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Early Start with Rahel Solomon
IMF Chief Warns Of Economic Hit From Global Tariffs; Police: Two Dead, Five Others Shot At Florida State University; Trump Administration Revokes 1,000+ Visas For International Students and Graduates. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired April 18, 2025 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00]
RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hmm, that's an interesting point.
Jeff, I want to play for you something the IMF managing director said and get your perspective on the other side of it -- listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTALINA GEORGIEVA, MANAGING DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND: Uncertainty is costly. The complexity of modern supply chains means imported imports fit into a broad range of domestic products. The cost of one item can be affected by tariffs in dozens of countries. In a world of bilateral tariff rates, each of which may be moving up or down, planning becomes difficult. The result -- ships at sea not knowing which port to sail to. Investment and consumer decisions postponed. Financial markets volatile; precautionary savings up. The longer uncertainty persists, the larger the cost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: And Jeff, it's that cost that I want to talk to you about because you pointed out some data to our team and it suggested that the biggest hit from these tariffs will likely be felt by North America -- here at home. On the inflation side, Canada, but the U.S. close behind. On the growth side, Mexico, but the U.S. right behind. And you compare that to nations like Japan, India, China, and also the Eurozone.
And you say that it's this kind of data -- this high cost is what could be what nudges the administration into some trade deals in the next three months or so.
JEFFREY KLEINTOP, CHIEF GLOBAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIST, CHARLES SCHWAB: Yeah, that's right. I think one of the reasons that bond yields moved up as much as they did was this concern about inflation and about the real shock to supply chains.
So complexity is important here. You look at a company like GM. The National Bureau of Economic Research said they have 800 suppliers but each of those have suppliers -- 18,000, maybe, different suppliers all feeding up into the supply chain to make an automobile. It's very difficult to forecast all of the different inputs -- the
shortages that would result and the rising cost. And the result of that would be likely much higher inflation in the U.S. That's something that certainly cost the last administration the Oval Office and something this administration was given a mandate to address.
And one of the reasons I think why they put that 90-day delay was in an attempt to try and resolve some of these issues before they're actually put in place and would begin to feel more of the effects.
SOLOMON: Yeah. I mean, well, hard not to notice that Trump has been sounding really optimistic the last 24 hours about some of these deals --
KLEINTOP: Yeah.
SOLOMON: -- coming to pass in the next few weeks.
Jeff Kleintop of Charles Schwab. Appreciate you being here this morning. Thank you.
KLEINTOP: Thank you.
SOLOMON: All right. Still ahead for us, new charges filed against the man accused of murdering the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:32:20]
SOLOMON: The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare on a sidewalk in Manhattan now faces federal charges. Those include murder, stalking, and a firearms offense. The federal murder suspect charge means that the suspect, Luigi Mangione, could be sentenced to death of he is convicted. And the U.S. Attorney General has said that the Justice Department will seek the death penalty. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to New York State charges.
The Menendez brothers will have to wait until next month for their next change at freedom. Lyle and Erik Menendez were sentenced to life in prison for the 1989 murders of their parents.
On Thursday, their long-awaited resentencing hearing was delayed for three weeks. There is debate over whether the court should have access to a parole board report estimating the risk that the brothers would pose to the public if they are released.
California's attorney general opposes new sentencing or a new trial for the pair. An attorney for the family wants him removed from the case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK GERAGOS, ATTORNEY FOR THE MENENDEZ FAMILY: This particular D.A. has decided that he's got some other interest to vindicate that has nothing to do with the victims. Why at the last minute he does a Hail Mary, filing a motion to continue and does not notify any of the victims or the victims' lawyer. Why? What is going on? Whose interest is he vindicating?
NATHAN HOCHMAN, LOS ANGELES DISTRICT ATTORNEY: With respect to defense attorneys there's an old adage. If you don't have the facts, pound the law. And if you don't have the law, pound the facts. And if you don't have the law or the facts, pound the prosecutor. And that's exactly what the defense strategy has been.
Because we don't fear the facts -- all the facts. The facts that are favorable to a Menendez resentencing and the facts that are not favorable to a Menendez resentencing. Bring on the facts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Now, the brothers claim that they were sexually abused by their father and killed their parents in self-defense, but a judge blocked most of that evidence from being presented to the jury that convicted them.
Still ahead for us, emergency alerts, barricaded doors, and students with their hands up. Details on the deadly shooting at Florida State.
Plus, the Trump administration has revoked the visas of more than 1,000 international students. We'll hear from one who says that he's on the verge of losing years of college work with no explanation why.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:44:05]
SOLOMON: Welcome back. I'm Rahel Solomon. And here are some of the stories we are watching for you this morning.
President Trump says that the termination of Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell can't come fast enough. The president lashing out after Powell's comments about tariffs driving up inflation and unemployment. Trump also says that Powell has been too slow to cut interest rates.
President Trump is predicting new trade deals with countries around the world in the next three to four weeks. He says that his administration is talking directly to China to come up with a fair agreement, and he's 100 percent sure of a deal with the European Union.
Police say that two men were killed Thursday in a mass shooting on the campus of Florida State University. Five others were hurt. And another person was injured while trying to run away.
The suspected gunman is 20-year-old Florida State student Phoenix Ikner, who is the son of a sheriff's deputy. Ikner was hospitalized after being shot by police, and officers say that his injuries are serious but not life-threatening.
[05:45:08]
We're told that he had trained with law enforcement in the past.
Now, at this time we don't know the motive for the shooting, but CNN's Nick Valencia has this report from Tallahassee, Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A heartbreaking tragedy on the campus of FSU here in Tallahassee that has shattered the safety and security of so many here on campus.
And a big question remains here is the motive of this alleged gunman. And authorities are asking themselves that question. They say that the gunman has invoked his Fifth Amendment right and is not cooperating with investigators. But at a press conference earlier here are the details that they gave. They say the alleged gunman came on campus here through this entrance just behind me, and at about 11:50 on Thursday opened fire.
The witnesses that we spoke to said they heard sporadic gunfire in rapid succession. And one of those witnesses is the chaplain at the church here just off camera. It was a church that ended up being a shelter for hundreds of students as they rushed to safety. And it was that chaplain who said he saw the look of fear on those students that he had never seen before.
FATHER LUKE FARABAUGH, WITNESS: People were coming with faces of terror, and it was fear that I had not seen before and it was very -- I mean, it really shakes you up. And so as they were coming in, we secured the building, and we only had one entrance available so we could see who was coming in. And I was personally concerned about stray bullets because I knew that is coming from very close by. But we were able to help people and there was a lot of shock.
VALENCIA: While investigators say the threat to the community is over, as of Thursday night it was still somewhat of an active scene. We spotted investigators on the scene -- a biologics team still cleaning up the aftermath of that incident. And a shoe that was just sort of left at random on the sidewalk of the campus, an eerie symbol of what went out -- what went down here on Thursday morning.
That Catholic church I mentioned had a mass as well on Thursday where hundreds of people showed up. No -- standing room only. There was no room in any of those pews. And they covered those victims in prayer.
Not much is known about the victims, only that the two that were killed were not students at FSU. And as of Thursday night those injured were listed in stable condition.
Nick Valencia, CNN, Tallahassee, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: President Trump called the Florida State shooting "a shame" but indicated that he's unlikely to seek any changes to America gun laws.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These things are terrible -- but the gun doesn't do the shooting, the people do. As far as legislation is concerned -- this has been going on for a long time -- I have an obligation to protect the Second Amendment. I ran on the Second Amendment among many other things, and I will always protect the Second Amendment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Meantime, the father of a student killed in the deadly mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 has a very different take on this tragedy. He says that some of the students who survived the Parkland, Florida attack just experienced their second school shooting at Florida State.
Fred Guttenberg wrote, "America is broken." He went on writing, "Sadly, because of the many people who refuse to do the right things about reducing gun violence, I am not surprised by what happened."
The president also continuing his showdown with Harvard University on Thursday. A reporter asked him about rescinding the school's tax- exempt status and he said, "Harvard is a disgrace. They're obviously antisemitic."
Harvard has refused a list of demands from the White House. They include eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and reducing the power of faculty and administrators. Harvard president Alan Garber says that the university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.
Now, not only is the Trump administration freezing $2 billion in federal funding it's also threatening Harvard's eligibility to host international students.
Now the Trump administration is revoking the visas of more than 1,000 international students as part of its immigration crackdown. U.S. officials have said that behavior contrary to American interests, like protesting, will not be tolerated. But many students say that they haven't done anything wrong, and they have no idea why they're being told to leave.
Gloria Pazmino has more now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLORA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Jayson Ma is months away from completing his mother's dying wish.
JAYSON MA, STUDENT, CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY: One of the major factors that I decided to come forward and talk about this is the fact that my mom is sick.
PAZMINO: Ma, a Chinese national studying electrical computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, is one of hundreds of international students across the U.S. whose visas or student status has been revoked in the past month.
MA: Really, it's my entire life at jeopardy.
PAZMINO (voiceover): He was given no other explanation and has yet to hear from any federal agency. Now he's wondering if he'll have to leave the country, his school, and his unfinished degree behind.
MA: I have my suitcase half-packed and it's a real possibility.
[05:50:00]
PAZMINO (voiceover): Indian and Chinese nationals make up the largest share of all international students enrolled in the U.S. India sent more than 331,000 students in the last academic year. China came in second with more than 277,000 students enrolled across U.S. colleges and universities.
FANTA AW, CEO, NAFSA: ASSOCIATION OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATORS: These students are the future ambassadors who are going to make significant impact.
PAZMINO (voiceover): Chinese students are under intense scrutiny as relations between Washington and Beijing deteriorate. China's Ministry of Education issued an advisory this month after the U.S. hit Chinese goods with new tariffs, telling students to "conduct safety risk assessments" when choosing to study in relevant states in the U.S.
AW: I would say that the last few weeks have been, for many -- "unsettling" is a term that we've heard from many of our colleagues. Anxiety-producing on many levels.
PAZMINO (voiceover): Dr. Aw's group has been tracking cases of visa revocations in recent weeks and hearing from international students who have yet to see enforcement action but are considering leaving the country.
It would be an abrupt shift. International student enrollments were at an all-time record high last academic year. More than 1.1 million international students enrolled at American colleges and universities.
Trump's international student crackdown initially appeared to focus on student activists who participated in demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war last year, but now it appears to have shifted. Revocations are being driven by small infractions, traffic violations, and minor run-ins with police.
JOSEPH MURPHY, JAYSON MA'S ATTORNEY: There was a DUI two years ago, but he was -- that case was dismissed.
PAZMINO (voiceover): The State Department has declined multiple times to provide details about the criteria they are using to revoke student visas.
TAMMY BRUCE, SPOKESWOMAN, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: The department revokes visas every day in order to secure our borders and to keep our community safe, and we'll continue to do so.
PAZMINO: Now, in speaking with students and academics, all of them pointed out that international students, in many ways, are easy targets. The federal government has a wealth of information about them provided by the students seeking to maintain their status. The unexplained cancellations have left them feeling like they are being pushed out of the United States as part of an effort to make the country less diverse and less welcoming to people from certain nations.
Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: President Trump says that he's happy the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up the case that he requested about birthright citizenship. The high court says that it will hear oral arguments on the matter on May 15.
For more than a century presidents and courts have agreed that the 14th Amendment guarantees birthright citizenship to anyone born or naturalized in the U.S.
But Trump signed an executive order that bans governments from using documents that recognize citizenship for people born in the U.S. to foreign parents. And he's asking justices to decide if lower courts, which have issued injunctions against his order, can do that. And the president says that he believes he can win the case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I am so happy. I think the case has been so misunderstood. In that case, birthright citizenship is about slavery. If you look at it that way the case is an easy case to win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: All right. Still ahead for us, millions around the world prepare to celebrate Easter as Pope Francis marks Holy Thursday with a visit to prison. We'll have the latest public appearance from the recovering pontiff after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:58:05]
SOLOMON: Welcome back.
Today Christians around the world are observing Good Friday. The Vatican has events planned to mark the day, although Pope Francis is not expected to attend them. The pontiff did, however, make a surprise appearance at a prison on Thursday.
The 88-year-old has been recovering after a five-week spell in the hospital battling a severe illness. When asked about is current condition Pope Francis had this to say. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Your Holiness, how are you?
POPE FRANCIS (through translator): I feel seated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): How are you doing this Easter after your hospitalization?
POPE FRANCIS (through translator): How can I? I live it how I can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: The Pope was greeted with applause at the prison and offered well wishes to inmates ahead of Easter. Pope Francis has visited prisons regularly during papacy, especially on Holy Thursday.
And as we approach Easter Sunday, animals advocates are reminding people who observe the holiday that live animals make terrible gifts. Sure, the baby ducks, the bunnies -- they're adorable, but once the holiday has passed advocates say that the animals often wind up in places like this duck sanctuary in California. About 600 ducks, geese, roosters, and a very pregnant pig currently live there.
Caretakers suggest that stuffed animals might actually be the better way to go on Easter.
All right, and Hollywood leading man Ryan Gosling is set to embark on a journey to a galaxy far, far away. Gosling is going to appear in a new "Star Wars" film. It will be called "Star Wars: Starfighter." But you have to wait a little while to see it. It's not slated for release until May of 2027.
Lucas Films says that the movie will be set five years after the events of "Star Wars" episode nine, "The Rise of Skywalker." However, it will sit outside of the Skywalker story as a standalone film.
All right, that's going to do it for us here. Thanks for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York.
