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One World with Zain Asher
CNN International: Markets Sink, Recession Fears Grow Over Trump's Trade War; Trump Admin. Officials Downplay Market Chaos; Deadly Strikes Hit Gaza As Israel Expands Offensive. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired April 07, 2025 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, HOST, "ONE WORLD": Whiplash on Wall Street.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, HOST, "ONE WORLD": One World starts right now.
U.S. stocks entered bear territory briefly as tariff misery continues on Wall Street and fears of a global recession continue to grow.
ASHER: Plus, a second child in Texas has now died from a highly contagious and highly preventable measles infection. Why Health and Human Services
Secretary RFK. Jr., someone who has repeatedly questioned vaccine efficacy, is now changing his tone?
GOLODRYGA: And the men's college title will be decided tonight. It's Florida against Houston, with the Cougars seeking their first national
championship ever. CNN Sports Coy Wire is live in San Antonio with the latest.
All right. Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. You're watching One World.
World financial markets plummeting once again, with signs of whiplash here in the U.S., triggered by Donald Trump's escalating trade war.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. On Wall Street, stocks opened in the bear market territory with massive sell-offs, but now they may be rebounding. If you're looking
at the markets right now, they're just about flat. But, overnight, Asian stocks tumbled dramatically, with Hang Seng index experiencing its
(TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY), and European markets are also down sharply today, swimming in a sea of red arrows once again.
ASHER: Yeah. One of the most powerful investment banks in the world is now raising the odds of a recession here in the United States to 45 percent.
Amid this growing anxiety and deepening uncertainty, President Donald Trump is giving mixed messages on whether the tariffs are here to stay. And
earlier on social media, he urged patience and warned against becoming a, quote. "PANICAN", which the President claims is a new party based on weak
and stupid people. Those are his words, clearly.
CNN's Matt Egan is in New York. But first, let's go to Kevin Liptak joining us live now from the White House. So, at this point in time, Kevin, the
President is urging calm, calling people not to panic, clearly easier said than done at this point.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, and I think the message that you're hearing from the President, as well as from his top
advisors, is essentially a defensive tone, saying that in order for these tariffs to work, they will have to remain in effect for the foreseeable
future. And you hear that from all types of officials here at the White House who have been out on television both yesterday and this morning,
trying to explain more of what the President hopes to do with these tariffs.
And I think you hear a few different items from them. One, of course, he is trying to reorient global trade. He is trying to secure new trade deals for
the United States, and he is trying to bring in massive amounts of revenue to offset the tax cuts that he hopes to sign later this year. Of course,
those are competing objectives in a lot of ways, and they -- the words from the President and from his team have not necessarily eased the markets in
perhaps the way they had hoped for them to do.
You also hear a growing number of supporters of President Trump coming out to say that they have some serious concerns about these tariffs, both on
Capitol Hill, Republicans suggesting that this plan might just not be the best thing for the American economy, and raising the prospect that they
could take action to limit the President's authority on tariffs, but also from some billionaires who did support the President in last year's
election, now suggesting that the President could be tanking the economy. Listen to how Kevin Hassett responded to one of those criticisms earlier
today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN HASSETT, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: Even if you think, and I think a lot of us at the White House think that these are -- these
economic responses are exaggerated by critics, even if you think that there will be some negative effect from the trade side, that's still a small
share of GDP. As to the idea that it's going to be a nuclear winter or something like that, it's completely irresponsible rhetoric.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIPTAK: The word "nuclear winter" that was used by Bill Ackman, the billionaire investment banker, who has come out harshly critical of the
President's tariff plans. He was a supporter of the President's last year. Now we did hear from President Trump on social media throughout the course
of this morning, again trying to defend his tariffs and again telling investors and markets that they should essentially calm down and wait to
see how this all plays out. He said "Te United States has a chance to do something that should have been done DECADES AGO. Don't be Weak! Don't be
Stupid! Don't be a PANICAN (A new party based on Weak and Stupid people!).
[11:05:00]
Be Strong, Courageous, and Patient, and GREATNESS will be the result!" And I should note, the word PANICAN seems to be an amalgamation of panic and
Republican. It's notable there. He is not going after Democrats who are, of course, uniformly against these tariffs. He seems to be going as well
against the Republicans who are questioning now, in stronger and stronger terms, the President's actions here.
Now, we did also hear from the President that he spoke this morning with the Japanese Prime Minister, suggesting that he is open to securing some
new trade deals that could essentially cause these tariffs to be eased off. We heard from officials over the weekend saying that 50 countries had been
in touch with the White House to try and secure their own trade deals, all in the hopes of easing some of this tariff pain. We'll see the Prime
Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, here at the White House today, again talking about tariffs, but I think Netanyahu perhaps presents a
cautionary tale for some of these leaders. He, in advance of these tariffs last week, raised all of Israel's custom duties on the United States, but
that didn't prevent the President from imposing a 17 percent tariff on Israel later that week.
And so, all of this, I think, goes to speak to the high bar that the President will be seeking, as he seeks out these trade deals across the
world.
GOLODRYGA: That's right. And Peter Navarro just this morning signaling that bringing down tariffs, erasing them essentially to zero, is not enough now,
according to the White House, that non-tariff barriers also need to be addressed, adding even more confusion here.
Kevin Liptak, thank you.
Matt Egan, let's turn to you. Boy, has it been a wild just two and a half hours since the market opened, and a lot of this just speculation on
whether or not we will see a change in policy from the President, as that deadline to kick in those additional reciprocal tariffs goes into effect in
just two days. I know there have been some wild rumors on Wall Street about that, and maybe that's the reason we saw those gyrations. Just walk us
through what the market is experiencing now.
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yeah. Bianna, this has been a very long morning here in New York. Look, sometimes markets can send mixed signals, and they
can be a little bit confusing when you're trying to read through the tea leaves. This is not one of those times, right? We've seen markets plunge
after President Trump announced his Liberation Day tariffs, and the more likely that these tariffs became reality, the steeper the losses.
And then what we did see this morning was there was a tweet out there on social media suggesting that there is some sort of a 90-day pause that's in
the works, and it was picked up elsewhere, and the markets turned around rapidly, and we saw the market go from, at one point, it was down about
1,300 points for the Dow to up hundreds and hundreds of points, except the problem is, the White House has said that that is fake news, that there is
no 90-day pause. And so, we've seen the market completely reverse course. You see the Dow down 400 points now, down one percent. You see the green
spike a few hours ago. Again, that was triggered by these rumors.
And I think that this just underscores the message from the market, right? It's been really clear, don't do these tariffs, because they're dangerous,
right? They could cause the economy to go into recession. They could create a stagflationary situation. And I talked to Art Hogan, he is a veteran
market strategist, and he told me -- he said that this was a good example of what would happen if we actually got some rational thought mixed in with
the ignorant tariff policy. Now, that's his opinion here, but his point is that the market does not want to see these tariffs actually go into place.
And look, I mean, the S&P 500 lost $5 trillion in the two trading days after Liberation Day. You can see on that chart, really going straight
down. It's just a dramatic loss there. And I know that White House officials have sort of downplayed the market losses and suggested that
they're really focused on Main Street, not Wall Street, and it's true, Main Street and Wall Street, it's not the same thing. But, they're not
completely separate either, right? A lot of everyday Americans and really consumers around the world have money in the market. A lot of CEOs and
small business owners, they take their cues from what's happening in the market.
And so, there is a risk here, right, that consumers who see their investment portfolios shrinking their 401(k)s taking big hits, some of them
may decide not to buy a car, right? They may decide not to go on vacation. CEOs might decide not to hire any more workers, and maybe they should start
laying some off. And so, there is a risk that there is market volatility, and these market losses could become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and they
could actually slow down the economy and potentially even cause the downturn that everyone is worried about. Bianna.
[11:10:00]
GOLODRYGA: And it comes on top of some troublesome economic news, not necessarily on the jobs front, even though that was a backwards looking
indicator with the jobs report on Friday, but specifically as it relates to consumer sentiment and consumer confidence, that had been ticking down, and
add that to what we're now seeing the markets do in response to these tariffs, and you do see the impact that could have on consumer behaviors
overall.
Matt Egan, Kevin Liptak, thank you so much.
ASHER: Thank you both.
EGAN: Thanks.
GOLODRYGA: Well, CNN Global Economic Analyst Rana Foroohar joins us now live in New York. Rana, where to begin? So much uncertainty continues to
plague the markets, and here in the U.S., around the world, and what we're hearing from the President and his top advisors doesn't seem to quell
concerns about that uncertainty. They don't seem to all be on the same page. Here is what two of his top economic advisors, specifically as it
relates to tariffs, said over the weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROOKE ROLLINS, U.S. AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: Well, I think we'll see, in short order, really positive outcome from this.
HASSETT: It is not a strategy for the markets to crash. It's a strategy to create a golden age in America for the American worker. That's the
strategy.
HOWARD LUTNICK, U.S. COMMERCE SECRETARY: We are going to have the biggest boom in the stock market we've ever seen under the Trump policy. This is
the moment that the United States of America takes hold of itself, and Donald Trump has been talking about this his whole life. This is Donald
Trump's agenda, and we're all here to help him execute it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: I guess the question is, what is his agenda? We heard from the President, not to be weak and to take these sell-offs in stride. But, he
also said, sometimes you have to take the medicine to fix something. He inherited a rather strong economy. I mean, is this sort of a case of
Munchausen syndrome where you're having the President of the United States actually create a sickness for the economy here? And we don't even know
yet. Maybe you have better insights than I do what his ultimate goal is. Is it to negotiate lower tariffs, or is it to bring down the deficit? Are
these here to stay? Or -- I mean, so many unanswered questions.
RANA FOROOHAR, GLOBAL BUSINESS COLUMNIST AND ASSOCIATE EDITOR, FINANCIAL TIMES, & CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: So many. Well, I love the way you've
laid out all the chaos. Look, there is sort of two things in play when I think about this. Donald Trump, the man who I think is acting from a place
of not a lot of economic knowledge and a lot of deep psychological things in play that are about security, that are about anger, that are about
retribution, in some cases, there is that, and that's why I think you're seeing tariffs on the entire world, including places that do barely any
trade with us, or islands that have only penguins on them.
And then there is the people around him, some of whom actually do have ideas and strategies. Now, those strategies, I think, are flawed, and here
is why. I was for -- in Trump 1, I was for tariffs on China. I, like many people, both on the left and the right, think that the global trading
system does need to be revamped, because you have large state players like China that are now simply distorting it. You need a revamp of the rules. I
would have said great, put tariffs on China, but work with allies to a shared approach to Chinese mercantilism, which, by the way, would have been
very easy to do right now, because guess what's going to happen to Europe, because the U.S. won't take the cheap Chinese stuff?
They're going to get the cheap Chinese stuff. They would be so willing at this moment to work with the U.S. if we weren't battling them as we are,
our allies and adversaries alike. That's not a way to bring back manufacturing. That's not a way to create trust. That's a way to make
nobody in the global economy, in any national capital or in the investment markets, trust you. Who is going to trust what Donald Trump says? Even if
we get back to some more moderate place, what's to stop him in three months, six months, nine months, from doing something really chaotic and
crazy again? And that is what the market is now grappling with.
ASHER: Yeah. That's such a good point. And also you brought up Trump 1, and the fact that you were for tariffs on China back then. A lot of people in
the Trump administration are saying, look, we did this before, and the end result in terms of the impact on markets and the economy wasn't that bad
when you look at Donald Trump's first term. Walk us through that comparison, because obviously, back then, eight years ago or so, it was
specific tariffs on specific goods for specific countries. This is very different. These are sweeping tariffs and also, by the way, much higher
than what we saw the last time around, at a time when you already have the U.S. grappling with higher interest rates and inflation as well. Take us
there and give us your take on that comparison.
FOROOHAR: 100 percent. I'm glad you brought it up, because it's really important for listeners to understand that these are not the same things
that we're talking about.
[11:15:00]
Back in 2018-2019, you saw very, very strategic tariffs on China in a few areas. China then did what the Trump administration wanted, which was
essentially rebalance its currency, and it took a lot of the pain for that. There is no possible way that China was going to act in that way with 100
percent tariffs, or, what is it now, 34 percent, whatever it is, it's too high, and it's across the board. They were not going to simply take all
that pain individually.
Then, add in the rest of the world. So, add in Mexico, which is where all the production went after tariffs on China hit. It went to Mexico.
Integration happened between Canada, Mexico and the U.S. That was a good thing. That's what Trump 1 wanted. That's what the Biden administration
wanted. Trump 2 is now undoing the security and safety from that regionalization and that bringing back jobs in areas like chips, for
example. They're throwing all that to the wind. So, this seems to me very much about anger, psychology, legacy of this President, as opposed to any
unified constructive strategy.
GOLODRYGA: And potentially changing the dominance of the United States economically for much longer than just one administration --
FOROOHAR: Oh yeah.
GOLODRYGA: -- if this continues.
Rana Foroohar, thank you so much.
ASHER: Thank you.
All right. Still to come here, Israel's Prime Minister is in Washington to discuss everything from trade wars to the war in Gaza.
GOLODRYGA: Plus, Deported by mistake, a court says the Trump administration has to bring this man back from El Salvador, where he is sent in chains,
but now the Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to intervene. We'll have the latest on the case.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: In the next few hours, the U.S. President will hold a joint news conference with Israel's Prime Minister. Now, this coming at a critical
time in relations for the two countries.
ASHER: Yeah. On the agenda will, of course, be the war in Gaza, with Netanyahu saying that he will discuss bringing the remaining hostages home
and, quote, "completing victory over Hamas as well". Tariffs will also be a big topic, after the U.S. imposed a 17 percent levy on imports from Israel.
Mr. Netanyahu's trip follows a four-day visit to Hungary.
[11:20:00]
Hamas has fired its largest barrage of rockets into Israel since Israel's renewed offensive into Gaza just last month.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
ASHER: That was the moment a projectile hit the Israeli city of Ashkelon on Sunday.
GOLODRYGA: Now, according to the Israeli military, five out of 10 rockets were intercepted. Israel's Emergency Service says one person was treated
for mild shrapnel injuries.
ASHER: And as Israel ramps up that offensive in Gaza, new casualties are being reported there. Israel says it intends to divide up the territory and
seize more land.
As Nada Bashir reports, the consequences for civilians are proving to be devastating.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(VIDEO PLAYING)
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): An unbearable cycle of grief after an all-too-brief ceasefire, mass funerals once again the daily norm, 10, 10
of them, Reham repeats, 10 family members killed in a direct strike, she says. I can't speak. There is nothing left for me to say. They're all gone.
Grief in Gaza is coupled with fear over what lies ahead. As the Israeli military expands its ground offensive, civilians in Gaza have once again
been forced to evacuate, children carrying whatever belongings they have left, the injured making the difficult journey through ruin and debris in
the hope that they will be spared the worst of this unrelenting war.
But, wherever Israel's bombs fall, death seems inevitable. The bombardment came as a shock. We came to see what happened, but all we saw was this home
here completely destroyed and body parts scattered everywhere. They were women and children. Only body parts were left, ripped to pieces. Israel
says it continues to target Hamas infrastructure, intensifying pressure on the group to agree to new ceasefire terms and the release of the remaining
hostages. But, scenes like this persist, a school sheltering the displaced turned to rubble. All that's left is body parts, bodies torn to pieces,
some of them without their heads, this man says. The building was filled with displaced people. They were all civilians. Why is this happening to
us?
As Israel's bombardment continues, living conditions also deteriorate further. Displaced families are forced to take shelter amid growing piles
of waste, and humanitarian supplies are dangerously scarce, with Israel still blocking access for vital aid trucks. Over 1,000 people have been
killed since the ceasefire collapsed a little over two weeks ago, according to Garza Health Ministry, adding to a death toll still rising over 50,000
with hope for another ceasefire dwindling.
Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: We have news to bring to you just in to CNN. The Trump administration has filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court.
ASHER: Yeah. It wants the high court to block a lower court order requiring the administration to bring a man who was mistakenly deported to El
Salvador back to Maryland by the end of the day. The administration admitted that it mistakenly deported Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia because
of an administrative error, but it has said that it cannot bring him back because he is in El Salvador in custody.
GOLODRYGA: CNN Chief Supreme Court Analyst Joan Biskupic joins us now. Joan, this comes after a DoJ prosecutor was actually put on leave over not
being able to answer some of the questions that so many of us, including a judge overseeing this case, had as well. The White House is saying there is
nothing they can do now. This man is in El Salvador's hands. One doesn't have to be a legal expert to question the validity of that argument.
JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN SENIOR SUPREME COURT ANALYST: That's exactly right. And now things are right in the hands of the nine Supreme Court justices, and
they're in the hands of them having to act very fast. The lower court judge's order here would take effect at 11:59 tonight. So, the Supreme
Court is really under a lot of pressure to act.
And you're exactly right that the administration has conceded that it mistakenly sent this Maryland man to El Salvador, where he should have been
protected from any kind of persecution, but this is how the administration defends itself in the filing that just came into the Supreme Court. "While
the United States concedes that removal to El Salvador was an administrative error, that does not license district courts to seize
control over foreign relations treat the executive branch as a subordinate diplomat and demand the United States let a member of a foreign terrorist
organization into America tonight."
[11:25:00]
Now, while they acknowledge that he had been mistakenly sent back, they're still saying that he is dangerous. They allege that he is a member of the
MS-13 gang.
But, I have to say that in the few minutes since the Supreme Court received this plea from the Trump administration asking it to intervene, an
intermediate appellate court had acted and sided with the district court judge here who has put the mandate on this Trump administration to act by
11:59 tonight to get this man back. And that order from the intermediate court, as I said, reinforced what the district court judge did here, and I
want to just read two lines from this order from a judge who had concurred, a Republican-appointed judge who many on the Supreme Court have some
sympathy with, and it just shows how tough of a case this could be for a Supreme Court that's got a conservative super majority.
Judge J. Wilkinson, a long-time serving member of the appellate court, said "There is no question that the government screwed up here." And he notes
that Mr. Abrego Garcia had been subject to an order that would have prevented his removal to El Salvador. And then he goes on to say that,
"While the administration does have broad powers, its broad powers are not unbounded powers, and the judiciary has grounds to act here." So, this is
going to be a close call, but we know we will have some kind of answer by tonight, just because, as I said, there is a 11:59 deadline put on this.
GOLODRYGA: We'll be paying close attention --
BISKUPIC: Yeah.
GOLODRYGA: -- to this developing story.
Joan Biskupic, thank you so much.
ASHER: Thank you.
BISKUPIC: Thank you.
ASHER: All right. Still to come, as markets around the world plunge yet again, one of Wall Street's most influential voices has a message for
Donald Trump, Jamie Dimon warning about a tariff turmoil, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to One World. I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. Here are some international headlines we are watching today.
ASHER: Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla are due to land in Rome soon, at the start of a four-day state visit to Italy. The King is due to
address the joint session of Italy's parliament, the first British monarch to do so. He would also have met with Pope Francis, but the meeting had to
be canceled because of the Pope's ill health.
GOLODRYGA: Kentucky is under a state of emergency, as historic levels of flooding leave parts of the state under water. People in some areas are
being urged to evacuate as river levels rise, with emergency crews carrying out numerous water rescues. A line of violent storms has swept across the
central United States, from Texas to Ohio, leaving at least 17 dead since Wednesday.
ASHER: And we are watching for a joint news conference in a few hours from now, from U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu at the White House. Mr. Netanyahu's visit comes as the Trump administration slapped 17 percent tariffs on Israeli goods. Those tariffs,
along with efforts to free the remaining hostages in Gaza, will top the agenda.
GOLODRYGA: Well, U.S. stock markets opened in bear territory earlier today, after massive losses for stocks in Asia and Europe. One of the world's most
influential business leaders, JPMorgan boss Jamie Dimon, is warning that President Trump's tariff policies threatened to boost inflation and slow
the global economy.
ASHER: Anna Stewart is tracking what's going on in U.S. stocks and in markets around the world. We've also got CNN's CNN Valeria Leon, who is at
a Stellantis plant that makes Jeeps in Mexico, where production has been stopped for the rest of April.
Anna, let me start with you, because this trade war between the U.S. and China is really heating up. In fact, the U.S. President is threatening to
slap an additional 50 percent in tariffs on China if China does not revoke their 34 percent tariff hike. China now accusing the U.S. of economic
bullying. Walk us through it.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It has been tit for tat, as we know, and we saw trillions of dollars wiped off the stock markets at the end of last
week. And this week, Zain, it's not starting much better, but markets and investors and of course journalists are watching for any news, any update
when it comes to, will these tariffs be delayed? Will they escalate?
And the latest, as you say, from the President on Truth Social, suggests that if China does not withdraw its 34 percent increase on tariffs on the
U.S. by tomorrow, April 8th, then the U.S. will impose additional tariffs on China at 50 percent effective April 9th. That is Wednesday. Additional,
it says, in caps, actually the Truth Social, of 50 percent given they currently have, I think, 54 percent tariffs are cumulatively on China. That
would take the tariff to over 100 percent. So, we're seeing potentially a huge amount of escalation.
But, he also posted to say negotiations would take place with other partners. So, we're seeing a lot of choppy trade today. You're seeing the
Dow, the NASDAQ, the S&P currently, all trading down, the S&P entering bear market territory. We're seeing stocks down across Europe, the FTSE 100 down
by 4.6 percent. Similar losses for the Xetra DAX, which actually opened down 10 percent earlier this morning, steep losses.
And also, we've had a market rumor that turned out to be false in the last year that suggested from a White House source that perhaps tariffs would be
delayed by 90 days. That turned out to be false, but we saw markets absolutely whipsaw. So, what we're seeing today is investors looking for
any signs of what is to come. There is so much policy uncertainty, and all of this really feeds and fuels recession fears, which self-perpetuates the
market route we're seeing.
GOLODRYGA: And you see the real world implications of what all of this uncertainty. By the way, we should note, I don't believe that President
Trump and President Xi have spoken since all of these tariffs have been unveiled, and yet we continue to see both sides upping the ante, two of the
world's biggest economies. This isn't anything obviously to joke about.
But, Valeria, I want to go to you, because we're seeing the real-world impact and consequences this uncertainty is having on businesses, even
among those who are within North America, part of USMCA, where Stellantis, as we noted, has paused production for the month. What else are you
hearing, and could others follow?
VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. That's correct. And this is one of the examples that we're seeing here in Mexico, because starting today, this
is Stellantis car assembly plant located in the state of Mexico, in the city of Toluca, about two hours from Mexico City, will pause operations for
one month, and this comes in response to the imposition of U.S. tariffs on cars and car parts produced outside the United States.
[11:35:00]
Stellantis said that roughly 3,000 employees who work at this plant may face layoffs, as the company tries to adapt and gives the next move, as
they face this uncertainty, given the United States' duty policies.
But, on Friday, during her morning press conference, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum said that there won't be layoffs due to this temporary
pause. Although the Mexico's Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said that after speaking with Stellantis representatives in Mexico, they told him
that they will use this pause in order to adjust and refocus some line productions, and also to improve the performance they have at this plant in
the state of Mexico.
But also, they told the Mexico Secretary that they might shut down the production of this electric vehicle. The model is Jeep Wagoneer. They will
shut this down because of low sales, as Stellantis said. And -- but, this plant, they invested here to $1 billion in order to be able to produce this
electric vehicle, the Jeep Wagoneer, about two years ago, and this plant in the state of Mexico has a long history in this part of Mexico, and that's
because it opened about -- more than 50 years, it opened their doors here. There are thousands of people that work here, and many of the Mexicans fear
that they -- this temporary pause might become a permanent one.
GOLODRYGA: Valeria Leon, Anna Stewart, thank you so much.
And up next on One World, the measles outbreak in the southern U.S. claims another child victim, as U.S. government officials push even higher for
vaccines.
ASHER: Plus, a conversation about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. We will speak to a doctor who says statements linking vaccines to autism are costing lives.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: The top health official in the U.S. now says vaccination is the best protection against the measles.
ASHER: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went to Texas on Sunday to attend the funeral of a school-aged child who died from measles. The eight-year-old girl is
the second unvaccinated child to die in the current Texas outbreak. Kennedy's statement that vaccines are the most effective way to prevent the
spread of measles is a change of tone for him.
[11:40:00]
He has been accused of downplaying the severity of the outbreak. There have been more than 500 measles cases in Texas and nearby states, largely among
people who have not had the measles vaccine. In all, more than 20 states have reported cases of measles.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. CNN Medical Correspondent Meg Tirrell is tracking the measles outbreak for us. Meg, it's important to remind viewers that this
disease was essentially eradicated in the United States in 20,000 -- or 2000, I'm sorry, and here we are some 25 years later talking about perhaps
even hundreds of cases and more. Walk us through some of the concerns this has sparked.
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. The fact that we're seeing possibly the third measles death in this one outbreak in West Texas is
really just baffling to health experts. We hadn't seen a measles death in this country since 2015, in a decade, and now we have possibly three
associated with this outbreak, and I say possibly because one death is still under investigation in New Mexico.
Now, what we know about this most recent death is it was another school- aged child in Texas who was unvaccinated and previously healthy, had no reported underlying health conditions. The cause of death was listed as
measles pulmonary failure. We know that measles can cause pneumonia for some children who have complications. And so, that is why it's really
important health experts emphasize to prevent the disease in the safest and most effective way. Really, the only way is through vaccination.
Right now, we've seen that this outbreak, which started in Texas, has spread to three other states at least, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas. Two
deaths in Texas, one, as we mentioned, under investigation in New Mexico. And just looking at the sheer number there, epidemiologists are telling us
it is possible that there are possibly 1,000 to 3000 cases, many of which obviously haven't been reported, just because it's so unusual to see
deaths. And so, just looking at the numbers, they think there is likely many more cases out there. Just looking at the Texas cases alone, 98
percent of the cases were in people who are either unvaccinated or their vaccine status is unknown.
So, guys, it is notable that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Health Secretary, put in a message yesterday that, quote, "The most effective way to prevent
the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine", because that's farther than he has gone before. But, doctors I'm talking with say that's still not far
enough. He needs to emphasize it is also safe, and has been known to be safe for decades. This was approved in the 1960s. And he also needs to
emphasize that people should get vaccinated to stop the spread of measles. That is how to stop an outbreak. Guys, in that same message, he also
suggested that growth rates have flattened in terms of cases in hospitalizations. And if you look at the graph of cases, particularly in
Texas, that line is almost vertical. So, this is an outbreak that is big and it is still growing quickly.
Back over to you.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Medical Correspondent Meg Tirrell, thank you so much.
ASHER: All right. Let's get the perspective of a doctor who is really on the frontlines of this fight. Dr. Peter Hotez is a Dean at the Baylor
College of Medicine and the co-director on the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development. He is also the author of the book "Vaccines
Did Not Cause Rachel`s Autism - My Journey as a Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad". Peter, thank you so much for being with us.
I really do want to ask you about your books. I think it's really important, the underlying message in that.
But, before I do, I'm not sure if you heard our correspondent there, Meg Tirrell, essentially saying that the numbers in Texas and the surrounding
states could obviously be much higher. We could be talking about thousands of kids infected with measles instead of just sort of the few hundred that
have been confirmed. RFK Jr. has come out and said, he has gone further than he has in the past, essentially coming out and saying, listen, the
best way to prevent measles is through the vaccine. We can actually -- we actually have the tweet there. "The most effective way to prevent the
spread of measles is the MMR vaccine."
As Meg was saying, clearly, he is going further than he has ever gone, but he still needs to come out and say that it is safe. What are your thoughts
on that?
DR. PETER HOTEZ, DEEN, NATIONAL SCHOOL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: Yeah, absolutely, and I have a long history with Mr. Kennedy,
which is actually the reason I wrote the book "Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel`s Autism". It was based on my year-long series of conversations with
RFK Jr.
And so, here is what needs to happen. I think, first of all, it's -- first of all, I'm glad he made the statement. But as also, as pointed out, it's
insufficient. The reason is because he is still planning on -- he hasn't walked back his proposal to reopen investigations, looking at vaccines as a
link to autism, even though that's one of the most thoroughly debunked now conspiracies, in some ways, that we've -- after 20 more years of
investigations, he has not walked that back.
[11:45:00]
He has not publicly rebuked his anti-vaccine organization, Children's Health Defense, that he launched in -- a few years back and he was a board
chair, and he needs to do that. So, there is a lot more work to be done in order to restore vaccine confidence in the Great Plains area where parents
are not vaccinating their kids, and to maintain vaccine confidence in our U.S. vaccine ecosystem.
GOLODRYGA: And Dr. Hotez, first of all, it's good to see you again. It's been a while. This comes at a time when HHS, like other government
agencies, have just been gutted by Elon Musk under his DOGE supervision there, and eliminating tens of thousands of jobs. We saw RFK Jr.
eliminating just as many, I think, 20,000 jobs or so at HHS, and among -- and again, also doing it in a very ad hoc, unsophisticated manner, where
you have some top experts in really important areas and fields losing their jobs, as it relates to pandemics and outbreaks.
And I'd like to play or read to you what the ousted FDA vaccine Chief Peter Marks wrote in The Wall Street Journal over the weekend, and he said, "They
broke something without real plans to fix it, because the people who were doing the breaking didn't have any idea. They took the place apart without
having an instruction manual of how to put it back together." Your reaction to that Wall Street Journal OpEd, and what does that mean for average
Americans?
HOTEZ: Yeah. Peter Marks has been one of our lead vaccine officers at the FDA, the head of the Center for Biologics Evaluation Research, and did a
lot of important work for Operation Warp Speed to get Americans vaccinated against COVID-19. By the way, COVID vaccines saved an estimated 3.2 million
American lives. So, we have to take that very seriously.
And I agree with him that the cuts to HHS, in terms of personal and staffing, seemed somewhat capricious, that do not really have an overriding
theme. And remember, it's not just the cuts to HHS staff, because there has been an effort through DOGE to decimate grants going out to the states from
the NIH. And so, that -- he as -- they've introduced an enormous amount of uncertainty in the careers of young and mid-career biomedical scientists
who are now learning their grants are not going to be funded or could be imminently cut. So, this has created an enormous amount of instability. And
my big worry also is young scientists looking at this are saying, hey, what am I signing up for here, and do I really want to become a biomedical
scientist, or do I want to do this in the United States?
So, the way this is being done, not only Mr. Kennedy, but across the HHS agencies, and going straight to the White House, is having a detrimental
effect on our entire biomedical research enterprise and our vaccine ecosystem, which is extremely fragile. As I often say, it doesn't take much
of a breakdown to allow these childhood epidemics to occur, just like what we're seeing with measles now, and my worry with prolonged transmission, we
could even lose our measles elimination status. So, there is a lot at risk -- lot at stake right now.
ASHER: I want to end, Peter, just by showing the audience an image of your book, "Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel`s Autism". The fact that you have --
someone like yourself, with your credentials, a scientist, a pediatrician, an expert in vaccines, essentially with a daughter who has autism, and it
was essentially written in a book, really underscoring that vaccines are absolutely safe and they were not because of your daughter's autism. How
much of an impact do you think or do you hope the book has had in terms of convincing skeptics about the safety of all vaccines, but specifically the
MMR vaccine?
HOTEZ: Well, there are actually three lines of evidence, and it's not only the MMR vaccine, because after the links between the MMR measles, mumps,
and rubella vaccine and autism were debunked, that was in the late 1990s, early 2000s, then RFK Jr. wrote an article in Rolling Stone magazine
claiming it was the thimerosal preservative that used to be in vaccines, and that was thoroughly debunked, and you got into this kind of pyrrhic
game of whack-a-mole where the scientific community would do the analysis, show that there was no link between vaccines and autism, then they would
come up with something else. Then it was spacing vaccines too close together. Then it was (inaudible) vaccines. So, that's been thoroughly de-
linked, uncoupled, right? There is no link between any of those vaccines and autism.
[11:50:00]
But, there is another important piece that we don't talk about enough, and that is the lack of plausibility. By that, I mean, we've identified more
than 100 autism genes involved in early fetal brain neurodevelopment, involved in neuronal connections, synaptic connections in neurons early on
in pregnancy, and that makes a lot more sense. We even did a genomic sequencing on Rachel, my wife, Ann and I, to find Rachel's autism gene
that's similar to those, and that's really important, because it doesn't mean there is no environmental effects of toxic chemicals, but it's
something that happens in early fetal brain development and early on in pregnancy.
For instance, when I was having my discussions with RFK Jr., I'd point out, if you're pregnant and not realizing it, and you're on an anti-seizure
medication known as Depakote or valproic acid, your baby is more likely to be born with an autism phenotype, and because it's interacting with those
autism genes early on in pregnancy and we can identify about half a dozen chemical exposures that could do something similar. And I would say to Mr.
Kennedy, see, Bobby, you should be all over this. You're an environmental attorney. This is where your emphasis is. And yet, he kept on this kind of
fixed belief around vaccines that made -- that never made any sense.
ASHER: Right. And Dr. Peter Hotez, thank you so much for being with us. We really appreciate your perspective.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you.
HOTEZ: And I appreciate the opportunity. It's good to see you again, Bianna.
ASHER: Good to see you.
GOLODRYGA: Me too.
Still to come on One World, March Madness ends with an April champion.
ASHER: You're so excited that you probably couldn't get the words out.
GOLODRYGA: We didn't talk about the Houston Cougars. A preview of the college basketball championship game, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Stop me if you've heard this one before. The University of Connecticut women are the champions of college basketball.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. It's getting tiring at this point to win so much. The Huskies knocked off the defending champs from the University of South
Carolina on Sunday to win the NCAA women's college basketball tournament. It was UConn's record-setting, get this, 12th national title, though their
first since 2016. So, congratulations to them. It was a fitting in to the college career of UConn star point guard Paige Bueckers. The three-time
all-American had won almost every award imaginable, but never took a national title trophy until now.
And there is more March Madness to come tonight. In San Antonio, Houston will try to win the men's title, because I've really helped them here in
the Madness championship --
[11:55:00]
ASHER: Hey, they just need a pull.
(CROSSTALK)
GOLODRYGA: -- for the first time in a matchup with two-time winner Florida.
CNN World Sports Coy Wire is in San Antonio. Listen, Coy, when I saw Hakeem Olajuwon at that game, when they won standing up, he obviously is an alum
of the University of Houston. This was a big, big night for Houston. But, let's also talk about the win for Connecticut as well.
COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes. I mean a huge win. It was one of the greatest comebacks we've seen in Final Four history. Welcome to the
beautiful river walk here in San Antonio.
GOLODRYGA: I've done that.
WIRE: I'm with my friends. I go real cruises. And my captain Joel. He has been doing this for 33 years. Aye, Captain. Listen, I got a chance to talk
with both of the coaches last night. When it comes to the Florida Gators, they bring the juice. They're always having fun. They're always dancing,
and so is our very own Sara Sidner, who went to Florida, her reaction, watching her team punch the ticket to the title game was absolutely
phenomenal. I asked Coach Todd Golden about those Gators and that fun energy that they bring in, that culture that he is building there. Listen
to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TODD GOLDEN, FLORIDA HEAD COACH: Part of why we're good is because of that, because of our good natured fun that we have, our ability to be in the
Final Four for the first time and be light, not be tense and uptight going into this game, and it's something that is what our program is about.
WIRE: OK. They say this is the last dance. Things go the way you hope they go. Are we going to see you dancing in the locker room, and if so, what are
you busting out, old school spring club?
GOLDEN: Yeah. Yeah. Maybe the robot a little bit. I will not be dancing, I can promise you that, but I will be in the middle of it. I'm in the middle
of the mosh pit, going nuts, if we're fortunate to win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: All right. Now they're going to face those Houston Cougars who pulled off that incredible upset, upsetting too. They have some fun too. Their 69-
year-old coach, Kelvin Sampson, he could get busy. That's one cool Cougar. But, make no mistake about it. These Cougars are savage. They work their
buns off. This is them training before the season, before the sun is up. They average a five-minute mile as a team. Coach, he started his career 44
years ago at Montana Tech, and he had to grind his way to the top. So, he teaches his players to be grinders too. Listen to him about that edge he
tries to give his team.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELVIN SAMPSON, HOUSTON HEAD COACH: You got to have a stick. What is it that you do that where you can level the playing field a little bit,
develop a chip on their shoulder? When you coach at the Montana, Texas and the Washington State, you always have a chip on your shoulder, and for me,
that chip has never left my shoulder.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: All right. Coach Sampson is going for his and Houston's first ever national title. The Gators are looking for their first title in 18 years.
And this is the river. I found some Gators here along the river. They're in the water. And those Gators, if they pull this title off, this place is
going to go crazy. Or if the Cougars do, it will as well. And they will be floating down this river as champions tonight. After the game, around
midnight, they're going to be floating along here to celebrate their big, big win.
GOLODRYGA: So, must-watch television tonight. That is for sure. Give Joel our best there. Doing a good job steering here around the river walk there.
Coy Wire in San Antonio for us. Thank you so much.
And stay with us. We'll have more One World after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
