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Israel Issues Warnings to Houthi Rebels and Iran; Trump Faces Tough Questions in a NBC News Interview; Brazilian Officials Foiled a Bomb Attack at Lady Gaga's Concert; CNN Gains Access to the Controversial Dalai Lama Succession Rites. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired May 05, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You're watching "CNN Newsroom" and I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, Israel issues a warning to Iran and Yemen's Houthi rebels after Tel Aviv's airport is targeted.

From concerns about sweeping tariffs to questions about upholding the U.S. Constitution, Donald Trump's revealing answers.

And police in Brazil say they foiled a bomb attack at Lady Gaga's concert, who they say attackers were targeting.

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

CHURCH: I appreciate you joining us.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is issuing new warnings to Yemen's Houthi rebels and to Iran. They follow Sunday's Houthi missile strike near Israel's Ben Gurion airport. No one was injured, but it's causing concern because most of what's fired at Israel is intercepted.

Speaking on Sunday, Mr. Netanyahu said Israel will strike back against the Houthis and their backers in Iran. The Houthis are also issuing a warning to the rest of the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YAHYA SAREA, HOUTHI SPOKESPERSON (through translator): The Yemeni armed forces renew their warning to all international airlines against continuing their flights to Ben Gurion airport, as it has become unsafe for air traffic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Ben Gurion airport is operating normally now, but a number of airlines have rescheduled or cancelled flights there. And some news just coming into CNN. Israel's security cabinet has

voted to expand military operations in Gaza and to establish a new airspace in the Gaza Strip.

A new framework for the delivery of aid is according to two Israeli officials. The Israeli army released this video on Sunday.

Army officials say it shows Israeli troops in Rafah. The video's date and location have not been independently verified.

Israel's public broadcaster reported earlier that the plan includes evacuating Palestinian civilians from northern and central Gaza ahead of operations in those areas. Israel says it's ordering tens of thousands of reservists to report for duty in the coming days. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, however, warns that any escalation will put the hostages in immediate danger.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now live from Abu Dhabi. So, Paula, what is the latest on Israel's expansion of military operations in Gaza?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, according to two Israeli officials, they have confirmed that at that security cabinet meeting on Sunday, it was unanimously approved that they would expand operations.

It is based on a plan that had been given out by the IDF chief of staff. And he had said that he wanted to intensify and expand the operations. And this is what it is based upon just after tens of thousands of reservists are planning to be called up in the coming days, according to the IDF as well.

So this plan itself, we understand that the boundaries are slightly different because they are talking now about the conquest of territory, the Israeli military, and also holding on to that territory as opposed to ongoing raids within Gaza itself.

Now, they're also talking within this plan, according to these officials, about moving the Palestinian population south to the south of Gaza so that they can focus on Hamas in the north. This is effectively what they did in the past as well, moving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians on a number of different occasions.

There's also a plan to deny Hamas' ability to distribute humanitarian aid. So within this, there has been a discussion in this cabinet meeting about the humanitarian aid, which they have stopped for the past two months. There has been no food, no water, no medical supplies getting into Gaza, which has led to increasingly desperate warnings from humanitarian aid groups and the United Nations.

But this was discussed in the meeting and agreed that there would be a new framework for the distribution of aid. But crucially, there wasn't an agreement to start that distribution anytime soon.

[03:05:02]

Now, we also understand from public broadcaster Kan in Israel that there was a confrontation within this cabinet meeting as well, that two far-right ministers opposed any humanitarian aid being allowed into Gaza. But the IDF chief of staff said that Israel is obligated under international law to carry this out.

Now, there have been some international officials also saying that Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war, which is a war crime, something that Israel denies. But certainly, there are increasingly desperate calls for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza. Rosemary?

CHURCH: And Paula, what more are you learning about the missile strike that paused operations at Ben Gurion airport? And what's Israel's likely response?

HANCOCKS: Well, this has certainly raised concerns within Israel that it has been unable to intercept this missile. Now, the Houthis claim it was a hypersonic ballistic missile.

We cannot confirm that. And certainly, that will be what Israeli officials are looking very closely at this point. They say, according to the Israeli military, that there were a number of attempts to intercept this missile, but they were unable to.

Now, it did hit close to the airport. As you said earlier, we do know that some airlines are already suspending their flights in and out of Tel Aviv, at least until Tuesday at this point. The Houthis have said that they will continue to target the airport and that airlines should plan accordingly.

We've heard from the Israeli side, from the prime minister, saying that they will increase their targeting of Houthi rebels. They are also holding Iran responsible, saying that at a time and date of their planning, there will be a response to Tehran. Iran is the funder and the entity that equips the Houthi rebels with the missiles and the ability to be able to strike Israel.

But this does appear to be the first time that the Houthis were able to target Israel in this fashion. The fact that the Israeli military was unable to intercept this missile, and that will be really the crux of what the Israeli military will be looking at this point, to make sure that if, when there are future attempts to hit the airport, which the Houthis said they will carry out, that they are able to intercept in the future. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Alright. Paula Hancocks, joining us live from Abu Dhabi. Many thanks for that report. I appreciate it.

Well many Americans are worried about the impact of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs. As a new week begins, U.S. futures are in the red with the current course of the economy causing pessimism. We'll see what happens in a few hours from now when markets open.

Just a short time ago, the President spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One. And despite how markets have been doing, he remained confident of making good trade deals. And in an NBC News interview, the President was upbeat that his economic policies would pay off. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN WELKER, "MEET THE PRESS" MODERATOR AND NBC NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You're not taking the possibility that these tariffs could be permitted off the table, some of them.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I wouldn't do that because if somebody thought they were going to come off the table, why would they build in the United States?

WELKER: Let me ask you about some of what Wall Street has said. Some people on Wall Street have expressed concerns that the possibility of a recession is increasing. And I want to know what you think about that. Are you comfortable with the country potentially dipping into a recession for a period of time if you are able to achieve your long- term goals?

TRUMP: Well, you know, you say some people on Wall Street say, well, I have to tell you something else. Some people on Wall Street say that we're going to have the greatest economy in history. Why don't you talk about them? Because some people on Wall Street say this is the greatest economy ever.

WELKER: That's what I'm getting at. That's what I'm getting at, though. It's the same question.

TRUMP: There are many people on Wall Street say this is going to be the greatest windfall ever happened.

WELKER: And that's my question. Long term. Is it okay in the short term to have a recession?

TRUMP: Look, yes, everything's okay. What we are, I said, this is a transition period. I think we're going to do fantastically.

WELKER: Are you worried about a recession?

TRUMP: No.

WELKER: Okay.

TRUMP: No, I think we're going to have the greatest economy.

WELKER: I mean, are you worried it could happen? Do you think it could happen?

TRUMP: Anything can happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: President Trump also said he doesn't know if he has to uphold the U.S. Constitution while speaking on the right to due process for people living in the U.S. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WELKER: Your Secretary of State says everyone who's here, citizens and non-citizens, deserve due process. Do you agree, Mr. President?

TRUMP: I don't know, I'm not a lawyer. I don't know.

WELKER: Well, the Fifth Amendment says.

TRUMP: I don't know. It seems it might say that. But if you're talking about that, then we'd have to have a million or two million or three million trials.

[03:10:06]

WELKER: But even given those numbers that you're talking about, don't you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as President?

TRUMP: I don't know. I have to respond by saying again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said. What you said is not what I heard the Supreme Court said. They have a different interpretation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: When Mr. Trump was asked about the possibility and constitutionality of a third term as president, here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WELKER: Are you seriously considering a third term, Mr. President, even though it's prohibited by the Constitution? Or is this about staying politically viable?

TRUMP: I will say this. So many people want me to do it. I have never had requests so strong as that.

But it's something that, to the best of my knowledge, you're not allowed to do. I don't know if that's constitutional, that they're not allowing you to do it or anything else. But there are many people selling the 2028 hat.

But this is not something I'm looking to do. I'm looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican, a great Republican, to carry it forward. But I think we're going to have four years.

And I think four years is plenty of time to do something really spectacular.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Earlier, I spoke with Michael Genovese, the president of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University. And I asked him about President Trump's response on deportations and upholding the Constitution. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MICHAEL GENOVESE, PRESIDENT, GLOBAL POLICY INSTITUTE-LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY: It was a jaw-dropping few days because of the way he was mumbling and fumbling about easy questions. He was asked a few days ago by ABC if the Declaration of Independence, which is on the wall of the Oval Office, what it means to him. And Donald Trump's fumbled and mumbled and finally said, it means it's a declaration.

Then he said, it's a declaration of love. Well, it's a declaration of war. We declared war and separation from Great Britain.

And so it's a declaration of war. He didn't know that.

Then Sunday morning on one of the interviews shows, he was asked the question that you referred to. Do you have to follow the Constitution? And his answer was, I don't know.

Well, he just a few weeks ago took an oath of office that required him to swear that he would uphold the Constitution.

And he was also asked about due process. Must you have due process for the people you're detaining and sending to El Salvador? And he said, I don't know. This is not rocket science.

He knows the answer. He should know the answer to this.

And it's really sort of embarrassing that he did not. And he's trying to squirm around it. He knows the answer.

And the answer is you have to uphold the Constitution, period, end of sentence.

CHURCH: In the meantime, President Trump is dismissing concerns that his trade and tariff policies could lead to a recession, saying, quote, everything's OK. But conceding it could mean higher prices in the short term and perhaps a short-lived recession. What would be the political consequences of such an outcome?

GENOVESE: Well, you know, the captain of the Titanic told us not to worry. If he pursues more aggressive side of his tariffs, the United States will face a lot of global opposition.

There's already a lot of global opposition to Trump in Canada, for example. They just had a national election in which the Liberal candidate, who was way behind, ran against Donald Trump and won.

In Australia, the Liberal candidate, way behind, ran against Donald Trump and won. In Mexico, President of Mexico is staking her claim against Donald Trump. Her popularity shoots up.

So the U.S. brand is tarnished, and Donald Trump keeps tarnishing it. We went from global leader to pariah in weeks, and that has consequences. As a measure of our place and our status, we are declining in the eyes of the world, and we need to recover that because it has tremendous implications from everything from tourism to trade.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Our thanks to Michael Genovese, President of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University.

Well a night of long-awaited joy for Lady Gaga fans almost turned into a living nightmare. Just ahead, how authorities say they foiled a bomb plot targeting Gaga's massive concert. We'll have details after the break.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Jury selection begins today in the federal trial of music mogul Sean Diddy Combs. He has pleaded not guilty to five charges that include racketeering, conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, Combs could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Among the witnesses we're expecting to hear from is Combs' ex- girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. CNN first reported on video that shows Combs assaulting Ventura in 2016, which one expert says will be key to this trial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: The video is also something that the lawyers are thinking about going into jury selection. There will be jury questionnaires and the jurors, the individual prospective jurors, will be questioned about things like intimate partner violence, whether or not they have been a victim of it or someone they know has.

So all of that is going to be incredibly important to the case. And Cassie's testimony is really going to be key for the prosecution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: In Brazil on Sunday, police in Rio de Janeiro revealed that Lady Gaga's long-awaited return on Saturday was almost marked by tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FELIPE CURI, POLICE SECRETARY (through translator): Since Monday, our police and intelligence received information that there would be a plan in these digital platforms to commit a bomb attack with homemade explosive artifacts and Molotov cocktails, which would be used during the show of singer Lady Gaga on May 3rd, mainly targeting the LGBTQIA- plus public.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Fifteen search and seizure warrants were served across Brazil in what police dubbed Operation Fake Monster, a play on little monsters, the name given to Gaga fans.

[03:20:09]

One of those searched was a man who allegedly planned a satanic ritual killing of a child or baby during the concert. He has been charged with terrorism and inducing crime. A spokesperson for Lady Gaga told CNN that there were quote, "no known safety concerns prior to the pop icon's show," adding that they had learned about the alleged threat through media reports.

Well former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe spoke with our Jessica Dean earlier and gave his assessment of how the Brazilian authorities handled the incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SR. LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Let's think first, Jessica, about how hard it is to secure a special event like this. Over two million people on a beach, free concert, which simply indicates that access to the event was not controlled in the way it would normally be at a concert where people have to present tickets. So there's really no realistic way of screening everyone that goes into that crowd.

So you have a very potentially volatile situation in your hands. That is why it's so important for law enforcement trying to protect these large outdoor events to engage in what certainly happened here, which is intelligence collection before the event on social media, looking for exactly what they found here, the sorts of conversations between people in specific forums, maybe on the dark web and places like Discord, 4chan, 8chan, all those other platforms where we know that extremists go to interact with each other, to plan violent acts sometimes, to recruit others to those sorts of plans.

So it's, Yes, really a heads up, kind of lean forward approach by the authorities down there to collect information about this plot beforehand so that they can take care of it before the concert.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: Do you expect that we'll, I mean, obviously, any big event is hard to secure, as you noted, for all the reasons you noted. But do you expect that we'll continue to see this type of thing? Or it's always clearly a challenge to make sure you're protecting everyone.

MCCABE: No question. This is not the last time we'll have this conversation.

You know, these events are just such ripe targets for people who want to cause this kind of violence or mischief, whether they are terrorists and ideologically driven extremists, or they're just sadistic people on the internet, which, you know, are trying to pull a group together just to see if they can pull this off to gain the notoriety that will come from it. These events are intrinsically tough to secure, they attract massive

crowds that you have a very hard time controlling what people can bring into or near the event. And so they are what we call a soft target.

So they will remain a top, kind of, destination, kind of, target for extremist groups. As long as we keep convening in this way, which I hope that we do, we just need to get better and better and better about collecting intelligence and using it to protect people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And that was CNN senior law enforcement analyst Andrew McCabe speaking with CNN's Jessica Dean.

A Guatemalan migrant is facing the threat of deportation just days after giving birth in the United States. Her attorney says she was detained last week after walking in the Arizona desert alone while eight months pregnant. Two days after that, she gave birth.

The woman is seeking asylum and is awaiting a hearing with an immigration judge. CNN's Julia Vargas Jones has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erika, who you're only identifying by her first name, was initially set for an expedited removal, a fast-track deportation process with no hearing and no access to an attorney. But after several days of legal uncertainty, immigration authorities reversed their course. Her attorney says that federal agents eventually issued her a notice to appear, meaning she now has the chance to present her asylum case in front of a judge.

He also says he wasn't allowed to speak with her while she was in the hospital or even filed the paperwork to formally represent her, raising some serious questions of due process.

LUIS CAMPOS, ERIKA'S IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: At the very beginning, there was no regard for due process and there was no intention of affording her due process rights. The very issue that I was denied access to her, that's not a denial of my rights, it's a denial of her rights.

And so that was a signal in terms of how the government was going to handle this case. And this whole discussion as to whether she would be subject to expedited removal, which again, that was communicated earlier, also suggests they were willing to dispense with her due process rights.

VARGAS JONES: Campos says agents could have made a different decision from the start, releasing Erika, issuing a notice to appear, and letting her navigate the legal process while free with her newborn.

[03:25:03]

He says if that humane approach had been taken from the beginning, none of this would have happened. Erika's next step is now a credible fear interview, where she'll argue that returning to Guatemala would put both her and her U.S.-born child in danger. It'll be up to a judge to decide if she gets to stay in the United States.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: A major staffing shortage is causing historic delays at one of the busiest airports in the United States. Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey has seen widespread delays for an unprecedented seven consecutive days.

As of Sunday evening, flights were being delayed nearly four hours on average. U.S. and airline officials say other factors are also contributing to the delays, including a lack of air traffic controllers at the airport and nationwide, as well as technology failures caused by outdated equipment.

China's president is set to visit Russia this week. Coming up, the latest on Moscow's 80th Victory Day commemorations, which Xi Jinping is scheduled to attend.

Russia's war on Ukraine and the U.S. threats to end its support have Europe ramping up weapons production. We'll show you how, ahead on "CNN Newsroom."

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[03:30:10]

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

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is issuing new warnings to Yemen's Houthi rebels and to Iran. They come after Sunday's Houthi missile strike near Israel's Ben Gurion airport. No one was injured in the missile strike, but Mr. Netanyahu said Israel will respond.

Romanian nationalist George Simeon appears on track to win the country's presidential election rerun. Exit polls showed him ahead of the two centrist candidates after Sunday's first round of voting. The election is seen as another test of the rise of Trump-style nationalism in the E.U.

Donald Trump says he is directing the Bureau of Prisons to reopen Alcatraz, the infamous former prison in San Francisco that's been a popular tourist attraction for decades. The U.S. President says he wants to bring it back into service because of, quote, "radicalized judges who want to ensure due process for migrants."

Well the week ahead will be pivotal for negotiations on the war in Ukraine. In an interview with NBC News, when asked if a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine is near, President Donald Trump said, I hope so. This after his administration threatened to walk away from the talks if progress was not made soon. On Sunday, the President remained cautiously optimistic when speaking

to reporters at the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We've had some good conversations on Russia and Ukraine over the weekend, over the last few days actually, but we've had some very good conversations on Russia and Ukraine. There's a lot of hatred there, I will tell you, between the two parties and between even the generals. I mean, there's a tremendous amount of hatred, but we've had some very good discussions over the last few days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is urging allies to put more pressure on Russia to end the fighting in Ukraine. Otherwise, he believes Moscow won't take any real steps to do so. He made the remarks Sunday while visiting Prague and the president of the Czech Republic, a key ally of Ukraine throughout the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): In my opinion, if Ukraine is strong, the war will be over as soon as possible. United States and our European colleagues have all instruments at their disposal. To preserve alliance between United States and Europe is a top priority.

To force Russia to agree on full and unconditional ceasefire, it was a proposal by the U.S. and we supported it, is also a priority task. I think level of pressure will directly depend on the alliance and its strength.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit Russia for this week's Victory Day commemorations, marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

The Kremlin says he'll also meet with Vladimir Putin to discuss the country's strategic partnership. Xi's visit would also coincide with Moscow's unilateral three-day ceasefire in Ukraine, set to begin on Thursday.

CNN's Clare Sebastian joins us now live from London with more. Good morning to you, Clare. So how significant is it for Xi Jinping to visit Russia during Victory Day celebrations and what do we expect Xi and Putin to talk about exactly?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Rosemary, it's significant not because it's rare for these two leaders to meet. This by my calculations will be at least the sixth time they will have met since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the third time in Russia.

So this is a partnership that both sides see a lot of merit in advancing. But it's significant, number one, because on the sidelines of Victory Day they're going to be holding talks, as you say, and they have suggested that they will sign some bilateral documents. We don't know exactly what will be in those, but an attempt clearly to sort of enshrine this no-limits partnership as they have put it in writing.

China, of course, continues to maintain, despite mounting evidence and Ukrainian claims to the contrary, that it is not providing lethal weapons or soldiers amid recent reports of several Chinese soldiers being captured by Ukraine to Russia's military that it is sort of neutral in this conflict.

But it will clearly still be a significant visit and I think the optics will be almost, if not equally important as the substance. Victory Day is already a huge day for Russia. This year, the 80th anniversary, even bigger.

It will be an opportunity with the Chinese leader and other foreign officials there to flaunt not only its weapons but also its worldview, this sort of challenge to the Western-led global dominance, Russia trying to reaffirm its superpower status.

And China is absolutely central to that. So I think having Xi Jinping stand there, we presume, on Red Square watching these Russian tanks and heavy weaponry roll past will be a huge P.R. coup for Moscow, Rosemary.

[03:35:05]

CHURCH: And Claire, Putin recently made some comments on state television about the war in Ukraine. What did he say?

SEBASTIAN: So this was a documentary, sort of more of a living eulogy really, to the Russian president published by Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin, who follows every step that the Russian president takes. It was actually, the newest part was filmed just over a month ago to mark the 25th anniversary of the Russian president's first election as President in 2000.

But it did contain a lot of sort of references to current events. And you see President Putin, you know, taking Mr. Zarubin into his kitchen, offering him kefir and chocolates and then discussing the nuclear issue. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): They wanted to provoke us so that we made mistakes. There's been no need to use those weapons you just talked about and I hope it won't be required. We have enough strength and means to bring what was started in 2022 to a logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: Well, just to fact check that, it is only Russia that has been making nuclear threats in this conflict and only Russia that several months ago fired an intermediate range ballistic missile at Ukraine's fourth largest city. So I think it's clear that the idea that the West is trying to provoke Russia into any kind of nuclear threats is false.

And number two, very interesting because this was filmed at the end of March. So after Trump and Putin had already held two publicly announced phone calls that he says we have enough strength and means to bring what was started in 2022.

So the war to a logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires seems to run counter to efforts by Russia to prove to the Trump administration that it is engaged in this peace process, even though we know, of course, that its actions already speak to the contrary. Rosemary.

CHURCH: Clare Sebastian with that live report from London. Many thanks as always.

Russia's war on Ukraine and U.S. threats to withhold support have European countries ramping up arms production. CNN's Ben Wedemann shows us how it's working at an arms factory in Italy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMANN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The time has come for Europe to beat plowshares into swords.

Workers are putting the final touches on combat vehicles at this Leonardo factory in northern Italy. Leonardo is Europe's second largest defense company. The days when the continent looked to Uncle Sam for protection are over, says CEO Roberto Cingolani.

ROBERTO CINGOLANI, CEO, LEONARDO: After the invasion of Russia in Ukraine, we realized that peace must be defended, peace as a cost. And that was quite a wake up call. On top of that, there was a change of policy in the U.S. very recently that has made the NATO umbrella, let's say, less perceivable.

WEDEMANN (voice-over): Leonardo's ramping up production of all its systems from tanks and armored personnel carriers to ammunition, naval guns, drones and aircraft.

Production is increasing and this system is at the state of the art.

WEDEMANN (voice-over): Leonardo has begun a joint venture with Germany's Rheinmetall, a major arms manufacturer, to co-produce the next generation of main battle tank. The emphasis, a weapon with a Made in Europe label.

WEDEMANN: The European Commission came out with an initiative called Rearm Europe, a strategic defense initiative that would involve spending as much as 800 billion euro, almost $900 billion, to strengthen Europe's defense capabilities. However, they ended up changing that to Readiness 2030 after objections by some members of the European Commission.

WEDEMANN (voice-over): The term Rearm was seen as too alarmist.

For decades, the bond between the U.S. and Europe was a given. But all that has changed under the new Trump administration.

TRUMP: I think the European Union has been absolutely terrible to us on trade, terrible.

WEDEMANN (voice-over): President Trump is waging a trade war against friend and foe alike. Old alliances no longer seem solid, says defense analyst Gregory Alegi.

GREGORY ALEGI, PROF., LUISS UNIVERSITY: The cornerstone of the U.S.- European relationship has always been Article 5 of NATO, which is basically a promise that all the allies will intervene to support each other in case any one of them is attacked. And the Trump administration has been calling that into question.

If that fundamental promise no longer holds, well, you know, it's like an open marriage. You don't know how long it's going to last.

WEDEMANN (voice-over): In such uncertain times, perhaps the best tactic is to prepare and arm oneself for the worst.

Ben Wedemann, CNN, La Spezia, Northern Italy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[03:40:01]

CHURCH: As Europe prepares for potential future conflicts, it's also looking back at one from the past. The U.K. this week is celebrating the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.

V.E. Day is May 8th, but big events are happening over the next four days. Today, there's a military procession and flyby in London. And later, the King and Queen will host World War II veterans for tea.

In Germany, a more somber observance. Survivors of one Nazi concentration camp are marking the 80th anniversary of their liberation. Survivors of the Sachsenhausen camp near Berlin shared their stories on Sunday and issued warnings about the future.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOGDAN BARTNIKOWSKI, SACHSENHAUSEN CAMP SURVIVOR (through translator): It saddens me to say that humanity has learned very little from that tragedy, which many millions of people perished. Humanity faces a great problem, how to prevent further wars.

JERZY ZAWADZKI, SACHSENHAUSEN CAMP SURVIVOR (through translator): Remember this, young people, and all of you, don't follow politicians, because that's not the way. A beautiful person should choose what is beautiful in this world, what has real value. That's where you have to go, not the blind alleys that lead to nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: When we come back, CNN makes a rare trip to Tibet, where the succession of the next Dalai Lama could be controversial. We'll take a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Pope Francis's legacy of peace will go on in Gaza. In one of his final wishes before his passing, the pontiff requested that one of his popemobiles be transformed into a health clinic for children in the enclave.

Vatican News says it will be refitted as a mobile health station that can examine and treat children in areas without functioning health care facilities. The popemobile was used during Francis' trip to the Holy Land in 2014.

[03:45:02]

Well as Catholic cardinals gather at the Vatican to elect a new pope, the succession of another world religious leader could have major geopolitical and societal impact. CNN's Steven Jiang recently took a rare trip to Tibet and spoke with monks and officials there about the selection of the next Dalai Lama.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): More than two million visitors, mostly from within China, flocked to the Potala Palace in 2024, paying up to 27 U.S. dollars for a ticket to tour the most famous landmark in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.

JIANG: For centuries, this imposing and sprawling structure behind me was the winter residence for the Dalai Lamas until 1959. That was the year when the 14th Dalai Lama had to flee Tibet after a failed uprising against Beijing.

JIANG (voice-over): In a book published in early 2025, the almost 90- year-old spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism said his successor, his reincarnation, must be born, quote, "in the free world," meaning outside China, to carry out the traditional mission in the Himalayan region, a region so tightly controlled by Beijing that the only way for foreign reporters to visit is through government-organized media tours.

CNN was on one such rare trip in March 2025 and asked the monks and officials in Tibet about the remarks by the Dalai Lama, someone Beijing has labeled an anti-China separatist.

GONGGA ZHAXI, POTALA PALACE ADMINISTRATION OFFICE (through translator): The central government has clear regulations on this matter. The reincarnation of each Dalai Lama must be approved by the central government. The search must take place within China.

JIANG (voice-over): Not surprisingly, Tibetans in exile rejecting this notion, with a spokesman for the Tibetan government in exile saying, quote, "his holiness is the only legitimate soul who can decide upon where his holiness should be born in his next life. Nobody else, even the Chinese government," unquote.

But Beijing has done almost exactly that. In 1995, the government forcibly disappeared a six-year-old boy when he was recognized by the exiled Dalai Lama as the new Panchen Lama, the second highest ranking figure in Tibetan Buddhism. China instead installed its own choice, a different Tibetan boy to the position, a decision still denounced by critics three decades later.

During CNN's most recent trip, a senior monk at Tibet's most sacred temple insisted he wasn't worried about the prospect of competing Dalai Lamas chosen by different authorities.

LA BA, JOKHANG TEMPLE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE (through translator): That the reincarnation should be recognized by the central government has been settled for many years.

JIANG (voice-over): Not everyone shares this sentiment. With some analysts fearing a scenario of dueling Dalai Lamas could shake the foundation of Tibetan religion and society, potentially unleashing fresh anger or even unrest in a land known as the roof of the world.

Steven Jiang, CNN, Lhasa, Tibet.

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CHURCH: After the break, the Trump administration has targeted Mexico's drug cartels. Now it's going after the musicians who sing about them. We bring you that story after the break.

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[03:50:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Donald Trump has ordered a 100 percent tariff on foreign-made movies. In a social media post, he wrote that the movie industry in America is dying a very fast death, with other countries offering incentives for U.S. filmmakers and studios. Mr. Trump characterized this as a national security threat and propaganda.

It's not entirely clear how such a tariff would be implemented, though, because films are classified as intellectual property, not goods, and represent a kind of service that's not currently subject to tariffs.

Well from gangster rap to outlaw country music has often glorified the wrong side of the law. Narcocorridos, ballads about the drug trafficking world, are gaining popularity across Mexico and the U.S., but their controversial topics put the genre at risk of being censored on both sides of the border.

CNN's Gustavo Valdes has the story.

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GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's Musica Mexicana night in one of Atlanta's newest rooftop bars, where the young crowd dances to the rhythm of the accordion and sings along to cover versions of corrido music.

Corridos have long been tales of epic loves or heroic characters, but some are controversial because they talk about the narco lifestyle. They're called narcocorridos.

ELIJAH WALD, MUSICIAN AND AUTHOR: Outlaws have always been popular.

VALDES (voice-over): Elijah Wald is a musician and author. His biography of Bob Dylan was made into an award-winning movie. He also wrote a book about narcocorridos and the people who sing them.

WALD: It's the story of poor kids, whether in the mountains of Sinaloa or in Los Angeles, who have seen their parents working their whole lives and getting nowhere.

VALDES: Sometimes the lyrics have run afoul with politicians. In some Mexican municipalities and venues, they've banned the genre, upsetting some fans.

VALDES (voice-over): Singer Luis R. Conriques was attacked on stage when he didn't sing narcocorridos in a state that prohibited them.

And the U.S. State Department revoked the visas of the members of the group Los Alegres del Barranco after featuring photos of the leader of a cartel during a performance of their hit song "El Del Palenque." The band later apologized.

Some see irony in the response of the American government.

SAM QUINONES, AUTHOR OF BOOKS ABOUT DRUG CARTELS: This music, it was Mexican, but it was not made in Mexico.

VALDES (voice-over): Sam Quinones is a journalist and author of books about drug cartels. He says Los Tigres del Norte recorded "Contrabando y Traicion" in California in 1974. It's the first song that defines the genre.

[03:55:08]

As the drug cartels grew in notoriety, so did their prominence in the songs, to the point that the big capitalists commissioned songs to elevate their importance.

QUINONES: The corrido, as it became corrupted, in my opinion, became, you know, in praise of power, in praise of these bloodthirsty men with enormous power who killed wantonly.

VALDES (voice-over): Government regulations might do little to end narcocorridos. After all, the explicit content warning might have helped make gangster rap more popular. And the song that cost Los Alegres del Barranco their U.S. visas became an overnight hit worldwide and was streamed more than two million times in the week following the controversy.

But the threat of losing a visa to work in the U.S. could have a bigger effect because it would represent an important loss of income for the artist. Elijah Wald says that targeting narcocorridos might be hypocritical.

WALD: I don't think I've ever seen an interview with Martin Scorsese where people ask him whether it doesn't bother him that his movies make gangsters seem like exciting characters and might tempt young people to want to be gangsters. And yet that question is always asked around narco corrido singers.

VALDES (voice-over): In the end, music is just an excuse to have a good time.

Gustavo Valdes, CNN, Atlanta.

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CHURCH: And thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day.

"Early Start" with Rahel Solomon is next.

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