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Isa Soares Tonight
Bukele Says He Can't Return Abrego Garcia; Deepening Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza; Israel Blocks All Humanitarian Aid into Gaza; Meta Antitrust Trial; Blue Origin Sends All-Female Crew to Space. Aired 2:00-3p ET
Aired April 14, 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]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, U.S. President Donald Trump once again
blames Ukraine for Russia's invasion as dozens are killed by Russian strikes on a church. Plus, the so-called world's coolest dictator welcomed
to the White House as President Trump suggests deporting U.S. citizens, we have the very latest for you on that.
And confusion reigns over tariffs as China tries to capitalize on the chaos, we'll tell you what's in and what is out. But first, this evening,
U.S. President Donald Trump is once again casting blame on Ukraine after Russian missiles ripped through the city of Sumy over the weekend.
Ukrainian officials say Russia targeted the busy center of Sumy as people gathered for Palm Sunday church services.
This marks the deadliest single attack on Ukrainian civilians since 2023, killing at least 34 people, and that includes children. And it comes just
days -- we were trying to tell you about this on Friday after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an attempt to
speed up peace talks.
While Mr. Trump called the Sumy missile strike a, quote, "mistake". Earlier today, he offered up this fresh criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy. If you missed it, here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Listen, when you start a war, you've 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)
SOARES: Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy is inviting his American counterpart to visit Ukraine. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE: We want you to come, and I think to come and to see. You think you understand what's going on here, OK, we
respect your position, you understand? But please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of formats of negotiations, come to see people,
civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's get more on this story, Alex Marquardt is following all the developments for us. And Alex, this was, as we were just saying in Sumy,
the deadliest attack so far this year on Ukraine. President Trump calling this a mistake. Just add some context to those comments because he has been
speaking about this in the last, what? An hour and a half or so?
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: This really is quite a stunning, Isa, for this deadliest attack since 2023, 30-plus people
killed, over 100 injured to come just two days after Trump's top foreign envoy released. Steve Witkoff went to Saint Petersburg and met for more
than four hours with Putin, ostensibly, to discuss an end to the war.
That same day, though, Witkoff was meeting with Putin, we heard from Trump posting online to Russia to tell them to get moving. The frustration was
already building from the Trump administration towards the Russians, who are getting increasingly uncertain that Russia actually wants to work
towards a peace deal.
And of course, this is something that the Ukrainians and the Europeans have been shouting about. But certainly, this is going to add to that
frustration on the Trump side. But for now, it does appear that Trump is giving them the benefit of the doubt, saying that this may have been a
mistake, that they're looking into it.
But you are hearing harsher criticism from those around Trump, like the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who called it a horrific attack, and the
Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, who tweeted that this crosses any line of decency. And I think now, the big question, Isa, is going to be whether
those around Trump, who clearly see what is going on here with Russia dragging their feet at best and really at worst, not wanting any kind of
deal, whether they can actually get through to Trump.
And we heard the sharp criticism from President Zelenskyy over the weekend in that "60 Minutes" interview, essentially saying that the Russian
narrative is prevailing here in the United States, that there are a lot of American officials who are agreeing with this Russian narrative that Russia
was provoked, and that they didn't start the war, that, in fact, that it was -- that Ukraine who caused this war to begin.
[14:05:00]
And that's what we heard from Trump again today. And Zelenskyy actually singled out Vice President J.D. Vance, with whom, of course, he had gotten
into that shouting match in the Oval Office several weeks ago. Here's a little bit more of what Zelenskyy had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENSKYY: I don't want to engage in the altered reality that is being presented to me. First and foremost, we did not launch an attack to start
the war. It seems to me that the Vice President is somehow justifying Putin's actions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT: So, Zelenskyy there talking about the altered reality. I think that soundbite begs the question of whether Zelenskyy will re-ignite that
feud with the Trump administration. But really, the overarching question here, Isa, is with this latest attack in Sumy with no perceptible progress
on the ceasefire, let alone an eventual peace deal in Ukraine.
Will President Trump come around to the realization that perhaps President Putin's timeline for an end to the war in Ukraine is different than his
own. Isa?
SOARES: Yes, and it will be interesting to see, we've seen the international condemnation already being pretty swift on this attack in
Sumy. But Trump did say on Friday, this -- he said this on social media, Alex, that Russia had to get moving, but obviously providing no deadlines,
no specific consequences. Is there a sense of frustration from within this administration as to how Putin is handling this, the delaying tactics? What
are you hearing on that front?
MARQUARDT: Absolutely, and it's frustration. It was frustration before this Sumy attack. Remember President Putin said recently that he was pissed
off -- sorry, President Trump said that he was pissed off when he spoke with President Putin on the phone recently. And I think this Sumy attack is
really just going to add to it.
I was recently at the NATO ministerial conference of Foreign Ministers, and Marco Rubio said that very clearly, that in the coming weeks, he said it
had to be weeks, not months. Russia had to show that they were interested in some kind of peace deal, that the U.S. is not interested in negotiations
about negotiations. Of course, we've had several rounds of talks so far.
The U.S. and Ukraine had agreed to a blanket ceasefire across the frontline about a month ago. Russia did not agree to that. Russia has tried to get at
-- basically tried to get to an incremental ceasefire, adding conditions that need to be applied and sanctions that need to be removed. So, the U.S.
is realizing that they are making very little progress on the Russian side.
They are not quite ready to give up. They insist they want to end this war, but they are realizing that Russia is going very slowly. But when is the
breaking point? When Trump finally gives up and starts to punish Russia instead to try to --
SOARES: Yes --
MARQUARDT: Get them on board. Isa?
SOARES: That is the key question, Alex, appreciate you stepping in, thank you very much indeed. Let's get more on this. Joining me now is the
Estonian Finance Minister Jurgen Ligi, his country has pledged to raise defense spending to 5 percent of its GDP. But he says Europe must also
invest in training so it can defend itself collectively.
And this is something that I've been hearing from many ministers here on the European ministers here on the show. Minister, thank you very much for
joining us. Let me just pick up where really my colleague just left off. We were talking about this ballistic missile attack in Sumy that ripped
through Sumy. President Trump, as you heard my correspondent saying there, said that this was a mistake, that Russia made a mistake. What do you make
of those comments?
JURGEN LIGI, FINANCE MINISTER, ESTONIA: Sure, it was a mistake, but it was made for purpose. It was not just accidental, it was targeted. Russia is
targeting civil objects, maximizing the number of casualties using caustic bombs. So, it was the purpose, though, mistake, of course, in morally --
moral terms.
SOARES: And this, you know, meantime, we have been waiting for any sort of negotiations to -- for Russia to sign up to the ceasefire negotiation is
been what? Two months, almost two months since President Zelenskyy agreed to the ceasefire. Why is Russia, do you say -- would you say, Minister,
dragging its feet? What game are they playing other than playing with people's lives here?
LIGI: Well, they are interested in enlargement of their territory and then their influence in the world. And there are no other reasons. And of
course, talking about negotiations, it can't be over Ukraine without participation of themselves. And the mediator actually should understand, I
believe that Ukraine should win this war because this is a war of -- empire of evil, and the free world.
[14:10:00]
This is a battle between civilizations, not just between, Russia and Ukraine, and the aggressor is clear. There is no like equal partners. One
is aggressor, other is the victim.
SOARES: I'm not sure whether you heard, Minister, President Zelenskyy was speaking to "CBS News", "60 Minutes", I should say, this week, and he said
that Russian narratives, were his words, are prevailing in the U.S. Does this worry you? Do you think that President Trump believes -- well,
believes that -- he that -- Putin wants peace. He said he thinks that Putin wants peace.
LIGI: We are really very much worried about those influences of Russian narratives. I can't deny we have been battling with it before how Russia is
talking about, for example, some core reasons of this war. They think they have the right to be immoral and not the normal straight state. They do not
see other nations to have the right to have independence and freedom. And they, of course, do not know what freedom is themselves.
SOARES: Let me -- let me ask you. You're the Finance Minister of Estonia. I think it's important that I get really your reaction to this tariff
roller-coaster that we have been seeing now right across the board. Europe has this 90-day reprieve. You've called these tariffs irrational, Minister.
What impact -- I know Europe is now -- you know, on negotiations for 19 days or so, what impact do you think these tariffs will have in your
country? And what are you hearing in terms of negotiations and how they're going so far with the United States?
LIGI: The influence for us is catastrophic, not economically, because this influence is up to 0.5 percent of the GDP. But the main problem is the
moral influence. So, we used to have America as an ally, you probably can't see, but there is a picture behind me, may I try -- no, I can't show it,
about me and Minister Rumsfeld in Pentagon.
We used to be great allies and friends. Estonia fought for America, not for ourselves. We never used the words Estonia first. We always talk about
common interests, about allies, about friendship, and we had very good meetings with Donald Rumsfeld in Pentagon as well, because we had the same
ratio of casualties per population, 7 per million as America had.
We now spend on defense more than America does. But we are -- we are called as I heard, like, freeloaders or something. No, we are defending ourselves,
but we can't choose our size. We can't choose our neighbors, but we have chosen our allies, Isa, and we have chosen America.
SOARES: Finance Minister, really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us, thank you very much, sir, calling us there from Tallinn --
LIGI: Thank you --
SOARES: In Estonia. Thank you sir. Now staying actually with tariffs and confusion still very much reigning over clarity as economies and markets
across the globe brace for what comes next on U.S. tariffs as you heard there from the Finance Minister. President Donald Trump is once again
promising new tariffs on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, raising fears that prescription drugs, mobile phones, even laptops could soon soar in
price. Here's what he said earlier just -- the White House. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We don't make our own drugs, our own pharmaceuticals. We don't make our own drugs anymore. The drug companies are in Ireland and they're in
lots of other places, China. And all I have to do is impose a tariff, the more, the faster they move in, the higher the tariff, it's very simple,
it's inversely proportional. The higher the tariff, the faster they come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Right, that's what we heard today. But late Friday, the Trump administration announced a tariff exemption on some electronics, including
smartphones as well as computers. And then over the weekend, the President vowed that nobody is getting off the hook. And that includes China, which
is trying to capitalize on the chaos caused by U.S. tariffs.
Chinese President Xi, as you can see there, kicking off a diplomatic tour of southeast Asia in Vietnam.
[14:15:00]
The two nations are expected to sign about 40 trade agreements. All of this as the European Union's trade chief visits Washington today for talks with
U.S. officials. This was what I was talking to the Estonian Finance Minister about. Let's get more context on all of this. Our Vanessa
Yurkevich is in New York for us. But let's begin first at the White House with CNN's Alayna Treene.
Alayna, I'm not sure about you, but my head is spinning because every single day it seems like we're getting a new line, a different -- a
different take on this. You know, I'm looking at the markets very clearly on the left side, I'm seeing green arrows around the board, but there's
still plenty of volatility, plenty of anxiety. And these comments by the President really just add to this. How reflect -- how is this reflected in
his approval ratings. Just talk us through that.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, if you want to start with his approval ratings, I'll say this. When you look at the President's handling
of the economy, our new "CBS"-YouGov poll shows that his handling of the economy, or I should say, Americans disapprove more now of his handling of
economy than they did just a month ago.
Just to get into those numbers briefly, about 44 percent of Americans now approve of his handling of the economy. That's compared to 56 percent who
disapprove. Now, if you look at those numbers in early March, on March 2nd, that was 51 percent of people approved of his handling of the economy and
49 percent disapproved.
If you get into just the focus on his overall job rating, it's a similar movement where you have 53 percent of people disapprove of his handling of
his job right now. And if you look a bit back in February, those numbers were switched. It was 53 percent approve, 47 percent disapproved. All to
say these numbers are not moving, Isa, in the direction that the White House wants them to.
But just to get into your question of this uncertainty and confusion, I think we are kicking off another week of very high volatility and economic
uncertainty because of what Donald Trump and his top economic advisors had said over the weekend. First of all, just to get into it a little bit on
Friday, you mentioned this, but the White House put out what they labeled a, quote, "clarification of exemptions".
Essentially, revealed that some electronics, consumer electronics that were being tariffed in their tariffs on China, were actually going to be exempt.
But then over the weekend, we heard a number of his top advisors and the President himself say that, that reprieve was only temporary, because in
the coming days, he is planning to announce new tariffs on the semiconductor industry.
All to say, people are asking, will there be still some exemptions for some of these electronic goods? Like you announced on Friday. And we got very
much mixed messaging. Some people said there weren't an exemption. They were just tariffs being placed in a new bucket. Now, they'll be considered
as a semiconductor of national security type of tariff.
Others were saying they could still be exempt. And then you had the President also on Air Force One last night telling reporters, you know, I'm
open to flexibility. So, I think that's really the key here, is that there is so much confusion, and they're still kind of working through. I know in
my conversations with top White House and Trump administration officials, they're still working through what the exact details of this plan will look
like.
But what is clear is that the President, despite that pause last week, that 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs on essentially all countries but China,
despite all that, he is still pushing ahead with this broader tariff plan. And what you heard the President say today in the Oval Office, and that he
still believes that tariff is a beautiful word, that it's a beautiful tool for the United States to use, despite, again, all of this uncertainty and
economic volatility we've seen because of those tariff policies.
SOARES: Yes, indeed, stay with us. Let me go to Vanessa. Vanessa, help us make sense of this. I mean, forget even being a viewer, let alone being a
business leader, trying to make decisions for your -- for your company. Talk us through then the tariff exemptions and what we've heard today from
President Trump talking about semiconductors and pharmaceuticals.
I had a conversation with the Finance Minister of Ireland just on Friday, who was incredibly worried about pharmaceuticals and how that would impact
his country.
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Certainly, and I also want to bring to the conversation what the President said about autos
in particular --
SOARES: Yes --
YURKEVICH: He said that he was looking at possibly exemptions for the auto industry on foreign car imports, those are set to hit on May 3rd, and we
know that here in the United States, there's no such thing as an all- American car. Many of the big three companies, Stellantis, Ford and General Motors, they all build cars using foreign car parts.
And we know that those big three automakers have been in conversations with the White House about just how detrimental this would be, not just to the
car companies, but to the American consumer, because that ultimately gets passed down to the American consumer. That extra price, that extra expense.
And I was watching stocks, actually as the President was speaking, and you saw General Motors, Ford and Stellantis' stocks all pop when he talked
about possibly putting those exemptions in place. Listen to exactly how he put it just a short time ago.
[14:20:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: 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.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about any Apple products and other cell phones?
TRUMP: Look, I'm a very flexible person. I don't change my mind, but I'm flexible, and you have to be. You just can't have a wall, and you'll only
go -- no, sometimes you have to go around it, under it or above it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YURKEVICH: And the President there also went on to say that he's in conversations with Apple's CEO, talking to the major iPhone manufacturer
about what tariffs would look like on electronics. As Alayna really pointed out to us, there was a reversal and maybe a clarification, but a change in
terms of what types of electronics were going to be tariffed.
Now, companies are trying to understand what is going to be happening with semiconductors. This is so important because everything from your cellphone
to the television or computer that someone might be watching your show on, Isa, all made with semiconductors, including cars. Cars are made with
semiconductors.
These chips are so critical to everyone around the world, and the U.S. in particular imports a lot of semiconductors from Taiwan, from China. And
now, while some electronics are not going to be tariffed at those high rates of 145 percent in China, what is that semiconductor tariff going to
look like? When is that going to go into place?
And ultimately, the big question is what does that mean for the American consumer? Because Isa, when we were talking about tariffs on iPhones, just
the general product, some economists were estimating that it could cost American consumers up to $3,000 for an iPhone. The semiconductor is an
important part of that. So, what does that ultimately mean for our bottom line? Isa --
SOARES: Yes, absolutely, it's eye-watering when you put that into context for us. Vanessa, thank you very much. Alayna Treene, thank you, ladies, as
always, appreciate it. Now, we are tracking breaking news out of California where an earthquake has struck near San Diego. This is what we are learning
this hour.
The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.2, and aftershocks have been reported. The area is home, as you all know to millions of people in
several major military bases. Details are still coming in about this quake. And of course, we'll bring you more as we get them. But experts say, hit
around 10:08 near Julian in California preceded by -- and the quake was preceded by 3.3 magnitude foreshock just before 4:00 p.m.
So, we've got more. We're getting more details, soon as we have more, of course, we will bring that to you. And still to come, tonight, the
President of El Salvador visits the White House, where Nayib Bukele says about returning wrongfully-deported man Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S.,
that's coming up. And then later, Israel's Defense Minister says troops are, in his words, cutting Gaza into parts, capturing more land as they
force hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: Welcome back. El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele says he does not have the power to return a man who was mistakenly reported -- deported,
I should say, to his country by the United States. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was sent to a Salvadoran prison built to house terrorists and gang members last
month, despite not being convicted of a crime.
The Trump administration concedes it was an administrative error. Bukele, as you see there, met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House
just earlier today. The self-styled world's coolest dictator called Mr. Trump's border efforts remarkable and expressed eagerness to help. But both
sides passed the buck when it comes to returning Garcia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAM BONDI, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: It was a paperwork. It was additional paperwork that needed to be done. That's up to El Salvador if they want to
return him. That's not up to us. The Supreme Court ruled, President, that if, as El Salvador, wants to return him, this is international matters,
foreign affairs. If they wanted to return him, we would facilitate it, meaning provide a plane.
NAYIB BUKELE, PRESIDENT, EL SALVADOR: How can I return him to the United States? It's like I smuggle him into the United States or what do I do? Of
course, I'm not going to do it. It's like -- I mean, the question is preposterous. How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? I don't
have the power to return him to the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Each side passing a buck. CNN's chief U.S. national affairs correspondent, Jeff Zeleny and Priscilla Alvarez joins me now from
Washington. Let me start, Priscilla, for now, because I think it's interesting because we have been focused on -- and Priscilla, you and I
have spoken just, you know, last week, pretty much every day last week about this court case, the huge court fight over this Maryland man who was
being mistakenly deported to El Salvador.
And it seems from the little clip we played, both sides just passing the buck, it seems they're not going -- not returning him to the United States.
Which begs the question, did either of them -- neither of them actually wanted to do that. Talk us through what each side said.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's interesting over the course of this case, federal judges have said that there was a lack of
desire that was being shown by the United States in each of their filings about retrieving Abrego Garcia after the administration conceded in a court
filing that they had mistakenly deported him because of an administrative error.
Now, over the course of that Oval Office meeting, some of that came to light. You heard there from the Attorney General saying essentially that it
was up to El Salvador, whether or not Abrego Garcia would be returned to the United States. And when describing what facilitating looks like, she
said that would be, for example, sending a plane.
But then when Abrego Garcia -- I'm sorry, when the President of El Salvador was asked about this by our colleague, he said that he doesn't have the
power to send him back, and that doing so would essentially be like smuggling him back into the United States. So, there was a bit of a
disregard of -- to -- how two governments would work together to retrieve someone who, again, the administration has acknowledged they mistakenly
sent to El Salvador.
So, if you took it all in, essentially both Presidents are saying that Abrego Garcia won't be returned to the United States, despite, again, all
of this originating from that admission, from administration officials in court filings. Now, there will be a court hearing tomorrow before the
federal judge where this all began. And we'll see what arguments the Justice Department brings there.
But they're likely to be very similar to all the statements that were made by senior Trump officials over the course of the day today, which is
essentially that this is a foreign policy matter that the Supreme Court did place an emphasis on deference to foreign relations. They have been leaning
on that language and decision by the Supreme Court to essentially say that no lower courts can force them to bring someone back.
Of course, the President himself has said that he would respect the Supreme Court if they told him to bring this man back. But the key to all of this,
especially with the Supreme Court decision has been that the Supreme Court said to facilitate the return, it did not require his return. The quibbling
in the Oval Office is over the facilitating.
But what they were both essentially saying, both being U.S. officials and there, the Salvadoran President is essentially, nobody has the power over
this man who is in this notorious mega prison in El Salvador. And if you just zoom out a little bit, the other part of this is that the President,
President Trump was saying that he wants to send more immigrants --
SOARES: Yes --
ALVAREZ: To that prison, that he also would consider sending U.S. citizens.
So, if you take this all together, that raises some major questions in the eyes of legal experts and immigration attorneys who say, what if someone
else is accidentally sent there? What then? Because given this case alone, they are showing no willingness to bring him back.
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Yes, and I had a lawyer on my show who also made the case that one of her clients was mistakenly sent there. So --
and she only found out, and her family found out when they saw him on TV. But that leads me to Jeff. And, Jeff, you know, when Bukele was asked that
question, would you send him back? You know his answer led to a not a smile from President Trump. And you just saw in that reaction how chummy both
leaders were.
Clearly, Bukele knows President Trump well, is -- you know, speaks his language. Speak to that, but also, to that -- those remarks that Priscilla
was just making, worrying remarks from the U.S. president that he wants to potentially deport homegrown criminals to El Salvador.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Isa, you can hardly imagine a friendlier environment or welcome there for President
Bukele. Certainly, a far different reception than some other world leaders have received in that very hot seat, if you will, in the Oval Office. But
very friendly and chummy because President Bukele is providing the Trump administration exactly what it wants to carry out its immigration plan.
But interestingly, today, the U.S. president, Donald Trump, talking about homegrown criminals. He said, of course, who would be U.S. citizens, he
said, should also find a place in Bukele's prison.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I'd like to go a step further. I mean, I say -- I said it to Pam. I don't know 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)
ZELENY: Look, the president was largely elected on his immigration platform and getting tough on crime. This is a whole another matter,
sending homegrown criminals, in his words, or U.S. citizens, if you will, outside of the United States to be an incarcerated.
But, certainly, it's one more example of the business relationship that has really flourished between these two countries. The U.S. is paying millions
and millions of dollars to El Salvador to house prisoners. And that certainly was something that brought smiles to both of their faces today,
never mind how controversial the policies are. Isa.
SOARES: Indeed. Jeff Zeleny and Priscilla Alvarez, thank you very much to you both. A busy hour right now. And we have some news coming in to us.
Harvard University is rejecting the Trump administration's demands for policy changes at the school, putting nearly $9 billion worth of federal
funding at risk. The university received a letter from a federal task force last week outlining demands for policy changes.
In a statement, the university's president said, quote, "We have informed the administration that we will not accept their proposed agreement. The
university will not negotiate over its independence or its constitutional rights." We are following this development story. Of course, as any more
developments come, we will bring that to your attention.
Still to come though tonight, a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Civilians are growing more desperate by the day as no aid it has been
allowed in for six weeks and counting. We'll bring you that story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:35:00]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Relentless displacement, endless atrocities, and a daily fight for survival. That's how the U.N. Human
Rights Office sums up the situation in Gaza's. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are forced to relocate yet again into ever shrinking pockets
of land.
Israeli troops are extending ground operations deep into Gaza, taking more land for what they call security zones. The U.N. says more than two-thirds
of Gaza is either under active displacement orders or designated as no go areas. Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, says -- is blunt really
about the mission saying there are cutting Gaza into parts, making it smaller and more isolated as they try to force Hamas into freeing the
remaining hostages. The IDF says the ruins of Rafah, once, of course, a major city bordering Egypt, had now been completely encircled.
And no humanitarian aid has been allowed into Gaza for six weeks and counting. For so many families, food, water, shelter, pretty much the
basics of survival are far beyond their reach. And that could be part of the strategy, making life so unbearable for Palestinian civilians that they
finally agreed to leave. Katz acknowledged that Israel's working to advance Donald Trump's plan to empty Gaza and redevelop the land.
Well, Israel's also escalated airstrikes killing more than 1,500 people in Gaza since the ceasefire and hostage deal collapsed, if you remember, last
month. On Sunday, a critical hospital in Gaza City came under fire. Our Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem with the very latest for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, what was the last remaining fully functioning hospital in Northern Gaza has now been put out
of service by that Israeli airstrike on Sunday at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City.
This is a hospital that once served about a thousand patients a day with a bustling emergency room that has only become busier as Israeli attacks have
ramped up in Gaza, but now, only a few dozen patients are still being treated in that hospital, and the hospital isn't able to provide any
emergency services whatsoever.
The Israeli military carried out an airstrike on this hospital on Sunday after giving about a 20-minute warning to that hospital. A boy with a head
injury who was evacuated in those 20 minutes actually died in that rushed evacuation process. We know of no other casualties as a result of that
strike.
The Israeli military said it carried out this strike because there was a command-and-control center, a Hamas command-and-control center at this
hospital, but they've provided no evidence to back up that claim. And what they certainly haven't provided evidence of is the, you know, military
necessity and value, added value of carrying out this strike when compared to the impact that this is going to have on Palestinian civilians and their
access to healthcare in Northern Gaza.
[14:40:00]
The Israeli military in just the last 24 hours or so has struck about 35 targets inside the Gaza Strip. And what we are also witnessing, of course,
is these continued evacuation orders that are pushing Palestinian civilians into an ever-shrinking portion of the Gaza Strip where they simply are not
finding the resources that they need. And a lot of that stems from another layer of pressure that is being brought to bear on Gaza, and that is the
fact that Israel has not allowed anything into the Gaza Strip since March 2nd. No food, no water, no medical supplies and humanitarian officials are
warning that we are rapidly approaching crisis levels inside of Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: That our Jeremy Diamond reporting. And crisis levels have been for some time, I think it's fair to say. To talk more about the deepening
humanitarian crisis in Gaza, we're joined by Gavin Kelleher, a humanitarian access manager within Norwegian Refugee Council. His live for us in Deir al
Balah in Central Gaza.
Really grateful for you taking the time to speak to us this evening. There's a lot for us to get through. Let me speak first to -- ask you first
about this ever-shrinking space that we've been talking about here as Israel continues its offensive. Speak to really the impact this is having
on people and on conditions on the ground.
GAVIN KELLEHER, HUMANITARIAN ACCESS MANAGER, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: Sure. So, we've seen more than 400,000 people displaced again in the last
four weeks since the ceasefire collapsed. People are being forced out of their homes, out of tents, often in the middle of the night. They don't
know where to go. There is no pretense of a safe place in Gaza anymore. Increasingly, people are not leaving when these relocation directives are
being issued simply because they don't have the means to leave. They can't afford the cash for a donkey cart to move their belongings or their
vulnerable dependences away from these locations where military violence is escalating.
In terms of the shrinking of the space itself, Israel unilaterally declared a significant buffer zone that covers a significant portion of Gaza along
the southeast and north. They've also issued so many relocation directives, sometimes twice a day that now it's estimated only around 30 percent of
Gaza are areas of Palestinian civilians are now allowed to move inside of.
SOARES: So, when you say they can't leave, there's no way of leaving, are they being -- how are they being moved?
KELLEHER: So, when populations leave, they tend to flee with what they can carry after people have been displaced in so many recurrent cycles. Some of
my colleagues have been displaced 10 times since this conflict began. So, when they need to leave, some of them have children, some of them have
vulnerable parents, people that you can't just run down the road with. So, they try to hire assistance, whether that's a local motorbike, whether
that's a donkey cart, to put their possessions in and help them move.
But if they don't have anywhere to go, if they don't have a tent waiting for them, if they don't have a provision of food, if they don't have
shelter, then where can they go? Their options for displacement are now completely exhausted. And that's what I mean when I say people no longer
have anywhere left to go.
SOARES: Yes. And the U.N. saying 400,000 have been told to move, just over the past -- Gavin, the past three weeks, and that is staggering. And in the
meantime, as we've been reporting here on the show, there has been no aid, no food, no water, medicine since March. Just from an NGO perspective,
speak to that level of frustration, what you tell those on the ground, how do you respond to this?
KELLEHER: Well, the situation here on the ground is one of utter devastation. What that actually means, 43 days of a complete siege in which
nothing has been allowed to enter, is people are now already hungry. Many are surviving on just one meal a day, prioritizing the little food they
have left, often giving it to the children or the most vulnerable people in the house.
We mustn't forget that this crisis has been going on for such a long time, that all of the needs that were there before the siege are just continuing
to worsen. For example, a million people in Gaza are in need of tents. They're sleeping in unsafe buildings or crammed into unsafe sleeping
spaces. Now, you add 400,000 more people displaced on top of the siege, and all of the needs here continue to worsen. There's massive frustration
because this is an entirely manufactured crisis that has been allowed to unfold.
It's not difficult. There's a simple solution to this crisis, which is to open the borders and let aid actors deliver assistance to people who need
it. But there just isn't an appetite in the International Community to make sure that this is happening.
SOARES: Yes. Indeed, very well put. And, Gavin, can you give me some of the personal stories that you've been hearing, as we've -- you know, if we
are talking about children having one meal a day, you know, what --
KELLEHER: Agency and the dignity of people has been stripped away. To talk to my colleague who's a father, who's not sure how he's going to continue
to provide food for his wife or his children, what the next few days or what the next weeks are going to look like for them. There's this massive
mounting fear.
In terms of what it looks like from a nutritional basis, people are having to eat just what's left available to them. They're not getting varied
diets. Young children, who are in the prime of their lives, who need to get nutrition, pregnant mothers, all of these people, all of these vulnerable
groups are not accessing the nutritional diet that they need to and to be able to maintain healthy lives.
[14:45:00]
And this is massively concerning, not just for them now, but also on the long-term implications this could have on them in the future.
SOARES: Indeed. For development and so much more. In the meantime, of course, we know that, you know, the last functioning, I should say,
hospital in Gaza City is now being hit and now out of service. The World Health Organization said that the now out of service hospitals pharmacy
were also destroyed and they had to force to move 50 patients to other hospitals.
I mean, what -- talk to that. If people need urgent medicine, where are they going? Just, you know, you have the food, you have the medical
emergency. Talk to -- the speak to the daily the dilemmas that you are facing and that you have to try and answer to so many families on the
ground.
KELLEHER: I think the medical situation is a great example as to the dilemmas facing Palestinians. If you think about the average Palestinian
family right now who needs to access food, like everyone else on Earth, aid agencies are not allowed to bring them food. Commercial sector, the private
sector is not allowed to operate in Gaza, can't import things into Gaza. The farmland in the eastern side of Gaza, where they used to grow fruit and
vegetables, is now off limits in buffer zones. They're going to the sea, they're being shot at by the Navy.
So, there are no options available to them. Where are people supposed to get medical services? Where are people supposed to get food? How are people
supposed to get access to clean drinking water? The answer is simply that they're not supposed to do that, clearly, because they're not being enabled
to.
SOARES: Just absolutely unbearable and it has been unbearable for so many months. Really appreciate, Gavin, you taking the time to speak to us from
Deir al -- from the Norwegian Refugee Council. Thank you.
KELLEHER: Thank you.
SOARES: And still to come tonight, the U.S. government takes Facebook's parent company to court. Details in the start of the Meta antitrust trial
when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, Facebook's parent company is facing its biggest court challenge yet. The blockbuster case began in Washington today over whether
Meta broke competition laws in acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp.
[14:50:00]
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is accusing the social media giant of creating monopoly and killing competition by buying startups that stood in
its way. The antitrust trial is expected to last weeks, but if the judge size with the government, Meta could be forced to break up and sell some of
its most well-known subsidies. We'll stay across that.
Well, a hearing is underway in New York City courtroom against Sean Diddy Combs. The music mogul is being arraigned on one additional count of sex
trafficking. He's also being charged one additional count of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has previously pleaded not guilty to
similar charges. Prosecutors accused Combs of coercing women to engage in sexual acts with him and male prostitutes.
We are going to take a short break. See you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Golfer Rory McIlroy has finally completed his long-awaited career Grand Slam, with a huge win at the Masters
tournament on Sunday. Have a look.
There was suspense until the final moments. And what a moment that was when McIlroy beat Justin Rose in a dramatic one whole playoff with his Masters
victory. The 35-year-old from Northern Ireland has won all of golf's four majors. McIlroy is just a sixth player to do so and joins the exclusive
club with players like Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. Absolutely fantastic. He's a wonderful guy, very down to earth. I love it.
Very happy for him.
Now, I'm going to leave the golf for a second, and focus on Jeff Bezos. Because he's led -- Blue Origin has successfully launched a star-studded an
all-female crew into space. Singer Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King and Bezos's fiance, Lauren Sanchez, took off from West Texas earlier today.
They were joined by three other crew members known for promoting STEM outreach in the field of science, technology, engineering, and math. The
six women were in the New Shepherd Rockets for about 10 minutes, and it carried them more than 100 kilometers or 62 miles into the sky. The
successful launch comes two months after Blue Origin announced a 10 percent cut to its workforce.
Someone who's very excited about the story is our Max Foster who joins me now. What did you make of this? Were you as excited?
MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: I think it's been a big debate today in the newsroom.
SOARES: I know. My team knows how I feel about this.
FOSTER: Yes.
SOARES: How do you feel about this?
[14:55:00]
FOSTER: Well, it was a columnist in the British newspaper who said what was the point in this expedition?
SOARES: What was the point? Is this purely PR?
FOSTER: Well, I don't -- I couldn't really answer it because, OK, space science, you'd send scientists up.
SOARES: Yes.
FOSTER: If it's not science, then it's about tourism and you're promoting the fact that one day --
SOARES: Did they pay or they invited?
FOSTER: Well, they were invited.
SOARES: Yes.
FOSTER: But if you're promoting tourism, then, you know, none of us can really associate with anyone that could afford to do that, particularly
such glamorous people. And then, it's, why didn't they send up a regular person if they wanted to promote the idea that one day you'll be going into
space.
SOARES: I'll just say this, as a woman, while it's wonderful to see those women going up there, I didn't feel empowered. I would've been way more
empowered if they sent scientists, people working at NASA who actually, you know, work in the industry, that would be slightly more empowering.
FOSTER: It was quite a random group, wasn't it?
SOARES: It was. I'm all happy for them. I'm sure it was a very moving experience.
FOSTER: And fair play for going. I'm just not sure what the ultimate message was. I mean, it does -- it's a difficult story to cover because --
SOARES: PR. Isn't it purely PR?
FOSTER: Yes. But you end up thinking, why are we celebrating this? What is the reason? That's the question we ask as journalists, isn't it? So, was it
a scientific project? Was it a tourism project, or was it a huge moment for those particular people on the flight?
SOARES: Yes. And look, I read a very strong opinion piece today in The New York Times, it says that what goes unmentioned by these illustrious women
is that Trump administration laid off 23 people from NASA, including chief scientists Katherine Calvin, closing offices to comply with President
Trump's directives on diversity, equity, and inclusion. While the Blue Origin team members were discussing the gender and racial disparities for
astronauts for (INAUDIBLE), they could have also talked about how Trump's attacks on DEI may threaten programs meant to close gender and racial gaps
in STEM.
So, there was a great opportunity, if we're talking about STEM, to actually focus on that.
FOSTER: But look at the stories you covered in the show today, I mean, huge crises in the world, and there's something about this huge amount of
money that was spent today that they would find difficult, I think.
SOARES: I agree with you. I think this wasn't much of a debate because we're kind of on the same page on this. So, what --
FOSTER: Well, I don't know. I'm actually genuinely confused by it. I'm not really sure what I think.
SOARES: I'm being told I'm late. But it's your show. So, I'm fine with that. That does it for tonight. Please stay right here. Max is back in just
a moment.
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[15:00:00]
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