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Trump's First 100 Days See Reshaped Government, Trade War, Market Chaos; Carney Declares Victory in Canadian Election; Trump Campaigned to End Ukraine War in 24 Hours, Told Netanyahu "Be Good to Gaza"; Former ICE Lawyer Says "Mass Deportations Don't Make Us Safer"; Power Almost Entirely Restored in Spain and Portugal; The Beginnings Fund. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired April 29, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of the show. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi, where the time is 6:00 in the
evening.
It has been exactly 100 days since Donald Trump assumed the highest office in the world for the second time and a lot has happened since. We will
break that down for you.
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney said his country would, quote, "never yield" to the United States as his Liberal Party declares victory in
federal elections following a campaign overshadowed by relentless provocations and steep trade tariffs imposed by Donald Trump.
Power has been restored to tens of millions of people across almost all of Spain and Portugal but disruptions to transport services are expected to
stretch into a second day as questions mount over what caused that massive blackout.
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ANDERSON: Well, sweeping changes to the federal government and immigration crackdown, a global trade war and market chaos, all hallmarks of the first
100 days of Donald Trump's second term as U.S. president. And a majority of Americans are reacting to the turmoil with a mixture of pessimism and fear.
We're going to get to new CNN polling on the mood in the U.S. in a moment. First, an update on the Trump tariffs that have been marked by delays, by
revisions and flip-flops. Just a short time ago, the U.S. Treasury Secretary defending the president's strategy and the uncertainty
surrounding it. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: I think one thing that has been a little disconcerting for the markets is, you know, president Trump creates
what I would call strategic uncertainty in the negotiations. So he is more concerned about getting the best possible trade deals before the American
people.
We had four years of bad deals for decades, the unfair trading. And we are going to the -- unwind those and make them fair. What we are doing is we've
created a process. I think the aperture of uncertainty will be narrowing.
And as we start moving forward, announcing deals, then there will be certainty. But it certainly is not necessarily a good thing in negotiating.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, earlier today, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said a deal has been reached to reduce auto tariffs that Treasury Secretary
Bessent says are aimed at bringing jobs back to the United States.
Well, to those CNN poll numbers for you: 64 percent of those questioned, nearly two out of three, think things are going badly in the United States
right now; 41 percent are afraid of what will happen in the country during the rest of Donald Trump's second term, with another 16 percent
pessimistic; 43 percent are optimistic or enthusiastic.
And when it comes to the economy, nearly six in 10 Americans say it has gotten worse since the second Trump inauguration.
Let's get to our guests. Bryan Lanza was the senior campaign adviser in president Trump's 2016 and 2024 runs for the White House.
Charlie Dent is a former Republican congressman from Pennsylvania.
It's good to have you both. Thank you. Let's kick off on the economy, because that's what Trump is touting today.
And let's start if we can, Bryan, with you. A new CNN poll that shows a significant number of respondents, the majority saying that Trump's
policies have worsened the economy.
Since that was the top issue that got him elected or certainly one of two top issues, the other being immigration, of course, should he be worried
about this?
Should his administration be concerned at this point?
BRYAN LANZA, TRUMP SENIOR CAMPAIGN ADVISER 2016 AND 2024: Listen, thank you for having me. First of all, I think every American president should be
worried about the economy every day they wake up, whether it's Democrat or Republican.
And so what you have is in this administration, you have the focus on the economy. They are looking to try to reindustrialize the United States,
which is a key component of the economy, bringing jobs back. It's not an overnight process.
But what you're seeing is a process that right now appears to be very sloppy, you know, sloppy in the sense that government itself is a sloppy
operation. You get a lot of disruption. It does provide uncertainty. We've experienced this on various issues over the last 20 years, 30 years in
American politics.
And that uncertainty, you know, is sort of amplified, you know, by some of the -- by Peter Navarro's comments, by others.
[10:05:04]
But at the end of the day, where it looks like this administration is pointing to is what you saw with Secretary Bessent.
You know, this disruption, this uncertainty, at least from their point, is a strategy on how to sort of gain more leverage and a stronger negotiating
hand as they deal with what president Trump talked about even in his first campaign, China.
ANDERSON: Charlie, president -- yes.
President Trump creates what I would call, says Bessent, strategic uncertainty on negotiations.
He went on to say, "We've created a process whereby and the aperture of uncertainty will be narrowing. There will be certainty."
Enough from the reassurer in chief today?
Certainly the markets have just moved into positive territory. They frankly didn't respond in a particularly positive way to what we heard from Bessent
earlier.
CHARLIE DENT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, Secretary Bessent is an adult and he's in a tough spot. But I can -- I would disagree that I don't
think there's anything strategic about this uncertainty. Some might actually call it chaos.
Ever since liberation day on April 2nd, we've seen the markets go berserk. And they're not happy because they received this.
You all remember this?
This was the tariff proposal. It had nothing to do with tariffs. It had nothing to do with the things they said it did. They created a nonsensical
formula that makes no sense. They realize now that tariffs are inflationary.
And that is, of course, the issue that is driving Trump's negatives. And there's an incoherence to much of this. On the one hand, they're saying,
boy, we need these tariffs. You know, we're going to raise them really high so we can get all this revenue.
And then the president just said the other day that they're going to eliminate the income tax, which is about half of all federal revenue. I
think it's $2.4 trillion worth. And then they say they're going to -- and then they also say they're going to raise the highest rate on the income
tax.
Well, you're going to get rid of the income tax or you're going to raise it?
You know, do you want tariffs to -- for revenue purposes or are you going to do as Bessent says and try to negotiate these rates down?
I mean, that's the problem here. Nobody knows what they're doing. And, you know, the 90 days will be up soon as this pause has been implemented.
What will happen in the next 90 days?
And that's what's driving the uncertainty. And people are responding to this, particularly independent voters, you know whose numbers right now for
Republicans are just terrible. And so I'd be worried right now if I were a Republican and anything that resembles a swing district or a swing state,
because these are not good numbers.
ANDERSON: And we are, what, six, seven months away?
Sorry, we're only 18 months away, of course, from midterms. But look, I mean, we are as much as 18 months away. I guess that's a long time in terms
of Donald Trump administration.
We did hear the White House spokesperson today responding to reports that Amazon would be passing on the higher costs of tariffs. I'm hoping that we
have some sound from Leavitt.
Do we have that sound?
Not yet. We do.
Have a listen to this, Bryan.
All right. We don't have that sound.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Amazon's announcement. This is a hostile and political act by Amazon.
Why did Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?
And I would also add that it's not a surprise because, as Reuters recently wrote, Amazon has partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm. So this is
another reason why Americans should buy American.
It's another reason why we are onshoring critical supply chains here at home to shore up our own critical supply chain and boost our own
manufacturing here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Charlie talked about the chaos, as he would describe chaos, not strategic uncertainty. You certainly talked about this uncertainty, Bryan.
You were a senior campaign advisor in the president's 2016 and 2024 runs.
Is his administration coping with their boss at this point and his actions?
LANZA: You know, listen, I think, you know, every day, you know, they deal with a president who, like a CEO, who wants to do things fast. And
fast sometimes becomes complicated but fast becomes very -- it can be very chaotic. But at the end of the day, you know what the ultimate goal is
going to be.
President Trump's ultimate goal is to get key strategic, you know, supply chains out of China. You know, he said that from the beginning, he has
continued to say that. And right now, you know, at least the theory was.
[10:10:00]
At the beginning of the administration that tariffs would be the fastest way to sort of reshore those key critical technologies that we want in the
United States, that we don't want in China because we don't feel China is a supply -- is a reliable supply chain.
And, you know, government -- I've worked in government, you know, the congressman has worked in government. It's sloppy. And the process is what
many voters forget about, you know but they remember the end goal.
And that's what president Trump's goal is, is to try to bring back some of the industrialization back to the United States with respect to our key
minerals, our key strategic assets.
And it appears that, you know, that that the trigger that he once thought it was, which was tariffs, is not that trigger but you don't expect them to
stop. He's going to find other ways to go forward, whether there's going to be trade deals or executive orders, because this is ultimately what the
American people voted for.
They didn't vote for their 401(k)s to be lower but they voted understanding that that Donald Trump put national security and the threat of China, you
know, sort of being an unreliable friend when it comes to critical, critical materials for the United States.
And that needs to come back. That's the goal. They're going to get there. Tariffs may not be the route but it's still going to be executive orders.
It's still going to be legislation. It's still going to be trade deals.
It's going to be all those other things that the only challenge is president Trump wants it tomorrow and the staff are trying to catch up to
tomorrow.
ANDERSON: Charlie, let's look at the other issues. I want to bring the poll up again. A slim majority of respondents approve of how Trump is
handling, for example, gender identity issues; 45 percent approve of how he is handling other signature issues, including, importantly, immigration.
Would Trump be happy with that number very specifically, do you think?
DENT: Well, he's doing a little bit better on some of those cultural issues. Immigration, I think he's doing slightly better than on certainly
on the economic news. But the economic news is what's driving his overall low favorability ratings.
But I would say this, many people like what Donald Trump is trying to do. They don't like how he is doing it. They don't like the execution, whether
it was at DOGE, certainly on the tariffs. And I would even argue to a certain extent on immigration.
Yes, we want people deported who should not be here, who are certainly criminals. And others like that. But the way they've done it without the
due process, I think, is also unsettling to people.
So that's been the challenge for this administration. It's how they do things that is driving, again, the negative issues, even if they're
negative, they're negative image ratings, even on issues where the public tends to be supportive of them.
So I'm not sure how they do this. And by the way, I just got to say, too, you know, we're not going to be able to reindustrialize through these
tariffs. These tariffs are harming American manufacturing. They're harming American farmers.
And if the Democrats knew how to articulate this issue, which they really are not very good at, because many of them support these high tariffs, you
know, they would be able to make some inroads in industrial and agricultural America, where they have been very, very weak.
Just last week in the Allentown morning call in Pennsylvania, Mack trucks announced that they're going to lay off 200-300 people, over, in large
part, because of these tariffs. I mean, this is not helping.
So this myth about we're going to bring back all these jobs with high tariffs, I think, flies in the face of experience, based on Smoot-Hawley
back in 1930, and everything else we've ever seen. We want to bring jobs back. But this is not the way to do it.
ANDERSON: You brought up due process and the fact that this is an administration that seemingly has no truck with due process.
Bryan, in reflecting on your 2024 campaign, you said, and I quote you, "When we started this term, it was like we were at the racetracks and the
gates opened and we're racing because we knew inevitably, because of the way Washington operates and how it slows things down, that we would end up
in court."
Do you still feel that way?
I mean, ultimately, as I say, this is an administration that does not seem to care at all about due process.
So does it care whether it ends up in court, whenever that is?
LANZA: No, it's never cared about any of the court. You know, going back to that quote is we knew whatever we did, whether it was immigration,
whether it was anything legislatively or executive actions that, you know, because the normal process of Washington, D.C., is end up in courts if you
disagree.
We knew we would end up in court. And that's why you saw president Trump frontload a lot of these policies as fast as he could, so he can get
through the legal process so that we're not coming up with decisions, you know, in year three and year four, that we're coming up decisions hopefully
in year one and year two.
He's not afraid to challenge some of these laws that he feels are protecting illegal immigrants who are hurting the American people. And
you're right, it's due process. Let's be clear, under these -- some of these executive orders, under these acts that were passed, you know, over
50 years ago, even 60 years ago.
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The right of due process doesn't exist. You can have a hearing. But let's be clear, due process is not a hearing. A hearing is basically to validate
what's going on. You don't get to have, you know, a long case, you know, a long second hearing or third hearing under these executive orders.
And under these laws that have been written well before president Trump, you know, you get a hearing and that may be the dispute of what a hearing
actually means. But you don't get process.
ANDERSON: Just sort of moving, you know, closing the loop on this, we've just got the consumer confidence numbers in. And Americans continue, it
seems, to grow uneasy about the economy as president Donald Trump wages these erratic trade wars, with consumer confidence sinking to its lowest
level since May 2020.
He won't like the polling. He won't like CNN's polling. I'm sure he won't like other polling that puts Americans feeling very uneasy about what he is
doing with regard to the economy.
But the consumer confidence numbers underscore that, released just now, as you and I are, three of us have been speaking. Thank you very much indeed,
both of you, for joining us.
Well, president Trump's first 100 days infuriated America's neighbors to the north and they showed it at the polls on Monday. How Canada's new prime
minister is promising to stand firm. That is up next.
And we look at how those 100 tumultuous days have shaped and shaken the wider world.
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ANDERSON: An interim prime minister no more. Canadian voters have put their faith in Mark Carney for a full term. Monday's election essentially
became a referendum on who can keep Canada sovereign and thriving in the face of threats from Donald Trump. CNN's Paula Newton has more from Ottawa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: Who's ready?
Who's ready?
Who's ready to stand up for Canada with me?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A rallying cry for Canadian sovereignty as Mark Carney declared victory in the country's
federal elections.
CARNEY: We are once again. We are once again at one of those hinge moments of history. Our old relationship with the United States, a relationship
based on steadily increasing integration, is over. We are over the shock of the American betrayal. But we should never forget the lessons.
NEWTON (voice-over): The Liberal Party leader issuing a stunning rebuke to president Trump, as he promised his country would never yield to the United
States.
CARNEY: As I've been warning for months, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country. Never. But these are not -- these are
not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us.
[10:20:05]
That will never. That will never, ever happen.
NEWTON (voice-over): The 60-year-old former central banker, also sending a message of unity to the millions that did not vote for him.
CARNEY: And my message to every Canadian is this, no matter where you live, no matter what language you speak, no matter how you voted, I will
always do my best to represent everyone who calls Canada home.
PIERRE POILIEVRE, CONSERVATIVE OPPOSITION LEADER: So I would like to congratulate prime minister Carney.
NEWTON (voice-over): Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre conceded defeat early Tuesday, saying Carney had won enough seats to form a
razor-thin minority government.
Throughout his campaign, Carney rode a wave of anti-Trump sentiment since winning his party's leadership contest in a landslide after former prime
minister Justin Trudeau stepped down last month.
CARNEY: We are fighting unjustified U.S. tariffs.
NEWTON (voice-over): Trump's tariffs on imports from Canada and continued threats to annex the country as the 51st state only helped him ride that
wave to victory -- Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, U.S. president Donald Trump's first 100 days in office have been marred by two major ongoing wars.
In Tel Aviv Monday, Israeli hostages who were released from Gaza called on the U.S. president to get the remaining hostages home. Here's a reminder of
what Mr. Trump said he would do once he took office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: If they're not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Edan Alexander is believed to be the last American hostage alive in Gaza. There are 59 hostages still held there. Up to 24 are still
believed to be alive.
And in the other war on Trump's file, the president doubling down on his demands for a permanent truce in Ukraine. That comes after Russia's
president announced a unilateral three-day ceasefire, which would start next week. An official says the Trump administration does not view the move
as meaningful in attempting to end the conflict.
Well, Donald Trump, before he took office, Donald Trump repeatedly touted that he would end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine totally settled. I'll have it done in 24 hours. I know Zelenskyy, I know Putin. It
will be done within 24 hours. You watch. I'd have that thing done in 24 hours.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, many promises, very little achieved. Let's look at all of this and more with CNN global affairs analyst Kimberly Dozier.
And in an article for CNN Digital, our colleague, CNN reporter, senior reporter Stephen Collinson wrote, and I quote him here, "Trump's belief
that every policy issue is a win-lose proposition has dominated his return to the White House. It has led to some nominal successes.
Do you believe these first days, 100 days, have been a wakeup call for him?
Certainly, with regard to foreign policy.
KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes, I have to agree with that assessment that Donald Trump is learning that closing a deal on a
long-running war, like in Israel and Gaza or the invasion of Ukraine, is not something that you can do as fast as closing a deal on a casino or
building a hotel.
Now one of the frustrations of Trump officials the first time around, and even more so the second time around, is that they felt old Washington, the
people who had been at the State Department for a long time, et cetera. weren't willing to try new things.
And they thought that sending someone like a Steve Witkoff into the fray would break out some of that calcification and make it possible, for
instance, to make peace with Russia overnight.
And what they're finding is, like many U.S. negotiators have found, they will say many nice things to your face but if they feel that they've got
the upper hand -- and Trump has given them the upper hand, at least with Russia, by signaling that he wants to finish this fast.
So showing his Achilles heel to them, they will take advantage of that and drag things out. And that's where he is in that negotiation.
ANDERSON: Yes, it's not just words, of course, from Vladimir Putin. It is actions; Putin gifting president Trump this portrait.
Where do you see this going at this point, Kim?
DOZIER: Well, you know, Putin, like many world leaders, has found the way to Trump's heart.
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It's through praise and through finding a way to relate to him. And as Trump said, feeling like the two men were pursued in the, quote-unquote,
"unfair Russia investigations" gave him common cause with Putin.
However, as Putin has continued to drag his feet and, in the face of repeated social media calls by Trump to stop the killing just a week ago,
which was followed by continued barrages of Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, that's begun to get under Trump's skin.
And then that was followed by the sort of makeup/apology session in the Vatican between Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and Donald Trump, where Trump
is apparently starting to see through Zelenskyy's eyes, seeing him as a grieving leader.
But remember, he still wants to get this done quickly. The Ukrainians are cognizant of that, so they're at least trying to deliver something like
signing the minerals deal as soon as possible so they can build on what they see as this positive momentum.
ANDERSON: While he was campaigning Trump said this about us NATO allies. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I've been saying, look, if they're not going to pay, we're not going to protect, OK?
And Biden has said, Oh, this is so bad. This is so terrible that he would say that, no, if they're not paying their bills. And most of them weren't
when I got there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Whether it be the threat of less U.S. support under a Trump presidency or the Russian war in Ukraine, European countries have ramped up
their defense spending.
So is this a win for Donald Trump in his first 100 days?
DOZIER: Well, various NATO leaders were expecting this and they knew that they would get nagged again. In some ways, it helps them go back home to
their populations and say, we've got to divert more of the funds away from social costs and toward defense spending.
But really, the Russian invasion more helped convince people of that. At the same time, when you talk to former secretary general Jens Stoltenberg
or with the public comments of the current secretary general, Mark Rutte, they both say that Trump is useful in nagging for more spending.
As I'm sure you've heard the same thing that I have for the past decade, Europe talks a lot about increasing spending for its own defense but it
doesn't do a lot. The Russian invasion really spurred that on.
And now Trump's withdrawal from the world is convincing people, you know, this is real. It's going to last. It's here to stay. We can't count on the
U.S. We got to take care of our own.
"All hell will break loose in Gaza if the hostages are not returned."
And the war isn't finished. Those were his comments, of course, as he took office. He then talked about turning Gaza into the Riviera of the Middle
East.
But recently in the past 48 hours, he has told the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, quote, "We've got to be good to Gaza."
A very, what you would describe as confused. I think, narrative when it comes to Gaza.
How do you expect him to change his approach, if at all, on Gaza and with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu?
DOZIER: We might see his calls for aid to Gaza to get a little bit more strident, not just saying, let's be good to Gaza. I mean, Gaza has been
without aid for months. And it's becoming an even more untenable situation inside in terms of food, supplies, medicine, hospitals running out of just
everything.
But Trump came in thinking it would be possible to do this deal fast, got frustrated with dealmaking through the Egyptians and the Qataris, thought
they must just be doing it wrong. Allowed one of his own envoys to meet directly with Hamas and concluded, as the Biden administration had
concluded, that Hamas isn't serious about peace.
So as he promised, you know, that hell will open, he has stepped back and allowed the Israelis to do what they think they need to do to get the
hostages out. He's also used comments like, "we're going to build a Riviera in the Middle East."
Many Arab leaders, officials that I speak to, still think that's about signaling the Arab world that they've got to come up with a credible plan
to get the Palestinians on board, with stopping the fighting and creating a new government.
[10:30:08]
But where we are right now is, it's very complicated. It's very bloody. There's no end in sight. And it looks like Trump has, in his own way, made
peace with that thus far. Saying we've got to be good to Gaza is a very mild comment from Donald Trump toward Netanyahu.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, Kim. Always a pleasure. Thank you. Kim Dozier in the House.
Well, still to come, she once worked for the U.S. government. Now she's speaking out against the Trump administration's push for mass deportations,
even calling U.S. immigration, quote, "a machine of surveillance and fear." A former lawyer for ICE speaks to us. Up next.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Here are your headlines.
And the U.S. Treasury Secretary spoke a short time ago, defending Trump's tariff agenda and all the uncertainty that has come with it. He said it is
up to China to find tariff relief from the United States but refused to say whether the administration is even engaged in trade talks with Chinese
officials.
Canada's Liberal Party, led by prime minister Mark Carney, has come out on top in federal elections. Mr. Carney took the lead on promises of standing
up to Donald Trump. His conservative rival conceded and congratulated Liberals on securing a, quote, "razor-thin minority government."
The massive power outage that hit most of Europe's Iberian Peninsula on Monday was not caused by a cyber attack, according to a Spanish grid
operator. However, it is still not clear what in fact did cause the outage, affecting tens of millions of people.
Blackout disrupted businesses, halted traffic and brought the region to a standstill for about 12 hours.
ANDERSON: Later today, U.S. president Donald Trump will celebrate the first 100 days of his second term with a rally in the battleground state of
Michigan. It comes as new CNN polling shows Americans are growing increasingly dissatisfied with his work.
Even public opinion on his handling immigration, a signature issue for the president, has waned. Around 45 percent of Americans approve, down from six
points from March.
Well, despite those poll numbers, the White House plans to ramp up its crackdown on illegal immigration in the coming weeks, according to emails
seen by CNN.
The Trump administration is throwing out the idea of sending up to 500 alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador's notorious mega prison.
[10:35:06]
The proposal was made during negotiations between the two countries.
Well, my next guest is a former assistant chief counsel for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly known as ICE.
She recently wrote about her experiences working there and criticized its policies, saying, and I quote, "By deliberately blurring the lines between
civil and criminal violations, ICE fuels the false narrative that non- citizens are inherently dangerous.
"In reality, nearly half of those arrested have no criminal record. But ICE is betting the public won't care to check the facts."
Well, Veronica Cardenas is now working as an immigration lawyer. She joins me live from New York.
It's good to have you.
What is president Trump's goal with these mass deportations?
VERONICA CARDENAS, FORMER ASSISTANT CHIEF COUNSEL, U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT: I think his goal, number one, is for immigration to
be the fallback if he fails in other areas of his policy. He can always say, look, we're making good on our promise on immigration.
ANDERSON: That's really interesting.
Do you have evidence for that or is that just your sense?
CARDENAS: I think that, especially the way that things are going with the tariffs, with other areas of his policies and, just yesterday, to celebrate
the 100 days of his presidency, he lined the White House with pictures of people who have been deported, alleging the crimes that they have been
deported for.
And so that really paints a vibrant picture for what this administration is doing, how he's trying to conflate both issues of criminal and civil, of
civil law and showing that, look, we're going after violent criminals. We're going after Tren de Aragua, we're going after MS-13 gang members.
But in reality, when you look at it, yes, there has been some headway there. We saw just last week with a takedown in Colorado that was led by
the DEA, where there were over 100 noncitizens who were detained and arrested because of, you know, drug trafficking and guns, that that is
good.
That has been done by every administration before him. He's using that now to get public opinion, to get on board with him, detaining people who are
going for naturalization interviews, non-citizens who are married to Americans who are going through the legal process.
And as we saw on Friday, to detain and to deport U.S. citizen children, one of whom was sick with terminal cancer. And so the poll numbers are right to
show that they're moving in the direction, where the public can see right through what this Trump administration is doing in the area of immigration.
ANDERSON: Are other Venezuelans, Latin Americans who are not affiliated with gangs, being taken to El Salvador prisons as well as part of these
mass deportations?
How can the community be safe for a resident with a Venezuelan passport and a green card?
What's the danger for them?
CARDENAS: And that is right. And that is such a difficult question right now because we're seeing two things.
People who are in ICE custody, who are detained, those people need to have lawyers at the ready to file a habeas, because we're seeing that right now
the only thing that will protect people in that situation are -- is federal courts.
But for people who are not in that position where they're not detained, we've seen these administrative errors happen even for people in New York
City who are walking and grabbed right off the streets and taken to CECOT El Salvador, in El Salvador.
And the case that I'm talking about, that person specifically stated, "I don't want to go there. Please try to take me to Venezuela, deport me to
Venezuela, my home country."
And he was still taken to El Salvador. So what I'm suggesting is for people to have an emergency plan. If you are in a vulnerable situation, like
Venezuelan males are right now, because many people are erroneously being targeted and labeled as Tren de Aragua, to have counsel, to have a lawyer
who can file a habeas.
And to have an emergency plan where, if something happens, a family member can immediately call because, as we're seeing, administrative errors are
happening. People are being deported that should not be deported. But this administration, despite court orders demanding the facilitation of the
return of these people.
[10:40:00]
They are not going to do that. They're not going to even entertain those court orders.
ANDERSON: Look, it's good to have you on. Your insight is so important as we continue to cover this story. It's good to have you.
And the U.S. of course, is also facing some backlash over its handling of international university students. Video showing ICE agents dressed in
civilian clothing, non-identifiable badges arresting Mahmoud Khalil, for example, in the case of Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk. They are
wearing masks.
All right. We're going to take a very short break, back after this.
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ANDERSON: Tens of millions of people across Spain and Portugal have got their power back. As questions mount over what caused Monday's massive
blackout. Now the power outage, which lasted about 12 hours, brought both countries to a standstill and caused chaos, as you can imagine, on roads
and in airports.
CNN's Pao Mosquera joins us now from Madrid.
Just walk us through the sort of impact felt yesterday and the atmosphere now.
Is everything back to normal at this point?
PAU MOSQUERA, CNN SPAIN CORRESPONDENT: Not really back. Since early this morning, the Spanish government has assured that they have been able to
supply 99.9 percent of the demand to all the population, which means that normalcy is getting back to most Spanish homes.
But the situation differs a little bit when we have a look to the different train stations across the country. Right now, Becky, we are at Atocha
Street in downtown Madrid. And just have a look around me.
How is the situation right now?
There are crowds, passengers with their luggage that they are still waiting for the trains to get to their destinations back home, most of them
repeating. Their eyes on the screens to try to figure out when their train is going to get out to the final destination.
There's still a lot of doubt here at the train station (INAUDIBLE) to the different cities across the country. And I earlier spoke to (INAUDIBLE)
operator of the infrastructure, that railway infrastructure here in Spain. And they have no real answer when they will get this situation to normalcy.
Here we have some people that were traveling actually or they were supposed to travel. Here we have Beth. She's American, lives in Gibraltar.
So how did the situation affect you, Beth?
BETH, AMERICAN TRAVELER: You know, it. Just a long delay. It was a little bit hectic but you know, luckily, I was able to find a safe place to stay
and had a nice hotel. So I know I was fortunate, more fortunate than many people.
MOSQUERA: You told me that you were supposed to get yesterday.
[10:45:00]
A train to Malaga, to the south of the country.
What time it was supposed to depart?
BETH: At 3:30 yesterday. And so it's 24 hours later and they just announced my platform. So it looks like I might be going.
MOSQUERA: Well, best of luck, Beth. Thank you very much.
So you see, Becky, this is the situation right now at this train station in Madrid. Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes. And no clue yet as to exactly why this outage happened. Thank you Pau.
We are taking a quick break, back after this.
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ANDERSON: Well, The Beginnings Fund was unveiled in Abu Dhabi today. It is a bold new coalition whose mission is to prevent avoidable maternal and
newborn deaths across sub-Saharan Africa.
Now while this fund is independent of external factors and focused entirely on the health of women and babies, the timing couldn't be more important as
the global reality is one of less aid from some traditional donors like the United States.
This philanthropic partnership shows what is possible when big organizations work together strategically. Earlier, I spoke with four
remarkable women leading this charge, all driven by a powerful belief: every mother and every newborn deserves a fighting chance. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Over 700 women died from preventable causes related to pregnancy every single day in 2023. The most recent year that the World
Health Organization has data; 90 percent of those deaths occurred in low and lower middle income countries.
A new philanthropic initiative, The Beginnings Fund, designed to prevent 300,000 deaths of mothers and newborns in sub-Saharan Africa and enhance
access to quality medical care for more than 30 million mothers and babies by the end of this decade.
ALICE KANG'ETHE, CEO, THE BEGINNINGS FUND: My daughter turns 9 on Wednesday and she was born through a medically indicated surgery, what we
call a cesarean section.
And I had access to good care. I had access to the necessary workforce that saw a good outcome for my newborn and myself. But sadly, many moms in my
city, Nairobi, in my country, Kenya, on my continent, are struggling, still struggling to survive the complications of pregnancy and childbirth and
also the newborn period.
And it doesn't have to be this way. And the most important thing for The Beginnings Fund is to change the trajectory of maternal and newborn
survival on the continent.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Making this possible, a coalition of global stakeholders, including the Mohammed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, the
Children's Investment Fund Foundation and The Gates Foundation, amongst others, committing nearly $600 million for maternal and newborn survival.
I had the chance to speak to four women representing this transformative partnership.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KANG'ETHE: My name is Alice Kang'ethe. I'm the CEO of The Beginnings Fund, based in Nairobi.
TALA AL RAMAHI, MOHAMMED BIN ZAYED FOUNDATION FOR HUMANITY: My name is Tala Al Ramahi and I represent the Mohammed bin Zayed Foundation for
Humanity.
ANITA ZAIDI, THE GATES FOUNDATION: I'm Anita Zaidi and I'm representing The Gates Foundation here today.
DR. MEKDES DABA, MINISTER OF HEALTH,E FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA: My name is Dr. Mekdes Daba. I am the minister of health of the
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
[10:50:05]
ANDERSON: Why did you choose to place maternal and newborn health at the heart of the Fund's agenda?
What is it that speaks to you at the Fund about this project?
AL RAMAHI: Alice spoke about changing the trajectory for Africa. The UAE, in less than two generations was able to change the UAE's own story and
trajectory when it came to mothers and children.
Two generations ago, one in three women died during childbirth and over half of children did not survive past childhood. And so the UAE knows the
story well.
But the UAE also knows how to change outcomes for mothers and babies. Investments in health care, sustained investments in health care and
quality access to medical care is important to transforming these outcomes.
And for the Mohammed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, we identify opportunities where we can deliver outsized impact.
ANDERSON: Well, let's talk about why The Gates Foundation has teamed up with the Mohammed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity and others to launch
this Beginnings Fund.
What's the thinking?
ZAIDI: Now where The Gates Foundation comes in and what we are good at doing is innovation, right?
How can you have affordable innovation, affordable products, affordable ways of delivery of those products so that you can accelerate progress for
maternal and child survival?
And so what The Beginnings Fund does is provides the platform that you need for all of the research and R&D that we have done for the last 25 years, to
really get to every woman and baby that needs it in Africa. And that is just beautiful.
ANDERSON: But this is a different approach for funding for philanthropic capital, for success. Just explain.
DABA: If more countries give a policy in place, a dedication in place, if we work together for a preventable cause of maternal deaths, definitely
this is something that we can change the trajectory. And we are already seeing some change. But this is exactly the time that we need to do
sustainable investments so that we can see sustainable change.
AL RAMAHI: I just want to add to what Dr. Daba just said. The only way that we can achieve the scale and the sustainability of this work, ensuring
continued progress, is to make sure that, ultimately, the countries own their agendas. We are merely partners in this progress.
But that was very compelling for us, as donors, that the power of collaborative philanthropy and, most importantly, partnerships, is one
where we understand we can achieve the scale and the impact required to ensure the success of The Beginnings Fund.
ANDERSON: You have to be not only working with good partner governments but good partners on the ground.
Can you just talk us through some of the experience that The Gates Foundation actually brings to a collaboration and partnership like The
Beginnings Fund?
ZAIDI: A very big study that was done in several African countries and also in Pakistan to see how can we pick up postpartum hemorrhage early,
detect it early and respond earlier.
And that trial showed that having a very simple tool, a plastic sheet under the mom that measured the amount of blood in a pocket plastic pocket at the
end of the sheet, told the doctor or the healthcare provider to act early. And that reduced severe postpartum hemorrhage by 60 percent.
And when we implemented this outside of the study, it's 97 percent reduction in severe postpartum hemorrhage.
ANDERSON: How much does that sheet of plastic or hemorrhage curtains, I think it's known --
(CROSSTALK)
ZAIDI: -- 50 cents to 60 cents. It's less than a dollar. It's like nothing.
ANDERSON: I spoke to Bill Gates as part of a MasterClass series for the CNN Academy Abu Dhabi recently. He talked about portable ultrasounds.
ZAIDI: Ultrasound is essential to pregnancy management and 60 percent to 70 percent of women around the world don't have access to even a simple
ultrasound during pregnancy, yes. So often you don't know that it's a twin baby. You don't know if the placenta is in the right position.
You don't know if the baby is the right way, the right way around or what the size of the baby is or the baby growing properly or not.
And with AI, what we can now do and all of the hardware developments that are there, we can have a very simple machine, which is only $1,000,
connected to AI through the cloud and it can do an automatic reading. So you don't need a skilled interpreter.
ANDERSON: How do you ensure that you don't just get quick wins but this is sort of long-term sustainable interventions for success?
DABA: Whatever achievements that we have so far is linked to the people that we have invested in and especially our health workforce, who have been
investing in the healthcare system, along with the government's commitment, everyone's commitment to see a change.
ANDERSON: This fund couldn't come at a more important time, given that we are seeing such a retrenchment.
[10:55:00]
Not least from the United States under the Trump administration in the sort of work that has erstwhile been done in places like Africa.
I know that this isn't a fund in response to this new era. This sort of setup couldn't be more important.
KANG'ETHE: So The Beginnings Fund's commitment to accelerating maternal and newborn survival is unwavering, the environment notwithstanding. But
you're right, there will be and there has been short-term impact. We're seeing it. Some of the health workers that were supported through
investments that are now not going to be funded.
Going forward, are not in place and we will seek to support where we can but also, I would say, seize this moment as an opportunity to reimagine how
we support health care, how governments deliver health care and design a system for the future.
ANDERSON: And that's something that I know, in the UAE, you are very invested in.
What does a future system look like and how do you get involved?
AL RAMAHI: I think to Alice's point about reimagining the system and ensuring that we're thinking about global health in a much more inclusive
way -- so not thinking about disease elimination in their own silos but thinking about the entire system.
And how investing in the system itself will achieve outcomes not just for mothers and babies but for the community as a whole.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: The women who are the force behind The Beginnings Fund.
And that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.
END
