Trump Threatens China
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It's Tuesday, April 8th. Here's what's happening right now on CNN This Morning. I have great respect for China, but they can't do this. President Trump threatens to escalate his trade war with China, issuing them an ultimatum and a deadline. But China does not appear to be backing down. Plus, our team will get to work tomorrow to deport these heinous, violent foreign terrorist groups.

The White House can resume rapid deportations, but there's a catch: new rules from the Supreme Court. Also... This is the highest I've seen the water in my lifetime. The flooding danger is not over as deadly storms leave some communities underwater. And... In three short years, we got the University of Florida's basketball program back where it belongs, which is winning national championships.

The Gators chomp, Florida rallies pass Houston to win the title. How they pulled off the comeback in the final seconds. It's 6 a.m. here on the East Coast. Here's a live look at Cincinnati where communities around the Ohio River could still see some more flooding threat today. Good morning, everybody. I'm Adi Cornish. I want to thank you for waking up with me. And the question this morning, who will blink first?

Donald Trump is threatening even more tariffs on China. The president says he will impose an additional 50 percent tariff tomorrow if China doesn't call off their tariffs today. And caught in the middle of this, you, the consumer, here at home. We are not working right now. We have been working two days a week. Being kind of slow, there is not much work right now. How come?

The economy. We're a smaller port. We're going to feel it. Drivers will work half a day instead of a full day. All right. So you heard there from a trucking company at the port of Oakland. That's where they receive almost half of their shipments from China. And it's just one example of how President Trump's tariffs are actually impacting people's lives even before many of them have gone into effect.

Some of the world's wealthiest businessmen are also making it clear that they're not on board. Richard Branson calling the tariffs a colossal mistake. Republican mega-donor Ken Ligonate says he doesn't understand the bleeping formula. And Bill Ackman, another Trump-backing billionaire, warning of a self-induced economic nuclear winter. Even Elon Musk says he wants to see the U.S. and Europe maybe move to a relationship with zero tariffs.

President Trump, however, is not flinching, nor is China. This morning, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry accused the U.S. of economic bullying and said that in a trade war, quote, China will fight to the end. We're trying to keep our prices right where they are for the time being, although, again, we reserve the right over the next month or two or three as our paper goods start to run out to see what tariffs are doing at that point, because those 30 percent tariffs out of China and Vietnam are going to be high.

Okay, a sign that the market may be as resilient as the president hopes. U.S. futures are pointing up this morning. Global markets also ticked up following Monday's major losses.

The group chat is here to discuss Jackie Kucinich, Washington bureau chief for the Boston Globe, Chuck Rocha, Democratic strategist and former senior advisor to Bernie Sanders' presidential campaigns, and Mike Dubke, former White House communications director during President Trump's first term.

OK, Jackie, I want to start with you because obviously we are seeing a market that is so desperate for anything that like little rumors actually sent things up and down yesterday. What is it that we're hearing from the White House?

The White House is still projecting that this is something that's going to work, that they just need patience. And frankly, you're seeing it reflected back at them on the Hill. They've managed to kind of quash any effort to, at this point, to claw back some power to Congress, Republicans who were starting to

express some dissent, have quieted down. We'll see how long that lasts as the market continues to do what the market has been doing and Congress comes back. But certainly at this point, at least from their party, right now everyone is staying in line. But during that press conference, Adi, yesterday, you did have the president say, yeah, I might do this, yeah, I might do that. We'll have to see. So you

So the uncertainty still remains, even as they're saying they're being steadfast. You know, this latest threat of 50 percent tariffs that's on top of last week's 34 percent, which is itself on top of the existing 20 percent. I mean, basically, if the president makes good on all these promises, Chinese goods would face an effective tariff of 104 percent. Chuck, how long do you think people can... I don't know...

experience this shift and go along with what the president wants because culturally Americans are used to less expensive goods.

Yes, I would say we've gotten addicted to cheap goods and people made that economic philosophy back in the day when Walmart was booming. Folks decided that they wanted to buy lots of cheap stuff from China. But let's talk about the American voter and not the billionaires, because the American voter is really going to determine what happens here because we have a midterm election where they'll be heard in about 18 months. And a regular citizen out there, he watches or she watches the stock market here or there, but they don't understand instability,

buybacks, bonds, all the others. If you're 66 and you're thinking about retiring, sure, you watch it every single day. But regular folks, there's two things that really affect them politically. One is when they get their 401k statement, they always look like I do to see if you've made a little money or you've lost a little money. And over time, that becomes a problem with the perception from that voter. And the second thing, which we talked about a lot on this program, which is why Donald Trump got elected, was the price of things, the affordability of things. Every time eggs go up,

or gas goes up, people feel that because they're buying them every single week. And that's where the American public is. If this keeps driving up or drives up prices at all, then I think you're going to see a repercussion from the American voter.

Mike, Dubke, I want to bring you in because there's that we've mentioned coffee. We talked to the truckers. Another interesting data point, Nintendo had just announced its new console. Stay with me. The Switch 2 last week. And basically, as soon as it did that, it had to halt U.S. preorders because of Trump tariffs. Right. Twenty four percent tariff on Japan basically could make the device unaffordable for a lot of people. This could touch people in a lot of ways.

different ways, right, beyond the arguments that the White House is making. So Mike, do those moments matter or has the White House just made the argument so cleanly that people see this as a way to bring back manufacturing? - So I'm gonna answer this in two ways. First of all, I'm gonna agree with a lot of what Chuck just said and this is gonna be a very happy, you know, cold get along Tuesday.

I think the American people, especially the 40 percent that aren't invested in the stock market, are looking at those prices every day. And we've seen a slight downturn in inflation. We've seen a slight downturn in some prices. So right now, for the new base of the Trump administration, and frankly, the Republican Party, to a certain extent, is not revolting on this.

But let's get back to your original question about China. I think China is the fight that the president wants.

If you look at the Nikkei average this morning, you see that it's rebounding because he's negotiating with Japan. With Europe, there's been some movement. I think the fight with China is what the president and the administration would like to focus on. And that's what we're about to see. So they're setting this up. I don't think the communications have been great coming out of the White House. It's been kind of all over the map. But I think it's starting to settle in in a place that's a positive for Trump.

Okay, stay with me. There's a lot going on. Before we go, I want to play this one last cut from Peter Navarro, basically Trump's trade advisor, making a promise. And I feel like these are the kinds of promises that really should be on record. Dow 50,000, I guarantee that. And I guarantee no recession. Okay? Why? Because when we pass the biggest, broadest tax cut in history within a matter of months, that's going to be a great stimulus. There's not going to be any inflation.

You guys stay with us. We're going to talk a lot more this hour about what's going on. So how should Democrats respond to President Trump's policies that are reshaping America? What's their path forward? Senator Bernie Sanders is going to look to answer those questions in a CNN town hall that's going to be hosted by Anderson Cooper. That's happening Wednesday at 9 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

And coming up on CNN this morning, parts of Appalachia still reeling from Hurricane Helene. And now Doge is looking to decimate staffing at FEMA. We're going to have Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards. He represents one of the areas it artists. He's going to talk more about that. Plus, the U.S. and Iran may be sitting down for talks on its nuclear program. Can they come to a deal? And historic rainfall sending rivers surging and the flooding isn't over yet.

The water was up to my thigh, ice cold. And then as I stepped out, I almost fell because the water was dragging me.

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Follow CNN's Terms of Service wherever you get your podcasts. All right, if you're getting ready, it's 15 minutes past the hour. Here is your morning roundup. Some of the stories you need to know to get your day going.

While the rain is over, the danger is not. Dozens of rivers across the southeast are expected to hit major flood stage this week. That's adding to the devastation already on the ground. So, for example, in Louisville, river levels rose five feet in 24 hours, and that triggered a mandatory evacuation order for low-lying communities near the Kentucky River.

It's kind of devastating on that part. You know, it's under siege, basically. We're lucky enough it's not extremely devastating, but it's hard on a lot of people. 24 people are now confirmed dead. That's across seven different states. South Korea announcing it will hold a snap election in June to choose its next leader. The country's last president was removed just last week by the nation's top court for trying to impose martial law.

The Trump administration revoking the legal status of migrants who entered the U.S. using the Biden-era CBP One app as an email from the Department of Homeland Security ordered them to leave immediately. It's unclear how many people received the email. To be clear, more than 900,000 migrants have been allowed to enter the country by making appointments on the app since 2023.

And a small jet skating off the runway and into the water in Oregon. The plane was cleared for approach. The pilot never told controllers they were on the ground. There were five people on board. They all had to be taken to the hospital, but for minor injuries. And you gotta see this. Oh, right!

Okay, not exactly a fan of Boris Johnson. The former British Prime Minister had a run-in with an ostrich. He was driving through a wildlife park in Texas when the animal came up to the window and pecked his hand. Johnson's wife posted this video on Instagram with the caption, "Too funny not to share."

Still to come on CNN this morning, sweeping cuts to programs such as Meals on Wheels, the potential crisis now facing millions of seniors and disabled veterans. Also, the Trump administration revoking even more student visas. And good morning to San Antonio, home of the NCAA championship game. It was a late night of partying there for the Florida Gators.

This morning, many programs like Meals on Wheels are facing an uncertain future, much like the elderly and disabled Americans who depend on them. The latest round of Doge cuts hitting the government agency that funds and facilitates those programs, according to NPR, is going through a reorganization.

Joining me now, the former head of the Administration for Community Living, Alison Barkoff. Alison, I think most people don't know that agency very well or what it does. We're talking about Meals on Wheels. I think also LIHEAP, correct me if I'm wrong, which helps people get funding for their heating bills, air conditioning. What are you hearing from former colleagues about these cuts?

Good morning and thank you for having me. A lot of people might not know the Administration for Community Living, but it provides tens of millions of older adults, people with disabilities and family caregivers, life-saving services and supports like meals for older adults, senior centers, family caregiver supports, services that help people leave institutions like hospitals and nursing homes

and go home. And as you mentioned, HHS, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that the Administration for Community Living would be dismantled and its program spread across the department and over half the staff has been terminated. There's a lot of uncertainty right now about the future of these programs and how they will be able to continue to support

the health, independence and dignity of the millions of Americans who rely on them day in and day out. So, Alison, just so we're clear, as they said, the programs are not going away. The programs will be under other departments. Why can't that work? Aren't there other agencies? There's often duplication in the federal government. What is it that you think will happen if they move to these other departments?

First, we have not had any transparency. The fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said, quote, unquote, critical programs would be moved. There's been no information at this point about which programs will continue, which ones might be eliminated, and where they're going. Secondly, with less than half

the staff. It will be nearly impossible to implement these programs. In fact, some of the agencies where these programs are being moved also were really cut to the bone in terms of their staff. And finally, people are incredibly concerned. The funding that Congress allocated in mid-March has not yet gone out to the field. Many of these community-based providers

can last no more than two or three weeks without critical federal funding before they begin to cut services or even start laying off their own staff. So a lot of uncertainty right now and no information coming out from HHS about exactly what's happening with these programs. Alison, we have just a minute left, but I want to get a sense from you where you think we will see the impact first.

I know a lot of food pantries might be expecting more people to show up, but these are the communities where often they can't get the help, right? Maybe they can't drive themselves, they can't do these other things. So where do you think we're going to see this rear its head in terms of its effects on everyday people?

I think we are going to start seeing this literally in communities across the country. People rely every day on the one healthy meal that comes and feeds an older adult. People rely every day on the person who might come in their home to help get them out of bed, give them a shower, and get them out into the community.

If we don't see this funding come out soon, we will literally start seeing these life-saving services reduced and potentially people having to leave their own homes and communities and enter nursing homes. That's how critical the programs the administration community living provides are to people day in and day out.

That's Alison Barkoff, former head of the Administration for Community Living under President Biden. Straight ahead on CNN this morning, we're going to talk about the Supreme Court handing the Trump administration a big win, basically allowing deportations to continue under the Alien Enemies Act with one distinct condition. Plus, it is in drinking water all across the country, fluoride. That might not be the case for long.

The new season of United States of Scandal has bribery, fraud, undercover agents and politicians suffering from a moral virus. You know, the usual. United States of Scandal with Jake Tapper. Sunday at 9 on CNN. It scares the devil out of me. We have a choice. We can pay the bills or and raise prices or try and absorb them and go out of business.

Businesses in the U.S. that rely on imports from China now scrambling as President Trump threatens to hike tariffs on China again. Good morning, everybody. I'm Adi Cornish. I want to thank you for joining me here on CNN this morning. It's half past the hour on the East Coast, and here's what's happening right now.

China describing President Trump's new tariffs as economic bullying and they're vowing to fight to the end despite the new threat markets around the world rising. U.S. futures pointing up this morning and Asian markets closing in the green.

And Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. wants fluoride out of our drinking water. He says he will tell the CDC to stop recommending it to communities that they add the mineral to their water supply. Current CDC guidelines say fluoride is an effective and cost-effective way to prevent tooth decay.

It's not clear that that's the case in many cases.

Now, the Supreme Court is handing the Trump administration a legal victory on its use of the Alien Enemies Act. In a split decision, the justices lifted an injunction sparked by last month's deportation flights to a super prison in El Salvador. The emergency appeal allows the Trump administration to continue using the law from 1798 to speed up deportations.

In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor calls the administration's actions a, quote, extraordinary threat to the rule of law. President Trump and his allies see it as vindication. This decision proves that President Trump and our administration have always been right from the beginning. He will continue to utilize the Alien Enemies Act to remove foreign terrorists.

Now there's a catch. The court's ruling does require the administration to give proper notice to people who may be removed.

So we're going to talk about how some of this might work, some of the implications with my group chat. And you guys, this hearing today is going to be before the judge in this case who originally put the injunction on these flights. Mike Dubke, people are in the White House obviously seeing this as vindication for the use of the entire Enemies to Aliens Act. I'm not sure that's the case if you really read the fine print of the rulings. But what does it mean to be able to talk about this as a victory?

Well, I think they need to talk about this as a victory, but you're absolutely right. There are now restrictions. But what they were putting forward was that the Enemies Act doesn't just apply to nation states. It applies to gangs, terrorist groups, whatnot.

Trump was elected to lower prices. He was elected to get tough on immigration and he was elected to get tough on crime. And this covers the efforts that they've had over the last several weeks really covers those last two items of getting tough on crime, getting tough on immigration and sending a message. So in that sense,

I think they feel like this is a positive step forward and they can continue to do what they've been doing. Now they have some new rules and guidelines. This is the way the Constitution is supposed to work. So it's a victory for them, but I think it's also a victory for rule of law.

I think that Justice Sotomayor slightly disagrees about that. She does. She does. But we have this kind of weird split screen happening where you have the administration showing these images from that prison in El Salvador. And then you have other news organizations, you have people on social media pointing to those cases where people without due process are caught up.

in this dragnet, so to speak. So as this case still works its way through the courts, we were hearing at CNN from the lawyer of another person who was sent to one of these prisons, and here's what he's enduring there.

We are gravely concerned for his safety in the Sekot. We know the conditions there. We know that there are reports of torture. The images of Andriy when he arrived there, what we heard that he was crying for his mom, that he was pleading for help. I can only imagine how scary this situation is for him.

So this is about a Venezuelan makeup artist who was swept up by the administration with no hearing because of his tattoos. They insist that he is a Venezuelan gang member. Again, because there's no day in court, we don't know really what's going on. Chuck, can you talk about how these cases affect the conversation?

Yeah, the American people, to Mike's point, they did and want to have a safe U.S. And almost everyone, including many Democrats, agree if you come to this country and you do something violent, let's see the definition of violent, you should probably be deported. You should probably get your day in court, but you shouldn't be here. You got an opportunity to come. But what we're learning, which is chilling,

is that only 8% of the folks who actually were sent to this prison have a violent crime. 22% of them have some kind of crime. That includes parking tickets or speeding tickets. The vast majority of these people have no criminal record here or at home. And this does not make it right to send passports.

people who had violent crimes. You should send them back. We are talking about a day in court just to make sure innocent folks, and God forbid, an American citizen or somebody here is here illegally. It may be a temporary status, but there's lots and lots of immigrants that came here, like my family came here, who paid taxes, who obeyed by the law, because you have to remember that

that our immigration system has been broken for a very, very long time. It's not like when my grandparents came and you just signed in at the border and you got to come in. There's this long, extensive process that makes it almost impossible to come into this country. That's why you saw people coming. Jumping in here, the CPB1 app, the Biden administration allegedly put in place so that people could make appointments just so they could go through the process. And now that's being revoked and those people are being told to go home. So, Jackie, I

As this reaches further and further into the world of people who are trying to do things legally or getting caught up, what could the ripple effects be?

So I think that there has been a chilling effect about people trying to come into this country. We've seen some of those numbers drop. But really, just going back to this case, Adi, I think that this also proves the administration is taking this as a way to consolidate executive power, which is something that they've really been exerting since this administration came into being. But the due process piece is going to be critical.

And you would assume that the president's lawyers followed it because the Supreme Court handed it down. But we'll have to wait and see. That's a big question.

Yeah, and not going away. Group chat will be back in a moment. I'm going to move on to some international news because there was a surprising announcement from President Trump. The U.S. and Iran, he claims, are already engaged in talks over the country's nuclear program. Iranian state media reports that their country's foreign minister will meet with a U.S. special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, in Oman on Saturday. I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable.

to doing the obvious. And the obvious is not something that I want to be involved with or frankly that Israel wants to be involved with if they can avoid it. So we're going to see if we can avoid it. But it's getting to be very dangerous territory.

So the last publicly known time that the U.S. and Iran held direct senior level talks was a decade ago. Joining me now is Holly Dagras, senior fellow at the Washington Institute. Welcome to CNN This Morning. We reached out to you because on Twitter you were talking about how Iran needs a deal because it is in a dire situation on the ground, right? Over time, sanctions have had their intended effect. So does that mean it is willing to come to the table?

Adi, thank you for having me on the program. Well, I think it's not just sanctions that's had its intended effects. It's actually mismanagement and corruption as well on the part of the Islamic Republic. And I think that the situation we've seen in Iran for the past few years has suggested that it's not just a dire economic situation, but that the people are very discontent to the point that they've been wanting the Islamic Republic gone. And that's why we saw the 2022 Women Life Freedom uprising happen.

And so given the developments on the ground with the economy, the discontent from the people, and of course the region,

They are desperate for some kind of economic reprieve that will help them float for the next four years. And that's what they're hoping to get through these potential talks that if they lead to something. You were talking about how things have changed in the region. I'm thinking about some military changes like the New York Times put it this way. They were saying that Iran has lost the air defenses around its key nuclear sites because of precise Israeli strikes since last October. And Iran can no longer rely on its

proxy forces in the Middle East, of course, thinking about Syria, etc. So this is this like perilous moment militarily as well. Can you put that in context for us? Sure. Of course, last year we had two tit-for-tat strikes between Iran and Israel. Israel had taken out these

these air defense in Iran. And what we're seeing is that in just the past few weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump had sent a letter calling for talks. And from what we've heard from various sources is that he said

if you don't do these talks, that there will be some sort of military action against Iran and that they had a two-month deadline. And of course, Iran had responded that they would want indirect talks. And that's what we've been seeing is actually this potato-potato moment, which is, are these direct talks? Are these indirect talks? But at the end of the day, these are talks. And so that's what's supposed to be happening this Saturday in Oman.

One thing I want to ask you before I let you go, which is that there's distrust, obviously, between both countries. But the U.S. also pulled out of that nuclear deal under Trump. So is Iran going to the table kind of, yeah, concerned about that? Does that affect this negotiation going forward?

Well, as you know, the U.S. withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, despite not violating the deal at the time under the first Trump administration. And believe it or not, if you remember the talks between Zelensky and Trump just weeks ago when that fell apart at the White House,

the Iranians were actually quick to react. There was a billboard in Tehran that basically had the picture of the talk and it said lessons from Ukraine. And in essence, it was saying that we shouldn't trust the United States. So what you're actually going to be seeing is a bit of a divide on if these talks should even be happening domestically inside Iran, because

There are groups in Iran that believe that the United States should never be trusted, but in this situation there's going to be a push for talks because of this situation on the ground and they realize that they need some sort of band-aid just to keep afloat to survive the next four years of the Trump administration.

Holly Degress is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute talking to us there about Iran. Appreciate your time. Coming up on CNN this morning, we're going to be talking tariff tension because it is hitting investors and small business owners. Congressman Chuck Edwards is here. His constituents with North Carolina are trying to cope with this trade war while recovering from the effects of a hurricane. Plus, college basketball crowns a new national champion. We have the latest from San Antonio. Can't touch it. He can't.

As tariff fears grip Wall Street, Main Street is of course taking a hit. Small business owners still reeling from billions of dollars in losses, for example from Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina. Now tariffs are bringing a new threat to that recovery.

Right now we're under serious strain from tariffs, especially on aluminum. Most of our beer is put in cans and our aluminum prices have increased 17% this calendar year and are expected to grow even higher. Absorbing these costs is simply not feasible without raising prices. These tariffs are pouring salt in a wound that is just now beginning to heal.

I wanted to talk about this because these voices are from North Carolina. So here is the Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards of North Carolina. His district, of course, was hit by Helene last year. Congressman, thank you for being here with me this morning.

Yeah, good morning. Thanks for having me. So we heard there some small business owners speaking out, saying specifically, this is how this is going to hurt us. And then recently we heard from one of your state's Republican senators, Tom Tillis, who said this about how tariffs might impact farmers in your state.

Anyone who says there may be a little bit of pain before we get things right, need to talk to my farmers who are one crop away from bankruptcy. They don't have time, so we've got to be crisp on this implementation. Otherwise, we could do damage that's irreparable to farmers and businesses.

So the senator is actually pushing a bill in the Senate, signing onto a bill that would rein in the president's tariff power. Is that something you think the House should consider as well? Is it something you would sign onto if given the chance?

No, I certainly would not sign on to that theory. I believe that our president was very clear when he asked to be our president that he'd be using terrorists to make America more competitive. I trust that he will do exactly that. I know that there's just a lot of angst out there right now, but we're really early into this process.

These lawmakers are responding to their constituents. What are you telling these people who say, look, I am genuinely worried. I cannot wait until the economy bottoms out or for manufacturing to be brought back to the U.S., a decades-long process. Well, the tariff announcements are really young. We're only into...

A few days ago, they were announced. I believe that we need to give President Trump the opportunity to bring world leaders to the table and begin to have discussions on what we need, what the United States needs from them to create a more fair and balanced trade atmosphere. I've got full confidence that that's exactly what he's going to be able to do. I believe in the American people.

have full confidence. They elected President Trump widespread in this country based on the fact that he told us he'd be leveraging terrorists to make us more competitive.

You know, I want to talk about the lumber industry. The U.S. is planning on hiking existing duties on Canadian lumber up to 34 percent. I know lumber exports are a big deal in North Carolina, so you're going to be facing reciprocal tariffs on that. And it could also raise basically home building materials, right, raising the average cost of a home by potentially more than $9,000.

Is there anything that you're worried about when it comes to impacts on people who are in the middle of trying to rebuild after the hurricane? Yeah, certainly we're all concerned about our world economy right now. But we have a president that has the courage to stand out in front of the world and use America's might, not only our military might, but our economic might,

to convince the rest of the world to enter into fairer trade agreements. The announcement of tariffs is only the beginning of this process. We know that President Trump is the great negotiator. He's the author of the art of the deal. I certainly believe that he's trying to create leverage right now and say to the rest of the world,

that America is gonna grow our economy. - Congressman, can I jump in here? Leverage for what? It's not clear. We've heard multiple reasons for the tariffs, no consistency in the way they're applied. We were earlier looking at a report out of Russia where lawmakers there were joking around about the fact that Russia wasn't facing tariffs. I think people are trying to make sense of this

and they're having a hard time hearing back from their representatives, trust us, it's gonna work out. - Well, let's look back at President Trump's 40, his first term when he was our 45th president. - But we know he likes tariffs. We just don't know what this is supposed to accomplish and in what timeframe and for what specific reasons.

So, again, let's look back while he was our 45th president. He negotiated deals with countries like Canada and Mexico using the leverage of tariffs that those countries in return for us lowering tariffs would purchase more American agricultural products and goods.

He did not become the 46th president, and President Biden did not enforce those agreements. I believe that we're in a position now where foreign leaders will take him very seriously, and they'll meet up to the agreements that are ultimately to be made. The announcement of tariffs is just the beginning. The real benefit comes after the negotiation, after foreign leaders come to the table.

And I believe that we should give President Trump the opportunity to bring them to the table. And yes, we should watch what's taking place with a great deal of scrutiny. But at this point, I believe that we need to trust the president. Congressman Chuck Edwards of North Carolina. We're going to switch gears now because finally the madness is over. The Florida Gators are the last team standing. One second and it's over. It's over.

Florida overcoming a smothering Houston defense in a 12-point second-half deficit to beat the Cougars 65-63 last night. What does this win mean for you and Gator Nation? Obviously, we're thrilled, man. It's a heck of a moment, an incredible opportunity to be here, and the fact that we finished it up means everything in the world.

I'm joined by CNN contributor Carrie Champion and CNN sports anchor Koi Weier. I know you guys both watch this closely. Koi, I'm bringing you because you were up in the mix. We just saw at the end. And Carrie, I'm bringing you back because you were like, Duke's going to take it. So first, I just have to get your point of view on where we stand now, because that did not work out for many reasons. How are you feeling about the game you saw?

Is that for me? That's for you, Carrie. Too soon. I will take the L. I'm sure I was like millions of others who thought Duke would win. Congratulations to Houston for getting past Duke. And then I thought Houston would take it all. So what I'm feeling right now, if I'm honest with you, Sarah Sider is going to be insufferable because her Florida Gators won, but they just did it.

confirmed in just a few minutes. Yeah, their defense did it in the end, which is pretty ironic because Houston is known for their defense, but congratulations. They did a good job. Koi, I'll let you have the stage since I love that she reminded everyone I had it wrong.

I didn't do it. That was your girl, Audie. I mean, she said it. What an incredible win for Gator Nation. I mean, this was their first championship in 18 years, and we're talking about a very storied program if you look back when they won their back-to-back titles in 06 and 07.

And the way they won is the most important thing here because this was one of the top three offenses in the nation all year. But Harry mentioned that suffering Cougars defense. That was the first time the Cougars lost all year when holding an opponent to under 70 points. But the Gators still find a way to win. Their star was shut down. Walter Clayton had zero points in the first half, but his teammates rallied up. They rise up around him and they find a way to get it done with grit,

with toughness, walking off the stage there with Coach at the end, literally walking him off the court for the first time as a national champion. It was absolute elation. He's now the youngest coach to win a national title in 42 years. He's just 39 years old, and I think they've got a pretty good darn thing cooking down there in Gainesville.

And Carrie, you know, while I have you, I also want to talk about the women's champions with UConn back on top again. Why are they so dominant? What does this moment sort of say about that team?

Yeah, we were in Tampa this weekend for the Final Four. I will say this. Gino Ariema, say what you want about him. He is by far one of the best coaches to ever do it. They have 12 national championships. And the reason why that program is that way is because of him. He created it. 40 years of coaching, and this is the fiber of that type of team and that culture.

organization. He's been able to put together such a good program and I have to give him all of the credit because people decide where they want to go and usually they pick UConn because of what it's known for and he's bringing that glory back. You see him hugging Paige Beckers here. Paige, this was her last year in college and I thought it was a beautiful Cinderella story because she had to fight through injury. She was the number one in her class in 2020 and she watched all of the

her teammates just go away into the WNBA and do well. And so now I'm just really, really happy for what I would think is an appropriate ending for a college superstar and for Gino Auriemma and his program. All right, Carrie Champion and Koi Wire bringing me a little joy this morning because it's a rough news day. Thanks, you guys. I know. I know. Thank you, Audie.

All right, we're going to talk about what we're keeping an eye on in the news now, and I'm going to bring it back to the group. Jackie Kucinich, can I start with you? What are you watching out for the next day or two? Sure. RFK Jr. was invited to testify in front of Bill Cassidy's help committee this week. I'm unclear whether he's going to accept that invitation, but what does this mean for oversight of that very critical agency that he leads? Yeah, a lawmaker who was very skeptical during those hearings. Chuck, how about you?

I'm keeping an eye on the stock futures. Is it going to go up? Is it going to go down? It's another roller coaster day. But the thing I'm really keeping my eye on is Ted Cruz, because I blame you for my Houston Cougars losing last night. Every time you show up at a sporting event for a Texas team, we lose and I am bitter and it's your fault. Yeah, I'm not sure that's how sports work, but I am new. I promise you it is. Mike, last word to you.

All right. That is exactly how sports works. It's all about superstition. So let's go there. Fair, fair, fair. I've been fact checked. I like it. I'm looking at the seven senators who put their names forward, Republican senators on the bipartisan Trade Review Act of 2025. I'm looking to see who the next six are.

because while President Trump has a high threshold for pain, there's not really a lot of profiles and courage of the 535 members of Congress. And several of these people, I think, are going to step forward, Republicans, and put their name to that if the stock market continues to go down or if we have some bad economic messaging. So I'm waiting to see where they get to 60. I know Trump will veto it.

But let's see who joins those seven who have already signed on on the Republican side. All right. Thanks to the group chat and thanks to you for waking up with us. I'm Adi Cornish and CNN News Central starts right now.

This week on The Assignment with me, Adi Cornish. There are reports of at least a dozen students and faculty who have been detained by federal agents. How does this happen? How can the government detain legal immigrants without charges? How is this affecting students and faculty at campuses around the country? And who is challenging the government over potential First Amendment violations for punishing people who say things that the administration labels a threat?

Listen to The Assignment with me, Audie Cornish, streaming now on your favorite podcast app.