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Eleven Killed at a Filipino Heritage Festival in Vancouver on the Eve of General Polls; Trump Meets Ukrainian President at the Vatican for a Ceasefire Talks; Kim Kardashian to Testify on the Grandpa Gang Trial; Liverpool Claims Premier League Champions, Shares Number of Championships with Manchester at 20. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired April 28, 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]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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, U.S. President Donald Trump appears to warm up to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, what their meeting at the Vatican could mean for a ceasefire in the war with Russia.

Canada is reeling after a car plows into a crowd attending a festival just as the country is getting ready to go to the polls.

And the trial for the alleged Grandpa Gang accused of robbing Kim Kardashian gets underway in Paris. A surprising controversy around the incident.

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

CHURCH: Good to have you with us.

Canada is grappling with what police are calling the darkest day in Vancouver's history, after at least 11 people were killed when a car plowed into a crowd at a festival celebrating Filipino heritage. The suspect identified as 30-year-old Kai-Ji Adam Lo has now been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Mark Carney attended a memorial for the victims, all this happening before Canadians head to the polls today in a federal election. CNN's Paula Newton has more details now from Ottawa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The details of this tragedy have been so hard to fathom for so many, not just in Vancouver but also in Canada and also in the Philippines. Police say that a suspect deliberately drove his SUV into a crowd of

people, killing 11. There range in ages from 5 to 65 and there are dozens that right now remain in hospital. I want you to hear now from the interim police chief of Vancouver.

STEVE RAI, VANCOUVER POLICE INTERIM CHIEF: This is the darkest day in our city's history. The actions of a single person shattered our collective sense of safety. It is impossible to overstate how many lives have been impacted forever by this lone individual.

NEWTON: He went on to say that everyone was really in a state of grief, anger and disbelief as they answered questions about the security.

Now this was a joyful festival. It was just wrapping up. Police said they had made all the security arrangements and there weren't many.

This actually took place on the grounds of a school and the SUV was actually approaching the crowds on an off street in that neighborhood.

They did say though, police, that this would be a watershed in terms of police operations in Vancouver going forward and important to remember in fact that Vancouver will be hosting events like the World Cup next year in 2026.

This is taking place as Canada is going through a national election campaign. Sunday was supposed to be the last day of official campaigning and instead throughout Canada it was so sobering to hear from those who had gone through this absolutely devastating tragedy. Listen.

UNKNOWN: From over there, from like the start right there, he just pushed the gas all the way through the whole block right there, crashing into like everyone in his way.

NEWTON: Now given the senseless nature of everything that happened, there were so many questions about motives, police made it clear that the suspect was known to them and that the suspect had had many interactions with them regarding a mental health crisis.

They would not give us any more details. But vigils continue to pop up throughout Vancouver as so many Canadians try and bring their solidarity and their grief in support of the Philippine community that has lost so much in this incident.

Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The polls in Canada's election are set to open in just a matter of hours. The key vote will determine which party will form the country's next government and who will lead Canada amid tense times with the U.S. The election involves six national parties, though the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party are the frontrunners in this race. Prime Minister Mark Carney is vying for a chance to continue leading the country. The former central banker took over after Justin Trudeau stepped down last month. He has not ruled out continued talks with U.S. President Trump, but has been moving to strengthen ties with more reliable allies.

[03:05:08]

Carney's main competition is Pierre Poilievre, Canada's Conservative Party leader, though his political capital has declined as relations between the U.S. and Canada took a hit and Poilievre appeared to distance himself from comparisons to Trump.

Semra Sevi is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto. Appreciate you joining us.

SEMRA SEVI, ASST. PROF., POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So Canada heads to the polls in just a few hours from now for federal elections. Before U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January, the Liberal Party wasn't doing so well, but now polls show the party led by Prime Minister Mark Carney could very well win this. So how much of this shift in support is due to Trump's tariff war with Canada and his threat to make it the 51st U.S. state?

SEVI: A lot of it. At the start of the year, it looked like the Conservatives were definitely going to win. But things have changed when Justin Trudeau resigned, Mark Carney quickly became popular, President Trump returned to the White House, and bringing in talks about taking over land and starting trade wars with Canada in particular.

Because of all of this, voters in Canada stopped becoming angry with the Liberals and started feeling more worried about safety and stability. Trump is viewed in Canada as a serious threat to national sovereignty and economic stability, far more than just a polarizing figure.

CHURCH: And U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that Donald Trump still thinks Canada would be better off as the 51st U.S. state. What's your response to that?

SEVI: Certainly, all of the parties and the leaders have said that that is never going to happen.

CHURCH: And what do the latest polling numbers show about the likely outcome of this election?

SEVI: So it does look like it's a tight race between the Liberals and the Conservatives. When Justin Trudeau stepped down as prime minister early in January, the party was polling around just over 20 percent. This is the lowest in the last several years.

But Mark Carney has become prime minister now and the leader of the Liberal Party. He's gained a lot of favorability.

And the Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, he was leading by 44 percent at just the beginning of January. And that is now closer to about 37 to about 39 percent. And the Liberals are closer to 41 percent.

So it does look like a tight race, possibly in the favor of the Liberal Party. And it is just a matter of figuring out whether it would be a minority or a majority government. But it is also possible that the Conservatives might still be able to gain a minority government later today.

CHURCH: Interesting. And what needs to happen with Trump's tariffs for Canada to avoid a recession? And how do the Liberals and indeed the Conservatives each propose to protect Canada's economy?

SEVI: Well, the one thing that has come out of all of this is that President Trump has unified Canadians in a way that no other leader in Canada has been able to do so. So many Canadians are now united by national pride, and they're pushing back against Trump's claim that Canada could become the 51st U.S. state.

The country is supporting Canadian products and culture with rallying, cry of elbows up, a hockey reference that you might be familiar with. So all of the leaders are saying something similar on that front. It's just a matter of voters deciding which one of those leaders are strong enough to stand up against President Trump.

CHURCH: And of course, you talk about how the Trump factor has united Canadians against Trump. And talk to us about whether you think the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Canada will ever be the same, given what's happened.

SEVI: It might not be the same, but I do think that all of the leaders are committed to making the relationship, improving the relationship moving forward.

CHURCH: Semra Sevi, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

SEVI: Thank you for having me.

[03:09:52]

CHURCH: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the coming week will be, quote, "very critical" in determining whether Washington can still broker peace between Russia and Ukraine before President Trump walks away in frustration. On Sunday, Mr. Trump said he feels Ukraine's leader is more interested in a peace deal after their sit down inside the Vatican. But he couldn't say for sure whether the Russian president was serious about ending the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: What is your message to Vladimir Putin after your meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and how did that meeting go?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I think the meeting went well. We'll see what happens over the next few days. We'll probably learn a lot.

I was very disappointed that missiles were flying by Russia, but that missiles were flying. Very disappointing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Russia says its foreign minister and Rubio discussed Ukraine in a phone call Sunday. It appears they spoke of preconditions to start negotiating a peace agreement. CNN's Betsy Klein has more now from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, today marks two full months since that contentious Oval Office showdown between President Trump, Vice President Vance and Ukraine's President Zelenskyy.

And it appears we are witnessing a significant messaging shift on Ukraine from President Trump in recent days. Compared to his tough talk for Ukraine in the past, parroting Kremlin talking points appearing to indicate that Ukraine was responsible for Russia's war.

The president met one-on-one with Zelenskyy for about 15 minutes while he was in Rome to attend the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday. And he posted on social media after that meeting, expressing concern that Russian President Vladimir Putin, quote, "may be just tapping me along to drag out negotiations, questioning whether Putin wants a peace deal." Listen to how Trump characterized that meeting.

TRUMP: He was very, you know, look, he wants to do something good for his country. Thinks he's doing a good job and he's working hard.

REPORTER: The last meeting you had was pretty rough. Do you sense a different attitude now?

TRUMP: I do. I see him as calmer.

I think he understands the picture. And I think he wants to make a deal. I don't know if he wanted to make a deal.

I think he wants to make a deal.

KLEIN: So a calmer Zelenskyy. President Trump indicated that Zelenskyy asked for additional weapons. He remained noncommittal on that. He also continued to voice frustration with Putin, saying he wants him to stop shooting, sit down and sign a deal.

He said, I want him to sign a deal and be done with it.

Of course, the president views himself as a dealmaker. He campaigned on ending this Russia-Ukraine conflict on day one, and he is approaching his hundredth day in office.

Of course, so much frustration that a deal to end this war has been so elusive. The president's secretary of state, Marco Rubio, making clear that this is going to be a critical week ahead for these talks and, of course, some new hope and optimism that a diplomatic solution could be possible.

Betsy Klein, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: President Trump has threatened Russia with new sanctions, but the Secretary of State explains why there has been no action yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The minute you start doing that kind of stuff, you're walking away from it. You've now doomed yourself to another two years of war. We don't want to see it happen.

I think what's important and really weighs is there is no other country, there is no other institution or organization on the earth that can bring these two sides together. No one else is talking to both sides but us. And no one else in the world can make something like this happen but the President.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: In the meantime, a U.S. peace plan includes American recognition of Russia's control over Crimea. But now Germany is warning that ceding a large amount of Ukrainian land under a peace proposal would be a capitulation.

Oleksiy Goncharenko joins us now. He is a member of the Ukrainian parliament. Thank you, sir, for talking with us.

So how would you describe where negotiations stand right now for an end to the war in Ukraine given what we saw over the weekend with that critical meeting inside the Vatican between the U.S. and Ukrainian Presidents? And how is all this playing out in Kyiv right now?

OLEKSIY GONCHARENKO, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: I think from one point of view, we're at the same point where the negotiations started. At another point of view, we're just one step before a final solution. But that's the same thing, it's Russians.

Russia doesn't want to have peace. Putin doesn't want to have peace. And President Trump was clear in his last statement that Putin is trying just to play games.

[03:15:01]

And now that's the moment to put pressure on Putin, serious pressure. I liked very much the last statement of President Trump from the point of view that he mentioned sanctions, serious sanctions, secondary sanctions against the countries which are buying Russian oil, banking sanctions.

United States have enough leverages to make Putin to go to the negotiation table and make a deal. The only question is just to use this leverage. CHURCH: And I do want to talk about those sanctions in just a moment.

But before that, you know, we know that before the Vatican meeting between President Trump and President Zelenskyy, the U.S. president said America would recognize Russia's control of Crimea and would make that part of the proposed peace deal. What's your reaction to that? And do you think it could possibly change?

GONCHARENKO: First of all, I've never heard from President Trump exactly this. I've heard -- I've seen a lot of leaks and I heard a lot of talking about Crimea. Me, personally, I think that will be not the best thing to do.

And that will be a big problem for international law for future. But I can't influence what United States will do or will not do. I can say that Ukraine will never recognize any inch of our territory to be Russian.

And what to do to United States, its American president, to decide. But I think it's very important not to encourage other countries in the world to try to change the borders by force, because that will start, that will open Pandora box and that can start massive massacres throughout the world.

CHURCH: So if Crimea being recognized by the Americans as being under the control of Russia remains in that peace proposal, would President Zelenskyy still sign on to that?

GONCHARENKO: I'm not President Zelenskyy. I can tell you that it's not in the hands of Ukraine. That's what I see.

We need peace. We need really peace as soon as possible. And once again, Ukraine will never, what depends on us.

I'm sure that Ukraine will never recognize any inch of our territory to be Russian, even if after hostilities -- end of hostilities, Russia will continue to control part of our territories, which is very possible if we are moving to freezing of the conflict.

But what United States will do, it's up to United States. And we can't influence the decisions of the United States.

CHURCH: President Trump is now saying what many Ukrainians and Europeans had tried to tell him earlier, that Vladimir Putin was tapping him along his words, and now Trump is threatening more sanctions. But why do you think Trump has not yet applied additional sanctions to pressure Russia to end its war in Ukraine?

We heard from Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State. He says it's because if you start applying those sanctions now, then that will just extend the war. Do you agree with that?

GONCHARENKO: I think that Trump tries to speak with Russians and Russians are really playing games, you know, showing some willingness, but given all this, but the conditions and everything else.

But I think that now we are in the moment when Russians, either Russians will agree to complete ceasefire, for example, next week, this week, it will be better, or if not, really serious sanctions should be imposed against Russia. That's the moment. I don't see any other possibility to prolong, because Russia is really playing games.

Ukraine is ready for unconditional ceasefire right now. And if Russia really wants any kind of peace, they should agree, too.

If not, that's the time. That's the moment to put real pressure on them and to impose very serious sanctions, which are in the hands of the United States of America.

CHURCH: Oleksiy Goncharenko, thank you so much for joining us and talking with us. I appreciate it.

GONCHARENKO: Thank you.

CHURCH: Still to come, Israel bombs a neighborhood in southern Beirut, sending plumes of dark smoke into the air. Details on that airstrike next.

And desperate for food. Coming up, why the U.N. says people in Gaza are slowly dying under a total blockade by Israel.

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[03:20:00]

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CHURCH: This just in from Yemen, where Houthi rebels claim a U.S. airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants, killing and wounding some of the 100 inmates held there.

The U.S. military had no immediate comment, but released a statement prior to the alleged strike defending its policy of withholding specific details of its extensive airstrike campaign in Yemen, otherwise known as Operation Rough Rider. The American military did acknowledge striking more than 800 targets as part of this month-long campaign.

Well tensions in the Middle East are high as Israel intensifies attacks across Gaza and bombs the capital of Lebanon. An airstrike rocked southern Beirut on Sunday, soon after the IDF issued an evacuation warning for the area. Israel claims they targeted a Hezbollah facility which stored precision missiles. Hezbollah has not yet commented on the incident.

[03:25:09]

The Lebanese civil defense says it extinguished fires caused by the strike and no injuries were reported. Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect in November, the IDF has carried out a number of strikes targeting southern Lebanon.

In Gaza, the death toll has crossed 52,000 after more than 18 months of the Israel-Hamas war. That is according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which does not differentiate between civilians and militants. Gaza officials say the number includes more than 16,000 children and 12,000 women.

And the U.N. is warning that Palestinians in the enclave are, quote, slowly dying from a lack of food supplies due to Israel's total blockade of aid. Israel has previously denied that Gaza is facing a hunger crisis.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now live from Abu Dhabi. Good to see you, Paula. So what more can you tell us about the humanitarian situation in Gaza?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, it has been almost two months since any humanitarian aid whatsoever got inside Gaza. This is a humanitarian aid blockade that Israel put in place on March 2nd. They said that they were trying to pressure Hamas into agreeing to a ceasefire proposal that the U.S. had put forward and Israel had agreed to.

Now we know there has been no food, no water, no medicine, medical supplies or fuel for those hospitals since March the 2nd. And we are hearing repeated warnings from U.N. agencies and from others inside the Gaza Strip talking about just how desperate the situation has become.

We heard from one of the U.N. agencies, OCHA, the head in Gaza, and this is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN WHITTALL, GAZA HEAD OF OFFICE, U.N. OCHA: Coming days in Gaza are going to be critical. Today, people are not surviving in Gaza. Those that aren't being killed with bombs and bullets are being -- are slowly dying.

People here are being suffocated. What we see around us is endless suffering under a total and complete blockade, a total closure that's now lasted for almost two months. Well, airstrikes, ground operations are intensifying and displacement orders that are pushing people out of their homes are increasing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: And aid workers that I've spoken to on the ground in Gaza say that even two months ago when this aid blockade was put in place, the situation had been dire.

There was two months where there was a ceasefire in place, where hundreds of aid trucks were able to get into Gaza itself. But they were unable to replenish what had been taken over the 15 months before that.

So this is an ongoing crisis we are seeing in Gaza. And even more increasing is the alarm in the warnings from these humanitarian aid groups at just how desperate the situation is. We did hear from the U.S. President Donald Trump late last week on his

way to Italy. And he said he had spoken to the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and he had said that we have got to be good to Gaza. There's a big need for medicine and food. We're taking care of it.

Now, that doesn't appear to be the case at this point. Certainly, the Israeli Prime Minister not feeling under pressure to lift that blockade as far as we can tell.

CHURCH: And Paula, the Houthis in Yemen are claiming a U.S. airstrike has hit a prison. What more can you tell us about that?

HANCOCKS: So according to the Houthis themselves, this happened in Sadr governorate, which is in the north of the country. It's a stronghold for the rebels. And they claim that U.S. airstrikes, which had been targeting the Houthis, actually hit a prison, which was housing African migrants.

Now, we have seen some very graphic footage on state T.V. on Al- Masarah, which is showing what appears to be a number of bodies and wounded in a destroyed area. Now, we don't have confirmation or denial at this point from the U.S. side. We did hear just prior to this claim from the Houthis from central command itself saying, quote, "to preserve operational security, we have intentionally limited disclosing details of our ongoing or future operations. We are very deliberate in our operational approach, but will not reveal specifics about what we've done or what we will do."

[03:30:05]

So at this point, we don't have a response from the U.S. side. We certainly have reached out to see if there is any truth to this claim by the Houthis. But certainly graphic footage does show that something did take place in this area.

We've heard from the U.S. separately, the military saying that they've had about 800 individual strikes in this month-long campaign against the rebels, trying to stop them targeting ships and cargo in the Red Sea itself. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Paula Hancocks joining us live from Abu Dhabi with that report. I appreciate it.

And when we return, the latest on Donald Trump's trade war and conflicting messages coming from the U.S. and China.

Plus, President Trump is closing in on his 100th day back in office, but his approval numbers may not be worth celebrating. We'll have more on that.

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[03:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church. Let's check today's top stories.

President Trump now says he feels Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy is more interested in a peace deal. That's after they sat down inside the Vatican for talks on Saturday, just before the funeral for Pope Francis. But Trump says he's not sure whether the Russian president is serious about ending the war.

The polls will begin to open across Canada in the hours ahead for an election that will determine who will form the next government. Prime Minister Mark Carney of the Liberal Party believes he would be best to steer the country through the turmoil triggered by Donald Trump's tariffs. His main competition is Pierre Poilievre of Canada's Conservative Party.

Dozens are dead and more than 1000 injured in southern Iran after a suspected chemical blast at the country's biggest port on Saturday. Authorities have not announced what caused the explosion, but no senior figure has suggested it was an attack.

President Trump's ongoing trade war is raising fears of a global recession, but he is sticking by his aggressive tariff policies. Here's what he told reporters on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're going to be taking a tremendous amount of money, we're going to be taking a lot of jobs, a lot of plants and factories we're already coming, I mean you see it. And we're going to make a lot of money and we'll going to cut taxes to the people of this country and take a little while before we do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: So let's take a look at where financial markets stand as we begin a new week. First to U.S. futures the Dow is down 0.20 percent, a similar drop for S&P 500 and NASDAQ down 0.25 percentage point.

And to the Asia-Pacific region, Nikkei is up 0.38 percent, Hang Seng also up but only slightly and Shanghai down 0.2 percent.

There is mounting confusion on whether trade talks between the U.S. and China are actually happening. As CNN's Kristie Lu Stout reports, both countries are sending conflicting messages.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is de-facto trade war confusion with the U.S. President Donald Trump saying that high-level talks with China are indeed underway, and then China saying no, that's not true, that's not happening at all.

And then adding to this confusion, new comments from the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent spoke to ABC on Sunday. He did not back Donald Trump's claim. He said that he wasn't sure whether the U.S. president was talking to the Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Watch this.

SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: I don't know if President Trump has spoken with President Xi. I know they have a very good relationship and a lot of respect for each other. But again, I think that the Chinese will see that this high tariff level is unsustainable for their business.

MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC NEWS REPORTER AND ANCHOR: Why would they deny that the negotiations are going on?

BESSENT: Well, I think they're playing to a different audience.

LU STOUT: On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump told "Time" magazine that he was indeed talking with China and that Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, had called him. This is what Donald Trump said about Xi Jinping.

He said this, quote, "he's called and I don't think that's a sign of weakness on his behalf," unquote. China has shot back repeatedly saying no such talks are underway.

[03:39:45]

In fact, over the weekend, we heard from the spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in the United States who took to social media, posted this on X, this from Liu Pengyu writing, quote, "there have been no consultations or negotiations between China and the U.S. on the issue of tariffs, let alone any agreement being reached. If the U.S. generally seeks to resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiation, it must correct mistakes, abandon coercive tactics and remove all unilateral tariff measures against China," unquote.

Now, while there is this ongoing confusion about whether talks between the U.S. and China are underway, there are signs of de-escalation between these major economic rivals and powers. As reported by CNN, import agencies tell CNN that China is rolling back retaliatory tariffs on some U.S.-made semiconductors. And on top of that, the American Chamber of Commerce in China is reporting that some U.S.-made pharmaceutical products are indeed entering the Chinese market tariff- free.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And this coming to us just moments ago, Beijing has denied that any recent call has taken place between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Trump.

President Trump is meantime watching his poll numbers tumble as he closes in on his 100th day back in office Tuesday. A new CNN poll out Sunday shows his approval rating dropping to just 41 percent. That is the lowest for any newly elected president at the 100 day mark in at least seven decades.

And it's not just his overall approval numbers that are on the decline. Approval of the president's handling of the economy now sits at 39 percent, a career low for Mr. Trump. Well, earlier, CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein shared his

thoughts with me on the potential political fallout around Mr. Trump's performance with voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: President Trump is not the first president who took a pretty modest victory and inflated it in his head into a mandate for doing pretty much everything he ever wanted to do. But he has certainly taken that tendency to the max.

I mean, you know, he was a plurality winner. He did not win the popular vote. He was only the third person ever to run three times and never win a majority of the popular vote.

And he has taken that as license to fundamentally retrench the federal government, slashing programs, reorient America's role in the world and use federal power in unprecedented ways to target his enemies. And if you look up and down the CNN poll that came out this weekend, the "New York Times," CNN poll, the "Washington Post" poll, CBS, even Fox, they all send the same message. The majority of Americans are saying this is not what we signed up for.

We hired you to do two jobs, get control of the border and above all, get control of inflation. And I think the answer to your question is if he stays on the trajectory that he's on and if his approval rating stays as low as it is now, no guarantee of that. But if it does, it will be a very difficult election in 2026 for Republicans because the president's approval rating has become the single most important factor in shaping how the midterms sort out.

CHURCH: And of course, Donald Trump took power in January after promising to bring down prices. But his tariff policies have done the exact opposite, with many Americans watching their life savings dwindle and now many fearing the possibility of a recession. So how does Trump back off his tariff turmoil without losing face? Or could he perhaps choose to double down despite his historically low approval ratings?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, first of all, it's important to understand that he was in trouble on the economy even before he announced the tariffs. You know, if you look back, I wrote a piece in early March noting that his economic approval rating at that point before the tariffs was already weaker than at any point in his first term in most polls.

And in fact, rarely, Rosemary, if ever, did his share of Americans who say they disapproved of his management of the economy exceed 50 percent at any point in his first term, even in the depths of the pandemic.

Now, CNN poll today, the "Washington Post," ABC poll, over 60 percent disapproved of his handling of the economy.

Initially, I think that was mostly because people thought he was sliding the problem of inflation and focusing more on other matters that were somewhat peripheral to them, like, you know, taking over Greenland or the Panama Canal or Gaza.

But post tariffs, I think he has moved into a second level of difficulty, which is that people don't think so much that he's sliding the problem as that he is compounding the problem. And there's an overwhelming consensus in polls that Americans believe his tariffs are going to make the costs of their day to day necessities go up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Still to come, it is the first day of the Paris trial for members of the so-called Grandpa Gang accused of robbing reality star Kim Kardashian. We'll have details after the break.

[03:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back.

In a 2020 interview, Kim Kardashian publicly reflected on the moment she feared for her life when she was robbed at gunpoint in a Paris apartment. As the long awaited trial begins in Paris, her words underscore the

lasting impact of the ordeal. CNN's Saskya Vandoorne has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIM KARDASHIAN, AMERICAN SOCIALITE: Because I didn't know who he was and I'm like, what is happening? Are we going to die? Just tell them I have children like I have babies. I have a husband. I have a family like I have to get home.

[03:50:08]

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN SR. PRODUCER (voice-over): She built an empire on fame and luxury. But one night in Paris left scars that lasted years.

Now, nearly nine years later, Kim Kardashian will soon face the men accused of tying her up and robbing her at gunpoint.

Disguised as police, they allegedly made off with about $10 million in cash and jewels. The men, most over 60, now nicknamed the Grandpa Gang. Three of them escaped on bicycles.

Kardashian spoke about the violence on "Keeping Up With The Kardashians."

KARDASHIAN: Then he duct taped my face, I think like my mouth to get me to like not yell or anything. And then he like grabs my legs and I wasn't, you know, I had no clothes on under.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): But not everyone felt sorry for Kardashian.

KARL LAGERFIELD, FASHION DESIGNER: You cannot display your wealth and then be surprised that some people want to share it with you. VIRGINIE MOUZAT, "LE FIGARO" JOURNALIST: There's just one expression

that comes to my mind, fame fatal.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): Journalist Patricia Tourancheau wrote of the robbery in her book.

PATRICIA TOURANCHEAU, JOURNALIST (through translator): In France, it's still very badly perceived when people flaunt their wealth so much. And what was heavily criticized, for example, is Kim Kardashian's selfie. So they knew she had jewelry on her, but she's showing off and her way of exhibiting her wealth in France is quite insufferable.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): That selfie now entered into evidence. According to court documents, the thieves tracked Kardashian's social media and knew exactly when and where to strike.

In a strange twist, one of them, Yunice Abbas, has since turned the heist into a publicity tour. Now 70, he wrote a memoir titled "I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian" and promoted it on French television.

GABRIEL DUMENLI, ABBAS LAWYER, Y.L. AVOCATS: Since his arrest and his imprisonment, he read such nonsense about the case, such a violation of privacy that he felt that he had to speak his truth.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): Abbas has downplayed the crime, and some in the French media have portrayed him more as a cheeky antihero than a criminal. He's pleaded guilty to armed robbery but denies kidnapping.

YUNICE ABBAS, ALLEGED MEMBER OF THE GRANDPA GANG (through translator): I'm very happy for her. I asked her to forgive me. If she can't, too bad, I'll live with that.

VANDOORNE: After years of delays, partly because of big cases like the attacks, the trial will open here on Monday, 10 suspects are facing charges of kidnapping, armed robbery and more. They're not in custody though because of detention limits, and many are in poor health. Most say that they will plead not guilty, but if convicted, some of them could face up to 30 years behind bars.

Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.

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CHURCH: And we'll be right back.

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[03:55:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Liverpool have clinched the Premier League title in convincing fashion. They will be crowned champions for a record-equaling 20th time. CNN "World Sports" Don Riddell has the story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: It was a party that has been at least five years in the making. Liverpool are celebrating the Premier League title after a decisive home win at Anfield, meaning that they have clinched the title with a full month to spare.

There is no place like home for Liverpool and their passionate supporters. Sunday's home game against Tottenham felt like a celebration even well before kick-off. All the Reds needed from this game was a draw, but they got so much more than that, coming from behind against Spurs and just pouring in the goals all afternoon in a day that will live long in the memory.

At the start of the season, the new manager Arne Slot took over from the legendary Jurgen Klopp. At that point, expectations were modest, but as Liverpool found their rhythm, they began to dominate the campaign and with four games to spare, they're now an unassailable 15 points clear.

Five years ago, they won the Premier League in an empty stadium as COVID kept the fans away. This time, the place was packed to the rafters to cheer an emphatic 5-1 win and the celebrations were absolutely epic.

ARNE SLOT, LIVERPOOL MANAGER: I think that's what makes it special. Three or four years ago, they won the league as well. Amazing accomplishments, but the fans weren't there so you could feel how important it was for them to be here. You could feel it before the game, you could feel during the game and the boys did an outstanding job today, including our fans.

MO SALAH, LIVERPOOL FORWARD: It's incredible feeling to win the Premier League here with Liverpool, with the fans, it's incredible.

VIRGIL VAN DIJK, LIVERPOOL CAPTAIN: It's special, it's something that we don't take for granted. It's amazing, it's amazing what today was. Obviously, a lot of emotions before the game, during the whole week. We got the job done and we truly deserve champions of England.

RIDDELL: What a day. So, Liverpool are now English champions for the 20th time, which ties them with Manchester United, but if you speak to any Liverpool fans today, they will tell you that they're the best team in England because they've won far more European titles. Back to you.

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CHURCH: And thanks so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day.

"Amanpour" is next, then stay tuned for "Early Start" with Rahel Solomon starting at 5 a.m. in New York, 10 a.m. in London.

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