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CNN This Morning
U.S. Plane Lands in Moscow Ahead of Witkoff-Putin Meeting; China Rolls Back Tariffs on Some U.S. Semiconductors. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired April 25, 2025 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[06:00:35]
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: It is Friday, April 25. Here's what's happening right now on CNN THIS MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: If I'm president, I will have that war settled in one day, 24 hours.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Turns out solving a war in one day is not so easy. President Trump's behind-the-scenes frustration with brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine.
Plus, new overnight, China's quiet rollback of some tariffs. Is this a sign that Beijing is ready to make a deal?
And lawyers for the man accused of killing four Idaho College students said the death penalty should be off the table. But what did the judge have to say?
Plus, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TINA KNOWLES, MOTHER OF BEYONCE: I knew Beyonce didn't have a choice. This is what she was born to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Tina Knowles opens up: from what it's like to be Beyonce's mom to growing up in Texas during segregation.
It's 6 a.m. Here on the East Coast. I'm bringing you a live look at Vatican City, where it's noon. Mourners there are paying their respects to the late Pope Francis ahead of his funeral, which is being held tomorrow.
The church closed for just one hour last night to allow more people time to say goodbye.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. I want to thank you for waking up with me.
Today could be a big turning point in the push to end Russia's war on Ukraine. So, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
And this comes after Russia launched its deadliest wave of attacks on Kyiv since last summer. And President Trump says he is not happy about that. Remember, he promised to end the war on day one of his second term.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: That is a war that's dying to be settled. I will get it settled before I even become president.
Within 24 hours, that war will be settled. It will be over.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You said you could end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours.
TRUMP: Yes, I could.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How would you do that?
TRUMP: I know Zelenskyy very well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Now, almost 100 days since he took office, sources say the president has privately conceded ending this war has been more difficult than he expected.
His frustrations appearing to boil over. Yesterday he posted this, directly addressing Putin, telling him to stop the strikes on Ukraine.
Joining me now to discuss: CNN senior reporter Isaac Dovere; president and executive editor of "The Daily Signal," Rob Bluey; and Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright. Welcome, group chat.
I want to start with you, Isaac, because I kind of feel like whenever Witkoff shows up, that's when the conversation is more serious. Not to be dismissive of the secretary of state.
But what -- what message or how -- how are you thinking about how this White House is having to reframe its foreign policy wins?
EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, we'll see if it is more serious when Steve Witkoff shows up there. The -- the last time, I think, that he was going to meet Vladimir Putin, Putin left him waiting for hours in what seemed like a sort of power move from Putin.
We keep hearing from Trump that this is when we need to get things settled, that we're running out of time to do it, and then there's more time and there's more time. And as we were saying, there's CNN reporting from yesterday from our
colleagues, said that President Trump has been saying behind the scenes that it's been harder than he realized to get this war settled.
I think most people going into thinking about what these negotiations were going to be like and thinking about how Putin approaches things are not surprised that it's been complicated.
CORNISH: Yes. But I think we started the month being like, whoa, look, Middle East deal. Could it happen? You know what I mean? Like, whoa, look, Ukraine, we're talking rare earths.
DOVERE: Sure. There --
CORNISH: And here we are. The month is not out. It is --
DOVERE: There's a reason, perhaps, why, like the Middle East has been for 70-plus years --
CORNISH: Oh, really?
DOVERE: -- not settled, right?
CORNISH: Rob, I don't mean to be facetious, but these are questions that have always been difficult.
The implication is they were somehow not difficult. Antjuan, I want to bring you in, as well. Like, how are you thinking about this?
ROB BLUEY, PRESIDENT/EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "THE DAILY SIGNAL": Well, I'm hoping that Donald Trump realizes what an evil man Vladimir Putin is, based on this latest attack and that Russia is the aggressor here in Ukraine.
At the same time, I think that he recognizes that Zelenskyy probably has to give some ground, as well. I mean, both sides are going to have to compromise if you're going to reach some sort of a truce and peace deal.
And in terms of Trump wanting to get things done, I mean, this was obviously on the list of the first 100 days, that he wanted to show progress. And so, he has to be frustrated and disappointed.
[06:05:11]
CORNISH: I can't think of a more ineffective thing to say. "The Wall Street Journal" pointing out that "Vladimir, stop." Like, if that worked, you know what I mean? Like, I think U.S. foreign policy would look a little different -- Antjuan.
ANTJUAN SEAWRIGHT, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Part of Trump-ism, the strategy has been over-promise, underdeliver, and I think that's reflective of what we see here in this scenario.
CORNISH: That's not an "aim for the moon, fall among the stars"?
SEAWRIGHT: And by the way, I think he missed his day one deadline, with all due respect.
But here's the deal. I think it is important for members of Congress and the president, in a bipartisan way, to show that we are standing by Ukraine. I think Putin's power grab exercise is bigger than this moment. I think it's bigger than Donald Trump. This is a long-term play. And I think the United States has to stand firm in this moment.
But what's clear is Putin does not fear Trump. There's an old adage: sticks and stones may break my bones, but words do not matter. In this case, words do not matter.
CORNISH: But it's not --
SEAWRIGHT: And that's because Trump has --
CORNISH: Yes, hold on one second. It's not just the -- the -- I think Trump himself. But I want to play you some sound from a Ukrainian Parliament member who claims that Ukraine wants the war -- sorry, Ukrainian Parliament member on the war. And here's how they are seeing it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INNA SOVSUN, UKRAINIAN MP: I've read multiple comments on Twitter and other social media from people who are closer to Trump ideologically, who are all saying that it's all Ukrainians who want this to continue.
And it's just -- just impossible to accept that people truly believe that, that people truly believe that I like hiding in the bathroom or in the corridor, in the shelter with my son when I'm hearing drones flying over my house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Because Trump is not just somebody out there wanting to talk about Ukraine. Like, there's a constellation of people and a massive shift in the party that think of it differently.
BLUEY: Oh, sure, there -- there definitely is. And I think that there was --
CORNISH: There's not bipartisan consensus that we should help Ukraine.
BLUEY: There was frustration among Republicans, particularly because there seemed to be a blank check coming from Washington without a strategic end to how this ultimately resolves during the Biden administration.
I think what you've seen -- the change that you've seen in Washington is Trump has said, we're not going to continue to fund this war. We want to bring it to an end.
Because is that -- you heard from that, that member of Parliament, people are dying every day. We shouldn't want this to continue.
DOVERE: Yes. I think that that's actually the main point here, is that we can think about this as, oh, did Trump deliver on the promise?
CORNISH: Right.
DOVERE: But this is a real-life thing for people every single day that this goes on.
CORNISH: And that escalated.
DOVERE: Yes.
CORNISH: In the midst of the negotiations, Putin sent missiles further into Ukraine, and that -- that has to have shaken up European allies.
DOVERE: Sure. And by the way, the same is true with the -- the failure so far to get the deal in Israel and Gaza that has happened. There are people who continue to die.
And I think we often get caught in the political back-and-forth of this. Who's on this or who's that? But this is where Donald Trump has put himself forward to the country and the world as the consummate deal maker. And it's hard. It's harder to make a deal.
CORNISH: OK, group chat, stay with us, because we're going to have some reporting on this. We also have a couple other topics to talk about.
In fact, coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, an arrest in those wildfires in New Jersey. What the suspect is accused of doing that led to thousands of burned acres.
Plus, if you're looking for a new business venture, why you can now buy Fyre Fest.
And yelling and disruptions. Voters angry with their lawmakers. Can this energy be harnessed?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Being angry, being loud feels good, but is it a productive, long-term strategy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:13:26]
CORNISH: If you're getting ready, it's 15 minutes past the hour. And here's your morning roundup. Some of the stories you need to know to get your day going. A judge in Idaho is keeping the death penalty on the table in the
capital murder case against Bryan Kohberger. He's accused of killing four college students in 2022.
Now, his lawyers argued that the death penalty shouldn't be an option because of a new autism diagnosis.
California is now the world's fourth largest economy, passing Japan. The numbers from the federal government show that the state's GDP reached $4.1 trillion last year.
Celebrating the announcement, Governor Gavin Newsom also warned the state's economy is threatened by President Trump's tariffs.
If you've already bought your tickets for Fyre Festival 2, I have some sad and shocking news for you. Spoiler alert: it looks like it's off.
Billy McFarland, the convicted felon behind the disastrous original Fyre Festival, announced this, saying he's trying to sell it. The Fyre trademark and its, quote, "cultural capital," saying this brand is bigger than any one person.
And I want you to see this. Roger Goodell and Lil Wayne giving a nod to the Green Bay Packers with their entrance at the NFL draft. They rode in on bikes. That's a Packers tradition that started in the 1950s, when players would ride local kids' bikes to practice.
Lil Wayne, of course, lifelong Packers mega fan. He just announced a new collaboration with the NFL, ahead of his "Carter V" [SIC] album drop.
Still to come after the break, prosecutors made it official. They are seeking the death penalty against Luigi -- against Luigi Mangione. Will we hear directly from him today?
Plus, what it's like being the mom of one of the world's biggest stars. Beyonce's mother sharing her story.
[06:15:10]
Today is the last chance, also, for the Catholic faithful to see Pope Francis lying in state. Nearly 130,000 people have paid their respects to the late pontiff.
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CORNISH: All right. So, China may have quietly rolled back the 125 percent tariffs, specifically on some U.S.-made semiconductors. That's according to three import agencies in China.
In the meantime, President Trump claims negotiations on the overall tariff deal are underway. China says no, they're not.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you clarify with whom the U.S. is speaking with China? They're saying it's fake news that trade talks are happening.
[06:20:06]
TRUMP: Well, they had a meeting this morning, so --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who's "they"?
TRUMP: I can't tell you. It doesn't matter who "they" is. We may reveal it later, but they had meetings this morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Covering the region from Seoul, South Korea, senior correspondent for "The Wall Street Journal, Josh Chin. Good morning, Josh.
I want to talk about your reporting first, because you've been writing that Xi has been preparing China for a showdown with the U.S., for example, tightening the screws on censorship and surveillance systems there.
Can you talk about why and what else he's been doing?
JOSH CHIN, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": Right. Well, this dates back to the first trade war with -- that China had during the first Trump administration in 2018.
Basically, since then, Xi Jinping has been convinced that the U.S. wants to contain China, wants to suppress China. And he's been telling his officials to prepare for an extreme -- extreme scenarios, essentially a confrontation with the U.S.
And so, he's been -- he's reorganized the government. He's packed the leadership with people who have experience in domestic security, sort of keeping things under wraps.
And then he's also been investing a lot in building out the censorship system and surveillance systems to make sure that, if anything happens in China, you know, the party will be able to stay in control.
CORNISH: In terms of dissent. Right. I want to talk about here in the U.S., Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell said that his constituents are actually pretty heavily dependent on international trade. He was weighing in on who will be hurt by tariffs. Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): I think it's important for everyone to understand that a trade war is ultimately paid for by taxpayers, by regular voters. The costs impact everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: In the U.S., we've been talking about our pain threshold. Right? Like as consumers.
But in China, can you talk about the calculus there, if Trump stays the course with this 145 percent tariffs on Chinese goods?
CHIN: I mean, if he does stay the course, he actually could cause quite a bit of pain in China. You know, during the first trade war, China's GDP growth was -- was around 7 percent. So, pretty high. It's now down to 5 percent, maybe even lower. The economy is drowning in debt. They're even more export dependent than they were before.
And Goldman Sachs estimates that, you know, as many as 20 million factory jobs in China rely on exports to the U.S.
So -- so a lot of potential pain.
But in a test of wills, I think Xi's confident that -- that China's pain tolerance is much higher. And that's, you know -- partly, there's the obvious fact that China doesn't have elections.
Donald Trump has -- has to confront the midterms coming up in a couple of years. But beyond that, the Communist Party is just an -- incredibly entrenched in China. And it would take a really -- a huge amount of dissent to shake it loose.
CORNISH: Lastly, what's your read on this back and forth about whether or not negotiations are even happening? Is this, like, little rollback of U.S. semiconductors on those tariffs, is that proof, indication of some sort of low-level or back-door negotiation?
CHIN: You know, it's really -- it's really hard to say at this point. You know, it is possible that they are having low -- low-level conversations. You know, Trump himself has said -- he's sort of indicated that he really wants to speak directly with Xi and negotiate directly with Xi.
And Xi Jinping, you know, as far as our reporting shows, he's not really willing to do that at this point. He wants -- he wants sort of lower senior level, but lower-level officials to figure that out before he's willing to meet with Trump. He just doesn't want to take the risk of doing that directly.
CORNISH: OK. Josh Chin, senior correspondent with "The Wall Street Journal." Thank you. Appreciate your time.
CHIN: Thank you.
CORNISH: Ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, Congress on recess, which means members are now facing their constituents. Why anger continues to boil over at town halls across the country.
Plus, Michelle Obama goes on the record about why she did not attend President Trump's second inauguration.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:29:12]
CORNISH: Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. I want to thank you for joining me here on CNN THIS MORNING. It's half past the hour. Here's what's happening right now.
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing a health insurance CEO on the streets of New York, is expected to enter a plea in federal court on charges of stalking and murder.
This comes as prosecutors make it official that they will seek the death penalty. Mangione also faces state charges.
This morning, the president and first lady are expected to depart Washington and travel to the Vatican. Tomorrow, they will attend the funeral for Pope Francis.
The Trumps met the late pontiff in 2017, the first lady describing that experience as one she would never forget.
And today, special envoy Steve Witkoff meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as the U.S. continues to press for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Russia's foreign minister says his country is ready to reach a peace deal.
