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The Situation Room

China Halts Exports of Critical Rare Earths to U.S.; Trump Admin. Pushes Back on Court Order Over Deported Man; Russia Attacks Ukraine in Palm Sunday; Blue Origin's All-Female Space Flight Returns; Rory McIlroy Wins Masters. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired April 14, 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: -- from auto manufacturing to semiconductors, to American defense companies. How problematic is that?

SEN. PETER WELCH (D-VT): It's huge. And see, what this reflects is that there was no plan. So, Trump had an aspiration, he has confidence that he can bully others into submission. Small countries like Vietnam got on the phone right away and said, no mas, we'll have zero tariffs. But when it comes to China, when it comes to the E.U., he -- that bullying doesn't work. And that's where you actually need a patient thoughtful plan where you're keeping your eye on the prize of making America more competitive, keeping prices down in affordability in the forefront.

So, I just don't see a way out here when they don't have a plan and everything they're doing is on the fly and we are subject to the reciprocal actions of the E.U., and in this case, China. This is very, very damaging for us. High cost for consumers, reduction in competition and ultimately, some additional unemployment.

BLITZER: I also want to get your thoughts, while I have you, Senator, on the Maryland man, a legal U.S. resident mistakenly deported to an El Salvador prison. The Trump administration insists it is not required to secure his release, even though the U.S. Supreme Court says the U.S. must, quote, "facilitate" efforts to bring him home. Is the president defying the U.S. Supreme Court?

WELCH: In my view, yes. You know, their recent argument is that the court can't interfere in foreign policy. But think about what that means. This is a person who is legally here, who was not in -- who's disappeared, who's -- by accident. So, essentially, it's a kidnapping. So, the argument that the Trump administration is making right now is that foreign policy can include kidnapping lawful -- people in the U.S. lawfully. So, that's incredible extension of what foreign policy is about. This person should be brought back right away.

BLITZER: Senator Peter Welsh of Vermont, thank you so much for joining us.

WELCH: Thank you.

BLITZER: Pamela.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: And up next, right here in the Situation Room, defying calls for peace. Russia's Palm Sunday attack on Ukraine is the deadliest this year. What this means for the future of ceasefire talks next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:35:00]

BROWN: Happening now, mourners in the Ukrainian city of Sumy are paying tribute to the victims of yesterday's Russian missile attack. At least 34 people were killed and dozens more injured as people gathered for Palm Sunday services. It is the deadliest attack this year.

BLITZER: And joining us now, CNN Chief National Security Correspondent Alex Marquardt. Alex, Russia launched this attack, what, just days after the special U.S. envoy actually met with Vladimir Putin.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Two days. Steve Witkoff, the special envoy for Trump, met with Putin for four hours on Friday. That was the same day that Trump himself said that Russia had to get moving on a peace deal with Ukraine. And then, we see this horrific attack, more than 30 people killed in Sumy, more than a hundred injured in what's called a double tap. So, two back-to- back strikes using ballistic and cluster munitions. So, just a horrific attack.

And the big question now I think, guys, is whether Trump realizes that his timeframe, his timeline for a peace deal in Ukraine is different than Vladimir Putin's. We have heard from President Trump essentially giving Putin the benefit of the doubt, saying that he heard that this was a mistake. But regardless of the target, this certainly was not a mistake. This is something that Putin has been doing for more than three years.

Some people around Trump taking a tougher line, including his Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, who called -- who said that this crosses any line of decency. But that big question, whether those around Trump can convince him that Putin may not be interested in peace right now.

BROWN: Yes, it's interesting. So, you say Trump said, look, this was a mistake giving Russia a benefit of the doubt. But cluster munitions are indiscriminate, right?

MARQUARDT: They are absolutely indiscriminate. And apparently, what happened, according to the Ukrainians, is that they fired this -- the second missile came in and fired above the ground. And so, those -- that shrapnel would've gone everywhere.

And to the point about narratives, we've heard some very sharp words from President Zelenskyy this weekend as well, saying that he's growing frustrated, essentially, that the Russian narrative is taking hold. The Russians essentially saying, well, we were provoked. We didn't start this war. And this is something that we've started to hear more and more from those in and around the administration. We saw that that fight breaking out essentially in the Oval Office when President Vance went after President Zelenskyy, and we did hear some words directed by President Zelenskyy at Vice President Vance in a "60 Minutes" interview that aired yesterday. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I don't want to engage in the altered reality that is being presented to me. First and foremost, we did not launch an attack to start the war. It seems to me that the vice president is somehow justifying Putin's actions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: So, does that jab at Vice President Vance reignite some of these frustrations between the two? That remains to be seen. But I do think the bigger question is whether this attack is an inflection point, whether it will really drive home the point that Putin right now is not looking for a peace deal.

BLITZER: Yes. Very, very disturbing. And kids were killed in that last attack.

MARQUARDT: Several, yes.

BLITZER: Several children are. All right. Thanks very much, Alex Marquardt. Appreciate it. Pamela.

BROWN: Just ahead, returning from the edge of space. We'll speak to a former astronaut on the latest Blue Origin trip.

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[10:40:00]

BROWN: This morning an all-female flight crew is back on Earth after traveling to the edge of space in Blue Origin's latest tourism mission. Six passengers, including Gayle King and Katy Perry, were launched 62 miles into the sky on a voyage that lasted just about 10 minutes. It's only 10 minutes. But look at their reaction. So, emotional there. For good reasons.

We're joined now by former NASA astronaut Michael Massimino. He is also the author of "Moon Shot: A NASA Astronaut's Guide to Achieving the Impossible." Thanks for being here. Look, this flight, it went just over 60 miles into the sky, and as I said, it was just about 10 minutes. You've been to space. What is the view like from that height?

[10:45:00]

MICHAEL MASSIMINO, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT AND ENGINEER PROFESSOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: It's pretty amazing, Pamela. Even if -- you know, my missions were a few weeks long for -- with NASA, this is a little bit different, of course, just about four minutes of weightlessness in space.

But this -- the spacecraft they were on was designed for a tourist experience. So, the windows are huge and everyone gets one. So, you don't have to fight over the view. So, they each have a chance to take a great look at the planet and see the thinness of the atmosphere. So, it's a beautiful experience. I'm glad it all went well for them and interested to see what they have to say now after they've been there.

BROWN: And even just getting that view and having that experience, it can really be life altering, right.

MASSIMINO: It was for me. You know, you hear a lot about it, you know, people describe it. We can see IMAX movies now which give us a really cool experience of what it's like up there. But when you actually see it, it's -- it really can be lifechanging.

For me, what went through my mind, there's no words to describe the beauty of the planet, but for me, what went through my mind was this is what heaven must look like. It was an absolute paradise. I felt like I was looking into. You also see the thinness of the atmosphere and see how fragile it is. And also, with my experience was I think sometime around in my second space flight, maybe about halfway through looking at the planet, I got this sense of that is home. And when I think of home now, Pamela, I think of Earth. I don't think of where I grew up on Long Island or being a New Yorker. I think of -- I think home is planet Earth and it's a place we all share.

BROWN: I love that. So, tell us about -- I just love this video and the emotion and, you know, they're just trying to process, oh, my gosh, I was just in space and now I'm back on Earth. I mean, it was just --

MASSIMINO: Yes.

BROWN: -- a short time, right? But what kind of training and preparation goes into a mission like this?

MASSIMINO: Well, for this, it's a little bit different than my colleagues, what I went through and my colleagues are going through at NASA and other places where they're professional astronauts. You know, they're -- you're talking years of training. It was six years of training before I got to go into space. In this case, it's more like a couple days for them.

But it's really to make sure that they're going to be safe and that they can enjoy the experience. So, it's mainly how do you get into your seat? How do you get out of your seat and how do you get back into it in time for the landing so you're in the right position when you're coming down. And so, there's lots of scenarios that could take place and different attitudes, different positions, different conditions. So, I think that was primarily what they went over, and the workings of the rockets and how to launch and what's going to happen when the parachutes come out, what it's going to feel like. Trying to get them prepared so they're not surprised by the physical parts of the mission and what they need to do in a case of an emergency, and they can concentrate on enjoying the experience. BROWN: You know, this is just another example of space tourism no longer just in science fiction, right.

MASSIMINO: Yes.

BROWN: What do you think of celebrities being launched into space like this?

MASSIMINO: Well, I think it's all good. You know, I think it's a good thing. We're having this conversation, Pamela, because it was a couple celebrities on board, right? It was the first all-female space crew. So, you know, these are things that get people's attention. And then, they hear -- they see that, they hear it, they're going to hear about, you know, Katy Perry or Gayle King talking about their experiences, and maybe they'll get to learn a little bit more about the space program and about achieving goals. And I think that that is really what the value is here.

I think it's great that they got a chance to experience this personally, each one of those individuals, but I think it also gives us something to talk about and learn a little bit more about the space program. And the future is just -- I think, is really unlimited, now that it's not just governments going to space, but also these commercial companies, I think the possibilities are really exciting.

BROWN: Yes. I mean, hopefully, one day space tourism will be accessible to everyone, right? That is the hope. Michael Massimino, thank you so much.

MASSIMINO: Yes. You bet. Thank you.

BLITZER: And we're told that Katy Perry was actually singing a song inside that spacecraft.

BROWN: Right.

BLITZER: I want to find out what that song was. That could be our --

BROWN: "What a Wonderful World."

BLITZER: We know that movie.

BROWN: It was "What a Wonderful World" as they were coming back.

BLITZER: That's my song of the day.

BROWN: Song of the Day. Everyone take note, "What a Wonderful World." One celebrity who won't be going up though is you, right?

BLITZER: No, I'm not going up.

BROWN: All right.

BLITZER: I'm staying here on Earth. Coming up. Rory McIlroy ending a major championship drought in dramatic fashion at the Masters. We're live in Augusta, Georgia with more on the exclusive club he now joins. That's coming up next.

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[10:50:00]

BLITZER: It was truly a thrilling finish at Augusta National yesterday as one of Gulf's biggest names made history. 35-year-old Rory McIlroy surviving a sudden death playoff to clinch not only his first green jacket, but a career Grand Slam as well.

BROWN: CNN Sports Don Riddell is in Augusta this morning. Don, wow. This was a long time coming from McIlroy. How did he pull it off?

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: No kidding. Yes, I'm not sure exactly how he pulled it off, because several occasions on Sunday afternoon it looked like he was going to completely throw it away, Pamela and Wolf.

Let's just show you some of the highlights, because he had a lead on Sunday night. He threw it away in the very first hole. Then he got himself back in front again. But on the second nine, he was hemorrhaging shots again, and he needed audacious career defining shots like that one on 17 to set up a birdie to stabilize and stay in the fight. He could have won it on the 18th with that put, but it went wide, which meant he was now pitched into an agonizing sudden death playoff.

At times yesterday it looked like he was going to crumple under the pressure of it all. He looked like he was close to tears several times, but then he did that on the playoff hole, another incredible approach shot. And when he finally put this put away, I mean, you can just see what it meant to him and have a listen.

[10:55:00]

I mean, that is just absolutely extraordinary. So, much here. Emotion there. His body was just heaving and convulsing. Afterwards, he told us in the press building what he was thinking in that moment, what came out of him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RORY MCILROY, 2025 MASTERS CHAMPION: There wasn't much joy in that reaction. It was all relief. And then, you know, the joy came pretty soon after that. But I've been coming here 17 years and, you know, it was a good decade plus of emotion that came out of me there. I'm not going to compare it to life moments like a marriage or having a child, but it's the best day of my golfing life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: He is had so much success in his career, but he's had so much pain and anguish, notably here in 2011 when he thought he was going to become the Masters champion and he blew it. But this is about so much more than the green jacket and the $4.2 million. Nobody's even talking about the money. He has now joined an exclusive club of just six players, including McIlroy, to complete the career Grand Slam. And look at the names on your screen, guys. Those are the titans of the game. Back to you.

BROWN: Yes. Best of the best. Don Riddell, thank you.

BLITZER: I was watching with some good friends who came over for dinner and it was really amazing. BROWN: Yes. Nail biter.

BLITZER: It certainly was. All right. Coming up, the president of El Salvador will meet with President Trump at the White House. That meeting is coming up. The crucial relationship, facilitating potentially the president's deportation plan. We have details that's coming up next.

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