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Erin Burnett Outfront

VP's Cold Welcome In Greenland; Stocks Sink, Consumer Sentiment Tanks, U.S. Braces For New Tariffs; U.S. Officials Estimate Quake Death Toll Likely To Top 10,000; Justice Sotomayor Speaks Out. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired March 28, 2025 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:43]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

Vance's arrival in Greenland "cold as bleep". Well, those are the exact words of the vice president, forced to scale back his plans after it was clear he wasn't welcome.

Plus, breaking news tonight. Stocks tanking, American markets suffering major losses tonight as fears about the economy grow. How bad could things get? The president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta OUTFRONT tonight.

Also breaking this hour, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor breaking her silence, warning the foundation of America's rule of law is in danger.

Let's go OUTFRONT.

(MUSIC)

BURNETT: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.

OUTFRONT tonight, it's cold as bleep. Thats the exact quote, the words of the Vice President J.D. Vance, as he stepped off a plane in Greenland today, words that could just as well describe the chilly reception as much as the actual temperature.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: How are we doing? It's cold as (EXPLETIVE DELETED) here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Vance arriving at a very remote military base in Greenland, not the capital of the country where the White House originally had envisioned legions of Greenlanders welcoming Vance and his wife with open arms. But that was not to be.

And as Danish TV 2 reports, team Trump was told stay away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REPORTER: American representatives have been going around knocking on one door after another in the last few days to ask if they would like to be visited by the vice president's wife. And everywhere, the answer was the same night: No, thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: This trip was supposed to be very different. Usha Vance, the second lady, she was supposed to be the one that was actually going on this trip. There wasn't even going to be J.D. Vance. That was the reality of it. But then things changed. It turned out that they went from house to house to house, and nobody actually wanted to be seen with her.

It's part of a big problem. It was a big shift as to why J.D. Vance actually went there to begin with. I mean, take a look. As you can see, she was supposed to go to cultural events and to dog sledding and on and on and on. And yet none of that actually happened.

It's part of what has become for J.D. Vance more and more, when he finally was parachuted in here, becoming the face of America's turn on some of its most important allies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

USHA VANCE, U.S. SECOND LADY: I look forward to meeting many of you soon, and to learning from you about your beautiful land, culture and traditions. See you soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Usha Vance there, you saw that was what she was supposed to be doing. That was what it was supposed to be about. But this is the turn that J.D. Vance actually joined her on the trip and well, became the face of America's turn on some of its most important allies.

Remember the dark speech in Europe where he turned on all of Europe? Remember this?

And sorry, it looks like we don't have that sound bite. I apologize for that.

But then there was Vance in the private Signal chat. Remember talking about Europe being pathetic and a freeloader, and then the infamous moment when you talk about turning on allies, where he turned on Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the one who drove the moment no one will ever forget.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANCE: Have you said thank you once this entire meeting?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: A lot of times.

VANCE: No. In this entire meeting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: And he talks about that. He talks about the contempt, the loathing of European freeloading, the contempt, the loathing of European freeloading that he talked about in that Signal chat. What you saw him say there was Zelenskyy.

All of that contempt is music at least to one person's ears, and that person is Vladimir Putin.

Just listen to what Putin actually said today because he came out and said it. All this discussion about, well, what side is team Trump on when it comes to Putin and Russia and Ukraine?

Listen to what Putin said today about his ultimate plans for Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): There is reason to believe -- I've recently said that we will squeeze them out, but there is reason to believe that we will finish them off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: And Alayna Treene is OUTFRONT at the White House tonight.

And, Alayna Treene, I know you have reporting about Vance's trip and why it was downsized so significantly. I mean, I guess at first Elon it was just supposed to be Usha Vance that went.

Then he joined and it was supposed to be even bigger, but then dramatically downscaled. What have you learned?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, look, it was clear after it was announced that Usha Vance was going to be going again, as you mentioned, on an independent trip to Greenland, something the White House was trying to characterize as a cultural visit for that dogsledding race.

[19:05:08]

She received a lot of outrage from it, not just from the people of Greenland, who have made it clear that they do not want the United States purchasing the island, but also from Danish and Greenlandic leaders, one of whom said that the visit was highly aggressive. So, when I talked to my -- White House officials, others who were familiar with this trip, they said essentially Vance's take on it was, if you're going to be so worked up about my wife going on a cultural visit, then I'm going to go to and bring my entire vice presidential entourage.

However, we do know and you played some of that, that there were planned protests in the capital of Nuuk, where her visit, Usha Vance is. The second lady was supposed to be. The visit ended up being 1,000 miles away instead, at that Space Force Base, that military base that was far more remote and essentially helped keep them sequestered away from the public. And those government officials who had expressed some of that outrage.

Now as well, some White House officials say that the protests had nothing to do with the change, that it really had to do with Vance deciding at the 11th hour to go on this trip. You couldn't bring the entire security footprint for the VP on last minutes notice to some of those more remote areas, but I definitely think, you know, it was very clear that going to those different culture visits, she wasn't welcome to them.

Now, what also was notable is that it was much shortened. She was supposed to be there for a couple of days. We were told they ended up leaving this morning very early and they're on their way back now. So not even staying overnight.

All to say, we heard Vance really lean in to some of his sharp rhetoric today on saying that, you know, they want to buy the United States or, excuse me, the island one way or another, kind of echoing the words from the president, again, very at odds with what we know. Some of the people of Greenland have been calling for.

BURNETT: Yeah, absolutely.

Alayna, thank you very much, reporting from the White House.

Anthony Scaramucci is with me now, the former Trump White House communications director.

So, you know, Anthony, the Vances when they when they finally got there, right? It was supposed to be just her. Then he joins, then the whole thing gets downsized. They are there hundreds of miles away, I think from really civilian life in Greenland, visiting the remote U.S. Space Force base.

You heard what Danish TV 2 had reported in terms of, you know, locals not wanting to welcome them. They could not get the big crowds that they anticipated.

How big of a loss is this to Trump, who cares so much about optics?

ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well, I mean, I think the big question is, is the vice president talking to his comms team because didn't the comms team have some advance on the trip? And weren't they having some level of expectation, or did the comms team say, hey, listen, you're going to fly there, no one's going to want you there and you're going to show up at Space Force. So, it's a little odd that they would make the trip and just do the trip unilaterally and get that reaction.

But I -- I think there's going to be a capitulation here. And I think they're all connected by the way. I'm in -- I'm in the camp that Panama, Greenland and Canada are actually connected.

And so, the president gave a big tell today when he called the prime minister of Canada, Prime Minister Carney. He didn't call him Governor Carney. And I think the presidents starting to realize that unless he wants to have a military action against a NATO ally, the stuff that he wants to do is not going to go the way he plans. So, he'll be met with a tremendous amount of resistance.

And I think they're -- I think they're in the process of capitulating, especially after this trip.

BURNETT: Huh. That's really interesting you say that because, you know, Trump put out that video today. It was they referred to the Nazis a whole bunch of times. They were talking about Greenland. It was a very military, militaristic sort of a video. It was ominous, you know.

So putting out the image of not capitulating, but so fascinating that you see it differently as you know him so well. I'm also curious. J.D. Vance is the one who goes and is the face of this, Anthony. And he wasn't expected to. He wasn't supposed to. And then at the last minute, he goes.

He has been making great pains, it seems, taking great pains to echo President Trump almost word for word, repeatedly in the remarks that he made today on the ground in Greenland. I mean, just listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The expression I use is some people don't have the cards.

VANCE: They just don't have the cards.

TRUMP: We're the piggy bank that everybody steals from.

VANCE: We're done being the piggy bank of the entire world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: He's even looking a lot like Trump. I mean, there was a night, Anthony, where they had the exact same tie color. It was a very specific shade of maroon. And it was. It was as if it was the exact same tie. It was as if they were going to a wedding.

Is this exactly what Trump wants to see and hear? Or at least what J.D. Vance perceives him wanting to see and hear?

SCARAMUCCI: So, you know, I understand the modeling and the mimetic nature of the vice president.

[19:10:01]

I think it's a mistake, but you'll see the full capitulation, Erin, when he shaves his beard and he goes the full George Steinbrenner route with Donald Trump without having the, you know, the Boston Red Sox reliever beard.

But I -- I think it's a mistake for him. And I think modeling himself after the president, he's not the president. And whether you like the president or dislike the president, he has the following. He has the res for his team, MAGA. J.D. Vance hasn't proven that. I think its probably annoying to the president that he's over-modeling him. You know, people mistake this about presidential. I don't think he

likes the obsequiousness stuff. I mean, people, you know, that chat that they did on Signal, they were all doubling and tripling down on each other with what they think the president would like to hear and what they would like to say to the president. And I don't know, I don't think he likes that.

I -- look, I traveled with him and I was on that campaign for just under a year and was on the presidents transition team in the first term. I -- he used to deride the sycophants privately. I never saw him say, oh, wow, you know, J.D. Vance said exactly what I said. Thats -- that's great. It's just not his personality, Erin.

BURNETT: That's really interesting. He said he doesn't like the obsequiousness of it. I mean, as you know, Anthony, he dodged the question of whether Vance is his successor and the leader of the party he didn't commit when Fox asked him directly.

So, do you think that's part of this?

SCARAMUCCI: I do think that's part of it. And I -- and I think at the at the end of the day, I predict that J.D. Vance will go the way of Mike Pence here. The president will make him more irrelevant. He'll do things to Vance that will compromise his position. He doesn't like the attention that Vance is giving.

And, you know, you should ask your sources why he went on that trip. Maybe there was just too much pressure on his wife going on that trip by herself. It could be as simple as that. It's an unexplained trip, and it's an even more unexplained outcome because they -- they had to have understood that that was a likely outcome. And it was quite an embarrassing one.

BURNETT: Yeah. Well, you know, interesting he joins and so does the national security advisor, Mike Waltz, two people who were in the chat at least, one of whom shouldn't have been in any chat at all regarding this topic with that group, that being the vice president.

But according to "The Atlantic" editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, you know, Mike Waltz is the one who invited him into the Signal group. Right? Or his account is the one who invited Jeffrey Goldberg in.

No one has been fired, Anthony. Nobody has been fired. It's a security breach for which anybody else would have been fired in any other role or capacity in the military or national security or CIA or -- but no one has, and it doesn't seem anybody will, at least at this point. We'll see. Why do you think that is?

SCARAMUCCI: Well, that's the president's strategy. I think people are forgetting something about the president. You know, this is a culture war for the president. And whether people like this or not, he has won the culture war. In fact, I see him as the napoleon of the culture war in terms of being a field marshal.

So, he does not want to give the mainstream media or he would say the left biased media a win or a scalp, even though this was gross incompetence, even though this was malpractice by his national security team.

And so, this is the bet that they make. They fight the culture war. Then they -- they deal with the promise of good government and the mechanics of keeping our troops safe. So, it's reprehensible. Somebody should be fired. But this is a culture war issue why they're not being fired. And I think the president unfortunately understands that better than just about anybody in Washington.

BURNETT: Yeah. And it's one other thing I wanted to ask you about, Anthony, is, you know, all the players and you know him. So, Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, has been on the road. She wore what the Washington post says is an 18-karat gold Rolex as she toured El Salvador's brutal mega prison. You know, watch like that is, you know, up to $60,000.

But she wore it while filming this video in front of a crowded cell. It -- it's a really disturbing image. I don't know if you've seen it, Anthony, but you know, you see them all these -- these guys who are half naked behind her, behind, you know, behind bars. And then there's her doing this press conference.

You know, what do you make of that?

SCARAMUCCI: So, so, again, you have to look at this stuff through the prism of the culture war. So, she -- she knows that that watch is going to trigger people. She knows that that watch is going to call attention to people. And people like you and me are going to talk about it on this network. And other networks are talking about it.

And then she'll double down by saying, well, why aren't you talking about an expensive men's watch, you know, and there'll be a whataboutism related to it.

And so, you know, you would be better to ignore it. And again, I -- I would say that Carney is the Western leader that does the best job with Donald Trump, because he basically ignored Donald Trump, said he would not have a call with him unless he was acknowledged as the sovereign leader of his government.

[19:15:12]

And I'm pretty sure he got a communique guarantee that after that call, he was going to be called prime minister. And so, I think this is the stuff of distraction and this is the stuff that they try to do to light up the liberals. And we would be better served not to even discuss it, frankly, Erin, but -- but that's the play there. She was expecting this outrage. And of course, she had a planned response to it.

BURNETT: Yeah, yeah. You know, it's funny, I have to say, I didn't notice the watch at first until it was pointed out. What I did notice was all those men behind her, and it was a very, you know, it was -- it was unsettling.

But I think your point about not being "Governor Carney" is a crucial one and important to make. And thank you so much, Anthony. It's great to see you.

SCARAMUCCI: Good to be here. Thank you.

BURNETT: All right. And next, it was a brutal day for the markets. Stocks plunging. The Dow fell another 700 points actually a little bit more. Fears about inflation. Fears about Trump's tariffs. The president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is next with his biggest concern tonight.

Plus, a federal judge ordering the immediate release of a Venezuelan couple who were caught up in Trump's immigration crackdown. So, does this give hope to the family of a high profile activist who is also in ICE detention tonight? That family is our guest.

And breaking news this hour. Emergency crews racing to find survivors after a devastating earthquake. More than 150 dead. We'll take you live to the ground tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:21:04]

BURNETT: Tonight, breaking news, stocks plunge. The Dow down 716 points. That was the closing drop. All three markets falling sharply despite, President Trump predicting the economy will, quote, boom. The drop coming after a new report showed consumer sentiment plummeting. I mean, this was an unbelievable drop, 12 percentage points this month, driven by fears of Trump's escalating and erratic trade war.

Two thirds of Americans now expect unemployment to go up this year, and that many people have not felt this way in America since the year 2009 may seem like ancient history, but that was the height of the great recession, when you had all the banks failing and the massive bailout and tarp.

The administration appearing to ignore the warning signs, and that is raising alarm bells on Wall Street.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE LIESMAN, CNBC SENIOR ECONOMICS REPORTER: The American consuming public is telling the administration you do not know better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Steve Liesman from CNBC, my old colleague.

And OUTFRONT now, Raphael Bostic, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

And, Raphael, I appreciate your time. But when we look at these numbers, consumer sentiment dropping the way it did, I mean, that is an incredible plunge. The stock market now having its worst quarter in two years. We're talking about consumer sentiment taking us all the way back to the height of the great recession. What is your single biggest worry right now?

RAPHAEL BOSTIC, PRESIDENT, FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF ATLANTA: Well, first of all, good evening. It's good to see you.

I would say that I have two worries. We have two mandates. One is on stable prices and that's inflation. The other is unemployment. And what we've been fighting for the last couple of years is inflation, trying to get it back down to 2 percent. And there are -- there's data that's coming out that suggests that we may be stalling on that or maybe even moving in the opposite direction. That's definitely a concern.

On the employment side, you know, the sentiment is -- is a concern. We are hearing from many more households than we had before that they're worried and they are unsure about where this economy is going. But today, the numbers on that side are actually still quite solid. And one of the things I'm looking out for and will be looking out for in the weeks to come is whether that weakens. But I will say we\re not seeing that right now.

BURNETT: So, I know that's something to be grateful for, at least right now. I know that you had cut your expectation for how much the Fed would come out and cut interest rates this year, and in part because of the inflation and the tariffs driving prices higher. In fact -- and I know you're aware of this, Raphael, but the Fed chair, Jerome Powell this week used the word tariff 36 times in his press conference. It was his last week in his press conference around rates, 36 times.

So, I didn't want to put all of them together. But I do want to make the point. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROME POWELL, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: Tariffs. Tariffs. Tariffs. Tariffs. Tariffs. Tariffs. Tariffs. Tariffs. Tariffs. Tariffs. Tariffs. Tariffs. Tariffs. Tariffs. Tariffs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: It was only 15 of 36. But as I said I wanted to make the point. It dominated it right. It dominated the discussion. Yeah. Right.

Now, you're talking to business leaders constantly. How do you see it? I mean, are tariffs going to both raise prices inflationary and also cut growth as you see them being implemented right now?

BOSTIC: Well look, first I would say for many, the extent of tariffs has surprised people and their size. And I talked to a lot of folks before this administration began. They were expecting that many were expecting that these -- this was a negotiating ploy, and we wouldn't see them deployed in quite this way. So that has changed and caused people to have to reevaluate their expectations. And I think, right, what I'm hearing is that has introduced a lot of

uncertainty. There is now an expectation. We do a number of surveys that suggest that people are expecting upward pressure on prices, which will make inflation come down a little slower.

And then they're also just trying to figure out, well, in this new environment, what should my strategy be? And that is what I'm hearing from everyone trying to figure that out kind of in real time.

[19:25:03]

And it's causing many businesses to just sort of step back and say, we got to wait and see, because I'm not really sure exactly where were going to be six months from now.

BURNETT: So, you know, you're Atlanta Feds forecast of America's GDP got a lot of coverage, right? I mean, as you're well aware. I mean, it went viral and it went viral because of the fact that it dropped off a cliff. Expectation for growth in America over just a couple month period.

So, now, predicting a 2.8 percent contraction for GDP in the first quarter, that means the economy is going to get 2.8 percent smaller things that -- that is -- that is bad, that is terrible, and 2.8 percent is -- is a really bad number.

But on January 31st, the prediction by that same model was growth of 2.9 percent, growth. So, you see that that gigantic cliff drop. No hyperbole here. That is a massive swing of 5.7 percent.

That is incredible. And almost unprecedented. What is driving that?

BOSTIC: Well, first I want to say two things. So, one, the actual drop I would say is not as large as what is being presented there. There are some odd things that happened in gold markets that led to it being more extreme than I think we actually believe it is, but even with that, what we've seen is in the adjusted numbers, a drop from that 2.2 to 2.5 percent to zero, which is notable. And I would say that's something we've just got to watch.

The other thing I would just add on the GDP now measure is that it is a rolling assessment of what the how the economy is performing. So, there are still some data points to come in, and we'll just have to see where it ends at the end of the quarter.

I will say though, the slowdown does suggest in our numbers suggest that there are parts of the economy that are actually starting to show that lower level of energy, and it's something that we will definitely be keeping a close eye on in the weeks and months to come.

BURNETT: Yeah. Extremely concerning.

All right. Thank you very much, Raphael.

Appreciate your time tonight and coming on with me.

BOSTIC: It's really good to be here. Look forward to seeing you again.

BURNETT: All right. And next, we have breaking news. A judge has just ordered the Trump administration to release a Venezuelan couple that was detained by ICE. We're going to speak to the family of a prominent immigration activist who is also detained tonight. Do they have hope that their mother could be released, too?

Plus, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor tonight speaking out, breaking her silence, taking on Trump and his repeated attacks on judges.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:32:08]

BURNETT: Breaking news, a federal judge tonight ordering the immediate release of a Venezuelan couple in Virginia. The judge saying the government's case for detaining the couple on suspicion of gang affiliation didn't add up. It comes as the fate of Jeanette Vizguerra, an undocumented immigration rights activist who was named one of "Time Magazine's" 100 most influential people, hangs in the balance tonight.

You may remember, Vizguerra was the one who took sanctuary in a church for three years to avoid deportation during Trump's first term. Now she's been detained for nearly two weeks. ICE agents arresting her outside a Denver area target where she worked as a cashier.

And OUTFRONT now, her children, Roberto and Luna Baez Vizguerra. They are her son and daughter. Two of her four children. And I so appreciate talking to both of you.

Luna, you know, I know you've been able to speak to your mother almost every day since her detention, and she had another hearing today, the same day that we heard that federal judge threw out the detention of the Venezuelan couple all the way across the country in Virginia.

Does that give you hope? I mean, do you have hope at this point that your mother will actually be able to stay in the U.S.?

LUNA BAEZ VIZGUERRA, DAUGHTER OF UNDOCUMENTED ACTIVIST DETAINED BY ICE: Well, I would definitely say that I personally have a lot of faith. A lot of hope. We have a lot of strength within her situation, not only with her legal team, but as well as with her community. Of course, it is a little unsettling, that, you know, across the country, you're seeing a lot more arrests, a lot more deportations. But I would definitely say in this case I'm choosing to stay very hopeful.

BURNETT: Roberto, you and I spoke, you know, a few days ago. You know, you said your mother, even in detention, is still advocating for immigrants' rights. You know, even as she herself is detained.

I mean, what -- what is she doing every day? What is her day to day right now?

ROBERTO BAEZ VIZGUERRA, SON OF UNDOCUMENTED ACTIVIST DETAINED BY ICE: Well, basically, she talks a lot with the other detainees inside to see what their situation is. You know, there's a lot of people in there that are just like her, are unjustly held there. Theres a person that's been in there for like almost two years.

So, what she does is usually, you know, talk to her lawyers, talk to us -- if, you know, she calls us or like you know, come and talk to us when she visits or when we visit.

BURNETT: Yeah.

Luna, I know your mother has support in the community and a lot of it. I mean, the mayor of Denver has actually spoken out in her defense.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLPI)

MAYOR MIKE JOHNSTON (D), DENVER: This is not immigration enforcement. This is Soviet-style political persecution of political dissidents under the guise of immigration enforcement. This is not someone with a criminal record. This is a mom of American citizens who works at Target and has started a community nonprofit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[19:35:00]

BURNETT: Luna, I know she was at work, literally at work, when the ICE agents came and took her, as Roberto has told us. Do -- do you have any sense of when you're going to get an answer? Obviously, I know there was a hearing today, but it just it keeps being that you don't know and you don't know.

L. VIZGUERRA: I definitely -- I'm hoping for the sooner the better. As far as kind of what we're looking towards now during kind of our debrief after the hearing itself, we -- so they have 21 days to submit an like an application (ph) -- on an application I believe and within that time, the government will go ahead and have time to respond afterwards. And I would say by then we should have a little bit more clarity. But right now, things just really -- they are uncertain.

BURNETT: I mean, Roberto, that's the thing, we're seeing this now across the country. I mean, your mother is far from alone in this crackdown on immigrants. I mean, Gladys and Nelson Gonzalez, they lived in California for 35 years, three children they raised there, all of whom are citizens like you and your siblings. They -- they paid taxes. They had jobs, and they have just been deported back to Colombia.

And there are so many more stories. We see this, you know, whether it's college students or others. How afraid are you right now?

R. VIZGUERRA: Well, obviously, you know, in the beginning of the situation, I was, you know, scared out of my mind. I didn't know what to do. But as it's played out you know, obviously I did see that there's a chance of, like, there could have been a chance of just immediate removal, but were seeing that we could start with a process. And I'm not really that scared that anything is going to happen to her anymore, but to the other people, it's like, you know, what? Do they have the same coverage as her story? Are they going to, you know, be able to get as much help as she's getting?

BURNETT: Well, I know both of you have been so tireless in fighting for your mother. Thank you very much for talking to us again tonight. Thank you.

R. VIZGUERRA: Of course.

L. VIZGUERRA: Thank you.

BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next, breaking news, Elon Musk will visit the CIA on Monday after he goes to Wisconsin this weekend to give away millions ahead of a major Supreme Court election. Congressman Ro Khanna, who has known Musk for decades, is OUTFRONT.

Plus, this hour, breaking news, officials are now estimating the death toll from that massive earthquake in Myanmar could be more than 10,000. We're going to take you to the ground, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:42:18]

BURNETT: All right. This breaking news, we are just getting this second, this information into CNN. It is staggering. It is horrific.

U.S. officials are estimating that likely more than 10,000 people are dead. That's what they're estimating right now from that 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit in Southeast Asia, in Myanmar. Emergency crews have been frantically searching for survivors right now by hand. They're desperately trying to do it.

And frankly, the number is staggering and shocking. But the true extent of the damage right now is unknown. It happened in Myanmar, near the city of Mandalay. And tremors from the quake were felt across Thailand, also in China.

The stunning video capturing the moment that a building now rubble crumbled in seconds, as you can watch this. It almost looks like a controlled demolition, but of course, it wasn't. People desperately trying to escape.

That's just one building there, right there. And that one building. We believe that more than 100 people are believed trapped under there right now. We're working to get our communications with our reporter on the ground, Will Ripley, and he filed this report for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The terrifying moment, a 30-story tower collapsed in Bangkok, Thailand. Construction workers running for their lives. Many others feared trapped inside. The shockwaves from a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in neighboring Myanmar ravaging this region.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wait, (EXPLETIVE DELETED), the whole building collapsed. RIPLEY: Close to the epicenter in Myanmar's second largest city,

Mandalay, people huddling together in terror. Others running as buildings tilt and crumble, including historic landmarks some hundreds of years old.

Here, the moment a temple seems to just disappear from the skyline.

And this iconic bridge in the water, in pieces. Information is slowly filtering out from Myanmar's ruling military junta, caught in the throes of a four-year civil war. After visiting the affected areas, Myanmar's leader announcing a state of emergency, making a rare call for international assistance.

MIN AUNG HLAING, MYANMAR JUNTA LEADER: To any country, any foreign organization and anyone inside the country are invited to provide help. The death toll and injuries are expected to be high.

RIPLEY: The 7.7 magnitude earthquake, the worst in the country since at least 1946, the world's strongest on land since the Turkey quake in 2023.

[19:45:03]

That one killed more than 50,000 people.

Friday's tremors so strong, they were felt in China and more than 600 miles away here in Thailand's capital. Water seen surging from pools atop high-rise hotels and residential towers, turning those buildings into waterfalls.

Rescue efforts underway around the clock in Bangkok. Emergency crews trying to reach possible survivors of the skyscraper collapse, including search dogs deployed into the rubble.

Probably standing about 500 feet from this massive pile behind me. I mean, you can see the people and the heavy machinery are just dwarfed by the concrete and the twisted steel that they're trying to delicately go through to get to as many of the 100 or so people who are believed to be trapped inside before too much time passes.

One worker telling us of his narrow escape.

SUNAN KENKIAT, CONSTRUCTION WORKER WHO ESCAPED BUILDING COLLAPSE: It was shaking and I felt dizzy. After that, debris like cement pieces started falling down and the shaking got stronger. So, I shouted for everyone to run.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: I mean, just even seeing that video, it is unbelievable. And hearing the terror in people's eyes.

Will, I know you're there. You are experiencing this behind you. The rubble from that building that we saw just -- just crumble. And I know they're desperately looking for people underneath it now. RIPLEY: They are. And, Erin, you know, and what's heartbreaking is we

-- we were just standing by the family members that have been sitting out here all night long. Basically nobody out here has had any sleep, but they're sitting, waiting for some sort of update about the 100 people who are buried in this massive pile of twisted steel and concrete.

Rescuers are having to operate, as I mentioned by hand, because they don't want to disturb the debris too much, just in case there are pockets where the people might be alive. They actually had dogs out there sniffing. They could even hear people's cell phones ringing, but they haven't been able to speak to people in a number of hours.

So they've temporarily paused the search. They're going to continue it in about one hour from now. And they're just hoping that they're still going to be able to find people alive. They're going to keep digging by hand. They say for the next 72 hours, holding out hope of finding more survivors of those 100 or so construction workers that are still inside.

And, Erin, I can't stress enough, this is 600 miles from the epicenter of this earthquake. The earthquake hit a very densely populated area in Myanmar. We have very limited information and photos coming out of there. But if this is how bad it is in Bangkok, 600 miles away, one can only imagine the nightmare that Myanmar is waking up to. And they're in the midst of a civil war.

So even though the military junta is asking for help right now, just navigating the different militias that control different areas to get help in is going to be a very complex, dangerous logistical challenge. And there's no -- there's no sense yet of how many people are actually in need. The U.S. Geological Survey is now indicating, based on the strength of this earthquake and where it hit the death toll in Myanmar, which is now less than 200. Officially, they expect it could rise to over 10,000 before this is done, Erin.

So, it's truly horrific. And it's just now beginning out here.

BURNETT: As you point out, the impossibility that that in this time in which we live, that it is looking into a black hole in terms of their ability to know, their ability to see, I mean, even where you are, Will, how are people responding and what else do you see? I mean, obviously, you've got the rubble there, but you're talking about being 600 miles away, seeing something like that. I mean, what else are you seeing?

RIPLEY: Well, there are a thousand buildings that have been reported here in Bangkok as potentially having structural problems. So they've been calling for an army of engineers to basically go building to building and make sure that there aren't any other structures that could be in danger of collapse. And already, we're told that at least two densely populated residential complexes have been evacuated and people have had to stay in temporary shelters.

But here in Thailand, they have a tremendous amount of infrastructure set up to handle disasters like this, even though they're not actually sitting directly along a fault line. But in Myanmar, the infrastructure is dilapidated. The military was holding their military parade just a matter of days ago.

So, they certainly don't have resources that they're able to mobilize to help the huge number of people who are undoubtedly in need there, even though we don't know the specifics because there's such a lack of communication. Electricity is intermittent 12 hours a day on a good day, social media posts are hard to go through because mobile communications have been interrupted, and so, the information that just keeps trickling out is horrifying.

They're very well-coordinated here and even here, it's a struggle to find the people in this one building. Just imagine all the buildings potentially, that are collapsed in Myanmar right now, and probably nobody who is able to start really seriously looking for them yet because they just don't have the manpower or the resources.

BURNETT: No, no, and even where you are, just to imagine hearing those cell phones that, you know, that they are they are with human beings who might be alive for some reason. That image would stay with everyone.

All right. Will, thank you very much on the ground there. And I know we are all so grateful for that.

We have more breaking news here at the U.S.

[19:50:02]

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor calling for a, quote, fearlessly independent judiciary amid President Trump's repeated attacks on judges, saying she worries about once respected norms being broken.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SONIA SOTOMAYOR, U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: One of the things that's troubling so many right now is many of the standards that are being changed right now were norms that government that governed officials into what was right and wrong. Once norms are broken, then you're shaking some of the foundation of the rule of law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: All right. Well, her words as Elon Musk is promising millions to Wisconsin voters who back his crusade against judges who rule against Trump. Musk is going to Wisconsin this weekend, and he is going ahead of the closely watched special election for Supreme Court justice. He posted about his event this weekend, and I quote, entrance is limited to those who have signed the petition in opposition to activist judges. I will also hand over checks for $1 million to two people to be spokesman for the petition.

Musk and groups linked to him have already donated, already, more than $20 million to the conservative candidate in this race, Brad Schimel.

OUTFRONT now, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna. He represents Silicon Valley. He's obviously known Elon Musk for more than a decade.

Congressman, so you bring -- you bring that personal knowledge to it, which is so crucial in this context. I mean, I want to ask you first about those contents -- comments from the Justice Sotomayor, because those just came out momentarily before this show.

How significant is it to hear her say this? She has, to this point, been extremely reticent.

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): Well, it's courageous of her and it's very significant. You see her speaking out. You saw Justice Roberts speaking out a few weeks ago, saying that the president and J.D. Vance shouldn't be threatening judges with impeachment. This is a extraordinary breach. I mean, when you have Vice President Vance saying, let the Supreme Court rule, how are they going to enforce it?

This is unprecedented in our country's history, and it could lead to a constitutional crisis. And that's why you're seeing justices do something extraordinary in speaking out.

BURNETT: Elon Musk is giving two $1 million checks this weekend in a Supreme Court race, a Wisconsin Supreme Court to people who support him and Trump's fight against judges. And overall, in that Wisconsin Supreme Court election that's coming up, he spent more than $20 million, Congressman Khanna. You know that.

But that -- that has become the race, the referendum on him and Trump. I mean, how do you and your party top that? I mean, it's just an incredible amount of money and frankly, the money that he can bring to bear here is essentially bottomless when it comes to the political sense.

KHANNA: Well, represents everything that's wrong with American democracy. It's why Summers Lee and I introduced a bill last week to ban and abolish super PACs. But he's going to lose on this Wisconsin race because he's going to realize the power of people. But what you have here is someone who is the wealthiest person in the world, sinking in $250 million to get the president elected, the president handing him over the keys and to other headstrong libertarian billionaires to start to dismantle Medicaid, to start to cut Social Security offices, to fire veterans. I mean, it is everything wrong with the unholy alliance of wealth and power in this country, and we need to speak up against it.

And people are. And that's why I'm confident that the Democrats will prevail in Wisconsin.

BURNETT: So, Congressman, I know you've been having a lot of town halls, and we've been hearing about town halls across this country. There was just one a couple of moments ago, and we have this breaking sound that just came from a town hall that your colleague, Republican Congresswoman Victoria Spartz, just had. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We demand the immediate resignation of Pete Hegseth, Mike Waltz and the rest of the group chat.

REP. VICTORIA SPARTZ (R-IN): And so let -- let me just address -- no, I will not demand that resignation.

(BOOS)

BURNETT: You hear the boos there, Congressman? What she said was it's not a good situation that it should be looked into. But you saw that, right? The question was asked, and then just this rousing cheers and everybody standing up. I mean, what -- what do you read into the outrage, the turnout that we are seeing in town halls across this country right now.

KHANNA: It's unprecedented. Look, I was in Bakersfield, California, in a rural community last cycle, maybe 200 to 300 people were turning out, even for the candidate. And I had 1,000 people.

[19:55:01]

You're seeing people angry and they're angry that government has been handed over to billionaires to dismantle social services, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, to fire veterans. Why? To give tax breaks to those billionaires and to huge corporations.

The American people know it's wrong. And then to top it off, there's incompetence where the people who have been appointed to these high positions don't know what every previous administration has known that you communicate through classified channels when you're having these important conversations.

I mean, they have every amenity in the world. They can have a classified conversation from their homes, from their cars, and yet they didn't do it and people have had it. This is why they lost in Pennsylvania, a race that in a Trump district for state senate, which Trump carried by 15 points, they lost.

This is why Elise Stefanik no longer is going to be ambassador to the U.N., because they think and fear that they could lose that seat. This is why we're going to win in Wisconsin. Theres a popular revolt against a handover to a billionaire class.

BURNETT: All right, Congressman Khanna, I appreciate your time and thank you.

KHANNA: Thank you.

BURNETT: And next, RFK Jr., challenging West Virginia's governor to a weigh in, telling him to drop 30 pounds in front of his wife and an audience.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Tonight, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stunning a crowd today as he said to West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey, he needs to lose 30 pounds. Watch for yourself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., HHS SECRETARY: I said you look like you ate Governor Morrisey. He's invited me to be his personal trainer. And I'm going to put him -- I'm going to put him on a really rigorous regimen, and we're going to put him on a carnivore diet. We're going to make him do raise your hand if you want Governor Morrisey to do a public weigh-in once a month.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Now, the governor was unfazed. At least he seemed to be saying that he is committed to Kennedy's vision of making America healthy again. He pledged his support to MAHA, as they call it, and saying he will work to block the use of SNAP benefits to purchase soda in his state of West Virginia, which has the highest obesity rate in the United States at about 40 percent.

And before we go, I just want to make sure everyone knows this. You should not miss a special "WHOLE STORY". Our own Kate Bolduan is investigating America's fentanyl crisis. It's Sunday at 8:00 with Kate.

Thanks so much for joining us.

"AC360" starts now.