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Trump Calls For 100 percent Tariffs On Movies Produced Outside U.S.; Trump Admin Starts Talks With DOJ To Reopen Alcatraz; Duffy Pledges New "State-Of-The-Art" Air Traffic Control System. Aired 11- 11:30a ET

Aired May 05, 2025 - 11:00   ET

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

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[11:00:56]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, President Trump is floating new trade deals and tariffs and saying he doesn't know if he needs to uphold the Constitution but adds that he will follow the Supreme Court. We're following all of the latest headlines.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown and you're in The Situation Room.

We begin this hour with President Trump raising doubts about his debt -- his oath of office and his willingness to uphold the very fabric of our government, the U.S. Constitution.

BROWN: The President also hints that some trade deals could be announced as early as this week and he's driving home the message that he is the one that's setting the terms. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Nobody understands. We're negotiating with many countries. But at the end of this I'll set my own deals because I set the deal. They don't set the deal. I set the deal. They've been ripping us off for years. I set the deal.

Every country, almost without fail, friend and foe, has been ripping us off for years. So we're meeting with almost all of them, including China. And at the end, I'm setting the deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Al; right, let's go to CNN senior White House correspondent, Kristen Holmes. Kristen, welcome back from maternity leave. It's so great to see you back on air again. So the President says he'll lower tariffs on China at some point. What are you learning this morning?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, thank you so much, Pamela. This is actually my very first hit, so be kind. I'm a little bit nervous as I step here in front of the lights on the White House lawn, but happy to be here. Now when it comes to China, what we heard was really a sort of softening of rhetoric on China. He acknowledged that it's almost impossible to do business with China under the current circumstances.

And he also added that they might think about lowering it, that all he wanted was a fair trade deal. Now this might be somewhat of a relief to some Americans. Obviously we know, we've talked to small business owners who feel like they are really staring down the barrel of a gun right now when you look at those enormous tariffs with China, hoping for any sort of a deal soon.

But one thing I really want to point out is what you said about Trump on Air Force One, how he mentioned this idea of a trade deal coming as soon as this week. We have heard this from the administration now for three weeks, and I can tell you from talking to his supporters as well as the administration, everybody is trying to get this deal done. They have been trying to get this done for weeks.

I will remind you that Donald Trump said these deals were already in the works, but yet we haven't seen a single deal. So when I'm talking to these various administration officials, to these various supporters, all they are hoping for is for Donald Trump to come forward, for the administration to come forward with one trade deal with the hope that that then sends the signal to the economy, to people that the ball is in motion, that they are moving forward.

So, of course, one of the things we're digging in on this week is how close are those talks really from happening and what exactly is going into those negotiations?

BROWN: Yes, that is the big question. And also the president announced this 100 percent tariff on movies produced outside the U.S. and shown in America. Tell us more about that.

HOLMES: Yes, Pamela, I mean, this is really going into the category of we still have a lot of questions about what he is talking about exactly.

BROWN: Yes.

HOLMES: This is what he posted on Truth Social. He said, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100 percent tariff on any and all movies coming into our country that are produced in foreign lands. We want movies made in America again.

The reason why there are so many questions around this is what exactly does this mean? First of all, he said that this had to be done, that this was something that would be a foreign crisis, a national security threat. But also when you look at movies as a whole, what part of the process is he talking about exactly? We know that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of movies that have production companies across the world that do tiny parts of each movie. We also know that there are huge tax incentives to film movies in various places.

[11:05:00] So how exactly this would work and what this would look like, a lot of questions going into that right now, Pamela.

BROWN: Kristen Holmes, you nailed it on your first hit back from maternity leave. Great to see you. Couldn't tell you were nervous at all. I'm sure you'll be back on again soon.

HOLMES: Thank you.

BROWN: Wolf?

BLITZER: Congratulations to the --

BROWN: Yes. Baby number two.

BLITZER: Excellent, excellent work.

BROWN: Yes.

BLITZER: And there's more news we're following this morning. We've learned that the White House is now discussing the next steps for reopening, get this, Alcatraz, to house the country's quote, most ruthless and violent offenders. The federal penitentiary closed more than 60 years ago. Since then, it's become a popular tourist destination in the San Francisco Bay Area. Let's go to our White House -- the White House briefing room and CNN senior White House producer, Betsy Klein. Betsy, what more are you learning, first of all, about the president's plans for Alcatraz?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Yes, Wolf, we have seen the President really transform and reimagine the use of executive authority in the first months of his presidency, and we're seeing that play out in lots of different ways, including his aggressive crackdown on illegal immigrants and criminals. So the President floating in a post to social media yesterday that he wants to revitalize Alcatraz. Of course, that notorious prison off the coast of San Francisco.

He says in a post to truth social quote today, I am directing the Bureau of Prisons together with the Department of Justice, FBI and Homeland Security to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt Alcatraz to host -- house America's most ruthless and violent offenders.

And we are learning, according to a White House official tells me that the White House has already initiated talks with the Department of Justice, which, of course, oversees the Bureau of Pri -- of Prisons to begin the next steps toward this. Of course, Alcatraz closed back in 1963, according to the Bureau of Prisons, because it was too expensive to operate. It cost about three times as much as other federal prisons.

And we -- it is now a historical landmark. It generates about $60 million of tourist revenue per year, according to the National Park Service. But of course, is a very symbolic move. Listen to what the president told reporters aboard Air Force One.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It's a symbol of law and order, and, you know, it's got quite a history, frankly. So I think we're going to do that, and we're looking at it right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Now, it's unclear how much this will cost and how long it will take to do this, but the President clearly making it a priority, and it is almost certain to draw legal challenges, Wolf.

BLITZER: And Betsy, President Trump is also speaking out about reports that he offered to send U.S. troops to Mexico to help fight the cartels. What are you learning about that?

KLEIN: Yes, the President confirmed that he spoke with Mexico's President, Claudia Sheinbaum, about the possibility of sending U.S. troops to Mexico. He said, yes, it's true. If Mexico wanted to help with the cartels, we would be honored to go in. Of course, this comes after the Mexican president said on Saturday that Trump had made the offer, but she said, absolutely not. She said that Mexico will never accept the presence of U.S. troops in Mexico. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Betsy Klein reporting for us from the White House. Thank you very much. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, well, President Trump has also raised eyebrows for casting doubt about his responsibility to uphold the Constitution. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN WALKER, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: Your secretary of state says everyone who's here, citizens and noncitizens, deserve due process. Do you agree, Mr. President?

TRUMP: I don't know. I'm not -- I'm not a lawyer. I don't know.

WALKER: Don't you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as President?

TRUMP: I don't know. I have to respond by saying again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: All right, joining us is CNN senior political analyst Mark Preston. Trump also said, as you heard there, you know, I don't know about the Constitution, upholding it. I would also follow the Supreme Court, though. How do you view those comments?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, when's the last time we heard President Trump say, I don't know? I mean, he seems to know everything until he doesn't need to know everything. In this case, it is a strategic effort on his part in two ways. The first way is -- is to indemnify him, is to protect him down the road, should he do something that could, you know, you put him in crosswinds with the Supreme Court or Congress. And the second thing is, he just put up another smoke screen right now.

Every poll number we have seen in the past week has shown he is underwater, except on one issue. Right now, he is having problems with the economy. We see the tariffs are -- are -- just causing this ripple effect that is getting people angry. The fact of the matter is, is that Donald Trump is causing this smoke screen for all of us to pay attention to this and not to that.

BLITZER: It's interesting, and another sensitive issue, the former Vice President Mike Pence, as you know, he received what's called the JFK Profile in Courage Award this past weekend for -- for basically certifying the election that Biden won and Trump lost. That was a profile in courage. What's been the reaction to that?

[11:10:06]

PRESTON: Well, you know, by and large, I mean, looking back his -- history will look very well upon Mike Pence, no doubt about that. And what he said last night, though, I should notice that he noted that it was a triumph because Congress was able to move on. And then he went on to say this.

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MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I will always believe, by God's grace, that I did my duty that day to support the peaceful transfer of power under the Constitution of the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PRESTON: And there we go, is -- is Mike Pence last night, just talking about what he did, you know, in order to ensure that there was, you know, government, the continuity of government moving forward as outlined in the Constitution. We should note that he was very loyal to President Trump as Vice President. He did run against him for President. And now he's one of these really I don't want to say old school Republicans, but really a Ronald Reagan Republican that doesn't have much of a role within the GOP.

BROWN: And he'll be on tonight at 9:00.

BLITZER: Yes, with Kaitlan Collins in The Source, 9 o'clock later tonight, Mike Pence. Thanks very much, Mark.

BROWN: Thank you, Mark.

BLITZER: And still ahead, major delays disrupting travel at one of the busiest airports in the United States now for the eighth day in a row. What the FAA says is behind it.

And a groundbreaking discovery in the fight against cancer, the new drug that could effectively treat the disease without chemotherapy. Stay with us. Important information coming up right here in The Situation Room.

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[11:16:21]

BLITZER: Happening now, a crippling staff shortage is being blamed for major delays at New Jersey's Newark International Airport. Now for the eighth straight day, more than 200 flights have already been delayed. Just this morning, at least 100 have been totally canceled. An FAA advisory says the average delay is almost five hours. Joining us now is CNN Transportation Analyst and former Inspector General for the Department of Transportation Mary Schiavo. Mary, thanks so much for joining us. You say these problems seem like deja vu. What do you mean by that?

MARY SCHIAVO, FORMER TRANSPORTATION DEPT. INSPECTOR GENERAL: Well, these problems have been going on, not just for years, but for decades. And in particular, for example, the staffing shortages. Newark Tower, the Philadelphia TRACON, which is a terminal radar approach control, which funnels the traffic into Newark and other airports. And of course, the New York area TRACON, which funnels traffic to other airports.

They have been under -- understaffed for years. There was a report, for example, out of the FAA in 2021 that put some of the staffing shortages as much as 15 or 20 percent below. So this is something that has been known for some time. And then couple that with the equipment problems. Secretary Duffy has talked about that. But you know, those equipment problems have been going on literally since the 1990s.

Heck, I was Inspector General when we were telling the FAA to fix them. We have scrapped programs, billions of dollars in equipment that was never actually effectuated properly. And it's because the FAA did not manage those contracts properly.

Now we're in a critical situation with equipment. And then on top of that, at Newark, we've got construction going on and we've got United Airlines stuffing hundreds of flights every day into an airport that simply cannot handle them. It's at the critical breaking point.

BLITZER: It's a disaster. A shortage of air traffic controllers, Mary, is getting the bulk of the blame right now for these delays. But the Transportation Secretary also pointed to technology failures, he said, caused by outdated equipment. Sean Duffy is now pledging to update the entire system. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN DUFFY, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: State-of-the-art, gold-plated, envy of the world, touching every face of the systems that -- the system that the air traffic controllers use. We're going to lay fiber. We're going to get new radar, new radios, new ground sensors. The equipment that is facing the -- the controllers to all the back-end equipment, we're going to replace it all. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A lot of big, big plans, no doubt about that. But how long, Mary, is all of that going to take?

SCHIAVO: Oh, it's going to take years, and I applaud him for wading into this, because administration after administration, Republicans and Democrats, have kicked this can down the road for years. We have piecemeal systems. For example, we have 500-plus airports in the United States. They have different equipment. So it's not the same system wherever you go.

It's supposed to be the same system, but the equipment varies, the age of the equipment varies. And so many times, the contracts, the money's been there, but they've had to be scrapped. So the first thing Secretary Duffy has to do is put in place people in the FAA that can manage literally the largest information technology and artificial intelligence system probably in the world, probably in history.

And literally, this is rocket science, and the FAA has not properly managed them in the past. This has to be done. This is very ambitious, but this is also very, very difficult. For example, NTSB chairman said she has no confidence, this was just in March, that the FAA can avoid future collisions. That means alarm bells should be going off, and Secretary Duffy has to do this, but it will take years.

[11:20:15]

BLITZER: On another very disturbing aviation development, last week, Mary, two, two commercial flights had to abort landings here in Washington at Reagan National Airport as a Black Hawk military helicopter was approaching the Pentagon, which is not far from Reagan National Airport. So what went wrong here?

SCHIAVO: Well, this is very interesting and really outrageous. So obviously, we had the worst accident, the collision with the helicopter and the commercial flight in DCA, you know, just a couple months ago. And then there was a bipartisan hearing on the Hill, and there were hearings about what was going wrong. And in that hearing, we learned that the military was continuing these helicopter flights, that they refused to use all the equipment to report their positions, technically it's ADSB, in and out. Senator Cruz says he was outraged that the Army would not even reveal under what conditions they would use it or would not, and that they did not cooperate with the hearing.

Senator Duckworth, you know, on the other side of the aisle, was fully in agreement and said, hey, look, alarm bells have been going off for decades and you're not doing anything. And then we find out at this hearing that at the hearing, it said it was the Navy and the Secret Service. They were conducting testing of systems, systems not revealed, which turns out affected TCAS, the Terminal Collision Avoidance Systems, the avoidance systems that help airplanes see each other and take action to get out of a conflict.

The Secret Service actually admitted that they were doing some testing, they wouldn't say exactly what they were testing, and it caused false positives for the TCAS system. This is absolutely outrageous. They're experimenting with the, you know, the safety and security of the traveling public. We were also told that a helicopter pilot decided to take a loop, a sightseeing loop around the Pentagon causing two go rounds.

Clearly the agencies are not coordinating. Clearly the military has taken precedence over the safety of the traveling public, and that cannot be. That is not proper under the law and it's not their jurisdiction.

BROWN: That's pretty outrageous.

BLITZER: Totally outrageous. Mary Schiavo, thank you very much for your analysis. Pamela, you and I fly out of Reagan National, fly in and out of Reagan National all the time, and lately I've been looking very closely to see other helicopters flying around.

BROWN: Exactly, and they were supposed to be, I thought that was resolved after the collision.

BLITZER: Yes.

BROWN: They weren't supposed to be in the area, but clearly it's not as Mary just laid out, and it's really troubling.

[11:22:53]

All right, up next. Massive budget cuts could hit dozens of life- saving substance abuse prevention and treatment programs. The impact that this could have on the opioid crisis, up next in The Situation Room.

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BROWN: Well, a study is shedding light on a game changer for cancer treatments. This is a big deal. It's a new immunotherapy drug treatment, and it's not only proving effective against various types of diseases, but also helping patients avoid invasive surgeries and harsh treatments. CNN's Jacqueline Howard has more on this breakthrough.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Immunotherapy is changing the landscape of cancer care, and a new trial specifically on the immunotherapy drug, dostarlimab, is continuing some previous research where 100 percent of rectal cancer patients saw their tumors disappear. This was after receiving IV infusions of dostarlimab.

Now, this new study took that research further by including patients with other types of cancer, like colon, gastric, and prostate. In this new study, 80 percent of those patients were completely treated without needing to undergo surgery. Their tumors did not progress during or after treatment, but it's important to mention that these patients all had what are called mismatch repair deficient tumors.

This type of tumor is incredibly responsive to immunotherapies, and that's what the new study showed, but this is a limited group of patients. If you have cancer, you need to have your tumor genetically sequenced to confirm if it is mismatch repair deficient and therefore could respond to this type of less invasive treatment approach.

Some patients can access this now. The FDA gave it a breakthrough designation last year for certain rectal cancer patients. Dostarlimab is already FDA approved to treat certain endometrial cancers after chemotherapy. But overall, this idea of using less invasive treatments is where the future is heading. Less invasive means patients could avoid radiation, which we know can impact fertility, or they could avoid having organs removed in surgery. And this approach is emerging at a time where we are seeing more and more cancers being diagnosed at younger and younger ages.

BROWN: This seems like a huge breakthrough. Jacqueline Howard, thanks.

BLITZER: Very important development indeed.

BROWN: Yes, very.

BLITZER: Very encouraging, potentially.

[11:29:51]

Just ahead, quote, we don't want to take a chance and put our community at risk. My President Trump's policies have some major cities right now canceling huge cultural events.

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