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Tariffs On Imported Auto Parts Now In Effect; Stocks Rallied Friday After Stronger-Than-Expected Jobs Report; Cassie Ventura To Be Star Witness In High Profile Diddy Sex Trafficking Trial; Today: Haitian Community Targeted By Trump Hosts Cultural Event; Trump Admin. Considering Labeling Some Suspected Cartel And Gang Members Inside The U.S. As Enemy Combatants; Houston Rockets Force Game 7 With Golden State Warriors; St. Louis Blues Beat Winnipeg Jets 5-2 To Force Game 7; 151st Kentucky Derby Off To The Races On Saturday. Aired 7-8a E.T.

Aired May 03, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:01:14]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN this morning everyone. It is Saturday May 3rd. I'm Omar Jimenez in for Victor Blackwell.

This morning, if you need imported parts for your car or you're thinking about buying a new domestic car you might have to dig a little deeper. New tariffs are in effect today and a CNN analysis shows they could drive up car costs by as much as $4,000. We'll get into that in a moment.

Plus, the moment President Trump was pressed on whether he would be OK with a short-term recession to achieve his long-term economic goals.

And tensions between India and Pakistan are nearing a boiling point this morning. India's air force is showing off its aerial arsenal. A live report from Pakistan is just minutes away.

And bet on a mudder. I'm talking about the Kentucky Derby. It is going to be a messy one. We're tracking storms and the favorite to win the run for the roses ahead.

We're going to start with another round of tariffs in effect this morning. This one on imported auto parts and it could upend the auto industry. Now, previous auto tariffs left U.S.-made cars mostly untouched but with this new tariff in place not a single U.S. car manufacturer will get it passed.

Now, the CEO of General Motors told CNN the tariffs would cost the company between four billion and five billion dollars this year. Now, what does this mean for car buyers? You might not see an immediate jump in prices in the short term but experts estimate the added cost of the tariffs could average to about $4,000 per vehicle.

But Trump doesn't seem worried about how these tariffs will affect the economy. Actually, the president says it's if the country takes an economic downturn in the short term. CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more from the White House.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Omar, as President Trump spends a working weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida the economy remains front and center on the minds of the challenges of this White House of this administration. Even as the White House is releasing its budget blueprint if you will to slash spending across the government the president was asked about the question of a recession by NBC's Kristen Welker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN WELKER, NBC HOST: And that's my question, long term -- is it OK in the short term to have a recession?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Look, yes, everything's OK. What we are -- I said, this is a transition period. I think we're going to do fantastically.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: The president talking about a transition period that is something he certainly did not talk about when he was running for office when he promised to lower prices on day one. But there is no doubt about it the president is simply trying to buy more time for the economy to get back up to speed even as the administration tries to ink some type of a trade deal that so far has been elusive. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House.

JIMENEZ: All right. Jeff, thank you. Meanwhile, the stock market rallied on Friday thanks to a stronger-than-expected April jobs report. The job market is holding steady and added 177,000 jobs last month during all of this economic uncertainty which was above expectations.

The markets are also reacting to promising news coming out of China where officials there say they're evaluating possible trade talks with the United States. And the news gave confidence to investors leading to the S&P 500 gains erasing the losses triggered by Trump's announcement of reciprocal tariffs at the start of April.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Omar. Yes, the jobs market has proven to be resilient in the face of uncertainty.

177,000 jobs added in April. Estimates were that 135,000 jobs were expected to be added last month. The unemployment rate which held steady at 4.2 percent is historically low. 58,000 jobs were added in health care and social services and 24,000 in leisure and hospitality.

Manufacturing saw a decline of 1,000 jobs and federal government jobs saw their third straight month of decline down 9,000 in April, and down 26,000 since January. Those can be traced to DOGE cuts. Now, the stronger-than-expected jobs report and China's openness to

trade talks booing stocks on Friday. The S&P 500 closed out its nine- day winning streak up 83 points, the longest in 20 years.

And Friday's close erased its losses since President Donald Trump announced his reciprocal tariffs on April 2nd. The Dow closed up more than 564 points. And Omar, the NASDAQ was up 267 points.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Vanessa Yurkevich, really appreciate the reporting. Joining me now is Economic Reporter for the New York Times and former CNN Business Senior Writer, Lydia DePillis. Good to see you.

LYDIA DEPILLIS, NEW YORK TIMES ECONOMIC REPORTER: Good morning.

JIMENEZ: I want to start with the tariffs because how significant do you see this round of auto parts tariffs compared to the ones on imported vehicles that were already in place?

DEPILLIS: Well, it can matter a lot because these parts do go into even cars that are produced in the United States. And we've seen a lot of car production move to the U.S. in recent years, even by foreign companies like BMW. And so, this is not accepting those kinds of producers.

There are some exceptions for parts coming in from Mexico and Canada that are compliant with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement that President Trump signed in his first term. But as you mentioned, there are analyses showing that it will significantly raise prices over time as those inventories sitting on lots right now exhaust themselves.

[07:06:40]

And we saw a surge in the first quarter of car sales, which is part of what has led to these still solid jobs numbers. But that is expected to run out as the tariffs kick in and start to factor into prices in components on the ones that are being produced today.

JIMENEZ: And because there is no car that is fully made in the United States as it stands. So, no one's really immune to this, at least for the moment. You touched on something that I think a lot of consumers are paying attention to. When will prices go up?

We heard from GM CEO, not just yet, Ford CEO sort of saying, let's re- evaluate in July. What are these car manufacturers weighing right now? And why won't we sort of see that immediate price increase, even if it's what's being forecast?

DEPILLIS: Well, car manufacturers are in this difficult position, where not only are there new tariffs, but they're also incredibly complex.

A lot of these manufacturers don't even know how to account for what prices go on, what types of parts coming from which countries. So, they have to sort all of that out. And they're waiting for guidance from the Commerce Department.

And on top of that, a lot of companies are trying to hold off raising prices as long as they can because they're not sure how long these kinds of tariffs will stick around. We've seen tariffs come and go.

We've seen the Treasury Department say that many different new tariffs are under negotiations with different countries. So, if you knew that the tariffs were going to be in place for a long period of time, you could factor that in and say, here's the new price.

But nobody thinks that is going to be the case because this White House has not made it clear whether tariffs are for the purpose of raising revenue over the long term or to force manufacturing back into the United States, because you can't completely do those two things all at once.

So, I think that is why you're seeing confusion on the part of car companies who don't really know where to go from here.

JIMENEZ: Yes. You know, yesterday, the jobs report landed showed the economy added more jobs than expected, which is definitely good news. But it doesn't necessarily mean all the fears of a recession, for example, that we've seen on a broader scale are gone or just disappear.

What are some of the other economic factors that you're sort of keeping an eye on? If the S&P, all right, you've got nine days in a row of growth. Great. You've got jobs added higher than expectations. Great. What are some of the other indicators that maybe people should be keeping an eye on?

DEPILLIS: Yes, it's interesting. We're back to the strong jobs report being good news, right? There was a long period of time where the markets wanted to see weaker employment reports because that made it more likely that the Fed would cut rates.

Now, the hope is just that the Fed won't raise rates because of increasing prices due to tariffs. So, other things we're watching are these sentiment indicators, which have been remarkably negative over the last few months. These are consumer sentiment, business sentiment, and that tends to flow into purchasing over time.

And that's why there's been an increasing divergence between what we call soft indicators and the hard ones. And it's kind of like a approaching tidal wave, right? As these boats come from China now bearing 145 percent tariffs, if those companies have decided to pull the trigger and send those boats across the ocean in the first place, that is going to really hit prices and consumers will pull back. That is the concern.

We have seen job openings fall significantly, and that's the kind of thing that leads to fewer jobs created down the road. So, that's why economists are saying like, OK, I know that the numbers have been holding up so far, but we really expect GDP to significantly, if not contract, basically be flat in this coming year. And so, that would flow into all kinds of things that people really

feel like, you know, the number of jobs available to them, the number of wage increases that they're able to get that they might've been expecting.

JIMENEZ: Yes. That consumer confidence fell to its lowest level since the pandemic time of May 2020. So, that's not the time you want to be comparing yourself to in regards to confidence. Lydia DePillis, thank you for being here, really appreciate it.

All right. This morning, over 90 million people from the Florida Panhandle all the way up to New England are under severe weather threats. CNN's Allison Chinchar joins me with a look at the latest. All right. Who is the most at risk today and what are we looking for?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: So, it's going to be a timeline thing because all of those areas are going to be at risk, but maybe perhaps at different times throughout the day, because right now where the active storms are is a little bit farther down to the South, but as the sun comes out, heats things up, then it's going to start to spread into some other states.

So, let's take a look at what we're dealing with here. This is a look at the last 24 hours. All of these dots represent some type of storm report that came in. So, you can see there's a ton of them here. We're nearing almost a hundred of them just in the last 24 hours. Where we expect the rest of the storms to be today is really going to be just slightly shifted eastward from where they have been the last 24 hours.

So, right now you've got some showers across portions of the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic, but it's just that, it's more of a nuisance really than anything else down to the South. This is where we've been looking at those stronger thunderstorms.

Now, for Texas, the good news is it's finally moved offshore, but for other states like the panhandle of Florida, especially across portions of Alabama, this is where you still have a lot of those strong thunderstorms, lots of lightning out there as well, not to mention very heavy rain. And that's going to continue to push eastward as we go through the rest of the day.

So, really, any of these areas you see here, this is where we're looking at for the target point for that severe storms later on today. This will include damaging winds, gusts of 60 to 70 miles per hour, some hail that could be golf balls or larger, and yes, even the possibility for some isolated tornadoes.

[07:12:30]

Now, here's a look at the forecast radar. Pay close attention. This is the line that we've already saw, that you just saw on the radar, but notice as we go through later in the day, see that next line that just develops thanks to the heating of the day and those warmer temperatures, that's going to start sliding through some of the exact same places that had rain this morning. So, that could end up triggering also some flooding in some of these

spots, getting a lot of heavy rain, not once but twice throughout the day. Also, too, now we start to see more of that development across portions of the mid-Atlantic in the Northeast, where really this morning it's been very light.

That changes into the afternoon and it will continue into the evening hours. All of this is still there, not only overnight, but even into the day Sunday, we still continue to see that light spreading eastward because it's not moving all that fast. So, as it moves slowly, it's going to dump a lot of rain in a lot of these places.

So, all of these areas you see here have the potential not only for just a lot of rain, but really the potential for flooding.

JIMENEZ: And for those that the Kentucky Derby, heads up.

CHINCHAR: Yes, we'll give a full forecast on that coming up.

JIMENEZ: All right. All right. Can't wait. Allison Chinchar, I really appreciate it.

All right. Still to come, there is an all-out diplomatic push for restraint and calm as tensions simmer between India and Pakistan. We'll have a live report from Islamabad next.

Plus, singer Cassie Ventura, the ex-girlfriend of Sean Diddy Combs, will be testifying at his criminal trial. We'll tell you what we know about the other witnesses just ahead.

And there have been major delays for passengers flying in and out of Newark Airport. Hope you're not one of them. But we'll tell you what the FAA is citing as the reason for the chaos. Stay with us.

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[07:18:42]

JIMENEZ: All right, this just in. CNN's affiliate Sky News projects that Anthony Albanese will retain his seat as Australian prime minister.

Liberal party leader Peter Dutton lost the seat held for more than 20 years. This election was seen as the latest test of global anti-Trump sentiment, and moments from now, Albanese is expected to address his supporters. So, we'll continue monitoring that situation.

Another story we're keeping an eye on is Pakistan's military has successfully tested a surface-to-surface missile. That's according to a statement by the Pakistani prime minister. This comes as tensions rise between Pakistan and India after a deadly attack in Kashmir last month.

CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson joins us live now from Islamabad. Nic, what is the latest that you are hearing on the ground there? NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, there's been

this intense diplomacy over the last few days. Saudi, UAE, Kuwaiti diplomats all talking to Pakistani officials, a foreign minister talking about de-escalation, cooperation, not inflaming the situation.

The United States in a huge way has played a big public role in diplomacy here. Not just Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaking with the Pakistan prime minister, his opposite number in India, Pete Hegseth on the phone with his Indian counterpart, J.D. Vance also speaking to both sides publicly by saying, do not or try to find a way to avoid escalating this regionally. The diplomacy may be going on in the background but in the foreground it looks and feels very different. The tensions remain.

Pakistani officials still believe that India is poised to make a strike. That test firing of the Abdel missile today 450-kilometer range that's about 280 miles surface to air missile they say it's got advanced functionality and maneuverability. So, I spoke with a senior security official today about this and I said is this test firing of the missile a message to India and he said look just look at the title of this military exercise.

Exercise Indus which refers to the Indus water treaty that India has decided to withhold from which feeds water from three major rivers into Pakistan which is widely needed for power and agriculture. Absolute fundamental to the relationship and tensions in the region. The message this security source says to India don't touch it.

These countries are still poised in a position that they are ready to respond to whatever the other does and the perception in Pakistan is that the Indian military will do more. What India has done today they've announced a ban on the input of all goods from Pakistan trade across the border.

They've banned all Pakistani ships from entering Indian ports and have also cut the postal service from Pakistan as well. It points to the tensions still at a very, very high level.

JIMENEZ: Nic Robertson, really appreciate the reporting. Thank you so much.

Still to come for us we're going to tell you what we know about the witnesses who will testify in Sean Combs' sex trafficking trial and what his attorneys are saying about them. That's next.

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[07:26:23]

JIMENEZ: This morning marks the sixth straight day of major flight delays at Newark Liberty Airport. The FAA is blaming ongoing air traffic control staff shortages at this point.

And now, United Airlines says more than 20 percent of Newark controllers walked off the job, and will cut 35 daily flights starting this weekend. Now, they add to growing concerns over safety as the FAA faces a nationwide shortage of 3,000 controllers. Runway repairs at the busy New Jersey airport are also adding even more pressure.

Meanwhile, a federal judge has struck down President Trump's executive order targeting Perkins Coie, the law firm that represented Hillary Clinton in 2016, calling it unconstitutional. Now, the judge said the order violated the First, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments and amounted to retaliation for protected speech.

She said it punished the firm for representing clients and causes Trump didn't like, calling it a misuse of presidential power that sent a message to "stick to the party line or else."

A 73-year-old Illinois man was sentenced to 53 years in prison for the hate crime murder of 6-year-old, Wadi Al-Fayoumi. The Palestinian- American boy was stabbed more than 24 times in a 2023 attack. Now, Joseph Chuba also seriously injured the child's mother during the rampage inside their Plainfield home. He was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and hate crimes. And prosecutors said Chuba called the mother a, quote, devil Muslim and blamed the attack on anger fueled by overseas conflict.

The criminal trial for Sean Combs is set to begin on Monday in New York. And while we don't know the names of who will be called to testify, sources tell CNN they expect the witnesses to include his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, and other sexual and business partners. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has more on this high-profile case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Omar. In my latest reporting, I have spoken to sources who are giving me an indication at who we may see called as a witness during the trial to testify against Sean Combs. Now, the witness list has not been made public by the court, and I am hearing from sources that it likely will not be made public. But I am hearing that we should expect to hear from former sexual partners of Sean Combs, from former business associates, and from a male sex worker.

Now, you recall that in the government's indictment, at the center of their case are these so-called freak-offs, which the government describes essentially as drug-fueled sex parties in which Sean Combs and others allegedly forced women into having sex acts oftentimes with male sex workers. So, that could possibly give some indication of what we may hear from that sex worker who takes the stand.

Now, we do know that Cassie Ventura, who is the ex-girlfriend of Sean Combs and a musician, she is the woman who we saw in that horrifying hotel surveillance footage that our team here at CNN broke. We do know that Cassie Ventura is the star witness in this case.

Now, Cassie Ventura, she has opted to testify under her real name, Omar. And why this is interesting is because the judge has allowed the other witnesses who are alleged victims of Combs, the judge has allowed them to testify under pseudonyms in order to protect their anonymity. Now, I am hearing that the government has four key witnesses who claim they are victims and will get on the stand to detail their allegations against Combs. But in a recent court filing, we did learn that victim number three is going to choose to testify under her real name.

Now, because of the anonymity and the ruling that the judge put with the pseudonyms, we are not going to reveal those names at this point. But jury selection is going to get underway on Monday, Omar, and opening statements the next week on May 12th. So, this trial is getting underway very shortly. And remember, that in addition to this criminal trial, Combs is still facing more than 60 civil suits. Back to you.

[07:30:41]

JIMENEZ: Elizabeth Wagmeister, I really appreciate it.

Now, I traveled to Springfield, Ohio back when the Haitian community there was the target of anti-migrant rhetoric. This morning, we're checking back in on what life is like there after a hundred days of President Trump's second term as they get ready to host a celebration of Haitian culture today.

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[07:35:45]

JIMENEZ: There's a lot of uncertainty in immigrant communities right now. Many are wondering if simply hosting celebrations of their culture could make them a target. Chicago is canceling their Cinco de Mayo parade. Organizers cite a fear of arrest by immigration enforcement and mass deportations. The City of Philadelphia also canceled an annual Mexican Heritage celebration citing the same reason this month. But in Springfield, Ohio, something different is happening.

Today, the Haitian community there is going forward with an event celebrating their culture. Viles Dorsainvil is helping organize the event. He's executive director of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center. I first caught up with him ahead of the election last year when Springfield was the target of those unverified claims involving Haitian migrants. And Viles is back with us now.

So, good to see you. Can you just tell me about today's event? There are going to be performances, art, but as I understand, another feature will be the chance to hear stories from immigrants. Why was it important to include that?

VILES DORSAINVIL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HAITIAN COMMUNITY HELP AND SUPPORT CENTER: Basically, it's going to be like an educational event where we have like a university professor from Haiti who will be giving a lecture on the history of Haiti and answering some of the local residents' questions about Haiti, why Haitian came to Springfield, what is the history of Haiti, and all of this. Because what we realize is that so many folks in town do not really know anything about Haiti, and it's going to be an opportunity for them just to learn a little bit about the history and the culture of the country.

JIMENEZ: So, you see it more of an education as opposed to just strictly a celebration, right?

DORSAINVIL: Yes, because this is very important to us. Not only people going to be exposed to the Haitian culture through the dishes and also we're going to have the iconic D.J. Michael and a famous Haitian artist, a J. Perry that's going to be with us, but also we're going to have like a university professor to make sure that not only people are celebrating the culture with us, but also hear who we are, our identity, our history and sometimes ask a question that they do not know or sometimes question that believe they answered well. But by the fact that they do not know the history of Haiti, they interpreted well -- badly. So, this is what we bring this event to Springfield for the folks to learn a little bit about us.

JIMENEZ: Did you at any point have concern that it might not be safe to hold this event?

DORSAINVIL: I think that -- we believe that it's going to be safe by the fact that we are targeting more the American community. We are doing it just for them to come. It's going to be like the audience going to be more American people coming just to hear from us and to learn from us and celebrate with us. So, yes.

JIMENEZ: And you know, one of the things that you told the local Springfield News-Sun recently, I believe about another event, but that when you sent out a message through WhatsApp, you could almost feel the fear about doing sometimes everyday activities. What did you mean by that? Is there a difference in the air among the immigrant community there in Springfield that maybe that wasn't there months ago?

DORSAINVIL: Basically, the fear is there and the people. We -- there is no doubt about that because, you know, that they're in a time of uncertainty because of the fragile status. But this event is an opportunity for the local residents. I think that the Haitians who are going to be in attendance, they are legal Haitians with very solid status. I don't have any worry for them. But mostly we are targeting the American audience in Springfield because, you know, we've been in Springfield and there hasn't been a time where the residents in Springfield were able just to learn where we are from. They're asking all type of questions about Haiti.

And this is why we are giving them this opportunity to come to create network and friendship and also be exposed to our culture and learn from a professor from -- a university professor so that they might know why we left Haiti, why we -- there is that kind of migration out of Haiti. And Springfield is not the first place where Haitian came. They went to Chile, to Brazil because of all the chaos in Haiti.

So, I think that the professor was able to answer some of the concerns or questions that they have had for a long time.

[07:40:49] JIMENEZ: And you know, you and I met last fall and I remember it was a very politically charged climate around Haitians there in Springfield. We know the Trump Administration has made many efforts to end temporary protected status in August, tried to end humanitarian parole, but a federal judge has paused that for now. Bottom line, what is the environment like now compared to what it was in the fall when you and I first met?

DORSAINVIL: Basically there is a certain calm, but you know the current administration is not clear in terms of with -- who are the people that they are targeting. I mean, now this is where the fear lies. No nobody believes that they are safe even though they have that legal status, but they still believe that they can come after them. So, this is where the problem is. This is what create that kind of anxiety and uncertainty and fear in the community.

But we are trying just to be there for them and I'm going to accompany them in every way possible and answer the questions that they might have. So, our responsibility is to make sure that we work with them through that journey.

JIMENEZ: Yeah, Viles Dorsainvil, I really appreciate you taking the time. Good luck with the event tonight.

DORSAINVIL: Thank you so much, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

DORSAINVIL: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: All right. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration is looking into whether it can label suspected cartel and gang members inside the United States as Enemy Combatants. Now, that's according to multiple people with knowledge of the deliberations. CNN's Natasha Bertrand is at the -- is at the Pentagon, excuse me, with a look at how this could play out.

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Omar, these conversations about designating migrants as Enemy Combatants, they really revive a debate that first occurred during the first Trump Administration when President Trump at the time wanted to apply the label to virtually all migrants who were entering the United States illegally or were trying to claim asylum. And that is something that a former Trump Administration official who served at the Department of Homeland Security at the time told me would be a "mudslide into illegality and police state behavior."

Now, this time around we're told that the conversations are focusing on whether or not the Trump Administration can apply this label to migrants who are suspected to be members of the cartels and the gangs that the Trump Administration has designated foreign terrorist organizations. One official told me that this designation, this label of enemy combatant, it really hinges on the idea that these migrants that would be associated with it are now designated terrorists.

But there are many, many problems with this according to legal experts that we spoke to, namely that Enemy Combatant designation, that was really issued in a very narrow and specific way following September 11. It was used by the Bush Administration at the time to detain people who were associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban and other associated forces who were basically at the time considered at war with the United States.

Those two fundamental details are not present here when it comes to making the legal argument that these migrants are in fact associated with the Taliban and al-Qaeda. There is no evidence of that, of course. And of course, that the United States is currently at war with these cartels and these gangs on United States soil. Legal experts say the courts simply would not agree with that.

And so, while this is potentially a way that the administration believes that it could detain these migrants more easily and essentially make it harder for them to challenge their detention, lawyers that we spoke to said that while they might be able to get away with that in the very short term and maybe squeeze some of these cases by before the courts actually intervene, ultimately it is going to be shot down much in the same way that we have seen the Alien Enemies Act get challenged in the courts and struck down repeatedly. Omar?

JIMENEZ: Natasha Bertrand at the Pentagon, thank you so much.

Now, coming up, it looks like Mother Nature will be making an appearance at the Kentucky Derby. So, we're going to have the forecast for today at Churchill Downs, forecast and the weather not on who's going to win, but that would be nice. After a quick break. Stay with us.

[07:45:06]

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JIMENEZ: All right, a lot going on this weekend. We got NBA playoffs. We got Kentucky Derby. And I can think of no one better to help me get into all of it than Andy Scholes. What are we looking at?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Omar, my Rockets with a big win last night.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

SCHOLES: I'm excited this morning because only 13 times in NBA history has a team come back from down 3-1 in a series. Last time it happened, not in the bubble in 2020 was the Cavs coming back on the Warriors back in the 2016 finals. And now the Rockets there went away from making some more painful memories for Golden State fans.

Game six is going to be remembered as the Fred VanVleet game. He was fantastic. With the Warriors only down two entering the fourth, VanVleet gets the three and the foul for the four-point play. Then later in the quarter, VanVleet who beat the Warriors in the finals with the Raptors back in 2019, another dagger-three. He was six for nine from downtown. He scored 29 points. And the Rockets defense was just stifling. The Warriors missed 13

straight shots in the fourth quarter. Houston would win 115 to 107 to force a winner-take-all game seven Sunday night.

[07:50:30]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED VANVLEET, GUARD, HOUSTON ROCKETS: As a guy that's been there, we have enough to get it done. It's just a matter of can we play at a high enough level, you know, all at the same time. So, we've been able to do that over the last couple of games, but we got to stay focused and do it one more time.

DRAYMOND GREEN, POWER FORWARD, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: Game seven is game seven. I think anytime you had an opportunity to play it in game seven, it's fun, it's exciting. It's for all the marbles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: All right, the Blues meanwhile also forcing a game seven last night in the Stanley Cup Playoff. St. Louis scoring four unanswered goals in the second period. They would beat the Jets 5-2. Game seven of that series will be tomorrow night in Winnipeg.

And hey, game seven is the most awesome games in sports but certainly also the most stressful. And Denver fans are going to need to take some deep breaths tonight. The Nuggets are hosting the Clippers tonight at 7:30 Eastern in a game seven. Then 30 minutes later, the puck's going to drop for game seven between the Avalanche and the Stars in Dallas. I certainly hope the Wi-Fi is good at Ball Arena in Denver because all those fans are going to be trying to watch the Avalanche on their phone if they're at the Nuggets game.

All right, and today, one of the best days in sports. We got the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby. Two-time Triple Crown winner training -- trainer Bob Baffert, he's back this year. He was suspended by Churchill Downs for the last 3 years after his horse, Medina Spirit, won the derby but then later tested positive for a banned substance. Baffert's horse in the race is Citizen Bull which is in post one which could be good today on a muddy track.

Now, Journalism is your favorite. With odds right now three to one, he's measured the top speed out of any of the competitors. Here's the rest of the field. Some horses with some great lineage in this one. Luxor Cafe, a Japanese horse, actually the son of Triple Crown winner American Pharaoh. Japanese horse has never won the Derby. And American Promise is actually the son of Triple Crown winner Justify.

JIMENEZ: Wow.

SCHOLES: So, you've had -- we've had two scratches already in this one. So, you got 19 horses in the field but I am pumped for this one should be fun.

JIMENEZ: Some nepo babies in the horse race, you know. The best kind. SCHOLES: I think they're still fast, right?

JIMENEZ: Yes, exactly, exactly. Andy Scholes, I appreciate it.

But for those watching the Kentucky Derby or actually attending, it's going to be a muddy one, a wet one, or all the above. What are they looking at?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, because you've got some multiple rounds of rain kind of coming through. Now, the good news is the severe storms are supposed to be a little bit out of the way. So, that's good news. But again, you get enough rain. It kind of makes that muddy track that's there. But you know what? It's OK.

You've got these areas right here. This is where we have the best chance of any flooding that would take place. And yes, you can see pretty much the entire state of Kentucky is in that. But yes, when we look at the rain chances, it's obviously going to be much higher earlier in the afternoon. So, that means during the race itself, we may end up getting lucky. It may not actually be raining during the race. But with all that rain beforehand, again it's going to make that track a little bit muddy.

But you know what? Mint Julep in one hand, umbrella in the other.

SCHOLES: Yes.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Not everyone is going to be in the infield but a lot of people will be in the infield.

SCHOLES: Yes, they will.

Thank you both. Allison Chinchar, I appreciate it.

There's much more ahead on the next hour of CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND. Another round of tariffs just went into effect overnight. We're going to tell you how much it could drive up costs for cars and the possible long-term consequences for the auto industry. All that and more just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:58:08]

JIMENEZ: Two of New York's top auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's will feature the icons of 20th and 21st century art in their spring sales this month. This Pablo Picasso painting inspired by the Three Musketeers is estimated to be worth up to $18 million. But this sculpture by Alberto Giacometti of his younger brother Diego could be the top prize. It's expected to fetch up to, wait for, it $70 million.

The spring sales at Christie's and Sotheby's kick off the week of May 12th. Somebody go and get me something. I would love to check it out.

People try a lot of things to ease their aching back, but how about riding roller coasters? At 85 years old, this German grandmother named Ursula, walking -- there you go -- found that the amusement park rides seem to make her back pain vanish. She's having a lot of fun too. She comes to the park once a week and rides the coaster up to 50 times a visit. Wow.

She's been doing this since she turned 72. That's 13 years of pain- free ups, downs, loop to loops. Oh, she really does -- wow. Ursula says she started all this back -- when her back started hurting due to a misaligned hip. She keeps moving while on board otherwise, she says it wouldn't work out so well.

I've never seen that before. Shout out to her I'll -- I want to ride a ride with her.

Your favorite stars take you to their favorite places in the CNN Original Series: My Happy Place. Join Taraji P. Henson on a spiritual, culinary, and cultural journey in Bali, Indonesia. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TARAJI P. HENSON, ACTRESS: I figured I'm here. I might as well overcome this fear. Not feeling any bolder though.

OK. Well, I'm ready to go be tortured. Maybe I won't scream this time.

Yes, you don't have to push me hard like that. A little -- you remember.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Relax first. Hands up first, please.

HENSON: One, two, three.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please hold all the time, yes?

HENSON: Hold all the time, absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't lean back.

HENSON: I'm never going to lean back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just don't --

HENSON: A little bit, OK. No, no, that's enough. That's enough. That's enough. Wee! A little bit --a little bit more. OK. So elegant. Did you see me smile on the camera?

JIMENEZ: Be sure to tune in a new episode of My Happy Place with Taraji P. Henson. It airs tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN

END