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Isa Soares Tonight
Stock Markets Bounce Back Slightly After Historic Losses Spurred By Trump Tariffs; Zelenskyy: Two Chinese Nationals Fighting For Russia In Ukraine Captured; U.S.-Iran To Hold Nuclear Talks For The First Time In About a Decade In Oman; CNN Goes Inside El Salvador Prison; At Least 44 Dead At Dominican Club; Dire Wolf Brought Back To Life. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired April 08, 2025 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ERICA HILL, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Welcome to the show and thanks for joining me, I'm Erica Hill in for Isa Soares. Tonight, the markets bounced
back after Monday's tariff doom spiral on the news that some countries appear willing to negotiate, although not all. This as President Trump's
trade war simmers on.
Plus, an astonishing claim from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Two Chinese nationals fighting for Russia captured in Ukraine. We'll have the latest
for you from Moscow. Plus, the U.S. and Iran set to hold nuclear talks for the first time in about a decade. So, what's new this time around?
In the next hour, President Trump is set to sign an executive order on boosting coal production here in the United States. First, though, we are
seeing some new market reaction to Donald Trump's trade war. Things had been looking pretty good throughout the day, actually U.S. stocks opening
higher after, of course, Monday was yet another day of wild swings on Wall Street.
We are still seeing some green there across the board for all three major indices, which is important as we look though at how the day went. Earlier,
both the European and the Asian markets also able to rebound a bit after days of sustained selloffs. And while we have been told by the White House
that a number of nations have been scrambling to strike tariff deals with the United States, China's Commerce Ministry is calling the U.S.
President's latest escalation a, quote, "mistake on top of mistake."
President Trump, of course, said he would add new 50 percent tariffs on China if Beijing did not remove its retaliatory duties by today. Our team
is keeping a close watch on the markets and the reactions. Anna Stewart joining us from London, Kevin Liptak is at the White House. And Kevin, I
want to begin with you, because we are hearing that, in fact, when we talk about these additional tariffs on China, buckle up, Kevin, they are
happening.
Told we may not have Kevin, but Anna, we can certainly tackle this, you and I as well. We are hearing this latest reaction from the White House as the
back-and-forth continues between the U.S. and the escalation, frankly, and China. President Trump saying, get ready, 104 percent potentially tomorrow?
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: One minute past midnight, Erica. So, we've only got a few more hours to go, but this comes, you know, just 4 or 5 hours
after the President posted on Truth Social to say China also wants to make a deal badly, but they don't know how to get it started. We are waiting for
their call, it will happen.
So, I think there had been some hopes from some investors that perhaps it wasn't completely lost, perhaps negotiations could be forthcoming. China
made it pretty clear, that said overnight that they weren't willing to budge, that they would be retaliating against the U.S., and President had
made himself perfectly clear.
So, it shouldn't be a huge surprise that these tariffs are very swiftly coming into place, 104 percent is extremely high, and will have a massive
impact, obviously not just for China, but also for U.S., U.S. consumers especially, who may be used to having electronics and machinery, domestic
appliances, phones, iPhones, electric batteries, all sorts of items from China. Well, they're set to get a lot more expensive. Erica?
HILL: Yes, they certainly are. Furniture, I mean, you name it, the number of things, of course, that United States imports, all of perhaps, yes, and
Walmart, and you name the store, it's there. Kevin, as we look at all of this, and as Anna points out, as we're hearing from the White House, there
was some talk, the White House, the President posting that China wants to negotiate.
And yet, you know, what we're hearing from China's Foreign Ministry spokesman is that calling the U.S., saying that these are the actions don't
reflect a genuine willingness for serious dialogue, not exactly the same picture that's being painted.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, there is a discrepancy between what you're hearing coming out of Beijing and what you're hearing
coming out of the White House. President Trump seems very eager to get these talks started. And he claims that, in his view, China is ready to
negotiate a trade deal as well.
But in his words, they don't know how to get it started, which I'm not exactly sure what that means, but we did hear from the Press Secretary
affirming the fact that these new tariffs, 104 percent tariffs will go into effect at midnight tonight, really sort of sending shockwaves through the
global economy.
But you'll remember, Trump has been in pursuit of a trade deal with China for quite some time, not only in this term, but in his first term as well.
He thought he had come to some kind of agreement with Beijing, but then the coronavirus pandemic happened.
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China reneged on some of its agreements, but it's clear that he is still has his eye on trying to come up with some sort of trade pact with
President Xi Jinping. And it remains to be seen how exactly that will all pan out. It does seem as if a number of other countries are having some
more success so far, including China's neighbors in east Asia.
A delegation from Japan now coming to the U.S. to try and negotiate a deal. A delegation from South Korea, also coming after the President spoke with
that country's acting leader this morning. And what we heard from the Press Secretary is that now the President's advisors are working sort of
hurriedly to make what they call tailor-made trade deals across the board with all of these countries as they work to lower their tariff rates.
It's not clear how they're going to do that with, you know, the 100 or so countries that the President has applied these new tariffs on. They say
that they're going to prioritize American allies first. What isn't clear exactly is how you get from A to B, how you get from opening a trade deal
to lifting these tariffs?
The White House says -- not said explicitly how that will all happen. They do say that some non-economic factors will be on the table as these sides
come to these negotiations, whether it's military spending, whether it's foreign aid, whether it's U.S. troops based in various foreign countries,
all of that sort of up for discussion as the President works to bring this trade idea into reality.
And so, you know, this will be a hurried several days and several weeks for foreign leaders as they try and get in front of the President. We did learn
today that one European leader, the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, will be at the White House next week, sort of the first European leader to
get in front of the President as she works to lower rates on Italy.
HILL: You know, Kevin, you bring up such an important point. And Anna, I wonder in some of your discussions how this is being weighed by leaders.
The fact that to Kevin's point, getting from A to B, that plan is not clear. You have the President talking about not just tariffs, but non-
economic factors that could come into play, that each deal, if there is one, will be tailor-negotiated to each different country.
It raises once again the question of how much of a plan there actually is here on the part of the White House, and how much those negotiating parties
Anna, can trust what they're hearing.
STEWART: And I think European leaders and all leaders actually would probably like the answers to these questions. Yes, which nations get
preferential treatment when it comes to negotiating? The White House says that 50-plus countries at this stage are already trying to negotiate a
trade deal, and then we hear about a country like Vietnam, it's happy to lower tariffs to potentially zero in order to get some sort of trade deal.
Perhaps that's enough. We keep hearing that the U.S. is quite happy with Vietnam. However, with other countries, we hear a lot about the non-tariff
barriers and how it's not just about the tariffs, it's about the barriers, it's about the sales tax.
It's about the ban on certain agricultural products. It's about the standards and the regulations and so on, which essentially means that if
you are a leader of a country looking to negotiate a trade deal, it's very hard to know on what basis you should be negotiating, and also how to get
yourself to the top of that list in terms of the many countries that are all trying to negotiate a trade deal at the same time.
HILL: Yes, such important points, Anna, Kevin, appreciate it. Thank you both. Also joining me to discuss, the provost of King's College Cambridge
and a "Financial Times" columnist, Gillian Tett is joining me now from New York. Nice to have you here this afternoon. You know, picking off where we
just left off there with my colleagues, when we look at where things stand, Karoline Leavitt also said just a short time ago in that briefing from the
White House, quote, "the world knows it needs the United States of America".
But in some ways, does this administration risk pushing investors, businesses away by not having a concrete plan?
GILLIAN TETT, COLUMNIST, FINANCIAL TIMES: Well, there are several key points to make here. Firstly, the markets are rallying today because of a
growing hope that there will be deals cut with many countries to soften the blow of the tariffs. And although the White House is not yet saying it's
negotiating, in fact, it's rather banned the word negotiation.
It's certainly in listening mode with a number of countries. However, these tariffs have always been primarily about China. That is first and foremost
what the administration cares about. And China has indicated very strongly that it is not backing down. Now, of course, that could be bluster or
shadow-boxing. It's a bit like one of the wrestling matches that President Trump used to be so involved with, with all this kind of manufactured
aggression and shadow-boxing and things.
However, if China sticks to its position that it's not going to back down, that essentially you are sliding towards a very nasty situation because
China has a lot of things it could use against America.
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Overnight, it has already indicated that it's willing to let its currency weaken in a way that the White House will hate. It obviously has no
leverage in the treasuries market, and thus far, the White House has indicated they're not in any mood to compromise either with these dramatic
50 percent new tariffs. So, we do have the makings of a very nasty standoff.
HILL: Beijing, you know, it's our reporting as well, is really looking to, not surprisingly, project confidence in this moment. It could be an
opportunity for China, but it's also one that they need in some ways. Are you starting to see signs of that working, of this opportunity actually
being something that China could seize in this moment?
TETT: Well, both sides have strong domestic reasons for needing to appear very tough and not make any compromises right now. That doesn't mean that
there couldn't be some kind of deal further down the road. As we've seen before, very unexpected things can sometimes happen. So, it's possible
there could be a deal.
However, at the moment, China is so determined not to look as if it's losing face. And remember, in Asia, losing face is a very bad thing.
They're so determined to not lose face that they are doubling down, rather seeking a negotiation right now. So, in many ways, it's tragic what's
happening, because the reality is that America does need to save more domestically, raise its manufacturing a bit.
I mean, certainly not to the levels that some of President Trump's comments might suggest, and to get serious about tackling its own debt, China needs
to become less dominant or less -- sorry, less reliant on export-led growth, stimulate domestic demand and make a number of reforms. So, in some
ways, both sides are trying to grope towards making the reforms of their domestic economies they need to anyway. But doing it this way is very ugly
and risks a really brutal trade war.
HILL: Yes, absolutely. They're also risks in this. And you -- I know have been talking about this for some time now. President Trump has made clear
he really wants to reset the economy. And he then went on and doubled down and talked about that yesterday in his comments from the Oval Office,
talking about this being a reset.
The reality is, this is not a wholesale reset of the full U.S. economy. This is one part of it. How effective can this be, then, in terms of what
he may see as a reset?
TETT: Well, the words he actually used is, he wants an economic revolution. And he tweeted that out for the first time a couple of days ago, and it's
very significant because it shows that this is not just in his eyes about a bit of tactical brow, you know, menacing his rivals or even just making
performative gestures. He really does want to do something quite radical for the long term, for the American economy in terms of re-orientating it.
You know, one of the bitter ironies is that in some ways, he's the first President to put so much focus on the long-term reform goals and tell the
public that they need to accept some short-term pain to get there. We haven't had many Presidents do that recently. So, the issue of economic
reset of an economic revolution is very much front and center.
And the key mantra they keep trying to promote internationally is burden- sharing. That's a sort of, you know, slogan of the week, if you like, because what they're trying to do with these tariff threats are really
burden-sharing policies. And the key mantra domestically is that they want to try and revive manufacturing.
HILL: What are the chances that happens given the reality of manufacturing today? If I am talking about technology, the cost of labor, accessible
labor, in some case highly skilled labor that is needed in some of these factories. And the reality of what is left? That's a tough landscape.
TETT: It's a very tough landslide. And one of the ironies is that Howard Lutnick at one stage came out in the last few days, the Commerce Secretary,
and said that he wants that people in America to be essentially screwing in the bolts at iPhones as they are in China, in a way to communicate the
sense that he wants to bring that back, that kind of manufacturing to America again.
But he then went on and said that actually he imagined that robotics and digital technologies would be doing a lot of it inside America instead.
Now, two things to note. Firstly, his comments about screwing in -- the screws into iPhones has sparked a huge number of memes on the internet,
essentially laughing at that and saying Americans are most unlikely to accept the low wages that goes with that.
But the more important point is that, if he's thinking about having a robotics and digitized revolution industry, which is certainly how most
business people see it today, the hard reality is that, that won't be employing a lot of classic blue-collar American workers either. And so,
trying to square this circle right now is very hard.
Yes, America does have the chance to build a lot of high tech manufacturing inside its own shores in the future if it can get the trained workforce
together. But whether that actually hires many of the people who voted for Trump is another question altogether.
[14:15:00]
HILL: Yes, absolutely. Gillian, really great to have your insight, your expertise here this afternoon. Thank you.
TETT: Thank you.
HILL: Ukraine's President says he has proof Russia has no interest in ending the war in Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his troops engaged with
a group of soldiers from China who were fighting for Russia. In fact, he says, two of the Chinese nationals have been captured. His government is
reaching out to Beijing for an explanation as to why its citizens are involved in this fight. For more, let's go now to CNN's Fred Pleitgen. This
was surprising to a number of folks. Fred.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, I think it was surprising to a lot of people, you're absolutely right. And
the way the Ukrainians explained all of it or Volodymyr Zelenskyy explained it, he said that this was a combat engagement that took place in the
Ukrainian Donetsk region, that there were some Ukrainian forces who were up against six fighters, Chinese fighters.
And the Ukrainians are saying that they managed to capture two of those fighters. And this evidence that the Ukrainian President is talking about,
Volodymyr Zelenskyy actually gave some details about that. He said that this involved, for instance, these people's passports, but that it also
involved other documents and even their credit cards.
So, the Ukrainians say that they're absolutely sure that these people are Chinese people, and they also say, or Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that he
believes that there are more Chinese on the battlefield inside Ukraine. Now, there are several reasons why the Ukrainians believe that this is
extremely significant.
On the one hand, they say that these Chinese fighters, unlike the North Koreans that we've been talking about so much, who are fighting on Russian
territory, this combat engagement happened in Ukrainian territory. So, this is not the Russians beefing up their ranks inside Russia with foreign
fighters, but it's actually inside Ukrainian territory for offensive operations there.
The Ukrainians say that all of this is happening. And essentially, what the Ukrainians are telling the U.S. is that they believe that this shows that
Vladimir Putin; the Russian President, does not want a ceasefire any time soon because otherwise, why would he be beefing up his ranks inside Ukraine
for offensive operations with foreign fighters from China?
Now, there is a source that CNN has managed to contact, that says that there's no indication at this point in time that this was actually a
Chinese state deployment of fighters that took place. Of course, there have been fighters from various parts of the world who have joined the Russian
army. There have been fighters from various parts of the world that have joined the Ukrainian military as well, and fought on the frontlines.
Nevertheless, as you mentioned, the Ukrainians are saying that they want an explanation, and they're telling the Trump administration, look, right now,
especially with these negotiations that are going on right now between the Russians and the Americans, they're saying, look, all of America's main
adversaries are right now ganging up on Ukraine.
You had those North Korean fighters in the Kursk region inside Russia, North Korean artillery shells, North Korean missiles that were being used
by the Russians. You had the Chinese who the Ukrainians and the U.S. for a very long time have been accusing of giving material support to the
Russians, and then, of course, Iranian-made drones, which the U.S. and Ukraine have said have been flying around Ukraine and hitting targets
there, even though the Iranians continue to deny that.
So, right now, the Ukrainians are saying that they believe that the Trump administration should change its course that it's had so far with the Putin
administration trying to get to a ceasefire and put more pressure on the Putin administration. One of the things that we have to mention is we've
not yet heard Erica, from Beijing about all of this.
The Ukrainians say that they've summoned the charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Kyiv, and we've not yet heard from the Russians either
about what they have to say about all of this. But certainly, the Ukrainians are saying this is definitely a significant development, Erica.
HILL: Yes, it is really something, Fred, appreciate it. Thank you. Still ahead here tonight, the U.S. Supreme Court giving a boost to President
Trump's deportation plans. A closer look at that new decision. Plus, a man wrongfully deported from the United States remains in legal limbo and in
prison. We're going to take you to that notorious facility where he's being held in El Salvador.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
HILL: Happening now in the United States, an immigration hearing in a Louisiana courtroom for Mahmoud Khalil. He is the Columbia graduate student
who was arrested by federal agents last month in New York. The Trump administration is trying to deport him, but the 30-year-old green card
holder has not yet been charged with any crimes.
He's currently being detained at an ICE detention center. Khalil's lawyers say he has been targeted for organizing the pro-Palestinian rallies on
campus last year, which their attorneys say are protected by free speech. The Trump administration has been claiming without evidence that Khalil
engaged in pro-terrorist anti-Semitic activity.
Meantime, the U.S. Supreme Court is giving President Trump two wins in his deportation push. First, allowing the Trump administration to enforce the
Alien Enemies Act for now. That 18th century law has typically been used in times of war. The administration is using it to quickly deport what -- who
he -- who they say are alleged gang members.
It is notable, however, the justices did also find that anyone set to be removed under that act must also be given advance notice and the
opportunity to challenge their deportation. Meantime, in a separate finding, the court temporarily paused a Monday deadline for the U.S. to
bring back the Maryland father, who you see here, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador.
That ruling means that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who is a Salvadoran national who was deported last month, which the administration admitted it did in
error, he will remain at that mega prison in El Salvador for now. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has more on his case.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Supreme Court delivered a win for the Trump administration on Monday by allowing them to use the
Alien Enemies Act of 1798. That is a sweeping wartime authority that has only been used three times in history, most recently in World War II.
Now, this is an authority that the administration has been keen on, because it allows them to speed up deportation by wiping away the other immigration
processes that they would otherwise have to follow, or that immigrants would have available to them to fight their deportation. But the Supreme
Court said they still have to give them some level of due process by giving them adequate notice that they are going to be subject to this measure, and
then also time to challenge that deportation.
So, while the Trump administration is celebrating this and calling it a victory for them, similarly, the American Civil Liberties Union who brought
the case is saying that this is good because it adds another level, another hurdle for the administration as they execute on this authority that didn't
exist last March when there were three flights that were sent to El Salvador, and two in particular under this Alien Enemies Act that landed
Venezuelan nationals in that notorious mega prison in El Salvador.
Now, since that order has come down, there has now been a lawsuit filed in New York for two Venezuelan asylum seekers that groups say could be subject
to this Alien Enemies Act.
[14:25:00]
And they are in this lawsuit, which was filed only moments ago, blocking their removal under this authority and also blocking, they hope the
relocation of their clients to another state. Of course, this is going to kick off another legal proceeding, but it is telling as to what we may
start to see crop up across the country as people who may be subject to this authority file these suits so as to block their removal under, again,
this sweeping wartime authority.
But all the same, the Trump administration taking this as a win for now as they try to continue again, the use of the sweeping wartime authority to
speed up deportations. Back to you.
HILL: Priscilla, appreciate it. Well, the U.S. Secretary of Defense is in Panama today. Pete Hegseth is attending the Central American Security
Conference, a visit that comes, of course, after President Donald Trump said he wants the U.S. to take back the Panama Canal, and did not rule out
using military force to do so.
Despite that threat, Hegseth says Panama should actually be worried about threats from China. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, UNITED STATES: The United States of America will not allow communist China or any other country to threaten the
canal's operation or integrity. To this end, the United States and Panama have done more in recent weeks to strengthen our defense and security
cooperation than we have in decades.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Still ahead here, U.S. President Donald Trump says nuclear talks are already underway with Iran. The most anticipated meeting, though, still to
come this weekend. And then devastating accounts of systematic, deliberate destruction of Palestinian property in Gaza. Accounts from Israeli soldiers
themselves.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:23]
HILL: Donald Trump is warning of great danger to Iran if a new round of nuclear talks with the United States fails. The U.S. president making a
surprise announcement as he hosted Israel's prime minister on Monday saying direct negotiations with Iran are already underway with a, quote, "very big
meeting" coming up Saturday. Well, Iran, for its part, denies any direct talks, but said there will be indirect negotiations with U.S. officials
this weekend in Oman.
The U.S. wants Iran to abandon its nuclear program, which Tehran says is for peaceful purposes. CNN's Alex Marquardt is following all these
developments for us out of Washington. This did come as a bit of a surprise. What more do we know about what could actually be happening? Who
will be in those discussions over the weekend?
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It did come as a surprise, Erica. I think Trump got ahead of both his own team and the
Iranians in terms of making this announcement. And when I was speaking with sources last night, officials in the Trump administration didn't really
know who would represent the U.S. side.
Now, we know that it is Steve Witkoff, the Middle East envoy. He is adding the Iran file to his ever-expanding portfolio, not just the Middle East,
but he is taken on these negotiations between Russia and Ukraine as well. It is not clear who is going to be in the room with Witkoff on the American
side, but we know that he is going to be -- his counterpart is going to be the Iranian foreign minister.
Big questions though whether Witkoff and the Iranian foreign minister, Araghchi, are going to be speaking with each other directly. The U.S. side
is saying, yes, these are direct talks. The Iranian side says, no, these are indirect talks. That is an important difference because there is that
question of whether there's a mediator in between.
And the Iranians are insisting that these are indirect talks because, essentially, there is a deficit of trust because of what they see as these
bellicose statements and actions from the Trump administration so far towards Iran since Trump came back into office.
We heard from the Iranian foreign minister earlier today writing in The Washington Post, in an op-ed. I want to read a part of that because this
really does highlight the way that they are viewing the Trump administration. Foreign Minister Araghchi writing, we face a significant
wall of mistrust and harbor serious doubts about the sincerity of intentions made worse by U.S. insistence on resuming the maximum pressure
policy prior to any diplomatic interaction. To move forward today, we need first to agree that there can be no military option, Let alone a military
solution.
Now, yesterday in the Oval Office, President Trump was asked directly by an Israeli reporter about whether he would consider military action against
Iran, and this is what he said. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is the United States, under your leadership, ready to take military action to destroy the Iranian nuclear program and remove this
threat?
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I think if the talks aren't successful with Iran, I think Iran is going to be in great danger, and I hate to say it,
great danger because they can't have a nuclear weapon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, is that a yes?
TRUMP: You know, it's not a complicated formula. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. That's all there is. And if the talks aren't successful, I actually
think it'll be a very bad day for Iran, if that's the case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT: So, Erica, a very bad day for Iran is different than saying there would be a military campaign against Iran. And I think it is an
important difference, particularly given the context that it's in with Prime Minister Netanyahu right there. The prime minister, we believe, and
we've reported in the past, would like to see the U.S. sign on to a military campaign against Iran, which is at a historically weakened
position.
But what is important here, revealed in that Oval Office meeting and what we expect to unfold in the next few days, is that the U.S., the Trump
administration is indicating that it would much prefer a new nuclear deal with Iran versus a military action.
So, we are watching closely to see how this meeting on Saturday in Oman will unfold, whether it will be indirect, whether it will be direct but
what the Trump administration is making clear here is they do want to negotiate a new nuclear deal.
Now, of course, the Trump administration famously pulled out of the Obama negotiated deal back when Trump was in office the first time. How this new
deal would be different, we don't know. But the Trump administration wanting to find a deal with Iran that would prevent them from having a
nuclear program. So, we'll be watching this meeting on Saturday in Oman very closely. Erica.
HILL: Yes, absolutely. And just real quickly, you touched on this just a bit, but the -- seems to comes a little bit of surprise as well to Benjamin
Netanyahu when this announcement was made. I'm going to have to cut you off there, Alex. I'm sorry. We need to get to David Culver, who's in El
Salvador. Thank you as always.
[14:35:00]
So, as I noted, my colleague David Culver is in El Salvador following this developing story. CNN is now the first U.S. broadcaster to gain access to
that notorious mega-prison in El Salvador since the U.S. Supreme Court handed the Trump administration a victory there involving the Alien Enemies
Act. David Culver has just been back inside that prison and joins us now live.
David, of course, you were inside that prison at the end of 2024. I believe David knows that we are with him. We're having some communications issues.
But, David, if you can hear me, let us know what you found, what you've learned since returning there.
So, we may have a bit of a communication issue as we work to --
DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, this is possibly one of the most tightly controlled, if not most controlled and
controversial prison in the world that we just visited for a second time. I'm talking about CECOT, that's the terrorism confinement center here in El
Salvador.
Several miles that way in mountainous terrain, nestled about an hour and a half outside the capital city here in El Salvador. And it's meant to be in
that location so that it essentially stands as a fortress and kept away from the rest of the populated areas here in the greater capital area.
I'm going to take you around to the side of the car. We stopped on the side of the road because it's very challenging to be able to get cell signal for
one, because they jammed the signal in the immediate surrounding area. And to find a space like this, which is quite literally on the side of the
road, but it's the first time that we can actually give you a sense of what we saw inside.
Now, why is CECOT so important? Why is it making headlines right now? This is the prison, that's a mega-prison, a massive facility. It's equated to
roughly seven football stadiums that is now holding deportees from the United States. Among them, some 238 suspected Tren de Argua gang members,
and then another 23 or so suspected MS-13 gang members all deported last month under the Trump administration's plans to strike this deal with the
government of El Salvador and the president here, Nayib Bukele, to be able to house some of these deportees who they deemed to be very dangerous
criminals. Hence, why they're at what is a supermax facility, one that is seemingly impenetrable. One that not only they have some thousand guards,
but they have three rings around it. You can't go anywhere near it with any hope of keeping cell signal, let alone they have a sprawling landscape
around it that has soldiers roaming the fields and keeping an eye on all vehicles approaching.
So, obviously, we're on an authorized government visit. The first time we were there was late last year, and that gave us our first insight as to
what it's like inside this facility coming face to face with some of these individuals who the Salvadorian government considers to be the worst of the
worst.
This time, the reason we wanted to go back in was to see what sense of any changes we might be able to detect, and we were hoping to get a bit closer
to those deportees from the United States. Candidly, they told us multiple times that as we were there, you can't go near this sector. Think of an
airplane like hangar that has those deportees, but rather, they took us into another sector to show us what is continuing to go on.
And what's different, I will say, is an increased prison population. Let me just show you some of these images. It's going to be rough, but this is an
edit we're working to put together right now. And, guys, just back in the control room so, you know, I'm hearing myself a little bit of mixed minus
there. But I want to give you a sense -- I won't change it too much because there's glare as we give this look to you in the back of the truck.
But you can see some of what we saw inside this one sector. And these are prisoners who are part of what they call an extrication from the cell. This
is what they label it as. And they bring them out and they line them up and then they eventually will go in and inspect the cell. And they do this at
random times just to make sure there's no contraband.
It's tough to see how anything, but through maybe guards who are also searched heavily before going into this facility could actually get inside
the prison. But nonetheless, they continue with this type of searches.
So, that gives you an idea of -- and then, we've seen some of these images before. I mean, if you've seen anything on psychotic (ph), including our
past coverage, you see some of these images of just how disciplined and controlled it is and the word that even officials at the prison will use is
harsh, and they accept that. But they say that the reason these individuals are treated this way with this level of control is because as they see it,
it matches the brutality that existed in this country for so many years.
[14:40:00]
And it's something that, as we step outside the prison walls, you have people who will tell you, we look at that prison and we see freedom. We
feel as though it's restored our security. So, it's interesting to take that into your mind as you are kind of conceptualizing how this is in
existence and why it's to the levels it is.
One other thing. Now, this stood out to us, was the numbers. So, you saw there, there were probably groups of 10. And you had at least 10 of those,
so about a hundred plus per jumbo cell. Now, when we were here late last year, we were talking about 80 or so of these inmates who are inside these
cells. Now, the population has increased.
The entire prison has a potential to hold up to 40,000 inmates. Now, when I was speaking with the prison director, he doesn't give an exact number. And
late last year he said maybe between, you could say 10,000 and 20,000. Now, he says they're getting closer to that 40,000 number. And he said most of
those are recent arrests from right here in El Salvador. That doesn't necessarily take into consideration the deportees.
One other thing I want to show you here. Arelio (ph), you can push in. This is something that comes up a lot. We hear about due process or lack
thereof. We were told. That they have the opportunity to attend virtual court hearings. I said, I would like to see that they said, OK, well, we
can see if there's any in session. There happened to be three in these rooms that are also within that sector, because they never leave the
sector. And they showed us some of these virtual court hearings that were underway, and this is what they argue is part of the due process that they
offer these inmates.
There were also medical checks going on at the same time. They stress -- and they're really trying to push back against the criticism that they've
had internationally that this is a stripping of all rights and that nobody has the opportunity to challenge their cases.
But one thing that was also clarified to me, because we hear it, this is me going into yet another of these virtual hearing rooms, but you hear it a
lot, that CECOT is a place that once you go in, you never go out. And I asked the prison director about that, because last time I was here, that
was something that he acknowledged. That's how they see it. They see it almost as a life sentence, even though sentences are only up to 60 years
here in El Salvador. He says, what we were seeing in those virtual hearings were additional crimes that these individuals were being tried for. And so,
that's where they stack the sentences and a couple of the people, we met had 400 plus year, 600 plus year sentences. And so, that's why he says it's
a place that for those individuals is one that you never leave once you enter.
But he left it a bit open, and I thought that was interesting because as you think about these deportees, and obviously you have people like Kilmar
Abrego Garcia, who the U.S. deported under the Trump administration here, there's been a push to try to have him returned because the administration
even admitted it was an administrative error. But he, for now, is staying here. He was in the CECOT facility that we were just visiting. But for now,
he won't be returned.
And so, it brings open the question of if they're no longer holding strong, two, once you enter, you never leave, perhaps then there's some room that
potentially some of these individuals will eventually leave CECOT.
HILL: Incredible reporting from David Culver there again. He had just left that notorious CECOT Prison in El Salvador where the United States has
deported a number of what it says are alleged gang members.
Stay with CNN. Much more to come on the other side of this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:00]
HILL: At least 44 people are dead after a nightclub roof collapsed in the Dominican Republic. The ceiling at the Jet Set Club in San Domingo caved in
around 1:00 a.m. local time. More than 100 people are injured, and there is still a desperate search for survivors underway. A popular merengue artist
was performing at the time. The club is said to be one of the Caribbean nation's most famous venues.
As we continue to follow that story, we are also learning more about what is happening with some of these talks we told you about, I believe we have
more on that. We were just talking, of course, with Alex Marquardt. So, about these talks between the U.S. and Iran, well, to follow up on part of
what Alex and I were discussing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, if Iran drags out the nuclear talks with the United States, then a
military option must be on the table. Releasing this video statement following his visit with President Trump.
Two sources telling CNN the announcement of the U.S.-Iranian talks are certainly not to Israel's liking. Mr. Netanyahu also left Washington
without a commitment from President Trump to remove the new 17 percent U.S. tariffs on Israel. They did, however, find common ground on Gaza,
encouraging the displacement of Palestinians from their homeland. Mr. Trump calls this -- the enclave, quote, "an incredibly -- an incredible piece of
important real estate."
Even as the future of Gaza remains uncertain Israeli troops, we're learning, have been destroying Palestinian homes, factories, and farmland
near the Israeli border to create a so-called buffer zone. And now, some soldiers are revealing how those areas were leveled and cleared of
buildings, but also of people. Our Jeremy Diamond has more of those details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Inside Gaza, swaths of land closest to the Israeli border have been turned into a
wasteland. Nearly every building within about a half a mile of the border fence has been destroyed. We filmed this footage a year ago while
demolitions were still ongoing.
Over time, the Israeli military has raised about 22 square miles of Palestinian land, creating a buffer zone on about 16 percent of Gaza's
territory. It is a no-go zone for Palestinians, some of whom have been killed after setting foot inside the unmarked perimeter.
Now, for the first time, an Israeli soldier sat down with us to describe how the military systematically destroyed civilian infrastructure to create
this buffer zone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of them, the buildings were destroyed completely, and some are still standing. And our job was to make more of the first
kind.
DIAMOND: But the fact that there were still buildings standing meant that the mission wasn't done?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. And we destroyed them one by one in a very methodical fashion, area by area.
DIAMOND (voice-over): A sergeant first class in the Fifth Infantry Brigade. He was called up to reserve duty on October 7th and was later deployed here
in the industrial zone of Gaza City's Shuja'iyya neighborhood, protecting combat engineers as they bulldoze buildings and rigged others to explode.
We've blurred his face and changed his voice because he risks reprisals for speaking out about a policy the Israeli military has never officially
acknowledged.
DIAMOND: Was it clear to you that this was not the actions of one commander or one unit?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh definitely. Definitely. I know other units were doing the same up north and then down south. I knew it came from up high.
DIAMOND: What did they tell you about the mission to raise these buildings and establish this security zone?
[14:50:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, was that as a lesson from October 7th. We are going to have a larger buffer zone, larger than before. And the other was that on
October 7th, this industrial zone was used as a launching ground.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Over the course of the war, this one-time economic hub was flattened. This video, which CNN geolocated shows the destruction
of Gaza's only Coca-Cola factory. But it's not just factories, in the town of Khuza'a, hundreds of homes were leveled with a clear zone of destruction
spanning about one kilometer from the border.
Residential buildings, greenhouses, sheds, factories, you name it, it needs to be flat. That's the order. A sergeant major who served in Khuza'a said.
Except for the UNRWA school in that small water facility, the directive was nothing left.
He is one of a dozen Israeli soldiers who described the demolitions and enforcement of the buffer zone to breaking the silence. An Israeli watchdog
group that verifies and publishes soldiers' testimonials. Some also described how the buffer zone has been turned into a kill zone for
Palestinians.
A sergeant first class in the armored corps described the rules of engagement. Adult male kill, shoot to kill. For women and children, shoot
to drive away. People were incriminated for having bags in their hands. A warrant officer in the IDF said guy showed up with a bag, incriminated
terrorists, I believe they came to pick hubeiza, an edible plant. But the army says, no, they're hiding. Boom.
JANINA DILL, CO-DIRECTOR, OXFORD INSTITUTE FOR ETHICS, LAW AND ARMED CONFLICT: A kill zone is, in essence, the announcement of a party to the
war that they won't take feasible precautions, that they won't verify the status of an individual before attacking them. And that definitely violates
international laws.
DIAMOND: Is this kind of widespread destruction of civilian property to create a buffer zone legal under international law?
DILL: It needs to be a legitimate military objective and operational objective, and the only way to achieve it would be to destroy the civilian
property. At that scale, that's simply not quite plausible. If there's no military necessities, then that fulfills the criteria for a war crime.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The Israeli military did not respond to CNN's request for comments. More than 6,200 Palestinian buildings have been damaged or
destroyed within one kilometer of the Gaza border, according to satellite analysis, including here in Al Bureij, where homes and acres of farmland
were destroyed.
For 40 years, Abdulaziz al Nabahin (ph) grew olives, oranges, and guavas on that land, but that has all been ripped away from him.
When they announced the 40-day truce, we went back. We found the house destroyed. The trees were bulldozed. But he has lost so much more.
Abdulaziz (ph) says his son Mahmud (ph) went to collect firewood near their home when he was shelled by an Israeli tank and killed. The Israeli
military did not respond to CNN's request for comments.
They knew they were only collecting wood, not resisting or fighting, just a cart with wood clearly visible. Still, they were targeted. The Israelis did
this intentionally.
Even now, he says they will kill anyone who goes there.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN. Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Still to come tonight, Jurassic Bark. OK. Not exactly. But scientists do say they've managed to bring back to life a long extinct species of
wolf. We'll explain how.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:55:00]
HILL: Well, a scientific breakthrough that really has a lot of people sitting up today. Take a look and a listen.
Those tiny howls made by 12 and a half -- there were some 12,500 years in the making. A biotech company, Colossal Biosciences, is hailing the world's
first de-extincted animal saying it has basically all but resurrected the long extinct dire wolf. The hybrid animals were created by taking DNA from
fossils that are tens of thousands of years old then combining that with the genes of a gray wolf, which is the dire wolf's closest living relative.
Maybe the dire wolf sounds familiar if you're a "Game of Thrones" fan. It was, of course, one of the number of fantastical animals, rather, featured
on the HBO show. HBO, of course, is a part of the same company as CNN, Warner Brothers Discovery.
If you are wondering though, we are told there are no plans to bring dragons to life. So, that should make you feel a little bit better.
Colossal Biosciences though says it is working on a mammoth. Listen, the dire wolves are cute. I feel like there's a strong chance this could go off
the rails. But, you know, we'll see. Watch this space.
Thanks so much for joining me here tonight. I'm Erica Hill in for Isa Soares. Be sure to stay with CNN. Newsroom with Richard Quest is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
