I think, as you really -- you've got to decipher and distinguish both economic progressives versus kind of a cultural left progressive, where I think the party got way too identified with a woke culture and way too identified but that was a priority which cost us politically and electorally at the ballot box.

On economics, and what I would also -- beyond the rubber stamp, I would start focusing on the corrupt corporate cronyism coming out of the Trump White House. That is an economic message that happens to be true every day Trump is going to be President. Trump and his administration are going to be giving you new material, and it is going to also play to the economic kind of angst that exist with the public and all of these corporate giveaways that are happening out of the Trump administration.

DEAN: All right, Rahm Emanuel, thanks for your time on a Saturday. We appreciate it.

EMANUEL: Thank you. Take care.

DEAN: Thanks.

No President, no comedian. Tonight's white house Correspondents' Dinner will have a much different feel.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: A judge in Idaho says prosecutors can pursue the death penalty against Bryan Kohberger if he is convicted of killing four college students. Kohberger's lawyers argued the death penalty should not be an option because of his recent autism diagnosis, saying it would be cruel and unusual punishment.

The judge, though, ruling they failed to show his diagnosis constituted an intellectual disability and therefore the Supreme Court precedent did not apply.

Kohberger's trial is set to begin in August.

The LAPD has released videos of the moments leading up to the officer involved shooting of Jillian Shriner, the wife of Weezer bassist, Scott Shriner. The video includes surveillance footage showing Jillian Shriner holding a handgun and bodycam footage of the police repeatedly yelling at her to put it down. The shots then erupt. Shriner was hit in the shoulder and taken to the hospital, and the incident occurred while police were pursuing a hit and run suspect earlier this month. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

Crowds gathered in front of the Milwaukee FBI headquarters today in the second day of protest over the arrest of County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan. Dugan was arrested yesterday for allegedly trying to help an undocumented immigrant avoid being arrested by ICE. The judge is facing charges of obstruction and concealing the individual from arrest.

Now, the Justice Department has also announced criminal charges against a former New Mexico magistrate judge and his wife. They were arrested for allegedly tampering with evidence related to the federal investigation of an undocumented migrant suspected of belonging to a Venezuelan gang.

The New Mexico Supreme Court says the former judge can never hold office in the state again. And CNN's Julia Vargas-Jones takes a look at what happened here.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, it all started with an anonymous tip back in January that undocumented migrants were living on a judge's property in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and in possession of firearms. That belongs to the former Judge Jose Luis Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano.

Homeland Security investigators allege in court documents that one of the people living on this property was Christian Ortega-Lopez. They say evidence suggests he is linked to the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua.

In the complaint are multiple photos and videos of Ortega-Lopez holding a handgun, an assault style rifle, and ammunition. Investigators say it was through these photos and videos that they identified tattoos, clothing and hand gestures commonly associated with the Tren de Aragua, saying they provided strong evidence of his potential connection to the gang.

Homeland Security investigators also claim that after Ortega-Lopez's arrest, the former judge admitted to smashing a cell phone with a hammer weeks earlier because he thought it could have had photos or video that would reflect negatively on Ortega-Lopez and that his wife consulted with Ortega-Lopez over how to delete Facebook posts.

Court records show also, former Judge Cano is now federally charged with tampering with evidence while his wife is charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence.

[18:25:03]

We have reached out to their attorney for comment.

Jose Cano denied ever knowing the alleged gang affiliation of Ortega- Lopez, writing in a letter to the New Mexico Supreme Court obtained by CNN affiliate station KOAT: "Let me be crystal clear as possible. The very first time I ever heard that the men could possibly have any association with Tren de Aragua was when I was informed of that by the agents on the day of the raid."

We should note, too, Jessica that Judge Cano resigned in March, sometime after the case first came to light, and this week, the New Mexico Supreme Court ordered Cano to never run for judicial office in the future. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the charges reflect the administration's belief that sanctuary jurisdictions only help criminals, and that, "no one is above the law." -- Jessica.

DEAN: Julia Vargas-Jones, thanks for that reporting.

From the streets of Rome to his hometown of Buenos Aires, hundreds of thousands of people remember Pope Francis.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:29]

DEAN: Some dramatic video there out of Iran. A massive explosion at a port in the country's southwest sending that huge fireball into the sky. At least, 14 people were killed, hundreds injured. The Irani government has ordered an investigation, but officials are saying the blast was likely linked to chemicals being stored in that area.

The Catholic Church has laid Pope Francis to rest at the Saint Mary Major Basilica in Rome. People paying their respects as his coffin passed in the streets earlier today. More than 250,000 mourners attending the funeral service at the Vatican. The gathering included more than a hundred delegations from around the world.

As you see, President Donald Trump was there with First Lady Melania Trump. Also, former President Joe Biden attended the funeral.

The service lasting nearly two hours. Honoring the People's Pope who was remembered for his humanity and his humility. The homily was delivered by the Dean of the College of Cardinals. Cardinal Giovanni Re reminded mourners of the Pope's opposition to war, echoing Francis' message to, in his words, build bridges, not walls.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was different. He was not afraid to speak. And according to me, in my opinion, he was always ready to give a voice to the voiceless.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I mean, he's just different. Really humble. Loved the poor people. He went to the border between Africa and Europe and went to Iraq or Iran. And I think he was the best, still the best, actually.

(END VIDEO CLIP) DEAN: A special memorial also in Argentina. That's where Francis, the first Pope from Latin America, was born. David Culver now has a look from the Pope's hometown, Buenos Aires.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For the several days that we've been here in Buenos Aires since Pope Francis' passing, we've seen isolated small memorials, devout nonetheless. But this, this is the mass gathering of so many in this city, coming together for a final mass and memorial for one of their own, who became the world's Pope. And you can see, in the Plaza de Mayo, crowds packed in here to be together in a very celebratory mood, too.

I mean, you notice they have banners, they wear T-shirts that they've had made, they've got music. And there's a positive, uplifting spirit about all of this. And yet, at the same time, there's a lot of symbolism in the folks who are here and where they have come from. Many of them have traveled in, and we were able to get on a bus and go with a few of them, but directly from the margins. I mean, that's exactly what Pope Francis would speak of, wanting to reach out to those who are on the fringes. And they offered several different shuttle buses to bring in folks from these communities, from the villas, the humble, simple, lower-income neighborhoods. And they were able to bring them here and to be together.

And it doesn't end with just a mass. It continues throughout in what's going to be essentially a pilgrimage of sorts through Buenos Aires, going to sites that were important to then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio. They'll then end the day with what will be a very personal sporting event, San Lorenzo soccer club. They're playing, and they will be wearing commemorative jerseys.

All of this coming together in what is a country bidding farewell to their beloved pope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: David Culver, thank you so much for that.

Major elections take place Monday for America's neighbor to the north. The biggest player in Canada's election isn't on the ballot. We will explain all of that. You're in CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:39:08]

DEAN: When Canadians go to the polls on Monday, the American president will play a big factor in voters' minds. CNN's John King goes all over the map, and this time he goes to Ontario.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Rock Maple Lodge spans 200 acres, more than 2,000 maple trees, 11 miles of lines to carry the syrup back to be boiled, filtered, and bottled.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER HAMILTON, CANADIAN VOTER: Here we go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): This is Peter Hamilton's business and his escape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMILTON: Every year we've got to drill another hole.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING (voice over): He also farms wheat, soybeans and corn, sells some timber.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMILTON: So to be here 54 years and absolute just thrilled that we're able to do this.

KING (on camera): Sounds like you're working harder now though.

HAMILTON: I would like to go back one more time to play some hockey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): A proud Canadian now more than ever. Yes, a lifelong Conservative but Canada first is Hamilton's motto as voters here pick a new parliament and a new prime minister.

[18:40:09]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMILTON: The bottom line is the Liberals and the Conservatives got to work together here. They can't be nit-picking and arguing amongst each other. We have to work together to make this country go ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): Work together he says because suddenly the United States feels so far away. Rock Maple Lodge is in Ontario just 65 miles from Toronto. It's just 100 miles to the border and Buffalo, but it doesn't feel that close with Donald Trump in the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMILTON: There is no friends, no more. The biggest thing in Canada is we have friends all over the world. How many friends does Americans have right now?

(END VIDEO CLIP) KING (voice over): The Trump effect on Canada's election cannot be overstated. You see more Canadian flags now. More of these signs too. Federal elections here are often defined by East versus West. Urban versus rural. English versus French. Liberal versus Conservative. But Trump versus Canada defines this one.

Just weeks ago, some of the flowers here at Lola Blooms came from the United States. Not anymore. Sisters-in-law Lindsay Smith and Kaitlynn Strain are buying elsewhere now. Their answer to Trump's threats of tariffs or making Canada the 51st state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDSAY SMITH, CANADIAN VOTER: It's more Donald Trump. I feel like he's a bully in this situation. We're supposed to be allies. We thought we're on like a friendship level.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): Some of the vases and other hardware still come from the states. But Smith and Strain are looking for alternatives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING (on camera): And when you hear him call your Prime Minister Governor or say that, you know, this would make a great 51st state, what's that make you think?

KAITLYNN STRAIN, CANADIAN VOTER: Very insulting.

SMITH: We need a strong leader who won't stand up for bullying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): They both traditionally support the Green Party but both are leaning Liberal this time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING (on camera): If the Liberals are going to win or the Conservatives are going to win, you want them to win by what? A healthy enough margin --

STRAIN: Exactly.

KING: -- so that they're viewed as a strong leader?

SMITH: Yes.

STRAIN: Yes, very much.

SMITH: You put your vote where it counts a little more in this situation.

KING: And is that just because of Donald Trump?

SMITH: Yes.

STRAIN: Yes. Unfortunately.

SMITH: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): Canadians see this as much bigger than who gets the most seats in parliament and gets to pick a prime minister. It's about spending more in the military. Buying local. Finding new markets and new partners. Dropping any thought the ruts with Trump can just be smoothed over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOBY GORMAN, CANADIAN VOTER: I put up a flag myself. I never thought I would put up a Canadian flag. But I think when it comes down to crunch time, Canadians really gather up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): Toby Gorman is an environmental journalist and author and a pickup hockey player in the Canadian Beer League. Passionate about the climate crisis but likely to pass on his top choice this election in hopes he can help Liberals win a big enough mandate to counter Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GORMAN: If it was any other election without the U.S. situation, without, you know, the crisis we had going on, I would probably go with green.

Just push it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): Gorman says he is hardly alone here in rethinking everything.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GORMAN: We're just sick of him, you know? And it's only been three months into the term and, you know, he's getting to an excess, he wants to crush us economically. I think, at first, it was kind of like losing your best friend or it's like, you know, what just happened, like, what's happening. But now, I think, we're at the point where it's like, well, we can move on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING (voice over): That's a big shift.

This election defined by the belief Canada and the United States are suddenly more rivals than neighbors. Suddenly no longer skating in the same direction. John King, CNN, Courtice, Ontario,

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:48:16]

DEAN: Tonight, the White House Correspondents' Association holds its annual dinner, and it's usually a fun, glitzy, glam atmosphere with a comedian and entertainment. This was last year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN JOST, COMEDIAN: That was hard hitting journalism you saw in The Owl. I didn't know you were going to show photos of me from high school. Yes, it's not really fair. You can't do it for President Biden because the technology wasn't invented when he was in high school. It's not really fair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Tonight, though, the dinner's going to be really different. You're looking at the red carpet there right now with our colleagues. You see Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown. Brown along with Tim Daly and Michael Chiklis from, you know, "The Commish." There is no comedian, though, hosting tonight. President Trump is not going to be there either. CNN Media Analyst Sara Fischer joining us now.

Sara, thanks so much for being here with us. I know you are stopping here on the show before you make your way to the dinner as well and to some of the other gatherings tonight. But help people understand the tone going into this White House Correspondents' dinner. And aside from the fact that, yes, it is very D.C.-centric, kind of what is the broader point about the relationship between Trump and the media that we're seeing play out tonight?

SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: Well, Jessica, as you know, it's very contentious, and it has been building up to this point for the past few months. You know, Donald Trump is in a legal battle with the AP. He's tried to, you know, dismantle USAGM, which is the government- funded international broadcast arm.

The White House has tried to, you know, secure more control over who gets access to Oval Office events, to the briefing room. So going into tonight, this is a contentious relationship.

[18:50:01]

But what makes it even more contentious is the fact that the President is not showing up. You know, typically, you have a comedian come. They roast the president. The president gets up, makes a few remarks in good measure. And it's a symbolism that even though sometimes relationships can be difficult, they can be, you know, agreeable when it matters for the big things like the First Amendment. The fact that the President's not there casts a somber tone. The fact that there is no comedian passes a very somber tone. And I think that tonight, you're going to see a lot of people out and about partying and celebrating being together as part of journalism. But you're not going to see as many White House officials as part of those celebrations like you have in years past.

DEAN: Yes, that's what has been striking kind of throughout the weekend, is you have seen fewer of the White House officials kind of in this swirl as well.

FISCHER: Yes, and also fewer celebrities.

DEAN: Yes.

FISCHER: I mean, you noted a few. But I've been to these dinners when Obama was the president. And even some of the Trump years, celebrities were not afraid of going near this topic of press freedom and of Washington. This is something now that they don't want to get involved in because that relationship is so contentious.

DEAN: And look, there was also like everything is politicized these days. That's kind of the world we live in right now and it was no different. There was a comedian scheduled to perform tonight. Then they canceled that. Now it's the more, as you're noting, kind of somber tone.

They're going to be highlighting some of the recipients of the scholarships that the White House Correspondents' Association puts together. What do you think all of that means as well? Just kind of the politicization of it all and the back and forth that we saw just with the comedian.

FISCHER: For a long time, Jessica, investment in the free press was not a political issue. I mean, outlets like PBS and NPR, which are publicly funded, every year got their funds appropriated by Congress because Republicans and Democrats knew that it mattered to their constituents. Same thing with these government funded broadcasters.

What's changed in the past few years is that, you know, having a relationship with the media, investing in the First Amendment, press freedom, press rights, that has become a political issue in a way that it never has in the past. And so, suddenly outlets that never thought that they'd have to fight for their right to exist or fight for access like the AP, you know, a decades old wire service that's long known for providing fair, accurate and nonpartisan news to, you know, millions around the world is now being cast as a political actor. This is a very, very different environment.

I do think, though, the fact that there's so many parties, Jessica, like I count every year how many events there are, there are so many more this year than last. Part of it is because you have this new era of independent journalists. But part of it is because people want to celebrate journalism at a time when journalism has never been more threatened. And that is what I think most people in the room tonight are most excited about. DEAN: And Sara, what have you been experiencing as you've been going around? What are the people talking about? What's kind of the topics of conversation? And is it different from years past because of all the things we've just discussed?

FISCHER: It is, but not for what you might think. What everyone's talking about right now is how difficult of an economic environment it is for this industry, in addition to some of that contention. So right now, Trump's tariffs, like they could have a very serious impact on the advertising market, which impacts every outlet that's going to be in that room tonight. So that's really the big, heavy hanging question, whether or not they're going to be in peril because of Trump's economic policies, in addition to some of these First Amendment policies.

I also think everyone wants to understand a little bit more about what the next step is from the Trump White House, because they've done a lot of incremental things to go after media companies. Everyone's sort of waiting for the next shoe to drop. And that, you know, gives a sense of tension throughout this entire industry right now.

DEAN: All right. Sara Fischer, thank you so much. Good to see you. We appreciate it.

FISCHER: See you later, thank you.

DEAN: Yep. Eva Longoria, back in the new CNN original series, "Searching for Spain." From rugged coastlines to sunset beaches, Eva looks at how the country is dominating the world's culinary scene and also explores the history of Spain's different regions. Her first stop, the region of Catalonia.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What a wonderful day to come to the capital of cava.

EVA LONGORIA, CNN HOST, "SEARCHING FOR SPAIN": I know I'm very excited. There's a lot of excitement happening.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today is the phylloxera party and I have here, because we dress yellow.

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LONGORIA (voice over): This region was originally famous for red wine, but in the late 1800s, the vineyards here were devastated by a yellow parasite called phylloxera.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Phylloxera is the nightmare of everybody winemaker because it attacks the roots and it was a - really disaster.

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LONGORIA (voice over): The diseased vines were grafted with hardier ones from America. And winemakers crafted a sparkling white, that was the start of a whole new industry.

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LONGORIA: That's the bug that just did it all.

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[18:55:00]

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DEAN: Be sure to tune in. It's the all-new CNN Original Series, "Eva Longoria Searching for Spain." It premieres tomorrow night at 9 Eastern and Pacific only here on CNN.

Her daughter is one of the world's most successful recording artists. And CNN now sits down with Tina Knowles, Beyonce's mother, as she chronicles her family's story in a new book. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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