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Connect the World
Trump Calls Dealmaking with China's Xi "Extremely Hard"; Ukraine Tries to Hold Off Russian Push in Sumy & Kharkiv Regions; Campaign to Free Son Puts Laila Soueif in Critical Condition; Trade Tensions Rising Between U.S. & China; Mexico's Ruling Party Expands Power in Supreme Court. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired June 04, 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: This is the scene in Washington, D.C. Donald Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum have doubled to 50
percent. The latest offensive and the president's trade war will get market reaction this hour. 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, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation temporarily suspends all aid distribution sites in Gaza as Israel declares roads accessing the
center's combat zones. And Ukraine works to hold off a major Russian push to create a buffer zone in the Northeast border region.
This follows Ukraine's successful drone attacks on Russian bases earlier this week. Right, time to check in on those stock futures in the United
States. Markets will open in around 30 minutes. And as you can see, it's pretty much a mixed bag. And what is creating a bit of concern on the
sentiment front.
We had those ADP numbers so private sector jobs and hiring hit the lowest level in more than two years, coming in at 37,000 for the month of May. And
actually, what was anticipated was 110,000 jobs, so much lower than the market had anticipated. We're also focusing on tariffs, so a lot to get
through on the market front.
Meantime, we begin with U.S. President Donald Trump once again raising the stakes in his trade war. In the last few hours, brand new tariffs on steel
and aluminum imports took effect, and that's after Mr. Trump signed an executive order doubling those levies from 25 to 50 percent.
And he says it's about protecting U.S. industries and jobs. But critics warn consumers will end up paying the price. And one of the big targets of
these new tariffs China and President Trump appearing to confirm that trade talks with Beijing have stalled, taking to social media in the middle of
the night to throw a jab at the Chinese President.
Mr. Trump, posting that Xi Jinping is, quote, very tough and extremely hard to make a deal with. Meanwhile, Trump is dealing with some criticism of his
own, from his Former Top Advisor Elon Musk, slamming Trump's so called big beautiful agenda bill, calling it, quote, massive, outrageous, pork filled
and a disgusting abomination.
I want to get the latest now. We've got CNN's Alayna Treene. She's live at the White House a lot to get through. And Alayna, I want to start off with
steel and aluminum, or aluminum, depending on which side of the pond you're on. You've got this tariff increase now going to 50 percent.
What economists warning that American consumers could be seeing price increases on certain items. These are going to be cost increases that are
going to be passed down to the consumer, no doubt.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, that's exactly what economists and experts in the financial sector are warning about, look,
this is a move that is being celebrated, Eleni, by the beleaguered American steel industry. But there are a ton of other sectors that rely heavily on
steel and aluminum for their different products.
You know, from car makers to steel cans for cans that use aluminum and steel for their different food products. All of them really worried about
this doubling of the tariffs by President Donald Trump. And experts specifically say that they don't anticipate that American consumers will
feel the impact of this rise in tariffs immediately.
But again, they warn that higher prices on things like construction projects, car lots, appliances and elsewhere are all but inevitable.
They've argued that the price of a simple car could go much higher, hundreds of dollars, if not thousands, because of these tariffs.
Look, this is something though, Eleni, that I have to emphasize is one that the president cares a lot about, because really, it's a symbol for him of
U.S. manufacturing, which in the past was, you know, kind of iconic, now, has really fallen on hard times, but it's something that's been very
important to the president's base.
That's part of why you saw him go to Pennsylvania to make the announcement that he was actually doing this last week. Of course, a state, not only a
swing state, but one that is home to U.S. Steel.
GIOKOS: Well just weeks as well, Alayna, into this 90-day tariff truce between the U.S. and China, and frankly, over the past week, President
Trump was saying that China violated the truce agreements. Then you have China blaming the United States.
[09:05:00]
President Trump going to social media saying that President Xi is very tough to negotiate with and to get a deal with. So, what does that
negotiation looking like ahead of this anticipated talk between these two mega leaders?
TREENE: Yeah, this has become very, very complicated, Eleni. Part of this is because one when the U.S. side, U.S. officials, Trump Administration
officials met with Chinese officials in Geneva last month. They came to a broad framework agreement about what a potential trade deal between the two
countries could look like.
And you actually saw both sides lower their tariffs from their highest point on one another's countries. But in recent weeks, we've now heard from
top Trump Administration officials, both publicly and from what I'm hearing privately, argue that they believe China is falling back on the commitments
that they struck in Switzerland.
And we've seen the United States kind of lash out because of that. But increasingly, I'm told in my conversations with White House officials that
they really do believe that a call between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is necessary to kind of unlock the stalemate
that they found themselves in around a potential trade deal.
And that's really where you're seeing some of this frustration leak out from President Donald Trump. We've heard him now for months argue that he's
has this great relationship with Xi that he believes that once they could get on the phone, they could work out some sort of deal, but they have been
unable to do so thus far for months now, and I've been reporting this.
I mean, my conversations with White House officials have been they have been wanting a call between the highest two leaders in both of these
countries. Trump and Xi, and yet Xi has really been unwilling to do that thus far. And so, we're starting to see some of that frustration leak out.
I have to say, you know, out of all of the trading partners, China has really been the symbol of these tariffs. They have faced the brunt, really,
of the punishing tariffs that the Trump Administration has levied on any country. And really, they have been kind of the example that this -- that
the United States has been wanting to set with these tariffs.
And so increasingly, a lot of people in this administration recognize that they need to strike some sort of deal with China. They do not want it to
remain where it is at this punishing level, but it's been very difficult for them to work out any sort of negotiations, and we really haven't seen
substantial talks from the two sides.
And so that's sort of why you're seeing the president say that today and really air those frustrations more publicly, Eleni.
GIOKOS: OK, so President Trump calling it the big beautiful bill, and Elon Musk has just left the White House and government calling it disgusting
abomination. And I wonder what the sentiment is like in the White House right now, whether they were caught off guard. What are you hearing?
TREENE: Yes. I mean, this was the harshest language yet, Eleni, that we have now heard from Elon Musk regarding this bill. And really, in the past
couple of days, as he was gearing up, Elon Musk to leave the Trump Administration, we've seen him start to criticize things that he believes
that the White House is doing wrong.
But namely, it's been around this bill, because part of that is, of course, his goal, Elon Musk coming into the White House or the Trump
Administration, I should say, was to try and cut federal spending. This bill kind of does the opposite. It actually raises the deficit in many
ways.
It has a lot of spending, $3.8 trillion in it, and so that's been a key criticism as well. But it also has things in the bill that Elon Musk, you
know, would hurt his businesses, personally, things like Tesla, who bear, you know, the benefits of some of the electric vehicle tax credits that are
being taken away from this bill, all to say, you're right.
We have heard from some White House officials that they were caught off guard by such public and very harsh criticism from Elon Musk, someone who
is supposed to be a supporter of this administration of President Donald Trump and so definitely a big split there when it comes to this bill, all
to say, Eleni, we have now heard from the White House.
They argue that the president will not be impacted by this, that he is staying true in his support to wanting to get this bill through.
GIOKOS: Yeah. I mean, I have to say other lawmakers have also been very critical, but definitely not using such harsh language. Alayna Treene, good
to have you with us. Thanks so much for that analysis. Well, the controversial aid distribution sites in Gaza, backed by the U.S. and Israel
are closed today.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says it's making logistical preparations to better accommodate the massive number of people seeking assistance. The
group says the pause also gives the Israeli military time to prepare safer access to routes and to distribution sites.
The move follows three days of deadly incidents near the aid distribution centers. Now dozens of Palestinians were killed and injured while trying to
collect aid. And there are conflicting reports about what happens. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is following the story for us from Tel Aviv.
Jeremy, good to see you. I want you to tell me about this aid pause, how long it's going to last for, and what efforts we're hearing about trying to
get firstly, the access roads a lot safer and to make it more efficient?
[09:10:00]
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Well, so far, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has only said that they will be closed for aid
distribution today. They have not yet indicated whether that will just be a one day pause, or whether we could see this continue on for several days.
We do know that this is happening in coordination with the Israeli military, which has also declared the route to that aid site that has been,
you know, these routes that have been the site of so much violence in recent days that they have declared that route a quote, unquote, combat
zone as of today.
I'm also just now hearing from a Gaza Humanitarian foundation spokesperson who has told me that they have asked the IDF to take several steps to
increase the safety and the efficiency of access for Palestinians to their site. They say they've asked the IDF to implement measures to better guide
foot traffic to the site, to clearer guidance from the Israeli military on when people can and cannot travel to the site.
And also, and this is very interesting, they have said that they have asked the IDF to enhance IDF force training and refine internal IDF procedures,
which to me, sounds very much like questions that they are raising now about the Israeli military's rules of engagement.
And all of the key context for all of this, of course, is the fact that over the last three days, we have seen more than 60 Palestinians who have
been killed while trying to make their way to this aid site by Israeli gunfire, according to eyewitnesses on the ground, doctors at local
hospitals and the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
So, it is clear that there is now a recognition, at least within the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, that something needs to change here, even if they
are not you know, outright, acknowledging that in the most forceful way possible. We're also now learning about the new leadership of that Gaza
Humanitarian Foundation, the Christian leader, Reverend Johnnie Moore, an evangelical Christian, very much a strong supporter of Israel, who has a
relationship with both President Trump as well as Prime Minister Netanyahu.
He has now been named the executive chairman of that organization. Just over a week after Jake Wood, the previous executive director resigned,
citing a lack of autonomy for GHF that he felt would not enable him to move forward. So, a lot happening on the front with this Gaza aid distribution
site, and of course, in the background of all this is just the continued suffering of Palestinians who still don't have enough food going forward to
be able to avert starvation, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, those images of the last few days have been absolutely hair raising. In the meantime, with the Gaza Humanitarian
Foundation, really interesting. You've got a change in leadership. Work has been suspended for now.
And in the meantime, in the background of all of this, you've got the UN Security Council voting on a resolution demanding an immediate and
permanent ceasefire in Gaza, at a time where you've seen immense criticism towards the latest round of aid distribution after that blockade.
What are we anticipating to come to the fore, given that we know France has also been very critical of the way that this has been handled.
DIAMOND: No question, it will be a very interesting marker of where things currently stand at the UN Security Council, following the growing
condemnation that we have seen from several European countries, including traditional allies of Israel, like France, as you mentioned.
Ultimately, what's important to note is that this is at the UN Security Council, where the United States has veto power, and there's no indication
that this administration is going to support anything, any kind of resolution at the UN that calls for a ceasefire.
But nonetheless, we will be keeping a close eye on some of those countries, like France, like the United Kingdom, that have been growing increasingly
critical of Israel's actions on the ground, and not just critical, but that have also vowed concrete consequences.
So far, we've only seen actions as it relates to trade agreements, for example, with Israel, but we will see if it also rises to the level of
supporting a UN Security Council resolution such as this.
GIOKOS: All right, Jeremy Diamond, good to have you with us. Thank you. And when we come back, Ukraine has been successful in a number of daring
assaults on Russia this week, but cannot hold the front line. We'll answer that question after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:15:00]
GIOKOS: Ukraine is trying to hold off a major Russian push to create a buffer zone in the Northeast border region around Sumy and Kharkiv. A
spokesperson for Ukraine's military says there is constant shelling. Meantime, the Russian Defense Ministry says it has taken control of two
more villages.
CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson is following developments for us in London. Nic, good to see you. We've discussed a lot about how
Ukraine has been conducting these sophisticated operations. Meanwhile, on the front lines, it's a very different story. Could you give us a sense of
what you're learning and how Russia is increasing its assault?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, I mean, one of the interesting things at the moment is that President Putin hasn't said
anything yet about the spider web attack hitting many of his strategic, long range military bombing aircraft. That's significant.
And in fact, Dmitry Peskov, his spokesman at the Kremlin, cast this as a sort of a criminal event, perhaps alluding to how Ukraine managed to insert
the drones and hit their launch capability inside these hidden buildings aboard the backs of trucks, rather not framing it as an attack by a massive
and significant attack by a war adversary, the country they're at war with.
Of course, Russia doesn't like to frame it that way far from it framing this as some sort of criminal activity, but very clear that Russia's intent
at the moment on the front line is to stretch Ukraine's resources along that very long Eastern Front, and it's doing it at the moment around the
town of Sumy, close to the border in the north of Ukraine, north and west of Kyiv. And there, that's where Russia claims to have taken a couple of
small villages.
And we know from our CNN's reporting yesterday that this really does put that town of Sumy within artillery range and the range of these fiber optic
guided point of view drones that are very -- that Russia uses very effectively on the front line these days. But it's been very interesting to
listen to the sort of setup for the Ukraine contact group meeting today, and indeed for the NATO leaders' summit that comes in a couple of weeks.
And it was the U.S. Ambassador to NATO today and an on the record briefing who spoke about the growing threat coming from Russia, that Russia is
building up its military, that NATO must outpace it, saying that NATO must, NATO member nations must commit 5 percent of GDP, a big uplift from the 2
percent most of them are at the moment, to security spending.
And it was interesting as well to hear Mark Rutte, the Secretary General, there at NATO, framing all the support that's going to come to Ukraine out
of these meetings. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: We are going to take a huge leap forward. We will strengthen our deterrence and defense by agreeing
ambitious new capability targets. These targets set out what forces and concrete capabilities the allies need to provide to strengthen our
deterrence and defense.
[09:20:00]
Air and missile defense, long range weapons logistics, large land maneuver formations are among our top priorities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: And here is talking about the NATO Defense Ministers meeting, which comes up tomorrow. But the implications there are very clear for the
Ukraine contact group that NATO is firmly committed, continues to be committed, will be committed.
But looking at it in a more structured way, the defense minister's meeting tomorrow, which he talks about the capabilities, you know, the factories
that need to be built, the commitments that need to be given to all the different countries, U.S., Canada, European nations.
But it pushes forward to that NATO leader summit that President Trump says is going to later in June, where the actual money, the fiscal part of it
will be decided, the capabilities, what can technically be done that will get discussed tomorrow, but it's the paying for it, the crunch, the bottom
line, this 5 percent that the U.S. is saying must happen fast.
GIOKOS: Yeah. And as you say, the NATO leaders are really concerned about Russia outpacing the others. I'm also very curious, because we've had the
spider web attack. We've seen the shock attack on Crimea bridge with those explosives over 1000 kilograms. Do we have any sense from the Russian side
in terms of the extent of the damage, Nic?
ROBERTSON: We don't, and it would sort of be, I think we could say, surprising if they give, you know, a battle damage assessment. Because
obviously the one of the difficulties for Ukraine is to get a very clear level of precise information about how many aircraft were fully put out of
action, how many might be able to be repaired.
The satellite imagery is pretty strong and reasonably conclusive, I think. Ukraine's claim to have knocked out 34 percent of the long-range strategic
bomber command, as well as some of the other aircraft that are required to sort of patrol the skies give early warning that sort of thing.
But in terms of the road bridge, you know, Ukraine would obviously look for any information there that would tell it how successful this new type of
attack, this bombing at the bottom of one of the big concrete pillars that holds up that bridge because they've tried hitting it at water level.
They've tried hitting it on the bridge, and they really want to know is this actually going to be able to take out the bridge and weaken it in any
way. And of course, you know, Russia is not giving up any of that information publicly. But as we've seen, Ukraine is very canny and very
skilled about finding Russia's weak spots and exploiting any small amounts of information that they can get.
GIOKOS: Nic Robertson, good to have you on the show. Thank you. Well, doctors are warning that the mother of British Egyptian human rights
activists, Alaa Abdel Fattah, is now at risk of dying. Laila Soueif is in critical condition and receiving urgent care in a hospital after returning
to a full hunger strike last month.
She's trying to pressure the British government to intervene to help free her son that's detained in Egypt. Nada Bashir has more for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Alaa Abdel Fattah, a British Egyptian Human Rights Activist and Writer, seen here in his family
home in Egypt back in 2011 being welcomed by friends and family shortly after his release from prison, but his freedom would be short lived.
Alaa was arrested once again in 2013 and jailed for over five years. He was later re arrested in September 2019 and sentenced to a further five years
behind bars in 2021. He was charged with allegedly assaulting a police officer and spreading false news after sharing a Facebook post highlighting
human rights abuses in Egypt's jails.
Alaa's detention has sparked years long campaign led by his family, who say he has been arbitrarily detained. His mother, Laila Soueif has been at the
heart of the campaign, holding regular vigils outside Downing Street, demanding that the British government do more to pressure Egypt's President
Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to free Alaa from detention.
And even embarking on a hunger strike in September, when Alaa's family had expected him to be released after completing his sentence. With some signs
of progress, Laila was persuaded to shift to a partial hunger strike in March, surviving on just 200 calories a day, but her return to a full
hunger strike in May has left her in a critical condition with doctors at London St. Thomas's hospital now providing urgent care.
SANAA SEIF, ALAA ABDEL FATTAH'S SISTER: My mom has lost like half of her body weight. She looks like a totally different woman now. She also looks
like she's aged 10 years and the past 7 months.
[09:25:00]
And she's really putting her buddy on the line for Alaa's freedom.
BASHIR (voice-over): Laila's hunger strike and gradual decline has been documented in videos filmed by the free Alaa campaign.
LAILA SOUEIF, ALAA ABDEL FATTAH'S MOTHER: What hits me is when I actually see my body and my face. I look at my face in the mirror, it's so
different.
BASHIR (voice-over): While Laila's daughters have championed her campaign for Alaa's freedom, they fear she may not have much time left. It's a
concern echoed by some lawmakers in Westminster who are calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to take urgent action.
JOHN MCDONNELL, BRITISH MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: We think the only thing that will shift Sisi is direct representations from the Prime Minister again,
but we've tried the carrot. Now we need more of the stick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I thank him for --
BASHIR (voice-over): According to Downing Street, the Prime Minister raised Alaa's case directly with the Egyptian President in a recent call.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- In this case, I have met Laila and given her my commitment to do everything I possibly can.
BASHIR (voice-over): But as Laila's condition continues to deteriorate, campaigners are warning that a failure by the British government to
intervene could not only cost Alaa's freedom, but also his mother's life.
SEIF: She's really convinced that Alaa will be free and will be with Khaled in Brighton with his son. She's just not sure whether she'll attend that or
not.
BASHIR (voice-over): Nada, Bashir, CNN in London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: All right, we're going to be right back after the short break. Stick with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back. I'm Eleni Giokos, live in Abu Dhabi, watching "Connect the World". All right, so U.S. markets are opening for the first
time since Donald Trump's new 50 percent steel and aluminum tariffs as well, come into effect on Tuesday, the U.S. President signing an executive
order doubling the current levy on the metals.
A move he says will ensure the end of steel imports. And that new tariff comes as trade tensions continue to rise between Washington and Beijing,
Trump saying his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping is, quote, extremely hard to make a deal with.
[09:30:00]
Right, markets in the U.S. are about to open, and there we have it. All right, that's the sign of the opening bell, and there's always jubilation
on this New York Stock Exchange floor, no matter what the news of the day is. Matt Egan in New York always claps and excitement, but the undercurrent
is one of uncertainty.
And I wonder what the response foreign investors have been. We've got a doubling on the on the tariff front with steel and aluminum products. And
how that's going to basically spill over into the wider economy. What are you hearing?
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Eleni, markets seem relatively unfazed. I think a lot of this was already baked in, right? The president already
surprised everyone on Friday by announcing plans to double these tariffs on steel and aluminum, and now they actually have kicked in.
Let's take a look at how some of the steel stocks are reacting. Not much of a move so far today. But keep in mind, all of these stocks are dramatically
higher on the week because investors are betting that these tariffs are high enough that they are going to crowd out foreign competition, and they
do like that, just to remind everyone where we stand.
As of February, the U.S. had 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum. But look at this. It's been doubled to 50 percent just some context. This is
the highest level of U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum since at least the 1930s and this is a big deal because steel and aluminum are critical inputs
for a variety of products.
Right, everything from cars and trucks to home appliances like dishwashers and washing machines, aircraft, building materials, food and beverage cans.
There are estimates that these tariffs could increase the price of cars, significantly, I've seen estimates ranging between hundreds of dollars and
perhaps even thousands of dollars.
And here's the problem, yes, steel and aluminum, is certainly in decline in terms of U.S. production and U.S. employment, but these are such critical
components in all of these different products, and there's far more people who work for companies that make all of these items than there are people
who work in the steel industry.
And so that is raising some concerns from economists. Take a listen to University of Michigan Economist Justin Wolfers on this topic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN WOLFERS, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY AT UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: What this is going to do is jack up the price of steel, which
then jacks up the price of inputs for American manufacturers. We've actually seen this movie once before, jack in 2018 the exact same movie,
Trump raised tariffs on steel, saved 1000 steel jobs, which sounds terrific until you realize that the higher cost of steel costs 75 times as many jobs
elsewhere in the manufacturing sector.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
EGAN: And so, the risk here is that, yes, these tariffs could end up protecting steel jobs, but at the risk of costing many jobs elsewhere in
manufacturing, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yeah. I mean, look, the White House has said it's a matter of national security as a justification for these tariffs. And I get that. I
mean, you know, being in the value chain of the supply chain of steel and aluminum does give a country a sense of control of that sector, but give me
a sense of where the U.S. is importing these products from at this juncture?
EGAN: Yeah, Eleni, that's a great question. So, when you look at it, steel, almost a quarter of steel comes from Canada. The other leading sources of
imports into the United States are Brazil, Mexico and South Korea. All of these are really U.S. allies. So that does sort of raise questions about
the national security argument here.
Likewise, for imports of aluminum, the biggest source, more than half, is from Canada. Again, that does seem to sort of undercut some of the national
security concerns. No matter where it's coming from, we're already seeing some impact when it comes to prices.
This is the Producer Price Index, and it showed that prices of steel were already up by 6 percent month over month. That is a very big increase,
especially given the fact that overall producer prices, wholesale inflation, was actually moving lower during this period of time, but not
for steel, and again, that is because of tariffs, Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right, Matt, I want to check in on the markets right now. They're a few minutes into trade, and it's looking pretty good. You've got
the DOW up a quarter of a percent, NASDAQ, three tenths of a percent higher, S&P also looking good. We actually had the ADP private sector
numbers out for the month of May, which were dismal.
[09:35:00]
37000 anticipated 110,000, but this is just over and above the major uncertainty. With the confrontation with China in the background. You've
got a potential conversation with Xi Jinping. President Trump coming out and tweeting that on social media, basically saying that Xi Jinping is
difficult to deal with.
And honestly, all of this is having a knock-on effect on what we're seeing domestically in the United States.
EGAN: Yeah, Eleni, it is interesting though to see U.S. markets taking all of this in stride, right? I mean, this is a solidly higher open, despite
the weaker than expected ADP report. And you mentioned the China and U.S. tensions news on that front from the President of the United States.
He put out of this Truth Social post saying he's always like the President of China, always have, always will. But he said he is very tough and
extremely hard to make a deal with. I think this does suggest that there are some significant and increasing tensions between Washington and Beijing
as they try to hammer out a trade agreement.
This is something that we've got to watch very, very closely. Also, I just got to call out the fact that this Truth Social post came out at 02:17 in
the morning "The New York Times". So, I guess I wasn't the only one thinking about tariffs at 2 o'clock in the morning, just to remind everyone
where we are with U.S.-China trade war.
China's tariffs on the U.S. have been lowered to 10 percent that has drowned down dramatically from above 100 percent just a few weeks ago. U.S.
tariffs on China, though they do, still remain very elevated at 30 percent and the question is whether or not there's going to be enough progress on
trade talks where both of these figures are able to go down, because that would ease some of the pressure on supply chains and on inflation and the
overall economy.
But that Truth Social post does suggest that it's going to take some work before they're able to really lower these tariffs, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Well, interesting time of day, as you say, that Truth Social post, but you're telling me that it's also keeping you up at night. Who's such a
good journalist, Matt, staying up because you're worried about tariffs. Look at you.
EGAN: Thanks, Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right, Matt Egan, good to have you with us, sir. All right, with his 100th French Open win under his belt, Novak Djokovic is back in
action on the clay today in a quarterfinal match, we'll get a preview that's coming up next. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back. You're watching "Connect the World". I want to get you up to speed on some other stories that are on our radar right now.
Preliminary results from Mexico's judicial elections show the country's ruling party gained more seats in the Supreme Court that will give
President Claudia Sheinbaum's party control of every branch of government.
[09:40:00]
Only about 13 percent of voters took part in the controversial election Sunday. Critics warn putting the judiciary itself up for a vote could
compromise on me its independence. Two Chinese researchers, one male, one female, are accused of smuggling a bio pathogen to a University of Michigan
lab.
According to the complaint, it was a fungus described as an agro terror weapon. It's known to wipe out crops to the tune of billions of dollars
each year. We've not heard from the two or their attorneys. An Australian woman accused of murdering three of her in laws with death cap mushrooms is
standing trial this week.
On the witness stand, Erin Patterson told the jury she added the mushrooms to the dish she served them because it was a little bland, but didn't
realize those mushrooms had been foraged. We're keeping an eye on the last two men's single quarter finals at the French Open today, especially the
second match.
Novak Djokovic is chasing a 25th Grand Slam title going up against Alexander Zverev, who is seeking his first. Amanda Davies joins us now.
Amanda, always good to have you on the show. What are we expecting?
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Hopefully, an epic encounter, Eleni, this really is one, to sit down, get your drink and your popcorn and enjoy the
actions wherever player kind of known as one of the best never to have claimed Grand Slam for Novak Djokovic. It is all about reaching that number
25.
Interesting, he hasn't won here at the French Open since 2023 but he did claim that really emotional Olympic gold on these courts you might remember
just last year in Paris. But it's fascinating. The build up to this one, listening to the pundits, they are split, saying it is way too tough to
call, but coming up in a couple of minutes in "World Sport".
We've got a couple of them trying to carve a way through so but, I think it's anybody's guess. It's one to enjoy.
GIOKOS: Yeah, lots of speculation on this one. I'm sure, right, Amanda, we'll see you after the break. I'll be back at the top of the hour with
more news. Stay with CNN.
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