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Nvidia Takes $5.5 Billion Hit as U.S. Clamps Down on Chip Exports to China; Trump: "Would Love" to Deport U.S. Criminals to El Salvador; UK Supreme Court: Legal Definition of Woman Excludes Trans Women; Republicans Face Voters Angry Over Trump Policies; Arsenal Take 3-0 into Second Leg Against Real Madrid. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired April 16, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: You're looking at live pictures at the White House as new retail sales numbers show strong consumer

spending in March, as Americans rush to beat Donald Trump's tariffs. It is 09:00 a.m. in Washington. It's 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Eleni

Giokos. This is "Connect the World".

Also coming up for this hour. China's reporting strong economic growth numbers from before the U.S. trade war, but is a more turbulent road ahead.

And a landmark new ruling by the U.K. Supreme Court saying that the legal definition of women does not include a trans woman.

Right. Stock markets are about to open in New York 30 minutes from now. And we've got market participants taking in those retail sales numbers for the

month of March, coming in better than expected at 1.4 percent will be unpacking that in just moment, but also Nvidia dragging down the tech

sector and very evident in the futures right now, DOW, S&P and NASDAQ all firmly in the red.

And just ahead of the opening bell, the closely watched March retail sales report in the U.S. is now out, sales surging 1.4 percent higher from

February, accounting for the highest monthly gain in more than two years. Analysts saying the number reflects Americans rush to buy goods ahead of

the Trump tariffs.

Meantime, China is reporting better than forecast. Economic growth in the first quarter of this year, gross domestic product grew 5.4 percent beating

analyst's expectations of 5.1 percent. Now those figures do not include the impact of President Trump's additional reciprocal tariffs on Chinese

imports, which took effect in April.

A Chinese official warning a more complex and severe economic environment is ahead. We've got Anna Stewart with us here in Abu Dhabi visiting us from

London. Great surprise.

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Different regions, same story.

GIOKOS: Different regions, same story, same problems. No matter where you go, you've got this global trade war that is playing out. So much to unpack

here, but I want to tackle this U.S. retail sales number, which seems to be higher than most had anticipated, not by much, but it is indicative of

perhaps consumers trying to buy up as much as possible, ahead of Trump tariffs actually coming into effect.

STEWART: And 1.4 percent doesn't seem like March.

GIOKOS: Yeah.

STEWART: But in February, it was 0.2 percent. So, you can see quite a big increase from there, and we may see the same again for this current month

as well. And you're right if you are looking if you're an American consumer, and you're looking at these tariffs, and you're thinking things

are going to get twice, three times more expensive for big ticket items, maybe for things you buy regularly, you may be stockpiling, you may be

bringing forward some purchases.

So, I think it's no surprise we're seeing this. It's not necessarily good things. It really muddies the picture for economists in the U.S. to really

understand what is fueling the economy right now. 70 percent of the U.S. economy is fueled by consumer spending. So, we may see some hot numbers

this month, maybe next month. But then what happens? And what happens when inflation made --

GIOKOS: -- paper on the list of counter measures, perhaps by the EU -- just imagine, you know --

STEWART: -- get back to stuff --

GIOKOS: I just feel like we regressing in terms of certain things, but it is a scary scenario, and you're very right in terms of what could be priced

in. But I think one barometer, you know, the big indicator of the Trump tariffs and the impact Nvidia coming out and warning about a charge that

it's going to have to add into its quarterly earnings, and it's big, and this is the impact on multinationals that are fully in this game.

STEWART: 5.5 billion dollars on the quarter. And this is a result of a new rule from the U.S., which is going to restrict, or at least make it much

more difficult, to export certain chips to China. So, there were already export restrictions on really advanced chips to China, which is why Nvidia

had created, they had designed a specific chip called the age 20, which was for the Chinese market.

Now the U.S. Administration is saying there will be some licensing processes that they will have to go through, and as a result, looking at

things like inventory, looking at the cost of production, they have had this massive hit. This is probably, as we were saying before the show, the

first kind of big company to really make this kind of warning of a real impact of tariffs.

I think as we go forwards with all of the earnings reports will be getting in the coming weeks, we're going to see this coming up time and time again.

And speaking to some pharma bosses today at Abu Dhabi Global Health Week. You know, with the looming tariffs on pharmaceuticals, they're already in

crisis talks. They have been for weeks trying to figure out how to sort of navigate this land.

GIOKOS: I know, and this is the thing, if you've got multinationals like giving warnings and earnings warnings and projecting how things are going

to change, it's going to impact the market and it's going to impact economic growth. But I want to, before I let you go talk about Chinese GDP

that came out at 5.4 percent which was high than anticipated.

[09:05:00]

But again, this is looking at what happened before this very moment with Trump tariffs. What is going to be priced in is a completely different

story and a different reality.

STEWART: And we can see that in some of the economist forecast. So, UBS, for instance, has just downgraded growth. So, for this year, they now

believe China will actually grow 3.4 percent, next year 3 percent, China, the government Beijing, they are aiming for 5 percent growth.

It doesn't look like they'll make that. UBS thinks that China's exports to the -- to the U.S. will fall by two thirds this year. They've already

fallen, I think it was 12 percent in the last month, year on year. So, we could be seeing a huge impact there. And with China what's so interesting

is, of course, they have retaliated with tariffs massively with the U.S.

I mean, 145 -- versus 125 percent but it's also the other measures, aside from tariffs, you have Hong Kong's Postal Service refusing to take mail to

or from the United States. You have export restrictions on rare earth materials. You have, you know, companies being blacklisted U.S. companies

being black listed in China. So, the tool kit for China is really broad, and we're seeing them beginning to use all of these tools.

GIOKOS: Because they have leverage. China has leverage, and that's the thing and you mentioned it riots, that's going to be the one sector to

watch. Anna Stewart -- a pleasure to have you with us.

STEWART: See you next hour.

GIOKOS: See you soon. Thank you. Anna Stewart for us. I want to now bring in Lizzi Lee in Washington. She's a fellow on Chinese economy at the Asia

Society Policy Institute, Center for China Analysis. On Tuesday, she briefed U.S. policy makers and members of the business community about the

implications of Beijing's trade war with the Trump Administration.

Lizzi, great to have you with us. Thanks so much for taking the time. Give me a sense of how you're interpreting China's unexpectedly stronger than

you know, anticipated economic growth in the first three months of this year. And do you think we're going to see a massive hit going forward,

given this trade war that's playing out in real time?

LIZZI LEE, FELLOW AT ASIA SOCIETY POLICY INSTITUTE: Well, as you pointed out in the opening, the headline number is strong. China's economy grew 5.4

percentage point in quarter one, which is well above what most analysts were expecting. But the timing matters a lot here, and a big part of that

strength was likely front loaded.

Exporters in China were rushing to ship goods before tariffs kick in in April. So, we are seeing a kind of artificial boost in the data, basically

a tariff induced export surge that won't last throughout the year. If you look at retail data, it's nearly 6 percentage point industrial output data

actually jumped up quite a little bit to almost 8 percentage points in March.

But the key thing to remember is this is all before President Trump's newest tariffs kicked in. And a lot of that demand was pulled forward by

fear, actually exporters trying to get ahead of new levies. We're also talking about buyer's hedge against future supply chain disruptions.

I think what's really missing here is domestic demand. Deflation pressures are still very much real in the Chinese economy, and the property sector

remains a major drag. I think that's why economists are already trimming full year GDP forecast. So, this quarter may be as good as it gets, unless

Beijing figured out a way to ramp up stimulus fast and actually shore up its property sector.

GIOKOS: So, you've also written this. So, Lizzi, you also said this, and I want to quote, China should rebrand itself as the guardian of global trade,

especially for developing economies, while the U.S. doubles down on protectionism, China can fill the vacuum by offering a credible, stable

alternative.

I want you to break that down for us, because the way that the world has sort of seen, the way that China has handled trade, is that it does

dominate in many different sectors, and because it subsidizes some of those sectors, it creates sort of an artificial competitive edge, but you've got

a different view, it seems.

LEE: Well, let me just start by saying this is nothing new. Beijing has been quietly rerouting supply chains through countries in Southeast Asia

and countries like Vietnam have become vital channels for Chinese made goods entering the United States, which is part of the reason why, say,

Vietnam is running over 120 billion trade surpluses with the United States.

But I would just caveat that statement a little bit. China is offering a diplomatic alternative, opposing so called unilateral bullying, a protector

of open trade. And that message is attractive and resonates with a lot of countries now. But these countries we're talking about, countries in the EU

and Southeast Asian countries, are also walking a tight rope.

[09:10:00]

On one hand, they benefit from the global trade system. They benefit from Chinese investment and infrastructure, but they also fear over dependence.

So, we hear Xi Jinping's message this week. It's kind of wrapped in promises of new development, offers of tech transfers of preferential

loans.

It's a pitch to say we're not isolating, we're integrating, but the China, I mean, China's project of offering that alternative is actually much more

evolved.

GIOKOS: Yeah.

LEE: It's a smart pitch, but it's also one pitch that comes with a lot of baggage. Many in the region, remember how China weaponized the trade

against South Korea, Australia and the Philippines in past disputes. So, I think the real question here, the real challenge for China is --

GIOKOS: Yeah, so I want to --

LEE: -- back up. Sure. Whether China can back up that economic offer with more predictability, more fairness.

GIOKOS: Yeah, I mean -- Yes, and it's got an opportunity to do that. You know, the rare earths sector is one that fascinates me, because China

dominates it. It dominates it in terms of processing and a lot of production, but it's got control of most of the supply chain. That is the

leverage that it has over, frankly, the entire world.

How do you think it's going to handle this market and this sector when it comes to negotiating with the United States? Because the U.S. knows that it

needs China and it needs these supply chains, because we cannot get anything done on the technology fronts if we don't have access to China's

rare earth processing.

LEE: You are absolutely correct. I think the rare earth is actually one of China's most powerful cards in this round of trade war, and it is the card

that President Trump cannot match with tariffs. Beijing has placed strict export controls on multiple types of rare earth minerals and their

derivatives.

These rare earth minerals are not household names, but they are essential to everything we use from electronics like iPhones to medical equipment

like MRI machines to military use like fighter jets and also AI chips. And China controls, not just the mining part, but also over 90 percent of the

global processing capability.

And as you said, American and European companies are already seeing their shipments blocked. Their stock piles are quite -- are quickly depleting,

and these firms really have no backup plans. So, this is not just a symbolic retaliation gesture, it's creating a major choke hold.

On a part of the supply chain, the United States still depends on China, and you know, for the United States, it just doesn't produce or process

those minerals at scale yet. President Trump has launched a review of critical minerals, but that's not a quick fix. I mean, currently, domestic

processing capabilities in the U.S. is still minimal.

And, you know, countries are building plants, but most of these plants are still year years away from obtaining scale. So, you know, when mind in the

United States, these materials often had to be sent to China for refinement. I think that's going to be a major headache. And the effect of

that choke hold China has is going to materialize quite fast, in several weeks, actually.

GIOKOS: Yeah, and that's going to be -- and it's going to be very evident. And frankly, when China was focusing on rare earth supply chains the rest

of the world, you know what didn't take that very seriously, and here we are today. Lizzi Lee, great to have you with us. Thank you so much for your

insights.

Donald Trump is doubling down on his aim of deporting Americans to El Salvador if they are violent criminals. He explained his goals in an

interview with Fox News Spanish network. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Could we use it for violent criminals, our own violent criminals?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I call them homegrown criminals.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. The homegrowns.

TRUMP: I mean the homegrowns, ones that grew up and something went wrong and they hit people over the head with a baseball bat. We have -- and push

people into subways just before the train gets there, like you see happening sometimes --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: -- follow the wrongful deportation of a Maryland father to El Salvador due to what the Trump Administration calls an administrative

error. The U.S. federal judge overseeing the case says there's no evidence the U.S. is following her order to facilitate his return. Washington says

the matter is in El Salvador's hands.

Alayna Treene is at the White House with more. Alayna, great to see you again. How serious is Trump about deporting American citizens? And how

would he even do that?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I think it's clear that he is definitely seriously considering this. This is actually something, Eleni,

that the president had first floated a few months ago.

[09:15:00]

But no one actually took it that seriously, because it didn't seem like his administration was going to be looking into it, you know, in earnest, but

this week, it's very clear that this is something that is top of mind for the president.

Not only did he say that he wants his team and top advisors, including people like Attorney General Pam Bondi, to look into the legality of

sending American citizens who have committed crimes to El Salvador, and not just El Salvador, but to their mega prison, which is notorious for its

brutality.

But he also discussed this during his Oval Office meeting with El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. And this is something as well that the

president was actually caught, not meant to be on camera, in a private conversation with Bukele, saying that these types of U.S. citizens, home

gone, criminals, as he calls them, are next.

Now, again, a quick a key question in all of this is whether or not this is legal. Is this something that they are able to legally, constitutionally

do? Many legal experts argue, no. They argue it's unconstitutional that U.S. citizens, even those who commit violent crimes must be detained inside

the United States.

Now, we did hear White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt say yesterday that the president had directed his team to look into this, that he would

do it only if it were legal. So again, big questions of whether or not this is actually something the administration will be able to move forward with.

But I think it's, you know, pretty remarkable to hear him double and triple down on this idea. Clearly, it's something that he very much wants to do.

It's just a question of whether or not he will legally be able to do so.

GIOKOS: To do it. Yeah, really good question there. I just want to talk about the man that was deported to El Salvador, Garcia, and it seems

there's no political will to bring him back, but Senator Chris Van Hollen is now traveling to El Salvador to check on him. What can you tell us about

what comes next?

TREENE: Right. So, a few things. One, you know Chris Van Hollen, the senator. He's a Democratic Senator of Maryland, the state where Abrego

Garcia is from. He is on his way there now. He left from Dulles Airport out of the Washington, D.C. area this morning, and he said he wants to do a

wellness check.

I think he also wanted to visit that mega prison in El Salvador. Key question is whether or not he'll actually be able to do either of those

things. We know that when he was in -- when El Salvador's President Bukele was in Washington D.C., Van Hollen had reached out and said he wanted to

meet with him.

That did not materialize. So, you know, Van Hollen, someone who clearly wants to speak about this issue, is trying to get more answers on how

Garcia, Abrego Garcia is being treated. We'll likely hear more from him once he returns from that trip. But one thing very notable about your

question about where this case stands is what we just heard moments ago from Attorney General Pam Bondi.

She's doing a press conference at the Justice Department, and essentially, she said that he will not be Abrego Garcia returning to the United States.

She said that if he referring to Bukele wanted to send him back, we would give him a plane ride back. But she said that he is in El Salvador, and

that's where this administration wants to keep him.

Now, of course, there's been so much attention paid to this one Maryland man about what is happening, and the reason for that is because this is

really so far from this Trump Administration, the clear sign of them defying not only a court order, but an order put out by the Supreme Court,

which, as you mentioned, they said that they must facilitate the Trump Administration, facilitate his return to the United States.

This administration is saying that they interpret it differently, that that just means, as Pam Bondi said this morning, providing a plane to return

him. Bukele was also asked about this earlier this week, and he said he had no intention of returning Abrego Garcia as well.

All to say, of course, this case is very important, but what a lot of people are worried about are -- is the, you know, the determination that

this means for future cases as well, is this setting a precedent for other potential legal battles that this administration will face, Eleni.

GIOKOS: Alayna Treene, thank you so much. And still to come on "Connect the World". We're following a landmark legal ruling in the U.K. with major

implications the highest court defining what a woman is and is not under equities and equalities law. Plus, the U.S. appears to be reversing its

stance on Iran nuclear negotiations. Will bring you an update right after this. Stick with CNN.

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[09:20:00]

GIOKOS: Some news just into CNN, the U.S. Justice Department is suing the State of Maine over its refusal to comply with the ban on transgender

athletes competing in high school sports. The move was announced by the Attorney General Pam Bondi. The lawsuit alleges that Maine is breaking a

federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination at schools that receive federal aid.

State officials have refused to back down. They've even sued the Trump Administration to try to stop the government from freezing federal money.

Now to the U.K., where the Supreme Court has decided, in a landmark ruling that the legal definition of women does not include trans women.

The court unanimously ruled that transgender women with the gender recognition certificates in the U.K. should not receive special protections

as a woman under the 2010 Equality Act. The court did say that trans women are still entitled to protection from discrimination on different grounds.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is following the story for us from London, great to see you, Salma. So, Britain Supreme Court decision on this legal definition

of a woman will have sweeping consequences on how equality laws are applied. What can you tell us?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's start with what the court was doing today. It was trying to define a woman within the context of this

country's equality laws, and the definition excludes trans women, and it is the concept of sex is binary. A person is either a woman or a man.

That is a direct quote from the Supreme Court's unanimous decision as it pertains to the application of equality laws in the country. Of course,

this has alarmed some rights activists, but the judges were quick to say that this is not a victory for one side or another. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LORD HODGE, DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF U.K. SUPREME COURT: The unanimous decision of this court is that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010

refer to a biological woman and biological sex. But we counsel against reading this judgment as a triumph of one or more groups in our society at

the expense of another.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Now the decision from the court says that transgender women are entitled, transgender people, rather, are entitled to protections, but

potentially that would be on different grounds. There was one group, of course, celebrating outside the courthouse. We have images to show you of

that. It was for women Scotland.

This is a campaign group that has brought this court case has brought this challenge to the court, essentially arguing that, again, biological sex,

you're assigned sex at birth, should determine whether or not those equality laws apply to you. There is also concern, of course, I want to

read you a quote from the Scottish greens, a political party that said the ruling was, quote, a huge blow to some of the most marginalized people in

our society, and concerning for human rights.

Other rights groups are also trans rights groups are also parsing through this ruling. It's an 88-page document, and of course, while it stems from a

debate that happened in Scotland, it will, of course, impact how equality laws are applied across the U.K., and I'm sure that trans activists around

the world will be monitoring this closely.

GIOKOS: Right, Salma Abdelaziz, thank you. U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff appears to be walking back comments that he made about negotiations with Iran, and

is now drawing a harder line.

[09:25:00]

He posted on X, quote, a deal with Iran will only be completed if it is a Trump deal. Any final arrangement must set a framework for peace, stability

and prosperity in the Middle East, meaning that Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program.

Just one day earlier, Witkoff told Fox News that talks with Iran were focused on verifying the extent of its nuclear program. The U.S. envoy is

now leading negotiations on the biggest issues across the globe. One former negotiator saying reaching a deal with Iran won't be easy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WENDY SHERMAN, FORMER JCPOA NEGOTIATOR: Although, obviously the president has tremendous faith in Steve Witkoff, this is a very technical

negotiation. And Abbas Araghchi, the Foreign Minister, was my counterpart during the negotiations. He's very tough. He's very smart. His English is

perfect.

He knows all these technical details. So, Steve Witkoff will find a very able adversary on the other side of the table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: The next round of talks is set to take place this Saturday. And still to come just minutes away from the opening bell. We're watching Wall

Street closely to see how markets will react to brand new retail sales numbers for the month of March. We'll break those numbers down.

Plus, chaos erupts at a Town Hall hosted by Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene on Wednesday, tempers are running high as lawmakers

face their constituents around the United States. More in a moment, stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GIOKOS: Welcome back. I'm Eleni Giokos, live in Abu Dhabi, and you're watching "Connect the World". Now looming tariffs impacting spending habits

in the United States, the just released March retail sales report shows buying surged 1.4 percent from February, the biggest monthly gain in more

than two years.

Now, analysts say the data reflects Americans rush to buy goods ahead of Trump tariffs and the trade war impact on consumer spending in the United

States. We'll be checking in on how that's going to affect the markets in the United States today. We're just a few seconds from the opening bell.

[09:30:00]

And of course, we're watching Nvidia and the tech sector very closely, Nvidia putting out a warning a short time ago, saying that it's going to

get a big charge on its selling of the H20 chip. And there you have it. New York trade kicking off on what is another day of uncertainty.

The tariff environment, and what we're seeing coming through between reciprocal hits between China and the United States really having an impact

on investor sentiment. And today, the DOW Jones starting the day off on a negative footing down, 0.4 percent as few seconds into trade begins.

And as you can see, red across the board, and in particular, you've got a big hit on those tech stocks, Nvidia, really pushing down the entire

sector. So, we're joined now by CNN's Politics Senior Reporter Stephen Collinson. Stephen, always get to see you. You know, we're talking about

retail sales in the U.S. We're watching closely economic data.

We don't really know the impacts of the Trump tariffs on consumer spending just yet, but there's a general sense that Americans right now went on and

bought as much as they could before tariffs kicked in. And I'm wondering, does President Trump sit and watch all this economic data, the way that

markets are responding what analysts are saying, and wondering whether his policy right now is the right one for the United States?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: I think it's certainly the case that people rushed out and bought things. I know if people have bought

cars, appliances that they were thinking about buying, and went out and rushed and got them in the last few weeks, because they know that it looks

like at least that tariffs are going to come on and these things are going to be much more expensive.

I think the administration has a looming problem, not withstanding these figures from last months, because in the coming days and weeks, those

tariffs on Chinese goods are going to start to kick in. We could see trade effectively grind to a halt between these two greats 21st century super

powers.

You're going to see everything from generic drugs to consumer items either get more expensive or become even more scarce. And I don't think that the

administration has really thought out the long-term implications of this. They thought that they could get tough, as they have with other nations,

and the Chinese would come running for a deal.

I don't think the people in the White House who drew up these tariffs have a great understanding of the political dynamics in China and why that is a

political impossibility for President Xi Jinping to be seen to be bending to the will of an American President at this particular time in China's

history.

So, yes, these figures are good. I would expect the impact of the tariffs to start, you know, really kicking into the economy. Boeing, for example,

has a bunch of planes. It was about to sell to China. That's not going ahead. So, we're going to see this, I think, across the board, and

especially as we are in earning season the United States, I think you're going to hear CEOs starting to raise such concerns.

GIOKOS: Yeah, and when the CEO start talking about how it's going to impact their earnings, that is when we're going to see the real big impact on

markets and the performance and what it really is really doing to the U.S. economy. But frankly, these policies are causing very heated conversations,

specifically at Republican town halls across the country, complete with scrums and stun guns. Stephen, I want you to watch this.

Well, that was the scene at an event for Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene in suburban Atlanta. Police arrested three people and using

stun guns on two of them, and then at a town hall in Iowa, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley got grilled by voters angry over Mr. Trump's

policies. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We would like to know what you as the people the Congress who are supposed to rein in this dictator? What are you going to

do about --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you proud about everything he's doing right now?

SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-IA): There's no president that I agree with 100 percent --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't say that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Stephen, I mean, you can hear the anger, you can sense it, and you can hear the words, the tone of voice. I mean, there is anger that is

brewing, and it's bubbling under the surface right now. So, what does that tell us about sentiment in the U.S. right now?

COLLINSON: Well, I think the scenes that Marjorie Taylor Greene's Town Hall, she's a Congress -- member of Congress who's very close to Trump, I

think in many ways, she helped orchestrate those scenes by mocking the questions that were sent in by email to that town hall. That is the image

she wants.

She wants to be able to say, Democrats are rioters. They're against democracy, et cetera, et cetera, the one in Iowa with Chuck Grassley, a

very respected senator in that state.

[09:35:00]

I think it does show and a lot of these other town halls do show discontent. I would -- I would caution, however, that some of these events

are organized by Democrats who are turning up, and they're creating these scenes of resistance. They don't necessarily, I think, especially in the

case of Iowa, really give a full perspective of the political environment.

There are -- Trump's approval ratings are still pretty strong in Iowa. Grassley is a deeply respected Republican. So, taking the temperature of

these town halls and immediately assuming that that's where the country is and the country is rising up against Trump, I think would not be the right

thing to do, but there is resistance bubbling up.

You're seeing institutions like Harvard University, for example, start to stand up to the administration. So, I think this is a slow burning issue.

The problem with the American political system is that checks on a president are retrospective, mainly in the midterm elections, two years

after the presidential election is the first real time the president's power can be reined in.

The administration is very aware of that. That's why it's rushing to do so much so quickly, because it's trying to outrun not just the political

system, but the court system as well.

GIOKOS: Yeah. In the meantime, Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez joining independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for part of his

so-called fighting oligarchy tour. And on the latest stop then she slammed the Trump administration's detention of international students to crack

down on pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO CORTEZ (D-NY): Donald Trump is a criminal. He was found -- he was found guilty of 34 felony counts of fraud, found liable for

sexual abuse. And if he wants to find the rapist and criminals in this country, he should look in the mirror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: You know, Stephen, I been hearing that the Democrats who really have a rare opportunity to fight back against what President Trump and his

administration is doing. What do you make of this? And what do you make of this sort of pushback on what we've been seeing, not only on college

campuses, but also the fight against institutions like Harvard?

COLLINSON: Well, I think that Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Bernie Sanders have been going around doing these big rallies. They're certainly

responding to anger and a feeling among grass roots, very liberal progressive Democrats that they want to see their lawmakers do far much

more to fight back.

I think it's also interesting. And I think in some ways, Bernie Sanders is almost passing the torch of his movement to Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, the

New York Congressman, who is very popular with the progressive grass roots. It's also interesting, however, to look at some of the Republic of the

Democratic governors who are likely to be in the frame for the nomination in 2028.

People like Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania, whose residents was just attacked in a fire bomb arson attack, people like Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan. They

have a delicate task, because at the same time as they want to respond to the anger of the Democratic grass roots, they're also running states.

They know that this is a president who will use power to punish their states and to punish them politically if they get it too far ahead of him.

And at this point in the presidential cycle, candidates generally don't want to get too far into the public eye, because then they risk their brand

being tarnished, becoming the focus of Republican attacks too early.

But running for president is so hard and under the circumstances that Trump creates it makes it even harder. So, while I think the progressive left

certainly wants more action, the big contenders from the more centrist positions, perhaps the ones that are more likely to win a general election.

If they manage to win the Democratic nomination, I think they can be a lot more cautious.

GIOKOS: Stephen Collison, always great to have you with us. Thank you.

COLLINSON: Thanks.

GIOKOS: And still ahead on "Connect the World". The UEFA Champions League is really heating up. Tuesday, we almost witness two stunning comebacks in

the quarter final, second legs, but almost, but not quite, more on where a place stands, straight ahead in "World Sport". Stay with CNN.

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[09:40:00]

GIOKOS: In Champions League play a couple of nail biters Tuesday night, it came down to the wire for both Aston Villa, you see here, and Borussia

Dortmund, the two teams nearly pulling off stunning comebacks, potentially an omen for today's games. And Amanda Davies joins us now to tell us a

little bit more about this, Amanda.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah, most people had written off Borussia Dortmund and Aston Villa in their quarter final second legs for Tuesday

night, but both put in a serious, serious fight. They didn't quite make it over the line. But looking on paper, today's game Arsenal against Real

Madrid is Arsenal with a three-goal lead heading into it, but Real Madrid, the defending champions, the team you never write off.

Jude Bellingham said crazy things can happen at their house and people expecting perhaps more of the same, but we're looking ahead to what could

happen in just a couple of minutes. Hope everybody can join me then.

GIOKOS: All right, we'll see you soon, Amanda. And I'll be back at the top of the hour with the second hour of "Connect the World". Stay with CNN.

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[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

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