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One World with Zain Asher
Federal Court: Trump Overstepped Authority with Sweeping Tariffs; Judge to Order Trump Admin not to Make Changes to Harvard Student Visa Program Indefinitely; More Deaths Reported as Desperate Palestinians Crowd New Aid Hubs; Rubio: U.S. will Revoke Visas of Many Chinese Students; Russia: New Peace Talks Set for Monday; Greggs Sausage Roll to be Display at Madame Tussauds. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired May 29, 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]
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BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: President Trump sweeping global tariffs, hitting a roadblock. "One World" starts right now. We'll look at
why a federal court says President Trump overstepped his authority when he imposed those tariffs.
Plus, it's Graduation Day at Harvard, but just down the road, the fate of international students is in the hands of a federal judge. And a major
escalation by the Trump Administration, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio says the U.S. will aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students.
Hello, everyone. Live from New York. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching "One World". A court ruling on President Trump's
tariffs sending financial markets higher this hour, a three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of International Trade has blocked the president from
imposing the bulk of his tariffs.
The decision said he did not have the authority to impose the sweeping tariffs under emergency powers. The White House is appealing the decision.
Markets' reaction has been mostly positive this morning. As you can see in the U.S., the DOW up just slightly up over one tenth of a percent. There
you see the S&P 500, less than 1 percent as well, about half five -- or 0.53 percent and the NASDAQ also inching higher, closer to being up 1
percent as well.
Now the bulk, not all, of Trump's tariffs are at a standstill, including the 30 percent tariff on China, the 25 percent tariff on some Mexican and
Canadian goods, and the 10 percent universal tariff the auto steel and aluminum tariffs are still in place.
Anna Stewart is in London for us. We'll begin with Kevin Liptak, who is in Washington. And the administration Kevin quick to come out and slam this
decision, calling it a judicial coup, even though we should note that the three judges were appointed by both Democrats and Republican President,
including one of them by President Trump, they are appealing. What else are we hearing?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, they're quick to slam the decision. They're also quick to petition the court to put on hold
enforcement of this decision. So, you do see a sense of scramble inside the White House to respond to this decision.
We did hear from a White House spokesman yesterday who sort of challenged this idea that the court was able to determine whether or not president
could declare a national emergency and impose these tariffs. The spokesman saying that deficits, speaking of trade deficits, have, in fact, created a
national emergency, he goes on to say, and it was not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency.
So essentially saying that this particular panel, which we should say is relatively obscure, it's not necessarily part of the federal judicial
system that you see so many other cases working its way through, that this panel of judges was outside of its authority to tell the president whether
or not he could declare this.
We should also say that the president and his aides are now looking at what other authorities they have to try and reimpose these tariffs that are now
on hold, because certainly this panel did say that he wasn't able to use this particular mechanism, but there are other ways that he could apply
these tariffs that could lead to them being imposed down the line.
So, this is not the end of the president's tariff regime by any sense of the word. It isn't -- it is a hurdle, but it's not necessarily the end of
the road. I think the real question, and it's a question that White House officials are asking themselves this morning as well, is what this does for
the trade negotiations that are now underway, spurred in large part by the threat of these new tariffs.
They were set to go back into effect on July 9th, if the president and other leaders weren't able to broker these trade agreements. And for
example, just in the last week, you saw trade talks really begin in earnest with the European Union, in part because there is this threat that by July
9th, there could be these major new tariffs in effect.
If other countries don't feel the impetus to come to the table, it's an open question of whether the president and his team, you know, the treasury
secretary, the commerce secretary will be able to hammer out these new deals. Now this morning, the president did speak with the Japanese Prime
Minister.
They discussed tariffs, so there is an indication that these conversations are still happening. But when you look at the president's economic agenda
as a whole, the tariffs are such a big part of it, in part because of the revenue that they expected them to bring in. It was going to help offset
the cost for example, the quote, big, beautiful bill that the president is trying to pass through Congress.
[11:05:00]
If these tariffs are not allowed to remain in place, it does throw into question so many other aspects of the president's agenda, and I think
that's part of the reason why you see the administration today really rushing to appeal this decision and try and suss out what other authorities
exist that would allow them to put these tariffs very quickly back into place.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, the ruling gives the administration 10 days to halt the collection of revenue from these tariffs. Now we'll see what happens,
whether or not they can get an appellate court to weigh in sooner. I want to go to Anna Stewart.
Anna, we've seen a muted response from the market thus far, though, futures did spike overnight on the announcement of this decision. But as Kevin
noted, I mean, this really puts in limbo the current negotiations that are ongoing between the majority of the countries that this would impact in the
United States, but even those that have already signed a deal with the United States, most notably the United Kingdom.
It's interesting that in Britain, the government spokesperson said that the court ruling was a domestic issue for the United States. What do you make
of that response and the markets fairly tepid opening today.
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Well, it's been interesting because there was some jubilation in equity markets. You mentioned U.S. Futures, but also the
Asian session, we saw some, you know, pretty substantial gains on this news. But as the hours upon pie, we've had big banks alerting investors to
what happens next and trying to unpick, what does this actually mean for tariffs going forward?
Does this mean an end to tariffs? What does this mean for trade negotiations? And ultimately, there are two big avenues that the White
House can use. One is, of course, the legal appeals process, and the other one is other types of legislation under trade law, there are several
sections that the White House could try and lean on so that they could implement tariffs a different way.
For instances, section 232, that's generally used for sectoral tariffs like aluminum, steel and cars. Now those weren't affected by this court ruling,
so they could replace some of the tariffs on the baseline 10 percent for instance, with sectoral tariffs. And there are a number of other sections
as well that the White House could use, that they haven't even used at this point.
As such that is why we're seeing markets really fizzle when it comes to the excitement, and I think when it comes to trade negotiations for countries
all over the world, they will be mindful that this president very much wants to implement tariffs, and this court ruling may not stop him.
Therefore, I suspect negotiations will continue in earnest for many of them. You mentioned the UK. Of course, the UK trade deal is the only trade
deal done around 100 or more to come, but by July 9th, that seems unlikely that will be get -- will get done by then. With the UK the trade deal we
have has a lot of non-binding elements to it.
And it is not that broad or substantive a deal. So, you know, when we talk about trade deals, it's really sort of a promise on a bit of paper.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and you mentioned the other avenues the president still has his disposal. Section 232, as you noted, section 122, and section 301,
I guess the difference here, Kevin is that the president was hesitant to use these in some of these avenues he used during his first term when he
levelled sanctions.
Because these come with certain safeguards that Congress then oversees. He wants to bypass that at the very least. Is this an avenue the White House
will have to explore?
LIPTAK: Well, I think that they will have to, and certainly this morning, they're now going through all of the potential options to impose these new
duties. I think there had been a real desire to try and avoid going to Congress, because there's no guaranteed that Congress would approve them.
You hear from a number of Republican Senators and Republicans control both the House and the Senate having some real questions about the wisdom of
these tariffs, which could cause higher prices for their constituents.
And so as the White House tries and ascertains exactly what their next steps will be, I think it's likely that trying to go to the Congress to ask
for approval is going to be at the very bottom of that list, just because there's not necessarily any likelihood that they would be able to make it
through both the House and the Senate, particularly at a moment when the president is trying to wrangle senators behind this mega bill that would
keep in place tax cuts that would extend some spending on various other places.
He needs to use his political capital in that area, and there's no sort of sense that he wants to waste it trying to get these tariffs passed through.
And so, I think you're far more likely to see the White House continue to try and use the courts to get this decision reversed, potentially going all
the way to the Supreme Court, where I think that they do feel fairly confident that the justices there would rule in their favor.
And so as of this morning, it does appear as if this judicial route is perhaps more likely, but you can be certain that they are now trying to go
through every area where they could potentially be successful and try and execute in those places.
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GOLODRYGA: Yeah. Because, as Anna noted, tariffs is something that the president has been steadfast in wanting to pursue. He's determined to use
them as an economic tool. So, the idea that he would just dispense of this policy is probably slim to none, not likely to happen. Kevin Liptak and
Anna Stewart, thank you so much, and we'll have much more on this developing story in the next hour, when I'll speak with one of the legal
experts who helped argue this case against the tariffs.
Well, this is a big day on the campus of Harvard University. It is Graduation Day, and also the day that Harvard and the Trump Administration
face off in court over Trump's effort to bar Harvard from admitting international students. Graduation ceremonies began with a lengthy standing
ovation for the Harvard President, who has been front and center in the battle with Trump.
He says he welcomed graduates from around the world as it should be, those words having new meaning today. Harvard says that it has been inundated
with questions from anxious students, with some international students now afraid to attend their own graduation ceremony.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACOB MILLER, GRADUATING SENIOR AND FORMER HARVARD HILLEL PRESIDENT: It's incredibly disturbing. None of my Jewish peers have asked for this. It's
not done to advance our interests. There is no way that any sort of anti- Semitism gets solved by deporting international students or by denying them visas.
There's -- you know no way that kind of Jewish life on campus is going to be improved by this. In fact, it's only going to be worsened. It's going to
-- it's going to weaken Harvard. It's going to result in the loss of our friends.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Well, six miles away, a federal judge began hearing arguments from both sides about a half hour ago. Just moments ago, the judge
announced that she would keep in place an injunction that prevents the Trump Administration from revoking Harvard's access to student visas.
The hearing comes as the Trump Administration began a more formal and lengthy process to try to bar the university from enrolling international
students. To help us sort through the legal arguments here we welcome Jeff Swartz. He's a Former Judge in the State of Florida and a Professor at
Thomas Cooley Law School.
Jeff, welcome to the program. So, we also know this morning that the Trump Administration has reversed course, giving Harvard 30 days to challenge its
bid to strip the university of its ability to host international students. What do you make of this decision by the administration, and ultimately,
where do you think this judge rules?
JEFF SWARTZ, FORMER MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COURT JUDGE: The administration has lost a number of cases based upon due process. And the problem here for
them is that the due process rights extend to those who have visas for it to be students, and so therefore, to avoid that argument continuing, in
this particular case, they're backing off and giving the students their due process rights to challenge the cancelation of their visas or holding back
on interviewing them to get those visas.
Those rights still extend, and I think they're trying to take one of the major legal arguments against what has happened here away from the
administration.
GOLODRYGA: And the timing of this isn't accidental most experts say because this is about the time when international students would apply for their
visas to come to the United States for the following semester at university and for their initial interviews. Where does this leave them?
SWARTZ: Well, it leaves them kind of in limbo. It also leaves some of the people who already have a student visa in limbo because they've gone home
to their home countries for summer break. They anticipated coming back for the fall term, and many of them apparently are afraid to come back to the
United States for the fall term, thinking that if, in fact, the administration is successful at canceling their visas.
They're going to get rounded up for deportation and not be able to come back to the United States even as a visitor. So many of them are trying to
decide, what am I going to do?
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, so much uncertainty here, and not that many of them have access to lawyers that they can pay for to help guide them through this as
well. So, this may just lead them to apply to other schools, and that is the big concern here about what this impact has on American universities
who, as we know, have been the standard bearer for the gold standard globally in terms of attracting international talent.
Now you have other schools in other countries, understandably trying to pursue students to seek education there. We're also learning that the
administration is now reviewing all Harvard affiliated visa holders, which includes professors as well. So, the escalation here is quite notable. What
do you make of it all?
SWARTZ: Well, they're continuing to try to turn the screws on Harvard, to come to the table and reach some sort of agreement, because, as usual, with
Mr. Trump, it's all about being victorious. It's all being able to claim that he was successful in the policies that he's pushing.
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So, they're trying to take away the visas for professors. They are trying to end contracts with Harvard. They are trying to keep foreign students
from coming in and going to Harvard. Mr. Trump has also gone to the extent of dropping the number of students, foreign students coming in, sort of
like a first try at a negotiation, by saying, well, if Harvard would just lower their foreign students to 15 percent this is the way that Mr. Trump
has been trying to negotiate.
He's been trying to negotiate on social media every time he writes something, every time he says something, he is contradicting his own words,
going back as many as five years when he said, oh, I love foreign students. We should take away their passports when they get here, give them green
cards and make them stay because they're so bright and so wonderful.
Now all of a sudden, they're terrible and they're a political risk. I just don't -- this is a real personal animus that the president has against
Harvard.
GOLODRYGA: But now it's sending beyond just Harvard to all institutions and higher learning universities. The State Department says that it will now
aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students. Chinese students make up, I think, the second largest group of international students in the United
States, roughly 275,000 Chinese students in the United States as of now.
And specifically, those studying in critical fields which are interpreted as sciences. The State Department is likely going to argue that they pose a
national security threat, given that the majority of them are associated with the Communist Party in China, which is sort of ubiquitous there. How
will that hold up in court?
SWARTZ: I'm not sure exactly how that will hold up, because he's claiming a national security interests, as opposed to anti-Semitism or other reasons.
If he can establish that some of the students that are here now are in fact a national security risk because of their ties to the Chinese government,
and claim that they're learning from us and taking those talents that they have back home, which make them more of a rival to us in certain areas of
science and or industry.
I can see where some of that might hold up. But that's going to be a hard road to hoe for them to be able to prove that. And he's pointing at some of
the better universities, what we call better universities, higher ranking universities. He's trying to affect education, what we do? What we learn?
What we spread through the world that comes back, in many cases, to benefit the United States.
This this is just a way of turning the screws on the universities to do the things the way they want to promote more conservative learning, which many
universities are already doing.
GOLODRYGA: China's Foreign Ministry calling this move politically motivated and discriminatory, and we'll continue to follow this. Jeff Swartz, good to
see you, thank you. And still to come for us, a new memorandum, a two-week deadline and a thinly veiled threat will it bring Ukraine any closer to
peace.
Plus, a desperate and deteriorating situation, Palestinians storming a World Food Program warehouse in Gaza, highlighting what the UN is calling a
humanitarian crisis that is spiralling out of control.
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[11:20:00]
ASHER: Well, as the Kremlin proposes another round of peace talks with Ukraine, Russia is continuing its intensified missile and drone attacks on
its neighbor, while Kyiv is bracing for Moscow's expected summer offensive. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says that ceasefire negotiations will be
held in Istanbul on Monday.
And adds this time, a Russian delegation will present a memorandum to Ukraine, which he says will set their position on, quote, overcoming the
root causes of the crisis. Kyiv, meanwhile says it's not opposed to talks, but wants to see the proposal in advance. Well, the U.S. President Donald
Trump, meanwhile, appears to be giving Russia a two-week deadline to make progress with the talks. CNN's Nic Robertson explains.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Every two weeks that President Trump says he's going to give Russia to see where it stands,
those are the same two weeks. Ukraine's European allies say we know where Russia stands. It's very clear, and they're using their usual tactics.
This is certainly something that's being said very strongly in Ukraine, that Russia is using its usual tactics of prevarication, stalling and
trying to get into discussions about when, discussions about when talks could actually happen. And that's all a tried and tested Russian method of
just playing things out down the line.
President Trump again giving another two weeks. And I think from the Ukrainian perspective, they're pointing specifically right now that Russia
has said yes, it will have a second round of talks in Turkey next week, on Monday. The last round of talks was two weeks ago Friday, again in Turkey.
And at that stage, Russia was expected to give its memorandum, if you will, as it's describing it, of its -- if its outstanding issues about what the
possibility of a peace process could look like? What they want out the other end of it? There's been no definitive position that's been set out by
the Russian government.
But everything that they have been saying up until now has involved things that speak about the under -- addressing the underlying factors for the for
the war in Ukraine, for their in -- their invasion there, which has always been understood to be NATO's position, not its position today, but the fact
that it has moved forces ever eastward in response to Russia's aggression.
So, is that coming into sharper focus? Now, really, it isn't clear, because we don't have any detail from the Russian side. And the Ukrainians have
said, you're slowing. You could give us that memorandum. Now you said you were going to give it last week. So, the Ukrainian position is very, very
clear, Russia is playing for time. President Trump is giving them more time here.
What's in the memorandum? We don't know. The talks will happen on Monday in Turkey next week. I don't think that at this stage, anyone is holding out a
great deal of hope that they will advance the situation any more than it was at the last round, which was by not much.
GOLODRYGA: Well, thanks to Nic Robertson for that analysis. And we'll have more on this and President Trump's escalation with other nations, including
Iran, Israel and Gaza later in the show, with a National Security Analyst, Beth Sanner.
Controversial U.S. and Israeli backed initiative are facing growing criticism as new scenes of chaos and desperation emerge in Gaza,
underscoring the extent of a humanitarian disaster that the UN says is spiralling out of control. Journalists say two men were shot dead as
Palestinian civilians rushed a site operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation near Khan Yunis earlier, marking a third day of casualties.
[11:25:00]
Israeli officials claim the new system, which is only operating in the south in limited capacity, is set up to keep aid out of the hands of Hamas.
But the UN and other relief organizations warned that it could be used to forcibly displace Palestinians, with one official calling it, quote,
engineered scarcity.
Meanwhile, the World Food Program says hordes of hungry people stormed one of its warehouses on Wednesday in a desperate search for food, emphasizing
what the WFP calls alarming and deteriorating conditions on the ground.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins me now live from Tel Aviv. And we'll get more to the humanitarian situation in a moment, Jeremy, but we're also getting
indications that Israeli officials, including the prime minister, appear to be agreeing to a new Steve Witkoff ceasefire proposal. Hamas is said to
have received it as well. Update us on the latest.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, no confirmation directly from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office yet, but hostage families are
reporting that the prime minister has told them that Israel has agreed to this latest proposal from Steve Witkoff. We've reached out to the Prime
Minister's Office and are waiting to hear back for comment.
Hamas, for its part, said that it has received the new Witkoff proposal and is, quote, reviewing it responsibly to serve the interests of our people,
and we will see. I mean, the Americans certainly seem to have a lot of optimism about this latest proposal, the possibility that it could help
bridge the gaps between Israel and Hamas.
And -- you know we heard that optimism in the words of Steve Witkoff as he was speaking yesterday alongside the president. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE WITKOFF, SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE MIDDLE EAST: I think that we are on the precipice of sending out a new term sheet that hopefully will be delivered
later on today. The president is going to review it, and I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution, temporary cease --
temporary ceasefire, and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution of that conflict.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAMOND: And so that's Steve Witkoff talking about this latest proposal that is now before Israel and Hamas. As we understand it, this proposal
would see the release of half of the living hostages, as well as half of the deceased hostages being held by Hamas for more than 600 days now, in
exchange for a 60-day ceasefire that would go into place.
And during that time, there would be negotiations over a permanent ceasefire to end this war that has stretched on for over a year and a half
now. But we know that one of the main points of disagreement here are the level of guarantees that the United States would provide to Hamas to ensure
that Israel actually negotiates that permanent ceasefire, which they failed to do seriously during the last ceasefire agreement.
And then also, you know, simply questions about whether that ceasefire would extend as long as negotiations continue. That also -- that has also
been a point of contention here.
GOLODRYGA: Meanwhile, Jeremy, we are in day three of this independent American-backed, Israel supported food distribution company, obviously
experiencing a lot of chaos on the ground, as we've been reporting. Give us a sense of where things stand now.
DIAMOND: Yeah, the Palestinian Ministry of Health says that 11 people have been killed around these aid sites over the course of just the first few
days of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's operations. GHF insists that there were no casualties at those sites themselves.
But what does appear to have happened is that Israeli troops positioned near those sites have fired in the direction of some of these crowds that
have been going in and out of these aid distribution sites. And so, we are seeing, of course, that all of this is really the result of this man-made
hunger crisis in Gaza that resulted directly from Israel's 11-week total blockade of the strip, which, over the course of the last week, has begun
to be alleviated by the entry of limited quantities of aid.
As well as now GHF being up and running for the last few days. But we see in these crowds of desperate people coming into these aid distribution
sites, as well as storming a World Food Program Warehouse in Central Gaza that this hunger crisis certainly has not been alleviated yet.
And that's before we even get to talking about Northern Gaza, where none of these GHF sites are actually up and running. They are expected to establish
two sites in Northern Gaza later next month, but for now, almost no aid has reached northern Gaza, and we are seeing that the crisis level situations
that we saw across the strip are very much continuing excuse me in Northern Gaza Bianna.
[11:30:00]
GOLODRYGA: All right, Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much. Up next on "One World", harsh words from the U.S. Secretary of State, as he says, the U.S.
will begin revoking the visas of Chinese students.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Bianna Golodryga in New York. Here are some headlines we're watching today. Mexico will hold its first
ever judicial elections on Sunday, a result of last year's constitutional reform, citizens will elect nearly 900 federal judges, including Supreme
Court justices who previously were approved by the Senate. Critics say electing judges by popular vote will compromise their independence.
Harvard's commencement ceremony is underway at the same time the Ivy League University is facing off with the Trump Administration in court over the
government's attempts to strip Harvard of its ability to enrol international students. Foreign students make up 27 percent of Harvard's
enrolment.
A federal court has blocked most of President Trump's global tariffs, ruling that he overstepped his authority to impose them. The administration
has already appealed the decision, leaving the situation uncertain for consumers, companies and Trump's economic agenda.
Well, Beijing is reacting to the tariff ruling, as well as a new directive from the Trump Administration. First up tariffs, China simply reiterated
what it has said before, that there are no winners in Trump's trade war.
[11:35:00]
And the other issue Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying that the U.S. will now begin aggressively revoking visas given to Chinese students,
particularly ones who are connected to the Chinese Communist Party or students who study in critical fields. CNN's Marc Stewart reports from
Beijing.
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're getting reaction from Chinese officials on two big stories involving the United States trade and student
visas. Let's start with trade. At a news conference Thursday afternoon, a Chinese official stuck to many of the same talking points, saying there are
no winners in a trade or tariff war, adding protectionism hurts everyone's interests and goes against the will the people.
What's so interesting to me, this is the exact verbiage we heard from Beijing at the beginning of this trade war. And now with this significant
ruling, the message is very much the same. This is all happening as the two economic giants have been talking about a broader trade deal between the
two nations.
The other big headline the announcement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio the United States will, quote, aggressively revoke visas for Chinese
students. It's a move being met with opposition from China. On Thursday, the government said it lodged a formal protest. Let's listen to a
government spokesperson.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAO NING, SPOKESPERSON, CHINESE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: This politically motivated and discriminatory action exposes the lie of the so-
called freedom and openness that the U.S. has always boasted and will only further damage America's own international image and credibility.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: And none of this can be that much of a surprise to Beijing, as Secretary Rubio established himself as a critic of China during his time as
a U.S. Senator. Marc Stewart, CNN Beijing.
GOLODRYGA: Now let's get some perspective from CNN's Jennifer Hansler, from the State Department. So, Jennifer, did this come as a surprise, because
this is only seen as further escalation from the State Department now targeting Chinese students.
JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, Bianna, this announcement last night from Secretary Rubio was a bit unexpected, and it
is very scant on actual details. The statement he put out is only two lines long that says they are going to aggressively revoke the visas from Chinese
students, including those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party and those studying in critical fields.
However, he does not define what those critical fields are, nor how they are going to establish what is considered a tie to the Chinese Communist
Party, which is, of course, ubiquitous across China. He also says they are going to be looking to revise the visa requirements for those coming from
both China and Hong Kong, but questions remain about what those revisions look like.
However, this does stand to have another significant blow on universities here in the United States. Chinese students were the second largest group
of international students studying here in the U.S. in the 2023 2024 school year. There were more than 75,000 Chinese students who studied here at U.S.
colleges and universities.
And of course, these colleges and universities rely on students not just from China, but from all across the world for both enrolment numbers and
tuition money. Now this move, of course, is coming amidst a flood, a raft of actions by the Trump Administration that are likely to deter
international students from around the world, from coming and studying here in the U.S.
On Tuesday, the State Department ordered all of its embassies and consulates worldwide to pause new appointments for visa and exchange
students. This could cause a backlog. They say they're doing this as they are reviewing enhanced social media screening policies. Now they expect
those to be rolled out in the coming days.
But it is also likely that this could cause a drop in the number of students who will be approved for visas to come and study here in the U.S.
as well. And of course, it comes again against the backdrop of their actions against Harvard University, trying to stop Harvard from enrolling
international students.
And Bianna I should note, last night, senior administration officials told me they are doing a broader review, not just of student visas, but of all
visas for Harvard affiliated people. So, another escalation of that feud that is happening between the Ivy League University and the Trump
Administration. So, a lot at play here Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, that would extend beyond just students to professors and other faculty as well. All right, Jennifer Hansler, at the State Department
for us. Thank you. Coming up for us, Donald Trump is escalating his war of words against Vladimir Putin as frustrations mount in a ceasefire deal in
Ukraine stalls. But will it go beyond just criticism and involve any action this time, we'll discuss.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:40:00]
GOLODRYGA: Well, President Trump says he's giving Vladimir Putin a two-week deadline to make progress towards a ceasefire in Ukraine, and he's
suggesting there might be consequences if that doesn't happen. It's the latest in a series of recent veiled threats or harsh rhetoric directed at
the Russian President.
As Trump grows increasingly frustrated with the negotiations and as Moscow intensifies its aerial bombardment on Ukraine. So far, Trump has stopped
short of imposing the sanctions on Russia that he's threatened. But when asked about President Putin's intentions on Wednesday, here's how the
president responded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you still believe that Putin actually wants to end the war?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I can't tell you that, but I'll let you know in about two weeks. Within two weeks, we're
going to find out very soon. We're going to find out whether or not he's tapping us along or not, and if he is, we'll respond a little bit
differently.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The U.S. President has also threatened to walk away from the ceasefire talks altogether. CNN's National Security Analyst Beth Sanner
joins me now live from Washington. Beth, it is good to see you.
So given his track record, I'm talking about President Trump, if he has indeed, at this point, run out of patience with Vladimir Putin, given how
deferential he's been to him in the past, and yes, maybe some of the rhetoric has increased, but he hasn't put that into action. Do you think
the chances are more likely that he just wipes his hands and walk away, or that he actually does impose further sanctions?
BETH SANNER, CNN U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, I think we've seen this subtle shift in where President Trump is on Putin. You know, this
frustration that he has is real. He does not think that Putin should be bombing civilians in Ukraine while they're talking.
Unfortunately, Putin does not have any problem with conducting this war in the most brutal way, and, in fact, an escalatory way. So -- you know but
does this push Putin -- does this push Trump into a different place? And I think, you know, the record is still, I'm leaning toward not that not
imposing new sanctions, not, or at least not imposing very harsh sanctions.
And instead, you know, this means maybe walking away. And you know, so, he has an option here of just telling the Congress to go forward with its
sanctions bill that is supported by 81 of 100 Senators. But he hasn't given that green light yet, and even if Putin does tap him along, I'm kind of
thinking he's not going to do that.
GOLODRYGA: No. I mean. Russia is just starting a new offensive, what many would view as a doubling down of an even more aggressive summer offensive,
now that they have had time to regroup over the winter months.
[11:45:00]
And you mentioned that that 80 Senator bipartisan support now for increased sanctions is still an option for the president to use. He was asked
yesterday, President Trump was asked why he hasn't levelled additional sanctions, including secondary sanctions against Vladimir Putin?
And he says that he hasn't yet because he still wants to hold out hope or he doesn't want that to impact potential ceasefire negotiations. I mean,
Russia is saying now they're going to introduce a new memorandum, perhaps as early as Monday. This is the fighting continues. So, it appears that
diplomacy has been exhausted.
SANNER: No, I feel that it has been. I don't -- I think every sign is that the plan that Putin has promised, and that they're still working on is
actually a hardening of their positions, and absolutely is not going to be acceptable either to the Ukrainians, the Europeans and most Americans.
So, I think it has been exhausted, but it's like Putin is holding the rabbit in front of the Greyhound, and the Greyhound keeps smelling the
rabbit, right? And as long as they can do that, this is how Trump calls tapping him along. But he does keep doing that with little, with absolutely
no pressure on Putin to speak of.
And so, you know, I do think that we're going to go through another period of there probably will be a meeting in Istanbul on Monday, and it won't
produce anything, but it might produce just enough to drag him along for a little while.
And I really don't know, Bianna, what is going to be the thing that would change Trump's mind and make him absolutely flip? Because right now, he
seems to value more this idea of normalization with Russia than he does the idea of pressuring Putin to capitulate and make some compromises.
GOLODRYGA: And of course, normalization in relations between the two countries is something Vladimir Putin would definitely want, but that train
seems to have left the station in that Russia is completely in a wartime footing at this point. Its economy is now based on that and doing quite
well actually, which is why some of those secondary sanctions would actually do some damage.
What would do more damage that some analysts say, and I wonder if you agree, is if the United States and also European allies would continue to
provide military aid for Ukraine. There was a new deal that was just signed between Ukraine and Germany as well. Do you envision a scenario where
perhaps Europe does pick up more of the bulk and responsibility in supplying aid to Ukraine?
SANNER: Well, Germany is definitely doing that. The meeting between Merz the Chancellor and Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday went very well. And this
idea that that Germany is going to actually be producing, co-producing these long-range systems, you know, Taurus or whatever, inside Ukraine, and
this 5-billion-euro package is quite significant.
So, Germany, now you know they were really the outliers and not going aggressively in willingness to support and they are absolutely needed,
because they are the powerhouse, the industrial powerhouse of Europe, but others are going to have to pay up. France, you know, a lot of talk, not a
lot of action.
And still, Bianna, what is required of the United States is to keep the intelligence going, and the ability of the Europeans and the Ukrainians,
funded by Europe to buy U.S. weapon systems, because there are certain systems and processes, the satellite collection, for example, that cannot
be replaced by Europe.
And so, you know, when we say, if Trump walks away, in some ways, I think that would be good. I think in some ways, I don't think we're helping, and
I do think the negotiating process is over, but it must require the U.S. keeps onside, at least in terms of some of these basic support without
that, things could really go quiet, quite more difficultly for Ukraine.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, no doubt. And quickly I do want to ask you about the U.S. Iran nuclear talks, because President Trump, yesterday, convert --
confirmed that he cautioned Prime Minister Netanyahu on a phone call last week. This is "AXIOS" had initially been reporting, and the president
confirming that he cautioned Prime Minister Netanyahu to hold off on targeting or bombing Iran's nuclear facilities while these talks move
forward.
[11:50:00]
Very much wanting to suggest that these talks are indeed making progress, and quite quickly, critics are saying that this deal looks very similar and
perhaps not even as restrictive as the initial JCPOA that he walked away from, from 2015. What do you make of this?
SANNER: Trump really wants a foreign policy and a peace deal. And I think we should all be happy if we're not bombing Iran, or if Israel's not
bombing Iran, right? That's good news. And Iran really, really wants a deal. So, I think that there will be, this is the chance, the biggest
chance of any of the things that Trump has going to actually have something.
But what we're going to see is, probably, in the near term, a framework deal, not a total deal. It will be something that will be OK. We're going
to agree to some quid pro quo, some sanctions relief. You do maybe, maybe some temporary freezing of enrichment, and then will agree to talk for
another year and come up with another deal, very similar to the JCPOA that was a -- that was supposed to be a temporary deal and then a bigger deal
later.
Those negotiations never happened. The big concern here Bianna is, if the deal is not strong enough, and this will be over enrichment. We could see
Israel down the line doing some things, maybe not bombing directly, but definitely destabilizing. So -- you know deal yes, but content matters.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. Israel is pushing for no enrichment capabilities within the country. Also, the president saying that this nuclear crisis can be
solved within a very strong document which could be signed, guess when, in the next two weeks.
SANNER: In the next few weeks.
GOLODRYGA: So, a lot riding on what's happening in the next two weeks. Beth Sanner, thank you so much.
SANNER: -- Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, stay put. Stay put Beth, we're going to need you. All right, we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: You're looking at a rocket that just launched in China from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan on Wednesday. It's part of the
Tianwen-2 mission to fly by and collect samples from an asteroid, which could actually be a chunk chipped off of the moon. The spacecraft will
spend a year flying to the asteroid and another year orbiting looking for potential landing sites.
[11:55:00]
And finally, this hour, a British national treasure is finally making its way to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. That's right, the famous Gregg's
Sausage Roll will be immortalized in wax and the public can start viewing it in June. The essential staple of British cuisine and culture will now be
on display near some other famous Brits, including Sir David Attenborough and William Shakespeare. The artist who made the wax model of the Sausage
Roll, says he used the same techniques Madame Tussauds has used for centuries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADAM PALOCZY, SCULPTOR: We approach the project exactly how we would approach if we would sculpt or create a human figure. So, the first step
was we had a sitting. We were quite lucky, because actually we had the model available at Madam Tussaud's London for the sitting. So, we took
measurements, we took reference pictures, and then we started to sculpt it into clay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The Savory Pastry will be on display beginning June 5th. Savory depending on people's own personal views. But this was a segment that our
Producer Catherine, was desperate to get on. So, Catherine, this one is for you. All right, stay with CNN. I'll have more "One World" after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END