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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Trump Administration Freezes $2.2B Over Harvard's Failure To Comply; Trump Considers Tariff Exemptions For U.S. Auto Industry; Ukraine: 35 People Killed In Sumy And 117 Wounded. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired April 15, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:24]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to our viewers, joining us from the U.S. and all around the world. I'm Rahel Solomon. It is Tuesday, April 15th, 5:00 a.m. exactly here in New York.

And straight ahead on EARLY START.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW CRESPO, HARVARD UNIVERSITY LAW PROFESSOR: This is a clear, unquestionable violation of First Amendment rights. These actions are not about antisemitism. They're about authoritarianism.

LANCE TROVER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think the taxpayers and the duly elected government of this country has a right to check in and say, hey, what's going on on this campus?

NAYIB BUKELE, PRESIDENT OF EL SALVADOR: I don't have the power to return him to the United States.

PAM BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL: That's up to El Salvador if they want to return him. That's not up to us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Loud like thunder loud.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a pretty good shake.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard it first, and then when I heard it, I felt it. And when I felt it, I was like, I have to get the baby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

SOLOMON: Harvard is now the first major university to publicly fight back against Donald Trump's demands for policy changes on campus, but the school's defiance could prove costly. On Monday, the Trump administration announced that it would freeze more than $2 billion in grants to Harvard for its refusal to comply with certain demands regarding hiring, admissions and other policies.

Now, among the list of demands that the school received Friday, eliminating Harvard's diversity, equity and inclusion programs, allowing the federal government to audit hiring and admissions, as well as a commission approved by the Trump administration to oversee, quote, viewpoint diversity. Now, the demands appear to be even more expansive than similar ones levied on other schools, including Columbia and Princeton.

In response, Harvard's president said in a statement, the university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. He also wrote that, quote, no government, regardless of which party is in power, should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.

Its own statement, the White House says President Trump is working to make higher education great again by ending unchecked antisemitism and ensuring federal taxpayer dollars do not fund Harvard support of dangerous racial discrimination or racially motivated violence.

Here's one Harvard law professor's take on what's happening right now. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW CRESPO, HARVARD UNIVERSITY LAW PROFESSOR: It's a transparent effort to change what is taught, what we what we say in our classrooms, what we teach our students to make sure that the only things that are actually said on university campuses are things that the Trump administration wants to hear and wants to be said.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Former President Barack Obama, a Harvard law graduate, also weighing in on x, praising his alma mater. He says that, quote, Harvard has set an example for other higher ed institutions rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom while taking concrete steps to make sure that all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect.

He added: Let's hope other institutions follow suit.

Here's how two political strategists, one Democrat, one Republican, feel about the Trump administrations freezing funds over Harvard's non-compliance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADRIENNE ELROD, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I'm happy to actually see a university, any entity right now taking a major stand against Trump by simply saying no, we're going to refuse to do this. We need more of this coming from Democrats. We need more of this coming from anyone in the organized opposition that is opposing Trump. So, I applaud Harvard. I think it sets a very important precedent for what we assume he will do to additional universities as well.

And it's something that I'd like to see more of. I mean, if you're going to actually be an effective messenger against Trump's policies or an effective resister of his policies, then you've got to stand up to him.

LANCE TROVER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: These guys are the poster child for everything that is wrong in higher education. I mean, let's just think about this. They have tolerated antisemitism on their campus, ostracized conservatives who are conservatives are scared to even speak out, all while taking money from China and Qatar at the same time. That's what all of these universities have been doing.

So look, if they're going to take federal taxpayer dollars to the tune of $9 billion with a B, $9 billion, then I think the taxpayers and the duly elected government of this country has a right to check in and say, hey, what's going on on this campus? Particularly if you have become a breeding ground for antisemitism and other forms of discrimination.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: A Palestinian student at Columbia University thought that he was on the verge of becoming a U.S. citizen. Instead, he is now facing deportation.

Mohsen Mahdawi was removed from a Vermont immigration office in handcuffs on Monday, where he had gone for an interview. A Vermont district judge has issued a temporary restraining order preventing his removal from the U.S.

Mahdawi was an organizer of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia, but stepped back before students started an encampment and occupied university buildings. He is now the second Palestinian student from Columbia to be detained by immigration authorities. You might remember Mahmoud Khalil, another permanent resident. Well, he's been detained for over a month. They appear to be part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to crack down on pro-Palestinian protesters.

Well, even amid all the tariff uncertainty sparked by the Trump administration, global markets appear to be headed for a second straight day of gains.

Obviously, it's very early in the U.S., but let's take a look at the Asia Pacific markets, which look like they all closed higher between, let's call it a 10th of a percent in Shanghai to -- highest among them. Let's call it actually Seoul. Seoul highest among them, almost 1 percent there. Nikkei not too far behind.

Taking a look at the markets in Europe, all solidly green across the board as well, between half a percent in France to let's call it 1.5 percent with the German Dax.

And here's where the U.S. futures stand ahead of the opening bell on Wall Street. Well, ahead of the opening bell on Wall Street and it's 5:00 a.m. here in New York. Dow, S&P and Nasdaq all green, flat. Nasdaq up about one third of a percent, at this point. It's early. We'll keep watching. All right. The Trump administration will begin closely looking at

imports of semiconductors and pharmaceuticals this week. The first stage in imposing tariffs on what they say is too much reliance on foreign production, which puts national security at risk. Both industries are currently exempt from the 10 percent across the board tariffs on imports, which began ten days ago.

Now, the U.S. relies on Taiwan for high end semiconductors, which is a crucial part in today's auto manufacturing, one of the U.S. industries that Donald Trump has vowed to support.

And on Monday, President Trump said that additional short term tariff relief for carmakers could be coming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm looking at something to help some of the car companies where they're switching to parts that were made in Canada, Mexico and other places, and they need a little bit of time because they're going to make them here, but they need a little bit of time. So I'm talking about things like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Okay. For more on this, I'm joined by CNN's Nic Robertson from London.

Nic, good morning.

A lot of the specifics here still unclear, but welcome news clearly for automakers and apparently Europe as well.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah. And, look, I mean, Europe is concerned about the European Union, let's say is concerned about what the decisions will be. Tariffs may be on the farmer industry. Ireland, for example, is -- get depends a lot of its economic growth, if you will, has depended on a real growth in the in pharma products over the last decade or so. So, this is of key interest to European Union.

You know, and I think, you know where the U.S. car manufacturing goes and where it gets breaks from. President Trump. It would be very much on the minds of European union officials at the moment, because they're still working out how they'll respond to those 25 percent tariffs globally that President Trump announced on car imports to the United States.

So, you know, for European union, for manufacturers of cars within the European Union, we're looking at Mercedes, looking at Audi, were looking at BMW and others, to name but a few.

You know, if the U.S. gets even greater advantages over the U.S., car producers get greater advantages over them, then that's not going to be positive for them. But the 90-day period for resolving the sort of baseline 10 percent tariffs that President Trump has -- has landed upon for Europe at the moment, Marios Shushkevich, the European trade commissioner, who was in Washington yesterday, had his meetings in Washington, back in -- back in Europe today, will be briefing E.U. ambassadors about the output of those meetings.

So, look, we're seizing this opportunity, this 90 day window to negotiate what we consider to be these unjustified tariffs. We want to get to a position that works for -- works for all of us. But he also said it's going to take hard work from both sides to achieve this position.

So, what the European union is signaling their aim, unjustified tariffs, be that they're going to use the 90-day window to work towards a solution. But the other I think the other key indicator coming from the European Union is today is the day when they would have put their reciprocal response tariffs, if you will, to the 25 percent aluminum and steel tariffs that President Trump announced back in February.

It took the E.U. until last week to come up with its position. It suspended implementing those what would amount to be about $23 billion worth of trade on soya beans coming in from the U.S., rice, other products coming in from United States.

[05:10:15]

It has decided to suspend that for 90 days. But here's the reality -- by announcing that list of products today, they are in effect saying, look, we're going to negotiate tough. This is what we've decided. These can still come into play even before those 90 days.

So, you know, they're standing tough. They're negotiating and the markets are feeling there's a window of opportunity that looks broadly where we're at.

SOLOMON: Yeah. Really fascinating. Also really interesting to see what Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni might be able to pull out from her visit later this week. Really a sort of full court press from the Europeans.

Nic Robertson, great to see you. Thank you.

All right. Still to come, Hungary changes its constitution to outlaw LGBTQ+ events. We'll show you how opposition lawmakers are reacting to the news.

Plus, the fate of a wrongfully deported man is still up in the air as both the White House and the president of El Salvador make it clear that he won't be returned to the U.S. Why? They say he can't be brought back. That's coming up next.

And later, it's Tax Day here in the U.S. We'll give you some advice if you still haven't filed, because there's still some time left.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:15:55]

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

Recent remarks from Russia indicate that the deadliest single attack against Ukrainian civilians since 2023 was indeed deliberate. The death toll from the brutal missile strike in the Ukrainian city of Sumy is now up to 35. More than 100 others were hurt. The attack on Sumy in Ukraine's Northeast came as people were attending church services on Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days on the Christian calendar.

The Kremlin claimed on Monday that it was targeting senior Ukrainian military commanders. President Trump had initially suggested that the strikes were a mistake. Meanwhile, he still seems unclear about which side started the war. At one point on Monday, the U.S. president acknowledged that it was Vladimir Putin, but then later cast blame once again on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Have you spoken to President Zelenskyy, sir, about his offer to purchase more Patriot missile batteries?

TRUMP: I don't know. He's always looking to purchase missiles. You know, he's -- he's against -- listen, when you start a war, you got to know that you can win the war, right? You don't start a war against somebody that's 20 times your size. And then hope that people give you some missiles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports on the terrible attack in Sumy, and a warning that some of the images you are about to see may be difficult to watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Sumy, Ukraine, Palm Sunday, shortly after 10:00 a.m., as folks were heading to mass, two missiles struck, killing and wounding scores.

We live in the city center, this eyewitness says. There is no military base. There are no soldiers here. It is simply a genocide. It is genocide.

After the explosions, mass carnage, first responders trying to help any survivors.

Ukrainian officials said preliminary information indicates Russia used a missile with a warhead packed with cluster munitions, weapons designed to harm people in a wide area.

Ukraine's president, livid.

Only filthy scoundrels can act like this, he said. Today, many state leaders, diplomats, regular people with big hearts expressed their sympathy towards Ukraine. They condemned the Russian attack.

But while many world leaders denounced the attack from President Donald Trump, a muted response.

TRUMP: I think it was terrible, and I was told they made a mistake. But I think it's a horrible thing. I think the whole war is a horrible thing.

PLEITGEN: As mourners gathered in Sumy, laying flowers for the many victims, Moscow claims its army does not go after civilians and was instead targeting a high-level military meeting.

There was another meeting of Ukrainian military leaders with their Western colleagues, the foreign minister says, who were either masquerading as mercenaries or I don't know who. There are NATO servicemen there and they are in direct control.

All this as the fighting on the front lines remains as brutal as ever. Russia, claiming its forces continue to make steady progress while President Trump's diplomatic efforts to broker a ceasefire appear to have hit a roadblock.

Unclear if any progress was made when Trump envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Friday.

The Kremlin downplaying expectations.

The whole journey consists of small steps to recreate an atmosphere of at least minimal trust, the Kremlin spokesman says, to strengthen this mutual trust.

But the Ukrainians say they are losing faith in the Trump administration.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I believe, sadly, Russian narratives are prevailing in the U.S. How is it possible to witness our losses and our suffering to understand what the Russians are doing and to still believe that they are not the aggressors, that they did not start this war?

[05:20:08]

PLEITGEN: And there are few signs the war could end soon. Just hours after the attack in Sumy, drones struck the port town of Odesa, wounding several people and causing major damage to scores of buildings.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: President Trump is lashing out at the media again, urging the FCC to punish "60 Minutes" and its broadcaster, CBS. You just saw a clip from it there.

The show aired stories on Ukraine like the one you just watched in Greenland on Sunday, angering the president. "60 Minutes" has already been the target of unfounded accusations of bias by President Trump and his allies, after it interviewed Kamala Harris on the campaign trail last year and edited that piece for news story.

Trump referenced that interview in a lengthy post on social media, calling on FCC chairman and ally Brendan Carr to impose, quote, the maximum fines and punishment on the show and CBS.

Hungary's parliament has passed a constitutional amendment allowing the government to ban LGBTQ plus events in public. Monday's vote along party lines and the opposing party did not take the loss quietly.

Lawmakers, as we can hear, blowing a horn and also holding a banner which read: You can ban us, but you cannot ban the truth. Police also removed protesters who zip0tied themselves together outside parliament.

President Trump says that he is open to sending U.S. citizens who are considered violent criminals to El Salvador. Why? His comments are alarming critics and rights groups, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:26:14]

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

President Trump and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele are making it clear that the Maryland man who was wrongly deported to El Salvador's mega prison, will not be returned to the U.S. Bukele met Trump at the White House on Monday, where he said that it would be preposterous, to, quote, smuggle a terrorist into the U.S.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia enter the U.S. illegally 14 years ago, but was granted protected status in 2019, which prohibited his deportation to El Salvador. The Trump administration admits that it had mistakenly deported Abrego Garcia, and the Supreme Court endorsed a federal judge's directive to, quote, facilitate his return. But Attorney General Pam Bondi says that her interpretation of the ruling is that the U.S. has, to, quote, provide a plane and ultimately its, quote, up to El Salvador if they want to return him.

Now, Trump says that he is open to also deporting U.S. citizens who are considered violent criminals to El Salvador. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: What the laws are, we always have to obey the laws, but we also have homegrown criminals that push people into subways that hit elderly ladies on the back of the head with a baseball bat when they're not looking, that are absolute monsters. I'd like to include them in the group of people to get them out of the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: I want to welcome in now, Eric Farnsworth, who is vice president of the Americas Society and Council of the Americas. He joins us this morning from McLean, Virginia.

Eric, great to have you this morning. Appreciate you being here.

The biggest headline to come from this visit, at least here domestically, is the President Bukele saying that he will not return a man that the U.S. admits was mistakenly deported. Your thoughts on that decision? And also, how is this story being received in El Salvador?

ERIC FARNSWORTH, VICE PRESIDENT, AMERICAS SOCIETY & COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAS: Well, good morning. It's good to be with you and your viewers again.

It's really an important point, but I think we have to -- take a step back for a second and recognize that the relationship that President Trump and President Bukele have developed is really quite close. It's political. It's quite personal at this stage.

He was the first Latin American to visit the Oval Office, for example, so early in this term with President Trump.

And so, this relationship is close and developing. It is clear that, you know, this -- this unfortunate incident that's occurred between the United States and El Salvador is one that both presidents are aligned on.

But it's also the situation that the United States has a lot of leverage with El Salvador at this point for what -- a lot of reasons. And if asked, the president of El Salvador would likely respond affirmatively to a request by the United States. It's a political decision, and it's one that the governments and the courts will have to work out on their own.

SOLOMON: Yeah, it's really interesting as we watch this clip of both presidents sitting there, how warm, how friendly, how cordial they look. And their relationship seems to really hinge on Trump's immigration and deportation policies.

But talk to us a little bit about what El Salvador gains in return from this relationship.

FARNSWORTH: Yeah, it's a great question. So, in the immediate return, what they get is money. The United States pays per head of deportees that are sent to El Salvador, $20,000 per head, per year. And so, El Salvador gains financially.

El Salvador also gains in the context of building a relationship with the United States and raising President Bukele's profile internationally. And also, arguably El Salvador gains by reducing, perhaps, the scrutiny that the United States might put on El Salvador's own domestic issues and law enforcement issues as well.

Look, there are -- there are potential quid pro quos as well. For example, temporary protected status for Salvadoran citizens in the United States. That remains to be seen. Perhaps tariff relief on tariffs that have newly been put on El Salvador and other countries worldwide.

So that remains to be seen. But there's a big agenda here if the president chooses to pursue it.

SOLOMON: Yeah. Speaking of the sort of economic considerations at play here, I want to also play for you something that treasury secretary.