Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Trump Downplays Risks of Conflict with China Over Taiwan; Trump Claims Xi Offered Help to Resolve U.S.-Iran Conflict; CIA Director Meet with Cuban Official as Oil Reserves Run Dry; Downing Street Insists Keir Starmer Has No Intention of Resigning; Trump Says He Made No Commitment on Taiwan; Trump's Economic Pressure on Xi Limited by Voters at Home; Closing Arguments Conclude in A.I. Showdown; House Democrats Call for U.S. Commerce Secretary to Resign; Five Italians Die in Maldives Cave-Diving Accident; Vienna Gears Up for Saturday's Eurovision Grand Finals. Aired 10a-11a ET
Aired May 15, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:36]
ERICA HILL, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Erica Hill joining you from New York on this
Friday.
President Trump addressing reporters on Air Force One saying he does not expect any conflict with China over Taiwan.
The Iranian foreign minister says Tehran will welcome any diplomatic push by China to dial down the U.S. war with Iran.
And CIA director John Ratcliffe in Cuba as the island's energy crisis reaches new levels and people wonder when the lights may come back on.
U.S. President Donald Trump is now on his way back to Washington, following two days of talks in Beijing with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Some of the
biggest headlines coming out of that actually coming after he left. So before leaving, President Trump had said a lot of different problems were
settled in the talks, but didn't offer a ton of specifics. However, on board Air Force One on the way home, he spoke with reporters for nearly
half an hour, offering some insight into a variety of topics, including Taiwan, which the president said was discussed in great detail.
Mr. Trump, though, refusing to commit to a proposed $14 billion of U.S. arms sales to the island democracy. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We discussed Taiwan, you know the whole thing with the arms sales. In great detail actually. And I'll be
making decisions. But you know, I think the last thing we need right now is a war that's 9,500 miles away. I think that's the last thing we need. We're
doing very well.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Would the U.S. defend Taiwan if it came to it?
TRUMP: I don't want to say. I'm not going to say that. There's only one person that knows that. You know who it is? Me. I'm the only person. That
question was asked to me today by President Xi. I said, I don't talk about those.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: He asked you today?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: He asked you if you would send troops, if you would?
TRUMP: Asked me if I'd defend them. I said, I don't talk about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Taiwan, for its part, saying that it is maintaining excellent communication with the United States. In a statement, the foreign minister
said the longstanding U.S. policy toward Taiwan has not changed.
President Trump also talking about the war with Iran. He was asked whether Mr. Xi made a firm commitment to pressuring Iran to reopen the Strait of
Hormuz. In response, Trump said, "I'm not asking for any favors."
We have a lot to discuss here. Mike Valerio joining us this hour from Beijing.
A lot to be made about those comments on board Air Force One, and certainly far more detail than we had received from the president over the last two
days.
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Erica. These are blockbuster comments because we really didn't get a readout from the American side
after that second meeting at Zhongnanhai, which is the central compound for the Chinese Communist Party, where Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with
President Trump. And in fact, the Chinese readout said that the conversations were convivial. And they spoke about several regional hot
spot issues and left it at that.
But now we have these comments about Taiwan, and I want to play one more sound bite besides the one that we heard a couple seconds ago. It's the
president of the United States responding to a question whether or not America runs the risk of conflict with China over Taiwan. Let's listen to
that and we'll talk about it on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Xi said that there was a risk of conflict with the U.S. over Taiwan. What's your response to that?
TRUMP: I don't think there's a conflict other than we don't need their strait. We don't need --
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: About Taiwan -- President Xi said there was a risk of conflict with the U.S. over Taiwan.
TRUMP: No, no, I don't think so. I don't think so. I think we're going to be -- I think we'll be fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALERIO: So if you listen to that closely, he says, quote, "We don't need their strait," meaning the Strait of Taiwan. And you know, Erica, we should
add that when you're here in Beijing and you speak to all of these analysts and politicos throughout the city, certainly analysts agree that part of
the strategy of the Communist Party here in China is to implant in the minds of the people of Taiwan that reunification with the mainland, from
their point of view, is inevitable.
And the game, the aim of what they're trying to do is to sow doubt in the minds of people who live in Taiwan, that the United States, when it could
matter, would not come to defend them. So, as our friend and colleague Jim Sciutto is now pointing out on CNN.com, when you have the president of the
United States who's not saying one way or another, if this $14 billion arms sale is going to come to pass, it's on his desk right now and needs his
signature, that could certainly be a win for the Communist Party here in Beijing.
[10:05:13]
Again, sowing doubt potentially in the minds of people who live on Taiwan that the United States would defend them.
We talked about this in the last hour. I think it's worth repeating that David Sanger from "The New York Times" was on the right hand side of that
screen on board Air Force One, and he said pretty straightforward to the president that there is long standing policy since 1982, during the Reagan
administration, that an American president would not consult the Chinese when it comes to an arms sale. But we have all of these quotes from the
American president saying that he discussed the matter of the arms sales in detail with Xi Jinping.
So a lot of follow-up questions need to be asked, but this is certainly making headlines on this side of the world at this hour -- Erica.
HILL: Yes. It is. Mike, really appreciate it. Thank you.
Well, President Trump also said he and his counterpart feel very similar when it comes to Iran, that both agree Tehran should not have a nuclear
weapon and both want to see an end to the war, though he says President Xi offered to help resolve the conflict. Mr. Trump told the gaggle of
reporters on that flight back to Washington that he didn't ask for anything.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Did President Xi make any firm commitment to put pressure on the Iranians to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?
TRUMP: I'm not asking for any favors because when you ask for favors, you have to do favors in return. We don't need favors. We've wiped out their
armed forces essentially. We may have to do a little cleanup work because we had a little month-long ceasefire, I guess you'd call it. But we have a
blockade that's so effective that's why we did the ceasefire. We really did the ceasefire at the request of other nations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Let's bring you now to CNN's Paula Hancocks, who is live this hour in Abu Dhabi.
So a lot made of what the president said and what did not come out of these meetings with President Xi. There was a lot of question about whether the
president would ask directly for some help from Xi in terms of leaning on Iran. But the president was very clear he didn't want to ask for a favor
because he doesn't want to have to -- he doesn't want to owe a favor back to China.
How are those comments playing in the region, especially as we continue to watch the fallout from this war with Iran?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, what we did hear from an interview with FOX News was that President Trump said that China had
offered to help when it came to the issue of Iran, saying that they could interject themselves into the process if it would be helpful.
Now, President Trump, making it very clear that he did not ask for help from China, but it was offered just the same. He's also trying to point out
that they are in agreement, these two leaders, on a number of things when it comes to Iran. Let's listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: On Iran, it's very interesting. He feels strongly they can't have a nuclear weapon. He said that very strongly. They cannot have a nuclear
weapon, and he wants them to open up the strait. But as he said, they closed it and then you closed them with a smile.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: Now, we have heard from China that they want the Strait of Hormuz to open. China is the largest purchaser of Iranian oil. They have a close
partnership with Iran as well. We did hear from Iran because certainly everyone in this region, including Tehran, would have been watching this
meeting very closely. We heard from the foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, saying that they welcomed the fact that Beijing had offered to interject
themselves to play a mediating role if there was a necessity.
Now, we also did hear from a Foreign Ministry spokesperson sort of laying out exactly what Beijing believes about this war. It's something we have
heard from the leader before. I'll read you part of it. It says, quote, "This war, which should never have happened, has no need to continue.
Finding an early path to resolution would benefit both the U.S. and Iran, as well as countries in the region and the world as a whole."
Now, Beijing has called for the strait to be open, has called for an end to the war, as many other countries have as well. But we certainly did hear
from President Trump that he wanted to portray the fact that they were in agreement on the path forward, but really did specify that he did not ask
for that help. But any comments coming out will be listened to very closely by those in the region, as things are still in limbo here.
We did hear from Iran that they said that since Wednesday night, there were some 30 vessels that had traversed and crossed through the Strait of
Hormuz, pointing out that some of those were Chinese vessels.
[10: 10:08]
Of course, there are many difficulties when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, including that U.S. blockade, which is still in place, preventing
Iranian vessels from free access.
Erica, back to you.
HILL: All right, Paula, appreciate the update. Thank you.
We're also joined this hour by Dali Yang, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, who's written numerous books and articles on
the politics of China.
Dali, it's great to have you with us as we parse through what we have heard about these two days of talks between Trump and Xi, and when it comes to
Taiwan, how would you characterize what we heard from President Trump aboard Air Force One just a short time ago? What does that change, if
anything, in terms of the U.S. relationship with Taiwan?
DALI YANG, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: Well, both the president and also Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on to the
issue and emphasized that they did not give any concessions to China, but at the same time, he heard clear and loud of the Chinese concern, which is,
again, not very unusual because China tends to make those kind of very strong remarks that Taiwan is not negotiable.
But at the same time, however, they are actually heading back. And there is actually a very significant package of arms sales considerations that they
are needs to make a decision. And I think in that sense, the decision on arms sales to Taiwan could indeed complicate the situation. But at the same
time, I do want to emphasize that the two presidents did agree to additional meetings later this year, and that actually we are really set up
expectations about managing the relationship. And of course, in that sense, they all have to find some balance.
HILL: To that point, how would you characterize after these two days of talks? How would you characterize the power dynamic between China and the
United States right now?
YANG: Well, it's --in many ways its remarkable because President Xi spoke almost like a lecturing way, talking about the Thucydides trap, speaking by
really referring to the confrontation between a rising Sparta and, of course, Athens, and clearly he saw that China was the Sparta of ancient
times in many ways. In that sense, actually, he was speaking to the United States, to the president of the United States, as a peer.
In many ways. I do think actually that speech captures a lot of this relationship. But at the same time, he was emphasizing the need to go
beyond the Thucydides trap so that there would be a peaceful and stable relationship going forward. So in that sense, actually, he spoke of the
need really characterized the relationship as seeking to build a constructive, strategic, stable relations between the two countries and the
president of the -- President Trump did not object to that.
And I think that helps to set up actually this sort of the ongoing relationship, not just actually at the leader-to leader-level, but also by
establishing certain guardrails. For example, a bilateral committee on trade to resolve issues rather than through very high profile tariffs and
so on. So in that sense, actually, there is indeed a serious effort to inject a major element of stability in those relations rather than the very
dramatic fights of trade wars, tariff wars, and also the COVID rupture over the last few years.
HILL: And to your point, this is what we heard on day one from President Xi, right, that he wanted a, and I'm quoting here, "a constructive,
strategic stable relationship." As we continue to follow the development of that relationship and the talks to come, I was struck by a number of things
that the president said on board Air Force One, but specifically, he said that she had praised what Trump has done for the U.S. economy in the first
year or so of his second term. And this is how he characterized those comments from Chinas leader. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He said it very publicly. He said the U.S. was declining for the last four years. And he said what President Trump has done in the last 15,
16 months has been virtually a miracle. He said, we have the hottest -- he said we have the hottest country anywhere in the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: So that President Trump, what he had done was, quote, "virtually a miracle." And he said Xi said, we have the hottest economy, the hottest
country in the world. Those are -- that is very Trumpian language. This is something that President Trump says a lot, as we know.
[10:15:03]
Based on your understanding, do you believe that's something that President Xi would have said to President Trump?
YANG: Well, I think I would not be surprised, given that the numbers on unemployment in particular has been --have been a surprise over the last
month in particular. At the same time, China, there is a lot of admiration in China for the massive growth in ai and so on. But at the same time,
however, President Xi does speak again spoke just actually very recently on the importance to build the best, the most substantial real economy.
So there are some disagreements in terms of how to interpret the developments, the economic situation in the two countries.
HILL: Dali Yang, really appreciate your insight. Thank you.
Amid the country's energy crisis, Cuba receives a surprising visitor. We'll tell you which U.S. official was in Cuba and why. Plus, Donald Trump
offering his view of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as the U.K.s leadership drama ramps up. Thats all to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: As Cuba deals with the collapse of its energy sector, officials there received an extraordinary visitor, the CIA director John Ratcliffe, meeting
with Cuba's interior minister in Havana. The visit comes as the State Department says the U.S. is willing to offer $100 million in aid to carry
out what it calls, quote, "meaningful reforms to Cuba's communist system. U.S. sanctions against Cuba have led to an effective oil blockade, with
Cuban officials warning the reserves keeping the electrical grid running are depleted.
Patrick Oppmann joining us now from Havana, with more certainly an unexpected visitor.
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, the CIA has been accused over the decades, really, by the Cuban government of all kinds of sabotage
operations, of trying to kill Fidel Castro with exploding cigars and poison dive suits. So it was unexpected, extraordinary, very surprising, to say
the least, to see the head of the CIA, director of the CIA come in a plane emblazoned with the United States of America on the side, and sit down
with, you know, Cuba's top intelligence officials, people, some of them I didn't even know who their names were because they're such shady, shadowy,
behind-the-scenes figures.
It goes to show, though, how serious this is. And this is essentially being painted as perhaps a last ditch effort to get some kinds of talks underway
here, talks that have not been successful so far in any kind of concessions or any give and take. You know, you've seen the Secretary of State Marco
Rubio, saying that Cuba's leadership needs to step down, that they're incompetent, and those same leaders firing back and saying they're not
going anywhere.
But the backdrop to this, as you mentioned, is the power situation has gone from terrible to something even much worse than we've been experiencing
over the last several months of U.S. oil blockade, where power is out 20 plus hours a day. We went out in one neighborhood last night where protests
were taking place, and talk to people who'd spent the entire day without power. They were banging on pots and pans.
They're very angry at their own government and listen to what women told us about how she -- she's been impacted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through text translation): The children don't have food to eat. They can't go to school. We are desperate. The women have lost
20 pounds. We're anxious, we don't have a way to support our kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OPPMANN: And so that is the situation that people are living here on a day- to-day basis. They don't have food for their kids. The food that they have is spoiling in fridges because there is no power. And, you know, part of
the thing that frustrates so many people here is that certain neighborhoods have power. Certain areas just a block or two where we were, they had power
and it was lit up like Christmas.
And so these people spent the entire day without power going on for several days. Now they say they only get maybe an hour or two a day of power, and
then they look and see different areas that don't have the same problems electricity. And that is what frustrates them. And that is what is causing
people to go out on the street more and more and not blame so much the U.S., despite what the U.S. has done here, but blame their own government
and say that they want a change no matter what that change is.
HILL: Yes, and understandable. Patrick, as always, we are so appreciative that you were there on the ground for us. Thank you.
Donald Trump is weighing in on the embattled British prime minister. But the U.S. president, speaking aboard Air Force One, did not say whether he
believes Keir Starmer should actually quit as PM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you think Starmer is going to survive as prime minister?
TRUMP: It's a tough thing. Unless he can straighten out immigration where he's weak and if he doesn't start drilling and stop with the windmills all
over the place and are causing havoc, they're causing havoc. Most expensive form of energy. They killed the birds. They're unsightly. They're ruining
the landscape. If he doesn't stop with the windmills, he's got to do energy? He's got to open up the North Sea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Well, Britain's leadership drama is ramping up. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, a possible challenger to the prime minister, is
believed to be trying to reenter parliament, which, of course, is a necessary step should he try -- want to try for Number 10.
CNN's Anna Cooban joining us now live from London to bring us up to speed on where things stand.
And there is certainly a timeline here, Anna.
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Erica. Well, a lot of things need to happen in order for Andy Burnham to be the next prime
minister. He firstly has to run in what they call a by-election, an election to become a member of parliament in the north of England. The
candidate or the member of parliament in that particular part of the country has stepped aside to give Burnham a clear path to run.
But then Burnham would have to beat Reform, this hard right party which really did very well in the polls in the local elections last week. And so
after that, if Burnham wins, has then this formal leadership contest among the Labour Party later this year. We're now talking about the autumn to
potentially get a new prime minister. And let's bear in mind that if this was to happen, this would be the sixth U.K. prime minister in seven years.
We are again in a period of real U.K. political instability, and that is exactly what the current Prime Minister Starmer has tried to warn against.
He said we do not want to go back to what he calls the chaos of the previous conservative government, where there was this revolving door of
prime ministers. And he's been, you know, of course, emphasizing some positive economic data we've seen in the past couple of days.
The U.K. growing the fastest among the other G7 economies during the first quarter. But will that be enough for voters when they're going into the
ballot box in this by-election and potentially in future elections, in the general election, in a couple of years?
Really, Erica, we are still in a sense of Groundhog Day that we still just don't know where this country's political future is going to be in a matter
of months.
HILL: Absolutely. Anna, appreciate it. Groundhog Day certainly does feel like an apt metaphor at this point. Thank you.
President Trump, of course, went into talks with the Chinese leader with a hefty checklist. He says they tackled most of them, so they tackled them
but what was actually accomplished coming out of those directions? A look from our -- from the White House is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:26:39]
HILL: Welcome back to CONNECT TO THE WORLD. I'm Erica Hill in for Becky Anderson. Here's a look at your headlines.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he's not making any commitment for a proposed $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan. He made those comments speaking
with reporters on board Air Force One on his way back to Washington from two days of talks in Beijing with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Mr. Xi warning
that Taiwan could create a dangerous situation with the United States if mishandled.
The president says a lot of different problems were settled in his meetings with Mr. Xi, but one notable omission from those discussions, tariffs. Mr.
Trump says the subject of tariffs was not broached during these talks. He did announce a few deals, however, including China agreeing, according to
Trump, to buy 200 Boeing airplanes.
CIA director John Ratcliffe has met with Cuba's interior minister in Havana. The extraordinary meeting comes as Cuba is dealing with a collapse
of its energy sector, which has triggered protests. U.S. officials say they're ready to help alleviate the energy crisis if Cuba makes reforms.
Our top story this hour, Taiwan's foreign minister says his government is maintaining excellent communication with the United States and that the
long standing American policy toward Taiwan has not changed. Those comments coming on the heels of what President Trump had to say about Taiwan aboard
Air Force One a short time ago. Trump refused to commit to that arms sale package to the island.
For more on the Trump-Xi summit, I'm joined now by Julia Benbrook in Washington.
So these really first substantive comments from the president since these two days of talks, and we did hear a lot from him -- Julia.
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. On Taiwan, specifically, President Donald Trump said that during this summit with Chinese leader Xi
Jinping that he did not make a commitment either way. And then on the arms sales, he said that he would make that determination at a later date. And
that comes shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in an interview with NBC, said that U.S. policy toward Taiwan was, quote, "unchanged."
And diving in a bit deeper there, the United States acknowledges China's position that Taiwan is a part of China, but has never officially
recognized the Communist Party's claim to the self-governing island. Washington has robust, unofficial relations with Taiwan, but has been
intentionally ambiguous when it comes to, if it would militarily intervene if China were to attack Taiwan.
And Trump was pressed on that part of it specifically, and he declined to answer. He did, though, say that Xi actually asked him a very similar
question. He said that he did not answer that either. Now, overall, he is touting that this was a good set of meetings with Xi. Both of these leaders
have said that they are -- have a steadier relationship. And as Trump prepared to leave in his final remarks before he headed home, he did praise
China. He has said that they solved a lot of problems during this summit.
Now, that's where there are questions because we are missing a lot of concrete details on exactly what was agreed to, what each side got, who may
have walked away with more wins here. So still searching for some of those specifics. Trump says, though, that some of these major issues were
addressed.
[10:30:01]
HILL: So some of those major issues were addressed. Julia, can we also just touch on, we heard so much from the president in that nearly 30-minute
exchange that he had with reporters there, Taiwan dominating a lot of it, but also in terms of Iran. The president was very clear he didn't want to
ask for a favor because he doesn't want to owe a favor in return. Those words certainly stuck out to a lot of folks.
BENBROOK: Absolutely. And if you'll remember right before this trip took place, the United States had presented a proposal to Iran on the conflict,
in the conflict. Iran then responded, and Trump made it very clear that he was not happy with that response. In fact, he called it totally
unacceptable. He said he didn't like it. And in these remarks on Air Force One, he said that he didn't like the very first sentence of that proposal,
and he felt like he could just throw that proposal away, that he didn't even need to read the rest of it.
And he was pressed, so what was in that first sentence, and he said it wasn't clear that they would agree to fully get rid of nuclear ambitions.
Now, when it comes to this topic, we know it loomed over these meetings that took place there in China. And he did say that the conflict in Iran
was discussed. He also said that he believed that the Chinese president wanted to bring this conflict to an end as well, that they were aligned on
several things, including preventing Iran from having a nuclear weapon, as well as reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
To your point, though, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made it very clear that the United States had not asked for help in resolving this conflict.
Trump saying, though, that it was offered potentially.
HILL: All right, Julia, appreciate it. Thank you.
Well, President Trump went into these talks with less leverage than some may have expected. Some of that stems from the American voters back here at
home. They are unhappy about inflation, very unhappy about the economy and the way this president is handling it.
CNN's David Goldman breaks it down for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: So this meeting between Xi and Trump is all about leverage. Who has it and why? Well, if you take a
look, President Trump certainly doesn't have economic leverage at the moment because 77 percent of folks who were surveyed by CNN said that they
blame President Trump for the high cost of living. That is not helpful.
What's the difference between Xi and Trump? Trump is in an election year and his Republican Party faces this issue. And so Trump knows this. Going
in to this meeting with xi. He is facing this at home. And it limits the amount of economic pressure that he can put on China. Now, one of the
things that he wants from China is rare earth minerals. Look at this. 93 percent of all rare earths are made in China.
Now, these are the things that make everything go beep, right? They are giving you the ability to turn on smartphones and run an EV, cancer
treatments. These are really, really important. But the other thing that they do is they help make missiles work. War equipment, armaments. All of
that needs to be stockpiled again in the United States because we have used so much in the Iran war, those armaments need to be restocked. The way to
do that is rare earth minerals.
Now, China is dependent on Iran as well because, look at this, 80 percent of all Iranian oil goes to China. Now, that was before the war. It's
probably even higher than that right now. So the thing is, China needs the Strait of Hormuz opened just as much as the United States and the rest of
the world, if not more. And President Trump wants that open to keep prices lower. So China might agree.
Now it's got a lot of oil stockpiled. This isn't a major factor in the economy yet, but it might be soon. This is something that they're going to
be discussing heavily. The other issue and this is what -- this is what Xi said is going to be the top issue, Taiwan. Taiwan just approved $25 billion
in purchases of U.S. military equipment. That is angering Xi. The other thing, though, tariffs. This is a huge issue not just for China, but for
President Trump.
A year ago, tariffs on China were 145 percent basically saying, forget it. We're not going to import anything from China because it is so expensive.
Now, what is it? 10 percent. Only 10 percent.
[10:35:01]
And that's because the Supreme Court told President Trump, you can't do this anymore. There's a limit to the emergency powers that the president
has to put tariffs on.
Back to you.
HILL: All right, David, thanks for that breakdown.
A delegation of top American business leaders who traveled to Beijing with President Trump are looking for greater access to the Chinese market. Turns
out that that may not be such an easy sell. Why? Well, because of a push by China to nurture and develop homegrown firms to help boost its self-
reliance in areas like tech and manufacturing. While they may need them less than before. the CEOs walked away from this week's summit with some
confidence in China's economy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENSEN HUANG, CEO, NVIDIAS: I think this is one of the most incredible economies in the world. Incredible innovation. This is also one of the
major nations advancing A.I. I think you're doing great. China is doing great.
TIM COOK, CEO, APPLE: I think it's very strong. I think that people are very excited about A.I. and new technology here and embrace it very
readily. And I couldn't be more excited about it.
JIM ANDERSON, CEO, COHERENT CORP: The Chinese economy has a very good outlook. I think it's a very dynamic economy, and I think it has a very
good outlook at it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Strong praise there from those leaders. President Trump, meantime, said he made many trade deals during the trip. As we've been discussing,
however, there are not a lot of details on those deals. We're 'also awaiting confirmation from China on what was agreed upon.
So as we wait for those details, we'll continue to cover those developments. Meantime, we also have some updates for you when it comes to
Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI and its leaders, that is now going to the jury. Closing arguments concluded on Thursday in the case. This, of
course, could have ramifications for the future of artificial intelligence.
CNN's A.I. correspondent Hadas Gold explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN A.I. CORRESPONDENT: After three weeks of testimony, this massive case between Elon Musk and ChatGPT maker OpenAI has finally rested.
This case could completely change the landscape for A.I. if Elon Musk is successful.
Elon Musk's attorneys spent their time of the closing argument trying to show that Musk was deceived after he helped fund and co-found OpenAI with
$38 million because they argue that OpenAI ditched its nonprofit mission of creating safe A.I. for the benefit of humanity in favor of profits,
alleging that they breached a charitable trust that the OpenAI executives unjustly enriched themselves to the tune of billions of dollars, partly
based off of the millions of dollars that Elon Musk gave to what was then a pure nonprofit.
OpenAI, since its founding, has now transitioned to having a for profit structure overseen by a nonprofit foundation. Musk's attorneys also spent
time trying to paint OpenAI CEO Sam Altman as dishonest, as untrustworthy, pointing to the brief period in 2023 when he was ousted as CEO by the then
board for what the board said was not being candid in his communications. Altman was reinstated a few days after his ousting, after almost all of the
OpenAI employees threatened to resign.
OpenAI's attorneys tried to argue that Elon Musk was just bringing this case because of essentially sour grapes. They said that he is bringing this
case much too late. They pointed to statute of limitations. They say that Elon Musk himself wanted to create a for-profit entity when he was involved
in OpenAI, but that he wanted to have full control of that for-profit entity to the point of him saying that he would pass that control along to
his children if he were to die.
That's something that Sam Altman testified to. They say that when Elon Musk was unsuccessful in gaining full control of OpenAI, he then left trying to
recruit OpenAI employees to Tesla, where he was working on A.I. there and then eventually creating his own competitor, xAI. OpenAI saying that Elon
Musk is just bringing this case to try to bring a competitor down.
Now, the jury will deliberate and they will bring their verdict to the judge. It's on an advisory verdict to the judge who will make the ultimate
decision. It will also be up to the judge on any remedies. Elon Musk is seeking very severe remedies in this case. They include that OpenAI would
revert back to a non-profit. That would completely scramble OpenAI's plans, including for an IPO.
OpenAI is right now one of the most valuable companies in the world. He is also seeking that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman lose their jobs as the
leaders of OpenAI. And he wants something like more than $130 billion to be put back in to the OpenAI nonprofit. But it's ultimately up to the judge in
this case to decide what, if any, remedies Elon Musk will get. We don't know when that verdict will come, but we do expect it within the next week
or so.
Hadas Gold, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Still ahead here on CONNECT THE WORLD calls for the U.S. Commerce secretary to resign over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. We are live
in Washington with that report after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:42:00]
HILL: (INAUDIBLE) committee are calling on President Trump's commerce secretary to step down. This follows Howard Lutnick's closed door interview
with the panel about his interactions with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Democrats are accusing Lutnick of lying and giving evasive answers
to questions from the committee's investigators.
CNN's Annie Grayer is standing by for us now live on Capitol Hill.
There has been a lot of pressure, and it is mounting at this point -- Annie.
ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I mean, there was bipartisan interest to bring Howard Lutnick in because lawmakers on both
sides of the aisle wanted Lutnick to clear up his story because before the Justice Department released the Epstein files, Lutnick had said that he had
only interacted with Epstein in 2005, and after that, he cut off all personal professional ties with Epstein.
But then Epstein files came out, and there was evidence of more interactions between Epstein and Lutnick, as well as e-mail correspondence
and even calendar invites for phone conversations. So in his interview with the House Oversight Committee that happened behind closed doors last week,
Lutnick detailed that first interaction in 2005, where he and his wife went over to Epstein's townhome because the two had just become neighbors for
coffee.
But Lutnick and his wife briefly ended that meeting because Epstein apparently made some very inappropriate joke about a massage table. And it
was in -- it was after that conversation that Lutnick says he and his wife decided that he was not going to interact with Epstein in a personal or
professional way ever again. But turns out that was not the last time that the two interacted. Lutnick went to Epstein's apartment in 2011 to discuss
construction and scaffolding about their neighboring townhomes, and in 2012, Lutnick brought his wife and his children to Epstein's island for
lunch.
They also brought another family with them. And Lutnick says that it was just an inconsequential short lunch, that they stayed outside, that Lutnick
didn't go inside of any of Epstein's properties, didn't see any young women or girls there. He denounced and -- he denounced all of Epstein's crimes
and was very adamant that he knew nothing about Epstein's crimes. But Democrats are raising a lot of questions about Lutnick's testimony. They're
saying it doesn't add up.
How can he say that he ended his relationship in 2005, and then had these two subsequent meetings with Epstein years later? But for now, the White
House is standing firmly behind Lutnick, and no Republican has called for Lutnick to resign following this interview. But it just shows you how much
this issue is still a major one on Capitol Hill. Lutnick is the highest ranking official who's mentioned in the Epstein files, other than, of
course, President Trump himself. This issue is not going away for Republicans and the Trump administration -- Erica.
HILL: It's certainly not. Annie, really appreciate the update. Thank you.
A high risk search is now underway in the Maldives for the bodies of four Italian divers killed while cave-diving on Thursday. The Associated Press
reporting that one body has now been recovered. Italy's Foreign Ministry says the group, which included an instructor, had been attempting to
explore a series of underwater caves at a depth of about 50 meters or 165 feet.
[10:45:07]
Barbie Nadeau is following this story for us from Rome.
A tragic development for sure, Barbie.
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, what we're learning about these people that they were not sort of casual divers. These were all
-- the victims were part of the University of Genoa. And one of them, Monica Monte Falcone, in fact, and her daughter, she was an instructor
there, the daughter a student there, were learning as we learn these names of these people, just how much love they really had for the sea and how
much experience they had as divers.
You know, you mentioned the high risk search going on right now, but it's also worth noting that the boat has 20 people. The dive boat has 20 people
who did not dive at that particular moment, or who had more shallow dives. And they're actually stuck at sea because the weather is so bad. What we
haven't learned yet is exactly how these people died. If there was an equipment malfunction on some level, if they got lost, disoriented.
You know, when we hear about these accidents, these dive accidents and cave-diving, you know, there are a lot of factors at play here. But for all
we are understanding about these victims, they had a lot of experience. They were very much, you know, experienced divers, had a love for the sea,
were all part of this University of Genoa community that were part of the marine biology and medicine.
And, you know, the tragedy, it will become even, I think, more clear when we find out more about how long they were underwater, before they died and
what circumstances there were if there were emergency calls. But right now, they're just trying to recover the bodies. And it's worth mentioning,
though, the trauma that those 20 people who are on that vessel, we didn't know that there are some Italians among them as well, are going through,
you know, as they're trying to make their way back to shore safely.
You know, they were on what was called a citizen science excursion, and it was a reputable dive company. You know, so many details we don't know yet,
but the ones that we do know, Erica, are just really, really tragic.
HILL: It's awful. Barbara, really appreciate the update, though. Thank you.
Still ahead here on a much lighter note, the country that gave us Mozart preparing now for a musical moment of a different kind. The final of the
Eurovision song contest in Vienna this weekend, we'll take a look at not only the pop, but the politics around Eurovision's enduring popularity.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Pyrotechnics, power ballads, and a whole lot of politics this year. Eurovision song contest is again upon us. Thank goodness. The grand final
is set for Saturday night in Vienna. This year marks 70 years of the show. Now for many protests over Israel's ongoing involvement in the competition
are overshadowing the music here. Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Iceland are all boycotting.
Our next guest thinks the winner of Eurovision won't be, even European this year. William Lee Adams is the author of "Wild Dances: My Queer and Curious
Journey to Eurovision." And he says, "I think Australia will win. I am obsessed with her, particularly the ending when a platform rises from the
piano and lifts her into the sky. Finland, Bulgaria and Greece" are others on his list.
William Lee Adams joins us now from Vienna, where the final is just 24 hours away.
I was just saying to my friends in the control room that I think perhaps my most favorite part of my morning in prep for this show was the research
that I had to do on Eurovision.
[10:50:01]
Thanks to a number of the links that you sent us and all of the songs, we are really missing out here in the U.S., I think we should start there.
This is a gift to the world.
WILLIAM LEE ADAMS, WRITER AND CULTURE COMMENTATOR: Oh, absolutely. I think sometimes there's a perception that Eurovision is another karaoke contest
where people sing covers of songs like on other singing contests. But this is not that. These are original three minute songs, often written
specifically for this competition, and they are put on a vast stage. This is the world's biggest televised song contest. It's a huge cultural event,
and with that comes a can of crazy. People are pulling out sequins, feathers. They're changing costumes on stage, they're being lifted into the
air. And that includes Australia.
HILL: Which I love. And I do want to get to all of those numbers, but I don't think we can get into that without talking about just how political
things have become this year. As much as I think people would like for this not to be a political event, it certainly is not the first time that
politics has come into play. What do you think, though, sets this year apart?
ADAMS: It's really interesting. I think in this competition you don't vote for the singer Jessica or the singer Bobby. You vote for a country, for a
flag. So the artist in many ways becomes a political symbol whether they want to or not. This year, there's a lot of tension in the world, as we all
know, and Eurovision is a microcosm of the world. So those divisions we see on the outside, they creep into the contest.
Israel's participation continues to be a flashpoint for so many artists, fans and broadcasters. As you mentioned, five have withdrawn. Their
collective argument was essentially they didn't want to participate in a contest that softened the image of Israel at a time a United Nations
commission has accused them of genocide. Now, of course, Israel denies this and says there's a global smear campaign against it, just to be clear.
But when you have a music contest in the context of that geopolitical situation, people start reading into every motion, every action. People
take lyrics, they say that's political. People take costumes and say, what message are you sending? Art, politics. It's so difficult to separate. And
we see that playing out now.
HILL: You do see it playing out. Have you seen evidence that the politics, to your point and the art that the politics is actually creeping into the
art?
ADAMS: So I would cite the Swedish contestant Felicia. She previously made comments saying that she strongly objected to Israel's participation. And
then on the red carpet event, the opening ceremony of this year's contest, she walked down the carpet wearing a bird cage. And I said, what does this
represent? What is this cage? This couture cage? And she said, it represents freedom, you know, freedom for all people.
Now, some people have connected dots and suggested perhaps that related to earlier statements. We don't know. That is not confirmed. But people imbued
her outfit with their interpretation given ongoing events.
HILL: So now that we've walked through all the politics, we can focus a little bit more on the arts. So I know you're really excited about
Australia. I mean, walk us through what you were expecting from Saturday night.
ADAMS: Let me tell you, when I see Australia, I weirdly think God bless America. And the reason is she's like the Statue of Liberty. You know? She
rises on a platform from this piano, that platform elevator was borrowed from Beyonce. This was confirmed by her stage director.
HILL: Wow.
ADAMS: So she's playing the piano. She rises into the air. The song is called "Eclipse." It's about alignment. Sun, moon, earth, yes, but also
relationships with people. When you connect with someone and you have this beautiful moment, what that moment is, is up to interpretation. I'm going
to view it as love. But at the climax of the song, she rises, and then behind her you see a golden sun. She's wearing 7,000 Swarovski crystals and
the sun behind her it forms sort of a Renaissance crown, like she's in some iconic painting in a museum.
But our girl is very much real. She's one of Australia's biggest pop stars. She has a voice. She's got the campery, the tomfoolery, and she's got a
great song. It's Celine Dion, but make it 2026.
HILL: I love this. I'm here for all of it. And I loved watching her performance online. So before I let you go with so much hanging over the
2026 Eurovision, do you think this changes things for 2027 at all?
ADAMS: I think we're going to have to wait for the outcome of tonight's result. There is a possibility that Israel could win the Eurovision song
contest and as we saw last December when countries started withdrawing Israel's participation as a flashpoint does have consequences for other
broadcasters. How would they react to attending the next competition in Israel? Because the winning country hosts the next edition.
We're going to have to wait and see but if Israel were to win, that would certainly open the door for more withdrawals. At the same time, there are
countries always coming back to Eurovision. We actually saw three countries returning to Eurovision this year. Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania. So there
is scope for countries to withdraw, but also scope for countries to return. We're just going to have to wait and see.
[10:55:02]
HILL: William Lee Adams, loved having you on to chat with us today. Thank you. Enjoy. It's going to be a great weekend.
ADAMS: Thank you. Erica. Enjoy the show.
HILL: I will.
NFL fans are now making plans for the next season with the National Football League releasing the schedule for 2026. The league moving up its
official kickoff by a day. It's now on a Wednesday night. That is a break from the norm. The season opener, September 9th, will see the defending
champs, Seattle Seahawks, hosting the New England patriots. Week one will also feature the Los Angeles Rams going up against the San Francisco 49ers.
They're actually facing off in that matchup in Australia.
This is the first time that Australia has ever hosted an NFL game, one of nine international games across seven different countries this season. The
road to the championship to Super Bowl Sunday. It ends at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Super Bowl LXI, it's going to be a big day. It is
February 14th. Also Valentine's Day. So there you go. Spend it with someone you love.
The Bald Eagle is an American icon. It's the national bird of the United States. And now it's getting a special U.S. postage stamp. Those new stamps
will be issued to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday. And they feature, as you can see here, illustrations of the Bald Eagle across five major
stages of life, from a tiny hatchling to the full plumage adult, which is also on the official seal of the U.S. The bald eagle became a national
symbol in 1782 through an act of Congress.
That's going to do it for us here on CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Erica Hill. Thanks so much for spending part of your day with us. Stay with CNN. "ONE
WORLD" is up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
