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CNN This Morning
Trump Pauses Tariffs, Uncertainty Still Reigns; Does Artificial Intelligence Make People Expendable? Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired April 10, 2025 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: He's the first pro male athlete to join the Barbie universe and have his likeness depicted as a Ken doll, headphones and all.
[06:00:11]
The LeBron doll -- the LeBron doll actually shows the star wearing -- you see sunglasses, even his letterman jacket with the number 23 on his sleeve. His shoes are, of course, as you might expect, his trademark Nikes.
Thank you again for joining us for EARLY START this morning. I'm Polo Sandoval, in for Rahel Solomon. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: It is Thursday, April 10. Here's what's happening right now on CNN THIS MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, it's -- it's -- everything is up in the air. We don't know what to expect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: So, China's new tariffs are still going to kick in as the U.S. raises the stakes. Can this tit-for-tat trade war still lead to a recession?
Plus, hope fades in the search for survivors in a nightclub collapse. The death toll climbs overnight in the Dominican Republic.
Also, an American ballerina, wrongfully detained in Russia, heading home this morning. The new details just in about her release.
And we've seen this movie before. Powerful tech and a machine takeover. I talk to Microsoft's head of A.I. to ask, how do we keep humanity from becoming the plot twist?
It is 6 a.m. here on the East Coast. Here is a live look at Capitol Hill.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. I want to thank you for waking up with me.
And we're going to start with the conversation on tariffs again, because China's 84 percent tariffs on all U.S. imports are officially in effect. That's escalating the trade war between the U.S. and Beijing.
China responded to President Trump's tariffs on Chinese imports. Now, Trump is raising them again to 125 percent.
And it's U.S. businesses and consumers who are, of course, caught in the middle of this, from HVAC systems to wedding gowns. Almost everything could be impacted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even the stuff that's manufactured -- you know, put together here in the United States, lots of those things have parts that are coming from China.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Even if it's manufactured in the United States, some of the fabrics are coming from other countries that have the tariffs. So, it's such a trickle effect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: While the trade war with China ramps up, for other countries, you get a sigh of relief. President Trump abruptly pressing pause on what he called reciprocal tariffs for all other nations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line. They were getting yippy, you know? They were getting a little bit yippy. A little bit afraid.
I did a 90-day pause for the people that didn't retaliate, because I told them, if you retaliate, we're going to double it. And that's what I did with China, because they did retaliate.
So, we'll see how it all works out. I think it's going to work out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Sources tell CNN that mounting concerns inside the Treasury Department over the bond market played into that decision.
Joining me now to discuss, our group chat: CNN senior reporter Isaac Dovere; Zolan Kanno-Youngs, White House correspondent for "The New York Times"; and Saleh Mohsin, senior Washington correspondent for Bloomberg.
So, first of all, you guys, welcome to the chat. Welcome to the morning. This is a strange day, because we're talking about this massive amount of tariffs on China. And but for everyone else, they get this, like, reprieve for a moment. I mean, it's a reprieve from a problem of the president's making, arguably.
But can you talk about this decision? Because trade representatives were on the Hill defending the across-the-board tariffs when this decision was public on, of course, Truth Social.
ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Yes. Many of the president's advisers were -- were really kept in the dark. You know, throughout this process.
And throughout this process, you just had a lot of mixed messaging, inconsistent messaging coming from the White House here.
The tariffs come down. And initially, the message from Pete Navarro, from the president is they are here to stay. He's digging his heels in. They are saying this is a commitment to realign the global economy.
CORNISH: But also open to negotiation.
KANNO-YOUNGS: But then.
EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Not a negotiating tactic.
KANNO-YOUNGS: But not -- right. Right. Yes. And also, those aides may have been saying dig the heels in, but then you've got others, you know, saying we're open to negotiations. Governments are coming over, as well.
CORNISH: Yes.
KANNO-YOUNGS: The administration has tried to now spin this -- Trump's flip flop on this, and the pause, as sort of a -- an example of his negotiation tactics.
CORNISH: Of brilliance, I think.
DOVERE: Yes. But in the -- not just in this area, but when you get from a lot of people who work for the president and Republicans in Congress. It's this feeling of, like, Trumpian infallibility; that whatever he says at any given moment is the plan and was always the plan, even if it changes five minutes later or is completely reversed. Right?
[06:05:11]
CORNISH: Yes.
SALEH MOHSIN, SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, BLOOMBERG: He himself divulges. Right? We saw yesterday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick saying that, OK, we -- we -- this was part of our strategy all along.
Stephen Miller said the same thing: We had a strategy. The president is brilliant.
Then the president comes out saying, yes, I've just been thinking about this recently. We decided this morning. Yes, I was worried about the bond markets. CORNISH: I know. I mean, I think the messaging of it, it's like that's
the inside baseball that's, like, fascinating to watch when you've watched politics for a long time.
The part of me that got a letter from my 401(k) retirement place that was literally paragraphs long about the volatility and not to be concerned and not to be worried, knows there are a lot of retirement- age people who got more than the yips.
So, like in the Bloomberg newsroom, for instance, I can imagine it has been very busy. Is it being reported out today as, like, great day for the market?
MOHSIN: Not really, because it's a 90-day pause. So yes, markets have gone up. Stocks around the world. You saw when Bessent was speaking yesterday outside the White House, all the green arrows pointing up. That's what we were watching on Bloomberg News.
But we are also now seeing that futures are not holding steady, because people don't know what the roadmap or the criteria is for negotiations. And what happens after 90 days? Is there an extension? Is the 90 days rescinded?
And the U.S. and China are the world's two largest economies. When elephants fight, what happens?
CORNISH: And then you were just reporting out, or I think, taking a look at the fact that the president actually posted on Truth Social, this is a great time to buy --
KANNO-YOUNGS: Right.
CORNISH: -- before he made this decision. Is that drawing any attention?
KANNO-YOUNGS: Oh, yes. Absolutely. When he -- after he basically posted that. Then hours later, you have the pause, which sends the markets soaring.
His trade representative is on the -- is in Congress at the Capitol, testifying, and immediately, Steven Horsford, the Democrat from Nevada, questions him and asks, is this market manipulation?
Adam Schiff also repeats that, too, questioning, "Is this market manipulation?" It's getting a lot of attention.
CORNISH: Yes. Republican Congressman Jeff Hurd was asked about this, about whether Congress might investigate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JEFF HURD (R-CO): Hearing that does give me some concern. I will tell you that I'm a member of Congress that does not believe we should be buying or selling individual securities as members of Congress. Me personally, I just own mutual funds, broad index-based funds. The success of the American economy is my personal success. It is
something that causes some concern for me. We may want to look at that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: The reason why I'm playing that is because now we're going to survey damage. And there were winners and losers in this last couple of days. And that's what we're going to talk about for the rest of the show.
I want the group chat to stay with me. We've got a lot more to discuss.
Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, maybe you remember the alt band Weezer. Why? The wife of one of the band members was shot by police during a manhunt and arrested on attempted murder charges.
Plus, King James or Ken James. How LeBron is making history off the basketball court.
And we're going to continue that conversation about tariffs with Congresswoman Becca Balint. What she's hearing from her constituents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY FALLON, HOST, NBC'S "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JIMMY FALLON": With the tariffs paused, the U.S. mow has three months to work out all of its relationships with all of these countries. Basically, our economy now mimics the exact plot of "90-Day Fiance."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:13:07]
CORNISH: All right, time to get going. It's almost 15 minutes past the hour. Here's your morning roundup. Some of the stories you need to know to get your day going.
The Trump administration preparing to send more migrants to El Salvador's mega prisons. This, according to two U.S. officials. It's on the heels of a Supreme Court ruling allowing them to use a sweeping wartime authority for deportations.
Next week, El Salvador's president will visit the White House to discuss the use of his prisons.
And a key hearing in the death penalty case of a suspected Idaho student killer, Bryan Kohberger. The judge is deciding what evidence jurors will be able to hear during his trial.
He's already ordered prosecutors to stop using the words "psychopath" and "sociopath" to describe Kohberger in front of jurors. And the wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner, shot by police and
arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Police say Jillian Shriner pointed a handgun at officers as they were investigating an unrelated hit-and-run near her home.
She was shot, and she's also being treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.
New this hour, a Russian-American ballerina is now free from a Russian prison. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the release of Ksenia Karelina just a few hours ago.
She's been serving 12 years in prison for treason after donating $50,000 to a charity supporting Ukraine.
And you've got to see this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEBRON JAMES, BASKETBALL STAR: He might need to do a little lifting. The legs look a little skinny. A little frail little fellow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: LeBron James has a new title: Kenbassador. The King is now the first male athlete to get his very own Ken doll. It's in LeBron's pregame fashion, of course, wearing a varsity jacket with the number 23 and the quote, "Just a kid from Akron."
The doll is actually an inch taller than all other Kens.
[06:15:02]
Ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, addressing the rumors. Former first lady Michelle Obama breaks her silence about why she's been missing from the spotlight and the whispers of a divorce.
Plus, this week's assignment. How can governments, companies, ordinary people live in harmony with A.I.? I'll ask the CEO of Microsoft A.I.
And a live look at U.S. futures markets: on pace to sink sharply at the opening bell in a few hours.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:19:50]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): What do you think he's going to be doing when artificial intelligence and robotics comes for your job? Guess what? The job you have today ain't going to be here in 10 or 15 years.
And you think Musk and his friends are saying, Oh, my goodness, how do we protect American workers from the explosion in technology that we're seeing? They don't give a damn about you. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: That's Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in a CNN town hall last night, talking about the risks of A.I.
And I'm going to be honest: I actually use A.I. I use it a ton at home, planning vacations, whatever. You know, it's like a thing now, right? You can download it in the app store.
Millions of people do, as well.
Lately, I've been asking myself this question, though, that a lot of us are grappling with, which is if A.I. becomes indispensable, what does that make me? Two thumbs and expendable.
"The Assignment" this week, Microsoft's head of A.I., Mustafa Suleyman, spoke to me about the roles that all of us should play in ensuring that we can live and work with this technology.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CORNISH: Is there any science fiction that comes close, to your mind, about where we are now, or things to be concerned about?
People keep bringing up "The Terminator," and you've said yourself, look, that's not going to happen unless someone develops it that way, which isn't that, really, much of a comfort, because the odds are someone with the right financial incentive might.
MUSTAFA SULEYMAN, CEO, MICROSOFT A.I.: Yes. When you put that kind of power in the hands of literally hundreds of millions of developers, the equation changes.
CORNISH: And that gets me to the idea of guardrails.
SULEYMAN: Yes.
CORNISH: What kind of guardrails should there be? Because we are in a moment where we've literally seen them rolled back.
SULEYMAN: Yes, yes. This is a really tough one. I think this is a moment when, you know, we are going to need to believe and trust in our companies a lot and --
CORNISH: Why?
SULEYMAN: -- rely on them to do the right thing.
CORNISH: I mean, we just had a decade or a decade and a half where we witnessed unintended consequences take a toll on our democracy.
SULEYMAN: Yes.
CORNISH: Right.
SULEYMAN: Yes. And I think that's the right approach, because it would be wrong to blindly trust. You know, we're in a moment where it's a trust but verify.
We all worried in 2022, 2021 when these models started to come out, that as they got bigger, they would be less controllable. Now, we have three years of empirical data, and net-net, there have been some harms. Some people have clearly been hurt by it. Right?
But the 99.999 percent number is quite staggering.
So, the questions around distribution, availability of access, ease of use, the fact that we now have knowledge at our fingertips, it's a remarkable positive achievement. Right? Now again, I said trust but verify.
CORNISH: But I don't know who's going to do the verifying. Most recently, we had J.D. Vance, the vice president, speaking about innovation and saying that needs to be basically the North Star of this conversation.
SULEYMAN: Right.
CORNISH: I know what the tech industry is like when innovation is its North Star.
SULEYMAN: Right.
CORNISH: And we're left in the dust of that, in a lot of ways.
SULEYMAN: Look, the debate moves forward and then moves in another direction. And that is a natural, healthy balance in our democracies. Right?
CORNISH: But it's moving really forward. Do you know what I mean? Like when you even talk about a few years ago, what A.I. could do a few years ago is not what it does today or where it's in use today.
I mean, I'm biased. I'm asking you this, because I'm in a building that might not exist in a few years, if a large language model, if an A.I. or an A.G.I. can do the job better.
So, it feels very literal to people, because when they talk about job loss or things changing, it's across many different kinds of industries. And people feel it.
SULEYMAN: Yes. I mean, the nature of our work is going to fundamentally change. And every, you know, generation of technology changes where we work, how we work, who we interact with.
But, you know, I think this is also a moment where we have to --where we will have to decide which parts of the science and technology we really introduce into our societies and at what rate.
There will be moments when we have to collectively as -- as humanity, decide what we say no to. And that -- that is really the big challenge, is when do we think something no longer serves us, right, collectively?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CORNISH: We spoke to Suleyman on the anniversary -- 50th anniversary of Microsoft.
I want you to hear more of that conversation at CNN.com. You can get your podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, can you really build an iPhone in America? The Trump administration wants tariffs to help reindustrialize the country. But how would that work?
Plus, senator Bernie Sanders trying to set a path for Democrats in the era of Trump.
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[06:29:44]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this point, I think everybody is really holding their breath.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a guessing game. Right now, it's -- everything's up in the air. We don't know what to expect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uncertainty is the name of the game. And so, we are playing that waiting game.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Small businesses in the U.S. on edge, wondering what President Trump's tariff pause means moving forward.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. I want to thank you for joining me on CNN THIS MORNING. If you're getting ready, it's half past the hour here on the East Coast.
