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CNN This Morning

Newark Airport Enters Day Seven Of Major Flight Delays And Cancellations; United Airlines Cancels 35 Daily Roundtrips Starting This Weekend From Newark Airport; Warren Buffett Announces Retirement As CEO Of Berkshire Hathaway; Trump Dismisses Growing Fears Of A Recession; Canadian Prime Minister Carney To Discuss Tariffs With Trump In D.C. On Tuesday; Warren Buffett Criticizes Tariffs: Trade Can Be An Act Of War; Mike Waltz Faces Senate Confirmation For New Role As U.N. Ambassador; Oklahoma And Arkansas Face Another Round Of Severe Flooding; Authorities: Father Killed Deputy A Day After Police Fatally Shot His Armed Son. Authorities: Father Killed Deputy A Day After Police Fatally Shot His Armed Son; Jury Selection Starts Tomorrow In Federal Criminal Trial; Zelensky Rejects Putin's Three-Day Truce Calls For 30-Day Ceasefire Instead; Last Day Of Mourning For Pope Francis; Conclave Begins Wednesday; TSA To Enforce Real ID Beginning Wednesday. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired May 04, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:38]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It's Sunday, May 4th. I'm Omar Jimenez in for Victor Blackwell.

We got a lot to get to including parked planes and frustrated flyers. Air travels throttled at one of the busiest airports in the world this morning. Cancellations and delays stretched into an unprecedented seventh day. We're going to have a report from Newark and if this is a sign of things to come during the busy travel period ahead.

Also, an Ohio man is accused of intentionally hitting and killing a sheriff's deputy just a day after the driver's 18-year-old son was shot and killed by Cincinnati police. CNN's senior law enforcement analyst is going to walk us through the case just ahead.

And 94-year-old billionaire investor Warren Buffett says he's stepping away from his company. And he had some words for President Trump's tariffs and trade war on his way out just ahead.

And China and Russia's president are tightening their ties. We're going to tell you what we know about President Xi's visit to Russia in the days ahead.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And we've got one system that's on its way out and another one brewing. We'll take a look at what that means for the upcoming workweek in just a few minutes.

JIMENEZ: But we're going to start with seven days of major travel disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport. And as of now, it doesn't look like that that's going to be changing anytime soon.

This morning flightaware.com reports 55 cancellations and 16 delays there. The FAA hasn't made an official comment about it, but the agency has listed ongoing staffing shortages of air traffic controllers as the cause of the backlog. Now, flyers say the slowdowns are making them anxious.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN NORRI, NEWARK INTERNATION AIRPORT TRAVELER: A lot of other passengers were saying that they were concerned about connections and landing with all the delays that have been going on here at Newark.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To hear that there's a shortage of over 3,000 air traffic controllers across the entire country, does that concern you at all as a flyer?

NORRI: For sure. It definitely does. I have a lot of travel coming up. So, hopefully they can resolve this quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: And CNN's Leigh Waldman talked to frustrated flyers on Saturday at Newark.

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's waves of travelers coming throughout the Newark airport. Today, we checked the flight board downstairs, and it's littered with flights that are canceled or delayed.

Several hundred flights have been delayed today, with dozens of others that have been canceled. Starting this weekend, United Airlines is actually canceling 35 roundtrip flights from this airport specifically, and it all stems back to staffing issues with air traffic controllers. We spoke to some passengers today about their delays and how they're feeling altogether.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IZABELA OLITO, NEWARK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TRAVELER: Yesterday from West Palm Beach the flight was delayed for three and a half hours for no reason the last minute. Once you get to the airport, there was a last-minute information. So, I would appreciate the airlines of anyone else will give us ahead of time so then we don't have to leave home and be stranded at the airport for three or four hours.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALDMAN: Now, as a whole, there are 3,000 air traffic controllers short across the entire nation. We heard from the union that represents these air traffic controllers. They said these are some of the worst staffing shortages they've seen in nearly 30 years. It could take eight to 10 years to make up for these staffing shortages.

Earlier this week, we also heard from the transportation secretary, who said they're working on incentivizing programs or incentive programs to try and get more people into this field, including a $5,000 bonus for people who enroll in the academy. Also, bonuses for people who stay until they're reaching retirement ages. But we're hearing from those passengers and they are feeling the pressures and pains of these staffing shortages that come with these delays. Back to you.

JIMENEZ: All right. Leigh Waldman, thank you for that reporting. Meanwhile, billionaire investor Warren Buffett announced his retirement as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, surprising a lot of people at the company's annual shareholders meeting Saturday.

The Wall Street icon has led Berkshire Hathaway since its founding in 1965. He will stay on as chairman of the board. But Buffett said when he steps down at the end of the year, the company's vice chairman, Greg Abel, would take over pending board approval.

Now, Buffett designated Abel as his successor several years ago. And just before Buffett announced his retirement here, he finally shared his thoughts about Trump's tariffs.

[06:05:00]

Buffett called Americas trade war, quote, "a big mistake."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARREN BUFFETT, CEO, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY: Trade should not be a weapon. I do think that the more -- the more -- the more prosperous the rest of the world becomes, it won't be at our expense, the more prosperous we'll become, and the safer we'll feel, and your children will feel someday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now, Warren Buffett's comments on tariffs come right after President Trump tried to downplay fears of a recession. Trump repeated that America's economy is in a transition period, something we've heard him say a lot these past couple of months. But his efforts haven't stopped analysts on Wall Street from growing more concerned that a recession could be close. CNN's Alayna Treene is in West Palm Beach, Florida, with more.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Yes, Omar. The president sat down with NBC in Meet the Press on Friday. That full interview is going to be airing in just a couple of hours, but we did get an early glimpse of it where the president was really downplaying fears of a potential recession. I want you to listen to that exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN WELKER, HOST: Is it OK in the short term to have a recession?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look -- yes. Everything is OK. What we are -- I said this is a transition period. I think we're going to do fantastically.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, the president there saying that he believes this is a transition period. It's something we've heard from him now repeatedly over the last several months. But the question is a valid one, because many analysts on Wall Street are growing increasingly concerned and warning that a recession could be on the horizon particularly, as you account, for the changing tariff policy from the Trump administration.

But I do want to note something as well that the president said earlier this week, because as a White House reporter who covers him day in and day out, I found it very striking. It was the first time we actually heard Trump note that prices, consumer goods, could go up because of his tariff policy.

He was talking about a doll. He said, yes, maybe some children will have to have two dolls instead of 30. And those two dolls may be more expensive.

So, not exactly the type of reassuring language. I know a lot of Americans who are concerned about prices at the grocery store, about their 401(k)s, about the stock market, a lot of them really eager for any good news as they continue to watch some of the economic turmoil and uncertainty that has been, you know, a result of his tariff and trade policies.

Now, I can also tell you that behind the scenes, and this has been very clear, I've spoken with a series of top Trump administration officials and senior White House officials, there is growing anxiety and kind of pressure that is building on them to deliver that type of good news.

We've now heard from a series of the president's top economic advisers, from people like the treasury secretary, to the commerce secretary, to his director of the National Economic Council, all of them over the course of the last week saying that a deal would be struck soon. The deal we've heard most about is a potential trade deal with India. But we know that his team is also in very deep talks with countries with the United States allies in Asia, also South Korea, and Japan.

But notable, I note that this week the president was trying to take a victory lap on his first 100 days in office. A lot of people thought there might be a trade deal announced, but we ended the week, of course, without any tariff deal to talk about.

So, this is really something that is continuing, I think, to be a concern behind closed doors. But at the same time, it's still very clear that the president does believe in what he is doing, that he believes in tariffs. His advisers as well, repeatedly tell me this is a mid to long term strategy. In the short term there is going to be some volatility. But they do believe in the long run this will all pan out -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: Alayna Treene, really appreciate the reporting. Joining me now is politics reporter for Semafor, Kadia Goba. Thank you for being here. I want to start on the economy because any talks of a recession aside, how much real estate and time does the president actually have here to get something done on trade, for example?

KADIA GOBA, REPORTER, SEMAFOR: Yes, that's a great question. I think about my conversations with Representative Mike Lawler last week when I asked him, is there a deadline that you'll give the president before you start to panic? And he said, well, the president said 90 days. So, I'll note that.

We're about a month into that 90-day period where he actually paused the tariffs, the higher tariffs, to say this would be a time for negotiation. So, I would imagine about two more months, we'll start seeing lawmakers probably make decisions on how they're going to start messaging to their constituents.

JIMENEZ: We've even heard from some in the business community who I think are trying to figure out, navigate through the uncertainty over what the outcome of some of these tariff and trade talks are actually going to be. And, you know, part of his talk on tariffs and sometimes confrontational posturing with U.S. allies helped fuel the new Canadian prime minister Mark Carney's rise to win the election, for example. And Carney is expected to meet with Trump this week.

Does Canada here come from any different position of strength than it did when Trudeau met with then president-elect Trump, for example, last fall?

[06:10:06]

GOBA: Well, listen, it was widely recognized that Trudeau -- Trump and Trudeau had sort of an adversarial relationship. And I think Carney ran on this idea that he would stand up to Trump.

So, I think he's probably in a better position. Tariffs have been set on both countries. And now there's sort of this willingness from Canadians to, you know, push back against American goods.

So, I would say Carney is in a better position. He's already posturing that he expects these talks to initiate future talks but acknowledge that they're going to be difficult.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And I'm sure you saw Warren Buffett announce he's stepping down from Berkshire Hathaway at the end of the year, but he also weighed in on the tariff, saying trade should not be a weapon and it could be an act of war.

Obviously, politics aside, a very prominent member of the business community pushing back, in a way on the current strategy from the White House. Do you see any significance in someone of his stature actually speaking his mind publicly on this?

GOBA: Yes, I do. Although, it didn't change anything in 2018. This isn't the first time Warren Buffett has weighed in on the tariff situation. He talked about it in 2018. He said tariffs would be bad for the world. This is a person who is very interested in free trade, presumably because some of his companies rely on that. In particular his aerospace company, who was probably -- that's probably in the middle of all of this tariff -- in the middle of the tariff war because of the need for global trade on aluminum and steel.

So, you know, it wasn't that surprising that he weighed in. But I imagine he is thinking along the lines, as you said, as many business people in the country.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, one -- I want to shift gears a little bit here because national security advisor Mike Waltz removed from his position to be nominated for U.N. ambassador, but that also comes with a Senate confirmation requirement. Does that make life easier or more difficult for him?

GOBA: You know, as soon as he -- his nomination was announced I talked to a couple of senators who said that they didn't think he would have a hard time. He was a very respected lawmaker. While he was in the House, he's taken very serious. But it will be a fiery hearing because Democrats, obviously, are going to harp on the Signalgate issue and, you know, how Mike Waltz inadvertently added a reporter to a sensitive group chat, and the idea that they are -- cabinet officials are even using Signal. So, I expect it to be fiery but I don't -- I think he will -- he will pass.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And I know, you know, you're always speaking to lawmakers and figuring out where they're landing in regards to President Trump's policy. We got to at least a blueprint look at what the president is trying to prioritize in this upcoming budget. You know, top lines, increasing spending for defense, cutting programs from education, foreign aid, the environment, things of that nature.

I wonder how his initial sort of blueprint for his budget has landed with Congress members you've spoken to on both sides of the aisle, and whether it shows any prospects of this actually moving forward, or at least aspects of it.

GOBA: Yes. So, I want to point out that the budget is always perceived as sort of a recommendation --

JIMENEZ: Yes.

GOBA: -- coming from the White House. But, you know, it's obvious. Republicans plan to cut non-defense spending.

What I thought was interesting is that while defense spending rose about 13 percent to a whopping $1 trillion, the highest it has ever been, some of the military hawks had a problem with it because they said it was contingent on the reconciliation package passing.

So, I thought that was interesting because obviously there are going to be some vulnerable members or some members that need to message a different way, especially those members in Biden districts who are going to, you know, face a lot of criticism for all the non-defense cuts that are happening that are going to impact, you know, education -- the education department and things that really resonate with people on the ground.

So, it's going to be -- it's going to be really tough for Republicans. And this could be, you know, the path to Democrats regaining the House because of all the significant cuts.

JIMENEZ: And even for any votes that come, you know, the Republicans have a very slight margin on the House side, which is -- which is where a lot of this would need to begin.

[06:15:07]

Kadia Goba, really appreciate you coming on. Thanks for being here.

GOBA: Thank you for having me.

JIMENEZ: All right. Still to come, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine is ready for an immediate ceasefire if Russia also agrees to a mutual 30-day truce. We're going to have a live report on the diplomatic efforts to resolve the war, next.

Plus, a new system with heavy rain is expected to slam already flooded areas of Texas and Oklahoma this week. We're going to have the latest weather forecast ahead as well.

And the last mass for Pope Francis is today before the conclave to choose the next pope begins this week. We're going to have a live report from Rome ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:20:27]

JIMENEZ: All right. Welcome back, everyone. This morning one weather system is on the way out and another one is taking shape and moving toward Oklahoma and Arkansas. These are some of the same states where people actually face serious flooding just days ago.

With me now is CNN's Allison Chinchar. So, Allison, we're seeing some of this -- the previous flooding there. But what is the forecast for what's ahead?

CHINCHAR: Unfortunately, more rain. You know, now they had a little bit of a break the last 48 hours to kind of get some of that water to go away. But that's a lot of water to go away in a very short period of time.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

CHINCHAR: And yes, the first system, the one that we kind of highlighted yesterday, that one is on the way out. You can see that right here. So, we've got a couple more hours before it finally exits out over the open Atlantic.

But you'll start to see some more developments, say out to the west areas of New Mexico, Texas. This is where the next system is really going to start to take shape and really become impactful over the next 48 hours.

But let's finish up with the first one. Again, you can kind of see here. We still have some showers and thunderstorms. We've had some severe thunderstorm warnings off and on throughout the Carolinas as we've gone through the morning. Still possible to get a couple more of those through late morning hours. Even Florida also getting some of the leftover showers before that line finally will exit the area.

But you've got two potential spots for those severe storms today. One, again, with the system that is going to exit the area, but also for this new system that's really going to develop and take shape today and then continue to move eastward as we head into Monday and into Tuesday of this week.

So, here's a look. Again, there you can see by late morning and especially into the afternoon, the bulk of that system well out over the open waters. You just kind of got some of those lingering showers and even some thunderstorms across portions of the northeast by tonight.

But really focus on this one out to the west. That's where were really starting to see more of those showers and thunderstorms beginning to build, especially over New Mexico and into Colorado, and then gradually pushing into portions of Texas and Oklahoma. Some of the same spots that were impacted by all of that heavy rain a few days ago now are going to be seeing some additional heavy rain really taking shape for those hard-hit areas on Monday, and that will continue into the day on Tuesday.

Here's a look at the forecast for Tuesday. Specifically, this is where we're looking at the greatest threat for flooding, especially that excessive rainfall. You're talking additional two to three inches of rain on top of what they've already had.

The target point here in red -- yes, that's going to include areas of Arkansas and Louisiana. But notice too, we're talking Tulsa, Oklahoma City, portions of Texas. They are also going to be looking at the potential for some very heavy rainfall in the next couple of days.

JIMENEZ: And again, a lot of these places are already dealing those heavy rains before.

CHINCHAR: They don't need any more.

JIMENEZ: Exactly. Allison Chinchar, really appreciate it as always. All right. Coming up, Cincinnati police fatally shot an armed 18-year- old. The next day authorities say his father killed a sheriff's deputy. We're going to have details of the case ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:27:33]

JIMENEZ: All right. Welcome back, everyone. New this morning, a Cincinnati area father is accused of killing a sheriff's deputy by running him over just a day after police shot and killed his 18-year- old son in a separate incident. Now, all of this started Thursday.

Police say body camera footage shows someone running away from police after they stopped him following reports of a stolen vehicle. We want to warn viewers we're going to show you some of this body cam video, and it may be disturbing.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

JIMENEZ: Now, police say the body cam footage doesn't clearly show if the person hit, Ryan Hinton, pointed a gun at the officers. Police did report recovering a handgun with an extended clip they say the 18- year-old was carrying. Now, the police chief said the gun had not been fired.

Friday morning, the teen's family watched the body camera footage. It was hours later, though, that authorities say the teen's father, Rodney Hinton Jr., fatally struck a Hamilton County sheriff's deputy. And prosecutors say the father, quote, "lined up his car, deliberately accelerated" and hit the deputy while he was directing traffic at the University of Cincinnati commencement ceremony.

Rodney Hinton Jr. made his first court appearance yesterday. Prosecutors are seeking an indictment for aggravated murder. And the family attorney tells CNN, quote, "the family's pretty upset, pretty distraught about what happened to their son."

I want to bring in chief senior law enforcement analyst Chief Charles Ramsey and former Washington, D.C. police chief. And officials acknowledge this is an extremely emotionally charged case. There's still a lot of investigation to be done, but have you seen a set of circumstances like this before where a son is killed and a father allegedly does this the next day? I just wonder what your reaction is to what we know.

CHIEF CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, no, I haven't seen a situation exactly like that before. And of course, I've been around a long time. But it is an emotionally charged situation. But the officer, the deputy that was murdered, had nothing to do with the shooting. There's no connection at all.

And so, it's just a tragedy. He's there. In fact, he had retired. He came back as a special deputy which you can do there, and was directing traffic for the University of Cincinnati graduation ceremonies.

[06:30:01]

JIMENEZ: Yes. And, you know, as a police chief, sheriff, prosecuting attorney, the list goes on in this case. How do you begin to approach an emotionally charged situation like this knowing that emotions are running high from -- from people looking in from the outside, but also knowing that -- that there is a process to play out whether it's the investigation or the legal process.

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST (on-camera): You know, in a sense, there's always emotion associated with -- with a case now, this one more so than normal. But when you're an investigator, you have to separate yourself from that and just look at the facts, look at the video, all the evidence as it relates to the shooting of the 8-year-old -- 18-year-old. And then take a look at the accident, what took place interviewing witnesses and so forth.

But you can't get caught up into the emotion yourself. You have to be objective. You have to deal with just the facts, gather those facts and present it before court.

JIMENEZ: Yes, does the nature of what the suspect faces here change if it were deemed connected in any way to what happened to his son?

RAMSEY (on-camera): I don't think so, but that's up to a prosecutor, but I don't think so. I mean, murder is never OK. I mean, and that's what took place there. I mean, there are avenues that you can take to resolve any particular issue.

Now, granted, it's highly emotional. You lost a son, but then to kill the first policeman you see as a result of that one that had nothing to do with the case. And even if it had been an officer that had something to do with the case, it's still wrong. It's just murder. And that's what he's going to be charged with or has been charged with. And hopefully they can convict him.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, when this body camera video came out and when clearly the family had a chance to see this video itself, when you're leading a police force or law enforcement and you know that there is something that might, you know, evoke an emotional response from a family or the community as a whole, is there anything differently that you might tell your law enforcement officers in going out the next day an awareness of their safety even more so than they would on a normal day.

I just wonder from a law enforcement side, what do you then try to tell your officers?

RAMSEY (on-camera): Well, I mean, you always tell your officers to be careful --

JIMENEZ: Yes.

RAMSEY (on-camera): -- and be cautious, but in a situation like this, I mean, he's just directing traffic. So, you're more concerned about getting hit by a car accidentally than you are being hit by a car intentionally.

As far as the video showing the family, I've done that before when we've had situations like that. The attorney, the person's family are allowed to see the video before it gets to the media. It's better to show them what you have as opposed to them just speculating and guessing in terms of what actually took place.

So I have done that myself, and I think that was a good move on the part of the chief that showed the video to the family. Of course, the chief had no idea it was going to result in any actions taken by the father. JIMENEZ: Yes. And just before we go, you've done that before. Can you just tell me what that is typically like having to go to a family, regardless of the circumstances leading to the person being killed, and having to explain or show what you believe happened?

RAMSEY (on-camera): Well, it's difficult, and of course it is emotional. I used to do it in my office, invite them to come to the office to actually see the video themselves. I don't believe a person should see it for the very first time on television.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

RAMSEY (on-camera): They should have an opportunity to see it beforehand, answer any questions that they might have, and obviously it's just difficult. It's difficult for them to see something like that on tape, but I think it's necessary because one of the problems you have when you have any kind of officer-involved shooting is that it takes on its own narrative over time and social media and so forth in terms of what took place.

You want to show them exactly what took place based on what you have at that moment, and whether it's body camera, whether it's from a fixed camera --

JIMENEZ: Yes.

RAMSEY (on-camera): -- on a pole or a business or whatever, you show them what you have, and it leads you to dispel those kinds of rumors in terms of what the family believes, and that's what's important. What does the family see?

JIMENEZ: To provide those details right on the front end.

Chief Charles Ramsey, really appreciate the time and perspective. Thanks for being here.

RAMSEY (on-camera): OK, thank you.

JIMENEZ: Remembering Pope Francis. Today is the last day of mourning after the pontiff's death.

Coming up, a look ahead to the conclave this week when cardinals will meet to elect the new leader of the Catholic Church.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:39:34]

JIMENEZ: Jury selection starts tomorrow in music mogul Sean Combs' federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial in New York. While the witness list hasn't been made public, sources tell CNN it includes Combs' former longtime girlfriend Cassie Ventura and other alleged abuse victims.

Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges. New this morning, Chinese President Xi Jinping is headed to Russia next week for events marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany.

[06:40:02]

Now, while there, he's going to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss closer ties between their countries.

This comes, though, as Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says he's ready for a 30-day ceasefire if Russia agrees, while criticizing Putin's three-day truce. Zelenskyy said, quote, this is a fair period in which the next steps can be prepared. Russia must stop the war and cease the assaults, cease the shelling.

Joining me now from Paris is CNN's Melissa Bell.

And Melissa, all this is coming as they were new Russian strikes across Ukraine, killing at least four people. What -- what more do we know there?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): That's right. We've been hearing President Zelenskyy also speaking to that continue those continued attacks overnight, many of them in the shape of drones that have cost the lives of those civilians, many wounded as well, more than 30 people, saying that this is a sign of their cynicism, the Russians, that even as they speak of this three- day truce and prepare for this victory celebration on the 9th of May, the reminder they will be marking, of course, the 80th anniversary since their victory over Nazi Germany. They will do it in great pomp and circumstance. They will do it amid a unilaterally announced three- day truce with Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy's point is that the cynicism is comes from the fact that this is being organized against the wishes now of both Kyiv and Washington, who want not a three-day truce, but a 30-day truce. And even as the targeting of civilians continues, Omar.

JIMENEZ: And most of the Kremlin says Xi and Putin are expected to sign several documents during -- during Xi's visit to Russia. Do we have any sense of what those are and what those might include?

BELL (on-camera): All we've heard for the time being, Omar, is that they will be seeking to further their cooperation on a number of issues. We expect a number of bilateral agreements to be signed, although we don't know much about the detail of those. What it is important to understand about the context of this is that this is the third visit by the Chinese president to Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine began.

And it's in the context of that growing relationship that we've seen between Moscow and China, so closely aligned ideologically on their world views. But that has also deepened since the war, with China maintaining what it calls a neutral stance on the war in Ukraine, even as it has backed Moscow's vision of how it began blaming the West. And even as China has continued to supply to Moscow's many of the key components that are then used to make weapons, their strategic involvement and cooperation has deepened.

And what we're likely to see on May the 9th is not just furthering of that, but a projection of this sort of autocratic axis that you've seen grown between Moscow and China, even as, of course, globally, Washington is retreating. Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right. Melissa Bell, really appreciate the reporting, as always.

All right meanwhile, today is the Catholic Church's last day of mourning for Pope Francis, it'll be marked with a mass for the late pope at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. The faithful gathered last night, some participating in a candlelight procession.

The conclave to elect a new pope begins this Wednesday. And the Vatican installed that chimney on the Sistine Chapel's roof ahead of the election of the new pope.

Let's turn to CNN reporter Barbie Latza Nadeau in Rome with more.

Can you just describe the mood for us as the faithful gather on this final official day of mourning for Pope Francis?

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER (on-camera): Yes, you know, it's very poignant because just two weeks ago in this square on Easter Sunday, the pope made his very last appearance, dying so sort of suddenly on Easter Monday, the 21st of April. And, you know, every Sunday normally here during the year, you have pilgrims and faithful and Romans gathering below his window to hear him give his Sunday Angelus.

So here we are without a pope. People are very, very mournful and very aware of that. We've just seen processions of people going into the church to walk through the holy door. Of course, it's being a holy jubilee year.

And so, the mood is -- is sad. But, you know, everyone, of course, is looking forward and ahead to the next stages, which are, of course, the conclave, Omar.

JIMENEZ: And on that conclave, can you just talk to us about how the church is preparing, what preparations need to get underway before that begins?

NADEAU (on-camera): Yes, you know, it's really interesting because things have changed so much over the millennia since they've been doing these conclaves and they have prepared the Sistine Chapel with these sort of jamming devices. So, none of these cardinals can bring in any cell phones or have any influence from the outside world.

On Wednesday morning, they will have a solemn mass inside the church and then they will literally be literally be locked in. That's what conclave is, the words conclave, into the Sistine Chapel where they will vote for the next pope.

And they will stay in there until basically they -- they reach a decision, a two-thirds decision. They will be sleeping in the Santa Martha house, such as where Pope Francis was living when he died. And they will go back into the Sistine Chapel every day, voting four times a day. We will see smoke twice a day, black smoke when they don't reach a decision, and of course white smoke out of that famous chimney when they do reach a decision.

[06:45:14]

Then we expect all the bells of all the churches in Rome to ring, and many Romans and tourists flock here to St. Peter's Square to wait, to see who comes out on the balcony in the central part of the church behind me when they say, habemus papam, we have a new pope, and that we don't know when that will be.

Conclaves in the last two years have taken just 24 hours, two days, but, you know, they've gone much longer over the millennia. So, everybody's waiting for that.

Today, a very sad and mournful period. Starting on Wednesday, though, everybody's eyes will be on that chimney. Omar?

JIMENEZ: No jamming devices for conclaves of centuries ago, but that is the modern conclave.

Barbie Latza Nadeau, really appreciate you being here. Thank you.

Meanwhile, the REAL ID deadline is Wednesday. Coming up, we're going to tell you what you need to know about the TSA compliant identification and how it could impact your summer travels this year.

Stay with us.

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[06:50:36]

JIMENEZ: All right, everyone, it's time to make plans for summer travel. But while you're lining up hotel stays and tour packages, make sure you've got the right ID to get you through airport security.

And I'm talking about Wednesday, the TSA will begin enforcing the REAL ID Act 20 years after it was signed into law. It established the 9/11 Commission's recommended minimum security standards for license issuance and production.

Now, certain federal agencies aren't allowed to accept ID cards that don't meet those standards. The enforcement deadline has been pushed back for years, so you might already have an approved ID, but you also might not.

My next guest is here with some tips to help you out if you don't and you need to travel soon. Clint Henderson is the managing editor of ThePointsGuy.com. Good to see you, Clint.

So let's just talk about, I just want to start on a little bit of news about the delays we're seeing at Newark Liberty International Airport because the FAA is citing air traffic control shortages. Do you see these delays as more of a temporary weekend thing or more as a sign of things to potentially come as we get into the summer travel season?

CLINT HENDERSON, MANAGING EDITOR, THE POINTS GUY: I'm really worried about Newark. I think --

JIMENEZ: Yes.

HENDERSON: -- they've had multiple air traffic control workers sort of leave on trauma leave because of technical failures in the control room. They are desperately short of staff. They've been short of staff for years.

But when you have a major airline like United saying, we're cutting 35 flights, 10 percent of our flights in and out of Newark every single day going forward, you know something's really afoot because United doesn't want to lose that business.

So Newark cannot handle the capacity that it's currently scheduled for. So that's one to really watch going forward.

JIMENEZ: Yes, and especially out of a hub for United like Newark is and just given the volume, it's a very serious move by the airline.

So let's talk about the REAL ID deadline on Wednesday because first of all, how should people check if they have a REAL ID? And if you don't have a REAL ID, what are your options here?

HENDERSON: So the easiest way to check to see if you're REAL ID approved is there'll be some kind of star in the upper right portion of your driver's license or your state issued ID that shows it's REAL ID compliant. Most likely you'll know if you've been through it. It's a more rigorous security process when you get that document.

But then you can also bring a passport or if you have a passport or a passport card, there's also states that have been issuing enhanced driver's licenses. The problem with those is they don't have that star. So, I'm not sure how effective TSA has been trained on the enhanced driver's licenses.

So just as a backup, I would say to people, bring all the documentation you can, even a Social Security card, birth certificate, whatever kind of ID you have. There is some wiggle room. So the airport, local airports have up to two years to fully enforce this.

So I'm hoping they're more flexible than they normally would be. But I would just bring as much documentation as possible. And for goodness sake, get to the airport early, especially in the initial days after this rolls out because I anticipate a lot of lines.

We have some reporters going out in the field that day to try to figure out what's happening, but I am worried about long lines.

JIMENEZ: Well, that aspect is a W for anyone who likes to get to the airport early like myself. So, I don't have to worry about that, but I know some people who really might have to. I guess another question I have is, will having TSA pre-check or clear actually help here? Since sometimes you don't always have to show, actually physically bring out your ID to show to an officer when you go through security.

HENDERSON: So, I'm hopeful the lines will be shorter for clear and for TSA pre-check. But again, you're going to have people who are not REAL ID compliant using those lanes, so it could add confusion.

Now, there is a hack for clear members in particular. You can actually upload your passport to clear. That is a REAL ID approved document that you can use.

So you could potentially use a clear lane without showing a document. I would still have the document just in case, but that's one little hopeful note. But I would just play sort of where -- which line is shortest, and that's the line you're going to try to use, especially in the first few days.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, obviously, we're going to see exactly how this plays out. But if you show up to TSA and you have, I guess, a non-REAL ID compliant ID, I mean, are we talking they're getting turned away or are we just talking more scrutiny? I guess, what are the range of options that people could face here?

[06:55:10]

HENDERSON: So, they technically they could refuse you entry so they could deny you boarding and say, sorry, you can't travel today. But I think they're not going to do that for a couple of years. And, you know, ask you questions. They're going to do secondary screening on you. They're going to ask you any other documentation you have.

So that's why I say just bring lots of documents just in case bills with your home address, birth certificate, Social Security card, any kind of driver's license or state ID that you have. And there are other documents that you can use, like military IDs and things. There's a full list at The Points Guy. But, yes, come prepared and come early.

JIMENEZ: Yes. Well, if you're traveling this week, get to the airport early. And I actually have a reason to say that outside of personal preference.

Clinton Henderson, really appreciate you being here.

HENDERSON: Anytime.

JIMENEZ: All right. Coming up, Warren Buffett wants the country to knock off its trade war.

Coming up, what he had to say about Donald Trump's tariffs as he announced his plans to step down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.

Plus, be sure to tune in a new episode of "MY HAPPY PLACE" with actress Taraji P. Henson airs tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.

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