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The Situation Room

China Raises Retaliatory Tariffs to 125 Percent; Witkoff to Meet with Putin in Russia; Helicopter Crash Investigation; Trump to Head to Walter Reed. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired April 11, 2025 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:30:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Back to our breaking news that we're following this morning. China is now raising its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods to 125 percent. China's president, Xi Jinping, warning "there are no winners in a trade." That's a direct quote. President Trump has put tariffs on China at 145 percent.

I want to bring in the great New York Times columnist and bestselling author Tom Friedman, a good friend of mine as well. Tom, does a tariff war with China, undercut any progress the U.S. right now could be making on national security issues with China?

THOMAS FRIEDMAN, NEW YORK TIMES COLUMNIST: Well, Wolf, yes. This is, in this case, national security is economic security and economic security is national security for both countries. President Xi -- I was just in China a couple weeks ago. It's pretty clear to me that leadership there is really taking two approaches right now. One is to say to Trump, we aren't who you think we are. During the last six years, COVID and the years after that, when you kind of disengaged from China, we made a great leap forward in advanced manufacturing. And so, I think there's a lot more self-confidence in China right now, especially after they released their own A.I. program, DeepSeek, to compete with ChatGPT.

And so, at the same time, Wolf, you know, what I sensed when I was in China was that the leaders there, they sort of watched that Trump- Zelenskyy meeting and how wild that was. And they are keenly aware that Trump basically tore up the NAFTA agreement, the replacement of NAFTA agreement with Canada and Mexico that he wrote. So, one of the questions they're asking him is that, how do you even do it? Asking, how do you even do a deal with this guy? Can you trust any deal you have? And if we put our leader in a room with him, what might happen?

So, I think a lot of the instability, kind of the crazy back and forth you've seen from Trump in the last few weeks, it actually has material effect on these negotiations.

BLITZER: Right now, Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is in Russia where he is set to meet with the Vladimir Putin pretty soon, if that meeting hasn't started yet. Are you seeing any real chance for an agreement between Russia and Ukraine right now?

FRIEDMAN: Well, let me just say, Wolf. I appreciate and admire the administration's effort to bring a ceasefire or a peace to the Ukraine-Russia war. That's a good thing. The war's dragged down way too long. It needs to stop. My problem is that their approach is to believe that both sides want peace. I'm afraid that's not the case.

Ukraine wants peace, Wolf, but Putin wants victory. And that's been the problem all along. That the administration simply can't come to terms, it seems, with the fact that Putin wants to win and he needs to win because Russia's history is not kind to leaders who lose wars. And so, that real split I think has been hobbling the administration.

BLITZER: Yes.

FRIEDMAN: At the same time, what has never been clear to me is what is Trump's bottom line for Ukraine? So, what does he want? What does he see America's interest there? What is his minimum negotiating position?

BLITZER: We'll see what happens on that front. Another very important sensitive issue right now, Iran. Iran saying it is setting out so- called red lines with the United States just ahead of tomorrow's important talks between the U.S., the Trump administration direct talks with Iran in Oman. Is this Iranian bluster or is the Iranian regime prepared to walk away if they feel the U.S. is threatening?

FRIEDMAN: Well, it's a very good question, Wolf. We don't know. Again, I'm glad the administration is trying to sit down to negotiate with the Iranians, but we know from the history of these parties that unless the Iranians feel there is a credible U.S. military threat to take out their nuclear program these negotiations are not likely going very far.

[10:35:00]

So, I don't know whether that's the case. I know the administration has transferred some long-range bombers, you know, to Diego Garcia to be in position if they wanted to threaten Iran. I don't believe Trump really wants to do that.

And so, at TBD, Iran's taken a big hit in the war with Israel. It's at a weaker position, and because it's in a weaker position, you get a lot of this kind of bluster and whatnot. But at the end of the day, it's going to come down to, I think, whether the Iranians really believe there is a direct U.S. military threat or not. If they believe that, they will negotiate seriously. If they don't, they'll drag it on.

BLITZER: In his statements, Trump seems to be threatening to actually bomb Iran if they don't reach a nuclear agreement. Is the U.S., is the Trump administration, do you believe, prepared to follow through on that?

FRIEDMAN: Well, you know, Wolf, as your previous guest, you know, Ron pointed out, Trump has sent our economy into a tailspin. A lot of people think we're in a recession. I think that if I were the Iranians calculating Trump's, you know, willingness right now to launch a war against Iran, that would absolutely spike oil prices. I think you can only fight so many wars at once, Wolf. And right now, we've got a few too many going, I think to be credible vis-a-vis the Iranians right now with that threat.

BLITZER: Yes, good point. Tom Friedman, as usual, appreciate your important work. Thanks so much for joining us.

FRIEDMAN: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. and just ahead, Pamela, there's more news.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. What this wreckage right here could tell investigators about a deadly sightseeing helicopter crash that left six people dead, including three children.

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[10:40:00]

BROWN: Happening now, investigators are on the scene of a deadly helicopter crash trying to figure out what caused the chopper to plunge upside down in the Hudson River, killing all on board.

BLITZER: Including the kids on board. Joining us now, the CNN transportation analyst and former inspector general over the Transportation Department, Mary Schiavo. Mary, thanks so much for joining us. What's the first thing investigators do after a crash like this?

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN TRANSPORTATION ANALYST AND FORMER INSPECTOR GENERAL, TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT: Well, in addition to securing the wreckage they secure, they get, they download, they take physical possession of all maintenance and operational records. And it's especially important on an aircraft, as this helicopter is, it was owned by a company in Louisiana and then was leased, which will also be something they'll look at, at least with the pilot called to -- and fuel and all of that called a wet lease, or did the maintenance and operation thereafter go with the company in New York? So, they'll be looking at those leasing arrangements, the maintenance arrangements, any prior damage and the whole history of this 21-year-old helicopter. And that's all going on at the same time while they secure the wreckage.

And they also look at past accidents. What was similar like this in the past? And so, I quickly went through the NTSB databases, and there are some that are very similar. There was one in Oklahoma where a situation like this was kicked off by a bird strike. There was one in Arizona in 2019 where something happened called a mast bump where the rotor blade on top of the helicopter, which is only semi rigid, it moves around, actually hit the tail, hit the housing and had an accident sequence like this.

And then, they're going to look at materials defects, where there are hidden defects in the metals, in the materials, in the blades, in the shaft right out of the manufacturer that sort of sat in this aircraft like a ticking time bomb until through fatigue and weather it failed. And so, the NTSB is very busy looking at all these factors and probably some more right now. BROWN: Right. And something they'll probably also be looking at is the fact that this company had complied with two recent FAA issued airworthiness directives. How common are these directives and how much will they factor into the investigation?

SCHIAVO: Airworthiness directives and then a less serious one, service bulletins and other kind of directives from the FAA. Airworthiness directives are the most serious because they're mandatory. You must make the changes or the inspections that are set forth in airworthiness directive because it has the force of a federal regulation. And so, once airworthiness directives are issued, you must comply.

The trick is a lot of times the FAA gives you a long time to comply. You might have months, you might have years, it could be an emergency, you might have to do it before the plane takes one second of flight further. But to have -- two, it would depend if they were aimed specifically at this operator or this aircraft. Airworthiness directives are very common if your aircraft -- the model of your aircraft, the type and model of your aircraft has been around for a long time.

You know, a Boeing might have thousands of airworthiness directives on it because a particular model -- a make and model might have been around for very long time. The trick is, when did you have to make the changes and did you do it?

BLITZER: Mary, be, before I let you go quickly, I want to turn to this incident, very worrisome incident, personal for me since I fly out of Reagan National Airport all the time. Two planes yesterday actually bumped wings on the ground at Reagan National Airport. Several members of Congress were on board, at least one of those jets, including Democrat Josh Gottheimer who spoke to CNN. Listened to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): As we were sitting there, suddenly the plane shook violently. We were hit by another plane. At first, you had no idea what was going on, and then it was clear pretty quickly. And the pilot came on and said our wing had just been hit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:45:00]

BLITZER: This was another close call after that horrific mid-air collision at the same airport back in January. Why are we seeing so many incidents here at Reagan National Airport?

SCHIAVO: Well, we've seen a lot of incidents and accidents at Reagan Airport because there's so much traffic there. Reagan is a very old airport. It's congested. It has small intersecting runways. We don't build airports that way anymore. And remember, it was supposed to be closed when Dulles Airport opened because those problems have been around for a long time. Nationwide though, we see about 1,700 on average, 1,700 of these kinds of incidents at airports, they're called runway deviations, but they can happen on taxiways, and that's something that the FAA has been looking at for a number of years. They've designated some airports hotspots. This one certainly is considered a hotspot. And they have special procedures. But on a small, tight airport, the pilots have to follow that center line exactly and be aware of their -- you know, have situational awareness. They're aware of their wing, where they're playing, where the other aircraft. And then, of course air traffic control has to keep an eye out.

BLITZER: They certainly do.

BROWN: I tell you what, now, you know, when I fly out of Reagan, I'm a little more nervous --

BLITZER: I know.

BROWN: -- than I have been.

BLITZER: When I was coming, flying in on a jet liner the other night, flying into Reagan National, I was looking, are there any helicopters around?

BROWN: Right, I was too. And now, you know, they had been banned. But I -- it's just a whole new experience now flying. So, all right. Mary, thank you so much. We'll be right back.

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[10:50:00]

BLITZER: Any moment now, President Trump is expected to leave the White House on his way to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in nearby Bethesda, Maryland for his annual physical exam. He is expected to be there, we're now told, for the better part of this afternoon.

BROWN: And joining us now is seeing a medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner. He is also professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University and former Vice President Dick Cheney's, cardiologist. So, Dr. Reiner, what kind of tests will the president undergo? And what will doctors be looking for?

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST AND PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE AND SURGERY, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Well, we'll have to see. First, it's important to know that a lot of testing is probably already done. Almost certainly they've already drawn the president's blood for the sort of usual, you know, full array of preventative, you know, tests like, you know, blood count and metabolic profile cholesterol, things like that. PSA to look at prostate. And that almost certainly is already done.

The White House itself has a fairly prodigious capacity to evaluate and treat a variety of problems. The Walter Reed visit typically is a reserve for testing that can't be done at the White House. Things like CAT scans, MRI scans. And also, it's sometimes reserved for consultants that have not been able to come to the White House to evaluate the president. So, we'll see what's on tap for today.

BROWN: So, what kind of transparency are you expecting from the doctors of Walter Reed? As we know, the president has, for years, been reluctant to share his medical information.

DR. REINER: I am expecting very little transparency. If we look at the last note that was released by President Trump's medical team in the fall of 2023 during the election process, it was basically a three-paragraph note, completely devoid of any data where it basically just said that he's in, you know, great health and he did extraordinarily well on his cognitive testing. That's literally what it said. No data, not even, you know, blood pressure, weight, cholesterol, none of that. So, we'll have to see.

Look I encourage, you know, transparency. I don't think any -- almost any medical condition would really prevent somebody from serving as president of the United States. But I think it's important for people to understand the health of the president. And, you know, with all the controversy stirring around the -- last year of the Biden presidency, I think, you know, for somebody who now is the oldest person ever to be sworn in as president, I think it's important to understand President Trump's health.

BLITZER: He is 78 years old right now. I want to shift gears, Dr. Reiner, and while I have you and ask you about the growing and deadly measles outbreak here in the United States. The topic came up at CNN's Congressional Town Hall last night. My colleague Jake Tapper asked Pennsylvania Congressman Ryan Mackenzie about it. Here's what -- here's some of what he had to say. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RYAN MACKENZIE (R-PA): In the case of the measles vaccine, that's something that's been long established and I think we have a fairly good track record of evidence to prove that that is safe and effective. So, I would encourage others, if that is their choice, to actually go out and do that.

But we do have a couple other things that we need to address. First of all, many of these instances that are coming into our country are from illegal immigrants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: What's your reaction to that assertion that measles are being -- are spreading around the United States because of illegal immigration?

DR. REINER: No. Well, first of all, measles is spreading rapidly in the United States because there's fertile ground for it. Because there is an increasing number of people in this country who have never been vaccinated for measles. We've always had occasional sporadic cases that come to the United States from people outside this country.

[10:55:00] The -- in 2000, it was declared that measles had been eradicated as sort of a native disease spreading from person to person in this country. And again, the sporadic outbreaks were from isolated people who contracted the disease abroad. But now, what we're seeing is we're seeing the disease spread in large numbers, in large -- in communities where there are sometimes 20 percent of the children have not been vaccinated for this disease.

So, the primary problem is not undocumented people bringing this disease to this country and basically soiling this country, it's the fact that many people in the United States believe the misinformation that has been spread about this 60-year-old safe and effective vaccine that is 98 percent effective at preventing this disease. And we've sadly now seen three people, two of them children die during this outbreak.

BLITZER: Yes, very sad indeed. Dr. Jonathan Reiner of George Washington University, as usual, thanks very much for your expertise. And we'll continue to follow the news and we'll be right back.

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