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Connect the World
Rep. Greer Testifies Before House Committee; E.U.'s Counter Tariffs to U.S.; China Raises Retaliatory Tariff on U.S. to 84 Percent; China Slamming Vance for Peasant Comment; Tragedy in the Dominican Republic; Netanyahu Returns Empty Handed; Tension Over the Panama Canal; Scottie Scheffler Hosts Masters Dinner. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired April 09, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is "Connect the World."
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our second hour of Connect the World. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London.
And these are live pictures from Capitol Hill where U.S. trade representative will answer questions in front of the House Ways and Means
Committee. We'll bring you that testimony shortly. The key issue for this hearing is tariffs, as you can imagine.
China just imposed an 84 percent tariff on all American goods escalating the global trade war. While the U.S. markets are reacting to this
escalation, investors are seeking safe haven in treasury bonds. But what does that mean for the everyday consumer?
And we are following fierce reaction around the globe today to the U.S.-led trade war, President Trump's widespread tariffs are now in place. Just in
the last hour, the European Union has backed its first countermeasures to the United States set to go into effect April 15th. The commission did not
immediately provide details on what that would entail.
Well, China now facing 104 percent tax on its goods entering the United States is also hitting back. Beijing announcing it will retaliate with an
84 percent levy on its own on U.S. imports. And the Bank of England here is issuing a stark warning saying, quote, "The global risk environment has
deteriorated and uncertainty has intensified."
CNN Correspondent Anna Stewart is here with me in London. Anna, the markets opened, what, just half an hour ago. Been pretty volatile today, especially
after that announcement from China. What have we been seeing in the interim?
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, markets were pretty unsettled when they opened on Wall Street. We can check in on them now. I believe they're
now treading a little bit higher at this stage. Can't tell you why, Christina. We are just looking at extreme volatility every day. Roll with
the punches.
We are seeing oil prices much lower, at the lower since February 2021. This is as investors are very concerned that we could be looking at a global
recession. We are seeing bond yield spike. This is for the U.S. 10-year treasury. This is suggesting, of course, there are concerns about the U.S.'
status as a safe haven in a long-term timeframe, which is pretty concerning. And we've seen really unsettled markets in Europe and in Asia.
MACFARLANE: Well, if -- my understanding is that if the U.S. markets closed just a few percentages down today, we will be in bear market
territory. We're not there already. Talk to us about some of the sort of financial terminology we may hear percolating today --
STEWART: There's going to be some light relief.
MACFARLANE: -- as the markets move.
STEWART: Bear market territory is when an asset or particularly Stock Index closes 20 percent lower than its recent high. So, there is a figure
that investors have for that, and they'll be watching that very closely. You can be in bear market territory, but not in a bear market until it
actually closes at that price.
MACFARLANE: OK. Dead cat bounce.
STEWART: Now, I don't know --
MACFARLANE: My favorite thing I've heard in the last 24 hours.
STEWART: I don't know who's responsible for this, but the saying is that even a dead cat will bounce if you drop it high enough. This is another one
for markets. Now, a dead cat bounce is usually referring to perhaps you are seeing asset prices rise, but then they fall again. So, it's just a
temporary relief. Perhaps that's what we saw yesterday. You could maybe call that a dead cat bounce.
MACFARLANE: So, as people are looking for the market to quite bottom out, I mean, that's -- this is what we could be seeing --
STEWART: There are people trying to buy the dip is our next one.
MACFARLANE: OK.
STEWART: Which is when you are hoping, obviously, as asset prices fall to try and find its bottom, get it cheap, and hope that prices rise.
MACFARLANE: My favorite one of the lot, catch a falling knife.
STEWART: This is when buying a dip goes wrong.
MACFARLANE: Right.
STEWART: You never want to catch a falling knife. You want to get it when it has fallen. It would hurt. But these are just some of the many sayings.
We could do this every day, they're all kind of crazy. But I hope you enjoy them.
MACFARLANE: I really do. That last one sounds a bit like an '80s power ballad to me. So, I am enjoying it. But look, as we kind of look to what
comes next, the chances of global recession are being upped it feels by the day here. We mentioned bond markets, the price of commodities as well, oil,
gold, all pointing really to an acceleration towards a recession.
STEWART: Well, at the end of last week, we had J.P. Morgan, I think it was, raising the likelihood of a recession from 40 percent to 60 percent,
and that was just based on so-called Liberation Day and China retaliating.
But now, we have the U.S. retaliating against China, retaliating again. We have the E.U., which is just announced it will also be implementing tariffs
against the U.S. next week. We'll get a full list and a full amount of how much that will be.
MACFARLANE: Yes.
[10:05:00]
STEWART: But you can expect that recession risks will only grow as more of the global trade is dragged into this war. And what we're seeing between
China and the U.S., you know, we're talking about the two biggest economies in the world here. We're seeing a game of chicken play out. It's absolutely
extraordinary. And it will have very real ramifications for consumers of both countries, but for all of us all around the world as inflation spikes.
MACFARLANE: And no real end game in sight yet.
STEWART: Currently no end game in sight.
MACFARLANE: Yes, Anna, thank you. Well, the White House is holding the line as some of its biggest trading partners start to retaliate. Treasury
Secretary Scott Bessent is maintaining tariffs will ultimately be good for the average American worker. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: Wall Street has grown wealthier than ever before, and it can continue to grow and do well. But for the next
four years, the Trump agenda is focused on Main Street. It's Main Street's turn.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well, let's break down what we are hearing. Larry Sabato is the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. And
Art Hogan is the chief market analyst at B. Riley Financial. Welcome to you both.
Larry, I just want to get your first thoughts on the reaction to what we just heard there from Scott Bessent. Is this ultimately going to help Wall
Street?
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA AND EDITOR, "A RETURN TO NORMALCY?": Well, I don't know that it's going to
help Wall Street or Main Street, but I can tell you this, it is bordering, at least now it is, it's bordering on a disaster and tipping over,
potentially into a catastrophe given the higher prices that people will be paying, the increased inflation what it's doing to 401(k)s. The joke is, of
course, everyone's 401(k) is now a 201(k).
These things matter. And for Trump, this is lowering his approval ratings, not just handling on the economy, which has always been his strong point,
but overall, in just about every category. So, so far, things haven't played the way Donald Trump thought they were going to play. Maybe that
will change tomorrow, but I doubt it.
MACFARLANE: Yes. Things aren't playing the way he expected them to play and getting progressively worse it seems by the day. We were hearing that
breaking news from China this morning imposing an additional 50 percent tariff on the United States. I tell you, China is not one of those
countries going cap in hand to President Trump right now.
President Xi runs an authoritarian regime and can absorb a lot of pain. Is this going to be a trade war the U.S. president cannot win?
ART HOGAN, CHIEF MARKET STRATEGIST, B. RILEY FINANCIAL: I certainly believe --
SABATO: Well --
HOGAN: -- that the reaction -- I'm sorry.
MACFARLANE: Go ahead, Art.
SABATO: No, go ahead.
HOGAN: Oh, thank you so much. Sorry about that. Yes, I certainly believe that the only way to win this trade war is to drive some negotiation
process, and we're starting to see the early hints of that, you know, both treasury secretary and Trump talking about talking to China, the potential
for the U.S. to renegotiate a trade deal by -- that trilateral trade deal with Canada and Mexico.
The unfortunate part about this is you came in with a sledgehammer hoping to do some surgery and that's what the effect is on the markets right now.
When you actually name, you know, north of 60 countries and put a universal tariff across the board on all of these, that's too many countries to have
to negotiate with. And I think that the reality is going to run into the unintended consequences of this process. And the president's going to have
to speed up the negotiation process.
He's talked about how many people have come to him and wanted to negotiate, but he needs to get to that. And without any good news on that front,
things are only going to get worse. Both the longer these lasts, the more of an economic drag it is with uncertainty both by the consumer investor
and certainly people that run companies, and the longer that lasts, the more real economic damage we're doing.
MACFARLANE: Yes. Larry, Art makes a good point there. I mean, we heard Karoline Leavitt, White House spokesperson, saying yesterday that the
president has tailor-made deals with each and every country that calls up to strike a deal. I mean, this is going to take months, isn't it?
SABATO: At least months. Of course, last night, President Trump said that all these countries were coming and kissing his dairy air and he used
another word for dairy air. But we haven't seen anything, as Art just suggested. There's nothing concrete that would buoy people at this point.
And, you know, from the very beginning this has been sloppily handled. It is chaotic. And you would think the central proposal of Donald Trump that
he's been talking about for 40 years would've been carefully planned, but from that ridiculous formula that was almost universally laughed out of the
room, determining the tariff percentage per country, everything we've seen since suggests that this is a seat of the pants operation and it's
embarrassing.
[10:10:00]
MACFARLANE: Well, let's just take a listen to that comment from Donald Trump. I think we have the soundbite. Worth running.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I am telling you, these countries are calling us up, kissing my ass. They are. They are dying to make a deal.
Please. Please, sir, make a deal. I'll do anything. I'll do anything, sir.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: I mean, Art, it's not clear even with all these countries going to President Trump, what concessions even he is seeking. How is
Trump's approach to this and the language he's using there really shaping the responses that we're seeing from foreign governments.
HOGAN: Yes, I think that's the most critical point. What is the end game? What is it that you can say as an exporter of the United States that makes
these tariffs go away? And what concessions will actually can you bring to the table?
I think at the end of the day, if in fact your goal is to have fair trade and therefore have the ability to re-industrialize the United States, which
I believe is a pipe dream and will never happen. But if you feel like we've been treated badly for decades on trade, then trade barriers coming down
would be the answer. That's not clear that's the case right now.
And I certainly think that this administration is relishing in the moment of, you know, we're the bully here and people have to come to us and beg
for some -- from, you know, some relief from this tariff process. Unfortunately, I feel like that's a position that they enjoy too much. So,
that's going to elongate the process of getting to something that's much more reasonable and intelligent around trade policy.
MACFARLANE: Yes. Larry, we have in the past few hours once again heard from one of Trump's billionaire backers, Bill Ackman, sounding the alarm
over what's happening in the bond market and with the dollar saying these are not the markers of successful policy, and he's not the only
billionaire. Is reality beginning to bite here over the damage Trump is doing to the economy and America's reputation?
SABATO: Absolutely. And not just in the billionaire class, but certainly, the billionaires who backed him or who quickly ran down to Mar-a-Lago after
the election to make peace with him. They realized that this is not working and it probably is not going to work.
And based on your last question, it's important to note this, Trump and the Republicans are promising pie in the sky to working class Americans, to
blue collar Americans who voted for Trump because they believed these promises, and they're not going to come to fruition, certainly not in the
next couple of years, probably never. And eventually it's going to dawn on them that this has been a false promise. And usually, there are political
consequences to promises being broken.
MACFARLANE: Art, we've been talking about bonds the past hour. How are you reading the warning signs over of bond yields right now, which, as we've
been saying, are seen as the safest of safe harbors for investors?
HOGAN: Yes, they certainly seemed like they were getting a defensive bid when the yield on the 10-year move from 4.8 percent down to 3.8 percent.
That had some logic intuitiveness to it. And then we saw a bit of an unwind and likely forced a selling by funds that needed to liquidate and meet
margin calls on the one hand, and then the potential for countries that have a large holding, whether it's Japan or China, selling because they
don't like the treatment they're getting right now in trade policy.
So, it's a combination of all of those things, but we're probably at a level where some of that is stabilized. So, you know, we moved -- we got as
low as 3.8 percent on the 10-year, now we're up at four to quarter-ish, which is about where we'd average most of this year. But any move higher
from that will really signal that one of the objectives of this new administration to have lower rates is getting blown up by sellers.
MACFARLANE: All right. We will have to leave it there, guys, but Larry and Art, we appreciate you coming on. Of course, the politics and the economics
go hand in hand as this continues to evolve. But appreciate your thoughts. Thank you.
HOGAN: Thank you.
MACFARLANE: And quick programming note, "One World" will have Janet Yellen, the former U.S. chair of the Federal Reserve on Thursday to get
reaction to President Trump's new tariffs.
Our war of words is viewing over U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance's recent comments about, quote, "Chinese peasants." On Tuesday, Beijing slammed
Vance for his comments that have drawn widespread iron and ridicule on China's internet. In comparisons with Vance's own self-proclaimed hillbilly
background. Our Will Ripley has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
J. D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Well, good morning, everybody.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The American hillbilly versus China's so-called peasants. It all started with
this.
VANCE: And to make it a little bit more crystal clear, we borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants'
manufacture. From Chinese peasants.
RIPLEY (VOICE-OVER): Vance's Chinese peasants comment reaching Beijing within hours. The government's response, was swift and scathing.
[10:15:00]
LI JIAN, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): It's both astonishing and lamentable to hear this vice president make such
ignorant and disrespectful remarks.
RIPLEY (VOICE-OVER): On China's tightly controlled Internet, government censors are allowing Vance's interview to go viral, amplifying the outrage,
igniting anger and sarcasm.
Have you said thank you for the money we lent you? A reference to China being the second largest foreign holder of U.S. government debt, and that
infamous Oval Office exchange with Ukraine's president.
VANCE: You should be thanking the president.
RIPLEY (VOICE-OVER): One hashtag about the Chinese peasants remark shot to the top of China's Twitter like platform Weibo, with millions of views and
counting. Many comments boasting of China's modern achievements.
Look, this is their true face. Arrogant and rude as always. We may be peasants, but we have the world's best high-speed rail, the most powerful
logistics and leading A.I. and drone technologies. Aren't such peasants quite impressive? Former "Global Times" editor Hu Xijin posted on Weibo,
this true peasant who came out of rural America seems to lack perspective. Many people are urging him to visit China and see reality with his own
eyes.
Many in China are interpreting Vance's comments as describing all Chinese people, some even referencing Vance's memoir and movie.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many times have you seen this?
RIPLEY (VOICE-OVER): As one social media post put it, the author of "Hillbilly Elegy" is calling Chinese peasants, really?
RIPLEY: Incidentally, "Hillbilly Elegy" was translated into Mandarin, it's actually a bestseller in China, but the vice president's soundbite has
spiraled into yet another war of words between the U.S. and China. Many Chinese are calling his remark proof of what they call American arrogance,
as if U.S.-China tensions weren't bad enough over things like tariffs, technology, Taiwan. CNN has reached out to J. D. Vance's office for
comment, and so far, nothing.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Now, still to come, as Benjamin Netanyahu returns to Israel from the U.S. We break down a trip that left him largely empty handed.
Plus, tragedy in the Dominican Republic, a singer widely known as the loudest voice in meringue among the dead after a nightclub roof collapse.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: That was Merengue artists Rubby Perez. CNN has learned the singer was among at least 113 people killed when the roofer nightclub
collapsed in the Dominican Republic. Perez and his orchestra were performing at an iconic Jet Set Club early Tuesday morning when the ceiling
caved in. Two former Major League baseball players were also killed.
[10:20:00]
Authorities say they're still trying to identify the bodies of 33 victims was seen in contributors. Stefano Pozzebon has more from Santa Domingo
where the frantic search for survivors is continuing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The search and rescue operations here in the Dominican Republic are continuing this Wednesday morning. As you can
see, we are right in front of what used to be the entrance of these iconic nightclub, The Jet Set, at the heart of the Dominican capital. The area is
being cordon by the Marines of the Dominican Navy. But the search and rescue operations are continuing and there are teams that have been working
here nonstop for the last 24 hours, really combing through the debris, going through with extreme care what -- going through what was the rooftop
of these iconic nightclub to try and find as many survivors as possible.
In the last few hours, we were able to speak with several of their relatives who are still here waiting for answers, and for many of them,
this wait is what's most excruciating.
GEUDY GARVA, VICTIM'S RELATIVE (through translator): We have to wait to identify the bodies. The waiting. The waiting has been the most difficult
thing really, because we don't know if he's in the hospital or if he's dead. If he's still in there, that's the thing that most -- I mean, because
if he's in there and died, OK, then we can start to mourn. But the waiting to see if he is always isn't there, it's so awful.
POZZEBON: And even this Wednesday morning, as we are speaking, we're seeing more and more bystanders, friends, relatives, people who just come
here looking for answers. This place, The Jet Set, used to be renowned. It was famous throughout the Caribbean for the quality of night life, for
quality of its parties, and it's one of those parties where this tragedy occurred.
Unfortunately, at the heart of a salsa meringue concert, the rooftop collapsed. And we're learning today that more than a hundred people have
been killed.
For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Santo Domingo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: And Israeli forces rated six UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem Wednesday, ordering them to close within 30 days, according to both the
U.N. agency and the Israeli ministry of education, UNRWA's commissioner general said around 800 students may not be able to finish the school year
as a result. UNRWA says around 45,000 Palestinian refugee boys and girls attend the schools. It operates in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Well, Benjamin Netanyahu is back in Israel today after meeting with President Trump at the White House on Monday. The Israeli prime minister's
journey to and from the U.S. took a longer than usual route as his plane skirted around the air spaces of countries that might have enforced the
International Criminal Court's warrant for his arrest.
But the biggest blow he suffered on the trip was perhaps from one of his greatest allies. As you can see here, Donald Trump's announcement that the
U.S. and Iran would hold talks on a possible nuclear agreement appeared to take Mr. Netanyahu by surprise.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond is joining us from Jerusalem. So, Jeremy, how is Netanyahu's failure to extract concessions from Donald Trump being viewed
in Israel after this trip?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, the Israeli prime minister has long prided himself on having a good relationship with
whoever the U.S. president is in office and getting benefits for Israel out of that relationship. It is a key plank of how he represents himself to the
Israeli public and what has helped him get successfully re-elected time and again.
But this time, he went to Washington, very much hat in hand, very much with a kind of deferential approach to Trump on this issue of tariffs. And he
got really nothing in return. Not only did he not get anything in terms of tariff concessions out of President Trump on a visit that was ostensibly
about those tariffs, but he was also then met with this surprise announcement from President Trump that the United States intends to engage
in direct negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. And that certainly doesn't help the Israeli prime minister here in Israel.
The prime minister did try and kind of stake out his position on nuclear weapons with -- in Iran and the threat that he believes it represents both
during that Oval Office meeting and then after, just before getting on the plane when he made clear that he said he and Trump agree that Iran will not
have nuclear weapons and he said that while these can be done by an agreement, he made clear that the only vision of an agreement that he sees
as one that is valid is one where Iran agrees to voluntarily dismantle its entire nuclear program, something that Iran is highly unlikely to agree to.
MACFARLANE: Netanyahu's past trips to Washington, he has been invited to speak to Congress. I mean, his presence there has been treated with some
fanfare. Has the view of him changed in D.C.?
[10:25:00]
DIAMOND: Well, there's no question that he has come to expect a lot more out of President Trump specifically. I mean, you think about Trump's first
term in office and he has gifted Netanyahu a number of very large political gifts, if you can call him that. Everything from the United States moving
its embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, recognizing Israel's annexation of the occupied Golan Heights, which was
previously Syrian territory. And so, the Israeli prime minister has come to expect that kind of a back and forth with Trump, and that certainly wasn't
the case here.
Even on this issue of tariffs, you know, Netanyahu had taken off Israeli tariffs on, you know, a select number of U.S. goods as kind of a goodwill
gesture. And then, Trump, when he was asked whether he would agree to a new free trade deal that would remove the tariffs on Israel, he said maybe not.
You know, and that was certainly not the answer that Netanyahu had wanted or expected from his visit to the United States.
MACFARLANE: And, Jeremy, turning to the war itself. I know we're getting some new lines about a recent strike in Gaza. What more can you tell us?
DIAMOND: Yes, that's right. An Israeli airstrike in Gaza City in the neighborhood of Shuja'iyya, killing at least 23 Palestinians, including
eight children, according to Gaza's civil defense. The Israeli military says that it targeted a senior Hamas militant, although they did not
provide any additional information on the identity of that militant, nor did they provide any evidence to back up that claim as of yet.
This strike though, one of the deadliest single strikes that we have seen in Gaza of late, it absolutely leveled a four-story residential building in
Shuja'iyya. In addition to the 23 people who have been accounted for as, as being killed in this strike, according to civil defense, at least 60 others
were wounded and 30 more are still missing under the rubble, including 19 members of a single family.
The scenes that we have seen coming out of Shuja'iyya are quite devastating, including the bodies of several children indeed being pulled
from the rubble. And all of this is happening as -- in addition to those -- these airstrikes that we are seeing, the Israeli military also very much
ramping up its ground offensive moving further north after it started moving in from the south in Rafah, as the Israeli defense minister
indicates that Israel will include large swaths of the territory that is capturing as part of its security zone, raising questions about how long
Israel intends to hold this territory in Gaza from which it is trying to evacuate all civilians and whether it will also move forward with
widespread bulldozing of those areas as it has done along a one kilometer stretch of the Israel-Gaza border within Gaza territory.
MACFARLANE: Yes, there's broader questions still to be answered. Jeremy, I appreciate you bringing us the details. Thank you. OK. It's still to come.
What U.S. Defense Chief Pete Hegseth said about the Panama Canal that spurred a fiery response from China. That's a live -- straight ahead in the
live report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:30:00]
MACFARLANE: Welcome back to "Connect the World" with me, Christina Macfarlane. Here are your top headlines. We are following a dramatic
escalation in U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war. China has pushed back again on Mr. Trump's tariff policies by slapping 84 percent
retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. But America's sweeping import taxes went into place hours ago. Beijing was the hardest hit. U.S. tariffs on Chinese
goods now up to 104 percent.
Israeli forces raided six UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem, ordering them to close within 30 days, according to both the U.N. agency and the Israeli
ministry of education. UNRWA's commissioner general said around 800 students may not be able to finish the school year as a result.
And rescue workers are frantically searching the rubble for survivors after the roof of an iconic nightclub in the Dominican Republic collapsed early
Tuesday. At least 113 people, including two former Major League baseball players were killed. CNN has learned merengue singer Rubby Perez, who was
performing when the roof caved in, is among the dead.
Now, escalating tensions with China over the Panama Canal. While attending a Central America Security Conference in Panama, U.S. Defense Secretary
Pete Hegseth said that the critical global shipping channel is facing ongoing threats from China.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: China-based companies continue to control critical infrastructure in the Canal area. That gives China the
potential to conduct surveillance activities across Panama. This makes Panama and the United States less secure, less prosperous, and less
sovereign. And as President Donald Trump has pointed out, that situation is not acceptable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well, that drew a fiery response from the Chinese government, CNN's Patrick Oppmann joining us with that and more. What else has come out
of this trip with Pete Hegseth?
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, of course all eyes on the future of the Panama Canal, something that President Donald Trump has threatened
to take back. He said it was a mistake for the U.S. to return the Panama Canal to the country of Panama more than 20 years ago. And the Chinese
government alluding to that, saying that the real threat to Panama and the Panama Canal comes from the U.S. not China. So, we'll see what comes out of
today's events.
Already, yesterday, you know, while Panama and the U.S. are trying to show that they're on the same page at this time, working together to increase
security for the Panama Canal, there were some discrepancies yesterday in statements that were issued in the Spanish statements -- joint statement
between -- from the Panamanian and U.S. governments. You know, they talked about Panama sovereignty and control of the Canal, that was left out of the
English statement.
And then, Secretary of Defense Hegseth saying that Panama controls the Panama Canal, which of course is the case. But Donald Trump has falsely
said over the last several months that it's China that controls the Canal.
So, while these countries are trying to get on the same page, show a united front, you continue to have these discrepancies where the Trump
administration falsely claims that China is threatening the Canal, is controlling the Canal. And Panamanian officials say that if there are any
plans by the Chinese to either attack the Canal or sabotage the Canal, that those plans have not been shared by the U.S. with Panama as of yet.
MACFARLANE: Yes, the U.S. taking the fight to China, not just over tariffs, but over the Panama Canal as well. Patrick Oppmann, appreciate it.
Thank you.
Well, the government has no plausible explanation. Those were the words of a federal judge ruling against the White House on its treatment of the
Associated Press. Judge Trevor McFadden, who was appointed by Donald Trump ruled that a ban keeping the A.P. out of the presidential events is
unconstitutional.
It was put into place to punish the organization for refusing to change the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in its reporting. The A.P., of
course, applauds the decision saying it, quote, "Affirms the fundamental right of the press and the public to speak freely without government
retaliation."
[10:35:00]
The White House Correspondence Association saying it was thrilled about the ruling for the -- in favor of journalists who have been banned just for
using the words the White House did not like. Well, the judge is delaying his order to restore access for one week so the administration can appeal.
And the tariff war has caused fear and chaos on Wall Street and among investors and CEOs around the world, and it's causing a break in Trump's
own team. Billionaire adviser, Elon Musk, is now all in on a public fight with Trump's top trade adviser, Peter Navarro. That's after Navarro said
this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER NAVARRO, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S SENIOR TRADE ADVISER: We all understand in the White House and the American people understand that Elon's a car
manufacturer, but he's not a car manufacturer, he is a car assembler in many cases.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Well, Musk responded in part saying, quote, "Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks." He then went even further posting that he'd like to
apologize to bricks for calling Navarro dumber than a sack of bricks. So, that was so unfair to bricks. But the White House is downplaying the public
spat. Here's what the press secretary said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: These are obviously two individuals who have very different views on trade and on tariffs. Boys
will be boys and we will let their public sparring continue.
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MACFARLANE: Boys will be boys, right. Well, still to come, you may have millions in your bank account, but unless you also have a green jacket, you
are not invited to this dinner. Details in our sports update coming up.
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MACFARLANE: Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin is set to launch a new mission in just a matter of days that they hope will lead to one giant leap for
womenkind. CNN's Isabel Rosales takes a look at the historic mission.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lift off.
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the first time in more than 60 years, an all-female crew is set to blast off into space. Blue
Origin's star-studded NS31 mission is scheduled to launch from West Texas on April 14th on board the New Shepard vehicle.
Among the six-person crew are singer Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King, and Lauren Sanchez, pilot and fiancee of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos.
The crew is set to travel just past the Karman Line, the point widely recognized as where outer space begins and will experience a few minutes of
microgravity before descending back to Earth. Crew member and former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe spoke to CNN about her hope that this landmark
voyage will inspire more women to shoot for the stars.
AISHA BOWE, BLUE ORIGIN CREW MEMBER: To see six women who are all incredibly unique, who are very inspiring in their own right, come together
and globally on a campaign, I think what you're going to see is not only more women, but more people know that they can, too, become one of us and
that they also can reach and work in these fields.
ROSALES (voice-over): This will mark the first all-female space mission since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova's solo mission back in 1963.
[10:40:00]
But the historic mission has also faced criticism, including from actress Olivia Munn. While co-hosting on NBC's "Today" show with Jenna Bush Hager,
Munn questioned the purpose of the mission and its cost.
OLIVIA MUNN, ACTRESS: What are they doing? Like, why? You know what I mean? Like, I'm just saying this. OK. I know this is probably not the cool
thing to say, but like there are so many other things that are so important in the world right now.
Like, they aren't asked. I mean, there's one astronaut.
JENNA BUSH HAGER, HOST, "TODAY WITH JENNA AND FRIENDS": One astronaut.
MUNN: But like, what are you guys going to do up in space? What are you doing up there?
ROSALES (voice-over): One crew member, researcher and civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, will conduct experiments about women's health
during the 11-minute flight. Nguyen will make history becoming the first woman of Vietnamese or Southeast Asian descent in space.
Since their first successful crewed spaceflight in 2021, Blue Origin has had 10 crewed missions, bringing more than 50 people to the edge of space,
including Star Trek actor William Shatner, who was brought to tears by the experience.
WILLIAM SHATNER, ACTOR: I hope I never recover from this.
ROSALES (voice-over): Isabel Rosales, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: I'm all for it. Big step for womankind, as long as I am not on board, that is not for me. Now, there are dinners where you only get in if
you pay up, and there are dinners where you can't get in no matter how much you pay.
Only the owners of a Masters Green jacket get to attend this event. And this year, host was Scottie Scheffler. And if you're wondering what this is
all about, Carolyn Manno is here to explain. Carolyn, I'm wearing a green jacket today, but I suspect not the right hue of green for this occasion.
CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I was just going to say, it's a little bit of a brighter spring shade. It looks lovely.
MACFARLANE: Thank you so much.
MANNO: Unfortunately, it will not get you entry. This is such a rich tradition. It's part of Masters Week kicking things off. And even though it
wasn't beluga caviar and champagne this week, Scottie Scheffler definitely made the menu his own. There were a couple of things on the menu that we've
seen before from him, burger sliders, rock shrimp, that sort of thing. And then, he added cowboy ribeye. There was a chocolate chip cookie and a
skillet. It was a bit of a Tex-Mex thing. So, even the snobbish, shall I say, food critics might have taken issue with the menu not being as
sophisticated as what we've seen in the past, but it certainly is an elevated a fair with very rich company, as so many of the men who have won
those green jackets were in attendance.
Tiger Woods wasn't there. He continues to nurse an Achilles injury. But now, that the food is out of the way, there's a tournament to be played.
So, our Don Riddell is there. And coming up on World Sport, we're going to dig into some of the competitors that could really contend at what promises
to be a very special week at the Masters in Augusta now that the weather has gotten out of the way. So, we'll have that coming up for you in just a
little bit.
MACFARLANE: Oh, glad to hear that. That makes all the difference, doesn't it? And I'm favor of hamburgers for a special occasion, why not?
MANNO: Oh, yes.
MACFARLANE: Carolyn, thank you. We look forward to seeing all of that in World Sport after this quick break. Stay with us.
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[10:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
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