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Quest Means Business
Trump Signs Order to Dismantle Education Department; U.S. Commerce Secretary Urges Americans to Buy Tesla Stock. Trump to Sign Order Dismantling Education Department; E.U. Delays First Round of Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S.; Kirsty Coventry Becomes First Woman Elected IOC President. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired March 20, 2025 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:11]
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Wednesday's Fed bumpers fizzled on Wall Street. U.S. stocks ending the day flat. Those are the markets. These are
the main events.
Moments from now, President Donald Trump will sign an executive order aimed at dismantling the U.S. Department of Education.
The European Union gives the U.S. a reprieve on tariffs, buying time to make a deal with the White House.
And buyer's remorse. Resale values for Tesla vehicles plummet as backlashes against Elon Musk grow.
Live from London. It is Thursday, March the 20th. Hello again. I am Max Foster, in for Richard. This is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
Hello, well, at any moment, U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education. The move fulfills
a campaign promise and is the latest in the administration's efforts to shrink the federal government.
While fully disbanding the department would take an act of Congress, over a thousand of its staffers were already laid off earlier this month.
Kevin Liptak joins me now from Washington.
He can't close down this huge department according to the law. But he can - - you know, he can paralyze it effectively, can't he?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, he can dismantle it piece by piece, which I think is what this order will essentially do. It
directs the Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take everything that she can possibly do on her own and put it back into the states, essentially
putting every sort of aspect that the Education Department carries out and return it to these states.
But I do think it was interesting. We did hear from the White House Press Secretary earlier today, and she was asked about various components of the
Education Department, things like student loans, the Education Department plays a huge role in putting those out across the country, she said that
that would remain at the Education Department, same with enforcing certain Civil Rights laws.
She says that the Education Department will continue to do that, same with offering grants for special needs students. This will still be under the
purview of the Education Department.
So the President is going to sign this executive order today instructing the Secretary to start taking these pieces and putting them in different
places, but at the end of the day, some of the most critical functions of the Education Department, according to the White House, will remain in
place, but essentially what they're saying is that they'll be carried out by far fewer people.
You know, half of the Education Department has already been laid off. Employees there have already moved out. They were given 30 minutes to do so
earlier this week, essentially packed everything in their boxes and left.
And so what they are doing today, I think, is trying to strip some of the people from that department, but according to the White House, many of the
functions will remain the same.
Now, this has been an objective of Republicans for quite a long time, decades even, really since the founding of the Education Department back in
1979, their whole focus has been trying to return more control of education to the states.
But when you look at what the Education Department actually does, it does not control curriculums in states, it doesn't control a lot of the programs
that Republicans had the biggest issues with when it came to education, it was really more about the funding.
And so I think that is sort of where this is all going, trying to cut down on the actual funding that Congress appropriates to the Education
Department and leaving it more to the states to control the exact items that are being taught in schools.
FOSTER: Kevin, I also want to ask you about this other run in we've just heard about with the courts. A federal judge blocking Elon Musk's
Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Social Security data. I am reading the judge writing that the DOGE team is essentially engaged in a
phishing expedition. What does he mean by that?
LIPTAK: Yes, and this was something that had caused a lot of controversy a few weeks ago when members of this DOGE organization gained access to the
Social Security administration. One of the things that they were trying to get their hands on was some data. They call it personally identifiable
info, things that would be able to connect individual Americans with bank statements, Social Security numbers, these kinds of information that can
make it easy for them to sort of track people individually.
What the judge is saying is that they don't have the permission to get that data. They've blocked access to it. They've also been required to delete
the information that they have already acquired and also remove certain software from government computers that they had placed on it, and it is
sort of the latest setback for DOGE in the courts.
[16:10:07]
We just saw yesterday, a separate judge say that DOGE and Elon Musk did not have the power to dismantle USAID, essentially trying to reinstate that
department. There are some questions about how much it can actually be reinstated after essentially being dissolved.
But you see this happening again and again, judges across the country really trying to rein in this effort to strip down the federal bureaucracy
and lay off federal workers. Obviously, it is a setback for the Trump administration.
FOSTER: Okay, Kevin, thanks for explaining all of that to us.
President Trump and his allies say today's move will help fix what they claim is an education system that comes in dead last.
The numbers tell a more nuanced story, though. The U.S. ranks amongst the top countries for educational attainment, according to the OECD. That is
based on the percentage of people who obtain at least a high school degree. But in recent years, U.S. students have been falling behind in reading
skills. Some say that trend could get worse without the Department of Education.
Jon Valant is the Director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution. He joins me now.
Thank you so much for joining us. I mean, what's your biggest fear about the dismantling of this umbrella body overseeing the education system?
JON VALANT, DIRECTOR, BROWN CENTER ON EDUCATION POLICY - BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: So, I think we should be clear about what is happening and
what is not happening. It looks like this executive order as your previous guest said, is stopping short of calling for a true elimination of the
department or even moving or eliminating some of its core functions, because the President can't do that unilaterally, that would require an act
of Congress, and actually it would require 60 Senate votes, which means getting Democrats that will never be on board for this.
But what they can do and what they have done is they can undermine the department's ability to do sort of its core functions and they do that by
removing staff. And so what we may be seeing and what I am expecting to see some harms from the actions they've taken is the department does things
like it administers the IDEA Program in legislation, which provides funds and protections for students with disabilities.
And the people who work at the department, part of what they do is they make sure that those funds get to the places they're supposed to go, and
they make sure that the funds are spent in the ways they are supposed to be spent.
So if you're a parent of a child with a disability, your kid is entitled to some of those funds and some of those protections from the federal
government, and if we have too few people working in the department, and if the department just isn't functioning in the way it is supposed to, you
risk all kinds of fraud and misuse of funds and abuse where those funds might make their way to school districts, but never actually get to your
kid.
And your kid might not get those protections they are supposed to get. So I think what is most likely going to happen from this is just that sort of
general dysfunction.
FOSTER: It depends, though, doesn't it, if he completely starves it of resources, it won't be able to do anything. Even if it does exist, as you
say, they can't close it down.
VALANT: They can't close it down and it is important to remember that in the U.S., the federal government only provides about 10 percent of funding
to schools and it has nothing to do with curriculum or who gets hired to teach or how schools teach.
So I think, a lot of us are sort of wondering about the rhetoric, saying that the reason that U.S. schools are underperforming is because of the
federal role, when really the federal government doesn't do a whole lot. But it is also important to note that the President can't eliminate those
funding sources on his own, either.
That would require Congress to say, okay, we are going to get rid of Title I, which provides funds to students in poverty, or to IDEA for students
with disabilities and those programs are actually very popular across the political spectrum because they reach families in all parts of the country.
And in fact, a lot of those programs disproportionately reach rural conservative areas and it would be extremely unpopular if those funds
suddenly went away.
FOSTER: Our commentator earlier on was suggesting that we are looking at this and we need to look at this in various ways, but one of the ways we
need to be looking at it is an ideological move. This is President Trump trying to clean out liberals from public institutions, which he thinks have
been mismanaged.
I know it is a very difficult question to answer, but, you know, people are asking it, you know, are these public institutions full of broadly liberal
people who have one particular political point of view, and it isn't shared by the President right now?
VALANT: So I can speak best to the Department of Education. It is the agency that I know best, and the main function of the Department of
Education is to administer programs that are set up in law. And so it is really the department that is doing things like it is making sure that
those Title I funds go to the schools that they are supposed to go to, that student loans move in the way they're supposed to move, that if you're
applying for financial aid, that you have a working application, which actually has been an issue for the department because it was understaffed
in the past.
[16:10:03]
So it really is not a fundamentally ideological organization. It is an organization that exists to administer these programs and these laws much
more than its driving any kind of agenda or determining what it is that happens in U.S. schools day-to-day.
FOSTER: Okay. Jon Valant, Director of the Brown Center on Education Policy, really appreciate your thoughts on that.
VALANT: Thank you.
FOSTER: Now, Europe is buying itself time to make a deal with the White House by delaying some tariffs on the U.S.
A first round of retaliatory tariffs has been pushed back to mid-April. It targets nearly $5 billion worth of goods and was set to take effect on
April the 1st.
The tariff covers U.S. motor boats, motorcycles, whiskey. The E.U. Trade Commissioner says the delay gives the bloc time to fine tune its approach.
Some members have raised concerns over the goods targeted. They do struggle to make decisions sometimes, the E.U.
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: The E.U. does struggle to make decisions and it is very hard to get 27 member states to agree to absolutely anything, and
perhaps they do need more time.
The argument we've been given from the E.U. Trade Commissioner today is that this gives them more time to negotiate, but also gives them the time
to see what President Trump actually announces on the 2nd of April, so they can actually respond to that as well at the same time in mid-April, which
kind of makes sense.
But you have to wonder, Max, what is going on behind closed doors? What conversations are going on? We know the E.U. had talks with their U.S.
counterparts in terms of trade last week, when there was something of a for tit-for-tat spat going on.
Do they think they can get some sort of reprieve on the steel and aluminum tariffs? Is this because they are very alarmed by the sudden threat from
the president to put a 200 percent tariff on alcohol? Who knows?
But it is a two-week delay, but it does feel like the E.U. is sort of caving in a little bit here, given all the rhetoric we have.
FOSTER: Well, it is such an important part, you know, market isn't it, for the for the E.U., the U.S. market. But he is going to go at the E.U., isn't
he? I mean, he has promised to do it. It is like a point of principle for him. He just doesn't like the whole project.
STEWART: The President has made very clear that he doesn't like the E.U.'s trade policies. He doesn't like the way they handle U.S. tech firms in
terms of taxation and regulation. He has really got the E.U. in his line of sight.
But for the bloc, they also have to consider all of the sectors.
So autos is likely to get hit on the 2nd of April. This will be really bad news for Germany, especially. With alcohol, this big threat, that's
terrible for France and Italy. The U.S. is the biggest market for the E.U. in terms of exports.
So the E.U. likes to talk tough, they want to negotiate. They want to have a hard stance, but at the same time, it is going to have a big impact on
lots of businesses.
FOSTER: And even if -- once these tariffs take effect, they have that immediate effect, don't they? But actually, if you get to the point where
you want to unwind them, that takes a lot of time as well.
So either way, there is going to be a huge amount of disruption to ordinary businesses across the continent.
STEWART: Huge amount of disruption, and actually, you know, the first round of tariffs that has been delayed today is actually re-imposing tariffs that
we actually saw in 2018 that took many years to negotiate and to get suspended by President Biden's administration.
So you're right, it does take a long time to filter through. And all of this, of course, comes at a time when inflation is a concern for both the
U.S. and the E.U.
FOSTER: Yes, Anna, thank you so much.
We take to Istanbul now because they've got some quite alarming scenes on the streets there. We've seen some clashes between protesters and law
enforcement. You can see the police, lots of them, you can really see them because of their white helmets, but they go very deep, far back, thousands
on the streets of Istanbul, despite a four-day ban actually on political gatherings, which the police are clearly trying to resolve there. You can
see people fleeing from the police as the police move forward.
We were looking at this last hour and actually it was more of a standoff, but the police have clearly moved in, a student protest, this one.
Istanbul's popular mayor arrested Wednesday before his party was set to nominate him as the next presidential candidate, and that's really what's
triggered this latest round of unrest.
And, you know, the authorities in Turkey can come down pretty hard on protesters, but they have been allowing a lot of protesters over the last
few days to go on the streets. So this is a moment where things could be turning.
E.U. leaders gathering in Brussels today for a Summit on Ukraine, but they stopped short of offering Kyiv any new material support, the latest after
the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:17:05]
FOSTER: The E.U. is vowing to back Ukraine's military needs as the U.S. presses for a ceasefire with Russia. E.U. leaders made no concrete offers
to Kyiv after meeting Thursday in brussels. The bloc's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said that Ukraine needs to be in a strong position on the ground
during negotiations.
Still, leaders stopped short of approving its request for two million artillery shells.
Sebastian Shukla is following the story for us -- Seb.
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Yes, Max, it has been a day of another tour de force for President Zelenskyy as he looks to shore up support from
European allies as you were just saying. He began the day by addressing those E.U. leaders at a Summit in Brussels, where he said he really wanted
them to be able to pass this five billion euro spending package for them to acquire more weapons and ammunition that they then be able to pass on to
Ukraine so that it can continue to fight back the waves of Russian forces that are still occupying huge swathes of that Ukrainian territory out in
Ukraine's eastern borderlands with Russia.
What he did say as well, though, is he gave the European leaders a bit of a flavor of the conversation that was held between himself and U.S. President
Donald Trump earlier this week, Max. Why don't you take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Yesterday, I had a productive conversation with President Trump. From the very, very beginning, Ukraine
has been advocating for what we are discussing now, an end to attack on energy and infrastructure and ceasefire at sea, and we continue to support
these efforts.
Putin must stop making unnecessary demands that only prolong the war and must start fulfilling what he promises the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHUKLA: And some of those promises, Max, we've seen broken already, or at least not held to in recent hours, overnight yesterday into this morning,
with both sides trading attacks. You know, a Ukrainian attack on a Russian airbase and a Russian attack on a Ukrainian region, too, leaving 10 people
injured on either side.
So that idea of a ceasefire is not yet fully in place and nor are the negotiations or have the negotiators agreed to that just yet. Whilst in
Oslo, though, President Zelenskyy stood alongside his Norwegian counterpart and gave a few more details about these negotiations that will take place
at the weekend in Riyadh between the United States and Russia.
He said that Ukrainian negotiators will also be there, but they are not going to be in the room, so to speak, with the Russians and the Americans
as they talk about a ceasefire agreement and these negotiations.
[16:20:06]
But a degree of shuttle diplomacy will take place where messages will be conveyed through the Americans, both to the Russians and then to the
Ukrainians from subsequent sides. So we will wait to see what the outcome of those will be. Obviously, lots of attention will be drawn to those now,
especially as it looks to be that the initial ceasefire plan proposed by President Trump wasn't quite enough for the Russians. So we will see, even
though this is a working group level, what it may elicit -- Max.
FOSTER: Okay, we will take a look.
Seb, thank you so much.
Now, Kirsty Coventry has been elected as the next President of the International Olympic Committee. The two-time gold medal swimmer prevailed
in a field of seven candidates, needing just one round of voting to secure the most powerful job in world sport. She really did storm it.
She is officially taking the role on June the 24th, when incumbent Thomas Bach steps down after 12 years in charge.
Coventry will be the first female IOC President, as well as the first from Africa and back in January, CNN's Amanda Davies asked her about pursuing
leadership as a mother.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIRSTY COVENTRY, INCOMING IOC PRESIDENT: We've seen many women across even the corporate world step into these leadership roles as mums. I come from a
culture where it is normal for both parents to work. But I am very well supported and I am very lucky.
I also have probably maybe an extra burden of I can't mess this up. I want to make sure that this movement is still relevant and still driving
positive change for my children, and I am going to have that as a reminder, daily.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Patrick Snell is in Atlanta. Good news on the glass ceiling, but I am more interested, Patrick, in what her pitch was because we had
interviewed some of the contenders here. They were pretty -- you know, they were all pretty formidable, weren't they?
But what was she sort of suggesting that she would do with this very challenging job?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Hi, Max. A really historic moment in sport, no question about that. You know, it comes amid reports that she was
the preferred candidate of Thomas Bach. So who knows?
His enduring influence may well have had some kind of impact on that but Kirsty Coventry, Max, she is a swimming great. She is now also an absolute
trailblazer after landing the most powerful job in world sport and her first major event to oversee will be the Winter Games early next year in
Italy.
But there is so much more to reflect on before we get to that. During her own swimming career, she was a standout athlete for Zimbabwe. She won seven
of the eight Olympic medals for her country having ever won, incredible in itself.
I remember two of them were gold medals in the 200 meters backstroke at the 2004 Summer Games and the 2008 Games in Beijing. She is also the first
African to head the IOC, and at 41, Max, the youngest ever President.
Whichever way you look at it, this is groundbreaking history in the making.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COVENTRY: It is a really powerful signal, it is a signal that we are truly global and that we have evolved into an organization that is truly open to
diversity and we are going to continue walking that road in the next eight years.
The IOC and the Olympic Movement have lasted so many generations because it brings people together and the diversity is a unifying way for us to
connect with each other.
So right now, in today's world, this is our biggest platform to showcase the good of humanity and to share our values as the Olympic Movement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Truly historic moment there. Let's have a look at what's happening in Washington.
Patrick, thank you so much for that.
Because we've got to go to Washington, where President Trump is speaking and with focus on the Education Department.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Before I begin, I just want to announce that I signed a proclamation a few moments
ago honoring the 250th Anniversary of Patrick Henry's famous speech to the Second Virginia Convention, in which he declared very well known, very
famous words, "Give me liberty or give me death."
Has anyone heard the phrase? I think most of you have.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: And moments ago I also signed an executive order to dramatically increase production of critical minerals and rare earths. It is a big thing
in this country. And as you know, we are also signing agreements in various locations to unlock rare earths and minerals and lots of other things all
over the world, but in particular Ukraine. We are doing very well with regard to Ukraine and Russia.
And one of the things we are doing is signing a deal very shortly with respect to rare earths with Ukraine, which they have tremendous value in
rare earths and we appreciate that.
And we spoke yesterday with, as you know, President Putin and President Zelenskyy, and we would love to see that come to an end and I think we are
doing pretty well in that regard.
[16:25:06]
So hopefully we can save thousands of people a week from dying. That's what it is all about. They are dying so unnecessarily and I believe well get it
done. We will see what happens, but I believe we will get it done.
Today, we take a very historic action that was 45 years in the making. In a few moments, I will sign an executive order to begin eliminating the
federal Department of Education once and for all.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: And it sounds strange, doesn't it? Department of Education, we are going to eliminate it and everybody knows it is right and the Democrats
know it is right and I hope they are going to be voting for it, because ultimately it may come before them, but everybody knows it is right. We
have to get our children educated. We are not doing well with the world of education in this country and we haven't for a long time.
And we are pleased to be joined today by the woman who I chose because she is an extraordinary person and hopefully she will be our last Secretary of
Education, Linda McMahon -- Linda.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Thank you. Thank you very much.
That's another interesting statement. This is a very -- it is an interesting opening. Right? But it is true and people, you know, it has
been amazing how popular this has been.
I tell people that this is what I am doing today. And they say, oh that is -- it is about time, everybody says it. Republicans and Democrats have said
it. They are all saying it.
Also with us are some terrific people, Governor Greg Abbott. Greg, thank you very much.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Governor Ron DeSantis, thank you very much, Ron.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Mike Braun, congratulations on your victory, Mike. That was a big one.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Mike DeWine, thank you very much, Mike.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Jeff Landry. Jeff, thank you very much, Jeff.
Billy, thank you. Governors, all governors. Brad Little. Brad, thank you very much. Where are you, Brad? Hi, Brad.
Jim Pillen, thank you very much, Jim; and Kim Reynolds, these are all people very interested in education. And, I even see Dan Patrick over
there. My friend, Dan Patrick.
We are joined also by Representatives Tim Walberg and Virginia Foxx, Rick Allen, Micheal Rulli, and again, Dan Patrick, thank you very much, Dan,
you've been a great friend of ours.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: And State Attorneys General Ken Paxton, Ken, I see you there; Andrew Bailey, Andrew, what a job you've done, Andrew. You have some good cases
going. You've done a great job. Thank you very much.
And co-founder of Moms for Liberty, Tiffany Justice. She has been a hard worker.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Thank you, thank you, thank you, Tiffany.
When President Carter created the federal Education Department in 1979, it was opposed by members of his own Cabinet as well as the American
Federation of Teachers, "The New York Times" Editorial Board, and the famed Democrat Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. History has proven them right,
absolutely right.
After 45 years, the United States spends more money on education by far than any other country, and spends likewise by far more money per pupil
than any country and it is not even close. But yet, we rank near the bottom of the list in terms of success. It is an amazing stat. Those are two stats
you don't want, the most money spent per pupil, and you're at the bottom of the list.
And that's where we are, like it or not, and we have been there for a long time, 70 percent of eighth graders are not proficient in either Reading or
in Math, 70 percent. Forty percent of fourth graders lack even basic reading skills, can't read. Students in our public elementary and middle
schools score worse in Reading today than when the department opened, by a lot.
In Baltimore, 40 percent of the high schools have zero students who can do basic Mathematics, not even the very simplest of Mathematics. I said, give
me your definition of basic and they are talking about like adding a few numbers together.
Despite these breathtaking failures, the department's discretionary budget has exploded by 600 percent in a very short period of time and it employs
bureaucrats and buildings all over Washington, D.C. and as a former real estate person, I will tell you, I ride through the streets of Washington
and it says Department of Education, Department of Education, I said how do you fill those buildings? It's crazy what has happened over the years.
I'm pleased to report that after offering these federal employees two generous buyout options, and they were very generous, and they're good
people, but they were very generous. My administration has initiated a reduction in force, and we're already cutting numbers that were really
surprising to a lot that we were able to do it so successfully. And we've cut the number of bureaucrats in half, 50 percent, of taking office, which
is great.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Thank you. Under the action I am taking today, a small handful of Democrats and others that we have employed for a long time, and there are
some Republicans, but not too many, I have to be honest with you. But the department's useful functions and such as -- and they're in charge of them.
Pell grants, Title One funding, resources for children with disabilities and special needs will be preserved, fully preserved. They're all going to
be.
So if you look at the Pell grants, supposed to be a very good program, Title One funding and resources for children with special disabilities and
special needs, they're going to be preserved in full and redistributed to various other agencies and departments that will take very good care of
them, and that's very important to Linda, I know, and it's very important to all of us. But beyond these core necessities, my administration will
take all lawful steps to shut down the department.
We're going to shut it down and shut it down as quickly as possible. It's doing us no good. We want to return our students to the states where just
some of the governors here are so happy about this. They want education to come back to them, to come back to the states, and they're going to do a
phenomenal job. You know, if you look Denmark, Norway, Sweden, I have to tell you, I give them a lot of credit. China is a top 10.
And so we can't now say that bigness is making it impossible to educate because China is very big. But you have countries that do a very good job
in education. And I really believe like some of the governors here today from states that run very, very well, including a big state like Texas, but
states that run very well are going to have education that will be as good as Norway, Denmark, Sweden and those top Finland, those top countries that
do so well with education. I think they'll have -- they'll do every bit as well.
And what do you think about that, Governor? Do you agree? Huh? I think so. Ron, do you agree? I think so, Florida. Iowa. That's right. I really
believe that they'll be as good as any of them. And then you'll have some laggards and we'll work with them. And we can all tell you who the laggards
will be right now probably. But let's not get into that. But we'll work with them and we're going to make them -- they'll do a job. I think they'll
do a job and they'll go to sections of the state.
For instance, New York, you'll have a Manhattan and you'll have a Suffolk County, and you'll have Nassau County, and you'll have Westchester County.
You'll do four or five or six of them. You have upstate New York. And those counties I think are going to do very well. And I think ultimately
Manhattan should do very well. But we'll break it down into sections, and I think it will be really, really good. And they're going to be probably the
tougher ones.
But I think they have a chance to do really well. But we're going to be returning education very simply back to the states where it belongs. And
this is a very popular thing to do. But much more importantly, it's a common sense thing to do, and it's going to work. Absolutely, it's going to
work. And I can tell you from dealing with the governors and others in the state, they want it so badly. They want to take their children back and
really teach their children individually.
Probably the cost will be half and the education will be maybe many, many times better. So we look forward to this. I want to just make one little
personal statement. Teachers to me are among the most important people in this country, and we're going to take care of our teachers. And I don't
care if they're in the union or not in the union. That doesn't matter.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: But we're going to take care of our teachers. And I believe, I believe the states will take actually better care of them than they are
taken care of right now. They'll work all sorts of systems and even merit systems.
[16:35:02]
Those great teachers are going to be maybe a little bit better rewarded, and maybe that's the way it should be. But the states are going to make
that decision. But we're going to love and cherish our teachers along with our children, and they're going to work with the parents, and they're going
to work with everybody else. And it's going to be an amazing thing to watch, and it's really going to be something special.
And Linda, you're presiding over something that's so important and you're going to do a fantastic job, just like you have your whole life. I know
your whole life I've been watching you. I've been watching you for a long time. She's had nothing but success. So it's tremendous to have you. And
hopefully you won't be there too long. But we're going to find something else for you, Linda. OK?
So this will conclude what we are talking about with respect to our most cherished group of people. And that's our children. We want to have our
children well-educated. We want them to love going to school. We have examples of it. Look at those beautiful, bright eyed faces. Those -- they
are so smart. They are so smart. And with that, I'm going to come down and we're going to sign a very important document and we're going to be on our
way.
People have wanted to do this for many, many years, for many, many decades. And I don't know, no president ever got around to doing it. But I'm getting
around to doing it. So thank you very much.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Hello. Good looking people here.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Should I do this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
TRUMP: Yes. I think so. We have a special class. I was very lucky I send another document that turned out to be very good for the country. And I
said, let's use that same pen. I don't know, is anybody superstitious? Ron, are you superstitious? Let's use that same pen. OK.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: President Trump there signing that pretty momentous order there about the Education Department. He is also
talking about shutting it down, Kevin Liptak. He doesn't have the legal authority to do that. But what does this document actually do in effect?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You see him standing there with Linda McMahon. She is now tasked with taking every legal step to
essentially dismantle the critical aspects of that agency. It stops short of shutting it down completely, which the administration acknowledges would
require an act of Congress. But what he's telling her to do is essentially strip it down piece by piece, so that it essentially no longer functions.
But he did say that a number of its critical elements, things like administering Title One grants, which go to low poverty schools or high
poverty schools, rather. Pell grants and money for special needs students would remain in place. But he said that he is trying to essentially farm
them out to other agencies, which is a difference from what we heard from the press secretary earlier today who said that they would remain under the
Education Department.
So, like a lot of things Trump does, there is some confusion around the specifics here. I will say, when it comes to moving the student loan
programs to other agencies, that's something that officials have been having a hard time with, actually, as Trump has put this into effect, this
Education Department manages about $1.8 trillion in debt and student loan debt. A lot of that is already in default, if not delinquent, and they're
having a hard time finding places, places like the Treasury Department don't necessarily want to take that on.
So some of the hard work of actually doing what this order specifies the agency to do still has to be done. What you heard President Trump repeat
over and over in his remarks is that he wants to return the task of education back to states, and that is sort of the movement that has been
fueling this whole initiative is trying to give states more control over the schools.
[16:40:07]
In reality, states already have almost all control over the school's curriculums. Only about 11 percent of funding for public schools,
elementary, middle school and high schools comes from the federal government. The rest comes from state. They already exercise control over
the curriculums, over programs. And so when he says that, it isn't necessarily clear what exactly the states will have more control over now
that he's signed this.
But certainly what he's doing does fulfill a pledge that Republicans have been making really for decades. This idea of greater local control over
these schools, the Education Department had acted as kind of this, you know, big behemoth in Washington that they could point to for problems that
were existing in the school systems in their localities, when in reality, a lot of the problems that are facing schools are the problems that states
will still be facing after this order has been signed.
FOSTER: OK, Kevin Liptak. Thank you.
There you are. That new order being displayed by the president.
Now, when we return, Tesla's troubles continue. The company is recalling 46,000 Cybertrucks over faulty parts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: In California, development in climate change has threatened native plant species. But one indigenous tribe is trying to protect them.
Today, on "Call to Earth, we visit with a local group of Chumash people for whom some plants hold deep meaning, which is why they continue to cultivate
them and pass on their knowledge to the younger generations.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Under the shade of an old oak tree, a special group assembles to learn ancient wisdom.
LEVI ZAVALLA, COMMUNITY LANGUAGE TEACHER, SANTA YNEZ CHUMASH: So we're standing here under this beautiful oak tree.
[16:45:01]
We call this Khu, and we're standing in our medicinal garden. (Speaking in foreign language).
Hello, everyone. My name is Levi Zavalla. I'm from Santa Ynez in the (INAUDIBLE) Clan, Shamala Chumash.
JONES: Levi Zavalla is responsible for passing along indigenous plant knowledge to his tribe.
ZAVALLA: We have all these medicinal plants as you see behind you, right over here. That is (INAUDIBLE), it's the stinging nettle. That's really
good medicinal plant. Right here we have (INAUDIBLE) or yerba mansa. It almost looks like a carrot, right? So check that out. Smell it. Look at it.
That's really good for liver cleansing. And see, our ancestors knew all this. They had so much time to study this.
JONES: The Chumash people settled in an untamed and undeveloped Santa Ynez Valley in Central California no less than 13,000 years ago.
DIEGO CORDERO, LEAD ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNICIAN, SANTA YNEZ CHUMASH ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICE: (Speaking in foreign language). My name is Diego
Cordero. I'm the Chumash person from Santa Barbara, and I work for the Santa Ynez Chumash Environmental Office.
JONES: Diego Cordero is tasked with growing and caring for local plants, keeping them intact and thriving for future generations. He says many
native plant populations have declined over time due to urban development and the effects of climate change. The nursery contains about 3500 plants,
many of which possess deep cultural meaning to the Chumash plants like the juncos used for basket weaving and dogbane for rope and string.
CORDERO: Most people are familiar with seeds, right? That is one way that plants reproduce and make more plants. That's a good one. There's another
way, though, where you see each one of these little leaves. This can make an entirely new plant. Maybe dig it out a little bit with your finger
first, so you make like a little divot, and then you put it in there, and then scoop some over it.
We were always raised to say that these things haven't been lost. They're not dead. They're asleep. And our job as Chumash people is to wake these
things up again.
All right. Who does not have a job right now? Raise your hand.
JONES: For the students and elders taking part in the day's outdoor classroom, there is a sense of pride in revitalizing ancient practices and
keeping the traditions alive.
MICAELA ACUNA, STUDENT: I feel like it's good to know your culture and where you come from. And then, like, not only that, but also be able to,
like, learn it so that way we can pass it on to the next generation.
KYLIE LAPOINTE, STUDENT: I love learning about my ancestors. I love going to my grandmother's house, reading books with her. I like to talk in my
language and just kind of show people like the unique stuff we have and everything.
KRISTINA TALAUGON-RIVERA, CHUMASH TRIBAL ELDER: For the youth to see the elders supporting what they do, it's just a way to know that the native
plants, the medicinal teas and some of the materials needed for basket weaving can be collected by the youth.
JONES: And for the teachers like Cordero and Zavalla, it's inspiring to know the long chain of shared knowledge won't soon be broken.
CORDERO: I've put a lot of effort into making this nursery a space that's welcoming and accessible for elders and children. That is something that
they can participate in that relationship. And they'll pass that on to future generations.
ZAVALLA: These plants helped our people thrive. You guys are the future. You guys are our future, and you will be the ones sharing this knowledge
when we're gone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Amazing. Let us know what you're doing to answer the Call to Earth with the hashtag CalltoEarth. Took us a long time to think that one up.
We'll be back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:51:21]
FOSTER: Well, it's a pretty unusual move. The U.S. secretary of Commerce is urging Americans to buy Tesla stock. Howard Lutnick touted the sinking
stock on FOX News on Wednesday night, raising ethical concerns. His recommendation doesn't seem to be helping, though. The stock was down for
much of the day and just barely edged into the green.
The value of used Teslas has also been taking a hit. The resale site CarGurus says prices are falling at more than double the rate of the
average used car. Searches for used Teslas have dropped 16 percent over the past month, while searches for non-Tesla electric vehicles are up 28
percent in the past year.
Clare Duffy is on this, and it's a real worry, isn't it, for these people that spent a huge amount of money on a luxury car and are now worrying, you
know, if they can sell it, let alone how much money they'll lose?
CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yes, Max, it is really a rough time for the company right now. Let's first just review the really challenging start
to 2025 that Tesla has had. Stock is down about 38 percent year to date. It has reported its first ever global sales decline. We've seen these attacks
on Tesla cars and dealerships. It had to recall more than 40,000 Cybertrucks. There is intense global competition in the EV market,
including BYD in China just announced a five-minute charging feature, ratcheting that up even more.
And now, as you said, even demand for used Tesla has sunk. We've seen, you know, searches for used Tesla decline over the past month despite record-
low resale prices and despite the fact that searches for non-Tesla EVs are up in the used car sales market. And so we really are starting to hear
investors ask the question of where is Elon Musk? We know that in the past, when Tesla has gone through rough patches, he even slept on the factory
floor to help the company make it through.
But now he is spending so much of his time at the White House on DOGE, which has been very controversial for many Tesla buyers and customers. And
there's really no indication at this point that he plans to cut back his time spent at the White House with Trump.
FOSTER: In terms of the political crisis, which I think we can describe it as that at Tesla, you know, the people that work there, they're normally
talking about what this car can do and the features and all of that. I mean how -- it says so much about how the brand is so much of the value of the
car.
DUFFY: It is really interesting because this brand sort of description has changed over the past few years. A lot of the people who were buying Teslas
previously were really focused on the climate impacts. They wanted to have an electric vehicle. They had heard Elon Musk talk about caring about the
environment, and there was a lot of sort of liberal, left-leaning folks, California was a huge market for the company.
Now those are many of the same people who are really concerned about Musk's actions within the federal government. And I think that's why you're
starting to see people, you know, perhaps trying to offload their Teslas that you demand for used cars is down because people maybe want to buy
these cars less right now, on top of the fact that you're seeing people's Teslas be attacked and vandalized.
It's sort of no surprise that you would be worried about owning this kind of car right now, given the violence that we've seen. And so I think it's
those two sort of issues that are interplaying together to really affect demand for this company.
FOSTER: OK. Clare Duffy, thank you so much.
Now, a French scientist was apparently stopped at the U.S. border because of his criticism of Donald Trump. That's according to a French minister.
Our Melissa Bell is in Paris with that story.
[16:55:01]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: CNN has been learning more about the case of a French researcher who was apparently denied entry
to the United States earlier this month on the basis of exchanges that were found on his phone critical of the Trump administration and its policies
towards academic research.
Now we're learning more about the case from France's higher education and research minister, who's been speaking out very strongly about the case,
saying that these were messages that were allegedly voicing a personal opinion on the part of the researcher and shared with friends and
colleagues.
This is a minister, by the way, who's been very critical of the Trump administration's attitude towards scientific research, urging American
scientists to come and seek refuge here in France. Tonight, though, it is about this particular case of a French citizen turned back that he's been
speaking out.
CNN has also reached out to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service for comment. What we've received back is an explanation that at the border,
people can be searched and anything that raises flags can then be investigated but denying that any such decisions would ever be made on a
political basis. And yet what we have here is the case of a researcher who appears to have been denied entry for just that.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: The people of Finland are surely celebrating the U.N.'s International Day of Happiness. That's today. Finland has been named the
world's happiest country. That's the eighth year in a row as well, according to the World Happiness Report.
Last hour I spoke with author and philosopher Frank Martela. He told me there's a link between happiness and democracy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANK MARTELA, AUTHOR, "STOP CHASING HAPPINESS": One of the key reasons that the Nordic countries seem to be so happy is about like, you know, very
well-functioning democratic institutions. So free speech, free elections, low-levels of corruption, strong rule of law. All of these are
characteristics that are like whenever there's an index about these things, the Nordic countries tend to top those indexes. And these also tend to be
the characteristics that predict which countries are performing better on these kind of happiness indexes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Final look at the markets before we go. Wall Street finishing lower and not much happiness there. Investor uncertainty really looming over
Wednesday's Fed meeting, we reported on. The Dow Jones edging into the red despite rallying earlier in the session. The S&P 500 shed nearly a quarter
of a percent. Nasdaq falling nearly a third of a percent. As you can see, it's lost more than 11 percent in the last month.
That is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. I'm Max Foster. "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
